As soon as Seong heard the name, his body tensed up instinctively.

    Hindel.

    Hero Hindel.

    A flood of thoughts raced through his mind, overwhelming him.

    Wasn’t this the past setting from the Overlord main quest?

    Meeting Hindel... did that mean...

    "Am I supposed to fight Hindel?"

    An utterly bewildering situation.

    At that moment, Hindel gave an awkward laugh, his expression tinged with embarrassment.

    “Haha... I guess this is your first time hearing about me? I suppose my fame hasn’t spread far yet...”

    “Oh, no, I’ve heard of you. Hero Hindel.”

    “Oh? Really? What have you heard?”

    Damn it.

    An interrogation?

    If Seong hadn’t been calm and composed by nature, he might have panicked.

    But Seong wasn’t one to crumble easily.

    Quickly, he scanned Hindel from head to toe.

    He wasn’t sure about the exact timeline, but Hindel seemed to have shed his apprentice status.

    And judging by the sword he carried, it was leagues better than the one Hindel used as a novice.

    Using his wits, Seong replied smoothly, “I heard you sealed away the terrifying beast, Barfur.”

    “Ah! That... That’s embarrassing, really. Haha. It was just a small feat from my apprentice days, but I’m surprised you know of it.”

    “Haha...”

    He was safe.

    Seong wiped the cold sweat off his brow internally as he swallowed nervously.

    The awkward laugh seemed to have diffused the situation.

    Surely, Hindel wouldn’t press further?

    But what exactly was he supposed to do here?

    Still confused by the situation, Seong looked at Hindel curiously.

    Hindel, noticing his expression, carefully spoke up.

    “You must be wondering why I’ve come all the way here.”

    Yes, please, enlighten me.@@@@

    But Seong chose to stay silent, waiting for an explanation.

    Hindel, looking slightly uncomfortable, continued, “I know this is awkward, given my title as a hero, but I have a favor to ask...”

    He’s not about to ask me to die for him, right?

    Seong tensed up, ready to fight at any moment.

    However, the atmosphere felt... different.

    Neither Hindel nor his companions seemed hostile.

    “Would you consider assisting us in our journey to the Dark Castle?”

    “...???”

    “We can’t do it alone. The Dark Castle is infamous as the dwelling of Demon King Helena. We need your help. Of course, we’ll compensate you...”

    “Wait, hold on. You want me to go to the Dark Castle?”

    Could he even do that?

    This was the Overlord main quest. Joining forces with the hero to attack the previous Overlord?

    Was this some twisted succession ritual?

    Seong’s head spun in confusion as Hindel added hesitantly, “I’m aware you’re a dark mage, but please don’t worry. Not all dark mages are evil.”

    “Uh... Yes, that’s true.”

    He wanted to ask why they were attacking Helena in the first place but held his tongue.

    “Leaving Demon King Helena unchecked would plunge the world into chaos. With power greater than the Archdukes of Hell, who knows when she might decide to destroy the world?”

    “...Ah.”

    Seong knew that wasn’t true.

    But with no clear idea of how to proceed, he found himself at a loss.

    At that moment, the system granted him salvation.

    [You have been transported to the past of the Dark Citadel.]

    [Overlord-exclusive Main Quest: "Entrance to the Dark Castle" has spawned a sub-quest.]

    [Overlord-exclusive Sub-Quest: "Together with a Former Foe" has been generated.]

    So that’s what it was.

    Seong opened the quest window, suspecting the worst.

    And, of course, the worst was true.

    [Together with a Former Foe]

    Sub-QuestTo locate the Dark Castle, you have arrived at Despair’s Gorge, where the castle once stood in the past. Following a note''s guidance, you entered a cave in the cliffside.After defeating the gatekeeper, you were transported to a distant past.Here, you encounter the hero Hindel, who offers you a proposal.

    The proposal is to join him in an attack on the Dark Castle, home to the first Overlord and the former Demon King, Helena.

    Accompany the hero Hindel to the Dark Castle and see for yourself how it once looked.

    The reason was unclear, but Seong decided not to ask. Whether he hadn’t joined yet or had temporarily left, there was no benefit in revealing what he already knew.

    Having learned his lesson earlier, Seong wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

    Even if he was curious, he let it slide.

    The introductions and greetings concluded. It was only natural to exchange names with people he would inevitably spend some time with.

    “We’re so grateful that you’ve decided to join us, Seong. Although we have Plang the Sage, our ties with the royal court and magic tower aren’t particularly strong, so we’ve been in need of someone with high-powered magic like yourself.”

    “...I see. That makes sense.”

    Though this differed slightly from the history Seong had learned, it didn’t seem like the timeline had reached that point yet.

    Based on what he’d learned from Helena, Hindel’s estrangement with the royal court and magic tower happened after he was manipulated into turning against her.

    But for them to already not be on good terms?

    Though Seong hadn’t observed Hindel for long, his personality made it easy to believe he had already made enemies.

    Could that be why Gjordren wasn’t here?

    But why turn against Helena at all?

    “Well, I guess I’ll find out eventually.”

    As Seong silently set this as a new goal, Plang muttered in frustration.

    “The royal court and those senile old men at the magic tower are the real problem! Has Helena ever attacked a human village or struck first? Never! Yet they keep squawking about how she needs to be dealt with, like parrots! We refuse to follow their orders! Ugh, idiots.”

    “Plang...”

    “Apologies, but I fully agree with Plang.”

    “...True words.”

    Hindel tried to rein Plang in, but the rest of the party nodded in agreement with him.

    They seemed to understand that Helena wasn’t evil.

    So why were they going to attack her?

    It felt contradictory.

    Seong looked at Hindel with a puzzled expression, which the hero seemed to interpret as a request for an explanation.

    Perhaps he felt it was fine to share now that Seong was a party member.

    “...I told you we were going to stop her, but in truth, we aim to persuade Demon King Helena.”

    “Persuade her?”

    “Yes. As Plang said, Demon King Helena—or should we even call her that?—has never directly attacked human villages. The only people who’ve died at her hands were evildoers. But her immense, transcendent power terrifies many, and the royal court and magic tower are determined to kill her.”

    “So, you plan to persuade her?”

    “Yes. That’s the goal of our party. Haha... It’s a bit embarrassing to admit.”

    Hindel’s sincerity made it impossible to doubt him.

    His words aligned with what Helena had told Seong.

    If that was the case, this must be before Hindel was manipulated.

    Was there a specific reason why he’d eventually believe the lies?

    Given Plang’s earlier complaints, the magic tower masters seemed to be the likely culprits.

    It might be difficult to confirm the exact details in this fragment of the past.

    But at least he had a lead now.

    “I can investigate this once I return to the present.”

    The thought reignited Seong’s interest.

    How could someone as righteous and upright as Hindel have fallen for such deceit? Uncovering Hindel’s footsteps suddenly felt more meaningful.

    But that was a question for later.

    For now, Seong’s priority was aligning with Hindel’s current goal.

    “Then the first step is to create an opportunity to speak with her.”

    “Exactly.”

    “Though I imagine that’ll be the hardest part~,” Plang quipped with a sigh.

    No one present could deny that claim.

    It truly was like trying to crack a rock with an egg.

    As Seong wondered where this story would lead, he sensed a presence nearby.

    And he wasn’t the only one.

    Hindel, Plang, and Lyiaden noticed it too, as did the non-combatant Saintess.

    Even from afar, it was clear this wasn’t a typical monster.

    Or was it even a monster at all?

    If one were to sculpt a slime into the shape of a person, it might look something like this.

    But this creature was different from any slime.

    Its body shimmered like the vast night sky, a deep, mystical shade of navy speckled with stars.

    Its overwhelming presence filled the air with tension.

    Everyone in Hindel’s party was on high alert.

    Everyone but one.

    One person stared at the creature and murmured softly.

    “Fiora, is that you?”

    Heh? No, I’m not~.

    ...Though it clearly was her.