Hubert furrowed his brows.
An average-looking young man with black hair and black eyes.
But the two horns sprouting from the sides of his head and his pale, almost purplish skin were telling signs that he was anything but ordinary.
‘A demon?’
Residents of the ‘Demon Realm’, a subsidiary dimension adjacent to Auterica like the spirit realm or the abyss.
Naturally, he was already well aware of their existence.
Siana, the succubus who was one of the commanders of the undead army, was also one of those demons from that realm.
‘The problem is why such a creature suddenly came to find me…’
??>
– A demon whose affiliation is unknown. Very excited to encounter artifacts that he never expected to see here.
– Major characteristics: Vast magical power
– Trust level: ???
He barely managed to use “Analyze,” but not much additional information was gleaned.
Given the high rank of his opponent and the fact that he had only exchanged a few words, it would have been greedy to expect to understand everything.
Yet, it was not entirely without gain.
‘To be excited about encountering artifacts that shouldn’t be here…’
That single sentence contained a wealth of meaning.
And considering his previous demeanor, the most likely explanation was—
“…What just happened?”
Just as Hubert was organizing his thoughts in an accelerated mental state, the hidden demon spoke in a displeased tone.
‘Oh no, did he catch on?’
He had tried to use “Analyze” as discreetly as possible with even “Limit Break,” but it seemed to be impossible to completely fool someone of such transcendental senses.
However, having already grasped a rough idea of the demon’s identity, Hubert casually opened his mouth before the demon could react too sharply.
“You seem so confident that you’ve used every means at your disposal. A mysterious uninvited guest suddenly appearing, doesn’t that seem a bit too surprising?”
He shrugged, as if to say that this was entirely a normal procedure on his part.
Despite the fact that it was an inappropriate attitude in front of someone capable of taking his life at any moment, for him, who had firm beliefs, it was just a show of guts.
‘It doesn’t seem like he would harm me now. Of course, it’s not completely out of the question that he would come at me forcibly…’
If that were the case, who would end up regretting it would be interesting to observe.
If his weak little brother came home beaten up, the terrifying older brothers who stood behind him would definitely not sit still.
Just as it happened in the past.
“…Well, fine. The fact that you suddenly came here is true, so I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a second.”
Fortunately, the demon did not probe further into his matters.
Perhaps it was due to the confidence that it was impossible for him to fully see through him regardless of the means.
“So, you still haven’t answered my question?”
“Well, since you seem to know already, it would be pointless to deny it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly.”
As the demon pressed him again, Hubert cheerfully agreed.
“I come from Earth.”
He could have created any excuse to feign ignorance, but he chose not to.
That was because—
“Seeing as you seem to be the same, how about we introduce ourselves face-to-face? It’s quite a connection to meet someone from the same hometown like this.”
So that the next conversation would go smoothly.
“Oh? Aren’t you afraid of death? I don’t know what you’re so calm about. The moment I decide, your head will roll before you even choose to return to Earth.”
“Aren’t you here because you want something from me? Seems like you had no intention of hiding it from the start.”
Hubert slowly stood up.
Casually conversing with the demon, now turned Earthling, who was still hidden.
And he began to lay out various foods he had pulled from the spatial dimension on the large reception table in the center of the office.
“…What’s this?”
From drinks like cola and cider, beer, to things he used to often eat like chicken, pizza, sushi, and all sorts of sweet desserts.
It was an extravagant spread that made it nearly impossible to tell whether they were in this world or Earth.
“Let’s eat comfortably while we talk. After all, someone like you wouldn’t be poisoned so easily, right?”
He deliberately showcased his abilities in front of the demon.
This unique skill of his was precisely this.
Thanks to it, he succeeded commercially, and it meant he had no means to harm you.
Gulp—
As the aroma of freshly made food wafted through the air, the demon was felt to swallow slightly.
Detecting such a reaction from someone who was thoroughly concealed was evidence that his wariness towards Hubert had significantly diminished.
‘How long ago he was sent here, I don’t know, but…’
The fact that Earth’s artifacts were being circulated made him rush here, seeking out the one responsible.
His longing and nostalgia for Earth must have been unusual.
He already knew that the demon tribe’s taste wasn’t much different from that of humans through Siana.
Though they could survive without eating as long as they had magical power, it instead led them to become more obsessed with food when they chose to eat.
Especially someone used to all sorts of spices, including MSG.
“Feel free to help yourself. I can get as much food as needed.”
The cold businessman Hubert pointed to the lavish feast laid out on the table with a warm smile.
‘…The Demon Realm, demons, and Earth’s Awakened. How can I use this material?’
While hiding his calculating thoughts, which would reveal themselves if he squinted his eyes too sharply.
*
These days, the entire continent was gradually thickening with the ominous atmosphere.
Like everyone else, the commanders of the undead army were also spending their days busily without a moment to spare.
[With this… we’ve wrapped up everything regarding the Rohan Principality… Everyone has done well.]
[The process of turning and organizing the monsters in the mountain ranges into undead is also going smoothly. Once we get the king’s command, we’ll be ready to invade the continent at any time.]
[Hehehe— We should be able to circumvent through Caine Castle, which we captured not too long ago in the Sharotti Kingdom. In the process, we can significantly disperse the human forces.]
They had continuously hunted monsters to inflate their forces, seized the already fallen Rohan Principality to secure the invasion route connecting the mountains and the empire, and triggered random waves to plunge the humans into fear.
Countless sacrifices had occurred in the process, but the undead army no longer moved sluggishly like they did at the beginning of the Undead King’s revival.
‘Even now, I can’t understand why things were like that back then… I wouldn’t know what the king thinks. Surely he must have some intention behind it.’
And busy as ever was Siana, the succubus.
As the internal administrator of the Undying Castle, she managed humans who had turned to the side of black mages and the captive crown prince while also gathering intelligence as a noble of the empire, preparing all sorts of behind-the-scenes work.
While simple intelligence was nothing to compare with Olivia, since humans were wary of the ghostly entities under her command, it was true that obtaining high-quality information was difficult.
In that regard, the information that Siana, a noble of the empire, gathered could not be easily dismissed.
“Phew, the urgent matters are more or less finished. Then it’s time to go bother Simon for a bit…”
-Siana? Is this a good time for communication?
“Hmm?”
And just like that, after a faithful day as a commander of the undead army, a message arrived from somewhere she had almost forgotten.
– “Sierra sister? What’s going on? Why the sudden message?”
A communication coming from the Demon Realm, her homeland.
Naturally, since it was separated by dimensions, sending a message was no easy feat.
So far, they had used rituals to minimize penalties through simultaneous communication on set dates.
‘The last time we contacted each other was only a few months ago. There are still five years until the next regular communication, so for you to contact me like this…’
It meant that something urgent had happened that warranted such a loss.
– “Hmm… The situation here isn’t too good. How about you? You mentioned you infiltrated the undead army for intel, do you have any results?”
In her sister’s inquiry merged with a subtle expectation, Siana gave an awkward smile.
How could she speak frankly?
In truth, she hadn’t voluntarily gone in but was captured by the current Undead King and had no choice but to go in.
Far from conducting research, she was overworked with labor every day, and the excuse she had made back then was just an embarrassing remark added on top.
– “Hmm, I haven’t had any noteworthy results yet. We’ve been pretty busy preparing for war here too…”
– “Sigh— I see. Well, the chances of success were never that high from the beginning. Still, if we could at least secure the remains of the King or the core of the Queen, it would be quite helpful.”
– “Exactly…”
That was precisely why she was dispatched from the Demon Realm.
The search for the remains of the Demon King who invaded this land long ago or the core of the high-ranking succubus Queen who was with him at that time.
In fact, since that last invasion happened a thousand years ago when the first Undead King descended, searching for something so far gone was practically impossible.
If the goal were nearby, the demon herself might be able to sense it; however, such dangerous items wouldn’t be lying around in easily accessible places.
‘They’d probably be sealed away in the holy sites of the Holy Church Order or the imperial palace, or in a Dragon Lair.’
In fact, even the tribe that had dispatched her had little expectation while assigning the mission.
It was more like sending her as a last resort in case the rest of the tribal members in the Demon Realm were wiped out.
‘But I thought, just maybe, if luck was on my side…’
The second Undead King was rampaging, causing chaos in the world, and in the ensuing turmoil, the once formidable barrier, the dragons, sustained near extinction.
She continued her activities discreetly even after the Undead King’s defeat.
Then, sensing the limits of acting alone, she infiltrated the aristocracy of the Azerion Empire, which had become the continent’s strongest nation, and later climbed to the position of an executive in the global criminal organization known as the “Oath of Reversal”.
‘And now up to this point…’
It had been hundreds of years since she left the Demon Realm.
Yet, there had been no significant results during that time.
And this was the first time anything urgent like this had arrived.
– “Is the situation really that dire? Didn’t you say we wouldn’t have any major problems for another hundred years?”
– “I thought so too, but…”
The end of her sister’s words faded away from across the transmission.
– “The battlefield has shifted and the balance that lasted for hundreds of years has completely collapsed. It seems something has become a variable. Perhaps, for example…”
There was no certainty in that voice.
That was how serious this matter was.
– “It seems another god besides the Holy God has intervened in the Demon Realm…”
*
Rubbing his chin, Hubert watched the young man who was steadily devouring the food in front of him.
“Wow— This is amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had cola like this.”
The young man who introduced himself as “Miyamoto Ken”, a settler from Japan, gulped down the cola and savored the taste slowly.
It had already been two hours since he sat down.
Even though his pace wasn’t particularly fast, all the food initially placed on the table had long been consumed, and the newly served dishes were almost showing their bottoms.
“Hmm… What was I saying again?”
“You were talking about the recent situation in the Demon Realm. The balance of the war that has lasted for hundreds of years has shifted to one side.”
“Ah, right. Let’s see…”
Fully relaxed by the long-lost Earth foods, he answered Hubert’s casual questions while thoroughly enjoying his meal.
Whether it was his desire to share his story with someone from his hometown or simply a way to pay for the food, who could tell?
‘Or maybe it’s just a simple whim.’
It was incredibly rare for a demon, a race so deeply rooted in black magic, to show such a peaceful demeanor.
Though he appeared gentle for now, there was no telling when he might snap.
Hubert exercised his capabilities as a target, carefully prying for information without provoking him.
He claimed to have once operated as a top-tier mercenary, known as “Ken of the Tempest,” hired for a request to eradicate cultists, only to find himself in his current predicament.
He explained that the request had been a trap set by demon worshippers to lead meticulously chosen offerings to them.
‘At that time, there were no points saved for his return, and he was forced to accept demonification to survive, which sent him forcibly to the Demon Realm.’
The issue was that something went wrong in that process; and when he came to, he found himself alone in the Demon Realm without any of his abilities as an Awakened One.
He had unwittingly become a settler.
‘…Isn’t this akin to becoming an undead?’
Undead are perceived as entirely different entities, thus stripped of all privileges they possessed as an Awakened One.
Even if he retained recollections from his living days, they were merely recorded knowledge, being reborn as a twisted new existence.
‘Strange.’
However, just brushing it aside felt unsettling.
Even back on Earth, there were plenty of villains capable of complete demonification.
‘Is demonification in Auterica somehow different?’
The world-renowned expert in this field, Undead King Hans, examined the theory.
Within seconds, “Forbidden Truth” had verified “Profane Wisdom” and “Path of Magic” through multiple cross-examinations.
‘No, the magics may not be particularly different. There must be another reason why he lost his powers as an Awakened One aside from demonification.’
An unknown instinct pricked at him.
This was something he could not simply overlook.
‘The Demon Realm, demon tribe, demonification, Awakened Ones, and settlers…’
His thoughts accelerated, flitting through various hypotheses, but there were still too few clues.
If only, just if only there were more hints…
Then in one moment.
Hubert raised his head sharply from his seat.
A smile slowly crept across his lips.
‘…What a splendid timing this is.’
Could this be fate?
Finally, the next stage of “Unique Skill Enhancement” had been unlocked.
