Even though Arwin had known that there would be a time where Lillia’s identity would have to come out, his stomach still tightened into a knot. This was about as controlled of an environment as they were ever going to get — but that did nothing to change who they were. Who she was. Even the most ignorant adventurer knew of the Demon Queen. It was their greatest order to put a stop to her. There was no greater foe. The Guild had managed to twist the truth so utterly thoroughly that it was impossible to tell if someone would instantly lunge in attempt to strike down their supposed foe. Even though Arwin knew that, logically, nobody in this room had a chance of posing Lillia a threat, he still couldn’t stop the worry from welling within him. Even if they were in her domain, it would hurt her in ways more than physical if anybody just turned on her purely because they learned of her identity. But Vix didn’t move. Her eyes widened as she stared at Lillia for a long second. She processed the information that Kien and Art had revealed. Across from her, Monica did the same. Human and monster alike stared in disbelief at the Demon Queen. It was the orc who broke the silence. “Well I’ll be stuck like a pig,” Monica breathed. “I knew you were a demon, but you’re the gods damned Queen?” “Hold on,” Vix muttered. She looked from Lillia to Arwin, then lifted a hand to cover her mouth. “Godspit. There’s no way. You couldn’t make this up. Are you serious?” “Hardly. There were a lot of lies around the war,” Arwin said grimly. “But I suppose now is the best time to bring everyone here up to speed with the full truth, isn’t it?” “I’d just like to make it abundantly clear that I am not looking for a fight with the Menagerie,” Vix said. She gave him a salute. “Looking forward to working with you, Hero.” “Don’t call me that,” Arwin said, a sharp edge entering his voice. “That title is not the compliment you think it is.” “You can say that again,” Kien said grimly. “Heroes are nothing but disposable trash.” “Sorry,” Vix said. “I’ll remain silent until I’ve got the full story. But I don’t think there’s anything you could say that could possibly surprise us at this point.” “Then the story would start about fifteen years ago,” Arwin said, heaving a long sigh. “When I was kidnapped from my home on another world and summoned to this one by the Adventurer’s Guild.” “Okay,” Vix said meekly. “I was wrong.” The story took Arwin several hours. He no longer had anything to hide, and he didn’t bother concealing anything other than his direct conversations with the Mesh. For some reason, those felt a little too personal to spill with anybody but Lillia. He had to pause more times than he could count to answer numerous questions from Art, Vix, Monica, and Kien, but they steadily made their way through the war that had been Arwin’s life and what had come after it. Arwin did his best to avoid lingering too much on the actual war. He gave them enough context to ensure that they all understood exactly how serious the crimes of the Guild had been, but the memories still hurt too much to recall for long. The story got marginally easier once he got to recent times. Arwin told them all the discoveries he and Lillia had made about the Guild and how both the Monster Horde and the Kingdom had been manipulated into a war that had no purpose. He told them about the dwarves — many of whom knew of this truth and did nothing about it — and of the Menagerie. Of their enemies and friends, and their goal to grow strong enough to bring the Guild to its knees and end the war for good. The only other thing Arwin didn’t go into detail about was Phoenix Circle’s secrets. Those were theirs to share, and they weren’t relevant to the immediate conversation. When he finished, the room was completely silent. Nobody said anything for nearly a minute as everybody tried to process the magnitude of the revelation he’d just dropped on their shoulders. Even Esmerelda didn’t make any wisecrack remarks. The old woman stared at Arwin, unspeaking, from the corner of the room. The corners of her eyes were damp and her grip had tightened around the potion vial that Arwin suspected she’d been about to try to sell. “I had no idea as to the extent of things,” Monica whispered, finally cutting through the darkness with her words. “The Menagerie have such a burden on their shoulders.” “It’s one that we have to carry,” Lillia said. “Nobody else knows the truth, and we can’t go spreading it yet. We aren’t strong enough to face against the Guild. That’s why we have to keep clawing our way forward.” “Raen will Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. “I can promise that. Our funds—” “Don’t bankrupt yourselves,” Arwin said. “We will gratefully accept your Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. Right now, the Menagerie is building a reputation. We need that reputation. It’s what will bring people to our doorstep. Step by step, we will build up trust and ready the hands to pull the rug out from the Guild itself. But if things start moving too above-ground, then the Guild will take notice. A talented upstart guild is nothing new. But multiple merchant guilds suddenly throwing their full weight behind us seemingly out of nowhere… we can’t afford that. Not yet.” “Multiple? The Montibeau family?” Monica guessed. Arwin nodded. “We interfered in a plot to kill their heiress. We’ll be bringing her up to speed on the truth as well in due time… but until then, everything I shared has to remain in this room. Aside from Raen. You can tell him. He’s intelligent.” “I am impressed you’re able to restrain yourself this well,” Art said. “If what had happened to you happened to me…” “It’s not a competition and I have a lot to lose.” “Then we will not lose,” Kien said. His fists clenched at his sides. “The extent of the Guild’s corruption goes so much deeper than I thought. I will stand by you. Once the sins of my family have been dealt with, should I still draw breath, my blade will turn against all in your path.” “Focus on getting you class first,” Arwin said with a grim smile. “What we need the most right now is to get stronger.” “Is that the purpose of the Proving Grounds?” Vix asked. “Not directly, but it will aid our goals. It will make our name grow and draw people to us,” Arwin said. “We are Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience.” “One that even I don’t have the solution to,” Rodrick added. Art’s eyebrows rose. A flicker of competitive spirit passed through them. “Truly? What’s the question?” “We can discuss that later,” Rodrick said with a chuckle. “If you’re fully on-board, I would be more than interested in seeing just what you’re capable of. Maybe you can do what I can’t.” “I must ask, why is it that you aren’t participating in the tournament yourself?” Kien asked. “Even if your class is changed, you should be able to win this easily. Could you not attend under a disguise?” “I’d much rather be working. I’ve got a lot of stuff on my plate,” Arwin said. “And fortunately, I won’t need to. Olive and her team are going to be a lot more capable than anyone is expecting.” “Then I will look forward to facing them and honing my talents,” Kien said. “I am eager to set out and earn a class once more. I cannot sit around doing nothing after what I have heard.”