A small uninhabited island dotted with gray palm trees. Raon, who had dyed his hair blue, turned his gaze as he landed on the island. “They’re not here yet?” Burren stopped and tilted his head. “Don’t tell me we’re meeting Chamber here?” “Here? Isn’t this too far out?” Martha furrowed her brows, finding it hard to understand. Raon nodded as he looked back at the puzzled swordsmen. “Since we don’t know how far the Black Tower’s influence reaches on land, we agreed to meet at sea.” They couldn’t know what kind of magic or curses the demons might have cast around Montiro, so meeting on nearby land wasn’t a safe choice. Karoon stroked his chin with a calm gaze. “No matter how careful the Black Tower is, I doubt they’ve tampered with this uninhabited island.” He nodded, saying it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish a temporary base here, given the distance from Montiro and the presence of mages. “Agreed. Same thought…” Runaan nodded with the same motion beside Karoon, not showing the slightest fear. Karoon glanced sideways at Runaan, but she stared back more intensely, wearing a defiant expression. “Thank you for your understanding.” Raon offered his thanks just as a wrinkle was about to form on Karoon’s forehead. Though this was their first mission together, it oddly felt like they’d worked as a team for a long time. “Let’s set up camp before Chamber arrives—hm?” Raon stopped as he brushed aside some tall bushes and tried to head further inland. ‘There’s something here.’ Sensing an odd mana flow from inside the island, he immediately turned around. “Everyone fall back!” He warned the swordsmen following him and tried to retreat, but it felt like looking through a kaleidoscope—space shattered, and his arms and legs were bound within the cracks and unable to move. Without panicking, he activated [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation]. The purifying flame burned away the mana binding his limbs. With his freed right hand, he drew his sword. Just as he was about to slash through the spatial barrier, a witch’s hat popped out from the crack. Chamber emerged from beneath the hat, waving her hands. “It took effort to make this! It was just a prank!” She shouted for him to put down the sword and shook her head. “…It was a joke on my part as well.” Raon let out a faint smile and lowered his sword. “Your magic has a distinct scent, Chamber.” He hadn’t realized at first, but when space began to split, he recognized it as her magic. Truthfully, he could have torn through it right away but decided to play along until she revealed herself. – “Hmph. Thank goodness.” Wrath snorted as he looked at Raon. – “Had the one who devoured my flesh and blood fallen for a mere trap, I would’ve thrashed the ground in frustration.” He scowled as if he didn’t like either outcome. ‘I didn’t eat your flesh and blood.’ – “To this king, it was even more than that!” Wrath shouted and ground his teeth. Raon accepted it, thinking any more comments might lead to real biting. “Now I’m scared to even joke.” Chamber snapped her fingers, and the yellow-split space returned to the normal uninhabited island. “Leader! What happened—oh?” Burren, Runaan, and Martha widened their eyes as they saw Chamber standing at the barrier. “Archmage of Illusion, it’s an honor.” Karoon, having anticipated this to some extent, bowed without surprise. His martial strength seemed to be growing just as fast. Chamber exhaled in surprise. “So the person the head of house said would match well with Raon… was you?” Karoon frowned slightly, clearly displeased. “I respect the head of house, but I don’t think that’s true.” He insisted it was a misunderstanding and bit his lip. “I agree. It must be a mistake.” Raon shook his head with the same look in his eyes as Karoon. “You two seemed to get along quite well, though?” Burren grinned, saying they made a good team. Raon and Karoon stomped and frowned at the same time. Chamber smiled faintly as if she understood. “Come in. Let’s talk inside.” With a flick of her finger, the bushy area vanished, revealing luxurious tents and magical equipment. Valcar’s mages were stationed inside, preparing something. “I came early to set up the barrier.” Chamber placed a red candy in her mouth and motioned with her chin. “A barrier to prevent intruders?” Raon looked around as he entered the space she’d created. “Of course. And I made sure the mana and presence inside doesn’t leak out. Also…” With another snap of her fingers, a blue screen appeared, displaying people at the beach. “I added a device to show footage from Montiro.” Raon exhaled in surprise at the footage of Montiro. He hadn’t expected Chamber to prepare this much in advance. She truly seemed determined to catch the Black Tower. “But right now, only three people are there.” “I got help from agents in the black market. The footage is sent from artifacts they’re wearing.” Chamber pointed to a jewel box on the table. It contained necklaces, rings, badges, and bracelets, but no mana could be sensed from them. “I made them all in different forms to avoid suspicion. That was the hardest part.” She sighed, saying it wasn’t an easy task. “So if we wear those and enter Montiro…” “Yeah. Dozens of these screens will light up here, making the search much easier.” She shrugged as if asking what he thought. “Thank you for preparing all this.” Raon bowed his head. Though he had requested her help, he hadn’t expected everything to be ready so quickly. “I’ve been researching visual artifacts for a while, so mass-producing them was easy.” She waved it off as no big deal. “That’s not all. I want to thank you for trusting us.” These artifacts must be confidential to BalKan, so her sharing them showed a lot of trust. “Geez, I told you it’s nothing…” Chamber turned her head, embarrassed. “Have you entered Montiro yourself?” Raon placed the bracelet she made back down and narrowed his eyes. “I briefly went before coming here.” She nodded, removing the lollipop from her mouth. “I checked underwater, but nothing seemed out of place.” She smacked her lips, saying she hadn’t sensed any demonic energy or malice. ‘This might be harder than I thought…’ Even someone as powerful as Chamber, a top-tier transcendent, couldn’t detect anything. That meant it’d be even harder for him. ‘No wonder Roenn couldn’t find anything either.’ Raon sighed briefly and approached Chamber. “Then, did you make that too?” Chamber pulled out a yellow hard candy from her robe as if she’d been waiting for the question. “Eat this, and the mana in your dantian will scatter, making it undetectable by barriers or artifacts.” She explained that she had improved an existing medicine and that even the Black Tower’s barrier would have trouble detecting it. “What if I need to use mana?” “Use [Aura Manipulation]. But after that, the candy’s effect weakens and you’ll be detectable again.” Chamber waved her finger, saying mana use should be avoided as much as possible. Raon bowed and accepted the candy. “It’s lemon-flavored.” She smiled, saying she even considered taste. Wrath widened his eyes and stuck out his tongue. – “This king loves lemon! Try it immediately!” Drooling, he extended his tongue. “That must be the countermeasure you mentioned.” Karoon nodded calmly, as if he’d expected it. “Yes. With this, we can avoid detection from barriers and artifacts that scan for aura.” Unlike Raon and Karoon, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen couldn’t escape detection otherwise—they had to eat the candy to enter Montiro. Chamber flicked her hand, and a familiar young woman in a robe approached with a basket of candy. It was Balkan’s princess, Jayna. “L-Long time no see…” Jayna wrinkled her forehead as if she hadn’t forgotten what had happened before, yet still spoke politely. – “You’d have to be a frog to forget that.” Wrath nodded, saying it was natural. “How did you end up here?” “The Black Tower insulted our kingdom… So as a princess, I had to act… Yes.” Jayna clenched her fist with a deeper resolve than before. She was nothing like the girl who used to run away. Raon sensed that she’d changed a bit and accepted the candy basket she gave him. “We’re not all going in at once, right?” Chamber tilted her head with a worried look. “Of course not. We’ll go in separately.” Sending everyone into Montiro at once would only raise suspicion—they needed to choose who went in first. “You might be excited for my swimsuit, but I can’t go.” Chamber sighed and shook her head. “If I get captured by the Black Tower Lord, it’s all over.” She raised an eyebrow, saying she’d be at a disadvantage in his stronghold. “Of course. And I’m not particularly curious about your swimsuit.” Only Chamber could go up against the Black Tower Lord—she should only move once his location was discovered. – “Hmph! You don’t understand a mature woman’s charm.” Chamber snorted, sounding slightly sulky. “I’ll go first. How about you enter last, Karoon?” “That would be best.” Karoon stroked his chin, saying he’d train the swordsmen while waiting. “It’s a resort and a beach. Pretending to be lovers is probably the best cover.” Chamber looked at the women around Raon. “Ah? You’re not acting cocky anymore? Got your head on straight?” Martha was picking a fight with Princess Jayna. Runaan was blinking while poking at a hermit crab on the ground. “…Yeah, that won’t work.” Chamber shook her head, saying they’d get found out instantly. “Yeah, that won’t be easy…” Raon clicked his tongue and looked at each of the swordsmen. “Whoa! This plant is a rare Farone! And it’s here? Supply stock!” Dorian, oblivious to everything, was pulling up plants and stuffing them into his belly pouch. Raon grinned and pointed at Dorian. “The real deal, not an act.” A small cargo wagon rolled along a dirt path sprinkled with golden sand grains. Three people sat inside. A blue-haired youth yawned, a brown-haired one counted cargo, and a red-haired one drove the wagon with a large sword at his side like a mercenary. “I get making me a third-rate mercenary, but…” Krein sighed as he glanced back. “Why is the head of our trading company disguised as the owner, not the heir?” He looked at Dorian, who was counting goods with a smile, and shook his head. “I can’t be the one carrying luggage, can I?” Raon, disguised as the young head of the trading company, jerked his chin. Krein let out an exasperated breath. “Hey! Say something! How can the heir be fine as a porter?!” He grabbed Dorian’s head and shook it. “I’m just happy. I’m curious what kind of supplies we’ll find here.” Dorian giggled, looking genuinely like a merchant more than a mission participant. “Enough. Focus now. We should see the signpost for Montiro soon.” Even though they were still far from Montiro, Raon continued his laid-back merchant act while warning the others to stay alert. Krein wanted to argue but gave up and focused on driving the wagon. Raon leaned against the stacked cargo and let out a long yawn. Wrath narrowed his eyes. – “You’re never this relaxed. But when you do it, you do it disgustingly well. Your acting has soul.” ‘I’ve seen a lot of it.’ – “Ah, because of that pointy-eared bastard.” Wrath smirked, clearly thinking of Rimmer. – “He must’ve been a teacher in more ways than one.” Raon smiled faintly. Just mimicking Rimmer’s antics was enough to make him a top-class loafer. ‘But will I be able to find it…?’ Thanks to using [Demonic Energy Detection] constantly on the way here, the level had risen to 3 stars. But he still couldn’t be sure he could locate the Black Tower. – “And if not? Just eat a bunch of seafood and call it a day. That’s life.” Wrath waved his hand, suggesting food tourism. ‘That might be *your- idea of life, not mine.’ The mission had consumed astronomical resources and manpower. Even if they couldn’t find the Black Tower itself, they had to at least uncover some clue. – “Still, in the end, food is what’s left! Fish! Lobster! Shrimp! Seaweed! Clams!” As Wrath listed the seafood he craved, Montiro finally came into view. “Montiro! And behind it… the sea!” Krein, fully in character as a mercenary, pointed and exclaimed. “Sea. That means supplies like seafood, water-attribute stones, and…” Dorian began listing goods as if it were real. This time, his performance seemed better than Raon’s. Raon narrowed his eyes at the approaching Montiro. ‘There’s no barrier or malice I can feel…’ Just like Chamber said, even right in front of Montiro, no ominous energy could be sensed. Raon clicked his tongue and looked to Wrath. – “Nothing I can detect. However…” Wrath scanned Montiro and bared his white teeth. – “It feels disgusting.” – “Yes. There’s something here that provokes this king’s wrath.” He scratched his chin, unsure of the source. ‘Is that your Demon King intuition…?’ Wrath always trusted his instincts over theory. If he said that, then something vile was definitely hidden here. “Ah, my butt’s about to fall off. Let’s go in already.” Raon spoke lazily like a loafer and hopped off the wagon. Dorian grinned and followed. Krein drove the wagon to Montiro’s front gate. “Please show your identification.” They handed their forged IDs to the guard at the gate. ‘This side is flawless.’ Their current identities were from a small trading company secretly run by the black market. There was no reason to raise suspicion. “Your visit is for trade?” Dorian nodded, saying they came to shop. “Well, a bit of this and that.” Raon tilted his chin lazily, oozing the slacker persona. “Alright. Time is gold in Montiro. Enjoy your stay.” The guard welcomed them and opened the gate. Raon waved and entered with the wagon. As soon as they stepped in, the atmosphere shifted. Shirtless men and scantily clad women roamed the streets, and colorful music poured out from taverns. It was clearly a place built for enjoyment. As they looked around, a girl wearing a sea-flower necklace approached. “Is this your first time in Montiro?” She handed out necklaces made of sea-flowers with a bright smile. Raon looked down with a smug expression. “Then you’ll need a guide! This place is bigger and more complicated than you think!” She beat her chest proudly, saying no one knew Montiro better than her. – “What’s this brat?” Wrath narrowed his eyes. ‘She’s one of those tourist kids who make money guiding visitors.’ – “We saw one like that before. People sure hustle.” Wrath nodded approvingly. “You know it well? What about gambling halls or fighting arenas?” Raon smacked his lips as if interested in entertainment. “Of course! I know someone at the casino!” She raised her hand, saying she could get them in right away. “Alright. Lead the way.” Raon nodded and tossed her a silver coin. Rensia hugged the coin like a treasure. Krein, Wrath, and Dorian each voiced their preferences and glared at each other. “Let’s drop off our luggage first. Carrying it around is annoying.” Raon sighed and pointed at the wagon. “Yep! I’ll take you to the most cost-effective place!” “No, take us to the most expensive one.” Rensia’s eyes sparkled like she’d just caught a rich client, and she grabbed the reins to lead the way. Raon followed behind, lowering his eyes. ‘Still no demonic energy…’ Just like Roenn’s report, no trace of demonic presence could be felt inside Montiro either. He activated [Demonic Energy Detection], now at 3 stars. Raon let out a quiet murmur. Rensia turned her head, concerned. “Nothing. I just tripped.” He tapped the ground and clicked his tongue. “Ah, be careful. There’s a lot of sand and stones.” She giggled, saying she trips often too. Raon looked down at the ground and pressed his lips together. Wrath narrowed his eyes, not understanding. ‘You said where there are people, there’s always malice or demonic energy, right?’ – “Indeed. As long as humans exist, so do negative energies. Even if it’s a speck, it’s there. I can barely sense them, but they’re always present.” He tilted his chin like Raon was asking something obvious. Raon stared at the sand-covered road. ‘There isn’t even a trace of malice.’