A while ago.

The air was still and thick with tension.

Alex stood outside the castle gates, his blue eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the guards standing before him.

Their hands twitched near their weapons, and the way they positioned themselves made it clear that he wasn’t welcome there.

‘How interesting.’

[It’s strange.] Sophie’s voice echoed in his mind, calm yet intrigued. [They know that you are strong enough to kill a Star Connection realm expert, yet they’re still stopping you.]

Alex had killed one of their people before, and that person, the archer, was a star connection realm expert. So, the two guards on the gate, who were merely star formation realm experts, trying to stop him made no sense.

He could see that they were scared. Their bodies were shivering under his gaze, but they didn’t move.

Unless…

‘They could be idiots who think that they are protagonists of the story or were ordered to stop anyone from entering,’ Alex muttered on the inside.

[The latter makes more sense.] Sophie expressed her opinion, causing Alex to nod subtly. ‘Indeed.’

When he got the information about Keryu on the move, Alex dropped the rebuilding of the underground palace for later and rushed to the city to gather information.

All he could get from the people was that two outsiders arrived in the city, and they seemed like greenhorns with no knowledge of the world.

Hearing that, Alex wasn’t sure if it was Keryu since that guy, who knew what kind of place this was and what he should do, wouldn’t behave like that.

That was not all. People said that there were two people, whereas Keryu was supposed to come here alone.

It could be possible that it was someone else.

‘Maybe Cecilia?’ He wondered if it was the heroine who was supposed to arrive.

The only ones who could give him some accurate information were these people since those outsiders were last seen moving toward this area.

But the way the guards acted now—the way they blocked him—felt deliberate.

“You know what’s happening in this city, don’t you?” he asked, his voice consistent yet carrying an underlying pressure. “I have some questions.”

Silence.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing. They didn’t step aside either.

Alex, however, had his frown deepen as he repeated, “I asked you something.”

Still, no response.

[I sense one of them running inside the castle,] Sophie informed. [You won’t be able to surprise them anymore.]

Alex exhaled through his nose. These people were wasting his time and foiling his plan.

If Keryu was here, he needed to confirm it as soon as possible, but because of these people, Keryu—if present here—would be alerted about his presence.

Not wanting to give the ones inside more time, he straightened, his gaze growing colder. “You forced my hand.”

With those words, his right fist clenched, a sphere of fire coiling around his knuckles. The swirling heat cast flickering orange light on the startled faces of the guards, causing their expressions to turn horrified.

But before they could react, Alex drove his fist forward.

BOOOOM!!

The explosion tore through the air. The boundary next to the door shattered under the force, sending debris scattering in every direction. Smoke billowed, and a gust of wind kicked up dust, momentarily shrouding the scene in chaos.

Alex remained motionless amidst the destruction, his expression impassive.

[Well, that was one way to get their attention,] Sophie commented dryly.

“I dislike useless standoffs,” Alex muttered.

As the dust settled, the castle’s inhabitants finally responded.

A group of figures emerged from the hall, their movements swift yet wary. At their head was a woman with emerald eyes gleaming with irritation and calculation.

It was Barbara.

She stopped a few feet away, arms crossed, as she assessed the damage before looking back at him with a deep frown. “What is the meaning of this?”

Alex met her gaze evenly. “I wanted to talk.”

Barbara’s frown deepened. “So you destroy my defenses? Is that how you start conversations?”

Alex tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. “A place that stops me from entering never existed, so I wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation.”

Alex wasn’t trying to be polite anymore.

Lilia was rescued, and his objective here was achieved. Now, he had no more reason to show mercy to anyone in this city.

His words were clearly showing his intentions.

Barbara’s brows twitched at his response, but before she could retort, Alex continued, his tone still relaxed. “Besides, it worked out well. No one died.”

The warriors behind her shifted slightly, some gripping their weapons, others exchanging glances. Unlike last time, Alex was blatantly showing disrespect, and looking at their leader being disrespected wasn’t something they could take lying.

But before they could move, they saw Barbara gesturing for them not to move.

Barbara’s teeth clenched, irritation flashing in her eyes. But she wasn’t reckless. Engaging in a meaningless argument wouldn’t help her here.

Especially now when she could tell Alex wasn’t showing any signs of peaceful negotiation. He seemed like someone waiting for them to do something that could be made into a reason.

Barbara already knew Alex was stronger than he seemed, so she wanted to avoid conflict with him because her side would suffer losses as well.

Even with Keryu on her side, nothing would change. That guy wasn’t that strong anyway.

‘Patience is the key,’ Barbara chanted inwardly, taking a steady breath, forcing herself to move past her initial anger.

“Why are you here?” she asked, her voice controlled. “I thought you were heading to the undiscovered part of the city. Weren’t you going to investigate that monster and the girl you asked about?”

Alex’s expression didn’t change, but internally, something flickered.

[So she doesn’t know,] Sophie mused. [How surprising.]

‘Indeed,’ Alex thought. He had assumed Barbara would be aware of the current situation, but her words suggested otherwise.

He had a fight with the vampires in the middle of the city, tortured them at the only inn in this city, and also saw her subordinate at the inn. Yet why did it seem like she wasn’t aware of the entire situation?

[It could be that she doesn’t know you went to the trial ground already,] Sophie added thoughtfully, making Alex nod.

‘That’s probably the case.’

If Barbara knew that Alex had already dealt with the dissolving viper, then she would probably react differently.

She wasn’t sure of his strength right now, but if she knew that he had defeated a beast that even she couldn’t see, then the power dynamic would change.

Her feelings about Alex being strong would not remain just feelings then.

In normal cases, it would’ve been good, but right now, Alex wanted to see how they would treat him while they were still under the illusion of him being weaker.

That was why, rather than answering her question, he took a step forward, his posture relaxed yet carrying an undeniable presence. “Lead me inside first.”

Barbara’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Alex smiled slightly. “Because I prefer to talk comfortably when discussing important matters.”

Silence stretched between them for a long moment. The tension in the air was thick, unyielding.

Finally, Barbara exhaled sharply. “…Fine.”

She turned without another word, motioning for her subordinates to stand down.

Alex followed her inside, his mind already piecing together the next steps.

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