Kaeld seemed to sense something was off.

He unclasped his hands behind his back and raised his voice toward the communication orb.

“Serein! Are you listening?!”

-……

“You held out and held out, but in the end, you rebelled against your parents pressure, didn’t you? And then the Count and Countess went berserk. ‘You’re definitely Serein Magnus. That’s something the Celestial God guaranteed!’ they said.”

Serein Magnus?

“Yeah, even your name was just copied from your dead sister. I know that too. Looks like Mide didn’t.”

-……

“The Count and Countess probably decided you were insane and abused you. After nearly three years of abuse that bordered on torture, you ran away from the family and took refuge in the temple.”

Kaeld’s tone began to speed up slightly.

“After losing two daughters, your parents completely lost their minds. Believing it was punishment from the Celestial God, they turned their aimless madness on the people of their land.”

-……

“To prove their faith, they abused the people. Forced them to give up their livelihoods and pray to the Celestial God all day. The domain slowly fell into poverty and starvation.”

So that’s when Alkahad finally started the investigation. The emperor jumped at the opportunity and swallowed it all up, using the excuse that the lord had gone mad.

Kaeld shouted desperately. He must’ve thought I would stop him.

“Serein! As you can see, I know your past extremely well. That’s why I understand your heart better than anyone!”

“……”

“Your parents made you see priests several times a day. The priests took their side, and just like that, declared you insane.”

Maybe I should jump in now.

I looked at the communication orb I’d activated earlier. The one connected to Xenia, who was with Serein.

“That’s why you hate the priests, right? That’s why you want to abolish the priesthood.”

-……

“I sympathize with your situation—hating them, yet having no choice but to rely on them because of their divine power. But do you think Mide understands that? Do you think he truly empathizes with your heart?”

-……

“Not a chance! I know what he proposed to you. It was unbelievable. The fact that he even dared suggest such a thing was an insult to you.”

Then I spoke toward my orb.

“Xenia.”

-Yes, Mr. Mide.

“Serein is next to you, right?”

Kaeld, who had been delivering his impassioned speech, froze.

“He’s giving this whole dramatic speech to Serein. How’s she reacting?”

-Hmm…

Kaeld’s eyes wavered. He realized something had gone wrong.

Soon, I heard Xenia’s voice. No—Serein’s voice.

-Ugh, shut up! I’m trying to prep a spell and he keeps distracting me.

Thud.

Something fell. It was the sound of the communication orb falling from Kaeld’s hand.

I chuckled and said,

“Serein. Do you have anything you want to say to Kaeld? I’ll pass it on.”

-Tell him to stop wildly guessing wrong. Why would I hate priests? They’re incredibly valuable assets.

“Exactly. They’re the ones making money for you.”

Kaeld asked in a trembling voice.

“Money?”

“Yeah. Money.”

“Th-Then… what you proposed to Serein… it actually hit the mark?”

“Your public document was no joke either. The fact you figured that out is a real headache.”

I scratched my head, then grinned.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you can’t take the results.”

“……”

“Do you really think Serein is the type to cry over a depressing past?”

“……”

“It might be a stretch, but if the priesthood really were abolished, the priests of the empire would all be out of work.”

I kept speaking leisurely.

“Abolishing the priesthood would also mean the disappearance of the potions they make. Even if holy knights are versatile in all kinds of spells, potion-making is the exclusive domain of priests. And the value of potions is immeasurable, past or present.”

“……”

“Serein is already incredibly famous among priests because of her immense divine power. If they all become unemployed, they’ll rally around her.”

Kaeld gulped.

“Serein plans to unite the priests across the continent and start a business. Becoming the sole supplier of high-quality potions and gaining massive wealth. That’s her ultimate goal.”

Kaeld staggered. On the other side of the orb, Serein spoke.

-Why are you telling him all that?

“I wanted to see Kaeld’s expression.”

-Well, I’m currently looking at Xenia’s face, and she’s looking at him like he’s some kind of bug.

“Well, it’s his own fault.”

-Anyway, I’m more or less done preparing. You just need to hold out for five minutes.

“Okay.”

I put away the communication orb.

Then I spoke to Kaeld.

“If you’re going to undo the seal, do it fast. You can’t use Grand Purification spell unless something violates the ‘order of providence.’”

“……”

“If you cast purification without any real problem, the Celestial God will scold you.”

“M-Mide. How did you even know all this? You’ve barely seen Serein a few times, haven’t you?”

No.

I’ve known her much longer than you think.

I replied lightly.

“Do you know why Serein disliked you?”

“That’s…”

“It was because of expenses.”

“Expenses?”

“Who was covering the cost of your party’s travel for quests?”

Lisel, who had spent 1,500 years as a spirit, obviously had no money. Offense helped to some extent, but now he’s joined our party.

In the end, Serein had been the one taking responsibility for the money.

Kaeld had probably never even thought about that.

That’s because he doesn’t value money at all. Probably thinks it’s useless for becoming a hero.

That’s why, even before the regression, he had surprisingly little on him. Even quest rewards were usually in the form of weapons or elixirs, not things you could turn into cash.

I said,

“I’m not going to abolish the clergy. I told Serein to handle that herself.”

“……”

“But I did say that if she starts a potion business, I’ll invest a fortune. If I pool everything I’ve saved and the rewards I’ll get for killing the Demon King, it’ll be a massive sum.”

“……”

“Oh, and as a bonus, I also told her I’d cover all expenses for the journey until it ends.”

I mean, I’ve been paying for everything up to now anyway.

Honestly, I think this last point was the finishing blow for Serein.

Kaeld’s face was frozen like a corpse.

I said,

“Why the face? Smile a little.”

“……”

“If you die with a face like that, your funeral’s going to be awkward for the guests.”

And then—

“Heh.”

“I told you to smile, but you really did.”

“I knew nothing… not about Offense, not about Lisel. And now, even Serein…”

“Yeah. Seems that way.”

“You’ve played me once again. And left me humiliated.”

His eyes were blazing with fury.

“I can’t be humiliated anymore. I won’t take it again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s settle this, Mide Mohan!”

And in the next moment.

Wooooooong.

Mount Baharma cried out.

Not figuratively—literally, the mountain roared.

He broke the seal.

Neril was busy “clearing out” the residents with Lisel.

There was no time to explain and get consent one by one.

Shffff. Flash.

Neril activated magic from Erenica’s book.

“Toren Briarne!”

Formless mana turned into invisible hands and lifted up the residents.

“Gyaaah!”

“W-what is this?!”

“Dear God, please save us!”

“W-wait, the mountain…?”

Just like the last person shouted, a roaring sound came from the mountain.

The seal had been broken.

‘Tch. I’m running low on mana.’

Neril muttered and clutched the Gem of Desolation.

The gem glowed, and massive vitality was converted into mana, making her feel alive again.

Whoosh.

As Neril waved her hand, the mana hands threw hundreds of people across to the other side of the territory.

“Sorom. Nobol. Dreara!”

They were about to be splattered like blood pancakes, but Lisel’s shout called the wind spirits to catch them.

Once Neril confirmed the residents had landed safely, she said,

“You and I work pretty well together.”

“Ah, y-yes. Honored, I mean, thank you.”

“You can speak casually, you know? Strictly speaking, I should be the one using honorifics.”

“I’m just more comfortable like this.”

“Hm. Anyway, we have got to do this dozens more times, so let’s hurry. Offense will handle anyone we missed.”

Lisel nodded, unable to hide her surprise that such a massive operation could be carried out with just a few flicks of the hand.

‘In terms of power, this party was overwhelmingly superior from the beginning.’

In the distance, Adwin could be seen calming the souls of the fallen.

Lisel was about to summon the spirits again, but then she noticed Neril staring blankly at Mount Baharma.

“Are you worried?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

“No, no. Mide will be fine. He always has been.”

She shook her head and refocused her mind.

“Let’s go again. This time, I’ll move about three hundred people. The Demon Kings authority has already reached the entrance of the territory.”

“Understood.”

Once more, the connection between magic and spirits was made.

Kaeld raised his sword.

I gave a faint smirk and said,

“How exactly are you planning to attack me? Isn’t it problematic if you get within ten paces of me? Wasn’t it your precious ‘Official Notice’ that said so?”

Instead of replying, he unleashed his Quick blade.

It was the same move he used when we fought atop Agril.

A technique where, even without directly landing a hit, the slicing wind from the sword strikes could take down enemies outside his reach.

“Haaa!”

I kicked off the ground with a shout.

But under the weight of Demon Kings authority, my body felt absurdly heavy and couldn’t react in time—I had to take five of his attacks head-on.

Thud!

Boom!

I was blown back twenty meters, crashing into a huge tree.

Crack!

The thick tree collapsed.

But I was perfectly fine.

Pat, pat.

I dusted myself off and stood back up.

Kaeld spoke in shock.

“W-why are you unharmed?”

“You think I came here unprotected? Neril and Xenia layered me with magic and spellwork.”

“……”

“It’s Erenica’s secret magic and a shielding technique. Even you can’t break through a double barrier like this. I guess your magic- and spell-nullifying abilities only work offensively?”

Kaeld bit his lip.

“Damn it.”

“This is totally my win. By now, Xenia and Serein are probably starting the purification prayer. Once the authority lifts in five minutes, I’ll smash your skull.”

Kaeld’s body trembled.

He hesitated and took a step back.

“This can’t be happening. This isn’t possible!”

“……”

“I can kill you. I must kill you! Just like I did to Bion Kunze!”

My ears perked up at that.

But now wasn’t the time for calm discussion.

Kaeld unleashed his sword with a terrifying momentum unlike anything I’d ever seen—before or after regression.

Dozens of slashes, far more than his earlier Quick blade, came at me with unnatural speed.

‘Quick Sprint!’

I activated the skill with everything I had.

But under the weight of the authority, even sprinting was slower than my movements on a bad day.

“Urgh!”

Twelve gusts of wind slammed into me.

Crack!

I saw the shield spell layered over my body begin to shatter.

I tumbled violently across the ground.

“Heh. The shield spell’s broken. But it’s not over yet.”

“……”

“Next, I’ll shatter that strange magic of yours too.”

Crack.

Kaeld’s arm began to swell, almost to the height of a full-grown man.

[Hey. You should attack too.]

‘You want me to break through Quick blade with these slow-ass legs? Might as well tell me to die.’

[So it’s that bad, huh.]

‘Kaeld’s going all in. This is dangerous.’

When the muscles in his arm reached their peak—

“Die!”

His sword transformed into a giant fan of destruction.

Faster, more numerous, and more powerful than even my “Intense Slashing.”

I didn’t dodge each strike.

Instead, I drove my sword into the ground and took cover behind it, gritting my teeth.

Wham! Crack!

Even Neril’s magical barrier broke under the assault, and finally, Kaeld’s Quick blade struck my sword directly.

Clang!

My expensive, top-grade sword shattered into pieces.

“Guh.”

I quickly switched to the fake hero’s sword.

But in that brief moment, eight more slashes from Quick blade slammed into me.

[Are you okay?!]

‘No, I’m not.’

Though I avoided any vital points, my side and calves were torn, nearly exposing bone.

How much longer did I need to endure?

How much time had passed?

How much longer until the divine seal is reactivated…

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, my body felt light.

It was like I’d turned into a feather.

Vitality surged through me.

And right at that moment, Kaeld’s Quick blade stopped.

“Damn it! Not yet. It’s not over yet!”

“No. It is.”

Taat!

‘Quick Sprint!’

The distance between Kaeld and me vanished in an instant.

Normally, he would’ve retreated the moment I moved.

But in his semi-panic state, his reactions dulled, just enough to be fatal.

Thirty steps.

Twenty. This content belongs to novel·fiɾe·net

Fifteen.

Ten!

‘Trail!’

[Nice!]

<You have used the Eye of Omniscience.>

<Current Eye of Omniscience level: 3. You may access secrets ranked B or lower.>

<The selected condition is ‘The secret between Arald Mohan and Dianne Mohan.’>

<The selected secret is ranked D. Accessing now.>

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep