“Endless… they just keep coming.”

The heart of the Demon Realm.

Surrounded on all sides by demons and demon-kin, the First Prince muttered to himself.

There was a reason why the Empire, despite its power, had never fully cleared the Demon Realm.

Unless the Demon Realm itself was erased, defeating the demons and demon-kin was pointless—they would simply be reborn again in no time, identical to those that came before.

Some higher-tier entities even inherited the memories of their predecessors.

There was no gain, only risk. A single misstep could lead to catastrophe. That’s why the wisest course was to leave the Demon Realm untouched.

‘As expected, that wretched bastard is completely useless to this world.’

And yet, the Second Prince had stirred the hornet’s nest.

With perfect timing, no less.

Of all times, it had to be now—when they were tethered to the Demon Realm because of that elf girl.

Now, the demons were beginning to rise again.

“There’s nothing more terrifying than an incompetent ally,” or so the saying goes.

How true that was.

Now the reborn monsters and demon-kin were attacking with a vengeance, filled with hatred toward the Empire.

Even if you chalked it up to coincidence, there was no excuse.

And that damned little brother—he had even filed a formal report to their father and pulled another Swordmaster, Heinrich, from his forces.

Because of that, he had nearly died. For real.

He could still vividly remember the final strike that white-haired girl had unleashed. If that hit had landed properly, he definitely wouldn’t have come out alive.

And that so-called Hero—he looked like he had some trump card up his sleeve.

If he had used it during the opening that attack created, their side might have been completely wiped out.

‘At this point, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call him a spy.’

The moment he returned, he needed to report all this to his father.

He wasn’t like his younger sister, who had near-supernatural instincts, but even so, he could sense it:

If Lenya continued holding command, then even an empire as mighty as theirs might fall one day.

Of course…

“Three incoming. Strong ones,” said Carl.

“I know. Shut up, Carl.”

For now, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

Corpse Lords. Soul Reapers.

Creatures like those kept flooding in.

Was it because of their hatred for the Empire? Or was that eerie aura radiating from the girl drawing them in?

Maybe it was both.

There was no time to rest. The battle raged on, relentless.

Under normal circumstances, this level of combat wouldn’t be a problem.

‘…But I’m starting to feel it.’

Things were different now.

Even though he had used great magic capable of bending causality, it had only been twice.

He had devoured dozens of magically gifted humans—with enough help from his father to reach the level of Archmage. His mana reserves were massive, far beyond average.

Yet even so, he only had about 20% of his mana left.

Even if he had fixed the Hero’s causality… he had only blocked two sword swings.

Such an abnormal rate of mana consumption.

He had no idea what had gone wrong, or what kind of trick the Hero had pulled.

But whatever the reason, he had expended far too much mana.

No wonder he was starting to feel the fatigue.

‘Using the corpse doll is risky too…’

The former Hero’s right hand.

A woman once known as a Weapon Master.

Sure, if he used her, he could wipe out these monsters without wasting mana.

But something about that doll was… off.

Ever since she encountered the Hero and saw his sword, she’d started mumbling strange things and shedding tears.

He had no idea when she might break down and shake off the hypnotic commands.

Only his father could repair something like this. But right now, escaping this place was not an option. Communication with the outside was near impossible.

They had no way of knowing when those creatures would regroup and return.

Since it was best to save their trump cards for true emergencies, using the corpse doll against opponents like these was out of the question.

In the end, it meant only Carl and those two would have to deal with all of them.

“…Why does nothing ever go as planned?”

Capturing one of them had gone perfectly. But strangely, everything since then had spiraled out of control.

And the more things twisted, the more the words his younger sister had once said echoed in the First Prince’s mind.

“I really wasn’t going to say anything. But I’ve got this bad feeling like I’ll get dragged into it if I don’t speak up,” she had said, making sure he knew how reluctant and generous she was being.

She told him that while his plan seemed likely to succeed… it also seemed like that success might backfire.

And that was what kept bothering him.

But—

That concern didn’t last long.

Not after what appeared before his eyes moments later.

A sacred radiance visible in the distance.

A surge of powerful holy energy sweeping over them.

There was no mistaking who was approaching.

“I heard it was urgent, so I came right away.”

Cardinal Dominic.

The man most likely to become the next Pope had appeared before him.

No wonder all his worries evaporated.

‘Her instincts are usually dead-on, but… maybe this time it really was just needless worrying.’

Well, she was infamous for her nasty attitude. Her lack of popularity was proof enough.

Most likely, that “advice” she’d given wasn’t advice at all—just a string of curses thrown his way because he’d insulted her.

Cassandra was more than capable of that kind of pettiness.

“You’ve arrived at the perfect time,” the prince said, welcoming Cardinal Dominic warmly.

Before coming to the Demon Realm, he had reached out, albeit on a whim—just in case.

He hadn’t even bothered to explain the situation in the letter.

But that wasn’t much of an issue.

The sinister barrier surrounding the girl—there was no way Dominic hadn’t already figured out why he’d been summoned.

“This presence… so ominous…”

“Well, it’s not that surprising. That one’s a member of the Black Fangs,” the prince replied casually.

But then, he froze.

He couldn’t help it.

Something was off about Dominic—he’d been staring at the barrier in horror, then suddenly changed.

However, that moment of confusion didn’t last long.

“She… she’s a member of Black Fangs, you say?”

It was something one could realize with just a bit of thought.

The Black Fangs—they were the ones who brought down the Holy Church. The ones who destroyed it.

To hear the name of your sworn enemy and not react—that would’ve been the truly strange thing.

“Yes. We’ve captured her for now, but she’s created some bizarre barrier. That’s why I called you.”

“If you’ve captured a member… then did you also see the face of their leader?”

The First Prince could understand why Dominic was pushing the question so hard.

So, he answered without much thought.

“White hair, blue eyes. Not a common combination. Should be useful for tracking him down.”

“I see. I see…”

Dominic murmured, face drawn with concern, then slowly opened his mouth again.

“Thank you for calling me. Had I not come here today… I might’ve lived to regret it deeply.”

A word of thanks for being granted the chance to destroy evil.

After offering those words, Cardinal Dominic suddenly reached for the First Prince’s arm.

“If it’s alright with you, may I offer a blessing as a token of gratitude? It might help restore your mana—at least a little.”

So this is why he was called the next Pope. Courteous, perceptive—he knew exactly what to say and when to say it.

The timing couldn’t have been better. The First Prince had been worrying about his depleted mana just moments before. There was no reason to refuse. He nodded without hesitation.

The cardinal recited a familiar prayer.

At the same time, a complex sacred sigil formed midair—intricate and glowing—before settling over the prince’s body like a seal.

Truly, a cardinal’s blessing.

Mana should’ve surged back into him immediately… but it didn’t.

He felt almost exactly the same as before.

The First Prince looked at Cardinal Dominic with a puzzled expression.

“It seems the effect was minimal. Likely due to the influence of this place—the Demon Realm must be weakening the blessing’s power. It is… shameful, truly,” Dominic said, lowering his gaze, blaming his own lack of spiritual prowess.

Well, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.

But he hadn’t lost anything either, so the First Prince accepted the apology graciously and moved back to the matter at hand.

“So then, what about the barrier?”

That was the true priority.

Whether they tortured her for information or used her as bait to lure the others to the Imperial Palace where their father was—either way, the barrier would have to be undone first.

That’s why he asked.

“It’s a deeply wicked barrier. Ordinary holy power won’t break through it,” Dominic replied.

An answer as frustrating as it was useless.

Just when things had started to go his way, they were stuck again. Back to square one.

The First Prince was about to sigh when—

“But you needn’t worry,” came Dominic’s voice again.

“If I lack the strength alone, I’ll simply borrow it.”

Cardinal Dominic declared he would summon his “brothers.”

With their combined strength, he was certain they could easily overcome this heretical abomination.

“As for the Black Fangs, please leave that matter to me. I will personally gather and deliver all related intel to the Imperial family.”

Such competence—it was hard not to admire.

Naturally, the First Prince’s face, previously twisted with fatigue and irritation, returned to calm.

“There’s no need for concern. That heretical scum who dares insult Him… I will see them erased from this world, by any means necessary.”

His voice brimmed with lethal intent.

Barely restrained, fanatical fury.

It was enough to dissolve even the last traces of doubt.

The First Prince could feel it—this man was desperately holding himself back from killing the half-elf girl with the black hair right this second.

A shining example of what a true clergyman should be.

Unconsciously, the First Prince found a smile forming on his lips.

With people like this in the Empire…

The future looked bright indeed.

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