Leinas and Imina departed under the cover of night.
The destruction of two great noble families was no minor incident. Leinas had made herself a target—there was no safer place for her now than outside the Baharuth Empire.
The task Minori had given them, while simple on the surface, carried far-reaching consequences. Especially for Leinas, whose every step now played a piece on the political chessboard between the Empire and the Kingdom of Re-Estize.
War had always simmered between the two nations, but with the Kingdom's recent losses, the arrival of a noblewoman from the Empire—one who had personally dismantled two entrenched noble lines—would send shockwaves. Not just as a blow to the Blood Emperor's power consolidation, but as a symbolic victory for the Kingdom.
The nobility in the Kingdom might frown at Leinas brutal methods, but unlike Gazef Stronoff, she was aristocracy. Her bloodline gave her legitimacy in their eyes. And because her actions had burned her bridge back to the Empire, suspicion of espionage was off the table.
With all this considered, Minori couldn't believe the royal family of the Kingdom would let the opportunity pass.
"Build a power base?" Minori muttered, gently stroking the stiff black fur of the little demonic hound beside him. "Why bother, when it's more efficient to hijack a country?"
"Unfortunately," he added with a sigh, "the Empire is too close to Nazarick's landing point. I can't afford to invest too heavily here."
"Oowu~"
The little hound gave a pleased growl, tail thumping lazily. Of course, it had no opinion on which royal figure—First Prince Barbro, Second Prince Zanack, or Princess Renner—was the better bet.
Imperial Capital – Royal Palace
Within a gilded chamber adorned with blazing crystal chandeliers, the Blood Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix sat frozen, reading a report that chilled even his ambition.
The extermination of two great noble houses.
"Are you certain it was Leinas Rockbruise?" he asked coldly.
"Yes, Your Majesty," his secretary replied, head bowed. "Multiple eyewitness accounts from both territories confirm her presence."
"That lunatic woman…"
Jircniv slammed his palm onto the desk, the sheaf of reports crumpling beneath his fingers.
"Locate her. Arrest her immediately."
Though Jircniv had long been dissatisfied with those bloated noble houses, he had planned to dismantle them through careful manipulation. Leinas actions would give fuel to the old guard to resist him.
He couldn't allow instability—least of all from someone so unpredictable.
"…What's the Ministry of Magic's report on the alchemical potions?" he asked, pressing his temples.
"No progress," the secretary replied, placing another folder before him. "They suspect the technique is not derived from existing alchemical methods. They request permission to contact the potion's creator."
Jircniv flipped through the file, gaze sharpening as he skimmed the scant details.
"Adventurer Minori… Registered in E-Rantel just over a month ago," he murmured. "Turned up here shortly after. Movements vague, not motivated by money…"
The Blood Emperor tapped the file thoughtfully. "Deny their request. What about the old man?"
"Fluder Paradyne has expressed interest… but has made no formal approach."
"I see…" Jircniv's eyes narrowed. "Your opinion?"
"There's something off about this Minori," the secretary replied, standing straighter. "He's not just some potion seller. His alchemical output doesn't align with monetary ambition. Nor has he pursued fame. But he has visited the Imperial Magic Academy and interacted with Arche Eeb Rile Furt and Frianne Wyliea Van Gushmond."
Jircniv raised an eyebrow. "Arche?"
"A minor house stripped of nobility. Arche is a known prodigy. As for the Gushmond name…"
Jircniv's expression darkened. That name needed no reminder.
"He ignores politics, doesn't seek coin, and declines influence," he muttered. "Then what does he want?"
"Keep an eye on him."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
With Imina gone, Minori had to personally deliver alchemical potions to the Adventurer's Guild.
That was how he met the capital's Guildmaster—a polished middle-aged man with a merchant's gleam in his eye and a handshake that lingered just a little too long.
After a warm negotiation, Minori agreed to increase the daily supply of Regeneration Potions from five to eight. Officially, the Guild would still report five.
In return, the Guildmaster fast-tracked Minori from Bronze to Gold rank, supplementing the deal with a generous 1,000 gold coins.
While Guild rules prohibited rank promotion without quest completions, the Guildmaster had found a convenient workaround—nobles and merchants had submitted direct requests to acquire potions. Technically, Minori was fulfilling "commissions."
It wasn't illegal. Just… efficient.
That said, the Guildmaster made it clear: beyond Gold rank, further promotions would demand actual quests and scrutiny. The rules were tight, refined over centuries. This loophole was the furthest they could bend.
Minori didn't mind. Skipping the grind while gaining Guild access was already a win.
Three uneventful days passed.
Then Minori noticed it.
He was being watched—not by spies from rival factions, but by patrol soldiers.
So, he mused as the courtyard gate shut with a hollow boom, even that thread of hope is gone.
He unhooked the silver nameplate at his belt and replaced it with the gold one. It clinked softly with his movement.
The Blood Emperor had taken notice. And his reaction wasn't recruitment—it was surveillance.
I moved too quickly.
With a sigh, Minori looked once more at the marble fountain in the courtyard.
Next time, he thought, I won't ask so nicely for the Immortal class.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A thunderous knocking shook the gate—more like someone was beating it with a siege hammer.
Minori's expression darkened. A scroll appeared in his hand, magic pulsing beneath the seal.
But as he neared the gate, his tension eased.
He already knew who it was.
A towering figure, taller than the doorframe itself—more beast than man—stood waiting.
"King of Martial Arts" Gojin had arrived.