Ghislain had his suspicions for several reasons. The Salvation Order had been secretly operating across the continent for a long time, causing chaos and weaving plots. Of course, they couldn't pull the entire kingdom to their side like in the past—today’s humanity saw them as a clear enemy. However, stirring up chaos and manipulating events was something they could still do, all while hiding their true identity. In fact, Ghislain had suspected that the black mage Basilude, who appeared in the Nodehill territory, might be connected to the Salvation Order’s priests. That's why he had asked the prime minister if there was anyone pushing him from behind. The prime minister stared at Ghislain for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “What’s your angle? Are you trying to implicate someone else?” “I’m not trying to implicate anyone. I’m just wondering if there's someone pulling the strings behind all this.” “A direct question. I am the prime minister of this kingdom. Who would dare stand behind me?” “So, are you saying that everything that has happened was your plan?” “Indeed, it was my plan, and the chamberlain was the next to join. Gradually, I added more allies to my side. You already know everything, don’t you? What more do you want to confirm?” The prime minister's gaze was piercing. Now that everything had been uncovered, he seemed to have no reason to hold back. Ghislain asked again. “Was it really all your idea?” “Who else’s idea could it have been? If the plan succeeded, I would have seized the greatest power. Who else could be behind me?” “.......” “If it weren’t for you, it would have succeeded. Just a little longer, and we would have won. But now you’re asking about the mastermind? Are you mocking me?” The prime minister sneered. His reaction seemed natural. Ghislain briefly looked at the prime minister before turning away. The prime minister’s words seemed genuine. As Ghislain was about to leave, the prime minister spoke. “Even in death, I won’t forget you. I’ll wait and see how long your lowly mercenaries can run amok.” “Go ahead.” Ghislain had heard such curses countless times before. No matter how many times he heard it, it didn't affect him. As Ghislain was about to leave, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. After tilting his head a few times, he muttered softly. “Something’s still off.” His instincts were warning him. It was nagging at him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling. Ghislain turned around and rushed back toward the prime minister’s cell. Crash! The iron bars of the prime minister’s cell shattered instantly. In a flash, Ghislain entered and grabbed the prime minister by the neck. “Cough... are you trying to kill me now?” “No, I just want to be sure about something.” Crash! Ghislain’s eyes turned a deep purple. The prime minister, who had been staring into those eyes, felt his own pupils turn the same color in an instant. “Cough! You bastard!” The prime minister felt something invade his mind. He gritted his teeth and tried to resist, but he couldn’t overpower Ghislain’s mana. The magic quickly sank into the prime minister’s body, taking control of his mind. Ghislain stared at the now dazed prime minister and asked, “Who is behind the poisoning?” “...No one. It was my plan, and I carried it out.” “Was there no one secretly pushing you?” “...No one. I did it because I wanted to.” “...” Ghislain bit his lip. The prime minister couldn’t be lying now that Ghislain had control of his mind. Had he been wrong? Was he simply being too sensitive? Maybe. After all, his history with power and its corrupting influence had led him to be suspicious. Sighing, Ghislain started to retract his magic when the prime minister’s mouth opened again. “Well... now that I think about it... there was someone who inspired me...” “What do you mean?” “I didn’t dream of this from the beginning... but at some point, I started to get greedy...” “Tell me more. What made you think like that?” “There was someone who always brought me good tea and took care of my health... One day, after seeing the third prince, he said... Since the prince is so young, it would be better if the older members of the royal family were healthier...” “What does that mean?” “Exactly what I said... he said that if a disease spread and only the third prince was left, it would be difficult for me to take the regency. So, he said, everyone needs to stay healthy...” Ghislain's expression stiffened as he heard the prime minister's words. “Didn’t that sound strange to you?” “What’s strange about it... It was just a concern for the royal family’s wellbeing...” Ghislain quickly used his magic to check the prime minister's consciousness. He was looking for any traces of mind control. ‘Nothing. There are no traces left.’ It was possible that no traces remained because enough time had passed since the mental domination. After all, unless it was something like dark magic, mental control didn’t last long. But something still felt off. The prime minister had heard about the disease and the possibility of the third prince being the only one left, yet he hadn’t found it suspicious? Someone who had risen to the position of prime minister wouldn’t have acted that way. If this had been the result of mental control, the unease should have been evident once it wore off. “Keep talking. What happened next?” “One day, the thought just hit me. What if this really happens? If the third prince dies, then I can take the regency... And I could rule the kingdom. It wouldn’t be impossible, right?” “You really thought that?” “Yes, ever since then... my greed has been growing... so I acted. That’s all.” “Who was it that inspired you?” “The royal court physician...” “Former?” “Yeah, he quit... said he wanted to rest... He was a good man... Always taking care of my health...” Ghislain was now certain that his instincts had been right. That royal physician had definitely played a part in this. But it wasn’t mind control. The physician had likely used some other method to poison him, creating an addiction. “How did the physician take care of your health? What did he do?” “It wasn’t anything special... Whenever I felt tired, he’d come and bring me good tea... light candles with a pleasant aroma... and when I lay down on a soft bed, he would massage me...” “A massage?” This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight. “Yeah... It felt so good that I would fall asleep without realizing it... When I woke up, I felt completely refreshed... He was such a good person, I really miss him now...” “Got it. Were there others who received the same treatment?” “Most of the high-ranking royal officials probably received it as well...” “The royal mage too?” “I heard he received something from time to time... but he wasn’t as great as the rumors said... He wasn’t even a mage, so he was a troublesome man... and he complained a lot too...” Ghislain twisted his lips into a smirk. Now, he understood. That so-called court physician must have spent a long time subtly influencing his target’s subconscious. He likely amplified the desires of his victims or nudged them in a specific direction, little by little. That would explain why there were no traces of mind control. The Chancellor would have genuinely believed he had made his own choices and decisions. Moreover, the physician had likely targeted only those without mana, carefully avoiding suspicion. “Did you persuade the Royal Mage?” “Yes... We needed him to stay out of the way... so I promised him great wealth and power... He was never loyal to begin with—just a man full of greed...” “I see.” The Royal Mage was a 6th-circle master. He wouldn’t be easily affected by mental manipulation or brainwashing. So the court physician must have done nothing to him. Any hint of suspicion would have ruined everything. Instead, the Chancellor had handled it personally. He had probably even bribed the Royal Mage with a significant sum. In the end, that physician had achieved his goal and disappeared. The ones left behind were now tearing each other apart in the struggle for power. Grrrk... Blood began to seep from the Chancellor’s eyes, ears, and mouth. The forced mind control was beginning to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ take its toll on his body. “I see. That’s enough.” Ghislain withdrew his mana and released the Chancellor. At this point, tracking down the runaway physician was impossible. He must have already erased all traces of his identity. “Guh...!” The Chancellor coughed up blood and collapsed. At his age, he couldn’t endure the shock of mind control. By then, soldiers had already gathered around Ghislain, having rushed over as soon as they heard the iron bars shattering. However, after overhearing the conversation, they hesitated instead of intervening. The situation seemed far more serious than they could grasp. One soldier, unable to make sense of it all, cautiously asked, “W-what happened?” “It’s nothing. I was just checking if he had any other accomplices. Move him to another room and keep a close watch.” “A-understood.” Ghislain gave a vague response and left the room. He then shared the newly acquired information with his companions, leaving them all in shock. Just as Ghislain had suspected, there was another accomplice. After some thought, Julien spoke up. “Could it be... someone like the dark mage from Nothel?” “That’s possible. It could be the same faction.” “...Then...” Everyone swallowed hard. They hesitated to even say the name aloud. Ghislain nodded. “Yes. It’s almost certainly someone from the Demonic Realm.” There was no solid proof. But without greed for power, such chaos was impossible to explain. After all, the only way they could win was by plunging the continent into turmoil and weakening humanity. Kyle quickly asked, “So you’re saying all of this—everything that’s happened so far—is their doing?” “Not necessarily. They wouldn’t be able to approach high-ranking nobles. That’s different.” “Then... that means real conflicts and fabricated conflicts have been mixed together!” “Exactly. They’re deliberately making things worse.” “Damn, shouldn’t we just take them all down?” “We need to inform the kingdoms we have ties with first. But that alone won’t be enough.” Even if they warned them, the most those nations could do was remain cautious. If they reacted too openly, they might end up suffering the most. Furthermore, the kingdoms Ghislain and his group had been in contact with had already built high walls of distrust. No kingdom would readily listen to a mere mercenary corps. “We need evidence.” If they could obtain solid proof, the problem could be solved immediately. All they had to do was present it to the Pope of the Holy Empire. Once the Pope made a statement, every kingdom on the continent would have to acknowledge that the Demonic Realm was on the move. Kyle asked again, “But how are we supposed to find evidence? Those bastards are being extremely careful.” “We’ll have to start looking. Somewhere, they must be up to something again.” Everyone nodded. It wasn’t certain that the unknown figure was connected to the Demonic Realm yet, but it had to be investigated. After all, that person had met with the dark mage from Nothel. If he was truly a priest from the Salvation Order, then it was a serious problem. Ghislain relayed this information to the King of Arsena. The King was wary but couldn’t outright ignore Ghislain’s warning. “I understand. I will be cautious.” The kingdom was already in turmoil, with most high-ranking officials dead. For a while, everything would be in disarray. Since the conspiracy had been exposed, the chances of it resurfacing were low. But that very assumption could be used against them—their vulnerability could be exploited. Because of that, Ghislain made sure to emphasize his warning and advised against letting their guard down. Ghislain then decided to stay in the Kingdom of Arsena for some time. “Mobilize the mercenary corps stationed in various branches. The ones who have been gathering information should have heard the news by now.” Before long, reports began flooding in. [Countless pieces of information were delivered to us. Since the King of Arsena actively cooperated, we gained more intel than expected. The world was in such chaos that incidents and accidents never ceased. The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, pouring in like a flood.] [I just wanted to have a normal relationship, damn it. But instead, we spent days and nights sifting through intelligence, searching for even the slightest clue. Even Ghislain, the great mercenary, couldn’t confidently pinpoint which events were tied to the Demonic Realm amidst the vast sea of reports.] [Day after day, we couldn’t rest, couldn’t pursue romance—we were buried under an avalanche of information. There were too many suspicious incidents. But verifying them all was impossible. So, we had to pick the most promising one. We weren’t entirely sure, but we couldn’t afford to sit here forever drowning in paperwork... This needed to end quickly so I could finally focus on my love life...] [And so, we set out to investigate the incident firsthand.]