Chapter 2

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Translator: Vine

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: Alliance

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The Demon World was home to a great many races.

The Draconians, descendants of the great dragons who inherited the essence of the mythical water veins; the lustful oneiric demons, succubi and incubi; the vampires who craved blood, the currency of the soul; the Sura, called the strongest of all warrior races; and the Dark Elves, the corrupted fae.

To list them all would be an endless task.

But even among the countless grains of sand, some races were bound to stand out.

The Lycanthropes were a mighty race.

Born with tenacious life force, they possessed both monstrous strength and a regenerative power that seemed to defy time itself.

With the blood of beasts coursing through them, they were merciless, hard to kill, and, as all exceptional hunters are, persistent and tenacious.

Throughout the burning camp, Lycanthropes gasped for breath.

The forms of the therianthropic Lycanthropes were truly diverse, including wolves, tigers, and bears.

They weren't panting from exhaustion, but to control the wild blood awakened by their transformation.

The smell of blood from the slaughtered Red Lightning Orcs scattered about stimulated the Lycanthropes. Some among them finally lost their reason and began tearing at the corpses of the dead orcs.

And among these Lycanthropes, one individual stood out.

A girl, her dark blue hair tied back in a single tail and her form-fitting black leather armor both drenched in blood.

Caitlin Moonlight.

The Demon King's eighth child and princess of the Lycanthropes, she kept her eyes shut tight, regulating her breathing.

With the blood of both Sura and Lycanthrope in her veins, she couldn't transform like the others. Yet, not a single Lycanthrope present dared to disrespect her.

After a long moment of steadying her breath, Caitlin finally opened her eyes. She scanned her surroundings, her nose twitching once before her fine brow furrowed.

*I let them get away in the end.*

She had succeeded in crushing Kaichin's camp and army, but Kaichin and Kaidum had escaped.

*It couldn't be helped.*

It was a chaotic battle, and those cowards had turned tail and fled without even putting up a proper fight.

*Right, so it couldn't be helped.*

She tried to convince herself, but it had little effect. In the end, Caitlin puffed out her cheeks and kicked at the innocent ground.

“Your Highness.”

At the call from behind her, Caitlin quickly composed her expression and turned around.

“Seira.”

Caitlin's direct subordinate, the Lycanthrope Seira, offered a brief salute. A leopard Lycanthrope, her reddish-gold hair was in disarray, likely from having fought in her transformed state.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

At Caitlin’s question, Seira smiled gently.

“Thanks to your concern, I am fine. And I have an urgent matter to report.”

“Hm? A report?”

She had already received the report that the battle was over, so Caitlin tilted her head in confusion. Seira took another step closer to Caitlin and spoke.

“Kaichin is dead. Kaidum is said to be dead as well.”

It was good news, but instead of rejoicing, Caitlin’s brows furrowed in concern.

“Who caught them?”

They were the ones who had fled shortly after the battle began. Could there have been soldiers who pursued them even after they left the battlefield?

At Caitlin’s question, Seira wore a somewhat awkward expression, let out a dry cough, and then answered.

“It was Prince Shutora.”

“What?”

Caitlin asked reflexively. Why was Shutora’s name coming up all of a sudden?

As if she understood Caitlin's feelings completely, Seira repeated with an awkward smile.

“Prince Shutora captured Kaichin and Kaidum. In Kaidum’s case, he is said to have struck him down himself.”

Instead of asking again, Caitlin simply blinked with a blank face. And Seira, like a faithful subordinate, understood her master's confusion.

*I was the same.*

But it was the truth.

The Ninth Prince, Shutora Ignus.

The one they called the Dreg Prince had captured Kaichin and Kaidum. He had achieved the greatest merit in today's battle.

&

I had earned the merit of capturing the enemy commanders.

I had also gained 3 levels and learned several new skills in addition to Psychokinesis.

It was certainly a cause for double celebration, but Ingong couldn't rejoice with a clear heart.

*What in the world was that?*

The vision of a pure-white woman he had seen during the battle.

She wore a golden crown on her head and was dressed in white. Her eyes were different colors, one red and one blue, and she was unrealistically beautiful.

*No, rather than beautiful, it was more… a different kind of feeling?*

In any case, beautiful or not, she was clearly no ordinary person.

But he didn't know who she was. She was a character who didn't appear in *Knight Saga*.

*Isn't someone who appears like that in a moment of crisis usually an important character?*

Perhaps she was the one who had brought Ingong himself to this place, a world that might be a game or something similar.

*Conquer, Subjugate, Dominate.*

The words that had surfaced in his mind when he faced the woman.

Ingong activated both his status and skill windows. In both, things related to those words were now present.

[Sub-Job: Knight of Conquest Lv1]

[Conquest Lv1]

[Under the King’s Banner Lv1]

The previously inactive Conquest skill was now Lv1. But just like Protagonist’s Correction, he couldn't raise its level with skill points.

*Conquest. Knight of Conquest.*

As expected, these were a skill and a job that didn't exist in *Knight Saga*.

*Under the King’s Banner seems like a buff-type skill… and the power of conquest is the power of a king, wasn't it? Is that why the white woman was wearing a crown?*

After racking his brain for a long while, Ingong finally shook his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head with a sigh. As always, he came to a neat conclusion.

*Ah, whatever. If she’s really important, I’ll probably see her again later.*

There was no way he'd find an answer by agonizing over it alone. He had too little information to begin with.

*If I go to the Demon King's castle's great library, I might find something related to it.*

Fitting for a demon king's castle, the library was managed by an Elder Lich. It had a massive collection of books, so there was a high chance it contained information about the Knight of Conquest.

*And to use that place, I need to get stronger, as always.*

As if to prove this was the Demon World of survival of the fittest, there was a truly shitty rule within the Demon King's castle.

If you didn't possess a certain level of strength, you couldn't properly use the facilities within the castle.

To use the magic research lab, you needed to be above a certain level; to use the blacksmith, you needed to be above a certain level, and so on.

The great library had a particularly high level requirement. That was why even Zephyr couldn't properly use it in the early stages of the game.

*Well, things are going smoothly for now.*

He was already level 8. Of course, that was still less than half of Karak's level, but the important thing was that it had only been two days since he'd come to this world.

*Come to think of it.*

He had killed an orc with his own hands. But he hadn't felt much of an emotional stir.

*Uh, shouldn't I normally be traumatized or something?*

Was he a psychopath? No, that couldn't be it. It was during a battle, and if he hadn't killed him, one of our orcs would have been killed or injured.

*Besides, it was an orc.*

He felt sorry for Karak, but he still couldn't think of orcs as the same as people. Their appearance was just too different, for starters.

“Prince.”

“Gah?!”

Like a thief caught in the act, Ingong shot to his feet at Karak's call. Karak looked at him as if he'd suddenly gone mad, then gestured with his eyes toward the bottom of the hill.

“They’re coming.”

“Who?”

He asked, but he didn't need to wait for an answer. Ingong knew who was coming up the hill.

*Caitlin?*

There was no time for a closer look. The girl—Caitlin—ascended the hill at a speed that was almost a run despite just walking, and in an instant, she was by Ingong's side.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Caitlin asked, looking at Ingong's blood-stained clothes. Her voice was full of concern.

“You… no, are *you* okay?”

But Ingong was more worried about Caitlin. He himself only had some blood splattered on his clothes, but Caitlin looked like she had taken a bath in it. Patches of dark red blood were matted in her dark blue hair.

At Ingong's question, Caitlin glanced down at herself and said.

“It's not my blood.”

*Wow, to think I'd actually hear that line in real life.*

As Ingong marveled at this strange thing, Caitlin took another step forward. She looked him straight in the face and asked.

“What happened?”

“It just happened.”

Ingong explained what he had experienced as briefly as possible. He went out on patrol, found a side path, and at that path, found the entrance to a tunnel. He followed the tunnel to the exit and encountered Kaichin's group as they were trying to escape through it.

*I'll leave out the part about finding the dwarven weapons for now.*

Ingong glanced at the inventory button in the corner of his vision and then looked back at Caitlin, his expression slightly tense.

*How is she going to react?*

Caitlin had been very kind to him during yesterday's meeting. But perhaps that kindness was formed because Shutora was so weak he couldn't even be considered an enemy.

But now Shutora—Ingong—had achieved a great merit. He had even struck down one of the enemy commanders with his own hands.

How would Caitlin react?

Would she be wary? Would she treat him coldly, as she had Zephyr?

“Amazing.”

“Huh?”

“That's really amazing. You've achieved a great merit!”

It was neither. Caitlin smiled brightly. Her face was so beautiful that for the first time, Ingong could understand the expression 'like a flower bud blooming.' He completely forgot that Caitlin was covered in blood.

Caitlin was no different from yesterday. She was happy, as if her truly cherished younger brother had achieved something great—and officially, he was her younger brother.

*Ugh, I'm being purified.*

He felt like a bad person for having had such dark thoughts.

*Why was such a nice girl like this so mean to Zephyr? Then again, it's Zephyr.*

Zephyr, who killed all his half-siblings, claiming to be eliminating the root of the problem. It would be harder to be friendly with a guy like that.

Having resolved the question on his own, Ingong looked at the brightly smiling Caitlin again. It was a slightly random thought, but she was different from the white woman. They were both beautiful, but Caitlin seemed human, while the white woman did not.

“You're much stronger than I thought. You're cool, dependable.”

Caitlin patted Ingong's shoulder, beaming. And at that light touch, another random thought popped into Ingong's head.

*I got hit by psychokinesis and awakened psychokinesis, right?*

Unfortunately, there were no clerics who used divine power, no mages who wielded mana, and no aura users who could use aura around Ingong.

But right now, Caitlin was in front of him.

“Caitlin, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hm? A favor? What is it?”

She asked back with a sweet smile, as if she enjoyed being asked for favors. Ingong spoke as naturally as he could.

“Hit me with your aura.”

It didn't take long for Caitlin's expression to turn strange.

&

“My brother is a pervert! My brother is a pervert!”

Chris, standing in the middle of Caitlin's tent, shouted while making a huge fuss. The sound was loud enough to be heard outside the tent, so Ingong quickly waved his hands.

“Th-that's not what it is?!”

He had certainly made a mistake. It was only natural for her to find it strange when he suddenly asked her to hit him with aura.

But a pervert! Shutora was a handsome youth of only fourteen. Moreover, Ingong himself had absolutely no hobby of enjoying being hit.

“It's your preference, so I want to respect it, but still…”

Whether he knew of Ingong's frustration or not—no, it seemed he knew and was just enjoying teasing him—Chris shook his head and clicked his tongue repeatedly. And Caitlin, looking back and forth between Chris and Ingong, muttered under her breath.

“Pervert…”

The gaze that had looked at him like a beloved younger brother turned slightly cold. It seemed some misunderstanding had deepened while they were moving, washing up, and what not. Ingong swallowed a groan and spread his arms wide.

“I already explained the situation!”

Of course, he hadn't told them the whole truth. Regardless of whether they believed him or not, it would have meant laying all his cards on the table. He quite liked Chris and Caitlin, and they didn't seem to have any ill will towards him, but he still couldn't let his guard down.

He had always been interested in aura. So lately, he felt like he was on the verge of learning it, and thought it would be good to feel aura directly with his body—that was the explanation Ingong gave to Chris and Caitlin.

Chris, deciding he had teased him enough, wiped the sly grin from his face. He crossed his arms and spoke quite seriously.

“Hmm, well, it doesn't sound completely impossible… but I've never heard of anyone awakening aura that way.”

Aura was the power of life.

Therefore, all living beings on the continent of Asenbach held the potential for aura, whether large or small.

The most common way to awaken aura was through training.

If you swing a sword day in and day out, one day you'll suddenly feel an 'Ah!' moment and sense your aura—that was, amusingly enough, the most common and valid method of awakening aura.

Of course, there were individual and racial differences.

Lycanthropes, thanks to their overflowing life force, had many aura users. On the other hand, orcs, despite being a strong warrior race, had an unusually low number of aura users.

Chris and Caitlin before him, despite being only in their mid-to-late teens, were both aura users. Even considering the characteristics of the Lycanthrope race, it was a remarkable feat.

They must have had outstanding natural talent, but both had probably trained incredibly hard. So, it was understandable that they would react this way when Shutora, who looked like he had never trained a day in his life, was talking about wanting to feel aura.

Caitlin, mimicking Chris, crossed her arms and pondered, then asked Ingong with a serious face.

“Is it possible because you're a Gandharva?”

Gandharva. The race of Shutora's mother and the Fifth Queen, Semita Ignus.

Gandharvas had an exceptional talent for sensing 'flows.' Whether it was the wind or the mana flowing in the atmosphere.

Thinking it was a plausible story, Chris also looked at Ingong with curious eyes. Ingong smiled awkwardly and said.

“Uh… well, it might not work. I just want to feel it a little.”

“You want to feel it…”

Mischief crept back into Chris's eyes. Ingong let his shoulders droop as if he was too tired to explain, and Caitlin glared at Chris. At his two younger siblings' gazes, Chris let out a hearty laugh.

“Alright, let's stop joking around. I'll hit you.”

Then, a crimson aura flared up over his large fist. It was so fiery that getting hit by it would likely result in, at the very least, death.

“N-no! I'd rather my sister did it than you, brother…”

Ingong's voice trailed off as he turned to look at Caitlin. Chris also looked at Caitlin with eyes full of laughter, and Caitlin let out a sigh with a troubled face.

“Alright. I'll do it.”

Standing in front of Ingong, Caitlin took another deep breath, then bit her lip and looked him up and down. She seemed to be contemplating where to hit him.

“Uh, how about just the shoulder or arm?”

As he said that, Ingong turned slightly to the side and offered his left shoulder. He tensed his left arm, and thanks to his level-ups, it felt quite solid.

Caitlin nodded with a reluctant face and raised her right hand. Unlike Chris's, a cool, dark blue aura gently rose from her hand.

“Here I go?”

“Yeah.”

Ingong was the one getting hit, but Caitlin looked more nervous. In a motion that was more like a caress than a strike, Caitlin placed her hand on Ingong's shoulder.

“Is that enough?”

It wasn't. As expected, mere contact wasn't going to work.

Ingong gave Caitlin a reassuring grin and said.

“No, a little harder.”

“Like this?”

Caitlin slapped Ingong's shoulder with her palm. It was still a bit too gentle to be called a hit.

“A little more!”

As Ingong shouted, Caitlin's face became flustered, and she looked over at Chris. And Ingong thought he could understand why some people enjoyed being hit. Caitlin's flustered face was just too cute.

*No, that's not it. Get a grip. Focus.*

Shaking his head to clear away the distracting thoughts, Ingong urged Caitlin on again.

“For real this time!”

Chris nodded, and Caitlin clenched her teeth. She squeezed her eyes shut and then struck Ingong's arm.

“Gah!”

Ingong let out a cry and collapsed to the floor. He had only been hit on the arm, but his whole body ached.

“Shutora?!”

“Hey! Are you okay?!”

Caitlin and Chris rushed over in surprise. Startled by the sudden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scream, a commotion could be heard from outside the tent.

Ingong gritted his teeth against the pain and managed a nod. It was literally tear-inducingly painful, but it had worked.

[You have learned Aura Lv1.]

“Heh heh.”

It was still only level 1. But he could clearly feel a new power spreading from deep within his body.

“Hey! Hey! Are you really okay?”

Chris's voice sounded strangely distant. Why was he hit on the arm, but his consciousness was fading? Was it because he had awakened his aura?

“Shutora!”

At Caitlin's tearful call, Ingong managed a satisfied smile. And then he passed out.

&

Ingong was in darkness.

He hadn't opened his eyes; it felt more like he was buried in darkness, yet strangely, he could see his surroundings.

People gathered in a pitch-black space. Despite the all-encompassing darkness, they could clearly identify each other.

He saw a woman with pure white hair wearing a golden crown. Dressed in white and emitting a soft, ethereal glow, she was undoubtedly the woman he had seen before.

The woman was not alone. There were three other people, though their forms were blurry and hard to make out.

A woman with red and yellow hair, her entire body wreathed in a fiery red aura.

A gaunt man dressed in black, so dark he was difficult to distinguish from the background.

A man wearing a dark blue cloak and a skull-shaped helmet.

Ingong wanted to see the three people more clearly. But he couldn't approach them.

The white woman turned to face him. She looked at Ingong with her red and blue eyes, and Ingong woke from his dream.

“You alright?”

“Gah?!”

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was a rugged orc face, and Ingong let out a terrified shriek. He rolled away, putting as much distance as possible between them before he could finally get his bearings.

“Huff, huff… You scared me.”

Seeing an orc's face right after a beauty's was quite the shock.

The orc face that had suddenly appeared belonged to Karak, of course. Letting out a long sigh of relief, Ingong looked at Karak, who burst out in a disbelieving laugh and said.

“What kind of dream were you having?”

“Uh, I was dreaming, but…”

Ingong tilted his head. He had definitely been dreaming, but he couldn't remember what it was about. A few blurry images flickered at the edge of his memory, and that was all.

“Well, that’s how weird dreams are. Anyway, why in the world did you ask the princess to hit you? She was really worried.”

Before answering, Ingong checked the time. Unless he had been unconscious for over a day, about five hours had passed. It would be pitch black outside.

*I wonder if she was worried a lot?*

He remembered Caitlin’s face right before he passed out. The way she was on the verge of tears, not knowing what to do, was quite cute.

“Prince?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

This wasn't the time for such thoughts. Ingong shook his head and sat up properly. He held up a hand as if to stop Karak, who was looking at him with eyes full of suspicion.

“Wait a minute.”

He closed his eyes and focused his consciousness. Without difficulty, he was able to sense the new energy that had taken root within his body.

“Ooh, I can feel it.”

This was aura. It was only level 1, so it wasn't much, but it was aura nonetheless!

Ingong's face lit up and his eyes sparkled, but in Karak's eyes, it was still just crazy behavior.

“What in the world are you feeling?”

“Aura. The reason I asked Caitlin to hit me was to feel aura.”

“Huh?! You awaken aura by getting hit with aura?!”

Karak asked back in surprise. Ingong quickly waved his hands.

“No, it doesn't work for everyone. It's hard to explain, so just take my word for it.”

It really was hard to explain.

Karak smacked his lips as if he was a bit disappointed, but then he nodded.

“I understand. Anyway, I'm glad you seem to be okay. Congratulations on awakening your aura and for your great achievement.”

“Right, congratulations to you too. You achieved a great merit by felling Kaichin.”

*But how are the rewards for merits handled?*

In the game, when you achieved a merit as a prince, you received a reward from the Demon King's castle. The monthly allowance would increase, you'd get a good item, or you'd be granted access to various facilities in the castle.

*Will Karak's share be taken care of by the higher-ups?*

Karak was a local warrior from here, after all.

*Right, so I probably don't need to give him anything extra. Come to think of it, I already gave him an axe.*

So that should be enough. Well, if worse comes to worst, he could just give him another dwarven weapon later.

While Ingong nodded to himself in understanding, Karak looked at him with his usual slightly sullen eyes. Then he glanced around before speaking in a rather cautious voice.

“Well, there's actually something I wanted to ask.”

“Something you want to ask?”

“It's just, it was a bit strange during the fight. It was like, suddenly, power started surging from within my body? And also… um…”

“What is it?”

“Well… it sounds strange, but this feeling of loyalty to you, Prince? Something like that just suddenly started burning fiercely.”

Under the King’s Banner.

The king sharing his power with his subordinate. Drawing out the subordinate's hidden strength.

Ingong grinned and said.

“You felt it correctly. I enhanced your power.”

“Ooh? As expected of a prince!”

“That's right, so serve me well.”

“I will.”

Karak chuckled and nodded. He was a rough-looking fellow, but seeing him often, his smiling face was quite endearing.

*Come to think of it, shouldn't I just make Karak my subordinate? He fought well today.*

It was a bit disappointing that his first subordinate was a rugged male orc instead of a beautiful succubus or dark elf girl, but this wasn't the time to be picky.

“By the way, can you tell me about the progress of today's battle? I didn't get to hear from Chris or Caitlin.”

He had been so focused on getting hit with aura that he hadn't discussed any of the important stuff.

Karak nodded and explained, waving his hands around.

“Prince Chris and Princess Caitlin completely wrecked Kaichin's camp. You and I took care of Kaichin and Kaidum. Thanks to that, our side won a great victory! The main force also won, so it's a double celebration.”

Listening to the story, Ingong tilted his head for a moment.

“Wait, the main force?”

“Oh, you don't remember this either?”

Karak blinked and asked. Ingong narrowed his brow and asked back.

“Weren't Chris, Caitlin, and I the only ones who came out to suppress the Red Lightning Tribe?”

“Of course not. The Red Lightning Tribe isn't some tiny little tribe.”

Come to think of it, that made sense. Shutora's own subordinates, including Karak, numbered only thirty-one. Caitlin's forces, though more numerous than Shutora's, probably only amounted to about a hundred private soldiers, so even with Chris's troops, it was unlikely to be more than three hundred.

There was a separate main force. His own, Chris's, and Caitlin's forces were not the main attack.

“Who's in charge of the main force?”

Ingong asked quickly. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

Karak scratched the back of his head, as if finding Ingong's attitude strange, then answered.

“General Bandal.”

Bandal, the Ogre hero who was a match for a hundred men.

He was Zephyr's closest aide.

&

From head to toe, he was about 4 meters tall. A massive frame, even for an ogre, and monstrous strength that surpassed even that of a giant.

A fierce general who, among Zephyr's subordinates, was considered the strongest in terms of pure physical attack power.

Briefly recalling Bandal's profile and appearance, Ingong swallowed dryly. When he was his subordinate, he had been a reliable asset he was fond of, but now, thinking of him as an enemy, a cold sweat broke out.

*Is Bandal's warhammer about the size of Karak?*

Ingong unconsciously looked up at Karak and shook his head. The size of Karak? No, it would definitely be bigger.

Bandal, the Ogre hero. A monster called a match for a hundred because he could take on a hundred ogres by himself. In terms of the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, would he be like Lu Bu or Zhang Fei?

*But… come to think of it, there's no reason to be scared, is there?*

It was currently the year 512. But Bandal wouldn't become Zephyr's subordinate until the year 515.

In other words, Bandal wasn't Zephyr's subordinate yet.

*This could actually be an opportunity?!*

To make Bandal his subordinate. This had a greater meaning than simply acquiring the fierce general Bandal. It meant that Zephyr's power would be weakened by that much!

Excited, Ingong repeatedly swallowed as he racked his brain. Perhaps because his intelligence had increased with his level, memories came flooding back.

The gifts Bandal liked.

The type of female ogre Bandal liked.

Bandal's specialty.

And most importantly, the condition for recruiting Bandal!

Ingong let out a long sigh. The condition for recruiting Bandal was to defeat him in a one-on-one fight.

A reason befitting a character of this type(?)—to serve a master stronger than himself.

*Let's just… make a good impression for now.*

After all, this was the Bandal that even the overpowered Zephyr couldn't defeat until the year 515. There was still plenty of time.

“Prince?”

Karak called out to Ingong with his usual worried expression. It was understandable, given that Ingong had suddenly gone from excited to slumping his shoulders in dejection.

“Ah, I just remembered something about General Bandal. What's the scale of his forces and all that?”

Ingong changed the subject smoothly, and Karak, though tilting his head, answered faithfully.

“All together, it's probably about two thousand. If we're on the lower side, they're pounding the Red Lightning Tribe from the upper side.”

A rough picture formed in his mind. The main force of the Red Lightning Tribe was probably there as well.

*Then we must be a detached force, flanking the enemy.*

The battlefields were completely different, and there was quite a distance between them, so it seemed unlikely he would meet Bandal for a while.

*Right, let's just focus on Caitlin.*

Getting closer to Chris and Caitlin was more important than Bandal, whom he hadn't even met yet.

“Anyway, I'm glad you seem to be okay. Get some rest.”

Karak smiled good-naturedly and was about to leave. Ingong, who had been about to nod vaguely, suddenly shot up from his seat and grabbed the departing Karak.

“Karak!”

“What is it?”

At Karak's question, Ingong rubbed his stomach and said.

“I'm hungry. Get me some food.”

He hadn't eaten anything since lunch.

Karak grinned and nodded.

&

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, Ingong headed to Caitlin's camp. And there, he faced two people who were exactly as he had expected.

“Don't ever pull a prank like that again.”

Caitlin's face was as hard as stone. A chill emanated from her, almost identical to when he had faced her as Zephyr.

Chris chuckled and said.

“You have no idea how scared Caitlin was yesterday. She thought she'd beaten you to death.”

“Brother.”

Caitlin glared, and Chris obediently clamped his mouth shut. But his eyes were still full of mischief.

Ingong glanced between the two, especially Caitlin, and then cleared his throat. Fortunately, although her face was as cold as when she faced Zephyr, her eyes held a hint of worry. Feeling strangely pleased, Ingong forced himself to hide his smile and said.

“Ahem, I'm fine. And thanks to that, I really did awaken it.”

At Ingong's words, neither of them reacted immediately. Caitlin blinked as if to ask what he meant, and Chris stared blankly at Ingong before shooting to his feet.

“No way?!”

Chris didn't finish his sentence. He strode over to Ingong and snatched his wrist with a large hand.

A red energy rose from Chris's hand. At that moment, Ingong felt his own aura react from deep within his body.

“This bastard, it's real?”

Chris said, utterly shocked. He looked as if he couldn't believe his own words.

“Awakening aura by getting hit?”

He muttered again, looking more dumbfounded than anything else. Finding his reaction quite amusing, Ingong smiled slightly and replied.

“No, the important part was feeling the aura directly.”

Feeling it, my ass. He had awakened it by getting hit. But he couldn't say that out loud.

“Ha, what in the world? What kind of guy is this? Were you a tiger hiding its claws all this time?”

Shutora's nickname was the Dreg Prince. A weakling with abilities worse than a random villager, so feeble it was hard to even think of him as a prince of the demon race.

But he awakened his aura on his own? And just by experiencing real aura once?

“Shutora, want to try activating your aura? I'll help you.”

Caitlin, having regained her senses, approached Ingong and said. Her voice was slightly excited.

*Activating aura? Does she mean making it flow properly?*

Awakening aura wasn't the end.

Sensing the aura, that was the first step.

This state was actually not much different from before awakening aura. It was merely being ready to develop one's aura.

Activating the aura was the second step.

This was the stage for utilizing what was commonly called internal aura.

There were many applications for internal aura, but the basics were the same. It was about making the flow of aura circulating inside the body faster and stronger.

Utilizing internal aura greatly enhanced one's physical abilities. The reason Caitlin could exert monstrous strength with such slender arms was all thanks to her internal aura.

Using external aura, which involved releasing the aura, was the third step.

This was the stage of literally expelling aura from the body. Upon reaching this stage, one could coat weapons with aura or shoot it out like energy blasts, just like the aura blades common in games and comics.

And the final stage was the materialization of aura.

Materializing the power of one's soul through aura.

This ultimate stage for an aura user was called the Heavenly Sword by humans.

In any case, Ingong was only at the first stage, having just awakened his aura.

But she was suggesting he try activating it?

“Hey, hey, that's pushing it. How can he activate it when he just awakened it yesterday? Is he some kind of once-in-a-generation genius?”

Chris shook his head as if it was absurd. But Caitlin was adamant.

“Let's just try it once.”

Then she gently clasped Ingong's hand, lacing their fingers together. Ingong was surprised by the unexpectedly soft touch and blinked.

Normally, one would be surprised by the fact that Caitlin, a powerful warrior, had no calluses on her hands, but Ingong, a recent high school graduate about to enter college, had no such common sense. He was simply surprised by the softness.

*Th-this feels nice.*

A smile naturally spread across his face. Fortunately, Caitlin was focused on their clasped hands instead of his face as she spoke.

“I'm starting. Follow my lead.”

Caitlin let out a long breath and gently closed her eyes. While Ingong was having stray thoughts like 'Her eyelashes are long!', she slowly raised her dark blue aura.

Using flow to guide flow. Mimicking the aura acting right beside him to move his own.

If Ingong had truly been a genius who awakened his aura just by experiencing it directly, it might have been possible, but unfortunately, Ingong was not such a genius.

After trying to focus his consciousness with his eyes closed for a while, Ingong eventually changed his mind and slightly opened his eyes.

Chris was looking at Caitlin with a dubious expression, and Caitlin still had her eyes closed, concentrating.

*I kind of want to surprise them.*

Actually, it wasn't just that. Aura was a necessary ability for the current Ingong anyway. He didn't have the luxury of slowly raising it to save skill points.

[Aura Lv2]

Ingong touched the system window with an empty hand and raised his aura level. And at that moment, Caitlin's eyes shot open. It wasn't because she had noticed his trickery.

Ingong's aura had activated. Following Caitlin's lead, it began to move with vigor.

Caitlin, who had suggested they try it, was so surprised that her lips parted. She was clearly about to voice her admiration. But it was still too early to be surprised.

*It's still not enough to be useful in a real fight. I'll just close my eyes and go all in.*

And he really did pour all his remaining skill points into it.

[Aura Lv3]

A faint white light began to shimmer over Ingong's hand, which was clasped with Caitlin's. Caitlin, whose lips had been parted, now had a blank expression as if she were frozen, and Chris, who had been watching from the side, stared with wide eyes.

“A g-genius?”

The guy who awakened his aura yesterday activated it just with a little guidance? And even achieved the basic stage of emission?!

Of course, it wasn't that Ingong had completely mastered internal aura and reached the third stage, the stage of external aura.

The second and third stages were, for convenience's sake, separate, but in reality, they were practiced in parallel. Moreover, Ingong had only just reached the basic level of both.

But even so, it was preposterous. Even Chris, who had the racial trait of being a Lycanthrope, an excellent teacher, and overflowing talent, had taken over a year to reach that stage.

“Amazing.”

Caitlin said. She looked at Ingong with eyes that sparkled even more than when she had said he'd achieved a great merit, and then she smiled brightly.

“Really amazing!”

*Ugh, I'm being purified.*

Her innocent smile stabbed at his conscience relentlessly, making it unbearable. Ingong subtly shifted his gaze to Chris. He was so shocked that he looked completely dazed.

*I feel a little bad.*

But what's good is good.

Ingong looked back at Caitlin and gave a manly grin.

&

The reason Ingong prioritized aura over psychokinesis wasn't just because of the impulse to surprise Chris and Caitlin.

It was because, for immediate use, aura was better than psychokinesis in many ways.

For one, aura had the effect of enhancing overall physical abilities.

Someone with good natural athletic coordination would be at least average in any sport. They could cover for their lack of skill with superior physical performance.

Combat was the same. If both sides lacked skill, the faster and stronger one was more likely to win.

*Psychokinesis requires practice. And it's hard to display threatening power right from the start.*

Since he had learned the ability, he had no intention of abandoning it, but he also had no intention of blindly investing resources into it.

Ingong had been saving his bonus points and skill points since his first level-up for two reasons.

First, he didn't yet know which ability would be the most efficient to invest points in.

Second, the higher the level, the more was required to reach the next level. So, it was more efficient to save points and use them at higher levels.

Both were very gamer-like ways of thinking.

But after experiencing real combat, Ingong completely revised his plan.

Skill points? Use them immediately. Surviving was more important than growing at maximum efficiency. You had to be alive to grow, after all.

He decided to save his bonus points for a little longer. If he was going to use them, he wanted to find something he was sure about, like the aura skill, rather than using them half-heartedly.

*Still, I shouldn't be too picky.*

He could afford this luxury thanks to Karak and his subordinates. If Ingong had been on his own in a survival situation, he would have unhesitatingly gone all-in on toughness-related skills like endurance or durability.

“This is a terrifying talent. It's amazing that there haven't been any rumors about it until now.”

Chris said, his voice filled with renewed admiration. His bright eyes, once filled with shock, now held a strong curiosity.

“Sometimes talents blossom late.”

Caitlin said with a pleased expression. For some reason, her tone was boastful, as if to say, 'My little brother is this amazing!'

*But he's Chris's little brother too.*

Ingong chuckled and turned his gaze to Chris. Chris was nodding repeatedly, his eyes dripping with interest.

“It's a waste. A real waste. I feel like I should assign a teacher to him.”

There are many possible reactions when faced with immense talent, but they can be broadly divided into two categories.

One is jealousy, the other is admiration.

*I want to nurture it. I want to see this talent fully bloom. I don't want it to go to waste.*

Fortunately, both Chris and Caitlin seemed to be in the latter category.

*Still, that would be difficult.*

The relationships between the Demon King's children, born of his queens and concubines, were quite complex. Chris and Caitlin being friendly with Ingong was a completely different matter from them assigning him a subordinate.

Moreover, only an aura user could teach aura. No matter how many aura users there were among the Lycanthropes, they weren't as common as rank-and-file soldiers. It was bound to be a sensitive issue.

It was a pity, but understandable, so Ingong cleanly gave up on the idea. But it was Chris who couldn't let it go.

“Hey, Shutora.”

Chris, who had been groaning with his arms crossed, spoke. His voice was low, as if he were telling a secret.

“How about I teach you? It'll only be for the duration of the expedition, though.”

Chris, the prince of the Lycanthropes, would personally teach him aura.

From Ingong's perspective, it was a most welcome offer. But instead of readily accepting, Ingong first organized his thoughts.

*Is he trying to recruit me right now?*

The Demon King's children didn't just fight each other like in a battle royale. Of course, there were factions and alliances.

There were many factors that determined factions, but the one that carried the most weight was, of course, the relationships between their maternal families.

Whether the children got along or not, if their maternal families were on good terms or in an alliance, they belonged to the same faction. Conversely, if their maternal families were on bad terms, they were enemies, no matter how much the children liked each other. Just like Romeo and Juliet.

This was a story from the year 513, a year from now, at the start of *Knight Saga*, but Ingong knew the faction structure among the children.

*There are only three children without a faction.*

One was Shutora, and the other two were Chris and Caitlin.

Chris and Caitlin, as always, kept to themselves, and Shutora was always alone because no faction wanted him.

*Looking at it another way, does this mean that right now, the only target for a faction that Chris and Caitlin can secure is me?*

His maternal family's power was weak, but Ingong himself was competent. His talent was literally overflowing. He would definitely be useful—that must be Chris's judgment.

It wasn't a bad story for Ingong either. After all, it meant gaining a powerful ally he could rely on for now.

The only problem was the secret of Caitlin's birth.

But thinking about it really coldly, it wasn't that big of a problem. If things went south, he could just side with the other children who condemned Chris and Caitlin, claiming he didn't know.

*Ugh, no. I should just make sure that never happens in the first place.*

Ingong turned his gaze back to Caitlin.

“What do you think, Caitlin?”

“I think it's a good idea.”

Caitlin nodded with a very serious expression.

Chris chuckled and said.

“It would be good to learn from Caitlin too. She has a more delicate touch than me when it comes to aura manipulation. No, just learn from both of us. Caitlin, you're okay with that, right?”

“Yes, I'm fine. I'll teach you well.”

Caitlin replied quickly and looked straight at Ingong. Her eyes were overflowing with motivation.

“Thank you both, I'll be in your care.”

“Alright, then let's talk business now.”

Chris grinned and spread a battlefield map on the neglected table.

Chris explained the overall situation of the battlefield in an easy-to-understand manner. Thanks to the large map, the movements of General Bandal's main punitive force could also be clearly seen.

“So far, the tide of battle is in our favor. We're winning, for now. But if we advance as we are, we'll hit the Red Lightning Tribe's main base. The resistance will be fierce.”

There would probably be a series of rather large battles.

“Shutora, did you happen to make a map of the tunnel?"

Chris looked at Ingong with expectant eyes. They had been able to catch Kaichin thanks to the tunnel. Perhaps there was still some room to utilize it further.

Caitlin, like Chris, also turned to look at Ingong. He was filled with a desire to meet their expectations, but the only answer Ingong could give was 'no.'

*Of course not, I had a mini-map!*

The map was drawn automatically on the mini-map, so why would he draw one by hand?

*No, wait, I can just draw it now, can't I?*

He could still see the mini-map.

“Um, wait a minute. I'll try drawing it now.”

“Huh?”

Chris asked back as if to say, what do you mean? Ingong, instead of replying, turned to Caitlin.

“It'll only take a moment. Caitlin, could I borrow some blank paper and a pen?”

“Uh, just a moment.”

Caitlin also seemed a bit surprised. Ingong smiled and then began to trace the mini-map onto a large sheet of paper. While he was at it, he drew not only the tunnel but the entire patrol route he had taken yesterday.

At first, Chris and Caitlin watched without much thought, but as the map began to take shape, their expressions changed. The path itself was simple, but the map was incredibly detailed.

When Ingong finished drawing the map, Chris looked back and forth between the map and Ingong with serious eyes and said.

“Are you a real genius?”

“The path was simple.”

He had just traced it, but Ingong answered shamelessly. It was better to pretend to be smart than to reveal the existence of the mini-map.

“Shutora is so smart.”

Caitlin nodded her head with an impressed look. For some reason, this time her gaze held a hint of envy.

Ingong, trying hard to suppress a smile, pointed at the map and said.

“Anyway… I think there might be a path this way too.”

Last time, he had just been looking straight ahead in the dark and didn't notice, but now, tracing the mini-map, he could see something that looked like a passage leading elsewhere.

Considering the shape of the mountain and the direction the passage was dug, there was a high probability that this too would lead to the vicinity of the Red Lightning Tribe's camp.

“This tunnel, we should investigate it more thoroughly.”

Chris said, stroking his chin. Ingong also nodded.

“Kaidum said he knew about it but had never used it. It seemed like Kaichin learned about the passage for the first time then.”

Few within the Red Lightning Tribe knew about the tunnel. Perhaps Kaichin was the last.

Moreover, there was one important fact.

“They still don't know that we know about this tunnel.”

So, it could be used. It could become a dagger that strikes the enemy's flank.

At Ingong's words, Chris smiled. It was the smile of a hunter, befitting a Lycanthrope.

&

Leaving Caitlin's tent, Ingong walked back to his own camp side-by-side with Karak, chatting.

Karak, having heard a rough explanation, nodded as if it was expected and said.

“Hmm, so it's another reconnaissance mission.”

“It's a bit of a rush, but I'm thinking of leaving today. I need to make sure the men keep their mouths shut too.”

They had decided to keep the existence of the tunnel a secret from Chris and Caitlin's troops for now. Given the nature of orcs, especially the Red Lightning Tribe, the possibility of them conducting active espionage was almost nil, but there was always a 'what if'.

And the discovery of the passage through the tunnel needed to be as soon as possible. The existence of the tunnel passage and where it led could change the entire future operation.

Karak, understanding, simply nodded instead of asking for a reason.

“Ah, while you were inside, Prince, I took care of some business outside. We'll be getting troop reinforcements today.”

“Troop reinforcements?”

As Ingong asked back, Karak smiled wryly and said.

“We didn't come out completely unscathed, did we?”

The fight with Kaichin was a chaotic one. It had become a one-sided battle from the moment Karak cut down Kaichin, but before that, nearly ten of their men had been killed or injured.

Ingong swallowed dryly for a moment. It wasn't because the losses were greater than he had thought. It was because he was surprised at himself for not having considered the deaths of the orcs at all until this moment, no matter how preoccupied he was with his aura.

*Right, people died. People. This isn't a game.*

In the game, the lives of rank-and-file soldiers were just numbers. Numbers that could be increased or decreased at will as long as you had enough resources.

But this wasn't a game. Each and every one of them had their own lives.

Ingong took a deep breath and straightened his posture. It was impossible to cherish every single soldier, but he couldn't think of them as indifferently as he had been. To think of people only as numbers was to be truly disqualified as a human being.

Having finally calmed his mind, Ingong looked up at Karak again. As expected, he had that 'what kind of crap are you up to this time?' look in his eyes.

Ingong shrugged.

“So, are new recruits coming?”

“Not exactly… our unit had 30 members besides me, right? It's going to be increased to 50. It'll take time for them to come from the main army, so Prince Chris's camp has agreed to provide reinforcements for now.”

“Ooh?”

His forces had nearly doubled in one go?

“You achieved a great merit, Prince.”

Karak said cheerfully. And in fact, a situation like this was quite familiar to Ingong.

Achieve a merit, and your treatment improves.

It was a basic formula in *Knight Saga*.

Ingong had achieved the merit of killing Kaichin and Kaidum, and had proven his own worth by discovering the tunnel. It was only natural that a reward would follow.

*In the first place, the reason Shutora only received thirty orcs was because he had zero past achievements.*

Even though they were all children of the Demon King, Chris and Caitlin commanded more than double the number of orcs as Shutora, even excluding the private Lycanthrope soldiers they received from their maternal families.

The reason was simple.

Chris and Caitlin had proven their worth as children of the Demon King time and time again.

*Well, I'll just start racking up merits from now on.*

The power of positivity was infinite, and he actually intended to make it so.

Ingong, clenching his fist as if to express his resolve, suddenly remembered something and asked Karak.

“By the way, did you get any kind of reward, Karak?”

Although it was lumped together as Ingong's achievement, strictly speaking, it was Karak who had killed Kaichin. At Ingong's question, Karak grinned and thumped his chest.

“I received a cash reward. And I already received this from you, Prince.”

What Karak proudly held up was the dwarven axe Ingong had given him.

“I'm glad you like it.”

*Still, I should give him something else later. Maybe some armor?*

Now that he had decided to keep Karak with him, any gifts he gave from now on could be considered an investment. Ingong's unit would only get stronger as Karak got stronger.

Chatting idly with Karak, Ingong returned to the encampment and then led his entire force, including the newly joined soldiers, to the tunnel.

&

The journey to the tunnel was smooth. It was close to Shutora's encampment to begin with, and with Kaichin's defeat, the area had fallen under Chris and Caitlin's influence, making it quite safe.

*But don't princes usually ride horses or something?*

Ingong, who was walking briskly on his own two feet just like last time, glanced at himself and Karak. In games and movies, the soldiers usually walked while the generals rode horses.

*Come to think of it, I haven't seen a single horse. Chris and Caitlin seem to walk everywhere too. Is it because they're Lycanthropes?*

When he played as Zephyr, he often rode a horse. Though that horse was a sky-flying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Phantom Steed, not an ordinary one.

*Later on, I even rode a dragon.*

As Ingong walked, reminiscing about his glorious past(?), he suddenly stopped. Two people in black robes were standing in the middle of the path.

“Caitlin?”

“Shh.”

Caitlin quickly brought a finger to her lips and gestured for Ingong to come closer. Ingong, leaving a puzzled Karak behind, approached her. Up close, he saw that the person standing next to Caitlin was her adjutant, Seira, whom he had already met at the meeting.

After giving a nod to Seira, who bowed her head in greeting, Ingong asked Caitlin.

“What's going on all of a sudden? Why are you wearing a robe?”

She usually wore a blue cloak, but she never wore a full robe like this. Caitlin spoke in a low voice.

“I'll be secretly accompanying you on this reconnaissance mission. Just in case something unexpected happens.”

He could understand the 'unexpected' part, but 'secretly accompanying' was harder to grasp immediately. Tilting his head, Ingong scratched his eyebrow and asked.

“Uh… so you're joining unofficially?”

She would join his reconnaissance mission, but it would be a secret to the outside world. In other words, officially, she wasn't here.

Caitlin nodded.

“Yes. So I'll only step in when it's really dangerous. This needs to be Shutora's achievement alone.”

Ingong was now starting to understand how things worked.

They still didn't know how much the Red Lightning Tribe knew about the tunnel. So, to prepare for danger, Caitlin, with her powerful combat abilities, would accompany them.

But if Caitlin was with them, there was a risk that the merit for this reconnaissance mission would be credited to her. So, she would join unofficially.

*Man, this is tough. So they have victims of results-oriented education here too.*

It was quite reasonable that one's treatment depended on their achievements, but for kids this young to have to bicker over whose merit is whose was just harsh.

*Come to think of it, does this mean she's just going to push me forward?*

This could be interpreted in a few ways.

One, raise Shutora's achievement score to make him a more useful ally.

Two, put Shutora in her debt to make him a more certain ally.

*Chris might, but there's no way Caitlin would make such calculations.*

She had clearly come to help out of the goodness of her heart.

*Was she born under the star of a pushover? No, it's the world that calls such kind people pushovers that's wrong.*

Nodding to himself in understanding, Ingong spoke brightly to Caitlin.

“Alright, thank you, Caitlin.”

“You're welcome.”

Caitlin replied cheerfully, then pulled up her hood and moved to the very back of the unit with Seira. He glanced over and saw that, unlike Caitlin, Seira seemed rather displeased with the situation.

*Well, that's understandable.*

Her master was here doing volunteer work for another prince. Even if Chris had influenced the decision, she wouldn't be happy about it.

When Ingong returned to his position, Karak glanced back and asked.

“Is it okay for the princess to join?”

“Yeah, just don't pay them any mind and think of it as just us on this mission.”

Caitlin followed so quietly, with almost no presence, that even Karak soon stopped looking back.

And after some time had passed.

Inside the tunnel, Ingong found the other passage he had mentioned when explaining the tunnel to Chris and Caitlin.

Although it was a different passage, the direction was different but the passage itself was largely the same as the previous one. Ingong, who had been diligently checking his mini-map and searching the empty rooms scattered throughout the passage, frowned.

“Why are all these rooms empty?”

He had had high hopes after the armory incident last time, but every room was filled with nothing but dust, with no treasure to speak of.

But Karak clicked his tongue as if it were the most natural thing in the world and said.

“Is there anyone who doesn't take their valuables when they move? The dwarves must have taken everything when they migrated.”

“Then what about the weapons we saw yesterday?”

“Guess they weren't valuables.”

Another flawless(?) piece of logic. Ingong, at a loss for words, blinked at Karak.

*This guy, is he a genius among orcs?*

It was somewhat annoying, but the more competent his number one subordinate, Karak, was, the better it was for Ingong. Forcing himself to accept it, Ingong glanced towards the back of the line. In the dark tunnel, Caitlin, in her black robe, was almost invisible.

*Should I ask her to hit me with magic next time?*

It was a sudden thought, but seeing Caitlin reminded him of aura, and aura reminded him of magic and divine power.

*She reacted like that when I asked her to hit me with aura. If I ask her to hit me with magic, will she really treat me like a pervert?*

Recalling Caitlin's tearful and flustered face, Ingong smiled wryly. Then he tilted his head.

*Come to think of it, what would happen if I got hit by magic? Would I just awaken mana? Or would I maybe learn that magic itself?*

He wanted to experiment. After the reconnaissance was over, he was thinking of asking Caitlin to hit him with some kind of magic.

*Kuhuhu. Magic, magic.*

Ingong, who was smiling vibrantly(?) at the thought of being hit by Caitlin, suddenly snapped his head up. Karak, who had been looking at Ingong with a frown, did the same.

“Prince.”

Karak said in a low voice, raising his axe, and Ingong nodded. Red dots, signifying enemies, had appeared on the mini-map.

&

The place where Ingong's party was currently located was a rather large cavern between two passages. They had seen several like it on their way, and they often had rooms attached, suggesting they were some kind of living space.

The ceiling was high and the cavern itself was wide, so even with fifty orcs, there was plenty of space left over.

It seemed they had poured out from the passages connected to the cavern; the mini-map was instantly dyed red.

As everyone drew their weapons, Ingong, who had been looking around with slightly narrowed eyes, suddenly shouted loudly.

“Rock Spiders! Everyone, close your eyes!”

At Ingong's shout, most of the orcs, including Karak, closed their eyes. It was an order to suddenly close their eyes in the middle of a battle, so a few didn't react immediately, but there was no time to wait. Instead of shouting again, Ingong squeezed his eyes shut and threw the objects he had in his pouch.

With the sound of shattering glass, a bright light filled the cavern. Immediately after, Ingong, who had opened his eyes, shouted.

“Open your eyes and attack! Be careful of the paralysis poison!”

The flash was still fading, so he had to squint, but he could make out what was in front of him. Gray spiders, the size of a human torso, were lying on their backs all over the cavern.

Rock Spiders.

Monsters that frequently appeared in places like dungeons and caves. They moved in packs of dozens and had a powerful paralysis poison, making them very tricky opponents.

But that was only if you fought them head-on. They had a fatal weakness: light. Living in darkness, they were either immobilized or knocked out completely when exposed to light of this intensity.

*Glad I prepared for this!*

He hadn't encountered any monsters during the last tunnel reconnaissance, but he had prepared these items just in case.

*Besides, it's best to get things when you can!*

Shutora's encampment, of course, had no items with flash magic. The ones he had just used were all from Chris. He had taken whatever he could get, as there was no guarantee what kind of monsters he would meet in the tunnel, and luckily, Rock Spiders had appeared.

*Rock Spiders hunt in packs. And a pack always has a boss!*

He was sure of it. Because that's how it always was in the game!

*The boss, I need to find the boss!*

The boss Rock Spider was two to three times larger than a normal one. So Ingong ran towards the largest passage in front of him, checking his mini-map. And indeed, among the small red dots, he saw a rather large one.

“Karak! Follow me! We're going for the boss!”

Then, instead of drawing his sword, he picked up a torch dropped by a nearby orc and ran. The Rock Spider's greatest weakness was light, but its next greatest weakness was probably fire.

“Got it!”

Karak immediately shouted loudly and overtook Ingong. It was against Ingong's order to follow him, but instead of shouting at him, Ingong just followed behind. As long as they found and took down the boss, it didn't matter how they got there.

“Uooooh!”

Karak swung his large axe wildly, swatting away the stunned Rock Spiders. Ingong followed the path Karak cleared, then reached into his pouch again.

“Another one's coming! Close your eyes!”

As if to prove it was the boss, the boss Rock Spider was starting to recover from its stunned state. Instead of looking at its large, disgusting, twitching legs, Ingong squeezed his eyes shut and threw another glass bottle with a flash effect.

Because it went off in a narrower passage than the cavern, the light seemed much more intense. Of course, Ingong, with his eyes closed, couldn't see it.

After counting to exactly three, Ingong immediately opened his eyes and grinned.

*Looks more like a king crab than a spider.*

The boss Rock Spider, much larger than a person, was lying on its back with its belly exposed. Without needing an order from Ingong, Karak swung his axe at it.

*Clang!*

The axe and the creature's belly collided, but it sounded like metal hitting metal. Karak was taken aback by the unexpectedly hard shell, and Ingong raised his torch.

“Karak! It's weak to fire!”

But as he was about to strike with the torch, he felt a bit uneasy. Would this really work? The shell had deflected Karak's axe. Wouldn't the torch just break if he hit it?

*Should I try using aura?*

Come to think of it, it wasn't a matter of 'should I try,' but 'I must.' Ingong focused his consciousness and activated his aura. But at that very moment.

“Shutora! Raise your sword!”

Caitlin's voice came from behind him. He didn't know if she had used some kind of magic, or if it was just because it was her voice, but Ingong quickly drew the sword from his waist and held it high.

“Burning Blade!”

As Caitlin shouted, flames erupted along the blade of Ingong's sword. It was clearly a fire attribute enchantment magic.

“Ooooh?!”

Magic, magic!

*If I get hit by this, will I be able to learn Burning Blade?*

For a moment, Ingong imagined being hit by Caitlin's flaming sword, then quickly shook his head.

*This is no time to be thinking about getting hit by a flaming sword!*

Ingong thrust his sword into the boss Rock Spider's belly. Thanks to raising his aura to level 3, he was able to exert strength beyond his normal stats. The shell that had deflected even Karak's mighty axe was weakened by the flames, and Ingong's sword sank deep into the boss Rock Spider's belly.

“Hyaaah!”

Ingong then swung his sword, completely gutting the creature. As Karak struck the exposed innards with his axe, the boss Rock Spider's legs twitched simultaneously.

*Ugh! Disgusting!*

Ingong was repulsed, but his arms were swinging the sword vigorously. Ingong's sword came down on the boss Rock Spider's head.

“Kikeek!”

A bizarre shriek erupted from the boss Rock Spider, and its legs thrashed even more violently. Karak hastily grabbed one of its legs, and Ingong pulled the sword out of its head.

“Shutora! A little more!”

Caitlin had run right up next to him, but instead of attacking the boss Rock Spider, she shouted encouragement to Ingong. It seemed she intended to let him finish it off by himself.

“Yeah! Caitlin!”

Her cheering from the side seemed to give him more strength. This time, Ingong swung his sword horizontally, striking the boss Rock Spider's head.

This time, there was no scream. The legs that had been twitching wildly all went limp at once and stopped moving.

And a voice that confirmed the creature's death for Ingong.

[You have leveled up.]

Although he had Karak's assistance, Ingong had delivered almost all the important attacks. Moreover, Rock Spiders weren't normally monsters you could catch at such a low level. It was only natural that he received a lot of experience.

*Ooh, that makes me level 9!*

Overjoyed, Ingong was about to check his status and skill windows, but Caitlin was a little faster.

“Shutora? Are you okay?”

Her face was a mixture of concern and surprise. For a moment, Ingong wondered why, but he soon realized the reason. It was because of the light that had appeared when he leveled up.

“Ah, yeah. I'm fine. That light just now was something like a blessing. It happens sometimes. Right, Karak?”

“That's right. I've seen it a few times.”

He just said whatever came to mind, and Karak agreed, but this created its own problems. If it was a blessing, whose blessing was it? Why did this light appear? What were its effects? There were a lot of things he would have to make up on the spot.

But thankfully, Caitlin solved all of those problems in one go.

“A Gandharva's?”

“Yeah, a Gandharva's.”

In truth, Gandharvas had no such trait, but he just went along with it. Gandharvas were a minority among minorities anyway. And he himself—Shutora—was a half-Sura, half-Gandharva. He could just say it was an effect of that.

“Thanks for the timely support magic. It was perfect.”

He said it to change the subject, but now that he mentioned it, it really was timely help. Caitlin shook her head once, then said with a bright face.

“You're the amazing one, Shutora. I just listened to what you said and cast the spell.”

“Huh? You haven't fought Rock Spiders before?”

“This is my first time seeing them.”

*What, so she cast the spell just from hearing me shout at Karak?*

It was understandable in a way, but he couldn't help but be impressed by her quick thinking.

“Have you fought these things before? Your response was so skilled, I was honestly a little surprised.”

At Caitlin's question, Ingong once again decided to make something up.

“Uh… I just read about them in a book before.”

He had fought them a ton in the game, though. For the record, he had read about them. He first saw them in an online strategy guide. In a broad sense, that counted as reading about them in a book.

“Caitlin, let's continue this conversation later. I need to get the troops in order first.”

“Alright.”

Caitlin nodded and pulled her hood back over her head. Ingong, after sheathing his now-flameless sword, returned to the cavern with Karak.

&

After having the orcs rest while keeping watch, Ingong sat in a circle in the middle of the cavern with Caitlin, Karak, and Seira.

“This might be a premature judgment, but I don't think the Red Lightning Tribe uses this passage.”

At Ingong's words, Karak quickly asked back.

“Is it because of the monsters?”

“Yes, if it were a passage they used, there wouldn't be such a large swarm of Rock Spiders.”

Seeing them pour out from all directions, it seemed there were quite a few more Rock Spiders living in this tunnel besides the ones that had just appeared. It was hard to imagine a passage where monsters of the Rock Spider's size, not just small insects, were left unchecked.

*Come to think of it, is this Karak guy a genius among orcs?*

As he was looking at Karak with admiration, Seira, who had been silent until now, looked at Ingong and spoke.

“Isn't it possible that the Red Lightning Tribe is controlling the monsters? They could be using them as guards.”

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but Seira's gaze and voice held a hint of wariness.

It was a point he hadn't considered, so Ingong was a bit flustered and turned to Karak to ask.

“Karak, is there anyone in the Red Lightning Tribe with that kind of ability?”

In terms of job class, would that be a monster tamer?

At Ingong's question, Karak answered immediately, as if there was no need to think.

“How would I know that?”

Another one of Karak's reasonable and irrefutable answers.

Ingong looked at Karak with a dubious expression, then turned his gaze to Seira as if to ask if she knew, but Caitlin spoke up instead of Seira.

“The possibility is low. If they had someone with that kind of ability, they would be controlling monsters that could run wild on the battlefield instead of monsters in a tunnel like this. Right, Seira?”

“Yes, Lady Caitlin.”

From the way she answered, it seemed she had already been thinking that.

*Wait, then why did she ask me? Was she trying to pick a fight? Or keep me in check? Is she keeping me in check?*

But thanks to her, he had the opportunity to consider a possibility he hadn't thought of. Ingong, calming his slight excitement, looked around and said to everyone.

“Um, alright. Then, since we've stopped, let's check our location for a moment. Karak, can you give me the bag for a second?”

“Here you go.”

As Karak obediently handed over the small bag he was carrying on his back, Ingong casually put his hand in the bag and activated his inventory to take out blank paper, a map, and writing utensils.

*Explaining the inventory to Caitlin would be complicated.*

He would have to explain it someday, but not right now.

“Huh? You had that in your bag?”

“Yeah, I did.”

Ingong lied without batting an eye to the blinking Karak and first spread out the map. It was a large map showing the shape and height of the mountain where the tunnel was located.

*Now, to match the scale of this map with the mini-map…*

After matching them, the tunnel passage looked very small, but not so small that he couldn't make it out. Next, Ingong drew a large mountain on the blank paper. He was just roughly tracing the map spread out next to him, so it didn't take long.

Caitlin, who had been quietly watching what Ingong was doing, asked.

“Are you trying to draw a map?”

“Yes, if I overlay the tunnel map and the mountain map, I should be able to figure out roughly where we are now.”

At Ingong's words, Caitlin nodded, but Seira and Karak had expressions as if they had heard something bizarre.

“Prince, haven't you just been walking with me this whole time?”

“Yeah, I have.”

Ingong answered Karak's words distractedly as he continued to draw lines. Thanks to acquiring the 'Map Making' skill when he was drawing the map in front of Caitlin and Chris, it was much easier than before.

At first, Seira had been watching with eyes that said 'what is this nonsense,' but at some point, she could only stare blankly at what Ingong was doing. The map was too plausible to have been drawn carelessly without any thought.

“D-don't tell me you've memorized the entire path here? No, even if you did, something like this shouldn't be possible…”

He hadn't just memorized the path. Drawing the passage according to the shape of the mountain meant he knew not only the direction but also the exact length of the passage.

Was something like this possible for a human brain? It seemed impossible even if you had a compass and a ruler in your head.

“I told you our Shutora was amazing.”

As if answering for Ingong, Caitlin puffed out her chest and said. Her tone was strangely boastful and proud.

Finding her quite cute, Ingong chuckled and focused on drawing the map again. And after about 5 minutes, Ingong, having completed the map up to their current cavern, let out a sigh and put down his writing utensil.

“Looks like we're about halfway there.”

As Ingong said, the cavern was near the center of the mountain peak. Whichever way they went, they would reach the end after traveling about the same distance they had already covered.

“Seira, the Red Lightning Tribe's current encampment is estimated to be around here, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Caitlin picked up some nearby pebbles and placed them on the map.

“It would be a jackpot if the passage connects to somewhere near there.”

If the exit was behind the Red Lightning Tribe's encampment, they could pull off a so-called backstab, and even if it only connected to the flank or nearby, they could execute a diversionary tactic. They could lure the main force of the Red Lightning Tribe out of the encampment and then have the troops that moved through the tunnel occupy it.

“Hmm, but wouldn't it take a long time to search all of this? We only brought enough food for one day.”

Karak asked with a worried expression. It was understandable, as the shape of the tunnel had changed quite a bit from this cavern.

Until now, the tunnel had been essentially a single path with only one fork. But there were five passages connected to this cavern alone. If a few more forks appeared, they might really have to wander around inside the tunnel for days.

“Well, what we need for now is the passage connected to the encampment Caitlin mentioned, and if things get tough, we can just turn back. There's no need to worry too much.”

“Oh, right. So, for now, we should take this passage?”

Karak, his face brightening, pointed to one of the passages on the map Ingong had drawn. It was the passage located on the shortest straight line to the Red Lightning Tribe's encampment.

“Yes, that one has the highest probability.”

Karak was smart, as expected.

Ingong, nodding with a satisfied expression, rolled up the map and, pretending to put it in his bag, put it in his inventory instead, then said to Caitlin.

“Then, Caitlin, let's get going. It would be better to rest somewhere else.”

The Rock Spider corpses didn't smell particularly strange, but he couldn't ignore the possibility that other monsters might be drawn to them.

“Okay, I'll stay behind like before.”

Caitlin readily nodded again, pulled up her hood, and moved with Seira.

“Let's go too. Assemble the troops.”

“Yes, sir.”

Karak shouted a loud command to line up the orcs. It didn't take long for Ingong to set off again.

&

Fortunately, the chosen passage was a simple, single path. Ingong, who was leading the way with Karak, repeatedly touched the air with his hand as he walked.

*Hmm, it's true that the more you use a skill, the more skill acquisition experience you get.*

In *Knight Saga*, there were generally two ways to increase a skill's level.

One, invest skill points to raise the level instantly.

Two, just use it a lot to raise the level naturally.

Needless to say, the latter took an unexpectedly long time. There was a reason skill points existed separately.

*And the third, unconventional method.*

Skills that couldn't be leveled up with skill points or acquisition experience.

There was no set rule for these. Their level would rise automatically after experiencing a specific event or reaching a certain level.

As he walked, Ingong broadly classified the skills he currently had into four types.

One, important skills worth investing skill points in.

Aura and Psychokinesis belonged here.

Two, skills he had decided to level up just by grinding.

Map Making, Map Reading, and other skills that were useful but a waste to invest skill points in.

Three, skills he couldn't level up on his own.

Skills related to the Knight of Conquest, like Conquest and Under the King's Banner, and the most mysterious yet seemingly most useful skill, Protagonist's Correction.

Four was, of course, miscellaneous.

This included skills like Basic Swordsmanship.

*Hmm, should I invest the points I got from leveling up this time into Aura too?*

Or Psychokinesis?

*I want to learn a proper swordsmanship or martial art too.*

It was a bit iffy to invest skill points in Basic Swordsmanship, but it was a different story for a renowned, powerful martial art.

Like the Heaven-and-Earth Overlord Sword, the swordsmanship Zephyr used, which sounded powerful just from the name, or the Hero's Sword, the ridiculously overpowered sword style used by the hero Locke.

Various other martial art names came to mind.

*I'll have to pick up a secret manual somewhere.*

In *Knight Saga*, there were actually quite a few secret manuals. You could obtain them by defeating powerful monsters, clearing special events, or buying them from the wandering treasure merchants who appeared as rarely as beans in a drought.

*Alright, let's focus on what I can do for now.*

Having organized his thoughts, Ingong activated his aura. He was planning to invest skill points, but that didn't mean he shouldn't grind.

“Prince.”

But just as he activated his aura, Karak's call came from above him. After a brief moment of thought, Ingong deactivated his aura again and looked back at Karak.

“What?”

“Look over there.”

Where Karak was pointing, there was a passage leading to a small room. The door was missing, so the inside was clearly visible.

After halting the troops, Ingong went into the room with Karak. It was a square room, about seven meters long and wide.

The ceiling and walls had nothing special, but the floor was different. A complex pattern was engraved inside a large circle.

“A town portal?”

“Huh? You know what it is?”

As Ingong muttered reflexively, Karak immediately asked. Ingong answered vaguely and crouched down.

“No, I just have a hunch.”

He wasn't sure. But no matter how he looked at it, it was a spatial magic circle—a so-called town portal—that he had often seen in games.

*It's definitely dwarven style.*

He had never even seen one when playing as Zephyr, but he had seen it a few times when playing as the hero Locke.

*You activate it by infusing it with mana, right?*

Sure enough, looking around, he saw a crystal placed in the center of the magic circle, into which one could infuse magic.

“What's going on?”

It was Caitlin and Seira. Ingong stood up and said.

“This seems to be a portal. What do you think, Caitlin?”

At Ingong's question, Caitlin made a troubled expression and immediately turned her gaze to Seira.

“Seira?”

“The possibility seems high.”

“That's what she said.”

She seemed embarrassed, her cheeks slightly flushed. Ingong looked around the magic circle again and asked, to no one in particular.

“Where does it lead?”

“It seems to be of dwarven design… There should be an inscription nearby.”

As if in response to Seira's words, Karak, who had been looking at one of the walls, called out to Ingong.

“Prince, there are letters over here… pictures that look like letters.”

He wondered why his voice trailed off at the end; it wasn't the common script used in the Demon World. Caitlin, standing next to Ingong, said to Karak.

“This is the dwarven script.”

“Ooh, as expected of the princess. You can read dwarven script?”

Karak asked with a face full of admiration. Ingong also looked at Caitlin with expectant eyes.

Then, Caitlin's eyebrows drooped into a worried shape, and she spoke in a timid voice.

“Uh… Seira?”

It seemed she couldn't read it. Ingong suppressed a laugh that was about to burst out and turned to look at Seira. But Seira also had a troubled expression.

“Uh… um… This is the dwarven script.”

“Who doesn't know that? The princess just said so.”

At her reluctant words, Karak looked at Seira with a dumbfounded expression. Seira bit her lip and forced her gaze elsewhere.

*Well, can't be helped.*

The dwarves had migrated to the Human World hundreds of years ago. It would be more surprising if Caitlin and Seira knew the dwarven script.

“Karak, it's natural not to know. So this is… Jishuka Mountain Range Portal 2. Connected to Portal 3. Huh?”

Ingong said without realizing it, and Karak, Caitlin, and Seira stared at him with wide eyes.

And as if on cue, a clear voice echoed in Ingong's mind.

[You have learned Dwarven Script Lv1.]

&

At first, he definitely didn't know. He had thought they were just picture-like characters, just like Karak.

But when he tried to read them, he could.

*What is this? Can I learn languages and scripts like this too?*

Of course, since it was only level 1, he probably couldn't properly interpret complex documents. But the inscription in front of him was incredibly simple, and the fact that he could gain the ability to decipher a script just by looking at it was truly amazing.

*Do I not have to worry about foreign languages anymore? Is that it?*

If only he had gotten this ability before his college entrance exams! Then he wouldn't have had to suffer so much!

While Ingong was screaming internally, Karak, Caitlin, and Seira were staring at him with blank faces.

Karak was the first to speak.

“Uh… Prince. You can read this?”

The unspoken words 'Didn't you say it's natural not to know?' seemed to hang in the air.

In any case, thanks to Karak, Ingong returned to reality and gave an awkward nod.

“Uh, yeah. Just a little.”

“Amazing.”

It was Caitlin. Her golden eyes were sparkling like the morning star.

Moreover, this time it wasn't just Caitlin.

“I am in awe of Prince Shutora's vast knowledge.”

Seira also sounded extremely impressed.

*What is it? Is it that rare for someone to know the dwarven script?*

Dwarves still lived in the Human World, so it shouldn't be on the level of an ancient language.

*I'll just insist that I studied it on my own from a book.*

As Ingong was making a resolution, Karak changed the subject again.

“Anyway, Prince, what does it say here?”

Caitlin and Seira's gazes also turned back to the script. Freed from the flood of gazes, Ingong felt a little more at ease and looked at the characters Karak was pointing at.

“Hold on.”

It was true that since it was only level 1, his reading comprehension wasn't as fast as he'd like. There were a few words whose meanings were ambiguous.

*Anyway, these are the instructions, right?*

After reading it three times, Ingong pointed to a metal plate protruding just below the script and said.

“Caitlin, could you put a little bit of mana into this? I'm not very good with mana.”

He wasn't just 'not very good,' he couldn't use it at all. But he couldn't very well ask her to hit him with mana in this situation.

“Alright.”

Caitlin nodded quickly and infused mana into the metal plate. A blue light flickered between the engraved characters, and then a three-dimensional hologram made of blue lines appeared before Ingong's eyes.

“The Jishuka Mountain Range.”

As Karak said, it was a three-dimensional topographical map of the Jishuka Mountain Range area. Reading the characters of light that appeared in various places on the map, Ingong pointed to two different spots with his hands.

“This is our current location. Portal 3 is here.”

Portal 3 was on a different mountain range. But the reaction was unusual. Seira asked with an excited expression.

“Are you saying there is another dwarven tunnel there?”

“Uh, yeah, but why?”

Seira's mouth fell open as if she found Ingong's reaction absurd, and Karak, who was more used to Ingong, quickly said.

“Prince, the main force of the Red Lightning Tribe is in front of that mountain range. That mountain is located behind their main camp!”

Now Ingong understood. Seira spoke again.

“Your Highness, this portal, is it functional?”

“Probably?”

Ingong answered, looking at the characters floating near the 3D map. They were characters indicating the portal's status, and while it said it was low on mana, there was no mention of any other problems.

With enough mana, the portal could be activated. The passage leading to the rear of the Red Lightning Tribe could be used.

“Your Highness.”

Seira called out to Caitlin. Her voice and gaze were a mixture of various emotions.

Caitlin faced Seira with a stern expression, then slowly shook her head. And as if to make sure Seira heard, she placed a hand on Ingong's shoulder and said.

“Shutora, this is your achievement. Officially, I am not here.”

Seira let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped, but Caitlin didn't even look back.

Ingong could easily guess why Seira was disappointed.

The strategic value of the dwarven portal was considerable. And as great as its value was, the reward for its discoverer would surely be great as well.

But Caitlin, as she had promised from the beginning, declared that she was not here right now.

“Caitlin, let's just both…”

“It's your achievement. You would have reached here even if I wasn't here. You would have figured out how to use it too. I don't want to be a liar. You remember what I said at the beginning, right?”

It wasn't just simple kindness. It was an act to keep the words she herself had spoken.

Ingong eventually nodded.

“Alright, Caitlin. Thank you.”

Caitlin smiled sweetly and pulled her hood back on. Seira, though her face was dripping with disappointment, silently followed her master and pulled on her hood.

“Shutora, let's just confirm if the portal works and then return to my brother Chris. This tunnel needs to be investigated more thoroughly.”

They needed to inform the main camp of the portal's existence and secure both ends of the passage connected by the portal as quickly as possible. Ingong's merits were already overflowing, so even if Chris and Caitlin's troops were deployed, there would be no major dispute over the achievement.

“Alright, then I'll ask you again.”

Ingong said, pointing to the crystal ball protruding from the center of the magic circle on the floor.

Caitlin gave a light nod and took the crystal ball in her hand. She then infused it with mana.

&

It was already late at night when Ingong returned to the encampment. But Ingong paid no mind—or rather, it was Caitlin who paid no mind—and sought out Chris's tent.

“Brother, you're about to be very surprised.”

Caitlin said only that much before closing her lips, and naturally, Chris's gaze turned to Ingong.

“Hey, what's with her?”

“I'll explain.”

After clearing his throat once, Ingong spread the tunnel map he had drawn beforehand on the table. It was an unfinished map, drawn only up to the middle, but Chris immediately recognized its value.

“We can strike at Kairam's rear.”

Kairam was Kaichin's older brother, the commander of the Red Lightning Tribe currently facing the army led by Chris.

Chris looked at Caitlin as if to ask if this was the surprise. But Caitlin just smiled and shook her head.

“What? There's more?”

“There's more.”

Caitlin then clamped her lips shut again. Once again, Chris's gaze turned to Ingong, and Ingong recounted the events that had taken place in the tunnel.

Chris was shocked at the story of discovering the portal.

He was flustered when he heard that Ingong could read dwarven script, and when he heard that the portal connected to the rear of the Red Lightning Tribe, his expression completely vanished.

“Uh, brother?”

Caitlin, seeing a reaction somewhat different from what she had expected, cautiously called out to Chris. But Chris just stared straight at Ingong and said.

“Who are you, really?”

“Huh?”

This time, it was Ingong who was flustered. Had he been too successful for someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who was supposed to be Shutora?

As Ingong's lips parted, trying to figure out what to say, Chris suddenly burst into a loud laugh. He spread his arms wide and pulled Ingong into a tight hug.

“Wow, you're a real lucky charm! A lucky charm!”

Like a gold mine that never runs dry, the more you dig, the more new sides of him are revealed.

As Chris rejoiced, Caitlin let out a sigh of relief and laughed along, and Ingong was not much different from Caitlin.

“Good, good. So the dwarves left such a cute little thing in the Jishuka Mountain Range, eh? It'll be very useful even after the subjugation.”

This wasn't just about the current subjugation. If they utilized this passage and portal well, they could completely change the value of the Jishuka Mountain Range.

*He's different from Caitlin.*

It wasn't just because he was a couple of years older.

Chris was a true royal. He was ambitious, a man who thought beyond the events unfolding right before his eyes.

When playing as Zephyr, both Chris and Caitlin were formidable opponents, but their personalities were different. Caitlin was a powerful warrior, and Chris was the king of the Lycanthropes.

Chris's favor towards Ingong was not as pure as Caitlin's. His eyes were assessing Ingong's value.

“Shutora, is there anything you want?”

“Something I want?”

“Yes, something you want. You've achieved so much, so the Demon King's castle will surely give you a reward, but I just want to give you a reward as your brother and commander.”

Chris was the de facto commander of the forces composed of the Demon King's children—Chris, Caitlin, and Shutora. So, Chris's offer to give him a reward was not particularly strange.

*But…*

Ingong took a deep breath. It might be his own misunderstanding, but right now, Chris was genuinely trying to recruit him. It was a slightly different situation from when he had offered to teach him aura.

*Join our faction. Join us.*

Depending on what Ingong requested from Chris, their current relationship could change.

“Is it okay if it's a bit unreasonable?”

As Ingong asked somewhat provocatively, Chris grinned.

“Oh? Unreasonable? I'm actually looking forward to what you'll ask for.”

He could ask for a competent subordinate. He could ask for an item that the current Shutora couldn't obtain.

But what Ingong chose was something completely different.

“Teach me the Beast God Fist.”

“Shutora?”

The one who asked in surprise was Caitlin.

Beast God Fist. A powerful martial art passed down through the royal family of the Lycanthropes.

It was a secret technique that only the royal family and their closest aides could learn within the Lycanthrope race. And for that reason, it was a skill with great symbolic significance.

To teach such a skill to Ingong?

*I have to go with Chris and Caitlin anyway.*

There were three major factions in the Demon King's castle.

The faction of the First Prince, Baikal Ragnarok; the faction of the Second Prince, Zephyr Ragnarok; and the faction of the Fourth Princess, Anastasia Necrion.

He obviously couldn't join Zephyr's faction. Baikal's faction was impossible because Baikal's maternal family were enemies of the Gandharva race. That left Anastasia's faction, but she was a character who could be called a female Zephyr.

*I'd rather create my own faction.*

In that sense, Chris and Caitlin were a pretty good choice.

Caitlin's secret of birth, which could be considered their greatest weakness. If he could somehow control that part, he had a chance of winning.

And Caitlin's attitude in the dwarven tunnel today had moved Ingong's heart.

Caitlin was a person he could trust.

The reason Ingong, having made up his mind, chose the Beast God Fist was not just because of its symbolism.

*I can get subordinates later. And I can't use weapons that are too good anyway because my level and stats are too low.*

But skills were different. Moreover, the Beast God Fist was a powerful S-rank martial art.

In *Knight Saga*, the only SS-rank martial art was the universally acknowledged, ridiculously overpowered Hero's Sword, so S-rank was effectively top-class, on par with the Heaven-and-Earth Overlord Sword that Zephyr would be learning. It was more than worth delving into.

Chris looked at Ingong with serious eyes, then let out a wry laugh. He let his shoulders slump slightly and said.

“Beast God Fist. Yeah, not bad. Most of it is the same as the Beast Fist except for the advanced techniques, so it's easy to disguise.”

Beast Fist. The standard martial art that Lycanthrope warriors learned when they joined the army.

Chris didn't ask the tacky question of whether he knew what it meant to ask to be taught the Beast God Fist. If he was dealing with someone who didn't even know that much, the conversation wouldn't have progressed this far.

“For now… I can't teach you the secret techniques. Are you okay with that?”

“That's fine.”

The fact that he added 'for now' meant it would be possible later. And if not, he could just learn it by raising the skill level. The important thing for now was to get Beast God Fist to level 1.

“Alright, this will be fun. Very fun. Just like with aura, Caitlin and I will teach you.”

Chris said cheerfully and glanced at Caitlin, who nodded with a somewhat awkward expression. It seemed the flow of events was bewildering to her.

“Shutora.”

Chris, calling out to Ingong again, extended his hand as if for a handshake. His face wore the same playful smile as before, but his eyes held a different light.

“I can think of you as a real little brother now, besides Caitlin, right?”

It was a rather meaningful statement.

Ingong took a breath and then took Chris's hand. He shook it lightly and replied.

“Of course.”

And as if to continue his words, a clear voice echoed in his mind.

[An alliance has been formed with Chris Moonlight/Caitlin Moonlight.]

[Alliance Status: Still just an ordinary alliance]

Ingong grinned and squeezed the hand he was holding once more.