"It Doesn't Matter Which God It Is..."

"Well, it doesn't really matter which god it is..."

What mattered right now was the mirror's performance!

"!!"

Tae-hyun immediately realized what kind of item this mirror was. A powerful artifact that linked the mirror to a designated spot!

'This is... huge!'

The problem with the Demon Realm was that even if you wanted to return to the continent, there was no proper way to do so. While they had ridden the World Tree to get to the Demon Realm, they had to find a new way to return to the continent from here!

Furthermore, dimensional portals leading from the Demon Realm to the continent were usually kept tightly hidden by the Demon Dukes. They kept them safely tucked away in their grasp, preparing for the day they would eventually invade the continent.

Thanks to this, the difficulty of the Demon Realm was several times higher. Surviving in the Demon Realm was hard enough, but to return to the continent, one had to track down such a dimensional portal.

But with this single mirror, one could freely travel back and forth between the Demon Realm and the continent!

'This is definitely going to The Valley.'

Although there were risk factors, he absolutely had to link this to The Valley. If everyone coming to the Demon Realm and everyone returning from it used The Valley in the future?

The meaning of the phrase "The Valley" would completely change! Instead of a territory where half the population was currently lunatics, it could become a true metropolis.

In Carbanog's eyes, The Valley was already a cursed place. With the headquarters of the Archisus Church located there, how could it be anything else? No matter how much the territory's stats improved and grew, it felt like only weirdos would continue to gather as its residents!

Looking at the composition of the residents, it was already a lost cause. Orcs, Giants, Vampires, Goblins, Chimeras, Demons... A racial composition so bizarre it was hard to believe they could even be gathered in one place! What kind of place was this?

'Carbanog. Although I had to run the territory in an extreme way due to practical issues...'

Why wouldn't Tae-hyun want a perfect territory that excelled in every aspect—great military, excellent public security, a thriving economy, and rich culture? He just hadn't been able to! The Valley had been little more than a wasteland, and to develop it rapidly, he had to use whatever was at hand.

But now, the time had come to realize the dream he had once given up on.

Let's go! Not to an extreme territory, but to an objectively perfect one!

'Ah. And I should call for reinforcements too.'

When they came as the vanguard, they had brought only a minimal force just in case, but if they could link to The Valley, that no longer mattered. They could receive support from The Valley! That alone would make the job several times easier.

Crackle, crackle! Bzzzzzt!

"Huh? What's this dimensional portal?"

"Hmm. I don't know what it is, but let's just go in first!"

"Exactly. When you don't know what it is, you've got to try it!"

"????"

The newly arrived players doubted their ears upon hearing the conversation. Did I just hear that right?

"No! Do not approach!"

"This dimensional portal is dangerous!"

Under the instructions of Pelmas and Galakpad, the Archisus priest NPCs quickly stepped forward to stop them. At that, the players, unable to accept the sudden turn of events, became as rowdy as protagonists in a violent video game.

"Booo! We want to use the portal!"

"I have a gut feeling that entering that will definitely increase my Luck stat!"

"What nonsense are you talking about! This is a portal connected to the Demon Realm!"

"!!"

"The... the Demon Realm?"

"Yes. It is a portal opened by His Holiness from the Demon Realm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It is extremely dangerous, so you must not approach."

"If... if we go in, do we get a pass?"

"..."

"...No, you do not."

"Are you guys taking volunteers? I can go and act as a human bomb."

"We are not taking volunteers!"

"We can go to the Demon Realm too! Just send us!"

"That's right! Just give us a pass!"

"I want an Arena entry ticket!"

"I want to enter the Special Prayer Temple!"

"Ahem, then I'll just take an Advanced Prayer..."

The players shouted out whatever they usually wanted! Of course, there was no way they would suddenly be sent to the Demon Realm just for that. The Archisus priests shouted firmly.

"Do not worry, if we require your assistance, we will issue a quest to recruit you!"

"Ohhh! Does that mean a quest is coming out soon?!"

"No, I said *if* we require it, we will issue a quest..."

"Did everyone hear that! A Demon Realm quest is opening soon!"

"We should gather people and wait!"

"..."

"Should we not just ignore those guys and get to work?"

"Y-yes, let's do that."

The Archisus Church NPCs ignored the players and got to work. The instructions Tae-hyun had left were simple.

"Set up proper defenses near the portal just in case!"

The fact that one could travel from the Demon Realm to the continent meant that, with bad luck, demons could also use the mirror to cross over. If that happened, The Valley would be in serious danger. Every demon with a grudge against Archisus would line up to cross over! They had to prepare in advance.

Fortunately, thanks to Tae-hyun, the Archisus Church had plenty of ways to deal with demons.

"Build a prison over the portal!"

A massive demon prison! It was a giant version of the demon cages that the Archisus Artillery hauled around. While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not quite on the level of the ones Tae-hyun had found in the Demon Realm, the demon prisons crafted by the Dwarves of the Asbian Empire were still incredibly powerful! It was a sinister device that would continuously drain the mana of any demon that entered.

"Hehehe. The moment those demons step out, they'll be captured instantly."

"Kuhahaha. Foolish bastards."

The priests of the Archisus Church prepared for construction, wearing sinister smiles that no priest should ever wear. As expected, the Church NPCs were bound to be influenced by their Pope!

Tae-hyun first summoned the mutants—specifically, the Chimeras. He believed they were the most suitable personnel for the Demon Realm. However...

"What brings you here, Elder Zarkeme?"

Standing among the Chimeras was the Goblin Elder, Zarkeme! By all rights, he should have been in the territory setting up tailoring equipment and happily spreading his tailoring skills.

"Your Majesty! This is an opportunity!"

"What opportunity?"

"What is there in the Demon Realm?"

"Demons?"

"Other than demons."

"Hmm... energy-efficient demons?"

"...Those are still demons, Your Majesty! In the Demon Realm, there are castles built by those wretched demons!"

"!"

"Great Hero Kim Tae-hyun, who possesses the soul of a great goblin! I have long thought about what kind of castle would befit a hero like Your Majesty. And that is... a castle built by those demon bastards!"

'Isn't that an insult?'

Saying that stealing a demon castle suited him sounded somewhat like an insult. But Tae-hyun quietly let it slide.

"Upon hearing that Your Majesty was in the Demon Realm and had opened a dimensional portal, I, Zarkeme, could not simply sit still."

"I-I see."

Although he loved tailoring, Zarkeme was fundamentally a goblin. It was an irresistible racial instinct!

"Your Majesty! Please allow us to remodel the castle of those demon bastards and present it to you!"

Goblins fundamentally loved stealing and remodeling other people's things. The bigger and more beautiful the stolen object, the more a goblin loved remodeling it!

'...This quest is scarier than I thought.'

It was a good thing Tae-hyun had already accumulated plenty of grudges with the demons; if someone without any enmity with demons had received this quest, it would have been highly dangerous. If he declined the quest, the goblins would run amok, and if he accepted it, the demons would run amok.

But Tae-hyun was someone whose relationship with demons was already thoroughly ruined! What difference would stealing one more castle make!

"That is an excellent idea, Zarkeme!"

Tae-hyun accepted immediately. He was only grateful that they were stepping forward to do something he would have had to beg them for.

"But Zarkeme. Isn't this practically impossible... Do you have a plan?"

It wasn't that Tae-hyun hadn't thought about stealing a demon castle. However, it was practically impossible, so he had ruled it out entirely. First, bringing the goblins over was an issue, materials were an issue, and remodeling it without getting caught by the demons was also an issue...

Practically, it was almost impossible!

Although obtaining the Mirror of Dimension had solved quite a few problems, many issues still remained.

"Fufu. Your Majesty. I am not alone. We have the goblins of our Underground Alliance."

"Ah, are the goblins coming to help?"

If the goblins of the Underground Alliance came to help, it would be an immense help. From materials to the actual remodeling, the time required would be drastically shortened!

"They are already on their way."

"..."

So fast!

Unbeknownst to Tae-hyun, the moment Zarkeme heard about the portal to the Demon Realm, he had immediately summoned the Underground Alliance Goblins.

"Hey! The chance to remodel a demon castle has come!"

"Ohhh, we're on our way!"

Flash!

The mirror glowed, and the Underground Alliance Goblins began pouring out in droves. The goblins were carrying heavy-looking backpacks, and as if that weren't enough, they had even brought golems along.

Tae-hyun felt deeply moved by the sight.

"You guys...!"

"Your Majesty! We missed you!"

A loyalty so fierce they didn't care even if it was the Demon Realm!

'Haha. You must be seeing things.'

The goblins' eyes were sparkling with madness. It was a look frequently seen in The Valley!

"Your Majesty. First, we must find a suitable castle. We will assist you!"

The goblins began to chatter excitedly, spitting as they argued over which castle would be best. Goblins who were absolutely crazy about castles!

"According to goblin proverbs, a castle must first have a mountain behind it and water in front..."

"Have you heard of the Azure Dragon on the left and the Red Dragon on the right? First, a Blue Dragon and a Red Dragon must..."

"Ah, I'm telling you, the castle's materials are what's important! What does geography matter? We're going to attach boosters and float it in the air anyway. What matters is what it's built of. Don't be fooled by those old fogeys."

"W-what? How dare a brat whose blood hasn't even dried on his forehead talk back to us when we were remodeling castles...!"

The goblins began to bicker among themselves about which castle was better. Naturally, Tae-hyun, who had absolutely no interest in such a conversation, ignored them and asked:

"Do you have the ability to remodel a castle right now? And once the remodeling starts, how long will it take?"

"Your Majesty! The reason it cost an astronomical amount when we remodeled the Emperor's castle was because we had to remodel it from scratch. If it's an already completed castle, it's not that difficult."

"Is that so?"

"And the duration... a few days at the shortest, a week at the longest. That will be more than enough."

It was a duration that could be considered long or short. Tae-hyun nodded and said:

"My target is this castle."

"Uh..."

"W-wait. We were already inside a castle?"

Only then did the goblins seem to realize where they were standing.

"This material... ohhh..."

"It's quite light, so it looks perfect for floating with boosters, doesn't it?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Lick, lick. The taste is actually quite nice."

The goblins tried to analyze the castle using all sorts of methods. Of course, to an outsider, they just looked bizarre!

"-Kwek. They are cooler than us."

"-Kwek. We must stay close to them."

A sight so strange that even Archisus's Chimeras shied away! Still, there was at least one sane goblin.

"But Your Majesty. A castle of this scale must surely have an owner."

"Uh... well. It's a Demon Duke's castle."