[An overturned forest, endless passages, the sound of hope echoing with every step. Reach out like a blind man and you will find peace, the will of a hero’s legacy, never stop.]

The word overturned forest seemed a far cry from an abandoned coal mine, but if you didn’t look at the word literally, it fit somewhat. This was a coal mine where emeralds were mined. A cave filled with green emeralds, like a forest full of green vegetation, could be described as a forest.

It was a place of exploration determined by such predictions. That was why they wanted to blow up the mine, which had been left in danger of collapse.

“But if this place really does collapse…….”

Cadel’s explanation didn’t put Van’s worries to rest. He was still worried about the possibility of Cadel being crushed by rocks. But before he could finish his worries.

“Sir Cadel!”

Dasto’s shout broke through the silence of the Shadow Knight Order.

“Sir Dasto?”

The urgent call made Cadel leaped forward. The gap between the two Knight Orders had widened considerably, as the man in front of him had slowed to a walk, lost in thought.

“ Sir Dasto, what’s going on……!”

Cadel’s flame increased in brightness as he ran faster, and the scene before him became clearer.

“An…… enemy attack.”

Cadel stopped in his tracks and squinted. A moment ago, the knights had marched uneventfully, but now, in front of him, there were eight dead knights and more than two dozen severely wounded.

Dasto stood in the center of it all, staring at his dead men. The muscles in his jaw and the knuckles of his hands, clenched so tightly that blood spurted from them, told of the rage he was feeling now.

“Is it a demon?”

“……I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Cadel’s face twisted into a small grimace as he looked around at the devastation. A glimmer of suspicion flickered in his gaze at Dasto.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying we don’t know who the enemy is.”

“What……. So many knights have died and we haven’t heard a single scream. If it was an attack, it must have been an enemy of dangerous power.”

“We didn’t see any demons.”

“It could have been a pre-set trap.”

“We didn’t even detect a trap.”

“If that’s not it, then it could be a traitor, capable of killing eight knights in one fell swoop and causing a great deal of damage…….”

A sharp voice spoke up. No matter how far away the Shadow Knight Order was, it wasn’t so far away that even the dying man’s final words were inaudible. He hadn’t sensed the enemy attacking the Shadow Knight Order from the back, which meant that the enemy had come from the front. Not surprising in a mine shaft that was blocked on both sides.

Yet Dasto, who should have been on the front lines, saw nothing until his men were dead? He was as good a man as Yozen at detecting signs. His words were unconvincing.

‘Is it some kind of strange spell?’

It could be that he was hallucinating because he fell into a trap set by the demons in advance, or that he was being controlled without even realizing it. There were some demons who could inflict the ‘confusion’ debuff.

What if that was the case? It was right to prioritize Dasto’s subjugation over exploring the trap. That was when Cadel was contemplating how to handle Dasto.

“……It’s obvious what you’re thinking. Are you doubting me?”

Dasto’s gleaming eyes glowed as he took a step closer. He took a step forward, and a thick air of killing intent emanated from him.

“Step aside.”

He and Cadel were followed by the rest of the group. Dasto kept Lumen’s blade pointed at his own throat, and the Shadow Knight Order drew their swords, wary of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order threatening their commander. The two Knight Orders were quickly drawn into a confrontation.

The air in the mine shaft grew cooler, the atmosphere tense. If anyone showed even the slightest hint of strangeness, blood would be spilled. Still, Cadel remained suspicious of Dasto.

‘I’m not looking for an all-out war. However, in order to touch the commander, Dasto, I need a certain amount of control. ……How to do it?’

He was a dangerous man to tackle out of sheer force of will. Perhaps it would be better to try talking to him and get some clues, but before Cadel could defuse the animosity between the two Knight Orders, Dasto spoke up.

“If I were a cold-blooded man who could kill his men like pigs, I would never have become the commander of the Knight Order of the Dunkelhai Kingdom.”

“…….”

“My men haven’t found the enemy that attacked this way either, but I know one thing for sure: while my men in the back were dying, I, the commander of the Order, was just walking around like an idiot, not noticing anything.”

“……It’s a dark tunnel. You’d have to pay a lot of attention to your walking. I doubt everyone was watching Sir Dastor’s every move.”

“An unpleasant suspicion.”

“I didn’t see the enemy that attacked the Shadow Knight Order either, but I find it hard to believe your testimony that he couldn’t even guess who the enemy was.”

The corners of Dasto’s mouth twitched up at Cadel’s retort. He stared at Cadel as if he could see right through him, and then spoke in a harsh voice.

“I’m afraid the identity of our attacker isn’t the only thing you didn’t see.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Where is he? That capable assassin who is your pride and joy.”

Cadel’s expression stiffened at the unexpected counterattack. Dasto didn’t miss the subtle shift.

“Absurd suspicions must be met with suspicion. Your hidden subordinate had better show himself at once.”

Cadel didn’t doubt Yozen. If Jeffrey Holiven were the only one to die here, that would be one thing, but eight knights had died. Yozen was not the kind of killer who would go around killing uninvolved people. And unfortunately, Jeffrey was still alive and unharmed.

‘He promised not to hurt anyone until this exploration is over, so he’s not the killer.’

But he couldn’t bring up Yozen’s secret promise to Dasto here. His suspicions were valid. The assassin from the cooperating Knight Order had remained invisible throughout the entire operation, and had killed eight knights in one fell swoop with stealth abilities that wouldn’t make sense unless he was an assassin.

‘……And that’s where my suspicions fueled Dasto.’

In order to resolve the doubts he had for Dasto, he also had to resolve the doubts Dasto had. Even though he knew that, Cadel couldn’t call Yozen.

Not only did he not know if Yozen was here or not, but if Jeffrey saw him, he would be in trouble. Cadel didn’t want to expose Yozen to danger. But if he hid Yozen, the entire Knight Order could be in danger.

“One minute you’re all hyped up, and the next you’re shutting up because you feel like you’re at a disadvantage?”

“……You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that it wasn’t my subordinate who attacked the Shadow Knight Order.”

“Of course not.”

Dasto said flatly, his fingers brushing Lumen’s sword that was pointed at him. Cadel gestured for Lumen to withdraw the blade, then drew a short breath.

‘It is what it is. I’m sorry, but I can’t let Yozen stand before you.’

Cadel’s hand, which had been rubbing at the nape of his neck, casually gripped the pendant.

‘Even my subordinates didn’t recognize the enemy. If it wasn’t a demon or Yozen who killed the knights, then it’s obvious whoever’s left, and if we find the real culprit, it’ll be a minor skirmish, something we can deal with.’

In the end, Cadel’s choice was force. As if in anticipation of Cadel’s actions, his subordinates’ spirits rose, and the Shadow Knight Order, sensing the shift in the air, quickly assumed a combat stance.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, and I’d like to know what makes you think you can handle it.”

Dasto’s eyes flashed with a murderous intensity. Without a word, Cadel channeled a small amount of mana into the pendant, but not before he had drawn upon the full power of the Kunra.

“Com, Commander Dasto!”

“Commander!”

The men of both the Scarlet Scales Knight Order and the Shadow Knight Order called urgently for their commander.

Cadel turned quickly, and into his field of vision came Van, clutching his injured left arm, and Lydon, rubbing his cut cheek.

“What the……?”

That wasn’t the only loss. The Shadow Knight Order suffered five more casualties, including a knight who had been struck down in the chest. The pained groans of the wounded mingled with the panicked silence.

“Are you guys okay?”

Cadel surveyed the condition of his two subordinates with a grim face. Their wounds were not deep, as they were clad in scale armor. The important thing was, the wounds had pierced their armor. Who and from where had attacked them?

He looked back and forth between his two subordinates with confused eyes, but they too could not open their mouths.

“I couldn’t see anything.”

Van shook his head, unable to find any clues as he searched his memory.

“I felt a vaguely unpleasant sensation on my left side, so I checked, but I didn’t see anything, and it was right after that that I felt a pain in my left arm. ……I guess what that Shadow Knight Order commander said was true.”

Even Van, with his well-developed intuition, felt an unpleasant sensation, but nothing tangible. Was it true what Dasto had said about seeing nothing and watching his men die?

Turning back to the Shadow Knight Order, he saw Dasto crouching over one of his men in distress. Cadel, who had been staring at his back wordlessly, called to Garuel.

“I’m going to cast some dark mana on him, and I need you to use your healing skills.”

“Shall I sneak in and check on Sir Dasto’s condition as well?”

“……No. He’s a sensitive human, he’ll know if you’re trying to do anything, and now…… I don’t think we need to check on him.”

Cadel, who had sent Garuel to the Shadow Knight Order, walked over to Lydon, who was still rubbing his wounded cheek. Forcing his arm down to check the wound, he saw a shallow, blood-stained cut.

“You’re bleeding, why do you keep touching it?”

“……I’m thinking about something.”

“Thinking?”

“I’ve been smelling a bad odor since earlier. It’s not Garuel’s, but it smells like some other demon……….”

Lydon seemed to want to prove the demonic odor he’d detected, but like Van, he couldn’t find any evidence. It was an old mine, so it could have been a lingering demonic scent from the past. There was no trace of it, no sign of it, no form of it, nothing that could be concluded.

As Cadel pondered the inconclusive nature of the attack. Dasto came up behind Cadel.

“ Sir Cadel.”

“Are your men in good condition?”

“You were talking to me up until the moment the knights were attacked. Did you notice anything strange about me?”

“……No.”

“I didn’t catch anyone moving either, ……but I’ve had an unpleasant sensation since we entered this place. I can’t see anything, but something unpleasant fills this mine shaft.”

Cadel shifted his gaze from Dasto to Garuel behind him, who was healing the wounded knights, shielded by darkness and dark mana. Around him were members of the Shadow Knight Order, watching over their comrade’s recovery.

“If you’re just referring to the feeling, I felt a tingling sensation as well, though I couldn’t figure out what caused it…….”

“It was not the work of an assassin.”

“…….”

“An assassin wouldn’t need to wound non-targets to keep them on their guard, especially if they weren’t planning on killing everyone here.”

“If it’s not an enemy from within, it’s an enemy from without. What kind of enemy would have reason to come to this abandoned coal mine and attack two Knight Orders?”

“Only demons.”

Demons that were too swift, too small, or too invisible to be seen by anyone’s eyes. Cadel racked his brain, trying to come up with a list of possible demons that could have caused the current situation. And then he realized the most likely candidate.

Fwoosh!

The throats of the five knights around Garuel were slit, fountains of blood gushing from the cuts.

“What……!”

Cadel’s eyes widened as he captured the back of Garuel’s head. Dasto mirrored Cadel’s reaction, realizing a beat too late that his men were dead, and rushed out without a second thought.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Get into position now! Don’t let your guard down, defense first!”

Garuel remained calm in the face of the sudden deaths. Stopping to heal the wounded, he checked the bodies faster than anyone else and detected a faint aura that had vanished in an instant before Dasto’s arrival.

“……It’s demonic energy.”

A faint trace of demonic energy clung to the cut. The energy quickly dispersed as if it had evaporated, but Garuel, who was using the same energy, was certain. This was demonic power after all.

“Knight Commander! It’s a demon!”

Garuel’s shout silenced the mine. It wasn’t because his words were unbelievable. It was because even though they had identified the enemy as a demon, they still couldn’t locate it.

Fear. The dangerous emotion was spreading like a contagious disease. Ragged breathing, footsteps scraping the floor in every direction, muttered curses.

And through the chaos like the eye of the storm, Cadel’s voice rang out clearly.

“A demon with the ability to turn invisible, his name is Port. Aside from his full-body invisibility, he’s as stealthy as an assassin. We’re better off sticking together and keeping an eye out for him than trying to move too quickly. I’ll put a barrier around you, but give me a signal as soon as you’ve been attacked.”

So far, the order of the demons’ appearance had been jumbled, and Cadel couldn’t think straight. Port. A High Demon whose invisibility made him impossible to target. A narrow, dark space like this was the perfect battlefield for him.

Cadel created a wind barrier to protect all of his knights, then blended in between the Shadow Knight Order as they fought and fell apart.

‘I had no trouble taking him down in the game, but in real life, he’ll be no easier. First, we need to find out where he is.’

Cadel’s dry lips curled and he rolled his eyes uneasily. He already knew how to get to Port. But in order for it to work, there was one person he needed.