It went exactly as Noir had promised.

Eugene wasn’t investigated for his involvement in the fall of Dragon Demon Castle or the eradication of Karabloom, nor was there any inquiry into Raimira’s identity, someone seemingly unconnected to the rest of their group. They were able to check out of the hotel and depart for Pandemonium without any problems.

They needed to reach Pandemonium to use the international warp-gate located in the capital city, to leave Helmuth. Having first entered Helmuth through the Alcarte Parish border, this would be Eugene’s first time seeing Pandemonium in this life.

Eugene compared Pandemonium, which he had last seen three hundred years ago, with the present city before him.

“It has truly changed a great deal,” Eugene observed.

Even within this concrete jungle, the ninety-nine-storied building stood out. A towering Demon King’s Castle, seemingly touching the sky, this was Babel. Eugene clicked his tongue as he compared the current Babel to the Babel of his previous life.

There had once been a red plain before the castle, serving as Babel’s front courtyard. The horrors of the black fog that had once shrouded this land finally ended only after the ground was layered with the corpses of humans, demonfolk, and demonic beasts.

Now, countless high-rises had been erected here, and at their center stood a memorial park dedicated to all those who had perished during the war.

‘Where did the Centipede Mountains go?’ Eugene wondered.

Three hundred years ago, the Centipede Mountains had once surrounded the borders of this fief, but now those disgusting, hideous, crawling mountains were nowhere to be seen. Had they truly cleared away the entire mountain range while building the city?

‘Or perhaps they simply hid them somewhere,’ Eugene speculated.

The notorious Centipede Mountains of his previous life had been more akin to gigantic demonic beasts than normal terrain. Those giant centipedes might still be buried beneath the neatly paved roads.

As his thoughts continued in this direction, Eugene let out a bemused snort at his own bewilderment. The changes he had witnessed throughout Helmuth were remarkable, but the transformations here in Pandemonium were particularly striking. Why had the Demon King’s Castle transformed into a ninety-nine-storied skyscraper, and what were those things floating through the sky… those hundreds of small fish?

“They’re watching us…” Mer reported, her expression worried as she grasped Eugene’s collar.

These were the Air Fish, Pandemonium’s famed security system, detailed in the tourist booklet provided before entering Helmuth.

“Look at all those fish up there, Sir Eugene. They are said to keep watch over this vast city 24/7, covering every square inch of land. Everything they see is then sent to the control office in Babel, the Demon King’s Castle,” Mer recalled from the brochure.

“Hehehe, it seems you are well-informed, Mer. As you said, those Air Fish are Pandemonium’s proud security system. If anything illegal is spotted within the city, Babel’s Bureau of Control will immediately dispatch their security forces,” Raimira, whose head was covered by a large hood, laughed, her chin lifted proudly.

Though her forehead was usually adorned with her winding golden antlers, they were hidden. Eugene had instructed her to conceal them, as they were too conspicuous.

Naturally, Raimira had protested this order. To her, as the daughter of a Duke, a Black Dragon, and a dragon herself, the red jewel and horns on her forehead were part of her dragon identity.

However, after being told that if she didn’t remove her horns immediately, he would slash her red jewel with his sword, Raimira agreed to set aside her dragon dignity, at least for a while.

“However, Mer and Sir Eugene, this Lady insists that you be more tactful in your treatment of this Lady. Should this Lady be subject to unjust violence and harassment, I will be sure to raise a high-pitched cry that everyone in Pandemonium will hear…” Raimira’s voice trailed off as she continued.

This was because Eugene’s eyes had widened, and he was glaring at Raimira. Although her red jewel hadn’t been struck yet, his fierce gaze alone was enough to fill Raimira with fear.

“Of… of course… of course I won’t scream.” Raimira stammered, “Th-there’s no way I would do something like that.”

Squeeze.

“Why do you have to keep frightening her?” Kristina complained, glancing at Eugene as she wrapped her hands comfortingly around Raimira’s.

At this sight, Raimira felt deeply moved, and she looked up at Kristina. Though Raimira had never known her mother, she wondered if this was what it felt like to have one.

“She’s the one spouting nonsense,” Eugene protested.

“Even if that is the case, it’s still not right for you to resort to violence,” Kristina chided. “Children are sensitive and special care needs to be taken when disciplining them.”

Eugene scoffed, “You’re calling her a child…? Her age should be around four times older than yours and mine combined…”

“Since her personality hasn’t fully developed and she still thinks in a childish manner, that means she is a child,” Kristina insisted.

Kristina hadn’t denied that Raimira had been spouting nonsense. She had also implied, albeit indirectly, that even for a dragon, Raimira acted childishly for her age.

However, Raimira couldn’t grasp the meaning behind Kristina’s words. Instead, she gently returned Kristina’s grip, pulling her hands close to her chest with a giggle.

“I kind of want to call her mother,” Raimira muttered to herself.

Kristina responded distractedly, “Huh?”

Raimira’s face flushed as she stammered, “N-no… I… I didn’t say anything…”

In fact, this was all due to conscious guidance from Anise.

Though she didn’t think it possible for the Black Dragon Raizakia to have any paternal affection for his daughter, the Dragon Duchess still held some value as a hostage. Because, setting aside any fatherly affection, Anise was sure that Raizakia felt possessive of Raimira, though more as a sacrifice than a daughter.

Apart from that, Anise had also decided she could use Raimira as a counterforce to Mer. It had been a clever move on Sienna’s part to leave behind a familiar resembling her childhood self.

It should have been because of her obsession and longing for the happy ending they had discussed, and Sienna herself couldn’t have imagined her familiar would get close to Eugene, but…

In any case, hadn’t Mer still ended up accompanying Eugene? That cunning and mischievous familiar, so much like her owner, Mer had managed to establish her character by acting like a child born to both Hamel and Sienna.

Even now, Mer clung to Eugene’s side as if it were her natural place, so what would happen when Sienna was resurrected? How destructive would the actions of two people acting like mother and daughter be?

Kristina hesitated, ‘…No matter what, Sister, pretending to be mother and daughter with a Dragon Duchess who has no connection to us is a little—’

Anise snapped, [Kristina! There’s no need to pretend to be mother and daughter. You just need to act like you’re playing house enough to fight back against Sienna and Mer. You should know by now that Hamel has a soft heart, so there’s no way he’ll get rid of this Dragon Duchess with such a tragic backstory.]

‘That might be the case, but…’

Kristina and Anise had slightly different perspectives on the Dragon Duchess.

While Anise saw her as a valuable hostage and a counterforce to Mer, Kristina felt only pity for the Dragon Duchess’s situation.

Anise continued to persuade her, [Isn’t that all the more reason why you should take care of her? In fact, if at all possible, I want you to have a child with Hamel before Sienna returns—]

“Huh?” Kristina yelped.

She was so surprised and embarrassed that she unconsciously spoke out loud.

[What are you so surprised about?] Anise asked. [Kristina, don’t you secretly want that as well—?]

‘When did I ever say that?!’ Kristina protested.

[One of the cute things about you is that you can still panic and try to lie to me even though we share the same consciousness. Or perhaps, Kristina, how about you play Mer’s role instead?] Anise proposed.

‘P-p-please don’t say something so ridiculous…!’

[Yeah, I thought you would respond like that. Since you don’t want to call Hamel your daddy… hmm… I guess it wouldn’t be too bad if I tried it myself… Kristina, I just thought of a really great idea. What if I pretend to be you and act like a child to Hamel… then I’ll make kissing noises and—]

“Aaargh!” Kristina shrieked, unable to bear listening to Anise, her face flushed with embarrassment and shame.

What unbelievable duplicity for someone once called a Saint!

“There she goes again,” Eugene sighed.

He had seen this so often that it no longer surprised him. Eugene pondered what in the world Anise was saying in her head to cause Kristina such a fit, but he refrained from asking, not feeling confident he was ready for the truth.

“I-if you shout like that, we’ll get caught…” Mer panicked, clutching Eugene’s arms, but Eugene just clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“We won’t get caught,” Eugene reassured her.

This was thanks to the black casino coin he had received from Noir. Because of its suspicious origin, Eugene had researched it extensively.

No magic was infused into this coin. Instead, it was imbued with Noir’s immense dark power and fused with her authority. Simply holding the coin was enough to influence any external perception of their group.

‘The Demoneye of Fantasy,’ Eugene thought silently.

While it couldn’t cause the drastic change in perception as when Noir herself activated her Demoneye, the coin could easily fool Helmuth’s strict background checks.

Even now, it was still at work.

Pandemonium’s Air Fish were designed to continuously examine the identities of every target they observed.

The fall of Dragon Demon Castle and the eradication of Karabloom were being reported on Pandemonium’s billboards and holograms.

However, even though the Dragon Duchess, the sole survivor of Dragon Demon Castle, was right before them, none of the Air Fish were drawn to her. In other words, the black coin Noir had given him could even fool the Air Fish’s detection.

‘The power of her Demoneye is far too strong,’ Eugene observed. ‘If I’m going to fight Noir, then I need to prepare some countermeasures for her Demoneye…’

Right now, he had no solutions. Just the other day, when Noir came looking for them at their hotel, Eugene hadn’t been able to resist when the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy was unleashed right before his eyes.

[Lalala~ Lalala~][1]

[Happy happy happy Giabella~]

[Everyday~ Giabella~]

[Welcome to the Giabella Park~]

[Dreams come true~~]

Eugene was speechless as he watched the demonfolk idols dance on the hologram screens.

This was the Dream Girls, who had just debuted under the Giabella Entertainment Agency. In front of their five-member girl group, embodying liveliness, Noir Giabella was promoting her Giabella Park, wearing a costume identical to the idols…

“Th-that… that shameless hussy… how could she wear such an outrageous outfit…” Kristina, as a priest, stammered, experiencing acute culture shock.

Eugene felt a similar shock. After staring at the perfect choreography on the holographic screen, he simply turned away and left.

“…Let’s go.”

Thanks to the coin, he didn’t have to worry about being caught by an inspection, but even so, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down completely.

This was the Capital City of Pandemonium. As the location of the Demon King of Incarceration’s Castle, this was also where his loyal henchman, Gavid Lindman, could usually be found. Especially since Gavid was the Grand Duke and Chief of Security here in Helmuth.

If they lingered unnecessarily in Pandemonium and were caught by Gavid or his Black Fog, it could become a problem. Because no matter how strong Noir Giabella’s authority was, it wouldn’t fool Gavid’s eyes.

“You were planning on returning to the Lionheart Estate, right?” Kristina asked.

“It won’t take long. I’m just going to stop by briefly to borrow something,” Eugene explained.

They had rushed to Dragon Demon Castle to investigate Raizakia’s hatchling. Fortunately, things had gone well, they had even kidnapped the Dragon Duchess, and confirmed Raizakia’s connection to the Rainforest.

Though he considered heading straight to the Samar Rainforest, Eugene decided to make further preparations to ensure victory over Raizakia.

“I’ll return by myself, so you should keep an eye on this brat, Kristina,” Eugene instructed.

Kristina nodded, “Yes, understood.”

They had already discussed this. In terms of pure combat power, Kristina might still be lacking, but Anise could bolster her strength. Furthermore, since they had received a Draconic Promise from Raimira, escape was impossible.

‘Well, in the first place, I don’t think this hatchling, with such a low mental age, will even consider running away,’ Eugene thought as he headed towards the warp-gate.

Raimira, clinging to Kristina’s robe as they walked, pouted her lips.

“This Lady also wants to see what the Lionheart Estate is like,” Raimira demanded. “From what this Lady has heard, the Lionhearts are the strongest martial clan on the continent, and their estate is quite magnificent. I have also heard that there are many rarely-seen elves living there.”

“You’re really well-informed,” Eugene observed.

“This Lady has researched extensively while resting in my villa,” Raimira declared proudly.

By that, she meant she had watched a lot of TV. Raimira puffed out her chest smugly, but Eugene didn’t bother to expose her.

“The Lionhearts will hate you,” Eugene stated bluntly. “There’s no place for you there.”

Raimira protested, “What are you talking about? What has this Lady done to make the Lionhearts hate me?”

“Isn’t it only natural, considering who your father is?” Eugene pointed out.

“Uh… um… th-this Lady might be the daughter of the Black Dragon, but I don’t think any dislike of my father should reflect on me…” Raimira said in a tearful voice.

However, no matter how pitifully she begged, Eugene had no intention of taking Raimira home with him for the moment.

The reason was simple. Eugene was trying to be tactful.

Although it wasn’t his intention, whenever Eugene left the main house and traveled, he always ended up bringing guests back.

There was Laman from Nahama, over a hundred elves from Samar, and Kristina from the Holy Empire. What if he brought the Dragon Duchess home this time? Ancilla’s composure might crack.

‘…Though maybe she’ll actually be pleased…’ Eugene considered hopefully.

Now the Lady of the Lionheart house, Ancilla had lost much of her poisonous thorns. This meant her personality had become more flexible. Judging by her attitude towards Mer, she seemed particularly fond of children. As such, she might find Raimira quite cute as well. But for Eugene, that would just make things even more stressful.

Although Eugene didn’t consider Raimira a hostage, that didn’t mean he would treat her with affection. He still hadn’t decided what to do with her after Raizakia’s demise, but common sense dictated she wouldn’t feel comfortable around the killers of her father.

“Mer, how dare you act so unpleasantly towards this Lady. If you keep that up, this Lady shall be forced to discipline you by informing the Black Dragon,” Raimira threatened.

Mer scoffed, “What are you talking about? Sir Eugene is going to kill your father.”

“There is no way that Duke Black Dragon will be slain by humans. If you choose to submit to this Lady now, even if that human dies, this Lady can spare your life by taking you in as my personal maidservant,” Raimira generously offered.

The back-and-forth between the two was causing Eugene to clench his fist in irritation…

* * *

Eugene’s purpose in visiting the Lionheart Estate was to borrow Geddon’s Shield, currently in Cyan’s possession. When he left for Helmuth, Cyan hadn’t returned from Ruhr, so he couldn’t borrow it then.

Geddon’s Shield could redirect all blocked attacks into empty space. This meant that as long as the wielder’s mana held, it could block any attack.

While its ability was absurdly powerful, the mana consumption was equally significant. Any time the shield was used defensively, the stronger the attack, the exponentially greater the mana required. Even someone like Vermouth couldn’t use Geddon’s Shield repeatedly.

‘Though his opponents were the Demon Kings,’ Eugene admitted.

Raizakia, trapped within a dimensional rift, wouldn’t be in his normal state. However, Eugene still didn’t think Raizakia would be any weaker than his prime.

As such, he needed to prepare as thoroughly as possible. If he used Geddon’s Shield, he could block Raizakia’s breath attack a few times.

‘The dimensional rift won’t be an advantageous battlefield for me either.’

In a place like that, there was no mana or primal spirits. It would be an environment similar to the other side of the Lehainjar, where Eugene fought Molon.

‘That means I won’t be able to use Prominence to its full potential.’

It would be impossible to use it in place of Ignition like he had in Dragon Demon Castle.

‘Any Spatial Leap using the feathers… might also be impossible.’

Even if the feathers could still be used as a replacement for spatial coordinates, a Spatial Leap was unlikely to work properly within a dimensional rift.

What if he made a mistake and accidentally jumped from one rift to another?

[If that happens, even if