As one of the major guilds in the Orwin Empire, it was only natural for Starry Myth to have eyes and ears everywhere.
So the moment news spread that two of their alchemists had advanced to Apprentice Rank, chaos stirred in all the major factions.
Rather than hide it, Starry Myth took this golden opportunity to flaunt their success—not just in-game, but across the entire Orwin forum section too.
The result?
Their formerly lukewarm reputation skyrocketed overnight, instantly surpassing other powerhouses like Stormwind and Epic of Empire.
Membership applications more than doubled in a single day.
Everyone was talking about how insanely lucky Starry Myth must be.
But a certain group of players—those who also specialized in Alchemy—weren’t just surprised.
They all recalled something suspiciously familiar…
And oddly enough, they all happened to belong to major guilds too.
***
Wilderness_11:
So yeah, that’s basically the situation.
Besides those two Apprentices from Starry Myth, other big guilds like Epic of Empire, Stormwind, and even Valkyrie Hall have alchemists ranking up now.
Wilderness_11:
Oh, and apparently even the Constana Empire side has some rumors too.
We’re literally the only ones in Roseheart who haven’t seen any progress.
The officers have been talking it over since yesterday, but nothing’s come of it.
The voice reporting this was Wilderness_11, Roseheart’s intelligence team leader.
Even in my past life, she was famously sharp.
Anyone who could gather this much intel in such a short time was no amateur.
Eyelet:
It’s just Apprentice Rank. A little early-game edge at best.
No need for the older sisters to panic~ ♪
I stuck out my tongue in mock innocence.
If they ever found out the mastermind behind all this was me, right here on the other end of the chat…
I wonder what kind of faces they’d make?
Wilderness_11:
Haha, don’t worry about it, Lil Eye.
Worst case, the guild leader will just mope like she lost a 10-pull with no guaranteed SSR.
Eyelet:
Mhm. Still, thanks again for the list you sent me! It’s already been super useful~
Wilderness_11:
It was nothing!
Though now I am a little curious… What did you need that list for, exactly?
Eyelet:
Oh, my friend started a guild recently.
We’re trying to scout a few alchemists, that’s all! Thanks again, truly!
Wilderness_11:
Hehe~ Then next time, let me give you a hug and lift you up high!
I heard your fluff stats are off the charts~
Eyelet:
Ah—signal’s bad here, gotta go, bye!
I hurriedly hung up and let out a long sigh.
“Three lines in and she’s already back to her loli addiction. Maybe I should add her to the suspect list…” I muttered under my breath.
Not that I ever would, of course. Betraying allies just wasn’t my style.
Right at that moment, Syl walked over with a tray of black tea.
“Your plan’s finally beginning to unfold, Demon Lord.”
“Mmhm~ All thanks to that list. And of course, Tris’s help,” I said cheerfully, taking a sip of tea.
From the way my feet were swinging happily under the chair, it was obvious I was in a very good mood.
The list in question was a dossier compiled by Wilderness_11—names, affiliations, and profiles of alchemists being groomed by various guilds.
That’s why I stayed in touch with her in the first place.
In truth, the entire operation only began after I received that list yesterday.
The first step?
Send anonymous letters to the alchemists I picked out.
Simple.
Sure, the postage fee for each message cost one silver coin (ugh), but I was confident the investment would come back many times over.
Actually, I’d already broken even.
The quest item rewards those alchemists handed over were far from cheap.
Syl sat beside me, flipping through the paper in her hand.
“Weren’t you ever worried, Demon Lord?” she asked.
“What if none of the alchemists believed the letter?”
“Not even a little,” I replied, stretching lazily with a smug little smile.
“Because really—only a complete idiot would fall for something like that.”
That’s right.
Anyone with a working brain would dismiss such a shady letter as a troll, right?
It’s the MMO equivalent of getting bonked by a falling tank after spotting a mysterious loli in the sky.
“Then… why send them at all?”
Syl blinked in confusion, clearly not following my logic.
I lifted a finger.
“Because people are greedy by nature. As long as there’s enough potential reward, no matter how absurd it sounds, someone’s bound to roll the dice.”
I curled my finger and smiled.
“So all I had to do… was raise the odds. And in my plan, that was super easy. I just needed one person to bite.”
“A spark?”
“Exactly. One fool is all it takes to light the fuse. Of course, a tiny flame isn’t enough, so I needed the real fuel—”
“Guilds,” Syl concluded after a moment of thought.
“Bingo.” I beamed at her.
“Once a guild sees a shiny new rank-up, they’ll start boasting about it to boost their own image.
Unknowingly playing right into my hands.”
I gave Syl an approving look.
Having a smart subordinate made conversations like this so pleasant.
If it were those two, I’d be explaining things until next Tuesday.
“…Oh no, Demon Lord, are you injured?”
Just like that red-haired idiot who popped out of nowhere and lifted up my skirt like a curious raccoon.
Apparently, she was looking for signs that my “heart” had been “struck.”
“……”
“……”
“Oooh~ So Demon Lord’s on Team Teddy Bear, huh?”
“I am not! That’s from Syl!”
Right then and there, I regretted not changing out of the pleated skirt.
Though if I had to pick my biggest regret…
It would be hiring this utterly useless, brainless meathead as my subordinate.
“You’ve been missing for, like, twenty chapters! Don’t just show up randomly to steal screentime AND peek at your boss’s underwear!!”
“Ehehe~ o(๑>ᴗ<๑)o”
“Cuteness won’t save you!!”