After leaving the Lawrence Family’s manor, I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief.
After all, in such a heavily guarded place, if my true identity were exposed, it would be a complete disaster.
Moreover, without Syl’s protection, escaping would be difficult at that point.
Not to mention, I had to bring along this guy.
Thinking of that, I couldn’t help but glance sideways at the certain redhead following beside me.
“Your Majesty the Demon King, I realize you were right about something.”
It seemed this guy had finally realized she was an idiot.
But her next words made veins bulge on my forehead once again.
“Those holy knights really are all flat-chested, huh.”
Satahia was referring to the family knights we saw in the Lawrence manor.
“… Want to know why? Come closer, and I’ll tell you the reason.”
After signaling her to crouch down a bit, I knocked her on the head with a flick.
“They’re all men, what do you think!
And how on earth do you distinguish sizes through armor anyway!
Oh, just check if the attack power has increased or something.”
Though she looked pitiful, clutching her head with a miserable expression, when I thought back to how she nearly caused trouble earlier, any trace of sympathy vanished completely.
I glared at her fiercely.
“And next time, think before you speak.”
“But isn’t that what Your Majesty the Demon King said?” Satahia pouted.
I was about to retort, but after thinking carefully, it seemed I really had said something like that.
After pondering for a moment…
I decided to solve the problem in the most direct way.
So, when she saw me pull out a weapon from my inventory, Satahia immediately quieted down.
Or perhaps, for the sake of the few brain cells she had left in her head, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ehehe, um, Your Majesty the Demon King, let’s go complete the trial first, okay?”
Seeing her behave so obediently, I rolled my eyes.
“No, first head to the exchange here to handle the main business, and buy some items along the way.”
Originally, according to my plan, I was going to the exchange first to buy potion recipes with principles similar to the fire demon potion.
But I hadn’t expected that right after teleporting here, the stage quest I received would disrupt that order.
However, it didn’t make much of a difference.
At the exchange, I bought up all the potion recipes on the market that met my criteria.
Though such recipes only made up a portion of the items for sale, this large-scale acquisition still caused a small ripple throughout the empire.
“Why are all the explosion potion recipes sold out? I wanted to buy some to increase my proficiency.”
“I’m even more puzzled; yesterday I saw plenty of scorching heart potion recipes on sale, but when I checked just now, they’re all gone.”
Even inside the exchange, a couple of people were discussing what had happened.
I paid no attention to these people’s complaints, instead frowning at the little over a hundred gold coins left in my inventory.
Though purchasing property was the biggest expense, the costs from the Barenna Underground Fortress over the past few days also took up a significant portion.
Add in various miscellaneous expenditures, and the gold coins earned from hidden quests were naturally running low.
“I need to recover funds quickly; otherwise, I’ll be tied up no matter what I do.”
I muttered to myself.
If not for the enormous development costs, I wouldn’t have paid so much attention to the Barenna Underground Fortress matter.
But now that preparations were almost complete, I didn’t need to worry myself; I just had to wait for good news from Syl’s side.
With that in mind, I shifted my attention back to the text at the top of the quest list.
[Trial of the Radiant Chapter (Special Quest)]
Quest Description: The trial set by Holy Knight Enzo on the Radiant Chapter, to prove whether you possess the qualification for this power.
Stage Objective: Eliminate the demonized creatures on the outskirts of the Mihri Ruins (0/100)
This was the quest received from the Radiant Chapter—a new stage quest, and one that was a stage within a stage quest, so one could imagine the level of trouble involved.
As for the Mihri Ruins mentioned in the quest description, I had heard of them in my previous life.
It was a fortress ruin located southwest of Naldun Town, where Holy Knight Enzo once resisted the attack of the upper demon Fasitu.
Though he successfully killed Fasitu, it came at a considerable heavy cost: Enzo was gravely injured, and countless soldiers sacrificed their lives.
Even more terrifying was that after Dalba’s death, the demonic power did not dissipate; the condensed resentment even revived the corpses of countless fallen as undead existences, turning the post-battle fortress ruins into a gruesome undead battlefield.
Any living being that stepped inside not only faced attacks from those undead, but their life force would also be corroded over time by the land infected with demonic power.
After the war, Holy Knight Enzo had been searching for a way to lift the curse, yet until his death, he couldn’t restore the land to its former vitality.
… Wait, according to what Myceni said, Holy Knight Enzo obtained the Radiant Chapter after this battle.
I suddenly thought of something and fell into contemplation.
And the trial on the Radiant Chapter was guiding me to head there.
“Could it be that the Radiant Chapter is the key Holy Knight Enzo found to lift the curse?” I subconsciously looked at the slightly aged parchment in my hand.
Though in my previous life, I had only seen the Mihri Ruins in screenshots posted by players on forums, even so, I could tell how gruesome it was.
If it really was as I guessed, and it could lift such a curse, wouldn’t that indirectly prove the power of the Radiant Chapter?
Thinking that after completing the trial, such a powerful item would be mine to control, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
But the excitement was only momentary; right now, I still needed to think about how to complete this trial.
After thinking for a bit, I searched for some items in the exchange.
The land inside the Mihri Ruins was corroded by demonic power, requiring special potions to resist it.
Moreover, a trial quest like this wouldn’t be easy; I needed to prepare some life-saving items as well.
And just as I was purchasing the necessary items at the exchange, my communicator suddenly rang.
But it wasn’t from anyone else; it was Satahia, who was using a device to disguise herself as a player template.
“Hey hey, can you hear me, Your Majesty the Demon King? Whoa, is this the ability those adventurers have? So amazing.”
But the other side seemed a bit too energetic.
The corner of my eye twitched as I tried to speak in a calm tone.
“What about the main task I asked you to handle?”
“I’m already here.”
Perhaps due to a conditioned response, Satahia unusually picked up on the oddity in my tone and hurriedly explained.
“I didn’t expect Your Majesty the Demon King to even know there’s a shop here; you’re truly omnipotent.”
“No need for flattery right now; remember to buy the items I instructed.”
The place I sent Satahia to was a hidden shop.
Such hidden shops only existed in certain cities, and Naldun was one of them.
I hadn’t been there myself but remembered the approximate location; I hadn’t held much hope, but unexpectedly, Satahia really found it.
The hidden shop sold rare and special items; though expensive, they often had miraculous effects, perfect for the current situation.
With Satahia covering that side, here at the exchange, I only bought six sets of Giant’s Immortality Potion to resist the life corrosion effect of the Mihri Ruins, one set of instant recovery potions, and some warrior skill books—of course, the latter weren’t prepared for normal communication with Satahia.
Just as I finished checking and was about to close the exchange, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a magic scroll that had just refreshed on the interface for sale.
All beings suffer; I hope that uncle who brought me much laughter in my childhood has a safe journey.