Late at night, in Baron Kelven’s mansion.
Two figures walked down the long corridor.
“Search more carefully.”
“…How about you, our capable Principal, do the searching instead?”
“I’m capable, so I have other things to do. This kind of task is your specialty, isn’t it?”
“…”
The two figures sneaking through the mansion were none other than Dwener and Caron.
Dwener tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling. It was so high that it made his neck ache.
“They must’ve been ridiculously wealthy. Building such a massive mansion back then…”
“This town alone once supported the entire territory.”Perhaps that was why the mansion, built in its golden age, was overwhelming in every way—long, vast, and towering.
“There’s a rumor that they originally planned to make it taller than the Imperial Palace, but they got caught and had to settle for this.”
“A rumor, huh… Is there anything you don’t know?”
“The truth behind it is classified as Level 3 information, so I can’t say.”
Caron’s voice was laced with mockery. Meaning, it wasn’t just a rumor—it had actually happened.
Building a palace grander than the Imperial one wasn’t an issue, but making it taller? That was.
The Imperial family ruled the empire.
Challenging their authority, even symbolically, was a direct provocation.
“So their arrogance must’ve been something else back then.”
“The Imperial family didn’t find out until right before completion. They had only heard it was supposed to be a retreat. In the end, they got caught just before it was finished, and a good portion of the upper levels had to be demolished.”
It was only then that Dwener realized why the mansion’s structure seemed odd.
The blunt, awkwardly flattened upper section had always looked off. Now, he knew why.
“So this ridiculously high ceiling is the result of that demolition… I can’t even imagine what it would’ve looked like if they had left it as it was.”
But the towering ceiling wasn’t the only thing making Dwener click his tongue.
A massive art gallery, an entire forest turned into a private hunting ground, more training grounds than they had knights, and even a hot spring artificially created by redirecting water from beyond the mountains.
Most of it was now covered in dust, but it was still enough to illustrate the former glory of this household.
A utopia that lacked nothing.
Yet, Dwener felt no admiration at all.
“How’s the window over there?”
“Same as the others. Enchanted with a high-grade magic formation.”
Dwener scowled. There was no escape route in sight.
— ‘Wouldn’t you grant me the honor of personally hosting you both?’
Baron Kelven’s invitation.
Dwener and Caron had accepted it without hesitation.
They were already suspicious of him, and his mansion seemed like the perfect place to gather evidence.
But they had been wrong.
This place was nothing more than a trap Baron Kelven had prepared for them.
“Can’t we just break it?”
“That would trigger the security magic.”
“The kind that fries you like a cockroach?”
“Ah, the formations here are a little different. This one freezes you solid.”
In other words, death either way.
Well, for Dwener, at least—not for Caron.
“So, would the great Principal like to leave behind an ice statue of himself?”
“Feel free to do it yourself.”
“I would, but sadly, it’s impossible. A real shame.”
Caron was a 9-star knight.
A mere trap like this couldn’t hold him. He could easily escape.
However—
“But they’ll know someone got out.”
They could disable the security magic, but they couldn’t hide the fact that someone had broken free.
Even now, Baron Kelven’s attendants were tailing them from a distance.
As if making it clear that the moment anything happened, they would report it immediately.
“This is getting annoying.”
Four servants followed at carefully measured intervals.
They weren’t even trying to hide their presence.
A warning: Don’t even think about escaping.
Dwener wanted to storm into Baron Kelven’s room and demand answers, but he couldn’t.
Assigning attendants was standard hospitality, after all.
“Should we announce that we’re leaving in the morning?”
“That won’t work. If we leave, we might never get back in.”
The most suspicious person right now—
That was, without a doubt, Baron Kelven.
His behavior was suspect, and on top of that, they had found scattered traces of something off throughout the mansion.
The most suspicious place of all?
The underground chamber.
But they had no way of getting inside, so they had put that investigation on hold.
“Can’t we arrest him with the evidence we’ve gathered so far?”
“It’s still circumstantial at best. Of course, we could forcefully detain him and interrogate him, but…”
According to Caron, there was currently no concrete proof that Baron Kelven had dealings with demons.
It was possible that he was simply hiding it well, but there was also the chance that this was all just a misunderstanding.
“If the real culprit isn’t Baron Kelven…”
“It’ll backfire. And in the process, the real mastermind will flee.”
“And then we won’t be able to save Miss Dolores. Any news on her whereabouts?”
“We still haven’t secured her.”
“This is bad.”
- If Baron Kelven is the mastermind.
Leaving the mansion means Dolores dies.
Even if they capture him and interrogate him, someone outside will kill Dolores.
- If Baron Kelven is not the mastermind.
Leaving won’t be an issue.
But they’ll lose the chance to investigate the suspicious underground chamber.
If they capture and interrogate him, the true mastermind, sensing danger, will kill Dolores and escape.
“We’ve been completely played. We’re trapped.”
“Unfortunately, staying here is our best option for now.”
“You sound so relaxed. Must be nice. Meanwhile, some of us are losing our minds over this.”
“Haha, I may look calm, but inside, I’m boiling with rage. To think they’d manage to tie me down like this… It’s been a while since I felt this fired up.”
Seeing the look in Caron’s eyes, Dwener instinctively took a step back.
That’s right—Caron was the Empire’s Rat.
Of course, he was furious. He had been forced to sit around like a fool for days.
‘Whoever the mastermind is… I feel sorry for them.’
Because this so-called imprisonment wouldn’t last much longer.
The moment Dolores’ death was confirmed, they would break every magic formation, every barrier, and tear their way out.
And when that happened, the situation would flip completely.
They would be the ones tracking Baron Kelven’s every move, locking down the village, and searching the mansion for evidence.
Even if it meant tearing down this entire estate.
“What do you think? Miss Dolores… She’s beyond saving, isn’t she?”
Dwener had decided to become a villain for the sake of his students.
Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t stop thinking about Dolores, a girl the same age as them.
“In cases like this, the survival rate is usually 1%… But with the instructors around, it should be around 5%.”
“I see…”
An impossibly low number. In other words, nearly zero chance.
Then, Caron added,
“But with the kids involved, the odds will double. And there are a few smart ones among them… Let’s say 20%.”
“A smart kid, huh…”
One face immediately came to mind.
Zero.
Yes, if it was that kid—the one who had shown him the path forward—he might just be able to save Dolores.
“We should start planning for what happens after we rescue her.”
“You’re betting on a mere 20% chance?”
“Want to make a wager? I’ll put my money on saving Miss Dolores.”
“That’s unfortunate. This bet doesn’t seem fair.”
Was it because the odds were too low to even consider?
But the next thing Caron said made Dwener burst into laughter.
“If we’re both on the same side, then there’s no bet to make.”
“Haha! You’re too late now. I’m switching sides—you’re betting on failure.”
“Are you trying to paint me as a scoundrel? Oh well, I’ll accept the wager gladly.”
A 20% chance.
Frankly, it was a generous estimate. But there was a reason for that.
‘Because Adonis is there.’
He had been through every kind of battle—land, sea, and air.
And alongside him was an excellent assistant, Lowell.
Not to mention…
‘It looks like this turned into a much tougher trial than expected.’
Zero.
The boy who had once aspired to be the rat of the Lester family.
He was excellent at gathering information, but more than that, he had an extraordinary talent for deduction.
A perfect fit for this kind of situation.
‘Even the rats I brought in were struggling to figure things out. This is a tricky case.’
But it was in moments like these that true ability shone through.
A battlefield where Zero could prove his worth as a rat.
And—
‘A chance to see if he’s worthy of succeeding me.’
It would be dangerous, yes, but there was no need to worry about his survival.
That kid was a master at staying alive.
“…”
Well, there was one person Caron was worried about.
‘Luna… Don’t get hurt.’
Adonis, Lowell, dozens of instructors, the rats, and hundreds of students.
With all that security, she should be safe, but he couldn’t help but worry.
She was just so… fragile(?).
‘Zero… That arrogant brat is with her, so she should be fine, but still…’
Kekeke.
Why was that annoying laugh suddenly coming to mind?
And then, the thought he had been avoiding surfaced.
‘I should not have let them stay in the same house.’
Yes, the situation was dangerous, but still—having them share a room?
Zero might be different from other boys his age, but he was still a guy.
It was impossible not to worry.
Luna was just too cute.
‘…Maybe I should just break out now?’
No, he couldn’t.
Not until they confirmed Dolores’ safety.
Caron groaned, trying to suppress his emotions.
Seeing this, Dwener quietly took a step away from him.
Because when someone goes insane—
It’s best to keep your distance.
“Keke, good morning. ”
“…This morning sucks.”
Maybe she was struggling to contain her frustration—Luna started punching her pillow repeatedly.
The reason she was mad? Simple.
‘We couldn’t sneak out last night.’
The moment she opened the door, an instructor was there to stop her.
Even when she tried again after the guards switched shifts, using the radar rabbit as a distraction, it was the same result.
“What do we do? Should I just knock them out?”
“Keke, you mean get knocked out yourself?”
“Ughhh!”
Luna kicked her pillow while I casually stretched.
Why was I so relaxed?
Because overpowering an instructor was impossible for us.
And also because I knew why we couldn’t leave.
‘It’s set up so we can’t go out at night unless we meet certain conditions.’
In other words, some kind of requirement had to be met before we could resume our Dark Beast Squad activities.
The problem was… I had no clue what that requirement was.
Dialogue, encounters, hidden events, character stats, items, skills—
There were just too many possibilities to pinpoint it.
‘This is why first-time events are such a pain…’
So, another night of lockdown.
“Ehehe…”
The only one who was thrilled about it was Rezé.
Rezé lay on her back, belly exposed, a blissful smile on her face as she wandered through dreamland.
I took the carrot-shaped pillow she was using and tossed it to Luna.
Luna executed a flying kick at the pillow, sending it soaring through the air.
“Ugh… Mmm?”
“Keke, wake up.”
Rezé blinked groggily, her eyes shifting between the airborne carrot pillow and my face before flopping back down.
“C-carrots… and a demon… T-this is just a nonsense dream…”
Was it nonsense because the two things together made no sense?
Or was it because she thought I was a dog, making it a dog dream?
I had no idea, but one thing was clear—she was talking nonsense.
I grabbed the idiot hair sticking up from the crown of her head and gave it a firm tug.
Wake up, little rabbit.
It’s time to work under a demon.
–TL Notes–
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