And that wasn't even the worst of it. As he flipped further through the catalog…

In addition to acting as a distributor for goods from Dwargon and the Beast Kingdom,

there were plenty of items he had never even heard of before.

For example:

A sunny doll that removes dust from a room.

A cleaning rag that effortlessly wipes off greasy stains from dishes.

A velvet quilt that alleviates fatigue.

And so on…

"What the hell are these things?!"

King Falmuth was so furious he tore the booklet apart and threw it to the ground.

"Have these commoners gone mad?! Buying this kind of trash?!"

He couldn't understand why the chambers of commerce would partner with monsters.

Just then—

He spotted something. One of the torn pages had landed nearby.

He picked it up. On the page was a message:

[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise is actively recruiting investors]

[Now seeking partners. Enjoy 30% profit sharing. Limited spots. First come, first served.]

King Falmuth's entire body began to tremble.

"THEY'RE GIVING COMMONERS A SHARE?!"

In Falmuth, forget about profit sharing—merchants were lucky if the nobles didn't bleed them dry through tariffs alone.

Those tariffs were how nobles fattened themselves on the blood of the business class.

And now? These monsters were sharing profits with the commoners?

"Your Majesty!" One of the ministers jumped in panic. "Other nations are increasing taxes, but they're not only waiving them—they're taking a loss!"

"These monsters are breaking all the rules!"

"They're deliberately disrupting the market!"

"No wonder those untouchables are switching sides. These monsters are vicious!"

King Falmuth's pupils shrank. His face went pale.

At that moment, it finally dawned on him—something was seriously wrong.

This wasn't the kind of scheme monsters would come up with.

Someone clever was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Was it Dwargon? Or the Beast Kingdom?

Or both?

Just then, a man in a robe stepped forward from the back of the room.

White-haired, wrinkled, in his sixties or seventies.

"Court Mage!"

The ministers immediately bowed in respect.

This court mage was one of the most powerful people in Falmuth—second only to the king himself.

Not just because of his magical strength.

But also because he controlled three "heroes" summoned from another world.

Of course, in Falmuth's case, hero was mostly a PR term. These so-called champions each had different powers, awful personalities, and even worse behavior.

Giving them heroic titles just made them easier to manage.

"Razen?" King Falmuth turned toward him.

Razen gave a small bow.

"Your Majesty, this situation is seriously threatening the development of our nation."

"If we allow this trend to spread through the Western Nations, it'll be too late to act."

"Now is the time to suppress them."

"Indeed, Your Majesty."

As they spoke, another man entered—bald and robed in white.

It was Archbishop Reyhiem of the Western Holy Church.

"My King, the Holy Church has officially declared the Monster Kingdom an enemy of God. We are already preparing to launch an attack."

"You're willing to help?!"

King Falmuth's eyes widened in shock.

Hinata Sakaguchi… the Knight Commander of the Holy Church.

That woman had power on par with a Demon Lord.

If the Paladins moved, the Monster Kingdom wouldn't stand a chance.

Reyhiem nodded with a smile.

"The Holy Church is God's messenger. We cannot stand by while monsters run rampant."

However…

Reyhiem added, "But they haven't harmed any nation directly."

"If we want to strike first, we'll need a country to request aid."

King Falmuth thought for a moment.

Soon, the corners of his lips twisted into a cold smile.

"What if… our people were attacked by monsters inside the Monster Kingdom?"

"Ohh~"

The bald archbishop gave a satisfied grin.

"In that case, the Holy Church will send the Paladin Corps to rescue our believers."

The ministers all burst out laughing.

"Brilliant."

"With this, our nation can wipe out the monsters without facing international backlash!"

Beside him, Court Mage Razen said,

"Your Majesty, to demonstrate our strength…"

"I'd like to send the otherworlders as the vanguard unit."

King Falmuth nodded.

"Very well. Those monsters might be formidable, but we can't afford to underestimate them."

Razen replied, "Just in case, I'll instruct them to make a scene, then retreat."

Reyhiem added with a grin, "Fear not, Your Majesty. With the Holy Church's secret arts, those monsters won't be able to retaliate."

Their sacred magic barrier was designed to restrict the mana of monsters and significantly weaken their combat capabilities.

In the original conflict, Falmuth had relied on this technique to suppress Shion and the others—leading to their deaths.

"Excellent!"

King Falmuth laughed heartily.

"This is wonderful! We'll have the upper hand in both public opinion and military force!"

"Our people will be 'attacked' by monsters, and even Dwargon and Euranazia will have no justification to interfere!"

"I approve. Proceed immediately! Those monsters must pay!"

————————————

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Chishiya stood before a wide lake, one hand raised.

"Explosion."

He didn't even finish the incantation before several red magic circles lit up.

Then—BOOM!

A pillar of red fire came crashing down from the sky, shattering the massive rock at the lake's center.

The water shot up like a geyser, the lake boiled from the heat, and fragments of rock and steam blasted into the sky.

The attack was fast, violent, and overwhelming.

Chishiya blinked, stunned.

This was the power of Quickshooter, a skill he'd acquired after recruiting Fern.

The increase in casting speed was a perfect synergy with Explosion Magic.

What once took a full charge-up time was now… instant.

It was like having a nuke on a hair-trigger.

Chishiya's evaluation could be summed up in one word:

"Nice."

But that wasn't all.

Along with Quickshooter, Chishiya had also gained Frieren's precise mana control and Stark's explosive physical power.

He'd been experimenting with both over the last few days.

For example—

Chishiya made a finger-gun gesture with his right hand.

A flash of pure magical energy burst out with a loud bang.

The shockwave tore through the forest ahead, trees splintering apart and bark flying in all directions.

Chishiya lowered his hand and examined the gaping hole left in the trunks.

Thanks to Frieren's advanced mana control, he could now manipulate energy with pinpoint accuracy.

This was a pure magic-based attack.

In the first-level mage exam, Frieren's clone had demonstrated it with terrifying effect.

Since Chishiya's mana pool was significantly larger than Frieren's, his version was naturally even more dangerous.

As for the boost in physical power…

Chishiya clenched his fist.

Took a deep breath.

And punched the lake.

A shockwave burst from his arm, white vapor spiraling up to his elbows before scattering into the air.

The wind howled.

The lake split open down the middle, waves crashing violently to shore.

Chishiya lowered his arms, glancing down at his hands.

That wasn't even 30% of his full strength.

After recruiting Darkness, he'd gained monstrous defense and strength.

And after recruiting Stark, he'd gained stamina and raw burst power.

Chishiya clicked his tongue.

"…I just joked about it before, but I've really become a close-combat mage now, haven't I?"

(To be continued.)

***

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