A person who thinks all day thinks of nothing but thinking, so he transcends reality and lives in a world that only he can see.

He was wearing a sharply tailored purple suit, neatly pressed, and his smooth brown hair shimmered in the light. His emerald eyes were like two bottomless lakes, naturally filled with pity and contemplation, able to see the entire universe in silence.

He just stood there.

"It's been more than half a year since we parted ways at the Protos Royal Academy of Magic."

Ranchi, in the guise of Rocky McCarthy, stood in the room of the Brillda Opera House's second-floor mansion, a look of reminiscence on his face.

Back then, after accepting Duchess Chloris's northern investigation commission in Herlom, Ranchi and Sigrid had gone to Protos's northern border province.

After experiencing a series of dangers, Xiduo had disappeared upon their return, and Chloris had been imprisoned for treason. It was arguably their most dangerous moment.

Even later, when they used the three great demon clans to hold a funeral for Askesan in the Capitol Building, they couldn't find an opportunity to defeat Duke Morodian.

Fortunately, the crucial evidence that Associate Professor Xiduo left for the military finally forced Duke Morodian to reveal his true form at the end, helping them achieve a great victory.

"How could you be here! And aren't you the Tyrant Saint Child? Are you even faking this Rocky McCarthy identity?"

Toriado held the back of his head with both hands, staring at Rocky, utterly puzzled.

"Am I dreaming? Oh, my goddess of destiny!"

He wouldn't have been as surprised as he was now even if he had suddenly seen those long-lost old antique friends of his from many years ago.

Rocky McCarthy shouldn't be here!

The guy in front of him must be Rocky McCarthy.

One glance at Rocky, confirmed as genuine.

"Why are you two chatting again?"

Abigail was a little dazed by Toriado's reaction.

"Who's McCarthy?"

She saw that Toriado was very shocked, as if he had seen a ghost.

"I'll take you to the Protos Empire on the southern coast of the Northern Continent. You can stop anyone on the street and ask who Rocky McCarthy is, and they'll immediately tell you who the most popular next president is."

Toriado turned to look at her and replied.

"Huh?"

Abigail didn't understand and stared at Ranchi.

She found it a bit unbelievable.

You're such a big shot who's doing so well on the Northern Continent, what are you doing stirring up trouble in the Krete Empire on the Southern Continent?

"You know I'm from the Tyrant Branch?"

Ranchi narrowed his eyes and asked Toriado.

He believed that Xiduo's goodwill toward him at the Protos Royal Academy of Magic was genuine. Even his little disciple, Zestira, liked Associate Professor Xiduo very much. After all, Xiduo was rare in that he didn't discriminate against the demon clan under the traditional concepts of the Protos Empire.

It was precisely because of this that Ranchi was interested in this associate professor of history at the Protos Royal Academy of Magic. He went to his class to audit, which led to their encounter.

"Of course. I also know how much Sigrid favors you, willing to make an exception to take in a Saint Child. To her, it's simply like finding a treasure, okay? A cardinal can clearly sense reborn believers below the rank of bishop. Even if I disguised myself as Associate Professor Xiduo at the time, I could sense the Proof of Rebirth on you, and it might even be of a very high level."

Toriado generously admitted.

As a cardinal, Toriado quickly sensed that Rocky had a Certificate of Rebirth during his contact with Rocky. Later, after seeing Rocky's contact with the Tyrant Branch at school and his past in the Southwest Province, Toriado determined Rocky's true identity—

Having an affair with the Tyrant Church.

"Then, when I saw you and Sigrid infiltrating the Nihility Branch, I thought things were getting interesting, so I helped you form an alliance with Duchess Chloris, helping you take your connections and power in the empire a step further, so that you might have hope of fighting the alliance between Askesan and Duke Morodian."

Toriado spread his hands and sighed.

But Rocky McCarthy's strength also exceeded his imagination.

Originally, Toriado thought that the turmoil in the Protos Empire would continue for a long, long time, and the Nihility Branch would launch a brutal competition with the Tyrant Branch.

Even if Rocky and Sigrid's Tyrant Branch could win, it would probably be a pyrrhic victory.

And Toriado himself didn't have the spare energy to return to the Northern Continent to help them in a short time.

Unexpectedly, the Tyrant Branch ended the situation in one day.

Good news came from the Northern Continent that the long winter of the Protos Empire was over and spring had returned to the world.

"So that's how it is. Then I really have to thank you..."

Ranchi stroked his chin and thought, answering.

He now understood some of the things he hadn't understood in Protos.

"What are you doing running to the Southern Continent? Aren't the Northern Continent and Sigrid good enough? I thought you two were married."

Toriado was still thinking about making a good connection on the Northern Continent, so he could disguise himself as Associate Professor Xiduo and travel freely on the southern coast of the Northern Continent in the future.

He never dreamed that Rocky McCarthy would run to the south.

And disguise himself as his little disciple, Landry.

"To make a long story short, I was originally from the Southern Continent. Like you, I used a fake identity to go to the Northern Continent."

Ranchi shook his head.

"Ah? You're from the Southern Continent?"

Toriado had never seen a normal person who went to the Northern Continent and chose to land in Lirom City.

"Then why did you start from Lirom City, that remote little city in the Southwest Province? It made it seem like you were really a local, not like a normal tourist from the south at all."

If there had been a slight mistake, he would have been arrested directly by the Protos Empire, which was close to a state of war.

"Do you know there was a tsunami back then?"

Ranchi heard Toriado's words and asked.

If the Dimensional Bishop hadn't provoked the Destruction Bishop and fought in the waters of the Southern Continent, causing a magic storm, he wouldn't have encountered that shipwreck with Hyperion, starting their bumpy journey.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. There was a crazy woman chasing me all over half of the Southern Continent back then. I had no choice."

Toriado scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"..."

Abigail silently watched Toriado chatter non-stop with this man disguised as Landry.

Toriado seemed casual and cheerful, but in reality, he would be genuinely cold to most people. There weren't many people who could be considered his friends and be compatible with him.

Rocky McCarthy was originally from the Southern Continent?

Then how did he achieve such a world-renowned achievement on the Northern Continent?

Abigail couldn't figure it out.

But she roughly determined that the other party wasn't an enemy. Even though he had disguised himself as Landry, he was still a partner that Toriado valued very much. She had nothing to say.

"Xiduo, let me tell you, we could have won that series of encounters on the northern border if you had been there. We were really just a little bit short."

Ranchi caught Toriado and started reviewing the battle.

At the time, he really hadn't thought that there was a hidden combat force by their side.

"At that time, I was severely injured by Ivanos and ran to the Northern Continent to take refuge and recuperate. I wasn't even sure I could win steadily against a Seventh Order."

Toriado understood what Ranchi was thinking—if he, Toriado, had been there, they might have been able to defeat the lurking Askesan and Morodian on the northern border.

But the reality was that he, who had not yet recovered from his injuries, was no match for Morodian at all.

He could only hide from Morodian and play hide-and-seek with Morodian.

"You were so badly injured?"

Ranchi was surprised.

Another Bishop-level Eighth Order who had suffered battle damage.

Ranchi understood too well.

Sigrid was only at the Fourth or Fifth Order when she was beaten to the brink of death on the northern border of Protos.

"Yes, that woman has no sense of pain. No one can withstand her self-mutilating fighting style of trading life for life."

Toriado initially thought that provoking her wouldn't be a big deal.

Later, he realized the seriousness of the problem, but it was too late.

This was the first time in his life he had encountered that kind of terrifying explosive person.

"Fortunately, you're better at escaping."

Ranchi rejoiced.

If Toriado had run a little slower, he would probably have ended up like Beelzebub in the Flower Capital, Pariere.

"And think about why Morodian didn't keep an eye on you for so long during the time you went to the northern border. It's because I attracted all of his attention. He was focused on capturing me. I barely managed to escape from the Protos Empire."

Toriado walked over, put his elbow on Ranchi's shoulder, and added.

"So that's how it is..."

Ranchi muttered to himself.

Recalling the eve of the final battle of Protos, the situation was still unclear at that time. There was no way to determine who was friend and who was foe. Even Xiduo was very suspicious.

"I was just saying why Duke Morodian came to visit me in the principal's office on that rainy night and asked me about you."

Ranchi looked at Toriado and said.

From the result, he believed that he had believed in Xiduo correctly.

It was only today, several months later, that he understood the hidden cause and effect of the entire incident from Xiduo's mouth.

"Hahaha, he still remembers me?"

Toriado gloated and laughed with great satisfaction.

"..."

Ranchi didn't understand why Toriado was laughing the happiest about this matter.

"Alas, there are enemies on both the North and South Continents. Life is really hard."

Toriado felt that life wasn't worth living and shook his head and sighed.

"Why don't you think about why you have so many enemies?!"

Abigail ran over, took a book from the bookshelf, and slammed it hard on Xiduo's head.

She couldn't help but want to skin Toriado alive when she thought about the time she spent alone in the Krete Empire, worrying every day about being targeted by the Destruction Bishop, Ivanos.

"But, Morodian is really bad, okay? If I want to join the Goddess of Destiny, then getting rid of Morodian would definitely be a great good deed."

Xiduo said honestly and sincerely to Abigail.

As he spoke, he smiled himself.

"You don't think it would be fun to make an arrogant mastermind like Morodian frustrated and angry, do you?"

Ranchi felt that Toriado had no respect for the goddess at all.

Not at all like Hyperion, who wanted to accumulate merit.

He only felt Toriado's joy.

"No, I really want to be able to defect to the Church of the Goddess of Destiny someday. Hail the Goddess of Destiny! Have you heard about my donation to the Ikrit Academy? In the future, when I surrender to the Church of the Goddess of Destiny someday, everyone will only think it's reasonable. They will realize that I was bribing High Priest Lauren back then."

Toriado said to Ranchi in a serious manner.

"..."

Ranchi didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell if Toriado was a double agent or not.

"Let's not talk about whether Lauren agrees to your defection or not. Wouldn't the Pope of your Rebirth Church deal with you?"

Sigrid had previously planned to usurp the Pope's position, but at least she was secretly plotting with him. This Toriado was directly shouting slogans, afraid that the Pope wouldn't kill him.

"We must defect! Only defecting is the way out for a cardinal! The Goddess of Destiny will welcome me to heaven!"

Toriado confidently clenched his fist and declared, mixed with a hint of a smile.

"What if the Pope is strong? Whether he can survive coming out of the Ninth Order Doomsday Shadow World is another matter. Even if he can come out, it will be at least a few years later. By then, it will probably be the second season, and the entire North and South Continents will have changed. There will also be new Ninth Orders born. I'll find a Ninth Order backer and won't be afraid of the Pope."

He was already eager to try just by saying it.

Abigail's scalp was tingling, and her teeth were clenching and creaking.

Toriado was causing trouble outside, and she was shivering at home.

If she could reach the Eighth Order someday, the first bishop she would want to kill would be Toriado.

Just as they were talking.

In this mansion, the air suddenly stagnated, and the scenery near the sofa gradually became unstable.

"Oh? There's another person here?"

Toriado felt the spatial fluctuations and only then did he realize that another independent space in this room also separated a life form.

But it probably couldn't trap the other party anymore.

The entire mansion was under Abigail's control, and it was only because the other party had taken the initiative to enter Abigail's trap that they had been able to trap the other party for so long.

"Thanks to those two for helping me put on a show. We really couldn't have relied on you tonight, you useless thing."

Abigail scolded Toriado.

"Oh? It's a girl? And you acted in a scene with her?"

Toriado immediately became interested and asked Ranchi.

"Yes, so what?"

Ranchi replied suspiciously.

"What kind of fairy woman is it that could make you abandon Sigrid and travel with her in the Krete Empire?"

Toriado asked curiously.

"Pfft? Just an older, single, unemployed gray-haired woman, grumpy and gluttonous. Besides being good at taking care of children, her cooking has also been getting better and better recently. It's almost impossible to find any strengths."

Ranchi couldn't help but smile.

He discovered that telepathic communication had been isolated by space, so he took advantage of this time to speak boldly.

"Impossible, I don't believe it. She must be a fairy sister. How could a girl who can act opposite McCarthy be an ordinary person?"

Toriado waved his hand.

"Indeed, she played the gray maiden with quite a bit of comedic effect. When I first saw them, I didn't expect them to be so comedic."

Abigail said.

As the director herself, she was almost deceived by the governor's dignity and the gray maiden's cold beauty at the beginning.

"Impossible. The gray maiden's persona isn't a comedic one. How could she turn my play into this? You two must be messing with me."

Toriado said puzzled.

Although he hadn't seen what tonight's opera had turned into, he firmly believed that a woman who could compete with the Tyrant Church's Sigrid was definitely not a comedic one.

The heavy ancient books on the bookshelf moved without wind, the pages rustling, and even the sandalwood fragrance that filled the air became thick and pungent, an almost invisible warning.

A dazzling blue-white light slashed through the space like a sharp blade, tearing a hideous crack in mid-air.

The edges of the distorted space flickered with electric light, making crackling sounds. From this bizarre portal, Talia burst out like an arrow shot from a bowstring, her golden eyes burning with raging flames, anger and worry intertwined within them.

Talia's movements were as fast as lightning. She landed lightly, her toes barely touching the ground before she had already flashed to Ranchi's side, protecting Ranchi firmly behind her like a lioness guarding her cub.

Talia's gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Abigail and Toriado, the hostility in her eyes almost turning into tangible blades.

"Ranchi, are you hurt?"

Talia asked in a low voice, her mind filled with concern, but her eyes were constantly fixed on Abigail, not even blinking once.

In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire banquet hall became tense, and there were invisible sparks crackling in the air.

Talia, who was about to attack, shifted her gaze to the mysterious man who had appeared next to Abigail. The terrifying general-level magic power made her tremble all over.

Faced with such an opponent, she had no chance to protect Ranchi.

"Wait, we won't attack you."

Abigail raised her hand to signal Talia not to panic.

If an Eighth Order powerhouse desperately attacked them in this place, it would be very bad. In the worst case, it might even destroy the barrier and attract the God of War.

She sensed that Toriado was about to do something and felt bad.

However.

Before she could stop Toriado, Toriado raised his hand and pointed at her again the moment he saw the gray-haired, golden-eyed girl.

"Holy crap, Talia!"

Toriado shouted.

(End of chapter)