Previously, agents of the Slane Theocracy had disguised themselves as soldiers of the Baharuth Empire and carried out a massacre in Carne Village, intending to eliminate the Kingdom's strongest warrior captain, Gazef.
Naturally, the Empire had no intention of taking the blame for something they didn't do.
They launched their own investigation—and what they uncovered led them to two things:
A mysterious and immensely powerful magic caster known as Ainz Ooal Gown…
And a massive, deliberately concealed ruin.
Kirschniv Ruun Farudo was no fool. He wasn't the kind of man to recklessly provoke something that was clearly dangerous.
But at the same time—
There was no way he could simply ignore a ruin of that scale.
So, he quietly spread word through underground channels, commissioning the Empire's "Workers" to investigate the mysterious site.
Workers were a profession unique to the Empire.
Unlike adventurers, they weren't bound by any guild regulations. They worked purely for profit, often operating in gray—or outright illegal—territories. Most of them had little in the way of moral boundaries.
But precisely because of that—
The allure of a massive, unknown ruin was irresistible.
Like sharks catching the scent of blood, they gathered in droves.
—
Inside the imperial palace, Kirschniv sat upon his throne, gazing at the two figures before him—Ren Kuroda and Yuri Alpha.
Without any attempt at subtlety, he stated his intentions outright.
He wanted to recruit Ren.
In fact, he even went so far as to promise that if Ren demonstrated sufficient ability, he could be granted a status equivalent to Gazef's within the Kingdom.
Ren, however, looked at the so-called "Blood Emperor" with a slightly bewildered expression.
He hadn't expected this.
When he first received the Empire's request, he had assumed Kirschniv wanted him to assist in exploring the Great Tomb of Nazarick—after all, he had prior experience working with Blue Rose in investigating the ruins of the Thirteen Heroes.
But instead—
He had been brought directly to the imperial palace and offered a lucrative position.
Ren fell silent for a moment, weighing his options.
He had originally become an adventurer because one of his main system quests required him to reach adamantite rank.
Now that objective was complete.
Which meant—
His identity as an adventurer was no longer essential.
The Kingdom had already been thoroughly infiltrated.
But the Empire…
Nazarick still had little presence there.
Staying here as an undercover agent… actually sounds pretty interesting.
Of course, Ren didn't accept immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and asked:
"Your Majesty, this is our first meeting, isn't it? So tell me—are you really comfortable allowing a complete outsider to join the Empire and hold a high position?What if I were a spy for another faction?"
At that, Kirschniv paused briefly—before breaking into a confident smile.
"In the Baharuth Empire, ability is everything. I have no need for noble parasites who survive on flattery alone."
His gaze sharpened.
"As long as you are capable—and willing to serve the Empire—I don't particularly care whether your loyalty is absolute. That is the same promise I made to my Four Knights."
Hearing that, Ren couldn't help but admit—
Compared to the Kingdom, this emperor was on an entirely different level.
Whether it was charisma, intelligence, or political acumen…
Kirschniv far surpassed the Kingdom's ruler in every aspect.
Unless the Golden Princess—Rana—were to take the throne, the Kingdom's eventual downfall to the Empire was practically inevitable.
"Since Your Majesty has put it that way… I have no issue joining the Empire," Ren said at last.
"But let me make one thing clear."
Even as he spoke, his tone remained calm—yet unyielding.
"We won't kneel to you. Nor will we use excessive honorifics.As for status… there's no need for you to grant it. We'll earn it ourselves through strength."
Before he could finish—
One of the Four Knights standing behind the emperor finally snapped.
Although Kirschniv himself wasn't particularly prideful, Ren's attitude was undeniably arrogant.
Among the Four Knights, the one closest to the emperor—known as "Raikou"—was the first to lose his patience.
With a sharp motion, he drew his massive black greatsword and charged straight at Ren.
"I've wanted to see for myself what an adamantite adventurer is capable of," he declared."They say you rival the Kingdom's strongest warrior. Let's see if that reputation is deserved!"
The Empire's Four Knights—Raikou, Heavy Crash, Gale, and Immovable—were each slightly weaker than Gazef individually.
But together—
They were said to be strong enough to defeat even him.
They were the Empire's ultimate answer to the Kingdom's strongest warrior.
And to recruit them, Kirschniv had granted extraordinary privileges—freedom of speech, no demand for absolute loyalty, even the right to retreat in the face of danger.
As Raikou attacked—
Kirschniv simply watched.
He didn't stop him.
Because he, too, wanted to see whether Ren's rumored strength was real—or just exaggerated hearsay.
Raikou was a towering man, easily two heads taller than Ren.
With a roar, he swung his greatsword downward, aiming to cleave Ren in two—
Only to freeze in shock at what happened next.
Ren raised one hand.
And casually—
Caught the blade.
Barehanded.
Yes.
A strike powerful enough to split an ogre in half… had been stopped with a single hand.
Raikou's eyes widened in disbelief.
Veins bulged across his arms as he poured all his strength into the weapon—but it didn't budge even an inch.
Then—
A tremendous force surged back through the blade.
Before he could react, Raikou was sent flying, his body thrown backward at an even greater speed than his initial charge, crashing behind the emperor like a discarded rag.
"The Empire's Four Knights, huh…" Ren remarked, flexing his fingers slightly."Not bad—but not quite what I expected. Looks like I've got a decent shot at that captain's position after all."
The Four Knights were evenly matched among themselves, constantly competing for dominance.
Seeing Raikou humiliated so thoroughly in front of the emperor—
The remaining three had no intention of standing by.
They rushed forward together.
But before they could even reach Ren—
Yuri Alpha, who had been standing quietly behind him, stepped forward.
In the next instant—
Three figures were sent flying simultaneously.
Even the knight known as "Immovable," famed for his impenetrable defense, had his massive shield shattered into pieces by a single strike from Yuri.