"Over here, here, and here too. Move all of it."
At Eight Fingers' headquarters, under Sebas's watchful eye, countless insects of every size swarmed through the air, carrying off mountains of supplies without pause.
Entoma stood to the side directing them. Every one of those insects had been summoned through her class, [Insect Master].
"Sebas-sama, do we really have to take all of this?"
Entoma watched as the building itself was gradually being dismantled, her voice full of confusion.
"Everything. Leave nothing behind."
The command from the Supreme Beings was to take all of Eight Fingers' wealth. So whether it was the building or anything else, even a single stone had to be hauled away.
"Uu… okay."
"Good. Then I'll leave this to you. I'm going to Yuri's side to help. Once you're finished here, hurry over."
"Yes, Sebas-sama~"
Entoma nodded obediently.
"Oh, and if Kingdom soldiers show up, leave immediately. The Supreme Beings told us not to create unnecessary conflict with the Kingdom."
"If anything unexpected happens, contact Shalltear-sama right away."
Sebas paused at the doorway and turned back, still a little uneasy as he gave his reminders.
"Understood!"
Only after making sure everything was in order did Sebas depart.
Entoma stared at the building in front of her, scratched her head, then summoned even more insects. She would have to speed things up.
Small insects carried small items, and large insects carried large items. The swarm bustled about, hard at work.
"Everyone, do your best and move everything quickly!"
Entoma continued directing the insects while wiping at the sweat that wasn't there.
She knew perfectly well she couldn't sweat, but she still made the motion out of habit, which somehow made her look adorably earnest.
...
Meanwhile, the Kingdom was moving as well.
From captured members of Eight Fingers, they quickly obtained the locations of the remaining strongholds.
With Blue Roses at the forefront, the operation advanced with unstoppable momentum, rapidly destroying one Eight Fingers base after another.
But as they pressed on, Blue Roses ran into something strange.
"This is weird. Why are all these bases completely empty?"
"Did Eight Fingers move everything ahead of time?"
"Moving valuables and documents is one thing, but why did they even tear the buildings down?"
Staring at the empty lot in front of them, Gagaran couldn't help complaining.
If they didn't have proof, who would ever believe this place had once been an Eight Fingers base?
It was like a swarm of locusts had swept through. Nothing left behind.
Blue Roses had never seen greed taken to this extreme.
"Something's not right. This might not be as simple as it looks."
Evileye stepped forward, her expression unusually grave.
"Evileye, did you notice something?"
Lakyus asked. To be honest, she had the same bad feeling.
As a Cleric, Lakyus could sense certain things in a way others couldn't. It was her gift.
"I'm picking up a special kind of aura. It feels a lot like the Demon God of Insects I fought before."
"But there's also something unfamiliar about it, so I can't be completely sure."
As Evileye activated her perception magic, she explained it to the members of Blue Roses.
As one of the former Thirteen Heroes, Evileye had fought alongside her companions two hundred years ago, slaying more than a few Demon Gods.
The Demon God of Insects had left the deepest impression on her. To kill it, Evileye had even developed a special spell called [Vermin Bane].
Demon Gods.
The moment that term came up, Lakyus and the others immediately understood how serious this was.
This was the Kingdom, and yet there might be a Demon God here.
And it seemed to be looting Eight Fingers' strongholds.
The whole thing was beyond absurd.
Did Demon Gods need money too?
"What do we do next? Are we heading to the next base?"
Tina was the first to speak. The possible presence of a Demon God forced them to make a decision.
Should they continue investigating, or withdraw for now?
"…We're going."
"We have to get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, the Kingdom could be in danger."
Lakyus took a deep breath, her expression firm.
She cared deeply about the Kingdom.
Whether for her close friend Princess Renner, her duty as a noble, or simply her own sense of responsibility, she couldn't turn a blind eye.
"Evileye, please track them."
The others were momentarily stunned by Lakyus's decisiveness, then quickly grew serious as well.
"Understood. Don't worry. Even if it really is the Demon God of Insects, if I defeated it once, I can defeat it again!"
Sensing Lakyus's resolve, Evileye nodded and gave everyone a surge of confidence.
Evileye was very confident in her own strength. Aside from that guy Naohara, if she claimed second place in the Kingdom, no one would dare claim first.
Besides, if the enemy truly carried the aura of the Demon God of Insects, her [Vermin Bane] magic would directly counter it.
"Let's send that guy a message too. I'll let him see just how capable I am."
Naohara's figure flashed through her mind. Evileye suddenly felt this was the perfect chance to show off.
Without hesitation, she activated her message spell and sent Naohara a transmission.
Since both of them were within the Kingdom, it should reach him in about half an hour.
"Let's go. They should be in that direction."
After sending the message, Evileye relied on her vampire senses to lock onto a direction and pointed it out.
"Alright. If we use the magic carpet from here, it'll only take about the time of a cup of tea. Let's move."
Lakyus immediately took out a flying magic item. The members of Blue Roses stepped onto it.
Carried by the magic carpet, they sped toward their destination.
At the same time, they entered a combat-ready state, prepared for whatever awaited them.
It wasn't long before Blue Roses noticed something unusual.
In the sky ahead, countless insects filled the air, swarming densely enough to make one's skin crawl.
There were all kinds. Some were only the size of a fist, while others were nearly as large as Gagaran.
"Everyone, be careful."
Lakyus raised a hand, signaling the group to stay quiet. The magic carpet slowly descended to the ground.
Moving cautiously, they finally spotted a girl at what had once been an Eight Fingers base.
She wore a cute maid outfit. Her slender calves were wrapped in rune-etched stockings. Petite in stature, she gave off a faint, pleasant giggle if one listened closely.
Yet Blue Roses did not dare treat her as an ordinary girl.
Instead, all of them felt a chill run down their spines.
Even Evileye frowned.
Countless insects surrounded the girl, swirling around her like dancers. She directed them casually, creating a scene that was both beautiful and deeply unsettling.
"Oh? Why has someone arrived so quickly?"
"Mm… should I retreat?"