After finishing his conversation with Renner, Naohara did not immediately return to Nazarick.
Since the work was done, it was time to relax a little.
The Kingdom was lively under the night sky.
Many stalls lined both sides of the streets. The vendors' calls and the customers' bargaining filled the air one after another.
This was the Kingdom's capital, far from the battlefield of the Katze Plains. The common people, unaware of the truth, continued living their usual daily lives.
No one could have imagined that the Empire's army had already achieved victory and was now marching here.
Amid the bustling crowd, Naohara, dressed in casual clothes, wandered leisurely through the streets.
"Boss, two roasted sweet potatoes."
"Alright, five copper coins."
As he passed a stall, the smell of roasted sweet potatoes caught his attention, making him stop.
Naohara casually placed a gold coin on the table. As the vendor thanked him repeatedly, he simply said there was no need for change.
Holding the steaming roasted sweet potatoes, he casually sat down on a small stool beside the stall and began eating.
After getting used to the delicacies of Nazarick, occasionally trying street food had its own charm.
Naohara ate the roasted sweet potatoes while watching the people passing by.
At the same time, he wondered where he should go next.
Seeing different sights and exploring unfamiliar places was one of his favorite things to do.
Who knew, he might even find a few treasure chests hidden somewhere in a corner.
Just as Naohara was lost in random thoughts, a burst of noise interrupted him.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter."
The hurried sound of horse hooves echoed through the street. Looking up, he saw a group of cavalry galloping through the crowded road.
"His Highness is passing through! Clear the way!"
At the front, a soldier in armor kept shouting while forcing the surrounding crowd to move aside.
In the middle of the formation, a sturdy man was being escorted by the soldiers.
"Hmph. A bunch of ignorant peasants. Always blocking the road."
The First Prince looked at the panicked civilians on both sides with an impatient expression, his eyes full of disdain.
His mood had been terrible lately.
First, his sister had abolished slavery, which had strained the relationship between the royal family and the nobles.
Then the Empire went to war with the Kingdom. When he offered his advice out of goodwill, his father rejected it outright.
On top of that, his younger brother was constantly eyeing his position.
The First Prince was extremely frustrated.
The only comforting thing was that his noble father in law still supported him, and he remained the most likely heir to the throne.
"Hmph. Once I inherit the throne, I will deal with all of you."
The First Prince thought viciously.
Holding grudges against both of them, he had already decided that once he became king, he would use his sister Renner as a political marriage tool to strengthen his position.
As for his younger brother Zanac, he would simply find a chance to eliminate him.
"Your Highness, the road has been cleared."
At that moment, a soldier ahead shouted.
"Good. Then continue forward."
The First Prince showed little interest and simply waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to speed up.
Not long ago, he had received an urgent notice ordering him to immediately attend an emergency meeting at the palace.
Although he did not know the exact situation, arriving first would still leave a good impression on his father.
His eyes casually swept across the crowd.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped at a corner.
"That person... looks a bit familiar."
Seeing the figure eating roasted sweet potatoes, the First Prince frowned slightly.
Before he could think further, the carriage had already rushed toward the royal palace and disappeared down the street.
...
Elsewhere.
"It seems the Kingdom has already received news of the defeat. Some nobles are going to have a headache."
After swallowing the last bite of sweet potato, Naohara clapped his hands and disappeared into the crowd.
There was nothing in the Kingdom worth paying attention to.
With Renner and the Bloody Emperor cooperating from both inside and outside, the rotten Kingdom had no chance of stopping the Empire's advance.
Time passed quickly.
Naohara's figure moved through every corner of the city.
Along the way, he looked around here and there, taking in quite a few interesting sights and clearly enjoying himself.
If there was one regret, it was probably that he still had not found a single treasure chest.
[Message]
A familiar magical ripple brushed against his soul. Naohara paused, then moved into a dark corner, where his figure vanished in an instant.
Inside a mansion located in the central district of the Kingdom.
This was the residence the First Prince had gifted to the three of them through his subordinates when they first came to the Kingdom.
Leaning back on the sofa, Naohara cast a soundproofing spell before finally accepting the call.
"Naohara-dono, I hope I'm not disturbing your leisure."
A familiar voice came through. There was no need to say who it was. Other than the Bloody Emperor, there was no second person who addressed him as dono.
"Jirc, what is it?"
"Did something happen over in E-Rantel?"
"Nothing's wrong there. With the Adventurer's Guild's help, the Empire's army infiltrated E-Rantel quite easily. We should be able to take it without much effort very soon."
"Then what is it?"
"Well... someone from the Slane Theocracy has arrived."
Naohara was briefly taken aback, but he quickly understood the reason.
"The Former Black Scripture?"
Thinking about it, enough time had already passed. It was not strange for the Theocracy to discover that the Former Black Scripture had gone missing. If anything, it was a little late.
"That's right, Naohara-dono. What should we do next?"
The Bloody Emperor's voice sounded a little hurried.
Although he had already seen Nazarick's power, facing the Slane Theocracy founded by the Six Great Gods still left the Bloody Emperor unable to remain calm.
"Don't worry about it. Just tell them the truth. Inform the Theocracy that after some time, I will personally bring the [Former Black Scripture] to pay them a visit and discuss compensation."
"Hm... as a Player."
Naohara said it casually.
He was not the least bit worried about the threat posed by the Theocracy. The power of a World Boss was his greatest source of confidence.
Of course, just to be safe, he was not going in without preparations.
When the time came, he would bring seven or eight World-Class Items with him.
"Player?"
"Just say it like that. Alright, that's enough. I've got something else to do, so I'm hanging up."
"?"
E-Rantel.
"Naohara-dono really is..."
Feeling the Message cut off one sidedly in his mind, the Bloody Emperor shook his head, looking rather helpless.
...
On the other side.
Just as Naohara was about to continue wandering around, another Message made him stop in his tracks.
[Message]
"Hey, Momonga, what is it?"
Naohara accepted the Message, but a few seconds later, his expression changed instantly.
"You're finally awake? I'm coming back right now!"
[World Teleportation]
Wild Magic activated, tearing open a gap in space, and Naohara's figure vanished from where he stood in an instant.