Chapter 36

The reputation of Cindy, the youngest daughter of Golden Maggot Volf, was extremely negative.

It couldn’t be helped.
The recent events were far too coincidental. Not long after Volf suddenly died of an acute illness, Derek and Cedric were also murdered at the same time.

With the head of the household, the eldest son, and the second son all dead at once—and Volf having lost his wife over a decade ago—Cindy was left to inherit the vast fortune of Golden Maggot alone.

Suspicious no matter how one looked at it. Gossipers spread rumors that all of it had been Cindy’s scheme.

While Derek and Cedric acted as executives of the merchant guild in the Demon Realm, Cindy had lived inside the Wall. That meant Volf had never intended to pass the guild down to her.

The youngest daughter, dissatisfied with discrimination, one day hardened her heart and murdered her family…

“Thank you for accepting my invitation so readily. My name is Cynthia.”

The subject of those rumors spoke first.

‘Is she using an alias?’

Cindy had never engaged in public activities. Very few people knew her face, so using a false name made it easy to conceal her identity.

But that lie wouldn’t deceive Woojin. Fragments of memories from the brothers Derek and Cedric still remained in his mind.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cynthia. May I ask why you summoned me here?”

At his question, Cindy smiled brightly.

“I love stories about adventures. I especially love the heroes within them! If I could treat Sir Jin to a meal and hear those adventure stories in person… it would be such a joy. Would that be possible?”

Cindy skillfully pretended to be an innocent, carefree young girl. The typical image of a wealthy family’s youngest daughter. It seemed she intended to steer the conversation while concealing her identity.

For now, it would be best to play along.

“I don’t mind. I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”
“Thank you! I’ve gained another boast for today. I should at least serve the appetizers before Sir Jin changes his mind.”

Speaking cheerfully, Cindy rose from her seat. Woojin followed her into the dining room. They sat facing each other at a round table, and before long, appetizers and expensive liquor were served.

“I suppose I’ll have to drink juice. Unfortunately, I’m not old enough to drink alcohol…”

Saying so, Cindy sipped her grape juice. Woojin also took a sip from his glass.

‘The alcohol content is a bit high.’

A richly aromatic red wine. Perfect for getting a guest pleasantly intoxicated. A moderate amount of alcohol inevitably loosens a person’s tongue.

Woojin drank as though he were completely off guard. That way, it would be easier to uncover Cindy’s true purpose.

“Which story would you like to hear first?”
“I’d like to hear about the expedition! I heard a huge monster appeared—was that really true?”

The two began their conversation.

Each time Woojin shared one of his experiences, Cindy responded with sparkling eyes, as if the stories fascinated her immensely.

…Honestly, it was a tiresome act for both of them.

Neither the storyteller nor the listener truly cared about the content. It was merely a meaningless exchange, each concealing their true intentions.

Of course, only Woojin recognized the situation clearly. Cindy believed she held control of the conversation. Her social finesse was so refined that it would have been stranger not to be deceived.

Which meant it was about time her real motive surfaced.

“…… I heard you were also entrusted with transporting the fortune of a very famous merchant.”

Cindy subtly steered the topic.

“Are you referring to Golden Maggot Volf?”
“Ah! Yes, that’s right. I heard something very strange happened while his estate was being moved to the Wall. They say two men suddenly turned into monsters… Did that truly happen?”

Woojin nodded without hesitation.

“It did. It may sound unbelievable, but during the commission, Golden Maggot’s two sons transformed into monsters.”
“I see.”

After receiving his confirmation, Cindy sat silently for a moment… then suddenly asked:

“…… Why do you think that happened?”

Woojin pretended to think before answering.

“Looking back now… there were a few unnatural situations during the commission. Perhaps that was the issue.”
“Could you explain in more detail?”

Cindy immediately took the bait.

Though she carefully managed her expression, she seemed almost impatient to hear the rest. The moment Woojin saw that, his suspicion turned into certainty.

The reason Cindy was hosting him like this was to extract information from the only person who had been at the scene.

‘As I thought… Cindy wasn’t involved in this incident.’

Rumor had it that the murder of Golden Maggot and his two sons had been the youngest daughter’s doing. But if one looked deeper, the situation was the exact opposite.

Cindy had no reason to kill her family.

‘Because Golden Maggot had personally designated her as his heir.’

Volf had long recognized the talent his youngest daughter possessed. That was why he entrusted his sons with the dangerous and grueling fieldwork, while Cindy remained inside the Wall preparing to inherit the guild.

Derek and Cedric had accepted this as well. They knew their abilities were inferior to their sister’s. For the sake of the guild, the two sons had yielded the position of heir to Cindy without much regret.

The family of Golden Maggot had, in fact, been close.

…Which meant there was only one reason Cindy had come to the Demon Realm today.

‘Revenge.’

The heir of Golden Maggot was desperate to find the one who had killed her family.

‘How should I handle this…?’

Naturally, his thoughts lengthened. When Woojin spent a long moment silently sipping his drink, Cindy—perhaps growing anxious—spoke.

“Do you need more wine? I happen to have several fine bottles in the cellar.”
“That won’t be necessary… but I do have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Reveal your true identity. If you do, I will share my information.”

Let’s show each other our cards.

At those words, Cindy hesitated briefly before smiling. Her expression management was a beat too slow.

“…… I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

It was the response he had expected.

The reason Cindy gathered information in such a roundabout way was because she had learned a lesson from her family’s deaths: she needed to move more cautiously and in greater secrecy.

If word spread that the youngest daughter of Golden Maggot was here, she might be assassinated in the same manner as her family.

…But at this rate, negotiations could not continue.

“It seems I should be heading back.”

Woojin made preparations to leave. Flustered, Cindy hurriedly stood up as well.

“Where are you going all of a sudden?”
“My stomach feels a bit heavy. I don’t think there’s any need to stay for dessert.”

Replying casually, he began walking toward the entrance. The young man acting as gatekeeper moved as if to block his path…

But he had no justification to detain someone who wished to leave, so he hesitated awkwardly. Then Cindy, who had followed behind, gave him a subtle signal, and he quickly opened the door.

“If you change your mind someday, please contact me.”

With those final words, Woojin stepped out of the mansion and walked away at an unhurried pace. The back of his head tingled slightly, as if Cindy were still watching him.

‘There’s no other way.’

After much deliberation, he reached a conclusion…

If he was going to help, he had to help properly. If not, he shouldn’t help at all. Handing over vague bits of information and withdrawing would only make things more troublesome.

‘That witch is far too dangerous.’

She possessed the ability to mimic other people’s appearances. On top of that, her skills as an assassin were exceptional.

Cindy couldn’t handle such a being alone.

If he carelessly shared information, Cindy would likely chase the witch by herself. And if things unfolded that way, she wouldn’t get her revenge—she would be killed instead.

He didn’t like the idea of that girl dying.

Though he had met her for the first time today, perhaps because he had inherited fragments of Derek and Cedric’s memories, she didn’t feel like a complete stranger. If she were to die due to a misstep, it felt as though it would leave him unsettled even in his dreams.

In that sense…

When Woojin demanded that Cindy reveal her identity, it wasn’t merely to exchange information. He intended to become an ally who understood the internal circumstances.

‘…It seems I may have made her more wary instead… Well, if I wait, she’ll contact me eventually.’

At this point in time, Woojin was the only one who possessed the relevant information. Even if Cindy found him suspicious, she would ultimately have no choice but to seek his help.

‘A witch hunt.’

A hunt he had never experienced before.

How should he deal with that witch? He would need to consider it carefully and assess the situation.

**

The first expedition proceeded smoothly.

With well-trained soldiers and knights leading the charge, most demonic beasts were dealt with swiftly.

“…It feels like the demonic beasts have grown weaker somehow.”

Bow muttered suddenly. Standing beside him, Woojin looked puzzled.

“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. Compared to a few years ago, the demonic beasts are definitely weaker. It’s not just my imagination.”

Bow could use his mind’s eye to glimpse the true nature of his opponents. Through that insight, he perceived that the demonic beasts’ overall power had diminished.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is… but if we could determine the cause, wouldn’t conquering the Demon Realm become even easier? Yet no matter how I think about it, I can’t make sense of it.”

There was no clue regarding this mysterious phenomenon. No matter how long they pondered it, no answer would come.

Perhaps because the demonic beasts were weaker than in the past, the first expedition progressed far more quickly than the Order Alliance had anticipated.

…But problems inevitably arose.

“There’s an issue in the Fourth Pioneer City.”

Roland brought the news he had received through a messenger. Bow tilted his head.

“That’s the district assigned to Morian’s followers, isn’t it? Why would there be a problem? Their forces are stronger than ours.”
“They say the terrain is the issue. Spider-type demonic beasts have taken over a cave, and they’ve spun so much webbing that entry is impossible.”
“…Just hearing about it gives me a headache.”

Avoiding spider-type demonic beasts was usually the wisest course.

However, the cave they had occupied was believed to contain a Rift Core. To purify the Demon Realm, they would have to break through it somehow.

“Hey, Jin. Do you happen to have a good idea?”

Bow asked Woojin, who stood beside him. After a moment’s thought, Woojin replied,

“I’ll need to see it with my own eyes to judge properly. Let’s head to that city tomorrow.”
“I feel like we’re troubling you too much…”
“It’s fine. I have nothing better to do anyway.”

It would take some time before he could begin the witch hunt. One might say it required a certain period of preparation.

Until then, he had little else to occupy himself with, and boasting his strength against weakened demonic beasts was beginning to grow tedious. A change of scenery by visiting another city wouldn’t be a bad idea.

…The next morning, early.

Woojin prepared to leave the city with a messenger. The messenger’s face looked familiar.

“Raymond. It’s been quite some time.”
“Indeed it has.”

Raymond let out a faint chuckle. He had been struggling with messenger duties.

In truth, it was effectively a punishment.

Raymond had failed a major mission—the murder of the Derek and Cedric brothers. As a result, he had been assigned tasks that other paladins tended to avoid.

“Looks like I’ll be sweating through another long march…”

Sighing, Raymond slung his pack over his shoulder. In response, Woojin grinned and let out a whistle.

Fweeet—

Wolves came running. Woojin beckoned the brown wolf, Sean, closer.

“Ride on this one’s back.”
“…Oh, Goddess above.”

It was the moment one man’s dream came true.