The palace interrogation chambers echoed with muffled screams as soldiers dragged away the two failed assassins. Damian stood still, his arms crossed, watching without expression.
AI: "Interrogation efficiency: 72%. Truth extraction probability within 48 hours—high. Your presence here is no longer necessary."
Damian nodded. "Then I'll leave it to them."
The soldiers bowed in relief as he turned on his heel and walked out of the chamber. His footsteps were calm, unhurried. He had no interest in wasting his time on men already broken.
The capital was restless. News of the failed assassination at the banquet had already spread, and whispers of Damian's intervention traveled faster than wildfire.
As he walked through the city streets, merchants whispered behind their stalls. Adventurers pointed subtly. Children tugged at their mothers' sleeves, eyes wide with awe.
But Damian ignored it all.
AI: "Recommendation: expand connections. Current reputation level: rising rapidly. Strategic alliances will ensure survival until higher levels are achieved."
"Mm. Then where do we start?" Damian muttered.
AI: "Location: Adventurers' Guild. Political hub: Noble Council chambers. Civil network expansion: Merchant districts. Suggestion: begin with Selena."
His eyes narrowed. "…Selena?"
When he arrived at the garden courtyard of the palace, she was already waiting. Selena, the white-haired beauty from the banquet, stood beneath a flowering tree, sunlight glimmering against her hair like woven silver.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.
"You came."
Damian stopped a few steps away. "…You asked for me."
She laughed softly, not offended by his coldness. "Yes. I thought the hero who saved my life deserved at least a proper thank-you."
"I don't need thanks," Damian replied flatly. "I did what was necessary."
Selena tilted her head, studying him with quiet curiosity. "Always so serious. You remind me of a blade sharp, cold, and unyielding."
"…A blade breaks," he said, his gaze distant. "I intend to be something more."
There was silence for a moment, then she smiled faintly. "Then let me walk beside you, Damian. If you'll allow it."
Later that evening, Damian sat at a quiet tavern corner with Selena across from him. Maps of the region lay on the table, along with coded letters she had "borrowed" from the royal archives.
"The attack wasn't random," Selena whispered. "There are movements in the borderlands… monsters gathering, far more than usual. Some even speak of a commander directing them."
Damian's fingers tapped the table. His AI whispered in his mind:
AI: "Threat level estimation: High. Probability of large-scale invasion within three months—68% and rising."
"…So the assassins were only the beginning," Damian muttered.
Selena leaned closer. "If war is coming, you won't be able to stand alone forever. You'll need allies."
His eyes met hers, cold yet unshaken. "Allies are useful… until they become dead weight."
She didn't flinch. "Then I'll just have to prove I'm not."
That night, Damian stood atop the city walls, looking out at the distant horizon. The stars above shimmered, and somewhere in the distance, the faint rumble of thunder echoed.
["AI: "alert.. large number of demons detected and a strong individual demon among them "]
Damian clenched his fist, mana flickering faintly around his arm.
"…Let it come."