So, Kyle gets his gear ready and tells everyone he’s heading back to Governor Bax’s mansion to investigate. Naturally, the rest of the gang agrees to tag along—because what’s an ominous death trap without friends?
On the way, Theron asks Kyle if he’s really sure there’s a secret passage. Kyle, brimming with confidence he doesn’t actually have, assures him it definitely exists… somewhere… probably.
Then Urza asks why he wanted her help specifically. Kyle calmly explains that he needs her to move tons of rubble with magic so they can find the entrance. Urza immediately stops in her tracks, squints at him, and basically says: “Excuse me? Did you just volunteer me for rock duty in this demolition site scavenger hunt?” Kyle, with all the seriousness of a man about to be punched, confirms that yes—he wants her to shovel magically.
To sweeten the deal, he adds that he has plenty of mana potions to keep her going. Urza clenches her fist, resisting the urge to rearrange his face, and asks if he has ever actually tasted one. Kyle grimly nods. They do work wonders for restoring mana, but they taste like liquefied garbage mixed with regret. He understands why Urza doesn’t want to chug them, but pleads with her anyway since it’s their only chance to save Gazas.
Even Liese and Theron join in asking her to reconsider. Cornered by sincere faces and peer pressure, Urza sighs, sacrifices her dignity (and taste buds), grabs the box of potions, and stomps off to get started.
Once she’s gone, Kyle turns to Theron and asks if he’s sure the demon who attacked Gou’s house was male. Theron, with the confidence of a man whose expertise is oddly specific, admits he only caught a glimpse—but he knows the difference between a girl’s butt and a guy’s butt. That was definitely a guy. Since Kyle had faced a female demon at the embassy, that means there are at least two demons currently in Karan.
Hours pass, and poor Urza is still forcing down those vile potions while her summoned gnome shifts rubble. She looks like she’s on the verge of throwing up, but her suffering pays off when the gnome uncovers a hidden trapdoor. Jackpot. This must be the secret passage Kyle was talking about (yay, he was right for once).
The group heads in, with Kyle warning everyone to stay sharp—there could be demons lurking. Theron, still shaken from earlier, admits the demon he fought was insanely strong, maybe even as scary as his mother when she’s angry. Kyle agrees, adding that demons are physically stronger than humans, so comparing one to Theron’s mom is fair… but also warns him not to let Leila find out he said that. She’d probably kill him twice for good measure.
Urza grudgingly admits Kyle seems to know a lot about demons. He replies that they’re dangerous enough to require that level of caution. Then, concerned about her drained mana and Liese’s inexperience, he suggests they shouldn’t continue. Of course, both immediately get in his face and refuse. Urza especially—because after downing all those revolting potions, she’s not leaving until this mission pays off.
Kyle, realizing there’s no winning this argument, decides to convince himself it’ll all be fine. After all, he’s got Theron with him. How bad could it be?
Just then, Liese spots something at the end of the passage. They rush over and find a table with a corpse laid out on it. Kyle instantly recognizes what’s happening here because he’s seen it before. The others, however, are clueless—so Sildonia steps in to explain. This isn’t just any corpse. This is the setup for a forbidden rite.
Theron asks what’s so “forbidden” about this ritual, and Sildonia explains: it’s basically a magic scam that converts life force into pure mana. They look closer at the dried-up body on the table—seriously, the guy looks drier than a desert and deader than Kyle’s social life—and realize it was actually Bax’s head butler. As for the pile of corpses nearby? Yep, those must be the poor souls who were kidnapped. That confirms it: Bax was definitely involved.
Even with that revelation, Liese still doesn’t get why someone would need so much mana that they’d drain innocent people like juice boxes. Sildonia examines the magic circle and explains it’s designed to slowly squeeze energy out of victims like sponges. But the problem? The catalyst is weak. If overloaded, it’ll backfire spectacularly and blow half the city sky-high.
As if half the city being vaporized wasn’t bad enough, Kyle points out the scarier part: what kind of spell would need this much mana in the first place? Sildonia says she can analyze it to figure that out—but before she can start, she senses someone approaching. Everyone dives for cover like kids hiding during hide-and-seek.
A moment later, two demons enter the room. Ganias is thrilled to see the ritual has finished draining the butler. Meanwhile, Yuriga just stands there in silence, which annoys him. He asks if it would kill her to actually talk since, in his opinion, he hasn’t done anything wrong. Sure, they had to cut a deal with a human, but hey—everything worked out, right?
Not convinced, Yuriga asks if bombing the embassy was part of the plan. Ganias insists that wasn’t on him; their human co-conspirator requested it. Same with blowing up that random house—it was just a “diversion” for a staged abduction. Besides, he proudly adds, he hasn’t technically broken the rule about “minimizing casualties.” And in the end, it’s all for the item their king wants.
Yuriga understands but still fumes about working with filthy humans. After bickering like coworkers forced into a team project, they both leave.
The group finally breathes again, relieved they weren’t caught. Sildonia points out that it’s odd demons were told to minimize casualties—she’s never heard of a demon king with a soft spot for humans. Kyle brushes it off, saying what matters is they gathered valuable intel. Now all that’s left is finding Bax and Gazas.
They head deeper into the cave and, weirdly enough, stumble into a room that looks more like a fancy furniture showroom than a lair of evil. By one of the chairs lies Gazas, tied up but alive. The group rushes over, relieved but also puzzled about who tied him up in the first place.
That’s when an old man’s voice booms across the room, demanding to know who they are and how they got in. Enter Governor Bax, alive and cranky. Once he realizes they’re emissaries from Zergus, he starts ranting about protecting Karan from both the Empire and the Kingdom at all costs.
The group stares, baffled. Protect? This is the same guy who’s been kidnapping townsfolk and sucking them dry like magical Capri Suns. Bax refuses to explain his true motive—until Gazas finally speaks up. He reveals the truth: the Orain (mana supply) beneath Karan is about to run dry, and once it’s gone… the entire city will lose everything.
All the jobs in Karan would vanish overnight. The skilled craftsmen would pack up their tools, move elsewhere, and before long the city would likely get invaded. Bax wanted to stop that from happening, and at first Gazas was willing to help—but then Bax started rambling about “sacrifices,” and that’s when the partnership nosedived.
Sildonia takes one look at Bax and immediately diagnoses him as terminally ill. Honestly, the man looks like he’s held together by sheer stubbornness; it’d be a miracle if he survived another month. Kyle assumes the demons must have taken advantage of his frailty to rope him into a deal.
But then—cue dramatic lighting—Ganias steps out of the shadows. “Trick him? Please. We just made a deal.”
Kyle asks what he means by “deal,” and of course Ganias seizes the opportunity to indulge in his favorite pastime: long-winded villain monologues.
He explains that the city of Karan was originally founded when Orvain ore veins were magically consolidated into the mountain. So naturally, the same kind of magic could be used to draw up more ores. That, he declares, was the purpose of the forbidden ritual. But demons aren’t in the charity business—they wouldn’t agree without something in return.
And here comes the big reveal: what Ganias really wants is the Holy Sword. Yes, the Holy Sword, the blade that killed the former Demon King. Naturally, the current Demon King wants to claim it for himself—call it a family heirloom upgrade.
Kyle, realizing he can milk more info out of Ganias, acts like he had no idea the Holy Sword was even in Karan. He feigns shock, calls Ganias a genius, and generally inflates the demon’s ego like a parade balloon. Thrilled, Ganias happily elaborates: he was originally on a simple reconnaissance mission. But when he discovered both the Holy Sword and Bax’s worries, he swooped in with a proposition. Desperate Bax signed on immediately.
Before Ganias can reveal even more, Yuriga arrives and cuts him off. “Shut your mouth already.” The party realizes the free info buffet is officially closed.
Kyle draws his sword, ready for a fight. Ganias shrugs—sure, he may have over-shared, but who cares? He’ll just kill them all. Yuriga objects, reminding him the Demon King gave strict orders to avoid excessive human casualties. But Ganias insists these humans already know too much, which totally isn’t his fault, by the way. Only option: wipe them out.
At this point, Bax panics. He shouts about their “deal”—he promised them the Holy Sword if they used magic to restore Karan’s mines. Kyle sighs and tells him to stop being so naïve. “Come on, you really thought demons would honor a contract with a human? That’s like trusting a fox to babysit your chickens.”
Ganias sneers. He claims he was going to use Earth Transformation magic to restore the mines… but since the catalyst is overloaded, it would probably just blow up the entire city instead. And frankly? He doesn’t care.
Of course, Ganias doesn’t care what happens to the city. Why would he? He’s got Demon King brownie points to earn. Bax, however, is floored. After all the sleepless nights, scheming, and sacrificing innocent people, now he learns the plan was basically a glorified “oops, might blow up the city anyway.” His shocked outburst doesn’t help, so Theron promptly knocks him out cold and asks Gazas to keep an eye on him.
Ganias, ever the multitasker, assigns battle partners like he’s running a tournament bracket. “Yuriga, you handle Lee and Urza. I’ll take care of Kyle and Theron.”
But when Kyle draws his sword, ready for a two-vs-one, Theron casually bows out. “Actually, I’ve got something else to do.” Translation: Good luck, buddy, don’t die. Now Kyle is stuck soloing a magic-spamming demon.
Meanwhile, Yuriga offers Lee and Urza a get-out-of-jail-free card: “Walk away now, and I’ll let you live.” The two immediately suspect a trap—because, let’s be real, when does a demon ever hand out mercy coupons? But shockingly, she’s dead serious. Orders are orders, and hers are to minimize human casualties. Still, Lee and Urza aren’t about to tuck tail, so they attack… and promptly get tossed around like ragdolls.
Watching this, Sylvia nudges Theron and asks if he’s going to help. He shrugs. “Nah, they’ll be fine. She’s clearly holding back. Besides, free training!” (Nothing like getting pummeled by a demon to boost your XP.)
But Theron isn’t slacking—he hands Sildonia a crystal he swiped from Bax. She inspects it and confirms what he suspected: it’s a concealment crystal, designed to hide the presence of a powerful item. Conveniently, Theron had noticed Bax’s eyes darting toward a certain corner when the Holy Sword was mentioned. So, he smashes the crystal, and—poof—the concealment drops.
Sure enough, something’s hidden there. Theron strides over, slices through the illusion, and finds a box. He slashes it open… and his sword shatters. (RIP sword—you served well.) But inside gleams the Holy Sword, and with that in hand, Theron can finally rejoin the fight. Meanwhile, poor Kyle has been stalling Ganias the whole time, dodging spells like it’s a bullet-hell video game.
