Midnight.
Suna was still racking her brain, trying to exorcise Truth.
She had already tested every holy item in her possession, one by one, but not a single one caused the “black smoke” reaction described in the books.
“That’s strange…”
She picked up a crystal necklace and draped it over Truth’s head. Nothing happened.
“Could it be that demons aren’t afraid of holy power at all? Or… has the demon already left your body?”
Truth: “－ω－”
That’s because I’m a high-ranking demon, duh.
High-ranking demons are practically immune to holy damage.
Besides, I’m using the Priest panel now— officially a human, thank you very much.
Eventually, Suna couldn’t resist the pull of sleep any longer and collapsed onto her desk.
She’d been running on edge the entire day.
Truth, meanwhile, sat quietly beside her, flipping through records of what her fellow demons had been up to over the last five hundred years.
“Murder… pranks… tricking people into contracts… Seriously? After all this time, these demon NPCs are still stuck doing the same things? Even the succubi have started getting accepted into human society, and you guys are still acting like elite dungeon mobs!”
She shut the book with a sigh, looking thoroughly disappointed.
The whole reason she’d picked the demon race before getting isekai’d was for blood magic— great for combat.
The only drawback? Blood demons were liquid beings. When they transformed into human form, they didn’t get tails or horns.
“Ugh… While no one’s bothering me, maybe I should try seeing if I can worship myself. I’ll go pick up my clothes from the inn once it’s light out.”
Truth closed her eyes and activated her supreme authority.
A vast, endless mist surfaced in her mind.
She found she could manipulate the mist at will— disperse it, condense it.
Then she noticed tiny pale dots scattered through it.
When she reached out to touch one, a scene unfolded before her eyes:
A ragged old man with a white beard knelt devoutly before a massive fog-covered temple, clutching a strange rune-covered tablet.
“O Mighty One of the Mist, I know of your existence. If you have awakened… please, answer me!”
Eh… are these the calls from believers who worshiped the Mist over the last 500 years?
Curious, Truth tapped on several more glowing dots.
Each one turned out to be a human who had tried calling out to her— desperate prisoners, bankrupt tycoons, all praying for her protection.
Some had even used the “Legend of the Mist Lord” as a scam and made a surprising amount of money.
So all these pale dots are outdated prayers? What happens if someone tries to call on me right now?*
Truth withdrew from the mist and pressed her palms together, murmuring:
“Um, hey, Mist Lord, Fog-Hidden Honored One— hello? Anyone home?”
Then she instantly returned her focus to the mist—only to find a brand-new cerulean dot glowing before her. She tapped it open and saw… herself, in the study, hands clasped in prayer.
Holy crap, it actually worked…
And so Truth began a dramatic one-woman skit:
“I have heard your prayer— meow meow meow.”
“Please, let me become your follower, oh Mighty Mist Lord, woof woof woof.”
“Very well, offer me your everything— kukukuku.”
In the fog, Truth used her authority to officially grant the title:
“First Follower of the Fog-Hidden Honored One”
—to herself, the cerulean-blue dot in her own divine system.
The very next second, pale gray mist began to coil around Truth’s body in the study—
【Talent Acquired: “Mist Devotee”】
【Mist Devotee LV.1: You are a devout follower of the Mist. While within it, your mana regeneration rate increases, and mist-dwelling creatures will not attack you.】
【Fog-Hidden Honored One (5%): Congratulations on gaining your first follower! Cultivate her well and gather Faith Points to gradually expand your divine domain!】
Holy crap— it worked. I actually became my own believer!
Truth immediately pulled up her status panel:
【Name: Truth】
【Level: LV.5 (33/101)】
【Race: Human】
【Attributes: HP 48 | Constitution 52 | Mana 99 | Intelligence 72 | Strength 22 | Agility 31 | Faith 442】
【Skills: Healing Mist (Proficiency 39%) | Enhanced Perception (Proficiency 11%)】
【Talents: Fog-Hidden Honored One (Fusion Progress 5%), Mist Devotee LV.1】
【Faith Points: 1】
【Available Stat Points: 0】
Although “Mist Devotee” wasn’t that useful yet, she remembered from the official game website back before her isekai that eventually she’d need to construct a divine domain of her own.
And right now, that domain seemed to be this very Mist Dungeon. Nice. She was honestly looking forward to seeing what other fun perks she’d unlock as she leveled these talents up.
One step at a time. First, a quick nap— I’ve got dungeons to clear after sunrise. Truth closed her eyes and rested her head on the desk.
Not that she actually needed to sleep— this was just her way of imitating humans…
Three hours later, the rising sun crested the horizon.
As sunlight touched the tallest clocktower in Deya City, a sudden earthquake jolted every resident awake.
Moments later, a narrow, inconspicuous alley collapsed in on itself, revealing a glowing abyss that seemed to stretch endlessly downward.
【Tier 1 Dungeon: Deya Underground Labyrinth has opened】
Panic turned to frenzy as the news spread.
Anyone with a basic knowledge of Deya’s history immediately recognized the significance: the long-sealed underground dungeon— shut for nearly two centuries— was now open again!
Adventurers from every corner of the city began rushing toward the entrance.
The vendors near the mist district also sprang into action, relocating their stalls to set up shop right at the dungeon’s threshold…
Meanwhile, at the Suho Estate.
Having stayed up all night, Butler Norton found Earl Suho in the backyard and said with a gleam in his eyes:
“Milord, the dungeon has reopened. This is an excellent opportunity to expand the healing potion market.”
If they could ramp up potion production, Norton would have the perfect excuse to pocket some extra profit—a last big haul before he made his getaway.
But Suho wasn’t interested in the dungeon at the moment.
His mind was on something else entirely— finding the traitor inside the estate.
“Norton, are you aware that one of our warehouses recently lost a shipment worth over forty gold coins? And someone tampered with the records from the inside.”
“What?! That happened?!”
Norton’s shock was genuine— he hadn’t been faking.
This was the first he’d heard of it, and it truly startled him. Why hadn’t anyone tipped him off?
Unfortunately for him, his men at the tavern had been beaten unconscious by the mole rats, and his warehouse crew had been arrested— leaving no one to inform him of what had transpired overnight.
“Yes. We interrogated the suspects all night. Many of the clues point toward someone with extensive authority within the estate. That person… is the Head Steward.”
“Are you implying I’m under suspicion, Milord? I welcome any investigation,” Norton replied righteously.
“No. I trust you. You’ve served me faithfully for nearly fifteen years. But for the sake of transparency, I must ask you to remain at the Law Enforcement Bureau for a few days.”
“Understood. I’ll begin handing off my duties immediately.”
Norton turned and walked away.
Earl Suho let out a weary sigh and stood at the estate gates with a few enforcers, waiting for the transition to be completed.
They waited. And waited.
But Norton never came back.
It wasn’t until they sent someone to look for him that Earl Suho realized— Norton had fled.
Tftc!