“I’m sure it was around here somewhere…”
Carefully following without getting caught, I found myself at a dead-end alley.
High stone walls loomed ahead and on both sides, blocking any further path.
I was sure I saw them enter this way from a distance.
What, did they fly up into the sky?
Or maybe there’s a hidden passage somewhere?
“Maybe there’s some kind of clue on the wall…”
Using the moonlight, I felt around the stone surface.
I pressed against the walls, hoping for some kind of hidden switch—and sure enough, I found a part that sank inward.
“Huh?”
And the next moment, the ground beneath my feet disappeared.
With a heavy clunk, a panel disguised as stone slid open, and before I could react, I was dropped into the darkness below.
“Urgh!”
It wasn’t a very long fall.
Two meters at most.
The ground below was surprisingly soft, so I didn’t seem to have any serious injuries.
My muscles were sore and trembling from the shock, but nothing felt broken.
Still, I really hoped I hadn’t strained any ligaments—at my age, injuries take forever to heal.
Rubbing the back of my head, I stood up, ready to start looking for those robed figures.
But it turned out I didn’t need to.
“Well, well. Looks like we’ve got a little rat sneaking around.”
They’d already sensed my presence—and were waiting to greet me.
“Who sent you? The royal family? The church? …No, judging by those rags, you don’t even look like a proper spy. Well, it doesn’t really matter.”
Before I knew it, they had me surrounded—guns drawn and fingers on the triggers, all pointed at me.
“Say goodbye. We’ll take care of your corpse properly.”
“W-Wait! I’m here because I want to help you!!”
Forget pride—survival came first.
I had to sell myself somehow.
*****
“…What kind of lunatic is this?”
Oregon, the branch leader of the anti-government and anti-establishment group Carmen operating in the eastern continent, was utterly baffled.
All because of a single homeless man who had stumbled into their hideout.
“Thought he was just another idiot who wandered in.”
Since their base was hidden right in the middle of a residential area, they occasionally had lost drunks or confused wanderers show up by mistake.
And every time, they dealt with it the same way—cleaning up the evidence and disposing of the bodies down the sewers.
This time should’ve been no different.
But this uninvited guest, with his disheveled appearance and ragged clothes, somehow… knew who they were.
“I hate those royal bastards and those academy scum just as much as you do! I’ve been waiting for a chance to screw them over!”
Had he been tracking them all along?
No—if that were the case, they would’ve noticed him long before now.
Their terrorist activities demanded strict security and evidence disposal.
If they weren’t careful, the intelligence agencies would sniff them out in no time.
No, he must’ve overheard their conversation earlier and gotten curious enough to follow them.
“So you want us to take you in?”
“Yes! I swear, you won’t regret it!”
“And why the hell would I?”
Oregon had to admit—this man had some guts.
Seizing the opportunity on the spot and making a move like this took a lot of nerve.
But guts alone weren’t enough.
What possible use could they have for a scruffy, unknown street rat?
What kind of terrorist organization would recruit random vagrants off the street?
Oregon’s voice was cold as he replied.
“Why the hell should I trust some filthy beggar in rags?”
“…Then let me prove myself. Just give me one chance.”
But the “beggar” didn’t seem discouraged.
Instead, he looked up at Oregon with fierce, determined eyes.
“Prove yourself?”
“You said yourself—you can’t trust someone without any information. So let me show you that I’m someone worth having around.”
Huh.
This guy… Oregon was starting to feel intrigued.
Even with guns pointed at him from all sides, he didn’t shrink back.
“And how exactly do you plan to do that? Planning to show off your strength? Or maybe you’ve got some useful connections or inside information?”
“I don’t have any of that. But I do have knowledge. Knowledge that could be invaluable to your cause.”
“What, you know some dirty secrets about the high nobles?”
“Not quite. It’s something a little different.”
He was scared—that much was obvious.
But his voice was steady, confident.
This wasn’t just some desperate bluff.
There was conviction in his words.
Oregon found himself wondering.
‘This guy might actually be the real deal.’
As the leader of a secret organization, Oregon had met plenty of people—and knowing who to trust was a skill he’d perfected.
And this man… despite his ragged appearance…Where did that unwavering self-confidence come from?
It didn’t seem like mere delusion, either.
Maybe—just maybe—he really did have the skills to back up that pride.
“…Lock him up in the underground interrogation room. We’ll take our time questioning him later.”
“Yes, sir.”
For now, Oregon decided to delay his judgment.
With their big mission so close, they had more important things to deal with.
There’d be time to sort this out after.
*****
“I appreciate not being killed, but how long are they planning to keep me here?”
It had been about a week since I was captured.
(I couldn’t tell day from night without windows, but I made a rough guess.)
They hadn’t done a single thing besides keeping me locked up.
My daily schedule consisted of getting two meals and sleeping when I felt tired.
On the upside, my body was finally recovering from all the manual labor I’d been doing—but still, how long were they going to leave me here?
At this point, I wished they’d do something already.
Clank.
“Hey, get out here.”
Oh, finally.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear — and sure enough, here he was.
“What’s the matter?”
“You said before that you could be useful to us, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“We’ll give you the chance you asked for. Let’s see you prove it.”
They wanted to test my abilities all of a sudden.
It was a welcome opportunity, but the timing was… abrupt.
They’d ignored me this whole time, and now they were suddenly interested?
As I gave him a questioning look, the branch leader clicked his tongue and spoke.
“You overheard our plan to carry out an operation using bombs, right?”
“Yes.”
“It failed. Because of a mistake on our side.”
He muttered something about not trusting the guide.
Sounded like they’d let a spy slip through and botched the entire mission.
“Thanks to that, I’m the one who’s going to take all the blame. Even though I wasn’t the one who picked the team.”
Judging by how much he was grumbling, I could already guess what he was getting at.
“So you want to pull off some kind of achievement to cover your ass. And you want to use me to do it.”
“Sharp, aren’t you? Yeah, that’s pretty much the idea.”
“I don’t think I’m in a position to say this, but… isn’t that a bit of a desperate gamble?”
He was basically betting his career on a total stranger — a ragged-looking guy who could very well be an idiot or even a spy from the royal family.
The branch leader just scoffed.
“I’m going to lose my head next month if I don’t do something. Might as well take a shot. So, you in or not?”
“Of course I’m in.”
It was a good deal for me — there was no reason to refuse.
“Just give me a bit of support, and I’ll show you results you’ll be more than satisfied with.”
“You’d better. If you fail, you’ll end up in the same position as me.”
His threat didn’t scare me.
I’d already lost everything — the status, honor, and life I’d spent 28 years building up.
Kidnapped and stripped of everything I had.
What was there left for me to fear?
If I could take that damn goddess down with me, I’d gladly wager my life.
My life was already in ruins — the least I could do was ruin her divinity in return.
“I’ll keep that in mind. When do we start?”
“Right now. I’ll assign someone to watch over you and assist with your work.”
The branch leader gestured to his attendant.
She was a stunning woman — long, glossy white hair and eyes like polished rubies.
The kind of beauty that would turn heads without fail.
The only unusual thing about her… was the two pairs of horns sprouting from her head.
“A demon?”
A race that had flourished under the Demon King’s army long ago.
After years of persecution and genocide, they were now a rare sight.
I hadn’t expected to meet one here.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I’ve just never seen a demon in person before.”
I knew there were still a lot of people who held prejudice against them — but not me.
In fact, I welcomed it.
I had a bit of a soft spot for horned girls, thanks to… certain illustrations back on Earth.
“You’re hopeless. Anyway, I’m leaving the two of you to it. If you need funds, talk to her.”
With a heavy sigh, the branch leader walked off, leaving us alone.
First things first — introductions.
“My name’s Kang Cheonsu. I look forward to working with you.”
“…Call me Kalia.”
Her response was curt and formal.
Looked like she intended to keep things strictly professional.
That was fine by me — better than being openly hostile, at least.
“Before we start working, I’d like to confirm something. Can you write?”
“…Yes. I used to work as a secretary.”
“Perfect.”
After all, I couldn’t read or write a word of this world’s language.
Having someone I could dictate to would make my work a lot easier.
“I’ll need you to write down what I tell you later. And I’d appreciate it if you could also find a printing house capable of producing pamphlets.”
“…Are you planning to publish something?”
“Publish” wasn’t quite the right word.
Someday, maybe.
But for now, I had a different goal in mind.
My plan was to spread the knowledge I had and disrupt society from within.
And for that, I needed visibility — recognition.
Before I could write a book, I had to make sure people would actually want to read it.
“Not quite. I’m thinking of producing propaganda.”
Based on what I’d learned about the world’s current political climate, I knew just where to start.
The first target: the neighboring Helvetia Republic.
“One nation. One people. One leader.”