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The minimum condition for defeating the Demon Lord in the first episode was an expedition corps with an average level of 60. Fabian wasn’t even level 65 at the time, while I was level 62. Taking into account that reaching that level took bone-breaking effort, Mayer Knox who was level 80 from the start truly was an overpowered character. Perhaps that was why he was the true final boss.

Already shaken by Mayer’s level, I began to examine his other abilities in detail. As expected of the strongest swordsman, his physical attack and defense were both high. Also, as the core of the demon lord, his magic attack was no joke. His magic defense, on the other hand, was a bit weak but only when compared to his other stats; it was still higher than most people.

What the heck was this cheat character? No wonder all my assassination attempts in the first playthrough failed! His level and stats were so high, it would be strange if he wasn’t able to defeat the demon lord. It was quite vexing; had I known he was like this, I would’ve directed my time and effort to self-improvement. Everything I had done back then, from organizing information about dungeons that Mayer would be unlikely to clear to deliberately approaching the Dark Knights so I could leak aforementioned information… All my efforts were in vain.

Speaking of efforts, I wondered if Nova had joined the Dark Knights…?

Nova Fellum: A giant, ax-wielding shield keeper of the Dark Knights. Younger than me, Nova had been a rising star among the expedition corps who, for some reason, had been very kind and caring toward me. According to him, I resembled his big sister or something. I felt slightly guilty for having used him to leak information to Mayer, but he had managed to clear those dungeons alongside the captain and returned with huge level-ups.

I remembered the bright, innocent smile Nova had given me in my ‘previous life’; I had helped him get a better standing in the corps. Of course, gratitude aside, I still had a guilty conscience. The result didn’t change the fact that I had used him.

I scrolled through the entire party member list, but I couldn’t find Nova’s name. It looked like he hadn’t joined yet; I should be nicer to him if we met later on. Maybe it was because he had thought of me as his big sister, but I secretly cared for him as well. Although I already had a half-brother of my own, we were practically strangers… It was why I felt emotionally closer to Nova, who had always been nice to me.

“Why are you zoning off?” Mayer asked abruptly. He must’ve become suspicious from watching me mutter to nothing but air for a long while. This was why I tried to check status windows only when I was alone… I had let down my guard because of the tedious horse ride.

“It-it’s nothing.”

“How silly.” Mayer chuckled, then turned his head towards the northeast. “We will soon be arriving.”

I followed his line of sight and saw a tall castle among the mountains in the far distance, so tall that it gave the impression of piercing the skies. There lay the dukedom of Nochtentoria, Mayer’s base of operations.

* * *

Nochtentoria Castle was a stronghold strategically surrounded by a forest. The shroud of trees was so thick, sunlight rarely shone through the leaf canopy. After a long trek over the mountains, we finally arrived at the castle. The gatekeeper quickly spotted the expedition corps’s flag and blew a horn, announcing, “His Excellency has returned!”

The firmly shut gates opened and the returnees marched their way inside. It was my first time visiting Nochtentoria Castle—I never got to enter the base of another corps, to begin with. I had been to the imperial palace, though, during the annual performance report meetings. However, the atmosphere in Nochtentoria Castle was different; more solemn and serene, like a monastery.

It was already surprising enough that Mayer had a base, and it was even a castle thanks to his nobility status. Then again, perhaps that was why he had formed three corps.

It was astounding. Back in the first playthrough, Fabian Corps had only managed to get a base after crossing the midpoint of the storyline. And it was a very small base to boot! By the time the final battle had approached, they had managed to acquire a small castle, but that couldn’t even compare to Nochtentoria Castle. Even back then, many envied Mayer Knox’s base.

Everyone in the Fabian Corps had had an absolute belief that Fabian would slay the demon lord and rise to the seat of the emperor; that, once we were through with it all, the imperial palace would be our new base. They had smiled so often back then, dreaming of a happy future. Using the palace as our base had been a joke, and yet everyone firmly believed it would become reality someday.

Right now, however, I felt like I was starting the game with a cheat code.