Over an hour passes, and the time finally comes.

Calculating everything, it has been almost ten hours since I began my invasion of this place. After the first five hours or so, this place was already conquered. The remaining time was used investigating and dealing with the Sixfold Helm of Darkness.

There are only four of them left now, though.

"Jasper, Xeno, and Madame Zema… you're up," I speak curtly, refusing to say any more or display any other kind of emotion except cruel certainty.

The three of them nod, approaching the vault with hints of hesitation.

Ultimately, though, they obey.

They have no choice.

It's either they die by my hands or take the chance to live by betraying the Dark Guild and relying on my antidote. Perhaps more selfless or righteous people would have made different choices, but these are selfish criminals who only care about themselves.

Their actions are largely predictable.

"Gurgh!" As one would expect, the moment they open the vault for me, Madame Zema and Xeno slowly collapse, feeling their life slipping away as a result of the poison's strong hold.

"S-Sir… please… The antidote"

"You promised… S-save us…"

I shake my head and sigh. "There is no antidote. You can just die now and consider it a judgment for your actions.

"N-no…"

"Y-you… bastard…"

Right before my eyes, they fall on their faces and die.

My expression remains the same.

Solemn… calm.

'I do feel a little bad, but not because of their death or because I lied. I feel bad because this is such a waste. They could have been more useful down the line…' I quickly catch myself thinking along these lines, wondering when I began to reason this way.

It's one thing to kill an enemy.

It's another to enact judgment on a sinner.

But… what I just did doesn't count as any of those. I merely made use of these people, thinking of them as nothing but pawns, to serve my greater agenda.

Without realizing it, I simply moved them as pieces—lying and manipulating—to reach a desired outcome. I only feel bad because I couldn't have used them more, which should tell me something about how I viewed these people.

In the past, whenever I killed a member of the Dark Guild, it was to enact justice.

I did it out of a vague sense of righteousness.

But now—

'I only killed them because it was necessary. I am also considering sparing these two because they will be useful down the line…'

I will admit that I have always been cold-blooded, especially since I regressed.

I have been ruthless and methodical in my ways.

However, this is on another level entirely.

In the past, I would still view my enemies as human, albeit evil scum, but now it's almost like I see these people as anything but.

No, maybe that's not quite accurate…

It's not that I don't view them as humans, but that I now see myself as something more.

… Beyond human.

'So this is what being a Leviathan truly means.'

I slowly shake my head, dismissing these thoughts as I let the two surviving Dark Guild members lead the way. I also let them drag the corpses of their comrades with them, but only after I confirm that they are actually dead.

This is for a reason.

'It's possible that they are faking their deaths. If that's the case, then by leaving them behind, they could sneak up on me when my guard is down against them.' My eyes flash with cold light as we step into the vast room, and I observe the space as identical to the one I saw with Clairvoyance.

As for the deaths of Madame Zema and Xeno, I doubt it's fake.

With Aego sight, I can see their existence is too faint, resembling inanimate objects rather than living, breathing humans.

But what if they have some resuscitation method?

It's highly unlikely, but I can't be sure.

Besides, there's no harm in being extra careful.

'Even if they are truly dead, having these two handle their bodies will mean both their hands are occupied, and they won't fiddle with anything inside here.' I cast a glance at Jasper and Freya, both of whom are completely quiet.

They now understand how brutal I can be, considering how I lied to their now deceased comrades and then watched them die without even batting an eye.

I've already confirmed that they know who I am, and as Dark Guild members, they must have thought Javier Aditi was beyond the use of petty tricks and deceit. That must have aided in their trust in me, now that I think about it.

But who would have known…?

"Now that I've confirmed that you were being honest about the antidote, tell me more about this boss of yours and his proxy." As I go through the records, I address Jasper, who immediately jolts to life the moment he hears my voice.

"A-ah! Our boss's proxy is a man called Kaelen Thornvale. He is one of the seven Counts of this Kingdom, sir.

'I was right…' A heavy sigh leaves my lips. 'So you were this deeply involved with the Dark Guild, Count Kaelen? I see… That explains a lot.'

Jasper looks at me expectantly for a moment before proceeding without me needing to tell him.

"The boss let him control the Dark Guild as he saw fit. He actually used several of our bases to hide his laundered goods and money. Remember that incident in Fargos? The scheme you exposed back then? He was the one involved, and all the looted goods are in our custody. He said he would take them out really soon, but we haven't heard from him in a while…"

I slowly nod.

That all checks out.

'The reason we couldn't trace the fortune that was lost is that they were with the Dark Guild, and Count Kaelen was Zarius's pawn in ensuring things went smoothly…'

By reading the records in the room, I should have a good idea of the locations of these bases and the other inventories that Count Kaelen—no, the entire Dark Guild of the Randalorion Kingdom—has in its possession.

Just how much of a fortune is this?

If I plunder everything, then… how large will my gains be?

As I have these thoughts, Jasper continues to explain details of their transactions, like how they communicate, and the frequency of it.

The more I read the records, the more I also understand the operations of the Dark Guild.

Many members of the High Nobility are connected, and a lot of businesses in the Randalorion Kingdom are tied to the Dark Guild. Even the Royal Family has had one or two transactions with them… so the entire Kingdom is complicit.

Exposing something this huge would cause the entire economy to crumble, no doubt about that.

But I have no intention to do that.

The Dark Guild handles a lot of criminal operations, but ironically, their actions are also beneficial to the Randalorion Kingdom. Not only do they help stabilize certain commercial activities, but they also control the criminal enterprise.

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but it appears they are a necessary evil.

This world is steeped in corruption.

No one is truly innocent.

The higher-ups have secret dealings with the Dark Guild—even the ones on my side.

Who else would Duke Ravenwood employ to kill Dahlia's first lover? All the political assassinations and secret dealings of the Kingdom… where do they come from?

Rare materials… Illegal goods… Extinct Magivores…

All of these are largely possible because of the Dark Guild's large network throughout the Eariel Continent, and for the right price, they can deal with anyone. They are a criminal enterprise, undoubtedly, but most of high society uses one or two of their services.

… Even the Aditi Household.

'I used them a few times in my past life… usually to obtain information on the weaknesses of my allies and political enemies. It's one of the reasons I know so much about them.'

My parents used them too.

The roots of the Dark Guild extend too deep.

I wanted to purge the Randalorion Kingdom of their influence because I was convinced they were responsible for our Kingdom's downfall, but with Zarius gone, is there even any need for that?

Instead of that, maybe…

'No… let's not think about that now.' I sigh, closing the last ledger I plan to read at the moment.

There are simply too many documents to sort through.

It would take me at least a year to completely read every single one of them.

I don't have that kind of time.

'Most of the stuff here is not relevant information, though, and I've already gone through the ones that concern me at the moment. Right now, I have other things on my mind…'

They all lead to the Count.

'Almost all the pieces are in place. Right now, the only thing left to confirm is whether the Count was acting out of duress, or if he was a willing participant in all of this Zarius's plans.' I feel my fists slowly clench and my gaze harden.

It's too late to assume he was an innocent third party.

I also know he wasn't ignorant of what he was involved in and their repercussions.

I just have to know… why?

Why did he collude with Zarius, who slaughtered my family?

"A-actually, the Count wanted to become Duke! He often bragged about it, now that I remember. He said once his plan was complete and the war was over, he would become Duke and reward us for all our efforts…" Jasper's words seep into my ears, and my eyes widen.

So it was all for power.

No…

I can't be so naive as to fully believe this man's words.

He is clearly sprinkling in some exaggerations, trying to curry more favor from me.

Right now, I am susceptible to anything negative about Count Kaelen, which means I will likely believe whatever it is I hear—even if it is from a hardened criminal and pathological liar.

I have to be careful.

'In the end, I'll need to confirm from the Count himself.' I slowly raise my head and grin.

It's a rather bleak smile.

Even though I had my doubts and suspicions, how could I have expected the rabbit hole to lead me to this juncture? This certainly isn't a pleasant feeling to have.

Sigh…

'So it was like this. In the end, it seems my revenge isn't over.'

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