I proceed with paperwork in the audience chamber.
At one point, I was unnervingly busy, but recently things have settled down.
Most of the work involves granting approvals for the administration of various regions throughout my domain.
Even for those, unless a matter was significant, the other officials handled the processing.
Therefore, situations requiring my direct judgment were rare.
This was also the result of my subordinates' diligent efforts.
To ensure the Demon Lord's Domain operated smoothly, they repeatedly made fine improvements to administrative processes.
Thanks to them, my burden had been dramatically reduced.
I likely couldn't have achieved this level of optimization alone.
I must be grateful.
(Still, I wonder who our opponent is this time)
As I sift through the pile of documents, a question suddenly comes to mind.
Regarding the intelligence agents who died suddenly, we have a good idea of which nations sent them.
Luciana's investigation has revealed the general picture.
They were dispatched from multiple countries.
However, they were not coordinated; they simply infiltrated the Royal Capital during the same period.
Despite having nothing in common, they all suffered mental breakdowns simultaneously.
It seems unlikely the nations acted in concert.
I had heard nothing of such an unknown spell being developed.
It could be a plan kept in extreme secrecy, but even so, it feels too abrupt.
My spies had thoroughly investigated the hidden affairs of each nation. Currently, I had heard of no such related incidents. If multiple countries were collaborating, information should have circulated even more. It would be somewhat unnatural for us to have grasped nothing at all. Therefore, I believed this was not the usual kind of inter-state affair. That being the case, what emerged was the possibility that forces outside the nations themselves were the instigator. I strongly suspected this possibility. It was not based on solid evidence, but rather an intuitive guess. Perhaps a third party unrelated to any nation had planted spells in the eyes of the spies. The person who planted the spells must have been randomly selected from among the spies. That was why there was no unified national affiliation among them. I had a vague understanding of why that someone used the spies. They must have wanted to see me through their eyes. The crucial purpose, however, was unknown. Since a direct meeting was inconvenient, they had sought contact through a safe method. I had fallen for that ploy completely. In any case, I wanted to locate the other party's whereabouts. If I could do that, a raid would also become possible. Though not ideal, it would also allow me to choose the option of crushing them by force. The truth was, I didn't want to leave an unclear faction to run wild.
Lost in thought, I was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Henry entered, raising a hand in greeting.
"Hey, General. I wanted to discuss the army's composition and armament for a moment..."
"Understood."
I moved to the large table in the room.
I cleared away irrelevant documents and took a seat facing Henry.
Then we began a brief consultation.
Along with the topics Henry sought, we also held discussions about the future invasion plans.
It was an important matter, but it was simply a matter of proceeding according to the established course.
No arguments arose, and the conversation progressed smoothly.
During this, a dark smudge appeared at the edge of my vision.
I stopped my thoughts and stared intently.
The smudge squirmed eerily.
At the same time, a sound like tinnitus mingled in.
(…What is it?)
I tilted my head.
The smudge stretched like a living thing and tried to wrap itself around Henry.
It gradually approached and made contact, but Henry, unaware, continued the conversation.
"…………"
I emitted killing intent, ready to unleash my magic.
Then the dark smudge vanished.
It never reappeared, and the ringing in my ears ceased.
(Was it an illusion...?)
I moved to rub my eyes.
Only then did I remember I had no eyeballs.
"Commander? Did something happen?"
Henry asked me.
He watched me with a quizzical expression.
"No... nothing."
I shook my head.
A cold dread crept up my spine.
I was assailed by an indescribable discomfort.
I rose from my chair and headed for the doorway.
With my hand on the door, I told Henry,
"I seem to be a bit tired. Forgive me, but I'll go rest."
"Ah, that's probably best. Even the undead need their rest," Henry said gently.
As I stepped through the door, he called after me.
"Commander."
"What is it?"
"If things are settled, tell me about it. No secrets."
I turned around instinctively.
Henry wore a serious expression.
His gaze was direct.
"—Alright."
I simply nodded in reply.
He had seen through everything, it seemed.