— The Guard has sent in a report.

“Yes.”

Shaman spoke in a heavy voice.

— As you said, 327 hornless demons have been discovered, and nearly 30% of them were found within the Hiaka royal palace alone.

— What's more, each one had their own network. They wormed their way in, pulled strings, and expanded their influence.

— The royal family is in complete chaos now.

Though it was a conversation about undeniable success, Shaman’s voice was far more somber than usual. If his normal tone was equivalent to ten donuts, this one barely registered as one.

“Was it someone you knew?”

— ……

“I apologize.”

— No… there’s no need. That friend was one of the first to take my side when I abandoned Kreutz.

“Did you… work for that hornless demon?”

— I did.

— I killed over a dozen people for them.

— So I had the Guard cross-check the identities and roles of those who were assassinated back then… Half of them turned out to be Guard members. They’d been working diligently at their posts, trying to prevent demons from getting inside.

“……”

— I was the one who killed them.

A long, dark sigh escaped.

“Dean. Don’t let it weigh on you.”

— ……

“It’s the demons who are to blame.”

— ……

“Anyway… how’s the Elder Council handling this?”

— …That’s a problem, too. The current chair of the council has taken to bed with a chronic illness and hasn’t shown up to work.

“He’s in hiding, then.”

— That’s what it looks like. Assuming you're right.

Two-horned demons are less about individual power and more akin to brains for their entire kind. They serve as hive minds.

Eve only has two horns because of her latent potential as a Hero. In truth, they function more like central processors for vast networks.

“Still no word about it?”

— Nothing yet.

“Understood. Please keep watching.”

— I will.

— Be careful. I’ve posted multiple people around you, but I can’t say I feel any safer.

“Yes.”

Pulling up the minimap, I could see blue dots swarming around the mansion. Fifty assassins stationed around my residence. All to guard against any attempt on my life.

We had to prepare in advance. The real battle was just beginning.

A few days later, the Pink Pill spread to the southern continent—across the Khan Federation and the Duchy of Horanche.

The net had been cast, and the bait was in place. Spread wide across the heavens and the earth—to find the demons hiding among all of humanity.

It was gradually beginning to raise a sense of alertness in the human psyche. And at the same time, it was beginning to strangle the demons’ throats.

Meanwhile, it seemed the task forces across the continent were doing their part. Shocking headlines began to flood the media.

< (Front Page) Your trusted boss is a demon? The End of Illusion Magic: A groundbreaking paper reveals the truth of the world! >

< Demons, and the Cain Research Team’s deep investigation into humanity’s new enemy. >

< [Column] Is the Pink Pill safe? Can we trust it? >

Thousands of articles per day began appearing from all over the world.

At the same time, Hiaka Academy launched a new public page on its [Crystal Orb]:

[ Current Number of Demons Captured: 827 ]

They began aggregating global reports of slain demons—and that information was spreading back out across the world again.

There were side effects. It bred mistrust among humans. Some claimed it was a massive international psy-op to sell more pills. But those criticisms were quickly silenced.

“Professor!”

Amid all this, some even bigger news came in.

First, the King of Hiaka himself backed me.

“The Hiaka royal family has issued an official commendation and announced a research grant of 100 million Hika!”

“From who?”

“His Majesty the King. Personally!”

Adele bounced on her heels, and I was just as pleased.

This was thrilling.

Because the Elder Council Chair ‘Setian’—a two-horned demon—was the king’s lifelong friend.

'The king doesn’t know.'

He didn’t know… but he had still publicly certified the validity of my work.

The research grant was a staggering 100 million Hika. That figure alone told me how positively the king viewed this revelation.

“What’s the historical rank of this grant?”

“Number one! Overwhelmingly number one! There’s never been a private research grant this large!”

“I see.”

Even on second thought, it still felt good.

'If the king had turned against me, I wouldn’t have had any shield left.'

And now, the one who owned that shield was giving me full backing.

The good news didn’t stop. The following week brought more.

“Professor! The International Illusion Association just sent an invitation to their award ceremony!”

I smiled as I looked at the golden card.

Each year, the International Illusion Association grants the “Great Illusionist Award” to the researcher with the most outstanding achievements.

Despite the fact that I had shattered the very future of illusion magic, they calmly chose to recognize the accomplishment itself.

“Professor. The Legorian Institute in the Empire is awarding you the Legorian Medal…”

“The Valmian Guard HQ has prepared a certificate of appreciation…”

— Central Lab of the Khan Federation just sent an invitation...

And so on, endlessly—awards, ceremonies, requests for meetings.

Finally, Adele came running in, full of excitement.

“Professor, professor! The Khan Federation just declared war on the demons!”

“Where?”

“Here! Read this!”

< 【Exclusive】Khan Federation President Declares ‘All-Out War’ on Demons… “Truth is awakening in a pink hue.” >

The Khan Federation was the only great power that could rival the Empire. A nation formed by the alliance of seven mid-sized states.

Which made this news something on an entirely different scale.

I quickly scanned the article.

───

President Arveil of the Khan Federation declared a state of total war against demonkind in a historic speech this morning.

This move followed the President’s recent ingestion of the “Pink Pill,” known as a consciousness-awakening substance, and a subsequent shift in perception regarding the Federation’s internal systems of concealment and manipulation.

“We can no longer close our eyes. What we believed to be ‘peace’ was a carefully orchestrated fabrication. Beasts wearing the skin of humanity have laid the groundwork to destroy us from below, and without knowing it, we were empowering them.”

(excerpt)

“Therefore, the Khan Federation declares war against the demons.”

The President’s statement sent shockwaves across the entire Federation.

The “Pink Pill” is derived from the thesis 'End of Illusion Magic: A Proposal for ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the Universal, Irreversible, and Permanent Disassembly of Long-Term Paranormal Sensory Forgery (504, Hiaka, Cain)', produced by the research team of Head Professor Cain from Hiaka.

It is classified as a top-secret awakening compound designed to nullify covert illusion-based manipulation.

It is reported that the President and six senior aides ingested the pill together recently, which led to the confirmation of real demon infiltration within the Federation.

“The demons have already set their sights on our heart, hiding behind treaties. This is not a conflict of borders. It is a battle for who we are and what truth we must stand upon.”

The Federal Command immediately enacted full mobilization. The 5th Central Legion and the Southern Border Defense Force are now en route to the demon frontier.

Simultaneously, an investigation has launched into “high-ranking officials suspected of demon involvement,” with the Intelligence Bureau reporting signs that four senior lawmakers have been exposed to illusion magic.

Meanwhile, ethical and political debate over the public use of the Pink Pill has ignited.

The Presidential Office stated, “This is not the awakening of a single man, but the prelude to the awakening of the entire Federation.”

Yet others warn that such radical change should be approached with caution.

───

The moment I finished reading the article, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

'It’s going exactly as planned.'

I had repeatedly stated that I alone could do nothing, and that all of humanity had to rise to fight the Demon King.

Now, the scenario I had most hoped for was unfolding—precisely that: the Khan Federation drawing its sword before Hiaka did.

“But Professor… are you just going to stay silent forever?”

It was then that Adele posed the question.

“Why?”

“People are really disappointed. I am too. In every class these days, the students all ask where you and Head Professor Cain are. Everyone’s saying you suddenly disappeared.”

It was understandable.

I was in seclusion.

“You’re just going to give up on all public appearances?”

“Well…”

To be honest, Head Professor Wilhelm—who somehow secured distribution management of the pill in the Empire (his dream was to get paid while goofing off, and he flexed his Imperial connections to grab the role)—had asked me to appoint about three close aides to help manage logistics.

But I’d been putting it off.

“Aides,” huh…

The problem was, I didn’t have three close people. (😭) And like Adele said, I was still committed to my “seclusion” concept.

— URGENT: Anyone seen Professor Dante?

— No interviews with Head Professor Cain?? This thing’s blowing up and they’re dead silent 😭

— I’m seriously curious… What are those two even doing right now?

Even in Assassin Town, people were buzzing with curiosity about my and Cain’s response.

This was becoming a continental phenomenon.

The Khan Federation declared war far earlier than expected.

There’s such a thing as momentum.

When something explodes in a big way, it doesn’t follow logic.

It just keeps going, one spark after another, until it forms a stream.

Big events tend to ride that wave.

In real-world terms: like how Conor McGregor rose in the MMA scene, or how Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen went global, or how Gangnam Style went viral.

When an irregular event snowballs into a tidal wave, wave-riders must give it their all.

“…Alright.”

“Oh? Really? So you mean…”

Now that the Khan Federation had taken my side,

there was only one entity left to keep the momentum going—

The Empire.

“I’ll go to the Legorian Research Institute in the Empire.”

I would give an interview at the second-largest research institute in the Empire.

“Oh, and by the way.”

“Yes?”

“What are they up to right now?”

Thinking hard about three people I could call “close,” only one trio came to mind—the Three Idiots.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Good day, sir!!”

“……(adjusts glasses)”

I summoned the three of them.

They weren’t exactly my friends, but they were the ones whose 【Inner Thoughts】 I’d read the most. And among them, the ones whose thoughts matched their expressions.

When you live as a mind reader, you come to realize that 99% of people harbor trash in their hearts. Myself included—since I weirdly always feel the urge to bully Eve every time I see her.

But those three… were different.

【 Forte: “Holy shit, that’s amazing.” 】

“I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately. You’re incredible, Professor.”

Forte gave a small, respectful bow.

…His inner and outer selves were astonishingly aligned.

“You guys have been taking assassination assignments lately, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then… may I give you a request?”

“A request?”

“I’m heading to the Empire starting tomorrow. Would you be willing to come with me? There’s something I’d like to ask you to do there.”

Shock rippled across their faces, and Dominic pushed up his glasses with a solemn look.

“Leave it to us, sir.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll kill the Emperor if you want.”

'Don’t get ahead of yourself…'