Why must the devil be Defeated?

"Hmm?"

On this side, Shane had just stepped out of the Bigusler Family residence when he noticed something seemed off about the surroundings.

No, it wasn't just the surroundings that were off; the entire Imperial City seemed amiss.

Glancing around, Shane saw that aside from the Bigusler residence and the homes of a very few Great Noble Houses, the rest of the buildings all had some damage.

Some were half collapsed, some were missing a corner, and some were even reduced to rubble, making the entire Noble District look like a construction site.

At this moment, all sorts of people were moving around these buildings, some using magic to perform repairs and renovations, giving off the impression of a bustling post-disaster reconstruction effort.

There was nothing strange about this.

The truly strange thing was that from time to time, bursts of magic power swept through the air.

That was...

"Detection Series magic?"

Shane pondered thoughtfully.

The occasional sweeps of magic from mid-air were the phenomenon created when spells from the Detection Series were cast.

In other words, someone was conducting reconnaissance and surveillance over the current Imperial City.

And judging by the fluctuations of the magic power, the ones casting the spells were undoubtedly experts, and not just one of them.

Shane had a vague feeling.

"They're looking for me, aren't they?"

This was the only reason Shane could think of.

In the current Imperial City, aside from himself, there were only the eleven unaccounted-for Demon Infants that would warrant such a grand magical search.

But if it were a search for Demon Infants, the magic detection should be more brazen.

Yet, these waves of magic power were somewhat subtle, telling Shane that the spellcasters didn't want their presence to be discovered.

Such show yet hide behavior suggested that it wasn't the openly searching Imperial Knight Order seeking the Demon Infants but someone with ulterior motives looking for him in secret.

"Is it a reconnaissance squad from another nation? Or the Demon Clan?"

Shane thought this way.

He was more inclined toward the latter.

Compared to the other countries of the Human Realm, the Demon Clan of course was more eager to find him.

"Their movements are quite swift,"

Shane sighed.

He knew that the appearance of a Hero had definitely rattled some nerves within the Demon Clan.

After a thousand years, the once archenemy had returned, and with the Demon King already vanquished, what reason was there for their return to this world?

Could it be a plot of the Divine Race?

Or was someone targeting the Demon Clan?

Surely, many people would consider these possibilities.

Therefore, for those of the Demon Clan who were more sensitive and prudent, and even those who regarded the Hero with fear and hostility, it was clearly impossible for them to sit idle.

"I just don't know if there's a Demon behind this, giving orders."

While Shane thought this, he wasn't frightened.

With the "Inner Destiny" providing automatic evasion from the Detection Series of magic, it was a fool's dream for them to try to locate him through magical surveillance.

Previously, Shane was detected by the High Priest's "Death Corridor" because the spell targeted the qi of the living, and Shane's "Inner Destiny" had a weaker effect when not in a concealed state, which led to the discovery. Secondly, Shane's abrupt intrusion at that time made it a reasonable mistake to be caught by the Detection Series "radar."

This time, Shane wouldn't expose himself.

He knew he wasn't suited to walk openly in the streets at present.

Thus, from the very beginning, he had entered a concealed state, pushing the protective effect of "Inner Destiny" to its limit.

Under such circumstances, unless the other party used a unique skill or a special skill with an extremely powerful detection effect, there was no way they could find Shane using magic.

However, these phenomena served as a warning to Shane.

He was indeed being watched by many.

And if mishandled, the peace that had been maintained for a thousand years could indeed collapse overnight.

Not to mention the current situation, had the Imperial City not just suffered heavy damage and was now in urgent reconstruction, with the Imperial Knight Order working hard to track the Demon Infants and help stabilize the city's order, the Demon Clan would not dare to arrogantly use Detection Series magic to scout the entire city, or the Empire would definitely have to confront them.

This made it clear just how sensitive the existence of a Hero was to the Demon Clan.

"This time, it might be necessary to take the initiative to have a proper talk with Sera and Lidas."

Muttering to himself, Shane instantly used Instant Movement to leave the area.

For now, it was best to deal with the various follow-up matters of the Empire.

Only after sorting out the current mess could he attend to other matters.

...

Imperial City, Imperial Palace.

At this moment, a large number of Imperial Knights and Court Mages were coming and going, busy with repair work in every corner.

In three days' time, the Imperial Palace naturally could not have been completely restored.

Even with the help of magic and various Magic Tools, to return the Imperial Palace to its former state, without several months' time, it would be impossible.

The Imperial Palace was majestic and vast to begin with, with an unknowable number of buildings, all of which had been destroyed. Reconstructing them undoubtedly required a huge amount of time and effort, not to mention the need to set up various Barriers, Magic Systems, and ritual sites. To have everything fixed within a few months would be a cause for gratitude.

However, after three days of rushed work, at least the Imperial Palace was no longer just a pile of ruins but had some key facilities prioritarily reconstructed with substantial resources.

One of these key facilities was a private chamber.

Cappelen was handling all sorts of affairs here.

As the only member of the legitimate Royal Family who was still safe, during these days, all manner of trivial matters of the entire Empire had fallen on Cappelen's shoulders to bear.

The reconstruction work of the Imperial City, the search for the Demon Infant, the settlement of the people and treatment of the injured, the pursuit of the defectors led by Sarilo... All sorts of tasks required Cappelen to issue personal directives.

In addition to this, the chaos outside the Imperial City also required Cappelen's attention.

Who could blame Moro for the widespread Magic Ceremony that had spread throughout the Empire?

Not to mention the panic and impact caused by the heavenly phenomenon that had appeared that day across the Empire, the aftereffects of the ritual Moro had prepared for a decade were astonishing.

For instance, underground facilities like the secret base previously destroyed by Shane existed in many places within the Empire.

They were facilities secretly excavated from all over the world by Moro's captives, meant for inscribing the Magic Array of the ceremony, nearly threading through every corner of the Empire. When the ceremony was activated, those places collapsed successively, causing significant impacts on the local ecosystems.

Additionally, the Demons within the Empire, after the ceremony was initiated, were all disturbed, resulting in many Demon groups rushing out from their habitats, causing assaults on various cities.

Moreover, the initiation of the ceremony also affected the flow of Magic Power and Magic Power Sources within the Empire, bringing a surge of troubles that overwhelmed Cappelen.

What was more concerning, under such circumstances, Cappelen had to guard against threats from outside the Empire.

Who knew whether some country would want to take advantage of the chaos to do something against the Empire?

Who knew whether some evil organizations might seize the opportunity to enter and wreak havoc within the Empire?

Various situations and considerations came one after another, leaving Cappelen truly on the verge of collapsing.

"If only my elder brother were here..."

Cappelen bit her lower lip.

If it were Harvis, he would surely be able to calmly consider the overall situation, masterfully grasp control, and handle everything in an orderly fashion, right?

Compared to the intelligent Harvis, Cappelen was actually more skilled in leading troops to war.

Alas, her father had gone mad and, after the previous battle, was found by the Knights to have suddenly died in his chamber—likely at the hands of Moro. Her brother's situation was extremely dire; it was unknown if he would even survive.

Her other siblings were all either dead or wounded due to Moro's persecution and could not possibly be of any help.

As a result, when dealing with these affairs for which she had no expertise, Cappelen naturally felt exhausted.

"With the situation still so unstable, what will become of the Empire's future...?"

Cappelen was already a bit lost.

Until a figure appeared before her.

"That worried frown does not suit you at all, Princess."

When the teasing voice reached Cappelen's ears, she had already caught a glimpse of the visitor.

"You...!"

Immediately, Cappelen could not help but stand up, both shocked and delighted.

"It seems you've run into quite some trouble," Shane said, looking at Cappelen and suddenly smiling.

"Enough talk, take me to Harvis first."

Hearing this, Cappelen took a deep breath and nodded emphatically.

...

Imperial City, Temple.

This was one of the few buildings in the Imperial City that had remained intact after the terrible aftermath a few days ago.

As the representatives of the Divine Race in the Human Realm, the Temple had not intervened in the Empire's internal strife a few days ago, but by virtue of the protection of high-Level Barriers, it safely survived the disaster.

Harvis had been brought here.

As only the Temple's Divine Practitioners had the chance to learn the Holy Series and Recovery Series magic created by the Divine Race, when faced with difficult and complicated diseases, bringing someone here meant, at the very least, they would receive the best care.

Harvis was brought here to be treated by the Divine Practitioners.

Unfortunately, three days of treatment had not brought about any improvement in Harvis.

He lay on the bed in a rather luxurious room, unconscious and as pale as death, without the slightest movement.

Shane, led by Cappelen, had arrived here and saw Harvis in such a state.

"This is really..."

Seeing Harvis' condition, Shane understood why everyone said his situation was not good.

His condition was indeed very dire.