In the mysterious and elegant room, Nero snapped back to reality.
The first sight that greeted him was a woman suspended in midair, unconscious. It was Pilar, one of the people who'd abruptly vanished from the meeting.
Despite the odd scene, Nero didn't seem fazed, instead shifting his focus to the boy sitting exactly where the woman had been.
When their eyes met, the boy shot up and bowed deeply, a gesture of respect.
"Good work, Klein," Nero said, praising the young boy.
Klein bowed even lower, clearly moved by Nero's words.
"What about the other two?" Nero asked as he rose from his chair and adjusted his clothes.
"As you ordered, I just knocked them out. All three will wake up in a few hours," Klein replied, recounting the events with a solemn air in front of Nero.
"Solid work, as always," Nero commended again.
He then headed for the exit.
"I'll wait for you at the hotel, master," the boy said before vanishing in an instant.
Nero gave a casual wave as he stepped out of the hidden room.
As he walked, he could barely contain his excitement. Thoughts swirled in his head, a heady mix of thrill and anticipation.
It was exhilarating to see each piece of his plan click into place, forming the bigger picture he'd aimed for. This was a feeling his old self could never have grasped—the sheer joy of living such a gripping, unpredictable life.
The final preparations were nearly done. Nero could finally kick off his quest.
"Unholy King, here I come."
---
A room glowed with the soft orange light of dawn spilling through a panoramic window, offering a stunning view of a sprawling, majestic landscape.
Nero lounged in a comfy armchair by the window. He wore a soft gray wool sweater paired with white linen pants. On his feet were leather slippers matching the pants' shade. His silver hair was swept back slightly, framing a serene face.
In his hand, he held a glass of wine. Bringing it to his lips, he let out a contented sigh, savoring every drop of the rich drink.
Outside, the landscape unfolded quietly as sunlight crept over tall buildings, illuminating an urban cityscape.
Nero let his mind drift to the recent events that had flipped his life upside down.
It all started with his brutal death—an attack that ended one chapter and began another. Without knowing how or why, he'd been reincarnated into the world of a novel he'd loved. Ironically, he'd landed in the body of one of its antagonists: Nero Vaelheim.
From there, instead of moping about his fate or chasing a quiet, peaceful life, he'd seized the chance to turn this new existence into an epic adventure.
The idea of becoming this world's hero lit a fire in him. To pull it off, he'd had to ditch old habits and adopt new ways of thinking and acting. But that only fueled his excitement—he'd always been bored stiff in his past life, a dull slog with no twists or turns.
His first goal? Take down the seven—no, six—Calamities set to shake this world, laying the groundwork for his legend. Top of the list was the Unholy King, a deeply evil, treacherous figure who'd seize control of a major nation and try to bend the world to his will.
Nero wasn't content with just beating this Calamity. He'd cooked up a plan not only to take down the Unholy King but to do it in a way that put him in the spotlight, big time. He had the resources for it—secret ruler of a thriving city-state with a crew of sharp subordinates.
Jayeros, one of the five great nations, was the country the Unholy King would claim. Still a crown prince, the King had schemed to pit the noble houses against the royal family, weakening both sides. Then, under the guise of peace, he'd wipe them out and crown himself the uncontested ruler of Jayeros. In the novel, he'd succeed, sparking the Second Great War before the protagonist and his crew finally stopped him.
Nero's plan was to speed up the Unholy King's rise compared to the book, ensuring the original protagonists didn't steal his thunder. To do that, he'd first need to wrap up Jayeros' internal war fast—making sure the Unholy King came out on top, just like in the story. But pulling that off meant getting close to the key players without raising suspicion and fanning the flames of conflict—no small feat.
Even torn by civil war, Jayeros had held onto its status as a dominant force in the Middle Land.
To tackle this, Nero and his followers had hatched a scheme to infiltrate the country through its underbelly. Every nation, no matter how grand, had a dark side. From there, they'd quietly cozy up to the noble families' faction, planting seeds to ramp up the clash with the royals. The plan was rolling along—the infiltration had gone off without a hitch. Even after dealing with the Unholy King, Nero would still have a grip on Jayeros' shadowy corners.
But the plan didn't stop there.
After speeding up the Unholy King's rise, Nero had to figure out how his downfall could boost Nero's own rep the most. For that, he had the perfect weapon—one that could almost rival the five great nations if it wanted to.
It was the Zion guild, one of the world's biggest underground mage agencies.
Zion was more than just a mercenary outfit. It was a global network of top-tier deviants and brilliant minds across all fields.
Founded over three centuries ago, Zion had built a killer rep in the underworld. What set it apart from the competition was its knack for tackling complex problems and pulling off high-stakes ops with precision. Its strength lay in its handpicked deviants, who could hold their own against any nation's best.
Plus, Zion had a sprawling web of contacts and allies worldwide. Despite its secretive nature, it didn't operate outside the law. It stuck to international rules, stepping in only when needed and approved. This hands-off stance on political conflicts or wars earned it a neutral status—open to anyone with the cash to hire them. Its power was so legit that, unofficially, it'd snagged the title of "Sixth Great Power," nearly on par with the five big nations.
That was the perfect weapon Nero planned to wield.
In the novel, Zion barely popped up in the plot, leaving its origins and leaders shrouded in mystery until volume 89, when it finally took center stage. For Nero, who'd read all the way to the last volume—92—it was a goldmine.
He was one of the few, barely a dozen, who knew Zion's full story and structure.
And he'd used that edge to take it over.
Yeah, Nero aimed to claim the guild for himself to kick off his hero era.
Step one was joining under his character's real name, Zeref Grimwald. Getting in touch with one of Zion's Middle Land branch managers—Pilar, real name Andreas Fyovel—was a breeze.
Granddaughter of the guild's former head, she was a cornerstone of the agency, running its northern Middle Land branch. Beyond her identity, she was a deviant with a prized ability among the guild's top brass: her unique eyes could spot any lie.
Ironically, that made her perfect for Nero. As Zeref Grimwald, he'd fled his country as a criminal, changing his face and identity. Proving who he was should've been tricky—but Pilar's lie-detecting eyes fixed that. Nero approached her, laid out his identity and his pitch to work for the guild, no holds barred. Her lack of nosiness meant he didn't have to worry about a grilling that might force him to spill his reincarnated status or his plan to take over Zion.
That's how Nero slid into the guild with ease. But he didn't pick Pilar just to vouch for his Zeref Grimwald identity—her tight ties to the guild's top dogs were the real draw. In a quiet deal, Nero struck a bargain with her: if his performance proved solid and profitable, she'd get him a meeting with the higher-ups—a perk usually reserved for branch heads and elite agents. Deal set, Nero just had to work with what he had.
As the would-be first Calamity, Nero had a hefty arsenal. He didn't hesitate to tap it to boost his guild cred fast. With Klein, his trusty left-hand man, he nailed an S-rank mission from Pilar meant to test his skills.
He kept the momentum, shining in over twenty high-risk gigs in just five months. Nero had a blast with every one, milking them for all they were worth. Then he had one of his ministers unleash a weapon tied to his original role as the first Calamity, stirring chaos in a well-known city where he swooped in as the savior. Sure, the country's media spun it as their army's win, but Nero made damn sure he left an impression.
In the end, he caught enough attention to land a meeting with Zion's top brass. His hard work paid off.
Nero's approach to claiming the guild wasn't about playing nice with the leaders. He knew that'd be pointless. Instead, he leaned on his novel-gained intel about Zion. Still, he wanted to take it over as peacefully as possible—starting a war would backfire.
Hence the bargaining idea.
Nero offered to hand over Jayeros in exchange for the guild.
The same Jayeros where he'd let the Unholy King rise—and then take him down. Of course, he knew his pitch wouldn't carry weight as just words. So, to beef up his bargaining chip, he neutralized some of the guild's leaders—whose real identities and locations weren't a mystery to him, thanks to the book. He left the rest to Klein and his skills.
Still, there was a chance the leaders wouldn't bite. If they didn't, Nero wouldn't blink at tearing Zion down to its roots. It'd be a loss, but he couldn't risk it screwing with his future plans.
"Make the right call, folks…" Nero muttered, gazing out at the landscape and sipping his wine.