Clay stood motionless.

For several long seconds, he genuinely wondered if he had misheard everything.

The expression on his face slowly became blank.

Not angry.

Not cold.

Just utterly confused.

...What?

The words replayed inside his head again and again.

The young master of the Valmont family was the culprit behind the beasts’ raging evolutionary tide...

His lips twitched faintly.

No, hold on.

That doesn’t even make sense.

He slowly turned his head toward the two merchants speaking near the alley. The moment they noticed his gaze landing on them, both men nearly froze in terror.

One hurriedly grabbed the other’s arm.

"L Let’s go."

The two immediately left without daring to stay another second.

Clay stared at their disappearing backs silently.

Then—

Very slowly—

He pointed at himself.

"...Me?"

Maid Cy quietly watched him from behind.

Meanwhile, inside Clay’s mind, confusion was rapidly turning into disbelief.

How did this become my fault?

I literally solved problems.

I stopped the Bersuka Warchief.

I protected the town.

I even gave people walls.

His face slowly twisted further.

Why am I suddenly the villain here?!

He immediately focused his hearing again.

This time harder than before.

And unfortunately—

The whispers only became worse.

"...My brother saw terrifying beasts dragged into town..."

"They said those monsters were being controlled..."

"Have you seen the warriors serving him?"

"I heard they came from another continent..."

"They say even the beasts avoid him..."

"Maybe he’s controlling them..."

"No wonder the monsters became stronger..."

Clay’s eye twitched.

These people are insane.

He resumed walking slowly, but now his attention remained fully focused on the surrounding voices.

And the more he listened—

The more ridiculous the rumors became.

"I heard he can make beasts evolve instantly..."

"No, no, he feeds them human blood..."

"Idiot, I heard he made a deal with demons..."

"Someone said he punched apart a mountain..."

"They said the red skinned warriors call him Young Warchief..."

"Maybe he’s not even human..."

Clay’s breathing slowly deepened.

Beside him, Maid Cy remained silent while hearing every single one of his thoughts clearly.

What the hell is happening?

Why does this sound more ridiculous every second?

Human blood? Demons? Mountains?

WHO IS MAKING THIS STUFF UP?!

Another whisper entered his hearing.

"...Ever since the Valmont young master arrived, everything changed..."

"Yes..."

"...Maybe he purposely caused the beasts to evolve so he could become humanity’s savior afterward..."

Clay nearly stopped breathing for a second.

His expression became completely horrified.

WHAT KIND OF CONSPIRACY THEORY IS THAT?!

Then another one came.

"I heard he enjoys fighting powerful monsters..."

"That explains it..."

"He probably wants the beasts stronger..."

"He must be treating this continent like a game..."

Clay’s eyes widened slightly.

No no no no.

This is getting worse.

He suddenly grabbed his own forehead.

A headache was genuinely beginning to form.

Because the terrifying part—

Was that some details accidentally sounded believable once combined together.

The evolved beasts.

The Bersuka warriors.

The dimensional crack.

The anti magic powers.

The monster corpses.

The town defenses.

The mysterious tribes.

To ordinary civilians—

Everything connected together into one terrifying picture.

And somehow—

Clay had become the center of it all.

Meanwhile, the whispers still continued.

"They say even the border guards fear him..."

"My uncle said a Bersuka warrior knelt before him..."

"I heard he weakened himself to strengthen monsters..."

"No, I heard he’s preparing for war..."

"Against who?"

"Everyone."

Clay’s face finally cracked.

"...What."

He genuinely sounded wounded.

Emotionally wounded.

Maid Cy quietly watched him unravel internally.

This is insane.

This is actually insane.

How did they even come up with this?

Then suddenly—

A horrifying realization entered Clay’s mind.

Wait.

His face slowly stiffened.

If people keep spreading this...

His eyes widened slightly.

Won’t the Holy Kingdom eventually hear about it too?

Another realization followed immediately afterward.

No.

Forget the Holy Kingdom.

What if my father hears this nonsense?

Clay nearly looked physically ill from the thought alone.

Because explaining this situation would sound impossible.

"Father, I can explain. I accidentally became the suspected mastermind behind a continent wide beast evolution disaster after punching a tribal Warchief to death and making another continent obey me."

No sane person would believe that explanation.

His breathing slowly became heavier.

The more he thought about it—

The more terrifying the situation became.

No wonder I kept feeling something bad was coming.

This is it.

This is the disaster.

I was relaxing too early!

His thoughts started spiraling rapidly now.

What if the kingdoms unite against me?

What if the Church gets involved?

What if everyone thinks I’m some hidden final villain?

WAIT.

His pupils shrank slightly.

Am I accidentally becoming the villain from the dream again?!

That thought struck him harder than everything else.

Because suddenly—

Too many things were starting to line up strangely.

The fear.

The rumors.

The growing misunderstandings.

The powerful enemies appearing one after another.

Clay’s expression slowly became more horrified.

No way.

No no no no.

I escaped that future already.

Didn’t I?

His mind became increasingly chaotic.

Meanwhile, Maid Cy continued hearing every single thought clearly.

And after listening quietly for a while—

She finally spoke.

"Young master."

Clay immediately turned toward her.

"What?!"

Maid Cy looked at him calmly.

"I think I know who instigated this."

Maid Cy’s words immediately pulled Clay out of his spiraling thoughts.

His eyes narrowed almost instantly.

"...The Holy Kingdom?"

Maid Cy nodded calmly.

"Yes."

Clay stared at her for several seconds.

Then slowly—

His expression became darker.

Not because he was fully convinced yet.

But because the explanation actually made sense.

Too much sense.

After all, who recently arrived at the border town?

Who came from outside?

Who possessed influence powerful enough to spread rumors quickly?

The answer naturally pointed toward the Holy Kingdom’s people.

Meanwhile, Maid Cy continued speaking in a composed tone.

"The Holy Knights and Lady Frazanna arrived shortly after the battle at the border."

Clay’s brows furrowed.

"...And?"

"They questioned many people."

His eyes narrowed further.

"What kind of questions?"

Maid Cy answered without hesitation.

"Questions about the beasts."

"Questions about the invaders."

"Questions about the dimensional crack."

"Questions about the Bersuka Tribe."

Her voice remained calm throughout.

"And most importantly..."

She looked directly toward him.

"Questions about young master."

Clay’s face slowly stiffened.

A dangerous feeling began rising inside him.

Not murderous intent.

Not bloodlust.

But irritation.

Deep irritation.

Because he hated being dragged into unnecessary trouble.

Especially trouble that could ruin his peaceful life.

He immediately asked again.

"What exactly did they ask?"

Maid Cy calmly recalled things she personally heard earlier.

"They asked why the beasts became stronger."

"They asked why the Bersuka Tribe submitted."

"They asked why the town suddenly became peaceful after young master arrived."

"They asked why terrifying monsters were being dragged through the gates."

She paused briefly.

"And they asked why warriors from another continent obeyed young master’s commands."

Clay’s expression became uglier and uglier the more he listened.

Of course that sounds suspicious when you say it all together.

He rubbed his forehead slowly.

"...Still."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Even if they asked questions, why would they spread rumors?"

Maid Cy answered immediately.

"Fear."

Clay blinked once.

"Fear?"

"Yes."

Her tone stayed smooth and steady.

"The Holy Kingdom already knows the continent is becoming more dangerous."

"The beasts are evolving."

"The forests are becoming unstable."

"Unknown enemies are appearing."

"And then suddenly..."

She looked toward him again.

"A young master from the Valmont Family appears and gains authority over terrifying tribes from another continent."

Clay opened his mouth slightly—

Then closed it again.

Because annoyingly—

That explanation also sounded reasonable.

Maid Cy continued.

"They are probably afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"That young master might eventually become too powerful to control."

Clay stared at her blankly.

"...Control?"

Maid Cy nodded.

"The Holy Kingdom values stability."

"If someone too powerful suddenly appears during a continental crisis..."

She lowered her gaze slightly.

"They will naturally become cautious."

Clay slowly inhaled.

Then exhaled.

His head was beginning to hurt again.

Because from a political perspective—

This actually sounded believable.

Very believable.

Especially when combined with all the terrifying things that had happened recently.

Then suddenly—

Another thought entered Clay’s mind.

Wait.

He looked at Maid Cy again.

"What about Frazanna?"

Maid Cy’s eyes flickered slightly.

"What about her, young master?"

"She came with the Holy Knights too."

"Yes."

Clay frowned.

"...Would she really spread rumors like this?"

Maid Cy answered carefully.

"Lady Frazanna is loyal to the Holy Kingdom."

"She may simply believe caution is necessary."

Then after a brief pause—

"Or perhaps..."

Clay narrowed his eyes.

"Perhaps?"

"She misunderstood the situation herself."

That answer immediately made Clay pause.

Because honestly—

That possibility sounded even more believable.

After all, from the outside perspective, things truly looked suspicious.

The evolving beasts.

The Bersuka warriors.

The mysterious powers.

The anti magic.

The dimensional crack.

And Clay somehow standing at the center of everything.

He slowly looked toward the street around him again.

Several civilians quickly lowered their heads after noticing his gaze.

The fear inside their eyes was obvious now.

Clay clicked his tongue softly.

"...This is annoying."

Very annoying.

He worked hard to avoid becoming the villain from those dreams.

Yet somehow—

Without realizing it—

He was already beginning to look like one from other people’s perspectives.

The irony genuinely irritated him.

Meanwhile, Maid Cy quietly observed him.

Inside her mind, she felt slightly guilty.

Not because she lied.

But because the actual culprit—

Maxwell—

Was still alive somewhere.

And considering his hatred toward Clay now...

There was a very high chance he truly was spreading rumors already.

Still—

Maid Cy preferred keeping Maxwell’s existence hidden for now.

Because if Clay found out she secretly chased Maxwell for weeks without permission—

Things would become complicated.

Very complicated.

Then suddenly—

Clay spoke again.

"...No."

His voice became firmer this time.

Maid Cy looked toward him.

"Young master?"

Clay’s eyes slowly narrowed.

"I can tolerate misunderstandings."

"But if someone is intentionally spreading nonsense about me..."

A dangerous expression slowly appeared on his face.

"...that’s different."

The air around him suddenly felt colder.

Nearby civilians instinctively moved farther away again without understanding why.

Meanwhile, Clay’s thoughts became increasingly serious.

This cannot continue.

Today it’s rumors.

Tomorrow it becomes investigations.

Then suddenly everyone thinks I’m some hidden mastermind behind the apocalypse.

His face darkened further.

Absolutely not.

He already knew how dangerous rumors could become once kingdoms got involved.

Especially religious groups.

Especially nobles.

Especially frightened people.

And right now—

The continent was already unstable enough.

Meaning people desperately wanted someone to blame.

And somehow—

That someone was becoming him.

Clay slowly looked toward Maid Cy.

"Where are the Holy Kingdom people now?"

Maid Cy answered immediately.

"They are still staying near the border district."

Clay nodded once.

Then he began walking again.

This time his relaxed mood from earlier had completely disappeared.

His eyes looked calmer now.

Sharper.

More focused.

Maid Cy quietly followed behind him.

"Young master intends to investigate personally?"

Clay snorted softly.

"Of course."

His voice carried clear annoyance now.

"Let me see."

His gaze slowly moved toward the distant district where the Holy Kingdom forces stayed.

"If they were really the ones who spread this nonsense..."

His expression finally became cold.

"...they shall be punished."