I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord-Chapter 22: Welcome to the Lion’s Den

The capital loomed in the distance, its towering stone walls bathed in the soft glow of the rising sun. Spires of white marble reached for the sky, banners fluttered in the morning breeze, and the faint hum of a waking city drifted through the air.

It should have been an impressive sight.

To Darin, it just looked like another disaster waiting to happen.

"Alright," Vincent murmured, pulling his horse to a stop at the crest of the hill. "This is where things get tricky."

Darin rubbed his temples. "Oh, good. Because everything before this was so simple."

The sorceress ignored him, scanning the road below. "The main gates will be heavily guarded. The king has been on edge ever since the rumors started."

Vincent arched a brow. "You mean the rumors about a dangerous Dark Overlord secretly amassing an army?"

Darin scowled. "I hate everyone who started that."

"You started that," Vincent pointed out.

Darin groaned. "I know."

Steve, blissfully unaware of the tension, let out a deep yawn and stretched his wings before tucking them neatly against his back.

The sorceress sighed. "We'll have to take the river entrance."

Darin blinked. "The what now?"

"The underground waterways," she clarified. "The city's lower districts are riddled with old tunnels. If we follow the river, we can slip in unnoticed."

Vincent hummed. "Smuggling ourselves into the capital through a dark, possibly rat-infested tunnel system? Sounds like a wonderful plan."

Darin grimaced. "I swear, if I get bitten by something, I'm blaming both of you."

Steve wagged his tail.

Vincent smirked. "Don't worry, Overlord. I'm sure your legendary dark powers will protect you."

Darin scowled. "I will literally throw you into the river if you keep yapping."

Vincent just laughed.

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "Let's go before someone spots us."

They made their way down the hill, keeping to the cover of the trees. The road leading to the main gate was already bustling with merchants, travelers, and city guards checking paperwork.

Darin tried not to think about how many of those guards might swarm them if they saw him and steve.

Instead, he focused on not tripping over every rock on the way down.

By the time they reached the riverbank, the city's walls towered over them, the ancient stone stretching impossibly high. The river that cut through the lower districts ran dark and slow, its surface rippling with the occasional drift of debris.

Darin squinted at it.

"...So, we're really doing this?"

The sorceress didn't answer. Instead, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a small vial. With a quick flick of her wrist, she uncorked it and poured a single drop into the water.

The liquid shimmered, just for a moment, before vanishing beneath the surface.

Then, without a sound, the water shifted, parting to reveal a submerged stone entrance hidden beneath the riverbank.

Darin stared.

Vincent let out a low whistle. "Well. That's concerningly convenient."

The sorceress smirked. "Still doubting me?"

Darin sighed. "Oh, I never doubted that you were terrifying."

Steve let out a happy chirp, seemingly excited by the secret entrance.

Darin pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is a bad idea."

Vincent grinned. "Of course it is."

And with that, they stepped inside.

The tunnel was cold.

Not just the usual damp chill of underground spaces, but unnatural cold, the kind that sank into your bones and made you wonder if something was watching from the dark.

Darin hated it immediately.

"So," he muttered, voice echoing off the stone walls. "Exactly how illegal is this?"

The sorceress didn't even look at him. "Very."

Darin groaned. "Great. Love committing multiple crimes before breakfast."

Vincent, walking just ahead, smirked. "Technically, you were already a criminal before we got here."

"Not helping."

The air smelled of damp stone and old river water. The tunnel walls were slick with moss, the occasional root twisting through cracks in the ceiling. Somewhere in the distance, the faint drip of water echoed endlessly.

Steve, ever the curious dragon, sniffed at the walls as they walked, occasionally flicking his tail.

Darin, meanwhile, tried very hard not to think about the fact that they were currently trudging through a centuries-old sewer system.

Grumble, completely unbothered, slinked through the shadows like he belonged in a place like this. His glowing eyes flicked toward Darin, unreadable as always.

Darin sighed. "I swear, if something jumps out at us—"

Something jumped out at them.

Darin screamed.

It was a rat.

A very large rat, but a rat nonetheless.

Steve immediately pounced, tail lashing, wings flaring slightly as he let out a triumphant chirp. The rat let out a terrified squeak and bolted down the tunnel, disappearing into the shadows.

Darin clutched his chest, trying to slow his breathing. "I hate it here."

Vincent, who was clearly enjoying himself, grinned. "Come now, Overlord. Surely a great and terrible ruler isn't afraid of a few sewer rats?"

Darin shot him a glare.

Steve, tail wagging, looked very pleased with himself.

The sorceress shook her head. "Keep moving. We're almost there."

They followed the tunnel deeper, the path sloping upward slightly as they neared what Darin hoped was an exit.

Then—

A sound.

Not the dripping of water.

Not the scurrying of rats.

Footsteps.

Darin stiffened.

The sorceress held up a hand, signaling them to stop.

Vincent's smirk faded. His hand drifted toward his sword.

Darin really wished they could go five minutes without something trying to kill them.

The footsteps grew louder.

Then, from around the bend—

A group of figures emerged.

Not guards.

Not mercenaries.

But smugglers.

One of them, a woman with a scar down her cheek and a dagger on her hip, paused mid-step, eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of them.

Darin immediately forced a nervous smile.

"Uh," he said. "Hi?"

The woman's gaze flicked between them, then landed on the sorceress. Her expression darkened.

"You," she said, voice low.

Darin winced.

Oh no.

The tunnel was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that meant someone was thinking very hard about whether they needed to stab you.

Darin did not like that silence.

The scarred woman's eyes locked onto the sorceress, sharp and dangerous. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't show your face here again."

Darin turned slowly to the sorceress. "Oh, wonderful. You know them."

The sorceress exhaled through her nose. "It's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Complicated in the sense that they may or may not want to kill me."

Darin squeezed his eyes shut. "Fantastic."

Vincent, ever unbothered, leaned casually against the damp stone wall. "Well, we could solve this the old-fashioned way."

The scarred woman arched a brow. "And that would be?"

Vincent smirked. "Bribery."

The smugglers glanced at each other.

Darin, meanwhile, was doing mental math. "Wait, wait, wait. Bribery? With what money?"

Vincent hummed thoughtfully. "Well, if someone hadn't refused tribute back in the village, we might have had more options."

Darin glared. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have taxed my own cult for this exact situation?"

"Would've been smart."

"I hate you."

The sorceress ignored them both, stepping forward with slow, careful movements. "We're just passing through. That's all."

The scarred woman didn't look convinced. "Last time you passed through, half my men ended up unconscious."

"Excuse me?"

The sorceress sighed. "They tried to kill me."

The woman crossed her arms. "And you made your point. That doesn't mean I trust you now."

Darin nodded rapidly. "Right, right, totally fair, totally understandable—so how about we just turn around and pretend this never happened?"

Steve let out a tiny growl, his wings twitching slightly. He didn't like the tension in the room.

The scarred woman's eyes flicked to the dragon.

Darin immediately tried to block her view. "Nope. Not important. Nothing to see here."

Her expression darkened. "You brought a dragon into my tunnels?"

Darin forced a weak smile. "Technically, he brought himself."

Vincent muttered under his breath, "Worst liar I've ever met."

Darin elbowed him.

The woman's gaze lingered on Steve for a long moment, something unreadable flashing across her face. Then, finally, she sighed.

"You have two choices," she said. "You either pay for passage, or you turn around and find another way in."

Darin hesitated.

Option one: Pay the smugglers.

Which was absolutely not happening, because Darin was broke.

Option two: Find another way into the capital.

Which sounded great, except that Darin really didn't want to be anywhere near the main gates.

Vincent was already reaching for his coin pouch, but the sorceress stopped him with a single glance.

"We don't need to pay," she said.

The scarred woman let out a short, humorless laugh. "Oh? And why's that?"

The sorceress smirked.

Darin immediately didn't trust that smirk.

"Because," she murmured, "I know where you've been stashing your real shipments."

The tunnel went very still.

The smugglers tensed. Hands twitched toward weapons.

Darin very quietly took a step back.

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The woman's jaw tightened. "Careful what you say next."

The sorceress just tilted her head. "Careful what you do next. Because if we don't walk through here peacefully, I'll make sure everyone in the capital hears about your real operations."

The woman didn't blink. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

The smugglers glanced at their leader, waiting for her response.

Darin, meanwhile, was having a crisis.

"Okay," he muttered, just loud enough for Vincent to hear. "Just to clarify, did she just blackmail a gang of criminals?"

Vincent nodded. "She did."

"Is that a normal thing for her?"

Vincent smirked. "Oh, absolutely."

Darin exhaled. "Why am I still here?"

The scarred woman glared at the sorceress for a long, heavy moment.

Then—

She sighed.

"Fine," she muttered, stepping aside. "Get out of my tunnels."

Darin blinked. "That worked?"

The sorceress just walked forward, not sparing the woman another glance.

Darin hurried after her. "You could have mentioned that you had blackmail material on them!"

She smirked. "Would you have wanted to negotiate?"

Darin grumbled under his breath.

Steve trotted happily beside them, completely unbothered by the blatant crime that had just taken place.

Vincent clapped Darin on the back. "Cheer up, Overlord. That was probably the least illegal thing we'll do today."