In this crossover anime, many ruthless and powerful figures reside in my territory.

Is a direct act of kindness less valuable than a few unintentional words of praise and flattery from a third party?

Yuri wouldn't mind doing Lister a small favor.

He still needs the lord's assistance with many things.

In less than a second, Lister and Yuri completed their exchange.

Lister picked up the unconscious Pauline from his arms and said.

"I'm planning to ask you something. If you're interested, come with me."

Madara was fine with it, Yuri was in a good mood after completing an important study, and Muzan always followed Lister, so all three of them planned to sit in on the conversation.

Inside the office of Red Maple Castle, Archie, who had been mind-controlled and defected to the enemy, was bowing his head with utmost humility, while a petite white-haired mouse girl slowly opened her eyes.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw an old man with white hair, a bald man in military uniform, a beautiful woman in a kimono, and a blond lord in the room.

The eyes that had been open instantly closed.

Don't notice her!

Then, Pauline heard the extremely humble voice of her superior.

“Lord Lister, I have come to investigate Red Maple Territory on the orders of the chief.”

"The leader believes there's something fishy about the Duchy war between the Eller and Dick families, and given your unusual behavior, we need to re-obtain your information."

???

Defect...defect to the enemy?!

Pauline couldn't imagine that the ill-tempered Archie could be so humble; it was completely unlike him.

What's going on?! Or is Archie actually a spy?

Wait a minute, she remembered that Archie had joined the Dark Court since he was a child, how could he be a spy?

"Just that?"

"Yes, right now the leader is just paying attention to you, sir."

Lister pondered quietly, glancing at Pauline, who was feigning unconsciousness on the ground.

"Mr. Yuri, will people who are mind-controlled undergo drastic personality changes?"

Yuri bowed slightly and replied.

"No, I just gave them a firm belief. When it doesn't involve their faith, their behavior is no different from usual."

!!!

Mind control...?!

Pauline felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, and her hair stood on end.

They actually possess such vicious abilities!

"Well, let's find out the situation first, and then send him back as a spy."

Lister looked at Archie and asked.

"Has anything unusual or strange happened in the Kingdom of Raine in the last two months?"

After considering for a moment, Archie replied.

"My lord, thanks to the efforts of our Dark Court, the kingdom's crime rate is steadily rising."

"The security situation in the nine kingdoms under the Perloren Empire is deteriorating. This year, there have been six unprecedented ducal wars among the kingdoms. One of the ducal families has lost its bloodline, and its subordinate families are now vying for the position."

"With nobles busy fighting for power and churches everywhere busy treating the winter flu and mediating noble conflicts, it is the perfect time for our Dark Court to expand its personnel."

Liszt frowned deeply.

Sure enough, ever since the person his sister sent to find the emperor died a violent death, he knew that this incident was no longer at the level of the kingdom, but more likely that someone was orchestrating it at the level of the empire.

I never imagined that investigating my own assassination attempt would lead to such a troublesome matter.

"Are there any other abnormalities?"

Lister did not believe that the person who orchestrated this scheme merely intended to plunge the empire into chaos; he was certain that the empire would profit from such chaos.

If we can find even the slightest clue, we might be able to analyze the person's motives from a small detail.

However, Achille simply shook his head.

Tsk!

Lister bit his thumb.

He had a bad feeling, but he had no more information to analyze.

So, is it really only possible to send one maid to investigate?

At this moment, Pauline, who was lying on the ground, suddenly and cautiously raised her hands and got up.

"I...I have information! But I demand that you not control my mind after I tell it!"

She trembled like a frightened quail in the shadows of the four people.

"Of course, no problem, as long as the information is useful to me."

Lister maintained a gentle smile.

He dislikes forcing others to change their thinking, even if it is very convenient to do so.

Having received a positive response, Pauline felt a little relieved and quickly replied.

"Actually, I'm quite curious in private why the higher-ups want us to do tasks that sow discord."

"So, I paid attention to it."

“I was once assigned to a mission in the capital. This mission was different from the previous ones. It was to teach the children in the orc living area how to steal.”

Lister nodded.

The United States has a large number of orcs, whose living areas are separated from those of human residents and are more chaotic, dirty, and worse.

“That time I saw someone performing a stage play in the living area, and many orcs went to see it. That’s when I learned that there had been a theater troupe performing for orcs for about eight years.”

"The stage play only has two acts—"

"The first act is about how the three holy lands defeated the alien empire four thousand years ago and drove the aliens to the polar regions."

"The second act is about the enslaved alien races rising up again under the leadership of the hero, breaking their shackles, and establishing a new home where all races are equal."

As soon as Pauline finished speaking, Lister's eyes widened suddenly.

At the same time, Yuri stroked his mustache, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

"How did those orc children react after watching the stage play?!"

Seeing Lister's anxious expression, Pauline swallowed hard.

"They...they were very excited..."

Lister suddenly slammed his fist on the desk.

Madara began to ponder, while Muzan asked directly.

"What did you find?"

Lister did not answer, but only murmured.

“Those people’s target was never a kingdom or an empire; they came directly for the entire United States…”

"I should have realized that the rapid increase in crime rate could not be achieved simply by encouraging others; it required a fundamental change in mindset."

"The class consciousness that the United States has built up over thousands of years is not so easily broken, so they set their sights on the orc children in the capital."

"The capital has many high-ranking collateral nobles, and many officials working in the capital are unwilling to come into contact with orcs, making it easier for them to operate discreetly."

"If we then use a simple method like stage plays to instill the idea of ​​equality in children whose concepts are not yet formed, they will develop criminal thoughts once they discover the cruelty of reality..."

"Eight years ago... Now those kids are thirteen or fourteen years old, the age when they're capable of doing what they want to do..."

"Achille! Have you contacted the Dark Court in other regions? What's the situation there?!"

Achille paused, then looked as if he was thinking hard.

"My lord, we lost contact with the Dark Court in other regions last month. The leader has sent messengers to make contact, but people are slower than carrier pigeons, and it will take at least half a year for them to travel between the two regions."

Lost contact?!

Liszt's inner unease intensified once again.

No! I have to go back!

Lister then looked at the other people in the room.

Ban is now very old and his physical strength has declined significantly, making him unsuitable for rapid treks and prolonged battles.

Yuri was pressed for time, busy not only with research but also with sowing discord among the enemy, and his own combat capabilities were not high.

With Aizen gone, all that's left is Muzan.

Lister glanced again at the snowy owl on the table with its eyes closed, and made a decision.

"Muzan, come with me to White Moon City."

"I plan to prepare the Flying Thunder God beacon along the way so that we can travel back and forth quickly."

"Also, we might run into some trouble when we go back this time."

Muzan pondered for a moment.

Her strength is now vastly different from before, and she even has the confidence to fight Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Moreover, she also knew that although there were many powerful people in this other world, there weren't many powerful people on the border of the United States, and even the most powerful ones weren't as powerful as Lister and Ban.

In that case... such a major event should surely accelerate the progress considerably.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

"Then let's get ready to set off now."

Lister placed one hand on the snow owl's back, injecting a large amount of chakra into the snow owl's body, while leaving a Flying Thunder God mark on its vest.

"Hurry up, it's urgent this time."