According to the cloaked man's description, every ten years or so, Coruna Heights welcomes a powerful figure.
No one knows who he is, only that they all refer to him as "the Lord."
Even the King of Coruna Heights must address him with utmost respect.
Everyone knows he comes to collect the wealth Coruna Heights has accumulated over the decade:
gold coins, crystal stones, magic stones, and all sorts of top-tier materials.
No one dares to refuse.
Very few among the common people know of this arrangement, and even if they did, few would likely believe it.
To them, honor, the Demon Clan, demons, heresy, the Holy Maiden, and knights are already the fabric of their existence.
Legends say this mysterious Lord can single-handedly face hundreds of High City knights from Coruna Heights.
He's rumored to have the power to slaughter the entire city's nobility and royalty alone.
Thus, the accumulated wealth is essentially a protection fee paid to this Lord.
Each time he arrives, the nobles of Coruna Heights must prepare to offer everything—money, resources, themselves, even their families—whatever he might request.
Whenever this figure speaks, they obey.
It has been a full decade since his last visit to High City.
The Lord is expected to appear this year or perhaps next.
Daniel had just asked Naya if a similar figure exists in the Demon Clan.
It seems that such beings, who arrive periodically to collect resources, do exist among demons as well.
These individuals likely possess strength, agility, spirit, constitution, and more—all surpassing thirty points or higher.
Ordinary knights max out at around 9 for each Base Attribute, while High City knights are typically expected to have a strength of 13, with little requirement for spirit.
With his current Base Attributes, Daniel could easily overpower most knights, but compared to such beings, he knew he'd be laughably outmatched.
After all, he couldn't face hundreds of High City knights at once; a single barrage of Holy Light Beams would send him straight to the afterlife.
However, even the top High City knights don't possess Daniel's boundless growth potential.
For most people, every attribute increase requires tremendous effort.
Daniel, though, had no such limitations.
Of course, unlike Daniel, others can't quantify their strength with exact numbers and instead rely on tests and intuition to gauge their power.
While Daniel interrogated the cloaked man in the carriage, the knights continued their march toward Coruna Heights under the guidance of their appointed leaders. The unfortunate bandits were also held in the convoy, destined to be brought back to High City as a source of merit.
As they neared Coruna Heights, they encountered more passing merchants along the road.
Fields and forests stretched out on either side, with numerous traders on the road heading to the countryside to purchase harvested crops. Carts piled high with rice, fruits, and fish were destined for High City, where they hoped to earn a fortune.
Even these well-traveled merchants couldn't help but gasp when they caught sight of the two Demon Clan commanders imprisoned in the center of the convoy.
The knights, proud of their victory, shared details of Daniel's fearless fight against the Demon Clan on the battlefield, and news of their triumph began to spread on its own.
Within the procession, Daniel scratched his head.
Despite having three women beside him, he wasn't in much of a celebratory mood. He had little interest in distant future plans; his focus was on how to deal with the nobles of Coruna Heights right now.
The knights continued their march.
The two Demon Clan commanders sat slumped in their cage, hoping in vain for a chance to escape that never materialized.
By noon the following day, the knights caught sight of the city gates.
There stood the towering Triumphal Arch, nearly a hundred people high, a grand, gray-white structure forged from an immense number of stones into a majestic arch. Under such a feat of humanity's power, one couldn't help but feel small.
At that moment, a large crowd had already gathered beneath the Triumphal Arch.
They were clearly awaiting something, their faces full of anticipation.
Jolene quipped, "It looks like news of our victory against the Demon Clan soldiers has spread. Maybe they're here to see what the Demon Clan commanders look like."
In reality, the long war between the Demon Clan and humanity had been ongoing for ages.
Too many people had lost loved ones to the Demon Clan. The depth of hatred felt by these native humans was something Daniel and other non-native humans could hardly grasp.
For years, as Coruna Heights fought the Demon Clan, people dreamed of a hero who would vanquish the demons once and for all, sparing their loved ones from the horrors of war.
So when the people beneath the Triumphal Arch finally caught sight of Daniel and his party, a thunderous cheer erupted, tearing through the sky.
"Daniel, I want to have your baby!" A spirited girl threw her purple undergarments toward the knights, not even knowing which one was Daniel, but not caring in the slightest.
"My knights, my glorious knights!" shouted an elderly woman whose husband and son had died on the battlefield, waving her cane as she looked at the dejected Demon Clan commanders in the cage.
"Long live Daniel!"
"Long live the commoner king!"
"Daniel! Daniel! Daniel!"
The chants rose to a fever pitch, with the excitement sweeping over the entire Triumphal Arch.
People pressed against one another, craning to catch a glimpse of Daniel.
If not for the knights holding the crowd back, he'd have been swallowed by the throng.
The barriers were essential—Daniel feared that, amidst the chaos, an assassin might slip through.
Seated in the carriage, Daniel tuned out the noise outside.
With his lower half exposed, he closed his eyes, savoring the strange sensation of warmth around him.
Naya's snake-like tongue had wrapped around him, coiling tightly as it pressed and pulsed.
"Master, is this pleasing? Is Naya serving you well?" Naya asked, a sly smile on her face.
Her Submission Value remained stubbornly low at three points, yet here she was, eager to flaunt her skills at his feet.
Daniel felt tension building, his mind spinning with the sheer audacity of the succubus race.
To think, she'd indulge herself so willingly for a mere three Submission points.
"Mm," he groaned, feeling pleasure ripple through him as Naya continued her attentions.
Jolene, fully naked, straddled Naya's back, drawing close to kiss Daniel. Her bare thighs traced a glistening line along Naya's smooth skin, her scent mingling in the enclosed space.
Daniel exhaled, Jolene's warm, eager tongue slipping past his lips, swirling against his own with practiced confidence.
Her hands roamed to her chest, lost in the fervor.
Pleasure, shame, and raw sensation pulsed within the carriage, creating an intoxicating atmosphere.
Meanwhile, outside, the deafening cheers carried on, oblivious to the hero's private conquest within.
When Daniel finally stepped out of the carriage, he was greeted by a sea of faces.
Coruna Heights was vast—traversing it from one gate to the next could take days without a teleportation array or a swift mount.
Along the way, people peeked out from every corner just to catch a glimpse of the legendary "commoner king" and to see the Demon Clan commanders locked in the cage.
"Everyone, please stay calm. I am Daniel. We're taking the Demon Clan commanders to the palace, so kindly make some space," Daniel called out loudly.
At his words, the crowd began to part, opening a path of their own accord. Finally, someone had identified himself as Daniel!
"Hurry, painter! You've seen him now, right? I need a portrait of Daniel by tomorrow—no, by the day after tomorrow! I want to print a hundred thousand images on clothing!" an overly enthusiastic merchant exclaimed, clutching a painter by the collar. They had followed the knightly procession for most of the day, finally catching sight of Daniel in person.
The painter wiped his brow, equally thrilled. "Yes, yes! I've seen him, memorized it. I'll sketch it immediately! Don't forget my share of the profits!"
Meanwhile, in a high tower within the city, a massive bell hung silently.
Beside the bell stood a figure cloaked in shadow.
Watching the returning knights, he sneered, "Foolish youth, unaware of the meaning of discretion. When you've angered the whole of Coruna Heights' elite, then you'll know the price of arrogance."
This figure was the head of an assassin organization, long-serving the top nobles of High City.
Rarely did he ever fail in Coruna Heights.
It seemed the lower-ranked assassins were too unreliable, so this time, he planned to give Daniel a lesson himself.