The light of the teleportation array died out, and the three of them stood at the border of a desolate hillside. This was the limit of swift teleportation. If a larger magic circle could be drawn, Murphy was confident he could transport directly to the Demon King's court.

On their own turf, the two not-so-tame "jacket-wearing" skeleton horses twisted and bucked off their horse skins, neighing cheerfully.

Murphy, however, let out a laugh.

"Do you think my stunt just now will give the old man sleepless nights?" he asked.

"Cous... Your Majesty, he'll know we deliberately leaked the info. The more he knows, the less likely he'll verify our identities," his partner answered.

"Hmph! I wasn't just scaring him. I was helping him. Would you believe that next time we go to Viscount Baker's lands, he might thank us?"

Murphy slapped Tyre on the shoulder, putting on a "much-to-learn-youngster" face, thinking that even the old Baker could not reject such an offer.

Turning his attention to the bionic man, Byron, who sat at the front of the carriage, Murphy felt puzzled. After all, they were home, and there was no reason for Byron to remain so solemn.

Had he developed an unhealthy passion for playing coachman?

Murphy tapped Byron's head, signaling that Slime could separate from the skeleton. As a result, the deep-blue Slime lord Brue phased in, in the middle of the carriage, while the skeleton remained as silent as ever.

Murphy flicked Byron's skull, producing a melodic sound, snapping Byron back to reality.

Sorry, I seem to have remembered some things from my past life... Ever since you killed me once, fragments of memories keep appearing in my mind from time to time，said Byron.

"I've spent quite some time sorting out these memories. I can tell they were from my human times, but something seems missing."

Murphy and Tyre exchanged glances. Murphy then asked, "Do you recall your full name?"

The skeleton, blank-eyed, stared at the ground. "I am Byron... Byron... My last name..."

Murphy showed him the battered house badge. "Does this look familiar?"

Yet the answer from Byron was a slow shake of his head. "It's very hazy."

"This is from the Reed family, one of the items you dropped when I killed you. I supposed it should be your family when you were alive."

Murphy sketched a rudimentary map. He pointed to the top right of the map, saying, "This is the realm of Count Reed, something I spotted on the old man's map. If you're still confused, why not visit there? Maybe your recollections would resurface."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Staring at the map, Byron fell silent before requesting absently, "Your Majesty, may I take a leave to find myself, to liberate myself from these confusing memories?"

"Sure thing. Looking after staff well-being is part of an employer's duty. Honestly, you're not that instrumental to my plan at the moment. Go ahead", Murphy showed no surprise about the upcoming hidden plot, even giving both hands up in support of Byron's travel.

"But... In your current state, I wonder if you could even navigate human villages?" Current Byron touched his skeletal face after thinking about his life.

Murphy and Tyre shared a glance before turning their eyes to the blue Slime in the middle of the carriage.

Their stares made Slime flatten reluctantly. "Brue, I think I need to trouble you once more."

The blue gel-like being bubbled up to signal its willingness.

"Alright! Thus I announce the task of uncovering hidden plots goes to Skeleton Lord Byron and Slime Lord Brue. Keep up the good work. I am counting on you", Murphy ceremoniously handed out mission tools after finishing the proclamation.

Despite the unfamiliar words used by Murphy, the two demons understood their mission and formally acknowledged their new task.

"A normal set of leather armor won't get too much attention; a worn longsword could come handy; a coin purse with 20 gold, 50 silver, and 30 bronze coins — remember to spend the small change first; you don't want to advertise yourself as fat sheep ready for slaughter."

Like an overly zealous mother, Murphy prepared his somewhat thick-headed helpers for their mission; Byron to recover his memory with Brue's assistance.

Lastly, Murphy cast a mark on the two demons so he could sense should their HP drop to a certain level.

After having the skeleton horse put on the horse skin again, Byron set out on his journey to uncover his identity, posing as a regular adventurer.

---

Left with only one horse to pull the cart (thanks to Byron), Murphy and Tyre had no choice but to sit back and enjoy the ride. But with the resilience and strength of the demon horses, it made their return journey a leisurely one. They followed the code of joyfully slacking, riding like regular traders towards the heart of the desolate hillside.

Murphy handed all the seeds bought from the human kingdom to the goblin lord, demonstrated some farming practices and tasked him to rope in the undead lord and the skeletons to cultivate the land.

Murphy was aware of the unpredictable mutation of plants grown on demon lands but wished to witness it firsthand before deciding the next course of action.

Upon unloading a cart's worth of raw crystal ores in Sleepy Hollow, Tyre told him that the development of these "useless" crystals will begin straightaway. As soon as there's a breakthrough, he'll notify Murphy.

However, Murphy assured him not to feel too pressured since he wasn’t too sure about the preferences of royalties in this realm.

Just when Murphy thought he could slack off, wait for news, and lay the groundwork for the next phase, two uninvited guests dashed his plans.

Seated at the head of the meeting table in the Sleepy Hollow's council chamber, Murphy greeted the unexpected visitors, understood what had happened during these few days.

The werewolf lord was a middle-aged man, well-built, with a full, neat beard, exuding a calming demeanor.

The spirit lord, on the other hand, was a nebulous figure formed by dense white mist, gave an ethereal feeling when it talked. Its feature was unclear, seemed to vanish in the next second.

Murphy knitted his brows; he vaguely remembered the werewolf as Shaun and the spirit as Vilt.

"Are you here because there's an update on that matter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, as soon as we went back, we began the arrangements of the tasks you have assigned. During your absence, we apprehended three smuggling merchant convoys. One of them was trading crucibles and other magical tools to vampires; the other two were seeking old items from vampires in exchange for human goods."

Well, well, full of surprises, Murphy sighed. Interdimensional black market dealers, huh?