The grand throne room doors swung wide open, revealing Duke Vallen lounging casually upon his golden throne, as though he were simply waiting for a guest to arrive for afternoon tea. Yet behind him, hundreds of mercenary soldiers filled the hall, sealing every exit.

"Welcome," Duke Vallen greeted with a heavily affected, elegant tone. "A laborer, a dwarf, and a runaway princess. What a fascinating lineup for an execution."

"Talk too much!" Grom roared. He slammed his battle-axe into the floor, sending a shockwave rippling through the marble tiles until they fractured. "Troops! Charge!"

The hall dissolved into total chaos. Grom hurled himself straight into the cluster of soldiers like an enraged cannonball, swinging his battle-axe with brute force that dented enemy armor like cheap tin cans. At the same time, Naria stepped onto the balcony overlooking the hall, lifting her magical staff high. Her voice rang out across the entire capital through amplification magic.

"People of Eudor! Hear the true voice of your throne!" Naria cried. Her voice was no longer that of a frightened girl, but the commanding resonance of a true queen. The long-oppressed citizens began massing outside the palace gates, breaking through the barriers to rush in and support Raga’s team.

Raga paid none of it any mind. His eyes remained locked entirely on Vallen.

"You," Raga pointed his silver crowbar right at Vallen. "You're the worst project manager in existence. Unclear pay rates, a toxic work environment, and you don't even know how to pour a proper foundation."

Vallen sneered, stepping down from the throne as a shroud of darkness enveloped his longsword. "You seriously think you can defeat me with that pathetic handyman's tool?"

Whoosh!

Vallen moved with lightning speed. Raga barely had time to react. Vallen's slash-and-strike barrage tore through the air, leaving deep gashes in the expensive marble walls. Raga found himself pushed back step by step, parrying assault after assault with his crowbar until his hands went completely numb.

[System: Warning! Your HP is at a critical level (15%). Vallen is utilizing the 'Shadow Step' technique. Recommendation: Stop playing the cool hero and immediately resort to dirty tactics!]

"Dirty tactics?" Raga scoffed, dodging a sweep that nearly took off the tip of his nose.

[System: Affirmative. You are a laborer. Laborers don't fight with honor; laborers win with cheap shots. Remember that core pillar you hated back in Chapter 11? That's his weak spot!]

A wide grin broke out across Raga's sweat-drenched face. He deliberately baited Vallen into chasing him toward the massive marble pillar on the left side of the hall—the very pillar Raga had judged to be built with abysmal workmanship.

"Get back here, rat!" Vallen bellowed, leaping high into the air to deliver a devastating finishing downward strike.

Raga didn't dodge. Instead, he sprinted straight toward the base of the pillar. Vallen, entirely convinced Raga had nowhere left to run, poured all his power into a massive vertical arc.

"It's over for you!"

The exact second Vallen's blade descended, Raga ducked and slammed his crowbar into the pillar's weak point—a small pocket where Raga had covertly "excavated" the cement mortar during his disguise the night before.

Crack!

The sharp fracture sound didn't come from Raga's crowbar, but from the ten-meter-tall marble pillar looming right above them. With a deafening, thunderous roar, the colossal structural column lost its structural stability entirely.

Vallen’s eyes went wide. He tried to abort his attack, but his forward momentum was already far too great. The pillar gave way, crashing down—not toward Raga, but squarely on top of Vallen and his golden throne.

BOOM!

Thick clouds of dust billowed upward, blanketing the entire hall. Raga coughed heavily, covering his nose with his rubber-gloved hand.

[System: Well, well, well. The 'Planned Structural Collapse' technique was a success. Score: 10/10. Vallen has been buried beneath his own throne. How ironic, right? You literally wrecked his career.]

As the dust settled, Vallen was revealed pinned beneath a pile of rubble and gold debris. His black armor was crushed to pieces, and his magical sword snapped in half. He tried to scramble up, but Raga was already standing over him, pressing the tip of his crowbar right against Vallen's throat.

"Renovations complete, Vallen," Raga whispered.

All around the hall, Vallen's soldiers watched their leader get taken down by a pile of masonry and instantly dropped their weapons. Grom stood in the center of the room, breathing hard yet radiating pure victory. Naria walked down from the balcony, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she looked at Raga.

"Raga... you did it," Naria said softly.

Raga let go of his crowbar and collapsed onto the debris-strewn floor of the hall. He was utterly exhausted. Every bone in his body felt like it was ready to snap.

"My paycheck, Naria," Raga chuckled weakly. "Don't forget the chest. I'm completely spent, and I need about three years of uninterrupted sleep."

[System: Congratulations! Main Quest: 'Rescue the Princess and Restore the Kingdom' completed! Transmitting completion data... 100%. Preparing rewards.]

Right in the middle of the ruined hall, a large gold-plated wooden chest materialized beside Raga. Raga stared at the chest with an overwhelming surge of emotional relief. Finally, through all the dust, cement, and insane battles, he had won.

"Foreman!" Grom rushed over, wrapping Raga in a bear hug that nearly cracked his ribs. "That was unbelievable! That pillar-demolition trick... I'm teaching that to every dwarf in Eudor!"

Raga could only smile. He had conquered a kingdom, demolished a castle, and now, he had a chest of gold ready to take home. Yet as his hand gripped the chest's handles, he noticed Naria watching him with a mournful gaze.

"Are you really going to leave?" Naria asked quietly.

Raga fell silent. For the very first time, the chest of gold felt just a little bit lighter than before. But he was a laborer—he had a promise to keep back in his original world.

"I've got a home waiting for me, Princess," Raga replied softly.

[System: Warning! Return portal will open in 5 minutes. Prepare for transit.]

The battle was over, but for Raga, this story had only just reached its peak.