novelraw Chapter 178 : Chapter 178
Chapter 178 : Chapter 178
Chapter 178
One of the guild's hideouts located in the Avalon Kingdom.
There, for a brief while, two Superhumans had been tumbling about.
“Hoo.”
Tial Salamander's body collapsed on top of Orchid Owl's.
“You've gotten stronger~”
Orchid Owl smiled as she touched the scar on Tial Salamander's neck.
It was a wound inflicted by Crimson Wolf in a previous fight.
Recalling the brawl from that time, Tial's face scrunched up.
“I should have killed that bastard back then.”
“Hmm~ I bet Crimson is regretting it too by now.”
She touched Tial Salamander's chin and continued.
“Besides, I got hurt too, trying to stop you foolish men~”
A long scar was visible below her shoulder blade, exposed on her naked form.
It was from when she had jumped in when the clash between Crimson and Tial had been about to overheat.
“It was for the information, wasn't it?”
“Would you be hurt if I said yes?”
“I'm a Night Walker, too. I know how to separate public and private matters.”
Tial whispered into Orchid's ear.
“I'll send the information to Hennessy.”
“Not Absinthe?”
At her tilted head, Tial grinned.
“I told you. I know how to separate public and private affairs. I'm not foolish enough to make an enemy of that wolf.”
Hennessy was expanding its influence in the east by joining hands with Eurasia.
He was already aware that Crimson had a close relationship with the Third Prince, Killian Eurasia.
“Of course, I also know that he's not interested in you.”
He just needed a pretext to personally verify the man's skills.
Tial explained that as a result of his excellent choice, he had obtained both information on Crimson Wolf and the body of Orchid Owl.
“How disappointing~ I was actually worried about the relationship between you two.”
“Hehehe. Well, if I had swung with the intent to kill, I would have won.”
“Well, I wonder about that.”
Tial's expression turned serious at Orchid Owl's reaction.
“Are you saying I wouldn't have?”
“Tial, I'm an attractive woman.”
“……”
“How many men do you think have passed through my side?”
“A lot, I suppose?”
“Yes. And how many of them do you think are still alive?”
Tial narrowed his brows as if it were a difficult question.
Orchid Owl held up her palm.
“Five?”
Tial whistled at the smaller-than-expected number.
“One of them has now become an acquaintance of yours, too. There are no pushovers among the men by my side.”
“I guess I'll have to meet the other three. Is your interest in the Emperor because of Killian Eurasia?”
Orchid tilted her head.
“For people like us, there's nothing more foolish than asking how we found out.”
Ahahahaha.
Orchid Owl burst out laughing, her body shaking.
Her legs wrapped around Tial's body.
“That's right. He's very interested in the Emperor and the Empire.”
“Oho.”
“In that sense, there's something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
As Tial’s hand moved toward the lower part of Orchid Owl’s body, his lips twisted.
“The Emperor of the Empire, Pergius Heinrich, is trying to become a ‘God’. What could that possibly mean~?”
“……”
Silence fell for a moment.
“Hah.”
Tial sighed and placed his busily moving hand on the bed.
“Where did you hear that?”
“I'm willing to tell you if you answer me first.”
“I asked a pointless question. Let me give you a piece of advice.”
Tial got up and said as he put on his clothes.
“The Empire isn't as easy as you think.”
Even Babylon, one of the vassal states with two 8-star mages, didn't just submit to the Empire for no reason.
“If you're thinking of joining forces with Eurasia, you'd better think again.”
Tial warned Orchid.
“I'll have a competent person send the information to Hennessy.”
In the place Tial had left.
“As expected, he knows nothing.”
The corner of Orchid's mouth curled up.
“His opinion would have changed if he had met that man in person.”
Recalling the moment his mana had ensnared her, Orchid felt her body heat up.
She had been receiving reports on Killian's movements through Raven.
Information was about piecing together fragments.
Raven, who was leaking information from the Annihilation Squad, probably didn't know, but Orchid was aware that Killian was currently in Elvenheim.
“I wonder what that brilliant master of mine is doing there while a war is in full swing.”
Whatever he was thinking.
First, she would have to return to Hennessy and check the information Tial was sending.
“Really~ men are so much trouble.”
***
“Reports later!”
“Recheck the security network!!”
Serena looked around at the now-clamorous surroundings.
“It seems they were aiming for Prince Julian.”
Sharle said in a low voice.
Julian was the prince who became the pretext for the war.
However, unlike the fuss the Blue Knights were making, Julian was not here.
He was currently leading a portion of the Blue Knight Order in a Monster Subjugation on the eastern frontier.
‘Is he aiming for merit points even during a war?’
Since both princes vying for the throne were participating, that possibility could not be easily dismissed.
‘Prince Yulian's absence here must be due to the Third Mistress's influence.’
The Blue Knight Order present here was being led by the Vice-commander and a Centurion.
Nevertheless, the fact that they were even using a look-alike of Julian for a diversionary tactic was likely to attribute the Blue Knight Order's future military achievements to her own son.
Thinking it was a very typical move for her, Serena was inwardly chuckling when.
“I understand the Annihilation Squad operates independently. Are you here to see Commander Escardo?”
“I cannot say for security reasons.”
Answering Sharle's words, Serena quietly observed her.
Her purple hair, which came down to her shoulders, suited her well.
She was the one in marriage talks with her commander.
As befitting the child of a renowned family, she possessed outstanding talent and was even said to surpass Arles Cornelia, who was called a genius.
‘They said she could contend with a Superhuman despite having just reached the 6-star level.’
Seeing her level of mana control just a moment ago, it seemed the rumors weren't entirely baseless.
“I have heard much about you, Sir.”
As Sharle opened her mouth, Serena tilted her head.
“……?”
“He said that he could move about freely despite his weighty position because he had a trustworthy subordinate.”
“Is that so.”
She knew her commander entrusted a significant portion of his duties to her, but she never imagined he would go around telling others about it.
‘So he was planning to officially wander around from now on.’
Unlike how he was seen as a pillar of the kingdom, he was the type to despise piles of documents.
‘He told me I'd die a violent death if I only focused on the sword.’
Contrary to her unsettling thoughts, Serena felt a sense of pleasure.
“What are your thoughts on this war, Sir?”
“Eurasia will win.”
It was an answer without a shred of doubt.
“As someone who came as support from an allied nation, I think so too. But the enemy's forces are formidable, are they not?”
Sharle mentioned the wars with Brussels and Romero.
“When people discuss the battle with Brussels, they speak of His Majesty Simon and Sir Escardo, and when they discuss the battle with Romero, they mention my father and my two uncles.”
Pausing for a moment, Sharle continued.
“If I may be so bold, that is a mistaken thought.”
“……”
The key figure who had subdued two Superhumans in the balanced war with Brussels and had turned the tide of the war by driving out Prince Isaac and the Superhumans under his command.
“If it weren't for Sir Killian, they wouldn't have been able to end the war so quickly.”
If not for him, Eurasia and Cornelia would still be struggling to fight the war, and with the Empire's subsequent support, they would have become a defeated nation not long after declaring their kingdom.
“Sir Killian is a knight who seizes victory in any chaotic battle.”
The battle in Elvenheim came to Serena's mind.
The Superhuman who had slain the God Silvana.
While she had been unable to do anything, Killian had shown himself to be an equal against the will of a God, and in doing so, had ultimately seized victory.
Unconsciously, a smile graced Serena's lips.
“You trust our commander.”
“Yes.”
Sharle answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Do you not, Sir Serena?”
“That is a meaningless question.”
“That's a relief.”
Sharle smiled brightly.
“In that case, could you tell me?”
“……?”
“Where is Sir Killian, the one who brings victory in war?”
‘She doesn't know.’
That would be right.
Only the 1st Sword of the Annihilation Squad, Commander of the Knights Escardo, and King Simon would know his whereabouts.
That fact made her feel a strange sensation once again.
“I cannot tell you for security reasons.”
“That's a shame.”
Unlike her words.
Sharle's face was smiling.
***
The center of the continent.
The heart of the Heinrich Empire's Imperial Castle.
A space where massive stone pillars lined both sides, and the black marble floor reflecting light felt cold.
Before a golden throne, two dukes knelt on one knee, their heads bowed.
The Emperor, looking down on them, quietly opened his mouth.
“You have disappointed me, which is unlike you.”
Contrary to his calm voice, the weight it carried was not light.
“……”
“……”
The two Magic Tower Masters could only bow their heads.
The White Duke and the Black Duke made no excuses.
They already knew.
Their roles as educators and guardians to the princes had failed to meet the Emperor's expectations.
The two Tower Masters were not foolish enough to not know that sometimes, silence is golden over a foolish plea.
The Emperor's eyes flashed.
Rumble.
“……”
“……”
Cold sweat trickled down the faces of the two Arch Mages under the crushing pressure.
“I did not call you here to waste time.”
“Your Majesty.”
The White Duke spoke first.
“It is all our negligence.”
“We admit that we have failed to meet Your Majesty's expectations and will accept our punishment.”
“Even those words sound like excuses to me.”
Leaving them in silence for a moment, the Emperor slowly continued.
“The time has come to decide the heir.”
The heads of the White Duke and Black Duke, who had been constantly bowed, lifted.
“Your Majesty.”
“By that, you mean……”
The eyes of the two mages, meeting the Emperor's, trembled minutely.
‘Deciding the heir in the middle of a war…….’
‘Could it be that he never intended for a war for the throne from the beginning?’
The Emperor was not one to make light decisions.
Flick.
As the Emperor moved his finger, the pressure weighing on the White Duke disappeared.
“Bring in Crusty.”
“……!!”
The White Duke's face hardened, but it was only for an instant.
The Emperor's command was absolute.
“I will obey, Your Majesty.”
“It has been quite some time since I told you to sponsor children worthy of a war for the throne.”
The Emperor's gaze turned to the Black Duke.
“You have failed.”
“I will gladly accept my punishment.”
“You will.”
Suddenly.
Crack!
The Black Duke's body was crushed as if by something heavy.
Only the blood that soaked the floor and the crushed bones and flesh indicated that the Black Duke had been there.
“……”
Whoosh.
The White Duke was watching the Black Duke, who had begun to regenerate, when.
Crack!!
The Emperor's aura once again led the Black Duke to his death.
‘He is near-immortal, so he won't be annihilated by this… but the aftereffects will be severe.’
Crunch.
Crack.
Craaack.
The White Duke silently stared at the Black Duke, who was repeating death several times.
A chill ran down his spine at the thought that he could have been the one in that position.
“You shall be rewarded. I permit the expansion of the White Magic Tower and the construction of a new magic tower.”
“I am eternally grateful.”
The White Duke bowed his head until it nearly touched the floor and opened his mouth.
“If I may be so bold as to ask one question.”
“Permission granted.”
“What will become of His Highness Crusty?”
At the old mage's question, the Emperor's mouth twisted.
“Everything you all tried to achieve but failed to.”
For a moment, his gaze swept over the Black Duke, who was repeating death and regeneration, and the White Duke with his head bowed.
“That child will achieve it all.”
The Emperor announced that a new era was about to begin.