Chapter 1603 – 1603. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
“Kyle Pruker… was subdued by the Magic Union and taken away. He’s not dead, but I don’t think he’s in good condition. The reason Lady Elaine and the Golden Rose Knights were able to evacuate to Tevra was because Kyle Pruker drew the Magic Union’s attention. If it weren’t for Kyle Pruker, Lady Elaine would have been captured by the enemy as well.”
The situation played out in my head.
Kyle Pruker would have stepped forward first. Even though he dislikes killing and fighting, he’s not one to be afraid. While Kyle held the enemy’s attention, the Golden Rose Knights would have protected Elaine and her retainers, allowing them to escape.
“What about the others? What happened to my father and Gent?”
Ention Pruker and Gent Pruker.
If the Pruker family was attacked, there was no way they would have stood idly by. Ention was the former head of the family and an aura master, and Gent Pruker was my brother. Both of them had the Pruker blood flowing through them.
“Gent Pruker surrendered after a week-long siege. Princess Eileen has Gent Pruker and his wife in her custody.”
“Princess Eileen? Then they’ll be safe. I don’t like that he surrendered, though.”
Still, he surrendered after a week-long siege. It’s better than surrendering without doing anything.
‘Gent is disposable.’
Gent Pruker’s life? It’s not important at all now. There was no brotherly love.
‘But I should save him when I can.’
Not for Gent’s sake. It’s for my reputation and my sister-in-law.
“What about my father?”
He’s a mid-level or higher aura master, and a man called the guardian sword of the Rapelli Kingdom. He wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
“…Ention Pruker is missing.”
“Did even my father fall to the Magic Union?”
“No. Before the Magic Union attacked, an unprecedented monster wave occurred in the Swamp of Evil. The Utren Fortress, which Ention Pruker was guarding, was overrun by monsters. Most of the soldiers and knights of Utren were killed in action.”
“That’s grim.”
It wasn’t at all. It just felt like what was coming had arrived. In the original story, the Swamp of Evil had been a problem as well.
‘The Demon King must have done something. The Swamp of Evil is the closest place to the demon realm on the continent.’
The Swamp of Evil and Tevra are far apart, so there shouldn’t be any immediate monster attacks. Also, the Swamp of Evil wasn’t just a problem for one country, but for the entire continent. The Swamp of Evil was located in a crucial spot in the center of the continent.
“Trevire. You’ve delivered the information well. Thanks to you, I can save time on gathering information. You’ve repaid your debt. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“No, Count. At that time, I promised to give you top-tier information. The information I’ve given is just low-level information that can be found with some time.”
“…It seems you have more information to give me.”
“Before that, I would like to inform you of the current situation of the Information Guild.”
“Speak.”
“The Information Guild is divided into two factions. Those who follow Guild Master Nopeng and those who follow me, the sub-master.”
“Why did it split? As far as I know, the Information Guild values rules above all else.”
“Nopeng broke the rules first. The Information Guild must maintain absolute neutrality. But he sided with the Magic Union. He judged that the Magic Union would kill the Count and seize control of the continent.”
“Do you think I will win, not the Magic Union?”
“That’s why I came to find the Count. Since Guild Master Nopeng broke the rules, I decided to break them as well.”
“Did you not trust the Magic Union? Or is Nopeng your rival?”
“Both are correct. And the Count has the sharpest dagger, the Dark Emperor.”
Dark Emperor.
It was the name that referred to the legendary assassin who annihilated the Helbrit Duchy overnight.
I tensed my eyes. It was because I might unconsciously glance at Yuria. If it was Trevire, he would realize that Yuria was the Dark Emperor just from that.
“Why do you think the Dark Emperor is related to me?”
“Our Information Guild has been investigating the Dark Emperor. We tried to track him, but the Dark Emperor was too thorough and we failed. We turned our attention elsewhere. To the victims assassinated by the Dark Emperor.”
“How do you know they were attacked by the Dark Emperor?”
“We investigated all the assassinated victims. From there, we classified the victims who were attacked by similar methods, where the culprit was unknown, and gathered information. As a result, we found that they were directly or indirectly related to the Count.”
It wasn’t Yuria’s mistake. This guy was just too capable.
‘It doesn’t really matter if the Dark Emperor’s identity is revealed now.’
Still, it’s better to hide it as much as possible.
“Who knows that information?”
“Only me and four of my subordinates. Will you silence us?”
To silence them, I would have to kill not only Trevire in front of me, but also find and kill those four subordinates who aren’t here. There was no time for that.
“You’re capable. Can you pledge your loyalty to me?”
Trevire immediately knelt on one knee.
“Please grant me the honor of becoming the Count’s ears. I will offer all the information that occurs on this continent to you.”
“Good. From now on, you are my vassal.”
“Thank you, Count. There is more information… no, more to report.”
“What is it?”
“There is a dragon behind the Magic Union. The Magic Union is not a force that was created overnight. The dragon gathered the magic towers by using magic as bait. The Magic Union is the result of long-term behind-the-scenes work.”
“A dragon? Right. Leosio Crysoad. That sly red dragon. He’s the type to do something like this. Do you know where he is?”
I asked without much expectation. Even Priscilla, who was a dragon herself, couldn’t find any trace of him. There was no way the Information Guild would know Leosio’s whereabouts.
“I have two guesses.”
“Two places?”
“A few days before the Magic Union was founded, we confirmed that representatives of the magic towers headed to the Alkairon Mountains. I suspect they met with the dragon there.”
The Alkairon Mountains. A huge mountain range in the north. It was famous for its winter, with snow falling all year round. The terrain was rugged and there were many monsters, so no one lived there. It was a suitable place for Leosio to hide.
“Where’s the other place?”
“The Swamp of Evil. There’s no way a monster wave would occur without a reason. If the dragon drove out the monsters in the Swamp of Evil… then the events in the Swamp of Evil make sense.”
“……”
Two options flickered before my eyes. The Alkairon Mountains, the Swamp of Evil. Leosio would be in one of those places. Maybe he wasn’t in either of them. I shouldn’t forget that Trevire’s information wasn’t certain.
‘I can’t split my forces in two. That’s just asking for trouble.’
Just as my worries deepened.
“Master. Leosio won’t be able to move carelessly. The reason he moved the Magic Union to attack and occupy Fters was because he’s wary of us. Also, Leosio’s enemies aren’t just us.”
“Priscilla. Right. Priscilla is tracking Leosio with fire in her eyes. From Leosio’s perspective, Priscilla would be more frightening. Because she’s a dragon too.”
Unlike Priscilla, Leosio moves relatively quietly and slyly. That’s clearly to avoid Priscilla’s eyes. If we assume that Leosio isn’t up to anything, and only consider pure combat power, Priscilla is probably stronger than Leosio.
I made a decision.
“First, we’ll deal with the Magic Union. No matter what, I have to prevent Tevra from falling. It’s the foundation I’ve built.”
Tevra was full of modern goods distributed by the Korea Trading Company. If Tevra fell, the Korea Trading Company would be paralyzed. The money supply would be cut off. Above all, I couldn’t abandon the maids in Tevra.
“Trevire. You do what you do best.”
“Yes, Count. I will gather meaningful information and report back.”
Trevire quietly retreated. I watched him disappear from my sight. The citizens around us began to murmur as they looked at us. I had no interest in the citizens. Right now, returning to Tevra was more urgent.
I took out space-time teleportation scrolls from my inventory and handed them out to the maids. Tevra was an important place for me, so I had many space-time teleportation scrolls with designated coordinates.
The citizens of Rabit continued to watch, but I didn’t care. The situation was already reaching its end. I couldn’t keep hiding my cards any longer.
Tzzzzzz!
Starting with me, the maids tore the space-time teleportation scrolls.
•••
I and the combat maids appeared at the mansion in the port city of Tevra.
The maids who were moving busily widened their eyes when they saw us. And they shouted in a joyful tone.
“Master! Master has come!”
“Yuria and the Captain have come too!”
“We believed you would come, Master!”
The maids welcomed us enthusiastically. I couldn’t just be happy. Their expressions were a mix of relief and anxiety. The situation must be quite urgent right now.
KWAANG!
An explosion was heard. The vibration of the air reached even here. It wasn’t the recoil of firing a missile. Something had hit the city wall.
The maids’ shoulders shrank. The maids working in this mansion weren’t specialized in combat. Even if they had learned combat techniques, it was only to the extent of shooting a gun. It was natural for them to be anxious.
“Melissa. Go to the control room.”
“Understood.”
“All AM units, prepare for operation.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You guys go to your positions too. You know what to do in case of engagement, right?”
“Yes, Master…. The head maid is guarding the city wall with Lady Elaine.”
The maids moved in unison and scattered. Only Yuria and I were left in the hallway. Filled with anger, I strode down the hallway and out of the mansion.
