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Chapter 210

“The soldiers stationed in Heiran aren’t responding? Are you sure you contacted them properly?”

“Y-yes…”

The Warefox aide bowed his head. Jaeger, who was lying halfway on the bed, frowned. What on earth was going on?

“There could be hundreds of them, where could such a large number of personnel have gone missing? Have they been lured away by ghosts from the frozen sea?”

“I-I apologize. Currently, there’s no way… We’ve immediately organized reconnaissance teams, so we should receive a response soon.”

The aide stammered, sweating profusely. He couldn’t even raise his head. Jaeger, who had returned two days ago after being seriously injured, exuded an even more enhanced dignity.

Maybe it could be called gravitas. Perhaps it was due to having surpassed the threat of death. He seemed much more serious and weighty than before. After a moment of silence, Jaeger spoke.

“Hmm… Very well. You may leave.”

“Yes.”

The aide withdrew. In the spacious room, only Jaeger and his six bodyguards remained. They were elite subordinates placed there in case of any unexpected attacks.

‘All sorts of strange things are happening.’

Jaeger swept his beard with his hand. It was a perplexing situation. Ronan’s group would arrive in Heiran the day after tomorrow. If things continued like this, Jaeger wouldn’t know if the promise to withdraw troops had been kept. He pondered deeply on the current situation before speaking up.

“…Prepare a special unit. I think I’ll have to go see for myself.”

“Shouldn’t you be resting for now?”

“That’s true… but I have a bad feeling about this.”

Jaeger sat up halfway on the bed. His intuition, which had rescued him from danger so far, was sending out warnings. It felt like something unpleasant was about to happen.

It was necessary to accurately confirm the current situation. As Jaeger was adjusting his clothes, the door to his study opened slowly.

Creak…

“Hmm?”

Jaeger, feeling odd about the lack of permission to enter, turned his head. His eyes widened as he saw who was standing at the door. The person he had hoped never to see again was standing there.

“Barka…!”

“Nice to meet you, Jaeger.”

Barka was wearing a black robe as always. He approached steadily, his steps making no sound.

Jaeger hesitated, stepping back. The guards, realizing belatedly, drew their weapons.

“Wait, stop right there!”

“Are you really badly injured? Seems like you’re unharmed, thankfully.”

But Barka paid no heed to the guards’ warning. It was inconceivable how he managed to enter if Jaeger had ordered all soldiers to deal with him immediately upon his arrival.

‘It’s impossible that all those men were taken out, right? No, it can’t be. He must have sneaked in secretly.’

Jaeger’s whole body tensed. Although Barka’s face couldn’t be seen as he wore his robe hat on, Jaeger could tell that he was smiling. Barka, who had been staring at Jaeger, finally spoke.

“Why are you so tense? Have I done something wrong?”

“…What face do you have to come here? After fleeing alone back then.”

“I apologize for that. It took some time to plan after underestimating my opponent. They were much stronger than I expected.”

Surrounded by six daggers, he finally stopped. Jaeger was about to talk about the assassin he had sent. Barka spoke up.

“So, I have prepared something as compensation. It might be an offer you can’t refuse.”

“An offer I can’t refuse…?”

“Yes. Truly… an offer you can’t refuse.”

With a meaningful tone, Jaeger raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, Barka flicked his finger. Snap! His robe wriggled, and a sinister shadow emerged.

“Huh?”

The formed shadow brushed past the bodies of the guards. The speed was so fast that the seven people, including Jaeger, didn’t even realize the presence of the shadow.

As the shadow returned inside the robe, a loud scream echoed. Swoosh! The arms and legs of the six guards were severed, and blood spurted out.

“Aaaargh! M-My arms!”

“Huh? Wh-what?!”

Desperate screams filled the air. The mutilated limbs and disabled bodies collapsed. Losing strength in his legs, Jaeger managed to prevent himself from falling by grabbing onto a nearby table.

“Wh-What…!”

They couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. All they could see was the wriggling robe. Even amidst the splattering blood, Barka stood still as if frozen. Finally, he spoke.

“I’ll give you the right to live, so cooperate, Jaeger. That’s my proposal.”

“Grrgh!”

“Forget about the betrayal once. You were originally that kind of trash. If you just listen to me, you can rule the North within a few years.”

Barka spoke with an authoritative tone. It seemed he had caught wind of the information leak. His crimson eyes gleamed from inside the robe.

“Damn it…”

His attitude was completely different from before. However, it wasn’t too shocking, considering he had been expecting this monster’s ambition to unfold for the past two days.

‘If I refuse here… I’ll lose everything.’

Jaeger clenched his fist. For a moment, the image of the deformed son of the Werewolf flashed through his mind. The memory of revealing information out of foolish righteousness and guilt.

Perhaps he was momentarily insane. Jaeger closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again.

“…Fine. I’ll cooperate.”

“You’ve thought well. There’s something you must do in Heiran, so follow me.”

As Jaeger expressed his willingness to cooperate, Barka’s tone softened again, as if nothing had happened. Jaeger brushed off his chest and let go of the table.

“Alright. Before we depart, can I take something? It’s in the desk drawer.”

“Do as you wish. We’ll depart in three minutes.”

Barka, who said so, turned around. The guards, who were still alive, groaned in agony. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just their limbs that had been severed; there were horrific injuries all over their bodies.

“L-Lord Jaeger…!”

“Ugh, agh…!”

Jaeger didn’t react. He staggered towards the desk and opened the second drawer. Deep inside lay a magnificent dagger, lying like a coiled snake.

‘This guy…’

One day, it might come to this, so it was something he had prepared for. The blade of the dagger was dripping with a venomous liquid, emitting a shimmering gleam. It was extremely poisonous, capable of taking down even an ogre with one strike.

This was not right. Whether becoming the King of the North or the Emperor, this was truly not right. Jaeger wasn’t sure exactly what Barka’s intentions were, but if things continued like this, he would surely commit more atrocious deeds in the future.

Reason and intuition were shouting to yield, but his body was moving as his heart commanded. It was the first time in thirty years.

‘One strike. Just one strike.’

Jaeger, after taking a deep breath, repeated in his mind. Holding the hilt of the dagger cautiously, Jaeger spoke.

“Hey, Barka.”

****

The sky was clear. Though the cold wind blew as if bones would freeze, it was bearable as there was no snowfall. Adeshan handed a piece of jerky to Cita’s mouth and said.

“Here. Have some.”

“Bweeh!”

Their journey to Heiran was nearing its fourth day. Ronan, Adeshan, and Cita were sitting on the ground, taking a break. They could rest more comfortably as a large hill without any grass provided some shelter from the northern winds.

Adeshan and Cita were having a simple meal, while Ronan, sitting on a flat rock, was writing something with paper and a pencil. Adeshan, who was chewing on jerky, asked him.

“Ronan. Who are you writing the letter to?”

“Hmm… What should I write…”

However, there was no response. Ronan’s unusual silence was somewhat suspicious. Adeshan questioned again.

“Ronan?”

“Ah, sorry. It’s for His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Oh. I see… What?”

Adeshan’s eyes widened. Ronan, who had just finished writing the letter, stood up. He handed the letter, tied to Cita’s ankle and said.

“I have a personal favor to ask. It’s a bit demanding… but still, I hope you’ll accept it since I’ve done my part.”

“…Wow. You’re impressive. In many ways.”

Adeshan nodded as if exhausted. She didn’t ask what it was about as it seemed Ronan wanted to keep it a secret. After tightly tying the letter, Ronan tapped Cita’s head lightly.

“Cita. Please.”

“Bweh!”

With her four wings spread out, Cita flew away. Her disappearing figure in the sky reminded them of a black comet. It would be two days at the latest before they received a reply. Adeshan said.

“I hope it goes well. Whatever it is.”

“Yeah. Let’s start moving slowly?”

“Yeah.”

The two of them got up from their seats and brushed off the snow on their clothes. It took them nearly thirty minutes to climb up the steep hill.

Finally, Ronan and Adeshan, who had reached the summit, stopped simultaneously. The landscape of the northern Heiran spread out before them. Adeshan exclaimed, slightly opening his mouth, at the sight of the vast land covered in ice and rocks.

“Wow…”

“We’ve finally arrived. Damn it.”

Ronan swept his bangs roughly. It had been a short but arduous journey. They hadn’t been able to sleep properly due to the threat of beasts and monsters that were hostile to humans.

Blue ice protruded from the ground here and there. A horizon far to the north proved that this was the end of the continent.

Beyond that lay the Sea of Ghosts, the destination of this journey. It was said that the wails of fleeting sailors could be heard from the frozen sea all year round.

Why did his father, or Elysia, call him to such a place? Ronan took out his tobacco pipe and asked Adeshan.

“How about the Blood Needle?”

“It’s still fixed in place. Could he be staying down due to injury?”

“That would be nice, but… Well, we’ll find out once we get there.”

The Blood Needle received from Jaeger had been fixed in place since last night when the direction was determined. Although it seemed suspicious, there seemed to be something in Heiran according to Jaeger’s words.

What needed to be resolved right now was catching Barka. The forge, and his father, came next.

The two of them descended down the steep path, being careful not to slip. Ronan whistled as there was no sense of danger around.

“Oh… Jaeger seems to have kept his promise. Honestly, I was a little worried.”

“I don’t feel anything either. Seems like he’s really withdrawn the troops.”

Adeshan nodded. The promise to withdraw troops stationed here seemed to have been faithfully fulfilled. Since there didn’t seem to be any monsters or beasts around, the two could walk along the Blood Needle’s direction without much trouble.

“Still, just in case, keep the crossbows from freezing. You never know when you’ll need to shoot.”

“Yeah. Will do.”

Adeshan, taking Ronan’s advice, fiddled with the crossbow on her back. Unlike when infiltrating the headquarters of the New Beastmen Alliance, everything was prepared this time.

With each step, ice fragments and volcanic rocks made a crunchy sound, emitting an addictive noise. After walking for a while, the two finally reached near the coast.

Apart from weathered rocky outcrops and ice formations scattered around, nothing particularly stood out. The sound of crashing waves was intensifying. Adeshan, holding the Blood Needle, tilted her head.

“This is strange. Shouldn’t something come up by now?”

“Yeah… Wait, what’s that?”

Suddenly, Ronan pointed his index finger forward. A huge ice block, large enough to be considered a hill, was jutting out between the sea and the land.

Strange mana currents were seen swirling around the bluish ice wall. Adeshan’s eyes widened.

“That’s…”

“It’s definitely suspicious.”

The needle pointed in the same direction as well. Ronan and Adeshan moved as if possessed by something. As Ronan reached the ice wall, he swung his sword into the air.

Swish! Along with the sensation of cutting through paper, the illusion surrounding the ice wall vanished. A hidden door revealed itself. The wooden door, reaching a height of 4 meters, was not designed for humans.

Creak… As the door opened, a long corridor of unknown depth was revealed. Faintly, the air inside was tainted with a foul smell.

The needle was precisely pointing towards the inside of the corridor. At the same time, the two looked back at each other and then turned their gazes forward again. Ronan, who brushed his clothes, spoke up.

“I think we’ve found it.”

.

.

.

The corridor was much deeper than expected. In the winding cave, even the sound of breathing echoed loudly.

The torch in Ronan’s hand was the only source of light. With every flicker of the oil-fed flame, their long shadows swayed like dancing.

They were on high alert. Ronan’s other hand rested on the hilt of his sword, while Adeshan had the crossbow ready, loaded with bolts. They were prepared for immediate action, no matter what might come.

“Ha, I can’t believe they made something like this inside the ice.”

Ronan muttered in admiration as he looked around. The walls and ceiling of the huge corridor, reaching a height of nearly 4 meters, were all made of translucent ice.

It would have been harder than any rock or metal to carve this out. The only thing on the floor was a layer of straw, seemingly to prevent Barka himself from slipping.

Stains of dark red blood were smeared on the straw. The bloodstains, resembling spilled stew, irregularly continued deep into the corridor.

“The wounds seem serious. Where else did he get hurt?”

“…Seems like it.”

Adeshan replied calmly, his tone noticeably subdued.

Ronan thought it was a situation serious enough to warrant that. The culprit who had taken everything from him was right in front of them. Ronan, who had been pondering something, spoke up.

“I’ll yield.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, about Barka, I’ll yield so that you can kill him, Sunbae.”

It was an unexpected remark, and silence followed. Adeshan, who had been silent for a moment, chuckled.

“Thanks. But actually, killing Barka isn’t my goal.”

“What’s your goal then?”

“I just want to ask him. Why did he do such things, and why is he still doing them? Why does he seek to rule the North, squeezing out so much blood and tears from people? Of course, he must face justice, but… for now, that’s my only goal.”

Her voice was calm, without a hint of trembling. Ronan respected her mature attitude by not responding. As they walked for another ten minutes, Adeshan, who had been walking slightly ahead, stopped in her tracks.

“Ronan, there’s something beyond the corner.”

“Really?”

Ahead of them was a corner bending to the right. Ronan closed his eyes and focused. Then he nodded, indicating that he sensed a shimmering mana.

“It seems… like Barka.”

Adeshan cocked the crossbow. The Blood Needle clutched in her left hand also pointed in that direction. Ronan grasped the hilt of his sword.

“Let’s go.”

With that answer, Ronan led the way and turned the corner. As the torchlight illuminated the other side, Ronan’s face froze coldly.

“This is…!”

Beyond the corner, about 3 meters ahead, the path was blocked by an ice wall. A stone altar, seemingly for rituals, was placed there.

On top of it were seven severed heads of beastmen lined up in a row. Unidentified leather bags were hanging on each of the seven heads, attached to hooks. Adeshan, who saw it a moment too late, dropped the Blood Needle.

“I-It’s, oh my god…!”

The clattering sound echoed in the cave. The faces lined up in a row were all severely distorted, and seemed equally horrified. Suddenly, Ronan’s gaze fell on the central head, and he gasped.

“…Jaeger.”

His breathing began to quicken. The severed head of a white tiger was unmistakably Jaeger’s. Among the seven heads, he was the only one who didn’t seem to be horrified.

His ears were pulled back, and his fangs were bared, as if roaring in anger, while his head seemed cleanly cut off. Adeshan covered her mouth with both hands.

“H-How… could this…! Then, what about this Blood Needle…?”

“That bastard…”

Ronan gritted his teeth. While looking around, he quickly figured out the secret of the Blood Needle and the shimmering mana.

Blood droplets were dripping from the leather bags hanging loosely above the altar. Probably, Barka’s own blood was inside them. It seemed like additional measures were taken to disrupt their senses.

“Heh…”

His mouth twitched in amazement. His heart was pounding rapidly. Suddenly, the faint sound of a mechanism clicking came from the back.

“What?”

Both Ronan and Adeshan, who had been tense, simultaneously lowered their heads. Their eyes met over the Blood Needle. The red needle was pointing towards the entrance of the cave. A low, vibrating voice echoed from behind.

“Greetings. Vultures who ruined everything for me.”