Chapter 144: Behind the Scenes (1)

"The one who annihilated the Ryeo Knights is said to be in Digon."

"Then... does that mean the queen is hiding him?" Kromen asked with a slightly surprised expression at Tiren's report, who had just returned from Digon.

"If that’s true, it might explain why she refused to see us. They could all be in cahoots with him," Yurin Huygar spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment. Already upset by Miliana's cold reception, he seemed to have found the perfect excuse.

"We haven’t confirmed their relationship yet. We can clarify that after meeting with the queen. However, bringing up this issue will make it harder for her to refuse to see us.”

"Hmm... You've been through a lot."

Kromen nodded at his words.

"My apologies."

"But... does that mean your brother is currently in Digon's territory?" asked Kaplan, who had been listening to Tiren.

"Yes. I heard the story from him."

"If he’s a knight, he should have reported to the prince and paid his respects. Why haven't we heard anything until now?"

The atmosphere turned cold as Kaplan, who had never raised his voice before, questioned the oversight. Although Randol had provided critical information, it seemed that the principle of chivalry was more important to Kaplan.

"My apologies. He was severely injured and unable to move. He had another clash with that fiend..." Tiren responded smoothly, likely expecting this from Kaplan.

The fact that Randol received help from Digon was, in a way, something that the nobles of the empire would not easily tolerate, which made Kaplan's reaction natural. After all, Tiren himself didn’t recognize Karyl, an immigrant, as his brother.

However, the elbow does not bend outward. Considering Tiren’s brotherly devotion and his desire to prove himself to these people, there was only one way to go: protect Randol at all costs.

"But thanks to him, we now have a clear idea of the culprit’s swordsmanship. Randol will play a significant role in finding him. Moreover, he will act as an intermediary in the meeting with the queen,” Tiren spoke as he knelt before Kromen. "So please, forgive my brother’s lack of courtesy, Your Highness."

"No, please stand up. Without you, we would have been in a difficult position. It’s unreasonable to call an injured man unfaithful.”

Seeing Tiren kneel as if to defuse the situation, Kromen quickly gestured for him to rise. Unlike his old butler, the young prince fortunately valued resolving the current predicament more than formalities.

He’s become cunning, that lad

Yurin Huygar felt that Tiren had stepped up rather fast, handling the situation not with theoretical knowledge but with his instinct.

"Then... I shall request an audience with the queen once more.”

"This will be our last chance."

"Indeed. I will prepare thoroughly."

Tiren nodded.

***

“Karyl...? Are you talking about the sixth child?”

“Yes.”

Randol looked at Tiren with a puzzled expression.

“It sounds strange, but the name of the winner of the tournament in the magic city was also Karyl..”

“Hmm...”

“The Expert Tournament is only for those who have become sorcerers.”

It would be utterly ridiculous if anyone else said this, but since it was Tiren suggesting this improbable theory, Randol listened with an open mind.

“Isn’t it just a coincidence? Surely the Karyl we know isn’t the only one on the continent with that name, right?”

“Perhaps.”

“Besides... that child is...”

Randol looked at Tiren cautiously. They both knew the fundamental reason this theory couldn’t be true

.

“Yes, he’s an immigrant. We both know he doesn’t have and can’t have mana. I understand how foolish my question is.”

Tiren turned his head.

“Do you remember what he asked Father when he first came to the mansion?”

“Of course. He said he wanted to study magic.”

“Exactly.”

Whenever Tiren thought of Karyl, the idea of magic always seemed to follow him like a shadow. These suspicions of his most likely stemmed from Karyl’s peculiar behavior after arriving at the mansion.

“But that was because he wanted to understand magic to defeat us, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but what bothers me is that your attacker used a sword.”

Randol looked at Tiren and said,

“I’ve heard that an immigrant’s black eyes cannot be changed with magic. It’s impossible.”

There had been numerous studies and experiments conducted on immigrants. Among these, one of the most discussed topics among sorcerers was the distinct black color of their eyes and hair, which could only be seen in immigrant tribes.

Sorcerers had attempted to change their eyes and hair with magic, but no spell had ever succeeded. It was as if their eyes consumed all mana like a void or repelled it like an impenetrable barrier, rejecting the very essence of magic.

Therefore, the distinctive black color of the immigrant tribe was deemed heretical, serving as evidence of their otherness.

“Indeed.”

Tiren nodded.

However, they were overlooking the most crucial point. Not even Tiren had realized it. The esteemed sorcerers believed they had conducted every possible experiment. They thought the world was composed of the five elements, and that had been true until now.

In other words, the sorcerers’ experiments on immigrants were limited to human realms. No matter how intelligent Tiren was, he had almost no way of knowing about the other element, namely the colorless one.

“Yes, I must be overthinking it. No matter what possibilities I consider, they all hinge on the assumption that Karyl possesses mana.”

Randol nodded.

I must’ve been overly sensitive about him...

***

“Phew...”

Returning to his room, Tiren regretted asking Randol that question that night.

“Ugh, it was so embarrassing...”

He shook his head as if to dispel his lingering doubts and started thinking about what to discuss with Miliana the next day.

Scratch, scratch, scratch...

Tiren infused the paper with mana as he wrote on it. After drafting a document, the letters vanished as if wiped away by an invisible eraser. When he infused more mana, the letters reappeared like waves for a few moments before they disappeared again.

Magic Engraving.

It was a special spell that made the writing invisible to everyone but the caster. It was used in the Magical Era to create verbal oath contracts, but in the present, where magic had diminished, sorcerers had adapted it to create magical oath documents.

“Hmm.”

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Tiren meticulously composed the oath document. There could be no mistakes; any overlooked detail could tip the balance he had just managed to level. He felt that completing this task would be a turning point for him.

Tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock.

Only the sound of the clock’s hands filled the room.

“Phew...”

By the time he finally set down the pen, dawn was beginning to break. Looking at the numerous, long clauses, Tiren rubbed his tired eyes and muttered, “I should still consult my master when I return to the empire...”

Despite everything, he couldn’t shake off his suspicions about Karyl.

***

“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Miliana greeted Tiren, who had arrived with Kromen, with a sly smile.

Unlike their first meeting, seats had been prepared for them in her tent. It felt as though she had been waiting to meet them under these circumstances all along.

“You look confident. Did something from that night help you?”

At her question, Tiren bowed slightly.

“I just need to confirm a few things so that we can move forward positively.”

Tiren pushed toward her the box containing the oath document he had worked on all night and exhaled slowly.

“Hmm, but that big guy isn’t here.”

Seemingly uninterested in the document, Miliana glanced up and scanned Kromen’s party.

“Sir Gordon will no longer be involved in matters between the empire and Digon.”

“Yes, just as I expected.”

...As expected?

Tiren was puzzled by Miliana's cryptic response, but what mattered now was not the Guidance Mercenary Gang, but the queen before him.

Focus, Tiren

, he repeated to himself, trying to steady his racing heart.

However, unlike his tense demeanor, Miliana seemed rather bored, staring off into the distance.

***

“Gordon Fabian.”

“...!”

Sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed, he twitched slightly at the mention of his name and looked forward.

To reach the office on the airship, there was only one entrance.

“Even the mercenaries sometimes lose their way...”

Moreover, one had to pass through a maze of stairs guarded by dozens of sentries.

“For someone who’s not even a mercenary to make it all the way to my room...” said Gordon, looking at the silhouette standing by the door. “Did you come here to die?”

Crack!

In an instant, as Gordon opened his eyes wide, the objects around his desk began to tremble from the sheer intensity of his murderous aura. However, the one at the door didn’t flinch.

“Well, well...” Gordon watched him with a curious gaze. “It’s been a while, and you’re still the same.”

Crack—

The mask Karyl was wearing cracked at the edge as soon as Gordon finished speaking. With a slight grimace, he removed the mask and revealed his face.

“You...”

Gordon had shown no emotion before, but his eyes widened slightly at the familiar face.

“So you really did come here to die,” he muttered. “It’s been a long time since we made that contract, and yet there’s still no word about the airship engine?”

Karyl chuckled at his words. Despite the fierce growling resembling that of a beast, there was a hint of familiarity, rather than hostility, in Gordon’s voice.

Not bad.

Back when they first met, Karyl could barely stand his ground against Gordon, but now it was different.

When I became a Sword Saint in my previous life... only two of the five Sword Masters, who were hailed as the strongest on the continent, were still alive.

Valvont, the King of Martial Arts, and Ganeth, the Knight of the Brand.

Even now, the King of Martial Arts remained uninvolved in the continent’s affairs, leaving Ganeth the only Sword Master Karyl had faced.

It's different from my father's time when I had to conceal my mana.

A few years ago, Karyl would’ve crumbled before Gordon, but now he found the interaction between them intriguing.

The powerful opponents he had faced in his previous life were ultimately not human but monstrous beings known as Tarak

“You still remember me,” Karyl remarked. “It’ll take a few more years to fulfill the contract. We set a long deadline because we needed to finish developing the Mana Mine and set up the machinery to craft the Octagonal Stone.”

“Do you have someone who can craft it?”

Karyl nodded at Gordon’s question. After the Oracle had been prophesied, he had even flown in an airship equipped with that engine in his previous life. If he weren’t confident, he wouldn’t have made a contract with Gordon just to get Mikhail.

“There are three years left in the contract, right?”

“Yes.”

“Haha... So you want me to wait another three years? I’ll be dead by then,” Gordon complained, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“Well, that aside...”

Suddenly, Gorgon's gaze sharpened. The question regarding the engine had been merely a formality. It was time to cut to the point.

“Why are you here?”

Though he appeared relaxed, the sharp killing intent in his questions pricked like needles. However, Karyl stepped closer as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“What’s three years? The great Gordon Fabian won’t die of old age in just three years.”

“...”

“Let’s be clear. You won’t die of old age but from illness.”

“...What?” Gordon’s expression hardened.

“Why would the great Gordon Fabian keep a vice captain he dislikes by his side? Of course, because he’s cunning and clever.”

Gordon listened to Karyl.

“When you wondered who would be capable of leading the Guidance Mercenary Gang after you’re gone, you realized that Jaygun Luke was the best choice. No matter how stubborn you are, you value the continuity of the Guidance Mercenary Gang more than your pride.”

“You fucking bastard!” Gordon snarled.

“You’ve been experiencing pain in your chest for years now,” Karyl went on undeterred.

Gordon’s expression grew even stiffer.

“As a Sword Master, you’d know your body well enough without needing a healer. You’ve felt your heart gradually hardening.”

Step... Step... Step...

Karyl slowly approached him.

“You must have searched for a cure but couldn’t find one, and such a disease hasn’t even been recorded. You probably resigned yourself to thinking it was an incurable condition. But that’s not the case.”

“...What?”

“It’s not your heart that’s the problem. It’s because the blood flowing through your veins boils and evaporates, which is preventing your mana from properly circulating through your mana points.”

Gordon’s eyes twitched.

“The hardening of your heart is just a secondary result of that.”

Karyl provided the answer to the question that had troubled Gordon during his extensive research across the continent.

“It’s called Oxidized Blood Syndrome.”

“...”

Gulp...

For the first time, the beast-like man wore a tense expression and gulped nervously.

“That’s your illness.”

Thud!

“And it’s not even incurable.”

Karyl placed a large item he had been holding on the ground.

“I figured you wouldn’t meddle in the prince’s affairs. The prince is likely busy weighing his own deals...”

It was loot obtained from the Minotaur’s lair.

“Shall we make a deal?”

At that moment, Gordon responded not with words, but with a punch.