Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.59 – The Knight Fears Humans More Than Ghosts (2)
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Great Noble Houses.
They were families with enough influence, military might, funding, and history to be called warlords or feudal kings if compared to an empire—a title no one could ignore. Among the countless noble houses in the south numbering in the tens of thousands, only nineteen could claim it.
Rumors had spread lately that merchants, guilds, and mercenaries were growing strong enough to overshadow even the nobles, but no matter how much those three forces expanded, they could never surpass the Great Noble Houses.
What were they, exactly?
[Nobles above nobles.]
They even had a nickname: the Wailing Wall, impossible to overcome. Unlike the puppet-like Noble Council, they were the true wielders of power.
After all, within their own families and territories, they held the power of kings.
Of course, not all Great Noble Houses boasted overwhelming military or economic power by default. Some had earned the title through accumulated history, ability, and achievements, so they weren't unconditionally the strongest.
However, the top ten among them undeniably possessed those powers—and one of the upper Great Noble Houses with such might was none other than,
"—Mordred."
Whoosh.
"The Mordreds, dubbed 'Madness.' They're one of the few houses blessed by something grand, like Duke Galahad with the Lake's Blessing, Grand Duke Lionel with the Lion King's Blessing, or Guinevere said to be blessed by the ancient grains."
"That last one sounds weird."
"You look down on ancient grains?"
"...My favorite foods are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn."
"I like them too."
It sounded like a joke, but Simon's expression remained tense, refusing to relax.
"Among the Great Noble Houses, they're the most dangerous when it comes to risk. Long ago, they received a blessing from some extraordinary entity to gain power, and ever since, every generation has been able to communicate with ghosts. Thanks to that, they wield various arts using ghostly powers, but there's a risk of the ghosts taking over their bodies, so everyone in the family lives with chronic madness."
"...Isn't that a curse, not a blessing?"
"They say it's not. It's not some evil curse—if you use the ability right, you gain the ghosts' formidable strength."
"Doesn't that just mean there's a risk of being consumed by the power itself?"
"......"
"No matter how you look at it, that sounds like a curse...?"
"Ahem!"
Simon inwardly agreed but didn't dare voice it lightly.
Badmouthing Great Noble Houses required caution, even behind their backs.
If word reached them, a mere guild alliance would crumble like a sandcastle.
"Sigh. Anyway, as you can guess from their command over ghostly powers, Mordred is the most dangerous among the Great Noble Houses."
Simon clearly wanted nothing to do with them if possible, but Lee Han responded indifferently.
It wasn't that he underestimated the Great Noble Houses.
Simply,
'Oh, that exists too.'
That was his impression.
'No matter how scary ghosts are, can they be scarier than people...?'
To Lee Han, the mad ones still breathing in the world were far more terrifying than vengeful spirits wandering the afterlife.
'Spellcasters doing vivisections, ones stealing people's faces, 400-year-old spellcasters.'
See? The living ones were far creepier.
"...Isn't that just because Sir Lee Han has only met weird people?"
"That's not the point. What I'm saying is, don't be so scared. My goal is catching that vampire brat, not fighting Mordred."
"Th-that's true."
"Well, if it comes to a fight by chance, no choice."
"......"
"I said it's unavoidable, don't look at me like that."
"...Sir Lee Han, please."
Understand that the guild has no involvement if that happens—
His words were firm, and Lee Han clicked his tongue.
"...No loyalty at all."
As expected of a fake Hao Clan leader, no righteousness.
It was actually strange.
Even with the intelligence they had, Lee Han and Simon showed full certainty and wariness toward Mordred.
But in a way, it was natural.
Twitch!
Twitch!
"I sense it here!"
"It's the exact same ominous presence as the blood that uncle gave us! It's clear...!"
The twins—no, the beastkin of the mysterious race—were sending such strong signals with their [Beast Sense] ability that certainty was inevitable.
Revealing their beastly ears and tails impossible for ordinary humans, the twins growled lowly in contempt.
But to others, that sight wouldn't look contemptible at all.
[[Grrrrr-!]]
The aura emanating from the siblings as they used their ability was overwhelmingly fierce, rivaling real wolves without falling short.
They looked cute on the outside, but fall for that, and your wrist would be torn off.
Ever since arriving near Mordred's territory, the twins had maintained this battle-ready state, the children poised to charge on instinct at any moment...
Chomp!
"These brats are such a hassle."
"??"
"???"
...only to be instantly grabbed by the scruff and subdued.
Unable to even resist due to the immense pressure from his grip, the twins couldn't complain about their situation.
They just whimpered like puppies held by the scruff.
"Maybe I shouldn't have brought them..."
They were still too young to control their emotions properly.
Not listening was one thing, but this sudden outburst was too much.
"...At least this confirms it, right? That's what's important."
"Yeah, I guess...?"
"Haa, this is driving me crazy."
Simon clutched his head and groaned.
Made even more miserable by the confirmation.
"If a vampire is truly hiding in Mordred—or worse, if it's taken control—how big a disaster could that become...?"
Ghosts and vampires combined? No worse pairing existed.
And an even bigger problem was,
"We have no way to infiltrate that reclusive Mordred household."
Whether due to their madness or their ghostly powers, Mordred's territory was extremely isolationist.
Would you believe no merchants even entered or exited a Great Noble House's lands?
They could afford such seclusion thanks to a self-sufficient environment, or so it was said—but the truth was unknown to all.
It was that closed off.
"At least thanks to the info Sir Lee Han gathered, we know Mordred's recent status somehow..."
Mysterious intelligence on Mordred from who-knows-where.
Though mostly mundane daily life stories, even that was worth its weight in gold.
...Does he have a personal informant?
"Why?"
"N-nothing."
As if eyes in the back of his head, he noticed Simon's gaze instantly and spoke up. Simon shuddered slightly.
Still holding the twins in each hand, Lee Han focused on Mordred's territory.
And then,
"Don't you wonder why I have to go this far myself?"
"Pardon?"
"If there's a vampire, I could just report it to the royals. But you're curious why I'm volunteering, right?"
"...Well."
He didn't deny it.
Lee Han really was going out of his way.
Perhaps because he'd brought up the sensitive issue Simon himself hesitated to mention, Simon finally revealed his honest feelings.
"H-honestly, I don't get it. In just half a month, Sir Lee Han has toppled over ten enemy factions. That's a huge achievement, with plenty of evidence gathered. You could request support or aid not just from the royals, but other Great Noble Houses too. Especially since I hear you're on good terms with some. So you could certainly ask..."
Why didn't he?
It was a perfectly reasonable question, and in response,
"...Treat what I'm about to say as just my wild guess or delusion."
"?"
From his mouth came,
"I think one of the high-ups in Pendragon is collaborating with the zealots."
"!!?"
An absurd claim.
"I said treat it as delusion."
Lee Han grinned casually, as if not to take it too seriously, but Simon couldn't dismiss it lightly.
On the contrary...
"M-my heart hurts... really..."
His heart raced, thumping wildly at the speculation.
"You're overreacting. It's no big deal. From what I've seen so far, it's not strange if zealots are cooperating with either the royals or Great Noble Houses. You know how 'religion' and 'ideology' are like cockroaches or flies. They pop up anywhere and spread somehow."
"...You mean others have accepted the Blood Crusade's ideology too? Betraying the kingdom!?"
"I don't know that far. Just that every time the kingdom gets attacked, it's weirdly undefended way too often. Once or twice, fine..."
Lee Han already knew of over ten such instances—impossible not to suspect.
"So I'm suspicious of everyone right now. That's why no requests for help. My siblings or those folks aren't idiots enough to collaborate with zealots that deeply, but their underlings? Who knows. Better not risk it. If I tell someone and it leaks, all this hard work goes to waste."
"Th-then why tell me?"
"You're easy to deal with even if you betray us?"
"......"
"Kidding. Just trust me on it."
"...Doesn't sound like a joke..."
Simon protested but unwittingly agreed.
'This guy was watching the guild too!'
Just as Simon had observed Lee Han while working together, Lee Han had been watching Simon and the entire guild alliance.
For any suspicious lurkers.
'Seriously...! Plays nothing like he looks.'
Simon was impressed and relieved.
Impressed by his observation and foresight; relieved there were no traitors in the guild.
That Lee Han shared this proved it.
"...Hah, never thought I'd be this shocked in my life. Nothing will surprise me now."
The strategic side of a knight who seemed to bulldoze everything with brute force—
Nothing more shocking existed in the world.
"Who knows? More surprises ahead."
"Pardon?"
"I said I'd do it alone without help. Means I gotta infiltrate Mordred or wherever."
"Y-yes?"
Just as he wondered what mystical method he'd use this time, a strange sound rang out.
Crack!
...Bone cracking.
"Problem is, I'm too conspicuous to sneak in."
Crunch!
"Even disguised, there's limits."
Snap!!
"So what choice? Gotta change my whole body."
"......"
"I squeezed out a personal idea. How's this? Pretty convincing, right?"
"......"
"No answer? Weird?"
"......"
"...This guy's fainted standing up?"
Lee Han was disappointed.
He'd wanted feedback on this appearance.
"Nothing special anyway."
...Just cast [Bone Shrinking Technique] and [Reverse Transformation Art]. Why faint over that?