Chapter 138
Chapter 138
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Flight of the Crows
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two crows took flight.
Circling once over the canyon where not a single drop of cyclops blood remained, they clacked their beaks. Normally, a count-level cyclops should have turned this borderland into a wasteland.
The crows were meant to devour the negative mana born from pain, despair, rage, and fear, then return to their master.
And atop the countless deaths here, the black mage's mana was to be scattered, preparing soldiers for the future war—which was why his master had allied with the church.
Cawww—
Dodging the beak of Familiar No. 1 pecking at his crown while blaming him, Familiar No. 8 spun in midair like a swallow and cried out mournfully.
*Why is this my fault!*
*The humans you were watching ruined everything!*
Clawing and slapping wings at each other in the sky, the one with less settled black mana—Familiar No. 8—let out a long cry and fled with tail tucked.
Caw! Cawww! Cawk!
*Chase him down right now. To hell if you have to—and report back!*
*Cawww, caw...*
*How am I supposed to watch those monsters...*
No. 8 wailed, but Familiar No. 1's eyes flashed red as he pecked the crown relentlessly.
Feathers plucked loose scattered in the air as Familiar No. 8 flapped desperately toward the capital.
Caw—
Behind every failure, there were always those humans.
Though this place had failed, the familiars sent elsewhere would be different.
Gazing down at the borderland of Gavioren with eyes like rippling pools of red blood, the crow—Familiar No. 1—banked sharply and flew off somewhere.
* * *
"So, Kane."
"He's... not responding."
"Same with Seiren."
—Likely out of mana detection range or concealing their mana.
Whether from the drug's effects or those screw-ups, my head throbbed.
I sat in the chair, sipping water and pressing my temples.
"Whose plan is this...?"
Luna and Zero Leaf sat silently in a row on the sofa opposite me, while Rachel—the only one who hadn't joined the raid—giggled and spoke up.
"Who else?"
"That bastard Kane..."
I shuddered like I'd been chopped by a trusted axe.
But Kane failing at something he could handle with brute force, without any political chit-chat for gain?
'No way.'
If there'd been a good reason, he'd have snuck in alone to grab me quietly—not burst through the door with everyone to rescue me.
At first, the drug haze and the fact they'd all charged in to carry me out had short-circuited my brain. But after downing a sugary fruit tea, the reasons started clicking into place.
'Who are the named characters likely in the capital right now?'
In the original story, after escaping the black mage's lab early on, everyone Kane met tried to use him—ending with him sold into slavery.
In the game, he was sold to Adelian as a living scarecrow, beaten, then resold to an assassin guild. In the original, straight from auction to assassins.
His already severe human hatred intensified through the guild's personality-erasing training. Even after escaping later, it kept him solo at first.
Naturally, he stuck to human-scarce outskirts or Chabid lands, where he ran into the Evil God Church—and once he saw their symbol...
"Hmm."
I racked my brain, but the timing made the capital's named characters unclear.
"For now, wait for Kane to contact us first."
No need to go looking.
He was the strongest in our group—rushing to "help" clumsily could just drag us down, depending on the foe.
"So you're not mad?"
"Aw, no anger?"
Rachel, who'd just pulled out a chair and sat with an "eh?", kept stirring trouble. Zero watched expectantly, while Luna and Leaf subtly stood and fetched snacks and fruit like nothing happened.
"Boring. No Kane. Guess I'll train alone."
Seeing that, Rachel cracked her knuckles with her fun killed and headed to her room.
'Violence addict as always.'
Shaking my head once, I gripped Seiren to handle cleanup and brace for attacks from First Princess Seria.
"Alkaido."
[Yes, young master. I was just about to contact you.]
While Luna and Leaf shared snacks and Zero prepped a meal alone, I'd reached out to Alkaido—news had already reached him.
[The First Princess has lodged an informal protest.]
"Give me the short version."
[Adelian Kruger of House Kruger lodged an informal protest via back channels regarding the rudeness inflicted upon First Princess Seira von Taiteria.]
I burst out laughing.
Wow, this incident really shows how much they underestimate me around here.
Even in a backstabbing relationship, there's etiquette.
If they wanted to screw me over, they should've put more effort in.
Only one reason for handling it so sloppily, clumsily, half-assed.
"So I'm seen as that much of a dimwit?"
[Wasn't that your goal?]
"Yeah, well, true."
I sighed as I replied.
"Doing it so recklessly, without a shred of hesitation or torment?"
What mattered now was them underestimating me. Better than sticking out like a sore thumb and getting eyed by the palace, Evil God Church, and everyone.
"But too much underestimation is a problem."
Piss me off too hard, and I snap. Gotta underestimate just right to hold back. I'm human too, y'know.
Classic diversion. Poke me to stir Kaiman once.
I'm just a foothold—they figured drug me to sleep or, if snatching fails, use it as pretext to nab me.
So they pulled the guards on purpose, disabled wards in a remote palace spot, left just that one proper aura user—the maid.
Purely banking on "Kruger invades palace."
"They need to learn they tangled with a mad dog."
I grinned wickedly.
[How shall we respond, young master? If you wish, we can erase every trace and make the raid never happen.]
Nah, why bother.
Opponent came down to the mud pit.
Resting my chin, I twisted my lips up.
"Spread the opposite rumor. But like this."
The First Princess fell for me, dismissed her guards to court me secretly, called in House Kruger's wastrel Adelian to the palace.
"I accepted, then bolted."
[...Are you serious?]
"Young master?"
"Lord Adelian?"
—Administrator.
"Are you insane?"
I cackled at their reactions—from Alkaido to Luna, Zero, Leaf, and Rachel—and laughed harder.
"Nah, if they came at me underestimating this much, they should brace for a dirty bite."
Alkaido, make it happen!
I tapped my foot, wondering who'd lose more.
* * *
"Let's hear this month's report."
An appearance like an angel leaping from a temple mural.
Softly waving golden locks and eyes like embedded amethysts.
First Princess Seria smiled gently, and her maid—with hair pulled back tight—spoke.
"No signs yet of the siblings abroad returning."
"Well, figures. The closer they get to me, the more despair they taste."
Seria's sealing trait was a mighty weapon, but with flaws—one being distance.
Her authority weakened the farther apart.
So no imperial bloodline wanted to taste powerlessness from a sealed trait—they'd never return to the empire, let alone the capital.
Sipping crimson berry tea that wafted fragrance, Seria smiled warmly.
"And no signs of Adelian approaching Twelfth Prince Shahad yet."
"That's odd. He definitely took the drug—he can't lie."
What's going on? Seria tapped her cheek thoughtfully and continued.
"He said he'd join hands with Shahad on Duke Kaiman's orders... meaning he's already made contact via a route sneaky enough to fool our eyes and ears, right?"
No lies possible under that drug.
"Heh, amusing. I thought my kids were tops in this capital, barring His Majesty's limbs."
"Our apologies."
The maid bowed deeper at Seria's words, but Seria shook her head no—her lush honey-gold tresses rippling through the air.
"No. Shahad's His Majesty's blood too—he's got an ace or two. Best thin out the kids on him for now."
"We've reports of Prince Shahad redesigning his gardens... shall we pull them?"
Eyes and ears placed to see who Adelian—who held Seiren's interests—would pick over Seria.
Situation resolved, no need to overdo it—Seria replied.
"It's probably just sprucing up for his vulgar hobbies. More efficient to redirect those eyes and ears."
"Then we'll pull all from Prince Shahad."
"And better pull the manpower hunting Aria too."
His Majesty must be searching, but no trace after this long meant either sheltered by three dukes-level figures.
Or fled far beyond the empire. One or the other.
"First's unrealistic, second's irrelevant."
Another flaw of the sealing trait.
It bound talents utterly unbudding—but fixed the number.
Seria's SS-grade seal capped at fifteen; couldn't seal 20s princes, and among them, highest-potential Aria had vanished.
'But now it's for the best.'
Dispersed His Majesty's gaze, and uncertainty—runaway or disguised abduction/assassination?—had subdued other royals subtly.
'As long as she doesn't return.'
"And the informal protest to House Kruger?"
Seria chuckled. The drug was undetectable anyway.
Circumstances aside, facts clear: Seria politely invited Adelian; intruder politely took him from palace.
Anyone'd link intruder to Krugers.
'Even in legal battle, I've got plays.'
She had memory manipulation.
"Keep our limbs off Adelian's side a few days."
"Yes."
No need for her people to get caught nearby, giving Krugers potential leverage.
They'd never guess her—the empire's First Princess—as their master anyway.
'Unlike that idiot wastrel Adelian, House Kruger itself isn't to be trifled with.'
Just then, as Seria pulled eyes and ears from Adelian—
He was receiving a report from Violet—no, Pian.
"So, basically. Bervert's been sending people to that bakery I hit often, past few days?"
[Fateful encounter setup, maybe? Got a few big-framed boys circling the area.]
"Hah, rings a bell. Cliché as hell. But info and pleasures lag here—still fresh tactic maybe."
Adelian smirked and continued.
"Gotta hit the bakery, and secret casino tonight."
Life's busy, huh?