Chapter 448
Chapter 448
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Into the Storm (7)
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The man beyond the iron bars furrowed his brow, as if struggling to grasp the meaning of what I had just said.
“Swallow... the world? The Warlord?”
“Yes! It’s certain!”
“That’s... some kind of code used among the Warlord’s followers? A way to express his mad lust for conquest or his torrent-like momentum?”
He kept asking repeatedly, finding it hard to comprehend.
Yeah, it’d be tough to understand. Even I, who faced the Warlord himself and heard it straight from his mouth, couldn’t come up with any explanation beyond “just a lunatic.” It must sound like nonsense.
‘First, deliver the shock.’
The information they crave most. By spilling the Warlord’s goal right away, freeze their line of thinking.
“It’s the unadulterated truth, without a single embellishment.”
“...And you know the reason why?”
‘When faced with an unexpected result, speculation and imagination about the process begin.’
Late forties. A noble with at least enough brains not to miss the bait. Having heard the answer without explanation, questions would surge.
Given the result and the lord’s knowledge, imagination with a fixed starting point and endpoint doesn’t scatter in many directions.
“I don’t know.”
“You seem to be in a position where you should choose your words carefully.”
“I truly don’t know. But doesn’t every action of the Warlord prove his own state? Fortified cities reduced to rubble without a single occupation, indiscriminate slaughter of people and mutants alike, the mythical power to lay waste to an entire region single-handedly before even assembling his current forces! To satisfy all these conditions, surely you know what he must be, my lord?”
...Throw a few pieces of knowledge as reference points into those few narrow imaginings, and he’ll arrive at the desired answer on his own.
“A Shard Knight, no doubt. A reason lost along with memories, pursued all the more clearly and obsessively. Power that snowballs with each kill. If the Warlord possesses terrifyingly overwhelming talent as a Shard Knight, it explains most of what’s happening.”
‘Even if he doesn’t trust “Hyde, the Warlord’s spy,” he can’t distrust himself, can he?’
“The Warlord is already a Shard Knight who’s lost his memories to the point of being nearly a ‘Malo.’ A monster of fragments, endlessly repeating slaughter without even remembering the reason for conquest.”
Stir the lord’s doubts, provide the ingredients for imagination, let him reach the conclusion himself. By cleverly listing the situation in the West Empire territory alongside what he already knows, bundle the splintered imaginings into a single thread.
“Yes. The Warlord is a Shard Knight. One with talent enough to absorb not just hundreds of colored shards, but even the fragments from ordinary humans.”
Thus, make the lord raise the credibility of my words himself. After all, my statement simply matches the conclusion he’s already reached.
“...It doesn’t seem like you came here caught spewing lies. So that’s why you sought me out? Because you learned he’s not a conquering lord who’ll dominate the era, but a walking Malo-like shard disaster?”
“Yes. If things go his way, once all enemy forces are wiped out, even we allies will die by his hand and be absorbed. The Warlord is swept up in a madness he can’t stop himself, so I betrayed him and came to you, my lord. In the world where he wins, nothing remains except him.”
The lord listened with half-lidded eyes, then stroked his chin with interest and whispered to his knight.
A moment later, as even my companions—who had been feigning madness—swallowed hard and perked up their ears.
“...Very well. In such a situation, defecting isn’t so strange.”
‘Yeeeeeeeeees!!!!’
“However, something crucial is missing.”
“...Yes?”
“Can you prove you’re the Warlord’s spy? Or rather, prove you’re not a spy from those treacherous knight factions pretending to be from some unknown third force?”
At the lord’s unyielding suspicion to the end, I feigned a tense expression and nodded toward him.
“I can. No matter if it’s the treacherous knight faction—even if they’re colluding with the Warlord—no one could know him as well as I, who saw it all firsthand from his side.”
With the pillar of falsehood erected, the rest proceeded smoothly.
‘It’s not even really a lie.’
Is there anyone in the world who’s peered into that bastard’s guts as deeply as I have?
When it comes to knowledge of the Warlord, aside from the white-haired woman who stuck to him like a leech, no one knows as much as I do.
****
“Name.”
“As I said before, Hyde.”
“What is the purpose of your visit here?”
“It started with the Warlord’s orders. He wanted the West Empire territory weakened while he personally conquered Teldrat. My group and I were dispatched to assess the situation, gather intelligence, and prepare for the future invasion. But having witnessed his madness, we couldn’t stay there any longer, so we sought contact with you for defection.”
“...Do you have a way to prove you’re a spy?”
The knight growled in a low, threatening voice.
“Records.”
“Records?”
“We are the Warlord’s spies and vanguard. We gather intel on target areas before he moves in personally. Thanks to that, just a few weeks ago, we roamed the old Teldrat region, collecting data from various cities, leaving entry records under my name in that one. If you ask a mage for the passenger list from the magic train there, you’ll easily find my boarding record. Since we didn’t stay in one place but wandered everywhere, it should be simple to locate.”
“...That can be verified. What else?”
“My companions infiltrated as salvagers at Semeyren Port in Teldrat territory. It’s a harbor that could serve as a bridgehead for the army, so we focused on intel there. Do you know what happened to Semeyren Port?”
“It was the first sacrificial lamb in the Warlord’s Teldrat invasion, they say. Indeed, while conquering Lordric, he already planted scouts in the next target.”
Suspicion in their eyes would turn to multiplied trust upon checking the records. After all, it’s true I wandered aimlessly through Teldrat territory before coming here, and true my group worked as salvagers in Semeyren Port for years.
‘It’s true we were in Teldrat territory before coming here. True I roamed cities like a spy. True Tarim and the kids stayed long in Semeyren Port. True the Warlord’s first target in Teldrat was Semeyren Port city.’
Records can take on entirely different meanings depending on the viewer’s perspective. In this case, they serve as perfect evidence of espionage.
“I see. Then, after arriving here, any separate activities?”
“Unlike the old Teldrat region, which mostly cultivates mushroom stalks, the West Empire territory relies on edible moss as a staple. So over there, dried mushroom stalks replace wood in construction, making architectural styles abundant. Here, though, plant-based fabrics woven from dense, tough moss roots are plentiful. I also learned that this moss, handling ‘clothing’ and ‘food’ in their daily needs, requires delicate care. A bit of alchemical powder could halt city-scale food production.”
“Ahem.”
“Through the bandit knights you’ve likely met, I identified the three factions dividing the West Empire territory: the Emperor’s faction, the treacherous faction, and the Mutant Lord’s occupied zones. I heard the Warlord’s ideology is seeping into the tense balance between these three. Chaos breeds sympathy for radical groups among the masses. Perhaps even Wind Hall’s tendrils have reached here. That’s why I requested this secret meeting with you, my lord.”
“Ahem, hmm!”
“Additionally, the path from the outer walls to the inner keep, passages to the underground prison, troop deployments and structures along the way, the territory’s economic level from decorations and daily life, the knights’ and soldiers’ training and armament status—”
—Swipe.
“That’s enough. At least, there’s no room to doubt you’re a spy. With such people lurking, it explains how the Warlord’s forces breached the city walls so easily.”
“I see how he could smash a city effortlessly.”
“My apologies, my lord.”
“I have no face to show, my lord.”
By rattling off observations from the approach and intel gathered by my group as if it were espionage results, I wrapped it up.
The knight bowed his head at the city’s secrets spilling out, the lord scolded him, but both already fully saw me as the Warlord’s spy.
‘I’ve secured their conviction about me.’
Unrevealed intel remains, and the lord knows it.
After a brief silence, the lord spoke in a stern voice.
“Kneel and show proper respect, defector Hyde.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“My lord. Surely...?”
“Sir Berkut. Will you witness this?”
“...Yes.”
Shing—
The lord drew a ceremonial sword and tapped my shoulder through the bars.
“From this moment, you are both a prisoner of Wind Hall and a retainer of the great Glen family, to be treated as one under my command.”
“...”
“I know. It’s hasty and excessive. Yet, you’ve staked your life to bare your flaws and all your secrets—watching you coldly would ill befit a noble. The Glen family’s magnanimity must not fall short of what an nameless defector deserves, so I accept your intent and will use you fruitfully.”
An abbreviated investiture. Not a full oath of loyalty, but a pledge with a reputable knight as witness.
‘In the West Empire territory, where most nobles and high officials value knightly honor, breaking even an abbreviated investiture would brand me a traitor everywhere.’
A leash binding me, but also a lifeline to cling to. The pledge binds subordinate and lord equally. The moment I nod, the lord bears responsibility to protect me.
I bowed my head carefully, as if with resolve, accepting it.
‘The intel I have. My personal abilities. A great city’s lord can’t help but covet them. Starting as an ordinary outsider Aura Knight, no matter how hard I try, I can’t turn the West Empire territory’s blades toward the Warlord in time. I have no choice but to maneuver from within the nobility’s gaze, even like this!’
Infiltrate. Sneak into a stronger entity’s core, hiding true intentions, nudging their hand toward my desired direction.
Like a parasite.
=========
‘Parasite!’
‘Hey, parasite!’
=========
‘...Maybe this was my role all along?’
A stinging memory surfaced, where I was called that.
Clank!
Creeeak—
“An excellent choice, defector Hyde!”
Unaware of my inner thoughts, the lord opened the prison door and personally helped me to my feet.
“I’d love to throw a feast for you and your subordinates, but given the gravity, it seems we have urgent matters to discuss.”
The lord turned back with a quite pleased expression.
“First, head to the castle and have the steward find quarters for you. Grab any maid and ask; she’ll tell you where the steward is. Sir Berkut, I’d appreciate if you accompanied me a bit longer.”
“To the mage?”
“Yes. We need to learn more about the treacherous knights’ movements.”
With those orders, the lord strode out of the underground prison. Left behind were the now-open cell door and my bewildered companions.
“D-Did it work?”
“They say talking long with humans bewitches you—must’ve been said about types like you.”
“Ugh, so what’s our status now? At least they won’t drag us to the torture chamber.”
“What status?”
Staring in the direction the lord had gone, I said,
“From suspicious outsiders without home or refuge, we’ve gained the label of belonging to Wind Hall’s lord, the Glen family.”
In a situation demanding big plays, if I can’t go big, I use someone else as a stepping stone.
The lord had a decent head, and his territory, family, knights—nothing fell short.
“Defector Hyde, huh... Transparent motives.”
Defector. An enemy turned ally with valuable intel and ability.
In other words, a useful discardable pawn, ripe for exploitation and tossing.
I’d shown spy skills, piquing great interest there. Likely expecting that sort of use.
Once I spill detailed Warlord intel and Emperor faction nobles set countermeasures—
How they’d use me after my intel value runs dry was obvious.
“Your motives are see-through. What’s that mean?”
“Our next destination will be a fortress city under the treacherous faction.”
“The treacherous faction... Isn’t that the enemy knight group ruling against this Emperor faction Wind Hall?”
“Exactly. Using former spies as spies is natural, right? Especially since we’re complete outsiders unknown in the West Empire territory. Few are as suited for infiltration.”
“No way...”
“Well, it’s what I wanted.”
I hadn’t aimed to become a key figure managing territory affairs anyway.
“Can’t gauge the foe just from Emperor faction tales. Gotta hear the other side too.”
“So... you planned to betray them from the start...?”
“Eh, we’ll see. But high-level spies like me always get one thing in spades?”
“Huh...”
My companions sighed, foreheads in hand, as I drew a circle with my finger.
“Burrow into Emperor and treacherous factions like parasites, nudge them gently. Like guiding the lord’s judgment my way just now, steer their conflict toward resolution. First, toward solving the immediate mutant problem, and ideally reconciliation between the two. Meanwhile, heighten Warlord awareness to the extreme. Multi-angle approach.”
“It’s absurd to think it’s possible, but having seen you pull off something similar firsthand, we can’t dismiss it as nonsense.”
“Who calls themselves a parasite out loud?”
“What’s wrong with it? It benefits everyone in the end, so technically symbiosis, not parasitism. Right?”
Infiltrate, manipulate, but ultimately for everyone’s good...
‘Yeah, parasite.’
Strangely satisfying. If it works, win-win. If not...
‘Gorge myself and spit it out!’
From insider position, loot heavily, bolster the other side for an overwhelming victory. Emperor faction isn’t necessarily righteous, treacherous not trash by default.
Whatever, we’d secured a starting line. For now.
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