Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Rashid's Dark Elf Plot
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Rashid's refined face twisted.
"You little... "
A crude curse unbefitting a noble slipped out.
Seo Woojin narrowed his eyes as he looked at such a Rashid.
"You must not have been beaten enough yet."
When he spoke softly, infusing his words with mana, he could see the man flinch.
But that was it.
Rashid glared at him with an even more venomous look than before.
Seo Woojin sensed something off about that expression.
Rashid had been thoroughly thrashed by him once before.
He hadn't been beaten to the brink of death, but it had been enough to make him suffer considerably.
On top of that, he must know from Mohiaddin that Seo Woojin was a hero.
Yet he continued to show such hostility...
'Does he have something he's relying on?'
Otherwise, there was no way he'd act like this.
Not unless he wanted to get beaten half to death again.
"Sir Rashid, please clear the way."
The knight anxiously pleaded with Rashid.
Mohiaddin and the Baek Eun Knights were waiting inside, and they couldn't afford to waste time like this.
"...Hmph."
Rashid snorted and stepped aside.
The knight let out a sigh of relief and turned to Seo Woojin and Ailin.
"Let's go."
He looked worried that Seo Woojin might be offended, his expression uneasy.
Seo Woojin nodded as if it was fine and stepped forward.
As he did, he glanced sideways at Rashid.
'It's certain.'
He definitely had some scheme in mind.
Otherwise, there was no way he'd be smirking so slyly.
'Well, it's probably nothing major.'
But Seo Woojin decided not to pay it any more mind.
Honestly, Rashid had almost no means to harm him.
His personal strength went without saying, and crushing him with authority was impossible too.
Right now, rather than wasting thought on a small fry like that, he needed to focus on what was coming.
Reina, Baek Siwoo, the Demon King's followers.
They were powerhouses incomparable to Rashid, and Seo Woojin might even have to risk his life against them.
"Who is he?"
Ailin suddenly asked.
"The son of the lord here."
"You mean Viscount Mohiaddin?"
"Yeah."
Ailin frowned at Seo Woojin's answer.
Rashid's first impression clearly hadn't sat well with her.
"Don't worry. Viscount Mohiaddin is quite capable."
He didn't bother adding that unlike his son.
"That's a relief."
Ailin nodded and quietly followed behind the knight.
"This is the place."
The spot they arrived at was the lord's castle reception room.
It wasn't flashy, but it exuded a luxurious feel.
"I've been waiting."
Mohiaddin, spotting Seo Woojin, greeted him with a beaming smile.
"It's a bit soon to call it a reunion, isn't it?"
Seo Woojin smiled back, expressing his own delight.
"Indeed. I thought we wouldn't meet for a while."
"It just happened this way."
Seo Woojin shared a light embrace with Mohiaddin before turning his gaze to the man standing behind him.
"I'm Ronain. It must have been a long journey."
He was the captain of the Baek Eun Knight Order.
Ronain greeted Seo Woojin with impeccable courtesy.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Seo Woojin."
"I'm Ailin of the Blue Armor Knights."
Seo Woojin and Ailin introduced themselves in turn.
"The Massive Guardian's...?"
Ronain's eyes widened slightly at Ailin's introduction.
"That's right."
"Oh, how is Count Van Slane?"
Ronain looked pleased.
It seemed he was well acquainted with Van Slane.
Ailin nodded too, looking a bit surprised.
"He's probably doing well. He's a steadfast man, after all."
"Haha, true. Though it seems he hasn't been vanishing suddenly like he used to lately."
"Sometimes..."
Ailin smiled awkwardly.
Before Seo Woojin had joined Massive Guardian, Van Slane would disappear several times a year.
"He's the same as ever."
Ronain chuckled knowingly.
"Come to think of it, I heard you also learned the sword from Sir Van Slane."
The conversation shifted to Seo Woojin.
Seo Woojin's face paled slightly.
Memories of that hellish training flooded back.
But seeing Seo Woojin's expression, Ronain spoke in surprise.
"Judging by your face, you must have trained properly."
He glanced at Ailin.
As if asking if what he said was right.
"If Woojin weren't a hero, he might have been made the successor."
Seo Woojin wondered if it was really that serious, but Ailin meant it sincerely.
The way Van Slane had trained Seo Woojin couldn't simply be seen as just raising a hero.
She didn't know what he had seen to make that decision back then, but one thing was clear: Van Slane liked Seo Woojin.
Judging by Seo Woojin's current state, his judgment hadn't been wrong.
Among a hundred heroes, the greatest was right beside her.
Ronain looked impressed at Ailin's words.
"You must have incredible talent."
In truth, Ronain hadn't thought much of Seo Woojin.
He was a bottom-tier D-rank hero, after all.
But that same Seo Woojin had gradually risen to prominence and even defeated Baek Siwoo, who had been called the strongest hero.
He had wondered what the reason was, but hearing that Van Slane had personally trained him made it somewhat understandable.
The world might not know it, but Massive Guardian's Sword Ghost had reached the realm of transcendence.
He was on par with the Guardians.
For such a person to have taught him personally...
Ronain inwardly smiled at the bashful-looking Seo Woojin.
He seemed far more innocent than expected.
But he soon composed himself and got to the point.
"We haven't pinpointed Baek Siwoo's exact location yet. But we've confirmed he's inside Jinhan."
"How is the search going?"
"Crusiel and my knights are combing every inch of the city. With Viscount Mohiaddin's help too, it shouldn't take long."
With Crusiel's ability to track Baek Siwoo in just one day, they could probably find him soon, as Ronain said.
But there was a much bigger problem.
"The chance that Reina is with him?"
At the mention of the blood-maddened monster, Ronain's face hardened slightly.
"...Probably. No, definitely."
"Haa-"
Ronain's words drew a sigh from him.
Just the presence of that monster exponentially increased the mission's difficulty.
There might even be massive casualties again.
Unconsciously, he stroked 'Ka Raaniel'.
He hoped this sword, which he hadn't swung even once yet, would shine properly.
Then, something occurred to Seo Woojin, and he asked.
"Do you know anything about the reinforcements coming to help?"
"I haven't heard about that either."
But Ronain shook his head.
If even one of the Five Guardians had come, things would have been much easier.
Seo Woojin hid his disappointment and stood up.
"Waiting here seems like a waste of time, so I think I'll go out and look around."
"I'll go with you."
Ronain stood as well.
But Seo Woojin politely declined.
"It's more convenient for us to move separately."
"Ah, in that case..."
"If you find Baek Siwoo, let us know then."
Worried he might tag along anyway, Seo Woojin bid farewell to Mohiaddin and quickly left the reception room.
As they walked down the corridor toward the main gate, Ailin quietly spoke up.
"Sir Ronain is a top-class knight. Wouldn't it be better to act together?"
Compared to Reina or Baek Siwoo, his skill was far inferior.
But being a top-class knight wasn't something to dismiss.
Against Baek Siwoo, he might not win, but he could hold out for a bit.
She couldn't understand why Seo Woojin would go off separately from such a powerhouse.
"He'd just get in the way."
"...Sir Ronain isn't that weak."
If he was a hindrance, then what about her, a mid-class knight?
Ailin's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing that, Seo Woojin chuckled.
"What's the point of being strong if we've never fought together? For me, you're better than some stranger."
It might not be much comfort from her perspective.
After all, she knew her own skill level best.
But fortunately, Ailin's expression softened a bit.
"Besides..."
Seo Woojin's gaze turned to one side.
"There's something I need to handle without others knowing."
Outside the lord's castle.
Though invisible to Ailin's eyes, Seo Woojin, who had activated his 'Divine Dragon Eye,' could see it clearly.
Crude demonic energies, different from those of Reina or Baek Siwoo, were rising.
They were blatantly showing hostility toward him.
'Is this what you prepared?'
Seo Woojin thought of Rashid.
'Not getting away easily this time.'
* * *
"It's finally ready."
"...Are you sure this is okay?"
One of Rashid's trusted soldiers, in charge of cleanup, asked uneasily.
"What do you mean?"
"Those guys are Dark Elves, aren't they?"
A once-honorable race.
But now, corrupted by demonic energy, they were mere followers of the Demon King.
If the Empire found out Rashid was consorting with Dark Elves?
'It'd be the end.'
Not just for Rashid, but for him too—they'd all face death.
Maybe even the city's lord, Mohiaddin.
Rashid's nonchalance toward such a grave matter terrified him.
In more ways than one.
"Hmph! As long as we don't get caught, it's fine. Those guys are desperate to kill the hero anyway, so it's good for both sides. Even if we do get caught, they won't trace it back to me."
It was a complacent thought, underestimating the Empire's power.
Yet the soldier couldn't defy Rashid's order.
Right now, the madman before him was far scarier than the Empire.
"Are you sure he entered the city?"
At that moment, one of the Dark Elves approached and asked Rashid.
"Yeah. I confirmed it with my own eyes just a bit ago."
"Good. Even for us, infiltrating the Empire's capital isn't easy. He came right to us on his own feet."
The Dark Elf bared his white teeth in a grin.
A smile filled with murderous intent.
"You can kill him, right?"
Rashid was foolish, but he knew what a hero was.
How strong they were.
The Dark Elves were strong too, but he wasn't confident they could handle Seo Woojin perfectly.
"Don't worry. The preparations are perfect."
The Dark Elf was brimming with confidence.
There were 72 of his kin here.
Only the tribe's elites.
And they had one more thing prepared—killing one hero wouldn't be hard.
"Alright. Then right now..."
It was when Rashid smiled and was about to speak of executing the plan.
Kwaaang-!
The firmly shut door exploded, and someone appeared.
"...Dark Elves? You must really want to die, you crazy bastards."
Naturally, the one who entered was Seo Woojin.