Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Interim Report
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Abel immediately locked the door and sat down at his desk with the letter envelope in hand.
‘Faster than expected.’
When he’d placed the request, he’d thought it might take months at longest, but this was far quicker than anticipated.
Because of that, Abel didn’t hold out much hope.
‘Probably just a progress report or something.’
Thinking that, Abel opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside.
The paper was filled with strange characters—neither Imperial script nor any other kingdom’s language.
‘As expected, it’s in code.’
It was the cipher used by the organization he’d commissioned.
“Such a pain, as always…….”
Even after tracking down the group and managing to place a request, failing to decipher the code meant no useful information.
The reason such an inconvenient ‘information broker’ could keep operating was simple.
Their intel was that reliable and trustworthy.
‘Plus, no leaks in transit.’
The cipher posed no issue for Abel.
He had memorized the decryption rules analyzed by other players wholesale.
“Let’s see.”
Abel slowly recalled the rules as he read down the letter.
[Interim report on your request.]
As expected, it was a progress update.
It detailed the internal state of the Alliance Kingdom, mostly things any outsider could know.
Of course, that was only for those in the know— to Abel, it was highly valuable.
‘I knew it was split into three factions, but it’s worse than I thought.’
The Alliance Kingdom was currently divided into three major factions locked in conflict.
No open large-scale battles yet, but under the surface, schemes and intrigues abounded.
Many neutral houses and factions were under pressure too.
To pick a side, essentially.
‘Business as usual.’
Neutrals might claim they’d stay impartial, but to the factions, they were thorns in the side.
If they suddenly joined another, the loss would be massive.
Years of such pressure had broken most neutrals by now.
Only a scant few held out.
The Blaine House was one such holdout.
“Hmm…….”
Abel stroked his chin.
Reading on, he realized the Blaine House occupied a uniquely precarious position among the neutrals.
‘Strongest among them, for starters.’
Most who declared neutrality were minor houses and groups.
Opportunists flitting from side to side like bats, minimizing losses and maximizing gains.
The Blaine House was different.
‘Like a lone crane among chickens.’
Immense power. Long history and widespread renown.
The current head and heir were both renowned for their abilities.
They’d even started training their own Gigant riders to withstand the pressure.
The more he thought, the clearer one conclusion became.
“This isn’t just a thorn…….”
The Blaine House’s destruction was inevitable.
From Abel’s perspective, at least.
On the surface, the three factions balanced each other perfectly—no one could risk extremes.
The Blaine House could keep growing in neutrality thanks to that equilibrium.
The problem? It wouldn’t last a year.
‘No, less than that now.’
One faction would half-collapse, the other two absorb it, and conflict escalate to civil war levels.
Time passes, and the war ends in one side’s victory.
But that wouldn’t mean peace.
‘A unified Alliance Kingdom turns its ambitions outward…… right.’
Knowing that future, Abel couldn’t help but view the Blaine House pessimistically.
In the game, their fall was unavoidable anyway.
“Mm.”
Abel massaged his throbbing temple as he read on.
After the overview, came minor details.
Not immediately useful.
But the ‘back’ of the letter was different.
It covered his second request.
The ‘seal’ engraved on Hena’s ankle.
‘I figured this would take longer.’
Abel leaned forward from his chairback and read the back.
The first line read:
[Report on the Seal of Dominion.]
Seal of Dominion.
That was the name of the pattern on Hena’s ankle—the cause of her rampage.
In the game, no matter how much he dug, only the name and side effects surfaced.
He’d requested it without much hope, but the details were surprisingly thorough.
[The Seal of Dominion is a blessing and curse handed down through the Del Kior family.]
[Its origin traces to the family founder, ‘Ahishakht del Kior.’]
[Ahishakht del Kior showed no promise until his early twenties, but after a trip to the then-unknown Zharan region, everything changed.]
[Surviving records say he suddenly excelled in magic post-expedition.]
[Especially famed for his ‘inhuman mana reserves’ and control…….]
Inhuman mana and superb control.
Matching Hena’s traits.
Abel read on.
Sadly, the key points were upfront; the rest was trivia.
He bit his lip and summarized what he’d learned.
-The Seal of Dominion is a ‘trait’ passed down in the Del Kior family.
-They once proudly displayed it, but in recent decades, began erasing traces.
-The current head, Duke del Kior, showed prodigious magic talent as a child but suddenly focused on martial arts.
Piecing it together, one certainty emerged.
‘The Seal of Dominion ties to the Gigadeus. That’s confirmed.’
He’d suspected as much, but now he knew.
The Duke’s martial shift coincided with the Gigadeus’s major activity.
Erasing Seal traces started then too.
Hena was born after.
Plus……
The Seal reacts intensely to Gigadei and Gigadeus Fragments.
That’s what he knew so far.
“Whew.”
Abel sighed shortly, then neatly set the letter and his notes aside.
‘They said more on the Del Kior family, so I’ll wait.’
No big breakthroughs yet, but the brokers exceeded expectations.
The letter’s end even mentioned a lead on the item he’d requested—no reason for disappointment.
“Good.”
Abel slapped his cheeks, stood, and changed into training clothes.
When the mind’s tangled, move the body.
Endless brooding just hurts the head.
Changed, Abel headed straight to the training grounds.
Burying his unease deep inside.
* * *
Midterms were two days away.
Meaning Hena’s rampage was at most that far off.
“Hah!”
In that tension.
Abel swung his sword.
Whoosh—!
Each swing boomed with wind.
Not a practice blade, but the massive sword from the ruins.
Thud!
Abel’s strength was above average, but not monstrous like some cadets.
Fine in a Gigant, but wielding the greatsword barehanded freely? Impossible.
Tap!
But that hardly mattered.
Blind force only wrecked body and Gigant.
The key was technique.
For instance, don’t just lift and drop the sword from overhead.
Boom!
Stamp the ground hard, spring the body like a coil, raise the sword high.
Whoosh!
As it points to the ceiling, don’t fight the weight—flow with it.
Just before it hits floor, twist waist and torso, slashing diagonally upward.
Screeech!
Sword moves body, or body moves sword?
Abel didn’t distinguish.
He thought only of one flow.
Like a ceaseless river. Sword traced paths, endlessly slashing, striking, smashing imaginary foes.
Boom—!
“Ah.”
Deep in the zone, Abel snapped out at the roar.
Grip slipped midway; the sword flew far.
He moved to retrieve it, then winced at the throbbing pain.
Glancing down: bloodied palm.
Surface-wise worst, but his body was equally spent.
Muscles screamed everywhere.
-You’re back to your senses now.
A voice echoed in his head.
Lupus’s.
“What’d you say?”
-I said stop. You’d wreck yourself. A bit late, but you heard it.
“Right.”
Abel wiped sweat with his palm, saw the blood, and stopped.
He grabbed a nearby cloth and wrapped his hand.
“How long was I out?”
-Dunno. At least two hours, from what I saw.
Meaning well over, really.
Lupus had been asleep at the start.
-Master. Brooding on unsolvable woes just wears the mind.
Abel chuckled wryly at the advice.
“Guess I look that bad. You’re advising me.”
-Not ‘look.’ Rest a few days, recommended.
“Sure.”
Abel responded rote-like, mind elsewhere.
But briefly.
Soon, he shouldered his weapon and left the grounds.
Frustration lingered, but he couldn’t camp there forever.
Heading to his room, someone called.
“Abel! Lesson today?”
Hena.
Her usual bright voice stopped him; he nodded.
“Yeah.”
“You okay? Shouldn’t you rest? You’ve looked beat since a few days ago.”
“Nah. I’ll crash after exams.”
“Fair. See you soon.”
Hena nodded, satisfied.
Abel bid farewell and continued.
Through the hall, up stairs, to his door.
There, he saw it.
A mysterious box before his door.