Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: The Shadow Warlord's Resolve
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As the Shadow Warlord regained his senses after Hanok had finished sobbing for a good while, he belatedly noticed Leyzon and the others.
He could tell at a glance that every single one of them gathered with Hanok was no ordinary person.
"Hanok, that bone necklace around your neck..."
At the same time, the Shadow Warlord spotted the magic attached to the bone necklace he had given him.
It was a slave enchantment.
In that instant, the Shadow Warlord's eyes turned fiercely cold.
"Pleased to meet you, Shadow Warlord."
A voice slipped into the Shadow Warlord's ear.
In the shadowy darkness of the church.
A half dark elf with a rugged face stood there.
The man gave off an oddly peculiar presence.
Yet the Shadow Warlord found it strange that he was acting like the leader of this group.
After all, he was the weakest among them—a pioneer with just 11 ascensions.
An old man with a hunched back standing at the center of the church.
A beautiful girl with white hair tipped in red.
A man in a suit with his mouth sewn shut with straw.
The pressure emanating from them made even the Shadow Warlord swallow hard for a moment.
They were all opponents he wouldn't dare face.
Yet they all stood quietly, as if the half dark elf were at their center.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Leyzon, Hanok's companion."
Leyzon introduced himself with a gentle smile.
His calm demeanor in this situation felt utterly out of place.
The Shadow Warlord instinctively felt chills run down his spine.
He had called himself Hanok's companion with his own mouth.
But there was a slave enchantment around Hanok's neck.
It was infuriating enough that his little brother bore a slave spell, but the one who seemed to be its caster was extremely dangerous.
"...What do you want?"
The Shadow Warlord asked in a sharp tone.
"Bro, brother?"
Hanok tugged at the Shadow Warlord's clothes with a flustered face.
But the Shadow Warlord, fully on guard, pulled Hanok into a protective embrace.
"If you want something from me, don't use Hanok. Use me alone."
"Brother, that's not—"
"Hanok, stay quiet."
The Shadow Warlord stood up and faced Leyzon directly.
"Tell me. What did you come here with Hanok for?"
Leyzon kept smiling throughout.
The Shadow Warlord asked tensely, staring at him.
Leyzon gazed steadily at the Shadow Warlord.
Then he raised a hand to touch his own face.
"...Aren't I smiling kindly?"
'Why does everyone treat me like this?'
Leyzon gave a wry smile with a hurt expression.
Afterward, the Shadow Warlord heard the full story from Leyzon.
"I-I'm sorry!"
He bowed deeply to Leyzon and uttered words of apology.
At first, he had been skeptical.
But Hanok had confirmed it all without a hint of falsehood—it was all true.
In the end, the Shadow Warlord realized his mistake.
Leyzon wasn't using Hanok; he was his benefactor.
He was the one who had saved Hanok from being sold off to the Bloodless Sovereign's schemes and raised him with food and care ever since.
In fact, Hanok's tails had grown to a full five.
He had become a proper pioneer, capable of pulling his own weight.
Knowing it was all thanks to Leyzon, the Shadow Warlord couldn't lift his head.
Leyzon waved it off with a bitter smile.
"It's fine. It was understandable."
The slave enchantment was a mark of trust between Leyzon and Hanok.
That's why neither had bothered to remove it, leading to this misunderstanding.
No one was at fault.
"How should I make amends?"
"You're safe now, that's what matters. Hanok's finally able to relax."
"Ahem, hmph."
Hanok ducked his head shyly.
Hanok was a precious companion to Leyzon as well.
Seeing his companion's stiff face finally bloom like a flower made saving the Shadow Warlord worthwhile.
"And it's all this mask's fault anyway. If it were my real face, I'd look so kind that no misunderstanding would have happened."
It was all the mask's doing.
Anyway.
"Right! Lord Leyzon's real face shines with light!"
Syria Nosferatu vigorously defended him, and Leyzon felt a bit better.
Syria was the only one he could count on.
"Um, may I ask one thing?"
At that moment, the Shadow Warlord posed a question.
Leyzon guessed what he wanted to know.
"You're asking about the sub races you rescued from the Transcendent Church, right?"
"Ah, yes, that's it."
"The Sword Saint and his aide safely recovered them. I got word before coming here."
Leyzon had exchanged telegrams with the Sword Saint.
It was necessary for the future.
Hearing this, the Shadow Warlord's face finally relaxed.
He let out a sigh of relief and turned to Hanok.
"Hanok, you've met a truly good person."
Hanok nodded vigorously, his face full of emotion.
"Yeah, you're right. Lord Leyzon is a really good person."
A proud smile spread across Leyzon's lips.
Good guy, check.
"Shadow Warlord, you're acquainted with Estelle, right?"
"Yes."
The Shadow Warlord had slain the Hundred Shell Sovereign alongside the Tyrant Dragon Estelle Aragon.
And Leyzon was Estelle's master.
This made the Shadow Warlord trust Leyzon even more.
"I've summoned Estelle to Sahā Village. I'm setting up a base there."
Leyzon said this as he looked at the Shadow Warlord.
"How about joining us if you're up for it?"
"Me too?"
"Yeah. You could gather the scattered Sword-Tooth Clan members there."
The Sword-Tooth Clan had been brutally punished by the empire and scattered to the winds.
Leyzon could readily provide them a new home.
The Shadow Warlord's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected such an opportunity out of nowhere.
But he hesitated, not answering rashly.
This wasn't out of distrust for Leyzon.
He had one mission.
"...Lord Leyzon, sub races are still persecuted in the Transcendent Church and many places around the world."
As long as humans dominated the world, the oppression of sub races continued.
Moreover, the empire sought to castrate their talents.
The empire was no safe haven for sub races.
"I've vowed to save the sub races."
The Shadow Warlord couldn't settle in one place and rest.
That was his mission.
"Besides."
The Shadow Warlord stroked Hanok's head.
"The empire is still hunting me. I'm a criminal, after all."
He had killed the Hundred Shell Sovereign.
No matter the reason, he had slain an imperial noble.
The empire wouldn't let him be.
They'd pursue him to the end and punish him somehow.
"It won't do me any good to show my face in that village."
Leyzon listened quietly.
"So that's what you were worried about."
A hollow laugh escaped Leyzon's lips.
"Then I'd be the head of a criminal syndicate?"
"Uh, isn't that right?"
Hanok answered absentmindedly, then shut his mouth under Syria's glare.
"First off, Syria Nosferatu, the Vampire Queen, is suspected of wiping out an entire imperial knight order.
The Sword Saint was hunting her until recently."
Leyzon pointed to Syria standing beside him.
Syria, taking it as praise, curtsied nobly with a flourish of her skirt.
"Iden, the demon king of the wasteland, once occupied an entire border city.
He swept away every imperial force that came at him."
Iden shrugged, saying it wasn't his intention.
"Estelle the Tyrant Dragon is just like you, so no need to mention her.
Then there's the Moving Black Castle sowing chaos across cities, the empire's underworld sword, Night Raven.
Plus the Steel Wolf Guild, which started as a criminal group, and the necromancer faction leader."
Leyzon turned back to the Shadow Warlord.
"I'm the leader of all those guys."
Leyzon introduced himself with a grin.
"One more like you won't change a thing, Shadow Warlord."
The Shadow Warlord stared blankly.
With Leyzon right there, his own crimes seemed terribly light.
"And if you're worried about the sub races, that's even better."
Leyzon decided to easily alleviate his concerns.
"Send any of the sub races you rescued who have nowhere to go to Sahā Village."
"Pardon? R-Really?"
Not all sub races could return to their homelands.
Some couldn't go back because their homes had burned down.
They were headaches even for the Shadow Warlord.
He had helped them as best he could with various supports.
But those whose lives were ruined by humans couldn't stand on their own.
Leyzon promised to shelter them.
"I'm half sub race myself, after all."
Above all, Leyzon was very interested in sub race talents.
'There might be more like Piran.'
Piran was a half-elf, half-dark elf mix.
That gave him a necromancer talent that didn't exist before.
There was no guarantee other sub races wouldn't have something similar.
'The more they gather...'
The more talents would concentrate in Sahā Village.
It was all gain for Leyzon.
"Brother."
Hanok realized it was a great proposal too.
Then the silent Shadow Warlord bowed deeply.
"...I've built connections and received and given help to reach this point."
The Shadow Warlord had desperately fought to save sub races.
His past life surely held many setbacks.
"But because of them, I made it here, and that's why I'm standing in this place."
The Shadow Warlord raised his head toward Leyzon.
His eyes shone brightly, like they held the stars.
Eyes just like Hanok's, chasing his dreams.
He was definitely Hanok's brother.
"I won't let you regret helping me."
With this, the Shadow Warlord could focus solely on rescuing sub races.
He would save many more in the future.
And Leyzon would protect Sahā Village as their home.
The deal was struck.
A chill ran through everyone present!
They all snapped their heads up.
Outside the ruined church.
A massive surge of energy was incoming.
Syria summoned shadows.
The shadows soon enveloped everyone, including Leyzon.
But one person.
The Savior Sovereign dodged the shadows descending over him.
Leyzon met the Savior Sovereign's hollow eye sockets.
He understood his intent.
Kaboom! Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble crack!
The incoming torrent of light shattered the church to pieces.
Amid the crumbling church.
A massive man stood tall before it.
A long scar etched across his face.
A man with white hair reminiscent of a lion's mane.
He wore pristine white plate mail styled after a lion's head.
"All White Lion Knights."
As he appeared, dozens of knights surrounded the church in unison.
"Annihilate the enemy of His Imperial Majesty."
The knights drew swords emblazoned with the white lion emblem.
One of the empire's five knight orders.
The White Lion.
They had appeared in the mining village of Ballantia.