Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Moving Black Castle
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Moving Black Castle.
Pauli Poatrich.
One of the five undead that Leyzon had created in the past.
Why was Pauli here, when he should have been building a city back in Sahā Village for the nation-founding ending?
The answer lay in the telegram exchanged with Flamehead.
[Abyss, my four undead have agreed to help with Raman's escape.]
So he whisked Pauli away just like that.
Leyzon let out an exasperated sigh.
'Looks like he tricked him by saying something about me being in danger.'
Pauli had a naive side, probably from spending all his time just building houses every day.
He must have believed the talk of his master's crisis and followed along without a second thought.
'Gotta give him some proper training next time.'
They still had to navigate this brutal world ahead.
He couldn't let his undead get scammed.
In any case, Leyzon grasped Flamehead's intentions.
Pauli could freely reshape the fortress walls through his fortress modification abilities.
It didn't matter if they were under the Mount Sovereign's control.
Pauli could steal control without the Mount Sovereign even noticing.
Unlike Syria's shadows, this allowed for an undetected escape.
In the end, might made right.
Pauli outranked the Mount Sovereign.
"Syria."
"Got it! Turning that way!"
Leyzon steered the shadow toward Flamehead's approach vector.
Meanwhile, the Raman special forces continued their diligent patrols.
But no matter how skilled their search capabilities, their opponent was Syria.
There was no way they could detect her shadows.
Moments later, a fortress wall loomed before Leyzon.
Leyzon stepped up onto the shadow.
Moshna followed behind him.
Even in this situation, she held her posture straight, as if trying to maintain her dignity.
Kikigik—
Soon, the fortress bricks rotated, forming a small stone gate.
Leyzon pushed open the stone door.
Beyond it stood Flamehead, with Pauli perched on his shoulder.
The moment Pauli spotted Leyzon, he wagged his legs excitedly.
In turn, the oversized crown bigger than Pauli's head bobbed back and forth.
"Lord Leyzon! I have come to rescue you!"
Just as expected, that Flamehead bastard had tricked Pauli into coming.
Leyzon waved at Pauli while shooting Flamehead a glare.
"You con artist. Tricking our sweet little Pauli like that."
"Abyss, what were you planning to do if I hadn't brought the Moving Black Castle?"
Flamehead countered with a more pressing question.
Leyzon stared silently at him before drawing his staff.
A sigh escaped Flamehead's lips.
"...I figured as much."
Flamehead knew Leyzon's patterns all too well by now.
Leyzon was smart and cautious, no doubt.
But when he didn't need to be cautious, he went completely reckless.
The scale of his thinking was just on another level from most men.
That's why Flamehead had asked Pauli to come fetch him.
He'd had a hunch Leyzon might stir up trouble in Raman.
"Rakroden!"
In the meantime, Moshna, who had followed Leyzon, threw herself into his arms.
Rakroden's face showed he was used to her rushing in like this.
"I was so scared, wondering when you'd come."
Moshna's eyes welled up with tears.
The brazen attitude she'd shown Leyzon just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Leyzon gazed at her in admiration.
To seduce a man she liked, she had to pull out all the stops like that.
Impressive.
"Moshna, the Philosopher's Stone?"
But Rakroden was sharper than Leyzon.
Moshna's safety was already secured.
So he asked about the more important Philosopher's Stone.
Moshna smacked Rakroden's side.
As he groaned in pain, she glared at him.
"Rakroden, don't you have something to say first?"
"...Glad you're safe."
"It's all thanks to you coming to rescue me, Rakroden."
They seemed to have a pretty good rapport, bickering like that.
"Here. I kept it safe."
Moshna pulled the Philosopher's Stone from her bosom and handed it to Rakroden.
"Thanks."
Rakroden tucked the Philosopher's Stone away securely.
"Enough of that. Let's get out of here already?"
Leyzon urged them on, unable to stomach the sight any longer.
There was no reason to linger.
Flamehead agreed and moved to escape Raman swiftly.
Until a massive boulder came flying at them.
Kuwaaaaaang!
Thick smoke billowed out.
Flamehead turned to the smoke with a hardened expression.
Through the clearing haze, a boulder appeared—one that looked like it had been ripped straight from the fortress wall.
No volcano eruption could have hurled something that size.
And atop it stood a man of enormous build.
A physique overwhelming like a mountain.
Clean-shaven head and thick beard.
Beast-like power bursting from every inch of his body.
The only one granted a barony by the imperial family in nearly a century.
The Mount Sovereign.
There he stood.
The Mount Sovereign raised a hand the size of a pot lid.
Bandages were wrapped messily around it.
"Thief."
His eyes locked directly onto Flamehead.
The Philosopher's Stone gleamed in Flamehead's hand.
He was caught red-handed as a thief.
Flamehead swallowed a quiet groan.
He realized how the Mount Sovereign had spotted them.
'With his own two eyes.'
His naked eyes—pure human vision.
The Mount Sovereign didn't rely solely on the fortress walls' functions.
He had been watching from Raman's tallest tower, eyes wide open.
And by sheer coincidence, the escape unfolded right before him.
Bad luck.
Flamehead exhaled and spread his hand.
A staff slipped out from beneath his robe.
"Abyss, move when I give the signal."
That was when he spoke to Leyzon.
For some reason, no reply came from Leyzon.
Feeling something off belatedly, Flamehead glanced around.
That's when he realized he was alone.
Not just Pauli off his shoulder—Moshna was gone too.
Flamehead's fine brows furrowed sharply.
Kaduduk!
His teeth ground together.
He'd realized Leyzon had ditched him and fled to face the Mount Sovereign alone.
"...Consistent as ever."
Blue flames ignited along Flamehead's staff.
"One thing you're a genius at is screwing me over."
If he was going to run, he could have taken me along.
Cursing Leyzon inwardly, Flamehead engaged the Mount Sovereign in battle.
A cool breeze swept across the plains.
Leyzon stroked Haron's head, now back to his original form.
Syria fiddled with Haron's tail, clearly taken with his fur.
Eden lounged on the grass with a relaxed expression, resting, while Hanok inspected his spear.
Pauli had somehow prepared a picnic basket and spread out a cloth.
Moshna sat on the cloth, sipping tea.
It was a scene of utter peace, no matter who looked.
Until someone appeared on the plains in a total mess.
"...Abyss."
A man who looked sketched in ink, clutching the Philosopher's Stone.
Flamehead—Rakroden.
He had survived his battle with the Mount Sovereign and returned.
Leyzon looked up from petting Haron, still in the same pose.
"Oh, you're back?"
Leyzon greeted him with a bright smile.
Flamehead stared at him with a face full of things to say.
But Leyzon felt no guilt whatsoever.
The Mount Sovereign had chased them solely because of the stolen Philosopher's Stone.
There was no reason for Leyzon to get dragged into that mess.
Still, he'd brought Moshna along.
One person was easier to escape with than two.
It was Leyzon's generous consideration.
'More surprising, though.'
The Mount Sovereign was a 17-Ascension Iron Pioneer.
He'd come back alive from facing someone of that caliber.
Leyzon had sensed it vaguely before, but Flamehead was strong.
At least an 18-Ascension Silver Pioneer, without a doubt.
'He wields blue flames.'
It was back when Leyzon first met Number Five, one of the Night Raven Swords.
Five had definitely mentioned 'blue flames'.
Flamehead had to be that blue flames.
Sightings of the blue flames had popped up all over the world until now.
Like some kind of teleportation, reports came from everywhere.
It made perfect sense, given Flamehead's usual movements.
"Go sit by Moshna and have some tea."
"Hoo."
Flamehead didn't press Leyzon further.
He knew arguing would just hurt his mouth.
As Flamehead approached Moshna, she made room for him.
She then tended to his wounds with utmost care.
She knew full well she'd only be in the way back there.
And more than anyone, she trusted he'd return safely.
That's why she waited patiently without complaint.
Leyzon approached the now-pristine Flamehead, thanks to Moshna's care.
"Man, your face is glowing. Real glow-up."
As Leyzon sat, Pauli poured him a cup of tea.
Syria naturally settled onto Leyzon's lap.
The sight of him blending so seamlessly with the undead felt perfectly natural.
It proved the deep bond between Leyzon and his undead.
"So, what happened to the Mount Sovereign?"
At Leyzon's question, Flamehead looked exhausted.
"He stuck to me like glue, so I shook him off."
"The thief beats up the owner and comes back."
"...It was for the greater good."
Leyzon shrugged.
He had no intention of grilling Flamehead.
Above all, Leyzon had helped plenty already.
Without him, Moshna would've been caught ages ago.
Plus, bringing Flamehead along would've made the Mount Sovereign chase even harder.
Flamehead knew that too, so he didn't complain.
"You've finished preparations to restore the Resonance World, right?"
The main reason Leyzon sought out Flamehead was the Resonance World restoration.
The crawling ossuary had sealed the Resonance World.
Leyzon had so much more to gain from it.
With it shut, he was eager to reopen it ASAP.
Flamehead skipped the quips and got straight to business.
"The Resonance World, as you know, is sealed by the Evil Transcendent. It would've been fine before, but..."
Flamehead clicked his tongue with a displeased look.
"The Evil Transcendent's power has grown stronger than before.
I could get taken out just trying to restore it."
The transcendent corpse's power weakened over time.
In turn, the Evil Transcendent's intervention authority expanded.
Flamehead pointed that out.
Leyzon slowly rubbed his chin at those words.
"So you want me to stand guard?"
"Yeah. You've got the Ghost Bride."
Ah.
Leyzon realized why Flamehead was asking for help.
Ghost Bride, Tessa Miriji.
She was an undead with powerful authority in the spirit world.
However, there was one thing Flamehead hadn't anticipated.
Trouble creased Leyzon's face.
'She's not here right now.'
Leyzon still hadn't found Tessa.