Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Deal with the Bloodless Sovereign
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Leyzon summoned Estelle and safely returned to Sahā Village alongside the Sword Saint.
'I had even accounted for that ossuary creep showing up.'
That was why Leyzon had gathered all his undead forces.
To respond immediately if the bastard appeared.
But the creeping ossuary never made an appearance.
'Maybe it's not worth worrying about beyond these precautions.'
Or perhaps he was tangled in some emergency that left him no time to care about this side.
"I see."
Afterward, Leyzon filled Isis in on the whole affair.
She was a key figure in the Karis matter, after all.
Her face darkened as she heard the full story.
"So my mother's health took a sudden turn for the worse because Father's memories vanished."
The lady of the Gaibel family who shared love with Siron and bore Isis.
She could never remarry, but her love for him was genuine.
And because she loved him so deeply, the void left by his missing memories hit her hard.
Unable to bear the pain of losing Siron, she fell ill and met her end.
Only then did Isis understand her mother's affliction.
"As a child, I must not have seemed favorable in Karis's eyes."
Unlike Karis, born of a political marriage, Isis was the fruit of true love.
Karis was just a kid herself.
It was too much to expect her to take to Isis right away.
"And Mother knew it too. That's why she cherished Karis even more, loving her like her own flesh and blood."
Isis reminisced about the past.
"Father must have felt the same. He had to, for the one Mother loved so dearly."
She longed for memories of her father that no longer surfaced.
They were erased now.
But the love he had given was surely etched somewhere deep inside.
"Above all, Karis must have tried the hardest."
The reason young Isis could come to see Karis as a big sister.
It was thanks to Karis's gentle, unwavering efforts more than anyone else's.
Isis clenched her fist, her heart aching.
"I want to find Karis too."
No one knew if Karis was alive or dead.
Which only fueled Isis's hope all the more.
If she was caught up in something, Isis wanted to save her.
"Vegres oppa, I'll do whatever I can."
She was the guild master of Serin Night, ranked number one among major guilds.
Her support would mean more than that of any ordinary noble.
"Yeah, we'll find her for sure."
The Sword Saint shared her resolve.
Isis for her sister, the Sword Saint for his lover—they vowed to do everything in their power.
"Rafila, how's Pandor?"
Leyzon glanced at the two and asked about Pandor's condition.
"He came to once today. Seems to be sleeping now to recover his strength."
Good, he's safe too.
He'd be discharged soon and back to assisting the Sword Saint without issue.
Leyzon absentmindedly flicked Granfin on the forehead.
Granfin protested his innocence, but Leyzon ignored him.
[Things are snowballing, huh.]
Syria had a point.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Leyzon."
Just then, Crow sidled up to him quietly.
His mask hid the scars as he spoke cautiously.
"The Bloodless Sovereign has arrived."
Speak of the devil.
It was the Bloodless Sovereign whom Leyzon had summoned over the four great dungeon keys.
Leyzon nodded and turned.
"Sword Saint, you're heading to the imperial palace, right?"
The Sword Saint looked his way at the call.
"First, I plan to stop by the family estate after so long."
"Then let me know whatever intel you gather. I'll pass on anything I find to you. Same goes for you, Isis."
"Got it."
They were all adults.
No need to micromanage—they'd handle things just fine.
Leyzon trusted them and turned to leave.
"Crow, can you look into the Gray Mage Tower Lord again for a bit?"
Crow had once received orders from the palace to kill the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
That's why he'd tracked him down before.
It had been a while since Leyzon last met the man.
He wasn't the type to stay put.
He'd likely set up shop somewhere new by now.
The Gray Mage Tower Lord would know about his predecessor too.
It was the fastest lead to finding the former lord.
'I'll ask Piran about it later too.'
Piran was the head necromancer, master of the Resonance World.
She'd likely know something about the former Gray Mage Tower Lord.
"Yes, I'll look into it."
"Good. While you're at it, dig up anything on the former Gray Mage Tower Lord, the guy named Garojun. Any leads are fine."
"I'll check that too."
The skills of a former Night Raven Five didn't rust away.
Leyzon left it to Crow and arrived at the guest room.
A secret visitor the other guild members didn't know about.
Leyzon knocked twice on the door.
"Isn't sending in the undead first and then knocking kinda shady?"
A voice came from inside right away.
Leyzon pushed the door open to find a red-haired woman seated there.
The large horns sprouting from her head symbolized her age.
Dragonkin, the Bloodless Sovereign.
Nirmokiria.
She lounged on the sofa, leaning back.
Shadows quietly took positions around the room.
"Force of habit."
Leyzon grinned shamelessly.
"Plenty of people gunning for me even though I haven't done anything wrong."
"Unbelievable. Considering what you've pulled, isn't that just par for the course?"
"What have I even done?"
The only crime was living diligently.
The Bloodless Sovereign eyed him with exasperation.
But Leyzon calmly entered and took a seat.
"Thanks for the steady skillbook supply. It's made things a lot smoother."
"Took some dragon-level effort to procure them, so I'd appreciate fair pricing."
"You're already jacking up prices—where's your conscience?"
"Gotta cover the middleman margin, you know."
The Bloodless Sovereign flashed a merchant's gleaming smile.
No point dragging out chit-chat with her.
"So, what'd you call me here for this time? Another deal?"
"Spot on. For keys to the key dungeons."
"Asking for the good stuff, huh."
Crow, following behind, naturally prepared tea.
Leyzon sipped the brew he poured, savoring it.
Tea aficionados raved about it, but he still couldn't quite get the appeal.
"Not bad."
As expected, the Bloodless Sovereign took a sip and looked pleased.
"Why not come work for us?"
She even threw in a recruitment pitch.
"Apologies, but I'm Leyzon's retainer."
Crow politely declined.
The Bloodless Sovereign shot Leyzon a wistful glance.
"No."
Not even if she begged.
"You've got a real knack for surrounding yourself with talent."
More like a good eye for people.
"Anyway, keys to the four great dungeons."
The Bloodless Sovereign slowly stroked her chin.
"Honestly, even I can't snag those easily. The dungeons themselves are treated as half-mythical to begin with."
"You know where they are, though."
This woman was about to brazenly inflate the price on that intel too.
The Bloodless Sovereign smacked her lips.
"Planning to clear one and play hero?"
"Not interested. Clearing them benefits the palace anyway."
As Leyzon continued, the Bloodless Sovereign narrowed her eyes slyly.
What he'd just let slip was news to her.
"...Sharp as ever."
She caught on that he'd dangled it deliberately.
A tasty morsel to hook her.
"Pot calling the kettle black."
Not from the queen of the underworld.
Leyzon and the Bloodless Sovereign exchanged glances briefly.
She sighed soon after.
She knew she was the one over a barrel.
Leyzon's intel was all rare, hard-won stuff.
Besides, she was chasing leads on the ancient dragon.
She needed his info for her goals.
"You seemed clueless as me when we took down the old dragon. What the hell have you been up to since?"
"Traveling the world."
They kept being so generous on these trips.
A real hassle for Leyzon.
"Wanna buy some intel?"
Leyzon plastered on a merchant's grin.
The Bloodless Sovereign sighed shortly at the sight.
"You're the only one who'd try to haggle me."
"I'm honored."
In the end, she agreed to buy his information.
In exchange for keys to the four great dungeons and skillbook sales.
"I'll compile the intel into docs and send some upfront as deposit."
"At our level of rapport, you could just front it all."
"You're the enemy of my comrade, after all."
The Bloodless Sovereign was the one who'd turned Hanok into a slave.
She clicked her tongue and leaned back.
"So, found the Shadow Warlord yet?"
"Thanks to you, we had quite the dramatic reunion."
"Worth sharing the intel, then."
He felt zero satisfaction.
What a nasty personality.
With that, the deal was sealed.
She'd get those keys no matter what it took.
'She's way more the expert than me.'
Leyzon stood to wrap things up.
Then a thought struck him.
"Bloodless Sovereign, what happened to that evil dragon egg you took?"
The egg left after the Arbiter Sovereign slew the evil dragon.
She looked at him when he asked.
"Getting right to it, huh."
Her bosom suddenly swelled.
Something poked out from her nape.
A tiny dragon perched there.
All black from head to tail, it yawned lazily.
"That one."
"Yeah, it hatched."
The Bloodless Sovereign pressed the protruding dragon's head back in.
"Honestly, still no clue what to do with it, so no name yet. But it's out."
It hatched sooner than expected.
Yet she looked dissatisfied.
Made sense—that was the spawn of the evil dragon that devoured her entire dragonkin race.
Extracted from its power, technically.
To her, it was the offspring of her mortal enemy.
She didn't know how to handle it.
Leyzon was in the same boat.
'Should I see it as a being born from the concentrated nutrients of the dragonkin it consumed?'
By that logic, this hatchling was a transcendent candidate too.
"And this thing... it uses a power beyond skills."
This was her biggest hang-up.
A power not classified as skills.
Meaning the empire's restrictions didn't bind this hatchling.
Piran flashed in Leyzon's mind.
Piran too had slipped the empire's grasp with her necromancer talents.
His eyes took on a subtle glint.
'...Just maybe.'
Maybe Piran's father, Siliel, had done something before she was born.
The thought flickered briefly.
'Better look into that side too.'
This world was full of variables and hidden agendas.
Leyzon decided to keep his mind open to all possibilities.
"...The Arbiter Sovereign won't let it slide."
"Yeah, she's hunting it like we are."
She rose as she spoke.
"So watch yourself, Abyss. You're under more scrutiny than you think."
"The underworld boss getting death threats seems riskier."
"I'm used to it."
The Bloodless Sovereign departed with a sly smile.
The hatchling poked its head out from her bosom.
As if waving goodbye for now.
Leyzon watched her go for a moment, then spoke.
"Bloodless Sovereign."
A telegram letter flew from his hand.
Abyss caught it on her fingertip and glanced back.
"Contact me if anything comes up."
"Trying to seduce me?"
"What kinda granny shamelessness is that?"
She pouted.
"Won't need it anyway."
Then she turned and vanished.
Leyzon hoped she was right.