Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Gray Mage Tower Lord
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Proam Barony.
The place he'd come to find him—the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
It was a nearby city, not far from Sahā Village.
As a city famous for its craft beer, the streets were already full of drunks even in the daytime.
In the empire, there was even a saying: "If you're drinking, you're in Proam."
That was how packed with tourists Proam was.
"Hmm, it'd be nice if Sahā Village had something it could boast about as a specialty."
"As a dungeon village, local products are probably a tough sell."
Leyzon smacked his lips regretfully at Crow's response.
Then, something suddenly occurred to him.
"What about branding it as the necromancer hotspot?"
Thanks to the Abyss's reputation, along with Monkey and Harban, there were quite a few necromancers staying in Sahā Village.
So why not leverage that and market it as a necromancer city?
Crow gave a wry smile.
"To do that, we'd first need to stop the imperial family from putting bounties on necromancers' heads."
Leyzon had momentarily forgotten amid all his recent mingling with them.
"Now that the ossuary's gone, things should start changing soon enough."
He smacked his lips again in disappointment.
"For now, we'll have to focus on merchants and finance."
Once the capital gathered, anything was possible.
Leyzon decided to think positively about it.
He dreamed of one day turning it into something like America's Silicon Valley.
Of course, the empire would need to stick around for that to happen.
"Leyzon, we're here."
"Got it."
Right on cue, Crow announced their arrival.
An old shop stood before Leyzon.
Unlike the other places booming with beer sales, this was an aged wine shop.
"Selling wine in Proam? That's impressive in all sorts of ways."
"Looks like a spot only for the neighborhood regulars."
Leyzon grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.
The interior was just as worn as the outside.
Being daytime, it was quiet and empty of customers.
Apparently, not many people craved wine from the afternoon onward.
As he stepped inside, he spotted what must have been the owner.
The man offered no particular guidance.
It was as if he was saying to sit wherever.
Leyzon didn't ask and just took a seat at the bar table.
The owner brought him a glass of water.
He also handed over a paper with the menu scribbled on it.
Leyzon picked up the menu and scanned the items.
Then he looked at the owner and smiled faintly.
"Owner, it doesn't look like you've got what I'm after here."
"If there's something specific you want, I can whip it up from whatever ingredients we have. Wine's the exception, though."
The owner's laid-back reply continued.
But even after hearing it, Leyzon's smile remained unenthused.
"You sure you can really prepare it?"
"With all my heart, if nothing else."
"Then bring me a Number Five."
The owner fell silent at those words.
A heavy sigh soon escaped his lips.
He set down the glass he was wiping and slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed on Crow.
"Number Five, after leaving the imperial family, you've ended up serving a madman."
"I'd appreciate it if you skipped that talk. And more than anything, I'm not a Number Five anymore."
The owner's true identity was Number Three, the third blade of the Night Ravens.
He was the one who'd infiltrated Proam territory first.
Deep fatigue shadowed Number Three's face.
Leyzon didn't miss that detail.
A chill hung in the air inside the shop.
No presences could be felt, but there were definitely others here.
All of them were knights from the Night Raven order.
Yet neither Leyzon nor Number Five paid them any mind, whether they were visible or not.
No matter what they tried, they had no way of dealing with the two of them.
A blood-red shadow quietly writhed at Leyzon's feet.
From the moment he'd set foot in here, the shop was already Syria's domain.
Number Three was at 17 Ascensions, Steel Hero level.
Which meant he knew it too.
That it was already too late the instant Leyzon had entered.
"You didn't sense a thing."
Number Three hadn't detected any presence until Leyzon arrived.
That was the vast gap between them.
Leyzon just grinned without a word.
His rough-looking face made the smile come off as quite menacing.
"You're being surprisingly compliant. I figured you'd at least draw your sword once."
"Clinging to the opponent's mercy raises your survival odds more than drawing a blade in a fight you can't win."
"Just like Crow said, you're obsessed with rational judgment."
But it was the right call.
Leyzon let most things slide as long as they didn't outright oppose him.
Cross that line, though, and he showed no mercy.
So Number Three's attitude earned him some goodwill.
"The reason I came here today is to make you an offer."
"The Abyss making an offer to us?"
The Night Ravens already knew Crow had become one of the Abyss's followers.
That was why they hadn't bothered hunting him down—they blamed the Abyss.
The young dragon and Number Four had already suffered once.
Poking the hornet's nest would do no good.
So they'd simply written Crow off.
They never imagined he'd drag Leyzon here instead.
Given his personality, they'd assumed he'd live like a church mouse from then on.
"It's me making the offer. I doubt you lot are thrilled with the empire's current regime either."
"Our blades are drawn for His Imperial Majesty. We live solely for the imperial family."
This was non-negotiable, judging by the stiff reply.
But Leyzon just kept grinning regardless.
"Sure, you're right. Bodies like yours should serve only the emperor."
He'd confirmed the Night Ravens' loyalty through Crow.
It was like a brand etched into their very being.
Bodies that could never betray the emperor.
Tools meant to be used only for him.
And that was precisely why he could say it.
"You really think the imperial family is operating for the emperor right now?"
Leyzon had heard all about the imperial family's situation from the Sword Saint.
With the tiger gone, the foxes were running the show.
What must the Night Ravens have thought upon seeing that?
And whose orders were they following now?
"......"
Number Three went silent.
Silence meant depth of thought.
He wasn't pleased with the current imperial family either.
Something's happened.
Leyzon gauged their circumstances from the reaction.
"I'm not telling you to betray the emperor. Quite the opposite. For his sake, you need to set the imperial family straight."
There were surely nobles who worried about the empire's future.
But the ones currently holding the reins in the imperial family weren't among them.
With the emperor out of the picture, all they wanted was to seize power.
Even those who cared about the future needed power first.
Or risk losing it to rival factions irreversibly.
"And I can lend you the strength to fix it."
Leyzon's value was already proven.
The Night Ravens were diligent about intelligence gathering.
They knew about the old dragon, then the White Lion Knight Order captain.
And likely the reason behind the ossuary's silence as well.
Number Three's eyes met Leyzon's.
Leyzon had been smiling the whole time.
"I'm not out to rebuild or destroy the empire."
On the contrary, he hoped it stuck around.
He'd gathered countless people around him by now.
Leyzon didn't want their place to live to vanish.
Of course, if they turn hostile, I'll topple the empire and everything else.
No need to say that much.
Just as the Night Ravens didn't trust Leyzon, he didn't trust them.
What they needed between them was one thing only.
A business deal.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Leyzon's most trusted proverb.
"Think it over. The choice is yours."
The conversation was done.
Leyzon stood from his seat.
"One heads-up: even if you don't take my hand, the outcome won't change much."
He'd decided to meddle in imperial affairs.
When he set his mind to something, he saw it through.
No backing out now.
"If you at least want the changes coming to the imperial family to lean a bit toward what you desire."
A telegram letter now lay on the bar table.
"It might be worth considering positively."
But they wouldn't have long to mull it over.
The world was changing too fast.
To keep up, quick decisions were key.
The darkness that had filled the shop suddenly dissipated.
Leyzon headed straight out.
Kiiiek, thud—
As he walked away from the closed door, Crow cautiously followed.
"Leyzon, is it okay to just leave him like that?"
Crow worried Number Three might report to the imperial side.
Leyzon shrugged nonchalantly.
"I don't know what choice they'll make either."
No one could peer that deeply into hearts.
Still, there were faint signals from the body.
"But to lure out at least one, don't we have to go this far?"
Night Raven Knight Order Captain, Number One.
Fitting for a captain, he was at 19 Ascensions, Golden Hero level.
If he was serious about hiding, even Leyzon couldn't track him.
To draw him out, bait was necessary.
The Gray Mage Tower Lord bait alone felt a bit lacking.
So he'd tossed in the Abyss as extra bait.
"How they react ultimately depends on Number One."
Knights strictly followed the chain of command.
Their actions would align with their captain's will.
"More than that, I have no intention of waiting patiently for him to show."
Number One was targeting the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
To make an example of him amid the recent necromancer surge.
So Leyzon would strike first.
His footsteps turned into the back alleys.
At the same time, a blood-red shadow bubbled up from beneath his feet.
"Number One's definitely on the move now that he's heard about me."
Leyzon had deliberately dragged out the talk with Number Three.
Because the moment Leyzon showed up, Number One had likely already approached the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
And that was exactly what Leyzon was aiming for.
"......You're truly devious."
He'd spoken to Number Three as if they could join sides any moment.
Yet here he was, carefully laying out bait to hook Number One.
"Lately, I take that as a compliment."
If everyone saw him as the villain, he might as well live up to it fully.
The bait was worth it only if they bit quickly.
With anticipation, Leyzon strode forward vigorously.
"Kids."
"Yes, Leyzon!"
"We're reaaady."
"Ready to intercept."
He declared it alongside the three undead, excluding Pauli.
"Let's hook a big one."
Time to play the master angler.