Chapter 28: The Purge Squad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Purge Squad
The title of "Sage" is never self-proclaimed; its criteria are absolute and unyielding.
Among the Sages known across the Serdes Continent, Helus Fobidas reached that rank through a most unconventional path. He did not hail from Escoleia, the city of scholars, nor was he a mage of noble birth expected to display genius. In truth, he had started as nothing more than a lowly charlatan.
Helus often shared an anecdote regarding his ascension to the rank of Sage.
He claimed that while sleeping, he had awakened to face an absolute being. This entity appeared in the form of a god and offered him a choice between two gifts.
The first was the potential to become a 7th Circle Archmage.
The second was wisdom and knowledge that encompassed all things.
Though he could have reached the 7th Circle and gained the power to rule over the world, Helus claimed he chose wisdom and knowledge so that he might serve all of humanity.
It was a remarkably bold load of rubbish.
However, no one dared to challenge the story. Regardless of the truth, he was a man called a Sage, and he possessed knowledge and wisdom that bordered on the miraculous. Though he was a worldly and materialistic man, his intellect was undeniable, making him a superhuman in a certain sense.
But in reality, Helus Fobidas was no such paragon. He was a man as ruled by his emotions as any ordinary person.
And right now, Helus’s face was twisted with pure malice.
His gaze dropped to the woman kneeling before him. His eyes burned with rage, as if she were the root of all evil in the world. This middle-aged woman had once been his servant.
Helus had spent half of his accumulated fortune to find her. Skilled mages and trackers had followed her trail for weeks, finally succeeding in dragging her back to his mansion.
When she first arrived, she had been beaten like a stray dog. He had spent the entire night watching his guards lash her until her bones were shattered and she could barely hold herself upright.
She kept her head low, trembling in absolute terror.
"P-please... spare me, Master..." she rasped.
"Master?" Helus chuckled darkly. "Right, I was your master. Exactly. Do you know what happens to a servant who abandons their master and runs away?"
He tapped a heavy club against his palm. "They get beaten until they forget how to crawl."
"P-please spare me. I beg of you..."
The servant clasped her broken hands together, pleading desperately. Only a few teeth remained in her bloodied mouth.
"Fine, I’ll forgive you. As long as you tell me where that brat you smuggled away from me is."
"I don't know! I was tricked! I lost the child!"
Helus kicked the woman squarely in the head. "Do I look like an idiot to you?! We found two gold coins in your pocket! Do you think I don't know where they came from?!"
"Agh! Please, just let me live, I beg you!"
"Sure, I'll let you live—once I find that brat! So hurry up and use whatever brains you have left to think! Think! Think!"
Helus struggled to suppress the urge to kill her right then and there. But he couldn't. This woman was his only clue to reclaiming "it."
Just then, a sharp knock sounded at the door. A man wearing a black hood entered the room.
"Sage, I have completed the request you assigned."
It was the best news Helus had heard in a long time. He hurried toward the man with the pure, frantic joy of a child receiving a new toy.
"Oh! Show me. What did you find?"
"Based on the sketch created from the servant's description and our subsequent inquiries, we have concluded that the person in question is the Regent of Valdrova."
"The Regent... of Valdrova?"
"I expected you to be surprised. He was an unexpected figure for us as well."
Helus wasn't surprised by the man's identity—he knew Valdrova was a dragon—but he didn't understand what a "Regent" was.
"Our contacts in the Far East confirmed it was the Regent and a maid. There is no mistake."
"What kind of people are they?"
"As you may know, he recently became the spouse of the Archduchess of Valdrova and has begun managing the Archduchy—"
"Ah, enough." Helus waved his hand dismissively, cutting him off. "So, you're saying those bastards took what's mine?"
"That is correct."
Helus could roughly grasp the situation. So, the person who took it was the Archduchess's spouse?
He came all the way from the Far East to take it? Why? Did he realize its true purpose?
Helus bit his nails in a fit of anxiety. That "thing" was the reason he had become so famous and his primary source of wealth. That was why he had cherished it while simultaneously treating it like a common servant. To hide a tree, it was best to put it in a forest.
Of all things, to lose it because of this stupid bitch...
He had never imagined the servant would actually sell the child off. Helus looked down at her with eyes full of fury.
The middle-aged servant sobbed, "C-congratulations, Master. Now you k-know who it is, don't you?"
She forced her broken fingers together, praying and pleading.
"Please, let me go now. I beg you. I won't say a word about you to anyone. I'll live quietly. Please..."
Helus looked down at her with cold, hollow eyes.
There was a saying that a man’s heart changes the moment he leaves the latrine. Now that he had concrete information, there was no reason to leave behind a useless, loose end.
Helus turned his head toward the hooded man. "Hey."
"Yes."
"Kill her. This woman is useless to me now."
"Y-you promised!"
The man from Black Bandana drew his sword and approached the servant. Inescapable death drew near. The servant, who had done nothing but weep and beg, flared up in a final, desperate rage.
"You filthy bastard! I know the truth! I know what you did through that young girl! You're no Sage! You're—"
The old servant's head hit the floor before she could finish. It rolled pathetically across the rug, her face frozen in a silent scream.
The mercenary wiped the blood from his blade. "Since the mission is complete, will you provide the payment?"
"Of course."
Helus handed over a jewelry box containing a quarter of his entire fortune. The man gave it a cursory check and stuffed it into his leather pack.
"Thank you for using Black Bandana, valued customer."
Do the job, take the pay, and leave cleanly. That was the way of the secret organization.
With this, Helus had spent three-quarters of his total wealth.
It had to be done.
Being stingy now would only lead to ruin. Helus looked down at the two sketches the mercenary had left behind. One was of a handsome man with gray hair, and the other was a young silver-haired girl with a side-up ponytail.
Helus’s fat face contorted with rage.
A stray dog like him dares to covet my property?
Vowing that he would not let them off easily, Helus began to plot.
"How do I take it back..."
There were plenty of ways. Who was he? A Sage. A man whom every kingdom courted, begging him to be their advisor. He was a national treasure, and naturally, he received frequent contact from the Empire as well.
I can use the Imperial Audit. Whether he's a Regent or whatever, he's nothing more than a dog before the Empire.
The opponent was said to be the Archduchess's fiancé, but that didn't matter. Valdrova had not shown herself to humans since the assassination of the 3rd Imperial Prince. It had been that way for a long time, and it would surely be the same now.
Helus placed his hand on the crystal ball on his desk. Responding to his mana, the crystal began to flicker. After a moment, the light stabilized, and a voice echoed in Helus’s mind.
—Greetings to the Sage of Water! I am Hans, a communication mage of the Great Arken Empire!
"May I speak with Sir Karl Harvest for a moment?"
—Sir Karl Harvest? Understood. Please wait a moment.
After a short wait, a lively voice came through.
—Oh, Sage! Greetings! Have you been well?
"Haha, I've been doing well. And you, Karl?"
—I'm losing sleep every night! I'm simply counting the days until you finally join us in the Empire.
"Haha, is that so?"
Helus felt a surge of confidence. He decided to get straight to the point.
"Listen. There is something troubling me lately."
—Troubling you?
"I have a young servant girl, and she was kidnapped by some ruffian. I've been racking my brains and using my wisdom, and I finally found out where she is."
—Where is she? Just say the word! We will help you.
"The... Regent of Valdrova? Or so I'm told."
—The Regent of Valdrova!
Karl replied in a startled voice.
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
—No. I was just thinking what a coincidence this is! I've heard that brat has been acting up lately.
"He's quite famous, then?"
—Our Purge Squad was already planning to go and teach him some discipline.
"Oh, is that so? But he's associated with a dragon; won't it be dangerous?"
—Haha! Don't worry too much! You know as well as I do that dragons rarely interfere in human affairs.
"T-that's true, yes."
Helus actually didn't know, but he nodded along.
—That brat will have to handle it on his own, and what can he do? No matter how much he struggles, he is powerless under the laws of the Empire! We've heard the local lords are wary of him, so it's time to show him who's truly on top!
Helus smiled. "Then I ask this of you. While you're teaching him a lesson, please bring that young girl back to me! If you do, I will gladly join the Empire as you've wished!"
—Oh! Will you really? Then I shall gladly grant your request! Haha!
"Good. I'll send a sketch. Just bring the child. I'm counting on you!"
—Of course, leave it to me!
Helus ended the communication with a satisfied look.
This is the power and fame I enjoy as a Sage.
Once he had tasted it, he could never give it up.
If I just get that child back... I won't just be acting; I'll be a real Sage again.
That was why he had to get her back, no matter the cost.
* * *
"Your Excellency. A letter has arrived from the Empire."
"Hmm, has it finally come?"
The elderly lord, Ulvera Consilus, stroked his beard as he picked up the letter from the tray. Seeing the Imperial seal, he hoped the logistics department was finally sending an apology for their recent blunders.
"Hmm..."
However, as soon as he saw the sender, Consilus felt his blood boil.
—The Purge Squad.
"Heh, hahah..."
Consilus let out a hollow laugh to vent his disbelief.
"Arwen."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"A letter from the Purge Squad has flown into our territory. It seems they've finally found something to prey on."
"Those filthy scoundrels dare..."
Arwen looked ready to draw his sword in anger. Consilus tilted the letter toward the brazier in front of him, as if it wasn't even worth the effort of reading.
"Hmm..."
But then, a thought occurred to him. He might as well see what the vultures wanted. His intuition was correct.
—What kind of person is Ferda Valdrova?
They weren't targeting Count Consilus; they were targeting Ferda.
"These arrogant bastards are aiming for the Regent."
Arwen was shocked. "They would do such a thing to the spouse of a dragon?"
"Do you think those within the walls of the Empire have ever seen a dragon? They're the type to be more afraid of forest trolls than ancient legends."
A fist nearby is more threatening than a sword far away. They heard stories about fearing a dragon's wrath, but this was a generation where very few had actually experienced it.
"And if you think about it, it's not entirely impossible."
"Is that so?"
"Well, haven't we also treated Lady Valdrova as if she didn't exist until now?"
"Ah..."
"And we looked down on him for being a mere 'fiancé' to the Archduchess."
"That is true, but..." Arwen realized his own past attitude and blushed. "Still, I can't believe a mere knight would send a letter like this, intending to shake down the Regent..."
"It is proof of how much the Arken Empire is rotting."
The nobles were steeped in pleasure, and the knights' swords were rusted. They were sucking the life out of the provinces, draining taxes to keep the peace in the Imperial capital. There had been several attempts at rebellion, but each time they were suppressed and the dissenters killed without a sound.
The pillars built by our ancestors are sturdy, so the structure doesn't collapse even as it's gnawed away.
But when the time to fall finally came, it would crumble without mercy. Consilus, who had been a mere Count, had intended to just drift along with that flow.
But things were different now.
"Ferda Valdrova..."
A ray of light, the salt of the earth. When help was needed, Ferda was the only one who provided support without a word—all for the sake of the territory's development and well-being.
Perhaps that was why.
"Insolent fools."
Consilus couldn't help but be angry. He was an old man who played both sides, but he was still a leader who protected his subjects. Just as things were finally starting to move in the Far East, he could not forgive these youngsters for trying to ruin it.
"I'll have to bring the Purge Squad to heel."
Not just a check or a threat, but complete subjugation. He couldn't leave those who turned decent lords into villains to their own devices. To do that, he needed to use Ferda Valdrova.
They have no idea what kind of being the spouse of Valdrova truly is.
So, he decided to pour out vitriol against Ferda in his reply. Specifically, he wrote a story about how Ferda had threatened the local lords and added that he was a man of atrocious character.
"Send this to the Purge Squad. A reply will likely come quickly."
"Understood. Shall I inform Regent Valdrova in advance?"
Count Consilus thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, let's keep this between us. Everything will be resolved by the time we arrive anyway."
"Understood."
Though he didn't say it, Consilus also wanted to see one last thing. He wanted to see how Ferda would react when he came face-to-face with the Purge Squad.
And his expectations were not betrayed.
