Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: The Midnight Ball (2)
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Most members of the Black Line were wanted criminals. The Seven Grand Mages, in particular, were branded as some of the world's most heinous villains, so they needed an absolutely secure hideout to stay in one place.
Working under such an incompetent master, he was sure to find his head on the chopping block sooner or later. As the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but worry for his own safety.
"Hmm, should I start wrapping things up here?"
The reason Arius had never been caught, despite the bounty hunters of the Red Line pursuing him with fiery determination, was his animalistic instinct for knowing when to strike and when to retreat.
A sense honed by over a decade on the run was now warning him that it was dangerous not to leave.
‘But it’s a shame to end it like this…’
Ataraxia. The greatest catch in his life as a tomb raider had been snared in his net.
While material gain was part of the reason he'd gotten into tomb raiding, the greater motivation was to satisfy his intellectual desires as an Unlocker.
In that sense, the power of the Archangel Ikael was certainly a tempting prize.
‘Should I go crazy and dive to the first stage? No, it’s impossible alone. Especially since a mage's subconscious is much stronger than a normal person's. But I can't just side with Orkamp either.’
Arius, who had been lost in thought with his chin in his hand, slowly raised his head. He looked down the empty corridor, a faint smile playing on his lips as he spoke.
"What is it?"
A sneer naturally formed on his face as an unnamed official, one of Zion's close associates, emerged from around the corner. The official was neither a mage nor an assassin. But as always, his presence was undetectable until he chose to reveal himself.
"There is someone who wishes to see you, Lord Arius."
Arius knew it was Zion, but the official never spoke his master's name.
It wouldn't do for it to be known that Arius, one of Orkamp's confidants, was secretly meeting and dealing with Zion, a key figure in the Teraje faction.
"A welcome proposition. Please lead the way."
As the official turned and walked away, Arius watched the old man's Achilles tendons.
He walked with quick, silent steps.
He looked as light as a cat, but the calf muscles hidden beneath his robe must have been incredibly developed.
That didn't mean he was some great master. It was more like the craftsmanship of a man who had dedicated his entire life to serving his master.
‘Heh, what an interesting place, this royal palace.’
@
"Damn it! That bastard completely upstaged me!"
The glass bottle Zion threw slammed into the gallery door. The glass shattered into pieces, and a cat sleeping on the floor leaped up.
Ignoring it all, Uorin sat at the table, raised a teacup to her lips, and took a sip.
"Why? I liked it. It was spectacular."
Zion glared at his younger sister.
Her enigmatic nature was usually cute, but in a situation like this, it was infuriating.
"I'll have to take matters into my own hands. I can't just let Shirone be."
Uorin stroked the chin of the cat that had climbed onto her lap.
"He was threatening, though. What do you think would have happened if he'd cast that spell toward the spectator seats?"
Zion's face flushed as he recalled the scene.
Just as Uorin said, the power was immense. No matter how top-tier the security was, there would have been casualties.
"Exactly! It was a declaration of war! It must have been revenge for me pointing my sword at him!"
"I think that's a bit of a stretch. He could have just been angry."
"It's all the same! That commoner ignored my offer! I won't let him get away with it!"
Just then, someone knocked on the gallery door.
Sensing it was Arius, Zion calmed his excitement and returned to the table where his sister sat.
"Come in."
Arius opened the door and entered. It was the only place he could meet Zion without attracting attention, but the atmosphere today was unusually tense. Leaping over the glass shards scattered on the floor, he offered a polite greeting.
"It's been a while, Your Highness, the First Prince. Ah, and the young lady is here as well."
Zion snorted. In the current situation, the title of First Prince was nothing but an empty shell.
"Have a seat. We need to talk."
Arius gestured for permission and sat down in a chair. Uorin poured him some tea.
Accepting the teacup with both hands, he turned to Zion and asked.
"What brings you to call for me? Have you grown tired of the objet I procured for you last time?"
Uorin wagged a finger, correcting him.
"Hey, you didn't procure it. You sold it to us for a fair price."
"Haha! Technically, that's true. But you know it's not something that can be bought with money, don't you? An objet, that is."
Zion had no desire for such pointless banter.
"This isn't about the objet."
"Oh? In that case?"
"Don't play dumb when you know perfectly well what this is about! It's clear now. The reason Father summoned Shirone to the palace. It was to rob Acracia, wasn't it?"
"It's pronounced Ataraxia, not Acracia. And robbery? If you please, let's call it an extraction."
Zion took a deep breath to calm himself. If he let himself get caught up in Arius's sly conversation, he'd never get to the point.
"So... how far has that plan progressed?"
"Hmm, that's a difficult question to answer, even for the First Prince. I am, after all, bound to His Majesty, so I cannot divulge confidential information."
Zion extended his hand to the north. Armang flew into his grasp as if pulled by a string, and he immediately swung it to point at Arius's neck.
"I'm not playing games right now. You'd better speak plainly."
Only after the blade was at his throat did Arius seem to relax, taking a sip of his tea.
But a multitude of thoughts were racing through his mind.
Zion was nothing more than an ill-mannered brat. Armang, on the other hand, was a troublesome weapon. He had been the one to procure it, but it was truly a waste for such an incompetent royal to possess.
"If you're asking how far it's progressed, I'd say... about 49 percent?"
It wasn't a lie. Every task is half-done at the start, and since they hadn't even begun, 49 percent was appropriate.
Uorin, understanding the meaning, let out a small laugh, but Zion seemed to think it was quite advanced, pressing him with a surprised expression.
"You must stop it. No, eliminate Ataraxia altogether. A tomb raider should be able to do that, right?"
Arius exhaled through his nose.
*What a pathetic fool.* How could he suggest destroying the power of an Archangel that had crossed over into this world, just because of a mere king?
Ataraxia was a treasure of humanity that needed to be analyzed someday, even if he wasn't the one to rob it.
"As I said before, I am employed by His Majesty, so..."
"I'll give you as much money as you want."
Arius fell silent.
He had made a fortune dealing with Zion so far. Of course, he enjoyed the act of tomb raiding more than the money, but he was going to part ways with Orkamp anyway. If he could pull off one last big job, wouldn't that be a decent severance package?
"Hmm."
Lost in thought, Arius finally revealed his true self.
As his cold, snake-like eyes were exposed, Zion felt a chill run down his spine, even with his sword pointed at the man.
But the pupils hidden behind Arius's narrow eyes were fixed not on Zion, but on Uorin.
‘Beautiful.’
It wasn't a feeling one would typically have for a fourteen-year-old girl, but she was truly magnificent. Her mystical appearance, combined with the halo of the Teraje name, made her a truly delectable fruit.
He had analyzed the minds of countless individuals, but he had no idea what Uorin was thinking.
When he first started as a Diver, he had indulged in the pleasure of gazing into the naked, intimate desires of humans.
Such murky, vile, and even grotesque desires.
But after performing over 800 dives, no human mind felt new anymore.
In that context, Uorin was a subject who could show him a new world he had never experienced.
If he could perform one last dive before he died, his target would be Uorin, not Ataraxia.
"First, let me tell you the exact progress. Currently, extracting Shirone's Ataraxia is impossible. That's because it's been encapsulated. However, if you wish, I can remove Ataraxia whole and give it to you, Your Highness."
"Give it to me? Ataraxia?"
"Yes. The power of an Archangel would become yours, Your Highness."
Zion swallowed hard. In that moment, he was the spitting image of Orkamp.
No, anyone who had witnessed the power of Ataraxia would have had the same reaction.
But it seemed Uorin was an exception, as she immediately caught the flaw in his words.
"Didn't you just say extraction was impossible?"
"Through normal means, yes. Ataraxia is presumed to reside in the deep sea of Shirone's consciousness. In short, it's too deep. The deeper one dives into the psyche, the more powerful the ego's resistance becomes. At the level of the deep sea, one would be instantly buried upon entry."
Zion lowered Armang and asked.
"Then how do you plan to rob it?"
"There is one way."
Arius intended to make the same proposal he had made to Orkamp.
But unlike before, he hesitated.
If there was a chance to turn back, this was it. The moment he made this offer, he would become a complete enemy to Orkamp. He would also have to flee Kazra as soon as the job was done.
"Tell me! How can I get Ataraxia?"
As Zion pressed him, Arius spoke in a cold voice.
"By extracting Shirone's brain."
Not only Zion, but Uorin too, wore a shocked expression.
"Extract... his brain?"
"To be precise, we collapse Shirone's subconscious. Consciousness is governed by the brain, but the subconscious is connected to the body. Therefore, by separating the brain from the body, the ego's resistance weakens significantly, even when descending into the depths of consciousness. Of course, there's no need to open the skull. We just need everything above the neck."
Arius made a slicing motion across his neck with his thumb.
Zion nodded as if he understood.
"In other words, we just have to kill Shirone."
"Perhaps. I'm not fond of inductive reasoning. Being beheaded doesn't necessarily mean death, does it? I'm not suggesting we kill Shirone, merely stating a method for safely infiltrating his subconscious."
Zion was dumbfounded. Surely he hadn't made that statement to imply this had nothing to do with assassinating a candidate for First Prince.
"Being beheaded doesn't mean death? You're completely insane."
Arius smiled as if he'd received a compliment.
"I've learned something living as a tomb raider. There isn't a single person in this world who isn't insane."
Zion ignored the madman's words and got straight to the point.
"If I bring you Shirone's head, can you extract Ataraxia?"
"If you ask if it's possible, then yes, it is. However, we can't let too much time pass. I have to go in the instant the neck is severed. Because 'if' he were to die, his mind would disappear along with him."
"That quickly? Once the head is severed, life is only sustained for about ten seconds."
"Time flows slower in the subconscious. I've already installed a door, so I'll enter the moment Shirone's head is cut off. From there, I'll dive to the first stage. Then, I'll rob the real Ataraxia. And it will become yours, Your Highness."
Zion puffed up his cheeks, let out a long breath, and paced around the gallery.
Still, open assassination? Was this too rash?
No, this was right. As time went on, the number of neutral factions siding with Orkamp would increase. If he had to act before the paternity test results came out, tonight was the perfect opportunity.
Arius read the murderous intent in Zion's eyes and smiled with satisfaction. He was certainly closer to being a king than Orkamp was.
As if he already knew the answer, Arius asked.
"So, how much will you buy it for?"
Zion's lack of a rebuttal was his answer.
The negotiating table was now set. After some thought, he presented a reasonable opening bid.
"2.7 billion gold."
Arius responded with a slightly displeased expression.
"Hmm, the price for Armang was 3 billion gold, wasn't it?"
"So what? Are you saying that bastard's magic is worth more than my magic sword?"
The 2.7 billion Zion had proposed was a figure derived from that very comparison.