Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Stirring the Pot
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Kang Hyun-su slipped out of the imperial palace.
‘It’ll make things a lot more convenient.’
The double seal was now filled with titles from both the Lockto Empire’s duke and the Saklant Empire’s grand duke.
‘And there’s no risk to Charles XIII’s safety either.’
The Doppelganger King Taliman’s combat prowess was impressive enough on its own.
‘But the guy’s a regimental commander, huh.’
In an emergency, he could summon the soldiers under his command.
‘First things first, let’s link up.’
Kang Hyun-su headed to the inn where Song Hana, the Fist Emperor, and Yuka were staying.
“Hyun-su!”
“Hyun-su!”
The moment Song Hana and the Blood Witch Yuka beamed at him in welcome.
Crackle!
An invisible spark flared between Song Hana and the Blood Witch Yuka.
‘What’s that about?’
As Kang Hyun-su shot them a puzzled look.
“You’re back? Everything go smoothly?”
The Fist Emperor waved lazily at Kang Hyun-su with a bored expression.
“Yeah, wrapped it up fine.”
Kang Hyun-su gave a quick rundown of his meeting with the emperor.
The Fist Emperor’s face grew more and more grim as he listened.
“You’re gonna get struck by lightning doing crap like that.”
“It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Still, you let it happen and just left it like that.”
“W-Well, yeah, but…”
How could he possibly spill the full truth there?
“Let’s focus on tracking down the demon king’s minions for now.”
Kang Hyun-su deftly changed the subject.
“But how do we find them? Got any future foresight skill visions?”
At the Fist Emperor’s question.
“Nope, nothing yet.”
The biggest issue was how little info he’d had on the Saklant Empire before his regression.
But.
‘Doesn’t mean we can’t track them down.’
The rebels and the demon king’s minions were definitely in bed together.
So?
‘We just investigate the most likely suspects for starting a rebellion.’
And the prime candidate was.
‘Charles XIV.’
The guy who’d succeeded Charles XIII as emperor of the Saklant Empire in his previous life.
‘No clue what his status is now.’
Still, with the Gold Road Merchant Guild and Dark Shadow’s intel network, finding him would be a breeze.
He was definitely high up in the imperial succession line.
‘More importantly, where should I use it?’
Kang Hyun-su pondered combinations for his Equivalent Exchange skill.
‘Not on job skills.’
His rank had gone up, so he had plenty of stacks.
‘Skill enhancement’s out too.’
If he could use it a bit more often,
it’d speed up level-ups and boost efficiency.
‘But total EXP stays the same, so no real gain.’
The best option was.
‘Skill Amplification or Future Foresight, since they have long cooldowns.’
Skill Amplification was a huge help, but Future Foresight felt too gamble-y to commit to.
‘Does it work on skills embedded in items?’
Among the skills in the Ice King’s Necklace or Guardian Ring.
‘Some have great effects but killer cooldowns.’
Especially if he could spam skills like Ice Shield?
‘It’d be like extending invincibility time.’
Needed a test.
‘Just try it and see.’
Ice Shield’s cooldown was 3 days—too long.
‘Everything in the Ice King’s Necklace and Guardian Ring has a long cooldown.’
Plus, they were high-combat utility, so being locked out mid-fight would suck.
He needed an item with a skill that had a short cooldown and no penalties.
‘The Nightmare Ring’ll do.’
He’d never once used the EX-rank Nightmare skill he’d acquired.
‘The targets? Probably those guys.’
The ones suspected as demon king’s minions.
Hit them with Nightmare to set up a scenario?
He could tell if they were real minions or not.
‘No one lies in their dreams.’
Nightmare’s effect let the caster deliver whatever nightmare they wanted.
‘That’s what makes it busted.’
If it just forced a nightmare?
It’d only be good for disabling foes in combat or making them self-destruct.
But.
‘If I can choose the nightmare, it’s a different story.’
It went beyond combat—perfect for interrogation too.
* * *
‘Security’s tight.’
As expected of the mansion belonging to Count Lofbang, first in line for the Saklant imperial throne.
‘Count Lofbang, huh.’
Charles XIV, who’d take the throne after Charles XIII, was the previous emperor’s younger brother and currently held a count’s title.
The problem?
‘He’s a bastard.’
Born not to the empress, but a consort.
‘And his mom, that consort, was a commoner maid, not nobility.’
In simple terms, imperial blood, but weak legitimacy and no support base.
His wife’s family was only barons.
If Count Lofbang had been the empress’s son?
‘He’d be a grand duke at least, or a duke minimum.’
Even his count title.
‘Is count in name only.’
Sure, he was a count.
‘But no fief granted.’
The imperial family shelled out hefty stipends to maintain his dignity, so he had no trouble keeping the grand mansion or living luxuriously.
‘Why do they reuse names like this and confuse everyone?’
Charles XIII or XIV just meant the thirteenth or fourteenth emperor named Charles.
Had nothing to do with generational order.
If grandson Charles skipped his dad Charles to inherit from grandpa Charles I?
He’d just be Charles II.
Same if uncle Charles inherited from nephew Charles XIII?
‘He’d be Charles XIV.’
Usually, the throne passed from higher to lower generations, so assuming Charles XIV was next after XIII was the mistake.
‘His reputation’s pretty solid.’
He got along fine with his nephew and emperor, Charles XIII—no hint of treason.
But.
‘Can’t know for sure.’
Kang Hyun-su activated Moon Shadow.
The heavy guards were bypassed in seconds.
Before, even with Moon Shadow, he couldn’t just spam it.
Using skills or physical attacks broke Moon Shadow.
‘Plus a 12-hour cooldown.’
Infiltration was fine, but escape was impossible—that was Moon Shadow’s flaw.
‘But Equivalent Exchange wiped the penalties.’
If he wanted, he could chain Moon Shadow ten times over.
‘Here it is.’
Kang Hyun-su slipped safely into Count Lofbang’s bedroom.
‘No guards, as expected.’
Knights swarmed up to the bedroom door.
But.
‘No one guards your own bed.’
[EX-rank skill Nightmare activates.]
Kang Hyun-su cast Nightmare on Count Lofbang.
[Moon Shadow skill deactivates.]
Moon Shadow auto-canceled.
‘Ho, so that’s how it works?’
Kang Hyun-su’s first time using Nightmare too.
And.
‘Pretty user-friendly.’
The skill’s progress appeared crystal clear in his mind.
‘So “deliver the caster’s desired nightmare” means this.’
He could tweak the nightmare however he liked.
“Ughhh.”
Count Lofbang groaned and writhed.
But this wouldn’t summon guards.
Or wake him from the nightmare.
‘Not a demon minion.’
Nightmare test confirmed.
Count Lofbang wasn’t a demon king’s minion.
‘Can’t just leave it at that, though.’
Kang Hyun-su switched up the nightmare type.
Result?
‘Knew it—he’s gunning for the throne.’
Now certain the count harbored treasonous ambitions.
‘Next target’s that guy.’
A key noble allied with Count Lofbang.
‘Marquis Marius.’
A duke pre-regression.
‘After Saklant fell, he gathered remnants to fight the demon army.’
Was he just an ambitious plotter grabbing power via rebellion with Lofbang?
Or.
‘A demon minion? We’ll see firsthand.’
Kang Hyun-su Moon Shadow’d out of Lofbang’s mansion and headed to Marquis Marius’s place.
While checking if Equivalent Exchange could reset Nightmare’s cooldown…
‘Success.’
It worked on embedded item skills too.
‘Nice.’
Now he could spam long-cooldown skills from Ice King’s Necklace or Guardian Ring without worry.
‘Time to put it to use.’
Kang Hyun-su arrived at Marquis Marius’s mansion.
‘Tight security here too.’
But Moon Shadow rendered it meaningless.
‘Where is he?’
Kang Hyun-su searched diligently for the marquis.
Unfortunately.
‘Not asleep?’
And not alone.
‘If he were solo, I’d just skill him.’
Dropping dead asleep for a nightmare wouldn’t raise flags.
But with company?
‘They’d notice something off.’
No Nightmare now.
‘Why’s this guy up so late?’
As Kang Hyun-su scowled, debating a wait.
“The Bloodbane Demon God and Dark Knight threw a wrench in things.”
“Indeed.”
“The problem’s that mad emperor granted the Bloodbane Demon God grand duke status, oversight rights, and military command. Everyone knows what happened in Lockto after the same thing.”
“The demon king’s minions there all got wiped out.”
“No reason it can’t happen to us. We need to lay low for a bit.”
“But we can’t just sit idle, can we? Time passes, the shaken throne stabilizes, and our chance slips away.”
“If only that one could muster strength again.”
“Even if they did, it’s tough now. The main force at the Frank Kingdom border’s all returned.”
“True, but a feint operation again?”
“Space gates switched to constant access—won’t mean much.”
“Real headache. Assassination the only way?”
“Loyal Duke Richard’s guarding tight—won’t be easy.”
‘Listen to these bastards.’
No need for Nightmare.
Their chat alone.
‘All the demon minions gathered here.’
Identities confirmed easy.
Kang Hyun-su’s mind raced.
‘Wipe ’em all?’
Slaughter the demon minions here, Moon Shadow out?
‘Perfect crime.’
One swoop takes out the traitors and demon minions plotting rebellion.
But.
‘No guarantee they’re all of them.’
More minions out there possible.
Plus.
‘Killing now’s just assassination.’
Successors inherit titles and lands.
‘No assurance they aren’t minions too.’
Assassination only prunes branches and sprouts.
Won’t uproot the demon minion faction.
‘Best to observe calmly, ID the rest, expose, then purge.’
Needed ironclad proof they were demon minions.
Then.
“If only they descended in person—things would be easier.”
“Indeed.”
“Wonder how much merit it takes to shed this mortal flesh for immortality.”
A great idea hit Kang Hyun-su.
‘Reason they became demon minions? One thing.’
Self-interest.
Bet on demon army winning.
Rule Atlantis dimension.
Escape human lifespan limits via demon body—immortal if not eternal.
But would demons grant that?
They saw contractors as useful slaves, not equals.
But.
‘These idiots don’t know.’
So?
‘Time to enlighten them.’
Truth won’t break contracts already made.
But.
‘Can definitely make ’em stray.’