Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Venom Serpent (1)
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"I know what that bastard wants."
"Hmm..."
Dexter gave Jun a knowing look at those words before chuckling softly.
"And what might that be?"
"A certain poison found in the ore fields of Voltaine here."
"Poison, huh. But isn't Voltaine's ore district a barren wasteland where not even a blade of grass grows?"
As Dexter said, this place was a rocky desert of desolate land.
Finding poison in a spot like that?
"That poison doesn't come from plants."
"From a monster, then?"
"No. It's a mineral."
"A mineral?"
Normally, poisons came from animals or plants.
A mineral poison out of nowhere?
"Well, the world's a big place, and this is Blackout. A poison like that wouldn't be too surprising. But why do you want it?"
"Your Highness finds it unfamiliar because it's never been revealed to the world."
"Never revealed? In that case..."
Dexter's own poison-detection artifact might prove useless.
"The poison itself isn't all that lethal. But if ingested steadily, it builds up inside the body, and then..."
The victim would waste away and die without knowing why. And if that happened to Javier on his circuit?
Benes would probably lose her mind.
"Any antidote?"
"None."
That made it all the more vicious.
Dexter's expression grew grave, and a flicker of fear crossed Javier's face.
"Mage. You said earlier you had a way to catch him."
"Yes. That's right."
"Then explain that method."
Jun nodded at the resolve shining in Javier's eyes.
The meeting dragged on for hours until the sun began to set.
Javier was the first to complain of fatigue and leave, and as Jun moved to wrap things up...
Dexter spoke.
"You didn't answer my earlier question."
"..."
-Do you know anything about this Venom Serpent fellow?
That had been the First Prince's question.
And Jun's reply?
-I know what he wants.
A dodge.
'So he caught on.'
Fooling a man who'd navigated countless imperial intrigues was no easy feat.
"But I sense no malice from you, so I'll let it slide. Like how you're betting on that Jinovan fellow."
"My deepest gratitude."
"But I can't ignore this one."
Dexter's sea-blue eyes fixed on Jun.
"Are you an enemy of the Church of the Open Heavens?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
It was as if he'd been waiting for the question, but Jun's gaze didn't waver.
"I have plenty of reasons to kill those bastards."
"...I see. Understood. Thanks again for your help. Go get some rest."
With that, Jun left, and Dexter frowned slightly as he rolled up his sleeve.
Some of the markings on his forearm faded away.
Dexter let out a sigh of relief.
"Never thought I'd use this."
[Deceptive Mark]
A gift from his father the Emperor—one he could use only three times in his life, and the very artifact Jun had been most wary of.
In Jun's words, it was an absolute lie detector.
Designate a target within a set space, and it instantly alerted the user if they spoke falsehoods.
And Dexter had used it on a mere level 5 mage.
'Father said he used it on Sword Soul Aden and on Ben, Captain of the Heavenly Dragon Knights.'
He still had one left unused.
It was meant for only the most trusted vassals.
'No helping it. That mage knows far too much about the Church of the Open Heavens.'
If he could make that mage his subordinate, it would be ideal.
'Tch. Did I let pride get the better of me back then?'
He'd already yielded to his half-brother before the Emperor.
A future emperor couldn't take his words lightly.
'Still, that mage doesn't feel insignificant...'
A trustworthy ally.
One with boundless potential as a mage. Letting him slip away stung for Dexter.
"What a shame."
It was the kind of night that made him crave a drink.
After dinner with his comrades.
After wandering the city outskirts with Aiden.
Jun locked his door, sat alone at his desk, and stared at the worn book.
The one he'd taken from Jinovan's office.
"What was he thinking, handing this to me?"
Jun flipped through the old diary, reading every page.
"Annoying."
After staying up all night, Jun craved a smoke for the first time in ages.
"Hoo."
He gazed at the pale purple predawn sky for a moment.
"Handing your diary to someone takes more courage than I thought."
"Is that so?"
A figure slipped in through the window without a sound.
Jinovan.
Now the Marshal of the Third Legion, his eyes glowed red as he faced Jun.
"I get the gist."
"Do you."
"A detailed talk would be tough."
"Probably."
"Give me a few days?"
"Why not. Time's running out anyway."
"..."
With that, Jinovan took his diary and left.
"Damn Church of the Open Heavens bastards."
Jinovan was under constant surveillance by the Evil Spirit Orb.
For now, since he showed no signs of defecting, he had some freedom.
But the slightest hint of betrayal, and the corrupted spirit inside would rot his body.
No questions about the Church were possible.
Except...
"The diary's an exception. Written before the orb was implanted."
Jinovan had exploited the one loophole.
A few more days passed.
Time to move on for the next circuit.
Lingering longer would arouse suspicion from the Church's lackeys.
Rumble―!
If not for the mine collapse at dawn.
"Unbelievable. What kind of natural disaster is this?"
Dexter stared at the rubble blocking the mine entrance, his face ashen.
At least it happened at dawn—no deaths or injuries.
"Who could have done this...?"
Javier muttered beside him, voice strained.
Jun, surveying the scene, shook his head.
"The ground's too unstable to clear hastily. Could seal off the inner paths."
"How do we resolve this?"
Nearby, Maya watched quietly.
"Here we go again."
She'd seen this before.
Someone now called Charles had fallen for it too. Jun's scheme was underway.
"No choice. I can't abandon suffering imperials."
"Indeed, brother. We should stay and see this through."
They gained a few more days.
The miners rejoiced at the princes' compassion.
'Even for me, that looks a bit guilty.'
Jun turned away from the miners with a wry expression.
After all, he was the one who'd collapsed the entrance.
Here's hoping Dexter comforts them well.
'If not, my wallet will.'
No sooner had the entrance collapsed than Botan sought Jinovan again.
"Why'd the mine suddenly collapse?"
"No idea."
"Tch. Makes it likely the imperials will stick around longer."
"Their route doesn't matter much, does it? Venom Serpent getting inside won't be hard."
"True. Yeah, Jinovan. People staying away might be better."
Jinovan nodded.
"They'll keep folks away for safety. Uncle, finish your task."
"Got it. I'll contact Venom Serpent now."
He'd wanted to deliver the poison ore himself, but oh well.
The entrance was blocked.
At least no one would enter now.
A golden opportunity, even.
"I'll reach out right away."
"The mine entrance collapsed."
-Yes, that's right.
The black communication orb artifact.
The voice from beyond belonged to Botan, a Church of the Open Heavens follower.
"Any investigation on people who left the city that day or went near the mine?"
-Checked. No records of anyone leaving. Soldiers confirm.
"Understood. I'll update you on that item later."
The connection ended.
Venom Serpent, master of the black orb, pondered.
"The royals came down. A declaration of war against us."
Things had been going smoothly until recently.
"That old hag Kiheung. Thought her death was a blessing after she botched things."
Factions existed everywhere, including the Church.
Kiheung had been Venom Serpent's longtime rival.
Her sudden death last year.
'Planned to rise on that opening.'
But misfortune hadn't spared him.
'The plot to corrupt the Third Prince got exposed.'
Unclear how the imperials viewed the carriage incident.
But two princes in Blackout flaunting brotherhood? They'd seen through it.
Worse, all channels to the Third Prince's mother, Benes, were cut.
'Tried poison several times, but no dice. Expected some resistance, but total block? They're prepared.'
Venom Serpent wanted chaos in the imperial house per the higher-ups.
Poison the Third Prince, and eyes would turn to the First.
'All I need is pretext. A tiny seed of doubt that the First attacked the Third.'
But the Emperor had seen through it and fortified defenses.
'Without that item, no way to poison him with my skills...'
And the mine entrance collapsed at the perfect moment.
'Imperial trap? Safe to assume.'
What the imperials lacked was one thing.
Concrete proof.
Of Church meddling. This was surely bait.
"Better to back off."
No need to walk into the dragon's jaws.
As he sighed in regret, the black orb signaled again.
"I said I'd contact you first."
-Huh...? I don't recall that.
"...!"
Venom Serpent's eyes widened at the voice.
A man's voice, slurring drunkenly with pitch shifts.
The Church's unparalleled leader.
"S-sorry. Was just talking to a follower."
-Whaaat...? Happens. I get it...... Anyway, your side...... going well?
"A sudden mishap. Looks like the imperials set a trap for us."
-Sigh...... Figures. So, you were gonna run and quit......?
"Yes. Too early for our existence to be exposed."
-Hmm. That's a problem......
"Pardon?"
-Just got some intriguing info...... You need to check it yourself. Go there.
Venom Serpent's eyes wavered at the abrupt order.
Why push now, when he'd always prepared for surprises?
Using him as a sacrificial pawn?
-Ah...... I can hear the gears turning already...... Head hurts from the booze......
"Th-that's."
-Don't worry, Venom Serpent...... You're valuable to me.
"...An honor."
-Anyway...... Won't let you off easy. Sending you something. Use it well......
"Something?"
-Something veeery good...... Please use it......
The signal cut.
Venom Serpent's face grew more troubled.
Whatever it was, orders from above must be obeyed. And it seemed prepared for risks.
With a resigned sigh, he rose.