Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: 2nd Continental Summit Conference (2)
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"I'll get straight to the point. You're a mercenary by trade, right? I'd like to hire you for a secret job."
Those were the first words from Grand Sorcerer Morna after bringing Harley to his residence and offering him a drink.
"Sure, I'm game as long as the terms are right! But there's something that's been bugging me since earlier—mind if I ask about that first?"
"Keh keh kehl— Of course, ask away."
Harley's gaze turned toward a young woman sitting blankly in the corner, staring off in their direction.
Despite the hulking mass of muscle radiating an undeniable presence, her eyes subtly slid past him as if he weren't even there.
"...What's that young lady doing over there? Is she a sorceress seeing ghosts or something?"
"Ahh— She's my aide, just lost in memories of yesterday's scenery. Don't mind her. Keh heh heh!"
"You're one mysterious old coot. Anyway, putting that aside, what's the deal with suddenly proposing a job to me like this?"
He shot a direct question at Morna.
He already knew she'd recommended him for the commando unit and was fully aware of the southern situation. A job offer now? It reeked of something fishy.
"Kehm... Sorcerers, you see, unlike rational mages, rely heavily on intuition."
"Huh— And?"
"Simply put, someone of my caliber can sense things others can't. Traces left on your body, of course, but also abstract concepts like fate and connections."
Even as talk turned to his own body, Harley showed no particular reaction.
His past was already public knowledge through 'Harley's Great Adventure,' and with all his recent antics, there was no point hiding it now anyway.
"I already knew, but recommending you for the commando unit was just a natural step to meet you. You could've refused if you didn't want to, right?"
"Come on, did you really need to go that far just to meet me? Weren't you just watching from afar during the first conference?"
"...Keh heuhl, it wasn't that simple..."
Morna's expression darkened suddenly as he let out a bitter, hollow chuckle.
"That's why I wanted to see you. The moment I heard about your exploits in Tulk Kingdom, I just knew. You could solve Kalcos's problem!"
In other words, it was just the 'gut feeling of a Grand Sorcerer.'
That instinct had turned to certainty the moment she met him face-to-face, and she'd bided her time for this chance to make contact, she added.
'Kalcos's problem means the coup, huh? Looks like this old guy's on the opposite side.'
As expected, the job was to resolve a covert issue brewing in the continental south and eliminate its mastermind.
His compensation? Comprehensive sorcery from a Grand Sorcerer, plus whatever other aid she could provide.
"I dangled the Warlord story to pique your interest, but I don't really recommend it. You've got the Warlord's brand, so you know the conditions for branding, right?"
"A feat worthy of it! Becoming a Great Warrior means soloing an ogre, yeah?"
"Keh keh... Ogre, the bare minimum benchmark. Of course, you'd handle far more now with ease."
Morna chuckled softly before growing serious again.
"Your life force is plenty for the Warlord's brand. Even accounting for you being dragonkin, it's almost unbelievable... Hah, you're even more of a monster than when we first met. Been scavenging some miracle tonic or what?"
The tomes she'd studied as Grand Sorcerer included dragonkin lore.
They were tougher than humans, true, but their strength stemmed from innate mana talent—not raw physical vitality like Harley's brute-force endurance.
"...Leaving that aside, the strain on the recipient is beyond imagination. Legends say it's a hundred times worse than a Great Warrior's brand. It's from the last Warlord's own record, centuries old, so reliable. Keh keh."
But Harley just shrugged indifferently, so she smacked her lips awkwardly.
"The clincher is that worthy feat we discussed. Fail the Warlord's brand conditions, and it's not just side effects. You'll drop dead on the spot."
"You've been beating around the bush—spit it out already! Didn't I say I'm busy?"
"Kehng, robbing an old man of his fun."
Morna grumbled briefly before yielding to Harley's glare.
Of course, the feat she described was a trial bordering on the impossible.
"...Slaying a full-grown dragon or higher, personally! Not just joining a group fight. You need to land the fatal blow and deliver the killing strike with your own hands!"
—In normal circumstances, that is.
"Of course, as dragonkin and with dragons so rare nowadays, any equivalent foe would do..."
"Ah, whatever. Point is, you can do it, right?"
"...Huh? Well, yes, but... as I said, fail the feat and... Wait."
She trailed off, tilting her head at Harley's oddly confident demeanor.
Then, with eerie spirit in her eyes, she stared at him intently...
"What the hell is this now?"
A baffled mutter slipped out despite herself.
"I figured dragonkin meant dragon feats were involved, but this? You're not just a dragon slayer—you're a Dragon Killer!"
"Huh? You can tell?"
A true Grand Sorcerer, indeed.
The old shaman who'd first branded him had half-doubted even ogre byproducts, but Morna could gauge his fulfillment of conditions just by focusing.
"A dragonkin who killed a dragon? At this level, not just any adult dragon. Fatal blow, killing strike—check. ...Just who the hell are you?"
Even she, who always exuded a worldly air, looked genuinely flustered, blinking in shock.
'Who knew that fight would pay off like this.'
Harley, who'd burrowed into Mad Dragon Heratos's chest and devoured its heart and Dragon Heart whole.
Meeting the requirements was a given.
"Kuhahat—! Great news either way! Now we both know what we want—let's talk details!"
He'd been pondering how to intervene in the tribal federation's mess anyway.
As a self-proclaimed southern barbarian warrior, a visit was on his agenda soon.
Thus, getting intel from high-ranking Morna and planting a karma straw in the south wasn't bad at all.
"Oh, right, old timer. Advance payment separate, got it?"
Of course, settle the bill first.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Grand Sorcerer Morna was in a position so constrained she needed this convoluted method.
Outside the grand temple, she couldn't act freely—her every move was monitored and controlled in real time.
'Exiled former great chieftain devouring the tribal federation through dictatorship? Using any means necessary?'
Her tale was far from ordinary.
He'd seized hostages and weaknesses from each tribe's chieftains, even resorting to mind control—a dire situation.
'Targeting only chieftains and elites, yet controlling info this tightly? Not your average plot.'
Even Morna, the Grand Sorcerer, had family and disciples held hostage, binding her.
Her participation as federation rep? She was the most cooperative among mind-control-resistant elites.
'Aide's a watcher, though. That desperate means they have real skeletons.'
The venue was the Main God's Church holy site, heart of the grand temple with saint and saintess present. Attendees included grand mages and pinnacle experts.
Hard to stomach anyone shady in such a setting.
Morna choosing Harley over the church? Her 'sorcerer's sense' must've played a big role.
Makes sense—the south, where shamans curbed church influence, couldn't expect much aid amid continental doom.
'Grandma picked well for the job.'
With insider intel solving the info gap, nothing held him back now.
Not that he'd told anyone, but smashing others' boards was his specialty, right?
'Former Great Chieftain Balteon. Seizing chaos to pull dirty tricks and chase ambition. Stinks to high heaven.'
...Whether Harley moved personally.
'Oh yeah, Shiana mentioned it. A southern exec hiding opened a Rift of the Abyss.'
Or, by pure, utter coincidence—the Immortal King stirred.
'Gotcha, you bastard.'
Harley's lips split wide, sharp fangs glinting ferociously.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Murmur murmur—
The massive conference hall buzzed as people formed cliques, chatting animatedly.
Some approached others warmly, others warily avoided; some smiled while hiding true intents to probe weaknesses, others bluffed to inflate themselves.
A microcosm of the tangled world situation.
And then...
Creak—
The grand doors swung open, admitting another group.
They wore opulent, flashy attire.
Leading them: a stunning woman with golden threads of radiant blonde hair and turquoise eyes gleaming like gems.
"Ah, you've arrived? Good morning, Princess."
"As beautiful as ever! Dazzling, really! Ha ha ha!"
As she appeared, those chatting nearby swarmed subtly.
They'd built rapport through days of greetings, but everyone was in the same boat.
In such gatherings, seeming closer to the powerful mattered—and this was natural.
She was Laili Carte Azerion, top heir to the continent's mightiest, the Azerion Empire.
"Pleased to see you all. I hear discussions might run late—hope everyone slept well."
"Ha ha ha! Of course! Stamina's my forte."
"And you, Princess? If you tire, I'll request a break from the church."
They stuck close, spouting flattery.
High-status themselves, they weren't overtly servile, but the future empress's prestige humbled their pride.
Laili smiled professionally—warm but not overly so.
Pacifying opportunists into allies was second nature these past years.
Foreigners got the same treatment.
Thus, amid inwardly scheming, outwardly cordial exchanges in the hall...
Creak—
Once more.
Doors opened again.
"Huh?"
"Those guys..."
Heads turned—unlike the empire's entry, faces stiffened, mouths shutting one by one.
The friendly air vanished instantly, cold silence spreading.
Step step—
In the hush, footsteps echoed softly from the entering group, clad in dark garb.
Leading: a striking man with inky black hair like spun shadows and blood-red eyes shining like jewels.
His mere presence exuded overwhelming intimidation.
Gulp.
"......"
"Hrm, indeed..."
His followers, aligned precisely behind, were equally ominous.
With each step, chill air and faint blood scent wafted.
'There they are.'
Princess Laili, amid the crowd, eyed them coolly.
Yes, they represented the new shift—
Talia Kingdom's delegation, vampire clan alliance: hybrid vampires.
Long hidden in shadows, they now emerged in the Main God's Church heart, symbol of light.