Chapter 485
Chapter 485
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 485
Chapter Title: End of the Bewitchment (1)
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The disappearance of the Cheonghae Kingdom's Prime Minister and the Hongsan Kingdom's Grand General.
It was like a massive boulder hurled into the fragile world situation, which had been as precarious as thin ice lately.
"The imperial palace was breached, and the Prime Minister was kidnapped! If we stay silent in this situation, the whole world will mock us!"
"To dare kidnap our Grand General on our own soil—this is unforgivable unless they're outright scorning our Hongsan Kingdom. We absolutely cannot let this slide."
Whether it was the Cheonghae Kingdom, which had failed to protect a pillar of the political world right in the heart of their supposedly safest imperial palace, or the Hongsan Kingdom, where the symbol of national military might and his subordinates had been defeated by a single person, both nations had suffered a massive blow to their pride.
And to such an extent that they couldn't even publicly announce the incident recklessly.
...Of course, not announcing it didn't mean they could hide such a monumental event.
It was safe to assume that anyone who needed to know already did.
"So, who the hell is this culprit anyway?"
"Doesn't seem like your average magus either..."
The real problem was that they still hadn't pinned down the exact identity of the perpetrator behind this incident.
They had scoured their entire database based on eyewitness accounts, but far from identifying suspects, it only raised more questions.
As if the culprit had dropped straight out of the sky right before the incident exploded.
"Who the culprit is? Isn't it obvious?"
"There's no way mere magi could orchestrate something like this. There has to be a backer pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
And from that moment, a strange undercurrent began to flow through the chaotic political landscape.
"Who else could pull off something like this but the Hongsan Kingdom?"
"Cheonghae Kingdom. Those seal bastards have finally gone and done it."
Before long, public opinion was boiling over, pointing fingers at the rival nation as the mastermind and demanding retaliation.
The claim, started by the radicals, gained subtle support and soon escalated into serious discussions.
Intelligence reports that the other side was in a similar predicament meant little to them.
They could just spin it as a self-inflicted drama to buy time with smokescreens.
"No, there are too many suspicious points to jump to conclusions like that..."
A few did sense something off about the artificial momentum, but the tide had long since turned toward the war hawks who had prepared for this over years.
They, in fact, pushed aggressively for war, treating the crisis as an opportunity.
This wasn't limited to the political sphere.
As if someone had orchestrated it from behind the scenes—or as if by prior agreement—slander and rumors against the rival nation began spreading like wildfire among the common folk.
The atmosphere was so tense that a single spark could ignite full-scale war.
Yet the mind of the one who had steered events to this point was just as complicated.
"...Tch. How did things end up like this?"
The being in the darkness clicked his tongue.
Even after years of patient cultivation, he couldn't help growing impatient with how things refused to follow his script.
Originally, events were meant to unfold more naturally and dramatically, not this contrived mess.
'The guy I've been watching hasn't made a move at all. Was my hunch wrong?'
The otherworlder named 'Hoon,' who had stirred his unease.
He hadn't slacked on vigilance toward that outsider even once.
The ambush during the upheaval in the Seocheon Yun Family was just the beginning.
Assigning deep-layer magi to the low-priority otherworlder dorms and inciting the desires of those harboring grudges against him were mere starters.
If that had wrapped everything up neatly, perfect—but he had backup plans ready for any contingency.
'From a trap to bind him the moment he stepped forward like before, to arrangements to whisk away the girl he'd be left with—all set.'
But all those meticulously laid plans were indefinitely frozen when Hoon holed up in the Yun Family without stepping out even once.
Still, hearing he'd interrogate the prisoners gave hope of some movement soon...
"...What the hell is going on with those monsters..."
He closed his eyes tightly, swallowing his boiling rage with a deep sigh.
None of the recent major incidents had gone as predicted.
The demon that had turned the Cheonghae imperial palace upside down right after appearing.
And the freak who had obliterated an entire Hongsan mountain and elite forces.
These two sudden threats dwarfed even the wary Hoon in danger.
'Looks like I messed up. I mistook the warning of their emergence as pointing to that Hoon guy. Bad timing coincidence...'
He could only conclude as much.
He couldn't even imagine they were entities spawned from a single being.
Of course, realizing it now changed nothing.
'No helping it now. Even if preparations fall short and things go awry, I have to strike first before they do.'
The Prime Minister, Grand General, and Black King were top executives driving operations in their domains.
With their safety compromised by unknowns, the success of future plans turned murky.
'No, I'm not safe anymore either.'
A blade at his throat.
Now it was a race against time.
Best to act using the pawns before they exploited theirs.
"...Wait, what did you say?"
He had poured everything into igniting war quickly, but fate, once slipped from his grasp, offered no smile.
"Someone appeared... at the Yun Family?"
Another development beyond his predictions.
Feeling a throbbing headache, he squeezed his eyes shut.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The ever-bustling Seocheon Yun Family, teeming with visitors.
"......"
"......"
In the lobby of the guest reception hall, where outsiders visiting the main compound were greeted, an unprecedented silence hung heavy.
It wasn't devoid of people.
The crowd was twice the usual, packed tight, yet they held their breath, careful even in breathing, eyes fixed on one spot.
'This is drawing some serious attention.'
At the center of those countless gazes.
Hela, standing calmly, gave a wry smile and brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Hah!"
"Ahem."
That casual gesture drew sighs from all around.
Embarrassed, they averted their eyes with fake coughs, but it didn't last.
The crowd soon drifted back, staring blankly at her again.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Yun Jacob, in charge of this guest hall. Please, follow me inside."
The bizarre scene ended only when the hall master rushed over after a report from his subordinate.
Hela nodded and followed him calmly inward.
'I've walked this path countless times as Hoon, but coming as Hela feels refreshingly new.'
Probably because of the different reactions around her.
Even suppressing her allure to the max, her charm could topple kingdoms.
Enthralling men and women alike was nothing special.
'Part of it is knowing who I am.'
She glanced at Jacob leading the way.
His nape was slick with cold sweat from tension.
In a place like the Yun Family, visitors were often high-status, so the reception hall master's position was no small matter to match their level.
But even his composure had limits.
Maintaining calm against a monster who had stormed a national palace solo and escaped unscathed wasn't easy.
Especially with the sinister aura emanating subtly, far beyond any average magus...
"Welcome to the Seocheon Yun Family. I'm Yun Seol-yeong, handling elder duties."
The middle-aged female elder they met upon guidance showed the same tension.
As an elder, she kept a composed smile outwardly, but it couldn't fool Hela's sharp eyes.
"Nice to meet you~! Just call me Hela."
"Lady Hela..."
Yun Seol-yeong responded with an awkward smile.
Her intent to probe why this walking nuke had rolled in was obvious.
'I get how she feels.'
Wasn't she the culprit behind the brewing war between the two nations?
Yet here she was, boldly entering through the front gate.
By now, the Yun leadership was likely in an emergency summit.
They were entertaining her peace overture for now, but the warriors subtly encircling outside were part of it too.
'But what can they do? This is the best way to stop the war.'
The war hawks' core claim boiled down to this:
The incidents in their lands were orchestrated by the rival nation.
To dismantle that pretext for war, she had only one move.
'I'm going straight at it.'
Step forward openly, seize all eyes, leave no room for excuses.
Bringing Hallie and the secured prisoners later would seal it.
The impeccably neutral Seocheon Yun Family was the perfect stage to declare it.
Of course, this required absolute confidence in her power.
Mess up, and she'd fight not just Hongsan and Cheonghae, but magi and the Yun Family too.
Turning the entire continent against her...
'So what?'
Hela crossed her legs leisurely, propping her chin with a faint smile.
Why worry about such trifles now?
If they thought they could crush her by force, let them try.
She wouldn't hide or run.
"...So, you're saying you intend to use the Seocheon Yun Family as your shield?"
"Oh? That's a harsh way to put it. There's a fine saying about mutual aid."
"In this situation, that's hardly... Sigh, never mind."
Of course, drawing every aggro imaginable meant the stage Yun Family might take some heat.
Maybe even suspicion of being the true masterminds from the start.
But they had their own case to make.
'If they claim to be guardians of peace, they should stomach this much. Yeah, right.'
War would hit squeezed neutrals hardest anyway.
Considering she was lightening that load, they owed her thanks!
"You didn't think we'd just accept that, did you?"
"Who knows? Got any better ideas to avert war? You've investigated by now, so you roughly grasp the situation, right? If not, I'm a bit disappointed."
Yun Seol-yeong fell silent at Hela's words.
She knew they rang true.
Just recently, 'Hoon'—a guest—had finally extracted intel from the Yun attackers via interrogation.
His findings closely matched Hela's claim of a warmonger puppetmaster.
The Prime Minister and Grand General were pinpointed as culprits then too, lending credibility.
'No connection between them guarantees some objectivity. Though further verification needed...'
Hela smiled faintly at the frowning, head-scratching elder.
Matching Hoon's trusted testimony made dismissal tough.
No lies, so no guilt either.
'Plus, while stalling here, I've got other business.'
Whatever happened here was just buying time.
To end it properly, they had to uproot the true culprit.
'First, deal with that Chakra of Bewitchment somehow.'
No telling when or who might succumb and go mad.
Even the victim wouldn't know until enthralled, making rash moves a pointless mafia game.
'Lucky for me... I'm a specialist in that department.'
Enthralling those already weakened by the bewitchment's mental breach was child's play for Hela.
Stealing control bit by bit would eventually trace the karmic thread to the chakra's source.
And the plan's launchpad was the Seocheon Yun Family.