Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: Dog and Wolf (9)
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A vast palace.
Past a corridor where the taxidermied hides of various beasts were displayed on the walls, an empty throne sat forlornly in a large hall, so unadorned it felt desolate.
Beside the throne.
A gruff-looking, black-haired man stood silently, staring at the empty seat.
“Isn’t it about time you sat on the throne?”
A young man asked with a hint of mockery as he walked into the hall.
His voice was cloying, like a man forcing a woman’s tone.
The man didn't answer, turning his back to the youth.
“Hmph. Are you ignoring me again?”
The young man took a white powder from his pocket and dabbed it on his face.
His lips, red as if he’d just devoured a rat, his purple eye makeup, and his skin, so white one could believe he’d plastered his face with gypsum, created a cloying sense of unease.
The young man touched the black horn protruding from his forehead and asked.
“Are the war preparations going well?”
“Yes.”
The man answered curtly, standing like a stone statue.
“Hmph, could you be a little more specific?”
“I did as I was told.”
The young man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hah, Lord Horus. You know it’s troublesome when you’re this uncooperative, don’t you?”
“I only did as I was told.”
*As always.*
The man swallowed his next words and clenched his fist.
“Ah, by the way, have you heard? The movements of those Silver Mane Tribe bastards have been a bit suspicious lately…”
The man’s shoulders flinched.
“…They are of no concern.”
“No concern? Isn’t the Silver Mane Tribe a proper part of the Suin race?”
The young man continued, a thick sneer on his face.
“You must gather them under the name of the ‘Khan’.”
“I am not the Khan.”
“Oh, there you go again. It’s been over a hundred years since the last Khan died. Does it make sense to leave the seat vacant for so long?”
“I’ll say it again.”
The man’s gaze turned to the youth.
“I am not the Khan.”
The young man’s eyes narrowed to slits.
He pulled out a red lipstick and applied it to his lips with an irritated motion.
“Well, whether you’re the Khan or not doesn’t matter. The masters of this kingdom are our Majin race, after all.”
He twisted his lips, now painted a grotesque shade of red.
“Anyway. Gather those Silver Mane Tribe bastards as troops. If they can’t be made into soldiers…”
A black cloud billowed from the horn on the young man’s forehead.
“Kill them all.”
His voice was filled with a chilling madness.
The young man burst into a cackle, his shoulders shaking.
“That is the will of the ‘Cheonma,’ you see?”
“……”
The man silently turned his gaze away again.
Thick veins bulged on his clenched fist.
“Oh my, are you going to throw a punch?”
The young man cackled.
“Well, don’t you worry. I’ve made a special ‘arrangement’ so you won’t have to kill those Silver Mane fellows yourself.”
“…What are you planning?”
“Who knows? Aren’t you the one with plans?”
The young man smirked, uttering an enigmatic phrase.
“Lord Horus. Don’t forget.”
Approaching the man, the youth whispered in his cloying voice.
“You are our loyal ‘dog’… who does whatever he’s told.”
The young man’s laughter echoed through the vast hall.
* * *
“So, Horus is protecting the Silver Mane Tribe.”
Oh-jin frowned, unable to understand.
It couldn’t be to protect his own power.
Protecting the Silver Mane Tribe would only diminish his authority; it was an act that offered him no benefit.
[…Could it not be due to guilt?]
“Guilt?”
Vega nodded slowly.
She fluttered over and landed on Oh-jin’s shoulder.
[Did he not betray the Silver Mane Tribe, who fought to the end against the Majin, and surrender to them?]
“…That’s a possibility.”
Oh-jin’s gaze shifted to Riak.
Riak stood with his lips sealed, lost in thought.
His eyes were a mixture of sorrow, regret, and anger.
How must he feel, knowing that the traitor who pushed his people into the pit of despair was now the only shield protecting them?
Oh-jin didn’t know what to say to Riak, who stood with his head bowed in silence.
“For now, that’s enough about Horus.”
He changed the subject, turning his gaze to Ha-eun.
“Nunna, did you find anything?”
“Hmm… I didn’t really get much.”
Ha-eun scratched her head and began to speak.
“Just that the atmosphere here is pretty grim. Even with black fur, there were quite a few guys trying to pick a fight.”
“I also felt that the overall security was not very good.”
Isabella nodded in agreement.
She flipped through pages of densely written notes as she continued.
“I believe the biggest reason is the mass departure of the Majin.”
“Huh? That’s why?”
Ha-eun’s eyes widened as if she had no idea.
“Yes. With the Majin leaving in large numbers, conflicts have started between the pro-Majin and anti-Majin factions.”
“You said there were five Majin left, right?”
“That’s right, unni.”
The Majin were the subject Oh-jin had investigated most thoroughly.
Oh-jin took out a map and spread it open.
“These are the locations of the mansions where the remaining Majin in the kingdom reside.”
The Majin’s mansions were so lavish and large they felt out of place, so it didn’t take long to investigate them.
“But there are only four here?”
“One of them is the kingdom’s chancellor, so he’s said to be in the royal castle.”
[In reality, he is likely a warden, is he not?]
“Probably.”
It was highly likely that the chancellor held more practical power than Horus.
“The chancellor’s name is Kalike.”
Oh-jin took out a portrait and held it out.
Since Kalike was always in the royal castle, it was difficult to see him directly, but he had managed to obtain a portrait from a Suin who knew him.
“Ugh, what the hell is this?”
Ha-eun’s face contorted the moment she saw the portrait.
It depicted a man with uncomfortably heavy makeup.
“What is this, Kabuki? Why is his makeup like that?”
She knew it was common for men to wear makeup these days.
But this was so heavy it was unpleasant, regardless of gender.
“He’s apparently famous for his unique appearance.”
“Are all Majin bastards like this?”
“I don’t think so.”
He had obtained portraits of other Majin, but none had an appearance as peculiar as Kalike.
The only common feature was the black horn on their foreheads.
“Anyway. Among the Majin remaining in the kingdom, this guy has the highest rank.”
Kalike had served as the chancellor for the past hundred years, reigning as the de facto ruler.
“Oh, and about the Majin here. According to Riak, they’re not at a very high level.”
“Not a high level? How strong are they?”
“In terms of Awakeners, they’re about at the level of a new 9-Star.”
“…And that’s not considered high?”
A dry laugh escaped Ha-eun’s lips.
A new 9-Star was still a high-ranking Awakener. How could that not be considered a high level?
“Considering the average level of the Majin, a 9-Star isn’t considered that high, apparently.”
“What a crazy race.”
Ha-eun shook her head in disbelief.
“Well, in any case, they aren’t enemies we’d have trouble dealing with at our current level.”
“Is that Kalike guy a 9-Star, then?”
“He’s probably a bit higher than that.”
Since he was the highest-ranking among the remaining Majin, it was likely he was stronger than a 9-Star.
“Still, he won’t be someone we can’t handle.”
“That seems right.”
Isabella nodded as she scanned the portraits of the Majin.
The true strength of the Majin, said to have received the Cheonma’s power, was still unknown.
But Oh-jin, Isabella, and Ha-eun were already among the top-tier Awakeners.
[So, are you planning to deal with the Majin before that Suin named Horus?]
“Yeah.”
Since the Majin were the de facto rulers of the kingdom.
Dealing with them before Horus would likely yield more results.
“Let’s start by grabbing the ones living in the mansions, one by one.”
“That would be better than going straight to the royal castle.”
The more they reduced the Majin’s forces, the more the ‘anti-Majin faction’ within the kingdom would be emboldened, and the more freely they could move.
“Shall we get moving right away?”
Strike while the iron is hot.
Now that they had a plan, there was no reason to dawdle.
“Yes.”
“So we just need to roast those bastards to a crisp, right?”
Ha-eun grinned and stood up.
Oh-jin’s party headed toward the nearest Majin mansion.
[I shall go in first and scout the inside.]
Vega was not only small, but her body was an avatar made of mana, not a physical one, so she had no scent.
She was perfectly suited to slip past the Suin guards with their sensitive noses.
Even if she were caught, she could simply return to the Sanctuary, so the risk was low.
“I’m counting on you.”
[Hmph! Trust in me and wait!]
Vega puffed out her chest, her hands on her hips.
She flew over the high wall and zipped into the mansion.
About ten minutes passed.
Vega returned with a slightly dejected expression.
“What? Did something happen?”
[There was no one there.]
“Huh? Inside the mansion?”
[Not even an ant could be seen outside the mansion.]
Oh-jin’s brow furrowed.
Just a few days ago, he had confirmed that a Majin was residing there.
“Did we just miss them?”
“Tsk. Lucky bastard.”
“Shall we go to the next place for now?”
“Let’s.”
The party headed for the next mansion.
However.
[There is no one here either.]
“……”
Oh-jin frowned, unable to comprehend.
Two Majin had left their mansions at the same time?
“…Something’s strange.”
As he stood with his arms crossed, trying to figure out what was happening.
*KABOOOOM!*
A massive explosion roared from the distance.
Black smoke billowed up as if a bomb had gone off.
“Mr. Oh-jin, over there is…?”
Isabella’s expression hardened.
The place where the black smoke was rising.
It was the heart of the Khan Kingdom, a place that could be called its everything.
The royal castle.