The Madman's Alliance
Chapter 65
Yoo Sido is a madman.
Normal common sense does not apply to him.
He asked seriously.
"Do you like me?"
"No."
"What? I'm truly disappointed. Then why the hell are you offering a partnership out of nowhere?"
To Yoo Sido, murder was merely on that level. If asked to choose between a fortune and dismemberment, he would naturally choose the latter. The pleasure of taking a life was much more desirable to him.
"I told you. You were kidnapped so I could join hands with you."
"Why do you want to join hands with me?"
"Assassination, murder, infiltration. Considering all these, you are the best. Your personality is the most twisted, but for a minimum crew of one, you are the most suitable."
"And if I say no?"
"I won't untie you right now."
Yoo Sido looked at Kang Yoonsoo with interested eyes. He smirked.
"I felt it from the first time I saw you. You're the same kind as me, right?"
"What do you mean."
"What do you think? It means you're a social psycho just like me. You crazy bastard."
Yoo Sido looked at the moonlight falling below the window. He spoke, humming to himself.
"People say I'm crazy. Me, who feels pleasure when pulling out intestines and ripping off facial skin. But I don't know why they say that. I do it to be loved! Why doesn't everyone understand me?"
Yoo Sido even squeezed out some fake tears.
"Sniff, it's sad for crazy bastards like us. There are too few who understand us. It's really hard to live, especially because of guys like Han Se-hyun who think they're normal."
Kang Yoonsoo stared at him wordlessly. Yoo Sido also rolled his eyes to meet that gaze.
"If you admit that you're a crazy bastard yourself, I'll gladly help you. Because you seem like an entertaining kin."
"A truly crazy person does not admit they are crazy."
"Wow!"
Yoo Sido tried to clap but stopped due to the shackles binding his body.
"I'm starting to like you! Ah, what was your name?"
"Kang Yoonsoo."
"Right, Kang Yoonsoo. Why aren't you a woman? If you were, I would have fallen in love right now."
Kang Yoonsoo ignored those words and inserted tweezers into the shackles wrapped around Yoo Sido. Yoo Sido, as if he liked him, started chuckling.
'I feel this every time I regress, but this guy is annoying as hell.'
Kang Yoonsoo felt an unspeakable weariness.
It was going to be a long night.
The Unlikely Trio
Yoo Sido had been stripped of his belongings and was practically naked, barely covering his private parts. However, he didn't care at all.
"I'll just steal something to wear on the way."
The two came up from the basement. Even the ever-noisy Yoo Sido walked quietly in the hallway. If they were to catch the eye of even a single clan member, things would immediately spiral out of control.
"Wait."
Kang Yoonsoo stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. They were in front of Iris's room.
'The white shadow that knows about my regression is inside Iris. It might be better to take her to the Imperial Palace as well.'
He made a quick judgment and opened the door. The beautiful woman lying on the bed was breathing softly, her chest rising and falling.
"Iris."
"Hmm...? It's Kang Yoonsoo."
Iris rubbed her eyes and sat up.
"Yawn... what is it?"
"Get up. We're going to the Imperial Palace now."
"Understood, let's go together."
Iris got up with an utterly unresisting attitude. At that, Yoo Sido spoke up in a disappointed voice.
"What. Wasn't it just a date for the two of us?"
"She is also needed for this plan."
"Tch, if she's just going to be a nuisance, then right here and now..."
Suddenly, Yoo Sido stopped speaking. He opened his eyes wide and spoke seriously.
"Huh, this woman. I didn't know last time because her mouth was covered, but isn't she the Imperial Princess?"
"Have you met the Princess before?"
"Yeah, I tried to kill her in her bedroom before but failed. But why are you here?"
Yoo Sido stared intently at Iris with seemingly innocent eyes. However, Kang Yoonsoo knew better. He knew that Yoo Sido was currently calculating the exact angle at which to twist her neck.
"She is the Princess's doppelganger."
"Really? No wonder the vibe felt different."
Yoo Sido agreed surprisingly quickly. Kang Yoonsoo added to his statement.
"The Imperial Palace has secretly issued a request for your capture, Yoo Sido."
"Why me?"
"To torture you and find out the noble who requested the assassination of the Princess."
"Aha, I was wondering why that bastard Han Se-hyun kept me alive. It was to hand me over to the Imperial Palace and secure a position for himself."
At the mention of Han Se-hyun, Yoo Sido's words and actions became rough.
"Anyway, he's a bastard I don't like. I hate him more than anyone. I want to tear him apart completely from head to toe. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!"
Yoo Sido's emotional swings were severe. He could be mild-mannered normally, but once enraged, he would try to kill whoever was in front of him at a moment's notice. Kang Yoonsoo, knowing this fact well, immediately changed the subject.
"We'll head to the Imperial Palace like this. But I think we'll need something to cover our faces."
"Ack! You're not suggesting we wear masks, are you? That kind of thing isn't to my taste. It makes us look like criminals."
Kang Yoonsoo didn't bother pointing out that they were criminals. Just then, Iris pointed to something hanging on the wall.
"How about wearing those?"
They were party masks. Yoo Sido pondered carefully, then chose a brightly smiling angel mask.
"I'll go with this one."
"Iris, don't wear a mask."
Kang Yoonsoo took out his human body crafting tools. He temporarily changed her currently reddish-brown hair back to its original, brilliant blonde. And then, Kang Yoonsoo chose and put on the mask that was most comfortable for moving around.
Iris smiled softly.
"It's a mask that suits you very well, Kang Yoonsoo."
The mask was a cute little rabbit. Kang Yoonsoo looked at her and spoke quietly.
"In what way."
Unease Among the Knights
"Now, I hesitate to even hold a sword."
"I know the mission failure wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."
"It's not a problem in that sense."
The Imperial 3rd Knight Commander, Lennox, sighed. Four days ago, he and his squad had wandered the Hatar Mountains before returning to the Imperial Court in disgrace. Naturally, criticism poured in, and voices demanding he step down from his position as a knight grew louder.
"Even a female Knight Commander like me holds a sword and fights. Braving terrible prejudice and arrogance, mind you. I've felt it since you were a squire, but your inflexible personality is the problem. Take a walk and get some fresh air once in a while."
The 2nd Knight Commander, Seira, said while yawning. The female knight, famous for her flashy Red Flame Swordsmanship, leisurely sipped her black tea.
"So, the reason you called me out at this hour of dawn was merely for life counseling, Sir Knight?"
"No, it's not." Lennox hesitated before speaking. "Seira, something dangerous is happening in the Imperial Court."
"Lower your voice."
Seira stirred her teacup with a spoon. Lennox felt a chill run down his spine.
"Everyone knows. That something we don't know about is happening in the Imperial Court. But you must never, ever utter it anywhere."
"Why?"
"We might die. But, no one would ever know the fact that we died."
Lennox understood those words immediately. It meant that high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court were involved in a dangerous secret. A lukewarm breeze blew onto the terrace where they were sitting, yet it felt as cold as a sheet of ice.
Lennox sighed and changed the subject.
"The recent difficulty in holding a sword isn't just because of that. During the mission, I saw someone who had reached the pinnacle of the sword."
"There's one right in front of your eyes right now, isn't there?"
"Look, it's not a joke. That man was someone who had reached the apex of the sword. If they fought properly, even Sir Helkin couldn't guarantee victory."
"Hmm, what's his name?"
"I don't know. I just know he's a traveler."
"A traveler?" Seira stopped stirring her spoon. "Lie. Is there any way a traveler's baseless swordsmanship could defeat a continental Knight Commander?"
"I didn't believe it at first either. But it was certain. It might be an absurd analogy, but even if one handled a sword for over a thousand years, they wouldn't be able to catch up to that man's swordsmanship."
"Try blabbering that kind of nonsense in front of Sir Helkin once. I can clearly see the insults you'd get."
Just then, the sound of rapid footsteps was heard. The rookie squad member, Eric, came running to the terrace, panting.
"B-Big trouble! Commander!"
"What is it?"
"I came to deliver news from the sentries. A Centaur force is currently invading the Imperial Palace! They are entering through the back gate garden right now!"
"The back gate garden?"
The two Knight Commanders looked at each other and chuckled. As Eric fretted, Seira gently told him,
"Train your rookies properly, Lennox."
"My apologies."
"W-Why are you acting like this?" Eric asked, puzzled.
Lennox put down his teacup and stood up.
"The back gate garden is where the 1st Knight Commander, Sir Helkin, takes his night stroll at this hour. I just hope their lives are still attached by the time we arrive."
The Target: The Emperor
The Emperor of the Leorcan Empire.
Ranford Leorcan.
The reason Kang Yoonsoo intended to kill the Emperor was simple.
'It's easier to kill a senile old man early on.'
If it's just a senile old man, one should recommend convalescence. However, if that old man is the highest authority on the continent, the story is different.
'The Emperor is a master of misjudgment.'
In his youth, Emperor Ranford's political power was outstanding. He had completely defended his own faction amidst opposing nobles. But his judgment, clouded by old age, would eventually tear apart the destiny of the continent.
'He still possesses decent mental fortitude for now. But in a few years, it's certain the Emperor will block my path.'
Normally, he wouldn't have gone as far as the extreme choice of assassinating the Emperor. But since it was his final life, he had to choose the best among all his options. That was why Kang Yoonsoo planned to assassinate the Emperor tonight.
'In a way, dying now might be fortunate for the Emperor himself.'
However, the target was the Emperor, the highest authority of the Imperial Palace. Piercing through the strict security of the Imperial Palace with just three people to assassinate him? No matter who looked at it, it was an impossible task.
Yet, Kang Yoonsoo was confident.
Because he had done it before.
'At this time, they should be showing up soon.'
Kang Yoonsoo looked around the darkened Imperial Palace. As time passed, the space twisted momentarily. Under the moonlight, a group of hundreds wearing black robes appeared via teleportation.
"Who are those people?"
"Shh."
Kang Yoonsoo watched them quietly. A large figure shouted in a gloomy voice.
"Finally today, the day the seventh lunar halo sets. Our long preparation bears fruit."
A low cheer followed. The unfamiliar group took off their pitch-black robes and raised their respective weapons.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
The sound of rough hooves arose. Their true identity was none other than Centaurs. Unlike normal Centaurs, they had pitch-black eyes and a sickly blueish skin.
Yoo Sido smacked his lips with an apathetic look.
"The Centaurs of Laukel Forest. Why did those guys who covet black magic more than meth come here?"
The Centaurs of Laukel Forest are a demi-human race possessing both strong physical power and agility. The leader Centaur shouted in an excited voice.
"Humans have destroyed our forest and trampled upon our home! Today, we will unmistakably show our wrath for our lost forest. By destroying the Imperial Palace!"
The Centaur unit agreed in unison, raising bows and spears wrapped in pitch-black darkness. Kang Yoonsoo nodded silently.
'Keep drawing attention just like now.'
The Imperial Palace was equipped with formidable combat power, even down to a single guard. To infiltrate the heavily guarded palace, they had to piggyback on the Centaurs' attack.
'On the flip side, if we mistakenly get caught up in the fight, we die instantly.'
To survive safely and assassinate the Emperor, a secret plan was needed. Kang Yoonsoo took an old book out of his backpack.
'The combination book written personally by the Last Necromancer, Nacron.'
It was an item obtained as a reward during a legendary request. It was a book containing combination methods for high-tier undead that an ordinary necromancer wouldn't even dream of.
He quickly flipped through the pages.
Combination methods for brutal undead like Big Skeletons, Twin-headed Zombies, and Necro Wyverns were listed.
Kang Yoonsoo opened the second-to-last page.
[Skeleton Lich Combination Method]