Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Tulip Mausoleum (5)
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“Those who took the child were Shimuyacha?”
A chilling voice leaked out from beneath the mask.
“Yes. That’s what we’ve heard.”
“There’s nowhere that bastard isn’t tangled up in.”
Arct furrowed his brow at the report brought by the Blue-Black Squad captain.
Shimuyacha.
The matter of Theo Ragnar was already essential knowledge for Troyvan’s vassals.
The one who had crushed Ed’s ambition to devour the Ragnars.
The thief who stole the Dragon-Slaying Sword Balmung.
The saboteur who eliminated their influence in the Floating Archipelago Self-Governing Territory and even snatched away Krimhild’s secret.
And… the Selector.
Just the fact that he could open the relic of the Ancient Dragon was enough to raise alarms, yet the guy kept smashing every single one of Troyvan’s schemes.
And now this time too.
It was a situation that couldn’t help but enrage him.
He desperately wanted to lead the entire Blue-Black Squad and scale the walls right then and there.
“But the other bastards there are the problem.”
Not only was there the Back Dragon who had taken one of his arms, but also the infamous Leje and the Reaper Squad.
Clashing head-on would make it hard to slip Cassandra out.
“In the end, do I have to drag those guys in too? What a pain.”
Fortunately, there were reinforcements not far from here who would rush over the moment he called.
However, he didn’t want to see those smug bastards strutting around, so he’d been avoiding reaching out if possible.
But now, it seemed there was no other choice.
After all, what mattered to them in the end was the greater cause, not personal feelings.
“Still, given the location, even they won’t be able to move carelessly, right?”
“Would they hesitate to swing their swords recklessly in the mausoleum?”
“Aren’t the Ragnars the type who hold their own history as sacred?”
“What a joke. They babble about history and tradition after forgetting their own ‘true’ roots.”
The laughter leaking from beneath the mask was unmistakably a sneer.
“And the mausoleum is something we’ll need to seize for ourselves someday. Why not join forces on this?”
“Fine. Since it’s come to this, let’s shake up the board big time.”
Arct’s eyes twisted behind the mask.
“But first, we need to secure the child so she doesn’t get swept up in the chaos…”
Arct issued several orders, and the Blue-Black Squad captain shouted “Understood!” before quietly vanishing.
* * *
“Tomorrow… Theo oppa will leave too, right?”
Cassandra was a smart child.
That’s why she understood her own situation better than anyone, and she knew very well the value she held.
Her mother and the villagers had died because of her ability.
The ability to see the future.
People living in those high places would surely need her.
So she had anticipated that Theo would soon hand her over to the people here.
The one silver lining was that these people were the ones Theo had brought.
Theo had told her.
These were good people, unlike those terrifying uncles, so she didn’t need to worry.
She could trust them.
Theo was a very good person who shared secrets with her.
“But before we part, I want to help oppa too! Why does it keep not working?”
This damn ability never showed what she wanted easily.
Even so, after struggling like this, it would usually reveal fragments.
But strangely, trying to see anything related to Theo never worked well.
It felt like it kept catching on something.
Maybe the ability wasn’t activating properly?
“But that sister’s future… I saw it clearly.”
The image of Leje sitting on a jade throne, leading countless people, was still vivid in Cassandra’s memory.
Those people all gave off a vibe different from ordinary folk.
But still, they all obeyed Leje’s words.
So the ability wasn’t broken.
“It’s just… just not visible. Theo oppa.”
-As if he’s detached from this world all by himself.
That thought rose to the tip of her tongue, but Cassandra couldn’t voice it.
Saying it like that would make Theo seem not human.
Knock knock.
“Lady Cassandra, I’ve brought some refreshments. Would you like some?”
As Cassandra’s thoughts deepened, a knock and the servant’s voice came.
Pastries!
Instantly, color returned to Cassandra’s gloomy face.
In the slums, she couldn’t have them even if she wanted, but here they just gave them if she asked.
It was the second reason Cassandra saw the Ragnars as a great place.
“Yes!”
“Then, if I may.”
The door opened, and the sound of the servant entering came.
Click-clack, click-clack—
Footsteps approaching this way.
Cassandra tilted her head.
“Um… sister.”
“Yes, Lady Cassandra.”
The voice was definitely that of the maid she’d been chatting with just before.
“By any chance, did you bump into something?”
Were the footsteps just slightly off?
“I twisted my ankle a bit while carrying things earlier, but is it bothering you?”
“Oh, no, not that! I was just worried if you were uncomfortable!”
“Then I’m glad. I’ll set the refreshments on the table here.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Cassandra nodded but couldn’t shake off her suspicion.
The maid always placed things on the bedside table so Cassandra wouldn’t have to move uncomfortably.
Why the table…!
That was the moment.
Whoosh!
New visions flooded Cassandra’s dark sight.
A woman in maid attire placed the tray on the table.
But beneath the tray was a tiny needle hidden.
The needle soon pierced the nape of her own neck as she ate the pastry…
Her vision darkened again.
Cassandra unwittingly staggered back.
“Oops. You noticed, huh?”
“…!”
“I mimicked not just the face, but habits and speech perfectly. How’d you figure it out? Thanks to your ability again?”
Help!
Terrified, Cassandra wanted to scream, but the assassin disguised as the maid moved first.
The assassin planned to knock Cassandra out in one go and slip out of the compound.
She was confident she wouldn’t get caught leaving, just like when she infiltrated.
She had a very capable accomplice here.
But it all backfired.
Just before the needle reached Cassandra, the shadow rippled upward.
A grotesque gray-white monster tore through the black shadow, growling.
Keeeeek!
“What in the…!”
Theo had left Umbra with Cassandra in case she got bored alone.
It could double as a bodyguard when needed, but he hadn’t imagined Troyvan would attack this place with the Back Dragon and Leje here—and it luckily paid off.
The needle couldn’t pierce Umbra’s tough scales and bounced off,
Umbra lunged at the assassin with its cogwheel-like jagged teeth.
Crunch!
The assassin barely dodged the attack and leaped back wide.
No matter how she tried to secure a path to Cassandra, Umbra’s massive bulk filled the room, leaving no gaps.
Boom boom crash!
On top of that, Umbra rampaged as if indoor furnishings meant nothing.
It slashed at the assassin with wings stiff like blades, spewed black breath that looked like poison from its maw.
In the end, windows shattered and pillars collapsed, shaking the entire building with tremors.
“What’s going on!”
“M-monster?”
“Damn! An assassin! Alert the top now!”
The compound’s guards finally appeared, spotting Umbra and the assassin, and the Reaper Squad hurried to protect Cassandra.
“Shit.”
The assassin grimaced at the tightening encirclement.
It seemed her plan to quietly kidnap Cassandra and escape had gone awry.
Then there was only one option left.
She pulled a cylinder from her bosom and yanked the pin toward the collapsed ceiling.
Pew, boom boom boom!
Soon, a red signal flare bloomed thickly into the sky,
Ding ding ding ding ding—!
Warning alarms blared noisily from all directions.
The Blue-Black Squad waiting outside launched a simultaneous assault.
-This is bad!
-Enemy attack! Troyvan’s targeting the mausoleum!
-Hold them off! We have to protect this place no matter what!
-Reaper Squad, hurry and guard the child! Don’t let them reach her!
-What’s that? It’s not just Troyvan!
-It’s the Holy Demon Church! They’ve shown up too!
-Those cult bastards think this is their playground…!
Desperate screams and chaotic movements echoed from everywhere.
“Fools who follow the false roots.”
The assassin sneered coldly at Umbra and the swordsmen poised to subdue her.
“Your misguided loyalty will never receive the ancestors’ choice and blessing—only scorn and curses!”
Boom!
Spouting incomprehensible nonsense, the assassin hurled herself toward Cassandra.
In that instant, her skin flushed beet red, as if about to burst.
“R-Reverse Blood Explosion Art?”
“There’s Blood Light Harmony too! Damn it! Triggering both at once? She’s insane!”
The infamy of the Reverse Blood Explosion Art was now well-known even in Ragnar.
A suicide technique that staked one’s life to reverse mana flow, yanking the realm up several stages in an instant.
With the Holy Demon Church’s prized Blood Priest technique added, the assassin’s aura shook the very air.
Rumble—
Umbra crouched low and charged at the assassin, while the swordsmen tensed to meet her.
Flutter!
Suddenly, two silhouettes dropped from the sky, blocking the assassin’s path.
Claaaang!
Boom—
Theo was first, roughly deflecting the assassin’s assault with a mana-charged kick from Balmung,
Wellington followed a beat later, slipping into her blind spot for a strike.
Slash—
Spurt!
The assassin’s head cleanly separated, flying into the air.
A perfectly precise joint attack.
But Theo and Wellington didn’t let their guard down.
Assassins like her were charging from all sides.
And an even fiercer presence was approaching.
“Young Master Theo!”
“I know. This’ll be a tough fight.”
Theo and Wellington’s gazes locked on the same spot.
Dozens of thugs stood atop the building’s roof, led by one man.
“Theo Ragnar. It was you again this time.”
A sinister voice echoed from beneath the wooden mask.
“Same face as the one from Nojeba.”
“Don’t compare me to that fool.”
“You seem the bigger fool? Lost an arm and still picking fights?”
Theo wasn’t surprised by Arct’s appearance.
He’d already heard from Wellington about clashing with Troyvan’s vassal before arriving at the Tulip Flower Arrangement Guild.
Apparently, the Back Dragon had taken his left arm.
Arct scowled, displeased at having his prior defeat to the Back Dragon pointed out.
“You’ve got quite the mouth.”
“Won’t it sting more when your plan fails?”
“The child chases false roots. I’ll tear apart you who walk the path of delusion and set everything right.”
“Sorry, but you won’t be my opponent.”
“How dare you filthy feet step into this sacred ground—!”
High in the sky.
With a thunderous echo and storm-like aura, the Back Dragon appeared, standing tall on the rooftop opposite Arct.
“Yes. I knew you’d show. Let’s finish that unfinished bout from last time.”
“You bastard—!”
Arct and the Back Dragon clashed in midair.
Kwaaaaang!
The massive shockwave shook the entire guild compound.
“While Well and I hold here, take the child and get out!”
Wellington’s telepathic message pierced Theo’s ear sharply.
“Where to?”
“The White Tower! Head there!”
White Tower ruins.
The border zone where Ragnar and Troyvan territories overlapped.
The two sides had long disputed ownership, and after the Northern War began, it was the site of their first large-scale clash.
“Understood.”
Theo shared a quick glance with Wellington and moved toward Cassandra.
They couldn’t exchange words aloud since they had to move stealthily, but the two could communicate volumes with just a look.
‘Young Master Theo, rise high. Titles like Third Army Eighth Sword or whatever—they were yours from the start, weren’t they?’
Wellington trusted Theo’s prowess without doubt.
That position had always been too much for him.
He’d merely held it temporarily for Theo; soon, its glory would return to its rightful owner.
With that thought, as he moved to block the Blue-Black Squad charging at Cassandra—
‘…Why is the Reaper Squad…?’
Wellington hurriedly whipped his head the other way at another movement toward Cassandra.
“Theo oppa…!”
The Reaper Squad encircled the shaken Cassandra protectively, with Leje at the front, facing Theo.
“What is this, big sis?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Don’t say such hurtful things, little brother.”
Leje’s cold eyes flashed as her hand went to Shadow Reaper’s hilt.
“I’m just doing what I naturally should.”