Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Secret of the Totem (3)
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“What do you mean by that?”
Axion demanded the facts from the guy with a face stiff as stone,
“Th-that...!”
and at the answer that followed soon after, he ground his teeth until they nearly shattered.
Crunch!
* * *
After hearing that Axion was going around destroying the bases of other factions, Theo and Ray changed their strategy.
“A sudden thought.”
“......?”
“What if we turn the tables on them?”
“Turn... the tables?”
“Yeah. If they realize their own bases keep getting raided, they’d be pretty pissed, right? Plus, we could rack up points fast too.”
Ray nodded, thinking it was a good idea.
She had reached the peak of hostility after brushing death’s door under Axion and the Dragon Cult’s pressure.
On top of that, Axion was holding first place by snatching points meant for the Dragon Cult’s examinees.
For Ray, who had always been stuck in second, she wanted to drag Axion down somehow.
“And it’s not just Axion gunning for us, right? In a situation where who-knows-what could pop up anytime, if we’re cleaning up anyway, better to sweep them all at once.”
“You’ve got a good idea.”
“For now.”
Theo nodded.
What he wanted wasn’t simple victory.
-Overwhelming victory.
One that made everyone fear him, kneel before him, bow their heads on instinct.
A victory so clear no one could deny it.
Dragon Cult, Plum Palace, Central Intelligence Bureau, Elder Council... even those who disliked him would have no choice but to concede.
For that, the sacrificial lamb he needed was Axion Ragnar.
If this plan went off well, the name Theo Ragnar would no longer just be the bastard of Rose Palace—it could be firmly etched in people’s minds as the ‘heir to Camellia Palace.’
“Fine. I’ll help with whatever you do.”
Ray nodded as she watched Theo’s cold smile.
She had already vowed inwardly to repay yet another debt to Theo.
And so, the alliance between Theo and Ray began.
And...
“Wh-what the hell is this!”
“T-Theo Ragnar! Ray Ragnar’s here too!”
“Damn it...! Why of all places here...!”
From that moment, they began raiding the safe zones occupied by the Dragon Cult at breakneck speed.
Safe zones left with only minimal manpower had no chance against Theo and Ray.
Totems shattered, magic beasts summoned every time.
After hunting them down, all the stockpiled supplies were smashed too.
That was the reason Theo and Ray could pile up points so quickly.
Thanks to that.
As each day passed, the two’s mid-rankings climbed rapidly.
<Mid-Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (611 points)
2nd. Axion Ragnar (590 points)
3rd. Wellington Narsio (526 points)
4th. Theo Ragnar (500 points)
.
.
Theo, who had been in the mid-ranks, soon shot up to 4th place,
<Mid-Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (654 points)
2nd. Axion Ragnar (600 points)
3rd. Theo Ragnar (573 points)
4th. Wellington Narsio (531 points)
.
.
then to 3rd,
<Mid-Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (674 points)
2nd. Theo Ragnar (612 points)
3rd. Axion Ragnar (610 points)
.
.
and finally to 2nd, surpassing Axion.
“Find them! Find those bastards no matter what!”
From then on, Axion began rampaging wildly to track down Theo and Ray somehow.
But with so few numbers and their ghost-like movements, it was impossible to pin them down.
Even if they managed to locate them, by the time Axion arrived, they’d been gone for ages.
[Came and went]
[Too late, feet washed and off to bed]
[Can’t step it up? Even grubs move faster than you lot.]
On top of that, Theo and Ray left taunting messages at the spots they’d hit, making Axion clutch the back of his neck.
In the end, nearly 70% of the Dragon Cult’s painstakingly built bases crumbled,
their forces picked off one by one, with a huge number forced to retire.
But the bigger problem was.
That Axion had wasted so much time chasing Theo and Ray that he couldn’t properly rack up points.
In the end,
<Mid-Rankings>
1st. Theo Ragnar (721 points)
2nd. Ray Ragnar (718 points)
3rd. Axion Ragnar (622 points)
.
.
Theo had taken 1st place.
“Aaaargh!”
Crash!
Axion, beyond furious, hurled everything he could grab to the ground.
“Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar...!”
His eyes bulged red with rage.
Ed’s words about somehow rescuing Theo from the Elder Council Leader’s hunting dog were long erased from his mind.
He wouldn’t feel satisfied until he caught and killed Theo.
“Uh, Axion...!”
Just then, one of his subordinates cautiously called out to him.
As Axion’s irritated gaze turned his way, the guy broke out in cold sweats but barely managed to speak.
“People... from Plum Palace... arrived...”
“Plum Palace?”
Axion furrowed his brow in utter confusion.
“Y-yeah... And from the Elder Council too...”
Plum Palace followed by the Elder Council?
It was a combination that made no sense.
But here, there was a common denominator: Theo Ragnar.
Axion rose from his seat.
“Bring them.”
* * *
“Rumors have been flying that Theo Ragnar’s got your face all twisted up lately. Looks like it really is rotting.”
Felix was a training swordsman from Plum Palace, possessing considerable talent—rumored to be the top candidate if the Plum Palace Lord ever took a disciple.
But such speculation had vanished completely with Theo’s emergence.
Because of that, Felix harbored immense hostility toward Theo.
To the point of ignoring the Plum Palace Lord’s relayed message through the proctor.
-Since the Elder Council Leader or Central Intelligence Chief’s beasts are likely to target Theo, support him from behind.
That was the very reason he had come to find Axion.
Swoosh!
Blades pressed tight to both sides of Felix’s neck.
The eyes of the Dragon Cult examinees aiming swords at him were fierce.
“Hey, easy now, easy. Mess around twice and you might not keep your head.”
But Felix didn’t take the threat seriously at all.
Hidden in the shadow of the North’s Four Geniuses or not, he was talented enough to be counted among the elites.
And across from him.
“Enough chit-chat. Let’s get to the point. Isn’t the goal here for everyone present to take down Theo Ragnar?”
At the words tossed out by Morgan from the Elder Council Leader’s faction, Axion and Felix’s gazes turned that way.
“Now that it’s confirmed the Hydes are all dead, we’re in a position where we absolutely must catch Theo Ragnar. We can’t allow some filthy bastard to harm a noble direct lineage.”
Morgan continued with a face hardened cold.
“So first, I want to check if you’re willing to join hands. Of course, the targets for retribution include not just Theo Ragnar, but also Ray Ragnar and Wellington Narsio helping him.”
Morgan looked ready to charge out and grab Theo right then.
‘Crazy zealot bastards.’
Axion snorted openly at the likes of them.
He held deep disgust for the purebloodists who called themselves the ‘Ragnar order police’ on ordinary days.
Sure, he too took immense pride in being a direct descendant of the great Ragnars.
But that was because he possessed the skills and talents befitting a direct descendant—not simply because of his born bloodline.
What if the bloodline was superior but skills and talent lacking?
He’d be the first to step up and eliminate them.
There’d be no greater shame.
But for purebloodists, none of that mattered.
To them, only origin, status, and bloodline counted.
Worthless idiots with nothing else to show.
That was Axion’s impression of them.
That was why he held deep contempt for Felix on the same wavelength.
Clueless about his own place, blinded by jealousy into hating Theo.
A hunting dog should act like one—don’t try to become the master.
If you really wanted that spot, you’d have to live with some ‘thinking’... but Felix lacked any such thing.
But right now, it was a situation where even a cat’s paw would do.
Axion decided to sit back and watch while those two rampaged ignorantly for a bit.
Once it was all over?
‘I’ll catch them. Time to teach them their place.’
Axion’s eyes flashed coldly for a moment.
But only briefly.
Soon, one corner of his mouth curled up.
“No matter our individual goals, we can join hands for now. Right. If you’ve gathered us all like this, sounds like you’ve got something specific in mind. Mind sharing?”
Felix swallowed dryly for a very brief moment.
He could feel Axion’s malice hitting him full force.
Knowing well the fate of those who fell out of the guy’s favor, he opened cautiously.
“You all already know about the hidden piece concealed in the totems, right?”
Axion and Morgan gave no particular reply.
As if to say, keep going.
“I heard you have the totem that can summon a beast with a purple magic core. Let’s use that and set a trap.”
Felix called over the companion who had come with him.
Thud!
The moment he unwrapped the bundle he’d been carrying, Morgan let out a light sound of admiration.
It was packed with over a dozen totems.
“We’ll put these up as our contribution.”
Axion read Felix’s intent and sneered.
“Lure the idiot bastard in first with the purple magic beast totem, then mass-summon with these and gang up on him?”
“Exactly.”
As Felix nodded heavily, Axion clapped and burst into loud laughter.
“Wow! Felix, you’ve got some real balls, huh? Never would’ve guessed!”
The reason Theo and Ray had racked up points so quickly wasn’t just stealing the Dragon Cult’s totems—they’d also cherry-picked high-level magic beasts to hunt.
In other words, place a purple magic beast totem, and Theo wouldn’t be able to resist.
Felix meant to plant a bomb right here.
No matter how skilled, he wouldn’t be able to handle a swarm of magic beasts.
“Since our goal is to catch Theo Ragnar somehow. What’s your answer?”
“Fine. We’ll throw in our remaining totems too. The more beasts, the better.”
Axion grinned happily before turning his gaze to Morgan.
“They’re going this far—what about you guys, Morgan?”
As he did, he lightly tapped the sword hilt with his finger.
Meaning: say you’re out, and I act now.
If word of this conspiracy leaked, everyone was doomed—so join in.
Morgan frowned as if displeased, but soon twisted one corner of his mouth in reply.
“We’ll match with twelve totems too. That should make over thirty magic beasts.”
“Oh, big shot, huh?”
“And.”
“More?”
“Thinking of bringing two more for the plan.”
“Who? If you’re dragging in randos, forget it. Useless numbers just mean headaches.”
“No need to worry. Axion, you’ll like them too.”
“Who is it?”
Axion tilted his head, no one coming to mind,
“Hol...!”
right as Morgan cold-laughed and started to say something.
Flinch!
A sudden chill crawling up their spines.
The three faces turned upward simultaneously.
As if by prior agreement.
* * *
“If they move exactly as predicted, it gets boring, doesn’t it?”
Atop the hill overlooking the forest edge where Axion, Felix, Morgan, and the rest were huddled in conspiracy.
Theo stood at the rim, letting out a hollow chuckle.
They thought they’d secured the perimeter thoroughly, calling it caution,
but to Theo—who’d spent his life on intel ops—it looked utterly amateurish.
Above all.
His spirit-enhanced vision far surpassed any ordinary telescope.
Even from this distance, he could monitor their every move.
“P-please, untie me now...! Th-this is enough, right...!”
Just then, Orient—bound tight behind him with ropes—pleaded desperately.
They’d been able to uncover even the Dragon Cult’s hidden safe zones thanks to his loose lips.
Fear of Theo had shattered his loyalty to Axion.
And now, even Axion’s position was exposed.
For him, all he wanted was to bolt from here right now.
The problem was whether this inhuman Theo would actually let him go...!
“Fine. A promise is a promise.”
Contrary to expectations, Theo far too readily sliced the ropes binding Orient with his drake blade.
Orient stood there stunned for a moment before bolting in the opposite direction as fast as he could.
Lest Theo change his mind any second.
“Just let him go like that?”
Ray watched the guy’s back and tilted her head,
but Theo just smirked and told her not to worry.
“Anyway, that guy’s got nowhere to go. Axion aside, the Central Intelligence Chief won’t leave him be.”
Ray nodded silently.
Indeed, the Ed she knew wasn’t the type to forgive traitors.
“Then we use that now?”
Theo nodded and flung open the sack at his feet.
“Let’s show them traps aren’t just something they can make.”
Inside were over thirty disposable artifacts stuffed to the brim.
Originally meant to be deployed for hunting summoned magic beasts,
but Theo’s were all brand-new, never used once.
If lightning bolts suddenly rained down like fireworks from the sky, they’d be thrilled to death, right?
Theo thought that as he reached into the sack.