Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Burning Castle
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Lee Soo-hyuk arrived late at Blood Howler's castle, holding Laura's hand.
The original plan had been to meet Ye-ryeong in front of it. She would surely have gotten what she wanted from this place and finished her business by now.
Whether she had killed Blood Howler's players or not, he had no idea. He had left that entirely up to Ye-ryeong's judgment.
Kill them if they deserved death. Give them a good thrashing if not. He had no worries whatsoever that Ye-ryeong might make the wrong call.
She was just exceptionally good at killing—not someone who killed indiscriminately.
But.
Tadak, tadadak-.
Hwarurur-.
The castle was burning right now.
"Wh-what happened here?"
Laura gasped in shock at the sight of the blazing castle. Knowing her siblings had been dragged here made her surprise all the greater.
"Don't worry too much. Your siblings aren't here."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Everyone who was here were scum who deserved to die."
So he wasn't particularly worried. What he felt now was more curiosity than concern.
A sea of blood, he could understand. But a sea of fire?
"Wait here for a bit."
He couldn't take Laura into that inferno, and he hadn't grasped the situation yet anyway.
He couldn't bring her into a place like this.
"Are you going in there? It's too dangerous—."
Pop-.
Before Laura could finish, Soo-hyuk vanished.
The horrors inside the burning castle met Soo-hyuk's eyes as he entered. Charred black corpses littered the interior.
And in the midst of them.
"You're here?"
Ye-ryeong sat atop one of the bodies.
"Anyone seeing this would think you did it all."
"That's what I'm worried about—people getting the wrong idea."
"Why are you sitting here like this?"
"Thinking."
She truly seemed deep in thought, brow furrowed and face twisted.
"What the hell happened here?"
"Explain."
"I don't know the details either. These robed guys suddenly showed up and killed everyone."
"Robed guys?"
"Red Tower bastards."
He could guess as much from the raging flames alone.
Ye-ryeong had cautiously followed them. To uncover the identities of those who massacred Blood Howler.
"You tailed them?"
"Had to. They'd killed all the leads."
"What did you find out?"
Ye-ryeong shook her head.
"Just pawns following orders."
Meaning there was someone higher up.
Soo-hyuk's expression grew complicated. The mess was secondary; incomprehensible things were happening.
Blood Howler had supplied children to Red Tower for a long time.
Sure, they weren't the only ones doing it. But so far, Dark Map had only confirmed Blood Howler.
For Red Tower to wipe out such a group themselves?
"They said they were sending them to the Deep Sea."
Soo-hyuk startled at Ye-ryeong's abrupt words.
"Deep Sea? You're sure?"
"The guy wasn't bold enough to lie to me with his life on the line."
Ye-ryeong's interrogation methods and judgment had never failed.
Even so, the Deep Sea?
"...They've crossed the line by miles."
Clementine had endured a living hell of being burned alive. He'd thought that their greatest sin. He was wrong.
If they were sending children to the Deep Sea? Anything could happen there—no surprise at all.
"You were right."
Ye-ryeong's voice trembled faintly.
"These fuckers are demons. The worst kind."
So that's what she was doing amid these flames—seething with rage.
It had been ages since he'd seen Ye-ryeong this furious. Unable to vent alone, she turned to Soo-hyuk.
"How have pieces of shit like this been strutting around all this time?"
"Because that's the world we're in now."
Ye-ryeong recalled Soo-hyuk's recent words at his reply.
Only people like us can punish scum like them. Recalling that was a grave misfortune.
"Soo-hyuk."
Perhaps for everyone this resolve would reach.
"Let's kill them all."
The terrorists had no idea how terrifying Ye-ryeong became when she set her mind to killing.
Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong took Laura to a nearby inn. The rest of the group waited there.
Si-woo, Hyo-min, and even Unhyang.
Hyo-min, about to greet them warmly, noticed Ye-ryeong's expression and asked,
"Why are you so pissed?"
Behind her impassive face, Hyo-min detected Ye-ryeong's fury. The angrier she got, the blanker her expression became.
No answer came. Soo-hyuk sent Laura to a room first, then replied.
"They were sending the kids to the Deep Sea."
"The Deep Sea?"
Everyone at the inn jumped in shock.
They knew from Clementine that children were being abducted somewhere, but the Deep Sea?
"What about those bastards?"
"They're dead."
"Dead?"
Not killed by her?
Hyo-min looked puzzled at the subtle difference in nuance. Ye-ryeong explained what happened at Blood Howler's castle.
Then, Si-woo, who had been checking his kit behind her, spoke up.
"Looks like this is it."
Si-woo placed the kit on the table for all to see. Its screen displayed a news article.
The headline alone made stomachs churn. Unable to hold back, Ye-ryeong shouted,
"Who the hell is judging who?!"
"......"
Her words voiced everyone's thoughts.
Blood Howler had merely carried out Red Tower's commission. For those who issued it to brazenly release such an article—it was infuriating.
"Even after cutting off the tail, how are they this shameless...?"
Cutting off the tail was an age-old tactic. When trouble brewed, pin it on the underlings to cover your own tracks.
But Soo-hyuk didn't see this as simple tail-cutting.
"Something's off."
"What's off?"
"Cutting the tail? Now, why?"
A fundamental question.
If it were truly tail-cutting, there had to be a reason. Lizards didn't shed tails without threat.
Yet Red Tower had massacred Blood Howler and spread the news swiftly.
"Uh... yeah?"
Ye-ryeong, fuming over the Deep Sea, finally snapped to it at Soo-hyuk's question.
While fixated on the Deep Sea, Red Tower made moves they couldn't fathom.
They'd severed a tail nurtured for decades. Even if that tail was weak, it didn't lessen the incident's gravity.
Si-woo simplified it.
"One of two things. They felt threatened, or it's not tail-cutting at all."
Soo-hyuk nodded. Both possibilities were open now.
And one more.
"Besides, the real tail hasn't even been scratched."
"Black Tower?"
"Yeah. If it's tied to Red Tower, Black Tower's the prime suspect. Too big a tail to cut."
The Deep Sea and Black Tower dwarfed Blood Howler. They were torsos, not tails, comparable to Red Tower itself.
Essentially, Blood Howler was just the link between Red Tower and the Deep Sea. Easily replaceable anytime.
"I don't know if they're pretending to be clean now, but from Red Tower's view, Black Tower's an uncuttable tail. Otherwise, it'd mean war."
"No need for war."
Unable to bear it longer, Ye-ryeong donned her combat mask.
"We'll cut off that filthy black tail ourselves."
Unhyang voiced unease at her confidence.
"Will it be okay? The opponent's the Deep Sea..."
Si-woo answered Unhyang's worry.
"We should ask them the opposite."
"Pardon?"
"Ask those bastards. With all of us going together, can they really handle it?"
At some point, Si-woo's gaze had turned to the silently brooding Soo-hyuk.
"This guy's doing it for more than just god-tier items."
A shadow fell over Red Tower's pinnacle.
A colossal blue airship blotted the sky, larger than the tower itself. Like a small city afloat, countless people rode atop it.
None among the Red Tower mages gazing up from below were ignorant of it. The blue airship was that famous.
Blue Arden.
One of Blue Zone's two largest flagships.
And only one person in the world could command it.
"You've had a long journey."
Atop Red Tower, basking in cool winds, Nyla welcomed Kim Il-su.
At her warm reception, Kim Il-su beamed and offered a handshake.
"You look even more beautiful since last time."
"Such an embarrassing compliment."
"It's true. Are you aging backwards?"
Knowing it was flattery, Nyla still smiled happily. Praise from a capable man—especially calling her beautiful—could hardly displease.
But these days were too grave for mere laughter and chatter.
"The world's cursing us."
Lately, many reviled Blue Zone and Runeterra for not swiftly slaying Hydra.
"Just the petty voices of the ignorant."
"Too many make it sound loud—that's the problem."
"It'll die down soon. Bigger things are coming."
Nyla's red eyes gleamed at "bigger things."
"Handling Blood Howler—was that the right call?"
"You did well. The key here is giving small to take big. Scum like that can be replaced anytime."
Kim Il-su's subtle smile eased the beholder's mind. Nyla had fallen for it many times, partnering with him on much.
"Force won't take down an archmage."
His words touched Nyla's sore spot.
Pride spoke before her mind could catch up.
"That little girl? I could crush her anytime."
"Of course. But why take the hard road when an easy one exists?"
Nyla's taut nerves relaxed into satisfaction. This was a big reason she stuck close to Kim Il-su.
"That's why I like you. You always say the most pleasing things."
He matched her mood better than anyone. Her fiery temper meshed with his watery calm.
"Surprising, though. You've opposed dealing with the archmage before."
"Situations change. Remove a rolling stone blocking the path."
Gazing toward distant black lands, Kim Il-su's eyes sparkled.
"In a few days, the archmage title will be the Tower Lord's."