Chapter 105
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: War Breaks Out
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The Bandit Guild of the Lord of Giam Fortress.
The Anti-Bandit Alliance of the Lord of Nakrang Fortress.
The actions of these two factions, who had openly declared war on each other, turned the Deformed City upside down.
Everyone was certain that war would soon erupt.
It was to the point that not only the nobility, but even housewives in the lower districts were scraping together their savings to hoard food.
At the same time.
People thought.
That the war would not begin in earnest for at least another month or two.
Even a low-ranking noble would spend dozens of days gathering troops and stockpiling supplies to wage war.
A war between high-ranking nobles, therefore, was unlikely to start so simply.
In truth, they weren’t wrong.
Urk, the Lord of Nakrang Fortress, was at a disadvantage in terms of power and needed to gather allies to fight alongside him, while Rareu Areuga, the leader of the Bandit Guild, needed to recover from his injuries.
Both sides required a certain amount of time before they could begin the war.
“A noble family allied with the Lord of Nakrang Fortress has fallen?”
“The Bandit Guild…! No, has the Lord of Giam Fortress already made his move?”
…Barely ten days had passed since the declaration of war.
That is to say, that was the case until several families were brought down by the Bandit Guild’s sudden surprise attack.
People didn’t know.
With the sudden death of their guild leader, the Thieves’ Guild had defected, and the Bandit Guild was beginning to lose the war of public opinion.
Thus, seeing the Anti-Bandit Alliance rapidly expanding its influence, the Bandit Guild, feeling disadvantaged, had finally decided to act first.
“Khuhuhu, it seems my senior is getting rather impatient… In that case, as his junior, it is my duty to play along.”
But Urk, the one who was attacked, remained unfazed.
As if what was bound to happen had happened.
In less than two days, he mobilized his prepared forces and crushed even more bandit nobles.
In response, the Bandit Guild repeatedly attacked the forces of Nakrang Fortress, and as a result, the two powers began to tear each other apart in a full-blown chaotic brawl.
“Loot everything! We’ll teach them the price of daring to touch the Bandit Guild!”
“M-My Lord! Now is not the time for this!”
“Not the time? You get over there and start looting too! If you dawdle any longer, the other bastards will get to the good stuff first…”
“Our main estate is being looted right now!”
“…What?”
And so…
Far earlier than expected.
The all-out war between the two factions had begun.
And its aftershocks shook the entire Deformed City.
All war materials—from weapons and food to magic stones, warhorses, and metals—were sold out.
As the two factions hastily recruited mercenaries, not only wandering Awakened Ones but even common thugs became valuable commodities.
Nobles who had already chosen a side, as well as families that were still deliberating, scrambled to belatedly align themselves.
Whether they were nobles.
Or commoners.
The sight of the Deformed City, with everyone running about frantically, was utter chaos.
It was enough to be reminiscent of a Labyrinth where a dungeon break had occurred.
“…Already?”
“Yes.”
“This is far too soon.”
And naturally, the commotion spread beyond the Deformed City to other city-states.
The Odobaekryeong, connected by Gates, was a hundred cities and a single world.
Except for small territories wandering the Labyrinth or isolated domains with closed Gates, rumors were bound to spread quickly.
Especially among the information-sensitive nobility.
“My apologies. I should have grasped the situation in the Deformed City more accurately…”
“Was there any way to obtain more accurate information than this?”
“…At present, no.”
“Then, instead of making pointless excuses, come up with a countermeasure to ensure such a mistake does not happen again.”
In that sense.
The nobility of the Baekdaesega, who had long been interested in the Deformed City—
No, to be precise, in a certain key figure within the Deformed City—were naturally aware of the war.
There was just one problem.
“At the very least, make it so we can receive news about my benefactor… no, the White-Masked Young Master, immediately.”
“…Understood, Your Highness.”
Resplendent golden hair.
A blood-red dress.
And a delicate hand holding a jade fan.
An arrogant yet beautiful young woman, stunningly eye-catching in every aspect.
At Elise’s words, the female knight in red armor knelt and bowed her head low.
Though she didn’t show it outwardly.
As a royal guard, she had immediately sensed that her mistress was in a foul mood.
And the reason was clear.
“So, the White-Masked Young Master’s whereabouts are still a complete mystery?”
“…Yes. As he was the starting point of this incident, many in the Deformed City are searching for him, but no one has found him.”
“As expected, it seems he’s avoiding the useless insects.”
“If that is the case, it is a relief, but…”
Should I even say this?
After a moment’s hesitation, the female knight cautiously continued her report.
“There are also those who speculate that the White-Masked Young Master may have already been eliminated by the Bandit Guild.”
“Hmph, what an absurd notion.”
“You do not believe it to be possible?”
“Of course not. There is no way my benefactor would fall to the likes of mere bandits.”
“…”
The female knight wore a peculiar expression.
Of course, the White-Masked Young Master was strong.
Setting aside the tale of him helping Elise, his feat of sweeping through the Bandit Guild made that clear.
But that was on the level of a high-tier Awakened One.
If he were strong enough to provoke the Bandit Guild, which had a transcendent-tier Awakened One, and remain unscathed, the White-Masked Young Master would no longer be considered a mere rising star.
However, she did not bother to refute her mistress’s statement.
Thinking it was a relief that the princess wasn’t more agitated, she simply continued her report calmly.
“There are other rumors as well. For example, that the White-Masked Young Master eloped with the Calamity Princess…”
“What is that nonsense?!?!”
*CRASH!!!*
“…Of course, it is 99% likely a groundless rumor.”
“It’s not 99%, it’s 100%! There is no way the White-Masked Young Master would elope with a villain like her!”
The female knight thought to herself.
If one were to offer a counterargument, it would be that the White-Masked Young Master and the Calamity Princess were already a semi-official couple, so there was no need for them to elope.
Or that the reputation of the Paljongyungma was far too great to be dismissed with the words “the likes of.”
But just as before.
She remained silent this time as well.
Whatever the reason, the possibility of the White-Masked Young Master having fled was slim.
…Of course, the biggest reason was that she didn’t want to end up like the wall that had just been blown away by a swing of Elise’s fan.
This is why guarding a transcendent-tier Awakened One is so difficult.
As she bowed her head in a display of fealty, her mind filled with many such thoughts.
Elise, who had been fuming by herself, finally calmed down after a long while and spoke with her usual, yet particularly haughty, demeanor.
“No matter how ridiculous the rumor, the very fact that such a scandal is circulating about my benefactor is displeasing.”
“A scandal… you say?”
“Do you have something to say?”
“…I was merely lamenting the foolishness of the commoners who would involve the White-Masked Young Master in such a scandal.”
“Hmph, that goes without saying.”
An elopement is usually considered a beautiful story.
While it might be a scandal to outsiders, for the parties involved, it could be romantic.
Whether you’d call it being blinded by love, or simply wearing rose-colored glasses.
Whether her knight wore a peculiar expression as she watched her mistress unconditionally nod at anything involving the White-Masked Young Master.
As if thoroughly displeased.
Elise, who had been frowning, narrowed her eyes as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
“So, what is the state of the war?”
“For now, it is known to be a tight contest, with both sides almost evenly matched, but…”
“And in reality?”
“…According to what I’ve found separately, it seems the Bandit Guild has the upper hand on most fronts where the Lord of Nakrang Fortress is not present.”
“In the end, they couldn’t overcome the difference in power.”
It was only natural.
Even if the Lord of Nakrang Fortress was a high-ranking noble.
The Bandit Guild was one of the largest factions in the Deformed City, and its leader, Rareu Areuga, was also a high-ranking noble.
No matter how many they gathered for the Anti-Bandit Alliance, with the war breaking out before they could even finish assembling their forces, being pushed into a disadvantage was inevitable.
“Still, morale on the Nakrang Fortress side is not said to be too bad.”
“…Is it because of the Calamity Princess?”
“Yes. They believe that as long as she returns, a situation like this can be overturned at any time.”
The female knight’s calm assessment.
Elise could not deny it.
If a high-tier Awakened One was a warrior who could take on a hundred, a transcendent-tier Awakened One was a monster who could take on a thousand.
A living tactical weapon capable of sweeping through a battlefield alone.
What’s more, if it was Pandora, the Calamity Princess, known as the villain among the Paljongyungma?
Unless Rareu Areuga personally intervened, the Bandit Guild would have no way to stop her.
It was so baffling that one couldn’t understand why she had vanished with the White-Masked Young Master at such a crucial time.
“…”
“…Your Highness?”
“I don’t like it.”
The White-Masked Young Master had publicly declared he would take her as his second wife.
And the Calamity Princess, who was still on good terms with him.
The very fact that she held the key to the outcome of this war filled Elise with a strange sense of displeasure, and she furrowed her brow.
The female knight spoke cautiously.
“If by any chance you are thinking of intervening in this war…”
“Hmph, don’t worry. I am well aware that if I do, my sister will intervene as well.”
The Cold-Blooded Princess, Christina.
Elise’s only rival.
And a renowned prodigy even in the Odobaekryeong.
Unlike Elise, whose reputation had hit rock bottom due to her weakness, Dion, Christina had been building a massive power base for a long time.
If Elise were to make a move in this war, Christina would surely notice and step in, which would only put Elise at a greater disadvantage.
Already in an inferior position, Elise could not afford to take such a risk.
‘That fool Dion is nothing but a lifelong obstacle.’
Elise fumed.
If it weren’t for her fiancé, Dion, her influence would not have fallen so far behind.
And when she had met the White-Masked Young Master before, she could have treated him more comfortably.
…Most importantly, she wouldn’t have had to so adamantly refuse the blood the White-Masked Young Master had offered her.
Of course, craving the blood of another man was something only a lowly vampire would do.
Fiancé or not, it was only natural to refuse any more blood once her body had recovered.
Elegant as a flower on a cliff.
Noble as the midnight moon.
Especially for a direct descendant of the Vlad family, who must always maintain their dignity.
But at that time.
From the White-Masked Young Master’s wound.
The blood that had trickled out ever so slightly.
That had drenched her tongue.
That had churned and burrowed down her throat, searing her whole body with heat as it toyed with her.
That blood was so rich.
So sweet it felt like melting.
So… ecstatic.
*Gulp.*
“Your Highness?”
“Hah?! I-I was just lost in thought!”
“?”
Avoiding the knight’s questioning gaze, Elise opened her jade fan and fanned her slightly flushed face for a moment.
As if remembering something.
Elise suddenly stopped fanning.
And with a peculiar expression, she turned her head.
“Lirit, didn’t you request a leave of absence recently?”
“Yes. There is a wine exhibition in the Forging City next month that I was thinking of attending.”
“Going all the way to Gidoryeong just for wine… I didn’t know you had such a hobby.”
“It’s not so much a hobby as a recent interest.”
“Then that’s perfect.”
Perfect for what?
To her bewildered royal guard, Elise spoke with an arrogant smile.
“That leave, would you be willing to take it a little early?”
“…Pardon???”
* * *
“You said Elise’s royal guard went on leave?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”