Chapter 107
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Return
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Thud.
Keka landed hard on his backside.
His stunned, monkey-like expression was an unbecoming sight for a so-called noble and lord.
But from his family and subjects to even the bandit nobles of the Sword Inspection Court chasing them from afar,
no one laughed at Keka.
‘When in the world…!’
From the Black Robe Manor to the Sword Inspection Court.
There were dozens of high-level Awakened Ones from both manors.
And since they were in the middle of a chase, everyone was on high alert.
Yet not a single one of them had noticed the stranger's presence until he spoke.
That was why they couldn't help but grow even more tense.
‘…A chakra user, nearly at the level of a Master.’
They say class and traits are everything for an Awakened One, but there's still a pecking order.
The still-immature [Novice].
The [Adept] who can pull their own weight.
The [Expert] who has fully blossomed their talent.
And finally, the [Master] who has reached the pinnacle of their class.
Even with the same class, the level of power one could wield varied depending on their proficiency.
A [Master]-level high Awakened One was a rare existence, even among nobles.
The higher the class,
and the higher the tier,
the more mana stones and time it took to raise proficiency.
This was especially true given that there were more than a few families where even the head, let alone an average noble, was merely at the [Expert] level.
‘Who is he?’
‘Friend or foe?’
‘Where did a guy like that suddenly pop out from…!’
And so, as everyone from both the Black Robe Manor and the Sword Inspection Court tensed up and watched the stranger,
Keka’s eyes widened.
Being right in front of him, he was the first to notice.
The stranger who had appeared behind him had a small, slender build like a young girl, and a white half-mask covering his eyes.
“D-Don’t tell me, the White-Masked Young Master?!”
“You know who I am?”
“…Is there a noble in the Deformed City who doesn’t know of you, Gongja?”
He was already famous,
but he’d gone and launched a preemptive strike on the Dogwi-ryeon.
He was the very person who had become the spark for this war, turning the Deformed City upside down, only to then vanish without a trace and cause another stir.
For a moment, Keka felt awkward about meeting such a rising star in this situation.
But then he snapped out of it, realizing this was no time for that, and hastily introduced himself.
“I-I am Keka of the Black Robe Manor, a member of the anti-bandit coalition formed by Lord Urk of Nangrang Fortress!”
“Oh, you’re friends with that orc fellow? I’m the White-Masked Young Master. Nice to meet you.”
“A pleasure to meet you too… No, this isn’t the time for that!”
Why was he the only one feeling frustrated?
Suppressing the urge to explode at the nonchalant response, Keka pointed behind him.
“We’re being pursued by the bandit nobles of the Dogwi-ryeon!”
“Looks like it.”
“If you understand, then hurry and help us!”
Despite his frustration at the White-Masked Young Master’s clueless reaction, Keka felt a glimmer of hope.
The tale of the White-Masked Young Master toppling seven bandit families was famous.
He had even brought down three of them at once.
If even half of that rumor were true, escaping this crisis would be possible with his cooperation.
However…
“Hm? Why should I?”
“…?”
“…?”
“W-What? I just told you. I’m part of the anti-bandit coalition, and they’re the bandit nobles of the Dogwi-ryeon.”
“And what does that have to do with anything?”
“…!?!?”
“I have a policy against working for free.”
Even if he was close with Urk, and even if he was an enemy of the Dogwi-ryeon,
he wasn't Urk's subordinate, nor had he ever joined the anti-bandit coalition.
He had no particular obligation to help them.
Staring at the nonchalant White-Masked Young Master with the expression of a monkey that had just been smacked on the back of the head, Keka belatedly shouted in bewilderment.
“You think they’re going to leave you alone?! After they’re done with us, you’re next!”
“That’s a separate issue.”
“Wh-Wha-What…”
Whether he was crazy, out of his mind, or just a complete lunatic,
as Keka, struck speechless upon realizing the White-Masked Young Master’s true nature—something the rumors hadn't prepared him for—could only open and close his mouth,
a burst of laughter was heard.
“Kikiki! Clinging to a kite with its string cut. How like a foolish monkey!”
“White-Masked Young Master, alone. Insignificant.”
“I’ll take this chance to cut off your head and receive a reward from the Alliance Head!”
Perhaps because they were all high-level Awakened Ones, they had overheard the entire conversation.
The bandit nobles of the Sword Inspection Court revealed their menacing auras along with their scorn.
Even if he was a chakra Master,
there was no way the White-Masked Young Master could have crushed so many noble houses on his own.
The fact that they were in the middle of a Labyrinth, where he couldn't receive aid from the Lord of Nangrang Fortress, and that even the Waryong Manor was in such ruins, was proof that the White-Masked Young Master was a kite with its string cut.
To them, who were now certain, the White-Masked Young Master's words were nothing but a simple bluff.
The excuses of a coward afraid to join the fight, and an opportunity for them to earn merit.
They believed it without a doubt.
“Hmm…”
And objectively speaking,
their judgment was somewhat correct.
The reason the White-Masked Young Master had been able to raid several bandit families was thanks to his skillful use of surprise attacks and picking them off one by one.
If he had actually fought twenty high-level Awakened Ones head-on, he would have been busy trying to land a single blow before fleeing.
…If this had been before, that is.
“You’re in luck, mister.”
“…What?”
“The kitchen happened to collapse, so I was just taking a break after coming to find the nearest divine beast to feed the kids a proper meal, since they’ve only been eating preserved food…”
That was why.
With a slight tilt of his head,
after gazing blankly at the Sword Inspection Court,
the White-Masked Young Master opened his mouth with a bright smile.
“This time, I’ll do it on credit, special for you.”
“…???”
“Arsha.”
“Yes, Seobangnim.”
What that meant,
before he could even comprehend,
Keka felt a chill.
A woman appeared the moment the White-Masked Young Master called her name.
Her face was hidden by a mask, so her race was unknown,
but her slender, toned figure and graceful voice alone conveyed her beauty.
The White-Masked Young Master said to her casually.
“Do you need my help?”
“No. Just lending me the vassals will be enough.”
“Really? Then I’ll just watch. Take the kids and have fun.”
“Understood.”
It was right after she answered with a respectful bow.
That several voices were heard from all around.
“Putting us to work again right after all that hardship. Our master is truly rough in his handling of vassals.”
Slowly,
a girl with purple twintails, bound in chains and a straitjacket, emerged as if rising from the young master’s shadow.
*Munch, munch.*
As if she had just raided the kitchen,
a girl of the hunting tribe peeked out from inside the Black Robe Manor, chewing on a large chunk of meat.
“I’m a bard… not bait for luring monsters…”
As if he had developed some kind of trauma,
a boy of the Myoto tribe muttered with hollow eyes, clutching his lute.
“Hehehe. I, Kael, son of Chavera, will show you exactly what a living hell looks like.”
“…I like the sound of that. It was a little, no, a lot unfair that we were the only ones who went through it.”
Appearing while carrying a box larger than his own torso,
were a young man of the Kobold Leader tribe with one ear half-torn, a haggard-looking woman, and others.
Keka’s eyes widened at the appearance of the group, who had approached without him, a high-level Awakened One, even noticing—they seemed to be masters of moving without a trace, but…
he soon realized.
That was only the beginning.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
As the hunting tribe girl who had been chewing meat stretched as if to chase away her drowsiness,
the Waryong Manor, which had looked as desolate as a ghost domain, began to vibrate violently, and from beneath it, a massive, scar-covered lizard—a basilisk—rose to its feet.
And…
“Squeak, another battle…”
“Ribbit, I hate fighting now. I’m sick of monsters. I just want to farm in peace…”
“At least it’s people this time, not monsters.”
“Ugh, let’s finish this quickly and rest.”
From atop the half-demolished mansion,
figures appeared one after another.
The shackles around their necks made their status as slaves clear at a glance.
But seeing them exude an aura far too menacing for mere slaves, Keka realized.
They were the White-Masked Young Master’s slave soldiers.
The Awakened slaves who had made a name for themselves in the Deformed City by being dispatched here and there for a cheap price.
But that only made it harder to understand.
‘No, with just those forces and a manor like that, where does this confidence come from…?’
Even if the White-Masked Young Master’s slave soldiers were famous, it was only because one could easily rent high-quality slaves.
But in the end, they were still low-level Awakened Ones.
They might be useful for menial tasks like farming, cooking, construction, metallurgy, or paperwork, but in combat, they were only slightly better than ordinary people.
In contrast, the bandit nobles of the Sword Inspection Court had over twenty high-level Awakened Ones alone.
With dozens of low-level Awakened vassals and the regular bandits combined, their numbers easily surpassed two hundred.
Even if the Black Robe Manor and Waryong Manor joined forces to fight with all their might, their chances of victory were slim.
For a moment, he felt bewildered, unable to understand why not only the White-Masked Young Master and his vassals, but even the slave soldiers, were so relaxed.
Keka finally clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Ahem! If you are concerned about my pride, I will gladly cooperate, so please don’t mind…”
“Orr Kai, ram them.”
“KYAOOO!!!”
“Hey, now?!?!”
Before he could even finish proposing his cooperation,
at the command of the masked woman,
the hunting tribe girl let out a great roar,
and Keka was aghast to see the basilisk, carrying the Waryong Manor on its back, begin to charge toward the Sword Inspection Court.
The bandit nobles of the Sword Inspection Court, equally horrified, tried to evade the basilisk, but…
the Sword Inspection Court’s divine beast, the Axe Beak, which had been running at full speed to close the distance with the Black Robe Manor, couldn't react to its driver’s command in time.
And by now, the two manors were already too close to use magic or other tricks.
The result was an inevitable collision.
“All hands! Brace for impact…!”
*KWAAAAANG!!!*
“Kiiiaaak!”
“Gah! Th-These crazy bastards…!”
The giant lizard slammed into them with its body.
The ostrich-like divine beast, nearly thrown back and toppled by the impact, flailed about before barely regaining its balance.
Debris rained down from the already half-crumbled Waryong Manor, while all sorts of furniture overturned in the Sword Inspection Court.
Seeing some of the bandits groaning with broken bones,
the bandit nobles ground their teeth.
Even for them, pirate lords who had raided countless manors, this was the first time they had experienced such a mindlessly brutal ramming attack.
It was a good thing the manors were protected from the vibrations and shock by the power of the divine beasts.
Without the goddess’s protection, the entire manor would have collapsed, and everyone would have been sent flying.
“Keek! These bastards and their petty tricks…!”
“Are you trying, to take us down with you?!”
“Hmph! It seems you want to take us down with you since you have no confidence in winning, but this is nowhere near enough!”
“Everyone, attack! Leave no one alive!!!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Perhaps because the fear of nearly being crushed, manor and all, had turned into rage,
at the fierce command of the bandit nobles, the bandits who had been sent sprawling also picked up their weapons and responded.
The driver operated the drawbridge,
forcibly laying it down to create a path.
They swarmed toward the Waryong Manor like a hive of bees.
To wipe out all the slave soldiers in the Waryong Manor, and then move on to attack the Black Robe Manor.
But…
*Kwaang!!!*
“Gak?!”
*Fwoosh!*
“Gyaak!”
“What…?”
The bandit nobles, who were about to follow their men to attack the Waryong Manor while keeping the Black Robe Manor’s support forces in check, froze.
No, it wasn't just them.
Keka, who had been pestering his driver to connect the Black Robe Manor to the other two,
and the members of the Black Robe Manor who were preparing for battle on his command, all froze with dumbfounded expressions.
“Wh-What in the…”
“…Impossible.”
It wasn't just that the bandits at the forefront of the charge on Waryong Manor had been blown away by magic,
or that they were being felled one after another by arrows flying like beams of light.
It was the place where those sudden attacks had come from.
Namely, from the roof of the Waryong Manor.
From the bluish aura,
the colorless, transparent chakra,
the milky-white mana,
to the red spiritual energy,
the sight of the slave soldiers, each radiating a different shimmering haze of power, left them completely stunned.
“All those slaves were high-level Awakened Ones?!?!”
Before those who were dumbstruck by the sight could even come to their senses,
over thirty high-level Awakened Ones—more than the combined forces of three noble houses—descended upon the Sword Inspection Court.