Chapter 67: The Mastermind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: The Mastermind
Oscar desperately picked up his broadsword.
Clatter!
He tossed aside the broken hilt. He firmly gripped only the blade, the part that was still useful in battle.
"Haa, haa..."
Exhausted, he let the blade droop heavily before pulling it up once more. A bead of blood hung precariously from its tip.
Oh.
I let out a quiet murmur of admiration. Until now, I had thought of him as nothing more than a military stooge clinging to politicians.
"...Whew."
Oscar’s chest expanded greatly before tightening as he summoned his strength. He glared at me as I steadied my breathing.
The Subspace Barrier had already lifted, leaving Oscar completely defenseless. Whether he realized it or not, his subordinates urgently reached out to him and shouted.
"Captain! That's enough!"
"Shut up!"
A resounding, metallic roar echoed.
The Royal Guards rolling on the ground bit their lips in silence. As the surroundings fell quiet, Oscar moistened his dry, chapped lips.
Outwardly, he didn't even have a minor injury. In other words, he was completely fine—after all, he had just stepped out of the Subspace Barrier.
Mentally, however, Oscar was thoroughly intimidated.
The disappearance of the subspace meant that any attack rushing at him now would mean instant death. Even so, he did not back down.
To be honest, the desperate grit Oscar wrung out of himself moved me not at all. My soul was far too worn out to be touched by such trivial displays.
Not just in age, but as a human being...
Damn it.
Memories of my childhood resurfaced clearly.
My past self, swinging a sword with my humanity pawned away.
For some reason, an uneasy anxiety washed over me—a feeling that I might regress back into who I was back then.
Thump, thump.
My heart thudded wildly. It was because of the thought that I might smell the stench of blood here, in real space, rather than in a subspace.
Shing.
Oscar aimed his blade at Kang Geomma. At the same time, he began pushing off the ground sideways, step by step.
Pat-pat-pat-pat!
He began circling inward at high speed. Counterclockwise, layers of afterimages multiplied. It looked almost like a row of clones lined up in a smooth gradation.
He seemed to be aiming for my blind spot. His eyes, measuring an angle to strike, were sharp. His footwork speed was impressive, too. Indeed, it seemed he hadn't achieved Warrior Rank through sheer luck.
"Wow..."
Victoria parted her lips unconsciously. Having never paid much attention to the Royal Guard, she had gone through life without knowing the exact extent of Oscar's strength. She had simply assumed he was strong.
Now!
Oscar's blade flashed. Sharp and swift, it grazed past Kang Geomma's hair right below his ear.
The instant Kang Geomma turned his head, Oscar stomped heavily and retreated ten paces. Hiding once more among his afterimages, Oscar continued to multiply them. They tightened their radius bit by bit, as if trying to choke the life out of Kang Geomma.
"Forgive my presumption, Your Highness, but may I offer a word?"
Shail bowed her head, resting a hand over her heart. Seeing her act with such utmost deference, Victoria scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"...Uh, sure."
"Thank you."
Shail turned her gaze toward the battleground.
"There is a saying that the darkest place is under the candlestick. You may not have known, Princess, but Royal Guard Captain Oscar is one of the topmost powerhouses even within the Warrior Rank. The only ones comparable to him are 'All Mute' of Lancelot Company and 'Mao Rang' the Iron Leg."
Lately, rumors had been circulating that a replacement process would soon be held to fill the vacant seats of the Seven Star Heroes.
When reporters questioned the Hero Association about the situation, Association President Seong Yu-chang maintained total silence. His tight-lipped attitude proved that it wasn't just baseless gossip.
And so, the world wondered who the next Seven Stars would be and how many there were. Gathered in groups online, the collective intelligence of the internet reached a conclusion.
"They are the most likely candidates to succeed Lord Heavenly Sword as the next Seven Stars."
"Yes. While there are a few others, those two immediately come to mind. Do you understand what I mean, Your Highness?"
Victoria nodded.
"You mean Captain Oscar is the benchmark for comparison, not All Mute or Mao Rang."
"You are quick-witted."
"...I have a question."
Just then, Oscar swung his blade once again.
Clang!
When Kang Geomma casually parried it, Oscar released his hold on the blade without hesitation. Grabbing the spinning blade out of midair, he pressed forward once more.
The sashimi knife and the broken blade ground against each other. Oscar attempted a headbutt, but Kang Geomma spun around and struck his forehead with an elbow.
Blood gushed from Oscar's nose. Engaging his core, he straightened his bent, bow-like waist. With insane concentration, he clung to the thread of battle.
While the sight was pathetic, it was also baffling why he was trying so hard. Choi Seol-ah grimaced and grumbled.
"Why is My Lord keeping that guy alive?"
Kang Geomma defended against every incoming move, but for some reason, he refrained from launching a counterattack. He stood motionless, simply deflecting the flurry of attacks pouring in from all directions.
Victoria sympathized with Choi Seol-ah's frustration, but addressing Shail came first. Victoria picked up the interrupted conversation.
"As far as I know, All Mute is stronger than Oscar."
"That is correct."
"Then shouldn't All Mute be the standard for evaluation, not Oscar?"
"A most reasonable question."
Shail offered a gentle smile.
"However, Your Highness, if the standard is set too high, no one can reach it. As you know, until Lord Heavenly Sword broke the status quo ten years ago, the Seven Star Heroes consisted of only four people for decades. Why do you think that was?"
"Lord Sword Emperor..."
Back then, the Demons were still a major force. Naturally, the standards were extraordinarily strict, and the benchmark of those standards was none other than the Sword Emperor. Shail said,
"If the bar is set too high, candidates cannot even enter the conversation."
"I understand."
"Honestly, though I am grouped within the Warrior Rank myself, I consider it incorrect to place me on the same level as Oscar. Truthfully, my skill only reaches about up to Oscar's solar plexus. With my ability, I couldn't land a single effective hit on Lord Geomma. On the other hand, Oscar is wringing out everything he has just to look for an opening."
At Shail's words, Victoria's eyes turned somewhat disgruntled.
"You give quite a generous assessment to someone hostile toward us. Being strict with oneself and others is good, but depending on how one hears it, it sounds almost like praise for Oscar."
"Praise, you say..."
Shail mused over those words, tilting her head.
"Is 'squeezing out his life's strength just to look for an opening' really praise?"
It happened in an instant.
BOOOOOOM!
An ear-splitting explosion tore through the air. The onlookers' hair fluttered violently. A lid of thick dust swept over what, until a moment ago, had been a fierce battlefield. Even the intently watching Royal Guards looked bewildered.
As the dust settled, a gruesome scene was unveiled.
An entire wall was gouged inward by a full three meters. Right in the center, Oscar was crumpled and pinned as if impaled for display. His joints were bent out of place in bizarre directions. He looked like a puppet hung by strings, an illusion made even stronger by the sashimi knives embedded all over his body.
It was impossible to tell whether he was dead or alive. Even if he were breathing, he would at least be permanently crippled.
The real highlight was Kang Geomma. His hair was tinged slightly white.
Then, as if someone had spilled black ink onto the crown of his head, his original color spread back out into every corner.
Victoria flinched back. However, Shail and Choi Seol-ah barely registered a change in expression.
"He seems annoyed."
"So it seems."
Nodding along, Shail spoke to Victoria.
"Do you understand now?"
Gulp.
Victoria swallowed hard.
"Personally, it displeases me, but to quell the people's anxiety right now..., we must fill the Seven Stars with heroes who are at least at the level of All Mute."
* * *
That evening, after all the commotion.
Perhaps because I was scheduled to return to Korea early tomorrow morning, the Emperor invited me to dinner. Around dusk, Royal Steward Garyeon knocked on my room door to guide me.
Half-awake, I opened the door. I had been taking a nap because my mind was cluttered after beating Oscar into a pulp.
"Lord Heavenly Sword. May I ask you to observe just one palace etiquette rule?"
"As long as it's not a difficult request."
"Do not utter a single word while we are moving. That is all."
A strange request.
When I nodded, Garyeon began leading the way. As I walked behind her, I just looked around at the surroundings.
Garyeon's demeanor as she walked ahead was noticeably different from what she had shown before.
What is it?
I was about to have an audience with the Emperor.
I surmised that she had switched her Telepathic Transmission, which had been set as:
[Kang Geomma Garyeon]
To:
[Royal Steward ➲ Emperor]
To start with the conclusion, that was a wild guess. The reason the usually talkative Garyeon had gone silent wasn't that we were going to see the Emperor. It was because of where I was going to see him.
The Imperial Palace was densely packed with buildings. The grounds were by no means spacious considering its budget.
Yet, a small forest suddenly appeared. To call it a park would be generous; there was only a single narrow trail just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Gnarled, leafless branches tangled together. Their discordance distorted the light from outside into hideous shapes. Even the sound of snapping twigs felt spine-chilling.
After walking like that for about thirty minutes, the lush trees vanished as if they had never existed. In their place, a log cabin sat smack in the middle of the trail. A man chopping firewood noticed us and slammed his axe into a tree stump with a thud.
"Welcome."
The Emperor wiped his forehead with a towel hanging around his neck. If someone had seen my face right now, any number of words might have come to mind—that was how utterly ridiculous I found this.
"You seem surprised."
"...The Emperor of the British Empire is chopping firewood; how could I not be surprised? I think my reaction is actually quite restrained."
"Fair enough."
The Emperor spoke dryly, as usual. With a flick of his eyes, Garyeon stepped backward, returning the way she had come.
Right before leaving, however, her lips parted slightly. She seemed as if she wanted to say something to me, but continued straight back. Was she holding herself back because she was in front of the Emperor?
"Follow me."
The Emperor beckoned with a finger. Garyeon's presence vanished completely.
We went into the cabin. The interior was remarkably rustic.
The Emperor pulled two small teacups from a cupboard. Without asking me, he tilted the teapot and filled the cups.
"So," the Emperor spoke, holding his cup. "I hear you gave my Royal Guard Captain a lesson."
"He brought it upon himself."
"I'm not scolding you. I said it, didn't I? You 'educated' him."
The Emperor chuckled huskily.
"Did you find your answer?"
"...You knew everything all along."
That Oscar was trying to assassinate Victoria. That there was a mastermind behind it. The Emperor already knew it all. He likely even knew the mastermind's identity.
"It happens frequently in the imperial palace."
"Just because it's frequent doesn't make it right."
"Overcoming such things is what it takes to become Emperor. Exposed, you die; defeated in a power struggle, you die. Isn't it a simple truth?"
"...That's cruel."
I frowned. The Emperor didn't care. Staring into the fireplace with cold, detached eyes, he said,
"If I had favored Victoria, she would already be dead. She remains alive precisely because I stay still like clockwork. You may regard it as my personal approach to royal tutelage."
"By your logic, my breaking Captain Oscar doesn't violate imperial rules at all, then."
"Correct."
Even as he drank the warm tea, breath seemed to mist from between his teeth. Despite the fireplace, a chill lingered in the room.
After swallowing his final sip, the Emperor turned toward a small door.
"What is your answer to the deal I offered you?" he asked with his hand on the doorknob.
Rising from my chair, I answered.
"I accept."
However,
"I will add a condition: guarantee Victoria's safety as well. Otherwise, I will pay Captain Oscar another visit and dig out who's pulling his strings."
"Haha, my boy. Quite the educator, aren't you?"
The Emperor opened the door.
A familiar scent poured out—the chilly smell I had encountered just hours before.
"I wish to modify the terms of our deal."
"...?"
"I previously promised only money, but I will grant you one wish of your choosing. If that wish is Victoria's safety, I will prioritize it above even my own well-being. In return, you must grant me one request of my own."
I fell silent.
It was because the view beyond the door came into sight: dim torches and torture devices that looked straight out of the Middle Ages.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Kgggh... mmph!"
A man and a woman were bound to torture racks. Blindfolded and gagged, their entire bodies were mottled with marks of violence. Coincidentally, I had played a part in the man's condition...
"I knew that the Royal Guard Captain and one of my wives were having an affair. I just left them be. It didn't particularly matter to me. But if this leaks to the outside world, that becomes a different story. It could become an obstacle to my goals."
The torches created a silhouette against the Emperor, casting dark shadows over him. He stated his core point plainly.
"Pretend you saw nothing."
A spark of madness flickered around his eyes.
– The Mastermind. End