Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Translator: Penny
Chapter 27
Ominous Presence 3
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Viscount Karon Redick was buried in paperwork in his study. As the Acting Count, he had taken on the responsibilities of both the Count's duties and managing his own fief, leaving him swamped from dawn till dusk.
"Viscount, a guest has arrived."
"What? I didn't invite anyone. Tell them to leave."
"H-however, I think you should see them."
At the Majordomo's words, the Viscount stopped his frantic scribbling and looked up.
"...Let them in."
"Yes, sir."
Viscount Karon rarely entertained guests, so having someone visit his residence was a rather uncommon occurrence.
"I apologize for disturbing you so early in the morning."
Unsure how to react, the Viscount sat awkwardly on his chair, staring at the guest.
A strikingly handsome young man with a massive, muscular build and wearing clothing of an unfamiliar tribal design stood towering over him. Beside him stood an impossibly beautiful woman in a crimson dress that revealed much of her skin.
"Uh... um... are they members of a tribe from our fief?" Karon stammered.
Agron chuckled softly at the question, which was surprisingly polite. Had it been any other noble, they would have barked, "What are these Barbaroi doing here? Get them out of my mansion immediately!"
"Greetings. I am Count Agron von Veilain of the Veilain Fief. This is Elena Rosetti."
"Ah—! G-greetings, Your Excellency! I apologize for not recognizing you!"
Karon hastily rose from his seat and bowed deeply, showing utmost respect.
He recalled that Count Soltidis, who had attended the recent banquet, had reported that a strange individual had become the Head of House Veilain.
Viscount Karon had been too busy acting as Count to attend the banquet himself.
"No, it was my fault for arriving unexpectedly. Please forgive me for not making an appointment beforehand."
"Ah... Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency."
Karon was surprised to discover that Agron's Kingdom language was remarkably refined and precise, contrary to his appearance. He was even more astonished by Agron's consideration for him.
High-ranking nobles like Counts often treated Barons and Viscounts with disdain and disrespect.
Karon seated Agron and Elena on chairs and instructed the majordomo to serve tea and pastries.
"But... what brings you all the way out here?" Karon asked, carefully avoiding any directness that might offend Agron.
Agron set down his tea and adopted a deliberately serious expression.
"Do you know Magistrate Felipe, Viscount?"
"Yes, I know him well. But Your Excellency, please speak more casually."
"Very well. Due to certain circumstances, I occasionally work as an Adventurer for the Guild. Felipe recently made me a confidential proposal."
"A confidential proposal...?"
"He has a dungeon and wants me to clear out the monsters inside."
Karon frowned.
While Cacciola had a few dungeons, all of them were inactive.
Since monster spawns didn't occur in such places, there was no reason for any monsters to exist there.
"I don't understand. Why would Magistrate Felipe make such a request?"
"First, he harbored lustful desires for Elena."
"Ah..."
Karon had heard rumors about Felipe—scandalous tales of his insatiable appetite for women and his occasional use of... rough methods.
He glanced at Elena.
Their eyes met briefly, and Karon froze, his breath catching in his throat as he lingered on her beauty, utterly captivated.
He now understood perfectly why Felipe had acted as he did.
"And secondly..."
"...Ah, yes, please speak."
Startled by the sudden voice, Karon snapped out of his reverie and quickly averted his gaze.
"There was a strange ritual being performed inside."
"A strange ritual...?"
"I couldn't identify it. I only saw traces suggesting a mass gathering of people offering human sacrifices."
"Surely not...?"
"Do you know anything about such rituals?" Agron asked, taking a sip of his tea.
As he did, the Ouroboros Bracelet on his wrist glinted in the sunlight.
"Hmm... I'm not sure. This is the first time I've heard of anything like this. Well, I mean, I've read about them in books, but I've never heard of one actually happening. This sounds like something that would only occur among barbarians..."
Their eyes met for a moment, and Karon, realizing his words were inappropriate, stammered out a series of apologies.
"No, Your Excellency, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to imply that barbarians would do such a thing. It's just... I think I read something like that in a book once. I-I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize. I've also read about barbarians offering human sacrifices in books. I believe it was in The World History Stained with Blood."
"Huh? That's exactly where I read it too!"
"Oh─ you've read that book as well? It's an excellent work."
Finding common ground, they spent some time discussing the books they had read, building a rapport through shared literary interests.
Elena, who had been sitting beside Agron, remained silent, her gaze shifting between Agron's thoughtful expression and Karon's sharp scrutiny.
"...This conversation is truly fascinating, Your Excellency. It's been so long since I've met a nobleman who actually reads books..."
"I feel the same way. It's rare to find someone to discuss literature with. I hope we can meet more often to share such conversations."
"It would be an honor, Your Excellency!"
Agron beamed with satisfaction, but noticing Elena's subtle gesture, he steered the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Well, to get to the point, I wanted to inform you that I punished Caravan Master Yamong last night and interrogated Felipe, bringing him here. He confessed to his past misdeeds and provided evidence. As the Lord of this fief, I trust you will ensure he receives due legal punishment."
"Understood, Your Excellency. I swear on my family's honor to uncover every detail of his vile deeds and ensure he receives the harshest possible punishment. How dare he attempt to murder a nobleman...!"
Karon, now feeling an inner kinship with Agron, spoke with clenched fists, his voice brimming with righteous fury.
"Then I shall take my leave."
"Yes, Your Excellency. Though we've only just met today, I sincerely hope to see you again soon."
"The sentiment is mutual. Ah, before I go, allow me to offer a word of advice."
"Advice...?"
As Karon looked bewildered, Agron fixed him with a serious gaze and said, "Beware the serpent that bites its own tail."
"How did it go, Elena?"
"Even with my Charm, he didn't say anything. I truly believe he doesn't know."
"I subtly showed him the Ouroboros Bracelet, but his expression didn't change at all."
Elena's Charm could adjust the target's level of excitement. The Charm she cast on Karon left him slightly dazed but in a pleasant mood, causing him to blurt out unnecessary information.
"Have you recovered all of Felipe and Yamong's assets?"
"I've instructed Jacob to retrieve everything."
"There must be a reason why the other branch members from that abandoned mansion attacked the Yamong Caravan."
"Why do Ananta's branches compete against each other, Master?"
"They probably wanted to incentivize success. Reward those who summoned demons first, punish those who failed. Wouldn't you agree?"
Of course, this was all Agron and Elena's speculation.
However, it didn't seem like the branches were competing for such a rational reason.
"What will you do now, Sir? Will you return to your fief?"
"I originally planned to travel longer, but those words they spoke are bothering me. I need to go back and investigate."
The dying words of the man who died during the ritual:
Veilain's "Six Fingers."
In retrospect, it was obvious.
Hadn't they encountered cultists trying to summon Jacob in the cave when they went to deal with the Herb Tiger?
Naturally, their roots must have extended into his fief as well.
Until then, he had only known of a few foolish members causing trouble and dying. He never imagined they were part of such a nationwide organization.
"Six Fingers..."
"The Fingers of Calamity," Elena murmured.
"What does that mean?"
Elena tilted her head, then continued, "I suppose your tribe doesn't have this saying, Master. In my village, children born with six fingers were considered cursed, born through the mischief of Demons, and were killed."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"It wasn't just the Six-Fingered ones, Master. Children born with one eye, three arms, tails, or horns were all killed the same way."
The Winter Forest Keepers Tribe had no such practices.
They embraced all.
Even Agron's close friend, White Bison, had hands twice the size of others and teeth as blunt as a beast's.
"I see. In my fief, I'd rather have them abandoned than killed."
"Abandoned?"
"We could establish an orphanage and have them left there."
Agron agreed that the rules of the Snowfield and the city might differ.
However, he had no intention of unilaterally importing the Snowfield's customs, nor of blindly adhering to the city's rules.
Instead, he would weigh the merits of both and forge a better, new set of rules.
This was Agron's philosophy.
In the pitch-black building, only a single candle flickered.
One by one, dark shadows gathered toward it.
The high-hanging moon caressed the building's windows, but its light couldn't penetrate the glass.
"The Cacciola Branch bastards got what was coming to them."
"Heh heh heh, it's karma for their greed. Which branch took them out?"
"I-I-I heard it was the D-D-Demons."
"Our Demon Lord would never do that!"
"Shut up, you crazy bitch. Does the Demon Lord belong to you?"
"Silence! He's our Demon Lord!"
Thump, thump, thump.
The heavy sound of metal striking the floor silenced their argument.
"Now, now, everyone, quiet down. The Administrator wouldn't be pleased if he heard this."
A soft, gentle voice.
Knowing the power contained within that voice, the others fell silent, their lips pressed tightly shut.
"Agon."
"Yes, sir."
"Tell me more about Cacciola."
"Ah... Yamong is dead. Felipe was captured and brought before Viscount Karon's court. I also heard that all the saints performing rituals in the Dungeon were found brutally murdered."
"Who brought you this news?"
"A surviving City Councilor. He's reportedly fled to another fief."
The questioner slammed his iron mace against the floor again, a habit he had when agitated.
"But how was Felipe captured?"
"I'm not sure of the details. There's talk he surrendered himself."
"Impossible. That lustful pig would never renounce his worldly desires and surrender."
He pressed his lips together, humming thoughtfully for a moment.
"Truthfully, our branch hasn't had much success either, but we're not the Summoning Division, are we?"
"That's... right."
"The last remaining Summoning Division was wiped out by the entity they summoned last time."
"Yes, I believe it was a Vampir."
"We have much work to do."
Thump.
He exhaled softly, glanced at the pitch-black shadows, and spoke.
"The Administrator has issued orders."
"Then..."
"Our 'Six Fingers' will serve as Ananta's sword, uncovering the truth behind the escaped Vampir and the Cacciola incident."
"Heh heh..., can we kill them all?"
"Yes, kill them all."
Their diverse voices merged into a single chorus.
"All for Ananta, the shadow of the world."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny