Chapter 20
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Black Lions on the Hunt
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“Rodolph Captain, are you inside?”
The 3rd Knight Order was unknown to the public at large. The tent Duke Leonard had sought out was the lair of the Black Lions.
As Duke Leonard abruptly entered the tent, the Knight Commander’s eyes widened, and he shot up from his seat.
“Prime Minister, what brings you here in person?”
“A small fief in the north was attacked.”
Duke Leonard didn’t even sit down before diving straight into the matter.
The Knight Commander stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with a secretive intensity.
“If it’s something like that, the Blue Lions should handle it. Looks like you’ve come to the wrong tent.”
The Knight Commander grasped the situation in an instant and hit the nail on the head.
When it came to missions that publicly showcased the empire’s might, the Black Lions had no role to play.
But Duke Leonard shook his head without a flicker of expression.
“I came to the Black Lions precisely. Hatchling Village is involved in this incident.”
For a split second, the Knight Commander’s body twitched. He had heard of the first emperor’s prophecy, after all.
Only then did a proper conversation begin.
“What’s the damage report?”
“The lord is dead, his knights wiped out. Even the Brighton Magic Academy branch there was annihilated.”
“Turned into a wasteland, huh.”
“Exactly. But the real problem is something else.”
At those words, the Knight Commander held his breath and looked up at Duke Leonard.
This was where the true story began.
And sure enough, something utterly shocking came from Duke Leonard’s lips.
“The attacker was just one person.”
The Knight Commander had no choice but to admit that Duke Leonard had come to the right place.
The latent dragon of Hatchling Village!
The heir to that prophecy that had nagged at the imperial family for decades had finally emerged.
“How do we handle it?”
“I don’t care who he is. Kill him by any means necessary.”
There was no hesitation. The Knight Commander bowed his head without a word.
“It’s urgent. Depart as soon as you’re ready.”
“Yes. But if the Brighton Academy took losses too, the mages won’t sit idly by.”
Meaning there could be clashes with mages during the operation.
“With the imperial family stepping in, they’ll keep their heads down.”
Duke Leonard turned on his heel and exited the tent, tossing out one final remark.
“But... if necessary, take them out too.”
Duke Leonard’s parting words made the Knight Commander’s expression harden even further.
That very night, ten knights clad in pitch-black armor slipped out of the imperial castle in secrecy.
A week had passed since the brutal battle unfolded.
Mason Village, initially plunged into massive chaos, was now gradually regaining its stability.
Ten shadows infiltrated the reconstruction site stealthily.
Ssslruk.
Black armors that flickered briefly in the moonlight before fading into obscurity were no different from shadows themselves.
The Black Lion Knights!
They had finally arrived at Mason Village.
No matter who you looked at among them, they had utterly ordinary features—nothing distinctive.
No beards, hair neither too long nor too short.
If they shed their black armor, they could pass for common villagers.
But peering inside revealed they were anything but ordinary.
Even the weakest among them was nearing Sword Master level—truly formidable warriors.
The elite of the Black Lions.
Even the Mason Knight Commander who had troubled Ruyan couldn’t guarantee he’d rank above mid-tier in this group.
The knight leading the shadows exuded an especially extraordinary aura.
The captain of the Black Lion Knights!
Rodolph.
He had already become a Sword Master two decades ago—a true powerhouse.
Even among Sword Masters who could manifest Sword Aura, clear gaps existed.
Rodolph, a mid-tier Sword Master, was an overwhelming existence that fledgling Sword Aura users couldn’t hope to challenge.
“The monster is one person. From Hatchling Village. Find out who.”
At Rodolph’s command, the shadows scattered throughout the village.
The empire’s hidden daggers had begun tracking Ruyan in earnest.
-A hero will be born in Hatchling Village. And through him, the world will usher in a new era.
Why on earth did the first emperor leave behind such a prophecy? Did he truly not foresee the ripples it would cause?
Rodolph twisted his lips bitterly and swallowed his frustration.
‘A hero... It’s certainly an exciting word.’
Taken at face value, it was a hopeful prophecy. It could inspire dreams in some.
But from the imperial family’s perspective, they could never welcome it.
A new era dawning meant the current one’s downfall.
Wasn’t it absurd?
It was tantamount to declaring that someone would topple the empire he himself had unified.
In crude terms, Rodolph wondered if the first emperor had lost his mind.
This prophecy had kept Sobles II in constant anxiety his entire life.
He suffered nightmares every night of a faceless hero coming for his throat.
Tormented by such worries, Sobles II passed away prematurely.
Sobles III ascending the throne at just thirteen was largely due to that damned prophecy.
‘They should’ve stifled it from spreading in the first place.’
Prime Minister Duke Leonard had long schemed to wipe Hatchling Village off the map.
Yet even he, with authority second only to the emperor, couldn’t achieve it.
The first emperor!
The eternal emperor, even in death. He embodied the empire. The imperial legitimacy stemmed solely from him.
Denying his will would shake the throne’s foundation.
With remnants of fallen kingdoms still lurking, losing the first emperor’s halo would spell doom for the imperial family.
‘Tch. The imperial family ruling the empire, stymied by one tiny village.’
Such was the backdrop for Rodolph’s grim expression as he faced Hatchling Village.
Hatchling Village couldn’t be touched.
Any incident there would spread rumors.
And the first emperor’s prophecy would circulate with them.
For the Black Lion Knights, who needed to handle things quietly, it was something to avoid at all costs.
‘If it happens, it’d be the worst failure in the order’s history.’
Rumors of the northern fief incident were already spreading far and wide.
No more could be tolerated.
“Pass through quietly. Leave no traces.”
At Rodolph’s order, the Black Lions became shadows once more, slipping through Hatchling Village undetected.
In truth, there was no need to search the village itself. They already knew the culprit.
‘Ruyan! To think a fifteen-year-old kid wiped out an entire city.’
When Rodolph first confirmed Ruyan’s info in Mason Village, he could scarcely believe it.
Seventy-five knights dead. Nineteen mages from Brighton Academy slain.
Yet over a hundred combatants felled by a mere boy of fifteen!
Even if he’d gripped a sword from birth, it was impossible.
‘No. And the weapon he used wasn’t even a sword.’
Ruyan had wielded a bow.
A crude weapon for common foot soldiers.
‘Rural knights or not, how could they be annihilated by arrows?’
Was such a thing even possible?
Rodolph couldn’t even imagine knights falling to bowshots.
It was like saying a man was crushed to death by an ant.
‘In the end, I’ll know for sure once I meet him myself.’
Leading his Black Lions through the village, Rodolph ascended the mountain without pause.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes. This is where Blanc and that Ruyan lived together.”
Before long, Rodolph reached Blanc’s house.
A ramshackle hut, barely more than wooden planks for walls.
‘They’ve already left. Vacant for at least three days.’
He spotted only a recently made grave mound; no signs of recent habitation inside.
But giving up here wouldn’t be the Black Lions’ way.
“Search.”
At Rodolph’s curt command, the shadows fanned out in all directions.
In under ten minutes, they found a single set of footprints leading deep into the mountains.
“Found it. It’s definitely him.”
The Black Lions’ tracking skills were unmatched. Even faint, weathered prints didn’t escape them.
‘Still a kid, after all. Thought fleeing into the mountains would throw us off.’
A common misconception. But the truth was the opposite.
In uninhabited mountains, traces were easier to leave.
A hasty footprint, a snapped twig—everything became a clue.
‘Matches the time the house was vacated.’
These were unquestionably Ruyan’s prints.
Rodolph nodded and immediately gave chase.
“Pursue.”
The ten shadows tailed Ruyan stealthily and swiftly.
Not even the pitch-black mountain path, devoid of visibility, could hinder their steps.
The Black Lions dashed over rugged terrain without a hint of fatigue.
How long did they pursue?
Rodolph, advancing smoothly, suddenly halted, furrowing his brow.
“The trail splits.”
A faint trace had veered off the main path.
In such cases, one was likely a wild animal’s.
A pursuer’s nightmare, naturally.
‘Tch. Lucky bastard?’
Chance was aiding Ruyan’s escape.
“Split up.”
At Rodolph’s word, the Black Lions divided precisely in half without needing specifics.
Five knights bowed to Rodolph and vanished after the diverging trail.
“We keep going.”
Rodolph led the remaining four along the original path.
But what was this?
Thirty minutes after resuming, another trail intersected.
“Too much for luck.”
Rodolph clicked his tongue bitterly and gestured sideways.
Two knights stepped forward, bowed, and peeled off onto the side path.
Now only two Black Lions followed Rodolph.
If it happened again, they’d be in real trouble.
And Rodolph’s fears soon materialized.
‘This little...’
Facing blatantly split, fresh tracks, Rodolph had no choice but to stop.
“Captain, at this point, it’s no coincidence...”
“I know. Luck doesn’t hold three times.”
Rodolph bit his lip and gestured irritably.
“He’s dangerous. Move in pairs.”
The hesitating knights said no more and quietly pursued the trail.
Left alone, Rodolph latched onto the most promising track doggedly.
‘Think these tricks can shake me?’
It was clearly Ruyan’s diversion tactic.
But Rodolph trusted he could pick the real one.
‘Fine. I’ll play your game for a bit.’
Once the Black Lions had your trail, it was over. No escape, no matter the method.
This time would be no different. Rodolph intended no exceptions.
‘I won’t let him slip away!’
Rodolph reined in his savage killing intent and resumed the chase.
This time, the trail didn’t split or fade, stretching deep into the mountains for a long while.
‘This is the real one.’
Unyielding, Rodolph stuck to it relentlessly. And at last, he caught up to Ruyan.
‘Deep prints, fresh ones.’
He’s ahead!
Steadying his breath and mind, Rodolph calmly parted the underbrush and stepped forward.
What awaited Rodolph was...
a cliff.