Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Lamfang's Doubt
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"Phew!"
Caked in dirt, I entrusted my body to the temple's bathhouse once more. I'd only just gotten clean.
The temple folk flew into a rage upon hearing that the delegation visiting the Empire had been ambushed the very first day they set foot on imperial soil, howling that they'd assemble a pursuit squad right away.
But Luna, forewarned by me ahead of time, managed to soothe them. She didn't want to stir up gossip the moment they entered the Empire.
"Lamfang... that's her. Has to be."
As the warm water loosened my muscles, thoughts began to coalesce in my mind bit by bit.
I'd considered that maybe it wasn't her since she had no reason to target me, turning the idea over this way and that. But no matter how I looked at it, everything pointed back to her.
Heterogenous Powers weren't standardized. And this continent was vast, with plenty of Black Lions who never showed their faces to the world.
But even accounting for the continent's breadth and the hordes of hidden Black Lions...
No one else came to mind who wielded such a unique Heterogenous Power while reaching that level of mastery besides Lamfang.
Beast Master, Lamfang.
The woman who could harness the power of every beast species in existence.
The White Wing proudly seated upon the throne.
...And the one killed alongside Karma by Veras.
I'd assumed the person she meant was Veras, but it was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
After all, Lamfang had to be the one who hated Veras more than anyone in this world.
Shaaaa!
As I left the bathhouse and headed to my newly assigned room, the shattered door of the battle-damaged chamber caught my eye.
'She said... she was targeting us first.'
It was definitely 'us,' not 'me.' Meaning Lamfang wasn't operating alone.
'The only one she'd call "that one"... is Karma.'
Like most who ascended the throne, Lamfang was infamous for her sky-high pride.
Lamfang, infiltrated into the Empire.
Lamfang, targeted by someone.
Lamfang, moving with someone.
And Lamfang, killed by Veras alongside Karma in her past life...
Unlike the chaos earlier, with a calm mind now turning things over, the puzzle pieces started falling into place.
For some reason, she'd fled to the Holy Empire to escape Veras.
The Holy Empire was as dangerous to Black Lions as the demon realm itself.
She must have figured Veras's underlings wouldn't dare act recklessly here.
But what a twist—right after arriving, a Black Lion brazenly using telepathy shows up. Naturally, she'd pegged me as a pursuer.
"...Damn. That was careless."
Just as she'd fled to the Empire thinking she'd evade the Black Lions, I hadn't imagined there'd be anyone here who could hear telepathy.
No, excuses aside, things had been going according to my recent plans so smoothly that I'd grown a bit complacent.
'Gotta be more cautious.'
This was enemy territory. The land of fanatics where anything could happen at any moment.
One misstep, and I might end up dying here, never leaving the Vatican. My thinking had been too short-sighted.
Though unintended, the midnight clash with Lamfang had jolted me back to full alertness.
"Still, gotta clear up the misunderstanding quick. How, though?"
The Beast Master—technically my fellow disciple under the same master. I couldn't keep fighting her indefinitely.
I was busy enough monitoring the Empire's movements without the White Wing popping up out of nowhere.
"Yeah, better minimize the headaches."
Decision made, I grabbed my uniform.
Fwump!
After confirming everyone in the temple was asleep, I unfurled Moonwalk and slipped quietly out the window.
Looks like sleep was off the table tonight.
The Fatima Temple was lit up like a festival night due to the midnight disturbance—unlike its usual calm—but to ordinary imperial citizens, it was just distant news from afar.
Handling the Fatima incident was the job of the temple elites and imperial knights, not the common folk. They still had to prep for tomorrow, so they bedded down as always.
Thus, Fatima's districts beyond the temple, walls, and barracks were as silent as ever.
Swoosh!
A strange shadow moved stealthily across the rooftops of ordinary buildings in Fatima's outskirts.
Moving at near-sprint speed yet whisper-quiet, the shadow soon slipped into a shabby back-alley shanty.
Inside the rundown hut, an old man sat cross-legged with half-closed eyes—Karma. He welcomed the shadow.
"You're late, Lamfang."
"Still awake?"
Lamfang eyed the elder's body with concern at his words.
It was a gentle tone unimaginable from the one who'd attacked me like she wanted me dead.
"Heh heh, old age means less sleep at night. Woke up with nothing to do, so I was just meditating to pass the time."
A lie. Veras's attack in his defenseless state had been near-fatal to Karma.
Worse, Veras's Heterogenous Power was a perfect counter to Karma's.
Years had passed since the injury, but without proper treatment amid constant pursuit and flight, the wound was steadily worsening.
The pain must have woken him mid-sleep even now.
Having attended Karma for years, Lamfang saw through it easily but held her tongue.
Karma was a great one beyond even the throne's measure.
No need to harp on what he chose not to mention. It would insult the elder and disrespect her master.
"Geez, I keep telling you dawn air's bad for your age, and you still do it."
So she grumbled impudently, masking her worry.
"Such a cheeky mouth. Anyway, you're later than usual today. What happened?"
Karma changed the subject, uninterested in dwelling on his wound.
"What happened? Just the usual yearly ritual, nothing more."
"Hm. Strong opponent?"
His disciple or not, Lamfang's power made her hand vicious enough to chill his spine at times.
She always ripped through foes and returned swiftly—this was her first late night, so his question was fair.
"Strong? Nah, just took longer 'cause I had to handle it quietly inside the Empire."
Lamfang glossed over it, not wanting to worry him.
"That said, Master. I've been thinking—the Empire's inconvenient in all sorts of ways. Like you mentioned before, maybe we lean on that priest in the Ikenia Kingdom for a bit..."
"No."
The flat refusal came before she finished.
The guy who groaned in pain every time somehow turned razor-sharp on this topic.
"Your priest isn't a genius like you or that kid. Just lucky to meet me. He's fortunate if he's reached stage two by now. Can't burden a child like that."
"But...!"
"Lamfang."
His tone hardened further.
"I've told you time and again—I saw the kid when I was in Banten. He was the family reject. The poor boy's already struggling at home; piling on soldiers would crush him."
Karma quietly scolded her, recalling his final disciple.
Back in his Banten days.
His last disciple was an odd one.
Unlike the first and second with ocean-like power seeds, the third had a mere grain-sized speck.
Yet his soul's maturity surpassed anyone Karma had seen.
And that speck of a seed showed signs of germination despite its shell unbroken.
A fascinating case, so he'd opened the path—but causing trouble was another matter.
Of course, hearing Jerome's rumors might've changed his mind.
Unfortunately(?), Karma had been ambushed by Veras shortly after leaving Banten, forcing seclusion in remote spots.
And Lamfang, following to attend him, was too busy surviving to catch idle gossip.
Thus, their perception of Jerome remained stuck in the distant past.
But from Lamfang's view—having failed to take him out earlier—she had to convince her master now.
This guy was leagues above Veras's minions she'd hunted so far.
She'd slipped away quietly this time, but if he kept tracking, clean disposal would be impossible.
Worst case, pursuers might reach the Empire. Shameless as it was, she needed to drag him to the priest's place.
"But...!!"
The moment Lamfang opened her mouth—
"!"
Lamfang's face turned icy at the telepathy calling her.
This mad bastard. Lucky to survive once—should be cowering quietly. Daring to telepath here with Master present, taunting him?
Look how startled Master was—eyes wide like that, pain or no.
"Lamfang, what's this...?!"
"Don't worry, Master."
Lamfang rose.
Seems Veras's minion had a swollen liver this time.
She'd just have to carve it out.
"I'll be right back."
"No, Lamfang. Wait just a—!"
Creeeak!
Lamfang bolted from the shanty before Karma could finish.
Left alone, Karma could only stare blankly after her.
In his prime, he'd have stopped her with telepathy. But not in this state.
"...Hm, that telepathy voice earlier. Sounded like the kid."
Smacking his lips—should he have yelled?—Karma hesitated because...
First, Jerome's voice had deepened past puberty. Second, no way he'd be in the Holy Empire.
By his (common-sense?) reckoning, this was the last place for the boy he'd taken as third disciple.
After brief deliberation, Karma flopped back down.
"...Eh, Lamfang'll handle it fine."
If it really was Jerome, she'd never harm a fellow disciple.
Spring!
Karma shot back up.
"...But what if she skips talk and goes straight for the attack?"
Lamfang didn't know Jerome's face.
His second disciple was good-hearted but hasty—fists before words.
If—if—that telepathy sender was Jerome, and Lamfang swung first...
Drip.
A thick bead of sweat trickled down Karma's temple.
"Hm, not here either."
Who knows how many attempts. Telepathy could spread pretty far, but there were limits.
Fatima bordered four nations outright, so I had no choice but to hop spots and broadcast blindly.
Maybe other Black Lions lurked? Whatever. Priority: contact Lamfang, check Karma's safety and situation.
"Try over there this time... Huh?"
As I moved, a figure leaped onto a distant rooftop.
She scanned left and right, spotted me, then closed in at blinding speed.
"Brave or just reckless? Let you off today, and you're back?"
"I have words for you, Lamfang."
"Words? Speak for yourself."
The woman radiated cold murder—Lamfang.
"Calm down. Not here to fight. No reason to."
"No reason?"
Good. She's open to hearing me out.
"I'm Jerome von Carviot. Third son of the Carviot Count family. Karma's third disciple."
"......!!"
Lamfang's eyes flew wide. See? Fellow disciples have no reason to clash.
"...Looks like we've got plenty to discuss. Shall we relocate?"
I phrased it as suggestion, but Lamfang was already bounding toward the border plains like before.
Difference: not brute-forcing like last time, but sleek as a leopard—stealthy.
'Well, knowing my identity now, no desire to stir trouble.'
But I realized I was wrong quicker than expected.
Rooooar!
Reaching the plains, Lamfang flared her killing intent even fiercer.
"...Hey, Lamfang? What's this mean?"
Genuine confusion on my part, but her lips curled coldly.
"Fine, acting skills too. Veras really went all-out this time."
"......??"
"I've heard of your 'Jerome the priest' from Master. Clever impersonation. But here's what you don't know."
Beats me what this woman's on about.
"Master said—the kid's called the family worm. Power seed no bigger than a booger. But."
Ah, this routine. Getting stale.
Step.
Lamfang advanced one step.
"No way a worm's as strong as you."
......
Convinced she'd nailed it, she smirked triumphantly as she approached. Words failed me.
Beast powers turned her into a beast brain too?
What to do with this blockhead?
KABOOOOOM!