Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Confronting the Chief Mage
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"Hah!"
"What is it? What's going on?!"
Misha, who had been sharing vision with Sylph to scout inside, suddenly gasped for air. Saladin, standing guard, jumped in surprise and asked.
"...They attacked out of nowhere, and Sylph almost got spotted. Managed to dodge by a hair..."
"...Damn it!"
Saladin's expression turned urgent at Misha's words.
"Misha, stay calm and listen carefully. Send back all the spirits you summoned, go back to where I took that guy down earlier, and wait there. If anyone shows up like before, switch with them naturally. Got it?"
"Huh...? What about you, mister?"
'Damn, she's still just a kid.'
Her power with spirits far surpassed fledgling Black Lions at stage one, but her situational judgment was sorely lacking from inexperience.
"Mimicry."
Squelch squelch!
As Saladin summoned his puppet, the skins covering Misha and Saladin swapped places.
Saladin took Den's, and Misha got Owell's.
"That mage who attacked you is definitely on high alert now. They'd have sensed a spirit's presence that wasn't there before. So I'll head inside. If no one comes, they'll realize something's up."
"What?! That's too dangerous!"
If things were as Saladin said, this was walking right into the enemy's den on his own two feet, where suspicion was already brewing.
"Then what? Should we just bail like this? After Jerome asked you to do this and we accomplish nothing?"
"...!!"
Of course, Jerome would tell her to pull out if things got dicey, but this was beyond that.
'If the Empire grows stronger, our territory's in danger too.'
Besides, this was the first thing Jerome had ever asked Misha to do. It probably meant something special to her. No doubt she wanted to handle it perfectly, come hell or high water.
"...What should I do?"
"Simple. Hide well, switch naturally with the relief guy later, and come back. And whatever you do, don't summon any spirits until then."
Saladin patted Misha's shoulder with a reassuring 'I trust you' and headed straight for the lab.
He always felt this way following Jerome around—never a dull moment.
'Might be addicted to this thrill.'
Saladin chuckled softly, loosening up a bit as he swallowed dryly and vanished into the light, sniffing at his robe here and there like it was natural.
"What the hell, Den? Owell left ages ago, and you're just crawling in now?"
A mage picked a fight as Saladin strolled casually into the lab. Saladin, sniffing his robe, shot him a sharp glare without a word.
"...Shut it."
His voice was low and seething, muffled just enough to obscure who he was.
"Jeez, touchy much? Over a little monster blood splatter?"
Saladin ignored him, glared once more, and brushed past.
Or tried to.
"Den, you're late."
"!"
A grizzled old mage who looked important appeared, and the antagonistic mage quickly bowed.
Saladin spun around and bowed just as smoothly, with a perfect time lag that made it look natural—no one would suspect the shift in direction.
"You sneak out without a word and show up late? Getting cocky, are we?"
"...My apologies, Chief."
The old mage—Gildre—saw the wariness in his eyes fade at Saladin's use of "Chief."
An infiltrating spy posing as Den wouldn't know his title.
'Still, better safe.'
Flicker!
Gildre quietly cast a detection spell on the bowing Saladin.
If there was any spirit scent, it confirmed his earlier sense wasn't a fluke.
Whirr!
The spell swirled around Den's body but showed no reaction.
'...Must've been my imagination.'
"Be more careful from now on. I'll let it slide this time since the Shield Family's gone."
'Nailed it.'
Saladin's eyes gleamed at Gildre's response.
Owell had mentioned the "Chief" before dying. Who else but this robed figure?
Only someone exceptional could sense Misha's spirit—definitely nearby.
And the earlier mage's attitude sealed it.
Saladin had bluffed, and it paid off.
'Den and Owell switched about three hours ago. Means I've got roughly three hours left.'
Best to wrap everything before Misha returned.
She was still too young for this.
Bubble bubble!
Seeing the same bubbling sarcophagi Misha had glimpsed via Sylph, Saladin walked calmly between them.
Mages bustled about, scribbling notes as they moved between the stone coffins.
'Roughly... one mage per fifty coffins.'
Over fifty mages at a glance.
Meaning 2,000 to 3,000 monster soldiers in production.
Before Dragon Mountains stabilized, the Shield Family handled about this many monsters yearly.
And these weren't rabble—they were a trained army.
If these joined the Empire's forces...
'Don't even want to think about it.'
Then, a mage shouted at Saladin strolling between the coffins.
"Hey! Den, what're you doing there? Your coffin's on the other side!"
Shit. Wrong way.
"...Ran out of reagents."
"What? Then go to supplies—why're you over here?"
"...Just. Experiment's not working. Wanted to see what others are doing."
The man's face twisted oddly at Saladin's reply.
"You? Checking others' experiments? You, the king of arrogance and solo acts?"
'Damn, misread his personality.'
"Even I can't pull off lone wolf every time. How's yours going lately?"
Thud thud.
As Saladin approached slowly, the mage quietly drew his staff.
"...Hold it. 'The moon that leads the sky.'"
Damn. Password.
'Sharp bastard.'
Saladin scanned around—no other mages. He lunged without hesitation.
"Tch, intruder! Lightning Bolt!"
Crackle crackle zap!
'Shit!'
Saladin didn't block—instead barreled through, grabbed the man's face, and spat Nene's poison.
"Guh... ahh..."
The mage tried to scream in agony from Nene's toxin, but with his vocal cords melting, he couldn't.
"What's going on?!"
But with the spell firing, the commotion was unavoidable.
Thud thud thud!
Saladin's face grew urgent at the approaching footsteps. He dropped flat, used mimicry to take the fallen mage's face—Charlie's—bubbled foam, and convulsed.
"Gah, guk...!"
The mages arrived just as Saladin collapsed in spasms.
"Wh-what?! Charlie! What happened?!"
"Guhk... D-Den... showed up here... suddenly... ambushed..."
"Den?! Where'd Den go?!"
"Th-that... way...!"
Saladin pointed inward and lolled his head sideways.
"Damn it! Den betrayed us! Alert the Chief! Some of you, get Charlie to treatment!"
"Yes!"
Thud thud thud!
Most mages rushed inward with the leader, leaving only groaning Charlie and a few behind.
"Hey, Charlie! You okay?!"
"Ugh... somehow..."
The mages supporting Charlie's shoulders had taken just a few steps the other way when Charlie glanced back—saw the coast clear—and wrapped his arms around their necks.
"No hard feelings, but war's war."
"Huh? What're you..."
Whoosh!
Before the mage could finish, poison from tiny holes in the palms melted them instantly.
"Whew. Now what?"
He'd bluffed through the crisis, but smashing every sarcophagus brute-force wasn't feasible.
Chasing mages one by one would take too long.
He needed to finish fast and rendezvous with Jerome as planned.
'Smash labs at random? Nah, facilities can be rebuilt. Too many mages anyway. Better quietly take out that Chief first... Hm?'
Poke.
A small mole appeared before the pondering Saladin.
Translucent in form.
"...Misha?"
-Hehe, got worried if you were okay...
A familiar voice from the mole.
Invisible until now, it had hidden safely and materialized when clear.
"You, I told you to stay put!"
This wasn't child's play—what if she got caught being so reckless?!
-Tch. Says the guy brute-forcing everything.
Damn. She'd seen it all.
Saladin sighed.
'Damn it. I'll tell Jerome everything later.'
Saladin ground his teeth inwardly plotting revenge, but priority was the Chief. Time was short... Wait.
Snap!
Saladin's head whipped ninety degrees toward the mole.
"Misha. This mole's a gnome, earth spirit, right?"
-...Yeah.
The reply sounded sulky, but no time for that.
"How far can it dig?"
-Hm... About three meters? Why?
Grin.
Saladin's lips curled wide at Misha's answer.
"Good job, Misha. Looks like you were right this time."
-...?
"Hmm, arachne venom's too potent... What to try next?"
Gildre, chief mage of the elite monster unit production, had returned to his room after scanning Saladin. He pored over a book.
Flip!
Thick as a shield, crammed with tiny print—a tome bound in eerie parchment.
<Chimera Synthesis and Creation>
By Jenos, the Holy Empire's unparalleled archmage in history.
This book was his legacy, the treasure turning elite monster legions from delusion to reality.
Gildre always consulted it when stuck.
It never failed to guide him.
"Hmm, goblin composite venom paralyzes while preserving reason... What if reversed proportions?"
As he flipped for ideas for the next subject—
Rumble!
A boom from outside rippled his teacup on the table.
"Tch, another experiment failure?"
Reagent mishaps exploding were daily routine here.
The unlucky ones vanished with it— their bad luck.
"Tch."
His budding inspiration shattered; mood soured fast.
Reaching to soothe with tea—
BOOM!
A far louder explosion shook the chandelier wildly.
"Which idiot's pulling this crap?!"
Clank!
Gildre slammed the cup down; his temper finally snapped.
One explosion called for cleanup before more—not chaining them. Unacceptable.
"These bastards—!"
He shot up.
He'd held back since Shield Family left, but discipline had limits.
Gildre resolved to crack down hard and reached for the door.
Creeak.
But before his hand touched, the door opened itself.
"Nielsen? What brings you here?"
The opener was Nielsen, vice-chief they'd debated arachne venom with earlier.
He never visited uncalled.
"...Grrk!"
Blood drooled from Nielsen's mouth.
"Chief, intru—"
Slash!
Nielsen didn't finish, but Gildre got it.
The dagger through his throat said it all.
Behind the crumpling corpse stood not a man, but a doll.
It looked human, but no human mouth housed a blade like that.
"Chief?"
A stranger emerged from the blind spot by the wall.
"Found you."
He grinned brightly at Gildre.
Baring bloodied teeth.