Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: The Lord's Presence
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“Get a hold of yourself!”
Alteon shook the limp Jackal, trying to rouse him.
When there was no response no matter how much he shook, he yelled at his subordinates.
“Hey! Give him more potions!”
“We’ve used them all! There’s none left!”
“Damn it! What the hell is that guy doing who went to the count?”
Just as Alteon bellowed, a loud ‘boom!’ echoed, followed by the crumbling roar of the castle wall.
Everyone’s gazes snapped toward the source of the noise.
There stood Blizan, radiating a ferocious aura.
Around him lay the mage corps in pitiful heaps, all defeated.
There were over ten of them, every one a high-ranking mage, and he had taken them all down alone.
Alteon, who knew Blizan’s skills better than anyone, gaped at the scene before him.
‘He’s gotten even stronger….’
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Blizan panted heavily, suppressing the boiling killing intent.
Even after eliminating all the enemies, his fighting spirit hadn’t faded—in fact, the killing intent had only thickened.
The situation seemed even worse than when they had assaulted Tuherm Castle.
Back then, it had taken so much effort just to calm the surging bloodlust.
“Damn it! Why the hell is this happening… Ugh!”
Blizan’s face twisted in agony.
The killing intent began to rage wildly, heat surging from his eyes and ears.
Then it poured from his nose and mouth as well.
He knew this wasn’t mere heat but the killing intent itself, and terror washed over him.
As it gradually consumed him,
“...!”
Blizan’s eyes flashed.
Someone with an immense presence was racing toward him from afar.
Like a predator sensing new prey, he instinctively growled and heightened his aura.
But the surging killing intent hesitated, the bony blades protruding from him shrinking as the bloodlust began to subside.
‘What is this?’
An incomprehensible situation.
As his mind grew chaotic, the approaching aura felt strangely familiar.
The closer it got, the more he realized who it was.
Just sensing that presence on the battlefield made his chest stir.
He spotted Arthur charging in like an arrow.
“My lord….”
Suddenly, he recalled the memory of his killing intent vanishing in Arthur’s presence.
“That’s right….”
Just like then, the killing intent and energy drained away.
Blizan collapsed flat on the ground with a thud, letting out a sigh of relief.
He then sprawled out, staring up at the sky.
‘What in the world is the reason?’
A complex, subtle expression crossed his face as his gaze deepened.
“Step aside.”
Aild arrived on the scene and immediately checked Jackal’s condition, while Arthur quickly scanned the surroundings.
The enemies appeared to be all eliminated, and Blizan lay sprawled out.
He was probably exhausted from controlling his Beastly Temperament.
To be safe, Arthur ordered the Assault Squad to scour the area thoroughly before turning to Jackal.
His condition looked even graver than expected.
Hoping for the best, Arthur watched Aild’s reaction closely.
Aild’s face was deadly serious as he pressed fingers to Jackal’s neck, checking his pulse.
The scattered potion bottles on the ground showed they had poured every last one into him in a desperate attempt to save him.
That must have been what kept him alive.
But…
‘Damn it! No pulse!’
As death’s pallor fully settled over Jackal’s face,
“...!”
A faint pulse flickered to life.
Aild quickly checked below the navel, placing a hand there to assess the condition.
No visible wounds, and the sturdy circle seemed intact.
‘I can save him!’
Aild’s eyes gleamed with determination, confidence filling his face.
He swiftly pulled a small vial from his pocket.
It was a potion he had brought in case something happened to Medlin.
Made from the leftover elixir after brewing potions, it was the most potent he had ever created.
Only three existed, reserved for Medlin, Arthur, and himself.
“This should do it.”
Without hesitation, Aild slowly poured the vial’s contents into Jackal’s mouth.
The emerald liquid vanished into his lips as if absorbed.
After emptying the vial,
Jackal’s body began to glow faintly with golden light, soon enveloping him entirely like an Aura Armor.
Aild stepped back, silently watching the scene alongside Arthur.
Color returned to Jackal’s pale face.
The crisis seemed averted.
Now, they would move him to his room for proper treatment.
“Take him to my room.”
After issuing the order to Alteon, Aild surveyed the surroundings.
He checked if anyone else needed treatment.
Seeing only robed figures, his eyes landed on Blizan.
The unmoving form made his eyes widen.
“What happened? Is that guy hurt too?”
As Aild moved toward Blizan, Arthur extended an arm to stop him.
“He’s not injured, so focus on Jackal.”
“Here, take this.”
Aild handed over the potions he had and left with Alteon, carrying Jackal away.
Arthur approached Blizan while scanning the area.
Even with his senses heightened to the max, no suspicious presences lingered.
No more enemies would appear.
Reaching Blizan, Arthur looked down at him.
Blizan stared blankly at the sky, his face full of questions.
It had to be related to whatever was happening to him.
Arthur wanted to resolve his doubts, but now wasn’t the time.
Silently, Arthur extended a hand.
Blizan grasped it wordlessly and stood, then knelt on one knee, bowing his head.
“Mission accomplished.”
“You’ve done well.”
They exchanged brief words.
As Arthur turned to head underground and wrap things up,
“Thank you.”
The words pierced deep into his heart.
Arthur met Blizan’s eyes and asked.
“For what?”
“My lord saved me once again.”
“Saved you….”
Arthur knew he meant how his arrival had suppressed Blizan’s killing intent.
But he didn’t see it that way.
“It’s fate.”
“...!”
Blizan’s eyes flashed.
Watching Arthur’s retreating back, conviction settled in.
‘My lord knows why this is happening to me.’
He likely even knew the solution.
Then why not mention it?
Given his personality, if there was no immediate fix, he would at least explain the reason.
Doubt clouded Blizan’s eyes.
‘What are you hiding?’
***
“Arthur!”
Medlin rushed to Arthur the moment he descended underground, throwing her arms around him.
Arthur patted her back gently.
“You can relax now.”
Medlin looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
“Jackal? He’s alive, right?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness. Truly.”
Medlin beamed through fresh tears.
Rusanna guided her to a chair, soothing her with words like, “The young master is here, so everything will be fine.”
Seeing Medlin’s grief stirred ripples in Arthur’s previously calm heart.
Rage toward Valtre surged within him.
With fury in his eyes, he turned to Ban.
The odd-looking figure was aiming at Pheron’s head.
Eyes bulging, he glared as if ready to strike at the slightest movement.
As Arthur approached Pheron, the crowd around him parted to the sides.
“You bastard….”
Pheron glared venomously at Arthur.
Standing by his head, Arthur asked coldly.
“Why did you do it?”
“You overstepped your bounds and flew off the handle, earning His Excellency’s wrath.”
“Was it because of Marquis Mandora?”
“You ruined His Excellency’s plans.”
“Shouldn’t you at least cooperate with me, the one sacrificing in his place?”
“Cooperate? You’re mere tools for His Excellency’s grand design—ephemeral insects. What right do you have to expect anything?”
“So you invaded here to smash everything?”
“I planned to destroy it all. And take the countess you cherish so much to His Excellency. I never imagined Grada Castle hid a place like this.”
“As if I’d leave the castle unguarded without defenses.”
“True, I was foolish. But don’t think stopping me ends it. The moment His Excellency sees you as the prime enemy instead of the emperor, you’re done. Ptoo!”
Pheron spat at Arthur.
Arthur glanced at the spittle on the floor and asked.
“Finished talking?”
“What? Were you hoping I’d beg for mercy? Dream on—it’ll never happen. And you know what? Touching Marquis Mandora seals your fate. His Excellency never had high hopes for you anyway. He just wanted you to wear down the enemy’s forces, heh heh.”
“I know. But listen….”
Images of Helot and the others slain on the battlefield flashed through his mind like a panorama.
Arthur’s gaze turned icy as he gestured to Ban.
Ban stepped back, and Arthur approached Pheron, kicking his mouth.
Thud-.
“Urk!”
Pheron rolled on the floor in agony.
Arthur stomped his abdomen hard.
Boom-.
With a dull thud, Pheron’s eyes widened as if tearing.
The life drained from his face, hair falling out as hollow darkness ringed his eyes.
His once pale, taut skin blackened, covered in liver spots and wrinkles.
He had aged decades in an instant.
The recent strike had shattered his circle.
He could feel the mana slowly draining from his body.
“You, you bastard….”
Pheron’s expression crumbled as if the world had ended.
Arthur had deliberately destroyed his circle.
Rather than killing him outright, he planned to send him back to Valtre—a clear message of his fury and a stark warning.
“Tell Valtre I’m waiting.”
“Cough-.”
Pheron spat blood, rasping barely audibly.
“You’ll… die by the emperor’s hand first.”
Arthur looked at him pitifully.
“If I shift my target to Valtre, how will the emperor react? Will he tell Mandora to attack me, or just watch us fight to the death?”
“...!”
Pheron’s eyes shook violently.
For a moment, he wondered if Arthur had calculated everything.
He must have anticipated becoming Valtre’s prey someday.
He would have planned for the most advantageous scenario.
Suddenly, he recalled Valtre dismissing Arthur as a mere fledgling, only for Arthur to retort not to underestimate him.
After that, he viewed ‘Arthur Julius’ not as a novice but as a successor to Tehren’s vanguard.
Yet now he realized he still hadn’t truly acknowledged him as a powerhouse.
If he had, he would have considered Arthur’s perspective before attacking Grada Castle.
His arrogance had ruined everything.
Or perhaps Arthur was stronger than even His Excellency realized.
One final task before death.
Pheron’s eyes gleamed as he asked Arthur.
“You’re really letting me live?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not that merciful. I’m just using a man with a shattered circle who won’t last long—for my purposes.”
Arthur released killing intent perceptible only to Pheron and continued.
“Make sure to tell him I’m coming for his head.”