Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Flames of Provocation
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***
"Now that the prescription has been administered, we should see a reaction by tomorrow."
At Millerph's words, Aild prayed that Jackal would recover.
Medlin's worries grew as much as Jackal wasted away day by day.
It tore at his heart to see her blaming herself for sending Jackal into mortal danger.
"He must recover."
"Indeed."
Millerph hoped for Jackal's recovery as well.
He could tell that Arthur was suffering just as much as Medlin, even if he didn't show it outwardly.
The fact that Arthur had sent him here immediately after returning from Selom spoke volumes about how much he cared for Jackal.
He hoped everyone's feelings toward him would reach him.
That was when the two were silently gazing at Jackal.
Thud.
The sound of the door opening rang out, and Arthur entered.
He spoke to Millerph the moment he arrived.
"You've worked hard. The herbs?"
"I've just administered the prescription."
"He'll wake up, right?"
"Even if his mana hall doesn't recover, he'll regain consciousness. Please don't worry too much."
Arthur nodded wordlessly and stared at Jackal for a long while.
Then he asked Aild to look after Jackal and left with Millerph.
"What did you think of meeting them?"
"They are people with deep emotional scars."
"That makes sense."
"I gave them time to think about it."
"You did well. They've been hurt by people so much that they can't easily trust or approach others."
"Probably. So I told them they could move about freely while in the castle. But I attached a condition."
"What condition?"
Curiosity flickered across Millerph's face.
Kyaaack!
A woman's scream echoed.
"Hm."
As Millerph moved to hurry toward the sound, Arthur said,
"No need to go."
"Pardon?"
"I told them to go about without their robes."
"Your Majesty..."
Millerph's face hardened.
Kyaack!
Arthur continued calmly as the screams kept coming.
"The more they hide themselves, the more they'll shrink away. To live among people, they need to hold their heads high. Of course, the people must also learn to understand and accommodate them."
"Your Majesty has seen them too—they're not at a level where people can easily approach."
"Can you tell me what standard defines 'that level'?"
"..."
"And who set it."
Millerph calmly shared his own thoughts.
"That standard arises naturally from people's lives—it's not created by anyone. Just as there are laws in nature, this is a law of human society."
"Unexpected."
Arthur tilted his head and continued walking.
'Unexpected? What does that mean?'
Millerph followed him with a face full of questions.
The two wandered the castle grounds for a while, visiting the barracks where the wounded were gathered and other places.
Afterward, as always, they climbed to the western wall.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in vast sunset hues, while children played energetically in the fields below.
Arthur smiled warmly.
"It always lifts my spirits."
"Me too."
Millerph glanced at him cautiously before continuing.
"Your Majesty, you said 'unexpected' earlier—what did you mean? I've thought about it, but I still don't understand."
"A one-armed man said the same thing to me: that people have inherent value worthy of respect."
"That's right. I believe anyone born human deserves respect."
"Then isn't it hypocritical to invoke 'human laws' to push them away?"
"I see it as different. Instilling fear in others is separate from deserving respect as a person."
"By that logic, to live like others after being born human, one must first have an appearance that doesn't harm others. What monster lurks inside doesn't matter."
"..."
"You know it too—this world isn't just what meets the eye. What can't be seen might be even more abundant."
Millerph couldn't refute his words.
They weren't wrong, but communal life had unwritten rules that everyone tacitly followed.
He'd known Arthur held an idealistic worldview, but not to this extent.
'My lord...'
Complicated emotions crossed Millerph's face.
Arthur gazed ahead and continued.
"The beginning is what matters."
"...?"
"When people first saw Britannicas or Giant Wolves, they trembled in fear, calling them monsters. But now? Does anyone still see them that way?"
"That's because Your Majesty and the knights stepped up to show they weren't dangerous, and people saw you taming them up close, so they adapted quickly."
"You're wrong. We didn't tame them—they strove to be with us, and that's why we can now. Kan played a key role in between, of course. Drakan is fulfilling that role now."
"Your Majesty..."
It was shock after shock.
The more he conversed with Arthur, the clearer it became that their perspectives differed entirely.
Even their starting points were worlds apart.
'What are you thinking? Did you glimpse a new world through Tehren?'
More questions piled onto Millerph's doubts.
Arthur looked at him and said,
"Give it a week."
***
"It looks like they've left only minimal defensive forces."
At the Shadow Squad's report, Ghost silently stared at Israton Territory.
That was probably the case.
Who would dare attack the Tano Marquis family?
But the situation had changed from before.
The families that had been sturdy defensive walls had all become enemies.
He wouldn't be unaware of that.
They had to move before he could prepare countermeasures—and it seemed they'd timed it perfectly.
Ghost said to the Shadow Squad member,
"When it gets dark, we go in immediately. Team 1, circle the castle and eliminate the liaisons."
"By tomorrow's sunrise, the world will be in an uproar."
And a few hours later.
When the sky had turned pitch black.
The Shadow Squad moved.
They scaled the walls like lightning, eliminating the sentries.
Then, true to their assassin nature, they infiltrated the castle interior and killed everyone in sight.
Yet no screams echoed through Israton Castle.
Only a heavy silence prevailed.
In Marquis Tano's bedroom.
The marchioness slept soundly.
Ghost appeared at her bedside.
The goal of this mission was to enrage Marquis Tano and draw border forces here.
To make even the marquis himself move, the news had to be utterly shocking.
'I'll make your eyes roll back in fury.'
Without hesitation, Ghost slit her throat with his dagger. Then he went to the next room and killed all of Marquis Tano's children.
After gathering the bodies in one place, one of his subordinates appeared and bowed.
"All sentries have been eliminated."
"Lower the flag and hang these up."
Ghost went outside and descended underground.
Beneath Israton Castle lay a prison.
Only the most heinous criminals from the Christen capital's prisons were transferred here for management.
This was a top secret of the Oscar Empire, known to only a handful.
As he entered the underground, two guards blocked the entrance door, dozing off with nods.
'Useless trash.'
Ghost dispatched them in an instant, then opened the door and entered.
The stench of sewage assaulted his nose.
He could feel the rage of the prisoners locked in iron-barred cells.
The moment they saw Ghost, they knew he wasn't a guard.
Their beastly eyes gleamed fiercely.
"What?"
"Who the hell are you?"
"No way you're here to rescue us."
Ghost asked lowly,
"Anyone from Bando Territory?"
"Bando? Did Valtre Marquis send you? You here to get us out too?"
"Noisy."
Ghost swung his arm.
Thwack.
The man who had just spoken collapsed with a dagger in his throat.
Thud.
Realizing one of their own had died by his hand, the others swallowed dryly.
Ghost walked silently around the prison and said,
"I'll free you all."
"...!"
"Show me your rage."
"But there are knights?"
"All the knights inside the castle are dead, so no one will stop you from running wild."
Ghost swung his dagger.
An aura blade flew out, slicing through the iron bars.
The prisoners, wildly excited, poured out of their cells, cheering as they rushed outside.
After freeing all the prisoners in the underground jail, Ghost ascended to the surface.
Screams rang out everywhere; the blood-soaked ground reeked of iron.
Terrified voices echoed endlessly.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
Who could have foreseen the day the Tano Marquis family of the Oscar Empire would be bathed in blood?
By sunrise, the news would spread across Israton Territory and reach Marquis Tano's ears.
He could already picture the marquis burning with rage.
Now he just had to wait for the freed dogs to spread the rumor far and wide.
'Once it reaches Tano Marquis, he'll move for revenge without fail, and Artisan will seize that moment.'
The day the Nanshar Empire claimed this land was not far off.
'I'll make it happen.'
Ghost's eyes blazed with fervent ambition.
***
Marquis Tano, who had attended the noble council, decided to stop by Israton Castle briefly before returning to the border outpost.
Last time, he'd gone straight back after the meeting, so this time he wanted to see his family's faces for a bit.
Moreover, with the Oscar Empire splintered into three factions, countermeasures needed to be prepared.
As he entered Israton Territory, dawn was breaking.
The reddish sky gradually turned clear and blue.
It felt different from the gloomy, cloud-covered mornings over the Nanshar Empire.
"Nothing beats home."
A smile played on Marquis Tano's lips.
Entering the village square, he saw the territory folk busily preparing for the day early in the morning.
Spotting his procession, they bowed respectfully to welcome him.
As Marquis Tano nodded calmly and headed toward Israton Castle.
In the distance, thick black smoke billowed toward the sky.
Even from afar, the smoke was so dense it suggested a massive fire somewhere.
"Check it out."
He ordered his close guard knight.
The knights spurred their horses forward swiftly when shouts came from ahead.
"Disaster! Israton Castle is burning!"
"...!"
Marquis Tano whipped his horse and charged ahead the moment he heard.
Shortly after.
Marquis Tano arrived before the castle engulfed in flames.
His face went slack, his eyes shaking violently.
"H-how..."
The massive gate, wrapped in fire, collapsed forward, sending a wave of scorching heat.
The knights hurriedly retreated, but Marquis Tano didn't budge.
He stared piercingly at the castle tower, like a stone statue.
"Th-there..."
One of the knights pointed at the castle tower, as if spotting something.
Atop the castle tower's flagpole hung the marchioness, young master, and young lady, necks in nooses, dead.
"Salvage them quickly!"
The knights mounted up and rushed into the blazing castle.
But flames caught the flagpole, instantly engulfing them.
"Who dares..."
Marquis Tano's body trembled, thick killing intent emanating from him.
At that moment.
One of the knights who had entered the castle emerged, dragging someone.
He dropped the man before Marquis Tano and said,
"A prisoner from the dungeon."
Tears of blood streaming, Marquis Tano demanded of him,
"Who did this?"
The man trembled violently, as if in hysteria, and answered,
"I-I don't know... He came down, asked if there were people from Bando Territory, and then freed us."
In an instant, Marquis Tano's eyes flashed with murderous fury.
"Valtre, you bastard..."