162. No Need
“What nonsense is that?!”
“The Crimson Dragon Sword, Barstain, is gone.”
The spot where Barstain should have been was empty.
The flustered Martin checked every relic in the secret vault, but it was the same everywhere.
“The Crimson Dragon Sword has already found its master.”
If someone had stolen it, the caretaker would have noticed. That meant it had been taken legitimately.
“You dare lie to me?”
“I’d stake everything I have on it. The Crimson Dragon Sword wasn’t in the reports—and I’m the most baffled by this.”
The Crimson Dragon Sword was the empire’s symbol. If someone had taken it, would it end quietly?
No. It was an item that could never be buried in silence.
“If someone took the Crimson Dragon Sword, the empire would be in an uproar.”
Whether as a positive sign—a successor chosen to lead the empire to greater glory—or a negative one, a seed of unrest threatening the empire and the emperor.
But no rumors about the Crimson Dragon Sword had surfaced. It had been buried quietly. Very quietly.
“What did the caretaker say?”
“I asked, but he gave no answer. The only conclusion is that His Majesty approved it.”
And the emperor had concealed the fact that the sword had found a new master.
“...Why?”
“Were any imperial family members allowed into the vault?”
“The other three besides me have already retrieved their relics.”
“Before them?”
“They’re all dead, turned to vengeful spirits. Their relics were reclaimed.”
The vault’s relics ultimately belonged to the empire. When the bearer died, they returned to the vault.
“Then it must be one of those three.”
“Doesn’t that make it even stranger? If they had it, they’d have spread rumors—loud ones.”
Claiming the Crimson Dragon Sword was no light matter. It could sweep away rival successors and secure the crown prince position in one stroke.
“...No, perhaps.”
Martin fell silent mid-sentence.
“Looks like something clicked for you. I just thought of one possibility myself.”
“...His Majesty was never chosen by the Crimson Dragon Sword. In fact, few emperors in the empire’s history have been.”
“Which makes its symbolism even greater.”
Perhaps enough to threaten the emperor himself.
Then.
The Crimson Dragon Sword was already in someone’s hands—one of the other three imperial siblings.
One of those bastards...
The one deeply involved in killing Berge.
“Find them. Whoever took that sword. Once you do...”
Berge’s eyes grew cold.
“I’ll cooperate more than you could hope for.”
A subtle killing intent pierced Martin’s stoic expression, making him shudder.
“...Understood.”
He nodded.
“Martin met someone, then entered the vault afterward...”
Rufus Jespain, the empire’s first prince, always kept a close eye on his siblings’ movements.
Even without that, rumors of someone entering the vault had subtly spread through the imperial family.
“Do we know who he met?”
“Yes. A man named Pail.”
“Pail?”
“The one rumored to possess mana as pure as a spirit’s. You’ve heard Akan Kingdom is desperate for his blood.”
“That was him? But why would he meet Martin?”
“Pail is connected to Hillun Kargil. He acted alongside him during the Hamstline Gorge black mage subjugation. And Hillun...”
“Is tied to Martin. So Pail is essentially Hillun Kargil’s envoy to him.”
“That’s our assessment.”
“Interesting.”
The relics obtainable from the vault were treasures worthy of the name.
They were inevitably invaluable, so it was standard to enter immediately upon drawing a card.
Better to use them aggressively—or hide them as daggers—than hoard them.
Yet Martin was the only imperial who hadn’t entered despite holding a card.
Now, after meeting Hillun Kargil’s envoy, he had gone straight in.
“No idea what he took?”
“Apologies.”
“Can we assume Hillun Kargil has fully sided with Martin?”
“Yes.”
“A foolish choice in the end.”
Rufus’s lips twisted.
Heroes were humanity’s symbols—adversaries to demon kings.
Their fame and value were never light. That’s why the empire maintained ties with the Hero Guild despite tensions, recruiting top heroes.
The current situation couldn’t be discussed without heroes.
Elite Stars shone even brighter, especially one like Hillun Kargil, who’d slain two demon kings and risen steadily.
“What about Balaf Disrod?”
“No contact yet.”
“He can find the tower, right?”
He didn’t ask if he could kill the demon king. Balaf was the strongest hero; even against a demon king showing new tactics, he’d prevail.
The only way Balaf failed to subdue the Flame Demon King was if he couldn’t locate the tower again.
“He’ll find it. Even if not, it won’t tarnish his reputation.”
“I doubt that.”
“Hillun Kargil failed to find the Flame Tower too.”
“But this time he rescued Hildean’s crown princess. The one who saved her...”
Rufus trailed off, his brow furrowing slowly.
“...Why didn’t I think of that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Pail is Hillun Kargil’s envoy, right?”
“Yes.”
“And Hillun is a Star hero and Argan before anything else. Also Hildean’s hero.”
His fame had soared after rescuing the crown princess.
“It’s no secret he’s appeared at social events with her.”
“So not just Hillun’s envoy—perhaps Hildean’s as well.”
“Exactly!”
He’d been too fixated on the hero angle. Heroes and politics were inextricably linked.
“Keep a close watch on this Pail.”
“What will you do?”
“Hildean isn’t far from the empire, right? Pilgrims go missing or fall ill on the road.”
A faint killing intent gleamed.
“Especially someone connected to Hillun Kargil deserves extra attention.”
“Indeed. Daring to meddle in imperial affairs without an ounce of imperial pride? Vermin.”
It wasn’t certain yet, but that didn’t matter. Foreign interference alone irritated him.
“Well said.”
“Pure mana that even Akan covets. I’d like to see it myself.”
And what conversation passed between him and Martin.
“It shall be done.”
The prince and his aide shared sinister smiles.
After meeting the third prince, Berge decided his next destination.
To Hildean...
Ernan’s voice lingered, insisting he visit since the tower was out.
Good was good. He’d meet Hillun Kargil, issue orders, and drop by to see her face.
The sword finding a master pisses me off, but at least I confirmed it was the real one.
Barstain was the empire’s symbol, with ample records.
Through the viewing orb Martin provided, Berge had verified the sword’s appearance.
It matched.
That sword—it was the sword.
The empire after all.
The heroes who killed Berge were tied to the empire.
In a way, it was obvious.
He’d driven Berge to death by kidnapping the empire’s crown prince—the current first prince, Rufus Jespain.
“Welcome.”
“I want to use the teleport circle.”
Arriving at the capital’s magic tower, Berge boarded the circle to the border city, Phrigia.
And then.
“...Whose doing is this?”
He faced masked figures glaring from a sticky, humid swamp.
It didn’t look like Phrigia anywhere.
Coordinates tampered with.
Not the intended destination.
Tampered coordinates from the imperial capital’s magic tower weren’t accidental—they were deliberate.
Someone with influence over the imperial magic tower targeted Berge.
Who?
One of four.
The empire’s first prince.
Second prince.
First princess.
Or nobles with power.
Or, a slim chance, the emperor.
Did they spot me meeting Martin? Even followed us to the vault entrance?
He’d been distracted by the red sword. No denying his carelessness.
Pail was no longer a nobody from the sky; Martin was the third prince.
Too many with interest, too many who could investigate.
“Not planning to answer?”
Ten.
Berge slowly assessed them. Each one was no ordinary foe.
“Follow quietly, and we won’t harm you.”
The lead man spoke. A flat, emotionless voice.
“Mind sharing the reason?”
“Someone wants to see you.”
“Who? First prince? Second? First princess? Or...”
The emperor?
“...Watch your mouth.”
“What if I don’t come quietly?”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter.”
Shing—
Ten swords drawn.
“A fine mage, they say?”
Aura resonated. Like magic, it vibrated the air, pressing on Berge.
Disrupting his mana.
“Can you still cast in this?”
Crack—
The ground shattered. Immense pressure crushed Berge’s body.
Berge’s lips curled up.
“Laughing?”
“No signs of life nearby.”
No one would notice whatever he did.
“Right, so even if I kill you, no one will...”
Know.
Berge swung his hand. Fissures spiderwebbed through the ten-man encirclement.
“Know why I came to the capital alone, despite the third prince possibly betraying me?”
“What are you...”
“Confidence.”
Confidence that he’d survive any scheme.
────!
The fissures widened.
Aura wavered under the rending shockwave. The masked men gritted their teeth.
“No need to worry about detection after sinking the tower in the sea.”
“...Tower?”
Black energy clashed with aura. A sinister, eerie force unlike mana—the masked men recoiled in shock.
“D-Demon?”
“The magic points piled up from avoiding hero play and kidnapping eight more princesses—nearly twenty million.”
All of it.
“Demons! Don’t let your guard...”
“Used to nullify interference.”
Magic points erupted.
Not too widespread. But enough to instill terror in knights.
“No need to hold back anymore.”
How dare they.
“No need to spare that filthy tongue threatening me.”
“No reason not to crush those revolting upturned eyes.”
One step forward.
“One mouth to reveal the mastermind is enough. The rest...”
Die.
Darkness.
Swallowed everything.
Where the flames died, nothing remained.
And then.
Red flames purified the darkness.
“Wiped out?”
“...Yes. The Black Lion knights waiting to abduct him—all gone. Only traces of fierce combat, ash piles presumed to be the knights, and lingering heat remain.”
“He single-handedly annihilated Black Lion knights? Even with Otor leading?”
Otor was the Black Lion captain.
One of the top three powerhouses in Duke Osrian’s house.
He’d taken this dirty job because the subjugation at Hamstline had halved the Black Lions’ strength.
To rebuild, he’d grasped Rufus’s offered hand and promised support. He’d have been even more desperate.
Yet he and ten knights dead alone.
“Any chance they spilled everything?”
“They’re trained against torture and mental seals perfectly. Unless the Lust Demon King, Succubus Queen, cast mind magic—unlikely.”
But she was dead. And Pail, Hillun’s lackey, had no ties to her.
“Further movements?”
“No traces of teleport use.”
“A guy we can’t catch casually—we’ve stirred the hornet’s nest.”
Rufus’s brow furrowed.
“Someone under Hillun Kargil needs more attention than him. For now, track his movements and dig into his past. Don’t engage.”
“Yes.”
“This blood debt—I’ll collect it someday.”
Rufus’s eyes gleamed with murder.