Chapter 86
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Setting a Trap (3)
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Ughhh
The moment the murderous aura that had been protecting Beil and blocking the poison vanished as if wiped away by an eraser, he let out a dazed groan.
Why use your Killing Art when youre on the verge of death?
Kuh-heok!
The backlash from the Killing Art, Beils ultimate ability, was as powerful as the technique itself, rendering him unable to summon his aura for three days. Right now, Beil was no different from an ordinary human.
Aaaaaargh!
Beil clutched at his crumbling body, screaming.
Having lost the aura that had held the poison at bay, his body would have melted in less than five seconds. I neutralized all the poisons except for the paralysis.
Kuh-huh-heok
Youve aged quite a bit.
The handsome man, who had seemed somewhere between youth and middle age, now looked as if hed aged decades in an instant from the effects of the poison and the mental shock.
Hmm
The Beil from the original story wasnt someone who collapsed so easily. He was a character who pushed the protagonist and his companions to the brink of death.
But this one had been afflicted with ten different poisons before the fight even began. An illusion formation had disrupted his senses, and a degeneration mist had weakened his abilities.
On top of that, I knew all of his abilities and had prepared for them, which is why it seemed like an easy victory.
The finale was a real spectacle.
Beils third-stage Salgwi possessed regenerative powers greater than a trolls, but the recovery-nullifying effect of my Guiwangsal stopped his regeneration and spread the poison, bringing him to his knees, unable to move.
Unable to heal on his own, Beil had absorbed a womans blood to restore his strength, but that was no different from stepping into his own grave.
It was bound to end this way sooner or later, but for you to willingly step into a pit of poison Im truly grateful.
Beils face was ashen as he trembled, glaring at me. But unlike before, his eyes held no strength, no killing intent.
Youve been quite a nuisance here and there. So persistent. Lets start with a beating.
Smack!
Smack!
Using any more poison on him risked instant death, so I just fed him a truth serum and gave him a thorough beating to my hearts content.
Hk!
Struck only in his most painful pressure points, Beil stared at me with bloodshot eyes, but they conveyed not killing intent, but despair and terror.
Shall we talk now?
Kuh
After beating him until I was satisfied, I released the paralysis from his neck up.
First, this fangthe reason you were hunting me down. What were you planning to do with it?
I took the remaining half of the fang from my pocket and showed it to him.
I I was going to use it as a trump card to kill the monsters. Ack!
His mind was already drifting, and on top of the beating, he was startled by his own answer to my question.
S-So thats it. That white pill you just gave me! Youre using it to get information out of me.
You never shared any information with your wolves. So how would I know?
Then how
Im the one asking the questions. Stop spouting nonsense and just answer.
Kngh
Beil met my gaze without flinching, but he couldnt hide the trembling in his eyes.
By monsters, you mean the Three Dukes of Sephiroth, dont you?
H-How do you know about Sephiroth! And the Three Dukes
Thwack!
Keok!
I smacked Beil on the forehead for trying to question me back.
I told you, I ask the questions. Why were you targeting the Three Dukes? You may not have been on good terms, but it wasnt bad enough to provoke them, was it?
Those monsters plan to turn Sephiroth into their personal group of servants. Theyre recruiting new members without informing us and treating everyone else like their lackeys. Those bastards
Thats not all, is it? There has to be more.
In the original story, the Three Dukes also used Sephiroth as their private force. But Beil, aware of the power gap between them, would only curse them behind their backs, never acting out.
Beil wasnt simple and foolish like Aenin. There must have been a reason he acted, or someone who provoked him into it.
There was someone who told me how to kill the Three Dukes, those monsters.
Who did you hear that from?
Akasa
Akasa? Akasa the Prophet?
To think you even know about her. You really are
Then you must have heard about the fang in the royal treasury report from her as well.
Th-Thats right. She gave me information about the fang and
Beils words became choppy and increasingly difficult to understand.
About Bahaans Ring
Bahaans Ring! Right. With a weapon made from the fang and Bahaans Ring, its possible.
If he made a weapon from the God-Slaying Beasts fang and launched a surprise attack while wearing Bahaans Ring, it wouldnt be entirely impossible for Beil to take down one of the Three Dukes.
Did you get the ring?
She said shed hand it over once the fang was confirmed.
What were the terms of the deal?
To target Evelyn among the Three Dukes. After killing her, I was to hand over her corpse. She even said shed provide support when I attacked Evelyn.
Now all your movements and activities make sense. Its because Akasa was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
K-Heuk. M-Manipulated! I would never be
The light in Beils eyes began to fade as he started gasping for breath.
You were manipulated, you idiot. Where is she?
Kugh! When the time comes, she comes on her own keok
As he spoke, Beils head slumped forward. He had stopped breathing.
Akasa
The prophetic ability Akasa possessed wasnt originally hers, so it was limited and imperfect.
She intended to consume Evelyn of Sephiroth to resolve that imperfection and become stronger.
Akasa targeting Evelyn at this point in time This is far from the original story. Where did it all go wrong? It shouldnt have anything to do with me interfering with Envy
Akasa was just an alias she used in her human form.
Herno, its true name was nothing of the sort.
Gluttony. So youve already begun to move.
Finally heading home. Come to think of it, this is your first time, isnt it?
Bbaek.
Bbaekbbaegi answered with a cheerful chirp.
After cleaning up all of Beils safe houses, I called Pomera, traveled back to the Iocal Kingdom, and then used the Mage Towers warp gate to return to the Lox marquisate.
Pomera gave me a look that screamed, What in the world are you doing? but it was a necessary step to guard against various suspicions.
G-Grand Prince!
Its been a while.
Ah!
The guard on the right came to his senses and began reporting to the mansion.
Why so surprised? Did something happen?
The Marquis has been looking for you, Grand Prince. On top of that, we had visitors from the royal palace looking for you until just yesterday.
The other guard opened the gate, filling me in on what had happened.
Really?
I knew all of this, but I feigned ignorance and acted surprised.
They were here until yesterday?
Yes. They stayed for about a week before returning to the royal palace yesterday. The person from the Holy Kingdom was with them, but he has apparently returned to his own country.
I see. Understood.
I put more effort into my act, wearing a look of disbelief as I walked inside.
Grand Prince!
Peru ran up to me with an urgent expression on his face as I headed for the mansion.
Pant, pant! Youve finally returned!
I hear the people from the palace have already left?
They waited for a week, but with you not showing up and no word from you, they couldnt just keep waiting here. They all left yesterday.
Did they leave a message?
They did. Before Viscount Kairio left, he said that as soon as you returned, you were to come to the royal palace without fail.
That makes sense. His Majesty must have sent for me.
He probably wants to reward me for my positive role in the diplomatic relations between the Krasis Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom of Iocal.
I bet hes going to open the royal treasury and let me take one or two treasures.
You should probably see the Marquis first. His Lordship requested that you come to his office immediately.
Alright.
I handed my luggage to Peru and headed straight for the Marquiss office.
Youve returned. Im glad to see youre safe.
Philo, who was waiting in front of the office, spoke with a smile.
Thank you for your concern. Is the Marquis inside?
Yes. However, he is a bit upset that you didnt contact him.
I imagine so.
I nodded to him and knocked on the door.
Enter.
Hearing the Marquiss emotionless voice, I went inside.
I have returned. I apologize for being late.
Hmm
The Marquis, standing in front of his desk, said nothing as he looked me up and down.
Are you injured anywhere?
No, sir.
Id gone somewhere dangerous without even contacting him, and then vanished without a word after my business was done, yet the first thing the Marquis did was worry about me.
A warmth spread through my chest, and I felt a genuine sense of guilt toward him.
I said this last time, but stopping by a Mage Tower to send a message would not have been so difficult.
I am truly sorry.
There was anger in the Marquiss eyes, but deep down, they were filled with worry and concern. I offered no excuses and conveyed my sincere apology.
Hmph
The Marquis shook his head and let out a sigh.
You are over twenty now, so you may conduct yourself as you see fit, but I wish you would remember that there are many people who worry about you.
I apologize.
The Marquis must have thought Id feel burdened, because he didnt say a single word about Viscount Kairio or the diplomat from the Holy Kingdom. It was a truly considerate gesture.
Alright. You said you were returning home from the Holy Kingdom, so where did you go? You even lied to Arin, telling her I had given you a mission.
I was training.
Training?
The Marquis looked dumbfounded, as if he hadnt considered that possibility at all.
I gained several insights while fighting the Death Knight and the Demon Tree. I felt I needed to consolidate them, so I holed myself up in a cave and trained.
Where?
After sending Arin and Giranox away, I went back up Pimeria Mountain and trained in a cave I found there.
I couldnt very well tell him Id been dealing with Beil, so I decided to use the most plausible excuse: training. I had actually done some, after all.
I see. I thought you seemed bigger and more solid. It appears youve made considerable progress.
I gained a little something.
Heh heh, I was wondering what youd been up to. Training, you say. Youve truly become a different person.
Bbaek.
Just as the Marquiss mood lightened and he let out a small laugh, Bbaekbbaegi popped out of my pocket. That little guy was still incredibly good at reading the room.
And this bird?
Its a spirit beast I found after defeating the Demon Tree.
Ah! So this is the one.
Bbaek-bbaek.
Bbaekbbaegi began to circle above the Marquiss head, chirping sweetly as if trying to charm him. In an instant, it had figured out that the Marquis held a higher position than I did.
Bbaek-bbaek.
Yes, yes. What a cute little fellow you are. Haha!
The Marquis was already won over, plucking a grape from the bunch on his desk and offering it.
Yuren. Take a seat.
At his words, I sat in the nearby chair. The Marquis sat across from me, chuckling at Bbaekbbaegi as it nibbled on the grape.
Do you think you were in the wrong?
Of course.
Then I suppose I must give you a punishment.
The Marquis stroked his beard and smiled.
For your punishment, you will tell me your story.
Pardon?
I have only heard of your exploits through rumors from others. While I was pleased to hear my son being praised, I dont know the full story.
Ah
I want to hear from your own mouth what youve been through and how you experienced it.
The Marquis looked me in the eye with a gentle smile. Feeling that warmth in my chest once more, I smiled back.
Understood. Then Ill start from when I went to the dwarf village to have my weapon made. As soon as I arrived, a lava golem
Whew
After hearing the whole story, the Marquis clapped me on the back and praised me at even greater length than my tale. He was especially astonished and beamed with joy when he heard Id befriended Huraken.
Hell probably faint when he finds out Huraken plans to visit later.
Seeing the Marquis so happy made me happy as well. I truly felt like we were family now.
That said, to think I have to leave again after just one day of rest.
The Marquis told me to depart for the royal palace tomorrow, as the king was waiting. It wasnt that I didnt understand, but my schedule felt incredibly tight these days.
Guess Ill do a quick check.
Lying down on my own bed for the first time in a while, I opened my status window. As I scrolled through the Sichuan Tang Clan traits, checking various things, I noticed something new had appeared in the martial arts category.
Unlocked.
You may choose one of three martial arts.