Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 043
Chapter Title: Sudden Night Guest
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The "gift" mentioned at the end of the letter was a small ring.
It seemed like quite a valuable item, adorned with a rather large gem. True to form as the son of a jeweler, Roden let out a small groan upon recognizing it.
"Isn't this the ring Marquis Beshelia gave to his mistress a few years ago?"
"Marquis Beshelia?"
"He's the lord of Beshelia, the great southern metropolis, just as his title suggests. A tycoon who amassed a fortune through maritime trade and commands dozens of warships."
The fact that a ring given by such a man to his mistress—his illicit lover—had ended up here was proof that this group's influence was no small matter.
It even felt like a veiled threat, suggesting it might be best to come along quietly.
Roden stared silently at the letter for a long while before shaking his head.
"Let's reject this invitation for now."
"I'm a bit curious about what they have to say..."
"Me too, but it's too suspicious to stick our necks out just for curiosity's sake."
The knight's attitude when handing over the letter was odd enough, and it didn't seem like they were operating within legal bounds.
If they truly had nothing to hide, wouldn't they have come directly to the mansion?
"Above all—and I'm not saying this out of prejudice—but in this country, every Altoin with money is a criminal. To achieve your goals, the fewer ties you have to shady types like these, the better. Trust me on this."
After much deliberation at Roden's confident words, Shan nodded.
It wouldn't do to repeat impulsive actions like the one just recently that had caused everyone worry.
"More than that, I'd like to look into who these people really are."
"We could ask the princess—but you promised not to tell anyone else besides me."
"You only told me, so if I ask on your behalf, it wouldn't be breaking the promise, right?"
Roden shrugged, then smiled seeing Shan's uneasy expression.
"Alright, I'll look into it separately. We're not on her level, but the Webers family has our own network built up over the years."
Above all, since they'd gifted a jewelry ring, tracing its circulation path would be straightforward.
Not the entire Pendia gem trade, but the major channels were firmly in the Webers family's grasp.
Moreover, this was deeply tied to Shan's identity, so even without the promise issue, it seemed better to dig into it themselves rather than alerting the princess.
After that day, the self-proclaimed Altoin Brotherhood made no further attempts to contact Shan.
Sir Bollin, who had delivered the letter, also didn't try to get entangled under the pretext of personal friendship.
A few more days passed, and rumors began filtering into the capital from the north: Shan had single-handedly slain a powerful high vampire.
For some reason, the tale had twisted into the vampire being so mighty it could swap day and night with a mere gesture—a monster straight out of legend.
"He took down a guy like that all by himself? Come on."
"Sir Shan took down a cockatrice solo!"
"Yeah, both stories are equally ridiculous."
But given Shan's overwhelming prowess proven time and again, the rumors weren't entirely implausible.
Rumors bred more rumors, plain and simple.
On top of that, the Magic Academy, which had acquired the vampire's byproducts, kept them off the market—fanning the flames further.
People naturally assumed the vampire was so extraordinarily powerful that even its remains held special properties.
"Now I've got this flashy title: Slayer of the Vampire Lord."
"That thing was strong, but not that strong."
Roden chuckled, and Shan looked sheepish.
The byproducts were likely handled internally by Princess Sherin, wary of detecting pure blood essence.
Not long after the rumors spread, a response came from Prince Elvin's camp—the faction Shan had recently joined.
Sir Lug, the lanky knight who had faced Shan in the finals before, visited the mansion.
"Long time no see, Sir Shan!"
"Good to see you."
"I've heard the rumors! Ah, if only I'd been there to fight alongside you and take down that beast—my only regret!"
This towering knight still gazed at Shan with eyes full of admiration, as if he were an idol.
Feeling awkward, Shan averted his gaze and caught Roden stifling a laugh with his hand over his mouth.
Sir Lug continued chattering excitedly about various things.
Tales of swearing loyalty to Prince Elvin as his knight and bonding with fellow comrades under him, or group combat training they'd done together.
Shan found such topics intriguing and conversed at length.
"It'd be great if you joined us too, Sir Shan..."
"I'd like that someday."
Shan deflected Sir Lug's somewhat clumsy recruitment pitch with the formal response Roden had coached him on.
He didn't seem to have come with strict orders—just testing the waters—so he didn't press further.
"Well then, I'll be off—ugh, spiderwebs again... Being this tall isn't always a blessing."
As the overly tall Sir Lug grumbled while sweeping away cobwebs with his hair on the way out, Shan turned to Roden, who had watched silently beside him.
"Sent by Prince Elvin?"
"Who knows? Even if the prince ordered it, he probably came because he wanted to."
His adoring attitude toward Shan seemed utterly genuine, not mere flattery on command.
His wish to have Shan serve under Prince Elvin didn't feel like hidden motives or prompted lines either.
If Roden saw it that way, it was likely accurate, so Shan groaned.
"I hope I never have to cross swords with Sir Lug."
"I hope so too."
His excessive praise was a bit overwhelming, but it stemmed from genuine goodwill toward Shan, so he didn't want to kill him if a fight broke out.
That said, as a formidable fighter himself, it could put Shan at risk.
Not long after Sir Lug departed, the information Roden had gathered using his father's connections on the Brotherhood arrived.
Roden let out a small groan as he read the documents.
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"Looks like they couldn't confirm what happened at the Golden Theater that day. It was completely closed—not even the doors opened."
The Golden Theater was the largest in Hasla City, a jewel of the capital's entertainment district.
They surely hadn't invited Shan just to stand him up, so this meant they had the money and pull to rent out the place for a day and use it as they pleased.
Progress on the gem ring was unexpectedly stalled too.
No matter the channels investigated, there was no record of Marquis Beshelia's mistress disposing of it anywhere.
Circumstantially, the Brotherhood had either stolen it from her or received it directly—both extremes, and either way, tough nuts to crack.
Both leads had hit dead ends.
Intelligence work like this wasn't their forte; even the all-purpose superman Roden, who excelled at everything except fighting, was struggling.
"Argh, damn it! What a headache. And now we've got those Council bastards to worry about too..."
The princess, who had promised to investigate them, had been silent for a week.
As if waiting for his complaints, exactly ten days after their parting, Princess Sherin arrived at the Webers mansion in disguise, accompanied by a single guard.
"I must apologize for the rudeness last time."
The princess's face, offering a polite apology, looked far more haggard than before.
Her skin, already pale, was now ghostly white like a vampire's, with shadowed eyes and sunken cheeks.
Anyone would think she was ill.
Shan stared for a moment before asking.
"Did I cause that somehow?"
"Hm?"
"You seemed upset by my actions last time. I don't know why, but if I offended you, I apologize."
Surprised by the unexpected remark, Sherin chuckled and shook her head.
"No, it's not your fault. The problem lies with my own warped and twisted heart, unable to accept it gracefully. Still... I advise you to be more cautious in giving your heart to others from now on."
"Roden chewed me out plenty for that, and I've reflected on it."
Seeing Shan's sincere remorse, she glanced at Roden and nodded.
"Yes, Roden is an excellent advisor. I could use someone like him myself. But my advice applies to him too."
Wondering if she was trying to drive a wedge again, Shan raised an eyebrow, but saw her serious expression.
"Even if you trust others, keep your heart as your own. Once given and discarded, there's no taking it back."
Her murmured lament carried a note of self-mockery.
In the heavy atmosphere, Sherin shook her head and forced a brighter tone, somewhat exaggerated.
"Now, let's get to business! First off, using the documents I gave you before, I've roughly uncovered info on that Council."
"Already...?"
Roden blurted in surprise.
Having investigated the Brotherhood themselves, he knew well how tough it was to track down such secretive groups.
And Sherin only had two unreliable underlings: Aran and Kagon.
Or perhaps Count Paless had assigned others, or she had personal retainers... still.
"To cut to the chase, the Council isn't just a vampire cabal. It's a secret society encompassing a much broader scope."
Pendia's visible realm was ruled by king and nobles, but the shadows operated under different laws and order.
The slums and pleasure quarters, commonly called.
The Council ruled this underworld like overlords—a massive crime syndicate, despite the lofty name.
Naturally, its members were those who couldn't show their faces in society.
Skilled warriors and knights wanted for various crimes, wicked mages guilty of taboos like human experimentation, smugglers, drug addicts, prostitutes and their patrons, forming an intelligence network...
The high vampires who could assume human form were just one faction within.
Thanks to superior combat prowess, long lives accumulating knowledge and wealth, they held significant sway—but only a portion.
Sherin sighed in disbelief.
"Honestly, I was shocked. Even with all my eyes and ears focused on the royals and high nobles, I never knew such a vile organization was parasitizing the kingdom."
Roden inwardly thought, You're the surprising one.
Not even aware of their existence, yet unearthing the whole rotten tree in a week from one clue?
For a secret society unknown publicly, their security must be ironclad—this intelligence capability bordered on the eerie.
Then, as if she'd forgotten, Sherin added casually.
"Oh, and there was an interesting bunch among them. They called themselves the Brotherhood."
Roden maintained composure, but Shan jolted in shock.
He'd never imagined the Brotherhood's name dropping here.
Sherin smirked, amused by his reaction.
"Altoin Brotherhood. Ring a bell? They apparently tried recruiting you recently, Sir Shan."
"Princess, that—"
"I know you didn't accept. Wise choice."
According to Sherin, the Altoin Brotherhood exploited weaker kin under the guise of protection.
They pushed frail comrades into dangerous crimes or labor, with profits funneled to the top elites.
"Their leader or top executives are probably nobles or knights. Unlikely Westerners in those roles just to exploit Altoins... I suspect swaps like with that vampire lord."
"Using Altoins who don't look much different."
"Exactly."
Like Rocksi from the circus troupe, some Altoins closely resembled Westerners in appearance.
Others could hide traits via simple surgery—filing horns, etc.
Shan himself went unrecognized unless his eyes darkened.
Perfectly feasible to front such proxies.
"Impersonating nobles and knights... hah, we're tangled with some real heavyweights."
"Still just a crime syndicate—don't worry too much. They're vermin skulking in society's shadows."
"People die from bug bites sometimes."
Sherin smiled at Roden's valid concern.
"Indeed, wise counsel. And those vermin do plan to bite and kill a certain someone."
No prizes for guessing who were the bugs and the man—Roden's face darkened gravely.
Shan, not fully grasping, looked puzzled; she explained simply.
"Originally, they planned to lure you to the Golden Theater, ply you with booze, drugs, and women to weaken you, then recruit you."
"Fitting for criminals."
Roden muttered disdainfully; Sherin nodded in agreement.
"But when you didn't bite, they blamed you, Roden."
"...Spot on."
"Everyone in the know is aware you're Shan's advisor. So they decided to eliminate you first—"
Sherin cut off as Shan's eyes changed while she spoke.
Usually warm green like a gentle dog's—or fresh foliage—now devoid of all emotion.
To her, they resembled an insect's.
No mercy, no pity—purely fixated on detecting and devouring prey as designed...
"They... tried to kill Roden."
"Don't worry. I can't stop everything, but I'll ensure no knives from the shadows reach you."
Having just witnessed her overwhelming intelligence prowess, it rang utterly trustworthy.
With her aid, at least no backstabs—only frontal assaults.
Assuming she didn't betray them, of course.
"Thank you, Princess."
Without her, they wouldn't even know the Brotherhood targeted Roden.
As Shan bowed in gratitude, Sherin smiled faintly, then trailed off oddly.
"Ahem, so... about that..."
A slight blush betrayed embarrassment or shyness.
"It's not exactly payment for the intel, but could you show me that item from last time again? It keeps flickering in my mind whenever I try to sleep."
"Of course."
No harder the second time, Shan reshaped the Thousand Forms—from bracelet to sword—and placed it on the parlor table.
As before, Sherin's face lit with rapture.
"Incredible. I knew ancient Altoin magic reached high realms, but this...!
"The mage who saw it before said modern magic couldn't replicate it."
"No doubt. It requires immense pure essence, plus lost techniques in crafting."
Astonishing that mages discerned this from mere inspection.
Though Princess Sherin was exceptional.
"Likely belonged to a regional enforcer. High-ranking warrior-mage in Altoin society."
Fitting—it was in the grandest building's master bedroom in that nameless city.
Worried she'd pinpoint the location next, Shan hesitated to reclaim it, but as she flipped it repeatedly, she tossed out casually.
"Need more study, but... we might extract and use some of this tech."
"Really!?"
Shan dropped formality in shock; she nodded.
"Can't freely morph like this, obviously, but preset lengths with time to shift? Or armor covering torso normally, full body in combat."
Incredibly useful if possible.
Shan's current magic spear was awkwardly mid-length for mount or foot.
Four meters on horseback, two on foot? Perfect.
And donning armor's hassle—self-evident.
"You've inspired me. Now then..."
"What to do about the Brotherhood."
After their brazen intent to kill Roden, no room for negotiation.
Reading the cruel killing intent in Shan's eyes, Sherin smiled.
"Several options, but I advise no need to play fair. They're criminals outside the law—no reason to fight within it."
"Meaning..."
"As a knight, would kidnapping or assassination bruise your pride?"
"Not at all."
Against fair foes, maybe—but not criminals targeting his friend.
Sherin grinned at Shan's clear answer.
"Then it's simple. First, let's snag their contact."
In the dark of night, Sir Bollin of House Anix awoke abruptly for reasons unknown.
Thirsty from heavy drinking the night before?
Turning for water, he froze mid-step unwittingly.
"Ah...?"
In the pitch-black room, lit only by faint moonlight through the window, two green glows stared at him from the corner.