Chapter 191

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 191

Chapter Title: The Parasite Within

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Their first act was to take Macheon away under the pretense that they could cure him of his incurable disease, when he was merely awaiting death.

For siblings with more talent than anyone else, the promise of curing their dying little brother ignited a thread of hope in both Cheonryeong and Hwaryeong.

Without knowing it was a living enhancement human experiment.

During their expedition, the Elder Council had obtained some kind of relic and implanted it into Macheon's body. He became a mindless slaughter weapon, crazed with bloodlust and obeying only their commands, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

Hwaryeong fell into despair upon losing her little brother as well, but Cheonryeong continued to fall for their lies—that Macheon could regain his consciousness and be fully cured if he simply obeyed the Council.

"At first, it was just a simple mission, my lord. But I later realized that what appeared to be minor tasks on the surface hid utterly vile deeds behind them."

Such things do happen. Missions that seem harmless at first glance, only to snowball into something massive once you understand the full picture.

Naturally, while Cheonryeong was blinded by the hope of Macheon's recovery, the quick-witted Hwaryeong sensed that something was terribly wrong.

That's why she went searching for someone who could help her siblings.

But the Elder Council had her dancing in the palm of their hand the whole time.

"I never told my brother this, my lord, but I've had sharp instincts since childhood. Under the pretext of performing our family's enhancement procedure on my brother and me, they implanted something inside our bodies."

Ah. The kind that torments you from within if you don't obey?

With that in place, neither of them could ever be free.

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them again.

Command mana and elemental mana gathered in my eyes, allowing me to peer inside her. There, attached to her heart, was something viscous infused with mana—not perfectly clear, but visible nonetheless.

"Ah. I can see it."

Hwaryeong gasped in surprise at my shimmering violet eyes and took a step back.

"Y-You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can... see it, my lord?"

"Not in detail, but I can make out a sticky lump of mana."

That's probably why they can't defy the Elder Council's orders.

But removing it won't be easy with simple methods.

"What exactly makes you think I can see it and help you? How did you even know I could solve this in the first place?"

"Someone with extraordinarily refined control over ki. In other words, a person who can compensate for a limited total amount of ki through skill and innate talent."

Ah. So that's why she sought out someone exceptionally gifted.

"What has been implanted in my brother and me is an extremely rare parasitic entity that can only be interfered with using ki from particularly talented young individuals who excel in handling it."

Indeed, the aura of the young differs slightly from that of more mature wielders.

The conditions she described weren't something just anyone could meet.

"But that alone isn't enough, so I offer this as payment."

She pulled a small wooden box from the wide sleeve of her robe and showed it to me.

Inside was a single small pill.

"This... could it be the famous spirit pill from the East Continent?"

"It's a pill crafted from the spirit core of a renowned spirit beast from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the East Continent, refined over hundreds of years of effort. My father called it the Great Restoration Pill after pouring his life's work into it. Even in the Four Heavens clans, it's been made only twice in history."

That's the kind of item whose value is essentially whatever someone is willing to pay.

She carefully handed it to me.

"The Great Restoration Pill dramatically boosts one's ki resonance."

In other words, for someone talented, it could amplify the effects exponentially, potentially allowing them to break through realms in a single leap.

Of course, consuming it would also grant a massive surge of aura.

For any martial artist, this pill was worth more than a thousand gold.

"I beg you, my lord. You are the only one who can save my brother and me."

At this point, curiosity got the better of me.

"Why not do it yourselves? Aren't you both already at mid-Expert level?"

Expert mid-tier.

That realm was beyond imagination. And though they were older than me, they were still young.

"It's impossible at my level."

She needed someone superior to them—no, the most talented on the continent, backed by a faction that could aid her. In other words, an enemy of her clan and the Koral.

Finding such a person was insanely difficult.

"If even this isn't enough... I would serve at your side, my lord..."

Boom!!!

Luna's fist shot out like lightning, smashing a nearby fixture to pieces.

"Flirt with Leon one more time, and you're done. Totally done."

"Eek!"

I stepped in front of the startled Hwaryeong, lost in thought.

So, she wants me to take this pill, then remove whatever's in their hearts.

And accept their exile to Batara afterward.

It was a decent plan, but full of holes.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed. Melissa asked with a wary expression.

"Even assuming we believe this story, how did you plan to slip away from them temporarily after telling us? Pills aside, removal procedures usually take time, right?"

"If you safely retreat, my lord, I planned to make contact again under the pretext of becoming your concubine."

Luna, who had been munching on an apple, crushed it in her hand at those words. Hwaryeong flinched again, glancing nervously, but pressed on.

"And my brother would leave as my protector."

I'd heard that in the East Continent, it's not uncommon for someone to take a concubine before formal marriage.

Buy time that way, remove the parasites suppressing them, and flee into exile.

For the two of them, the Four Heavens was already a place where everything worth protecting had been lost.

"What about Macheon, then? You know he's dead, but doesn't your brother still believe he's alive?"

Wasn't Cheonryeong obeying the Council precisely because of Macheon?

"Cheon-i's body is resilient, but after observing it for so long, I've devised a way to destroy it. As a sister, it's something I shouldn't do, but I can't bear to see my little brother's corpse toyed with any longer."

To ensure her little brother's remains were no longer in their hands.

Her plan was straightforward: share this intel to delay our schedule, drawing in reinforcements from Batara.

With Batara's support arriving, they wouldn't dare tamper with the rift recklessly.

Time was on our side, while they had to wait officially.

Even with two Sword Masters—strategic weapons, but not invincible.

Once things here resolved smoothly, she would return to the Four Heavens clan under the guise of retrieving something they wanted.

But that was her plan. It didn't align with mine.

"We'll explore the rift as planned. Let them do whatever they want."

"Pardon?! What do you...?"

"And your proposal is on hold for now."

This went beyond simply exiling two siblings.

I stood, left the tent, and activated the communication artifact.

"Your Highness the Princess, I have a report."

-Ah, Young Lord Leon. I've been waiting for your contact. How did it go?

She'd granted full authority, but with war looming, a report was in order.

Everything that had happened here, the unfolding situation, and even Hwaryeong's proposal.

After reporting it all, silence fell from the artifact.

"Command me, and I'll act accordingly."

-Koral has already prepared for war with Batara. Reports confirm their forces are moving toward the border. No matter how this ends... war is inevitable.

"What should we do?"

-How far can you go?

To her question, I answered calmly and truthfully.

'Ah, I'm in the middle of a conversation right now, so hold off. My body's fine, but each memory dump feels like it's shaving years off my life.'

Restoring memories was smart, but blindly accepting them was unwise.

Even so, the archivist's text kept appearing.

Good news mid-conversation. No more gacha-style dumps; now I can choose what I need.

'So, what can I get right now?'

'Pass.'

Not the power I need right now.

"My top priority is my little sister's opinion, but House Cascadia pledges unwavering loyalty to the Batara ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠royal family. Give the order, and we'll overturn the table itself."

Finally, the Batara princess's voice returned with her decision.

-Avoiding war is the best course.

"Agreed."

-But if they come at us with whatever pretext they choose... we'll prepare on our end too. Young Lord, please don't yield unless you're in danger. Above all, we must prevent them from acquiring the Dragon Fang Soldier if possible.

Very well, then.

The Batara princess seemed willing to accept the siblings' exile.

-From now on, do as you see fit, Young Lord.

The best possible request.

Ending the communication, I returned to the tent and said to Luna,

"Where's Hwaryeong?"

"Gone. Said staying away too long would raise suspicions."

"Fair enough."

"Watching those two siblings... they kinda remind me of us."

"You think?"

I'd had the same thought.

They weren't bad people at heart.

Two left alone in their clan. Relatives who devoured the family's power.

The only difference between them and us was whether we had power or not.

Maybe that's why they felt like unlucky versions of House Cascadia.

It made me pay a bit more attention to them.

"Once exploration starts, they'll try to control the rift and trigger the penalty."

"Yeah."

Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen.

If the penalty was the issue, I could just seal the entrance myself to prevent it from triggering.

Besides, the dungeon seemed conquerable with just five people, including Melissa.

"And they'll surely eliminate anyone outside who might notice the disturbance."

"You can handle that, right?"

"Not a problem."

Good.

They seemed to think both Luna and I would enter the dungeon fully.

That would be a waste of manpower.