Chapter 301: At a Crossroads (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: At a Crossroads (3)
That evening.
In his private quarters, Scott stared down at his magic communicator with a grim expression.
"...Should I report this or not? Do I carry out my mission as a spy, or do I remain a private soldier of Dmitry?"
The past ten days had been a period of constant awe at Dmitry's sheer potential.
Though he had marveled at the monstrous stamina of the senior soldiers, Scott felt he couldn't abandon his mission. His family's safety was on the line. The pressure from the Kronos Empire was simply that immense. No matter how impressive Dmitry's recent showing had been, it was an undeniable fact that Kronos was the strongest nation on the continent.
But ever since the mind method training began, his thoughts had grown complicated.
The moment he felt mana after a mere three hours of practice, he realized this was no ordinary matter.
'Aura Swordsmen always told me I had absolutely no talent for Aura. Yet, if someone like me can feel mana in less than a day, then manifesting Aura—even if it takes time—isn't an impossible dream. What if Dmitry achieves the democratization of Aura through the Asura Mind Method? Dmitry will possess tens of thousands of Aura Swordsmen. It will only be a matter of time before they amass a military force capable of overwhelming the Kronos Empire.'
Dmitry and Kronos.
Though the gap between them was currently vast, Dmitry would rapidly close that distance with each passing year.
It was a revolution.
Just as Alexander's Kronos had dominated other nations by pioneering 'Aura,' Dmitry was bound to lead the new era. Furthermore, according to Chris, the Asura Mind Method was merely a low-tier martial art.
Scott was plagued by doubt. Knowing that Roman Dmitry was a man who thoroughly punished his enemies, he wondered if leaking information was truly a safe choice.
The sun set.
He ruffled his hair and bit his nails, but a dilemma concerning his family's safety couldn't be easily resolved.
In the end...
'The Kronos Empire won't guarantee the safety of my family and me. If things go even slightly awry, they won't care if I meet a grim end in Dmitry. But Dmitry... if I show them unwavering loyalty, they will surely never abandon us. Just as they carried the gear of those who collapsed during the test. I want to remain a comrade to people like that.'
He made his decision.
Rather than leaking information and fleeing, he decided that contacting an acquaintance in the Kronos Empire to smuggle his family out was the right choice for his future.
Beep.
"Pike. As soon as you get this message, secretly smuggle my family out and flee to Dmitry. The future of Dmitry that I've witnessed here is brilliant. Rather than devoting myself to the Kronos Empire, which doesn't care about my well-being, I'd rather stake my life on Dmitry's bright future. So, bring them here. Let's start anew in Dmitry, in a country that will actually value us."
The recipient of his call was a fellow mercenary.
Just in case, Scott had told him to be prepared beforehand.
However...
Beep.
[Scott. I sincerely congratulate you on becoming a 'formal' member of Dmitry.]
The voice coming from the communicator was not Pike's. Startled, Scott dropped the device, his face draining of color.
Clatter.
"...W-what is the meaning of this?"
It was a shocking turn of events.
For a long while, he could only stare blankly at the magic communicator, utterly dazed.
*
At that same hour, Chris was in his office.
'Tonight is the turning point. The spies who learned the Asura Mind Method will choose their futures at this crossroads.'
The presence of spies.
Dmitry had accepted it.
Even while considering the possibility of the Asura Mind Method being leaked through them, Roman Dmitry had still made it public. It was a deliberate message. If it leaked, it would broadcast Dmitry's majesty to the world, while their treatment of the spies demonstrated Dmitry's absolute confidence. And those who chose to steal information would pay a heavy price. Just because a few spies who surrendered early had been allowed to leave alive didn't mean those who remained inside Dmitry to leak secrets would be spared.
Roman Dmitry had made his stance on rewards and punishments crystal clear.
Those classified as spies were put to the test under the watchful eyes of the Hao Sect.
'The rest of the retainers and I argued that we should block any possibility of the Asura Mind Method leaking from the start, but my Lord did not care. He said that the moment we revealed the Asura Mind Method to ordinary soldiers, its leakage became an inevitable reality. However, he made it clear that he would hold them strictly accountable for their actions. We chose to turn a blind eye despite knowing they were spies, but there is zero reason to spare enemies who actually carry out their espionage.'
Just now, Chris had received a report on Scott's situation.
Scott believed he could evade Dmitry's surveillance by using a magic communicator, but due to the magic interference fields set up in advance, it was impossible for him to connect to his desired destination. If he had attempted to contact the Kronos Empire, his head would have been severed instantly by the troops waiting outside his door.
It was a pitch-black night, perfect for betrayal.
Chris leaned back in his chair, waiting for events to unfold.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
"May I come in?"
From outside the door, a familiar voice called out.
At this hour, the person seeking him out was highly likely to be a spy who had made their decision at the crossroads.
"Come in."
The door opened.
The person who stepped inside wore a solemn, resolute expression, just as Chris had expected.
"...If it is not too late, is there still a chance for me to sincerely serve Dmitry?"
It was none other than Fred, the former Knight Commander of the Memphis family.
*
Fred.
His story was complicated.
While it was true he had left Kronos for his family's safety, that was not the whole truth.
Fred spoke.
"I was originally the Emperor of Kronos's man. Under his orders, I swore loyalty to Marquis Memphis, and I was sent here when news broke that Dmitry was recruiting private soldiers. To be honest, my time here has given me much to think about. I was deeply moved by Lord Roman Dmitry's resolve in revealing the concept of the Dantian without hesitation at the swordsmanship presentation. Seeing how he truly cares for his people made me want to live for Dmitry. That is why I am risking my life. Perhaps I will die because of this choice."
He swallowed his fear.
Even as Fred spoke, his eyes trembled slightly.
Chris watched him quietly.
"The people who came with me to Dmitry are not my real family. They are merely actors, and the Kronos Empire is holding my actual family hostage. If I do not carry out my orders properly, my family will be tortured horribly and killed. So, I beg of you. If there is a way to save my family, please accept me. If not, please let me leave, just as you spared the spies during the fourth test. I will take the Asura Mind Method to my grave. I will only return to Kronos to find a way to save my family; I will never betray Dmitry."
He appealed to Chris's emotions.
He truly wished to live for Dmitry.
But because he could not resolve the problem plaguing him, he chose to reveal the truth despite knowing the danger of his choice.
If there was no way to save his family, it would be the end.
The chances of Dmitry naively letting him return to the Kronos Empire were slim.
Chris spoke.
"We already know who you are, and we know the family you brought to Dmitry is fake. Fred, if you truly wish to become a man of Dmitry, answer my next question honestly. According to our investigations, we obtained information that the Emperor of Kronos controls people through 'mental constraints.' Have you recently lost portions of your memory, or felt a sense of foreignness in your mind? If it has happened even once, tell me the truth."
The Hao Sect.
They had penetrated deep into Kronos.
While sorting through vast amounts of information, they discovered that those close to the Emperor of Kronos complained of a common issue.
Memory loss.
Actions they could not recall.
It was clearly a mental constraint.
The fact that their actions during those blank periods always benefited the Emperor of Kronos led to the reasonable suspicion that he could control people through mental constraints. Men like Scott were not worth the trouble. But for someone like Fred, Chris thought he might be under a mental constraint without even realizing it.
Fred was startled.
"...There is."
A sudden flash of recent events crossed his mind.
Before leaving for the Empire, his wife had worriedly mentioned that her forgetfulness seemed to be getting worse.
Chris stood up from his seat.
"Follow me. I will show you your path to survival."
*
They relocated.
It was a secret underground space, but the interior was as bright as day, with countless people moving about busily. It was a jaw-dropping sight. Fred found it bewildering that so many people were active deep beneath Dmitry in the dead of night.
This was none other than the headquarters of the Hao Sect.
Since Roman Dmitry first ordered Lucas to establish an information guild, the scale of the Hao Sect had grown exponentially over time. Handling vast amounts of information required a dedicated headquarters. Felix and the other mages had been fully mobilized to construct this secret space, completely shielding it from any magical intrusion.
Those who knew the truth said:
While Dmitry's workshops roared with fire until sunset, the underground never saw its lights go out.
Even when everyone else slept, the members of the Hao Sect sorted through information.
Their immense intelligence network had even managed to uncover the clue that the Emperor of Kronos utilized mental constraints.
Fred spoke.
"...Is it really alright to bring me to a place like this? If I am under a mental constraint, the information in my head could be transmitted directly if my control is seized."
"It does not matter. This place is constructed so that no magical energy, such as spatial teleportation magic or Link, can penetrate it. Even if someone were to breach our magic barriers, Dmitry does not fear exposure."
Finally, they reached their destination.
It was a room designed for conversation. Sitting across from Fred, Chris got straight to the point.
"First, let us resolve the most critical issue. If you make the decision to swear loyalty to Dmitry, the members of Dmitry's information guild in Kronos will move to rescue your family. I cannot guarantee there is zero chance of failure. However, we have already located your family and bribed the people around them. If we are prepared to make sacrifices, I can tell you the probability of success is not low."
"When on earth did you prepare all of this...?"
"After the fourth test. While the applicants for the private soldiers were on leave, we had already finished categorizing your information and made thorough preparations for whatever choices you would make. That was the purpose of the one-week leave. It was time for us to prepare a perfect response to whatever decision you made upon joining Dmitry."
Fred was genuinely astonished.
Dmitry was never complacent.
Even as they proceeded boldly, they prepared meticulously for every detail.
An iron fortress.
They were building an impregnable tower.
Centered around Roman Dmitry, the Dmitry Duchy was laying down the foundations of an empire.
"And for spies like you who are under 'mental constraints,' you will live here for a month to sever the link of that constraint. We already have a successful precedent for this. The Demon Subduing Arts forge mental fortitude, allowing you to break free from the unknown power constraining you."
This was Roman Dmitry's strategy.
While the mental constraints used by Alexander exerted a powerful suppression, the Demon Subduing Arts created by Shaolin were the optimal solution to counter them. Even the Phantom Demon, who had struck terror into the Righteous Faction Murim, could not pierce the mental strength of Shaolin armed with the Demon Subduing Arts.
By crushing Shaolin, Baek Joong-hyuk had acquired their martial arts.
What had not been particularly necessary in his past life turned out to be the perfect means to sever Alexander's mental constraints.
The recruitment of private soldiers, the swordsmanship presentation—this series of events had been carried out under flawless preparation.
People marveled at Dmitry's boldness, but Dmitry had already prepared for every single variable.
Filled with admiration, Fred asked with trembling eyes.
"...Why go to such lengths? Do you truly judge me valuable enough to accept, even while risking the rescue of my family and lifting my mental constraints?"
"No."
Chris smiled.
As always, he prioritized safety above all else.
However...
"How great of an Aura Swordsman you are does not matter to us. The reason we go to such lengths for you, who wishes to follow Dmitry, is because those who directly serve our Lord are worth that much. No matter what happens to you in the future, from the moment you reveal the whole truth and swear loyalty to Dmitry, Dmitry will never abandon you."
In that instant, a surge of emotion welled up inside Fred.
Even while occupying the core of power in the Kronos Empire, he had spent many days in anxiety. Yet Chris, representing Dmitry, showed him exactly how Dmitry treated its own people. They were truly insane. Dmitry's capacity for embrace gave him a powerful conviction that they would eventually leap forward to become an empire.
Fred spoke.
"I will follow Dmitry. From this moment on, I will stake my life for Dmitry."
He poured out his sincerity.
Seeing the passion in Fred's eyes, Chris smiled and stood up.
"Follow me. Once you complete your month of training in the Demon Subduing Arts, we will bring your family before your eyes on that very day."
"Thank you."
He stood up to follow.
Fred.
From this moment on, he was a man of Dmitry.
As they walked, Fred witnessed a man covered in blood being dragged from the opposite direction.
"...?!"
His eyes widened.
He couldn't help it.
The person being dragged along by the soldiers had a face that was all too familiar.
The man who had chatted boisterously with others at the tavern.
The man who had confessed to being a spy and given up on the fourth test.
Deshan.
He was being dragged past Fred's eyes, looking half-dead.