Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Trapped in Ye's Domain
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Led by Ian, as they pushed through the trees, the carriages hidden away in secrecy came into view.
"It's because everyone who denounced the true nature of the Sword Saint, Kaidu Ballak, ended up dead. Those who refused had no choice but to turn a blind eye, plug their ears, and seal their lips, even if they knew the truth."
Viscount Sozen continued speaking from between the gaps in the carriage windows.
Viscount Sozen himself had come out in a carriage to meet them at the rendezvous point with Ian.
"Get in first, everyone. This is Ye's territory, so lingering here too long won't end well for us."
Clop, clop.
Inside the quietly moving carriage.
"Um... Viscount."
Helena, glancing around cautiously, hesitantly spoke up to Viscount Sozen.
"If what you said is true, then everyone who figured out the Sword Saint... I mean, Kaidu Ballak's true nature is dead. So how have you managed to stay safe?"
It was a rude question, straight out of Helena's innocently brutal mouth, but everyone was inwardly curious enough to perk up their ears.
Fortunately, Viscount Sozen didn't take offense and answered matter-of-factly.
"Simple reason. I'm a diplomatic envoy from Pang Kingdom, attending events in many foreign countries. If I suddenly vanished without cause, wouldn't people suspect the Khan Empire first?"
He had some reputation among the kingdom's people, so it made sense, but it still didn't fully convince them.
"But even then..."
"You're saying they could just poison you or stage an accident with bandits to make it look natural, right?"
Viscount Sozen snorted, as if he'd anticipated it.
"You all underestimate the Khan Empire's arrogance far too lightly. Do you think they'd see me as worth that much effort—as someone holding a position of real importance?"
A bitter expression lingered on Viscount Sozen's lips.
"Whenever I leave the East Continent, I always have to leave my family behind in the Khan Empire. If strange rumors about Kaidu Ballak... that man start circulating, they'll slaughter my family on the spot. To them, I'm actually a tool they keep burning the midnight oil with to control Pang Kingdom's mouth from outside the continent. Why would they bother killing me?"
"......!!"
Viscount Sozen spoke from his own family's perspective, but the Latent Dragon Squad understood.
Other nobles would face the same treatment when leaving the continent—not just Viscount Sozen.
"...Even vassal states don't get treatment this harsh."
Forcing nobles to silence each other... The Khan Empire's obsessive control and interference had clearly crossed the line.
"...Captain. Isn't it about time you told us what we need to do?"
Ryu An, his face tense with agreement, asked Ian.
"It's not the Khan Empire directly, and we're sneaking around to avoid the traitors' eyes, so it has to be something tied to Pang Kingdom."
The Latent Dragon Squad weren't fools.
Learning Kaidu Ballak's identity meant their own safety couldn't be guaranteed if word leaked out.
What mission could possibly demand risking this much danger in Pang Kingdom?
"What we have to do is simple."
As Ian's mouth opened, everyone's attention sharpened.
Find Pang Kingdom's hidden traitors? Or... maybe develop a smuggling route into Pang Kingdom?
If getting caught by the traitors meant instant drag to the Khan Empire, it couldn't be simple.
"First, we'll eliminate Pang Kingdom's traitors all at once."
As the Latent Dragon Squad steeled themselves, Ian's response slipped from his lips.
"Then, while the momentum's hot, we'll link up with the Ye bandit group in the White Net Mountains to pressure the Khan Empire. After that, we'll boldly open routes with the martial clans, stabilize the trade lanes, and head back."
"......?"
The tense Latent Dragon Squad—even Aelion and Kasar—could only blink in confusion at Ian's answer.
What?
It was a sentence made of perfectly understandable words, yet the meaning was utterly incomprehensible.
"Y-You're saying... we're doing a show of force against the Khan Empire? Teaming up with the Ye bandits?"
Ralph stammered, desperately hoping it was a misunderstanding as he stared at Ian, but Ian just nodded firmly.
"Th-This is insane. No way. Even the family units wouldn't dream of this. How the hell are we supposed to pull it off? I'm out."
Ralph flailed in protest and moved to jump out of the carriage.
None of Ian's missions had ever been easy, but this was on another level.
One wrong choice by the Latent Dragon Squad could turn them into outright enemies of an entire nation—the monstrously powerful traditional powerhouse, Khan Empire.
But Ian's cold voice hit the back of Ralph's head mercilessly.
"Sorry, but it's too late for that. Why do you think I chose to link up with the viscount at the foothills of the White Net Mountains, of all places?"
"Wh-What?"
"Our entry's already been spotted by Ye's eyes long ago. Get it now?"
Ian flashed a refreshing—no, downright wicked—grin at his squad.
"That land is all Ye's turf. Without their say-so, sailing away is a pipe dream. So..."
Sneer!
"No matter what, we can't just turn back now."
"U-Uwaaaaaah!!"
Realizing they were utterly trapped, the Latent Dragon Squad's screams echoed far and wide through the quiet mountain night.
A mountain range refers to a chain of mountains stretching out.
The rugged natural terrain, dense forests, caves... all of it serves as the perfect ally for shaking off pursuers and launching ambushes.
That's why, throughout human history, countless factions have made their bases in mountain ranges.
For the same reason, even the now-fallen Golden Eye had established the foundations of Golden Heaven in the Sargus Mountains of Bestrika on the Southern Continent.
The East Continent's Javak was no different.
Between the Khan Empire and Pang Kingdom lies a massive mountain range spanning both nations' borders.
So high and treacherous they scrape the sky, with white clouds perpetually draping the peaks—like a white net enveloping the East Continent.
The people of the East Continent call this range thus.
The White Net Mountains.
Tatadadak!
On a certain rugged slope of the impossibly treacherous White Net Mountains.
A man as rough-hewn as the terrain—fierce in garb and features—raced busily toward somewhere.
Soon, he arrived at a small hillock.
Rustle, rustle!
Carefully brushing aside the piled leaves on the hillock revealed the entrance to a small cave hidden beneath.
Glance, glance!
No sign of life even if you scrubbed your eyes raw, but the man still scanned the surroundings meticulously.
Only after a long while, convinced he was alone, did he slip cautiously into the cave, concealing the entrance with leaves once more.
How much time passed as he squeezed his massive frame through the narrow cave crevices?
Suddenly, his retinas filled with a vast wooden stockade unimaginable from the tiny entrance.
And that wasn't all.
Inside the stockade, countless figures dressed like him were stationed.
Who could imagine so many living inside from that narrow cave mouth?
Even more astonishing: these were just a tiny fraction.
The organization uniting these men's will was the great bandit gang that even mocked the Khan Empire, dominating the East Continent.
Ye.
"Oh, Luabel? Still time till your shift change?"
"Hey, Luabel! What's up? Don't tell me you're slacking already?"
"Look at this punk kid picking up bad habits so soon."
"This is why the young ones are trouble. Back in my day, slacking at that rank meant a good whack to the—"
As the man called Luabel pressed onward, the old bandits scattered about playing poker ribbed him one after another.
But perhaps from sheer experience.
Luabel just kept his head down and hurried on through their scoldings.
He knew it too.
A year into joining the bandit gang.
They looked like cranky old coots itching for a fight, no different on the surface, but not a single one of those old bandits was weak.
No—calling them Ye's true strength wouldn't be wrong.
...I got cocky at first and got my ass handed to me.
Thud!
Pushing through the elders' nagging, Luabel finally reached the deepest part of the cave, stopping before a scrawny man picking his teeth with a straw.
"Lord Balteran, I have a report."
"Huh? A report?"
The man called Balteran stretched and stood.
"Yawwwn... Wasn't it just Viscount Sozen entering via Milky Way Harbor recently? Who's entering Khan Empire now? Haven't heard any specifics."
Balteran muttered, scratching his head.
His tone was casual, but the words spilling out were anything but ordinary.
Milky Way Harbor, where Khan Empire's Silver River Port lay, was in Javak's southwest.
The exact opposite of the White Net Mountains in the east and north.
Viscount Sozen's entry was less than a week ago.
The fact that Balteran already knew showed just how formidable Ye's intelligence network was.
"...Wait a sec. Hold on... Now that I think about it, Luabel, you're not even assigned to Milky Way Harbor, are you?"
Balteran eyed Luabel's face again and asked.
Luabel was just a green rookie, barely a year in.
Too inexperienced for a key spot like Milky Way Harbor.
If Balteran's memory served, Luabel's post was...
"Aren't you on Dawn Harbor duty? Why're you here?"
Balteran's eyes turned icy in an instant.
To a bandit, intelligence was as vital as their lifeline.
If a mere rookie of one year was already slacking, it threatened the gang's very existence.
If it was nothing important, he'd discipline him hard.
Balteran oversaw all of Ye's intel; he had no room for lazy subordinates.
"W-Well... Last night, a wrecked ship came limping into Dawn Harbor."
"...What? Where—what came in?"
Thinking he'd misheard, Balteran rubbed his ear.
Dawn Harbor, Pang Kingdom's port.
The waters were so vicious, even local fishermen halted operations in bad weather.
That's why they'd sent the runt there—a dead zone for a year straight.
So what the hell was this kid saying?
"A wrecked ship into Dawn Harbor? What, some shipwrecked fishermen made it back alive?"
Balteran chuckled and asked.
Most ships into Dawn Harbor were wrecks, but how big could it be for the kid to rush here?
As Balteran dismissed it as cute rookie mistake, Luabel thumped his chest in frustration.
"No, it was a ship I'd never seen before! And I saw with my own eyes—someone disembarked and headed to the foothills!"
"...What?"
Balteran's amused expression grew serious at Luabel's words.
An unfamiliar ship, mystery people disembarking... Putting it together, as hard to believe as it was, only one answer fit.
"Illegal entry! Illegal entry! Someone tried slipping into Pang Kingdom via the Dawn Harbor route!"