Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Found: The Troll King
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Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da!
The tracking pouch Sophia had given them.
The entire Latent Dragon Squad, having sniffed the pouch's scent, raced nonstop in the direction of the faint, tickling fragrance that teased their noses.
"……."
How long had they been running?
Thanks to the Blazing Flower Squad drawing all the trolls' attention, the Latent Dragon Squad had made their way comfortably to the lower part of the cave.
There, before them, appeared a shabby iron door so rusted and decayed it was almost embarrassing to call it a prison gate.
It was so pathetically inadequate as a security measure that one might question if it even qualified as a jail, but recalling what this place was made it all click into place.
This was deep in the trolls' stronghold, a spot they'd run far to reach.
Once dragged here, whether there was a door or not hardly mattered to the trolls.
"Blazing Flower Squad, Blazing Flower Squad members—are you here? If you are, answer me!"
Ryu An stepped forward, urgently calling out for the Blazing Flower Squad, and from deep inside the prison came a joyful response.
"We're here, right here!"
Seok!
The moment Ryu An drew his dao toward the source of the voice—
Ku-woong!
The rusted iron door split in two and collapsed powerlessly.
As the dust settled from the falling door in the sealed cave, the forms of the Blazing Flower Squad members appeared, tightly bound behind it.
"…What the hell are you all doing there?"
Ryu An, having already sheathed his dao, stared at the trio with a dumbfounded expression.
Their predicament was that bizarre.
Bound thickly to sturdy branches, each had barely managed to free one arm to grip a shortsword and was frantically rubbing(?) at the wood.
"W-We… it doesn't cut as easily as we thought…."
Realizing too late how ridiculous they looked, the three flushed red and stammered lame excuses.
"Step aside."
Perhaps exasperated by the sight, Ian nudged Ryu An's shoulder slightly to the left and swung his blade in a short arc.
Chwaaaaak!
Plip! Plop! Plip-plop!
The branches binding them snapped like rotten twine.
Yet despite the forceful swing, not a single scratch marred their skin.
The near-miraculous precision drew involuntary awe, but sadly, there was no time to admire Ian's skill.
"Thank you, Latent Dragon Captain."
Ian spoke to the grateful Blazing Flower members.
"I'll cut straight to the chase with you three."
"Pardon?"
The three, loosening their stiff muscles, turned to face him.
"Your captain said that if we found you, we should escape the trolls' lair immediately. She claimed that once we'd rescued you and pulled back first, she'd follow right after."
"……."
The three fell silent at Ian's words.
Meeting their wordless eyes squarely, Ian asked,
"Tell me—is your captain really the type to choose escape in a situation like this and bide her time?"
If it turned out she truly was, Ian was willing to follow Sophia's orders.
She was the mission lead, after all, so obeying made sense.
And playing it safe for the long game wasn't a bad call either.
But.
"……."
Something seemed to nag at their consciences; they hemmed and hawed, avoiding Ian's sudden question.
Ian simply regarded the Blazing Flower members with quiet, unblinking eyes.
As if refusing to budge until they answered.
In the end, the ones to crack first were the Blazing Flower trio.
"…Hoo! You already seem to have your suspicions. No point lying… Truth is, given the captain's personality, she'd sooner use this chance to go berserk and take down the troll king than slink away quietly."
"?!"
"Sis?!"
Grace calmly answered Ian's question, leaving Hestia and Fiore to grab her arms in panic instead.
Grace gently shook them off.
"Stay put, you two. You don't really want to tuck tail and flee, leaving the captain and the others behind anyway."
She was right.
Ian's gaze was resolute.
He wouldn't be fooled by half-truths, so if they didn't come clean about their captain, they'd be stuck escaping the cave with him—no choice.
After their comrades had infiltrated to save them, bailing out comfortably alone?
No way in hell.
"That's true, but…."
"And the Latent Dragon Captain already seems convinced, judging by the question."
Grace met Ian's eyes as she spoke.
In her reflection, he looked utterly unsurprised—as if he'd expected exactly that answer.
"She's one of the clan's rising stars, isn't she? I figured she'd have ambitions like that. It's just…."
Swoosh!
"I'd prefer if you kept it quiet for the sake of the mission lead's face and slipped out discreetly…."
Ian's head tilted sideways.
"But stabbing a squadmate in the back to hog the glory solo? Can't stand the sight of it."
He did think well of Sophia.
But that was separate from this mess.
No matter who it was, betrayal demanded payback—in spades.
Ian turned to the three, who were stretching and checking themselves over.
"How are you all holding up?"
"…Arms are a bit stiff from yanking them free, but no issue moving."
"Good. You're smelling the tracking scent too, so finding your captain should be easy."
The Latent Dragon Squad had tracked them via the scent on their first use, so for Blazing Flower members who lived with it, locating Sophia would be a cinch.
"Your call. Bail like she said, or link up with her. Whatever you want."
Twirl!
With that, Ian turned and headed out the door toward the rest of the squad.
His words and actions left the three cocking their heads at an odd sense of dissonance.
Their captain was glory-hungry, sure.
Her goal this mission was to score big and retrieve her brother, after all.
That's why Grace had answered honestly.
Since they'd been busted anyway, better to regroup with Sophia and wrap the mission safely.
But the nuance in Ian's words, the vibe as he turned away…
It felt like he was letting them tag along while he pursued independently.
"…So what will you do, Latent Dragon Captain?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Ian stared straight into his squadmates' eyes, his own burning with volcanic fervor.
"We've rescued the Blazing Flower members. Now we rack up our own merits our way. Time's ticking."
The troll king's full revival was imminent.
Or hell, maybe already happened.
In this urgent rush, they needed to punish the troll king fast.
Not to undercut the Blazing Flower Squad and steal their thunder.
Absolutely not.
Ku-wooooong!
A monstrous spear clashed against a chakram spinning so fast it blurred into a circle.
Kiiiiing!
Red sparks from the weapons' friction lit the dark cave.
Paaaang!
The entangled weapons unleashed a massive shockwave, rippling outward and shaking the cavern.
Rustle-rustle!
The ancient cave screamed, dropping ceiling dust from the shockwave of the two powerhouses.
"Grrrrargh! You persistent human scum! To think you'd chase me all the way here!!"
Munjuk, having parried Sophia's chakram with his spear, gnashed his teeth in a roar that was half battle cry, half beastly howl.
Chwarararak!
Unlike the erupting volcano of Munjuk's rage, Sophia elegantly whipped her chain to retrieve the deflected chakram, curling her fine lips.
Her smile was cold as ice.
"Obviously. If you thought I'd do nothing after you snuck away with my precious subordinates like a coward… you took me for more of an idiot than I am. Isn't that a bit too brazen?"
Munjuk growled at Sophia's icy jab like a wounded beast.
"Grrrrk! Foolish human. Charging into the jaws of death over a few worthless underlings. Fine, perfect even."
Whoosh, whiiiish!
Munjuk spun his spear ferociously, shaking off the impact from clashing with her chakram, then settled into stance, his inhuman muscles rippling.
"Capture you presumptuous lot right here, and our king's recovery hastens! Not one escapes—I'll offer you all as tribute!"
"We'll see."
Unfazed by Munjuk's vicious threat, Sophia adjusted her own stance and replied.
"Give it a shot, if you can."
All around, trolls and Night Phlox Squad clashed in deadly melee, lives hanging in the balance.
Yet the two titans never broke eye contact, locked in standoff.
No pushover opponent.
A moment's lapse, a single gap, and the other's lethal weapon would shred flesh.
Plip, plop!
Overwhelmed by the shockwaves, a cracked stalactite finally plummeted.
Crack!
The moment it shattered on impact—
Taaaaang!
The two charged with murderous intent, weapons blazing, determined to claim victory.
Deep in the cave's heart.
A lone troll slumbered deeply on a simple bed.
By human standards, it was laughably crude.
Yet in this barren cave of stone and moss, using even a "bed" hinted at the sleeper's high status.
Thud, thudu-thud!
Endless noise echoed faintly from the cave's outskirts.
The faint vibrations through the bed confirmed it wasn't mere racket.
But the troll felt no worry.
His subordinate was exceptionally capable.
Once, this troll had suffered an irrecoverable wound from Iron Mask, a hated foe he'd gladly devour.
He lived still thanks to the mysterious elixir his subordinate fetched as he lay dying.
And though only thirty percent of his power returned while mending the wound, it was because his subordinate tirelessly offered tributes.
Thus, he trusted.
His capable vassal would slaughter the insolent intruders defiling the king's domain and bring fresh offerings.
So he stayed abed amid the outer commotion.
His wounds ran deep.
Even gobbling tributes, he wasn't fully healed.
Trolls boasted peerless regeneration, but they were living beings too.
To maximize it, nothing beat deep sleep.
Believing his subordinate victorious, he kept his eyes shut, holding position.
But contrary to expectations, time passed and the noises persisted.
Irked by the grating din, the troll finally rose, frowning.
"Grrrr… Who dares…!"
Fury ignited in the eyes of the troll, Attila.
This land, the birch forest, was his territory; this cave, his palace.
Invaders treading soil was bad enough—now rioting inside the palace?
To Attila, long reigning as king, it was an intolerable humiliation.
The moment the Troll King Attila slowly rose from his bed—
Step, step!
"!!"
Footsteps approached precisely toward him from afar.
Soon, a group arrived before him and pointed.
"Found you."