Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Northern Beastkin Revealed
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The man spoke so casually about Ian and the Latent Dragon Squad's deaths.
But what caught Ian's attention was something else entirely.
"The grand scheme..."
Ian murmured the man's words under his breath.
Who could it be?
The identity of the one plotting against the Aslan Kingdom.
For Ian, who already had a rough idea of who they were, pinpointing the answer wasn't all that difficult.
It was just... he didn't want to accept it.
"Ah! My apologies. Don't ask, even if you're curious. I have no intention of telling you anyway."
Crack!
The man, oblivious to Ian's inner thoughts, slung his staff over his shoulder and chuckled lightly.
In his mind, neither Ian nor anyone else in this land could possibly uncover their identities.
Pfft!
"No need to spell it out. I've known for a while that you crawled here from the Northern Continent."
As if mocking the man's assumptions, Ian smirked and shot back.
"...!!"
Were Ian's words completely out of left field?
The three men's faces hardened in an instant.
"...Hahaha, that's quite the amusing guess."
The man tried to play it cool, but Ian had already caught that split-second expression—it didn't fool him one bit.
"Guess? Come on. Who else uses red hair as a weapon besides the Miao Tribe from north of Crohoca? And you there, the one with the trained fists—you look like a Xiong tribesman. Let's see... silver hair and staff fighting? You must be from the Lang Tribe."
"...!!"
"Not a bad disguise pretending to be human. But flaunting beastkin traits like that and expecting us not to notice? Hilarious."
"...What the hell are you?"
The man's relaxed tone turned icy cold.
Ian had said it offhand, but even in the Northern Continent, few knew of the beastkin tribes' existence.
The lands they inhabited were so harsh that humans rarely set foot there to begin with. Plus, the beastkin themselves shunned mingling with humans.
Thus, human contact with beastkin on the Northern Continent was minimal, and even that had ceased completely twenty years ago.
Yet this kid not only knew of the beastkin but had deduced their tribes just from their weapons and physical traits.
No ordinary young human could possibly know such things.
Not even if he was a direct descendant of the Lichtenauer Martial Clan.
"Oh dear. Don't ask. Sorry, but I'm not telling."
Shrug!
"...One more reason we can't let you live."
The man glared at Ian—who had thrown his own words back at him with a shrug—gripping his staff tightly as he unleashed his killing intent.
"You two, kill the princess. Knights will swarm here soon, so finish it quick and meet at the rendezvous to escape Shurton."
"Got it. What about that guy?"
Tia nodded, glancing at Ian, but the man replied firmly.
"I'll handle him. We need to interrogate him and find out how he figured us out."
Unlikely as it was, if there was a traitor in the Northern Continent...
They had to root them out, no matter how long it took.
"Wait, hold on. They're totally ignoring us like we're trash to sweep away!"
The Latent Dragon Squad bristled at the man's indifferent tone, as if they were mere garbage.
"Enough."
Ian quelled his squad's anger.
"Escort the princess and get out of here as fast as you can. Fighting these guys isn't what's important right now—securing the princess's safety is."
"What about you, Captain?!"
Swipe!
In response to Sylvia's question, Ian jerked his chin toward the man.
"He's begging me to play. Gotta grant his wish, right? The other two... I trust you can handle them yourselves."
The squad members nodded with resolute expressions.
"...You bet! Of course!"
"Alright, go. Oh, try to take them alive if you can."
"...Captain, don't get hurt!"
Whoosh!
As the Latent Dragon Squad bolted on Ian's orders, a sense of urgency flashed across Adam and Tia's faces behind the man.
"You think we'll just let you go?!"
"Filthy vermin, halt!"
Princess Isabel had veered away via the magic circle, putting some distance between her and the city proper—but it was still practically within arm's reach if she stumbled.
Letting her slip now would blow everything wide open.
The two beastkin moved to pursue the squad, but Ian made no move to stop them.
Or rather, he had no spare moment to.
The Lang tribesman's boiling killing intent was locked entirely on him.
"Last chance. Tell us truthfully how you learned about us right now, and I'll grant you a swift, painless death."
As the man leveled his staff, lethal intent pierced straight between Ian's eyes like a storm.
But it wasn't enough to shake Ian's resolve.
Snorting, Ian fired back.
"With that level of skill?"
Even the Lang Tribe's chieftain, the Great Wolf, couldn't meet his gaze.
How dare some lowly Lang tribesman try.
"...Looks like you'll only cry once you're in the coffin."
"If you can manage it."
"......"
The man said no more in response to Ian's taunt.
He simply charged at Ian, staff raised for the kill.
Whoosh!
Ian drew his longsword and shortsword in kind.
Shing!
Man and Ian clashed, each vying for the other's life.
In the tempestuous night of Shurton, within the audience chamber of Brussels Palace.
"Your Highness. We've detected the subversive elements plotting to shake the kingdom. As expected, they were targeting the princess."
Count Gilbert, head of the intelligence bureau Eagle Eye, reported softly to the current king, Demure Aslan.
"Hohoho, just as we thought."
Surprisingly, Count Gilbert and Demure Aslan had full grasp of the events unfolding in Shurton.
Even the fact that they were after Isabel Aslan.
Predicting they'd target Isabel wasn't hard, really.
Judging by the disturbance in the slums, the intruding cockroaches numbered five or fewer.
Shurton was a massive capital.
With so few enemies, what few options did they have to destabilize the royal family?
Unless they were the Sword Saint of the Khan Empire or the founding emperor of the Dufer Empire.
These infiltrators' skills were nowhere near enough.
The Lichtenauer Martial Clan and the Mage Tower were overwhelmingly powerful, but the Aslan royal family wielded mightier forces than most kingdoms.
So, their easiest path to shaking the kingdom was obvious.
Target Isabel Aslan, the linchpin of the royal family.
Everyone in Brussels knew she patrolled the capital outskirts at night—it was an open secret.
"Still, are you sure about this? Even reconsidering, it feels too risky. If anything happens to the princess..."
"Hohoho! No, that child needs to face a real scare at least once."
Demure shook his head firmly despite Count Gilbert's concerns.
"She must learn how many ages of effort built this kingdom's order, the true power of the royal family she disdains, and how her reckless actions can burden countless people. She's an adult now, after all."
'...What a terrifying man.'
Count Gilbert swallowed dryly at Demure's calm reply.
He'd served Demure for over twenty years, yet when that hidden thread of iron resolve surfaced beneath the warmth, even he felt chills.
To the people, he was the kindest, gentlest king.
But that's precisely why Demure held his children to unflinching, uncompromising standards.
He had no choice.
The Aslan royals, who managed the kingdom's internal affairs, were one of the three massive pillars upholding the nation.
The balance among them was exquisitely delicate—and thus precarious.
If even one crumbled, the black demonic waves of the Great Cataclysm could lash out at the kingdom anytime.
Isabel needed this harsh lesson more than most.
To realize external opinions didn't matter.
That true importance lay in the resolve to prosper the kingdom further.
That such was the duty of those born to pillar families.
"This chance should give her ample time for reflection. She must understand why our Aslan royal family bears the heavy mantle of governance."
There were limits to indulging her whims.
She needed to grasp that her childish antics could shatter the iron bonds of the three pillars propping up the kingdom—perilous acts indeed.
Demure chose to teach her through experience, not a hundred lectures.
A deadly gamble, perhaps.
Easy to say, but how many kings could thrust their precious only daughter into harm's way?
"...Even so, this goes too far, Your Highness."
Count Gilbert finally spoke up.
He understood the deeper intent, but it was still a razor-edge situation that could cost Princess Isabel her life.
"Heh heh heh! That's what it means to be a king. One must love the realm more than one's own children to earn the right to rule from above."
A chilling answer, at odds with his warm moniker "The Present King," but Demure never wavered in his convictions.
Nor did any in the Aslan line—they all grew that way, becoming the bedrock of the kingdom.
"...And what of Second Young Lord Ian? Reports say he's engaging those subversives. If he falls into danger..."
"Hm? What are you talking about? Do you not know his origins?"
Count Gilbert voiced his worry, but Demure countered as if hearing something absurd.
"Paon asked me personally. If anything cropped up in this mess, throw Ian into the harshest trials possible. He took full responsibility."
Count Gilbert gaped, speechless at Demure's words.
Demure, Paon—both unrelentingly harsh in teaching their sons.
Judgments beyond a mere mortal's comprehension.
Seeing Gilbert's reaction...
"Heh heh! It may seem strange, but... 'tis the fate those who uphold this kingdom must bear."
Demure murmured with a hollow chuckle.
Yet for some reason, Count Gilbert found that laugh tinged with bitterness.
Swish swish swish!
A group darted swiftly through narrow alleys.
And hot on their heels were two pursuers.
Tsssiiing!
"Dane!"
Ryu An urgently called out at the sharp sound from behind.
Dane had heard it too, already chanting before the shout.
They'd been through this several times now.
"...Become my shield. Shield!"
Vmmm!
A translucent barrier sprang up between the Latent Dragon Squad and their pursuers.
Ting ting ting!
Crunch!
Tia gnashed her teeth as her attacks fizzled out.
"Argh, damn it! These bratty little shits are such a pain!"
"Step aside, Tia. I'll handle it."
Suuuuck!
Adam steadied his breath and unleashed a punch.
Crack booom!
His brutish fist shattered the shield.
But by then, the squad had widened the gap again.
"Chasing like this won't cut it. Adam!"
Adam understood Tia's call instantly, lowering his stance and cupping his hands.
Tia planted her foot on them, and he powered his arms.
Bulge!
His arms swelled to twice their size.
"Huuuuph!"
Whoom!
Exploding with pent-up force, he hurled Tia forward.
Airborne but cat-like, she kicked off surrounding walls and landed gracefully ahead.
"!"
Caught between Adam and Tia, the Latent Dragon Squad finally halted.
"Ha, you rat bastards. What a hassle. Hey, did you really think you could slip our grasp?"
Crack, crack!
Tia and Adam closed in, loosening up.
Watching them, Ralph sighed and gently set Princess Isabel down from his back.
"Guess it ends like this. Helena, stay back in the corner with the princess—it's dangerous."
"...Okay."
As everyone but Helena drew weapons, Tia scoffed in disbelief.
"Haha, you kids really gonna try us?"
Beastkin like the Miao and Xiong tribes boasted combat prowess far beyond ordinary humans.
For brats barely out of diapers to stand in their way? Absurd.
But regardless of Tia's reaction, the squad simply formed up.
And besides...
"...It's not impossible."
The captain said we had a shot.
So, they just had to prove him right.
That was their job.