Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Chapter 7: The Enemy Underground (1)
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A woman dressed in a platinum uniform with a blue cloak stood in a room adorned with all sorts of decorations.
Her gray hair reached down to her back, and her sapphire-blue eyes gleamed with mature beauty.
Yet what was even more striking than her appearance was the aura emanating from her entire body.
She simply stood there, but the whole room was filled with her overwhelming presence.
Irina von Minert.
She was a knight serving as the vice-captain of the Imperial Guard Knights Order.
At just 38 years old, she had reached the 9th Circle, reigning as one of the top powerhouses in the Alte리아 Empire.
In a calm tone, she reported.
“The heir of the Adalbert family, Martin Adalbert, has beheaded the traitor Baldemar von Rustal. He has also officially disbanded the Rustal family.”
With those words, Irina slightly raised her head.
A woman with light green long hair and amber eyes sat in an ornate chair.
Irina’s beauty was undoubtedly exceptional, but the light green-haired woman’s allure was truly overwhelming.
At the same time, the aura radiating from her was sharp. It wasn’t on par with Irina’s, but she was clearly a formidable individual.
Claudia Alte리아.
The First Princess of the Alte리아 Empire and third in line to the throne.
True to her lineage from the Alte리아 imperial family, which had produced generations of exceptional mages and knights, she had reached the 6th Circle at 25 and possessed outstanding political acumen, leading her own faction.
Now fully engaged in the battle for the throne, she smiled with interest.
“Do you know how many hours have passed, Irina? Since Martin Adalbert declared war on the Rustal family.”
“Approximately six hours, Your Highness.”
“Six hours... So everything wrapped up in that short time? From the declaration of war to the battle.”
“Yes. Right after Martin Adalbert’s declaration, Baldemar von Rustal immediately led all his family’s forces into an attack. However, he lost in a one-on-one duel against Martin Adalbert and met his end right there.”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I never imagined Martin Adalbert was that capable.”
Claudia thought back to Martin.
The news of him awakening his unique ability and reaching the 7th Circle shortly after had been a huge topic even in the capital, Reize.
But that was the extent of it.
Claudia herself hadn’t paid him much attention.
She had judged that he lacked the qualities to be an excellent family head and wouldn’t survive the chaos to come.
“You thought he wouldn’t just endure the chaos but would be devoured by the branch family heads and elders.”
“Of course that’s what anyone would think. No matter how talented he is with the sword, at just 18, facing those cunning veterans would be too much. It turned out I was wrong, though.”
“His mental acuity against Baldemar von Rustal was certainly no joke. The man’s cunning was infamous even in the capital.”
“It’s not just his mental acuity.”
The duel with Vincent, a powerhouse acknowledged by the Emperor himself, had solidly won over his supporters—that was expected.
But what came after, the secrets of the Rustal family, was shocking.
The connection between the Blood Sword Unit and the Rustal family.
The secret funds the Rustal family had amassed over generations.
Facts unknown even to the empire’s prominent nobles, or even the imperial family.
“The previous Adalbert family head must have provided that intelligence. But the real key was what came next. Martin Adalbert used his information advantage to trap the Rustal family and wipe them out in one go. It shows his decisiveness in turning decisions into swift action is terrifyingly sharp.”
“He’s not just a knight focused solely on the sword.”
“Exactly. He’s someone meant to rule over others. He’ll make a name for himself in the civil war that’s bound to erupt someday.”
“Sigh. Your Highness, you mustn’t casually mention civil war within the palace...”
“I’m not saying anything wrong, am I?”
Claudia countered with a smile.
Irina couldn’t argue.
Not just her—any educated person in the empire instinctively knew a civil war was imminent.
After the Emperor fell unconscious, divisions in the capital had deepened.
In fact, countless noble families were now reaching out to Claudia, their liege, or the two princes born as legitimate heirs.
For now, all factions were focused on gathering strength, but clashes were inevitable.
“Irina.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think about extending a hand to Martin Adalbert? Joining us would boost our faction’s power, right?”
“That’s true, but...”
“As you’ve guessed, there’s no chance Theodore would team up with him.”
“Indeed, Second Prince won’t even broach the subject. They say Marquis Nicholas von Luis is furious over his grandson’s death.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
“But would he even take our hand? He’s already nearly taken full control of his family.”
“If things stay as they are, maybe. But that won’t happen. Marquis Luis will surely seek revenge for his grandson.”
“So you plan to extend a hand then?”
“Yeah.”
Claudia answered with a light laugh.
Her tone was laced with confidence.
“I think it’s a sound idea. However, First Prince won’t just sit idly by.”
“Please. Richardt doesn’t need to worry about that. Absorbing the two great houses besides his maternal Ferdinand family to give our Alte리아 imperial house absolute prestige and authority—that’s his goal, right?”
“Couldn’t he extend a hand with the intent of using Martin Adalbert?”
“I won’t rule it out entirely. But based on the latest intel, he doesn’t seem the type to fall for such intentions.”
Even as a branch family, Baldemar von Rustal’s cunning was renowned in the capital. For such a man to be crushed by Martin without any real resistance.
It was safe to say someone with that level of mental acuity wouldn’t be manipulated by others.
“I understand your will, Your Highness. We’ll monitor Martin Adalbert’s situation for now and make contact at the right time.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Irina bowed her head and turned away.
Watching her loyal subordinate’s back, Claudia smiled faintly.
‘Even weakened, he’s the head of one of the three great houses. It’ll be fun to bring him under my wing.’
Her heart, which rarely raced, was now pounding fiercely.
* * *
“Congratulations on your victory, Young Lord.”
Bayren Kloze, branch chief of the Adventurer’s Guild in the city of Barehain, bowed his head.
Outwardly, he appeared composed.
But inwardly, it was a different story.
‘Jackpot!’
He had been caught in Martin’s grasp over the Blood Sword Unit matter.
Then, seeing him awaken his unique ability right after, he thought pledging loyalty wouldn’t be a bad idea.
But that was just the beginning.
Martin had defeated none other than Baldemar von Rustal!
It didn’t matter that the Rustal family was the weakest among the branches.
What mattered was that Martin had personally executed Baldemar, proving to the entire Alte리아 Empire his qualification to become family head.
Now, no one could oppose his ascension.
Not the remaining branch family heads, nor even the elders dreaming of independence—they were all keeping their heads down.
Martin had perfectly seized the momentum.
For Bayren, who had chosen to follow him, it was ecstasy bordering on heart-exploding bliss.
“Thanks. So, what brings you here?”
“To inform you that your adventurer rank has been updated. From this moment, you are an A-rank adventurer.”
“My rank went up without taking the exam?”
Martin looked intrigued.
All nobles on the Krasian continent doubled as adventurers, including the Alte리아 imperial family and other royal houses.
It was a noble’s duty to handle dungeon monsters.
Thus, nobles received adventurer ranks, primarily determined by their circle level.
1-2 circles: F-rank; 3-7 circles: E to A-rank respectively.
Above that, 8th circle is S-rank, and 9th circle and beyond is EX-rank.
But circles weren’t everything.
One had to prove their ability through exams or quests matching the rank.
So for his rank to jump without that, Martin couldn’t help but question it.
“Didn’t you personally defeat Baldemar von Rustal, a 7th Circle powerhouse? The guild has deemed your skills proven.”
“I see. But do other nobles often get promoted without exams like this?”
“Not often. Exams are waived starting from A-rank, but you still need to prove yourself another way.”
“Okay. Skipping the hassle is convenient, at least.”
“I’m glad to deliver good news.”
With that, Bayren handed over a single sheet of paper.
An adventurer’s certificate stating Martin was now A-rank.
Martin smiled, took it, and stored it in his subspace.
“Is that all?”
“No. There’s more.”
“What?”
“Contacts from landless nobles have surged. They’re requesting meetings with you.”
“About the Rustal family’s territory, I assume.”
“Exactly.”
The Rustal family was merely a viscount house, but their territory rivaled a typical earl’s domain.
Thus, if Martin wished, he could divide it into several viscountcies and baronies.
Knowing this well, landless nobles were swarming.
The gap between nobles with and without land was immense.
“Who’s the most famous among those who’ve reached out?”
Bayren answered without hesitation, as if expecting the question.
“Thunderlight Bow Helmut Breiner, Moonlight Sword Paul Oberat, Storm Spear Bernd Kaltz—these three have the highest renown. And more will approach as time passes.”
“The Rustal territory is indeed good bait. Even celebrities like them are biting right away.”
Martin had no intention of directly governing the Rustal lands.
The Adalbert family’s own territories already rivaled a kingdom.
With internal chaos already stirring things up, why expand further?
Putting the Rustal lands on the market would be far more profitable.
It would secure excellent talent.
‘I’ve already decided whom to bring in.’
Knowing the future was truly a great power.
Martin felt it keenly.
“Don’t you want to become a lord yourself, Branch Chief Bayren? You’re a noble too, not just working for the guild.”
“Mm. It’d be a lie to say I have no interest. But I’ll decline, Young Lord.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t I already swear? To serve you while in the guild. A lordship is tempting, but I aim for the top of the guild.”
“Wow. That’s touching.”
Martin smiled genuinely at Bayren.
He admired the man’s firm resolve.
“I’ll support you fully.”
“Thank you. Now, the final topic. A Monster Wave seems imminent.”
Monster Wave.
A phenomenon where monsters of all species exhibit abnormally heightened aggression and multiply exponentially.
Dangerous enough on its own, but there was something even worse.
All the monsters tried to surge onto the surface.
It was the unavoidable disaster for any city with a dungeon entrance.
Yet Bayren’s expression remained calm as he mentioned it.
Monster Waves were dangerous, but they happened once or twice a year anyway.
Moreover, they occurred at only one dungeon entrance at a time.
If it hit Barehain, other dungeon cities were unaffected.
Thus, adventurers and nobles across the empire swiftly gathered to repel them whenever one struck.
Over a thousand years, expertise had accumulated, and nowadays, they weren’t considered major incidents.
The same went for Barehain and other dungeon cities.
But Martin’s face was grave.
He knew from his past life.
‘This Monster Wave is a nightmare.’
The event heralding the Alte리아 Empire’s chaos was nearly upon them.