Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Storming Tonba Castle
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Hum.
Darkness settled over the city, shielded by its barrier.
The barrier kept out the darkness, but it also barred uninvited guests.
Breaking through such a city's barrier was no easy feat.
Tata-tat-tat!
Sein was leaping over the barrier's edge at the city's wall.
*How long has it been since I was in Rasiel?*
Each district had its own barrier structure.
Rasiel, where Sein had spent a long time, was in District 5.
The essence of mana, the structure of magic—none of it posed a challenge.
Zing.
To Sein, who possessed a Dragon Heart, it was child's play.
In this world, where dragons were called the progenitors of magic and said to have birthed every spell...
Sein had already fully deciphered the barrier of Paine, the city housing Rasiel.
Even if the barriers weren't identical across District 5...
Tchah!
Mastering one meant he could adapt it with ease.
Sein kicked off the wall and launched into the air.
The key was piercing a tiny breach in the barrier while evading detection from its master, the lord.
Zzt!
As Sein touched the barrier, blue light rippled and spread.
In the night consumed by shadows, his golden eyes gleamed brighter.
What he would use now was a privilege of the crown prince, gleaned from the montage of hellish training with Rasiel's candidates.
More precisely, it was a dragon's privilege.
"Dispel."
Magic destruction.
It wasn't fully mature yet, and unlike in the game, using it came with difficulties.
But this was akin to the authority of dragons, lords of magic.
Eeeng!
In the end, Sein succeeded in boring a tiny hole in Tonba's barrier.
He squeezed through and plummeted.
Ego, the moment for the thief to shine.
Thud.
Sein landed lightly, as if he were a cat.
*Convenient, isn't it?*
It was true that using skills unrelated to his own life came with restrictions.
But invoking Ego removed those limits and even granted specialized abilities.
Sein's form blurred.
Step.
He slowly strolled through Tonba's streets.
Murmur, murmur.
Even late at night, the decent security of District 5 kept things lively.
"A territory war breaking out again?"
"Who knows how many will die this time."
People unable to sleep, fretting over the impending territory war.
Step.
Tonba Castle, where Sein had arrived before he knew it, stood in stark contrast to the streets' mood.
"Hahaha!"
Laughter boomed loud enough to reach beyond the walls.
The shadows flickering in the bright lights seemed to flaunt their revelry.
Step.
Sein walked on.
He understood what Lord Carmil, who had hired him, wanted.
And that it aligned with the usual black-and-white accords.
"So?"
Now a habit, his soliloquy.
"So what?"
He grinned.
Just because they wanted it, did that mean he had to oblige?
No.
From the start, the mission they assigned him was for Carmil to win the territory war.
There were many ways to secure victory in a territory war.
"Halt."
Sein intended to deliver the fastest and most certain one.
The castle guards stopped him.
Most visitors to the castle were nobles, and Sein's appearance screamed aristocracy, so they spoke politely.
"Here for the party?"
Tonba was no different.
They summoned the bloodline of Immortal, one of the three great dark families, to mingle and party every day.
"Mm."
Sein smiled brightly and replied.
"Yeah."
*
*
*
"You're a bit late."
The guard relaxed at Sein's claim of attending the party.
After all, no one visited the lord's castle at this hour unless it was for the party.
"Could you state your name and house?"
The guard asked.
"Or show your invitation. I know it's annoying, but we have procedures."
"Procedures matter."
Sein rummaged in his pocket.
Then, swiftly—
Puk!
A dagger flew from his bosom, embedding in both guards' foreheads.
"That's my procedure."
The fallen guards.
Sein slipped into the castle past them.
Security was laughably lax.
But that was the reality of the times.
A world where everything ran like clockwork, honoring mutual pacts.
Idealistic, perhaps—but not for those outside the system.
"I wasn't planning to crash the party."
More guards approached, right on shift change.
Puk! Pook!
Another pair of daggers from Sein struck their foreheads.
"Can't miss a party like this, right?"
From District 5 onward, moonlight poured in clearly.
Sein advanced, smiling under it.
"Huh? Who're you?"
Even the district guards.
Puk!
"Lost your way?"
Even the knights approaching kindly.
"Kuhk!"
Sein treated them all equally.
It was regrettable.
Such kind souls falling so easily to a fiend like him.
"Intrud—"
But who could say.
Maybe they harbored ugly secrets.
Or to some, they were monsters like him.
"Intruder!"
So he had only one choice.
"I'll treat you fair."
A knight shouted upon spotting the bodies.
Unaware it was the trap Sein had set, panic earned him death.
Yet others rushed toward the noise.
That too was part of Sein's trap.
Pew-pew-pew-puk!
Daggers from his prepared traps pierced knights' and guards' throats and foreheads.
Kclang!
One deflected a dagger.
Slash!
But it only bought seconds; he couldn't evade Sein's approaching blade.
"Pity. Would've been easier if this Ego was an assassin's life."
If the Ego he'd found was an assassin's, things might've been smoother.
But Ego was merely a tool to aid him.
"Intruder—!"
Sein didn't need it anyway.
Torches finally lit up inside the castle amid the mounting corpses.
Murmur, murmur.
Even the merry party descended into chaos.
Sein grinned amid it all.
People living in peace could never know.
The intensity. The terror.
"Who the hell are you!"
A knight shouted, surrounding the encircled Sein.
"You don't know?"
Sein shot back, incredulous.
"You're at war. Who do you think sent me?"
Shing.
He drew his longsword.
"Car...mil?"
"Yeah."
Flash!
Sein's form vanished like lightning, reappearing before the shouting knight captain's deputy.
"Sein Demorus of Demorus."
Slash!
The deputy had no choice but to yield his throat to the sudden ambush.
*
*
*
It was true that higher districts boasted greater power.
More mana quantity and quality, better gear.
But one thing was certain.
Monsters might lurk in upper districts, but most were greenhorns soaked in peace, lacking real experience.
Tonba's knights were just that.
Levels in the high teens.
Plenty of near-expert knights among them.
And they...
Whooo!
Could manifest aura reliably and even control its intensity.
But that was it.
"Kuhk!"
"Kuhk!"
Experience was sorely lacking.
What good was a fine sword if you lacked the guts or know-how to swing it?
What use lavish investments in soldiers?
"S-spare me!"
"Run!"
If terror rendered them useless, they were no better than civilians.
Perhaps higher up it differed.
But District 5's level was exactly that.
Sein, entering the castle alone.
"Block him!"
No one could.
"Who... could block this!"
"Who said to block me!"
Crimson sprayed.
Sein advanced slowly, but none delayed his steps.
"...This is!"
A situation they'd never faced.
"This shouldn't be happening!"
An assault and assassination amid war with Carmil, of all things.
Unforeseen terror left them yelling in helpless outrage.
"What's not allowed?"
Sein treated them all equally.
In that moment, a black orb approached his nose.
He slowly raised his sword to cleave it.
Boom!
The black orb exploded, spewing flames brighter than all the castle's torches combined.
"Dark Ball."
A basic black magic attack spell, but twisted runes and superior mana quantity and quality yielded this.
Roar!
A massive blaze erupted where Sein stood, illuminating the castle.
"Lord Brando! Be careful! The whole castle will burn!"
He finally appeared.
"Hah, saying that after seeing this? Watch."
Two men, trailed by terrified folk and knights.
"He took my Dark Ball without a scratch."
Amid the flames, Sein stood unscathed.
"There must be some mistake! Campeji wouldn't stoop to this!"
Lord Campeji of Carmil.
And this man was Tonba's lord.
He meant this territory war was mere sport, no true intent to destroy each other.
"You! Carmil really sent you?"
Even now, Tonba's lord bellowed.
He trusted the youth beside him, Brando.
The youngest of Immortal, one of the three great dark families, whom Tonba's lord had summoned.
"Quiet..."
Then Brando scowled at Tonba's lord.
"Shut it."
"......!"
"Noisy. One more word, mission or not, and I'll burn you first."
Gulp.
He'd lavished Brando with favors for days.
Such a reaction from him was shocking.
But Brando ignored it, conjuring Dark Balls in both hands as he approached Sein.
"You're Sein Demorus?"