Chapter 123: Shall We Start the Rat Hunt?
“……”
Kal leaned back in a soft chair, resting his chin on his hand as he lazily watched the projection from a crystal orb.
A golden radiance flickered across the orb's surface.
The footage showed a scene fild in the Laup Forest, where a masked figure was fiercely driving back a Van Dyke using light-based attacks.
The battle between the masked figure and the Van Dyke.
The scene ended with the Van Dyke being rendered powerless after being stabbed by the masked figure’s dagger.
This mory crystal had been brought by Rengua. With Alex’s na recently gaining prominence, Kal had taken to reviewing the footage repeatedly whenever he had free ti.
Unlike other days, today he wasn’t watching alone. He had summoned three individuals to his command tent.
Rengua, Lyon Martrein, and Arcane.
Handing the crystal orb back to Rengua, Kal spoke.
“Thank you for your understanding, Rengua.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
The footage of the Van Dyke being defeated was a sensitive matter for Rengua, as it revealed a critical weakness. Nevertheless, Kal had openly shown it here because the existence of the golden light wielder was no longer a secret exclusive to Rengua.
“Lyon.”
“If I were to give a generous evaluation, the masked figure is at most a 3-star rank. Anything beyond that is unlikely.”
“Is that so? But they still defeated a Van Dyke personally crafted by Rengua. You’ve faced his cursed puppets before, so you should know.”
“Yes. Anyone below 4-star rank wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“What are the odds they were concealing their true strength?”
“Judging by their reaction speed and movents, it didn’t seem like they were holding back.”
“So you’re saying their level is firmly around 3-star?”
“Yes. Based on the skills displayed in the footage, 3-star is accurate. Their abilities are simply… exceptional.”
“Exceptional abilities, huh…”
At Lyon’s firm conclusion, Kal rubbed his chin thoughtfully and turned toward Rengua.
“Is there any chance the masked figure was aware of the crystal orb’s existence?”
“Based on analysis of their reaction down to the second, the masked figure didn’t seem to know about the Van Dyke’s existence during the initial engagent.”
“But they figured it out afterward?”
“Yes. Once they recognized the cursed bandages, they used light to disable the Van Dyke. At the start, they were likely unaware of the recording orb.”
“So, apart from their ability, there’s nothing remarkable about them.”
“That light is definitely the problem.”
The golden light.
Currently, the shamans’ nest had prioritized investigating that peculiar light. So pieces of the puzzle had already been put together.
Naly, the golden light wielder.
With a casual wave, Kal gestured for Lyon to place a portrait on the table.
The paper bore the image of a single individual’s face.
Both Lyon and Rengua imdiately recognized the person in the portrait, as they had encountered him in person.
Yet each of them had referred to him differently.
Lyon had described him as “that assassin,” while Rengua had called him “the damned fool blessed by fortune.”
To Kal, this man was soone who had once co to him as a ssenger of Him.
The figure in the portrait, who had previously gone by no na and was simply referred to as “that guy,” had recently declared himself to the world under a new identity.
“Alex Marcia. The masked figure identified through the communication crystal.”
Everyone nodded knowingly.
This portrait had been drawn based on the mories extracted from the non-humans who had escaped the Laup Forest with the so-called Saint of Salvation.
Once they had confird the face, identifying his background hadn’t been difficult.
They had determined that the Saint of Salvation was the ssenger who had fled from Nelitori Gorge, and recently, they’d learned that he had ford a blood pact with humans.
However, only one person among them reacted differently upon seeing the portrait.
Arcane.
Without saying a word, Arcane stared intently at the portrait while fiddling with the blue earring he wore.
“What’s the matter? Is sothing off?”
“No. You ntioned that this individual was an assassin. Do you know which organization he was affiliated with?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Answer , and I’ll tell you why.”
“Crux.”
“Ah, I see. So he’s alive after all.”
“Alive?”
“He’s soone who was supposed to be dead, yet he’s alive. That’s why I asked.”
“……”
Kal noted that Arcane seed to be withholding sothing but didn’t press further.
Arcane wasn’t one of his subordinates but rather a temporary ally whose cooperation was driven by mutual interest.
The only reason Arcane was present was due to their agreent to share information related to Him.
“What about the investigation?”
“There’s no record of him in the nest’s intelligence. The Marcia family has no offspring. If he’s an illegitimate child of that rchant pig, it’s possible, but…”
“And the legitimacy of the family crest?”
“It’s genuine. However, the nest believes that Alex’s identity was artificially created.”
“Why do they think that?”
“He’s too talented to be the offspring of that pig rchant. Moreover, there’s not a single person around Marcia’s territory who recognizes him.”
When Kal first began investigating the golden light wielder, he had suspected the assassin to be Him.
The geographical location shown in the crystal orb was close to the research facility where Dominic Huaton’s awakening had taken place.
He had sent the Van Dyke to the facility to seize Dominic’s research notes, but the mission had failed after being intercepted by the assassin.
Moreover, Dominic Huaton’s awakening had gone awry.
That assassin had been present at the scene.
It was only natural for Kal to be suspicious.
However, the more he gathered information on Alex, the more doubts replaced his suspicions.
‘…A re 3-star.’
Could soone with only 3-star capabilities really have killed Dominic Huaton and eliminated Arena, the bearer of a Divine Na?
Even Kal, who now ruled over Blyer, had deed Arena too dangerous to confront directly.
‘The pieces don’t fit.’
Clearly, there was a powerful force backing Alex.
A force strong enough to disrupt the established order Kal was familiar with. And recently, an organization suspected to be that very force had revealed its na.
Hunt.
Lately, the na Hunt had been grating on Kal’s nerves.
An organization that hadn’t existed before his regression had erged, and Beneta had been tightly bound to them through a blood pact.
The balance of power in Tobaron had shifted dramatically.
If He was behind Hunt, everything would make sense.
At that mont, Arcane picked up the portrait and scrutinized the face before asking,
“Is this man Him?”
“Until a few days ago, I suspected it, but now I believe the odds are low.”
Alex was the one who had sent him a direct ssage under his own na.
For Him, he had exposed himself too openly.
Most importantly,
“The person in this portrait doesn’t appear to be the bearer of that Divine Na.”
“There’s no overlap between his information and that of the true bearer. There’s another person.”
A hidden bearer of a Divine Na.
Kal was convinced that the true bearer was Him. He recalled the list of Divine Nas that Arcane had provided him a few days ago.
[XX XXXX― Divine Hunter (xx)]
[X XX XX XX]
[Siren’s Hymn]
[XXXXXX Heart]
[XXXX Guide]
[XXX Ring (XX)]
There were two new clues.
‘Guide’ and ‘Ring.’
Yet, even with these new hints, it was difficult to draw any aningful conclusions. The information was too limited.
Kal asked with a hint of hope,
“Have there been any recent updates on His list of Divine Nas?”
“No.”
“How did you learn about it before? Didn’t you say you didn’t know?”
“It wasn’t my ability. That was a penalty imposed on the bearer of the Divine Na.”
“A penalty?”
Arcane had previously inford Kal about an update to His list of Divine Nas, but at the ti, he couldn’t discern what it was. Recently, however, Arcane had returned with the new clues: Guide and Ring.
And now he was saying it was due to a penalty?
Kal had never heard of penalties related to Divine Nas before.
“When soone fails to uphold the covenant tied to their Divine Na, penalties are imposed in various forms.”
“And for Him, that penalty is the exposure of his Divine Na list?”
“I can’t be certain, but it’s possible. The sudden exposure suggests as much.”
“Do you know what kind of covenant He made?”
“Who knows? Since most covenants are tied to the nature of the Divine Na, it’s likely related to ‘hunting.’ Perhaps he failed in a hunt.”
“Hunting, huh…”
Though they had gained new clues, they still couldn’t draw any definitive conclusions.
The only comfort was the sense that they were gradually closing in on Him.
anwhile, another path lay open before them.
Several individuals connected to Him had crept into his territory.
“We’ll recapture Lochter.”
Lochter Felice, the operational leader of Hunt.
Kal had initially dismissed rumors about Lochter due to his single-minded personality, but the ergence of Alex in the Laup Forest had changed things.
Alex had entered Blyer territory, likely intending to rescue Lochter.
Such behavior was only possible for a close ally.
If he captured both Alex and Lochter, he might uncover new leads on Him.
“I wish we’d learned about Lochter sooner. Too bad we only found out after he escaped.”
“…Apologies. That was my failure.”
Lyon bowed his head in remorse.
He had been tasked with monitoring Lochter but had lost track of him. Despite planting a reliable spy near Lochter, the spy had been exposed too easily, and their surveillance had been compromised.
Clenching the hilt of his sword, Lyon knelt on one knee.
“Give the order, and I’ll personally bring him back.”
“Lyon Martrein. You know why I personally ca to Etor, don’t you? The grand plan is at hand. Your job is to protect .”
“…Understood.”
Whoosh―
A fierce gust of wind swept through, flipping the tent’s cover.
Beyond the tent’s flaps, the outline of a distant fortress beca visible through the downpour.
Etor’s walls.
Kal was currently positioned just outside Etor.
“Well, that’s enough of an exchange of opinions.”
Kal turned his attention to the map beside him. The map was marked with nurous pieces, particularly black markers clustered around the Korun River. Among them, only one piece stood out in white.
Lochter.
Kal glanced at Arcane.
eting his gaze, Arcane picked up Lochter’s piece, examined it briefly, then slowly moved it eastward.
“It’s this way.”
“Accuracy?”
“There may be so margin of error due to the distance, but it should be within one hundred paces.”
“Perfect. It seems having you as my companion was an incredible stroke of luck.”
“As long as you uphold your end of the bargain.”
Kal nodded in agreent.
Thanks to Arcane’s assistance, his plans were progressing at a remarkable pace.
Selling HisDivine Na information to gather artifacts had been a brilliant move.
It had given him the perfect opportunity to seize Etor.
The sa went for the Divine Na awakening Arcane had inford him about earlier.
‘Apostate Knight, huh. That suits Lochter Felice well.’
Before his regression, Lochter hadn’t undergone any noteworthy Divine Na awakening. Back then, he had been a thorn in Kal’s side, obstructing his rise to power with the backing of his older brother. It had taken Kal years to claim Blyer because of him.
Thus, after becoming lord, Kal had made Lochter his first target.
He hadn’t expected things to co full circle like this.
Though unexpected, Lochter’s Divine Na awakening now presented an opportunity.
With Arcane’s ability to pinpoint the location of awakened Divine Nas, Kal saw a chance to capture both Lochter and Alex.
Raising his hand, Kal gestured for Rengua, who promptly approached with a communication crystal in hand.
While his plans for Etor still required ti, he intended to take care of the current problem first.
“Shall we start the rat hunt?”
Arcane’s ability to track Lochter’s location would last for about half a day.
That was plenty of ti.
The hunt would be over before then.
Surveying the pieces spread across the map, Kal reviewed his hand.
The hunting hound division.
The shamans’ nest.
A large group of slave hunters.
And finally,
“Deploy Blyer’s army along the Beneta border and every exit route.”
Since the army was no longer needed for Etor’s conquest, he had gained a powerful card to play.
His plan was to seal off every possible escape route to Beneta with a large-scale encirclent, then comnce a slow, thodical hunt.
Picking up a black marker, Kal placed it directly in front of Lochter’s piece, where Arcane had indicated his location.
As the communication crystal glowed, Kal spoke in a low voice.
“Jack, Howell. The hunt begins now.”
The first strike would co from the hunting hound division.
User Comments
0 comments from readers