Chapter 228 – Nice to See You
“The Black Roses...??”
Since a soldier had already reported their arrival, I knew that more than one Black Rose had co.
Sure enough, four of them burst into my room at once.
But among the four, only one had pointed ears. The other three…
“Oh, dear gods!”
“Captain!”
“We—we survived!”
They were Ghosts.
They looked utterly wretched, as if they had been through hell. Their entire bodies, even their faces, were covered in dirt, making them so blackened that any soldier could have mistaken them for Dark Elves.
Their injuries were also severe enough to be visibly alarming, so I was about to send them off for treatnt when one of them shook his head urgently and spoke.
“Sothing terrible has happened! Etor has fallen!”
Before addressing them, I turned my gaze to the Dark Elf standing before .
Originally, he had been the branch leader in Blyer, but after carrying out my request to raid Kal’s food stores, he had been stationed at Elletor Fortress.
I focused on him because his expression was unusually grim.
Had sothing even worse happened?
eting my eyes, the branch leader gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“Hear it from them. They are the only survivors from Etor.”
“...The only survivors?”
Sothing about the way he said that felt off.
Still, I nodded toward the Ghosts, prompting them to give their report imdiately.
These three had been planted as spies within Kal’s forces.
That ant they had a more detailed understanding of Etor’s situation than anyone else.
And the situation was far worse than I had anticipated.
All of Etor’s secret bases had been wiped out by Kal’s surprise attack, and the entire army stationed there was now marching toward Beneta.
As of now, Kal’s location was completely unknown.
I now understood why the Dark Elf branch leader looked so disturbed.
His colleague in Etor had tried to track Kal’s movents, and it seed he had already predicted his own death.
“Why do you think he’s dead?” I asked.
“Because he didn’t head straight for Beneta. That ans he didn’t even have the chance to report to the Master. In the worst-case scenario… he was already captured near Kal.”
“Dying to send a warning?”
“…Did the Master tell you that?”
I was familiar with the Shadow Spirit’s ability—a power that could detect the deaths of branch leaders through their spirits.
The Dark Elf was clearly mourning his fallen comrade, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that his sacrifice had been in vain.
‘But Kal already knows this trick.’
This thod wouldn’t work against a regressor.
If Kal had captured and killed the branch leader on the spot, it ant Beneta was in grave danger.
It also ant that Fenry Chaser—despite her abilities—wouldn’t be able to detect Kal’s attack in ti.
This was nothing short of a taunt directed at her.
‘That bastard... What the hell is he planning?’
Kal had disappeared with all of Etor’s forces, leaving behind no reserve troops whatsoever.
With Blyer and Etor completely abandoned, this was an all-in strategy—a reckless full-frontal assault.
But Kal had always planned for worst-case scenarios.
This wasn’t like him at all.
“If he loses this battle, there’s no going back.”
Even if he won, if his forces were severely depleted fighting Beneta, it would be disastrous for him.
Would his remaining troops be enough to conquer all of Tobaron?
For soone as calculating as Kal to make such a reckless move… it was confusing.
One thing was certain:
The Mad Butcher had bet everything on this.
If I hesitated, he would sweep through like a tidal wave and crush us.
“Then I’ll have to bet everything, too.”
I had to stake everything I had built so far and fight him head-on.
As I paced the room, lost in thought, my mind raced through the situation.
Kal was targeting Beneta.
Beneta’s fortress walls were impenetrable.
No matter how large Kal’s army was, breaking through Dwarven-built fortifications head-on was suicidal.
And Kal knew that.
‘So he has a thod.’
But taking Beneta without an army was impossible.
Unlike humans, non-human races would never surrender—they would fight to the death.
That ant that if Kal didn’t have a substantial force, he wouldn’t be able to completely overrun Beneta.
“How long will it take for Kal’s army to reach Beneta?”
“If they march overnight, at least a week. Moving on foot has its limits.”
“What about cavalry?”
“If they push hard, they could reach it within a day—two days at most.”
Combining all the cavalry from Blyer, Etor, and other territories, Kal could muster around ten thousand riders.
But cavalry alone wouldn’t be enough to conquer Beneta.
Ultimately, he still needed his main army’s overwhelming numbers to secure victory.
We still had ti.
“A week, huh… That’s faster than I expected. We need to move imdiately.”
Fortunately, Elletor Fortress was much closer to Beneta than Etor had been.
If we deployed our forces right away, we could reach Beneta within a week.
That gave us enough ti to support them, but there was sothing I needed to deal with first.
“I had planned to wait a few days before making my move…?”
But it looked like I had to draw my sword first.
If the Anti-Kal Alliance was to function properly, this was sothing I had to do.
I told the Ghosts to get treated first and then return to with their weapons.
Once they left, I turned to the Dark Elf.
“Where are the other Black Roses?”
“With the current ergency, I’ve stationed them throughout the fortress as spies and watchers.”
“Then I need you to spread a rumor inside the fortress.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. And the sooner, the better.”
“What kind of rumor?”
“Tell everyone that Kal has taken all his forces to attack Beneta, leaving the other fortresses completely undefended.”
“...But isn’t that true?”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“Then why spread it as a rumor instead of an official announcent?”
“There’s sothing I need to confirm. Also, attribute the source of the rumor to ‘Him.’”
“‘Him’...?”
“Just say that the information ca from ‘Hunt’s Him’ and that he will appear here soon.”
“Who is ‘He’?”
I simply smiled at the branch leader’s question.
Once the branch leader left, the Ghosts returned—this ti with Karl in tow.
The mont I saw Karl’s face, I couldn’t help but smirk.
His left eye was swollen black and blue.
I didn’t even need to ask who had hit him.
“What the hell did you say this ti to get beaten up by Natasha?”
“I called that old hag a crone. Damn hag… Just you wait.”
“You deserved it.”
Badmouthing Elder deia in front of Ortain?
He was lucky to have gotten away with just one bruised eye.
“How’s your condition?”
“I think I’m developing claustrophobia, but other than that, I can handle everything just fine.”
I assigned Karl and the Ghosts to monitor the nobles.
Lochter had referred to them as “flies”—nobles who had, in just a month, ford factions within the Anti-Kal Alliance, raising their voices and trying to seize influence.
And where there’s a faction, there’s always a leader.
“Viscount Koldy?”
“Yes. Karl, I need you to watch that noble personally. We've already baited the trap, so by tonight or tomorrow, he'll react in so way.”
“I’ve never heard of this noble before. Do you know much about him?”
“Not much, but I do know one thing.”
“And what’s that?”
I smirked at Karl’s question and answered.
“He isn’t one of us.”
***
The rumor about Kal’s army marching on Beneta spread through the fortress in less than a day.
Since the Anti-Kal Alliance was the dominant force in the fortress, it was only natural for them to react sensitively to any news about Kal.
By morning, an ergency eting was called, bringing the nobles together in one place.
I took a seat in a corner of the eting hall, quietly observing the situation.
Unlike yesterday, no one paid any attention today.
‘Did they eat a thunderstone for breakfast? Their voices are loud as hell.’
The eting room was a complete ss.
Voices shouted over one another, ringing through my ears.
As usual, in any group, the loudest voice always seed to win.
“We must mobilize our forces imdiately to aid Beneta!”
“What kind of foolishness is that?! Are you out of your mind to let go of such a golden opportunity?!”
“W-what?! How dare you—”
“This isn’t just any territory we’re talking about! Both Blyer and Etor are wide open!”
“But if Beneta falls, we’re next!”
“You really think Beneta will just fall so easily? Both sides will exhaust themselves fighting, and once they’re weakened, we can crush Kal and claim all of Tobaron for the Alliance! Are you saying we should let go of this once-in-a-lifeti opportunity?!”
Heinz, who had been advocating for reinforcents, faltered slightly.
He could sense the room shifting toward Viscount Koldy’s argunt.
Abandoning Beneta in exchange for seizing all of Tobaron…
Beyond re revenge, it was a pragmatic calculation, making the internal factions of the Alliance waver.
Heinz glanced at Lochter, trying to regain control of the discussion.
Noticing his plea for help, Lochter uncrossed his arms and turned to Koldy.
“So, Viscount Koldy, how do you propose we move?”
“We should split our forces in two—one heading for Blyer, the other for Etor.”
“And after that?”
“Once we secure those territories, we’ll observe the situation.
If Beneta wins, we hunt down Kal’s fleeing remnants.
If Kal wins, we strike him down while he’s weak.”
A brief silence filled the room.
It was, without a doubt, a strategically sound proposal.
The faction supporting Koldy began praising him, calling his plan brilliant.
And then, Lochter spoke.
“Viscount Koldy.”
“Yes, Sir Lochter?”
“What is the na of our Alliance?”
“…The Anti-Kal Alliance.”
“Exactly.”
Lochter’s icy glare bore into Koldy as he rose from his seat.
The sheer intimidation in his movents made Koldy instinctively recoil.
Lochter took a slow step forward and spoke again.
“You propose that we leave Kal’s destruction to the non-humans? Then tell —what purpose does this Alliance serve?”
“…But securing all of Tobaron—”
“Tobaron cos after. My priority is Kal.”
Koldy swallowed dryly and shifted his gaze to his faction.
But under Lochter’s pressure, the nobles who had once raised their voices now averted their eyes.
It didn’t matter how many people Koldy manipulated—if he couldn’t convince Lochter, it was all pointless.
After a mont, Koldy fidgeted with sothing in his sleeve before suddenly changing his approach.
“I heard that the source of this rumor is soone standing by your side, Sir Lochter. Is that true?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I ask you to bring him here. I want to hear directly from him about Etor’s situation. This is far too important to rely on rumors alone.”
“If we can trust his words, we will fully support your decision, Sir Lochter.”
‘So they want to see “Him,” huh?’
I had expected this move.
Koldy’s entire stance in this eting had felt off from the start.
And now, I was certain.
‘This bastard has been playing both sides for a long ti, hasn’t he?’
I had already suspected him through Karl’s investigations, but I needed definitive proof.
And then—
[I sense magic coming from his sleeve.]
Last night, Reto had awakened from his “rest” and whispered the final piece of evidence to .
That was all I needed.
Clatter—
In the hushed atmosphere of the room, I slowly pushed my chair back and stood up.
Every noble’s gaze turned toward .
I walked toward Viscount Koldy.
Then, eting his eyes, I spoke in a low voice.
“Still up to your sick little gas, Kal?”
Kal.
The mont the Mad Butcher’s na was spoken, the room erupted into whispers and nervous glances.
But when they noticed where my gaze was directed, all eyes fell upon Koldy.
His face turned pale, and he visibly began to panic.
As his trembling hand reached inside his sleeve, a voice unexpectedly echoed from within it.
[How did you know?]
Kal’s voice.
The eting hall fell into dead silence.
Viscount Koldy’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed into his seat.
Thud—
A magic communication orb, still glowing with Kal’s energy, rolled toward .
Picking it up, I stood over Koldy, looking down at him.
In Lochter Felice’s lifeti, there had been two traitors who had betrayed him.
One was Eppeloa, the knight who cut off Lochter’s arm in the mines, a spy for Kal.
The other…
Was Viscount Koldy.
Kal’s second dagger, planted within the Anti-Kal Alliance to poison and kill Lochter Felice himself.
“Nice to see you.”
I bared my teeth and grinned into the orb.
“You bloodthirsty, lowlife bastard.”
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