Episode 378 – A New Card (1)
“Huh??”
Led by the ghosts, Karl was walking when he suddenly noticed a subtle change in the scenery and looked around.
The dense forest with large overhanging trees still looked the sa.
However—
“It’s being maintained?”
The trees looked as if they had been neatly trimd by a professional gardener. At so point, the thick underbrush that once blocked the view had disappeared, and soon, they were walking along a well-maintained forest path.
It was clearly still deep inside the boundary forest, yet such a place existed here? Karl found it puzzling.
“Where are we going?”
“To a villa.”
“A villa?”
“A secret villa once used by Azonne. It is currently being occupied by Sir Arthur.”
“Arthur owns the villa?”
“That’s correct.”
It had belonged to Azonne, but now Arthur was the master?
It was hard to understand, and Karl was about to ask more when Lily's exclamation interrupted him.
“Wow, it’s so pretty!”
At the end of the forest path, a wide open garden stretched out before them.
Pure white marble sculptures stood in various places, exuding presence, and the area was filled with colorful, blooming flowers—an exquisitely beautiful space.
The mansion surrounded by that garden was extravagant enough to swallow all the surrounding beauty.
Built from elegant marble stone, every piece was stacked carefully, and the snow-white mansion had clearly been shaped by the hands of master artisans.
“Dwarven craftsmanship.”
“Really?”
As Dorneth nodded, Karl clicked his tongue and looked around the mansion.
“Why the hell did Azonne pour so much money into this place? He must’ve been insane.”
Following the red carpet that stretched across the garden, the group made their way to the entrance of the mansion.
The carpet led straight to the front door, where two familiar silhouettes were already waiting—no doubt having been inford of their arrival.
Upon seeing one of them, Lily lit up and ran toward him with a bright smile.
“Arthur!”
“Lily, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I was so hungry.”
It ant her journey had been hard, right?
“Yeah!”
Arthur gently patted Lily’s bonnet and greeted the rest of the group with a smile.
Next to him, Fenry tapped his pipe and looked at Dorneth.
“Thought you’d croaked, dwarf. Good to see you made it back.”
“Wouldn’t be much of a dwarf king if I died that easily, eh?”
“Wasn’t it thanks to Sharbadin?”
“Haven’t seen you in days and already the wildcat’s baring her fangs. Let’s just say it was both.”
“What’d you say, punk?”
Ignoring the rising tension between the ever-hostile Fenry and Dorneth, the rest exchanged brief greetings.
Natasha stepped up with a mischievous grin and stood before Arthur.
“So of us were suffering our asses off out there, and you? You look like you’ve been living in a spa. Are we the only ones who went through hell?”
“We’ve been busy in our own way.”
“I guess I’ll know once I hear the story.”
“Follow . I expected you’d co, so preparations are in place.”
“Preparations? What kind of preparations?”
Arthur responded to her question with a faint smile and turned his back.
“You’ll find it quite entertaining. We can talk more inside.”
As Karl and the group followed Arthur through the entrance, they abruptly ca to a halt.
Around them, fully ard guards were positioned like decorations, silently greeting their arrival.
Their auras were sharp, and their numbers weren’t small either.
“Who are they?”
“They’re the guards stationed to protect the villa.”
“What? You called them?”
“Of course not. These n have been guarding this place since long ago. If you want to understand this villa, it’s faster to explore it and hear the full explanation inside. Let’s talk later.”
“Hmm…”
Natasha swallowed her groan and walked down the long corridor.
The walls were adorned with priceless paintings. While admiring them one by one, they soon arrived at the first-floor reception room.
“Welco to the VIP Mansion!”
As they stepped inside, thirty won dressed as maids stood in a line and bowed in greeting.
Startled by the sudden reception, Karl’s group was quickly swept away by the maids to their respective rooms.
Natasha stared at Arthur, stunned.
“Th-this is really happening?”
“First, take a bath and change your clothes. You sll terrible.”
“Sll? Is that how you talk to your master?”
“Sll knows no hierarchy. Just go already.”
A short while later, now dressed in comfortable and luxurious clothes instead of their ragged gear, the group was guided one by one to the second-floor dining hall.
“Huh??”
The sll of food instantly made Lily’s nose twitch. She sluggishly climbed the stairs, then widened her eyes at the sight of the tables covered with dishes.
It felt like a banquet.
“This is... insane.”
After blinking several tis to confirm she wasn’t dreaming, Lily’s eyes sparkled as she reached out to the nearest plate.
Natasha, now with her short hair neatly tied, scanned the dining hall and gave a hollow laugh.
“Well, Arthur wasn’t wrong. This is pretty entertaining.”
Multiple tables were piled high with food.
At the center sat a round table with six golden chairs, where Arthur and Fenry were already eating.
The setup, the decorations—everything around them scread excessive luxury for just six people.
Sitting down in one of the golden chairs, Natasha absentmindedly rubbed the armrest and asked Arthur,
“What’s going on?”
“I didn’t prepare any of this. It was all ready when I arrived.”
“It was... ready?”
Not just the feast, but her room as well—it was furnished like a royal suite.
Attendants were stationed in every corridor and room, eager to assist with anything.
Even in this brief ti, it was the most luxurious hospitality she had ever experienced.
“Why?”
“This mansion is a VIP villa reserved for the master of Aintrier and their invited guests.”
“So, in short, it was Azonne’s playhouse. A place to throw money around while entertaining guests.”
“Not exactly. It’s a private villa for the owner of Aintrier.”
“Isn’t that the sa thing?”
“It’s not. The owner of this villa is no longer Azonne.”
“What?”
Natasha tilted her head, trying to make sense of Arthur’s words.
Azonne was the master of Aintrier. Why wouldn’t he own the villa anymore?
The one to answer her was Karl, who had just entered the dining hall.
“Isn’t it obvious? The ownership changed hands.”
Now clean and refreshed, Karl sat down with a relaxed expression and popped a cookie into his mouth. Natasha frowned.
“The owner changed?”
“Did you forget why we went all the way to that godforsaken Pri Root? To chase down the remnants after they lost in Aintrier.”
“So what?”
“They’re all dead or defeated now. The only one left in Aintrier was Azonne. So, what do you think happened to him?”
Since Karl’s group had imdiately pursued the enemy into Pri Root after the battle, they hadn’t been inford of what happened afterward.
Natasha went straight to the point.
“What did you do to Azonne?”
“I killed him.”
“...You killed him?”
“Yes. With my own hands.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I slit his throat.”
As Fenry cut the air with a knife, a brief silence fell over the table.
The only sound ca from Lily’s absentminded humming and the clinking of tableware.
No one paid her any attention.
Azonne was dead.
That was shocking enough—but more than that, Arthur had beco the new master of Aintrier.
The city’s leadership had changed while they were away for just a short ti.
Was that even possible in such a brief window?
“Becoming Aintrier’s master isn’t as simple as killing Azonne.”
“I got lucky.”
“You think luck explains this? Would you believe that?”
When Dorneth finally took a seat, the six prepared chairs were all occupied.
Arthur looked around at his gathered companions and slowly began.
“Rather than answer each question, I’ll start from the beginning. Let’s eat while I talk. This is going to take a while.”
As Karl’s group had stayed in Pri Root, Arthur began detailing what had happened in Aintrier.
Azonne’s death—and the revelation that he had secretly been the Black Market Master.
This led to Arthur gaining a majority share in Aintrier, allowing him to beco its new ruler with no resistance.
“I also forged an alliance with the Ivory Tower. As part of the agreent, the Halyans will soon lead the mages to root out all of Azonne’s remaining seeds.”
“They’re going to get their hands dirty themselves?”
“I gave them a justification. By the ti we return to Aintrier, the internal cleanup will be done, and the vacancies will be filled with rchant guilds loyal to the Alliance.”
During their al, Arthur shared everything they needed to know.
His story lasted until Lily, full and satisfied, began eating dessert.
When Arthur finished, everyone looked at him in disbelief.
Karl shook his head.
“You’re seriously incredible.”
“The events were definitely sothing. Things will be noisy for a few more days.”
“I’m not talking about the events. I an you. What kind of mindset do you have to end up pulling this off? Didn’t you also get Azonne’s blank check?”
“I did.”
“You did? That’s your reaction? That check ans you can claim his entire fortune at any ti!”
“It’s already in progress. This villa was discovered during the investigation into his hidden assets. Once the asset list is complete, I’ll be able to use the check.”
“Damn…”
Arthur said it so casually, but Karl understood exactly what it ant.
“The World Tree Union is going to beco the biggest power in Hell Gri, aren’t they?”
Even after doing sothing so massive, Arthur still wore that calm expression. Clearly, he wasn’t normal.
Natasha wasn’t the thinking type, so she only understood half of what Arthur said.
“In short, because of Azonne, we get to live it up like this.”
“Correct.”
“He was a good guy, then.”
Natasha looked at Arthur with an amused expression.
“You’re the new lord of Aintrier, the Alliance’s leader—looks like you’ve got your hands full from now on.”
“Is it alright if I take on the position of commander? I made the decision without consulting anyone…”
“It’s fine. No—if soone else had beco commander, I wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”
“Sa here!”
Next to Natasha, Lily raised her hand high and shouted, making Arthur chuckle softly.
This was what dependable allies looked like.
Reassuring, in a way.
Arthur turned his gaze to Dorneth, who t his eyes and gave a heavy nod.
With that unspoken approval, Arthur could now act freely under the title of commander.
“I do have one question.”
“Please, go ahead, Sir Dorneth.”
“Sword Demon Karvas.”
As Dorneth spoke the na of the Sword Demon aloud, the atmosphere instantly tensed.
Everyone's expression darkened, recalling the man’s terrifying strength.
Arthur’s face hardened at the na.
“Can you defeat him?”
“You encountered him?”
“Yes.”
“...It’s a miracle you all ca back alive. How far into Pri Root did you go?”
“The Frozen Desert.”
“No wonder you went radio silent for three days. I did warn you that it was a danger zone…”
Arthur looked at Karl with an exasperated expression. Karl scratched his head sheepishly.
“I got greedy.”
Karl began to recount the events in Pri Root.
Azolett and Rengua—
Just ntioning those two made Karl’s face cloud with regret.
“We almost had them. Azolett lost all her spiders, and Rengua’s staff was shattered.”
“Sha.”
Arthur's face also reflected deep regret.
He had hoped to eliminate them both—they were serious threats.
Azolett was a potential disaster waiting to happen, and Rengua was an unpredictable wildcard who defied Arthur’s calculations.
Still—
“I’m just grateful that all of you made it back safely.”
If his companions were safe, those enemies could be handled later.
Arthur looked to Dorneth, who was still waiting for an answer.
“You asked if I could defeat the Sword Demon?”
“That’s right.”
“I can’t say for sure right now, but I believe I will be able to soon.”
There was still ti.
From what he’d heard, there were still only three Black Stars. Pri Root’s real movent would begin once there were four.
Arthur glanced at Fenry and Lily seated at the table.
According to the novel, those two were ant to beco Black Stars of Pri Root, under Sword Demon Karvas.
But eting Arthur had changed their fates.
“The Fourth Black Star, huh…”
Just as Rengua had beco the third, who would beco the final one was still unknown—even to Arthur.
But whoever it was, he wasn’t too worried.
Thanks to Karl, they had secured one year of truce.
That was more than enough ti to fortify the Alliance and prepare the necessary strength for any scenario.
“We’ve got plenty of cards to play now.”
And tonight, they had a chance to add yet another powerful card to the deck.
“Soon, so guests will be arriving here. Just barely made it in ti.”
“Guests? You an more people are coming?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Black Market executives.”
It was ti to seize control of the Black Market.
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