Chapter 59: The Twin Killers, Jack and Howell
The viscount thought of the old staff that had been collecting dust in his antique storage room.
During a luncheon yesterday, Kal had shown interest in the viscount's collection of antiques, but it was that specific staff that had caught the young lord's eye.
At the ti, the viscount hadn’t been inclined to part with it. But now, Kal wanted to exchange that worthless staff for 2,000 sacks of wheat?
The viscount scoffed inwardly.
‘What a fool.’
It was a re trinket, unearthed by a farr while plowing a field, which the viscount had acquired in exchange for just five sacks of wheat as a reward.
Even after repeated evaluations by mages invited from the Mage Tower, the staff wasn’t worth 100 sacks of wheat, let alone 2,000.
Feigning reluctance, the viscount extended his hand.
“Since it’s you asking, I can’t refuse. It’s a deal.”
For a brief mont, Kal’s dark eyes glead as they locked with the viscount’s. Without a word, Kal shook the viscount’s hand.
The deal was struck.
As Kal prepared to leave, he suddenly stopped and turned back to the viscount.
“May I take the won you sent to my room last night with ?”
“The won? I heard you refused their company.”
“Suddenly, I feel that would be a sha. I’ll compensate you fairly for them.”
“No need. Consider it a gift as part of our deal. Are you planning to return to your territory soon?”
“I’ll rest for a day before departing.”
“I’ll inform my steward to make the arrangents.”
With a nod, Kal exited the room.
The viscount watched his retreating figure, his lips curling into a sly smile. Once Kal had disappeared, he swirled his wine in his glass and chuckled mockingly.
“What a foolish man. With the mana stones you’ve surrendered, I’ll trample your lands soon enough.”
Unlike Blyer, who had lost 2,000 elite soldiers and would be unable to consider war for so ti, the viscount was confident he could replenish his knights with the mana stones acquired today.
‘He seems strapped for resources.’
If he could expand his forces and exploit Blyer’s weakness, a golden opportunity would undoubtedly arise.
In his mind, the viscount began to savor the sweet fantasy of claiming Blyer’s territory as his own.
***
Kal walked through the corridor alongside Lyon.
When the two were finally alone in the silent passage, Kal spoke in a low voice.
“Have the rchant lords been summoned?”
“They’re waiting in the annex.”
“And the preparations I ordered?”
“Rengua said the groundwork has been laid to ensure the rchants have no choice but to comply with your instructions.”
“Good.”
The rchant lords waiting in the annex controlled the distribution of grain throughout Etor Territory.
Kal’s plan was to secretly siphon grain from Etor and transport it to Blyer over the course of a month, ensuring Etor would feel the pressure of a food shortage.
“Right now, that old fool is probably celebrating his ‘profit’ from the mana stones, isn’t he?”
“Most likely.”
“That senile raccoon doesn’t even realize he just handed his lifeline.”
Food is a vital resource in warfare—especially during prolonged sieges.
Thanks to their recent deal, Etor would no longer have the ans to endure a siege for an extended period. And once the side effects of mana stones beca apparent, the viscount would realize just how badly he’d been deceived.
‘The noose is ready to tighten.’
Viscount Tomzael was a cunning old fox.
To outmaneuver him, Kal had needed to offer a significant sacrifice: 2,000 elite soldiers, fed to the chiras during the hunt.
The loss of such a force would normally cripple an army, and the viscount would never imagine that Blyer might initiate a war after suffering such a blow.
But in truth, Blyer’s “elite soldiers” numbered fewer than 50.
The rest had been peasants hastily trained to look the part, equipped with expensive gear to give the illusion of a seasoned army.
The real loss had been the cost of the equipnt for 2,000 n—a hefty price, but one Kal could easily afford after the completion of his gold mine.
“You seem to be in a good mood, my lord.”
“Do I?”
Kal’s face remained expressionless as he walked down the crimson-carpeted hall, a stark contrast to the fake smiles he’d worn while dealing with the viscount.
But Lyon, who had spent years by his lord’s side, could sense a subtle change in Kal’s deanor.
“I’ve acquired sothing I didn’t expect.”
“The item you traded for 2,000 sacks of wheat?”
“That staff is worth far more than 2,000 sacks of wheat. I’d say the value is a hundredfold greater.”
A hundredfold—equivalent to 200,000 sacks of wheat.
Lyon’s curiosity was piqued.
“What kind of staff is it?”
“It’s a relic that will significantly bolster the strength of the shamans. Rengua’s forces will more than double in power.”
“…More than double?”
Lyon’s eyes widened slightly.
If Rengua’s forces doubled in strength, they could even rival the elite royal guard Lyon commanded. A single item capable of such power was no ordinary relic.
‘An ancient artifact with unexpected value.’
Had it been lost during warti?
When Etor Territory was first conquered, such an artifact hadn’t been discovered.
The Blood Orc Staff.
It was an artifact that would later surface in an auction on the black market. Kal hadn’t expected to find it hidden in the viscount’s antique storage room.
The Blood Orc Staff was known to be the tool of an ancient orc shaman lord. Its power could be unlocked by soaking it in the blood of a hundred orcs for two weeks.
The staff’s enchantnt triggered Rage, a berserk state that could instantly turn soldiers into frenzied warriors.
‘Good thing I found sothing to replace Donecolint.’
Donecolint’s ability, Siren’s Scream, was essential for Kal’s plans to lead his conquest.
However, through the Prophet of Fate, Kal had learned that the ownership of the ancient glyph had changed.
Siren’s Hymn.
The “Scream” had beco a “Hymn.”
This “Siren’s Hymn” was sothing Kal had never encountered in the divine list of abilities.
Had the nature of the ability fundantally changed?
It was difficult to predict.
Kal only knew of Donecolint’s original power, not how it was obtained.
If he had managed to recruit Donecolint, he might have learned more. But Donecolint was already dead.
This ant that the new owner of the “Siren’s Hymn” was soone even Kal, despite his regression, didn’t know.
And Kal had a strong suspicion about who this new owner might be.
A new player who hadn’t appeared in the past.
A dangerous individual who seed to know Kal’s secrets.
‘Him.’
Kal trusted his instincts.
‘That person.’
He might be the new owner of the divine power. Even if he wasn’t, he was likely deeply connected to it.
Above all, Kal needed to track the missing assassin. The interdiary was the closest lead to “him.”
In other words:
‘If I find the interdiary and the owner of the divine power, I’ll find a trail leading to him.’
Though Kal had devised a plan, he couldn’t predict how long it would take to locate them with his influence in Tobaron. He needed eyes everywhere.
‘I have to expand my influence quickly.’
To do that, Kal had chosen Etor as the starting point. His extensive efforts to manipulate Viscount Tomzael stemd from his apprehension about “him.”
‘That bastard can predict the future.’
Kal had even sent a letter to inform “him” about the acquisition of the Dragon Cloak.
If “he” knew Kal was targeting Etor Territory, he would certainly interfere.
There was only one way to counter this:
‘Give him no ti to prepare.’
Even with foreknowledge, stopping a war required ti.
Kal’s plan was to overwhelm the viscount with a blitzkrieg, ending the war within three months.
The original tiline for conquering Etor had been eight months. Compressing that tiline to less than half would make it nearly impossible for “him” to interfere.
‘If he tries to stop recklessly and leaves a trail, all the better.’
If Kal got lucky and found “his” trail, he planned to unleash his full force to eliminate him. For that, he would need highly skilled hunters.
“Have you tracked down the twins?”
“If you an Jack and Howell, we’ve located them. As you suspected, they’ve settled in Etor. But there’s a problem.”
“They’ll expect their employer to et them directly, won’t they?”
“Shall I bring them in?”
“No. I’ll go myself. I don’t want my knights getting hurt.”
“They’re that dangerous?”
Kal nodded slightly and continued walking.
Jack and Howell were twin killers, renowned even by Kal’s standards. Masters of poison, ambush, and brutal combat, they were optimized for assassination.
‘They survived the Witch of Ordor Forest.’
Their keen judgnt and cunning made them as versatile as Lyon, depending on how they were utilized.
Considering their value, Kal decided it was worth eting them in person to recruit them.
As the crimson carpet ended, a long hallway leading to the annex appeared.
“Should I arrange a eting with the rchant lords?”
“The twins co first. Tell them to wait.”
“Understood.”
When Kal arrived at the inner castle gate, Etor’s steward was waiting for him.
The steward, acting on the viscount’s orders, bowed politely and introduced several elegantly dressed won.
They were the sa won who had been sent to Kal the previous night, now adorned in finery and bowing their heads.
Four in total.
“The won have been prepared as requested.”
“Thank the viscount for his generosity.”
Without sparing them a glance, Kal had the won loaded into a separate carriage.
Standing by his own carriage, Kal turned to the steward.
“And the staff?”
“It’s been packed and prepared for your departure….”
“Bring it to now.”
Monts later, servants brought a long box. Lyon personally loaded it onto Kal’s carriage.
“I’ll be stepping out briefly.”
“May I ask your destination?”
“I plan to visit so of Etor’s notable locations before leaving. I’d also like to examine the gifts I’ve received.”
“I’ll inform the viscount.”
Kal gestured toward the won’s carriage, and the steward bowed before stepping aside.
Kal’s carriage began to move slowly.
The won’s carriage led the procession, followed by the knights of Blyer.
Inside his carriage, Kal opened the box and examined the staff before leaning back against the sofa and closing his eyes.
Everything was in place.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
‘It will begin soon.’
The great battle in Laup Forest, where Dominic would acquire the Hundred Hearts, was approaching. Afterward, Arena Huaton’s awakening would plunge Tobaron into chaos. That mont would be the perfect ti to ignite the war.
‘No unforeseen variables, I hope.’
To lull the viscount into complacency, Kal had used Dominic’s chira army.
From the beginning, his goal hadn’t been to deal a severe blow to Dominic.
As expected, Arena Huaton had proven to be a monster, and Kal had sent the viscount’s knights to their doom against her. The only unexpected developnt was that Dominic’s advance had been delayed by a day, but that wasn’t a significant issue.
Thud, thud, thud―
Lyon spurred his horse toward the slums of Etor, where the twins were known to reside.
The slums, infamous for harboring criminals, fell eerily silent when the knights arrived.
Amid the hush, Kal stepped out of his carriage.
“Where are the twins?”
“They should be inside,” Lyon replied.
The ramshackle tavern had a creaking, weathered sign swinging in the wind.
“Tell them their employer has arrived. And bring the won.”
“What do you plan to do with them?”
“To train hunting dogs, you need proper bait.”
The twins, Jack and Howell, were murderers obsessed with money and won.
And Kal was soone who could provide them with both in abundance.
As Kal thought of “him,” a nacing grin spread across his face.
Through the Prophet of Fate, Kal had glimpsed faint traces of “him.”
Now it was ti to acquire the hunters who would track that trail.
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