Chapter 153: Inside the Prison (3)

There were only a handful of High Swordmasters across the continent.

The survival of such a warrior as Turklan was an incredible fortune for the Black Crescent Moon.

A faint smile spread across Charoen’s lips.

“Not only have you returned, but you even brought back Princess Deborah to the kingdom. I’m truly delighted.”

It seemed like there had been some misunderstanding.

Then Charoen’s gaze shifted sideways.

He was looking at Raion and Patrick.

“Are they new comrades? Now that I think about it, what became of Deraid and Negis? And the magicians?”

The Swordmaster Deraid, who wielded both sword and shield, and Negis, the palace’s archer, had not been heard from since that day.

Both had been skilled individuals—it was only natural to be curious.

“……Everyone except me died.”

“I see…… Then is it true that such an existence was beside Regina Foster? How did you survive after fighting him?”

“I barely made it out alive. But why aren’t you answering my question? How is my wife doing?”

At the weighty question, Charoen let out a short laugh.

“So the man who’s so worried about his wife came here rather quickly. Were you hiding all this time, waiting for a chance to strike?”

“Of course not. ……I was badly injured, and my recovery just took longer than expected.”

There was intelligence from above concerning the existence of the Master Emperor.

If Turklan had fallen into a trap laid by such a being using Regina Foster as bait, it was a miracle he was even alive.

“Well, to survive a fight with someone like that is impressive enough. But to think the Master Emperor was real… Are you saying there truly exists someone beyond the Grand Master level?”

It was still hard to believe.

One could have concluded that such power was simply the realm of the top Swordmasters—the Grand Masters.

However, three Swordmasters had been sent to assassinate Regina Foster, along with two Fourth Circle magicians.

Those five alone could have easily crushed two or three royal knight orders that lacked Swordmasters.

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“Of course not. I believe you completely.”

“You’ve been dodging my questions for a while now.”

From Turklan’s entire body, a murderous aura surged—blue aura flaring to life.

The heavy air spread beyond the iron bars, and Charoen’s expression stiffened in an instant.

“Hahaha, how could I dare? Your wife is doing well.”

“I’ll have to see her myself.”

“I’m afraid that will be rather diffi—”

The killing intent burst out even stronger than before.

It wasn’t Turklan’s this time—it came from Raion and Patrick, sitting beside him.

Charoen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh ho…… Turklan. It seems your companions are quite formidable.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

Then Charoen glanced around.

The nearby guards, sensing the tension, quietly backed away.

“Our organization is short on manpower lately. If your comrades radiate such killing intent and can accompany you, that’s more than enough qualification.”

“……”

Truthfully, Turklan didn’t know why the two had suddenly released their killing aura.

But since Charoen now seemed interested in recruiting them, he found it hard to respond.

“If you’re mercenaries, I’d like to purchase your strength. I can provide whatever you desire.”

Charoen’s gaze settled on Patrick.

Among those inside the cell, he appeared to be the eldest, so Charoen assumed he was the superior.

Then Patrick’s eyes naturally turned to Raion.

“……”

“……?”

A short silence followed.

Sensing it, Charoen nodded knowingly.

“……Ah, so you’re the superior one. My apologies for the misunderstanding.”

“I’m not too fond of apologies……”

With that, Raion raised a finger, igniting a pure white flame of aura.

Fwoosh—!

“An advanced aura……?”

From novice to intermediate, aura shone blue, burning like a fierce flame.

But at the advanced level, that blue turned white.

Yet what Raion displayed required even greater mastery—on par with, or beyond, Turklan.

From Charoen’s perspective, it was irresistible.

“You seem quite young, yet you’re remarkable.”

With those words, Charoen bowed deeply, showing utmost respect.

“Then let’s skip the pointless talk and listen to what this man here has to say, shall we?”

Raion’s chin tilted toward Turklan.

Of course, Charoen knew exactly what that meant.

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

“If you wish to purchase our strength, you’d better comply.”

“……Would that be enough payment?”

“Of course, you’ll also have to give something in return.”

Raion’s lips curled into a wicked grin, and he rubbed his fingers together as if counting gold coins.

He looked every bit the scoundrel.

“It seems Turklan has found some interesting allies. Very well then, please wait here. I’ll bring a handwritten letter myself tomorrow.”

“I said to bring her, not a letter.”

Raion’s sharp eyes met Charoen’s with the weight of a threat.

Yet Charoen did not back down.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible. If even the letter displeases you, then there’s nothing more I can do.”

A clean, blade-like refusal.

Charoen clearly had Turklan’s weakness in his grasp.

It made it difficult for Turklan to push further.

“……The letter, by tomorrow morning.”

“As expected of someone who knows moderation. And you, sir…… may I ask your name?”

“Dragonia.”

“Don’t tell me…… the one registered as an S-rank mercenary in the Praizen Adventurer’s Guild?”

The birth of a new S-rank adventurer had spread across the continent—along with the name Dragonia—as the youngest ever.

But at some point, all stories about that name had vanished.

It became nothing more than a rumor.

After all, the tale claimed that someone had become a Swordmaster at the age of coming of age.

“That’s right.”

“And not just intermediate—but high-level…….”

His reaction made Raion smile even more deeply.

At the same time, a faint sigh of relief slipped out inside.

‘Thank goodness this world doesn’t have the internet or smartphones.’

It had been a long while since he’d thought about the conveniences of 21st-century Earth.

If such things existed here, Raion’s identity would have spread across the entire continent.

Of course, it also helped that the Eye of the Moon had split from the Blue Sun.

With the dissolution of the organization that handled information, the Eye of the Moon reverted to the Black Crescent Moon, now retaining only its martial strength.

In this fantasy world, people’s personal information was shared only through word of mouth or portraits—

and even those were rarely accurate.

“Ah, I’ll petition His Majesty the King to have you released from prison.”

“As you wish.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

After finishing his greeting, Charoen left the prison with Luteo, who had been silently standing by his side.

At the same time, the name Raion had mentioned echoed in Luteo’s mind.

‘Dragonia…….’

When he had first heard that rumor, he thought it nonsense.

But now, standing before someone whose strength made him unable to even draw the sword in his hand—

it was overwhelming beyond imagination.

The place provided by the Mineta Royal Palace was a luxuriously decorated detached palace.

It meant Charoen’s request had been fully granted.

“I thought it’d be bleak since this is called the Kingdom of Knights, but the atmosphere is far more refined than I expected.”

“It’s probably thanks to the former queens. Traditionally, the queens of the Mineta Kingdom have exerted great influence within the inner court.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“I came once with Duke Arenvatz.”

While the two admired the detached palace’s elegance, Turklan couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

He approached them and asked,

“Why did you act like that earlier?”

In the prison, Raion had provoked Charoen. Of course, Turklan didn’t doubt Raion’s intentions.

From Turklan’s point of view, his worry for his wife was unavoidable.

“Because we had to make sure that man Charoen actually went to your wife.”

“You mean he might have tried to deceive me. I’ve thought the same. He’s done it before, too.”

His wife’s life was being held hostage.

No matter how much he struggled, it was hard to escape that shackle.

Even when he voiced dissatisfaction like today, it changed nothing.

“You must’ve suffered a lot.”

“I’ve grown used to it. But… is it really fine for us to stay here like this?”

“They can’t eavesdrop on us, so don’t worry. The ones watching us are in the garden forest.”

Before Raion’s eyes, a map created through his perception ability was displayed.

Red dots marked the positions of people nearby.

Twelve in total.

All knights on the verge of reaching Swordmaster level—swordsmanship rank 9 to 10.

“I sensed them as well.”

“They’re more observing than truly monitoring, I’d say.”

Patrick had also deduced as much without difficulty.

Turklan beside them nodded too.

At that, Raion showed a faintly meaningful smile.

Charoen entered the Black Crescent Moon’s branch within the royal palace.

In his hand was a letter written by Turklan’s wife, Xenia.

As he placed the letter on the desk, someone knocked at the door.

Knock, knock—

“Come in.”

“Have you returned safely, sir?”

The man who poked his head through the door was Charoen’s aide and second-in-command of the Mineta Branch, Kerum.

At his question, Charoen smiled faintly.

“I have.”

“Did something happen?”

“It was Turklan who brought back Princess Deborah.”

“The Blade that Splits the Earth, Turklan? How on earth…….”

“I don’t know. But it’s a gain for us.”

Kerum’s gaze fixed on the envelope atop the desk.

“So you went to tighten the leash on Turklan, then.”

“There’s no better leash than this.”

“You’ve worked hard, sir.”

Holding the letter, Charoen gave a thin smile.

Retrieving it hadn’t been difficult at all.

As long as he continued managing the situation properly, Turklan would do anything they asked.

And there was an even greater advantage now.

“His new comrades are quite remarkable as well.”

“Then Deraid and Negis are gone?”

“He said they’re dead. Apparently, Turklan was badly wounded during that mission, which delayed his return.”

“Then that means the information was true.”

Kerum had also reviewed the reports about the Master Emperor.

The details sounded too mythical to believe, but hearing Charoen’s firsthand account made him nod unconsciously.

“So the Master Emperor realm truly exists only in legend.”

“And the identity remains unknown?”

“At the moment, they seem connected to the Blue Sun and the Canel Kingdom.”

“What should we do then?”

“If recruitment fails, we’ll have to crush them. Even the Master Emperor cannot stand against the might of an empire.”

The Dior Empire’s goal—was the unification of the continent.

To achieve it, the Dior Empire had been expanding its power by swallowing nearby kingdoms alongside the Black Crescent Moon.

The Mineta Kingdom was one of them.

“Understood, Lord Charoen.”

“By the way, the Bachenan Holy Kingdom has been showing suspicious movements lately.”

“You mean High Priestess Marianne and Holy Knight Commander Larsen Heights. I looked into it after hearing the news.”

Kerum handed over a rolled parchment brought through the Black Crescent Moon’s intelligence network.

Inside it contained recent information gathered from the Bachenan Holy Kingdom.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep