Chapter 169: A Betrayal within a Betrayal within a Betrayal (5)

“The inside is empty.”

Charoen personally approached the carriage to check, then spoke.

At that, Harlan Mineta’s brow furrowed sharply.

“No other traces? The surroundings are nothing but swamp—there’s no way they vanished without leaving any sign. Search immediately!”

Six of the twelve knights from the royal capital scattered around.

They searched for any other signs near the carriage.

Then it happened.

For a fleeting instant, killing intent flashed through the air.

Something poured down, filling the narrow strip of sky between the cliffs.

It was a Third Circle spell—‘Lightning Lance.’

“Magic attack! Everyone, get to cover!”

At Harlan Mineta’s shout—the first to notice(?)—the knights hurriedly searched for a place to hide.

But they were in a valley filled only with soggy swamp.

There was no tree or boulder in sight to use as cover.

In the end, they had no choice but to face the ‘Lightning Lances’ raining down from the narrow sky above.

Bzzzzzzzzt—! Bzzzt!

The knights tried to block them with their aura-clad swords.

However, among elemental magic, lightning was particularly tricky because of its conductivity.

As expected, the electricity traveled along their swords.

“Arghhhh!”

“Help me—!”

“Aaaaaghhhh!”

The knights’ screams filled the valley.

Even the carriage standing in the middle of the ravine did not remain unscathed.

It was clearly a trap.

At the center of it, Harlan Mineta planted his sword into the ground and exhaled heavily.

He had barely managed to redirect the ‘Lightning Lance’ into the ground by quickly channeling aura into his blade and swinging it at the right moment.

Of course, it was far from easy; it required intense and precise movements.

“To dare attack the king of a nation! Who are you bastards! Come out this instant and offer your necks—!”

His booming voice echoed throughout the valley.

But no answer came.

Still breathing heavily, Harlan Mineta looked around.

Around the carriage, a massive dome of blue mana had formed.

“What is that…?”

A Fourth Circle defensive spell—‘Energy Curtain.’

It had been deployed by Charoen, Rashid, and the mercenaries under the Black Crescent Moon.

Naturally, none of them were mages.

They had activated artifacts they held in their hands.

“……”

A chilling silence spread through the air.

A result like this could only mean one thing—betrayal.

Harlan Mineta knew it too.

Even if he rushed to Charoen and cut off his head right now, it would hardly be satisfying.

But he was too dumbfounded to act immediately.

A brief silence followed.

Charoen withdrew the ‘Energy Curtain’ activated by the artifact and drew his sword.

The members of the Black Crescent Moon standing near him did the same.

Before he realized it, they had completely surrounded Harlan Mineta.

“…So it was all a lie, was it? Then… everything so far was your doing.”

At his cold voice, Charoen smiled faintly.

“Please, don’t misunderstand.”

“What misunderstanding could there be?”

“The kidnapping of the noble has nothing to do with us. I merely sought to guide the situation in a favorable direction.”

His tone was polite, yet arrogant.

Hearing that, a dry laugh escaped Harlan Mineta’s lips.

“Ha—, I can’t say I never suspected you people, who only move for profit… Yet perhaps I lowered my guard because of the years we’ve known each other.”

“You need only fade away quietly. Since this place is secluded, I will at least preserve His Majesty’s dignity.”

“So in the end, what you want is my head. To think I’d feel such emptiness as a king—even if gained through rebellion.”

Shrrrng…

A sharp scimitar slid from behind Harlan Mineta’s back and stopped at his neck.

Rashid had moved behind him without notice.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to just cut him down now?”

Rashid’s scimitar began to move.

But then something surged upward from below.

Shuaaak!

There was no time to swing the sword.

Chaaang—!

The scimitar that had nearly reached Harlan Mineta’s neck was deflected upward.

“Kh…!”

A heavy force pulsed through Rashid’s hand gripping the sword hilt.

Startled, he used the momentum to leap backward.

Charoen and his men, who had been closing in, did the same.

“You’ve been hiding your strength all this time, haven’t you…?”

Charoen had known Harlan Mineta since before he became king—nearly three years.

They had waited together for Charta Mineta’s death, whose health had long been failing.

Of course, Charoen had taken part in hastening it.

He had been secretly poisoning Charta Mineta’s food in small doses.

He was sure he understood the man well enough.

But to think Harlan Mineta could deflect a strike from Rashid, a top-level Swordmaster…

Perhaps it was simply a brief moment of carelessness.

“As I said earlier, I thought I could trust you, at least somewhat.”

“Yet someone you claim to trust never once showed such power.”

While they exchanged words, Rashid steadied his stance, preparing to charge again.

But as he placed strength in his feet, he froze—because he saw the white-flamed aura flickering along Harlan Mineta’s blade.

Not a mere touch upon the threshold, but the true realm of a Grand Master.

Rashid was the same.

Now the question was—who had stepped deeper into that realm?

“Rashid, was it…? I heard you enjoy facing strong opponents. Don’t you want to try me too?”

All the knights Harlan Mineta had brought with him lay collapsed around the carriage.

They hadn’t survived the earlier ‘Lightning Lance’ barrage.

He was alone now.

And yet, Harlan Mineta provoked Rashid without the slightest hesitation.

The ten members of the Black Crescent Moon, who had briefly hesitated, raised their swords forward.

Sasak, sasak—.

Murderous intent filled the air.

They could feel with their whole bodies that their opponent was terrifying.

“Everyone, stop!”

The one who shouted was Charoen.

What was he planning?

As everyone halted their movements, Charoen’s gaze turned toward the entrance of the Naviadal Valley from which they had just entered.

There stood Raion, Turklan, and Patrick, silently watching. No one could tell how they had managed to block the ‘Lightning Lance’ that had just poured down.

“I’ll use the favor you promised me earlier—right now.”

Having witnessed Harlan Mineta’s unexpected strength, Charoen made a quick and cold decision.

Rather than having Rashid, a Grand Master like Harlan, fight evenly, it would be better to overpower him with someone even stronger.

At the same time, Harlan Mineta’s gaze turned to Raion.

“…No thanks.”

.

.

.

A brief silence followed that single word.

There had indeed been a promise.

And yet Raion did not move from where he stood.

“You clearly gave me your word earlier!”

“I did. But I said I take payment first, didn’t I?”

“I don’t have it on me right now! I swear I’ll hand it over once this is done. Please!”

At this absurd exchange, Charoen’s composure faltered.

“No.”

“Are you saying you’ll turn your back on the Black Crescent Moon? Do you understand what will happen if you act like this?”

Where did his confidence come from?

Of course, Raion knew the reason from the beginning.

The others likely did as well.

“Those lying in ambush up there… do you really think they can make it all the way down here?”

The cliffs of the valley towered dizzyingly high.

Because the magic had been fired from such a height, even Harlan Mineta hadn’t noticed their presence.

“This complicates things. It would’ve been better if you had just cooperated quietly. Our shares will shrink, but given the situation, we have no choice.”

Charoen pulled a small whistle, roughly the size of his thumb, from his inner pocket.

‘That’s a Horulag made and sold in Theron.’

Charoen brought the whistle to his lips and blew it hard.

It was the same whistle Raion had developed and sold in Theron using his modern knowledge.

Piiiiiiiiiiiii!

The ear-piercing sound echoed through the valley, growing even louder as it bounced off the walls.

‘Even if he calls for backup with that whistle, who could possibly get here?’

The top of the cliff looked easily as tall as a ten-story building.

Was there anyone capable of surviving a fall from that height?

Well, perhaps if there was a mage who could use a Fourth Circle spell like Fly.

The shrill signal finally stopped ringing.

From above, signs of movement began to stir.

Then something fell from the cliff top.

Shwoooooosh! Thud! Boom! Thud! Thud—!

‘Something’s off… so this was the kind of trick they were planning?’

From the first to the fourth, four heavy impacts shook the ground as massive figures landed.

Through the cloud of rising dust, their shapes became visible.

Even with their heads bowed, their hulking frames easily surpassed the height of a grown man. Muscles swelled all over their bodies, as if brimming with rage.

‘That form…’

“They look like Fargodas,” Patrick muttered beside him.

Turklan nodded, seemingly in agreement.

As they said, the four figures resembled the transformed appearance of Fargodas—the traitor, the High Priest of Chaos.

“This could become a problem if we drag this out.”

As Raion reached for the sword at his waist, Turklan and Patrick stepped forward.

“Master, please rest for a while.”

“Yes. Leave this to us.”

“You sure about that?”

The pitch-black aura emanating from the four newcomers spread outward, drying up the surrounding air.

Harlan Mineta would have to face them as well.

And then there were Rashid, Charoen, and the other members of the Black Crescent Moon.

They were outnumbered.

“We can’t keep being dead weight, can we? If you’re worried, then please handle the others.”

Patrick’s gaze shifted toward the rest of their enemies, excluding the four who had fallen.

“Those ones? Fine by me.”

As they exchanged words, Charoen felt something strange.

He hadn’t expected these bizarre beings to appear in response to his signal.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

“Graaaaaghhh!”

Just then, one of the massive figures arched his back like a drawn bow and let out a beastly roar.

The others joined in unison.

“Graaaaaaaaghhh—!”

Thick, jet-black smoke poured from their bodies, carrying their murderous intent.

At that moment, Rashid’s form vanished first.

Chwaaaang!

In an instant, Raion’s sword flashed out, swung behind him, and deflected Rashid’s scimitar.

“Tch! You noticed me?”

“You made it pretty obvious you were aiming for me from the start.”

“In a situation like this, isn’t it best to target the most dangerous one first?”

Rashid’s figure disappeared again, springing off the valley wall and rushing toward him at lightning speed.

Papak! Pak! Papapak!

In response, brilliant white lightning-like aura—White Lightning Flash—crackled around Raion’s blade.

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