CHAPTER 137

During exam week, Lion’s Castle took on a different atmosphere.

The campus parks had once clamored with students enjoying picnics, walks, and the sudden breakout of team battles. But now, the loudest sounds in the parks were the chirping of birds and the occasional rustling of pages.

In contrast, unfrequented places like the library, chemistry room, and botanical garden had become the most crowded places on campus.

***

In the botanical garden.

“So this is the Livesent... Shit, it really is big. I’ve seen pictures, but they didn’t do it justice.”

“Why are you surprised? It says in the textbook how big the plant is.”

“Sure, it talked about how long the stem can grow and how many meters the petals are in diameter, but it’s hard to appreciate the size through words. Now that I’ve laid my eyes on it, it really is shocking. I can understand how this thing manages to devour monsters.”

The botanical garden was one of the attractions of Lion’s Castle. Hundreds of plant species collected from all types of gates lived there, creating a diverse ecosystem.

Of course, most of the young students were indifferent to trees and flowers, and the garden itself was located in a distant part of campus, so few people usually visited; however, exam week was an exception.

Students were expected to be able to recognize and describe the various dangers or uses of many otherworld plant species. But there were too many plants to memorize through words and imagination alone. Learning was best done through seeing and feeling.

***

In the chemistry room.

Many students gathered around to watch the teaching assistants’ experiments.

“So, if you mix it with this, it becomes a potion, and if you mix it with the other one, it becomes a poison. If you combine them, it becomes an antidote, right? That’s... amazing! How does it work again?”

“Haha. I find your genuine surprise, no matter how many times I explain it to you, even more wondrous! Your mind is definitely pure and full of passion! You’ll be a great fit for our Chemistry Department.”

All the teaching assistants explained everything very patiently, hoping to recruit even one more student to the Chemistry Department next year.

“That sounds more like a curse than a compliment... ” one student whispered, only to be elbowed by another.

“Shhh. Don’t ruin the mood of the assistants. Shut that useless mouth unless you are asking a question.”

For awakened students, earning better grades to secure a good job was a matter of survival. The more they learned at school, the safer they would be when attacking gates later. Naturally, the favor of the teaching assistants was treated like gold.

***

In each of the areas crowded with students, eyes of various colors watched on, some green, some blue, some grey... they were the eyes of Westerners, which weren’t often seen in Lion’s Castle.

A blue-eyed woman watching the botanical garden with her colleagues pressed on her radio and asked, “It seems like the peak time is now. Shall we start soon?”

It was currently 3 p.m. Many students who had taken their first exam and had lunch were visiting the botanical garden.

They numbered in the thousands.

It seemed like the best time to implement their plan.

Just as the woman was preparing to move—

-Wait.

A cold voice responded over the radio.

The woman sighed and leaned back on the bench, pulling her hat down further. Clicking her radio, she replied politely, “Yes.”

Her teammates laughed.

“Roxanne can’t say anything in front of the young master.”

Another woman sneered. “If he tells her to sit, then she sits. If he tells her to bark, she barks.”

As her name suggested, Roxanne had been born in Austria, and she served the Baus family—a ducal family that had produced necromancers for generations and made Austria one of Europe’s great powers.

It was none other than Loren’s family.

“But I also don’t think there’s any point in waiting longer... ” Roxanne’s teammate said reluctantly. Their role was to keep as many students as possible in the botanical garden. As for why? They didn’t know, nor was it their place to. Since Young Master Loren had ordered it, it would be carried out. But according to their instructions, now was the best time to act. It was obvious that more students would leave than visit the botanical garden as more time passed.

Roxanne shrugged.

“The young master must have a plan.”

In fact, she didn’t like this mission. She had disguised herself as an embassy employee and infiltrated a small country, waiting for months for Loren to give her the signal, all so she could keep watch on the students and detain them for a few hours.

She should have been active on the battlefields of Europe, not wasting months on such a trivial matter.

What is even the purpose of this operation, anyway?

She would’ve enjoyed the tension if the mission had been to hold back the armed forces. But holding back students?

Grumbling, she decided to double-check that the barrier installed around the botanical garden was connected to the magic stones. After returning to the bench, she crossed her legs and waited.

Do as you please, Young Master. I’ll be ready.

***

-Wait.

“Yes.”

The library and chemistry room were also under surveillance by the vassals of the Baus family.

“I hadn’t expected to come to Asia and carry out such a large-scale operation.”

“Yes. And it isn’t even China or Japan, but South Korea. Is it even worth the effort?”

“You two, don’t let down your guard. Chatting casually during a mission is a quick way to die.”

“Why worry so much, Boss? We’re just detaining and locking up some kids.”

“Hmph. Bunch of idiots. Why not worry? I don’t know what the young master will be doing while we are holding up the students, do you?”

“Uh?”

The two team members came to their senses.

Loren Baus was a killing machine. He had haunted the battlefields of Europe since the day of his coming of age. Just like the family heads before him, Loren commanded hundreds of undead. Wiedling the power of a one-man army, he was able to achieve nearly anything himself. And yet, Loren had actually invested several months into this operation and even became a student...

There was no way that this operation was simple.

“He isn’t planning to harm the students, is he? The chairman of this place is a National Treasure. Even the National Treasure of a weak country is still a threat.”

“Obviously. The Yaksha proved long ago that a country’s strength isn’t always proportional to the strength of its National Treasures. Still, I doubt the young master is aware of this fact. He was still too young during the Yaksha’s era... ” The man’s expression became serious as he thought this.

***

Loren walked briskly through the forest. Yet he made not a sound, as if weightless to the dried leaves underfoot.

Far ahead was Shinra Kyeong and his vassals, unaware of his presence.

Come on. Hurry and get out of here. Loren urged.

Perhaps his prayers were heard because not a minute later, Shinra Kyeong and his group finally crossed the red line into a danger zone.

It was the same during the midterm exams.

Clearly, Shinra Kyeong and his vassals had no concern for the exams, which was not a surprise, considering he and his group had acted similarly during the midterms—taking advantage of the fact that the test ended in the morning, they devoted the rest of the day to searching the danger zones.

I guess they are looking for the quest. Shinra Kyeong has been looking for it as if it were his lifeline.

The quest of Lion’s Castle had remained buried for hundreds of years. But given the unique nature of Lion’s Castle, it was obvious that the quest would be very valuable, not that it was any of Loren’s concern.

Unlike Shinra Kyeong, who scrounged for every bit of strength, he was already perfect.

Loren was convinced that he would one day reign at the top of the world so long as he continued improving his Bloodline Skill.

All I want from this place is Do-Jin.

Do-Jin, his friend, had cared for him during his most unfortunate time, turning Loren’s misfortune into moments of happiness.

Moreover, Do-Jin was the son of the benefactors who’d saved him.

Loren could never leave him behind. No matter what, he had to rescue Do-Jin from this rotten country and keep him safe by his side to reassure his benefactors.

“Don’t worry.”

Loren stroked the icons of two coffins in his inventory before closing the menu.

“Today is the day. I will take him by force.”

Speaking in his native language, Loren’s voice lacked the halting pauses and awkward pronunciations others were familiar with. Rather, his voice was strong and clear, full of a righteous conviction that made listeners trust him naturally.

Beep.

After confirming that Shinra Kyeong’s group had completely disappeared, Loren turned around and turned on his radio.

It’s time to save my friend.

Knowing the possible backlash, Loren had kept most of the details of the operation to himself—until now.

Now, he calmly relayed the details to his vassals.

“Save my friend. That is the name and goal of this operation. The target is Baek Do-Jin, he has intense red hair and eyes. He is short and stands out in many ways. As a special note, he uses Flash Steps so be careful.”

-......

After Loren finished speaking, none of the vassals immediately replied. They were stunned.

Had they really brought so many people and set up several large, expensive barriers just to retrieve a friend?

It was ridiculous, but the plan had already been set in motion. It was too late to complain.

Moreover...

So this is a favor.

The personal nature of the operation calmed the vassals’ discontent. They had never thought the day would come when their bad-tempered master would count on them for a personal mission.

It was a new feeling.

They were also happy to learn that the young master had a friend important enough to sacrifice for.

Before today, they had thought that he would live in solitude for the rest of his life, so they were relieved to learn they were wrong.

“Do-Jin is likely to be where Team C and Team S are waiting. The moment they secure Do-Jin, the rest of the teams will activate the barriers and capture the points I have marked on the map. We need control of these locations to tie down the armed forces, buying time for the escort team to escape.”

Team C and Team S were stationed by the shooting range and training ground that Jae-Hyeok and his group normally used.

Although it was the exam period, Loren was sure that Do-Jin’s behavior would be the same as usual—he would either be swinging a sword or practicing archery without caring about exams.

Loren’s expectation was only natural considering Do-Jin’s performance throughout the second year. Even during midterm week, Do-Jin had been out training with his sword.

And yet, reality was sometimes more shocking than fiction.

-This is Team B.I have spotted the target in Library 1.

“What?”

It must be a mistake. Loren frowned and sent several more photos of Do-Jin to the Team B leader. The photos had been taken secretly from a distance, but they captured many different angles of Do-Jin’s face.

There was a moment of silence. And then—

-This is Team B. Confirmed: the target is in Library 1.

At this point, Loren was bewildered.

“Why is he at a library?”

Isn’t Library 1 the place with the most people? Loren clicked his tongue and quickened his steps. There’s going to be a lot of unnecessary witnesses.

“I will go there myself. Team C and S should join as well.”