[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 288: The Spy's True Identity

I was sensing a fierce battle taking place in the distance through my enhanced perception abilities.

'As expected, it's completely one-sided.'

Verdzig already had shadow forces assigned to him by the Bergen clan from the beginning.

With the addition of the Royal guard troops and the underworld forces, the toothless remnants of Bergen and Agrippa's faction couldn't possibly handle it.

'But I wonder if that bastard Gulbark had a hand in this?'

From a certain point, I felt like the Black Society's schemes targeting us kept failing continuously.

Of course, the biggest reason was probably that Verdzig and I had decimated Schelde's 8th branch.

'Perhaps they lack the resources to focus on this side while trying to control the royal family.'

However, our side is just as frustrated.

'If we could have infiltrated the Black Society in reverse, we could have discovered the royal family's crisis much sooner.'

Far from that, we weren't even certain how many spies had infiltrated our ranks.

Moreover, there was exactly one person I clearly suspected of being a spy but couldn't identify their backer.

'Severian.'

The owner of the rainbow-colored aura.

A man I'd suspected of being someone's spy ever since the personal guard selection exam.

'He's done surprisingly nothing all this time.'

It was amazing. I almost wondered if we'd been suspecting an innocent person.

"Just whose side is he on?"

I had discussed this guy with Jeffrey and Taris.

"I have no idea. I thought he came to gather information, but he doesn't do anything suspicious."

"Didn't he fight well on the battlefield?"

"He fought well. He even threw his body into danger."

"Impressive. Even if he dies carrying out his mission, not getting his identity exposed is more important?"

"Young Master, did we really suspect an innocent person?"

"That very thought might be exactly what that bastard is aiming for."

Anyway, I needed to settle this before departing.

That's why I deliberately made sure Severian heard all sorts of conversations at the banquet where everyone was present.

'If he's a spy, he'll definitely report this level of information.'

...That intention hit the mark.

I was finally tracking Severian, who had quietly left the camp in the middle of the night, using supreme stealth techniques.

'This bastard is pretty skilled. How dare he try to play spy games with me.'

Someone like the famous thief Kreutzel would have been suitable for the job, but I decided to handle it myself, worried that his combat power might be insufficient when actual fighting broke out.

'Where are you trying to go?'

Severian stopped in some back alley.

It was a place outside the territory of the Bisakino Brotherhood and the Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance.

'Well, well?'

I stopped at an appropriate spot and watched him.

Then, as if by appointment, someone came out and received something from Severian.

'Look at this.'

I enhanced my vision to try to confirm the other person's face.

'Severian, who are you making contact with?'

Depending on that, I would decide whether to eliminate him or feed him false information.

* * *

"Aaaahhh!"

"Graahhh!"

The black-clad figures under attack by Verdzig began to crumble helplessly.

"Draw your swords! Fight back!"

"Don't just take it lying down!"

It was an impossible command.

Setting aside the momentum lost to the surprise attack, the difference in skill between the two sides was too clear.

"Damn it! Don't hold back, tear them apart!"

Someone tore a scroll, and demonic beasts poured out one after another from the black hole.

Kieeeeeeeee!

The demonic beasts' roars were sharp.

Combat weapons modified to kill humans dripped yellow saliva.

"Modified demonic beasts?"

"Their fur is as stiff as blades. Anyone below 4th tier, stay back!"

However, a few demonic beasts couldn't change the tide of battle.

Verdzig's subordinates spread out and surrounded the beasts.

"Stand back."

Harald, drawing his long sword, advanced while beheading the charging demonic beasts in single strikes.

"Crazy!"

"They're no match at all?"

"I don't know what they're trying to accomplish bringing a few low-grade demonic beasts like this."

Soon, Bergen's side, having run out of scrolls, began to retreat.

"Damn it, run away."

"We can't get caught!"

From their attitude of choosing flight over surrender, Verdzig read something.

"Looking at your reaction, you must be carrying something quite important, or perhaps there's an important person mixed in among you?"

Verdzig chuckled, feeling his words sounded like those of a bandit.

"Kill them all, but make sure to subdue that one."

He pointed to the black-clad figure who seemed to hold the highest position.

'I'll need one person to testify about their crimes later.'

That was the end of it. This fight didn't even require Verdzig's direct participation. Moreover...

"A vampire is going wild! Be careful!"

"Is that Recrusa's Skella!"

Skella, as if avenging her clan's years of oppression under Bergen, brought down enemies one by one with swift and merciless strikes.

Kiiiiiiik!

When blood bats swarmed to claw at eyes and stick to faces as interference, swords flew from somewhere to lop off heads.

"Pathetic tricks!"

When a master who couldn't be handled by mere blood bats stepped forward, Skella, combining her vampire abilities with her clan's stealth techniques, appeared behind them to slash throats and stab hearts.

"Grrrlp."

When even the swordsman guarding him fell pathetically, the black-clad figure Verdzig had pointed out earlier showed his anger.

"Skellaaaaaa! How dare a vampire who lived as a dog for our clan!"

He pulled out a ring from his chest and rubbed it.

Duuuuung!

Then waves emanating from the ring's ominous light hardened Skella's body.

"Hehehehehe! That's right, honor the contract! Slave of Recrusa, 'save me'!"

A magic circle appeared on Skella's forehead. Just as the mark carved into her clan's bloodline was about to rob her of free will...

"Ridiculous."

Swoosh!

Verdzig, appearing from behind, severed the black-clad figure's wrist in one stroke.

"Graaahhhhh!"

Catching the severed hand, Verdzig pulled the blood-stained ring from its finger.

"As expected, you set up a double mechanism?"

The vampire clan, the Recrusa clan, were the Bergen Count clan's most reliable vassal group.

That suspicious old man wouldn't have handed them over to Verdzig completely.

"Perfect. If you weren't of Bergen bloodline, you wouldn't have had such a thing."

"You, you bastard..."

"Who might you be? Direct line or branch clan?"

Verdzig removed the black-clad figure's mask while he clutched his severed wrist and groaned.

"Hahaha!"

Verdzig laughed upon seeing the revealed face.

"Ah, cousin brother. So it was you."

He was also the son of Malekian, who had tasted humiliation from Verdzig.

"Verdzig, you bastard!"

"This worked out perfectly. Uncle Malekian isn't innocent of the clan's crimes either, and you never liked me from the beginning, brother."

Verdzig roughly grabbed his cousin's hair.

"Since we share blood, I'll let you live. Instead..."

That's when it happened.

The man whose hair was being grabbed mumbled something in his mouth, then suddenly spat black saliva.

"Ptui!"

It was a surprise attack from right in front of his face.

However, Verdzig used precise mana control to catch the saliva in midair and sent it back in the direction it came from.

Chiiiiiiik!

"Aaaahhhhh!"

The man writhed in agony as his face melted away completely.

"Graaaaahhh!"

Pointing at his cousin rolling on the ground, unable to bear the pain, Verdzig commanded.

"Sounds like a pig being slaughtered. Knock him out and treat him just enough so he won't die."

"Yes!"

Verdzig spoke consolingly to his screaming cousin.

"Don't be too discouraged about your ruined face. You won't have anyone to show it to from now on anyway."

The man's fate was decided with that.

"Skella."

Verdzig approached his vassal, pondered for a moment, then asked.

"Are you alright? You almost got caught by binding magic."

"Nothing serious, just feeling a bit queasy."

"You can fall back to the rear and wait."

Then he placed the ring in Skella's hand.

"I don't know how many of these remain. You keep this."

"..."

Skella stared down at it quietly.

It was a crude, small ring.

As if it embodied the shackles placed upon her clan.

'The clan's liberation. The removal of shackles.'

That was also what Allenvert had promised her.

'...Second Young master.'

She gazed at Verdzig's back.

'What's his reason for giving this to me?'

Verdzig no longer threatened her like before, nor did he try to confirm her position by mentioning her shackles.

"..."

He was definitely changing.

And the changed Verdzig wasn't as despicable as before.

Skella was confused about what emotions she should feel.

"Intelligence Director!"

Verdzig shouted with his voice enhanced by internal mana.

"Wouldn't it be good to help out a bit?"

Because fighting with underworld forces was already happening over there too.

[Not a bad proposal.]

Soon an owl that had flown over silently perched on Verdzig's shoulder and spoke.

[Then would you like to come do some preview practice first? The opponent is the Black Society's elite agents.]

"Nothing wrong with that."

[Will that be alright? Today's events will ultimately end up helping Young master Allenvert.]

Verdzig chuckled.

"The battlefield where we'll compete is in that royal castle anyway, so what's little old Grimnar?"

It was also a statement that acknowledged Allenvert more than anyone else.

[You really have changed a lot.]

Venion spoke sincerely.

"Do you find this version of me strange?"

Verdzig asked.

"Sometimes I wonder if this version of me has become weak and soft, and whether this is hypocrisy."

[Well.]

The owl tilted its head and asked back.

[Let me ask you the opposite. Between false evil and false virtue, which is worse?]

"False virtue, wouldn't it be?"

[I think false evil is worse. Even if the intention is good, if what you actually do is evil, what meaning is there in that? Someone with a good heart who causes people to die, and someone with ulterior motives who ends up saving people. Who is better?]

"..."

Verdzig, who had been mulling over those words, chuckled.

"Venion, I didn't know you were this kind. Even now, schemes and anger, suspicion and impulses are boiling in my head."

[But since Your Highness's change is like this, why would I blame it?]

Venion joked.

[How many people live without thinking that much in their heads? My insides are probably blacker from rolling around in the shadows for so long, so don't worry about it too much.]

* * *

The black-clad figure who received the note from Severian skillfully navigated through the back alleys.

The place he arrived at was a safe house disguised as a private residence.

"Phew..."

He unfolded the note he had received from Severian.

"Huh."

The more he read, the more absurd the contents became.

"The 8th prince has come? The royal family is in crisis of falling into the 3rd Prince's hands? The betrayal of the Royal Guard Grand Commander and Duke Montera?"

Each item was a shocking story.

"Young master Allenvert is truly an extraordinary person. Now he's even involved in the royal succession war?"

The man muttered.

"In any case, I need to report this."

Just as he was pulling out an artifact from his chest.

"Who are you going to report to?"

A man's rough, grating voice came from behind him.

"?!"

The startled man stepped back and drew his sword.

"Oh my."

However, his sword draw futilely cut through empty air.

"Look at this?"

The masked Karzan tilted his head.

'This bastard, what the hell?'

...That was an extremely familiar technique.

"Who the hell are you?"

It was the swordsmanship that Karzan himself had used in his previous life.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]