In the Empire, they could be likened to warlords or feudal kings, wielding imnse influence, military power, and financial resources—houses whose legacies spanned generations, untouchable by most.
Among the countless noble families in the South, numbering in the tens of thousands, only nineteen could rightfully claim this title.
For the past twenty years, rumors had spread that rchants, guilds, and rcenaries were surpassing even the nobility in power. However, no matter how much those three factions grew, none could ever surpass the Great Nobles.
What were they, really?
[The Nobles Above Nobles.]
Even earning the nickna "The Impassable Wall," they were not ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) re figureheads like the so-called Noble Council. They were the true rulers.
Quite literally, within their own domains, they wielded power akin to kings.
Of course, not every Great Noble House was defined by overwhelming military or economic strength. So achieved their status through history, rit, or sheer achievents.
However, among the Great Nobles, the ten highest-ranking houses undoubtedly possessed unparalleled power.
One such house among them was none other than—
"Mordred."
Shk—
"Commonly known as 'Madness' Mordred. One of the rare noble houses blessed by a greater power, much like Galahad with the Blessing of the Lake, Lionel with the Lion King's Blessing, or Guinevere with... the Blessing of Root Crops."
"I feel like sothing’s off at the end there."
"Are you looking down on root crops?"
"...My favorite foods are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn."
"I like them too."
Though the words were spoken in a joking manner, Simon’s expression remained deadly serious.
"Among the Great Nobles, they are without a doubt the most dangerous. Long ago, they received a blessing from so powerful being in exchange for power. Ever since, the Mordred bloodline has been able to commune with ghosts."
"Because of this, they possess various techniques that utilize the power of spirits, but at the sa ti, they constantly live with the risk of being possessed."
"As a result, everyone in the Mordred family is said to carry a perpetual state of madness."
"...That sounds less like a blessing and more like a curse."
"It’s apparently not a curse. It’s not inherently evil, and if controlled properly, they can gain imnse strength from spirits."
"So, in other words, there’s always a risk that their powers will consu them?"
"......"
"No matter how I look at it, that’s a curse, not a blessing."
"Ahem!"
Simon inwardly agreed but wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
Even speaking ill of a Great Noble behind their backs was dangerous.
If word of their conversation ever reached Mordred’s ears, even the Guild Association would crumble like a sandcastle.
"Hah... Regardless, as you can probably guess, Mordred is the most dangerous among the Great Nobles."
Simon’s expression scread 'I want nothing to do with them.' anwhile, Ihan responded with nothing but mild indifference.
Not because he underestimated the Great Nobles.
But simply—
‘Ah, so that’s a thing, huh.’
‘No matter how terrifying ghosts may be... can they really be worse than humans?’
Ihan had long since decided that the truly terrifying ones were the living, not the dead.
‘Like those spellcasters who perform live human experints, the ones who steal people’s faces, or that freak who's been alive for 400 years...’
See? Weren’t the living much more terrifying?
"...That’s just because you’ve only ever t the strangest people, Sir Ihan."
"That’s not the point. My point is, don’t be so scared. My goal is to take down that damned vampire, not to fight Mordred."
"W-Well, that’s true."
"If we do end up fighting them... well, can’t be helped."
"......"
"I said can’t be helped. Don’t look at like that."
"...Sir Ihan, please."
Please understand that the Guild has nothing to do with this if sothing happens.
Simon’s tone was firm.
Ihan clicked his tongue.
"Tch, so cold."
As expected of a second-rate Hao Clan master, he had no loyalty.
It was an unusual situation.
***
Even before they reached the Mordred estate, Simon and the others had already been wary of them—as if they were absolutely certain of the danger.
And, in a way, that was only natural.
Twitch!
Flinch!
"Here! I feel sothing here!"
"It’s the exact sa presence as that cursed blood Uncle gave ! It’s so clear...!"
The twins—or rather, the mystic beastkin siblings—were sounding the alarm with their Sixth Sense.
With such a powerful ability confirming their suspicions, how could they not be certain?
With their animalistic ears and tails exposed, the twins let out low growls.
Of course, to the average person, those growls wouldn’t seem insignificant at all.
[[Grrrr—!]]
Their combined aura, amplified by their abilities, was as fearso as real wolves.
They looked cute, but anyone foolish enough to let their guard down...
Would lose a wrist in an instant.
Ever since they had entered Mordred’s domain, the twins had been in a constant battle stance.
Their bodies were already poised to spring forward at any mont.
However—
Thump!
"Tsk. You little brats are being a pain."
"???"
"???"
Before they could even react, a hand had grabbed the scruffs of their necks.
Pinned down in an instant.
The overwhelming pressure from that grip was so imnse that they couldn’t even struggle.
They didn’t even seem to be angry about being restrained.
Like puppies caught by the scruff, they could only whimper softly.
"Maybe bringing them along was a mistake...."
It seed that, due to their young age, they still struggled to control their emotions.
They didn’t just disobey orders—they outright rushed in without thinking.
"...Still, at least now we can be certain."
"That’s true, I suppose...?"
"Haa... this is a nightmare."
Simon grabbed his head in frustration.
Now that he was certain, it only made things worse.
"If vampires truly are hiding within Mordred’s ranks..."
"Or worse, if they’ve taken control of Mordred..."
"Do you have any idea how disastrous this could be?"
A union between ghosts and vampires—
There was no more catastrophic combination.
But the worst part?
This was only the beginning.
There was also the issue of finding a way to enter Mordred’s territory.
Perhaps due to their madness, or maybe because of their connection to spirits, the Mordred domain was highly isolated.
Would you believe it if soone told you that, despite being the territory of a Great Noble house, not even rchants ca and went?
So claid that Mordred could afford to be this closed off because their land was entirely self-sufficient, but no one knew the truth.
That was how secretive they were.
“At least, thanks to the information you gathered, Sir Ihan, we were able to get so insight into Mordred’s recent activities...”
It was a mystery how Ihan had managed to obtain such classified information about Mordred.
Though most of it only consisted of trivial daily affairs within the house, even that was worth its weight in gold.
...Did he have a personal information broker?
“Why?”
“A-ah, nothing.”
Ihan’s voice snapped Simon out of his thoughts. Did the man have eyes on the back of his head? He had noticed the mont Simon’s gaze lingered on him.
Simon shuddered slightly as he t Ihan’s stare.
Still holding the twins in both hands, Ihan directed his attention toward the distant lands of Mordred.
And then—
“You must be wondering why I’m bothering with all this.”
“...What?”
“If there are vampires involved, I could just inform the royal family. But instead, I’m personally taking action. Don’t you find that strange?”
“...Well...”
Simon couldn’t deny it.
Ihan was deliberately putting himself through unnecessary hardship.
Maybe because he had brought up a topic that Simon himself had been hesitant to broach, for the first ti, Simon spoke honestly.
“T-to be frank, I don’t understand. Sir Ihan, in just two weeks, you’ve already taken down more than ten enemy factions. That alone is a major accomplishnt, and you've gathered plenty of evidence. That ans you have more than enough justification to request aid from either the royal family or other Great Nobles. Especially since I know you have ties to so of them. You could easily ask for their help...”
So why didn’t he?
It was a straightforward and genuine question.
“...What I’m about to say is purely my own speculation and delusion. Treat it as nothing more than that.”
“?”
And then, out of Ihan’s mouth—
“I think soone high up in House Pendragon is collaborating with the fanatics.”
“!!?”
—Ca a statent so outrageous that Simon felt his heart stop.
“I told you, just treat it as a delusion,” Ihan said with a laugh, as if it were a joke.
But Simon couldn’t take it lightly.
If anything...
“Th-this is making my heart ache...”
His heart wasn’t just pounding—it was slamming against his ribs.
“Don’t overreact. It’s nothing serious. Just looking at the way things have played out so far, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if soone in either the royal family or the Great Nobles was working with the fanatics. You know how ‘religion’ and ‘ideology’ are, right? Like cockroaches or gnats. They pop up anywhere and spread no matter what you do.”
“...Are you saying that others have accepted the ideology of the Blood Crusaders? That they’ve betrayed the kingdom!?”
“I don’t know about that part, but I do know that every ti the kingdom is attacked, the defenses always seem conveniently weak. Once or twice, I’d think it was a coincidence, but...”
From what Ihan had observed, this had happened over ten tis already.
There was no way he wouldn’t be suspicious.
“That’s why I don’t trust anyone right now. That’s why I haven’t asked for help. My sister and the others aren’t dumb enough to cooperate with the fanatics, but who knows about the people beneath them? That’s why I can’t afford to let information leak. If I tell the wrong person, all my efforts could go to waste.”
“Th-then why tell ?”
“Because even if you do betray , you’d be easy to deal with?”
“......”
“I’m kidding. Just consider it a sign of trust.”
“...I don’t think that was a joke.”
Simon muttered under his breath, but at the sa ti, he couldn’t deny it.
This ant one thing.
Ihan had been keeping an eye on the Guild this whole ti.
Just as Simon had been trying to figure Ihan out, Ihan had been observing the entire Guild Association.
He had been watching for anyone suspicious.
This guy... He’s nothing like how he looks.
Simon couldn’t help but be impressed.
At the sa ti, he was relieved.
He was impressed by Ihan’s sharp insight and ability to think several steps ahead.
And he was relieved because this confird there were no traitors within the Guild.
After all, Ihan wouldn’t have told him all this if he suspected otherwise.
“...Hah, I can’t believe I’ve been this shocked in my life. I don’t think anything else could surprise at this point.”
He had assud Ihan was the type to simply solve everything with brute force.
But seeing his strategic side?
Nothing in the world could be more shocking than that.
“Well, you might want to rethink that.”
“...What?”
“I told you—I’m going to do this alone, without anyone’s help. That ans I’ll have to sneak into Mordred’s territory myself.”
“...Y-you’re right?”
Simon had a bad feeling about the way Ihan was phrasing that.
And then, an odd sound filled the air.
Crack.
...The sound of bones.
“But sneaking in as I am now would be a bit too noticeable, wouldn’t it?”
Pop!
“Even with a disguise, there are limits.”
Snap!!
“So what else can I do? I’ll just have to change my entire body.”
“......”
“So? What do you think? Pretty convincing, right?”
“......”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is it that strange?”
“......”
“...This bastard... He passed out standing up?”
Ihan clicked his tongue.
He had wanted to hear Simon’s thoughts on his appearance.
But instead—
“Tch, it’s not even that impressive.”
—He was completely unconscious.
All Ihan had done was use [Bone Compression] and [Reversal Technique].
What was so shocking about that?
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