[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 127: Invisible Cracks (1)
“Sothing’s off.”
The next morning, Catalina Blaga sat on her bed, deep in thought.
She couldn’t shake off what had happened the night before.
“No matter how I look at it, it feels like my blood bounds attacked Little Dragon…”
But she couldn’t blindly accuse them.
If that were truly the case, Kwon Hanul wouldn’t have tried to protect them.
Besides, even Rabbit’s reaction made Catalina hesitate.
There was no way Rabbit would have sided with Kwon Hanul so naturally unless they had actually sparred.
All signs pointed to Kwon Hanul telling the truth.
Still, Catalina just couldn’t let go of her suspicions.
Then suddenly, she realized sothing.
“…The shackle.”
The shackle she had placed on Kwon Hanul’s wrist had been undone.
She had been too shaken at the ti to notice.
“How did he get it off?”
Catalina had the only key to unlock that shackle. Kwon Hanul couldn’t remove it even if he died trying.
“…Troy?”
She called softly, and Troy entered the room.
“Yes, my lady?”
“You know how deeply disappointed I was last night, don’t you?”
Troy fell to the floor, bowing his head so hard it shook the ground.
“I apologize, my lady.”
Catalina looked down at him coldly before speaking.
“I’ll give you a chance to make it up to . Go and keep an eye on Kwon Hanul.”
“Thank you for trusting once more.”
“And keep watch on the other blood bounds in the estate, too.”
“…Pardon?”
Troy looked confused. Catalina’s voice turned sharp.
“Don’t ask questions. Just do as you’re told.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Troy left the room. Once he was gone, Catalina brushed her lips thoughtfully.
“It’s probably nothing… but you never know.”
Just as she murmured those words, a knock ca at the door.
“My lady, soone from the Council of Elders has arrived.”
Catalina didn’t seem surprised. She had been expecting this.
“They said they have questions about Hyukcheon’s declaration of war.”
* * *
Later that day.
“Starting today, I’ll be part of the surveillance unit.”
Kwon Hanul was already dealing with an unwelco visitor by morning.
“Who gave that order?”
“Lady Catalina Blaga.”
Kwon Hanul clicked his tongue at that. Troy’s eyebrow twitched.
“Did you just click your tongue at ?”
“Oh, no. You must’ve misheard.”
Kwon Hanul quickly denied it.
“I’ll be watching you at all tis. So don’t even think about trying anything.”
“Sure.”
Kwon Hanul replied simply and waited for Troy to leave.
But no matter how long he waited, Troy made no move to exit.
“Uh… excuse ?”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
“Why should I?”
The two exchanged puzzled looks.
“You’re not seriously planning to stay in this room, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly. That’s what I thought.”
“But I’m supposed to follow you. So if you leave the room, then I’ll leave too.”
A chill ran down Kwon Hanul’s spine. Was Troy actually serious about what he said earlier?
“Even if it’s an order, don’t you think this is a bit much?”
“This is the final chance Lady Catalina gave . I intend to see it through.”
Troy’s eyes glead with fierce determination. Kwon Hanul felt a headache coming on.
Just then—
“Mr. Troy!”
The door slamd open and Rabbit burst in, clinging to Troy’s arm.
“You’re on the surveillance team now? Why didn’t you tell ?”
“It was decided this morning. I didn’t have ti to tell you.”
“Well, this is perfect! Now I can ask you all sorts of things.”
“I’m not here to teach you—I’m supposed to watch Kwon Hanul—”
“Oh, hush! Co on already! If you don’t, I’ll get mad.”
Rabbit pulled on him without a care. Despite his troubled expression, Troy reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged away.
“It’ll just be a mont.”
“Sure, sure.”
Before heading out, Rabbit gave Kwon Hanul a wink.
As soon as they left, another blood bound entered the room.
“My lord.”
The blood bound bowed and handed over the docunts they had investigated—details of the Blaga family’s structure and hierarchy, just as Kwon Hanul had requested the day before.
He scanned the papers quickly.
“So we’re in the Philippines…”
The Blaga family owned an entire island among the many scattered across the Philippines.
No wonder no one had known their exact location until now.
“I thought the Blaga family originated in Europe. Why did they relocate to the Philippines?”
He was curious, but now wasn’t the ti to ponder.
“Escaping won’t be easy.”
Not just because of the island’s geography—but also due to the monsters guarding it.
The Blaga family used monsters under their control, powered by Vassal Bloodline, as security forces.
Their ranks ranged from gold to dire-tier.
These monsters had sharper senses than any hunter. Sneaking past them would be impossible.
“If it’s a fight, I could crush a few…”
But once detected, the Blaga blood bounds would imdiately move in.
If soone like Troy—a Shadow Knight—stepped in, even Kwon Hanul wasn’t confident he could win.
“If escaping isn’t an option… maybe I should walk out boldly.”
The Blaga family produced their own food and goods using slave labor—largely self-sufficient.
But they still relied on occasional shipnts from outside for essential supplies.
“A cargo ship visits the island once a month.”
And the next one was scheduled to arrive in just two days.
Since the ship ca and went regularly, it might be possible to sneak aboard and escape unnoticed by the monsters.
“First, I need to find a way to board the ship. Then I just need to stay hidden until it departs…”
Finding a boarding route wouldn’t be too hard. The real issue was staying hidden.
With Troy watching his every move, hiding until departure was practically impossible.
“Maybe I can use Illusory Chi…”
Illusory Chi.
A power that creates illusions using soundwaves. Subtle and long-lasting, even the target doesn’t realize they’re under its influence.
Originally, Kwon Hanul had planned to use this ability to remain undetected until the ship left—
“I’ll leave before Troy returns.”
“Oh, wait a mont.”
He stopped the blood bound who was about to leave.
He cast Illusory Chi on the blood bound to render himself invisible.
“How do I look to you?”
“I can see you, my lord…”
The blood bound looked confused, as if wondering why he’d ask sothing so obvious. Kwon Hanul sighed.
“If the target has even a bit of resistance, Illusory Chi won’t work.”
It was effective on ordinary servants—but not on blood bounds.
The Authority of Vassal Bloodline was full of restrictions.
In fact, it wasn’t just Vassal Bloodline. All illusion-type skills used by hunters had finicky requirents.
“Looks like I’ll need another approach.”
Suddenly—
His head buzzed like it had been struck by lightning. He let out a groan and clutched his skull.
“M-My lord?!”
The blood bound rushed to support him, but he held out a hand to show he was okay.
“Ugh.”
The pain eased slightly but still lingered.
And then, new ssages appeared.
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