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 imdiately!”
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.
Sothing 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 elental magic, lightning was particularly tricky because of its conductivity.
As expected, the electricity traveled along their swords.
“Arghhhh!”
“Help —!”
“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 mont.
Of course, it was far from easy; it required intense and precise movents.
“To dare attack the king of a nation! Who are you bastards! Co out this instant and offer your necks—!”
His booming voice echoed throughout the valley.
But no answer ca.
Still breathing heavily, Harlan Mineta looked around.
Around the carriage, a massive do of blue mana had ford.
“What is that…?”
A Fourth Circle defensive spell—‘Energy Curtain.’
It had been deployed by Charoen, Rashid, and the rcenaries 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 an 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 imdiately.
A brief silence followed.
Charoen withdrew the ‘Energy Curtain’ activated by the artifact and drew his sword.
The mbers of the Black Crescent Moon standing near him did the sa.
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 rely 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 sothing surged upward from below.
Shuaaak!
There was no ti 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 montum to leap backward.
Charoen and his n, who had been closing in, did the sa.
“You’ve been hiding your strength all this ti, haven’t you…?”
Charoen had known Harlan Mineta since before he beca 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 mont of carelessness.
“As I said earlier, I thought I could trust you, at least sowhat.”
“Yet soone 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-flad aura flickering along Harlan Mineta’s blade.
Not a re touch upon the threshold, but the true realm of a Grand Master.
Rashid was the sa.
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
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 mbers 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 movents, 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
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 soone even stronger.
At the sa ti, 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
your word earlier!”
“I did. But I said I take paynt first, didn’t I?”
“I don’t have it on
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 co 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 sa 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 movent began to stir.
Then sothing fell from the cliff top.
Shwoooooosh! Thud! Boom! Thud! Thud—!
‘Sothing’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 beca visible.
Even with their heads bowed, their hulking fras 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 agreent.
As they said, the four figures resembled the transford appearance of Fargodas—the traitor, the High Priest of Chaos.
“This could beco 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 newcors 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 mbers 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 .”
As they exchanged words, Charoen felt sothing 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 mont, 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 ?”
“You made it pretty obvious you were aiming for
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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