Book 2: Chapter 68

“Hmmm.”

Elijah smoked a cigar as he looked at the man standing in front of him. It was the man who had gone to receive an answer from Joanna. His name was Joffrey.

“Right. So she said she would collaborate with us.”

“Yes. However, she asked for more information that would give her a better picture of the situation and the right to withdraw at any time. Also…”

“There’s more? She sure is demanding.”

It was Camilla who said these words with a displeased expression.

After pausing for a moment, Joffrey continued.

“She wants information about the member of the Top Three, Kran.”

“…”

Elijah’s eyebrows furrowed.

The Gray Sun was active all over Africa, so it was natural that they’d have detailed information about Kran, including his ridiculous achievements in Egypt.

Naturally, this included the feat of killing a Demon Duke on his own, which he’d accomplished not so long ago.

“Ha. Those dirty bastards. Now, we can see their goal. They came here to poach Kran.”

Camilla spoke with a mocking sneer.

It had already been three years since Kran first became active in Africa. In that time, the number of Demon Beasts, Demons, and high-ranking Demon Nobles who had died by his hands had reached an astonishing number.

In total, the number of Demons Kran had killed on his own was comparable to the number killed by the entire Gray Sun organisation. And even the quality and rank of the Demons he’d killed was greater.

Thanks to this, the Demons had mostly focused their attention on Kran, which in turn meant that their attention on the Gray Sun was relatively small. Over these past three years, their territory and forces had been greatly expanded.

Of course, this didn’t mean that Kran and the Gray Sun had a good relationship.

Kran was a talent who was coveted by every organisation in the world. If a price could be added to his value, it would easily surpass billions of dollars.

And now that he had slain a Demon Duke on his own, he had proved he was the strongest hunter in the world. A being who could not be replaced.

Nevertheless, Kran wasn’t a team player. There was already a large number of people who had to flee desperately after being struck by his sword while trying to recruit him.

The Gray Sun was among the groups who had already been rejected by him.

Because of this, they had no choice but to focus on his every move. The moment he left Africa, the pressure from the Demons would return to them in full.

‘Now is the best time.’

Elijah bit his cigar.

The position of the Vampire Duke, Gullard, had been secured, and they’d been able to gain the reinforcement of the powerful Lee Jong-hak to deal with their enemy. Just a moment ago, they had even confirmed the assistance of a 7 star Wizard.

Gullard was the true ruler of the African Continent. If they killed him, the Demons’ power in this land would drop by at least half.

Of course, the difficulty to slay a member of the Five Dukes went without saying.

‘But it can’t be helped.’

The Gray Sun also had to bet its life on this subjugation battle. Even if there was a high chance that they would end up irreparably damaged after the confrontation, he didn’t intend to back down.

Suddenly.

The door was flung open, and a man ran in with an anxious expression.

He was one of the Gray Sun’s intelligence officers. When he saw Elijah, he hurriedly lowered his head.

“P-, pardon my intrusion, Big Boss.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an emergency report.”

Elijah’s eyebrows raised.

“Emergency report?”

“Yes. A-, about the Top Three, Kran…”

Elijah’s jaw quivered slightly when the man said this name in a soft voice.

The man gulped slightly before continuing.

“Kran has started to move.”

“…started to move? Already? Shouldn’t he still be recuperating from his injuries after the last battle?”

Elijah couldn’t help but be surprised.

Kran had managed to successfully hunt down a Demon Duke, but he’d also suffered grievous injuries as a result. Many experts concluded that his rehabilitation would take at most one month and at least three weeks.

But he’d started moving before even a single week had passed.

This sort of recovery speed was truly inhuman.

“W-, we’re certain. We already know where he’s headed.”

“Where?”

“To Zinga.”

“…what did you say?”

When Elijah asked this question, the man responded with a slightly feverish expression.

“The Top Three, Kran, is heading to this city, Zinga! Big Boss…! His next target is the Vampire Duke, Gullard!”

* * *

Elijah decided to inform the two strangers of Kran’s imminent arrival. This wasn’t an act done out of goodwill but was instead a calculated one.

He wasn’t completely sure why Joanna and Lukas were there. However, he did know that they wanted information on Kran and seemed to want to meet him.

So by telling these people this information, he was able to gain some advantages without needing to do anything extra.

The first was that although it seemed trivial, the fact that he’d given the information to them without asking for anything in return gave him the initiative.

And the second was that this information would keep them there.

Depending on how he said it, he would be able to persuade them to stay there for much longer than they intended. It was a bit of a lowly move, but it was worth it if it meant obtaining the assistance of an Archmage.

It was Kaisa who went to deliver the news.

He looked at Joanna before speaking slowly.

“Kran is moving at a speed that defies common sense, but it will still take some time for him to reach Zinga. You can stay here till then.”

“Thanks.”

Joanna expressed her gratitude with a small nod.

After delivering the message, Kaisa bowed his head and left the room.

Then, Joanna’s expression brightened up.

“This is great news! We don’t have to go to Egypt anymore.”

“I see.”

“Ahh. I’m so glad~”

Joanna sank into the couch as she hummed contentedly.

…It definitely was good news.

The Top Three, Kran, their reason for coming to this land in the first place, was on his way to this very city. What mattered now was the chain reactions that would follow.

It could be seen just by looking at Kaisa, who had just left. His attitude was much more polite than it was the first time they’d met. So it was either that he’d gotten a change of heart or that Elijah had told him to do so.

And it was most likely the latter.

‘Elijah Kipatosh.’

In simple terms, he was a cunning human.

Lukas hadn’t shown much, but Elijah had been able to grasp his nature just from the little he’d shown. This meant that his insight far exceeded that of a normal person.

‘Cooperation with the Gray Sun.’

He still needed to observe the situation a bit more, but at least it wasn’t something that had to be blindly rejected.

After having this thought, Lukas rose from his seat. He could feel Joanna’s gaze following him, but he ignored her and headed to the door.

As expected, a man was standing outside.

The man spoke in a business-like manner.

“Where is Lee Jong-hak? I would like to ask him something.”

“He should be resting at this time. Should I call him?”

“Please do.”

When Lukas returned to his seat, Joanna tilted her head to the side.

“What do you want to ask him?”

“A lot of things.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask that guy named Kaisa instead? He’s a member of the Gray Sun, so he would have a much better grasp of the situation. Lee Jong-hak is an outsider like us.”

It was a valid opinion, but her thoughts were still too shallow.

Without revealing his inner thoughts, Lukas answered.

“Lee Jong-hak probably has the most objective view of anyone in this base. And that’s what we need most at this moment.”

Joanna’s expression became strange when she heard this, but she didn’t question him any further.

After a while, Lee Jong-hak came into the room. He had his usual, calm expression on his face as he turned to Joanna.

“What would you like to ask?”

“It’s me, not her.”

At those words, Lee Jong-hak turned his head slightly and looked at Lukas.

“What do you want to know?”

“I’d like to know what mission you were carrying out in the city.”

Lee Jong-hak answered without thinking much about it.

“I was trying to determine the exact location of the Vampire Duke.”

“…isn’t that too risky? No matter how strong you are, you can’t fight a Duke alone.”

Lee Jong-hak had definitely become stronger, but he hadn’t reached the stage of being able to fight a Duke on his own. In fact, there were no humans capable of fighting a Demon Duke except for the man named Kran.

And yet he was willing to enter the Vampire Duke’s lair to find his exact location?

This sounded like an recklessly dangerous mission. It was no different from walking into a predator’s territory naked.

“Besides, you should have already known the Vampire Duke’s location.”

A large mansion sat at the end of the main road. And in this mansion, which overflowed with demonic energy, was the Vampire Duke who had created the persona, Dragul Phisfounder.

“You’re right. I have no intention of fighting the Vampire Duke on my own. But even if I had gone into that mansion, I wouldn’t have died or been in any danger.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because the being in the mansion isn’t real; it’s a double.”

Lukas’ expression became strange.

“A double?”

“It’s one of the secrets that the Gray Sun managed to uncover over time. Dragul sometimes appears in the city, but he’s not real. The real Vampire Duke has never revealed himself.”

“Then isn’t it possible that the Vampire Duke isn’t in this city at all??

Lukas was asking so much because he knew that the Vampire Duke was hiding in this city. He just wanted to know Lee Jong-hak’s thoughts.

“It’s unlikely but still possible that the Dragul double knows where the Vampire Duke is. Besides, it would be much easier to take control of this city if the Vampire Duke isn’t here, so that’s not bad either.”

It was only then when Lukas realised Lee Jong-hak’s true mission.

“You intended to capture the double in the mansion to get information.”

“That was my goal.”

Lukas thought for a moment before opening his mouth again.

“Why did the residents dislike you so much?”

“I’ve killed countless Demons after arriving in this place. Zinga’s hunters seemed to have formed some kind of relationship with the Demons, so they didn’t like me from the start.”

Those words were a bit strange.

No matter how close they might have been, in the end, the hunters had to hide the fact that they were collaborating with the Demons. So even if they disliked him for that reason, they wouldn’t show it so openly…

“I’ve killed a few. I never counted, but if you included the low-level Demon Beasts, then it should be in the thousands.”

Joanna, who was beside him, couldn’t help but look at him like he was a monster.

It was needless to say how impossible it was to imagine killing thousands of enemies single-handedly. And he wasn’t even a Wizard who could use large scale attacks. He was a Warrior.

“However, the main reason why they hate me is because I’ve also killed a few of the halfbloods.”

“…halfbloods?”

“Among the residents in the city, there are many who are the parents of hybrids.”

A cold smile blossomed on Lee Jong-hak’s lips.

“They seem to regard the halfbloods they create with the Demons as their children. Disgusting.”

Joanna couldn’t help but feel a chill at those words.

However, the cold expression on Lee Jong-hak’s face disappeared as quickly as it appeared.