Chapter 334

Chapter 334

"Figures, I knew it would come to this."

Muttering to himself, Mason put strength into his handcuffed arms.

"Hmph!"

Muscles bulged on his thick arms as the tendons tightened,

Crack!

And he ripped the handcuffs apart in an instant.

Grinning, Mason tossed the twisted iron cuffs to the ground.

"I knew you wouldnt easily return to Fernandezs side, Sir. After all, youve already betrayed him once."

Lucas furrowed his brow.

"Youre saying I betrayed Fernandez?"

"Didnt you?"

Mason pointed at Lucas with his thick fingers.

"Sir, you initially sided with Lord Fernandez, betrayed Lord Ash, and then...you betrayed Fernandez to go back to Ash."

"..."

"Your life is riddled with betrayals."

Mason spat out again, seeing Lucas unable to refute.

"Thats the nature of the McGregor lineage."

"The nature of the McGregor lineage, you say?"

"Your ancestors also, a hundred years ago, revealed their treacherous fangs against the Imperial Family and were beheaded. Isnt that correct?"

It was true. The McGregor family, once renowned for producing the empires top swordsmen, had been on a path to ruin since.

Unable to achieve much of anything, they got entangled in the power struggles of other nobles and were worn down in pointless conflicts until they reached this point.

"...Yes, youre exactly right, Mason. The McGregor bloodline is filled with the uncontrollable nature of a rabid dog."

As Lucas laughed sardonically, Mason reciprocated with a smile, pointing at himself.

"And I, who was taken in by the McGregor family, also learned that nature."

"...So youre saying, you also betrayed?"

"Exactly, Sir."

Mason shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Who do you think encouraged the former head of the McGregor family, who knew nothing but the sword, to venture into unfamiliar business?"

"...!"

"Who do you think arranged for Lord Fernandez to lend money when the heads business became risky?"

Mason raised his hand and pointed at himself.

"Who do you think eliminated the head when he was unable to repay his debts and attempted to betray Fernandez by joining another family?"

Lucas clenched his teeth.

In fact, he had vaguely suspected, but he had not expected Mason to admit it so openly.

"Mason, you...!"

"Whoa, dont be so quick to judge, Sir. Ive lived honestly, both as a swordsman and as a person."

Mason chuckled.

"I just switched allegiances to whoever offered stronger power, more money."

"..."

"Its the nature of a dog to lie belly-up and obey a stronger entity, isnt it?"

Lucass grip on his sword tightened.

Indeed. Knights were essentially a group of people making a living off of killing, no matter how much they dressed it up.

The McGregors, too, were nothing but a mad pack of hunting dogs.

They were dogs.

Controlled by higher powers, their only role was to bite and tear upon command...like dogs.

"...Mason. You said you knew I wouldnt return to Fernandezs side."

Lucas spat out the words, tinged with killing intent.

"Then why? Why did you try to persuade me again?"

"What do you think?"

While freeing his subordinates from their cuffs, Mason answered.

"Dont you really know? Why would we deliberately reveal ourselves? We couldve just operated from the shadows."

"..."

"One of the main reasons was to divert attention to us."

As the special forces members were freed, they loosened up and faced Lucas.

"The plan was to pretend we were the only spies who had infiltrated, then launch a diversionary operation to seize the real objective."

Inside his helmet, Lucas eyes widened in shock.

"Impossible...!"

"Sir, the current number of Aegis Special Forces deployed here at Crossroad is..."

Mason revealed his teeth in a grin.

"Twenty in total."

"...!"

"Excluding us, where do you think the others might be?"

Lucas swiftly looked toward the side where Silver Winters Merchant Guild was located.

"Ah, the Lord is unwell and currently resting."

Aider glanced around inside the mansion before returning his gaze forward.

"I apologize, but could you please return another time?"

Click.

Before he could finish his sentence, a crossbow was aimed at Aiders forehead.

Aider blinked in surprise at the weapon before smirking.

"...Interesting. This is a first for me."

Thwack!

An arrow fired from the crossbow lodged itself into Aiders forehead. His body rolled down the corridor of the mansion.

Bang-!

The merchantswho were actually special forces in disguisekicked down the door and stormed in, quickly aiming their crossbows in every direction.

"Start the search! Find Prince Ash."

"Comb the first floor thoroughly!"

The heroes had all gone to fend off the defensive battle, and the few remaining guards were dispatched to protect Larks wife and children.

There were hardly any troops left to guard the Lords mansion. There were no means to resist external invasion.

"Find the prince!"

"Bring all the servants and maids here!"

The special forces rounded up the mansions few servants and herded them into the reception room.

A crossbow was aimed at the servants as a special forces commander asked, "What should we do now?"

"No need for unnecessary killings."

The servants faces brightened at these words. However, their faces paled at the commanders next words.

"But theyve seen our faces. Well have to kill them all, just to be safe."

"Understood."

Click! Click!

The crossbows were set to fire. The servants raised their hands and screamed for mercy.

But the special forces didnt even blink as they pulled their crossbow triggers

Thud! Thud, thud, thud!

Rushing in, Aider caught the shower of arrows with his body.

"Ouch!"

Looking like a human porcupine, Aider spat out blood. The bewildered special forces took a step back.

"What theWho is this guy?"

"Didnt we kill him at the door?"

"I shot him square in the forehead. How is he..."

What happened next was even more shocking.

Despite the pain, Aider began pulling out each arrow from his body. As he did, his punctured flesh healed, and his torn skin closed up.

Aider grinned, blood still on his lips.

"Ever heard of the Curse of Immortality?"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thud! Thud, thud, thud!

The special forces fired another round.

Lying on the floor like a porcupine once more, Aider groaned and stood up again.

"Look, I cant die, okay? And I respawn here in real-time, but it still hurts, you know..."

The special forces commander clicked his tongue.

"Ive heard of it. Hes one of those Immortal beings from the legends."

"What should we do? We cant kill him. Should we set fire to the mansion?"

"If we do, theyll sense something is wrong and reinforcements will return from the defensive battle. We need a cleaner solution."

Just then.

"Weve found the prince! Hes in a bedroom on the third floor!"

"...No more time to waste."

The commander nodded towards the outside.

"Leave him and withdraw quickly. Lets go."

"What about this monster?"

"I heard he cant use any abilities other than immortality. Just restrain him. He wont be able to do anything."

Thud-thud-thud!

The special forces members unleashed another volley of crossbow bolts at Aider before rushing out of the building.

"Ugh, this is troublesome..."

Pinned to the wall like a ragdoll, Aider weakly muttered.

"If I were in my prime, I would have easily stopped them. But after switching to the Director role, I lost all my powers in this world..."

The special forces members were seen hastily exiting the mansion through the window.

Ash was wrapped in a blanket and being carried away. Even in this situation, Ash was soundly asleep, his face flushed with excitement.

"...Im sorry, my representative. Because Im such a useless fool."

With bloodied lips, Aider gave a bitter smile.

"Once again, the hardship falls on you..."