Chapter 87: Playing Tag (2)
“This confirms it.”
The Black Dragon lowered the report he had been reading and spoke in a solemn voice.
‘Why does this guy keep showing up here? How annoying.’
Julius silently furrowed his brow.
Ever since the Black Dragon came, claiming he wanted to discuss the current mission, he had been visiting Julius’s office almost every day.
The problem was that there were far more conversations about Theo than about Edna Troyban.
Because of this, Julius was on high alert.
The Black Dragon’s greed for Theo was now blatantly obvious.
And it was the same now.
Julius couldn’t help but suspect that the report in the Black Dragon’s hand wasn’t just about the mission, but an observation log(?) on Theo.
As expected.
“Theo is truly a talent suited for our Black Snow.”
“Are you insane, human?”
“You won’t have anything to say once you see this report.”
The Black Dragon, unbothered by Julius’s irritation, handed over the emergency report submitted by Kleve.
...Even when suddenly confronted with the unexpected appearance of a Sacred Demon Church Blood Priest, he showed no signs of hesitation, and with sheer individual strength, he subdued the opponent with cold precision... Based on fragmentary clues, he deduced the current route towards the Ceres Trading Company heading north... He has shown a deep understanding of the Black Snow’s operations... Additional approval is required for this matter.
...As a result, the three examiners unanimously agreed to promote Trainee Swordsman Theo Ragnar to Practical Swordsman...
“This report is too long. So much formal nonsense. Summarize it.”
“It mentions the appearance of a Blood Priest.”
In an instant, Julius’s eyes sank deeply.
This heretical group, which had long plunged the Empire and the continent into chaos, had been a persistent headache for Ragnar.
Julius also had a deep, personal enmity with them.
“Are you saying the Director of Central Intelligence is secretly in league with the Sacred Demon Church?”
The Black Dragon remained silent.
The crease in Julius’s brow deepened.
“You knew already, didn’t you?”
“...”
“And yet you let it slide, waiting for something to fall right into your hands. Seriously, you’re more cunning than I thought.”
“No. I didn’t know.”
The Black Dragon simply shook his head and continued.
“I only anticipated that something was lurking in the shadows. The Sacred Demon Church was just one of the possibilities.”
This was confidential information he hadn’t even shared with No Snow , information only he knew.
Nothing had been fully uncovered yet, so it was too early to jump to conclusions.
Well, at least it had been.
“Anyway, what does any of this have to do with Theo?”
“Three Blood Priests appeared in total, and Theo apparently captured one of them alone.”
Julius’s stern expression instantly dissolved, almost as if it had been a lie.
His face split into a wide grin.
“As expected of our youngest. Causing a stir as soon as he joins. Do you know why that’s possible? Because I personally taught him swordsmanship. That’s right. He’s a perfect fit for our White Armored Dragon Cavalry.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “White Armored Dragon Cavalry,” drawing out each syllable.
The Black Dragon pretended not to hear and continued speaking.
“And then, he found out that the Ceres Trading Company was the one who put in a request with the Season of the Snake, and even suggested an immediate attack. His judgment, decisiveness, and mission execution were... flawless. At this point, wouldn’t it be the right thing, ethically, to transfer him to our Black Snow?”
“Ethically, my ass.”
Julius scoffed and slapped a report from Evelyn that had just come in on the desk.
“Enough nonsense. Take a look at this. The Director of Information won’t be able to keep up that ridiculous talk after seeing it.”
“By applying an auxiliary technique, The Meridian Enhancing Technique, he has integrated it into his swordsmanship... soon, his Aura will bloom... judging from his deep understanding of Wyverns.”
“You mentioned he urgently moved to the Ceres Trading Company’s headquarters for a surprise attack, didn’t you? Well, do you know how he’s doing it? We have a creature called Umbra in our stables. It’s about two to three times larger than your average wyvern. Theo tamed that thing, and now, he’s flying No Snow and the Plum Blossom Palace’s swordsman on it, all getting along just fine!”
“So?”
“His understanding of blitz tactics! His ability to utilize aerial forces! His capability as a partner for a Wyvern! This shows he’s an inseparable talent for the White Armored Dragon Cavalry!”
Bang!
Julius slammed his palm onto the desk, stood up with a roar, and shouted.
“Above all, Theo willingly kicked aside all other petty offers and joined the White Armored Dragon Cavalry by his own choice! So why do you keep lurking around the edges?”
“What? Petty?”
From behind the Black Dragon’s mask, one of his eyes visibly twitched.
“Yes, petty! What else would you call it?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Well, kill me if you can!”
Julius aggressively tore at the collar of his shirt and thrust his chest forward.
‘The Palace Lord made the right choice. Theo Ragnar will write a new chapter in the history of the Plum Blossom Palace.’
Kleve and Hazel were now fully convinced that they had to bring Theo completely into their fold.
‘Black Dragon and Sword Dragon are probably fuming right now. I regret not seeing that...’
Evelyn clicked her tongue, feeling disappointed she hadn’t been able to witness Julius, who was likely grinding his temples in frustration by now.
Tsk!
At that moment—
Flap—
A black bird swooped down over Theo and his companions.
It was a messenger bird, a spiritual creature raised by the Black Snow for emergency communication.
Kleve quickly reached out, retrieved the letter the bird carried, and, after reading it, let out a dry chuckle.
“Why are you doing this?”
Kleve answered Theo’s question as she burned the letter with her magic.
“A report just came in. Apparently, the Ceres Trading Company is involved in some interesting matters.”
“Interesting matters?”
Confusion appeared on the faces of Theo and his companions.
* * *
The Ceres Trading Company.
For the past hundred years, this group had grown under the protection of Ragnar to become the largest trading company in the North. But its owner harbored one wish.
For the company to break free from the limitations of being just a merchant group and transform into a true family of horsemen.
And to establish itself as a prestigious house, comparable to the Six Snow Families!
This was why they had allied with the Central Intelligence Bureau.
No, this was the reason they had become the hunting dogs of Ed Troyban.
“But even that isn’t enough. To become a family of horsemen... we’re still lacking in history. Lacking in strength.”
The head of the trading company, Quadrach Ceres, murmured softly as he rubbed the two walnuts in his right hand.
“The fact that we were helplessly raided by a mere terrorist—that is the current reality our company faces. To change this, we need to accumulate more power.”
The hostage incident that had occurred not long ago had been a great shock to him.
It had further fueled his desire to transform the company into a military force.
“This marriage must succeed, no matter what.”
Thud!
Quadrach’s sharp gaze landed on the documents scattered across the table.
They depicted the relationships between various people and factions.
At the center was Soaring Dragon Ed Troyban, with ‘Kyle’ and ‘Ragnar’ placed at opposing ends above him.
Behind Ed, two branches extended—one leading to ‘Troyban’ and the other to the ‘Sacred Demon Church.’
Both of these were the sharpest daggers aimed at Ragnar’s heart, the largest forces supporting Ed Troyban.
The ‘Ceres Trading Company’ was depicted extending from Ed Troyban’s right side, connected to a category labeled ‘Gathering of the Hidden Dragons.’
And,
The Ceres Trading Company had a unique feature that couldn’t be found elsewhere.
It was linked by a branch to one of the Six Snow Families on Ragnar’s side.
The House of Bacchus.
Bearing a bull as their crest, they were known for their bold and vigorous image among the Six Snow Families.
However, a question mark was attached to the branch connecting the Ceres Trading Company to the House of Bacchus.
Thud.
Thud...
Quadrach tapped his index finger on the question mark and muttered to himself.
“No matter what, this marriage must succeed. Then, I’ll devour them. Not only will our company become one of the Six Snow Families, but we’ll even be able to replace Ragnar.”
Quadrach had already decided to turn his back on Ragnar.
Considering Ragnar’s stance of never forgiving traitors, this was an incredibly risky move.
But Quadrach, being a brilliant merchant, had already calculated everything.
“Troyban alone is already a great house, not inferior to Ragnar. On top of that, the Sacred Demon Church supports them, and various other forces have joined hands to carve up the North. A major upheaval is inevitable. There’s no reason our company can’t ride that wave. Moreover...”
Quadrach’s eyes glinted coldly.
“Isn’t ‘he’ behind all of this? ‘He’ is the true sovereign of the North. There’s no way we can lose this game.”
Quadrach shuddered as he recalled the first time he had met ‘him.’
The mental shock he had experienced back then still lingered intensely within him.
How could anyone possibly go against him after seeing that...?
It was at that moment.
“Master, a young member of the House of Bacchus has arrived.”
“Has it already come to that time? Understood. I’ll be out shortly.”
Hearing the voice of the steward outside the door, Quadrach flipped the chart back over and stood up.
“The time is near. The time when the Ceres Trading Company will be reborn as the House of Ceres...!”