Chapter 442

C442 - To the Black King (3)

The next day, Luton headed to the Holy Kingdom, while Jin and Murakan went to the Mila Kingdom.

They were going to visit Grace Shields' (Misha) ultra-secret tavern known as "The Tabernacle."

The bartender recognized the two immediately but gave them the same response as the last time they visited.

"The Mistress is not here at the moment."

"She wasn't here even when we came a few months ago. When will she be back?"

"The Mistress hasn't returned since you two last visited."

It was customary for Misha to be absent for a month or two. She not only represented Solderet but also had many hideouts besides The Tabernacle.

However, it was almost unheard of for her not to visit The Tabernacle, even when the seasons changed.

"Did she leave a separate message for us?"

"No. It's been a long time since we had a case like this, so we're also worried about the Mistress."

"When she returns, please let her know to contact us here."

Jin handed a paper with the address and a small purse with gold coins, and the bartender nodded with a dignified attitude. RêAd lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

Until dusk, the two crossed through various transfer gates, visiting the other hideouts Misha had informed them about.

Once again, they couldn't find her anywhere.

"Haha, they say there's nothing as useless as dog poop when it comes to medicine!"

Murakan seemed satisfied with not having to meet her.

"Aren't you too happy? There might be reasons to worry a bit, you know?"

"What's there to worry about? It's not a big deal if a Dragon leaves her post for a few months. It's not like it's been decades. She's probably snooping around somewhere."

"I have a strange feeling about this," said Jin, and Murakan snorted.

"A strange feeling? Well, it might not be so bad if some powerful human beats her to death. But the problem is, there probably aren't many people in the world who can defeat her like that."

As Murakan said, it was safe to say that there was no one who could catch Misha. During the thousand years Murakan had been asleep, Misha had never been caught, even while fighting the Specter Corps.

"You're right, but..."

Jin had so many things he wanted to know from Misha as soon as possible. Things like Temar's tomb, Kinzelo's leader, the Demon Dragon, Chaos, Valeria, and more. Even if Misha couldn't explain everything clearly, she could provide some clues. Especially when it came to Valeria and her 'Record Device Restoration,' only she could give the most appropriate explanations.

"Don't worry; let's go look for the Black King's Mercenaries."

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The Black King's Hideout was in the "Bise Kingdom," an unprotected territory in the central continent.

The Bise Kingdom was a minor country that didn't belong to any of the three prominent factions, now four (Zipple, Runcandel, Vermont, Kinzelo). Although the royal family and the army were maintained, no one actually considered the ruler of the Bise Kingdom to be the royal family.

It was a common belief that the Black King's Mercenaries and their leader were the true rulers of the Bise Kingdom. It was a natural consensus. The Black King's Mercenaries had enough power to destroy the Bise Kingdom with just a portion of their Third Division. It was widely believed that the Black King's Mercenaries didn't take over the kingdom just to maintain their identity as a "mercenary force."

"Well, these guys are something."

"What do you mean?"

"Normally, when a military organization like this is established in a small country, they tend to take control of the royal family and exploit and oppress civilians."

The Black King's Mercenaries were far from that. They provided substantial support to both the royal family and civilians, to the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were actually nurturing the Bise Kingdom.

As a result, the Bise Kingdom was perceived as a pleasant place to live, and immigration requests never ceased. It was a place bustling with the footsteps of academy professors, scholars, and students due to well-preserved ancient ruins and artifacts.

"It goes against the typical image associated with mercenaries obsessed with money."

"These seemingly kind and cute guys, indeed. If they become uncooperative, we can persuade them kindly."

"Kindly, huh? We'll see about that."

Jin responded with a mocking smile.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

There weren't many people who immediately came to Jin's mind.

Jin didn't care about this peculiar guest as long as it wasn't someone meddling in his affairs.

"Of course, I understand."

"Thank you, please follow me."

Following Latam, Jin arrived at the Black King's Mountain, and it was close to midnight.

Although it didn't exude an overwhelmingly powerful aura like the Phantom Fortress, there was a unique energy in the rugged mountain range where the fortress was located.

Visitors coming to the Black King's Mountain were neither guided nor escorted.

If you couldn't traverse the mountains on your own, you'd have to be transported by someone, looking quite pitiful.

Traveling on a dragon or airship was the only way to maintain dignity.

However, there were only a handful of people in the world capable of soaring the skies of the Black King's Mountain Hideout.

Finally, when Jin beheld the spectacular view of the Black King's Mountain, he couldn't help but be impressed.

The deeply carved mountain slopes gave the impression of being excavated by giants, and towering over them were huge and dark castles.

There also seemed to be fortified walls.

It looked as if they were prepared for a dragon invasion.

Rows of massive mana cannons pointed towards the sky, and various magical devices and traps twisted like serpents.

'The Garden of Swords seems quite straightforward when I see something like this,' Jin thought as he marveled at the formidable defenses of the Black King's Mountain.

Entering the central castle, a row of mercenaries in formation saluted.

The news of Jin's visit had already spread throughout the mountain hideout even before he began to climb.

"Welcome, Jin Runcandel-nim! I'm glad to see you again."

Murka greeted Jin.

As they headed to the reception room, Jin occasionally searched for that girl, Zephyrin.

Just when Jin was curious, he heard Zephyrin's unique and lively voice coming from ahead.

She was right in front of the reception room of the Black King's Leader.

"I'm sorry, Second Captain!"

"Sorry? Is that all? Do you know how much trouble you'll be in when the Third Captain finds out? Hm? What were you thinking, showing such disrespect in front of the leader's guests!"

"I didn't know!"

"No, and the leader didn't even call you, so why did you come to greet the guest? Are you shameless? Also, why the hell do you want to meet the First Flagbearer of Runcandel...?"

"Don't hit me, please!"

"Oh, my head. Eh, can someone please move her out of my sight!"

Just like the first time he saw her at the Sword Emperor Castle, Zephyrin was causing trouble again and was visibly agitated.

"Oh... Haaah! I'm sorry, Jin-nim. I'm showing such rudeness again."

"It's okay."

"What do you think you're doing, huh? Zephyrin! Come here right now!"

Zephyrin ran over in a hurry, and Jin couldn't help but smile.

Jin and Murakan couldn't take their eyes off the enormous sword-axe strapped to her back, which seemed larger than her body.

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