Chapter 93

Chapter 93 – Swordsman of Illusions

It was after the situation had somewhat settled.

“B-Boss......”

The blue masks, having come to their senses first, hesitantly approached Narakas.

“W-We’re so sorry!”

“We’ve committed a grave sin!”

“We acted on our own without even reporting to you! We’re ready to accept any punishment!”

“......”

Narakas quietly observed his subordinates. He had only instructed them to ‘monitor’ Verdant Vale.

However, in the end, they had gone beyond that, escalating the situation to a full confrontation.

Of course, he understood why.

‘......Who should I blame?’

It had all happened because he hadn’t earned their full trust. Yet, despite what he felt inside, the words that came out of his mouth were entirely different.

“If you’ve committed a crime worthy of death, then you should die, shouldn’t you?”

“......!”

“......I’m kidding. Don’t be so tense.”

For a brief moment, the blue masks, who had just crossed to the other side and back, wore solemn expressions.

“Anyway, isn’t it amazing?”

“......Excuse me?”

Contrary to the tension, a bright smile had formed on Narakas’ face.

“That diamond I found.”

***

While the Masks were handling follow-up matters, Milon quietly approached me.

“When did you get here?”

“I saw everything from the start, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“That’s too bad.”

“What do you plan to do now?”

“About what?”

“Two mysterious groups crossed swords on our territory, and one of them turned out to be the Mask of Night. If this news reaches the palace, it’ll cause quite a stir.”

As he spoke, I glanced over at the indigo-masked figure. He stood there with his head hung low, unable to say a word.

‘I’d love to report it all to the king out of spite, but......’

I shook my head. That would be a foolish move. Now that I knew there was internal discord among them......

‘It’s better to exploit that weakness and bleed them dry, isn’t it?’

After all, I had even given them time to have a nice little chat among themselves for that exact purpose.

“......Why are you smiling like that?”

“Huh? Am I?”

I quickly wiped the grin off my face.

“......You’re so transparent. What a schemer.”

“You mean, ‘what a genius’. How many teens have you seen with as much talent as I do in so many areas?”

“You really need to learn some humility.”

Milon shook his head in disbelief.

“Honestly, don’t you feel like age isn’t even a disadvantage anymore?”

“......”

“Aren’t you glad we became friends?”

At that, Milon let out a small chuckle.

“You’re shameless, too.”

“So, as a friend, I have a favor to ask.”

“......I think I can guess what it is. You want me to keep this a secret from everyone else, right?”

Milon looked straight into my eyes.

“But, as you know, I’m also a noble of this kingdom.”

“I know. That’s why I’m appealing to our friendship here.”

“For someone asking for a favor, you’re way too confident.”

“Should I bow my head?”

Milon shrugged his shoulders.

“You told me last time, friends help each other out.”

“Huh? Did I?”

“Not exactly, but that’s what I took from it. Anyway, with that in mind......”

Milon smiled faintly.

“Buy me a drink later.”

“......”

A wide grin spread across my face.

“Looks like my tongue is in for a treat. I’ll have to get you something expensive if you’re going to keep your mouth shut.”

I shook him violently, fueled by irritation.

‘Good guy’, my ass.

“S-Stop! My head’s spinning. I think I’m going to......”

“Puke? Go ahead. I’ll make sure you puke all day long.”

“......Urp.”

“How old are you? Your real age.”

When I stopped shaking him, he finally managed to take a deep breath.

“Wh-Why does that matter......?”

“Do you want me to shake you again?”

“I-I’m 29.”

“......And this daughter of the Great hHero?”

“She’s 21......”

The veins on my forehead visibly bulged. Even though I’d never seen her, I couldn’t let this slide.

“You filthy thief......”

“Wh-Why are you pulling out your sword......? Ack! Ow! I’m going to die!”

“Shut up. Before I actually kill you.”

I jabbed the tip of my sword into him, poking him all over. I wanted to tie him to a tree and torment him all day.

‘......But I need to hold back. There’s still more I need to hear.’

There were too many waiting on the outcome of this conversation, so I had to stop here.

“A-Anyway, with things the way they are, I needed someone I could trust!”

When I stopped prodding him, he started shouting, desperate to explain.

“If you’ve inherited the Great Hero’s legacy, you’re my only hope. But I had no way to confirm that......!”

“Forget that. Let’s talk about your subordinates.”

“......”

Narakas flinched before letting out a deep sigh.

“First, I apologize for what happened. As the leader, I sincerely want to make amends.”

“I’ll take your apology later, in another form, so save it.”

“......I mentioned this before, didn’t I? That maybe there wasn’t a traitor among the Great Hero’s closest allies.”

“You did.”

I nodded.

“At first, I suspected that Trevor, the leader of Verdant Vale and the Swordsman of Illusions, was the traitor. He was the only one who continued to live as a noble after the Great Hero’s death, and it’s only been about 10 years since he became the leader of a group of bandits. That’s relatively recent.”

“What if he was just used and then discarded, like the Great Hero?”

Narakas shook his head without hesitation.

“The current emperor has constantly tried to distinguish himself from the former emperor, his father, for over 20 years. If he betrayed a loyalist the way his father did, it would undermine the very legitimacy he’s built. That would ultimately damage the imperial authority. The emperor I know isn’t that foolish.”

“But didn’t the empire declare Trevor a traitor and pursue him?”

“......That’s the second reason. He really did plot a rebellion to seize the throne. He spent 10 years preparing.”

“......!”

I paused to think. If what he was saying was true......

“So your subordinates tried to capture that traitor and deliver him to the emperor? That would be quite the achievement.”

“......Yes.”

“And Count Kaiman, that bastard, knew about this?”

“It sounds like they’d already discussed it.”

There was no way the empire would deploy their forces for such a sensitive matter.

And above all, the Mask of Night operated based on ‘trust’. They were the perfect organization for such a task.

‘Plus, it wouldn’t have mattered whether they brought him back or not.’

Even if they couldn’t capture him, just confirming his presence would be enough to justify the empire’s continued presence in the Hart Kingdom.

“Those imperial bastards...... always the same.”

They really rubbed me the wrong way.

“Don’t worry. Now that things have come to this, I’ll fulfill your wishes, even if it’s just to repent.”

“......”

I turned my gaze back to Narakas.

“......It might be a bit late to ask, but.”

“Hmm......?”

“What should I call you now?”

He let out a small chuckle.

“Just call me Narakas. I’ve decided to carry on not only my father’s dreams but also everything he stood for.”

“A dutiful son. Got it, Narakas.”

“One more thing......”

Narakas’ face suddenly grew serious.

“......If you happen to meet the Swordsman of Illusions, don’t be too surprised.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“......He’ll be very different from what the records say.”

***