Chapter 174
“…So, that’s the thing. We all came here because something important happened…….”
“So what is that ‘something’? And why do all of you look like this? It looks like you got into a fight somewhere… And more than anything, Jason. What, have you been sleeping on the streets for days? You look like a complete beggar right now.”
“…I already know, so could you not bother confirming it for me?”
“No, I have to say it. You didn’t even shave, so you look ten—no, twenty years older. And right now you… smell.”
“That’s seriously harsh. But try to understand. I haven’t had a proper wash for days.”
“So why exactly couldn’t you wash properly? And… why did you suddenly disappear in the first place?”
Sara shot Jason a slightly resentful look.
“You said you’d watch how I fought in the finals… but then you suddenly disappeared without a word. And if the first thing you do after a few days is react to me like this, what am I supposed to say?”
“That’s… sorry. I really… I’m really sorry.”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? You said it yourself. But why did you disappear without saying anything at the moment when I wanted to see you the most?”
“…….”
Having nothing to say, Jason just quietly listened to Sara’s voice filled with resentment.
At the same time, Jason glanced at Sara’s right arm.
Her arm was still wrapped in bandages.
“…I heard that you injured your arm. They said the condition was pretty bad?”
“Yeah. It’s bad. I can move it somehow, but that’s about it. I can’t exert any significant strength with my right arm.”
“Let’s think of a way… to fix it.”
“No, there’s no need. I’m just… thinking of living like this.”
“What are you talking about? With your arm like that, you can’t possibly wield a sword…….”
“Even if it’s not a sword, there are plenty of ways to make a living.”
Sara let out a small, hollow laugh.
It was a laugh in which the emptiness was painfully obvious.
“And maybe the path of a swordsman… was never a path that suited me.”
“Hey! What are you talking about? Just because you lost to Eisen-hyung, you’re acting like this…….”
“Um… Jason-nim.”
I carefully interrupted while glancing around.
“The guards just passed by the opposite end of the hallway. It didn’t seem like they noticed us, but staying here looks dangerous.”
“…Right, that’s not what matters right now. Let’s keep moving… Sara, we’ll finish this conversation later.”
As Jason turned away, Sara grabbed him with a voice full of pent-up frustration.
“No, talk right now. And not about me—Jason, you… no, including Gideon and Lisa-unni. Tell me right now. What are the three of you doing without me? And inside the Isrinbloom Family mansion, no less.”
“Sara, I want to tell you. I really, really, really want to explain everything to you. But it’d take at least an hour to explain all of it.”
Jason answered her while still looking around, as if checking to make sure no one else was nearby.
“I’ll explain everything when we get the time. But right now… we don’t have any. So… uhm… go hide somewhere for a bit. Ah, right. You know where my house is, right? I’ll tell my family about you so you can stay there for a few days…….”
“…Jason, don’t you start doing this to me too.”
Sara looked at Jason with a voice that sounded genuinely hurt.
“My family is already hiding something from me, and if you do this too… I really won’t have anyone to rely on. Don’t try to hide anything from me too. Please.”
“I’m not saying I won’t tell you. I’m saying I’ll tell you later because we don’t have time now.”
“I don’t have time either, you know? I came here secretly—and as fast as I could—because I didn’t want to run into my family. Father is arriving at the mansion soon, and before that, I have to pack my things and…….”
“Wait, wait, wait. Your father—Dilug-nim—is arriving here soon?”
“Yeah. Why?”
At Jason’s reaction, Sara looked bewildered.
But regardless, Jason turned toward me.
“The Tournament is over, but considering the additional schedule… it’s not time yet for Dilug-nim to return to Muktaba. But if he’s coming back at this hour before dawn, then…….”
“Most likely, Lord Rage found Eisen-nim earlier than expected.”
Jason nodded at my words.
I quickly started thinking.
“There’s a high chance Dilug-nim is still under Dragon Tongue Magic. It bothers me that Lord Rage isn’t coming himself and is sending Dilug-nim instead, but… it’s better for us to leave the mansion before he arrives.”
“Right. The moment we run into Dilug-nim, we probably won’t be able to avoid a clash.”
“Hey, what? What are you two talking about without me? Can you please tell me something too?!”
Frustrated, Sara raised her voice.
But Jason kept speaking with me as if nothing happened.
“Let’s quickly find someone from the Isrinbloom Family. Only then can we open that vault and take everything inside. I’ll check the dining room first…….”
“What are you talking about, Jason-nim? We’ve already found a family member.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sara-nim is also a member of the Isrinbloom Family, isn’t she?”
At my words, Jason flinched and stared back and forth between me and Sara.
Then his eyes widened.
“Damn. How did I not think of that? Right. I completely forgot the most obvious thing. Sara is a noble too.”
“Hey, what is that supposed to mean? Of course I’m a noble, what else would I be? What did you even see me as—uwaht?!”
“Hey, come with me. There’s something you need to do.”
Jason grabbed Sara’s hand and took the lead.
Sara, looking flustered, couldn’t even resist and could only be dragged along.
Watching them, Lisa and I exchanged glances.
We both gave faint smiles at the same time and quickly followed the two.
“So, I just have to place my hand here?”
“Yeah, just place your hand here for a moment. Just in case, not your right hand—use your left. Yeah, like that… Wait. Do this like this, and now if I pick the lock… good. Got it.”
Jason, along with the rest of us, had entered Rage’s room.
The moment we entered, Jason tore up the wooden boards on the floor and took out a small vault hidden beneath.
“But this vault… I have one just like it in my room.”
“Every member of the Isrinbloom Family should have one. It’s a private vault made exclusively for the Isrinbloom bloodline.”
“You know quite a bit. It’s an old vault made for our family alone… but why are we opening it now?”
“Because there’s something inside that we absolutely have to confirm.”
With those words, Jason fully opened the vault.
Inside were several sheets of documents stacked together.
Jason quickly went through all of them.
Then, he nodded.
“As expected… they were secretly preparing an army. They used other noble families located in Muktaba to gather soldiers in secret… and even used various underhanded methods so that our family wouldn’t notice.”
“Jason-nim. Please take a look at this one too.”
“What’s that?”
“It seems they were preparing a large-scale Teleportation Spell somewhere nearby.”
Jason’s eyes widened as he read the document I handed him.
Lisa, who had been standing quietly beside me, also looked surprised.
“Gideon, if it’s a Teleportation Spell of this scale…….”
“Yeah, they’re probably planning to move the entire army.”
I replied to Lisa and showed another document I had just checked.
“Jason-nim, and according to this document, they’re also planning to use the Evil Dragon’s power to transport the Nomads.”
“…Yeah, I just saw that. The Muktaba army will be moved using Muktaba’s magicians in groups, while the Nomads will be moved using Suiroti’s power. And their destination is……”
“The Capital, Lysquare.”
When we unfolded the map from inside the vault, there were detailed marks and notations drawn on it.
“It looks like they’ve already made plans on how to occupy the Capital, and even the Imperial Palace.”
“I’ll take these documents for now. These will serve as solid proof.”
At that moment, the only one still completely lost—Sara—tilted her head in confusion.
“Hey, Jason. What’s all this about? Army? Nomads? Large-scale Teleportation? What’s going on?”
“Hmm, to put it simply… Sara, your eldest brother is preparing a rebellion.”
“…Huh?”
Sara blinked, as if she thought she misheard.
“A rebellion? Rage-oppa? Why?”
“I don’t know the exact reason yet. But it’s certain that he intends to overthrow this country. Right now, the key figures of the Isrinbloom Family—and even Lord Dilug—are being mentally controlled by some strange magic… Well, once you hear the full story and read these documents, you’ll understand. Your brother is seriously preparing for a rebellion.”
Sara’s face was filled with disbelief, unable to accept what she was hearing.
Then she shook her head.
“N-no. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Rage-oppa… you’re saying our family is trying to start a rebellion? I’ve really never heard of that before.”
“That makes sense. Rage-hyung probably excluded you from the plan from the start.”
“…Why?”
“I don’t know for sure either. Maybe because you were in Lysquare during the preparations, or maybe he just didn’t feel the need to include you. Only Rage-hyung himself would know.”
“…….”
Sara didn’t respond to Jason’s words anymore.
She simply picked up the documents taken from the vault and read them silently.
As if to verify whether what she’d heard was real.
But then, the Crystal Sphere in my pocket suddenly vibrated.
The caller was none other than Kara.
“Teacher? Did something happen?”
– Yeah, something’s up. I’m hiding right now with Roy and Instructor Luke at the top of the hill behind the Isrinbloom Family mansion. But suddenly, I can sense a massive surge of mana coming from the west of Muktaba. It feels like they’re pouring the mana of dozens of magicians into some spell……
“…Could that be a Teleportation Spell?”
– Uhhh… yeah! I think it is! But what kind of Teleportation Spell would be that big… At that scale, it could transport an entire army… huh? Hey, I think the soldiers really are gathering in that direction! There are tons of them.”
“Got it for now. Please wait just a bit.”
I ended the call with Kara and turned back to the others.
They had all heard the entire conversation.
“As you’ve just heard, it looks like they’ve already started moving.”
“At this hour before dawn? That’s even possible? The only one who can give the Muktaba army orders right now is…….”
“Didn’t Lady Sara just say it earlier? That Lord Dilug would be arriving at the mansion soon. Perhaps he’s already……”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Because from outside Rage’s room, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“Indeed. It is the order of the Head of House Isrinbloom. Leave only the minimum number of troops in Muktaba, and move the rest to Lysquare.”