Chapter 190
“How did you even get here…?”
“I climbed up through the window.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“But still, scaling the wall and climbing in through a window is tough. I don’t get how Jason does it so easily, honestly.”
Rage looked flustered.
“The soldiers outside! Muktaba’s soldiers should be guarding this place—how did you get past them?!”
“I took them all down.”
When I replied casually, Rage gave me a look of disbelief.
“I stationed soldiers around this hotel—thoroughly. Too many, if anything.”
“Yes, it seemed like that. You must’ve been quite scared, huh? Worried someone from the Hawkbat Family might come to assassinate you?”
“Shut up! And answer the question properly! If you clashed with that many soldiers, there should’ve been noise. How did you get through them without making a sound…?”
“To correct you first—it wasn’t that many soldiers.”
When I said that with a small grin, Rage looked confused.
So I explained in detail.
“The number of soldiers who truly followed you, Lord Rage, wasn’t that large to begin with. They never wanted to overturn the Empire with you in the first place. Most of them didn’t have the will to fight.”
“…Useless trash.”
“Don’t say that. Thanks to those who still cared for the Empire, I was able to get here quite easily, without much conflict.”
There were countless soldiers stationed outside the hotel.
Originally, my plan was to infiltrate quietly.
But with how tightly the place was guarded… conflict seemed inevitable.
Yet, when the soldiers spotted me, they pretended not to notice.
Some even whispered directions, showing me which way to go.
And they said this:
“Please, stop this madness.”
Many among Muktaba’s soldiers had no desire to fight.
So, I decided to grant their wish as quickly as possible.
“And in addition to that… that Mental Manipulation Spell you’ve been using so well, Lord Rage. I found a way to undo it.”
“…What?”
Rage was clearly caught off guard by that.
“You found a way to undo it…?”
“The commanding officers stationed in Lysquare. You drew several of them under your control with that spell. Thanks to those officers, you secured an early advantage.”
“…So that spell on them—it’s been lifted?”
“Yes. By now, members of the Hawkbat Family have likely reached them and dispelled it. Meaning, the main force that was attacking the Imperial Palace under your command is effectively gone.”
At my words, Rage’s face darkened rapidly.
He immediately understood what was happening.
I drove the nail deeper.
“The soldiers from Lysquare who were attacking the Imperial Palace should have already withdrawn. And the remaining Muktaba soldiers have long lost their will to fight—they’re surrendering. As for the Nomads… well, you’ve heard enough about the other races, haven’t you?”
“This makes no sense… How could everything fall apart so easily…?”
“Your plan was too sloppy, Lord Rage. And… you underestimated the Empire too much. I’ll admit—the Isrinbloom Family and Muktaba hold considerable influence. But the Arium Empire has stood for nearly a thousand years. Did you really think a state like that would crumble from one clumsy plan of yours?”
I pointed Mistcatcher’s blade toward Rage.
“Right now, the Balmuth Family’s forces are on their way here. And the Hawkbat Family has already blocked every route out of Lysquare to stop you from escaping. So, give up. It’s all over.”
“…Did you come here alone?”
“Yes, for now. I could’ve brought others, but I wanted to finish this myself. You probably don’t know, but there were some… bad things in the past between the Isrinbloom Family and my own.”
“That’s none of my concern… but Gideon Kyrgram, do you really think this is right?”
There was genuine emotion in Rage’s voice.
“The Arium Empire is weak now. Other nations see it as prey. The Empire still has the power to dominate the continent—but it’s been idle for centuries. Do you… really think this is fine? The Empire needs change. And I’ll be the one to bring that change! I’ll make it greater—through the Isrinbloom Family and Muktaba at its center—!”
“You’ll never make the Empire greater, Lord Rage.”
“…What?”
Rage was struck speechless for a moment.
But I went on, unfazed.
“You push forward a plan that even I alone can stop. How could you possibly lead such a vast Empire?”
“I…”
“Even if you seized the Empire, you’d end up nothing more than a puppet of that Evil God. You’d do nothing on your own—just dance on His strings.”
“Shut up!”
Rage swung his rapier at me, but I easily blocked the strike.
“What do you know?! You know nothing of my resolve to make the Empire greater—!”
“Do you truly want to make the Empire greater, Lord Rage?”
“Yes! I mean it!”
Rage shouted, slashing his rapier with raw emotion.
It wasn’t the refined swordsmanship of Isrinbloom, but one fueled by rage and despair.
Still, I was used to attacks like this now. I parried calmly.
“Your way is wrong. Your method only delivers the Empire into that Evil God’s hands.”
“He promised me! He said He’d make the Empire greater! That He would make me—!”
“The moment you believed that promise, you proved yourself unfit to lead this Empire. You’d only destroy it.”
Dodging his next strike, I seized Rage’s wrist.
Then I disarmed him with a sharp motion.
Clang—!
“Listen carefully.”
“Guh—?!”
My fist struck Rage’s face, sending him flying backward.
“Even without you, the Empire will flourish. So stop interfering—and surrender. If you stop here, I can at least spare your life.”
“And let myself rot in prison for the rest of my days? I’d rather die here.”
“Well, I gave you the chance.”
I kicked his fallen rapier far away and slowly approached him.
It seemed this was about to end far more easily than expected.
“Now surrender. Like I said, it’s all over. You can’t fight or run anymore.”
I brought my blade to Rage’s neck.
His eyes trembled violently.
He seemed at a complete loss for what to do.
“Stay right there. Others will be here soon…”
I thought it was finally over.
But then—a sudden voice rang out from within the room.
- So the Swordsman of Water stands in my way once again.
It was a voice I had never heard before, yet I immediately recognized who it belonged to.
“…Bedir?”
- It is not over yet. Do not be so quick to assume victory. And Rage Isrinbloom, my foolish child.
“G-Great One! Please, give me another chance—!”
- Very well. I shall give you one. You still have much to do. Therefore, I will exert a little more of my power… and interfere with your world once again.
At Bedir’s words, Rage’s entire body suddenly burst into flames.
It happened so abruptly that I couldn’t even react in time.
The flames engulfed him completely—and then Rage vanished.
Just like Suiroti had a few hours ago.
“…Did Bedir move him?”
I let out a deep sigh.
It had been the perfect opportunity, but that damned Evil God ruined it again.
“…Muktaba. He must’ve gone to Muktaba.”
“Hm? Ah, Lord Eisen, are you all right?”
Eisen, who had been in the corner of the room.
I had forgotten about him while focusing on Rage.
I quickly went over to him and loosened his chains.
“I’m fine. More importantly… I heard what Rage said to Bedir just now. Bedir told him to go to Muktaba—to the place where his fragment had fallen.”
“To where his fragment fell, you say? That means…”
“From what I heard, it’s near the place where you once took down that mutant Lava Golem. Rage must have gone there.”
“I think I know where that is.”
I sheathed Mistcatcher and paused to think.
A way to get to Muktaba immediately.
There were plenty of methods, actually.
‘I could ask Instructor Kara… no, if she uses Teleportation Spell again today, her body might not hold out. Then maybe Veron… but by the time I find him…’
If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come here alone.
Honestly, I never thought Bedir would personally teleport Rage.
But what’s done is done.
And now, I needed to move as quickly as possible.
There was only one way I could get to Muktaba instantly.
“Lord Eisen, how’s your body? Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I can move… somewhat.”
“Good. Then if people come here later, could you tell them I’ve gone to Muktaba?”
“Understood. But are you really going there right now? How?”
“I always have my ways.”
I replied with a faint grin, then looked toward my shadow.
“Siri, come out.”
“Woof?”
From my shadow leapt my Hellhound—now much larger than before.
Though she’d grown, her expression was still as gentle as ever—enough to make one forget she was a beast born from Hell.
“Remember the place where we fought that Lava Golem? Can you take me there—through the shadows?”
“Ugh? Agh? Urrgh?”
Southern region of Muktaba.
From one of the shadows in that area, a man and a Hellhound emerged.
“Whoa… long-distance travel really makes you dizzy.”
It took, what, ten seconds?
Thanks to the shadow travel of Siri, who had reached her full form, I arrived at Muktaba in an instant.
“Hey, Siri. You did well. You okay?”
“W-Woof… grrr… huff… pant…”
The long-distance movement seemed to have worn her out more than usual.
Siri staggered toward a stream of flowing lava nearby and submerged herself in it.
She lay half-submerged, soaking in the lava like a bath.
“Yeah. Take a short rest. Now then…”
The ground here flowed with rivers of molten lava—almost devoid of any life.
It looked like any ordinary outskirts of Muktaba, but this particular place was familiar to me.
That was because I had once come here to obtain the Water Rune.
‘So Rage should be somewhere nearby, right? Then…’
I drew upon Peregrie’s power and summoned the wind.
I rarely used this, but through the Spirit of Wind’s power, I could sense events happening at a distance.
With that, I could locate where Rage was now—
“You really did arrive quickly. Just as He said.”
Just as I was trying to track Rage’s trail, a familiar voice came from above.
When I looked up, a black dragon was descending from the sky.
“And a personal request, if I may—please, just die already. Like your mother did. Die, and be done with it.”
“Grrrrr…”
At the appearance of the Evil Dragon, the exhausted Siri immediately stood on alert.
I sighed and drew Mistcatcher once more.
“Lord Suiroti. I don’t have time to deal with you right now. So this time… I’ll end it quickly.”
I looked at the blue lines drawn across my right arm.
Two lines remained.
I’d been saving them for the final confrontation—with Bedir and Rage.
But as I said, I needed to find Rage as soon as possible.
So even if it felt wasteful… the right thing to do now was to finish off this Evil Dragon here and now.