Chapter 190
9ve3xzUpon discovering the demonic energy, Aint was certain the corrupted were present.aRQkQs
Ezo“For now, stay here. Ask for anything you need.”fhxMf
drt0D“Thank you, Your Highness.”zQVe8D
bZ7j“I’m the one who should thank you for coming.”OJYmwu
E5sMKVKThus, they decided to remain for a while at the first prince’s secondary villa until they could obtain new leads.uvP
xrEr“But wasn’t the first prince’s position supposed to be firm in Esrin? It doesn’t seem like that at all.”SErXNE
EsXThe villa was so well hidden deep in the mountains that it was hard to detect at a glance. Its purpose was likely to serve as a place to escape prying eyes.dQojvj
wwcjNkjIf the first prince’s power base were truly solid, would he have needed to hide like this?Flq
ehu“Ah, before coming, Senior Fernan explained something to me.”7SKx2R
vPcRWhAria looked at him immediately.CxKLr4a
5fk“And why only to you?”3eikz
Ukhz3wl“Well, because it’s obvious you’re not trustworthy.”MaRShej
wL39lTi“Shut your mouth, Verian, before the wrath of the spirits falls upon you.”rU3
FrsWAfAint smiled and continued.QUYjT9
sYJ“It’s true that the first prince, Lord Ferant, has more support from the nobles than the other two princes.”Ozjj
m3AWBut he added that that wasn’t everything.4RvR7LR
rmNTMn“The current king favors the third prince too much, his son by the second concubine. That’s what’s caused all this chaos.”W0AjuYa
TMXNLrYThe root problem was the king.cAGJ
Y8fEBQoHe loved his second concubine—whom he took after the queen—more, and that affection transferred completely to the third prince.chD
pJsloHe had never declared it openly. But the difference in how he treated the other princes versus the third, and the fact that he kept delaying the official proclamation of the heir despite the first prince being well-established and the king being over eighty years old, were clear signs.BWF5z7r
L2NSince that was the king’s will, some nobles who had once sworn the first prince would ascend gradually began switching to the third prince’s side.MceW
DX5sdaRIn the midst of this, the second prince had also expanded his influence, and right in that state, the king had fallen ill.4JYok
bn8wm“A total disaster. So, what’s the plan? Did the senior ask us to do anything else?”0aG6w
K1s“No, he just told us to be careful with the situation and to eliminate the corrupted.”FGHcTA9
RAOaAyAh, there was one more thing.BgRh
EHYP“He also said neither the second nor the third prince should become king.”LfmJvh
iekDgNu“…So he’s asking us to get involved in Esrin’s royal succession?”2x1M
sXbOHad he gone insane?uX7dv
nktHm8Verian thought Fernan had finally become so obsessed with money he’d lost his mind.NByX
y6fTL“Really? That’s what he said?” asked Aria.hM8ujHH
DvUeKAint shook his head.SBj
mPfS“No, what he meant was we have to make sure to catch the corrupted. As long as they exist, the second or third prince wouldn’t stand a chance.”7HBW
sQZ“If the senior said so, then that’s how it is.”XEr
BDNSeek out the corrupted and eliminate them. In the end, it all circled back to the same starting point.9UkOYh
TA2e“The problem is where to find them. Didn’t he say we shouldn’t move around too much?”BkORpY
nJX“Let’s wait a bit. Until His Highness Ferant returns.”SxTEW
vEnLfFortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.bnzwb
F5xX***8iHs
HDncZA few days passed since their arrival in Esrin.so9T
aBhOodAint, Aria, and Verian entered a bustling tavern.pYgph5l
AejC0“So this is the place?”BWKSl2
Eiy“Yes.”Y1u
6EH“But it’s closed.”1RthU
2RWk90Aria pointed to the “Close” sign hanging on the door.xOr
ubS7Y“They’re pretending it’s closed. I can sense many people inside.”R6R
I0b6K8Aint remembered what the first prince had told him.ED32IYD
krqxSXj“We discovered monsters in a cave in Balrotan, along with human corpses.”mlz
OHDGP1MThe Balrotan region belonged to Count Setton Balrotan, a noble who supported the third prince.jsYT
xeXGg“Of the five we sent, four died. The only survivor barely escaped the hands of the corrupted. Here, look at this recording orb.”IwuEZb
Sbl2The orb clearly showed monsters and corrupted. The darkness of the cave prevented seeing everything, but even at a glance, there were dozens.0tMQjpj
NTtWho knew how many more were hidden in those depths.41H23Q
2gz“Go there, eliminate the monsters, and capture the corrupted.”mLbK
N6o“I can’t assign you royal knights or troops. They’d notice.”4DEZWZi
4BfMVLWBut the prince didn’t intend to send them without support.089
FGHIVQ“Instead, I’ve hired a reliable group of mercenaries. They’re discreet and have proven effective against the corrupted.”Zxb
vEA4“Who are they?”H74C5Dd
dWLidL“You’ll see. If I told you beforehand, it wouldn’t be any fun.”b8zpuny
3U7mh5uAint thanked him, understanding that this was the best alternative he could offer.lsACUY
NMUWkThe meeting point was in a northern village about 50 km from the capital, at a tavern in Burgan.7OZGf3
FfJIAint opened the door and entered.Xp7
9xQnf0zJust as expected, inside were numerous men occupying tables, all exuding the fierce presence typical of mercenaries.Q0Z
RqmSTheir gazes turned to him, and Aint observed them calmly.wRwtcr
8ZcYUThen—zVT
VSPC98L“Roderick?”1WP8SVa
lVIFW“Aint?”526URhq
D4n“…Don’t tell me the one they hired was you?”MzQV7
8sVIq“And the ‘ally’ they mentioned was you, Aint?”GPm
woJcKTheir eyes locked.2HuLO
LKH“……”NRV0nw
whDLA chill ran down Aint’s spine.xHzL
dnCt— Aint, this…RdUCG1
g3rRoderick was a corrupted. And now that very corrupted was offering to accompany them to hunt others.W1X
2UFyLd4What did this mean?QoL
Ye1r— It’s a trap.V51XaqG
krLLdrA blatant trap. They believed Aint didn’t know Roderick’s true identity.iBANQ
0A6‘Did the first prince set us up?’oRrVhz
Bx9WWJust thinking it made him shiver.JqMFNjE
JnkU— We can’t rule it out, but it’s unlikely. At least on the surface, that guy’s a highly competent mercenary.BiYYrB
rZIlx8jThe Red Wolves mercenary group had a great reputation across the continent and had even fought alongside Aint in Frazia against the corrupted.p9G
9XKAo‘Is this what he meant by “effective against the corrupted”?’yoptW5D
5iB— From the perspective of someone who doesn’t know the truth, yes.IU26o4D
OmBz“I heard we’re going after the corrupted. It’s an honor to fight by your side again, Aint.”LXpMVQ
NJwRoderick smiled and extended his hand. Aint, doing his best to keep a calm face, shook it.rbEWc5L
fAqL6“Likewise. I’m counting on you.”84m2HJ
e09“The corrupted are a plague that has no place in this world. I’ll do my best.”HfMwF4
x8HSG“That’s reassuring.”NZ2x
kRyI“With comrades like you, I feel much more confident. I look forward to working together.”XJcS
OKX“Same here.”E8gT
KGYAria and Verian also greeted him, though as their eyes met, the three of them shared the same thought:fEmlN
IE6dZM‘How are we going to handle this? This is a death trap!’ezGfRR
xH9They too knew Roderick was a corrupted.jIBu
vnR“Is something wrong?”jMiIgEo
ZGEfkg“No, nothing. But how much do you know about the mission? What information were you given exactly?”IiDL
VdReh“They told me we’d hear the details together with my men…”Mht6q7
9NCI0d“At least tell me what you know.”BqNu1V
VM10Aint smiled naturally as he took a seat.ptxeZIu
gXM7FN***aRT7xD
fcvcxth“This is a trap. If we keep going like this, we’re all going to end up dead.”8r7PwfZ
YAqGoing out to hunt corrupted with a corrupted at your side was no different than jumping into a fire with a bundle of straw.7puMCN
b9HopVerian had no intention of dying.4TTu
hCRd“I agree, Aint. We can’t do it. Even if the senior said so, we can’t. We have to tell the truth to the first prince and ask for reinforcements.”PEpQAYH
xLQf5IAria’s words were the most reasonable.yeayD
0Ghxn6yBut Aint couldn’t accept it so easily. He clearly remembered Fernan’s warning.OBfD7k
3qhssM2— Even I think Fernan was right. If we pretend we don’t know the truth and wait for the right moment, we can catch them all at once.3Iqp9j
syrAnd somehow, now felt like that moment.M66ap9
Ru51Were the corrupted fools? If they had set a trap, they must have considered Aint’s strength. Surely they had prepared a large number of monsters and corrupted together.1hFn
Fw8CNIDIf they managed to turn things around, the result would be a major victory.T7V
f9H‘But the chances of us dying are much higher.’K69
x44It was almost certain.uHNs
AAI2Aint knew his power was like a natural poison to the corrupted, but it wasn’t absolute.w0ZQH
0jZV— What if we send a letter to Fernan and buy time?CL9uRTL
TVDm— He said himself that if there were any problems, we could use the trading company to send him messages.1dE
VFcgl— If he finds out, he’ll come running like a dog with its tail on fire. He’s been waiting for an opportunity like this.g5v
f8uPv‘That would be the best option.’v8fpB
s8Q3sHe couldn’t think of anything more viable.V88FT8
YxHdnS“Aria, can you sneak out at night without being noticed?”0y9S
c7FAsq“I could… but why?”6lCy9
CDM“Because they’re right, we can’t go on like this. I want to ask Senior Fernan for help.”mt0mz0
B7p“In that case, count on me.”ZZ9zXPZ
vYyAnd so a few days passed.xLbL8
hin46gs***16bzTUQ
AsQlBang!Cytc5Ui
3DEOwGRoderick slammed his beer mug on the table. The impact made the wood tremble, and food fell to the floor.H4Q1r
rl8EQNHe was in a terrible mood.DXj
iXpIG“…How’s his finger?”FcLpgSr
L9HUoBAt his growl, one of the mercenaries responded with a trembling voice.DY5
7w5“…It still hurts, he asked for one more day of rest…”qX5uXK2
ZVFWn2R“Aint Armian, damn bastard!”odEd
AEeJAt first, they’d said they’d rest two days to recover from the journey.MbdU5dK
3u5jpThat didn’t bother Roderick. Everything was already prepared, and two extra days just gave him time to fine-tune it all.HxaLM
M7JBut on the morning they were supposed to depart, Aint Armian broke Verian Kalburdern’s arm during a training session.HJ7BRq
xhPpfq“Sorry. We’ll have to delay a bit longer.”dMbD
Y2h“It’s fine. With a broken arm, it makes sense. We’ll call a healing mage.”xvAR3mF
0x3MAlthough a healer immediately mended the bone, Verian kept complaining of lingering effects, and in the end, they stayed another week.9ePf
DkCJYfTBy then, even Daniel had begun pressuring him.vnzsc
uQHf“I’m a noble of the Empire. I can’t stay in a foreign country on the brink of civil war without a reason! What the hell is going on with Aint Armian? How hard is it to bring him in?”u9m
ISMKGlBut there was nothing he could do.u3aCpS5
eLW90ndEven though logic dictated they should quickly take out the corrupted, they kept using injuries as an excuse to delay.8AWQTbt
iHNcvYHAnd when Verian was finally healed, Aint showed up claiming he’d broken a finger.NAwYUb8
KhdDeWho was supposed to believe that?XNT
j7bG8M‘Could he be suspicious?’gojD5E
aXNgonNo, impossible.VxBe
jvgvAint couldn’t know he was corrupted. Much less that this was a trap.Uz5
sK4A5‘He came on the first prince’s orders. If he suspected anything, he wouldn’t have agreed to come.’Yk0lj
7iVSo was it just coincidence?qAMJ
xtQKwEHe had seen Aint and Verian training seriously at dawn, throwing swords and aura like a real battle.G9LnGRE
XOIIGoKAn injury was entirely possible.W96j
Jda0‘But right now?’LxJ0
y0lYapuStill, there were too many suspicious things. It looked like they were deliberately stalling for time.K38sNmv
xULHs4qAt that moment, the shadow at his feet stirred.8r6Lk
5QH6BL“Speak.”v3oSDea
3P1u62N“Urgent news, sir. Viscount Lorencios is dead.”LWzE
lorq“…Fernan Pellenberg and the crown prince of Alprosen?”YvY
y3TJ“Both are alive…”8t2
268“Damn it!”PBE
B0KBHe had feared that outcome, and the worst had been confirmed.AIq
MWMUHe couldn’t let it go. This time, he had to take out Aint Armian. The anxiety was eating him alive.FeZb7C
03e“Lord Daniel orders you to bring him immediately. He says there’s no time…”n2c
sp7“I know already! Tell him I’ll be ready, to prepare everything. Now go.”B6sA
sxF“Yes, sir!”2KGbD
6VrNznThe shadow vanished.XFsuiZ
LYm0“If he delays again, I’ll drag him along by force if I have to…”fNz4JH
8FUkFlThere was no turning back now.ZUkGBqv
RtHBut, to his relief—4vl
g1rkd“Let’s depart already. We can’t keep wasting time. The corrupted must be eliminated as soon as possible.”BpwzYPo
J96Aint made no more excuses.pPLn
aXu5P‘Now he says that?’m3FOT
V8ofmThe words almost made Roderick boil with rage, but it didn’t matter.rkqwGG8
hnEbuThey would finally get moving.QafAyHO
l39nk‘Yes, enjoy it while you can. This will be the last time you see this world.’XeY
Gj5The time to satisfy his murderous instinct was drawing ever closer.cdcW5
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