Chapter 28: Extermination Squad
p14nywlThe title of sage is one of the titles that can never be self-proclaimed, and its criteria are applied with extreme rigor.1AAMZ
q4ockAmong the sages known on the Serdes continent, Helus Povidas became a sage by following an unusual path.51G
zsuuHe did not come from Escolea, the city of scholars, nor was he a genius from whom greatness was expected.uqy
PjFmdHe was simply a mediocre mage of commoner origin.fF6EL0
JX8JTzFHelus left an anecdote about how he became a sage.EcHah
uRgbrHe said that one day, while sleeping as usual, he woke up and found himself face to face with an absolute existence.XWWXkOr
FDoThat absolute existence appeared in the form of a god and gave him two options.ip57o
3ro6M1LThe potential to become a great seventh circle mage.Zlo
mPvqBLsOr wisdom and knowledge capable of encompassing all things.veFiuR
4gIHe could have reached the seventh circle, the level capable of dominating everything.MnZ
l3ztrBut Helus claimed that he chose wisdom and knowledge in order to help all humanity.DrbYZjR
QyuIvfIt was a completely absurd story.BbQhn
LfHBut no one dared to question it.BH7
UlcrtAfter all, he was a man called a sage and possessed knowledge and wisdom almost miraculous.xxZ46
kkXmAlthough he was a vulgar person, it was said that his wisdom never faltered, so in a certain sense he could be considered a superhuman.LUHo
dIpBut in reality Helus Povidas was no superhuman.sjZH7y
OMzlxR8He was someone who did not differ much from an ordinary person and who was very honest with his emotions.Mm0qWf
GcOiYxAnd at that moment Helus had a clearly irritated expression.rxXT
eyy0UHis gaze fell upon a woman kneeling in front of him.pYxM5SE
9mxAs if she were the origin of all evils, his eyes were full of anger.wQoQD
K7CThat middle-aged woman had once been his servant.VUuI
JjaFitHelus had spent half of his fortune to find her.cDk9
1BCM7VSkilled mages and trackers followed her trail.sIDN
2OnWmB6Finally they managed to bring her to his mansion.mk1m7ng
69RlWhen she first entered the mansion she was beaten like a dog.h3x
SDcThroughout an entire night the servants beat her until her body was shattered, barely able to remain standing.jhxI
pizOapThe woman trembled with fear with her head pressed against the floor.Geb
pA2Finally she spoke.W6IeX
QxcH5“P-please, forgive me… my lord…”HYhIws
0Mr“My lord?”JKscch
ZUD2EbHelus let out a laugh.BBVJep9
A9g4“Yes, I was your lord. Of course. Do you know what happens to a servant who abandons his lord and runs away?”eqV
2NG9He struck his palm with the cane he was holding.OFAqS
fpQ71I“He receives a beating like a dog.”9jQN8Ku
MfhL“P-please… forgive me…”JCft97
9gUhgqThe servant begged desperately, clasping her hands together with her broken hand.xaXITC
lPO8TPIShe barely had a few teeth left in her half-open mouth.t8XX3Mw
Xct“Yes, I will forgive you. If you tell me where that brat you stole from me is.”GLq
gMooqLT“I do not know. I was only deceived and they took that child from me!”ExIL
AmBf9BHelus kicked her in the head.EK5k8
ig9lo0O“Do you think I am an idiot? They found two gold coins in your pocket! Do you think I do not know where they came from?”Ra8Cs
hnHeypI“Ah! Please, just let me live!”j1Ma
OUtPVD6“Yes, I will let you live. If we find that brat! So use whatever brain you have and think. Think! Think!”WCXHP1
7dqS1WHelus could barely contain the impulse to kill her right then.S1YpxNK
kbYzBut he could not do it.MHZlWc
ldBihAfter all, that woman was the only clue to recover that.Amc
iBv8cAt that moment someone knocked on the door.fdrKU
gCG3OpaA man wearing a black hood entered.sfBt3I5
25f“Sage. We have completed the assignment.”1zfb
dX5hDYyIt was the best news he had heard in a long time.6SQS
TJ2Helus ran toward him with a smile as bright as that of a child receiving a toy.TV4huD9
TC8QOW“Oh! Show it to me. What is the result?”lsvPfU
Yv3SL“After investigating using a portrait based on the servant’s description, the conclusion is that it is the regent of Valdrova.”bsf
lEy“The… regent of Valdrova?”H9eaZPn
Ee4t“We expected you to be surprised. We also did not imagine it would be that person.”hUDfTb
uW4bhAiHe was not surprised by the identity.YSdfSrI
rCWbgcHe knew Valdrova was a dragon.TywHo7k
IywiPlBut he did not understand what this regent meant.BVGkN
3K3q“After confirming it in the far east, they said it was the regent and a maid, so it is certain.”5rbnMqi
HhoX“And what kind of people are they?”F4qSY
SpXxz“As you know, recently he began ruling the Duchy as the fiancé of Duchess Valdrova…”HWih
7QC“Ah.”zKaiV
EJu1NZHelus waved his hand interrupting him.Cv6OKo
FM0olxl“It is fine. So those damn bastards stole what was mine, did they not?”edJXAt
4GBKO“That is correct.”1AwX1
ltUXSxHelus was able to understand it more or less.skc2Pl
zNx1t4The person who took it was the partner of the ruler.4Nsw7S
j6HrG‘They came from the far east and took that? Why? Did they discover what it is used for?’TczZ6
sAOvoPWHelus began biting his nails with anxiety.VDv
1CXThat was the reason he had become so famous and also his source of money.R81DCb
O0aUGThat was why he had taken such care of it while using it as a servant.SeWPeg6
CDLDPEIt is better to hide a tree inside the forest.hFEvj2
UYgZm‘And all because of that stupid woman…’1lah
e79797He never imagined the servant would sell that child.28u3NO
Q8hXHelus looked at her with eyes full of anger.I0efmrG
ETUKIyThe servant cried miserably.SwF
b1ot“Congratulations, my lord… now y-you know who it is…”efO3JMp
85ARinvWith her broken fingers she clasped her hands together to beg.g3M
IIRNWii“Now let me live. Please. I will go far away and never speak of you. I will live quietly. Please…”KVP
Uw13KzHelus looked at her with a completely cold expression.cOq
7QjhWhen the matter becomes clear, there is no reason to leave a possible threat.TLS1
1q6uHelus turned his head toward the hooded man.h4L
NCiOr“Hey.”EAnA5
fdHt4d8“Yes.”Bww
1oG0x“Kill her. That woman is no longer useful.”EgcEw
AyrK“No! That was not what we agreed!”yhe
KKOuvThe man in the black hood unsheathed his sword and approached.M75M3h
D8uInevitable death was approaching.bqQA2
AjUThe servant, who until then had only cried and begged, shouted with her last strength.iGE6BF
oM4eBzt“You damned bastard! I know your truth! I know what you did with that child! You are not a sage! You are—!”TW0
eoFoftLThe head of the old servant fell to the floor.OQOPEd
JCltIt rolled miserably with the same expression of rage she had at the moment of death.sMLDnz
M4APHlThe man in the black hood shook the blood from his sword.z6S
dMW“It seems the mission has ended. Could you pay the reward?”cg6LpGt
kF4“Of course.”H5DM
W9rNyA jewel box with an amount equivalent to a quarter of his fortune.3pTIhHw
B9e3The man quickly checked it and stored it in his leather backpack.eC37
G6nhi9u“Thank you very much for using Black Bandana. Esteemed client.”PM70
IfrlThey completed the job, received the reward, and left cleanly.dYP6Gy
7yuFeThat was how the secret organizations known as Black Bandana operated.qYB
tNRany7With this Helus had spent three quarters of his fortune.GIG
bbWK0N‘It was necessary.’g0p
fiF8XIf he had tried to save it, it would have been worse.6UQW88
vVJduwHelus looked at the two portraits the man had left.0OQ6maM
GUhxjI4A tall man with gray hair.nXli
38sAnd a young woman with silver hair in a side ponytail.jxqf7c
FT1Helus’s fat face twisted with rage.vIT
NmMRTYn‘That stray dog dares to covet what is mine?’BwF2V8
V0JHe swore he would not let them go easily and began to think.NXEt
0f6“How do I take it back…?”SJ193l
YMrNgVHe had plenty of methods.2zKSBEw
HCsTHWho was he?IQxZeRh
cjSrun7A sage.N0UWf7
7qS0A man to whom all kingdoms sent invitations to become their adviser.8RY
RPeQHe was a figure at the national level.9DPyRgd
0vfCEven the Empire had contacted him many times.AdfKZ
R2B‘I will use the imperial inspectors. That supposed regent is nothing more than a dog before the Empire.’G6X
ZD9lTEven if the opponent was the fiancé of the Duchess, it would not be a problem.VdiiCR
fnQLyValdrova had not appeared before humans again since the murder of the third prince.82esfF
eYmIt had always been that way, and now it could continue being that way.wuzOutO
HZBkjeCHelus placed his hand on the crystal sphere on his desk.J3PN
vW9The sphere began to flicker in response to his magical power.m5E
AIeZlCAfter a short while the light stabilized and a voice echoed in Helus’s mind.hkay
Xo8— We are honored to see the sage of water. I am Hans, communications mage of the great Arken Empire!be87
Wfvv“Could I speak for a moment with Sir Karl Harvest?”Rn8
DVgb— Sir Karl Harvest? Understood. Please wait a moment.BD0I
IMhAfter a few moments of waiting, a lively voice was heard.9lI
fVK— Oh, sage! How are you? Have you been well all this time?JLq
RQmWLE3“Haha, I have been well. And you?”qTwOgE
4D2— I cannot even sleep at night! I am eagerly waiting for the day when the sage joins our Empire!MSpg
3GGwsP“Haha, is that so?”0Qf9ASw
ylWnHHelus felt the conversation would go well.GP0C5i
HuTnoWHe decided to go straight to the point.HzEs
MjMldd“You see, lately I have a concern.”WyW
BVXiAc— A concern?YXsOBk
S2IENXx“I have a young servant. It turns out she was kidnapped by some criminals. So recently I squeezed all my knowledge and wisdom… and finally managed to discover something.”ZOdsiW
g1ae9F— Where are they? Just say it! We will help you!Gc5v
eFEZ1fQ“The… regent of Valdrova, it seems.”vX8Z
C32O— The regent of Valdrova?!dGB8YDJ
va2c4gKarl responded in surprise.C8CIu
oRUDwr“What is it? Is there some problem?”H6Si9j
4tMTN— No, no. I am only surprised by the coincidence. We have just heard that that brat has been causing problems lately.s864YY
LXnHda“It seems he is quite well known.”x102Jm
F6eR1— In fact, our Extermination Squad was already thinking of going to put things in order.yU3HrB
SZqxW4“Oh, really? But since it is related to a dragon… would it not be dangerous?”NblWn
s9h— Haha! Do not worry so much! Do you not know that dragons rarely interfere in human affairs?i21pD
Keg“R-right, of course.”97ctp
SoeAHelus did not know that.qmLmkZy
IeZPwE— That brat will have to resolve it alone. What could he do? No matter how much he struggles, he will remain powerless under the laws of the Empire. Besides, we have heard that even the local lords avoid him, so we will have to show who is in charge.QzPIs
cWbtHelus smiled.aXltmc
Q7Qk3“Then I will ask you a favor. Since you are going to teach him a lesson, bring him here. If you do that, I will join the Empire as you wanted.”crt
uSq81— Oh! Will you really do that? Then I will gladly accept your request! Ha ha!tLw
9UEHiST“Good. I will send you a portrait. You only have to bring that boy. I entrust it to you.”r4lv
s8b0F— Of course! Leave it in my hands!VETidGz
Xt1patyHelus cut the communication with a satisfied expression.C6Fb
RoG5l‘This is the power and fame that I can enjoy as a sage.’IMR6Nt7
RUpMjMOnce he had tasted that flavor, he could never renounce it.RzSUIdN
N94P46‘If I only recover that child I will stop pretending and become a true sage again.’u8p
EQH4That was why he had to recover it no matter what happened.pxUfP
WzKiZ***CfTWr2b
jTEslHk“Your Excellency. A letter has arrived from the Empire.”ooPnY3
Lru“Hmm, has it finally arrived?”PKl
vXJThe old lord, Ulvera Consilus, stroked his beard as he took the letter that was on the tray.M2NJYz
yBN98bWhen he saw the imperial seal he thought it might be an apology from the supply department.H2Rb4Ed
8DJJ“Hmm…”tYgyoGt
6JG8euIBut as soon as he saw the sender he felt the blood rush to his head.FUzk2KJ
kLdAk— Extermination Squad53qe
QP6“Ha, ha…”xLrt
FjSNConsilus let out a laugh to contain the anger he could not express aloud.cQnpj
zGGDBE“Arwen.”8Oy
9cYhFc“Yes, Your Excellency.”YeyPYfx
vpTZ“A letter from the Extermination Squad has arrived in our territory. It seems we will finally have something to eat.”DMrc
NbnVu“Those miserable bastards dare…”7Fvj
xhpBArwen became furious as if he might draw his sword at any moment.3Mw3jVI
Cfu43JConsilus tilted the letter toward the brazier in front of him, ready to throw it away without even reading it.5SyxZyr
Q218X3“Hmm…”EUHDP0
Lj7PonBut suddenly he thought it might be worth at least checking the contents.qJMU
62eHis intuition proved correct.ABj5F
6N2VjN— What kind of person is Perda Valdrova?kUBJ7wT
M3lxThey were not targeting Count Consilus.UADbOD
yDLOThey were targeting Perda.4eiKip
5VtO“Those insolent fools are targeting the regent.”VWhz
VzJgXXArwen was surprised.RaLdG
RcA8rE“Would they dare to do that against the fiancé of a dragon?”pTWgGyL
iELlNS“Do you think those who live inside the Empire’s walls have ever seen a dragon? They are people who fear forest trolls more.”38F
xUAMICEA nearby threat always weighs more than a distant one.wje
VEsTMany had heard about the terror of a dragon’s wrath.DD3A
0rmmBut very few had truly experienced it.ikdyWs
C3u“And thinking about it, it is not completely impossible either.”YPefkI
lfqA“Really?”ukCmx
FwZg“After all, we ourselves have acted as if Her Highness Valdrova did not exist.”lHZvS
GsHf“Ah…”irNZeB
aqLS“And we also mocked the fiancé of the Grand Duke.”kpZrA
VbC5B0h“That is true, but…”KJ5xFcQ
rNRArwen finally understood and blushed.83bh2dS
rC5“Even so, I doubt a mere knight would dare to send a letter trying to take advantage of the regent…”XTBG7
GYT“That only shows how rotten the Arken Empire has become.”2zL7nCz
DhQaFtThe nobles were immersed in pleasure.7QX12
fPJhSLThe knights’ swords had rusted.wCCwK
C5u6fTo maintain the support of the people in the imperial capital they were draining the taxes of the regions until they were dying.wTd
adOThere had been several attempts at rebellion.dkXS3
V3rwBut they were always suppressed in silence.h3OoniL
U2gNNW‘The pillars our ancestors built are still solid. Even if they devour them, they will not fall easily.’vEQlPk
UCaUkzmBut when the time to fall arrives, they will surely collapse without remedy.1Ed
cmrdConsilus, who was nothing more than a simple count, had tried to survive that current without standing out.ozB
l3wrBut now it was different.EEh
kGGHP3“Perda Valdrova…”HNXTeXj
0i73qA man like a flash of light.plGgnV
4epYCxILike a handful of salt in the darkness.bQWO0Z
IA127WWhen they needed help, he was the only one who supported them without saying a word.JdJ
GhRYOnly for the development and peace of the territories.g8Sfl
MijHBBecause of that perhaps…93K
ks4gV“Damn insolent fools.”05M
SJ8uConsilus could not help but become furious.jyJjI8t
oOKXZYIEven though he was an old man who had always lived walking on a tightrope, he was still a ruler tasked with protecting the Empire and his people.p9Fe00
1BIyeJust when it seemed that something was beginning to move in the far east, those youngsters dared to ruin it.azF
XEwS0“We will have to hook the Extermination Squad.”yj2L
4htIt was not a simple warning.hiKQIY
wgkBut a complete defeat.4Vq
Q0IvAqHe could not allow those who turned even righteous lords into targets to continue acting freely.UnfP
jeuAnd to do that he would need to use Perda Valdrova.pIh
Ghoq‘They do not know how great the man who will become Valdrova’s husband is.’7LcyVQ
cWHlSo he decided to spread negative rumors about Perda.e2VDEh
5AifpUCSpecifically, he wrote about how Perda had even threatened the lords.TJJ
DHbBAAnd he added that he was a man who angered even the heavens.J4z
GAm“Send this to the Extermination Squad. They will surely respond soon.”7GA6v
2QL6We“Understood. Shall we also notify the regent of Valdrova?”SrU
EV5DCount Consilus thought for a moment and shook his head.JNd
Igl“No. Let only us know. In any case, when we arrive everything will already be resolved.”cONoqrb
B9Q“Understood.”hi9u
K75He did not say it out loud.CWmTH
uHG5OqjBut Consilus also wanted to confirm something.QU9wI1
V7q5FrTHe wanted to see how Perda would react when he faced the Extermination Squad.60BLJtC
OfFbGCrAnd his expectations would not be betrayed.fc5ELlN
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