District 7(4)

The corpse collector, Abet Necrapeto.

A member of the elitist criminal organization, Orcules, and a former member of the now-disbanded Round Table

He wasn’t the only familiar face I recognized, though.

“That’s… the Witch of Screams!”

The dark mage, Lirane Viviane.

“A knight in dark red armor… That bastard is definitely the…”

The Blood Knight, infamous for killing a royal knight and fleeing long ago.

Aside from those I had fought in the Dark Continent, high-ranking criminals I had only known through intelligence reports were appearing all over the place.

Oh, and of course, there were completely unfamiliar ones too.

Even though I’d done my homework on Orcules, there were several unknown figures I didn’t recognise.

‘…New recruits?’

That’s the impression I got, but they didn’t feel like pushovers at all.

And they probably weren’t. Noark had monopolized the eighth floor and invested heavily in nurturing the next generation.  I even fought some of them myself during the Icerock

expedition, so I know how strong they are.

The only saving grace was that the commander with the troublesome floor essence wasn’t among them.

However……

“…….”

The moment we locked eyes with them, killing intent poured out from Erwin’s eyes.

Honestly, I was a little worried she might act impulsively.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

As if to reassure me, her killing intent faded, and her voice became calm

Maybe it had been a while since that day. Or maybe it was because she had gone through many events in that time.

Either way, Erwin now seemed capable of controlling those emotions well.

“Even if it’s not today… I’ll kill every last one of them someday.”

“…….”

“So I’m fine.”

Well, it wasn’t like her emotions had dulled entirely.

But that was fine.

If I thought about it, I wasn’t much different from her.

The palace seems worse at first glance because they betrayed me, but my hatred for these guys was on another level.

Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.

That bastard was a member of Orcules.

Step.

 

As the silent standoff continued and the air grew heavier, I took a step forward.

Just look at how many of them there are.

Yeah, so……

“Oh, have you already given up? That’d be no fun at all. Hm? Why don’t you say something—?”

I cut off the cocky bastard mid-sentence.

“Long time no see.”

“Now you’re pulling that slick talk, huh—”

“Toy Collector.”

“…….”

As much as I wanted to mindlessly charge at him like I did when I took down the Lighthouse Keeper in the Dark Continent, there were too many  limitations right now.

Our current goal was escape.

If he was determined to run, it would take forever just to catch up to him.

‘…We need to find a way to move quickly.’

Kicking his ass would have to wait.

“Hah, toy collector! Not bad!” He blurted out quickly, trying to act like the insult didn’t bother him. “After I kill you, I’ll really treat you like a toy!”

Like that would make him seem more mature.

“Why don’t you try finding a new essence too? If you search hard enough, you might find one that only enlarges a certain body part—.”

“Enough.”

“……?”

“Stop mocking him.”

Just as I was about to land another verbal jab, someone cut in.

The fact that the egotistical clown didn’t respond suggested that the guy held a pretty high position.

‘Who is he?’

Just as I was wondering that, Amelia whispered briefly from behind me.

“Roland Banojant. He’s the deputy commander of Orcules.”

His appearance was so ordinary that I hadn’t recognized him, but he was a very famous figure.

The Demon Eye, Roland Banojant.

He’s the top-tier ability user who killed the former deputy commander in one blow ten years ago and took the second-in-command seat.

“Is it true? He really killed the former deputy commander?”

“It’s true. The former deputy commander was secretly colluding with the royal family, and he was the one who executed him.”

“Hmm, I see……”

“Jandel, it’s best if you don’t talk to him—”

At that moment, a pulse of mana rippled between us.

“———!”

I could see Amelia’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear a thing.

‘Not a voice-suppressing spell…’

Must be a skill.

I gestured to Amelia that I was okay and turned back to face the deputy commander.

“She seems to have introduced me for you, so I’ll keep it brief. Jandel’s son, Bjorn. I have a proposal.”

“A proposal, huh…”

I played along like I’d hear him out, and he got straight to the point.

“A storm is coming—one that will swallow everything. And a ship with holes in it can’t survive such a storm.”

“By ‘holey ship,’ you mean the royal family?”

“Of course. If not, how could we be standing here like this? Abandon the sinking ship and join us.”

Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

I was wondering why he went as far as to mute sound for this—turned out it was just a standard recruiting offer.

“…Can I take some time to think about it?”

The vice-captain smirked at my request.

“That sounds like a refusal.”

“Wait, how do you figure that? I just said I’d think about it.”

“You’re considered a high-risk figure to us. That means we’ve done our research. When you say you’ll think about something, it usually means you’re stalling.”

“Uh…”

What the hell?

I was momentarily speechless,  but thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Just like how baseball players study a pitcher’s habits—

These bastards must have studied my usual behavior.

But precisely because of that—

“Then you didn’t research me very well.”

“……?”

“If you had, you’d already know what I’d say.”

“…….”

Despite my sarcasm, the deputy-commander showed no reaction.

He just repeated his question in the same tone.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“I refuse.”

“Reason?”

“Dunno? Just felt like it.”

I didn’t want to reveal anything, so I brushed it off casually.

But the bastard seemed to have his own interpretation.

“So the rumors about you valuing your comrades like your own life are true.”

He spoke flatly.

“Leor Wuerv Dwalki. His death had a profound impact on you, or so I’ve heard.”

What the hell was this psycho trying to say?

“But it was the Dragonslayer who killed him, and that was an independent act. And according to public records, he died after clashing with the Rose Knights while pursuing you.”

His tone carried a hint of mockery.

 

“Oh, you may not know that part. It’s classified even within the royal family…”

In some ways, it sounded like persuasion

“From what I hear, you were just busy running away at the time.”

In others, like a threat.

“Still… aren’t you curious? Why were the Rose Knights there in the first place?”

What exactly does this guy know?

I couldn’t read his intentions, so I wasn’t sure if he was trying to persuade or coerce me.

No—maybe…

‘He’s trying to gauge how much I know.’

As I kept my poker face, the skill deactivated and ambient noise returned.

And at the same time—

“You’re smarter than other barbarians. I’m sure you’ll find the answer someday.”

He said it out loud, so everyone could hear.

“So I’ll let you go today.”

Only then did I realize the true reason behind the conversation.

He was trying to persuade me—

In the most forceful way possible.

“Let them pass. We have no intention of stopping them.”

This guy was nothing like the enemies I’d faced before.

‘Damn… I should’ve just rushed him earlier.’

The well had been poisoned.

***

At the deputy commander’s order, the noark forces parted like the Red Sea, opening a path straight to the fortress wall.

 

And as if that wasn’t enough—

“Ah, if you’re still uneasy, we can even withdraw far away to another location.”

He even offered to disappear entirely.

At first, I couldn’t understand what was happening, but after calmly analyzing it, the picture became clear.

“What did he discuss with the Baron…?”

“He just exchanged a few words and opened a path for us…”

“…Is this a trick to ambush us from behind?”

“But he even offered to leave entirely.”

I was completely screwed.

Just like how a Korean diplomat once stopped an army with a few words, this bastard had backed me into a corner with just a few sentences.

[You’re smarter than most barbarians. You’ll surely uncover the truth someday.]

The fact that he ended with such an ominous line, loud enough for everyone to hear, said it all.

If we crossed the wall without shedding a drop of blood, I’d be the one to suffer the most.

The royal family would suspect me.

The people would suspect me.

 

They’d think I struck some kind of deal with the Noark bastards to let us pass for free.

Until now, as a noble, I couldn’t be investigated without justification, but this time, a high-level inquiry was inevitable.

Not just for me, but for my comrades as well.

And if that happened?

‘It’s over.’

My heart tightened at the vivid image of the worst-case scenario.

Badump Badump—!

The deputy commander probably didn’t know whether I was aware of the Rose Knights’ involvement or not.

That’s why he tested me like this.

If the investigation revealed I knew, the royal family would dispose of me themselves.

If I didn’t know, I’d grow hostile toward the royal family.

Either way, he had nothing to lose.

‘What should I do?’

Should I just order a reckless charge now?

As I thought over it, the bastard smirked and continued,

“Too many eyes for you to make a decision, I see. Then we’ll take our leave.”

Ugh, he just had to go all the way.

“Wait.”

I stopped him and quickly gathered my thoughts.

There was one contradiction in his scheme.

Sure, opening the way may benefit them…

‘But is that really worth all this?’

Honestly, I still didn’t fully get it.

Why were they so willing to give up Zone 7 so easily?

Did I really have that much value to them?

What exactly were they expecting from me?

Then, at some point—

“Ah.”

A bolt of realization struck me.

What if…

It wasn’t that I held tremendous value to them, but the opposite?

For example, what if my value wasn’t high—but rather, the value of Zone 7 itself was just

that low…

Yeah, in other words—

‘These bastards never cared about Zone 7 in the first place.’

With that assumption, their actions started to make sense.

So, their real target was Zone 13?

I can’t say for sure, but my gut tells me that even Zone 13 probably isn’t all that different from Zone 7 in their eyes.

Which leaves only one candidate.

“How long do you plan to keep hesit—”

“Bifron.”

“……!”

Yeah. That’s the answer.

Smirk.

Now I know exactly what I need to do next.

 

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