STM 174

Grand Duke Montaine looked at the letter with such a blank expression that it was impossible to read her emotions.

Hoiga waited patiently, holding back his anger until she spoke first. He could have incurred her wrath for being insolent if he had unnecessarily added his two cents. She might even have turned violent out of rage. After all, it must have been that shocking an event for Grand Duke Montaine. However, a moment later, Grand Duke Montaine did something completely unexpected.

Riiip.

She was tearing up the letter she was holding.

“Ah! Grand Duke, that letter is….”

“It’s fake.”

“But Duke Kilu’s name is written inside the letter. If it were fake, why would the Duke keep that letter so carefully?”

“If it were real, it would be for my sake.”

Hoiga raised his eyebrows, unable to understand. Grand Duke Montaine showed her trust in her younger brother without any emotional turmoil.

“What if Kilu found a clue to catch the group of dark mages? Given Kilu’s personality, it is highly likely he would have thrown himself into the group to get his hands on a definite ringleader or evidence.”

Hoiga wanted to shake his head. No, there were too many suspicious aspects to the claim that he was trying to obtain information about the dark mages. For one thing, the letter spoke as if they were reporting to Kilu. Hoiga had no choice but to reveal the truth about the door of the divine beast as well.

“Duke Kilu has gone into hiding since that was mentioned. Isn’t it strange that he still hasn’t shown himself, even though several major problems have erupted in Tubain?”

Desperation now filled Hoiga’s voice.

“Kun Tairok has become the master of Borhumi. This is the biggest obstacle to your claim to the imperial throne, Grand Duke. Yet, no action is being taken.”

“That sounds like you’re criticizing me, not my brother. Did you come here to take issue with my incompetence? How dare you?”

As Grand Duke Montaine’s voice grew cold, Hoiga quickly bowed his head.

“Absolutely not. I believe that the Grand Duke is a true leader possessing the greatest power in Tubain. However, Kun Tairok…”

“You think that guy will be a threat to me?”

Grand Duke Montaine snorted.

“No matter how well he uses the power of the divine beast, Kun Tairok can never defeat me.”

To Hoiga, that confident demeanor looked like nothing but arrogant stubbornness. Why did she overestimate her own strength?

It was not entirely incomprehensible, given that no one in Tubain had been able to overpower her by force until now. However, he couldn’t believe she was so completely unsuspecting of the enemy.

“You doubt my ability.”

“N-No.”

Hoiga lowered his eyes again when he heard a cold laugh.

“You say Kilu is not making any plans, but I think differently. Kilu just isn’t making a fuss because he trusts my abilities.”

“But that is insufficient to explain the Duke’s disappearance.m

“So you’re saying Kilu became a dark mage, locked himself up and hid himself while opening a rift for monsters?”

Hoiga remained silent for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

“Yes. So, Grand Duke, you must not trust Duke Kilu completely either.”

Grand Duke Montaine, who had been watching Hoiga for a moment, suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hoiga. I’d like to commend you for finding out about the door of the divine beast. As expected of Salvation, you know a lot.”

There was no mockery in the word ‘Salvation,’ but Hoiga lowered his gaze because it was uncomfortable to hear. However, he had no choice but to look at Grand Duke Montaine again at the words that followed.

“But you have no idea how tightly bound we are by trust. I understand your suspicion of Kilu, but no. My brother would never betray me.”

“Grand Duke…….”

“Would you believe me if I showed you the evidence?”

“Evidence? What do you mean?”

Grand Duke Montaine stood up from her seat and walked toward the door.

“If, as you said, Kilu is the door of the divine beast and the leader of the dark mages group, then the reason he went into hiding is that he intends to imprison himself to destroy the divine beast, correct?”

Hoiga’s gaze was fixed on the direction Grand Duke Montaine was heading, so he couldn’t properly hear what she was saying. It wasn’t the main door leading to the hallway, but the door leading to the next room.

Why that door…

“Then if Kilu roams around freely, your misunderstanding will be cleared up, right?”

Click. As Grand Duke Montaine opened the door, the person standing in front of it entered the room. In that instant, Hoiga’s face turned deathly pale.

“Hoiga.”

The one who called his name with a smile was Kilu.

Tap tap.

Hoiga stepped back, but Kilu approached him and seized his arm. Then, he gently apologized to Grand Duke Montaine.

“Sister, I am sorry. It seems that Hoiga grew a misunderstanding while worrying on his own because I left without saying a word. I will explain everything properly, so please do not worry and focus on your training. There will be no problems.”

With a gentle voice, Kilu’s hand gripped Hoiga’s arm so tightly it looked like it would break.

“Right, Hoiga?”

‎

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Crash!

Loud noises echoed through Grand Duke Sarne’s office again after just a few days. And for quite a while at that. It was because the room’s occupant, unable to contain his rage, was smashing the furniture.

“Ha, you mean Tairok’s soldiers have arrived right on Sarne’s doorstep?”

The subordinate who delivered the report answered without lifting his head.

“They are presumed to be soldiers who were thought to be heading toward Borhumi. They are concentrating their forces in the area bordering Sarne. The numbers are approximately…….”

As the subordinate was quickly explaining the situation, a third party’s voice interrupted.

“Where is Kun Tairok?”

It was Bayan who had been looking out the window as if it were none of her business while Grand Duke Sarne was making a fuss. The person reporting quickly turned toward her and gave an answer while tense.

“They said he wasn’t visible among the soldiers. It seems he is moving separately with only a small number of people.”

“Then they might have come right up to the front of this castle.”

The way she spoke indifferently prompted Grand Duke Sarne to shout at her.

“This is not the time to be chatting away! If Sarne falls, you won’t be here either!”

“If war breaks out, I will be the first to step forward and the first to fall. You, too, Grand Duke, must prepare to leave a glorious legacy for Sarne. And do not invite ridicule with your crude schemes.”

Grand Duke Sarne’s expression contorted at the cold remark. The crude scheme referred to the attempt not long ago to lure Adeye Lu with a fake letter from the Hoiga family.

It was considered a brilliant move devised in a desperate situation, but the opponent did not fall for it. Instead, it is said that he confidently headed to Duke Kilu’s mansion with the letter. Although the operation failed, the belief that Adeye Lu was the only way to stop Tairok remained unchanged.

“Bayan.”

Grand Duke Sarne called out to his younger sister, who was about to draw her sword and leave. Then, he approached her and whispered softly.

“Losing this land to Tairok is painful, but that does not mean Sarne’s defeat. Even if everyone dies and only one remains, there is a way for us to win. We just need the Sarne divine beast to give us strength.”

“Are you planning to lure Adeye Lu out with another fake letter?”

Bayan sneered. She found him pathetic for obsessing over the divine beast to the very end, but the smile soon vanished at Grand Duke Sarne’s words.

“Fine. If necessary. I’m prepared to even become the bait myself. You must take advantage of that.”

“If you intend to use me for such a crude trick…….”

“That is the only way Sarne can obtain the power of the divine beast! Have you forgotten how powerless humans are in the face of the divine beast’s power!”

Grand Duke Sarne glared at his younger sister with bloodshot eyes. However, Bayan simply retorted with a cold stare and did not give up her stubbornness.

“I can handle the power of that divine beast. Even if Sarne falls completely, I will not.”

“Yes, that is exactly why. Because you are the only hope.”

“…….”

“I will take on Kun Tairok.”

Grand Duke Sarne gritted his teeth and lowered his voice.

“Instead, engrave this humiliation in your heart, hide in the darkness, and seize this single opportunity. If you chased Black Bear to the very end, you will surely be able to obtain Adeye Lu. You must now fulfill father and grandfather’s earnest wish, Bayan.”

‎

‎

In the early dawn, dominated by silence, a strange sight caught the eye of a sentry fighting off drowsiness atop the walls of Sarne. Someone was leisurely walking toward the castle gate through the thick fog.

He walked toward the castle gate with leisure strides. His face was obscured by the fog, and his footsteps could not be heard, yet the sentry’s tension rose with every step he took.

It was because he had the illusion that the entire castle wall was vibrating slightly as he approached. Then, belatedly, he realized that he was holding a long sword. The chilling aura emanating from it reached even the sentry, sending a cold shiver down the back of his neck.

“Who is there! Stop right now!”

He barely managed to shout, but there was no response. Instead, as he drew closer, the surrounding air settled down to an abnormally heavy weight.

That’s strange. He didn’t even attack, so why is my heart tightening?

The moment the man reached the castle gate, he felt that even this sturdy iron gate and the steadfast Sarne Castle would crumble.

The sentry, tense from the irrational reaction, saw them. The intruder’s eyes.

And those eyes explained the inexplicable fear he felt. Soon, a trembling warning from the sentry’s mouth spread across the entire castle wall.

“Kun-Kun Tairok!!”