Chapter 46. Are You from the Alliance?
“They say Sirius has made the Agtas family submit.”
In a secluded mountain lodge deep in the mountains,
masked figures had gathered.
Although they all concealed their faces, they roughly knew each other’s identities.
Yet, the reason for hiding their faces behind masks was simple.
It made it easier to commit misdeeds without feeling any remorse.
“Although specific instructions haven’t come down from the top of the Alliance yet, it seems we can’t leave Sirius alone like this.”
“….”
The ‘Alliance’ that ruled over the underworld.
This gathering was the Eastern Branch of the Alliance.
Those who gained recognition from the Alliance in the eastern region were all gathered here.
Efforts were made by individuals from the northeastern Kalstein or the southeastern Ultenshwein, but they never managed to step foot in this place.
Earning recognition from the Alliance to that extent was no easy feat.
“We can’t just leave him be… It seems crucial to understand the significance of that.”
A man in a red mask sitting in the middle spoke up.
He was identified as Luttenfeldt, the leader of the 7th Circle, renowned for his formidable power even in the East… a magic swordsman.
“Are we suggesting we should just kill him?”
“There might not be a need to kill him.”
A woman in a silver mask, Shajalina, the Grandmother reigning over the Dark Family in the southeast, interjected with her arms crossed.
“Perhaps it would be better to draw him into the Alliance.”
“Draw him in? Do you think that’s possible?”
Luttenfeldt scoffed at Shajalina’s suggestion.
“The youngest of the Rigel family joining the Alliance?”
“What’s impossible about that? We have esteemed members of renowned families here too.”
The gazes of the masked figures shifted.
Then, a man in a brown mask spoke up.
“I also believe it would be beneficial to capture Sirius into the Alliance.”
He was Noien Myou, the leader of the esteemed Myou family from the southeast.
Some time ago, at Kaien’s request, he had visited the Agtas family.
In fact, besides Noien, there were other nobles present at this gathering.
It was evidence that the influence of the Alliance was much greater than what people thought.
“If you observe Sirius’s actions so far, you can see that he is different from the delicate young lords of noble families. He is ruthless and violent.”
“…”
“Furthermore, he displayed all sorts of schemes against the Agtas family. It was truly astonishing.”
Noien was the one who showed Kaien the mysterious documents spread by Sirius through the Entroville 6-member council.
“Anyone can see that he is closer to darkness than light, right?”
“…”
Noien Myou, also a noble family head and a ‘dark’ figure within the Alliance, made such remarks.
As Noien spoke, everyone nodded in agreement as if they understood.
“Perhaps Sirius has been considering joining the Alliance from the beginning. He even pretended to be an affiliate of the Alliance in the northeast…”
“Hmm… In that case, we should first try to understand Sirius’s true intentions.”
“But will he easily reveal his true intentions?”
“How about bringing him here? If he’s in front of us, Sirius might reveal his true feelings.”
The participants expressed their thoughts one after another.
Then, the person in the black mask sitting at the highest seat spoke up.
“Various opinions are being voiced. Let’s decide on a course of action.”
Silence fell instantly.
The person in the black mask held the highest position here.
“If Sirius is positive about joining the Alliance, we should respect his decision. Of course, we need to assess it before accepting.”
“…”
“But if he shows hostility towards the Alliance… there’s no need to delay any longer. We should eliminate him and restore the east to its original state.”
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Everyone silently agreed.
“Then we need to designate someone to handle the contact with Sirius. Who will take on this task?”
“…”
They exchanged glances.
Sirius was undoubtedly a dangerous individual.
But if they successfully carried out this mission, the Alliance would acknowledge their contribution.
“Then I will…”
“No, I will handle it personally…”
“I will do it.”
Just then.
The person in the white mask sitting on the speaking stone spoke up.
At that moment, everyone else fell silent.
Even though he was seated on the speaking stone and was the youngest, his skills were unmatched compared to the miscellaneous individuals gathered here.
“I am the one who even brought down Valerion, the sorcerer of the Eighth Circle. It’s only right for me to step up.”
“I see.”
The figure in the black mask nodded.
“If you are the direct disciple of the Poison King, Sirius Canisroot, you should be able to handle him adequately.”
The Poison King.
The name made everyone tense.
Even the leaders gathered here were significant figures in their own right, but the Poison King held a position of great power within the Alliance, high above.
Moreover, he had the power to instantly kill everyone present if he so desired.
That was why even the young man in the white mask sitting on the stone bench had to remain silent.
A direct disciple of the Poison King… facing him was a daunting prospect.
“Please leave it to me, everyone.”
The figure in the white mask spoke calmly.
“I will bring Sirius here. Understand that I might bring him as a corpse.”
A cruel smile crept onto the corner of the seemingly calm lips.
—
After sending a letter to the Rigel family, Sirius joined Kaien in clearing out the surrounding dark guilds.
Besides the Uhltenstein Assembly, there were many other large and small organizations remaining.
The people cheered whenever Sirius appeared.
Kaien, moving alongside him, also received hospitality unlike any he had experienced before.
This experience gave Kaien the conviction that he should continue to stand by Sirius in the future.
“It seems today’s suppression was sufficient.”
“Yes, I never knew the bandits’ hideout would be so deep in these woods.”
Today was the day to root out the bandits hiding in the mountains.
Upon hearing rumors of the collapse of the Uhltenstein Assembly, the bandits had hidden deep in the mountains, but Sirius found their hideout and launched an attack.
“But… Sirius.”
“Why do you ask?”
“About that… is it alright?”
Kaien cautiously turned his head.
“Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty, eight thousand eight hundred and twenty-one….”
Horizontal cuts, vertical cuts, thrusts.
Bellid was practicing the Threefold Sword Technique repeatedly.
He would swing his sword incessantly and sometimes perform those moves when finishing off dark guild members.
His actions left not only Kaien but others bewildered.
“To be honest… he seems a bit crazy.”
“….”
Kaien was a person with a surprisingly honest side.
“If he’s crazy, there’s no need to worry about him.”
“Ah….”
Kaien looked at Bellid with eyes filled with sympathy.
It was pitiful to see someone behaving strangely despite being a talented individual.
“If I leave it alone, it might be better……”
“Just leave me alone.”
Originally, Belid was someone who longed for chaos, a bit out of his mind.
But Belid’s current state was also influenced by Sirius.
Belid wants to become strong like Sirius.
However, Belid has only practiced magic so far and hasn’t even learned swordsmanship, let alone martial arts.
How can someone like him become stronger?
He had no choice but to work like a madman.
Sirius, on the other hand, was actually hoping for Belid to go completely mad.
“Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty-five…… Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty-six……”
“Belid, they say lunch today is lamb.”
“Oh? Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty…… I told you not to talk to me! You’re making me lose count!”
“Even if you tell me, I won’t remember.”
Watching Belid and Alerion bicker, Sirius took a sip of water.
Through this battle, both Belid and Alerion had grown a lot.
Especially Alerion seemed to have gained some insight while fighting the skeletal soldiers.
Alerion was a lower 4th Circle than Belid, but it seemed like he could soon rise to the 5th Circle.
“……”
Seeing the others getting stronger, Sirius felt restless for some reason.
Sirius still hadn’t fully regained the power of the White Vagrant without a Master.
Recently, Sirius had defeated Valerion and absorbed some of his magic.
Valerion had consumed a large amount of magic in the fight with Sirius, but he could still absorb a considerable amount.
The problem was that the energy was too murky.
If he were an ordinary martial artist, he would have vomited blood and died as soon as he absorbed the energy.
Although the North Star Divine Art was supposed to harmonize with any energy, it was different with such a messy magic.
If he accepted it as it was, it was like eating spoiled food, so he had to take time to purify it.
“Kaien, take the people and go in first.”
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
“I just want to look around the mountain a bit.”
“……?”
While subduing bandits earlier, Sirius had found a suitable cave.
Today, he planned to have a meditation meal there and return.
“Sirius, didn’t you say we needed to greet the people from the Rigel family tomorrow morning?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
The meditation meal.
And what would happen after that.
It wouldn’t take too long.
***
“It really is a good cave.”
As Sirius entered the dark cave, he took a deep breath.
Although it was a cave, it was not damp, and the temperature was just right.
Above all, the natural energy was palpable.
Especially when purifying dense energy during energy cultivation… it was more effective to do it in a place like this.
“Then… shall we begin?”
Sirius sat on the cave floor and assumed a cross-legged posture.
Then, in accordance with the principles of the Celestial Dragon Art, he began to manipulate his inner energy.
Today, he was determined to completely purify and make his own the dense energy of Valerion.
“….”
He vomited several times and shed blood.
To be honest, it was quite a grueling ordeal.
Absorbing magic from Valerion was something he regretted to the point of repentance.
However, that didn’t mean he could stop.
He believed that such experiences were necessary steps to reach higher levels.
Sirius had a goal of reaching a higher level than the White Moonlight, Baekmuran.
To achieve that, he needed to delve into the magic of this world.
Studying magic with a completely different system from martial arts might provide clues to reaching new heights.
“Magic seems similar to inner energy, yet quite different…”
Even mages could unleash powerful flames with just five circles.
To wield such power with martial arts, one needed the inner energy of a highly skilled master.
But when he tried to convert the magic mages possessed into inner energy… it seemed he couldn’t even reach the level of one master.
How could such power be unleashed with that level of magic?
It was a task Sirius would have to ponder on in the future.
“If Valerion’s magic is so murky, it must be the result of some illicit means to increase his magic. In that case, what methods did he use…?”
Contemplating various possibilities, Sirius diligently practiced energy cultivation.
After half a day had passed… he finally managed to completely purify Valerion’s magic.
“Phew….”
Sirius slowly opened his eyes.
Valerion’s magic had transformed into pure inner energy and was stored in his dantian.
The efficiency wasn’t great, but… thanks to that, he was able to achieve his goal.
“This should be… equivalent to 2 masters.”
It hadn’t been long since he arrived in this world, yet he had already reached the level of 2 masters.
Even the White Moonlight, Baekmuran, couldn’t enhance his inner energy as quickly.
As he continued to inherit the martial arts of the White Moonlight, Sirius was becoming stronger faster than anyone else in the world.
“But…,”
Checking his physical condition, Sirius gazed ahead.
At the entrance of the cave… a group of Black Cloaks was blocking the way.
“So, you’re finally awake.”
The Black Cloak at the front spoke.
“Sirius Canisroot, there is someone who wishes to meet you.”
“….”
“Your skills have already been assessed. So behave yourself…”
Crack!
The dagger, piercing through the darkness, lodged itself into the neck of the Shadowling.
Grasping his neck, he fell, leaving his comrades around him holding their breath.
“Who assessed my skills?”
“…!”
Sirius moved his hand.
The dagger that had pierced the Shadowling’s neck returned to Sirius’ hand as if drawn back by an unseen force.
The speed was incomparable to anything seen before.
“Seems like those who have been circling around me lately.”
For the past few days, Sirius had a feeling of being watched.
They seemed to have observed Sirius dismantling the Black Association groups, analyzing his skills.
But they were mistaken.
Due to absorbing murky magic from Valerion, Sirius had been in poor health for a few days.
But now, he had fully recovered… and even reached the 2nd level of inner strength.
“The remnants of the Black Association I’ve been dealing with don’t seem to be behind this… Could it be from the Alliance?”
“…!”
The Shadowlings swallowed nervously at Sirius’ overwhelming presence, unlike anything they had experienced before.