Episode 53. Incomparably Despicable
While walking up the mountain path, Sirius felt a faint presence.
Extending his subtle energy in all directions, Sirius scanned his surroundings.
Then, he could sense hidden figures in the forest.
“Alaion.”
Sirius called out to Alaion following behind him.
“Protect Verdiene.”
“What?”
Right after that, Sirius struck the ground.
Channeling his northbound force, he hurled a dagger and reached out towards the nearest tree.
*Swish!*
*Ugh…!*
A scream was heard from the direction of the thrown dagger.
Almost simultaneously, Sirius grabbed the neck of the villain hiding in the tree.
After swiftly cutting off the air supply, he brought back the dagger with his other hand.
While some opponents rushed towards Sirius, he effortlessly dealt with them using the dagger.
*Thud, thud!*
Corpses fell from the tree one after another.
After swiftly tidying up, Sirius turned his head to see that Alaion had also taken care of one foe.
“No problems, Lord Sirius.”
“Good, seems like this is all around here.”
Watching this scene, Verdiene was left speechless.
Verdiene had witnessed his subordinates falling to Sirius in an instant before.
But now, facing a situation where they were wiped out even before launching an attack, he was utterly perplexed.
“Verdiene, is this the end?”
“…”
“Since you could also be in danger, it might be alright to say at least this much.”
At Sirius’ words, Verdiene let out a sigh.
“There are only minimal personnel deployed here. By now, only officers remain.”
“Then there shouldn’t be any more nuisances ahead.”
Sirius had already extended his energy far ahead to check the path.
As Verdiene stated, it seemed there were no more obstacles ahead.
“Let’s keep going up.”
“…”
Sirius led Alaion and Verdiene up the mountain path.
Eventually, they discovered a small building hidden deep in the mountains.
At first glance, it looked like a log cabin built for woodcutters or hunters to take a break, but according to Noien’s testimony, the interior was completely different.
However, there was no need to enter inside.
People were already coming out.
“…”
There were five of them.
When I extended my senses to examine, from the 4th circle to the 7th circle, the variations were evident.
However, the circle of the man in the black mask at the center was impenetrable.
At the moment of detection, before I could sense the magic of the circle, I was instantly repelled.
“To come out to welcome me like this, it’s truly appreciated.”
Sirius spoke in a relaxed tone.
Although they all concealed their faces with masks, the atmosphere became noticeably more hostile.
“Sirius Canisruth… To come all the way here, truly.”
A woman in a silver mask murmured in a tense voice.
Judging by her hair color and physique, she resembled the head of the Southeast Dark Guild, Shajalina, as Noien had mentioned.
“Moreover, Verdiann, why did you align yourself with Sirius?”
“….”
“Could it be under the command of the Poison King?”
Under the command of the Poison King.
Upon hearing those words, Verdiann, who had been silent, let out a sigh.
“The Poison King has no involvement in this matter whatsoever.”
“Then why did you lead Sirius here?”
“Sirius discovered this place because Noien Myu revealed the location. It’s not my responsibility.”
“No responsibility? Are we to believe that?”
Others also echoed Shajalina’s sentiments.
“After all, it must have been that woman who brought Sirius to Noien in the first place.”
“Just by seeing him come here in such good shape, one must assume Verdiann has allied with Sirius.”
Listening to their voices, Verdiann grimaced.
But before Verdiann could respond, Sirius spoke first.
“Verdiann simply lost to me. He’s just being dragged along. There’s no need for you to blame him.”
“What did you say?”
“In reality, Verdiann didn’t disclose your information. Noien spilled everything.”
After saying so, Sirius added in a cool voice.
“But that doesn’t mean you should blame Noien. From what I see, all of you here, with just a little pressure, would spill all the information.”
“….?”
Upon Sirius’ statement, Alayon asked cautiously.
“My lord, how do you know when everyone has their faces covered with masks?”
“Just a guess. Don’t take it seriously.”
“Ah…”
Alayon nodded in understanding, but the others did not.
“Sirius, are you… mocking us?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t come here to mock you.”
Sirius retorted in a cold voice.
“I came to exterminate you.”
“You…!”
In the escalating tension, the man in the black mask raised his hand.
“Everyone calm down.”
“Chief…!”
Among those expressing dissatisfaction, a man in a black mask stepped forward.
“Sirius, I am in charge of the Eastern Branch here.”
“So, you’re the one appointed by the Brain.”
“It seems Neuen Myu has spread the word that far.”
The Chief spoke, bearing the burden.
“As you say, His Majesty has entrusted me with the Eastern Branch. Therefore, it is my duty to maintain order in the East.”
“Order, it seems like the least fitting word for you guys.”
“That’s the truth, Sirius.”
The Chief’s voice was cold.
“You were able to gradually eliminate the dark factions in the East because we, as an alliance, have been suppressing the emergence of powerful dark organizations.”
“…”
“For example… The Ultenstein you killed not long ago had the ability to control the entire southeast. If he had succeeded, he could have ruled the entire East as a king. We managed to prevent that.”
Addressing Sirius, who was silently listening, the Chief continued to explain.
“Sirius, this is the order of the Eastern region.”
“…”
“The Albrime and Agtas families had no intention of purging the dark forces. It was us who managed to prevent the East from becoming lawless territory.”
Having said that, the Chief shrugged.
“If we hadn’t managed the dark organizations in the East, the Regel family would have perished long ago.”
“…”
“The Regel family would have turned into a sea of fire, all the heirlooms passed down through generations would have been stolen… And yes, your beloved wife would have probably been sold off somewhere to serve another man’s wine.”
With a voice tinged with laughter, the Chief provocatively remarked.
Alrayon let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.
“You’re insane… You’re all dead now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just now, you made a vulgar comment mentioning the Lord’s wife. The Lord would never tolerate such a thing.”
“Oh…”
Verdian nodded in understanding.
“Chief, it seems like you speak as if your alliance is the guardian of balance.”
Listening to the chatter of his subordinates with one ear, Sirius spoke up.
“Is it the role of your alliance to maintain the balance between various families and dark organizations?”
“Exactly, it’s the role of the Eastern Branch. More precisely, it’s the mission bestowed upon us by His Majesty.”
In a way, there were similarities between what Sirius pursued.
Sirius also sought harmony between light and dark.
However…
“It’s laughable.”
Sirius retorted coldly.
“Don’t try to justify it with plausible reasons. When deceitful people justify themselves, it only becomes more pathetic.”
“What did you say?”
“You restrained those like Ultenstein because you were worried they might gain significant power and challenge your alliance, right?” Sirius spoke, leaving the chief silent.
“I heard there are massive organizations in other regions that can’t be compared to the small groups in the East. Are all those organizations showing absolute loyalty to the alliance?”
“…”
“The emergence of large dark forces is not favorable for your alliance. So, it’s better to divide and manage them carefully.”
Of course, when the alliance truly intervenes, even those kinds of individuals can be subdued.
But it’s better to suppress the appearance of large forces from the start.
Even without the intervention of central figures, these local chiefs can handle it with their power.
“You’re just pursuing your own interests. Suppressing the dark organizations in the East was beneficial for you all along.”
“…”
“We seek profit, we seek power… Saying it confidently like this would have been impressive in its own way. But what? Managing order?”
Sirius chuckled.
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“You’re ridiculously absurd, puppets of the brain.”
“…”
The chief didn’t respond.
He just let out a short sigh.
“He’s not listening. Just kill him.”
As the chief’s order was given,
The remaining four moved.
Two rushed with long and short swords, while the other two sent flames of spears and blades of wind.
But Sirius had already drawn his sword.
Casually dodging the flames and wind blades, Sirius swung his sword towards the one in the front.
“Ugh…!”
Before the man could even properly swing his sword, his throat was cut.
Stepping on the man, Sirius leaped up and threw a dagger.
The one who launched the spear of flames was preparing the next spell, but he fell as he was hit by the suddenly flying dagger.
“This…!”
Invisible blades of wind poured down.
But they were all dispersed by Sirius’s sword wind, and the one who sent the wind blades was swept away by the sword wind instead.
“Ugh…!”
At that moment, a hazy smoke suddenly flew towards Sirius.
As Shajalina brandished her dagger, the smoke covered Sirius.
She had sprinkled poison while Sirius was dealing with the others… But Sirius didn’t even bat an eye.
“It seems to be quite a potent poison. Is this also the Poison King’s concoction?”
“Argh…!”
With a light swing of his sword, the smoke flew towards Shajalina.
Desperately trying to shield her face and step back, Shajalina ended up bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth before falling.
“It seems your poison-handling skills are far inferior to Verdian’s.”
Mastery of poison isn’t just about creating powerful toxins.
To truly become a proper master of poison, one must possess the skill to properly addict their opponent.
“Sir, Sir, spare me…”
Shazalina pleaded for help from the chief while lying on the ground.
However, the chief showed no response.
He simply stood back, silently observing the entire process.
“Quite impressive, Sirius Canisroot.”
In the blink of an eye, the chief spoke in front of his subdued subordinates.
“It seems you enhance your physical abilities with magic. But it appears to be a different method from Verdian’s, so it’s likely unrelated to the Venom King faction.”
Watching others succumb, the chief analyzed Sirius’s abilities.
“I’m not sure where you obtained such power. Whether it’s related to other factions of the Alliance, or if you got hold of ancient special grimoires…”
“…”
“But one thing is certain.”
Crack!
Suddenly, lightning struck.
Not at Sirius, but right in front of Shazalina, who was crawling on the ground.
Shazalina died without even being able to scream.
“With your strength, you cannot resist the brainwave magic bestowed upon you by His Majesty.”
Displaying his power, the chief levitated into the air.
“Realize your limits, Sirius Canisroot.”
“…”
Aleion and Verdian swallowed nervously at the power of the chief’s brainwave magic.
But they would not know.
As they gazed at the overwhelming presence of the chief, they were unaware of Sirius’s strange smile.