Chapter 40: A Spy?

“Welcome back to Trian.

Choong!”

Klarm and Rasmia nodded as they received the salute.

As the knight guarding the castle gate raised his sword in front of the two siblings and stepped aside.

Three horses trudged down the wide road where the lined-up Trian soldiers were blocking the entry of merchants.

The scene naturally couldn't help but draw everyone's attention.

Moreover, all three had rare blue and black hair.

Especially the young black-haired knight, who had crude and unusual armor on his arms and legs, and even had a completely black sword strapped to his back.

“Are they knights?”

“They seem to be of pretty high status, too.”

“That black-haired young man over there looks very young, though?”

“Must be some young master.

His attire is unusual too……”

“Are there any black-haired nobles in this northern region?

It’s not like we’re in the eastern or southern countries.”

I let the merchants' conversation pass through one ear and out the other, scanning my surroundings again with the Demon Devourer's senses.

‘Still…….’

Looking around this place, I still couldn't see anyone with demonic energy.

‘Did they really give up.’

I had come all the way to Trian with my nerves on edge in case of an attack, but the fact that there was still no reaction was strangely unsettling.

It had only taken three days for the next magician to appear in Drasen after I took care of Amos.

And the attack on the highway with Klarm had happened just one day after leaving Trian.

Considering the pattern so far, it meant that more than enough time had passed for them to have already attacked.

‘They probably haven't given up.

Is it because the Klarm and Rasmia siblings are with me?’

Thinking that way seemed to be the only way to make sense of it.

I didn't want to assume that they had given up and gone into hiding.

- If Kraymal is a subordinate, then the one behind him is a Seven-Star. Assuming that makes it too dangerous and ridiculous…….

It wasn't that I didn't know my father's or Count Enoch's worries.

But no matter how much of a superhuman a Seven-Star was, in the end, they were just one person.

There was no way a big shot, treated as a crucial national asset, would personally come out just to capture me.

‘I don't need to take down the mastermind myself.

If I can link the ones who occasionally show up to find their base, the kingdom will be itching to uproot them themselves.’

My role was only to be the bait.

To add a little more, a blade to dismantle the small fries, not the big fish, would be enough.

‘It's a shame, but…….’

If I can repay my grudge with just that much of a role, I can endure it as much as needed.

‘My strength is still insufficient.’

Crack.

Separate from the strength entering my clenched fist, I had at least that much of a reality check.

But the party seemed to have a very different idea from me.

“Stop looking around like a country bumpkin and hurry up and follow.

We’re in a hurry.”

“Brother, really. He’s a kid who has lived in Drasen his whole life.

Trian must seem glamorous to him.”

……Not likely.

As the party passed through the castle gate, my gaze turned to the market alley.

- Silk from the capital…… uhm, from ‘that country’ is here!

- Fresh fruits from the south……!

- Rentan’s meat, good for stamina, for the low price of……!

Waggle waggle.

Of course, the large market bustling with countless people, not just selling leather or foodstuffs like in Drasen, was a spectacle in itself.

However.

‘At best, it’s just a big traditional market……. with some interesting items.’

My gaze briefly rested on the large head of a monster with three horns displayed in the middle of the market.

‘That one, it still has some demonic energy left.

Who in the world caught it…….’

Tsk.

With the memories of my past life living in a city of ten million people still vivid, the market of a fantasy world city with a population of one hundred thousand at best felt more bustling than glamorous.

“Still, this matter is more urgent, Muno!”

“Yes. I’m coming.”

No matter how much I scanned, there was no one who felt of demonic energy.

Of course, it wasn't like a magician or their subordinate would be selling things in the market, but with no bites at all, my heart was just getting more and more frustrated.

As I followed the party towards the Inner Castle.

In a corner of the market that his senses couldn't reach, there was a gaze watching Muno.

“Relay the mission to him.

We will confirm if he really sees through the ‘veil’.”

“Yes. But is it really alright to do this?

He’s too precious to discard now……”

“It is also a chance to confirm his ability.

It’s good if it succeeds, and even if it fails, it will add to the chaos in the north.

This too is His will, so do not question it.”

“……Yes.”

The voices of the shadows disappearing into the darkness echoed in the alley before quickly vanishing.

* * *

“Yes, you’ve worked hard.

To think that fellow Moeno was a magician, what is the world coming to for such an absurd thing to happen……”

Count Enoch, whom I met again after almost a fortnight, seemed to have aged slightly in the meantime.

Instead of the mountain-like atmosphere that had intimidated people, he was now spreading a gloomy aura that darkly suppressed everything around him.

The important thing was that this wasn't a metaphor, but a real phenomenon.

It felt as if the space around the large old man named Enoch Trian was being dyed gray.

In fact, I saw an administrator who was reporting something to him slowly backing away before tumbling and landing on his butt.

“I apologize. Y-Your Excellency.”

“No. You may leave.”

“Th-thank you!”

As the administrator, who was sweating coldly, brightened up and quickly disappeared.

I was taking in the sight of the Count and the aura around him with curious eyes.

‘I didn't know before, but that’s mana too.

Mana influencing the surroundings according to its master’s emotions.’

Does a 6-Star knight, a superhuman who has completed six evolutions, naturally generate mana?

Or, is there a secret art (Bijeon) passed down in Trian.

‘Or the Count is also a Spirit Master.’

It seemed to be one of the three, but the atmosphere wasn't right to ask openly.

‘It's probably a secret art or something, right?’

- The ancestor of the Drasen family was one who reached Seven-Star with this Corporeal Arts of Gluttony and Drasen Greatswordmanship.

If my father's words were true, it meant that ancestor had reached Seven-Star but was ultimately unable to handle mana.

Or, even if he himself had been able to handle it, he had failed to leave it behind as a secret art.

As someone looking for a way to compensate for the shortcomings of Drasen Greatswordmanship, my curiosity was piqued.

‘Even if the Demon Devourer can’t be passed on to others, isn't there a secret art written somewhere that details the secret to generating mana?’

Part of the project to repay the family's grace.

My parents said there was no need, but there would be no better way to feel proud of myself, so it was impossible not to be interested.

‘But even if such a secret art exists, they wouldn't tell an outsider about it…….’

“Muno, Muno Drasen!”

The endless train of thought was shattered in an instant by a deep voice ringing in my ears.

“Ah. Yes!?”

“I’ve been calling you for a while now, what are you thinking so hard about?

Is this young punk trying to tease his grandpa by deliberately ignoring him?

Or, are you putting on airs now that your rank has gone up?”

The Count’s smirking face had already shed much of its earlier gloomy atmosphere.

Perhaps the fact that I had already reached 2-Star had managed to lift his mood a little.

“Of course not.

I was just thinking about something else……. I apologize.

Could you please say that again?”

“I am asking for your story, how you managed to achieve your second evolution already.

I knew you had talent, but to have your second evolution at just sixteen is another story.

Can you satisfy this old man’s curiosity?”

“Well, as I fought with the magicians, it just……”

“A life-or-death battle does make a person grow, but for a fellow who just evolved not long ago to leap again is a very unusual case……”

“I guess I’m just overflowing with talent.”

“Puhaha. This kid, really……”

For my part, I tried to pass it off with a bit of cheekiness, but the expressions on Klarm and Rasmia beside me were completely stiff.

‘What, is this that much of a disrespect? I can say this much, can’t I?’

I was slightly taken aback.

Klarm, with a stiff face, asked the Count as if questioning him.

“Did you say grandpa, Your Excellency?

Surely you don't mean to officially recognize Muno as your grandson……”

“Nonsense! I have a headache because of that punk Kane and Roanna as it is, are you going to talk nonsense too!?”

“But Your Excellency……”

“Enough! He is the son my daughter has acknowledged.

This isn't an official occasion, so don't make a fuss about a single title when it's just us.”

Strictly speaking, I was his grandson on his daughter's side (Oesonju), but it seemed difficult to be formally accepted because of the fact that I was an adopted son .

‘Nobility, really…….’

For some reason, a bitter taste seemed to spread in my mouth.

“No, but still……”

“You too, hurry up and get married and have a son, and I’ll treat him as a grandson.

A granddaughter would be even better.

Tsk tsk. A man who’s almost fifty and still not thinking of getting married, just blaming his sister……”

“When did I……!”

“No, brother! Are you still using me as an excuse?!”

“Ha? Didn't you cry and say you would definitely attend my wedding!

That I was your only family!

For a girl who shows up 30 years later, is that what you should be saying!?”

“It wasn't 30 years, it was 25 years…… no, are you really blaming the fact that you couldn't get married on me!?”

I was dumbfounded that the topic of conversation had suddenly shifted to the Klarm siblings' argument.

‘Is this really a conversation for people in their forties…….’

As expected, this sibling pair was strange.

As I was watching the middle-aged siblings’ absurd fight with a click of my tongue.

The Count added fuel to the fire.

“Right.

Rami, you’re a girl who hasn't even gotten married, and you're talking about leaving home, saying you’re going back to that Tower or whatever you were in for 30 years?”

“It wasn't 30 years, it was 25 years…… no, Your Excellency!

You promised you’d let me go anytime!”

“How much have I invested in you, only to use you for a few years……”

“What? You’re going again!?

Are you crazy!?

You should be thinking about getting married, you’re already ugly enough……!”

“Brother, you look exactly like me!?

No, you should get married yourself.

Why are you telling me……”

“Tsk tsk. You immature brats……”

……Gramps.

‘You look very similar right now, you know.’

I forcefully swallowed the words I couldn't say out loud and now watched their fight with intrigued eyes.

Just as I was wondering how far this mess would go.

The Count suddenly flipped the script.

“Ahem! Both of you, stop it.

Aren’t you ashamed in front of a child of your nephew’s age!”

……After he was the one who added fuel to the fire.

Hiding my disappointment, I looked at the Count and our eyes met.

And only then did the main topic come out.

“I’ll ask again, Muno.

Is it true that you broke through the magician’s trick that neither Rami nor the priests noticed?”

“Yes. It’s true.”

“Heh……. That was what really perplexed me when I received the report……”

Was my answer too confident?

The Count’s confused gaze turned towards the immature middle-aged siblings.

“It’s certain.”

“We confirmed it as well.”

The siblings, who had still been growling at each other, nodded their heads at the same time.

At that, the Count gave a bitter smile and his gaze returned to me.

“I can’t believe it even after hearing it, but I suppose I must.”

It was something that couldn't happen by common sense, but since it actually happened, he would believe it.

That seemed to be the general meaning.

“Is that a method that is possible for others as well?”

“Ah, probably not. It’s something I feel purely by instinct……”

I couldn't talk much about the Demon Devourer, so I trailed off vaguely, but fortunately, the Count didn't probe any further.

“As I thought. Phew.

Well, you must have heard on your way here, but first, I need you to check my son and those around him.

The route where you were attacked on your way to Connell.

The only one I shared that with was that punk Kane.”

The moment he said that, I felt the Count's gloomy aura grow even stronger, but I nodded calmly.

"I have already met Grand Prince Kane once before.

There was definitely no trace of magic."

Was that some comfort to him?

The Count seemed a little relieved.

“……Yes. That’s a relief, at least.”

His expression didn't change, but I could see the gloomy aura that was dyeing the surroundings diminish slightly.

‘Wait, am I the only one who can see this?’

Nevertheless, seeing that Klarm and Rasmia didn't even flinch, a strange thought occurred to me.

“Anyway, check not only that punk Kane, but also the people close to him.

I’ve already told them, so there won’t be any resistance.”

The Count's confident voice actually made me feel uneasy.

Recalling Kane's insidious appearance when I first passed by him before meeting the Count in Trian.

'I doubt there won't be any resistance.'

In any case, there was no way I could say anything else in this situation.

“I will check immediately.”

“Yes. You’ve come a long way, I’m sorry for not even giving you time to rest.

I’ll be sure to compensate you later. Please just put in a little more effort.”

Oh, compensation.

Since the Count wouldn't make empty promises on his name, it seemed I could look forward to it.

On top of that.

“You two, accompany Muno.

We need to give this child our support right now.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Having even received reliable reinforcements, my steps couldn't help but be lighter.

Of course, despite all that.

“Is that Drasen punk saying he’s going to investigate my household? Now?”

Kane Trian’s attitude was, just as I had expected.

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