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It was a feeling of humiliation he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

If it weren’t for his superior’s order to exercise restraint, there were many moments he could hardly endure.

Not only did the brat belittle the meeting report, but he even spoke down to him and his superior openly.

“Phew.”

Marco had some understanding of his superior’s temperament.

Despite his gentle appearance, he was a man with dozens of cunning schemes hidden within.

‘He’s a fearsome individual.’

No matter how much unexpected power Samael’s immature brat possessed, his superior wouldn’t tolerate such a reckless person.

It seemed like he was planning to use him to some extent and then discard him…

But somehow, it felt like he was being too accommodating for that.

At that moment, the door to the secret room opened, and his superior, who had finished seeing off the brat, entered and sat down.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Marco looked at his superior, who started dozing off as soon as he sat down, and carefully asked,

“Was it really necessary to give him the certificate?”

His superior replied with his eyes closed,

“Consider it a small gift.”

“But there was no need to stir up trouble…”

Marco unconsciously retorted, then realized his slip of the tongue and immediately stopped talking.

“I apologize.”

His superior, who had sensed Marco’s thoughts, said,

“It seems you don’t like Ruin.”

“….”

“It’s okay. Tell me.”

“I don’t have a good impression of him.”

“Why?”

“He’s reckless. Even if he has some skills, he acts too brazenly. I don’t see any reason to get close to him.”

His superior didn’t respond and started dozing off again.

A moment later, his superior raised his head, curled his lips upward, and looked at Marco.

“I have a slightly different opinion.”

“Pardon?”

“What we see is only a fragment. What did you feel after witnessing the recent changes in Khaoto, Marco?”

Marco straightened his posture at the somewhat sharp question and answered cautiously.

“It was surprising that Ruin took in the Dark Souls, but that was also a rash decision. It gave Bayern an excuse. Bayern has already hired the Yale Road Mercenary Group to take control of the west.”

“Exactly. That’s the surprising part.”

“Pardon?”

His superior clasped his hands together and pretended to twist them.

“Try changing your perspective, Marco.”

“….”

His superior tapped his head and muttered,

“Ruin left for Leon as soon as he took control of the Dark Souls. He wasn’t there when Bayern attacked the Dark Souls. Why do you think that was?”

“Are you suggesting he deliberately left?”

His superior clapped his hands once.

“Exactly. Ruin had no intention of negotiating with Bayern or worrying about Urgon. From the very beginning…”

His superior’s eyes gleamed.

“He was planning to strike Bayern. That’s why he needed justification. Justification that Urgon couldn’t interfere with.”

“….”

“He must have already solved the money issue. It’s an interesting situation. It seems simple but it’s also quite difficult. The judgement that he’s reckless was wrong. No matter how I look at it, it’s hard to read his intentions.”

It was the first time Marco had heard his superior evaluate someone in this way.

His superior continued,

“It won’t be stirring up trouble. Rather, it was a good timing to show off with a simple gift. You can leave now, Marco.”

“Yes.”

As Marco closed the door to the secret room and left, his superior muttered to himself,

“He’s reckless, but perhaps he’s worth keeping an eye on.”

Kant opened his eyes slightly and smiled.

* * *

Returning to the clan estate at dawn, I roughly took off my clothes and washed up.

Perhaps due to fatigue, I fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the bed.

When I woke up around the time the sunlight was shining brightly and sluggishly went outside, I finally noticed the clear light of Mount Khaoto.

“This is refreshing.”

This is why people need to get a good night’s sleep.

I strolled around the lodging with a relaxed mind, visited the main house once, and then wandered around again before stopping at the railing of the training ground.

Looking back, I was the only one with a leisurely mind.

The Head and the elders were in meetings without rest, and the apprentices guarding the main gate were tense.

The faces of the ants in the training ground were also filled with tension.

Suddenly, I wanted to say,

“How lonely. In this peaceful Mount Khaoto, only the mountain and I have a sense of ease.”

“Oh my.”

I turned around to see Daisy looking at me. I wondered when she had arrived.

Hmm.

This is embarrassing.

As I pretended not to notice and hurriedly went down the railing, Daisy nodded with a look of admiration.

‘She’s out of her mind this early in the morning.’

While entering the training ground after coming down from the railing, Donkey greeted me with a smile from afar.

He was holding a steaming bowl of stew, and oh, my mouth watered at the sight of it.

‘Looks delicious.’

There were also several locals around.

They were the ones I had deliberately ignored until now.

“Come quickly.”

I reluctantly approached and received the stew bowl, and Donkey grinned and said,

“It’s spicy.”

It was delicious. Still delicious.

“I have one bottle of makgeolli left. Want to open it? I was saving it.”

“Oh.”

Now I see there’s one more person besides me who has a sense of ease.

“Sure. But only one bottle left? That’s a bit disappointing.”

“Yeah. I came in a hurry.”

“Let’s open it next time then. When the time is right.”

Donkey mimicked my words with a chuckle.

“Sure. When the time is right.”

While I was devouring the stew like there was no tomorrow, someone handed me a water bottle from behind.

I took a sip and turned around to see a familiar little boy standing there.

“Precious?”

“I’m not Precious.”

The boy patted his chest and said,

“I’m Allen.”

Suddenly, I heard laughter and looked up…

The locals, despite their tension, were smiling as they watched me and the boy.

I didn’t feel particularly good about it. It suddenly reminded me of the unpleasant Samael from my past life.

I quickly left the training ground and walked towards the idiots.

As I walked, my sense of ease gradually returned.

The apprentices, sensing my approach, tensed up and maintained a rigid posture.

Looking at them, they were quite amusing.

“What are you doing?”

As if they had coordinated beforehand, they were forming some strange triangular formation.

I sat down on a rock a little distance away and looked at the apprentices.

“I said, what are you doing?”

While no one turned around, Palge replied,

“How is it?”

“How is what?”

“Doesn’t it look cool?”

Palge was the mastermind behind the formation.

I felt a surge of anger, but I tried to maintain my composure by recalling my sense of ease.

“Stop that and come here.”

This time, Zion answered.

“We can’t do that. We have to protect Samael.”

“Who am I talking to? Look at me and talk.”

“We can’t. What if the enemy attacks while we’re not looking and blows a hole in our heads?”

“But if you don’t listen to me, wouldn’t you be more likely to get a hole blown in your head by me?”

The apprentices flinched and turned around all at once.

“Stop messing around and come here.”

As the apprentices approached, I stepped onto the rock and turned around.

The Head and the elders, who had finished their meeting, were looking at us. Even from a distance, I could sense their determination, so it seemed they were fully prepared.

I looked at the apprentices and said,

“Hey guys, see those people over there acting all serious despite their age?”

“The elders?”

“Yeah. Go over there and rest next to them.”

“…Why?”

“Because you need to have a relaxed mind before going into battle.”

Perhaps they sensed something from my words.

The apprentices didn’t say anything and walked towards the elders.

I watched their backs for a moment and then asked,

“But why are you still maintaining the triangle formation even while walking?”

Palge, without turning around, said,

“How is it?”

“Come here. Let me fix it.”

The quick-witted idiots immediately disbanded their triangular formation.

“….”

With the apprentices gone, I was the only one left at the main gate.

I sat alone on the rock, enjoying the leisurely moment and letting my thoughts wander. A few mercenaries approached me, but seeing my mood, they didn’t say anything and went back.

The wind was cool, and the overall atmosphere was perfect for contemplation.

Among other things, I focused on imagining what the Bayern guys might be discussing.

Snake Eyes, who got slapped by me yesterday, would have reported back about our mercenary group, and the Head of Bayern would be planning to attack with all his forces.

Maybe tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.

It was highly likely that they had also informed Urgon of the situation. Those snake-like guys were surprisingly thorough.

Kazen would have anticipated this much.

He was probably planning to strike Bayern first around sunset today, but I had a slightly different idea.

In my opinion, the Head of Bayern was a fool who didn’t know his place. He was like a wren with big ambitions despite his limitations.

The fact that he had never even shown his face in Samael until now showed how much he valued his own authority.

And guys like that tend to imitate the actions of those stronger than them.

For example, a declaration of war.

It’s an act of displaying the family’s authority and being conscious of outsiders. Exactly the kind of thing a wren-like guy would love.

There was a possibility that he would spout some nonsense like, “Listen, Samael! We will punish you for daring to insult Bayern. If you don’t want to die, blah blah blah.”

Of course, he might not.

But it was just my gut feeling.

In reality, whether he came or not, it was just my imagination.

Boom—

But my imagination became reality.

I blinked and looked in the direction of the sound, and there stood a man I had never seen before, right in front of the main gate, having smashed the signboard.

He was a man with a thick neck, wearing blue clothes.

As expected of a declaration of war, it seemed they sent someone with a loud voice.

“Hear this, Samael!”

The locals in the training ground came running at his earth-shattering shout.

The man waited until enough people had gathered, then unfurled the parchment he was holding in his right hand and read aloud,

“By the order of the Head of Bayern, Samael, open your ears and listen carefully! You will be punished for daring to insult Bayern. By tonight, the Head of Samael and his direct descendants must sever their own arms and kneel before Bayern. Otherwise…”

The messenger, in charge of delivering the declaration, met the eyes of the approaching Head of Samael and said,

“…only death awaits.”

Having finished his message, the messenger proudly looked around.

He didn’t even flinch, even though all of Samael’s people were approaching him.

It was an unspoken rule not to kill the messenger who delivers a declaration of war.

Moreover, he was confident that they wouldn’t dare touch him.

“Did you hear me clearly, Head?”

The messenger continued to glare at the Head of Samael, who was now within close proximity.

He didn’t like the fact that the Head of a mere minor family was leisurely approaching without any change in expression.

“I said, did you hear me clearly, Head? Only death awaits!”

At that moment,

Slash—

“Gah!”

The messenger’s wrist, holding the parchment, was cleanly severed.

“How can you be so careless? None of these guys ever watch their surroundings.”

Before the messenger could even scream, I shoved my fist into his mouth, forcing him to his knees.

“Make sure he doesn’t escape.”

The apprentices rushed forward and grabbed the messenger’s legs.

I wiped the black dagger, dripping with blood, and said,

“Say it again, thick-necked bastard. What did you say?”

The messenger, his severed wrist trembling, looked at Kazen.

“Ugh, you damn… Let me go! How dare you do this to a messenger who came to deliver a declaration! Ugh…”

Kazen looked at me without saying a word, and I looked back into his eyes.

His gaze was calm, so I couldn’t tell if he was about to reprimand me or not.

Most likely, it was a look of disapproval.

If it were Kazen, he would have let the messenger go unharmed, no matter how presumptuous his behavior was.

But I had no intention of letting that slide.

“Ruin.”

Suddenly, Kazen extended his hand towards me.

I was about to say something, but I unconsciously handed him the dagger I was holding.

Thud—

“Aaaaagh!”

The messenger’s entire right arm was cut off, and blood splattered in the air.

Kazen, holding the dagger, turned around and ordered,

“We’re going to Bayern. The mercenaries stay here and protect the people.”

I looked at Kazen’s face for a moment, then approached the main gate and picked up the fallen Blue Sea Flag.

“Bring the box.”

While Daisy and the mercenaries brought the box, the apprentices lined up in front of me, awaiting orders.

I made eye contact with each of the apprentices and then said,

“Let’s go.”

———