Chapter 139 : Chapter 139

Chapter 139 - The Road to You

Clank—

Without any semblance of a knock, the Head Maid opened the door.

The master of the room, sitting on the floor with his back to the door, fiddling with a heart from his subspace, spoke.

“The death of one is a tragedy, but the death of a hundred is a statistic. And the hundred who will die this time are clones. I’m on the lucky side.”

“…Youngest Son-nim.”

The Youngest Son was engrossed in creating clones, with bone marrow extending next to both his hands.

“Who told you to share the pain? If you’re here to stop me, then leave.”

“I did not come to stop you.”

“What is it, then? Did you come to grate on my nerves as usual?”

“That would be fun, but today I came because there is something I wish to ask.”

The Head Maid quietly approached her master, who continued his work while seated.

It was a stealthy movement from which an ordinary person would not be able to feel even a hint of presence.

Approaching to a step behind him, she spoke.

“I want to know all the side effects of the clones that you are anticipating, Youngest Son-nim.”

“It is an element the General Manager of Intelligence would be curious about. Certainly, a clone so similar to the caster is hard to find in any sorcery.”

“I will not report it to the General Manager. If that is what you wish, Youngest Son-nim.”

“……”

The Youngest Son’s bloodshot eyes finally turned to the subordinate standing behind him.

They were in this room in a relationship of kinsman and subordinate, but the subordinate was in fact only nominally so, closer to a guardian.

Thus, the Youngest Son had never thought of her as more than a guardian.

He thought of it as a contractual relationship where she would return to her original post if this body died.

“Aren't you confusing your main job?”

“I am your Head Maid, Youngest Son-nim. To provide the best assistance as a Head Maid, I thought I should also be aware of the side effects.”

“It’s just the two of us. You can take off the mask. I can tell you the side effects even if you don't lie like that.”

“It is not a lie.”

“Hah. Very well done. To think it’s a lie that even I find hard to discern.”

Her heartbeat was steady. No, rather, it started beating faster now.

Was she flustered because she was caught?

“That’s enough.”

The heart, which had been gradually increasing in intensity, became as still as death again.

She had returned to her usual self.

The Head Maid left the room with facial features that showed no movement, as if plaster had been poured over her face.

Thud—

The door closed a little more forcefully than before.

[…Is it okay to let her go like that?]

Even Enad couldn't hold back and asked.

“For now, it has to be.”

I knew she was hinting that I should pay more attention to her, but there was no time for that now.

The First Son might come storming in at dawn today.

Where was the time to rest when I had just made thirty clones?

“This might be the last time I see the Head Maid. That does weigh on my mind, though.”

[What’s that supposed to mean? Are you going to die?]

“Absolutely not. It means that regardless of my or her will, the General Manager of Intelligence will terminate her mission.”

[I don’t know what you’re talking about.]

The Youngest Son smiled as he created another heart.

“If I’m lucky enough to fend off my older brother, from then on, a full-scale succession war where all kinsmen participate will break out.”

If that happened, it was right for all the family’s personnel to withdraw.

The multi-purpose porter and the Head Maid, who were ambiguously caught in the Fifth Son’s camp here, belonged to that category.

The family merchant Jubel Maxman didn’t matter as their relationship was bound by contract.

“It’s right to detach myself. I’m thinking of sending a letter to the Deputy Head Butler as well. The number of people to handle internal affairs will decrease significantly, so I need to start recruiting now.”

[Hmm. That Lubosch brat is a pity. His cleaning skills were out of this world.]

The Youngest Son smiled faintly.

He had given him a proper mission less than five times.

He felt a little sorry about that, but what could he do?

He would have to leave here to receive that proper mission. The same went for the Head Maid.

He let out a faint sigh and raised his head.

“It was something that was bound to happen once this body got on a normal track. Don’t think too deeply about it.”

[Who are you talking to?]

“To anyone who’s listening.”

Scrape—

A scratching sound, and a sound of something moving a little further away, came from behind the door.

The sound gradually faded and did not return.

***

The General Manager of Intelligence faced his subordinate who had unexpectedly visited him when it wasn't the appointed time.

Dressed in the Intelligence Department uniform instead of a maid's dress for her mission, she exuded a sharp aura.

“To come in person when it’s not the reporting period. There’s no need to waste a return scroll like that.”

As if he could provide as many return scrolls as needed to a Grade 1 Agent.

The General Manager, implying she was wasting his time, asked.

“What kind of high-level information have you brought to come in person instead of writing a report, Mirea?”

“I came because I have something to tell you urgently. I am telling you now because I felt it would be too late otherwise.”

“Speak.”

He still had documents piled up high on his left and right, and he only opened his ears without stopping his pen.

A person who could converse with others and see through their inner thoughts while his hands and eyes were engrossed in work.

His superior spoke in a monotone voice.

“Surely you’re not going to say you’re quitting your post as an agent.”

“……”

“If that’s the case, it’s not funny, so withdraw now and observe the Fifth Son-nim as much as possible as he responds to the First Son-nim’s attack.”

The General Manager kept his eyes fixed on the text and moved both hands without rest.

“Whether the Fifth Son-nim lives or dies in this invasion, you are to return to your mission anyway, even if you don’t struggle.”

“…I am aware. But that is why what I am trying to say is—”

“Shut up and go back. Any further chatter will be considered insubordination.”

“I quit.”

Thump.

The General Manager’s work stopped.

The documents stopped decreasing, and the nib of his pen began to dry up for the first time.

He slowly raised his head and said with a face devoid of any emotion.

“What did you just say?”

A Grade 1 Agent, a position maintained by exactly five people in the Intelligence Department. Mirea Rara did not stop.

“I quit. The position of a Grade 1 Agent in the Intelligence Department. I will lay it down now.”

He didn't ask why.

It was because there was only one reason he could think of.

“Is it because of the Fifth Son-nim?”

His most cherished subordinate offered no excuses.

He had liked that about her, but today it had become the opposite.

At her silence, which was as good as an affirmation, the General Manager let out a long sigh.

“If a Grade 1 Agent of the Intelligence Department voluntarily wishes to leave the Intelligence Department, all the memories in their head will be erased.”

“Because they know too many of the family’s secrets.”

“I have seen more people become imbeciles or fall into a vegetative state in that process than you think. So stop.”

“I know that being an imbecile or falling into a vegetative state is not a guaranteed result. I wish to walk my own path now.”

Kwoong—!!

He slammed the table fiercely.

The documents and inkwell piled on top tumbled violently, dirtying the floor.

His tightly clenched fist trembled, and the quill pen he was holding was crushed beyond recognition.

“Did the Fifth Son-nim look like your dead younger brother? Did you see your own kin in a kinsman of the family?!”

At that roar, the ceiling rumbled, and the lights flickered.

The only one who didn't move was his beloved subordinate, whom he had taught to be calm in any situation.

Click—

The long revolver at her waist revealed its dark muzzle.

“If that is the reason, I will shoot you dead right here. How dare you vent your old feelings on a noble kinsman? And under the guise of a mission?”

He cocked the hammer of the revolver.

The trigger was light, and the bullet that would fly through the rifling would smash her head without hesitation.

“Kneel down right now and beg that it was a slip of the tongue. Say it was a mistake you made unknowingly during a long-term mission. I can change your post anytime.”

“I wish to be by the Fifth Son-nim’s side. Can you grant me permission?”

“Mirea—!!”

Thwump—

A surprisingly quiet and blunt gunshot, unlike a typical one, passed by my ear.

The bullet grazed the subordinate’s cheek a little later.

Blood seeped from the split and torn wound.

Even so, the Grade 1 Agent of the Intelligence Department did not bat an eye.

Her coolness and composure were the epitome of an Intelligence Department agent, but the stubbornness born from it could not be broken.

“Please erase all my memories from the Intelligence Department. I would also appreciate it if you would erase my records as well.”

“……”

The dark revolver was lowered.

“If your memories are erased, you will forget all the reasons you are being stubborn with me. You will only remember your name. Then it will be for naught.”

“Nevertheless, my body will turn towards the Fifth Son-nim. I have a strange feeling that it will be so.”

“…Don’t give me that look. Are you trying to say you’ve developed an instinct to find your home after living as a watchdog for several years?”

“Perhaps. Or the master might come looking for the dog that left home. It’s a situation I’m quite looking forward to, actually.”

“Haa…”

He let out a sigh as if the ground would collapse.

It was a side of the General Manager he had never seen before.

“As of today, the Intelligence Department has lost an excellent agent. And I have lost a capable subordinate.”

“It was an honor to have been able to serve you until now.”

“Enough, get lost. If I see you any longer, I might get jealous of the Fifth Son-nim.”

Mirea, after a sharp salute, took off the epaulet on her shoulder.

“Stay healthy.”

The voice of her former superior reached the back of her head as she was about to leave.

“I will leave a minimal path for your memories to return. That should also reduce the possibility of side effects.”

This time, the subordinate was surprised.

The two of them saw each other's firsts several times today.

Despite having known each other for a very long time, the thought that they still didn't know each other well remained in both their minds.

“Thank… you.”

“Leave. You will forget the family, but the family will not forget your service. At least, I will never forget.”

“……”

Thud—

She closed the door and left.

Now, in just a few more steps, most of her memories would be gone.

Even so, she would be able to find her way, right?

To Eclipse. To the pitch-black castle within it. To my master with pitch-black hair and blood-red eyes.

Even if you don't want me, I will go.

Just stay alive.

***

The ground began to vibrate.

The Youngest Son stood above even the top floor, watching the beings approaching from afar.

Heavy cavalrymen armed with thick black armor, overflowing with an aura of the undead different from that of spirits.

The Skeleton Horses they rode were also heavily armed, leaving no room for even an arrow to penetrate.

The knights of death, who did not forget their nobility even after becoming undead, followed the one at the forefront as their lord.

First Son Hiler Black Millesdusk.

The strongest direct-line kinsman of the current generation and a man praised as having the greatest talent for Bone Sorcery in history.

He created a wave with his Death Knights, and the advance of the legion created an earthquake.

They were only just visible to the naked eye, but for some reason, the Youngest Son knew.

“Older Brother seems to be looking forward to this quite a bit.”

Their eyes met.

They could barely make out each other's human form, let alone their pupils, but they clearly recognized each other.

Furthermore, they witnessed what the other possessed.

The Fifth Son saw the Undead Knight Legion he had brought.

The First Son saw clearly the Eclipse that the youngest had achieved.

The eldest of the family tore his lips into a smile.

“It’s more magnificent than I thought. Coming here first was indeed a good choice.”

“Be careful. All the formidable figures fell to the Fifth Son-nim, who hasn't even fully grown. The same goes for Hinek of the Citadel.”

“Ah, Hinek. A nostalgic name.”

He had raised him to the position of councilor to obtain the citadel, but upon his return, he was dead.

Not by the hands of the Fourth Son, who had also vied for the citadel, but by the youngest.

It was a completely unexpected result, and that made it all the more interesting.

He had killed Hinek, who was closest to the Chairman’s seat, but he stopped there.

He didn't covet the Chairman's seat and only created the strange position of Associate Councilor.

Even at that young age, he was not intoxicated by victory and knew that any more would be greed, so he slowly backed away.

“I wonder if he can maintain that composure in front of me.”

Today, he would see the youngest’s very bottom.

If he didn't like what he saw, he would kill him; otherwise, he would let him live.

But it seemed there would be no reason to dislike him.

He could tell from the youngest’s preemptive strike.

“You’re coming on strong from the start, little brother.”

He looked up at the sky.

A Griffin with red feathers was holding something in its strong talons.

Something so hot that he could feel the heat even from here.

It was a sphere that seemed to be made by weaving together Skeleton Soldiers.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.