Chapter 85: Searching the Gaps

‘It’s thick.’

The walls protecting the Marquis’s House, and everything within them, were imposing. Both the Outercity and the Inner City required a thorough identification check upon entry.

He was granted passage because he carried a monster carcass, something welcomed anywhere, but he could feel eyes on him from every direction. It was a surveillance that would not lift until all suspicion was cleared.

‘I suppose you could call it an iron fortress. Then again, the Marquis’s House has many enemies both inside and out.’

While scanning the interior, he searched for the inn.

The Bedel Inn.

It was a place with no ties to the Black Crow. Ident had settled on that location.

“A place like this is actually easier to hide in. If we go somewhere with unnecessary connections, we’ll only get caught.”

“Interesting.”

They secured one private room for the merchant leader and several shabby rooms for the porters.

“Everyone, go inside and rest.”

“Yes, sir!”

They continued to act like members of a merchant group until they had unpacked at the Bedel Inn. Only after entering the private room and realizing all prying eyes were gone did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

‘This is fun.’

Nothing had happened yet. However, being in the middle of enemy territory was quite a thrill in itself. The moment Marquis Owen realized he was here, he would bring his entire force to bear. A man of the Marquis’s caliber would eventually intuit that Ron was the core of his territory’s development. He would target Ron with a dense dragnet.

‘I’m confident enough to escape, but there’s no need to play the role of the fugitive.’

A chase might be fun, but Ron preferred being the hunter rather than the hunted. He had come here to set the stage for exactly that.

“The surveillance is quite thorough. You managed to move around a place like this?”

“I don’t actually come here often. As you can see, the security is tight. That damn fox guards his den well.”

“He certainly does. Hmm… what to do.”

As expected, the Marquis was protecting himself thoroughly. It was to the point where Ron wondered if it was even possible to lure him out.

‘If I can’t get him, maybe I should take the heads of his vassals instead.’

Marquis Owen’s House had many vassals. Much like Ron’s family, they employed single-generation nobles and paid them a substantial annual salary. Among them, three 4th-class mages held the rank of Viscount. They even maintained a separate magic unit composed of 3rd-class mages trained by them.

Depending on their skill, 3rd-class mages were given the title of Baron or paid a hefty sum. If they mobilized, they would represent a significant force. Even 3rd-class magic, if cast by many simultaneously, was difficult for even a Knight Order to handle. Marquis Owen’s House always kept such power on hand.

If Ron’s side relied on knights, the other side relied on magical power.

‘The current Marquis Owen has put a lot of effort into this.’

They were strong enough that Ron’s side might have been helplessly defeated by their magical forces if his master hadn’t been there. And it wasn’t as if their knights were necessarily weak.

‘He’s thrown a lot of money at the problem.’

The Marquis had used his mages to produce a large number of magical items to arm his knights. Consequently, while the knights’ inherent strength might be lacking, they compensated for it with magical equipment.

The gap had narrowed now, as Ron’s side was also well-armed with items from the Magic Tower and the magical gear he produced. However, they didn’t have their Knight Order with them right now.

‘The Crows have to secure the escape route, so they’re out of the equation for combat.’

He had to face them using only his own strength and that of the Iron Fist.

As Ron sat lost in thought, Ident, who had been watching him quietly, spoke up.

“If you feel it’s truly impossible, you may withdraw now. Truthfully, I came to help you, Young Master, but I thought it would be impossible. Killing a Marquis in his own castle is no easy task.”

“And?”

“Even if they aren’t knights, the Crows are also the Count’s subordinates. I thought it would be good to give the Young Master a valuable experience.”

“An experience that puts my life on the line… That’s interesting. Sounds like a load of nonsense, though.”

“I’ve heard that many children of noble families grow after undergoing such experiences. They face a wall they’ve never encountered in their lives.”

“Pfft.”

A wall they’ve never encountered.

Indeed, an ordinary noble child would likely never face any wall in their life. Whatever they wanted was brought to them in some form. Servants assisted them in their daily lives. The family’s vassals taught them everything they could.

Thus, noble children knew nothing of ‘walls.’ They didn’t even know where their limits were. They were always overflowing with confidence. If such children were to encounter a wall…

‘They might actually grow.’

They could fall into despair, or they could grow. Certainly. But as for Ron…

‘I’ve faced countless walls.’

He had been unable to learn martial arts due to his Jeongmak. He had despaired countless times while trying to fix it. He had moved to reform his family and punish the Demonic Cult. He had been defeated numerous times after realizing the gap in power.

He had also been born as the child of a poor family. He had worked and studied his entire life only to die pointlessly. It was a death that came before he could even enjoy life.

And someone like him hadn’t felt a wall? Not a chance!

Even the Black Mage, who had been helplessly defeated by Ron, or those who spent their lives fleeing from the world’s scorn, had not faced the walls he had encountered several times over.

“There’s no way something like this could be a wall for me.”

“…I may have overstepped my bounds.”

“You did.”

Ron wouldn’t fall into despair over something like this. If there was a difficult task, he would find a way to solve it, no matter the difficulty.

‘Ident… Hmm.’

The Marquis’s House was one of the archenemies of his own Count’s House. From Ident’s perspective as the leader of the Black Crow, he might have thought that simply seeing and experiencing the Marquis’s territory would be a great lesson for the one who would lead their own territory.

Ron didn’t know for sure, but perhaps his older brother had come here a few times while performing missions. He might have felt a wall there. But Ron had no intention of feeling any wall here.

“I’m the one who decides what a wall is. For now, go and find information on the Marquis’s castle.”

“……Understood.”

Swoosh.

Ident activated his Stealth Technique and vanished from sight. Even after he was completely gone, Ron sat still, staring ahead.

‘It’s been a while since my competitive spirit was this fired up.’

His mind was filled with thoughts of how to complete the mission and surprise Ident.

Two days passed.

“There is almost no information on the Inner City. However, I have quite a bit on the Outercity.”

“That’s not enough. Dig deeper…”

Ident had been moving, but the information was scarce. He said as much even after mobilizing the maximum amount of manpower.

“Didn’t you say you were dealt a blow before? This time, we should be the ones dealing the blow.”

“……So you knew. Of course. Since one of my Crows has fallen, I must take several of the Foxes’ necks.”

“Right. Keep that mindset.”

“Yes, sir.”

For some reason, the Foxes’ movements had improved recently. The Crows, who were always one step ahead, were being caught. For the Crows, who usually outmaneuvered the Foxes despite being fewer in number, it was a matter of wounded pride.

When that memory was brought up, Ident bit his lip, regained his fighting spirit, and began to move.

A few more days passed.

Ident scoured every corner of the Outercity with fire in his eyes. While he was moving, Ron didn’t just sit idly in the inn.

‘Staying still doesn’t suit my temperament.’

It was only right that he moved as well.

“You guys go and check out what the back alleys are like here. There’s no way a place like this doesn’t have them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Given the Marquis’s personality, he might even be directly controlling the city’s back alleys. Ron ordered the Iron Fist to scout those areas. He wasn’t sure about the other members, but he at least trusted Sian.

“……I’ll be back.”

Confidence filled Sian’s eyes as she bowed and departed. While the Crows were flying and the Iron Fist was roaming the underworld…

“It’s been a while.”

Ron activated his Stealth Technique to mask his presence and began searching various locations.

‘The skills of the Marquis’s Foxes couldn’t have improved so suddenly. There’s something here.’

He moved around the Outercity. He searched for people, not places.

‘As I thought.’

Marquis Owen was a man who protected his own life above all else. Ron figured the Marquis would have many people stationed throughout the city. He looked for those individuals.

‘Not you.’

Some appeared to be spies but were not.

“Oh… he’s fast. Seems to be at the level of third-rate martial arts. Is it natural talent?”

There was also someone who showed quick movements, as if they had learned martial arts. He was much slower than Sian, but his physical agility was quite impressive.

‘A thief.’

The man moved here and there, picking people’s pockets. If he were in Ron’s territory, he would have been caught immediately. But this was the Marquis’s territory. If such a person was running rampant, it was fine by Ron.

Whenever he felt a strong aura, he followed it. Eventually, he crossed the Outercity and drifted into the Inner City.

‘Easy.’

So far, no one had been able to catch Ron while he was using his Stealth Technique.

‘Is that the Marquis’s castle?’

At the innermost part of the Inner City sat a castle far larger than the Ofern manor. It was surrounded by walls that, while perhaps not as thick as the city’s, were still substantial.

They were thick. There were many people moving about. Individuals who appeared to be knight-level were coming and going throughout the Marquis’s castle. The security was formidable.

‘No wonder Ident couldn’t easily search the place.’

Moreover, the security of the Inner City was no joke. The Guard Corps patrolled the area, watching the people. Every time the Guard Corps glanced their way, the people bowed their heads and hurried away. It was easy to see how the Guard Corps usually treated the residents.

‘Hmm. There’s a gap everywhere. Even the place where the Emperor lives has gaps.’

Ron circled the Marquis’s castle, looking for a weakness. There was no way a human endeavor was without flaws. However, in the places where no people were stationed, there was something else.

‘Is it magic? Hm? What is this?’

It was magic. It seemed the Marquis had used the mages in his territory for security. He had created a perimeter with Alarm magic and set magical traps in various places. However…

‘…There’s something wrong with the mana.’

The scent of the mana mixed into the security magic was unusual. Mages had different characteristics depending on their school and personality. It was particularly true that the features of their magic varied based on which school they studied.

‘This is similar to martial arts.’

Martial arts movements and traces also differ depending on which sect’s techniques were learned. Thus, by reading those traces, one could determine the opponent’s strength or the martial arts they practiced. Magic was the same. By using its characteristics, one could read what kind of magic had been practiced, just like martial arts.

But why, in the Marquis’s House…

‘Did it feel familiar?’

Why was he reading a familiar characteristic that he knew? It wasn’t the magic style his master had taught him. The mana of his master, a War Mage, left behind coarse traces. This wasn’t coarse. It was the opposite.

‘It’s gloomy.’

It had been disguised as something else, but it couldn’t deceive Ron’s senses. A thick, gloomy energy.

‘…It’s Demonic Qi.’

It was mixed with Demonic Mana.