Chapter 100: Beron’s Relentless Hunt

Evan had finished his business smoothly with the Duke of Roheim and was now on his way to the capital of the kingdom.

Evan turned to Rolten, who was beside him, and asked.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Rolten shook his head and replied.

“It’s an emergency summons from the king, so I don’t know either. Who knows what might happen… But be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Evan was forcibly called to the capital just before reaching his final destination.

According to Rolten, the king had summoned only the Three Founding Families, the so-called Four Pillars of the Kingdom.

Whenever the king summoned them suddenly, it was always a sign that something was happening.

For some reason, Evan thought he could find out more through Vengor’s information.

‘They plan to launch an all-out attack on the kingdom’s capital.’

Whether Vengor had changed his mind, he confessed everything to Rolten.

Thanks to that, they learned of their plan, but Evan thought differently.

‘I’m sure they’re planning to strike. But is it certain? I can’t be sure yet. They must be moving, assuming this information will leak to some extent.’

He didn’t know what kind of person the Guild Master of the Aestia Guild was.

Evan tried to anticipate the enemy’s actions beyond even his own standards.

‘They’re the ones holding the sword.’

Only factions could move the pieces.

As an individual, he would merely be swept along for now, but within that, he had to find the best solution.

‘If I know, I have to assume the enemy knows as well. I need to prepare accordingly…’

He calculated, always keeping the worst-case scenario in mind.

‘The king’s faction wants to collect souls. The purpose of those Aestia bastards is unknown, but at the very least, it’s the attack on the kingdom’s capital. Finally, the South Holy Union’s aim is the Heretic Purge.’

Somehow, there was a common point among these three goals.

‘The sacrifice of the Lamakria People. No matter how you look at it, they’ll end up as scapegoats in this game.’

Evan made a request to Rolten.

“Let’s split up from here. Please look after the Lamakria People within the Earl’s Territory. If you speak with Marquis Darwen, I’m sure he’ll take care of it.”

Coincidentally, Darwen seemed to be doing something for the Lamakria People as well.

Evan thought he would respond the fastest.

“Alright. Since the head of the house is away, I’ll have to act as his proxy. If we lose the Lamakria People, the technical loss will be considerable.”

He agreed with the opinion that at the very least, they should protect the Lamakria People within the Earl’s Territory.

So, Rolten began preparing to return to Kerthen County with Vengor.

‘Is it a race against time from here on?’

Evan, too, headed alone toward the kingdom’s capital.

***

Royal Territory, in the nearby mountains close to the capital.

Aestia Guild’s Branch 5.

A shabby but enormous building, rivaling a knight order’s training ground, was filled with collapsed bodies.

They were all Lamakria People, those who used the power of Living Armor.

Though their shattered armors tried to regenerate, before that could happen, they had all been crushed.

This entire place had been devastated by a single person.

Beron, his red eyes gleaming, looked around.

After confirming everyone had been annihilated, he began searching the building before moving on to the next location.

As soon as he found any clue, he raided every Aestia Guild base he came across.

Thanks to that, his Living Armor level had already surpassed 70.

The number of members from the Order and the Aestia Guild whom Beron had defeated so far was beyond counting.

He used them as nourishment and grew explosively.

Always on the brink of death, he managed to survive again and again through sheer tenacity.

Each time he survived, Beron surpassed his own limits by several times.

Amidst such fierce battles, his Living Armor too grew like a living being.

Now, even most Dark Knights wouldn’t be able to handle him.

This growth only accelerated his quest for vengeance.

He would not stop.

No, he could not stop until his revenge was complete or until he died.

From the beginning, this goal was what kept him moving; this was the only way for him to keep living.

As he searched every corner, he discovered an old-looking map that appeared to be from an Aestia Guild facility.

But the map was strange, as if it was aged.

It was marked as the Nervan Goddess Domain.

Yet, on this worn map, the Aestia Guild’s bases were indicated.

It contained much more information than any map discovered before.

Beron packed the map and silently set out for his next destination.

The moment Evan entered the Royal Territory of the Lupes Kingdom, He couldn’t help but be awestruck by its sheer size.

Cities could be seen beyond the massive walls.

Perhaps because it was a highland area, the whole expanse beyond was visible at a glance.

‘The Royal Territory has cities lined up right from the border, huh.’

Compared to Kerthen County, which felt like a frontier, this place was extraordinary in scale.

Merchant caravans stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Mercenaries, guilds, nobles, and delegations from foreign kingdoms—

With such a diverse crowd, the border areas themselves were bustling.

‘I’d heard the Royal Territory was densely populated, but if even the outskirts are this large…’

He began to understand why the king was so obsessed with power.

‘But I still don’t get what that bastard wants. Why is he collecting souls when he already has all this power?’

Human greed knows no end, so he couldn’t predict what the king truly desired.

He thought he’d have to see for himself to find the answer.

‘It should be around here.’

Evan hurried to find the Ignis Guild, where Delian was supposed to be waiting.

As Evan walked through the crowds, eyes turned to him.

Evan’s striking appearance made him stand out, but he ignored the stares and continued, soon finding the Ignis Guild.

Judging by its location in the center, it looked like a place where quite a bit of money had been invested.

Inside, the guild was filled with rough-looking adventurers and mercenaries, gathered in small groups to receive commissions.

Passing them by, Evan approached the guild receptionist.

“Welcome. How can I help you?”

“I heard Delian is here.”

“Yes? May I ask who you are…?”

Evan showed the ring that proved his status as a member of the Count Kerthen Household.

At that, her eyes widened and she began treating Evan with utmost respect.

“Are you Young Master Evan? Young Master Delian is waiting in the lounge.”

“Tell him to come out. We’ll depart immediately.”

“Yes. I’ll let him know right away.”

The receptionist hurried off somewhere.

***

A short while later, the receptionist returned with Delian.

“Brother, you finally arrived?”

Delian greeted Evan with a short, awkward line.

He seemed unsure how to speak.

Evan silently nodded.

An awkward relationship.

Breaking the silence, Evan spoke.

“You said we have to hurry. Let’s go.”

Delian was still not used to Evan’s indifferent attitude.

He had always been nervous around his older brother, who hated him.

Delian answered awkwardly.

“Yeah. Father already went to the palace. It’ll probably start this afternoon. We just need to get there in time.”

Delian promptly took the lead and began to guide him.

Evan tilted his head.

“But is it alright? The capital seems pretty far from here.”

He’d been thinking about it on the way.

He needed to see the king immediately, and if it was this afternoon, it felt like he was already running late.

Even borrowing a horse, it seemed impossible to get there in time—’so why call them so late?’

Delian looked at Evan with surprised eyes.

No matter how he tried, he couldn’t get used to this.

Um—

Clearly flustered, Delian hesitated before speaking carefully.

“We just go to the Magic Tower and teleport, right?”

“Magic Tower? I’ve never been, so… Is there some sort of transportation?”

Delian looked at Evan with a surprised expression.

“…There are magical teleporters in each Magic Tower. From anywhere with a magic stone installed, you can teleport to the Magic Tower, then transfer to another location. There’s a Magic Tower in the kingdom’s capital anyway, so there’s no need for any extra travel.”

Hearing Delian’s explanation, Evan found it very interesting.

He hadn’t known there was such a method of transportation via the Magic Tower.

It would be quite useful.

He thought of the Magic Tower construction Darwen was currently overseeing.

‘If only the Magic Tower is completed—’

He’d be able to travel anywhere he pleased.

He realized again just how important the Magic Tower was.

‘If there’s a Magic Tower right in the capital, the defenses must be solid.’

Following Delian, Evan noticed a large iron pillar.

It hovered above a platform made with precise craftsmanship.

People were lined up around it.

A guide, who appeared to be a wizard, stood guard.

“Is it over there?”

“Yeah. The fee is expensive, so unless it’s urgent, most people don’t use it. Mostly nobles. The good thing is, for us Founding Families, we don’t have to wait in line.”

Delian explained as he walked forward.

He handed a few gold coins to the attendant and gestured to Evan.

Evan slowly approached where Delian was waiting.

“You go first. I’ll follow right after.”

Delian said, watching Evan’s expression.

Evan nodded and walked up to the guide without another word.

“Welcome. Thank you for coming to our Magic Tower. Please wait a moment; we’ll transfer you shortly.”

The guide, speaking only in formalities, placed his hand on the iron pillar.

As he infused it with mana, the iron pillar began to glow green.

“Please come up here. Stand on the circle you see.”

Evan followed the instructions and stood on the drawn circle atop the platform.

Moments later, a flash of light stretched his vision out like an elastic band.

“Ugh!”

A wave of dizziness struck him, his whole body feeling unnaturally pulled.

Then, as consciousness returned, a new scene spread before him.

Tall, splendid buildings crowded together.

Beyond the fences, countless wizards were heading somewhere, and attendants waited nearby.

‘Is this the kingdom’s capital, Apolumi?’

As Evan looked around, an attendant approached.

“Welcome to the Magic Tower. How can I help you?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be leaving right away.”

Evan stepped off the teleporter and waited for Delian.

Fwoosh!

A flash of light, and Delian’s figure appeared in an instant.

“Urgh!”

Delian gagged, clutching his chest.

Evan watched and couldn’t help but laugh.

‘So it wasn’t just me—this magical teleporter really is the problem.’

Delian clutched his head as he approached Evan.

“Sorry… Did you wait long? Le-let’s go.”

“Wait a moment.”

Evan stopped him.

Delian looked at him as if to ask what was wrong.

“No, just… one moment.”

Something had caught Evan’s eye.

‘Is that the Magic Tower?’

A giant tower stood proudly.

Its height resembled the skyscrapers of his previous world.

‘They built it this tall?’

It soared as if it might reach the heavens.

The breathtaking sight made Evan even more excited for the Magic Tower Darwen was building.

At that moment—

[The lock on Ascalon has been released.]

[The Warden of the Magic Tower reacts to Ascalon.]

A new message appeared before Evan’s eyes.

‘Warden of the Magic Tower?’

An unexpected hidden piece was sleeping within the Magic Tower.