The basement was connected to a tunnel.
The inside was saturated with demonic energy, and the walls were not smooth.
It was a tunnel created with Chaos Magic.
Its end was connected to the harbor.
“Do you think Elder Pofish knows about a tunnel that comes from the harbor to near the Royal Castle?”
“He must know. Digging a tunnel of this size would be impossible without the involvement of an Elder-level figure. Otherwise, there would be no reason to hide the dead Elves.”
“What Elder Pofish wants is to join the Union, right? He wouldn’t have a reason to kill the Elves.”
“It’s highly likely he killed them because they found out about the basement.”
“So he hid it.”
If it was discovered he had dealings with demons, it would hinder his entry into the Union, so Elder Pofish had no choice but to hide it.
Choi Kangjoong carefully collected and brought the Elves’ heads.
Mate and the other Elves wrapped the heads and placed them in a box, which Choi Kangjoong sent to Iselin’s office.
Iselin, in a cold tone, requested that Stealth Scouts be attached to everyone involved in the Elves’ deaths.
Stealth Scouts, acting on Choi Kangjoong’s will, began tailing the Barents Beastmen one by one.
-Please send me over there?
Choi Kangjoong opened a Gate, and Iselin crossed over.
“I never thought Lord Outer would meet King Akila in person. I thought you’d just scatter reconnaissance units in a quiet place.”
“I noticed Bluestone Fortress was nearby. If I revealed myself, I figured there would be an immediate reaction.”
“You did very well. Everything will progress quickly now.”
“What will you do now?”
“We must reveal what Elder Pofish did and receive compensation.”
Iselin requested that the Gate be maintained.
When Choi Kangjoong opened the Gate, Arthil and Elf Knights arrived carrying a coffin containing the Elves’ heads.
“Mate, guide us to the Royal Castle.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“You all, inform King Akila of my visit.”
Mate followed behind Iselin, showing the way to the Royal Castle.
The other informants flew ahead with the Knights.
The Barents Beastmen looked puzzled at the sudden appearance of the Elves.
They soon arrived at the hall where Akila and the Elders were.
They had rushed there and were in a state of disarray.
Akila had been hearing about Iselin from Elder Pofish.
When Iselin walked in, Akila sprang to his feet.
“Are you the Elf Queen Iselin? A pleasure.”
“I don’t represent all the Elves of Marsala, so call me the Queen of Derrael.”
“Ah, understood.”
Iselin’s cold aura pushed back Akila’s rugged, wild nature.
Elder Pofish nudged him.
Akila quickly regained his beastly demeanor.
“What brings you here so suddenly? And why have you brought warriors? This is not your territory, but mine.”
“Before we discuss that, you need to explain this first.”
The Elf Knights opened the coffin lid.
Elder Pofish’s face stiffened as he looked inside.
“These are the Elves who requested protection from Elder Pofish. Why were they found dead in a basement, with only their heads remaining?”
“I know nothing of this.”
“Elder Pofish. Do you also not know?”
Iselin pointed at Elder Pofish.
Elder Pofish shook his head.
“They are indeed the ones I protected. But their deaths are also unknown to me.”
“If you don’t know, then who does?”
“I said I don’t know, but I didn’t say I would do nothing. I will take responsibility, uncover the truth, and punish those involved.”
“Then who will punish you?”
At Iselin’s statement, Akila stepped forward.
He was already angry that armed individuals had entered his territory of Bartrang without permission, and now they were threatening his subordinate. He couldn’t just stand by.
“This is my territory! Elder Pofish is my subordinate! If punishment is to be meted out, I will do it!”
“Three Elves died in Bartrang, and no one wants to take responsibility. A so-called ‘King’ just protects someone who made a contract with demons. Is this the way of the warriors you’re so proud of?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come and smell it. You should be able to detect the stench that comes from demons and magic beasts.”
Akila approached the coffin.
Elder Pofish tried to stop him, saying it was a lie, but he didn’t listen.
Sniff sniff.
Akila sensed an odor he had only ever smelled on demons or magic beasts and frowned.
Something else made him even more bewildered.
The tooth marks remaining on the necks and temples.
They were clearly from a Barents Beastman.
It could have been from a Barents Beastman turned magic beast, but that was also a serious matter.
It meant a magic beast had entered the capital.
“Uncle!”
Akila’s head whipped around.
“Akila! Do you trust them more than me, who has been with you for decades?”
“Then how do you explain this stench and these marks?”
“It’s their fabrication!”
“These Elves have been dead for at least a week! And you said they were alive all this time!”
“……”
“Take him to the dungeon!”
The warriors dragged Elder Pofish away.
Akila growled at the other Elders and then asked Iselin,
“What do you want?”
“Punishment of those involved and compensation.”
“Understood. I will overlook the crime of entering my territory without permission.”
“Thank you.”
Iselin readily admitted it, as barging in unannounced was indeed wrong.
“Is that all now?”
“How about joining the Union? If it’s the Barents Beastmen, you could splendidly fill the Union’s vacant position.”
“You propose joining the Union even after experiencing this?”
“Elder Pofish is Elder Pofish, and the Barents Beastmen are the Barents Beastmen.”
“Is that so. It’s a mindset I cannot possess.”
“Your answer?”
“It’s a refusal. The Barents Beastmen are warriors and hunters.”
“How foolish.”
Akila’s killing intent flared up like fire.
“Did I mishear?”
“No. You heard perfectly. I said ‘foolish.'”
“GRRRR!“
Akila’s fur bristled, he lowered his stance, and charged like lightning.
Iselin gestured for Choi Kangjoong to hold back and deployed a Shield.
Crrrrack!
Akila’s claws scraped the Shield.
The Shield, created by Iselin, who was still in a state close to the Central Unit, and infused with abundant Life Mana, didn’t budge an inch.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Akila slammed down repeatedly.
Iselin smiled leisurely from behind the Shield.
“Akila. Lord Outer doesn’t even need to step in to conquer a place like Bartrang. Just the Expedition Fleet assembled to attack the Demon Realm would be enough to finish you off.”
“GRRRR!“
“If this one were to step in, the Barents Beastmen would all disappear in a single day.”
Akila’s bloodshot eyes turned toward Choi Kangjoong.
“If you wanted to make them slaves, you could just bring the fleet and conquer them. So why don’t you do that?”
Akila took a step back.
Because he couldn’t sense any intent to attack from Iselin, and he understood the gap in power.
“Because we don’t desire a vertical hierarchy between races, like the demons do.”
“Why is that?”
“Relationships built on oppression and fear inevitably collapse under greater power. The Barents Beastmen have endured until now because you are a single race with strong family bonds. You know what would have happened otherwise.”
Akila, having calmed his excitement, retreated to his throne.
“I will overlook the crime of attacking me just now.”
“You insulted me first!”
“I only spoke the truth.”
Iselin left the hall with the Elves.
Choi Kangjoong faded away silently.
Akila couldn’t take his eyes off him until he was gone.
He simply couldn’t believe Iselin’s words.
“‘If an Outer Mind steps in, Bartrang disappears in a day?’ That’s a lie!”
Yet, recalling the eyes of Choi Kangjoong he had just faced, his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Was that really a living being……?”
The Conditional Archduke stood up upon hearing his subordinate’s report.
His four-meter-tall, massive body was encased in thick armor.
It was a magic beast that had been with him since birth, saturated with blood, soul, and demonic energy, making it so tough that even an Aura Blade would have difficulty cutting it.
Unless it was a large-scale dimensional weapon like a Devil Cannon, it was impenetrable—a veritable moving fortress.
Thanks to it, he had broken through countless battles and assassination attempts to rise to the position of Archduke.
“An Outer Mind and Iselin appeared in the Bartrang capital?”
“That’s correct. We’ve confirmed it multiple times. It was definitely an Outer Mind and Iselin.”
“Any army?”
“None. Only a small number of Elves were with them.”
“This is a good opportunity. We’ll deal with the Demon Realm’s headache right here.”
“If we swallow them, you could even aim for the position of Legion Commander.”
“Order the entire fleet to advance! All rear disruption plans are to be executed accordingly.”
The Bluestone Fortress and the demon fleet began advancing toward the Bartrang capital.
The Demon of Chaos, Duke Trefan, who was also the Conditional Archduke’s strategist, arrived at the Bartrang capital first.
He moved through the tunnel to near the Royal Castle and met Elder Pofish in the underground prison.
“Playing both sides between the Demon Realm and the Union has left you a toothless wolf. Heh heh.”
“Did you come to mock me?”
Elder Pofish looked weary.
Since being imprisoned, all he had eaten was one lump of ground miscellaneous meat and a few sips of water.
“Has your desire to join the Union not changed? You should know by now how much influence Iselin and the Outer Mind hold there.”
“If Bartrang can survive, I don’t care if it’s the Union or the Demon Realm.”
“A living Bartrang won’t have you in it.”
“Akila will protect me.”
“Do you think the Elves and that damned monster will leave you alone, knowing you made a contract with demons?”
Elder Pofish’s eyes wavered.
Meeting the demons was for Bartrang’s sake.
But over the deaths of just three Elves, those two nuisances had caused a scene, and Akila had locked him up here.
“What meaning does a Bartrang you’ve protected for seventy years have if you’re not in it? Will you just stand by and watch as Akila, Iselin, and the Outer Mind control the Bartrang you guarded?”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
“Just help me like before. The influence will be a bit greater, that’s all. If you do that well, you’ll become the Duke of Bartrang and the master of this place.”
“Duke of Bartrang……”
“……Isn’t that right?”
“A position isn’t something you get just by bloodline; it should go to someone with sufficient merit and wisdom. A king…”
“That’s right…… Akila, who locked me up here, is not qualified to be king!”
Duke Trefan smirked.
Clank! Clank!
The iron bars fell away from the wall.
Elder Pofish walked out into the corridor.
The guards were lying on the ground, looking as if they had been crushed by a giant hammer.
Once outside the Royal Castle, Elder Pofish’s subordinates prostrated themselves before him.
“Let’s begin.”
The subordinates spread out, and the magic Duke Trefan had meticulously installed activated.
It was designed to absorb the life force of the Barents Beastmen to block Gates and enhance their instincts.
Howling erupted from all directions.
It was a terrifying sound imbued with killing intent.
Immediately after it ended, screams burst out from everywhere.
“Congratulations on becoming the Duke who rules Bartrang.”
Duke Trefan patted Pofish’s shoulder.
A howling saturated with demonic energy spread far and wide from his mouth.
“The demons have come all the way to the capital! Send the warriors quickly!”
Akila, looking outside from the Royal Castle, shouted.
The assembled warriors spread out, subduing the Barents Beastmen driven mad by the magic and killing the magic beasts.
“You, go to the dungeon and retrieve Elder Pofish. He will fight too.”
The warriors who went to the underground prison reported the situation there.
Realizing Elder Pofish’s betrayal, Akila had no time for anger.
Because hordes of magic beasts were rushing in.
“To the harbor! We must protect the harbor!”
Bartrang’s dimensional ship construction technology was crude compared to the Demon Realm’s.
Still, they had to protect the ships they did have to offer even slight resistance against the Conditional Archduke’s fleet.
Akila ran.
Even from the ground, the situation in the Dimensional Sea was despairing.
The Bluestone Fortress was close enough to be seen with the naked eye.
Around it, demon dimensional ships were gathered like swarms of ants.
“Is it over?”
Even the King, who should never give up, despaired.
Then, unknown entities entered his field of vision.
Giant creatures, large and small.
Their similar colors indicated they were of the same kind.
As they appeared, the Conditional Archduke’s fleet became frantic.
They rapidly changed formation and turned their gun ports toward them.
The Bluestone Fortress and the largest of those creatures exchanged attacks.
“Those eyes……”
Even though they were very far away, he could tell what those enormous creature’s eyes resembled.