Chapter 31: Shadows Within the Palace

A report had come from the 3rd Branch Leader.

It claimed Breck had been killed by Gardion Tower mages.

At first, Galico didn’t believe it.

He thought the Branch Leader was playing some trick.

Who was Breck?

He was the grandson of Lilith, the 3rd Elder.

Breck was not only powerful in his own right but had also received numerous artifacts from Lilith.

To think that Breck was killed by Gardion Tower mages?

When their strongest elder was only 5th Circle?

The odds of an elder being 6th Circle were higher than Breck being killed by a 5th Circle mage.

Swish.

Galico pulled a cord.

Ding~

A bell echoed through the corridor, and the door creaked open.

A servant waiting outside entered.

“You called, sir?”

“Carvin,” Galico said.

At Galico’s call, Carvin, who had been smiling faintly, shifted to a menacing expression.

“Yes, Branch Leader?”

“Gardion Tower mages are staying at Scarlet Inn, Room 3. Investigate everything about them, including Elder Baren.”

“…Just investigate?” Carvin asked cautiously.

Galico looked into Carvin’s eyes, which were filled with bloodlust.

“Elder Baren is likely 6th Circle, not 5th. Are you confident you can handle a 6th Circle mage?”

At the mention of 6th Circle, Carvin dropped his menacing expression, reverting to his faint smile.

“Approach carefully. They mustn’t notice you.”

“Yes, I’ll investigate thoroughly and discreetly,” Carvin replied, bowing before leaving.

Galico stared at the spot Carvin had vacated, thinking, Such a waste of talent.

Carvin was exceptionally gifted—far surpassing Bloody or Marin.

If not for a critical flaw, Galico would have taken him as a disciple.

If only he didn’t have that dual personality…

Carvin’s normal persona was fine, but his occasional violent personality was problematic.

Let’s hope there’s no trouble.

“I’m going to take a look around the city,” Gaon said.

Rotes stood up, but Gaon continued, “Alone.”

“…Will you be alright?”

“I’m not a kid. I’ll be fine.”

Gaon waved dismissively and left the inn.

Expanding his senses, he thought, Where should I start?

He had claimed he was sightseeing, but his real purpose was different: finding the Abyss.

In a city this large, there had to be a secret Abyss hideout somewhere.

The black market’s in the east. Let’s start there.

There was a sizable black market in the city’s eastern district.

There might be elixirs or rare herbs.

With that in mind, Gaon headed east.

…Hmm.

Soon, he let out a mental murmur.

His senses detected too many presences—over a hundred individuals with significant power: 3rd Circle or higher for mages, 3rd Star or higher for sorcerers, and Sword User or above for warriors.

The auction, probably.

These people likely weren’t native to Raverium but had come with someone attending a special auction.

This makes things tricky.

His original goal was to find the Abyss, but with so many powerful presences, it seemed nearly impossible.

I’ll focus on sorcerers’ energy.

Every energy had a distinct “nature” and “pattern.”

Sorcerers who trained in the same method often had very similar energy signatures.

The Abyss sorcerers in Rabes had shared similar energy patterns.

If any were here, they were likely affiliated with the Abyss.

Focusing on sorcerers’ energy, Gaon moved toward the black market.

Upon arriving, he felt numerous gazes on him, but they quickly returned to their business.

He browsed the stalls, but after a while, he thought, How is there nothing?

Given the market’s size, he had expected elixirs, rare herbs, or at least something noteworthy.

But there wasn’t a single item that caught his eye.

Disappointed, Gaon left the black market and continued exploring the eastern district.

The area was run-down but unremarkable.

He moved to the southern district, thinking, Who’s that?

Someone was tailing him.

At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but it wasn’t.

When he stopped, they stopped.

When he changed direction, they followed.

It was definitely a tail.

Too skilled for a mage.

The tail was a 4th Circle mage, but their tracking skills were exceptional.

Mages typically weren’t adept at tailing, as they rarely needed to.

Yet this mage’s skills suggested professional training.

Only Gaon’s keen senses had caught them; others likely wouldn’t have noticed.

The Abyss?

It was his first thought, but he couldn’t be sure.

Others might have reason to tail him, like the princes of the Raco Kingdom.

I’ll keep exploring for now.

He decided to focus on scouting the city.

The tail might reveal their affiliation with time.

If not, he’d capture them directly.

Leaving them alone wasn’t an option.

After finishing the southern district, Gaon moved to the western, then the northern districts.

…Nothing?

He found no locations that seemed like Abyss hideouts.

He hadn’t explored the entire city, though—the inner castle, where the royals lived, was inaccessible.

Could they be in the inner castle?

The Abyss had disguised itself as a count’s heir, so infiltrating the inner castle wasn’t far-fetched.

The problem was that Gaon had no way to enter it.

Let’s deal with this first.

The tailing mage hadn’t left a single clue during his exploration.

This only strengthened Gaon’s suspicion that they were with the Abyss.

A 4th Circle mage with such tracking skills was unlikely to be purely with the Raco Kingdom.

“Bind.”

Gaon cast Bind, and the mage struggled but couldn’t break free.

A 4th Circle mage couldn’t escape Gaon’s spell—perhaps a 6th Circle mage could.

Gaon approached and saw a young man in his early to mid-20s.

Swish.

He placed his hand on the struggling mage.

“Shock.”

Zzt!

The mage fainted, and Gaon injected Pacheongi to check their brain and heart.

As expected.

There were restrictions on both, confirming they were with the Abyss.

Getting information will be tough.

He still hadn’t figured out how to remove brain restrictions, making torture unviable.

But there was another way: identifying the mage.

A 4th Circle mage wasn’t common and likely held a high position with many connections.

Gaon hoisted the mage over his shoulder and headed back to the inn.

Soon, he arrived and was puzzled.

…What?

Two unfamiliar carriages stood outside, both bearing the Raco Kingdom’s royal crest.

…The 1st and 2nd Princes?

Each carriage had a distinct crest: a lion for one, a wolf for the other.

Given the context, they were likely sent by the 1st and 2nd Princes.

Gaon entered the inn and saw Rotes and Taylor seated at a table, with two men across from them.

“You’re back,” Rotes said, standing to greet him.

The two men looked at Gaon in surprise.

“Who are they?” Gaon asked, eyeing the men.

“They’re envoys from the 1st and 2nd Princes, inviting you to the palace for a meal…”

As expected.

“The palace?” Gaon’s eyes gleamed.

He had been wondering how to access the inner castle, and now an invitation had come.

At that moment—

“I’m Alberto, sent by the 1st Prince,” one envoy said, standing and bowing.

“I’m Daily, sent by the 2nd Prince,” the other said, also standing and bowing.

“Gaon,” he replied curtly, setting down the mage he’d been carrying.

As the mage’s face was revealed, Alberto let out a surprised, “Oh…?”

Gaon’s eyes sharpened as he asked, “You know him?”

“Yes, that’s Carvin, who serves Galico, the head of the palace magic corps. But why…”

Alberto looked flustered.

Gaon stared at Carvin, thinking, Is Galico with the Abyss too?

Galico, the 6th Circle mage and head of the Raco Kingdom’s palace magic corps, would surely know Carvin was a 4th Circle mage, even if Carvin hid his mana.

Yet he kept Carvin as a mere servant?

It could be a deal, but it was more likely Galico was also with the Abyss.

“He was tailing me. I was going to find out who he is, but the palace magic corps leader’s servant, huh…” Gaon frowned slightly.

Alberto and Daily looked alarmed.

Alberto quickly exclaimed, “This has nothing to do with our princes! We’ll investigate why a servant would do this…”

“No, no,” Gaon shook his head.

“I’ll handle the investigation, so don’t worry. As for the invitation, I’ll respond later—I have things to deal with now.”

Initially, Gaon had planned to meet one of the princes after learning Carvin’s identity.

But if Galico, the palace magic corps leader, was with the Abyss, accepting the invitation unprepared could lead to trouble.

“…Understood,” Alberto replied reluctantly.

“We’ll take our leave, then. I hope to see you again,” he said, bowing before leaving.

Daily, the 2nd Prince’s envoy, also bowed and departed.

After they left, Rotes asked, “Is it the Abyss?”

“Yeah,” Gaon nodded, looking at Carvin.

“The palace magic corps leader is likely involved too.”

“…!”

Rotes was shocked.

A 6th Circle mage like Galico, part of the Abyss?

“I’m going to try removing the restrictions now. If anyone comes, handle them appropriately.”

“Yes, understood.”

Gaon carried Carvin upstairs to a room and began injecting Pacheongi to attempt removing the restrictions.

…Tch.

After a while, he sighed.

He had failed again, narrowly, at the last moment.

Carvin woke, his body swelling.

Gaon detonated the Pacheongi inside him.

Carvin died instantly, and his body burst into flames.

Watching the burning corpse, Gaon thought, At least I figured it out.

He had unraveled the structure of the brain restriction.

From now on, he could remove it.

How much does Galico know?

Gaon sat down, focusing on his cultivation while planning his next steps.

A while later—

Swish.

He opened his eyes, not because he’d finished planning, but because a carriage approached the inn.

He sensed Alberto’s energy, along with two others: one near Swordmaster level, the other a Sword Expert.

…Seriously?

Gaon frowned slightly.

Were they planning to harm him for refusing the invitation?

Creak.

He opened the door and stepped out, looking down at the first-floor hall.

Alberto entered, followed by the Sword Expert and the near-Swordmaster.

Surprisingly, the Sword Expert wore luxurious clothing, while the near-Swordmaster was a knight.

The man in luxurious clothing spotted Gaon on the second floor and smiled broadly.

“Greetings. I am Potic Raco, the 1st Prince of the Raco Kingdom.”