Chapter 205 : King (1)
Chapter 205: King (1)
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The southeastern part of the Empire.
The port city known as Jittenham had always been a place filled with the scent of the sea.
Because of that, the temperament of its people was notoriously rough, especially the deeper one went toward the harbor or docks.
Clatter.
A bustling tavern along the lively waterfront.
Unlike others, one person sat alone in a corner, sipping from a glass.
Judging by the wrinkles visible beneath his robe, he was clearly quite old, but his outward physique was impressively sturdy.
Crash!
Soon, a fight broke out inside the tavern.
Since it was a daily occurrence, the drunkards cheered and encouraged the two brawlers.
The old man, too, was quietly drinking and watching the scene when his attention shifted to a woman who took a seat in front of him.
“Young people these days are so full of energy, aren’t they? You look like you’re reminiscing.”
“You seem to be in your prime yourself.”
“I prefer well-ripened fruit.”
The woman looked at the old man with a seductive gaze.
Her looks were enough to shake any man, but the old man only responded with a bitter smile and took another sip.
One more peculiar detail was that none of the tavern’s patrons paid her any attention.
A beautiful woman had appeared in a place reeking of alcohol, and yet no one even glanced her way, as if she were invisible.
“Care to get some fresh air together? They say the night sea here is breathtaking.”
“Will you escort me?”
“Gladly.”
The old man took her extended hand, and the two left the tavern together.
When the door closed, the noisy sounds vanished, and the quiet night of the city welcomed them.
Rustle.
The old man smiled faintly at the feeling of sand beneath his feet.
The atmosphere of his long-forgotten hometown remained unchanged and was enough to soothe his weary body and mind.
The cool night breeze also helped calm the heat from the drink he hadn’t enjoyed in a long while.
“……”
But the more time passed, the colder the warmth from their clasped hands became.
“Seems we’ve arrived at the destination. When do you plan to begin?”
“……You knew?”
“It would’ve been odd if I didn’t, considering how direct you were. I’ll have you know this old man set things up this way on purpose. It’s harder to move around at this age, after all. So I thought it best to lure you all in at once like this……”
Whoosh.
The old man’s words didn’t finish.
The woman, still holding his hand, suddenly thrust her opposite hand toward him with a violent strike.
“Tsk, cutting off your elder mid-sentence. No manners at all.”
Despite claiming to be old, the man casually tilted his head to dodge the surprise attack with ease.
But the assault didn’t end there.
Clang!
Thick chains shot up from beneath the sandy beach.
They coiled tightly around the old man’s body, pulling from all directions to bind him so completely that he couldn’t even move a finger.
‘No need to worry about prying eyes.’
Even while restrained by the chains, the old man calmly turned his gaze upward.
A powerful barrier had been deployed across the entire beach, ensuring no disturbance would leak to the outside.
So he let out a quiet chuckle and casually twisted his wrist.
Crack.
Chains as thick as a man’s forearm shattered into pieces and clattered to the ground.
The old man slowly drew his sword, his piercing blue eyes radiating presence even in the dark.
“I do hope every last one of you showed up. I’d rather not go through such a messy fight again.”
Taat!
The seal was broken.
That meant it was time for a head-on battle.
Dozens of shadows burst up from below and simultaneously charged at the old man, creating a spectacular scene.
“Tsk.”
But the old man looked unimpressed.
As if he had forgotten something, he pulled an item from his robe and placed it on his face.
“I keep forgetting. They asked me to wear this whenever I drew my sword.”
Clatter.
In contrast to his graying white hair, the mask was pitch black, and at its tip, a red mark engraved with the letter 『K』 stood out.
“Come, then. Looks like it’s just a bunch of nobodies, but this should still make for a decent post-meal workout. I suppose I should’ve saved a bit more strength.”
Crack!
One slash.
Just one.
With a light swing, countless sword strikes tore through the darkness and cut down all the charging shadows.
A flawless attack, allowing for no resistance or evasion.
The fragments that fell to the ground evaporated into smoke and vanished.
“Good. No traces left behind.”
The old man smiled in satisfaction and turned to look at the woman who had lured him from the tavern.
She, too, lay on the ground, mortally wounded, but thanks to the old man’s intentional miss, she wasn’t killed instantly.
“……Damn you!”
“I’ve heard enough swearing. Got anything more constructive to say before you die?”
Ptooey.
The woman spat.
Of course, the spit didn’t even reach him before it was sliced into dozens of pieces and vanished.
“I will not die! I’ll return to His embrace and rise again on this land……!”
Slice.
Her head flew off.
What remained was cut into dozens, hundreds of pieces and, like the others, vanished into dust.
Clack.
Sheathing his sword, the old man let out a brief sigh and shook his head.
“Kids these days have no sense of romance. What a shame.”
Sssss.
At the same time, he felt the barrier around the area dissipating.
The old man paused for a moment, wondering what to do, but upon sensing a familiar presence in the distance, he smiled faintly beneath the mask.
“Familiar faces are arriving.”
Shhk, shhk-shhk, shhk.
Before long, figures in black robes descended from the sky and landed in front of the old man.
Nine, who stood at the front, bowed his head and spoke in a pleased voice.
“King, you’ve returned.”
“Nine, it’s been at least half a year, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. What was supposed to be a short trip for personal business ended up being too long.”
“Were you being tracked, by any chance?”
“It’s all been taken care of, so no worries. It’s best to shake off such nuisances before going home, don’t you think?”
That’s why he had deliberately returned to his hometown and exposed his movements like this.
They were the kind of persistent pests who would have chased him all the way to the Imperial Capital.
“Still, I’m impressed you figured it out so quickly. I didn’t notify NOX because of those guys.”
“You entered our network the moment you passed through the Teleport Gate. We had to confirm it was really you, King, and tracking your destination took a bit of time.”
“Hooh.”
The old man—King of NOX—let out a soft murmur of admiration.
“It seems the organization has changed quite a bit while I was away.”
“Drastically so. You’ll be very surprised when you return. The Master is waiting for you as well—let’s go.”
“Indeed. Ah, we’re heading to the Capital, are we?”
“Yes. All key members are currently operating from the Capital, except for X.”
“The Imperial Capital, huh.”
Click.
Removing his mask, the old man—King—spoke with a face full of intrigue.
“It must’ve been ten years. Back then, I just passed through, but this time I’ll have the luxury of taking a proper look around.”
King immediately stepped onto the Teleport Gate with Nine.
Though it was already late at night and well past gate operating hours, not a single person stopped them, thanks to the influence of the Madeira Trading House.
In fact, the highest-ranking mage personally came out to greet them and courteously activated a direct Teleport transfer to the Capital.
“……It really has changed.”
King expressed genuine surprise.
He had heard rumors that they made a fortune through something called Mana Beads.
But to think they’d acquired this much influence even in legitimate circles.
“This way, please.”
The place Nine guided him to was the Madeira Trading House’s main office.
Carl had been staying in the dormitory since the start of Bayern’s second semester.
Since it would take too long to reach NOX headquarters, they had opted to use Madeira’s main office as a midpoint.
“Master, I’ve brought King.”
Nine reported politely as he opened the door.
Inside the dim room stood a waiting figure.
“King.”
“Master.”
The old man laughed heartily as he removed his robe and embraced Carl.
“Sorry. I was away for far too long on personal matters.”
“It’s fine. It was something you needed to do.”
Carl was the only one in NOX who addressed King with honorifics.
He was a man worthy of such respect—and one who demanded it simply by being who he was.
He didn’t recklessly issue commands like others, nor did he rely on brainwashing, and he was thanked merely for his presence in NOX.
There were many reasons behind this, but at the time, he was simply too powerful for NOX to contain.
“Hmm?”
As King patted Carl’s back in a display of affection, he narrowed his eyes.
Then he took a step back and looked Carl over from head to toe.
“Master, you……”
“Can you tell?”
“You’ve grown taller. Definitely hit a growth spurt—you're much more impressive now. I heard you’ve been attending the academy; how many have you made cry so far?”
Carl let out a quiet chuckle.
This casual demeanor despite his strength was one of King’s charms.
“Yohanel, you yourself seem more relaxed than when we first met. Back then, you tried to kill me on sight.”
“……As I’ve said many times, you were partly to blame for that, too. Ahem.”
At Carl’s mention of the past, King—Yohanel—scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.
Once seated, Nine personally served the tea.
“Still, you’ve grown tremendously. Not only surpassing the Master’s level but continuing to climb far beyond.”
“Even so, I still haven’t reached your level.”
“Of course. Do you know how long it took this old man to reach my realm?”
Yohanel laughed heartily.
Carl, sipping his tea with a faint smile, quietly measured King’s aura.
‘Indeed.’
He could feel that his own level still didn’t match up to King’s.
Even when they first met, King had already surpassed him—he who had once been the unkillable Mu-ak.
Now, with time having passed, who could guess how much stronger he had become?
‘Still, if I used the Primordial Unity Divine Art and Kylos’s Divinity—’
Even if it meant taking heavy damage, he could probably kill King.
Though, of course, that would never happen.
“Did things go well with what you were working on?”
“Well, it became a bit troublesome.”
“Troublesome?”
“It’s related to how we first met. You know the situation my granddaughter was in, don’t you?”
Carl nodded.
When they first met, King had been wandering the continent in search of someone who could cure the curse afflicting his granddaughter.
Carl had stepped in to heal the girl’s curse and illness and recruited King to NOX.
After drinking his tea, King fell silent as if reminiscing, then set down his empty cup and spoke.
“I’m afraid a few kingdoms may already have fallen to demons.”
“Are you serious?”
Carl’s eyes widened.
NOX operated solely within the Empire, so their information about other kingdoms was limited.
They often relied on information guilds, but this was the first time Carl had heard such news.
“I confirmed it myself. At least the kingdoms I visited were without a doubt already taken. It seems the Demon Realm is preparing to invade the continent.”