Chapter 187 : The Beginning of the Rebellion
Chapter 187: The Beginning of the Rebellion
Haken Castle, the Lord's Residence.
Gios Haken, the second son of the Lord of Haken, stood on the verge of the greatest gamble of his life.
Becoming the Lord of Haken.
It had undoubtedly been Gios Haken's lifelong wish.
He believed that he alone could solve Haken's long-standing problems and lead its people.
But never...
Not even once...
Had he wished to become Lord in this way.
Rebellion.
And assassination.
It was completely insane.
Regardless of his own wishes, events had spiraled into the extreme.
The truth that Gios was not the Lord of Haken's biological son.
New Level's threats.
And Durek—his biological father—raising the blade of betrayal in order to survive.
Everything came crashing down at once.
Gios could no longer make rational judgments.
“How could something like this...”
It was no surprise.
After all, he'd only recently learned the secret of his birth.
His kind-hearted mother had committed adultery?
And with none other than Sir Durek, the very man who had supported him?
It was enough to drive anyone mad.
A secret he would have gone his entire life without knowing if New Level hadn't approached him.
If he had learned it under different circumstances...
He would never have dreamed of becoming Lord.
He would have quietly left instead.
Honestly...
That was still what he wanted to do.
“Sir Durek.”
The patron who had suddenly become his biological father overnight.
He didn't feel any particular affection toward him.
Durek already had several other children.
And the reason he supported Gios had never been because of blood ties.
In the end...
Durek supported Gios because it benefited him.
Not materially.
Emotionally.
“That's the kind of person he is.”
Others didn't know.
But Gios did.
Durek's inferiority complex.
Whether it was because they shared the same blood...
Or because they were simply alike...
Gios didn't know.
But from time to time, he could sense Durek's genuine emotions.
Durek had always envied the Lord of Haken.
Durek had grown up alongside the Lord of Haken since childhood.
Gios had no idea why he harbored such feelings.
But he knew they existed.
That was why he had always remained wary of him.
He'd believed there had to be another reason Durek supported him.
Of course...
He'd never imagined things would end like this.
This was a catastrophe that shattered every ounce of common sense he possessed.
“At this point... it no longer matters.”
He still didn't know Durek's true feelings.
But events had already gone too far.
He had been swept away by circumstances against his will.
Yet there was one fact Gios had accepted.
If Durek's affair were exposed...
Neither Durek...
Nor Gios...
Would escape unharmed.
Even if he confessed everything to the Lord of Haken and begged for forgiveness...
Nothing would change.
Even if the Lord of Haken kept silent...
New Level certainly wouldn't.
And Durek's political enemies would seize the opportunity to drag him down.
As for Gios...
The living proof of the affair...
His fate would be no different.
The same applied to his mother.
“So... I've abandoned the father who raised me... for my mother's sake. Honestly... I almost hope we fail.”
Even Gios himself couldn't tell what he truly felt.
He couldn't move forward.
He couldn't retreat.
He could only be dragged along.
It wasn't only about himself anymore.
His mother was involved as well.
If his mother hadn't been caught up in all this...
Would his decision have been different?
Even now...
He still wasn't sure he was doing the right thing.
“Young Master. We've received word.”
“I see. Then it's time.”
It was time to move.
Soon...
The entirety of Mount Rot would lose communication.
And the Lord of Haken would temporarily be declared missing.
If Durek succeeded...
He would safely bring the Lord of Haken's corpse back to the territory.
The murderer had already been "decided."
An Imperial Master.
The next stage of the plan was to join forces with New Level, who had supposedly suffered the same tragedy, and drive the Imperial remnants out after they occupied Saint.
What kind of relationship he'd have with New Level afterward...
He had no idea.
Naturally...
It wouldn't be a healthy one.
But he had no room to think that far ahead.
“Still... I have to do what needs to be done.”
His immediate priority...
Was taking complete control of Haken.
Every one of Durek's political enemies had to be eliminated before internal resistance could arise.
Only then could he become Lord without opposition.
And to cooperate with New Level in capturing Saint...
He first had to secure Haken completely.
“The fat pigs naturally have to be removed, but...”
The real problem...
Was Ulrison Haken.
The Lord of Haken's true son.
Unless Ulrison was dealt with...
He could never fully control Haken.
And the most efficient solution...
Was eliminating him.
“Ha...”
Two medicine bottles lay before Gios.
The familiar red bottle he always carried.
And the green bottle Durek had personally handed him.
Which one to use...
Was entirely his own choice.
Depending on that decision...
Everything afterward would change.
“...I'll go with this.”
After a long moment of hesitation...
Gios picked up one of the bottles.
Since the rebellion had been decided...
It was the very first decision he'd made entirely by his own will.
From this point onward...
Everything that happened would be his responsibility alone.
At the foot of Mount Rot.
The Haken encampment.
Haken's Sword Master, Apophis Durek, felt reasonably confident.
Berix, who had fought Jupiterio on the front line, had suffered severe injuries exactly as planned.
He would remain here for another day to recover.
Just as "that person's" plan required...
All communication throughout Mount Rot had been severed.
Now...
All that remained was carrying out the operation.
“Hahaha! What a fine harvest. To secure half the materials from an Out-of-Rank Monster. And Sir Berix will recover after only a few days of rest. We've truly gained much.”
“Indeed. Thankfully, his injuries aren't life-threatening.”
“Berix deserves the most credit. We should make him equipment from Jupiterio's hide.”
“I think that's a wonderful idea.”
The subjugation of Jupiterio had ended in overwhelming success.
The Lord of Haken was genuinely delighted.
Watching Uldea Haken smile so sincerely...
Twisted Durek's insides.
“Then let's do exactly that. Sir Berix will surely be pleased.”
“Oh? So you think the same?”
“Yes. Sir Berix contributed the most.”
“Good, good. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. I'll reward you separately later.”
“There's no need.”
Yet...
Even more unbearable than that...
Was Durek's own position.
Having to flatter Uldea Haken.
Even after becoming a Master...
He remained nothing more than a supporting actor elevating Uldea.
The bloodline of the Lord of Haken had already been noble before the Great Cataclysm.
In the end...
The only reason Uldea Haken ruled the Great Territory of Haken...
Was because of his lineage.
An ordinary knight.
One without even the talent to become a Master.
That was all Durek thought of him.
How much longer...
Was a Master like himself supposed to spend his life supporting Uldea?
‘But all of that ends today.’
When New Level first proposed rebellion...
Durek finally realized what he'd truly desired.
Even after taking the woman Uldea loved...
Even after coveting Uldea's wife...
His greed had never been satisfied.
Now...
For the first time...
It finally felt complete.
He didn't want to remain merely Haken's Master.
He wanted to become the Master who possessed Haken itself.
Remove Uldea.
Place Gios on the throne.
Then...
That dream would finally become reality.
“Oh? You brought wine.”
“Yes. Shall we have a drink? Sir Irene, would you care for a glass as well?”
“Hm... Why not?”
Durek handed prepared wine to both of them.
Irene accepted the glass without hesitation.
New Level had originally hoped to capture and detain her somehow.
But now that she'd become a Master...
That was impossible.
If anything...
The greater concern now was whether the rebellion itself would succeed.
Fortunately...
Berix had suffered serious injuries.
Had they failed to neutralize that troublesome man...
They wouldn't even have been able to attempt today's operation.
“…Mm?”
The moment Irene swallowed the wine...
A deep frown formed across her brow.
At the same time...
Scorching flames erupted from her body.
“It's poisoned!”
Without a moment's hesitation...
She swung her arm, knocking the Lord of Haken's wine glass aside.
“Tch. As expected.”
Irene's Fire-Attribute Aura naturally opposed poison.
Durek had never expected a single poisoned drink to settle everything.
What he'd been aiming for...
Was a single instant.
A tiny opening.
To stop the Lord of Haken from drinking...
Irene had no choice but to move.
And in doing so...
She created exactly the opening he needed.
-Clang!
“So... you already knew?”
“No. I only thought something felt suspicious.”
He'd believed it was a perfectly executed surprise attack.
Instead...
His opponent defended against it flawlessly.
Almost...
As though she'd anticipated this exact situation.
To the point where even her accepting the wine without hesitation now seemed suspicious.
Had she only done so to test it?
“Kill them all!”
“Protect Father!”
Even when the waiting Snake Knight Order charged into battle...
The same thing happened.
Irene's Crimson Comet had already been waiting nearby.
The instant the order was given...
They rushed forward and intercepted the Snake Knight Order.
At this point...
There could be no doubt.
Information about the rebellion had leaked.
“So... it won't be easy after all.”
At this point...
He had no choice.
He had to defeat Irene somehow.
-Clang! Clang!
Again and again...
Durek swung his sword, searching for even the smallest opening.
But Irene's defense was much firmer than he'd expected.
How could someone who had only recently become a Master handle such an enormous weapon with this much precision?
To think someone as untalented as Uldea had produced a daughter like this.
It was impossible to believe such talent had come from him.
Roman...
Durek's disciple...
Was also extraordinarily gifted.
Becoming a Master at such a young age wasn't something just anyone could accomplish.
Of course...
The fact that Roman remained loyal to Uldea until the very end disgusted Durek.
Still...
Even Durek acknowledged Roman's talent.
But compared to Irene...
Even Roman fell short.
Especially in weapon mastery.
Even Durek himself couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration.
It was deeply regrettable that such talent couldn't become his.
If only she weren't a Master...
He would have found some way to capture her.
“I wanted to finish this with my own hands, but...”
If this dragged on any longer...
Things would only become worse for him.
Not every soldier stationed here belonged to Durek.
If Berix, who was recovering nearby, happened to regain consciousness...
The result could become a complete disaster.
The rebellion failing would already be bad enough.
But allowing Uldea to return safely to Haken...
That was absolutely unacceptable.
“Now!”
Fortunately...
He still possessed one hidden trump card.
More accurately...
A razor-sharp dagger New Level had lent him.
The moment Durek shouted...
One knight from the Snake Knight Order burst forward like an arrow.
An odd knight whose face couldn't even be seen beneath a tightly fastened helmet.
Had the Snake Knight Order ever had someone like that?
The suspicious figure made anyone instinctively tilt their head.
“Stop him!”
Just as suspicious as his appearance...
His skill was anything but ordinary.
Like a ghost...
He slipped past the Crimson Comet in an instant.
Then charged straight toward the Lord of Haken.
Even Celine, who had been guarding the Lord of Haken at point-blank range...
Couldn't stop him.
In the blink of an eye...
He was already standing before the Lord of Haken.
“Ghk!”
The Lord of Haken was still a highly capable knight.
He hurriedly drew his sword to defend himself.
But he couldn't completely block the Aura Blade.
He barely managed to survive the strike...
At the cost of sacrificing his own weapon.
-Clang!
“No!”
His sword gone...
The Lord of Haken stood completely defenseless.
And just as death was about to claim him...
-Thud!
A gigantic greatsword flew through the air...
And planted itself directly in front of the Lord of Haken.