Chapter 123 - 101st Regiment
They wore similar uniforms, without any insignia. Each and every one of them was famous within the academy—powerful members of the 101st Regiment.
They operated as a powerful, unified group. The moment they appeared, chaos erupted from within as a series of explosions rocked the basement. Several underground houses and offices were destroyed in an instant.
It was inevitable that the surface would be alerted.
’It’s not good to let them discover me. I’d better stay away from them for now. I don’t know if they’re traitors, after all.’ Edward made a quick decision and cast one of his spells at the dry straw that had covered the explosives he had placed.
Then he leaped out of there.
The dry straw burst into flames, and soon the sound of explosions followed. Immediately, all those entrances were completely buried under rubble; it was practically impossible to pass through there.
In the distance, Gideon frowned.
"Who was it?" he asked.
The man beside him frowned. "Who was who, sir?" he asked.
Seeing that Gideon didn’t answer, he followed Gideon’s gaze and saw numerous entrances and exits engulfed in flames. He had felt the explosions, but since he’d been looking at other things, he hadn’t paid them any attention.
"Do you want me to investigate the place?"
Gideon sighed. "You’re all members of the Information Group, but your senses are quite mediocre. What have I told you about training those senses? How is it possible that I have senses more powerful than yours? Especially yours..."
The man lowered his head in shame. "I’m sorry, Sir Gideon. You are too powerful, and your senses simply far surpass ours. Don’t expect us mere students to compare ourselves to you."
"I’m a student too... you know?" Gideon shook his head helplessly.
There was nothing he could do. He had a good team within the Regiment, and each member fulfilled their role perfectly. No one was superfluous. No one was missing.
The team was perfect. So he couldn’t complain.
"Someone was there. He’s an academy student, so I want to know what he was doing here. Follow him," Gideon replied.
The man beside him frowned. "The explosions... I see." He nodded. "He destroyed those entrances, Sir Gideon. So tracking him down will be difficult."
"Just do your best," Gideon replied.
"Yes." The man who had answered immediately disappeared and, instead of going the way the student had left, headed off in another direction.
A few minutes later, someone approached Gideon. "Sir, something’s happening," he said.
"Did any leaders show up?"
The man shook his head and leaned in close to his ear to tell him something.
Gideon frowned and stared at the entrances that had just been destroyed for a few seconds before nodding.
"We have a few minutes, then. Let’s blow this place up." He smiled coldly and sprang into action immediately.
--
"Young master, come this way." Harry quickly ran through the shadows of several houses in the area toward where Edward was fleeing from some pursuers to help him escape.
"What happened, young sir? Why did you come out so quickly?" he asked.
"The 101st Regiment was in there, destroying the place. I couldn’t complete the task on my own, but those explosions I set off will destroy the foundations due to their vibrational force. In an hour, there won’t be a trace of that cave left."
"The 101st Regiment?" Harry wasn’t just surprised—he was also deep in thought. "We’ve had a few run-ins with them... it’s not a good idea to cross paths with them. They’ll spot us even if they don’t see our shadows."
Harry immediately looked ahead as he ran between the houses and made several signals toward the sky. Instantly, several assassins leaped out from the surrounding area and prepared to carry out a diversion and protection mission.
Within minutes, Harry and Edward ran away from the area, while the assassins tried to cover them.
It was quite a complicated task; both had to make excessive maneuvers in order to get away.
’And there are barely three pursuers.’ Edward frowned after having been on the run for so long.
Although they finally managed to escape and were able to return to the mansion.
"Tsk, those guys are always such a hassle," Harry complained, tossing his hat onto a sofa and finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Has your family ever encountered other regiments?" Edward asked, curious.
"We’ve had run-ins with all the Celestials. The 1st Regiment is powerful, and the 3rd uses very precise tactics. But nothing compares to the 101st Regiment when it comes to causing us trouble," Harry complained. "Only three of them have forced me to mobilize 15 of my assassins and 13 of my spies just to throw them off the trail. It’s simply ridiculous. What would happen if the whole regiment moved? Not even using my entire family could save us."
Edward laughed at his complaints. It was the 101st Regiment, after all... But if they’re capable of doing that as students, what must the graduates of that regiment be like?
’I’ve never heard of one,’ he thought, looking at Harry.
"Do you know any graduates of that regiment?" Edward asked, curious.
Harry froze for a brief moment, then nodded. "I don’t know them, but I am aware of some of them."
"Are they strong?"
"Well, if you consider the Prince and Elder Owen to be strong, then, yes, they are strong."
"I had no idea those two came from the 101st Regiment. I always thought only those from the Information Group belonged to it." Edward nodded, looking quite pensive. "Anyone else?"
"Actually, until Lord Gideon’s era, only those from the Information Group belonged to the regiment," Harry replied. "But Elder Owen and the Prince are exceptions. They didn’t belong exclusively to the 101st Regiment, but were Honorary Members, a status that existed solely for them. But since they weren’t in any other regiment, both are considered to have been true members."
Edward nodded.
"As for your question... There’s one more. The Dragon Slayer. He was formally part of the group."
"The Dragon Slayer? I see—the Hero of Lor from about 20 years ago. The one who killed the Dragon in a single night and destroyed the traitors’ lair." Edward nodded as he recalled him.
"He’s a member of the Information Group, only his beast has an incomplete anomaly—or so the rumors say," he replied. "And there’s also another one who is said to have been in the same group as the Dragon Slayer in the battle 20 years ago. It’s just that..."
"It’s just that?" Edward was immediately intrigued.
"There are two versions that my father managed to gather back then. The first and most compelling is that he was the one who betrayed the Dragon Slayer—you surely know that the Dragon Slayer has been crippled ever since. The quasi-official version says it was because of this man."
"The second version—a somewhat implausible one, but one that carries some weight on the streets of Lor—says that the man ultimately sacrificed himself to kill the enemy, which is why he disappeared. They claim that the Dragon Slayer was betrayed by someone else, since it was that person who saved him from death, albeit at the cost of his own life."
’Both versions seem more like hypotheses about the existence of a divine envoy than something verifiable,’ Edward thought, recalling the official version. ’According to the records, the Dragon Slayer nearly died in the attack by the dragon. I had brief contact with one recently, and I can say it’s not something a human can kill easily. So it’s credible.’
’But the Dragon Slayer was quite powerful back then and earned his title because of his great abilities. It’s no wonder he’s recognized as the most powerful man in Lor. It might not be impossible for him to kill one. In that case, a traitor would explain why he nearly died.’
’But the Dragon Slayer, to fight in that battle, also had several others in his group. I don’t know them all, but I do remember there were numerous powerful people with him. Many of them died, which is why that mission was classified as catastrophic for the kingdom. It would be very difficult for something like that to happen just because of one person’s betrayal,’ he thought.
But suddenly it clicked in his mind. ’Unless the person in question isn’t just vitally important to the group. Something like being on the same level as the Dragon Slayer or having even greater utility.’
Even after giving it careful thought, the fact that the dragon was simply too dangerous remained the most viable option.
Despite that, Edward was curious about something and looked at Harry. "Do you have any idea what that person’s name was? I’ve never heard that version before."
"No one knows his real name, but he had a nickname. The Great Tool Maker. He was a man..." Harry tilted his head when he saw Edward start to cough. "Is something wrong, young sir?"
"Ah—no, no. Nothing’s wrong." Edward shook his head. "Go on with the story; I just felt like sneezing and coughing—it must have been the dust."
Harry simply nodded and began speaking again.
But Edward stopped listening.
’My father?! He was part of the academy and the 101st Regiment?! No, no, wait. Well, it makes sense... He was the one who urged me to enroll in the academy years ago. Maybe he said that because he already had experience and knew you could achieve a lot there,’ he thought.
’Wait... My father... Did he betray the Dragon Slayer?’