LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 102
Chapter 102
With a thunderous roar, the mine collapsed, and Earl Eir stared in disbelief. The magic stone mine, once within his grasp, vanished like a mirage.
“My, my magic stone mine…!”
At that moment, Jin and Yan emerged from the tunnel, limping awkwardly. Earl Eir rushed towards them, his face a mask of urgency. The knights, silent sentinels until now, encircled the pair.
Yan clicked his tongue in annoyance. “As expected, they won’t let us go without a fuss.”
He glanced at Jin, disguised as a clumsy low-level mercenary. Before exiting the tunnel, Yan had given him an order.
“Once we’re out, Earl Eir will be waiting, eyes ablaze. Handle it, and soon, I’ll show you a truth you’re unaware of.”
“…Understood.”
Yan was curious how Jin would resolve this situation. Earl Eir, upon seeing Jin and Yan, shouted, “What in the world happened inside?”
Jin, feigning ignorance, looked around at the encircling knights. “Well, that is… I mean. Ah! There was a fight among those inside, and they disturbed a weak spot in the mine, causing it to collapse.”
“What?”
“I really know nothing else, my lord. I was just lucky to escape being buried there.”
Pointing to his injured leg, Jin pleaded, “I… I’m wounded. If I don’t get treatment quickly, it’ll worsen. Please, let me leave.”
Earl Eir’s expression hardened as he considered Jin’s words. Then, a thought crossed his mind—the explosion he heard while escaping the tunnel. By his knowledge, only Baiken was there.
‘He started raging as soon as he heard about the map discovery, and now look at him.’
Even if someone tampered with the mine’s weak spot, it wouldn’t collapse without considerable force. But for Baiken, who had reached superhuman levels, it was possible.
It seemed Baiken, blinded by greed for the magic stones, had drawn mana until he destroyed himself.
Earl Eir accepted Baiken’s death as such.
“I’ve answered your question, may I pass now?”
Earl Eir lifted his head. “I’ll let you pass once I know who you are.”
“We… We’re low-level mercenaries from the south.”
A spark of interest flickered in Earl Eir’s eyes. Low-level mercenaries meant no significant backing.
“Is that so?” he chuckled coldly and waved his hand at the knights—a signal to kill.
Jin’s face turned pale. “Please, spare me. I’ve lived as a loyal imperial citizen.”
Yan, standing beside Jin, was impressed by his acting. ‘His performance is top-notch.’
And even this act was part of a calculated plan—to throw Earl Eir to the special task force and conceal his own dark involvement.
The special task force wouldn’t suspect his existence. They might interrogate him, but he could control that.
Yan smirked. ‘He’s clever indeed.’
As the knights drew their swords and advanced, Jin shouted with a trembling voice, “This is neutral territory! If the knights harm an imperial citizen, the security forces and the special task force won’t stand idly by!”
Earl Eir scoffed at his words. “How will they know if there’s no one left to tell?”
He intended to commit murder.
At that moment, the atmosphere shifted. Yan noticed first, scanning the surroundings. The presence of fifty individuals, each with the cold edge of a blade, was unmistakable.
‘The special task force has been called for backup.’
The elite combatants of the special task force had arrived, not for investigation but for battle.
‘Had Jin’s persuasion been delayed, this would have been troublesome.’
Jin, who had been trembling with fear, discarded his craven demeanor upon realizing the arrival of the special task force reinforcements.
A fierce light flashed in his eyes, startling Earl Eir and the knights.
“What is it?”
“…The issue isn’t that guy right now. We’re surrounded by some force.”
“Then why don’t you just kill them all?”
Earl Eir’s bellowing command left the captain of the knights with a troubled expression. Judging by the aura of those hidden around them, they were at least knights of the 6th and 5th ranks.
There were many of them, and unlike themselves, who had just carried out an operation in the mine, these men were in perfect physical condition.
Jin stepped forward with a cold gaze, tearing off a mask that resembled an ordinary middle-aged man’s face, straightening his bent back.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Jin, the head of the Special Task Force’s Search Division 1. We received a report that this mining town was suspicious and have been investigating.”
Earl Eir’s eyes widened at Jin’s mechanical tone and icy stare.
He was from the Special Task Force?
But Jin didn’t stop there.
“I happened to overhear what you just said, Earl Eir. Considering your intent to commit murder, it seems you’re aware of the mass slaughter that occurred in this mining town. You’ll need to come with us for a witness interrogation at headquarters.”
As the situation took an unexpected turn, Earl Eir stumbled backward.
“What are you talking about? That I’m involved in this mass slaughter!”
Jin smiled a chilling smile, similar to the one Earl Eir had just worn.
“As an investigator, I believe you’re deeply involved in this mass slaughter. If you refuse to testify, my friends behind me will escort you by force.”
“I’m… deeply involved in the mass slaughter that happened inside?”
Earl Eir looked around with a dazed expression as the elite forces of the Special Task Force slowly approached.
Dressed in pitch-black uniforms, their cold eyes and expressionless faces confused Earl Eir.
“I’m not involved. You’ve got it all wrong. I was just… only…”
“I personally witnessed you attempting to harm civilians in this neutral area. Do you intend to make excuses?”
“No! That’s completely different.”
Jin scoffed, cutting off Earl Eir’s words, and signaled the approaching elite forces of the Special Task Force to arrest him.
“I’m innocent! I tell you, innocent!”
Earl Eir’s cries were in vain as the task force members cuffed his hands without question.
The most senior-looking member of the elite forces approached Jin and Yan, saluting crisply.
“We’ve completed the binding of Earl Eir, the suspect from the mining town, as you directed, sir.”
“Good work.”
Jin patted the man’s shoulder.
The man returned to his normal stance, listened to Jin’s account of the incident, and was about to turn away when he noticed Yan standing idly by.
The man glanced at Jin and asked, “Should we deal with this one too?”
Yan grinned.
“I’m an informant.”
“Is that so?”
The man looked at Yan, then back at Jin, who nodded. Only then did he turn and return to the carriage with the bound Count Ayr.
“You’re clever.”
Yan smiled at Jin.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Wouldn’t things get complicated if my existence here was revealed?”
Jin replied with a stern face.
“That’s within a manageable level. But you did promise, didn’t you?”
He was referring to the promise to give information about the ‘Destroyer Project.’
Yan nodded.
“Wait a few days. I’ll call you when it’s time.”
Yan extended his hand to Jin.
Jin looked at the hand silently.
“We’ll be working together from now on, so a handshake should be fine, right?”
“…”
Jin slowly took Yan’s hand.
“For the time being, keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Yan said, holding Jin’s hand.
“Yes, I understand.”
“And keep my existence a secret, just like now.”
“As long as you keep your promise.”
Yan felt the pulse in the hand he held, confirming there was no lie in his words.
If there had been even a hint of falsehood, the pulse wouldn’t have been so calm.
“Well, see you next time.”
“Yes, I look forward to seeing you soon.”
With that farewell, Yan headed alone towards Eir territory.
It was time to return to the training center.
On his way to the train station, Yan smiled contentedly.
Although he hadn’t obtained precise information about the pattern,
‘Getting a hint about it and acquiring Jin from the Special Task Force is a fruitful outcome.’
Using Jin would make it easier to unravel information about the pattern.
It meant he could siphon off some of the Special Task Force’s information.
As Yan walked away cheerfully, he suddenly stopped.
He quickly searched his pockets.
“Sigh.”
He felt an emptiness in one corner of his pocket.
He had been so focused on the battle in the mine that he hadn’t noticed his pendant had fallen.
“The head instructor’s deadline is until tomorrow, so there’s plenty of time.”
Realizing he had ample time before he needed to be at the training center, Yan turned around.
Since the mining town was now deserted, he thought he might as well look for it.
* * *
At that moment, a young man entered the mining town. He clicked his tongue at the sight of the completely sunken mine.
“It’s turned into a complete wasteland.”
With a leisurely stride, he headed into the tunnel, hopping over scattered corpses and scanning the area.
Then, his eyes lit up as he shouted at a particular spot.
“Found it!”
It was a place where stalactites had piled up, forming a wall. He drew a slender sword from his waist and thrust it towards the wall.
Boom!
With a single strike, the young man, who had shattered a wall larger than himself, chuckled at the sight inside.
“Even you can be cornered, huh?”
The person he addressed was Owen, whom Yan had thought dead. Owen was gasping for breath, and there wasn’t a single part of his body that wasn’t battered.
“…Theo?”
The young man called Theo sat down beside Owen.
“Why aren’t you leaving? Planning to die here?”
Theo frowned, seeing Owen, who would usually flare up in anger, remain silent.
“Uncle?”
“Now’s not the time for that.”
Owen shook his head and showed Theo the pendant hanging from his hand.
“…Huh? Isn’t this the commander’s emblem?”
“That’s not all.”
Owen opened the pendant’s surface with a heavy expression.
Click!
Inside was a single family photo, and upon seeing it, Theo’s eyes widened in shock.
The person in the photo was all too familiar.
Theo’s eyes darkened.
“Didn’t you think it could be a trap set by the empire?”
Owen shook his head.
“The commander’s aura was imbued in it. No matter how high the empire reaches, even if the Marquis himself intervenes, replicating or forging this aura is impossible.”
Owen smiled brightly.
“It seems we’ve found the lineage of the commander who went missing.”
Upon hearing this, Theo’s face hardened.