Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 93

In the imperial capital, alleys worthy of being called backstreets were few and far between. The city’s aesthetics were meticulously maintained, given it was the residence of the Emperor himself. Yet, where there is light, shadows must fall, albeit small in this case.

Yan halted his steps at a shabby bar, an establishment that seemed out of place amidst the grandeur of the imperial capital. He had come seeking a contact who appeared to be one of Bella’s informants, rumored to have set up a base here.

[The Treasure Island with a Flowing Ambiance]

Yan chuckled under his breath as he looked up at the signboard. “I should let others decide on names from now on,” he muttered. The hint he received was that the shop’s name contained the characters for ‘ambiance’ and ‘treasure,’ but this… was a naming disaster. It was a name that could pique the curiosity of even the most indifferent passerby.

Pushing open the door, Yan stepped inside. Unlike the lively taverns in Soma Command, this place was quiet, save for an old bartender polishing glasses. “We meet again,” Yan remarked.

“Indeed, it has been a while,” the bartender replied, recognizing Yan from the tavern in Soma Command.

“Do I need to say the password?”

“No need for formalities with the patron. Please, go inside. The master is waiting for you.”

As the bartender placed the glass on the shelf, a hidden door in the wall began to slide open with a rumble.

Yan entered the revealed passage. “At least it’s not as dusty as before,” he noted. The previous choking dust was now gone, a sign of careful maintenance.

Walking through the passage, Yan arrived at a room resembling a secret chamber. Inside, luxurious items far more expensive than those in Soma Command filled the space. “I hope my money wasn’t all spent on these,” Yan said with a grin, looking at Bella seated neatly at the center.

Bella, with dark circles under her eyes, perhaps from tireless work, replied, “I can’t rely on your funds forever. I need to invest to expand the organization.”

“Investment?”

Bella gazed intently at Yan, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. “I thought you were a wealthy noble’s heir, but it seems not?”

“Have you dug up that much already?”

“It’s basic. You’re the top trainee of the Dragon Knight Project, aren’t you?”

“You know well.”

Even though his identity was uncovered, Yan’s face showed no sign of alarm, only pure admiration for Bella’s capabilities. ‘Truly worthy of being called the Queen of Information in a past life.’ In just a month since meeting Bella, she had established dozens of branches across the empire.

Moreover, “How did you find out about the trainees’ identities, which are supposed to be confidential?”

“Confidential? Hardly.”

Bella snorted, pulling out a stack of documents. Yan examined them, piecing together fragmented information collected by Bella’s agents during the second phase of the exams, revealing the identities of the remaining trainees.

“Hmm.”

It seemed they hadn’t uncovered everything, including the backgrounds of foreign trainees, and nothing about his own.

“What’s your real identity? You’re not imperial nobility, nor from a wealthy merchant family… How did you manage this feat?”

Yan smirked.

Bella was already scanning through documents detailing his recent activities, crossing a line. She had scored points for uncovering his identity, but her enthusiasm for unsolicited tasks was concerning.

Thwack!

Yan snatched the document from Bella’s hands, tore it to pieces, and tossed it carelessly behind him. Bella’s eyes widened in shock.

“What are you doing! Do you know how much effort and money went into obtaining that…!”

“Bella.”

Yan called her name with a low, steady voice, causing her to flinch.

“It’s one thing to dig into my past, but quite another to interrogate me about it. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Bella bowed her head, her impulsive nature often blurred the lines between what should and shouldn’t be said.

Noticing the change in Bella’s demeanor, Yan chuckled and placed a sack on her desk.

“What’s this?”

“If you thought I wouldn’t support you financially anymore and started investing, use this instead to expand the organization and gather information.”

The sack contained the reward money from the imperial palace. Bella stood up abruptly and peered inside. It was stuffed with gold coins, a sum several times larger than before.

“So much?”

“Just make good use of it. I stopped by to give you this.”

Yan turned to leave, but Bella stopped him.

“Wait, sir!”

“Yes?”

“That pattern you showed me last time…”

Yan’s eyes sparkled as he quickly approached her.

“Did you find something?”

“It’s not certain, but it’s not a complete loss either.”

Yan’s face lit up with anticipation. He hadn’t expected to receive information about the pattern so soon.

His heart raced. If Bella’s information was what he needed…

‘There’s no need to stay in the Dragon Knight Project any longer.’

The only reason he had remained under the chief instructor was for information about that pattern.

Bella handed him a document from the drawer.

“Please, take a look.”

Yan read each line carefully.

-Information summary requested by No. 1 regarding the pattern.

“Are you Number One?”

“Yes.”

Yan nodded and continued reading.

-A unique pattern was discovered in a mine about 31 kilometers southwest of Airl City.

-The pattern was confirmed to match the one provided by No. 1, and an infiltration attempt was made.

-Although known as an abandoned mine, an unidentified armed group currently occupies the surrounding village.

-Considering the boxes regularly leaving the village, it’s unlikely the mine is abandoned.

-The exact coordinates of the mine are…

Yan memorized the document’s contents and asked Bella, “Can we contact the person who obtained this information?”

Bella shook her head. “They’re dead.”

“What?”

Yan frowned.

Bella continued with a pained expression, “They lost their life to the armed group mentioned here, and we barely managed to retrieve the body. You have no idea how much trouble we went through to evade them, not to mention the cost…”

“Any information on the armed group?”

“They’re completely unknown. The agent who collected this information was also killed while on the move.”

“But it’s not all bad. You said the body was recovered.”

“At least we owe it to the family to return it.”

“Let’s see the body first.”

“Why?”

“There’s often more information on a body than you’d expect.”

Bella led Yan to an adjacent room, filled with cold air to preserve the body. In the center lay a coffin, which Bella opened with gloved hands.

Yan, also gloved, began to meticulously examine the agent’s body, which was covered in wounds.

From his past life’s experience, Yan immediately recognized the marks of torture.

Bella reassured him calmly, “Our organization operates in cells, so there’s nothing to find. We moved the meeting place as soon as we received this information.”

“Good job.”

Yan noticed other injuries and a peculiar wound on the body—a penetrating wound with a rotating pattern on the skin’s surface.

His eyes gleamed. ‘This is…’

Such a distinctive scar was hard to forget. It was the mark left by ‘Owen,’ a member of the revolutionary army, when struck by his technique.

That meant…

“The group occupying the mine is the revolutionary army.”

“The revolutionary army?”

“The ones causing upheaval in the empire.”

Bella didn’t ask further, sensing the gravity in Yan’s expression.

Yan realized the full scope of the situation. The mine in Airl would later become a magic stone mine, sold to wealthy nobles at exorbitant prices.

‘So, until then, it was the revolutionary army’s funding source.’

Magic stones were essential for many fields beyond magical experiments, including artifacts and research, making them a scarce and valuable resource.

Pattern, revolutionary army, magic stone mine.

Just the keywords linked to the mining village made it a place Yan had to visit.

“Can you get me a disguise?”

“That’s not too difficult, but…”

Bella trailed off, her voice tinged with concern.

Yan knew she was worried about him—or rather, his wallet.

Bella quickly returned with an identity badge.

“Will this do?”

The badge belonged to a miner who traveled from mine to mine, earning his keep—a perfect disguise for Yan.

“Perfect.”

With the identity badge and miner’s clothes prepared by Bella, Yan left the base.

* * *

6 PM.

The trainees waved at Yan as he approached them slowly.

“Hey, hurry up!”

“It seems you’re going to miss us.”

“I wish I had shown Yan the dress Lorena wore at the shop… what a pity.”

“Stop with the nonsense, Charl.”

The trainees’ faces were filled with smiles, seemingly content with their rest in the imperial capital.

Roman and Kasa proudly patted their newly acquired swords.

Cruel’s dissatisfied expression suggested he hadn’t found a better blade than the saw-toothed sword he got from the North.

Lorena and Charl returned from a famous restaurant, their mouths smeared with sauce.

They seemed even fresher than before, perhaps after a visit to the capital’s hot springs.

“What time is the train?”

“It’s at 6:30 PM. We should head to the station now.”

“Let’s get going.”

As the trainees prepared to leave, Yan raised his hand slightly.

“I have some business to attend to. You guys go ahead.”

“Huh?”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear the chief instructor? It takes three full days by train. What if something happens?”

“That’s my concern.”

Yan waved his hand dismissively.

Cruel snickered and asked slyly, “Need a hand with anything?”

“No.”

Yan’s flat refusal made Cruel jump.

In truth, Cruel had no intention of helping, even if asked.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“I prefer to handle this alone. Go on without me.”

“Will you be able to arrive within a week?”

“Of course.”

Confidently answering Kasa and Roman’s questions, the trainees looked at Yan with concern before finally departing.

Yan watched their retreating figures, thinking to himself.

‘There’s still no one I can truly trust.’

Even if there were, the journey to the mining village required disguises and false identities.

Taking the inexperienced trainees could prove to be more of a burden than help.

So, he decided to move alone.

After ensuring the trainees were headed towards the station, Yan immediately sought out the gate manager inside the station and showed his badge.

“What’s your destination?”

“Airl.”

At Yan’s response, the gate attendant led him to where the gates were installed.

Following behind, Yan’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

‘Finally, I’ll be able to learn about the pattern.’