Chapter 118
Two men and women were sitting in front of a steaming teacup.
They were the Transcendental Hollien, Queen of Allendia, the Fairy Kingdom, and Roacell Eli Atransas, the first prince of the Atransas family.
Hollien murmured as if to complain, tilting the teacup.
“All six of them are dead, Roacell.”
The restrictions on the Aliens of Akhtarun had all been lifted almost all at the same time.
It was clear evidence that they were all dead.
“Almara’s dead, too.”
For the same reason, the ancient Dragon’s death was also easily confirmed.
“I don’t know if Gabe is alive or not, but…”
Unlike Aliens and Ancient Dragons, they couldn’t confirm Gabe’s status.
There was no ban on him.
Since his loyalty was more certain than any other spell that could’ve put Gabe under their command, such measures were unnecessary.
“… You can’t expect him to be alive, can you?”
When asked by Hollien, Roacell, the young Elf sitting opposite her, shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, if he’s okay, he would’ve already told us.”
It had been two days since Hollien had sensed their death.
“He’s the kind of person who’d take his own life rather than bring harm to the Queen.”
It was easy for anyone to swear loyalty with their life, but it was rare for them to be so blind that they actually acted upon it.
Gabe was an uncommon being for Roacell.
Roacell suddenly realized that there was one name not mentioned in the pursuit team.
“Well, is Saltus safe?”
“He’s not dead for now. I don’t know if I should say he is safe.”
“Captured or betrayed, either.”
“Wouldn’t it be both? There’s only one reason why and how Saltus can betray us.”
Salto’s obedience to Hollien was due to fear.
“If he’s about to lose his life, there’s no reason to remain loyal.”
However, he wouldn’t actively antagonize Hollien.
In his heart would still be the fear of the Top Three.
“Maybe he’s being taken prisoner and dragged around in moderately passive ways.”
Roacell was lost in thought for a moment.
Hollien then continued to explain.
“It sounds like the incarnation of Darkness won a complete victory against six level 100 Aliens and two powerful Dragons close to level 120, and even captured one of them.”
That result would be ridiculous, even if the power of the group were as high as possible.
That could only mean a powerful being was helping them.
“Lord Leon Hart is on the side of the incarnation of the Darkness.”
Leon Hart was Kybriel’s Templar Head, so it wasn’t farfetched to think that he’s an ally of the incarnation of Darkness.
If she could make him believe she was truly the incarnation of Darkness, it would be possible.
“I don’t know what tricks they had used on him, but it must be hard for Leon Hart to believe them.”
“They must have taken the Sacred Heard of Darkness and used it to do something. I don’t know.”
However, it was quite certain that Leon Hart had joined the Goddess of Darkness’s party.
“Tracking skills don’t work anymore, after all.”
Hollien lifted a small glass bottle with a sour face.
Roacell asked.
“Is that the blood of the incarnation of Darkness?”
“Yes.”
Since two days ago, the catalyst-based spiritual tracking art no longer worked.
“I even tried to trace them myself, but it didn’t work. It’s being blocked by someone at a minimum level of 110 or higher.”
There were fewer than five Spiritists, including Hollien, whose level was at, or higher than, 110 in Latna.
Given the circumstances, they became certain.
Still, Roacell looked unconvinced.
“I don’t think it would be that bad if the Spiritist had acquired the Darkness.”
Hollien’s trackers sent to capture the incarnation of Darkness weren’t enough.
That team had so much fighting power that it could’ve been used against them.
“I didn’t think they would fail either.”
Regardless of whether it was convincing or not, it was certain that they had failed.
Hollien sighed, leaning her back on the sofa.
“It’s not going well.”
She also regretted not coming forward when she secured the position of the incarnation.
But she knew it was just criticism based on the result.
Position and power could do many things, but that didn’t mean they could do all of it.
The queen of a country could not vacate the palace impulsively.
She needed to be fully prepared in advance to move.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have time for that at the time.
“I can’t repeat the same mistake.”
Hollien called the Elven Youth.
“Roacell.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Tell Strail, Gerbel, and Siana. Cancel all the official schedules and prepare to move at any time. Of course, you, too.”
“Will do.”
Roacell, Strail, Gerbel, and Siana were the four Allendia royal families’ top successors, consisting of an Elf, a Dwarf, a Sylf, and a Nymph. They were also candidates to be the next Fairy king.
In other words, if they moved, she, the Queen of Allendia, would have a justification to move.
“The position of Queen can be somewhat restrictive.”
Tilting the teacup, Hollien smiled bitterly.
“I’m sure you don’t deserve to complain because you’ve come all the way here thanks to being a queen.”
* * *
Capturing Saltus alive, Han-bin’s group left Sacred Peak Generosus.
Meanwhile, Leon Hart was provided with information regarding the party.
“Oh, my God, you were a Dragon?”
Leon Hart became a reliable ally after he acknowledged Kibie as the true Goddess of Darkness.
There was no need to hide the identity of the group anymore.
Therefore, Artis frankly stated that he wasn’t human.
“I thought it would be better to let you know in advance than to make you distrust me because I was exposed by chance. Of course, you can’t help but keep doubting me because my race doesn’t have a good reputation…”
Leon Hart shook his head firmly.
“No, I don’t doubt that.”
The incarnation of Kybriel, the creator of all Dragons, guaranteed the character of Artis.
How could he doubt that as a faithful believer in Kybriel?
He was embarrassed for a while but quickly regained his composure.
“I see. Somehow I did feel a strange sense of alienation to call you human.”
Likewise, Ryu Han-bin revealed his identity.
Leon Heart was also very surprised this time.
“You’re an Alien?”
It was not due to the notoriety of the Aliens that pervaded Latna.
“No way! I was sure you were a Valtara warrior…”
He was perfectly natural from head to toe.
His appearance and fighting methods were akin to actual Valtara warriors.
There were no Alien characteristics.
It was quite a shock to Leon Hart, who was confident about his own judgments.
Ryu Han-bin explained while smiling.
“Because I’m a bit of an odd case…”
He calmly talked about the broken Guideline, the days of the Rocky Mountain, and the fact that he had fallen into that world and met Artis, Effir, and Kibie.
Only then did Leon Hart nod his head as if he was convinced.
“You’re surely not a Valtara warrior.”
“Now you believe me.”
“Valtara warriors are not as good at explaining as you are.”
“… Is that the reason why you can believe me?”
Regardless, since the Goddess had chosen them, it was clear that he was a trustworthy person even if he’s an Alien.
Despite revealing such a grave secret, they weren’t worried that Saltus might overhear.
They converted him into a furniture-like item and brought him with them.
Even if he was in human form and had all of his Prana sealed, it was impossible to carry around a Dragon’s existence with confidence.
Saltus was then confined to a large coffin with a double seal connection installed by Leon Hart’s spiritual art, while his entire body was still tied by a Prana-Restricting Magic Tool.
Simply put, Saltus was like a dead body that only breathed.
It was a very drastic move, causing Effir to frown.
“Eh, isn’t that too much?”
Of course, Leon Hart didn’t even blink.
“It’s a shame we can only do that. It’s a blessing to fall asleep painlessly when taking his sins into consideration.”
* * *
It had been three days since they left the Kellev Mountains.
The wagon of Han-bin’s group was riding peacefully on the highway without any obstacles.
Thanks to Leon Hart blocking tracking skills, pursuit teams could no longer follow them accurately.
Thanks to that, Ryu Han-bin was able to relax and review his newly acquired power.
“Oh, well…”
Walking along with the wagon, Han-bin continued to operate the Aura in his body.
He made an impression by stroking his stomach.
“Oh, what should I say about this feeling?”
He was full of energy, but it seemed like it was out of his control. It was a strange feeling having an unknown power inside him.
“I think I have an upset stomach, but I don’t have an upset stomach…”
Ryu Han-bin, who was muttering, suddenly raised his head.
“Oh, this is what makes me feel like I that.”
Since he could also use Magic Tools normally, Leon Hart was currently holding the Golem steeds’ reins.
Thanks to that, Artis and Effir, who were resting behind the wagon, could finally scold Han-bin.
“Yes! That’s what I wanted to say the whole time!”
“What do you think? It’s not as good as you thought it would be when you’re the one suffering from it, is it?”
“Yes. I understand what you mean by leveling up as fast as possible isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Since his Aura capacity had increased due to the Sacred Heart of Darkness, he finally understood the struggles of Artis and effir when they were forced to raise their levels by constantly filling them with energy.
Of course, it was better to be strong a hundred times.
It was just talking high and mighty.
“So, what am I supposed to do now?”
It was difficult to grapple with the sudden external energy.
For other Aliens, they could just use the Guideline, but he didn’t enjoy such benefits.
Han-bin had to do it himself, but it wasn’t something common. Hence, it wasn’t written in the Maxbrid Martial Arts book.
Fortunately, next to him were two masters of ‘filling themselves with energy and digesting it recklessly.’
“First, you have to convert it into controlled energy. In your case, that’s Aura.”
“Then, little by little, you have to pull the flow of the uncontrollable Aura. That’s how you assimilate them.”
Ryu Han-bin continued to concentrate and digest Aura, according to Artis and Effir’s explanation.
“Both of you are worth the hard work. You’ve learned how to do this.”
Even Leon Hart, who had been through a lot, didn’t know how to do that.
If it weren’t for the two of them, he would have had quite a hard time digesting Aura.
He was concentrating his mind like that.
“But Kibie.”
“Huh?”
A question came into his mind, and Han-bin immediately voiced it out.
“Did I really need to take the Sacred Heart of Darkness?”