novelzi Chapter 170: Secret (2) Part 2
Chapter 170: Secret (2) Part 2
Chapter 170: Secret (2) Part 2
The morning after the snowstorm passed, the advance began. Each team packed their gear, and a handful of prisoners were pressed into service as porters. It was the first step in the process of reducing the number of monsters down.
“Opening the gates!”
Grrrrrrrrk—
With a cry, the deep, grinding groan of interlocking gears reverberated through the air as Rekordak’s immense gates slowly parted. Beyond them, Yulie, Epherene, Drent, and Allen—each of the named characters—began their advance forward.
Not everyone was needed for the mission; someone had to remain behind to guard the main camp. Therefore, from halfway up the mountainside that wound around Rekordak’s right flank, I watched them depart.
Also, the Northern Region brimmed with mana, its concentration and density heightened by the endless expanse of trees that cloaked the land. It was, without a doubt, the ideal place to refine and master magical abilities.
I created a chair from the rugged mountainside and settled into it, releasing a slow, measured breath.
It was a training known as the mastery of the heart’s essence, and its purpose, for the time being, was to complete Memorize.
◆ Memorize Status:
: Intermediate Telekinesis (36%)
┏Intermediate Fire Control (22%)
┣Intermediate Fluid Manipulation (31%)
┗Metal Enhancement (99%)
My goal was clear: to fully imprint Metal Reinforcement at 99% into my telekinetic circuits. By circulating mana throughout my body, I could finalize the reinforcement pathways. Months of grueling effort had led me here, and now was the time to claim success.
The goal was to seamlessly engrave Metal Enhancement into my Telekinesis, achieving nearly perfect 99% completion. With controlled breathing, I circulated mana through every fiber of my body, its flow finalizing the threads of the Enhancement circuits. This was the moment of almost half a year’s effort—finally within reach.
With each breath drawn in and released, the circuits carved themselves deeper into my flesh, scorching veins and rending living tissue with fiery pain. Even so, there was no need to push past my limits.
After all, it was only the final 1%...?
Suddenly, black smoke swirled from the base of the ridge, stark against the pristine white landscape—a signal that the monsters had appeared. Glancing at my wristwatch, I realized that three hours had already slipped by.
“Fire the arrows!”
A sharp command echoed from nearby, but I remained composed. Taking my time, I adjusted my attire with deliberate care, resolved not to descend in haste and tarnish my dignity. With steady breaths, I settled my posture, brushing the dust from my clothing, and made my way down the slope.
“Fire!”
At the walls of Rekordak, prisoners loosed arrows under the supervision of their guards. Their targets were Frost Wolves skulking beyond the wall—wily beasts cloaked in icy crystals from head to paw. As clever as they were, these demonic canines had likely sprung their ambush the moment they caught sight of the large scale advance setting out.
Thwaaack—!
Without hesitation, I launched a shard of Wood Steel, driving it cleanly through the wolf’s throat, and it fell lifeless, without a sound, before it even touched the ground.
“Professor!” one of the guards called from the summit of the wall, his arm outstretched, guiding my attention to a point in the snowfield below.
I followed his direction and saw them—a swarm of Frost Wolves, crouched low, their growls vibrating through the air. Their sheer numbers, at least in the hundreds, stretched down the valley like an advancing avalanche.
Whoooooosh...
With a flick of my wrist, nineteen Wood Steel blades hovered around me, their edges gleaming in the pale light. I surveyed the scene, noting the wolves’ calculated movements as they sought to encircle us.
Grr—!
In the stillness of my watch, the lead wolf lunged, its jaws gaping wide in a feral rush. With precision, I drove a shard of steel into its open maw, cleaving its skull in a flawless strike. A crimson spray arced through the air as the beast crumpled lifeless to the ground.
I was, in every sense, a force beyond the confines of this battlefield—a power that crushed the warfront beneath my will. Through the carnage I wrought, I advanced with grace, each step carving a path through the mire of shattered remains.
The Empire’s most graceful noble now turned the chaos into a masterpiece of annihilation, unraveling the battlefield with haunting precision and fluid elegance.
"Do you believe cover is necessary?"
It was no cause for astonishment, but an undeniable truth they had momentarily forgotten. The House of Yukline, stewards of demonic destruction, bore a legacy steeped in ancient traditions and indomitable power. That heritage was no fabrication, and I, Deculein, was its one and only rightful and unchallengeable heir.
“... We can’t just stand here—now, charge!” one of the guards roared, igniting the prisoners into motion as they finally rushed forward.
***
Meanwhile, at the same hour, within the serene halls of the Imperial Palace, Sophien received a response from Deculein.
"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived!" said the specially hired adventurer, taking care to ensure it passed unnoticed by the eunuchs of the Imperial Palace.
“... Hmm. A reply, is it? I distinctly said not to send one,” Sophien muttered, her expression betraying a flicker of annoyance as she held the envelope in her grasp.
True to Deculein’s nature, the letter was immaculate, exuding an air of refinement. It even bore traces of sealed mana, as if it were an artifact unto itself.
“Tsk. What grandiose flourish has he penned this time?”
Sophien pressed her lips together, a trace of expectation slipping through her meticulously crafted facade. Deculein’s mastery of the written word was legendary within the capital, his prose akin to art itself—surely, she imagined, his reply would be as refined and lyrical as poetry.
“I told him not to reply, yet he refuses to listen.”
Though her tone carried an air of feigned irritation, her movements betrayed a deliberate care. Slowly, she tore open the envelope, her fingers grazing the delicate texture of the paper as she unfolded it and skimmed the words within.
Yes, Your Majesty. I will strive to fulfill your will to the best of my abilities and with all my effort.
Sophien’s eyes flicked across the letter, its contents absorbed in the blink of an eye. Three seconds—no more—was all it took. She stared blankly for a moment, then flipped the letter over.
Perhaps there’s more on the back? Sophien thought.
There was nothing.
She flipped the page back to the front again.
Flip—
She flipped the page back to the bottom side.
Flip—
Still nothing.
Sophien tilted her head, and thought, When an Empress goes to the trouble of writing more than twenty lines in a lengthy letter, shouldn’t there be at least some semblance of effort in the reply? Did that stubborn man interpret my remark about not needing a response so literally? Not that a reply was absolutely necessary, of course...
“... Oh.”
A sudden thought struck Sophien—perhaps there was another page hidden within the letter. Leaning closer, she exhaled softly into the envelope and peered inside.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Deculein’s letter contained no more than a single line, and that caused Sophien’s fingers to tighten around the page.
“... That son of a bitch.”
She tossed the letter aside and let herself collapse onto the bed. Though matters of state loomed on the horizon, she found herself devoid of the will to confront them. An inexplicable sting of indignation settled in her mind, draining her resolve and turning the affairs of the realm into a burdensome tedium...