I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

057. The Observer’s Dagger (2)

I never once forgot the objects before my eyes.

They were so familiar to me that they even haunted my dreams, tormenting me.

It was inevitable.

How many imperial soldiers had been killed by the light emanating from that shield?

How persistently had the great warrior wielding the mace risen again and crushed the knights?

And the cloak? The shaman who wore it summoned the spirits of wolves to sever the empire’s supply lines in mobile warfare.

Above all, the saw-blade sword—I still haven’t forgotten the great warrior who wielded it.

‘Egil Bortaman.’

The great warrior chief of the barbarians and the lieutenant of Isaac La Bodetta, the crown prince’s nemesis.

The sword of the beast that devours swords… the sword of the one who fought me the most until the final battle.

―Eyeball monster! Let’s end this today!!!

―…Crazy b*stard.

His saw-blade sword cut through abilities.

It was a terrifying weapon that, if confronted head-on, would instead diminish my power.

That’s why I had no choice but to face him.

I was the only one who could see the abilities imbued in the sword and counter them.

Knowing these objects so well, something beyond surprise settled within me.

I looked at Girgoor.

‘This object comes from him.’

In other words, he had sided with the barbarians and strengthened their forces.

That fact weighed heavily on me.

Now, I recall something I had carelessly overlooked.

‘The fake before the regression was assassinated.’

The prime suspect is this guy.

Then, what happened to this guy after assassinating the fake? Where did he disappear to?

Isn’t the answer obvious?

“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

His innocent smile as he took down the staff hanging on the wall only heightened my sense of crisis.

Yes, given the state of the empire, it would make sense for this wanderer to move his residence anywhere.

But why the barbarians?

Feeling frustrated, I asked.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Pantail Dur. Do you know what that is?”

It’s the homeland of the barbarians.

And the holy land of the god they believe in.

Girgore’s eyes widened immediately.

“You know that place? Interesting. Even the imperial scholars don’t know much about the northeastern barbarians.”

“…Do you know it?”

“How could I not? I’ve been there for the past ten years.”

My heart raced.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

To think I would get a clue about the barbarians like this.

I was eager to ask more related questions, but…

“Can you hurry up and choose? We don’t have much time to spend here. We’re moving in secret for now.”

…Time did not permit.

I furrowed my brows.

‘Is there no other way?’

Calm down.

This guy won’t run away.

Since I’m the only one who can lift the curse, he has to stay loyal to me.

“You have to choose just one. These are truly precious.”

Upon hearing this, I once again examined the dreadful weapons of the great warriors.

And then I said,

“Let’s make it two.”

“…No, just one.”

“Seven curses. I’ll take two with that.”

“……”

Girgore’s eyes trembled.

His lips quivered.

He seemed deeply troubled.

So, I tried to negotiate.

“Eight.”

“Pay upfront.”

Swish!

I swung the sacred tree and cut off exactly eight branches.

Then, for some reason, Girgore nodded with a look that was both happy and sad.

“So, what are you going to take?”

“There are exactly two things I need. This one and this one.”

To that, Girgore replied,

“…You’re only picking the expensive ones.”

His eyes were sad.

* * *

Kallios tilted his head as he looked at the returning Yuren.

“Why are you empty-handed?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, I was curious about what you received.”

“Oh, here it is.”

Yuren tapped the pocket at his waist.

A subspace backpack, perhaps.

Kallios smacked his lips.

“What did you get? Anything useful?”

“I’m not giving it to you. I’m not telling you. You’ll find out later, so why bother?”

“I’m just curious. You really have a petty personality.”

“That’s nonsense, I can see the greed dripping from your eyes.”

Kallios didn’t respond.

He was thinking of saying, “How about giving me at least one of those useful things?”

“It can’t be helped.”

I’ll go with Plan B.

After finishing the incident here, I’ll extort Igrocia’s assets from Girgo.

Kallios felt no pangs of conscience.

He believed it was his duty to enrich the imperial treasury as the next emperor of the empire.

Anyway, it seemed like everything was roughly sorted out, so it was time to get to work.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, it’s time for the meeting. Let’s move.”

The execution was imminent.

* * *

The meetings in Igrocia were different from ordinary meetings.

That is, they were somewhat different from meetings where opinions were exchanged in a solemn and refined atmosphere.

To put it bluntly, they resembled gangsters’ verbal fights.

Girgo watched the atmosphere with an inward smile.

“The water sellers have long tongues. Have they forgotten that the import rights belong to us?”

“And you water drinkers, how much more do you want to take? Have you forgotten that without our manufacturing technology, Igrocia’s brewing industry would collapse?!”

It had been 10 minutes since the meeting started, and 15 minutes remained until the meeting began.

The fake Girgo, who was supposed to preside over the meeting, had not yet arrived, and for that reason, arguments were breaking out in the meeting room.

“They’re still fighting.”

He remembered them fighting over the same thing 10 years ago, and it seemed the monopoly dispute between Veil and Malcolm over the brewing industry was still ongoing.

In other respects, it was the same.

Everything was familiar to Girgo.

“Chad, you’re still calm. Tiberion, I can see you timing your entrance. Histal, you want to go home quickly.”

The power structure in Igrocia hadn’t changed much.

Except for Yuren driving out Hayas, only one seat had changed, and the existing composition was maintained.

Thus, a strange illusion arose.

The illusion that, in fact, there had been no change in Igrosia, and there might have been no upheaval at all.

But it didn’t last long.

Because no one knew better than Girgoor that this place had changed.

The people are dying.

The things they tried to save since the dagger was made have withered away.

The order in chaos that they tried to create that day is now gone.

Only a city rushing towards self-destruction remains desolate.

“The chairman is entering.”

Then the words of the old dagger echoed.

With a thud, the door opened.

Immediately after, he entered.

“Everyone, sit down.”

Girgoor’s insides felt a little damp.

‘…You’ve changed. Or have you aged?’

The black hair remained unchanged, and beneath it, the pale skin that had not seen sunlight remained the same.

However, the eyes that once shone with intelligence were now filled with dark shadows.

The traces of time were faintly engraved on his face.

Girgoor, having lived for a long time, knew.

From around thirty, the things engraved on one’s face showed the life they had lived.

‘What was it that displeased him so much?’

His face was full of discomfort.

He pondered, but no answer came.

…No, if there was an answer, it existed separately.

He heard from Yuren and Kallios that it was the work of a demon.

He didn’t want to believe it, but if it was them, it made enough sense.

Just as humans trample on ants without a second thought.

Demons moved with just as volatile an interest.

‘If only he hadn’t left.’

Such regret arose briefly, but it was impossible to hold onto what had passed.

Girgore closed his eyes gently and let the meeting’s words wash over him.

In the meantime, feelings of mercy or compassion soon vanished without a trace.

A strong will for retribution surged within him.

Though he generally acted frivolously, he had his own set of ironclad rules.

The laws of the dagger in Igrosia reflected his nature perfectly.

‘For any reason whatsoever…’

…one must not sacrifice what lies in the shadows.

The moment the dagger points towards Igrosia, the price of that sin will be paid with life.

From noble mtl dot com

Meanwhile, the meeting ended.

“…Then let’s conclude the first meeting.”

The man stood up from his seat.

He walked out through the open door first, and at that moment, Girgore faced him.

A stranger cloaked in a robe from head to toe.

‘It’s you.’

The outsider who had so thoroughly ruined the boy.

In the brief moment the door closed, the outsider stared intently at Girgore.

* * *

After the time filled with uninteresting content about the first meeting and whatnot had passed.

We returned to the room and checked our weapons.

The moon wanes.

The night deepens, and the world grows darker.

It was the perfect time for a covert mission.

I asked,

“The route?”

“I’ll show you.”

Girgore tapped the floor with the staff he had brought from the treasure vault.

Then, a vision appeared before my eyes.

Blue mana formed a map of the lord’s castle, green lines marked the route, and finally, red dots indicated the enemies’ positions.

I looked at Girgore.

‘So, he was a dark sorcerer.’

Because of the curse, it was hard to see his true abilities, so I just left it alone. But the soul absorption magic and this cognitive alteration magic…

Ultimately, I became convinced that the staff was interacting with the curse.

A dark sorcerer.

A race that went extinct during the last interspecies war, seen only a few times across the entire continent.

‘Is it because he lived so long?’

The treasures in the vault, and the strange abilities he delved into, seemed to provide enough background.

In the past, he would have been a target for assassination, but now, not necessarily?

The prince felt the same way.

“Hmm, so this is how dark magic works.”

Beatrice showed some discomfort, but it wasn’t significant.

Ignoring her reaction, Gilgore spoke.

“Let’s quietly go to the basement. After all, the influential people from all over Igrosia are gathered here.”

“If we get caught on the surface, the fight will escalate?”

“It’s not that I’m worried about that, I just want to save them. If we fight, you’ll kill them. You guys.”

I couldn’t deny it.

If we spend time neutralizing them one by one, it would be a disaster if those outsiders escape.

Gilgore smiled faintly.

“When this is over, we have to rebuild the city. But if they’re gone, that becomes a hassle.”

“Noted.”

I wasn’t confident I could save them all, though.

So, we left the room.

Carefully following the empty sections of the corridor, we moved past the main hall to the underground passage.

“Here it is.”

“…The sewer?”

“A hole I made when I was here. Only I and my direct subordinates like the kid… Rabon know about it. There might be more now… but knowing the kid’s personality, he wouldn’t have revealed this backdoor to everyone.”

I looked at the map that appeared on my retina.

Indeed, there were guards, though fewer than elsewhere.

I activated my eyes.

‘There are no supernatural traps.’

But there could have been physical traps.

What could he do?

He had no choice but to use the secret weapon.

“Petto.”

When called, the guy answered, trembling.

“Y-Yes…?”

“Find the trap.”

He turned his gaze.

The entrance to the sewer.

The guy hiding at the very back of the line, behind Beatrice’s back, had trembling eyes.

* * *

Former Hayas faction of Igrosia.

Petto, the clever one of the current Kulkaran faction, thought.

‘How did it come to this?’

He had flattered a bit to get promoted to the executive level during this faction reshuffle.

Especially since the leader, Kulkaran, took a liking to him (probably because he found the old man), he immediately entered the core executive team.

But it was clearly a poisoned chalice.

From some point, he often found himself wandering around unconscious.

There were moments in the day when his memory was intermittently cut off.

At first, he thought it was nothing, but as such incidents piled up, Petto’s suspicion deepened.

One day, while agonizing over it, Petto discovered the truth.

To be precise, they told him.

Petto looked at the people in front of him.

‘The, the Crown Prince. The Grand Duke. The next Tower Master…’

Even the true master of Igrosia.

Those were the people around him.

He couldn’t believe how shocked he was when he heard this.

He didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a whale fight and have his back broken, so he tried to run away, but that was also impossible.

―You can’t escape because you’re under the Soul Binding spell.

Escape failed immediately, and asking for help was also impossible.

He had become nothing more than a slave to these humans.

Peto now recalled his late father’s advice.

―Stay still, and you’ll get halfway there.

Ah, Father. I understand now.

I foolishly craved power and met with disaster.

Tears streamed down, but now it was all too late.

“Check if there are any traps or alarms. If you do it carelessly, I’ll kill you.”

The Taesa, Yuren Paros, who had pretended to be a Kulkaran, threatened.

Peto trembled as he moved forward.

What will happen now?

Will I die caught in the fight of these monsters?

As the fear surged to the top of his head,

‘…No! No!’

Peto steeled his heart.

Who was he, after all?

A master of survival, the artisan of flattery in Igrosia.

He was among the best of the best.

Wasn’t there a way to think positively about this?

‘This, this is an opportunity…!’

A chance to impress the brothers!

Peto steeled his heart.

The clever Peto of the back alleys was no more.

‘From now on, I am Peto, the shadow knight of the royal family…!’

Tonight, he steps towards his rise in status.

Click!

“Brothers! I found a trap!”

Peto raised his thumb with a sparkle in his eyes.

No more shadows were seen on his face.