Chapter 42: Chapter 42
"Finn, should we start with the fingers? Or perhaps the toes?"
"I prefer toes."
"Fine, let's crush the toes first."
"W-wait!"
One of the enemies tried to crawl backward, bowing his head in desperation. But Finn's foot moved faster.
"I'll talk! I'll talk... Wait! Aaaaagh!"
Thud. Finn stepped on the enemy's leg, and a sickening crunch echoed through the room.
"I'll... I'll talk!"
"Hold on, wait...!"
The rest of the enemies gasped in unison, but Kishiar merely laughed, making no move to stop the Eldore siblings.
Inside the room, the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground mixed with faint, agonizing screams.
"Ugh... ugh...!"
"So," Kishiar asked casually, "ready to talk now?"
He surveyed the enemies, their bodies riddled with burns, their faces streaked with tears and snot.
"You tried to assassinate a member of the imperial family. Your lives are already forfeit. Wouldn't it be better to die cleanly than be dragged off to the Pearl Tower for... experimentation?"
Finn Eldore, back in his original form, glanced over and tilted his head. "It might work better if you promise to spare the first one who talks."
Yuder silently agreed, finding Finn's suggestion more practical.
"Really? Well then—"
"We... we swore an oath..." one of the fallen enemies interrupted, his voice weak.
Before Kishiar could respond, the man continued, trembling.
"We promised... not to speak... I can't..."
"An oath?" Kishiar's red eyes narrowed as a peculiar look crossed his face.
It was likely a magical oath, like the one the Cavalry had used to prevent anyone from leaking information about the Red Stone retrieval mission.
Oaths like these were expensive and rarely used, reserved for missions of significant importance. More telling was the fact that they weren't sold to just anyone.
Whoever had hired these men had considerable influence.
Kishiar, his expression thoughtful, slowly turned his gaze toward Yuder.
"Yuder, hold this for a moment."
Kishiar handed Yuder a small box containing the Red Stone before stepping toward the fallen enemies.
'What is he planning now?'
Yuder watched with curiosity. Kishiar was known for his immense physical strength, but breaking the power of an oath was a different matter. It was something only high-ranking mages or priests were usually capable of.
"Keep what you're about to see a secret."
Kishiar turned toward the Eldore siblings and Yuder, giving them a playful wink. Then, he extended his hand. A soft, white light emanated from his fingertips, enveloping the room before slowly fading.
'...Is that divine power?'
Yuder, usually calm and composed, found himself momentarily stunned. He was certain that what he had just witnessed was the same divine power used by the priests of the Sun God to purify impurities.
"It's a useless ability passed down through my bloodline," Kishiar muttered, "I never thought I'd use it like this."
The Eldore siblings, oblivious to the significance of what had just occurred, showed no reaction. But Yuder was different. The notion that imperial blood carried divine power was something he had never heard of, even when he had served the emperor closely in his previous life.
More puzzling was the fact that Kishiar had never mentioned possessing such power, not even at the moment of his death.
'There were Awakeners among the priests once... but…'
Their numbers were few, and their powers generally weak, to the point that the idea of divine power being able to neutralize something as strong as the Red Stone was laughable. That belief had persisted, especially since there wasn't a single priest-origin Awakener in the Cavalry up until Yuder's own death.
Yet Kishiar stood as an exception to all of these norms. He was already an elite among Awakeners and had been recognized by the divine sword—a weapon known for being extremely selective of its wielders.
Historically, every individual chosen by the divine sword had eventually become a sword master, their strength making a mark on history. Although none of sword masters had ever awakened, it wasn't an impossibility. In fact, a foreign sword master would awaken as an Awakener about a year later, becoming the first of such an occurrence.
There were also plenty of cases where strong knights, who could wield aura, had become Awakeners. So, Yuder had always found it natural that Kishiar, who had the divine sword's acknowledgment, was a powerful Awakener as well.
But never had there been a precedent where someone had mastered three distinct powers—divine power, aura, and the abilities of an Awakener—all at once. Breaking the power of the oath with divine power... that was unheard of.
If Kishiar was truly on the path to becoming a sword master, had divine power strong enough to shatter magical oaths, and had also awakened with formidable abilities—then his power was beyond anything Yuder had ever imagined.
It seemed almost absurd, even to Yuder, who was capable of manipulating five different attributes as an Awakener. There was no record of a single human possessing all three powers in history.
'Why would he want to keep this a secret?'
Even though Yuder had just witnessed Kishiar using divine power, it still seemed hard to believe. He had always assumed Kishiar's restraint came from his leadership style, prioritizing command over raw strength. But now it was clear that he had deliberately hidden his divine power from everyone.
What reason could Kishiar possibly have for concealing such a remarkable ability? That mystery might hold the key to the lingering questions surrounding Kishiar's death—questions that had haunted Yuder.
Kishiar La Orr, who had quietly accepted death, as if waiting for it, without protest.
A duke in name only, unable to contest for the imperial throne, and a lifelong bachelor. Yuder had always wondered why someone so brilliant and capable had chosen not to vie for power—why he had allowed himself to remain on the sidelines.
Now, the pieces of that puzzle seemed to be slowly falling into place.
If Yuder had possessed the same power and had been born a prince, he would never have lived in such obscurity.
'When I return, I need to investigate whether divine power truly runs in the imperial bloodline and how the other dukes of princely origin, who lived like Kishiar, fared.'
While Yuder was lost in thought, Kishiar continued to interrogate the intruders without a care.
"Now, you should be able to talk. Tell me, who sent you?"
"W-we... we don't exactly know."
The intruder gasped in pain, his voice trembling.
"We're all mercenaries from different places. Our client never revealed their identity and only contacted us through intermediaries and letters…"
"Mercenaries?"
The Eldore siblings exchanged glances, muttering quietly. It was only then that Yuder snapped out of his thoughts about Kishiar and lifted his head.
'So, they weren't professional assassins. Mercenaries... I see.'
"You must have known something before you came here," Kishiar pressed on. "What did your client tell you? What was the plan after stealing the Red Stone? Or was the Red Stone just an excuse, and the real objective was to have me killed?"
"No, no!"
"We're scum, but we're not that stupid. Assassinating a member of the imperial family? We'd never accept such a job."
"How amusing. Assassination an imperial family member is off-limits, but stealing the Red Stone is perfectly acceptable?"
Hinn's biting comment echoed in the room, causing regret and anger to flicker across the bloodied faces of the intruders.
"...The client said there would only be one person—Duke Peletta—staying here. If we timed it right, we could handle it easily. We didn't expect anyone else to be here."
Fearful eyes darted toward Yuder. Even without lifting a finger, he was as terrifying to them as a grim reaper.
But Yuder was focused elsewhere. If the intruder's words were true, this situation was more dire than it appeared.
'The information was completely compromised.'
He shot a quick glance at Kishiar's expressionless face. When had it been decided that Kishiar would come here to retrieve the Red Stone? Whoever orchestrated this attack had obtained that information long before they arrived.
And the fact that the location of Kishiar's stay had been leaked in real time meant the mastermind was much closer than they thought.
"It seems like they had a detailed understanding of this place. Was that all the information you received?" Kishiar asked, his voice calm but firm.
The intruders, eager to please, scrambled to reveal more.
"No, at first, we were just told to head to the Orr Empire and wait for further instructions."
"We camped out at the edge of the mountain range for a few days. Then yesterday, we received a letter instructing us to move here…!"
"We were told to watch the mansion, and if it seemed like the Red Stone had been retrieved, we were to steal it. We really thought that was all—just to take the stone! Afterward, we were supposed to return to our hideout and wait for further contact from the client…"
"A letter that arrived yesterday…" Kishiar murmured thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. He must have realized the same thing Yuder was now considering.
Even the Cavalry members who had been sent to retrieve the Red Stone had only recently learned that only Awakeners could approach it safely. The chances that the mastermind behind this attack had that same knowledge beforehand were slim. And yet, the fact that they had assembled a group of Awakeners for this mission was no coincidence—it meant they had deemed it necessary to use people with powerful abilities.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone