Chapter 162 – Struggle for Dominance
Wiley Grimes.
The sudden appearance of the missing knight commander brought everything to a halt.
Etor’s cavalry instinctively gathered around him.
Since a knight commander had the authority to act in place of the lord in his absence, they were now looking to Wiley for orders.
"The lord was assassinated by Lochter’s blade."
"...!"
The words that spilled from Wiley’s mouth sent a shockwave through the ranks.
Lochter Felice.
The former knight commander of Blyer, once regarded—alongside Wiley—as one of the strongest knights in all of Tobaron.
And now, he was accused of assassinating the lord.
It was hard to believe, but since Wiley was the one delivering the news, they had no choice but to accept it.
"He fled to Blyer. We must pursue him immediately—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Wiley collapsed, covered in blood. Soldiers rushed forward in alarm to support him.
Kamel, who had been silently observing, finally stepped forward.
"Load him into the carriage."
After placing Wiley inside, Kamel called for a shaman to begin treatment.
However, once the soldiers had been dismissed under the pretense of medical care, he summoned Lyon.
And the words that left his lips had nothing to do with healing.
"Now that Wiley has arrived, proceed as planned."
"Leave it to me."
"Track their movements, but if you find them, avoid confrontation until you join Rengua. Understood?"
"Understood."
Lyon gathered the senior cavalry officers and ordered the troops to move toward Blyer.
Though the order came from Lyon and not Wiley, Etor’s cavalry obeyed without question, preparing to depart for Blyer.
The Hunt for Lochter Felice.
Tracking down the man responsible for the lord’s death was not something they could ignore.
Even Wiley, before losing consciousness, had urged them to pursue the fugitive immediately.
Leaving behind only a hundred cavalry to guard the carriage, Lyon and thousands of riders quickly disappeared into the forest.
The once formidable convoy now felt somewhat diminished.
Kamel’s carriage began moving slowly behind them.
[Rengua, where are you now?]
[About three days away from Blyer.]
[You’ll arrive around the same time as Lyon.]
Inside the carriage, things were playing out quite differently from what the soldiers outside imagined.
The shaman, supposedly tending to Wiley, was instead connected to Rengua via communication orb, and Wiley himself sat upright in his seat, completely unharmed.
[What about the berserker unit?]
[The ritual inscriptions are not yet complete, but they’re already on the move in full armor.]
[What about the shamans stationed at the nest?]
[I’ve ordered them to evacuate to a hidden stronghold. Once I arrive in Blyer, they will all regroup immediately.]
[By tomorrow, ten battalions of shaman forces will reach you. Once they arrive, meet up with Lyon.]
[Shall we begin the hunt immediately?]
[If you can capture them alive, do so. If not, kill them.]
[And if they scatter?]
[Alex Marcia. He is your top priority.]
Kamel gave the order without hesitation.
Lochter was important, but after carefully reviewing past failures, it was clear that dealing with Alex would make future battles significantly easier.
More than that, Alex had been acting as ‘his’ messenger. His mind undoubtedly held valuable information about the one everyone was curious about.
If Kamel could capture him and present him before Arcane, he could finally uncover the mysteries that had been plaguing him.
[I expect the right face to be in front of me when I arrive.]
[Your wish shall be fulfilled, my lord.]
After ending his communication with Rengua, Kamel immediately reached out to the shamans stationed in Blyer.
Lochter Felice—the murderer of Baron Tomzael.
The act that would ignite a war between Blyer and Etor.
Kamel ordered the rumor to be spread across all of Blyer via the intelligence guild.
The intent was to drown out any heroics associated with Lochter’s name by burying them beneath something even more scandalous.
[Announce a bounty of 1 million gold for Lochter. And offer 10,000 gold to anyone who provides his location.]
With money flooding the streets, Lochter’s whereabouts would soon be uncovered.
Once the necessary orders had been given, the shaman bowed and left the carriage.
Meanwhile, Arcane showed interest in Wiley—the knight who had once exuded the aura of a lion before his capture.
He waved a hand in front of Wiley’s face to get a reaction.
Wiley glanced at him once, but his response was as lifeless as that of a puppet.
"His mind has been sealed. Is this [Subjugation Control]?"
"Sharp as ever."
"Subjugation imprisons the mind, preventing further growth of the divine name. If this continues, his development will be permanently halted."
"It doesn’t matter. Any lack of strength can be replaced by something else."
Kamel was a regressor.
He had no need to grow stronger himself—he simply needed to walk the path he had already paved with greed.
Everything he desired could be taken.
Arcane looked at Kamel with an unreadable expression.
"Are you sure you don’t mind me hearing all of that? It seemed quite important."
"It’s nothing beneficial to you."
"Does that mean you intend to kill me?"
"If I could, I would have done so already."
Arcane did not seem particularly strong.
Yet, he was one of the most difficult people to deal with.
That was Kamel’s assessment of Arcane.
‘And if he really is connected to the Blood-Drinking Chalice…?’
Kamel decided to work with him and make use of him to the fullest.
It might be a double-edged sword, but unlike in his past life, he now fully understood the implications of the Blood-Drinking Chalice.
By discussing critical operations in front of Arcane, he was laying the groundwork for trust—or, at the very least, setting the stage for more blatant requests in the future.
‘I might have to work with the mage factions.’
Kamel was already considering the worst-case scenario—clashing with the witches.
"If they had fled to Beneta, things would have been much easier."
"Were you planning for war?"
"Do you not understand how desperate other races are to ensure their own safety? They would have handed over Lochter just to avoid war."
Right now, Kamel commanded both the Blyer and Etor armies.
Had the fugitives fled to Beneta, it would have been the perfect opportunity to fracture the blood alliance.
But they had chosen to dig into Blyer instead, something he had not anticipated.
"Do you think you can capture them?"
"They’re already trapped. There’s nowhere left for them to run."
Lyon and Rengua, along with the berserker unit, royal guards, and shamans, were already closing in from within Blyer.
If they attempted to flee beyond the territory, the combined might of the Blyer and Etor cavalry—six thousand strong—would cut off their escape, with Wiley personally leading the pursuit.
No matter how strong they were, it was impossible to fight their way through such overwhelming numbers.
This was the perfect chance to capture them and extract every memory from their minds.
A chance for complete annihilation.
***
"Wow!"
Lily stared up at the towering gates of Blyer, eyes wide with awe.
It was the largest city entrance she had seen during her travels through Tobaron.
After a while, her neck grew sore, and she pouted, rubbing the back of it.
"Didn't you say you've been to Blyer before?"
"Yeah. Just up to the entrance."
She pointed far off to the ground, explaining how she had met a group of shamans there and been dragged to the Korun River.
A fateful encounter, in hindsight.
Listening to her story, Kamel found himself feeling grateful toward the shamans for the first time.
"Right, Keros?"
Keros, in the form of a small stuffed dog, clung to Lily’s left shoulder.
He had been transformed to avoid drawing attention, and admittedly, he did look somewhat cute.
"Let’s go inside."
"You promised!"
"Of course."
She had been promised a pretty dress.
Kamel wondered if she would like it.
He still had a day before their scheduled meeting.
Before that, he had work to do.
Lily, Lochter, and Karl had just set foot inside Blyer.
It had been two days since they freed the enslaved villagers and wiped out the group of hunters led by Draka.
Though soldiers were stationed at the entrance, the security seemed surprisingly lax compared to before.
Especially in hunter attire, they passed through without much scrutiny.
Clearly, a large number of hunters had gathered in Blyer this time around.
Of course, not even a quarter of them would make it back alive.
Their journey to Blyer had been anything but smooth.
A road soaked in blood.
"There are so many food stalls!"
"They're market stalls, not restaurants."
Despite the grim thoughts lingering in Kamel’s mind, his focus was momentarily drawn to the bustling market.
Even under Kamel’s rule of terror, Blyer still retained the lively atmosphere of a city where people lived and traded.
"This one! This one!"
Lily stopped in front of a stall selling skewered meat.
The skewers were grilled to a golden brown, their original form unrecognizable.
What kind of meat was it?
Kamel didn’t bother questioning it.
"Eat as much as you want."
Because he wouldn’t be eating any of it.
Lily’s face lit up as she eagerly stuffed several skewers into her mouth. Judging by her expression, the taste seemed satisfactory.
Kamel picked up a skewer and waved it in front of Keros, who remained motionless on Lily’s shoulder. Then, he handed it over to Lily.
"Krrrng—"
A low growl, barely audible.
Probably not a good sign.
[He says he'll chew your head off later.]
"I didn’t need that particular translation, thanks."
That morning, Retonicalus had fully regained consciousness.
Since then, he had been making his presence known by interpreting Keros’ growls.
For Lily, a contractor, this was expected—but how was Reto able to understand Keros as well?
"Did you get enough rest?"
[It would be more accurate to say I died and came back. The curse made me experience death over and over again.]
"You actually died?"
So no pranks, then.
Kamel planned to check his divine name more frequently from now on, and when he asked if that would be a problem, Reto answered enthusiastically.
[It’s perfect. I can experience death indirectly.]
Yep.
Definitely a freak.
"This one too!"
"And what about this one?"
"This one looks weird, so no."
"It’s just a triangle, though."
"Triangles are creepy."
What was the difference?
They briefly bickered over candy shapes before Lily was let loose, happily hopping from stall to stall, spending money without restraint.
Watching her, Kamel felt a strange sense of relief.
The tension that had been stretched tight inside him began to ease.
The situation ahead was urgent, yet somehow, being with Lily made it hard to feel anxious.
Maybe it was because the atmosphere was too bright.
"Ah! Wait, wait! Just a minute!"
"No time. We need to check out the clothes."
"Oh, right! Clothes!"
They entered a boutique Kamel had noticed earlier—a luxurious, stylish store spanning two floors.
The moment they stepped inside, Kamel noticed the expressions of the women lounging on the first-floor sofas shift.
Their eyes widened in shock at the sight of Lily’s face.
Then, after glancing over their outfits, their lips curled into sneers.
Ridiculous.
Had they never seen hunter attire before?
Lily was far prettier than them anyway.
Judging by their overly polished appearances, they were probably daughters of noble families who strutted around this area acting superior.
The women immediately called for the manager, pointing at Kamel and Lily while voicing their complaints.
Their message, in summary?
"Get these filthy commoners out of here."
These bitches.
A short while later, the manager approached them hesitantly.
"I’m sorry, but this establishment—"
"No need to apologize. Just take this."
Kamel handed the manager a letter.
A black rose was stamped on the envelope.
Before leaving, Fenry Chaser had given it to him, directing him to a branch of the Black Rose within Blyer.
"Just show them this," Fenry had said.
As expected, the moment the manager saw the letter, his demeanor changed completely.
"May I ask for your identity?"
"I am the master of a blood pact."
"P-Please wait just a moment!"
There were only three recognized masters of blood pacts.
Dorneth Gader, the ruler of Beneta.
Fenry Chaser, the master of the Black Rose.
And Alex, leader of Hunt.
Upon confirming the seal, the manager moved twice as fast—rushing past Kamel and straight toward the noblewomen.
"We’re closing for the day. Please leave immediately."
"What?! What if we refuse?"
"Then we’ll have to remove you."
The women tried to protest, but several men appeared and began forcibly dragging them out.
As they passed, Kamel put on a surprised expression—then promptly grinned.
"Oh, my apologies. You were just so hideous."
"...You—!"
Now that, was the power of connections.