The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 129: The Beginning of Turmoil (4)

Both Richard and Claudia had suffered significant setbacks against their respective opponents—the Klaus family and the faction supporting the Second Prince.

While both received criticism, Claudia bore the brunt of the negative image.

Akela, the Free City, had once again fallen into the hands of Nicholas von Royce, giving the Second Prince’s faction a base from which to advance into the North, thereby causing considerable trouble for Martin, her ally.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Underworld factions based in Akela had also pledged their allegiance to the Second Prince’s faction.

Though these groups couldn’t officially operate alongside the regular army, their ability to disrupt the North from the shadows was a considerable asset to the Second Prince’s side.

‘Not that we’re completely at a loss.’

Disguised as a red-haired man, Martin sat atop Akela’s city wall, deep in thought.

When he first allied with Claudia, they had been on relatively equal footing.

However, after his repeated successes, the Adalbert family’s power had recovered nearly to its peak, and his own influence had grown immensely.

Though he had declared he wouldn’t ascend as the family head until reaching the 9-circle level, his stature was now well beyond Claudia’s.

‘And she’s well aware of it.’

With complete control over the North, he had no real need to remain in the imperial succession struggle.

But for Claudia? Without his support, her downfall would be almost immediate.

That was why she had tried to bolster her own presence by promising to protect Akela. Ironically, by losing the city, she had only cemented a perception of incompetence.

As a result, she was now even more reliant on him.

It was no exaggeration to say he held the First Princess faction’s fate in his hands.

If he emerged victorious in the civil war and placed her on the throne, he could potentially influence the entire Altaria Empire.

‘Losing one city is a small price to pay. What matters is that I now have the First Princess faction entirely within my grasp.’

Losing Akela was hardly enough to threaten the Adalbert family or the North.

If Theodore or Nicholas grew overconfident and recklessly attacked, they’d soon regret their decision.

With that thought, Martin manipulated light through Omni Distortion, concealing himself.

Theodore had forbidden civilians from entering or leaving the city, so he needed to remain hidden.

Woooong.

He then activated spatial movement, teleporting down from the wall.

With practiced stealth, he made his way to Gourmet Street.

‘It’s looking much better.’

Though the place had been devastated after his battle with Elder Heinz Schwarzenbeck, most of the restoration work was now complete.

It was a pity there were no bustling crowds due to the restrictions, but that was a matter for another time.

Moving quietly, Martin eventually arrived in front of the restaurant Crossroads of Fate, and halted.

The door was firmly closed, but that didn’t concern him in the least.

‘To a spatial ability user, doors and walls are meaningless obstacles.’

To avoid overlapping with anyone inside, Martin first used spatial detection.

Semi-transparent threads of light quickly mapped the entire building, feeding the interior’s details into his mind.

Woooong.

Locating an empty space, he teleported inside the building.

He revealed himself by releasing the light concealment, and then deactivated his polymorph artifact, returning to his true form.

“Who dares…?”

“Wait, it’s you… Martin Adalbert?!”

The assassins from the Assassin Guild reacted to the unexpected intruder and prepared to attack.

However, upon realizing Martin’s identity, they stopped short.

Even so, they radiated a menacing killing intent, though Martin remained unfazed.

“I’ve confirmed that the Dark King is in the basement. Mind if I go down to see him?”

“Even with Akela fallen, your arrogance remains unchanged, Martin Adalbert.”

A young assassin glared at Martin in disbelief.

“I don’t see why I should change my demeanor over something that isn’t my fault. Besides, losing one city doesn’t put the Adalbert family in a precarious position.”

“And would you say the same if all of Akela’s underworld factions were against you?”

“Isn’t it a bit too flattering to think so highly of yourselves? You’re nothing more than thugs, at best.”

“…You’re courting death.”

“Oh, please. I think I’ve already told you before—you’re gravely mistaken if you think you’re capable of that.”

Kwoooom!

At Martin’s words, the assassins’ killing intent thickened even further.

Yet Martin maintained his composed attitude.

Then—

“Enough with the theatrics. Let the guest proceed downstairs.”

The voice of the Dark King echoed through the room.

At once, the assassins retracted their killing intent and stepped aside.

Though they continued to glare at Martin with murderous eyes.

“Really, so many people here tend to overestimate their own skills.”

Martin smirked, mocking the assassins as he passed.

He descended to the basement and found the Dark King in a room, drinking.

“It’s been a while, Dark King. We have quite a lot to discuss, don’t we?”

Martin dropped onto a sofa opposite the Dark King.

Then, he sat back and looked at him with a sly smile.

—

‘Truly unbelievable talent.’

The Dark King clicked his tongue as he watched Martin grinning confidently.

Last year, just reaching the 7-circle level alone would have made Martin one of the fastest-growing talents on the Cracian Continent.

Yet here he was, already at the 8-circle level so soon after reaching the 7th. It was almost too unbelievable to accept.

“You want to talk… though I don’t believe I’m obligated to explain anything to you,” the Dark King replied leisurely.

Though genuinely surprised, he wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

“Well, I’d suggest sharing it while I’m asking nicely. Losing Akela is one thing, but breaking your promise does irritate me a bit.”

“I broke no promises. I made an effort to gain control over the underworld factions here, and indeed, nearly 40 percent of the organizations swore loyalty to me. Even those who opposed me avoided direct conflict.”

“Then why did they join the Second Prince’s faction?”

“Nicholas von Royce made them an offer. He promised that if they helped bring you down, he’d restore Akela to how it was before. He even offered them the slave trade.”

“So, you’ve also sworn loyalty to him?”

“Of course not. I simply chose to step back. I’d say I kept my word to you in that regard. I wouldn’t risk my life for our ‘relationship,’ after all.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

They were allies in a loose sense, but nothing more.

It wasn’t as if they had developed a bond where they could rely on each other.

Besides, even if they had, it wouldn’t have been realistic to expect just the Assassin Guild alone to contend with the Second Prince’s faction, let alone the entire Royce faction.

“In truth, there’s something else I’m more curious about. I think it’s time you explained Doom. You said you’d tell me when the time came.”

“You’re mistaken, young master. I never said anything of the sort.”

“Silence can sometimes be an answer in itself, don’t you think?”

“You drew your own conclusions.”

“So, you don’t want to tell me?”

“The Assassin Guild values trust above all else. I can’t reveal information related to a client. It’s not a matter of preference.”

“What a smooth talker. I suppose even someone like you would be afraid, though—considering it was an order from Werner von Klaus, head of one of the Three Great Families.”

The Dark King flinched at Martin’s words.

For a split second, his expression stiffened.

It was barely a reaction, but Martin didn’t miss it.

A wider grin spread across Martin’s face.

“So, the Duke of Klaus really was the culprit.”

“…Were you just fishing for information? Seems I have much to learn.”

“Not entirely. I’d already narrowed it down to Werner von Klaus or Nicholas von Royce, though the former seemed the more likely suspect.”

“And your reasoning?”

“Think about it. A drug that can forcibly grant unique abilities or even raise a circle level, even at the cost of one’s life—it could potentially change the course of the continent’s history. Who but the head of a Great Family could carry out research of that scale? Of course, it was your reaction that confirmed my suspicions.”

The Dark King gave a bitter laugh at Martin’s mocking words.

He had known for some time that this young master had an uncanny ability to manipulate people with ease.

All his years of experience in the underworld seemed meaningless in front of this boy.

“Even if you’ve identified the client, I have no intention of sharing the specifics. The same goes for Doom. And frankly, I don’t know much myself. When I was involved in the research, Doom wasn’t being used to turn people into walking bombs.”

“To fight an enemy, information is the most important weapon. While Doom might not be a disease that we can simply counter, I still think gathering as much information as possible is vital.”

“What will you do if I refuse to tell you? Are you planning to force it out of me?”

“If it comes to that… yes, I’m prepared to.”

“I understand that reaching the 8-circle level has given you confidence, but thinking you can take on the entire Assassin Guild alone is arrogance. Even if it’s just us fighting here, the commotion will attract other underworld groups and Second Prince supporters. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“You know as well as I do how difficult it is to capture someone who can teleport. Not that I’d need to run unless Nicholas von Royce himself or the commander of the Royce family knights were to show up.”

Kwoooom!

Golden energy radiated from Martin’s body, meeting the ash-gray aura emanating from the Dark King, and the collision sent shockwaves through the room, breaking nearby objects. Neither of them seemed to mind.

Martin declared confidently, “As of today, the Assassin Guild is out of business. You’ll be serving as my personal retainer. I’ll secure you a position as a lord or elder, and, of course, I won’t kill your men. I plan to make good use of them.”

“I don’t dislike you, young master, but perhaps it’s time you learned a lesson. The world doesn’t always go the way you want it to.”

Ssshh.

At the Dark King’s signal, assassins emerged from the shadows around the room.

All of them were brimming with hostility, eager for revenge after all the trouble Martin had caused them.

“I’ll admit there are people in this world who can teach me a thing or two, but you’re not one of them.”

Martin’s offer had been a gesture of courtesy, but he had no intention of making a messy ending out of this situation.

Securing control over the Assassin Guild was a necessary step to ensure a decisive victory in the coming war.

With the guild’s strength under his command, he could easily suppress any troublesome underworld factions.

‘And if I can cause trouble for the Second Prince and Marquis Royce along the way, all the better.’

If he wreaked havoc here and they failed to capture him, their reputation would suffer.

It would also reinforce the idea that Claudia’s loss had nothing to do with him.

“A high-stakes fight has its appeal. All I need is a single victory to claim everything.”

Boom.

Martin took a step forward, and the assassins surged toward him.