The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 133: The Medicine King (1)

Martin, Sien, and Adel made their way to Alanto City.

This city sat at the border between the North and the East and bordered both the Altaria Empire and a neighboring kingdom.

Due to its strategic location, Alanto had attracted a bustling population and developed into a major commercial hub.

“Won’t the Ferdinand family protest if we move in unannounced? Like Akela City, Alanto is neutral territory, and they might try to nitpick if something goes wrong,” Adel said with concern.

“Not likely,” Martin replied, unfazed. “They don’t have any information on Doom. In this situation, I’m handling the matter personally to resolve it. They should be grateful, if anything.”

As Martin spoke calmly, Sien gave him a look of disbelief.

“You realize you’re being incredibly brazen, don’t you, young master?”

“Agreed,” Adel added.

“I’m just stating the facts.”

Adel nodded in agreement with Sien, but Martin seemed unconcerned.

“From what I’ve heard, soldiers loyal to the First Prince and First Princess are experiencing severe mental distress. They can’t forget the sight of their comrades who fell victim to Doom’s self-destructive attacks. And yet, their side hasn’t come up with any proper countermeasures—or even managed a decent public condemnation.”

The First Prince and First Princess’ reputations had taken a hit after their defeat in the recent skirmish.

The only reason they weren’t facing harsher criticism was due to Martin’s own actions. If not for his antics in Akela City and his exposure of Theodore at the press conference, those two would likely be facing constant scorn.

“Their incompetence is evident, but they’re not foolish enough to complain about my movements. Especially not the Ferdinand family’s head. So, we just need to focus on our task.”

“And that task… is going to the Forktz Merchant Guild?” Sien asked.

“Exactly.”

“It’s one of the most renowned merchant guilds on the continent, not just in the Altaria Empire. To think the guild master was actually the Medicine King.”

“Without the investigations by the former head of the family, we’d never have noticed.”

Sien and Adel’s faces grew serious. Though the Dark King was vile for running a slave market, he had always operated in the shadows. Even the Shadow King kept a low profile, only stepping forward at the Klaus family’s request.

But the Medicine King openly ran a vast merchant guild, using its distribution network to traffic drugs. The risk he posed was on a whole different level compared to their previous underground foes.

“While we’re here to gather information about Doom, it’s clear we need to eliminate this malignancy for the Empire’s sake,” Martin said.

The two women nodded in agreement.

Their conversation concluded, they entered Alanto City without attempting to conceal their identities, unlike their previous missions.

“Ah!”

“Is that…?”

People who recognized Martin’s identity gasped, but he paid them no mind as he headed directly for the main branch of the Forktz Merchant Guild.

Naturally, the guild employees were taken aback by Martin’s sudden appearance.

“Could I speak with Gert Forktz?”

“The guild master is currently meeting with other guests. He’s an incredibly busy person, so arriving unannounced makes it difficult to…”

“A lie, right to my face? Quite bold. Or maybe you genuinely don’t know? Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.”

Martin could sense a powerful presence alone on the upper floors, so without hesitation, he raised his right hand.

A whirlwind began to gather around him, forming a powerful gust that shot upward.

Boom!

In an instant, the whirlwind pierced the ceiling of the first floor, then tore through the floors above until it finally reached the fourth floor.

When the whirlwind shattered the fourth floor, a figure leapt down to where Martin and his group stood.

Thud.

The man had red hair and a matching beard, with a stern look more fitting for a soldier than a merchant.

“That’s definitely Gert Forktz. I’ve seen his face in the papers multiple times,” Sien said.

“I heard the Medicine King was among the strongest of the underground leaders. Impressive that he’s completely unfazed after that surprise attack,” Adel observed.

“You’re both mistaken. This man isn’t Gert Forktz, nor is he the Medicine King,” Martin corrected them.

The red-haired man opened his mouth with a perplexed expression.

“It’s absurd to think I’m the Medicine King, but I am indeed Gert Forktz, the guild master of the Forktz Merchant Guild. I may not compare to you, young master, but I didn’t think I was so obscure.”

“Just because you look like him doesn’t mean you are him. There are more than a few ways to alter appearances. And let’s not forget, the Medicine King is known to be an 8th-circle powerhouse, while you’re only at the 6th. You’ve tried to disguise your aura to fool others at your level, but that’s no use against my eyes.”

“To storm in here uninvited and spout nonsense… I will be filing a formal complaint with the Ferdinand family—”

Flash!

Before he could finish, the fake Medicine King shot forward, his body seeming to vanish as he reappeared behind Martin, as if he had teleported.

With his right hand, he struck toward Martin’s heart with all his might.

Die!

The man imbued his hand with an aura blade, hoping desperately for this strike to succeed.

But his hopes were quickly dashed.

Grab.

Martin merely shifted his body slightly and caught the man’s right hand with ease.

“Reveal your true identity and tell me everything, and I’ll grant you a painless death. I’ll give you my word.”

Martin spoke with a calm tone, but the man ignored him and immediately swung his left hand forward.

Martin, however, caught that hand just as easily.

“I offered mercy, but you refused it. Everything that happens from here on out is your doing, so don’t blame me.”

Some people only understood through force, Martin thought, smirking at his opponent’s folly.

The man, unaware of Martin’s thoughts, activated his innate ability, channeling intense heat into both hands, then unleashed the energy with full force.

Boom!

The combination of the aura blade and intense heat triggered a massive explosion.

The blast was powerful enough to demolish not only the guild’s main branch but also the surrounding buildings.

The man was convinced this would be fatal for Martin, whose physical endurance was relatively weak.

But he would soon realize how misplaced his confidence was.

Whoosh.

The flames that had erupted from the explosion quickly dissipated as they were drawn into Martin’s hand.

“Th-This can’t be happening!” the man stammered, horrified.

“Even the Flame Dragon Sword Christian Havertz couldn’t withstand my fire. Did you really think your lukewarm heat could pose a threat to me?”

Though the man had known that Martin could manipulate flames, he had underestimated him, assuming that wielding powers of a different nature would naturally limit Martin’s control.

Crunch.

The man clenched his teeth, attempting another attack despite knowing he was already too late.

Martin activated Omni Distortion, and a sickening crack echoed from the man’s arms as his bones shattered.

“Aaargh!” the man howled in agony.

It wasn’t just his bones; his muscles and nerves were thoroughly ruined. But Martin didn’t stop there.

Using techniques from Rothar Martial Art, Martin channeled mana directly into the man’s mana circuit, causing a series of minor explosions inside his body.

“Uuurgh!”

The man’s mana circuits tore apart, and his mana core in his abdomen was crushed.

Deprived of all his strength in an instant, he collapsed helplessly to the ground, his body resembling that of a corpse.

“After all this, you might think there’s nothing more to feel. But the human body can surprise you with even more pain. If you don’t want to suffer any further, spill everything you know.”

“K-Kill me.”

Using his true voice, devoid of any pretense, the man defied Martin, despite teetering on the edge of death. Martin merely chuckled.

“Your defiance suggests the others don’t know the truth. No matter—I’ll get to the bottom of it eventually.”

Martin gripped the man’s neck and, with a squeeze, snapped it cleanly. Then, he turned to Sien and Adel.

“Capture everyone here with a skill level of 4th-circle or higher, or anyone with an innate ability.”

“We will carry out your orders, young master,” Sien and Adel replied, moving swiftly into action.

“How long will it take to uncover the truth, I wonder?” Martin mused, settling in to wait.

—

They captured everyone above the 4th-circle and those with unique abilities, wringing out as much information as they could.

Unfortunately, no one knew the full details about Doom or the Medicine King.

However, they did possess fragments of the truth, and Martin pieced these together relentlessly.

Eventually, he learned that cargo trucks were regularly traveling to Mount Zeller, about 10 kilometers from Alanto City.

Martin and his companions utilized spatial magic to transport themselves to the destination in stages.

At the mountain’s entrance, a massive iron fence blocked the way.

It was no ordinary fence. Sharp spikes protruded from various points, and it pulsed with high-voltage currents. Armed guards patrolled continuously, wielding magical guns and spears.

“Isn’t such an obvious setup bound to raise suspicions?” Sien asked.

“They’ve likely made arrangements with the local officials,” Martin replied. “With an operation this large, they might even have an understanding with someone in the Ferdinand family. If someone important is filtering information, then even the Ferdinand family would remain unaware.”

“Is that really possible? With the First Prince having been affected by Doom, shouldn’t Duke Ferdinand personally be looking into this?”

“He’s already overwhelmed keeping Duke Klaus in check. In their current standoff, they can’t afford to divert attention to other matters.”

Both Karl von Ferdinand and Klaus von Werner had yet to act directly, aware of the potential for either side to turn the tide of the ongoing conflict. They maintained a wary distance, unable to make any hasty moves.

“So we don’t need to worry about their reaction. We just have to focus on taking out this filth.”

“I like the sound of that,” Sien replied with a pleased smile.

Adel nodded, her expression neutral.

Watching them, Martin issued his command.

“Clear the way.”

“As you command, young master.”

The two women bowed, then approached the fence.

“An intruder! Kill them!”

“Kill them all!”

The guards sounded the alarm and unleashed a flurry of attacks. But Sien endured their blows, while Adel evaded them with afterimages.

Their combined strength quickly overwhelmed the guards.

Moments later…

Boom!

The fence tore apart and fell to the ground, creating an open path.

Martin ascended the mountain, unfazed. About halfway up, he saw it clearly—a vast field of Clodel plants.

And then he sensed it.

Not far away, an 8th-circle powerhouse was waiting.

“We’ve come to the right place.”

There was no need to draw this out.

Martin would take down the Medicine King and shape the truth to his will.