The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 136: The Medicine King (4)

Not only were all of his limbs severed, but with the destruction of his mana core, he had lost all the strength he had accumulated until now.

The Medicine King felt a bitter smile creep onto his face, overwhelmed by feelings of despair, exhaustion, and a host of negative emotions.

“…I’ve lost, Young Lord. But even so, there’s nothing for you to gain here. I destroyed all the evidence before you arrived.”

At his words, Sien and Adel frowned deeply.

They had come all this way, only for their efforts to turn to nothing.

However, Martin sneered at his opponent.

“So what if there’s no evidence? The truth is still in your head, isn’t it? Actually, to be honest, it doesn’t matter if the truth isn’t there. If need be, I’ll just create it.”

What truly mattered was the identity of The Medicine King.

This man was originally a well-known merchant lord across both the Altaria Empire and the Cracian Continent.

Moreover, his reputation was quite favorable.

But if it were revealed that such a man was one of the continent’s most heinous criminals—

The public would naturally be horrified.

At the same time, people would place even more trust in Martin, the one who brought this new truth to light.

After that, people would have no choice but to believe whatever he said.

Effectively, by fully controlling public opinion, the truth that The Medicine King knew became almost irrelevant.

“My, you really are a frightening person, Young Lord.”

“You could tell that just by looking at my past actions, couldn’t you? That doesn’t mean I’ll just let this slide. There’s truth at stake here, so I’ll make at least a minimal attempt.”

With that, Martin knelt down and placed his right hand on The Medicine King’s chest.

“I’ve heard that the Young Lord is skilled in interrogation… but I am quite resilient myself. Even if I’ve lost my power.”

“There are many who have said the same thing. But do you know? Not a single one has ever endured to the end.”

With those words, Martin channeled his mana into his opponent according to the Rothar Martial Art techniques.

Then, he activated Omni Distortion.

Crunch.

A sickening sound reverberated as the skin on the man’s chest ripped open, exposing his white bones.

His muscles and nerves contorted violently, breaking his ribs and forcing them outward.

And it wasn’t over yet.

Snap.

Martin’s mana traveled through The Medicine King’s mana circuits, moving throughout his body. With every motion, bone after bone shattered.

Simultaneously, his muscles, nerves, and mana circuits twisted and tore apart within his body.

“Ugh!”

Blood flowed from The Medicine King’s eyes.

The pain in his entire body was far worse than when he lost his limbs and mana core.

The agony was so intense that his mind went blank, as though his very existence wished for death.

“You’re holding up remarkably well. Most others would be screaming by now, but you’re only groaning. Since you’ve gotten this far, why not try to set a record? Just last five minutes.”

“Aaaargh!”

The moment Martin injected even more mana, The Medicine King finally screamed.

It felt as if his entire body was twisting and being torn apart.

No matter how high his tolerance, he was now weaker than an ordinary person, making this unbearable.

In the end, he couldn’t even last five minutes; he barely managed to last two before shouting desperately.

“I-I’ll talk!”

“Oh?”

Martin momentarily halted the flow of mana, reducing the King’s pain.

Pale-faced and gasping for breath, The Medicine King spoke.

“Cl- Clodel’s narcotics… combined with the magic circle of Duke Klaus will create Doom…!”

“So that’s it.”

Martin smiled, withdrawing his mana.

The Medicine King’s breaths came out in rough, blood-spattered gasps.

“If you want to ease your suffering, spill everything you know.”

“Hah… hah… You’re probably aware that Clodel’s narcotics amplify the senses.”

“Yes.”

“Adding the Innocent Explosion magic circle to it transforms the narcotic into Doom.”

Innocent Explosion was a spell that purely detonated magical energy.

Hearing this, Martin understood the principle behind Doom perfectly.

Clodel’s narcotic heightened sensitivity to sensations and mana flow, while Innocent Explosion turned the user’s mana into a bomb.

“However, the head of the Klaus family modified the magic circle, so it differs from the original spell.”

“Wasn’t there any way to suppress the explosion? Like an antidote?”

“It was seen solely as a weapon… so no such thing exists. They didn’t even try to make one.”

“As expected.”

Martin shook his head with a sigh.

Though he had suspected there wouldn’t be an antidote, the truth still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

After all, Doom could undoubtedly create unpredictable factors on the battlefield.

Thus, it would be best to have some means of counteracting it, but it seemed that none existed.

“Anything else you want to say? I’ll hear you out if it’s a last request.”

“…No matter how hard you try, Young Lord, you won’t survive these chaotic times.”

“You dare!”

Sien burst out, but couldn’t continue further.

Martin raised his right hand, signaling her to stop.

“Go on. You may as well say your piece before you leave.”

“Hah… Although Duke Klaus claims his ambition is independence… if he achieves victory without great losses, he’ll immediately seek to expand the Empire.”

“That’s possible.”

In essence, nobles were not to be trusted.

They only considered what would benefit their families, often shifting allegiances based on their interests.

‘Not that I’m any different.’

So, even if Werner von Klaus changed his stance, Martin wouldn’t be able to criticize him.

Only a fool would have trusted him naively.

“At least Duke Klaus is somewhat better. But Duke Ferdinand and His Majesty the Emperor are openly vying for dominance… No matter who among them wins, Young Lord, you won’t escape ruin. Just as no human can contend with a natural disaster.”

“Well, I actually agree with that. Honestly, I don’t stand a chance against them until I reach the 10th Circle. So, I plan to make the most out of your death.”

Martin intended to use The Medicine King’s identity and everything related to Doom to utterly ruin the Second Prince.

Of course, in his heart, he wanted to take down Duke Klaus as well, the one responsible for creating Doom.

However—

“That’s the work of a lesser strategist.”

If Duke Klaus were to go down with Duke Ferdinand, that would be ideal, but there was no need to count on that outcome just yet.

Simply facing off against the Ferdinand family and the royal court, draining their resources over time, would be enough.

An alliance that wasn’t quite an alliance.

That was as far as his relationship with the Klaus family needed to go.

Duke Klaus would likely understand Martin’s intentions.

Although he was essentially using Klaus for his own ends, there wasn’t much Klaus could do about it.

After all, the Ferdinand family and the Imperial Court were not the sort of forces one could afford to be distracted by while dealing with Martin.

“Thank you for the valuable information. As promised, I’ll make it quick.”

“…I would appreciate that.”

The Medicine King smiled bitterly.

Martin moved his right hand to the man’s heart and activated Omni Distortion.

With a violent bang, his heart shattered, and The Medicine King died instantly.

“Well then, let’s head back to Varehein City. Sien, gather the reporters as soon as we get there.”

“You’re going to announce it immediately?”

“Yes. Frankly, I’m sick of the Second Prince and Nicholas’ meddling. I’m going to crush them both for good this time.”

This second press conference would serve as the foundation for that goal.

—

The press conference hall at the Adalbert Estate.

Reporters gathered there once again, their eyes gleaming at the thought of another big scoop.

Martin was more than happy to meet their expectations.

“I’m sure everyone here has heard the rumors—about soldiers exploding during the recent skirmish who were aligned with Duke Klaus and His Highness, the Second Prince.”

“I thought that both the Second Prince and Duke Klaus denied that claim?”

“To be honest, I wanted it to be false as well. Although we have a social hierarchy on the Cracian Continent, there is no question that nobles and commoners alike are all human. Yet, no matter how desperate one’s ambitions might be, to turn soldiers into bombs—there is nothing more ruthless or horrific.”

Martin paused deliberately.

After taking a deep breath, he continued.

“…We have confirmed that this horror is indeed true. A way to turn soldiers into living bombs does exist.”

“Gasp!”

“Is that… true?”

The reporters were genuinely horrified.

At that, Martin signaled to Sien, and, as before, she distributed photographs.

This time, the pictures featured a white pill—Doom.

“This drug is called Doom. By consuming it, one can open the mana core in one’s head or even gain an additional mana circle.”

“To be able to open one’s mana core…”

“That’s impossible!”

Opening the mana core in one’s head meant unlocking one’s unique abilities.

In other words, it was akin to gaining nobility status.

Already shocked, the reporters were now rendered speechless.

“Because it’s an artificially induced power, there’s a price to be paid. Depending on their constitution, anyone who takes Doom dies within a day. That alone is terrible, but the faction backing the Second Prince wasn’t satisfied with that and added a magical array to Doom, transforming those who consumed it into literal bombs.”

Now, no one among the reporters dared to speak.

One shocking truth after another left them utterly stunned.

Of course, there were lies mixed in with the truth, but no one realized it.

With Nicholas von Royce on the Second Prince’s side, it wasn’t a stretch to believe.

As a 9th Circle mage, he was certainly capable of such deceit.

‘I wonder if he’ll be able to avoid an apoplectic fit after this news spreads.’

Martin doubted it, but it would be satisfying if he did.

“I’d like to formally ask Duke Klaus this question. I’m not here to argue whether the Klaus family’s independence is right or wrong. But is independence so important that you’d ally yourself with someone as ruthless as the Second Prince, Theodore Altaria?”

Martin’s voice carried a note of genuine sincerity.

“If so, then know this—you will never realize your aspirations. No matter how powerful, anyone who uses the people as bombs has no right to rule.”

“Gasp!”

“Ugh…”

To openly speak so bluntly to one of the Empire’s greatest noble families—one of the three most prestigious bloodlines?

The reporters paled at the unexpected turn of events.

‘It would be wise for you to abandon the Second Prince, Duke Klaus.’

If Martin only targeted Duke Klaus, it would put him at a significant disadvantage.

To maintain the appearance of neutrality and ensure a long-term strategic position, he needed to criticize both sides.

Thus, Martin spoke again.

“And I wish to convey a message to His Majesty the Emperor. I believe that someone like Theodore Altaria, who disregards human decency, is unfit to sit on the throne. The moment he ascends, the Empire will face ruin. Therefore, I formally propose this—strip the traitor Theodore Altaria, who has betrayed the royal family by siding with the Klaus family, of his claim to the throne. The people, too, yearn for this.”

The Imperial Court and the Klaus family’s reputations were already damaged.

In turn, the standing of the Adalbert family would rise even higher.

‘So, what will you do now, Theodore Altaria?’

That was what Martin was most curious about now.