Chapter 73
While Karl and Shylock were engaged in a duel-like spar in the training ground, Maximov also arrived a little late at the training ground where the two were.
‘Heo!’
Watching the confrontation between the two, Maximov received yet another shock, different from when he had sparred with Karl before.
One was the fact that Shylock's skills had advanced much further than before, and the second was the fact that Karl's movements had improved significantly compared to when he fought against him.
‘This is beyond common sense.’
Shylock too was a monstrous figure who became a Master at the age of 42, yet the young knight wielding a sword before him was merely 25 years old.
Despite already being a genius unparalleled in the entire history of the continent, he was still growing rapidly.
‘Just what is making him grow so much?’
Maximov did not believe in coincidence.
The reason Karl possessed such outstanding abilities was because a purpose for them existed.
And his presence here in Alcantara surely must have an inevitable reason as well.
Maximov felt his grip tighten firmly on the spear in his hand.
No matter how monstrous the genius before his eyes was, Maximov too was a martial artist and a knight.
‘I will be pushed back someday, but even so. I do not want to lose easily.’
After reaching the supreme realm of Master, he had stagnated.
It wasn't that he had stopped training, but at some point, he had begun to become detached from everything.
The final blow towards each other was exchanged, and Shylock's sword stopped before Karl's neck.
‘Sir Karl pulled back his strength at the last moment.’
Maximov felt a chill run down his spine.
‘He has improved much more than when he fought me.’
He quickly turned his body and left the training ground.
It felt like he wouldn't be able to shake off his current emotions unless he wielded his spear somewhere.
Waves rippled in his heart, which had been like a calm sea after becoming a Master.
Karl was influencing the knights of Alcantara in various ways.
***
The Four-Legged Mask, possessing muscles that looked ready to burst, was looking at the subordinates lined up before him.
The subordinates, numbering over 100, were individuals with muscles trained like those of the Four-Legged Mask.
Their appearance, clad in steel armor over muscles trained like armor, lined up without even breathing, was quite threatening.
About 10 knights approached them, who were lined up sharp as knives.
The Four-Legged Mask at the forefront checked the faces of those who approached and showed a satisfied smile.
“I didn't expect the 5th Knight Captain, 6th Knight Captain, 7th Knight Captain, and even the 10th Knight Captain to join. My goodness. If Lord Shylock and I join here, we will sufficiently overwhelm their forces. Since they won't be prepared. Hahahahaha.”
When his hearty laugh, as large as his build, echoed around, the faces of those present instead became heavily distorted.
“Are you trying to advertise to the whole world? What do you mean by shouting so loudly?”
“You all have already made your decision and come this far. And traitors? Failure means betrayal, but success means revolution!”
A chilling aura and madness simultaneously dwelled in his eyes.
At those creepily gleaming eyes, everyone except Shylock couldn't even meet his gaze and lowered their eyes.
“That’s enough.”
At Shylock's short remark, the Four-Legged Mask, who had been radiating momentum, lowered his head.
He too had no intention of clashing with Shylock, a Master.
“So, what is the plan?”
“I heard the Alcantara Knights' best festival, held once a year in Humming City, will begin soon. The End-of-Year Eve Festival…?”
“That time is simultaneously a time of festival and a time when security is tightest. As it's a festival where many outsiders come, unless the Commander is a fool, his eyes will be everywhere.”
“Therefore, isn't that the most suitable time?”
The chuckling Four-Legged Mask continued his explanation after that.
At that, the faces of the Alcantara Knight Captains and Shylock hardened.
‘Had they penetrated this deeply already.’
Although Shylock was working with them, the number of members recruited by their hands was beyond imagination.
The Four-Legged Mask consistently observed the faces of the captains, including Shylock.
‘Interesting.’
Thus, their plotting continued late into the night.
***
The Alcantara's End-of-Year Eve Festival was one of the well-known festivals even in the West Continent.
During this period, the entire Humming City transformed into the venue for the Alcantara festival.
Alcantara served as the public authority for the free city of Humming City, interacting with the local community and exerting political, economic, and social influence.
Managing public sentiment was also an important strategic element for their survival and growth in the region.
Markets and squares offered food and spectacles for people coming from outside.
Numerous people from outside entered Humming City to enjoy the festival.
Spectacles like bare-knuckle fighting tournaments, martial arts tournaments, knight battles, and jousting matches were provided, and of course, when night fell, fireworks were set off, and drinking parties continued endlessly, leading to encounters between young men and women.
“This place is fun, right?”
Stella, who hadn't been seen for a while, was stuck right next to Karl.
Karl glanced briefly at Stella, then turned his head and merely looked around the surroundings.
“There are really a lot of people, most seem to be outsiders.”
Karl wasn't paying much attention to Stella chattering beside him, but at the word 'outsiders,' he looked around and observed the people.
‘Come to think of it, there really are many outsiders.’
Alcantara was a knight order, and since most of the festival events were related to combat, it was natural logic that many knights and mercenaries would gather.
Although it was clearly nothing particularly unusual, Karl felt a strange sense of unease.
The timely quest that came up, Owen's request, and the influx of festival outsiders.
All conditions pointed to one thing.
If someone intended to plot against Alcantara, they would choose a day like this to launch a surprise attack.
As the number of outsiders increased, the gazes of surveillance would naturally be dispersed, and the main forces would also have to be scattered to various places.
Just then, a peculiar person caught Karl's eye.
There was a warrior whose torso was trained like thick steel, and the presence felt from his body had a strangely familiar aspect.
‘Where have I felt this sensation before?’
Karl, rummaging through his memories for a while, momentarily recalled the beastified Dalton.
The scent of a beastkin.
A feeling similar to the scent of a transformed beastkin had definitely emanated from the body of the muscular warrior who had just passed by.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
“See you in a bit. I have somewhere to go.”
“What? Suddenly? You should enjoy the festival!”
Stella shouted while watching Karl suddenly move away, but he had already slipped out of her line of sight.
Moving away from her and sticking close to the muscular warrior, Karl was soon naturally leaping over rooftops, chasing after him.
The muscular man, having moved a not-so-far distance, glanced around cautiously at his surroundings, then opened the door of a certain house and pushed his body inside.
Karl examined the building's structure, then quietly entered the interior through a second-floor window.
Fortunately, the room he entered was empty, so Karl carefully opened the door of the empty room and went out into the hallway.
“Confirmed that surveillance has been dispersed to various locations.”
“Do a final check of the communication network. Be especially careful when contacting the insiders within Alcantara. The plan must absolutely not leak out.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
They exchanged a very brief conversation before scattering back to their respective places.
Karl observed the figure who remained instead of the muscular warrior who had gone outside the house.
“Hoo…!”
That person was soaking his body in a bathtub-like place in the middle of the house.
Inside the bathtub was a liquid, dark black with a reddish tint, and it repeatedly looked as if his body was absorbing the liquid and then releasing it again.
‘He's Master-level.’
The Three-Legged Mask, who seemed to be an executive of Tarantula met last time, was not a Master.
He had manifested Aura by forcibly borrowing external power, but it was by no means the Aura of a Master.
However, the man before his eyes now was clearly emitting the presence of a Master.
The man, who had a scar as if a beast's claws had diagonally crossed his face, stayed in the bathtub for a long while before raising his body.
As the man, with jet-black skin, a steel-like physique, and the build of a giant bear, raised himself, a black sheen enveloped his entire body.
‘What incredible momentum.’
Karl left that spot and then moved quickly towards where Owen was.
If they started looking for an opportunity from tomorrow, sticking close to Owen as much as possible was the best course of action.
The problem was how many Alcantara knights they had internally coordinated with.
Entering Owen's office, Karl told him everything he had seen and heard just moments before.
“How about striking first?”
“If we do that, the survivors will sink below the surface, and the internal collaborators who coordinated their stories will feign ignorance.”
Owen was right.
If that happened, only the tail would be cut off, and it would be difficult to drag the true nature of those guys to the surface.
“I, the Knight Commander, will become the bait. Then they will surely rise up.”
“That is too dangerous a method. That person's skill clearly seemed to surpass mine. It means Sir Maximov and Sir Shylock are also in danger. Besides, I haven't even figured out Sir Shylock's thoughts yet.”
“Of course, it is indeed dangerous work. But we cannot back down here either. The internal collaborators must be rooted out completely, without leaving a single hair behind.”
His snake-like eyes were now gleaming chillingly, more like a viper's.
“Alright, I will cooperate.”
“Thank you.”
Since the man before him was the type who wouldn't listen even if dissuaded, Karl had no choice but to help him.
“What those guys are after is naturally you. It means they plan to target you with a surprise attack when everyone is distracted and your escort is reduced. How many of the Knight Captains will side with them is also key.”
“Do you expect the traitors to be numerous?”
“If the greatest banner of the knight order you created is the pursuit of individual desires, wouldn't at least half of them betray you, for all we know?”
“…”
Owen too, wondering 'what if', had once anticipated what would happen if the members betrayed him.
The number he thought of at that time was half.
“Place the most trustworthy individuals, including Sir Maximov, around yourself. While you act as bait, I will hunt them.”
They too were not gathered in one place.
Defeating them individually was what Karl aimed for.
“Let’s give it a try then.”
Owen's eyes shone once again.
It suited his face well.
***
From the next day, Owen began to participate fully in the festival, drawing the attention of those around him.
Not far from him, escorts including Maximov were secretly positioned nearby.
It was thorough preparation to respond to any potential surprise attack.
And groups watching Owen like that were waiting everywhere for the chance to take action.
[Each member is to wait for the signal at the designated location.]
It was an order that came down from above.
Forming teams of roughly 5 to 10 members each, they were ambushing as naturally as possible throughout the city, aiming for the moment Owen lowered his guard.
People were completely unaware, caught up in the intense and equally exciting festival scene, but, The air flowing within Humming City was filled with tension.
It was the moment Owen passed through Humming City's central square and entered an alley to the right, amidst that heavy air.
“It seems it’s starting now.”
After Owen's quiet murmur ended, about thirty masked individuals revealed themselves nearby.
Behind Owen, about twenty men escorting him drew their swords.
Those who revealed themselves had thick, muscle-like bodies, over which they wore thin steel armor.
They were uniformly armed with one-handed axes, and their momentum was quite menacing.
The standoff ended, and they instantly began to charge towards Owen.
Simultaneously, the knights standing behind Owen also rushed towards those wearing spider masks.
Owen, who had already drawn the sword in his hand and sent the head of one spider mask flying, flung his body sideways due to a chilling sensation he felt instantly.
“Drishi! Even you!?”
Betrayal from within the knight order was something Owen had fully expected, but he had never anticipated that there would be traitors among the 20 knights he had brought this time.
Even in that situation where Owen was shocked, the spider masks' attacks still continued.
Furthermore, within that carefully selected escort team of 20, a whopping 5 members betrayed Owen and were swinging their swords towards him.
He clenched his teeth and gripped his sword tightly.
The night in Humming City was still far from over.