The traitor of the Herald Clan, Arael, is here right now?
Azadin looked at the soldier, half in doubt.
"How do you know that?"
"Well, we were told to be on guard."
"The whole castle is in chaos right now because of the alert."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, should I knock you out?"
When Azadin said that, the soldiers flinched in surprise.
"Sir Guillaumevalt, w-we've been hoping for your return."
"Yes, though we're just mere soldiers, so our words may not mean much…"
"Please, allow us to help you."
"Hmm. I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't allow that."
Guillaumevalt said to the soldiers, then gestured to Azadin.
"Don't kill them."
"Yeah, don't worry."
Azadin choked them unconscious and laid them down to the side.
***
Count Lantarik's castle was a fortress formed by surrounding a large mansion atop a hill with multiple layers of watchtowers and outer walls. It was the pinnacle of fortress engineering, designed with both residential comfort and defensive capability in mind.
In the innermost part of the castle, within Count Lantarik's quarters, Adler had already taken control of everything.
"So, this is the famed Arael of the Herald Clan?"
Adler smiled as he looked at Arael, the chief of the Arael's Faction of the Herald Clan, who had come to his castle.
She wore armor that gleamed with an obsidian sheen—its thin yet durable material clung to her form. With violet eyes and long black hair tied neatly, the beauty stared arrogantly at Adler.
'A woman who stirs a man's desire to conquer. So this is the leader of the traitorous faction of the Herald Clan? That means if I can take her, I can control the Herald Clan?'
The moment he saw Arael, Adler felt a rush of conquest that made him breathless.
"I'm just here to check on a client. I heard you had a lot of complaints about our way of handling things?"
"Yes. I expect an apology for the fact that your subordinates were attached to my father yet failed to protect him."
When Adler said that, the Herald Clan members seated with Arael flinched.
A cold chill emanated from them, but Adler had already demanded that all weapons be surrendered before the meeting, insisting everyone come unarmed.
Meanwhile, behind the curtains of the conference room, heavily armored soldiers wielding halberds were on standby. No matter how formidable the Herald Clan might be, Adler believed they wouldn't act rashly.
"You bastard… how dare you!"
"Are you trying to insult us?"
"Insult? You're the ones doing the insulting, soulless heretics. You and I aren't even the same breed."
At Adler's words, Arael's subordinates were visibly dumbfounded.
"Enough. Don't speak. The young master is speaking to me."
Arael calmed her subordinates.
"Yes. We did allow your father to go missing. I'm sorry for that."
Arael willingly apologized to Adler.
"You had a contract with my father, didn't you? And now, even though you failed to uphold it, you want the key to the Emperor's Treasury? A trade only works if both sides give and take properly."
"That's… a fair point. Very well, regarding your father, Count Garnahair, we do apologize. We're still investigating what happened."
Arael smiled pleasantly as she spoke.
"I'm glad you understand decorum. Not just your looks, but even your mannerisms are charming. You're growing on me more and more."
"...."
At Adler's outrageous behavior, Arael's subordinates were dumbfounded. If not for Arael holding them back, they would've torn him apart on the spot.
"And that's why I came here in person—to show my sincerity."
"Your attitude is acceptable, but you overestimate yourself. Do you think just showing up makes everything okay? We've lost soldiers, sergeants, and knights. Most of all, we lost my father, the pillar of our house. Words alone won't make up for the damage."
"Forgiveness?"
The Herald Clan members frowned at the word.
They were high-ranking officials in the Arael's Faction and held absolute status within the clan. For this arrogant noble brat to belittle Arael's worth in front of them was beyond insulting.
"We are descendants of the Yaegas Divine Clan, and I stand at the pinnacle. By rights, even just associating with you should be considered…"
"About that."
Arael smiled.
"I'm a descendant of Harconia."
"Harconia?"
"First chief of the Herald Clan."
"And what's so great about being the leader of you soulless heretics? If it were me, I'd be ashamed of that."
"...!"
Arael calmed her angered subordinates and continued smiling.
"I figured you'd think that. That the blood of the Yaegas Divine Clan is supreme, right?"
"Of course. It's laughable to even compare it to the blood of you heretics."
"But listen carefully. Harconia was the lover of the Emperor. They even had a child together. You get what I'm saying? The blood of the Emperor flows in our Herald Clan… and these violet eyes are proof of Emperor Yaeslat. If you're talking about purity of Yaegas blood, I might actually have more than you."
The Yaegas Divine Clan were originally known for their blonde or silver hair and bluish-grey eyes. But Emperor Yaeslat, who betrayed his siblings and seized all eight thrones, was said to have had black hair and violet eyes, unlike the rest.
Having just boasted about the blood of the Yaegas Divine Clan, Adler was at a loss for words, fumbling before clicking his tongue.
"Hah, but the Emperor was…"
"Right. Bloodlines don't mean much. What matters is the person standing here now."
Arael sneered, mocking Adler for relying solely on his bloodline. But Adler seemed to interpret her words differently.
"I see. So, you're saying you've got a noble lineage? Makes sense—you wouldn't be the leader of the Herald Clan rebels at your age otherwise. Good. How about becoming my lover?"
"...Lover?"
Arael's subordinates had reached the end of their patience. Whether Arael stopped them or not, they were ready to kill the blasphemous Adler and deal with Arael's punishment later.
They all moved in fury. At that moment, Arael swung her hand.
–Smack!
"Ugh!"
With a sharp sound, the heads of a man and woman among her subordinates snapped to the side—Arael had slapped them.
"Get a hold of yourselves. Are you calm now?"
"We, we're sorry."
"...."
If Adler had even the slightest knowledge of martial arts, he would have been shocked by how fast Arael had just moved. Had her subordinates attacked Adler before getting slapped, he would have stood no chance.
But Adler, intoxicated, was watching everything unfold as though it didn't concern him.
"What do you mean, 'become your lover'?"
Arael calmed her subordinates and questioned Adler.
"I want the Emperor's bloodline. Not the usual Yaegas bloodline, but a mutated divine one. However, since I'm to become Count Lantarik, I can't formally marry a soulless heretic like someone from the Herald Clan."
That only enraged her subordinates further. Though they had just been slapped into calmness, Adler's words snapped their patience once more.
"We've heard enough of this bullshit."
"Let's just kill him. He must have the key to the Emperor's Treasury on him anyway."
"No. Wait a moment."
Arael stopped them.
"Rather… you're welcome to come in."
"......"
The door opened, and the soldiers waiting outside collapsed. Entering the room were Azadin, Midiam, and Ishmael.
"Pardon the interruption during your busy schedule."
Azadin said this and then glared at Arael.
"Arael. Why don't you continue your business? It was just getting interesting."
"W-what are you people?!"
Adler was flustered that his subordinates had been dealt with without a sound. He had been acting arrogantly, believing his men were armed while the Herald Clan members were unarmed—yet someone who clearly looked like a member of the Herald Clan had just walked in?
"It's been a long time, little sister. It's been a really long time since I became Kazas' disciple. Ten years, perhaps?"
Arael welcomed Azadin warmly.
"Ugh? Little sister? These people?!"
Adler, unaware of the relationship between Arael and Azadin, assumed Arael had secretly arranged for her own people to invade the location.
Even Adler's drug-numbed brain could recognize the danger of the situation.
"You'd be the younger one, obviously. We're twins, so it's not like there's an inheritance to split. Who's older or younger is trivial, no? Getting hung up on that is just petty."
"I think so too. So why don't you be the younger one?"
"Feels gross, so no."
Azadin said this, then flicked his hand. Through the door, the rest of the group entered—including Guillaumevalt.
"Guillaumevalt?!"
"Adler… is that you?"
Guillaumevalt looked at Adler with a sour expression.
"Hey! Heralds! Kill Guillaumevalt!"
At Adler's command, Arael and her subordinates only snorted in contempt—they didn't even pretend to listen.
"Ugh…"
"You foolish little brother. You brought in forces you couldn't control. Not that I'm in any position to judge, I suppose."
The moment Guillaumevalt laid eyes on Arael, he could tell—
She wasn't human.
According to myth, dragons, jinn, angels, or demons could walk the earth in human form. She must be something like that. Just looking at her, one could feel an overwhelming sense of beauty and power that sent shivers down the spine.
In some ways, he had no choice but to admire Adler. To ask someone like that to be his lover? Was he insane?
It was like saying, "My house gets cold in winter, so let's drag a volcano in and use it as a fireplace." Just how reckless or oblivious did one have to be to say something like that?
"H-how did you get in here?"
"The underground passage."
"But that place…"
"You probably filled it with undead."
"That's right! Our father's failed creations! They couldn't have been easy to deal with!"
Was he referring to the Necro-Angels?
Scott had broken through them effortlessly using an undead talisman, but it seemed Adler had placed a lot of faith in them.
"Arael! If you don't kill Guillaumevalt right now, this alliance is over!"
"But Young Master Adler, wouldn't it be simpler to make a deal with Sir Guillaumevalt instead? What we want is the key to the Emperor's Treasury. If he has it and is willing to give it, there's no reason we have to take it from you."
"W-what? You traitors!"
In that moment, Adler began casting a spell. As expected of a necromancer, a powerful and sinister energy surged around him…
–Thwack!
But before he could complete the hand signs, both of Adler's hands were severed.