#Chapter 100
—
Leon explained in a low voice.
“Looks like Count Dormund left something very valuable in the care of Arcane University.”
“Something valuable?”
“I don’t know what exactly. All I heard was that it’s one of the treasures of the count’s house.”
At Leon’s words, Arthur burst out laughing.
‘So Dormund finally comes up here?’
The moment the name of a house he had vowed to exterminate in this life was mentioned, Arthur’s gaze sharpened.
‘Hmm… but a treasure of the House of Count Dormund, is it?’
This was something even in his previous life he had never heard of.
For the cautious Count Dormund to entrust a family treasure to Arcane University?
‘Knowing his personality, that makes no sense.’
After pondering for a while, Arthur asked again.
“Interesting. Nothing else?”
“That’s all. Yenika Hazel was the leader of one of the underworld factions, \[Black Cross]. She stole a treasure from Arcane University and ran away. And unfortunately for her, that treasure turned out to be Count Dormund’s.”
Finishing his explanation, Leon glanced at Arthur and asked.
“Doesn’t this smell rotten to you?”
“It does. A foul stench is practically pouring off it.”
“There are rumors that one of Count Dormund’s bloodline might personally move in response to this incident.”
“Oh… don’t tell me Cain Dormund himself is coming?”
“That, I don’t know. My informants couldn’t dig that far.”
Arthur tilted his head.
“That’s strange though. Who’s your informant, to give you this kind of news?”
“I have someone. A loyal subordinate I planted in the police.”
“Hm… I see. Anyway, the info’s reliable, right?”
Leon nodded.
Arthur chuckled under his breath.
‘This is getting interesting again…’
Just as he was preparing to begin his hunt in earnest—
—A member of House Dormund was coming to Arcane.
‘What a coincidence. Almost like the heavens themselves are telling me to kill this bastard.’
Arthur nodded to himself.
‘Then there’s no reason to hesitate. Whoever comes, I’ll kill them.’
He had never intended to let any Dormund bloodline live in this life anyway.
So the decision came easily.
Whoever came because of this incident, he would kill them.
Having resolved that, Arthur laughed.
“Heh… things are really falling into place for me this life. Almost like the heavens are lending a hand.”
“…And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, nothing much. But anyway, Leon.”
“Speak.”
Arthur’s lips curled upward.
“What about you? Will you be taking part in this, or staying out of it?”
—
—
Leon blinked.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘taking part’?”
“It could mean several things.”
“And those several things are…?”
“Killing Dormund bloodline.”
“…!”
“What other meaning could there be?”
Leon gaped at him.
“You… are you sane?”
“Of course I’m sane.”
“And yet you’re saying you’ll kill the bloodline of House Dormund?”
“Huh? And why not?”
“…?”
“House Dormund—more precisely, Cain Dormund—is nothing but the lapdog of the First Prince, Khan Madrid.”
“…!”
“Killing his bloodline is only natural, isn’t it?”
Leon closed his open mouth.
Then, after a moment of thought, he flinched.
‘…Sounds insane, but disturbingly, it makes sense.’
Arthur Bayern.
Heir to the greatest noble family in the Empire. Why he was doing these things was unclear, but if one assumed he was bent on revenge against his older brother, Khan Madrid, then it added up.
‘Count Dormund is Khan Madrid’s hound. Killing his bloodline would strike a significant blow.’
But Leon still couldn’t answer lightly.
Count Dormund, Khan Madrid’s right hand, was the current de facto power-holder of the Empire.
Killing his bloodline meant making an enemy of the Empire’s most powerful man.
‘Is it really wise to provoke him at this stage?’
Leon couldn’t bring himself to answer.
At that moment Arthur clicked his tongue.
“Leon, you’re a coward. Fine then, I’ll do it myself.”
Leon jumped in alarm.
“You mean to kill Count Dormund by yourself!?”
“Not him exactly. His bloodline.”
“Killing his bloodline *is* the same as targeting him!”
Arthur shrugged.
“So what?”
“…What?”
“I’m going to kill them all anyway. Sooner or later, it’s a goal I’ll achieve. What difference does it make if I kill them now or later?”
“…!”
Leon was genuinely horrified.
‘Gods… this lunatic.’
Time and again, Arthur Bayern proved he really was insane.
To talk so lightly of killing the Empire’s most powerful man’s kin.
And yet, another part of Leon couldn’t help but feel a strange excitement.
‘…If Arthur Bayern really kills a Dormund bloodline?’
And if he withstands Cain Dormund’s fury?
Then the position of the continent’s greatest noble family might shift once again.
As that thought took root, Leon unconsciously clenched his fists.
‘Khan Madrid… this might be a chance to break one of your pillars.’
Leon’s voice trembled slightly.
“I dislike gambling. But when I’m with you, I keep finding myself dragged into bets.”
Arthur snorted.
“So we’re allies again, then?”
“Allies? We’ve been in the same boat from the start!”
“Since when? Not that I agreed.”
Leon stood up.
“For now, just sit tight.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to move with intel. This matter’s too tangled—\[Black Cross]’s Yenika Hazel, Count Dormund, and even Arcane University are all involved.”
His eyes gleamed.
“With even one of them it’d be serious. But with all three entwined, we must act cautiously.”
Arthur nodded.
“Fine. I’ll trust you and wait.”
“Good. Just leave it to me, and wait as you are. I’ll gather the information.”
With things settled, Arthur mused to himself.
‘Who’s it going to be…?’
If a Dormund bloodline was visiting, only a few came to mind.
‘Cain Dormund already slaughtered most of them.’
Those who might have interfered with him, Cain had eliminated long ago. Few still bore the Dormund name.
And those who did had either been exiled to the fringes or discarded the name.
‘Which means the likeliest ones… are his sons.’
Arthur’s lips curled at the thought.
And indeed, his prediction was right on the mark.
“Hey! Did you hear the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“Someone’s coming from the Empire!”
The eldest of Cain Dormund’s three children.
“Ian Dormund! One of the Empire’s next-generation knights and a high-ranking spirit mage! He’s the one coming!”
An enemy Arthur had sworn to kill in this life was walking straight into Arcane on his own two feet.
—
—
Arcane University was in uproar.
“Has an exam ever been canceled before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Damn… then what about our grades?”
“Do we need to retake it?”
For the first time since its founding, Arcane University’s midterms were all suspended.
And that wasn’t the end of the shocks.
“Did you hear? Apparently there was a cult leader among our students!”
“…A cult leader? Who?”
“Yenika Hazel! They say she was the leader of a fanatic cult!”
“What!? Yenika Hazel was a cult leader!?”
As rumors spread, the identity of one Arcane student was revealed.
The shocking truth: she was the leader of a fanatic cult.
The students, stunned, whispered her name.
“I knew something was off about her!”
“Always alone, barely talked to anyone!”
“And despite her looks, she gave off a gloomy vibe… but a cult leader?”
The professors of Arcane University were left devastated.
“…Has there ever been such a crisis since the founding of Arcane?”
“Unbelievable. Not only was a student of ours part of that filthy underworld cult, but she also stole one of the university’s treasures and fled.”
“We cannot, under any circumstances, overlook this!”
“By any means necessary, we must catch that vile cultist!”
Arcane University was the continent’s premier educational institution.
Its students were supposed to be the best of the best.
But this incident had cracked its reputation.
The faculty, unable to accept that, seethed with rage.
That rage soon turned into action.
First measure: Yenika Hazel was officially wanted.
\[Yenika Hazel]
\[Reward: 12,000 Gold]
Bounty posters bearing her portrait were plastered across the entire city of Arcane.
Students were shocked to confirm her identity once again.
Meanwhile, mercenaries and underworld factions in Arcane reeled at the bounty.
“Did you hear? The head of Black Cross has a 12,000 gold bounty on her head!”
“What? 12,000!? You’re serious?”
“Dead serious. I saw it myself. When was the last time a criminal had a bounty that high?”
The underworld buzzed at the sight of such a massive bounty for the first time in ages.
“A bounty over 10,000? That’s been nearly ten years!”
“This might be our chance for a big score!”
“Don’t be stupid. She’s a cult leader. That’s suicide.”
“True, but you think no one will try?”
“I heard both \[Pirates] and \[Seven Lords] are showing interest.”
“What!? The Pirates *and* the Seven Lords!?”
In the midst of the chaos, Arcane’s headmaster, Heinze Freya, clicked his tongue.
‘Tsk…’
Across from him, a young nobleman spoke coldly.
“So, how do you intend to take responsibility, Headmaster?”
It was Count Dormund.
No—rather, the man fated to become the next Count Dormund.
—
—
Heinze Freya, the Headmaster, bowed his head.
“First, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies.”
“……”
“Arcane University fully acknowledges its responsibility for this incident. As its representative, I apologize.”
Ian Dormund, seated opposite, did not reply.
Watching his silence, Heinze continued explaining.
“We are preparing multiple measures to address the matter. First and foremost—”
Though his explanation dragged on, Ian never opened his mouth once.
Eventually, Heinze sighed.
“…It seems you have something else in mind.”
Finally, Ian spoke.
“That’s right.”
“And what is it that you want?”
“The right to lead the investigation into this incident.”
“…!”
Heinze’s jaw dropped.
“My lord! No matter how grave this is, that would violate the laws of Arcane City! We cannot possibly allow outside forces to participate directly or indirectly in—”
Ian’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“Then shall we take your head instead?”
“…!”
“Count Cain Dormund has expressed deep concern over this incident. So I have thought of two solutions.”
“……”
“One, take your head as responsibility. Or two, recover the \[Sacred Relic].”
Ian leaned back in his chair.
“But the former is impossible, and the latter would mean doubting your institution’s competence.”
“……”
“So the best compromise is this: allow Count Dormund’s search force to enter Arcane City.”
Heinze’s body trembled.
“Is that a suggestion… or a command?”
“A command.”
“And if we refuse?”
Ian’s lips curled again.
“Then I will not return alone, but with Dormund’s army at my back.”
At that, Professor Norse, standing by Heinze’s side, could not hold back his anger.
“Watch your tongue! Sir Ian! You stand before the Archmage who represents all of Arcane—”
“Enough, Professor Norse.”
“But, Headmaster!”
“Sit down. That’s an order.”
Fuming, Norse reluctantly sat.
By then Heinze had composed his face again.
“May I at least have a little time to give you my answer?”
“I can’t wait too long.”
“You will have my reply shortly.”
Ian stood up.
Watching him, Norse burst out.
“Headmaster! Even if he’s the Empire’s power-broker, his words insult all of Arcane—”
Leaving the room, Ian smirked faintly as he overheard.
‘So even deliberate provocation won’t rattle him. Truly worthy of being Arcane’s archmage.’
Still, it wasn’t a fruitless move.
‘Whether they refuse or accept, I gain either way.’
Refusal gave him justification. Acceptance gave him the legal right to bring Dormund’s forces in.
Either way, Dormund lost nothing.
‘The real problem… is the relic.’
As the thought crossed his mind, Ian furrowed his brow slightly.
His sharp senses picked up something.
“…!”
Startled, Ian’s hand went to his sword.
‘What is this killing intent?’
A chill ran down his spine as he swept his gaze around.
Then, a voice, at once familiar and strange, slid into his ear.
“Oh… I was wondering who it might be. So it’s you, Ian.”
Ian whipped his head around.
His eyes widened.
‘What?’
A familiar face.
But the aura and stature were entirely unfamiliar.
A man leaned against the wall, watching him.
And so Ian could not help but be shocked.
“Arthur… Bayern?”
The weak, stupid boy he remembered was now unrecognizably transformed, staring back at him.
Arthur smiled.
“Yes, it’s Arthur Bayern. How have you been?”
—
