# Chapter 142
—
Silence fell over the scene.
“…?”
In that strange, heavy air, everyone blinked in confusion.
Rhino—the most vicious of the Inspectors.
He had, unbelievably, been slain with a single stroke, his head severed cleanly.
The pirates, shocked beyond belief, screamed out.
“D-Director!!!”
“What the hell!! Why did the Director die!”
Amidst the cries, Jeannie snapped back to his senses and let out a low exclamation.
“Huh… It really is Arthur Bayern.”
The man who always acted beyond expectation.
And the moments when that man shone brightest… were when he killed someone.
Jeannie had momentarily forgotten that fact, but with the death of a heavyweight executive like Rhino, it all came rushing back.
The legendary mercenary of Arcane.
At the same time, the madman of the Ducal House.
Arthur Bayern had returned.
With the corners of his lips curling skyward, Jeannie bellowed harshly.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastards!!”
“…?”
“How long are you going to just stand around frozen? An enemy executive just died! You’re going to waste this chance!?”
At Jeannie’s roar, not only the members of the Ears Gang but also the eyes of Arcane’s rebels flared wide.
“…Waaaaahhh—!”
“Shit, I don’t know what’s going on, but Rhino’s dead!”
“Let’s go!! Wipe those bastards out!”
With the rebels’ cry, gunfire thundered once more.
In that battle now reignited, Arthur turned his head.
“Hello, Professor? It’s been a while.”
At his words, Professor Norse’s lips opened and closed in disbelief.
“Arthur… Bayern?”
“Yes, sir. Arthur Bayern.”
Arthur politely bowed at the waist.
Norse couldn’t hide his astonishment at the sight.
‘It’s really… Arthur Bayern?’
The heir of the Ducal House, who had vanished seven years ago.
Why—why would that heir suddenly appear here?
Unable to believe it, Norse muttered to himself.
“Y-you… you really are Arthur Bayern? But how on earth….”
As his words trailed off, Arthur thought quietly to himself.
‘Professor Norse has gotten old.’
Seven years ago, he had been a stubborn, hard-headed swordsman—
a description that perfectly suited the middle-aged man back then.
But now, his hair had turned completely white, and he looked frail and powerless.
From that whitened hair, Arthur could see just how long and grueling the years of pain and endurance had been.
‘Has Elder Willet aged this much as well?’
Perhaps even more.
After all, Willet was far older than Norse to begin with.
Arthur, with that thought, grabbed Norse and helped him to his feet.
Still bewildered, Norse found himself standing when Arthur suddenly asked,
“Where are the others?”
“The others?”
“Yes. I heard quite a few people had gathered here.”
At Arthur’s words, Norse regained his composure, then fell into silence.
“……”
After studying Arthur for a moment, he pointed toward a derelict building.
“They should be in the meeting hall on that rooftop.”
Arthur dipped his head politely.
“Thank you, Professor. Please excuse me for a moment.”
With that, Arthur turned away.
Watching his retreating figure, Norse let out a belated, bitter laugh.
‘I don’t understand… any of this….’
The heir of the Ducal House, missing for seven years, had appeared.
That heir had just slain a pirate executive.
And if that weren’t already impossible enough, Arthur Bayern had broken through sword energy itself.
‘How? Even if the rest could be chalked up to chance—how does one shatter sword energy?’
As that question furrowed his brow, a memory suddenly flickered through his mind.
Arthur Bayern and Elin Leverkusen.
A boy and girl with talent surpassing any swordsmen he had ever witnessed, crossing blades in a duel.
And back then, the Norse of those days had shouted with absolute conviction.
‘That boy is the one truly worthy of becoming a Sword Master!!’
At the memory, Norse’s eyes went wide.
“No way….”
He frantically turned his gaze.
But Arthur Bayern was already gone.
Instead, what lingered before his eyes was the vision of that single strike just moments ago—
that gray light which had shattered sword energy.
As Norse slowly recalled it, a laugh escaped his lips.
“This is madness… What on earth is happening?”
A new Sword Master had been born.
And it was none other than one of his pupils—
the heir who had vanished seven years ago.
—
—
Arthur rushed into the derelict building Norse had indicated.
“Kill them—!”
“They’re rebels guilty of treason!”
“Sever their heads at once!”
Harsh shouts, clashing voices—
and the thick stench of blood.
In that chaos, Arthur’s eyes swept quickly around.
Every exit was blocked, and there was only one staircase leading upward.
At that choke point, Arcane’s rebels and the police inspectors were entangled in a fierce melee.
Arthur leapt.
In the midst of the fight, both rebels and inspectors let out baffled cries as a man used their heads as stepping stones to vault past.
“Urk!”
“Wha—?”
“Huh?”
Blinking in confusion, they all turned to see the man’s back as he dashed away.
“…What the hell?”
“Who the hell is that guy?”
By the time they muttered, Arthur had already reached the second floor. His gaze narrowed.
“…Hm?”
The passage leading to the third floor was blocked—
by a strange iron wall, utterly alien in nature.
Dozens of inspectors were stymied before it, not knowing what to do.
Arthur murmured to himself.
‘Magic? And pretty high-level at that.’
He rubbed his chin briefly, scanning the floor.
Unfortunately, the second floor’s layout mirrored the first.
For a moment, he considered blasting straight through the ceiling.
But he quickly shook his head.
The corpses of inspectors scattered everywhere told him they had already tried—
and been killed by traps.
‘A trap, huh. Anyone trying to force another path triggers it.’
Arthur chuckled.
The magic was both amusing and formidable.
He briefly wondered who had cast it, but soon shrugged.
That curiosity could wait—the people trapped above mattered more.
He approached the pirates still hammering uselessly at the iron wall.
“Hello, everyone?”
Startled, the pirates snapped at him.
“Who the hell are you!”
Arthur answered with a bright smile.
“I’m Arthur Bayern. Could you step aside for a moment? I need to get through here.”
The pirates blinked.
‘…Needs to get through? Is he reinforcements?’
But why state his name instead of his affiliation?
They tilted their heads, puzzled, and asked,
“If you want to move forward, you’d have to break through this wall. Got any way to do that?”
Arthur stroked his chin.
“Hmm… I think I could manage.”
“How?”
Instead of answering, Arthur drew the Beast.
BOOM—!
With a thunderous blast, the iron wall shattered into fragments.
The pirates gawked, mouths agape.
“H-he blew it apart with a pistol?”
As their astonished eyes turned toward him, they saw the handsome young man grinning broadly.
That bold smile was infectious.
“…Excuse me, but where exactly are you affiliated?”
“My affiliation?”
“Yes! Are you… perhaps from the Central Surveillance Bureau, or from the Dormund family?”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“No. I’m from the Bayern family.”
“…Bayern?”
“Yes, Bayern.”
“…?”
The pirates blinked.
But before they could make sense of it, Arthur raised the Beast.
Recognizing the weapon’s terrifying power, they shrieked.
“W-wait!!”
But Arthur’s trigger had already pulled.
BOOM—!
The blast rattled the building.
And the pirates vanished without a trace.
Arthur muttered, annoyed.
“How the hell do they mistake me for Dormund? Do those guys have eye problems or something?”
Irritated, but with no one left to vent on, Arthur suppressed his frustration and pressed on to the third floor.
At the end of a long corridor, he spotted an ornate door.
Without hesitation, he advanced.
Suddenly, harsh cries echoed in his ears.
“Hold the line!”
“Endure until reinforcements arrive from below!”
“Do not retreat!”
Arthur’s eyes shifted.
A vast circular chamber.
Two factions faced off—
pirates and what appeared to be rebels.
Among the rebels stood a striking figure—
a half-human, half-beast with the face of a lizard, bleeding as he barely held off a dual-sword pirate.
Arthur prepared to step in—then froze.
“…Oh?”
Among the rebels, he spotted a familiar face.
‘No way… that’s Mayor Angelina?’
Seven years ago, she had introduced him to a fine restaurant as the Mayor of Arcane.
And she was also a woman known by the title of Grand Mage.
Now she stood bloodied in battle.
—
—
The pirates and rebels clashed, shouts ringing.
“Kya-ha-ha-ha—!”
“Just give it up! This place is ours now!”
“Do you think you can stand against Inspector Chen, the Twin Blades of Piero!”
At their taunts, the rebels’ faces darkened.
Especially Angelina Babi, once the Mayor of Arcane.
‘No… If we’re captured here, it’s all over.’
She strained desperately to overturn the hopeless situation, but it was the worst yet.
The lizard-man professor of Arcane University had finally collapsed, unable to endure.
“Professor!”
At Angelina’s cry, the lizard-man wheezed,
“I-I’m… fine… Mayor….”
He tried to rise, but immediately fell back with a heavy thud.
Panic-stricken, Angelina touched his wounds.
‘Dear heavens….’
Blood gushed freely from his pierced abdomen.
Were it not for his special bloodline, he would already be dead.
Her face darkened.
Then the pirate named Chen swaggered forward with a sneer.
“Why don’t you give it up, former Mayor?”
“….”
“With your magic sealed, what can you do? Am I wrong?”
Angelina clenched her teeth.
Chen felt a strange thrill at the sight.
‘Damn… this is too good.’
Him, a gutter-rat from the back alleys—
now tormenting a woman who had once risen to Mayor of Arcane.
The thrill made him lick the tip of his blade with his tongue.
“Beg for your life now, and I’ll at least spare you.”
“….”
“Of course, not for free. Crawl at my feet. Or lick my boots. Or… pay me with your body.”
The pirates nearby jeered crudely.
“Inspector Chen really is insane!”
“Even now, that’s all you think about?”
“Once you’re done, share her with us, yeah?”
As the vile jeers rained down, Angelina stiffened and stood.
Chen whistled, his grin broadening.
“Still got the dignity of a former Mayor, huh! Heh! Fine then. I’ll carve off that pretty face and offer it to our Chief!”
With that, he leapt.
Angelina bit her lip.
‘No choice. I’ll have to endure the backlash of the curse and use magic.’
But just as she resolved herself—
Chen’s face was suddenly severed midair.
“…?”
Angelina’s eyes widened.
The pirates’ jaws dropped.
Chen’s head rolled across the floor like a soccer ball, until it stopped at someone’s feet.
That someone, who had suddenly appeared, picked it up and spoke.
“You sure do say things you shouldn’t, sir.”
“…?”
“This is why people need manners. Don’t you agree, gentlemen pirates?”
The pirates blinked.
“Y-you… who are you?”
Arthur replied.
“Arthur Bayern.”
“…?”
“Any further questions?”
The pirates had none.
Staring at the head of their superior in Arthur’s hand, they were too stunned to speak.
Arthur raised the Beast.
BOOOOM—!!!
The blast shook the air, erasing dozens of pirates.
Angelina gasped, horrified.
“Wh-what? That’s the power of a pistol?”
Arthur tucked Chen’s severed head under his arm and turned with a smile.
“Hello, Mayor?”
Angelina flinched and stepped back.
“Y-you… who are you!”
“I’m Arthur Bayern.”
“…?”
“Don’t you remember? We even had meals together twice.”
Her eyes went wide.
Arthur Bayern?
The heir of the Ducal House who had vanished seven years ago?
Her eyes throbbed with sudden pain.
“…!”
The pentagram pupils—
the eyes of her special bloodline, capable of discerning truth from lies.
Through them, she realized the man before her spoke the truth.
“…Arthur Bayern? You really are Arthur Bayern?”
Arthur grinned at her reaction.
Then, at her feet, the lizard-man professor let out a laugh.
Arthur turned to him, and the lizard-man spoke as if he had been waiting.
“Truly… Arthur Bayern… is it?”
“Uh… yes. Arthur Bayern.”
“…Remarkable. That you… would be Arthur Bayern.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
‘Wait… that tone sounds familiar.’
The oddly drawn-out accent sparked a memory.
Eyes narrowing, Arthur muttered.
“…Professor Chizzy?”
At his words, the lizard-man—Professor Chizzy—laughed aloud.
“Seven years to return… Was being my teaching assistant that unbearable, Arthur Bayern?”
Arthur’s jaw dropped in shock.
—
