# Chapter 145
—
Arthur’s words hit the mark exactly.
Among the naked men stood one with tattoos—just like Theon, who had been killed a moment ago.
“W–wait…! This is slander, slander! I am not a Dormund sp—urk!”
The moment Arthur confirmed the tattoo, he did the same as with Theon and drove a hole straight through the man’s gut.
The revealed spy gaped in horror before collapsing lifelessly, never to rise again.
“……”
The sight left the people in the council chamber speechless.
Meanwhile, Arthur twirled the Beast in his hand with a careless flick and sighed.
“Phew. I almost ended up being misunderstood because of these spies.”
“……”
“Is there still anyone here who doesn’t believe I’m Arthur Bayern? If so, I’ll gladly expla—”
At that, the eight surviving militia members cried out in a fluster.
“N–no!”
“We believe you! You are truly Arthur Bayern!”
“You’re also the legendary mercenary, Donn!”
“S–so please, spare us!”
Arthur blinked at their words.
“I never really planned on killing you, though?”
“……”
“Why would I kill people working for Arcane? I’m not some deranged murderer.”
The militia stared, mouths hanging open.
Watching, Jeannie suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ah, that’s our young master for you!”
In the meantime, Angelina, who had only just managed to collect herself, let out a stunned breath.
*What… what on earth is this…*
Raised on nothing but common sense, she simply couldn’t comprehend the scene before her.
The militia—those she thought were allies—had turned out to be Dormund’s spies?
Even more shocking was the fact that Arthur Bayern’s words were proven correct.
The traitors, including Theon who had just died, possessed artifacts that concealed them from her own bloodline’s star-Pentagram eyes.
**\[Eye of the Seven Stars]**
Known as the nemesis of the pentagram eyes, the Eye of the Seven Stars allowed one to escape the gaze of those bearing that bloodline’s vision.
And these men, supposedly mere militia, had been carrying such artifacts. There was no way ordinary soldiers could possess them—meaning Arthur Bayern had been right all along.
Still, this did not resolve every question.
*…But how could Arthur Bayern have known they were Dormund spies from the tattoo alone?*
And even if they were traitors, was it really acceptable to kill them on the spot like that?
What chaos would follow?
Angelina was on the verge of voicing her doubts when Arthur’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“Mayor?”
“……?”
“I’m done introducing myself. May I take a seat now?”
Her eyes widened at his words.
“……”
Her gaze slid from Arthur to the two corpses on the floor, still bleeding profusely.
The gruesome sight robbed her of all appetite. She muttered under her breath.
*…There’s no way we can continue this meeting like this.*
Resolute, Angelina declared,
“…For now, let us adjourn. We will take some time to collect ourselves.”
The meeting was thus brought to a close, the militia scattering as if fleeing.
Seizing the chance, Angelina approached Arthur.
“Young master… did you really identify them as Dormund spies solely from the tattoos?”
Arthur slowly nodded.
“Yes. I’ve seen them before.”
“…You’ve seen Dormund spies before?”
“Yes. But never one so brazenly tattooed, like the Theon fellow just now. Usually, they mark hidden parts of the body.”
Angelina’s brows knit slightly.
*The truth… then he really has encountered Dormund spies before?*
What exactly had he been doing to cross paths with them?
By then the chamber had been cleaned, and the militia returned.
Arthur greeted them with a bright smile.
“Everyone, did you rest well?”
Instead of answering, they forced strained smiles.
Beside him, Jeannie couldn’t hide her admiration.
“Young master… you’re really incredible.”
“Eh? What do you mean, Jeannie?”
“I’ve never seen those men behave so obediently before.”
Arthur shrugged.
“Maybe you’re mistaken? They all seem like decent folks to me.”
Jeannie gave a wry smile.
In truth, though they were called militia, they were hardly good men.
They hadn’t gathered out of devotion to oppose Dormund—they had joined for the scraps and spoils that came with it.
But Jeannie kept this fact to herself.
If Arthur Bayern realized it and, on a whim, decided to slaughter them, it would be disastrous.
*Even if I don’t like it, we still need their help…*
The supplies, food, weapons—all of it came through them.
While she thought this, Angelina returned to the podium.
Her eyes flickered between the corpses and Arthur, before finally hardening.
*I need to grasp the full picture, but…*
The way things were unfolding was not bad. In fact, far better than she had hoped.
*Those traitors must have been feeding our information to Dormund.*
That was why their last council two days ago had been ambushed.
Even Willet, who was captured a few days ago, had likely been betrayed through their leaks.
*…Overly forceful, perhaps, but thanks to Arthur Bayern we’ve rooted out these vermin.*
And now the usually noisy militia had been cowed into silence.
Angelina’s eyes gleamed.
*Could this be the chance I’ve been waiting for?*
She hesitated only briefly before speaking.
“…Today’s agenda had two points.”
Everyone’s attention swung to her.
“The first was confirming Arthur Bayern’s identity.”
“……”
“But with traitors exposed, further confirmation is unnecessary.”
Her gaze shifted toward the militia.
Their lips twitched, but none dared to speak.
Angelina continued.
“The second is the rescue of Willet Christol.”
“……!”
“With your consent, we will move to free him from the underground prison.”
Her words made the militia’s eyes widen, while Jeannie’s mouth dropped open.
“At last…!”
Willet Christol had been imprisoned for a week. And now, the former mayor of Arcane herself declared they would rescue him.
But Angelina wasn’t finished.
“And after that, we will strike at the governor’s mansion of Arcane.”
“……?”
“The moment we free Willet and the other captured comrades, we march straight to the governor’s seat of power.”
Jeannie blinked, then gasped.
“Mayor, do you mean…!”
“Yes.”
Angelina’s eyes blazed.
“With this battle, I intend to bring an end to this long and bitter struggle.”
—
—
Her words threw the chamber into uproar.
“You mean to attack the governor’s mansion now, Mayor?”
“Isn’t it too soon?”
“We may have gained momentum recently, but their fortifications still stand!”
Angelina thought to herself.
*True. They may be right—it could be too early to strike.*
But after days of deliberation, she had concluded that this was their best chance.
*Willet Christol… the real leader of the rebels. If we lose him, this movement will collapse.*
And lately, the police raids had only grown fiercer.
*Just look at those spies… there are surely more hidden among us still.*
For rebels whose lifeblood was anonymity, spies were deadly.
So she had resolved not only to rescue Willet Christol but also to attack the governor’s mansion at once.
If delaying brought no advantage, then the best course was to strike swiftly, while the enemy was unsettled.
Her decision made, Angelina spoke again.
“Yes, their power remains strong. But will opportunity really come just by waiting?”
“But still…!”
“Better we storm the underground prison, rescue our comrades, and strike Dormund’s hound while they are in disarray.”
The militia protested again.
Listening, Arthur leaned toward Jeannie and asked,
“Jeannie, this Dormund ‘Hound’—who is that?”
She turned and explained.
“He’s the current ruler of Arcane. A retainer sent from Dormund.”
“Oh? His name is really ‘Hound’?”
“Yes. More precisely, he is one of Dormund’s Thirteen Fangs.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
*Dormund’s Thirteen Fangs?*
The infamous “Shadows of Dormund”—assassins who carried out Cain Dormund’s commands by any means necessary.
*One of them, Hound, came here as Arcane’s ruler?*
Arthur stroked his chin, intrigued.
*Fascinating. The Shadows rarely reveal themselves openly. Has the altered future even touched the Thirteen Fangs…?*
As he pondered, the militia shouted,
“Even putting that aside—who will face Police Chief Captain Masius?”
“He’s a seventh-circle swordsman!”
“And that Hound is also a powerful mage. Do we have anyone who can stand against the two of them?”
Arthur lifted his head.
He saw Angelina troubled and the militia puffed with confidence.
Then, slowly, he raised his hand.
“That won’t be a problem.”
“…?”
“I think I can kill them for you.”
A militia man blurted in shock.
“Y–young master, you mean you will kill them yourself?”
Arthur beamed.
“Yes. Dormund’s Hound, Captain Masius—I can take care of them both.”
“……”
“So, doesn’t that solve the problem?”
The militia fell silent.
“……”
In their minds, they saw again the image of Arthur slaughtering the police officers two days earlier.
Meanwhile, Angelina’s lips curved faintly.
*He means it. He truly believes he can kill Masius and the Fang of Dormund.*
And she herself had already witnessed his prowess.
Hadn’t he slain the high-ranking officers during the police raid two days ago?
*Already the people call Arthur Bayern a Sword Master.*
So Angelina smiled serenely at the militia.
“Then the matter is settled.”
“……”
“If Arthur Bayern will face Captain Masius and Dormund’s governor Hound, then there is no further issue, is there?”
“……”
“Is there anything else that needs addressing?”
The militia scowled and opened their mouths.
*Damn it! If we let the initiative slip away like this, our voices will mean nothing!*
*If we’re to reclaim Arcane and claim our rights—*
*We must influence every decision. We cannot allow things to proceed like this!*
But just as they were about to object again, a heavy clatter rang through the chamber.
Startled, they turned to see Arthur bending to pick up his dropped Beast.
“Oh dear. My apologies, everyone.”
“……”
“I accidentally dropped my Beast. Sorry for the disturbance.”
He hung the weapon on his hand and bowed his head.
The militia clamped their mouths shut.
“……”
A tense silence fell.
Several militia members twitched, but none dared to speak—visions of Arthur blowing holes through the earlier traitors still vivid.
*…If I protest now, what if he suddenly shoots me too?*
*He absolutely could! That lunatic, Bayern or not, is unhinged!*
And so, all they could do was groan quietly, unable to voice a single objection.
Taking their silence as answer, Angelina smiled.
“Then it’s decided.”
Her eyes gleamed as she declared,
“This week, we will storm Arcane’s underground prison and rescue Willet Christol! Then we will put an end to this long struggle once and for all!”
At her declaration, Jeannie clenched her fists in a silent cheer, while the militia sighed heavily.
Angelina, watching them, couldn’t hide her own swelling emotions. She turned her head—
And met Arthur’s bright smile.
She couldn’t help but smile back when Arthur murmured to himself,
*Hmm… things worked out well, didn’t they?*
Barely after joining the rebels, he was already taking part in the rescue of Elder Willet.
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
If everything went smoothly, not only would he save Willet, but he might also gain a chance to return to House Bayern.
And somehow, he seemed to have won Angelina’s trust as well.
*She was cautious at first, but now… it’s like she completely believes in me.*
His lips curled upward.
*If this goes well… I might really pull it off.*
His gaze drifted to her eyes—those gleaming with five embedded stars.
Licking his parched lips, Arthur wondered.
*I wonder… what Mayor Angelina’s blood would taste like.*
—
