All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 242

121. The One Behind – 2

“What?”

“By the way, Sword Saint? I don’t think the Sword Saint would be hostile to me. You spread the Red Moon faith, didn’t you? And you’re trying to drag her in? Are you out of your mind?”

“Kugh.”

“And Hiral? The only 8-circle mage on the continent?”

“Yes! She is…”

“I beat her.”

“What…?”

Fwadbe’s expression hardened, and the Emperor also looked surprised.

An 8-circle mage is someone even he couldn’t easily predict the outcome against.

Most people don’t know because she’s focused on magical research and protecting the Elven Forest.

Some even say that if she stepped out into the world, the power dynamics of the continent’s strongest would change.

To have beaten such an 8-circle archmage like Hiral.

“I, I can’t believe it.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Then, the Forest Keeper…”

“Ah, right. The Forest Keeper? I’m not on bad terms with him, but I don’t think he’d unconditionally side with me.”

Fwadbe’s expression brightened at those words.

However, Ian simply sneered at him.

“But with the Emperor and the Sword Saint on my side, what would the Forest Keeper gain from fighting me?”

“Kugh…”

“And… I don’t know if you’ve heard.”

Ian grinned.

“The massive explosion that occurred in the Southern Great Plains? I did that too.”

“What…?”

“If I set off that explosion in your territory… do you think the other nobles would dare to draw their swords against me?”

“D-Don’t lie!”

“Whether you believe it or not, it doesn’t matter. Now, is that all? The backing you’re thinking of can’t be just that.”

Ian grabbed Fwadbe’s shoulder.

“Bring out more. Keep bringing out what you have, and eventually, Gehern will appear.”

At his words, Fwadbe quickly racked his brain.

The enemy is more formidable than he thought.

Fwadbe, who had been glaring at him, turned his gaze to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, have you forgotten how you came to sit on that throne?”

“I received a lot of help from my godfather.”

“That’s right. When Your Majesty was only 6th in line to the throne, I served you.”

When the current Emperor was young, Fwadbe had sponsored him.

He gave power to someone who was only obsessed with swordsmanship.

He provided the foundation for him to train and eliminated his political rivals so he could ascend to the throne.

“Isn’t that why Your Majesty is on the throne?”

“That’s right.”

“And you’re going to abandon me?”

Fwadbe even shed tears.

“Why are you doing this, Your Majesty? Why are you siding with such an outrageous man…!”

Ian lightly applauded at his sudden change in demeanor.

“Now you’re trying to sow discord?”

“Shut up! You!”

Ian frowned at Fwadbe’s fierce shout.

“Let’s finish this quickly. If you won’t do it, I will.”

Ian bared his teeth and growled, and the Emperor nodded.

Then, he approached Fwadbe and said calmly.

“Godfather.”

“…Your Majesty… please don’t abandon me…”

“If you’ve joined hands with Gehern, and if you have a way to summon him, tell me.”

“N-No, really! Gehern? How could I, a loyal subject of the Empire, make a deal with a demon?! Please believe me!”

As the situation turned against him, Fwadbe quickly bowed down to survive.

The Emperor, looking at him, shrugged.

“I have no choice then.”

The Emperor stepped back.

As he stepped aside, Ian grinned.

“You!! You bastard!! Do you think I’ll spill lies just because a nobody like you does something to me!!”

“This old man has a definite character.”

Ian grabbed him by the collar and said, looking him in the eye.

“If you’re going to play the loyal subject, do it properly. It’s okay to hold out until you die.”

As his eyes flashed with red light, Fwadbe screamed.

After being tortured for a long time, Fwadbe finally revealed everything.

Ian, looking down at him panting, turned his eyes to the Emperor.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm… To summarize, the one who taught him how to steal talents and the one who told him to spread the Red Moon faith are the same person?”

“That’s right.”

“But the Phillaike Duchy has the Order of the Sun and the Order of the Moon.”

“A great demon can hide his malice.”

Even Crowley doesn’t hide his malice every time he’s summoned by Ian.

So Gehern would be able to do that much.

“Well, unless there’s someone like the Saintess. If not, it would be possible to hide it.”

“Is that so.”

“That’s right. However, to the question of whether that great demon is Gehern…”

Ian couldn’t answer either.

Fwadbe only knew that he was a demon, not that he was Gehern.

“There’s an artifact in Duke Fwadbe’s mansion to summon him in case of emergency, so we should go there right away.”

“Yes. Also, we need to stop him before he unites the other nobles in the Phillaike Duchy. I’ll send someone from my side too.”

“I’m not thinking of backing out now, or getting involved halfway. I’ll take care of that side.”

“It will take quite a while to get there.”

“Don’t worry, I can go and solve it right away.”

Ian turned his head sharply.

Schlai, who had heard Fwadbe’s testimony, was just biting her lip.

“Who will take over Fwadbe’s role in the Phillaike Duchy?”

“…Young Master Selim.”

“Selim, huh.”

“He is Duke Fwadbe’s son. He is also an excellent mage…”

“A half-elf.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, if we take him out, there won’t be any unnecessary movements in the Phillaike Duchy.”

Originally, these things only require taking out the head.

Ian said calmly and got up from his seat.

“Take care of the investigation in the capital. And look for a woman named Tilda Towan. You can’t say you can’t even do that much, right?”

“Alright.”

“Then, good luck.”

Ian raised his hand.

As he manipulated his bracelet, Ian and Myane in his bag disappeared in an instant.

As those who saw it were surprised, the Emperor said coldly.

“Crepen, from now on, investigate the entire capital. Bring in all the guys related to the Red Moon faith that we’ve identified so far.”

“I will obey your command!”

“Saintess, you too, help him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He gave orders not only to them but also to the Black Knights, and then he looked down at the fallen Fwadbe.

“Godfather, how did you end up like this?”

He wasn’t like this in the past.

Back then, he was a great elf and an excellent mage.

What made him like this?

“Why did you become so consumed by greed?”

“Kugh… uh…”

“Did you want to become Emperor? Or…”

Did he want to continue his power behind the Emperor?

He looked down at Fwadbe and then raised his sword.

“Ugh… S-Save…”

“I’m sorry.”

He lowered his sword.

As the sword pierced his neck, Fwadbe slowly closed his eyes, and the Emperor said emotionlessly to the Black Knight.

“Clean it up.”

“Yes.”

As he left, the Emperor approached Schlai, who was kneeling, and said.

“Then, it’s your turn now…”

“…”

“There are a few things I want to confirm with you, so let’s…”

The Emperor’s eyes flashed.

“Let’s talk seriously.”

* * *

Since he knew the coordinates, going to the Phillaike Duchy itself wasn’t a problem.

Ian, who finished warping behind a shabby building, tilted his head after coming out onto the street.

“Wow, what is this?”

The city was more devastated than he thought.

Even though it was the territory of the Iron-Blooded Duke, who was the second-in-command of the Empire and had held power for a long time.

It was too run-down to the point where it was a bit much.

It was trying to imitate a city to some extent, with paved roads and two- or three-story houses, but most of them were shabby because they weren’t properly maintained.

On top of that, the street itself had become a slum due to the buildings that seemed to have been illegally expanded or renovated.

“Myaa~.”

Like when she went into the back alleys of the Academy before, Myane covered her nose and went straight into the bag.

Ian tapped the bag and smiled bitterly.

Someone was throwing garbage directly onto the floor from the window of a two-story house.

“Is this even a directly-controlled territory?”

The Phillaike directly-controlled territory maintained a city as large as the capital, but there was a significant difference between the south and the north.

Wealthy merchants and knights lived in the north.

And those without money lived in the poorly maintained south.

As Kirke explained simply, Ian put his hands in his pockets.

‘Why did you set the coordinates here?’

How a lotus blooms in the mud.

It is easier to find those who resist in such desperate places.

That’s why Kirke only conveyed the coordinates according to Ian’s taste.

‘It’s okay. I’ll just go.’

Walking along the shabby street and arriving at the end of the road, he saw a checkpoint separating the north and the south.

Soldiers were smirking in front of the gate that had to be passed to go to work in the north.

“Alright, alright. Those who want to go in, pay the entrance fee!”

“Everything will be used as taxes for the Duke’s army!”

“No, how can you take taxes like this?!”

“What? Are you crazy?! How dare you!”

“Aaaagh!!”

The toll must have been quite high.

The soldiers who dragged out the protesting man began to beat him up as they pleased.

As he limped past, covered in blood, after paying the money, the soldiers said triumphantly.

“Those who want to go in, pay up! Or… Hehe, entertain us a little.”

‘Tell me about it.’

Some women bit their lips tightly.

The soldiers smiled lewdly at them.

“Don’t you have to go to work?”

“Huh? Do you want to lose today’s wages?”

“Ugh…”

Eventually, some women try to approach the soldiers.

At that time, Ian, who passed by them, said to the soldiers.

“If I entertain you, can I pass?”

“Ha! What is it? Brat?”

“You look like you’re wearing good clothes… Alright, try to entertain us!”

Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Chapter of Destruction.

Rebellion.

Ian’s swordsmanship completely shattered not only the checkpoint but also the wall separating the north and the south.

As the soldiers who saw the huge hole opened their mouths, Ian said in a cold tone.

“Fun, right?”

“Ah. Ye. Fu. Fun… It’s fun.”

“Then I’m going in.”

He passed them and moved north.

After passing through a street that was on a different level from what he had seen earlier and arriving at the central part of the north, Ian stopped walking.

Quite a few knights and soldiers were blocking the road.

“They’ve gathered quite a lot.”

As Kirke spoke, Ian watched them.

At that time, a handsome young man in light armor came out from among the Phillaike Knights.

He was a half-elf young man with red hair and red eyes.

“I didn’t expect such a distinguished guest to come all the way here. My name is Selim Phillaike. Ah, and I am promised to marry Princess Kirishnan, so I am the next member of the imperial family…”

As he spoke confidently with arrogance, Ian scratched the back of his head and burst into a hollow laugh.

“I can’t trust what those demon bastards say after all.”