The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 265

184. White Bunker Battle (5)

“Wh-Who are you!!!”

Tuli shouted, her voice laced with panic.

Was she so absorbed in Revol and Karil’s intense battle that she failed to notice the breach in the White Bunker?

No.

Even though the fortress wall had crumbled, the Fran army wouldn’t dare to enter the White Bunker due to the ongoing clash between the two powerful figures.

However, some individuals were willing to brave such dangers to infiltrate the castle.

Gulp.

She swallowed hard, a wave of tension washing over her.

‘When did they get here…?’

There were no reports of an attack, no sounds of fighting in the hallway. And there were no signs of forced entry, like broken windows.

The sudden appearance of the Black Eye Clan, as if they had materialized from the shadows, left her bewildered.

“Don’t make any unnecessary moves.”

As Tuli’s gaze shifted, the blade pressed harder against her neck.

“Kuh-heuk……?!”

A sharp pain shot through her as she felt her magical power draining away with each prick of the blade.

“Your Highness!!”

Just then…

Kwaaaang―――!!!!

A deafening roar echoed through the hallway as a massive halberd crashed down towards them.

“……!!!”

Ziggrah saw the axe blade hurtling towards him and swiftly retreated.

Surprisingly, the one who intervened was…

“Lord Ganes!”

The Sword Master of the Duchy, who had been out of contact since the fall of Yoman.

Tuli cried out in joy, her voice directed towards the armored figure wielding a giant, scythe-like halberd.

“I apologize. After Yoman fell… I barely managed to survive and return,” Ganes said, his eyes fixed on Ziggrah, remaining vigilant.

His battered appearance, covered in wounds and broken armor, made it clear that he had narrowly escaped a fierce battle.

Unlike the apologetic Ganes, Tuli shouted with a smile, as if a thousand reinforcements had arrived. “Don’t mention it… If you hadn’t been here, my life would have already ended. Rewards and punishments can wait. As the Sword Master of the Duchy, capture all those insects threatening the White Bunker!”

Tuli ordered, pressing her hand against the blood flowing from her neck. The more she spoke, the thicker the blood flowed.

“Fran, that fool, ruined everything!! Bringing in foreigners! I can’t let him defile the Duchy!”

Ganes nodded in response to her command.

Kwaaaang―――!!

Ganes channeled his magical power into the halberd with all his might, causing sparks of electricity to crackle around the blade. The sharp edge slammed into the wall.

“…….”

The wall crumbled with a single blow, and Ziggrah, who had attacked Tuli moments before, quickly ducked and vanished into the darkness.

“There may be more. It would be best for everyone to evacuate to the shelter. I have deployed my soldiers around the castle. They will escort you.”

As Ziggrah disappeared, Ganes gestured.

Soldiers wearing armor identical to his rushed in from the hallway and saluted.

“H-Here!!”

“Me first!!”

“Come on, hurry!”

The nobles surged forward, as if they had been waiting for this moment. No one wanted to remain, staring at the golem’s back, which seemed on the verge of collapse.

They began to evacuate, following the soldiers.

“Your Highness.”

In the hall, only Tuli and Cox remained after the nobles had fled.

“Let’s go.”

Cox Butler bowed to Ganes and led Tuli away.

“Douglas and Redios.”

“……!!”

Just then.

Ganes, who had been watching the two attempting to leave, spoke from behind them.

“Do you know these two people?”

Tuli froze in her tracks.

“I thought they were nobles of the Duchy, but I have never heard of them. Is it true that they are involved in this civil war?”

“Wh-What are you…”

Unlike the calm Ganes, Tuli’s face stiffened.

She never imagined those names would come from his lips.

Who were those two?

They were members of the Wooden Cloud [a secret organization within the Duchy] that Karil had been searching for since Azor.

Currently, Kamma had contacted Redios, and after learning that the Gnome Kingdom and the Wooden Cloud were connected, Kal Mc remained in the Duchy to contact them.

However, all of this was top secret.

Only the highest-ranking members of the Wooden Cloud knew about it.

‘…What the hell is going on? How does he know about those two!’

Tuli’s mind raced.

“Besides, I heard that they gave Duke Fran medicine. Are they perhaps Your Highness’s people?”

The choice was between admitting they were her people or denying it. Their existence was already exposed.

She tried to determine which option would be more advantageous. After all, even the loyal subjects of the Duchy were unaware of their existence.

Even among the Seven Dukes, not everyone knew this fact.

“Really… Is this civil war caused by the Wooden Cloud? Is it true that they tried to poison the esteemed Duke!”

‘Damn it…’

Tuli bit her lip tightly.

The situation was dire. This was happening during a tense wartime situation, not in peacetime.

She didn’t have time to explain.

“But Lord Ganes, as a Sword Master of the Duchy, you also know that the Wooden Cloud has a long-standing relationship with the Ducal family. And that they exist for the sake of the Duchy.”

“What I swore allegiance to is the Duchy and the Ducal family, not the Wooden Cloud.”

Despite Tuli’s persuasion, Ganes remained firm.

“And at least the Duke’s war must be honorable. Only then will the remaining Dukes and nobles acknowledge the new master.”

He spoke with such righteousness that Tuli couldn’t refute him.

Tuli’s cheeks trembled slightly at his words.

Even now, her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to change Ganes’s mind.

“One of them, Douglas, has been captured.”

“……What?”

“He was brazenly trying to escape to the Istria Three Kingdoms across the border, using the Silver Wing Fleet. But Lord Rakhiell didn’t expect to lose so quickly in Korb. The captured man confessed.”

Ganes’s voice grew stronger.

“That Your Highness promised to give the Duchy to the Wooden Cloud. That’s why he gave Duke Fran the medicine.”

“Wh-What are you talking about? Why would I?!”

“I think so too.”

Ganes nodded at her, who was shouting with a hardened expression.

“Then what’s the problem!! That moron also admitted it!! This is all a planned war! It wasn’t supposed to be this big in the first place!!”

Tuli shouted wildly.

“Ganes! No matter how much of a Lord you are, if you disobey Your Highness’s orders, you will not be exempt from the crime of disrespect!”

“I know, Lord Cox. You are also Wooden Cloud. The Chang Emperor told me that the Wooden Cloud is the one that needs to be kept in check the most in the Duchy.”

“……What?”

“Now Your Highness is trying to ruin the Duchy that our predecessors built. And so are you. As a vassal, I have a duty to protect the Duchy, even if it means beheading you.”

“Shut up!!!”

Cox shouted, his face contorted.

Just then.

“The play is over, Lord Ganes. This makes it clear.”

A soldier entered from outside the door. When he removed his helmet, Tuli and Cox stared at him in surprise.

“Sister, no, Tuli, you were trying to sell the Duchy to the Wooden Cloud.”

“……What?”

“It’s a relief. Now I can… avenge my brother.”

Tuli frowned, as if she had seen someone she shouldn’t have.

“……Ruiche? Why are you here.”

She couldn’t believe that Ruiche, whom she considered a child, had directly entered the battlefield.

“It’s best not to make excuses. It is known that the Wooden Cloud is a secret organization of the Duchy, but that is not the case. What is their true identity? Also, what is their purpose? Duke, me and Bonitos brother have never met them.”

“What nonsense…”

Tuli’s face contorted.

“But through this incident, I have come to know for sure. This war was orchestrated by them, and I will not forgive Lord Tuli, who sold her family to such madmen!!”

“……You crazy!!”

She was beyond dumbfounded and speechless.

“We were uneasy about the rumors we occasionally heard. We wondered if the Dukes, who should protect the country, were deceived by the insolent people of the Wooden Cloud, just like the Emperor of the Empire across the strait was obsessed with the cult.”

‘These… morons…!!’

Tuli’s face crumpled at her words.

It was natural that they didn’t know about the Wooden Cloud.

As the youngest two of the Seven Dukes of the Duchy, they had naturally inherited territories on the outskirts.

The minimum of brotherhood.

It was because they simply wanted them to settle in their own land and live quietly, regardless of the country.

But that was the root of the problem.

Even though they were Dukes, they knew nothing about the Wooden Cloud, so they could only guess with vague imaginations.

Looking at Ruiche’s face, it seemed that not only Tuli herself but also Fran had no idea that they belonged to the Wooden Cloud.

‘If only they had just lived quietly as things went…!’

She shuddered at the thought that she had made a mistake.

There was no one to tell Ruiche the truth.

Fran was not in a normal state due to her poison, and Rakhiell had betrayed them, so the only Dukes left in their formation were two naive people who didn’t know the ways of the world.

‘But who told them such nonsense?’

They were completely deceived.

Because they were Dukes who didn’t know the inside story, they thought of the Wooden Cloud as the mastermind behind the Duchy’s civil war and thought that they were enemies who should be punished even more.

‘Still, it’s strange. Even if these idiots are like that, even Ganes… Whose words are they listening to and doing this?’

The loyal subject of the Duchy.

Even if she really gave the Duchy to the Wooden Cloud, she could never imagine him drawing his sword.

‘Is it Fran’s order? No, he wouldn’t do that. Then Anthem…? No matter how much of a guy he is, he can’t move Ganes, who is his superior.’

Tuli shook her head.

The answer was already out, and she knew it too.

Kwang―!!

As Karil struck down with a magic-filled blow, Revol, who had been staggering, finally knelt.

Stepping on the golem’s leg, he placed his hand on the armor on its chest and muttered something in a low voice.

[……!!!]

At that moment, Wingel Hart, who was sitting in the cockpit, couldn’t help but be shocked.

[H-How did you know the activation code?]

Instead of answering, Karil smiled strangely and reached out his hand. The door of the armor opened, and their eyes met.

“Curious? I’ll tell you when this war is over.”

With those words, Karil struck Wingel’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness from the intense shock.

Tuk―

Then, stepping on the shoulder of the now-motionless golem, he jumped out of the broken building window.

“Karil……!!”

Tuli gritted her teeth and shouted his name.

But Karil smiled with delight, as if watching a very enjoyable spectacle.

“Am I right? The real meritorious person of the Duchy is not Fran but Tuli. She tried to sell this country where many people live.”

“…….”

“Lord Fran was deceived by them. But he, who truly fought for the country, became a cripple through the ugly method of addiction.”

At his words, Ganes lowered his head.

“It’s time to realize justice, Ruiche.”

As if waiting for this, Karil looked at her and said.

“Surely… Ganes…!! Was it you who opened the door to the White Bunker!!”

Only then did Tuli understand everything.

From how the foreigners were able to infiltrate the castle undetected to why Ruiche was here.

“I don’t know how you charmed them… but do you think I’m going to back down like this!!”

“Charmed? There’s an easier way than that.”

Tuli gritted her teeth, her face twisted with rage, and said to Karil.

“And you know the method well, because it’s the method you used.”

“……What?”

“It may not be very effective for Sword Masters, but fortunately, we have a poison expert on our side. I put a lot of effort into it.”

Karil walked closer and whispered in her ear, his voice barely audible.

Then he showed her a small pill.

“……!!”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she fell backward onto her buttocks. The pill Karil showed her was none other than the Ampe (暗蔽) [a type of poison] that she had given to Fran.

“Tuli.”

He lightly tapped her shoulder as she sat awkwardly on the ground.

“This is how you use poison.”