The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 152

The Tower of Harmony stood proudly in the heart of Arconia,

surrounded by Unity Square.

An iconic structure, the Tower of Harmony radiated light, even in the dead of night.

“So, they’re not related…”

Leaning against the illuminated tower, Raelle crossed his arms in the square’s alleyway.

Gent and Clara stood before him, awaiting his assessment.

“We haven’t completed a full investigation yet, so there’s still a possibility of a connection. But so far, we haven’t found any direct links between the Tower of Harmony and the pills,” Clara explained.

Raelle nodded, absorbing her words.

Immediately after discovering that the Tower of Harmony was considered a sacred site, he had compared the information with Bagus’s findings. Surprisingly, there were no obvious points of concern.

‘Did they conceal everything perfectly? Or… are they genuinely not connected to the pills at all?’

Raelle pondered, then spoke, “Well, fine. Let’s infiltrate it directly and find out.”

“…Are you really planning to infiltrate tonight?” Clara asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Why postpone it?”

“You’re supposed to enter the sacred site with the Saintess tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be better to scout the area, familiarize yourself with the layout, and then infiltrate?”

Clara’s suggestion was logical and by the book.

From an infiltration standpoint, it would certainly be safer.

“The risk is high, but the potential rewards are even greater. With the Hero and Saintess visiting tomorrow, if they’re hiding something, now is when they’ll be most vulnerable.”

The evidence might disappear by tomorrow, he reasoned.

It was worth infiltrating as soon as they had a lead.

“But, what if you’re suspected, Raelle? Of course, we could pressure the Gaia Order’s Hero, but… if an intruder appears right after the location of the sacred site is revealed, suspicion might fall on you.”

“Don’t worry, I have a solid alibi,” Raelle assured her.

That was one of the key reasons he was moving now.

“Raelle, I’ll go along with your plan, but I’m curious about something,” Gent spoke, his brow furrowed.

“Relax, man. What’s on your mind?” Raelle chuckled, looking at the large man. Despite his size, Gent seemed unusually nervous.

“Raelle, is this related to finding the Demonic Cult and the Giant race?” Gent asked carefully.

It was difficult to ask, given that they were receiving one-sided help, but could the Demonic Cult and the Giant race really be hiding here?

“…Ah, right. I promised to help find the Giant race, didn’t I?”

“…”

Gent’s face fell, as if he had lost all hope.

Before the innocent Giant race became disillusioned, Raelle quickly added, “Just kidding. Gent, this is a bit urgent. Aren’t we comrades? We help each other out. You help me this time, and I’ll help you next time.”

“Hmm. I understand if you put it that way,” Gent replied, nodding.

If they could help each other, the burden on his heart would be lessened, even if only a little.

“Good. Let’s go in.” Raelle nodded lightly and surveyed the area.

Some priests and holy knights were guarding the Tower of Harmony, but their numbers were insignificant compared to the capabilities of the three infiltrators.

He had deliberately left Bagus’s network of beggars behind, opting for a small, elite team.

Creak-

Raelle quietly approached the tower and pried open a second-floor window.

The three slipped into the Tower of Harmony, avoiding the guards’ watchful eyes.

“There’s nothing special here. Is the inside just an ordinary tower?” Raelle muttered, looking around.

The hallway was quiet, and there didn’t seem to be any guards patrolling. But time was limited, so the three couldn’t search the entire tower.

“Hoichun.”

Raelle immediately deployed Hoichun [a type of magic or technique].

Raelle’s magic spread throughout the Tower of Harmony, gathering information.

‘…Nothing?’ Raelle narrowed his eyes.

He couldn’t sense the presence of Pope Chunma [a leader of the Demonic Cult] or the unsettling divine power emanating from the unidentified pills within the Tower of Harmony.

If this place was truly the Order’s sacred site, he should have felt that distinct divine power.

‘Is someone approaching? There were no traps that could detect magic, so how did they find out?’

No, to be precise, he felt it in one specific location.

Along with the repulsive divine power, numerous other divine powers were converging on the second floor.

“Clara, Gent, run!” Raelle shouted.

Simultaneously, holy knights stormed onto the second floor.

It was the Silver Cross Knights, who had arrived in Arconia with Raelle.

“Huh?!”

“Got it!” Clara and Gent, who were covering their faces like Raelle, immediately scattered in opposite directions, using Raelle as a distraction.

Raelle, facing the oncoming knights, drew his sword.

“Holy Domain Deployment,” Marco, the leader of the Silver Cross Knights, announced as he advanced, activating the Holy Domain [a protective barrier or area of enhanced power].

Raelle clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Tch, that guy… he’s really annoying.”

Raelle glanced at Clara and Gent as they fled.

They could handle themselves… but since he had brought them along, he had to buy them some time.

*

The Tower of Harmony had a hidden security measure.

A simple device designed to ring a bell on the lower floor when a certain amount of weight was detected on the upper floors.

Since no magic was involved, Raelle hadn’t noticed it.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“No way. Where did such a monster come from…?”

Of course, that didn’t mean they couldn’t escape.

The Silver Cross Knights simultaneously lost track of all three intruders within the Tower of Harmony.

It was a shameful defeat for the knights who represented the Gaia Order.

“Ehehe. P, pretty…”

“A toast to your eyes…”

“Damn it! Why are these guys like this!”

One of the intruders was using some kind of strange sorcery, causing some of the holy knights to twitch uncontrollably on the floor.

The holy knights shuddered at the sight of their comrades inexplicably rejoicing.

It was a truly vicious spell.

“I, I feel like I ran into a bear.”

“Shoulder. I can’t lift my shoulder…!”

Of course, those affected by the sorcery were better off than those who had suffered direct injuries.

Those who had tried to stop the fleeing, large intruder were all seriously wounded.

And then there was the last one.

A monster wearing an unidentified mask.

“Sir Carlson, are you okay? …This isn’t your fault. Even the Commander couldn’t stop him,” Knight Elios said, patting Carlson’s shoulder as he stared blankly into the air.

The masked figure had broken through the elite Silver Cross Knights, led by Commander Marco, single-handedly.

He had even shown the restraint to avoid killing anyone, focusing instead on disabling their weapons.

‘Sir Carlson must be feeling a blow to his pride.’

Elios turned away from Carlson, understanding his frustration.

What mattered now wasn’t Carlson’s feelings.

The masked intruder was stronger than a Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman].

It was crucial to investigate why such a powerful individual was targeting the Order.

“Th, this is… Huh?”

Regardless of the current situation,

Carlson recalled the swordsmanship of the person he had just fought.

Having lived in the orphanage for over 10 years, he knew who it was unless he was a complete idiot.

His identity is…

“Carlson, are you okay?”

Just then,

Marco, having cleaned his battle axe, approached Carlson.

He had a question to ask.

“Yes? Yes?! Ah. It’s nothing! Gaia-men!” Carlson stood at attention and made the sign of the cross.

He had enough common sense not to reveal anything about Raelle.

“…”

Marco, after observing Carlson, quietly turned his head.

He felt like he already knew the answer to his question without even asking.

‘What on earth is happening?’

Marco was also trying to recall the unidentified swordsman he had just encountered.

*

The next morning,

At the Gaia Order’s Arconia branch,

News of the previous night’s intrusion into the sacred site spread anxiety among the clergy.

Fortunately, the Silver Cross Knights had successfully repelled the intruders, but until they were captured, there was no guarantee that another incident wouldn’t occur.

“Hero-nim, Saintess-nim, may we postpone the schedule for visiting the sacred site?” Aldeb asked, his face etched with concern.

“As the matter stands, it can’t be helped,” Raelle replied, feigning reluctance.

“Thank you so much,” Aldeb said, bowing his head in gratitude.

Raelle, observing the scene, pressed further, “For intruders to appear in the sacred site, is there a problem with the security of the Arconia branch?”

“We are investigating how the information was leaked,” Aldeb assured him.

“Yes. You must investigate thoroughly,” Raelle said, nodding and scrutinizing Aldeb’s expression. He seemed genuinely troubled.

“Fortunately, nothing happened to the Hero-nim and Saintess-nim. It’s a great relief that the two of you didn’t leave your accommodation last night,” Aldeb added.

“That’s right. This must also be Gaia’s grace. Gaia-men,” Cecilia replied with a serene smile.

Raelle nodded in agreement.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that no harm comes to the two of you,” he said.

Aldeb maintained a faint smile.

Last night, Cecilia had spent the evening in prayer with the priests, while Raelle had been training with the Holy Sword at the Order’s training grounds.

Raelle had requested that no one disturb him during his training, but the radiant light emanating from the Holy Sword was proof enough that the Hero was present.

After all, only one person on the continent was chosen by the Holy Sword.

‘Was it just unnecessary suspicion after all…’ Aldeb thought, feeling a sense of relief.

The main branch had instructed him to unconditionally trust the Hero and Saintess, but he had harbored doubts.

The sacred site of the Arconia branch was an altar to Gaia that he had dedicated his life to building.

The altar of the sacred site was everything to him, and he would never relinquish this power.

‘I must proceed with the work without delay,’ he resolved.

Despite the intrusion into the sacred site the previous night, it didn’t significantly alter his plans.

The rumor that the Tower of Harmony was a sacred site had been gradually spreading, thanks to Aldeb himself.

‘I’ve finally seen the results of mobilizing priests and holy knights to protect the empty tower,’ Aldeb thought, a faint smile playing on his lips.

*

Inside the Hero’s accommodation provided by the Arconia branch,

Raelle faced the blonde man standing before him.

“Hyung-nim [older brother or respected friend], please be honest with me,” he said.

It was Carlson, who had come to Raelle with a determined look on his face.

“What is it, man?” Raelle asked.

“…Last night, was it really Raelle hyung-nim who infiltrated the sacred site?” Carlson asked cautiously.

He knew Raelle had an alibi.

But Carlson also knew that Raelle wasn’t the only one who could wield the Holy Sword.

Lukas, who was currently asleep due to exhaustion from the previous night’s events, could also use the Holy Sword.

“Carlson, don’t talk nonsense,” Raelle sighed, looking at Carlson.

“Th, then was I just mistaken?” Carlson asked, his expression shifting to one of hope. Raelle shook his head.

“Have you been learning swordsmanship for nothing? Can’t you tell just by crossing swords? Of course it was me.”

“Uaaaaaagh!” Carlson clenched his fists and pounded the floor in frustration.

He had hoped it wasn’t true, but Carlson was now convinced.

“Why would you do such a thing! Ho, are you short on money? I’ll lend you the money I’ve saved from gambling!”

“Would I rob the Order because I’m short on money? Tsk. I was going to tell you both when Lukas woke up…” Raelle said.

Raelle hadn’t intended to keep everything a secret from Carlson and Lukas.

It was just that his plans had been slightly disrupted by meeting Carlson yesterday.

“Carlson, I’m going to turn the Arconia branch upside down,” Raelle declared.

“…Again?” Carlson asked, bewildered.

It hadn’t been long since Raelle had exposed Gideon Garcia, the commander of the Kamen Knights.

Was he now planning to dismantle an entire branch of the Order?

“Carlson, isn’t it strange? Over the past few days, have you found even a single trace of Jeremy?”

“…No,” Carlson admitted, lowering his head.

He had also been trying to find Jeremy, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

“Even if Jeremy was removed from being a priest candidate, there’s no reason to erase all records of him like this. No, even if he committed a serious offense and his records were erased, there should still be some trace of him,” Raelle argued.

Raelle, having met Archbishop Aldeb a few times, was becoming increasingly suspicious.

He recognized the same fanaticism he had seen in Pope Chunma.

Aldeb possessed that same level of unwavering devotion.

And Raelle trusted his intuition implicitly.

“Then where is Jeremy hyung…?” Carlson wondered, starting to understand Raelle’s concerns.

It meant that the Order was deliberately concealing information about Jeremy.

“Nia and Harry. You must never let those children out of your sight, Carlson,” Raelle instructed.

Priest candidates.

They held the key to the truth.

He didn’t know what was happening, but the Arconia branch was exploiting them.

“You have to find out exactly where those children are being taken,” Raelle emphasized.

Perhaps the true sacred site of the Order was located somewhere else entirely.