The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 341

222. Escape (1)

“Find him!!!!”

“Fire a signal flare the moment you spot him!!”

“Tighten the encirclement!!”

“Reinforce all the barriers!!!”

Soldiers’ shouts echoed from everywhere.

Caryl, running through the alley, glanced around and changed direction.

[This is troublesome. The Dragon Barrier is complete around the Imperial City. They clearly don’t intend to let you escape easily, do they?]

Aln, now a wisp of black smoke following close behind, scanned the sky and spoke.

[You provoked them quite a bit. Frankly, it’s a wonder the Dragons didn’t attack you on the spot.]

Lamine clicked her tongue. Caryl gave a wry smile.

‘Don’t worry. They won’t fight here.’

Caryl said to them telepathically as he continued to run.

[I know. That’s the only thing we can rely on. The Dragons would have to be prepared to reduce the Imperial City to rubble to catch you.]

[But it’s strange. Why would the Dragons side with the Empire?]

[Rather than the Empire, it felt more like it was because of that boy. If they even found the Blader’s lost weapon…….]

‘I’m just grateful they saved me the trouble of finding it.’

Everyone couldn’t help but be amazed by Caryl’s audacity.

[There must be a gap in their defenses somewhere. Even if they intend to use this place as a battlefield, it will still take time to withdraw the troops. Well, it would be impossible for ordinary soldiers to find you anyway…….]

‘They must be trying to make me wary.’

Or perhaps to lure him into a trap they had set.

Caryl was aware that the paths he was taking to avoid the commotion were becoming somewhat unnatural.

[That’s right. Fortunately, you also possess Dragon Mana. The colorless mana can harmonize with the Dragons’ detection magic and allow you to evade it.]

Caryl nodded at Aln’s words.

[What about the old Imperial secret passage you used before?]

‘It’s probably blocked by now.’

[Hmm……. Aren’t there any other passages? The Imperial City should have several more secret passages.]

Caryl simply shrugged at Aln’s question.

‘I only knew about that one. Unfortunately, I spent most of my previous life on the battlefield, so I didn’t spend much time in the Imperial Palace……. Besides, I didn’t particularly try to find out about such passages.’

[It seems like we revealed our hand too early. This is troublesome.]

‘Well, what can we do? It was a necessary step. It doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to break through in the usual way.’

Caryl ran towards the main gate of the Imperial City.

Outside the gate, at least one of the Dragons would surely be waiting for him.

[Each of the three gates that lead out of the Imperial City will have a Dragon waiting for you. Let’s hope it’s not Enuma Elish.]

‘Why?’

[He is a descendant of the Golden Dragon Tosca, who was a Dragon Lord in the Mythical Era. No one can match him in magical abilities. He’s probably the most difficult opponent in the current situation.]

‘Didn’t you say the Platinum Dragon led the Dragons?’

[It’s a bit different. If the Lord is like a spiritual pillar, the Platinum Dragon was more like a commander who led the battle.]

Lamine said in a low voice, as if reminiscing about the past.

[The Dragons have few individuals, but each one is so powerful that they don’t live in groups. There are Dragon Lords, but they don’t have absolute power like other races. They simply coordinate their wills.]

Caryl focused on her words.

[It’s really difficult for Dragons with strong personalities to unite as one. That’s what makes the Platinum Dragon special. In the past and now, the Dragons gather under him.]

‘What’s the reason?’

[Perhaps……. Strength.]

Caryl frowned slightly at Lamine’s words.

[Even you probably haven’t seen him fight seriously. Although he was an enemy, his appearance in the Holy Spirit War was truly terrifying.]

‘Was he that strong?’

[He was the only one who had contracts with all the Spirit Kings. He was one of the strongest Bladers along with Judecca.]

[Of course, the contract with us was broken when he sided with God…….]

[We didn’t know that would lead to a huge failure in the Holy Spirit War. It was our mistake to trust him.]

Caryl felt as if he was looking back at his past self in the words of the Spirit Kings.

He also trusted Nar Di Maugh.

[That’s the enemy you’re going to face.]

Perhaps he read Caryl’s mind, or perhaps he felt his anger as a contracted spirit.

Lamine said to him in a calm tone.

[If that’s the case, then we should hope that it’s not Enuma Elish waiting in front of us, but the Platinum Dragon.]

Aln gnashed his teeth as if dissatisfied.

It was then.

“This way.”

A low voice came from inside the alley.

“……!!”

Caryl momentarily wore a surprised expression as the man, who was covering his face with a hood, slightly revealed his face.

“You’re…….”

“Hurry.”

He tried to say something, but the man hurriedly covered his mouth with his finger and tilted his head.

“…….”

Caryl watched him disappear further into the alley, pondered for a moment, and then turned away from the gate and followed him.

* * *

“You’ve done something amazing.”

Inside a small building along the alley, a staircase leading to the basement appeared when a section of the floor was opened.

He walked inside without hesitation and said.

“The pursuers at the gate are trustworthy people. You’ll be able to slip out secretly.”

“Why are you here?”

Caryl asked him.

Meeting him in this dangerous situation was more surprising to Caryl than the fact that he knew another secret passage in the Imperial City.

“Randall.”

The man covering his face with a hood stopped walking for a moment.

“I heard about what happened in the North. The title of Great Warrior……. It’s something I can’t even imagine. And a war as soon as you united the tribes. You always create surprising things.”

“Answer my question first. Why are you here?”

It was a reunion of brothers after a long time, but there were no feelings of affection or tenderness.

Although he couldn’t see it because his face was covered, Randall felt his lips curl up slightly at his usual attitude.

“If you go around the inside, you can reach a side path that leads to the back of the plaza.”

“How do you know that?”

Caryl asked Randall with a suspicious look.

“What if what’s in front of us isn’t an escape route but a trap?”

“You’re free to believe it or not, but in the current situation, this path is a bit better than a head-on breakthrough. If we’re going to fight anyway.”

Randall gave a faint smile at Caryl’s question.

“Above all, since I’m by your side, it’ll be easier to use me as a shield even if it’s a trap.”

“A shield has to be worth something. Do you even know how much your life is worth? You overestimate yourself.”

“Geez……. You’re still good at harsh words.”

Randall said as he went down the stairs.

“It’s because I’m a commoner.”

“Commoner?”

“It’s not something grand like a secret passage from the old Empire era, but there are countless side paths in the Imperial City. Only commoners know them……. No, to be exact, only the children who used to beg know them.”

He knew that he came from a common background, but Caryl didn’t know about his childhood.

“…….”

Caryl fell silent at his unexpected past.

“A child who used to beg was lucky enough to catch the eye of a Sword Master and even became an Imperial Knight, huh……. I ruined a future where you could have had a successful career.”

“That’s right.”

Randall said as he passed through the tunnel, navigating through the maze-like underground path.

“My life completely changed thanks to you. I don’t know if I should say it’s a shame or a relief……. Thanks to you, I’m not a knight now.”

“Hmm……?”

“You know about what happened in Heim. After that day, me and my brother Mart were stripped of our knighthoods and ordered to stay at the mansion and reflect on our actions.”

“Taking away two knights, especially in a situation where every skilled person is needed in the war. Oliven must be very confident. I heard that Quell McGovern was also ordered to stay at the mansion and reflect on his actions…….”

“You really don’t call him father anymore.”

“It’s a difference in position, apart from animosity. Well……. It’s no different from us being on opposing sides. If the day comes when I can call him that again, it will change naturally.”

Randall let out a low sigh at his answer.

“Mart was the one who took up the sword, so why were you punished as well?”

“It’s the sin of not stopping you.”

“Me? Who? You? That’s a stretch. Everyone must have seen it. The fight between Sir Quell and me. Do you think you could have stopped me in that situation?”

Randall shrugged at Caryl’s words.

“Whether it’s an excuse or a pretext, it’s a sufficient reason. I was a knight and a bystander who didn’t stop the enemy.”

Caryl glared at him slightly at his answer.

“Then, coming here despite being ordered to reflect on your actions means one of two things. Either you’ve finally rejected the Empire’s orders and decided to act alone, or you’re trying to trap me on behalf of the Empire.”

Clack―

Randall walked quickly, passing through several abandoned house doors.

Caryl could tell that the voices of the soldiers echoing from everywhere were gradually fading away.

[It seems like it’s not a lie.]

[But I don’t think using a side path will fool the Dragons’ eyes…….]

[They may have allowed Caryl to leave the Imperial City. To avoid using this place as a battlefield.]

After passing through another alley and jumping over several walls, a small gap in the wall, hidden by the forest at the edge of the Imperial City, appeared.

“It’s narrow, but you can pass through. This is where I came in too. There won’t be any guards.”

“The ones chasing me are Dragons. How can you be sure that I won’t be caught by them as soon as I go outside?”

Randall shrugged at Caryl’s words.

“Because this is a forbidden area.”

“……I haven’t heard of such a place in the Imperial City.”

“Most people don’t know about it. This place is a tomb.”

“……?”

Randall said as he peeked through the gap between the old castle walls.

“It’s not a tomb for people.”

Caryl frowned slightly at his incomprehensible words. But Randall looked around and slowly lowered his body under the wall.

“Caryl. If I can help you escape the Imperial City safely……. Take me with you.”

Caryl answered calmly at his words.

“Can I take that to mean you’re abandoning the Empire?”

But Randall didn’t answer his question.

“…….”

An unexpected event.

But Caryl felt that he needed to know why he was in the Imperial City now and what had caused his change of heart.

“There’s no one here. You can come over.”

Randall said to him from outside the castle walls.

“Once I cross this wall, I’ll know if your words are true or false.”

“Are you still suspecting a trap? I don’t think even Caryl McGovern would be scared by that, would he?”

Caryl shifted his gaze to the gap he had been looking at a moment ago. Then, the two men’s eyes met.

“You said a moment ago that my life completely changed thanks to you, right?”

Randall’s eyes trembled at his words.

“Then you should be grateful to me. Losing your comrades at Narak Rock and being stripped of your knighthood because of what happened in Heim are nothing. You’ve already overcome the biggest mountain because of me.”

“……What?”

“You probably don’t know when the future of your life changed.”

Because life is only possible if you’re alive.

Caryl smiled faintly.