Chapter 83

“The Director of Central Intelligence has certainly been up to some covert activities in the shadows. However… for something under your command, it seems a bit sloppy.”

Julius muttered softly as he placed Evelyn’s report down on the desk.

There was a nagging feeling, something difficult to put into words.

A feeling of unease.

“What do you think, Director of Information?”

As Julius raised his head, a dark shadow fell in front of him.

“What is there to think about? Just arrest the culprit as the evidence points.”

The Black Dragon scoffed lightly and threw another set of documents in front of Julius.

“The evidence is solid. The culprit is a first-class assassin from ‘Season of the Snake,’ with quite a notorious record. In fact, he was the same one responsible for last year’s assassination of the second commander of the Gale Sword Unit.”

Julius, about to review the new documents, tilted his head curiously.

“By the way, have you been injured? Your left arm seems uncomfortable.”

“…Don’t concern yourself with my matters. Just focus on the documents.”

Julius knew well enough that asking more questions would only lead to silence from the Black Dragon, so he returned his gaze to the documents.

“It looks like he’s been in a big fight recently. Can even that monstrous man get injured?”

But Julius’s curiosity vanished the moment he began reading the document.

There had been an incident last year that shook Winterer to its core.

While the Gale Sword Unit was out on an external mission, one of their commanders was found assassinated at a safe house.

It wasn’t a battlefield death; he had been assassinated in the hideout. Without a leak from the inside, such an event would have been impossible.

“I thought this case was classified as unsolved due to lack of evidence… but I guess that wasn’t the case.”

“That’s how it was presented to the public. We needed to mislead the Serpent.”

The Serpent—another hidden alias of Ed Troyban.

“At the time, the Gale Sword Unit was in the middle of a skirmish with Troyban over the ‘White Tower Ruins.’ They were becoming quite a nuisance to Troyban.”

“So you suspected Troyban?”

“While the Director of Central Intelligence managed to mediate and bring the ruins under our jurisdiction, we received intelligence that the head of House Troyban was furious.”

“Hmm.”

Julius let out a small sound of acknowledgment.

Though the Black Dragon had put it vaguely, he had clearly pieced together all of Troyban’s covert actions.

Given the unparalleled intelligence network of Black Snow, they likely already knew everything.

“That wasn’t all. More than once, Troyban and its subordinate organizations managed to beat us to the punch on several advantages we were either planning or considering. Some of those were such high-level information that it would have been impossible for them to know unless a spy had been planted deep within our ranks.”

Behind the mask, the Black Dragon’s eyes sank deeply.

There was no trace of emotion in them.

But that made his gaze all the more terrifying.

“So, who do you think would be the most suspicious?”

“The Director of Central Intelligence and the Third Wife, wouldn’t you say?”

The Black Dragon nodded.

“No matter how publicly they claim to have severed ties with Troyban, there’s always the chance they could be dealing with them behind closed doors. That’s why we’ve been conducting a covert investigation for over a year.”

“You managed to catch their tail, I see.”

‘If Black Snow caught onto something, it means the Family Head must have been informed from the start. Yet, he left them in place. Hmm.’

Julius couldn’t shake the feeling that Kyle’s plans extended much further than they appeared.

He could almost smell blood already.

A thick, fishy scent of blood…

“Yes. And to gather more definitive proof, we even placed our agents around the prisoners.”

For a moment, one of Julius’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you telling me you planted shadows within the headquarters without even informing me?”

“That’s my job.”

“Ha!”

It was an admission that he had doubted even Julius.

The Black Dragon was a blade that could cut down even loyal allies if necessary.

That was why he never mingled with the other department heads or executives, living only in isolation and fear.

“The problem is, our agents never even had a chance to act.”

At this, Julius couldn’t help but feel a little smug.

“Well, our Evelyn is rather good at her job.”

“Is that so? I hear it was Theo Ragnar who foresaw this situation.”

“Yes, it succeeded thanks to the suggestion from your sharp-witted nephew.”

“I see.”

A soft chuckle escaped from behind the Black Dragon’s mask.

Julius’s eyes widened.

‘Is he laughing?’

In all his decades of service to the Ragnar family, this was the first time he’d seen such a reaction.

“Theo Ragnar…”

“I refuse.”

“I haven’t even finished my sentence yet.”

“Whatever it is, it’s obvious. You’re about to ask if you can have Theo Ragnar transferred to Black Snow or at least sent on an assignment, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes, something along those lines.”

“Then, I refuse.”

“…”

“That kid is mine. If you want to take him, you’ll have to split open my belly first.”

Julius abruptly thrust his stomach forward.

The Black Dragon spoke with an incredulous expression in his eyes.

“Does the Demon Dragon of the world resort to such antics?”

“When the Black Dragon of the world tries to take away my precious kid, do you think I won’t bare my fangs? Don’t push me. I might just bite.”

“…Well, I guess there’s no choice.”

The Black Dragon clicked his tongue lightly.

Inwardly, Julius shook his head in disbelief.

He realized that, from now on, he’d have to be even more vigilant if he wanted to protect Theo from all these beasts.

‘These guys won’t let me sleep peacefully, will they?’

“Well, we’ve caught the tail, so it’s time to start the hunt.”

At the Black Dragon’s words, Julius stopped joking and nodded seriously.

“Yes. Let’s get started.”

* * *

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

A well-maintained carriage was running along a paved road.

“They say Black Snow seems to have caught the tail?”

Inside the carriage, Ed casually lifted his head at the report from the ceiling.

Then, more telepathic messages followed.

“…I see.”

A smirk spread across Ed’s face.

“Family Head… you really are something.”

But then his expression hardened as he gave further instructions.

“Have everyone hold their positions until further orders. Also, inform my father. Tell him that the dragon is finally beginning to stir. The plan to drive the knife into its reverse scale has already failed, so we’ll gather only what’s necessary and meet him soon.”

In an instant, all the presences on top of the carriage disappeared.

Ed leaned back into his chair, half-buried, and closed his eyes.

“Now then… how will you respond after seeing this? I’m already curious, Theo Ragnar.”

* * *

At the far end of the Winter Mountains stretching to the east.

Theo arrived at a small cabin that looked like an ordinary hunter’s shelter from the outside.

Erika and her brother had parted ways with him to carry out another mission.

Creak—

As he opened the door and stepped inside, three pairs of eyes focused on him.

Two of them were familiar faces, but one was a stranger.

“Last night—”

The unknown figure stood up and began to speak the password.

“The cuckoo cried.”

“Are you Theo Ragnar?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kleve, of No Snow.”

Her speech was military-like, and her movements were precise.

A woman with short, sharp-cut hair and strikingly fierce eyes.

But what surprised Theo was something else.

No Snow.

The elite agent representing Black Snow stood right in front of him.

‘Black Snow has really clenched its teeth for this one.’

Theo grasped Kleve’s outstretched hand.

“I’m the commander of this mission and also your examiner. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Director. I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise, I look forward to working with you.”

“No need to introduce the other two, as you’re already acquainted with them, right?”

“Yes.”

Theo nodded and looked at the other two.

Evelyn let out a deep sigh before speaking.

“They told me once I take charge, I should see it through to the end.”

“Thanks to you, Captain, I feel like I’ll be able to focus on the mission more easily.”

“Should I take that to mean that my presence will only get in the way?”

Hazel, who was standing next to Evelyn, suddenly interrupted, looking displeased.

“That’s not what I meant, but if it came across that way, I apologize.”

“No, I was hoping you’d hear it that way. I plan to thoroughly monitor whether you’re properly participating in this mission.”

Hazel made it blatantly clear she didn’t like Theo.

‘She seems upset about my decision not to become the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace’s successor.’

Theo couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

She had once said that she couldn’t easily accept someone becoming the Lord’s disciple, but now that he had agreed, this was her reaction.

‘Does she think the Lord was insulted or something? What a difficult person.’

Still, Theo acknowledged that Hazel’s skills were genuine, which gave him a sense of reassurance.

‘The White Armored Dragon Cavalry, the Plum Blossom Palace, Black Snow. Two Advanced Swordsmen and a Practical Swordsman at their level… They’re here to both watch over and support me. I absolutely have to succeed.’

This mission wasn’t just any promotion test. It was a preliminary step to cutting off Ed’s influence.

It was the start of a full-scale political struggle with Ed, and losing was not an option.

“Now that the introductions are done, let’s move on to the briefing, as this is an urgent matter.”

As Kleve began to speak, the other three turned their attention to her.

“The content of this mission is similar to what was informed beforehand. The four of us will infiltrate the headquarters of the Season of the Snake and attempt to wipe them out. The higher-ups have instructed that it’s fine if there are no survivors.”

A total annihilation order.

Ragnar had no intention of letting any enemy who dared to step onto their territory live.

“Additionally, we are to retrieve any evidence related to this incident… especially any connections involving Troyban or the Central Intelligence Bureau, and return to Winterer. Any questions?”

Theo raised his hand.

“Speak.”

“The Director of Central Intelligence is a meticulous man. Is there any chance that he’s aware of our movements?”

“Good question. There’s already another operation underway to address that concern.”

“May I ask what it is?”

Kleve counted on her fingers.

“It’s simple. First, we’ve spread a rumor in secret that the prisoner has been found murdered, making sure it reaches the ears of the Director of Central Intelligence.”

She folded one finger.

“Second, Black Snow has begun investigating the corruption within the Central Intelligence Bureau, something we’ve only been monitoring until now.”

Theo quickly pieced together Black Snow’s strategy.

“A diversion. You’re shifting the Director’s attention elsewhere while tightening the net to catch him completely.”

The plan was to make Ed Troyban believe that Black Snow’s true target was the Central Intelligence Bureau, while in reality, they would strike directly at the Season of the Snake to uncover the direct link between the Troyban family and Ed.

“Time is of the essence, then. We have to strike before the Director realizes that the assassin has been captured.”

“The Director was right about you. He said you’d be a perfect fit for Black Snow. Are you really just fifteen?”

Theo only smiled in response.

Kleve let out a small, incredulous laugh, shaking her head.

Seeing it firsthand left her stunned. She’d heard the rumors, but witnessing Theo’s keen insight in action was astonishing.

At the same time, she was somewhat relieved. Initially, the idea of including a mere Trainee Swordsman in such a critical mission seemed absurd, but with insight like his, Theo would be more of an asset than a hindrance.

-Observe him closely. If necessary, persuade him to join us.

The Black Dragon’s words from before their departure flashed through her mind.

‘This is going to be interesting.’

Theo and Ed were said to have already crossed an unbridgeable river, making them mortal enemies. Watching how things unfolded promised to be quite the spectacle.

“Oh, and before we depart, take this.”

Kleve tossed something to Theo.

It was a small wooden box, about the size of a palm.

A mystical aura emanated from it, and Theo’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“What is this?”

“A reward for your contributions. It’s *Purity Pill*. A rare elixir that purifies your magical power. And there’s one more thing.”

Kleve threw him a second item.

It was an old, worn book, with no title written on the cover.

“The Meridian Enhancing Technique. It’s an auxiliary breathing technique for the Thunder Breathing Technique. It enhances the original technique and helps you absorb the Purity Pill into your body.”

“…!”

“I am a master of the Thunder attribute. I’ll guide you on its usage during our journey, so make sure to master it before we reach our destination.”