Chapter 173: Chapter 173

Jeong-Hoon was with Altair.

“Hmm, I wonder who it could be.”

Altair, lying in bed, was preoccupied with finding the culprit.

“They’ll be caught soon. Why keep guessing?”

“Of course. Just because we leaked the news that I’ve awakened doesn’t mean the culprit will be caught, right?”

“No, they’ll make a move.”

Altair’s awakening was a significant disruption to their plans.

They would definitely act again.

[Hmm, it would be funny if they didn’t show up after all this.]

‘They might not. Nothing in this world is 100% certain.’

[Then you wouldn’t blame me for not catching the culprit, would you, Master?]

‘I lifted the curse, didn’t I? They have no right to complain, no matter what I do from here on. If they do, I’ll just kill them.’

[I agree. These guys should lick your toes if you tell them to, Master. Don’t you think?]

Jeong-Hoon’s head throbbed at their crazy conversation.

“Hmm? Is something wrong? You don’t look so good.”

“It’s nothing.”

Just then, the door creaked open, and Roscantor entered.

“Leader, your meal is ready.”

“I see. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper meal.”

“…Do you really have to eat? We just got a lead on the culprit.”

Roscantor looked at Altair with a worried expression.

Eating food that might be poisoned with Sleeping Rose so soon after waking up…

The image of Altair vomiting blood was still vividly imprinted in Roscantor’s mind.

“Yes, you don’t have to eat it.”

Jeong-Hoon agreed with Roscantor.

“I don’t have to eat it?”

Altair tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes. I’ll taste the food and determine if it contains Sleeping Rose.”

Jeong-Hoon would eat the food himself.

Altair’s body was weakened, and even though the curse was lifted, his level remained the same.

He couldn’t let him consume the Sleeping Rose again in this state.

“You will…?”

“Yes. So, Roscantor, could I have a word with you in private?”

“Ah, alright.”

Jeong-Hoon gave Roscantor instructions.

Roscantor’s eyes widened at his words.

Altair tried to eavesdrop, but their voices were too low for him to hear clearly.

“Can you do it?”

Roscantor nodded.

“Trust me. Let’s catch the one who tried to harm the leader.”

“Yes.”

Roscantor left, and soon the food arrived.

A simple liquid meal consisting of mushroom soup and warm milk.

“Gulp… The soup looks delicious.”

Altair couldn’t take his eyes off the food.

After being bedridden for three months, he felt like his stomach was touching his back.

However, Jeong-Hoon moved the food away from Altair and took a sip of the warm milk first.

[Divine power reacts, revealing hidden debuffs!]

[Debuff: Drowsiness inflicted.]

[Debuff: Sleep inflicted.]

[Debuff: Confusion inflicted.]

[Debuff: Shackles of Dreams inflicted.]

Four debuffs were instantly applied.

‘They really went all out.’

The colorless, odorless Sleeping Rose.

Just a sip of milk triggered these debuffs.

If it weren’t for his divine power, he wouldn’t have been able to detect them.

The weakness of the Sleeping Rose was divine power.

More precisely, the person who consumed it needed to possess a large amount of divine power.

‘Meaning their divine power stat needs to be over 300.’

Only then could divine power react and detect the debuffs.

Of course, Detoxification had to be performed separately.

[Using Detoxification.]

As the Unique-grade Detoxification activated, the four debuffs vanished instantly.

“So, how is it?”

If there was no Sleeping Rose, Altair was ready to devour the soup and milk immediately.

But Jeong-Hoon shattered his hopes.

“It contained Sleeping Rose. I was just hit with four debuffs.”

“Huh… Is that true?”

Jeong-Hoon nodded.

“Then I’ll bring the culprit back.”

“…Do you need me to go with you?”

“No.”

***

Hudin held his breath, waiting for the outcome.

“Hudin, let’s go eat too.”

After serving the archers in the Sanctuary, it was time for the kitchen staff to have their meal.

“Ah, I’ll eat later.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I don’t have an appetite.”

“Really? Alright then.”

The cook’s attention quickly shifted to the food.

Preparing meals for a large number of people consumed a lot of energy, and since they ate later than others, they were always famished.

Usually, Hudin would have started eating immediately, but today was the decisive day.

The day Altair would breathe his last.

He kept a close eye on the situation, wondering if they had set a trap.

However, no one suspected anything about Altair’s safety.

They were simply happy that he had woken up.

‘Blind Assassin.’

A class specialized in concealing their presence and moving stealthily, capable of changing their identity and deceiving others completely.

Hudin used his skills to mask his presence and then poured all the remaining Sleeping Rose into the milk.

‘Kekeke, you foolish archers.’

Even in the Rogue City, only a select few knew about the cursed Sleeping Rose.

Even Hudin, a seasoned assassin, didn’t know about the Sleeping Rose until he received orders from the Rogue City’s leader, Markus von Banastar.

Of course, even now, he didn’t know where it came from or its exact effects.

‘Leader, it’s time to move on to the next phase of the plan.’

The reason the Rogue City formed an alliance with the City of Archer.

It was to backstab and bring down the City of Archer.

He was overjoyed when the Warrior’s City formed an alliance with the Mage City.

Thanks to that, forming an alliance became much easier.

If Altair died like this, the acting commander, Roscantor, would surely start a war with the Warrior’s City, upholding Altair’s will.

During the war, the allied Rogue City would turn on the City of Archer, and their plan would be complete.

But something was strange.

‘It’s about time for a reaction to show…’

There was still no response, even though it was time for the cries of agony to be heard.

As seeds of doubt began to sprout in Hudin’s mind.

“Hila! Hila!”

Roscantor rushed into the kitchen, his face pale.

“What’s wrong?”

Hila approached him.

His loud voice drew the attention of all the cooks in the kitchen.

“The leader… The leader…”

Roscantor couldn’t continue.

He finally shed tears and lowered his head.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hila’s face hardened.

“What about the leader?! What happened?!”

“…He’s passed away.”

“What…?”

The ruler of the City of Archer.

The news of Altair von Askenstone’s death.

Clatter.

The cooks, who were eating, dropped their utensils on the floor.

The entire kitchen was in shock.

“Cough! Cough!”

“He passed away…?”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Crazy…”

Roscantor covered his face with his hands.

“…He suddenly lost consciousness after drinking the milk. And then he stopped breathing.”

“Sob! Leader…”

Hila’s legs gave out, and she collapsed, sobbing.

Her cries triggered tears from the other cooks as well.

And Hudin, watching from afar, also wiped away tears.

‘That stubborn old man is finally gone.’

These weren’t tears of sadness but of joy.

He was finally free from these archers.

Hudin quietly left the kitchen.

Now, all he had to do was return to the Rogue City and report, and his mission would be complete.

“Where are you going?”

But there, standing in front of the kitchen, was a stranger.

It was the same incredibly unattractive stranger.

“What a funny outsider. Is that something to say to someone who’s grieving?”

“Why are you grieving? Shouldn’t you be happy that the leader has been assassinated?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Hudin tilted his head in confusion.

“Your poker face is useless. I know you tried to kill the leader with the Sleeping Rose.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Hudin continued to stare at the stranger with a clueless expression.

But inwardly, he was panicking.

‘How did he know about the Sleeping Rose? Wait a minute…’

He even knew that he had tried to kill the leader.

Hudin heightened his senses to detect his surroundings.

Sharp senses were essential for an assassin.

‘Damn it…’

The sounds of mourning that had been present until he left the kitchen had completely vanished.

Hudin finally realized he had fallen into a trap.

“Oh, you figured it out?”

The stranger smirked, briefly impressed.

“Kekeke. You’re the main culprit who ruined everything.”

Hudin tried to bite down on the poison pill he had hidden in his mouth.

He was prepared to commit suicide at any moment in case of failure.

If it was revealed here that he came from the Rogue City, his leader’s grand plan would be ruined.

But the moment he saw the stranger in front of him, his mind went blank.

All the strength drained from his body, and his vision darkened.

***

[Using Brainwashing.]

Jeong-Hoon had been waiting for Hudin to come out of the kitchen.

‘I would have been in big trouble if I was any later.’

He had only provoked him slightly, but the guy quickly caught on and tried to commit suicide.

Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon’s Brainwashing activated, foiling his attempt.

Jeong-Hoon approached him.

“You will never commit suicide. And from now on, you will answer all my questions without leaving anything out. Understand?”

“Yes.”

Hudin nodded.

“Good. Then where did you come from?”

“The Rogue City. I am the ‘Shadow’ of the leader, Markus von Banestar.”

“Shadow?”

“Yes… It’s a group that operates in the shadows. The Shadows are those who have dedicated their lives to the leader and will carry out any order.”

A sly grin spread across Jeong-Hoon’s face.

Unlike other cities, the Rogue City had a dark side.

And Markus von Banestar, who ascended to the leadership four years ago, was far more vicious than his predecessors.

His attempt to bring down the City of Archer was proof of that.

‘Why should I trust you and accept your alliance?’

Altair had initially rejected the Rogue City’s offer of alliance.

‘It’s the will of the previous leader. He told us to keep the Warrior’s City in check so they wouldn’t cause trouble.’

‘…I see.’

But he had used the deceased former leader’s name to secure the alliance.

After all, the former leader had despised the Warrior’s City to an extreme degree.

“But why target the City of Archer?”

“It’s because of Irina von Askenstone.”

“Irina von Askenstone?”

“Yes. The granddaughter of the City of Archer’s leader.”

“So you’re saying you tried to assassinate the leader of the City of Archer because of a woman?”

“Yes. Then, when the City of Archer started a war, the plan was to strike back and bring them down.”

How absurd.

He knew the guy was despicable, but he never imagined his motive would be a woman.

[What a piece of trash. Can’t Master just take care of that Markus or whatever his name is?]

‘That would be good. If necessary, we can gather the people here and storm in.’

Mukho and Anima were also enraged.

“It seems I don’t even need to get involved.”

As soon as Jeong-Hoon finished speaking, the kitchen door burst open.

Roscantor and Hila stood there, glaring at Hudin with murderous intent.

“You son of a bitch! What did you say?!”

“You bastard! Repeat after me, ‘I’m dead today’!”

They looked ready to pounce on Hudin at any moment.

Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to stop them.

“Please wait a moment.”

“But why? We’ve caught the culprit, so let’s just take him away!”

“Is there only one culprit?”

“What…?”

“Do you think the City of Archer was breached by just this one guy? No matter how good he is at concealing his presence, how could he have tampered with the food for over two years without getting caught?”

“Surely not…”

That wasn’t all.

There was a war plan involved.

This meant that the accomplice was someone in a position to influence Altair.

Jeong-Hoon looked at Hudin again.

“You have an accomplice here, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Hudin nodded.

“Then who is it?”

At Jeong-Hoon’s question, Hudin slowly opened his mouth.

———