Chapter 145. Go Ahead and Gut Me
The Head of House’s grand hall in Lortel.
A space made of iron on all sides, with no particular ornaments.
In that bleak scenery where not a speck of warmth could be found, Head of House Muhad was a single sword. No—he was steel.
And before that steel stood a lone mage.
Compared to Muhad, an endlessly soft, fragile presence.
Seated upon a steel throne, Head of House Muhad regarded the mage with languid eyes.
“Leave.”
Eyes as colorless and odorless as if they contained not even a trace of emotion.
“Seeing your effort, I will not take your head.”
With those words, Muhad withdrew his gaze from Aster.
That was when Aster opened his mouth.
“…I didn’t quite catch that?”
“I said you are below expectations. I will spare your life as far as your thrashing about merits, so withdraw.”
That was when Muhad’s gaze returned to Aster.
“The Mage Tower and the Sword Garden were fairly interesting. Their information network tempted me. But if the Master of the Tower is like this…”
Eyes indifferent, holding neither contempt nor disappointment.
Muhad didn’t finish the sentence, but it wasn’t hard to infer what came next.
In other words… yes.
‘Substandard.’
Muhad was measuring the capabilities of the Tower and the Sword Garden by Aster’s very existence.
It was a truly humiliating assessment—and that was when Aster’s lips curled upward with a fishy twist.
“So you’re saying I should be grateful you’re even sparing me and get lost?”
It was insolent phrasing to show before the master of Lortel, but Muhad didn’t care.
He had no reason to feel insulted by a bug or a petty creature.
He merely signaled affirmation with silence.
That was when Aster let out a sharp laugh.
“Seriously, what the hell… are the heads of these so-called great houses all nothing but thieves’ bastard sons?”
In that instant—
Clang! Chaejaeng!
Dozens of blades surged from the darkness!
The shadow knights had burst out, unable to endure the insult to their lord.
It was a dizzying sight.
Even if my perception had dulled from internal injuries, how could I have failed to sense dozens of men hiding in this wide-open space?
But.
Aster took the rushing sword tips in with a bored gaze.
And just before the shadow knights were about to mince Aster to ribbons—
That was when Muhad opened his mouth.
“Stop.”
At that single command, the shadow knights halted their sword tips upright.
Staring at those blade-sharp points, Aster sneered.
“Must be nice, huh? Someone gets their nose cut off right in front of their eyes and they can’t even open their mouth, but someone else gets cursed at once and their underlings pull swords, huh?”
“So you’re a madman.”
“How am I supposed not to go mad when the world’s like this—when it’s this kind of mess?”
Khaak, ptooey!
At that rude attitude, killing intent spread along the shadow knights’ blades.
But—
“Wow, sharp. Yeah? You might actually cut me. But then what—your master says stop, you know? Huh? What, you’re not lowering your eyes?”
Aster pressed down on the nearest blade tip with his fingertip, over and over. Blood droplets fell from the sharp edge, but Aster didn’t care and looked straight at Muhad.
“Enough. Go ahead and gut me.”
Aster flopped down flat on his back.
“At least this much I know—I can’t stand getting fleeced. Go on, gut me. Kill me if you want, spare me if you want. Huh?”
No matter that this was Lortel, this crossed the line.
‘Bastards—if you acknowledge it, then acknowledge it. What, now?’
Changing your tune at this point?
Hand over the magic armor Kalium, hand over the Impirga (Family) information, and even have a tug-of-war (?) with the First Sword.
I’ve done more than enough.
“I don’t know about anything else, but I’m not leaving until you hand over the Infinite Chain, so do whatever you want.”
And with that, Aster lay there spread-eagle.
Muhad regarded Aster with indifferent eyes.
But Muhad truly was a formidable opponent.
At this point, even the coldest-blooded person would flinch, or at least let out a hollow laugh from sheer absurdity.
Yet he showed not the slightest emotional disturbance.
He only…
“……”
Kept silent, lips pressed tight, as if observing.
That was when a voice reached Muhad’s ear.
[Please issue your disposal order.]
The shadow knight commander stood behind Muhad, fixing Aster with sharp eyes.
[If you command it, I will cut him down at once.]
In truth, it was by the Head of House’s order that they had drawn blades at Aster’s insult.
One last test—to see whether this man was worthy of the First Sword’s recognition.
Of course, now that the Head of House’s judgment had fallen as “disappointing,” that test no longer meant much… but anyway.
So the shadow knight commander waited for Muhad’s command—
And then Muhad spoke.
“Master of the Tower—will you not regret it?”
At the Head of House’s question, the shadow knight commander tilted his head.
‘…What?’
Given the Head of House’s temperament, if he had decided to cut someone down, he would simply cut them down—not ask a question to confirm.
So why?
‘Could it be… he’s taken an interest?’
That was possible.
When madness goes beyond a point, it becomes extraordinary—and the Master of the Tower’s behavior had gone beyond even “extraordinary.”
So was he testing again?
If the Master of the Tower showed backbone here…
While the shadow knight commander was thinking that—
Ssk.
Muhad flicked a finger.
‘……’
It was a simple signal with no explanation, but the shadow knight commander—who had served Muhad for a long time—understood it instantly.
‘…So it’s not a test.’
From that signal, the meaning was this:
—Take his head.
If he says he has no regrets, then grant what he wants.
A brief interest, and that was all.
So the shadow knight commander prepared to issue the order to the knights—
But that was when the Master of the Tower sprang up.
“Are you insane? You’re really going to gut me?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to die?”
“No, I mean—I was just saying it like that.”
Grumbling, the Master of the Tower brushed himself off and stood.
He straightened his clothes, then clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Now that I think about it, being a sucker is better than dying.”
“Then?”
“I’ll leave here in one piece, sure.”
At that, the shadow knight commander furrowed his brow.
‘…What the hell is he doing?’
To be honest, up until just now, the Master of the Tower’s conduct had been enough to swell even the shadow knight commander’s heart.
Sure, anger came first at the disrespect shown before his lord, but there weren’t many people who could be this bold(?) before the master of a great house.
But this…
‘That’s the leader of an organization?’
But only for a moment of bewilderment.
The shadow knight commander asked the Head of House for his opinion again.
[I will cut him down.]
Not, “Shall I cut him down?”
He wanted to cut him down.
But for some reason—
“Hm.”
Head of House Muhad propped his chin and let out a low hum.
That was when the shadow knight commander’s eyes widened as if they might tear.
‘The Head of House… smiled?’
The expression on his face hadn’t changed, but the commander could tell.
Right now, the Head of House was smiling.
And as the shadow knight commander reached that thought—
The Head of House’s command fell.
“Everyone, leave.”
What did that mean?
“I will speak with the Master of the Tower alone.”
It meant he would treat the Master of the Tower as the head of an organization.
[…As you command.]
The shadow knight commander slid backward and withdrew from the grand hall. The other shadow knights did the same.
In the midst of that—
The commander’s thoughts ran on without end.
‘Why, exactly?’
His feelings were complicated.
Meanwhile, Aster’s feelings were just as complicated.
‘…F*ck, what is this?’
Did he change his mind? Is he going to kill me?
It was a question most people would’ve kept only inside their head. But Aster wasn’t “most people.”
“Are you going to kill me? Or… will you kill me?”
That was when Muhad’s lips curved upward.
A smile that was somehow cold.
Aster could be certain.
‘…Damn it. So it is.’
…It was a blatant misunderstanding.
“Hey.”
As the shadow knight commander left the grand hall with doubt in his heart, someone called out and stopped him.
At the call of an old knight who saw through his concealed presence in an instant, the shadow knight commander halted.
“…First Sword.”
“How was it?”
“What do you mean?”
The shadow knight commander asked with an unpleasant look.
It wasn’t because of Aster. He just didn’t like the way Hamelan was looking at him.
Hamelan, who grew light at the drop of a hat despite the weight of being the First Sword, had always rubbed him the wrong way.
But even at the shadow knight commander’s openly hostile attitude, Hamelan didn’t care.
“I mean the Master of the Tower. If you all came out, it seems he pleased the Head of House…”
“You saw correctly.”
“I definitely heard him call it ‘disappointing.’ What was the reason the Head of House reconsidered his judgment?”
Ah—so that was what he was curious about.
Only then did the shadow knight commander understand why Hamelan was bothering to grab him and press him.
Hamelan had heard the Head of House’s assessment before the grand hall doors closed as well.
But if he asked the reason…
‘Why?’
He was curious too.
Because from the shadow knight commander’s perspective, there was no reason at all for the Head of House to reconsider.
‘He did seem to have some backbone, but…’
Even that was nothing but bluff.
No—wasn’t even bluff.
What should he call it?
‘He definitely had steady eyes under the shadow knights’ assault. They weren’t the eyes of someone who treasured his life.’
He calmly took in the blades reaching for him.
If the Head of House hadn’t stopped it then, what would’ve happened? Surely, he’d have been shredded to pieces on those sword tips.
And yet, the Master of the Tower didn’t waver.
It was the same when he brazenly puffed up his nerve before the Head of House.
It was as if he truly meant, If you want to gut me, then gut me.
So it wasn’t bluff.
But—
- Are you insane? You’re really going to gut me?
- Didn’t you say you wanted to die?
- No, I mean—I was just saying it like that. Now that I think about it, being a sucker is better than dying.
That attitude…
Yes—literally, “now that I think about it,” he didn’t want to die anymore.
So what could you call that?
Too petty to be extraordinary, yet too extraordinarily rude to be called petty.
And was it cowardice?
‘…Not even that.’
The shadow knight commander tried to read Muhad’s feelings, but he couldn’t find an answer at all.
So his expression hardened—and mistaking that expression, Hamelan urged him quietly.
“It’s not as if I’m asking you to reveal some great secret. Just tell me what you saw, as you saw it.”
“Mm.”
Hamelan stared fixedly at the pondering shadow knight commander.
He truly was curious.
It was rare for the Head of House to reconsider his judgment. And even more so when he had gone as far as to say “disappointing”!
But—
“I don’t know. If you get the chance later, ask him yourself.”
With no added explanation, the shadow knight commander stuck to “I don’t know” and then—whoosh—vanished.
Left alone there—
“…Ha.”
Hamelan let out a hollow laugh.
“That bastard’s attitude…”
Was he not beaten enough as a kid?
‘Me and his master—huh? We were that close…’
Now that his head had gotten a little bigger, he’d gone and eaten his manners with rice.
Of course, that might be why he’d become the head of the shadow knights, but still—annoying was annoying.
“Hm, can’t be helped.”
Forgetting all propriety, Hamelan plopped down in front of the grand hall doors.
Asking the party involved—meaning the Head of House—would be nonsense, so he decided to ask the Master of the Tower directly.
So, how much time passed like that?
Kkiiiik—
The heavy iron doors opened, and the Master of the Tower appeared.
Hamelan sprang up and walked toward him, about to ask and satisfy his curiosity.
“Hey, let’s talk for a moment— mm?”
Before he could even take a few steps, Hamelan had to stop.
Because—
“……”
Unlike when he went in, his face was stiff, beyond pale. He had clearly suffered some great shock.
As Hamelan was wondering—
“Are you the Master of the Tower? The young lord is looking for you.”
An attendant sent by the young lord took the Master of the Tower away.
And then—
“First Sword, come inside.”
“……”
The Head of House calling him from within the grand hall.
But for some reason—
“Let’s have a drink.”
Unlike the Master of the Tower, his mood looked—extremely rarely—good.
‘Inside… what the hell happened?’
He couldn’t make sense of it.
