The Regressed Magic Swordsman Devours the North - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 13. Red Fang (2)
Even as Lui Daiken briefed the Inspection Bureau on the operation, reports from informants continued to arrive.
Wired communications came and went.
Pigeons came and went.
As expected, the reports confirmed that all members of the Red Fang organization would be gathering in Siren that night to flee.
I turned the informant’s report over in my mind. Something about it felt off.
The Hashman Brothers were dead, they’d been mentioned in the newspapers—so why wouldn’t they scatter to the winds instead of deliberately gathering in one place?
For all the Inspection Bureau’s rigidity as an institution, it’s hardly blind to the distinction between good and evil.
Their crimes had crossed the line long ago, and the evidence was overwhelming.
Naturally, one would expect the Inspection Bureau to dispatch Knight-rank operatives…
‘What’s with this confidence?’
To strengthen organizational control?
To recover the funds they’d been hoarding illegally?
There were various reasons, but gathering at this moment was tantamount to handing over an opportunity for total annihilation.
‘Could there be a reason they can’t back out now?’
That’s when Lui spoke.
“Then. We move out. Maintain Operational Secrecy and monitor hand signals and your Small Terminal Devices.”
An operative distributed round button-like objects to everyone. The operation would shift based on the vibrations that came through these Small Terminal Devices.
“I’ll now announce the Suppression Teams.”
Each Suppression Team consisted of five operatives per unit.
Lui Daiken and four operatives made up Team One.
Following that, Knight Bwindol and Bill each led four operatives as Teams Two and Three.
I was in Team One.
“This operation is not about capturing Red Fang. We’ll take only a few alive; the rest will be executed on sight. This is a direct order from the Director himself, so make note of it.”
Ordinarily, the Inspection Bureau doesn’t indiscriminately suppress criminal organizations. Usually they arrest and remand to trial—an approach that can seem frustratingly cautious.
But this time, the Director of the Inspection Bureau had personally given orders to kill on sight. Truly an unprecedented move.
It was an indication of just how heinous Red Fang’s crimes were.
‘At minimum, we’ve confirmed those bastards kidnapped twenty territory residents.’
There would be more when including the unconfirmed cases. Even now, kidnapped residents were likely being held at one of their bases.
“Fierce combat will unfold, and there may be situations where lives are in danger.”
A pre-operation briefing.
A speech reminding us of the risks.
But…
Was it my imagination?
It felt like he was speaking directly to me.
“This is a final warning. If anyone here wishes to avoid dangerous work or has been overstating their usual capabilities, withdraw now of your own accord. This time, no one will be guaranteed their life.”
There’s no doubt about it. That bastard is looking directly at me while he says this.
Instead of answering, I pushed up my Horn-rimmed Glasses with my middle finger. That ought to count as a response.
Lui, after studying me for a moment, spoke.
“Then, we now commence the Red Fang Suppression Operation.”
The operatives moved with discretion and speed.
Some took taxis, some hired carriages, some drove personal vehicles.
While the Inspection Bureau had vehicles available, riding in one of those would be the same as advertising “The Inspection Bureau is here to suppress you,” so no one used them.
Vroom—
I drove my own car as well.
A night in the Northern Region.
The outskirts of the capital, Siren.
I arrived at the Isra District.
Even on this cold night, many factories were still operating. Once deep winter settled over the Northern Region, running factories became difficult, so summer factories ran day and night.
Usually they ran on an eight-hour shift rotating three crews, but factories with heavy workloads ran twelve-hour shifts with two crews.
I and the other operatives blended naturally into the throng of laborers and entered the factory district.
The operation was structured like this:
1. Team Two goes first to the abandoned factory where boss Jepren is located. Under Knight Bwindol’s command, swiftly neutralize the guards and surround the factory to maintain surveillance.
2. Teams One and Two assault the bases of Red Fang’s mid-level commanders, reduce their forces, conduct rapid facility searches, and extract surviving hostages.
3. Assuming Phase Two is complete, the entire squad converges on Red Fang’s primary base.
We annihilate the organization—boss Jepren and all members.
However, we are to capture Jepren alive if possible.
As I passed through the busy factories, abandoned structures began appearing one by one.
From here on, I moved slowly, scanning the surroundings for the factory marked in the operation plan. I could see laborers scattered about drinking from bottles and loafing, couples sharing intimate moments in secluded spots, and people attending to various small errands both large and small.
Whenever I encountered someone, I walked as though I had urgent business to attend to, and the other operatives did the same.
By the time we reached the first operational site, I launched myself onto the roof. Lui Daiken was already there—though I couldn’t say when he’d arrived.
He startled at the sight of me. His wavering eyes seemed to ask: How did you get here so fast?
I was just adjusting my horn-rimmed glasses when the other operatives climbed up.
Lui’s forehead flushed with irritation, but he quickly composed himself and raised his hand to signal the team.
“We neutralize the sentries first.
Two at the front gate.
One at the rear.
One at the emergency exit.”
“Sion Karsen waits outside for support.”
What?
They meant to handle everything themselves.
I wasn’t pleased about it, but I said nothing. This was a confirmed stronghold where abducted civilians were being held.
‘There’s nothing more dangerous than a poorly coordinated strike.’
The operatives nodded and bounded from roof to roof. They were clearly skilled beyond the apprentice knight level—their footfalls were barely audible.
The four operatives assigned to each entrance exchanged glances and nodded, then dropped lightly from the roof.
Beneath the crescent moon’s pale glow, they landed softly behind the sentries.
Thud.
A short dagger drove up through each guard’s spine. Simultaneously, a handkerchief muffled their mouths.
The blade twisted deep into the heart, and blood poured out in a rush.
“······!”
The sentries never even managed a scream. Blood trickled down through the punctured flesh as their breath faded completely.
The operatives laid the bodies in the darkened alleys, assessed the interior—headcount, positions, hostages present or not—then pushed into the factory.
Every movement was economical, without wasted motion.
I remained outside, watching the scene unfold, until I descended to where the bodies lay.
I examined the corpses carefully. Just in case, I searched their pockets.
All that came out was tobacco and a used handkerchief—stained with something foul. A stray thought crossed my mind: ‘What could this possibly clean?’
From inside, I heard sounds of combat.
Bang! Crack-crack-crack! Crash! Screech!
Then I felt someone approaching. Reinforcements? I tracked the arrival calmly.
During urban operations,
there are two things to watch for above all else.
One: civilians getting caught in the crossfire.
Two: operational secrecy being compromised.
But this footstep didn’t belong to an ordinary civilian. In fact, somewhere along the way, they’d stopped making any sound at all.
‘Red Fang.’
Probably one of their scouts, out before Team Two took position at the main stronghold. When they were nearly at the factory entrance, their steps suddenly halted.
Sniff. Sniff.
They’d caught the scent of blood.
I could sense their hesitation. Should they investigate? Or turn back? They wavered.
Then, as if remembering something, they resumed walking. Lacking the courage to return empty-handed, they chose to confirm what lay ahead.
Just as they drew near the factory entrance,
I struck.
A sharp blow across the back of their neck,
and they collapsed.
‘I should capture at least one of them alive.’
I bound their hands and feet with rope and stuffed their mouth with the handkerchief I’d recovered from the body earlier.
I waited briefly for reinforcements. Soon the regular operatives arrived—I entrusted them with guard duty and entered the factory.
The first thing that caught my eye was a severed head rolling across the floor, corpses scattered about, and blood soaked thick across the ground.
The metallic reek of blood pricked my nostrils. The operatives were methodically searching the surroundings with blank expressions.
‘Indeed.’
Whatever prowess Red Fang possessed—whether in escape or combat—
they couldn’t compare to knights called “the blade of humanity,” warriors who would normally never raise a hand against ordinary people.
Lui Daiken approached. He looked somewhat angry.
“I told you to wait outside.”
I didn’t turn to face him, simply walking toward the documents scattered beside what appeared to be a commander’s corpse as I spoke.
“Someone came looking for this place. I handled them and handed them over to the support team before coming in.”
Lui’s brow furrowed. Someone could have come, certainly. But you dealt with them? That quietly? His expression conveyed doubt.
“If we send someone and they don’t return, what happens then?”
They’d grow suspicious.
In other words, we were now running on a timer.
“Assuming he’s fast on his feet. From here to the main base is roughly thirty minutes. We need to hurry. Especially if there are hostages. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“……Will it make any difference if you investigate?”
“I’m not sure. I’m going to try using Mana Detection first.”
Mana Detection.
In other words, spreading one’s mana to sense the surrounding environment.
It wasn’t something anyone could do—you needed both exceptional Mana Sensitivity and pure mana to make it possible.
“That’s nonsense.”
“Is it?”
“Rubbish.”
“Listen. Lui Daiken.”
……
“You always judge people by what you see. But is that really right?”
He twisted his expression as if to say why I was asking something so obvious. His face said it all: if you don’t trust what you see, what else is there to believe?
‘I can understand why he’d think that.’
I used to feel the same way. Back when I didn’t know I was blessed by the mana of salt and caustic. When I thought the world had abandoned me.
So I resented the world. I didn’t try to look deeper or understand more. I didn’t bother to verify the truth.
I just locked myself in a prison and lived through hell.
The same went for my relationships. With my father. With Kuse-to. With Roman. I judged based only on what I saw, and I fell into the abyss.
“No matter how carefully you look, you can’t see every detail of a person’s actions. So you have to go, ask questions, and listen.”
……
“I know what you’re thinking—that this sounds odd. But even if it’s bothersome, difficult, and burdensome, you have to make that effort.”
Lui was staring at me as if wondering what I’d gotten into. Regardless, I pressed on.
“What if the lord had assigned me special masters, and they taught me unique magic alongside special artifacts?”
……
There was no rebuttal. Even if rotten, the Karsen Family had means. There was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen.
“If you can’t be sure, then stop and just watch. Don’t assume on your own and interfere.”
Lui seemed to have lost for words, his lips moving soundlessly, but he made no other move.
I ignored him and placed my hand on the floor. I began spreading mana waves outward.
To be honest, before my return, I was poor at Mana Detection. At best, I could only locate mechanical devices.
To perceive more precisely, you needed pure mana, but the mana accumulated in my Core Ring was corrupted, or so they said.
But now.
Thump, thump—
My heart resonated, and pure mana—built up by the Flame Dragon Vein like no other—pulsed outward. It surged into the filthy abandoned factory, then rushed back.
The structure of the factory became vividly clear.
‘My goodness.’
So this is what you could see with pure mana—in such fine detail.
I could see it.
A door leading underground.
And.
How to open it.
“There. Take the alarm clock stuck to the wall and place it beneath the fifth lamp from the left. Then a rope should fall from the lamp next to it. Pull it, and the door to the underground should open.”
By then, the other agents were also focusing on my words, and they looked toward Lui Daiken.
Lui nodded. Soon one of the agents moved as I’d instructed.
When he relocated the alarm clock, a rope truly fell from the lamp, and when he pulled it—
Screech—
A section of the floor rose upward.
Everyone jumped back in shock.
Lui Daiken could not hide his astonishment and turned toward me.
At that moment, I lifted my horn-rimmed glasses with my middle finger.
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: 방심
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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