The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 252

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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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Chapter 252
Chapter 252
“Your Majesty.”
“Spare me the pleasantries. Report at once.”
The twenty-second Emperor of the Baltika Empire, Drakeon Baltika.
His daily life bore no resemblance to the lazy emperors shrouded in countless prejudices.
To draw a comparison, he was a workaholic.
He minimized his sleeping hours and spent nearly every waking moment attending to the Empire’s affairs.
And now, fresh intelligence had reached him.
“We have successfully predicted the movement pattern of the ‘Silver Tempest God.'”
“Is that so? Truly?”
“Though our information remains limited and we cannot predict the pattern with absolute certainty, we have managed to discern the movements for the next three weeks.”
“Where is the first destination?”
“The Belmore Territory.”
“The Belmore Territory, you say…”
“A territory in the southern reaches of the Continent, situated above the Swampland, currently ruled by Marquis Lauren Belmore.”
“A lord of the Aristocratic Faction, then.”
“Indeed he belongs to the Aristocratic Faction, though he is not among its core powers. He naturally assumed a minor position within the faction by following his father.”
“I see.”
Tap, tap.
The Emperor’s fingers drummed against the armrest of his throne.
Whether it would be advantageous to save the Belmore Territory immediately or not.
If they were to intervene, which forces should be deployed, and what degree of casualties would need to be accepted.
A multitude of considerations surely filled his mind.
Then.
Hum.
A crystal orb chimed from the attendant’s possession.
Activating the crystal orb while standing before the Emperor might appear disrespectful, but this was a practice the Emperor himself had approved.
The decision stemmed from his belief that only a fool would forgo urgent information out of deference to protocol.
The Emperor nodded, and the attendant immediately activated the crystal orb to receive the message.
Then he opened his mouth to address the Emperor directly.
“Your Majesty, it appears that Mir is currently staying in the Belmore Territory.”
“Mir?”
“It seems he arrived in the Belmore Territory six days ago.”
“What has he been doing for these six days?”
“Officially, it is known that he has been assisting with drainage canal construction.”
“Haha, Mir assisting with drainage canal construction? That seems unlikely.”
“Furthermore, it appears that Mir’s guild members are also moving toward the Belmore Territory.”
“Haha, so he predicted the Evil God’s movement pattern six days before we did?”
“Your Majesty, there is also a possibility it was mere coincidence…”
“Impossible. It seems the Information Department has grown negligent. I’ll need to replace them soon.”
“….”
The Emperor did not believe this incident was mere coincidence.
Mir must have learned of this beforehand and headed to his territory.
There was no doubt about it.
Having reached this conclusion, the Emperor ceased tapping the armrest and made his decision.
“Send the White Wyvern Knights to Belmore Territory.”
“Your Majesty, the White Wyvern Knights are currently….”
“Enough. I am well aware of where and what the White Wyvern Knights are doing. But tell me—is there anything more important than defeating the Evil God?”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Send them at once.”
The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“I must show Marquis Mir that there is nowhere on this continent beyond my reach.”
* * *
Meanwhile.
Duke Winchilsey was consumed with managing the Emperor’s pressure.
“Damn it. I didn’t expect him to mobilize the Inspection Unit.”
“Your Grace, what should we do?”
“There’s no choice. I’ll discard Valencia.”
“Your Grace, you mean Valencia, your First Knight?”
“Wasn’t the curse already failing to break properly? Since she can no longer wield a sword, I might as well use her for this. It’s not like she’s of any value now.”
“…Understood, Your Grace.”
“Ah, tell the sorcerer to worsen the existing curse. Make it so she can’t even open her mouth. Breaking a curse is difficult, but worsening one is possible, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And place a proper seal on her as well. No—make her a complete idiot before you send her. We can’t have our information leaking out again like last time.”
First Knight, Valencia.
She was the knight Duke Winchilsey cherished most.
Yet Duke Winchilsey discarded her with such callous ease.
Even if she was his most treasured knight, to him she was nothing more than a tool.
If he could avoid political pressure by disposing of a broken tool, wasn’t that actually a gain?
He could almost hear Valencia Knight’s screams echoing from the basement, but it mattered not.
Duke Winchilsey, having transferred all the nooses that had strangled him onto Valencia Knight’s shoulders, settled into his seat with a sigh of relief.
“Damn it. How did they even extract the information?”
Duke Winchilsey furrowed his brow.
How could this have happened?
According to the sorcerer, the seal had not been broken.
Moreover, judging by the seal’s persistence, Philip was still alive.
By all logic, it seemed Philip must have leaked the information, yet how could he have done so with the seal still intact?
It made no sense whatsoever.
Even the sorcerer expressed difficulty, insisting such a thing was impossible.
I wanted to grind the sorcerer into dust as well, but finding another of their caliber on short notice was impossible, so even that remained out of reach.
“Sigh….”
Nothing was going right.
I hadn’t landed a single blow against Mir, yet I’d lost my First Knight and seen my standing severely diminished by the Inspection Unit’s interference.
In this suffocating situation.
“Mir has made another move to bring down an Evil God?”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Why are you only telling me this now?”
“The Information Department only just learned of it. His Majesty the Emperor has only recently heard the news as well.”
Another piece of unwelcome information reached my ears.
Mir was attempting to bring down yet another Evil God.
Evil Gods weren’t entities one could simply topple, but hadn’t Mir already defeated several of them?
If Mir were to fell another Evil God here?
The Emperor would immediately promote Mir to Marquis, and even Duke Winchilsey would find it difficult to prevent.
However, there was one piece of positive news.
“Belmore Territory, you say?”
“Yes, Duke.”
“That’s where Lauren Belmore resides, isn’t it?”
Lauren Belmore.
Definitely a member of the Aristocratic Faction.
His standing had never been particularly high, and he’d merely joined the faction by following his father’s lead.
Yet the Aristocratic Faction was still the Aristocratic Faction.
With the right persuasion, I could obstruct Mir’s Evil God subjugation.
Duke Winchilsey smiled with bitter satisfaction at this thought.
“Contact Belmore Territory at once.”
He immediately sent word to Belmore Territory.
* * *
The Heukryeom Guild members arrived safely at Belmore Territory.
However, even they remained unaware of the true nature of this Evil God hunt.
Based on the training exercises, all they could surmise was that they’d face a flying-type monster.
That was all.
Since this was to protect the critical security of the Main Scenario Quest, none of the guild members questioned it.
“Where is this place?”
“You don’t know? It’s Belmore Territory.”
“Belmore Territory?”
“It’s fairly famous for herbs and potions.”
“Oh, so we’re fighting here?”
“Nah, unlikely. We’re probably using this as a base. Since it’s close to the Swamp, maybe we’re hunting an Evil God from there.”
“Is that so?”
The guild members who’d arrived at Belmore Territory murmured among themselves.
With insufficient information about when and how the battle would commence, everyone was understandably tense.
Fortunately, the Guard Captain had apparently been informed beforehand and allowed the Heukryeom Guild members to pass through.
“Thank you all for making the journey here.”
“Guild Master!”
I spotted Mir, who had arrived at the scene earlier.
Mir had already spoken with the Belmore lord and arranged lodging for the guild members.
“We have a day to spare, so I’d appreciate it if everyone would use this free time to rest and maintain their condition.”
Tomorrow, we would challenge the Evil God.
Excited by the prospect, the guild members dispersed throughout Belmore Territory to enjoy their free time.
Some purchased potions, others sightsaw around Belmore Territory, and a few ventured into the Swampland to hunt, insisting they needed to loosen up.
Among them.
“Wow, this is my first time in Belmore Territory, but the weather is incredibly refreshing. The breeze seems much cooler than in Kalbera Territory?”
“Heh, it’s usually not like this. The wind doesn’t blow much and it’s quite humid, but today the wind is unusually strong.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Lagia, the seventh team captain of the Heukryeom Guild.
She was sightseeing around Belmore Territory.
Since she didn’t know when she’d return here, and had been staying in Kalbera Territory recently, she wanted to take in the sights of this distant region while she could.
Currently, she was purchasing new potions while conversing with an elderly alchemist.
But then.
“What is that? The sky is sparkling with silver light—it’s so beautiful?”
“Hmm? Silver light? Our city has nothing like that… wait? It’s really happening.”
An unusual phenomenon caught Lagia’s eye.
The sky was shimmering with silver light.
As if the wind itself had taken physical form, silver gusts swirled violently across the sky above Belmore Territory.
At first, she thought it was a natural phenomenon unique to Belmore Territory, but the alchemist—a native of the region—looked equally bewildered.
“In all my years living here since birth, I’ve never witnessed such a phenomenon.”
“What? Really? Then what on earth is that…?”
And then.
– All Heukryeom Guild members, gather in front of the Lord’s Castle immediately.
– This is an emergency. All Heukryeom Guild members, gather in front of the Lord’s Castle right now.
Through the guild message system, urgent orders reached everyone.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lagia quickly began sprinting toward the Lord’s Castle.
* * *
At that same moment.
“Y-Your Grace, Duke Winchilsey!”
– Lauren Belmore. Is it true that Baron Mir is currently in your territory?
Lauren Belmore was flustered upon receiving contact from Duke Winchilsey.
Mir’s presence had been exposed.
How Duke Winchilsey had discovered this was irrelevant.
The real problem was that he had been concealing Mir’s existence.
“Th-that’s… coercion! Yes, I was coerced! I was about to report it immediately to Duke Winchilsey. Th-there should be a call log! Right then! Baron Mir appeared…”
Lauren Belmore desperately retrieved the excuse he had prepared beforehand for just such a contingency.
He had intended to report it, but Mir had threatened him.
Such was the substance of his claim.
Though his prepared speech was lengthy, Duke Winchilsey was not listening passively.
– Enough excuses. What is Baron Mir doing right now?
“He was digging drainage channels! They’ve just been completed, but…”
– Drainage channels? Speak plainly.
“I didn’t hear the details, but it seemed he was installing magical formations throughout our entire Territory!”
– Magical formations?
“Yes! He said the Evil God would come, and that he would protect us from it…”
– Haha…
A low chuckle escaped Duke Winchilsey as he listened to the Lord of Belmore’s explanation.
As if he had just discovered the key to this entire affair.
With that, Duke Winchilsey issued his command.
– Excellent. Dismantle those magical formations at once.
“Pardon? Y-Your Grace. Those magical formations were set up by Baron Mir to protect our Territory from the Evil God…”
– I’m aware. Which is precisely why you should dismantle them. Once you do, even Baron Mir will be thrown into confusion and inevitably fail to overcome the Evil God.
Destroy the magical formations.
Then Mir would be unable to overcome the Evil God either.
This was the method Duke Winchilsey had devised.
However, Lauren Belmore, upon hearing this, could only be taken aback.
“Y-Your Grace. Though I don’t fully understand, if Baron Mir fails to overcome the Evil God, it would be no different than saying our Territory will be destroyed by the Evil God.”
– A small sacrifice for the greater good.
“A small sacrifice…?”
– Don’t concern yourself with the Territory. I shall ensure proper compensation funds, and a better Territory shall be assigned to you in due course.
The instruction to abandon the Territory had been delivered far too casually.
Yet for Lauren Belmore, this was no light command whatsoever.
Belmore Territory was something his father had governed his entire life—it was no different from home and family.
No, even before his father, his grandfather and all his ancestors had ruled this Territory across generations.
They had carefully governed a barren Territory, and through their efforts transformed it into a prosperous and pleasant place to live.
Lauren Belmore had inherited such a Territory and carried on his father’s will.
And now he was being ordered to abandon it so casually?
– Surely you’re not thinking of refusing?
“Y-Your Grace. This Territory… my family has built it over a lifetime. How can you issue such an order…”
– This is not an order. It is a command, Lauren Belmore. Surely you’re not considering defying my command?
Lauren Belmore understood.
What would happen if he refused Duke Winchilsey’s command now.
The moment he refused, he would become an enemy faction to the Aristocratic Faction and face their pressure.
Trade routes would be severed, attacks from the underworld would come, and mercenaries hired throughout the villages would surely cause chaos.
But even so.
“…I apologize, Duke.”
– Lauren Belmore…!
“I cannot obey an order to abandon my Territory.”
Thud.
He could not abandon his Territory.
Though the future weighed on my mind, I had to protect the Territory for now.
Even with the help of Mir.
With trembling hands, I set down the crystal orb and gazed out the window to calm my racing thoughts.
Whoooooosh—!
“Wait, surely not…!”
Along with a massive silver current, hundreds and thousands of silver birds emerged into view.
The Evil God’s attack had begun.

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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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