Chapter 48: The Poison Blooming in the Flower (3)

Everyone knew that speed was now a matter of life and death.

When the Empire and Temerjan were about to clash, they had to slip away with minimal interference.

The moment the weight shifted even slightly, this precarious balance would surely collapse.

And that burden would be directed at them.

The problem was Denif's thigh. Even with the wind aiding them, they couldn't gain much speed.

Immediate and proper healing was needed. Despite applying a hemostatic agent, blood still seeped out.

"Let's go down first."

At Kallin's words, Timang nodded. Their priority was to get out of the enemies' sight.

Although the distance they could travel immediately would decrease, they needed to create confusion in the long term.

Kallin leaped down from the roof, quickly thinking. Escaping the city was impossible.

It was the Empire's territory. Even if the situation was currently at a stalemate, the Empire was likely to win in the end.

'Temerjan will be next, and then it will be us.'

Even if they led the injured Denif out of the city, they would fall into the Empire's pursuit net.

It was right to treat the injury and escape.

They would be like mice in a trap, but for now, they had to choose the lesser of two evils.

Was there a better way? Kallin's head grew hot.

'Damn it.'

At that moment, the wind's sense informed Kallin that pursuers were closing in. It was the Empire.

It was a wise response, one that made Kallin curse.

Recognizing that they were formidable opponents, the Empire had chosen to monitor them rather than directly confront them.

'Two...'

If there had been one, Kallin might have considered dealing with them quickly, but two was impossible.

There was a certain distance between the two pursuers. They would choose to run rather than fight.

"Two are following us."

"Can you handle them?"

"It's difficult."

Timang cursed softly and sighed. Denif, standing beside him, looked around nervously.

The situation didn't look good.

"Damn. They're not idiots."

Nearly forty agents from both sides were involved.

In such a situation, there was usually a leader who observed the entire operation and gave orders.

Timang's conflict deepened. He was making similar deductions to Kallin.

The only difference was that Timang was more pessimistic.

'I have to abandon Denif...'

Escaping the city was completely out of the question. But staying here was madness.

The Empire's eyes were relentless. Once they had you in their sights, they wouldn't let you leave their territory.

Day by day, more Empire agents would converge.

Denif's wound would likely heal before they caught him, but the chances were high.

Abandoning Denif and escaping with just the two of them was the best option now. Timang suddenly felt irritated.

He wished Kallin had listened to him. If Kallin had, he would have turned around the moment he saw the situation on the roof.

'He would have escaped the city by now.'

Worry, conflict, and guilt. The three of them moved quickly through the alleys with different thoughts.

The pursuit was relentless. Denif, who had been observing, spoke up.

"Rather, abandon me..."

"No. We'll move together."

Timang looked at Kallin, but Kallin, who was leading, cut him off. The confused Denif looked at Timang, the commander.

Timang tried to ignore his gaze. He needed to make a quick decision.

There was no hope for all three to survive. No method would work.

Timang glared at the back of Kallin's head.

'Can I abandon my friend?'

Kallin's words seemed directed at himself as well. Timang gritted his teeth.

He was capable but young.

His resolve was solidifying.

If it came to it, he would abandon the two and escape alone. Timang made his decision.

"Do you have a plan?"

"...I'm thinking."

Kallin also knew the risks of hiding in the city. They would be caught quickly even at the first rendezvous point.

That's why he kept thinking.

With the pursuers and the escape route on his mind, his head felt hot, as if it were overloaded.

There was no way. The only thing they could do now was to break through.

The only Hyessen person in this city was Aitami. Could they go to him?

At that moment, Kallin felt a lightning bolt strike his mind.

"I said, I have command. If you abandoned Denif and moved..."

"No."

No plan, yet he interrupted? Still not thinking clearly. Timang furrowed his brow.

Kallin stopped and turned around. Timang was puzzled by his expression.

"A way just came to me. A way for us to survive."

Kallin glared at the agents pursuing them from a distance.

"The two of you will go to Aitami."

"What?"

Timang barely held back a curse. Go to Aitami? Was he crazy?

Denif was equally shocked. Kallin alone remained frighteningly calm.

The plan had changed.

And the new plan could save all of them. It was risky but several times safer than before.

"Announce that you're from the Intelligence Bureau. If I give the Duke a hint, he'll be surprised and come to help."

"What the hell are you talking about? We think he's colluding with the Empire..."

Timang stopped speaking. He understood Kallin's intention.

Whether Aitami was colluding with the Empire was irrelevant. His family was in Hyessen.

The fact that Kallin had escaped alone could be used to take his family hostage.

Capturing two agents wouldn't be worth losing his family.

Once Aitami was abandoned by Hyessen, the Empire would lose interest.

There was nothing to gain from a duke who had lost his support.

'Is he a genius?'

Timang looked at Kallin again.

Until a moment ago, he thought Kallin's inquisitor status was due to his mysterious and powerful talents.

That wasn't the case. A safer and more feasible method had emerged.

From Aitami's perspective, if he wanted to save his family, he had to save them.

Timang suddenly found Kallin attractive. However, this method still had risks.

Kallin, reading the concern in his eyes, added more.

"Being recognized isn't important. Survival is the priority."

"That's not it. You... it's too dangerous."

Timang inhaled sharply. He was genuinely moved by Kallin.

The flaw in this plan was Kallin's safety.

Even if Aitami was colluding with the Empire, they wouldn't die until Kallin was captured.

This much commotion would be noticed by the Hyessen Intelligence Bureau. Reinforcements would arrive in a few days.

Of course, Kallin could be captured immediately, but his movements suggested he could buy them a few days.

Even if they all died, Kallin would be the first to go.

"It's fine. I won't be caught. I'm confident."

Kallin smiled confidently.

"Try to assess the situation through Aitami if possible. Whether he betrayed us or not, you'll have to consult the Empire."

The engagement visit had turned into a crisis. It was inevitable.

Timang nodded with a stern face. Kallin quickly wrote a note.

They had come to guard the Duke but were attacked by the Empire and Temerjan's intelligence agencies.

One had escaped, but the other two were in danger. Come out and save us.

Kallin quickly wrote this, though it was actually a surveillance mission.

Even if Aitami noticed, he would come out immediately.

'This should do it.'

Kallin pretended to put the letter in his pocket but dropped it on the ground.

In the darkness, the paper, carried by the wind, quickly moved along the building's wall.

It would reach Aitami in less than a minute.

The Duke would have seen the signal flare and noticed something was amiss.

He would be looking out the window, so the letter would reach him quickly.

"Let's go. I'll go with you to the front of your lodging."

Kallin read the signals from the wind. The Empire was gaining the upper hand.

They needed to move quickly. If they weren't careful, they would be surrounded by the Empire before reaching the lodging.

"…You don't have to do that much."

"It's fine."

Timang closed his eyes tightly. Going to the front of the lodging was taking too many risks.

Even if Aitami came out, Kallin would still face the Empire's pursuit.

Was this child prepared to die? Timang thought so.

How long could this child survive?

"Hurry. The battle above is wrapping up."

While walking, Kallin took out a signal flare from his pocket. It was a Hyessen military item, not from the Intelligence Bureau.

He intended to use it if the Empire agents converged.

Seeing the surveillance team not approaching, Kallin quickly walked to the lodging. The moment soon arrived.

A sky-blue flash soared into the sky. Aitami, by the window, would see it.

* * *

As Kallin had expected, Aitami was staring out the window, sword in hand.

Two guards stood stiffly behind him.

The moment the signal flare exploded, he sent the woman with him out. Something was happening.

Should he go out to investigate? He was conflicted, being on the Empire's territory.

The high-end lodging wasn't very tall, so the view from the roof was partially obstructed.

A battle was taking place above. It looked like the Empire's agents.

'The Empire's dogs... who are they fighting?'

For someone who had come for an engagement, the current situation was quite perplexing.

He wondered if it was related to him, but he couldn't think of a reason.

As the Duke of the border region adjacent to Temerjan, he was a loyal servant.

His relationship with the king was also good.

There was no reason for Hyessen to suddenly try to kill him or for the Empire to stop it.

The opposite was also true.

"What, what?"

"What's happening?"

Suddenly, a piece of paper slipped through the window. Aitami's guards tensed.

Aitami waved his hand urgently. The letter was stuck in the window frame.

Despite not sensing any presence, the Duke found this mysterious.

He carefully picked up the letter. His eyes darted as he read it.

A request for support from the Hyessen Intelligence Bureau.

They had come to guard him but were attacked by the Empire and Temerjan, and one had escaped while the other two were in danger.

'What the hell.'

Aitami immediately realized the situation was dire.

He thought it was unrelated to him, but it wasn't.

The Hyessen Intelligence Bureau was watching him?

This was ridiculous. He was being suspected of colluding with the Empire.

First, he had married his eldest and second sons to central nobles, and now it was the third son's turn.

He hadn't given it much thought. That was the problem.

'Even so...'

He felt betrayed, but that wasn't the main issue now.

The Hyessen Intelligence Bureau was watching him, by the order of the bureau chief, Havan Brusek.

If he didn't help now, his family would die. His subordinates and territory would also be lost.

Even if he fled, the Empire wouldn't accept him. At best, he would be a border noble.

Assassins would come after him, given Brusek's ruthlessness.

Just then, a sky-blue signal flare soared into the sky.

A familiar light. It was a Hyessen military signal flare, and it was close to the lodging.

Aitami immediately opened the window. He leaped down, leaving his startled guards behind, and ran at full speed.

The lives of the agents who had come to watch him were now his and his family's lives.

"Stop!"

The Duke quickly assessed the situation. Sixteen people surrounded three.

One had clearly escaped, right?

It was dark, and everyone wore masks, but distinguishing friend from foe was easy.

One of his agents' thighs was bleeding profusely.

"See, I told you to wait a bit."

One of them spoke.

Wearing a mask that covered from the neck to the nose, the Duke could tell he was young by his eyes.

Now he noticed the injured one was also young. Perhaps this was a field exercise for young agents.

His sense of betrayal lessened. Maybe it was just a training exercise.

"I am Duke Aitami Lewen of Hyessen. These are the ones who came to guard me. What's going on?"

The Empire's agents didn't answer the Duke's question.

Instead, they exchanged glances. One nodded, and the others stepped back.

Aitami saw the young man from earlier smiling.

"Thank you, Duke."

With that, Kallin pulled two threads from his sleeve. Flashbangs and smoke grenades fell unnoticed.

The flash came first.

Flash! The darkness vanished as if the sun had risen.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, but most couldn't open them immediately.

Then the smoke enveloped them, carried by the wind.

No one expected this. The Empire's agents were caught off guard.

By the time Aitami opened his eyes, the young man was gone.

A moment later, the Empire's agents leaped after him.

"Stop!"

The Duke's shout, full of agility, echoed through the night city.