Chapter 68

"Wh-What... Prince Raido! How did you find this place...!?"

Suddenly, the leader of the sabotage team, who had been using a rented warehouse as a hideout, shouted in shock.

His reaction clearly revealed that they were spies under Granado, but he had no time to think about such things.

"You guys are too conspicuous. With such sloppy work, you can't fool our strategist."

The sabotage team had infiltrated Ulfwin disguised as merchants, but from the moment they entered the town, they had been under the watchful eye of Sven Arbeil. It was unreasonable for merchants, who are usually shrewd about profit, to come to a town that was occupied by the enemy and had an unstable situation. Sven had his loyal subordinates from the Arbeil family monitor them from a very early stage and had already predicted that they were planning to set the town on fire based on their actions of collecting oil and firewood.

(Well, they didn't realize that their employer was Granado until they heard our conversation.)

"So, we see through your connection to my brother... What will you do? Are you willing to surrender peacefully? If you surrender, I won't take your lives."

"Stop talking nonsense."

The leader glared at Raido, who was offering surrender.

He pulled out a hidden blade from his clothes and pointed it at Raido.

"We are the king's direct secret agents. We have dedicated our bodies and souls to His Majesty and the Zain royal family. We would rather die than surrender!"

"Quite the loyalty. A waste for my foolish brother."

"To mock His Majesty is the height of disrespect... Firebird!"

Laughing mockingly, Raido was met with the leader's snarling call to his subordinate.

The bearded man, who might be smoking his last cigarette, blinked.

"What? What's up?"

"Change of plans! We will slay Prince Raido here and present his head to His Majesty!"

The leader, whose face was unremarkable, twisted it into an ugly expression.

"We should have done this from the start. There's no need for the roundabout method of setting the town on fire and tarnishing our reputation. If our elite assassination team can take the prince's head, the Zain royal family will be safe!"

"...I'm part of the Zain royal family too. What about that?"

"Hmph, from the moment you were exiled to the border, we no longer considered you part of the royal family. You are a dangerous element threatening the country, a diseased leaf that needs to be cut and disposed of!"

The leader's face was tainted with madness.

This man would kill even his own family for the sake of the country and his lord.

Self-sacrifice.

A perfect example of a secret agent who would do dirty work, including assassination and covert operations, to serve their lord, sacrificing everything.

Seeing this different type of loyal servant, unlike Lockwood or General Galst, Raido narrowed his eyes in admiration.

No matter how many words he used, it would be impossible to persuade this man.

Raido gave up on persuading the leader and turned his gaze to the most lackadaisical member of the sabotage team—Firebird.

"What about you? Are you willing to give up and surrender?"

"Hmm... I'd like to, if possible."

"Firebird! You traitor!?"

"Come on, Captain. How are we supposed to stand against a monster like this? Give us a break, will you?"

Firebird raised his hands to the ceiling, literally giving up.

The top-notch magician could see something that the other agents, including the leader, could not.

It was the pitch-black magic power that spewed from behind Raido, reaching for the sky. It was a cursed, evil energy that could drive one mad if stared at for too long.

(If this is the power of a holy sword, isn't it more like a cursed sword...?)

Seeing the overwhelmingly evil flow of magic, Firebird inwardly admitted his weakness.

Despite his casual tone, the man with the cigarette was drenched in sweat, and he would have thrown himself to the ground in surrender if he could.

He wanted to abandon everything and flee from the scene.

However, the last bit of pride in Firebird refused to surrender or flee.

(After all the chaos we've caused and all the things we've burned... I can't beg for my life just because it's my turn to die. Well, I guess I'll just give up.)

"Don't worry, Captain. I have no intention of betraying you... How about we put on one last big fireworks show?"

"I see... So no one is willing to surrender."

Shifting his gaze from the defiant Firebird, Raido looked at each of the agents in the room.

Not all of the secret agents seemed to have made up their minds. Some were contorted with fear, and others were looking around for a chance to escape. However, influenced by the atmosphere, no one surrendered, and all of them were armed.

"Too bad. Then, let's get started..."

"Attack!"

Faster than Raido could draw his holy sword from his waist, the king's direct secret agents leaped into the air and attacked.

Thank you for your support as always.

If you like, please rate this from the stars below.