Ch.196Chapter 196 – Back to the Western Continent

Somewhere in the Forsaken Land.

Eldran, seated on his throne, raised his head.

“Clayeon’s presence has vanished.”

He had noticed that Clayeon’s aura, which had departed for the Eastern Continent, had disappeared.

Eldran pondered why Clayeon’s presence had vanished.

No matter how well one concealed their aura, all demons were connected through demonic energy, allowing them to locate each other regardless of distance.

But now, when trying to sense Clayeon’s presence, he felt as if a thread had been cut with a knife, completely blocked somewhere.

This phenomenon could only mean one thing.

“Has Clayeon been annihilated?”

Eldran realized that with even the trusted Clayeon eliminated, the current situation was certainly not turning in his favor.

After all, hadn’t he sent Clayeon to assassinate Pathos to prevent him from interfering with their plans any further?

Yet once again, the plan had failed.

“Where did it go wrong…?”

Eldran began to methodically retrace his steps to identify where his plan had faltered.

“Everything started falling apart the moment we became entangled with that being called Pathos.”

Pathos.

Entanglement with Pathos leads to failure.

Then…

“I simply need to devise a plan that doesn’t involve Pathos.”

Eldran wore an expression of immense relief, as if he had discovered some profound truth.

When directly involved with Pathos, plans inevitably crumble.

So why not avoid any entanglement with him from the beginning?

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of something so simple. Perhaps I’m getting old.”

An odd statement coming from Eldran, who maintained a youthful appearance despite his ancient age.

Finally, Eldran rose from his throne.

“I shall nullify everything planned thus far and start anew from the beginning.”

Eldran’s gaze was intensely solemn.

If he had chosen the wrong methods until now, his resolve showed that he would employ only the correct approach henceforth.

“Summon everyone in the order to create a new plan.”

Eldran raised both arms, gazing at the massive black egg suspended from the ceiling as he spoke.

“Everything is for the Demon God.”

No sooner had Eldran finished speaking than faint ripples emanated from the black egg several times.

As if it had understood his words.

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After departing from the Pa Sung-geum family territory, we passed through the Chang-cheon Moon family lands and entered the Han Dong-baek family territory once again.

Upon arriving at Hong-gung, where our ship was prepared, we found Baek Dan-hyeop, the head of the Han Dong-baek family, waiting to greet us.

“You must be tired from your long journey, Count. The ship is ready, but I’m told the loading of supplies isn’t quite finished. Why not rest here today and depart tomorrow?”

“I have no objections.”

If supplies weren’t fully loaded and we needed to rest a day, wasn’t that the obvious choice?

“Hahaha. I’ve already prepared lodgings for you. Rest well today and depart tomorrow. I have pressing matters starting tomorrow, so I’m only available today.”

Thanks to Baek Dan-hyeop’s consideration, we secured accommodations for the day.

The lodging was an elegant inn built on a hill somewhat distant from the harbor.

After briefly leaving our luggage at the inn, I approached Baek Yu-wol, who had escorted me here.

“It seems tomorrow will be the last time I see Lady Baek Yu-wol.”

“I suppose so. You’ll be departing for the Western Continent, Count, while I’ll remain here to continue my martial arts training.”

An inexplicable hint of regret tinged Baek Yu-wol’s voice.

Hmm, since things turned out this way, perhaps I should spend today with Baek Yu-wol?

“Lady Baek Yu-wol, if you have time, would you mind showing me around Hong-gung?”

“A tour… you mean?”

“Yes. If I ever have reason to return to this land, I’ll likely visit here again. It wouldn’t hurt to know what facilities are available in advance.”

“Then I’ll guide you! I come here frequently, so I know this place well!”

When I requested her guidance, a peculiar joy permeated Baek Yu-wol’s voice.

Indeed, though she hadn’t mentioned it, Baek Yu-wol must have felt stiff after being in the carriage all day.

“Alright! I’ll show you every corner of Hong-gung in detail!”

Following the strangely excited Baek Yu-wol, I was able to explore every nook and cranny of Hong-gung.

Though the grilled fish sold on the streets wasn’t particularly tasty.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

Wherever people gather in the world, unsavory characters inevitably congregate as well.

And Hong-gung, the largest port city in the Han Dong-baek family territory, had its own back alleys.

Another name for these back alleys was the “Street of Pleasure.”

“Hey there, handsome young man~ Want to come have some fun with us today?”

“Visit our establishment today and you can spend the night in carnal bliss with our beautiful ladies.”

Literally, this was a place lined with all manner of entertainment establishments.

Naturally, most of these establishments were run by rather rough individuals.

However, unlike other entertainment venues, this particular building had no touts outside, nor thugs to chase away unruly customers.

When a man opened the door and entered, all eyes turned toward him.

“What brings you here?”

“The moonlight is bright, so I should have a drink. One filled with deep darkness.”

“…Come in.”

The man who entered must have given the correct response, as everyone averted their gaze and returned to their business.

“I heard that the disciples from other branches who went to attack the Heavenly Demon Sect have all departed to the embrace of our Demon God.”

Surprisingly, the man who entered was the one who had been injured and couldn’t follow Clayeon.

“They were all courageous individuals.”

“……”

“Take some rest while you’re here. It seems you need it.”

This place was a safe haven where members of the Demon Cult traveling between the Eastern and Western Continents could rest temporarily.

The Demon Cult wielded considerable power even in Hong-gung’s entertainment district, and above all, they maintained friendly relations with the night organizations that controlled the district, allowing cult members to stay relatively safe there.

“I’ve learned that tomorrow, that fellow will board a ship leaving Hong-gung for the Archipelago Alliance.”

“……!”

When the man who entered mentioned information about Pathos, all eyes turned to him.

“Is… that true?”

“Indeed. I even watched him meet with the head of the Han Dong-baek family.”

As word spread that Pathos would be departing by ship tomorrow, murmurs among the people grew louder.

“So. What do you intend to do?”

“I plan to secretly board the departing ship tomorrow and detonate myself.”

At the man’s declaration of his suicide mission, all eyes turned to him once more.

“Hmm. Do you have a method?”

“I do. As luck would have it… they’re recruiting crew members to work on the ship.”

In other words, this man planned to disguise himself as a crew member to board the ship carrying Pathos.

This would allow him to approach Pathos more safely than anyone else.

“So, have you gathered the materials needed for the explosion?”

“Unfortunately, I’m missing a few items. With those, I could create an explosive powerful enough to blow the ship to pieces.”

“Don’t they inspect the crew’s belongings?”

“I hear the person conducting inspections this time is someone who does it carelessly. Besides, my explosive formula uses common items that can be found anywhere, so they’ll never notice.”

The man chuckled darkly.

One person looked at him, rose from the table, and approached him.

“If you need materials, tell me what you need. I’ll have someone procure them by the end of today.”

“You would do that?”

“It’s for our great cause. Shouldn’t we provide at least this much convenience to someone willing to sacrifice himself for our mission?”

The great cause.

What they referred to as their great cause was ultimately the resurrection of the Demon God.

“Thank you. I will certainly succeed in this plan and contribute to our great cause.”

“Come, have a drink. Allow me to buy a drink for a man of courage.”

“Gladly.”

The man accepted a cup of alcohol and downed it.

“Make sure you succeed.”

“Without question.”

The person who bought him the drink took the note from the man and moved toward the gathered people.

“Everyone, procure the items listed here by the end of today.”

“Yes, leader.”

And so, unbeknownst to Pathos, a plan to sink the ship was steadily progressing.