WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 45: The Shadow of a Giant Coming from the Far East

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Once the hierarchy had been sorted out, the Lion Mask reassigned the positions of several officials.

First, several mid-ranking officials would take over duties formerly handled by the top officials. Those quick enough to notice realized that their newly promoted superiors had been little more than fringe members in the old organization.

Some were unhappy about it, but none dared show it openly.

The Horse Mask was still standing right beside them, watching with a sword dripping blood in his hand.

The Lion Mask then dealt the officials another shock.

Citing the results of a recent “inspection,” he exposed the corruption committed by several officials.

Those who had secretly siphoned off money meant for the upper ranks went pale. In a solemn voice, he warned them.

“If you restore it yourselves, I’ll overlook it this time. But remember, there won’t be a second chance.”

After being shaken once by force and again by the Lion Mask’s information network, they no longer had the courage to resist.

Finally, after announcing that future operations would continue through separately delivered instructions as before, the two masked men strode out of the theater.

* * *

After leaving the Golden Theater, the Lion Mask and Horse Mask passed through several deserted alleys to avoid attention before removing their masks in a secluded spot.

“To the Endless Prosperity of the Alto People!”

“Hey, don’t repeat that. It’s embarrassing enough already...”

Shan teased him as he removed the Horse Mask. Beside him, Roden took off the Lion Mask and grumbled under his breath.

“No, your acting was seriously good. You really looked like someone sent by the Brotherhood’s leader.”

“I should’ve become an actor in a theater troupe.”

Roden spoke self-deprecatingly, but his acting was truly impressive for someone who had never studied it properly. Even Shan had never doubted Roden was a powerful knight until Roden had fallen over on his own.

The masks they wore were simple magic devices Princess Serin had made in a spare moment despite her busy schedule. Each contained a tiny fragment of Magic stone that altered their voices. Shan’s mask also had an amethyst enchanted to swallow light over its eyeholes, preventing the glow of his eyes from showing through.

After taking off his coat and wrapping it together with the mask, Shan removed his long trousers and picked up the two wooden poles he had kept beneath his feet.

Roden stared at him in disbelief.

“No, that’s even more amazing than my acting! How do you run around with that stuff attached to your feet?”

If Roden were told to walk with wooden poles over twenty centimeters tall beneath his feet, he would probably manage a few wobbly steps before falling over.

Yet Shan had used those things to increase his height, leaping between the theater seats as he cut down gangsters.

It made his gait rather strange, but that was beside the point.

No matter how sharp-eyed someone was, they would never realize the Horse Mask was Shan. At a glance, there was a difference of more than twenty centimeters in height. It would be difficult to believe they were the same person.

Naturally, intimidating the Brotherhood did not mean they had fully taken control of it. They still had to devise a way to issue anonymous orders to the newly appointed senior officials and improve the organization’s internal structure.

Serin helped them with the first matter.

Through her connections, Roden established a system for exchanging letters with the senior officials through mages of the Magic Society.

That did provide a clue that the Lion Mask, the leader’s proxy, was connected to the Magic Society. Beyond that, though, there was almost no way to trace him. Mages might have been somewhat shunned, but they were still specialists backed by the royal family. Mere criminals would not dare target them.

Next, they abolished every old method of communication and arranged for any messages received through those methods to be reported immediately.

Officially, this was to prevent confusion caused by surviving traitors. In truth, it was meant to stop the former leader from trying to seize control of the organization again.

The final task was reforming the system in which the Altos at the very bottom of society were exploited while those in the middle ranks and above enjoyed wealth.

This was the most difficult problem.

No one in the world wanted to give up privileges they already possessed.

They could attempt it only because, first, the people Roden had promoted were among the few in the Brotherhood who still had something resembling a conscience. Second, they had a way to make up for some of the lost revenue.

“Where’s it coming from?”

“The hidden wealth left by the officials we killed before.”

As the Brotherhood’s highest-ranking members, they had managed a large portion of the organization’s assets under joint names. Naturally, it all now belonged to Shan and Roden.

Roden used that wealth to cover the deficit caused by the Brotherhood no longer exploiting the Altos.

“Of course, we can’t keep covering it with this money forever. In the long run, the organization needs to make a profit on its own.”

“How?”

“By working honestly.”

Roden’s goal was to remake the Brotherhood into an organization that protected oppressed Altos, as it had originally been intended to do. It would support itself through donations from those it protected who could afford to contribute.

In other words, he wanted to build a self-sustaining community.

Not every Brotherhood official agreed with that purpose.

If they were paid even without doing bad things, then doing bad things while receiving that pay would earn them twice as much.

To crush those who thought that way, Roden spent all day cross-checking ledgers against information gathered from various locations to uncover corruption. Whenever necessary, he even sought Serin’s help.

And every time they found a case, the Brotherhood’s “executioner,” with unnaturally long legs, put on the Horse Mask and went to work.

“I-I’m sorry! Please, just forgive me this once-”

Crunch.

The Alto man’s neck flew off as he begged desperately.

That was the end of a piece of trash who had lured women who came to the capital trying to make a living, intending to sell them to brothels.

Shan silently looked at the Alto women huddled in terror at the back, then tossed them a cloak to cover themselves with before leaving.

He had made an example of the man. If his underlings did not want to die, they would handle the aftermath properly.

“Th-thank you!”

One of the women bowed toward Shan’s retreating back.

After several incidents like that, the swordsman in the Horse Mask became a symbol to impoverished Altos, like a guardian who protected them from their cruel countrymen.

At last, twenty men who declared they could not endure it any longer and attempted a rebellion were slaughtered.

The old exploiters either adapted or fled in the night.

Either way, the Brotherhood had successfully changed its nature.

Naturally, these changes drew the Council’s attention.

The Brotherhood was, at least in name, one of the criminal organizations that made up the Council.

Instead of appearing in person when summoned by the Council, Roden sent one of the new senior officials he had appointed.

“An internal matter?”

“That’s right.”

When the Council’s representative frowned, Mung, the Brotherhood’s new senior official and Council liaison, swallowed hard.

Originally, Mung had been nothing more than a mid-ranking official who managed pickpockets. They could not help being nervous while facing a major figure from the criminal underworld.

“Well, if that’s the case... There’s only one thing the Council wants confirmed. Is the Brotherhood still a member of the Council?”

“Of course.”

That answer seemed to satisfy the representative. A pleased smile appeared on their face, which had been sour the entire time.

After several more minor questions, the negotiation was drawing to a close when Mung delivered the order received from the leader.

“You want us to leave Shan Barendil alone?”

“As fellow Altos, we are conducting a long-term operation to recruit him into the Brotherhood. It would be troublesome if members of the same Council got in each other’s way and clashed.”

“The Mosquitoes will kick up a fuss. They’ve been out for blood since he killed their own.”

The Council representative muttered as if they had a headache.

Mung forced themself to tense their stomach and replied.

“Honestly, is it a crime for a knight to kill a few Mosquito bastards? We’re all human here. If the Brotherhood grows stronger, the Council’s influence grows stronger too. That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

As they spoke, Mung used the nimble fingers of a pickpocket to slip a bribe into the Council representative’s sleeve.

The representative noticed it was a necklace set with a fairly large gemstone. A hint of a smile touched their thin lips.

“Well, I’ll report it that way to those above.”

Mung breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the bribe had worked.

Then the representative casually added something else.

“Ah, if your recruitment fails, he will have to be removed. The Council may commission your executioner for the job, so keep that in mind.”

The representative said the executioner was already well known within the Council, their expression filled with interest.

A swordsman with the physical characteristics of an Alto, legs whose joints were unnaturally long and bent in multiple places.

His skill was enough to cut down more than a dozen people skilled in combat all by himself.

Even in the underworld, where there were quite a few hidden masters, that level of skill was rare. If someone was truly that capable, nobles would quietly hire them unless they had committed treason.

“I hear quite a few people are looking forward to seeing who would win if the Green-Eyed Knight fought the Brotherhood’s executioner.”

The representative chuckled, saying they were one of those people.

Thus, Shan’s other identity spread little by little in places beyond sight.

Not long after the negotiation ended, the Council sent the expected reply.

If recruitment failed, they would attempt to remove Shan, so the Brotherhood should inform them.

Roden nodded in satisfaction as he received the report.

It was up to him, the Brotherhood’s new leader, to decide whether this “recruitment” took years or decades.

Securing even one safeguard made the entire effort worthwhile.

* * *

Two months passed as they ran tirelessly through the underworld, trying to bring it under their control.

The scorching summer faded, and fallen leaves covered the ground in every direction.

With the cool autumn wind came a little more free time for Shan and Roden, who had been constantly busy. The Brotherhood was gradually adapting to its changes, reducing the need for constant surveillance and harsh punishment.

It had been a cell-based organization controlled by its leader through a handful of letters from the beginning. Once the system was in place, managing it afterward would not be difficult.

Looking up at the deep blue autumn sky, Shan suddenly spoke.

“Should we head to the Demon Realm soon?”

“To get the relic?”

“Yeah.”

He had always planned to leave it there for about half a year before selling it, so now seemed like a good time.

He had hidden it well, but he was starting to worry that someone might have taken it.

“The Brotherhood will be fine if we leave for a while, right?”

“Of course. The old leader didn’t contact them that often either. The organization is built to run on its own.”

If it were not, they would have simply destroyed it instead of taking control through such a troublesome method.

Roden answered casually as he scratched his beard with his thumb.

“The princess worries me, though. I hear the atmosphere in the royal family has been terrible lately.”

“Yeah. She seems really busy.”

At the start of their takeover of the Brotherhood, Princess Serin had actively stepped in to help. Lately, though, it had become difficult even to contact her.

The recent atmosphere was grim enough that even people without eyes and ears in the royal court could guess something was wrong.

Not long ago, knights loyal to Conrad and Prince Elvin had fought after provoking one another, cutting off arms and stabbing each other in the stomach.

Anxious expressions had even appeared on the faces of ordinary citizens passing through the streets.

“If something happens, the princess might need our help. It would be better to stay in the capital if possible, but we can’t keep sitting around forever.”

Shan was unquestionably their strongest warrior. Now, they also had the Brotherhood’s fighting strength to call upon in an emergency.

A few Altos they had secretly trained as knights, along with around fifty young men who could be armed if needed, would not be enough to defeat either prince. Still, it was enough to tip the balance toward one side.

As they kept a close watch on the royal family’s movements, a disturbance unexpectedly arrived from the far east.

“Sedil City is in danger!”

“Monsters are advancing west in a horde!”

The people who brought that news were the army the two princes had sent into the Demon Realm months earlier to save their father, or rather, had sent merely to make it look that way.

The force had originally consisted of more than a dozen knights, thirty squires who assisted them, two hundred mercenaries, and forty priests.

Now, not even a third remained.

Most of those survivors had suffered severe injuries. They looked exactly like defeated soldiers.

The news that struck Hasra City, and would likely soon spread throughout Pendia, soon reached Weavers Estate as well.

“An army of monsters?”

“So it seems. I guess the army that marched in stirred up something strange...”

Roden spoke with a troubled expression after hearing the news through several connections.

A few months ago, the armies of the two princes had entered the Demon Realm and pushed east, competing with each other.

Whoever found a magic device capable of restoring the king’s health had been promised the title of count and territory to match. Every man had been filled with zeal.

When enthusiasm outran proper knowledge and ability, accidents were bound to happen.

The two princes’ armies charged into the Demon Realm and quickly began to be worn down by the monster hordes pressing in from every direction and the Realm’s uniquely vicious environmental changes.

They did not know how to lead a large force through the Demon Realm like the Ajun Kingdom’s Crusader Order. They had also split into two groups without even a capable commander.

There was a reason the explorers of Sedil City did not form massive expeditions, moving in groups of no more than a dozen at most. They were not fools.

Within a few weeks, the armies had completely collapsed in the middle of the Demon Realm. Only a portion survived and returned to Sedil City.

That was exactly what the two princes had expected when they used them as expendable pawns. Under normal circumstances, the matter should have ended there.

The problem was that, shortly after they returned, a massive army of monsters left the Demon Realm and began advancing west in pursuit of them.

Some of the scattered survivors must have provoked the monsters in the depths of the Demon Realm and led them back to the mainland.

“Apparently, they aren’t just rampaging at random. They’re being controlled to some extent, even though all sorts of monsters are mixed together.”

“A pack lord...”

“Exactly.”

Shan murmured as he remembered something he had learned in a past general education class.

Normally, monsters did not associate with those of other species and sometimes even treated them as enemies.

Yet there were times when they overcame that instinct. A monster born with overwhelming charisma could be recognized as a protector, drawing other monsters beneath it.

Such a creature was called a pack lord.

Even the collapse of the Arman Empire long ago had been caused by an invasion led by one.

Lagritsa of the Scarlet Wings, a mighty demon dragon, had gathered monsters under its command and crushed the main force of the imperial army.

Pack lords had continued to emerge and invade from time to time, whenever people had begun to forget about them.

This time, because a large army had stirred up the Demon Realm, the force led by the pack lord was even larger.

“The pack lord this time is apparently an ogre. The monsters under it include more than a dozen large monsters and hundreds of middling ones. Nothing will be left wherever they pass.”

Ogres were among the most powerful large monsters.

Individual strength varied, so it was difficult to be precise. Still, they were roughly comparable to the cockatrice Shan had faced in the past, or perhaps somewhat stronger.

If such a monster was surrounded by a full escort, an alliance of a few ordinary nobles’ forces would have no chance.

This was a war against monsters that required a national response.

Not long after the story spread, the royal family began recruiting warriors to stand against the monster offensive.

Around that time, a visitor came to Weavers Estate.

Contrary to expectations, it was not Princess Serin herself, but Aran, her guard knight.

“The princess is in a situation where she cannot easily get away.”

Aran spoke in a stiff tone.

According to her, the tension in the royal court had recently reached its peak, making it difficult for Serin to enter and leave the palace as freely as before.

If she made even a slightly suspicious move, both princes reacted almost hysterically, accusing her of siding with the other and plotting something.

“The two princes will likely refuse to send their elite knights. If one side sends knights to deal with the ogre, the other side gains too much of an advantage.”

Neither side trusted the other enough to agree to send most of their knights away together.

As a result, those recruited for the ogre campaign would likely be a ragtag group.

Naturally, joining a campaign with a high chance of failure meant risking one’s life.

“It would be hard to stay out of the ogre campaign, right?”

“Yes.”

Several months had passed since Shan defeated the vampire at Kastaman Castle.

A knight who had gained fame by defeating a cockatrice had rested long enough. If he avoided the ogre campaign now, the criticism would be unimaginable.

Unlike other knights, who could use their lord’s orders as an excuse, Shan was a wandering knight.

Of course, Shan wanted to join the fight regardless of whether his hard-won reputation ended up in the gutter.

If he faced an ogre, would he not feel again the thrill he had experienced when fighting the cockatrice?

It was a sensation he could not feel when facing ordinary humans. The thrill of fighting an enemy that could crush him the instant he let his guard down...

The pleasure that flooded through him, as though substances released in his brain were melting his entire head, was downright addictive.

“Yes, the princess expected you would say that... Here.”

Aran answered in a resigned tone, then took something from her clothes and held it out.

Shan stared at the glass bottle filled with a liquid as red as blood. Aran explained.

“It is a gift from the princess and payment for the commission. An elixir that will keep someone alive even through terrible injuries. She said the price was that you return safely.”

Shan quietly looked at the medicine Aran offered, then accepted it politely with both hands and bowed his head.

That bow was not for Aran, but for the person who had made it.

“Please tell her I accept it with gratitude, and that I’ll return alive.”

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