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Chapter 140

"Your Grace, the adventurers are beginning to organize into groups and are preparing to move," Mikhail nodded in that direction.

They saw adventurers forming parties one by one. Adventurers. Mercenaries. Knights. Mages. Merchant Alliances. Priests. Each group, from various professions, was heading inward to acquire the Magical Robes of Temu.

"Brother, let\'s get going as well," Isaac said, standing up quickly.

Behind him, the Black Heaven Guards had already gathered.

"We\'re not going into the labyrinth," Kane stated.

"Why not?" Isaac asked.

"Because the enchanted robes of Temu aren’t there," Kane replied.

"Didn’t you say the Magical Robes of Temu were real?"

"They are, but another party has already secured them."

"What!?" Isaac\'s face fell, and Blata patted him gently with a paw.

"No need to look so down. You\'re the crown prince; you have plenty of stuff, don\'t you?"

"But I came hoping to obtain the Magical Robes of Temu," Isaac admitted, truly wanting to possess them. His mana was already at the 7th level, and with the Robe, he’d get the ability of a mage, he would become twice as strong, with an immense power to protect the Fresia Empire from external threats.

It was why he risked the journey to Medi Island to obtain Temu’s robes—and also because Kane was with him. He thought Kane would be a powerful ally by his side.

Charlotte had spoken of Kane, marveling at his incredible growth, saying his strength was beyond imagination. She, known as the Moonlight Princess, was full of praise for him. Isaac had also anticipated seeing how much Kane had improved since they last met in the capital.

Isaac wanted to spar with Kane, his competitive spirit stirred. He’d planned to propose a match with Kane on their way back after securing the Magical Robes of Temu, holding him in such high regard. But to hear the robes had already been taken—it threw his plans into disarray.

At that moment, Kane’s voice came from nearby, "I never said I’d given up on the Magical Robes of Temu."

Isaac’s eyes sparkled as he turned to Kane. "Then what?"

"We’ll take them for ourselves."

"You mean to seize them?"

"Yes."

"Even if the allure of godlike equipment tempts you, taking what belongs to someone else… I am, after all, the crown prince of the Fresia Empire," Isaac replied, a bit wary.

"Would your thoughts change if I told you the Meyer Family obtained them?"

Isaac’s face grew stern at the mention of the Meyer Family, a powerful force operating behind the Lycera Theocracy. They were once again involved.

"They can’t be allowed to keep it. Where should we go?"

If it was the Meyer Family, that changed things. They were a sinister presence, always manipulating the continent for their own purposes. Isaac had suspected their involvement from the start, as rumors of the Magical Robes of Temu’s sudden appearance felt strange.

"We’re not going to the labyrinth but to raid T&co’s Trading Company."

"Lycera Theocracy isn’t our target? You mean T&co Trading Company?"

"Yes, the Magical robes of Temu are in their lodgings," Kane confirmed.

Isaac exchanged a glance with the captain of the Black Heaven Guard.

It was a call to confirm.

“But do you know where T&co Trading Company’s people are? I arrived here first, and I haven’t heard anything about anyone from T&co being here.”

“They probably assumed false identities to blend in with the crowd,” Kane replied. In his previous life, the Magical Robes of Temu was an artifact he had once acquired, so he remembered this incident clearly.

The T&co Trading Company would mislead everyone into searching in the labyrinth, only to later reveal the robes at auction.

When all the attention was focused on the auction, the Meyer Family had planned a mutated monster ambush.

When the mutated monsters had nearly killed everyone, the Meyer Family had swooped in, defeating the beasts and emerging as heroes.

In the Medi Island massacre, only the name of the Meyer Family had shone brightly. At the time, he hadn’t known what they intended to gain from the bloodshed of the fallen.

“Let’s retrieve the Magical Robes of Temu for ourselves.”

---

Elsewhere, Bernt Pervartz returned to the Meyer Family. He immediately requested an audience with the family head.

“You can’t see him at the moment.”

“This is urgent. Ask him again,” Bernt insisted.

“It’s not possible,” came the firm reply.

Bernt could feel it: the way the priests looked at him had changed. There was no longer any respect—only disdain. The deaths of the six other executioners and his repeated mission failures had fueled the perception of his “incompetence.”

“Then at least let me speak with Elder Manuel,” he said.

“That, too, is impossible. Elder Manuel is currently attending to an assignment from the family head.”

“He’s gone to execute the ‘Desolation Protocol’!”

“Indeed.”

“Where is he? Tell me, quickly!”

“He’s gone to Medi Island.”

Bernt’s expression darkened. The decision to deploy the Desolation Protocol seemed rushed.

‘Now that I think about it, he seemed to know us executioners\' every move, almost as if he were aware of our entire plan.’

But that wasn’t the main issue. Kane Rehinar’s power was daunting, just like the Twelve star lords. His abilities were far greater than rumored, an undeniable fact. Even if he met him again, Bernt knew it would be a certain loss—a battle he would likely never win. Kane was simply overwhelming.

“Do not worry, executioner. Elder Manuel will resolve what you and the others could not.”

“What do you mean?”

“The family head has instructed Elder Manuel to lure both Kane Rehinar and Isaac von Fresia to Medi Island and kill them,” the attendant said.

“What!?” Bernt’s eyes widened. This was the very thing he had feared. Even for Elder Manuel, facing that monster would be impossible, especially with his arrogance. Surely, it would lead to his death.

“I must stop this. The Desolation Protocol is bound to fail,” Bernt thought, urgently trying to make his way inside.

But—*clink!*—the blades of various weapons pointed at his neck.

“Do not overstep, executioner Bernt.”

They were the family head’s closest guards, an elite force protecting the Meyer Family. Each one was highly skilled.

“Tell the family head—the Desolation Protocol is doomed to fail.”

“That won’t happen.”

“It will be thwarted by Kane Rehinar, just as he stopped us executioners.”

“The executioners and the elder are on entirely different levels. If you disrupt the hierarchy, you will face punishment,” one guard replied firmly.

Bernt felt a surge of frustration. He needed to convey this directly to the family head, yet here he was, forced to speak to his guards as if talking to a wall.

“Agh!” he muttered in exasperation.

Bernt turned away in frustration. They were underestimating Kane Rehinar far too much.

Having once crossed weapons with him, Bernt knew firsthand. Elder Manuel was formidable, but he might lose against Kane. Although Elder Manuel could easily defeat Bernt, he lacked the overwhelming gap in skill that Kane displayed. Bernt was certain of Manuel’s eventual defeat at Kane\'s hands.

“What am I supposed to do?” he muttered, returning to his quarters, burdened by unease.

Meanwhile, a slight smirk appeared on Kane’s lips.

“No wonder no one could track down the Meyer Family.”

Through Bernt\'s eyes, Kane had seen the Meyer Family’s stronghold, confirming the entrance as well. He now had a complete view of locations he hadn’t found in his past life—all thanks to the Blood Rune’s effects, a rune renowned for being in a league of its own, with limitless applications.

“After taking down Hatzfeld, it’ll be your turn,” Kane thought.

To launch a conquest, however, he needed royal approval. And in front of him, smiling brightly, stood the one who could grant it: Isaac von Fresia.

“This is the perfect time to gain approval.”

“Your Highness,” Kane addressed him.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Do you consider dealing with the Meyer Family a top priority?”

“Hmm… yes, they’re extremely dangerous, so it’s wise to proceed carefully,” Isaac responded.

“You know the Meyer Family has allied with Hatzfeld to overthrow Fresia, right?”

“Of course. That’s why we’re keeping a close eye on Prince Lee as well.”

[TL/N: Prolly the Second Prince of Fresia who’s a traitor.]

“Then, Your Highness, would you be willing to focus on the Meyer Family for a while? I’ll finish off Hatzfeld and join you.”

“Are you planning to start a war?” Isaac asked, his expression turning serious.

Kane nodded in response, and Isaac looked at him, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

“Are the Rehinar forces up to the task? We’re already stretched thin dealing with the Meyer Family, so we can’t provide support,” Isaac cautioned.

“We’ve dealt with the nobles who betrayed us. As long as supplies are steady, we’re good to go,” Kane replied confidently.

“Are you sure you can wrap this up quickly? Right now, the neutral Orchid Kingdom and the Lycera Theocracy are threatening to draw their swords on Fresia,” Isaac mentioned, revealing information he had previously withheld to avoid overburdening Kane.

The ones Kane had eliminated were, in fact, high-profile figures from Orchid, including students among them.

While a few managed to return home, the Orchid kingdom was furious over the deaths of their people, who had been visiting Fresia as part of an exchange.

Likewise, the chairman of the T&Co had died in Rehinar—regardless of his secret affiliations, he had been a foreigner who lost his life on foreign soil. Both Orchid and Lycera had issued warnings about potential war, but Isaac hadn’t informed Kane of this.

Kane’s accomplishment of killing a key Meyer Family member meant Isaac, as the crown prince, felt compelled to protect his loyal subject, so he now divulged these international tensions only because Kane had mentioned waging war.

“All of them are connected to the Meyer Family. We need to eliminate at least one threat to reduce the pressure,” Kane replied.

The possibility of the barbarians joining the fray was another looming threat. Kane knew he had to act swiftly; even with all his strength, he could only be in one place at a time. It was crucial to finish this battle before the barbarians could intervene.

After a moment’s contemplation, Isaac nodded in agreement. “If you’re set on ending Hatzfeld, I’ll support you. I’ll handle things here—fight freely.”

“Thank you,” Kane said, gratitude in his voice.

Isaac smiled. “Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you? You’re taking up arms in my stead.”

Just then, Blata’s voice cut in, pointing downwards with a whisper, “Kane, look! That box over there—it’s radiating this ominous energy.”

It was a very shabby-looking box.

* * *

“Ugh!”

The porter moved a box into the warehouse.

“What in the world are they planning to do with all these replicas?”

“How should I know? It’s the higher-ups’ orders, so we just follow along,” the other porter replied.

The warehouse was packed with hundreds of identical boxes, all containing black robes.

These were replicas modeled after the Magical Robes of Temu.

What was fascinating was that each one was magically inscribed, radiating strong magical energy. They were convincing enough to be mistaken for the real thing.

Once the porters left, Kane and Isaac descended from above.

“What kind of replicas have the power of oblivion embedded in them? If someone wears one wrong, they could end up dead!”

“It seems they’re really planning something insane,” Isaac remarked.

The Oblivion Knights were created to combat the Blood Knights. They served to protect humanity while carrying out the will of the gods. Now, however, they were only used for leading humans to destruction.

“What would happen if someone with the power of oblivion used this clothing to target only humans?”

“The gods would be furious.”

“Exactly. The gods would be enraged and likely intervene in the human realm.”

“It seems history could repeat itself.”

“That’s the ultimate goal of the Meyer Family. They want to gain the power of immortality by using a god as a proxy. They’re concocting schemes like this to live forever.”

This incident was referred to as the "Death Scheme."