REAPER SCANS
The Reincarnated Martial God Brings Down the Heavens
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Chapter 171 - The Border Plan (1)
At the Imperial Palace.
“I pay my respects to the Sun of the Continent.”
The renowned Knight of Blazes, Theorg, bowed deeply, addressing the man before him with the exalted title of the “Sun.”
“…Theorg.”
After all, the man before him was none other than the Emperor.
“You said you were pursuing the officials of the Administrative Palace?”
Flinch.
At the Emperor’s question, Theorg’s expression hardened.
It was best to come clean. He had chosen to confess before the situation could worsen.
He had dared to keep tabs on those affiliated with the Imperial Palace, after all.
‘Was this the right choice?’
Theorg let out a silent sigh.
The Emperor’s voice carried no discernible emotion. In other words, he already knew.
‘I have to choose the right words here.’
Lowering his head further, Theorg steeled himself.
The Emperor’s gaze was filled with suspicion. He wasn’t one to trust others easily in the first place. This was a man who had orchestrated his own father’s death for the sake of power.
“If Your Majesty permits, may I speak a few more words?”
“Proceed.”
At the Emperor’s command, Theorg immediately continued.
“Not just this incident, but for a very long time, I have been investigating and monitoring the inner workings of the Imperial Palace.”
“…!”
For reference, the two were not alone in this chamber. Countless Imperial Knights stood with them, numbering at least five hundred.
Rumble!
Their collective aura turned menacing.
“As a result, I have confirmed that there are ‘spies’ within the palace.”
“…!”
However, with his next words, that menacing aura vanished instantly.
“?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Are you certain?”
“I am, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor gestured for him to continue.
“Approximately twenty years ago, right after the Unification War, Your Majesty ordered a focus on internal affairs. You specifically commanded us to closely monitor for any signs of treason.”
The Emperor nodded.
Though it had been long ago, he remembered it well. Not just twenty years ago—it had always been a standing order.
The Empire had to be fully prepared before embarking on the conquest of the continent.
“In accordance with that decree, I have been monitoring Zion, the Swordsman of Mana.”
“…Now that I think about it, you were the first to report his suspected ties to the Poison Palace. Wasn’t it you who uncovered his secret embezzlement of their resources?”
“Yes!”
Theorg answered firmly.
“As Your Majesty is aware, it is nearly impossible to smuggle palace materials without inside assistance. Naturally, I first suspected Raven, the head of the palace, since the two were longtime comrades.”
“Indeed. That is why I summoned Zion and gave him a choice. Since he was already accused of embezzlement, I ordered him to steal the medicine his friend needed. Hah.”
The Emperor let out a laugh, recalling the event.
When faced with execution as a mere thief, the man had instead chosen to betray his comrade to save himself.
Humans were never to be trusted.
“Tch, the poor thing. Despite everything, he was a loyal subject who served me as the head of the Poison Palace for 10 years.”
The Emperor’s gaze darkened as he turned back to Theorg.
“So, you continued monitoring those two?”
“Yes. And then… recently, I received intelligence that the successor of the Great Hero had appeared within my territory.”
“...”
The Emperor was already aware.
That was why he had ordered the Administrative Palace to keep tabs on them.
If the successor of the Great Hero had truly appeared in the Empire, their first point of contact was obvious.
“Heheheh, ‘Ancelot Heil Edenberg’… The Great Hero indeed. Even in death, he continues to be a thorn in my side.”
“I apologize for not reporting sooner, Your Majesty.”
Theorg bowed his head again.
“I was ashamed. Even though this is my jurisdiction, I was slower to acquire information than the Administrative Palace... But I also could not neglect my duty and allow rebels to roam freely in my territory.”
To survive in the Imperial Palace, one had to continuously humble themselves.
“That is enough. I understand your intentions.”
Perhaps that was the correct response, for the Emperor let out a faint chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.
“I am forever grateful for Your Majesty’s grace. If you permit it, I will immediately deal with those rebels—”
“No. You will stand down.”
Theorg flinched and lifted his head.
“I understand that losing the credit for this mission is frustrating, but you have overstepped, Sir Theorg.”
“I apologize once more, Your Majesty. However, the one we are dealing with is the successor of Ancelot Heil Edenberg—”
The Emperor cut him off.
“I have sent Kamaras.”
“…!”
Theorg’s eyes widened.
“If it is Kamaras… then he is certainly trustworthy.”
Kamaras.
An Imperial Master who was also known as the Swordsman of Earthquakes.
“Withdraw your men. Even if I do not mind, Kamaras and the others will not take kindly to your interference.”
That was obvious.
To them, it would feel as though their chance at glory was being stolen. Moreover, it was the chance to achieve the enormous feat of capturing the successor the Great Hero.
“…I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”
In the end, Theorg had no choice but to back down. Just absolving himself of responsibility was plenty already.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Hummm!
“...!”
At the sudden resonating sound, Breed’s eyes widened. It came from within his own body.
“This is...?”
The Swordsman of Flames hastily reached into his chest. Soon, his hands held a small crystal sphere.
It was a communication tool that delivered basic orders through color in times of emergency.
But the crystal was already dyed red.
“...A recall order.”
Breed clenched his teeth.
He hadn’t even reported that McGree was dead and he was supposed to retreat just like this?
“What am I supposed to tell our lord?”
Breed let out a sigh as he gazed forward.
The headless corpse still lay sprawled out before him. With the recall order issued, he couldn’t just leave McGree’s body behind.
“For now... Retrieve the body.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Several knights sprang forward, swiftly gathering up the headless corpse. Despite their movements, they remained on high alert.
It was a reaction they hadn’t shown before.
They’d been consistently disregarding their opponent, dismissing him as nothing more than a mere fledgling.
‘Is this why our lord was so concerned about the Great Hero?’
To be honest, Breed had never understood his concerns until now. After all, the so-called Great Hero had fallen over twenty years ago.
He had heard countless tales of his legendary feats, but the Empire had far greater figures now.
Or so he had thought...
‘...And yet, a mere successor of the Great Hero is capable of this?’
Today, that belief had been shattered.
A mere teenage boy.
Such a child had taken down a knight on the verge of becoming a Master. Not just any knight, but an Imperial Knight.
“Damn it! We’re retreating!”
“...!”
Breed spat out a curse before shouting the order. Even so, there was still something that needed to be said before they left.
“Count Kaiman! I think I finally understand why a swordsman like you, known as the madman obsessed with swords, is so obsessed with that prince.”
Breed knew of Count Kaiman’s true, lunatic nature.
“Hahaha.”
At the same time, Count Kaiman burst into laughter.
“But this time, you have clearly crossed the line!”
Even Nella, who had been anxiously observing the situation, flinched at his words.
She, too, had expressed concerns earlier. Even so, Count Kaiman did not lose his smile.
He had already prepared an escape route. His gaze flickered toward the source of that escape.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Ancelot tilted his head.
“You just look especially beautiful today.”
“You lunatic.”
“I love you, Your Highness.”
With that, Count Kaiman took a step forward.
“Let’s return together.”
“What?”
“As soon as I return, I will swear my loyalty to Sir Theorg.”
“...!”
Breed’s eyes widened in shock.
“This lunatic will… What?”
Yes.
That’s what Ancelot had advised him to do.
“Yes, my lord. Excluding the Blazes, choose one of the remaining two.”
“May I ask why?”
“I’ve finally chosen my lord after much deliberation. Wouldn’t it be terribly sad if you were to die at someone else’s hands when I’ve barely had the chance to serve you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What else could I mean? I’ll use that Blazes bastard to set the Imperial Palace ablaze, just like they did.”
The corners of Count Kaiman’s eyes wrinkled into a smile as he reminisced. At the same time, he sent a telepathic message to Ancelot.
-It’s a contest to see who beheads the Blazes first, Your Highness. Just so you know, the first strike is mine.
Only then did a smirk escape Ancelot’s lips.
“Crazy bastard.”
Meanwhile, at the border between the Empire and the Hart Kingdom.
“Sir Kamaras, are you sure they will come this way?”
A knight murmured anxiously.
Raven, the Poison Master.
The moment the tracking magic imprinted on him was severed, they rushed here immediately.
At that exact moment, Ancelot was still clashing with the Blaze’s underlings.
“They will. If that so-called successor of the Great Hero is truly the seventh prince of the Principality of Meeke and a noble of the Kingdom of Hart, there’s nowhere else to flee but the border.”
Even though the tracking spell had been severed, they hadn’t given up.
‘The Poison Master is likely dead.’
The restriction spell was designed to be unbreakable unless by death.
Even if an expert managed to remove it, Raven’s body wouldn’t have been able to withstand the process.
‘His death is an unexpected variable, but... It’s not all bad news.’
Kamaras’s lips twisted into a smirk.
He had just received news that the Blaze’s subordinates were retreating. This was a perfect opportunity to claim a major achievement.
“Order the troops. Seal the border completely! Make sure not even an ant can slip through!”
“Yes, sir!”
Kamaras turned his gaze toward the border.
In the distance, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Hart came into view.
However, nearly ten thousand troops had already gathered on his side. Even if a fight broke out, they wouldn’t be outnumbered.
“Heh. This isn’t even a siege. Against similar numbers, the Kingdom of Hart is nothing.”
Just as Kamaras was scoffing at them—
“What’s got you so scared that you’d go as far as sealing the border?!”
“...!”
A booming voice pierced the air.
A lone old man was walking toward them, completely unaware that he was stepping onto his own grave.
“Who is that?”
“I-I’ve never seen him before. He’s not part of the Kingdom of Hart’s military…”
A knight using mana to enhance his vision shook his head in confusion. Kamaras frowned and stepped forward.
“Who are you?!”
“I am the acting commander of this border!”
Kamaras let out a chuckle.
A nobody from a small, backwater kingdom’s border forces.
“I am Kamaras, a Count of the Empire, as well as a Master!”
“...!”
A wave of unrest spread among the Kingdom of Hart's troops.
“T-The Swordsman of Earthquakes!”
“My god! A Master from the Empire...!”
Their reaction confirmed Kamaras’s suspicions. His smirk deepened.
“You there, old man who’s got one foot in the grave—why don’t you stop right there?!”
“Hahahaha!”
Laughter erupted from the Empire’s ranks.
Yet, the old man did not slow his pace.
“I’m sorry to say I cannot! If you block their path home, our people will be trapped, will they not?”
“If they are innocent, they need only pass our inspection! What are you so afraid of, old man?”
“Heheheh. Aren’t you imperial bastards the ones who fabricate a crime where there is none?!”
Kamaras’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. Such insults were beyond tolerance.
“A mere nobody from the Hart Kingdom dares...?”
Slash!
Kamaras did not hesitate.
He unleashed a sword aura, drawing a line on the ground before the old man.
“Old man. Step over that line, and you die.”
Yet, the old man did not stop.
Step.
He crossed the line Kamaras had drawn. His eyes now brimming with lethal intent.
“Hahahahaha!”
And suddenly, the old man burst into laughter.
Within him burned a rage hotter than anyone else’s. His son had been beaten and was limping back home, and now these wolves were blocking his path.
What father would feel anything but fury?
Shiiing.
A curved sabre was drawn from his sheath.
“Enough barking. Come out here and face me in single combat, Master from the Empire!”
His name was Draksir de Foltaine.
A marquis of the Kingdom of Hart—one of only five.
He was the man who called himself the foster father of Ancelot.
* * *
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