Chapter 94. Obsession

There is a famous anecdote.

It’s about Mihail Andantino, one of the three heroes, who went mad when something he considered his own was taken from him.

It’s famous to those who know it, and unknown to those who don’t.

What this means is…

<You went all the way to the North to retrieve an artifact for the museum, that’s truly impressive!>

The general public only knew this much and praised Mihail.

However, those who witnessed the commotion in the North at the time simply shook their heads and clicked their tongues instead of adding any words.

<He was a madman.>

…was what they said.

And of course, Claude belonged to the latter group. He was directly involved in that commotion.

<It seems the Guardian of the North has stolen the treasure of the East.>

<What nonsense is that?>

<You still hold the legendary sword in your hand, don’t you?>

<Ah, this. I thought it looked good, so I had it refurbished by a blacksmith. What’s the issue?>

<You dared to alter my possession without permission.>

<…Why is this yours?>

<Because I was looking for it.>

It was a time when the undead were rampant. There were no boundaries on who guarded where, and people rushed to wherever help was needed.

Claude, who had gone to the Sahar Desert with good intentions to vanquish the undead, happened to find a sword buried in the sand.

They say a legendary sword recognizes its owner. When he held it, the weight felt extraordinary. It fit perfectly in his hand as if it were his own.

So Claude took the sword back to his territory.

He had no particular thoughts about it. He just liked it and brought it along.

But Mihail came all the way to Hilton to reclaim it. More precisely, to the Grodes Mountains, where the subjugation team was active.

<Hand it over before I cut off your wrist.>

<Why should I?>

Boom…!

Mihail, who enveloped the sword with mana and devastated the area, made Claude sweat profusely. Even though Claude promised to return it after the subjugation, Mihail, like a madman, demanded it immediately as if he had no sense of reason.

Fed up with Mihail’s persistence, Claude eventually threw the sword into the canyon and had to endure the rest of the subjugation with a spare sword he had brought.

Mihail… cursed and descended into the canyon.

Before the crazy Holy Knight Order leader could climb back up, Claude fled deeper into the mountains for the subjugation. According to him, it wasn’t fleeing but that he’s merely going to do his job.

In any case, Mihail was someone with such a crazy obsession.

And yet Mihail is so quiet now?

“That can’t be.”

Claude was convinced. Mihail must be up to something behind the scenes.

From the beginning, Mihail considered Seraphina his possession. No matter what anyone said, Seraphina was originally scheduled to be dispatched to Sahar.

Claude was the one who intervened in between.

And how did that turn out?

Unable to yield, Mihail would seize any opportunity to take Seraphina to Sahar.

So in a situation like this, it wouldn’t be strange if he were turning the world upside down to find the missing Seraphina.

“Huh!”

At that moment, a boy who spotted Claude was startled to the point of fainting and greeted him.

Claude, who had just barged into the Sahar Castle, turned his head.

“You know me.”

“I-I greet the hero. What brings the Guardian of the North here…?”

“I’m here to see Mihail. Lead the way.”

“T-The commander is…”

“Lead.”

“Yes, sir.”

The boy, Andrei, who was quick-witted, promptly responded.

He wasn’t sure if it was alright to lead Claude, who had clearly barged in without notice, to the commander, but he also knew it wasn’t wise to meddle in the affairs of the higher-ups.

More than anything, Claude’s presence was no joke.

“He’s inside. I’ll take my leave then.”

After he finished guiding him, Andrei quickly withdrew. It was obvious that only unpleasant things awaited if he missed the timing.

Claude watched the boy, who was moving away quickly despite his small strides, before turning his head. Beyond the round arch entrance, Mihail was visible.

“You seem to be living the life.”

Claude sneered as he watched Mihail floating on the Nilda River, looking up at the sky.

Mihail, who only glanced sideways at the uninvited guest, looked back at the sky as if he didn’t want to deal with him.

However, perhaps unable to ignore him completely, he eventually moved his lips to ask.

“What brings you here?”

Despite coming from the far North, his tone was remarkably indifferent.

It was a tone so devoid of interest in the other person that it would have been disappointing if anyone else were listening, but fortunately, there was no one else around.

And the person in question, Claude, didn’t care at all. If Mihail had welcomed him, he would have found it creepy instead.

Claude got straight to the point.

“I heard Purifier Seraphina is missing.”

“So you only heard now.”

The indifferent tone was an even more certain mockery.

Claude felt the veins on his temples bulging as he clenched his fists tightly. He was so irritated he wanted to punch something, but since he needed something from Mihail, he barely managed to hold onto his patience.

Instead, his words came out harshly.

“If you’ve found out anything, spill it.”

At the commanding tone, Mihail finally adjusted his posture. Standing with his feet on the riverbed, the water reached up to his waist, rippling gently.

Mihail looked at Claude with cold, humorless eyes.

“What kind of thief’s mindset is that?”

“So you have found something.”

“Not sure. As you can see, I’m spending my days enjoying the water in the Nilda River.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that.”

Claude growled threateningly.

He walked right up to the riverbank and made a swift motion from the top left to the bottom right. In that brief moment, it seemed like a red energy slashed diagonally and disappeared. If an ordinary person saw it, they might think he had cast some kind of magic…

But Mikhail, blessed with extraordinary vision, saw it clearly. The mana sword that had emerged from Claude’s hand.
Shhhk!
And as a result, the splash of water soaked Mihail.

“Are you suggesting we try this?”

Mihail, with half-closed eyes, slicked back his wet platinum hair and glared at Claude.

“You being here means you haven’t found her yet.”

“……”

“Share what you’ve discovered. Then I’ll also share any new information I learn.”

“No, thank you.”

As soon as the refusal came, Claude’s red eyes turned even more dangerous.

He had pushed aside the assumption, thinking it couldn’t be true…

“Could it be that you hid Purifier Seraphina?”

“…What?”

“If you don’t speak clearly, I’ll turn everything into a wasteland.”

He threatened with a growl like a beast, but Mihail didn’t even flinch. Initially taken aback, he instead laughed as if he found it amusing.

“Fine. I was feeling stiff anyway, so this is good timing.”

With that, he loosened up and emerged from the water.

He was already irritated, trying to calm himself by letting the river carry him. The times he played in the water here with Seraphina were pleasant memories for him.

The guild master…

For a month, he had been sending crumbs of information through his subordinates. It seemed necessary to meet the person directly for a serious conversation again.

Unfortunately, the guild master, like a rat, was nowhere to be found. Even after pressing his subordinates, he didn’t gain anything, as if they genuinely didn’t know.

Ah.

Oh, God.

Would you not deliver that shadowy figure into my hands?

Mihail was seriously contemplating whether to leave to find him. At that moment, Claude barged in.

Even if left alone, it was uncertain if he would stay calm, and yet he was being provoked irritatingly.

Mihail chuckled with half-crazed eyes.

“I’ll bring the sword. Shall we head to the desert?”

It was a call to settle things properly.

If they resolved it here, the Sahar Castle might be reduced to dust. The vast training ground inside the castle would be no different.

Could the city withstand the aftermath of a full-powered enchantment?

There was no better place than the desert to unleash their full strength.

Claude followed Mihail with a murderous aura, as if it was exactly what he wanted.

And then, Andrei appeared in front of the two… a good timing for Claude, but a lousy one for Mihail.

“Commander.”

“What is it, Andrei?”

Mihail spoke in an indifferent tone. But the quick-witted Andrei immediately recognized that Mihail was extremely sensitive at the moment.

So he needed to deliver this information quickly.

“The guild master has sent a subordinate.”

“The guild master?”

It wasn’t the Holy Knight Order commander who asked again, but the unexpected guest, Claude.

Claude let out a hollow laugh, as if realizing something.

At the same time, Mihail’s face turned into one of dismay.