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Chapter 25: Filling the Void, Anew

"Make way for us, everyone!" shouted the soldier leading the group.

Karyl\'s gaze fell upon a man in dazzling armor standing at the center. With his bushy eyebrows and thick beard, he paid no attention to the bowing crowd, his focus straight ahead.

Isn’t that Viscount Harun? It was a familiar face.

He was the ruler of a territory quite a distance away from Piasta, he led about a thousand troop—a warrior of note.

What’s he doing here?

This port city was far from the border. He was supposed to be aiding the defense of the Valsar and MacGovern houses at the frontier.

"Is that the man?"

"It must be. Serves him right. Why would he go mad helping those barbarians?"

"A man like him should be punished Immediately!"

Whispers filled the air, and Karyl listened intently to their conversations.

This is...

Among the soldiers, there were several disheveled individuals with their arms bound, being led away.

"Move faster!!"

A lieutenant next to Viscount Harun struck of the prisoners on the head with the scabbard of his sword. The man crumpled silently to the ground, quietly sliding down without a scream.

"Bow your heads!! These are traitors!! Do not even make eye contact!!"

At the lieutenant’s warning, the crowd lowered their heads even further.

"Huff... Huff..." The fallen prisoner struggled to breathe, gasping for air.

Karyl watched the prisoner struggle, his shoulders twitching as he tried to stand but couldn’t.

This is... He was at a loss for words. It was absurd. Or perhaps it was meant to be?

I was looking for you, but...Karyl\'s eyes gleamed.

"Get up!!" The soldiers lifted the fallen prisoner to his feet.

Their eyes met Karyl\'s.

I never imagined we’d meet like this.

Karyl watched the man, bound and restrained, being led away. His thoughts had entangled.

Suan Hazar...was a wanted man?

This was something Karyl, even with his knowledge from the previous life, had not anticipated.

What happened during these three years that I don’t know about?

He needed to gather his thoughts.

If my memory serves right, after the Oracles descended, Olivurn introduced him to me as someone capable of navigating the route to Tatur for a surprise attack to conquer the Principality.

He vivdly remembered their first meeting, thanks to the man\'s kindly face and sturdy build.

How could a criminal caught by the knight order become a guild master here? It was strange.

But more importantly, he was the only person Karyl knew who had the skills to reach Tatur.

He’s not someone who will die here, anyway.

Karyl made up his mind.

Then, I shall borrow that life.

He slowly raised his head, looking up at the lavish mansion on the hill where the man had been taken.

Karyl had decided.

The plan would be carried out at night.

***

The mansion atop the hill belonged to Baron Reige, the administrator of Piasta. He hailed from a merchant background and though distant from martial prowess, he had risen to noble status through his astute leadership of the port city\'s Merchant Guild.

Reige Myrtle’s wealth had been amassed through trade, and he was one of the few who had risen from commoner to noble status

The dazzling lights of the luxurious mansion gleamed atop the highest hill in the port city, while guards stood watch at every entrance.

It seems Reige is busy entertaining Count Harun. Well, he wouldn\'t miss this opportunity,

Karyl though, observing the mansion from the shadows.

With exceptional insight, he has amassed wealth that ranks him among the top five wealthiest individuals in the empire, regardless of social class.

However, his recent alliance with the First Prince had proven to be a misstep.

Karyl looked towards the back of the mansion, where the guards were stationed.

Reige’s current title was bought with money. Hence, he trusts no one. Despite the tight security, he has prepared escape routes for emergencies.

Unbeknownst to him, his own insecurities had created vulnerabilities in his fortress-like mansion.

Sneaking in to find the ledgers of taxes and illicit profits secretly embezzled under Olivurn’s orders turned out to be useful in this way.

Moving stealthily, Karyl made his way to the back of the mansion, skillfully avoiding the guards\' eyes. He descended the hill to an empty forest path, traversing through the familiar terrain.

His hand grasped a rusty handle—something out of place in the forest.

As expected. Karyl\'s lips curled into a faint smile.

There it is. Though I discovered this place years later, the mansion had been built long before. It is exactly as I remembered.

He scanned the surroundings and, as expected, there was no one in the forest.

While it isn’t impossible to enter from the front, the guards stationed there are no ordinary men; they\'re Viscount Harun\'s soldiers. It was better to be cautious. Furthermore, Viscount Harun, while not a Swordmaster, possessed a keen sense honed through years of knightly experience.

He was a loyal man. If not for his stubborn nature, he might have lived longer.

But such matters weren’t important at the moment. Karyl quietly opened the old door concealed within the underbrush, revealing a staircase descending into the depths of darkness.

The stench that filled the air was from the vast sewer system traversing beneath Piasta, conveniently serving as a passage connected to the mansion.

An emergency exit with dozens of branching paths, more like a maze than a sewer. That too, in a place that\'s not even the royal palace.

Baron Reige’s name hadn’t been on Karyl’s list of considerations.

This alone shows the man\'s caliber.

Covering his nose to ward off the odor, Karyl slowly descended.

***

The air in the dungeon was heavy with stifled breaths.

Suan Hazar’s face was now disfigured beyond recognition, swollen and distorted.

"Damn it..." Unable to move properly due to the pain throughout his body, he reflected on his choices.

I must have been insane. What was I thinking, chasing after riches and glory? ...I\'m no saint.

"No, if it was only for wealth and glory, I shouldn\'t have started at all,” a low chuckle echoed from within the bars. “Suan Hazar, you fool. Hahaha..."

"Hey, keep it down!" the guard on watch shouted, annoyed by the disturbance.

Su\'an clenched his teeth, shifting the shackles that bound his hands behind him. He tried to examine his body, searching for any major injuries.

At least there are no cuts, and nothing\'s broken. That\'s a small mercy.

Despite the soreness in his shoulder, he was in relatively good condition.

Perhaps... it\'s time to escape.

A small steel needle glittered between the folds of his garment. With practiced precision, Suan skillfully began to pick the lock with his tongue slightly peeking out.

But just as he heard a click, he stopped. It wasn’t because the lock had opened, but rather because of the sound of the dungeon door opening.

"...Sir!!" The soldier who had shouted at Suan earlier now cried out, his voice trembling.

"It\'s you."

Remaining silent, Su\'an slowly lifted his head, his eyes widening in shock. And from above, through a gap in the ceiling, another onlooker shared in his disbelief.

This is Impossible...

Karyl, who had infiltrated the mansion through the underground waterways, felt his heart would almost stop. If he hadn\'t decided to rescue Suan, he would never have known.

"I\'ve wanted to meet you," a voice echoed from the darkness.

How could he forget? Even after all this time, through eternity and his return, that voice remained vivid in his ears.

Olivurn...?!

The emperor whom Karyl had killed with his own hands.

No, before that, he was a comrade, a fellow warrior with whom he had overcome a battlefield filled with death. The young, intelligent gaze that met Suan’s eyes now was different from the bloodied one that had fallen, before him.

Why are you here...?

Questions swirled in Karyl’s mind. He had assumed Olivurn would be in the royal palace, not in this distant port city that could be considered a frontier.

Was it just a coincidence? Impossible.

Then, there could be only one reason.

Had the emperor, no, Olivurn, orchestrated Suan’s arrest himself?

Karyl held his breath, his eyes fixed on the two figures before him.

"Suan Hazar, or should I say..." But what Olivurn said next was even more shocking. "The Slave King."