Chapter 221

After listening to their story, it became clear that these people weren’t part of the future rebel army Altos would eventually lead. They were an older resistance group that had been operating in the shadows for a long time.

So Altos didn’t create the organization from scratch. He must’ve teamed up with an existing group, then climbed his way to the top and dragged the whole thing into a civil war.

Do-Jin didn’t remember much about the Rumanus Republic either. Disasters were blowing up everywhere back then, monsters were pouring in nonstop, and the world had been a complete mess. It wasn’t easy to keep detailed memories of some closed-off dictatorship tucked away on the edge of the continent. All he really remembered were bits and pieces he’d picked up from adventurers’ guilds, taverns, and inns, plus the wanted posters of Altos plastered all over the place.

Either way, they’re not acting openly as a resistance yet. Something pushed these guys into pulling a stunt this reckless, even though they were keeping their heads down.

This was the background behind Altos sneaking into the Empire and doing something as brain-dead as kidnapping mages.

“Not long ago, the Republic held a full military inspection. During the event, the Consul unveiled a newly formed magitech unit. It turned out that imperial mages had crossed over and cooperated with him to make it happen,” the woman explained.

The resistance operating in Rumanus was already barely keeping their heads above water. All it took was the slightest slip for comrades to get dragged off, tortured to death, then dissolved in industrial acid and dumped down a sewer. That was their reality. And now, mages were cozying up to the Consul, a dictator with absolute power who might as well have been a demon king. They’d clearly lost their minds.

“Chimera cavalry and heavily armored troops equipped with magitech gear stood out the most. The monsters prepared for the demonstration were torn apart by the armored soldiers like they were berserkers. Watching it felt like seeing the Republic’s future get ripped to shreds.”

At that point, a chill ran down Do-Jin’s spine. “Anything else? What about those mages working with the Consul? You got details on them?”

“No. You can see why. We took a massive risk just coming here to try and get information in the first place.”

“So you decided to kidnap any mage who looked weak enough and squeeze answers out of them.”

Her face flushed red. Even she knew how stupid it sounded.

“We weren’t expecting to figure everything out in one go. We just wanted some insight into the Empire’s internal situation and what was going on in the Magic World. That was supposed to be the starting point.” As she spoke, her gaze flicked nervously toward the ground. “I’ve told you everything I know. We’ll make up for attacking you somehow, so please, get the people you buried back out.”

Do-Jin flicked a finger. At the same time, the people buried underground were pulled back up. They were unconscious from the lack of oxygen down there, but faint breathing could be heard.

“Lord Altos.” The woman panicked and stumbled toward him, then froze when she realized what she’d just said. She’d called out the Consul’s son’s name without thinking.

Do-Jin let out a tired sigh and pointed at him. “That’s the Consul’s son?”

He already knew, but there was no reason to pass up free confirmation.

The woman went pale and bit her lip. With everything she’d already spilled, she’d basically bet her life and her organization’s future. Letting that slip on top of it had to feel like a death sentence.

Do-Jin spoke to her as she stood there frozen. “They’re just knocked out, so stop worrying about them. Pick up where you left off with that new unit you were just talking about. Share every little detail you can remember.”

For her, this was a chance to redirect his attention somewhere else. She desperately dug through her memories and started explaining in detail. “Even accounting for them being handpicked elites, they were huge. They were wearing incredibly heavy armor. The Consul called them magitech armored troops. The strange part was that their helmets covered even their eyes, but a red glow was leaking out from inside.”

“And what about the Chimeras? Were they normal Chimeras?”

“No. They were way more disgusting than anything I imagined. They called it a Chimera cavalry, but their legs were like insect legs. The kind you’d expect on a cockroach.”

Do-Jin let out a deep sigh.

At this point, what other reason could there be for these assholes to suddenly come after him if not the Church of Ruin? Those motherfuckers must’ve figured it was too hard to pull their usual shit inside the Empire, so they shifted their focus to Rumanus.

Using oversized insects for Chimera fusion and deploying magitech units with glowing red eyes were both tricks the Church of Ruin loved to use later on.

“You can laugh at us if you want. You can think we’re a joke. But our loyalty to our Republic isn’t fake.”

“I mean, yeah, you do look pathetic and stupid. But I sighed because I think I know exactly who those assholes are that glued themselves to your Consul.”

“Really?!” she shouted loud enough to make his ears ache.

“Why the hell would I lie in a situation like this?”

Her eyes shook violently. She was in no position to ask for anything. She should’ve been begging to stay alive and pleading with him not to expose their organization. On top of that, they were the ones who’d attacked him first. It was beyond embarrassing to try and bargain. However, she tried to push it anyway.

“We’ll pay for your information in any way—”

“But even if you find out who they are, what the hell can you actually do about it?” Do-Jin shut her down cold.

The woman paused for a moment before arguing, “Still, it’s better than getting screwed without knowing anything.”

That was when Altos woke up. He groaned and pushed his forehead against the ground as he lifted his head.

Do-Jin looked at him and smirked. “You woke up without a princess’ kiss. What a diligent prince.”

Altos looked at the woman who, in turn, lowered her head.

“Don’t look at her like that. If she hadn’t talked, you’d still be buried alive.”

“It sounds like you’ve heard quite a bit already. So what are you planning to do now?” he said flatly.

“Hmm.” Do-Jin opened his hand and then folded one finger down. “I report that Rumanus agents are kidnapping mages inside the Empire.”

As the color drained from all their faces, he continued listing the options. “I could also just handle it myself. Or I could report it to the Magic Tower I belong to and make it a big issue. I could file a formal complaint to the Rumanus Republic and demand compensation. Or... I could just sell you all out to your Consul.”

The woman started shaking uncontrollably as she was the one who spilled everything. She’d tried to save Altos, but now the number of lives hanging off Do-Jin’s lips had exploded.

“If money is what you want—”

“We’ll do anything!”

The woman cut Altos off. She looked ready to become a slave if she was told to or bite off her own tongue if she was ordered.

Do-Jin wanted neither. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. The guys who got close to your Consul, I want them gone too. I don’t trust you to handle it cleanly even if I feed you information, so I’m thinking I’ll just deal with it myself.”

He then pointed at Altos. “You’re gonna help me.”

Altos stared back and rattled. “You can’t just say that out of nowhere. Why the hell should we trust you?”

Do-Jin snorted. “I could kill you all right here, but I’m not going to. I could sell you to the Empire or the Republic for a fat price, but I’m not doing that either. If that’s not proof enough, then I don’t know what more you want.”

Although Altos couldn’t argue against that, it was still difficult to accept.

This mage is the first one we approached after infiltrating the Empire.

And he just happened to be a monster. What were the odds that this guy would also have a connection to the mages who’d gotten close to the Rumanus Consul? It seemed more than just a coincidence.

Don’t tell me he’s trying to dig deeper into us and rip the whole thing out by the roots...

No, that was even less likely. Thinking that the mage they just happened to attack might be connected to the Consul was beyond paranoia and bordering on delusion.

“I almost can’t believe odds like this even exist... Fine. We don’t really have a choice anyway.”

The moment Altos answered, Do-Jin fully released the people who had been buried.

“I get it. The odds are bullshit. Still, try to think positive. The odds of pulling something this stupid and still being alive aren’t exactly high either, right?”

As he said that, Do-Jin pulled out his Elthomagia emblem and casually shook it.

“So be thankful. Not only did you keep your lives, but fate even sent you a high-grade mage from Elthomagia.”

There really wasn’t a better word for it than fate. The quest window floating in front of Do-Jin and the faint golden particles drifting around Altos were proof enough.

At Do-Jin’s teasing tone, Altos and the rest of the resistance hopefuls wore humiliated expressions. Still, it wasn’t like they were uniquely incompetent. History had proven over and over how terrible human judgment became when people were cornered. Even the United States, still sitting at the top as the strongest power in the real world, had its fair share of embarrassing moments.

If I am already at the point where I have to compare this to the kind of ridiculous history that’s only in bottom-tier garbage novels, then this is pretty much over.

Do-Jin finally understood why the resistance dreaming of Rumanus’s freedom had failed their coup.

“That crest is Elthomagia’s. Of all the mages we could’ve picked... the one who looked easy turned out to be an Elthomagia mage,” Altos muttered in disbelief after recognizing the emblem.

They’d seen no obvious affiliation, figured he was an easy target, and thought they could squeeze out some info about the Magic World and the Magic Society. But instead, they’d hit a wall.

Do-Jin pulled up the hood of his robe and spoke. “You can smuggle one person in, right? Me.”

To a dictator, magic was like firearms. If it spread among the oppressed, it could weaken control. It was a lethal poison to authority. That was why Rumanus didn’t allow mages to enter at all.

In the Rumanus Republic, magic and magitech belonged exclusively to the Consul and the Party. However, they wouldn’t have used an official route when they slipped out to infiltrate the Empire, and they would use the same back route when they went back in.

“It’s possible.”

“Good.”

Do-Jin had planned to sort his inventory and go out for a casual walk. Instead, he was heading for the Empire’s border. His little walk had turned into an illegal infiltration mission.