The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 94: The End of a Bitter Tether (2)

The next morning.

Martin arrived at the Remek Forest on the northern outskirts of Amelzen City with Sien and Adel.

However, unlike usual, they hadn’t used spatial teleportation to get there.

A spatial barrier that had been cast over the city extended its influence to the surroundings, making it impossible to use the technique.

Moreover, they had to move discreetly to avoid being detected by the Gustin family.

The problem was that their difficulties were far from over.

After advancing for another 30 minutes, the group finally stopped upon reaching a wide clearing.

“It seems a bit too open to have a hidden passage, don’t you think?”

“It’s here. Just concealed,” Martin replied casually when Sien expressed her doubts.

He then opened his subspace.

Thud.

As the space split open, three shovels fell onto the ground.

“What we’re going to do now is dig right here. The entrance is hidden below.”

“…Couldn’t you just locate it with spatial detection, my lord?”

“I’d love to, but this time it’s impossible. The passage has a magic circle embedded in it that prevents my ability from detecting it.”

“What about reverse detection, using that to find it?”

“This is a path tied to the fate of a noble family. Don’t you think they’d go to any length to prevent detection? I’m sure even the Bitenfeld family’s secret passageways are similarly guarded…”

“Fine! I’ll do it, okay?”

“No one’s forcing you. If you’re unwilling, you can turn back.”

“Haa. Now I understand why people say there’s always something aggravating about you, my lord.”

Adel looked at Martin with an exasperated expression.

Seeing this, Sien gave her a playful smile and patted her on the shoulder.

“Don’t let it stress you out too much. Like I said on the way here, if you give up, it’s much easier.”

“You’re one to talk, Sien.”

“Still, I’m more used to it than you are.”

Sien replied slyly as always.

Seeing her, Adel eventually shook her head.

It was nice having new friends, but she found herself being teased a lot more than before.

‘I chose this path, though.’

Adel sighed.

Yet she still gripped her shovel.

Sien followed suit, but she didn’t start digging immediately.

She still had a question for Martin.

“I don’t mind working, but wouldn’t it be easier to bring more people, especially if we’re digging up such a large area? I know we can’t bring too many due to the passage, but still…”

“This is a noble family’s secret passage, after all. Who knows how we might need it in the future? Fewer people who know about it, the better. That’s why I brought only those I trust.”

“Trust…”

Adel murmured, her face blank.

It was a word she’d never heard from her own blood relatives, yet here it was.

Sien, noticing Adel’s expression, laughed again.

“I can see you’re touched, but don’t let it fool you. He’s just looking to make use of us.”

“Don’t twist someone’s genuine intentions, Sien.”

“Oh, please.”

Thunk.

Sien chuckled at Martin and then stabbed her shovel into the ground.

She began digging quickly.

Adel and Martin joined in, but no matter how fast they dug, they couldn’t keep up with Sien.

Thud, thud, thud!

Not just digging, Sien was practically tearing up the ground around them.

Martin watched with a smile as she worked.

‘And that’s exactly why we didn’t need more people.’

When you had someone who could work as hard as several, what was the need for others?

Just watching her work was reassuring.

In mere minutes, the ground was filled with variously sized holes.

And their effort didn’t go to waste.

Clang!

The sound was different from before.

It was the sound of metal striking metal.

“This is it…”

Realizing what she’d hit, Sien quickly cleared away the surrounding dirt. Moments later, she shouted in excitement.

“I found it!”

“Well done!”

Martin beamed as he looked at the pit in front of Sien, where iron stairs and a magic circle were visible beneath.

Night had fallen, but his sharp gaze pierced through the darkness to the very end of the passage.

“The Gustin family’s estate should be at the other end of this… Since this path was meant as an escape route, I’d assume there won’t be any traps, right, my lord?”

“Right. Besides, only the lord and heir are aware of this route, so no one will be guarding it.”

“Haa. So, at least we can relax until we reach our destination.”

“Yes, this is our final rest stop.”

Martin replied to Adel, stealing his resolve once again.

The time to kill a certain someone who deserved far worse was close.

In the back of his mind, he wondered.

‘I wonder what expression you’ll make, Kalain?’

He wanted him to drop his act as the paragon of knighthood and reveal his true, filthy nature.

“Sien, could you pull out a small mana stone lamp?”

“Got it.”

Sien rummaged through her bag, and soon a warm glow lit up the hole.

Martin descended the stairs first, with the two women following close behind.

Below, an alloy passage stretched as far as they could see.

Undeterred, they pressed forward, concentrating on keeping their bodies in optimal condition.

After hours of walking, Martin’s eyes suddenly shone intensely.

At the end of the passage, he saw a door, roughly the size of an adult man.

“We’re finally here, my lord. What’s the plan? Should we launch a surprise attack since it’s nighttime?”

“That’s not a bad idea, but… since we’ve come this far, why not go for an all-out assault?”

“I like the sound of that.”

Sien grinned widely at Martin’s suggestion.

Meanwhile, Adel shook her head, knowing there was no other way.

A quiet hum resonated.

From his subspace, the hilt of the holy sword Karadyl emerged, and Martin grasped it firmly.

Sien and Adel each drew their own swords as well.

Among them, Martin was the first to swing his blade.

Shaaak!

With a golden aura blade emanating from his sword, he slashed through the door, which instantly shattered.

Beyond the entrance, an elegant courtyard awaited them, but Martin ignored it and raised his voice.

“By the command of Martin Adalbert! Traitor Kalain Gustin, kneel and surrender!”

His loud declaration shattered the silence of the night.

“Enemies! There are enemies in the courtyard!”

“Don’t be deceived by the enemy’s tricks! There’s no way Martin Adalbert could be here! Neutralize them at once!”

“What rude fools, casually throwing around the lord’s name,” Sien scoffed.

“Well, what can you expect? They probably weren’t properly educated by their traitorous masters,” Adel replied.

“Then let’s be the ones to teach them,” Sien said, moving to Martin’s side along with Adel.

“That works for me.”

Martin responded, gripping his sword hilt tighter.

“Confirm if it’s really him or not!”

Slash!

Martin’s golden aura blade sliced through the air, splitting two charging guards in half.

“Aaaargh!”

“Shoot! Fire, now!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The guards swarmed them, pulling the triggers of their mana guns, unleashing a rain of bullets toward the trio.

Right on cue, Sien stepped in front of Martin.

Clang! Clang!

The metallic sounds echoed as every bullet ricocheted off her defense.

“Why aren’t you helping me too, Sien?” Adel asked playfully.

“You have an Illusion Form, don’t you?”

Sien replied with a grin, smiling back at Adel.

Their gaze met for only a moment before both women charged at the guards.

“Bringing them along was definitely a good choice,” Martin thought to himself, nodding with satisfaction.

—

“What did you say?!”

Kalain Gustin, the captain of the reserve forces, shot to his feet.

He rushed out of his office, his face twisted in shock.

“What are you talking about? How could Martin Adalbert possibly be here…?”

Boom!

The deafening noise cut off Kalain’s words.

As a seasoned warrior himself, he instantly recognized it.

It wasn’t the sound of cannon fire, but of aura colliding with aura blades.

There was no doubt—the enemy had breached the mansion.

“The outer walls shouldn’t have been breached yet.”

Hadn’t they just received word that the main forces of the Adalbert family had only recently arrived?

With the combined forces of the Gustin family and the two Elders, it was unlikely that even the Adalbert family’s full forces could overwhelm them so easily.

Meaning, Martin had found another way in.

“How many are there?” Kalain demanded.

“Three, sir! Sien Igreet and Adel von Bitenfeld are with him! The soldiers are trying to hold them off, but it’s only a matter of time!”

“Damn it!”

“Standing around isn’t going to help, Acting Commander. Right now, the priority is to kill him, isn’t it?”

As Kalain hesitated, a gruff voice cut through his thoughts.

He glanced quickly in its direction.

A man clad in a jet-black uniform devoid of any insignia walked out from the hall on the first floor.

Though he addressed Kalain as “commander,” there wasn’t a hint of respect in his gaze.

Kalain found this irritating, but he masked his displeasure; he had no one to rely on but this man for the time being.

“Is it possible to hunt down Martin Adalbert with only two squads of the Black Night Knights? Mind you, he has Sien Igreet and Adel von Bitenfeld with him.”

“Three of them, that’s all. They’re no match for the Black Night Knights, who’ve been trained to hunt rampaging nonhumans without rest.”

The Black Night Knights.

The Marquis Royce’s secret third order of knights.

Typically, they operated under the guise of an adventuring party, but the truth was quite different.

They were notorious for roaming the continent, capturing and selling nonhuman beings into slavery—the most despicable of all knightly orders.

Currently, Vice-Captain Rudolf Büst and twenty of his knights were stationed at the Gustin mansion, serving as reserve forces for the Gustin family.

‘Rudolf Büst is at the 6th Circle. Both squad leaders are at the 5th Circle, with the other knights ranging between the 3rd and 4th Circles.’

In terms of strength, they were on par with Martin’s group, if not stronger, especially with their well-coordinated tactics.

“Just give the order, Acting Commander. We’ll bring you Martin Adalbert’s head. After all, you’ve made a good contribution so I can report to the Marquis.”

“Keep your flattery to yourself, Rudolf Büst. Black Night Knights, gather.”

Swoosh.

As Kalain spoke, twenty men appeared, as if materializing out of thin air.

They formed two lines, ten in each row, assembling behind Rudolf Büst.

“As Acting Commander, I order you to kill Martin Adalbert immediately—”

Boom!

Kalain’s command was cut short.

The front door of the first floor had just been blown apart.

Step, step, step.

Three figures entered the mansion, and Kalain ground his teeth when he recognized the one at the front.

“It’s been a while, Kalain. Have you been well?”

“…Martin Adalbert.”

“There’s a lot I’d like to discuss, but let me start with this: congratulations. You’re finished.”

Martin wore his widest smile as he spoke.

The Gustin family was, without a doubt, a nexus of malicious ties, and the man before him was the worst of them all.

He was determined to bring an end to this long-standing grudge through the battle that was about to unfold.

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