Chapter 48. A Stab in the Back (1)
Mitchell stabilized his energy and stood.
He could sense the energy flowing around him far more clearly.
Power overflowed throughout his entire body.
Did I really become a 6th Rank Aura User in one go?
It had only been possible because Calian guided the overflowing energy.
Without Calian, Mitchell would not have reached the 6th Rank.
He probably would have suffered severe internal injuries before even reaching the 5th.
Mitchell spoke with genuine gratitude.
“Thank you, Master.”
[Yes. It’s all thanks to me...]
Calian answered awkwardly.
Then he sighed and continued.
[Of course, your realization and the Nightmare Horse’s core also helped greatly. The core stabilized the explosive amount of Dark Aura entering your body.]
Mitchell understood what had happened after hearing Calian.
He thought of the Nightmare Horse and smiled.
It felt like he now had another reason to treat Nox well.
While Mitchell stood there, Grant approached him.
“You reached the 6th Rank. Congratulations.”
There was no surprise at all on Grant’s face.
Mitchell himself was shocked despite personally experiencing it.
Grant’s calm reaction felt strange.
So Mitchell asked why.
“Mitchell, I learned something new.”
“What?”
“If you become too shocked, reality stops feeling real. From now on, when something happens around you, I’m just going to accept it. The world is huge. Lots of things probably happen that common sense can’t explain.”
Grant’s answer sounded like a wise sage.
Mitchell shook his head while looking at the enlightened Grant.
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s go back. That took longer than expected.”
When Mitchell looked at the sky, the sun was already setting.
Several hours had passed.
The two returned and headed toward Lauren’s tent, which was being used as a temporary laboratory.
Lauren frowned when he saw them enter.
“I can’t sense anything from either of you.”
They felt like ordinary people who had never learned martial arts.
That was the sign shown by people who had reached a certain level.
In other words, 6th Rank martial artists or mages of a similar level.
Lauren stared at both of them.
Then his mouth dropped open.
“Don’t tell me both of you?!”
“Yes. We reached the 6th Rank.”
At Mitchell’s answer, Sylvia and Tulgram, who had been discussing something, snapped their heads up.
“Grant! You finally succeeded?! Father is going to be so happy!”
“Sylvia... I don’t think that’s the most important thing.”
“Huh?”
Tulgram pointed out what she had missed.
Sylvia tilted her head as if she still did not understand.
“He just said both of them reached the 6th Rank.”
“Oh, come on. I must have heard wrong. Mitchell was only 4th Rank. How could he suddenly become 6th Rank? Right, Mitchell? Huh...?”
Sylvia turned her head while speaking.
She looked at Mitchell and Grant.
Then she blinked.
A moment later, she realized the impossible thing she had just mentioned was actually true.
While the three remained stunned, Grant walked over and sat on a chair.
“You don’t need to doubt it. I saw it myself.”
“Then why are you so calm?”
Grant shrugged at Lauren’s question.
“Because Mitchell did it.”
Regardless of Grant’s reaction, the three spent a long time asking questions.
Only after Mitchell roughly explained it as being because of enlightenment and the core did the tent finally become quiet.
“Father’s going to lose his mind...”
“You said earlier he’d be happy.”
“Can’t he be happy and lose his mind at the same time?”
Grant nodded at Sylvia’s words and clapped his hands.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s get over the shock and talk about our situation.”
Mitchell gave Grant a small grateful nod and spoke.
“The facilities for the mana car business are progressing well. I think I’ll step back now. Lauren, please take full responsibility again like before.”
“Why so suddenly?”
Mitchell thought of the Wild King.
The man’s words echoed in his ears.
They had clearly been directed at Mitchell.
If so, staying here for a long time would only become an obstacle.
“I don’t know whose orders the Wild King followed, but I think they were targeting me.”
“That isn’t certain.”
Lauren objected, but Mitchell shook his head.
“They might have been targeting our family instead of me. But it’s certain I’m included. There’s no need to deliberately keep a danger around such an important business. The family’s martial artists and you are more than enough to keep this place safe. Most importantly, I took over the mana car business. I don’t want to cause losses to my own business.”
“Hmm... If I take full responsibility for the business, where are you going?”
“There’s something I need to investigate. I’m thinking of traveling around and looking into it.”
“Because of the Other Script?”
Mitchell nodded at Lauren’s question.
Tulgram, who was nearby, spoke.
“Other Script? Do you mean the writing used by those strange people long ago?”
“Yes. We found a paper written in Other Script on the Wild King. I’m going to try translating it. Chief, how do you know about Other Script?”
“I don’t. But there’s someone in our Thunder Rock Tribe who is very interested in those strange people. He once saw a sword they used and fell in love with it. That fellow may know a little about their Other Script too.”
Mitchell’s face brightened.
Because the Empire had erased the information long ago, he had no idea where to begin.
Now a clue had appeared from an unexpected place.
Besides, had Mitchell not already promised Tulgram he would rescue the tribe?
Ultimately, they needed the Thunder Rock Tribe to mine mana stones reliably.
So rescuing them would help everyone.
There was only one problem.
Grant said it aloud.
“They’re in the middle of a war. How are we supposed to interfere? Even if we find where they are, rescuing them won’t be easy.”
Mitchell thought for a moment.
After thinking for a while, he spoke.
“You’re right. It won’t be easy. So we need to create an opening.”
“It isn’t that simple. They’re competing for the position of ruler of the North. If we interfere carelessly, Runei could get dragged into the war.”
Grant was worried that the swords of Braxton, Winslow, and Ashton might all turn toward Runei.
Mitchell understood that concern.
He patted Grant’s shoulder and smiled.
“Runei and our identities must not be revealed. If they learn the Thunder Rock Tribe is with Runei, it’ll only be a matter of time before the mana stone vein is discovered.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“We have Nox. And our realms increased at exactly the right time.”
A plan began filling Mitchell’s mind.
Mitchell had a plan.
But he could not decide and execute something this important alone.
So Mitchell and Grant headed toward Ranga.
They passed through the lively streets and entered the main estate.
Many people warmly greeted them.
Eventually, Mitchell reached the family head’s office.
He knocked and opened the door.
“Come in. But why did you come without contacting me? Weren’t you in the middle of subjugating bandits?”
“The bandit subjugation is over. Something important happened related to it, so I came to report.”
Cayden had been gesturing for them to sit.
Then he suddenly frowned.
He realized that both men now felt ordinary.
Like Lauren, Cayden had reached the 6th Rank.
His senses were sharp enough to notice immediately.
His reaction was also similar to Lauren’s.
When Mitchell and Grant told him they had reached the 6th Rank, Cayden jumped.
“W-What?! Grant, I can understand, but how did you?!”
His shout was so loud that startled martial artists rushed into the office.
Mitchell sent them away and explained.
Only then did Cayden sit again.
Of course, he still looked dazed.
“Haa... Mitchell. Keep this information from spreading outside if possible.”
Normally, revealing that a family had gained a new expert was one of the best ways to raise its reputation.
Even so, Cayden gave that up and chose Mitchell’s safety.
“Fortunately, thanks to Kellion, most information about you has already been hidden. Unless someone personally fought you, they probably don’t know your actual rank. Once you become a Master, few people will dare touch you. Until then, it would be better to hide it as much as possible.”
There were many people in the world who wanted to break or trample saplings before they had properly taken root.
Whether because of jealousy or some other purpose, a sapling broken once rarely grew properly again.
And to Cayden, Mitchell looked like someone who would one day become a massive tree.
Then as a father, was it not his duty to protect him?
Cayden spoke out of that concern.
But Mitchell’s answer was the exact opposite of what he expected.
“I was already planning to hide it. I think we need to hurry with the rescue of the Thunder Rock Tribe.”
However, Cayden did not interrupt Mitchell.
His heart wanted to immediately say no because it was dangerous.
But he trusted that Grant and Mitchell would not speak without thinking.
And Mitchell’s plan was not bad.
After hearing the entire explanation, Cayden sighed deeply and spoke.
“So you intend to use your mobility to cause chaos behind the three families. Won’t you be discovered quickly? You already fought Braxton martial artists before. They may recognize you.”
“We won’t use the family’s martial arts. And now that our ranks increased so much, they won’t easily think of us.”
As far as the world knew, Cayden was the only 6th Rank Aura User in Runei.
If two unknown experts suddenly appeared and moved around, the three families would suspect each other before Runei.
“They may even think another major family from another region is helping someone.”
“So Runei won’t be suspected?”
“Yes. This method only works now, while no one knows Grant and I reached the 6th Rank.”
Cayden tapped the armrest.
Eventually, he nodded.
“But if it looks dangerous, you must run. No matter what.”
“Don’t worry.”
Grant answered confidently.
Cayden frowned.
“You’re the one I’m most worried about. Anyway, I’ll look for martial arts useful for hiding your identity.”
“That’s alright. I already know something. If we use it, neither of us should be recognized easily.”
Cayden looked curious.
Then he nodded.
At least they had another way to make things safer.
“You’ll handle it yourselves. I have something to tell you too. I started preparing after hearing about this last time.”
Cayden opened a desk drawer and placed a stack of papers in front of Mitchell and Grant.
“It’s a report on the Thunder Rock Tribe. Don’t take it outside. Read everything here.”
Mitchell and Grant immediately opened the documents.
Cayden added an explanation.
“Before the war fully started, they were imprisoned beneath a workshop operated by Braxton.”
“Hmm... But now their location is unknown.”
“Yes. Still, there is somewhere I roughly suspect.”
Mitchell continued reading the report.
Then he realized what Cayden meant.
The report said Braxton had purchased large amounts of equipment used to develop mines.
“It looks like they found a new mine. And we suspect it’s a gold mine.”
“Exactly. I think they may be there. Braxton moved very carefully, so we don’t know where the new mine is. They’re probably storing wealth in preparation for a long war.”
Once a gold mine began producing, enormous wealth would flow in.
That alone could give a family a large advantage in war.
So Braxton would naturally hide it as much as possible to prevent attacks.
Mitchell finally understood why Cayden had shown him the report.
“The more chaos you cause, the more intense the war will become.”
“Then they’ll spend more money, so they’ll have to use the gold they’ve been hiding.”
And once the gold entered circulation, it could naturally be traced.
Mitchell now knew what he needed to do.
He stood, bowed to Cayden, and looked at Grant.
“Let’s go quickly.”
“We’re attacking immediately?”
“No. We need to learn martial arts first.”
Mitchell already knew where to obtain martial arts useful for fighting without revealing their connection to the Runei Family.
[Anyone listening would think you had stored martial arts with me for safekeeping.]
Of course, some flattery would probably be required.
