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chapter 152




“The man named Jenta is probably the King of Darkness . ”
Frey tilted his head slightly at Jekid’s words . (TL: author put ‘lucid’ here but I’m sure it’s a typo)
“The King of Darkness?”
“That’s right . He’s a legend in the underworld since he has assassinated not only high ranking nobles, but even royalty . Although it was just a member of a royal family from a small country… Nevertheless, his techniques are so clever and tricky that they couldn’t find any traces of him even after scouring the entire country . ”
He sighed .
“If we didn’t have the client’s testimony and see the contract, we’d have treated the King of Darkness as a fictional character . ”
“…”
Frey recalled Jenta’s face .
From what he’d seen, he was sure that Jenta was a top class assassin . But he never would have imagined that he was a legendary assassin who had even assassinated a member of a royal family .  
This wasn’t something that was possible simply by having the ability to assassinate people .
Having clients who would even request the assassination of a member of a royal family meant that he at least had that much influence in the underworld .
“He’s from ‘Hitume Ikar’, so we can start looking for his traces there . ”
Hitume Ikar was an island country that was located in the southeastern part of the continent . It was a country with a very unique personality and national power that couldn’t be ignored, but it was known to be rather closed off, making it very difficult for outsiders to enter or exit its borders .
“Fortunately, there is a branch of our circle in Hitume Ikar . We also have a few connections there . We’ll use them to start looking for Jenta . ”
“You should be careful . For the Demigods, the Apostles are simply tools . It’s possible that they would set him as bait . ”
“Of course, I know that . Don’t worry . If we didn’t know how to move secretly, the Circle would have been destroyed long ago .
Jekid said this and the Lucid Swords left the Jun family residence . (TL: lucid again)
The next person Frey talked to was the Circle Master of the Phisfounder Armlets, Altan .
He was with Sheryl and the other executives of the circle .
“Kaltud is a High class Demon . Have you actually seen him?”
When he nodded, the question continued .
“What does he look like?”
“Red skin . His eyes didn’t have whites . And his attitude was strange… to the point where he didn’t even seem like a Demon . ”
“…”
Altan turned to look at a man in his group, who lowered his head when Frey also turned to look at him .
“I’m Jullian, a Force Honor of the Phisfounder Armlets . I was Kaltud’s Contractor . I think the Demon Rounder Frey is talking about is Kaltud, my previous contract . ”
“Is it possible for a High class Demon to live on the continent?”
“It’s possible in theory . But it would take tens of thousands of lives to perform a ritual like that . It’s not very efficient…”
“…”
Frey frowned for a moment .
It was a little unpleasant that he didn’t mention the ethics or moral repercussions of such actions, but instead looked at the efficiency .
However, he knew that it wasn’t done maliciously . It was simply that all Contractors were like this .  \nTherefore, Frey wouldn’t say anything about it .  
“Kaltud suddenly disappeared about 15 years ago . He wouldn’t even respond to my summons . The Demons are naturally capricious, but Kaltud was particularly severe, so I didn’t find it strange since our contract was about to end soon anyway…”
Julien sighed .
“But if he came to the continent with his true body then it’s natural that my calls couldn’t reach him . ”
“Is there any way to track him?”
“It’s not difficult . The Demon’s evil energy isn’t something that they can hide easily . But I can’t guarantee how long it would take . ”
“The Lucid Swords are responsible for finding Jenta . So we’ll take charge of finding Kaltud . ”
Frey nodded at Altan’s words .
Sheryl, too, bowed her head slightly before following Altan .  
Her tracking skills were among the best in the Phisfounder Armlets, so she might as well cooperate in the pursuit of Kaltud .
Frey then returned with the Trowman Rings group to their hideout .
It felt like returning home after a long trip, but he didn’t have time to rest .  
He immediately took Beniang to a clearing . Then he said to Beniang, who was staring at him with a nervous expression .
“Master Beniang, starting from today, I’ll teach you how to fight Demigods . ”
“T-, to me?!”
Frey looked at her shocked expression .
“I’d like Master Beniang to accompany me to Silkid . Don’t you want to help repay the Demigods for the massacre they committed there?”
“De-, Demigod subjugation!”
Beniang tried to forcibly suppress her stutter .  
It was true that she had matured a bit over the past few months, but she hadn’t grown to the extent that she was prepared to have an all-out war with the Demigods .
“…could I really help?”
“I heard it from Hector . He said your skill with handling your Dragon Heart has increased significantly . ”
Beniang hesitated for a moment before nodding .
Hector’s advice had been incredibly effective . It wasn’t that Frey’s advice had been wrong, but that the words of Hector, who was once a Dragon himself and had his own Dragon heart, was worth its weight in gold .
Thanks to that, Beniang was able to control the power of the Dragon Heart to an extent .
“I heard you can use Dragontongue twice a day . ”
“Yes . If I try to use more than that, I’ll lose consciousness . ”
“Dragontongue is one of the most effective ways to threaten the Demigods . What I’m focused on isn’t on how many times you can use it, but the fact that you can use it in the first place . ”
Frey spoke in a firm tone .
Indeed, the reason that the Dragons were able to fight off the Demigods for so long was because of the devastating power of Dragontongue, a power that was inherent for the Dragons .
Demigods could endure 9 star spells, powerful sword energy, and even the Warrior King’s Fist, but they had no resistance to Dragontongue .
Two times a day wasn’t much, but depending on how it was used, it might play a crucial role in the fight against Agni .
To do that, first, he had to teach her the fundamental rules to remember in a fight against Demigods .
“But before that, I’m curious as to how strong Master Beniang is . ”
Beniang’s face went pale . \n“W-, with your ability, we don’t have to fight to do that, do we?”
“It would be more accurate to measure you in this way than just by looking . Get ready . ”
Frey planned to head to Silkid in a week or two . To be precise, he planned to go there when Anastasia was finished .
‘I need the power of that Golem . ’
Although he was stronger now, the opponent this time was an Apocalypse, not a normal Demigod .
There was no reason not to use Schweiser’s final masterpiece for the battle .
“U-, uhh . ”
On the other hand, a look of despair came upon Beniang’s face as she recalled her past experiences .
* * *
Most of the Trowman Ring’s members left the hideout .
They seemed to have returned to their hometowns so that they could monitor the situation as had been decided by the Circle .
Because of this, the hideout, which wasn’t that large, suddenly became empty, but Beniang didn’t notice this .
“Come on . Do you think that’s enough pressure to stop a Demigod?”
“So-, sorry!”
Beniang shouted a reply and used Dragontongue once again .
Hector looked at this before clicking his tongue .
“I really do think it’s better to be strict as you said . Did you already figure out her personality?”
“Master Beniang is a passive person . She’s not weak-willed, but she’s not driven, and she’s not aware of just what her limits are . Therefore, she needs training that would pull her from the front, and push her from the back . ”
It was a bit coercive, but it was also very effective .
This was one fact that Hector could agree with .
“But how is her talent?”
“She’s pretty good for a Half Dragon, but there are still some limitations . ”
“Do you not think she’d be helpful in a fight?”
“It’s not that… I just feel that it’s a shame . She’s a half, but it’s more because her disposition is as you said . ”
“Disposition?”
“It’s too moderate . I can feel that she doesn’t like fighting . If you don’t have the right mindset, you can’t get very far . Regardless of what field you’re in . ”
“Aren’t Green Dragons originally a pacifist clan?”
Hector turned his head at those words .
“Who told you that bullshit?”
“Well…”
It was the time that Hector, who was normally gentle and cheerful, had ever expressed anger so openly .
And in front of this reaction, Frey couldn’t help but sweat slightly .  
Hector continued talking in the same disbelieving tone . ”
“What do you know? They were a clan with dual personalities . When they want to be peaceful then there’s nothing wrong with it, but when they go crazy, it’s like they don’t care about anything anymore . And you wouldn’t even know what makes them angry cause they wouldn’t tell you even if you asked . When I think about all the times those sons of bitches hurt me…”
His tone grew harsher by the second, and there seemed to be an illusion of fire billowing behind his back . \nFrey looked at him .
“What type of Dragon were you, Hector?”
“A Red Dragon . ”
Frey was immediately convinced .
“Anyway, let’s head over to Paragon as soon as Beniang is done here . It might be finished already . ”
He didn’t even need to ask what ‘it’ was .
It had been a week since he’d started training Beniang, and from what he had been told, he knew that Anastasia should be finished soon .
* * *
When Frey and Hector arrived at the Paragon hideout, they immediately headed towards the workshop .
There they found Diablo and Cairo standing in front of a silver-haired girl laying on a table with her eyes closed .
Hector looked down at this beautiful girl and laughed happily .
“The three best alchemists on the continent joined forces to create a Golem! You could probably buy a few castles with the price of the materials! As for the unbelievable Golem core made by the Great Sage, Schweiser Strow, during the Age of Light? Hoohoo! There will probably not be another Golem who could match up to this child for the next few hundreds of years . ”
Frey thought that his rant was a bit exaggerated, but Cairo and Diablo agreed with him .  
It was exactly as he said .
The power that this fragile looking girl possessed had long surpassed the known limits of Golems . In all honesty, even they weren’t entirely sure how powerful the girl was at that moment .
Hector walked up to the Golem and flipped her over . Then, he began to reach for her clothes before pausing and looking back .
“Would you please respect our Ana’s privacy?”
“What are you talking about?”
“She’s at the age where she would be greatly embarrassed by something like this, so please turn your backs…”
[Enough of your nonsense, put the core in . ]
When Diablo said those words coldly, Hector shook his head .
“You guys, don’t ever have a daughter in the future . ”
Then Hector began taking off the Golem’s clothes .
What was revealed was smooth back skin . The Golem’s skeleton, skin and even hair were such that it was almost indistinguishable from a normal human .  
Just from looking at it, it would be impossible to tell that it was actually a Golem .
“Frey, core . ”
Frey handed over the core, and Hector took it and placed it on the Golem’s back .
Shuk .
Then, the core was absorbed into the Golem’s body .
“Stand back . ”
Hector stepped back with a slightly nervous face .
Babump-
Suddenly, a heartbeat could be heard .
Those in the room all stared at the Golem, Anastasia, with serious expressions .
Babump-
The beating sound was heard again . This time, it was followed by a small ripple of energy .
Anastasia’s core had an output of 1 million ME, which was absolutely terrifying .
‘If you only consider the mana capacity, it will surpass Diablo . ’
Mana capacity wasn’t something that was a very important factor, but it was still a great tool .
In particular, Diablo had lived for more than 1,000 years, so his mana capacity was enormous .
“What synergy! The core has 1 million ME, but the power it can exercise has already surpassed that! Hahaha!”
Hector was filled with joy, laughing like an old buffalo . At the same time, his eyes were filled with affection, similar to a father looking at their little baby .  
Shuk .
Then Anastasia opened her eyes, allowing Frey to see them for the first time .
It was a clear, deep turquoise .  
She blinked a few times before speaking in a confused voice .
“…the time… how much…”
After going silent for a moment, she spoke once again .
“4,000 years… 7 months, and… 23 days… mm . A lot has passed . ”
She pressed a hand on her temple before looking to the side .
“Then are you the future generation who woke me up? It’s a lot later than I expected, but… I’m happy that mankind hasn’t gone extinct yet . I have so many questions . ”
“Wh-, what are you talking about… who are you?”
Anastasia laughed and gave a shocking reply .
“I am Schweiser Strow . ”
“…Gre-, Great Sage Strow!”
Cairo shouted out in surprise, and Frey clenched his fist subconsciously .
Anastasia chuckled .
“Huhu . It seems my reputation still persists even after 4,000 years . That makes me happy . After all, geniuses shouldn’t be forgotten, no matter how much time passes . ”
Then she frowned and touched her throat . (TL:…not sure which pronoun to use…)
“But the voice is a bit strange . Quite similar to a young girl…”
Anastasia finally looked down at her body .  
Shuk .
At that moment, because her clothes had been loosened so that they could put in the core, he was able to see a lot of flesh with that small movement .
“…”
“…”
No one could speak for a while .
It was as if time had stopped, and space had frozen .
In the end, it was Anastasia who broke the silence .
“Crazy . ”