Morgid looked up at Frey with a fearful expression. He felt like an inevitable death was approaching.
Why was he angry?
Heâd never made any mistakes in front of the Demigods.
Morgid desperately rolled this problem around in his head.
The reason he was able to become the King over all his brothers was because he had the sharpest wits.
But at that moment, his brain didnât seem to be working properly, probably because of the fear of death. His tongue, which normally moved so well, was frozen stiff.
Meanwhile, Frey slowly walked up to him.
He closed his eyes tightly, trying to show as much determination as he could.
âI-, if I die, this country will be over!â
These words were said recklessly, but Frey stopped moving.
Morbid felt the aura of death, which was lingering around his neck, recede slightly.
âWhat do you mean?â
âIt worked!â
Morgid inwardly cheered loudly at this fact.
Of course, this could simply have been prolonging his death. He didnât have time to waste.
He quickly continued.
âI-, it hasnât even been five years since I succeeded the throne. I havenât fully established my authority. My brothers, who are still ambitious, would have a chance toâŠâ
âJust get to the point.â
He gulped audibly.
âIf I die, my brother will take my place as King.â
âBrother?â
âI-, I mean Jenta. Donât you know? Lord Anantaâs ApostleâŠâ
Morgid still mistook him for a Demigod.
âRight. But I heard that Jenta was exiled. How could such a person become king?â
Morgid tilted his head inwardly at those words.
The Demigods were basically indifferent to the affairs of humans. So he didnât expect this one to know about Jentaâs exile.
However, Jenta was Anantaâs Apostle. So it wasnât strange that he would know a bit more about him.
âJenta still has many supporters in Hitume Ikar! Mostly those powers in the dark! I-, itâs not just domestic! Jenta also has a strong relationship with many foreign countries. P-, possibly even more than me. I donât know just how much power Jenta has.â
Frey frowned.
This was because he thought it was truly unruly for a king to say such things.
âSomeone is amassing power to the point where they might rebel and you do nothing to pressure them or create any countermeasures?â
âAnd you can even admit that you donât know just how much power the other has?â
He couldnât help but feel that this man before him was not qualified to be king.
This irresponsibility would develop into a rebellion or a civil war and would cause great fear to spread throughout the country.
Just as Frey looked at Morgid from above.
Piht.
Projectiles were suddenly shot from above.
They were aimed at both Frey and Morgid at the same time. Or at least thatâs how it appeared at first glance.
In truth, they were mostly focused on Morgid. The ones that were sent to Frey were just to grab his attention.
Frey immediately created a barrier.
The projectiles crashed into the barrier, giving him a chance to see what they were.
âNeedles.â
They were also coated in poison.
Then, Frey felt movement from the ceiling.
Suddenly, two men in black dropped down at the same time. Their actions were swift and stealthy, with no wasted movements.
It was clear that they were trained professionals.
Flashing daggers were held in their hands.
âTheyâre aiming for Morgid.â
Crackle.
Pale lightning erupted from Freyâs body. The current traveled along the floor before touching their feet.
âKurk!â
âKuk!â
The would-be assassins convulsed violently and foamed from the mouth. They then collapsed to the floor, unable to move even a finger.
âH-, hukâŠâ
Morgid also collapsed.
It had only taken a few seconds for all of those actions to take place.
Heâd seen everything that happened, but he couldnât figure out what was going on.
Frey looked down at the convulsing assassins and said.
âWho are they?â
âA-, assassins! They are Jentaâs men. I canât believe it⊠I didnât think theyâd dare to infiltrate the royal castleâŠâ
Frey looked away from Morgid and approached the assassins.
Heâd controlled his strength, so they were still conscious.
âTell me where Jenta is.â
ââŠâ
Juk.
Purple liquid seeped from the assassinâs lips.
Frey furrowed his eyebrows.
Poison.
Were they hiding it in their mouths?
It seemed they still had the ability to move their chin.
Freyâs face crumpled with displeasure.
He hadnât thought theyâd kill themselves without hesitation. It seemed they had also been trained to do that as well.
It was then.
The space beside Frey twisted before splitting vertically. The Great Medium then walked through this rift.
She looked around before sighing.
âI thought this would be the case. Do you know what youâve done?â
Morgid blinked in confusion.
The Great Medium had suddenly appeared and started talking to the man he thought was a Demigod. As though they were acquainted.
âHow does the Great MediumâŠ?â
It was a well-known fact that the Great Medium didnât acknowledge the existence of the Demigods.
Therefore, the relationship between the Great Medium and Morgid was naturally poor.
Frey looked down at Morgid and said.
âThis man, the King, was in communication with the Demigods. He sold his pride to save his life and didnât hesitate to become a dog.â
âSo you plan to kill the king of the country?â
âWhat does his status have to do with killing this man?â
The Great Medium and Morgid both felt chills when Frey said those words. In particular, Morgid felt pressure as though someone was gripping his heart.
If Frey had decided to do it earlier, he would have been dead by now.
Since heâd become King, there hadnât been a day that heâd been able to sleep comfortably because threats to his life surrounded him.
However, this was the first time that heâd truly felt the grip of death.
âMorgid cannot be called a good king, but he did what was best for his people. If the Demigods were to reveal their fangs, then the island would be engulfed in war and many people would have died. Is that what you want to happen?â
âI think itâs better than being raised as livestock.â
ââŠthatâs just your perspective.â
ââŠâ
Frey didnât know what to say for a moment.
Then he suddenly let out a sigh.
ââŠyouâre right. Thatâs just my perspective.â
At that moment, Asuraâs words appeared in his mind.
Heâd called him a warrior. A fighter. And that was right.
Frey despised those who would discard their pride just to save their own lives. No, his feelings went beyond simple contempt and bordered against utter disgust.
But in the end, this was just a subjective view.
Morgid was a king.
As he calmed down, Frey understood what this meant.
For Morgid, the things that mattered the most were the survival of his people and his country.
âI was too hasty. As you said, it wasnât without reason.â
ââŠâ
The Great Medium was genuinely shocked when Frey reflected and suddenly apologized.
Frey then pointed to the assassins and said.
âThey tried to kill Morgid. It seems they are under Jenta. Where is he?â
The Great Medium frowned.
âWhat will you do with the information?â
âI have to kill him.â
Unlike Morgid, he had no intention of sparing Jenta.
âJenta is the King of Darkness. He is called the King of Death, the legendary assassin. He enjoys sneak attacks, but that doesnât mean he isnât strong in head-on battles. And a few years ago, he became the Apostle of Ananta and gained the ability to use divine power, so no one knows just how strong he is anymore.â
She took a deep breath before continuing.
âThe place where Jenta is staying is his territory. With a simple gesture, he would be able to summon hundreds of assassins who would willingly throw their lives away for him.â
âThatâs fine.â
ââŠâ
There was no sign of pride. Frey remained expressionless as though what sheâd just said was unimportant.
The Great Medium then glanced at the warriors collapsed around the room.
âCertainly.â
This manâs power was certainly extraordinary. Not even the best Sorcerer she knew would be able to incapacitate so many top Samurai with ease.
ââŠfirst, Iâll see how it goes.â
If he was unable to deal with Jenta, she would step in. As long as Jenta was a citizen of Hitume Ikar, he would never harm the Great Medium.
When she finished her calculations, she opened her mouth.
âJenta is in a city called âPerunayaâ in the northernmost part of the island.â
âPerunaya?â
Morgid asked in a surprised tone.
The Great Medium nodded.
âRight. As you know, itâs the city of Karuka, your sister.â
He sighed.
âThey⊠right. So she laid the groundwork for Jenta to expand his power. HuhuâŠâ
Morgid burst into laughter, but he didnât look happy.
Instead, he looked incredibly sad.
The Great Medium looked at him with a sad gaze.
Frey could feel the complicated relationship in the royal family, but he had no intention of prying any further.
âIâll just kill Jenta and have Ivan clean up the rest.â
As heâd said, he didnât have time to waste.
âDo you plan to leave right away?â
âRight.â
âThe civilians who are not assassinsâŠâ
âI wonât let them get involved.â
âFine, give me a minute.â
The Great Medium seemed to want to say more, but in the end, she simply shook her head and opened a rift to Perunaya.
It was easy to get there because it was in the northernmost part of the island.
Taht.
They arrived in Perunaya in no time.
Frey looked around and narrowed his eyes.
âDivine power.â
Frey was able to distinguish the divine power.
What he was feeling now was Anantaâs power. It was a strangely dark energy that seemed to seep into the skin.
It felt like being blown around by an uncomfortably hot wind. This was a place where sea breeze blew constantly, but it didnât feel fresh.
Crunch.
Without hesitation, he walked towards a shaded back alley.
Before long, the noise of the port faded together with the unique smell of the sea.
Then, Frey stopped walking.
He looked into the shadows and said.
âI didnât think youâd come to me directly.â
A man appeared in the dark.
It was Jenta, the man heâd seen in the past.
He wasnât wearing a mask this time, and he was instead revealing the bare face heâd seen back at the Demigodsâ meeting.
Jenta spoke in an arrogant voice.
âThereâs no reason to run away. This is an opportunity to finish you with my own hands.â
âYou brought many hands to accomplish this goal.â
Jenta frowned.
His subordinates who were surrounding them had been noticed.
âDid you come even though you knew? Ha. Youâre out of your mind.â