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Chapter 260: Find the Traitor (4)
“Son…? Of the Leader of Order of Eternity?”
I gaped at the completely unexpected revelation.
Khalid Han gave a bitter smile and slowly nodded.
“That’s right.”
“W-wait a moment. I’m having trouble understanding this… You mean, you’re his biological son?”
“Yes. The result of a man and a woman’s passionate X—”
“Okay, I wasn’t asking for that much detail.”
“For the record, I used to be quite the ladies’ man in my day. No kids, though.”
“…What am I supposed to do with that information?”
Just when things were getting serious, this drunkard started spouting nonsense again.
“Haa. So, what happened after the Leader of Order of Eternity came for you?”
“I stayed with my father for a while. Though, it was only for a few months.”
“And after that…?”
“I was abandoned again.”
“…What?”
Abandoned again?
What the hell was he talking about?
“Heh. My father told me I wasn’t the ‘seed’ he was looking for.”
“……”
“Pfft. If that was the case, he shouldn’t have bothered finding me in the first place. Don’t you agree?”
Khalid Han casually pulled another bottle of liquor from his pouch.
Seeing the deep sorrow veiled in his eyes, my expression hardened.
“What kind of person was the Leader of Order of Eternity?”
“Hmm. I wish I knew. He always wore a mask, and we barely even spoke.”
“…He didn’t even show his face to his own son?”
“Heh. If he truly thought of me as his son, why would he have abandoned me?”
“……”
“Still… yes.”
Khalid Han tilted the bottle and spoke with a bitter edge.
“He seemed like a lonely man.”
“…Lonely?”
“Yes. As if he were endlessly wandering, searching for something, alone in a vast, snow-covered wasteland.”
“……”
Alone in a vast, snow-covered wasteland, huh?
The memories of my past life surfaced in my mind.
That boundless, never-ending hell of existence.
“…You never saw the Leader of Order of Eternity again after that?”
“No. I ran into some of the Order of Eternity followers a few times, but none of them knew my father’s whereabouts.”
“…So in the end, we’re back to square one.”
Haa.
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
And then, suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind.
“Wait… Earlier, you called me ‘Father,’ didn’t you?”
“Oh, that was just a slip of the tongue.”
“…You mistook me for the Leader of Order of Eternity?”
Even though he claimed to have never seen his father’s face, he somehow confused me for him?
“The scent.”
“…Scent?”
“Yes. You have the same old-wood scent as my father.”
“Hmm…”
An old-wood scent, huh?
‘Could it be… the Leader of Order of Eternity also possessed the power of the Tree of Creation?’
Extending another’s lifespan, bringing the dead back to life…
Indeed, the Leader of Order of Eternity’s abilities far surpassed the bounds of ordinary divine blessings.
Yes.
Almost like the Blessing of Revival.
‘So I’m not the only one who possesses the power of the Tree of Creation.’
My thoughts tangled into a convoluted mess.
A heavy sigh slipped through my lips.
“Heh. Why the serious face?”
“…Just a bit overwhelmed.”
“When that happens, there’s nothing better than this.”
Khalid Han swayed the bottle in his hand with a mischievous grin.
Stifling a chuckle, I finally lifted the bottle I hadn’t touched yet and took a swig.
“Phew.”
The sharp tang of alcohol filled my mouth.
Not the refined scent of a premium whiskey or wine—no, this was the cheap, chemical-laden burn of low-grade liquor.
I squinted at the green bottle in my hand.
“Why the hell do you even drink this bitter crap?”
“Ah, you mean soju?”
“Yes.”
Though widely popular in the Republic, I had never been particularly fond of it.
“Heh. I see. So soju tastes bitter to you, huh?”
Khalid Han clicked his tongue and shook his head with mock pity.
Then, with wistful eyes, he gazed up at the night sky.
“There’ll come a day when you find soju sweet, too… mark my words.”
“……”
I’ve lived at least a hundred times longer than you, you drunken fool.
If this ever tastes sweet, it’ll be because your tongue has gone numb.
“Haa.”
Suppressing the snark rising in my throat, I shook my head.
‘In any case, if Khalid Han isn’t the traitor… then who is?’
Principal Lionel?
Pope Marianne?
Or perhaps Johann Basilio?
‘None of them seem likely…’
There were too many inconsistencies for any of them to be involved with the Order of Eternity.
“Heh. Wondering if one of the Masters is the traitor?”
“…Your perception is annoyingly sharp.”
“An old man should at least be quick-witted, don’t you think?”
I let out a faint chuckle as I gazed at Khalid Han, who wore a sly grin.
“So, do you know anything?”
“I’ve done quite a bit of digging myself… but my conclusion is that none of the Masters are the traitor.”
“Then…”
“I’m guessing it’s someone close to the Masters. A trusted subordinate or confidant.”
“……”
A confidant of the Masters, huh.
“Are you certain?”
“Not entirely. I can’t read minds—how could I be sure?”
Khalid Han shrugged and shook his head.
“To be honest, I was suspecting the Empress until recently… but since she sent you, it seems she’s not involved with the Order of Eternity.”
“You suspected Her Majesty?”
“The Order of Eternity’s leader has the power to extend a person’s lifespan, no? Those in power inevitably desire immortality, so I thought the Empress might have sought it.”
“…By that logic, every Master is a power-hungry figure, aren’t they?”
“Keulkeul. True enough.”
Nodding in agreement, Khalid Han raised his bottle and took another swig.
“In any case, if you plan to continue investigating, I suggest you focus on the Masters’ confidants.”
“Hmm… Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
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I gave him a casual response, but honestly, the scope was too broad.
‘There’s no way I can investigate all their confidants right away.’
Click.
I clicked my tongue in frustration and clinked my bottle against his, sharing a drink.
“Oh, by the way, you said you’re a third-year student, right?”
“I’m a fourth-year now.”
“Oh-ho. That means you’re in the same year as my son.”
“Your son?”
I turned to Khalid Han with a puzzled look.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you had no children?”
“Ah, not a biological son. I took in a boy as my adopted son a while back.”
“You adopted a child?”
He didn’t exactly strike me as the type to raise a kid.
“There’s a story behind it. I had a subordinate I was fond of. During one of his missions, he died, and I took in his son.”
“Ah.”
So that’s how it was.
“His name is Maurice Jin. Ever heard of him?”
“Oh, yes. He was in the same class section as me last year.”
“Oh-ho! Then you two must be friends!”
Khalid Han’s eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing that his son and I were classmates.
“…I wouldn’t exactly call us friends. We barely exchanged a word.”
“Eh? But you were in the same section?”
“I’m not the type to make friends easily.”
“Ah. Well, I guess you don’t seem like the friendly, sociable type.”
“……”
Hey.
What’s that supposed to mean?
“Keuung. That’s a shame. Still, if you happen to run into him sometime, be sure to say hello.”
“Got it. I’ll talk to him if I get the chance.”
“Keulkeul. I’m not just saying this because he’s my son, but the kid’s smart and kind. He often helps me out with my work. Oh, and just recently, he was ranked second in the entire grade! And also…”
Khalid Han started rambling on, beaming with pride as he continued to boast about his son.
‘Hah. I thought he was just a drunkard, but he’s actually a doting father.’
If I left him be, he’d probably keep bragging about his son until daybreak.
“Well then, I should get going.”
“Hmm? You’re leaving already?”
“‘Already’? The sun’s about to rise.”
“Keulkeulkeul. Then we can just keep drinking until it sets again, right?”
“……”
Leaving the drunken fool behind, I made my way back toward the academy.
‘Maurice Jin, huh.’
I had already been a little suspicious of him.
‘Even though Camilla’s growth shocked Johann Basilio, she still couldn’t defeat Maurice.’
It was only speculation, but it was highly possible that Maurice was also hiding his true skills.
‘If there’s a mole from the Order of Eternity among the Masters’ confidants…’
Even though he wasn’t Khalid Han’s biological son, considering how proudly he spoke of Maurice, it wouldn’t be strange to call him a confidant.
In other words.
Maurice Jin might be a mole from the Order of Eternity—
‘No, that’s a bit of a stretch.’
I hadn’t even spoken to Maurice before.
It was too early to jump to conclusions.
“First… I should go report to Her Majesty.”
Just thinking about having to face Camellia made me let out a deep sigh.
“Keuung.”
I had made some progress, but…
In terms of results, this mission was practically a failure.
‘Not only did I fail to find the traitor, but my cover was blown as well.’
My steps felt heavy with discouragement.
“Haa…”
Another sigh escaped me.
Since the client was none other than the reigning Empress—the top-ranked individual in the Empire—I had been secretly looking forward to a handsome reward.
“…Looks like I won’t be getting any prize for this.”
With heavy steps, I made my way back to the academy.
* * *
In the faculty dormitories within the Hero Academy.
In a specially renovated guest room, meant to accommodate VIPs, a platinum-blonde woman sat alone.
“Hmm…”
Camellia stared intently at the holographic window floating before her eyes.
“Oh-ho… I see. So this is what men these days are into.”
After finishing her research on a particular topic, Camellia smirked and gave a satisfied nod.
“Alright, I’ve decided on the reward.”
She nodded in approval, a smug grin curling at the corner of her lips.
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