Chapter 218

I’ve always wondered what Viscount Appen had to do with black nails.
‘It’s not a symbiotic relationship, but…’
The Black Nails were once threatened with destruction by the Black Moon. If the two groups, Viscount Appen and the Black Nails, were in a symbiotic relationship, such a crisis would not have occurred.
“If it’s a relationship…
But you never know. It was possible that the two groups had a symbiotic relationship, or something very close to it.
“If there’s one thing I can’t use, I’m going to smash it.
He had the Black Nail’s token, which gave him free access to the Black Nail at any time. However, if the two groups were close, he was willing to give up the token. As he walked along, he soon arrived in front of Baron Magnus’s mansion. Arriving at the mansion, Ming Hu went straight to the front door.
Swoosh swoosh
“Stop!”
As he approached the main gate, the two soldiers guarding the gate thrust out their spears, and the senior soldier standing to his right called out. At the senior soldier’s shout, Ming Hu stopped walking and turned to look at him. When Ming Hu stopped walking, the senior soldier took one look at Ming Hu’s appearance, opened his mouth, and exclaimed, “Ming Hu!
“This is Baron Magnus. Would you mind telling me who you are?”
At the senior soldier’s shout, Ming Hu pondered whether to answer in Moorish.
“Do you want to recognize the proof?
Ming Hu had the Emperor’s Mark, but he doubted that a soldier from a noble family would recognize it. Still, just in case, he opened his inventory, pulled out the Emperor’s Mark, and held it out for the senior soldier to see.
Shiny
“…!”
At that moment, the Emperor’s Mark emitted a beam of light, causing the senior soldier to look surprised.
“Did you recognize it?
The senior soldier was surprised, but he couldn’t tell if it was because the mark glowed or because he recognized it. While Ming Hu was pondering this, the astonished senior soldier turned away from the mark and looked at Ming Hu and exclaimed, “I’m not sure.
“Okay, hold on a second, I’ll be right back!”
With that, the senior soldier shouted, opened the door slightly, and ran inside. Ming Hu watched the senior soldier’s back as he ran inside and thought to himself.
“I see you got it.
He must have recognized the emperor’s mark. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to run inside so quickly. Ming Hu began to approach the main gate again.
“…”
Then the soldier at the gate looked at Ming Hu with a puzzled expression. Normally, he would have stopped him, but the senior soldier’s reaction and behavior made him feel that he shouldn’t have. When Ming Hu reached the front gate, he stopped walking, and the soldier who had been looking at him in confusion breathed a sigh of relief. Ming Hu smiled at the soldier’s sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the inside of the gate.
Dada dada dada!
In the distance, two men were running toward you. One was a senior soldier who ran inside, and the other was an old man with graying hair.
“Hmm…hmm…”
Soon the senior soldier, who had arrived at the gate, caught his breath and returned to his post. And the old man who came with the senior soldier quickly caught his breath and approached Ming Hu.
“My name is Lascelles, butler to Baron Magnus. He has the Emperor’s seal of approval.”
Lascelles stared at Ming Hu, his voice trailing off. At his nudge to show him his mark, Ming Hu held up the emperor’s mark.
Shiny
Then, once again, a light flashed from the signet ring. At the same time, Lascelles flinched and looked at Ming Hu with a puzzled expression, saying, “I’m sorry.
“Please come inside.”
With that, Lascelles took the lead and started walking. Ming Hu thought as he walked along behind Lasell.
‘No way… Are NPCs going to recognize me if I glow?
He hadn’t been a senior soldier then, and he wasn’t a senior soldier now, and the mark wasn’t shiny for nothing. Ming Hu opened his inventory, placed the token in it, and looked at Lasell.
“I’d like to see the Baron’s room.”
Cringe.
Lascelles flinched at Myung Hu’s words, then stopped walking, turned around, and opened his mouth with a slightly puzzled expression.
“The Baron’s room… You mean?”
“Yes, I asked the residents and they said that Asren is a very nice city to live in, and they praised Baron Veron, so I came to see what he was up to, and of course I have a message for him.”
Of course, the purpose was to enter the room and investigate, but he couldn’t say so. Ming Hu thought that Lasell would smile at his words and lead him into the room.
“Oh, I see…”
But Lascelles’ expression didn’t lighten. Instead of brightening, it became even darker.
‘You can’t be… Am I doing something right now?
It hadn’t gotten dark for nothing. Seeing the look on Lascelles’ face, Ming Hu felt that he should go to the Baron’s chambers right now.
“I’ll be right there.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Lascelles responded to Ming Hu’s words and began to walk again, but his pace was much slower than it had been just a moment ago. Watching his pace, Ming Hu thought to himself.
“There’s definitely… something there.
The slowing of his pace made it clear. There was clearly something going on in the Baron’s chambers right now, or something that shouldn’t be seen.
‘Oh no. Am I missing something?
Once inside the mansion, Ming Hu watched Lasell’s pace and realized that if he kept going, he would miss the reason for Lasell’s slowness. Ming Hu looked at Lasel, who was still walking slowly, and said, “I’m afraid I’m going to miss it.
“Where is the Baron’s room?”
“Oh, that’s…”
At Myung Hu’s words, Lasell trailed off and glanced to the hallway to his left, then back at Myung Hu, before continuing.
“The room at the end of the hallway on the left is the Baron’s room.”
At Lascelles’ words, Ming Hu looked toward the hallway to his left, where Lascelles had been staring.
“I’m going to go look around first.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Lasel interrupted Ming Hu’s words. Then Ming Hu opened his inventory, took out the emperor’s mark, and said
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take or do anything.”
“…I see.”
Lascelles nodded in confusion as he showed the emperor’s mark. The Emperor heard Lasell’s reply and began to walk down the hallway to his left.
“…Hmm?
Walking down the hallway to his left, Ming Hu looked behind him, puzzled when he didn’t hear Lasell’s footsteps that should have been behind him.
“…?”
I didn’t see the raschel I thought would follow.
“You can’t be…”
Ming Hu frowned slightly. For some reason, reaching the end of the hallway on the left didn’t seem like it would lead to the Baron’s chambers.
That was the moment.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh
A sound from up ahead made Ming Hu look up. A young child, likely a slave, was approaching, broom in hand.
“Hey, kid.”
“…Yes!”
After a moment’s puzzlement at Ming Hu’s question, the young child quickly ran to Ming Hu’s side.
“I’m here to see the Baron, but I got lost on the way. Do you happen to know where his room is?”
“If it were the Baron’s room…”
The child seemed to think for a moment, then pointed to the path Ming Hu had taken.
“If you go straight this way, you’ll come to the main hall, and if you go straight down the opposite hallway, you’ll find the Baron’s room at the end.”
It was as expected. Ming Hu realized why Lascelles hadn’t followed him. The baron’s chambers were not at the end of the hallway to the left where Lascelles had said they were.
“Thank you!”
Ming Hu said to the child and began to run back the way he had come. Arriving at the concourse where he and Lascelles had parted ways, Ming Hu ran straight down the opposite corridor. Running along the corridor, he soon reached the end of the corridor and found a giant-sized door.
Squeaky clean
Arriving at the door, Ming Hu quickly grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. Opening the door, Ming Hu couldn’t help but smile at the sight inside.
“…uh…how already.”
Lascelles looked at Ming Hu with a puzzled expression. Next to him stood Baron Veron, a man dressed in bloodstained clothes.
Jumbled
Once inside, Ming Hu looked behind him to see Baron Veron and Lascelles staring at him in bewilderment. Behind Baron Veron and Lascelles, a passageway appeared, clearly leading somewhere.
“Is that it…
There had to be a reason for the missing children at the end of that passage, and for the blood on the Baron’s clothes. Ming Hu turned his gaze away from the passage and looked at Baron Veron.
“That place? Where the kids went in?”
“…!”
“…!”
Baron Veron and Lascelles looked surprised at Ming Hu’s words. The look on their faces convinced Ming Hu. Ming Hu opened his inventory, took out the Emperor’s Mark, and said, “I’ll show you.
“I need you to walk me down that aisle.”
Shiny
The Emperor’s Mark sparkled with light once more. Immediately after it shimmered, a message appeared.
[Baron Veron rejected].
“…?
At first, Ming Hu looked at the message in disbelief, then at Baron Veron. Before he knew it, Baron Veron had a longsword in his hand.
“I didn’t know this existed…
Ming Hu, realizing the new function of the emperor’s mark, smiled and stared at Baron Veron. The Baron’s face no longer showed surprise and bewilderment, but only a hint of coldness and life.
“I don’t know how you knew that, but you shouldn’t have come alone. You shouldn’t have come here alone. Just because you have the mark. doesn’t mean you’re safe. Cough.”
Baron Veron said, pointing his sword at Ming Hu. At the Baron’s words, Ming Hu smirked and began to relax.
“Your liver is swollen!”
Chapter’s behavior angered Baron Veron, who furrowed his brow and charged at Ming Hu, swinging his sword at him.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!
Soon, the Baron’s sword began to burn into Ming Hu’s body. The Baron’s sword was frighteningly fast, but that was all it was. Despite the speed of the sword, it posed no threat to Ming Hu’s life force.
Sigh
Ming Hu stretched out his hand toward the baron, who was swinging his sword furiously at him. Then he grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
“Ugh!”
Baron Veron, who had been slightly taken aback by Ming Hu’s seemingly unaffected appearance despite being slashed by the sword, was greatly surprised when Ming Hu lifted him up.
“Are you coming?”
Lifting Baron Veron, Ming Hu looked at Lasell and said.
“…”
Lascelles, of course, said nothing. He could only stare at the Baron Veron in Ming Hu’s hand with a pained expression. Ming Hu turned away from Lasell and began walking down the aisle.
“Smell… The smell of blood?”
Entering the passageway, Ming Hu frowned at the smell of blood as he entered and looked at Baron Veron. Baron Veron had a look of disbelief on his face. After turning his gaze away from Baron Veron, Ming Hu started walking again and soon reached the end of the passage. Just as he reached the end of the passage, a message appeared.
[You have obtained Baron Magnus’ Record Crystal].
[Quest ‘First Internal Crackdown’, Baron Magnus’ condition has been fulfilled].