Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 210

Juda Caballan spoke calmly.

“I never expected to be toyed with like this by you.”

Despite his composed tone, he was seething with rage.

He had been disappointed when he couldn’t recruit Yan at the recent banquet, but he had accepted it. The mere presence of such a versatile talent in the empire was a good thing. He believed that if Yan grew up properly, the empire would become stronger and safer.

But to think that Yan was part of the revolutionary army.

“What is your relationship with the leader?”

Yan sighed deeply at the cold tone of the Sun Duke. He had thought he had perfectly blocked the leader’s schemes, but it seemed the leader had set another trap.

Yan spread his senses. The immense flow of energy he had felt from the hotel earlier had completely disappeared. It meant that the situation had somehow been resolved, whether for better or worse.

Yan looked up at the Sun Duke. He was still glaring at him with eyes full of thick anger. Although he hadn’t released any aura, the pressure emanating from him was considerable.

‘Let’s deal with this first,’ Yan thought as he opened his mouth.

“He is my enemy.”

“Enemy?”

The corners of the Sun Duke’s mouth lifted slightly, as if he already knew Yan was lying. But Yan remained unshaken. It wasn’t a lie.

“Yes.”

“Even though the truth has been revealed, you still lie to the end. Do you take me for a fool?”

The Sun Duke slowly began to draw Ifrit from his side.

Whoosh.

As the sword was drawn from its sheath, flames spread along Ifrit’s blade. As expected of the Sun Duke, who had created the blazing technique, he handled it freely.

Yan watched him quietly and surveyed his surroundings. The archers, knights, and mages had lowered their weapons and were watching the Sun Duke’s arrival. Despite this, they were still on guard, making it difficult to break through.

At that moment, Theo’s voice came through telepathy.

-Let’s combine our attacks.

Theo had confidence in his skills. He believed he could defeat even the Crown Prince, who was called the reincarnation of the founder. This wasn’t arrogance or conceit. It was a pure belief in his own abilities. He was convinced that he was not inferior to the Crown Prince in any way.

But the Sun Duke, who stood in their way, was different.

-That man is a monster.

Theo’s father, Duke Beowulf, had once lightly sparred with the Sun Duke. Although he had surpassed the limits of the Ice Soul and pioneered a new realm, he had been helpless against the heat the Sun Duke emitted. Of course, if they had fought to the death, the outcome might have been different, but even that brief encounter had given a glimpse of the Sun Duke’s power.

To escape this crisis, they needed to combine their attacks and create some distance.

But Yan seemed to think otherwise. He shook his head and asked the Sun Duke.

“Who told you that story?”

“It doesn’t matter. But it’s someone reliable.”

Theo frowned.

‘He won’t tell us!’

Even if they knew who it was, there was no way to explain it in this situation. That’s what he thought until Yan opened his mouth.

Yan racked his brain at the Sun Duke’s words. But no one came to mind who would dislike him enough to influence the Sun Duke’s belief. After thinking for a while, Yan recalled the masked man he had seen in his father’s deep world.

‘No way…’

Yan had managed to unmask him at the end of their battle and had been shocked when he saw his face. The masked man was Werner, the chief of staff of the revolutionary army. But the surprising thing wasn’t that he was the chief of staff. There was only one person in the empire who used the techniques he had displayed.

“Is it the Duke of the East?”

Theo’s expression turned to one of shock. As a high-ranking member of the revolutionary army, he was aware of the current status of the empire’s key figures. But even he didn’t know the current status of the Duke of the East. His territory was strictly off-limits to outsiders, and only certified merchants could enter. Even they kept their mouths shut about what happened inside.

But for Yan to mention him!

Theo looked back and forth between Yan and the Sun Duke with astonished eyes.

“How did you know?”

When the Sun Duke asked, Yan bit his lip.

‘Damn it.’

He had been too complacent. He knew the masked man was Werner and also the Duke of the East, but he hadn’t paid much attention. He thought the man would never reveal his identity. Even if he did, Yan believed he could use it against him at that time.

But to reveal his identity just to get rid of him!

That meant…

‘The completion of the White Flame Jade is imminent!’

If the White Flame Jade was completed, the truth would never be revealed. Because the dead tell no tales.

* * *

“How did you know that?”

The Sun Duke, though not showing it on his face, was quite surprised. He had thought no one knew about the letter he received from the Duke of the East.

Yan continued, watching the Sun Duke closely.

“Because I know that the Duke of the East is the chief of staff of the revolutionary army.”

Theo’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s impossible!”

The Duke of the East and Werner, the chief of staff of the revolutionary army, were the same person? It couldn’t be. If that were true, the revolution might have already succeeded. With the Duke of the East, one of the pillars of the Caballan Empire, on their side, the revolutionary army could have easily conquered the empire.

But…

“It’s true.”

The Sun Duke nodded, as if he had known all along. He had only recently discovered this fact. It was shortly after he had suffered a humiliating retreat from the battlefield, gravely wounded by the leader of the revolutionary army.

A letter had arrived from the Duke of the East, who had been almost in seclusion.

Long time no see, Sun Duke.

I heard you recently clashed with the revolutionary army and had to retreat. I also heard you were severely injured by the leader. I hope you’re recovering well.

Ah, forgive my rambling. The reason I’m writing to you is to explain why you were defeated by the revolutionary army.

At first, he thought the letter was mocking him. He had no contact with the Duke of the East, as the letter stated. But the contents that followed were shocking.

The letter revealed that Yan, whom he had recently invited to a banquet, was a pawn of the revolutionary army. It also claimed that Yan had spread false rumors to ensure the empire’s southern region would lose. The rumor was that the revolutionary army had numerous necromancers who controlled undead.

The Sun Duke had heard this rumor and had gone out with only a few knights. But it turned out to be false?

At first, he didn’t believe it. He couldn’t imagine Yan spreading such rumors. Yan, who was rapidly establishing his position in the empire, had no reason to join the revolutionary army. He had also heard malicious rumors about Yan’s identity but didn’t believe them either. He only trusted what he saw with his own eyes.

However, the contents of the letter and the video orb that came with it changed his mind.

I understand it might be hard to believe my words. After all, it’s absurd to think that someone who has achieved so much in the empire would join the revolutionary army. But I believe your thoughts will change after seeing what’s in this video orb.

The Sun Duke played the video orb that came with the letter. The contents were shocking. It showed Yan preparing for a high-ranking officer selection test and attending a meeting of the revolutionary army’s commanders. Even more surprising was that not only Yan but also Damian, who had risen to the position of special operations commander, and Theo Beowulf, who was thought to be dead, were present.

Even the usually stoic Sun Duke couldn’t remain calm after seeing the video. Yan, whom he had trusted, had betrayed him.

At that time, the Armenia territory had expressed their intention to support the war. The Sun Duke decided to use this opportunity to confirm Yan’s identity. If Yan was truly innocent, he planned to hold the Duke of the East accountable for spreading false information.

But then he received a report from Merriott, who had gone to arrest Yan at the train station.

-We have arrested not only Yan but also Theo Beowulf at the train station.

This report made him lean towards believing that Yan was indeed a pawn of the revolutionary army.

-The Armenia knights attempted a forceful escape from the hotel where they were detained, and at the same time, Yan and Theo escaped from the underground prison.

This report solidified his belief. Yan was indeed a pawn of the revolutionary army.

The Sun Duke looked at Yan and spoke.

“The Duke of the East infiltrated the revolutionary army to gather information and stop them.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“…?”

The Sun Duke frowned. Yan continued.

“The Duke of the East infiltrated the revolutionary army to successfully start a war.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“I have more to tell you. The reason he infiltrated the revolutionary army is…”

The Sun Duke fully drew Ifrit, cutting off Yan’s words.

“Enough with the chatter. I’ll find out the rest myself. So…”

The Sun Duke unleashed his aura. A scorching heatwave rushed towards Yan and Theo.

“…Hup.”

“…Ugh.”

If they hadn’t quickly enveloped themselves in mana, their bodies would have melted away. The Sun Duke tightened his grip on his sword.

“I’ll send you back to the dungeon.”

* * *

Yan closed his eyes tightly at the Sun Duke’s resolute stance.

The plan had gone awry in so many ways. He hadn’t anticipated that Werner would reveal his long-hidden identity to make the first move.

Now, he had to play his final card.

It was none other than subduing and persuading the Sun Duke through sheer force. The risks were enormous, but there was no other option in this situation.

Yan’s eyes darkened.

“Theo, we need to do what we discussed earlier.”

“You think so too, huh? He’s not someone we can reason with.”

Theo smirked and drew his sword.

Crack!

The ground beneath him began to freeze. He had unleashed the Beowulf family’s secret technique, Ice Soul, from the start.

Yan didn’t remain idle either.

He assumed the second stance of the Founder’s Swordsmanship, the Stance of Oppression, causing the surrounding air to resonate with his mana.

Whoooosh!

The grass and stones around him crumpled under the immense pressure he emitted. The powerful pressure and the freezing cold clashed violently with the Sun Duke’s flames.

Even though it was just their auras colliding, the shockwave was tremendous. The archers and knights drew upon their mana to mitigate the impact as much as possible. But their skills weren’t enough to completely block the shockwave.

They swallowed hard, watching the three engage in a battle of wills.

“Is this… a fight between superhumans?”

“To withstand the Sun Duke’s flames, they must be incredible too.”

“Still, do you think they can defeat the Sun Duke?”

“But… he was injured recently…”

“Are you doubting the Sun Duke?!”

The Sun Duke stepped forward, indicating he would make the first move. Tension filled Yan and Theo’s eyes.

“Alright then…”

An immense aura burst forth from the Sun Duke. His previous aura had been overwhelming, but now it was completely beyond human limits. Fiery wings formed near his shoulders and flapped.

Just as the true battle was about to begin…

“Master!!”

A voice called out from afar. The Sun Duke turned his head, and Yan and Theo glanced in the direction of the voice.

A knight was running towards them, carrying something on his back. Yan’s eyes widened as he recognized what the knight was carrying.

‘That’s…’

Cruel, battered and barely recognizable, was slung over the knight’s back.

The knight shouted, “Please wait a moment!!”

His cry brought a temporary lull to the battlefield.