IMTDIK 28

Chapter 28. The Purge Unit

The title of “Sage” is one that cannot ever be self-proclaimed, as it is held to the strictest of standards. Among the known sages of the Serdes continent, Hellus Fobidas became a sage through an unusual path. This was because he was not from Escolaea, the city of scholars, nor was he a commoner-born magician expected to shine with innate genius.

Hellus himself left behind this anecdote about how he became a sage: He said that one day, while sleeping as usual, he awoke to find himself face-to-face with an absolute entity. This entity, which appeared to him in the form of a god, gave him two choices: The potential to rise to the position of a 7th-circle Archmage, or the wisdom and knowledge that encompassed all things.

Although he could have attained the 7th circle and ruled over everything, Hellus said he chose wisdom and knowledge to help humanity. It was a ridiculous and ludicrous tale. Yet no one dared to challenge it. After all, he was a man referred to as a sage, armed with wisdom and knowledge bordering on the miraculous.

While he was a materialistic and self-serving man, people said his wisdom was unwavering, and in that sense, he could be considered superhuman. But the truth was, Hellus Fobidas was not such a transcendent being. He was a man just as honest with his emotions as any ordinary person.

And right now, Hellus wore an expression of displeasure. His gaze bore down on a woman kneeling before him. His eyes, filled with anger, stared at her as if she were the source of all evil.

This middle-aged woman had once been his servant. Hellus had spent half of his amassed fortune to find her. Skilled magicians and trackers pursued her trail, and they finally succeeded in bringing her to his mansion.

When she first entered the mansion, she had been beaten like a dog. After an entire night of relentless beating by the servants, her whole body was broken, leaving her barely able to stand. Now, she was trembling in fear, her head bowed low to the ground.

She finally opened her mouth.

“P-please, spare me, Master…”

“Master?” Hellus let out a faint laugh.

“Yes, I was your master. That’s right. And do you know what happens to a servant who abandons their master and runs away?” He said this while slapping the palm of his hand with the club he held.

“They get beaten like a dog.”

“P-please, spare me. I beg of you…”

The middle-aged servant, her hands broken, desperately pressed them together as if to pray and begged repeatedly. Only a few teeth remained in her slightly parted mouth.

“I’ll forgive you, of course. But only if you tell me where the brat you stole from me is.”

“I don’t know. I was tricked and had the kid taken away!”

Hellus kicked her head with his foot.

“Do you take me for an idiot!? Two gold coins spilled out of your pouch, and you want me to believe you don’t know where they came from!?”

“Agh! Please, just spare me; I beg you!”

“I’ll spare you. If you help me find the brat, that is! So hurry up and dig through your wits—if you have any—and think! Think! THINK!”

Hellus struggled to suppress the urge to strangle her on the spot. But he couldn’t. After all, this woman was the only lead he had to reclaim “that.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. A man wearing a black hood entered.

“Sage, I have completed the task you entrusted to me.”

It was the best news Hellus had heard in recent times. Like a child receiving a new toy, he cheerfully ran over to the man.

“Oh! Show me. What have you found?”

“The person we tracked down based on the servant’s description was identified as the Regent of Valdrova.”

“Valdrova… Regent?”

“I expected you’d be surprised. We didn’t anticipate it would be someone like that either.”

Hellus wasn’t surprised by the identity itself. He was reacting because he didn’t understand what the regent referred to. He had known Valdrova as a dragon.

“After confirming in the Far East, it seems the Regent and a maid are involved, so it’s certain.”

“What kind of people are they?”

“As you know, the Regent recently became the fiancé of King Valdrova and began managing the royal territory—.”

“Ah.” Hellus waved his hand, cutting him off.

“Enough. What you’re saying is that those damned people took my possession, correct?”

“Yes.”

Hellus roughly understood the situation. The person who took “it” was the king’s consort?

“They came from the Far East to take it? Why? Could they have figured out its purpose?”

Hellus bit his nails in anxiety. “That” was the very reason he had risen to such fame and fortune. He had cherished it while simultaneously exploiting it as a servant. After all, it was better to hide a tree in the forest.

“And it’s all because of that stupid woman…”

He had never imagined the servant would sell the child off. Hellus looked down at her with anger in his eyes.

The middle-aged servant sobbed pitifully.

“C-congratulations, Master. Now you know who it is, don’t you?”

With her broken fingers forcibly clasped together, she continued begging and pleading.

“Please spare me now. I swear I won’t say a word about you, Master. I’ll live quietly wherever I go. Please…”

Hellus looked at her with cold, emotionless eyes. A saying came to mind: A person’s heart going to the restroom and coming out is always different.

Now that the lead had provided a clear answer, there was no need to keep this troublesome woman alive. Hellus turned to the black-hooded man.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Kill her. This useless woman.”

“What? This isn’t what you promised!”

The man drew his sword and approached the servant. Death, unavoidable, drew closer.

The servant, who had been pathetically crying and begging, let out a final burst of anger as she screamed.

“You filthy bastard! I know your secret! I know exactly what you did through that brat! You’re no sage! You’re—”

The servant’s head hit the floor, her face frozen in the rage of her final moments. Her head rolled lifelessly on the ground.

The black-hooded man casually wiped the blood off his sword.

“It seems my task is complete. Will you pay me now?”

“Of course.”

Hellus handed over a jewel box containing an amount equal to one-fourth of his fortune. The man quickly checked it before stuffing it into his leather bag.

“Thank you for using Black Bandana’s services, esteemed customer.”

He left neatly, taking his payment and doing only what was required. That was the way of Black Bandana, a secret organization.

With this, Hellus had spent three-quarters of his wealth.

“It had to be done.” Hoarding his money would only have led to disaster.

Hellus looked at the two sketches left behind by the hooded man. One depicted a tall man with gray hair, and the other, a silver-haired girl with her hair tied in a side ponytail.

Hellus’s chubby face twisted with anger.

“Those little fools dared to take what’s mine.”

Hellus swore he would never let them go unpunished and began to scheme.

“How do I take it back from them…”

There were plenty of methods. Who was he, after all? A sage. He was a man to whom every kingdom sent love calls, begging him to serve as their advisor. He was a national treasure who even received regular invitations from the Empire.

“If I use the Imperial Audit Office, it’ll work. A regent or whatever they may be is no more than a bug before the Empire.”

Even though the person was said to be the king’s consort, it didn’t matter. Ever since the assassination of the third prince, Valdrova has not shown itself to humans. That had always been the case, and it would likely remain so now.

Hellus placed his hand on the crystal orb on his desk. Reacting to his mana, the crystal began to flicker. Soon, the light of the orb stabilized, and a voice echoed in Hellus’s mind.

—“Greetings to the Water Sage! This is Hans, a communications mage of the great Arken Empire!”

“Could I have a word with Sir Karl Harvest?”

“Sir Karl Harvest? Understood. Please hold for a moment.”

After a brief wait, a lively voice came through.

—“Oh, Sage! How are you? Have you been well?”

“Haha, I’ve been doing fine. How about you?”

—“I’ve been losing sleep every night! I’ve been counting the days until you decide to come to our Empire!”

“Haha, is that so?”

Hellus had a feeling this conversation would go smoothly. He decided to get straight to the point.

“Look here; I’ve been feeling uneasy about something lately.”

—“Uneasy? About what?”

“There’s a young servant of mine, and she was kidnapped by some thugs. After much thought and effort, I’ve finally managed to figure out where she is.”

—“Where is she? Tell me, and we’ll help!”

“She’s with someone called… the Regent of Valdrova.”

—“The Regent of Valdrova!” Karl’s surprised voice came through.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

—“No, it’s just a strange coincidence! I’ve recently heard rumors about that little punk stirring up trouble.”

“Sounds like a well-known figure.”

—“Yes, in fact, we at the Purge Unit were already planning to bring them in to restore order.”

“Oh, is that so? But isn’t it risky since they’re likely connected to a dragon?”

—“Haha! Don’t worry so much! You know as well as anyone that dragons rarely interfere in human affairs!”

“Ah, yes, that’s true.”

Hellus had no idea what was about to happen.

—“That young brat may think they can handle it on their own, but what can they do? No matter how loud they bark or act out, they’re powerless under the laws of the Empire! And besides, I’ve heard even the local lords are hesitant to deal with them, so we need to put them in their place!”

Hellus smiled.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. While you’re at it, bring that brat to me! If you do, I’ll make sure to align myself with the Empire, just as you’ve always wanted!”

—“Oh! You’d really do that? Then I’ll gladly take care of this for you! Haha!”

“Alright, I’ll send over a sketch. Just bring the kid to me. I’m counting on you!”

—“Of course, leave it to me!”

Hellus ended the communication with a satisfied expression.

‘This is the power and prestige I enjoy as a sage.’ Once he had tasted it, there was no way he could ever give it up.

‘If I can just get that child back… I won’t just be pretending—I’ll truly become a sage again.’

That’s why he had to get the child back, no matter what it took.

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from the Empire.”

“Hmm, so it’s finally here?” The elderly Lord, Ulvera Consilus, stroked his beard as he picked up the letter resting on the tray. Seeing the imperial seal, he thought it might be an apology from the supply department.

“Hm…” However, the moment he saw the sender’s name, Consilus felt his blood boil.

—The Purge Unit

“Haha…” He let out a laugh, not out of humor but as a way to release the indescribable anger welling up inside him.

“Arwen.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“A letter from the Purge Unit has arrived in our territory. It seems we’ve finally caught their attention.”

“That filthy group dares…” Arwen was practically ready to draw her sword in anger.

Consilus, as if the letter wasn’t worth his time, leaned forward to toss it into the brazier in front of him.

“Hm…”

However, a sudden thought made him pause. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to read it. That instinct turned out to be correct.

—What kind of person is Ferda Valdrova?

The Purge Unit wasn’t targeting Count Consilus but rather Ferda.

“Those insolent fools are after the Regent.”

Arwen was shocked.

“They’re daring to go after someone who is the consort of a dragon?”

“Do you think anyone within the walls of the Empire has ever seen a dragon? Those people are more afraid of the trolls in the forest than of dragons.”

A distant sword feels less threatening than a nearby fist. Many speak of fearing a dragon’s wrath, but few in this generation have truly faced it.

“And come to think of it, it’s not entirely impossible.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, haven’t we ourselves treated Lord Valdrova as though they didn’t exist all this time?”

“Ah…”

“And we’ve also made light of the royal consort.”

“That’s true, but…”

Only now did Arwen realize the implications, and her face turned red.

“Still, I can’t believe some mere knight would dare send such a letter targeting the Regent…”

“That just shows how rotten the Arken Empire has become.”

The nobles are corrupt, and the knights have grown weak. The Empire’s capital exploits the taxes of the provinces, draining them dry under the guise of maintaining order. Whenever uprisings were attempted, they were quickly and silently suppressed.

‘The pillars built by our ancestors are strong, but no matter how solid they are, they’ll eventually crumble when their time comes.’

Consilus, who had once been just another count trying to survive in that current, now thought differently.

“Ferda Valdrova…” A ray of hope, a handful of salt in a rotting system. Ferda had supported him without hesitation when help was needed, doing so solely for the sake of the territory’s peace and prosperity.

Perhaps because of this, “Those insolent brats…” Consilus couldn’t help but be furious. Though he had once been a passive elder focused on survival, he remained a leader tasked with protecting his people and territory. Now that something significant was happening in the Far East, there was no way he could forgive the young fools trying to ruin it.

“We’ll have to put a leash on the Purge Unit.” Not mere warnings or threats, but complete dominance. They were the kind of people who could turn even an innocent man into a criminal. Leaving them unchecked was not an option. And for that, he needed Ferda Valdrova.

‘They have no idea how extraordinary Ferda, the consort of Valdrova, truly is.’

For that reason, Consilus decided to play along with their plan. Specifically, he intended to send back a response painting Ferda as a villainous figure who had been threatening the local lords.

“This letter will go to the Purge Unit. I’m sure they’ll respond quickly.”

“Understood. Shall we inform the Regent of Valdrova in advance?”

The Count paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, let’s keep this to ourselves. By the time we arrive, everything will already be settled.”

“Understood.”

Although he didn’t say it aloud, Consilus had one last curiosity. He wanted to see how Ferda would handle things when faced with the Purge Unit. Nor would his expectations be let down.