[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 91: The Sand Painting Group (3)
6.
“Boss!”
The El Pam party had reunited, and everyone was safe and sound.
“Looks like everyone’s alright.”
El Pam gave a brief remark, a reaction quite different from his usual demeanor.
But no one was surprised by this response.
“Yes, we’re all fine.”
‘Thanks to Boss.’
Everyone knew just how remarkable it was that they were able to meet and converse like this.
After all, they were originally destined to be killed by the Sand Painting Group.
With luck, they might have escaped with just broken limbs.
But even then, their fate would have been grim.
This was no exaggeration.
The Sand Painting Group was that kind of organization, willing to do anything to stop the tyranny of the Ariant Kingdom.
And the El Pam party was mistaken for dogs of that very kingdom.
Yet, El Pam had overcome all of this.
‘He’s truly amazing. To think he’d even prepare the Assassin’s Poison.’
It was an impressive feat in many ways.
Naturally, their trust in El Pam had grown even stronger.
“I accepted the Sand Painting Group’s proposal. I apologize for making the decision without consulting you all.”
“No need to apologize, Boss. You must have had a good reason! Right? What’s there to be afraid of when we’re with Boss? So, what was the proposal?”
“To conquer the Mystic Gate.”
“Oh, then there’s nothing to worry about. We even conquered the Prince’s Tomb!”
No one was concerned by El Pam’s words.
“Thirty people died there.”
“Thirty? Is the maximum number of people allowed inside thirty?”
“The maximum number of people allowed inside is fifty-five.”
The tension eased with the following words.
Having conquered the Prince’s Tomb with over two hundred entrants, fifty-five seemed trivial.
“It shouldn’t be a problem, then. If thirty adventurers died there…”
“They weren’t adventurers.”
“Pardon?”
“The ones who died were the Signus Knights.”
“What?”
But the moment the Signus Knights were mentioned, everyone’s reaction changed.
“The, the Signus Knights?”
No one was unfamiliar with the reputation of the Signus Knights.
Kiri’s expression hardened the most.
As a member of the Signus Knights, the news was even more shocking for her.
Of course, no one dared to say, “We can’t do it” at this moment.
Once El Pam made a decision, the rest would follow.
More than anything, they had faith.
‘Boss must have a plan.’
They believed that El Pam wouldn’t have accepted such a proposal without a reason or a way to succeed.
“There’s something you must keep in mind as we proceed with this.”
The following words from El Pam strengthened their faith even more.
“As expected of the Boss!”
“He’s prepared!”
“He’s truly reliable!”
To his expectant comrades, El Pam said,
“Act exhausted.”
“What?”
El Pam continued, addressing his dumbfounded comrades,
“We’ll move out immediately.”
“What? Right now?”
Everyone was surprised by his words.
“Isn’t this too rushed?”
“Yeah, this isn’t child’s play!”
It had only been two days since they left the Prince’s Tomb.
Moreover, those two days weren’t spent resting, but being interrogated by the Sand Painting Group.
They hadn’t had any proper rest.
El Pam knew this.
“I know.”
But the reason he wanted to move now was simple.
“This is the best time to move.”
“Now?”
“The Nihal Desert must be in chaos.”
7.
“It’s chaos indeed.”
A tent stood in the middle of the Nihal Desert.
Clearly abandoned by someone, four men and women were gathered inside.
It was strange. Four people gathered in a cramped, abandoned tent in the middle of the desert?
But understanding their identities changed the story.
“For the four of us to gather in one place…”
They were none other than the executives of the Sand Painting Group.
They didn’t usually gather like this.
They shouldn’t have.
If they were attacked by the Ariant Kingdom while gathered together, it would be as good as the end of the Sand Painting Group.
So, the executives had been operating separately in different parts of the Nihal Desert, unaware of each other’s locations.
Yet, they had gathered.
“Chaos has descended upon the Ariant Kingdom. We must make a decision in the face of this chaos.”
“A decision?”
“My judgment is to use this chaos to assassinate Abdullah VIII.”
The matter they were discussing was that important.
“If necessary, I will assassinate him alone.”
“Ereska.”
To be precise, this gathering was to stop Ereska, one of the executives of the Sand Painting Group, from making a rash decision.
“If Abdullah VIII dies, the Ariant Kingdom will fall into chaos. Our goal is to save the people of the Ariant Kingdom from chaos.”
“So, are you saying we should just sit back and watch?”
Ereska had been planning to assassinate Abdullah VIII for a long time, and the other executives had repeatedly stopped her.
But a crumbling dam couldn’t be held back forever.
“Far from keeping Queen Areda in check, the princes are being eliminated by her one by one. If all the princes die, what then? The only ones left would be the first prince, Harun, and the third prince, Kashan. If they die too, Queen Areda will seize control of everything.”
Moreover, the Sand Painting Group didn’t have much time.
“This is our chance. The rumor that Abdullah VIII’s event surrounding the Prince’s Tomb was a scam is spreading among the adventurers.”
More importantly, a better opportunity had arisen.
Currently, due to Abdullah VIII’s event at the Prince’s Tomb, a massive number of adventurers had gathered in the Ariant Kingdom.
And these adventurers now believed that Abdullah VIII had deceived them with a scam.
“Thanks to that, most of the troops are tied up managing the adventurers.”
The Ariant Kingdom’s forces were fully engaged in dealing with these adventurers, who could erupt at any moment.
“The number of guards is lower than ever.”
In other words, the number of guards protecting Abdullah VIII and Queen Areda had decreased.
“The royal capital is in more chaos than ever.”
Crucially, the royal capital of the Ariant Kingdom, where the king resided, was in disarray due to the gathered adventurers.
There couldn’t be a better stage for the Sand Painting Group members to infiltrate the palace.
It was truly the perfect opportunity.
Of course, Ereska wasn’t the type to stubbornly push her own ideas.
The fact that she hadn’t carried out the assassination plan until now was proof of that.
“Convince me.”
She had always listened to her comrades, and they had always persuaded her.
That’s why everyone’s expressions were grim now.
As mentioned before, it would be difficult to find a better opportunity to assassinate Abdullah VIII.
Just then,
“One time.”
Sejan, a man wearing a turban and carrying a bow on his back, who had been observing the situation, spoke up.
“I’d like one more chance.”
“Sejan, what chance are you talking about?”
“Queen Areda will be participating in the Mystic Gate expedition, the one where the Signus Knights were killed. If we succeed in the expedition and bring back the Signus Knights’ last will, the Signus Knights will take action.”
Ereska smirked at his words.
She wasn’t the only one.
Adin of the Iron Mace and Shirin the Dancer also looked at Sejan with hardened expressions.
It couldn’t be helped.
“You want to try conquering that place again, after failing so many times?”
The tomb of the Signus Knights, as Sejan mentioned, was undeniably valuable if conquered.
It wasn’t just because of the Signus Knights themselves.
The Signus Knights there had made a promise with the Sand Painting Group and would have undoubtedly left a will.
To be precise, they already had a will.
A will stating that if they died, it would be because of Queen Areda.
That’s why many members of the Sand Painting Group risked their lives to enter the Mystic Gate in search of that place, but none returned alive.
“That place where we failed a hundred times?”
When the number of scars on the tomb reached a hundred, the Sand Painting Group gave up on it.
And now he wanted another chance?
It was absurd.
“We’ll send the El Pam party.”
“Who?”
“They’re the ones who survived the Prince’s Tomb. Adventurers hired by Prince Kashan.”
Ereska fell silent for a moment after hearing this, but that was all.
If they had survived the Prince’s Tomb, they must be quite capable.
But the tomb of the Signus Knights was a different story.
“Is this a stalling tactic?”
In the end, it seemed like Sejan was just trying to buy time.
Sejan responded to this question,
“You could think that. That’s why I made a proposal to the El Pam party.”
8.
“Boss, wait a minute! What did you just say? How many days?”
Divo, riding a black camel across the Nihal Desert, turned his head in shock to look at El Pam.
“Five days.”
“What? You mean we have to conquer the Mystic Gate, which even the Signus Knights couldn’t clear, in five days?”
Divo, who was at the front, looked at the other party members.
They all had the same expression as Divo.
“This is crazy, conquer it in five days?”
“It’s not like we get paid more for clearing it faster, right? Why did you make such an agreement?”
Everyone was shocked.
“We don’t have to do it in five days. It’s just that we can get additional rewards if we clear it within five days.”
El Pam’s explanation tilted everyone’s heads.
“Is there a reason it has to be five days?”
El Pam briefly explained,
“There are two factions within the Sand Painting Group. The Moderates, who want to change the Ariant Kingdom peacefully, and the Radicals, who want to form a death squad to assassinate Abdullah VIII.”
“Oh, assassination?”
“Right now, the Radicals have the upper hand. The current chaos is the best opportunity to kill Abdullah VIII. So, the Moderates proposed to the Radicals, giving them a five-day chance.”
Only after hearing this brief explanation did El Pam’s comrades understand.
“Boss, what happens if we can’t clear it within five days?”
“If we don’t conquer the Mystic Gate within five days, the Sand Painting Group will attempt to assassinate Abdullah VIII.”
Upon understanding, everyone fell silent.
‘If we fail, the assassination begins? What will happen then?’
‘Whether it succeeds or fails, the Ariant Kingdom will be in chaos.’
They realized the meaning of the five days El Pam mentioned.
“We have to finish it within five days, no matter what.”
The fate of the Ariant Kingdom rested on their shoulders.
As everyone renewed their determination, the black camel sped across the desert, soon reaching their destination.
“It’s a cactus field.”
It was the so-called Cactus Desert, a barren desert filled with giant cacti.
It was a hellish place.
“Half of them are Cactuses, they say.”
Doing anything in a cactus forest was terrifying enough, but among those cacti were Cactuses, monsters disguised as cacti.
Moreover, Cactuses were incredibly powerful monsters.
They had mushroom-like resilience but were far stronger than mushrooms!
The El Pam party’s destination was within the Cactus Desert.
A daunting task.
But there was no hesitation on the faces of the El Pam party as they gazed at the Cactus Desert.
“Cactuses be damned.”
They had already steeled their resolve countless times.
“Nothing can be harder than the Signus Knights.”
El Pam smiled faintly at his comrades’ determination.
He knew.
He knew that the resolve they held wasn’t easy to come by.
“Let’s go, Boss! Time is gold!”
“Yeah, let’s hurry. No dilly-dallying. I don’t want to get caught in a war.”
And maintaining composure with such resolve was even more difficult.
Just then,
“I have a question.”
Kiri, who had been silent until now, finally asked El Pam a question about going to the Signus Knights’ tomb.
“What is it?”
“Can you tell me the name of the fallen knight?”
El Pam answered readily, without any hesitation.
“I don’t know everyone’s name, but I do know that the leader’s name was Bayos.”
Kiri’s expression hardened at that answer.
More than any expression they had seen before.
“Huh?”
Divo tilted his head at her expression.
“Kiri, why the long face? You look like you’ve eaten poop three times.”
Meanwhile, Minerv’s expression also hardened.
“Wait, do you know that name?”
If Kiri, a member of the Signus Knights, had such a hardened expression, there must be a reason.
The answer to that question came not from Minerv, but from El Pam.
“Bayos was Oz’s disciple.”
“Oz? Don’t tell me…”
“That’s right. Oz, the leader of the Knights of Fire, Bayos was her disciple.”
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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