Chapter 516: Late (1)

“…My goodness.”

Rosalyn peeked toward Duke Fredo with a, ‘what kind of nonsense is this?’ type of expression without any awkwardness after not seeing everyone for a while.

She then asked Cale a question out of concern.

“I'm surprised that your blood is delicious for the Vampires, young master Cale. Why is that the case?”
“…I wonder why?”

Cale awkwardly answered back but he had a theory about it.

‘Is it because of the Vitality of the Heart?’

That was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with.
Cale slowly turned away from Rosalyn and looked toward Duke Fredo.
Rosalyn looked toward the Vampire as well.

Fredo continued to smile as he looked at the two of them.
He then quietly spoke, almost in a whisper, in a low voice.

“Your conversation is cute.”

Rosalyn and Cale both started to frown as if they had eaten an unripe fruit.
However, the two of them did not have time to respond in any other way.

Duuuduuduuu-

The rumbling was getting closer.
The rumbling seemed to be coming from a spot much closer than last time.

‘We need to go!’

It was time to move.

Cale started to speak.

“You said that you want to make a deal with me?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”

Pan started to frown and look toward Cale who asked once more.

‘Is he really planning on working together with that person? …But he’s the leader of the bastards who killed our Brigade members.’

Pan felt anger inside. However, he kept that anger inside him.

There were no allies and enemies in war.
There were times people who were killing each other would find a common enemy to become allies.

Pan just found it difficult to understand Cale who was acting like this.

‘The enemies are charging toward us from behind. Do we have the time for this?’

It happened as he subconsciously started to pout and his mouth almost opened to say something.

Duke Fredo looked toward Cale and calmly responded.

“Yes. I truly want to make a deal with you.”
“I can't trust you.”

The allies looked toward Cale who sternly responded.
Many of them were showing their anxiousness at Cale who was wasting time with this conversation.

Cale pointed behind him at that moment.

“Show me proof that you mean it.”

Fredo started to smile.

"Are you telling me to attack my allies right now?”
“That's for you to figure out. I will accept your invitation later if you show me some kind of proof that I can trust you.”

Duke Fredo lightly chuckled and asked while looking at a relaxed Cale.

“You won’t accept the deal but just the invitation?”

The corners of Cale’s lips twisted up.

"Why are you asking such an obvious question? Isn’t it more than enough for me to hear out the bastard who killed my allies?”

Pan's eyes clouded over.
On the other hand, Duke Fredo thought for a moment before nodding his head.

“Mm. I guess that makes sense, but I cannot fight against my allies right now.”

He looked toward Cale as if he was asking for Cale’s understanding before continuing to speak.

“I need to be wary of some people's feelings right now.”

‘Be wary of some people’s feelings?’

Cale made sure to remember those words.

‘A Duke should be the highest title of the nobles, but he needs to be wary of someone else right now.’

Was he someone without much strength?

‘No. He’s stronger than the other bastards.’

His battle experiences had helped him develop an eye for people. The Vampire in front of him was much scarier than the Knights Brigade chasing behind them.

‘That’s why Bud hasn't said anything about defeating this guy and running away to avoid the Knights Brigade.’

Bud had been quiet since earlier, only paying attention to the enemies approaching from the rear.
Cale recalled all those points in his head while keeping his gaze focused on the Vampire. Fredo started to speak as if to respond to his gaze.

“Liana.”

‘Who is that?’

Cale could see Choi Han’s sword point elsewhere as he flinched at the name he did not recognize.

“Yes. My liege.”

Rustle.

Someone jumped off the tree right behind the group.
The pale woman was definitely a Vampire.

“Give them a map of this area.”
“…We already have a map of this area?”

Cale responded.

“Just take it first.”

Duke Fredo told him to take the item from the woman who had approached him while walking without making any noise and Cale stood still for a moment before taking it.

“……!”

He then could not hide his shock.
Rosalyn who had been looking at the map over Cale's shoulder subconsciously started to speak.

“The Gate-”

However, she covered her mouth after saying two words.
She then looked toward Cale. The two of them gulped while looking at each other.
Cale could not help but clench the hand holding the map.

‘…It’s a map of the Gate to the Demon World!’

The Gate to the Demon World, the large sinkhole that was one of the Eastern continent's Three Restricted Areas.

This map had information about the inside of that sinkhole.
Cale realized something the moment he saw the information.

‘It’s a kingdom.’

The large sinkhole was a large kingdom divided into many floors.
It was not just a simple hole.
There was already a large city inside the large hole that was as wide as many villages put together.

Cale heard Duke Fredo's voice in his mind at that moment.

It is the Endable Kingdom.

This was a map of the kingdom as Cale had expected.

As you expected, we have created a kingdom. The kingdom starts in the northern region past this mountain, with our capital located inside the sinkhole with the Gate to the Demon World.

Cale could feel his heart beating wildly.

This was a key.

This battle that was divided into four locations… And the enemies chasing behind Cale and the allies to stop them…
This was a key to instantly flip things over if they managed to endure past all of this.

“…Do you know the meaning of giving this to me?”

Cale was the White Star's enemy.
Duke Fredo's allies were currently trying to catch Cale as well.

However, This Duke had given Cale lots of information about their base.
It was the truth about a place that had been thoroughly kept a secret.

‘Is this bastard crazy?’

Cale looked toward Duke Fredo and heard his voice in his mind.

Of course. I know the value of what I gave you.

‘No. This bastard is not crazy. There’s something he wants. What could it be?’

Cale now knew about the kingdom's location, name, and Duke Fredo's position.
However, there was one thing he did not know.

‘The White Star. What position does that bastard have in the Endable Kingdom?’

Cale’s mind quickly processed information and put together many different pieces to figure things out.

Cale finally started to speak after a while.

"What is the White Star's position?”

Cale repeated the question he had asked before.
Unlike last time, Fredo answered the question.

The White Star can be considered our, ‘liege.’ But he is not our ‘king.’ He needs to complete the mission given to him in order to become the king.

It was at that moment.

“Ha, haha-”

Cale started to laugh.
The others looked toward him with confusion but Cale slowly started to walk.
He walked up to Duke Fredo.

“Cale-nim.”

Choi Han tried to stop Cale but Cale motioned that it was okay before walking right up to Duke Fredo.
He then brought his face close to Fredo's ear and started to whisper.
He was speaking so quietly that only Fredo would hear.

“You want to be king, don't you?”

Cale’s eyes were full of certainty as he asked in a laughing voice.

Duke Fredo had said the following.

The White Star, who was their liege by name, would become the true king if he could complete his mission.
But what happens if he can't complete that mission?

This bastard had said since earlier that he would only tell Cale the truth.
The things he said brushed past Cale’s mind.

‘I am a Vampire who knows about grace and pride. That is why I won't serve anyone.’
‘I will only tell you the truth. I truly do not serve anyone.’

He did not serve the White Star or the Demonic race.

He did not place anyone above him.
There was nobody he truly served.

What could that mean?

“You want that king position for yourself.”

‘That’s why he's betraying his allies and trying to cooperate with me, the enemy.’

“You don’t care about the Demonic race at all. All you care about is becoming king. Am I right?”

Cale moved his face away from Fredo's ear.

‘He’s just joking when he says he wants my blood. His true goal is to become the king.’

He was certain that his thoughts were correct after seeing Duke Fredo's face.

Smirk.

Duke Fredo had a painting-like smile on his face.
He slowly whispered so that only Cale could hear.

“Correct. I wish to be king.”

Cale put the map in his pocket and responded.

“I’ll be waiting for your invitation.”
“I'll send the invitation soon.”

Shhhhhh-

Duke Fredo's body slowly started to turn black.

His black skin dispersed like ash and his body started to disappear.

Duke Fredo started to speak at that moment.

“I'll give you one more present.”

Cale who was walking toward the snowy region, stopped.
Duke Fredo who was disappearing with his subordinate Liana said something as the last few bits of ashes disappeared into the air.

“The White Star went to the Roan Kingdom a moment ago.”

‘…Where did the White Star go?’

Cale’s eyes opened wide.
Fredo continued to speak as he did that.

His voice was slowly getting quieter as his body disappeared.
However, Cale still heard him properly.

“The White Star knows very well. He knows that when you are lacking information, everything can be resolved by having the life of the leader in his hands.”

Duke Fredo disappeared after saying that.
They had no way of knowing where nor how he disappeared.

However, that was not important.
Rosalyn subconsciously shouted.

“…Marquis Taylor!”

The White Star would head to the Roan Kingdom’s Northwest region.

The White Star would try to quickly find the ancient power while Cale was elsewhere.

‘That means that he needs to quickly gather information about that region in order to find the information he needs!’

The easiest way to do that was to capture the leader and get information out of that person as Duke Fredo mentioned.

The leader of the Roan Kingdom’s Northwest region who would have that information was Marquis Taylor Stan.

‘We need to save Marquis Taylor!’

Rosalyn heard Cale shout at that moment.

“F*ck!”

She turned her gaze.
They needed to quickly head to the Roan Kingdom’s Northwest region.
Cale should know that as well.
However, Cale's thoughts were different than her thoughts.

“…It’s not Marquis Taylor.”

Taylor was not the leader.
The White Star should know that as well.
He should know that the Roan Kingdom had a leader whom even Cale reported to.
Information would go past that person or gather to that person.

‘The Roan Kingdom has already sent troops to the Northwest region while knowing that the White Star's subordinates are there!’

That meant that the troops at the capital would decrease.

Would the White Star not know that?
Would he miss that fact?

Duke Fredo had said the following.

‘The White Star went to the Roan Kingdom a moment ago.’

The Roan Kingdom had not discovered the White Star's subordinates a moment ago.
He had already heard about that from crown prince Alberu while he was fighting in the maze underneath the Molden palace.

That meant that the White Star was moving separately from the White Star's subordinates who have been discovered in the Roan Kingdom.

“…We need to hurry to the palace.”

Alberu Crossman.

The White Star would aim for him.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Cale started to frown.

‘Alberu Crossman, if it is him?!’

“That person is probably heading to the Northwest region and not in the palace.”

He asked Raon to connect the call before quickly heading to the snowy region.

Alberu gave an order to his servant.

"Go bring me my armor.”

Screeeech-

The large door then opened.

“Your highness!”

Piiiiiiiiiii- Piiiiiiiiiiii-

Alberu’s vassals calling for him from past the door and the emergency alarm were mixing together.

Alberu stepped through the door.

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