“The Black-Clad Central Knight Order and the Red-Clad Cape Knight Order?”
“Yeah… Just like your hair color, black is also the signature hue of the True Ancestor. Her personal knight order is clad in black too, commonly known outside as the Black Gear. As for the Cape Family, all their clansmen have red hair, so their knight order uses red as its emblem—commonly called the Red Gear. The Black Gear boasts nine Diamond Tier knights, while the Red Gear has seven… Together, they form arguably the most powerful armed force in the world.”
Sang was no fool. He understood the implications of those words perfectly. The vice commander of the Central Knight Order, who should have belonged to the True Ancestor, had now become a private knight for a member of the Cape Family—and was even accompanying her to this banquet. It was clear proof that the Cape Family had seized control of the Central Knight Order entirely.
Any lingering qualms he’d had about the Cape Family’s little princess now seemed utterly trivial.
Terrifying.
To think they commanded sixteen Diamond Tier knights in total… By comparison, the Hill Family supposedly had only two (Snow Hill wasn’t rated, so she didn’t count).
The next moment, Sang quietly shifted his gaze to the Black Knight standing beside Iyefut Cape. Clad head to toe in black garb, he exuded the aura of a knight guarding the night itself, radiating an overwhelming presence of dominion.
Sang had already encountered Diamond Tier knights up north, but seeing one again today still filled him with awe.
Just standing there, the man’s oppressive aura was suffocating.
“So this is… the vice commander of the Central Knight Order—Noitra? A Diamond Tier powerhouse…”
As the young man murmured to himself, the Black Knight seemed to sense his stare. Through the narrow slit of his helmet, his piercing gaze locked onto Sang.
In an instant, Sang whipped his eyes away and turned his body, desperate not to draw the knight’s attention.
Tsk, tsk, tsk…
No matter what, things had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.
……
Iyefut Cape didn’t linger in the banquet hall for long. It was as if she were just making a token appearance—less than five minutes later, she slipped out a side door, likely heading to the VIP lounge, with Black Knight Noitra in tow.
But just as Iyefut Cape was about to leave, Morton Montgomery popped up. The heartthrob who had everyone fawning over him moments ago now carried a distinct simp vibe.
“Princess, allow me to escort you to the lounge.”
Iyefut Cape ignored him completely. The Black Knight beside her coldly extended a hand, blocking Morton from approaching, treating him like he was invisible.
What did that say?
It said that in front of a sugar mama, a pretty boy was nothing but trash.
As he watched Iyefut Cape’s retreating figure, Morton Montgomery maintained his warm, springlike smile on the surface, but beneath it, he clenched his teeth.
Iyefut Cape… One day, I’ll make you my slave.
……
With the princess gone, Sang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now it was time for him to carry out his mission.
When the banquet was well underway, Sang seized his chance and slipped out of the hall unnoticed. Time to get to work and poke around the place thoroughly.
Before commencing the mission proper, he swapped out his knight’s sword for another, donned a metal Black Mask, and changed into a different set of formal attire…
No one would recognize him like this.
The mission went even more smoothly than expected. About an hour later, deep in the dungeons beneath the Montgomery Family Estate, Sang found his target—Colin. He’d already gotten the rundown on this middle-aged man from Liyou: an intelligence operative for the Hunting Organization.
However.
When Sang laid eyes on the man, rather than focusing on his tortured, barely human form clinging to life, he fixated on another detail: the man was wearing a white lab coat. He didn’t look like an intel operative at all—more like a researcher…
Well… intel agents often went undercover in disguise. No big deal.
In the dim, dank dungeon, a single flickering candle provided the only light. The air reeked of mold, rot, and blood. Colin was strapped to a torture rack, covered in wounds, on his last legs. Needles had been jammed between his fingertips and nails; all ten toenails had been brutally yanked out with pliers… A gruesome sight.
He had to admit it.
The scene carved yet another psychological scar into Sang’s mind.
He’d been in this world for fifteen years already, but this was the first time he’d witnessed something like this.
Liyou’s orders were clear: Sang just needed to confirm if the target was still alive, whether he was in the Montgomery Family Estate, and his exact location. No rescue, no contact required.
That should have been it.
But in that moment, seeing the man gasping his final breaths, Sang couldn’t help feeling a pang of pity. He comforted him, saying, “Hang in there just a bit longer. Someone’s coming to save you soon…”
It was just a few encouraging words for a man in despair. Nothing too much, right!?
The next instant, the enfeebled Colin heard the unfamiliar voice. Summoning every ounce of strength, he slowly raised his head. His half-lidded eyes fixed on the young man. He’d lost track of how long he’d been imprisoned or how much longer he could hold out, but in that fleeting moment, the boy’s voice had truly soothed him.
He was beyond despair now. He just wanted to pass on some vital information to someone trustworthy.
It was only a glance, but he trusted Sang.
Or rather, he had no choice but to trust him… He was at the end of his rope.
With his last burst of strength, he pried open his mouth and rasped out, fragment by fragment, “Listen… carefully… Rita… in the west… there’s a mountain—Bron… cave behind the waterfall… destroy everything there… burn it all… don’t tell a soul… not a single person… not even the Hunt…”
“What… what are you even saying!? I don’t get it! I’m not getting involved in this—it’s outside my mission scope… I’ll just report your status to Liyou and call it done…”
Sang had already made up his mind: once this task was complete, he’d officially cut ties with the organization. He was one step away now—don’t throw him a side quest!
However.
The instant Colin heard Liyou’s name, it was as if death had finally come for him—or as if he’d suffered some monumental shock. His eyes bulged wide, blood surged to his heart, and he spewed a massive mouthful of blood before dropping dead on the spot.
He was gone…
Sang didn’t have time to process it. His mind was suddenly swirling with questions, but he was still in the dungeon corridor—he needed to get out fast. The banquet was probably wrapping up soon, and if he was gone too long, it might raise suspicions and cause trouble.
Without a second’s delay, Sang bolted from the dungeon.
Perhaps because of the banquet, security down here was laughably lax. The few scattered guards were easy enough to dodge.
“Hmm… Is the Montgomery Family’s security just that garbage, or am I just that good?”
As the young man neared the dungeon exit, a towering black shadow suddenly loomed over him. Staring at the Black Knight before him, Sang let out a bitter laugh.
“What a jinxed mouth…”
