Episode 751

Barsabe carefully adjusted her uniform. She tightened the black cloth covering her eyes even more firmly, then gently traced the blade of her sword with her fingertips. The cold, chilling sensation seeped deep into her mind.

As time passed—ever since Bariel’s forces had taken control of the palace grounds and darkness had fallen—there had been no response from inside.

“Sergeant Barsabe, are you ready?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

She pulled back the tent flap and immediately felt unseen eyes upon her. The scouts who would enter the palace alongside her.

They stood rigid with tension, and understandably so—entering an enemy-held building with no intel was a mission that meant facing death head-on.

“Any word on those who know the palace layout?”

“Yes. A few soldiers captured by the Magic Division are still alive, but since they’re from the training grounds outside the palace, they don’t know the interior well.”

So, once inside, Barsabe would be no different from the soldiers with their eyes wide open.

She turned her head toward the faint vibrations coming from afar. The battle between the palace guards and the sorcerers along the castle walls was drawing to a close.

“Everyone’s safe?”

“Besides some minor injuries, yes.”

“…That’s a relief.”

Barsabe took a quiet breath. She didn’t want to be nervous, but it was an instinct she couldn’t shake. Stepping forward with death on the line was never easy for anyone. But—

‘That is my calling.’

“Barsabe.”

She turned at the voice. It was Jin. The emperor himself approached, lightly patting her shoulder in encouragement. From his grip came a silent command: come back alive.

“Remember, your primary mission is to map the palace interior, assess Lord Ian’s party’s situation, and above all, confirm King Toorun’s whereabouts.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

“If we don’t hear from you within three hours, we’ll send another scouting party.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“…When you return, let’s meet eyes and greet properly.”

Regain your sight. Then, live again in this world.

Jin’s kind farewell nearly brought tears to Barsabe’s eyes. But she saluted sharply with the flat of her blade and straightened her back.

Clack!

“The door?”

“It’s broken.”

A faint voice added, “Looks like Lord Beric smashed it.”

Even without seeing it, Barsabe could picture exactly how the door lay shattered. She smiled faintly and gripped her sword tighter.

“Let’s go in.”

Leading the way, Barsabe walked forward. The torch-bearing soldiers parted left and right, following behind. A swordswoman who sensed the unseen. Even if traps lay ahead, Barsabe would surely detect them.

Watching their backs disappear into the palace, Jin let out a small sigh.

---

Tap tap tap!

“It’s dark. No signs of life.”

“Move slowly and document everything!”

“The corridor connected to the main building splits into four.”

“We’ll check the farthest corridor first.”

Creak.

As they entered the main building, Barsabe slowly raised her hand to the blindfold. Then, with all her strength, she tore it off and lifted her head.

Whirr!

Her deep navy eyes, long shrouded in darkness, now shone brightly. King Toorun, are you watching? I have come right beneath your chin. Soon, seeing the world through me will be meaningless.

“Sergeant Barsabe, do you sense anything?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

The scouts spread out along the corridors, lighting the way with their torches. It was strange—no trace of people remained. No sign of Ian, the sorcerers, or even the servants who lived and died in the palace.

Barsabe sensed something deeply wrong.

Snap!

“…?!”

A sound of movement came from somewhere. Barsabe swiftly drew her sword and scanned the area. A shadow stretched at the corridor’s end, then a familiar man appeared.

“Ah! Barsabe!”

“Beric?”

Barsabe frowned. Aside from some scratches here and there, he looked unharmed. The soldiers, tense moments before, lowered their weapons with relief—but Barsabe did not.

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? Ian got lost following me.”

“How did you get lost? Did you split up?”

“Yeah. There were monsters in the palace. Ian and Hale’s group went ahead, and the rest stayed behind to clear them out. Looks like they headed toward the northern mountain.”

“Northern mountain…”

Barsabe muttered, puzzled, as Beric shrugged and passed by her.

“I’m exhausted, damn it. What about outside? Is His Majesty and everyone else okay?”

“Yes. We took control of the palace front, but there’s been no response from inside, so I came in myself. But Beric—”

“Hmm?”

Barsabe hesitated, then tilted her head.

“What’s this northern mountain?”

She had never been told about a secret passage connecting the palace interior to the northern mountain. Yet Beric acted as if he naturally knew about it. Something was off.

And not just that…

“Also, why haven’t you said you’re hungry?”

“I’m too tired to say it! I’m tired! Stop nitpicking over nothing.”

“No—”

If you’re that exhausted, hunger would have come first. Wait, and also…

‘He doesn’t even call me by my nickname anymore.’

Though less so lately, there had definitely been a change in how he addressed her.

More importantly, if Lord Ian had gone to the northern mountain, wouldn’t Beric try to head there immediately after completing his mission?

These weren’t baseless suspicions but deductions grounded in fact, so Barsabe’s brow furrowed naturally.

“Beric, come here.”

“Ugh, seriously. What a pain.”

Beric scowled but approached. Then, as if to show off, he leaned in close.

Their eyes met, and Barsabe’s frown deepened with each passing second.

“Hey.”

Beric? What the hell.

“What?”

“…Want to die?”

Swish!

From below to above, Barsabe’s sword slashed in a surprise attack.

The blade’s tip barely grazed Beric’s chin. Had he not stepped back quickly, his face would have been split open.

“Sergeant Barsabe!”

“Gah!”

The startled soldiers shouted, unsure what to do. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? They’d seen them spar fiercely before, but never this intense.

“Barsabe, are you crazy?”

“Take off the blindfold. Before I tear you apart.”

“This is insane. Hey, you! Go report this right now. Tell them Barsabe’s gone mad. There must be some invisible sorcery inside the palace—restrict others from entering.”

“Uh, well…”

One soldier glanced nervously at Barsabe, hesitating. Her behavior was problematic, but they were carrying out the mission under her command. Was it right to listen to Beric instead?

“Don’t listen to him! This isn’t Beric!”

“See? She’s crazy. He doesn’t recognize me, but you all do.”

“Sergeant Barsabe, please explain your reasoning.”

“Yes, from what we see, this is definitely Lord Beric.”

“On the surface, maybe. But my eyes don’t lie. This is either a monster or a sorcerer’s trick.”

“Then why—”

“If this were truly Beric, he would have said something when he saw my eyes.”

She knew better than anyone how thoroughly Jin had controlled her vision outside. Even in the pitch-black palace, if he’d seen her without the blindfold, he’d have made some comment—something like, “Finally got your eyes back to normal,” or “Did you send your blindfold to the laundry because it smelled?”

Barsabe’s explanation made the soldiers hesitate. …Was that really enough?

Whirr!

“Seriously? Even now?”

Beric unleashed his magic, and a crimson aura instantly filled the space. The soldiers panicked, trying to restrain him.

“Lord Beric! If you use your power here, we’ll all die!”

“Then if you don’t want to die, go report what I say right now.”

“Sergeant Barsabe! Please calm down—”

The more Beric insisted he was real, the more certain Barsabe became: this was a fake.

“I don’t know who you really are, but your goal must be to stop Bariel’s forces from entering the palace. Sorry, but our Beric’s too dumb to think that far. Even now, if you were the real one, you’d just knock me out.”

Stopping Bariel’s forces from entering the palace—that made the soldiers murmur in realization.

“Well, either way, no more reinforcements from Bariel’s army will get in.”

Whether monster or sorcerer, this was someone perfectly impersonating another. If they went further inside, it could cause chaos, and if they even mimicked His Majesty’s appearance, it would be a serious problem.

Barsabe smirked, flicking her fingers.

“Since you’re showing your magic, you’re not just copying the surface.”

“Ha. Seriously…”

“Let’s see how long you can keep this up, huh?”

Beric spat on the floor and gave a strange smile. The atmosphere shifted instantly. The soldiers gripped their swords and slowly surrounded him.

“Not so easy, huh?”

Beric said.

He was someone who could easily get close to the emperor, yet held no significant position, so he didn’t attract much attention. His reputation was so low that even if he slipped up, it could be brushed off without much fuss.

And above all, he was insanely strong. When he set his mind to fighting, there were almost no opponents who could stop him. That’s why they chose a guy named Beric—but to get caught the moment they first crossed paths?

Barsave gave a sharp, bitter smile and lowered his stance.

“I owe you one.”

If he’d just passed by without a word, no one would have noticed the difference. That’s why he was even more grateful.

“I’ve wanted to beat that bastard Beric like a dog at least once.”

“Hah! That guy’s got enemies everywhere he goes.”

“You got any molars?”

“Molars?”

Beric ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and shrugged.

“Why?”

“Why? Because—”

Snap!

Barsave unleashed his magic with all his might and charged forward. The dark surroundings of the palace suddenly lit up, and a deep shadow fell across Beric’s face as he tried to block the attack.

“Let me have a go at those molars of yours, Beric!”

Boom! Bang!

Crash!

Meanwhile, outside the palace—

Jin froze mid-step at the sudden tremor that echoed from within the palace walls. Tweller followed him closely, concern etched on his face.

“So, they’ve met.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It appears so.”

Something was definitely happening inside the palace. Since this reaction came right after Barsave went in, it was safe to assume it was Barsave’s fight.

Then what were Lord Ian and the mages doing, remaining so quiet? If there was ‘something’ inside the palace but no movement, did that mean they were incapacitated? Jin bit his lower lip anxiously, and Tweller gently asked,

“Your Majesty, shall we send in reinforcements? The shield is important, but if we maintain it at a certain level, we could send in a couple more.”

“No. As I instructed Barsave, we wait for his report. Sending more troops now could cause unnecessary chaos.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. A wise decision.”

As Tweller nodded in agreement, supporting the king’s judgment—

‘Hmm?’

The entire palace complex, centered on the main building, suddenly brightened. Since it had been shrouded in darkness, the change was immediately noticeable.

Jin frowned at the strange movement in the distance, watching carefully.

“Is that… right now…?”

What on earth was that?

A massive shadow rising, backlit by light. Instinctively, they both knew this was the final hurdle in this war.