The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth C.29: Aidan Hamil

250 years ago, under the command of the Grand Sorcerer Kaye Aesir, the Empire basked in its most glorious era of prosperity. But as history often repeats itself, the pinnacle of glory inevitably led to decline. Even the seemingly invincible Empire, saw its territories shrink over time.

One might think that the continued existence of the Lurein Principality and the Three Kingdoms of Istria is evidence of its decline. But just two years later, with Olivurn's ascension to the throne and the Oracle’s descent within just a year, the Empire relived its former glory through its numerous advancements.

The individuals behind this remained etched in Karyl's memory.

The Seven Pillars of the Empire were the seven talents who supported Emperor Olivurn and spearheaded the revival of the Empire.

There was Bran Gamunt, hailed as the greatest strategist in history.

Serga, the mage believed to be the second coming of Kaye Aesir.

Mac Meister, who manipulated the continent's commerce.

Suan Hazer, the leader of a special task force operating under the guise of a commercial guild.

Zaken Bolton, the military genius known his ruthless and cold-hearted nature.

Aidan Hamil, the leader of Astra, the largest intelligence organization on the continent.

And lastly... There was Karyl MacGovern, the legendary Sword Saint, himself.

Karyl wasn't simply reminiscing for the sake of recalling their names.

"Eh? You are...!!" Suan, visibly shaken, staggered towards them, looking at the man with surprise.

"Do you know him?"

"Yes. I pretty much ferry over all the newcomers here. I remember almost everyone who has boarded my boat."

"Is that so?" Karyl glanced at him briefly. "Are you okay?"

"Huff...... Huff...... Thank you." Suan supported the man, who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.

"Here." Karyl handed his water flask to the man, who greedily drank as if he hadn’t had a drop of water or a scrap of food in days.

A chorus of angry voices echoed from the dock.

“Where is that bastard!!"

"Kill him the moment you find him!!"

"That arrogant son of a...! And where is the other one?"

"No matter how far they run, we are still on this island. We'll make them beg for death with a knife!!"

Upon hearing the voices, the man before Karyl widened his eyes in alarm and shouted, "We, we have to run!!"

"What’s going on exactly? You mentioned having a sister..." Suan, tried to calm the man gripping his arm. He suddenly recalled something and gasped in shock.

"Could it be... those men are talking about..."Suan pondered, turning his gaze towards Karyl.

Karyl understood exactly what he was implying from his expression. He silently observed the two before pressing down on the man beneath his feet. The man collapsed, unable to even scream, and took his last breath.

"Please, help me..." the man pleaded.

Karyl let out a low, mocking laugh as he looked at him. "Help you?"

"I remember clearly that he came to Tatur with his younger sister. Something must have happened."

"So?"

Asking for help from a stranger they've just met? If it were someone else, they might grasp at straws in desperation, but not this person.

I know you. Karyl sneered.

Aidan Hamil.

A former assassin and the master of the intelligence organization Astra. The man who, under the Emperor's orders, had silently assassinated dozens of high-ranking officials from various duchies.

And now, he claimed to be defeated by the scum of the lawless port? Unbelievable.

"Hah..." Karyl couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Besides, you were initially one of Olivurn's people.

Karyl wanted to outright say this, but instead, he watched Aidan, who lied as easily as he breathed, without a hint of guilt.

And if it's about a young sister, then it must be that person.

He slowly nodded. Everything is falling into place now.

Karyl finally understood the reason behind the sudden influx of barbarians entering Tatur in the coming years.

In my previous life, news had spread that three of the four administrators of Tatur, including the leader of the lawless port, Curan, had all been killed.

At the time, it didn't seem like much of a big deal—deaths were a common occurrence in this free city.

I had assumed that their deaths and the increase in newcomers were simply due to Suan Hazer... But it wasn't just that.

By that point, Tatur was a free city in name only.

Karyl looked at the man before him, his mind piecing things together.

Olivurn.

It all made sense now, You had taken control of this place.

This explained why Aidan Hamil was here as well.

How long did you spend on infiltrating? A year? Two? How impressive. You've been preparing to ascend the throne for a long time. Karyl couldn't help but admire Olivurn.

But why was Aidan appearing before him now? There can only be one reason.

Karyl glanced at Suan Hazer. Olivurn knew Suan would eventually return to Tatur.

He recalled Olivurn's words in the prison, about not giving up on Suan. There was a reason for his confidence.

Karyl’s face tensed as he looked at Aidan Hamil. He seemed to be a mess, but a closer inspection revealed no broken bones or any significant difficulty in movement.

The injuries are self-inflicted. He hadn't expected Aian would go to such lengths to create a meeting point.

It seemed like sheer coincidence, but it was anything but that. Olivurn must have instructed Aidan Hamil to make contact with Suan. But he hadn’t accounted for an unforeseen variable, which was Karyl.

Things are getting interesting.

Whether Olivurn had succeeded in gaining Suan Hazer’s loyalty in his previous life through this incident was unknown. But one thing was certain.

Olivurn, in this life, I arrived in Tatur before you did.

"Over here!!"

"What's with those guys?"

Suddenly, a group of men spotted the trio, and charged at them, weapons drawn.

Karyl swiftly kicked up the man who had collapsed on the ground, using him as a shield.

"Ugh...!!" The man, knocked unconscious, gasped for air as his body rose from the impact.

The attackers hesitated as their comrade was sent flying, crashing down with a cloud of sand.

"What the...?!"

"This bastard...!!"

Confusion and panic were evident on their faces, as they saw their comrade through the air and crashing down.

Karyl stepped forward, his footsteps steady and determined. He effortlessly dodged a diagonal sword strike from one of the men and sidestepped another attack. There was no need for him to use magic in this situation.

With a powerful kick that shattered the attacker’s shin, Karyl brought him down in agonizing pain.

"Ugh... Ugh!!" The pain was too much for him to even scream.

Olivurn, he was the Second Prince. Even with Kuwell's support, his position and influence was far weaker compared to Luon.

The forces supporting you in the capital are few. Even with Sir Jarvant and my father, Kuwell, on your side, it's still not enough when compared to Prince Luon.

Another man fell, and Karyl swiftly severed the man’s achilles tendon with his dagger. Standing up calmly, he mercilessly slit the incapacitated man's throat.

This place remained a free city even after you ascended the throne. But now I see it was free only in name.

In truth, it was already yours.

The remaining two men, witnessing the brutal fate of their comrades, attempted to flee.

It doesn't matter.

In a flash, Karyl closed the distance between them, relentlessly beating the remaining two attackers.

"Ugh... Ugh...!!" Their screams didn't last long.

Amidst the sprawled bodies, Karyl stood unscathed.

Aidan Hamil couldn't hide his astonishment at the sight. Without sparing him another glance, Karyl walked past the fallen men with a calm demeanor.

This city is mine now.