Reborn As Noble Chapter 1189: The Shattered Relic ( 1189 )

While traversing the corridor, Javier paused, having caught sight of something noteworthy.

Strung out across the floor lay the Mathrias guards, finally rendered unconscious after being pinned earlier by his knights and his gravity skill.

Hmm? Peculiar...

Then, he sensed it.

Ah... it appears my ability wasn't the reason those cowards fled, after all.

Javier gulped down his nerves, having utilized his senses to detect the residual magic lingering in the air. A sudden chill wracked his frame.

It’s my mother’s art.

Damn it... even a mere fragment of her force is enough to send shivers down my spine.

Taking a deep breath, Javier struggled to steady himself.

"Expansion... cease."

He immediately deactivated both his expansion and gravity arts.

Well... time to return my focus to the matter at hand.

He stopped at the threshold of Gracelle’s chamber, hands tucked deep into his pockets as he peered down at the eight Mathrias guards sprawled on the ground. Leaning in, his gaze landed on a tainted relic that had been reduced to shards, scattered like debris.

Crouched low, he stroked his chin while observing the broken remnants.

Hmm... I wonder if this artifact should be retrieved for study.

Rising to his full height, he murmured into the silence.

"Shadow Leader?"

The Shadow Leader manifested gradually from the darkness, moved forward, pressed his fist to his left chest, and offered a slight bow, his own mask concealing a subtle smirk. "At your service, Your Highness?"

"That cursed item..." Javier gestured with his chin toward the debris on the floor, looking toward the figure waiting behind him. "Consult Father, Mother, or Alf to determine whether it ought to be salvaged for study or eradicated entirely. Follow their instructions to the letter."

He hesitated momentarily, scanning his surroundings before he continued.

"Should the order be to destroy it, ensure it is handled with the utmost precision. We must risk no contamination or harm to our people."

"Your commands are absolute, Your Highness." The Shadow Leader nodded.

"Ah..." Javier turned back to him. "By the way, is the Shadow Leader's Assistant not accompanying you?"

"He is indeed present, Your Highness. Is there some task you require him for?"

Javier offered a faint smile. "Oh, no particular reason. Merely curious." He looked back toward the unconscious guards. Just as he turned away, the double doors parted, revealing Garak and Marcor, who snapped their weapons in his direction.

The instant they recognized Javier and the masked operative in tactical gear, they stood rigid, lowered their weapons to the floor, and bowed in haste.

"Forgive us for brandishing our weapons at you, Your Highness!"

Javier smirked and shook his head, gesturing to the Shadow Leader. "Proceed with your assignment."

"As you command, Your Highness." With his fist back over his heart, the Shadow Leader bowed and vanished into, the air once again.

Javier shook his head with a long exhale.

This Shadow Leader possesses a truly remarkable ability to mask his mana signature. Were my tracking skill not operating at its peak potential, I would never have sensed him. He is certainly a different breed than the assistant, is he not? No wonder the subordinate claims he remains far beneath his master. And his loyalty is unwavering, reserved solely for Father.

He shifted his focus to Marcor and Garak, still bowed before him.

"Garak, Marcor."

"Yes, Your Highness!!"

"An elite unit shouldn't abandon their weapons on the floor," he teased lightly.

Garak and Marcor scrambled to recover their mana guns, securing them to their sides, and stood at attention, sweat beading on their brows.

A soft chuckle escaped Javier as he inspected them.

"You performed well in protecting our ward."

"It is our honor, Your Highness. We were merely fulfilling our duty."

"Mm, excellent. Once the patient has been transferred to the portable wing outside, the two of you are to regroup with the others at the new temporary coordinates."

"By your command, Your Highness." Marcor and Garak stood firm, saluted with fists over their hearts, and bowed.

Standing with a relaxed posture, Javier activated an ability.

"Purify."

A gentle, luminous ripple flowed through the hall, washing away the impurities and any lingering traces of dark sorcery from the air and floors.

He noted Myra approaching, who then bowed with practiced elegance.

"Your Highness."

"Mm." Javier nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "The operation commences shortly. I trust you are prepared?"

"Your commands are understood, Your Highness."

....

Moments before Javier had arrived at Gracelle’s quarters.

One of the maids holding the cursed object caught the sound of frantic footsteps hurtling toward them down the corridor.

She shot a look at her companion.

"Draw your steel." She hissed.

Her partner unsheathed her blade, eyes narrowing.

They saw their commander and several subordinates sprinting toward them in utter panic.

"Sorana, Vendosa!"

"Leader!" The two maids blinked in shock at the sight of their superior fleeing toward them.

"We are departing, now!" The leader, garbed in a butler’s livery, glared at them in a state of terror.

They shared a glance, confused.

"Why? The situation remains in our control, does it not? The other summoners are holding the line. We are moments away from completing the objective," Sorana stated.

"I lack the time to explain! We must evacuate this instant before—"

Vendosa began to question him, but noticed the butler’s eyes widening in horror.

"Faster! I can sense a catastrophic technique closing in..." Before he could finish, a sudden wave of light swept over them, and the relic began to pulse with a deadly radiance.

"Drop it and get out!" The leader shrieked, sprinting past them. "Just run!!"

The maids cast the relic to the floor and took flight, mirroring their leader’s escape toward the rear exit. As the artifact struck the stone, it flared violently before shattering into countless metallic, dark shards that scattered across the passage.

Vendosa stared in horror as the relic obliterated itself.

"Leader! What is transpiring!"

"The Armand forces secured Lord Rolland and Lady Sylvia before we could even initiate our plan! And those Knights in White armor materialized from nothing, encircling us. They were too formidable; I couldn't even leave a mark on their armor with my enchanted dark edge!"

"What?"

Reaching the backyard, they witnessed two of their summoners impaled by radiant crystals that had surged from the earth, hoisting their limp bodies before they collapsed. The rift they had opened was forcefully collapsed by a second pulse of light, causing all summoned manifestations to dissolve.

The leader triggered an ability. "Speed up!"

He scaled the wall and kept moving.

Vendosa, Sorana, and the remaining operatives raced after him, desperate.

"Leader!!! What are our orders now!?"

"We evacuate this territory immediately! Retreat to the neighboring township before heading for the border! Utilize the woodland paths to evade detection!"

They arrived at the stables, where two of their men were stationed, watching over their steeds.

One looked up, stunned. "Leader?"

The other offered a cynical laugh. "At last! After all these years, you finally grace us with your presence, Leader? What’s the word? More coin? A new assignment?"

"Mount your horses and abandon this place, immediately!"

( End Of Chapter )