“It will take us about a day to reach Harun, the capital.”

“Thank you for your care and attention during this journey.”

“It’s only natural, since you are a precious guest. Haha!”

Jamir smiled warmly, looking like a genuinely nice person rather than a suspicious one.

‘He’s more cunning than I thought… It’s not easy to evade the surveillance of the Crescent Moon Sect, even if he’s from the capital.’

The envoy group had received lavish welcomes in several cities along the way, guided by Jamir. But they had made little progress in finding out who was behind him.

Eurius recalled the conversation he had with Jegal Geon.

“Did you find out anything about Jamir’s whereabouts?”

“We confirmed that he had some contacts with shady people in some of the cities we passed through, but none of them seemed to use magic.”

“It seems that we’ll have to wait until we arrive at Harun to catch his tail.”

“Actually, we did have some results in the capital. We couldn’t track him down very well, but his subordinates were relatively easier to follow.”

Eurius’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s good news. Report to me in detail when we get to the capital.”

Jegal Geon looked slightly gloomy. He had been investigating Jamir for almost half a year, but he still couldn’t find out who was behind him.

“I really don’t understand. He doesn’t seem to have any special skills for hiding or infiltrating, but I feel ashamed to face your highness.”

“I have some ideas about that.”

‘If they can’t do it, I’ll have to do it myself!’

No matter how hard the Crescent Moon Sect tried, they couldn’t match Eurius in terms of infiltration. He had learned from his previous life that he had to take the lead (?) in these situations.

With these thoughts in mind, Eurius and the envoy group finally approached Harun, the capital of Parthia.

***

“We’re almost there. That’s Harun.”

Eurius also expressed his honest admiration.

“Indeed… Harun is worthy of being called the jewel of the desert.”

As they said, Harun was the largest and most beautiful city in the southern desert.

It was already a magnificent sight to see buildings of imperial scale in the midst of a barren desert, but what caught his eye the most was the splendor!

The cities they had visited before were also decent as tourist attractions, but they couldn’t compare to the capital in terms of size or glamour.

Especially the royal palace, which was located in the center of the city, seemed to be no less splendid than the imperial capital.

“Actually, it was much more rustic until recently, but I put a lot of effort into renovating the exterior of the buildings.”

Jamir looked proud as he heard Eurius’s compliment.

The reason why he was trusted by the archbishops was not only because he was good at his work, but also because he shared a large portion of the income he earned from developing the city and attracting tourists with the upper echelon of the sect.

It was only natural that money was needed for any activity, even for a secret organization.

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch!’

Karim and his faction hated Jamir for corrupting the tradition of the desert, and even within the sect there were many who envied him for gaining the trust of the archbishops like Gideon.

But he didn’t care.

“The palace is already prepared to welcome the envoy group.”

“Is it true that Prince Karim is in charge?”

“Yes, as I told you before, my father is not in a condition to move around, so my brother is taking care of state affairs.”

“Are you not going with us?”

“Haha… To be honest, my second brother doesn’t like me very much. I think it might cause some trouble for your negotiation if I go with you.”

“Tsk! Brothers should get along well with each other.”

It wasn’t something that someone who had been killed by his brother in his previous life should say, but anyway Eurius made some polite remarks and parted ways with Jamir.

“The first prince of the empire has arrived as the leader of the envoy group.”

It was an envoy group from the empire.

They entered the palace without any problem or delay. But the atmosphere was cold.

‘The welcome is rather modest?’

The palace was surprisingly simple. It was completely opposite to Jamir’s extravagant welcome, so Eurius felt a bit curious.

“I am Prince Karim, who is taking care of state affairs on behalf of the king.”“I am Eurius von Scharnos, the first prince of the empire.”

The kingdoms of the desert were different from the other kingdoms of the continent, as they didn’t serve the empire as their suzerain.

Therefore, they didn’t have to bow down to the imperial prince. Jamir’s obsequious attitude was rather exceptional. But Eurius liked this blunt welcome better.

‘Karim, was it? He’s ambitious and capable, but why did he ally with someone like Wallace?’

[Karim]

Job: Prince, Senior Warrior

Strength: A Agility: A Intelligence: A Spirit: B+ Force Aptitude: B+ Force: A

Traits: Ambitious, Brave, Stubborn

He didn’t remember hearing the name Karim in his previous life.

But his stats were impressive, both in civil and military affairs! He had high intelligence and was at least a master-level warrior. There was only one possibility why he didn’t exist in his memory.

‘That sect must have done something to him.’

“First of all, let me tell you my position on the alliance request…”

Karim clearly expressed his refusal.

“We are not a vassal of the empire. We refuse to spill our blood for your sake.”

‘This was expected.’

“Then, would you consider it if we offer you a fair trade?”

Eurius asked again with a seemingly regretful expression, but Karim was as firm as a rock.

“You know how reckless your request is! I don’t want to waste time on pointless arguments.”

It was a rude response, considering Eurius’s status, but he didn’t mind.

Eurius smiled wryly and said his last words.

“But I can’t go back empty-handed after coming here. I’ll have to stay longer and try to persuade you.”

Karim didn’t relax his face at his smooth reply.

“You can try, but it won’t do any good.”

The envoy group had no choice but to go to the accommodation provided by the palace without any gain.

“It’s too rude to his highness, even if we came here to ask for an alliance first.”

The knights were all angry, but Eurius didn’t look very upset.

“Well, they might find it an unreasonable demand. We’ll just have to convince them gradually.”

To be honest, Eurius didn’t care much about the alliance.

He had a different reason for coming to this faraway desert.

***

That night, Eurius sneaked out of the palace.

He arrived at the rendezvous point and received a cloak and a mask from Jegal Geon.

He quickly changed his clothes.

“I thought it would be suffocating to cover my face and wear tight clothes, but it’s not bad.”

He joked as always, but his partner looked serious.

“Then I’ll send you some elite agents to escort you. But are you sure you want to go alone?”

“Don’t you have trouble hiding yourself? It can’t be helped.”

Jegal Geon didn’t like the idea of letting him go alone, but he was a orthodox martial artist who wasn’t good at this kind of thing.

The elite agents of the Crescent Moon Sect didn’t show it, but they wondered if the emperor could keep up with their movements.

“Then I’ll be back soon. It was northwest, right?”

“…!?”

As soon as he said that, Eurius’s presence gradually disappeared. The two agents were shocked.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and guide him.”

“…”

They closed their mouths and started moving as fast as they could.

As he moved, Eurius thought for a moment.

‘He always lost track of him in the northwest area?’According to what he heard, Jamir didn’t hide his whereabouts very well. But there was a place he visited regularly where he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

‘He’s been by my side for the past few days.’

If he had a base near the capital, he wouldn’t have stayed away for so long. He decided to follow him himself when he heard that the Crescent Moon Sect detected his movement at night.

The desert was so desolate that they had to keep some distance while following him. No matter how well he hid his traces, there weren’t many places to hide in the first place.

‘I found him.’

He couldn’t see him with his eyes, but he finally spotted Jamir.

He was walking briskly towards somewhere and stopped at a certain point.

“…”

One of the agents signaled Eurius with his eyes. This was where they always lost track of Jamir.

Swoosh

As soon as he gave the signal, Jamir’s body disappeared without leaving any trace.

“Hmm…”

Eurius slowly approached that place. The agents looked skeptical. They had investigated several times, but they couldn’t find any clues.

Swoosh

“…!?”

But soon they were surprised. Eurius’s body also vanished completely as he approached that place.

***

Ding!

[You have found the Mirage Barrier.]

[You can avoid being deceived by your senses.]

‘So there’s a temple in this remote place? He must have had a base here.’

As expected, Jamir didn’t disappear because he moved somewhere else, but because there was a spell that deceived anyone who came near.

He was a superhuman who had sharpened his senses with the White Tiger Protection Device, so he barely managed to find the right way. It was no wonder that even the elite agents of the Crescent Moon Sect couldn’t detect it.

Creak

Jamir opened the door of the temple and Eurius quickly slipped in after him.

He followed him carefully through the corridor and thought to himself.

‘It’s surprisingly spacious. This might be more difficult than the capital raid.’

But when Jamir opened his mouth, he had to stop thinking.

“Master, the target has arrived at the capital.”

‘Master?’

They had entered a room deep inside the temple.

The person Jamir greeted was an old man with wrinkled skin.

“Well done.”

The old man answered with a hoarse and raspy voice. But Eurius was shocked by his next words.

“But why did you bring an unwelcome guest?”

“…!?”

Jamir turned around with a surprised expression. Eurius wasn’t a fool either.

As soon as he heard that, he drew his sword and stared at the old man.

[Ismael]

Job: Archbishop (Heimdall Sect)

Strength: C+ Agility: B+ Intelligence: A Spirit: A+ Dark Force: SS

Traits: Evil, Cruel, Fanatic

[Skills]

Dark Soul Arts (A-rank): A power granted to the priests of Heimdall. You can use various spells depending on your proficiency.

Eye of Heimdall (S-rank): You lose your sight, but your ability to sense your surroundings increases greatly.

Hand of Decay (S-rank): You can decompose anything you touch. A unique power of the highest priest.

“Damn…”

As soon as he checked his stats, Eurius cursed for the first time in a long time.

He had encountered a formidable enemy who surpassed his counter-ear ability.

On top of that, this place was the enemy’s territory.

‘I’ll have to hit him hard and run away.’