Chapter 278: The Encounter (4)

The Emperor’s Office.

Twitch… Twitch…

After the tempestuous beating subsided, Pablo, half-dead, writhed feebly on the floor.

The Emperor watched in awe. He’s still alive after all that?

He couldn’t tell if it was Pablo’s extraordinary resilience or Louis’s divine mastery over the rhythm and force of his strikes that was responsible.

“Haa… that relieved some stress,” Louis said, feigning wiping non-existent sweat from his brow as he slipped a potion into Pablo’s mouth.

Glug… Glug…

Pablo desperately gulped down the potion, clinging to life. As always, Louis’s potion worked wonders, completely healing his wounds.

The Emperor watched, mesmerized, as Pablo seemed to rise from the dead. Another flicker of admiration crossed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Pablo, having once again survived a brutal beating, glared silently at the potion bottle rolling across the floor.

”…Ugh…”

Damn it… damn it! This cursed potion!

The potion was the problem.

If he had simply been bedridden with illness, at least he might have earned some pity. But to emerge from such a beating without a single scratch, completely healed, left him seething with resentment—he had endured all the pain for nothing.

Ugh… this is my fate…

A dark, ominous cloud seemed to gather over Pablo’s head.

Regardless of Pablo’s misery, Louis sat down opposite the Emperor, looking refreshed.

“I had something to discuss with you anyway. Since I’m already here, let’s talk.”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah.”

”…?”

“I need to ask you for a favor.”

At the mention of a favor from Louis, Pablo subtly straightened up, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he watched the Emperor and Louis.

The Emperor, however, wore a puzzled expression. “What kind of favor is it?” he asked in a low voice.

Louis replied seriously, “I need you to find someone for me.”

”…Someone?”

“Yes.”

Noticing the Emperor’s bewildered gaze, Louis began reciting the details of the person he was searching for—the Holy Mother. “Her name is Abel. She’s a woman in her late twenties, with blonde hair and green eyes. Her exact location is unknown, but she’s likely somewhere on the Summer Continent.”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor’s expression turned slightly troubled as he listened to Louis’s account.

“The clues are too sparse. ‘Somewhere on the Summer Continent’… Isn’t there anything more distinctive that could help narrow it down?”

“Hmm, let me think… Ah! She might have been born with dual attributes.”

”…Dual attributes, you say?”

Louis recalled Abel’s original backstory from the Original Work. “Wood and Water. She was likely born with both attributes.”

“Ho… A woman born with dual attributes.”

“And most importantly… I don’t think she lives in a human village.”

”…What do you mean by that?”

“Focus your search on elven settlements.”

“Does that mean the person you’re looking for lives in an elven village?”

“Probably.”

“This will be difficult…”

The Emperor clicked his tongue softly.

While various demihuman races had established roots across the Summer Continent, most remained aloof from human society. Among these, elves were particularly reclusive. Even if an elf ventured into the human world, they could easily blend in simply by concealing their ears. Consequently, confirmed sightings of elves were exceedingly rare, and among common folk, they were largely regarded as mythical creatures.

Given this reality, locating elven settlements would be no easy task.

Seeing the Emperor’s reluctance, Louis clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Tch, can’t find them? In an Empire that has unified the Summer Continent?”

”…I said it would be difficult, not impossible.”

The Emperor seemed slightly offended.

After a moment, he grinned, baring his teeth. “I’ll find them within three months… no, make it two.”

“Good,” Louis replied, returning the Emperor’s smile.

Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, he changed the subject. “Speaking of which, tell me about the Estephan Family.”

The Estephan Family was Elvis’s lineage. When Louis left Frenche, he had entrusted the management of the family’s affairs to Pablo.

But the Emperor blinked at Louis’s words. “The Estephan Family…?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… I don’t recall such a family in the Empire.” His response carried an air of genuine surprise.

Louis’s eyebrows arched. “Pablo…”

Pablo felt a surge of panic as Louis’s angry glare bore into him, his face paling.

Just then, a voice came to his rescue.

“Estephan… Estephan? Could you possibly be referring to that Estephan?”

The Emperor’s voice, as if struck by a sudden realization, drew both their gazes.

“So that’s why the trivial affairs of such an insignificant family were being secretly reported directly to the Emperor… Was this the Late Emperor’s will?”

“Th-that’s right! Exactly!” Pablo exclaimed, his face lighting up with relief as if he had been resurrected. He shot Louis a triumphant glance, as if to say, “See?”

Louis snorted and waved his hand dismissively. “Investigate this and report to my chambers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Pablo nodded vigorously, his spirits lifted.

Louis turned and strolled out of the room, leaving Pablo behind.

That day, a single message spread through every intelligence agency in the Frenche Empire:

It was the Emperor’s supreme command to locate an unidentified woman.

The Emperor’s most loyal subordinates, who would gladly face death for his orders, sprang into action with swift efficiency.

Time flew by quickly.

Despite the Emperor’s bold promise to find her within two months, Louis received no news.

Three months had passed—a month beyond the Emperor’s pledged deadline. It was around this time that Ariana entered her sleep device.

“Still no sign of her?” Louis demanded.

“Please, just a little longer…” the Emperor pleaded.

By the fourth month, Tania, driven by relentless training, had finally reached the Top Tier and obtained the coveted Elixir.

“How much longer?” Louis pressed.

”…We’ll find her soon,” the Emperor replied.

In the fifth month, Kendrick, determined not to be outdone by Tania, also reached the Top Tier.

“Still nothing?” Louis asked, his impatience growing.

“Please, just trust us a little longer,” the Emperor repeated, his plea sounding increasingly desperate.

With each month that passed, Louis’s impatience grew, but the Emperor could only repeat his plea for more patience.

Six months had passed since the search began.

“Still nothing?”

Louis’s clipped tone, sullen expression, and slouching posture spoke volumes of his discontent. The Emperor’s face hardened as he watched Louis’s body language, which screamed, “I’m deeply dissatisfied.”

He spoke softly, “Just… give us a little more time.”

“Didn’t I hear that same excuse roughly three or four months ago?”

”…”

The Emperor pressed his lips into a tight line. Having boasted so confidently before, he now had nothing to say. A strange mix of humiliation and futility washed over him.

Is this all the Empire’s intelligence network can muster? he lamented inwardly. Searching an entire continent for someone whose location and face remain unknown… The task seemed increasingly futile.

Finding her in just two months would undoubtedly be a challenge.

Yet the Emperor remained confident.

He believed that the Empire’s vast network of eyes and ears, cultivated over centuries and scattered across the continent, would effortlessly locate the Abel Louis sought.

Contrary to expectations, however, the Empire had failed to find “Abel” after half a year.

To be precise, they had discovered several women named Abel, but none possessed the dual elemental affinity Louis had described.

A human woman living in an elven village…

Given the elves’ inherent distrust of humans, even locating an elven settlement wouldn’t guarantee access for a search.

Seeing the Emperor’s silence, Louis clicked his tongue softly.

“Tsk. I don’t care how long it takes. Find him, no matter what. Though the sooner you find him, the better, of course.”

”…Understood.”

The Emperor’s eyes blazed with fury.

This had become a matter of face and pride.

There’s no way the Empire’s intelligence network is this weak! We will find him.

Given the Emperor’s determination, it was only natural that the Empire was placed on high alert.

Meanwhile, leaving the Emperor behind, Louis turned his gaze to the window.

”…”

His eyes silently absorbed the peaceful sky outside.

A tranquil world.

Yet, a flicker of unease betrayed Louis’s gaze as he stared.

It’s too quiet…

Half a year had passed since his encounter with the Mad Dragon—no, Chulsoo88.

Since then, the creature had vanished without a trace.

Not even once.

The eerie calm, like the lull before a storm, set Louis’s nerves on edge.

Tap-tap.

Louis’s slender fingers drummed against the armrest of his chair.

Tap-tap-tap.

The sound of his fingertips striking the wooden armrest echoed in the room, each tap like the ticking of a time bomb.

At the very moment Louis was gazing up at the sky,

Thud, thud…

A man entered the Islet, the capital of the Frenche Empire.

Long, disheveled hair framed his dust-covered face, a testament to countless nights spent sleeping outdoors. His robe was tattered and worn, but despite his ragged appearance, his eyes burned with an unwavering intensity.

He marveled at the sight of the capital before him, his gaze sweeping across the impressive structures. The man, who couldn’t stop looking around in amazement, was none other than Elvis.

”…This is the heart of the Empire,” he murmured.

It was also known as the heart of the Summer Continent.

When he had first set sail for the Spring Continent, his only thought had been to reach his destination as quickly as possible, so he had simply passed by the Islet.

But now, he had a vital task to accomplish within its walls.

No matter what, I must secure the Empire’s cooperation.

The Ainfort Republic he knew was gone. In its place stood a colossal empire that had unified the Summer Continent.

Perhaps this is for the best. This empire… could be a powerful ally in facing the Mad Dragon.

If he could inform the Frenche Empire of the Mad Dragon’s existence and the grave threat it posed, securing their cooperation would make this empire far more valuable than the vanished Ainfort Republic ever was.

Of course, that would require persuading the empire itself…

The question was whether his current abilities were sufficient to influence such a powerful entity.

His past connections might have mattered, but now he was merely a noble in name only, belonging to a powerless aristocratic family no different from commoners.

Even so, he couldn’t give up.

Having personally witnessed the Mad Dragon’s existence with his own eyes, Elvis was convinced that dark clouds were about to engulf the world. Though everything had changed, he believed his knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures could still be a valuable bargaining chip.

If all else fails… I’ll have to hand over the third auxiliary control incantation to secure the Empire’s cooperation.

He had been saving that knowledge of the third auxiliary control incantation, planning to use it more effectively later. He was certain it would be an irresistible offer for the Empire.

That’s what Elvis thought, unaware that his trump card—the third auxiliary control incantation—had already been leaked to the world by someone.

“First, let’s wash up, rest, and then… we’ll move.”

Six months of relentless travel and sleeping rough had left Elvis looking like a beggar. In this state, neither the Imperial Court nor even the nobles would give him the time of day.

For now, I’ll settle down, earn some money, and find a way to approach the nobles.

With his plan set, Elvis began to walk. His figure soon blended into the bustling crowd.

Thump, thump.

Elvis wandered around like a country bumpkin fresh off the farm, craning his neck to survey the unfamiliar sights as he searched for cheap but decent lodging.

“I told you, it’s not possible!”

“But why not?!”

His steps halted abruptly, drawn by the heated argument that drifted into his ears.

…Huh?

The voice sounded strangely familiar. That was why he could so easily distinguish it from the surrounding cacophony.

Elvis turned his head toward the source of the sound.