Imperial Throne

Chapter 12: Hidden Hostility

When Ion and Akar arrived at the demon hunter Arsen's home, they saw the demon hunting team that Akar had mentioned, the one in need of a guide.

This team consisted of no fewer than thirteen individuals, scattered around the vicinity of Arsen's house, either standing or sitting.

As soon as they spotted Ion and Akar approaching from a distance, their postures remained unchanged, but their gazes locked firmly onto the pair, clearly entering a state of alert.

“They're well-trained soldiers,” Ion easily detected a familiar aura from these individuals.

He had seen the private soldiers of the lords of Gem Territory, White Mountain Territory, and Red River Territory.

Among them, the private soldiers of the Red River Territory's lord were the best trained, yet they still lacked that iron-blooded aura, only slightly better than the ragtag group from Gem Territory.

However, the thirteen individuals scattered around here couldn't conceal their disciplined, iron-blooded aura, no matter how hard they tried. Ion recognized it at a glance.

Tyrella Kingdom Army.

He had served in this army for seven years. After retiring at the age of twenty-four, disillusioned by the harsh policies of Gem Territory, he formed the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group with two comrades to escape the oppressive taxes.

It was then that he met his current wife. The following year, their eldest son was born; at twenty-nine, their second son Yam; and at thirty-two, their third son Akar.

Although he had left the army over twenty years ago, those years of service still felt like yesterday to Ion.

Seeing these soldiers now, Ion couldn't help but become vigilant.

Judging by their appearances, most of these soldiers were still quite young, with only two appearing slightly older.

He wasn't sure whether these kingdom soldiers had retired. If they had, perhaps it wouldn't be too problematic. But if they hadn't, then this trip could be extremely dangerous.

“Are the two bloodline users you saw among these people?” Ion asked in a low voice.

“No,” Akar replied softly.

He was smart; from his father's lowered voice and the initial comment, he had already sensed the danger, so he made no overt gestures.

“Let's leave here first,” Ion said cautiously. “Traveling with them would clearly be quite risky.”

Suddenly, Ion grabbed Akar's arm, making it seem as if they, like others, were intimidated by the presence of the demon hunters and dared not approach, turning to leave.

The soldiers paid little attention to Ion and Akar's actions, as they had witnessed similar reactions along the way.

But at that moment, Arsen's door suddenly opened.

Immediately after, Arsen and two men stepped out of his house.

Both men were relatively young; the younger one didn't seem much older than Yam, probably around twenty years old.

The other, with a stern and serious demeanor, appeared slightly older, Ion estimated him to be around thirty. Just one look, and Ion knew this man was the true leader of the team.

The three who came out instantly spotted Ion and Akar.

Arsen, looking weathered, waved happily and shouted, “Ion, Akar, hahaha, I knew you'd come!”

As Arsen spoke, everyone's gaze fell upon Ion and Akar, especially the thirty-something blond man, whose sharp, scrutinizing eyes locked onto Ion. Though his gaze held no hostility, it nearly triggered Ion's combat reflexes.

In that instant, Ion realized this blond man was undoubtedly a seasoned veteran.

“These two are the best candidates I mentioned earlier,” Arsen, unaware of any issues, cheerfully introduced. “I've had in-depth conversations with them. They've ventured deep into the Death Forest, even farther than I have. They definitely meet your requirements.”

Arsen led the two bloodline knights toward Ion and Akar, his voice loud and clear.

“Ion, haven't you always wanted to explore the Death Forest? Now's your chance!” Arsen enthusiastically introduced the two bloodline knights beside him. “This is Sir Hughes from Gem Territory, and this is Lord Burton. They wish to hunt a Tier 3 magical beast in the Death Forest. But as you know, I've only ventured into the outskirts; I wouldn't dare enter the territory of a Tier 3 beast.”

Hughes was a blond middle-aged man.

He didn't speak, continuing to stare at Ion with a puzzled expression.

Ion, upon hearing “Sir Knight from Gem Territory,” felt a tremor in his heart.

Yet his face remained calm, showing no sign of disturbance.

He softly said, “But I haven't ventured deep into the Death Forest either. I've only had a few adventures on the outskirts. I heard a team of demon hunters wanted your help, so I brought my son along to see if we could join you and learn something.”

“Hahaha,” Arsen laughed heartily, suspecting nothing. “You're as modest as ever. I didn't even know there was a ruin in the Death Forest, yet you've seen it from afar. These two gentlemen are heading to that very ruin. You came to mind immediately. You won't learn much from me, but guiding these two will surely teach you more.”

Ion silently cursed Arsen but maintained a calm facade.

Over the past month and a half, aside from recuperating from his injuries, Ion had also made some tentative ventures into Withered Wood Forest.

The furthest he had gone was a ruin deep within the forest, which seemed to have once been a fairly large manor, Ion even suspected that the entire Withered Wood Forest might once have been a vast estate.

The closer he got to that ruin, the more violently the Rusty Sword reacted, leading Ion and his son to believe that the components of the Rusty Sword were likely hidden within the ruin.

However, this ruin had now become a complex magical beast nest.

Just the types of magical beasts that Ion and his son had seen numbered four, all of them relatively rare, social species.

This made it impossible for the father and son to find an opportunity to explore the ruin. Ion didn't even recognize all of the magical beasts present, which prompted him to reveal the existence of the ruin to Arsen in hopes of learning more about the beasts and their habits.

Unfortunately, though Arsen was a seasoned demon hunter, he was still just an ordinary person and not a Bloodline User. He had no experience hunting Tier 3 magical beasts and could only identify two species within the nest: the Tier 2 Ghost-Eyed Fox and the equally Tier 2 Fire-Eyed Jiao.

“You’ve been to that ruin in the Withered Wood Forest?” The young man, unaware of Ion's thoughts, asked excitedly.

“Only caught a glimpse from a distance.”

Arsen was a bit puzzled by Ion’s cautious demeanor today, but he chalked it up to the immense pressure of meeting two Bloodline Knights.

As such, he spoke with genuine enthusiasm, “Hey, remember when you asked me about that magical beast that looked like a rabbit wearing armor and puffed up several times in size? … I finally found out today, it’s called an Armored Demon Rabbit, a Tier 3 magical beast, and it’s exactly what these two lords are after.”

“You’ve seen an Armored Demon Rabbit?” The young man’s face lit up with excitement. “Mr. Ion, please, you must lead us to it! The reward will absolutely satisfy you.”

Upon hearing this young man, referred to as Burton, Ion realized that he had no room to refuse.

By now, he was also completely certain that the thirteen soldiers were sent by Burton’s elders to assist and protect him. After all, Ion was very familiar with the caliber of the private soldiers from Gem Territory.

After a brief exchange, both parties agreed to set off early the next morning.

Then, they went their separate ways. Hughes and Burton took their leave from Arsen and returned to the inn where they had originally lodged.

“Lord Burton, that father and son pair are not simple,” Hughes said as soon as they returned to their room. “Especially the one named Ion, he carries a scent I find very familiar.”

“Scent?” Burton raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. “Ah, right, you’re a [Ghost Fox]. You’re highly sensitive to scents. Seems he crossed paths with you unknowingly.”

“I suspect he’s a [Forager] and connected to a murder case that occurred in Gem Territory three and a half years ago.”

“Oh?” Burton raised his brows. “Tell me more.”

“Three and a half years ago, Lord Baron discovered a group of bandits in Gem Territory and sent a Bloodline Knight to lead a strike. While the bandits were wiped out, the knight unfortunately died. Even his bloodline power was completely extinguished. That’s why we suspected he had encountered a [Forager],” Hughes explained in a low voice. “Lord Baron was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. We pursued the matter and eventually discovered that the case was tied to the lord of Red River Territory.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of that,” Burton nodded slightly, indicating familiarity. “At first, Baron Hess wanted to negotiate with Baron Will, demanding he hand over the [Forager] responsible for murdering his knight. But Baron Will refused, right?”

“Yes,” Hughes nodded. “The negotiation failed, and that’s when Lord Baron declared war on Baron Will.”

Burton glanced at Hughes but said nothing more.

Though young, he was well-educated and not someone who would be easily swayed by a few casual remarks.

“I don’t care what you plan to do, or what you’re preparing for. But you must wait until they help me catch the Armored Demon Rabbit. Understood?”

“Of course, Lord Burton. I won’t jeopardize your plans. Lord Baron sent me here to assist you for exactly that purpose.”

…

On the other side, after parting ways with Burton and Hughes, Ion returned to the stables, his face solemn.

“Father, did something happen?”

“That man named Hughes has likely recognized me,” Ion said coldly. “Given that the vicious lord of Gem Territory once branded the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group as bandits, he surely has some understanding of us former leaders. They never found us while we hid in White Mountain Territory, but now that we’ve run into them again, they definitely won’t spare our lives.”

Contrary to Ion’s expectation that his son would panic, Akar remained exceptionally calm. He even asked, “Do we still have a chance to escape?”

“That young man named Burton clearly has a significant background. To help him find the Armored Demon Rabbit, the vile lord of Gem Territory even sent a knight. I fear they’ve already locked onto us. They won’t give us a chance to leave Red Soil Town,” Ion shook his head. “Even if we manage to escape, they won’t let us off easily, and they might even bring harm to others in the town.”

“Then it seems only one option remains,” Akar said in a low voice. “There’s a reason the Withered Wood Forest is called the Death Forest.”

“Hm?” Ion was startled by his son’s cold tone and couldn't help but look at him in surprise.