Volume 4 Chapter 56 The Situation Gets Chaotic, Kian Fully Becoming the Bull
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Asterios was arrogant, childish, and a scumbag who took pleasure in others’ misfortunes, but trying too hard to express his personality faithfully could stall discussions or lead to unnecessary fights with others.
So, in portraying him, one had to carefully gauge the faces of those around, discerning whether it was safe to unleash the evil tyrant’s bovine side. During rehearsals, Kian had called such prime opportunities to go full Asterios an Asterios Chance.
The more he could capitalize on an Asterios Chance, the more authentic Kian’s Asterios role would become.
On the other hand, overdoing it was bad, and underdoing it could raise suspicions.
It was a delicate balance.
They left the great hall, ascended the stairs, and were led to an open space offering views of Mount Olympus to the west, the sea to the north, and Crete’s town streets to the south and east.
The time had passed two in the morning, but Circe and Balinars operated golems holding magic stone lamps to illuminate the strategy meeting table at the center of the open space.
Several palace mages unknown to Kian were also participating, and they erected a barrier that kept out the cold night wind. Scipio spread out maps on the table: one of the entire Azrael Sea, one of the nearby Crete Archipelago waters, and one of Cyclops Island. The Cyclops Island map seemed over a decade old, as it differed significantly from the exterior diagram in Kian’s mind. He figured Scipio would provide supplementary explanations on that point later.
The meeting had barely started when an Asterios Chance presented itself, so as Guria, still woozy from the afterglow of s**, went to sit in a chair, he slipped his right hand onto the seat.
”Nah.”
”Guria Selda, what’s wron… you scum.”
Scipio, presiding from the head seat to lead the meeting, glared with open disgust.
Fully aware that he was drawing ire from everyone except Circe, Kian kneaded Guria’s buttocks as she sat on his right hand. The firmness and the clear valley between were nice. This was different from Esther’s buttocks, which were flatly covered in fat overall.
He thought he wouldn’t mind doing it with Esther again soon—while propping his feet up on the strategy meeting table.
In a booming voice, Kian barked at a nearby palace mage, “Hey, got any booze? Booze!”
”This is a meeting. Can you hold off on that?”
Balinars muttered as much.
Seeing the palace mage not move, Kian clicked his tongue softly.
Violence here would be in character for Asterios, but then the meeting would never start, and Scipio might call it quits prematurely with a half-baked session.
Besides, as someone who didn’t want to drink alcohol for non-nutritional purposes anyway, Kian seized the opportunity and said, “Fine. I’ll compromise with grape juice.”
”Ahem. Let’s begin the strategy meeting. That said, for everyone except General Asterios, this will just be a repetition of information and discussions we already know. Please bear that in mind.”
”Hey, where’d Minos’s brat go?”
”Father has taken ill and retired to his chambers.”
”Huh, that so. Alright, skip the preamble and explain the situation quick, shitty glasses.”
”…Our nation is currently under invasion from Azrael. According to intelligence from spies and prisoners, the expeditionary force includes the two hegemons of the southern continent—Malc’s domain and Lee’s domain, plus Shakerdoust’s domain and part of Lord Jibril’s vassal group.”
Malc was a major power holding the western side of the southern continent and parts of the northern continent, including Franz. He’d heard they seized some territory from the Kingdom of Castile south of Franz during Nizaam’s heyday.
The Kingdom of Castile was constantly on edge due to Azrael’s presence on the northern continent. From Castile’s perspective, reclaiming all of Malc’s northern bases and pushing them back to the southern continent was the top military priority.
Lee’s domain referred to the Azrael nation that had taken over governing the Nile after replacing Sarah and Natra’s Nakash Family. Leading Lee’s Twelve Divine Generals was Lee Gensou. His father and brother, who had been favored by Shajar Nakash, were assassinated by Sarah’s mother Talarene as a parting gift. That paved the way for the ambitious Gensou to claim the head seat.
Even in this expeditionary force, Gensou’s army was the largest, with the most mages.
According to Scipio’s thinking, Jibril was eyeing the fertile Nile basin as a second granary and had included Gensou in the expedition to weaken his forces. The swift resolution during the shift from Nakash to Lee hadn’t weakened the Nile’s power as much as expected, so this was a countermeasure.
Shakerdoust was Mansoor and Abbas’s homeland.
It bordered Kian’s Dacia and also Jibril’s Vahid Territory.
The northern lands were black soil zones like Dacia’s, with potential to become granaries if developed. However, the nation had been consumed by endless wars against invading beastmen from the north, and Mansoor had been fighting near the borders, leaving the domain quite devastated. They did possess an oasis on the land trade routes, funding war costs and other expenses from there.
Shakerdoust’s domain lay north of Jibril’s granary holdings, positioned to strike south into Vahid Territory at any time. With the beastmen threat gone, Jibril urgently wanted to incorporate it into his side.
While Mansoor was one thing, Abbas had been drawn to Umar’s side, raising the high likelihood that knowledge of Umar’s researched explosives, poisons, and body enhancement drugs had leaked.
Jibril was targeting Shakerdoust to recover and conceal that knowledge.
’Including Gensou in the expedition also serves to divert attention until Shakerdoust is subdued.’
(Jibril supported the Lee Family in crushing Nakash, but Gensou’s father and brother, the direct recipients, were assassinated by Talarene. With the enigmatic Gensou taking over as head, Jibril had no choice but to act.)
”From Vahid, it seems the so-called old Umar forces have emerged.”
Scipio pushed up the bridge of his glasses.
”Umar’s former head magician, Hanami. The poison user Kusai. The illusion shadow user Uzai. The charging general Ryoma, and so on. All seasoned veterans.”
”Hoh. So I just gotta crush those guys, moo.”
Kian picked at his nose and wiped the finger under the table.
He recrossed his legs on the table and slurped grape juice through a plant stem straw with chuu chuu sounds.
”Piece of cake, moo. No need for you lot, moo. I’ll smash ’em all myself, moo~.”
”I’m still in the middle of explaining. Please be quiet. —On our side, we have two hundred strategic-level mage forces. Even gathering all capable mages from the populace, it might reach three hundred at best. However, the magical prowess of civilian mages isn’t reliable, so we should calculate as if they don’t exist from the start.”
”As national treasures, we have the Clarion Crown, the Amethyst Crown, and the Bloodstone Crown.”
Circe spoke up from the lower seat.
”The Clarion Crown is a god-era armor with powerful barrier effects. Its range covers the entire island of Crete. It can be used to engulf enemies in storms and massive waves. It also blocks predefined poisons and curses.”
”The Amethyst Crown enables large-scale weather manipulation magic. With it, we can annihilate enemy naval forces.”
Balinars picked up where Circe left off in her explanation.
”The Bloodstone Crown is, in a sense, the strongest treasure. The wearer, when combined with heliotrope flowers, can become transparent. It can also unlock any door. If you fit the corresponding Bloodstone ring on any target, you can temporarily control them.”
”Our nation possesses five Clarion Crowns, ten Amethyst Crowns, and three Bloodstone Crowns. Note that they are all consumables, so multiple uses risk destroying the crowns.”
”Moo!? Strongest, moo? Then you can crush everyone without me. Awesome, moo.”
”They’re consumables, and the enemy will resist the crowns’ effects. Especially with weather manipulation—if the enemy has many mages, they can counter-manipulate the weather right back.”
Scipio looked over at him.
”That’s why we need your power, General. You must cut deep into the enemy lines and reduce their mage forces. Depending on individual enemy mage strength, if we can bring their numbers down to match ours—around two hundred—we predict almost no chance of losing the naval battle.”
”Assuming the enemy has six hundred mages, you’d need to slay four hundred, and while cutting through their warrior monk guards too. General, that’s why a solo charge is no good. No matter how immortal you are, if you’re surrounded and hit with binding magic or a sword that can kill immortals, you’re done in a flash.”
”Boy, we want to help you too. So, will you share the lightning power with everyone?”
”No! After harassing me by not delivering corpses for meals, now that you’re in trouble, you want help? That’s too convenient, shitty old hag.”
”…Yes. You’re right. …It must have been tough, resorting to cannibalism…”
”With all that in mind, I’ll summarize what Crete must do next in bullet points.”
Scipio said this and ran chalk across the blackboard placed behind him, scribbling out the key tasks: one, publicly announce Asterios’s summoning with a banquet and parade; two, confirm facts with Lord Jibril and request extermination of the ‘pirates’; three, improve relations with the Western Church and secure their cooperation; four, request reinforcements from Chatillon; five, request reinforcements from Izerland; six, request Castile to strike Azrael’s flanks; seven, fortify defenses against further assassination attacks; eight, reclaim Cyclops Island!
”There are more details, but broadly, it’s these eight. Explaining everything at once would be too much for a beast to understand, so this should suffice.”
”Chikushou? That’s what you say when raging like ‘damn it!’ moo.”
”It refers to brave heroes like you, General.”
”Is that so, moo? Ushishishishi! Shitty glasses, you’re scrawny but you get it, moo!”
’You’re really nailing General Asterios now. You sound maximally stupid, Kian.’
(I’m not thrilled at all.)
He let out a foolish laugh while feeling a mix of emotions.
Scipio, of course oblivious to his inner thoughts, pressed on swiftly with his words.
”Eight, reclaiming Cyclops Island, is the final phase. We’ll confirm with Lord Jibril—the Twelve Divine Generals Council—whether this invasion is intentional. If they say Mansoor and the others are acting on their own, we’ll request extermination. If it’s the council’s will, we’ll demand their justification, then crush the enemy bridgehead at Cyclops. Once Cyclops falls, they can’t easily land on Chatillon. That should heighten the momentum for Chatillon to join. Enemy assassinations will drop sharply too, though our chances to crush their mage forces will decrease as well…”
”Isn’t this too slow, moo? If the enemy’s picking a fight, just crush Cyclops Island quick, shitty glasses.”
”That would give Lord Jibril justification. We must maintain the stance of victims forced into defense.”
”That’s why I’m saying it’s too leisurely, moo~!”
Kian took a lock of Guria’s golden-brown hair and sniffed it with deep inhales.
It smelled only good.
Guria had thick hair, which was nice, but her overall faint body odor was a regrettable point.
”If Azrael’s serious, they’ll fabricate reasons for war anyway, moo! Following diplomatic procedures is peak stupidity, moo. Besides, Mansoor and Gensou already launched a surprise attack on Crete, moo. Why bother asking their intent to wage war now, moo. Dumb dumb idiot!”
”…You beast… As I’ve said repeatedly, we need to get Lord Jibril on our side. We can’t carelessly give them reasons for hostility. Seizing Azrael territory comes only after Jibril’s response.”
”While you’re doing that, all your mages will get assassinated, moo!”
”That’s why we summoned you, isn’t it? If you’ve got complaints about our strategy, how about handing over the lightning power already. That’s your only value.”
”Scipio! B-boy? Calm down. Scipio isn’t picking a fight with you—”
”Hmph, funny shitty glasses, moo.”
Kian lowered his feet from the table, stood up, and approached Scipio.
Circe and Balinars widened their eyes.
Even Guria seemed to snap back, raising her staff and shouting “Asterios, come back!”
”I’ve got no intent to kill, moo.”
Looking down at Scipio, who stared up without flinching, Kian addressed the group, though all the palace mages had drawn their staffs and pointed them his way.
”I said to take Cyclops, moo. If you dawdle without doing it and the damage spreads, it’s your fault, shitty glasses.”
”——”
”Are you leading the reconciliation with the Western Church, the reinforcement requests to Chatillon and Izerland, and the plea to the Kingdom of Castile to hit Azrael’s supply lines from the side?”
”Chatillon is my responsibility.”
One palace mage said with a tense expression.
”Izerland is mine.”
”Castile is me.”
”This Scipio will handle talks with the Western Church, as Crete royalty. Asterios, there’s no role for you in diplomacy. Just hurry up and give us the lightning power.”
Scipio glared from behind his glasses.
He punctuated each word by jabbing his index finger.
”And protect our citizens from enemy assassinations. We’ll notify you when it’s time to attack Cyclops Island. Until then, focus quietly on defense.”
”With a rude punk like you going, talks with the Western Church won’t go well anyway, moo.”
”Hah, still a million times better than a beast going.”
”Hoh. You said it, moo.”
Kian laughed with an ushishishishi and scanned Scipio along with the negotiation team.
”If your shitty diplomatic skills put me at a disadvantage, it’s your fault. I’ll head home.”
”Don’t leave on your own, beast!”
”Then if you fail, I’ll handle the negotiations. I’m the one fighting. I’ll get you more allies!”
”B-boy, that’s… not good.”
”You going out would be a national humiliation.”
”National humiliation? What’s that, moo? Balinars.”
”It means proving to the world we’re gutless.”
Kian returned to his seat and plopped down in the chair.
”Ushishishishishi! That sounds good, moo! Hey, shitty old hag, shitty glasses! If negotiations break down, I’ll go out and fix it! So do your jobs right! If you succeed, I might share the lightning power with you, moo!”
”——” “……” “——”
The head mages besides Scipio, who was handling negotiations—the palace mages—exchanged confused glances. Scipio massaged the wrinkle between his brows and slumped heavily into his seat.
”…Well, if negotiations break down, it’s over anyway. More importantly, I must wield my eloquence to ensure negotiations don’t fail—or at least don’t completely collapse.”
”Then I’ll leave it to you lot, moo. So? Where and how should I guard?”
”Hand over the lightning power first.”
”After you succeed in negotiations. I’m only interested in winnable battles. If it looks like a loss, I’ll bail quick, moo.”
”I’d like you to protect both ‘Water Island’ and ‘Grass Island,’ boy…”
Kian shook his head at Circe’s words.
”Because you lot stopped sending corpses for meals, they resorted to cannibalism, moo. Now everyone’s hearts are scattered, moo. Mobilizing my children will be tough, moo. So I can only guard either ‘Water Island’ or ‘Grass Island.’”
At Kian’s statement, everyone present exchanged glances simultaneously.
If assigning Asterios to defense without much thought, the order would likely be to focus on guarding the castle area on ‘Water Island.’
But if this rampaging bull was let loose freely, it would cause massive damage to the urban areas.
While deploying minotaur soldiers to key points might work, having Asterios alone chase Azrael’s warrior monks would turn the intricate city streets into a destructive game of whack-a-mole.
Asterios was clearly overkill firepower for urban areas.
Kian, who had fought him, knew that best.
Even if the enemies wore rubber boots, Asterios would char them from above, along with the district’s houses and residents caught in the crossfire.
”Protect the southern coastline of ‘Grass Island.’”
Scipio ordered while signaling the others with his eyes.
”Centered on the Order of the Lightning Knights’ base, extending to the eastern and western coastlines. It’s the shoreline closest to Cyclops Island. Approach with caution.”
”What about ‘Water Island,’ moo?”
”I can handle ‘Water Island’ alone. Balinars, you’re relieved of your position as chief of the guard, but effectively remain in that role to assist me.”
”Understood, Sir Scipio.”
”Alright, then the meeting’s over, moo.”
Kian slapped his knee.
”I’m hungry, so I’m heading back, moo. Prepare a ton of food for the kids, shitty old hag. Everyone’s waiting with empty bellies, moo.”
”Wait. Haven’t you been listening at all, you beast?”
”Boy, there’s a banquet after this, and a parade in the morning. Participate in those, and I’ll send you home with the food.”
As Circe said that, the sound of someone rushing up the stairs echoed.
What appeared was a government official in formal attire.
He whispered in Circe’s ear and stepped back.
”About cleaning your place, boy—a cleaning contractor has already been found. The Kian Merchant Guild bid on it. But we’ll continue soliciting bids without closing the auction just yet—”
”Nah, they’re fine, moo.”
”General Asterios, the Kian Merchant Guild is owned by Izerland’s Knight Lord Kian.”
”So what, shitty glasses.”
”We want to avoid giving information about you to foreigners. Besides, if we assign Lord Kian and his people to the cleaning, we’d have to exempt them from the teleportation ban and send them via this castle’s magic circle—”
”The Kian Merchant Guild is already on my island, moo.”
”Wha” “Eh” “Ha” “Eeeeeeh!?”
The surroundings erupted in murmurs.
Circe and Scipio turned pale, kicking their chairs as they stood.
”It’s no lie, moo. They’ve been on the island for a bit, building a base, mo. At first, I thought I’d kill and eat them for food, but they cleaned the shores and offered me meals, so I let ’em live, moo. Thanks to them, cannibalism decreased, and they’re allies, moo!”
”…Could something have happened to the great ocean current? Balinars?”
”Yes, Lady Circe. I’ll head out to confirm immediately.”
”Balinars! Be extremely careful! It’s not confirmed yet that the current has vanished. If you get caught in the flow at night, you won’t be able to return!”
”Understood, Sir Scipio. I’ll be as careful as possible.”
Balinars hurried off.
The palace mages assigned to negotiations also left, and soon voices issuing orders echoed from below. The strategy meeting area had suddenly descended into confusion, but Circe raised her voice to calm it.
”Let’s end the meeting here! Boy, wait a bit before going home. Remove the chains, take off the armor, and put the chains back on. Then we’ll dress you in a toga. A fun banquet and parade await!”
”Minister of Public Relations!”
Scipio clapped his hands to summon a middle-aged man.
”Yes.”
”Immediately inform all citizens that General Asterios has been summoned. Then, send word to Chatillon, Castile, and Izerland that General Asterios and Guria Selda have married. Include a statement inviting their dignitaries to the wedding celebration despite wartime—”
”Hey, wait, shitty glasses.”
Kian stood up reflexively.
”Married? Me… I mean, me and Guria Selda?”
”Yes. What about it? My sister pleased you, didn’t she?”
”Well, yeah. Sort of. But announcing the marriage… especially to Izerland, that’s bad.”
”What’s bad about it? Say it.”
He shot a look that screamed don’t spout nonsense in this busy time.
Kian didn’t want to disrupt the scene oddly, but having the marriage reported to Linca, the castellan of Izerland, would be problematic in various ways.
(Damn… I was so caught up in the light and dark d**ks that I missed the perspective of what happens if I marry Guria.)
’It’s not like Linca or Natra will definitely come. Considering fortress security, another witch would be sent.’
(But if Christy comes…)
’Accept her congratulatory words with a smile. Along with flowers.’
”——”
Scipio and the public relations minister passed by Kian and exited.
Kian stared down blankly at Guria, who snuggled close to his side.
* * *
A heavy atmosphere hung over the tent at the southern base on Cyclops Island.
Illuminated by the magic stone lamps inside the tent were, at the far end, the bandaged Mansoor; to the left, Vahid’s warrior monks and Malc’s Shidarkan; to the right, Twelve Divine Generals Lee Gensou with two female warrior monks, and Jibril’s confidant prince.
Only the severely injured Mansoor was seated.
His wounds from the mysterious figure ‘Kian’ weren’t healing quickly for some reason, and he had been sipping pain-relieving herbal medicine nonstop.
”I think we should give up on Abbas.”
Mansoor set down the herbal medicine on the desk and broached the subject.
”I’ve caused trouble for Lord Gensou. …Focusing further on retrieving my son won’t benefit us.”
”But he’s your precious son!”
Hanami interjected.
”You’re not at an age where you can just say you’ll have more children. What will become of Shakerdoust if Lord Abbas doesn’t return?”
”——”
”I don’t particularly mind the trouble, you know.”
The Eastern youth who had been silently pondering something—Gensou—finally spoke.
”We lost Shoukun. But if he was a warrior monk, it couldn’t be helped. Few get to die on the tatami. In exchange, we took out over a dozen capable civilian mages, and General Mansoor felled fifty, including elites from the Order of the Lightning Knights. That’s sufficient as battle results.”
He spoke dispassionately, but it was clear he was grieving the loss of Oushoukun. Mansoor too furrowed his thick brows and let out a heavy sigh.
”Sufficient results. Yet the air here makes it feel like we lost.”
Oji scanned the faces around him as he said this.
”Come on, everyone’s looking so gloomy! This is the first step to victory, so you can’t wear faces like that.”
”Your Highness, about ‘Kian’—any reports from the spies?”
”Well…”
”There’s no way we can ignore that level of force.”
Mansoor directed a suspicious gaze at Oji.
”He turned into mist, used multiple Secret Techniques. The enemy cracking ‘Skyrend’ was likely his doing too. Your Highness, I ask again—was that really all the information you provided on ‘Kian’ beforehand?”
”It was everything. In fact, I’ve never even met this person called Kian. I can’t empathize at all with why General Mansoor and General Gensou feel so threatened by him.”
”He commanded what seemed like a veteran Leanan Sidhe specimen.”
Gensou turned a sharp gaze on Oji.
”Moreover, it precisely supported the vanguard, created positions, and withstood my attacks. That’s not possible for a mere monster—I sensed high intelligence.”
”The same with Rita. —Lord Shidarkan, why didn’t you mention it beforehand?”
”I, well… I heard nothing from my wife or mother-in-law…”
”Come on, Lord Shidarkan, give me a break.”
Gensou said this with a wry smile.
But his black eyes weren’t smiling at all.
”Were you thinking you could whittle down my female warrior monks if things went well? Stop the infighting among allies. Otherwise, I’ll have my own ideas.”
”Ideas like what?”
”You really need me to spell it out? I’ll return to the Nile and find Malc’s legitimate heir. To have someone who’ll actually cooperate take over Malc’s domain, not someone who’d stab me in the back.”
”E-even for Lord Gensou, that’s unacceptable! What do you mean!”
”Both of you, stop!”
”General Mansoor is right. Fighting’s no good. We have to take Crete within the time limit, but infighting will make the achievable unachievable.”
”——” “…Tch… Excuse me.”
A heavy atmosphere settled over the tent.
As all eyes gathered on Mansoor, he remained silent.
After a while, as if fed up with the mood, Gensou left the line and headed for the exit.
”Your Highness, a personal matter. May I?”
”I don’t mind.”
”Wait, the meeting’s still ongoing.”
Ryoma raised his voice, but Gensou didn’t return to the line.
”Just send Crete a surrender demand quickly. If they refuse, apply pressure with another assassination. That’s all, right? What’s there to discuss?”
”Well, like who goes on the assassination…”
”How about you go, Lord Ryoma?”
Gensou said coldly.
”Me and General Mansoor achieved results. What about you all? You’ve just been guzzling booze and watching. Send the surrender demand, and if refused, Lord Ryoma and the others go assassinate. Lord Shidarkan too.”
”I-I’m a mage. The front lines…”
”The discussion’s over. Notify me when the situation changes. —Your Highness, let’s go.”
”Yeah, yeah.”
Gensou and the others left the tent.
Seeing them off, the middle-aged warrior monks from Vahid turned to Ryoma and Hanami, asking one after another, “A-are we going on the assassination?”
”I believe it’s proper for you to go. You haven’t spilled blood yet. Neither enemy nor ally. In that sense, Lord Shidarkan has just lost his mother-in-law and wife. It’s harsh to send him on assassination while he’s busy consolidating his clan.”
”Fine then, this Ryoma shall go rampage a bit.”
”Oh, Lord Ryoma!” “As expected of Vahid’s top warrior!” “We pray for your success!”
”Are you all planning to just observe? Pathetic. This poison user Kusai will join too.”
”Then this illusion shadow user Uzai will participate. You cowards— we’ll rack up the results. You know what that’ll mean for your positions afterward, right?”
At the cloth-wrapped elder’s words, the hesitant Vahid middle-aged warrior monks raised voices of motivation. What! Me too, me too! They declared their participation.
”Wait, while I said it’s proper for you to spill blood, the enemy isn’t that easy.”
Mansoor stood and stepped in front of Ryoma and the others.
Hanami watched her husbands with worried eyes.
”‘Kian’ isn’t that frail boy. He’s something else—something monstrous. No, I’ll say it all. Likely a vampire.”
”What?”
”My retainer Katyusha stole the vampirization method from old Umar while alive. My revival here is actually thanks to that.”
”——!” “……!”
Mansoor rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small vial of red liquid.
”I’ll distribute this to everyone. It’s an extremely dangerous drug, so use it only in life-threatening situations—when unavoidable. That’s how formidable ‘Kian’ is. Don’t challenge him unprepared.”
”What is this drug?”
”A vampirization drug. The secret potion your former lord researched to extend his lifespan. However, it was a failure. If incompatible, you’ll lose rationality and become a monster seeking only blood.”
”Don’t hand out such a drug!”
Ryoma furrowed his brows angrily, but Mansoor replied with steady eyes, “Only if necessary. Becoming a monster in the enemy midst lets you kill them. With luck, you might return alive with rationality intact.”
”Lady Hanami, devise ways to finish an infinitely regenerating enemy. Silver or sunlight may not be instant kills. Prepare strategies to take a night vampire’s life.”
”For example, poison?”
Kusai whispered.
Mansoor nodded, “For example.”
”Everyone, the enemy won’t respond to the surrender demand. Prepare mentally for assassination to apply pressure again.”
”Should we kill mages?”
Ryoma asked.
Mansoor thought for a moment, then said this.
”That’s fine too, but there’s also the option of taking their useless king, who won’t serve our purposes.”
Notes:
• Nizaam – A former member of Azrael’s Twelve Divine Generals and the current head of the Malc family, though he has passed both titles to his daughter to return to the battlefield. He is a prominent warrior noble in Azrael, known for his love of beautiful boys and fierce battles.
• Talarene – Sarah’s mother and Lady of the Nakash family, remembered for fleeing east with her followers after the clan’s fall. Vanished without a trace, leaving Sarah burdened with restoring Nakash. First mentioned around Vol. 9 Ch. 30. Reminder: noble Nakash matriarch, vanished east, symbol of motherly strength and sacrifice.
• Gensou – Eccentric young Eastern monk-general in Azrael’s army, playful yet ambitious. Wields sun-like magic, swordsmanship, and assassination tactics. Linked to three masked wives—Seishi, Oushoukun, and Yougyokukan (Head Magician). Ally of Mansoor and Oji, serves under Jibril, proposes Operation Assassination. First appears Vol. 4 Ch. 45. Reminder: playful Eastern general with masked harem wives, always late but magically explosive, contrasting serious monks with his bathrobe vibe and schemes.
• Mansoor – Crimson-eyed elder monk and Azrael’s Divine General from the Shakerdoust domain near Dacia. Wielding mist form, blood-drinking, rapid healing. He ties to allies like Ryoma and Hanami Tsai. First appearing in Vol. 4 Ch. 25. Quick tag: vampiric red-eyed grandpa-general who mist-forms and drinks blood, obsessed with rescuing his captured son unlike other human monks.
• Abbas – The heir of the Shakerdoust family, a prominent clan within the Twelve Divine Generals.
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Shidarkan – Gloomy, bearded son-in-law of the Malc family (Flora’s clan); once a modest Malc magician, ordinary next to Shajar’s elites. Attends the Cyclops Island war council after losing his wife, Flora, and sisters-in-law in the northern base’s destruction. First appears Vol. 4 Ch. 45. Reminder: bereaved Malc son-in-law—sober, doubtful, and dim but dutiful.
• Shoukun – Masked warrior-monk wife of Li Gensou (one of his Three Beauties) and frontline aide in Azrael’s forces. Wields a Tear-wrapped shamshir and commands serpents; intervenes to cover Mansoor’s retreat but is slain by Kian during the Crete castle skirmish. First appears Vol. 4 Ch. 45. Reminder: serpent mistress under Gensou—the masked ‘King’ wife cut down in Crete.
• Katyusha – A female warrior monk of the black panther race and a follower of Abbas Hashmalik Shakerdoust.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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