Laderios Family (2)

Gregory was sure as he watched the head of the family bow his head flat against the ground. He was certain he had successfully deceived him.

'Although, it does feel a bit sloppy.'

That must mean that to this man, the members of Stria group were truly terrifying beings.

'Still, why's my body acting like this?'

Aside from successfully deceiving the head of the Laderios family, something felt off with his condition. His arm was trembling. He recalled a similar sensation from the last time he used the red mana.

'No way. Could it be?'

A sudden, ominous thought struck him. Was the side effect of using red mana now only starting to manifest?

He pushed aside the dark thoughts for the moment. There was a more pressing issue to resolve right now.

"Raise your head."

Gregory commanded.

"If you fail to answer any question I ask from now on, you will die in the name of the Stria group. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, understood."

Gregory found it absurd to see the head of Laderios shrinking back like a cornered rat. He was certain that, when discussing the matter of Radian's life hanging in the balance in the trial, this man must have acted all smug.

That's why Gregory pressed him even harder. Partly because he pitied Radian's situation, but also because he detested how the head of Laderios was only strong toward the weak and weak toward the strong.

The head of Laderios, trembling all over at Gregory's imposing presence, couldn't even speak properly.

"S-so, um, w-what brings you here in person?"

Gregory's unusual attire and confident demeanor only reinforced the head's certainty: he believed Gregory was from Stria group and had come personally to assign him a task.

On the other hand, Gregory was able to pick up a crucial clue.

If Stria group had no hierarchy at all, the head of the Laderios family would have no cause to be this afraid of a mere member. So, a chain of command did exist.

Moreover, there was a possibility that a member of Stria group existed within the Zaikov family as well.

He would certainly have known that Gregory requested a private meeting through the Zaikov family.

If there wasn't a Stria group member within the Zaikov family, the head of Laderios wouldn't even be afraid right now. That means the Stria group member could very well be of higher status than the Laderios family head.

If that's the case, then backstabbing the guide he had been relying on until now might have been inevitable.

'Someone even higher than the Laderios family head, who, if he put his mind to it, could shake the finances of the Blandi Kingdom? Who could it be?'

No matter how much Gregory pondered the identity of Stria group's members, he couldn't figure it out.

The Striadan’s numbers were few, but their power was immense.With their scale and abilities, they could not only bring down the Laderios family he had built, but perhaps even reduce both honor and wealth to nothing more than scraps of paper.

Even when Gregory ended the war in his previous life, Stria group's true identity was never revealed. Their organization remained shrouded in mystery.

That's why Gregory decided, at least for a short while, to act as a member of Stria group. If such a strict hierarchy existed—yet even the higher-ups remained unknown—then this could be more effective than simply intimidating with partial knowledge about Stria group.

And even if he failed, he could always threaten them with what he knew about Stria group's true identity, as planned.

Gregory lowered his voice.

"List all current operations progress."

It was impossible to know everything from superficial details alone, so he tried to extract as much information as possible. Of course, thanks to Zenop's negative opinion on Stria group, Gregory already had some information.

Not that Gregory doubted him, but double-checking was an important way to filter out false information. And in this situation, it was rare for the head of Laderios to so firmly believe Gregory was from Stria group.

"Operations in progress, you say? There's nothing in particular that we've started recently...."

Gregory let out a hollow laugh. He already knew the head of Laderios was behind the judge who orchestrated Radian's trial.

A man responsible for an entire war claimed that disposing of a single person was no big deal.

"Huh... So now you're telling me to repeat myself?"

"S-sorry! I apologize! I recently bribed the magistrate overseeing Radian's trial."

"And what else?"

The head of Laderios hesitated. Incidentally, Gregory had never explicitly revealed himself as a member of Stria group. That emboldened him to act more boldly. Whether this backfired or not, the head of Laderios started spilling secrets all too easily.

"A-another one... Even if I think about it, I can't remember anything else."

Gregory probed further, determined to extract every bit of information he could. If the trial against Radian was nothing to him, then who knew what else he might be hiding?

As a long silence dragged on, Gregory decided there was nothing more to uncover.

"Tsk."

At the clicking of Gregory's tongue, the family head opened his mouth again. The fact that a messenger hadn't come but that Gregory had come in person implied Gregory already knew everything.

The head of Laderios asked, nervous and anxious.

"Could you mean... the one who behind Radian? If you're talking about him, there's been no progress yet."

Gregory's expression showed clear surprise, but luckily, it was concealed by his clothing. There was a reason for his alarm.

It meant that the name Gregory might have come up as part of a rumor. Whether or not Radian had revealed Gregory's identity, the fact that Stria group knew there was a mysterious force behind Radian was now clear.

Thanks to that, Gregory gained critical information.

"Keep talking."

"Uh... This is top secret, so I'm not sure I should say it... Lord Teh, please overlook it this once."

Teh? That definitely seemed to be referring to Gregory, but he'd never heard the name before. That implied someone using the alias "Teh" was a member of Stria group.

"You dare defy what I'm saying?"

Gregory thought everything was perfect—the conviction in his acting, even the sound of his breathing. For someone who was a Swordmaster in his previous life, this authoritative speech was natural.

The head of Laderios let out a deep sigh, staring at the ground, then slowly rose and shuffled away.

Gregory was taken aback by the abrupt change.

"What's he doing?"

Up until that moment, Gregory assumed the head was hesitating about whether to mention top-secret information under his pressure.

But his answer was anything but ordinary.

"Who are you?"

A sudden, informal tone. Gregory wondered if he had misheard and asked again.

"What did you say?"

With a trembling voice, Gregory replied. But the response was:"I said, who are you? There's no one named Teh in Stria group... Hah, so you were lying? That hurts my pride."

It was Gregory's mistake. Trying to dig too deep had made him suspicious. If he was going to impersonate Stria group, there was no way he could not know about top-secret operations.

Even if the head of Laderios's very life depended on this answer, he was testing Gregory out of suspicion—and Gregory had taken the bait.

'My desire to keep my promise to Radian was too strong.'

When the head of Laderios stood up, rage flashed in his eyes. He gripped his sword tightly and glared at Gregory.

"I've caught you."

Gregory had tried to impersonate a member of Stria group to orchestrate Radian's victory in the trial, but now he'd been found out as an impostor.

Spitting on the ground, the head asked in an arrogant tone.

"Ptooey. Are you the one who manipulated Radian? Let's see your face. I'm dying of curiosity to see the face that ruined all our plans...."

With narrowed eyes and a fierce scowl, he advanced. But in terms of combat ability, Gregory far outclassed him.

Nevertheless, the head of Laderios charged without fear, his war cry echoing through the central hall.

"Uuaaaaahhh—!"

He swung his sword with all his might, but Gregory—

Gregory drew Durandal in a flash and parried Laderios's attack.

"All talk, but your skills are pathetic.... So what if I'm the one who guided Radian from behind?"

Suddenly, he sensed murderous intent from behind a quietly standing pillar.

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