25-229

EP.229. [I’ll Crush the Pride of the Arrogant Elf Princess.♥] 

“Sophist cult headquarters???” 

Even within the Imperial Knights, this was an unofficial quest, and Eugene Schneider was deeply curious what it could be. Having experienced the dopamine rush that Victoria provided during the Drake quest, he’d speculated about various possibilities, but the content of Victoria’s quest completely defied his expectations. He’d thought it would be something related to monsters. But instead, it was an infiltration of the Sophist cult headquarters. 

“As a noble of the Grand Duke’s house, Captain Eugene, I thought you’d be well aware of the relationship between the Sophists and the Tyrannos anti-noble alliance.” 

Victoria, in a calm tone, continued after seeing Eugene’s wide-eyed reaction. 

“To be honest, I didn’t know much until recently. I learned the details through my mercenary work and from comrades. The Sophists serve as the real military force for Tyrannos, don’t they?” 

Eugene openly admitted his own lack of knowledge. 

Most noble sons grow up with an awareness of the various power structures within the empire, since they often aspire to political or administrative roles, and even joining the knights is ultimately connected to that. But Eugene had essentially lived a secluded life, so he’d only learned about these things recently from Thomas and Ivan. 

“That’s correct. Tyrannos was originally a group that wielded power only in certain regions, namely the domains of Tyrannos-affiliated nobles. But with the addition of the Sophists, they gained wings. This has all happened in the last ten years.” 

Victoria, after understanding Eugene’s situation, began a full explanation. 

The basic combat power of the anti-imperial noble alliance Tyrannos is quite strong. It’s a group formed by powerful nobles with resentment toward imperial authority. However, due to its feudal structure and the self-interest of the nobles, their power was limited to certain regions. They were more defensive and slow-moving, which the empire exploited to manage them efficiently. 

But the addition of the Sophists created a crack in this long-standing pattern. 

“With the Sophists joining, Tyrannos’s real sphere of influence expanded and their speed increased. The Sophists secretly act as Tyrannos’s hands and feet.” 

The Sophists are an elite few who act for the organization’s interests and beliefs rather than personal gain. Their alliance with Tyrannos made the anti-noble group adept at multi-pronged operations and guerrilla tactics. The Sophists also handle the dirty and lowly tasks that the nobles themselves would never do. As a result, the empire’s management of Tyrannos became increasingly complicated, and even minor agreements were often ignored. 

‘I’d heard this from Captain Antonio too. The open interference with the Alexandria trading company’s routes was something that would have been unthinkable before. It would have ended after a few reports. That’s why things were different during Duke Alexis’s time.’ 

Eugene understood Victoria’s point. Interfering with trade routes requires active troop deployment, which was previously impossible due to the need for mobility. That’s why Alexis had planned to focus on trade. 

“With Tyrannos’s influence growing so much, monsters are now more rampant, and even creatures like the drake can threaten cities, forcing the empire to worry about its rear.” 

The Imperial Knights constantly run simulations on internal continental developments. One scenario is that if their core forces are tied up fighting monsters, Tyrannos, using the mobile Sophists, could strike from behind. Of course, there’s no guarantee this will happen, since monsters don’t distinguish between the empire and Tyrannos. But you never know how things will unfold. 

“There are divided opinions within the Imperial Knights. Some say it can be managed through negotiation; others say it can’t. The latter is a minority view.” 

The mainstream of the Imperial Knights underestimates the risk, largely due to overconfidence in their negotiation abilities, since the negotiation department is the most elite and experienced. 

“You’re in the minority, then, Saber Victoria?” 

“Yes. My experience in the Knights is short, but I’ve traveled the continent for a long time and know the Sophists well.” 

The Knights also underestimate the Sophists because, as a secretive cult, they’re shrouded in mystery, and the key personnel don’t fully understand them. Even the opinions of field agents who do know are often ignored. From the start, Victoria had kept an eye on the Sophists, but her expertise wasn’t appreciated. 

“After the Drake expedition, I became even more convinced. That’s why I’m trying to launch an operation under my own authority, even unofficially.” 

Victoria generally follows the majority, but the unexpected results of the Drake expedition made her decide on a much more aggressive course. 

“Can you really handle this on your own authority, without orders from above?” 

“From the rank of Servant up, each person has a certain level of independent authority. I’m going to try within that scope.” 

Victoria explained that even though it’s unofficial, high-ranking Knights like Sabers have the authority to create and execute their own quests, though resources and personnel are strictly limited, and failure brings heavy consequences. 

“Are you confident?” 

Victoria was burning her bridges, and Eugene asked if she was sure. 

“I’m doing it because I believe it’s necessary, but yes, I’m confident-especially if you, Captain Eugene, and Elf Priscilla help.” 

Victoria answered calmly, either truly confident or a good liar. 

“That’s enough. I’ll join you.” 

By asking, Eugene made it clear he wasn’t going to back out. 

‘In the end, this is about the safety of my family, comrades, and the villagers.’ 

Eugene had experienced the threat of monsters firsthand, so this was personal. 

‘And now, I need to learn more about my father’s affairs myself.’ 

The group with the most information about Ulysses Schneider was the Sophists. 

“Haha... I am determined, but this method…” 

After discussing the details, Eugene looked troubled. 

“You want to hand me over to the Sophists as the one who killed the Ricardo brothers???” 

Victoria planned to turn Eugene over to the Sophists as the killer of Ricardo and Lucas. While Lucas’s death was a personal vendetta, killing Nagarjuna, a Sword Expert and senior guru, was a matter of pride for the Sophists, and they were quietly seething. Victoria planned to use this to her advantage. 

“That’s why I asked you to be the bait. With limited manpower, it’s the best way. We can penetrate deep into enemy territory right away.” 

“Ah... I really am the bait.” 

It was a bold plan, but also efficient. The advantage for Victoria and Eugene’s side was being a small elite group, and Victoria’s team was not well known to the Sophists. With careful planning, they could infiltrate the headquarters by using Eugene as bait. 

‘This isn’t something I can just decide on my own…’ 

Eugene was troubled-not because he disliked being bait, but because it was unexpected and he couldn’t proceed without Jeanne’s approval as captain. 

‘But with these kinds of operations, timing is everything. Let’s push forward.’ 

Still, Eugene decided to go ahead. 

But Jeanne wasn’t the only one who could stop Eugene’s decision. 

“I object. No way am I letting my mate be used as bait. How dare a mere human!” 

It was none other than Priscilla, the elf who had accompanied Eugene to the Imperial Knights’ arena for the second time. Hearing about the plan, she was furious. 

“Hey, what are you so worried about, Priscilla? You and I will be together. It’ll be three Sword Experts and two Seekers charging in. The hard part is getting in-once we’re inside, it won’t be dangerous, I think.” 

Pat, pat, pat. 

Eugene tried to reassure Priscilla, who was more upset than he’d expected. 

“Yeah! I’m confident about safety! I’ll protect you! But that’s not all-it’s a matter of pride! How can you use the elf’s mate as bait!” 

But that wasn’t going to work. He’d touched a nerve. For elves, a mate is more than a partner-they’re like a part of themselves. Using Eugene as bait was like treating the elf princess herself as bait. 

“What? Pride?” 

With a gentle expression, Eugene raised an eyebrow at the word “pride.” 

Flinch. 

Priscilla flinched. 

“Hnnngh!” 

A moan escaped Priscilla’s lips. 

“Let’s see you show off that pride in another way, Princess Priscilla.” 

Thrust! 

The immoral man, the out-of-control harem male Eugene Schneider, grabbed her pussy.