The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 56: Cleanup Time (1)

Jurgen von Brightner acted decisively.

The moment Martin fled, Jurgen declared an emergency alert.

As a result, inspections and patrols were strengthened, but that was only the beginning.

The guards stormed into the homes of citizens, conducting thorough searches.

During this process, many members of the “The Cry for Freedom” organization, who had been hiding in safehouses, were captured in just half a day.

Now, it could be said that only one leader remained: Sara Meinert.

However, despite witnessing everything from a nearby mountain, Sara didn’t urge Martin or Sien to save her comrades—no, she couldn’t.

She didn’t have the authority to do so.

That didn’t mean the two had no intention of helping her.

They were just struggling to come up with a good plan.

Thus, despite the painful situation, they had to proceed with the utmost caution.

‘I can’t rely solely on the two of them.’

The Adalbert family was the dominant power in the northern region of the Altaria Empire, and no one could deny it.

Martin, who was soon to ascend as the head of the family, was virtually a king in his own right.

But even someone like him couldn’t arbitrarily interfere with the affairs of an independent lord rather than a branch family.

A lord’s autonomy was a right that deserved respect.

Of course, with the discovery of the drug plantation, the downfall of Jurgen von Brightner was essentially inevitable.

But that alone could lead to it being dismissed as a personal mistake.

Therefore, the “The Cry for Freedom” and the citizens of Fratel had to prove something.

They needed to demonstrate that their yearning for freedom was genuine.

Only then would Martin be able to crush the entire Brightner family.

‘There’s a way.’

If they made a mistake, more sacrifices could result.

Despite knowing this, Sara remained resolute.

“Young master.”

“Hm?”

“You said it earlier. The Cry for Freedom has been preparing for protests with the citizens for some time.”

“Ah, right. You said you wanted to show your desire for freedom.”

“That’s correct. Because of the emergency alert, I’m now the only leader left. But our comrades hiding outside the city are surely safe. And many citizens still sympathize with our cause.”

“So? Are you planning to officially stage a protest?”

“Yes. But we won’t use violence.”

“Jurgen von Brightner won’t stand by and… Wow. You’ve really thought this through.”

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Martin, and he was impressed.

“Not bad at all. You’re even counting on my knights, whom you haven’t met yet, in your plan.”

“I found it odd from the start. The young master of the Adalbert family was moving, but he only had one knight as an escort. That could only mean that others are waiting elsewhere. If they come to the city in time for the protest…”

“The Brightner family won’t be able to resort to violence recklessly.”

“That’s right.”

“The plan’s good. But can you really pull off the protest?”

“We’ve prepared a lot. Though this emergency has hurt us, we haven’t lost everything. We still need your and Sien’s help, of course.”

“You’re quite something.”

“What?”

Sara was taken aback by Martin’s sudden remark.

“If you can wield aura, you could easily become a knight for any decent family. Yet you’ve thrown away a stable life to join this struggle.”

“I feel the same way as the young master. Even if this ends successfully, you won’t gain anything directly. In fact, your chances of dying will only increase. Yet you still give it your all,” Sien added, supporting Martin’s view.

Sara blushed at the unexpected praise, but only briefly.

She responded in a calm tone.

“I didn’t always think about freedom. I knew something was wrong, but I had no intention of changing it. Then, I met someone.”

“Who?”

“Well… His face was covered with bandages, so I don’t know who he was. But his words still remain in my heart. He said freedom is not something given, but something won through struggle.”

At that moment, Martin’s expression changed.

But neither Sara, lost in thought about the words she recalled, nor Sien, who was watching her, noticed.

‘Wings of Freedom… I never thought I’d hear about them here.’

Martin had experienced and learned a lot.

Yet, it was still surprising to keep encountering things he didn’t know.

Still, he quickly composed himself and focused on Sara’s words.

“When I heard those words, I made up my mind. I decided to show our unwavering will and win our freedom. I know it’s unlikely, but I still wanted to show others. Especially because I believed that the former head of the Adalbert family wouldn’t ignore our wishes.”

“Well, my father would have certainly understood your cause. As do I.”

“I am truly grateful for that.”

“No need for thanks just yet. So, how do you plan to stage the protest? From what I see, it’s not easy to move under the current circumstances.”

“There’s a secret passage leading into the city. I’ll first join up with our comrades outside the city and meet with our supporters.”

“Sien.”

“Go ahead.”

“Follow Sara Meinert and protect her. With your ability to teleport, you’ll do a good job.”

“Understood.”

Even though Sien was in charge of guarding Martin, she answered without hesitation.

After reading her lord’s firm resolve, she couldn’t disobey his will.

“Young master! You don’t have to go that far…”

“I’m not particularly interested in your desire for freedom. But your actions benefit me. That’s why I’m assigning Sien to you—so you can accomplish your goal without fail.”

“Thank you! I’ll make sure to succeed!”

“That’s all I ask. But you don’t have much time. Considering the people who’ve been taken, shouldn’t everything be over in two days?”

“I think that’s reasonable.”

“When the protest begins in earnest in two days, my knights will move. So focus on achieving your goal without worry.”

“I will never forget this kindness.”

“I trust you.”

After responding to Sara, Martin looked at Sien.

“Go with her and take care of the organization members hiding in the safehouse.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to take control of the drug plantation. We need to secure evidence that the place was being operated. And if Jurgen tries to clean it up, I’ll stop him.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll head out now.”

With those words, Martin used Spatial Movement to head to his destination.

“Let’s move as well. We don’t have much time.”

“I’m counting on you, Sien.”

“Likewise.”

Once Martin disappeared from view, the two women immediately sprang into action.

* * *

The city’s inspections were thorough, but they were meaningless to Martin.

Just by traversing through space, he could bypass any ordinary security.

Location: The second iron mine, which served as the entrance to the underground lake.

Whirr.

The space in front of the mine entrance is distorted.

But the guards at the entrance didn’t notice anything strange, and they paid dearly for it.

Crack.

“Gah!”

With the sound of a neck snapping, one of the guards collapsed.

“Wh-what…?”

His companion was startled but couldn’t finish his sentence.

A hand emerging from the spatial rift had grabbed him by the throat.

Crack.

As the grip tightened, the man’s neck broke.

Once the last guard’s body went limp, Martin stepped out from the spatial rift.

He frowned.

“What a mess.”

Surveying his surroundings with a look of disbelief, Martin shook his head.

The tunnel was filled with dust, making it hard to breathe.

If not for the protective stone he had brought with him, he would have been in trouble.

Determined to resolve the situation, Martin descended further into the tunnel.

The journey wasn’t smooth.

The tunnel was filled with Brightner family knights and guards.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

“Stop him! Don’t let him through!”

“Call the knights quickly!”

Bullets from magic-powered rifles rained down on him.

But as time passed, the fear on the guards’ faces deepened.

Not a single bullet managed to reach Martin.

They all fell to the ground or hit the walls.

And that wasn’t all.

Their shouts and gunfire didn’t echo outward.

It was as if they were trapped within invisible walls.

“If you commit a crime, you must face punishment.”

Martin extended his right index finger.

The drug plantation was a top secret of the Brightner family.

Just by working there, these men knew the truth, which meant they were accomplices.

There was no sentence for them other than death.

Boom!

“Arrgh!”

“Aaagh!”

With a flick of his index finger, the guards were crushed by intensified gravity.

Their bodies burst, leaving them unrecognizable.

More knights and guards tried to block his path.

But none of them could stop Martin.

He leisurely strolled through the tunnel, leaving behind piles of corpses.

Easily making his way forward, he finally reached his destination.

A vast underground lake filled his view, greeting him.

“An underground lake this massive… inside a mine?”

It was something he hadn’t known even before his return.

If Sara hadn’t told him, he might never have discovered it.

Calming his surprise, Martin turned his head.

Around the lake were rows of vibrant red flowers.

Miners, intoxicated by drugs, were diligently tending to them.

Martin quickly identified what they were.

“Claudel.”

Claudel, meaning “red star” in the ancient language.

The flower, fitting its name, was stunningly beautiful and was famous as an ornamental plant.

But it’s true use lay elsewhere—it could be refined into a drug.

By mixing powdered magic stones with Claudel’s petals, the resulting concoction became a potent drug.

When inhaled, it heightened the senses dramatically, inducing extreme pleasure.

The problem was…

‘The Dark King wouldn’t be interested in this.’

Claudel was a drug that the King of Medicine particularly cared about.

There was no reason for the Dark King to risk conflict over it.

But after pondering briefly, Martin decided not to dwell on it.

It was more important to focus on what needed to be done rather than speculate about unknowns.

Whirr.

Using Spatial Detection, golden strands of light spread like a web across the ground.

Soon, he could feel the presence of everyone in the area, and Martin sensed that there were several strong individuals deeper in the tunnel.

Among them was someone who had reached the 5th Circle, clearly the person in charge.

Having completed his detection, Martin immediately used Spatial Movement, and his body disappeared as the space around him distorted.

He reappeared in the management office of the drug plantation, where he smiled in amusement.

He had spotted a familiar face.

“Pierre Brightner.”

His opponent was Jurgen von Brightner’s cousin, whom Martin had met before his return.

“W-who’s there…? Gasp!”

Pierre, who had been absorbed in his work at the desk, was genuinely shocked.

The most secretive place of the family had been discovered.

And by the worst possible opponent for them.

“Y-young master?! How are you here…?”

“There’s nowhere in the North I can’t go, but that’s not important right now.”

Rumble!

Martin unleashed his aura.

Pierre’s face turned pale.

Bang!

“Intruder!”

“Kill him! Don’t let him escape!”

Sensing Martin’s presence, the knights urgently rushed into the office.

Pierre immediately gave them orders.

But Martin remained calm.

“I think I’ll need your help.”

Crash!

Golden sword energy swept through the office.

“Arrgh!”

“Aaagh!”

Agonized screams filled the room as blood rained down like a storm.

Yet, no one died—not even Pierre.

Though they all lost at least one limb.

The reason for sparing them was simple.

“For the next two days, I’ll need your cooperation. If you do what I ask, I promise you peace. I give you my word as an Adalbert. Of course, if you refuse, you’ll find out what it feels like to wish for death.”

With a smiling face, Martin issued his warning.

All Pierre and the knights could do was nod their heads.

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