Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Longing for Freedom (3)
Martin and Sien moved to a small mountain outside Fratel City.
Woooong.
As soon as they arrived, Martin twisted the space with Omni Distortion.
The space split open, revealing a woman with brown hair—Sara Meinert. She glared at Martin and Sien, despite being drenched in cold sweat from the pain she was enduring.
“First, drink this.”
Martin tossed her a potion.
Sara took it, eyeing it warily.
Martin smirked at her caution and said, “Why so suspicious? If I planned to do something, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble.”
Only then did Sara slightly lower her guard and drink the potion. Her wounds quickly began to heal.
“Who are you? What do you want from me?”
“Martin Adalbert. You’ve probably heard the name, haven’t you?”
“Don’t make me laugh. The direct descendants of the Adalberts are known for their black hair and black eyes….”
Flash!
Before Sara could finish speaking, Martin pressed a button on his artifact.
A burst of light radiated from his body, and soon his eyes and hair returned to their original black color.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Sien also reverted to her natural appearance, with her blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Sien Igreet.”
“Y-you’re the real deal!”
Sara couldn’t help but cry out at the sight of them.
She, too, lived within the Adalbert territory, so there was no way she wouldn’t recognize them.
Especially Martin, who was not only featured prominently in Real News from Varehein City but also heavily covered in the Daily Times from the capital.
Even if that weren’t the case, information about him had spread across the territory through various channels long ago.
Yet, despite recognizing them, Sara still looked at the two with suspicion.
“…Why is the heir of the Adalbert family interested in me? Shouldn’t you be going after the head of the Brightner family?”
“I’ll meet with him eventually, but not yet. For now, I’m more interested in what’s going on in this city. I saved you because I thought you’d be able to explain the situation.”
“If I explain it, does that mean you’ll resolve the situation? Even though the Brightner family is involved?”
“I’ll have to hear the full story first. But do you really think I’m afraid of the Brightner family?”
Martin’s relaxed demeanor left Sara momentarily speechless.
Fratel, a mining city, was wealthy enough to be known throughout the northern region, and even across the empire.
Naturally, the status of the Brightner family, which ruled the city, was also high, particularly in the north.
But even then, they were no match for the Adalbert family.
‘We’ve been fighting for our lives…’
They had faced countless life-and-death struggles trying to escape the Brightner family’s clutches, watching comrades fall along the way.
Yet, here was someone treating the Brightners as if they were nothing more than insects.
A deep sense of futility and emptiness about her life washed over her.
But she quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts.
‘This is still a chance to fix everything.’
That was one thing she knew for sure, and Sara had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
“My name is Sara Meinert. I’m the leader of the secret organization, ‘The Cry for Freedom.’”
“‘The Cry for Freedom’?”
Even though Martin already knew everything, he feigned ignorance.
Unaware of his true knowledge, Sara immediately explained.
“We’re a group formed by those who resist the rule of the Brightner family.”
“Bold of you. If what you say is true, you know that this makes you a target for extermination, right?”
Martin asked with a smile.
Sara didn’t avert her gaze.
She knew the truth.
No matter the justification, resisting the ruling class was rebellion, and the price for rebellion was destruction.
And the opponent in this case was essentially the ruler of the northern part of the Altaria Empire.
Of course, she knew her life was at risk.
“Yes, we’re rebels, just as you said. But we have no regrets. The atrocities committed by the Brightner family are just that horrifying.”
“For example?”
“In one day, several people die, yet the current head of the Brightner family has never offered compensation or medical aid. No, instead, they’re busy covering up the very existence of the victims.”
Sien’s expression darkened as she listened.
“I knew the atmosphere among the people wasn’t good, but I didn’t know it was this bad…”
“This is only the tip of the iceberg, Lady Igreet.”
“That’s just the beginning?”
“Anyone who demands compensation is beaten by the guards. Those who openly resist are sentenced to death and dragged to prison.”
Sien and Martin remained silent.
Sara continued without hesitation.
“We’re not asking for much. The previous heads of the Adalbert family always emphasized caring for the people working in the mines and industrial districts. Is it really that hard to uphold their words?”
“…So that’s why you tried to bring down the Brightner family?”
“No. We never had the power to do that in the first place. We just wanted to let people know. That we were this angry, and we hoped it would lead to some improvement.”
“Hoo, this situation really is a mess.”
“It gets worse, Lord Adalbert. There’s one more terrible thing. The Brightner family is running a large-scale drug farm.”
“L-lies!”
Sien instinctively shouted in shock.
In contrast, Martin was elated inside.
‘So, they even know about this.’
Exploiting the citizens was clearly an issue, but it wasn’t quite enough to justify their annihilation.
The close relationship with the Gustin family hadn’t been fully revealed yet, making it tricky to act on that front.
But drugs were a different matter.
No matter their status, anyone found cultivating or distributing drugs was sentenced to death.
This gave Martin the perfect excuse to crush the Brightner family and sever their ties with the Gustins.
As Martin solidified his resolve, Sien continued the conversation with Sara.
“A drug farm? How is that even possible in the mines?”
“There’s a mine that holds an underground lake, and that’s where the drugs are being cultivated. The workers are all people who’ve been sentenced to death.”
“So, they’re declared dead and then forced to work?”
“Yes, Lady Igreet. They’re all heavily addicted to the drugs, so they can’t escape or even resist. They just work until they die.”
“How did you find out about this?”
“Many of our comrades were taken to prison. We tried to rescue them, but we saw them being dragged off somewhere else.”
“So you followed them?”
“Yes. In the end, we reached the drug farm and uncovered other truths.”
“There’s more? What is this, an onion? Why do more layers keep peeling back?”
“Exactly. In any case, the Brightner family is secretly spreading drugs to addict the miners. They’re crushing any sense of resistance by turning the drugs into an escape. And it’s working.”
“Hah, this is hopeless.”
Sien let out a small sigh, and Martin nodded in agreement.
He wasn’t particularly surprised.
‘The head of that family has been ignoring the Adalberts since his father’s time.’
There was no way someone like Jurgen von Brightner, who had long profited from drugs, would suddenly stop just because Martin had appeared.
It was good, though.
This meant Martin could completely crush the Brightner family.
“How did you end up getting caught by the Brightner family?”
“We were planning a protest to expose the truth, but they struck first. Our comrades scattered, and I barely managed to escape.”
After finishing her story, Sara took a deep breath and turned to face Martin.
Then, she bowed deeply.
“Please, Lord Adalbert, I beg you. Help us.”
“This isn’t something that needs begging, is it, Martin?”
“You’re right, Sien.”
“What do you mean?”
A glimmer of hope appeared in Sara’s eyes as she looked up.
Martin didn’t ignore her plea.
“It’s written in imperial law. Anyone cultivating or distributing drugs, regardless of status, is sentenced to death. Even without that, if I leave them alone, the Adalbert family could get dragged into this mess. For my own sake, I have to deal with them quickly.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“I’m just fulfilling my duty as the heir. By the way, where exactly is this drug farm?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t remember the exact location. The tunnels are just too complex….”
“Hmm. That means this might take some time.”
“But there’s still a way.”
“What is it?”
“The mines in Fratel City are operated by various merchant guilds. So, they don’t know much about each other’s tunnels. But all the mines are owned by the Brightner family.”
“So, the Brightner family knows every tunnel?”
“Yes. But…”
Sara stopped mid-sentence.
She realized what she was suggesting.
In essence, she was asking him to infiltrate the Brightner family, which was extremely dangerous.
“I’m sorry for suggesting something so reckless, Lord Adalbert.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
Martin answered lightly, then turned to Sien.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“It’s still daytime. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Don’t worry. Hiding is easy.”
“What about the map? If you touch it carelessly, you’ll get caught immediately.”
“That’s not a problem either. I brought a camera.”
“You really… When did you prepare that
?”
“I brought it just in case, and now I have a use for it.”
“Your preparation is always so thorough.”
“It’s just basic stuff.”
“It’d be nice if you were a little more humble. Anyway, I won’t follow you this time. I’m not good at moving stealthily like you.”
“Got it. Then I’ll leave protecting Sara to you.”
“Leave it to me. Take care.”
“Yeah.”
Martin nodded and activated Omni Distortion.
Woooong.
The space warped, and Martin’s figure disappeared before the two women.
—
Martin had a clear memory of the coordinates of the Brightner Estate and its surroundings.
After all, it was a place he had personally burned down.
The place he headed for was a clock tower near the estate.
Woooong.
The space split, and Martin appeared at the top of the clock tower.
No one saw him, of course.
By bending the light around him with Omni Distortion, he had made himself invisible.
Not only that, but he had completely suppressed his aura, erasing his presence.
Unless someone was at the same or a higher level than him, they would never detect him.
‘There’s no one stronger than me in the Brightner family.’
Even the head of the family, Jurgen von Brightner, was only a 6-circle mage.
Martin had clashed with him personally and knew exactly how he fought.
‘Still, it’s better to be cautious.’
There was no harm in being careful.
Opening his subspace, Martin took out a mask and covered his face.
He silently praised himself for always being well-prepared.
With everything ready, Martin leaped toward the Brightner Estate.
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