novel bin Page 66
Page 66
Why was Prince Ota so certain that there was a demon traitor among the kingdom's high-ranking officials... and yet, during the interrogation of Mino that night, he inadvertently revealed this information.
Why was it that on that very night, right after she revealed information about the royal family... Princess Kalia won the favor of the goddess?
Why was Prince Ota able to lock onto it so easily, even though it had only been used once... against the corrupt demon Astrid, who contributed intelligence and combat power during the Mino siege...?
The one who could perceive all of this was not Prince Ota, but another protagonist.
A protagonist who hides in the shadows and manipulates everything.
“Mino Lake…”
Swell spoke with a chill running down his spine.
He understood everything—
The brave Mino has a way to transmit the information he has obtained back to the human camp!!!
Chapter 89: Wisdom as Vast and Boundless as the Starry Sky! (Seeking First Subscription)
That explains everything.
"He wasn't truly giving up; his sliding knee was just a camouflage—"
Swell murmured, still shaken.
His tone was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was extremely glad that he had discovered the truth so early.
It recalled the results of each previous action—
The first two operations against Prince Ota were very successful, but when it came to the most important Round Tower Notes, they were seen through at a glance by the kingdom's morning star... This forced them to take a long detour afterward, and ultimately they failed to stop the Hero Awakening Ritual, which allowed Mino Hero's sister, Shana, to awaken as a hero.
Then came the operation against Saintess Lena. This time, the Holy Sword Altote and Mino put on a good show. The information revealed by the Holy Sword and Mino was true... which is why Lena was backfired.
But Mino had already prepared a backup plan for this!
According to Lady Kletina, the kingdom's morning star was hiding nearby that night! Had Lady Kletina not experienced another leap in power, the operation against Lena that night might have become a double-edged sword piercing the heart of the demons!
Then, just as they were preparing to launch a final attack, Princess Kalia became the incarnation of a goddess!
Looking back now, this was clearly a contingency plan that Mino had prepared long ago. Otherwise... how could it be such a coincidence that Princess Kalia appeared directly in the Holy Church on the very night that Saint Lena was defeated?!
The knowledge he revealed became a clarion call to inspire the entire Kingdom of Kur.
With just Saint Lena's minor injury and some hypocritical, emotionless tears from the Ota royal family, the human front lines were secured in an unprecedentedly stable manner...
"The brave Mino possesses wisdom as vast and boundless as the starry sky!" Swell was shocked.
He recalled that day when Mino had personally admitted that he possessed the power to take him away from the Demon King's castle.
Now that he has realized the truth, he finally understands that the so-called "power" does not refer to some mysterious power within Mino that is beyond their detection and comprehension.
He recalled an ancient saying that existed within knowledge:
Unity is strength!
The "power" Mino spoke of, which was unfathomable, invisible, and intangible yet objectively existent—was him! And the powerful bond he shared with the entire human race!
He firmly believed that he could infiltrate the Demon King's castle through the freebies, transmit information, and provide more assistance to the human camp.
Ultimately, the human forces will storm the Demon King's castle and rescue the hero Mino once again!
Swell's pages trembled, recalling the night of the torture, and Mino's resolute gaze:
"Life is a high-stakes gamble!"
For a moment, he even suspected that the capture of the hero Mino and his arrival at the Demon King's castle was intentional.
If you put yourself in the game, you will win half the battle!
Mino the Brave is terrifying!
In comparison, Astrid's exposure was not surprising at all.
Mino must have keenly noticed certain characteristics of the Sixth Demon during the battle, and then, after learning of the traitor's existence, connected it to Astrid!
However, the other party was clearly only suspicious; otherwise, the position of the Sixth Demon would probably be vacant by now.
"I understand, Your Excellency Astrid, I understand." Swell exhaled softly, gradually calming down.
"This mistake was entirely my fault... You don't need to panic too much. At least for now, the human camp cannot confirm your identity."
"Your unexpected performance last night has largely cleared you of suspicion. However—based on the fact that it was the hero Mino who suspected you, I don't think Ota will easily give up monitoring you."
"Therefore, please remember these few things now."
"First, please continue to perform as always; this is the perfect disguise. To ensure your safety, I will cut off all contact with you and only give you a one-way channel to contact me."
"Second, unless something happens that affects the course of the battle and is completely accidental and urgently needs our destruction, you can activate this channel to send information to the Demon King's castle in the most covert way—of course, this is based on the premise that you are not at risk of being exposed."
"Thirdly, besides this, whatever important intelligence you come across, do not reveal it to us... It's very likely a trap set by Prince Ota!!!"
"In that case, I believe that even if the Kingdom's Morning Star came, he wouldn't be able to detect your true identity."
As Swell continued his explanation, Astrid gradually calmed down, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and nodded vigorously: "I understand."
“Oh, right.” Remembering that this might be the last communication in a while, Astrid quickly recounted all the important information she had come across.
"Even the Radiant Grand Duke Thanaus attended this roundtable meeting! He also adopted Dane, the former most outstanding hero candidate, as his son..."
“Thanaus, and Dane…” Swell narrowed his eyes slightly.
After seeing through Mino's trump card, it keenly sensed that the appearance of these two people was no coincidence, but rather that they appeared precisely when the border was stable and the kingdom was becoming more secure.
It seems the human faction is about to begin the second phase of its deployment.
These two people are very likely the most important pieces chosen by Mino and Ota!
"I understand. I'll keep a close eye on these two." Swell's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness.
Since Mino almost exposed their most important demon, they don't need to be polite anymore.
Given the chance, it should also teach these two core human beings...some unforgettable lessons.
The light on the pages gradually dimmed, and the connection between the two sides was completely severed.
Swell sighed slightly. Activating the Sixth Demon at this point in time would have been the most dangerous moment for humanity.
But now, they are the ones who have been forced to completely sever ties with the corrupted Astrid.
"Who came up with such a meticulously planned and almost supernaturally intelligent scheme..." Swell fell into deep thought.
After a period of calm, it gradually emerged from its blind spot: since Mino was able to maintain contact with the human camp, such a perfect operation could not have been conceived by one person alone.
“Mino… He might be wiser than I thought, but that strategic vision might come from the royal family, Ota… Ota was an excellent king, but to have such exquisite control over every step of the situation… If there had been even a slight coincidence, humanity could not have achieved such a perfect situation.”
"To be able to push the situation to this point with unparalleled precision, step by step, amidst a tightrope walk of danger."
Swell paused slightly, and a name naturally appeared on it:
"The kingdom's guiding star, the chief mage of the Round Tower, and the one with the deepest bond with the hero..."
"—Ang Lac"
Chapter 90 You call this torture of the Holy Body?! (Seeking first subscription)
"Now that I think about it, I can't believe I never saw him during our long struggle with humanity."
"Does he not want to participate in the war?"
No, obviously not.
"It was he who single-handedly gave birth to Mino, the strongest hero in human history; it was he who calmly completed the hero awakening ceremony when Prince Ota fell, and pushed Mino's sister Shana to the position of hero; it was he who coldly watched our actions from the border of the demons, letting the saintess get injured without lifting a finger, like a venomous snake in the dark."
"Lena fell, and the goddess was born; it was all within his calculations."
"He's been hiding behind the scenes all along, yet he's brought us the biggest trouble! It's terrifying... Before this, I never imagined that humans could be this terrifying."
"If it weren't for these clues revealing his true identity as the mastermind, I would have thought he was an evil person who wanted to watch humanity be destroyed."
"He is a hundred times more dangerous than Mino!"
Sverre breathed a deep sigh of relief, realizing at that moment that he hadn't mispronounced the title. If the "Kingdom's Morning Star" was this formidable, how troublesome would the "Glorious Grand Duke" be...?
"We need to change our strategy as soon as possible." Swell felt a little frustrated.
Originally, it was thought that by sealing away the two powerful forces belonging to the goddess, the hero and the saintess, humanity would be as easily broken through as a thin sheet of paper by the demons.
But now it seems he was too naive. Who says humanity lacks intelligent individuals? The number of hidden talents within the human ranks might be far greater than he imagined—
"Hehe, this move is your victory... Mino."
Swell gazed at the sliver of light breaking through the dark clouds, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope, and his voice carried a hint of amusement:
"However, now that we've seen through your true nature, the situation where the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light has been reversed—now, the advantage is in our hands!"
"As long as we are vigilant against a possible counterattack from the human camp and make further preparations, the situation will once again be on our side."
"The information you give away for free will still cause devastating damage to humanity, and you don't know that I know you do."
"Then in order to gain our trust, you will have to release more intelligence until... the day we conquer the Kingdom of Kur."
Swell relaxed, and the pages of the book closed rhythmically, like breathing.
However, he quickly realized a tricky situation:
"Torturous interrogation of Mino seems to be getting more and more difficult... Several times, if he hadn't deliberately given us free rein, our interrogation would have been completely ineffective."
Swell felt somewhat depressed and powerless.
“Alas, it’s not that easy.” Swell’s book pages trembled, revealing his recent new knowledge about Mino.
"After all, that's an unyielding 'torture hero'."
Among the demons present, it seemed that none could truly be Mino's nemesis when it came to torture...
Really... there isn't any left?
……
The black sky filled in the last gaps in the clouds.
It's late at night.
"My lord, the demons seem to have become much more well-behaved lately..." In the corner of the cell, a sharp, gleaming sword gleamed with a cold light.