Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Jeth Arck Piper.

He was Ivor Osan's spare identity, acting as a renowned member of the Escalon Guild.

He had joined Sebastian's company along with his squad to confront Isen's forces. Piper's inclusion was an obvious choice, given his reputation as the "Baron's Bane" for his previous success in thwarting Isen Osan's advances on a different battlefield. However, little did his comrades know that Piper had downplayed his achievements.

In their last encounter, Piper had defeated Isen outright, yet he chose to let him escape. Despite sustaining critical injuries himself and witnessing his team members getting hurt, Isen fared far worse. If Piper had pursued his advantage, Isen would have been utterly defeated.

The present battle followed a similar pattern. After Isen cunningly neutralized Sebastian and assumed control over him, Ivor, Isen's grandson, took up the fight. Though Isen resorted to underhanded tactics to harm Sebastian, they proved ineffective against Piper, who had donned a distinctive golden armor to deflect Isen's assaults. Sebastian, on the other hand, was shifted to a safe location by his subordinates as Isen and Ivor in Piper's identity exchanged blows.

Piper, the masked adventurer of the Lancelot Guild, once again dominated Isen, utilizing his unique Sin Series Ability– Armor of Pride. However, inexplicably, he hesitated to strike the finishing blow.

"Hehehe," Isen laughed heartily, despite his brutal injuries and kneeling position. He gazed at the masked figure standing at a safe distance and spoke with unwavering confidence. "I... I have no doubts anymore. You are not Piper, my boy. You... You are my grandson, Ivor Osan!"

Piper froze upon hearing Isen's revelation. The golden armor that had shielded him from Isen's relentless attacks dissipated, and he removed his mask, revealing his true face as Ivor Osan.

"I am nothing like the Ivor you abandoned years ago. So... how did you know?" Ivor questioned, his gaze fixed on his grandfather. He struggled to decide whether to close the distance between them or call for backup and assign someone else the task of ending Isen Osan's life.

"Hehehe," Isen's laughter turned manic as he observed Ivor's face. It appeared that his claim had been a mere guess, but he was surprised and strangely pleased to find it was indeed true.

"You always had a way with words, twisting them since you were just a child. You called it your 'encoded messages,' as if you were some kind of spy for Edinburgh," Isen remarked, momentarily forgetting his grave injuries as he observed Ivor with amusement. "Your name, Jeth Arck Piper, essentially Jack the Ripper. Hahaha. Your messed-up sense of humor can't fool me, brat. I remember the grimm fairy tales you used to read. Only you could come up with a name like that."

Ivor's grip tightened on the daggers in his hands, his eyes brimming with unmasked hatred as he stared at Isen. "It seems you hold all the fond memories of my childhood, grandpa. I don't. Do you know why?"

Isen's smile remained, but he ceased his laughter. He observed the trembling of Ivor's daggers and made another conjecture. "You... you're also not the Osan Woods' Butcher, are you? If you struggle to finish me off, then there's no way you could have killed Isaac—your older brother," Isen stated, studying Ivor's expressions.

Over time, even Isen had come to believe that Ivor was indeed the Osan Woods' Butcher. After all, he understood the animosity between the two brothers better than anyone. Thus, Isen had also embraced the popular belief that Ivor had cunningly deceived everyone and killed Isaac by assuming the identity of the Butcher.

"But if you're not the Osan Woods' Butcher, then you must have been working for him all along. There's no other reason for you to infiltrate the graduation test and cause trouble for Arthur," Isen deduced, drawing from his observations and the intelligence he had gathered over the past nine years regarding all matters concerning Edinburgh.

It must be said that Isen was a crafty individual. He could sense that his grandson hesitated to kill him and decided to exploit that weakness.

Of course, Isen had no intention of launching a lethal attack against his own grandson. Despite their strained relationship, Ivor was still his kin. Isen may have abandoned him in Edinburgh and sought refuge in Layos, but he believed it was due to circumstances beyond his control. At least, that's what Isen convinced himself of.

Isen couldn't bring himself to kill his own flesh and blood, just as Ivor struggled with the same dilemma. However, using his grandson's vulnerability as an opportunity to flee the battlefield was still an option Isen considered.

Isen was a survivor. He retained the ambition he had possessed in the city of Osan. Although he intended to ignite a war between the two kingdoms, he had no plans to sacrifice his entire life for the battle he had essentially provoked.

The former baron from the city of Osan had already begun formulating plans to depart from Layos and seek better opportunities beyond the grasp of both Layos and Edinburgh. Why should he die for Layos when it merely provided temporary shelter?

***

Ivor's mind was rattled by Isen's words. He glared at his grandfather, his voice filled with anger as he expressed his thoughts, "You could have at least made an effort to find me once you found safety in Layos. You could have defended me and proclaimed that I was not the Osan Woods' Butcher. But true to your selfish nature, you did nothing of the sort. What can I expect from someone like you? Instead of protecting your own grandson, you chose to fuel the flames of war between the two kingdoms for your petty revenge. What did you gain from all this? The royalty of Edinburgh still doesn't give a damn about you. I..."

Lost in his own tirade, Ivor failed to notice the array circle that had materialized around him. In an instant, it activated, abruptly cutting off his words. It was a defensive barrier deployed by Isen, modified to serve as a barrier to halt Ivor in his tracks.

Ivor couldn't believe that Isen would resort to such tricks even in defeat. It was only now that he realized his emotions had clouded his judgment, allowing Isen to isolate him.