novelden Chapter 122 A Beautiful Woman in a Golden House
Chapter 122 A Beautiful Woman in a Golden House
A reconnaissance officer with binoculars jogged up along the mountain path, stood at attention, and saluted.
"Lord Kuroda, the fog outside the annex has been observed to be dissipating. According to the advance sentries, visibility has improved to a level suitable for travel. The support team is en route to the main residence at full speed. Please give instructions on the next steps!"
Kuroda Ran took the binoculars and looked in the direction of the annex.
Five minutes earlier, he had just given the order to transfer reinforcements from the Osaka branch when Kenzo Masuyama, who had just entered, brought a shocking message—like a mass hysteria, the mysterious black mist covering the three mountains had vanished without warning in full view of everyone.
This strange phenomenon left no trace, and subsequent investigations and communications yielded no results for the advance team. Had he not had the foresight to order his subordinates to use equipment to record the event, they would likely have suffered from memory lapses.
'If this eerie black fog returns halfway through the journey, the dispatched team will face the danger of total annihilation. But if reinforcements are delayed as a result, Lord Karasuma will blame us...'
At this juncture, Kuroda is only 33 years old, still young and vigorous, and his flexible hardware allows him to make all the decisions in just a few seconds:
“Masuyama, you lead half the men along the shortcut and break in through the back door of the annex.”
Kenzo Masuyama stopped lighting his cigarette abruptly, pointed at himself, and craned his neck in surprise: "Huh?"
Kenzo Masuyama: Me? Are you really letting me go?
As the future business successor, Kenzo Masuyama has a very clear self-awareness:
He could confidently handle economic negotiations, business projects, and banquet-style negotiations, but when it came to military operations... it's no exaggeration to say that any member of the legion present could easily defeat him.
In a situation where the danger was unclear, Kuroda sent him to lead a team to provide support, which was tantamount to sending him to his death!
"What are you standing there for? That lord doesn't keep idle people. It's time for you to prove your worth."
“This…” Masuyama Kenzo pinched the cigarette butt, realizing what was happening.
Ultimately, he only had one option: to agree. If he didn't, not only would all his past contributions be wiped out, but he might even be severed by Kuroda on the spot. But if he risked his life and gritted his teeth to push forward, he might be able to carve out a bright future!
Anyway, Lord Karasuma is already a hundred years old. If he can endure a few more years until the Lord passes away, he can become a high-ranking elder at the age of thirty and earn endless wealth and honor!
“Yes, sir. I will lead the team to the annex now.” Masuyama Kenzo bowed deeply to Kuroda, then rose and called out, “The first half of the numbered squad, follow me!”
Pop, pop, pop.
A crisp, leisurely clapping sound came from the shadows behind a tree five meters away!
"who!"
Click, thud. The synchronized sound of guns unlocking echoed through the ranks.
A black bird-headed cane emerged from the shadows. Kuromon Haruya plucked a leaf from his hair and strolled slowly closer, elegant and composed.
"Phew, it's been so long since I've taken a walk. I almost got lost in the mountains."
Those green eyes!
"By the way, how's the cleanup going? Hopefully they didn't leave any survivors."
With the rifle butt resting on his shoulder, Kenzo Masuyama tilted his head to aim at the man before him, completely oblivious to the shocked expression on Kuroda's face beside him. He judged the young man to be no more than twenty years old, yet his tone of command was unusually practiced, irritatingly arrogant:
"Kid, no matter who you are, if you see something you shouldn't see, you won't leave here alive."
"Hmm~ Ran-chan, what do you think?"
With his head tilted to the side, Kuromon Haruya stared at the person in front of him who was "pisco," raised an eyebrow innocently, and looked at Kuroda Ran with amusement in his eyes.
“I was disrespectful to Lord Karasuma, and I will be punished afterwards.”
Kuroda Ran raised his foot and touched the back of Masuyama Kenzo's knee, then pressed his palm down and took the lead in kneeling on one knee: "Welcome, Master!"
"Welcome to the master of the family!!"
Upon hearing this, Kuromon Haruya instinctively wanted to grin crookedly, but fortunately, she stopped herself in time.
"Ahem, get up."
He coughed a few times to cover his emotions, raised his hand to stroke Masuyama Kenzo's head, looked around, and said in an unambiguous tone: "From today onwards, I am the gentleman of the 'Organization,' Kuromon Haruya."
By deliberately emphasizing the word "organization," Heimen Yaoye thought about the original owner's taste in naming the dark forces the Raven Legion, which was truly hard to judge.
Even elementary school students would dislike naming things like crows, spiders, and venomous snakes, which use the most basic animal names as code names! When he was in elementary school, he knew to add cool prefixes like "Dark Tyranny Feng Rift"!
"The organization's codenames are all named after alcoholic beverages. Kuroda Ran, your codename is 'Rum,' and Masuyama Kenzo, your codename is 'Pisco.'"
Rum: "Yes!"
"Good, very energetic."
Under Rum's indescribable gaze, Kuromon Haruya nodded in satisfaction, picked up his cane, and turned to walk into the mountains.
Pisco, clutching his knee that was pierced by a pebble, grimaced as he tried to find out what was going on with Rum, only to be met with Rum's retreating figure and the sight of him leading the group.
If this were a game, a huge, bright red exclamation mark would pop up in Pisco's head: Can someone explain to him why not only has the organization's name changed, but his boss has also changed?
Hiss... Could it be that Kuroda has been plotting this for a long time, and is launching a preemptive rebellion at this crucial juncture?!
Realizing that he had used his extraordinary wisdom to deduce something he shouldn't have known, Pisco clenched his fists in his sleeves, vowing to keep quiet from then on.
Little did Rum, who was following behind Kuromon Haruya, had even deeper doubts: How could his calm, great, and imposing patriarch have suddenly become a refined and easy-going young man overnight!
Could it be that the legendary ritual was truly successful?!
Rum has a secret: he has a photographic memory. These special snake eyes were inherited from his father, and he has used them to their fullest potential, imprinting everything he sees into his mind.
He inherited the name and responsibilities of Kuroda Ran, the former butler of the Karasuma residence, and served by the master's side since childhood. Everything about that master had long been integrated into his life and was inseparable from him.
The moment I saw Kuromon Haruya, details from my memory automatically surfaced in my mind: the patterns deep in his pupils, the emerald green color, the bone structure, the proportions of his face—everything about him was exactly the same as that of Karasuma-sama!
Kuromon Haruya turned around, calmly meeting Rum's gaze, and raised her index finger to her lips:
"Shhh."
He mouthed the words, a hint of a smile mixed with his icy gaze, etching each word deep into the recesses of Rum's memory:
'We have transcended the flow of time; everything that came before needs no further explanation.'
"A golden house holds a beautiful woman, and time is money."