Huff, huff, huff.
Grasped by Nani’s hand, they reached their destination without a moment of rest. Abel realized halfway through their run where they were heading, but he had no time to confirm with Nani. Ignoring the soldiers who initially blocked them, Nani kept his eyes sharply ahead avoiding and dealing with the guards who blocked their path along the way.
Thanks to the help of Ashler’s subordinate hiding near the library, they managed to get this far, however, it wasn’t over yet. Nani was solely focused of the thought on getting Abel to safety and didn’t think deeply about the intention behind the questions coming from behind him.
“Ha, ha, wait a moment. Are we heading to the Dragon’s Forest right now?”
Stopping near the entrance to the forest, Nani hid himself and Abel under a low stone wall. With the sound of disorderly footsteps, a noticeable number of soldiers appeared in line.
“Yes. The Dragon’s Forest is the safest place for you, Lord Abel.”
Nani didn’t take his eyes off the front and frowned.
They just need to get through. Anyway, they’re cowards, so once they cross the forest boundary, no one will chase them. They just need to lure them somewhere else. Before more soldiers arrive, he must get Abel to that secluded spot.
“Excuse me, I apologize for bringing this up now, but the safest place is…”
“Shh, keep your voice down.”
Nani interrupted Abel’s words, lowered his head to avoid detection, and then pointed to a specific place to Abel.
“Can you turn back and go to that spot over there? I will now distract the soldiers in front of us to the opposite side. A few soldiers may remain, but they’re too scared of the Dragon’s Forest to go near it. So, all you need to do, Lord Abel, is run through them. Trust me. You will never get caught. Can you do it?”
Nani’s hair was comically stuck to his forehead with sweat. His shirt was darkened with sweat from fighting and evading the soldiers they encountered on the way here. Seeing the earnest look in Nani’s eyes, Abel swallowed the words he was about to say and turned his gaze away. Just as Nani hastily spoke, the number of soldiers was increasing with busy movements in the distance.
“Don’t be ashamed of running away.”
Nani, perhaps misunderstanding Abel’s hesitation as something else, spoke softly but firmly.
“As Sir Ashler had said, this is the role of a Regas, Lord Abel. To survive without any harm and stay by His Majesty’s side. Thus, you must not get hurt while worrying about others.”
“Even if it hurts my pride?”
“Yes.”
Nani answered firmly, but Abel, looking into the distance as if lost in thought, murmured.
“I just need to stay safe.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”
Nani kept a watchful eye and hunched his upper body even lower.
“Once I inform His Majesty, he will immediately come to meet Lord Abel in the forest. So, you just need to wait there.”
With those words, Nani began to rise halfway, ready to move in response to the soldiers’ movements.
“I need to lure them away quickly before they reach this place. Lord Abel, please.”
Can you do it?
Abel nodded his head as he hesitated and crawled toward the direction Nani had told him. And then he left with an inappropriate farewell.
“Yes, I’ll be back, so please wait for me.”
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
Crunch.
When Truyde bit into the snack, a small cracking sound was heard, and crumbs fell onto his clothes. However, Truyde didn’t seem to mind the small crumbs and put the rest of the snack into his mouth, chewing with a crunching sound. His gaze remained fixed on the war profiteer who had brought it.
The war profiteer, who had brought the snacks, also couldn’t take his eyes off Truyde.
Presenting the snacks with all sorts of remarks like, “It has a unique taste you’ve never experienced before, as it is a local specialty,” was he perhaps curious about his reaction?
Truyde picked up a few more and ate them as he gave his impression.
“Salty.”
At the short remark, the war profiteer flinched slightly and lowered his eyes.
“Does it not suit your taste? However, even if it feels salty at first, after a while, the sweetness comes through, and many people fall for that taste.”
“Really? Then should I try some more?”
At Truyde’s words, the war profiteer quickly raised his eyes.
“Yes, if you eat a bit more, you’ll definitely like it.”
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Truyde’s moving hand.
How many has he eaten?
He counted inwardly in his mind, not even blinking, so as not to miss any reaction from Truyde. Strangely enough, although it was Truyde who had called the war profiteer first, he spent the time eating only the snacks that had been brought. After a while, only the sound of chewing cookies echoed, and at some point, Truyde casually asked.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then at least have some tea.”
What Truyde was pointing at with his eyes was a cup of tea that had already cooled down. Strangely enough, it had been prepared even before the war profiteer arrived. However, the war profiteer didn’t care about the tea that had cooled down as he was too busy observing Truyde’s condition.
Gulp―
The cold tea, which was easy to swallow, entered the war profiteer’s mouth more than halfway in one go. He seemed to pause for a moment, but in his eagerness to keep observing Truyde, he drank the rest in one gulp. Then he quickly set down the teacup and offered more snacks to Truyde.
“Your Grace. If you like the cookies, I can specially prepare a large quantity for you… a lot…”
The war profiteer’s words who had been speaking earnestly suddenly became slurred. He couldn’t make a sound even with his mouth open, remaining frozen like that. Though he looked foolish with his mouth agape, no one paid it any mind. The war profiteer’s eyes were completely unfocused, too out of it to realize his own condition, and the observer just smiled as if he had already expected it.
Thud.
The war profiteer suddenly couldn’t hold up his now powerless body and slumped halfway into the chair. Though his body went limp like a piece of meat, his eyes were still open. With drowsiness and intense pleasure spreading to the tips of his fingers and toes, his body twitched as if in convulsions.
The same sensation enveloped his mind. Unable to exert any strength, the war profiteer felt as if he was floating in a fog of hazy pleasure, forgetting where he was. Yet, strangely enough, the voice coming from across the other side resounded clearly like a bell.
“How do you feel?”
Tr… ruyde, it was Truyde’s voice.
However, his mind refused to function further than that. Instead, his mouth opened of its own accord.
“I feel good. This feeling… is, is the first time.”
“First time? Ah, so it wasn’t the black potion you were playing with after all.”
Although he had assumed it wasn’t, he wanted to confirm since Norhox’s symptoms were similar to those caused by the black potion. Seeing the war profiteer succumb so quickly to the black potion suggested that it might have been a weaker poison. However, the main point was yet to come.
“So, what kind of poison is it? The one you put in these snacks.”
Although Truyde’s voice wasn’t pressing him, the war profiteer obediently opened his mouth. The poison’s effects were so strong that his words came out slowly and haltingly, but what he said was surprising enough for Truyde to listen patiently.
“A poison… with symptoms… similar to the black potion… I… received orders… that the King’s Heart…”
“Who ordered you?”
Unlike before, Truyde’s question was sharp and cold.
“…His Majesty.”
D*mn Karas.
Truyde clenched his fist and slammed the armrest hard.
He thought Karas was only a fool who knew nothing but fighting. Thus, he hadn’t expected the medicine from Melmond and such dirty tricks being committed behind the scenes
Since when?
How many people?
Basic questions arose. However, Truyde missed the chance to ask as he listened to the war profiteer’s faltering words.
“…Strange… why aren’t you… poisoned… it’s not my mistake…”
The war profiteer couldn’t finish his sentence and his head slumped to the side. However, Truyde gave a short reply to the unresponsive man, baring his teeth as if irritated.
“Yes, it’s not your fault. I’m not poisoned. No matter how much you feed me this stuff.”
Tap.
Truyde, unable to hide his anger, forcefully pushed away the plate of snacks.
What if Karas has more of these dirty schemes?
Or worse, what if he’s hiding something bigger?
As Truyde’s eyes narrowed, a knock on the door was followed by the arrival of his subordinate bearing a more frustrating news.
“He escaped into the forest? To the Dragon’s Forest?!”
D*mn, he really was the Regas?
Unbelievable.
How could that happen?
As the vague suspicion turned into reality, frustration, and anger surged within him. He should have embraced him that first day they met. If he had, he would definitely have known that he was a Regas. He shouldn’t have been swayed by Melmond’s silver tongue and turned his back on him. Truyde’s face twisted into an unusually fierce expression.
“I clearly remember telling you to stop them, didn’t I?”
“I apologize. They had already entered the forest before the soldiers could reach the entrance.”
“Shut up! If he’s the real Regas, drag him out of the forest no matter what it takes. Even if you have to send every soldier into the forest, find him! By dawn, tomorrow, bring him to the Regas Palace. Understand? If he’s not in front of me in one piece, you’ll pay with your neck instead.”
As he gritted his teeth, Truyde spat out the order, and his subordinate, tense, swore to find him no matter what. However, Truyde’s anger did not subside easily.
“What about Norhox?”
“After stopping Ashler from killing him, we brought him here. He’s unconscious for now, but he’ll wake up soon.”
“Bring him here.”
With the command, Truyde stood and carefully took out the black potion he had carefully placed in the drawer.
What exactly does Norhox know?
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
The library had turned back into a prison. Unlike before, it had transformed into a real prison, and now none of the soldiers were willing to help.
“Sir Ashler, please open your eyes.”
The butler shook Ashler’s blood-soaked body, lying abandoned on the floor. Truyde’s subordinates did not seem to consider Ashler’s status a significant threat. Perhaps they envied his high position as a close confidant of the emperor, and they had collectively beaten him while he was bound and unable to move.
Though he hadn’t uttered a single groan while being beaten, Ashler had bled more severely than Melmond and even as the sun began to set, he still showed no signs of waking up. The only doctor who had been there was forced out after it was revealed that he wasn’t the one who was originally locked up.
As a result, the butler was the only person inside who was awake, however, his condition was also terrible. He had been beaten mercilessly while denying any questions about Abel’s whereabouts. His face and body were swollen and covered in dark bruises.
“Sir Ashler, Sir Ashler.”
The butler called Ashler a few more times, but hearing no response, the butler sighed and sat down beside him. On a nearby bed, Melmond lay with his face still bandaged, his eyes closed.
When there were five of them, it felt like home even if the terrifying emperor came. However, now, it felt like an underground prison covered in darkness and silence. Thus, his small mutterings seemed to echo especially loudly.
“I hope Young Master has safely escaped to a secure place. Nani must have escaped since he couldn’t enter the forest, and then His Majesty will save him, right?”
The butler sighed lightly and stood up. Still, he looked around the dark surroundings, hoping to find something useful. With even the candles taken away, he extended his hand first and then dragged his aching body forward.
However, after only a few steps, the desired light bursts in with a bang. Unfortunately, standing in the open doorway was one of Truyde’s subordinates, wearing a fierce expression.
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
It was truly a blackened world. The trees were charred black, and the ground was covered in their remains. The barren land stretched endlessly, with not a hint of green in sight. The giant trees that had once formed a roof, shading the sky with their dense branches, had burned down to their stumps.
Occasionally, partially burnt remains did not fall down, but stood in their grotesque shapes scattered in the middle of the blackened land. He had traveled many places following his master, but he had never seen such a sight. Long ago, he and his master had traveled for months to reach a desert in search of a rare herb.
The desert, devoid of rain, was cracked and seemed devoid of life. Each time he breathed, his nose and mouth were filled with dry dust. Even in such a barren place, there were living beings struggling to survive, stretching out their thorny bodies and branches. But here, there was nothing.
The burns that covered over half of the forest seemed like wounds that would never heal.
How long had he walked?
The sound of Abel’s trudging footsteps suddenly stopped. Green trees could be seen in the distance. Confirming that part of the forest was still alive, Abel finally took a deep breath.
It felt as if the illusion of lingering burnt smell had disappeared. As he inhaled deeply, his anxiety eased and his mind also calmed. While the relief came from seeing the remaining forest, he also thought about someone else who might have entered this place.
Did Karas see that green as well?
At the entrance, everything seemed dead, however, if you went further inside, there were still breathing parts.
It would be nice if he hadn’t just turned back after seeing only the blackened land.
Abel turned his body and went back the way he had come, leaving the gleaming hope of green behind.
There was something he urgently needed to find.
Where had Karas hidden the wooden pendant?
He had a few likely spots in mind. The hill where they always had meals together, the lakeside where they crawled low to steal a peek at ducks and look for eggs, the big tree where he taught Karas to climb, and so on.
However, the first place Abel headed was where he had only gone once with the young prince. The first and last visit of the Spring of Prayer. Although all the places of his memories had turned to ashes and were nowhere to be found, the remains of the spring, built of stones, could still be seen.
As the sky was already getting dark, he had to hurry.