RGS Vol 7 Part 19

It was a well-known fact that Abel went to the forest every day while carrying all sorts of seeds. As a Regas, he should be tending to the king by his side until he awakens, but instead, he scratched his head and fled to the forest.

Every evening, the butler’s screams echoed throughout the palace as Abel returned with dirt and dust covering his beautiful face. Since mentioning Abel, Ashler turned his gaze towards the forest. Roster noticed his somber expression and voiced out what he had felt for some time.

“Is something bothering you?”

What?

Ashler looked back at him, and Roster smiled as he saw his reaction.

“Everything has turned out well, but it seems like you’re the only one who still has worries left. Tell me. I can keep a secret.”

Ashler was expected to respond with, ‘Nothing, I’m fine,’ but instead, he turned his eyes back to the forest. Abel had said nothing about it, but Ashler had already inferred the truth. Karas’ power came from the forest, and the fact that the forest had returned to its original state meant that Karas had also returned his power to the forest.

While it was fortunate that the nightmare-like flames had finally come to stopped, Ashler felt no joy seeing Karas remain unconscious. When Kin had returned and informed him of what he had done, Ashler had been struck silent by the chilling realization that enveloped his entire body.

Fragrance oil.

Did that mean Karas had planned to kill everyone?

Thus, he had been in doubt ever since.

Was it Karas’ intention to burn the entire world with the power of the forest?

Kin’s words made it clear. Even if the forest had returned to a normal state, it was hard to feel completely reassured. To be honest, he was still terrified of Karas.

The one who had cleverly destroyed the King’s Heart seemed capable of turning the world into hell if he so wished, even without the power of the forest. However, Ashler was the only one who was worried. Others felt at ease, perhaps because they trusted one person.

Abel.

They believed that no matter what happened, he would stop Karas. Ashler, too, had no choice but to place his trust in Abel. He shook off the lingering worries and pinned his hopes on him.

Abel will change the dangerous Karas.

This time, Ashler responded to Roster in a lighthearted tone.

“It’s alright. There’s someone else who can solve my worries.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Life is truly unpredictable.

One can never know how actions taken now will manifest in results in a few months or even years later. Melmond was experiencing this sudden realization with surprising clarity at the moment. Despite his relentless research to detoxify the black potion, he had ultimately failed to create a perfect antidote.

Fortunately, the emperor seemed to have found a way to overcome the black potion on his own, which brought both joy and a tinge of bitterness to Melmond.

Was it perhaps the sense of being used by the emperor?

No, he lacked the self-confidence even to feel miserable.

In the end, accepting the conclusion that he had failed was not easy. It was disheartening to acknowledge that the twelve years of his efforts had been in vain. Yet, unexpectedly, his medicine began to show its effectiveness. It was Abel who first brought it up.

‘If the symptoms are similar to those caused by the black potion, wouldn’t Melmond’s antidote work? After all, it’s said to be a milder poison compared to the black potion.’

People were reportedly going mad. Ashler hesitated to share the exact details, but Melmond could somehow guess what the poison was. It was the very poison he had discovered. Therefore, the person who spread the poison was also obvious. It had to be Karas, who was now lying unconscious.

The only time Karas had praised him was when he discovered that poison, but now, it had driven the world into madness. It was frightening, and he felt constantly uneasy about how his discovery had thrown the world into chaos.

But what if the twelve years of seemingly useless effort could actually be helpful in some way?

In a daze, he prepared and handed over the antidote to Ashler. He made it mild, ensuring it wouldn’t harm anyone even if it didn’t work, and Ashler’s response came quickly.

‘‘The man who had been rampaging with madness calmed down shortly after taking the medicine. He still seemed to have some issues, but it was effective. Thanks to you, Sir Melmond, we were able to save many people.’

It was effective. It would save many people. This medicine.

 What he had considered the pointless evidence of twelve wasted years was now blossoming in another way. Melmond stared blankly at the herbs before him, unable to move his hands easily at Ashler’s request to make more medicine. He simply stared ahead, repeating his thoughts earlier.

Life is truly unpredictable.

“Mr. Melmond, are you alright?”

Melmond raised his eyes at the familiar voice and saw the concerned face of the butler.

I’m fine.

He responded, and the butler, taking a deep breath, sat down across from him.

“Oh dear, I just don’t understand why the young master spends all day in that forest. Now that the forest has returned to normal, the grass and trees will grow on their own. What will he do if his frail body collapses again?”

Melmond intended to argue that Abel no longer had a frail body, but to the butler, he would always be the frail young master. Thus, he swallowed his response. Now that he thought about it, he realized that the unpredictability of life was evident here as well. Melmond looked at the butler with curiosity.

“You also lead an unpredictable life. Serving a willful young master, then suddenly helped Abel who reincarnated in the young master’s body and survived several near-death experiences. Don’t you have any regrets?”

The butler seemed startled by the abrupt topic but soon smiled and shook his head.

“Regrets? Not at all. Rather, I…”

The butler lowered his voice, perhaps feeling guilty about the original young master, and replied, “I feel better.”

“When I served the original young master, all I did was my job, but serving Lord Abel felt like I was part of a grand adventure. It made me feel like I was an important person, like the main character of a story. It was more fulfilling.”

Feeling embarrassed after speaking, he averted his gaze, and Melmond nodded in understanding.

“I see, the main character who’s a virgin.”

“Gah! Ah, Mr. Melmond, please keep that a secret.”

The butler, on the verge of tears, clasped his hands together, but Melmond could only respond sympathetically.

“That’s impossible. Since Nani knows, it must have already spread throughout the entire country.”

It was true. Nani had already spread it far and wide. Seeing the butler looking downcast, Melmond patted his shoulder to comfort him.

“But still, like you said, there’s a sense of fulfillment. When I think about it, you’ve really done an amazing job. Even though Abel isn’t really your young master, you still helped him so much. If it were me, I might have resented him for taking over the young master’s body who I’d served my whole life and pretending to be him.”

“I did have those feelings at first, but once I got to know Lord Abel, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him at all.”

The butler seemed to recall the past and continued, his tone nostalgic.

“Moreover, I already knew our young master was not long for this world, so it wasn’t such a huge shock.”

“Because of his weak body?”

“Yes. Unless he consumed some legendary herb, there was no way to save him.”

A legendary herb?

Melmond tilted his head, feeling he had heard this somewhere before. The butler, noticing, laughed and explained as if it was nothing.

“But true to its name, it grows in a very special place. They say it only grows for one month in the spot where a dragon has died. If you eat it, your heart, once stopped, will beat again, and your body will become healthy. It was so absurd that I nearly buried the person who told me for a month.”

Only then did Melmond remember that Nani told him something similar before. Nani couldn’t recall where the legendary herb grew, which was fortunate, otherwise, Melmond might have also buried Nani for saying something so absurd.

“In any case, the young master was extremely frail. And more than that, many thought he wouldn’t live long because he changed his name.”

Such a name could only bring misfortune.

Melmond was about to respond, but the butler’s next words were different.

“The young master’s original name was given to him by a certain master. When he was very young and on the verge of death, a kind person happened to pass by and helped him.”

Melmond vaguely remembered hearing this story before. That the master had prayed for him. But it seemed he had given him a name as well. Giving someone your name meant sharing your life force, an act typically reserved for someone you truly valued.

Even if the temples had all rotted away, the master the young master had met seemed to have been a good person.

But to change such a name?

That young master had thrown away his own luck. Melmond silently clicked his tongue, and the butler quickly defended the young master.

“But the name was truly old-fashioned. It didn’t suit our beautiful young master’s appearance at all, so when our young master decided to change it, we all thought it was finally time and no one could stop him.

How old-fashioned could it be?

When Melmond asked, the butler nodded, as if it were undeniable.

“It was really unsophisticated. It’s not a common name, but what good is that if it’s unsophisticated? It didn’t do justice to the young master’s beauty. But I believe that name is what kept him alive until then. It’s quite fascinating when you think about it. Shortly after the young master suddenly decided to change his name, and within a few weeks, he passed away. And it was then, at that exact moment that Lord Abel reincarnated in his body. Ah, right. Were you wondering about that unsophisticated name? The name given by the master was ‘Wiedel.’ Wiedel—doesn’t it sound so old-fashioned? Our young master’s beauty deserved the name he chose for himself, ‘Liliah’… Huh? Ah, Mr. Melmond, are you okay?”

The butler was taken aback, calling out to Melmond, who seemed stunned and unable to respond. Silent tears were streaming down his face.

Goodness, what’s happening?

The butler, at a loss, tried to console him, but Melmond couldn’t stop crying.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Dirty clothes and fingernails covered with dirt. Abel was worried he might get scolded by the butler again because of his messy appearance, so he bathed beforehand and cautiously entered the emperor’s bedroom. However, contrary to his worries, the butler was nowhere to be seen.

‘Good, hehehe,’ he thought, chuckling as he went next to the bed where Karas was sleeping. Though everyone was worried because Karas had not woken up for over a week, Abel didn’t seem concerned. In his eyes, it appeared that Karas was simply resting deeply, recuperating after releasing the power he had held for twelve years.

Abel believed he would wake up soon.

He only wished to enter the Dragon Forest together once Karas opened his eyes. According to the people, the fog in the forest was now as thick as before, obscuring everything from the view. However, the inside was still more of a wasteland. While new shoots and weeds were sprouting and growing quickly under the sunlight, it would still take a long time for the forest to fully recover.

Still, the disappearance of the blackened land was something to be glad about, right?

Abel sat beside the sleeping Karas and eagerly chattered about what he had done that day. Today, he had gone to where the lake used to be, and he saw that water was gradually filling up the place that had once been dry.

In a few weeks, the lake would be brimming with clear, blue water just like before. Once the lake returned to its original state, the reeds around its shore would soon grow taller than a person in the blink of an eye. Bugs would then find refuge among them, and following the insects, birds, and animals would return to catch them. Thinking about the forest that would soon transform filled Abel with excitement.

“As the lake fills up, the water would flow nearby. So, it would also start to form a wetland. Today, I even saw moss there. Soon, there will be black mud, and you’ll see fascinating plants taking root in the water. Among them, there are many medicinal herbs. Haha, now it’s safe to fall in the forest! Do you remember, prince? I taught you to find a beehive and approach it carefully, but I was the one who tripped over a rock and fell instead. Hahaha—when I was chased by the bees and jumped into the lake, the prince was already hiding safely. To be honest, I felt a bit hurt back then. Hahaha—you didn’t even warn me and hid by yourself. That’s when I realized, ‘Wow, this person is destined for greatness!’ Anyway, it was a relief we managed to escape the bees that showed up again. I do feel a bit sorry for passing them off to Sir Asher, though, ahem. Ah, the flowers and grass are also growing in the forest, so the bees will return soon. There aren’t many trees for them to build their hives yet, but that’s okay. The trees will grow soon too.”

Abel, still thinking of the barren land, spoke softly in a more subdued voice.

“My master said so. The seeds of trees are incredibly patient, waiting for hundreds of years underground. Even if they’re buried beneath without a chance to grow because of other trees, they don’t rot but wait for the right soil and sunlight to sprout. All the trees in the forest have burned down, but it’s alright. We’ll get to see those that have waited for so long. Ah, do you know? The first trees to grow back after a wildfire are birch trees. Wow—just imagine, if we wait in a few years, the Dragon Forest will become a forest of white birch trees! Oh, come to think of it, perhaps hazelnut trees will grow too! Hazelnuts are really rich and delicious! Ah, I’m really looking forward to it, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Haha, of course, I knew the prince would be looking forward too… huh?!”

Hearing the sudden and unexpected reply, Abel looked towards the bed in surprise. Slowly, a pair of yellow eyes blinked open and then closed. Abel stood frozen in astonishment, unable to speak until Karas’ uttered a single word which changed his expression. Though he was still silent, he responded with a wide, beaming smile, his eyes crinkling with joy. Karas’ words were simple, yet they meant so much at that moment.

“I’m hungry.”

  Main Story Complete~