RGS Vol 7 Part 4

“Ugh! L-Lord Norhox?”

He was too focused on recognizing the other person’s face to realize that Norhox had called him the real Regas. All he heard was the word “Regas.”

How did he recognize me?

Hadn’t he ever made eye contact with Norhox in the past two years?

In his panic at being discovered, he instinctively turned his body. He didn’t even question where Norhox had suddenly appeared from. He just needed to escape. He ran straight towards the door, but Norhox was faster.

Crash!

With a loud noise, Norhox pushed him to the ground, and he heard a whisper. In the past, he might have been pleased to have caught Norhox’s attention, but now those words only filled him with chilling fear.

“You’re mine. Heh heh— I won’t give you to anyone.”

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It was around dawn when someone patrolling the wide Regas Palace heard strange sounds. In a place where there should have been no one, a faint voice could be heard. Although it was very small, the creepy feeling made him stop in his tracks.

What is that?

As he wondered and opened the door, he realized what it was. It was Norhox’s laughter.

“Hah, hah, you’re mine. Heh heh heh— Hic! Huff, huff, huff.”

He was panting heavily with laughter, his waist moving incessantly. With his gleaming eyes rolled back, he looked completely insane. At first, the soldier was shocked once he recognized the other person but then horrified by what he was doing, causing him to step back.

Norhox was busy inserting his member between the small buttocks of a naked man. However, the soldier’s eyes, frozen in shock, noticed the state of the person shaking helplessly under him. Norhox, with each thrust of his hips, was slamming the man’s black hair he was holding onto the floor with force.

Thud, thud, thud.

With each impact, the unrecognizable face on the floor smeared red blood and white brain matter along with it.

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“Your Grace! You must escape quickly!”

The urgent voice of his subordinate continued to call, but Truyde had no intention of moving. In the end, the subordinate, desperate to save himself, retreated hastily, leaving him behind. For the last time, he then called out to Truyde.

Please come out quickly!

His voice was now filled with despair.

Truyde would soon turn to ashes and crumble to the ground just like the soldier before him. The time it took to exhale once felt as long as hours. The end of this long tension would eventually become Truyde’s death. However, instead of collapsing to the ground, Truyde slowly raised his head.

He looked into the forest as if it were fascinating and tapped the black ground with his foot. The subordinate, who had been shouting nearby, no longer called out to him but instead expressed silent astonishment with his whole body. Truyde was alive, twisting the corners of his mouth into a smirk.

“Yes. It seems I am indeed fine entering the Dragon’s Forest.”

He spoke as if he had resolved a long-held doubt and then finally walked towards where his subordinate stood. He then scrutinized the ground for a long time as if confirming its boundary. Under the light, the changing ground was visible. The land of death was expanding its territory more slowly than a child’s walking pace. As Truyde stared at it as if entranced, his subordinate’s voice was heard.

“Are you alright? How is it that Your Grace—”

How can you be unharmed?

The words his subordinate couldn’t bring himself to say were replaced by his trembling eyes. Even after noticing his reaction, Truyde gave a command instead of an answer.

“Give me your sword.”

Pardon?

The subordinate asked again, confused, and handed over his sword, as Truyde’s gaze turned towards the forest.

Is he planning to enter the forest with his sword?

The subordinate’s guess also went unanswered. Before he knew it, the sword was flying towards him.

“Urgh!”

The sword Truyde thrust pierced right through his heart precisely. With a short scream, the subordinate lost the light in his eyes and collapsed.

Thud.

Truyde grabbed the fallen body with his hand and forcefully pushed it onto the blackened ground. After confirming the subordinate’s body lay on the blackened ground, he waited briefly. Just like the soldier who had been reduced to ashes, his subordinate’s body also turned into black dust in an instant. Truyde then raised his eyes and spoke towards the forest again.

“No matter how much you rage, you can’t get rid of me.”

But wouldn’t it end once the owner of the forest, who was trying to protect this curse, disappeared?

If the emperor, who has returned after 12 years, dies tomorrow, the Dragon’s Forest will surely stop this rampage.

Then what would happen if a new emperor is born?

Hehe.

As if something had occurred to him, his eyes gleamed with joy.

Turning his body away from the forest, Truyde headed straight towards the Regas Palace. He needed to eliminate Abel, who knew his secret, as soon as possible. However, the problem that needed to be dealt with right away was unexpectedly resolved too easily.

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Creak.

As the door opened without warning, the guards couldn’t help but look around in confusion. The door shouldn’t have opened. More than one person had seen the emperor collapse as if dead after drinking the black potion. Some even said that the emperor seemed to have stopped breathing. And Truyde’s subordinate had also spoken directly to the soldiers.

‘Everything will be over by tomorrow evening. Thus, if by any chance, His Majesty wakes up before then, you must not let him leave this place. Understood? His Majesty must be here when Duke Truyde comes to end the game.’

Even if the emperor woke up, he shouldn’t have been able to walk properly.  The guards were instructed to ensure that no breach could occur with the increased security. However, the emperor who came out through the opened door did not appear weak. Normally, his eyes seemed blurred as if covered by a fog, but now that fog had lifted.

No, it was more than that.

“You.”

Karas scanned the frozen soldiers and spat out dryly.

“There are more than usual.”

Clack.

As he took a step forward, his expression remained unchanged, but the color drained from the soldiers’ faces. As if the thought of stopping him didn’t even occur to them, the dozens of soldiers who saw Karas couldn’t even breathe. Naturally, they couldn’t prevent him from moving forward as well.

All they could do was barely support their bodies with their trembling legs. However, they couldn’t do anything about the chilling fear rising from within them. It was an emotion they all felt for the first time. They were overcome by a fear that felt as if their minds and nerves were scraped away like a hook. And it’s all because they had looked into his gray, snake-like eyes.

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Ashler, who had lost a lot of blood and looked as pale as a corpse, was gritting his teeth as he watched the situation before him. While discussing how to enter the Regas Palace, he noticed some commotion. The number of lights moving busily inside increased, and soon, with a loud noise, several soldiers ran outside and headed somewhere.

It was clear something was definitely happening inside. One of the soldiers shouted, ‘Quickly, inform the Duke!’

“We need to find out what happened to Lord Abel. Nani, follow me. We will lure out the two soldiers guarding at the back and eliminate them, and then go, hah, hah, inside.”

Out of breath, he paused for a moment. Then, Nani, whose face was even more swollen and torn than Ashler’s, stopped him.

“Sir, you should stay here. I will go inside first—Ah! Sir Ashler!”

Nani suddenly stopped talking and called out to him in a low voice, but Ashler didn’t even bother to listen and moved forward first. With no choice, Nani quickly got up, and the butler, with a worried look on his face tried to follow them.

Seeing the chaotic Regas Palace made him feel very uneasy.

Surely nothing bad had happened to the Young Master, right?

Nani quickly blurted out, blocking the butler with his arm, who was almost as pale as Ashler with worry.

“In case we fail to rescue Lord Abel, stay here. We need someone to deliver the news to His Majesty.”

Before the butler could refute, Nani sneaked into the Regas Palace with Ashler. It was evident that something was happening inside, but both of them remained silent, not voicing the ominous possibilities. Speaking their fears aloud felt like it would make them a reality.

Please, just be alive.

Clinging to that single hope, they grabbed a soldier inside and held a sword to his throat.

“Where is the Lord Regas who was captured in the forest?”

“Ugh, that… that is…”

“Speak quickly!”

As the sword wounded the soldier’s neck, he trembled and pointed to a place.

“He is still there.”

As soon as he finished speaking, both of them started to move, however, the soldier’s words were not finished yet.

“His corpse.”

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“I can’t understand how Lord Norhox managed to enter the palace. Moreover, the room where the Lord Regas was kept had never been opened, and the guards confirmed it. But.

“The Regas was found in a different room with Norhox?”

Truyde added, interrupting the other subordinate who was reporting.

“And that insane Norhox was defiling him after killing him, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

The subordinate nodded with a hardened expression, recalling the scene in his mind. He was prepared for immediate punishment due to Truyde’s orders to protect and keep an eye on the Regas. He might even lose his life.

However, the words that came out of Truyde’s mouth as he walked ahead were unexpected.

“Are you certain he is dead?”

Sensing the lack of anger in his voice, the subordinate cautiously opened his mouth after observing him for a moment.

“Yes, even without a close inspection, it was clear he was dead because his head was crushed. Even when we found Lord Norhox, he insisted that the real Regas was his and refused to hand over the body. Of course, he has been detained elsewhere now.”

Handling the corpse was difficult even without Norhox. It was because the soldiers, knowing it was the real Regas, were afraid of being cursed. Thus, everyone refused to touch him. When the subordinate added this, Truyde twisted his lips.

“A curse? That’s nothing.”

He muttered and quickly entered the palace, however, there was a small commotion that had broken out inside due to the intruders. The subordinate hurried to escort Truyde to safety, but Truyde instead recognized the other person and twisted his lips into a sneer.

“Ashler. How did you get here in that condition?”

His tone was of admiration, but it was a clear mockery to anyone who could hear. Ashler glared at him as if he wanted to kill him. However, Truyde showed more interest in the corpse covered by an outer garment. The tangled black hair and the face crushed beyond recognition.

Judging by the blood seeping through the clothes covering him, the wounds on his body indicated he was seriously injured. Even though his face was unrecognizable, his physique was definitely similar to Abel’s. Moreover, seeing those two desperately trying to guard the corpse with such angry faces.

What more precise evidence did one need?

“Truyde. You and the King’s Heart will surely pay for the mistakes you have committed.”

Ashler’s voice trembled with shock and rage as he spoke out each word. He stepped forward with his sword in hand as if intending to kill Truyde right then and there.

“Even if I die, I will curse you.”

Ashler’s eyes gleamed with venom, but Truyde’s smile only grew wider.

“A curse is nothing.”

Truyde muttered, glancing at the dawn breaking with a bluish light, and pointed his chin at the corpse.

“Do you want the corpse? Take it.”

The soldiers, who were preparing to attack at Truyde’s command, looked at him in confusion after seeing his reaction. It sounded as if he was willing to let them go with the corpse, and Ashler and Nani couldn’t believe it either.

“If that’s a trick to set a trap, it’s not necessary. Come at me now.”

“Heh, a trap? Do you think I need a trap to capture the likes of you two, who are already dying? Listen well, Ashler. The mercy I’ll show you is only this once. If you don’t take the Regas’ corpse and leave, I will let you die right here as you wish.”

Will he really just let us go?

The suspicion was still evident in their eyes, but they didn’t have much time to think. Truyde, seeming bored of waiting, turned his body.

“Get rid of them all—”

“Wait!”

Ashler shouted, cutting off Truyde’s command, and barely suppressed his pride as he asked.

“Why are you just letting us go?”

“It’s not you. I’m only letting the Regas go.”

Truyde glanced at the corpse and added in a generous tone.

“He should be returned to where he belongs. Since you are loyal, you will bury him along with the emperor who will soon die.”

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

Ashler stepped forward with his sword held out again, however, he couldn’t go any further as he stopped at Truyde’s words.

“If you don’t take the body, I’ll cut it into pieces and throw it to the animals. Do you want to fight then? Do so. If you want to see His Majesty’s precious Regas end up in such a state, then come and fight.”

“…….”

“Or back down. Bow your head and show gratitude for my mercy.”

The command to lay down their swords and bow their heads made Nani, who was standing behind, contort his face in anger. The soldiers watched Ashler with mocking expressions, wondering if the man who had been shouting curses and calling for a fight would actually express gratitude. However, after a moment, Ashler bowed his head to Truyde.

“Thank you for your mercy.”

His expressionless face and flat tone betrayed no emotion. Nani, who was watching, had tears of rage welling up, but Ashler, in contrast to his earlier anger, was now calm. He approached the bloodied body to recover it, bowing his head once more.

“I am sorry, Lord Abel.”