RGS Vol 7 Part 8

“Gather the soldiers as quickly as possible.”

Watching Truyde’s group enter through the opened palace gate from afar, Kin gave an order to the innkeeper and hastily asked.

“If we gather the soldiers hidden in the capital, how many can we get?”

The innkeeper roughly counted on his fingers and informed him of the number that could be gathered by tonight. Clara, who was standing a bit further away, protested.

“We should go in right now instead of waiting. Look, there isn’t a single guard visible protecting the palace. Something big must have happened inside. What if something has happened to His Majesty and Lord Regas?”

“No.”

Kin’s firm dismissal made Clara flinch and instinctively step back. After being beaten severely on such a rainy day, Clara was on guard whenever Kin raised his voice even a little.

“No?”

“Yes. The fact that no one is visible is not necessarily a bad sign. After all, the soldiers in the palace are not on our side.”

“But if there was a fight inside, His Majesty’s situation could be bad.”

As he spoke anxiously, he looked into Kin’s calm eyes and finally realized. There had been similar situations on the battlefield. When they knew the emperor had entered the enemy camp alone and followed belatedly, they were only met with silence. At that time, what lay before their eyes was an endless sea of corpses.

“Yes, the situation would be bad.”

Kin spoke lightly and then added as he looked back at the palace gate again.

“For those who might have been slaughtered.”

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Boom!

Without anyone moving a finger, the open gate slammed shut with a loud noise. The sound felt like a belated heartbeat dropping.

Clatter.

Gasp!

Some stepped back, and others drew a sharp breath. The sound echoed through the hall that was still enveloped in silence. However, no one could pay attention to such a sound. Only one question dominated their minds.

Why?

 Why is the emperor sitting there?

And, why does he look completely fine?

That thought was crucial.

Completely fine.

Truyde unconsciously relaxed his clenched jaw and addressed the other person.

“Your Majesty.”

It was hard to believe the other person before him was Karas. The reality felt like an illusion, so much so that Karas’ voice seemed unreal. However, his hands that began to tremble told him that this unbelievable situation was real.

The black potion didn’t affect Karas.

But that makes no sense.

It’s impossible!

“It’s fortunate that Your Majesty seems to be… in good health.”

Truyde didn’t realize that his voice was trembling as he stared intently at the other person. The thought that it was impossible kept repeating in his mind. The fact that he woke up and that he was sitting there so nonchalantly.

Could it be just his appearance?

Could he actually be unable to stand?

These thoughts were wrapped in a question he wanted to ask in order to test him.

There’s no way you can be fine.

You can’t be free from the black potion like this!

His loud thoughts seemed to have reached the other person. Karas tilted his head to the side and kindly confirmed.

“I told you to prostrate yourself like a dog.”

At the dry voice, terrified reactions came from behind Truyde. Some held their breath, some sank to the floor, and some wet their pants without even realizing it. Only Truyde remained motionless at the sight of Karas’ snake-like eyes.

No, rather, he couldn’t move.

The moment he met those eyes, chills and fear clawed at his insides, but that sensation couldn’t overcome his shock.

“This is… impossible. No. It can’t be…”

Truyde, with a face as white as a sheet, shook his head and clenched his fists tightly.

“You drank the black potion right in front of my eyes, you drank it all, didn’t you? After drinking it, you definitely collapsed like a corpse!”

As his loud voice echoed, unable to contain his anger, the hall suddenly grew intensely hot. The first noticeable thing was the bright light, but the heat that touched their skin revealed its true nature. The flames from the torches that had been burning all along the walls grew like shadows, covering the entire ceiling.

The ministers, terrified by the blazing flames climbing up the walls and engulfing the ceiling, finally prostrated themselves on the floor like dogs at the emperor’s command. The flames flickering on the ceiling seemed as if they would pour down towards the floor at any moment.

“Ah, ugh!”

“Ah! P-Please spare us, Your Majesty!”

Screams and pleas filled with fear enveloped the hall. The chaotic scene of terror was what Truyde had long awaited as he entered the palace. But now, all he could do was tremble, to the point where he barely managed to stay on his feet.

“No, you definitely drank it. You drank the black potion.”

Repeating the same words with a dazed expression, he took a step back. Karas rose from the throne and began to walk slowly towards Truyde.

“Yes, I drank it. I believed you when you said it would be fun and drank it all.”

Even as Karas approached right in front of him, Truyde couldn’t move back any further. Before he knew it, flames had spread around him like vines. When Truyde flinched and tried to step back, Karas’ cold voice continued.

“It’s annoyingly boring.”

In this situation, Truyde might have found Karas’ words of complaints absurd. However, Karas’ words that followed momentarily made him forget his shock and despair.

“But I’ll tolerate it until your last chance.”

A chance?

Right, he could make him drink the black potion one more time. Today was the last day of their game, so he had one more chance. For a moment, a glimmer of hope shone through his despair, but it was soon covered in darkness once again.

There was no more black potion. Or rather, there was.

But to use it…

“What are you hesitating for? You’ll have to give up your life anyway.”

Karas’ voice, distant and faint, reached Truyde’s ears as he was torn between shock and hesitation. He was right. If Karas could still use his powers properly, he would surely die. Thus, his last resort was to make the black potion one more time, even at the cost of his life.

No, the remaining greed in Truyde’s heart shook his head.

He might not die.

Even if he made the black potion one last time, he might not die. A resolve began to form in his chaotic eyes.

“Yes. I have the last one left. But unfortunately, I left it somewhere else.”

Truyde raised his eyes firmly and spoke in a lowered voice.

“So, could Your Majesty wait for a moment? I’m not trying to escape by any means. Instead, I’ll bring the black potion that will soon satisfy Your Majesty…”

“For what?”

“Didn’t you say I had one last chance?”

Truyde shouted lowly, his eyes filled with venom.

“You have to drink it one more time! Then this time, I’ll surely win!”

“Bring it now.”

Karas cut him off, speaking as if bored, and slowly scanned Truyde’s body. Truyde felt an inexplicable sense of unease under his gaze.

“The black potion is somewhere else.”

Then Karas’ eyes, which had been scanning upwards, reached Truyde’s face. Though the emperor’s face was expressionless, Truyde could clearly see it. His eerie snake eyes were smiling.

Flinch.

A chill ran down his spine, turning his unease into small goosebumps that ran up his back.

“You, it seems you don’t get poisoned.”

It was a sudden change of topic, but he understood immediately what he was talking about. He had already found out through the war profiteer that his dinner had been poisoned. Therefore, he needed to deny Karas’ words. He should have denied it outright to avoid it, asking what nonsense he was talking about. However, his mouth wouldn’t move.

It was because of those snake eyes. It felt like he was a prey, caught in front of a cruel predator with his limbs cut off. However, that fear was only just the beginning.

“At first, I thought it was a coincidence. Perhaps you took an antidote. Otherwise…”

“…….”

Truyde tried hard to suppress his trembling, but his eyes, already caught, were wavering and showing signs of agitation. Karas, who had paused for a moment, voiced his final hypothesis.

“You’re either like me.”

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“His Majesty doesn’t get poisoned by any other poisons. So, perhaps, by drinking the black potion over a long period of time, he naturally developed an immunity and detoxified himself?”

When the topic of why Karas was fine came up again, Nani quickly offered his opinion as if he had been waiting. However, Melmond shook his head swiftly.

“If that were the case, the late king should have been able to withstand the black potion to some extent, but he didn’t at all. In fact, he passed away even earlier.”

Melmond hesitated for a moment before he cautiously presented his hypothesis.

“I think the reason His Majesty was able to withstand the black potion now is that he possesses the dragon’s power more strongly than the other kings. Perhaps, because he didn’t consume much of the black potion in his childhood with the late king’s help, he could fully manifest that power.”

However, it was all just speculation. Melmond had learned from Abel that no one was seen inside the palace. The anxiety and fear he felt at that time were likely based on that conjecture.

Could the emperor’s power be beyond what they could imagine?

What if the emperor had caused something terrible inside the palace?

Just the thought of it alone made Melmond’s mood sank, so he tried to focus back on his book again. However, he noticed Abel staring blankly outside.

“Are you worried about His Majesty?

He asked gently, and Abel blinked and turned to look back at him.

“That too, but something’s still bothering me.”

What is it?

As the others raised their eyes, Abel looked into the space for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

“Why did the Duke have the hawk’s herb? No matter how you look at it, it’s not an ingredient or antidote for the black potion.”

“Well, maybe it has nothing to do with it.”

Melmond dismissed it lightly as if it were nothing. However, Abel, still puzzled, tilted his head and spoke in a voice that showed his lingering doubt.

“But it’s still strange. When I think about it, the fact that the Duke has the hawk’s herb means only one thing.”

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Thud.

His heart sank beneath his feet. Truyde’s breath echoed loudly in his ears like the pounding of a horse hooves. He must not react to the emperor’s words. Truyde gritted his teeth, struggling to hold himself together.

“What… are you talking about? Are you saying I have inherited the dragon’s blood?”

“Even if you didn’t inherit it, you must have some of the dragon’s blood.”

Step.

Karas took a step forward and asked Truyde.

“You, you have the hawk’s herb, don’t you?”

How does he know that?!

Seeing Truyde’s eyes widen in shock, Karas twisted his lips.

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What’s the one thing?

When someone asked, Abel lifted his eyes and looked at everyone. Then he asked in return. The most basic reason why the Duke had the hawk’s herb.

“Why would the Duke eat rotten meat?”

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A face stopped with just a hand’s breadth away. From a distance where he could almost feel his breath, Karas’ whisper reached Truyde, holding back laughter.

“You, you ate my father, didn’t you?”