RGS Vol 8 Part 15

‘He is a precious figure who will stop the dreadful atrocities of the Ice Mountain. Guide him safely to this place.’

The young man, carrying out the important mission entrusted to him, ran with sweat dripping down his back, repeating the wizard’s words about “safely” several times in his mind. According to the lord’s letter, they had set out early in the morning, so they might have already arrived halfway through the valley.

Even though the emperor was said to possess the power of a dragon, rumors from the past claimed he was nothing more than a figurehead, and that his victories in battles were thanks to the capable subordinates he had.

Could it be that he isn’t actually powerful?

With a mixture of anticipation and worry, the young man made his way through the winding valley path, only to stop in his tracks.

In front of him was an unexpected scene. The lord wore a stern expression, surrounded by a group dressed in fur cloaks. And before them, many people knelt on the ground, their heads bowed.

Who are they?

As he approached, he suddenly noticed the corpse lying on the ground, and let out a gasp in shock.

At that sound, the closest person to him suddenly drew his sword and turned to face him. He was one of the people wearing fur cloaks, but contrary to his ridiculous appearance, his gaze was sharp. The young man flinched, trembling as he took a step back.

“Who are you?”

The voice and eyes of the person, who didn’t seem much older than him, carried an undeniable authority. The young man, trembling, revealed his identity.

“I-I came from the plains. The wizard has sent me to guide His Majesty the Emperor to the plains.”

In the tense atmosphere, which made him feel as though he, too, should kneel down, the young man’s eyes darted around nervously until he finally locked with a familiar face. Recognizing the lord, the young man found some relief as the lord confirmed his identity.

“That’s correct. This young man is from the plains. He has guided me on several occasions.”

Only then did the person who had drawn the sword return it to its sheath. The young man barely had time to let out a sigh of relief before another voice made him tense up again. The voice belonged to a tall man with black hair standing over the corpse. His expression was blank, almost to the point of appearing bored, and his voice was emotionless and dry. Yet somehow, it sounded even more terrifying than the warning from the person who had drawn his sword earlier.

“Do you know these people?”

The young man’s eyes widened as he realized the terrifying man was pointing at the men, who were lying face down with their heads down on the ground. Feeling as if he would be in serious trouble if he answered incorrectly, he carefully examined the group closely. However, he didn’t need to look at them for long. They were the notorious troublemaker’s who had long been banished from the plains.

“Oh? Those people are the ones who were driven out of the plains…”

“We weren’t driven out! W-We ran away on our own!”

One of the bandits hastily contradicted the young man’s words, but his voice quickly faltered. The young man frowned and shook his head at the man’s feeble protest.

“They were indeed chased out of the plains after causing trouble. These shameless people had no gratitude for the wizard’s protection and loitered around the plains stealing whatever they could. And now they’ve gone so far as to rob travelers passing by.”

“What’s there to be grateful for?!”

The bandit who had previously objected raised his head again and blurted out, but then, noticing the atmosphere, he lowered his voice as he continued to justify himself.

“It’s true that we’re grateful to the wizard for protecting the land but it’s absurd that he controls the plains as if it were his own and does whatever he pleases. Why on earth does he even have to take the children….”

“Shut up! If it weren’t for the wizard, we would all be dead! The village would’ve been wiped out hundreds of years ago! Even if we risked our lives, we wouldn’t be able to repay the gratitude we owe him! And yet, all you do is complain about trivial matters, completely ignorant of the wizard’s great sacrifice….”

“Great sacrifice, huh.”

The terrifying man interrupted his words again. The young man immediately stopped his outburst, swallowing nervously. A cold shiver ran down his spine as the man’s yellow eyes locked onto him, sending a chill through his entire body.

He saw the man tilt his emotionless face slightly to the side. It was only through the words that followed that he realized the man was amused.

“I’m curious. I wonder who you plainsmen would kneel to—me or the wizard.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Ashler was slightly concerned about Abel. Ever since they encountered the bandits, Abel had been lost in thought, and it seemed as though he was deeply troubled. It was understandable. Karas’ decision to spare the rest of the bandits had been unexpected, but then to suddenly smash a head in, and now it seemed like he was headed to challenge the wizard to see who was superior, all because he was provoked by the guide’s words.

Even though Abel had used the excuse of wanting to see the white bear, Ashler knew that Abel was concerned about the Ice Mountain. After all, it was Abel who had managed to lead Karas here in the first place. So, before entering the plains, Ashler walked beside him and cautiously suggested.

“Now that you’ve come this far, why don’t you return tomorrow? I’ll risk my life to search the entire Ice Mountain for Sir Melmond and the others.”

Abel looked up at him with slightly surprised eyes. He opened his lips as if it seemed like he wanted to say something, but then closed his mouth again and lowered his eyes. Ashler wondered if he had something else to say, but he quickly forgot about it when Abel finally spoke.

“I’ll stay by the prince’s side. Besides, when Mr. Melmond and the others return, they’ll be happy if I’m here to welcome them.”

Seeing his faint smile, Ashler couldn’t bring himself to say that the three of them might already be dead.

What in the world made him believe that they were still alive?

He had experienced the fog that devoured people firsthand.

Even if it wasn’t in this distant place, didn’t people die when trapped in the fog of the Dragon Forest?

Ashler concluded that Abel simply refused to accept the reality and nodded his head in agreement.

“Yes, well then, if you ever change your mind, please let me know at any time. I will personally escort Lord Abel out of here…”

Ashler stopped speaking as the person in front of him suddenly came to a halt. The plains were sharply divided between areas covered in green grass and those that weren’t, with a boundary so clear it was almost uncanny. The land was so fertile that you could easily tell where the plain was, with thick, lush grass growing abundantly as if it were midsummer.

Karas, who had just stepped onto the boundary, stood frozen, looking down at the ground. Wondering what was wrong, everyone hurried into the plains, but there seemed to be nothing unusual about the land. Even after some time, when Karas showed no sign of moving, Abel tried to ask on behalf of everyone.

“Are you alright?”

“It seems he’s a bit surprised.”

At the sudden voice that was heard nearby, everyone turned their heads. A man in his late twenties, dressed in plain clothing, approached them with a smile. He answered the curious gazes of those around him, his eyes fixed on Karas as he spoke. Staring directly into those slowly rising yellow snake-like eyes, he continued.

“It seems His Majesty wasn’t aware that in this land, the power of the dragon cannot be used.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

In a land where not even the eyes he had normally disguised could maintain their power, Karas stood in silence. As a result, the people of the plains, who had gathered to see Karas, could not hide their shock and fear, and they quickly averted their eyes. Even Ashler, who had often seen those eyes, found them unfamiliar, so it was only natural that those seeing them for the first time would be startled.

But surely, the person most affected by this all was probably Karas himself. Even without the power of the dragon, he remained a formidable person, but the sensation of losing that power was something indescribable. Perhaps that was why Karas, after briefly looking at the wizard who had appeared, bent down and placed his hands on the bare ground.

To those watching, it seemed as if he was testing whether he truly couldn’t use his power, which only made the scene more pitiful to witness. After a long moment, Karas seemed to give up, lifting his hands and slowly rising to his feet, though his expression showed no disappointment. Instead, he directed a single word at the wizard.

“Interesting.”

It was impossible to discern the true intention behind Karas’ expressionless words, but the wizard bowed his head and politely greeted him.

“Your Majesty, I am truly grateful that you have come all this way. I am the wizard who protects this place.”

“Kneel.”

The wizard stopped speaking and looked up to see Karas, who did not hide his irritation as he spoke.

“How dare something more worthless than a bug look at me like that?”

Not only the wizard but also the people who had come to greet the emperor, the commanders, and even Abel, were all shocked as they looked at him. Karas, a kind of person who found everything bothersome, rarely paid much attention to formalities. On the other hand, it was unusual for him to openly insult someone like this. Especially when the other person hadn’t done anything wrong.

The people of the plains, shocked, hurriedly knelt down as well, but their gazes toward Karas were no longer pleasant. To order the wizard, who was akin to their king in this place, to kneel without any warning was outrageous. However, it didn’t stop there. As the wizard obediently knelt down politely without showing any sign of displeasure and even bowed his head, Karas approached him.

“Your Majesty, please forgive me for not showing proper courtesy first….”

Thud.

Karas placed his foot on the wizard’s shoulder. Then he rubbed the dirty soles of his boots against his shoulder. Each time he pressed harder, the wizard’s shoulder shook.

“There, now you’re somewhat useful.”

Only after wiping both feet did Karas finally look around at the people.

“Be grateful that I, your master, has personally come to this place. Grateful enough to be willing to lay down your lives.”

After finishing his words, his gaze shifted to the young man who had been guiding them. The young man, pale and frozen in shock at the wizard’s humiliation, held his breath as his eyes met Karas’.

“Yes, you’ll do.”

“Pardon? W-What do you mean by that?”

The young man, unable to bear looking into Karas’ snake-like eyes, lowered his gaze and asked hesitantly. However, Karas’ response was so surprising that he couldn’t help but raise his eyes again.

“From now on, you’re the village chief in this place. You will make all the decisions, judge right from wrong, and represent on behalf of everyone’s opinions.”

W-What?! That’s absurd!”

The young man shook his head vigorously as if to say that this was nonsense, but no coherent words came out of his mouth. Karas ignored him and turned to the lord.

“I’m tired.”

Though it was a word that came from a face that showed no signs of fatigue, the lord immediately caught on. He needed to guide them to a place to rest. The place Karas had chosen to rest was a building in the center of the village, which was used as the village’s Central Hall.

“Your Majesty, I’ve been informed that accommodations have been prepared for you in the village’s largest building, the Central Hall.”

“Make it that guy’s house instead.”

Karas pointed to the wizard, who was still lying face down on the ground and covered in the dirt. The people, upon hearing Karas’ words, were startled and looked at the wizard.  However, he remained in his position, unable to raise his head as he was ordered. The flustered lord, now in a difficult situation, looked at the young man with a troubled expression.

The young man, who was still refusing the idea of becoming the village chief, silently mouthed words of protest, shaking his head again.

No way.

We can’t possibly dare to enter the wizard’s house.

Recalling one of the village’s taboos, he was about to protest further when the soft voice of the wizard reached his ears.

“Village Chief, please lead His Majesty and his companions to my house immediately.”

Despite the humiliation, the wizard managed a warm smile, nodding as if giving his permission. The young man, swallowing nervously in fear, had no choice but to step forward.

“This, uh, th-this way.”

With that, he led the way, and the emperor, his beautiful Regas, and their subordinates followed, passing through the bowed heads of the people of the plains, disappearing from their sight. Only after they were gone did the villagers finally raise their heads, their faces twisted in anger and frustration. The only one who remained expressionless was the wizard, who quietly watched in the direction where the emperor had disappeared.