RGS Vol 8 Part 17

“Haah, this is just…”

Roster sighed as he flipped through the organized documents, leaning back in his chair. Clara, who had been sitting beside him with a frown, immediately seized the opportunity to ask the question that had been on his mind.

“Sir Roster, you didn’t find anything either, did you? The villagers all keep their mouths tightly shut, so there’s absolutely nothing to write down. Not only can’t we find any faults or flaws with the wizard, but we can’t even hear anyone talk about him.”

He too seemed exhausted from several days of fruitless work and leaned back in his chair like Roster, tilting his head back. Not to mention, everywhere they went, they were met with glaring eyes full of hostility. To think that someone who once led the emperor’s proud army is now reduced to going around carrying a piece of paper and digging up other people’s faults.

“To be honest, I don’t see any issues with the wizard. Just the fact that he’s protecting this land from the power of an evil dragon is enough to understand why the people revere him like a god. Isn’t that right, Sir Roster?”

“Well, he seems like a decent person.”

“Exactly. They say he’s a man who has lived for hundreds of years, yet there’s not an ounce of arrogance in him. Haa, then why on earth did His Majesty give us such an order?”

“If you don’t know, just shut up and do your work.”

Kin, who had been diligently working like a good student, snapped at him sharply. Clara, with a distorted expression, was about to refute immediately, but knowing Kin’s personality, he held back for the moment. Still, he wanted to share his frustration with someone, so he turned towards Ashler, who was usually more approachable, and asked.

“Sir Ashler, you don’t understand it either, do you? Right?”

“…”

“Sir Ashler?”

When Clara called him again, Ashler, who had been staring blankly at his desk, finally lifted his dazed eyes. His strange behavior caught the attention of the others as well, prompting Roster to ask with curiosity.

“What’s wrong?”

Asher picked up the paper in front of him and asked.

“So, none of you found any faults with the wizard?”

All three nodded in agreement. Only then did Ashler raise his eyes and look around at them.

“I think I might have found something.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

That morning, Ashler was supposed to follow the village chief along with the other commanders into the village. They needed to wrap up the tedious, unproductive task that had been dragging on for days. However, before heading out, he wanted to meet with Abel. The truth was, he had witnessed something strange the night before.

Unable to sleep, he wandered around the outside of the building and eventually ended up climbing up a hill behind the house. The moon was at its brightest, and with no clouds in the sky to obscure it, he could easily climb the familiar hill several times without needing a light.

The wizard’s house was located on the outskirts, away from the village, so once he crossed the hill, he would immediately reach the boundary between the plains and the Ice Mountain. Knowing that this boundary would be shrouded with fog at night, he naturally had no intention of going that far. Thus, he turned back as soon as he reached the top of the hill, but then he heard a sound.

“Aah!”

It was Abel’s familiar scream.

Or was it a moan?

Ashler looked back in shock.

Could it be that Karas wasn’t satisfied with doing it inside the house and had finally taken Abel outside for that kind of activity?

There hadn’t been any particular noises at night for the past few days, so he had assumed they were probably doing it in broad daylight when no one was around, but it turned out the outdoors was to blame.

D*mn that black potion.

Ashler cursed the King’s Heart once again and was about to leave when Abel’s voice rang out again.

“W-Wow, you’re really strong.”

Of course, he’d be strong. Karas’ manhood was not only impressive in size…

“Whew, we almost got caught.”

What?

Got caught?

Realizing that the conversation he was overhearing was different from what he had imagined, Ashler turned his head back. As he scanned the area, he noticed a dark movement in the distance. He hesitated for a moment, then silently approached them.

It was indeed Abel and Karas. However, they were standing at the boundary between the plains and the Ice Mountain. Abel was holding Karas’ arm tightly, breathing heavily, and then looked up and asked.

“You saw that, right? It’s real, isn’t it?”

What’s real?

Ashler’s question was answered by Abel’s next words.

“Now, prince, you go ahead and try it.”

With that, Karas obediently nodded and extended one foot toward the Ice Mountain.

That area was covered in a dense fog so thick it was visible even in the darkness. Asher was shocked and was about to rush out, but the scene he witnessed the next moment stopped him in his tracks.

As soon as Karas extended his foot, the fog parted to either side as if it had been cut by a sword. Abel immediately stepped onto the ground where the fog had cleared as if he had been waiting for this moment. The surrounding fog began to stir. It seemed eager to engulf Abel but couldn’t approach due to Karas, repeatedly gathering and dispersing in a strange manner.

It was as if the fog had a will of its own and was targeting Abel specifically. Ashler watched the scene, holding his breath in shock. The disappearance of Melmond and the others was definitely not a coincidence. Perhaps they really had been taken to lure Abel in.

Abel, too, as if testing this theory, returned to the plains and bent down. Then, revealing a rabbit he had somehow caught, he unwrapped a towel from around its legs and placed it down within the fog. Since Karas had withdrawn his foot out of the fog, Ashler couldn’t see the rabbit from where he stood, but Abel’s voice conveyed the result.

“Wow, that rabbit’s really running well despite the cold. Ah, this rabbit originally came down from the Ice Mountain, right, prince? Haha—as expected, the prince truly is a natural-born hunter who will never starve to death!”

As Abel praised him, even raising his thumb in approval, Karas subtly averted his gaze to the side. Although it was hard to tell in the darkness, Karas seemed somewhat embarrassed by the exaggerated compliment. Hearing someone tell the emperor, who had everything in the world, that he would never starve to death made Ashler’s chest tighten with frustration at the absurdity of those words. However, he quickly regained his senses and focused on the important detail he had just discovered.

Ashler finally understood the significance of Abel’s words. The fact that the rabbit, which had come down from the Ice Mountain, was not harmed by the fog meant that the fog did not affect animals. This realization brought something else to mind.

‘Well, because it’s a mountain where even white bears live!’

Abel’s words, spoken in confidence that Melmond and the others were still alive, echoed in Ashler’s mind. At the time, he had dismissed it as the ramblings of someone who had become foolish from excessive sexual activity, but now it took on a new meaning.

“If the fog truly holds the power of an evil dragon, then it wouldn’t spare any living creatures. To such a being, all life, whether human or animal, would be equally insignificant.”

It made sense. As evidence, Karas sees all life equally. He saw no reason not to kill humans and no reason to spare animals. Ashler felt that he was on the verge of uncovering something important, but it was still unclear. That’s why he sought out Abel that morning. Abel undoubtedly knew something more.

And so did Karas.

“Lord Abel?”

Ashler made an excuse that he had forgotten something and returned to the house while the others headed to the village. Searching the house for Abel, he eventually stepped outside. However, he didn’t hear any sound from inside the room, nor any sign of Abel around the house. Just as he was about to climb the hill, thinking he might be there, he came face-to-face with Abel coming down from it.

Abel froze at the sight of Ashler, his eyes widening in shock. His mouth opened in a silent scream, forming an unmistakable “Ahh!”

Why is he so startled?

Ashler glanced up the hill and a suspicion crossed his mind.

Surely, he didn’t stay up behind there all night and just come back down now?

No, that couldn’t be.

What would be the point of watching the fog for so long?

And it’s not like they were doing anything else out there… right?

“Ahem, um, were you out for a walk, Lord Abel?”

Ashler coughed to clear his throat and asked the only question that came to mind. Abel, who had been overly shocked, quickly nodded.

“Yes! A-A walk. I went for a walk!”

The more he insisted he had just been out for a walk in such a loud voice only added weight to the suspicion of ‘other activities.’ Ashler couldn’t bear himself to meet Abel in the eyes, so he averted his gaze, only to hear Abel’s cautious question.

“Sir Ashler, weren’t you supposed to be heading to the village? Why did you come back?”

“Yes, I came back because I had forgotten something and wanted to ask you something as well. By the way, where is His Majesty?”

Ashler looked around and suddenly wondered why Abel was alone, so he asked.

“Is His Majesty inside?”

“…”

“Lord Abel?”

Finding it strange that Abel didn’t respond, Asher asked again, only to see Abel looking behind him. Sensing something was wrong, Asher took a step forward, but Abel quickly stopped him.

“He’s sleeping, so I think it’s better to leave him alone for now.”

“Sleeping? Why there?”

“Well, uh, it seems he was, um, quite tired.”

Tired?

What on earth could have made him tired…?

“Ahem, I see. I suppose one could get tired from, uh, a walk.”

Ashler said, clearing his throat again and glancing away before suggesting that Abel should wake him up later. Abel nodded obediently and asked what Ashler wanted to discuss.

“Well, I came to ask you about something, Lord Abel.”

Ashler began, then proceeded to describe the scene he had accidentally witnessed the previous night. Abel seemed surprised at first but soon asked with a serious expression.

“You didn’t see anything after that?”

“No. After that, His Majesty held you in his arms and kissed… ahem, I didn’t see anything else. I left immediately, I swear.”

As Ashler reached for his sword as if to swear an oath in blood, Abel quickly stopped him, then scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

“No, it’s fine. Actually, it wouldn’t matter even if you had seen it.”

Gulp.

Has his taste changed after spending so much time with Karas?

Pushing aside his unsettling speculation, Ashler firmly denied it.

“No, I absolutely have no intention of seeing anything. And of course, I certainly won’t be looking in the future either.”

In response, Abel blinked in confusion, looking flustered.

“Y-You don’t really need to…”

“That’s enough! This topic is, ahem, uncomfortable, so let’s drop it. Instead, could Lord Abel explain what you mentioned yesterday? I overheard that you said the fog might not be the power of an evil dragon.”

Ashler apologized for eavesdropping, but Abel’s expression was odd. His eyes held on a complicated look as he turned his gaze toward the direction he had come from. No, he was actually looking at the Ice Mountain that had not yet melted. Abel’s face was unusually serious. Ashler suppressed his curiosity and waited for a long time until Abel seemed to have organized his thoughts and began to speak.

“I learned something while fighting the King’s Heart. The legends that people accept as truth might not actually be the same in reality. That’s why I’m being cautious. I’m worried that, due to this preconceived notion, we might end up doing something wrong.”

Ashler knew that Abel had seen the past through the wooden pendant. Abel had never shared what he saw with anyone. But if he had seen something important, he would definitely keep it a secret. Perhaps that’s why Abel had become more cautious, so Ashler nodded in understanding.

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with being cautious. Do you think that’s why His Majesty ordered us to investigate the wizard?”

Ashler expected Abel to nod in agreement. However, Abel pursed his lips, his expression grew serious, and then carefully spoke.

“That might be because of me.”

“You? Did you ask for it, Lord Abel?”

“No, it’s not that. I think he’s trying to find something wrong with the wizard for my sake.”

Ashler couldn’t make sense of what Abel was saying, but Abel seemed hesitant to explain further, so he changed the subject with a question of his own.

“Did you find anything?”

No, not at all.

Ashler barely managed to suppress a sigh at his own disappointing response.

“To begin with, it seems as if everyone has made an agreement not to say anything bad about the wizard. They hardly answer our questions, and when they do, they only say positive things. Honestly, there’s nothing we’ve found that could meet His Majesty’s expectations.”

As Ashler spoke in a dejected tone, Abel joined him in thought with a worried expression. Then Abel suggested.

“Then try doing the opposite.”

“Pardon?”

“If the people of the plains genuinely believe the wizard has done no wrong, you won’t find any answers from them. So, we, as outsiders, need to find them elsewhere. Ask the opposite question.”

Abel smiled as he offered his advice.

“Ask them what the wizard has done well.”