RGS Vol 8 Part 19

Clara and Roster quickly blocked his way and asked.

“What on earth is going on?”

“What is His Majesty doing? The wizard sent word that he might not be able to help me after all! Don’t you understand? For the wizard, whether he does this or not doesn’t matter! But if His Majesty continues to ignore him like this and refuses to meet with him, even if I were the wizard, I would refuse as well. Please, let me meet with His Majesty. I must… Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”

The lord’s desperate cries made everyone who had been watching him turn their heads in shock. Karas, who had apparently just woken up, was standing there, half-awake, with his eyes barely open. The lord, frantically trying to move forward, cried out again.

“Your Majesty, please meet with the wizard! Meet him and melt the Ice Mountain to save us.”

“Shut up.”

Karas, with a single irritated command, quieted the lord and then turned his gaze around, stopping on Ashler.

“What about what I asked for?”

“Ah, it’s all in this report.”

“Just give me the conclusion.”

Ashler hesitated, wondering how best to summarize it, and gave a brief explanation.

“There was a lot. And most of it was quite shocking.”

Karas, as if already expecting this answer, listened indifferently and then turned his gaze back to the lord.

“Tell the wizard. If he doesn’t want to do it, then forget it.”

“Your Majesty!”

“I told you to shut up.”

The lord’s face distorted again as he shut his mouth. It seemed like he had much more to say, but Karas was already looking at Abel.

“Three days. After that, I’ll do as I please.”

Three days?

The commanders couldn’t understand what he meant, but without offering any further explanation, Karas went back inside. All that remained was the despairing lord and the eyes that were now fixed on Abel. Abel turned to them and calmly spoke.

“Could you help me with something?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The lord, who had arrived in the morning, was lying prostrate on the floor, pleading for the wizard to change his mind. The wizard listened to the noisy whining with a gentle expression, but inside, he felt differently.

Did he really say to just forget it if I don’t want to do it?

He already thought the emperor was childish and immature, but he hadn’t expected him to be this irresponsible.

He had assumed that having come all the way here, the emperor would at least try to accomplish something. If he had any sense of duty as an emperor, he wouldn’t just stand by and watch as his people’s land was devastated by the fog. But perhaps he had overestimated him. The emperor was so wounded by the loss of his powers that he cast off all responsibility simply because his pride was hurt.

“My lord, I understand. Please, get up now. The reason I said I wouldn’t do it was partly to provoke His Majesty. After all, I was the one who proposed this first, and you’ve gone through so much trouble to bring His Majesty here, so I can’t possibly give up now.”

The lord lifted his tearful eyes, expressing his gratitude repeatedly. However, the real problem was the emperor. As the lord sank back into despair, his ears perked up at the wizard’s next words.

“I think I might be able to persuade His Majesty. However, there is a small problem.”

“What problem? I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Hearing the answer he had been waiting for, the wizard smiled.

“I’m planning to provoke His Majesty a bit more. To do that, I need those who are assisting His Majesty to be absent for a while. Could you find a way to divert the four commanders elsewhere for a few days?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

‘It seems the prince has only one possible outcome in mind for this place, and it worries me. That it could be the worst possible one.’

Although he didn’t explain in detail, the commanders could easily imagine what the worst possible outcome might be. The problem was that they had come here to eliminate the evil power of the Ice Mountain, yet somehow, trouble seemed to be spreading to the plains. Even if the wizard was in the wrong, something about this situation seemed off.

The three of the commanders, excluding Ashler, couldn’t understand the situation, but Ashler was different. Having spent a long time by Karas’ side, he had learned one thing. Even if Karas’ actions seemed impulsive, their purpose would always be revealed later on. To understand this, all they had to do was wait for three days. The three days he gave them, which were uncharacteristically generous for Karas, seemed to be given out of consideration for Abel, who appeared to be planning to use that time wisely.

‘I want to get the people out of this place before anything goes wrong. But no matter how much we tell them that everything is the wizard’s fault, the people won’t believe us. Especially not when it comes from outsiders like us.’

Abel trailed off as he glanced around at the commanders.

‘So, I have a favor to ask. I thought that perhaps they might be more willing to listen if it came from someone from the plains. Could you bring the bandits we encountered when we first arrived here?’

Abel’s request wasn’t particularly difficult, but the four of them huddled together for a long time, discussing it.

Should they follow Abel’s suggestion without fully understanding Karas’ intentions?

Abel reassured them that if they left, he would handle any explanations to Karas, so they shouldn’t worry. However, their concern wasn’t about getting scolded by Karas. The real issue was whether the people of the plains would actually listen to the bandits, even if they brought them.

“They’re more likely to ignore the bandits than us who are outsiders. After all, weren’t those bandits already driven out by the people?

Roster voiced his doubts, implying that it might be a pointless effort, and Clara nodded in agreement. However, Kin seemed to have a different opinion and took Abel’s side.

“Still, they might trust their words more than us. What matters is if even one or two people listen to them. Even if just one or two people change their minds, it won’t take long for the rest to follow.”

Kin was right. Especially in war, when you’re about to face the enemy and risk your life, it’s crucial to ensure that no one develops a weak resolve. If even one or two soldiers become frightened, that fear would spread like a plague, quickly infecting the hearts of other soldiers. Just as everyone was about to agree with Abel’s plan, the door creaked open, and the lord entered with a stern expression.

“I have something important to tell you. The wizard has decided to take a step back.”

“The wizard agreed to step back?”

Someone asked, and the lord nodded.

“The wizard has set a condition. Since you’ve come all this way, if you capture the bandits who are troubling the people, he promises that he will definitely help, no matter what His Majesty decides to do. So, please, come with me to capture the bandits. I beg you. It will only take half a day.”

Then, noticing the four of them wearing perplexed expressions, he added firmly.

“I would greatly appreciate it if all four of you could help me.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

There’s nothing that restricts a person’s actions more than their habit. The village chief had arrived in front of the house where Karas’ group was staying, but instead of entering, he just stood in front of it, his old memories preventing him from stepping inside easily. The wizard had always detested anyone entering his place.

Even though the emperor had already entered several times since taking over this place, the village chief still found it difficult to step inside, held back by the old taboo that warned him against entering. However, with the wizard’s direct orders in mind, he took a deep breath and finally stepped inside.

‘The four commanders are away. They won’t be back for several days. The emperor always sleeps during the day, so his Regas will be alone. Therefore, bring him to me without any interference. Even if you have to follow him around for days and persistently beg, you must bring him here before the commanders return. Understood? And don’t forget to follow the Regas wherever he goes. Watch where he goes, what he does, who he talks to, and keep an eye on his every move.’

When the village chief opened the door and entered, he immediately saw the Regas in the hall. He was reading a piece of paper with a serious expression and seemed so absorbed in it that he didn’t notice the village chief’s arrival. Although he had seen him several times, every time he saw him, the village chief couldn’t help but be struck by his breathtaking appearance. Especially his green eyes, which seemed to fill one’s heart with a mysterious warmth just by looking into them.

“Oh? Village chief.”

It was only then that the Regas noticed him and smiled.

Gulp.

The village chief quickly lowered his head slightly to hide the blush creeping up his face and began to speak.

“Lord Regas, the wizard wishes to speak with you if it’s convenient.”

He glanced up cautiously, prepared with several responses in case the Regas asked, ‘Why?’ One of these was the excuse the wizard had specifically provided him, so the village chief carefully opened his mouth first.

“Well, the wizard would like to share his knowledge about the dragon he has seen, and also…”

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Contrary to the village chief’s concerns, the Regas agreed easily without any suspicion and got up from his seat. However, he added a condition.

“But I will only visit him tomorrow.”

He glanced inside for a moment and then added.

“Instead, I’ll definitely go tomorrow. Can the wizard wait one more day?”

The wizard had said it was fine as long as the Regas was brought before the commanders returned, so tomorrow should be acceptable, right?

After much deliberation, the village chief nodded in agreement. Then the Regas made another request.

“In that case, could you show me around the village today?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

“This way.”

The lord walked for a bit along the winding path of the valley that led into the plains before stopping. He pointed to a narrow path that led up the mountain beside them.

“This is the mountain where the bandits are active.”

“Is this the mountain that was the first to melt?”

Ashler asked, and the lord nodded. Though his face seemed tense for some reason, the four commanders didn’t notice as they were too busy surveying their surroundings. To them, the peaks on either side looked similar, and they wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference without the lord’s confirmation.

“You said it would take half a day to find them?”

Another nod. The lord responded with exaggerated movements.

“There aren’t many places where they can hide. Follow me up the mountain.”

Without waiting for a response, he quickly climbed up the mountain with long, brisk strides. Those who had been leisurely observing the surroundings began to follow him with expressions that seemed to say, ‘What’s with him?’ as he suddenly disappeared from view. They assumed the lord was in a hurry to finish everything within half a day.

However, it wasn’t until they had climbed the mountain for quite some time at nearly a running pace and gasping for breath, that they realized they had been deceived. At some point, the hem of the lord’s clothes that had been ahead of them was no longer visible, and the sound of his footsteps was no longer heard. When they finally stopped and realized this, they found themselves lost, stranded in the middle of a mountain covered in pure white snow.