RGS Vol 7 Part 18

“It’s not just festivals. There are so many other places I want to go with the prince. Even if it’s not a festival, we could stroll through crowded streets, stay in inns bustling with guests, and then move to a quiet place to pick legendary truffles as big as my forearm. We’d find an enormous one that would give my mushroom-crazy master a heart attack from sheer excitement. Then we’d proudly return, hehe, with everyone admiring us and praising how great we are.”

Even though the idea of an emperor picking truffles wouldn’t usually impress anyone, when it came from Abel’s mouth, it strangely sounded like an extraordinary feat. Everyone found joy and fascination in simple things. Picking a huge truffle seemed as impressive as defeating a dragon. To Abel, the value of importance seemed to lie within himself.

‘As long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters,’ his eyes seemed to say.

“I’ll guide you through everything. There are so many fun things to do with the prince. Hiding among people with our identities concealed would be thrilling. We might get kicked out of an inn because there are too many people, and even if we have to share a single, uncomfortable room we barely manage to get, we’ll still fall asleep happily, thinking about the adventures awaiting us the next day. And it will be amusing to see people’s faces once they find out that the prince is actually the emperor. They’ll be shocked! Imagine them exclaiming, ‘Our emperor picked the legendary truffle!’ It’ll make you feel so proud and satisfied. Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

His eyes sparkled as he spoke, and for the first time, Karas reacted.

“A single room that we barely managed to get?”

Out of all the things Abel had mentioned, he was only interested in that?

Abel was about to ask if it was because he was worried about being uncomfortable. However, Karas’ next question suggested otherwise.

“Like on the ship, sharing one bed?”

The ship?

Abel quickly recalled the time when they were traveling to the capital. At that time, he had been terrified, thinking the other person was the intimidating Commander-in-Chief. And just like Karas’ question, there were so many people that there were no other rooms, so they slept in one room, on one bed.

Thinking about how fierce Karas had looked back then, Abel felt a bit concerned.

Was he uncomfortable with the idea?

Abel smiled awkwardly.

“Yes, well, there might be times when we will have to share a cramped room and sleep close together, like back then. Ah, but those discomforts are actually part of the charm of traveling…”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I like it.”

Like it?

Abel looked at Karas with wide eyes, unable to fully understand what he had just heard. He had been trying to convey that while people can be a nuisance, it’s not all bad. He had talked about the joys of festivals, delicious foods that tasted much better when shared with others, and so on. Yet, Karas found an unexpected reason from among all those things. His eyes narrowed as if recalling something.

“Yes, if there are many people, we might only be able to get one room.”

“Well, if it’s uncomfortable, there are many ways to get separate rooms…”

“I understand.”

Understand what?

When Karas, who had been obsessed with the idea of sharing a room, finally concluded, Abel couldn’t help but be puzzled. As he looked at Karas, confused, Karas casually spoke.

 “I’ll tolerate the inconvenience for now.”

Thus, with such an absurd reason, peace returned to the world. Even though Abel heard the answer he wanted, he was so taken aback that he blinked in confusion.

Tolerate the inconvenience?

For what reason?

Karas hadn’t clearly shown interest in any of the things Abel had mentioned, except for complaining about the small room.

“Prince, are you really…?”

…Serious?

The question didn’t fully leave Abel’s lips. Karas had closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating on something. It seemed like something Abel shouldn’t disturb, so he watched silently, holding his breath. Moments later, he understood what Karas was doing because of the approaching footsteps from behind.

“Huff, huff, Your Majesty! Lord Abel!”

Hearing Ashler’s voice, Abel realized that the fog had disappeared. Although he couldn’t see outside, he knew the disaster that had terrified the world had also stopped. A moment later, Karas opened his eyes, looked at Abel with his yellow eyes, and then collapsed.

Even as he supported Karas’ weight, Abel couldn’t say a word. Ashler, who had approached beside him and called for the emperor, asked what had happened. However, he only remained still as he held Karas.

“Lord Abel? Are you all right? What happened to His Majesty?”

“He must have returned it.”

Returned it?

At that question, Abel swallowed the answer he had inside. He must have returned the power of the forest to seal it once more. This meant that the world was safe again, but Abel couldn’t bring himself to smile. After all, Karas had given up his power.

The fact that Karas had listened to his words and relinquished such a great power without hesitation weighed heavily on his heart.

Who in the world would want to become weak after having been strong?

Moreover, the loss of that power meant…

“Abel, let me carry His Majesty. We need to move him to a safe place. Lord Abel?”

Noticing that Abel, who had handed the emperor over to him, was staring intently at one spot, Ashler turned his head. There was a person lying on the floor, trembling.

Who is that?

As he tried to get a closer look, Abel spoke up to Ashler first, making a request.

“Let me borrow this for a moment.”

What?

Before the question in his mind could even fade, Abel’s hand had already drawn Ashler’s sword. The heavy blade made a chilling metallic sound as it moved forward with Abel. Before Ashler could stop him, Abel’s hand moved swiftly.

Thunk! Thud!

Raising the sharp blade with both his arms high above his head, Abel brought it down with force, beheading the trembling man in one swift motion. Blood spread across the floor like a hem on a crimson skirt, and the head rolled over it with a dazed expression. Despite looking old and frail, it was unmistakably Truyde.

As Ashler looked on in shock, Abel, apparently not satisfied with just the cutting off Truyde’s head, took a torch hanging from the wall and set the body on fire. Watching the corpse burn with a grim expression, Abel turned to Ashler.

“There is no longer any need to worry about the Dragon Forest. Sir Ashler, please take His Majesty away first.”

“Aren’t you coming with us, Lord Abel?”

“I will follow after making sure the body is completely destroyed.”

Abel tried to offer a faint reassuring smile, but to Ashler, it didn’t appear like a smile at all. With shoulders drooping, he stood there silently as he watched the burning corpse. It was clear that he felt no joy at the end of it all, but rather exhaustion and emptiness that came from finishing such a difficult task. Ashler watched him for a moment before moving away, leaving Abel alone.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The once blackened land that had destroyed everything was now harmless even for people to step on. Despite this, everyone still feared the charred path left by the fiery masses. They were worried that it might erupt again at any moment. However, over time, small leaves began to sprout on the blackened ground.

A week later, the fog began to fill the forest again. The palace also became crowded with people once more. However, the Minister’s Palace and the Regas Palace remained empty. In the span of a week, many things had changed in the country. As Karas had predicted, the ministers sought to procure the drug from the King’s Heart temple, which became the starting point for the change.

Rumors spread quickly that the King’s Heart had tried to poison the emperor but failed. The ministers were said to be searching the temples for poison to use against the emperor. And alongside these rising rumors, anger spread as well.

To think they would even try to poison the emperor.

At the same time, a massive incident that almost killed many people had occurred in the capital.

Witnesses claimed that the Dragon Forest had turned into a river of fire, attempting to kill everyone in its path. People quickly realized that all of this was all due to the King’s Heart. Because of those who tried to kill the emperor, the sacred forest had finally reached its breaking point and erupted.

Even the most fervent followers of the temple trembled at this news.

What if the curse of the forest also falls upon those who believed in the King’s Heart?

The most zealous followers were the first to turn their backs at the temple. Those who had been poisoned by consuming the salt from the temple, as Karas had anticipated, began attacking the temple.

The temples, now in chaos, lost all semblance of authority in the eyes of the people. They became seen as nothing more than storerooms filled with food and treasures hidden by the King’s Heart. Then the looting began. The number of temples being attacked rapidly increased, and one by one, they closed their doors.

Those who had once pledged their loyalty to the King’s Heart fled to save their lives. The Emperor’s Army, which had been disbanded, restored order to the chaotic country. The nobles unassociated with the King’s Heart joined forces and came together to fill the vacant seats in the Minister’s Palace. Meanwhile, the expelled members of the King’s Heart found themselves in the cold cells of underground prisons. Everything fell into place effortlessly.

Just a few months prior, those who had held the reins of the country were now at the lowest rungs of society in an instant. The King’s Heart had now become a name cursed by all. With the people themselves rejecting the King’s Heart first, there was no opposition, and the country’s power became centralized in one place, the emperor. However, the Emperor had not awoken from his sleep for a week.

Bang, bang, bang—

Everywhere within the palace, the sounds of hammers echoed as new buildings were erected and reinforced. The fog that had slowly begun to reclaim the forest was seen as a sign that the forest was returning to its original state. Thus, people were reassured as they returned to the palace.

As the people within the palace busily moved, Karas’ subordinates also spent their time equally occupied. They wanted to present a perfectly prepared country to the emperor once he awakens. They had expelled the King’s Heart entirely and made this place wholly for Karas’.

“Ashler.”

As Ashler hurriedly walked, he turned his head at the sound of his name being called from behind. It was Roster, who had arrived at the palace a few days ago, suddenly approached him and immediately scolded him.

“You’re not fully recovered yet, and you’re wandering around again?!”

Ashler responded without backing down.

“And what about you? Weren’t you supposed to go with Sir Kin to help detoxify those who are poisoned?”

Oh, that.

Roster shrugged and brought up someone else.

“Clara went with them.”

“Clara? Voluntarily?”

If it was with Kin, Clara would normally be terrified of him, so Ashler found it hard to believe and asked skeptically. However, Roster nodded.

“It’s true. It’s like he developed a sudden love for Sir Kin after being on the brink of death together. He insisted on going with him. Surprisingly, they seem to get along well. They were nodding in agreement and looking quite friendly while talking about Lord Abel. But…”

Roster’s voice trailed off, and he added with a slight frown.

“Seeing them together makes me feel strangely uneasy.”

“What do you mean?”

When Ashler asked, Roster shook his head and changed the subject. His gaze trailed over Ashler, who was bandaged nearly from head to toe, clicking his tongue.

“If someone saw you, they’d think you were moving around thanks to the black potion.”

Even though it was a teasing remark, Ashler frowned, clearly displeased with the mention of the black potion.

“Are you here to keep an eye on me?”

“Well, partly, but I’m also curious about something.”

Curious?

Ashler asked, and Roster lowered his voice as he looked around.

“When do you think His Majesty will wake up? People are starting to get anxious. They’re worried that if His Majesty doesn’t wake up, the Dragon Forest might turn into a hell once again.”

“Well… But he said the forest is fine now.”

Ashler didn’t specify who had told him, but Roster knew it was Abel. At first, he had been astonished by Abel’s appearance, but after exchanging a few words, he felt like he was talking to a cheerful old man who had just come down from the mountains, smiling after catching a wild boar.

“Has Lord Abel gone back into the forest again?”