RGS Volume 4 Part 17

Abel didn’t answer, as if he had stopped breathing. But Erei seemed satisfied, thinking that he had scared him, and let go of his arm and stepped back. Even if that wasn’t the case, there was also a warning from one of the soldiers inside.

“Lord Regas, we don’t have time for unnecessary talk right now. Please decide if the Regas you brought here is someone who needs to be disposed of.”

Erei turned his threatening gaze towards the soldier, seemingly annoyed.

“How dare you command me?! To me, who receives the favor of Lord Norhox?”

The soldier as if terrified at the mention of Norhox, quickly bowed his head and made an excuse.

“It’s not a command. It’s not like that.”

“Don’t make me laugh. This all happened because you didn’t do your job properly.”

The sudden interrogation startled the soldier, and he responded with a confused “What?”

Erei pointed his chin towards Abel.

“This guy dared to set up a meeting with His Majesty and was standing outside. It’s because of you idiots who can’t even count properly that he managed to escape secretly from here!”

The soldier asked “What?” again, bewildered. He and the soldier next to him looked around in confusion before one of them spoke up.

“No, that’s not true. Did you perhaps misunderstand something?”

“Shut up. If you don’t want to die here as well.”

The soldier bit his lip but quietly stepped back. Erei glared at him for a moment, then turned his head. He checked Abel, who was still in shock, staring blankly into space, and gave an order to the soldier behind him.

“Put this one to sleep quickly.”

Thud.

Abel grabbed Erei’s arm, who was speaking. Erei frowned as his arm was firmly held, but Abel’s serious voice came first.

“His Majesty’s real Regas?”

“Let go of me!”

Irritated, Erei shook his arm to shake off Abel’s hand. However, Abel suddenly seemed to have gained strength, pulling Erei closer instead.

“His Majesty’s real Regas died 12 years ago. So, what do you mean by ‘real’ Regas’?”

“Ouch, it hurts! Hey, what the hell are you doing not getting rid of this guy quickly?!”

When Erei ordered the soldier, the bewildered soldier quickly grabbed Abel’s shoulder. However, Abel repeated the same question without letting go of Erei’s arm.

“Does that mean the real Regas hasn’t appeared yet?”

Pushed by the soldier, Abel forcibly let go of Erei’s hand and continued to stare at him as if expecting an answer. Erei, who had been rubbing his held arm, raised his hand towards Abel with an angry face.

Slap!

With a sharp sound, Abel’s face turned to the side after being slapped. His fair skin immediately turned red and swollen, but he only remained silent and asked Erei with a frown.

“Who told you that?”

“Arrogant.”

Slap! Slap!

Erei swung his hand freely at Abel, who was held by the soldier. Abel’s head swung from side to side as if blown by the wind. However, despite his swollen cheeks and disheveled blond hair, Abel calmly looked back at him.

The disheveled appearance made Abel appear more vulnerable, stirring the hearts of those who watched him. A tempting allure that tickled one’s curiosity. As a result, the soldiers who had been watching from the front swallowed their saliva secretly and their eyes lit up without Erei knowing. However, Erei, still angry at Abel who was looking straight at him, narrowed his eyes in anger.

“Why does a man who’s about to die need to know such things?”

“Could it be Lord Norhox?”

“What?”

As Erei was taken aback by the sudden remark, and Abel whispered, holding his breath.

“Did you really hear it from Lord Norhox?”

Although Erei did not give a direct answer, it was clear from his hardened eyes even without hearing it out loud. Thus, Abel was even more confused.

How did Norhox know?

That real Regas hasn’t appeared yet. He even knew about his own reincarnation’s appearance.

In other words, does that mean he also knows that I have been reincarnated?

However, the last question quickly seemed unlikely. The fact that he insisted on making a distinction by saying ‘real’ meant he considered his past self to be a fake Regas. Thus, he wouldn’t think of it as a reincarnation. If he did, he would have said that the real Regas ‘reappeared.’

So how on earth?

“Why do you need to know that when you’re about to die?”

Erei’s voice, filled with mockery, interrupted Abel’s thoughts.

“Since I’m about to die, it doesn’t matter if you tell me.”

It was strange. Even if he slapped him again, calling him arrogant, it wouldn’t be satisfying enough, however, his calm voice made him caught off guard. No, at first, he thought it was because of his voice, but to be precise, it was because of his captivating green eyes. It was as serene as a tranquil lake untouched by the footsteps of animals.

Despite calling him a man who’s about to die, he still seemed unperturbed. It was such a strange atmosphere that the frustration that should have flared up inside him subsided so much that it took Erei a moment to speak.

“Y-yeah. It doesn’t matter. Because you’re going to die soon.”

He muttered those last words as if he was saying it to himself, and then added venomously.

“You’ll soon be screaming and dying in agony as your whole body burns.”

With his words, Abel realized that the smell he had noticed upon entering the quarters was oil. The cheap oil poured over the bodies of the Regas lying as if they were dead gave off a foul stench. But even knowing this, it wasn’t important right now. Abel’s attention was solely on the person lifting his chin in front of him. Raising his voice as if to assert his superiority.

“I didn’t hear it from Lord Norhox. Though he does know. I heard it from…”

Erei frowned slightly, unwilling to mention the war profiteer’s name, and arrogantly spat it out.

“I heard it from Duke Truyde. Now you know I’m telling the truth, don’t you?”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie since the war profiteer had heard it from Truyde. Moreover, mentioning Truyde should intimidate this arrogant brat. But instead of being surprised, Abel’s green eyes grew even calmer.

What the hell is with this guy?

“Hey, you.”

“Lord Regas. Marquis Norhox is waiting for you. You need to return with me quickly.”

This time, when Norhox was mentioned, Erei couldn’t argue any further. Erei lowered his hand, which he had held half-raised, and stepped back. The soldier, thinking that Erei would delay again, quickly handed Abel over to the two soldiers inside.

However, Erei didn’t simply leave the quarters with the soldiers. After ordering them to hold Abel, he walked somewhere and came back with a jar. Then, before anyone could say anything, he poured the contents of the jar onto Abel.

Splash―

With the sound of liquid pouring, Abel was drenched from head to toe. Seeing this, one of the soldiers from the side frowned and spoke up.

“Lord Regas, that is…”

“I know. It’s water.”

Erei, who answered first, added while looking at Abel, who raised his head.

“He’ll survive longer in the flames if he’s wet. Tie him to the central pillar. Let him suffer in the midst of the fire.”

After that, a sweet smile appeared on his lips as he left the quarters.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Ashler who was about to lie down, forcing himself to sleep when he received an unexpected guest.

“Sir Kin.”

As he called out the person’s name and stood up from his seat, Kin, who had been standing at the entrance, took a step forward.

“Were you sleeping?”

“No,” Ashler shook his head and gestured for him to come inside. However, Kin hesitated and stood near the entrance without moving.

“It’s not something that will take long.”

Ashler stood near Kin, indicating that he would listen while standing. He waited for Kin to speak again, but he kept his mouth shut without making eye contact. Wondering what he was trying to say, Ashler spoke first.

“I assumed you couldn’t sleep well because you were worried about His Majesty.”

“That’s right.”

Kin looked up with eyes that seemed to indicate an unexpected problem.

“Of course, I am worried about His Majesty. But I believe he will wake up.”

“Yes, I also think so.”

Ashler nodded his head firmly, conveying his belief, and hesitantly added.

“In fact, His Majesty looks like he has only fallen into a deep sleep. It seems like he is trying to recover his strength.”

Although it was just a guess since it had never happened before, this thought helped him alleviate some of his worries. Kin, who had been watching for a long time, murmured in agreement, “His face looked peaceful.” And then silence returned again. Realizing that what he wanted to say was not about the emperor, Ashler changed the subject.

“Is the unit officer, okay?”

“No. He’s not doing well.”

I see. Ashler nodded his head with a dark expression. He was worried not only about the injury of the 1st Battalion unit officer but also about Kin’s unusually calm voice. It felt even more precarious that he didn’t show any anger when he was undoubtedly engulfed in anger.

However, this worry did not continue. Kin, who turned his gaze elsewhere again, seemed to have something else to say. And now he thought he would say something, but he remained silent. Helpless, Ashler brought up another topic that could be guessed as the reason as to why he came.

“Did you meet the war profiteer?”

Glance. Kin nodded his head casually, turning his indifferent eyes. He answered with a dry tone as if this question was not important to him.

“There’s no need to worry about him.”

Ashler almost blurted out the conversation he had with Roster.

Why on earth does he trust the war profiteer so much?

Isn’t he worried that he’s here as Truyde’s pawn to manage the Regas’?

If he’s taken over Norhox’s duties, he might be deceiving them by siding with Truyde. However, the question never came up. His trust in Kin was too strong to express any suspicions. Over the past six years, Kin had proven himself in war, making it hard to dare suspect and voice out that the war profiteer would perhaps betray them.

He was always the one to take on the most difficult tasks and step forward. To question his decisions felt like a betrayal of the trust placed in someone who silently risked his life for Karas alone. Although Ashler might regret this moment in the future, he ultimately decided to set aside his doubts.

And for similar reasons, he couldn’t criticize him for the actions he did. The incident where he tried not to give Abel the medicine. Even if he came to know that Kin’s loyalty was motivated by his desire to destroy the King’s Heart, he couldn’t blame him.

On the other hand, he could somehow understand. If he hadn’t known Abel 12 years ago, he would have had the same thoughts as Kin. Therefore, he never brought it up.

But could it still be bothering Kin?

The difficult words Kin struggled to say might only be about Abel. He had hesitated similarly and avoided eye contact when giving the medicine in front of the fog.

“Are you talking about Lord Abel?”

Pause. As if Ashler’s guesses were correct, Kin seemed to stiffen as he raised his eyes. The eyes that met his gaze were slightly shaking. Ashler felt a bitter taste in his mouth, thinking he might be feeling guilty.

“It would be best for both me and Sir Kin to forget about that incident. Instead, if the same thing happens again, I will consider Sir Kin as an enemy. So please forget about it then.”

“Brown bottle.”

A heavy word flowed from Kin’s mouth, cutting off Ashler’s words. Kin then remained silent for a long time.  When Ashler looked puzzled, Kin opened his mouth with difficulty.

“That medicine.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Ashler’s detected his uneasiness and his eyes sharpened. Kin, who was about to open his mouth met his eyes, flinched, and then asked softly.

“What happened to that medicine?”

“Pardon?”

It was a completely unexpected question, so Ashler relaxed his body and nodded his head. Ah, so that was it.

“I see, so you want to give that medicine to the unit officer.”

Although King did not answer with a firm face, Ashler apologized as if he knew everything.

“I heard that the unit officer’s condition is not good, and I’m sorry I didn’t take care of it sooner.”

“……”

“The medicine for the brown bottle that Abel drinks would be good, but it seems that it is a medicine tailored to Abel’s physical condition. So, I will look for another medicine.”

“That’s…”

“By the way, what did the doctor say about the unit officer?”

Kin’s face turned pale as he stiffened even more. Ashler noticed his condition right away and asked with concern.

“Is his condition so serious that you can’t even speak about it?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“What? Then is the unit officer, alright?”

“No, the unit officer is in serious condition. But what I want to talk about isn’t about him. It’s…”

Kin took a deep breath as if he had made up his mind, then pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Ashler.

“Take this for now.”

“What is this?”

Ashler asked as he received it, but Kin couldn’t meet his eyes this time either and explained it vaguely.

“Just, um, it’s a good medicine. Especially for Lord Abel, so make sure he takes it.”

“Sir Kin.”

Kin raised his head with an uneasy look at Ashler’s stern voice. Ashler approached with a gaze that stared at Kin as intensely as his voice. When Kin stiffened his shoulders, Ashler’s low but agitated voice was heard.

“You were worried about Abel. I appreciate you going out of your way to get this medicine for him. To be honest, I was still upset about the time Sir Kin hid the brown bottle. That’s why I thought I needed to keep an eye on you. However, you proved me wrong. You’re still the same Sir Kin.”

Ashler was truly moved, his eyes slightly moistened. Kin’s heart was also dampened as he watched him. By anxiety and guilt.

The brown bottle that Kin handed over in front of the foggy forest was indeed real, but its contents were not. Before arguing with Ashler, he felt that Abel’s existence was dangerous, so he thought he should get rid of the medicine. Thus, he changed the contents. And only replaced it with water.

“It’s the brown bottle I gave you.”

Just as Kin finally confessed, he took a step forward. However, the entrance of the quarters suddenly opened, and Nani’s loud voice was heard.

“Sir Ashler! There’s an urgent matter. You need to come to where Mr. Melmond is.”

Urgent matter?

Ashler quickly asked Nani immediately forgetting what Kin was about to say.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s that Sir Melmond heard something from the butler and turned pale, insisting on bringing Sir Ashler immediately. Ah, commander pig, no, ahem, Sir Kin is also here.”

Nani quickly corrected “Commander Pig,” however, Kin was already frowning. Just thinking about the term “Commander Pig” and the butler seemed to irritate him, so he waved his hand, indicating he would speak to Ashler later. Ashler nodded slightly in gratitude and hurriedly followed Nani out of the quarters. Kin also needed to leave, but he lingered for a moment, looking in the direction Ashler had gone as if he still had some regrets, and muttered to himself.

“Surely, Lord Abel won’t die just because he couldn’t drink the medicine in the brown bottle, right?”