RGS Volume 5 Part 13

Considering that the former king suffered from long-term addiction, it was a lethal dose for him, however, it didn’t affect Karas at all, which shocked Truyde.

‘The problem is that we can’t obtain a large amount of black potion at once. The amount used today was the amount that can be obtained once every two weeks. Moreover, it’s not a potion that can be stored in the first place.’

It was the moment when the Marquis finally heard about the black potion that had been kept secret for a long time, but his expression became as dark as Truyde’s.

What kind of ingredient prevents it from being stored? Beyond that, it was shocking that a lethal dose had no effect on Karas.

This meant that he might not die even after a month.

However, Truyde was not worried about this. No matter how strong Karas was and even if he didn’t die within a month, he guaranteed that he would become addicted to the poison which means he can no longer exert his power. The Marquis asked why he was telling him this fact. Truyde’s answer was simple.

‘Because the first victim will be Norhox.’

Truyde suggested removing Norhox, who was already doomed, and the war profiteer, who was not a real member of the King’s Heart. Then, it would be clear that the only ones left to join forces were the Marquis and himself. Of course, the Marquis did not believe this either. However, if Norhox became the first victim, it would buy him some time.

It’s time to uncover Truyde’s secrets. The Marquis emerged from his long contemplation and lifted his head. It was already getting brighter outside. Starting today, Norhox would surely be frantically searching for secrets through Erei, whom he had sent. As the most disadvantageous party, Norhox would be desperate and entrust everything to Erei.

Therefore, the Marquis had no intention of confirming whether Erei was the real Regas right away. It would be enough to do so after Norhox died in a week. Only then did the Marquis finally organize his thoughts and close his eyes. In any case, it was sure to be a long week.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The Commander of the Royal Guards woke up with swollen eyes in the morning and was relieved to find no one else in the room. He had disgracefully burst into tears, clutching the servant during the whole night. He held onto the small guy and cried for a long time, but he didn’t say anything and just patted his back until the end.

If the servant had said anything to comfort him, it would have hurt his pride, but being silently consoled had allowed him to cry more freely. Well surprisingly, he might be a better person than he thought. As he love Sir Kin that much, he decided he should treat the servant better in the future as he headed outside. It was still early morning, so he headed to the training ground, which was slightly covered in mist when the examiner suddenly called out to him from behind.

“Oh—you’re up early. Since you’re awake, check the guards around the mansion, Garasu.”

“Yes, I’ll inspect…”

The Commander of the Royal Guards stopped in his tracks and widened his eyes, doubting his ears.

What, what did he call me just now?

Seeing his expression, the examiner patted his shoulder as if he understood.

“I heard everything from your servant. Your original name is Garasu, but because it was too impressive, you were bullied by those who were jealous of it? So, you purposely used the common name ‘Tom’. Haha, there’s no need to worry about that here. Your real name isn’t just impressive, it’s hilarious… Ahem, anyway, no one here will be jealous, so feel free to use that name, Garasu.”

As the examiner, wearing an expression as if he had just heard the funniest name ever, walked away, the Commander of the Royal Guards stared at his back, dumbfounded. Then, as if looking for something, he turned his head and met eyes with Abel, who was eavesdropping from a nearby pillar. As soon as Abel saw him, he grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, as if to say, “Everything went well, right?”

Since it was still early morning, Abel’s face was clean, not yet in disguise. Although the bruises around his eyes were still visible, the swelling in his chin had almost gone down. His eyes, curved from smiling, his porcelain-white skin, and his prettily curved lips, the Commander of the Royal Guards momentarily held his breath. He looked like an angel.

Thump.

The sound of his heartbeat echoed in the Commander of the Royal Guards’ ears. The noise was so loud it overwhelmed him, and he hurriedly turned his head in embarrassment. Yet, as he quickly walked away, a shy smile naturally spread across his lips. He genuinely thought Abel was a really good person.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Karas returned to the palace, and it seemed as if he had gone back to 12 years ago.

Perhaps it was because he was staying in the same place?

Ashler stood outside the bedroom door, staring at it just as he had 12 years ago. The servants, terrified after seeing the charred corpse, did not dare to come near.

Even though the room had been cleaned and its owner was no longer baring his nails and teeth at people, fear still shrouded the prince’s palace as it had 12 years ago. It was hard to blame the servants for being scared by a mere corpse.

‘Get out.’

The single word Karas carelessly threw at anyone who entered sent a chill down their spine. It was probably due to the lingering smell of burnt flesh, the soot, and the owner of the room who seemed unaffected by it all. Karas sat on the floor, staring blankly at one spot with unfocused eyes. The dazed look on his face made it clear he was under the influence of the black potion.

Seeing him like that made Ashler feel like his heart was being torn apart. He wanted to beg Karas to cancel the bet, promising to get rid of all the King’s Heart himself. However, he barely managed to swallow those words and instead ran off to someone else.

He couldn’t understand at all. Why did he need to use such extreme methods? Why did Karas accept their provocation and put his life on the line? Ashler knew that there was already another plan to counter the King’s Heart.

Even though Karas had given the commanders tasks unknown to each other, he had guessed it to some extent. It involved using the item that the last enemy king had revealed to them.

So why risk his life?

The person Ashler went to confirm this with was the war profiteer, who was just about to leave the palace.

The other members of the King’s Heart had already left, and he was the last one. He was trembling and pale with fear as he boarded his carriage. If he hadn’t betrayed them as Kin had said, he would be the one who knew the most about what Karas was planning, having sat with him.

‘You know, don’t you? That His Majesty has changed the plan.’

The probing question made the war profiteer look around in fear. Although he didn’t answer, his actions alone confirmed it.

‘What’s the new plan? You were there too, so you must know of His Majesty’s plan.’

However, this time, the war profiteer shook his head. Ashler grabbed his collar and threatened him in a low voice.

‘If you don’t tell me everything you know, I’ll skin you alive right here and feed you to the wild dogs.’

‘I’m just doing my original task. That’s all.’

The war profiteer’s raspy voice, as if clogged with phlegm, made Ashler stop his movement.

My original task?

Did that mean he was still carrying out the mission he had been assigned long ago?

He hadn’t betrayed them?

Ashler was both puzzled and sharply glared at him.

‘How can I trust you? That you, a member of the King’s Heart, haven’t betrayed us.’

The war profiteer, as if anxious about being watched, darted his eyes around and hastily replied.

‘I haven’t betrayed anyone.’

‘Prove it.’

‘…..’

‘Show some evidence.’

He grabbed the war profiteer’s collar even tighter, urging him to speak. This time, his choking voice broke through.

“I-I found out something about the black potion. It seems that the main ingredient can’t be obtained in large quantities at once. And it’s not easy to store either. So, when the black potion was sent to the battlefield, it was mixed with other substances and solidified, which reduced its effectiveness. But the amount of original solution given to His Majesty today was the maximum that could be gathered. That’s why everyone is panicking. His Majesty, at least outwardly, seemed unaffected.”

Who knows what’s happening inside their minds. The war profiteer muttered.

Ashler, surprised by his words, felt the strength leave his hands. The war profiteer, who could have stepped back as his grip loosened, instead grabbed Ashler’s arm tightly. The painful twist made Ashler wince, but his focus remained on the voice that captured his attention. The words were forced out as if it were his last resort, just like the strength in his hand.

“Bring Kin. If you don’t bring him within two weeks, I’ll find my own way to survive. That might be when I truly betray you. So, bring K-Kin, bring him to me before that.”

With that, the war profiteer boarded his carriage and left the palace. Ashler couldn’t take his eyes off the carriage until it disappeared into the darkness. The war profiteer’s desperate plea lingered in his ears as if the crumpled fabric from where he had been grabbed still held his grip. It was because of the desperation in his last words.

Ashler realized that this was the war profiteer’s true intention that couldn’t be disguised. Although he didn’t betray them, what if he couldn’t meet Kin within the next two weeks? Wait, this means he won’t be the victim in a week, right? Whatever the case, there was one important thing in his words.

He was scared enough that he might actually betray them. Ashler quickly called a subordinate who was good at tracking and ordered him to find Kin’s whereabouts, then returned to Karas. He wanted to stop Karas, who had caused even the war profiteer to be so terrified.

However, when he entered the room in the middle of the night, despite his rudeness, he found himself unable to take another step. A small flame was flickering in the room. The candlelight illuminated Karas, who was sitting nearby, his head bowed as he looked at a book spread open on the floor.

At that moment, Ashler seemed to hear the faint sound of chains rattling. The same figure of the prince from 12 years ago, whom no one could approach, appeared before his eyes. Karas, doing the same thing in the same place. It was then that Ashler vaguely realized he had no right to stop him.

He still didn’t know what Karas was feeling. But just seeing him like that broke his heart.

How had he not noticed?

Karas, silently and coldly angry, was still full of Abel. Just because he wasn’t outwardly grieving or crying didn’t mean he was okay.

His mind collapsed and went into ruins. The only thing sustaining him was a fragment of memory. This is why he seemed to have stopped, reverting back to the time just before he met Abel. He should be thankful that he wasn’t driven mad and was still holding on like this. Ashler couldn’t even fathom how he faced the King’s Heart with such a chilling calmness.

As he left the room, he gritted his teeth in frustration at his own helplessness. Just like twelve years ago, he couldn’t get close to Karas. But unlike back then, he was no longer clueless. Now, he had the power Karas had given him and there were things he could do.

If Karas decided to play with the King’s Heart, Ashler could only help him as much as possible. He just had to make sure Karas would endure longer than the King’s Heart. As soon as the sun rose, Ashler rode his horse and left the palace. He knew that Melmond’s medicine couldn’t completely neutralize the black potion and that it would lose its effectiveness if used in large quantities.

But who knew if it might still help?

If what the war profiteer said was true, Truyde couldn’t administer a large amount of black potion at once, thus, Melmond’s medicine might work. After all, it had protected Karas for the past twelve years.

He began to ride like a madman towards Melmond’s house. He didn’t care about the anger Karas might feel once he found out later. If Karas’ new plan involved destroying the King’s Heart and sacrificing his own life, Ashler had no intention of following it.

Now, all he had to do was secretly feed the emperor Melmond’s medicine and find Kin to prevent the war profiteer from betraying them. The first task was simple enough once he met Melmond at his house, thus, the latter was the problem. However, the second problem was unexpectedly easy to solve as well. When he returned to the palace, a letter was waiting for him.

It was from Kin.