RGS Volume 1 Part 8

Finally, with all the permissions granted, the morning of the day when Abel will enter the palace as a Regas arrived. Melmond went to pick up Abel and saw him with a worried expression. Unable to urge him to hurry, Melmond stood still for a moment when something caught his eye. A small, round wooden plaque sticking out from Abel’s luggage.

Not the entire thing, but on the wooden pendant smaller than the palm of his hand, the figure of a dragon was engraved. At the end, there was a leather strap attached. Melmond realized that it was an item of their sect that had been passed down from the past master to the new sect master. Now that it has been passed down to Abel, he must be the master of their sect. Melmond opened his mouth, suddenly realizing the death of Wiedel.

“Are you worried?”

Well, why wouldn’t he be worried? Even though it wasn’t him going as the prince’s Regas, Melmond couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned. Suddenly meeting the Duke, the master dying, Abel becoming the prince’s Regas.

The events that happened in a short period of time were too chaotic for him to grasp. If he felt this way, how would Abel feel? Melmond placed his hand on Abel’s shoulder and comforted him in a gentle voice, unlike usual.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine. Stay positive.”

“Will it really?”

“Yes.”

As Melmond nodded vigorously, Abel finally smiled.

“Yes, I’ll believe that too. I left the mushrooms in the warehouse cause I didn’t know I would leave the house empty for so long. They probably won’t rot, right?”

“Of course! The mushrooms will rot… mushrooms?”

“Ha ha, yes! The mushrooms? Perhaps they’ll still be fine when we return. I’ll try to stay positive. If not, we can always pick new ones, right?”

“…True. We can just pick new ones.”

“Exactly!”

“Yeah, your neck.” [T/N: I believe this part, Melmond jokingly hit Abel’s neck.]

“Ahh! *gulp*! Melmond, why, why are you doing this… *gulp*!”

“You, you little… Who told you to be so annoyingly positive and get me all worked up!”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Is there ever a case where rumors are truer than the truth? According to Ashler’s experience, that has never happened. Rumors always tend to exaggerate and distort. However, a few days ago, he saw the prince that he had only heard rumors about, and he realized that the rumors couldn’t compare to reality.

That’s why there won’t be anyone next to him like a Regas. Not only a Regas, but even the attendants were afraid to approach the prince. That little boy becoming the king in the future? Can he really become a king? The only thing Ashler could find comfort in was that the prince, who he would have to serve, was at least not a fool. The only thing the young prince did all day was read books.

But he might not even know that. He might just be flipping through the pages of a book that he can’t even read. Ashler resented the captain of the guard who sent him here. A good opportunity? If the prince continued to go crazy like that, he would have died from madness within a few years.

That’s why Ashler didn’t have any expectations for the new Regas. No matter how special they were, a Regas is just a puppet of the king. All they could do was dance, indulge in debauchery, and laugh.

So when he went to greet the new Regas, Ashler naturally looked for the beautiful man he had seen so far. But to his surprise, a bandit-like man who looked like a ruffian came laughing and greeted him.

“I heard from the chief. You must be the knight who will guide me.”

Ashler looked around after passing at the laughing bandit.

“Why are you alone?”

“Yes? Is it not allowed to come alone?”

Startled, the bandit-like man looked around nervously. Ashler, suppressing his irritation, asked him again.

“Where did you leave the Regas and come alone?”

Then, hesitatingly. Just as Ashler was about to say another word, the bandit answered.

“I’m here.”

“What?”

“Regas.”

“…Damn it.”

Ashler, who had never lost his composure even in numerous sword fights, barely swallowed his curse. Fuck, is this the new Regas? He didn’t even care about his dumbfounded expression with his mouth wide open. Only the words of the captain of the guard echoed in his mind. This was too special, even for something special.

The palace where the prince stayed was in the most remote part of the royal palace. So it took a long time to walk and arrive, to the point where his legs hurt. But the location wasn’t the problem. What Abel felt first in this place was the gloominess.

The small palace where the prince stayed seemed calm as if a hidden curtain had been drawn around it. A place devoid of human activity. Of course, there were people. The soldiers who guarded the prince and the palace. However, they all had anxious and fearful faces, not even making a sound.

“The maid will guide you to your quarters. Is there anything else you need?”

Upon hearing Ashler’s question, Abel looked around the inside of the palace and lowered his head. A maid was standing in front of him, looking at him strangely. Abel quickly answered Ashler.

“I would like to meet the prince first.”

However, Ashler, who was at eye level with him, just looked at him without saying a word. Feeling like he had done something wrong, Abel subtly shrugged his shoulders.

“Um, can I not meet him yet?”

“Speak, Lord Regas.”

“Oh, yes.”

“….”

“Um, well….”

“Of course, you can meet the prince first. However, wouldn’t it be better for you to hear a pre-explanation about the prince before you go meet him?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Abel’s bright smile seemed pitiful to Ashler. He must have come here without knowing anything. He would leave in a day or at most three days. Ashler didn’t mind if he gave up quickly.

After all, it was decided that he would only be a bodyguard during this Regas. If Abel left quickly, he could return to his original position. So there was no reason to refuse if he wanted to see the crazy prince. Ashler gestured to the maid and looked back at the corridor on the left.

“Shall we meet him now?”

Nodding, Abel eagerly nodded and turned his head towards the corridor Ashler had seen. A long corridor with no one guarding it.

“Yes, I want to meet him quickly.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Should I have followed him?

Melmond was only anxious like a child Abel had left behind. Even if this human didn’t want him there, damn it.

“I’m looking forward to it. How well will the librarian’s apprentice lead the prince?”

The attendant had been openly mocking Melmond since morning. Melmond kept his mouth shut, knowing that it was wise not to retort, but his heart was complicated with worry for Abel. He had roughly told Abel what he had heard about the prince, but Abel just brushed it off with his characteristic chuckle, saying, “Ah, come on, really?”

Foolish guy, he better not meet the prince and run away without doing anything.

“But surely he won’t run away on the first day, right? Hey, librarian. Isn’t that right?”

Melmond also had the same concerns, but hearing it from the new attendant’s mouth, it couldn’t be more ridiculous.

“Yes. Is he really going to run away on the first day? Of course, among the Regas that the new attendants have chosen, there are plenty of people who ran away on the first day.”

Surprisingly, the attendant’s face twisted at the unexpected response. Melmond ignored it and took a sip of tea as if nothing happened.

Please, let him endure the first day.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Creak.

The large black door opened, but Abel couldn’t see the inside right away. It was bright outside, but dark inside. All the windows were blocked, and there were only two or three candlesticks illuminating the inside. The scene illuminated by the small flames was truly dismal for a prince’s room.

The inside seemed to have been cleaned a long time ago and was dirty, with dark stains covering the floor and walls. But what greeted him first in the indistinct interior was the smell. It was a disgusting and pungent smell that clearly smelled of blood. It seemed to be a mixture of old and fresh blood.

“All the servants are too scared to go inside. That’s why the inside is a mess.”

Abel recalled the explanation he heard from Ashler before opening the door. Abel cautiously looked around inside, taking a step forward. His gaze stopped at one place. One of the few candles was illuminating a book spread out on the floor. Holding the end of the book was a small hand. Abel’s eyes stopped at something connected to the wrist of the small hand.

Ashler’s second explanation was also true.

“By the way, the prince is currently chained up to prevent him from running wild.”

Tap, tap.

Abel entered inside and slowly walked towards the prince. Then he stopped a little distance away, knelt down, and lowered his body. As he approached, the prince’s figure became clear even in the darkness.

A small child with a petite body who seemed like a prince. Long hair covering the face in a messy state and dirty clothes. And the unbearable smell of not having washed for long.

Abel realized that the stains on the prince’s clothes and the stains covering the entire room were bloodstains. The carpet he knelt on also had bloodstains that had turned black. Perhaps the blood on this spot was not from another Regas. With that thought, Abel opened his mouth.

“Hello, Prince. I am your new Regas, Abel, who will be by your side from now on.”

After a while, the prince reacted. The sound of clinking chains could be heard, and the small hand moved to grab Abel’s knee. And when Abel felt a sharp pain in his knee, he realized that a piece of broken glass held in the child’s hand was tearing through his flesh.

It was quiet. Ashler listened carefully at the door, but he couldn’t hear any screams or cries from inside. If he had gotten closer to the prince, he would have definitely seen blood. Are the bandits patient? They boldly demanded it and entered, so perhaps showing tears might have been embarrassing.

Ashler stepped back from the tightly closed door. Well, it won’t last long and they’ll soon come out. Ashler leaned against the wall not far from the door. When he heard that the prince was chained, the bandit looked quite surprised.

He probably couldn’t speak for a while with his mouth wide open. In fact, when Ashler first heard that story, he also frowned.

Chains for an 8-year-old child. But there were consistent rumors around.

“He’s a devil. You can tell just by looking at his eyes.”

Ashler already knew about the prince’s eyes. Snake eyes, they said? It was just creepy, what else could it be? But the moment he accidentally saw the prince’s eyes, he felt a shiver and fear ran through his whole body.

Ashler has been holding a sword since he was very young. It wasn’t just a few times that the blade almost pierced his heart and throat. The chill he felt as he passed through the moment of death has now become familiar. He thought there was nothing to be afraid of or surprised by.

But he couldn’t move his body just by looking at a child’s eyes. Moreover, those eyes just passed through his hair. The strange thing was that when he deliberately looked into the prince’s eyes for the second time, he felt no fear at all.

However, the feeling he had when he first saw it was definitely not false. He still doesn’t understand what happened, but he didn’t engrave the people’s words in his heart. Devil, they say. It’s hard to believe. It might be more accurate to say that the legendary dragon has reappeared.

But it’s impossible to raise the name of the sacred dragon to a prince who is obsessed with blood. If the prince continues in that state, it’s only a matter of time before rumors spread throughout the country that he is branded as a devil. On the contrary, if the prince recovers, he will be revered as the incarnation of the dragon.

Was the opportunity mentioned by the captain of the guard the latter? But it’s hard to believe someone like that bandit-like man to be a Regas. Ashler continued to watch the door.

The bandit was surprised to hear that the prince was chained and demanded.

“Please give me the key.”

At that moment, the bandit’s eyes were so determined that Ashler was slightly surprised and handed over the key. If he released the prince, he would silently rush in and become even more covered in blood, but he didn’t warn him on purpose. If he waited a little longer, the door would open and the smell of blood would flow out.

Ashler’s expectations were not far off. After waiting a few more minutes, the door opened and the bandit appeared. Covered in wounds on his legs, arms, and even his face, he was bleeding.

However, he was not alone.

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T/N: Abel is seriously so innocently funny lmao. Can’t wait for the next parts~