RGS Volume 2 Part 20

The tense atmosphere had disappeared, but the awkwardness remained. Abel glanced at the silent Karas, who seemed to be pondering something, his gaze fixed on the campfire. While Abel felt a bit relieved, there was still a lingering sense of unease, as if it were somehow his fault. Consequently, he couldn’t bring himself to lie down, even though he was feeling sleepy.

“Uhm, Commander-in-Chief.”

After a while, he finally looked up with hazy eyes but still showed no reaction. He seemed somehow lacking in energy, so Abel apologized unnecessarily with a guilty feeling.

“I’m sorry earlier. Did I upset you by providing unhelpful information?”

“……”

“Oh, haha, well, that’s why I’m going to give you different information!

However, he still had no reaction. By this point, Abel wanted to give him good information to make him an even higher-ranking commander. Abel squeezed his brain, recalling the incident that had somewhat caught the prince’s interest.

Yes, that might be helpful to the commander.

Excitedly, Abel approached him with quick steps, regardless of whether the other person found him annoying or not.

“This will really be helpful. The prince, no, His Majesty, there is something he likes.”

Abel looked around as if he were revealing a secret, then lowered his voice. And he then whispered the one thing that had piqued the prince’s interest.

“Hunting bears.”

Snap.

Karas’ gazed, whom Abel had just glanced at, finally changed. Intense annoyance was clear in his eyes. However, Abel, who couldn’t see clearly in the darkness, was excited and continued.

It was only a few months ago for Abel, so the memory was still vivid. When he fled from animals, the prince had shown an unusual interest and also to the sight of Ashler hunting wild boars and bears.

“Of course, bears are not common, so they are not easily caught. If bears are not available, catching wild boars in front of His Majesty is also very effective.”

“……”

Abel finally noticed Karas’s cold gaze. Realizing his mistake, he slapped his knee with his hand in frustration.

“Aha! You’re worried about catching a bear, aren’t you!”

Instead of bears, he should have been worried about his own life. Of course, Abel didn’t notice because he was laughing.

“Ahahaha- It’s okay. It’s okay. If you practice hard, you can catch them.”

Abel courageously patted Karas’ arm and encouraged him.

“I know a knight who practiced swordsmanship every day without fail. And then, he was able to defeat a bear in one strike.”

At that time, Ashler’s life was in danger as he fought against a bear. However, in order to give courage to Karas, Abel exaggeratedly explained with enthusiasm.

“It’s true. The bear was *this* big, but that knight cut it down with a single stroke. Impressive, right? I was really amazed at the time. He’s really magnificent. His voice is really elegant, and he’s handsome too.”

Abel smiled at the thought of Ashler for a moment. Although he had never said it, he had always admired how someone around his age wielded a sword so impressively As he was thinking, he felt a sharp gaze and quickly added.

“Oh, of course the Commander-in-Chief is also impressive!”

He praised him right away, but he didn’t seem to take it in. Instead, his gaze became even colder. Karas felt uneasy in a strange way. Some people are described as magnificent, elegant, and handsome, while he was just called impressive in one word at that.

And on top of it, a bear?

“A bear, huh.”

As he muttered, feeling upset, Abel opened his eyes wide and shook his head.

“No way! It’s not just a bear. It’s really difficult to catch a bear. I know because I’ve encountered bears several times. Bears are not something anyone can catch. It’s true. Especially the one that knight caught was as big as a house… a huge bear…”

Thud.

An unfamiliar sound cut through the air. Followed by the sound of footsteps.

Thud!

A bear appeared. As big as a house.

It was after he had caught another animal and caused trouble in the Dragon Forest. He laughed cheerfully in front of Ashler, but deep down, he felt sorry and scratched his head as he left the knight’s quarters.

Melmond was waiting for him. Perhaps worried about Abel, he brought several old books and explained.

‘I’ve looked it up, and although it was a long time ago, there have been a few occasions when noble blood, inheriting the power of the dragon, went into the forest and came out with animals. Look here. See? So, it’s not your fault. It seems like the prince has some ability.’

Blink.

Abel looked at the sky, which changed from black to blue. He recalled past events. He had just woken up and his mind was a bit hazy, but he was thinking about this as soon as he opened his eyes. The events of last night were quite surprising.

How could such a coincidence happen? A bear really appeared. It was like when he was with the prince. Abel stood up from the hard ground. Even though it was still the end of summer, the morning dew felt chilly.

He stopped trying to put on the outerwear he had slept under like a blanket when his eyes met something. Not far away, a bear was staring at him with bared white teeth and a growling face. Of course, there was no chance of being attacked since it was already dead, but it was eerie to meet the bear’s gaze as soon as he got up.

Abel shook his body briefly and stood up completely. The sudden appearance of the bear was scary, but the person who effortlessly killed the bear with a single stroke was even scarier. To bring down such a big bear in one fell swoop.

Furthermore, Karas turned around and looked at Abel with a sword dripping with blood as soon as the bear fell. The atmosphere was made even more eerie by his half-lit face and the fallen bear in the background of the campfire. His low voice also added to the mood.

‘This insignificant bear.’

There was no way to refute calling the bear “this insignificant bear.” The ‘little’ bear had truly become such a thing. Abel was surprised and the best he could do was not to faint. So, he raised his thumb and couldn’t even muster the courage to praise the commander for his success.

While Abel was frozen, Karas casually lay down in his place as if killing a bear with a single stroke was an everyday occurrence. However, Abel couldn’t fall asleep in that state for a long time. Only later did he manage to make a guess.

Did the number of bears increase rapidly during the past 12 years when he was absent, making it as easy to encounter a bear in the forest as encountering a squirrel? Even if he came to a conclusion, it wasn’t until the campfire went out that he could finally fall asleep. However, his doubts remained when he saw the bear again in the morning.

Why did it appear?

It was as if the bear was crouching in the forest, eavesdropping on the conversation and appearing when his own words came out. But that couldn’t be true…

Well, it must be a coincidence. Abel scratched his head and soon gave up, but the memory of the prince and what happened in the Dragon Forest didn’t disappear from one corner of his mind.

Looking up at the sky, it seemed like it would soon be completely bright. There was still some bread left, but Abel quietly started walking, thinking of going to the forest to find more food. He walked cautiously, afraid of waking Karas, and stopped at the point where he passed him.

Karas was lying facing the sky, covering his face with one arm while sleeping. He was wearing clothes, but his exposed belly bothered Abel. Abel carefully covered his stomach with the outerwear he had and proudly looked at it before quickly entering the forest, hoping to find some fruit if he was lucky.

After a while, when the sound of Abel’s footsteps became faint, Karas woke up. He raised his head and looked at the clothes covering his stomach, then looked back at the forest where Abel had disappeared. His eyes, which had been staring at the forest for a long time, turned to the lifeless bear.

The question that kept him awake all night, disturbing his sleep, came back to him.

Why did it appear?

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Like any nobleman, Truyde’s wake-up time was long after the sun had risen. Last night, he had stayed up late with someone he fancied, and it was already dawn when he fell asleep. Next to him, a man with long blonde hair was fast asleep.

His face still bore traces of tears from crying all night. His skin had red marks from being bound with ropes, and whip marks would probably be visible on his back under the covers. However, Truyde’s hand, gently stroking his sleeping partner’s blonde hair, was full of tenderness. Contrary to the unpleasant expression he usually wore when waking up early in the morning.

“Duke Duncan urgently requests a meeting. I told him Your Grace cannot come right now, but he was so insistent that I had to bring him to the reception room.”

The butler reported with a trembling voice. He knew that the sound of whipping and the man’s screams had echoed throughout Truyde’s room all night. Therefore, it was absolutely forbidden to wake Truyde, who had barely fallen asleep in the early morning.

Those in this mansion knew Truyde’s preferences well. If someone who didn’t know saw it, they would be surprised by his masochistic tendencies, but those who knew how cruel he was behind his kind smile naturally accepted it.

It was a routine for the person who had been screaming all night in that room to come out as a corpse. Fortunately, this time the other person seemed to match Truyde’s demanding preferences, so he had been staying in this mansion for a few weeks already. Well, it wouldn’t last more than a month. Truyde wouldn’t give his heart to anyone.

A few years ago, his third wife barely gave birth to a successor, but Truyde didn’t even show affection to his hard-won son. Of course, he was happy about the birth of the child. He was relieved that his family could continue. Continuing the power was Truyde’s top priority.

The butler’s face turned pale at the thought of punishment for waking Truyde, but Truyde had no intention of punishing him. Duncan was someone he had to face sooner or later. Recently, there had been a major problem within the King’s Heart, which consisted of five families.

Unbeknownst to them, their finances were quietly slipping into the hands of the new forces, and when they finally woke up to the reality, the three families were already buried under heaps of debt. The reason Truyde quietly watched this situation was partly because he was complacent like the other King’s Heart. The new forces did not consider them as enemies.

Even if they received help from the emperor, they would not dedicate their lives to him. It had already been confirmed by sending spies multiple times. They had no intention of turning the King’s Heart into an enemy. That’s why he had been complacent. The only enemy the King’s Heart had to face was the emperor.

However, the newly emerged power grew as an enemy not for the emperor’s sake, but to increase their own power. Truyde began to suspect only now.

Could it be that the emperor was not aiming for this?

By drawing attention to himself fighting from the outside, he made the King’s Heart complacent towards the internal enemies.

If that was the case, the emperor was succeeding. Duncan was currently the most financially troubled among the king’s hearts. Rumors had been circulating lately that the war would soon come to an end. No matter how much power King’s Heart had wielded, the owner of the country was definitely Karas.

The new forces naturally had to oppose him. Although they could not directly threaten the King’s Heart, if the emperor returned, they would have a new opportunity. It was natural that Duncan, who had the weakest financial status, was the first to be attacked.

Perhaps only after his mansion was taken away did he seem to come to his senses and seek help. Norhox promised to eliminate the emperor on the battlefield, but it seems that he didn’t have time to wait for that. However, Truyde also was not waiting for Norhox’s achievements.

While everyone attributed Karas’s victory to luck and his brave army, only Truyde began to believe that it was Karas’s ability. So, he will survive this time as well. And he might really end the war as the rumors say.

Trude lifted the covers to reveal a man lying face down. Inside his hole was a wooden pen1s model. As Truyde removed the pen1s model, a moan escaped from his lips. However, he didn’t open his eyes, seemingly deeply asleep. Truyde inserted his own member into the loosened opening caused by the model.

“Ask him to wait a little longer.”

Ordering the butler, Truyde moved his waist. If the fight between the new forces and the King’s Heart is the emperor’s intention, it is time to let him know that he made a mistake. The emperor’s world doesn’t just become one when the five families of the King’s Heart disappear.

Truyde chuckled and moved his waist more roughly.

Forces threatening the King’s Heart?

Then I’ll just make them a new King’s Heart.

Discard the unnecessary Duncan.

Or discard all the remaining four families that are useless.