RGS Volume 2 Part 8

Abel pushed the hesitant butler and sent him to the well, then grabbed the soldier’s shoulder.

“I’ll bring water soon. So please bear with it a little longer.”

Having tended to him like that, did it have any effect?

The soldier, who had been groaning continuously, weakly opened his eyes. For a moment, as if regaining his senses, he repeated the words he had spoken to Melmond earlier.

“Huff, it’s a trap… Haa, danger… Haa, haa…”

“Yes, I know. We are calling for a soldier now…”

Thump!

The soldier grabbed Abel with his blood-stained hand as if squeezing out his last bit of strength.

“But he… he’s gone… Sob, southeast of the forest… Old fortress… Stop him… *Cough, cough*!”

The soldier vomited a large amount of blood and dropped his head. The hot blood he last spat out covered Abel’s face and body, but Abel didn’t pay any attention to it. Whoever he was, it was clear that someone from their allies had entered the forest. The prince was important, but to Abel, this seemed more urgent as that person had already gone inside the forest.

We have to stop him!

Determined, Abel hastily wrote a message using a branch of a tree on the ground and without hesitation, leaped into the forest. After he left, the blood spilled by the soldiers slowly stained the ground, partially covering the writing.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Haa, haa, Southeast of the Forest.

Abel clenched his chest with his hand, repeating only these words in his mind, and slipped through the trees. At some point, the path split into two, but Abel chose one without hesitation. Although there were no footprints, he saw many traces of people passing by. And after walking for a while, as he expected, an open space appeared before him.

Places where traces of stone walls remained here and there, indicating that it was an old ruin. And the open space was filled with numerous soldiers holding their swords. Abel continued to walk without stopping until he was near them. The reason was that the patterns of their allies were engraved on their armor.

What is this? Have our allies already arrived?

“Huff, huff…”

As he leaned against a nearby tree, barely calming his pounding heart, a sharp voice was heard.

“Who are you?!”

When Abel raised his blood-soaked face, the soldiers’ gazes all turned towards him.

“Ah, haa, haa, ah, I…”

Abel tried to let them know that he was on their side. However, his words didn’t come out properly, and his legs, which had been holding up until then, collapsed to the ground, ignoring its owner’s will.

Then the soldiers shouted.

“Quickly reveal yourself!”

Reveal myself?

He was perplexed, as he opened his eyes.

Thud.

Suddenly, footsteps from behind could be heard.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

As soon as Ashler surveyed the enemy fortress, he was met with completely unwelcome news.

“What did you say?”

The soldier delivering the news hesitated, his face turning pale before he managed to speak.

“Th-the thing is, when we noticed the intruder, he was already dead.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t realize that His Majesty had disappeared?”

Ashler spat out these words angrily, but there was nothing he could do in this situation where the emperor had vanished. He had asked him not to act alone. He was already quite independent, but this time it was different. The enemy intruder had disguised himself as an ally and was even able to enter their camp and have a conversation with the emperor.

Ashler looked down at the intruder, whose head had been severed, leaving only the torso.

What had brought them inside and what words they have spoken to the emperor?

It was definitely not a good thing. It was clearly a trap to lure the emperor. The question was whether the emperor had gone knowing it was a trap.

No, of course, he knew.

Sighing deeply, a knight runs forward.

“Captain Ashler, there is someone you need to meet urgently.”

Ashler turned his frowning eyes towards him. He sternly spoke, prioritizing finding the emperor.

“Tell whoever it is to go back. Finding His Majesty is what’s important right now. We need to find him immediately!”

“Yes, that’s exactly why this person has come.”

Saying that the knight pointed to the person following behind him. Ashler looked at him and immediately relaxed his frowning expression.

“Sir Melmond! What brings you here in person?”

However, as soon as Melmond saw Ashler, he hurriedly delivered his message.

“Sir Ashler, something big has happened. His Majesty may have fallen into a trap!”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Screechh―

The sound of something scraping the floor drowned out the sound of upcoming footsteps. Abel, aware that the gaze of the soldiers filling the courtyard was now directed behind him, turned his head. And he recognized the tall man approaching. However, he approached slowly. Despite the soldiers in the courtyard shouting again, the man maintained his pace.

“I asked who you are!”

Screechh―

Abel, who had been crouching on the floor, realized that the source of the dragging sound was the sword held in the man’s hand. He was lazily stretching his arm out to drag the sword along the ground.

Did he hurt himself somewhere?

But looking at his trembling arm, it didn’t seem like he was injured.

Then, is it really because it’s bothersome?

Abel, who had been thinking, tried to look up at his face as he passed by. However, he couldn’t see properly because of the bright sunlight. He only confirmed the black hair that was as dark as night. Additionally, he noticed something round in the hand that wasn’t holding a sword.

“Why don’t you reveal your name?!”

As the soldier shouted towards the man walking from the shade of the forest, the man’s hand moved.

Thud.

He threw the round object he had been holding in his hand under the soldiers’ feet. Abel, surprised, clutched his chest as he watched it roll several times before stopping. It was the severed head of a person, eyes open, and, moreover, it was smiling. As the soldiers all widened their astonished eyes, the man’s belated response was heard.

“…Karas.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

“Sir Melmond, what does that mean?”

Not only was Melmond’s sudden appearance surprising, but the emperor fell into a trap? Ashler hurriedly approached Melmond and asked quietly.

“How did you know that His Majesty disappeared?”

“What? His Majesty disappeared?”

When Melmond asked instead, Ashler realized that his question was wrong.

“How did you know that His Majesty fell into a trap?”

“Ah, well, that. I met a fallen soldier who was attacked on the way here. But the soldier pointed to the forest and said that His Majesty fell into a trap and it was dangerous…”

The forest?

Ashler furrowed his brow and asked about the location, and Melmond told him the way he came. It was an area that was usually sufficient for casual reconnaissance.

Our allies were attacked there?

Moreover, on one hand, they also casually entered their soldier camp and conversed with the emperor.

Ashler looked around sharply. At some point, an invisible enemy had emerged in this war. Unlike the enemy, one would face head-on with a sword, this unseen enemy disrupted and hindered the internal information network of allies.

Having an enemy among the allies one must trust and fight alongside was a fatal flaw in war. Nothing undermines morale and shatters victory like internal division. So, the victories they have achieved so far were clearly miraculous.

Perhaps those who only rolled their heads in a safe palace far from the battlefield wouldn’t know. Those who devise wicked tricks and schemes were overlooking one thing. These miracles were not due to coincidence or luck. It’s something one wouldn’t realize unless seen and experienced firsthand. Unless one sees the back of the person fighting at the forefront of the thundering cavalry charge.

The invincible being who first spills blood, takes away the most enemy lives, and reaches the enemy leader to cut off their neck first, creates a thrill that is so terrifying. Not a single enemy who faced him has survived. The enemies were always annihilated.

Therefore, anyone who has witnessed his fight even once bows their head in awe and swears loyalty. No matter how much interference and schemes are carried out from behind, the secret to never losing in battle is this. Those who rush towards the enemy with a sword in hand all carry the fear of death. No matter how superior they are in numbers, if the fear of death is great, they are bound to lose.

However, those who have experienced the invincible being who never falters no matter what, do not think of death. Known as the King of Slaughter, rising as a terror on the continent, he is like a god to them. The soldiers who willingly risk their lives and follow behind, knowing the thrill of victory, also become invincible.

In this way, the soldiers became perfect allies over the course of six years. They filtered out those who were close to the King’s Heart and barely created true allies. Those who experienced the moment of death together immediately discover an unfamiliar presence. After going through this process several times, when new reinforcements arrive, everyone automatically becomes cautious. Even though they appear friendly and kind on the surface, their eyes sharply follow the footsteps of the new recruits.

“Nani!”

[T/N: As I have also read the manhwa I am also changing Nanny’s name to Nani based on it^^]

As Ashler called out his name loudly, he immediately rushed over. While coming, he pretended to be glad to see Melmond and then lowered his voice when speaking to Ashler. He was the most sociable person and the biggest source of information within the camp. As expected, he already had important information.

“I heard that the new Commander of the 3rd Battalion changed the western guard post to his own personal guard this morning.”

The title “commander” referred to the nobles’ children. As the emperor continued to gain power and fame through victories in war, the weak nobles sent their children to the emperor’s side. They came with splendid horses and guards, but most of them couldn’t last a month and fled.

Even if they managed to endure, they trembled at the thought of leading in battle and fainted on the spot, urinating in fear. Occasionally, those skilled in swordsmanship came to expand their influence, but they too could not last long. The emperor’s army was already tightly united, unbreakable by anyone.

However, the King’s Heart who captured the palace continued to send people without knowing that. This time, the new commander seemed to be quite skilled in battle and quite clever.

Was this why they sent him? To trap the emperor by colluding with the enemy.

Wasn’t he a relative of Marquis Norhox?

Perhaps it was prudent to observe a little longer. It’s a good thing this was stopped so quickly.

“Keep the Commander of the 3rd Batallion and his guards tied to his camp for the day. Ensure that news of His Majesty’s disappearance does not spread and form a search unit. The leaders of each search team should come to me immediately….”

Ashler quietly gave instructions to Nani and his subordinates when suddenly Melmond intervened.

“Sir. Ashler, now is not the time. You must come with me quickly.”

“Yes, understood. First, we need to examine the search area…”

“That’s not all!”

Melmond looked up with an anxious gaze, interrupting Ashler’s words again.

“His Majesty is a concern, but he is waiting now. If things get dangerous, it could be a big problem.”

“Really? Is there someone who came with you?”

“Ah, that.”

Melmond, showing rare signs of embarrassment, eventually awkwardly pulled Ashler’s arm back again.

“I’ll explain later. Anyway, it’s a very important person, so we need to go back quickly. Let’s go!’

“Karas?”

 It seemed like a name that the soldiers on the battlefield were familiar with, but it was the first time Abel had heard of it. Their eyes widened instantly.

“Karas. A bastard who deserves to be chewed up and spit out.

The one who was at the front spat through the gap between his teeth.

“As expected, just as I heard. How dare you appear here without any fear.”

His trembling voice of anger showed how much he despised the other person. But that wasn’t all. Everyone on the field, as soon as they knew the identity of the other person, raised their swords high and were ready to charge at any moment. However, the person who calmly revealed their name in front of dozens of enemies was different.

With his weight resting on one leg, his head tilted to the side, and a sword loosely hanging from his hand, his insolent posture seemed to further infuriate the soldiers in the field. One soldier stepped forward and forcefully tore off the insignia attached to his armor, throwing it hard onto the ground. As if that wasn’t enough, he stomped on it and shouted.

“Seeing you here makes all the patience to endure this disgusting place seem worthwhile!”

Abel realized from those words that they were not allies.

What is going on? Could these people be the trap?

Was the “he” the dying soldier mentioned actually this Karas?

The knight who seemed to be an ally was evidently someone formidable enough to make the enemies fear him. It likely meant he was skilled in battle and had defeated many enemies.

If that were the case, he’s probably a valuable ally who helped the prince win the war. Perhaps the prince had endured the war so far thanks to this person.

With this realization, Abel felt a sense of urgency.

He chastised himself for not stopping such a valuable ally despite arriving first. His breathing, which had just calmed down, grew more labored with guilt. Feeling dizzy, Abel bent over. He needed to help somehow. With so many opponents, even a skilled knight would surely struggle to fight them all.

However, his mind grew increasingly dizzy, and his consciousness began to fade. With the last bit of his strength, Abel managed to pull a bottle from his pocket and took a sip before collapsing to the ground. Despite Abel’s desperate intentions, it seemed his message did not reach the valuable knight.

The knight appeared to only heighten the enemies’ aggression. After scanning the scene slowly, he asked in a bored tone.

“Where is the bald one?”

“!”

A look of astonishment simultaneously appeared in the faces of the enemies.