RGS Volume 5 Part 20

The mention of Kin had the best effect. With a whoosh, the Commander of the Royal Guards pushed Abel back to his original seat and he pressed himself against the carriage door.

“W-why Sir Kin?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards asked in a terrified voice, and Abel, now slightly less dazed, nodded as if he understood.

“I’m also a bit worried about Sir Kin. Something must have happened in the palace since Truyde suddenly attacked, but there’s been no contact from Sir Kin.”

It was because of Karas.

However, the Commander of the Royal Guards, who had no way of knowing this, turned pale at the thought of Kin, thanks to Abel.

Come to think of it, wasn’t he the servant whom Sir Kin favored?

And yet he had almost done something inappropriate with his servant. The Commander of the Royal Guards struggled to regain his composure.

Yet, a small sense of defiance arose within him. Sir Kin had a wife and grown children, didn’t he?

Wouldn’t his family be unhappy if he engaged in an improper relationship with Lylie?

Moreover, Lylie, with his beauty, didn’t suit an old man like Kin. Rather, someone handsome, young, had amassed a lot of wealth through war, and skilled in battle like himself was more appropriate. Glancing at Abel, the Commander of the Royal Guards awkwardly asked,

“Ahem, S-Sir Kin will be fine. By the way, what does Lylie think of Sir Kin?”

“Sir Kin? He is a kind and good person.”

Kind and good?

The Commander of the Royal Guards picked up on these words sensitively and asked softly,

“Did Lylie perhaps receive a great favor from Sir Kin?”

Since he had indeed received much help, Abel nodded. The Commander of the Royal Guards’ eyes narrowed.

What’s this?

Could it be that he only likes him out of gratitude?

And was Sir Kin using that gratitude to make Lylie his own?!

Such unnecessary suspicions grew deeper. Only he could save Lylie from Kin’s devilish clutches.

“Lylie. Lylie has nothing to worry about anymore. From now on, I will protect you.”

“Thank you.”

Abel was a bit taken aback by his sudden vow but expressed his gratitude first. Then he hesitated before adding.

“And I’m sorry. Actually, my name isn’t Lylie.”

As he spoke, Abel seemed to regain some of his senses and tried to explain the truth to him.

“What? Your name is different? Then why did you say it was Lylie?”

Abel, unsure where to start, opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“That’s because Lylie was originally derive from this body’s original name.”

This body’s original name?

His expression looked as if asking for clarification and Abel uttered the cursed name in response.

“Liliah Aretrin Chloride.”

“…”

Abel knew that people generally didn’t react well to this name, so he gave an awkward smile. However, before he could say that his name sounded a bit strange, the other person reacted.

“What a killer name! It’s totally awesome!”

The Commander of the Royal Guards’ eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.

To think such a cool name existed!

He was truly impressed, but his admiration didn’t last long as his own name came to mind.

“D*mn, I want to change my name to something that cool.”

Knowing that the Commander disliked his real name, Abel took the opportunity to ask something he was curious about.

“Why do you dislike your real name so much?”

“Because it’s a woman’s name.”

“I see.”

Abel nodded, understanding, and the Commander of the Royal Guards burst out in frustration.

“But I can never change it. D*mn it.”

“Why not?” Abel asked, looking puzzled, and the Commander of the Royal Guards explained in a gloomy voice.

“When I was young, I was very weak. I don’t remember, but I guess I was at death’s door several times. So, a master from a certain temple prayed for me and gave me his name.”

Giving someone your name carried significant meaning. It meant sharing your life with them. Therefore, when a child was born, they could never use the name of a living family member. Especially the Emperor’s name, which no one in the entire country could use.

It was considered a treasonous act, as it implied sharing the emperor’s life. When an heir to the throne was born, they were given several names. The idea was that having multiple names would ensure better health. When he grew up healthy and ascended to the throne, he would then choose his real name. That’s how important names were, being closely associated with life itself.

“If that’s the case, I think it’s a very good name for you, Commander of the Royal Guards.”

“I know, but it’s a woman’s name!”

“Still, the Commander of the Royal Guards is more manly and impressive than anyone else. It’s a charm that no name can overshadow.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards felt his breath quicken again.

Charm?

Could it be that he’s falling for me?

As he was lost in his delusions of proving he and Kin were now finally comrades, the carriage stopped. Their destination was in front of an ordinary house. It was a place the Commander of the Royal Guards had never seen before, but Abel seemed to recognize it and got out of the carriage first, hurrying to the door.

Following behind, the Commander of the Royal Guards asked, “Where are we?”, Abel, who was knocking on the door, turned his head.

“Yes, this is Mel…”

Click.

Before he could finish his answer, the door opened, and a small boy appeared. At first, he seemed wary of the tall Commander of the Royal Guards but soon recognized Abel.

“Oh? It’s the fairy!”

At the child’s small shout, Abel got flustered, and the Commander of the Royal Guards looked down at the boy with narrowed eyes.

So young, and already appreciating appearances.

However, no matter what expression he made, the boy only had eyes for Abel. He quickly came outside, glanced around, and lowered his voice.

“You’re here to see my father, right? Actually, I mustn’t tell anyone else, but…”

With reddened cheeks, the boy shyly pointed in a direction.

“I’ll tell you, fairy. My father is in the lab in that forest. But it’s a secret, so no one who doesn’t know can go there.”

The boy then looked up at the Commander of the Royal Guards intently. The Commander of the Royal Guardsgrowled at the child with an even more fierce expression, as if threatening him.

“Are you talking to me? Do you even know who I am?”

“No. What’s your name, mister?”

“My name is.”

“Yes, your name.”

“…”

“What is it?”

The boy won easily.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The documents of the record keeper from twelve years ago were quite tattered, likely having been viewed by many people over the years. All of it was the result of efforts to create a fake Abel to deceive the emperor. Truyde had also seen this once before. Normally, he had no interest in Regas, as it was Norhox’s domain, but at that time, he was curious.

Why did that big, ugly guy named Abel capture the prince’s heart?

However, the records alone couldn’t provide an understanding, so Truyde quickly skimmed through them and set them aside, remembering that moment. He didn’t know why it came to mind now.

Truyde started skimming through the records from the beginning, trying to find the source of his irritation. About halfway through, the door opened, and the priest with anxious eyes entered. Truyde didn’t take his eyes off the records even when he came, and after a long time, he finally opened his mouth.

“A wooden pendant engraved with a dragon. Have you heard of it?”

The priest had thought he’d never have another chance after the incident with the queen. However, Truyde had called for him again. Thus, he couldn’t miss this opportunity. The priest focused all his attention, racking his brain.

A wooden pendant engraved with a dragon?

He was sure he had seen it somewhere.

Where was it…!

“Ah! Yes, I know it. A wooden pendant engraved with a dragon. I’ve definitely seen it in the records.”

As Truyde’s sharp eyes turned to him, the priest couldn’t hide his excitement and began to speak. Having studied the records more than anyone else to research Abel, he gave out an accurate answer.

“In the records written by the record keeper, there’s a section describing the contents of Abel’s room and body when he was under the influence of drugs.”

Before he could finish, Truyde quickly flipped through the pages.

[Inside his clothes: a pouch with a few coins, a linen handkerchief, and a shabby wooden pendant engraved with a dragon about the size of a palm.]

Truyde read the contents over and over again as if he were going to pierce the paper.

A shabby wooden pendant engraved with a dragon. The feeling of unease approached as if the ominousness was right in front of him.

What is this?

Surely it can’t be the same, right?

However, a bigger question loomed behind his doubts.

What if there was another one?

“Where is this thing?”

The priest thought for a moment, trying to remember, and then looked up with a troubled expression.

“At the time, I examined his corpse, but I don’t recall seeing that thing. All of Abel’s clothes and belongings were kept well, in case they would be needed later.”

“Then who was the last person to see Abel?”

“That would likely be the person from the same sect who helped him escape from his room. His name is Melmond, the librarian at the time.”

“Melmond.”

Truyde muttered the name to himself, recalling his face.

Could it be that he took it?

“Bring him to me immediately.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The boy was reluctant to let the Commander of the Royal Guards go to the forest, but Abel’s persuasion finally convinced him. Not wanting the boy to change his mind, Abel quickly led the Commander of the Royal Guards to Melmond’s lab, which he had visited before.

However, the entire way, the disheartened Commander of the Royal Guards didn’t even ask where they were going. He had barely come to his senses when Abel knocked on the door of the small cabin they reached, and a familiar face appeared. He then realized he hadn’t yet processed all of his shock.

“Roy, you! If you keep coming here, you’ll really get in trouble.”

Melmond, who had flung the door wide open and shouted, froze in place. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. His skin turned pale as if he had seen a ghost. However, Abel, filled with happiness, didn’t notice his state and greeted him first.

“Mr. Melmond, how have you been?”

“…”

“I’m sorry for coming late. You must have been worried, and I couldn’t even contact you directly.”

“…”

Melmond still didn’t respond. It was as if his soul had left his body. The Commander of the Royal Guards, puzzled by why Melmond was there and why Lylie was acting familiar with him, whispered softly.

“Hey, isn’t that person acting strange?”

“Huh? Ah, Mr. Melmond! Are you feeling unwell?”

Abel grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously. Luckily, the intense shaking brought Melmond back to his senses, and he finally spoke.

“…You, you, uh, A-Abel?”

Abel?

The Commander of the Royal Guards frowned at the name. Where had he heard that name before? But before he could even remember, another voice came out from inside the cabin.

“Mr. Melmond, is Roy here again?”

With the question, another familiar face appeared behind Melmond. Fortunately, this person reacted immediately upon seeing Abel.

Thud!

The butler fainted.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

An apology that could not be counted as the number of times it came out of Abel’s mouth. However, Melmond, still upset, kept repeating the same words as if his anger was not going away.

“You should have contacted us! We all thought you were dead. His Majesty, His Majesty also thought you were dead!”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you first, but the urgent matter at hand seemed more important, so I caused you to worry. I’m really sorry.”

“Now is not the time to just apologize. The current situation is, ha…”

Melmond, struggling to find words, took a deep, exasperated breath. He had so much to say, but someone else interrupted their conversation. It was the Commander of the Royal Guards, who had turned pale from shock as much as the fainted butler.

“W-wait a minute. So your name is, uh, Abel?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards was still confused.

Abel?

That name belonged to His Majesty’s Regas who had been reincarnated, right?

But he was supposed to be dead.

Why was Melmond calling him Abel and scolding him?

“Yes, my original name is Abel. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, Commander of the Royal Guards.”

“No, that’s not the point. If your name is Abel, then your true identity is…”

Melmond, displeased with the Commander of the Royal Guards’ informal tone, interrupted with a frown.

“Please watch your words with His Majesty’s Regas.”

“His Majesty’s…”

The Commander of the Royal Guards turned his bewildered eyes from Abel to Melmond and back again.

“Regas?”

“Yes. His Majesty’s Regas. The reincarnated Regas of His Majesty.”

“…”

“So, from now on, speak to Abel with some respect, okay?”

Thud.

The Commander of the Royal Guards, who had been dreaming of a sweet honeymoon with Lylie just moments ago, collapsed to the floor, proving his earlier weakness as a child. Abel, wanting to apologize, sat down next to him, but Melmond grabbed his arm.

“What on earth happened? Explain quickly.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

T/N: I am so happy in this chapter! The gang is finally back~ T-T