RGS Volume 5 Part 6

“His Majesty has awakened?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards brought the good news, but Kin showed more distress rather than joy. His gaze fell on Abel, who wore a heavy expression. Kin remained silent for a moment as if trying to read Abel’s mind, but the Commander of the Royal Guards, who was talking in front of him, noticed Kin’s gaze with his sharp gaze.

The look he gave to the servant was unusual. But the quick-witted Commander of the Royal Guards soon understood Kin’s intention. He turned abruptly to Abel and spat out the words Kin couldn’t bring himself to say.

“You. A mere servant, and yet you dare to stay here and listen to your master’s conversation? Get out at once!”

He waved his hand, urging him to leave, and then looked back at Kin with a face that seemed to say, ‘Did I do well?’ Only to be met with a murderous glare. Kin’s eyes even glinted with deadly intent. The Commander of the Royal Guards stiffened as he heard Kin’s whisper

“Shall I make you disappear?”

“Ah, why are you doing this? I only said it on your behalf because Sir Kin seemed unable to tell the servant himself.”

Why should I be the one to leave?

The Commander of the Royal Guards’ face was full of resentment, but Kin could not forgive him. Telling Abel, who must already be suffering from not being able to meet the emperor, to leave was too much.

“You, get out.”

Kin firmly pointed outside, and Abel, looking embarrassed, tried to stop him.

“Haha. It’s okay. I’ll stay nearby.”

As Abel tried to raise his upper body, Kin grabbed his arm to stop him.

“You cannot do that! …Lord.”

Abel, startled by the mix of formal and informal speech, watched the Commander of the Royal Guards’ reaction. Fortunately, the Commander of the Royal Guards, pouting at the words “You, get out,” seemed not to notice. Pointing at the half-standing Abel and himself, the Commander of the Royal Guards’ asked Kin awkwardly.

“Sir Kin, who is more important, that servant or me?”

“The servant.”

The Commander was openly shocked, and Kin added bluntly,

“He is my confidant.”

Confidant? This made even less sense.

“But I have never seen him once in the past six years. Since when has he been your servant?”

“…Today.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards was at a loss for words, however, Kin confidently stood by his statement as if he had found his soulmate in the servant he met today.

“So, you can be relieved and speak now.”

Instead of feeling relieved, his anxiety only increased. The Commander of the Royal Guards sincerely doubted Kin’s mental state.

Was he so shocked by the unit officer’s death?

Even so, calling a servant he met today his confidant was too much. The Commander of the Royal Guards looked at Abel disapprovingly and clicked his tongue inwardly.

Why is his delicate frame, seemingly unable to wield a sword properly, so bruised and swollen?

He doesn’t know why Kin would have someone like this as his confidant, but unable to question it any further, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“His Majesty has given separate orders to each commander. In addition to his orders, he commanded me to find Sir Kin and relay a message.”

Is it really okay to speak His Majesty’s orders in front of a servant?

The Commander of the Royal Guards raised his eyebrows as if to confirm. Kin, seeming to ponder for a moment, glanced at Abel again before asking something else.

“What is His Majesty’s condition? After waking up… did he ask for anyone?”

“He did. As soon as he opened his eyes, he asked where they were. He didn’t say who he was looking for, but it gave me chills.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards shook his head as if recalling the moment.

“I’ve never seen Sir Ashler so at a loss for words. His mouth wouldn’t open, even when His Majesty threatened to kill his family. So, I spoke up.”

“What did you say?”

“I said that a Regas named Abel had burned to death.”

“……”

“But it was strange. He looked for the place where the fire had burned down as soon as he opened his eyes, but after checking the body, he didn’t say anything. He neither got angry nor showed any sorrow. Just.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards frowned slightly and lowered his voice.

“He just stayed silent with a blank expression.”

The Commander spoke as if he found Karas’ lack of emotion odd, but it sounded dangerous, as if he was on the verge of an outburst, like a volcano about to erupt. Kin couldn’t turn to look at Abel this time. If he did, he felt he would immediately start demanding to meet the emperor.

‘I’ll find the Marquis’ object and bring them to you, so you should go to His Majesty’s side.’

But he couldn’t say it out loud because he agreed with Abel’s decision. As he said, it might have been more important to uncover the secret of the black potion as quickly as possible. However, thinking of the emperor, who still appeared young in Kin’s eyes, made his emotions take over. Still, the Emperor needed him.

“Don’t you think that Regas was truly irresponsible?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards’ angry and agitated voice interrupted Kin’s thoughts.

“How can he die so easily? Didn’t he reincarnate? He should have at least made His Majesty smile before he died. Reincarnation isn’t as simple as waking up from a nap, and yet he just died suddenly like that? His Majesty is probably too shocked to react. Don’t you agree, Sir Kin?”

“No.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards’ eyes wavered greatly. However, since he had been ignored for more than a day or two, his recovery was also fast.

“Surely, Sir Kin, you’re not siding with that useless Regas, are you?”

Seeing Kin’s eyes twist grimly, the Commander of the Royal Guards solidified his conviction.

“Is that so? I heard you traveled together. Did you become attached to him? The army is already dispersed, and His Majesty is about to enter the palace alone, and yet you defend a Regas who reincarnated only to die in flames, causing trouble. I’m disappointed, Sir Kin!”

“Shut up.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

His quick recovery had made him bold. As the Commander of the Royal Guards glared and retorted, Kin’s eyes narrowed in contrast. His gaze carried a warning as if to say, ‘Do you want to get in trouble?’

However, the Commander of the Royal Guards did not back down and raised his chin.

“I also have something to say now.”

“Oh really?”

Kin sharply retorted and twisted one side of his lips.

“If that’s the case, I suppose I need to say everything from now on as well. Come to think of it, I don’t think you introduced yourself properly to my servant, starting with your proper ‘name.'”

As Kin emphasized the word ‘name,’ the face of the Commander of the Royal Guards turned pale. Trembling with fear, as if his earlier arrogance had never existed, he opened his mouth.

“Sir, Sir Kin. There’s no need to tell my name to the servant…”

“It’s my decision.”

Kin cut off the Commander of the Royal Guards’ words coldly and quickly turned his head toward Abel. He was about to clearly state the name of the Commander of the Royal Guards, who had been rude without knowing Abel’s presence. However, Abel wasn’t ready to hear the name of the Commander of the Royal Guards, who was known to have the prettiest name in the army. Abel, seemingly indifferent to the Commander of the Royal Guards’ insults, was lost in thought, staring into the empty space.

Kin calmed his agitation and quietly asked him.

“Is there something bothering you?”

Abel, as if snapping back to reality at Kin’s voice, turned his head.

“Is the army being dispersed?”

Before nodding, Kin first looked at the Commander of the Royal Guards. Kin only knew what the King’s Heart had demanded, not the emperor’s decision. Naturally, he assumed that it wouldn’t happen, however, the words from the Commander of the Royal Guards’ mouth were different.

“He said it would be dispersed.”

“What? His Majesty said that?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards nodded with a gloomy face and frowned as if he couldn’t understand the emperor’s order.

“In fact, I found it strange when His Majesty asked me to find you and assist you. So, I asked if he was really going to follow the King’s Heart’s wishes. And he just simply said, ‘Yes.'”

Kin could almost hear Karas’ seemingly annoyed voice in his ears. If the army were to disperse, there wouldn’t be much troops left to protect Karas in the palace. It was foolish to try entering the palace with weakened forces. The Commander of the Royal Guards, seemingly sharing the same thought, asked in a low voice.

“I don’t understand His Majesty’s thoughts. Didn’t he build up his strength through six difficult years of war to fight against the King’s Heart with that power? Then why is he trying to go to the palace alone when he should be fighting them?”

Kin, too, couldn’t guess the answer and kept his mouth shut. The Commander of the Royal Guards, observing his reaction, brought up something he had suspected for a long time.

“I’ve felt this for a long time, but it seems like His Majesty has some special power. Didn’t he inherit the dragon’s power? His combat abilities show that. Whether fighting together or facing enemies alone, the results were always devastating for the enemies. I thought it must be the dragon’s power.”

When Kin looked up, the Commander of the Royal Guards asked cautiously as if seeking confirmation.

“Sir Kin, have you never actually seen it?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

Kin’s voice became sharp, but the Commander of the Royal Guards did not step back and shrugged lightly.

“I just thought you might know. Didn’t His Majesty save your life once? Didn’t you see what kind of power he used back then?”

This question was merely a test. The Commander of the Royal Guards expected Kin to deny it or scold him for being noisy. However, unexpectedly, Kin chose silence instead of an answer. That silence seemed to confirm his suspicions, causing a small excitement in the Commander of the Royal Guards’ voice.

“So, he really does have the dragon’s power. That’s why he can enter the palace alone without an army.”

As expected, the emperor is indeed amazing, he exclaimed in admiration, but strangely, Kin’s face was not bright. Nor was the face of his confidant beside him. The Commander of the Royal Guards, grumbling at their disapproving reaction, asked.

“Sir Kin, aren’t you pleased that His Majesty possesses such a remarkable power? If that’s the case, His Majesty can enter the palace alone and just kill the King’s Heart, and it will all be over.”

“Who said that? Who said it would be over if that happened?”

Kin coldly retorted, and the Commander of the Royal Guards blinked his eyes.

“Who else? Isn’t our purpose to kill the King’s Heart?”

“No.”

“What?”

This time, the Commander of the Royal Guards was surprised and asked. Kin looked at him with disdainful eyes and muttered.

“Our purpose is not only to eliminate the King’s Heart, but also to eradicate the temples of those who believe in them and the thoughts of the people who worship those temples. We have to uproot everything.”

“……”

“Do you wish for His Majesty to end everything just by eliminating them all at once? Then, His Majesty must destroy the entire country. Why do you think we waged war for six years, expanding our territory and growing our power? If it was as simple as killing the King’s Heart just as you said, why did we spend six years building the strength to oppose them?”

Kin added a low sigh as if reaching a conclusion.

“That’s because this is the right path. His Majesty alone cannot eliminate the King’s Heart and properly justify it to the people without gathering people who share the same intentions and increasing our own strength. Even if we kill everyone and close the temple doors overnight and call them sinners, who will believe and follow us? Instead, they will hide in the darkness and create another King’s Heart. They will have a black potion that threatens His Majesty’s life.”

Therefore, not only the King’s Heart, which is nothing more than the five families but also the faith of the people who have been under their control for hundreds of years had to be eliminated. Even if it became a wicked scheme, Kin followed the emperor’s command, believing that some small sacrifices were inevitable. The big sacrifice is simply killing them all. That’s why the method Kin wanted to avoid the most was this simple method. Killing everyone and turning the entire country into a wasteland. However,

“Then why does His Majesty suddenly say he will enter the palace alone? He should fight with us. If we need to utilize the six years of effort to build our strength, as Sir Kin said, we should also enter the palace together and fight the King’s Heart, shouldn’t we?”

When the Commander of the Royal Guards asked in a dispirited voice, Kin nodded heavily.

“That’s right. I thought so too. Both I, Ashler, and Roster believed that the past six years were for preparing to fight them in the palace.”

But why does His Majesty? The Commander of the Royal Guards, who was about to ask again, finally understood why Kin’s expression darkened at the initial news of the emperor entering the palace alone. This was something no one had anticipated, and it wasn’t the right path Kin had mentioned.

“Sir Kin.”

The Commander of the Royal Guards called him in a whisper and asked worriedly.

“Could it be that His Majesty has had a change of heart significant enough to change the plan? Because of that Regas.”