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Side Story Chapter 74

At least in the beginning, Drenius had been cautious, but after a week, he’d confirmed that Selim hadn’t brought anyone else other than his Black Knights. Drenius had then personally led thousands of troops to fight Selim and his knights. However, Selim had instructed fifty of his knights to take cover near the castle gates before Drenius made his move.

So began a game of cat and mouse. Selim and his fifty Black Knights had chased and been chased by Drenius’s army for three days until the other fifty Black Knights had infiltrated the castle. Just like they had planned, the Black Knights had occupied the empty castle, to the horror of Drenius and his army. The rebels had ​reconned the area several times, so the fact that they had missed a group of knights and that there were only fifty of them shocked the rebels.

At that point, the rebels had panicked. Although they made best speed back to the castle, the Black Knights had already finished taking control of it. The rebels had tried to retake their castle using their superior numbers, but they had failed due to the Black Knights’ meticulous preparations. As the rebels had approached, all sorts of high-ranking magic attacks had been fired toward them; the Black Knights had ripped apart the magic scrolls they had gotten from the Magic Tower for tens of thousands of gold.

Fifty people indiscriminately firing spell after spell had created remarkable results. Drenius had failed to regain control of the castle, while Selim quietly entered the castle from the opposite gate.

All that in the last two weeks and with only a hundred knights.

Selim, who had been lost deep in thought, tilted his head in confusion because the communication crystal ball inside his pocket was vibrating. Shortly, an image of a familiar person appeared in front of Selim.

-How are you, Selim?

“Iruca?” Selim\'s eyes widened. “I heard that you were coming back from the north, but you’ve already arrived at the Palace?”

-RIght. You look good. And I also heard about all your success in the east. You’ve done a fine job.

Selim raised an eyebrow. “…If you know the situation over here now, send me some reinforcements. I have to hunt down Marquess Drenius and his men quickly.”

-What are you talking about? Are you seriously going to pursue him and the rebel remnants with just your Black Knights?

“It might have been different if the rebels decided to lock themselves in their castle, but the odds are good when I’m fighting a guerilla war in the plains.”

-No, don’t do it. At least not until I arrive there.

“What? You’re coming to the east, Iruca?

-Yup, how can I say no to the order?

“Did Her Majesty Icarus…?”

-I’m talking about an order from someone a lot greater in many ways, not Mom.

An image of a certain someone flashed across Selim’s mind. Someone who was greater than Icarus, the Heaven’s Mind, and the unbelievable news that Selim had recently heard…

“Did you meet His Majesty?” Selim demanded.

-Yup.

Selim’s fists clenched. “H-How was he?”

Joshua Sanders was publicly the emperor of the Avalon Empire and privately Selim’s father, but Selim had looked up to Joshua as a fellow martial artist for such a long time that he didn’t even remember how long.

-He was very good and handsome as ever.

“Is that all?” Selim asked.

-What more do you want, then? Ah, I was dying to hug him but I couldn’t because too many people were watching, so I’m a little sad.

“I’m not talking about that. Is he still as great as ever or has gotten stronger, since it’s been over a decade—”

-Why should I care about that kind of stuff, you spear nerd?

Selim bit his tongue.

-Anyhow, don’t get any funny ideas. Sit tight until I arrive. If you go after them in spite of what I told you just because you got stronger, I’m going to kill you.

“…Does His Majesty know this side of you?” Selim raised an eyebrow.

-What? Are you crazy? Dad thinks I’m the world’s most elegant young lady.

“I’m going to reveal your true identity as soon as I have an audience with him.”

-Don’t you dare do it. I don’t care if we’re siblings, I will torment you until the day you die. Well, Dad probably won’t believe you anyway.

Selim realized that he ultimately had no choice but to wait in the castle. He knew better than anyone that once Iruca put her mind to bullying someone, they were in for a world of pain. However, Selim wasn’t ready to yield just yet.

“…Iruca, I’m telling you this just in case, but I am older than you,” Selim quietly said.

-Hmph. You were born a couple of days earlier than me. “Older”, my ass.

“We’re born in different years, so I’m a year older.”

Selim had been born in December, and Iruca had been born the next January[1].

-So what? Do you want me to call you older brother?

“Not really, but I would like to be treated as one.”

-Get lost, spear-brain. Don’t be ridiculous. Blehhh.

Iruca winked and stuck out her tongue, then cut the call.

Selim stared at the blank crystal ball for a moment and then let out a long sigh. “Who would possibly marry her?”

Selim decided once again that he was going to be good to his future brother-in-law.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cain, having traveled to the west through a warp gate, arrived at the vicinity of the western rebel headquarters on top of the mountain.

“…Something is weird,” Cain murmured. He felt it as soon as he arrived. There wasn’t a single presence on the mountain, let alone rebel guards. He couldn’t even hear birds chirping on this dark, damp mountain; it was as if there were not a single living creature there.

“Maybe I should have met with Ranger first,” Cain said regretfully. Although he hadn’t seen the battlefield, he could be certain that the national and rebel armies were still continuing their confrontation, just like they had been before Cain left.

Whenever a battle took place, several things inevitably followed: black smoke filling the sky, a thick burning scent lingering in the air, corpses and weapons scattered on the battlefield yet to be collected... Cain hadn\'t been able to find any of those on his way here.

“It’s so quiet that it’s unsettling…”

The incongruous feeling had persisted even during the climb up the mountain. Considering Kireua’s ambush, the security around the rebels’ headquarters should have been heightened unless the entire rebel army had descended the mountain for an all-out battle.

When he reached the mountain’s peak, he immediately tilted his head in confusion.

“…Huh?”

Although he was still unable to detect any presences, he was able to detect a new energy.

“…Demonic power!” Cain drew his sword. He felt a high-level demonic power that even he couldn’t take lightly.

A man walked right out of the castle gates as if he had been waiting for Cain. The man was holding a longsword shrouded in black fire, his fiery red hair fluttering. Cain knew him very well.

“Your Highness…?” Cain cautiously asked.

It was Kireua Sanders, Joshua Sanders’s son and the Second Prince of the Avalon Empire.

“You finally came,” Kireua said.

“H-Have you been here on your own until now, Your Highness?”

“Yes, I had a business that I had to take care of, like I told you before.”

“Then where are the demonkin and Marquess Turtler, the head of the western rebel army…?” Cain looked around their surroundings.

“I killed all of them.”

Cain flinched. His instincts were insistently warning him to get out of here, but he couldn’t. Despite the bizarre feeling of disharmony overwhelming his senses, he was sure that the man in front of him was still the Kireua that he knew.

“All… on your own, Your Highness?” Cain asked.

Suddenly, something rolled out of a bush. Cain’s eyes widened.

“Mmm…” Cain quietly grunted. Although maggot-ridden, it was clearly a human head.

“That’s Marquess Turtler’s head.”

This was quite a surprise. In other words, Kireua had single-handedly chopped off the rebel leader’s head and exterminated the demonkin.

Cain couldn’t help but doubt, as the last remark Anna had made before losing consciousness was bugging him so much.

“His Highness… is in… danger…”

Her voice had been so faint that ordinary people wouldn’t have been able to hear her, but Cain had. It led him to a decision.

Cain’s sword rasped out of its sheath.

“…What are you doing, Sir Cain?” Kireua narrowed his eyes.

“Stop there, Your Highness.”

“Are you out of your mind? How dare you point a sword at a member of the Imperial Family—”

“Please forgive my rudeness, but I’ll gladly accept punishment for high treason as soon as I can confirm one thing,” Cain said.

Kireua replied with action. Explosions suddenly erupted out of the ground in all directions, pillars of ebon flame clawing for the sky.

Cain’s expression turned grim. He not only still felt the disharmony but he was also detecting an overwhelming level of power from Kireua. If worse came to worst, Cain would have to fight Kireua—but would Cain be able to capture Kireua alive without inflicting any critical injuries?

‘…This is problematic. I have to know the reason behind this feeling to even try something. If His Majesty were here…’ Cain agonized, biting his lower lip.

“Phew—it’s not easy catching up with this body.”

Cain gasped, his head whipping around.

Astonishingly, Joshua was standing right next to Cain, sweating.

“Y-Your Majesty? W-When did you…?” Cain hadn’t detected any presences following him until the moment Joshua was standing right beside him. Considering that he was called Combat Emperor and was one of the Nine Stars, that was a jaw-dropping feat.

‘D-Did I not notice his energy because he’s become too weak? Yes, his stealth techniques are exceptional, but…’

Joshua pointed at Kireua with his chin, interrupting Cain’s train of thought. “Let’s talk later. We should take care of that first, shouldn’t we?”

Cain’s head snapped back to Kireua.

Kireua’s face was crumpled up. “Joshua Sanders…!” he growled like a ferocious animal.

Cain became certain that that wasn’t Kireua.

1. In the Korean age system, a person gets a year older every January 1st, but this system was abolished in June 2023 ☜