Chapter 46

Late at night, in the Imperial Library.

The only one remaining in the unlit library was Yuwon.

Many guests had visited him today — starting with the Emperor, followed by Terrien, Renania, and even the Crown Prince.

Terrien had complained about not being taken along to an important battle. 

In response, Yuwon challenged him to a duel, and after displaying his full strength, defeated Terrien in just five moves, giving him a proper scolding.

Having admitted defeat without protest, Terrien left to prepare for the finals of the swordsmanship tournament. He still needed more time.

Afterwards, Renania came quietly to ask about Yuwon’s well-being before leaving, and the Crown Prince — for reasons unknown — congratulated Yuwon on his victory before returning as well. But the one person Yuwon was truly waiting for never appeared.

Time slipped away mercilessly — it was already midnight. 

More than two full days had passed since Marcellus had drunk the antidote. Yet, Marcellus still hadn’t shown himself before Yuwon.

“Ha, right. So you really have a way to survive, don’t you?”

Sitting in darkness without even lighting a lamp, Yuwon gave a self-deprecating smile.

Marcellus had given him a strange sense of defeat — something neither the Emperor, the Crown Prince, nor anyone else in this world had ever done.

‘That bastard Marcellus….’

Helplessness, defeat — feelings Yuwon had long forgotten.

‘I never should’ve thought to use him to get to Bernid in the first place.’

Regret came too late. 

All that remained after the helplessness and defeat was rage.

‘By now, thinking Hastings might still be safe is nothing more than wishful thinking….’

Yuwon ground his teeth and clenched his fist. His face turned pale as if his blood were running backward.

‘I’ll kill him. The next time I see that bastard, I’ll kill him without question. The moment I confirm Hastings’ whereabouts, I’ll strike him down immediately.’

At that moment, a faint sound came from the library entrance.

‘Hm? At this hour, who could that be…?’

He felt a flicker of hope — but it wasn’t the person he was waiting for. 

The Third Prince, Bernid, had come to the library late at night.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“Yurion, that bastard… I think I’ve found him.”

“What? You found that bastard Marcellus? How?”

At Bernid’s words, Yuwon’s expression changed instantly.

“Well… remember that one-time teleportation spellbook I gave to Marcellus, to use in case of emergency? You know who I am — the genius of magic. I modified the pre-made spell a bit so that the coordinates would display. Back then, it wasn’t because I thought he’d betray me, but…”

“That’s not important. So you’re saying he used it, right? Tell me the details. Where is he?”

“Well, the coordinates did show up… but, uh… I don’t know if it’s real. The location makes no sense….”

Bernid hesitated to continue, and Yuwon grew impatient.

“What do you mean, makes no sense? What, is he in the middle of the ocean?”

Bernid replied with a grim expression.

“That would actually make more sense.”

“…?”

“The coordinates point south.”

There was no way something was wrong just because it was the south.

“The south? The south, you say? Don’t tell me…!”

A word flashed through Yuwon’s mind.

“Yes. There — the Great Jungle.”

The southernmost region of the Aphahiel Empire.

Centered around the Valaris County, the Empire’s southern lands were infamous across the continent for their stifling heat, oppressive humidity, and unpredictable weather.

And within that harsh southern land — even deeper south — lay the Great Jungle.

Its infamy far surpassed even that of the southern region itself.

“The Abandoned Land… huh.”

In that dense tropical forest where not even lifting your head revealed a patch of blue sky, unknown poisonous insects and beasts thrived, and ferocious man-eating predators lurked everywhere.

The heat there was worse than anywhere in the Empire, and for half the year, the place was shrouded in a fog thick enough to choke on.

Vast green rivers of unknown origin snaked through the jungle, while scalding hot springs spewed toxic vapor, and venomous swamps dotted the land.

It was, quite literally, a place unfit for human life — a land truly abandoned.

“And there’s something else, you know. You’re forgetting its most important name.”

Yuwon nodded.

“Right, there’s that too.”

Bernid was the one to say it.

“The Land of Monsters.”

That was what the southern Great Jungle had always been — a harsh, barren land where no humans could live.

“Things that aren’t human dwell there.”

In the distant past, when humans and monsters coexisted, the powerless humans were hunted by those very monsters. 

The Great Jungle of the South was the last place where such creatures, now thought to exist only in legends, still lived.

The Valaris family, known as the Protectors of the South, bore the primary duty of preventing these monsters from stepping foot onto imperial soil.

“Are you really planning to go there?”

“There’s no reason I can’t. If Marcellus is there, there’s a good chance Hastings is with him.”

“…What is that librarian to you, that you’d go that far?”

Bernid couldn’t understand it. To head into the southern Great Jungle over a single person — it was insanity.

‘It’s not like he’s some exceptional figure either… this is utter madness.’

But Yuwon’s answer came without hesitation.

“He’s my man.”

“…Ha. What a fine master you are.”

“So get ready. You’re coming too.”

Bernid recoiled.

“M–Me? Why the hell should I go? If you’re going, go alone!”

Yuwon grinned — in his hand was a vial, when had he even taken it out?

“If I go and die, who’s going to get you the antidote?”

“…So you’re saying, live or die, we die together?”

“You won’t die. No, if I’m about to die, then you’ll keep me alive even if it kills you. Without me, you die anyway.”

“I still can’t go. The Great Jungle? Just kill me instead.”

“What happens again if I don’t take the antidote on time?”

“Y–You said I’d feel the pain of death.”

“No, worse than death. I didn’t spare you because I trusted you. I spared you because I know I can control you with that drug and the antidote.”

Yuwon spoke those chilling words as if they were nothing.

“I’m quite confident in the drug’s effects… or do you want to test it now? Three minutes of agony might make you change your mind.”

At Yuwon’s confident words, Bernid swallowed hard.

‘Knowing this bastard… it probably would be better to die than live without the antidote. Fine, Marcellus must have some kind of answer. That’s why he managed to slip free from this demon’s grasp… In that case, I’ll find him before Yurion does.’

Having reached that conclusion, Bernid quickly hid his true thoughts and feigned a look of dread.

“Fine… I get it. Guess I’ve got no choice. So, when do we leave?”

“As soon as possible.”

* * *

“Then, from this moment onward, we will begin the finals of the swordsmanship division of the 183rd Aphahiel Houkijisu Tournament!”

“Uwooooo!”

The next day, the finals between Terrien and the Second Prince Arencar were held.

When the referee came out and announced the start of the match, the onlookers raised their voices in unison and cheered loudly.

The Third Prince excused himself, saying he had no reason to stay, while Yuwon and Renania sat side by side in the audience to watch the finals.

“Phew… the atmosphere here is incredible.”

“Well, this is one of the top three most important events, after all. There’s been more buzz than usual this year, too.”

“Has there?”

More than half of that buzz had started because of Yuwon himself.

He feigned ignorance with a calm expression.

While Yuwon had withdrawn from the tournament, Terrien had continued to win one match after another, advancing to the finals in a sweeping momentum.

In the process, Terrien had shed the joking nickname of The Greatest Sword Among Bastards.

Now, his name was known as the only knight of the Fifth Prince Yurion of the Aphahiel Empire — the White Dragon Knight Terrien.

His opponent was none other than the Second Prince Arencar Aphahiel, known as the Sword of the Imperial Family.

Six years ago, the two had faced each other in the finals of the Royal Academy’s swordsmanship tournament. Now, six years later, they stood across from each other again on an even greater stage.

“It’s been a while, Calmodet.”

“It has been an honor to meet you again, Your Highness. Have you been in good health?”

The two, standing face to face on the final stage, exchanged greetings.

“As you can see, I’ve been well enough to make it to the finals. It feels like only yesterday you threw down your sword and stormed out… and yet here you are, holding a sword again. But…”

“…?”

“The sword you’ve picked up again — is it truly one meant for that White Dog of yours?”

“Haha, it seems Your Highness is rather late on the news. White Dog, you say? That nickname’s long gone.”

“Heh, and you’ve replaced it with that ridiculous ‘White Dragon’ title?”

“No, that’s not the name I meant.”

“There’s another?”

“People have been saying this — that perhaps the true Sword of the Imperial Family is the Fifth Prince himself.”

At those words, the Second Prince’s eyes flared with anger.

“What? That wretch! You mean that coward who threw in the towel early in the main rounds because he was afraid to face me dares—!”

“Do you truly think so? His Highness the Fifth Prince chose substance over vanity. Am I wrong?”

Everyone in the Imperial Palace already knew that Yuwon had single-handedly crushed the Third Prince’s faction.

“You insolent—!”

“Mind your words, Your Highness. There are many eyes watching. Surely you know this match is being broadcast nationwide through magic mirrors. Not that anyone can hear our conversation clearly, of course.”

Clang—!

The Second Prince drew his sword first.

“Draw yours. I’ll speak through my blade.”

“Very well. I’m not much for words either.”

Shiiing—!

Terrien drew his sword as well.

The two blades facing each other reflected the sunlight, scattering fierce glimmers of light.

The pressure radiating from the two swordsmen was so sharp that even the dulled edges of their practice swords seemed meaningless.

“Then, here I come.”

“Come at me!”

Arencar shouted boldly.

Terrien made the first move. Kicking off the ground, he closed the distance in an instant and charged straight into Arencar’s reach.

Boom—!

Their swords clashed.

Clang—!

A single sword clattered to the ground. The winner of the tournament had been decided.

“Looks like I’ve won.”

“…I’ve lost.”

There was no surprise in the tournament Yuwon had withdrawn from.

Once again, the champion’s trophy of the swordsmanship division went to the Second Prince, Arencar.

Clap, clap, clap—

Applause erupted for the victor, followed soon by the award ceremony.

Or rather, it began — and then ended just as quickly.

“Tch, why bother doing this every year? Forget it. Just skip the ceremony.”

“P–Pardon? Sir?”

“I said skip it. It’s a hassle.”

And with that, the Second Prince trudged down from the stage. His eyes briefly met Yuwon’s, but that was all.

As the award ceremony was skipped and the onlookers began to leave their seats…

“P–Please, everyone, remain seated for a moment! There’s an important announcement regarding this year’s Houkijisu Tournament!”

The announcer’s words stopped the crowd. The Houkijisu participants, who had started to stand, murmured among themselves and sat back down.

A few seconds later, as the noise died down, the announcer dropped a bombshell.

“This year, there will be no hunting competition.”

The sudden announcement caused the Houkijisu participants to erupt in confusion.

“What? Just like that?”

“Why cancel the most exciting part? What are they thinking?”

“What did you say? No hunting competition this year?”

The hunting competition, considered the most important event alongside the swordsmanship tournament, was suddenly canceled — and the uproar wouldn’t die down easily.

“Please, quiet down for a moment! There’s another announcement — this is the real one!”

After calming the crowd, the announcer continued.

“In place of the hunt, there will be a subjugation!”

Subjugation! 

At that word, the Houkijisu participants who had been complaining fell silent, eyes wide. Then came the final blow.

“This year, we will be heading to the Great Jungle of the South!”

At that declaration, the Third Prince — seated far away from Yuwon — turned toward him in shock.

Yuwon was smiling.

“Well, things just got interesting.”

The South was calling to Yuwon — as if it were fate.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep