Chapter 92

Somewhere in the Ute Mountain Range where a commotion had broken out.

Two men hid themselves there, holding their breaths in the thick darkness.

‘The Third Prince was soft. The enemies’ fighting spirit had already been broken, yet he let them go alive. Terrien didn’t seem to oppose that either….’

Terrien and Bernid—both men were knights and magicians to the bone, and it seemed they wished to avoid shedding human blood if they could.

‘But I’m different. This wasn’t just anyone, but a secret force raised by the Crown Prince. I can’t let such an opportunity slip away and send them off so cleanly.’

The man’s eyes flashed sharply.

Those eyes felt familiar somehow.

Hastings! The identity of the hiding man was Hastings.

And Hastings thought differently.

To Hastings, they were nothing more than nuisances who would eventually obstruct Yuwon’s path if left alive.

He wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“…Hastings. Are you thinking the same thing as I am.”

“Yes, senior.”

“You really were born for this side. Why were you doing something so unfitting like being a librarian….”

“Still, I found my path in the end, didn’t I.”

“Yes, it’s a good thing. His Highness has gained someone like you. Though His Highness needs those soft-hearted, human-smelling types too, cleaners like us are also necessary.”

“I know.”

Cleaner.

Hastings, whose face was hidden beneath a mask, quietly smiled at the now-familiar word.

‘Cleaner… Yes, a cleaner it is. A corpse cleaner.’

The secret organization called Raven, which Hastings had joined, had originally been that kind of group.

Whether they cleared away corpses that already existed or created corpses to clear them away, that was their task.

Protecting their lord from the darkness—that was their reason for existence.

“Senior, it has been a while since you fought in real combat too, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. His Highness fooled all of us for nearly ten years. Honestly, we had nothing to do. Back then I wondered if the Fifth Prince was truly a case of ‘a tiger father and a dog son’….”

“I only saw His Highness after he showed his changed self, so I don’t really know about that.”

“It was the most stunning blow to the back of my head I ever received—and the one I was happiest about afterwards.”

“A pleasant blow to the back of the head… somehow that sounds familiar.”

At Hastings’ subtle tone, the man laughed awkwardly.

“Haha… Don’t tease me too much. I had to confirm whether you were someone we could trust. That was the nature of the post I held at the time. I couldn’t afford to raise suspicion.”

“Well, that’s true. I’ve forgotten all about that now. Thanks to it, I’ve come this far.”

“Yes, indeed. Then let’s end the small talk. They’re getting closer.”

“Yes, sir.”

While the two prepared for battle, the man beside Hastings spoke in a slightly smaller voice.

“…Can we kill them all?”

“I don’t know. We must try as far as we can. We need to reduce their numbers by at least one more.”

Before any blood was shed, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in Hastings’ reply.

“Yes, that’s right. Wait—shh. They’re coming…!”

Far in the distance, the target appeared.

Hastings immediately took action as if he had been waiting.

“I’ll go first.”

Srrrk―

With those words, Hastings slipped into the darkness.

The sequence was so natural that it seemed not that Hastings used the darkness as camouflage, but that the darkness embraced him.

Paht―

Hastings kicked off the ground and swiftly closed the distance with the enemy.

‘To wander alone—he must be a scout.’

But that didn’t matter to Hastings.

Hidden in the darkness, he aimed for the throat of the enemy who moved alone without fear.

And then….

Puk―!

The dagger in Hastings’ hand pierced the enemy’s heart, producing a chilling sound.

“Keuk―!”

An attack of utmost stealth—just as the man, who suddenly found a handle sprouting from his heart without understanding why, tried to scream in pain—

“Gghk, kkeuh…!”

“Shh.”

Seogeok―!

The blade that had somehow been retrieved from his heart sliced cleanly through the man’s neck.

‘That’s one for now.’

The one-sided battle the Crown Prince had begun was far from over.

Srrrk―

Hastings melted back into the darkness.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we survived.”

“No, not at all. You suffered this danger after being caught up in the affairs of Aphahiel. We should be the ones apologizing.”

“Could you… also convey my gratitude to His Highness the Fifth Prince?”

“Yes, of course. I will speak well to His Highness.”

Having learned from Bernid what the Crown Prince had planned, Cardinal Azazel and the envoys of Lehl sent away all the Crown Prince’s knights who had insisted on escorting them and hurried on their way.

As Terrien watched the envoys of Lehl grow distant, he glanced at Bernid beside him and asked quietly.

“Will it be alright to let them go like this?”

“Why? Are you worried? Do you want to escort them all the way to Lehl?”

“I am a little worried, but doing that would be impossible, just as you said.”

“Don’t worry, Terrien. We’ve done everything we could. Without you and me, they would’ve been food for the wild beasts by now.”

“That’s true.”

Bernid added further explanation to ease Terrien’s concern.

“Since the road connecting the Aphahiel Empire and Lehl was notorious for being rugged and had barely any travelers, there weren’t even any bandits. At worst, the only danger would have been wild beasts. Nothing special should happen.”

“What about the possibility that the Crown Prince might make another move?”

“The envoys of Lehl discovered everything I had been plotting, so it isn’t impossible he could try to kill everyone involved. But this isn’t the time for him to care about that, is it?”

“…?”

As Terrien looked puzzled, Bernid flashed a triumphant smile.

“Why do you think I went out of my way to avoid a battle?”

“Well… wasn’t it because there was no need to shed blood when the fight could be avoided?”

“Wrong. The Crown Prince ordered his own knights to kill each other. Lehl knows, they know, and we know. And that’s not all. There are also knights we saved.”

As though he realized something, Terrien’s eyes widened.

“Ah…! Then!”

“Right. This time, the Crown Prince’s faction will bleed a little too.”

Yuwon trusted Terrien and Bernid and left the matter in their hands.

In return, Bernid came up with a clever trick of his own to repay Yuwon’s trust.

“…Your Highness, may I ask something?”

“What?”

“It might offend you, but… may I still ask?”

“What is it? Since you said that, now I have to hear it.”

Terrien glanced at Bernid, gauging his reaction, before carefully asking.

“It’s just… now that I see everything, it seems Your Highness is far better than the Crown Prince, so how….”

“You want to ask how I ended up living like this, trapped under Yurion?”

“H-ha ha….”

Instead of answering, Terrien only gave an awkward laugh at Bernid’s blunt words.

Remembering the past, Bernid continued in a self-mocking tone.

“I let myself be swayed by that Marcellus bastard and fearlessly provoked Yurion’s reverse scale. The librarian. Because of the kidnapping incident with that guy, I got smashed to pieces. Even these days, my thigh where Yurion stabbed me still tingles now and then.”

“Ah….”

“In any case, it’s all because of that Marcellus bastard. That crafty eunuch—who knows what he’s doing now, or who he’s secretly sucking up to again?”

Marcellus.

Because he thought of that unpleasant name, Bernid grimaced.

Terrien and Bernid, who diligently carried out the task Yuwon entrusted to them and saved many lives.

The two returned together to the Imperial Palace, receiving utmost hospitality from the Crown Prince’s knights whose lives had been spared.

Bernid’s decision to let the enemies go alive might have been close to the right answer.

Everyone who lived through the incident did not stay quiet and revealed the Crown Prince’s true nature.

‘The Crown Prince tried to harm his own knights with the intention of framing the Fifth Prince!’

This shocking rumor spread from person to person in the blink of an eye.

Of course, the Crown Prince firmly denied it as nonsense, but he couldn’t silence the words coming from countless who had actually experienced it.

Even the knights who nearly died had families and friends.

“I heard the news. Are you well?”

“As you can see, I am perfectly fine.”

“That’s a relief.

Then… those disturbing rumors about the Crown Prince these days.

Are they true?”

“It may be hard to believe… but they are. I was there. Father.”

“Haa… how is this going to end….”

“I’m sorry, Father. I intend to lay down my sword tomorrow.”

“What…?”

“Please forgive me. A knight breaking his oath of loyalty with his own hands will be pointed at by everyone. I may never become a knight again. But I must do it. I… cannot wield my sword for the Crown Prince.”

No matter how strongly the Crown Prince denied all accusations, he could not prevent families and friends of those involved from learning the truth.

There were countless people outside the palace who knew their long-time friends of over ten years, or their own children whom they had raised, would never lie about something like this.

And so, one by one, then two, then three… the knights who had long remained by the Crown Prince’s side left him.

As the Crown Prince’s knights abandoned him, the rumors only grew wilder.

People couldn’t speak openly for fear of the Crown Prince’s reaction, but everyone seemed to suspect he had done something terrible.

Amid such grim atmosphere, Yuwon—who had played the other key role in the matter—visited the library alone as leisurely as ever.

“Hm?”

But at the entrance of the library, someone he had never seen before stood idly as if waiting for him.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Could you spare me a moment of your time?”

An unexpected visitor who introduced himself as Gillian.

Yuwon welcomed him and brought him into the library.

The two immediately moved deeper inside to continue their conversation.

Reaching the inner section, Yuwon leaned against a bookshelf.

“Let’s hear why you came looking for me.”

“I see. I believe this is a good place to speak now.”

Standing beside Yuwon, Gillian paused as though about to discuss something important before opening his mouth.

“…By chance, does Your Highness know of Aphahiel’s Owls?”

“I know at least that much. They are messengers and spies who handle royal affairs, aren’t they?”

“And… they are also exceptional assassins.”

“What is it you want to say?”

“What if I told you Aphahiel’s Owls were actually created after another organization?”

A question tinged with something sinister.

Yuwon instantly grasped the real meaning behind it.

“…So you’re saying you are a member of that other organization?”

“Yes, that is correct. I only asked a question, yet you reached that conclusion….”

“So why has this Owl or Owl-wannabe come all the way to me?”

“Please look at this first.”

In that moment, Gillian reached into his garments—as if pulling out a weapon hidden close to his chest.

Whatever came out of there, Yuwon was not someone who would let it happen.

‘This bastard…!’

Yuwon’s hand moved like lightning, seizing Gillian’s forearm and stopping him cold.

Veins bulged beneath Yuwon’s wide sleeve.

The arm Gillian had thrust inside his clothes could not come back out.

Yuwon, having completely restrained him, growled low like a beast.

“What is this? What trick are you pulling?”

“Urk, I heard you defeated the Sword Saint Karniel, so I suspected it, but… indeed. You are incredibly fast.”

Gillian’s reaction only provoked Yuwon further.

Yuwon tightened his grip, crushing Gillian’s arm.

“My question. Answer it.”

“Ghk, khhk… Please, let go for a moment. I beg you, Y-Your Highness. My arm will break.”

Yuwon applied so much pressure that the blood in Gillian’s forearm stopped, turning it pale.

At that moment, a small voice echoed from the library entrance.

“That’s why I told you not to go first… I said I would greet him myself.”

A sound no ordinary person could ever hear.

But Yuwon heard it clearly.

No—it wasn’t a matter of strength.

Yuwon clearly remembered this voice.

Shocked, he doubted his own ears.

“No way…!”

The librarian of the Imperial Library, Hastings Bartlett, returned.

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