Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Regeneration
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“Stay still! Should I just break your arm instead?”
“Ow! P-Please tie it a little more gently.”
“Looks like your mouth’s still working fine.”
After the battle ended, they restrained the surviving stragglers.
Fortunately, managing them wasn’t too difficult. Most had been cowed by the overwhelming difference in combat prowess, so they cooperated without much resistance.
For now, most of the regular soldiers were classified as mere participants, stripped of their weapons, bound with ropes, and isolated.
Assuming they hadn’t committed any major crimes during the civil war, they’d likely serve as Belluan soldiers again. Those who had committed crimes would face punishments based on their offenses—sent to the mines, exiled, or executed.
Knights couldn’t be handled so simply.
Since they were too strong to be restrained with mere ropes, a few mages pooled their power to melt down some black star iron weapons, then wrapped and solidified the metal around their bound wrists behind their backs, neutralizing them.
Ramun Knight, who’d lost his legs, was half-dragged along by two soldiers supporting him.
They’d cauterized his legs to stop the bleeding, so he wouldn’t die, but his career as a knight was effectively over.
It was an absurd fall for a man who’d once been the territory’s strongest knight.
“Humiliating.”
One knight muttered while shaking his head, as if unable to watch Ramun being hauled away.
They’d spared him specifically to extract evidence—or rather, a confession—about the poisoning incident.
To that end, Arsen had already instructed a few mages back at the library to research mind-affecting spells that could induce confessions.
Knights typically had near-immunity to offensive spells due to their innate magic resistance, but they had a relative weakness: mental spells.
This stemmed from ancient mages deliberately lowering combat puppets’ defenses against mental magic to control them—a flaw that had carried over.
That’s how Luden had once toppled an entire territory by bewildering knights with illusion spells.
Of course, ethically speaking, it wasn’t a spell to use lightly, but with the knowledge that the target was a poisoner, Arsen had no qualms about ethics.
The incident was a year old anyway; without this method, finding solid evidence would be nearly impossible.
“Let me go, you bastards! How dare you lay hands on me!”
Deroy, who had foolishly led his army down personally without defenses, was caught in vines summoned by Eloise.
Having never participated in the southern war or even heard how it went, he’d tried to climb over the vines and flee, only to be captured on the spot.
“Good to see you, Young Master.”
“Arsen, you... you bastard...!”
Deroy gnashed his teeth in rage, but there was nothing he could do.
Even if they released him now and armed him to the teeth, a bare-handed Arsen would still win. And the current situation was the exact opposite.
Arsen shook his head with a sigh, then simply ordered his men to keep Deroy securely isolated.
“Arsen.”
Someone called out to him. It was a familiar face: Knight Valtan, a fellow graduate from the knighting ceremony.
A year had passed for him too, and the green rookie look had faded significantly.
“Too bad we have to meet again like this.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
Valtan grinned in agreement at Arsen’s words. He was bound alongside the knights who’d sided with Deroy.
As Arsen stared quietly, Valtan offered an excuse.
“It’s a lame excuse, but family circumstances made neutrality impossible.”
Arsen nodded calmly, accepting the explanation.
“I get it. As long as you didn’t commit major crimes, the punishment won’t be severe. We can’t punish every participant and expect the territory to survive.”
Valtan was related to two knights supporting Deroy, making it hard to refuse their influence.
Arsen had no intention of harshly punishing passive participants like this, rather than active assassins. Knights were valuable talents, every one of them.
Of course, entrusting them with critical duties like lord protection in the future would be out of the question.
“What about Isha?”
“Dead. To Ramun Knight.”
Valtan’s voice was subdued. Hearing that another fellow knight from their ceremony had died, Arsen shook his head.
“...I see. That’s a shame.”
With the battlefield roughly cleaned up, Arsen led his army toward the lord’s residence.
A single knight stood at the main gate like a gatekeeper, leaning against the door.
Spotting Arsen approaching, the knight waved enthusiastically and removed his helmet.
Red hair burst out from within.
“Knight Zenovia.”
“Long time no see! You’ve grown a ton since then, huh?”
At her feet, five squire-like figures groaned on the ground.
The wounds on their arms and legs clearly came from a spear, making it easy to guess what had happened.
“They went for the lord even in the chaos, didn’t they.”
“Yeah. Palato Knight told me to guard here, figuring as much. A properly locked lord’s residence can’t be entered except through the main gate.”
Whether Deroy or Ridat—or both—had ordered securing the lord as a contingency if the battle turned against them.
When fighting started, Palato would rush out to help Arsen, leaving the guard lax—that was their plan.
But Palato hadn’t gone to aid Arsen; he’d sealed the residence tight instead.
This, too, was at Arsen’s request.
“I should express my thanks. You trusted me despite my unreliability and fulfilled the request perfectly.”
“You’ve never disappointed me once since you were a kid.”
A deep voice—the same one heard through the crystal orb hours ago—came from inside the residence.
A man with a greyhound-like gaunt, melancholic face, but wearing a gentle smile that didn’t match it.
His teacher, Palato, stood smiling with a thrusting spear in hand.
“Long time no see, Arsen.”
“Knight Palato.”
The two clasped each other’s shoulders in reunion.
Palato let out a light groan.
“Ugh, you’ve gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you.”
Arsen chuckled, then ordered his army to thoroughly secure the perimeter of the residence and lock the prisoners in the underground dungeon.
Seeing the knights and mages obey faithfully, Palato let out an exclamation.
“I heard about it, but... seeing it for real is hard to believe. To build this much force and end the civil war by sheer power.”
“I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but compared to what I’ve been through, it wasn’t that tough.”
Considering what Arsen had endured, it was true.
He hadn’t even needed to use weapons like Narae Sword or Black Lion’s flame breath.
Even alone, he’d have won, though exhausted.
Of course, winning was one thing; controlling all of vast Belluan solo would’ve been impossible.
Just then, Bazkal and Rino, behind Arsen, bowed in greeting.
“P-Pleased to m-meet you... I’m Bazkal.”
“I’m Rino. I’ve heard the tales, Knight Palato!”
“These are Bazkal and Rino. My best men.”
Tension was plain on their faces.
Having trained under Arsen, Palato—his teacher, or teacher’s teacher—naturally intimidated them.
Palato smiled warmly at them.
“Pleased to meet you both. Impressive mana reserves. Promising youngsters are always welcome.”
A few months as high knights had boosted Bazkal and Rino’s mana enough for Palato to comment.
After the warm greetings, Arsen asked gravely.
“Is Knight Luden inside?”
“Yes. Tending to the lord. So now... that...?”
Guessing what Palato meant, Arsen nodded and ordered a knight to fetch the magic backpack.
Its contents were the reason for this expedition.
“It holds something that can cure the lord. If this doesn’t work, no method in the world will.”
“I heard, but... you really did it...”
Palato’s voice trembled slightly.
He stroked the backpack briefly, then turned inside without delay, as if time was of the essence.
“Let’s go.”
The atmosphere inside the lord’s residence following Palato was grim.
No soldiers guarded the halls, no servants bustled about their tasks.
The once-polished floors and walls were dusty and stained; objects littered the corridors.
Catching where Arsen and Eloise’s gazes landed, Palato excused.
“Limiting access to the residence made maintenance tough. It’s a big place, after all.”
With enemies unknown, Palato had kept only a few proven loyal servants and dismissed the rest.
Replacements from cooperative knights’ families weren’t numerous enough, so internal upkeep inevitably suffered.
“You’ve had it rough. Knights Kamin and Weble—as planned?”
“Exactly. They’ll bring Young Master Ridat without issue.”
Hearing about the absent knights’ success, Arsen nodded in satisfaction.
Ramun had brought his full force, so Ridat was guarded by at most a few squires. Kamin and Weble could handle that easily.
Of course, the plan hinged on one thing: Arsen’s army subduing Deroy and Ridat’s coalition.
Arsen insisted it was feasible, Palato trusted him, and it proved true. Perfect harmony.
“Once things settle, I want the full story over drinks.”
“You won’t believe it even after hearing.”
“I look forward to it.”
Chit-chat aside, they reached the lord’s bedroom.
This vital space was relatively well-kept and clean.
Palato approached the door and knocked in a specific rhythm. Likely prearranged: open wrong, and face an attack from inside.
It hinted their past year hadn’t been smooth.
“Knight Luden.”
“Come in.”
The door creaked open.
Inside, the lord lay as he had a year ago, with Luden standing beside him, staff in hand.
In the corner, healing mage Groom huddled asleep.
Eloise called out to Luden in a trembling voice.
“Luden!”
She hugged the somewhat haggard Luden tightly from the past year. A gruff but ever-watchful father figure.
Luden patted her lightly, then met Arsen’s eyes.
“Good to see you, Knight Luden.”
“Well... long time no see. Doesn’t feel that long, though.”
Having spoken via crystal orb multiple times, they shook hands awkwardly in reunion.
Hearing Arsen and Eloise, Groom uncurled and beamed.
“Knight! Miss! It’s been forever!”
“Good to see you, Groom.”
Arsen patted his shoulder.
Curing the lord was priority, but this healing mage deserved reward for sustaining him this long.
Restoring his eyes would suffice.
The recovery device could handle it.
Soon, a following knight pulled a massive pod from the backpack.
Big enough for a knight, let alone a person.
Likely designed for humans and combat puppets alike.
“That’s it?”
“Yes. The device to treat the lord.”
A cutting-edge medical machine from the distant past—Era 2, when Bakran still lived.
Built assuming all other facilities collapsed, it ignored cost for ultimate recovery of any disease or injury.
Luden eyed it dubiously.
“Looks more like a coffin for the dead than something to fix people.”
“I agree on the looks, but if it works, that’s what matters.”
Arsen approached the bed and gently lifted the lord. After so long bedridden, the body was feather-light.
His emaciated, muscle-wasted form tugged at the heart; Eloise teared up, stroking her unconscious father’s face.
“Dad...”
“It’ll be okay now. That’s why we came.”
“Yeah.”
After laying the lord in the device, closing the lid, Eloise operated it and infused mana.
Soon, a voice emanated from within.
*-Emergency relief device guide. Analyzing user: cerebral cortex damage from compound poison including Edatha and 7 other components, and...*
Eloise listened to the damage report, then issued commands.
“Recoverable?”
*-Yes.*
“Time required.”
*-Approximately 17 days. Begin treatment?*
“Begin.”
*-Understood. Monitor drug and mana supply during treatment. Company not liable for accidents from shortages or interruptions.*
After the disclaimer, the pod clicked locked.
In a few weeks, the lord would awaken from his long sleep inside.
“...It’s done?”
“Yes. Now we wait.”
Luden fiddled with the device, skeptical of the simplicity. Natural for one unaware of its immense value.
“For now, the lord’s treatment stays here. I’d appreciate help cleaning up inside, Knight Palato. Knight Luden, please assist the mages too.”
“No worries.”
“Mm.”
Palato’s hearty reply, Luden’s quiet nod.
Watching Luden, a thought suddenly struck Arsen.
‘Come to think of it, should I tell him the prospective son-in-law’s here?’