Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 - Unprecedented #2
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Zephyr Ragnarok.
The protagonist of *Knight Saga*'s Demon World arc.
The second son of the Demon King Mitra and the First Queen, Aisha Ragnarok.
Possessing the greatest power among the Demon King's children, he was a natural-born demon king in his own right.
He was cold, calculating, and merciless. It was he who revealed the secret of Caitlin's birth—the shame of the Fourth Queen, Elaine Moonlight, and the Lycanthropes. And it was he who used it as a pretext to ignite the Lycanthrope Subjugation War, arguably the worst civil war in *Knight Saga*.
In the war, he not only killed Chris and Caitlin but also the Fourth Queen Elaine and Caitlin’s biological father, Galahad, practically erasing the entire Lycanthrope race from the Demon World.
Next were the other children of the Demon King.
Having exhausted much of their strength in the Lycanthrope Subjugation War, the Demon King's children were no match for Zephyr, who had instigated the war only to stand back and conserve his power during the critical moments.
Zephyr killed Felicia and stole the Tear of the Dark Elf, the Dark Elves' treasured artifact. He also murdered Silvan, Felicia's twin brother and the strongest swordsman of the Dark Elves.
The fates of the Third Prince, Victor, and the Fourth Princess, Anastasia, were not much different.
Zephyr made no exception for his own brother, the First Prince, Baikal Ragnarok. As Baikal stood before the bodies of his dead half-siblings and screamed, "Have you gone mad?", Zephyr killed him without a flicker of emotion.
He slaughtered all the children of the concubines who followed the other royal children, and even those who followed him. Not a single soul who might have carried the Demon King's blood was left alive. Even Shutora, who had left the Demon King's castle early to hide, was not spared.
The grand finale of the day of slaughter orchestrated by Zephyr was none other than the Demon King Mitra himself.
By murdering Demon King Mitra, Zephyr became the one and only successor to the Demon King's bloodline in this world.
He ascended the throne, stained with the blood of countless victims, and became the new Demon King, ruthlessly crushing any faction that opposed him. And once all that was done, he launched an invasion of the human world as if it were the most natural thing to do.
That was Zephyr Ragnarok.
The future story to be written by the strongest and worst of the Demon King's sons.
He was the reason Ingong had resolved to become stronger. He was also the reason Ingong was accumulating merits and influence.
To save himself, to protect Caitlin, Chris, and Felicia, Ingong had to stop the day of slaughter.
‘Zephyr.’
He would meet him. He would stand with him at the audience ceremony.
His breath caught in his throat. Though he had never even seen his face, the tension felt like it was strangling him.
“Shutora?”
A voice called out, but he didn't feel like answering.
“Shutora, are you okay?”
Felicia's face appeared before him. Green Wind's voice echoed in his ear.
‘Master, are you all right? You are drenched in a cold sweat.’
“Ah, yeah. I just got a little dizzy all of a sudden.”
Ingong replied to both Felicia and Green Wind, then steadied himself. Felicia looked at him with concern before forcing a bright smile.
“The audience ceremony is tomorrow, it seems. Just as sudden as last time, right?”
It truly was. Just like the last time, they weren't even giving him time to rest properly.
‘Don't tell me they're going to send me off again right after the ceremony ends.’
Ingong gave a bitter smile, imagining Karak freaking out and saying he was jinxing it. Misinterpreting the meaning of his smile, Felicia gently patted his shoulder.
“Go back and get some rest today. I'll visit you in the evening. We need to prepare well this time, too, don't we?”
Her little wink at the end was so like her. Ingong nodded.
“Yeah, you get some rest too, Sister.”
“Okay.”
Felicia patted his shoulder once more and turned away. Anneroze then giggled and whispered.
“Sister is so kind.”
Not just Anneroze, but Bearing and Carapapa had similar expressions. Faced with their three warm gazes, Felicia averted her eyes. As always, the tips of her ears were red.
‘I think I get the gist of this family.’
Among all the groups related to the Demon King’s children in the castle, this one was surely the most apolitical, existing purely for camaraderie.
Ingong returned the gesture of respect from Daphne and Felicia’s family, then boarded the carriage Felicia had summoned. It was a dark elf carriage, pulled not by horses but by a draco.
Karak told the dark elf driver their destination, then sat down next to Ingong.
“Prince, are you alright?”
“Yeah, it was just for a moment.”
Karak narrowed his eyes suspiciously and scanned Ingong from head to toe, but he truly didn't seem to be hurt anywhere.
So, Karak shifted his worries from Ingong to himself.
“Ugh, if it's an audience ceremony, I suppose I'll have to wear those clothes from last time again.”
Karak had been forced into a constricting suit with his hair slicked back with oil. Ingong couldn't help but let out a laugh. Watching the carefree Karak naturally diluted his anxiety about Zephyr.
“If the ceremony is that uncomfortable for you, you can let Karma take your place.”
As he chuckled, Karma, who had been torn between the desire to look out the window and the duty to sit quietly, snapped her head up.
“Me, you mean me?”
‘Master, can I go too? I don't know where we're going, but.’
Hearing his subordinates' voices in succession, Ingong just smiled. Though Nayatra, Bandal, and Sectum, whom he had cherished most in *Knight Saga*, were not by his side, this moment felt complete.
&
And the next day.
“I’m still nervous.”
“Are you? I’m nervous too.”
“If only, if only we had more time…”
The three of them were muttering almost the exact same things as they had during the first audience ceremony.
Karak, who was pacing around, unable to sit for fear of wrinkling his clothes, looked around and asked.
“By the way, didn't they say one more prince was coming?”
Three of the Demon King's children were participating in this audience ceremony. But in the waiting room, then and now, there were only Ingong and Felicia.
Delia, who had completely adapted to Karak's impudence, answered in a calm tone, just as Seira had before.
“I heard that His Highness, the 2nd Prince Zephyr, will be entering the hall directly, without stopping by the waiting room.”
“Well, my brother Zephyr is special in many ways.”
Felicia murmured, frowning slightly. Though she addressed him respectfully as her older brother, it seemed Zephyr was quite an uncomfortable figure for her as well.
Wearing a revealing red dress with an open back, Felicia glanced at a clock in the corner of the waiting room, then rose and approached Ingong. There was barely a minute left until their entrance.
Felicia took a deep breath, then placed her hands on Ingong's shoulders.
“Even though my brother Zephyr is here, your accomplishments are nothing to scoff at. Let’s show everyone how amazing we are.”
She had said almost the same thing during the first ceremony. Ingong chuckled.
“You sound like Brother Chris.”
“Well, Chris isn’t here today.”
With a playful wink, Felicia spun around and straightened her attire. Then, as if on cue, a court official opened the door to the waiting room.
“Her Highness the 6th Princess and His Highness the 9th Prince, you may enter.”
It was time. Felicia looked back at Ingong, and he nodded. He took a step forward.
&
The audience hall was once again filled with many people. But this time, the nature of their gazes was different.
Many were focused on Ingong. While the emotions in those gazes varied from displeasure to amusement, they all shared one thing in common: they were all sizing up Ingong's worth.
A heavy silence and a flood of stares shared the same space. Ingong kept his eyes forward and walked on. He couldn't muster an effortless smile like Felicia, but unlike before, he had the composure to observe his surroundings.
‘Anastasia.’
The Fourth Princess. The woman who led one of the three major factions within the Demon King's castle.
He saw her. With hair the color of silver-grey, she possessed a different kind of beauty than Felicia.
Serene, composed, and yet alluring.
Ingong did not hold Anastasia's gaze for long. He stopped at the designated spot, knelt on one knee, and paid his respects.
From behind Ingong and Felicia, the court official's voice rang out once more.
“His Highness, the 2nd Prince, Zephyr Ragnarok, enters.”
The doors opened, and footsteps sounded. Kneeling in reverence, Ingong could not turn around. But as the footsteps drew closer, he could clearly feel it. The flood of gazes filling the hall changed its nature once again.
The footsteps stopped. The faint sound of fabric rustling and a cloak brushing the floor as someone knelt on one knee reached Ingong’s ears.
If he turned his head, he would see him. Within arm's reach, there was Zephyr.
“I will now report the merits of the Prince and Princesses.”
Isabella, the official from the Office of Meritorious Deeds standing below the dais, spoke in a clear voice.
“The 2nd Prince, Zephyr Ragnarok.”
At his name, Zephyr rose to his feet. Ingong still did not turn his head. Though Zephyr was right beside him, he remained just outside Ingong's line of sight.
Isabella read from the record of merits.
Zephyr's achievements were, as expected, spectacular. It seemed an official audience could have been held for his merits alone.
Isabella then called the names of Felicia and Ingong in turn. This time, as information about Ingong's accomplishments had spread, only a few expressed shock during the reading.
However, that didn't mean everyone in the hall dismissed his deeds. There was something special about Ingong's accomplishments. Moreover, the story related to the northern frontier was bound to capture everyone's attention.
Isabella finished reading from the record of merits. At that moment, she and many others tensed up. With a strange mix of anticipation and anxiety, they all waited for someone's voice.
“Shutora.”
A silent shock once again struck the hall. The 9th Prince's name had come from the Demon King's lips again.
Everyone, holding onto a sliver of hope, focused on the Demon King’s next words. And they were plunged into an even greater shock than before.
“I have a mission for you.”
The Demon King did not elaborate. He simply glanced at Isabella, who understood his gaze. Swallowing dryly, she spoke in a clear voice.
“General Kashubal's 27th Expeditionary Force has failed to secure the ancient dwarven fortress city of Thunderdoom. The 9th Prince, Shutora Ignus, is to rally the local forces, eliminate the problem, and secure the Thunderdoom fortress.”
Silent screams erupted. No, small, low gasps escaped from here and there. The perfect silence that had been maintained even when the Demon King first called Ingong’s name was broken.
There was a problem with the mission's content.
General Kashubal was a Draconian. And the Thunderdoom fortress was a facility of considerable value, an important ruin from the ancient dwarven kingdom discovered recently.
It was a cleanup mission for a failed task, one that a Draconian general had failed. It was a mission that should have naturally fallen to Zephyr, the most outstanding prince and a descendant of Draconians. There had even been rumors that Zephyr's hasty return was to receive this very mission.
But that mission was given to the 9th Prince. And by the Demon King's direct order.
Felicia's face turned pale as she gaped, and Anastasia narrowed her eyes. Most of the people in the hall turned their gazes not to the Demon King, but to someone else.
The Demon King silently looked down at Ingong. His gaze wasn't as oppressive as last time, but it was heavy and sunken.
And Ingong felt another gaze upon him.
Zephyr Ragnarok.
Ingong’s second audience ceremony came to a close.
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< Chapter 9 - Unprecedented #2 > End