Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Royal Capital
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When waking from a deep sleep, one usually faced a ceiling or a wall. But when Ingong opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a cascade of long, soft green hair tickling his face, and a beautiful, pale face.
Green eyes blinked, and as Ingong stared blankly with half-open eyes, he suddenly came to his senses. He was so startled he almost screamed, but the other person was faster.
“Master!”
Green Wind smiled brightly and threw her arms around Ingong. Embraced by Green Wind while still lying down, Ingong, instead of flailing, darted his eyes around. Beyond Green Wind’s hair, he could see a white, expensive-looking ceiling.
‘And.’
As the sensation of Green Wind enveloped his entire body—a feeling that the word ‘soft’ alone couldn't begin to describe—Ingong struggled to even his breathing. He raised his relatively free left hand to gently pat Green Wind's back, about to speak.
‘Wait a minute.’
Something was strange. His relatively free left hand? Since Green Wind was hugging him with her head on his left side, he had no trouble looking to his right. Ingong forced his head to turn, looked to his right, and shot up into a sitting position.
“Master, are you all right now? You're strong.”
In her materialized state, Green Wind had weight. The law of conservation of mass and a few other questions flashed through his mind, but Ingong was a liberal arts major. Instead of delving deeper, he looked to his right again, at Caitlin, who was still connected to him, holding one of his hands.
An expensive-looking ceiling and an expensive-looking room. And an enormous bed.
Ingong was dressed in a patient's gown, easy to put on and take off, and Caitlin was wearing one as well.
Ingong first carefully unclasped his hand from Caitlin's, then turned to Green Wind, who was still sitting on his lap.
“Explain.”
At the unwitting request, Green Wind quickly nodded.
“This is the Lycanthrope palace. Master has been lying here for four days.”
“Four days?”
“Four days. I'm sure of it because I've been watching you the whole time. Staring blankly is one of my specialties.”
Green Wind said with a bright smile. And Ingong understood why her specialty was staring blankly. It was for the same reason Green Wind got lonely so easily.
Tsking, Ingong pulled Green Wind into another tight hug. Green Wind tilted her head in confusion, but like when she was praised, she followed her instincts.
“Hmm, I don't know why, but this feels nice. Keep going.”
Ingong chuckled, patted her back once, and gently pushed her away. He said, stroking her hair.
“You're the one who should keep explaining.”
“Understood. As I said, this is the Lycanthrope palace. The reason you and Caitlin are in the same bed is to enhance the healing effect for both of you.”
“The healing effect?”
It was an unexpected explanation, so Ingong asked reflexively. Green Wind scooted back to put a little more distance between them, then gave Ingong a quick look-over.
“What's the last thing you remember, Master?”
“Uh... Gerard running away?”
Ingong closed his eyes and tried to recall. He remembered Gerard, who had lost his left shoulder to the lightning, unleashing the power of Famine in a desperate struggle.
‘Karak caught me, and Green Wind protected me.’
After that, his memory was a blur. He thought he might have seen Felicia's crying face, but he couldn't remember anything clearly.
Green Wind said.
“Felicia fed the Moonlight Herb to you and Caitlin when you were both a mess. She split one into two as Chris instructed, and thanks to the herb's effect, a strange phenomenon occurred inside your bodies.”
Ingong quickly fumbled in the air to activate his status and skill windows. It didn't take long to spot a change in the skill window.
[Protagonist's Body]
[Special Passive Skill: Moonlight Core]
‘A second... heart of aura?’
He didn't even need to close his eyes. The moment he recognized it, he could feel the Moonlight Core settled deep in his chest. The flow of his aura was different from before.
In Knight Saga, the Moonlight Herb was a miraculous herb that could revive anyone, no matter their condition, as long as they were still alive. That alone was incredible, but it had another effect?
Ingong focused his consciousness on the flow of his aura for a moment. Though there were now two starting points for circulation, the aura didn't move separately. The two streams became one during circulation. He felt that, if he willed it, he could create a much faster and stronger flow than before.
‘A dual core?’
Like a fighter jet with two engines?
Moreover, that wasn't the only strange thing. The nature of his aura had changed somewhat. No, to be precise, it felt like a new power, one that wasn't there before, had been added to his aura.
But it wasn't unfamiliar. It was a familiar energy.
Ingong glanced at Caitlin, and Green Wind, who had been watching him quietly, spoke again.
“After eating the Moonlight Herb, you and Caitlin were engulfed in a great light and exchanged life force. Just as you and I are, you and Caitlin are now connected as well. Of course, it's not exactly the same as with me.”
Ingong nodded without realizing it. He could definitely feel Caitlin within his own aura. And from Caitlin, he could feel himself.
“Chris said that the closer you two are, the more your life force will be activated. If you hold hands again, you'll understand, Master.”
There was no reason to refuse, so Ingong carefully took Caitlin's hand. He immediately understood what Green Wind meant.
“Whoa.”
The moment their hands touched, they connected. It wasn't just a feeling; something truly linked them, and as if influenced by this, the flow of aura starting from the Moonlight Core grew stronger.
He thought he understood why Chris had insisted on putting him and Caitlin in the same bed.
“What about the others? Is anyone else hurt?”
Ingong shifted, leaning back slightly to make Caitlin more comfortable as they held hands, and asked another question. Green Wind shook her head.
“No one. You and Caitlin were hurt the most. Chris is already up and about, perfectly fine. Felicia cried a lot, but she only cried and wasn't hurt, so she's fine.”
“That's a relief.”
He felt no need to ask about Karak, Daphne, Karma, or Delia.
The Knight of Conquest.
And the Knight of Famine.
Ingong thought of Conquest—of the pure white woman. She had said that he was her only hope.
Was she the one who called him to this world? Why him, of all people? What in the world did she want?
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't feel any resentment. If the pure white woman was truly the one who brought him here, he very much wanted to demand why she had summoned him from his perfectly fine life.
But for now, he put those thoughts aside. There was no point in getting worked up when he couldn't even have a proper conversation with her.
‘In a way, it's a relief.’
There's a reason.
It wasn't that he had just woken up one day in a game or a game-like world. There was a reason he had come into the world of Knight Saga.
He didn't know the full reason yet. But just the fact that it wasn't something that had happened randomly made his head feel a little clearer.
‘And...’
Ingong turned his gaze back to Caitlin. Her complexion was a little pale, but her face was very peaceful. The flow of aura he felt through their joined hands was also extremely smooth.
Things were changing because he had come to this world.
Ingong planned to stop the Day of Massacre. Of course, the biggest reason was for his own survival, but that wasn't all.
Preventing the Lycanthrope Subjugation War itself to save Chris and Caitlin. Stopping the Day of Massacre to save Felicia and Daphne, whom he had grown quite fond of.
This was a separate matter from the pure white woman or Conquest, War, Death, and Famine. That was that, and this was this.
Ingong had no intention of standing by and watching the tragedies scheduled for Knight Saga's Demon Realm arc unfold.
‘The conclusion is the same.’
It was the same as what he'd thought on the first day he opened his eyes in this world.
It wasn't different from what the Sword Duke and Chris had told him.
He had to get stronger.
He just had to become strong enough to overcome all approaching dangers. Then, he could solve all his problems.
It might be a brutish and simple idea, but it was the truth. The fight with Gerard was a perfect example. He was able to repel Gerard because he had been steadily building his strength. If his power had been even slightly lacking, the outcome would have been completely different. Not only he, but Chris, Caitlin, Karak, and everyone else would have lost their lives.
Ingong squeezed the right hand he held with Caitlin. He put on a mischievous grin.
‘Because I'm the protagonist.’
Let's try getting stronger, like a protagonist should. Let's overcome the fated tragedies and create a happy ending.
“Master, what are you thinking about? You have a wicked look on your face.”
Green Wind said, narrowing her eyes. Ingong, who had been indulging in hopeful thoughts for a change, scowled. At that moment, as if on cue, the door opened.
“Oh, you're awake?”
“Chris.”
Just as Green Wind had said, Chris looked perfectly fine. As Chris appeared, covered head to toe in animal hides as usual, Green Wind dematerialized and vanished into a wisp of wind.
Chris chuckled.
“She's really shy.”
‘That's not it.’
Green Wind protested quietly, but Ingong didn't bother relaying her words to Chris. He adjusted his sitting position and looked Chris over.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. Are you?”
Chris asked as he plopped down onto the chair next to the bed. Chris was so well-built that the chair looked too small for him.
“More or less. I heard about the Moonlight Herb from Green Wind. Thanks.”
After all, it was an herb that could only be obtained once every hundred years.
At Ingong's words, Chris snorted with laughter, then stood up and ruffled Ingong's hair.
“I'm the one who should be thanking you. We survived thanks to you. And I got to witness the legend of the Moonlight Herb.”
Chris's gaze shifted from Ingong to Caitlin. He was clearly referring to the Moonlight Core and the Starlight Core.
Chris sat down again, his expression turning serious.
“Gerard is currently missing, presumed dead.”
“Missing, presumed dead?”
The phrasing was rather ambiguous. Did that mean he hadn't simply escaped?
Chris pressed his temples as if troubled and replied.
“The tracking party found Gerard's lower body and part of his upper torso. They said it looked... like a piece of charcoal that had crumbled.”
Ingong recalled the final bolt of lightning he had unleashed on Gerard. His left shoulder had definitely crumbled away back then, too.
“Since he was severed below the waist, we should assume he's dead... but we can't be certain. We'll continue the search until we have confirmation that he's dead.”
Ingong agreed. He didn't think Gerard was dead.
Seeing Ingong's serious expression, Chris chuckled.
“Don't worry too much. His lower half was found, so even if he survived, he's only got his upper body, right? And that's with his left arm gone. He must be in the worst possible condition. We've also prepared countermeasures for that strange sorcery he used.”
Judging by the subtly murderous glint in his eyes, it didn't seem like he was just saying that to reassure him. It looked like he had come up with a plan.
Chris composed his expression again and changed the subject.
“So, how's the effect of the Moonlight Herb? Grandmaster Bruce said they should be called the Moonlight Core and the Starlight Core.”
“I'm not sure yet. But I have a feeling it's going to be amazing.”
I mean, I've literally got a dual core now. It might even produce a synergistic effect beyond imagination. The kind of synergy where one plus one equals three or four, not two.
‘And...’
Ingong glanced toward Caitlin. There were a few things he wanted to experiment with her on. If they did it right, they might be able to create a new method for elemental training.
“Hmm, good. I'm looking forward to it, too.”
Ending the conversation with a grin, Chris stood up from the chair. He looked up slightly, as if organizing his thoughts, and said.
“It seems it's time.”
“Time?”
What was he talking about all of a sudden?
Chris looked straight at Ingong and said something even more cryptic.
“Shutora, there's someone you're about to meet. A word of advice: don't panic, no matter what. Even if she keeps surprising you, respond calmly.”
“Chris?”
“She's here.”
Chris took a step back, and at that moment, the door opened once more. This time, the one who opened it was a sharp-featured man in a military uniform. Instead of entering, he stood waiting by the door, and soon, a woman walked into the room.
Ingong knew instantly who she was.
‘The Fourth Queen! Elaine Moonlight!’
The queen of the Lycanthropes. Chris and Caitlin's biological mother!
Dressed in a blue gown, she was literally a 20-something, grown-up version of Caitlin. Except for her ebony-black hair and her tall, alluring figure, she looked exactly like Caitlin.
Her face also looked to be only in its mid-twenties, so if they stood side by side, they would look more like sisters with an age gap than mother and daughter.
Striding to the bedside, she looked down at Ingong with the same blue eyes as Chris. And Ingong realized why Caitlin, despite her bright personality, sometimes had a cold-looking impression. Elaine's expression was as cold as ice.
“Ninth Prince, Shutora Ignus.”
“Yes.”
Elaine spoke at some point, and Ingong answered in a daze. At his somewhat bewildered response, she chuckled like Chris and suddenly pulled Ingong into a tight hug.
“Thank you. Chris and Caitlin are alive because of you. If you hadn't been here, something terrible would have happened.”
Not content with just hugging him tightly, she patted his back a few times before releasing him, but she didn't leave him be. She caressed his cheek as if he were her own son and said.
“I've heard a lot about you from Chris and Caitlin. Many impressive stories. It's been a long time since Caitlin repeated 'amazing' so many times.”
Her expression was cold, but her tone was endlessly affectionate. Ingong felt a slight confusion, just as he had when he first met Caitlin.
In Knight Saga, Elaine had been a literal enemy. She was more hostile to Zephyr than even Chris and Caitlin were, and during the Lycanthrope Subjugation War, she was a monster who clearly showed why she was the queen of the Lycanthropes, the mother of blood-crazed beasts.
But the Elaine before him now, though her expression was a little stiff, was incredibly kind.
“Thank you.”
Again, Ingong answered somewhat dazedly. Finding his "thank you" amusing, Elaine laughed brightly, then moved from the bed to stand beside Chris. She glanced for a moment at Caitlin, who was asleep while holding Ingong's hand, before turning her gaze back to him.
“Alright, I think that's enough of an introduction. I'll get straight to the point.”
Ingong looked at Chris, his expression asking what in the world was going on, and Chris shot back a look that said, 'Didn't I tell you?' And Elaine, standing between them, looked straight at Ingong and asked.
“Ninth Prince, Shutora Ignus, do you have any intention of becoming the Demon King?”
The Lycanthrope Queen's question.
Ingong's eyes widened, and Elaine stepped closer to him. Instead of asking again, she waited for his answer.
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