Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: A Reckless Wager
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“You’ve gone too far.”
Grand Duke Guntram stepped toward Carlyle.
“Have you even considered the price you’ll pay for uttering such reckless words?”
“I’m not so foolish as to be unaware of that.”
“You insolent whelp…!”
Under the Grand Duke's pressure, Carlyle felt as if his heart had stopped.
His breath caught in his throat, his heart pounded like a drum, and his body trembled like a leaf.
‘If the Grand Duke so much as lifts a finger, I’m dead. No, he wouldn’t even need a finger. He could kill someone like me with his presence alone.’
But Carlyle was not one to bow to the mere fear of death.
He had already died once; what was the big deal about dying a second time?
“So in the end, you were just like everyone else.”
“What did you say?”
“You’re trembling.”
A cold smile touched Carlyle’s lips.
“I understand, to a degree. You’ve likely been brainwashed with fear of the royal family since you were young. But to lack even the courage to face the truth… that’s a little disappointing.”
“Yes, I am afraid.”
Grand Duke Guntram said, as if spitting out the words.
“I am endlessly afraid of the royal family’s foresight, of the power they possess.”
“How honest of you.”
“Do you think I fear for my own life? Our family, the North—we are their subjects. If we fall out of their favor, the lives of not only our family but all northerners will become more desolate and miserable. Not to mention the countless sacrifices that would have to be made. That is what I fear.”
“Then you no longer need to be afraid. The royal family’s hold over you was nothing but an illusion.”
“An illusion…”
“Can’t you see it even now?”
Carlyle said, gesturing toward the scene dozens of kilometers away.
“The royal family has no foresight. If they did, they wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.”
“Have you not considered that even this could be part of their plan?”
“Heh.”
Carlyle laughed.
The Grand Duke’s reaction was the same as Maranello’s.
He feared that even the royal family’s predicament was part of some grand design they had orchestrated.
Talk about overthinking it…
However, Carlyle didn’t think it was something worth criticizing.
They had been indoctrinated with fear of the royal family since childhood and had firmly believed in their foresight.
“We’ll see soon enough whether it’s part of their plan.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They’ll conclude it was the work of barbarians and sweep it under the rug. In fact, they’ll probably demand troops from the other families and send them over. After all, the North doesn’t have the strength to retaliate against the barbarians on the royal family’s behalf.”
“That’s absurd…”
“Shall we make a bet?”
“A bet…?”
“If I’m right, you’ll grant my request.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“I’ll lose my head. The royal family won’t let me get away with it.”
“…”
“You can hear the details from Maranello.”
With that, Carlyle looked toward the distant scene of the incident.
“By the way, it’s quite a sight.”
“What is?”
“Doesn’t it feel good to see the royal family get what they deserve? I think it does. Of course, they’re probably not dead. That carriage is far too sturdy.”
“…”
“Well, I’ll be going.”
Carlyle descended from the spire.
“What in the world happened? How could you let this…”
“Your Grace.”
Maranello knelt on one knee before Grand Duke Guntram and spoke.
“I have heard an astonishing story from your second son.”
“An astonishing story…?”
“Your second son is the heir to the Chaos King.”
“Sir Maranello…”
The Grand Duke bent down, a look of pity on his face, and took Maranello’s hand.
“Time is a cruel thing. How has the man once called the Grim Reaper of the North come to this?”
“Pardon…?”
“It seems it’s time for you to rest. You should retire and live out the rest of your days in peace. How can I continue to work a man whose mind is no longer sound? I have a conscience, you know.”
Grand Duke Guntram thought Maranello had grown so old that he had finally gone senile.
* * *
Maranello explained everything that had happened to Grand Duke Guntram, who finally understood the full story and cleared up the misunderstanding.
“My apologies. It was such an outrageous claim that I misunderstood.”
The Grand Duke apologized sincerely to Maranello.
“Not at all, Your Grace. It is quite understandable that you would think so. Haha.”
Maranello did not blame the Grand Duke.
Even he had to admit his story was one that could easily be mistaken for the ramblings of a man with dementia, so it was no wonder the Grand Duke had thought so.
“I can hardly believe it. To think that boy inherited the legacy of the Chaos King.”
“This old man couldn’t believe it either until I saw it with my own two eyes. But it is an undeniable fact. The Succession Sword the Young Master possesses was not the Wanderer, but Grimungandr.”
“Why would the jet-black sword go to him…”
“That is a mystery. Does it not mean that the Chaos King’s will, residing within Grimungandr, chose the Young Master?”
“That’s what I don’t understand. Why would such a great will choose a reckless fool like him?”
“How could this old man possibly know the will of the Chaos King?”
“Indeed…”
“Furthermore, the Young Master is the master of a dragon. As I mentioned earlier, according to the dragon’s advice, it is highly probable that foresight never existed in the first place.”
“Then how do you explain the foresight the royal family has displayed for the past several hundred years?”
“For now, the hatchling and the Young Master believe it to be the result of a highly developed intelligence network, the ability to analyze that information, and espionage activities based on the collected data.”
“I cannot believe it.”
“I feel the same way, Your Grace.”
Maranello wore a confused expression, as if sharing the same sentiment.
“It is an astounding story, and a dangerous one. If this goes wrong, not just our family but the entire North could be laid to waste. How could one not be afraid?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“However, the fact that Grimungandr chose the Young Master, and that the hatchling acknowledged him as its master, serves as sufficient grounds for trust.”
“Hmm.”
“For now, let us trust and wait.”
“What else can we do? We have no choice but to remain silent.”
The die was cast.
Carlyle had already caused the incident, and there was no way to clean up the mess.
As for Grand Duke Guntram, he had no choice but to lie low and observe the royal family’s reaction.
“Let us place our faith in the Young Master. In fact, has he not changed since obtaining the Succession Sword? I believe inheriting the Chaos King’s will may have been the turning point.”
“That’s a persuasive argument. He’s still not in the best of shape, but before, it was to the point I wondered if he was even human…”
“Perhaps the complete independence of the North and its liberation from subjugation now rests in the Young Master’s hands.”
“In his hands, you say?”
Grand Duke Guntram retorted, his tone suggesting the idea was preposterous.
The fate of the North resting on that world-class scoundrel?
A passing dog would laugh.
“But Your Grace has already witnessed the Young Master’s extraordinary nature firsthand, has he not?”
“You mean the matter of the Merrell Mountains. And his discovery of that child, Evangeline.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“It is indeed something that would have been unimaginable in the past.”
Even Grand Duke Guntram had to acknowledge the surprising achievements Carlyle had accomplished.
“I will assist the Young Master by his side and request your help if needed, Your Grace.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Grand Duke Guntram took Maranello’s hand, his expression earnest.
“Now that things have come to this, it would be no exaggeration to say that the fate of the North and our family rests in his hands.”
“Of course.”
Maranello smiled.
* * *
Meanwhile, the royal delegation was thrown into great confusion by the unexpected incident.
The explosion was tremendous, powerful enough to obliterate everything within a thirty-meter radius.
Nearly a hundred knights were blown to pieces, and even the horses pulling the carriage were annihilated without a trace.
“W-What is this…!”
The crown prince, crawling out of the overturned carriage, was deeply shocked by the horrific scene before him.
It was a gruesome hell, the likes of which he had never seen in his life.
Men and horses had been torn to shreds by the blast, their fragments scattered in every direction.
The sight of blood, flesh, entrails, and severed limbs strewn about was truly horrifying.
And for the crown prince, it was a profound shock.
For the soldiers of the North, who fought daily battles with the barbarians in the Blood-Soaked Land of Kuberin or on the front lines beyond the border, it was merely a sight to frown upon. But for the crown prince, who had only ever seen and heard pleasant things his entire life, it was a scene he could not have imagined even in his dreams.
It was fortunate the carriage was so sturdy and magically enchanted; otherwise, the crown prince would have surely been blown to bits along with it.
“B... Bleeaaargh!”
The crown prince vomited up the contents of his stomach.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“Your Highness!”
The surviving knights rushed toward the crown prince.
“Secure the perimeter!”
“Request reinforcements from Decaron immediately! Now!”
A few knights shouted.
“Q-Quiet!”
The crown prince raised a hand to silence the knights.
“Do not… panic. Ugh.”
The crown prince grit his teeth, trying to suppress his nausea.
As the legitimate heir of the royal family and the crown prince of the United Kingdom, he knew all too well that he could not show any sign of weakness here.
Not only would it tarnish his dignity as the future king, but the long-held faith in the royal family could shatter, which would be fatal.
If he lost the trust of the Royal Guard and Decaron, the royal family’s most secret and dangerous truth could be exposed.
‘I-I have to pull myself together.’
The crown prince trembled but did his best to appear calm.
“This was, to some extent, foreseen. There is no need for rash actions. Secure the scene swiftly.”
“…!”
“Now!”
At the crown prince’s roar, the knights dispersed to secure the accident site and right the overturned carriage.
“Leave no trace behind. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
In the midst of the chaos, the knights shoveled the remains of their comrades—if they could even be called that—into sacks and collected their belongings.
Meanwhile, the crown prince went back inside the carriage and desperately wracked his brain.
‘Who could it be? Who would do something so insane? Could it be… they knew beforehand that I wouldn’t be able to foresee this?’
It was the first attack on the royal family in hundreds of years, and the crown prince was utterly bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.
With no clue as to who was behind it or what their motive was, he could not calm his flustered mind.
“Y-Your Highness.”
A knight knocked on the carriage door.
“I have something to report.”
“Speak.”
The crown prince said without opening the door.
“It seems to have been an attack by the barbarians.”
“The evidence? What is the evidence?”
“An undetonated mana stone trap was discovered.”
“A mana stone trap…?”
“Based on the circumstances, it is believed that barbarians infiltrated our rear and set up the mana stone traps.”
*Click.* The crown prince threw open the carriage door.
“Please, look.”
The knight showed the crown prince a large mana stone trap.
“This is…”
It was different only in size, but it was the same type of mana stone trap used by the barbarians.
Its crude construction made it clear that it was made by barbarians.
“…Those uncivilized, savage bastards. How dare they.”
A furious mutter escaped the crown prince’s lips.