Chapter 73: What Did You Just Say?
The nobles turned their heads to stare at Marquis Hallum on the platform. The soldiers stirred uneasily as well. Until just moments ago, they had been troops under the Roden Territory. And now they were being ordered to march on the castle? It made no sense.
As the atmosphere grew chaotic, Marquis Hallum raised his hand. He appointed his own knights as centurions to command the soldiers. And that wasn't all. He also positioned his private guards throughout the ranks. In a rebellion, he could tolerate no mistakes—he had assigned them roles as enforcers of pressure and agitators.
At his signal, Hallum's knights bellowed to their respective units.
"All of you, listen up!"
"These are the words of Marquis Hallum himself!"
"Anyone who breaks formation will be executed on the spot!"
The soldiers didn't even dare think of deserting after hearing that. Above all, several comrades beside them stood stock-still, ears attuned to the marquis's words. The others had no idea those men were in Hallum's pocket.
"How much longer do you think this accursed war will drag on?"
Marquis Hallum jabbed an accusing finger at the soldiers with all his might.
"Until every one of you drops dead? Until you're all branded traitors?"
He spread his arms wide.
"Is that the dog’s death you want? What happens to your families if you die? Your wives and daughters sold into slavery, your sons shipped to the mines or forced into the gladiator pits as slaves! Is that the end you’re willing to accept!?"
"……!"
"I will put an end to this war! The prime instigator who sparked it all—the current king, His Majesty Erone Ronia, whom he sickened; the fool who clashed with his own blood, Prince Erone, and ignited civil war... I will subjugate Ash Ronia!"
The soldiers' faces drained of color. Even realizing the mood had turned strange, they couldn't break ranks. The centurions glared at them, and with some soldiers refusing to budge, it only grew harder. They knew any suspicious move meant death...
"You all know it too. That Prince Ash is a heretic...!"
The rumors that he summoned a devil to drive the king mad and unleashed the Worm Pest on the kingdom. He seized on those.
"Those rumors are true! The central nobles he led, along with thousands of troops, were utterly annihilated by the Worm Pest! And yet Prince Ash survived! What does that tell you?"
Marquis Hallum roared at the soldiers.
"He’s a monster! A monster that devours everything! Our spears point not at royalty, but at a monster! In the name of the Azelan Church, judge the heretic! I, Hallum, will revive Ronia as one unified kingdom!"
Marquis Hallum clenched his fist.
"Whoever captures Prince Ash alive will be granted a knighthood and a lifetime of wealth as reward!"
The marquis bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Follow me! Seize the prince! Subjugate the monster—!"
As if they had been waiting, someone shouted in response to Marquis Hallum's cry.
"Long live Marquis Hallum—!"
"Subjugate the monster—!"
Hallum's knights led the chorus...
"We will follow Marquis Hallum!"
Hundreds of soldiers Hallum had secretly planted cried out. The fervor spread like contagion, and even the hesitant ones joined in support of the marquis.
"L-long live Marquis H-Hallum—!"
"J-judgment upon Ash Ronia...!"
"Slay the monster!"
"End this war for our families!"
Before the castle, the roars of three thousand men echoed through the Roden Territory. Marquis Hallum savored his sense of superiority amid the cheers.
"Ahh—!"
In truth, everything Marquis Hallum had said was a lie. The truth was, the one who summoned the devil was—
'Me!'
Marquis Hallum recalled his encounter with the "King of the Nords."
'That one' had whispered to him.
—Capture First Prince Ash Ronia.
At first, it sounded insane. Until he witnessed his true form and the miracle.
—I’ll give you a chance. Armor with a goat’s skull. Heads of wolf and serpent.
—Sacrifice your life, and the devil will—
—Grant your wish while you live.
It appeared before his eyes. When he spilled that red blood, not only did the marquis's crushed face heal, but even his untreated chronic illnesses vanished. It was a miracle.
—What is your wish, Marquis?
Dazed by the devil's majestic presence, Marquis Hallum spoke as if entranced.
—Make me k-king! I want to rule and reign over this world...!
—Very well. I shall grant your wish.
'That one gave me power!'
His body felt light! Drinking that red blood filled him with surging strength!
"Marquis Hallum... what madness are you plotting!?"
The nobles stared at Marquis Hallum in disbelief. Even those who had blindly followed him couldn't stomach this.
Marquis Hallum looked down on them and declared,
"Now, you choose as well. Follow me, or die with that damned prince."
"……!"
So, who were the real rebels now? Marquis Hallum burst into laughter laced with ecstasy.
***
"Seize Prince Ash!"
Marquis Hallum began his assault on the castle with overwhelming force. Ash's guards put up resistance, but it was futile. The Roden Territory's forces had been positioned primarily to defend against external threats rather than internal ones, putting Ash at a disadvantage from the start. The nobles split into two factions—some defected to Hallum, while those loyal to Ash met their ends. Naturally, the Roden Territory plunged into chaos. Soldiers panicked at the sight of allies turning into enemies, fleeing instead of regrouping.
'If I seize the Roden Territory, I'll have nearly ten thousand troops. And Prince Ash's head too.'
Even if he captured Ash and declared surrender to western Ronia, they'd spare his life at best—but strip him of his title for sure. That would shatter the future Marquis Hallum had built over long years. But if he offered up not just Ash, but the entire Roden Territory and its absorbed forces as tribute?
At the very least, he could hold onto a barony.
'The world may brand me a traitor, but I've already bound my soul to the devil! My deeds will be etched in history!'
This impossible rebellion was succeeding! He brimmed with unprecedented valor, and everything was going smoothly. It had to be the devil's blessing!
"Waaaaah—!"
The castle's defenders fell swiftly. Victory loomed for the rebellion.
The grand hall's doors burst open. Inside stood only an elderly knight and a young one—no sign of Prince Ash.
"……."
Marquis Hallum scowled, scanning the room before turning to Alber.
"Where's Ash? Escaped through a secret passage?"
"It's the prince! You rotten traitor."
"Traitor...? Ha! You fool! This body of mine—"
Marquis Hallum bellowed so loudly his double chin quivered.
"—is destined for greatness as a king! Betrayal, from me? This is but the first step of a glorious journey!"
"...You're insane."
Insane. There was no other word for it. Marquis Hallum looked utterly bewitched by something.
"Insane? How dare you call your king mad. For that crime... "
Marquis Hallum mimed slitting his throat.
"I'll have you executed."
At his words, soldiers swarmed the two.
***
In the midst of a raging downpour, flames rose over the Roden Territory. Black smoke swelled the thunderheads, spreading to blanket the world. Amid it all, a procession departed the territory.
"Haha! What a spectacular blaze!"
The Berserk Warriors marveled as if at fireworks.
"Yeah. When they said we were returning to Asgard out of nowhere, I wondered... but this was it?"
"How'd it even happen? That pig staging his own rebellion?"
"Who knows."
The Berserk Warriors shook their heads. Kudan approached Aum in admiration and whispered,
"Impressive. The Constellation's doing?"
"Seems like it."
Curious, Aum approached Loki.
"Constellation, how did you manipulate him?"
Loki glanced up from his book.
"Marquis Hallum?"
"Yes."
"Just one word was enough."
"……?"
"That he was destined to be king."
A joke, surely? Loki recalled Marquis Hallum.
—What is your wish, Marquis?
Marquis Hallum had said,
—Make me k-king!
But before that, Loki had added,
—Sacrifice your life.
—And I'll grant your wish.
By the contract's terms, Hallum had to die first for the wish to be fulfilled—rendering it meaningless wordplay. The marquis had been duped by Loki's potion and a simple pun.
'All conditions are met.'
Loki had given him orders: Capture Ash and surrender to western Ronia. The kingdom would unify, and as the one who ended the war, Hallum would survive. He would serve as Loki's puppet, bridging Ronia and the Holy Church.
'An amusing toy.'
Thanks to Marquis Hallum's rebellion...
Eastern Ronia fell.
***
Weeeeiiiiing....
The forest lay three days from the Roden Territory. Prince Ash, eyes hollow, leaned against a tree. Perhaps due to his deathly gaze, a fly mistook him for a corpse, landed on his lips, and crawled inside. Ash chewed the intruder and muttered,
"W-water...."
Pol approached and trickled his last water into the prince's mouth.
"H-here's the last of it."
"H-hungry...."
"...No food left."
'...No rations, no water. And Rapilta, Sir Alber...'
Pol glanced at his fallen comrades nearby, Rapilta and Alber. A week since Marquis Hallum's revolt in Roden. The two had miraculously returned alive. They stayed behind as bait, bought time, and barely escaped to rejoin Ash.
But the cost was horrific. Alber's deep chest wound would kill him in days without treatment. Rapilta's left arm was severed at the shoulder, the stump festering. Both were unconscious.
'...We have to get out of this forest somehow—.'
A rustle sounded. Pol turned toward it and saw Ash pulling herbs from his bag and eating them.
"……!"
N-no! Pol shoved Ash away.
"No! Those are for Rapilta and Alber—!"
"I'm hungry! They're as good as dead! Give them—!"
Starving mad, Ash shoved Pol aside and devoured the herbs.
"N-no—! Please don't eat them! Please...! Without those, Sir Alber and Rapilta won't last the day!"
Ignoring Pol, Ash swallowed every last one. Soon, his movements halted. His gaze fixed on faint lights in the woods.
"...P-people! Food... water...!"
Ash bolted toward the lights. Pol couldn't stop him.
"N-no—!"
Lights in these deep woods? Adventurers would be lucky, but more likely pursuers or intelligent monsters. They couldn't rush in blindly—!
Ash ignored Pol's cries and reached the campfire campsite. And there—
"...Anyone know this guy?"
Holy knights in armor etched with the [木] symbol. The Holy Church's Black Judges, heretic hunters.
The holy knights shook their heads at their captain's question.
"No one?"
Black Judge Captain Yuma scowled at his men in disdain. He pulled out sheets of parchment one by one. Among them, an old man's portrait marked with a red (X). It bore the name [Alex Monk]. The others—
A young dark elf girl's portrait.
A woman with black-and-white hair.
And finally...
Ash's portrait. Wanted posters for heretics to hunt.
"Ash Ronia. First prince of Ronia."
Yuma stood.
"The heretic we're hunting."