Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Chapter 10: The Awakened
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“You, what are you!”
The baron yelled at a soldier passing by indifferently. The soldier ignored him, glanced briefly at the pebble spirit confronting the mercenary knight, then raised his voice toward Meredes standing by the distant castle gate.
“Is this Verit Castle, where Prince Claude is staying?”
“I am Knight Kyle, who serves His Highness the Prince! Who are you!”
Kyle shouted in response. The soldier set down his large bundle wrapped in burlap and answered.
“My name is Linen! I was a trainee soldier stationed in Dalton, a fortress village in the Elstone Earldom!”
“……Dalton?”
“When the village was invaded by the undead army and everyone was about to die, His Highness the Prince suddenly appeared and saved my life when I was on the brink of death! After that, I’ve been asking around everywhere to find him and repay the favor! For His Highness, I’ll risk my life on anything! Please, take me as a soldier—no, even a servant!”
“No…….”
The situation was so sudden that even the sharp-minded Kyle froze for a moment.
‘What is this guy saying right now? Is he blind? Can’t he see we’re in the middle of a fight?’
Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing that someone had come offering to dedicate their life to Claude.
But in this desperately urgent moment, what change could one lone foot soldier from a remote border bring to the battlefield?
However, Rantel Baron didn’t seem to think so.
“Claude! Claude! Claude! That damned Prince Claude! Then you’re an enemy of our house too! Kill them all! There are no witnesses anyway, so wipe out their entire line!”
“Yes!”
The hundred or so soldiers waiting in the rear immediately raised their weapons. At that, Linen scratched his bearded chin and began unwrapping the burlap he had set down.
“I don’t know the details…… but you’re enemies of His Highness, right?”
What was bundled in the burlap was a set of slender spears about a meter long.
Linen picked one at random from the ten or so bundles. At that instant, light flashed from his gripping hand, but since it was bright daylight, everyone mistook it for sunlight reflecting off the spear.
“My power is solely for Prince Claude…….”
Linen muttered briefly, as if in prayer. Then he hurled the gripped spear at the approaching soldiers.
“Shields!”
The front line soldiers reacted simultaneously, raising their shields. A spear thrown by an ordinary soldier, not even a knight, could easily be blocked by shields.
But that spear was no ordinary spear.
Flash!
The moment it collided with the front line shields, a brilliant flash spread outward like an explosion.
It was fragments of sharp light, like shattered glass.
“Arghhh!”
Soldiers pierced by dozens of fragments screamed and curled up. In turn, Rantel Baron in the rear, who had been sprinkled with a few small pieces, began wailing as if he were dying.
“Uwaaaaaah! What is this! It hurts! It hurts so much!”
“Baron!”
Thanks to that, the leader confronting the spirit broke the encirclement and turned around. Meanwhile, Linen, who had a bundle of spears tucked under his arm, drew another one and began infusing light into the shaft.
“Is this a knight? He’s incredibly fast?”
Then he calmly threw the spear at the charging enemy. But a spear thrown by an ordinary person unaffected by magic armor hitting the body of a Knight Expert, no less a mere common knight, was nearly impossible.
“Where!”
The leader stepped aside and easily dodged the flying spear. But the moment he evaded, the spearhead glowed and scattered fragments in all directions, as if waiting.
“Huh?”
It was an explosion of light.
The leader, covered in fragments alone, couldn’t run more than a few steps before tumbling forward.
“Urk…… m-my body…….”
“Phew, thought I almost missed the timing.”
In the meantime, Linen infused light into yet another new spear and mercilessly hurled it at the fallen knight’s head.
“Urk!”
Even in his tumbled state, the leader barely twisted his body to dodge the incoming spear.
But this time too, it was futile.
Flash!
The spear embedded in the ground instead of his head exploded in light, shredding the leader’s body.
Of course, to the eye, it just flashed without much visible power.
But the leader’s eyes rolled back white, foam bubbling from his mouth as he began convulsing.
“…….”
Not only the knights and soldiers, but even the spirit with one arm blown off—all held their breath, watching Linen.
Meanwhile, Linen casually prepared a third spear, infusing light into the shaft with an unperturbed face.
“I heard killing a knight as a commoner is basically a death sentence……. Nah. Enemies of His Highness don’t matter.”
“Wait!”
In the frozen standoff, the only one keeping his cool, Kyle, shouted and rushed toward Linen.
“Stop! That’s enough, don’t kill him! His Highness doesn’t want unnecessary killing!”
“Oh! Is that so?”
Linen startled and lowered the raised spear. Kyle grabbed Linen’s arm and began leading him toward the castle gate where he had been.
“Your name’s Linen, right? Come over here for now.”
“Yes, sir. Knight. I heard a rumor recently that His Highness is now leading a knight order……. You must be one of the glorious members?”
Linen looked at Kyle with eyes of admiration. Kyle, feeling an immense burden, reluctantly nodded.
“That’s right. But you were a soldier in the Elstone Earldom? What’s your exact status now?”
“No affiliation. Before leaving Elstone, I had a chance to meet the lord, explained my situation, and he happily released me from duty.”
Claude was Elstone Count’s benefactor. Naturally, he would welcome with open arms such a talented person wanting to help Claude.
“So you’re not a soldier anymore, just a civilian?”
“That’s about right.”
“I see. Then I can’t treat you lightly. I don’t know the details, but welcome aboard since you’re here for His Highness.”
“Phew. When a knight says that, it’s burdensome. Feel free to speak casually.”
“No. By the way, what was that technique just now……. How did you do it? The spear explodes in light, and anyone covered in it can’t move?”
Kyle asked while watching the knights who had been confronting the spirit fall back. Linen scratched the back of his head shyly.
“Honestly, I don’t know much myself. It’s just a power that appeared after His Highness saved me from death……. Oh, the lord called this power ‘Holy Lance.’”
“Holy Lance?”
“He didn’t know exactly either, but he’d heard stories of someone long ago who wielded this power. He said I could learn more at the Great Temple…….”
“You bastards! Where do you think you’re going! Leaving your employer behind!”
At that moment, Rantel Baron, who had come to his senses, started screaming and jumping in rage. The mercenary knights were supporting the fallen leader and abruptly retreating.
“You scum! Don’t run! Stay there! Stay! You dare make enemies of the Talisman house! You think you can keep doing business in the Empire like that! Please come back!”
The mercenary knights flinched at the baron’s desperate cries and hastily vanished from sight. Meanwhile, after consulting with Kyle, Linen threw a spear to a spot just short of hitting the baron, causing an explosion.
Flash!
“Uwaaaaaah! No! Get away!”
The baron freaked out and retreated even though the light fragments didn’t touch him. Then he glared at the pebble spirit still standing imposingly outside the gate and ground his teeth.
“Damn seeds of Claude! We’ll meet again! The Talisman house never gives up! I’ll definitely return and rescue Uncle! Everyone, retreat! Fall back!”
With that, he turned his horse and fled in haste. Linen, who had prepared a new spear just in case, suddenly widened his eyes and asked.
“Talisman? Isn’t that the name of the local lord? I heard it’s a hugely prestigious noble house? Isn’t this a big problem?”
“…….”
Kyle looked at him as if asking if he had fought without knowing that. Then Meredes beside him shook her head and countered.
“No big deal. In terms of status, Prince Claude outranks Count Talisman by far.”
“Oh, indeed. That makes sense.”
Linen nodded as if convinced. Meanwhile, Kyle began pondering how to explain things to these remarkably pure-minded people.
‘Even a prince can’t just let this slide. We’ve completely fallen out with the influential Talisman house in the Empire over this……. No, Prince Claude always acts with a plan. Surely this time too, he has some hidden ace I don’t know about.’
For now, that’s all he could believe.
In any case, he was satisfied that Linen’s unexpected joining allowed them to continue the order to “keep Count Talisman starved as long as possible.”
‘But what on earth happens by starving the count so long? Does he maybe change his mind and become a normal person?’
* * *
-This incident is so shocking that even calling it “insane” would be an understatement.
However, considering Prince Claude’s intentions for the Empire and the full context, it’s clearly not treason, so I believe it would be proper for Your Highness the Regent to show leniency in the disposition.
-Everyone knows Your Highness cherishes and dotes on Prince Claude deep down.
You set an example for all at the regular meeting with your fiery display, so how about pardoning Prince Claude here and releasing him from house arrest?
“Cherish him my ass!”
Jess swept the pile of petitions off the table.
“That damned guy’s only been locked in the Blue Lion Palace for two days! Just two days!”
If he could, he’d slap him with rebellion charges and chop his head off. But with the ministers’ opinion swaying toward Claude, he couldn’t act rashly.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Jess pounded the table until blood flew from his fists.
If this were his office in the imperial palace, Phiren beside him might have stopped him. But this was the secret chamber in his private residence. No worry of sound leaking out.
Sizzle!
Blood spurting from his fist hit the table, emitting white smoke. Regaining his senses, Jess pulled out a handkerchief and pressed the wound.
“No. Can’t waste it. Not a single drop…….”
Jess glared at the blood-soaked handkerchief.
Blood.
This very blood was the pure toxin that would bring down not just Claude, but the emperor and crown prince.
Of course, Jess hadn’t been born with such special blood.
On the contrary, he was quite ordinary. His mind was decent, but not genius-level. His notably frail body was enough to make him feel alienated among his healthy siblings.
Thus, Jess had suffered from inferiority complexes since childhood.
Especially being constantly compared to the crown prince, who excelled in every field.
He studied desperately and amassed knowledge to stand out, but the emperor never acknowledged him, as if dissatisfied.
Then, as time passed, the emperor began showering affection on the new half-brother youngest prince—Claude.
From Jess’s position, it was maddening.
Yet even amid that, his weak body kept him bedridden for half the year, wasting away.
Then, one fateful day arrived that changed everything for Jess.
“Cough…….”
That night too, he woke from fever in the dead of night.
His throat was parched; he wanted water. But his head throbbed and body was too heavy to move.
“W-water…….”
But no response came.
Midnight, perhaps? Or was his voice too weak for the attendants outside to hear?
Either way, it was terror.
Terror that no one in the world cared about him. Even though he was a prince of the noblest blood……
-Are you thirsty?
At that exact moment, a strangely dressed servant approached silently and offered water.
After drinking, his body finally moved. Barely sitting up in bed, Jess asked the odd-looking servant.
-Who are you? You don’t look like a servant…. Why are you dressed like that?
-I am a patron.
-A patron?
-Yes. I came from very far away to meet you, Your Highness.
The man who called himself a patron was wrapped head to toe in bandages without a gap.
He introduced himself as a being from “another dimension” and suddenly traced Jess’s face with a finger, then licked it.
-Mmm. As expected, excellent flavor.
“How rude……. What are you doing?”
-My apologies. I needed to confirm first.
-Confirm? Confirm what?
-Something like that. The important part starts now.
Then he made an irresistibly sweet offer Jess couldn’t refuse.
-The reason I crossed dimensions to come here is to grant Your Highness’s wish.
-Wish?
-Yes. From now on, without any price, I will grant three wishes you desire. What does Your Highness want?
It was highly suspicious. Wishes without cost? Unheard of.
But in his delirium from high fever, it didn’t matter. Jess, face twisted in pain, confessed his long-held wish.
-I want health.
-I thought so. It might sting a bit, but please endure.
The patron pulled out a transparent tube from between the bandages, as if waiting.
A sharp needle was attached to the tube’s end. Is this assassin? Jess, about to resist, just closed his eyes and gave up.
Better to die than live in this pain.