Chapter 91, Having Too Much (5)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

The Grand Chamberlain, Raul, put down a cup of tea and opened the window as he spoke.

 

“Why don’t you rest for a moment. The wind is pleasant today.”

 

The wind was unusually warm today.

 

Rmain, who would never have listened to such a suggestion around this time last year, nodded obediently.

 

“Yes, it is pleasant.”

 

Soon, Rmain took the teacup in his hand and stood by the window.

 

Raul, seeing this, smiled pleasantly and went outside.

 

From some point, Rmain, who no longer obsessively immersed himself in work, now slept in Camilia Palace instead of Arpia Palace. He had abandoned his habit of saving time spent going between his work space and living quarters.

 

Rmain also knew that he had changed a lot and that Kalian and Allan had greatly contributed to that change. He was well aware that the starting point of that change was his birthday festival last year.

 

Looking back, many things happened at last year’s birthday festival.

 

As it was a grand festival, there were many rumors and troubles every year, but was last year the only one?

 

“I hope this year might be a bit quieter.”

 

He thought this year’s festival could pass more quietly compared to last year. After all, the matters related to Sillike had been concluded.

 

Rmain walked back to his desk and opened the drawer.

 

Inside was a letter that had arrived via messenger bird.

 

Normally, it should have been delivered as a proper letter, but due to delays in selecting the deliverer, they had opted to use a bird, which explained 80 percent of the letter’s content.

 

It strongly felt like they were watching out for his reaction to receiving a letter that deviated from proper etiquette.

 

What was actually important in the letter was just two lines.

 

First, an explanation of who was coming.

 

And there was a request to keep the visitor information confidential until they arrived at the Royal Palace of Cyries for safety reasons.

 

Seeing that, he could immediately understand why the reply was so late and why it was filled with such cautious content. They were concerned that Rmain, whose mood might be disturbed by receiving an inappropriate letter, might harm the visitor.

 

[I wonder how they see me to worry like this?] Rmain gave a hollow laugh.

 

And soon he looked out the window again and continued talking to himself.

 

“It’s going to be noisy this time again.”

 

* * *

 

Kyrie took a deep breath and exhaled.

 

[‘Don’t touch the attendant on the first floor. Regretfully, let all the customers go. Let the ‘fighting dogs’ in the cage go. But kill all of ‘them’. Can you do it?’]

 

For Kyrie, ‘yes’ was the obvious answer.

 

For Kyrie, this gambling den was a place he inevitably had to visit someday. That someday just happened to be today.

 

Kalian may have planned this for a different purpose, but Kyrie took it as permission for the revenge he had been holding back.

 

*Slash!*

 

The neck of the man who was collecting the entrance fee rolled on the floor.

 

The man’s body collapsed, with two fingers spread, representing the entrance fee of 2 fiorin.

 

With the man’s death as the beginning, Kyrie’s sword began to distinguish between life and death for those in the gambling den. There were no mistakes and no second strikes.

 

Like Arsene’s ice spear, wherever Kyrie’s sword passed, life invariably fell.

 

“Aaaaargh!”

 

Those who were granted ‘life’ screamed and rushed up the stairs. Though guards from the 4th floor would likely rush in after sensing the commotion, it did not matter.

 

*Slash!*

*Cut!*

 

As Kyrie slashed and stabbed the people in the gambling den without hesitation and moved forward, he momentarily stopped.

 

The iron cage was installed in the center of the gambling den.

 

The very place where countless ‘fighting dogs’ had fought each other to provide entertainment. A man was hiding in the shadow of that cage. Kyrie walked toward him without hesitation.

 

It was the announcer.

 

He looked at Kyrie’s face.

 

The unforgettable two eyes of different colors were looking down at the announcer.

 

“I, I didn’t do anything!”

 

From the mouth that always introduced ‘Fiendeye’ with a cheerful voice came words full of fear.

 

‘Oh my. Don’t be too surprised. Death happens here from time to time.’

 

That was what the announcer had said when one of Kyrie’s companions died in front of the guests. Suddenly reminded of that day, Kyrie uttered in a low voice.

 

“You did.”

 

*Slash!*

 

The announcer’s blood sprayed into the iron cage.

 

Kyrie watched the blood dripping down the bars and then moved on.

 

In the meantime, more than ten men had come down after learning of the commotion on the 4th floor. So, he killed them all.

 

Kyrie’s revenge, which continued like that, paused briefly in front of the office door. This was because four men with sharp swords were blocking Kyrie. They were people Kyrie knew.

 

They were the four Swordsmen who protected the man in the office.

 

“You bastard, who do you think you are to come here!?”

 

As the largest man said this and extended his sword, the swords of the other three also fell upon Kyrie.

 

But Kyrie’s face, which had been expressionless until now, broke into a small smile.

 

[Slow.]

 

When he was first caught and brought here, they had seemed so frightening.

 

*Clang!*

 

After deflecting their attacks with a single swing of his sword, Kyrie moved his arm again. With one slash, blood fountains erupted from the necks of two men.

 

The remaining two did not live much longer either.

 

The screaming head fell first, and the head of the last man who tried to escape rolled to the front of the iron cage.

 

Kyrie did not watch where that head went and flung open the office door. And for a very brief moment, he hesitated.

 

The office was empty.

 

The man who had haggled over Kalian and Kyrie’s ransom was not there. Instead, there was a muffled sound from inside the huge safe behind where the man usually sat.

 

After standing still for a moment and twirling his sword-holding wrist, Kyrie quietly walked over and opened the safe door.

 

*Swish!*

 

As if it had been waiting, a dagger flew out.

 

Kyrie easily blocked it with his sword.

 

*Clang!*

 

The dagger did not even bounce off. It just fell to the floor with a *thud*.

 

It was laughably slow compared to Arsene’s ice.

 

If it had been a dagger thrown by Kalian, it would have pierced both the sword and the neck.

 

Kyrie stepped into the safe.

 

Then, with a piercing scream, the man’s shout reverberated from inside the safe.

 

“Don’t come! If you come any closer, I’ll kill her!”

 

The man, full of hostility, shouted at Kyrie while using a woman as a shield. The knife in the man’s hand touched the woman’s neck.

 

[This is the last one.]

 

Kyrie took a step forward.

 

The man’s knife made a shallow cut on the woman’s neck.

 

“Kyaaaah!”

 

“I said don’t come any closer, you monster!”

 

Kyrie’s feet paused momentarily.

 

Kyrie looked once at the man who had taken a woman he did not even know as a hostage, and at the captured woman.

 

After thinking about something for a moment, Kyrie took another step forward.

 

When he entered the office, there were two muffled sounds. There was no sound of sobbing in fear.

 

Therefore, Kyrie extended his sword without hesitation.

 

The cold blade plunged down toward the hearts of those standing together.

 

*Squelch!*

 

The sound of flesh, muscle, and bone being cut briefly echoed inside the safe.

 

The life of the manager of this place, whose name Kyrie still did not know, and the woman who had been holding her breath together in the safe, ended together.

 

Silence fell.

 

Red blood dripped down Kyrie’s aqua-colored hair. It was all the blood of others. Kyrie, who had killed everyone in the gambling den with his own hands, stood silently for a while.

 

After some time had passed, Kyrie searched around. Then, taking out some ledgers from the pile in the safe that looked appropriate, he went outside.

 

The bar on the first floor was empty.

 

It seemed that both the attendant and the customers had fled. Thanks to this, Kyrie quietly slipped out, put the ledgers in a bag on the saddle, and whispered.

 

“Go back.”

 

Raven’s brother was not as intelligent as Raven, but ihe was smart enough to understand the words of the Half-Elf boy. So, with the bag Kyrie had tied to him on his back, he began to trot back to the Royal Palace.

 

Around the time Kyrie was listening to the gradually fading sound of hooves and wrinkling his nose at the smell of blood permeating his body, the Capital Knights arrived.

 

The Knights all drew their swords when they saw a boy covered in so much blood that his face was unrecognizable, standing with a sword.

 

“Put down your weapon!”

 

Instead of saying he had been waiting for them for a long time, Kyrie obediently put down his sword and raised his hands.

 

After that, he looked at them and said calmly and distinctly.

 

“I am Prince Kalian’s servant.”

 

* * *

 

Arsene could not hide his dissatisfied expression.

 

Allan, who was also the temporary Commander of the Valkan Mage Order, patted Arsene’s shoulder as if coaxing and soothing him, and said.

 

“Think about it. It wouldn’t be right to place that person under you, would it? And it would not be right for me to step down and make him the Commander either, would it? That’s why there are now two Deputy Commanders.”

 

To that, Arsene immediately retorted as if to ask him not to misunderstand.

 

“Do you think I’m like this because I dislike having one more Deputy Commander? You know very well why I’m opposing this, Commander.”

 

Arsene’s face and tone were very agitated, unlike his usual self.

 

Even though the Royal Palace prioritized blood and regional ties, wasn’t Kalian someone who valued ability and fair personnel allocation?

 

“If it were Prince Kalian who was coming, I would have immediately given up my position. But it’s not, is it?”

 

Arsene’s face showed that he was thoroughly displeased with the current situation.

 

Allan clicked his tongue as Arsene, who would normally follow Kalian’s decisions without a word, unexpectedly strongly opposed. It was quite awkward for Allan as Arsene was speaking with the person in question right in front of him.

 

Arsene turned his gaze away from Allan.

 

And out of nowhere, he looked at the Second Prince, who had been appointed as Deputy Commander, and asked with a sullen face.

 

“Are you a Mage?”

 

The implication was, how can someone who’s not even a Mage be the Deputy Commander of Valkan?

 

Plants, who of course understood the meaning well, curled up one corner of his mouth with a very relaxed face. And he answered briefly.

 

“I’m a Prince.”

 

In short, he was saying, ‘my ability is being a Prince. My specialty is being a Prince. What I can do is be a Prince! So even without being a Mage or whatever, I can surely be the Deputy Commander of Valkan, can’t I?’

 

[How vile! This world is truly dirty and petty!] Arsene should have known from the days Plants had been coming and going to Wilhelm Hall, watching how the Valkan members were being trained. Something had felt off, and now things had turned out like this.

 

Arsene voiced his dissatisfaction again.

 

“Why is Prince Plants interfering in Valkan?”

 

It was unlike Arsene. Instead of cursing secretly, he had never made such direct remarks in front of someone. That was how great his dissatisfaction was.

 

Of course, there was a reason.

 

“I heard that Prince Plants had decided to go the same way as Marquis Beurisen. If that’s the case, shouldn’t he be going to Caera Knights or Roan Knight Order instead of Valkan?”

 

Despite being his brother, Kalian had gone to the extent of revealing what he had hidden, saving and protecting Plants, and extending his life until now. Yet Plants had joined hands with Evan Beurisen. No wonder Arsene could not say anything nice about him.

 

Plants took his eyes off Arsene and looked at Allan.

 

“Do all Mages talk like this?”

 

Allan also knew well that he himself was included in that ‘Mages’. It was probably because of the time long ago when he had also used sharp words at Plants.

 

Allan nodded while smiling.

 

“All Mages in Valkan are like this. With those at the top having such mouths, what else could the others below do? They will naturally learn and follow, no?”

 

Allan’s words were also full of thorns.

 

“Ah.” Plants, who now properly understood the situation, smirked and muttered. “I guess my little brother didn’t tell you.”

 

Kalian seemed to care a lot about Plants, but was surprisingly not that meticulous. He had arranged for a Deputy Commander position in Valkan for Plants through Allan, but forgot to mention the important fact that Plants had not actually joined hands with Evan.

 

However, Allan had somewhat guessed the circumstances even though Kalian had not said anything. He was just venting his resentment for his beloved Disciple, who had helped Plants at his own expense.

 

Of course, Arsene, who was almost at the same level as Ian in terms of perception, did not realise this.

 

Plants, who had been watching the two for a moment, leaned deeply into the sofa, crossed his legs, and sat down. Then he slightly tilted his head up. After striking such a pose that was truly princely yet unprincelike, he looked at the two with languid eyes.

 

“The old Mage pretends to know while acting none the wiser. The young Mage doesn’t know and acts with such an edge. What a spectacle.”

 

Allan, whose innermost thoughts had been exposed, smiled slightly, and Arsene’s face showed anger again.

 

In this situation, there were two fortunate points.

 

One was that Plants was not the type of character who would punish them for insulting a Prince over Allan and Arsene’s sarcasm.

 

“I absolutely can’t!”

 

*Creak.*

 

And just then, Kalian entered just before the angry Arsene could say he would quit being the Deputy Commander.

 

Kalian’s expression was one of surprise when he saw the three had gathered. However, as if there was a more important issue, he looked at Plants and said.

 

“Older brother. I am currently proceeding with the matter I previously mentioned to you. So from tomorrow, please act as if you’re on bad terms with me. The Marquis will be very angry, so please appease him as well.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Around the time Arsene’s expression changed strangely as he realized something was wrong with this conversation.

 

Kalian’s gaze now turned to Allan.

 

“And Master. I have a favor to ask of you.”

 

Allan immediately nodded and looked at Kalian, and Kalian continued.

 

“I need to use your name today.”

 

It was difficult to understand immediately.

 

Soon, Kalian’s explanation of the ongoing matter followed.

 

Only then did Arsene, who finally learned that ‘Plants had falsely joined hands with Evan’, have his face turn pale.

 

Unaware of this, Kalian finished speaking with a consistently serious face and left, and Allan also hurried away to do what Kalian had asked.

 

Now, in the quiet room, only Plants and Arsene remained.