Chapter 119, Don’t Touch (9)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

The Flame Sphere in Allan’s hand rose upward again. Seeing this, Ned slowly opened his mouth.

 

“… Not long after Blue Warbler was executed, they came to us. They already knew that Blue Warbler wasn’t just an assassin but a spy. They gave us a lot of money and asked us to find people who could do the work she had been doing.”

 

“If anyone heard that, they’d think Secritia was terribly poor.”

 

Chase, who had been quietly watching from behind, smiled and said.

 

In the past, Bern had been only seventeen at this time. In other words, Debeullan had planned to entrust Bern with spy work the same time Bern began learning swordsmanship.

 

In short, Bern had helped manage the spies from an early age.

 

And currently, Debeullan’s treatment of spies was by no means bad. It was not different from the past either. So, the reason Chase’s voice was full of self-mockery was because he had realized one fact that this series of events revealed.

 

Everything was the same as the past, but was there not one thing that was different?

 

Bern’s absence.

 

That had become the cause.

 

Allan asked, pretending not to notice Chase’s mood.

 

“Isn’t it obvious that they’re not affiliated with any nation? Warriors of the Great Dunes don’t have a nation they belong to.”

 

“It’s not just us. I also saw Mages from Liberen and Priests from Tansyll mixed in.”

 

“You’re saying it’s not just Secritia’s birds or the Warriors of the Great Dunes?”

 

“That’s right. But I don’t know anything more than this. I don’t even know what name they operate under.”

 

An organization formed by people from various countries.

 

When Allan, who had been carefully examining Ned, looked at Chase, Chase nodded briefly. Both had eyes that agreed there was nothing more he was hiding.

 

Soon, Allan smiled meaningfully and said to Chase.

 

“How remarkable. You seem to care so much for the other birds.”

 

It was an assessment of Ned, who had immediately opened his mouth when told that all his remaining allies would be killed. Since Chase knew Allan was not asking for any particular answer, he remained silent.

 

Allan turned his gaze back to Ned and smiled gently.

 

“… But you. Do you know the names of the spies who are fleeing and are acting accordingly?”

 

There was no change in Ned’s expression. His face remained the same as when he had been glaring at Allan with anger over the mercilessness.

 

At first glance, it seemed as if he had spoken to save his subordinates or colleagues. The eyes that had immediately reddened when the Flame Sphere was sent to one person seemed to prove this.

 

“Did you develop friendships that did not exist when you came to Cyries? Did those ten become so close with you that you all held hands and defected together?”

 

However, spies originally did not even know each other’s identities. The same was true for Ned. The spies had no personal relationships with each other to the extent that Kalian had made use of this opening to extract information.

 

“Don’t try to deceive me when you know that’s impossible.”

 

Wasn’t Allan someone who was as skilled at reading people’s hearts as he was at mocking them?

 

Allan thought that there must have been someone who enticed them to defect, and that all ten had each defected separately but had come to this place. After all, was that not how most defectors were created?

 

Allan continued with a calm face.

 

“Even though I may look like this, I’ve lived long enough not to be fooled by false faces.”

 

Of course, Allan had not identified Ned’s lies through intuition alone. There was another reason why he was certain that Ned’s behavior was false.

 

‘White Hawk’ had been a spy very loyal to Secritia.

 

However, that did not mean his affection for other spies was deep.

 

In the past, Kalian had once told Blue Warbler, who would not reveal any information, ‘White Hawk. I will have him conduct the interrogation’. After hearing that, Blue Warbler’s mouth opened immediately. It was because she feared Ned’s cruelty.

 

Was Blue Warbler not also a spy?

 

If Ned truly cared for spies, he might be angry about defection, but he could not retaliate so cruelly that ‘when Chase saw the corpse of a traitor that White Hawk had tracked down and caught, he could not keep food down for over three days’.

 

“Moreover, aren’t your actions truly contradictory? You spirited away nine of them. But you tried to take poison in front of me, and when I killed two, you spat out the poison in your mouth. After that, I asked questions but you did not speak. Because of that, I killed one more, and you opened your mouth when I said I would kill all six remaining.”

 

Ned did not answer.

 

“If you truly wanted to save them, you should have struggled desperately rather than trying to bite the poison. That would have been the genuine reaction, wouldn’t it? It’s a perfect contradiction to act as if you’ll abandon everything and die first, then become angry as they die one by one.”

 

Ned did not draw his sword to attack Allan.

 

He deliberately revealed his breathing while trying to use poison. This meant it was an action taken knowing Allan would stop him. Even that must have been to buy time.

 

Moreover, Ned had essentially revealed why he needed to buy time. Didn’t he immediately open his mouth when told all six remaining would be killed?

 

“At least one had to survive and escape to call the Warriors back to this place, so you acted that way.”

 

Ned’s expression changed very slightly.

 

Allan did not miss that change.

 

“Don’t expect anything. No one is coming.”

 

Six Flame Spheres dropped to the floor.

 

* * *

 

Two pills.

 

Sitting across from Ned, Chase placed two pills on the table while Allan watched. Then he opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

 

“I think you know what they are, but should I explain?”

 

“I know, Your Highness.”

 

Looking at the pills that would give two paths, Ned answered. Since Ned had handled all the items spies needed, he could distinguish such pills well enough.

 

“Good.”

 

A smile appeared on Chase’s lips.

 

“However, it will be difficult to give you a choice.”

 

Saying this, Chase picked up one of the two pills and threw it on the floor. What was discarded was the poison that would bring death. That had been a ray of hope for Ned.

 

What remained was the poison that would take away his eyes, mouth, and ears, giving him a life where he could never see, hear, or speak.

 

A voice that could never match the quiet forest-like smile, as if transplanting Cyries’ harsh winter, flowed out again.

 

“You touched what you shouldn’t have touched.”

 

“…Your Highness.”

 

At Chase’s gesture, the Knights standing around him grabbed Ned’s mouth. Then they poured the remaining pill into that mouth. Ned resisted but could not spit out the pill.

 

“Live wandering through despair with regret.”

 

With those words, Chase stood up from his seat and walked outside. The sound of footsteps, no different from when he entered, gradually grew distant.

 

That was the last sight, sound, and person Ned tried to call out to.

 

* * *

 

Naturally, Taillan’s sword was strong.

 

A full three days.

 

The situation where the Secritia’s Knight Order he had led was completely annihilated.

 

Until Valkan’s Mages arrived, Taillan alone blocked Cyries’ Knight Order. He held out alone for three days so that Secritia could reorganize its final battle lines. Taillan was the one who blocked the only path leading to Secritia’s Royal Palace.

 

Although it was still nine years before that day, Taillan was still Taillan.

 

*Slash!*

 

After cutting off the arm of the one blocking his way, Taillan’s sword split the man’s heart in half before stopping. As he retrieved his sword, a Warrior rushed at him from behind.

 

Taillan raised his sword to block that sword imbued with red Aura.

 

*Crack!*

 

With the sound of bone being pierced, the body of the Warrior trying to attack Taillan crashed to the ground. There was a hole the size of a forearm in the neck of the sprawled corpse. It was where a Wind Arrow had pierced through.

 

It was from Kalian.

 

Soon, Taillan blocked another sword flying from elsewhere and cut the man’s neck. Then he cut the leg of one of the two Warriors heading toward Kalian. The remaining one fell with a hole pierced in his heart. This time it was a Wind Spear.

 

*Whoosh!*

 

A sound of something burning as if it would not stop came. At the same time, a huge fireball created by their Mage rushed toward Taillan.

 

At that moment, Taillan’s sword glowed more bluish to block it.

 

“Shield.” With a low voice, Kalian stood in front of Taillan. Then he blocked the fireball with a Shield Spell overlaid on his Aura shield.

 

*Boom!*

 

With a tremendous explosion sound, the Shields that expanded in all directions blocked a wave of heat. Along with that, Kalian swallowed something bitter in his mouth.

 

Taillan frowned and said to Kalian.

 

“Please step back. I know your body hasn’t recovered yet.”

 

Kalian paused for a moment upon hearing Taillan’s words.

 

Why he paused was something Taillan did not know. After all, Kalian had heard his former Master’s respectful speech after a long time. It had to be said that Allan continued to use respectful speech to Kalian even after they formed a Master-Disciple relationship, but Taillan did not.

 

Still facing six Warriors full of killing intent and with a body that had yet to fully recover, Kalian smiled leisurely and answered.

 

“I hate being a burden.”

 

Then he created another Wind Arrow and pierced the forehead of a charging Warrior.

 

Taillan shook his head and after brushing off his sword, created red Aura and cut the neck of a charging Knight. They did not try to face Taillan for long. All of them, down to the last one, persistently targeted Kalian.

 

*Haa…*

 

While Taillan cut down three Knights, another fireball flew in. Kalian, who let out a short sigh, raised his Shield to block it while operating Mana.

 

*Boom!*

*Screech!*

 

The moment flames were blocked by Kalian’s Shield and made an explosion sound, a Wind Spear tore through the air.

 

*Crack!*

 

A little later, a huge hole appeared in the chest of the Mage who had been standing far back, who had sent a fireball.

 

The Mage, who looked down at his wound as if he could not understand what had happened to him, slowly collapsed.

 

*Thud!*

 

With that, all sixteen Warriors who had attacked Kalian died. Each one’s individual strength was significantly lower than the five Warriors who had first attacked him. However, since there were sixteen troublesome of them, even he could not let Taillan face them alone.

 

Fortunately, Taillan did not have any doubts about Kalian not drawing his sword so far.

 

Kalian had learned swordsmanship from Taillan.

 

No, the swordsmanship that the current Kalian used was actually superior to Taillan’s in some aspects. It was because it was a technique that would be refined for another ten years. He did not use his sword because he was worried it might have a bad influence on Taillan.

 

Taillan, who simply thought the reason was due to his physical condition, opened his mouth.

 

“Is it okay not to keep any alive?”

 

“It’s okay since we found out why they attacked.”

 

Kalian smiled with a pale face.

 

At the time, Taillan could not see the black pebble held in his hand.

 

* * *

 

Plants frowned.

 

It was because the sour scent had reached Plants, who was sitting across from Kalian.

 

Whether he had collapsed as if falling asleep or fallen asleep as if collapsing, as soon as Kalian returned to the Royal Palace, he spent a whole day on his bed.

 

Ian’s worried voice echoed all the way to Plants’ room.

 

Allan briefly visited Kalian, who had gotten up from his bed. After that, Kalian climbed to the fourth floor with a basket of tangerines, limping. Then, he began eating them without saying anything.

 

“… What are you doing?”

 

Plants had already asked four times by this point.

 

Kalian, who had answered to wait a moment because he was hungry, opened his mouth only after Plants’ room was filled with the sour smell of tangerines.

 

“I don’t think we should completely tear Beurisen apart.”

 

“Why?”

 

Since it was out of the blue, Plants asked back. And Kalian took the black pebble out of his pocket and placed it on the table, saying.

 

“The only reason they would specifically target me is this. As I mentioned, I haven’t done anything particularly bad in Cyriesus.”

 

Saying this, Kalian laughed quietly and continued.

 

“They were also using power that felt similar to this pebble. So, I believe they might have been targeting me from when they found out I obtained this black pebble. Maybe they had been targeting me all this time but could not attack because of my Princely status. So, they were merely biding their time, looking for an opportunity to attack. When I thought of this possibility, the problem would be solved.”

 

“So. what is that thing.”

 

“The birds had reported that Tansyll and the Great Dunes had joined hands. They attacked me as soon as they received that information. So, if it hadn’t been me, if it hadn’t been older brother or Crown Prince Chase, anyone would have thought this attack was Tansyll’s doing. Just like Marquis Beurisen did.”

 

What a good opportunity this was.

 

They could launch an attack and shift responsibility to Tansyll.

 

“While looking for a time to attack me, we learnt that the Great Dunes and Tansyll were joining hands. Thinking ‘this is the time,’ they came charging in. This was ultimately to make His Majesty think that the mastermind behind this incident was Tansyll.”

 

Kalian pointed to the black pebble he had taken out earlier and said.

 

“After creating such a smokescreen, they seemed to want to check if I could use this power. While checking, they most likely planned to just kill me.”

 

He did not think their purpose was to steal the black pebble or kill Kalian. It was because Sia, who had the same thing, was fine. They did not attack Sia for it.

 

However, Kalian knew how to use Aura. It was a power that had suddenly been revealed. So, they grew suspicious.

 

“They seemed to want to confirm whether I had figured out what power this black pebble had, and whether I had entered the path of the sword with that power.”

 

That was Kalian’s conclusion.

 

Kalian, who recalled the pebble that reacted whenever their red Aura glowed when he faced them with Taillan, said so.

 

“Their power and this pebble are definitely related. But, they must have learned that my power isn’t fake like theirs. Moreover, in various ways, it became a warning not to touch me anymore, so they probably won’t attack for a while.”

 

Kalian, who paused for a moment, thought of Syspanian.

 

“I don’t think this is the end of this. There are important secrets entangled, secrets enough to force them to touch me, a Prince.”

 

Plants quietly closed his eyes and Kalian’s words continued.

 

“If you have no intention of becoming King, and no intention of staying in the Royal Palace, how about going to Beurisen?”

 

“Beurisen?”

 

“Once the matter with older brother Randel is resolved, I’ll give Beurisen to older brother intact. Since the enemy has power that is far from ordinary, I think we’ll need Beurisen too.”

 

Kalian had been continuously building strength as if preparing for something. But now he was saying that Beurisen’s power would also be needed.

 

“… My little brother is making quite the troublesome request.”

 

Kalian nodded with a bright smile.

 

“Start raising cats in Beurisen. I’ll find a way so you don’t have to leave the Capital.”