A knight was urgently running through the corridor. Normally, knights of the royal family followed the principle of not running inside the palace. There was one member who completely disregarded this principle, but he was currently not within the castle. Anyway, anyone could guess that something urgent had happened by looking at him.
“Commander!”
“Why the commotion?”
Anton Sorel, the commander who had noticeably darkened circles under his eyes compared to a while ago, looked up from the report he was reviewing. Although he was a member of the knights who also played the role of an information officer within the order, he seemed bothered as he responded, and Anton’s gaze was sharp.
“Maelrosen has been found.”
“What did you say?”
Above all, Anton immediately put down the report he was reviewing and stood up.
“Tell me more.”
“He was found in a restaurant in an inn village near the border. Witnesses say he casually entered without knowing he was wanted, even ordering food. It seems that his identity was exposed inside, leading to a confrontation and pursuit with people who gathered for the bounty.”
“So? He isn’t injured, is he?”
“There’s no news of him getting injured. As you know, Mael…, Sir Maelrosen is exceptionally swift. In the end, he managed to escape the hands of anyone and seems to be on the run again.”
“On the run again?”
Anton, as if unable to believe it, asked back and fell into a momentary silence as if at a loss. Then he sighed.
“He might have gotten scared by the situation of being wanted. No matter how many times I advised him that this method was not suitable.”
“He even insisted to the Minister of Internal Affairs. The head of the search team also gave in.”
“…I’ll report to the lord first.”
“Is it okay to report before confirming?”
“It’s better to bring positive news for now. Even if rumors have spread, don’t mention it elsewhere carelessly.”
Anton quickly left the knight order headquarters. As expected, the news that Rensley had revealed himself again had already spread within the castle. People who were gossiping fell silent and scattered when Anton approached.
He paid no attention and entered the main tower of the Roudken Castle. However, he didn’t head to the lord’s office, the underground research lab, or the bedrooms. He didn’t go to Rensley Maelrosen’s quarters or the Duke’s private room either. Passing through the central corridor, he went out to the north courtyard and reached the entrance of the tower near the north outer wall, beyond the desolate garden and open ground.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Residents and laborers of the castle were restricted from entering the area near the north outer wall. If the northernmost defense failed to stop the invasion of monsters, Roudken’s north outer wall would be the next target. Only people permanently allowed to enter here were the Duke who ruled the country, high-ranking mages and knights, and those with special permission. Entry was allowed for ordinary knights and soldiers only during emergencies.
Inside the north wall, there was a sturdy tower. A large and solid stone tower with its own watchtower felt eerie and cold even when approaching it. It was a heavily guarded prison used to confine those who committed high treason and death row inmates. Therefore, it was an isolated building within the castle that people hesitated to talk about even inside the castle because of the ghosts, curses, and resentment associated with it.
In the tower, there were two wizards standing on one side, and as Anton approached, they began chanting without asking for a reason. As they did, a faint trace spread on the dark wall like a stain, and the wall opened like the entrance of a cave. Anton entered without saying a word.
Lamps quietly illuminated the interior of the dark wall, and the solid stone garage had no ordinary decorative furniture. Anton’s footsteps echoed throughout the silent corridor. At the end of the labyrinth-like winding corridor, there was a sturdy iron grille. Behind the grille, items that could be described as prison belongings—a rather large and sturdy-looking bed, a chair, and a table—were placed.
A cold brazier was burning on one side, warming the cold stone wall. The man who had been sitting in front of the chair turned his head slightly.
“Your Grace.”
In the rough gaze that seemed devoid of any emotion, Anton unconsciously cleared his throat. Upon reflection, his king had always been such a dry person, and he himself seemed to have become accustomed to the gradually changing appearance.
It has been about three weeks since Rensley Maelrosen disappeared. The news that reached them was almost non-existent, and even when the Cornia royal family sent Pavels to inquire, the response was succinctly, “Everything is unrelated to us, and it’s surprising that he’s still alive.”
During the first week after his disappearance, Gezell Jivendad searched for Rensley Maelrosen as if he were a madman. Contrary to the usual priority of Aldrant’s defense, he mobilized manpower extensively to find him.
The search team visited forests and various territories every day, and the wizards used surveillance magic to scan the riverbed. Thanks to this, they discovered a few drowned bodies, but among them, there was no trace of Rensley Maelrosen’s corpse.
If he had used conventional routes, the possibility of him leaving Aldrant within a week was low. However, the trail of Rensley Maelrosen ceased after footprints were cut off at the cliff’s edge.
Then Gezell Jivendad made a decision that should not have been made. He attempted to ‘confirm’ whether Rensley Maelrosen had really become a corpse.
Fortunately, Larcof, who was observing with courtesy, intervened just before the completion of the spell that summoned death. However, the elders concluded that they could no longer remain indifferent.
In the time when they needed to fortify their defenses for the upcoming spring, the period when they had to solidify their last line of defense, it could have been a dangerous choice, but precisely because of that, Gezell Jivendad silently accepted their insistence on a more forceful approach.
The king of Aldrant was the guardian of not only the north but the entire continent. He ruled over the Black Forest and the Silver River, submitting to the obligation of ‘obedience’ to the sacred dominion.
Despite being a young king, he was a genius and ideal ruler to the point where it was not an exaggeration to say that one had emerged in hundreds of years. He prioritized fulfilling his duty above all, considering his outstanding wisdom and genius qualities as a magician. He did not scatter his emotions due to personal matters, nor did he show unnecessary interest in the outside world.
“Your Grace, someone presumed to be Sir Maelrosen has been sighted.”
Without asking why Anton had come, Gezell, who had been sitting without a word, suddenly rose from his seat. Anton swallowed hard at the golden eyes that stared at him as if ready to impale him with the fingers holding the grille.
“Alive?”
A chilling heat filled Gezell’s cracked low tone. Anton nodded.
“Is that true?”
“It’s still based on eyewitness accounts, but several people claim to have seen him. The search team will soon go in for confirmation.”
He couldn’t bring himself to mention that he had escaped again. Anton swallowed his saliva as the golden eyes that had risen like flames gradually cooled to a pumpkin color, and the rough, menacing impression softened into the familiar, blunt face of a young man.
Anton swallowed the bitterness that seemed to rise for the nth time. Whether before or after, the biggest mistake he made as the king’s knight was letting Rensley Maelrosen go that night without detaining him.
Gezell, as if not completely believing Anton’s words, but clearly relieved, closed his mouth firmly as if expressing his relief. He had been investigating various matters related to Aldrant while sitting in his seat. Being confined in one place and waiting only for external news would undoubtedly be frustrating.
The northern tower of Roudken was the shackle that bound the kings of Aldrant through generations. It suppressed the ‘power’ that could potentially run wild and served as a place to remind them of their duties.
“Make sure he doesn’t get hurt under any circumstances. Tell the search team firmly.”
He had no time to worry about someone who had left his confined state. Gezell’s fingers tightened on the grille, and anxiety permeated his voice. Anton nodded.
“Understood. Please don’t worry.”
“…Will he come back?”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
“Even if he wants to leave again, ask him to come back at least once. I’ve said it before, but we can’t let him go like this.”
To find and send off someone, even using dark magic, speaks volumes about the person.
Anton silently swallowed the sigh mixed with a question. Whether it was before or after, these unyielding gods were uneasy about the sudden deviation of the young king. Gezell’s visit to the north tower was not the first. His father, who was the previous guardian, spent most of his remaining life here after his mental state weakened. Gezell Jivendad, his son, visited this tower from a young age to meet his father.
Since his appointment as the commander of the knights, Anton had learned several things about the royal family that he had been serving with vague patriotism and loyalty. There were times when he vaguely speculated about why his lord spent every day confined to the underground laboratory.
It was true that he did not welcome the cold outside, was deeply immersed in magical research, and cherished books, but before all these preferences, he was more familiar with the dark stone walls illuminated only by the fireplace than any vast palace.
“Your Grace, please wait a moment. It’s my fault that things have come to this. I have no words to offer.”
“He has decided to leave because of me, yet you’re blaming yourself, you foolish man.”
Gezell released the hand holding the grille. Stepping back a few paces, he faced Anton.
“Nothing special outside?”
“No. There are no disturbances. Larcof and I are persuading the elders, so he’ll be out soon.”
“We must isolate or eliminate any potential threats; there’s no other way.”
Anton had no words to respond to Gezell’s indifferent tone, which pointed to himself as if he were an object. He lowered his head and gave a salute.
“I’ll go out.”
“If there are any changes regarding Sir Maelrosen, inform me immediately.”
“Understood.”
As the king is confined, the commander of the knights cannot leave his post for long. Suppressing the desire to stay a little longer, Anton turned away. Once Maelrosen’s affair is settled, this turmoil will come to an end.
Now, anyone could guess that there are untold stories connected to Rensley Maelrosen. The lingering issue of how to explain such existence to the elsers and various people around them remains, but… if he comes back and the king recovers, everything will be secondary.
When Anton left the tower, the wizards closed the door they had pierced in the wall. The northern tower returns to a perfect prison with no entrance or exit. Glancing briefly at the end of the tower, Anton soon moved on.
Returning to the central tower through the northern passage, Anton noticed that the atmosphere in the castle had become busy during his absence. He grabbed one of the soldiers.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Commander! A report has come from the defensive wall.”
“The defensive wall?”
Instead of asking the soldier for details, Anton quickly headed to the office. When he opened the door, several high-ranking officials and wizards were already gathered. Larcof, who was looking down at the map, spoke briefly.
“It seems that the defense on the northern defensive wall has collapsed. It appears to be a fairly large-scale attack. Magical creatures will likely reach Roudken within a few hours.”
Anton furrowed his brow. He knew it wasn’t entirely their fault, but he blamed the gathered officials loudly.
“Look at that! Didn’t I say that bringing His Grace to the tower at this time was a wrong decision!”
“It’s been too quiet until now. We couldn’t judge whether there was an attack or not, even if His Grace was present or not.”
“Aren’t they all just speculating that the creatures detect the magical protection of Aldrant? They’ll rush in, thinking that His Grace is absent.”
The atmosphere became tense and cold.
However, there was too much to say to each other, and it wasn’t the time to argue or blame others. The people in the office all stood up and went to find their respective tasks.
Each of the officials found their assigned duties, and Larcof went to the northern tower, while Anton went to the knights’ headquarters.
No matter how much they might be considered ‘dangerous elements,’ in the end, one person is needed. Like using poison as a remedy.
Thank you!
you’re welcomeee<333