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Chapter 55
“Whew… I can finally breathe.”
I was worried that Morgan might make an issue out of me resting my head on Miriam’s thigh when he barged in, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.
Instead, he immediately noticed my condition, handed me a healing potion from his cloak, and left for the capital with Miriam.
It was probably because he didn’t know what might happen in the kingdom while we were away.
Thanks to the potion Morgan gave me, my internal injuries had somewhat improved.
Although potions do have some effect, alchemy still hadn’t advanced enough to produce anything as effective as actual holy magic.
[Main Quest – Protect Brillant: Complete.]
[Main Quest – Eliminate the Seeds of Calamity.]
[Black mages are scattering the seeds of calamity that will plunge the continent into chaos. Erase them before they sprout.]
[Reward – Resurrection of the Dead]
This message appeared when I rescued Miriam from Hamilton.
“Seeds of calamity…?”
There was no information given about where or in what form these seeds had been planted.
Main quests always demanded answers from me in such vague, abstract ways.
“There are a few things that come to mind, but…”
I checked the main quest and forced myself to get up.
“Ugh.”
A sharp pain shot up my spine.
If it hadn’t been for the Ring of Messiah and the healing potion, I might’ve already passed out from the backlash of using the Moon Severance.
The thought of having to return to the capital again was overwhelming.
“Speaking of which… that look in his eyes…”
Was I imagining it, or did Morgan’s eyes turn cold when Miriam said I had saved her from Hamilton?
He left for the capital without a word, but I had no doubt now—his questioning was inevitable.
“Lord!”
I heard Cohen’s voice.
I turned my head in that direction and saw him running toward me, his face filled with concern.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“We must return quickly. The situation in the capital isn’t looking good.”
“Yes. We need to hurry. Nothing seems to go smoothly these days.”
“I’ve recovered enough—I’ll carry you.”
“Thank you.”
Once again, I climbed onto Cohen’s back.
“By the way, what exactly is the deal with that Hamilton guy? Does the Black Star really train swordsmen of that caliber?”
“The Black Star’s power is far greater and more extensive than we imagined. Black magic is the power of those who worship demons. And the temptations of demons… they’re far stronger and more insidious than you might think.”
“So there must be many who fall to those temptations.”
“Exactly. And those demons…”
I caught myself before saying too much.
“Demons? You know something about them, don’t you?”
“No… It’s nothing.”
Very few people knew anything about demons, except those affiliated with the Black Star.
It had been centuries since the demon race invaded the continent.
Claiming to know anything about them now would only raise suspicion, so I held my tongue.
“There—look, the kingdom’s people.”
As we neared the base of Kinish Bluff, soldiers and priests from the kingdom approached us.
“Let’s go.”
As we met up with them, a knight leading the group said they had been looking for us.
“Sir Morgan reported that there were wounded. The others returned to the capital, and we came here.”
“Here he is—Sir Ren is badly injured.”
“I’ll take a look.”
The priest wasn’t just any priest—he was a high priest.
Holy magic of the second tier washed over my body.
The internal bleeding that had been disrupting my organs stopped, and my breathing, which had been labored, eased.
“That should do it.”
“It would take another ten minutes of divine power to fully recover.”
“I’ll be fine. I need to get to the capital right away.”
Cohen also looked much better, thanks to the healing he’d received from another priest.
“But—”
“Time is of the essence. Thank you for the healing.”
“Climb on.”
I got back on Cohen’s back.
Leaving them behind, Cohen rushed toward the capital once more.
The Grand Hall, where the banquet was being held, was still brightly lit, and voices leaked out from inside.
When I gently pushed the slightly ajar door, the chaotic banquet hall came into view.
King Maurice was declaring the end of the banquet, and Archbishop Mel was fuming over the failure to apprehend Hamilton.
The noble ladies and foreign envoys were abuzz with excitement over the unexpected gossip.
Knights were restricting entry and exit, so no one had yet left the hall.
“How dare they attempt to assassinate a bishop of the Holy Kingdom! We must root out and eliminate all black mages!”
“Archbishop Mel! Before that assassination attempt, they abducted our third princess! We will not stand idly by either!”
“Your Majesty, the kingdom must immediately mobilize knights and thoroughly investigate the black mages. Also, the Holy Kingdom will hold both Brillant and Baran accountable for the attempted assassination of our bishop.”
“Archbishop Mel!”
The king glared fiercely and raised his voice.
At that moment, Crown Prince Rev stepped in to mediate.
“Archbishop Mel. As you saw earlier, my sister saved Bishop Thomas. If it weren’t for Louise, he would’ve died on the spot. That would’ve left the Holy Kingdom unable to carry out divine justice upon the sinner, violating the law of your own God.”
Mel fumbled for a response, but couldn’t find a proper rebuttal.
“While it’s true that we hosted the banquet, Hamilton’s actions were beyond our control. Of course, since it happened here, we share responsibility. But our third princess was also kidnapped and barely made it back. Focusing solely on the bishop’s assassination attempt is something we cannot accept.”
Rev calmly acknowledged their faults while breaking down the sequence of events clearly, driving home the details of each party’s responsibility.
He also subtly shifted the blame onto Archbishop Mel by pointing out his earlier, emotionally driven remarks.
His masterful rhetoric and sharp political acumen were on full display.
‘Rev Hertia… Louise’s political skills will never be enough to surpass him.’
In my previous life, he had ascended to the throne without issue.
Back then, I never had a chance to speak with him and truly see his nature—but now, I could immediately sense that he wasn’t someone to take lightly.
“A-hem... I understand, First Prince. I let my emotions get the better of me just now. I apologize.”
“No need. We fully understand how you feel, Archbishop Mel. We’ll do everything in our power to track down those black mages and root them out completely.”
“Our church will also do all we can to help.”
As the conversation wrapped up, Morgan looked this way and whispered something to the king.
Then, King Maurice’s expression suddenly lit up.
When he looked at me and Cohen, he broke into a wide smile.
“The hero who saved my Miriam has arrived!”
With that, all eyes turned to me.
“Wasn’t it Sir Morgan who saved her?”
“Ren Arzen? No, was it Cohen Trevis who saved her?”
“Oh my... I heard he defeated Sir Ronnie Carr in a single blow. I guess the rumors of him being a high-ranking knight were true!”
“As expected, the blood of House Arzen doesn’t lie.”
“No, didn’t you see his skill earlier? Even high-ranking knights struggled because of Princess Miriam, and Sir Morgan couldn’t rescue her easily. But Ren Arzen did? That means... he might be a master-level knight!”
“Come on! That’s ridiculous. He’s way too young to be master-level. It’s hard enough to believe he’s even a high-ranking knight.”
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The rumors swirling around me inflated further and further.
Speculation about whether I was even a knight, then a high-ranking knight, now had grown to people saying I was a master-level knight who even surpassed Morgan.
Hearing all that nearby, I was left speechless.
‘So this is how rumors spread.’
If I really fought Morgan, I wouldn’t even be able to block a single strike.
Feeling a piercing gaze, I turned to see Jane and Sica.
Looking into their eyes, which seemed filled with complex emotions, I couldn’t help but wonder—
‘Surely... they don’t actually believe all that, do they?’
No way...
“Come forward,”
Said King Maurice.
I stepped up to the platform and knelt before him.
“Raise your head. Tell me what you wish. You saved my daughter, and you deserve a proper reward.”
“I am the caretaker of the Decaine cemetery. I would like the kingdom’s support for Decaine to be reinstated.”
I spoke my wish without hesitation.
After all, King Maurice never liked people who acted overly humble.
“Is that so? What kind of support are you asking for?”
“I would like additional troops to be stationed to protect Decaine.”
“Hm...”
Maurice’s expression didn’t look particularly favorable.
It was the kind of look that said, “Why waste troops on something so pointless?”
I understood his reaction.
But if we didn’t protect Decaine, there would be no future for Brillant.
No matter how I looked at it, we needed the power of our ancestors to stop the demons.
“Very well. I will consider it.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“More importantly, I’m curious—how did you manage to catch him?”
“Ah, well...”
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.
That was the one question we all had in common, so of course they’d be fixated on it.
I couldn’t blame them, so I decided to give an answer.
“I got lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes. He was already exhausted from evading Sir Morgan’s pursuit. And since he was carrying Princess Miriam, he couldn’t perform at his best.”
“Did he not use Miriam as a human shield?”
If I said I deliberately aimed at Miriam to force an opening, that wouldn’t go over well.
The king might not erupt in rage over it, but it would certainly leave a bad taste.
There was no reason to provoke him unnecessarily.
“On the contrary, my clumsy sword nearly harmed Princess Miriam, and that created an opening in him. With Sir Morgan chasing from behind, he likely saw her as an indispensable hostage.”
“That makes sense. Well, Miriam is unharmed in the end, so I’ll say no more.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
As I stepped down from the platform and the king began to formally declare the end of the banquet—
First Prince Rev suddenly stepped onto the stage, drawing the attention of all the nobles.
“There is still one more thing that must be revealed.”
“What more is there, Rev?”
“I know which noble house within the kingdom has conspired with the black mages.”
Another bombshell announcement.
Just as the fearful atmosphere surrounding the black mages had begun to fade, Rev stoked the flames once more.
“Luca Rogers. He has been colluding with the black mages.”
“What is he doing right now?”
He’s revealing the secret about Luca Rogers here?
Rev must know that Jane has the handwritten letter connecting him to the black mages.
And yet, he’s choosing to make this public now... which means he has a way out.
‘Did he figure out that Kelvin Rogers has defected to our side?’
Otherwise, there’s no reason to throw the Rogers family into ruin in such a public setting.
I glanced at Kelvin, who was visibly trembling.
Jane was holding him back from bolting.
Then she stepped forward and took a paper from her coat.
‘Damn it... It’s probably right to reveal the letter now, given the situation, but…’
I couldn’t shake this unease.
Rev wouldn’t do something like this without a plan.
Maybe it would’ve been better to wait a little longer before revealing it...
“Your Majesty. I have proof that Prince Rev conspired with Luca Rogers and the black mages.”
“What?!”
King Maurice’s face twisted in fury.
Yet beside him, Rev remained calm and composed.
“Here. His handwritten letter.”
With that, Morgan stepped down from the platform, took the letter from Jane, and brought it back up.
‘It’s too late to turn things around now.’
I kept my eyes fixed on Rev’s face.
His expression remained quiet and serene the entire time.
As the king opened the letter, Rev glanced at its contents—
And the corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
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