Side Story Chapter 28
While the southern region of the Avalon Empire was the national breadbasket because of its fertile lands, the western part was full of steep mountains. Very little of it was flat.
The castle of Marquess “Black Turtle” Turtler, the head of the western rebel army, was on one of those precipitous mountains. The mountain was over four hundred meters tall, rendering the castle practically impregnable.
“Try that again. What did you say?” Turtler asked.
“The First Prince cut off Dargo rane Suspen’s head.”
“…Have I stayed in the mountain for too long? It hasn’t been that long since the First Prince became an adult,” Turtler mused.
“The report came from our spy in the south, and I double-checked the information through the Moon’s Gate before I reported you.”
“So it’s true. With enough money, those guys are capable of finding out the color of the Queen Consort’s undergarments.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Idiot. If he was going to be killed by a boy just like that, then why did he try that hard…?” Turtler quietly clicked his tongue. “Well, everyone on the continent knows how talented Selim Sanders is.”
With his tanned skin and muscular physique, Turtler looked like the typical big-hearted warrior, but his appearance was deceptive. He was actually crueler than a snake.
There was a very famous story about him from when the rebellion had first started in the west. Turtler decided he needed to set an example and had ripped apart one hundred knights he had captured as prisoners with his bare hands. He had the strength and temper to do it. On that day, one hundred corpses had been butchered between two piles to his left and right with, and crows feasted for days. The rebels with weak stomachs had vomited; it had been worse for the troops of the national army who had to face Turtler in battle.
“They might have lost their leader, but they wouldn’t have given up right away. I actually met Mendes, Dargo rane Suspen’s aide, so I know. He must have pretended to surrender and now he’s waiting for a chance to backstab the national army.”
“Umm… my lord. If you’re talking about Viscount Mendes, he’s already been killed by the Second Prince.”
“What…?” Turtler's eyes widened in surprise. “The Second Prince? Wait, are you talking about the one who recently returned to Avalon?”
“That is correct, my lord.”
“I thought he had zero talent in martial arts.” Turtler tilted his head in confusion.
“That turned out to be a false rumor. It turns out that Kireua Sanders is a true son of the Martial God.”
“…Hehehe, that’s funny.” Turtler chuckled.
The knight who delivered the report was confused; nevertheless, Turtler continued to laugh quietly to himself.
“A tiger’s cub is still a tiger, huh?” he eventually continued. “I didn’t expect it, of course. Isn’t this the first time in the history of Avalon?”
“I’m sorry, my lord. I’m too incompetent to understand…”
“When did the princes Avalon with the same father ever work together like them?” Turtler smiled.
“Ah…”
“I’m really looking forward to it.” Turtler licked his lip with his scarlet tongue.
At that moment, a faint screaming came from underground.
“Arggghhh! Kill me! Kill me pleaaaase!”
“To think that the Martial God’s son will be screaming like that… It’s really exciting,” Turtler said.
“I’ll slit his throat right now.”
“It’s fine. Leave him be. If he’s in pain, he should scream. When one is sad, one should cry. Laugh if you’re happy. Smash everything around you if you’re angry. That is human nature. Is there anything else you need to report?” Turtler asked.
“…Ah, come to think of it, I received information from the Moon’s Gate that Kireua Sanders’s next destination is here, the west.”
Turtler’s eyes lit up. “He’s voluntarily coming to his grave. Does he seriously think that we’re the same as those trash in the south?”
“I’ll lead our soldiers and knights and cut off the arrogant Second Prince’s head.”
“How dare you covet your master’s prey?” Turtler sharply replied.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that…” The knight sweated profusely. Many people had been ripped in half when Turtler made that expression.
“Hehehe, I’m joking.” Turtler chuckled. “But does that mean the southern rebel army is finished?”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Was the southern rebel army weak or is the Second Prince strong? Just in case, send a ‘welcoming committee’ to the border. Considering everything, sending two of my knightly orders will be enough.”
The knight quietly heaved a sigh of relief and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“Yes, my lord.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Kireua was bidding his farewells after taking care of all his business in the south.
“I’ll get going too,” he said.
Charles’s big eyes instantly turned teary. “Run away immediately if things get too dangerous, sweetie.”
“I will.”
“If bad guys say that they’ll surrender, don’t believe and follow them right away, okay?” Charles stroked Kireua’s hair.
“…What am I, a baby?”
“Of course—you’ll still be my baby even after you become a wrinkled old grandpa,” Charles teased.
Kireua frowned, but still, he felt touched. He knew better than anyone that Charles was saying all this because she cared and was worried about him.
“Are you sure you don’t have to bring some of our soldiers and knights?” Charles asked.
“Well, the national army is in the west too, and Sir Ranger is also there. Besides, the southern region hasn’t been stabilized, so you need all the manpower you can get.”
“I’m sorry. If your father had been here, I would have at least sent our knights with you.” Charles gave Kireua an apologetic look.
The knights and soldiers weren’t with them right now, so Charles didn’t hesitate to blame Joshua.
“You seemed to miss him to death yesterday,” Kireua joked.
“I do miss him. He’s my loving husband.”
“Blargh.” Kireua lightly shook his head. “That’s too much information for your son.”
“Come on~ Get a girlfriend and see if you don’t turn into me.”
“Seriously, what part about His Majesty do you love that much? If I were you, I would hate him to death,” Kireua pouted.
“He’s handsome.”
“…Gosh.” Kireua gaped blankly at her.
Charles giggled. “He’s also my one and only prince charming who always saves me from danger.”
“Mom, I might throw up now.”
Charles smiled gently. “So he must have a good reason.”
Kireua shut his mouth because he did resent the Emperor of Avalon on some level. Without any explanation, even to his family members, the Emperor of Avalon had vanished from the Palace.
“Your Highness!”
Kireua was jerked away from his thoughts. From afar, a group of people were riding their horses toward Kireua and Charles. Kireua recognized them right away.
“They’re the knights of the south,” Kireua mumbled.
There were five hundred of them. They had once been his enemies and fought against him. Up until a few days ago, Kireua had been worried about them backstabbing him, but they were now his allies, leading the way in stabilizing the southern region.
“I need to deliver you a report!” Sparc Murtan, the ex-commander of the White Tiger Knight Order, jumped off his horse.
“What…?”
“Do you know why the rebels in the north suddenly withdrew their army?” Sparc asked.
“Why are you suddenly talking about the northern rebel army?”
“I just heard this.” Sparc didn’t even pause to catch his breath before he began rattling off his report. “It’s not been confirmed, but the rebels in the north have found His Majesty's tracks.”
Kireua's eyes widened. ‘What the hell,’ he thought.
Charles beat him to the punch.
“Wh-What?” She strode forward. “Where did this information come from?”
“The thing is… it’s not clear. Some heard it from their colleagues while there are other people who say that they heard birds talking…”
“Birds? Birds talking in a human language?” Charles tilted her head in confusion.
“…That’s the rumor that’s spreading among the troops right now.”
Kireua’s face darkened. Although they had no way to authenticate the rumor, it made everything make sense. It would be a disaster for the rebels if the Emperor of Avalon revealed himself now.
“Where were the signs of His Majesty found?” Kireua asked.
“He’s in the north.”
“The north?” Kireua repeated.
“Yes, in the northernmost regions. In fact, it’s above Lemegeton, the land of demons.”
Kireua needed to check this out, but in order to get to the north from the south he had to go through the lands of Turtler.
“Your Highness, we’ll go with you,” Sparc declared.
“Hmm…?”
“We were just rebels, but you gave us a chance, Your Highness. Therefore, we wish to atone for our crimes and repay your kindness by assisting you.”
Just then, the Black Knights that had tried to protect Selim at the cost of their lives flashed across Kireua’s mind. He actually hadn’t seen this coming.
“You could die,” Kireua said quietly.
“You already killed us once, Your Highness.”
.
“You’ve gone through all that trouble to save your lives, but you’re voluntarily throwing them away.”
“It’s for our own good.” Sparc shrugged.
Kireua tilted his head in confusion. “For your own good?”
“We had no choice but to leave the Palace because of the new emperor, we had to pick up our swords because of our families… We’re sick of it. We don’t want to live that way anymore. We wish to lead a life where we can hold our heads high.”
“…And I’m your solution?”
Sparc nodded. “Yes. You’re the choice we won’t regret, Your Highness.”
Kireua’s smile deepened, but he didn’t realize it.
Cain had come to keep an eye on the knights because he was worried that they would try to attack Kireua and Charles. However, Cain ended up chuckling.
“Your Highness, you’ve started down your path as a hero,” he declared.
“What are you suddenly talking about, Sir Cain?” Kireua asked.
“You don’t try to charm people, but they come to you anyway. That is the start of becoming a hero.”
“…Her Majesty Charles and you have a way of saying cringy things without flinching,” Kireua grumbled.
“It was the same for His Majesty.”
Kireua's eyes widened after hearing that Joshua Sanders had walked down the same path, but he quickly regained his composure.
Although Kireua was Joshua Sanders’s son, he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand his father. He might be the hero of the century for the people of Igrant, but he was just a heartless father to his children. Therefore, Kireua wanted to find out why his father had made such a choice and see if it was the right decision.
With his next goal decided, there was no reason for Kireua to hesitate.
“We’ll subdue the rebellion in the west at once and head to Lemegeton right after,” Kireua declared.
The knights saluted with bright faces.
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