Regas Vol 5. Chapter 12

What they had planned ca out of Karas’ mouth so easily that it seed absurd. Thus, they were more bewildered than happy.

They exchanged puzzled glances, but no one knew the reason. Norhox, unable to bear it any longer, asked Karas as if to confirm.

“Are you serious, Your Majesty? If you dine with us, the King’s Heart, it would be an honor for us.”

“You know you will die, don’t you?”

The unsaid truth was evident in his sharp eyes. Having witnessed Karas’s power firsthand, Norhox was more wary than the others. However, he still firmly believed in the black potion. If they could dine together, they could directly add the potion to his food and keep him under watch. If that were the case, he would be nothing.

“If that is what Your Majesty desires, we will naturally stay by your side.”

“Stay? I only need you for a month.”

Karas spoke, looking each of them in the eyes one by one as if to confirm.

“For the next month, you must be seated here at this ti every day.”

A month. It was precisely the period they wanted.

Why on earth was Karas voluntarily giving them exactly what they wanted?

“Response?”

As Karas pressed them for a response, they hesitantly agreed. Only Truyde remained silent, but Karas noticed and stared at him.

“If you’re scared, quit.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Truyde slightly bowed his head and didn’t miss the hands of the war profiteer’s hand under the table. The latter was trembling even more than before.

Does that guy know sothing?

Outwardly, everything seed to be going their way, however, their unease also grew stronger.

“Your Majesty, now let us proceed with the al...”

“Before that.”

Interrupting in a bored tone, Karas pulled sothing out from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

Thud. Clatter—

A small bottle, about the thickness of two fingers, rolled across the table and stopped in one place. The bottle ca to a halt right in front of the mber of the King’s Heart who managed the temple. With all eyes on him, he looked around at the others in distress, silently signaling for soone else to pick it up. However, the tense atmosphere caused everyone to ignore him. Moreover, Karas pressured him.

“Take it. It’s my gift.”

Alternately glancing between Karas and the small bottle, the person in charge of the temple cautiously picked up the bottle.

“Your Majesty, what is this?”

“Open it.”

He looked around at the others, swallowed nervously, and then opened the bottle. A strong scent, overpowering the sll of the food, filled the room. He cautiously brought it close to his nose and sniffed to check. In a curious voice, he asked, unaware of Norhox’s face turning pale.

“Isn’t this fragrance oil?”

Unfortunately, he never received an answer. As soon as he asked, a sudden fla burst from his hand, as if waiting for that mont. The bright red flas, which started from the hand holding the fragrance oil, quickly engulfed him.

Crash―! Clatter!

The chair fell, and the table shook, causing plates to fall to the floor with a loud noise. However, those who had stepped back in shock at the flas did not notice the ss on the floor.

“Ahhh!”

A red fla, like a living snake, crawled into the open mouth of the King’s Heart mber who was screaming. The screams soon died down. Yet, he continued to flail his limbs and roll around on the carpet. No one could approach to help him. The strange thing was that the flas did not spread anywhere else.

It only consud that one person, and eventually burned him completely black. As the acrid sll of burning flesh filled the room, the shocked mbers of the King’s Heart could not take their eyes off him. At that mont, a voice they believed to be slurred from drug intoxication reached clearly in their ears.

“I will give you another gift in a week.”

When the remaining four turned to look at him, Karas, one by one, cast his gaze upon them, speaking slowly.

“And then another week, and another week after that. Four tis in total until the last week. I will give it to you here. The next person to receive it will be...”

Everyone held their breath at the end of his slurred words. However, the answer that ca out of Karas’ mouth was too simple.

“You decide for yourselves.”

Now, no one was fooled by his seemingly nonchalant tone. They knew well what impact the thod he had revealed would have on them.

What if soone really had to die in this spot a week from now?

How, how on earth could they choose sothing like that?

Norhox, whose power had weakened after losing his wealth, gritted his teeth and glanced at the others.

This is ridiculous.

He needed to stop this imdiately. However, the internal warning he felt crumbled like dust at Karas’ next words. His voice sounded so terrifying that no one could dare mock it.

“You have no choice. I participated in your ga as you wished, so if there is anyone who wants to run away like a coward, I will end the ga right here.”

Karas’ gray eyes returned to their original snake-like appearance as he revealed a smile.

“Exciting, isn’t it? Will I die first with your gift, or will you all perish with mine?”

****

Marquis Yan returned late at night. All the servants were asleep, but those in the knights’ quarters close to the mansion could hear the sound of the Marquis’ large carriage. Abel jumped up from his seat and approached the window. There was nothing to see through the window, but he still craned his neck to try and catch a glimpse of the Marquis.

He wanted to gauge the situation at the palace by observing the Marquis’ condition.

He must have t Karas. How did it go?

Soon, the sound of the carriage that had been rumbling through the darkness faded, and silence flowed once again. Still, unable to let go of his curiosity, he leaned against the window for a long ti.

The chilly night air crept into his skin. Although he felt a slight shiver from within, he did not feel cold. He focused on the sounds and continued to peer into the dark night, but he was interrupted from behind.

“It’s cold.”

Startled by the abrupt remark, Abel quickly closed the window.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

Instead of answering, the Commander of the Royal Guards sat up in bed, running his hand through his hair.

“Quite the opposite. I’ve been trying to fall asleep.”

“I see, I was disturbing you. I’ll be quiet now.”

Abel quickly bowed his head as if he was truly sorry and went back to his seat. As he tiptoed to avoid making noise, the Commander of the Royal Guards stared at him and asked,

“Who are you really?”

“Pardon?”

“You opened the window because of the sound of the Marquis’ carriage. Even though you say you’re helping Sir Kin, you’re worrying too much. For a re servant.”

Abel, who was about to sit halfway down on his mat on the floor, let out an awkward laugh.

“Haha, well, I need to do my best, so I end up worrying. Don’t you also want to quickly find it and get back to the palace, Sir Tom—er, Commander of the Royal Guards?”

“That’s true. By the way, what’s your na?”

“My na is Lil...”

“Lil?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards raised his eyebrows as if he had heard the na sowhere. Seeing that, Abel quickly added,

“...lie. My na is Lylie.”

“Lylie? Huh, what kind of guy has a na like that?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards’ mocking face suddenly darkened. As if reminded of his own real na, his face lost its color, but he quickly changed the subject.

“So, Lylie, how long have you known Sir Kin?”

As if wanting to hear an explanation that he hadn’t heard from Kin, he moved to the end of the bed and sat down.

“Did Sir Kin instruct you what to do next? Now that we’re hiding here, I an.”

Since he had never received any instructions, there was nothing to say. However, the Commander of the Royal Guards stared at Abel with a sleepy gaze, as if he wanted to be rewarded for the sleep he had lost.

“After hearing the humiliating order that I should follow every decision you make here, I need to hear an explanation. Speak.”

“Well, I’ve been serving Sir Kin for about a month. And as for future plans...”

“Plans?”

“Just do well?”

“...Are you kidding ?”

“No! I’m not kidding.”

“Then why aren’t you telling ?”

Because there are no plans.

However, the Commander of the Royal Guards’ face had already distorted, trying to guess the reason.

“Damn it, you’re hiding sothing, aren’t you?”

Thud.

Abel, who indeed had sothing to hide, felt his heart sink.

“Pardon? Hi-hiding? No, there’s nothing like that.”

To the Commander of the Royal Guards, he looked like soone who had lived hiding sothing his whole life. And the Commander of the Royal Guards’ sharp instinct—appearing for only the second ti in his life—did not believe him. He stood up abruptly as if he was getting angry.

“Don’t make laugh.”

His voice, dark with anger, seed ready to force Abel to reveal his true identity. Was he going to accuse him of being the supposedly dead Regas? Panic-stricken, Abel reached out his hands to stop him, but he shouted out the frustration he had been holding in.

“Sir Kin told you not to tell , didn’t he?! It’s another case of being left out again, isn’t it?!”

His sharp instinct had missed the mark once again. Moreover, he seed to recall all the injustices he’d suffered from his comrades, as his eyes began to glisten with tears.

“Ugh, even in the unit, they always left out and gossiped among themselves. They never told anything about His Majesty, and I was always the last to know. Damn it, I’m also a commander too, but they always bully .”

“......”

“Even this ti, even this ti they didn’t let use the alias I’d thought of for years and made use ‘Tom’ instead, sob, sob.”

It turned out that the root of his sorrow was the na Tom. Once he started crying, he swallowed down his sobs with his mouth tightly shut as if he could not hold back the sadness that had once flowed away. He stood there for a long ti, hiccupping as he held back his tears. Abel, feeling awkward, hesitantly approached and patted his trembling shoulder.

Pat, pat.

However, this affectionate action only triggered the Commander of the Royal Guards’ suppressed grief. Abel just wanted to tell him that ‘Tom’ was okay, but suddenly, the Commander turned and pulled Abel into an embrace, burying his face in Abel’s shoulder and sobbing loudly.

“Sob, I hate Tom! Sob, I hate Tom. I want to be Garasu, sob—”

****

Marquis Yan, who dismissed all the servants and was left alone in the room, sat in a chair and looked at the flickering candle. He felt like drinking a strong liquor that he hadn’t tasted for a long ti to forget his current miserable feeling. The condition offered by the 20-year-old emperor and the black corpse struggling in the fire couldn’t be erased from his mind.

Honestly, if he weren’t part of the King’s Heart, he would have been happy as a loyal subject.

How bold and cunning to stake himself in such a daring gamble?

He might have been proud to serve such an impressive emperor. If only he weren’t part of the King’s Heart.

At first glance, Karas’ ga could be seen as a ga he threw out in a montary impulse. They had «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» successfully insulted his pride and forced him to drink the black potion thanks to it.

But then why did he feel like Karas was the winner?

He knew it was because of the impact of that burning corpse.

It had an absurdly fatal impact on the King’s Heart. What he had casually thrown was not a light arrow. It was a golden lump thrown at the adults who ignored and looked down on their opponent like a child and disregarded him. The adults, who were already ready to tear each other apart out of greed, would obviously beco even more childishly greedy than Karas at the sight of that gold.

That gold of greed, if handled well, ant they could kill all their competitors and end up possessing the entire country. That’s why, even knowing it was a dangerous ga, no one could refuse. And the thought of uniting against one common enemy was also shattered by Karas’ proposal once again.

This ti, they knew no matter how good the glue, it couldn’t put them back together. Because no one said the emperor’s ga was dangerous and that they needed to find another way. When they left the prince’s room, the mbers of the King’s Heart only exchanged wary glances without saying a word.

From his perspective, it seed Truyde was pleased to accept the emperor’s proposal, while Norhox looked anxious, fearing he might be the first victim. The war profiteer, who had suddenly involved himself, just stared at Truyde in fear and looked like he would unconditionally follow his opinion. The funny thing was that even in this state, he could only think about lowly greed for money.

‘What will happen to the temple in the future?’

Since the one managing the temple had died, he seed to be coveting that position even now. Even Truyde looked at the war profiteer with disgust.

How on earth could anyone know who would take that position in this situation?

However, the war profiteer, trembling, continued to look at the other three, as if he was hoping for the answer he wanted.

Of course, he must have hoped the temple would fall into his hands, but that was out of the question. The managent could be entrusted to a high-ranking priest and sorted out later. Truyde coldly replied on behalf of everyone and turned his eyes away. He didn’t want to see those disgusting, bloodshot eyes any longer. Right now, only the emperor’s proposal was what mattered to him.

On the other hand, Marquis Yan was conflicted. He was torn between fear and greed, making it difficult for him to make a decision. It was clear that if he handle it well, this would be a great opportunity. The temptation was so strong it pushed aside his fear. He looked back at the prince’s palace they had left.

But what if all this was part of the emperor’s sche?

What if there was another hidden aning behind risking his own life?

They had already put themselves on the ga board. The King’s Heart had beco ga pieces, each blinded by their own greed. Despite the ominous feeling that they might be dragged around by the emperor, Marquis Yan could not abandon his greed. Tempted by the opportunity to get rid of the useless things around him, he cast his vote for approval.

Norhox did not answer until the very end, but soon, realizing he could not avoid it, he clenched his teeth and nodded. Then there were two things left. Would the emperor die within a month? And who would be chosen as the next victim? This was surprisingly easily resolved.

Truyde asserted that the emperor would definitely die before a week had passed. Even if not, he assured them that the emperor would beco powerless, so they should trust him. Everyone looked at Truyde suspiciously, but he persuaded them that this was a great opportunity to get rid of the emperor once and for all, and they all needed to cooperate.

However, the Marquis did not fully believe him. So, he wasn’t too surprised by what happened next. Just as his carriage was leaving the palace, soone chased after him. The one who climbed into his halted carriage was Truyde. He spoke bluntly.

‘The emperor won’t die in a week.’

This statent was his own admission that what he said was a lie. When asked for the reason, Truyde responded with dark eyes.

‘The black potion I gave to Karas today was the sa amount I used to kill the forr king.’