Regas Vol 3. Chapter 13

This place was originally near the border. It was never a wealthy area, but even though the border had now disappeared with Karas conquering the neighboring country, there were no special benefits. On the contrary, it had beco even harder to live due to the need to procure supplies for the long war from the nearby areas.

Especially during the six-year war, many n who should have been working were continuously taken away, so many ran away later. Still, being caught by the army was always the fate of the poor. Those with money typically avoided it by either hiding elsewhere or paying soone to take their place.

Thus, among those who gathered to go back to their hotowns upon hearing the rumor that the war had ended, there were also many who had been hiding and appeared during the chaos of the war, committing all sorts of evil deeds. However, even if they were caught, as long as they had noble status and money, they wouldn’t face punishnt. For them, the end of the war was rather regrettable.

Among the crowd at the dock trying to board ships, there was a group of about twenty who were particularly displeased by the war’s end. They were all from lower nobility, and after spending years wandering together, they had realized that the best disguise was to appear as soldiers.

Each of these individuals had three or four subordinates, and they went all around pretending to be part of Karas’ real army, committing all sorts of cris, including looting. The war had been a delightful ti for them. Returning to their hotown with the spoils of war wasn’t too bad either.

As they pushed through the line of people waiting to board the ship, it was evident to anyone that they were posing as triumphant soldiers from the emperor’s army. Consequently, nobody dared to say a word—they simply looked on with a mixture of respect and fear. Even without that, there ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) were already rumors that Karas’ large army was moving nearby, so their appearance was natural.

“Move aside! How dare you block the path of the 1st Battalion Commander, who has always been at the forefront of His Majesty’s army?!”

With a loud noise, a blond-haired man in gleaming armor ruthlessly kicked those trying to board the ship. His voice was so loud that even Karas’ group, standing at the end of the line, couldn’t help but notice. The real 1st Battalion Commander, in particular, narrowed his eyes and subtly placed his hand on his sword. Seeing this, lmond quickly reminded him of his disguised identity, fearing he might cause an accident.

“Commander of the 1st Battalion in Commander-in-Chief’s command.”

Just uttering the title was exhausting, but it had the desired effect. The commander simply tightened his grip on his sword, restraining himself well. While lmond sighed in relief, one of the thug group mbers sneered at the frightened people.

“Pathetic cowards. To think that His Majesty, the so-called King of Slaughter, and I had to fight so hard for trash like you.”

The sharp eyes of the King of Slaughter also narrowed. Although he didn’t move his hand, the murderous intent emanating from him was palpable, as if he might disregard everything around him and annihilate them all. The disguise was at risk of being blown in half a day. Adding to the tension, Abel, who seed to have lost his senses after reincarnating, instigated Karas.

“Wow, Commander-in-Chief must be really happy, eting a comrade in a place like this.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Abel at once. However, Abel, not realizing what he had said, looked around at his companions with a ‘what’s wrong?’ expression. Then he flinched, realizing his mistake.

Considering Karas’ personality, there was no way he would have any close comrades! As he recalled Karas’s foul temper, he realized he had made an even bigger mistake. He had forgotten Karas’s warning and had acted as if he knew him first. Abel hurriedly waved his hands at Karas, signaling that it was not true.

“I definitely wasn’t acting like I knew you! It was just an exclamation, yes! Just an exclamation!”

Thanks to his excuse, which even a passing dog wouldn’t believe, Karas stopped moving forward. However, his gaze remained fixed on the thugs. One of the thugs had been looking their way, drawn by Abel’s voice. At that mont, as Abel shook his head, his hood slipped halfway off, partially revealing his face.

lmond quickly put the hood back on Abel, but the thug who saw Abel’s face narrowed his eyes sharply. He soon started whispering to the other thugs while pointing towards Abel. Only Karas noticed this, and as he quietly observed them, the ship owner, who had already been paid in full, ca up in a hurry to deliver so bad news.

lmond and his group needed to take a large ship that could carry their carriage and horses, leaving them with limited options. However, the problem was that the only available ship had only two cabins they could use. One was a single room, and the other was a third-class room where dozens of people slept together.

“Suddenly, those soldiers boarded the ship and said they would use both the single and double rooms. So, there is only one single room left in poor condition. I’m sorry. As for , I’m in a position where I have to take care of His Majesty, the Emperor’s soldiers first.”

Because of this, the real Emperor was at risk of not being able to board the ship, but the ship owner, insisting on departing soon, urged them to make a decision quickly. However, lmond, who had stepped forward as the representative, couldn’t easily give an answer.

Who should sleep in the single room? In terms of status, it was natural for the Emperor, Karas, to stay there, but it was also a problem to let Abel, who had injured his arm, sleep in a place where several people slept together.

On the other hand, it was not possible for the emperor to give up the single room. lmond thought for a mont, but the conclusion ca quickly. It might be better to give up this ship and take another one, even if it ant staying one more day. It was even better because he was already bothered by the fake soldiers who had appeared a while ago.

However, the conclusion he had reached with effort disappeared into thin air in front of his eyes. The Commander of the 1st Battalion had already moved the carriage onto the ship. Startled, lmond hurriedly approached the Commander of the 1st Battalion.

“Didn’t you hear? Didn’t the owner say there was only one single room?”

“I know.”

Along with his blunt answer, he added the explanation that lmond wanted.

“The person with the injured arm will naturally use the single room as the Commander-in-Chief stated.”

lmond was relieved by those words, but he was also moved by the small act of kindness. To think that soone who was considered cruel and only focused on revenge would care for the injured.

I have underestimated His Majesty’s morality.

lmond boarded the ship, feeling so proud that it was a pity the only person he could share this emotion with was the butler.

And as the ship began to move, lmond realized that he had truly underestimated Karas. Once on board, he had an early dinner. Then, as he was moving his luggage to his room, Abel insisted that he couldn’t have a nice room to himself.

But despite his objections, they forcefully took him to a single room, claiming it was because he was injured. However, there was already soone in that room.

Of course, it was Karas. Without saying a word, he sat on the bed and looked at lmond and the butler.

“Get out.”

His Majesty’s morality had been overestimated.

However, Abel, who was surprised by Karas’ actions, hesitated and stepped back. Karas personally stood up, grabbed Abel’s arm, and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut. lmond and the servant finally realized sothing as they looked at the closed door.

Huh? There’s only one bed in there?

Abel was in a serious dilemma. The situation was just like inside the carriage, except lmond was not there. Karas was staring at Abel intensely, and Abel was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall in front of him.

Abel was confused about whether he should speak up and say that he wanted to rest alone, however, fearing that it would make him seem like he was pretending to know him again. He also considered just getting up without saying anything, but he gave up when he rembered being grabbed by the shoulder in the forest, opting to stay put after just briefly looking around.

At that ti, when he grabbed his shoulder and asked where he was going, it was a bit scary. However, he was already so tired that if he didn’t move and just stared at the wall, he felt like he would collapse first. Unable to do anything else, Abel had no choice but to open his mouth for the first ti in hours since entering the room.

“Um.”

He whispered softly, but there was no response. Abel glanced sideways at the person leaning against the corner.

Could he be asleep?

For a mont, Abel had that hope—until he t the man’s half-opened, hazy gray eyes. Startled, he tried to turn his head again, but then ca the low voice:

“Why?”

The gaze felt suffocating, like Karas might strangle him if he even breathed wrong. But since he didn’t say he’d kill him, Abel felt slightly relieved. Gathering his courage, Abel looked back. Even though Karas was only occupying half the bed, his presence filled the narrow room completely.

Out of habit, Abel smiled slightly and tried to give a complint. Complints were always the safest bridge to connection.

“Hehe, Commander-in-Chief is truly...”

However, there was nothing to praise.

If it had been soone else, Abel would have quickly co up with sothing, anything. But when it ca to Karas, his mind went blank. All he could think of was how terrifying he was—how easily he killed people, how he sliced bears with a single stroke.

Yet it would be absurd to bring up how good he was at bear-hunting. As Abel struggled to think of sothing, Karas leaned away from the wall and approached, tilting his head with interest, as if silently saying, “Well?”

Flustered, Abel blurted out the safest thing he could think of.

“You, um, you’re really handso!”

As he said it, heart pounding, he realized Karas was handso. But that wasn’t the whole story. There was no warmth in his gray eyes. The chill in them overpowered everything else about his looks. And then ca the response:

“I know.”

Sohow, Abel sensed that wasn’t the end of it. Karas’ voice grew more stern as he continued.

“Is my appearance important to you?”

“No.”

Abel answered without hesitation. He couldn’t understand why the complint seed to make Karas annoyed, but he was oddly relieved to be asked a question he could answer truthfully.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re ugly. No, even if you had one eye and two noses, it’d be fine.”

He tossed the joke with a soft smile, thinking of soone with yellow snake eyes.

“Really, even if Commander-in-Chief has a different appearance from others, it doesn’t matter. People are all different in their own ways, so what? What’s the use of being a little better or different? We’re all the sa people. Actually, I was originally ugly... Ahem, anyway, I complinted you for being handso because I thought it’d be nice to hear.”

Karas nodded slowly after a pause, eting Abel’s green eyes.

“Yeah. Good.”

Relieved, Abel smiled again—until he noticed Karas staring at him in silence. His smile froze. His heart felt strange, trembling like waves. He had felt this before, while looking at Karas.

Strange. Why is my heart doing this again?

Abel turned his gaze away as if trying to hide the feeling. As he wondered if he should take one of the butler’s calming pills, he heard a faint rustle near his ear. He turned his head—just in ti to see Karas move smoothly from the bed toward him.

Abel, who had been leaning against the wall at the edge of the bed, was so startled that he instinctively recoiled, scooting backward. Karas easily blocked his retreat by crouching in front of him, then leaned forward, pinning him between his arms and the wall.

As if about to say sothing, Karas tilted his head—then paused and looked down at his own arm.

A black beetle, common on ships, was crawling up his skin.

Annoyed by the interruption, Karas raised his other hand to crush it—but Abel reflexively reached out and stopped him.

“Just... please let it go.”

Abel was surprised that he had touched Karas and quickly pulled his hand back, but his gaze stayed firm.

“Since the beetle didn’t hurt you... can’t you just let it go?”

It was a strange kind of protest. He hadn’t been able to stop Karas from killing people—but here he was, asking him to spare a beetle. Still, Abel couldn’t help but feel that Karas was oddly similar to the prince from his past.

So he used the sa thod his master had once taught him.

A blade of grass, a single ant—those who co to appreciate such small lives eventually co to value human life as well.

You shouldn’t ignore the small things. If you crush them without care, you may start treating larger lives with the sa disregard. Thoughts beco habits. Good thoughts, practiced often, beco second nature.

It felt silly, but Abel wanted to start sowhere. Karas’ killings had been justified by war... but Abel feared he would keep killing, even now that the war was over.

Of course, trying to stop him from squashing a beetle might just get him killed. Still, Abel awkwardly smiled at the man who now stood still, then gently took the bug from his half-folded hand. His own hand trembled, making him look even more foolish, but he forced himself to laugh.

“Haha... th-the bug—if you look closely, it’s kind of cute. Well, even if it’s not cute, um! Please, think of it as, uh, Commander-in-Chief’s subordinate and spare its life. I hereby appoint this creature as the Commander-in-Chief’s Beetle Knight Number One. If you look closely, its shell looks like armor. What do you think? Doesn’t that make it a bit cute? Hehe... heh.”

“......”

“...Isn’t it cute?”