Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Still, he thought Hoiore’s esteemed son wasn’t the only target.

‘To my sister… he was just a chess piece anyone could use.’

Viscount Hoiore was a man who cared very much for the land and was proud of protecting the border from the yeti. The sadness in his expression was partly because of his responsibility as a lord, but also because he was a father.

How could he stay strong when he had just lost his only son?

“Count Alshine met the esteemed son before the magic was destroyed. When she wakes up… you’ll be able to hear the details,” Julius said.

“Thank you.”

After briefly discussing the current situation and relief supplies, Julius left the room so he could be alone.

When he first came here, he had the same sentiment as the public, worried about the missing supplies. But because of the time magic, the Northerners were spared from famine. It was akin to saving someone at the cost of something. It was convoluted.

No one should rely or study Forbidden time magic.

In Acrab, the days were repeated. In Hoiore, time stood still. Momalhaut casually broke such taboos and studied them. Many people could’ve been sacrificed.

‘Momalhaut? No… This- it’s Exchetra… it must be her doing.’

Julius’ eyes flashed furiously. She was a wicked woman who deceived the whole empire under the guise of a mask. He wanted to bring her down from her position by proving she was working with a rebel force and studying forbidden magic. He wanted to draw his sword and point it at her neck to punish her, but he had no power to do so and there was no evidence to support him.

And as if she had seen his every step, Exchetra built her strength like a tower with unshaking solid walls. Could they even win?

‘We have to win.’

Otherwise, many of the imperial people would suffer. On the surface, she protected and helped the common people, but secretly, she was a person who did not blink twice to do things maliciously for gain.

He ruffled his hair angrily and opened the door to the inn. The Castle was turned upside down by the prince’s visit. He wanted to stay incognito in consideration to the death of the esteemed son, the heir to the family. At first, he couldn’t even eat properly in the gloomy atmosphere.

Julius approached Chushinik, who was sitting in the lobby and eating some dry bread.

“You didn’t order a proper meal,” Julius noted.

“That… there seems to be a shortage of food.”

“… I see.”

After the magic was destroyed, he contacted the palace and told them to send relief supplies immediately by magic. It was only a temporary measure since it wasn’t possible to send a large amount through magic. There was a shortage of food since all the citizens of the North were gathered here.

Still, Chushinik held up the piece of bread and smiled. “This tastes quite good too,” he said.

Julius weakly laughed in reply.

He preferred swords to magic, so he honed his swordsmanship. Nevertheless, he didn’t forget the magic he had learnt since he was young. Though he felt that the title of Magic Swordsman was grand, he was actually satisfied with it. However, as he passed through the northern border where they couldn’t feel, he felt considerably anxious.

‘Kaichen would’ve been better than me.’

He held his head and sighed. When he found the magic circle that caused magic to be unusable, he was so angry that he broke the rock. It was a shame to see the rocks breaking so easily, as if it was laughing at the helplessness they had felt for a month. It felt like the person who created this was sneering at them somewhere.

“Chushinik, you… what do you think of Kaichen?”

“I respect him.”

“But you lost to the swordsmanship duel, right?”

“… That’s also one of his amazing points.”

“You lost to a wizard. Didn’t that wound your self-esteem?”

“My self-esteem wasn’t wounded. I was just a little surprised.”

“At what?”

Chushinik ate the bread and drank some water before speaking. “You have such strong abilities, but it doesn’t seem like you’re satisfied with them,” he suddenly said.

“….”

“I always have a desire to be strong. I was embarrassed when I bragged about being selected as Your Majesty’s bodyguard and being satisfied and not improving myself.”

Julius laughed. Chushinik blushed a little with a naïve look on his face. A resolution that said ‘I’ll work harder!’ was written on his face like a promise. Julius patted him on the shoulder and stood up, saying he would count on him.

As he climbed the stairs, he thought that he should also speak with Kaichen. To Julius, Kaichen was a precious friend and an indispensable helper.

It felt strange at first that Kaichen had a lover now, but it was something to congratulate him on. He was a much better person now than before when he used to reject and ignore emotions that a normal human being should have.

However, what if the final plan of this case turned out to be what they expected?

Julius leaned against the wall for a moment, holding his throbbing head.

“Can you believe I’m the prince? Haha!”

‘You’ve risen to success.’

‘I was a beggar—do you think I suit his position?’

‘The royal family is determined from the moment you’re born. It’s the truth that the blood of the royal family of the Kalhai Empire flows through you, so it doesn’t matter.’