Chapter 69

Rosteratu passed between the soldiers surrounding the tower, sauntering proudly.

He was greatly looking forward to killing Albert, but his complexion was not good. Death-like shadows loomed upon his face.

He still couldn’t escape the remnants of that nightmare. Still unbalanced, he dreamt every single night of Albert cutting his throat. The act of sleeping soon became something he feared.

He had already killed Marquis Evnen. As for the nobles who could be colluding with Albert, they were either killed or framed with false criminal charges. Albert was trapped in that tower, was unable to do anything and was practically reduced to the position of a slave, but Rosteratu’s fears still would not disappear.

In order to break this curse, Albert had to be killed.

After today, all those nightmares would cease.

Looking around, Rosteratu admired the sheer number of people he had gathered. Most of the people here were commoners, whose lives were so inconsequential that it wouldn’t matter if they died. There were even some who completely believed the fake rumors about Albert, and they were all prepared to give their lives for the greater mission of punishing that devil, Albert.

If Rosteratu were to be honest, the number of people he had gathered was smaller than he first expected because of the rumors that Albert would wage a coup d’état, and the general public’s opinion on the king was still heavily negative. The time was also crucial, and the current situation brought much strife as well.

Discontent amid the people was growing due to the ongoing drought and due to the taxes being raised this year. Rosteratu had blamed it all on Albert—as long as there’s someone to blame, Rosteratu could evade criticism.

This, too, was the reason why Albert was kept alive all this time in the tower. He was a good sacrificial lamb to take on all of the king’s problems.

…As long as the prince wouldn’t dare try to come for the king’s neck, that is.

Rosteratu plopped down on a luxurious sofa prepared just for him. The velvet sofa amidst a battalion of soldiers created a disconnected image. Lounging on that sofa, Rosteratu’s eyes gleamed with greed as he recalled all of the reports of Albert’s suffering.

He was so excited about the possibility that the prince had already lost his mind in that tower, after having been subjected to all kinds of humiliation that the maid had put him under.

“Take down the tower’s barrier.”

He ordered Mercy, the lord of the magic tower.

“Yes, sire.”

Mercy took out a gem that could take down the spell that was covering the entire spire. With almost all of the mages beheaded now—or at least, Rosteratu knew that they had been injured and incapacitated—the gem that was filled with the magic power of many mages floated in the air as commanded by Mercy’s wand.

“Unlock.”

Crack! The gem cracked into pieces with a loud sound. A buzz could be heard coming from the tower.

The strange noise seemed to sound like the waves of the sea one moment, but it soon changed to a sound that was reminiscent of glass breaking. At that moment, the barrier spell surrounding the entire tower was released.

The soldiers put on their helmets to protect their heads and they clutched their weapons tightly. Those who were armed with bows aimed their arrows at the door of the tower. Each arrowhead was coated with deadly poison, so even just a single graze could kill a person.

All preparations were now complete.

“Then, who will go in and drag out the Prince?”

At Rosteratu’s pompous, haughty tone, the people around him murmured amongst themselves. Still, there was not one person who easily volunteered to do it.

Compared to staying outside with many other people, going into the small tower and personally bringing Albert outside was tantamount to suicide. It’s true that they were prepared to risk their lives, but they weren’t fearless. Especially since their opponent was the prince who they knew was a devil.

“Your Majesty, I…”

Adrian, the commander of the Order of the Eagle, stepped forward. However, Rosteratu shook his head firmly. There was no reason to take the risk and sacrifice the knight commander only to barely manage to drag Albert out there.

So, Adrian stepped down and didn’t insist because he also knew this. It was shameful, but he also didn’t want to die.

‘Oh, just in time…’

Mercy acknowledged the impeccable timing. Of course, she couldn’t look suspicious about the matter of going inside the tower. Before Rosteratu was about to force someone else, she raised her hand just in time.

“Your Majesty, I will go.”

“…You, personally?”

Rosteratu’s eyebrows shot up. He was doubting her intentions, but Mercy pressed on with a brazen expression.

“Because I think that this is a good opportunity for me to win Your Majesty’s trust. I know and understand that you don’t really trust the magic tower after the recent change of lords, that’s why.”

Rosteratu quite liked it whenever people talked badly of themselves and raised him up instead. The vassals around him also considered this to be the best weapon. Rosteratu chuckled.

“You’re precisely right.”

Honestly, this was a piece of cake to do. Since he was so preoccupied with the words that came out of people’s lips, this meant that the only thing that’s inside his brain was garbage.

‘Just a little while now and this impotent scum’s head’ll be lopped off. That’s what people can talk about.’

Inwardly painting a bleak future for Rosteratu in her mind, Mercy pretended to be deeply moved as she bowed to him.

“Even if this opportunity is what brings me to my demise, I want to show Your Majesty that I have pledged you my utmost loyalty.”

By bowing her head like this, she fortunately could keep her expression hidden.

“Then by all means.”

Rosteratu smugly allowed Mercy entrance to the tower, and so Mercy headed through the door. All her strength was used for trying to manage her expression.

“Everyone, get ready.”

Rosteratu told the soldiers that they should not relax, not even for a moment.

“Yes, sire!”

The soldiers shouted back their response. They aimed their arrows and clutched onto their swords and spears.

On either side of Rosteratu, the mages who had come with Mercy aimed their wands.

Mercy opened the door of the tower. However, the others couldn’t see well inside.

Then, the door of the tower closed shut.

“S-Should we storm the entrance?”

“No, we’re going to wait. She’s not the lord of the magic tower for nothing.”

Rosteratu knew that Albert was a good swordsman and a mage, but the king believed that the prince was not going to be a match against the lord of the magic tower.

He expected that Mercy would come out soon, but as time went on, she had yet to show up again. Perhaps a fight had broken out inside.

Rosteratu slowly grew impatient. He didn’t bring this many soldiers only to play a waiting game.

The narrow belief he had in the tower lord quickly ran out. He was thinking that she had already died.

Of course, the truth was that Mercy wasn’t dead. She’s just finishing up her breakfast in peace while looking around the tower. Today’s breakfast was sujebi made with the few vegetables that were leftover in the pantry. The white noodle soup, which was tailored to Albert’s tastes, was also something that Mercy liked very much.

While the peaceful breakfast went on inside, outside, Rosteratu and the others were thinking of all sorts of scenarios in their heads. After agonizing over what to do, Rosteratu eventually nodded towards Adrian.

“Commander.”

Though Adrian had the title of ‘knight commander’, he actually got the post only through connections and nepotism, and so, when he was called, his complexion turned dark. Your Majesty, you already decided not to send me in!

But while he was frantically panicking inside, the tower’s door opened again.

The smell of sujebi flowed through the open door. At the famishing smell, Rosteratu was left perplexed.

“…Food?”

People started talking.

“It’s just a conspiracy to confuse us! Everyone, do not let your guard down!”

When Rosteratu shouted angrily, the soldiers once again focused on the matter at hand. Through the door, they saw a human’s silhouette, and at this, Rosteratu commanded for the bowmen to shoot without even considering that it might have been Mercy.

“Shoot!”

Whiiz! Dozens upon dozens of arrows flew through the air. The arrows were just like the rain that was falling a while ago. However, not one single arrow hit anyone.

Because all of the arrows lost their momentum right in front of the door. They all fell to the ground.

“…Magic?”

Rosteratu rose from his seat. Uneasily staring into the door, he soon saw someone coming out of the shadows. It was the silhouette of a man.

Despite the dim, dreary sky, the man shone brilliantly enough—and it was the same man that Rosteratu had thrown into that tower.

“…Albert Grey.”

Rosteratu uttered the name with clenched teeth.

God’s perfect creation. The object of Rosteratu’s envy.

The elegant smile on that man’s lips stunned the soldiers for a moment, making them forget where they were.

They all stared dazedly at Albert.

Albert was certainly smiling. However, this caused cold sweat to trickle down Rosteratu’s back.

Through the fringe of his gray hair, the man’s red eyes looked like the eyes of a demon—one that would devour him.

His and Rosteratu’s gazes met in the air. Then, Albert’s eyes curved gently.

“Your Majesty will not have another heir if I die here, but don’t you think that this kind of welcome is much too grand?”

“…What?”

After hearing the words that were laced entirely with sarcasm, all Rosteratu could do was pause for a long moment. The fact that Albert was obedient to him before entering the tower played a part in this reaction.

“Shoot! Shoot again! Attack all at once!”

Rosteratu pointed urgently at Albert, and it was only then that the soldiers came to their senses and rushed to attack Albert. Their shouts were deafening.

As though they’d been waiting for this opportunity, everyone jumped at the man who was standing in front of the tower. There was only one opponent. Regardless of how strong he was, he couldn’t beat this many people!

But at that moment, Albert spoke with a voice that was as soft as the spring breeze—

“Freeze.”

Everyone’s movements slowly came to a halt.

Cold air flowed through their surroundings. The air froze as though it was snowing.

Then, it was as if time had stopped. People froze in place. The soldiers tried to move their bodies, but the only thing they could move were their eyes.

Some people froze mid-jump, others froze in the middle of slashing their swords.

But not one of them came close to Albert.

The soldiers looked around with their eyes wildly. All the deafening war cries disappeared and only silence remained.

Then, Mercy’s spell seeped out from the tower like a mist, and it began to surround the soldiers around Albert and Rosteratu.

Soon, the mist became apparent to those soldiers’ eyes, and an image of the prince and the king showed itself to them. It was like a screen that unfolded before them.

[ Why did you imprison me in this tower…! ]

[ Because I am afraid. ]

[ Then why did you spread false rumors about me! ]

[ If you can’t overcome something like that, what kind of Prince would you be? ]

The illusion, which was based on real events, had completely filled people’s eyes and ears, making it possible for the revelation of new facts.

People were left in shock.

‘Oh God, then those rumors really were true!’

‘How can any human being do that?!’

They once believed and trusted the king, but it turned out that he was hiding such an ugly truth underneath. They were quickly disillusioned.

“What are you mages doing?! ATTACK!”

Rosteratu shouted at the top of his lungs towards the mages standing beside him. He couldn’t do anything on his own.

However, Albert had frozen them.

“A-Adrian!”

One by one, Rosteratu shouted the names of the people who should help him. However, even the entire knight order had seen the images.

As he stared at Rosteratu, who was struggling desperately, Albert took out his sword from its scabbard. Reflected on the sword, the look in his eyes was unusually dark.

The king was the person who brought him in—the one who once gave Albert hope that his life might turn out different.

And yet, all the king did was use him without any mercy nor remorse. All the king did was to try and cut him down.

Still, Albert endured. He held onto the thought that he would one day be king. For a moment, he was swept away by the memories of that time.

“My anxieties grew as I waited for that long. I thought that you might take your own life—that’s what made me really nervous.”

Albert lowered his sword.

Albert and Rosteratu’s eyes met again—Rosteratu flinched, Albert smiled benevolently.

“If you’re suffering that much from just dreams alone, dreams that aren’t even real, don’t you think that’s too unfair to me?”

Here, in reality, I have a gift just for you.