CH 68

“Then, can we just figure out the locations of two more mines besides this one?”

She nodded quietly.

“Thank you, Young Lady. Please wait here for a moment.”

He walked a short distance and immediately tried to communicate with the capital. 

After a while, Falden began reporting the situation to the emperor he had contacted after a long time of silence. The emperor’s atmosphere was quite cold from a distance but that was to be expected.

However, it didn’t feel good that he didn’t respond much even after seeing the mana stone that Falden held out. Even though the state was far superior to the mana stones the hunters had brought, the emperor didn’t even wiggle an eyebrow. 

Falden was also nervous, and his broad back gradually stiffened.

[I didn’t allow you to act in any way you wanted]

The Emperor didn’t even burst out in anger.

But his cruelty was conveyed just by saying every word with strength.

[Did you try to avoid making contact with me because you knew what kind of order I was going to give?]

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Falden bowed his head.

The emperor, who was silent, watched him for a while. His eyes and expression didn’t seem like he was looking at his son at all.

Even though they could only see each other through the communication port, his majestic eyes were able to swallow the air from this side, making the surroundings depressing.

Falden bent to his knees. Putting the crystal ball on the stone, he also bent his head.

“….”

A man of great size bowing like that.

He bit his lips and bowed down in front of the emperor, who didn’t have the face of a father, exuding an unfamiliar majesty. 

It looked a bit servile.

“I won’t make excuses. For disturbing Your Majesty’s feelings, I will go to the palace to receive the punishment later. Please do it directly at that time.” 

[Smart brat.] 

There is no way to punish the son who returned after resolving a matter that attracted everyone’s attention just because he did not contact home often.

It would only be swept under the rug by saying that the emperor was very humble.

Clicking his tongue, the emperor cut off the communication without saying anything more.

She could feel it for a moment. That she no longer had to worry about whether the emperor would issue an order to withdraw. 

Under the tacit silence, she has entrusted all things related to this matter to Falden. 

‘It’s a relief.’

Serdel was relieved and placed a mark at the entrance of the cave using the power of Radun to make it easier to find later.

Until then, Falden remained silent still kneeling in front of the turned-off communication device. A complicated heart has been conveyed by the stiffness in his back.

She approached him slowly and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Your Highness. Now let’s stop—”

Wouldn’t it be nice to get up? But her mouth was shut as she was about to say something. Falden’s face was dark with his head tilted to the side.

Startled. 

The anger flowing from him was so deep that she couldn’t breathe for a moment.

At the same time, the pendant hanging on her neck reacted.

With the vibration,

[The red hawk’s eyes assimilate into the other person’s deep emotions and the form is created.]

A child who looked much younger than Falden is now looked around for a while and stared at the communication tool as if attempting to kill it.

Am I not your child? 

Your Majesty the Emperor! 

Me too! I’m your child.

You said you loved my mother so much!

Why are you doing this to me who is left alone? Why do you keep doing this to me? 

Tears flowed from the bloodshot eyes of a child full of anger.

At the same time, a new background unfolded as her mind assimilated to the child’s deep emotions.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! 

A desperate roar to drive away the fear of death hit her ears like a thunderbolt in the dry sky.

Along with the static, goosebumps spread widely along her spine.

Dududududududu! 

She thought she was going to get motion sickness since her head was trembling from the deep vibrations from the ground.

Large armies rushing in one direction with a thick gust of sand.

The leader was only a 12-year-old child. The child wears armor that doesn’t fit his body like shackles. They had to engage in fierce battles. Overcoming his endless fear. The child stained with blood fought and fought again. 

Then he got hurt by the enemy and was deceived by allies and fell into a trap. Most of the allies who harassed him were from the empress’s side.

In the midst of crisis and death that he somehow overcame drunkenly, he had no choice but to become strong. 

And blaming his father, the emperor—.

On one hand, if he becomes more proficient in martial arts, he will be able to receive his father’s attention for once, so he tried with anticipation.

He swung his sword thousands of times.

Is it still difficult to compliment me for doing well?

Not as father, but why are you, the only Your Majesty the Emperor, always so cold to me?

Hyungnim is not your only child.

Me too! I’m also your child.

Please, don’t draw the line coldly.

And when you die, I don’t want to be left as a terrible child who can’t even shed a single tear.

In the eyes of Serdel, who had escaped from the memories of the battlefield full of pain, the shadow of the child had changed into the bigger but familiar figure of Falden. 

“….”

Even though he had been treated like that all his life, he couldn’t let go of his father. He longed for the emperor to reciprocate any amount of affection. But far from noticing this, the emperor cut off communication indifferently instead.

Finally, the shadow of Falden, who was grinding his teeth, disappeared under a smattering of light.

That’s how the long phenomenon ended.

Serdel’s hand, which was holding his shoulder, also lost strength as the light faded.

A deep sense of exhaustion overcame her.

“…Young Lady?”

As soon as Faldennoticed her falling he reached out for her in surprise.

Whoosh!

“Young Lady!”

In the surrounding void he could hear the sound of movement cutting through several layers of air, Whoosh! 

Raising his body, Falden hurriedly hugged Serdel to his chest and drew his sword.

Whoosh. 

Startled. Did something fly this way? 

His sword and something heavy collided, and his ears were ringing.

Falden’s sharp gaze turned to one place.

Ta-ha! Ta-ha!

Something was jumping from tree to tree with terrifying speed and force.

[Nunaaaaaaaaaaaa!] 

Dell’s voice also filled her mind.

‘Huh…?’

The position she saw through his gaze was not far from where she was standing.

Serdel, who mustered her remaining energy to force her eyes to focus, looked in the direction Dell was coming from. 

“…Blenn?”

Cold air was flowing from him, shot with enough force that his silver hair was fluttering.

Blenn jumped off a tree and landed heavily on the floor.

Boom! 

Like something heavy falls.

The ground was pitted in, and the cool air around Blenn engulfed the surrounding atmosphere. 

“Blenn!”

His face, full of shadows, looked worse than she had seen through Dell.

“Lady…”

He looked pale, and his eyes were empty. Like a dead person.

“Lady. Are you okay? Are you okay?”

Emotions gradually began to come back to his expression as he looked her up and down, over and over again, and over again to see if there were any injuries.

“Come this way, Lady.”

He reached out with his hand that was not holding his sword.

“I’ll protect you.”

Falden, who was hugging Serdel tightly, frowned.

“Are you crazy? How dare you throw a sword at the prince? Are you crazy? Do you want to die? If you make a mistake, even your master would have died!”

“There’s no way I would harm the Lady! Besides, you come first!”

Blenn’s voice rose.

“Didn’t you threaten the Lady with a ferocious energy!”

Life gleamed in his eyes.

His mask like face, which had always maintained its indifference, had already been broken. Blenn, ironically, felt like a living person for the first time.

He grinded his teeth.

Despite the fact that his presence looked far from human after saving Laura.

Blenn, who had been quiet for a moment, was now visibly angry. 

“You showed hostility to the Lady first!”

“Ha—”

Falden, who was trying to say something, breathed out in vain.

While he was calming his anger from the uncomfortable communication with the emperor, he reacted sensitively to Serdel who approached him.

Even if it was just a simple reaction to being startled, it would have been a quite threatening attack to his opponent.

Even if that’s the case.

“I’m the Prince. I didn’t harm the Young Lady, but should I be treated like this by only you? Come to think of it, you blocked me at the entrance of the cave last time, right?”