Chapter 105: Words I’d Never Heard (4)

[105] 16. Words I’d Never Heard (4)

About 2km away from Essier.

A man and a woman were hunched over a map spread out on a rock, wracking their brains.

Rosalia looked at Dorn with her head in her hands.

“…What should we do, brother-in-law?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure either, sister-in-law.”

Dorn sighed deeply.

“How did they even know that we’re heading for Essier?”

“Maybe it was just a coincidence. They were probably trying to get ahead of us…”

“And they just happened to choose Essier? A city tucked away in treacherous mountains where even merchants rarely venture?”

Rosalia was speechless. She bit her lower lip, then looked at Dorn cautiously.

“I don’t want to suspect our people, but could it be one of the brother-in-law mercenaries…”

“No, I didn’t tell my men about our destination.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Dorn shook his head.

“It’s fine. But the issue is, it’s unclear where the information leaked?”

“That’s right.”

“Damn it. Then let’s put that aside for now and think about *this* first.”

Dorn scratched his head while looking down at the map.

“How do we get to the Essier Mountains without running into those bastards?”

According to Rem, the way to fix the Dragon King’s Essence lay within the Essier Mountains. The problem was that the Essier Mountains weren’t your typical mountain range.

A long time ago, when Alain had defeated the Dragon King there.

The Dragon King, as he slumbered, cursed Alain. It was a curse that would make his soul rot and eat away at his mind.

But Alain, the seasoned veteran, easily deflected the curse, and instead of Alain, it was the earth that took the brunt of it. The curse turned into a bitter cold, freezing everything.

And so, an eternal winter fell upon the Essier Mountains. Even the lava froze over in the brutal cold.

But even so, there was still a way to enter the Essier Mountains. This was thanks to Alain’s guilt.

He had created a sanctuary within the mountains, an area where winter didn’t reach, for the sake of the people who made a living selling things they’d gathered from the mountains.

…And the only entrance to that sanctuary was located inside the city.

“Rem, can you teleport us there?”

Rem, who had been inspecting his prosthetic leg, looked up with an uncomfortable expression and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if I had a teleportation magic tool, then I could, but… Unfortunately, they were all confiscated when I was captured.”

“Can’t you just make a new one?”

“No materials, no tools, no time. Making a magic tool isn’t easy. And teleportation tools are even harder. It’s the same with the disguise or invisibility magic we’ve been using.”

Rosalia’s brow furrowed. After pondering for a long time, she carefully opens her mouth.

“What if we just enter the mountains from somewhere else…”

“You’ll freeze to death. Less than a minute after you step in. Trust me, sister-in-law, I’ve seen it myself.”

Dorn’s words brought a heavy silence. It was a silence so heavy that if you listened closely, you could almost hear the screams of a dying brain.

But, even if they could actually hear screams, it would only be the screams of two people.

“How about… trying to negotiate?”

Rosalia’s questioning gaze turns to Rem. Rem, after inserting a new magic stone into his prosthetic leg, looked up.

“You said the yellow flag means they want to negotiate. Let’s just try it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Rosalia frowned.

“It’s obviously a trap. The moment we set foot in there, they’ll capture us and hang us, won’t they?”

“That’s why I’m suggesting it.”

Rem got down from the rock he had been sitting on. Crossing his arms, he said in a slightly arrogant tone.

“Traps only work when the intention is unclear. So, paradoxically, a trap that’s obviously a trap is actually not a trap.”

Dorn’s eyes sharpened.

“You’re saying we should use that trap against them?”

“That’s right.”

The corners of Rem’s lips curved upward. Pointing at the map, he briefly explained his plan.

“To put it simply…”

As Rem continued his explanation, Dorn’s expression became serious. On the other hand, Rosalia’s face became increasingly wrinkled.

When he finally finished, Rosalia could only ask this.

“Are you insane?”

“It’s not as shitty of a plan as you think, is it? It’s better than just sitting around and waiting.”

“Even if that’s the case, that doesn’t make sense…”

“No, wait a minute, sister-in-law.”

Dorn raised his hand to stop Rosalia. With folded arms and intense eyes, he looked down at Rem.

“Are you sure this will work?”

“I can’t say the probability is high, but it’s not impossible. Besides, we don’t have any other choice, do we?”

“Hmm…”

Dorn scratched his beard and lowered his gaze. Rosalia, seeing this, looked at him with a shocked expression and asked.

“Brother-in-law, are you serious?”

“It’s true we don’t have another option.”

Rosalia opened her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. She then pressed her temples and asked in an annoyed tone.

“Okay, fine, let’s say we do it. Then who’s going to do it?”

Dorn’s gaze naturally turned to Rem. Rem was already pointing at himself.

Rosalia’s face hardened coldly.

“No.”

Rem rolled his eyes.

“Rosalia.”

“It’s not happening, period.”

“Rosalia.”

“It’s only been a week since you lost your legs!”

Rosalia clenched her fists. Her pale face had contorted.

“It’s only been a week since you went through all that hell!”

“…”

“I said no. If we’re going to do this, then *I’ll* do it. You can’t.”

Rem could sense Rosalia’s firm determination in her tone. But it was closer to stubbornness.

“But their target was *you* in the first place. So what do you think will happen if you walk in there yourself? And besides…”

“It’s better than you going in.”

“Will you just listen to me first.”

“I said it’s better than you going in!”

Rem and Rosalia’s emotional gazes clashed. Dorn swallowed a sigh and quickly inserted himself between them.

“Then I’ll go. Will that work for you guys?”

However, Dorn’s self-sacrifice was met with a cold response.

“No, Mr. Dorn. I have to be the one to do this.”

Rem said, without taking his eyes off Rosalia.

“Have you heard the rumors about Prince Adolf using illusions?”

Dorn’s face became clouded with suspicion, while fear appeared on Rosalia’s.

“I’ve heard of it, but aren’t those just rumors?”

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

A deep suspicion filled Dorn’s eyes. Rem finally turned to Dorn and said.

“I don’t know how it works exactly, but the Prince can break someone’s mind. Almost completely.”

“…I’m not someone who’d lose my mind over a simple illusion…”

“You can’t possibly know until you experience it. Even the strongest person I know ended up broken.”

For the first time, a hint of displeasure appeared in Dorn’s face. It was the look an elder would give to a disrespectful, arrogant brat.

“But you’re fine, right? Where does that confidence come from?”

“He already tried it on me several times.”

The unexpected answer caused Dorn’s eyes to widen. Rem tapped his own head and said.

“I don’t know why, but I seem to be immune to it. Even if I fall under the illusion, I can quickly break free.”

“…Really?”

Rem nodded.

“In fact, that’s why the prince tried to have me executed. Well, he ended up chopping off my legs instead, though.”

“…”

Dorn’s eyes, which had been filled with skepticism, finally showed understanding. He let out a sigh and nodded.

“So it’s a plan that only you can carry out, huh.”

“That’s right. So…”

Rem and Dorn’s eyes simultaneously turned towards Rosalia.

Rosalia was looking down at her hands, her fists trembling, then she let out a deep sigh and looked at Rem.

“Rem, let’s talk. Just the two of us.”

…

…

…

It was a small clearing in the woods, not far from the camp.

Rosalia, as soon as they arrived, turned to Rem. Her face was full of desperation.

“Rem, this isn’t your fight.”

“Are you looking down on me because I’m from the sticks? I’m also a citizen of the Empire, you know? And this is about the safety of the Empire, which means…”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

The playfulness vanished from Rem’s face. He clacks his tongue and sighs.

“So, do you have any other ideas?”

“If we just think about it a little longer, surely we can come up with something. There’s no need to take this kind of risk…”

“Well, aren’t we in a pretty urgent situation right now?”

“Rem!”

Rem sighed.

“Rosalia, let’s think about this rationally. Even you know that this is the best plan we have.”

“Didn’t you just say that it was too hasty to come to a conclusion like that?”

“Why bother searching for a detour when there’s a shortcut right before our eyes?”

“Rem, we don’t know if that shortcut…”

Rem couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted.

“Rosalia, get a grip! We don’t have time for this kind of emotional fight…!”

However, it wasn’t just Rem who had been suppressing his anger.

“You could die!”

Or maybe it wasn’t just anger that she had been suppressing.

Rosalia’s shoulders trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Do you even know how I felt while you were imprisoned?”

Rem’s face went blank.

“I dreamed of you dying every night. I had nightmares about you and the people from my hometown burning and being impaled…!”

*And you know what’s even more horrifying?*

*That it was all my fault!*

*Because I dragged you into this! Because I failed to protect you!*

Rosalia’s voice soften as her eyes grew wet with tears.

“You… your legs…”

Rosalia’s face finally crumbled. She walked toward Rem and leaned her head on his chest.

“… I just don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

Rosalia’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“I don’t want you to end up like the people from my hometown.”

And then soft sobs followed. Rem could easily read the scars left by her past.

The pain of loss isn’t easily healed. Rem knew this better than anyone.

And because of that, he gently pushed Rosalia away.

“Do you think I’m any different?”

Rosalia’s tear-stained face became puzzled. Rem let out a bitter laugh and continued.

“That’s why I took an arrow for you, you idiot.”

*Thwack-*

“Ow-!”

Rosalia, who was hit on the forehead, looked up at Rem with a confused expression. She seemed to have no idea what he was talking about, or what was going on.

So Rem decided to use a more convincing method.

He took a step toward Rosalia. The flustered Rosalia tried to back away, but Rem’s arm was faster.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Rosalia found herself in Rem’s arms.

As Rem’s face drew closer, Rosalia’s face flushed red.

“Huh? Huh?”

As Rem’s face gradually got closer, her thoughts melted away, becoming a giant, sticky liquid, scrambling her mind.

And then, finally…

*Clang-!*

“Ugh-!”

Rosalia, holding her forehead, sank to the ground.

She glared at Rem, who was now laughing.

“W-What was that…!”

“Hahaha! Damn, you should have seen the look on your face just now…!”

“Hey! You walking corpse…! ”

Rem flashed a refreshing smile.

“I’m not going to die, you idiot.”

Rosalia’s tongue froze.

Rem placed his hands on his hips and showed off his prosthetics.

“Can’t you see that I’m still alive despite this body? I’ve been living without both hands since I was eight.”

He then held out his hand toward Rosalia.

“You think some crazy bitch and a bunch of tin cans could kill me?”

To be honest, it was a baseless confidence. And if anyone else said that, one might have snorted.

But there are smiles like that in the world.

Smiles that make you believe even without any basis or logic.

A smile that makes you nod your head even if you think it’s stupid.

Rosalia looked at Rem’s outstretched hand with trembling eyes. After biting her lower lip for a long time, she finally sighed and said.

“…As long as you promise to run away as soon as things go wrong.”

A sullen look appears on Rem’s face.

“Well, that depends on the situation…”

“Just promise me.”

Rem rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Fine, I promise. Now hurry up and take my hand. My arm is starting to hurt.”

At those words, how could Rosalia not have smiled.

Rosalia smiled faintly and took Rem’s hand.

***

The meeting place was set through the east gate.

It was a small stable about 1km away from the city of Essier.

Adolf arrived at the location an hour earlier than the appointed time. He hid knights throughout the stable and then covered the area with a lavish decoration.

He didn’t think they’d fall for such an obvious trap, but there’s no such thing as being too prepared.

Adolf sat in his golden carriage and sipped on his wine.

And then, finally, the appointed time arrived.

Adolf saw a single rider approaching from beyond the hills. The rider expertly maneuvered the horse and approached Adolf.

“Halt!”

The horse stopped at the knight’s shout.

The rider removes their helmet and dismounts.

And at that moment, Adolf couldn’t help but be perplexed.

“You…”

“Long time no see, Your Highness.”

The man who had the barbarians cut off his leg.

And the only human his illusion did not work on.

Rem ‘walks’ up to him, grinning mischievously.

“I trust you’ve been well?”

A cunning smile appears on Rem’s face.

“Ah, to answer your question beforehand, I’m doing great. I even got myself a pretty decent pair of legs, thanks to you.”

Adolf’s gaze turned to Rem’s steel legs. He couldn’t help but frown.

“You have some interesting skills.”

“Well, even a maggot can roll, don’t they?”

“…So you’re the one they sent as their representative? In that case…”

“Ah, before that!”

Rem cleverly cuts off Adolf’s words. Adolf’s face became even more twisted at that moment.

“How dare you interrupt me…”

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask.”

“Again, you dare to interrupt me…!”

“I heard… that Your Highness is a bastard child.”

The moment he heard the word “bastard”, Adolf’s face hardened. It was the same with the knights around him.

However, the smile didn’t vanish from Rem’s face.

“And that your mother was a ‘flower seller’*…”

“You son of a…!”

Veins bulged on Adolf’s neck.

But if he could interrupt him twice, then why not three times.

Rem grinned and asked.

“By any chance, how much did your mother charge per hour?”

Flames shot up in Adolf’s eyes.