Chapter 164: The Two Men Will Go All the Way Through (7)

The palace where Sultan Salah currently resided was a palace for foreign dignitaries. It was equipped with facilities that could accommodate hundreds of people, with extensive facilities and various amenities.

…However, right now, none of his entourage had any intention of using those facilities. And the cause was none other than…

“Keuuuuk…!”

“Sultan, please hold on a little longer! It’ll be over soon if the bleeding stops! Or maybe potion—”

“N-No! I can’t get my lost ear back with a potion!”

There was no way they could afford to enjoy such splendor when their master was suffering.

If anything, they should fear for their lives right now, since their necks could just get cut off at any given moment.

“B-But Sultan….”

“Forget it! Take that away!”

“…As you command.”

Who was gutsy enough to disobey his order?

The healer retreated, unable to hide his despair.

“…Damn it!”

Although Salah didn’t usually curse, he just couldn’t stand not to right now. His wound still stung, burning as if on fire. Though one side of his ear was torn open, he didn’t get stitches or use any painkillers or potions, so the pain was bound to be severe.

The only good thing here was that the Western medicine the healer applied delayed the flow of blood, so the wound stopped bleeding, but this was only a temporary measure. His complexion continued to worsen.

“That damned temple of sun…”

Crunch-!

If he just wanted to heal his ear, he could ask the priests who followed the Light of Brilliance for help, but he was in a position where he could never receive help from other religions.

The reason for this was because the West was the continent where the [Sun God’s Religion], a religion big enough to be compared to the Light of Brilliance, was rampant, and the sultan was praised as the ‘Descendant of the Sun God’ and even the ‘Agent of the Sun God’.

Perhaps because of that, believing in any religion other than the Sun God was almost like a ‘taboo’ for Westerners, as it was the equivalent of insulting the Sun God. Conversely, harboring ‘rebellious thoughts’ against the sultan was considered heresy.

It was an extremely strict discipline, but as they said, there was no better means for a king to protect their legitimacy and authority than religion. One could even say that the West was a continent where the beliefs ‘the king is a God’s chosen’ was an absolute truth.

In that sense, it was only natural that other religions, including the Light of Brilliance, weren’t able to flourish in the West. To Westerners, the Light of Brilliance was nothing more than a heretical group of pagans whose existence they should never tolerate.

It was also why…

“Ugh!”

“Sultan, please, this isn’t the right way to do it. Please, visit the temple—”

“No. Absolutely not. The moment I am healed by a pagan, my authority will collapse!”

“…Sultan.”

“Ugh!”

The sultan should never be healed by the power of Light of Brilliance. After all, he was the representative of the Sun God, the one who carried Their blood.

With that prideful position, there was no way he could afford to be healed by the pagans just because he was injured.

Just the notion itself was already unthinkable.

Besides, if one of his political enemies were to find out that he was healed by a pagan priest, his royal authority would be shaken to its core. The people would immediately rise up and rebel, claiming that he wasn’t a legitimate descendant of the Sun God.

“When will those damned priests of the Sun Temple come?”

“…They’ve just crossed the border.”

“Those arrogant bastards! They could’ve come earlier, but they are delaying their arrival!”

“…”

“Those arrogant, disgusting bastards…!”

The Sun Temple.

They were the temple of the Sun God’s worshippers, and it was part of their duty to take care of the sultan’s body as he was the representative of the Sun God. But currently the two sides were at odds with each other.

The priests of the Sun Temple had been aiming to stand on top of the sultan’s head—a desire they had since ancient times—while the sultan wanted nothing more than to trample those priests.

Since they weren’t on good terms, it was only natural that the priests refused to accompany him when he went abroad. This bad blood between them was the reason why he hadn’t received proper treatment even though he was severely injured.

He could have talked to a healer and had his torn ear and wounds stitched up, but even if the healer had divine powers, it would still be difficult to regenerate his ear back.

Considering that there was an unspoken rule that the sultan should not have any ‘physical defects’ or ‘mental disorders’, his injuries were pretty much fatal to him. It wasn’t because of the pain, but because the injuries could be a legitimate reason for him to be dethroned.

Things have gotten really messed up!

Crack-!

Salah never expected that he’d be hit this badly while in Pendragon.

Just who did this to me…?

Of course, he didn’t believe that the Hassassins were the ones who attacked him. The crows might be cruel, but they weren’t ones who’d give up their commissions or betray their client. If so, they’d have been wiped out from the West long ago.

It also wouldn’t make any sense if the culprit was another sultan. Every single one of them knew that maintaining the current system was the best course of action.

Which meant…

Someone from Pendragon…!

They dared to attack ME…!

Salah was the one who attacked first, but that little tidbit wasn’t important to him. Their audacity to injure his body, the representative of the Sun God’s body, was a great sin worthy of being burned in brimstone.

He had no intention of forgiving those who attacked him.

“…Salman, if my proud soldiers who are waiting near the border are dispatched, how long will it take to reach Pendragon?”

“S-Sultan? You can’t be serious…!?”

“I have to show them what it means to dare to touch the sultan, the Descendant of the Sun God!”

“…”

Seeing Sultan Salah who seemed to have lost his senses, Salman couldn’t hide his despair. His master didn’t seem like his usual rational and intelligent monarch.

Then the sight of his master’s ear entered his vision, prompting him to clench his teeth.

This is all because of those who dared to attack us!

Losing his arm was one thing, but for the sultan’s noble body to be left with a flaw like this…

They had made an unforgivable sin, and Salman fully understood his master’s feelings.

Indeed, he was a servant whose thoughts were in line with his master’s.

‘Beasts with human faces’. If a certain knight had seen this master-servant pair, he’d drop that kind of evaluation at them.

Since ancient times, beasts had lived following their instincts. In the case of beasts who suffered from diseases, such as rabies, communication was simply impossible.

That was why…

“To fail to recognize your own mistake to this degree. This lady’s mercy still has a limit. Especially to those who don’t know their own worth.”

“!!?”

“W-Who’s there?!”

Salman urgently drew his sword. Even though he had lost one arm, he was still a skilled swordsman, so he aimed his sword at the third party who suddenly appeared, emitting a sharp aura.

Step-! Step-!

…However, despite the sword being aimed at her, the other person just walked confidently, using the moonlight as her guide.

Whenever the moonlight shone on her, her already shining silver hair dazzled brilliantly, while her arrogant eyes shone brightly.

“Y-You…”

The moment he saw her face, Salman’s body started to tremble. He recognized her. This was the woman he saw when he first entered the kingdom; the most noble person in this country…

“…Such rudeness. Does the successor of Pendragon not have the courtesy to the state guest, Princess Isis?”

Isis Irene de Pendragon. The successor of the Pendragon Kingdom, the first in line to succeed the throne.

As she graced them with her beauty, which was comparable to that of a goddess or at least, an angel, the surroundings brightened as if they had suddenly entered some kind of fairy tale world.

If it hadn’t been for her sudden appearance, Salah would have gladly welcomed her. After all, he had a thing for beauties.

But, this simply wasn’t a good time for a visit.

Because the atmosphere was so bad that…

“Hmm, even after seeing the face of this lady, you still dare to point that sword at her?”

“…I know it’s rude, but please consider it a natural measure against an intruder, Princess.”

One could be certain that a murder would happen here.

Salman’s sword was filled with murderous intent.

An ordinary woman would tremble and turn pale in front of a sword, but she was no ordinary woman. On the contrary, even though she was facing the sharp end of the sword, she still treated it with indifference.

No, rather, she even blatantly challenged it.

“How presumptuous. The royal etiquette demands you to call this lady Her Highness the Crown Princess, not just Princess. This is why you Westerners are mocked as bumpkins.”

“…You dare insult the sultan!”

She casually provoked them.

Country bumpkins. That title also meant a disparaging remark toward the Sultan.

Furious, Salman aimed his sword even higher, but…

[This lady never allowed you to open your mouth.]

Trickle-!

“!!?”

Salman knelt down with a thud.

“…Salman?”

“…”

His vision quickly turned bright red, making him unable to respond to the sultan’s call.

“…Huh?”

Then, he realized that blood was pouring out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However, for some reason he couldn’t feel anything. Even though blood continued to pour out like a fountain from his body, he could feel nothing.

“You should have known what it meant to point a sword at this lady. How dare you, someone who doesn’t even know dignity, honor, or manners, dare to act insolently toward this lady. Know your place.”

Isis denounced the fallen Salman.

Sparing someone who aimed their sword at her didn’t exist in her dictionary. Only those who had the qualifications and honor had the chance to be spared, and in that sense, this rascal had none.

…In her eyes, he wasn’t even worthy of being treated as a warrior.

“What have you done to Salman, Princess Isis?!”

Salah shouted urgently. It was natural for him to feel anxious since his loyal warrior was bleeding to death right in front of his eyes.

However, she…

“This lady knows you were foolish, but never did she expect that you could be this foolish. Are you really a ruler of a country?”

Just threw a look of contempt at him.

At the incomparably foolish, narrow-sighted guy.

“What you should’ve asked was not what this lady did to the insolent thing. But why did ‘no one’ come to save you even after this lady entered this palace. Stupid lout.”

“What…?”

“Have you not noticed the all too quiet surroundings?”

“…”

“Finally realized it? Stupid thing.”

“…W-What did you do!”

“Yes. That’s what you should’ve asked from the start. How could someone be so stupid?”

After seeing his disappointing displays over and over, even Isis’ displeasure turned into pity. Not towards this beast, of course, but towards the people this beast had been ruling over.

Thud-!

Salah was still screaming and babbling, but she didn’t feel the need to talk to him anymore. So, she snapped her finger.

And that was that.

“Keuheuk…?!”

Immediately, Salah writhed and retched, collapsing like his guard just a moment ago.

Trickle-!

Blood started to spew out of him, but Isis just sat down on the chair in an arrogant manner.

“Insolent thing. Not only do you dare to covet the Mystics of Pendragon, you even join hands with a savage mage and hire an assassin to attack the students…”

“Ugh…!”

“You even hid soldiers near the border. Ridiculous. You dare to attack Pendragon? Do you think Pendragon is a joke?”

“…!!”

“You look wronged. Let this lady guess what you’re thinking. ‘If I die, a war between the sultanate and Pendragon would occur, how are you going to handle that?’, correct?”

“!!”

“You’re worrying for nothing. My dear brother has captured that savage mage. Thanks to that, this lady can just put your skin on someone else.”

“!!!?!”

Salah couldn’t even scream; he could only stagger around pitifully.

He couldn’t even worry about the pain he was experiencing right now as he imagined how his skin would be peeled off in the future.

That can’t happen…!!

He glared at Isis, but for the first time since she arrived, she threw a smile at him.

…To be exact, it was a sneer colder than ice.

“Thanks to your foolishness, a sultanate has fallen into this lady’s hands. Of course, you don’t need to worry, this lady will make your people happy. At the very least, they’ll be in a much better state than when you ruled them.”

“N-No… Y-You…can’t…”

…Salah’s arms flailed in frustration, as if saying, ‘That could never happen!’.

The descendants of the great Sun God couldn’t lose their country to the likes of dragons.

But…

“Unfortunately, this lady doesn’t need your permission.”

She stood firm.

“Goodbye, foolish Sultan.”

With that soft announcement, she left the palace, as leisurely as when she first appeared.

“──!”

Salaah reached out to her with bloodshot eyes, but his hand never reached her and dropped in vain.

I-I… Just who did I make an enemy of…?!

For the first time, Salah felt ‘regret’. He realized that Pendragon was an existence that he should’ve never touched, let alone turned into an enemy.

─How terrifying the dragon’s wrath was, he realized it too late.

…Far, far too late.

Step-! Step-!

“…”

Isis walked under the moonlight.

She could have taken a horse or a carriage back to her palace, but today, she just had a sudden desire to walk. The blood on her hands didn’t make her emotional, though. After all, she had shed a significant amount of it up to this point, there was no reason for her to become emotional just from this.

The reason why she was walking like this was simply because she ‘wanted to’.

…A very simple reason.

Whoosh-!

At that moment, an old man wearing a butler’s uniform leisurely approached her.

“Did you kill him?”

“Instead of asking about this lady’s safety, you’re asking that?”

“Hehehe, that’s because I believe you’ll take good care of yourself, Princess.”

“…How shameless.”

“Haha.”

Albert. He was her subordinate, but he was also someone she couldn’t boss around.

Seeing him showing up so late, she couldn’t help but resent him for it.

“This lady hasn’t killed him yet. He has so much information we need to extract, it’d be foolish if this lady were to kill him.”

“Hahaha, as expected of you, Princess. You really are the greatest villain in the world.”

“…You’re right, this lady can’t even deny it.”

“Hehe.”

She never denied the deeds she had committed. No matter how evil the other person was, subjecting them to the same evil they had committed made one a villain. That was why even if she was called a villain, she had nothing to say to it.

If anything, she’d strive to become a first-rate villain rather than a third-rate one.

For her…

“This lady will become a ‘Great Villain’.”

“Haha, I can’t wait for that.”

“Hmph!”

She snorted at the butler’s arrogant remark. She had a feeling that even his laughter was fake. After all, the butler was even harder to read than she was.

Suddenly…

“But, why are you here by yourself, princess? Sir Lee Han would be more than willing to come with you for something like this.”

“…”

“Princess…?”

“Haa…”

“?”

It was an inconsequential question at first glance, but the moment her stepbrother’s name was mentioned, Isis let out a sigh. The coldness and arrogance from before was gone.

Her step-brother.

He did his work well, and unlike his appearance, he was honest, but…

“If only his hatred toward mages would decrease.”

“…Hehehe, I see. Now I know where he is.”

“Haa…”

Isis shook her head, touching her forehead with her slim finger.

“Hmm?”

…Out of nowhere, his ears started to tickle.

The knight picked his earlobe with his finger and frowned as if dust had accumulated at it.

“Gross. What are you doing?”

“I’m just throwing some dirt, why are you making a big deal of it?”

“…Because everyone keeps comparing me to you.”

“Stop getting angry for every little thing.”

“…Draw your sword.”

“We should keep running rather than wasting our time fighting.”

“…!!”

The knight teased his companion to forget his discomfort for a moment. In any case, there were only a limited number of people whose curse could reach him all the way here, so he assumed that the one who was cursing him right now was…

Older sister.

She definitely was bewildered by his notice, so he’d understand if she cursed at him.

I can listen to her nagging later.

But, that didn’t matter. For now, all that mattered to him was his immediate goal.

“…How much further do we have to go?”

“…You don’t even know that? Guess I should’ve known when I heard that you’re trying to go all the way to the ‘Magic Tower’ when you don’t even know the way.”

“Didn’t you say we just need to get to the empire? I figured I’d think of a plan when I get there.”

“That’s why I found it ridiculous.”

Lee Han’s companion shook his head at that moment.

Nevertheless…

“Just think about it. Do you think it makes sense to travel ‘6000 miles’ in four days?”

His companion was none other than Lake, a guide assigned to him by Galahad.

Listening to his words, Lee Han furrowed his brow in anger.

How dare this guy…

“Use kilometers instead of miles, you rotten bastard…!”

He became afraid that pounds and yards would come out next.