Ch.364Distrust

Jahan, who had stolen a warhorse and escaped from Ordos, rode westward.

It was pure luck that he wasn’t captured with his battered body. At least, that’s what Jahan himself thought.

For half a month, he hid during the day to tend his wounds and recover his strength, then galloped westward at night.

Finally, he was able to reach the wall.

—-

What Jahan didn’t know was that the warriors stationed in Ordos had no time to pursue him.

Most of their forces had died in a hopeless battle thanks to Amin, and Targiyan, who had arrived leading the Red Banner Army, had turned the capital upside down.

“Arrest them all! If they resist, you may execute them! By order of the Ser Khan!”

Targiyan had no intention of wasting time trying to find Amin, who had disappeared.

There was a much faster and simpler method.

As soon as they arrived in Ordos, the thousands-strong Red Banner Army attacked Amin’s maternal family.

Amin’s relatives resisted fiercely, knowing full well that surrender would only lead to torture and death, but it was impossible for a single family to withstand the fierce assault of the Red Banner Army.

With justification in hand, Targiyan’s actions were as relentless as his name, which meant “lightning.”

Amin’s maternal family was literally exterminated.

All the men, except for key figures who might not even know Amin’s whereabouts, were killed, and the women became spoils of war for the Red Banner Army.

“Aaaagh! Just kill me instead! Kill me, I say!”

Amin’s mother was no exception to becoming a war trophy.

Even though she was Orhan’s wife, there was no reason to respect her once she was implicated in a crime tantamount to treason.

Hundreds of men passed through the prison where she was held each day.

A woman of such noble status that merely looking directly at her would have been considered blasphemy.

The opportunity to freely violate such a woman was a rare pleasure for the brutal warriors.

“Behold the fate of traitors who dare challenge the authority of the Ser Khan!”

The humiliation and torture inflicted upon her wasn’t limited to the warriors’ violations.

Targiyan selected a sturdy stallion, placed her battered body between its hind legs, tied her there, and paraded her around Ordos daily.

His purpose was to completely break her spirit and extract Amin’s location.

The woman who had once enjoyed all manner of glory as the Khan’s consort became a spectacle for all to see, screaming like a mere mare.

It was a miserable downfall.

=======[ Haschal ]=======

“…After arriving at the wall like that, I waited for you to come, Lord Haschal.”

“…I see.”

I sighed deeply and pulled out the cigarette I had kept in my pocket.

I was at a loss for words.

The story was far more intense than I had expected.

Mersin realized his situation and betrayed me, and the Guard Cavalry that sided with him was annihilated.

In truth, they had no choice but to betray me.

Staying quietly in Ordos would have meant the label of being my guard would continue to tighten around their necks.

To survive there, they had no choice but to actively distance themselves from me.

And Jahan, who trusted Hersella until the end, slaughtered everyone except Mersin and came all the way here to meet her.

Even though the Hersella he remembered had become someone he could no longer meet.

And the cause of all this was me, who had abandoned them thinking they were terrible.

[Did Mersin betray me…? Yes, I suppose it’s only natural. He was a warrior with a good head on his shoulders. Smart enough to understand they had been abandoned with just rumors and circumstances…]

Hersella’s voice was gloomy.

Even for her, who didn’t care about the deaths of the other guards, Mersin’s betrayal seemed to be a shock.

I couldn’t find words to comfort her.

—-

I didn’t regret abandoning them.

Hersella’s guards were all cruel villains without exception, and by my standards, they all deserved to die.

Therefore, I felt no guilt about their betrayal and death.

Just a tiny bit, a very tiny bit of conscience.

If nothing else, it was undeniable that I had deceived Mersin and Jahan’s loyalty.

After all, I had left telling them to wait in Ordos as if I would return someday.

What should I say in this situation?

To Jahan, who believed in me as his lord without doubt, yet couldn’t hide a slight uneasiness.

That it wasn’t Hersella’s true intention? That it was all my doing, ignoring her will after taking over her body?

That he and Mersin had engaged in a bloodbath due to a misunderstanding?

Say that and I might get stabbed.

“Haaah…”

The smoke I inhaled tasted bitter.

“Lord Haschal…? What is that?”

Jahan expressed his curiosity upon seeing me with cigarette smoke in my mouth.

Ah, I suppose there’s no mana herb in the east. He wouldn’t have seen Hersella smoking this.

“Westerners call it mana herb. It’s a kind of luxury item, like alcohol. When you smoke one during troubled times, it clears your head.”

Like in the current situation, that is.

“…I understand you must be troubled because of Mersin’s betrayal. However, please don’t worry too much. In the end, it was his choice not to trust you, Lord Haschal, and to betray you.”

“Because of that… No, that’s not wrong if we look at the bigger picture.”

The reason he betrayed me was because I didn’t act like “Aishan-Gioro Haschal.”

Jahan still believes I am his lord… but when he learns the truth, he’ll realize too.

That essentially, they all were played by me and killed each other.

Still… I should tell him soon.

I’ll need to soften it as much as possible to prevent him from acting rashly.

“…Listen, Jahan. I have something I must tell you. Something very important… So, I forbid you to stand up until I finish speaking. Understood?”

“Yes!”

I exhaled smoke while looking at the ceiling of the basement.

Well then… how should I say this…

First…

“…I should start with this. The person before your eyes… is not your lord, Aishan-Gioro Haschal, whom you’ve served.”

“What…?”

Jahan’s expression twisted strangely.

As if he couldn’t understand what I was saying at all.

“I am not Haschal. I’m a completely different person who, for unknown reasons, came to share a body with your lord.”

[…Share? It’s closer to occupation, isn’t it?]

Hersella interrupted with displeasure.

Well, I can’t say I forcibly occupied her. It’s obvious Jahan would go berserk.

“What do you mean…?”

“I mean there are two souls coexisting in this body. The original Aishan-Gioro Haschal and me, the uninvited guest. Probably the work of some unknown sorcerer. Do you understand?”

I paused briefly and carefully observed Jahan’s reaction.

How would he respond to the existence of another soul occupying his lord’s body?

Although the black iron bars prevented him from attacking me, it wouldn’t be strange if he expressed overt hatred and caused a commotion.

I had ordered him not to stand up… but it seemed unlikely he would follow that order after learning I wasn’t his lord.

“…Ah, I see. I understand. So this time it’s that setting.”

…What?

However, Jahan’s reaction was bizarre.

Far from getting angry, he was looking up at me with an expression of disbelief, like someone listening to the nonsense of an immature sibling.

What’s going on?

I didn’t expect this reaction…

“No, it doesn’t seem like you understand at all. What do you mean by ‘that setting’…?”

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you? Three years ago, when you reached the level of Champion, you said something similar in front of me.”

[…Huh? No, wait. That’s…!]

Hersella stammered, seemingly flustered.

She desperately tried to stop Jahan’s next statement, but her voice couldn’t reach him.

“You said something like: ‘This one is no longer the Aishan-Gioro Haschal you’ve known until now. I am an entity who crushes mountains, burns plains, and subjugates all creation under my feet. The lord of dark magic before whom even the heavens kneel. Yes, I am the Heavenly Demon!’ Didn’t you say that? Have you decided to call yourself a warrior with two souls this time?”

………

What kind of nonsense was this woman spouting before?

I was so dumbfounded that even the lump of guilt and tension in my chest completely dissipated.

‘You said things like that…?’

[T-That was just a jest. I was able to reach the level of Champion at a much younger age than expected, so to express that joy…]

I doubt it. Considering Jahan said you’ve done this often before, it doesn’t seem like it was just once or twice.

Defying Fate, Heavenly Demon’s Dominion—I should have known from the grandiose technique names she came up with. She was even worse before.

“A sorcerer’s doing? It seems more realistic than before.”

What am I supposed to do with this atmosphere? I was trying to have a serious conversation, but just look at Jahan’s expression.

He’s looking at me with pitying eyes that seem to say, ‘There she goes again’…

A deep sigh escaped instead of cigarette smoke.