SSCP | Chapter 4

Episode 4

N/ The FL Call the ML ((Chadoreyn)) And this is mix between Cha do Hyuk and Reynold

“Ha. Damn it. It seems like His Highness Verdi has made some moves.”

At Rioel’s words, my adoptive father also looked down at the training ground with a grim face. His expression hardened with resolve, as if he had been deeply hesitating but then steeled himself with a heavy sense of duty.

“His Majesty won’t sit still. Don’t cause a scene.”

The Rubiche family had remained neutral until now. But I could subtly feel that my adoptive father and Rioel’s tendencies were very similar to Chadoreyn’s. It already seemed as though, deep down, they were supporting Chadoreyn.

“But, Father…!”

Rioel shouted in a low voice with a face full of injustice, like an employee wrongfully dismissed. My adoptive father folded his arms and eventually turned his head away.

In the meantime, the next knight stepped forward, and the whistle blew as the sparring began.

But no matter how I looked, the knight swinging his sword at Chadoreyn didn’t seem normal. Even someone like me, who knew nothing about swordsmanship, could tell he was swinging with the intent to kill.

The knight’s sword grazed Chadoreyn’s forearm. His sleeve split powerlessly, skin was cut, and blood splattered. Yet this insane sparring didn’t end.

This wasn’t what I’d heard about the Imperial Guard selection test!

An injury on a royal’s body? Shocked, I turned to look at the Emperor. But the Emperor, Prince Verdi, and Countess Mason all watched the situation with nonchalant expressions.

Rioel, sitting beside me, let out a curse and shifted restlessly in his seat.

“Those crazy bastards…!”

“Rioel. Too many eyes are watching.”

Once again, it was my adoptive father who restrained Rioel. If he hadn’t, I truly think a string of foul curses would’ve burst from Rioel’s mouth.

Meanwhile, the knight fighting Chadoreyn collapsed, and the sparring ended. No one stepped in to mediate this situation. Or rather, was everyone just observing this madness?

Am I the only one who thinks this is insane? Is it just me?

As dozens held their breath, a cold silence descended over the training ground. Standing still in the center with a weary face, Chadoreyn suddenly burst into laughter. He looked like a broken toy thrown off its rails.

He truly laughed like a madman. Covered in blood, his grotesque and chilling laughter made my skin crawl, to the point that I rubbed my arms.

He began walking toward the waiting trainee knights. And as if they had been waiting for him to approach, they all rushed at him at once.

The way they charged didn’t look like a spar at all. It was brimming with murderous intent, as if they meant to kill him outright. I held my forehead, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Chadoreyn bent low. Then, with incredible speed, he sprang forward and swung his sword wide. It looked like his blade drew several semicircles through the air, but I couldn’t make out exactly what he had done.

Blood from the knights who had crossed swords with him scattered like a fountain into the air. Then their wounded bodies collapsed powerlessly to the ground, like melancholic autumn leaves.

Cheers and admiration erupted endlessly from the stands. No, this wasn’t the time to be admiring — shouldn’t they be putting their heads together to resolve this situation?

“Why is His Majesty just sitting there? Shouldn’t he be stepping in to stop this?”

At my confused question, my adoptive father scratched his cheek with a troubled expression.

“I told you. His Majesty enjoys pushing His Highness Reynold to his limits.”

There was a faint tone of disillusionment and contempt toward the Emperor in Rioel’s voice, enough to make my adoptive father look around in surprise.

“Rioel. Watch your words. Too many are watching.”

My adoptive father pressed his furrowed brow with a somewhat gaunt expression. Rioel clicked his tongue once and fell silent, clearly having no choice again.

“Ena, I won’t ask what kind of relationship you have with His Highness Reynold right now, but it’s best to restrain yourself here.”

This time, my adoptive father looked at me and gave a warning. In the end, I had no choice but to keep quiet too.

“Aaaagh!”

“Gaaahhhh!”

Screams of pain echoed around. Blood splattered across the dirt ground like a rainstorm. Seeing men lying like discarded rags across the filthy ground, I covered my mouth.

“I told you not to watch.”

“I’m fine.”

Rioel reached out again to cover my eyes, but I barely composed myself and shook my head. Blinking through the haze, I searched for Chadoreyn.

And then, I spotted him, drenched in blood, walking in the direction of the Emperor. As his steps continued, the faces of Prince Verdi and Countess Mason, seated next to the Emperor, turned pale.

Ah. Only then did I finally understand the situation.

Chadoreyn’s rival, Prince Verdi. And Prince Verdi’s mother, Countess Mason, with the overwhelming influence of the Duke Stephan family behind her.

The Emperor, who enjoys pushing Chadoreyn to the edge.

It felt like this entire situation was a collaboration between those three. After all, it was far too sudden for Chadorne to become the selection examiner for the entry test.

And then, as if it had been perfectly timed, he was attacked by assassins disguised as knights.

Watching the nobles fail to intervene, seemingly gauging the reactions of the Emperor, Prince Verdi, and Countess Mason despite their shock, I immediately understood Chadoreyn’s position in this world. My chest grew a little heavy.

Chadoreyn slowly climbed the steps of the stands and stood before the Emperor.

“I apologize, Father. The entry test will have to be redone. I killed them all.”

Looking up at the Emperor with eyes full of madness, Chadoreyn casually flicked his sword in the air. Blood splattered from the blade and dropped heavily to the floor.

Blood had even splashed onto Countess Mason’s dress hem and Prince Verdi’s trousers. Countess Mason stared at Chadoreyn with a gaze full of contempt, not even flinching. But when Chadoreyn’s sharp golden eyes met hers, her gaze dropped downward, like two magnets repelling each other.

Chadoreyn’s pristine white uniform was now messily soaked in a dark crimson, as if to match the red cape draped over his shoulder. Seeing blood flowing and hardening through the torn uniform, I briefly closed my eyes. A wave of dizziness washed over me.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Rioel, sitting next to me, asked. I slowly nodded.

“You did well.”

The Emperor’s voice rang out, and I opened my eyes again. With his chin resting on his hand, the Emperor slowly began to clap. I saw on his face a strange expression of satisfaction and fulfillment.

The nobles, who had been gauging each other’s reactions, began to clap along with the emperor. As I listened to the awkward, out-of-sync applause, I looked at Chadoreyn’s face.

He wasn’t far away, so I could clearly see what kind of expression he was making. He was looking at the emperor with a completely blank face, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

However, for some reason, I felt a crushing sadness behind his calm expression.

“I’m really curious.”

I turned to Rioel. Rioel, arms crossed and wearing a very displeased expression as he looked toward the emperor, loosened his expression and looked at me.

“Huh?”

“Is this kind of situation normal? In Alpine?”

It was a question asking if this kind of bloody incident was something everyone here treated as normal. Rioel immediately understood what I meant. He furrowed his brow with a very unpleasant expression.

“What? Of course not. Does this look normal to you?”

“If it did, would I even ask that?”

At my retort, Rioel nodded halfheartedly as if to say, “Fair enough.”

I threw down the sword I had been holding. Then, when I saw Chadoreyn leaving the training grounds, I hurriedly got up from my seat.

Grasping the hem of my dress in both hands, I turned to my adoptive father with a resolute face.

“Father, I have something to do, so I’ll head out first. I’ll see you at the estate.”

At my words, this time Rioel stood up abruptly.

“Where are you going? I haven’t had my investiture yet!”

Rioel called out urgently to me with a voice full of disappointment. It was puzzling—wasn’t he supposed to dislike me?

I tilted my head slightly, then patted his shoulder.

“Congratulations in advance. See you later, Father.”

“What? Hey!”

Leaving Rioel’s shout behind, I quickly made my way down from the stands. Even though I’d left the training grounds, Chadoreyn was nowhere to be seen. I wandered around between the training ground and the buildings for quite some time, looking around.

“Ah. Where did he go?”

“This way.”

I was muttering to myself when a reply came, and I turned my head in surprise. As I walked toward the direction the voice came from, I found Chadoreyn lying between the bushes.

His once immaculate white uniform was now torn and stained with blood and dirt, full of smudges and grime from the injuries he had sustained. Even his silver-white hair was splattered with blood. Lowering my gaze, I met his gleaming golden eyes.

“What are you doing there?”

“I feel dizzy.”

“Are you okay? You’re hurt.”

“This much won’t kill me.”

I crouched next to where he lay and examined his wounds.

“No, this is pretty serious… Back in Korea, people would freak out just from a papercut on A4 paper.”

At my words, he fell silent for a moment. Then, covering his eyes with one arm, he suddenly burst into laughter. It was a very hollow laugh.

“Thank you.”

Suddenly?

I frowned, confused, and glanced at his injuries, thinking maybe I should fetch a physician.

“You’re the first person in 26 years to ask me if I’m okay.”

Just as I was about to get up, his voice made me stop.

Chadoreyn lowered the arm covering his eyes, sat up, and looked up at me.

I saw that the rims of his eyes were red and swollen. I began to understand what kind of life he must have lived in this new world, and why he was so glad to see me.

I now understood why people in this world called him a madman. He was being driven to the edge, to a point where losing his mind would be almost expected.

“The PD Cha Do-Hyuk I knew was someone who always found a solution, no matter the situation.”

Looking down at him, I spoke calmly.

“So you will again this time. Because that’s the kind of person you are.”

At my words, Chadoreyn had a dazed look on his face for a moment. Then, he made an ambiguous expression—hard to tell whether it was joy or sorrow.

“It felt like I’d been dreaming for a long time. But now that I’ve met you, I understand.”

With eyes that seemed to hold a firm resolve, he looked straight at me. Then, he smiled gently.

“Yes, this is my reality. Thank you for proving that I’m not crazy.”

Muttering those words, Chadoreyn stood up, said he would go see a physician, patted my head once, and disappeared.