IPUAVNP Chapter 137

Chapter 137

 

After Kyle declared his departure to his father, the news spread like wildfire across all of Roden. It was that shocking.

At first, his relatives and acquaintances dismissed it with laughter.

“There’s no way. Kyle would never leave Roden of his own will. Everything he wants is here—where else would he go?”

Their reasoning was simple: leaving Roden meant abandoning the Roden estate, which in turn meant completely giving up his claim to the heirship.

The Kyle Roden they knew was someone who never gave up, someone who didn’t know how to let go. He was a man who would destroy himself just to grasp what he desired.

That was Kyle Roden.

And now, he was saying he would abandon everything and leave?

Most believed Kyle had returned solely for revenge—to reclaim the heirship that had been taken by his younger brother.

They couldn’t accept his decision.

But disbelief could not last in the face of reality.

As Kyle began to pack up his things and prepare to leave, people grew unsettled.

It became undeniable.

Kyle truly intended to go.

 

***

 

While the outside world buzzed with the shock of the Roden heir’s decision, the mansion where his family resided remained eerily silent.

Inside, Brody sat across from Eliza, who was quietly embroidering.

When Kyle had informed his family of his departure, neither Eliza nor Abel had said a word.

They hadn’t asked why.

They hadn’t begged him to stay.

Not even for a little longer.

Like Alexander, they had simply accepted his decision.

It wasn’t out of respect for his wishes.

Nor was it because they knew he wouldn’t change his mind.

They knew why he was leaving so quickly.

Kyle was doing it for them—for Roden.

And in the face of that consideration, weighed down by guilt, they couldn’t bring themselves to stop him.

Brody let out a quiet sigh.

Since that day, Eliza had spoken significantly less, and an undeniable shadow had settled over her expression.

She had been staring vacantly at her embroidery when she finally sensed Brody’s gaze and looked up.

“…Oh.”

Caught watching, Brody gave an awkward smile.

Eliza, in turn, smiled warmly at her.

Brody’s eyes darkened at the sight.

Eliza was trying desperately not to show it, but the grief inside her was too deep to hide.

Brody understood.

Yet, for Eliza’s sake, she could only pretend not to notice.

Leaving Eliza’s room, Brody was on her way upstairs when a voice from the terrace—one that led to the backyard—made her stop.

“This can’t be happening! Leaving like this—it’s ridiculous!”

The familiar voice led her to step out onto the terrace.

There, in the backyard, stood Kyle and the Oswald twins.

For days, the twins had sought Kyle out, trying to convince him, venting their frustration, unable to accept his decision.

“Boss, be honest with us. This is all just part of a plan, right? You’re pretending to leave, waiting for them to let their guard down, and then—bam! You’ll return out of nowhere and take back the heirship. Right?”

“Oh! That must be it!”

Perched in a tree, Kernels clapped his wings together in excitement.

But below him, Kyle merely leaned against the trunk, looking at them with a tired, unimpressed expression—wordlessly telling them they were wrong.

The twins, exasperated, burst into frustration.

“Then why the hell did you come back at all? Wasn’t it for revenge?”

“Aren’t you even a little bitter about everything Abel took from you?”

Their expressions showed nothing but disbelief.

Or maybe…

Maybe they simply refused to accept that their leader had changed.

The Kyle they had followed since childhood was someone who never let go.

Once he sank his teeth into something, he never released it.

No matter if his opponent was a lion, a tiger, or a bear, he would fight to the death rather than tuck his tail and run.

If something was stolen from him, he would storm in, turn everything upside down, and take back double what he had lost.

That was the man the twins had admired and followed for years.

They had never cared when others called them Kyle’s lackeys.

To them, Kyle was someone who lived by his own convictions, and that alone was enough to earn their loyalty.

Even as they grew older, that admiration never faded.

And Kyle…he had never changed.

Or so they believed.

But despite their faith, the Kyle who had returned from Asgard was different.

In the end, he had become something they never wanted to see—weak.

And in doing so, he had disappointed them.

The Oswald twins, consumed by a sense of betrayal, raised their voices sharply.

“As I see it, you’re just running away because you’re afraid to fight! Otherwise, there’s no way you’d be acting like a wolf with all its fangs pulled out!”

They deliberately struck at his pride, hoping to provoke him.

It was the kind of remark that the old Kyle would never have let slide.

But the Kyle standing before them now remained completely unbothered.

“Think whatever you want.”

Even insults to his pride no longer fazed him.

Faced with this unexpected reaction, the twins were left speechless, their fighting spirit draining away.

As they fell into stunned silence, Kernels, never one to miss a chance to chatter, spoke up.

“Fine, let’s say you really are giving up and leaving. But where exactly do you plan on going?”

His eyes gleamed with self-satisfaction, as if he’d asked a particularly sharp question.

Kyle finally pushed off the tree he had been leaning against and answered,

“For now, I’m heading to Asgard, where Brody’s home is.”

He spoke so casually, as if he were simply visiting the neighboring town.

The twins, unable to take it anymore, grabbed their heads in disbelief.

“This has to be a dream.”

Meanwhile, Kernels flared up immediately, his feathers bristling.

“The rabbit’s house?! I knew it! That wily little rabbit must have tricked Kyle into going with her!”

Brody, who had been listening to the conversation from the terrace, flinched when she suddenly heard her name from Kernels’s mouth.

She hadn’t exactly been hiding, so before she could react, her eyes met Kyle’s.

Standing beneath the tree’s shade, he smiled at her.

It was an oddly serene smile amidst the chaos unfolding around them.

Before walking toward Brody, Kyle turned to look at his subordinates, who were now practically staging a protest.

“We won’t accept this! You absolutely can’t go to Asgard!”

But Kyle merely glanced at them, as if bidding them farewell, and said,

“You’ve worked hard following me all this time. But now, it’s time for you to stop being someone else’s underlings and live your own lives.”

And with that, he turned his back on them and walked toward the terrace where Brody stood.

Angry voices followed him, filled with frustration and resentment.

He felt a twinge of guilt—but he didn’t look back.

 

***

 

At that same moment, news of Kyle Roden leaving with his so-called ‘rabbit lover’ spread far beyond his homeland.

For those who had been keeping a close eye on his movements, the news reached them even faster.

Simon Elders, leader of the Elders Canyon, scowled when a messenger relayed the information.

“He’s planning to leave Roden in a few days—with that rabbit?”

Simon had just finished his second meeting with the Dark Witch Amidal and was in the middle of plotting the abduction of the Clock Rabbit.

This unexpected turn of events threw a wrench into his plans.

“**** it. Does this mean we have to kidnap the rabbit right now before Kyle Roden takes her away?”

Anxious fingers drummed irregularly against the table.

The disruption to his carefully laid plans had shaken him more than he cared to admit.

Sitting across from him, an older man—one of his chief strategists, who had served under the previous leader—lifted his gaze.

As if steadying Simon’s faltering resolve, he spoke.

“Leader, please calm yourself. In fact, Kyle Roden taking the rabbit away might be an opportunity for us.”

“…An opportunity?”

Simon frowned, eyeing the strategist warily.

Unlike Simon, who was visibly agitated, the man remained composed.

“As you know, not long ago, that rabbit was kidnapped by the Lions. Because of that incident, Roden has tightened security considerably. Especially around her.”

Breaking through such heightened defenses to capture her would be no easy feat.

“That’s why, Leader, we should wait for Kyle Roden to take her away. As long as they’re not traveling with an army, there will inevitably come a moment when they are alone. That’s when we strike.”

His calm explanation gradually eased Simon’s distress.

It wasn’t difficult to understand.

In fact, Simon felt foolish for not realizing it sooner.

His face flushed with embarrassment before he quickly cleared his throat.

“Then… we need to find out exactly when Kyle Roden plans to leave and which route he’ll take.”

The strategist smiled approvingly.

Encouraged, Simon clenched his fist, newfound determination gleaming in his eyes.

He was going to see this mission through.

No matter what.

There will be more chapters later today. Enjoy ~