RPWS Chapter 094

There was once a sun that everyone loved, whose light was so righteous and dazzling that anyone who looked at it couldn’t help but admire and love it.

Lloyd de Philion was that sun.

Crown prince and son of the 16th king, Hasidium I.

Even a witch, a supreme being, truly loved him.

He was special. Not only did he excel at whatever he did, but he was also broad-minded, wise, and able to see the world through the eyes of his people.

The people called him the vessel of a holy warrior.

Everyone wished for him to be the next king. Commoners and nobles alike supported him.

But when the sun shines too brightly, the shadows grow even darker. Lloyd’s twin brother, Chelsea de Philion, was always a shadow in his light.

Although they were born on the same day, at the same time, their abilities and qualities were very different. It was only natural for the two princes to be compared at every turn.

Perhaps it was a natural result that Chelsea became obsessed with his inferiority complex towards his brother.

 

‘I am also a legitimate heir to the throne.’

‘Why does everyone only support Lloyd? No one envisions a future where I am king.’

‘What exactly are the qualities of a saint?’

‘We were born from the same mother, so why am I worse than Lloyd?’

 

It would’ve been better if it was just that inferiority complex. However, Chelsea was a man filled to the brim with desires as well.

 

‘It doesn’t matter if everyone supports Lloyd.’

‘I want the throne.’

‘I’ll definitely have it.’

 

From a very young age, if he wanted something, he had to obtain it by any means necessary. No matter what sacrifices were made, even if blood was shed.

This time as well, he was willing to do whatever it took to fulfill his desires.

“Your Highness Chelsea.”

When he arrived in front of Hasidium I’s bedroom, the servant guarding the door bowed to Chelsea.

“Tell His Majesty that I wish to see him.”

Soon the servant returned with the king’s permission. As he entered the room, he saw the old king lying on the bed.

The king’s face was haggard and pallid. It was the result of an old chronic illness. The disease ate away at his body over time, like a plant withering away.

It was such a rare disease that no doctor knew how to treat it. Now the disease was about to consume him.

The King raised his gaze and saw Chelsea.

“You’ve come.”

Outwardly, the King was not a bad ruler. Although he was not called a saint, he was considered a rational monarch.

However, the King’s close associates, including members of the royal family, knew the truth.

The fact that he was gradually going insane.

“Your Majesty, how are you feeling?”

The servant brought a chair over and placed it next to the King’s bed. Chelsea sat down on the chair and looked over his condition.

“Did the court doctor say anything today?”

“It’s the same as usual.”

“Even so, you should always watch your health. Today is especially chilly, and I suggest you raise the temperature in your bedroom.”

“Make sure you take good care of yourself too.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not that weak.”

On the outside, they looked no different from an ordinary father and son.

“Yes, you… You look very healthy.”

Chelsea saw everything clearly. The dark longing that passed through the wrinkled eyes of a father looking at his young, healthy son.

Chelsea slowly opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty can become healthy again.”

“There is no need to say that for this King’s sake. My condition is not good.”

“I didn’t speak those words lightly.”

Steam rose from the tea served by a servant, carrying with it a fragrant aroma. Moistening his lips, Chelsea spoke carefully.

“Not only can you regain your health, but you can also obtain a body that is free from any disease.”

“… What do you mean by that?”

Chelsea’s words sounded like nonsense, but his tone made it impossible to disregard what he’d said.

Chelsea looked up his aging father. An eerily similar pair of desperate eyes met in the air. At that moment, the king noticed something and ordered the servants around him.

“Everyone, leave.”

The servants left, leaving only the deaf servant in the bedroom. For a moment, a cold light passed through Chelsea’s eyes.

When the King looked back at him, the light had disappeared as if washed away.

“Your Majesty.”

Chelsea smiled, looking warm.

“Don’t you want to gain eternal life?”

In that moment, the King’s eyes changed.

If there was a sun overhead, he could just block the light. Even if it was a blood relative, his family.

That was the beginning of everything.

January 31, 512.

The wheels had begun spinning and soon a catastrophe never before seen in history would occur.

 

* * *

 

Talos Asgar confessed the whole truth.

A massacre that plunged the kingdom into fear and grief 20 years ago.

In the background, a ‘witch hunt’ was being carried out.

The previous king, Hasidium I, wanted eternal life. He believed that if he took the heart of a witch, he could gain immortality. One day, he began to secretly plan, mobilizing the wizards in the royal palace, and Talos Asgar was one of the wizards who participated in the plan.

To ‘hunt’ witches.

At first, it sounded impossible, and Talos thought so as well.

Witches possessed absolute power over any human. They dared not use the word hunt.

But there was a way to make it possible.

An ancient legacy from long ago. A curse spell that could turn any powerful being into a puppet under their control.

The curse was classified as forbidden magic and had long since been forgotten, and in this world, part of the magic circle was lost and not even its complete formula remained.

However, the original copy of the magic circle existed. It was Chelsea de Philion who gave it to Hasidium I.

He’d manipulate the witch with a curse, rendering her unable to move, and then pull out her heart.

That was the plan.

“… That’s how the battle to subdue the evil dragon came to be, and on that day 20 years ago, the hunt began.”

Inside the inn, where the light from the blood-red sunset seeped in, Talos Asgar’s voice echoed.

After defeating the Kraken, Elaine and Ash returned to Noire Island with Talos Asgar. The ship that the Kraken had attacked was half destroyed, but thanks to the arrival of the ship owned by the acquaintance of Martin, which was taking refuge nearby, they were able to move without difficulty.

Later, at a nearby inn, they heard the full story of the Seveka incident.

With the blood of the evil dragon, he drew a magic circle in the palace and lured the witch in so they could cast the curse.

“But as we all know, the results were devastating. The witch went wild… I was lucky to survive, but Hasidium I and the other sorcerers present were all wiped out.”

“…”

“So, the reason Seveka was destroyed… Wasn’t the witch’s fault.”

With that, Talos was silent for a moment.

A stifling silence fell heavily. Elaine bit her lip and looked at Ash.

There was no expression on his’s face. He muttered one sentence slowly.

“The Seveka incident… wasn’t something my mother wanted.”

His voice was frighteningly low.

The sudden truth was terrible. At the same time, it was difficult to accept.

The first thing that filled his mind was confusion, followed by something hot that slowly took over his entire body. Ash clenched his fists so tightly that his tendons bulged.

“… If your story is true, why did my mother massacre everything? Didn’t you say that your goal was to steal the witch’s heart?”

Then, Talos lowered his head even further.

“Actually… When I was drawing the magic circle before casting the curse, I saw something strange.”

“What do you mean by ‘something strange’?”

“I saw one of the wizards drawing a symbol I’d never seen before. It was a pattern that did not exist in the original magic circle. Compared to the huge and complex magic circle, the pattern was the size of a palm and was barely noticeable. The only person who noticed was me, who was closest to the wizard.”

The reason Talos was able to survive was because he noticed something strange in advance. Therefore, he was able to react quickly and run away before the witch went on a rampage.

“The wizard who drew that symbol was a subordinate of Chelsea de Philion. I realized the truth when I saw Chelsea ascend to the throne immediately after Seveka was destroyed.”

Talos’s eyes burned.

“Everything… It was all a part of his plan. We were just the tools he used to ascend to the throne.”

“Chelsea de Philion… So that’s how he became the king.”

Ha. Ash let out a low laugh and ran a hand down his face.

 

‘You damn bastard.’

‘You have creepy eyes just like your mother.’

‘Live as if you were dead, out of my sight.’

 

Suddenly, the words the King had spoken to him countless times, whenever he looked at him, came to mind. He also recalled what Chelsea said when he met him at the birthday banquet not long ago.

 

‘I thought I told you to live as if you were dead.’

 

At the time, Ash didn’t know exactly what that meant. He thought it was a warning to live quietly, as he always had, so that his presence wasn’t felt.

However, the king’s eyes as he spoke those words were sharper and more frightening than any other time.

And then there were the assassins who appeared at Noire out of nowhere. The assassins seemed intent on targeting Talos’s life.

If those assassins were sent by Chelsea to cover up the truth, and if, like 20 years ago, they were trying to erase all traces and pass the blame…

He covered his face and took a deep breath. As Ash bowed his head, frozen in place, Elaine hesitantly called out to him.

“… Sir, are you okay?”

But Ash couldn’t answer.

He wasn’t okay. Not even a little. He was struggling to maintain his composure.

How many times had he wondered. Why did his mother do such a cruel thing? Out of love for his father, she entered the human world on her own and gave birth to him, so why did she have to ruin it all?

Were those years just entertainment to pass the time for her? Or did she really go crazy like people said?

At some point, he stopped pondering such questions. The reason no longer mattered. Surviving was his priority, and it didn’t change the fact that a witch had committed a sin that couldn’t be washed away.

Even though he was criticized for his mother’s sins, he thought it was something he had to deal with. Even if it wasn’t his crime, and he hadn’t been the one to commit the sins, he couldn’t escape his ties to her name.

‘But, it was all just someone’s cruel trick?’

There were people who sought to gain power by sacrificing his mother?

Even his father fell victim to such a plan?

The anger that had been bubbling up inside him grew hotter, threatening to overflow.

He gritted his teeth until they were about to break. His cold, burning purple eyes turned to one of the men responsible for his parent’s death.

He spoke through clenched teeth.

“Why are you telling me this now?”