CHAPTER 5: HERE, NOW, AND YOU (VI)
Part 102
Hegel knelt before Hennessy, who returned to the palace. Angry shouts erupted.
“How on earth are you doing your job? How can you lose a girl because you can’t take care of her? You don’t even know if she’s alive or dead!”
“It is difficult to proceed further than this without my father or daughter.”
At Hegel’s words, Hennessy stamped his foot in indignation. There was only one step left. He had been hoping for it for so long that he couldn’t even remember why he started dreaming. Hennessy gritted his teeth and thought as he looked up at the high throne in the throne room. That’s his. He definitely had to get his hands on it. By placing Adrian on the throne, the Capital Army would do it himself, and the National Guard would put pressure on him so that Hegel could go astray. If he took military power and won a war of conquest to show off, he would be able to gain support from nobles. After that, he could take the throne from Adrian. Regardless of whether it was a peaceful abdication, a military coup, or assassination, he thought he would be able to take over that position within a few years. But, he had only just put the first button in place, and he had screwed things up like this. Hennessy looked down at the kneeling Hegel with envious eyes.
“Bullshit! She just needs to move up her plans a little. As long as she believes she’s in our hands, she can’t do anything anyway.”
“It is difficult to survive when your lord knows. Father, it is better to plan for the future and retreat now.”
“If you just shut up, how will he know? I’ve waited 20 years! I can’t wait any longer!”
“If you take the time to persuade, your lord will understand your great meaning! After all, there is no one but you who will ascend to the throne, right?”
“Who said they would give that guy that position?”
Hennessy shouted, rolling his eyes. He was angry, revealing without hesitation his desire for the throne that he had hidden from Hegel. Hegel, who was faced with the reality of Hennessy’s desire in just one word, was speechless. Looking into Hennessy’s shining eyes, he knew that flattery would no longer work. Hegel admired his father, who was a loyal knight. He thought it was great to see him trying to make his dream come true even after his master’s death. He came to admire Adrian so much that he believed there was nothing he could do for Adrian, just as his father did. However, the upright loyalty of old is not visible in the eyes of the man in front of him. Was it just the throne that Hennessy coveted? In that case, perhaps his dream of putting Adrian in a shining position was just his own greed. Adrian, who was desperately looking for Damian, looked at himself and the only emotion he had in his eyes was knife-like anger. He didn’t mean to make eye contact like that. There was no one better suited to the sweet future Hennessy talked about than Adrian. He dreamed that even if he was misunderstood for a while and hated a little, he would risk everything if he could seat the proud ruler on a high throne. He now knew that it was a pipe dream.
‘Die.’
Adrian’s face as he gave orders appeared before his eyes. And before his eyes is his father stamping his feet.
“Make sure the kids don’t join in. We’ll turn everything around before fall ends. It’s not too late.”
Hegel bowed his head with empty eyes. Watching Hennessy sit on the throne without hesitation, hee escaped from reality.
* * *
The militia surrounded Duke Bigor’s residence. As a result, the entire Bigor Knights were trapped in the mansion. All the knights were furious when they, who would have been no match for them if they were to compete with them, snooped around that house, but they had no choice since they could not save Damian. Adrian, who was holed up in his dormitory at home, pounded on his desk as if he was about to explode. The dock where Damian disappeared, the blood stains that had not dried, and Hegel holding a bow. It wouldn’t have been necessary to see blood to get Damian on board the ship, as he couldn’t handle his sword. There was someone. There was someone there, someone who had to use a sword. His fingers stopped tapping on his desk, and Adrian spoke to Ethan, who was standing next to him.
“Has there been any news yet from the leader?”
“Yes, he has not been seen since he disbanded the ‘King’s Eye’ and disappeared.”
“What about George?”
“I put it on Hegel.”
George was able to enter and exit the mansion without the militiamen besieging the Duke’s residence. The ‘moon’ that had already been turned outside must have been following Damian’s traces. Many possibilities passed through my mind, but I couldn’t check any of them. It was a difficult night for everyone.
* * *
The 72nd day of fall was Sunday.
As soon as day broke, Hegel drove his horse and headed towards the Duke of Bigor’s residence. It was a house he had been frequenting for nearly a year, and he received sharp stares from his former colleagues in front of the tightly closed pavilion. Before we arrived in front of the mansion and got off the horse, Franz kicked down the front door and ran out. Just before he could slam his fist into Hegel, he was grabbed by the waist by Thierry.
“Franz, how is Jenny?”
Hegel made a clumsy smile and asked in a friendly way how Jenny was doing, but Franz, full of tears, was picked up by Thierry and cried with his feet in the air.
“Let go! Brother, I mean let go! Aaaah!!”
Thierry entered his mansion with a stern expression on his face, with Franz at his side. The sobbing scream disappeared and Ethan glared at Hegel, who was standing awkwardly. Unable to bear it any longer, Hegel spoke to Ethan, who was just glaring at him in silence.
“I came to see my lord. Can I come in?”
Ethan, who glared at Hegel for a while longer without responding, turned around, and Hegel followed him up to the bedroom of Adrian’s house. In a dark room with thick curtains blocking the light, Adrian was sitting in an office chair with his red eyes shining. The few steps he walked in front of Adrian, who was glaring at him with his eyes as if he were about to drink something, were so heavy that Hegel gritted his teeth without realizing it.
“I asked you to bring me to the palace.”
There was no answer for a long time to the words he spoke with difficulty.
“Did you want to be king too?”
Hegel jumped and shook his head when asked in a tone that seemed to crumble.
“No, my lord. Absolutely not. I just want to make you the Emperor of a great empire.”
Ethan, who was standing behind him, laughed at Hegel’s words. He turned around and saw that he was looking at me with extremely cold eyes.
“Hennessy declared himself the true successor to Antalov. Your father.”
“Well, that’s not true…”
Hegel, who was trying to deny it, remembered Hennessy’s cry that he had encountered yesterday. Hegel already knew the end of his father’s greed as he ascended the throne with bright eyes, so he could not continue his words.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make anything. She just needs to return safely. Where is she now?”
He had to lie for this question. In front of Adrian, you couldn’t say that the woman you loved was swept away by the river. He couldn’t say that, not to save his own life, but to protect his master.
“Oh, you’re in a safe place.”
Hegel had no idea that Adrian would look so dead in his eyes. He didn’t even know he could have such killer eyes. He will never be able to run a horse next to this person again. Only then did Hegel begin to see what he had done. He said no more and Adrian walked ahead. He followed Adrian as he ran out of the Duke’s palace and into the palace, but he fell behind. Adrian, perhaps wanting to get away from him, ran faster and disappeared, and Hegel wandered around in the middle of the street for a while, not knowing where to go.
* * *
Adrian entered the main palace and met Hennessy, who was sitting proudly in the throne room. He made a very disapproving face, and said Hennessy:
“Tomorrow, hold a council of nobles and prepare for the coronation ceremony. The troops outside the castle will be disbanded, of course the commander will be given the position, and our children will stand on the perimeter of the castle walls. Do not allow any military force to move, including your knights.”
Adrian just listened to Hennessy talk without answering. Hennessy was the one who was anxious as he looked at Adrian, who proudly raised his head when begging wasn’t enough.
“Appoint me as commander of the capital army, Hegel as commander of the defense forces, and Doyev as chamberlain of the palace. I will clear out the remnants of the northwest on your behalf.”
‘I will then cut off your head with the army under my command.’
Hennessy laughed wickedly, swallowing the words he wanted to shout out. Adrian still didn’t move a muscle.
“Have you become mute?”
“Is Lady Damian alive?”
It was more of what if, but it wasn’t easy to even get it out of his mouth, so Adrian’s voice was choked before he spoke.
“Do you think I’ll listen to all of this when I can’t even confirm if she’s dead?”
Hennessy laughed at Adrian’s desperate words.
“You’re doing something useless.”
He said that and threw something he had taken out of his arms. What flew from the high platform and landed at Adrian’s feet was a tuft of his hair tied to his string. Adrian bent down and picked up the hair at his feet. His fingertips trembled at the remembered sensation.
“If you want to make sure she’s dead, I’ll cut it off a little longer next time.”
When Adrian heard Hennessy’s words, the smell of metal boiled in the back of his throat. He felt like he would rip the author’s head off if he delayed any longer, so he turned his body around. Hennessy’s slow laughter followed Adrian behind him as he walked out of the throne room. An order to disperse was sent to the capital army outside the outer walls. All troops who entered Midok and returned their bookies to the military department returned home. The residents of Midok, who had been expecting a grand victory ceremony, quietly welcomed the father and son in a situation where they were not sure what was going on. The outer castle was tightly closed, and the waterway through the Lorraine River was also closed. Militia soldiers wearing blue cloths on their shoulders blocked all roads in and out of Midok. The situation was quietly made known to anxious residents.
‘The spiteful people killed the crown prince and took away the commander’s fiancée. They threaten the commander and try to devour Laurentine. Princess Remina is gathering forces to defeat the weightlifters.’
The small amount was spread throughout Midok through word of mouth. There were many residents who remembered the little lady who was busy running around in the chaos of war. Expectations for the princess, who resolutely defended the castle against the rebels, were also different. The commander of the capital army, who led the war to victory by running across two fronts, was already Lorentine. It was Dorote and Tina, the grain seller, who delivered the news to the residents, who asked who the murderers were, that they had to help the princess, and that they should return her fiancee to the commander. Residents who needed to get at least wheat and potatoes despite the harsh atmosphere visited grain sellers and took stories home with them along with food. Meanwhile, at the Etihart estate, Colin and Butvan were preparing to return to Midock. Many of the territory’s citizens who participated in the war died, and the damage to the Knights Templar was disastrous. Fortunately, there was no direct damage to the territory, so it was being quickly resolved. Colin and Butvan were worried about Damian, who was alone in Midoc. Count Growt and Count Olvow also decided to join the trip to Midok. They were also worried about the family they left behind in Midoc. Many nobles who had taken refuge were preparing to go to Midok. And, the Cologne delegation that had left for the Duchy of Cologne was also returning to Midok. On a seemingly uneventful Sunday, Midoc was quietly seething inside and out.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on January, 29.
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