Chapter 125: What Was Gained from the Dungeon

A month later, the fields were heavy with the scent of impending war.

"The Fonein River was calmer than expected, making it easier to cross. It seems the rumors of the Water King’s death are true."

"We were fortunate with the timing."

After crossing the great river that traversed the continent, Prince Luon began establishing a base at the end of the road.

Ahead lay two fortresses: the Lord Tower of the Istan Kingdom and Turtle Castle of the Tevanel Kingdom. The former was a tall, tower-like structure, and the latter was dome-shaped, each of them matching its name well.

"That’s it. Once we pass through there, the road to the south will be clear," Prince Luon said. His voice was tinged with slight irritation from the persistent, unpleasant humidity.

"Yes, indeed." Azif nodded.

"It’s fascinating to see the Twin Armor in person. These fortresses are the reason the Three Kingdoms of Istria have withstood the Empire until now, right?”

Those two castles had a unique history. Close enough to each other to be visible to the naked eye, they had once been the most dangerous battlegrounds on the continent.

However, they had eventually become the most impenetrable defensive strongholds on the continent after the alliance.

"Marze, the Shield of Istan, still guards it."

"Hmph... Is that old monster still alive? He’s had a long life indeed. Shouldn't he be considered a relic by now?" Prince Luon clicked his tongue.

Watching him, Azif added, "By that logic, Aben of Tevanel isn’t any different."

"Indeed."

Even the weaker nations were bound to have great generals. Marze and Aben were knights acknowledged by the Empire.

Marze, known as the Shield of Istan, used a massive tower shield to sweep through battlefields with overwhelming force. Aben, on the other hand, was a master of defense. Although not as strong as Marze, his expertise in siege warfare and defense was unparalleled.

Without them, the Three Kingdoms would likely have fallen to the empire or the principality long ago.

"Now that those two have joined forces, things have gotten even more troublesome."

Although they differed in height and overall size, the Lord Tower and the Turtle Castle complemented each other. Initially built to exploit each other's weaknesses, they now reinforced each other's strengths. The combined might of those two legendary veterans made the Twin Armor truly an impregnable fortress.

"Fortunately, the stubborn old man has agreed to open the gates. Honestly, I was skeptical when we aimed for the Twin Armor."

"He’s a man who would defy a king's orders if they went against his principles." Azif smiled bitterly.

"True." Prince Luon nodded.

They were well aware of Marze’s reputation. Though they had sent official documents, they worried about traversing the three kingdoms. However, they were reassured when guides met them before crossing the Fonein.

"Aben might be reasonable, but I thought that Marze would stubbornly refuse to open the gates.” Prince Luon glanced at Dushala and chuckled.

"Isn’t that right?"

"Yes, I agree,” Dushala responded calmly, though it seemed that Luon didn’t catch her response.

"What?"

When he asked her again, she spoke just as calmly.

"I agree that Marze wouldn't easily let Your Highness pass to the south." She smiled faintly.

That was precisely why they had lured him here.

***

"Huff, huff..."

Their breaths came in ragged gasps, their chests heaving heavily. Though they were clearly exhausted, their eyes remained sharp, and their steps were still firm.

"This is insane..."

"How many days has it been?"

"Not even a war would have us marching like this..."

The knights of Fanpinel, following behind, looked exhausted and grumbled with frustration.

"..."

Hearing them, a few soldiers glanced at the knights but quickly turned away, clearly uninterested. Greys, feeling his pride wounded, spoke to the knights with a slight twitch of her cheek.

"Be quiet. They’re not even riding horses and are still marching. What’s your excuse?"

"Sorry, Sir Greys..."

Although he quickly silenced the knights, Greys was, in fact, just as astonished as they were.

It only took us two weeks to clear the third dungeon. And we’ve been marching for three days straight without rest, yet their pace hasn’t slowed down.

Greys let out a low sigh, realizing that Karyl wasn’t the only monster among them.

"You’ve done well. Treat the wounded, and we’ll rest here for two days."

At the base established in front of the first dungeon, the knights finally sighed in relief.

"Only two days? Is that enough?” Greys argued. “The knights are exhausted...”

But Karyl, unbothered, removed his stiff, blood-stained clothes and casually replied, "By resting for two days out of the one month allocated to this operation, we now have less than a week left. Considering the time it takes to reach our final destination, the Twin Armor, we can’t afford any further delays. Are you tired?"

"No, sir," Greys quickly answered. Ever since witnessing Karyl’s prowess at the gray orcs’ village, he was overcome with an inexplicable emotion whenever he faced him.

Back then, Karyl had even thrown an orc’s head at him while speaking informally, a most disrespectful act. But strangely, every time Greys replayed that moment in his head, he felt a chill down his spine.

I’m going crazy...

Although Karyl generally displayed a polite demeanor, he would sometimes casually threaten to draw his sword against them, acting as if ranks were meaningless.

However, beyond various excuses and explanations, Karyl's overwhelming strength was enough to captivate Greys.

I’ve yet to see the true extent of his strength.

Unlike Greys’, there was a certain fluidity to Karyl’s swordsmanship, being able to effortlessly kill gray orcs with a single strike. Though Greys knew it was wrong, as a knight, to be so enthralled by someone who could be a potential enemy to his kingdom, but he just couldn’t help it.

"...."

And he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

Is the world outside the royal palace always this brutal? I was so ignorant of the world.

As she gazed at Karyl leading the way, Viola sighed, no longer able to deny the admiration she felt for him. His soldiers followed his orders without a moment of hesitation, and Karyl himself was always at the forefront, fighting alongside his men.

In contrast, what could she do? All she could do was criticize her incompetent father and resent the nobles who couldn't help him.

What I thought was nonsense turned out to be true. Compared to him, I am nothing.

This realization left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Thppt!"

In a fit of frustration, she spat out the salty, sweat-tinged saliva just as Karyl had done back in the cave. She then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and lifted her head.

This was the first time she had ever done such a thing, and the knights were naturally shocked. This kind of behavior was unimaginable for a princess who was supposed to maintain her dignity.

"Uh... My lady...?"

Even Greys, who had been serving her for as long as he could remember, was stunned. But as for Karyl, he just glanced at her briefly before turning away as if it was nothing.

Step– Step–

Determined, Viola picked up the pace and caught up to Karyl.

"The journey ahead will be an arduous one. Princess, I will prepare water for you to wash up. Or, since we have returned to the Forest of Manyu, you could return to the palace."

"I’m not going back," Viola replied firmly.

However, Karyl nodded as if he had expected her answer.

"Then I will prepare water for you to wash immediately."

"No."

"...?"

"Washing doesn't matter. Instead, can you have a cup of tea with me now?"

Drenched in sweat, she spoke with an expression completely devoid of a princess’ dignity. Karyl could tell that her gaze had changed since they first met.

"You look much better than before."

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, Karyl lightly took her grimy hand, raised it, and bowed to her for the first time.

"Of course."

***

Around the tent, they scattered ash to ward off insects, but they couldn’t do anything about the midges, which were attracted by the smell of their sweat and blood. Though they could have used mana, Karyl and Viola seemed unconcerned with such trivial matters, merely gazing at each other.

Drip–

"Please excuse the lack of proper tea sets in the tent," Karyl said as he poured boiling water from a canteen into a bowl and dropped a few tea leaves.

“I cannot understand,” said Viola, not even glancing at the teacup he offered.

"What do you mean?"

But she hesitated to explain further.

“Princess, do you remember? We passed through five villages on our way back here after subjugating three dungeons” Karyl began.

“Of course. There was no need to visit those places, but you changed the route even though your soldiers were weary,” she replied.

"It’s the harvest season, isn’t it?" Karyl remarked.

"...."

"If this is about the debt of the elemental stones, stop. That’s not what I want to ask,” Viola mumbled with a stern expression.

“I feel the same. As I said before, the kingdom’s debt to me is not a big issue. I’m simply asking for your thoughts on what you saw,” Karyl explained.

Viola bit her lip slightly.

“That’s what I cannot understand. Fine, I admit it. With your abilities, you could take over the Three Kingdoms anytime you wanted,” she said.

Karyl listened attentively, sipping from his cup.

“Although we’re allies, the others wouldn’t help if one kingdom were in danger.”

“Indeed,” Karyl agreed with a chuckle.

That alliance merely served as a way of surviving between the empire and the principality. It had probably been a powerful alliance at first, but time had caused it to rust, despite the appearance of the Three Kingdoms still standing united under the name of Istria.

In reality, they were competing nations, constantly eyeing each other.

“They’re cowards who wouldn’t dare start a war, fearing an invasion from the empire or the principality,” Viola said.

“That’s also true. But it’s that fear that has kept the Three Kingdoms of Istria together so far,” Karyl challenged.

“Can you be honest with me? Why are you showing me these things and making me question everything? You said you would attack the Three Kingdoms, but in reality...” Viola trailed off.

At first, she had participated in the subjugation to keep an eye on him, but as time went on, questions arose. It seemed like...

He’s trying to teach me.

She didn’t want to admit it, but during the last month spent with Karyl, she had gained more insight into her kingdom than all the years spent at the palace. Admitting this would be acknowledging the kingdom’s incompetence, which she couldn’t do. Even if it was true, as royalty, there was one thing she absolutely couldn’t forsake—pride.

Karyl looked at her.

“You got to see many things in this short period of time. Soldiers fighting, weapons clashing, the screams of the wounded, and the sight of villagers harvesting. It’s all because you came to me, Princess.”

"..."

"No one from any other kingdom has ever come to see me."

Viola felt ashamed at his words. All she had done was watch; she hadn’t been able to do anything.

But as though he had read her thoughts, Karyl said warmly, “There’s no need to be ashamed. Everyone starts that way. But for those who lack the courage to come, the opportunity to learn is a luxury.”

“...You think I can become like you one day?” she asked, embarrassed to pose such a question to a potential enemy. It was just that Karyl, among the soldiers, shone brighter than anyone at the palace.

Embarrassed by her own words, she lowered her head, trying to hide her blushing face.

“You’re expecting an answer from me? You should know, I’m not a particularly kind person,” Karyl replied in a low voice. “You need to find the way yourself, Princess. But I believe I can give you the opportunity. If you show results, I’ll come to Fenria last.”

"Hmph..." Viola huffed at his joking tone.

Swish—

Karyl opened the tent flap and pointed to the distant Lord Tower standing tall at the border.

"By now, Prince Luon’s powerful army of seventy thousand troops should be gathered at the Twin Armor."

"...What?!"

Having not heard the news while traveling with him, Viola was shocked at Karyl’s words.

"Could it be... that the empire is invading?"

"No. They’ve come to resolve the southern issue. They’ll likely demand the gates be opened for passage to the south."

"Ah..." Viola sighed in relief but then spoke in a louder voice than before. "But that place..."

"Yes. Sir Marze and Sir Aben are guarding it."

"They will never open the gates."

"No, they won’t."

She felt a chill down her spine. Everyone knew what kind of person Prince Luon was.

"War... could break out."

Of course, she had no idea this was all part of Karyl’s plan.

"As you know, the Twin Armor is a special territory defended by both kingdoms. Unlike other border areas, a significant number of people live there."

Viola nodded at his words. While most border areas had small villages, the Twin Armor was different. Over a thousand people lived outside the castles alone because citizens of both nations resided there.

“Princess, if faced with a formidable enemy, would you choose the safety of the kingdom or the abandoned people?”

"That’s..." Viola hesitated to answer.

"I understand. It’s not an easy choice," Karyl said in a low voice, watching her intently. “But coming to me unwashed like this shows you’ve grown.”

"Do I... smell that bad?"

Blushing, Viola touched her collar, looking at Karyl. He chuckled at her reaction.

"Princess, I am certain now. You will be the most excellent witness to the events I will orchestrate in a few days."

"Witness?"

His eyes gleamed.

"Perhaps..." His voice echoed in the tent, with a depth that didn’t seem like it belonged to someone of his age. “

“...those monsters won’t be the only ones I’ll subjugate.”