Chapter 82: Brothers

"Is this really the place?"

"Be careful. The ground here is fragile. One wrong step could send you plummeting to your death from this height."

As soon as the words left Karyl’s mouth, the edge of the ground beneath Kayla’s feet crumbled as dust spiraled down into the abyss below.

After parting ways with Beikan and the others at the halfway point to the Abyssal Rocks, Karyl and Kayla continued their ascent.

Hours later, they stumbled upon a narrow gap that resembled a forgotten ruin. It was the kind of place that could go easily unnoticed.

I never even heard about this path from my father... Who exactly is this guy?

Kayla wondered as she carefully navigated the precarious ground.

"It's a long way up. How about you tell me about yourself during the climb?"

Sneering at him, she retorted, "Oh, are you perhaps interested in me? You seem quite young to be interested in those matters though."

"...I was referring to the attack you mentioned earlier. What are you even talking about? I need to know how many knights and soldiers were involved."

"..."

Kayla fell silent, her face flushing with sudden anger. Fortunately, she was following behind Karyl, which spared her the embarrassment of showing her flushed face.

"C-Can’t you s-speak clearly?"

"I don’t see anything wrong with my words...

sigh

. Anyway, tell me. We were too busy moving to have a proper conversation before."

"The village was attacked two days ago."

Even if one rode non-stop from the Imperial Capital to the South, it would take four months. Considering I didn’t waste time traveling from Tatur to here, and it still took half a year...

Magic teleportation could have sped things up, but for a force large enough to attack the Spear family, there would likely be hundreds of them.

Teleporting such a huge force would definitely require the use of a Magic Circle. However, the court sorcerer, Kadin Luer, is notoriously difficult to cooperate with.

That left only one possibility, and just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

The real target of the Ryeo Knights Order must have been Tatur.

Karyl thought, his eyes narrowing.

Olivurn... it seems I didn’t know him well enough to see this coming. There's more to his plan than meets the eye.

With his extensive experience, Karyl could deduce numerous possibilities from just one sentence uttered by Kayla Spear.

"Though the Spear family is one of the influential powers in the South, no knight of the Empire would dare underestimate them."

The village had nearly been destroyed. Despite the surprise nature of the attack, the damage was extensive. It was doubtful whether they could gather enough of the survivors to even make up half of their original numbers.

"It was all because of one person."

At her words, Karyl’s frown depended.

Was there someone that formidable in the Ryeo Knights Order?

The Empire boasted seven Knight Orders: The Blue, Green, Ryeo, and Wisteria guarded the frontlines, while Gold, Red, and Black were dedicated to protecting the royal family.

Although the Blue Knight Order, led by the renowned Swordmaster Kuwell MacGovern, was the most famous, the true strength lay with the Gold Knight Order, which served directly under the Emperor.

The Ryeo Knights Order may not be weak, but it certainly pales in comparison to Gold and Black.

The Spear family, though lacking in magical prowess, excelled in individual combat skills. Moreover, their seventeenth family head, Ordo Spear, devised a battle formation called the Ferocious Fire Formation.

This formation, involving six members working in perfect coordination, proved challenging to break even by Knight Orders.

It was specifically designed to counter the magical-wielding citizens of the Empire.

Even the proud scholars of the Strategic Division of the Imperial Military had to, albeit reluctantly, acknowledge the effectiveness of Ordo Spear’s formation.

After Olivurn ascended the throne, the Spear family stood out even among the tribes that inflicted the most damage on the Empire during the Southern campaigns.

Karyl found it hard to believe that such a distinguished tribe could be destabilized by a single individual.

Who could it be...?

A sudden unease crossed his mind.

Is this a result of my interventions, another alteration to the future?

Identifying exceptional talent was critical for the upcoming wars. Therefore, Karyl was not only consolidating his power in the South but was also searching for untapped talents beyond those he already knew. However, the thought of these people turning their blades against him was hardly pleasing.

"What did they look like? Did you get a glimpse of them?" Karyl emerged from the narrow passageway, straightening up, and turned to Kayla Spear.

But she shook her head. "They wore helmets that covered their faces, so I couldn't see. But I did catch a glimpse of their weapon."

"What was it?"

"It was a sword with a blade shaped like flowing waves."

"Hmm..." Karyl stroked his chin. "People who wield a Flamberge are few and far between, even within the Empire. It's quite strange that such a skilled individual has yet to make a name for themselves."

"The blade was fiery red in color, and the hilt had a pitch-black jewel embedded in it."

Karyl furrowed his brows. "Are you sure?"

"You really can’t miss it. I've never seen such a distinct sword. Smoke rose from the blade every time it tasted blood."

Could it be... No, it couldn’t possibly be.

[Isn’t the sword she’s describing the Liberated Flame?]

You know about it too?

[Of course, I do. It's one of the five weapons made by the Blader. It was crafted from Clear Distilled Water, though it’s inferior compared to the others made during the Magic Era... It was still crafted by the dwarven royals of the Muir Family, wasn’t it?]

Yes.

[That settles it then. After all, the remaining Clear Distilled Water weapons are mostly relics from the Magic Era.]

I knew someone in my past life who wielded that sword.

Karyl nodded.

But the owner of that sword shouldn't be appearing yet, let alone serving as a knight in the Ryeo Knights Order.

During the Oracle War in his previous life, which erupted with the emergence of the colossal tower filled with monsters, the Liberated Flame Pharel proved its might against the Tarak, primarily due to its flame properties but also because of its master’s exceptional skills.

His name was Utar of the Engulfing Flame.

The man was as fiery as the weapon he wielded. For fifteen generations, his family had been blacksmiths, and his affinity for the fire element was natural.

He was the best user of the Liberated Flame. Without him, the sword might have remained nothing more than a decorative piece.

Despite his slender build for a blacksmith, rumors had it that his flames surpassed even those of Kuwell MacGovern.

But there was one problem...

Utar of the Engulfing Flame was not an Imperial, but a duke of the principality. Olivurn recruited him when he absorbed the principality during the continental wars.

This meant that the current user was someone he didn’t know.

Around this period of time in my previous life, I was confined to my mansion... Was there perhaps another owner of the Liberated Flame present back then?

But according to Kayla Spear’s words, how could such a skilled individual vanish or be killed within a few years of the revelation of the Oracle and arriving at the royal palace?

[Why worry so much? If you're curious about who they are, just knock off their helmet. Simple.]

...pft. Indeed.

"We're almost there," Karyl said, gesturing toward Kayla Spear as they turned the corner at the cliff's edge. From afar, they could hear bustling noises.

Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!

The sound of a hammer striking something solid mingled with a deep voice.

"Is this really the place?"

“The Vision Scripts confirm it. The illustrations are accurate, just like the barbarians have described.”

"Ugh!"

The knight growled, yanking a bound man by his neck. "These barbarian fools can’t appreciate such splendor."

His bristly beard twitched on his chin.

Despite the absence of rivers or lakes, water miraculously sprang from a well halfway up the Abyssal Rocks. This place, adorned with delicate artificial decorations, was the Fountain of Vision that Allen Javius had mentioned.

"Don’t treat them carelessly," Nareel cautioned.

"Vice Captain, you’re too lenient. These creatures aren’t human. His Majesty would prefer that these heretics not tread on this land," his subordinate remarked, causing Nareel to grimace.

So the Ryeo Knights Order did come to the South, huh? Banhon, that scoundrel, seems to have tagged along too. I still utterly despise that bastard.

Karyl bit his lip slightly.

Nareel, who appeared too delicate for this environment, stood alongside a man with a rugged, wild beard.

Next to the Fountain of Vision stood a large pillar, and people were leashed and hung from it like animals.

Banhon watched their suffering with an expressionless face.

He’s as cruel as ever.

Karyl felt his heart tremble at the grotesque sight.

[Calm down, kid. If we get any closer, we might be discovered. Each one of them has the magical prowess equivalent to at least a 3rd Class sorcerer, not to mention their swordsmanship. Not even you can take on so many of them at once.]

Around the Fountain of Vision, there were approximately a hundred knights, each bearing the title of a personal guard. They were not to be underestimated.

[And that's not all of them. The rest of their forces are probably waiting somewhere up the slope,] Allen added, sending a chill down Karyl’s spine.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Kayla, is your father among them?" he asked.

"The man who that son of a bitch is holding, he is the head of the Spear family," she replied, her eyes blazing with calm anger. "What's the plan? We must rescue him no matter what."

[Look, that girl's calmer than you are,] Allen remarked, looking at Kayla.

"That being said, it's fortunate that Prince Luon interfered. Without him, things wouldn't have escalated this much. The person who’s claiming to be the master of Tatur... Could it be that Prince Ruon had a hand in this?" Banhon asked Nareel, who stood next to him.

"...Be careful with your words. Anyway, yes I agree. His Highness really seems to have heavenly luck. Although the initial plan went awry, he managed to strike gold at the Gray Training Ground in Azor."

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Careful? Heh, who's listening here anyway? ‘sides, if we can just get the Clear Distilled Water, His Majesty will have no choice but to acknowledge Prince Olivurn."

"That’s right. Even those frustrating court officials will have to recognize who is best for our great empire."

Hey Allen, they seem to know how to obtain Clear Distilled Water. What about the arrangements you mentioned?

Karyl crouched, his eyes scanning the surroundings, keeping a vigilant watch. Aidan and his party were still hours away, but in the meantime, it was necessary to gather information about their plans.

[Don't worry. The magic won’t be activated without specific conditions. They won't be aware of these conditions, as they are not included in the Vision Scripts we left behind,] Allen spoke confidently. No, rather, he seemed to relish the situation as if he had been anticipating it.

[And now I’ll reveal those conditions to you. If everything goes as planned... not even 3rd Class Knights will be able to take the Fountain of Vision. Hehehehe...]

It was then that it happened.

"The preparations have been completed. We're currently assembling a special unit to subjugate the other four major families," a knight announced, emerging from within the Fountain of Vision. Clad in the distinctive armor of the Ryeo Knights Order and bearing a large sword with a uniquely wavy blade on his back, he exuded an air of authority.

"Excellent work," Nareel praised, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "We owe our gratitude to the Lurein Principality. It is truly remarkable that such a talented individual has joined our ranks. How do you find the sword bestowed upon you by His Majesty?"

"It is far more than I deserve. I am still getting accustomed to it."

"Haha, you’re being too humble, especially considering the courage you displayed in exterminating those barbarians. Your father would undoubtedly be proud," Banhon chimed in, his laughter echoing through the air as he looked at the knight.

"...Thank you," the knight responded, removing his helmet and bowing his head.

"...!!!"

Karyl's eyes widened in shock.

Impossible! Why are you...?!

He couldn’t even continue the thought, the sheer confusion swallowing him. He found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the scene unfolding before him. His hand instinctively clenched into a tight fist, anger and disbelief simmering within him.

[Heh, that naive idiot... This is unexpected even for me. Truly, the affairs of the ordinary are so unpredictable, aren’t they, Karyl?] Allen’s voice dripped with mockery. [Do you regret it now? But you can’t do anything now, can you? It's all water under the bridge.]

Allen looked at the knight who bore the Liberated Flame on his back. This was someone who, according to the original events, should have died.

Although he knew that regretting the past was futile, he had never imagined that the person he had saved would reappear before him like this, not even in his wildest dreams.

"Randol MacGovern...!!" Karyl muttered his name, his voice barely above a whisper.