novelraw Chapter 179: Childhood Friends – The General
Chapter 179: Childhood Friends – The General
179. Childhood Friends – The General
The lord’s castle fell into a somber silence.
The castle, which had regained some liveliness when Marchioness Sierra Guidan recovered, sank back into stillness as Harie Guidan fell ill.
Harie had cradled the body of Philas, who had been pierced through the neck, and wailed for several nights and days on the blood-soaked stone bridge.
Her shock was so great that she couldn’t even recognize her own mother. Just like her mother had once been, her eyes lost their focus.
The marchioness did not leave her daughter’s side. She grew haggard again, attending to her daughter who would wake up screaming from nightmares.
"I think we should use the bracelet."
After much deliberation, Rev concluded.
"We need to curry favor with the marquis by helping the marchioness, but as things stand, it’s hopeless."
Rev made a quick decision. However, Leo de Yeriel, sitting at the desk, wore a troubled expression.The {Bracelet of Barbatos} had only one bead left.
Although it had many limitations and only temporarily garnered favor, it was a precious item that could turn situations around depending on how it was used. Leo had already decided on its use.
Regretting the disruption to their plans, Leo said,
"...Alright. We have no choice. I'll deal with Count Ogleton somehow. Go and cast the charm."
- Knock, knock.
Rev found his way to Harie Guidan's room. "Come in," came the weak permission, and he stepped inside.
In the room with sky-blue curtains were Harie and the marchioness. Harie sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window, while the marchioness’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
"What is it? Is the prince looking for me?"
Rev didn’t answer. He quietly approached and sat beside the marchioness at the bedside.
Normally, this would have been considered impudent, but the marchioness did not stop him. Strangely, his presence seemed to ease the tension in her heart.
"Please don’t worry too much."
Rev moved his left hand, with the bracelet on it, behind his back.
"As you did, the young lady will recover. It just takes time for emotional wounds to heal."
I need to make eye contact.
Rev gently reached out and took Harie's hand, pulling her towards him. As her head turned, the bead hidden behind his back shattered.
"Stay strong."
[ Achievement: The Man Who Melted Harie Guidan’s Heart - Gained a faint affection from Harie Guidan. ]
The expected dramatic change did not occur. Unlike the marchioness, who had mistaken Rev for her son and wept, Harie showed no significant reaction.
She stared blankly at Rev... and then a single tear fell.
That was all.
Rev handed Harie's hand back to the marchioness and quietly exited the room. Through the door crack, he saw the marchioness holding her daughter and weeping.
He wondered where the necklace that Barbatos coveted had gone but dismissed it, thinking, '...She must have left it somewhere.'
*
Marquis Harvey Guidan arrived two days later.
Upon hearing that his wife had regained consciousness, he rushed over, exhausted from a three-week-long forced marChapter He stormed through the front gate and immediately sought his wife.
"My dear! You...!"
The marquis embraced his wife tightly.
Though his clothes carried the cold of the outside, the marchioness didn’t mind. She also burrowed into his arms and cried.
"I'm sorry. If I hadn’t insisted on receiving the blessing..."
"It’s not your fault. Not at all."
The marquis caressed his wife’s cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb, while the surrounding attendants sniffled quietly.
A gaunt middle-aged couple.
The marquis, tall and lanky like a scarecrow, and the emaciated marchioness clung to each other. They didn’t mention it, but both were mourning their deceased son.
"...My dear. Come. There’s someone I’d like you to meet."
"Just a little longer... Let me hold you a bit longer."
How he had longed for this. How difficult it had been alone.
He had buried himself in work to forget his dead son and unconscious wife. It pained him to see his daughter, who increasingly resembled her mother, but he tried to hide his feelings, pretending to be a cold noble.
The marquis tried to pull his wife closer again. However, Sierra gently held his hand and urged him softly.
"I’m not going anywhere. I’ll embrace you as much as you want later, but now there’s someone you need to meet."
"...Alright. Lead me to the prince. But first, how is Harie?"
"...She’s much better. This way."
The prince was in the reception room.
No matter how high his rank, a guest could not meet the host in his own room, so he had been waiting there for quite some time. The marquis and marchioness entered and bowed deeply.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Prince Leo de Yeriel. I’ve heard all about you."
"The pleasure is mine, to meet the shield of the Kingdom of Orun, Lord of the Border. I worried I might have disturbed your reunion."
"You are too gracious. If not for you, I would not have had such joy today."
"Haha. Your kind words honor me. But I must pass the credit. It was not I but my friend and knight, Rev, who helped the marchioness."
After some exchanges of gratitude,
As was customary between foreign royalty and nobility, they exchanged pleasantries carefully. Eventually, Marchioness Sierra Guidan played the role of hostess.
"Oh my—look at me. I’ll prepare some simple refreshments. Please continue your conversation."
Whether royal or noble, men of this era typically stepped back when noblewomen or ladies intervened.
The marchioness’s lightheartedness created a brief opening, and the endless formalities came to a halt. The guest prince and the host marquis could sit down without any further invitation.
"So... what is it that you seek from me, Prince?"
The marquis asked directly. Having already decided to help, he didn’t intend to probe the prince’s intentions.
After a brief pause, Leo answered,
"I need an army."
The marquis stifled a sigh that threatened to escape. This was the most significant request he had anticipated.
"...I thought as muChapter But I cannot achieve your restoration to the throne alone. Unless you have support within the Conrad Kingdom."
"No, I am not asking to become a prince of the Conrad Kingdom."
Then why did he need an army?
The marquis raised his confused eyes, and Leo glanced back at Rev standing behind him before continuing.
"I intend to become the king of this Kingdom of Orun."
"...I beg your pardon, what do you mean?"
Leo leaned forward. Before the marchioness could return, he hurriedly got to the point.
"I understand that House Guidan is currently in a difficult situation. The princes are pressuring you to marry off your daughter, while you failed to secure an engagement with the Duke Tertan's house in Conrad."
"Wait, how do you..."
"Can you endure this? Or will you slowly perish while serving those young and mad princes?"
The sound of the marchioness's approaching footsteps grew louder. Leo lowered his voice.
"I can be a better alternative for you. I suspect... your friend, Marquis Drazhin, might think the same. Ah, here she comes. I’ve been waiting for you."
"Have you waited long? These were baked this morning. I hope they suit your taste, Your Highness."
"Haha. I’ve already had them several times, and they are always delicious, Madam."
Leo stood up.
Receiving the tray from the marchioness, he continued the conversation lightly, as if they hadn't discussed anything serious.
"I heard you taught my sister to cook. And also etiquette... She spends her days filled with your considerate care."
The sudden expression of gratitude was not lost on the marchioness. She understood that the prince was subtly trying to show appreciation to her husband and responded with heartfelt gratitude.
"Oh... I simply did what I ought to do for my benefactor."
It took quite a long time before Marquis Guidan returned to the main topic.
They discussed various matters, like the impending war between the Kingdom of Bellita and the Kingdom of Astin and the succession ceremony in the Kingdom of Orun, which might take place early next summer...
Leo de Yeriel deliberately brought up different topics while the marchioness was present. When she finally left, having sensed something and making an excuse to give them privacy, he had already indirectly conveyed everything he wanted to.
Rev, standing silently behind him, blushed at Leo's brazen conversational tactics.
I’m embarrassed for him.
*
The next day, Rev left the lord’s castle.
He felt there was no need for him to be involved in persuading the marquis, and though the marquis hadn't given a definitive answer, he trusted Prince Leo to handle it.
So, Rev headed south in the Kingdom of Orun to rally the barbarians.
He felt a pang of disappointment as his sister Lena sent him off somewhat curtly, but he rode Kus up and down the hilly roads. During the ride, Rev found himself thinking of Lena.
I wonder if Lena arrived safely.
It pained him that he couldn't spend more time with his childhood friend after so many years. He hadn't had much of a conversation with his mother and hadn’t had time for a drink with his now talkative father.
He had left everything behind to become a king.
- Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Kus, with its wide hooves, managed well on the snow-covered forest path.
In truth, Kus was more suited for farming than riding, but Rev liked this horse.
It’s not as cunning as Bante.
‘Where might Bante be doing well now? No, he doesn’t need my concern. Woody has probably become a farm horse by now...’
Rev tried to occupy his mind with trivial thoughts. Eventually, on a particularly cold winter day, he arrived at a barbarian village.
"Who goes there!"
It was a sizeable tribe surrounded by high palisades. Five young barbarian men guarded the gate and called out to Rev with wary voices.
"I am not a suspicious person. I have come to see the chieftain of the Dwina tribe."
"And who are you?"
When asked if he had the 'right,' Rev was momentarily dumbfounded. Only then did he realize he was being tested, and he swallowed hard.
Do I have the right to be king?
To fly his banner across the vast land, to rule over millions of subjects, honorable knights, and noble aristocrats, he had to prove himself as a worthy leader.
If he couldn’t handle these five young men before him...
He had no right.
He should humbly figure out how to marry Lena off to the prince, as Minseo had been doing all along. Pathetically.
‘I won’t allow that. Never.’
Rev gritted his teeth. Now, he had to become not only a great prince but a hero of the barbarians. He raised his head high.
Endless self-assurance and arrogance.
The young men hesitated, taken aback by his changed demeanor.
[ Quest: Warmonger 10000/10000 - Leadership skill increased by one level. ]
[ Quest: Butcher of Nobles 50/50 - Charisma skill increased by one level. ]
[ Quest: Traitor 10/10 - Royal Blood skill increased by one level. ]
"I am the one who will become your general."
And beyond that, a king.
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