novelraw Chapter 132 : Chapter 132
Chapter 132 : Chapter 132
Chapter 132. After the War
As Bakan fell, the Kandahr warriors resisting by his side lost their will to fight in an instant.
As if bound by a single soul, they ceased their struggle.
With dazed expressions, they lowered their weapons and knelt.
However, not all surrendered.
Some warriors, seizing the chaos, began retreating from the inner castle.
Strictly speaking, they weren’t fleeing but executing a strategic withdrawal to return to their island stronghold and gather reinforcements.
“Let’s go! Hurry back to the island and rally the other tribes!”
The kingdom’s forces wouldn’t simply stand by and watch as they rushed to escape the outer castle with urgent cries.
The first to react was Gaiard, who shot into the sky faster than anyone.
Cutting through the sharp wind like an arrow, he landed on the bridge of the outer castle.
As the warriors reached the midpoint of the bridge, Gaiard appeared before them.
“If you wish to pass, leave your lives behind.”
Before his words even settled, Gaiard gestured, collapsing the bridge.
With a splintering crash, the bridge gave way, and the Kandahr warriors on it screamed as they plummeted into the moat.
“Arghhh!!!”
Gaiard coldly looked down at them, then unleashed hundreds of sharp blades forged from his blood into the moat.
Brief screams followed, and soon the moat’s water began to turn crimson.
Gazing at the reddened moat, Gaiard muttered softly.
“Tch, their blood will dilute in the water.”
Grumbling, he turned his gaze toward the inner castle.
‘To think that Evan actually overwhelmed Bakan. I knew his potential was beyond ordinary, but the more I see, the more impressive he is.’
Even if Gaiard was past his prime, the current Bakan was stronger than the Bakan he had faced in his own prime.
The emotion he felt toward the human who defeated such a formidable foe was, surprisingly, pure awe.
It was a feeling Gaiard, who had lived for centuries, hadn’t experienced from a human since the Great Mage Ernst.
‘If he had existed in my time, history would have been very different. There might not have been a need for me to act. Perhaps he’d have even taken me down.’
The thought sent a strange chill through Gaiard’s body.
His spine tingled instinctively.
Amused by his own reaction, he shook his head.
‘To think I’d be intimidated by a mere human? Truly, the strangest things happen.’
While denying his emotions, Gaiard acknowledged one undeniable truth.
Evan Lafard.
He was the hero who defeated the Kandahr Tribe and brought victory to the Kaien Kingdom.
Gaiard wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.
Heriel Theron, known as the kingdom’s strongest, and Rona, one of the king’s closest confidants and an Executor,
both gazed at the much younger Evan with uncontainable astonishment.
‘If I had been in his place, could I have pushed Bakan to such an extent?’
Both knew they couldn’t confidently claim they could. Bakan Hardan was that formidable.
That a young Evan had accomplished what even they couldn’t be sure of made them realize, more than anyone, the magnitude of his achievement.
But Evan himself didn’t see it that way.
‘This time, I got lucky. Duke’s blow subtly stiffened Bakan’s movements. If he’d been in peak condition, I wouldn’t have come out unscathed.’
Even after securing an overwhelming victory against Bakan Hardan, the Kandahr’s ruler, I didn’t grow complacent.
Instead, I coldly assessed my shortcomings, resolving to become stronger.
‘I thought I’d grown much stronger… but I still have a long way to go.’
Rather than basking in victory, I began preparing for the next steps to decisively conclude this war.
I asked Rona, who was nearby, to issue an order.
“Use magic, chains, anything—bind this beast. Please move quickly.”
Rona nodded but offered her own opinion.
“Is such effort necessary? Wouldn’t it be better to eliminate any future threats here and now?”
“No. As troublesome as it is, we must keep him alive.”
I calmly explained the reason.
“They lost their will to fight and knelt for one reason: Bakan’s defeat.”
“I know. That’s why I want to tie up loose ends.”
“I agree. But killing him isn’t tying up loose ends—it’s cutting them off. There’s no need to ignite the hearts of the Kandahr tribes who haven’t yet crossed over.”
The name Bakan didn’t merely refer to an individual.
It signified the Kandahr’s ruler, the pinnacle of their society.
To these warriors bound by their blood, it also meant someone they’d serve even at the cost of their lives.
“Rona, I agree with Evan.”
Duke Heriel supported my words.
“The Kandahr warriors are inherently driven by vengeance. If we kill their leader, we may win this war decisively today, but who knows what the future holds?”
Rona didn’t back down easily.
“I understand. But in the past, when we let them go, didn’t they invade again soon after? We believed they’d retreat, but the result was the same.”
“That was then. Back then, we didn’t capture their leader. This time, we have Bakan in our hands.”
The Duke, who knew more about the Kandahr than anyone in the kingdom, explained what needed to be done.
“Keeping Bakan alive isn’t a liability—it’s a bargaining chip. Bakan is the Kandahr’s pride itself. We’ll use that to our advantage.”
Rona understood but couldn’t fully dispel her concerns.
“Will this arrogant man even consider negotiating with us?”
The Duke nodded lightly and responded calmly.
“That depends on how we handle it. Don’t you think, Evan?”
At the Duke’s question, I answered confidently.
“Exactly. And now, that matter will be wisely resolved by His Majesty, the King.”
With the war concluded in victory,
the complex diplomatic issues that followed were the responsibility of the kingdom’s absolute ruler.
I believed that the current king, who had led the kingdom with stability and peace, would undoubtedly make the most rational decision.
‘At least he’s not a bastard like the Emperor. If he were, no one would have fought so fiercely to protect this castle.’
Now, the key figures who led the war to victory needed to step back momentarily, clearing the way for the king to personally arrive.
“So, our priority is to clean up this place. Though we’ve won, we can’t neglect tending to the wounded and the fallen.”
“Let’s do it. Rona, you handle your duties as well.”
“Understood.”
Rona sprang into action.
Centered around her, the kingdom’s forces began binding the remaining Kandahr warriors as prisoners, tending to the wounded, collecting the bodies of the fallen, and swiftly organizing the castle’s interior.
Amid this, I approached the Duke, who was about to leave, and spoke quietly.
“Duke, I still have something to say.”
“Hm?”
“If… just hypothetically, the negotiations between His Majesty and Bakan fall apart, what do you think His Majesty will do?”
“That’s for His Majesty to decide, but if I had to guess, he’d likely send Bakan and the prisoners back. At least, that’s what I know of him.”
For a fleeting moment, I frowned.
It was a relief that the king I envisioned wasn’t as cunning as the Emperor who killed me, but he was unexpectedly softer than I’d anticipated.
‘He’s half like that bastard Emperor. But this is the complete opposite.’
Naturally, I couldn’t let this slide and made a proposal to the Duke.
“I’d like you to make a decision before it comes to that.”
“What kind of decision?”
“I want you to speak to His Majesty on my behalf…”
The Duke furrowed his brow as he heard my words.
“That’s something His Majesty would never want…”
“Even so, it’s necessary for the kingdom’s long-term peace. You know better than I how to subdue the Kandahr, don’t you?”
“Hm.”
After a brief silence, the Duke nodded, as if resolved.
“Alright. Honestly, for the kingdom’s sake, what wouldn’t I do? I’ll convey your intentions to His Majesty and do my best to persuade him. I can’t guarantee success, though.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks.”
I knew.
A leader of a nation must sometimes make certain judgments.
‘A true leader must be willing to play the villain when necessary. At least, if they’re thinking solely of the kingdom.’
***
After informing the Duke of the plan, I went with Gaiard to the castle’s perimeter.
We checked for scattered stragglers or any remaining threats from the battle’s aftermath.
“Nothing here.”
“Same here. Just dead bodies. Tch, I was hoping to drink some fresh blood.”
After thoroughly scouting the area and confirming no further threats, we headed back to the castle.
When I returned, the battlefield, which had been chaotic moments ago, was already largely organized.
Blood and debris had been cleared, and kingdom soldiers stood in disciplined formation, waiting in solemn silence for someone.
‘He’s coming now. Perfect timing.’
In the center of the inner castle, the defeated Kandahr warriors and their leader, Bakan, knelt, bound.
Thanks to the powerful restraints cast by the mages, Bakan and the warriors could no longer even think of resisting.
Confirming that these dangerous beasts were fully subdued, the central gate of the castle began to open slowly.
―Rumble.
The first to appear was the imposing Royal Guard.
Led by Anton, they marched toward Bakan’s position.
―Step, step!
The Royal Guard parted to either side, forming a path.
Behind them emerged the ruler of this kingdom, the leader revered by all—the King of the Kaien Kingdom.