novelraw Chapter 133 : Chapter 133
Chapter 133 : Chapter 133
Chapter 133. Hero of the Kingdom (1)
The arrival of the King of the Kaien Kingdom, Gaspar Kaien.
As he appeared, Bakan, bound and kneeling, slowly raised his head.
His eyes gleamed with a ferocious intensity, like a starving wolf eyeing prey.
An ordinary person might have instinctively recoiled under that gaze.
But the king walked toward Bakan without a hint of hesitation, his demeanor calm.
‘Of course. He’s a king, after all. No matter how formidable Bakan is, he’s just a chained beast now. A king wouldn’t flinch.’
As the king drew closer, the Executors guarding him tried to intervene.
But with a single gesture, he waved them off and approached Bakan’s side.
In a composed voice, he addressed him.
“Great ruler of the Kandahr, Bakan Hardan.”
Bakan responded with a sneer.
“Hah! Quite the grand entrance. Crawling out only when I’m in this state. Where was this courage when you were hiding like a rat?”
At his mocking words, Executor Rona and the others erupted in anger.
Rona, without hesitation, drew her sword, aiming it at his neck.
“How dare you spew such insolence!”
The king raised his hand to stop her.
“Enough. Stand down.”
Rona bit her lip and stepped back.
The king then locked eyes with Bakan and asked in a low, heavy voice.
“Bakan, why has your nation relentlessly invaded and tormented our kingdom for centuries?”
The long, bitter history between the Kaien Kingdom and the Kandahr Tribe.
It was a relationship marked by the Kandahr’s one-sided aggression.
The king sought to understand the reason behind their generations-long invasions through their leader.
“You want to know? In the wild, it’s natural for predators to hunt prey. The reason we Kandahr invaded you is no different.”
Bakan’s words invoked the law of the wild.
A simple reason.
Yet, it left the listeners dumbfounded.
“And now? In this moment, have you ever considered who is the predator and who is the prey?”
“What?!”
The king didn’t yield in words.
He, too, was a leader of a nation.
“When I think of you and your warriors, who ravaged my people and burned our lands, I want to execute you all right now.”
“Then do it! Even if I die here today, our will shall never falter!”
Bakan thrust his neck forward, glaring defiantly at the king.
Not a trace of fear of death could be found in his unyielding gaze.
“Do it! Try it if you dare!”
But the king had a clear reason for keeping him alive.
“Bakan, I have no intention of granting you such peace. You still have much to do, alive, for the Kandahr Tribe in this land.”
“Don’t even dream of surrender! I will never bow my head to you like a coward!”
As resolute as Bakan was, the king was equally steadfast.
“I’m not asking for anything grand. Just peace between our nations—that’s all. Don’t you even want that? Even as you see your tribesmen bleeding behind you?”
As the king said, over half of the Kandahr warriors were injured, many teetering on the brink of death.
Yet, even with this before him, Bakan showed no sign of yielding.
His resolve remained unbroken.
“Yes! None of our Kandahr warriors desire peace. We are warriors who live and die by blood!”
Seeing Bakan stubbornly reject even the offer of peace, I shook my head quietly from behind.
‘Will he only come to his senses in death? Such stubbornness won’t help him.’
At this point, even I, a third party, saw no room for negotiation.
I glanced at Duke Heriel Theron, sending a silent signal.
‘Duke, convey the proposal I mentioned to His Majesty. This won’t lead anywhere.’
The Duke clearly understood the meaning in my gaze.
But he hesitated slightly to bring it up with the king.
“…”
It wasn’t an easy matter for him either.
Yet, seeing Bakan’s attitude, he could no longer delay.
“Phew.”
Finally, the Duke sighed and cautiously approached the king, whispering in his ear.
“Your Majesty, I believe you should act on the proposal I mentioned.”
“Hm.”
“Please make a decision for the kingdom…”
King Gaspar Kaien frowned, visibly uncomfortable at the Duke’s words.
But after a brief silence, he spoke.
“…Bakan, if you truly do not desire peace, I have no other choice.”
I gave a wry smile inwardly, observing their exchange.
Meanwhile, Bakan scoffed, shutting his ears to any negotiation.
“Hah! Say whatever nonsense you want! Your words won’t sway me!”
Confident that no threat or persuasion would affect him, Bakan’s expression changed drastically at the king’s next words.
“Then I shall hold you hostage, locked deep in the castle’s dungeon.”
“…What?! What did you just say, you bastard?!”
“If you refuse, I’ll force a peace treaty by holding you captive.”
Taking a leader hostage was the most powerful and effective diplomatic tool in war.
Especially capturing an enemy’s leader, it could paralyze their actions entirely.
For Bakan, this strategy was particularly devastating.
I had already learned about the Kandahr’s traditions from Gaiard.
I had proposed to the Duke that we exploit this thoroughly.
‘The title of Bakan is an absolute authority given only to the Kandahr’s strongest warrior and leader. That position can only be passed on if a successor takes it by force or the predecessor dies.’
If a living Bakan was held hostage and didn’t return, the Kandahr tribes could never choose a new Bakan.
That was their strict rule and tradition.
‘Without a leader, unity is difficult for any group. Especially at a national level.’
I had aimed precisely for this.
Though I personally disliked using the Emperor’s methods, which I despised, I couldn’t deny their effectiveness.
‘That bastard Emperor took royal kin as hostages after conquering kingdoms, allowing him to efficiently rule vast territories.’
As the king spoke the proposal I had passed through the Duke, Bakan raged, thrashing wildly.
“Kill me instead! How dare you insult Bakan Hardan further, you coward!”
As Bakan’s fury erupted, the warriors behind him grew agitated, shouting in unison.
“Release our king!”
“Take me as a hostage instead! Take my life!”
As their angry cries heightened the tension, the king issued a cold, resolute ultimatum.
“Bakan, I will send all your warriors, except you, back to your homeland by ship. That is my final mercy. But you will remain, locked in the castle’s dungeon as a hostage.”
“You bastard!!!”
“And if a single Kandahr warrior sets foot in our territory to rescue you, you will not remain unscathed.”
This was a message to the captive Kandahr warriors.
If they wished their king to remain safe, they should not dream of invasion.
“But if you change your mind and decide to sign a peace treaty, the opportunity to speak with me will always be open.”
Yet everyone knew.
Given Bakan’s character, he would never accept such an offer.
“You bastard!!!”
I smiled faintly to myself, thinking.
‘Whether he accepts or not doesn’t matter. Holding him hostage is already as good as a peace treaty.’
As long as Bakan was imprisoned in the kingdom’s dungeon, and with the Kandahr having lost much of their strength, they wouldn’t move for decades.
That time was enough.
The Kaien Kingdom would rebuild a powerful army and establish a robust defense.
“My words end here, Bakan Hardan. Remember, the path to peace remains open depending on your actions.”
“Wait! How dare you insult me like this! Let me face a warrior’s end!”
The king ignored Bakan’s cries and walked back into the castle.
Rona followed, issuing orders to the soldiers to swiftly organize the scene.
“Move Bakan to the dungeon immediately! Detain all Kandahr warriors until their repatriation!”
“Yes!!!”
The soldiers moved efficiently.
But Bakan and his warriors resisted fiercely, refusing to comply.
“Don’t you dare touch me!”
Despite being battered and bound,
even with a piercing wound, Bakan remained a beast.
Dozens of soldiers struggled to move him, expending tremendous effort.
“I’d rather die here!”
Bakan desperately tried to bite his tongue.
Seeing this, I rushed forward and struck the back of his neck with a sharp hand.
“Guh!”
The blow could have broken an ordinary person’s neck, but Bakan merely let out a dull groan and collapsed, unconscious.
―Thud.
Exhausted and caught off guard, he succumbed to an attack he would have otherwise withstood.
“Done?”
I spoke calmly, and the soldiers laboriously dragged Bakan’s massive body to the dungeon.
As I watched the scene with a relieved expression, Rona approached me slowly.
“Evan, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“His Majesty wishes to meet you personally. He’ll summon you once things are settled.”
“Me?”
I feigned surprise outwardly, but inwardly, I had anticipated this.
‘It’s finally here. Let’s see how much saving this kingdom is worth.’
I had poured immense effort and resources into saving the kingdom.
I lost my sword, Venus, and even expended part of the Fire Dragon Orb’s power.
Now was the time to receive ample compensation.