novelraw Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134. Hero of the Kingdom (2)
The war with the Kandahr.
It had begun long before I arrived from the Coast of the Dead.
As an event that shook the entire kingdom, my primary goal at the time was to save the kingdom above all else.
But now, with everything concluded, things needed to fall back into place.
Among them, matters concerning me were the most numerous.
“So, Evan, don’t worry about other things and prepare to meet His Majesty. You don’t need anything special, but at least clean the blood off your clothes.”
Rona calmly instructed me on what to do.
“Understood. I’ll prepare immediately.”
“And… one more thing.”
Rona hesitated, pausing briefly.
“About… the vampire who helped us by your side.”
“Ah.”
Here it comes.
I thought to myself.
Gaiard’s presence had undeniably been pivotal in the war, a fact no one could deny.
But to those who knew him, Gaiard was branded the worst criminal in the kingdom’s history.
Believed to have committed grave sins, enough to be sealed in the Hell’s Path of Benner Island, it was natural for the kingdom to view his presence with unease.
“I know it’s shameless to bring this up now… but I’m worried about leaving him unchecked.”
“I’d love to say there’s no need to worry, but I know that human—er, that vampire’s circumstances too well.”
The wrongs the kingdom had done to Gaiard were, frankly, hard for even me to defend.
I wasn’t sure how much Rona knew, but it was undeniably the kingdom’s fault.
“Then we should prepare for him, right?”
“I’ll talk to him first. Fortunately, those who held grudges against him are long gone, and he seems to have diluted some of his past anger.”
I knew Gaiard best.
Rona, aware of this, decided to entrust the matter entirely to me.
“Then I’ll leave it to you. I need to handle the Kandahr warriors.”
“Understood.”
As Rona turned to direct the bustling soldiers, I walked through the noisy castle interior toward Gaiard.
“Gaiard.”
“What is it?”
“Just checking if anything’s bothering you.”
“It’s bothersome. Some humans in the crowd recognize me and keep eyeing me warily. It’s getting on my nerves.”
Those Gaiard referred to were likely people like Duke Theron, who knew some of the kingdom’s history.
They could only judge him based on fragmented knowledge, and his current role in aiding the kingdom confused them.
“There’ll come a time to clear things up. Most don’t even care. Or rather, they don’t know.”
I tried to lighten Gaiard’s mood.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this? The war’s over—got some weird scheme in mind?”
Gaiard instinctively grew wary, his eyes sharp.
I continued, trying to ease his guard.
“No weird schemes. The war’s done, so how about resting a bit?”
“…?”
“I mean, let’s go somewhere more comfortable. The kingdom’s war hero shouldn’t be stuck in this noisy, shabby place, right?”
Only then did Gaiard catch my roundabout intent.
“Are you worried I’ll cause trouble for these kingdom folks?”
At his blunt question, I hesitated briefly before responding.
“I can’t say no. I’ve seen your memories. And not just the people here, but the royals are subtly wary of you too.”
“To be honest, this kingdom or the Kandahr are all the same to me. If I had to pick, I’d say I hate the kingdom more.”
Despite his words, Gaiard’s voice was calm.
“But those humans from back then are all dead. Even that Ernst guy got his punishment in his own way. I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not some monster who slaughters indiscriminately.”
“So… your anger’s somewhat subsided?”
“Well, that depends on how these kingdom folks treat me going forward. If they repeat past mistakes, no matter what you say, I’ll destroy this kingdom.”
Gaiard spoke coldly, but his words carried an offer of a chance.
As I thought, the culprits were long gone, and while his anger hadn’t fully faded, his words held a desire to finally end the centuries-long conflict.
“Fine, I’m going to get some air. You go meet your fancy king.”
With that, Gaiard prepared to take flight.
But at that moment, I grabbed the edge of his wing.
“Ugh! What are you doing?”
“Hold on. Instead of that, come with me.”
“Where?”
As Gaiard tilted his head, I grinned.
“Where else? To meet His Majesty.”
“What? Are you out of your mind? You’re taking me there?”
“Why not? It’s a ceremony to honor the heroes who brought victory to the kingdom. It wouldn’t make sense without you.”
“…Are you serious?”
Gaiard, thinking I’d lost my mind, couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“Is this agreed upon with the kingdom folks?”
“Agreement or not, who cares? I’m sure they’ll love it.”
“No way. Didn’t you just say the royals are wary of me?”
Yet Gaiard didn’t shake off my hand.
He was curious about how the kingdom’s people would react to him, now that things had come to this.
“You’re the one insisting I go, not me.”
“Obviously.”
The reason I was determined to bring Gaiard to the castle
was partly to clear his tarnished past, but also because I remembered my past life, always overshadowed by Robern and others, never properly recognized.
Knowing that bitter feeling better than anyone, I wanted to ensure no one I knew faced such unfair treatment while I was alive.
“If they slight you, I’ll step in and take your side.”
“Hah! A human taking my side? You’re the strangest one I’ve ever met.”
Despite his words, Gaiard didn’t dislike it.
Just as he had once opened up to Ernst as a friend, he was gradually warming to me.
***
“Now! The war is over, but our work begins!”
The castle’s interior was in the midst of cleanup.
Some Kandahr warriors had breached this far, shattering furnishings, and blood from both them and the soldiers stained the floors and walls.
Under the steward’s direction, servants sweated profusely, scrubbing the castle clean.
“Hurry! I know it’s tough, but we can’t let His Majesty see this mess!”
“Yes!”
“Just a bit more effort!”
Amid their diligent work, everyone paused to stare at someone.
Their gazes fell on me and Gaiard walking together.
“That’s the one who saved the kingdom…”
“But who’s the one beside him?”
Those seeing Gaiard for the first time instinctively felt unease.
His pale skin, red eyes, and eerily alien aura—
his mere gaze sent cold sweat down their spines.
‘Is he even human?’
‘Who is he?’
But with the war officially over, they only glanced as we passed.
“What are you doing? Get back to work!”
At the steward’s scolding, they resumed their tasks, though their eyes still cautiously followed us.
Receiving such attention, we soon encountered the Duke.
He flinched upon seeing Gaiard beside me.
“Uh… so, you came together.”
The Duke’s expression twitched subtly at the unexpected companion.
Gaiard’s eyebrows twitched in response.
Catching the mood, I stepped forward.
“I heard His Majesty will honor our contributions. I thought it only right for my friend to join.”
The Duke paused briefly, then nodded.
“A sound judgment. Anyone who devoted themselves to the war deserves recognition.”
The Duke wasn’t unaware of Gaiard’s contributions.
In fact, he knew better than anyone that Gaiard played a decisive role in the kingdom’s victory.
But separately, in the Duke’s mind, Gaiard remained ‘the most dangerous figure in the kingdom’s history.’
Bringing such a person before the king was undoubtedly a burden and a threat.
Yet, he also knew that openly showing distrust could worsen the situation.
‘If he intended harm to His Majesty, he’d have acted during the chaos of the battle with Bakan. Yet he fought with us. And if Evan trusts him this much, he’s likely trustworthy.’
The Duke chose a cautious ‘direct approach.’
He looked at Gaiard seriously and continued.
“Count Gaiard Lecan. Your contributions are undeniable, but I hope you understand there are concerns about you.”
Without directly mentioning Gaiard’s past, the Duke subtly conveyed that he knew the full story from his perspective.
Yet, addressing him as ‘Count’ showed respect as a contributor.
“Hm.”
Gaiard gazed at the Duke briefly.
His eyes flickered slightly but soon nodded calmly.
“Count… Drop the hollow titles. I don’t want them.”
He alternated his gaze between the Duke and me.
“But I promise I won’t do what you’re worried about. I swear on my pride.”
The Duke bowed in response to his sincere pledge.
“That’s enough.”
His words carried a genuine effort to set aside suspicion, and the atmosphere softened.
“This way.”
Led by the Duke, Gaiard and I finally reached the audience chamber where the king awaited.
It was the most authoritative space in the Kaien Kingdom, where critical external matters were discussed, and today, a place to honor the heroes who saved the kingdom.
Before the door, the Duke gave us final instructions.
“Evan, you know the etiquette, but be mindful of every action before His Majesty.”
“I understand.”
The Duke smiled at me, then turned to Gaiard with a slightly awkward smile.
“And I trust you know as well.”
Gaiard nodded curtly with a nonchalant expression.
“I’ll manage.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s enter.”
With that, the massive marble doors of the audience chamber slowly opened.
―Rumble.
The chamber’s interior came into view.