Beyond the Throne: The Monarch's Return

"Huh, did you cure it?"

Nathan still couldn't believe his eyes.

It was because of a mercenary named Line, whom Ian had treated.

'Even if it certainly didn't reach the lungs, it was a dangerous location.'

All he saw was a glimpse of the injury when he passed by, but Nathan was a well-seasoned knight who had roamed the battlefield where countless corpses fell.

So, of course, he quickly grasped the seriousness of the wound at a glance.

It's impossible; that young mercenary was not in a position where he could be cured by a simple treatment.

And much less with Lorelin's tears!

'You must never eat that poison raw.'

The mercenaries, of course, had nothing to do with them, whether they died or not. 

Whether that young mercenary survived or not, the prince's will was the top priority. So, Nathan let Ian do what he wanted to do. But there was also the case of his comrades who ate the poison out of desperation and died.

'After passing through so many days without food until their stamina dropped… It's the poisonous herb that took the lives of the knight cadets.'

But Line ate the poison and got better. Also, because of the treatment by the prince.

'I can't believe it.'

Distracted, Nathan stopped in the middle of a fight. He wanted to stop fighting right away and watch how he treated him.

That was the moment.

"Sir Nathan! Watch out!"

The soldier's urgent shout was heard. With that voice, the enemy attacked Nathan.

However.

Slash!

Nathan slashed him at once without looking at his opponent.

Swish!

The knight's sword cleanly cut the enemy's body vertically and the body fell to both sides.

The raiders screamed at the sight of a body being neatly cut in half to the bone.

"… You crazy!"

"He-he is not human!"

The power of an ordinary human could never cut a person in half. The enemies were terrified of it and started to run away.

"Mo-monster! He is a real knight!"

"Damn it! What's going on! He is a knight, but you said that they are just at the level of a mongrel! It's different!"

"I can't do this anymore. I don't want to die like that!"

The soldiers fiercely pursued the raiders, but Nathan was no longer moving.

He no longer wanted to use his knight powers on such pathetic enemies.

Rather, it was Ian who piqued his interest now.

'I'm really curious. What kind of thoughts he has in his head.'

In fact, Nathan wasn't very interested in going to pick up Ian.

He was a half-royalty who didn't know where his mother was from, and he was bound to become the puppet of the nobility among those damn princes and princesses anyway.

Some people around him even said that in the first place.

["Just think of it as an easy task to bring a kid from the countryside. Like going to relax on vacation."]

But now it's different.

Rather, he wanted to have a conversation with Ian as soon as possible.

What he thought by doing that. He was excited to ask him about the hidden effect of that poisonous herb. 

'This is not it. Let's try it first before asking.'

In addition to the effects known to the poisonous herbs, they could also be herbs with special effects in certain situations. 

Blood could be the key. It didn't seem too bad to try testing in very small amounts. 

It was when Nathan approached Ian with that thought.

"Galon! There!"

Ian, who was treating the wounded, shouted at Galon.

Naturally, Nathan's eyes turned in the direction Ian was pointing.

'That prince is now even trying to command the battlefield.'

This raid was strange, but there was never a moment where the enemies could get away from his sight here.

'Yeah, it's all within our range…'

But it was then.

"!!"

Nathan's eyes widened as he looked at Ian and the direction he pointed.

***

"Galon! There!"

With the prince's voice, Galon bolted off the ground in an instant.

Bang!

"Sir Galon!"

Ian's finger pointed to the dark forest.

At the same time, Ian shouted, "Everyone follow him! Nathan too!"

However, the soldiers looking in the direction Ian pointed could not hide their bewilderment.

They had no choice but to do so. 

"There is nothing over there, right?"

"What the hell are you looking at…"

As everyone was buzzing, the centurion swallowed his saliva and raised his voice.

"Prince! Now you think this is a joke? If you move the soldiers at will like this…!"

As if agreeing with that statement, the soldiers around him sighed at him.

"Prince, do not worry. Look at this. The magic tools that detect enemies are also unresponsive. You must have just misunderstood the shadows."

"Or did you see a ghost?"

But at that moment.

"Aarghh!!"

"?!"

A scream was heard.

It was on the forest side where Galon had just entered. All the soldiers were startled by the sound.

"Who is there!"

"What? Nonsense! But there was no response from the tracking tool?"

"It's stealth," Nathan growled as he raised his sword, eyes flashing fiercely.

"What?"

"The enemy is strong enough to not be detected by the tracking tools!"

At Nathan's words, the soldiers who had just laughed at the prince were alarmed.

"Damn, the prince was right!"

"The enemy! Hit them!"

"Everyone, back up Sir Galon!"

The centurion, with a pale face, rushed with his men to the place where Galon was.

But there was one person who remained still. Nathan looked at Ian and gulped nervously.

He had no choice but to do so.

Of course, it was an amazing feat that Ian found an enemy they didn't even notice.

'Is what I just saw an illusion?'

It was when Galon dashed off at the prince's order.

Ian's golden eyes glowed slightly, like the golden light that only the First King had.

Of course, it was only for a brief moment, but Nathan was well aware of the anecdote associated with those golden eyes.

Knights beyond the realm of human beings.

And the king that ruled over all the knights around the world…

'The Anecdote of the First King.'

The owner of the oath, the appearance of [Royal Roader].

But there was no time to think about it. Nathan immediately followed Galon closely.

And as the number of pursuers increased, the masked man gnashed his teeth.

"Damn it!"

The masked man being chased by Galon clutched his bloody head.

He was the leader of the raiders who was struck by Galon's sword.

In a very short time, he was able to save his own life.

'If it wasn't for this amulet the Duke gave me…'

A magical artifact that was said to only save one's life once in a moment of crisis.

However, the mission had failed.

'Where the hell did it go wrong?'

He thought it would be an easy task. Now he was furious that things had gone awry.

But the important thing was that his mission wasn't over yet.

'I could not even get the target, all the mercenaries, killed.'

Obviously, the mercenaries who must die in the first attack survived and were now dealing with the raiders.

But where was he? 

'It would be difficult if I get caught and the information from the Duke is leaked.'

The man thought of his mission as he stopped the bleeding wound on his head.

["Soon the bastard prince will arrive at the Count's castle. All the mercenaries by his side are to be killed and hide yourself. Do not touch the soldiers as much as possible."]

But it all failed because of the prince.

The masked man bit his lip as if he couldn't help it.

"Attack them all!"

People suddenly popped out from hidden places. They were all covered in black clothes. Aside from the attire, they were holding a Katar in their hands.

TL/N : The Katar is a kind of dagger used for punching stabs to opponents, and is effective due to its speed and penetrating power. 

Nathan's eyes widened at the sight.

"Be careful everyone! They are all assassins!"

Nathan's judgment was correct.

These men had movements incomparable to those of the bandits so far.

Against the assassins, no matter how undefeated the Duke's soldier was, it was dangerous.

Nathan immediately gathered his magic power.

"Galon, I will help you—"

But it was at that moment.

Bang!!

Before Nathan could finish speaking, Galon had run to the front.

His sword and body were roaring with radiant magical power.

[Never fall down or give in]

The power only the most powerful knights could possess.

The oath was a unique skill of the Kaistein Kingdom, a kingdom of swords and powerful swordsmanship, and was a special power that only knights could use.

By making an oath to oneself, they were able to exert a special power, and the oath clause was different for each knight.

And Galon's oath was the so-called Oath of Invincibility!

Boom!

Galon's feet broke through the entrapment and rushed forward. Even the arrows fired by the enemy could not penetrate his body and were bouncing away.

While the Oath of Invincibility was being invoked, external forces such as poison and arrows could never touch him.

And now Galon used that power.

"As long as I am here, you cannot harm anyone."

Bang!!

He broke through the enemy lines like a heavy bull, bringing the masked men to the brink of annihilation.

Kugugung!

In front of the destructive charge of Galon's shield at the forefront, the assassins bounced off like dry branches.

At the sight, both the soldiers and Nathan trembled in a cold sweat.

'This is one of the Three Great Knights of the Continent…'

The masked man ground his teeth.

Galon was right before his eyes in an instant.

But as Galon closed in, the masked man laughed.

'Yeah, you better kill me.'

Knights were people with the principle of immediate execution when dealing with enemies. Those who do not tolerate even the slightest anxiety.

Galon, in particular, was an adherent of the principle of zero tolerance.

So, he had something prepared just in case.

'The moment I die, these guys will also be cursed to death.'

The masked man had put such black magic on himself.

But it was then.

"!"

Galon was trying to capture the masked man instead of killing him.

So the masked man shouted with a bewildered face.

"Why didn't you kill me…"

"It is the prince's order to seize you alive."

"!!"

The masked man was startled.

This man obeyed the orders from others than of the Duke?

It was not only that.

"Don't leave a single one alive!"

Slash!

"Aaaaah!"

Soon, the other knight, Nathan, also joined in the fray.

'Damn, even that prodigal bastard!'

He had heard that Nathan would definitely move around idly even if they were under attack. Unlike Galon, he was not a man who was devoted to his mission.

In the meantime, the masked men were all dying one by one.

'Shit, this mission is a fail!'

Good thing there was also a plan in case of failure.

Unsurprisingly, the masked man laughed. At that moment, an amazing thing happened.

"!"

The man who had been captured by Galon disappeared into ashes.

And he appeared right behind Galon! He had moved from one shadow to another.

But it wasn't Galon he was aiming for.

Slash!

What the masked man was aiming for was none other than the centurion behind Galon!

"?!"

The almost-dead centurion was terrified. It was for no other reason.

"Why…why did you attack me? We are definitely on the same side…"

The man smiled wickedly.

Then he whispered quietly so that no one else could hear it.

"If you don't do your job properly, you will die. Besides… You know too much."

"What—"

"Just die quietly!"

"Arghh!"

Blood gushed out of the centurion's arm, who had reflexively blocked the attack.

Without hesitation, the masked man was about to thrust his sword into the centurion's neck. But that was then.

"Aarghh!"

Unexpectedly, instead of the centurion, a sword was stuck in the masked man's neck.

But it wasn't the centurion's sword.

"Prince Ian!"

The one who threw the sword was Prince Ian, one of the masked man's targets.

He showed up out of nowhere and threw the sword that had been lying around into his neck.

Galon and Nathan were taken by surprise.

"Prince? How long have you been here…? What about the escorts?"

A sword suddenly flew out and struck the man's neck. It was the prince who threw it.

But who was surprised the most in that situation was the centurion.

It was because of Ian's eyes that met his.

"Huh, ughh…"

The centurion's eyes met Ian's and he froze up.

Ian was obviously smiling, but his gleaming eyes were as if they were looking right through him.

'So you are on the same side with the raiders?'

He managed to catch the rat's tail so effortlessly. Things seemed to work out pretty easily. Nevertheless, the masked man was trying to keep his mouth shut by killing the person on his side.

But Ian didn't show it.

"Are you okay?"

He acted as if he knew nothing.

And he had to let what had happened passed. The centurion had no choice but to pretend in order to live.

Just as expected.

"Tha-… Thank you for your help."

The centurion bowed his head, forcing his facial muscles that couldn't even twitch to smile.

It was even more humiliating to have his life saved by none other than the prince whom he deemed as lowly.

But Ian smiled as if it was going according to the plan as he looked at the bowing centurion.

It was then.

Galon grabbed the near-dying man who was gurgling blood down to his knees.

"Prince, what about this one?"

"Ah. That person…"

The moment Ian came closer.

He was surprised to find something in the masked man's arms.

"Huh? This?"