Beyond the Throne: The Monarch's Return

"Argh!"

One of the mercenaries was knocked down by a sudden rain of arrows. 

No, it wasn't over yet.

"Leader! Avoid it!"

"Gerard…"

Whoosh! Tak! Takk!

He couldn't even hear his own voice properly because he was yelling for the arrows pouring from among the trees.

However, there were less victims among mercenaries than expected.

"I lived thanks to the shield."

"If the prince hadn't warned…"

The fallen were only those who ignored Ian's words or could not lift the shield because their shield was beyond reach.

Still, most of the mercenaries looked safe.

'That's a relief.'

At the sight, Ian brushed his chest.

In the past, more than half of the mercenaries died at this time.

It wasn't just because of the sudden surprise attack late at night.

'Excessive marching caused them to lose their stamina and they couldn't even respond properly.'

At that time, there was no conflict with Centurion.

But he was rushed on schedule thanks to Galon and Nathan's willingness to get the job done quickly. In the end, the exhausted mercenaries had no choice but to be helpless by their order.

Besides, the scent of the fruit that Ian just smelled.

'Clearly, the scent of poison used by assassins. It's also obviously paralyzing poison.'

It was a familiar scent that Ian knew.

But no matter how he thought about it, it was strange.

'Did bandits also use poison? Besides, with a normal army of this size, they would have avoided it.'

In the past and the present, this raid was a little strange. 

Later, the Duke announced that it was a raid instigated by bandits, but the said bandits dared rush at them fearlessly.

Even though there were as many as two knights in the party.

'There's also the Duke's knight who is equal to a one-man army present at the scene.'

The Duke's Five Knights were famous on the continent. In particular, Galon who was called the Three Great Knights of the Continent.

'With this level of power, it is normal for bandits to have fled in the middle.'

Anyway, thanks to that, not only some of the soldiers but also all of the mercenaries except Line and Gerard lost their lives.

'Thanks to you, the other mercenaries were also making a fuss about revenge.'

Strangely, the mercenary guild held a grudge against Ian and it caused trouble everywhere. Later on, it was difficult to hire mercenaries even for small things, saying that they would get cursed.

Moreover, the mercenaries refused to get entangled, and they often became troublesome when they cooperated with the nobles who hired them.

Anyway, it was fortunate that many mercenaries lived. 

For Ian's future, they had to survive for the sake of confronting the Duke.

But it was just that moment.

Rumble!

"Prince! Please come out!"

The centurion hurriedly opened the carriage door and entered. At the same time, he grabbed Ian's wrist and dragged him outside.

Where Ian arrived was where his soldiers were forming squares with their shields.

"This place will be safe, so just stay quietly here."

The centurion pushed Ian like he was tossing it. Rough hand movements, as if wishing him to fall.

But Ian didn't fall down.

Instead, he glanced at the centurion with amused eyes.

'Can't you treat a child gently?'

Obviously, it was the same behavior as in the past, but it was because Ian had noticed something.

'At that time, I was terrified and couldn't afford to look around.'

It was different now.

In the first place, there was nothing to be afraid of since there were two knights, a hundred soldiers, and mercenaries to protect themselves. Moreover, most of the mercenaries were safe from the arrow rain.

Ian's eyes were staring straight at the centurion's back.

'If it was common sense, of course, you would have thought that staying behind the soldiers' shields was safer than inside sloppy carriages.'

However, the carriage prepared by the Duke was different from any carriages.

The best item with defensive magicians imbued on it.

It didn't even have a scratch from that arrow rain.

'There's no way that the centurion wouldn't know that.'

Then for what reason did he drag him outside?

It was just that moment.

"It's dangerous!"

Someone pushed Ian on the back.

It was a soldier who had been assigned separately to be by his side so far.

At that moment, an arrow passed in front of Ian's eyes.

Swoosh!

The arrow brushed past Ian's cheek. A drop of blood trickled down his cheek.

It was a wound that did not exist in the past.

The centurion next to him was furious.

"You idiot! Can't you protect the prince properly?"

"Sorry… I'm sorry, Centurion! I won't do it again!"

"Shut up! The prince almost died! You will get disciplinary action once we go back."

However, the centurion, who scolded the soldiers, found this dumbfounding.

'This little boy. You weren't scared at all!'

It was because there was no change in Ian's expression when he looked back. Rather, he even calmly wiped the wound on his cheek just like an innocent child.

It was as if this daily life was familiar.

In truth, Ian had a grim look in his eyes.

'It's disgusting.'

Ian noticed their tricks. 

'You intended to scare me?'

First, it started with pulling him out of the carriage. 

If you had lived as a serf all your life, of course, you couldn't imagine getting close to swords and arrows. There would have been no experience in losing one's life due to someone's malice.

'But if an arrow passed in front of you and someone got hurt and fell, wouldn't you have fainted out of panic?'

It was highly likely that he aimed for it.

To expose Ian to the violence of war and scare him. That way, he thought it would be easier to control Ian.

The same was true of the soldier's mistake just now.

'Was that really a mistake? Do the soldiers of the famous duke make such a blunder?'

It was a perfect shield formation that no arrow could ever pass. 

'It was kind of awkward. Who the hell orders you to do this?'

At this point, doubts arose about the identities of the enemies that the Duke said were bandits.

Of course, he would not have calculated that Ian would be hit directly by the arrow.

As evidence of that, the soldier in charge of him was relocated per Centurion's whims.

In the meantime, the centurion approached with a cold sweat.

"I am very sorry, Prince. I did the wrong training for my subordinates… but that's the way the battlefield is. A place where a stray arrow can kill you."

He never looked sorry.

For some reason, Ian even felt like the centurion was threatening him that if he hated the soldiers, he could die from a stray arrow.

'Is it because of my changed attitude that I was almost hit by an arrow unlike in the past?'

Ian of this life was neither intimidated nor cried out of fright. Therefore, he must be threatened to the point where the arrow nearly touched him.

Ian's eyes looking at the centurion turned cold.

'In the end, you drove mercenaries to death only to control me, Duke. Even you did the same thing to me.'

Perhaps the attacks that killed mercenaries in the past were also related to them. 

'The bandits are not fair.'

Ian secretly gleamed his eyes as he remembered the Duke.

And there were two people who looked at Ian in surprise.

"Galon. You definitely heard it, right? Watch out for the surroundings before the attack."

"Yes…"

It was the knights Nathan and Galon.

No matter how careless the knights were, an attack could happen at any time. So this night raid was supposed to be unexpected like that, but Ian had obviously noticed the attack before them.

Furthermore, he immediately instructed the soldiers to pick up the shield.

'Those are eyes that are familiar with battles.'

However, Nathan was surprised in a different sense.

'Then, don't tell me the reason you've been strangely asking for rest until now…'

Others might not realize it, but Nathan knew for sure.

The current mercenaries avoiding the rain of arrows were more alert than usual. But what if Ian didn't take a break and the mercenaries' stamina ran out? It would be a fatal attack that could never be avoided.

In short, the mercenaries could have been annihilated in the first attack.

Nathan's heart chilled for a moment.

'Is it a mistake to look down on him as a child or a boy who used to work as a serf?'

It wasn't a mission where the power of the knights was put in for nothing. It was a job to escort the blood of the royal family, and he always had to be prepared for an attack.

But that kid was more concerned about his surroundings than the knights themselves.

'I've been amazed since the first meeting with him.'

Of course, this attack didn't seem to be just a mere night raid.

As Nathan's eyes looking at Ian changed.

"Hey! Wake up!"

"There's no one here! Please help me!"

"!"

Ian turned his head in surprise at the urgent voice. 

It was on the side of mercenaries. 

The mercenaries were desperately guarding someone, blocking arrows with shields.

However, the situation did not look good.

"Cough, cough…"

An arrow was stuck in a vital place, and the injured person was vomiting blood from his mouth.

"Damn it."

"It must have pierced his lungs."

Everyone was giving up on the wounded. Even the mercenary captain, Gerard, had a hardened face.

And Ian was startled to see the injured. 

"Wake up, Line! You must not die in a place like this!"

"Se-… Senior…"

The injured were none other than Line, famous as the Devil's Strategist in the future.

And it was a fatal wound at that!

Ian's body stiffened in terror. 

'He must never die here.'

Ian moved quickly. The centurion and the soldiers were surprised.

"Pri-prince!"

"It's dangerous! Come back!"

The surprised centurion and soldiers tried to catch him, but Ian was faster.

'Speed is the top priority for arrow wounds.'

Or else, the victim would die right away.

It was when Ian arrived next to Line.

"Prince?"

The mercenary captain Gerard called Ian with a surprised look. It was the expression of why he, the prince, came all the way here.

However, Ian was also surprised to see Gerard.

"Captain, your eyes!"

"Ah, I just got hurt. I am ashamed to get shot by an arrow…"

Gerard had one eye covered with a bandage.

And blood kept flowing from the wound! 

Ian didn't know what to do.

'No way.'

It must have been this moment. 

A mercenary king who had neither blood nor tears. The One-Eyed Gerard must have been born on this day.

'Then he must have lost all his colleagues that day…'

It was certainly the case.

That's why he hated Ian and targeted the mercenary guild as well as the entire mercenary groups. Afterward, Gerard became the mercenary king who commanded all mercenaries.

In other words.

'It was the revenge for this.'

Ian examined the dying Line in a hurry. 

'One arrow on the leg, one on the chest.'

Ian furrowed his eyebrows.

Line, later called the genius strategist of mercenary king Gerard, had limped. 

He was not sure, but if the One-Eyed Gerard was born here, then the crippled Line could have been born on this day.

Of course, now his life was at risk, and it was not known whether it was the first variable in this timeline as the future changed or whether it also happened in the past.

If it happened in the past, it would be wise not to touch it so that the future did not change…

'If it never happened before…'

Ian shook his head. 

'The location is very bad. Line might die while I'm thinking about it.'

Senior healers and priests were needed.

In fact, no one was able to touch it. 

"If you take it out in a hurry, he'll never be able to breathe properly."

But Ian's eyes twinkled instead.

'I can do this.'

Ian had wandered around the battlefield in the past. Thanks to this, he was familiar with the emergency treatment for this situation. He pretended to have learned herbal medicine and healing from the mercenaries just in case somebody asked.

"Everyone, get out of the way. I'll try to treat it."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Even the mercenaries were furious this time. 

No matter how good the prince was, he couldn't guarantee the life of their comrade.

The mercenaries glared at him and blocked Ian.

"If a beginner messes with Line, he'll die!"

"It's better to call the priest!"

"Get out of my way. He'll really die waiting for them."

"Prince!"

But it was just that moment.

"Back off!"

"!"

It was Gerard who shouted firmly. He was looking at Ian with a solemn look. 

"Can you really…?"

He felt the anxiety all the same. But he also had a look that asked Ian to do anything if he indeed could save Line.

"Trust me. I'll make sure to save him."

"Leader! Do you believe him? Doesn't matter if he's a prince, how can you listen to such a little boy!"

"It's not possible, Leader! I'd rather you let me pick it up if Line's life is going to end this way…!"

Gerard bit his lips.

"It is enough for you to come forward like this. So that's why you've made it this far…"

No matter how much the prince was willing to step forward for the mercenaries, that was enough. When the mercenaries were showing their favor, it meant to stop here.

And the soldiers who were far away from the disturbance hurriedly drew out their swords and approached Ian. 

But Ian didn't wait any longer. After making Line bit a branch in his mouth.

Puck!

"Aaaaaaah!"

Ian pulled out the arrow as it was.

The mercenaries screamed in frenzy at the sight.

"This… This crazy!"

"Crazy! If you pull it out recklessly, the blood will ooze out."

All of them were people who walked down the path of sword to make a living.

He was well aware that blood would spurt from the wound if he pulled it out without thinking. Besides, Ian knew all too well that it didn't end here and even his life was also in danger at the moment.

However.

"Huh?"

"What? Why isn't it bleeding?"

"No way. Don't tell me…"

Ian's action was perfect.