I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

26 – The Lion King of the Valley (6)

Isaac received the necklace, a memento of his wife, from Urkan. It wasn’t an easy request to ask for the memento, but Urkan willingly handed over the keepsake and a letter to Isaac.

With this, the preparations were complete. It might not unfold as smoothly as he thought, but that could be considered later. It was bold in a way, and simple in another. There was no sharp solution for now.

Urkan knew that too, so he readily handed it over. Isaac, finishing his preparations, returned to the Nemea Fortress without delay. The wind blowing from the valley pushed against his back.

“Is it really possible that the chief’s child is alive?”

“Even if the possibility is very low, we must not give up until the end.”

“Sorry, I unknowingly became weak in my heart.”

Zeke, with firm hands pressed against his cheeks, regained his composure with a forceful slap. The master was right. If heroes like themselves gave up, who would save the people?

“First, we have to go see the commander.”

“Do you think the commander knows something?”

“We might be able to get at least some information.”

Isaac, who knew the original, casually circled around, but Zeke earnestly took his words to heart. So that he could deal with a similar situation when it came to him someday.

The soldiers guarding the fortress wall were astonished. They never dreamed that Isaac and Zeke would return unharmed. Thanks to this, the gate opened quickly.

“Greetings are more intense than I thought.”

Anyway, it’s good if things are processed quickly. Without much fuss, Isaac headed straight for the commander’s barracks. The commander, also expecting the unexpected, personally came out quickly.

“Surprising, I never thought you would return alive. I had no expectations at all.”

“He was a formidable opponent. Although the outcome wasn’t decided.”

“That alone is sufficient. Please come inside for now.”

“Let’s do that.”

From the commander’s perspective, this was the only opportunity to resolve the current situation. For Isaac, it was an opportunity to have a quiet conversation. With their mutual understanding, the response was quick.

The commander immediately made a space. Of course, calling it a space was an overstatement; it was just some cheap drinks and rations. Isaac said, thinking it would be fine since Zeke liked it.

“Indeed, the Lion King was strong. To the extent of tearing the earth and breaking the terrain of the valley.”

“He managed that alone?”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back alive like this.”

‘That’s not a lie. There were reports from the scouts.’

The commander hadn’t just observed them from the fortress. Fearing their disappearance, he had sent scouts to assess the situation. Although it failed due to the aftermath being too strong.

To face that monster without a single injury and come back alive. The likelihood of this man’s words being true was very high. That was the conclusion the commander had coldly reached through the reports of the scouts.

“How many years did the commander fight that monster?”

“I didn’t fight; I just endured. It’s been about three years now.”

“Three years…!!”

Zeke was the first to react to the familiar number. Fortunately, the commander was focused on Isaac and didn’t read Zeke’s reaction. Isaac nodded and brought it up.

“Do you happen to know anything about this necklace?”

“That necklace… Where did you get it from, exactly?”

“I acquired it while fighting the Lion King.”

“How on earth did that monster manage to obtain this?”

Surprisingly, the commander calmly accepted the necklace from Isaac. The time of appointment to the fortress and the time the letters arrived were identical. Crucially, he claimed to be the owner of the necklace. So, the answer was clear.

“Could it be that the commander figured out that the chief is your father and sent a threatening letter?”

But thinking rationally, there’s no benefit in doing so. Especially considering the commander is under scrutiny from the homeland due to the ongoing attrition. Yet, it’s not easy to understand.

Why go to such lengths, even at the cost of soldiers’ lives? Zeke couldn’t comprehend it, no matter how hard he tried. It was because he was still young. Isaac stood up slowly.

“All I know is this. And I have one piece of advice.”

“What is it?”

“Beware of the enemies within.”

Isaac took out the letter he received from Urkan and handed it directly to the commander. After checking the letter, the commander’s expression immediately hardened. Isaac promptly left the barracks.

“Master, could it be that the chief’s lineage…”

“Yes, it’s the commander.”

“Damn it!”

Zeke couldn’t contain his anger and stomped the ground fiercely. The culprit’s identity was still unknown. But sending the necklace as well seemed like a direct provocation and manipulation by Urkan.

Yes, what’s there to hide? Edkan, the commander of the Nemea Fortress, is Urkan’s son. The timing fits perfectly, and he even possesses the necklace. It’s undoubtedly a perfect answer that can’t be denied.

Especially in the midst of a conflict between father and son, as agonizing as it already is. The outcome they faced in the original was even more harrowing. Eventually, unable to bear it anymore, the commander initiates a full-scale assault to personally subdue him.

The person who wrote the letter to Urkan sends another, stating that if only one person is killed, they won’t attack anymore. Already broken, Urkan holds hope from the letter.

Is it really possible to stop killing now?

Is it really possible to keep hands free from blood?

Holding onto his final hope, Urkan kills him. A bit of relief and a sense of security, but also more guilt than ever. However, soon, all emotions vanish, leaving only despair behind.

Parents always recognize their children. The face revealed by the removed helmet was filled with her traces. Unless he was a fool, he couldn’t fail to recognize it. The human he just killed was his son.

Unfortunately, that was the last pillar of support. Wanting to see his son’s face even once, despite having blood on his hands all along. Despite being broken and worn, he held on till the end.

Guilt and self-reproach flooded in endlessly. Eventually, he killed someone for his own liberation. And that someone happened to be his own son. Naturally, it had to end up like that. That’s how the Lion King turned into a monster.

Reason ceased to exist.

Only resentment towards the heavens, destroying the world.

The monster that had to be vanquished.

* * *

Isaac certainly had no intention of just standing by and watching. How could he, with his eyes wide open like this? Was someone daring to deliver a particularly unsettling bad ending among bad endings?

But even though he felt an overwhelming urge to immediately catch the culprit, acting without any evidence would turn him into a reckless madman who took lives.

Sure, if need be, evidence or none, he’d act decisively. But at least until then, he had to secure some evidence somehow to nail the culprit. Isaac concluded this and briskly moved his steps.

“Master! Have you noticed something?!”

From Zeke’s perspective, unaware of Isaac’s thoughts, it seemed like the Master had caught onto something. Isaac pondered for a moment how to explain this.

“Haven’t you noticed something strange?”

“I apologize. My insight might not have reached that far…”

“Don’t blame yourself. If you don’t know, learn from it.”

“…”

“Constantly think, question, express doubts.”

Isaac blurted out words just to buy some time for thought, yet strangely, those words gave Zeke a revelation. The Master was still imparting wisdom to him even in such situations.

“Fifty years ago, after the former commander, she disappeared. The current commander assumed office here three years ago.”

“That’s correct.”

“Isn’t something odd? Leaving the fortress without a commander for a lengthy 47 years?”

“…!!”

Until the current commander, Edkan, took office. The previous commander pursued a policy of appeasement with the Lion tribe. And it was undoubtedly her, Urkhan, in those circumstances.

However, the former commander was summoned back to the homeland 50 years ago. Yet the fortress was left without a commander for 47 years? It was evident that something was amiss.

“H-How is that even possible?”

From the perspective of the Marques Kingdom, engaging in repeated conflicts with the Lion tribe, the Nemea Fortress was a crucial military stronghold. Yet leaving the top commander’s position vacant for 47 years?

Even incompetence has its limits. If Lion King Urkhan had ill intentions, the Nemea Fortress would have fallen. The Marques Kingdom’s advance would have met a resounding defeat.

“Consider a different perspective.”

“What?”

“If in their eyes, the commander’s position wasn’t vacant?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Zeke couldn’t fathom it at all. How could one perceive that a position wasn’t vacant when there was no one there? Yet sadly, politics made such things possible.

“Somebody was ruling this fortress in her name.”

Isaac already held the answer he knew.

And it took hold of a considerable weight.