Chapter 90

***

The entire Imperial Army was in turmoil. The same was true of troops from the north standing crammed behind them.

Commander-in-Chief Diaquit was threatening his brother by taking him hostage. The Northern Allies did not know how to accept this situation.

I could feel the agitation of the horsemen who were at the forefront. When the rider is anxious, the horse feels it. The horses shook their heads nervously or stamped their front feet as if to break away from the ranks.

However, Diaquit was the commander-in-chief and during the war, the orders of their commander were absolute. Everyone was just waiting in the back anxiously.

I held my breath for a moment, with my hand covering my mouth closed.

There was a strong wind above the wall. It was not yet winter and the fierce wind scratched my skin.

A blade on Jenner’s neck. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. My heart raced with unpleasant feelings.

‘This is the only thing you came up with. Such a despicable man.’

My forehead swelled with fever. Below, Diaquit shouted once again in high spirits.

“Come out!”

The honor of being the regent of the Kingdom of Achaia and the legitimate head of the Catatel family was not seen in him.

He was furious. I couldn’t see his face in detail because of the distance, but I knew that Diaquit was out of his mind.

Jenner was hardened in Diaquit’s grasp. When I looked at it, my blood seemed to freeze coldly.

“Usphere!”

I must have stumbled for a moment without realizing it. Kwanach quickly hugged me, supporting my back.

I felt the heat rising as my chest tightened. For the first time, a strong will to kill came to mind. I didn’t know I was such a person who could indulge in such negative emotions.

Although Diaquit was a terrible human being, at least he knew to keep his pride as the current crown prince of the Kingdom of Achaia. But he took his brother hostage and threatened him in front of everyone.

‘He has no intention of leaving alive.’

Diaquit has given up everything. This was the last attack before he died.

Diacuit’s bare appearance, all the pretensions taken off, was ugly. How did he become such a distorted human being?

Was it that his mother died early, his father was on sickbed, he rose to the regency at a very young age, and he had so much power that it was toxic to him?

Diaquit had become a complacent person who was satisfied only when he had what he wanted.

It was clear why Diaquit held a blade on Jenner’s neck. His target was me.

Until he got what he wanted, Diaquit wouldn’t stop.

I straightened my body, which was leaning on Kwanach’s chest.

“I have to go out there. I’ll… I’ll go out.”

Kwanach took a breath at my words. He grabbed my arm urgently.

“No, you’re going out alone? No way. We don’t know what he’s prepared for.”

Kwanach’s eyes shook.

“Diaquit is out of his mind right now. He might really hurt Jenner.”

“Usphere….. There’s got to be another way. Don’t come forward yourself……Okay, I’ll go out.”

His voice, which he poured out freely, was full of worries. Kwanach’s dissuasion was natural. If I were him, I would be worried and unconditionally stop him.

Princess I put my hand on Kwanach’s cheek. His eyes were red. He mumbled, his lower lip quivering.

“Why… …you are always like this…… throwing yourself in danger. I came here only wanting to protect you.”

A man who stood at the top with an army. But he looked terribly miserable now.

“Kwanach, trust me. Do you think I’m going to be beaten by Diaquit?”

“…….”

“And Diaquit won’t let Jenner go until I come out. I want to show him that he was wrong.”

I touched Kwanach’s eyes with my thumb and continued.

“My power has grown beyond comparison. He won’t be able to break me down easily. So let me go out and talk to Diaquit.”

Kwanach’s jaw tightened. The muscles in his face shook.

I knew very well how worried Kwanach was about me, but I had no choice. I felt it instinctively. I had to end this battle by my own hand.

After a while, Kwanach opened his mouth in a deep voice.

“Absolutely…… I can’t let you go alone.”

“I’m sure Diaquit will let us both go out.”

“And I apologize in advance. I may not be able to keep my promise to keep your brother not getting hurt. If you are in danger, I will put your safety above all else.”

“Kwanach, that’s…….”

“Don’t try to break this stubbornness.”

I bit my lips and nodded slowly. The wind on the wall seemed to scratch my heart, but I made up my mind.

Jenner, Kwanach, if possible, soldiers filling that horizon. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

* * *

Boom. The gate opened with a heavy sound. The gate above the border of the land.

Kwanach stood firm next to me. In the distance, I could see Diaquit and Jenner with a white face. There was quite a distance, but we could distinguish each other’s features.

In other words, the commander-in-chief of each side faced each other.

Depending on what happens here, it could lead to a head-on collision or it could have gone into a lull.

I clenched my fists tightly. I felt the seeds in my palm.

Jenner found me and said in a trembling voice.

“Sister, sister…!”

It was a puzzled voice. Jenner wouldn’t understand why his older brother puts a knife into his neck.

Diaquit said sarcastically.

“I didn’t think to told you to come out with a slave.”

Kwanach stood silently, unperturbed by his derisive remarks. Just having him beside me calmed me down a little.

On the wall, soldiers were pulling their bows and aiming at Diaquit. In any event, Kwanach will order, and they may shoot immediately.

Then Jenner would also get hurt. I couldn’t leave it like that.

I swallowed dry saliva and said to Diaquit. We were close enough to hear each other.

“How did you fall so low?”

“…….”

“Let Jenner go. You don’t have to do this. Don’t you want to talk to me?”

“Would you have come out if I just told you to? You traitor. You are a traitor to your motherland. What a waste of Catatel’s last name. You’re a pawn of the empire….How dare you drive your brother to death!”

“No, you’ve walked into your own death.”

“What?”

“You’ve done such an ugly thing…… You thought you’d live a normal life? Killing innocent people and even conducting experiments.”

Jenner, who was being held, said, shaking his shoulders.

“Ah, brother. What’s sister talking about ….”

“Shut up!”

Diaquit interrupted Jenner, and shouted in a frantic voice.

“An ugly act? No! A great development requires the sacrifice of a few. Their sacrifice is the cornerstone for the new empire! They’ll be proud of it, too. They’re the ones who’ll die after living a miserable life anyway.”

“Great development? Did you think taking over the continent was a development?”

“Of course. How long do you think the country founded by slaves will last? Fundamental things don’t last long. The South is corrupt and self-indulgent. I’m the only one who can fix it.”

Diaquit was obsessed with self-love and could not face reality straight.

“The silver forest has a meaning. The reason it didn’t choose me as an Awakener was to give me a bigger mission. That’s why Roman chose me.”

Diaquit, who had everything since he was the eldest son.

However, he was not chosen by the forest, and he was obsessed with inferiority all the time, thinking that he had lost his ability to me. The chastening emotions radiated in a completely wrong direction, resulting in a strange rationalization.

“But you ruined it!”

Diaquit cried out in a loud voice.

“How can you bring down your brother with your own hands? How can you do that?”

It was a voice full of sorrow. I shot back.

“……I guess you don’t remember trying to kill me. You collaborated with Roman, didn’t you?”

“You spoiled our work, so you should be punished. Didn’t you promise? If you get married and go to the empire, you’ll be my spy.”

Diaquit glared fiercely at Kwanach.

When I looked sideways at Kwanach, his chin was full of strength. There was a vein on his neck. He seemed to be barely holding back his anger.

“Do you know that, emperor? This marriage was a fraud. This girl can’t have children. You’ve been tricked.”

Only then did Kwanach’s mouth, which had been tightly closed all this time, open.

“I know, and it doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

Diaquit must have thought he had revealed a great secret, but he was taken aback seeing Kwanach had no reaction.

“Did you try to tear our relationship apart with those words? Your plan is ruined because of your incompetence. What a fool.”

Diaquit gave out a few false laughs. Then he said grimly.

“Yeah, it’s ruined. By the way……. Wouldn’t it be unfair if I was the only one who went down?”

Finally, Diaquit took out his last card.

Diaquit raised his hand, which was not holding a sword. Thump, something round in it fell to the floor.