The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 116

97. Reunion

Fifteen days ago.

“Are you saying this is the Leaf of Eternal Life left by a dragon?”

Emperor Tyran Shutean spoke, gazing at the vial containing the Serrated Thorns that Yurin presented.

Even he, who always maintained composure, had slightly trembling lips, proving that even an emperor couldn’t help but be affected when his life was on the line.

“Karrl.”

Upon hearing his name, Karrl stepped forward and addressed the Emperor.

“They are called Serrated Thorns. They are leaves containing the power of fire.”

He then produced an old book.

It resembled those occasionally found in ruins.

“Although it may not grant eternal life, according to the literature, brewing these leaves imbued with heat using a special concoction and then consuming it as a pill will spread energy throughout the body, invigorate the blood, and nourish the body.”

Karrl said, unfolding a fake ancient text he had obtained from the black market.

“It will make Your Majesty’s body even stronger, and all toxins within will be burned away, allowing you to maintain peace for many years to come.”

“Hmm…”

Tyran Shutean looked at Yurin as if seeking confirmation.

“We have verified the ancient text. And we also witnessed the acquisition of these leaves from the lair. However… if possible, it would be best to test its efficacy first.”

Yurin cautiously said, glancing at Karrl. He thought as he looked at him.

‘That human. He’s still not scared enough. Well… he hasn’t seen my power properly yet. Well, there will be a time to make him obedient soon.’

Perhaps sensing the thoughts in his eyes,

Yurin Hugart cleared his throat and avoided Karrl’s gaze.

“However, there is only one leaf. Lord Yurin’s words are reasonable, but sometimes, adventure is necessary to obtain something.”

“How do you plan to prepare it?”

“I will do it.”

Karrl said to the Emperor as if he had been waiting for the question.

“If it’s making pills, wouldn’t it be better to entrust it to the healers of the Imperial Palace? They make strange things every day with alchemy and whatnot.”

“This preparation method is a bit unique. The healers would have to interpret obscure modifiers.”

“Hmm… You can do that?”

Karrl smiled at the Emperor, who wore a suspicious expression.

“Your Majesty, Tatur has something that the Empire, the Duchy, and the Three Kingdoms do not.”

“What is it?”

“It is the quasi-human races. The ancient language in the ancient texts is not something that priests can interpret, but Elvish. As Your Majesty knows, Elves were one of the races blessed by God in the past.”

Of course,

It was a lie.

In the first place, the ancient text that Karrl brought was a fake made by mixing the languages of dwarves and gnomes from the black market.

“Hmm… I thought the Elves were extinct… Are there still Elves alive?”

The Emperor’s eyes sparkled.

Leaving aside the Elvish language, even in this situation, he had eyes that greedily wanted to possess a new treasure.

“No. It’s just that there was someone among the gnomes in the black market who knew Elvish. They are a race with a lot of curiosity.”

“Gnomes… Small races that like to hide deep in tunnels.”

The Emperor nodded with a disappointed expression.

They were small and ugly, and they didn’t seem to attract much of his interest.

He had never seen an Elf in his previous life either.

They were a race that was said to be extinct and could only be seen in books now.

“If it’s something that can’t be found in the black market, then it’s true that it doesn’t exist anywhere on the continent, but just because it doesn’t exist in the Empire doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in the black market.”

Karrl said nonchalantly.

It was to emphasize that only he could do it.

“That’s a presumptuous thing to say.”

“I wouldn’t say such a thing if I wasn’t confident.”

“Keke… Is that so?”

Ironically, the Emperor seemed to like Karrl’s attitude.

Karrl had never served Tyran Shutean directly, but he was confident that he knew the Emperor better than anyone else here.

Perhaps even more than his sons.

‘Father was always a greedy man who chased after strength. Of course, that desire twisted at some point and he even turned his sword against his children… Sometimes, seeing you reminds me of Father, Karrl.’

Karrl recalled what Olyvern had said.

Whenever he drank, he would often tell Karrl stories about the Emperor in his drunkenness.

From how the Emperor killed his mother to a trivial confession about why he killed the Third Prince.

Olyvern would say as a habit.

‘The one Father cherished the most wasn’t me or Ruon, but the Third Prince, Kroman.’

Simply,

Karrl thought it was just something he said out of habit.

But thinking about it now, it’s strange.

‘To die in the same way the Emperor died. Olyvern, what exactly are you…’

Whether he chose it simply because it was the perfect method of murder or whether it was a son’s jealousy of a brother who was as twisted as the Emperor, the truth is unknown.

But sometimes, when he learned facts he didn’t know in his previous life in this way, there were times when he was startled.

Nar Di Maug and Olyvern.

The deep questions about the two people who were with him at the end of his previous life only grew deeper after his regression.

Karrl slowly raised his head.

“But I need a place. A place with tools to make it stably.”

“Where is that?”

Karrl finally spoke the final destination of his long and arduous plan.

“The Imperial Palace.”

* * *

Kwell McGovern doubted whether the boy in front of him was really his adopted son, Karrl.

No,

He knew, but he might have wanted to deny it.

He couldn’t see his face because he was wearing a mask, and the only thing he could confirm was the token he had given to Karrl.

“You are one of the few people who know about my health. And I told you because I knew you were someone who would never divulge secrets.”

“I am sorry.”

“This matter is only known to you and Lord Yurin among the nobles of the Empire, except for the Four Dukes.”

Karrl thought at the Emperor’s words.

‘As expected… He didn’t give me a title back then, he was already a noble. It means that the Emperor’s close aides are dispatched to the Order no less than Wooden Cloud… Are the Three Kingdoms also doing something? The real Order is already a battlefield.’

Whether he knew his thoughts or not, the Emperor continued to speak.

“This child has done a great job. He obtained the Flame Grass [Serrated Thorns] from the Fire Dragon’s lair and offered it to me. Something that even the Empire’s exploration teams over the years couldn’t find.”

“……?!”

Kwell looked at Karrl with a bewildered expression.

“Thanks to that, my body has improved a lot. Enough to take care of state affairs.”

The Emperor’s following words were shocking.

It had already been several years since the Emperor had delegated state affairs to the dukes, including the Prime Minister.

And the dukes who knew of his illness had become convinced that he would soon inherit the throne after the Emperor left for the Order.

That’s why the ministers each took the side of the prince they supported.

Kwell was the same.

But…….

‘His Majesty is taking care of state affairs again…….’

He didn’t even know whether he should be happy or sad as a subject.

“Kwell McGovern.”

“Yes… Your Majesty.”

“The only reason I called you is this. I will summon all the ministers soon. I want you to be by my side then.”

The Emperor’s proposal was surprising.

This was because the Gold Knights, led by Belin Valention, the commander of the Empire’s 7th Knights, existed as the Emperor’s direct Imperial Guard.

‘Lord Belin is one of the Four Dukes who lead the Empire. For me to take the place of such a person means…….’

Kwell, who had thick bones on the battlefield, immediately noticed what the Emperor wanted.

‘Is he trying to make me and Lord Belin enemies of each other.’

The Emperor would naturally know that he was an Olyvern faction. Nevertheless, the fact that the Emperor would place him next to the throne meant that the Emperor himself had chosen Kwell McGovern over Belin Valention.

That’s.

It also meant that it could be an opportunity to distance him from Olyvern.

“…….”

Kwell looked at Karrl standing there.

‘Could it be…… Did you do this too, Karrl.’

There were too many things he wanted to ask. It was too sudden a situation to accept and understand everything.

‘What on earth have you been doing…….’

How did the child who had disappeared from the mansion as if running away end up standing next to the Emperor as if to show off?

Squeeze-

Kwell clenched his fist tightly and said.

“……I will obey your command.”

“Yes, you can go back. I think I need to rest a little now.”

With those words, the Emperor waved his hand and lay back on the bed.

Koo-oong-

The door to the bedchamber closed, and the Emperor asked in a low voice.

“Is this enough? To be honest, I can’t help but be surprised by your proposal. To come into the Imperial Palace without a care in the world under the plausible excuse of using the Empire’s workshop to make medicine, and this is what you want.”

Karrl had given the Emperor a detoxifying agent made from Serrated Thorns in Heim and made a proposal.

To put Kwell in Belin’s place.

At first, the Emperor asked back as if he couldn’t understand his words. Only the Imperial Guard could protect the Emperor’s throne.

Kwell’s Blue Knights were strong, but they were border guards, not the Imperial Guard.

“I knew when Your Majesty came to the Order. Lord Belin, who is taking a neutral stance, has already made up his mind. Maybe…… It’s Prince Ruon’s side.”

“Hmm.”

Tyran Shutean slowly nodded.

Karrl noticed that there were no high-ranking knights among the Imperial Knights when he came to the Order for treatment.

No matter how top secret it was, it was the Emperor of the Empire who was moving.

The fact that Belin didn’t step forward himself meant that he had chosen the next step.

“In order for Your Majesty to regain the throne, the most important thing is to make the power of the two princes equal. Now that the Lyeo Knights have disappeared, Prince Olyvern’s power is certainly lagging behind Prince Ruon.”

“You’re saying to put Kwell in his place instead of Belin, who left me, to give weight to Olyvern and check Ruon.”

The Emperor said with a bitter smile.

“It’s become a ridiculous sight.”

“I am sorry.”

The Emperor, who used to command the Empire, now had to read the faces of his children and look for an opportunity to recover.

‘That’s not the only reason. The reason Father has to be by the Emperor’s side is…….’

Karrl looked at the door that Kwell had left through a moment ago and thought.

‘Because that’s the way to save Father.’

Then, slowly bowing his head, Karrl paid his respects to the Emperor.

‘What I have to do in the Empire is enough. I just hope I don’t run into the princes until I go back. The rest will be taken care of by the Emperor.’

Even if he had lost power due to illness, Tyran Shutean was Tyran Shutean.

There was no way he would easily lose to his children, who were not even twenty years old yet.

* * *

“Really…… Is it Karrl.”

As Karrl came out of the Emperor’s bedchamber, a voice was heard as if he had been waiting.

“…….”

Karrl could tell who he was without looking.

It was the same reunion of father and son, but the atmosphere was completely different from when he met Tiren.

Kwell asked in a low voice.

“You’re covering your face.”

“My father knows the reason better.”

“……Really.”

He asked again.

“Okay. I won’t ask what happened. But I need to know what you’re trying to do.”

A murderous aura was felt that made his skin tingle.

The majesty of a Sword Master [a master swordsman].

‘Even if it’s me, it’s still impossible to beat Father.’

Now that he had broken through the wall of the 5th class, it was no exaggeration to say that Karrl had also reached the realm of Sword Master.

But he instinctively realized.

That the difference between him and Kwell McGovern was still clear.

‘Now that I’ve gained magic power, I’m realizing how great Father’s realm is…….’

But he’s not afraid.

He had surpassed Kwell McGovern’s realm at the age of eighteen with pure swordsmanship alone without magic power.

He was only thirteen years old now.

But he had already reached the same realm of Sword Master as Kwell.

‘One year from now…….’

Time is on his side.

He was confident that he would surpass Kwell McGovern’s realm before the oracle was given.

“That’s the end of what His Majesty said. By chance, I looked after His Majesty’s condition at the Order…… and I learned about a way to treat His Majesty in the black market of Tatur. However, it was so top secret that I couldn’t borrow the power of the Empire.”

“…….”

“That’s why you hired me. A third party who wouldn’t be harmed even if it failed.”

“Why you?”

Karrl slightly raised the corners of his lips.

But Kwell couldn’t see it because he was wearing a mask.

“Because I am the owner of Tatur.”

“……!!!”

Kwell’s eyes widened as if they would pop out at that one word.

He couldn’t help but be surprised.

No, it should be said that it was close to shock.

“……You surprise me so many times. Even if they are nobles, there are many who die without being able to enter politics even if they are resurrected, but you…….”

Kwell closed his mouth, trying to say ‘even though you are a foreigner, you are here’.

Besides, what kind of country is Tatur?

It was a place that none of the three major powers of the continent could touch.

But he was saying that he had done something that even the Empire couldn’t do in this short amount of time.

One year ago.

Karrl McGovern, who was just a child who left the mansion alone.

“…….”

He couldn’t figure it out at all.

Kwell felt that his adopted son, who had always seemed so young, had grown so much.

But this was not the end.

‘I had no choice but to reveal my identity in order to put Father on the Emperor’s side, but given Father’s personality, he will definitely become an obstacle to my plans in the future if things continue like this.’

He had to make him take his eyes off him.

He had to keep pushing Kwell.

That’s why Karrl took out the last card he had prepared. Perhaps this was the biggest reason he came to the Empire.

“Randall.”

Kwell swallowed dry saliva without realizing it when he heard that name.

Karrl said in a low voice.

“He’s alive.”