Chapter 340
My Villains Episode 340
58. reunion(9)
“Lord Phoenix, my knight..”
Ulkar took off his helmet, revealing his iconic silver hair, deep blue eyes, and handsome face..
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah, it's been a while..”
He came toward me with his arms wide open and hugged me by the shoulders..
“I heard a lot of news about you from afar. It's rare that I'm not happy about anything.”
“haha
Looking over Ulkar's shoulder with an awkward expression, I saw that four people who could be called his closest associates were following him. They were the mighty Sir Ancir, the sorceress Lymond, and Sir Hylterre and Sir Gisella..
Since I knew the previous two people, I gave them a quick glance, and Prince Ulkar patted me on the back a couple of times and then turned to the people next to me..
“Theodora. My proud niece was here too..”
“ out of home.”
When Theodora expressed her respect by placing her hand on her heart, Ulkar nodded with gentle eyes. Then, when I saw my nephew looking a little sour, I tilted my head..
“There's a shadow on your face. Has anything happened in the meantime??”
“yes? No, I……
“……No, it's done. I understand without you having to say it.”
As the princess's light green eyes wavered, the prince continued speaking in a serious tone..
“I heard the saint's story.”
“••••••ah.”
“I may not be able to fathom the pain you have experienced, but please do not give your will to despair. In times like these, shouldn’t we be more determined and lead the believers?.”
Theodora, who had a blank expression for a moment, soon nodded with calm eyes..
“Don't worry. Because now my heart is stronger than ever.”
“Is that so? Good thing.”
With a faint smile, Ulkar looked back at Atalanta..
“It was really amazing. I guess I haven't been able to properly assess your skills until now..”
“……Your Majesty, it is.”
“Oh, I don't mean to reprimand you..”
The prince waved his hand lightly as if to reassure her..
“Isn’t it a well-known fact that the power of vision is determined by the mind? I heard that it is natural for power to vary depending on the time..”
“That's right, Your Highness.”
“but… … There must be a reason why its power reached its peak only today..”
“yes?”
“You showed off six purple spears that are usually not visible at all. Who on earth was the person who cheered you up that much??”
In response to the question mixed with mischief or playfulness, Atalanta, who had hardened her complexion for a moment, smiled as if she had relaxed..
“I guess I got a little excited after meeting the lover I was dreaming of..”
“The lover I dreamed of.”
Ulkar looked back at me with a cheerful expression..
“The fire witch, Miss Ellen, has returned to La-Palais Palace, right? I was quite saddened to hear the news, but now it seems like everyone else was a passer-by..”
“ah… … haha.”
Ambiguous situation. As he was scratching his head with a half-hearted laugh, the prince's eyes soon fell on Hayla, who was standing in a corner..
“……The beautiful lady over here.”
Just as I was about to introduce myself, Hayla took a step forward..
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. This is Hayla, Poynix's fiancée..”
“Heyla... … . You?”
A look passed through the prince's navy blue eyes. He just nodded without saying a word. It was an expression that was difficult to read..
“……Having a fiancee and a lover?.
You're quite resourceful, Lord Phoenix.?”
It was a time when I was quietly scratching my eyebrows and looking for something to talk about..
“majesty.”
The person who saved me was a middle-aged man who appeared from nowhere..
“Let me check your arm..”
“Oh my, Master Madaz..”
The wizard, who showed off his faint presence as if he were a ghost, approached and grabbed Ulkar's left arm. The prince tried to dissuade him, but then smiled bitterly and gave up his arm..
When I looked again, I saw that the middle-aged man was wearing a black robe and a monocle with multiple thick lenses. With his calm dark green eyes, he was a man who exuded the air of a scholar..
“Your Majesty, this person……
“Oh, my name is Master Madaz. I am grateful to the wizard who gave me these wonderful arms..”
“okay……
Even though he was introducing himself, the wizard named Madaz didn't even look in this direction..
“But, haven’t you received treatment yet? I heard that if you leave it as is for too long, it will become difficult to regenerate..”
Prince Ulkar smiled bitterly, entrusting his arm to the scholar-style wizard..
“Well, I know that too... … . The situation is that military funds are already insufficient. You can't spend money on useless things..”
“It's useless, Your Majesty..”
It wasn't me who came out looking angry, but it was Gisela Winged, the 'Knight of the Birdhawk' who was standing behind..
“Your Majesty is a descendant of sacred lineage. It is absurd that such a person would spare the gold and silver needed to restore his body..”
“Yes, you are absolutely right. But what can you do? I'm a natural shoemaker.”
“majesty.”
As Gisella sighed, Ulkar just shrugged his shoulders with a smile on his face..
Meanwhile, Master Madaz took out a hook-like tool from his pocket and dismantled the silver-glittering prosthetic hand..
Crash.
He opened the top of the prosthetic hand wide, took out a small brush, cleaned the inside, and replaced several thin tubes..
The hand movements were so dexterous that it took less than three minutes to complete the series of steps and assemble the prosthetic hand..
“Is there a problem??”
“I don't know.”
Madaz answered curtly and glanced at Ulkar's prosthetic hand as he put away his tools..
“However, since Your Majesty has drawn that ignorant bow so many times, there is a good chance that trouble will arise..”
Ulkar looked down at his prosthetic hand with a shocked expression. Gurgling - With a soft sound, the metal joints moved like those of a human..
“……Well, I don't think there's anything strange about it..”
“It looks like that. I'll take a closer look as soon as I get out of this dust pit..”
“Okay, please… … . Oh, I heard that Master Madaz also had a special relationship with Lord Phoenix.?”
I opened my eyes wide at those unexpected words..
“Are you related? Am I with this wizard??”
“exactly. Master Madaz is a wizard belonging to the Rao clan..”
“……Lao family?”
The Lao family is considered one of the three most famous magical families in the kingdom, along with the La-Palais Palace and the House of Ming. Earth magic using rune fragments is famous, but the family is also famous for making golems..
Yeah, now that I think about it, I had a relationship with the wizards of the Rao family..
“……Do you know the siblings Siren and Ethan??”
“Of course.”
Master Madaz nodded, gathering his tools in his chest..
“Because they are my children.”
“yes?”
Surprised or not by the unexpected answer, he kept glancing in my direction but continued talking without making eye contact until the end..
“I have heard that my children have been indebted to me several times, but I will never express my gratitude any other way. I don't know about Ethan, but Siren would definitely have paid the price..”
“……uh.”
“However, if you want, I will make a deal. If there are any reagents or materials you need, give them to me at a reasonable price..”
And Madaz turned around and left. He had an extremely cool attitude, as if he had finished what he had to say..
He's a very funny guy.
Prince Ulkar must have read my expression and smiled bitterly..
“Please do not misunderstand Master Madaz. It is true that he is a bit eccentric as a wizard who has devoted his entire life to research, but he is not a mean person. ”
“Hmm, I see..”
Whatever his mentality, he never imagined that he would meet Shiren and Ethan's father here. Because the world is so small.
But wait a minute. You said that Siren and Ethan are the nephews of the head of the Rao family. So that means that guy is the brother of the head of the Rao family, and he's a pretty high level magician.…….
“……Why is such a wizard here? uh
How did you get me into it??”
“that… … Well, there are complicated circumstances. It's not that important.”
The prince hesitated and put his arm around my shoulder and looked around..
“It's been a while since I'd like to catch up with my article, but I'll give you some time.?”
In response to that order, the prince's associates as well as my companions obediently retreated..
For some reason, only one person, Gisela, was watching me with a wary look in her eyes. But Ulkar said, 'Sir Gisella?' When I told him in a soft voice, he immediately backed away..
Indeed. Even his earlobes blush just because his name was called by his lord once. Showing your emotions openly like that is a talent..
It's been less than two hours since I met Gisela, but I think I can bet ten gold pieces that she is plotting with Ulkar..
“Oh, Lord Gisella also has a connection with Lord Phoenix. “I forgot.” "yes? “What do you mean?” “Her aunt is Lord Esselda. The best prosecutor in the Marva region..”
“……Yeah? Sir Gisella is his niece.?”
Esselda Horton.
A middle-aged female knight commonly called 'Beautiful' Esselda, she was a superb swordsman who freely wielded the two-handed sword 'Lily'..
He was a renowned knight and vassal of the Count Mullin family, so he dueled with me on behalf of his master, Doyle. I still vividly remember having a hard time because I couldn't use blood magic..
“It was Sir Esselda who raised Sir Gisella to be a knight. I worked as a servant under her..”
“ aha••••••
Perhaps Gisella's wariness was a result of my defeat of Sir Esselda..
I, too, have made all kinds of connections while traveling halfway across the kingdom..
“By the way, I don't know if I interrupted your rest for no reason. You must be quite tired after going through a commotion in the middle of the night..”
“No, it's okay. Anyway, the atmosphere was a bit chaotic so it was difficult to rest..”
“If so, you're lucky. I'll take a walk?”
Ulkar led me up a gentle hill. He walked slowly and looked down at the soldiers who were busy clearing the battlefield..
“As I said before, I have heard a lot about you..”
What kind of story did you hear? My doubts were quickly answered.
“At Longville, at Modos, at Seteniora. The Lord always drew his sword for the weak..”
“……Well, that's it. It’s not ‘always’..”
“I'm even happier when you say that..”
“yes?”
Unlike my frown, the prince had a gentle smile on his lips..
“In the middle of summer, the Lord was knighted in the square of South Harbour. It's probably the best thing I've done in years..”
“……uh." It was difficult to look into those sparkling eyes..
If Ulkar knew everything I did during my last trip, would Ulkar say the same thing then??
Perhaps because he thought I was burdensome, the prince naturally changed the subject..
“It may have been sudden for the reinforcements, including Gyeong, but it was a fairly decisive battle..”
“……Um, is that right??”
“then. We have restored stability to the rear. It is absolutely not fun to have thousands of cavalry ravaging a territory while targeting the frontier from the inside. Now, if we just clean up the remnants of the Bloodmane mercenaries, we can focus on the enemy in front of us..”
“well. Aren't there some who come over to the sea again??”
“It's okay now. Soon the steel fleet will come from the Southern Shore.”
“A steel fleet.?”
Ulkar nodded, repeatedly squeezing and unfolding his prosthetic hand..
“I heard you met Lord Langbolt and Sir Ariad at Longville a few months ago. “Do you remember?” "yes? ah… … . Their mission was to borrow the Steel Fleet from the Southern Shore..”
“That's right. Sir Langbolt was the second son of Earl Lytton, so he thought he could get reinforcements if he explained the situation well..”
“Looks like that worked..”
“exactly. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of pirates from the East at that time, we were stranded for a while. However, it is said that he succeeded in the end and is returning with a steel fleet..”
In the dark, we walked slowly, using the lights of the campground as illumination. Ulkar's expression was not very bright while talking about reinforcements..
“The first time I requested the Steel Fleet was to fight against the Witch of Praise and the fishmen. But now we have to deal with Mittergeland..”
“How did the adari fit so well?.”
“…… Yes, as you said, the anglerfish fit together well. But I couldn't just be happy in a situation where enemies constantly appeared..”
Long silver hair blew in the cool breeze mixed with the smell of coal. Ulkar ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in the breeze..
“Tough times, Lord Phoenics. Mysteries that were rare before arise frequently, and feudal lords and great families each pursue their own agenda. No matter how much I pray and ask for wisdom, I cannot see one inch ahead..”
Ulkar looked around quietly..
“It's dark.”
What does he want? What do you want me to say?.
Don't worry because I'm by your side, or if you're a prince, you can overcome any adversity. Well, is that what you want to say??
I scratched my eyebrows and opened my mouth..
“The sun will rise soon.”
“••••••the sun?”
Ulkar looked up at the sky..
In fact, the sun had already risen. It was just that there were clouds full of snow all around..
I sniffed, remembering a story I once heard from Utequai..
“There is a dry smell in the wind. The clouds will clear soon.”
“exactly?" "yes.”
We stood tall on a hill and looked up at the eastern sky..
How many minutes had passed since we stood like that in silence? The clouds that had been wiggling together began to disperse in the wind..
“……uh.”
Unlike me, who was taken aback by what I was saying randomly, Ulkar was looking up at the sky blankly..
And finally, the sun appeared.
The sky was still full of snow clouds. It was still midwinter, and it was the border between dawn and morning. So the sunlight could not melt the ground full of blood, ashes and snow.
However, only the areas exposed to sunlight became warm. The soldiers who were dragging horses and human corpses raised their heads and narrowed their eyes in the dazzling sunlight..
“……The sun is rising. The clouds are clearing.”
The sunlight, which was slowly expanding its territory, came to a halt halfway up the hill..
I wish it could expand the area a little more to illuminate the area where we were standing, but the clouds were persistent and blocked the sun..
After being silent for a moment, Ulkar slowly moved his feet..
Down the hill, into the warm sun.
He took a deep breath, feeling the warmth on his face, and looked back at me. And smiled brightly.
“I'll have breakfast with you?”
“……yes. That's right, Your Majesty..”
I smiled as if imitating him..
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