Chapter 395
My Villains Episode 395
63. The Silver Prince's Knights(2)
Seeing the old man dragged into the tent, the nobles of the empire all frowned. So did the Duke of Avilambus..
““It’s terrible.” That was an apt summary. The little old man was unarmed and wearing only quilted clothes, but his entire body was torn, crumpled, and covered with dirt, making him practically a piece of rags..
It wasn't just the clothes..
His eyelids were stained black and blue, his nose was broken, and a few teeth were visible between his torn and swollen lips..
It was a sign of a severe beating..
“……Aren't you overdoing it? This is why I can't even recognize you.”
“We didn't do it, Your Majesty..”
“What? Then no way?”
Captain Buakhan bowed his head as a habit and answered..
“The last few days have been so bad that I couldn't even stand on my feet at first..”
“her. They seem like cruel, ruthless people. They are descendants of northern barbarians..”
In addition to his already miserable appearance, blood and fluid were streaming from the old man's eyes..
“Ugh, maybe I should have covered my eyes.”
“I apologize. I thought it would be helpful to make a decision if I showed you the condition properly.,”
“Well then, just clean up that dirty thing and bring it in..”
“I tried that, but the burn was so severe that the pus didn't seem to stop flowing..”
“burn?”
“The place where the eyeball was dug out was burned with fire..”
“…… It's a wonder I'm still alive. “It’s ugly, so put something on it.” When the duke gave the order, the soldiers who brought the old man to the tent put an eye patch on his eyes. One of the guards used a rag to wipe away the blood from the old man's eyes and cheeks. When the hand touched his body, the old man seemed to be startled and shrank his neck and shoulders..
“……I can't believe it. That's the famous silver prince's viper..”
One of the nobles present muttered absently..
As he said, the one who was brought into the tent was just a shabby and pitiful old man..
It was not easy to think of 'viper' Ariad when looking at that face. That's because Ariad was considered one of Prince Ulkar's closest associates, along with Langbolt the 'Knight of the True Iron', Ankir the 'Giant', and Phoenics the 'Red Knight'..
“Gossein, Darepius.”
Two people came forward when the duke called. The old man wearing a magic robe decorated with thin golden chains was Gossein, and the middle-aged man wearing a purple priest's uniform was Darophios..
The wizard and priest whom Avilambus trusted the most approached the cowering old knight and memorized a spell and a prayer respectively. It was a process of filtering out tricks such as magic or curses..
“It's definitely suspicious..”
The Duke, who caught a glimpse of them, leaned against the backrest and crossed his arms..
“I heard that Ulkar is famous for caring very much for his subordinates, especially his knights. I can't believe he is like that..”
“This is evidence that there is a problem with Prince Eun’s personal life. If he had been fine as you said, I would not have just watched the knight I personally commissioned gouge out his eyes and beat him to death.” “Even if he has a problem with his life, how dare he harm a knight who is favored by his lord?……
Avilambus trailed off like that, then looked back at his subordinates with a look of uncertainty..
“if… … Is he dead??”
“That won't be it.”
Captain Buakhan wiped away the bitter smile that had appeared without realizing it and continued speaking..
“The reason the enemy stands together so tightly against each other is because of Prince Silver, who has both powerful charisma and the reputation for upward mobility. Without him, they are just a collection of serfs from all over the kingdom.” “… … Then, the fact that High Castle didn't fall alone is proof that he's alive..”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
While the Duke clicked his tongue in regret, Captain Buacán continued his explanation..
“That Ariadne is a little different from other knights..”
“If it's different?”
“Most of the Silver Prince's knights came from prestigious noble families, and those who did not all proved themselves through military force..”
“Human butchers like red knights and painters..”
“yes. Hülterre was the son of a fallen nobleman who had been robbed of his title, and Phoenix, despite all the rumors, was merely a mercenary. However, since both of them are so talented and show off their bravery every time on the battlefield, there is no one who would argue about their origins..”
“Adder is different?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When the sorcerer Gossein and the high priest Darophius confirmed that there was no problem and withdrew, the soldiers made the blind old knight kneel in front of the table..
“Ariad the Adder led the serfs in an uprising, but was defeated by Ulkar and became his subordinate..”
“the author?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The duke blinked his eyes at the old knight as if surprised, but then nodded..
“…… Ah, yes. I think I've heard it before. I told you that one of its commanders was from the Uprising Army. I didn't know it was a living warrior.”
“This is not a well-known fact. This is because Ulkar considered him a confidant, so no one made a fuss about him..”
“Hmm.”
“Origin is a problem, but the viper's military power is also poor. Of course, he is the weakest among the seven knights of Prince Silver, and even if you count all the knights that came after him, there is no one weaker than him..”
“I see what you mean. Although he was favored by Ulkar, he lost the trust of his colleagues, isn't it??”
“Exactly, Your Majesty..”
Avilambus moistened his lips without realizing it, as if he was slowly gaining an appetite. But he still hadn't unwrapped his arms..
“Are you sure that that old man is Ariad the viper??”
“Cross- verification was completed through Sejak, the Jubo merchant, and the prisoners, and Viscount Propesan and his vassals, who had previously met Ulcar in person, and Jepher, who had performed an envoy mission, also confirmed it..”
Captain Bua Khan, who poured out his words as if he had prepared them in advance, added in a firm tone:.
“He's right. It's a viper.”
“……If that's the case, then it must be like that. That's something?”
The duke pointed to a man standing a few steps behind the blind old man..
“Ariad's seed.”
“satellite? Ah, that young guy who carried him.?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He was tightly bound, a young man who appeared to be in his mid-teens. He had a skinny body and was tall, so he looked like a scarecrow, and his white hooked nose and sharp eyes made him look very fierce..
“As you can see, Ariad is not in a state where he can have a normal conversation, so most of the interrogation was done through that squire..”
“Is that so??”
“yes. Would you like to hear it for yourself??”
As the duke nodded slowly, Captain Buakhan looked back..
“acer.”
At Captain Buakhan's call, the young squire twitched his chin and responded..
“yes, yes……
“Who made your master like that??”
When Captain Buakan asked in slightly awkward Milanese, the squire could not hide his nervousness. In the meantime, the answer was given in no time as if the question had already been expected..
““The prince’s—no, Ulkar’s knights.” “Why do they?”
“In just one week, assassins entered Ulkar's residence twice. The border has been completely broken..”
“Is this the work of witch hunters?.”
The Duke snorted and spoke fluent Milanese..
“I thought he failed and ran away, but it looks like he did something of his own..”
The squire looked sideways at Captain Buakan, as if confused about whether he should answer, and continued speaking only after confirming the gesture with his hand to continue explaining..
“Ulkar passed it off as if it was no big deal, but without anyone knowing, he became addicted and collapsed..”
“Addiction? That can't be possible.”
“you're right. He developed a resistance to poison from a very young age, so he is immune to anything other than the most lethal poison.-”
“If anyone heard this, they would think he was trained as an assassin. I just received this threat of poisoning as if I was eating a meal, right??”
“uh……
When Acer hesitated, the duke chuckled and sneered, then made the same hand gesture as his subordinate had made..
“And he was accidentally hit by an arrow on the battlefield. While his body was weakened like that, the deadly poison that the assassin had poisoned him later spread and he collapsed..”
“Is that possible??”
When Avilambus asked for advice, the wizard Gossein, who was also an excellent alchemist, said that it was not impossible..
“Among poison arts, you can fool the priest by using a secret method using bacteria or parasites. It's not a poison that anyone can make, but……
“He might have been able to do it..”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
What both the duke and the mage came to mind at the same time was the leader of the witch-hunting group's assassins..
A man who introduced himself as a ‘master of the sword’ even though he was not officially recognized as a ‘master of the sword’ by the emperor..
Although he did not reveal what that meant, his skills as an assassin were clear. Of course, after boasting that he would take the head of the Silver Prince, he quickly disappeared..
“Ulkar escaped death after being treated by priests, but he is still unable to come to his senses. That was until I ran away with the Master..”
While the servant was sweating and explaining, the old knight kneeling in front of the table said nothing..
It seemed like the pitiful silence of an abandoned old man, so the duke wiggled his eyebrows as if confused..
“As soon as the prince fell, the knights placed all the blame on their master..”
“If it was covered up, who is originally responsible??”
“Yes, it's Lyam, Phoenix and Gisella.……
As he mentioned the names of the three knights, Acer ground his teeth in exasperation..
“Lyam the Arrogant is in charge of guarding the entire city, and Phoenix the Mad Ox is the commander of the garrison of the inner city where the prince - no, Ulkar - stays..”
“Are you the commander of the castle’s defense? Doesn’t the Red Knight lead the cavalry??”
“This guy is as greedy as a pig, so he gets into many fights. “He holds all kinds of important positions and is busy taking care of his dirty subordinates.” The squire gradually raised his voice without realizing it. The speed of speaking has also become faster..
“Do you think that's all? Not only is he interested in money and power, but he also has a fascination with women, and goes around behaving viciously with the intention of preying on all the women left in the city. He really is a crazy guy..”
Because Acer was talking so excitedly, Captain Buakan, who was not good at Milano, could only understand a few words. He only vaguely understood the context and shut up..
“It's like intelligence..”
“I see..”
The Duke nodded his head roughly and was already concentrating heavily on what the squire was saying..
“Besides those two, Gisela the falconer is also responsible. Ulkar's hand signal A bitch named Wi acts like a 16-year-old girl in unrequited love, and frequently stabs the soldiers... … . Anyway, if the assassin heard it, then of course those three are responsible. That's how it should be-”
He couldn't finish his sentence and gritted his teeth. And then I began to shed tears filled with anger and sadness..
“Those fucking idiots... … I overwrote everything on my master. You bastards, they said it was the Master who set up the basic goals of the defense plan in the first place, and passed the blame on to the assassins. They even suspected that I was in collusion with the enemy..”
Avilambus, who was listening with great concentration even though more than half of the story was swearing and sobbing, understood Acer's words perfectly and even explained them to the nobles present..
“You understand it all……
“You are truly amazing, Your Majesty..”
Amidst pure admiration from some and deliberate flattery from most, Avilam Bus covered his smile with a mustache and shrugged his shoulders..
“There is a saying in the Eastern Continent that you can win if you know your enemy like yourself. Isn’t it a natural skill for someone in charge of change to know the enemy’s language?.”
“indeed. I now understand why the subjects of the Empire refer to His Highness as the Guardian God of the East..”
“Hmm, did you finally realize that??”
Noticing that Duke Avilambus was trying hard to hide his satisfaction, Captain Buacán cautiously intervened..
“We found out how the viper Ariad ended up like that through the seeds, but unfortunately we were unable to find out the key information..”
“why?”
“Because I insisted that I would never open my mouth unless I was face to face with His Majesty.……
“okay?”
The duke, who was leaning his majestic body against the backrest, tapped the armrest and said:.
“Well then, I will personally interrogate you. Is there a problem, Sir ‘Salmu’ Ariad??”
“……No problem, Your Majesty..”
The old knight, who had been silent all along, slowly opened his mouth..
“However, I am still a knight of His Majesty the Three Princes, so please guarantee his safety as well as my life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with destroying High Castle and sweeping the west to advance to the royal capital, but Your Majesty the Three Princes must be embraced by the North.” For a moment there was silence in the tent. Ariad's request wasn't ridiculous..
“……Well, that's a very interesting story..”
It was because he spoke a very strong northern dialect..
The duke leaned forward slightly..
“Let’s take a closer look… … . However, please make your voice a little louder. I can't hear you clearly because of the distance..”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The old knight cleared his throat several times, coughing as if phlegm was boiling..
“Is this enough??”
“Yeah, good. tell me.”
Ariad Barin, who was once called 'the snake's tongue' for his fluency in Milano and Ghelan, as well as the languages of the East and the steppes, told the story while receiving the attention of the empire's nobles..
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