Return of the Unrivaled Spear Knight

Side Story Chapter 265

“Ho-hold on, Fox Master.” Duke Voltaire stammered. “We went through all that trouble to capture the Flame Emperor, and I’m sure he’ll be very useful to us. It’s too early to talk about an execution!”

Capturing someone was a lot more difficult than killing them, especially if the person in question was as powerful as the Flame Emperor. If it hadn't been for Bel's unmeasurable prowess, Swallow wouldn’t have captured the Flame Emperor no matter who they sent—so why would Fox Master suddenly tell them to execute the Flame Emperor!?

“Please reconsider your decision. I understand what you’re trying to achieve, but it could be more harmful than beneficial. The Flame Emperor is a highly respected figure, so his death might unite the people of Thran.”

The Fox Master smiled bitterly as she listened to Voltaire. He and many other nobles of Swallow had come to respect her after witnessing her brilliant abilities as a strategist. However, Voltaire was always the most vocal whenever they had a difference of opinions. In fact, from time to time the Fox Master couldn’t tell if those nobles genuinely respected her or they had been faking it the whole time. That was enough to tell her what they really thought of her.

‘They’ll discard me as soon as they think I’ve outlived my usefulness,’ she bitterly thought.

That was why she had to continuously prove herself, making them reliant on her in every matter.

‘At least until I accomplish my goal…’

“…Do you remember the plan I told you about before?” she slowly said.

“What plan was this?”

“Ah!” Voltaire exclaimed. The plan, as he recalled, was to lure Thran’s forces out using the story of the Flame Emperor’s student risking his life to save his teacher.

“It’s a shame that we don’t have Kireua Sanders, but the Flame Emperor’s execution will still be enough to goad Thran into taking action. He’s their idol, so they wouldn’t sit on their hands and watch him get executed.”

“Hmm…” Voltaire rested his chin on his hand contemplatively. After a moment, he nodded in agreement. “In that case, three days is too short. Let’s make it a week.”

“We shouldn’t give them too much time to think it through. The more time they have, the more thoroughly they’ll prepare.”

“Hmph. That still doesn’t change the fact that they’re beaten. We can take them.”

“That arrogance is the reason why Swallow is struggling with Thran to this day,” the Fox Master coldly admonished.

Voltaire’s eyes smoldered with quiet anger. “…Fox Master, although I know this will sound like an excuse, Swallow would have been the ruler of the continent if the Martial God wasn’t there hat day.”

“Yes, it does sound like an excuse. Nothing is more meaningless than an ‘if’. If I were you, I would talk about your future. They’re both imaginary, but dreaming about the future is a lot more constructive—and has the possibility of actually being true.”

The fire in Voltaire’s eyes turned into an inferno, but the Fox Master paid it no mind.

“There is one more reason we should execute the Flame Emperor. For some reason…” Fox Master trailed off, her gaze distant and enigmatic. “…I feel like this isn’t the last we’ll see of Kireua Sanders.”

Kireua had successfully managed to escape from Swallow’s knights, and Avalon was in a crisis after losing the Sword Emperor. The Fox Master wondered what choice Kireua would make. Would he go back to save Avalon, or would he come to Swallow to save his teacher?

‘Regardless of your choice, you’ll lose someone. What is it going to be, Kireua Sanders?’

* * *

“Mmm…” Kireua grunted quietly.

Startled, Anna looked down at Kireua, whose head was on her delicate thighs.

“Can you hear me?” Anna asked.

“…Where am I?”

“What do you mean, ‘where’? We’re in the Black Monster Forest.”

Kireua blinked several times before he got up.

“Why don’t you rest a little longer? My elemental spirits will alert me right away if any monsters come close.”

“…What happened?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Anna frowned, dusting off her clothes as she stood up. “Hey, I can’t feel my legs.”

“That’s how long I’ve been unconscious?”

“…I couldn’t have asked for a worse answer. You should be asking if I’m okay in a time like this.”

“I’m serious, Anna. Tell me what you know,” Kireua requested, his face dark.

Anna let out a long sigh. “By the time I found you, you were alone and unconscious.”

“Alone? What about Grand Duke Lucifer?”

“Grand Duke Lucifer? What are you talking about? You cut off that lunatic’s head with your sword.”

Kireua realized other people thought that he was the one who had killed Lucifer.

“Forget it.” Kireua shook his head. “And?”

“And… Swallow knights were coming in, so I had to haul ass carrying you— Oh, yeah.” Anna clapped in realization. However, she hesitated for a long time, reluctant to speak her mind.

“…Anna.” Kireua narrowed his eyes.

“A-Alright. Stop pressing me. I just needed to sort out my thoughts first.”

“So?”

“…That girl named Isaac or whatever bought us time.” Anna pouted. “That’s why we were able to get out safely.”

“Isaac did that for us?”

“Who knows what’s going on in that girl’s head? You’d better stay away from her. People like her will betray you at the most important moment. Think about what happened not too long ago,” Anna grumbled.

Just then, both Kireua and Anna's eyes widened. Kireua’s sharpened senses and Anna’s elemental spirits warned them of a mass of people coming toward them.

“…Someone’s coming. A hundred—no, there’s at least two hundred of them.” Kireua frowned.

“Yeah, I noticed too.”

“Let’s take cover first.” Kireua focused on drawing up his mana, but he suddenly paused, eyes wide. “Wait, this is—”

Before Kireua could finish, a group of people emerged from the bushes, led by a pale-faced man that Anna and Kireua knew quite well.

“Sir Cain!”

“Your Highness!” Cain came running toward Kireua as soon as he saw him.

Hundreds of knights followed Cain. When Kireua saw them, he heaved a sigh of relief because they didn’t seem to have taken a lot of damage besides the two hundred knights Lucifer had killed.

“You’re safe! What a relief. What a relief!” Cain exclaimed.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay too, Sir Cain.”

“My apologies for putting you in danger. I really didn’t think a spy was among us…”

Cain’s eyes gleamed dangerously. That spy was not going to keep his head for long if Cain every caught sight of him.

“It’s all in the past. What are our casualties?” Kireua asked.

“They’re very light, but…” Cain trailed off, his expression grim.

“Sir Cain? Did something happen?”

“…Yes, a lot of things happened while we were in Hubalt. The moment we got out of the jamming barrier’s range, we were able to receive messages through our crystal ball…”

Kireua’s eyes narrowed. “Is it bad?”

“…Yes, we have two pieces of tragic news.” Cain hesitated for a long moment, unsure if it was the right to tell Kireua.

“Tell me, please.”

Cain decided that it wasn’t his decision to make, it was Kireua’s, especially if Kireua intended to become the next emperor of Avalon. As his loyal subject Cain’s duty was to relay accurate information so that his lord could make the right choice.

“…The fortress in north Avalon has been conquered, and while trying to protect the fortress… Duke Tremblin was killed.”

The news not only shocked Kireua, Anna covered her mouth in dismay.

“Duke…Tremblin has passed away…?” she mumbled.

“The war will be a lot more difficult from now on. I personally believe we should go back to Arcadia as quickly as possible to help our people.”

Kireua looked Cain in the eyes. “You said that there were two things, yes? What is the other?”

‘I hoped he wouldn’t ask,’ Cain thought bitterly. In the end, all he could do was let out a sigh.“In three days, Ulabis, the Flame Emperor, will be executed in the central plaza of Swallow’s capital.”

Cain watched Kireua carefully, but he couldn’t tell what Kireua was thinking. In fact, Kireua showed no reaction at all, to Cain’s confusion.

‘Is His Highness colder than I thought? Or…’

“What is there to think about?” Anna interrupted, misinterpreting Kireua’s silence. “Your family and home come first, not your teacher. Besides, your moms and your siblings are in Arcadia.”

“…Contact the Magic Tower first, please.”

“Did you say the Magic Tower?”

“No matter where we choose to go, every second counts right now, so pay the Magic Tower whatever they ask for. Using teleportation at the closest spot to the Black Monster Forest is the fastest way to get to our destination,” Kireua explained.

Kireua had a point, but it would cost them billions. Teleportation required a mage with at least six circles, which meant someone of high rank from the Magic Tower.

“I’ll get to it immediately.” Cain nodded.

“It’s true that mercenaries and the Magic Tower tend to profit the most in times of war, but I don’t think the Magic Tower would turn down your request even if it weren’t for that. The Emperor of Avalon and Master of the Magic Tower are very close, after all,” Anna said with a shrug.

Then she posed the question that everyone wanted to ask:

“So what is our destination?”