Chapter 77
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 77
"Lian, if a moment comes when your life is in danger, you must flee without hesitation."
It was not something I should say to a knight participating in combat, yet it was entirely appropriate to say to the still-young Lian.
"Pardon? What do you mean, sir?"
"You are still young. So you need not strain yourself."
"Are you... telling me to become a coward?"
Lian's expression hardened as he answered.
It was a look I had scarcely seen from this boy in all this time.
"That is not what I mean. But I wish for you to survive, no matter what."
Even if the three Duke Families united their strength in this subjugation, it was impossible to shed not a single drop of blood.
That meant someone would inevitably fall.
And I was far too selfish in hoping they would not be my people.
"Cherish your life. Your life belongs not only to yourself. Do you understand?"
"...Yes, I understand."
"Then that is settled. And I am always grateful for your heart."
I reached up and ruffled his hair, which now required me to stretch my arm fully to touch.
"Let us go."
"Yes."
We departed the Campsite and headed toward the Northern Border.
And several hours later, we finally arrived at our destination.
* * *
Ager Castle, situated at the Northern Border, was a massive defensive fortress constructed to protect the North.
Knights were stationed throughout the towering, thick walls that connected the edges of the steep cliffs on both sides, prepared against monster incursions.
Moreover, a wide and deep river flowed directly before the castle walls, making it a fortress that no one could easily assault.
As the Monster Subjugation Force from the Capital entered the castle, those who had come to greet them filled the interior.
Among them were approximately seventy thousand knights who had already departed from various parts of the Empire to join the monster subjugation.
"Huzzah! The Crown Prince has finally arrived!"
"Long live the Crown Prince!"
"Long live Balteus!"
The castle's inhabitants welcomed the subjugation force with bright voices, who had come to protect them.
At that moment, Felix Ager, the lord of Ager Castle, approached the Crown Prince and the subjugation force.
"I humbly greet the radiant little sun of Balteus and the noble Ediel Winston Balteus Crown Prince."
The castle lord knelt on one knee with a booming voice and offered respectful greetings to the Crown Prince.
Thereupon, all the knights present and the castle's inhabitants simultaneously knelt before the Crown Prince.
"Rise, all of you."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The castle lord, having risen at the Crown Prince's words, exchanged greetings with the nobles, including Belita, Aiden, and Cain Maxius behind him.
"This way, Your Highness."
The castle lord guided the Crown Prince and several nobles inside.
"What is the current situation?"
The Crown Prince asked the castle lord as he walked into the castle.
"There were several small-scale battles until four days ago. Since then, it has remained quiet until now."
They entered the command center, which was filled with maps of inside and outside the castle and various supplies necessary for operations.
The Crown Prince, the castle lord, and several nobles then sat around a table.
"Castle lord, explain."
"Yes, understood, Your Highness."
At the Crown Prince's command, the castle lord began pointing to the map and explaining the war's progress in detail.
"Various monsters inhabit the Northern Border, and among them, the Hagus are the most numerous. This invasion is also their doing."
"Hagus?"
"Yes, Hagus are monsters with human form, with horns on their heads, and their size is typically about 1.5 times that of an ordinary human. Their entire skin is red as if bleeding. The ones we must be most cautious about are those with large horns."
"The size of their horns?"
"Yes, the larger the horns, the stronger they are."
"How much stronger?"
"We do not yet know how large they can become. Typically, those with horns as large as their own head lead the entire group."
Upon hearing the castle lord's words, Belita felt genuine curiosity arise.
'Head-sized horns? At that size, could the neck even support it? Wouldn't the neck break?'
Then again, monsters were entirely different beings from humans, so it was unreasonable to judge them by human standards.
"Then no leader-class monster has appeared yet?"
"That is correct. And Hagus primarily attack using poison and brute force. Their bodily fluids contain deadly venom—if bitten, the limbs stiffen immediately, and within minutes, the heart hardens and death ensues."
"If poison, then is there an antidote?"
"No, there isn't."
The Castle Lord shook his head with a regretful tone as he answered.
"Furthermore, Hagus possesses exceptional regenerative abilities. Since all of Hagus's power is said to originate from its horns, I suspect both the poison and regenerative capacity stem from them."
"Then the larger the horns, the stronger both the regeneration and toxicity would be."
"Precisely. That is why when dealing with Hagus, one must either extract its horns or sever its neck cleanly. Minor wounds heal instantly, rendering such injuries futile."
"Then ordinary Knights would need to engage in close combat, which means an antidote would be absolutely essential to eliminate all of them."
"However, since the Empire's founding, there have been numerous attempts to create an antidote, yet none have ever succeeded. This is why the Empire has suffered considerable losses with each Hagus subjugation."
"Hmm...."
The Crown Prince fell into thought for a moment.
All the nobles in the command center waited silently for the Crown Prince to speak.
After a brief pause, the Crown Prince opened his mouth again.
"I understand. Everyone must be exhausted from the journey here, so let us conclude for today."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Ah, House of Maxius, remain a moment."
"Yes, understood."
The Crown Prince dismissed everyone except Cain Maxius.
Everyone except Cain left the chamber.
"House of Maxius."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Can you create an antidote?"
The Crown Prince asked Cain Maxius about the feasibility of producing an antidote.
Cain Maxius was the head of House of Water.
House of Water possessed exceptional aptitude in detoxification.
There was no one in this Empire more skilled in antidotes than those of the Maxius Family.
Yet despite the Maxius Family's generations of existence, no antidote for Hagus poison had ever been created.
Thus, this endeavor leaned far more toward despair than hope.
However, Cain had someone he needed to protect.
He had come to this place, which he need not have, for her sake.
Losing her was something he could never allow.
"I will do my utmost."
Cain answered with solemn resolve.
"Excellent. I shall provide all necessary materials, supplies, and personnel. Devote all your efforts to creating the antidote by any means necessary."
"Understood, Your Highness."
"You must also be exhausted from the journey. Go and rest."
"Then I shall take my leave."
Cain Maxius exited the command center.
He harbored a fleeting hope that perhaps Belita might be waiting for him, but as expected, no one stood outside.
Still, his circumstances were not unfavorable these days.
Belita appeared to have thoroughly severed her ties with the members of House Byon.
He suspected this was likely due to the Carriage incident.
All circumstances of the carriage incident pointed to Belita, and foolishly, House Byon was clearly suspicious of her.
'The princess couldn't possibly do such a thing.'
Of course, in the past, she had sometimes taken extreme actions to win his heart.
But now she was completely different.
Belita no longer saw me as she once had.
Though I wished to deny it, she made it painfully clear that her heart had turned away from me.
Therefore, she had no reason whatsoever to threaten Adela.
Cain Maxius found this both regrettable and bitter.
'The carriage incident....'
Who was trying to pin this on Belita?
Who could it possibly be....
I couldn't be completely certain yet, but there was someone I suspected.
However, it was premature to make accusations, so I held my tongue.
Besides, the situation of Belita being blamed as the culprit wasn't entirely unfavorable.
Even if everyone else pointed fingers at her, as long as I believed in her, as long as I loved her, it didn't matter.
If this incident caused a complete rift between me and House Byon, there could be no better circumstance for me.
Yes, the gods had always been on my side.
An opportunity had come to reclaim her heart once more.
And I could never let that opportunity slip away.
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