Chapter 135 – Chapter 24: Torrent

Humans were weak.

If one looked at them, one would see there were many missing parts.

The gandharva and elves were beautiful and had long lives. The sura and draconians were powerful, while the ogres had superhuman strength. As for the lycanthropes and orcs—they were unmatched in toughness.

On the other hand, humans didn’t have any of that.

They didn’t have long lives like many species in the Demon World. Their innate bodies were fragile, and no matter how strong they were, it was impossible for them to cope with an ogre. Humans didn’t even have the strength to face an orc, let alone a lycanthrope.

However, half of the world was dominated by humans. Humans were also the species with the largest number of individuals in the world.

They were smarter than orcs and ogres, stronger than elves and boasted a mighty breeding capacity which surpassed the gandarva and the sura.

That wasn’t all.

There were many variants which could appear, and sometimes special existences could be born in the Human World.

An existence that went beyond human limitations… He was the one who shone among the numerous human beings. The pinnacle of humanity—he was a person who was closer to a god than anyone else.

A human sword and shield…

People called him a hero.

&

Five days had passed since In-gong recaptured the fourth base.

They started the reconstruction at the fourth base, which had been partially destroyed by the barbarians. The tasks were to rebuild the collapsed walls and install a new gate.

The materials and supplies which came from Takar were piled up in the base. Evian’s real winter was coming soon, so they had to hurry. If they missed the timing, they might have to stop the reconstruction of the gate.

However, they couldn’t concentrate comfortably on the construction work. Vandal led troops out daily to patrol the limit line. It was hard to imagine the barbarians, who had lost more than 10,000 troops and a barbarian king, would cross the line again, but there was still a chance. The army was a group which existed for this reason.

Kaparang and Alita were working hard, and In-gong had nothing to do because Vandal was in charge of the patrols. However, In-gong didn’t stay idle. He sparred with Caitlin every day and also worked hard to study magic with Felicia. Now was the time for him to become a true magic warrior.

“Don’t talk about this, especially to Prince Silvan.”

“What about Silvan hyung?”

“Do you have to ask?”

In-gong nodded at Carack’s sincere advice and stored the words ‘magic warrior’ in his mind.

Two more days passed. Amita completed Delia’s armour, and the gate was re-installed at the fourth base. As a result of the patrols, Vandal was able to find the barbarians who were in hiding, so he was satisfied.

Nayatra had some achievements as well.

“The results of the interrogation have emerged.”

Nayatra had questioned the barbarian warriors for a week. The barbarian king had already been defeated, but there were still many things he needed to know.

In particular, In-gong considered the transformation of the barbarian king to be noteworthy. How had he united the barbarians without the Dragon King’s Golden Helmet? Additionally, since when had he been able to use the power of War?

General soldiers wouldn’t know this. It was impossible for them to figure out the whole picture. However, there was one person he could learn all of this from:

Paratus, the brother of the barbarian king.

During the battle at Takar, In-gong couldn’t afford capture Paratus. Paratus was strong, and In-gong was exhausted from his battle with the barbarian king.

However, In-gong wasn’t the only one present at Takar. The barbarian king had died, and Vandal’s troops hadn’t missed Paratus as they rushed from behind.

After being captured, Paratus had attempted to escape, commit suicide and then keep his mouth shut in front of Nayatra. In-gong didn’t know what Nayatra had done, but she succeeded in opening Paratus’ mouth.

‘What is her method of interrogation?’

He couldn’t imagine that Nayatra would use cruel torture methods. Was it the enchantment magic of a succubus?

“Your Highness?”

Nayatra asked from in front of In-gong. He flinched with surprise and waved his hands.

“No, it is nothing. Paratus is in the prison?”

“Yes, do you want to meet him?”

In-gong nodded at Nayatra’ question. It seemed Nayatra didn’t want to take In-gong into the prison.

“Are there any problems in the prison?”

The quick Carack asked sharply. Nayatra’s eyes narrowed but because she was in front of In-gong, she corrected her expression and spoke in a calm voice.

“There are no problems in the prison. The state of the captives isn’t bad. Just…”

“Just?”

“That… I am a little embarrassed.”

Nayatra replied with a slightly red face. In-gong could only say one thing in response to her reaction,

“Please.”

“I understand. I will come with you.”

In response, Nayatra took the lead, and In-gong and Carack entered the dungeon behind her.

Unlike the exterior walls, the dungeon was fine. It was an underground facility, so the barbarians hadn’t felt the need to destroy it.

‘Surprisingly clean.’

Although it was underground, it didn’t seem extremely dirty. There were barbarian prisoners hanging from the walls of the prison cells.

“The prisoners only have a meal once every two days. Starving them leads to less trouble.”

Carack spoke in a small voice from his position next to In-gong. Although it was quite inhumane, In-gong didn’t complain. In the first place, this was the Demon World. It was better than torturing them.

“This way.”

Paratus was stuck in solitary confinement. As a big iron door was opened, he saw Paratus sitting on a chair, tied up with chains.

“His spirit is gone.”

Carack said as he saw the blank expression Paratus was making. Nayatra muttered in a small voice,

“I enchanted him with magic. Now, he will answer any of Your Highness’ questions.”

It seemed like she was ashamed of the fact she had bewitched Paratus with enchantment magic. Enchantment magic was a characteristic of the succubus species, so what was so embarrassing about it?

Instead of asking her, In-gong approached Paratus to question him. The replies came straight away just as Nayatra said.

It wasn’t surprising that Paratus knew more than any of the other barbarians.

The barbarian king had been able to unite the barbarians because he had been strong. That was the best answer Paratus could come up with. However, the useful part was the information about War.

“A person came from the south and passed some things onto my brother. They were a very questionable stranger, but my brother admired them.”

They wore a large red cloak over red armour, and it was impossible to tell if they were a male or female. They appeared six months ago. It wasn’t a short period of time, so that person could have moved anywhere in the Demon World by now.

“The stranger left for the north. They didn’t go back to the south.”

This was all Paratus knew. There was no other useful information.

‘A person in red armour.’

It had to be the War Knight, or an Apostle of War like the barbarian king.

However, the most worrisome thing was that the red person had come from the south. Just like the barbarians beyond the Eastern Limit Line, the south was the Human World.

Had the War Knight come from the south? There was a very good chance of that. There was no law that the Four Knights of the Apocalypse had to come out of the Demon World. However, who were they? Would they be a powerhouse of the Human World, perhaps just like Gerard?

In-gong worried about it, but the answer didn’t come out. Then In-gong stopped thinking about that and left the cell.

“Good job.”

He didn’t forget to praise Nayatra, who smiled with red cheeks.

“Thank you.”

She replied gracefully. It was a beautiful smile, and In-gong sensed a gap between the Nayatra of Knight Saga and the Nayatra before him now. The Nayatra of Knight Saga would never smile like she was doing now and was called an ice cold knight. Was it due to the slavery? Or did her attitude harden because of Zephyr?

‘Well, it doesn’t matter since I’m in a good condition right now.’

There was still a lot to be addressed, but it seemed like his relationship with Nayatra was quite good.

‘Although it was forced… I am grateful for her support.’

In-gong sighed with relief as he looked at Nayatra. Then Nayatra, who was sneaking a glance at In-gong, quickly bowed her head.

“Well, I feel quite bad.”

Carack’s complaint was ignored as they left the dungeon, and someone came running up to them. It was Delia.

“Your Highness.”

She had rushed and was out of breath. In-gong ignored Carack, who was smiling at Delia, and asked her,

“What’s going on?”

“6th Princess says there is an urgent message.”

“Felicia noona?”

“She might need to leave Evian for a while. The princess is waiting for Prince in your office.”

In-gong needed to listen to the details of this story, so he sent Nayatra back and moved hastily with Carack and Delia.

&

“Silvan contacted me. I think he needs my help.”

Felicia sat on the desk in the office In-gong was using. After she finished speaking, In-gong approached the desk and asked,

“Is there a problem on Silvan hyung’s side?”

“Well, a little? It isn’t a big deal. He was tracking down a few ruins, and it seems like he has found a site. He needs my help as a ruins expert.”

In-gong thought about Silvan’s region. If he found something, it was likely In-gong already knew about it.

‘There wasn’t anything dangerous.’

He couldn’t think of anything dangerous in that area.

Felicia saw In-gong’s worried look and said,

“You don’t have to worry. It is just an excuse to look around because I want to see it.”

In-gong thought about Silvan and Felicia’s words and was convinced. Felicia jumped off the desk and said,

“It is unlikely the barbarians will come back again, and Evian’s defense has now stabilized somewhat. Can I go help Silvan for a while?”

In-gong was in charge at Evian. Despite also being a royal child, Felicia needed In-gong’s permission to leave Evian.

In-gong nodded without any worries.

“I understand. Instead, be careful. Please contact me if something happens. I’ll run over straight away.”

“Yes, faster than the wind?”

Felicia winked, and In-gong nodded with a somewhat red face. He was embarrassed about the slogan he had come up with. Felicia laughed at In-gong’s expression.

“Okay, I’ll just tell you something else.”

Felicia reached out to In-gong’s neck and pulled out the Tears of a Dark Elf hanging there.

“Shutra, do you know why I gave you the Tears of a Dark Elf?”

It was a gift Felicia had given to In-gong as a reward for his actions during the Red Lightning tribe mission. Felicia rotated her hand to show In-gong a ring.

“The Tears of a Dark Elf is actually a set of a ring and a necklace. If one of the owners is in a serious crisis, the other one will become aware of it.”

It was the first time he had heard this story. In Knight Saga, he had only been able to get his hands on the necklace after knocking down Felicia.

However, Felicia just waved her hands at his doubts and said,

“So far, I have been right next to In-gong. Of course, it wouldn’t have worked.”

It made a lot of sense. The only time he had been in a crisis without Felicia being there was when he fought Mustafa. After that, Felicia was always with him.

“I gave you the Tears of a Dark Elf to pay off my debt. If Shutra’s in danger, I will show up and rescue you.”

That was the true reason why Felicia had given him the Tears of a Dark Elf.

“Maybe this time, there will be a chance to repay the debt.”

“Hey, isn’t it more likely that Noona will be in a crisis?”

“Let’s see?”

Felicia laughed as she covered her face with a fan and knocked against In-gong’s shoulders.

“Please look after Caitlin.”

“Tell Silvan hyung to look after Noona as well.”

Felicia made a dissatisfied face at In-gong’s words.

“Anyway, I’ve received permission from the leader of the Evian mission. Then I will leave now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, there is no reason to delay. And you don’t have to see me off. I’ve decided to go to Takar with Caitlin. She is already at the gate.”

As she said this, Felicia was already prepared to leave. In-gong was dumbfounded and asked with narrow eyes,

“Excuse me, did you even need my permission?”

Felicia just laughed instead of answering. She hugged In-gong and said,

“I am going, Shutra.”

“Go well, Felicia.”

Felicia pinched In-gong’s cheeks and left the room. As always, she moved with light and elegant steps.

In-gong looked at her back and said quietly,

“Will nothing really happened?”

He didn’t have a foreboding or ominous feeling, so nothing should happen.

Carack blinked at In-gong’s words and asked him,

“Prince, is this really okay? Should Princess really leave Prince? Is there really no ominous hint?”

“Why are you doing this? Don’t jinx things.”

Both of them were joking around. In-gong moved to the window of the office and gazed outside. He saw Felicia leaving the building.

‘Take care of your body.’

In-gong gave a short prayer as he gazed at the back of Felicia, who was leaving the fourth base.