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Chapter 138: In the Palm of My Hand

“This is the only pass leading to the south, correct?”

“Indeed, it is.”

Olivurn reined his horse up and briefly removed his hood, gazing at the Sand Serpent in front of him as if admiring a statue.

"So, you mean to say you’ve encountered such a monster every time you\'ve traveled south?"

Who were the Wisteria Knights? They were the ones most knowledgeable about the south in the empire. And yet, not even Jervangh understood the current situation.

"No, sir... Impossible. The pass is always kept secure,” Jervangh responded with a troubled expression.

Olivurn, finding his reaction amusing, chuckled lightly.

“I’m joking. I’ve heard there’s only one serpent of this size in the south... I hope I’m not mistaken about that.”

Jervangh hastily nodded in agreement. The monster before them was undoubtedly it. It was the Lord of the Rolling Hills, known as a terror of the continent.

If there was the Water King of the Fonein and the Sea King of the Strait, the south had the Lord of the Rolling Hills.

Damn... This monster has never left the Rolling Hills before. Why now?

Although it was rated S-rank, the serpent could easily exert the power of an SS-rank beast in this arid area.

“...”

The canyon, made of rock and barren earth, was an ideal habitat for the Sand Serpent. At that point, the monster’s power rivaled that of a Sword Master.

“Let’s capture it.”

Nevertheless, Jervangh, the vice captain of the Wisteria Knights, was bold.

“Groooar...”

The coiled Sand Serpent let out a low, growling breath, as if understanding Jervangh’s words.

“What do you think?” asked Olivurn.

“Hmm. It’s not impossible,” Viscount Harun responded as he observed the surroundings. He had brought thirty soldiers from his estate to guard Olivurn. They weren’t knights, but they were elite soldiers, among the best there were.

Jervangh’s confidence comes from the Wisteria Knights he brought with him.

Harun looked at the fifty knights behind Jervangh—more than the thirty soldiers he had brought and considerably stronger. Unlike soldiers, the Wisteria Knights were the real deal—true experts.

Despite losing some prestige due to Marquis Vestal, the Wisteria Knights were still on par with the Blue Knights of Kuwell MacGovern thanks to the leadership of Sir Guron, Jervangh’s father.

“There are the Blue Knights in the north and the Wisteria Knights in the south. If both are strong, the empire will prosper.”

Such things were said about them.

Vestal wasn’t fit to be a captain, and most of the Wisteria Knights still consider Jervangh their leader.

As proof of this, more than half of the eighty knights stationed at the southern border had ignored the marquis’ orders and had come to meet Olivurn.

The rest are more supporters of the First Prince than true Wisteria Knights. In terms of skill, they can’t compare to the ones here.

Harun once again thought his decision to follow Olivurn was wise. Knights and nobles from the outskirts and border areas were different from those in the capital. They lived at the forefront, directly monitoring the nation’s stability and the people’s safety.

The empress must be upset. She used her brother to try to get the Wisteria Knights on her side, but the majority are loyal to Olivurn.

The marquis couldn’t have ordered them to help Olivurn. Their presence here, against his orders, highlighted Vestal’s standing within the Wisteria Knights.

But the empress won’t back down easily. She’s survived countless enemies to remain by the emperor’s side in the palace.

“Hmm.”

In any case, palace matters were for later.

Harun accurately assessed their strength—eighty expert-level warriors were nearly a knightly order.

Our forces are enough to kill the Lord of the Rolling Hills.

Though there would be casualties, they couldn’t afford to delay here. With Luon and Kromen as competitors, heading south was the priority, even if it meant taking risks.

“Prince, please step back. We’ll handle this...”

Flap―

At that moment, Harun’s determined speech was interrupted by a messenger pigeon flying in from above.

“Hold on.”

Olivurn, noticing the blue seal on the pigeon’s leg, stopped him and checked the message.

“Hmm...”

Olivurn’s face hardened as he read the note.

***

“Why aren’t they fighting?” Suan asked, perplexed. “Wasn’t Master’s plan to have the Lord of the Rolling Hills ambush and force them to retreat?”

“That’s not it. It’s actually the opposite.” Dushala clicked her tongue.

“Hmm?”

“Weren’t you listening back then? Master told us there were two things to confirm in the canyon,” Dushala explained, lifting two fingers.

“First, we need to make sure the Sand Serpent is properly blocking the pass. If there’s any problem, we’re to use the elemental stones planted in the canyon to seal the entrance ourselves.”

Suan nodded at her words.

“Second, once we confirm that Prince Olivurn gives up on heading south and turns back, we’ll proceed with the next command.”

“Hmm... But don’t you think there are more Wisteria Knights following Olivurn than Master expected? Honestly, with that many, they might be able to slay the Sand Serpent.”

“It’s not that simple.” This time, it was Aidan who answered Suan’s question. “The Second Prince is incredibly shrewd. You think he’d just rush into a fight like that? Dealing with the Sand Serpent would likely cost him at least half his current forces.”

Aidan knew Olivurn’s nature better than anyone—he never allowed for any openings.

If it weren’t for Zouk De Holde, my life would have been in danger too.

As he looked at Olivurn with a bitter smile, Aidan wondered about the whereabouts of the person who had disappeared.

Well, if she’s still helping Olivurn under secret orders, the danger remains the same.

Before that happened... He knew he had to act first.

“Suan’s not wrong. It’s not impossible for them to hunt it. Luon was ready to go to war with the Three Kingdoms of Istria at the Twin Armor. This is a matter between the empire and the south, but it’s also a race between the princes. Whoever reaches the south first wins.”

“If they do manage to defeat the serpent, should we intervene?” Suan asked rather gravely.

However, the others merely chuckled at his serious question.

“Hah, it won’t come to that.”

With that, Dushala tapped Suan’s forehead lightly.

“I see why Master brought you to his side first, and why he spared the administrators of Tatur.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Look, Master told us that the Lord of the Rolling Hills is still a monster at the end of the day, even if it’s quite intelligent for one. He had us ready to block the canyon’s entrance in case it couldn’t follow his command.”

“So...?”

“But the second order was just to confirm Olivurn’s retreat and then carry out the next mission.”

Suan still seemed confused by Dushala’s explanation.

“Master’s point is that if the entrance is blocked and they’re delayed, Olivurn will have no choice but to turn back instead of going south,” Aidan continued the explanation.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“We don’t know for sure.”

In response to Suan’s question, the two looked at each other and shrugged.

“It’s Master we’re talking about.”

Although it seemed absurd even to them, that single statement seemed enough to convince all three of them.

“Huh...?”

At that moment, Suan looked down the cliff and let out a low gasp.

“No way...?”

Sure enough, Olivurn’s forces were turning around, just like Karyl had predicted.

***

“From this point forward, we’re in Digon territory...” Beikan told Karyl as he halted Kargon. They had reached the outskirts of the Great Plains.

“I know.” Karyl nodded, understanding what Beikan was implying. The path ahead was a shortcut across the Great Plains, known only to the four major tribes. He couldn’t reveal all their secrets to Viola and Greys, who had followed them.

“Princess, I’m afraid this is where we must part ways. Beyond this point lies barbarian territory.”

“No, I’ll go with you.”

“In this place, there are more people who would harm you than protect you.”

“I have a duty to witness what you’re doing as a representative of the Three Kingdoms.” Viola remained unyielding, and Karyl chuckled softly at her stubbornness.

Swish—

“...!”

Viola suddenly felt a chill.

“You seem to have forgotten that I’m one of those people.”

Karyl’s Freezing Talon was brushing against her cheek, and Viola knew well that even the slightest movement could result in a permanent scar.

"Stop with these childish tricks.”

But even so, her gaze remained unwavering.

Karyl chuckled once again and withdrew his weapon.

“Besides, I have a favor to ask you, Princess.”

Viola finally nodded. For a brief moment, she had forgotten the nature of their relationship. Watching Karyl achieve his impossible victories was as enjoyable as listening to heroic tales as a child.

“Remember, it will be a tough battle. War is not just about victory.”

“Tough, like you?”

Viola’s words brought a faint smile to Karyl’s face. Many defeats and death at the end—she had no idea of his past life, which was why he seemed like the perfect war hero to her.

“I must have acted childishly,” Viola murmured quietly.

The battles she would soon have to fight would be different from Karyl’s.

“Then I’ll return now. My original purpose was to join the dungeon conquest.”

“Are you afraid?”

"It would be a lie to say otherwise, but it’s not my father I’m afraid of. Karyl, I’ll admit, I was captivated by what you showed me. But now that I’ve come to my senses, I realize that your sharp blade will soon be pointed at us.”

She turned her horse around.

"But I must thank you. Knowing that your words weren’t just empty promises means you saw the potential for me to rule Fenria."

She no longer appeared to be the naive young girl he had first seen in the office. Karyl could now sense the dignity of a monarch in her.

It seems I was right about her. The quality Anthem Howard saw was indeed hers.

“You’ve done more than just follow us around, Princess,” Karyl told her as she was heading away. “You’ve accomplished more than you think. The two thousand soldiers of the Twin Armor remember that.”

With that, Karyl handed her something—a shiny golden piece, a fragment of Minos’ crown.

“Likewise, when you return to the kingdom, many things will have changed. Remember, the foundation of a kingdom comes from the people, not the king.”

Viola accepted the golden piece and nodded.

“Next time we meet, we’ll be enemies, right?”

Like the two leaders of the Twin Armor, she too would fulfill her duty as a princess of Fenria.

“...”

Karyl made no response, not that Viola expected one. The answer had been clear from the moment they first met.

“Indeed, the princess has changed. She’s different from when we first saw her in the forest.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Beikan and Kinu watched Viola leave as if looking at a younger sister finally growing up.

“What do you plan to do now? You’re way above the Free Army.”

“Regarding the dungeon subjugation, we could have managed on our own. But I brought the Free Army to show my strength to Viola and the defenders of the Twin Armor.”

Beikan and Kinu nodded, as if they had expected this.

“Do you know why I chose the Twin Armor, where Luon was headed to, as the first battlefield? I knew that if Luon retreated, Olivurn wouldn’t head south.”

Among the princes, Olivurn was involved with the south the most. If he headed there and got entangled in this incident, things would escalate quickly.

“It’s a tricky situation for him, no doubt. The Wisteria Knights attacked the Five Families of the Abyssal Rock against their promise, making it difficult to shift the blame on the south. However, because of the emperor, he can’t return empty-handed either.”

It was a dilemma all throughout.

Honestly, it’ll be interesting to see how Olivurn handles this...

Karyl could predict Olivurn’s next move clearly—once he learned of Luon’s retreat, he would shift the burden of the south to Kromen.

Kromen will benefit from this whether he handles the situation or not. If he solves the problem, it’ll be a great achievement for him. If not, Olivurn’s incompetence will be exposed.

“Do you really think the Second Prince will just come back empty-handed?”

“Of course, he won’t just return to the empire. He’ll pretend to retreat but likely monitor the situation from somewhere near the border.”

“Then...?”

Beikan’s question was met with a knowing glance from Karyl.

Olivurn will likely take at least one head. Whether it’s a barbarian or a noble remains to be seen.

“We’re heading to Digon.”

Karyl looked at the deep forest ahead of them. He felt nostalgic as he gazed at the path he had once run through with Randol on his shoulder.

“Besides, I got something good from the Minotaur’s dungeon.”

A strange smile appeared on Beikan’s face. He was carrying something large that hadn’t been there before.

“This will be interesting.”

Karyl’s eyes gleamed.

Things won’t go according to your plans. You’re all in the palm of my hand.