A King is Born on the Road - CH 75

As Cadella hesitated and dilly dallied, Hayer raised himself up with a groan.

Cadella, who had beaten him to his heart’s content while he was asleep, hid behind Iris’s back in fear.

Hayer looked at his aching body, as if he had broken something and said, glancing towards Cadella.

“The old man is strong.”

“You rude jerk!”

“Thank you for letting me live, though.”

After saying that, he looked at Iris and asked.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay. And, he wants me to take him out?”

“The captain decides.”

Iris muttered, feeling burdened at Hayer’s words.

“It’s not easy being a captain.”

“However, it has the advantage that your subordinates have no choice but to listen even if they insist.”

“The Knights of Tejas won’t accept you if you go too far, right?”

“I believe it’s all an affectionate look.”

Cadella, who had never heard a joke in here, was secretly giggling next to her as if Hayer was funny. Then, when he met Hayer’s eyes, he looked serious as if he had never laughed.

Iris, who was in charge as the captain, was pondering for a while.

“If I take you out, I think people here will suffer from hallucinations. Just as he wouldn’t let us go, they were also held by this child.”

At the words, Cadella’s eyes widened and he looked at Iris.

Iris continued.

“If you decided to raise it, you should take responsibility.”

“I-I’m not raising it! It’s just… If you leave here, you’re just wandering around again, right? You’ll never come back to where you left once. That’s why I let you live happily here!”

Hayer thought they were both right, but he was leaning more toward Iris rather than the aggressive enthusiast.

“So… you’re saying that you should keep making them happy if you held them so that they wouldn’t go.”

“No! I’m going out. I have to get out!”

When Hayer, who Cadella thought was dangerous, tried to grab him, Cadella went behind Iris and brought a weapon to her neck.

Iris raised her hands, but as the drug effects had not completely disappeared, she could not give it any strength.

Cadella said to Hayer.

“Go back.”

When Hayer turned around, it was the beginning of the maze.

All three people here knew that the path would change if they entered this place.

Cadella’s weapon stabbed Iris in the neck.

“Go back!”

“If you kill Iris anyway, neither I nor you can get out of here.”

“I don’t care. If you’re not going to take me, no one can go out.”

Cadella stabbed the weapon forcefully, and blood began to flow from Iris’s neck.

Hayer said.

“Let’s talk.”

“You’ll have to disappear.”

“Stop. Please.”

It was not a threat. The weapon was already deep enough to die if you were unlucky.

Hayer realized that Cadella really intended to kill Iris. He eventually stepped into the maze and joked to Iris.

“Come find me. I’ll be waiting.”

The knife was stabbing so deeply that Iris couldn’t voice not to go.

Knowing everything she wanted to say, Hayer went on, pretending not to know.

“I’ll stay in one place. I’m a very obedient person, so don’t worry.”

Saying that, he waved his hand once and disappeared into the maze.

Cadella removed the blade and said to Iris, who collapsed.

“You have to take me out.”

“……”

“I will obey Lepos forever. So take me out please. Please…”

Iris slowly closed her eyes. There was no strength in her body.

Iris mumbled.

“Candle…”

“Huh?”

“I said let’s use all the candles.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are no candles…”

When Iris suffered from the darkness, Hayer took out all the candles he brought and used them. Therefore, there were not many candles left in his bag now.

Iris knew the way of this maze, but not Hayer. It was him, not herself, who would feel uneasy here. Hayer was still guarding her as usual, so she just forgot.

Iris thought Hayer was a complicated person. So did the Knights. Hayer Asheri brought all sorts of excuses to his sense of justice.

However, both the members of the Knights and she knew the truth inside. He was a nice, good man.

* * *

It was still the beginning of the maze when Iris opened her eyes again.

Cadella covered the wound on her neck with a clean cloth he had obtained from somewhere, and the time was slowly approaching sunrise. Still surrounded by barriers and covered in shadows, but the world was incomparably brighter than when it was between barriers.

Iris, who turned to the village, unknowingly let out a sigh. There was a commotion in the village.

People who woke up from hallucinations ran around the village in search of a child’s hallucination that had not been there from the beginning, and a man who realized that he had lost his arm screamed in phantom pain.

They hung themselves to die, but only struggled and did not die. Seeing that, Iris knew why Cadella stabbed her with confidence. He knew that no matter how deep he stabbed her, Iris would not die.

Cadella walked up to Iris and said.

“If you leave me behind, I won’t do it anymore, sorcery. Let those people just be crazy like that.”

Iris, who was looking at Cadella with wide eyes and a tired face, opened her dry lips.

“You have no loyalty whatsoever, you. What do you believe in?”

“That’s it, from now on!”

“I want to ask you something.”

“What—what is it?”

“Can’t you cast a spell on this entire village for the remaining 170 years?”

At Iris’s words, Cadella looked up at her.

Iris continued.

“If that works, I’ll take you out of here.”

Cadella closed his eyes for a moment and was lost in thought. After a while, he opened his pocket and said.

“This is a hallucinogenic flower.”

Cadella, who showed Iris the seeds in his hand, continued.

“If I plant these flowers all over here, I can do that. The weather doesn’t change here. If l don’t manage it, this whole maze will probably become a hallucinatory space.”

“I see… That’s cool.”

“Cool?”

Cadella laughed like a child, as if the remark was funny.

Iris asked.

“How long does it take to grow?”

“It will take half a year to grow, get seeds, and grow again. In addition, this flower can only be planted with my hands, and only with my hands can I get the seeds. It’s my family’s ability.”

“Then do it. I’ll find Hayer, and return.”

“……”

The words of return were like words of leave, so Cadella had no answer.

“I will definitely come back.”

Nervous, Iris added hastily. Then after a long time, Cadella opened his mouth.

“…Then swear.”

“Swear?”

“Swear to Tilla.”

Iris answered without hesitation to those words.

“I swear.”

Even after hearing that, Cadella looked completely disbelieving of her. He couldn’t tell her to go, so he just stood staring at the floor.

Iris hesitated for a moment, then took out her nameplate she always carried.

“Have this.”

“What—what?”

“I’ll come back and find you.”

Cadella’s eyes widened at the nameplate she held out.

“Are you crazy? How can you trust me?”

“Actually, I don’t trust you. You left my party alone.”

“But?”

“You were doing a good job, though.”

“……”

“I hate you, but I promise myself. I promised you, so I’ll find you.”

Cadella gripped the nameplate with both hands and stared at Iris. Then he burst into laughter shortly afterwards.

“You’re a strangely trustworthy person.”

Then, looking at the nameplate, he said.

“Truly, it’s Lepos.”

“Yes. I’m Iris Lepos.”

“Really.”

Cadella held the nameplate and laughed. And said to Iris.

“Iris, your ancestor, Jan Lepos, was a really, really dog-like bastard. He tried to hallucinate the whole of Luwan with my family’s ability and make them work until they died.”

Iris opened her eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected words.

“So I killed him. His younger brother was a good person, though. I am satisfied with that person as king.”

Iris, who was listening quietly, smiled in vain.

“The bad thing was the king.”

“Yes.”

Cadella murmured lonesomely.

“Traitors aren’t necessarily bad.”

His voice left an afterimage in her head.

Iris asked, raising her head and looking around the maze.

“Do you know what to do to get rid of this maze?”

“You must be king. This place was created by the king’s order, and can only be destroyed by the king’s order.”

Iris closed her eyes, then opened them again and said.

“Who will be the king?”

“The king’s son.”

“The king’s son now is not the kind of person to listen to that.”

“Or a traitor.”

“Then… I’ll have to ask a traitor.”

Cadella’s expression broke at Iris’s calm reply, and soon laughed out loud. And then he ran back to the village.

Looking at Cadella’s back, Iris walked to the maze. Maybe it’s because he’s lonely, but she thought he laughs a lot even when something trivial is said.

afterword

updates will be slowed down as i plan on picking up another project or two soon-ish, so kbr can’t be my only priority now lol