Chapter 7

“What does that mean?”

Cain shook his head as if he could not understand.

The young man continued speaking.

“People from the Holy Empire do not wear clothes with black in them like you do. It is like the unspoken rule I told you about at the tavern earlier: ‘Never drink alcohol alone.’ But your clothes are full of black and white. Do you know what that means? It means, ‘I am someone who openly opposes the rule of the Holy Empire.’”

“……”

Cain thought he understood what he meant.

After the destruction of Zergard, the people of the Rohan Empire were afraid that the ghosts of the countless Zergard people scattered throughout the Magic Kingdom might cling to them. So they never wore clothes that contained black.

If they did wear black, they would put white clothes over them, or mix white into the dye during the coloring process and wear gray clothes instead.

But Cain was dressed like a noble, with black trousers contrasting against his white top.

Noble families were even more sensitive to such trends. Since Cain was openly going against them, his clothes had immediately caught the young man’s attention.

“You are already too suspicious of me, so I don’t think I can say much more. But one thing is certain. You are someone who came from the Magic Kingdom. Meeting you was truly a coincidence, and you have already had your life saved once because of me. If you cannot believe it, go to the public execution in the Grand Square next week. When you see it, you will understand why black is such a dangerous color.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You will find out the next time we meet. At least, I feel like you and I have something in common. My name is Lopes Adrian. According to our family tree, I am your younger cousin. Remember that. It will keep us from both ending up in chains and being hanged later. Put these on. You don’t want to be caught and killed on the way out.”

Whoosh.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lopes took off his trousers and tossed them toward Cain.

Clatter.

Then he climbed down the ladder into the basement and blocked the entrance with wooden boards.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The sound of his footsteps going deeper underground soon faded away.

Before long, Cain was alone in that place.

It was a strange meeting.

Cain became curious about the identity of Lopes, the young man he had spoken with at length for the first time since coming from the Magic Kingdom.

But he had no intention of staying here for long.

As Lopes had said, Cain planned to join the mercenary corps. If his application was accepted, they would naturally meet again someday.

Lopes was also an applicant for the mercenary corps.

Cain took off the trousers he had been wearing there and put on the trousers Lopes had given him. Not long after, he left the house and hurried toward the inn.

By then, the sun was slowly setting in the west.

04. Meeting My Enemy Right in Front of Me

1

Mars, the Empire’s greatest mercenary corps, is recruiting talented people who will raise the name of Mars and make a great contribution to the future of the Empire.

Recruitment: 00 people

• Those who can be sent into the field and work immediately.
• No restrictions on class. Mages, spiritists, swordsmen, adventurers, and others are all welcome.

Application Period

• From today until this Sunday.
• Those who submit the application in the proper format before the deadline will be informed of the next schedule on Monday of next week.

Mars Mercenary Corps, First Squadron Commander Karl Mori

※ This year, the Mars Mercenary Academy will not be recruiting anyone.

The next day.

As scheduled, the recruitment notice for the mercenary corps was posted in front of the Mars Mercenary Corps headquarters.

Large posters announcing the recruitment were also put up throughout the capital.

Cain read one of the notices and nodded.

Cain’s face, which was currently under the effects of plastic surgery and even an image-changing spell, had changed so much that not even a trace of his old appearance could be found. Because of that, he was free from the attention of those around him.

Following Lopes’s advice, he was also wearing clothes that contained no black.

Today was Thursday.

Cain finished his application early and hurried back to his lodging so that he could practice magic.

Murmur, murmur.

“What is going on……?”

There were unusually many people in the streets today. Moreover, they were all moving in the same direction.

“Ah!”

Seeing the crowd reminded Cain of what Lopes had said yesterday.

‘Did he say I would understand why black is such a dangerous color?’

Remembering those words, Cain changed direction and headed toward the Grand Square.

The Grand Square was on the way from the mercenary headquarters to his lodging, so there was no problem with going there.

A public execution.

Lopes’s words continued to echo in Cain’s ears.

It was probably a place where people from the Magic Kingdom were being killed.

Even ten years later, such things were still happening. Cain could easily imagine how harshly the people of the Magic Kingdom were being treated.

“I hear there is a public execution! Let’s go quickly! His Majesty the Emperor is coming in person to cut off their heads and offer their blood at the altar to pray for the blessing of God!”

“Really? His Majesty the Emperor himself?”

“Today is the tenth anniversary of the victory, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t know that. Come on, let’s go! After all, aren’t those people perfect as sacrifices?”

The road toward the Grand Square was already packed with people.

As Cain moved through the crowd, he continued hearing conversations like these.

More than anything, the news that the Emperor was coming caught his attention.

The Emperor of the Rohan Empire, Asen IV.

He was the person who had been most strongly opposed to Cain, the former Emperor of Zergard.

As a hardliner, Asen had the strong support of Duke Carlton, the commander of the Mage Corps, and Duke Radian, the commander of the Imperial Knights.

Duke Radian had been receiving a salary from Zergard until only ten years ago.

But now, he was praised as a hero of the Rohan Empire. He was enjoying even greater wealth and glory than before and was rising rapidly through the ranks.

Cain clenched his fist tightly.

There was little doubt that if the Emperor came, those two men would come as well.

He desperately wanted to cut off the heads of those traitors right away, but Cain soon regained his composure.

And with quiet steps, he continued toward the Grand Square.

“Kill them! Kill them!”

The Grand Square was already in an uproar.

When Cain arrived, the execution was already underway.

In the center of the Grand Square, dozens of Zergard people wearing black robes were tightly bound with ropes and forced to kneel on the cold ground.

Behind them stood young swordsmen of the Rohan Empire, holding swords with sharpened edges. The Emperor was sitting on a platform prepared beforehand, proudly looking down over the center of the square.

As expected, Duke Radian and Duke Carlton were beside the Emperor. More than a hundred guard knights surrounded them like an iron wall.

There were also more than fifty guard mages outside them, making it seem impossible for anyone to even think about approaching the Emperor.

When Cain saw Duke Radian’s face from a distance, he felt something rise inside him.

But he calmed his emotions and moved his gaze toward the center of the square.

Who was going to be executed?

Cain looked carefully, wondering if there might be someone he knew among them.

‘Duke Kais!’

Just then.

A familiar face entered Cain’s sight.

It was the face of Duke Kais, who had once been the commander of the Imperial Guard.

During the battle, Cain had been too distracted to know whether Kais had lived or died. It seemed that he had not died in battle. Instead, he had been captured.

In Cain’s memories, Duke Kais had been a middle-aged knight with only a few wrinkles on his face.

But ten years had passed, and he had now become an old man with thick white hair.

“Kill them! Kill them!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thud! Thud!

“Urgh! Grrrrrr!”

Even before the execution began, stones started flying from all around the square.

Large and small stones rained down, and the Zergard people kneeling on the ground tried to protect themselves with their entire bodies.

Most of them suffered serious wounds to their heads and collapsed while blood poured from their injuries.

They were not dead, but their injuries were almost as severe as death.

Duke Kais was no exception.

A sharp stone flying from somewhere struck his temple, causing blood to pour down his face.

Boom! Boom!

Then the sound of drums rang out.

At the same time, Asen IV, who had been sitting on the throne-like seat on the platform, raised his right hand.

The people immediately stopped throwing stones, and the swordsmen once again took their positions behind the Zergard people who were about to be executed.

“Today marks ten years since we destroyed the Magic Kingdom Zergard and engraved the power of the White Flower upon it. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of our victory, I shall cut off the heads of those people, products of the curse, and pray for peace with their blood.”

“Hooray! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the people raised both hands toward the sky and shouted together.

Duke Radian and Duke Carlton also stood beside the Emperor and applauded enthusiastically.

Then, as if he had a prepared ceremony to perform, Duke Radian bowed to the Emperor and slowly descended from the platform.

Step. Step. Step.

Duke Radian’s appearance as he walked forward in golden armor was the very image of wealth and glory.

Golden armor was personally bestowed by the Emperor. It could not be worn by someone who had not earned the Emperor’s trust.

“It’s Duke Radian!”

“The hero, Duke Radian!”

Praise for Duke Radian burst out from the crowd without anyone knowing who had started it first.

Because of the situation, Cain remained still.

But listening to them made his stomach twist.

Meanwhile, Duke Radian walked right up to Duke Kais and placed his sharp sword beneath Kais’s chin.

“Does the sinner of the Magic Kingdom Zergard have anything to say before he dies?”

Duke Radian spoke in a threatening tone, full of confidence.

But Kais looked at Radian as if he were looking at a cockroach. He spat out bloody phlegm with a rough khak and continued speaking.

“I only pity the people of the Rohan Empire for praising a man who changes sides depending on which one has more to offer. More than anything, you will have nowhere to go after death except hell.”

“You talk too much!”

Whoosh!

“Gaaah!”

As soon as Kais finished his venomous words, Duke Radian’s sword slashed through Kais’s right arm.

A fountain of blood burst out, and Kais’s right arm fell helplessly to the ground.

“Go on. Say more.”

“Someday, His Majesty the Emperor will appear and judge all of you. His Majesty the Emperor is an immortal being. Even now, somewhere, he must be waiting for the day when he can grind your bones into dust!”

“Crazy bastard. The Emperor of Zergard is dead.”

“Kill me already. I have nothing to say to a dog who is not even human.”

“I’ll grant your wish. Haaat!”

Whoosh!

“……!”

Before he could even scream, Kais’s head was separated from his body, and his breath stopped.

At the same time, the other swordsmen raised their swords high into the air and thrust them toward the Zergard people before them.

Stab!

Stab!

The flames of life went out one after another.

“Hooray! The sinners have been punished! Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Rohan Empire!”

“Hooray!”

It was a place of one-sided slaughter.

But no one was sad.

Everyone simply cheered with one voice.

“……”

The veins in Cain’s eyes stood out.

The last words Duke Kais had shouted continued to echo in his ears.

‘An immortal being…….’

Was the dream of rebuilding the Magic Kingdom not only the dream of the subordinates who had followed him?

The sight of Duke Kais dying while calling out his name caused an unknown, burning emotion to rise inside Cain.

Amid the cheering crowd, Cain felt completely alone.

It was a silent storm filled with hatred and anger that seeped all the way into his bones.