Clunk.
The carriage started to move.
Meeeow.
On and Hong glanced over and Cage and Taylor, who were sitting across from them, and stuck closely to Cale.
“Young master Cale, do you know anything about this royal event?”
Cale looked toward Taylor. Taylor was fine compared to the priestess, who was struggling with her hangover. In fact, he was even better off than Cale. This weak-looking noble had the strongest alcohol tolerance out of the three of them.
Cale started to respond to Taylor, who was looking at him.
“This is my first time going to the palace. I have only been to a Northeastern Nobles Meeting a few years ago.”
Taylor did not bring this up just to start a conversation. It was because he wanted to share a piece of information with Cale for his generosity.
“I see. The event this time is to celebrate the 50th birthday of his royal highness, our current King.
It is an entertaining festival for the citizens.”
Seeing Cale speak as if it did not include himself, Taylor started to get curious.
“Sounds like it is not a festival for young master Cale?”
‘How can it be a festival I’d enjoy when my heart is going crazy thinking about the terror incident?’
Cale did not say that out loud. He was probably the only person who knew about the secret organization and the upcoming terror incident.
Knowing about such a fact was bound to bring a heavy sense of responsibility and headache. Of course, there was a relationship between that sense of responsibility and the headache.
‘I will prevent it, but I will step aside if it seems like I will get hurt or tired.’
That was Cale’s point of view on the terror incident. Do just enough so that I will not be inconvenienced. However, someone like Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo, who had a fear of death, could not just pretend that he did not know anything.
“It’s not a festival for you either, young master Taylor.”
Taylor, as well as Cage, who had been frowning because of her hangover, started to smile after hearing Cale’s words.
“I am considering it to be my last obstacle before I can celebrate.”
Compared to his gentle appearance, Taylor was a risk-taker. That was how he was able to be in front of Venion, even with his ethical personality, before he was attacked.
“Young master Cale.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful of his highness, the crown prince.”
Taylor gazed toward Cale and continued to speak.
“Although I may have been pushed aside, I still have ways of getting information in the Marquis’s Estate. Although this 50-year birthday celebration for the king was planned from the beginning, the act of calling all of the nobles together was something that the crown prince suggested.”
Taylor knew some information about the crown prince.
“I’m not sure how I should describe the crown prince to you…”
Seeing Taylor struggling, Cale casually answered.
“He is someone with a glib tongue.”
“Ah, yes! Err, I mean…”
Taylor, who agreed with Cale, quickly turned pale and tried to take it back, but, in the end, was forced to admit that it was true.
“Yes. You are right. You already know about it.”
“Isn’t it information anybody who is interested can find out?”
“Of course. But this is the first time I’ve heard anyone be so blunt about it like you, young master Cale.”
Seeing Taylor nodding his head, Cale started to think about the crown prince.
The glib tongue of the crown prince.
The crown prince was very good at giving compliments to people. He was also very good at praising these people in public for their deeds and giving them recognition.
After that, he used these people.
Of course, the people being used have no idea that they are being used. One of these victims in the novel was none other than Choi Han, the person the crown prince lifts up as his close friend and hero.
For a commoner like Choi Han, he thought it was good that someone like the crown prince treated him so closely. However, for Cale, or Kim Rok Soo, who was reading the novel, the crown prince was the type of person he hated the most.
‘The problem is, that the way he uses people for the right reasons.’
He did not use people for his own benefits or for power. He used these people for the kingdom, the citizens, and to make the nation greater.
‘I guess it is too much to call it ‘using’ people.’
Rather than using, it was more like asking for their help. The crown prince did not order these people using his superiority, but instead he asked them on an equal level.
He used that glib tongue of his to praise them a lot and then give a really sad reason that people could not turn down. Naturally, Choi Han was unable to say no. The cold, yet just as good-natured Rosalyn ended up agreeing to help out in the end as well.
Of course, even such a person had a weakness.
“Anyways, young master Cale, his highness the crown prince, ahem, as you already know, it is tiring to get involved with such a person.”
“You do not have to worry. I plan on being as quiet as possible before returning home. I do not like being flashy.”
Cale answered back like it was nothing. However, he then realized that silence had filled the room after he responded. The kittens, On and Hong, Cage, who was struggling with her hangover, and even Taylor, who had a gentle smile on his face. They were all staring at Cale.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Mm. Will it really be possible to, no, nevermind.”
“Nothing.”
Both Cage and Taylor said no before looking away. The kittens just shook their heads. Cale started to frown and added on.
“Even if I do end up being dragged in, the thing that young master Taylor and priestess-nim are thinking about will not happen.”
Taylor and Cage could see that Cale was smiling. His smile was so devious that he looked like a villain. Cale smiled at the two of them before continuing on.
“I also have a very glib tongue.”
The crown prince tended to stay away from people similar to himself. It was his wariness of others like him.
If the crown prince was the type to praise people and use them for his needs, Cale just needed to act the same way.
Seeing Cage look toward him with an expression that seemed to say she was feeling better, he looked right into her eyes. She then started to speak.
“I think this look suits you very well, young master Cale. You look very evil.”
“It is better than looking like a good person.”
‘I knew it.’
Cage nodded her head and seemed to confirm something, but Cale did not care. Instead, he pushed aside the curtain on the window and looked outside.
They were pretty close to the gate of the capital now. The gate that Cale’s carriage was heading toward was a different gate than the gate that the commoners used. He was heading toward the noble’s entrance, which would allow him to get through it much faster.
“The capital really is different.”
That was what came out of Cale’s mouth based on what Cale saw out through the window. Taylor seemed to understand why Cale felt that way, and nodded his head.
“Roan Kingdom is the kingdom of, ‘Boulders.’”
Cale could see the large wall surrounding the capital. There were many different sculptures on the wall.
The Roan Kingdom was kind of unique. Not only was it the Western Continent’s greatest source of marble, but the Northwest and Western areas of Roan Kingdom contained a lot of granite. That was why it was called the Land of Boulders.
If you traveled up north, the majority of the mountain peaks were made of granite. The Roan Kingdom had quite a lot of Rock Mountains.
Taylor continued to speak, as if he suddenly remembered something.
“If you look through the ancient stories, there are many, ‘boulder,’ related stories, even before the Roan Kingdom came into existence. One of them says that this land had a boulder-like guardian.”
The Roan Kingdom was located on the Northeast of the Western Continent.
“It was a guardian that could protect everything from any kind of attack. When darkness descended on the continent, this guardian was the one to stand in the front against it.”
There were many different myths about the end of the ancient times. You would hear tons of different stories as you traveled around the continent.
Some say that the end of the ancient times came when darkness descended and some heroes managed to defeat this darkness, others say it ended because people were jealous of each other’s powers and fought for control. Finally, some even say that a god was so angry that it destroyed all living beings.
The story that Taylor was discussing right now was one of those many myths.
“Taylor, you seem to like that story?”
Taylor nodded his head at Cage’s question.
“Yes. I do.”
Cale turned to look at Taylor. Taylor had always had a fragile body, even before his legs became paralyzed. Taylor patted his knees and continued to speak.
“The guardian is said to have stood firmly in place, like a boulder, even after everything in his body became broken. That was how he was able to protect the people and the land of this Northeastern area, that is covered in boulders.”
There were a lot of different contents in the stories regarding the darkness that descended onto the continent.
When the darkness appeared at the center of the continent, other myths discussed the tales of those heroes that fought against it. However, the main character in the one Taylor is talking about only focused on protecting.
Taylor considered such an individual to be a hero.
“Such an existence cannot survive in the present day. That is why I like this myth so much.”
“But you don’t seem to believe it?”
Taylor nodded his head at Cage’s question.
It is very rare to see someone injure himself so severely to protect something.”
“I agree.”
Cale nodded his head to agree with Taylor’s statement. It was one thing to protect yourself, but this guardian protected others and this Northeastern land? Cale could not understand such logic.
“But this is my first time hearing about this specific story.”
Cale had read about all sorts of legends and myths regarding ancient powers while reading until volume 5 of, ‘The Birth of a Hero.’ However, this was the first time he heard about the boulder guardian of Roan Kingdom.
“It is probably because it is not that popular. I only found it while researching through ancient texts for information about ancient powers. I told Cage about it as well.”
Cale nodded his head again, and lowered the curtains once more. He then took out a round pendant from his pocket and threw it toward Taylor.
“Get ready.”
Taylor and Cage both nodded their heads and held each other’s hand with the pendant in the middle of both of their hands. The magic device started to operate. Cale let out a sigh and grabbed a bottle from a corner of the carriage.
A moment later, the carriage stopped outside the noble’s gate, and Cale could hear the Vice Captain’s voice as well as someone else’s voice.
Knock knock knock.
“Young master, the capital’s guard wishes to verify the occupants.”
Bang.
Cale’s foot kicked the carriage door open. He could see the Vice Captain’s relaxed expression, as well as the anxious capital guard. Cale had a bottle in one hand and a glass full of alcohol in the other, and looked toward the capital guard.
“Go ahead.”
The inside of the carriage was full of the smell of alcohol. Cale’s extremely flushed face and this stench made it very clear that he had been drinking since last night.
Although the festival was still a week away, many nobles had already passed through this entrance. Two of the capital guards looked inside the carriage every time to do a cursory look. However, the guard had never seen such a sight before. The Vice Captain smiled gently at the guard, and started to speak.
“Our young master cures his hangovers through drinking more alcohol. He is someone who has reached the apex of overcoming a hangover.”
Cale looked at the anxious guard and the Vice Captain who was trying to praise him as best as possible, and started to think.
‘Ah, this is tiring.’
That was why he said the following.
“Can’t you hurry up?”
The guard called over the other guard to look through the carriage, that was full of empty alcohol bottles, and gave the approval.
“Everything looks fine.”
The Vice Captain slowly closed the door while the guard welcomed Cale.
“Welcome to the capital.”
Creeak. Click.
The door closed completely and the carriage made its way through the gate.
Cale pushed forward the full glass in his hand and started to speak.
“Apparently, welcome to the capital.”
Taylor, who was no longer invisible, started to laugh as he handed Cale the pendant and received the glass.
“It has been a while since I’ve been welcomed.”
Cale’s group had arrived at the capital.