The collapsed ground didn’t stop until they had fallen nearly several hundred meters.
“Hahh, hahh…!”
Roderick was breathing heavily. The wounds inflicted by Aint were burning.
“Aint, Fernan, Aint, Fernan, Aint, Fernan…”
They had known from the beginning? And still, they ridiculed him?
It was the first time he had suffered such humiliation. An uncontrollable fury reddened his face.
But when he saw Aint and the other two insects staring at the enormous underground hall they had fallen into, his anger calmed a little.
‘Yes, even if they knew, now that they’ve entered here, they’re going to die.’
No matter how well Fernan had prepared them, so what? The fact remained that they were only three.
“Did you ask if I had any more surprises?”
It was only a little more complete than expected, but the essentials hadn’t changed.
The only difference was that they would hold out a bit longer. This place would still be their grave.
“You would’ve been better off not coming, paralyzed by fear.”
Fernan’s precautions had made them overconfident, leading them straight into their own trap.
“You should thank Fernan. Thanks to him, I can kill you right here.”
“What talent for saying nonsense so convincingly—”
“Wait, Verian.”
Aria stopped the one shouting. Her pupils trembled with seriousness.
“Aint, this…”
“Yes. Maybe that guy is right.”
From every corner of the vast hall came monstrous presences. They were much stronger and more numerous than those outside.
— …He summoned beasts of this level?
— How many servants did that damn third prince give to the corrupt?!
The creatures began to reveal their forms.
There were hundreds. But it wasn’t the number that was terrifying—it was the quality.
— …They’re rank 1. Rahnas.
They were Rahnas, first-rank demons known as generals of the infernal armies. And there were two of them!
— There are also several of rank 2.
Aint bit his lips.
One, even two, would still be manageable with the help of Armian’s holy light.
But there was no way to deal with everything else—the hundreds of monsters, Roderick as a corrupt, and the Blue Wolf mercenaries now serving as dogs to the corrupt.
Realizing the reality, Aint’s expression changed. Emboldened, Roderick let out a laugh.
“You’re only realizing your situation now?”
Hahaha… he laughed.
Emergency food? Luxurious tents? Potions like water? Defensive and flying amulets?
“So what about all that? None of it matters here!”
Maybe the potions, but they would only extend their lives. They weren’t enough to save them.
Roderick’s eyes gleamed with madness.
Today, Aint Armian would die. He would finally eliminate the enemy who had so often foiled his plans.
“Good.”
He released a wave of demonic energy. The creatures responded, roaring with even more ferocity.
“Die—”
Clap—
A muffled clap echoed against the cavern walls.
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
The clapping intensified, accompanied by approaching footsteps.
“The hero of humanity! The hero of the Empire! At last, I meet Aint Armian.”
The monsters stepped aside, opening a path. But at the end, it wasn’t another corrupt or a new beast that appeared.
Humans.
“Pleasure to meet you. I am the third prince of Esrin, Tulwin Esrin.”
He was a prince with a hundred knights and soldiers at his side.
“This may not be the ideal place, but what does it matter? What’s important is that we’ve met.”
He smiled, stopping casually a short distance from Aint, flanked by his guards. The monsters didn’t attack them.
“…The third prince… your highness?”
Aint, Aria, and Verian were stunned. No, it was more accurate to say they were experiencing cognitive dissonance.
They had suspected the third prince might be cooperating with the corrupt to dethrone his brother, but never imagined he would appear so blatantly.
“That’s right. I am Tulwin Esrin.”
That overflowing confidence and arrogance was something Aint’s logic couldn’t comprehend.
“…So it was true that he allied with the corrupt.”
“It is. And what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that you think there isn’t one.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
Tulwin’s sharp eyes didn’t show a hint of deceit. In the darkness, they gleamed with the same brown irises as his brother.
He stepped forward firmly.
“Some will call me a traitor to humanity for allying with the corrupt. That’s just envy from the incapable.”
“I don’t envy you, your highness.”
But Aint moved.
Clang—
His sword stopped centimeters from the prince’s face. A knight had intervened, and the rest of the guards reacted immediately.
“How dare you attack his highness!”
“Damned insolent!”
In response to their shouting and murderous hostility, Aint returned a gaze of pure contempt.
“That’s your argument?”
“I don’t envy you, but I’m also not indulgent enough to let a traitor live.”
“You’re stubborn. It seems you don’t understand the situation. Do you think you’re in any position to speak like that?”
The knights surrounded Aint fiercely.
“Aint!”
“Aint!”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Roderick moved the monsters, separating Aria and Verian from him.
“Aint Armian, do you despise others hiring mercenaries?”
“That’s sophistry. Mercenaries and corrupts aren’t the same.”
“For me, they are—they’re just means to an end.”
Just like using an army to hunt monsters.
Just like using money to earn more money.
For him, the corrupt were only tools depending on who wielded them.
“But I see you as a fool dancing in a traitor’s hands.”
“…Audacious. Even if you are an Armian, it seems I must remind you of your place.”
The third prince clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin. The knights attacked en masse.
Ten swords descended at once.
Aint took a deep breath and deflected them all. The real battle had begun.
— Ally with corrupts? That naive brat doesn’t know what he’s saying.
— All the humans who collaborated with them said the same: “I’m different, I made a fair deal.”
— And how did they all end?
— Nonsense unworthy of a response, Aint.
Gardner’s voice oozed hatred. Aint thought the same.
The corrupt thrived on blood and life. That was their essence.
Aint’s sword shone with a white flash as it slashed across a knight’s chest. The armor caved and flew off.
“That’s what I think, your highness! The corrupt may follow your orders now, but sooner or later, they’ll stab you in the back!”
“That’s slander, your highness! We always uphold our contracts! Filthy Armian, don’t try to divide us from his highness!”
The one shouting was another corrupt, standing beside the prince.
“Count Daniel…!”
Recognizing him, Aint clenched his teeth and ducked, barely dodging a thrust that cut strands of his hair.
“Do you understand now? You won’t leave here alive.”
The third prince snapped his fingers.
The knights withdrew instantly.
“But it’s not too late yet, Aint Armian.”
“…What?”
The prince extended his hand toward him.
“Take it. We can join forces.”
— What nonsense is this now?
“Are you asking me to be just another dog of the corrupt, like you?”
“I already said the corrupt are just a means.”
Tulwin clicked his tongue.
“Look at the big picture, Aint Armian. Don’t lose sight of what’s important over trivial things.”
“What’s important here is that you are a traitor to humanity.”
“Fool. Utter fool.”
He extended his hand again.
“Think about it. I will be the king of Esrin. And you know it: Esrin is not just any insignificant kingdom.”
It may fall below giants like Alprosen or Hainburk, but it was still one of the five most powerful countries on the continent.
“If you take my hand, I will be king of Esrin! And Esrin will be…”
He shouted with force.
“…the pillar that supports you! Don’t you wish to become Emperor?”
He tempted him with devilish whispers.
“If you need support, I’ll support you.”
The backing of Esrin was no small thing.
“If you need troops, I’ll give them to you.”
Esrin’s army was one of the strongest.
“And if you need money, I’ll give it to you.”
A kingdom’s treasury was enormous.
“So don’t take my brother’s hand. Take mine. I’ll be king, and you’ll be Emperor!”
Tap. Tap. Tap…
The echo of his last shout resonated off the walls.
The prince opened his eyes wide, not looking away from Aint.
“That…”
“What a ridiculous load of nonsense, your highness.”
Then, a voice interrupted Aint.
A familiar voice that made him urgently look around.
“Up!”
At Aria’s shout, everyone looked up. There, descending slowly like gliding, were several figures covered in cloaks.
“Senior Fernan!”
“Senior!”
Tap—
Fernan landed softly. Behind him, five more hooded figures descended one after another.
“…What did you just say?”
Meeting his gaze calmly, Fernan repeated word for word what he had said to the third prince, who raised an eyebrow in irritation.
“I said it was ridiculous nonsense, your highness.”
“…You dare utter such insolence before me!”
“Insolence? I’m only speaking the truth.”
“The truth? Nonsense! You come with the same thing, that the corrupt will betray, and that my ambition is just a hollow delusion!”
“You’re mistaken, your highness. I speak only of your proposal. You mentioned support, troops, and money…”
Fernan raised three fingers.
“Even if you supported Aint, do you believe that support would outweigh that of an Elector Prince like Pellenberg?”
He bent one finger.
“Even if you sent troops, could it surpass the number of mercenaries backed by Pellenberg? Or are you thinking of throwing Esrin’s army against the Empire and starting a full-blown war?”
He bent another.
“And if not that…”
Fernan let out a short laugh.
“Ah, pardon me. This is just too ridiculous.”
“What did you say…?”
“I was referring to your offer of money for Aint.”
He bent the last finger.
“Does Esrin have more money than Pellenberg?”
How dare you speak of wealth in front of a Pellenberg, your highness?
“A prince without common sense, without principles, without ethics or any notion at all. Your highness, you are nothing but a wretch incapable of doing anything without taking the hand of the corrupt.”
Please.
“Learn your place.”
And stay silent in your corner.
Don’t try to meddle in someone else’s table.
____
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