CHAPTER 102……………………………………….
“Our grandfather?”
Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Rin’s eyes widened.
“You heard from Merok about the accident that happened to our parents, right?”
“Merok? Oh, you mean your knight!”
Rin paused for a moment at the unfamiliar name and recalled the story she had heard while returning to Pegasus Castle with Kaidan after the assassin’s attack.
“Merok, the current regent of the Tigris family, has always been a petty man jealous of his lord.”
From the start, Merok, the knight, made it clear that the Tigris regent—Kaidan’s uncle—was an unworthy scoundrel. His story revealed the truth behind the suspicious accident involving Kaidan’s parents.
“He constantly coveted his lord’s position, and he didn’t even bother hiding his greed. He aimed to take over the family head’s seat and assassinated my lord! It was absolutely not an accident.”
Merok, who had been excluded from the escort due to feeling unwell on the day of the accident, spoke with conviction.
He insisted that such an accident could never have occurred under the circumstances.
The Northern Mountains’ ruling Tigris family had traveled under heavy protection, accompanied by multiple knights, using horses and carriages strictly managed by the family.
There was nothing in that journey that could have caused an ordinary accident.
“Does it make sense that the lord of the Northern Mountains died in a carriage accident? It was clearly orchestrated! The regent’s lackeys inspected the accident scene and covered up all the evidence, those filthy dogs!”
The fury in Merok’s voice reflected his unwavering belief that his lord and companions could never have disappeared so meaningless.
“They took advantage of young Master Kaidan’s age to seize control of the family. I’ve been tracking the truth they tried to hide ever since.”
After the sudden deaths of the family head and his wife, Kaidan’s uncle’s rapid and smooth rise to the regency and the family takeover was telling. The person who benefited most from the carriage accident was obvious.
Merok left it at that for the time being.
“Merok didn’t know how much we’d cooperate. He only spoke about internal family matters.”
“Just the family?”
“Yes. Regarding the Holy Nation, no one knows where their followers might be. So he kept silent.”
That vigilance was a habit deeply ingrained in Merok.
Kaidan explained why.
“After the Holy Nation’s excommunication decree, there were even traitors within the family.”
The power of the excommunication, announced by the Holy King across the continent, had far-reaching consequences.
The long-established teachings of the Holy Nation had created countless followers who prioritized faith over their families or organizations.
“They probably had a hand in the ‘accident’ too.”
The moment Kaidan said the word “accident,” his red eyes flared with anger.
“The followers of the Holy King had spread so widely that we had to suspect everyone to uncover the truth of that incident.”
“Kaidan…”
“Anyway. That’s why Merok didn’t speak about the Holy Nation. Even though he was certain my uncle and the Holy Nation were involved in that accident.”
Rin glanced at Kaidan’s fists, clenched white as bone despite his calm expression, and bit her lip in thought.
‘Kaidan’s enemy. That’s why he warned us not to trust the Holy Nation.’
The ones who killed his parents.
Whenever Kaidan spoke of the Holy Nation’s Holy King, his eyes sank into a deep, cold gaze.
The anger he had nurtured for so long burned cold rather than hot.
“They erased all evidence of our parents’ murder. Just as they did with everyone who accessed their fake rituals before.”
“Evidence… But Kaidan already knows they’re the culprits. So in the future, it’ll all be revealed, right?”
“Yes. Your grandfather, the Mercenary King, has returned. Along with the truth.”
“!”
The reason for hastening the grandfather’s return became clear through this unexpected connection. Rin’s expression showed surprise, and Caligo, having guessed some of it, spoke.
[Indeed. Because he’s the only one who could return from the Eastern Continent?]
“Yes. And the whole continent knows that Mercenary King went there.”
The Great Lord’s family, led by Felrod Pegasus, who also carried the fame of the Mercenary King of the past.
The story of him traveling to the Eastern Continent to find medicine to save his dying granddaughter was known throughout the Beast Continent.
“No matter how precious his granddaughter is… the Eastern Continent? That’s ridiculous.”
“Even the Mercenary King overestimated his own strength. Maybe he was still intoxicated by the spirit of adventure from those days.”
“Tsk tsk… Only the people of Pegasus territory suffered, I suppose…”
Even those who were initially doubtful eventually shook their heads in disbelief over the years.
The story, passed from mouth to mouth, became the continent’s gossip about the fall of a once-great hero.
“When Mercenary King Felrod returned, no one could deny he had indeed been to the Eastern Continent.”
“Right! Grandpa really went there!”
“Yes. Completely different from the powerless drifters of the Eastern Continent.”
His fame across the continent gave Felrod enormous influence.
Even when Felrod spoke the truth about the “Divine Beast” he discovered in the Eastern Continent, some fanatics tried to suppress it. But Felrod was not someone easily swayed.
He was the Mercenary King who had conquered the Beast Continent by force in his youth.
Even in the Eastern Continent…
“The Mercenary King became the strongest in the Eastern Continent to obtain your medicine.”
“Strongest in the world?”
Hearing the unfamiliar term, Rin tilted her head. The impact of the title spread even to the nearby Divine Beast.
[What! A new strongest in the world has appeared?]
“Caligo, do you know what ‘Strongest in the World’ means?”
[Of course! It’s a title that has existed in the Eastern Continent for centuries. Not always, though.]
Caligo’s excitement grew as he recalled the memories joyfully.
[In the past, only those who could withstand countless challenges received the title. They were truly worthy.]
He grinned.
[Otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived all the challenges.]
“A title earned through challenges? Like our grandfather, the Mercenary King?”
[Even more than that! ‘Strongest in the World’ literally means you are the most powerful under heaven!]
Hahaha!
Caligo laughed heartily. Normally prickly and arrogant, his reaction suggested he had admiration for those who earned the title.
Rin’s eyes sparkled, and she asked excitedly:
“Wow! So our grandfather is the strongest even in the Eastern Continent?”
[If he held that title, yes, he was recognized as such.]
Tap tap. Caligo’s doll tail tapped the table in excitement.
[In my day, it was given to the strongest who destroyed all martial arts schools and factions. Did they choose the current Strongest in the World the same way?]
“No. Apparently, he won the grand tournament held by the Eastern royal family.”
Kaidan answered Rin’s question, flinching slightly under the gaze of the black Divine Beast.
[Ah, the Grand Tournament, I see.]
“The prize for winning was the medicine the Mercenary King went to obtain.”
[Indeed! If the royal family hosts the tournament, that much has to be at stake. Otherwise, even those hiding in some remote mountain cave wouldn’t come out.]
Amid Caligo’s chuckles, Rin’s lips parted as she guessed the significance of the “medicine” Kaidan mentioned.
“Medicine… Could it be…?”
“Yes.”
Kaidan nodded, confirming Rin’s guess.
“The Mercenary King found the medicine to restore your health, Rin.”
“!”
A shiver ran through Rin’s small body.
