Chapter 187 : Woodrock (6)
Woodrock (6)
Kaid, born into an affluent family, had never known misfortune.
As long as he voiced or even thought of something, it would be in his hands.
If he needed spending money, it would be given to him; if he wanted clothes or jewels, they would all end up in his pocket.
Naturally, it was never difficult for him to find servants or women for his amusement.
On top of that, being born with a great bloodline, he had held overwhelming talent from birth.
For Kaid, who had never lacked anything or found anything unnecessary, life was nothing short of a playground.
With a single word, anything could be achieved, and the moment he gripped a sword, all his enemies would fall due to his overwhelming talent.
'Come to think of it, I've barely ever trained.'
Aside from what was taught at home, Kaid had never actually undergone proper training.
Yet, he possessed a level equal to his father's guard, who had earned the title of "Heavenly Sword."
Absurd talent and the enormous power of his family—surrounded by such an environment, Kaid found the world only dull.
As a result, everything in his sight was quite enough to seem like toys.
"Didn't you hear me? I said get lost."
Yet now, a girl who was nothing more than one of those toys was swearing at him.
Though she was pale from seasickness, this girl's peerless looks were rare.
She was easily in the top three among all the women he had met so far.
But regardless of that, Kaid's cheeks were flushing red.
"I already feel like throwing up here..."
The moment the girl hurled another sharp retort, the man standing next to Kaid grabbed her by the hair.
"Do you know who you're talking to so recklessly?"
"Calm down, Yugwang."
Kaid spoke, calming the agitated man.
"If you use your strength for nothing, what if the ship sinks?"
Kaid knew Yugwang's skill well.
He was, after all, one of the few in the East Continent worthy of the title "Heavenly Sword" and had once served as Kaid's father's guard.
The moment Sword Ki manifested from his blade, even the largest ship could be cleaved in two in a single strike.
"Then, I'll educate her within the boundaries of keeping the ship afloat."
"If she died by accident, now that would be a problem. She's too pretty to lose, even with a bad temper."
Kaid didn't want to carelessly throw away Rio, because he liked her face. Of course, "throwing away" was not meant for now.
"Listen, miss. If you play with me, something good could happen to you. But if not, I might get upset."
Hearing this, Yugwang turned away with effort. None of the women who had played with Kaid until now had met a good end.
"Do you know what happened to the women who upset me? Ruining their families, spreading scandalous rumors about them—that was the least of it."
To Kaid, everyone he saw, not just women, was a toy. Since he never treated anyone as a person, he had no concept of respect.
"Of course, this isn't the East Continent, so that's impossible here, but I could still stain your life in a similar way."
"... Why?"
Now the girl finally asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
"Why?"
Kaid answered with a laugh.
"You just cursed at me. You have to pay the price for that. Isn't it only right to receive punishment if you've done wrong?"
At the very least, Kaid knew the basics of common sense. But all that common sense always revolved around his own perspective.
"So you have to mend the wound you caused my heart. Isn't that right?"
By "mend," he only meant satisfying his own desires. As he reached out his hand for that purpose, Rio also stretched her hand out.
Was she finally giving in to his words? Kaid smiled, his face twisted with desire.
"Why... why...?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Rio kept repeating the same words. At the same time, he found it odd that she was grabbing his sleeve.
"No, you're supposed to hold my hand..."
"Why..."
Rio's voice grew louder and her face contorted painfully.
Was fulfilling his request really that difficult?
Kaid was on the verge of this misunderstanding when it happened.
"Bweeeeaaallllgh!!!"
With a loud noise, Rio spewed an unknown substance from her mouth.
The food she had eaten that morning splattered all over Kaid's face. At the same time, a few drops landed on Yugwang, who stood nearby.
****
"Do you know what's been happening in the 7th Legion lately?"
"Yes. That damn Crown Prince deserted, right?"
Orbel, once the Imperial Court's Crown Prince—Louis felt irritated just hearing the name, as he was one of the main culprits who had killed his own parents.
But now, the news that the guy they finally locked up had actually deserted was enough to leave Louis dumbfounded.
"I thought he'd just die running errands in the 7th Legion his whole life. How in the world did he manage to desert?"
"It looks like the issue with the spell was solved with medicine Eramon made. She confessed it herself."
Louis and Silia were both shocked to learn that Eramon had made medicine to break the spell.
Because up until now, they hadn't been able to solve the problem. But in turn, that led to a different problem.
"So the recent wave of desertions in the 7th Legion is all because of that medicine."
"We also got information that the deserters were found in Woodrock."
That's why the Special Task Force was moving in person.
Even though they were technically free now, this was a problem serious enough for them to take action themselves.
"With Orbel escaping again, we can't just sit still. Especially for you."
Just think about how much time was spent getting Orbel into the 7th Legion.
Since it was too much to let go to waste, he obviously had to be captured again.
"But you know what's strange? Orbel had not even a shred of magic power, so how did he manage to desert?"
He was, in truth, an incompetent guy who could do absolutely nothing.
Forget desertion; his odds of survival in the 7th Legion were almost zero.
"A guy like that not only survived but managed to desert? Even without the spell, that should have been impossible."
The 7th Legion wasn't just dangerous because of monsters on the front lines; the crazed criminals within it were also a threat.
How could Orbel have survived either side?
"Even I think it's unnatural."
"And he's the only royal family member with no magic power or supernatural power."
By now, Louis wondered. Was Orbel's incompetence just a random stroke of fate?
Or was he born that way due to someone's curse?
"Maybe someone's supporting him from behind."
"I can't imagine who'd help that guy, but..."
There were still many things left to uncover. There was a long way to go before things could be truly settled.
"And once the ship docks, those guys will be waiting for us at the pier."
"Those guys?"
"Do you know who filled the void in the 7th Legion left by us, the Special Task Force?"
Louis immediately thought of the Holy Nation.
After the events two years ago, the Holy Nation became completely subordinate to the Empire.
Since they were now cooperating actively with the 7th Legion, they were involved in this operation as well.
"Do you think they'll really cooperate?"
"This is quite an embarrassing situation for them. They're taking all the blame for the desertions."
The Holy Nation had now become nothing more than the Empire's errand boy.
Their biggest weakness was exposed, and the Empire now held what was most important to them.
"L-Lord! Something's happened!"
Right now, Pram, that very important person, came rushing to Louis.
"Um... Rio, she..."
"I know. She threw up on the main deck, right?"
Pram tried to relay urgent information, but Louis had already figured it out.
"I heard everything."
Since it was the middle of the ship, all sounds inside it reached Louis's ears.
Not only that, the strange smell from Rio's mouth was also stinging his nose at that moment.
"So shouldn't you be going out instead of standing here? Do you know in front of whom Pram threw up?"
"I know. You said it's a noble from the neighboring continent, right?"
"And knowing that, why are you just standing here?"
When Pram asked with a dumbfounded look, Louis perked up his ears.
"There's no need to go out."
Louis's judgment was spot-on. The other party was already walking their way.
"Hey!"
Soon, an irate male voice rang out.
"Are you this girl's acquaintances?"
There stood Kaid and Yugwang, face red with anger. They pushed Rio forward, having dragged her along.
"Just look at what she did to us because of this girl!"
"So, how will you take responsibility?"
As expected, and more, Kaid's appearance, covered in Rio's vomit, made Louis bow and apologize.
"My deepest apologies. If you need compensation, just name it—I'll do anything."
Both Silia and Pram were impressed by Louis's chivalrous attitude.
Normally, he'd have started by throwing punches, but he didn't want to leave a mark as they passed through Woodrock.
"Compensation? Did you just say compensation?"
"Shouldn't you just pay for the clothes, and maybe the bath as well...?"
"Of course, my clothes are expensive. But the compensation I want is not something as paltry as that."
Suddenly, Kaid drew his sword from his waist and spoke.
"What I want is your head, as a sign of your sincere apology."
Your head as an apology?
What kind of talk was that? Louis tilted his head in confusion.
"In a nutshell, he wants me dead, right?"
"Is there a problem?"
A problem?
Did this jerk not understand the difference between an apology and murder? Louis became increasingly dumbfounded.
"My lord... sorry."
At that moment, Rio looked at Louis and apologized.
"I was really seasick. I couldn't help it."
He should've brought medicine for the seasickness. As Louis was sinking into deep regret, Rio's eyes flashed.
"My lord! I have a good idea!"
"What is it?"
Rio stared at Kaid for a moment, then leaned in close.
"What are you doing—"
Slurp—
"Eeek!"
Kaid shrieked as Rio suddenly started licking his body.
"What's this girl doing!"
"I vomited on you, didn't I? So I have to clean it up myself."
What kind of crazy girl is this? Both Kaid and his bodyguard Yugwang were appalled.
"Get lost!!"
Enraged, Kaid swung his sword without thinking. Unable to control his emotions, the blade struck reflexively.
He thought, of course, that he had cut her neck, but then realized something was off.
"Huh?"
He didn't feel any sensation of cutting through flesh.
Only then did Kaid notice that Rio had dodged his sword by merely lowering her head.
"And I just got another good idea."
Lifting her head, Rio smiled brightly.
"You just said you wanted to play with me, right?"
From Rio's expression, Kaid felt an inexplicable dread.
For the first time in his life, he felt he was being overwhelmed.
"Play with me."
When Rio said it, Kaid's hands trembled. Having just seen her dodge his sword, he knew this girl wasn't normal.
Kaid stood at a crossroads. Should he swing his sword or not?
There was no one in the world whose talent surpassed his own. Of course, if he swung his sword, he could cut this girl's neck.
But why couldn't he swing it? Why was he hesitating?
Kaid couldn't understand why his body wouldn't obey.
He didn't realize it was because he instinctively sensed the opponent was stronger than himself.
Thud!―
At that instant, the ship rocked violently. Before people could ask what was going on, something happened.
Whoosh―
Suddenly, a tentacle shot up from the sea and pierced through several people's chests.
"Rio. If you want to play, don't play with this guy."
What the—?
When Louis appeared in front of him in an instant, Kaid's eyes went wide.
"Stronger opponents are flocking this way."
At the same time, Kaid realized—Louis had grabbed the very tentacle that was about to pierce his own chest.