A King is Born on the Road

It was hard work to be on a bare stone floor.

However, Hayer felt less tired because he had made the decision that he could get out of this maze on his own.

When he got bored, he walked as far as he was allowed to, and when he got tired of that, he would lie down and gaze at the sky—the only thing to see. Then he fell asleep, and when he woke up again, he walked around the same place and looked at the sky.

Being there, he realized that the sky was actually constantly moving.

Without a pause, the world changed and time passed. He liked it when it rained, and he also liked the clear night sky full of stars.

He also learned that stars move every day.

Waiting in one place every night to observe the moving stars became more and more his favourite pastime.

Hayer didn’t know the map of the world, but he understood the passage of time by looking at the stars. He was able to even calculate a little bit of where this place was in the world.

He thought he might not be able to put the world in his head like the Lepos people, but he could get to know the world through the sky and through a map.

As if it felt less painful when trapped inside a wall that could be broken, when he recognized that he could have the ability like those of Lepos, he felt his inferiority complex towards his older brother in his heart disappear.

He thought a lot on the spot for more than two months. It feels like a contradiction, but the process was rather a process of making various thoughts disappear.

Hayer thought about the throne while looking at the stars, or the passing moon.

The closest thing to the throne now was Sid Lepos, the current king’s heir, followed by Iris Lepos, the previous king’s heir. The third was the current king’s younger brother, Kernin Lepos. Then there was conviction.

He was increasingly feeling himself drifting away from the throne.

He cut down the sacred tree. Cutting down the sacred tree was more a sin than setting fire to Luwan’s Great Temple and burning down all the holy things in it. It was clear that the priests, as well as the great noble families, would all denounce him themselves.

If it’s not himself.

If so, he thought Iris Lepos should sit on the throne.

Thinking that way, he slowly smiled unconsciously.

The whole time he was isolated here, he was thinking of only one person. How can it be like this, not getting tired of it, to the point where he’s surprised.

Only thinking of one person.

It was when he was laughing at the absurdity of the fact.

Hayer bristled at the feeling of hearing footsteps. He heard nothing, when he was thinking. He heard a sound again.

“Hayer!”

It seemed to be a voice he would never forget until the day he died.

“You’re running well.”

It seems your running skills have improved.

He thought so.

This knight, who had all his keen five senses, could recognize that she must have been running around a lot. Her statement that she would not go out even if it took her a lifetime was true.

“Hayer Asheri!”

Hayer turned around and saw Iris Lepos running from the far end of the road he had been on for two months.

He strode towards her.

This time, he ran as Iris began to slow down from running out of stamina.

Hayer ran over and hugged Iris tightly. She also began to cry in his arms from all the pent-up feelings.

He stroked Iris’s hair as she cried in his arms.

“Truly, you found me.”

* * *

Tamati felt his heart beating when his companion, Iris, started running.

He’s lived too, too long. He was old enough to have experienced almost every emotion in the world.

On the contrary, however, there were so many feelings that he hadn’t felt since long ago. In particular, the freshness of youth was so long ago that it was touching and thrilling just to watch it.

In the end, Iris Lepos found the person who she entered the maze together with. Not wanting to disturb the reunion of the two young people, Tamati stood there and nodded happily.

“It is indeed a face worth spending two months searching for.”

He was struck with admiration.

He was a golden man. As if born from the lake of gods, he overflowed with vitality and beauty, making even the surroundings beautiful.

Hayer laughed out loud when Iris couldn’t stop crying even after comforting her for a while.

“You came to find me well, what are you so sad about?”

At his words, Iris barely moved her lips.

Hayer, who brought his ear close because he couldn’t hear her voice that was choked up, roughly understood and nodded.

“You were afraid you couldn’t find me?”

Iris nodded at the remark.

Then Hayer said.

“But if you focus, you can find where I am.”

“The road keeps moving…”

“Ah, you were worried because the road was moving.”

Hayer nodded.

At that sight, Tamati realized that Hayer Asheri was soothing Iris’s crying with a sound mind, even composure, not as if he had waited for two months.

No way.

Tamati reached for the wall. He could feel the vibration of the walls crying in pain.

Tamati was also a good swordsman, so he once tried to cut down this wall.

However, he knew it was impossible with his own power, and after many years of trying, he gave up. Apparently, Hayer also tried it.

Unlike himself, of course, he could enter this maze with a weapon and use that weapon. On the contrary, however, he was able to sharpen his weapons and spirit in an area with other resources, but that man was only standing in the middle of this empty road.

Would he have been so relaxed if he knew the walls wouldn’t break?

No way.

Tamati, as a fellow soldier, was convinced that Hayer might have waited for Iris without breaking the wall, even though he could.

He was waiting for her to find him.

Tamati felt the corners of his mouth rise without realizing it.

The two of them thought of each other as someone suitable for the throne.

* * *

After a while, Iris stopped crying.

She asked Hayer.

“Didn’t you get afraid at night because there were no candles?”

“Are you afraid of the night?”

Hayer asked, smiling involuntarily.

Iris said embarrassingly.

“The night is too long…”

“It was rather fun. It was the first time I realized that the sky is different every day.”

After saying so, Hayer greeted Tamati.

“You’ve been her companion unceasingly.”

“The princess became my companion.”

“I’m Hayer Asheri.”

“Tamati Sepate.”

At that, Hayer paused.

At the same time, Tamati said in surprise.

“A warrior like this is born in the Asheri family!”

“I never thought I would meet someone from the Sepate family.”

He thought he was reluctant because he was from a traitorous family, but Hayer continued.

“I heard you made a lot of contributions in the war.”

On the contrary, it was a look of respect. 170 years had passed, even if he was a traitor, he would have been just a historical figure to this young man.

Tamati spoke with great pride after 170 years.

“I did.”

“I’m the leader of the Knights of Tejas.”

Then the old man rejoiced.

“Do you mean Tejas Claudius?”

“Yes. I heard you are close friends.”

“Of course. He was my best friend. He left the battlefield when he was young, but I’m still alive and doing this.”

“I’ll show you the scabbard.”

Hayer answered politely and showed the blue wave drawn on his scabbard.

Tamati, who had lost a lot of his sight, looked happy after seeing the scabbard with the pattern his friend used to mark on his objects up close. Then there were words that would make him happier that followed.

“And, although it’s not standard, I learn how to use Sepate’s swordsmanship.”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

While they were meeting for the first time, they exchanged greetings and followed Iris.

afterword 

ugh love them pls get lovey dovey soon