A King is Born on the Road

Even with the torches and the moon, the night was dark, so they couldn’t figure out how far she had drifted away.

“…The temperature is too low. If you fall into the water here, you won’t survive.”

Even at the words of the knight, Sid Lepos ordered the soldiers to jump in. The hound, which escaped from the ice, was killed on the spot.

Soldiers from the relatively warm capital suffered frostbite, and one died, but in the end, Iris was not found.

A knight came to Sid, who was drinking to calm his anger.

“Your Highness! It’s the full moon! The full moon has risen!”

At that, Sid hurriedly put down his glass and went out of the tent.

It was as the knight said. As the clouds covering the moon passed, a huge full moon began to illuminate the world.

The Knight Commander said.

“In any case, it seems Miss Iris is dead.”

“…….”

The full moon indicated that the would-be king had appeared. So Sid realized now that the Knight Commander was saying that the competitor has disappeared.

He soon felt his rage dissipate, and he was certain that the moon was giving him a sign tonight that he would become king.

However, the sensitivity unique to the Lepos family that he had still kept him from thinking that Iris was dead.

* * *

To the south of Luwan is Kawat, a mountainous area, and the southern border past it was the border with forbidden land that humans could not enter.

At the border, Hayer Asheri, along with the Knights of Tejas, whom he was the commander of, continued a battle to the point where he forgot whose last name he had and who he was.

Originally living in the forbidden land, strange beings that could only be called monsters were rushing across the border into the Kawat Forest.

The Kawats, who did not regard themselves as Luwans, were initially wary of the Knights of Tejas, which consisted of nobles among the Luwans, but now accepted that only they could save them.

Throughout the year of their stay in Kawat, the Knights of Tejas were all covered in blood as if they had been bathed in red rain.

Returning to the village where the Kawats lived sparsely, the Knights poured water that the villagers brought into the square to wipe off the blood.

After returning to the accommodation, taking off the dirty clothes and taking a proper bath, hot steam rose from the bodies of all members of the Tejas Knights.

Pushed away by Hayer’s left arm, Hencke sat with one arm on his chair and asked Hayer, who was drinking beer.

“Hasn’t the number of monsters decreased after the sacred tree was cut?”

Hayer’s right-hand man, Annamaria, said at the words.

“Really. I don’t think I’ve seen those two-legged guys lately.”

Everyone in the Knights let out a sigh of relief at the words ‘two-legged guys.’

Among all the strange beasts, they were the worst of the worst. Walking on two legs meant being able to use both hands.

Being able to use both hands, and has learned to use tools. Is it evolving in a short time, or is it the fear of throwing a rock that can be held in one hand?

Naturally, humans felt temperamentally afraid of beings that resembled themselves.

After talking on both sides like that, Hencke said to Hayer, who was chuckling.

“Captain, you said you had to go to the capital? Don’t you have to go quickly?”

“I’d love to get out of here. But I don’t know if you guys can be without me.”

“…Come to think of it, we can’t. Don’t go.”

Hayer only raised his eyebrows in answer and gulped down his beer.

Then the door to the accommodation opened and the villagers said.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Eat first!”

The Kawats were coming in with whole lamb roasts. Seeing that they prepared a meal that was like a feast, the amount of monsters had decreased, and it seemed they could survive. 

Hayer rose as the surroundings became noisy. Annamaria, who was laughing and chatting with the villagers, glanced at him and motioned with a gesture.

“Bring him a meal.”

“Yes!”

Starting to move, Dylan took a plate and began to pick out things that suited Hayer’s taste.

Annamaria asked Hencke, who had already started eating.

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood these days.”

“I don’t like it. He’s risking his life to defend the border here, but no one in the capital pays him tribute.”

He continued, spooning the food into his mouth.

“I hope we can go and sweep it when it stabilizes here.”

“…You were born into a decent family, weren’t you? Is it okay to dream of treason?”

“I’m telling you because it’s you.”

“Well… right.”

Annamaria soon turned her attention to the food, casually passing it over.

* * *

Dylan knocked on the door of the Knight Commander’s Office.

“Captain, I brought you a meal. Shall I go in?”

“Come in.”

In response to Hayer’s reply, Dylan packed his meal and entered the room.

As Dylan expected, Hayer was frowning at the pain in his shoulder.

A mythical god-like body, and a scar on his left shoulder that looked as if it had been axed like a tree.

Dylan pouted his lips and put the meal in front of Hayer.

“The wound is getting bigger and bigger, Captain.”

“I know because I have eyes too.”

“Ask His Majesty for replacement troops. Stop being stubborn. Now, Captain, you should be in a place like a villa where you can recuperate, not on this battlefield.”

Dylan nagged and took a white powder painkiller out of Hayer’s baggage.

Hayer just laughed it off and didn’t answer, so Dylan grabbed the wooden barrel containing painkillers and said.

“If you keep laughing like that, I won’t give you this. I’m going to throw it away.”

“Okay, I’ll be going to the capital the day after tomorrow anyway, so I can go get it again.”

Dylan pursed his lips because he didn’t like it, and had no choice but to apply a powdery painkiller to Hayer’s wound.

The open wound didn’t heal at all. Even though others would faint and could never wake up, Hayer continued eating without making much noise.

“You just don’t want to go and get involved in a political fight, do you?”

When Dylan interrupted, Hayer retorted.

“It’s comfortable here. I don’t want to live in discomfort because I don’t know how much longer I will live.”

“You won’t die of this wound.”

“Kid.”

Hayer stopped eating and looked at the boy.

“It was two months ago when I got this wound. The wound that seemed to have been scratched by a branch opened up this much in the meantime. Even doctors don’t know why. This is not better.”

Dylan bit his lip at his calm resignation.

It was so unfair that he couldn’t bear it. However, Hayer, who was indifferent to everything in the world and had no obsession, was calm.

Dylan, who was right next to him, was the only one who knew that his wound had deepened like this. It’s probably been a long time since everyone has forgotten about it and thought that it’s been healed since it was a scratch.

Dylan said curtly.

“You should at least tell the knights.”

“Those guys look brazen, but they whine more than they look. If I really feel like dying, I can tell them on the day.”

“They’re going to be shocked.”

“What do you know? I’d be dead. And how many days will those simple guys be sad?”

13 year old Dylan tied the bandage tightly, thinking that his role had been switched with that of an adult’s.

Then, after Hayer got dressed again under Dylan’s care, the door burst open without a knock.

“Captain! Captain!”

As Hayer turned his head at those words, Annamaria, who opened the door, said.

“The full moon is up! Finally! As expected! That moon acknowledged the captain!”

The words made Dylan cry and turn away.

Hayer smiled and stroked the back of Dylan’s head, then followed Annamaria out as if nothing had happened.

As she said, there was a full moon in the sky. The moon has never been full since King Eswa took the throne.

In Luwan, the full moon meant the king. Therefore, Eswa’s inferiority complex was bound to grow, and today’s full moon felt like a sign to accept a new king.