I Am the Monarch – Chapter 144 : Veiled Strife (4)

Compared to how the Pershion Kingdom’s western and southern regions suffered damage from the chaos of the war, the situation at the northeastern region was on a bit better side .
But even so, it wasn’t always a peaceful place either .
This was because various monsters thrived around the widely spread forest .
Due to that, Pershion Kingdom had a separate regional troop that undertook monster subjugation .
But with the Byron and Istel Kingdom’s invasion, the regional commanders who oversaw the monster subjugation were all transferred to the front line and a gap was created .
Through that gap, the monsters were attacking the northeastern region’s villages .
This was the very false situation that Prince Reitas Pershion convinced Prince Manus Pershion of .

“It’s over the hill on the right, sir . ”

Baron Baites Inges spoke with a slightly nervous look .
He didn’t particularly say what was there .
Since either way, Reitas would also know .

Clop . Clop .

The sound of horse hooves rode the northern wind and spread .
About twenty knights followed Reitas and Baites’ back .

“Hhm . ”

Reitas, who climbed up onto the hill, leaked out a quiet groan .
Even though it was something he had already resolved himself plenty for, the sight that spread out beyond the hill stabbed his eyes and tore through his heart .

‘Manus……’

The corpse lying face down on the ground .
Although there were several corpses next to it, Reitas was instantly able to recognize Manus .
He slowly went down to the bottom of the hill .
His gaze was stuck on Manus’ back .

Clank .

Getting down from his horse, he moved his feet .
A slightly distanced spot from Manus .
He couldn’t go closer than that .

“Manus . ”

The end of his voice shook .

“Hhm . ”

Reitas needlessly coughed once and stared straight at Manus’ back .

“I had no choice but to kill you . ”

It was an unavoidable choice .

“I was born to be a king and lived to become a king . To such me, you were an insurmountable wall and an unbearable pain . ”

And so, he could only destroy it .

“It would’ve been better instead if you weren’t born……”

They were words streaked with his innermost feelings .
With a short sigh, Reitas shook his head and raised his right hand .

“Collect Roan Tale’s corpse and Manus’ corpse . We will disguise it as if a foreign noble had assassinated Manu……”

The moment he spoke up to that point .

Rustle .

Reitas doubted his eyes .
Manus’ corpse that was lying with its face on the ground intensely shook .

“Uuh!”
“Wha, what the!”

Baite as well as the knights behind him became startled and yelled .
That is to say, Reitas hadn’t seen it incorrectly .

“Just what is……”

With a frown, Reitas stared at Manus’ corpse .

Rustle . Rustle .

Manus’ corpse shook up and down several times, then pushed up the ground with two hands and stood up .
That was not a corpse .

“Older brother Reitas . ”

The quiet and troubled voice was definitely Manus’ .
Standing straight on two feet, he stared at Reitas’ face .

“You really……”

He looked as if he was suppressing a burning thing within his chest .

“Tried to killed me . ”

He didn’t believe it .
He didn’t want to believe it .
But everything was revealed to be true .

“Huu . ”

Manus exhaled a long sigh .

“How are you alive?”

Reitas frowned as he asked .
Although he was momentarily taken back, he soon regained his composure .

“That is……”

When Manus had spoken to that point .

Rustle . Rustle .

The corpses that were spread around all moved up and down .

“Huugh!”
“What!”

Baite and the knights gasped at that sight .
A moment later, Roan and Clay as well as the young commanders who **** Manus brushed dirt off their clothes and stood up .
Amongst them, there was not a single person dead .
No, there wasn’t even anyone who was hurt .
The blood on their clothes were surely of other people’s .
Seeing that sight, Reitas formed a bitter smile .

“It seems I’ve thought too easily of you . Manus . ”

Manus shook his head at those words .
Turning around to Roan, he opened his mouth .

“No . Instead of me, brother underestimated Baron Tale . Since this is all his work . ”

Already, there was strength in his voice .

“Hmm . ”

At those words, Reitas looked at Roan with a quiet groan .
Roan quietly stared back at that burning gaze .

‘In the end, it became like this . ’

In the end, Manus’ wish wasn’t realized .
Suddenly, he heard Manus’ voice .

“Did you really have to do it like this?”
“Yes . This was the best . ”

Reitas calmly replied .
For a moment, Manus clenched his teeth, then spoke as if to spit out each and every word .

“If brother asked me to disappear, I would’ve done it . If you told me to live as if I was dead because I’m getting in the way and bothering you, I would have done it . ”

In the first place, he had no interest in politics or authority .
If Reitas wanted it, he would had done it like so .
Reitas quietly stared at Manus, and then slowly shook his head .

“That’s living like one was dead, not dead . ”

He widely opened his arms .

“Manus . You are truly brilliant and have an incredible talent, but you in fact know nothing of politics and authority . You’ll live as if you are dead? Then do you think everything will be solved? Far from it . ”

Reitas’ voice slowly became bigger .

“The faction that supports you will await your return . They’ll increase their power, strengthen their foundation, and struggle to place you at the top of authority . They may even point their swords at me . ”
“That’s just a conclusion brother arbitrarily thought and came to . ”

Manus creased his brows .
At those words, Reitas made a faint smile .
In a quiet voice, he spoke as if to whisper .

“Manus . The people of the world are a lot closer to me than you . They obsess over things like authority, wealth, and honor . It means that even if you act noble by yourself, the things around you will ultimately create a mess . ”

Reitas pointed at Manus .

“As long as you live, the seed of strife won’t disappear . As well as the unease and powerlessness that suffocate me……”

He took two steps back .
At the same time, the knights who were lined up behind him walked forwards .
On Manus’ side, there were only about ten with Roan and the young commanders together .
Compared to him, the knights numbered more than twenty .

“Older brother Reitas . ”

Manus was calm .

“I wished to believe in brother . But that belief was amusingly shattered like this . ”

A light circled in his eyes .
That was a cold and hard light .
It wasn’t the light of Manus who lived soft and complacently saying good things are good .

“You were anxious because of my talent? That I was an insurmountable wall? So you could only kill me?”

He looked straight into Reitas’ eyes .

“Don’t say such cowardly words . ”
“What?”

Reitas unknowingly asked back .
It was that he was slightly flustered since this side of Manus was a first .
Manus continued his words .

“Light Kingdom’s founder Madison Von Light had five younger brothers below him . They were all excellent individuals . Especially the third younger brother Plapp was much greater genius than King Madison . Then did King Madison kill him? Far from it . King Madison gave Plapp the command right to command the entire army . After that, Plapp led that army, led countless wars and battles to victory, and set up the foundation for the Light Kingdom to be found . ”
“That is……”

When Reitas tried to say something .

“Brother . ”

Manus cut him off .
Fire flickered in his eyes .

“Brother isn’t fit to become the king . ”
“For you to say something like that, amusing . ”

Reitas snorted .
Not minding that, Manus continued to speak .

“Could a man afraid of his own brother lead a country? That’s what is truly amusing . ”

The words became a thorn and pierced Reitas’ chest .
Manus looked at Reitas with an expression full of pity .
Reitas couldn’t take that expression and look .
Reitas temperamentally shouted .

“Manus . Die already!”

Irritation soared .
Although he had seen through the trap and survived, the opportunity was still there .
If he were to definitely end the things now at least, there won’t be any problems .

“So you’ll kill me after all?”
“Now, we cannot turn back . ”

At Manus’ question, Reitas answered shortly .

“Huu . ”

Manus let out a short sigh .

“Where could brother’s soldiers waiting to ambush and kill me and Baron Tale have gone?”

A suddenly thrown question .
Unexpectedly, Reitas answered with a calm look .

“You guys probably took care of them . ”

As soon as he said those words, a hill rising up to their right became uproarious .

“Prince!”
“My lord!”

The thing that suddenly appeared without a commonplace troop flag was a single troop with Harrison and Brian at the head .
The troop, made up of about five hundred soldiers, had been hiding themselves after cleaning up Reitas’ soldiers who were waiting in ambush .

“Our side’s soldiers number over five hundred . ”

Manus spoke in a coldly composed voice .

“Brother has no more chance . ”

At those words, Reitas shook his head .

“No, the chance is still there . Since I could kill you before they come down the hill . ”
“Try it if you can . Since I don’t have any thought of stepping back anymore than this . ”

His expression and voice were resolved .
Manus had thrown away the vain hope that he held towards Reitas .
Reitas didn’t wait any longer and waved his right hand .

“Kill him . ”

A cruel order fell .

Tat!

Twenty knights kicked the ground simultaneously .
Although the soldiers on top of the hill began to move a moment later, the distance was rather far .

“Die!”

The knights screamed and pounced .
At that moment .

Puuk!

Suddenly, a black and long pole hit the ground a step in front of them .

“Huugh!”
“Kuk!”

Two knights, who had been running fiercely, couldn’t quite dodge and rolled on the ground .

“Wha, what!”

With ferocious spirit, the knights glared with their eyes .
Suddenly, an elongated stick soar through the air and left behind an afterimage .

“Huugh!”
“Damn it!”

Dodging the pole stabbing through their gaps, the knights shook their body left and right .
Amongst them, there were some who swung their swords and parried the pole away .

Paat!

With a hazy afterimage, a young man stood in front of the knights .
The owner of the black pole .
He was Roan .

“I’m sorry, but the ones who will be dying aren’t us, but……”

He turned his wrist .

Chang .

At the tip of the black pole, a long spearhead shot up .
The Trivias Spear had revealed its full form .

“You . ”

Tat!

The instant he finished his words, Roan kicked the ground .
The long spear that had tore through the knights’ gaps instantly shrunk .

“This bastard!”
“To dare to come at us alone!”

The knights thought that Roan was throwing around reckless courage .
Then .

Pat! Pavat!

In front of the knights’ eyes, a ball of light about **** big appeared .

“Kuugh!”
“Ugh!”

At the sudden situation, most of the knights squinted their eyes and turn their heads .

‘I’ve did it . ’

Roan inwardly cheered .
It was because the light spell using the Brent’s ring had shown effectiveness even in a real fight .
Using the Kalian’s Tears to read the flows of knights’ mana, Roan shook his spear following them .
The sharp spearhead danced and pierced through the bodies of knights done in by the light spell .

“Kuuk!”
“Kuk!”

Death throes .
Four knights, without even offering a decent resistance, fell .

“Hhm . ”
“Ah……”

Manus and the young commanders who followed him leaked out a quiet exclamation at the scene that suddenly happened .
They stared at Roan’s back that stood in front of them .

‘Is this the skill of the Crimson Ghost?’
‘What was that light just now?’

Gulp .

They subconsciously gulped .
They felt slightly confused .
Roan of now was different than Roan they knew .
He was a person who always shared various stories of numerous subjects with a friendly smile .
He felt more closer to a scholar than a warrior .
But Roan of now was .

‘Emanating a thick smell of blood . ’
‘This kind of pressure isn’t something that’s naturally made . ’

It was an incredible pressure that could only be earned after walking through the battlefields for tens of years .
Right now, Roan was radiating such pressure from his entire body .

‘It feels suffocating even when I’m standing behind him . ’

Manus fully opened his chest and breathed in .
Considering how he himself was feeling such pressure, Reitas’ knights in front of Roan must had been breathless .
Manus bitterly smiled and picked up a sword that was on the ground .

“Let’s start as well . ”
“Yes . Understood . ”

The young commanders quickly took up swords .
Moving their feet, they stood on Roan’s two sides .
Seeing this sight, Reitas flashed a cold light from his eyes .

“We don’t need the others . Focus only on killing Manus . ”
“Yes!”

The knights answered in one voice and then kicked off the ground .
Glaring at the knights rushing towards them, Roan spoke in a quiet voice .

“Prince Manus . Will you be fine?”
“Yes . I have already resolved myself . ”

Manus answered with a composed look .
Roan glanced at him and the young commanders once, then nodded his head .

“Then, should we put an end to this work?”

The instant his words ended, everyone kicked the ground .

Taat!

Roan and Manus as well as the young commanders and Reitas’ knights violently rushed at each other .
And finally .

Boom!

With an explosion, the two group merged with each other .

Chang! Chaang! Chang!

Sparks flew along with the metallic noises .
A tie .
Although the number on Roan and Manus’ side was much smaller, the overall situation was equal .
The reason was .

Spaat!

“Kuuk!”

Due to Manus of brilliant swordplay and .

Ssskuk!

“Kuugh!”

Roan of precise and destructive spearmanship .
As if they had matched themselves before, they showed a natural coordination and pressured on the knights .
And all the while, the troop, which was coming down the hill, was almost upon them .
Reitas moved his gaze away from the chaotic battle spreading in front of his eyes and looked up at the blue sky .

‘The winter sun is still nice . ’

But it felt different than the sunlight he saw from the office window .
If the sunlight from then was warm, the sunlight of now was cold .
The northern wind tore through his clothes and entered .
It was cold .

Sseureng .

He pulled out the sword on his waist and slowly moved his feet .
His gaze was once again towards Manus .

‘I will personally cut off your neck with my own hands . ’

If they just looked at their skills swordsmanship, Manus was a step, no several steps above him .
But .

‘You cannot cut me, but I can cut you down . ’

However much he made up words pretending to be cold, Manus was Manus .
Reitas thought so .
Clenching his teeth, he kicked off the ground .
The target was solely Manus .
Then .

Spaat!

A light flashed and then a spearhead popped out in front of his nose .

“Kuk!”

With his teeth clench, Reitas swung his sword .
As if it had been waiting, the spearhead in front of his nose abruptly moved back .

Swuung .

The sword amusingly cut the air .

“Hhm . ”

His balance broke .
The spearhead that had backed off suddenly approached once more .
Needless to say, the owner of the spear was Roan .

“This is the end . ”

Roan shrunk Travias Spear’s length as he slowly approached .
Reitas looked straight into Roan’s eyes .

“Roan Tale . It seems the work has been spoiled because of you . ”

Roan shook his head at those words .

“The thing that ruined your work is that squalid ambition of yours . ”
“There is nothing squalid to ambition . It merely burns . ”

Reitas put strength into the grip holding the sword .
He stared behind Roan at Manus, who was pressuring away the knights .

“Don’t intervene in a sibling affair . ”

Reitas had a work he had to finish .
Roan twisted his wrist as he straightened his stance .
A cold smile hung from his mouth .

“Then in the first place, you shouldn’t have involved me in a sibling affair . ”

He looked absolutely without a sign of stepping back .
Reitas stared straight into Roan’s two eyes and clenched his teeth .
And then .

“Roan Tale!”

Shouting at the top of his lungs, he kicked the ground .
The anger and despair he had been forcefully suppressing had exploded out at once .
Reitas’ sword cut through the space with an incredible pressure .

“I’m not naive enough……”

Roan smoothly moved his feet and quickly whipped his arms .

“To lose to an opponent who lost his calm, sir . ”

Simultaneously, the spearhead jumped up as if flicked .
A light flashed between Roan and Reitas .
That was a light so blindingly bright and cold that it somehow felt even sad .

< Veiled Strife (4) > End .