Chapter 60: Erendil (1)

The dream remained the same.

The same space. A corridor that was similar yet slightly different each time. Kalin walked toward an unknown destination.

It seemed he never reached the end. Meanwhile, his sleep time seemed to be getting shorter.

It was a minor complaint. If this was going to happen, he might as well have nightmares.

Nightmares and recurring dreams.

The content of the latter was better, but the gradually earlier wake-up times were a torment for Kalin.

‘I can’t look too exhausted, though.’

Given the nature of his mission, he had to manage his expressions.

It wasn’t normal for a young knight to look perpetually tired, and it wouldn’t be any different in the future.

Royal guard of the princess. He had to act throughout his mission. The anticipated suffering made him sigh deeply.

Kalin, who had just washed his face, mounted his horse.

He was now heading to the empire with Princess Haisen. The procession wasn’t excessive.

‘Not small, though.’

Still, it was a royal princess’s procession.

Kalin didn’t have much to do. He was an additional member assigned to the group.

People’s gazes had changed significantly since he took off his helmet, even though he hadn’t worn it for long.

It was entirely due to his appearance. The contrast with his previously hidden, hideous face was stark.

The king even called him a noble’s bastard.

‘Thinking about it again, it’s ridiculous.’

Kalin was momentarily taken aback by the rudeness.

He did deny it, though, out of embarrassment. He said he used it because of the prejudice that came with his young age and face.

However, it wasn’t believed. People tend to believe what they want to believe.

With such an appearance, people thought he must have hidden his face because he was a bastard.

The rumors that spread were similar. The king’s question about him being a bastard had more impact than Kalin’s denial.

Kalin didn’t bother to deny it further. It wasn’t a bad thing.

Even if the treatment of bastards wasn’t good, he was still half-noble. He was treated better than commoners or mercenaries.

Depending on whose bloodline he had, he might even be treated like a noble.

‘Here he comes again.’

Kalin sensed someone approaching through the wind. He didn’t try to build a rapport while moving.

He knew Kal Schurtaffen’s background but didn’t need to talk in detail.

The original Kal Schurtaffen was a taciturn person. However, a few people approached him first.

Princess Haisen was one of them.

The princess couldn’t take her eyes off Kalin’s face from the moment she saw it.

The gap between the imagined horror and the reality was a shock to her.

He looked like the ideal knight from the chivalric literature she secretly read.

At first, the princess observed him for a few days, but as they got closer to the empire, she started to talk to him more.

-You’re amazing for your young age!

At first, it was light greetings and compliments. In a world where magic flowed, 18 was still a young age.

Especially considering Kal Schurtaffen’s achievements.

Kalin played along. Despite the bad words he heard at the grand hall, she was the king’s daughter.

He couldn’t afford to be rude. And the princess’s nature was such that she wouldn’t be.

“Princess, good morning. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes. And you, Sir Kal?”

The princess’s face, always smiling brightly, exuded a rare innocence.

It was one of the things unfamiliar to Kalin, who had grown up in the intelligence agency.

The fact that the princess, who called him ‘young,’ was actually younger than him added to the irony.

The 14-year-old princess didn’t even realize her mistake.

“I did as well.”

Kalin smiled faintly and engaged in the tedious exchange.

After some talk about the past and compliments on his sword skills, an interesting comment came up.

“Sir Kal, I think my sister will like your taciturn nature.”

While taciturnness was somewhat intentional with the princess, the latter part was more striking.

‘Sister’ referred to the princess.

“Are you close to Her Highness the Princess?”

“A little? I don’t see her often, but...”

The princess trailed off and glanced away. Kalin thought she was trying to show their closeness.

There was no need to press, but any information was valuable.

“I’m relieved. I was worried because I’m not much of a talker.”

“Don’t worry. She might even like it. She hates unnecessary talk and can spot lies like a ghost.”

“Is that so?”

Kalin leaned forward slightly, showing interest.

He had met the princess only a few times in the game and didn’t know much about her.

Moreover, the princess he knew was usually in her late 20s. Now, at 16, she was younger than Kalin.

A 10-year gap.

Considering what the princess had gone through in the game, she might be a completely different person.

While he had some information about the princess, only close friends would know certain things.

Still, he planned to filter out what he could.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything else I should be careful about?”

“Hmm, she likes sweets...”

It was new information to him. It seemed obvious, but it wasn’t something he could influence.

The princess appeared to be searching her limited, vague memories, as if looking for a reason.

“Oh! She’s very thoughtful.”

“I see.”

He already knew that part. The princess had an insight beyond imagination.

She was sharp. The conversation continued aimlessly, but there was no significant gain.

As they got closer to the empire’s capital, the conversations with the princess decreased. Her interest didn’t wane, but she ran out of things to say to the taciturn Kalin. The glances still lingered.

Kalin knew but pretended not to notice.

And finally.

In the distance, the capital of the empire, the white city of Chenarus, came into view. Kalin steeled himself.

This was just the beginning.

* * *

The banquet was in two weeks.

The emperor’s birthday was approaching, and the imperial palace was bustling with activity.

“I called your guard separately.”

“...”

The princess didn’t respond to the empress’s words. A guard? For what reason? Questions followed.

It wasn’t the suddenness but the underlying reasons that made it unpleasant.

The princess’s gaze turned to the outside. She had four guards, two of whom were on duty at the door.

The empress continued with a composed face.

“Don’t say no. Your father talked about competition, so your guard needs to be reorganized. You need at least one person you can trust.”

The princess scoffed inwardly. The subject of trust was not herself.

Moreover, the idea of having someone she could trust felt distant.

“Who will go?”

“I was thinking of sending Sir Mirek...”

The empress observed the princess’s expression and revised her words.

“Let you choose who goes. They are your guards, after all.”

“I’ll choose Sir Kartzan.”

The princess answered immediately. She had endured for a long time. She didn’t like the way she was looked at.

Being the son of a powerful noble and assigned by her mother, he had made her uncomfortable.

“Sir Kartzan? But he’s the Baron Dumen’s...”

“The new guard you’re assigning will follow your orders, so this is my choice.”

The empress, noting the princess’s firm expression, nodded reluctantly.

She thought she could find another position for him.

“Who is the new guard?”

“Kal Schurtaffen.”

The princess furrowed her brow. She should have known someone of this caliber, but this was the first time she heard the name.

She also suspected her mother’s words.

“He’s from Haisen.”

“...”

“Erendil, there’s no one more trustworthy than my family right now.”

The princess, Erendil, looked into the empress’s eyes.

“Is that the only reason?”

“Yes.”

It was a lie. Erendil had suspected as much.

Her brothers’ hatred for the empress and herself had led to unimaginable humiliation for the empress in the past.

Thus, it wasn’t strange for her mother to be ambitious after her father’s declaration.

Erendil suppressed a sigh. She didn’t like her brothers either.

It was a matter of possibility.

The established princes. The limitation of gender. Even if Haisen helped, could it turn the tide?

‘The empire can’t be unaware of the intentions.’

The justification was sufficient, but the empire wasn’t just any empire. Suspicion was inevitable.

If the truth came out, the princess would not fare well, having brought in foreign forces.

Of course, there were supporters of the princess. The three princes’ behavior was far from exemplary.

However, if the unlikely battle failed, most would not survive.

‘Even if it goes well, there will be sacrifices, and if it goes wrong, a purge is inevitable.’

Too much blood would be spilled. Erendil didn’t want to join a battle with a high chance of losing.

She had said she wasn’t interested in the throne, but...

It was futile. The empress had already bet on a low-probability war.

The possibility was also filled with blood, but the risk of her bleeding was high. Erendil tried to calm her troubled heart.

“He’ll arrive tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

She knew about her cousin’s arrival and had been looking forward to it.

The purity here was something she rarely felt.

But now, her anticipation had waned.

It wasn’t her cousin’s fault, but Erendil wasn’t looking forward to the meeting. The empress sipped her tea.

“Don’t be too harsh. He’s one of us.”

“...Yes.”

* * *

They arrived in Chenarus in the afternoon, but immediate entry to the palace was impossible without prior notice.

They booked a room and unpacked before learning they would be called the next morning.

The next day, when I woke up, I had a strange feeling. The answer was soon found.

I hadn’t had the recurring dream. It was the first time since meeting the shaman.

‘The nightmares weren’t great, though.’

It was a mysterious harmony, but I didn’t have much time to think about it, as I had to visit early in the morning.

I couldn’t be late for the princess, so I quickly armed myself and went down. The wait was brief.

After a short walk, the palace came into view. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. A current ran through my mind.

Flickering scenes overlaid my field of vision like afterimages. Places I had seen in my dreams.

‘I’m only realizing this now...’

The recurring dream lingered like a floating mist after waking, but it didn’t come to mind in the dream.

Was it a kind of premonition?

Had I subtly received some divine power from Ines? I tilted my head in thought.

I didn’t even know I would become the princess’s guard then.

Regardless, I moved with Princess Haisen, so there was no waiting.

We followed a guide through the corridors. These were also things I was only now remembering.

‘The room I was looking for must have been the princess’s room.’

The strange part was that there was no guide then, and no companion.

I seemed to have walked a bit hastily. Was it a future event?

While thinking, my eyes subtly scanned the surroundings. It was a habit of looking for escape routes.

Soon, we reached a room that wasn’t the one I had seen in my dreams. There was no sense of déjà vu.

Perhaps it was a reception room.

Two knights stood on either side of the door, their gazes quickly scanning us.

They must have heard about the new guard.

Unlike the princess’s guards, I stood out, so their gazes quickly turned to me.

‘I expected this.’

One was ambiguous, the other hostile. The ambiguous one wasn’t friendly either.

I had prepared for this and didn’t avoid their gazes. In the exchange of glances, the guide bowed at the door.

“Her Highness, Princess Haisen has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The voice wasn’t the princess’s. It was seasoned, likely the empress.

I finally turned my gaze.

The door opened. In the expanding field of vision, the princess stood.

The first time I saw her, both in my dreams and in reality. Our eyes met immediately.

‘Is that the eye that sees the truth?’

The princess’s mysterious ability could discern truth from lies.

Her eyes, unlike the knights’, seemed to pierce through me, and I found my breathing slightly off without realizing it.