Chapter 45

# Chapter 45: <By Accident>

Boom—

Boom—

An unprecedentedly massive explosion filled the square, one after another. Everyone crouched, covering their heads with both hands.

“Aaaah!”

“Cough. My, my arm!”

“Guh!”

The sounds of people dying and getting injured filled the air. Then, after that—

Swish—

A sound like rain swept over the people. Those on the ground were covered in dust, and those near the fountain were drenched in water as they slowly raised their heads.

In front of them, to the north, the first scene came into view. The shield protecting the royal family had saved the king and the princes, but those nearby were injured.

Commoners, servants, low-ranking officials, and less skilled knights who had come to see the king earlier than anyone else, and the mages who didn’t have time to cast a shield.

They were injured and dead. The black smoke obscured the royal family’s brilliant blonde hair, making it invisible.

The survivors soon raised their heads. They looked up at the sky in the direction of the nobles and the general citizens.

Clang—

A silver shield, like glass, slowly shattered. And a silver wing collapsed. At the same time, black smoke flowed out from between them. There was clearly someone there, but no blood, no pieces of flesh, nothing was visible.

People shuddered all over. The power of the bomb was felt.

Their gazes naturally turned to one place. The end of the silver line.

“Master Kael!”

Rosalin hurriedly supported Kael. One of Kael’s knees bent weakly. Rosalin alternated her gaze between the disintegrating silver shield and Kael, then looked at the direction of the royal family. The explosion was immense.

Of course, she knew that the black dragon had absorbed most of the blast, but Kael’s silver shield had still done an incredible job.

The backlash would be tremendous.

Rosalin grabbed Kael’s arm, which was hanging down, and supported him while calling out to him.

“Master Kael, are you okay? Master Kael!”

And Kael thought.

‘Ah, it stings.’

Thanks to the black dragon, he reduced the power he poured into the silver shield at the last moment. As a result, the backlash was less severe. Still, his palms stung and hurt. Kael, or Kim Roksu, was very dramatic.

Even a little pain was still pain. He tried to lift his head.

“Master Kael!”

“Prince!”

Kael could feel the voices calling him getting closer. And the moment he raised his head—

“Kael, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, cough!”

“Blood, blood...!”

Eric’s face turned pale, and he almost fell backward.

At the same time, Kael, who had spat out a small amount of blood, felt relieved.

‘Indeed, the Vitality of the Heart.’

The burden on his body disappeared, and his body rapidly stabilized. As the ‘Vitality of the Heart’ became more active, Kael’s body became healthier than ever.

It felt like the refreshing and invigorating feeling after waking up from a nap during Ron’s vacation. He slowly closed his eyes and felt his own body.

‘My limbs are intact. My palms stung a little earlier, but it hurt less than a paper cut. After coughing once, my condition is the best it’s been in a while.’

Not bad at all? Kael understood why heroes didn’t abandon the ancient power despite its risks. It wasn’t as painful as he thought and was quite comfortable.

A faint smile formed on Kael’s lips in satisfaction.

And the surroundings turned into chaos.

“Are you laughing now? Don’t laugh!”

Kael slightly opened his eyes at Taylor’s voice, which seemed to be filled with reprimand and sorrow. After confirming his body and feeling refreshed, he opened his eyes, but the sunlight made him squint.

“Don’t even try to open your eyes!”

Why is he like this? Kael looked at Taylor with a puzzled expression and sat down with Rosalin’s support. Although it was inappropriate for a noble to act this way, given the situation, it was acceptable. Kael slumped down carelessly.

In his ear, the black dragon’s voice continued.

-Weak human. You can’t die! You’re too weak! If you die, I’ll kill everyone! I’ll completely obliterate everyone, including your body, and then I’ll die too!

It sounded like a worried statement, but it was quite threatening. Kael’s head throbbed from the voices, and he frowned.

“Prince, I’ll call a priest!”

“I’ll go too!”

Amir and Gilbert said to Kael and ran to the priest entering the entrance. Kael couldn’t tell them that he wasn’t hurt at all, seeing them run without caring about their disheveled clothes.

‘It’s good to have a check-up. And I need to show that I’m hurt.’

It was good that the priest came. Eric Whelsman stood next to Kael. He glared sharply at the northeastern nobles and their children, who were murmuring and trying to approach.

Kael looked at a place where an even more intense scene seemed about to unfold.

“...Step aside.”

“No. Civilians are not allowed to enter here.”

“...Civilians? Who created such a concept?”

Jae-han stood face to face with the soldier guarding the noble seats, with a cold expression. Kael had told him not to come forward, but he frowned at Jae-han, who disobeyed, and waved his hand.

Jae-han bit his lip and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

Although he told him not to come forward, there was no need to apologize. Behind Jae-han, Lak and On and Hong, who were hanging on his shoulders, were visible. Kael smiled faintly, signaling that he was fine, and turned his gaze to those who were staring at him blankly.

“...Prince, are you okay?”

Kael nodded at Rosalin’s question and wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Wiping the blood, which was as red as his hair, Kael’s actions were indifferent and dry. But Rosalin had seen what Kael had just done. Could she, a royal, do the same? She muttered softly.

“...I can’t understand you at all.”

But when Kael looked at her, Rosalin closed her mouth and stared at him. Kael’s expression became serious. She realized he wasn’t looking at her but beyond her. She turned her head to follow his gaze.

“Ah.”

The mage drinking blood. He was standing in the sky, not on the tower’s top, looking down.

“I never thought this would be so interesting.”

The blood-thirsty mage, Redica, said, looking at the royal family. The mages cast flying spells again, and now the soldiers guarding the capital approached, aiming their arrows at him.

Redica turned his gaze.

Suddenly, Kael’s and his gaze met. Redica’s eyes then turned to Rosalin next to Kael. Even though she had dyed her hair brown, he would recognize Rosalin from the blue wolf village. A grating voice echoed in the square.

“Wow, I see several of my favorite blood colors?”

Numerous attack spells were cast at him.

“Attack!”

Though his face was hidden by a mask, the corners of Redica’s eyes curved into a crescent moon.

“I want to put them in a display case.”

Kael’s expression turned grim. He inadvertently revealed his inner thoughts.

“Are you crazy?”

Characters like him, who are slightly off their rocker, usually don’t last long. Kael thought this while looking at Jae-han, who nodded and disappeared.

Naturally, he was moving to capture and kill the mage. But Jae-han’s direction was not toward Redica.

Redica, just before the spells hit, looked down at the king and said,

“See you next time!”

And he disappeared, taking with him the people who had appeared with him. It was his specialty, a teleportation spell. No one knew where they had gone. But in “The Birth of a Hero,” the place he teleported to was revealed.

Jae-han, On, Hong, and Lak went there.

If Redica and the secret organization had teleported to that place, they would likely die at Jae-han’s hands.

‘I’m worried Jae-han might go berserk.’

So Kael sent On, Hong, and Lak with him. With them, Jae-han would maintain his sanity. He was weak for the young and the weak.

Kael stood up.

The king was ascending the platform again. The square began to murmur again. The villains had disappeared, leaving only the gruesome scene. The king was moving to stabilize the situation.

“I will do my best to restore this tragic incident. Please follow the royal family’s instructions and do your best to maintain stability. The festival will be postponed.”

Kael turned his gaze from the king to Rosalin. She was supposed to hide her presence as much as possible in this place, but she revealed herself for Kael.

‘She must have come forward because she couldn’t reveal the black dragon.’

Rosalin smiled when she met Kael’s gaze and mouthed a word to him.

‘Secret.’

Kael smiled faintly. Indeed, they understood each other.

Today, Kael had instructed six beings and proceeded with the event.

First, the dragon and the other races must not reveal their identities.

This was the top priority.

Second,