Chapter 730
Clack, clack.
The sound of hooves echoed as the light filtering through the iron bars grew brighter, then dimmed repeatedly. They must be passing through a forest somewhere. The scent of earth grew stronger, filling the air.
Evia glanced at her unconscious sister, Meria, curled up beside her. Since being dragged away from home by strangers, seven suns had risen and set. They hadn’t eaten a thing during all that time.
Where are they taking us?
Is Beric still alive? What about Mom?
…And Dad?
I hope he’s dead.
What do these people want from me and my sister, dragging us around like this? If they’re heading north or east, they’ll cross the border soon. There must be border guards there, right? I have to beg them to save us. Please, save us…
“Is she dead?”
Evia’s thoughts faltered as a man suddenly appeared, peering through the bars and muttering. She flinched in surprise, but Meria didn’t move.
“Dead?”
“Don’t know. No response.”
“Let’s just cross the border first, then check again. If she’s dead, it’s easier to just leave her behind.”
The border. So they were moving north or east, or somewhere in between. The road grew rougher, and the carriage began to jolt violently.
Hiiing!
“Hey, stop! Inspection ahead.”
After a long while, Evia encountered a miracle. The border guards had stopped them. She heard the men talking quietly, and she wiggled her fingers, stretching her arm out through the bars, silently pleading for help.
“Honestly, saying that won’t do you any good.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking. The loss is huge.”
With a swish, the cloth covering the bars was pulled back. Evia’s eyes widened, tears welling up. A man with curly hair and a scruffy beard—the real border guard.
The child instinctively knew she would never forget this moment. Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness. Now, we’re saved…
“Is this all?”
“Yes.”
But the guard turned away decisively. The cloth slid back down, and Evia’s heart pounded wildly.
“Be careful next time, got it?”
“I got it. Thank you.”
“Wait! That’s Bariel’s girl! She lives on the hill in Bentolf village! These people killed her parents and kidnapped her and her sister! Please, save us! Please!”
“Hah. You’ve got more fight in you than you look.”
“Yeah, just a while ago she seemed close to death.”
“Goodbye, then.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Wait! Wait!”
They acted as if Evia’s desperate screams were nothing. Despite her pitiful pleas, the border guard pounded on the carriage door, signaling to move on.
Evia shook the bars with all her might. Please, help me! I haven’t done anything wrong!
“Shut up!”
Thud!
But when the cloth was pulled back again, they were in the middle of a barren desert. The men, irritated by Evia’s cries, mercilessly trampled the child. It was the first time Evia realized how easily human teeth could break.
“Look at your sister! She stays still, so she doesn’t get beaten! Stupid!”
…Is she dead? Meria was so still it was frightening. The men said she was still breathing, but why did she seem like a corpse?
Crack!
One of the men crushed Evia’s wrist roughly. The injury left her unable to properly use her left wrist for years, but she didn’t mind. Because the shackles had broken.
One early dawn, with the men snoring loudly, Evia slipped out of her shackles and ran away, leaving her motionless sister behind.
Tap, tap!
Snap!
The endless desert stretched out before her—both awe-inspiring and full of resentment. The fear that those men might chase her at any moment was as boundless as the desert itself.
She survived by eating bugs, and eventually even sand, suffering terrible stomach pains. Finally, the child returned to Bariel.
“Ah!”
In the forest, she spotted a man passing by in the distance. She called out for help, and the man, startled, shared a piece of dry bread with her. Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.
“So your parents died, and you were running from a loan shark? Then you have nowhere to go.”
A chilling smile. Could a laugh be so creepy? The bread she had just swallowed stuck in her throat.
As the man’s shadow crept closer, Evia stepped back, feeling around the ground. Her hand closed around a heavy dagger used for cutting branches.
Swish!
The moment the blade tore into flesh, Evia realized her life had been torn apart as well.
She hurriedly gathered the crumbs of bread and ran. The sun and moon rose and set in turn. She lost track of how long she fled. Still, the black shadows chasing her only multiplied. The more she shrank back, the more she guarded herself, the more those dark shackles stretched endlessly.
I have to leave.
Evia made a final decision—to kill herself. There was no other way but to kill the name ‘Evia.’
The child crossed the northern lands of Bariel with a new name, starting over. A new life as ‘Helna.’
“Beric.”
Helna’s voice trembled lightly as she called out. This was her chance. Just like that day in the desert, fate had given her an opportunity.
Her long-lost brother was now a member of the imperial palace guard! And judging by his skill, he was no ordinary soldier.
“Senior Beric!”
This time, it was Cedric shouting.
Clang!
Beric blocked his comrade’s sword and stopped. He almost counterattacked without realizing it. In his mind, a dark threat stabbed at his comrades’ hearts, then vanished like a phantom. If he lost focus, he would make a mistake he couldn’t undo.
“Senior, damn it! I know I’m a rookie, but this isn’t right!”
“Yeah. Beric, you idiot!”
“If you can’t handle it, step back! Don’t get in the way!”
Swish!
The opponent was Beric’s sister? So what? It was heartbreaking deep down, and maybe a cruel twist of fate, but this wasn’t the time for that.
He had orders—to save the people. And to cut down the one who insulted the empire. No matter how precious the opponent was, obedience was the fundamental virtue of the palace guard.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew with every clash of blades. They were both serious.
“Beric, you can’t kill them now? Then you die!”
“Why the hell would I!”
“Don’t you get it?”
Those who disobey orders have no right to exist. It didn’t matter how strong he was. Every palace guard would try to kill Beric.
Just as magic control devices were implanted in mages who left the magic department, they would have to sever Beric’s limbs so he could never wield a sword again.
“Wait, there’s a misunderstanding! My sister’s from Bariel too!”
“From Bariel? Then why treat your own people so mercilessly? Beric, get a grip. This is Toorun. Don’t let yourself be fooled by tricks—think again—”
Helna, watching their fight in a daze, let out a bitter laugh. She couldn’t hold back, chuckling and tilting her head back.
Startled by her sudden outburst, the palace guards stopped and turned to look at her.
“Hahaha!”
“Crazy…”
“How can you be so merciless to your own people? So young and pathetic! What could you possibly understand, raised under the emperor’s blessing?”
Most of those who threatened her life had come from Bariel. Even that man called Abira. Why was needing help such a weakness?
Just as Evia was about to shout something—
Rustle!
Snap!
A sudden figure appeared, and before she could react, a long sword pressed against the nape of her neck.
It was Jarrett, who had come to restore order.
“To cause His Majesty the Emperor such worry with something so trivial… You will all be held accountable when we return.”
“C-Captain!”
“Beric! Get a grip! Don’t act like that in front of the captain—”
“Shut up! Captain, that woman’s my sister!”
“What?”
Jarrett’s expression turned stunned as he heard Beric’s shout. Of course. Now it made sense—she looked so familiar. She was the one who resembled Beric.
Jarrett looked down at Helna, who met his gaze with a sly smile. A thin trickle of blood ran down from where the sword pressed against her neck.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Helna. My old name was Evia. I suppose Beric owes me a debt?”
“……”
Jarrett tightened his grip on his sword, lips pressed into a thin line. From their brief exchange, he had already sized her up.
He nodded to Beric.
“Beric. Don’t cling to the past.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s not the sister you remember. Look into her eyes. Those are the eyes of someone swallowed by blood, who survived at any cost. Do you understand what that means?”
Helna felt more joy not simply from meeting Beric, but from the fact that through him, she could overcome the crisis.
At that moment, with tears welling up in her eyes as if to show off, Helna called out Beric’s name.
“Beric! Have you changed? You’ve changed a lot from when you were a child, haven’t you? No, you haven’t. You’re still the same. Just like you, I haven’t changed either.”
“Ha, Captain. Listen, I’m really asking you this—can we just take a moment? Let’s just take her back to the barracks. Once there—”
“…Was that the Emperor’s order?”
“Then go tell the Emperor yourself, damn it!”
When Jarrett refused to budge, Beric snapped, his voice rising sharply. Flames seemed to surge from his entire being. Cedric and the others took a step back, while Jarrett simply watched silently.
‘…Poor fool.’
What if this man had revealed that she was your sister and brought her before His Majesty the Emperor? What then?
The Emperor would surely have reconsidered his decision, and your comrades would have sighed in regret. Some, moved by emotion, might have even pleaded with the Emperor on your behalf. And I, too, would not have stood idly by. But—
“It’s too late, Beric. You’ve already drawn your sword against your comrades. If you truly wanted to save your sister, you should have fulfilled your duty.”
This was a test. A test to see if Beric possessed the qualities worthy of the Imperial Palace Guard, and whether he was fit to take on the role of the next captain.
Beric lunged at Jarrett, his face full of frustration.
“I clearly told you to stop!”
“How can you treat the enemy so cautiously? You should have dragged her down by the hair! You should have acted as if nothing mattered more than the Emperor’s command!”
“Shut up! I said shut up!”
“Beric! This is a crossroads. This is truly important for you!”
Kraaaang!
Crackle!
Beric’s energy and Jarrett’s clashed violently, exploding in a whirlwind. A fierce, sharp wind whipped through their hair without mercy.
“What’s so important about this damn position—!”
“Sir Ian!”
The moment Jarrett mentioned Ian’s name, something inside Beric’s mind snapped.
“You are a vital asset to the Bariel Empire. If we all fulfill our duties and protect Bariel, then one day, Sir Ian’s Bariel can be protected as well. Don’t you understand what that means?”