Imperial Guard - Chapter 92

Inside the circular arena, a red-haired inspector raised his sword.

Rael looked at him and screamed.

“Lucas! If you lose, you die and I die!”

“···Brother Rael. Please lower your voice. People are looking at us from the surrounding area.”

Carlson sighed as he felt the eyes on him.

But Rael did not stop cheering for Lucas.

“Hey kid. How much money did I bet? Carlson. You’re the same. I’m going all in on you. If you lose tomorrow, you’re behind me.”

“No, why me···.”

Carlson looked resentful.

My brother was good at everything, but sometimes he was strange.

‘When a person’s position changes, their actions should also change···.’

There is a saying that a place makes a person.

But Brother Rael was not putting those words into practice at all.

Even though he had become a knight recognized by the empire, he was still acting the same way he did on the streets.

“That guy, that guy who took down the Mujin Sohyeop in one go···.”

“Shh, you’re the Three Heroes of the Empire. Be careful!”

The people around Rael were whispering.

It was an aftereffect of yesterday’s game.

‘I guess that guy was quite famous.’

Rael felt a change in the way people looked at him since yesterday.

The gaze of people looking this way has changed quite positively.

Even tourists from outside the empire began to discover their power.

‘People only listen when they are really hit.’

Reina was right.

It was people, not beasts, that had to be hit.

Just showing your strength can change your attitude so much.

“Carlson. You too, start going up there and get beaten up starting tomorrow. Got it?”

“My opponent just so happens to be a nobleman. Hehe.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Rael smiled with satisfaction.

In the bracket, Carlson, Lucas, and Rael were complete opposites.

Carlson and Lucas would meet in the semifinals, while Rael could only meet one of them in the final.

‘There is no match as good as this one.’

It’s a really nice picture of three people fighting each other and meeting in the finals.

“Gaia-men! May the Lord Gaia bless the winner of this Dragon Phoenix Conference!”

“Gaia-men!”

At that moment, the followers of the sect lined up and passed by Rael.

It was a procession of churches that had been visible for several days.

“Hey, Carlson. Why are you suddenly doing that in class?”

“That… I don’t know for sure. I’m sure there was no such event. I think it was probably requested by the royal family. I heard that there was also a congratulatory speech by the Cardinal before the quarterfinals began.”

“Congratulatory remarks? The Yongbong branch meeting isn’t even a church event, so why are they doing something like that?”

Why is a church’s blessing needed for a sword fight?

Rael couldn’t understand.

“It’s for selecting warriors.”

Turuk-

At that moment, a large man sat down next to Rael and Carlson.

“Ah. Kyle!”

“Good morning, Carlson.”

“It’s too narrow, piglet! Why did you come here? This is the commoners’ section.”

Rael suddenly appeared and made a dumbfounded expression as he watched Kyle squirm in the seat next to him.

Why does this guy always appear out of nowhere?

“For my friends, I don’t care if it’s a commoner’s seat or a slave seat.”

“Whoever you are, you are my friend. More importantly, what? Choosing a warrior?”

Rael listened intently to the unexpected word warrior.

“There is a rumor going around that the winner of the Yongbong Chapter will become a warrior. That is why the knights from all over the continent participated in this Yongbong Chapter.”

“ah···.”

I remembered.

The reason the Yongbong branch was held in such a splendid manner in the first place was because of Yongsa.

Perhaps the Cardinal’s congratulatory remarks and the procession of believers are part of that.

It seems that the Empire wants to make it widely known that there is a connection between the Yongbongjihoe and the religious order.

“The fact that they’re going that far seems to indicate that they’re certain that the Empire will have a winner… Who do you think is the favorite in the Empire to win?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Of course it’s Sir Belen.”

Kyle pointed to Belen, who was sitting in the noble seat.

At that gesture, the people around him also started to murmur while looking at Belen.

“Hey, I see Sir Belen over there!”

“You mean the young hero of the Knights of Kamen? Oh, is that the sword that killed the nobleman of Alheim? It’s cool to just look at.”

“He was appointed captain of the 1st division at a young age… I’m sure he’ll show his skills at the Yongbong branch.”

Rael looked at the people talking next to him pointing.

Sitting there was a knight I had seen before.

‘Is it Belen···.’

Rael frowned at his profile.

He was talking to the Knights of Carmen with a small smile on his face.

‘That crazy bastard who stole my career.’

Belen claims that he killed Barsolod.

He looks like he’s crazy about FM and he does something like that.

Rael couldn’t help but be disappointed in the Knights of Carmen.

‘I guess I’ll have to keep looking just in case.’

The Knights of Carmen were suspicious in many ways.

Rael looked at him quietly.

“Brother. You’ve finally become quiet. It’s better to watch the game quietly! That’s a good choice.”

“Shut up, Carlson.”

Lael watched the game, punching Carlson in the side.

Luckily, Lucas overwhelmed his opponents, and his money continued to grow today.

*

The main tournament of the Yongbongjihoe consisted of 128 rounds, so there was quite a bit of time.

The main competition will take place over a few days, followed by a few days of rest.

“Brother Rael-. Brother Rael-.”

“Stay still, Nia.”

Lael spent the rest of his time resting at the orphanage.

What he was doing was a game called ‘Plane Ride’, where he would lift children up into the sky and then lower them down.

“Sir Rael really likes children.”

“Right? It’s one of your mysteries.”

After finishing the game, Lucas and Carlson followed Rael to the orphanage.

And then, looking at Rael, he started a conversation.

“Sir Rael’s personality is… fiery. But he seems different when he’s with children.”

“You don’t have to say nice things about having a bad personality, Lucas. He’s not a bad person by nature, he just grew up on the streets.”

Whenever something happens, Rael tries to solve it with his fists.

In some ways, it was a bit strange that such a person liked children.

“Still, Sir Rael seems at ease when he’s here.”

“I guess so. I grew up here too, but I’m not as affectionate or anything like you, hyung. But I think it means a lot to you.”

Carlson also liked daycares, but not as much as Rael.

He stopped by the daycare center almost every day to play with the children and spend time with them.

“Doesn’t Sir Carlson know why Sir Rael likes orphanages?”

“I broke up with Brother Rael when I was 10, and we met again after 14 years. I think something must have happened in the meantime…”

Even when I tried to ask him a question, he always avoided the question and I had no opportunity to ask.

Maybe it’s Brother Rael’s dark history.

I was planning to ask him again later when I was really drunk.

Thump- thump- thump-

At that moment, a beggar approached the orphanage.

He hit the floor with his bucket and hid in an alley.

Rael glanced at the beggar who no one seemed to care about, then gestured to Carlson and Lucas.

“Hey kids. I’m going to the bathroom, so go play with the kids for a bit.”

“Can’t you just go to the bathroom quickly and come back?”

“Don’t talk back, Inma.”

“Aha… Brother. I think my eating habits have been bad lately, so I’ve become constipated… Aah.”

“Have a nice day, Sir Rael.”

Lucas immediately approached the kids as he watched Carlson get hit for being a troublemaker.

Rael carefully walked out of the orphanage and towards the back of the alley.

“what’s the matter?”

Lael, who had come out after receiving the beggar’s call signal, looked at the beggar.

“Since last night, there have been disappearances in the lower sectors of the Empire.”

“···Missing?”

Rael narrowed his eyes at the unexpected words.

“Yes. There have been a lot of reports of children disappearing while people are looking away. Even other daycares have had several disappearances.”

“Have you done any research?”

“I am personally investigating this, but I feel that there is a strong curse on them. It will probably take some time.”

“When was the first missing person reported?”

“It was two nights ago.”

“Two days… Tsk. How annoying.”

Rael crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

There has been no damage to the daycare center yet.

But, I didn’t like the fact that something like that happened in District 4 in the first place.

This is because I cleaned up the trash in Area 4 with my own hands to prevent this from happening.

‘The black magician and… the desert kingdom of Nagor?’

Rael shook his head.

I was wondering what it was, a rotten corpse and a pure soul… It seems it was a child.

“Tonight. Tell Clara to join me.”

After cleaning up area 4, other trash took over the space.

Once again, cleaning was needed.

*

A warrior from the desert kingdom of Nagor.

Rashid hid himself in the dark of the night.

‘At first I didn’t understand what Captain Namaha meant… but now I understand.’

When Namaha brought the black magicians.

The desert warriors instinctively expressed their rejection.

But now that I know their power.

Rashid trusted the warlocks more than anyone else.

‘Princess Nadia, I’m sorry… but there’s nothing I can do about it.’

Even if this becomes a problem, the captain and the desert warriors will not be harmed.

Because Princess Nadia, who has the highest rank, will take full responsibility.

‘There is nothing I can do, Princess. The wrath of the desert warriors is something you cannot understand.’

It is said that Captain Namaha also told Princess Nadia about this incident, but she stubbornly refused.

Princess Nadia, still young, does not understand why the desert hates the continent.

No, maybe she, being a royal, lived a life of luxury and might never know.

“The wrath of the sands upon the continental bastards who will tear them apart···.”

But Rashid, who grew up in the hot desert, knows.

An empire that occupied fertile lands. The Kingdom of Vanessa. And the Jeongcheon Alliance.

We need to show them the wrath of the desert.

‘With the warlocks… we can strike down those imperial bastards.’

The warlocks who rebelled against the empire returned with even more powerful curses.

To cooperate with them, Rashid walked slowly.

‘Was it this way?’

At first, I felt reluctant to target powerless children, but after hearing Captain Namaha’s words, all those feelings disappeared.

[Think of the children who died in the desert heat! The children of the empire are no different from the empire. They are our enemies who live in fertile lands!]

He was right.

The children of the desert died because they were born in the desert.

For the sake of those children, I can’t afford to get too attached to such trivial matters.

Thud, thud.

Rashid looked around cautiously.

The warriors of the desert kingdom were collecting sacrifices for the warlocks’ spells.

It is a great sorcery that will overturn the empire and the Yongbongjihoe.

‘By the way, District 4 is strangely quiet.’

In districts 3 and 5, there were a lot of noisy people on the streets at night.

Whenever they sought sacrifices, they would sometimes come into conflict with the underworld organizations that occupied each area.

Every time that happened, I wasted a lot of time, but in Zone 4, that didn’t happen at all.

‘Is there a monster wandering around? Huh.’

It reminded me of a childhood fairy tale about not being out at night.

Rashid, with that thought in his mind, walked out of the alley.

And at that moment.

“I worked hard to clean up the kids who were squirming in Area 4… and now these dirt-smelling kids are crawling from somewhere.”

“Who, who···!”

Rashid’s body, about to utter the words ‘Who are you!’, fell down like a puppet whose strings had snapped.

A woman wearing a mask walked out from behind him.

“Lael. This is the fifth. All warriors of the Desert Kingdom.”

“I know. Those desert guys smell like sand.”

Rael looked down at the body of the man who had fallen after being hit by the curse of the throwing god.

During the Yongbongjihoe period, I encountered the warriors of the Desert Kingdom and I clearly remember their smell.

“Okay, let’s find out what their intentions are.”

After finishing cleaning up the trash around the orphanage, Lael carried the thing on his shoulder and started walking.