Emperor's Reckoning

Chapter 771: Prince Frey’s Concern

Jugen immediately pulled his reign before his rose raised its hind legs.

Riku furrowed her brows as she placed her hand on top of the hilt of her curved sword. “Is there something wrong?”

“There is,” Jugen shook his head before turning around and facing the forest with solemn eyes.

“What is?” Riku asked. “Do you need someone to die?”

“No, I don’t, I just forgot,” he tapped the horse with his foot before it neighed and entered the forest once more.

Riku let out a sigh before she followed him by foot.

“So like… what are we going to tell the princess?” asked one of the guards as they had their back against the stumps.

“I don’t know man, things suddenly got wild. I didn’t sign up for this.”

“What? What are you talking about? This is what becoming a guard slash soldier means. We lay down or live for the kingdom that fed our family.”

“I mean yeah, but I thought there would be no more war. You know, we just patrol here and there and got our coins by the end of the day.”

“You call that life?”

“I mean, I’m better off breathing with all four limbs attached than missing any.”

“That’s… actually a good point,” said the guard with a sigh. “I thought a miracle would happen in time.”

“Never thought that the king of Deo is not here,” said the other. “I’m pretty sure there would be no more war since we are technically under one unison.”

“Then we have learned an important lesson.”

“And what’s that?”

“Hey, you guys,” Jugen came with his horse.

The guards immediately stood up with his back more straight than a metal. The man in front of him was no ordinary man, he had a direct affiliation with the one they heralded as king.

“Y-Yes?! I-Is there something that we can help sire?” asked one of the guards.

“I want to ask something.”

“P-Please don’t hold back, sire,” added the other.

“Have you guys seen a corpse of a little black wolf anywhere?”

“A little black wolf?” muttered one of the guards before he looked at his friend and nodded with the same understanding. “We didn’t find any corpse of a little black wolf.”

Jugen furrowed his brows.

“However, we did find one that is still alive, albeit, poorly.”

“What?!” Jugen snapped his eyes open. “Where is he?!”

“Eek! T-The princess is taking care of him right now in the Kingdom of Luderia, sire.”

“Yes yes! That’s correct, they are attending to him with great care! The princess assembled the finest of the finest to patch the little poor thing.”

“Damn, he survived,” Jugen let out a smile. “Then, alright, thank you for your information.”

“Y-Yes! Absolutely sire!” said one of the guards before both of them bowed.

Jugen had a part of his heavy weight on his shoulders lift off the moment he heard their words. There was nothing more gladdening than hearing one of your friends was alive after the nightmare that steamrolled them over. (Fenrir, you’re as tough as your master eh) Jugen couldn’t help but shed a tear from one corner of his eyes.

“Then, I shall visit him later… huh?” Jugen raised his brows as he saw another platoon was on their way from the other end of the forest. Horses adorned with armor and the banner of Luderia were waved. The massive army was following the last prince of Luderia whose brows were furrowed and disappointment painting his face.

“What a disaster,” the prince muttered. “I’m the next in line yet I can’t even protect a forest.”

“Prince Frey, that man over there is Jugen, the little brother of Lyon,” said the guard beside him.

“I know who he is,” Frey stopped his horse as he raised his arm and made his army halted in advancement. He got off the horse before he approached Jugen with a smile on his face then bowed his head. “My apologies for my late arrival, Jugen.”

“Huh?” Jugen frowned. “What are you apologizing for?”

Prince Frey raised his head with a solemn look in his eyes, and he laid his gaze against the soft dirt of the forest. “If only we could have gone quicker to aid Nostria, things that happened wouldn’t have happened.”

“I’m afraid there would be nothing that you can do,” said Jugen to the startle of the guards.

“Oi, watch your to—!!” the guards abruptly stopped unsheathing their blade the moment Frey rasied his hand.

Riku on the side was upertubed as the tip of her blade already poking Frey’s chin.

“There is nothing that you can do, after all, you wouldn’t waste your men’s life on someone you hardly knew,” continued Jugen as he crossed his arms. “You are the next in line for the throne in Luderia, right? I hardly think that your sister would take on the seat from you, she doesn’t seem like she is interested as of late.”

Frey smiled wryly as he leered down on the blade before Riku pulled her sword. A tiny dot of blood could be seen coming out from his double chin before he wiped it away with a clean napkin from his pocket.

“You are correct, I can’t throw my men’s life away. However, I’m pretty sure that we could at least make a difference if we were to come earlier in the fight.”

“Hardly,” Jugen rolled his eyes as he looked down on the prince. “Those orcs could squeeze you out with their bare hands.”

The guards were irritated but Frey raised his hand and sighed. “You have a really sharp tongue much like the revered one.”

Jugen smiled, “I learn from the best, anyway, if you want to help, you should go help Nostria, we are losing men, your presence should do something to their drop-dead morale.”

“In fact, we were on the way there, we even came earlier than my sister did, however, we took a different path,” said Frey before he shook his head. “Forgive us, but we were going around this forest and taking the normal route so that our horses can traverse easily.”

Frey sighed, “However, as soon as we were halfway there, we heard that my sister was going to the forest instead— through one soldier that she sent to me. Thus I have no choice but to retreat back, especially after hearing some loud noises in the forest at the time. Rushing here, we found you. I hope that my explanation reaches your heart.”

“That’s alright,” answered Jugen. “After all, what can we do? It’s for our siblings.”

Frey furrowed his brows as he saw the dejected look Jugen gave him from on top of the horse. The horse turned as he waved his hand and made the horse walk out of the forest with Riku following closely behind him.

The prince narrowed his eyes before he noticed the two guards standing by the side. “You, do you know what happened?”

“Eek! Y-Yes, Your Prince, err I mean, Prince Frey.”

The prince had black lines over his head but decide not to attend to their nervousness and let them continue with his silence.

“He, Jugen sire, has lost his older sister in the battle,” said one of the guards as they both had their heads bowed.

“What?!” the prince had his eyes widened. “He lost his sister? Do you mean the Golden Demoness, Karina, is dead? That’s impossible!”

“W-We doesn’t know that for sure but we were there when she was captured and…” he looked at his partner who seemed to be nervous.

“And what?! Spit it out! Do you know how significant this is?!” berated the prince.

“And well, the little black wolf fought silently, I suppose, but she lost an arm in the process.”

“Half of her forearm, to be precise.”

“Half…?!” the prince gulped. “The orc is that strong? But more importantly, where is her corpse?”

The guards shook their heads as one of them answered, “That vile creature captured her and took her away.”

“What?!” (So they are after her? That means there is a good chance that she is still alive for now) Prince Frey gulped. “Then, where is her severed forearm? Where is my sister?”

“The princess is tending the black wolf that got injured pretty badly, and as for her severed forearm, well…”

“Stop hesitating goddamnit!” shouted the prince. “Did the orc take it as well?”

“N-N-No, we were tasked to bandage it before Jugen sire took it from us, well not exactly,” The guard felt his heart racing as he saw the frown from the prince. “W-Well, a dove perched down from the sky, and they exchanged words, then the bird took it away with him.”

“…What?” Prince Frey squinted his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

The guard gulped. “He told the dove named Parriot, that the han— I mean the severed forearm, to be delivered to Lyon.”

“Fuck,” Frey cursed as he looked down. “The last time my older brother pissed him off, Lyon almost tear the entire Luderia apart.” His eyes turned sharp as he watched Jugen and Riku in the distance. “Now I can’t tell what he would do with his current strength.”

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