Chapter 862
Fire flashed across Kiolle's cheeks at his rebuke. The Crown Prince, fuming, shook the hand he had slapped against his cheek.
"Did you dare take advantage of my distraction to act recklessly? I never told you that you could behave as you please. If your intention was to protect me, you should have withdrawn from danger long ago. What then is your true purpose in still being here?"
"..."
"If you thought I would be easily deceived by such an explanation, you are gravely mistaken. Put me down immediately!"
Kiolle's cheek burned hot. The inside of his cheek felt as though it was pressed hard enough to burst, a metallic taste of blood lingering. The pain surged intensely right after. Staring blankly at the Crown Prince's face, which was glaring at him as he slid down his back, Kiolle was in shock.
One single thought dominated Kiolle's mind, overwhelmed by the abrupt shock.
'...I was slapped? Me? Now?...'
Throughout his life, he had often been scolded by his father. He had also been subtly insulted by his brothers. The flattery of those who would fabricate rumors and slander him behind his back was innumerable. Yet, none had ever raised a hand to Kiolle in such a manner.
The shock of his efforts to save the Crown Prince today being disregarded in an instant was staggering. However, what rendered Kiolle more stunned was the fact that the Crown Prince had dared to raise his hand to him, as if treating him like a foolish, incompetent servant.
Kiolle da Diarca was the youngest son, untouchable by anyone. A single wrong touch could lead to kneeling in apology for insulting the Diarca, and a minor injury could cost a life. So much so, that even knights hesitated to spar with him, leaving Kiolle to practice alone for over a year.
…Of course, there was the exception of Yuder Aile. Even that brute never dared to insult Kiolle's cheek in such a manner. That monster was always equally obnoxious to everyone except his master, Duke Peletta. He even had the audacity to spout insolence in front of Duke Diarca himself. Such an extraordinary individual couldn't be compared to the current situation.
Even when the Crown Prince acted like he had caught Kiolle's weakness, doing as he pleased, Kiolle suppressed his response.
He didn't want to fail the task his father had finally entrusted him with. After all, the Crown Prince was a member of the Diarca family. He believed the excessive behavior was due to the influence of the charlatans...
But this was different.
"..."
"Aren't you going to respond?"
The Crown Prince, who continued to rant, raised his hand again. This time, Kiolle did not let himself be hit, instead catching the wrist of the Crown Prince.
"How dare you! Let go!"
"…It seems, Your Highness, you are overly agitated because of that swindler. Let's return... If you dislike being carried, I will support you."
Despite his wounded pride, Kiolle forcefully swallowed his anger and restrained his temper, his eyes darkening as he coldly stared at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, initially startled, soon raged even more fiercely as if his earlier retreat never happened.
"What?! Who are you calling a swindler...! Let go! Release me!"
Kiolle no longer entertained the Crown Prince's tantrums. As he began to walk, holding onto him, the Crown Prince stumbled on the muddy ground.
“Dare you treat me in such a manner and think you will remain unharmed! Are you not afraid of your secrets being exposed to the world?”
Secrets? What of them? They weren't even true. Kiolle let the Crown Prince's words go in one ear and out the other as he continued on. He felt the Crown Prince's hand, which he had grabbed in a shout, beating against him, but perhaps due to the numbness of his insulted pride, it didn't hurt much.
Compared to what Yuder Aile had done to him, the young Crown Prince's punches, who didn't even wield a sword, felt less threatening than a minor cat's attack. After all, Kiolle was a knight, even if he hadn't produced a single fragment of aura at his age.
What he hadn't anticipated was the extent of the Crown Prince's current madness.
“…Agh!"
The dragged Crown Prince finally bit Kiolle's hand. Kiolle grimaced and flung his arm as if it had been burned, and the Crown Prince glared at him with bloodied lips.
Seeing those lips stained with his blood, Kiolle felt his rationality snap in half.
“What do you expect me to do?! Will you stay here in this dangerous place, getting pelted with hail for the rest of your life? Have you forgotten that your identity must not be discovered?!”
“Kneel.”
...What? Kiolle blinked in disbelief as the Crown Prince commanded once more, almost in a fit.
“Kneel! Can't you hear? Kneel before me right now, confess your sins for ruining everything, and beg for forgiveness! If you don't, I won't move an inch from here.”
“...”
“Dare you ignore me? Did the Duke Diarca tell you to do this?! Are you saying I should trust my life to a dog who doesn't know who holds the upper hand between us?”
“A dog, you say, now?”
For the first time in his life, Kiolle da Diarca felt dizzy because of someone else. If this boy wasn't the Crown Prince, he would have spat and turned away, but unfortunately, he was.
Kiolle's already short patience had run out. His hand hurt, his head and body ached from the hail, his wet body was cold, and his head throbbed with overwhelming anger. Everything was so dreadful that tears seemed imminent.
‘Why... why do I have to do this here? Why!’
He had made a mistake. He should have turned his horse around and headed back to the capital as soon as he knew the Crown Prince had escaped and boarded his carriage. Then, even if he faced his father's wrath, he wouldn't have suffered this humiliation.
Perhaps kneeling would appease the mad Crown Prince enough to return. But Kiolle simply couldn't bring himself to do it. As he trembled with suppressed rage and sorrow, the Crown Prince, who had been glaring at him, stepped closer and lifted his leg.
“Did you think I wouldn't know? You believe you are above me. If you're unwilling to bend those precious knees, then I'll have to assist you.”
The Crown Prince kicked. Kiolle uttered a groan, stepping back. For the first time, a satisfied smile appeared on the Crown Prince's lips. His face was hauntingly beautiful, yet that smile made him look all the more devilish.
In that moment, Kiolle realized something. Katchian La Orr, the Crown Prince, was genuinely delighted by the sight of others in distress and pain due to him. It wasn't because of brainwashing. Kiolle had seen that look in the eyes of many nobles before. Such people, usually, were always like that by nature.
To the Crown Prince, witnessing Kiolle kneel and ultimately submit to him was more important than the current danger they faced.
The Crown Prince kicked Kiolle two, three times continuously. It was clear he intended to keep kicking until Kiolle finally knelt.
Thump, thump, thump. It wasn't painful, but amid such utterly degrading violence, Kiolle hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then, suddenly, numerous presences were felt from somewhere. Someone, seemingly a woman from a distance, clapped her hands and shouted, though her identity was indiscernible due to the hail and darkness.
“Is there someone there?!”
Even the Crown Prince, who had been kicking Kiolle, paused briefly at the voice.
“Why are you still here? Run away immediately! There are monsters! If you’re lost, come this way...!”
“Mo... monsters?"
As if a fight amongst the Awakeners wasn't madness enough, now monsters had appeared? In the middle of such a vast sacred area? Kiolle mumbled with a dazed expression before abruptly turning his head.
“Your Highness. We must flee!”
“Why would monsters appear in the temple all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know either! But everyone else is running, aren’t they! We must go! This weather was already ominous. Let's not waste any more time talking…!”
Just then, the Crown Prince slapped Kiolle's cheek again.
“Nonsense?”
“...”
“You expect me to believe without a single clear explanation? You might be in league with those people for all I know. I no longer trust you. Step back! I will return after finding the sage!"
“This…”
It was so absurd that Kiolle nearly burst into tears. He was about to clench his teeth and shout something when suddenly...
Crack!
With a sound like a fruit being crushed by a stone, the Crown Prince fell forward, face first into the mud. A particularly large and solid hailstone rolled away behind him.
“...”
As Kiolle gazed blankly at the hailstone and then looked up, a woman in black mourning clothes with her long hair twisted up appeared.
Kiolle recognized her.
“...Herne, the First Princess..."
“Sir Diarca. What on earth are you doing here?”
Myra, with a face tired and weary, asked.
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Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.
Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.
A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.
By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....
***
"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"
Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.
He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.
Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—
Screech!
Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.
And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......
***
[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]
Whoosh!
When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.
He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.
Is this... VT?
It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.
As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.
'Can I really walk?'
He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.
And then,
He lifted it,
Moved it,
And took another step to touch the ground again.
So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.
"Ah..."
At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.
"..."
Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.
It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.
Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.
To be able to run so easily like this.
He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.
And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.
***
"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."
Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.
A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?
"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."
Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.
A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.
"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."
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Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
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