“Lord Palace Steward, the situation is dire! Following the prison break, Lady Roswell’s ‘children’ are causing havoc in the palace!”
“…What about the movements of the Royal Guards and the Royal Knights?”
“They’ve already mobilized. However, the Royal Knights are heading towards Lady Roswell’s ‘children,’ while Deputy Commander Lucia of the Royal Guards is pursuing the prisoners.”
“This isn’t good. If the Royal Guards are trying to re-secure the barbarian, they won’t leave the escaped prisoners alive.”
“The Blue Flame Knight Order is still an option. Their commander sent a messenger seeking your orders. How about using them to secure the barbarian?”
“Hmm…”
Outwardly, the Palace Steward maintained a composed demeanor, but internally, he was boiling with rage. If he had been alone, he would have smashed everything around him in frustration.
‘Roswell. Could that witch have made such a blunder? Ridiculous!’
Though they seemed to be cooperating towards a common goal, the Palace Steward didn’t trust Lady Roswell at all. She wasn’t a noble or a dedicated bureaucrat serving the kingdom; she was an outsider, and the Palace Steward suspected her to be a witch.
However, he didn’t doubt her skills. The ‘children’ she created were monstrous, capable of holding their own even against the Royal Guards.
‘But to use such monsters and still fail to capture the barbarian, who then escaped with the prisoners? It doesn’t make sense.’
While the barbarian’s strength was impressive, having subdued the rampaging Prince Alan alone, he was weaponless when imprisoned in the underground cells and had to face Roswell’s ‘children.’
Not only did he escape, but he also demolished the underground prison and freed all the prisoners in the process.
This was something even he believed to be impossible. If it had been the Black Wing Duke with his aura, it might have made sense. But the barbarian had no such power.
The Palace Steward consolidated all the information and reached a conclusion.
‘The Black Wing Duke. It must be his doing.’
It was much more plausible that the Black Wing Duke had some tricks up his sleeve rather than believing a weaponless barbarian defeated Roswell’s children and escaped, demolishing the prison. The Black Wing Duke’s entry into the royal city under the pretext of monitoring the barbarian was suspicious from the start.
This was planned from the beginning.
Realizing his rebellion, the Duke intended to use the barbarian as a pretext to create chaos, divert attention, and ultimately kill the Palace Steward. The goal was undoubtedly his death.
‘Hah. Who said I’d go down without a fight?’
He had expected this day would come, which was why he had secretly retrieved treasures from the royal treasury. The Palace Steward was confident.
‘Black Wing Duke, the moment you come for me will be your last.’
However, the Palace Steward’s assumptions were far from the truth.
“Oh, great gods…”
Because the most shocked individual by the barbarian’s escape wasn’t the Palace Steward, but the Black Wing Duke himself.
***
“Haha… He’s truly someone who far exceeds expectations.”
The rare sight of the worried Black Wing Duke made his eldest son, Aser, the commander of the Royal Guards, burst into laughter.
“This isn’t a laughing matter, you fool. He’s turned the entire palace upside down. How are we supposed to handle this mess?”
“I understand. It’s just that when else will I see you so flustered, Father? I ought to thank him if I ever meet him.”
“Do you think there’ll be an ‘after’ left for that? Even with my power, it’s barely enough.”
“That may be true. However, I don’t believe he’s acting recklessly.”
“… Explain.”
Aser smiled gently and drew a line on the map of the palace.
“After escaping with the prisoners, he moved northeast. This path leads from the underground prison to the area between the main palace and the second palace, where most of the bureaucrats reside. Lucia confirmed this through her observations. The strange monsters were closely pursuing him. Do you get it now, Father?”
“He’s searching for the Palace Steward. But the Steward has hidden himself in a secret chamber. Finding him won’t be easy.”
“True. But the important thing is that he’s causing a commotion in the palace. The Royal Guards, the Royal Knights, and the palace sentinels are forming a perimeter. Naturally…”
“The Palace Steward won’t stand still. It’s evident to anyone that those monsters are his doing.”
“Yes, they’ll have to move.”
Aser, the commander of the Royal Guards, had been monitoring the palace’s internal affairs for a long time. This was not just after the King and the Crown Prince became inactive, but much earlier. His observations led him to conclude that the Palace Steward and certain bureaucrats were suspect.
But was he a bit too late?
The Palace Steward had contacted and instigated the ambitious Alan. Though arrogant, Alan wasn’t foolish. Yet, inexplicably, he became excessively obsessed with the throne, leading to his uncontrollable rampage and untimely demise.
‘There’s something more here.’
All members of the Royal Guards knew that the Argon royal bloodline was unusual. However, they refrained from delving into the secrets of their masters. But given the current situation, they had no choice.
“Father, perhaps… His Majesty and the Crown Prince…”
“Stop there, Aser. Our duty is solely to protect the royal family.”
“… Yes, you’re right.”
To diffuse the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Aser returned to his earlier playful tone and subtly suggested to the Black Wing Duke,
“Regardless, today presents an opportunity for us as well. We’re not the only ones taken aback by his extreme actions. This is the only chance we’ll get to exploit each other’s weaknesses.”
“You’re right. Aser, gather the Royal Guards and root out the Palace Steward’s faction. Eliminate them if necessary.”
“Of course. But what about you, Father…?”
Responding to his son’s curious gaze while adjusting his armor, the Black Wing Duke replied,
“I must see His Majesty. This situation can no longer be ignored.”
****
Khan’s path of destruction spared no one and nothing. Anything that caught his eye or obstructed his way became a target, as though he was venting his pent-up fury on the entire royal palace. Even Monkey, who initially idolized Khan’s fierce displays, started to doubt the sanity of the situation. However, no one dared to step forward and stop Khan, and his rampage only ceased when the Blue Flame Knight Order fully encircled them.
“What now, boss?”
“Who’s your boss?”
“Uh… Captain?”
That’s the same thing, you idiot.
Seeing the look of disdain Khan shot him, Monkey’s nerves were rattled. Anyone who had witnessed Khan’s monstrous strength would feel the same. However, Monkey couldn’t comprehend what he had done wrong. What should he call him then?
“Submit peacefully, and there will be no further harm! But if you resist, you will be executed on the spot!”
As Monkey agonized over what to call Khan, the Blue Flame Knights radiated their auras, threatening the prisoners.
But Khan’s focus was solely on the wall of the second palace he had turned his back to, ignoring the knights entirely.
‘Is this the place? It looks empty to me.’
『Absolutely. The same energy as your dragon scale shard is emanating from here. I can’t mistake that wicked aura.』
Got it.
Conversing with Draupnir, Khan swung the cursed black sword towards the high wall.
Scrape. Clang!
‘Interesting.’
The powerful swing was meant to obliterate the wall, yet Draupnir’s trajectory was halted midway as if it had struck something. Could a simple wall be built to endure such superhuman force?
‘Doesn’t seem likely.’
Gripping the halted sword with both hands, Khan applied more strength and sliced downward.
Creeeak!
The resistance felt like scraping against dragon scales. Any ordinary blade would have snapped under Khan’s immense strength. Fortunately, Draupnir, with its ‘unbreakable’ attribute, held firm.
Creeeak. Crash!
After a moment of resistance, the sword sliced through, plunging into the structure below. The ancient defenses, designed ingeniously in Argon’s prime to be impenetrable without the right method, were shattered purely by brute force.
It was an achievement of superhuman strength, yet no one present comprehended the magnitude of what Khan had done.
Not even Khan himself.
Monkey simply assumed there had been some obstruction. His attention quickly shifted to the knights charging at them with lethal intent.
“Captain! What do we do? We’re all going to die here! Except for you, of course!”
Desperately calling out for his captain but getting no response, Monkey frantically turned his head. The barbarian, who had been right behind him moments ago, was nowhere to be seen, and Monkey’s eyes filled with fury.
“You bastard! He ran off by himself…?!”
Monkey’s face turned pale. Even with all his cunning, escaping through the tight knight formation seemed nearly impossible—except for that monstrous barbarian, perhaps…!
“You bastard! If you were going to run off alone, you shouldn’t have dragged us along! I knew you were a sneaky lowlife from the moment I saw your ugly mug putting on airs!”
“Who are you calling ugly?”
“You! The barbarian who struts around with that pompous voice…?”
Thunk.
“Sorry for being ugly and having a deep voice.”
“Boss, no, that wasn’t what I… Ugh!”
Suddenly, the world turned upside down, and everything began to spin.
Monkey—no, Alejandro—felt the imminent approach of death. His head, which had been attached to his body for over thirty years, was now spinning through the air.
‘Damn it. If I knew I’d die like this, I would’ve spent all my money…!’
Wanting to rob the palace had led to being decapitated by an ugly and ruthless barbarian. No ending could be more pathetic. The pain made him feel like all his hair was being yanked out, nearly bringing him to tears.
‘Wait a minute…’
Does it usually hurt even after you die? And why does it feel like my hair is being pulled out?! He realized belatedly that the spinning feeling came not from having his head cut off, but from being dragged by his hair.
And he could tell that most of his hair had been pulled out, leaving barely any left.
“Ouch! Stop it! My hair! You’re pulling out all my hair!”
No matter how much he pleaded, or how hard he scratched the thick arm holding his hair, it was like scratching an orc’s hide—completely ineffective.
Just as he thought his scalp was entirely bald, Khan finally released him. Alejandro, rubbing his now-bare scalp, tears streaming down his face, looked up and saw—
“So, we finally meet.”
“You, barbarian! How did you find this place…!”
“No need for talk. Just die quietly, old man.”
Having torn through a section of the palace, Khan stood menacingly in the hidden depths of the secret chamber, baring his teeth at the aged prey he had hunted down. The gray wolf had found his target and was ready to pounce.