Chapter 195

“Wait a minute, Your Excellency—”

Kaywhin strided through the fog and drew the sword in one swift movement.

Drawing the sword was easier than expected. The problem was what happened next.

“…Monsters?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A tremendous number of monsters suddenly appeared, crying out. They surrounded Kaywhin and Aendydn in an instant. It was as if the trap was telling them that they could not take the Holy Sword and leave without handing all of these monsters.

The monsters were neither hallucinations nor illusions. They were real. Aendydn realized this when a monster that Kaywhin had wounded bled green blood that spilled to the ground.

“Yuck.”

Aendydn scowled. The foul stench was disgusting.

Then, Kaywhin, for some reason, started fighting the monsters with his bare hands, without taking his sword out from his waistbelt.

“…I never thought I’d see someone behead monsters with their bare hands.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

Kaywhin had skillfully attacked the monsters with his bare hands, but there were so many that he had inevitably reached his limit of how many he could face at once. He ended up slaying some of them with his sword.

Aendydn had been curious as to why Kaywhin had done something so inefficient and crazy, and it was only after they returned to the count’s castle that he learned the reason.

Kaywhin’s goal had been to keep his clothes as clean as possible, simply because he didn’t want Yelena to smell the foul odor.

‘Like I thought, he is no ordinary fellow in many ways.’

Aendydn shook his head and then looked at the man.

“Oh, come to think of it, I heard you’re going to fight in the war.”

“Ah, about that.”

“Is it true? It’ll be dangerous.”

“But still, I must. I must contribute at least that much… for the royal castle to allow me to change my surname.”

“You want to change it to your late mother’s surname, right?”

“Yeah,” the man answered, making firm eye contact with Aendydn. “I’m done living as Dennan Trecis.”

“…”

“I’m going to live as Dennan Millisto for the rest of my life.”

“All right… Gosh, you went through a lot just because you were born to a bad biological father.”

Aendydn clicked his tongue. He was well aware of how horrible the man’s father, Viscount Trecis, was. He also knew that the man, Dennan, despised his father and fought a lone battle to escape from his father’s shadow.

“Everyone who took the tower’s exam with me had a story, but… for some reason, I was rooting for you the most.”

“I won’t refuse that support. Thank you.”

Aendydn’s gaze penetrated the man. Then, he stroked his chin as if he was disappointed.

“I wish I had a sister.”

“Huh?”

“Then I would have arranged a marriage with you. Of course, after you’d safely returned from the war.”

“Haha, are you saying that I’d make a decent husband? That’s not a bad compliment at all.”

“Promise me you’ll marry a good person like yourself. And invite me to the wedding.”

“Sure.”

“And let me know if you want to toss your bouquet. I’ll catch it for you. Though I don’t know if the groom is allowed to toss it.”

“What?”

Instead of answering, Aendydn took a few steps back and waved his hand.

“Anyhow, I’ll get going now that we’ve seen each other. Let’s meet again when we get the chance.”

“Aendydn.”

“What?”

“When you went up the tower with me… you said that there was someone you wanted to repay your debt to after you became strong.”

“…”

“How did that go? Did you do it?”

Aendydn looked at Dennan quietly and then grinned. It was a smile of relief and peace of mind.

“Kind of, I guess.”

***

Terremore, the Holy Sword.

According to the records, it was the sword that the founding king of the empire, Lemeteus I, used about one thousand years ago. It was said that Lemeteus I had used the Holy Sword to drive out some evil enemy that mankind could not cope with from the world.

‘Unfortunately, there isn’t a single record or piece of evidence about the “evil enemy” that he had driven out, so it’s treated as just a legend…’

The empire Lemeteus I had established came to an end after more than a century. Territorial disputes broke out, and in the end, the empire split into several kingdoms.

Scholars concluded that most of the records surrounding the Holy Sword and other relics were destroyed in that process.

Kaywhin’s face suddenly came into view as Yelena thought about the Holy Sword. She looked at the slender nose and handsome forehead of her sleeping husband. His lips were closed neatly.

Yelena’s gaze shifted slightly downwards, past his masculine neckline and at his slightly open shirt collar and broad chest.

‘…Gulp.’