Turning Chapter 783

Chapter 783

"Your Highness!"

Coughing harshly and with pain etching his face, Crown Prince Katchian glared fiercely. Kiolle quickly supported him, lowering his voice in urgent inquiry.

"Why on earth are you here, Your Highness…?!"

"I had to see for myself how things were unfolding and to help those in need!"

"Your Highness?"

"Duke Diarca always told me to wait and everything would turn out fine. But he never listened or even remembered what I asked for! I've been patient until now, but I won't overlook this. If I remain silent this time, even Ajihen Toom, who has truly been on my side, will disappear! Do you think I'll just stand by and let that happen?"

"Ajihen Toom? That scamm... I mean, the healer?"

Kiolle nearly called him a scammer, a moment of supreme self-restraint in his life, so astonishing that even Yuder would have been shocked. But Kiolle was so dumbfounded that he didn't think anything of it.

"Didn't you see, Your Highness? That man… he was part of the group behind the explosion in the capital, and moreover, he's an Awakener! He's not worth saving to this extent!"

"Your dislike for the Awakener is your own, Sir Kiolle. Not mine."

"Your Highness? What do you mean…"

"I trust an Awakener who shows me true loyalty and is ready to risk their life for me more than those who try to control me like a puppet."

The Crown Prince then revealed something shocking.

"Initially, I didn't trust him either. But before leaving Bright Palace, Ajihen Toom confessed everything to me, sincerely saying his treatment was done."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that it wasn't that I've never had loyal people around me, but they were driven away by those close to me, supposedly for my protection. He fears he will meet the same fate."

The Crown Prince's eyes sparkled as if he'd finally found the answer he'd been seeking. There was no trace of the resentment and anger he'd shown when lashing out at his servants.

"Sure enough, attempts were made to separate him from me afterward, just like a prophecy. After witnessing all this, I've decided to trust him. No one else has ever understood and cared for me this sincerely."

"But Your Highness, that's not it…"

Kiolle knew that those fraudsters had first tried to ingratiate themselves with Duke Diarca before the Crown Prince. The thought of a mind-manipulating charlatan posing as a healer and swearing fealty was laughable.

Yet, when Kiolle tried to argue, it seemed the Crown Prince heard nothing, only returning sharper anger.

"Sir Kiolle, did you really think I was unaware of your surveillance of Ajihen Toom and his associates, on Duke Diarca's orders, seeking a chance to oust them?"

"That's…!"

Kiolle was at a loss. Duke Diarca had indeed ordered him to keep an eye on the sage's group to prevent mischief. But how could he admit that his vigilant watch was also due to a temporary alliance with a demonic entity of the Cavalry?

As Kiolle hesitated and fell silent, the Crown Prince raised his voice, seizing the opportunity.

"The Duke appointed you as the representative for this matter because you're the one who knows Ajihen Toom the closest. As soon as you headed south, you must have planned to eliminate him rather than help!"

"That's not true! Why would I, of all people, do something like that? I had no intention of lifting a finger in that bothersome affair after reaching the south!"

"Despite your well-known filial devotion to the Duke, you're trying hard to deny it, I see."

"It's the truth!"

Holding back his anger and trying to phrase his words carefully was proving to be an overwhelming challenge for him. The more he spoke, the more his words came out sounding like the epitome of a lazy, worthless noble.

"Deny it all you want, it doesn't matter. In the end, you'll follow my orders."

"Your Highness?"

"Do you think I came here without any purpose?"

Torn between wanting to respond and considering the merit of remaining silent, Kiolle struggled internally. Fortunately, before he could answer, the Crown Prince spoke up.

"The moment you were chosen for this task, I thought it was the 'chance to break free' that Ajihen Toom had mentioned. Anyone else from the Diarca family might not understand, but you're different, aren't you?"

"What are you implying…?"

"I know you're harboring a shameful secret that you can't reveal to your family."

The moment Kiolle saw the Crown Prince's narrowed eyes, he was struck by a lightning bolt of shock.

'Impossible? No, it can't be. Nobody knows about my oath with that demon of the Cavalry... That's the first condition of the agreement!'

Kiolle realized he couldn't disclose the events to anyone. But had the secret been revealed without his knowledge, would it be considered a breach of the oath? His face turned white and expressionless as the Crown Prince whispered mockingly.

"Imagine the shock the old Duke would feel upon learning his beloved youngest son is a debauchee. Especially since he's someone who values stiff, old-fashioned propriety. Such tragic news might lay him low, or worse, he might decide to disown you entirely."

The words flew in one ear and out the other of the tense, pale Kiolle.

'...I'm what, exactly?'

A debauchee?

It took Kiolle a moment to find his voice, still dumbfounded.

"Debauchee?"

"If you value your honor and life, you'll do well to handle this. The reason for my visit and the aftermath are your responsibility. Any mistakes, and you'll be the one to blame."

A victorious smile spread across the Crown Prince's handsome face.

"As my bodyguard, I trust you can handle at least this much, right?"

Only after hearing the Crown Prince's veiled threat of revealing the truth did Kiolle fully grasp the dire situation he was in.

"Just wait, Your Highness. I am not a debauchee…!"

"Oh? Then who was that person you secretly slipped away with during the harvest festival and the last party?"

"…"

"I already know you're not the sharpest tool. Don't bother denying it and make things worse."

'But it's not true… it's really not!'

Kiolle's mind flashed to the one common face he had encountered on both of those occasions.

He was infuriated at the injustice of being misunderstood as a debauchee because of Yuder Aile, and even more so because he couldn't clarify the misunderstanding.

The Crown Prince, having fled the palace to save a mere swindler and hiding in a carriage, now seemed to be under the sway of that very person, displaying behavior that suggested he was brainwashed. Kiolle knew if Duke Diarca learned of this, his end would be sealed.

'I'll be blamed for failing my duties as a guard. Maybe it's better to be known as a debauchee... But no! Why do these things always happen to me!'

For someone unaccustomed to such deep thinking, it felt like his head would burst. Filled with indignation, Kiolle discreetly escorted the Crown Prince to his carriage, away from prying eyes. He excused the Crown Prince's presence to the servants as a secret imperial attendant, but whether they believed him was another matter.

As they neared their southern destination, Kiolle, slumped in the carriage, pondered the situation to the best of his ability.

'Firstly, it seems the Crown Prince indeed suffered something at the hands of that swindler. Once we reach the south, I must meet with that demon. Being an Awakener, he might know how to reverse this.'

Kiolle had no desire to involve the Cavalry in the south if he could avoid it. Yet, it seemed fate had other plans for him.

Lost in thought, Kiolle was jolted from his reverie by the sudden, harsh stop of the carriage.

"What's the matter? Why have we stopped abruptly?"

"Apologies, my lord. A carriage ahead has blocked the road!"

The most direct and well-maintained route to their destination was narrow, allowing only a few carriages to pass at a time. Now, a line of black carriages had unexpectedly blocked their path, as explained by the coachman. Kiolle, infuriated, demanded to know who would dare block the Diarca family's way.

"The carriages are covered in black, making it impossible to identify the family."

Could it be some kind of funeral carriage? Kiolle gritted his teeth, opened the carriage door, and stepped out. partly to escape the company of the seemingly brainwashed Crown Prince.

Outside, a row of massive black carriages indeed blocked the road, seemingly not belonging to an ordinary family.

'What in the world?'

As Kiolle narrowed his eyes, a servant dressed in fine clothes leaped from the largest carriage and approached. Kiolle's eyes widened upon recognizing the crest embroidered on the servant's clothes.

'That crest... Herne?'

—

"Welcome, Yuder. It's been a long time since we last met."

"Yes, it's good to see you in good health, Alik."

"Ah, it's nothing. Haha."

Yuder greeted Alik, whom he hadn't seen in a while, and glanced around the small temporary research lab that Alik had set up in the southern branch, his face slightly haggard but smiling.