Chapter 105: Catch Him

Prince Olak, who was being held hostage by Ian, could not believe his eyes.

It was because Ian rushed to the monster without an ounce of hesitation.

‘What the hell is he?’

He already knew when he was defeated. Despite the difference in numbers, he didn’t bring many warriors because he believed it would be more than enough.

The strength of Ian’s knights overpowered theirs.

‘It was the same when he asked for my banner.’

He thought Ian was just a little prince who happened to know well about Bahara’s culture.

But he was gravely mistaken.

‘He is someone I cannot dare to judge with my meager knowledge.’

He couldn’t help thinking so.

It was the same when Ian defeated Yamanta, the lord of Molar Castle, but also when he fought against the five chieftains and a large army of two thousand men. And now, right at this very moment.

“Come on!”

Charging head-on toward the monster, he looked like a true hero. No, he resembled the king from legends.

It was incomparable to a coward like himself, who only hid far away. Naturally, Olak, who longed for the Great Warrior, couldn’t help but clench his hands tightly.

Then Yamanta, who was guarding him at Ian’s command, spoke up.

“It is astonishing that such a warrior still remains in Kaistein, which I thought was only packed with cowards.”

As a royal, not many people fought like that even if they were in the position of heir.

‘No, there’s none at all. Because they are too afraid of losing what they have.’

“Isn’t that right, Chief Antum?”

Antum and the four chiefs who were by his side also agreed with a nod.

Olak lowered his head as Ian thrust his sword into the monster’s chest.

“Chief Antum, although I also had the blood of the First King flowing in my veins, I don’t think I have as much bravery as he does.”

“Your Highness, how could you say such a weak thing…”

“Look. That imposing figure. And the eyes of the people who follow him.”

“…”

A person who did not stand at the back like him but advanced with confidence.

A person who was more confident than him, inheriting the blood of the First King.

Therefore, there was one thing that Olak lamented for now.

‘My heart is telling me to follow him.’

But he couldn’t.

Now that he knew how the previous king died, he had to avenge his father and bring down the usurper from the throne.

‘I have a mission to reclaim and raise our country.’

Even if they would become a vassal state of Kaistein.

The next king of Bahara could not be seen as someone’s subordinate.

But what if.

‘If possible, I want to be by his side.’

Perhaps guessing Olak’s heart, Yamanta and the five chieftains also nodded at him. No, it wasn’t just them.

‘That person…’

‘I also…’

‘I want to follow.’

Everyone in Bahara was looking at Ian’s back with those thoughts.

***

Squelch!

Ian’s sword pierced the monster’s body, coming through its other side. The monster’s dark blood stained his body and sword.

But he didn’t mind.

Still in that state, he instead slowly made his way to the gate.

“Open the gate!”

The gate opened as if it were natural for him to say it.

The soldiers opened the gate on their own accord without waiting for the First Princess’s order. Soldiers and knights followed behind Ian as he entered.

“Long live the Seventh Prince!”

“The Crimson Star of Kaistein! Long live Ian Kastein!”

The surviving soldiers beyond the gate cheered.

As Ian continued to head inside, the soldiers stepped aside for him like the Red Sea splitting.

“Everyone, make way! Let’s go, Your Highness!”

“The Crimson Star of Kaistein is passing by! Get out of the way, everyone!”

The soldiers who cleared the path one by one saluted toward Ian. Ian had captured the hearts of all the soldiers here with his confident appearance.

And so, he leisurely made his way to the steps above the castle walls.

Tap tap tap.

But no one even thought of blocking his path.

They just thought they should stay out of the way.

Ian’s appearance, now covered in the monster’s blood, was giving off such a strong aura.

And thus, he arrived at the castle wall.

“You are here.”

The First Princess was waiting for him.

Although she appeared calm, her eyes were noticeably shaking. She seemed to be overwhelmed by the intense presence Ian exuded, whom she had merely thought of as nothing more than the youngest.

However, Ian also smiled calmly.

“Are you alright, Sister?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“Then it’s time for you to pay.”

“…”

The First Princess was at a loss for words at the mention of ‘pay.’

It was agreed that nothing more needed to be said to the loser anyway.

‘If it weren’t for the youngest, those monsters would have killed me.’

On the other hand, only a few of Ian’s soldiers were injured. Not many died, unlike her side.

But he knew how to make demands so openly.

‘He’s not someone to be taken lightly, after all. But if I don’t deliver what I promised…’

That mighty sword would be pointed at her instead.

In the end, the First Princess had no choice but to open her mouth with a resigned voice.

“Very well, I’ll pass all the merits. All the merits I have gained from the Northern Expedition thus far are yours.”

But Ian tilted his head.

“That’s a matter of course.”

“!?”

The First Princess was taken aback by his words.

Could it be that she had to come up with something more than this?

She was speechless for a moment.

At that time, Marquis Adelas, who was watching, stepped up.

“Seventh Prince, even if it is you who saved her, the princess is the supreme commander. Please mind your manners.”

“What? Manners?”

“That’s right. Rescuing the supreme commander is a natural duty of the soldiers belonging to the unit. For that reason, to make excessive demands…”

Ian sneered at the remark.

Look at this. He saved them from drowning, yet they were going to turn a blind eye now?

It was a very amusing idea, but they picked the wrong opponent.

“Everyone! Draw your sword!”

At Ian’s words, the air surrounding the knights and soldiers following him instantly changed. The heroes whom the soldiers in the castle had cheered before had now turned into enemies.

Clank!

The First Princess’ soldiers were so surprised that they dropped their spears.

They had no intention of fighting anyway, but they could not help being seriously worried about what to do if they attacked them. No, they were terrified.

Those people were the ones who had triumphed over such monsters.

There was no way their side could fight them and win.

The soldiers glanced at Marquis Adelas, urging him to apologize quickly.

Sensing their glances, Marquis Adelas exclaimed in a fluster.

“W-what kind of foolish act is this? How dare you point your sword at the First Princess—!”

“You are the one I point the sword at, Marquis Adelas. No matter how nice I am, I’m not stupid enough to tolerate someone who goes back on their word. Especially someone who undermined the efforts of my men and me.”

Marquis Adelas fumed with anger.

How could a man who drew a sword because of a mere word be nice!

And when on earth did he undermine their efforts?

‘I just want you to speak with a little courtesy!’

But he couldn’t get the word out.

Jolt!

At that moment, Marquis Adelas instinctively felt.

That if he said one thing wrong now, he might be decapitated. Even Nathan, whom he ordered to spy on Ian, pointed his sword at him.

‘I’m sorry, Father, but you know it can’t be helped, right?’

His blood pressure rose at once seeing this scoundrel of a son frown at him.

Right then, the First Princess opened her mouth.

“Stop it. The marquis must have made a slip of the tongue thinking about me.”

“Didn’t you think the same?”

“That’s not true. I have never lived my life speaking with a forked tongue.”

The First Princess asked the marquis to step back. Then she asked Ian.

“Tell me what you want. I’ll give you everything as I promised.”

But Ian replied with a smirk.

“Can’t you tell? I didn’t just save a drowning man; I’m also asking them to give me their baggage.”

TL/N: Even if you do good deeds, you will suffer.

Source : http://sejin.ca/2015/02/no-good-deed-goes-unpunished/

And with that, he exuded an oppressive aura.

If there was an answer he didn’t like, he would not just go back and take things lying down.

At the sight, the First Princess clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘The youngest has changed a lot.’

What was changing?

He was different from when he showed his weak side while hiding his true self. She felt that his temperament, his whole demeanor, had turned fierce as if he was a completely different person.

‘Could the battlefield have awakened his dormant nature?’

However, neither of those changes was beneficial to the First Princess.

It was because more and more people, not restricted to Kaistein’s soldiers only but also Bahara’s soldiers, were attracted to Ian’s confident attitude.

Thus, the First Princess fell silent for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Very well. I’ll hand you the position of supreme commander.”

“Your Highness!”

Marquis Adelas exclaimed in astonishment. This was too extraordinary a reward.

But Ian asked back with a calm look.

“Will you be alright? Even if you give it up like that?”

The position of supreme commander was not just a title. It was a position of great importance, with full authority over the Northern Expedition. As such, the compensation for the merit was enormous.

The supreme commander was even able to chip the troops of other successors based on personal feelings.

It was something that the First Princess knew.

‘You didn’t think I would relinquish the sole position to surpass me so easily, right?’

But something was off.

Ian, who should be surprised by her words, was so calm. No, the glint in his eyes was as if he knew this would happen as a matter of course.

‘Don’t tell me he aimed for this from the beginning?’

No, it couldn’t have been possible.

No matter how excellent he was, he could never have thought she would give up the position of supreme commander.

So, the First Princess uttered calmly without showing any signs of nervousness.

“An unexpected enemy came out, and I couldn’t deal with them. Even so, you won’t even be my sword.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s why I made a choice for the sake of Kaistein. For now, you would be better than me.”

The First Princess didn’t show it on her face, but she was feeling an immeasurable sense of humiliation.

To the youngest, not anyone else.

And to think that it was because of her own lack of ability.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

‘If the Northern Expedition goes on like this, I will have to take responsibility for everything. If that happens, I will have no choice but to hand over the handling of those monsters to Ian.’

She was literally destined to be the supreme commander who was set up like a scarecrow.

Besides, she hadn’t given up on everything yet.

‘Of course, I will not hand over my troops. They’re not my soldiers, they’re soldiers given by the nobles.’

He didn’t even know that was how the First Princess survived in her own way. Thanks to that, the positions of the two had completely been reversed. If previously Ian was the challenger, now she was the challenger.

But it didn’t matter.

“Is that so? Then I will give you my first command as supreme commander.”

“What? Already?”

“Is there anything I can’t do, Your Highness the First Princess?”

“N… no.”

The First Princess couldn’t be more nervous hearing Ian’s words.

He undoubtedly had aimed to secure this position from the very beginning.

Nevertheless, Ian smiled at the nervous First Princess.

Then he pointed beyond the castle walls.

“Bring those who dare to ignore the supreme commander’s request for help.”

“!?”

“Of course, you know who I’m talking about, don’t you?”

Even if they were rivals, he could not forgive those who were blinded by merits.

“I will catch them all and punish them severely.”

Everyone, including the First Princess, was stunned by his words.

As the supreme commander, he was going to personally condemn them for the disobedience of orders. That would practically be a fatal blow to the Fourth Prince or the Third Prince.

The First Princess couldn’t help but feel dizzy.

‘This kid. How far were you thinking?’

Wasn’t his reason for coming here in the first place just to save her? No, was it because he aimed for the position of supreme commander?

But there was no room for questioning.

The supreme commander’s orders had already been issued.

She had a mission to fulfill, after all.

“I will do so, supreme commander… sir.”

Thus, the First Princess had no other choice but to go out to arrest the Fourth Prince who was watching for opportunities in the forest.

Ian looked out of the castle with a smile.

‘Are the only things left now Balrog and the Third Prince?’

This competition seemed to end sooner than expected.

Unlike in his previous life.