I Need a Cage

Warning: Disturbing Content Ahead. Read at your own discretion

Kyrie fainted, missing the knife.

Nathaniel, who approached right in front of her just before the blade touched her knee, kicked it out. At that time he was again the usual elegant Nathaniel. The king of winter with a calm smile.

[Knight can’t beat the Queen. Today we’re going to follow the words of our clever Kyrie Buchanan.]

Nathaniel hugged Kyrie, who fainted, like a cultured gentleman. It was a very careful move. He took off his jacket and put it on Kyrie’s back before turning his eyes to the front.

[Orewinbridge. Kyrie did this, so I’m not going to kill you. But I’d like you to do me a few favors.]

The Emperor was surprised like a person who woke up.

“Do you... A favor?”

[It’s not hard. I just want to see a little sincerity.]

“I’ll think about it. What kind of sincerity are you talking about..?”

[There’s the crown prince there, right?]

The Emperor’s face hardened.

“......Legendary Lord. He is the successor to this Empire.”

[I’m not gonna kill him.]

“It’s not all just about not killing.....”

[Of course. Not everything. He knew that, so he took Kyrie.]

“That point is...”

The Emperor blurred the end of her words. There was too much evidence to say no. She had no idea what to do, and before she knew it, she found the Patriotic Lord that was standing next to her. The Emperor hurriedly called Leschaux.

“Patriotic Lord! You’re too late, Lord! Please talk to your comrade! You are not the hero of your country!”

The word was ‘talk’, but she seemed to want Leschaux to confront Nathaniel.

Nathaniel was sarcastic without showing any signs of sarcasm.

[That sounds like a lot of fun.]

Leschaux, who had been looking at Nathaniel until then, shifted his reddish-purple eyes to the Emperor.

〔His anger is reasonable.〕

“Patriotic Lord!”

〔He’s given enough warning not to touch Kyrie Buchanan, and it’s Julia Orewinbridge who couldn’t keep it.〕

“So Julia died in the end, and Kyrie Buchanan wasn’t safe! Besides, Eden is the Crown Prince!”

〔He said he’s not going to kill him.〕

“How can I believe that!”

〔It’s not a big enough problem for Nathaniel to lie.〕

“E, Eden is the Crown Prince!”

Leschaux looked at the Emperor with lethargic eyes.

〔Does it matter that he’s the Crown Prince?〕

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

〔It doesn’t matter at all.〕

“W, what?”

〔Currently, no human being is more valuable than Kyrie Buchanan in Sel Arellano. Including you.〕

The Emperor, who opened her eyes, suddenly moved her hand on her arms. Before she could take out what was in her arms, Leschaux magically quickly stretched out a big, heavy sword. At the end of Leshaw’s black sword, he gently pressed the back of the Emperor’s hand as she was about to take out the magic scroll.

〔I’d rather not do that.....unless you want to be destroyed.〕

His voice sounded a little sad.

Ginger Orewinbridge clenched her teeth as if she was holding back her anger.

“....I am a wizard! A descendant of the Great Orewinbridge!”

〔The Great Vallabriga did not kill Nathaniel either. And your strength is not up to Vallabriga.〕

“If you’re not going to help me, why are you here?!”

〔It’s because I’m the national guardian. I have to stop your stupid actions from destroying the empire.〕

Perhaps she still had pride to feel insulted, the Emperor flew into anger.

“Fool! You Fool!”

〔Am I wrong?〕

“Isn’t he someone you can kill if you want to?! Just like the founder once!”

Leschaux made a displeased look.

〔....I can’t say it’s true, but I can kill him. But you don’t understand why Vallabriga became afraid of Nathaniel at all.〕

Leschaux rarely seemed angry. He seemed to be afraid. The Emperor clenched her fist. Though she had all kinds of thoughts in her head, she had only one choice as the Emperor.

She looked up at the sky for a long time with her lips bit and then shouted.

“....Eden! Step forward!”

“B, but mother!”

Eden’s screaming voice rang from behind.

“I, I want to live! Mother! Mother! Don’t abandon me!”

“You should have listened to me! What’s that little Cassner...!”

“If you order, I’ll be engaged to Buchanan again! I will! Save me!”

Seeing him say such things in this situation, he could not have truly taken responsibility for an empire. As Nathaniel’s smile deepened, the Emperor bellowed in a hurry.

“Hurry! It’s the Emperor’s order!”

In the end, the Crown Prince walked out in fear. The blond hair, which had always been neatly combed back, stretched messily over the forehead due to sweat, and the frightened eyes shook uneasily.

One Emperor, two transcendents and hundreds of soldiers, the Crown Prince shuddered and watched Nathaniel’s feet.

“L, L, Legendary Lord....”

[Orewinbridge.]

“Yes, I’m, I’m Eden Orewinbridge, this empire’s.....”

[I’m not interested.]

Nathaniel smiled as white as snow.

[I’m not gonna kill you. As long as you do me a favor.]

“F, f, favor..?”

[That’s right.]

Nathaniel seemed to be agonizing for a moment.

[Originally, I was going to chop up your sister and make her a food, but it’s been a while since I taught her about myself, so I felt a little better. The plan was canceled because there was no shape left. So what should I do....]

Eden stopped breathing. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

“S, S, Save me...”

[This would be good.]

Nathaniel whispered as if he had a good idea.

[I forgive you if you walk naked, crawl like a dog, turn around, and bark at me for doing something wrong.]

With a dry breath, Eden gasped and couldn’t stand his hands. He couldn’t put down his pride in the midst of it.

“Legendary Lord.... I’m the Crown Prince! How can I.....”

[Because you’re the Crown Prince who must save everyone. It’s not hard.]

“H, however, I, am a royal, Lord..!”

[I won’t kill you even if you don’t do it. Instead, I’ll kill anyone outside the palace. You choose between your face and your people.]

“Legendary Lord!”

Eden looked at Kyrie, who had already fainted, as if he wanted to hold on to the rope, but when Nathaniel’s expression became cold, he quickly lowered his head.

Eden seldom decided what to do. The longer he dragged on, the stronger the cold became. The soldiers, who were unable to bundle up because of their armor, clapped their teeth and trembled. Since the soldiers were the coldest on the spot, enlightenment came first from the soldiers.

“Isn’t it.... a little too cold?”

Nathaniel pretended to be waiting for the crown prince, but in reality, he was not. Nathaniel was too calm. It was a cold and beautiful smile. A quick-witted soldier murmured.

“If he drags on, we’ll be buried in the snow, and if the Crown Prince refuses, only our families will die...?”

Looking down at the snow that covered their ankles, the soldiers gradually became engulfed in anger than in fear.

Finally, a young soldier squeaked.

“Your Imperial Highness!”

Everyone’s eyes were on him. Perhaps because of the snow that had already covered his body, the young soldier with brown hair looked confused.

“Your Imperial Highness! Please do as the Legendary Lord says!”

“Second lieutenant! Are you crazy!”

A colleague around him stopped the boy in a hurry. But the boy began to grumble as if he were bursting into tears.

“My family lives in the lower district”

“....!”

“My family is poor! Firewood is expensive this year, so it’s hard to get it....! If the cold continues, my family will....!”

“You....you want me to give up my face for your sake! Outrageous! If you could have stopped the Legend in the first place.... Oh, my God.”

Eden closed his mouth and began to notice Nathaniel. That was the fuse. The soldiers’ faces hardened.

‘Are you kidding me? I’m in this situation because of.....’

‘You want us to die?’

‘It’s because of him in the first place.’

The glistening eyes of armed men with families outside the palace fell on Eden. Eden immediately noticed that their atmosphere had changed. Eden, caught between Nathaniel and the soldiers, stepped back, unable to do this or that.

“W, what, why are you staring at me like that?”

“.....”

“You, you thunderous people! Don’t tell me you guys are thinking of something shameless!”

There began to be an irritated sigh among the soldiers. Eden shook his arm as if to shake off the invisible gaze.

“It’s your job to protect the palace in the first place! Get lost if you’re going to complain!”

“Do you think someone doesn’t want to? But you’re killing our families!”

Someone answered. Eden turned his head in the direction of the sound, but it was a fierce look.

“Who just talked!”

“.....”

“Who the hell is it! “

“Your Imperial Highness!”

The first boy soldier shouted again. His dark brown eyes glistened.

“Please, do as you are told.....”

Soon the soldiers began to boo and swear at Eden, regardless of his identity.

“If you hadn’t cheated on her in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Because of that son of a bitch, what the hell!”

“Your Imperial Highness! I can’t lose my family in a place like this! It’s not much different from what we usually do!”

“Please! I won’t tell anyone else!”

“It’s all about taking off your clothes and bowing your head!”

“Why do you live like that....!”

“Why on earth should we take the blame for someone else’s fault!”

“Just die! Everything will be solved if you die!”

“W, who dared to tell me....!”

Then, Nathaniel whispered.

[You have a point.]

The crowd went quiet in an instant. Nathaniel looked a little happy.

[Come to think of it, if the Crown Prince loses his life in an accident.. There’s no one I can be angry with.]

“Patriotic Lord!”

The Emperor took a step forward in the obvious implications of the words and looked at the Patriotic Lord. But Leschaux’s expression was cold.

〔I don’t get involved in human affairs. What I protect is Trevereum, not the House of Orewinbridge.〕

“Gasp!”

The inducement of the Legend, the neglect of the Patriotic Lord. The scale began to tilt in the soldier’s minds.

‘Anyway, the Legend is stronger than the Emperor, and if it’s all a dog’s death.....’

The soldiers’ eyes were chilled. The force began to enter their hands holding the swords. Group madness sometimes turned around too easily.

The Emperor, who could not see it, shouted in a hurry.

“Eden! Do as the Legend says! It’s an imperial command!”

Eden also realized that the atmosphere had changed. He floundered his arm a few times and soon drooped his shoulders, distorting his face.

“If, if I do it.....”

Eden staggered forward. The soldiers stepped aside and parted the road. The prince was as quiet as a mouse. It was not long before they could hear a series of clothes dropping on the floor. And finally, the prince was naked.

“Keuk...”

Eden cried, but Nathaniel was cold-hearted.

[A turn.]

Eden knelt down. He slowly began to crawl on his knees, not covering his groin. His knees slipped again and again because of the snow, but no one laughed. Hundreds of people dressed in robes and armor watched Eden’s every move.

The crown prince, who made a big turn around, knelt in front of the Legendary Lord with a face as if his personality had been wiped out.

“I’m sorry....”

Nathaniel looked down at Eden, who prostrated at his feet with a runny nose and tears. The longer his silence, the lower Eden’s head also went. Eventually, his forehead touched the floor.

“I was wrong.. I.. I didn’t know about you....”

It wasn’t until the Prince’s body froze red from the cold that Nathaniel smiled softly.

[Too bad Kyrie didn’t hear that. But congratulations. You just saved your people.]

The people watching the scene realized again. The Imperial Family acted as if they were God’s earthly agents, but now that God was down before their eyes.

The soldiers were no longer interested in Eden. Their faces brightened. Strangely enough, some people felt grateful to Nathaniel for being ‘this great’.

Receiving people’s twisted yearnings, Nathaniel opened his mouth to the Emperor.

[Let’s stop now. I need a palace in the Sel.]

“..you mean the palace?”

The Emperor, who was closing her eyes, asked back helplessly. Nathaniel nodded. He smiled as he looked down at Kyrie, who was stretched out like a doll with broken threads in his arms. It was a smile as white as snow.

[I need a cage.]