Chapter 285: Chapter 285

The Meaning of Dawn (5)

The tip of the sword pointed to the sky.

‘Hwaak!’

A blue flash soared on, beyond the piles of rubble, beyond even the tallest spire of the royal palace.

‘Woow!’

It stretched endlessly as if reaching for the sky.

‘Dang Dang Dang!’

The bell rang without ceasing to announce the impending disaster.

“We’re getting caught up in it!”

“All escape!”

Several knights, including Carls, yelled. However, their number was few—most of the knights simply looked blankly at the sky. Suddenly, the day they had first gripped a sword came to their minds. That day’s aspirations and hopes flowed together into the memory. Whether it was the palace knight commander, a proud champion, the kingdom’s first penta-knight, or someone else, each of them had differently sized ambitions, yet they were all shaped the same. They wanted to reach completion as a knight or gain an equivalent achievement.

It was an honor that could only be reached if you added great effort and time to your talent, but-

“Alas..”

At this moment, all such concerns had become trivial.

Such future glories faded in front of the brilliance that even drove the darkness of the night away, and the pride of these knights fell under the supreme energy that had reached the sky. Their grand ambitions and passionate aspirations disappeared, and all that remained in their hearts was awe. The sound of the clanging bell ceased.

The loud screams of the knights were no longer heard. They could only watch the master of the transcendental power. It was more than a miracle—he was a pioneer who had reached a level of mysterious existence. He was a true transcendent who had overcome even death. A new legend was here: Adrian Leonberger, the Crown Prince who was enshrouded by blue flames as if it was his armor.

“The deepest night creates a ray of light.”

He was reciting the verse of the [Mythic] poem he had just crafted.

“It heralds the twilight of dawn.”

His sword, which he had kept raised high, he now slowly lowered. The pillar of light that reached into the sky gradually began to tilt.

‘Go-oh-oh-oh.’

The earth shook and the heavens roared. The world trembled; it felt as if the entire palace would collapse at once. Prince Adrian was yet to complete half of the ray’s downward trajectory. At that moment-

“It feels so good!”

The eloquent voice echoed far. It belonged to Bale Balahard, penta-knight, who had forgotten even his own existence in the face of such transcendental power.

“Synthesis!” Count Stuttgart yelled at him.

‘Quaddeuk!’

The pillar of blue light stood tall, still tilting.

‘Qaw ahhh!’

The slowly descending ray of light now plummeted earthward with a sudden roar.

“Protect his Highness!” The palace knight commander then cried out with a roar.

‘Woow!”

The sound of aura blades rang out from everywhere. Simultaneously, flashes erupted from various places.

“Hold!”

The dusty knights were determined to maintain their shield.

‘Bwak!’

A great sound broke into reality.

‘Hwaak!’

Dust bloomed into the air, and when it cleared, all that remained was a terrible ruin.

“It’s less damage than I expected,” Vincent remarked with a laugh as he blankly stared at the ruined structure. He had thought the royal palace would get blown away, so he was glad that half of it still remained standing. Of course, no one agreed with him on this observation.

***

The Crown Prince was completely exhausted after the duel.

“It’s called ‘Poetry of Dawn.’ How about it—isn’t it cool?”

Still, he constantly showed off his pride in his newly compiled dance poem. He was really proud of it. However, nothing in the world lasts forever, so the prince’s boasts also came to an end.

‘Chiwook!’

The Crown Prince, who had been talking for a long time on Carls Ulrich’s back, fainted.

“Uh, doctor!

“I’m already going.”

The court wizard came to look at the prince’s body.

“He’s merely been exhausted, and has fainted, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

The king and knights had kept their ears pricked for the diagnosis; they now sighed in relief.

“Now, we have to put my son in the empty palace.”

“That’s.. the palace his Highness was decided to be moved to was destroyed.”

At this, the king shook his head.

“Your Majesty, my palace is still relatively fine, so he will stay with me for the time being.”

“Do that,” the king said, promptly accepting his second son’s request as if he didn’t want to think about it anymore. And so, the prince was carried to his brother’s palace. The king, looking at the backs of the retreating party, suddenly lamented.

“The reason this happened in my reign is because of my lack of virtue. Otherwise, the royal palace, which had stood strong for the past four hundred years, would not have been damaged like this while I was king.”

The palace knight commander, standing next to King Lionel, spoke some consoling words.

“Take comfort that in your Majesty’s reign, the best knights on the continent and the first penta-knight were born into the kingdom.”

“I.. That’s very comforting.”

Of course, the king was happy that while he was monarch, such knights had been born, and that his son could be called the strongest. It was as the commander said. Still, the king wasn’t happy that it was his eldest son. He felt sick, sad, knowing that his son still suffered damage even if he has risen in power and, more importantly, that the king’s palace was nearly ruined. However, no one sympathized with King Lionel’s feelings.

“He became so strong here.”

“I still can’t believe what I saw.”

The palace knights were talking about the prince’s ascension with excited faces. There was not the expected silence for the collapsed palace; they simply rejoiced at the birth of a great knight. The king sighed and shook his head. Then he saw Bale Balahard sitting on a pile of rubble some distance off. The Crown Prince had done much, and even if Bale’s contribution had not been great, he was still one of the culprits responsible for destroying the palace. Nevertheless, the king could not rebuke him.

First off, his entire body was covered in blood. The wizard had already exhausted his energy while examining the prince and so had not taken proper care of Bale’s wounds. Actually, the old knight’s face didn’t look too good. This wasn’t due to his wounds, however.

“You knew his Highness’s nature yet encouraged him to do it. What did you mean by this?” Vincent demanded. Bale’s expression was due to his eldest son’s nagging.

“He gained enlightenment and he just wanted to master it completely,” Bale repeated, and Vincent asked the same question, and the knight’s answer remained unchanged. The strong old warrior was by now completely exhausted.

“The cost was too much for that,” Vincent stated.

“It doesn’t suit his temper to do something halfway!” Bale exclaimed.

“Because of that temper, the royal palace has been left in ruin.”

Now, Bale’s firstborn son was nagging on without getting tired.

“That is a severe exaggeration,” Bale stated.

“Do you think you managed the situation well?” Vincent demanded. “Do you really think so?”

“I tried to prevent the damage as much as possible. I believed it could be done.”

“In the end, you failed. He took out a quarter of the historic Leonberger palace,” Duke Balahard bluntly stated.

“The boy’s strength was beyond my expectations,” Bale said softly, adding, “But if we compete again, I think I’ll manage to stop him.”

“That’s not what happened just now!” Vincent exclaimed, frowning at his father.

“Do you think it’s funny for me to be a penta-knight? Do you think I like playing around?”

If this had been the past, Bale’s eldest son would have stepped back by now, head bowed. But such times were passed—while Bale had been imprisoned, his son had grown up, becoming a true man through his experience as Commander. Moreover, he had risen to become the only Duke of Leonberg.

“You’re going to make me crazy. His Highness can’t handle you, and I think I can’t either.”

Perhaps, Bale’s son wouldn’t make it so difficult for him anymore.

“Are you telling me to listen to you right now?” Vincent demanded.

“Why not? Thanks to your father-”

At this, Bale groaned and lied down.

“My entire body is not without a wound.”

His son, who was about to spit some sarcastic remark at his father, heard the man’s afflicted groans. Vincent shut his mouth, seeing that his father’s words were too grievous to be borne through by a stern disposition.

“The prince.. he urged me to do this, somewhat, and now he has used his hand upon my body so violently.”

Bale was forced to endure the torment, but his entire body was marred by wounds. Still, the wounds of his flesh weren’t the real problem—it was the damage to the rings inside, for three of them were on the verge of breaking. If Bale made a mistake now, the chain he had woven might collapse. For the time being, he should not be allowed to escape from his bed.

“I thought I might forever fall from being a penta-knight.”

“Do you have lesser energy?”

Bale ignored his son’s words, knowing he would never stop nagging.

“Let me see to your wounds.” Bale was able to gain a semblance of peace for a while thanks to the wizard’s visitation.

“I think you should get some rest before helping me,” Bale Balahard said as he clucked his tongue, looking at the wizard’s pale face.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it by now.” The healer’s voice was filled with deep, unknowable sorrow. Yet, instead of offering Bale’s body some hasty consolation, the wizard entrusted it into his care.

‘Pot!’

Bright flashes of light flowed from the wizard’s hands. After a while, he gasped, interrupting his ritual.

“I want to treat you fully because we are of the same heart, but for now, this is the best I can do.”

“You have healed all the large wounds, at least.”

“I’ll.. come to see to your remaining wounds. I’ll see you again.”

“Don’t worry about me—do what’s healthy for your body.”

Instead of answering, the court wizard bowed his head and looked down, then swiveled around and left. As Bale watched the man’s staggering steps of retreat, he clucked his tongue a few times, then stood up.

‘Chin!’

As soon as he saw his son approach to promptly support him, he laughed.

“You’re the guy who was so eager to scold me a little while ago?”

Vincent gave no answer. He simply supported his father’s body so that he could walk easier, and they walked in silence. So, finally, Bale Balahard was able to arrive at his residence, which had fortunately escaped the disaster. When Bale entered, he took off his bloody clothes and laid down on the bed, with his son merely helping to clean up. Seeing that, Bale laughed softly. He realized he had not spent enough time with Vincent since his return, having spent so much time with the prince.

“Hey, son, don’t just laugh like that in front of the maids.”

Despite joking, Bale feared he would soon pass out, with not even his son’s efforts constantly keeping a smile on his face. Still, it felt good to spend some time with Vincent. This comfort proved to be an illusion.

“If his Highness asks to battle you again after he recovers, do not respond to him.”

Vincent now began to nag in earnest, with Bale terrifyingly trapped in bed.

“Do not even try it.”

“It’s not enough for me to say that I just tried hard.”

“Don’t you know my cousin’s temperament? Once he forces himself onto a path, there is no one he will suffer to bar his way.”

“Vincent, you are constantly speaking.. As your father, I ask you to please stop doing that.”

“There’s no way I can let go of my feelings about that childish prince. He’s going to raise my anger to such a degree that I’ll ensure I achieve what I want to achieve.”

“Please be patient.”

At this, Vincent frowned.

“Just wait and see.”

“I don’t like that,” Vincent declared.

“If you don’t, then what can you do about it?”

“All of this just for his Highness-”

“Tchu,” Bale interrupted his son with a single cluck of the tongue, then spoke on in a strict tone. “It is true that he has given us all a lot of hard work, but I still don’t like your current attitude.”

“You speak easily without knowing anything.”

“Those are some harsh words. This is why I find your attitude unusual.”

“You haven’t even talked to me, but you speak so easily?” Vincent responded to his father’s admonition in a constricted voice as if he had some teeth to spit out.

“Since both your eyes are blind, it’s natural that you cannot see.”

“I’m not saying anything like that. But father, you said ‘His Highnes-‘”

Bale Balahard suddenly raised his body halfway out of bed. Then he turned his head, following his son’s voice.

“There seems to be something I don’t know.”

Vincent was silent.

“Tell me.”

“...”

After a long silence, Bale’s son once again opened his mouth. “My eyes are still good.”

His voice had a slight tremble to it, and he spoke on. “It is.. a memory of when his Highness shoved his sword into his chest, falling to the ground.”

Bale stiffened once he heard his son spout out these words.

“A few months ago, the elves came to visit his Highness—and a fight broke out. But the battle didn’t go well. Even though several champions ran into the fray, they couldn’t handle a single elf.”

All the while, Vincent continued explaining.

“Only his Highness knew the power of that evil elf. He also knew that his abilities had not yet reached the right level to war with the elves.”historical

“So..”

“His Highness stabbed his sword into his heart to draw out the Dragon Slayer’s power. And it wasn’t just a stab wound, it was rather that he had cut away a piece of his heart.”

The tale was so shocking that Bale could only listen to it with a blank face.

“I marched to the capital in person with his unconscious Highness on the back of a cart. I still remember how he looked in his white burial shroud.”

“I can’t understand the things you’re talking about.”

It was a stupid thing for Bale to admit, and it wasn’t something he was used to saying.

“I checked it many times. His Highness had stopped breathing. I confirmed countless times with my own eyes that the cavity where his heart should have been was empty.”

Vincent told his father of the tragedies and miracles that had occurred over the past months.

And when Bale had heard it all, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He stood up from bed.

“I have to go to that boy.”

***

I opened my eyes. My vision was blurred, hazy. I opened and closed my eyes several times. It was only then that my blurry vision cleared little by little. Familiar faces came into my eyes. There was Maximilian, Adelia, Arwen, Carls, Vincent, and, somehow, my stubborn uncle.

“Why did you get yourself so hurt?” Uncle Bale asked me.

I was surprised when I saw that my uncle was bandaged all over his body.

“It’s called ‘Poetry of Dawn.’ I’ve compiled a new verse, but don’t let this surprise you—it’s the transcendence that I’ve been talking about-”

‘Shh.’

Arwen got up from her seat before one could say anything more.

“Since I have confirmed that your Highness is awake, I have to attend to my own duties.”

Normally, she would have stayed with me for a long time. She must surely have a lot of curious thoughts about the power she had recently witnessed.

“Very well, be vigilant.”

Arwen didn’t hear me; she was already gone. That was the beginning—Maximilian and Carls left, both with awkward faces, saying that they would come back. Even Adelia, who resisted going, was taken away by Vincent.

I frowned. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but I loved the people I wanted to say them to. Still, I was fortunate to have one true friend left. This proved to be a hasty judgment on my part—I would have been better off with no one left close to me.

“Why didn’t you tell me that?”

There are persons who become rather calm when they grow extremely angry.

“It means that you have pierced your heart and sacrificed your soul.”

That was exactly the kind of person my uncle was.