"...It’s been a very long time since I've been here..."
On the road back, after slaying the lion, I followed the path home until I finally arrived at my homeland, Eirene.
A great crowd swarmed before the city gates. Keeping my face hidden, I slipped into the throng.
People entered the city one by one. When my turn finally came, the gatekeeper looked at me and demanded,
"Present something to prove your identity."
"Hmm... I don’t have anything suitable on me at the moment," I replied.
Upon hearing my answer, the gatekeeper's eyes turned cold, his demeanor shifting instantly.
"Then get lost. We don't have the leisure to take in people like you."
As he looked at me with a sneer, a single thought took root in my mind.
First... I'll clear these pests out and set things in order. Their manners are... terribly lacking.
I gave no verbal answer to the gatekeeper's mockery; instead, I slowly lifted my head.
From beneath the deep hood, silver hair colder than moonlight and a piercing gaze—the kind that had frozen even the fiercest beasts of the forest—were revealed.
"We don't have the leisure to take in people like you."
The gatekeeper continued to snicker, reaching out to shove my shoulder.
But before his hand could touch me, a chilling pressure, as if the very air were screaming, crushed the plaza before the gate.
Shhk—
"Huh...?"
The gatekeeper looked down at his hand.
His fingertips trembled faintly, and then the spear he held split cleanly in two, falling to the ground without a sound.
No one had seen me draw my sword.
The blade Teacher Chiron had given me was already sleeping quietly within its scabbard.
"Did you tell me to prove my identity?"
I spoke in a languid voice, yet one imbued with an irresistible majesty.
"There is no custom by which a subject questions the master of this land when he enters his own home. Since when has the law of Eirene become so murky?"
The surrounding citizens and soldiers held their breath. The aura in my voice was not merely the pressure of raw power; it was the authority of a royal bloodline passed down through generations, and the true dignity of a king forged through eight years of walking the line between life and death.
"Y-you... c-could it be... you are...?"
The gatekeeper’s face turned ghostly white.
He had finally remembered the silhouette of the young prince who, nine years ago, had departed for the forest under the farewell of the king, the queen, and their retainers.
"P-Prince Astellon...?"
He dropped to his knees, slamming his forehead against the ground.
The nearby soldiers followed suit, throwing down their weapons and prostrating themselves instantly.
In the eyes of the starving citizens gathered outside the gate, awe and a sliver of hope began to glimmer.
I looked down at them and muttered inwardly, I wanted to live a normal life, but this is already a lot of work from the very start.
Those who had been gnawing away at this country in my sick father's stead. Corrupt officials who hid behind the whims of the gods to squeeze the lifeblood from the people. As I passed through the gate and stepped into the city, I made my decision.
First... I'll clear these pests out and set things in order.
"...Move aside. Or is there still something left for me to prove?"
"N-no! This way! Please, enter at once, Prince!!"
Wherever my steps fell, the dust of the city walls seemed to shake loose, and the soldiers' cowardly gazes shifted to pure terror.
Then, I whispered to the gatekeeper who had mocked me moments ago.
"This time it was your spear, but next time, you'll have to prove your neck."
At my low voice, the gatekeeper could not even scream; he simply flattened himself against the dirt.
Leaving him rigid with fear, I stepped into the city without hesitation.
Inside the gates, people were laughing and chatting, yet to my eyes, it all felt like a staged play, manipulated by an unseen hand.
I went straight to the castle. Those inside were struck with shock upon seeing me, rushing toward me as if their feet were on fire, desperate to ask about everything that had happened.
"Where is the King?"
I had no time for their chatter. Guided by a retainer, I arrived at the door of my father's chambers.
I opened the door and stepped inside. There, lying on the bed, was my father, with my mother tending to him by his side.
Seeing that I had returned safely, my mother's eyes reddened. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she pulled me into a tight embrace.
And my father, lying upon the bed...
"...Astellon."
"...I am listening."
"...As I wrote in my letter, a few years after you left, I went with the soldiers to subjugate a monster that had appeared in this region."
He greeted me in a precarious state, like a dying ember. His eyes were growing blurred, yet he seemed to strain himself just to hold my image a little longer.
"That monster is a giant venomous serpent with black scales. I took its right eye, but in exchange, I was poisoned by its venom... and ended up in this state..."
His voice trembled as he spoke, and I could do nothing but stand there in silence and listen.
My father’s gaunt hand clutched at my clothing.
The mighty strength that had once lifted me high nine years ago was gone; only a pitiful warmth, burdened by a constant tremor, remained.
The curse of the black serpent.
The identity of the poison that had stolen my father’s color and was gnawing at the vitality of Eirene flashed through my mind—fragments of ancient texts I had read in Teacher Chiron’s library.
"Astellon... I’m sorry. To place such a burden on you... so soon..."
My father continued, swallowing a groan of pain.
My mother, silently wiping away her tears, gripped my hand tightly and shook her head. Within the room, alongside the heavy air of grief, the faint, fishy reek of the poison devouring my father’s life lingered.
I laid my hand over my father’s. He was cold.
Yet within that coldness, the will of a king who still loved his country trembled faintly.
"Do not apologize, Father. A burden? Hardly."
I answered as calmly as possible, then took the bundle of parchment Teacher Chiron had given me and handed it to my mother.
I slowly rose and surveyed the chamber.
Unlike the city outside, which was putting on a peaceful act, this room was steeped far too deeply in the shadow of death.
"A black-scaled serpent... So the wound it left on Father is not merely one that sickens the flesh."
I brushed my hand over the hilt of my sword.
That strange presence I had felt at the gate, and the peculiar atmosphere in the eyes of the people—it was all proof that the miasma exhaled by that monster was consuming the entire nation.
"Astellon... Be careful. That thing is no ordinary beast. It is... cursed by the gods... or perhaps sent by them..."
My father could not finish his sentence, erupting into a fit of violent coughing.
Black blood mixed with phlegm stained the white bedding. I looked down at the dark blood with a cold gaze.
I came back after so long hoping to rest a little... and yet, there is an obstruction.
The corners of my lips twitched faintly.
It was not fear, but a chilling loathing toward those who would disturb my peace.
The price for ruining the order I must protect and the tranquility I am meant to enjoy would be far from light.
"Mother. Please look after Father. I’ll be back shortly... I need to step out for a moment."
"Where are you going at a time like this?"
At my mother’s question, I smiled softly instead of answering. But that smile was like frozen moonlight, stripped of all human warmth.
"...It seems insects have gathered in my absence, so I shall go and clear them out."
Mc gives off some serious Jing yaun vibes, and that lion when he was returning back home already got me thinking.