Recapturing the Kingdom of Tahalin (1)

Kushan and Liese.

For a moment, they talked, confiding in each other.

Afterward, there was silence again.

As they looked at each other and said nothing, I took a moment to reflect on their situation.

First, the subplot I knew.

Kramsar, the court wizard, who consumed the country as a brainwashing regent.

The entity was a demon, and his purpose was to resurrect Gremory, one of the 72 demons.

In doing so, he first usurped the power of the nation of Tahalin, and then used House Reinhafer to overthrow the centralized government.

Kramsar first brainwashed Kushan and Arya's father and mother, the king and queen, to turn against the imperial family.

This enraged the Arkheim Empire, which directed the geographically close House Reinhaber to subjugate Tahalin directly.

This was why Theo, Rodwell, and the Black Sword Knights had conquered the Kingdom of Tahalin.

I was quite shocked when I first learned this secret.

Is this really a game that doesn't require a 19 rating?

I thought.

Anyway, the war was fought and many lives were lost, including the King of Tahalin's.

Theo and Rodwell, Christopher. At the mercy of the Black Sword Knights.

But I know.

But I know that while neither side should be defended, neither side should be fiercely criticized. Indeed, in war, either side, winner or loser, is evil to the other. A fact of life.

But why bring up this uncomfortable truth?

'Because at least we won't be mistaken about who to blame.'

Kushan shouldn't have attacked me with his brainwashing. He should have ascended the throne, quickly fixed the worst of the situation, kept Kramser at arm's length, and filled the king's vacant seat.

If he had, Liese's dear friend, a girl head of household, trying to overcome poverty in the slums, would not have died.

Everything is consequential, even when it's too late, and sometimes that leaves people living in despair. People don't grow without revisiting the past.

To move forward, even if it's ugly. Even if it's miserable, you can't turn your back on the past.

'They both went through the same thing.'

No one can deny that they lost someone they cared about in the aftermath of war.

But here and now, why are two people who felt the same pain taking it out on each other?

This is the essence of the Tahalin Kingdom episode.

This is war. That there are no winners and no losers.

To show that, I believe this episode was designed.

"Liese."

At the sound of her name, Liese suddenly seemed to come to her senses. She, too, had come to a realization.

Two years ago, Kushan was nothing more than a boy who had lost his family, and his responsibilities were too heavy.

That he had been through the same thing.

The same is true for Kushan.

Now, he will be able to solidify his will and trust in one person.

As the trait that will take him to the top of his game manifests.

[Kushan Adrian's trait 'Loyalty' blooms].

[Kushan Adrian's Loyalty to the player, 'Nox von Reinhafer', skyrockets to 100!]

[Kushan Adrian will now show undying, unwavering loyalty to the player].

'That's it. Kushan Adrian. I have one of my best units.'

I nodded with a satisfied expression.

The next two women's voices rang in his ears.

"I can see everything clearly now, thank you. Nox von Reinhafer. You've taken some of the sting out of my foolish anger. You don't seem to be the man I've heard rumors of."

Liese's greeting. And what follows is a girl. Arya's.

"Thank you for saving my brother's life."

"No, I only cleared the way. He did the rest himself. And."

Seeing her focused gaze on me, I calm down.

"It's a little early to be thanked. …It's time to prepare for war, to kill the real enemy."

That moment.

Suddenly, a fierce accusatory voice echoed outside.

-Waaaaaah! Let's dethrone the incompetent Prince Kushan and usher in a new era!

-Let's crown Kramser-nim as the new king…!

The angry voices of countless people from outside.

I cleared my throat.

"So stand up, everyone. Put aside your hatred and resentment."

Kushan's eyes filled with a crystalline light.

Now he would not panic, nor would he be troubled.

He'll just keep moving forward.

He would become one of the best.

Just like Marin did,

because I will help him.

* * *

Kingdom of Tahalin.

A small but venerable kingdom whose history has been shattered in an instant.

The new court wizard. Kramsar's overreach was the main cause.

In retrospect, Kramsar's beginnings were not so great.

Demons don't start out as demons.

Kramsar was simply a human with no talent.

He was a criminal, nothing more, nothing less.

Some people are born and grow up to be recognized for their talent or bloodline, but most people don't have that kind of life.

Kramsar had a talent as barren as the land itself.

He was literally nothing more than an extra-A.

Except for one thing.

There was one thing that set him apart from the rest: an uncanny desire to climb the ladder, any way he could.

Not hesitating to trample on others, if necessary. That despicable desire.

The infamous 72 Demons.

His contact with the Archduke Gremory.

-Child, you are weak.

When Gremory first approached Kramsar, she said so.

And then she said

-I see the desire in your eyes. But, sadly… your lowly talents and humble origins hold you back. You will wander unfulfilled, and in the end, you will be buried in the sand.

– This is not fair. Opportunities should be given equally.

I can give you a chance.

When the demonic fascination reached Kramser, he thought.

At last, my fervent prayers have been answered.

Now he could be something special.

After all, this demon. Gremory's power was transferred to Kramsar.

Kramsar spent many sleepless nights thinking about how he would use this power to consume the entire kingdom of Tahalin, and... has finally reached this place.

With thousands of soldiers at his side, Kramsar carried a blazing torch to the royal palace.

The residence of the king he once served.

Now he was a traitor, leading his soldiers to find and attack it.

He had made an irrevocable decision. The problem was, there were a lot of hungry, rotten nobles who agreed with him.

Beneath the city walls, a dotted line of nobles and their men can be seen. Their purpose, of course, was clear.

-Secure royal recruits at all costs!

-There is no country to be left to incompetent princes and princesses!

-Waaaaaah!

Amidst the wild shouts.

It was then that a familiar voice spoke up.

"Kramsar. What do you think you're doing?"

"Prince Kushan Adrian...."

The corner of Kramsar's mouth twitched sourly as his gaze traveled to Kushan. He stood on the massive walls of the royal palace, looking down at him with a calm face. Kramsar watched Kushan's demeanor with interest.

'He was a vengeful prince, a ruined man. What is that look?'

The sight of Kushan, already armed, was unfamiliar to Kramser.

The prince he knew was a coward.

A coward who couldn't crack an egg, even though he had the bloodline of a prince and a great talent for battle.

For some reason, he suddenly began to sink his teeth into himself.

'So, the brainwashing is off. The prince and the princess. How strange.'

"I trusted you, Kramsar."

In the pitch blackness. Kushan's unusually dark red eyes and hair flicker with the flickering torchlight, creating shadows.

Kushan speaks in a determined tone.

"But you did not defend the kingdom after all, you attacked me. You only wanted to take the land my ancestors worked for."

"Two years wasted in vain, without ambition, and you say that when you know who you are, Prince. You are carefree, can't you see behind me?"

Kramser pointed to the countless soldiers behind him and shouted.

"Can't you hear the voices of your people, outraged at your incompetence? The Good King himself would curse you from his grave!"

It was a wise move.

A voice that would win the sympathy of another longtime Tahalin noble, and take away any lingering hesitation in his heart.

At this rate, the prince would die at the hands of an angry mob.

'There will be nothing to stain my hands.'

Kramsar thought to himself, a sickening smile on his face.

"I don't like to do other people's chores, but I guess I'll have to."

Then it happened.

A head of mysterious white hair, sucking up all the color around it, suddenly soared over the ramparts. Along with it, a piercing gaze cast below.

Nox von Reinhafer smiled a sickening smile at Kramser.

"You. That's a pretty funny thing to say."

Grunt.

(eudeug.)

The sound of gnashing teeth came from somewhere.

The source was clear. Kramsar. He glared at Nox.

"Nox von Reinhafer... What's my business with the precious son of Reinhafer?"

A polite tone.

But Kramser's words were filled with a killing intensity that made him want to kill his enemy right now.

If he lived to tell the tale to the Reinhafers, the Kingdom of Tahalin would indeed be erased from history without a trace.

'The Reinhafers are dangerous.'

It is not for no other reason that Reinhafer's position among the Three Great Dark Houses is secretly the highest.

Absolute force and Theo von Reinhafer. The existence of the Black Sword Knights is nothing short of invincible.

'A wretched subject, lucky to have a family name, whose arrogance reaches the heavens.'

Of course, his thoughts were completely shattered by Nox's next words.

"The man who started the war two years ago, selling out the Good King of Tahalin. What a devil's dog."

Kramsar's face hardened, more fierce than ever.

Suddenly, the eyes of the torchbearers huddled by his side are focused on him.

Nox smiles.

A sharply youthful mockery on a beautiful face.

Goosebumps crawled up his spine.

'He knows.....'

He was sure of it.

Nox von Reinhafer knows who he is and what happened here, two years ago.

Only one thought raced through Kramsar's mind.

Nox must be killed here, now.