# Pushing forward too rashly (7)

“Pffft.”

Zed Crossman dryly laughed before pulling the sword away from Cale’s neck.

Toward Cale, who asked him if he knew who he was… The King boldly showed his back.

“How would I not know what is happening in my palace?”

Shhhhhhhh-

A gust of wind blew past him at that moment.

Cale could see people slowly appearing from the trees nearby the library.

Shhhhh. Zed raised his hand and there was another gust of wind before those people disappeared.

No, they were just not visible anymore. Cale was sure that they were still here.

They were the shadows that protect the king.

Cale only focused on Zed despite having seen these shadows.

‘He knows everything that happened in the First Prince Palace?’

This could simply mean that he knew all of the ruckus that Cale had caused.

‘No.’

However, Cale could feel it.

‘This isn’t that kind of simple answer.’

The king said that he knows everything that happens in the palace.

Those words were extremely deep despite having been said so nonchalantly.

The only people visible right now were Cale and the king.

Cale did not question why the king had to be here of all days.

He was curious about something a little more fundamental.

He was done analyzing the information.

Cale asked since this was an illusion.

“Then you must know of the Dark Elves as well, your Majesty.”

Zed Crossman stopped walking. He turned around and quietly observed Cale.

“Not bad.”

Cale had to hold back a gasp that wanted to burst out after hearing that short response.

‘He knew about them. He knew about the Dark Elves.’

Zed Crossman knew about the Dark Elves and even the Dark Elf blood flowing through Alberu’s body.

Furthermore, he knew how Alberu had lived since he lost his mother.

The corners of Cale’s lips twisted up as soon as he realized that.

‘This guy is no father.’

He asked another question. There was even less hesitation in his voice.

“Do you care about the first prince, your Majesty?”

Zed responded without a second of thought to this question that could have seemed quite daring of a question to ask.

“How could a king make his decisions based on affection?”

Cale's twisted lips curled up even more.

Zed Crossman was not a father.

He was simply a king.

He had no affection for his heirs.

He simply had an heir he 'cared’ for on the outside.

“Why is it that you are responding so honestly to me, your Majesty?”

Cale already knew the answer.

“Because I'm going to kill you.”

“As I expected.”

Zed's eyes showed emotions for the first time after seeing Cale’s calm face.

“You truly are not bad.”

Cale gently shrugged his shoulders, despite this act potentially looking disrespectful.

He didn’t have much to say. Cale was feeling a different emotion right now.

‘I didn't know Zed Crossman was this kind of person.’

Outside this test… The Zed Crossman that Cale knew had given all authority to Alberu and was like an old man doing nothing.

He was still king but he would have to give the position to Alberu whenever Alberu decided that he wanted it.

Of course, Zed Crossman was still young and healthy to call him and old man.

Cale had thought until now that King Zed had been unable to suppress crown prince Alberu’s power and had naturally or been pressured to hand everything over to Alberu.

‘I was wrong.’

However, seeing this Zed Crossman made Cale become curious about the thoughts of that old man in the palace.

This guy in front of him was no pushover.

Just take a look. Alberu would never imagine even in his wildest dreams that the king would know about his current situation and the Dark Elves.

The second prince's people…

The third prince’s people…

All of the Roan Kingdom’s nobles around them…

None of them might know about Zed's true face underneath this mask.

“Wow.”

Cale gasped in admiration.

“I guess you really are related.”

Alberu Crossman truly did have similarities to Zed Crossman.

Of course, they had a lot more differences.

Zed Crossman.

Cale could not look away from Zed’s eyes after facing this other side of him.

His eyes seemed empty.

Cale had a feeling as soon as he saw those eyes.

‘This isn’t good.’

Zed Crossman was someone Cale could not get along with…for many reasons.

“You’re not curious as to why you must die?”

Zed didn't seem to care about Cale disrespectfully mumbling to himself in front of the king and asked his own question.

The contents of the question were not very good for Cale but the person who would respond to it wasn't someone who would care about something like that.

“Isn’t it because I was trying to break into the library at night, your Majesty?”

Cale causing a chaos with the First Prince Palace at its center?

The current Zed Crossman was just letting it happen. This was the same in the future.

What Cale did was just a single episode to someone like that. He would not be interested in that.

The library…

And the secret of the Royal House of Crossman buried in the basement…

Something at this level would be a reason for Zed Crossman to kill a simple attendant.

Cale would never have searched the area around the library had he known Zed was this kind of person.

“That is correct. That is the reason you are going to die.”

Zed nonchalantly commented as if it meant nothing.

“Why were you trying to go to the library?”

“What you are suspecting is probably correct, your Majesty.”

“…What I am suspecting is correct.”

Zed walked down the path near the library’s back door and stopped in front of it.

Click.

He opened the back door without any hesitation as he asked.

"Are you aiming for the second basement level?”

“You can’t go in there without the insignia, your Majesty. I was just going to look around the library before heading back.”

Cale boldly talked about the House of Crossman’s secret.

“Hooooo. You know about the insignia as well?”

Zed commented as if he was interested but his face remained stoic. The combination of his expression and tone seemed quite odd and unfitting.

Cale walked and stopped in front of Zed who was standing in front of the open back door.

Cale spoke nonchalantly with a smile on his face.

He was no joke either.

“Yes, your Majesty. I do know. You need the insignia only given to the head of the House of Crossman to get to the second basement level.”

“That’s correct.”

Zed nodded his head.

“That is why I am certain now.”

Cale’s eyebrows slightly rose up.

‘Certain about what?’

“I must let you live.”

Zed smiled.

It reminded Cale of Alberu’s elegant smile. Cale had an ominous feeling.

‘This is dangerous.’

Zed was saying that he must let Cale live, but…

His intuition that was developed from years of experience was telling him something.

This is even worse.

I am in danger right now.

Cale immediately reached his hand toward Zed. He had a reason for coming this close to Zed.

This was an illusion anyway. It would be better to hold onto the king if something happened.

Although the test was fake, this was not Venion's lackey’s body so he felt iffy letting this body die because of him. He had no intentions of doing that anyway.

“Ugh!”

However, Cale saw a hand reaching out from behind him and covering his mouth.

Cale’s mind turned hazy as soon as he took a whiff of whatever was on the cloth that covered his mouth.

At that moment, King Zed… He let out a low chuckle before walking up to Cale and whispering so quietly that only Cale could hear.

“You are not a Hunter.”

‘…What? Hunter?’

Zed’s eyes looked extremely vicious like that of a predatory beast as Cale slowly lost consciousness.

A burning fire filled those once empty eyes.

Anybody would think that these were not the eyes of a king but of a tyrant.

“…….”

Cale soon lost consciousness and Zed stoically looked down at Cale before turning around and heading into the library. His guard carried Cale and followed behind him.

Creeeeeak.

The library back door started closing and Zed turned around and observed the darkness outside for a moment before turning his head.

“An attendant trying to go to the stone room in the second basement level.”

The fire was gone and his eyes were empty again.

Zed disappeared into the darkness within the library not as King Zed as the public saw him but as his true self.

Tap.

The library back door closed completely.

“…….”

Quite far away from the library…

A person who had been watching all of this could not say anything or even move from behind this tree.

Alberu clenched his eyes shut while covering his mouth with his hands.

He had noticed the attendant while leaving the basement training ground and stealthily followed behind him from a distance.

He had seen the king talk to Cale.

‘I couldn't hear what they were talking about though.’

He was too far to hear what they had said.

‘…He seems to be in danger.’

He could tell that the attendant seemed to be in danger.

He could also tell that King Zed knew that Alberu was hiding here but pretended not to know.

Alberu knew it was on purpose.

‘What should I do?’

He had not been able to see the king very clearly because of the distance, but he seemed different than the king that Alberu knew.

He had felt an odd unfamiliarity.

He was still young at only fifteen years old. Alberu didn't know what to do at this situation he was facing for the first time.

* * *

Blink.

“Huff”

Cale took a deep breath as he opened his eyes.

"What the hell is going on?”

He urgently spoke in a tired voice. His mind was a complicated mess.

‘Yes. It is possible that Zed Crossman knows about the Hunters.

No, it is extremely likely that he knows about them.’

The fall of the House of Thames, Cale's biological mother's family… There was probably something hidden in their perfect disappearance and the king was probably related to it.

Cale thought about the situation just now. He must have lost his consciousness because of Zed’s shadows.

“What a headache.”

A huge variable suddenly appeared.

King.

That was the name of this variable.

"Should I just flip everything over?”

It was at that moment.

Roooooooll.

Cale looked down at something touch his hand. It was still between dusk and dawn with the sun not being up. A fruit rolled over and stopped in front of his hand.

Roooooooll. Roooooooll.

Other fruits rolled over as well.

Cale turned his head.

The reason he could speak out loud to organize his thoughts as soon as he awoke…

“What are you looking at?”

The Black Dragon viciously glared at Cale as it rolled some fruit toward Cale.

Roll roooooll. Fruits rolled over and filled the area around Cale.

‘I do appear on the other side if I faint.’

Cale didn’t think much of it and picked up a fruit.

Crunch.

He could taste something sweet as the fruit juice filled his mouth.

Booboboboooooooooom–!

Cale finally looked around after hearing loud noises coming from a distance.

He saw a mountain crumbling in the distance.

Cale subconsciously mumbled to himself.

“I know that mountain.”

The mountain with the cave where Raon was imprisoned…

That mountain was crumbling in front of his eyes.

Cale moved his eyes to look at the Black Dragon who was glaring at him. The Black Dragon closed his eyes a bit and brusquely commented.

“I flipped it over.”

“Wow.”

Cale subconsciously gasped.

That was the reason he said the following.

“I wonder if the king would say everything if I flip things over.”

The Black Dragon looked away from Cale and responded.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about after waking up?”

However, Cale was being serious.

Cale opened his mouth while looking at the rising sun.

“Knock me unconscious again and take me toward the Forest of Darkness.”

The Black Dragon frowned as if he was looking at a crazy bastard but Cale simply continued speaking.

“I go a bit crazy when the sun comes up. Just ignore me when the sun is out.”

He then waived his hand and said goodbye.

"See you at night.”

Blink.

Cale closed his eyes again and then opened them.

It was time to wake up as Alberu’s attendant and not Venion's lackey since it was morning.

“Mmph……”

There was a gag in Cale’s mouth and he was tied on a chair.

‘Am I confined?’

He tried to look around but it was too dark to see anything.

‘Where is this place?’

Cale couldn't tell where this was.

‘Wasn't I taking the indignity test?

How did I end up in such a situation?’

It was at that moment.

"Be quiet!”

He heard a familiar voice scold him before someone walked over with a small light.

“Hmm?”

It was someone Cale had not expected at all.

Alberu Crossman.

Alberu was completely covered in dirt. His face seemed to be asking if he was really doing this. He seemed to be questioning whether he should go back. Alberu walked toward Cale with an extremely confused look on his face.