Chapter 78 - The General Commands to Kneel (Part 2)
Phill:
I’m following the boy who was running through the garden area. For some reason, he kept rubbing his face while he ran.
“I’ll catch that boy. No one insults the king and his entourage!”
I walk slowly, watching as he moves farther away. He stopped running for a moment and started walking, observing the place.
“What do you think? Better than your shitty garden, you lunatic?” he says to someone.
There’s no one there.
The boy keeps walking, looking around, and occasionally rubbing his face with his hands. I kept following at a distance when I saw a soldier approaching.
The soldier came running frantically toward me.
“Sir! What are you doing here? This area is off-limits. You shouldn’t go any further,” he says, panicked.
Who is he to order a royal guard?
He realized the offense he had committed and tried to correct himself.
“The area beyond is protected by the saber-toothed tiger pack. If you go further, we can’t guarantee your safety. They’re extremely territorial.”
Damn it! I forgot about those beasts!
I look in the direction the boy had gone.
“Thanks for the warning.”
I’ll let that kid get himself killed.
“I'm here for that. My job is to keep an eye out if anyone tries to come this way. Miss Joana was supposed to stay near the door, but I think she left.”
“You’ve done a good job,” I say, smiling.
This guy’s fucked when the boy dies, hahaha.
“I’m off duty since I asked for a replacement. Do you know where those soldiers are camped? I’m in the mood to drink and celebrate.”
Nathan Evenhart:
I was walking through the garden and wandering into a small forest. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, but I took some time to admire the scenery.
I had to deal with an irritated Goddess who wasn’t happy about not finishing her meal and tagging along with me. Fortunately, Athena became curious about the garden filled with so many different flowers. Even though it was night, the place was illuminated by lampposts with light crystals, and I strolled for a while, enjoying the view.
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I got blood on my shirt… Martha is going to kill me.
I always carried a cloth in my pocket ever since I started crying blood, but I left it in my room when Chloe barged in and dragged me out. My solution was to wipe it on the sleeve of my dress shirt. With the jacket on top, no one would see the stain underneath.
The air here is refreshing.
Part of me was still furious with that king for courting my mother. A wave of anger surged through me, and I couldn’t tell if it was the mixed rage of a child’s body or the fury of General Icarus, but I did something dangerous.
I ended up losing control of my emotions and unleashed a murderous glare at that guard. Thankfully, I wasn’t seeing clearly, or I might have done something reckless… I need to control my emotions, or I’m in serious trouble.
In my former world, long before my journey to overthrow Olympus, I never let anyone challenge me when I was a General—I would kill without hesitation. When I lost everything and became Emperor, isolation taught me that instilling fear in others was a lonely existence, but by then, it was too late. Fortunately, I had befriended the Titans and was able to continue my journey alongside them.
I sighed.
You've chosen to be human, Nathan! Let's honor that decision. The General is dead… only a boy remains, a son of a good mother.
I repeated this in my mind, but part of me knew that any child would have been enraged.
"I'm giving the king one more chance. He was drunk and a fool, but if he does something like that again…"
‘ROAR!’ Before I could finish my sentence, I was interrupted by a roar.
“Well… looks like I’ve found some trouble.”
A massive tiger was approaching me. It had two long fangs protruding from its upper jaw, so long they looked like horns.
‘GRRRRR!’ I glanced to the side and saw another tiger.
I tried to back away, but something snorted behind me.
‘Grrr!’
I looked in all directions and found myself surrounded by at least eight adult tigers, the kind that would make anyone wet their pants.
I put my hand on my head and took a deep breath.
“I’m not really in the mood to waste time with this nonsense. Part of me is still angry about what happened tonight, and I’ve got an annoying headache.”
The tigers began to circle around me.
‘ROOAR!’ growled a larger one that seemed to be their leader.
I could see some of the tigers crouching, ready to pounce.
“So, that’s how it’s going to be?” I asked, my anger rising as the headache intensified.
‘AARGH!’ their leader responded.
“KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!”
Phill:
I walked toward a guard post the soldier had pointed out so I could grab a drink. A military force was stationed there to watch over the property, and since I knew the men, they were probably already drinking, given that today’s duty was an easy one.
“Looks like you’re having a good time,” I said as I heard the men’s laughter and even saw some of them singing around a campfire.
These guys are going to be screwed when the boy turns up dead, haha.
Being a royal guard was the pinnacle of guard duty, and it was a position I had fought hard to achieve. Even though my family had always been castle guards, I was the first to reach the rank of personal guard.
“Where’s your commander?” I asked a soldier who was drinking.
“He’s in that red tent. He’s having a drink too.”
He's going to be the most screwed—he'll still be drunk.
I headed towards the tent, noticing a few men looking at me with respect.
This armor isn’t just for show; take a good look and envy how far I’ve come.
As soon as I opened the tent, I was greeted by a surprised commander.
“Cousin Phill?” the man said cheerfully when he saw me.
“Joe?” I asked, equally surprised.
He hurried over to me and grabbed a chair.
“Bring a drink for my cousin. Don’t you see this man is a royal guard?”
Fuck! I may have climbed high in the hierarchy, but if things go to hell for him, it could drag me down too.
“What are you doing here, Joe? Weren’t you supposed to be guarding the capital’s wall?”
Joe smiled.
“I’ve been slowly climbing the ranks, and thanks to your name, I had the chance to go far. Let’s just say that indirectly, you got me this position,” he said, laughing as he handed me a mug of beer.
“We’re screwed, Joe! We’re totally screwed!”
He looked at my serious expression.
"What happened, cousin?" he asked me.