TGW Chapter 37 Part 3

 

The Empire's dispatched soldiers and the special envoy were scheduled to board the morning ship. From early in the morning, both the Iron King's and Silver King's palaces were bustling with activity. At the Silver King’s palace, everyone believed the Silver King was simply going to the dock to see off the Iron King.

Sienna hadn’t even told Beth about her plan. Knowing that her mother would certainly make a fuss after she left, it was better for Beth not to know anything, for her own safety.

However, not everything went smoothly. When she contacted the Rad Trading Company, she found out that Levan was not in the capital. She had no choice but to leave a letter for him.

‘He’s supposed to return in two days. The Rad Trading Company has a fast ship, so even if we leave later, we should be able to catch up to the regular ship.’

The fact that she wouldn’t have clothes to change into for a few days wasn’t a big problem. She could wear men’s clothes if necessary. Sienna thought little of it.

Just before leaving, she went to see Rit. She spoke in a quiet voice so no one else could hear.

“Rit, I’m going far away for a while. I don’t think we’ll see each other for some time. Don’t cause trouble while I’m gone, okay?”

As Sienna walked away after saying her goodbyes, the beast’s blue eyes followed her intensely.

---

The carriage carrying Sienna set off, making its way through the palace towards the front gate. Sienna had no idea about the commotion unfolding behind her. The Silver King’s unicorn had broken loose, putting everyone on high alert.

Normally, Rit wasn’t tied up and was free to roam around the palace. Wherever Rit went, stable hands and knights followed at a reasonable distance. Despite its freedom, Rit never ventured far from the Silver King’s palace.

But today, Rit crossed the usual boundary, galloping through the palace grounds.

“Bring the horses, now!”

“Chase it! Don’t let it get away!”

Panic-stricken, people chased after Rit, but once the unicorn decided to run, no one could keep up. It easily leapt over the human barriers trying to block its path and deftly avoided the traps set by the stable hands.

Not long after the royal carriage carrying Sienna exited the palace gates and sped along the road, Rit also broke free from the palace. The unicorn paused, stretching its neck and turning its head in different directions before picking up speed and galloping once more.

The news of the unicorn’s escape soon reached Patricia’s ears.

“So, you lost it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Patricia clicked her tongue.

“That creature is greatly cherished by the Silver King. And?”

“It seems the creature is following after the Silver King, Your Highness.”

“Hmph. The Silver King didn’t go far, so there’s no need to be so dramatic. Still, it’s quite touching that the creature is so loyal to its master.”

Patricia had yet to see the unicorn in person. She decided that once the Silver King returned, she would take the opportunity to see it.

But two hours later, Patricia turned pale when a maid rushed in with shocking news.

“What do you mean the Iron King has returned? Where is the Silver King?”

“His Highness the Silver King has taken on the special envoy mission…”

“The special envoy mission? The Iron King was supposed to go, so why is the Silver King suddenly the one going?”

“It was already approved by His Majesty. A government official specifically mentioned the Silver King’s name and presented the imperial edict.”

Patricia jumped up, only to have her legs give out, causing her to collapse back into her seat. She brushed off the maids who tried to help her.

“No…”

Her vision blurred as if the world had been swallowed by darkness. Her eyes darted around in shock.

“Prepare… for departure. I’m going to the Duke of Leman’s estate. Now!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maids quickly left. Patricia, taking only a minimal escort, hurried to the Duke’s estate. The only person who came out to greet her was the Duchess, which Patricia attributed to the lack of prior notice. She didn’t even notice the Duchess’s expression stiffen subtly.

“I need to relay an urgent message to my brother through the butler.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Duchess promptly escorted Patricia to the drawing room and sent for the butler.

“You called for me, Your Highness?”

“You need to meet with your foster father.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The butler went to see his foster father, who clicked his tongue in disapproval but didn’t object.

The previous day, instructions from Doug had arrived at the estate from the duchy. He had given orders to keep the household quiet in his absence and detailed how Patricia should be treated.

The orders were clear: treat her no better than a guest, and under no circumstances should any wealth or power of the Duke’s house be offered to her, or those responsible would be severely punished upon Doug’s return.

Patricia waited anxiously. The moment the old man entered the room, she blurted out a question.

“How is it going? What’s the progress?”

The old man chuckled softly.

“You’re quite impatient. The preparations are complete. You just need to sit back and wait.”

“No!”

Patricia’s voice cracked.

“Call it off. The Silver King has gone. It’s the Silver King, not the Iron King, who went to the desert!”

The old man’s wrinkled mouth tightened.

“Why aren’t you answering? I said call it off!”

“…They are not people with a fixed location. We don’t have a way to communicate with them regularly; we simply send requests. I cannot guarantee the altered request will reach them before they act.”

“Make it happen, no matter what! If the Silver King gets hurt, I won’t let you off easily!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The old man responded with a grave expression, not because he feared for his own life, but because he understood the gravity of the situation. The legacy of the late Duke of Leman, built over a lifetime, was now on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, another place was in disarray due to the unexpected change of envoy. Levan returned to the capital later than originally planned. Even after returning, he was busy meeting people and dealing with various tasks, so he received Sienna’s letter later than expected.

By the time Levan read the letter from the Silver King, three days had already passed since the regular ship had left the capital’s dock.

“This is bad.”

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Wow… this person quietly causes a major disaster, doesn’t she?”

Why had she taken on the task that was supposed to be handled by the Iron King? She didn’t even know the chaos that was currently unfolding in the desert.

‘Now that I think about it, something similar happened back then.’

Levan Rekalled a similar situation when the Silver King quietly outmaneuvered the Red King during a visit to the fief. He had been impressed by how quietly the Silver King had blindsided him.

‘If I’d known earlier, I would have brought along a few people like Kaligo.’

There was no time to dwell on it. Levan immediately packed the necessary items for a noblewoman’s journey and loaded them onto a fast ship.

He firmly instructed the captain to chase the regular ship as quickly as possible, even if it meant traveling day and night. He also sent a letter to the Silver King.

‘We should catch up within a day and a half.’

The letter should reach the Silver King before she arrived in the desert. After dealing with that matter, Levan sent an urgent message to Kuhn.

Levan had been away from the capital to gather news from the desert. According to the information he received a few days ago, the situation in the desert was tense.

The Emperor had not clearly favored either the Rekka faction or the Ahin faction. His plan was to keep both sides in check and prevent a civil war until the envoy arrived with the imperial edict.

For this strategy to work, both factions needed to be uncertain about their chances of victory—or at least unsure enough not to act rashly.

However, the Rekka faction, specifically Yota, who sat on the throne, had fallen for the provocations of the opposing faction and made an unintentional slip of the tongue. As a result, the Ahin faction had caught on to their disadvantage.

The Ahin faction had no intention of handing over the Sacred Tree branch they possessed. Some of the more radical members were even plotting to use forceful measures, like kidnapping, to secure recognition of their ownership from the envoy.

Kuhn had been observing the situation, unsure whether to allow them to act so he could deal with them afterward or to intervene before things got out of hand. He would decide based on how things unfolded.

Despite the alliance being broken, Kuhn still had some respect for the Iron King, given their history. It might seem harsh, but Levan knew Kuhn had always been somewhat cold-hearted.

If the Ahin faction kidnapped the envoy, the Iron King would suffer for a while. He might face threats or humiliation, but his life wouldn’t be in danger. The faction wouldn’t be foolish enough to harm an envoy.

For Kuhn, the choice was clear—allow the Iron King to endure some hardship while simultaneously gaining an opportunity to subdue the hostile faction.

However, if the envoy was the Silver King, the situation would be entirely different. What if they kidnapped the Silver King?

“Hmm…”

Levan shuddered at the thought. He didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Nothing must happen to the Silver King.”

He could only hope that the fools in the desert wouldn’t make a tragic mistake

 

***

 

Kuhn sat on a cushion, his legs stretched out, idly tapping the toes of his right foot, which rested on his left leg.

He had heard the news that the Iron King was coming as a special envoy. If he wanted to meet the Iron King as he disembarked from the ship and entered the desert, he would need to leave early tomorrow morning. He had to decide by today whether or not he would go to meet him.

After disembarking, it would take three days to cross the desert and reach the capital. In the Empire, a three-day journey wasn’t considered far, but in the desert, anything could happen in that time.

‘If I leave here, there are uncertainties on this side as well…’

The original plan had been to let the Ahin faction self-destruct. If they committed an irreversible offense against the Empire’s envoy, Kuhn’s side would gain the justification to reclaim the Sacred Tree branch.

However, the leader of the Ahin faction was known for being impulsive and extreme. There was a concern that he might do something reckless.

‘And the timing is also tricky, which is another problem.’

The desert’s rainy season was approaching. If Kuhn left to greet the Iron King and a torrential rainstorm hit, he might get stranded.

“Kuhn.”

“Come in.”

Martin entered, lifting the cloth covering the entrance.

Desert buildings had no doors. Instead of doors, entryways were covered with cloth or curtains. Even in the palace, there were no sturdy doors, following the customs of the desert. Instead, guards stood at the entrances to verify those who came and went.

“What did the weather readers say?”

Kuhn had sent Martin to inquire about the weather.

“They said it will rain within the next seven days.”

“Hmm… The timing is quite tight.”

Every desert tribe had a “reader” who could interpret the weather. When the Confederation was formed, the readers of the Tuisa tribe were given the official title of Astronomer. Their predictions about the rainy season were usually accurate.

Seeing Kuhn deep in thought, Martin spoke cautiously.

“Kuhn, I’ve heard some troubling news.”

“What kind?”

“The desert raiders have begun moving.”

“They’re always moving.”

The desert was home to groups of marauders who committed acts of robbery and murder, similar to bandits or pirates, but with the added distinction that the raiders often formed larger, more organized groups. Though they were a criminal group, the desert had no unified state to impose law and order, so there was no authority to control them.

Moreover, the desert was haunted by a creature known as the Desert Ghost. Whether the raiders were lucky enough to avoid it or fought it off and survived, their mere survival in the desert was proof of their strength.

One needed considerable strength and navigational skills to survive in the desert. Some raider groups even established bases and kidnapped women from other tribes to form families.

“There are rumors about the Red Turban Raiders.”

“The Red Turbans are moving?”

Kuhn frowned. Most desert raider groups consisted of no more than ten people. However, there were a few larger and more organized groups, and the Red Turban Raiders were among the most notorious.

“They wouldn’t move during the rainy season. Did you hear anything else?”

“They’re heading toward the Mushroom Rock Dunes.”

“….”

“They might just be passing through…”

“Yeah, they could be.”

That area happened to be near where the Empire’s dispatched soldiers would be arriving.

“But they might not be.”

Kuhn felt uneasy. If he calculated everything logically, it made more sense to stay and guard the capital. However, Kuhn decided to trust his instincts.

“I’ll leave in the morning. Make preparations.”

“Yes. How many men should we bring?”

“Five… no, ten.”

“Yes, Kuhn.”

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