Chapter 52 – Prince

In one night, the royal road was shaken.

Caren, the head of the Prince’s sect, who can be said to be the influential figure in the Travian kingdom, was under attack, and Walter, the kingdom’s slave merchant, died.

Also, the disappearance of champion Dex surprised the citizens of the royal road even more. The royal road was overturned by the disappearance of the greatest champion.

The incident was so serious that the royal palace set up an investigation team and dispatched people directly.

Emilia, a navy blue-haired investigator dispatched from the royal palace, placed a chair next to Caren and asked, taking out her notebook.

“I heard an intruder appeared around 10 p.m. last night. But when I combined the testimonies of the soldiers, they said that he went out and then re-entered to attack Caren. Is there anything missing?”

Carene was lying in bed with a bandage on his chest. Even though he recovered thanks to sacred spells, he was told that he had to take care of himself for the next month.

Some even said that it was fortunate that he did not die. One of the guards had a broken rib that stabbed his lungs.

Caren slowly lifted himself up. The investigator in front was part of the royal family. So he couldn’t just ignore her.

Vandes, the guardian knight of Caren, spoke instead.

“Investigator Emilia. I’ve already told you, but nothing has disappeared.”

Emilia looked up and smiled at Vandes.

“Sir Vandes. I asked Mr. Caren. Not you.”

“Uhm……”

Vandes frowned, but Caren raised his hand and stopped him.

“Be polite. Investigator Emilia is a royal family.”

Vandes took a step back. A person who is said to be a royal family, but is completely pushed out of the succession rankings. A person who will never ascend to the throne unless a natural disaster occurs and everyone in the royal palace dies.

She was just a royal family by name, but Caren’s words were absolute.

“Excuse me.”

“It’s okay. I know I’m just part of the royal family because of my name. Anyway, I couldn’t find the person that Mr.Caren really liked before.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“You know, Isperto. The guy that uses witchcraft”

Caren stared at Emilia, who calmly spoke out. This woman smiles and gets right to the point.

She was not only part of the royal family, but also a well-known investigator. She is not someone to be seen as easy.

“Isperto is a magician. He took a vacation for research and left. He’ll be back when he’s done with his research.”

Emilia muttered, taking notes.

“Isperto – vacation.”

When Caren’s eyebrows wriggled, she raised her head and asked.

“Yesterday, there was a story that the raider’s outfit resembled a Crow member of the Dalian Kingdom. Is that right?

“That’s what they said. But I don’t think there’s a reason why the remnants of the Dalian kingdom are targeting me. In addition, he threw a stone, not a bow. He didn’t use any other weapons.”

“It means that someone dressed up as Crow, but fought like Ranger.”

Caren snorted.

“If you make a quack at that level, you don’t have to fight like a Ranger.”

Emilia took notes of a few more things in her notebook and covered it. She looked straight at Caren and smiled.

“How are you feeling?”

“The doctor said I have to take care of myself for a month.”

“I see. I see. Then take care please.”

Emilia, who got up from her seat, stopped walking as she went outside and looked back at Caren.

“Did you hear that Walter, the slave merchant, died yesterday?”

“I heard it.”

“I heard Walter stopped by here yesterday afternoon. Can I ask what you were talking about?”

Caren stared at Emilia and replied.

“He came to ask who I’m going to bet in the gladiator fight.”

“So, who did you bet on?”

“Of course, I bet on the champion.”

Emilia nodded and turned back and left. Next to Caren, Vandes asked with a firm impression.

“Are you going to let her act so rude like that? She is not even a real royal.”

Caren got up from his bed and walked to the window. And he said, looking at Emilia and her guardian, who were leaving on a horse.

“She’s a coward, but she’s under the king’s orders. Maybe she’s trying to do something big this time. I’ll have to watch her carefully.”

Caren’s gaze headed far away to the Colosseum.

“Do you think he killed Walter?”

“Yes. He had the same wounds as Isperto when he was killed with a dagger.”

Caren laughed in vain.

“Find him. We need to find out who he is working for.”

Ed looked back at the people gathered at the breakfast.

Yesterday, at the table was himself, Arin, Thane, Diego, and Sophia, but now the table is almost full.

Merjen, Kyle, and Leaf each took one seat, and Dex, who was smiling, was also there.

Arin and Dex were chewing as if they were competing, and Merjen’s cheeks looked like a squirrel.

Thane delivered the news to Ed, who looked back on them.

“The royal road was overturned by last night’s attack on Caren, the death of slave merchant Walter, and the disappearance of the gladiator champion.”

Thane’s gaze flew to Ed and stuck like a cold dagger.

“Since it happened only overnight, opinions are divided as to whether this is related or whether it is a different case.”

Ed was calmly dipping freshly baked bread in the soup. The meal has been eaten anyway, so he was chewing bread slowly, but Thane sighed when he saw Ed.

“The royal palace dispatched an investigator.”

Ed also showed interest in the words. Because he has never heard of an investigator.

“Investigator?”

“Yeah. They are people that solve cases.”

Ed thought for a while and asked.

“What happens if you get caught?”

“Caren is not dead, so if you get caught, there will be a blood wind.”

Ed smiled at the words.

“I should’ve killed him.”

“Caren dying while he’s on the royal road? The royal road would have been closed if you killed him.”

“You should’ve told me that before I went there. Honestly, I could have killed Caren that time.”

“I told you not to get caught. But you threw a stone at him instead.”

Thane said that, leaned his back against the chair, and sighed.

“Oh, I can’t wait to catch demons now. I had no time to study because I was so busy ever since we got here.”

At that, Dex, who had been pulling off the lamb chops, spoke.

“Agreed. Let’s go catch demons.”

Thane glared at Ed to the fullest at Dex’s cry. Ed also had nothing to say about the gaze.

With his fighting skills, he has proved enough for three years as the champion of the royal road. But how do you control a guy who’s crazy about fighting?

Ed looked back at Dex and said.

“There are people I have to meet before that.”

“Really? Then let’s have breakfast and fight with me. I used to train every day at the gladiator training center.”

Arin raised her head when Dex said that. Then she asked Ed.

“May I compete with him?”

“Sure. I have to go into the palace today.”

Ed’s eyes turned to Dex.

“And Dex, what kind of weapons do you know how to use?”

Dex smiled at the words.

“I like to use a hand ax, but I can handle any type of weapon. Why?”

“I’ll have to change your weapon. You have to cover your face, too. Tell me if there’s a weapon you want. Because I can get it for you when I’m on the royal road.”

Dex replied by sucking the sauce on his finger.

“I’d like a weapon that’s easy to carry. Two Gladius. And some daggers, too.”

What he said made Ed laugh. Now that his mana has recovered, he was confident that he would overpower Dex without a problem. Even if he throws a stone, it will be different from yesterday.

“Okay. I’ll try and get it for you.”

Arin stood with a shield and a sword, and Dex, who stood in front of her, held two wooden swords. It was a wooden sword and shield that were not sharp because it was used for training. But if someone were hit incorrectly with that, they would die.

Everyone was interested in the fight.

One side is a holy knight with Astron’s Sword.

One side is an undefeated champion.

Dex was smiling, but Arin was different. She had a different attitude toward him.

Dex said, swinging his wrist holding the sword.

“I’ll go easy on you, so don’t be so nervous.”

Dex was interested in fighting with people.

He was looking forward to it because it was my first time fighting with a holy knight. As Ed and his party, he stood here with excitement. The reason why he didn’t feel the tension was just because he had a lot of experience.

At that time, Arin rushed forward with her shield. But seeing the movement, Dex freaked out and hit the shield diagonally with his wooden sword.

Bang!

The plan to hit the shield and poke a sword between her to counterattack was ruined from the beginning. Her shield was not pushed back, and Dex flew back in shock and rolled on the floor.

Gladiator warriors were often champions of a city, but this kind of power was the first time for Dex.

Dex, who was rolling on the floor and raising himself, saw something flying toward him. Isn’t it cheating to wear boots with steel on them?

The moment he crossed the wooden sword and blocked the kick, he heard something else. Arin’s sword flew through her arms and stopped in the middle of Dex’s forehead. It was an attack that would have been dangerous.

Arin looked down at Dex with her sword stretched out, pulled out her sword, and slowly retreated. Dex stood up when Arin, who spread the street and covered her front with a shield, made a pose.

His hands were still numb.

If he had known that she had such power, he would have fought differently. Dex changed his expression as he swung his wrist again.

He made a deep smile.

“I’m ashamed of myself. Let me fight you again.”

Ed admired Dex and Arin, who fought sincerely. In fact, Ed knew Arin would win the first round. Her physical ability has been improving through prayer so far. She may lack agility compared to Ed, but her muscle strength is superior.

Ed can’t handle her instant explosive power. So the first round is definitely Arin’s victory.

But Dex is not an easy person either. Perhaps because he had similar agility to Ed’s, he was fighting neck to neck from the second round. However, he lost once again because he could not break through her shield.

Ed shook his head when he saw Dex jumping and rushing again.

Dex is said to have a lot of experience as the strongest fighter in the gladiatorial world, but he was no match for Arin, who was refined by confrontation with many demons. In addition, she was a strong holy knight.

Even though Dex knows various ways to break through a shield, he cannot break through the shield added to her strength.

Kyle burst into admiration as he watched them.

“Arin’s swordsmanship is amazing. He can’t get through her.”

Leaf laughed in vain and said.

“It’s not that Dex lacks any power. I mean, wow! I have heard of a holy knight’s power, but I didn’t know she would be that strong. It’s even funnier because it looks like she is just playing with Dex.”

Merjen, who was chewing cookies next to him while listening to the reviews of the two, asked.

“Is it that amazing?”

“Yeah. I can’t even compare myself.”

“Hey, hey! Don’t ever compare ourselves to them. We still have Merjen on our team anyway.”

Ed smiled when Leaf hugged Merjen’s shoulder. That’s true, Merjen will fill in all their shortcomings.

Merjen escaped Leaf’s arms and asked Ed.

“Where’s Diego?”

“He said he was going to see the park today. Why?

“After talking to him, he didn’t even know what his powers were. Who’s his teacher?”

“Diego’s dad.”

“He comes from a family that uses command magic?”

Not exactly, but Juan’s expertise is in command magic. Maybe he’ll realize when the time comes.

When Ed thought there was nothing more to see, he heard a loud laugh.

“You’re all here?!”

Ed turned his head and could see someone getting off a carriage. Grant was smiling brightly and waving.

“Well, hello!”

Grant tilted his head when he saw Dex rolling on the floor after being beaten by Arin.

“Huh? The royal road is going crazy because the champion is gone. What is Dex doing over there?”

“He wanted to join the demon hunt.”

Grant glinted at the words.

“I guess the champion’s skills would be a great help.”

“I want him to find a weapon to use. What do you think?”

“Of course. Does he want an ax?”

“No. He said he wanted to use dagger with two Gladius because he needs to hide his identity.”

“I can get that for you. Anyway, do you have time? I made an appointment with the royal blacksmith for you.”

“Let’s go.”

The royal blacksmith, Volkov, was someone who can strengthen the bow of the ice. So Ed has been looking forward to it. When Ed went to the royal palace with Grant with joy, he had to go through three check-ups.

“Do they normally search like this?”

Grant replied as if it were insignificant.

“It’s probably because of the raid on Caren and the death of the slave merchant Walter.”

Grant said that and looked back at Ed as if he realized something.

“Maybe Walter…”

“That’s not good.”

Grant looked great in Ed. Walter has more than 10 individual guard gladiators alone. If Ed killed Walter so easily, Grant thought that Ed was the best.

The place where the carriage stopped was so great that Ed could feel the heat from afar. Ed, who went inside like that, felt new.

Even in the demon’s Era 1, you could strengthen your equipment here.

And there was a dwarf named Volkov, who was the main culprit of the property’s loss but had no choice but to trust and entrust the reinforcement. It looked like he was talking to someone.

A man standing with two guardian knights. Both seemed to have great skills. And Grant approached the person familiarly and looked deep down.

“Prince Clark. It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

“Oh. Hello, Grant. It’s been a while.”

He was a man that was second place in the kingdom. Prince Clark. He smiled at Ed.

“Who is this?”

Ed stared at Prince Clark’s eyes. Bloody energy flashed dimly in the black of his eyes. He had the demon’s energy.

It was an indication that he might be a demon’s subordinate or follower. And Ed was sure he saw it.

This man is associated with a demon. In any way.

“He’s Ed. He’s a demon hunter.”