Shadow's Oath-Chapter 93

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 93: Revelation (2)

Terdin only spoke after moving far beyond the campsite, to a distance where it was highly unlikely anyone could eavesdrop.

"Will this place do?"

Ram slightly lowered his head to check for surrounding noises.

"Yes. Right now, the Count and the Bishop are engaged in conversation. There's no chance they will hear us."

Terdin immediately pointed something out.

"You have a habit of lowering your head when checking for sounds. Eliminate any gestures that indicate you're listening."

"Understood."

"If you're ready, speak."

"Count Vadio was curious about what His Majesty ordered me to do. He also threatened me, implying that I might be harmed—perhaps because he doesn't know that Captain of the Guard Claive is already dead."

"So Claive really came to kill you out of personal revenge. Who else knows?"

"I've only mentioned it to you before."

"And what did you say?"

"Since I had nothing else to say, I asked if he would accept me should I rely on him. He liked that idea very much. If I get a little closer, his next order will surely be to assassinate you, General."

Without turning back, Terdin asked,

"What are Vadio and Aikob talking about?"

Without making any motion of listening, Ram answered,

"The Count wants to start preparing for departure, but the Bishop is insisting that he must go with you, General."

Terdin fell into thought.

‘Why do I keep associating Vadio and Ram in my mind? Is it because he suggested having Ram assassinate me? No, I felt this connection before that—ever since I rescued Aikob and arrived at the campsite, where Vadio was already waiting. There's no obvious reason for them to be connected, but…’

Down the path from Elum Village, the prince was coming down, accompanied by a few knights.

Since they were walking rather than riding, they were slow.

As Terdin walked toward them, he asked Ram a few things about what had happened in the cave yesterday and followed up on the trial proceedings.

The fragmented information he had heard from Damion and Ram started forming a coherent picture, but there were still missing pieces.

Earlier, before the trial, when he had spoken with Damion, the prince had explained exactly what had happened the previous night.

He listed the events in chronological order, explained why they had led to certain conclusions, and detailed what had happened in the cave and how they had escaped.

But something was still missing.

Even when adding Ram’s perspective—one that differed from Damion’s—the same sense of incompleteness remained.

It felt as though both of them had deliberately left out one crucial detail.

"Is there anything you haven't told me?"

Ram responded in a way that blatantly revealed he was withholding something.

"No. I may have forgotten minor details, but nothing of importance. Seeing the corpses move on their own was shocking enough that I may not have expressed it properly."

"What was that prophecy Olga spoke of during the trial?"

"I have no idea. To be honest, I still don’t understand it. Not because of its depth, but simply because I can't grasp the literal meaning of the words."

"But Lady Charlon seemed to understand it."

"I don’t think she truly does. She was hallucinating due to her illness while we were inside the cave."

"I don’t believe Olga spoke with pure malice, but we must not be swayed by her words. You must remind the prince of that while staying by his side. It seems he isn’t listening to me anymore…"

"I doubt he would listen to me either."

Ram spoke in a slightly dejected tone.

Then, Terdin suddenly realized what both Ram and Damion had omitted.

‘They followed Olga’s instructions and burned the red powder at the temple, which allowed the warriors of the Tagda tribe to find them. But that wasn't all. Those four did something else in the temple. They're deliberately keeping that part a secret.’

Terdin considered asking Damion, who was now coming down the hill, but he found himself unable to voice the question.

The ever-cheerful prince looked so overwhelmed with sorrow that conversation seemed impossible.

‘A prince who has never even left the capital before has faced too many crises in the past few days. He’s not in a state to think rationally or explain things logically.’

Terdin couldn't even bring himself to ask if he was okay.

Instead, he spoke in a formal tone.

"Your Highness, you must return with me to His Majesty. It is a royal command."

Damion, though lacking energy, answered firmly.

"I cannot leave until I am sure Jedrick is safe. If both you and I depart at the same time…"

"…Count Vadio may do something unpredictable."

"What excuse could I give my father to stay here for at least one more night?"

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Damion’s voice carried a desperate longing, as though his feelings for Jedrick went beyond mere friendship.

"Hmm, let me see…"

Terdin called over Lieutenant Aedun, who was nearby guiding the soldiers’ formation.

"What does Captain Rusef need to do next?"

Aedun quickly explained.

"Since some of Born's knights have decided to stay here, we need to transfer command to Count Vadio. We’re supposed to discuss the details soon."

‘Having such a competent lieutenant during these chaotic times is truly a blessing.’

Terdin nodded firmly and asked,

"Then Captain Rusef will have to depart a day later, correct?"

"Yes. We could rush and leave late tonight, but…"

"Is there any real need to travel at night?"

"Of course not. It's cold at night, and the roads are rough. Moving in the dark could lead to a horse injuring its leg."

"At this point, the horses’ safety is as crucial as anything else!"

Terdin, convinced, turned to Damion.

"I doubt Rusef would entrust Lady Charlon to us. Given everything that happened yesterday and the trial earlier, he will insist on personally protecting his sister. But Your Highness has no choice but to accompany her, as her fiancé… isn't that correct?"

The prince’s somber expression lifted slightly as he responded.

"That's right. So, I will say that I am leaving early tomorrow morning to move with Charlon. Should I add that it’s difficult to move due to the injuries from the previous day?"

"It would be better not to add that. It would sound like an excuse. Just stay as you are and meet His Majesty later to show your face. To be honest, Your Highness looks so haggard right now that there's no need to act."

"Then I will send the dispatch myself."

"Do so."

After Damion left, Ram naturally followed him.

Terdin did not stop Ram but, after a certain distance had grown between them, spoke softly.

"Ram, it’s best not to inform His Highness about the conversation we just had. His mind is already complicated enough."

Ram paused for a moment in his steps.

Then, after standing still for two beats, he resumed following Damion.

With just that small action—without even turning back—he conveyed that he had heard the whisper.

'Clever child.'

If he were a mere slave, Terdin would have worried about the revelation of what Aikob had just told him or what Count Vadio had said.

Moreover, now that he was no longer a general but rather the prince’s shadow, he couldn't stop him from reporting everything to the prince.

But because Ram was intelligent, he would remain silent.

If the need arose, he would bring it up to the prince on his own judgment.

'It’s convenient to let him handle things on his own, but it’s also worrisome.'

When a knight approached Terdin, he waved him away.

Though it was merely for security, he wanted to be alone for now.

'Why did the king order my own shadow to kill me?'

Why not hire an assassin separately?

The royal court was always a battlefield of fierce power struggles.

Terdin despised that aspect of it, making every moment spent in the royal palace difficult.

He had to constantly be wary of others’ cunning schemes, interpreting the meaning behind even the simplest words.

The excessive formalities and etiquette were suffocating—he even had to be mindful of how chairs were arranged at a simple meal.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

That’s why he went to the battlefield.

It was much more comfortable for him.

After spending years alternating between the battlefield and noble society, he reached a peculiar realization.

Whenever preparing for battle, he would remind himself:

'The enemy is smarter than you think!'

And when returning to the royal palace after war, he would recall:

'The enemy is dumber than you think.'

He enjoyed outsmarting a cunning opponent in a fierce battle of wits.

But in the political arena, an absurdly foolish individual could suddenly disrupt an intricate game of strategy, turning it into a chaotic mess.

There were no fixed rules—existing ones were broken, new ones were made, and then violated again, leaving one clueless about what kind of game they were playing.

On the battlefield, victory belonged to those who were brave and intelligent.

But in politics, those things often didn’t matter.

Ironically, the one who acted more foolishly often won.

So, was that true foolishness or true cunning?

King Gallant had revealed his move: he had hired Ram as an assassin.

But why?

Gallant always ensured that whatever choice he made, he would win.

For instance, if he were playing chess, he would change the rules: "If the white king falls, I win. If the black king falls, you win. Game start!"

Throwing Terdin onto the battlefield was part of that game.

It wasn't solely the king’s decision.

He wasn’t meticulous enough for such planning.

It must have been suggested by Chancellor Aikob or influenced by a third party.

Gallant may not have set the board, but he had jumped into the game, making Terdin a mere playing piece.

If Terdin conquered this land, it would become part of the kingdom, making it a victory for the king.

If he lost and died, it would still be a victory for the king—because an eyesore of a general would be gone.

'If Ram assassinates me, Gallant wins. But what if Ram fails or gets caught?'

Gallant never engages in losing battles.

He only starts a game when he ensures that no matter the outcome, he still wins.

In other words, even if Ram’s assassination attempt failed, it must still result in a victory for the king.

Terdin stopped walking and mapped out all possible scenarios in his mind.

'If Ram gets caught and I end up killing him...?'

Then, nothing would happen.

'I wouldn't even know why Ram tried to kill me, and I would simply kill him. Let’s say I later investigate and find out that the king was behind it. Would I have any grounds to act against him?'

No, he wouldn’t even have the chance to confront the king.

And even if he did, the king would simply deny everything.

Thus, the king wouldn’t suffer any consequences.

It was a perfect game for him.

If it failed, he lost nothing.

If it succeeded, he eliminated a threat.

It wasn’t exactly a victory, but it wasn’t a loss either.

Not even a subordinate’s death counted as a real loss.

'Is that all there is to it?'

Terdin looked toward Aikob’s command tent.

'Aikob knows that Ram is an assassin. Count Vadio seems to have some suspicions as well… If Ram doesn’t keep it a secret, Damion will find out too. Maybe he’s already told Jedrick and Charlon. After all, the Captian Claive of the Guard was killed right in front of them—keeping it a secret would be harder than revealing it.'

Too many people knew about something that should have remained classified.

And because Claive had failed in killing Ram, the situation had only grown more complicated.

'If someone wanted to kill a person like me, they should have handled it more discreetly... Why make it such a big spectacle?'

Terdin recalled that Vadio had attempted to take Ram under his wing.

The idea of Ram staying in the north as the count’s shadow was beyond laughable—it was absurd.

But that detail served as a clue.

From the very beginning, Terdin had wondered about Vadio’s true intentions, and now the answer was clear.

Vadio hadn’t just wanted Ram.

He wanted all of Terdin’s forces.

Terdin deliberately climbed halfway up the hill overlooking Elum Village.

From there, he could see the entirety of the camp’s troops at a glance.

Now that the war was over, the main forces would have to be sent back.

Soldiers’ wages had to be paid, knights had to return to their estates, and mercenaries had obligations to their lords.

That meant only a small force would remain here.

The only way to keep them was for Vadio to invest his own wealth in forming a new army.

He would have to provide salaries for the knights, compensate soldiers for not returning home, and perhaps even offer them a new homeland.

If Count Vadio managed to execute that plan quickly, Terdin would be left with no forces at all.

His army had originally been provided by the royal family and loaned by nobles—if Vadio snatched them up, there was no way to stop him.

Vadio was systematically stripping away Terdin’s power.

King Gallant was using Vadio to remove the strength Terdin had built.

'Then why didn't he use an assassin he trained himself, but instead hired Ram?'

It wasn’t just about orchestrating a large-scale operation.

He wanted people to know.

'Then everything makes sense.'

Iliam Terdin, I tried to kill you.

And I used one of your own subordinates to do it.

So come confront me.

Come seek revenge.

Come to kill me.

Give me the justification I need to eliminate you.

Terdin burst into laughter.

Not out of frustration, but because he truly found it amusing.

'Fried Gallant! You actually want me to start a rebellion, don’t you?!'

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]