The Path of Ruin-Chapter 114: The Marshal’s Gift

After leaving Hakon's office, Kael decided to work out instead of going to his room.

During his evaluation with Volka, he had realized that… as long as he wasn't using eon, his body wasn't actually that exceptionally strong or resilient. And eon was a limited resource, even though he had far more of it than other people.

That's why he wanted to further develop and strengthen his body.

So he'd decided to focus on his physical abilities for a while. And that's exactly what he did.

He repeated the exercises he'd learned from Hakon earlier. He'd learned that, for healthy development, he needed to take proper breaks rather than pushing his body relentlessly, so he didn't neglect those breaks either.

The hours slowly passed one after another. He was sweating, he felt tired, but this fatigue wasn't unpleasant. On the contrary, it was… motivating. It was something that both showed he was improving and reminded him he needed to improve even more.

Just as he was about to start a new exercise, he paused. His eyes slowly drifted towards the door of the room he was in. Before long, the door opened just as he was looking that way.

A palace servant had entered.

"Were you looking at me?"

The servant nodded in response.

"You've received a summons from Marshal Sirwill. He stated that he wishes to speak with you immediately in the room where you met earlier."

Kael raised his eyebrows at what he heard. Then his mind began to work, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

The Marshal… had he already heard the news that he was now a sergeant? Why else would he want to speak with him?

"I understand… thank you."

The servant bowed slightly, then simply left the room. And just like that, Kael was left in a bind.

Should he go to the Marshal without telling Hakon, or should he explain what was happening to him first, even if it meant not responding to the summons immediately?

After a few seconds, he let out a deep sigh.

If the Marshal wanted to see him immediately… then it would be best not to be disrespectful in any way. After all, all he would be doing was accepting a gift from him… so he didn't think there would be any trouble.

So first, he quickly took a shower and put on clothes that didn't smell of sweat. Then, without any delay, he headed straight for the room where he had previously met with the Marshal.

Since Hakon wasn't with him this time, he wasn't allowed into the palace right away. He had to wait for his identity to be checked and for confirmation that he had indeed been summoned by the Marshal.

Eventually, he was granted access and stepped into the palace. He knew the location of the room he was heading to by heart, so he walked straight towards his destination without stopping.

Only…

'How strange…'

The corridors felt… a little different. People were looking at him differently. As if they couldn't help but scrutinize him.

And when Kael thought about the reason, he realized it quickly.

Before, everyone had hesitated to look in their direction because Hakon was by his side. But now, with Hakon nowhere to be seen, they were curious about what he was like. Even if it was unsettling, they didn't hesitate to look at him—the disciple of the devilish Hakon, who had received extraordinary results in his evaluation.

Kael chose not to care and simply walked on without focusing on anyone staring at him.

They could stare at him as much as they wanted; he had no issue with that. However, he didn't want to appear like someone who craved attention. That was why he'd taken this approach.

Shortly afterward, he arrived at the room where he had met with the Marshal.

But there was a difference here compared to the last time…

Namely, the two knights who had been standing guard at the door were no longer there. The room was completely unguarded, and anyone could come and go as they pleased.

Kael furrowed his brow. He approached the door but didn't open it immediately. He looked to his right and left, waiting to see if anyone was in the corridor.

But surprisingly, the corridor was completely empty. There was no one around. He was all alone in front of the vast room.

"…"

A bad feeling crept over him. Had he made a mistake by not informing Hakon first?

He couldn't turn back now, could he? His entry into the palace had already been recorded…

He swallowed hard. He looked around once more, hoping to spot someone, but… it was no use.

So, like that, he refocused on the door standing before him. He couldn't just stand here waiting, could he…?

He took a deep breath first. He calmed himself down. Then he straightened his posture and made his expression calmer. Finally, he placed his hands on the door and pushed it open firmly.

As the door slowly opened, he braced himself for the Marshal's usual piercing gaze.

But what he found was quite different from what he had expected.

'H- huh?'

There was a pair of red eyes staring right at him. They actually resembled the Marshal's deep red eyes, but… they were also different. While the Marshal's eyes were such a dark tone of red that they seemed black at first, the eyes he now found before him were more… blood-red.

'Wait…'

Kael couldn't help but let his eyes widen slightly.

The person in front of him wasn't the Marshal. There wasn't even the slightest resemblance between them besides their eyes. Yet, this wasn't someone he'd never met before either.

Blood-red eyes, snow-white hair that looked like it had been carefully woven from moonlight… facial features that matched the person in his mind exactly, even though they were hidden by a veil…

...

"...!"

The person before him was the girl he'd encountered in that alley a few days ago!

"Ha?"

Just like that day, he couldn't stop the sound of surprise from escaping his lips.

This time, the girl wasn't wearing that black robe—which made sense, since she was inside the actual palace—but a single-piece, bright yellow dress. It was the kind worn by nobles, clearly a high-quality garment. And it highlighted her slender figure quite clearly.

But that didn't matter—it shouldn't have.

Kael stopped focusing on the girl's dress. The moment he did, he noticed the change in her expression. Though her veil hid much of her face, the slight widening of her eyes made it clear she had recognized him as well.

Kael swallowed hard. He stepped aside as quickly as possible, making way for her to pass. Then, he bowed respectfully.

"Please forgive my rudeness. Since I couldn't see anyone around, I didn't ask if anyone was inside."

"…"

The girl stared at him for a moment. She said nothing. It was as if she, too, had frozen in place.

But then she came to her senses. She sighed softly.

"Let's go."

She cast one last glance at Kael. Then, she tore her eyes away from him and walked out.

Three knights followed her, leaving the room together with her.

After the girl and the knights had left, Kael straightened his posture again and glanced sideways at their departing figures.

But then…

"Why are you waiting? Come inside."

He felt as if he'd been struck by lightning at the sound echoing through the room and in his ears.

'Holy shit!'

Right, he was in the room where he was supposed to meet the Marshal…! He'd completely forgotten about it since he hadn't expected to run into that girl—he'd even stood there staring blankly without even checking the room!

'You damn idiot!'

He quickly turned towards the source of the voice. With that, he saw the very figure he'd been expecting from the beginning, sitting at the same table as last time.

He bowed as respectfully as possible once more.

He didn't say a word. His mind had gone blank as if he'd forgotten what he was supposed to say.

"Close the door, then come here." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He did as he was told the moment he stood up. He closed the door to the room, then sat down in the same chair he had sat in before. After that, though hesitantly, he looked at the Marshal's face.

The Marshal… was calm. He wasn't angry or irritated in any way. In fact, that grandfatherly smile was on his face again. He didn't seem to care about the mistake Kael had made.

Kael paused for a moment as he made eye contact with the Marshal. Then, a detail he'd noticed earlier but hadn't paid attention to suddenly came to mind.

The girl had blood-red eyes.

The Marshal's eyes were red too, though in a different shade.

The girl was leaving the room where the Marshal was just as she arrived.

…

Was that girl the Marshal's granddaughter or something?!

"Ahahahahah!"

With the sudden echo of laughter filling the room, he felt as if his mind had been wiped clean. With a blank expression, he turned back towards the Marshal, who was still laughing. He, meanwhile, spoke, seemingly wiping a tear from his eye.

"Your thoughts are all over the place, Kael. You were hiding them better last time. Have we confused you too much?"

"…"

Kael said nothing. The Marshal, however, sighed lightly as he returned his expression to its previous state.

"No, the girl you saw wasn't my granddaughter or something like that. We just had a brief conversation as nobles."

The answer he received made him feel, whether he wanted to or not, as if he'd been questioning the Marshal. However, he chose not to comment.

The Marshal leaned back slightly, widening his smile as he continued.

"Anyway, it's not really a big deal. Let's focus on our own business. From what I've heard, you chose your department following in your master's footsteps. A bold choice, but I believe you can handle it. More importantly… you've managed to get yourself appointed as a Sergeant."

Kael finally managed to pull himself out of the shock and bewilderment of what had just happened. Just as the Marshal had said, he focused on his own business...

He wasn't sure how he could have heard about something that had happened just a few hours ago so quickly. After all, the only person who should have known about the department selection was Emila, since nothing had been put in writing yet.

So... was Emila technically working on behalf of the Marshal? After all, she had provided him with the information…

That was the only logical explanation that came to mind.

"I promised I'd give you a little gift if you managed to do it. And you did it. It's time to keep my word."

After saying this, the Marshal reached under his desk. He pulled out a pouch, examined it briefly as if to make sure he was holding the right thing, and then tossed it towards Kael.

Kael caught the pouch in midair.

At first glance, he'd thought it was a money pouch and had felt a bit… disappointed. But when he held it in his hand, he could clearly feel that whatever was inside... wasn't money.

Curious, he opened the pouch and got out what was inside.

And so, now in his hand…

Was something like a medallion with a crest on it?

"…"

Kael examined the medallion over and over. It was an engraved medallion featuring a four-pointed star, with two swords crossed over it. It also felt… cold. An unnatural cold.

No matter how long he looked at it, he couldn't figure out what it was for. Finally, he looked at the Marshal with an expression of defeat.

The Marshal widened his smile.

"The thing in your hand is one of the few medallions that signifies a direct connection to Marshal Sirwill Haeonor and bears a trace of my eon. If you show this to someone working for the Empire, you can gain authorities you wouldn't normally be able to obtain. You can come and go from the palace as you please, and you can come to see me directly."

Kael couldn't help but widen his eyes. The medallion, which he hadn't understood at first, he now clutched tightly, as if it were a lump of gold.

This… this little thing—if he hadn't misunderstood—was the most valuable thing he'd ever possessed, and likely ever would!

This small medallion was even more valuable than the dagger he'd taken from the Arcanoa Palace and hidden near Greenveil!