Chapter 215 – If It Works, It’s a Revolution (13)

“What’s there to think about?!”

Terbal said.

“Dian, you idiot! It’s me, Terbal! Are you seriously thinking of me as your enemy?”

“Of course not. That’s why I said I need to think it over. I came here to kill the Third Prince—how was I supposed to know the Third Prince was you?”

This was ridiculous.

I still couldn’t believe it. That Terba hyung was the infamous madman, the Third Prince Berken?

But the monster-men bowing behind him left no room for doubt.

So then… what the hell was going on?

“Dian! What are you doing?!”

At that moment, the Second Princess came running across the shattered gate.

“Kill the Third Prince! That man is the Third Prince!”

“Oh, Mirelis. Finally, we meet face to face.”

Terbal hyung smiled and waved casually at her.

“How many years has it been? Huh? I just wanted to see your face.”

“Dian! What are you standing there for?!”

Standing atop the wreckage of the gate, the Second Princess was a storm of fury.

Her eyes gleamed, and it almost looked like her hair was about to ignite.

“Your Highness, I know this man.”

“What?”

“We go way back. I just… didn’t expect things to turn out like this—”

Before I could even finish my sentence, the Princess slipped down from the rubble and charged forward.

“Move!”

Her blade lunged at Terba hyung’s stomach with incredible speed.

“Whoa there.”

Terbal hyung caught the blade between his index finger and thumb.

“Mirelis! Bit of an over-the-top greeting, don’t you think?”

“My mother! Where is my mother?!”

Trembling with rage as she tried to force the blade through, the Princess shouted.

“Your mother? Ah, right. She’s in the banquet hall at the palace. Didn’t look too well, to be honest… huh.”

Letting go of the hilt, Mirelis bolted past him without another word. Terba hyung turned and blinked in confusion.

“Well, there she goes.”

“Anyway, hyung. Let’s talk seriously. What’s going on here?”

“What do you mean what? I came because they called me back to the capital, and everything went to hell.”

“What went to hell? According to the Second Princess, you’re the one who trashed the place.”

“Mirelis, that woman makes me out to be trash!”

Terba hyung threw a punch into the air in frustration.

“I was just trying to enjoy a home-cooked meal after ages, and she sets the place on fire trying to roast me alive! Wouldn’t that piss you off?!”

“So… you were just coming home?”

“Yes, damn it!”

“Then why did you send that spider-like thing after her? It nearly killed her.”

“Kill her, my ass. I told them to capture her alive.”

Terba hyung scoffed.

“They told me I’d be reinstated as a prince if I brought back Mirelis. I’m getting old—I can’t keep living as a homeless wanderer forever.”

“Fair enough. So… this was all just a show?”

“Show? Whatever you want to call it. I don’t give a damn what the emperor and Mirelis do to each other. I just don’t want to keep living as a fugitive.”

“Then why take the Second Princess’s mother hostage and escalate everything?”

“Hostage?! Dian, you little punk! What do you take me for?!”

Terbal hyung flared up.

“She was wandering around the capital outskirts alone, so I brought her inside!”

Wait. That’s it?

Come to think of it, even if his behavior is rough, Terba hyung’s not an evil man. I should’ve realized that earlier.

If he were that kind of person, Linus and I would’ve ditched him during the war.

Yeah, we met during the war.

Before the Demon King Slaying Special Force was formed, back when it was just me and Linus operating together.

# # # #

It was the second year of the war, during the period when the human alliance was on the brink of collapse.

Linus and I had just finished eliminating a Dark Elf raiding squad in the Black Swamp and were heading to our next mission zone.

Our destination was Orandir, a city completely taken over by the Demon King’s army.

It was at the center of the front lines—retaking it would split the enemy forces in two, which is why the Demon King had fortified it heavily.

The capital ordered its recapture and sent us ahead of the main army to assassinate the local corps commander and his staff.

We infiltrated deep into enemy territory through a secret route.

As we moved toward where we suspected the command center to be, we ran into Terbal hyung.

“Dian. You see that?”

While running, Linus suddenly crouched and pointed ahead.

On the ground were several corpses.

Over ten demon soldiers, dead.

That many demon corpses, in occupied territory?

We’d been told no other units had been deployed here.

Maybe they died in a previous skirmish?

But the Demon King’s army never leaves corpses unattended. They’re infamous for retrieving their wounded and fallen due to their intense racial loyalty.

So internal conflict or rebellion was unlikely.

I had no idea what happened.

“Maybe they ran into a beast or something?”

“Maybe. Wait—hold on.”

As Linus spoke, I turned toward a sound.

Someone was walking out of the dark brush.

A tall man with silver hair and blue eyes, carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

That was my first time meeting Terbal hyung.

He was a nameless mercenary at the time, wandering through enemy-occupied zones and hunting demons on his own.

Not out of some noble cause—he’d just happened to be trapped when his area was suddenly overrun.

With no food and nowhere to go, he started ambushing demon patrols to survive.

“So what are you guys doing here? You came to raid the corps HQ? You nuts?”

When he heard our mission, Terbal hyung got excited and begged to tag along.

He was planning to leave the region soon anyway and figured he might as well go out with a bang.

According to him, the corps HQ would be loaded with gold and treasure taken from the local population.

“I think I know where the HQ is. Caught a glimpse of it while passing through. Let’s go. I’ll show you the way.”

So the three of us stormed the command center and wiped out the corps commander and his officers.

That’s when I saw Terbal hyung use some bizarre technique against the demons.

The ones he grabbed shriveled up like mummies.

Even worse, some of the corpses we’d killed stood back up and attacked their own—clearly his doing.

When I asked about it, he just said it was some rare mutation that popped up in his bloodline now and then.

When I pressed further, he just laughed.

After that, we made our way back to allied territory by punching through a full enemy battalion from behind.

The breach we created allowed the allied army to advance, and Orandir was liberated.

“That was fun, thanks to you guys.”

On the day we parted, Terbal hyung laughed and patted us both hard on the back.

“If we’re still alive when the war’s over, let’s meet again!”

That was the last time I saw him.

And now I find out he was the exiled secret prince all along.

“By the way, where’s Linus these days?”

Terbal hyung asked, hands on his hips.

“Isn’t he holding a big position in the capital somewhere?”

“He’s on paternity leave.”

“What? Leave?”

“He quit his job to raise his kid at home.”

Terbal hyung, silent for a moment, then roared with laughter.

“Linus got married and had a kid?!”

“Anyway, let’s get things straight first. You need to make your stance clear. What are you going to do?”

Without hesitation, Terbal hyung answered.

“I want my title reinstated. That’s all I care about.”

“Then you’ll call off your troops and play nice? No fighting the Second Princess?”

“Mirelis? Why the hell would I bother with that fox? Too much trouble.”

“And you’re not going to make a grab for the throne?”

“Even if they offered, I’d say no, dumbass!”

“Alright. Then let’s go talk to the emperor. Lay it all out. But first, deal with your men.”

“I’ll scatter them.”

Terbal hyung snapped his fingers, and monsters began gathering from all sides.

Once they were all assembled, he snapped his fingers again—and they rushed toward the gates.

“They’ll keep running until they reach the sea and drown.”

“Straightforward, as always.”

“I’m Terbal, after all.”

“No, you’re Berken now. Anyway, let’s go.”

# # # #

Meanwhile, the emperor sat in his office, clutching his head.

That useless freeloader’s the one who came to save me...?

I’m going to owe that guy a favor I never asked for...?

The word “favor” reminded him of Nemara.

Right. Nemara had once helped him out of the blue and ended up on his side.

Maybe Dian had some falling out with Mirelis too?

If they’d been close allies, he would’ve joined her the moment Berken stormed the capital.

Then does that mean Dian really came here for me?

But then… confusion struck the emperor.

What exactly was Berken’s stance?

Did he come to oust Mirelis in exchange for reinstatement?

Or was he after revenge on those who exiled him, with no interest in Mirelis at all?

Depending on that, Dian’s presence takes on a completely different meaning.

And something else felt off.

Why were those two just… talking so casually? Shouldn’t they be fighting by now?

He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

A chill ran down the emperor’s spine.

Here he was—the emperor of this vast empire—utterly clueless, lost in the very heart of the capital.

No ministers, no senior officials, not even the head of the guard were anywhere to be seen.

When did it all… fall apart?