LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 253: Anthem Howard
Chapter 253: Anthem Howard
“Is this really... possible?”
“I don’t know. But it’s an order, so we have to do it.”
A few soldiers stood against the blizzard, wrapped from head to toe in cloaks made from white-horned rabbit fur. Some were crawling on the ground, noses pressed to the earth, sniffing repeatedly, while others rummaged around the fortress walls as if they were searching for something.
“Hurry, hurry! It’s almost time for the patrol. If we can’t find it here, we’re out of options.”
“Without being able to use magic, this is killing me... How on earth are we supposed to search this entire wall in such a short time?”
“The moment we use detection magic, the protective spell on our cloaks will falter, and we’ll be nothing but pin cushions for arrows. We’re right under the enemy’s nose. If we get caught, we’re done for.”
One of the soldiers shuddered as he muttered, “Even if we survive, we’re as good as dead if we fail again. Did you see Lady Serica’s eyes? If we return empty-handed again today...”
“It’s too late for regrets.”
“The cost of the cloaks we ditched is already more than we could repay even if we rotted away in the army for life.”
The fur of the white-horned rabbit was naturally white, making it perfect for camouflage in snow as high as their height, but rolling around on the ground in such expensive fur was something not even the officers would do lightly.
“It must be here. It has to be. If he wasn’t lying to us, that smell in the soil he showed us—you know what that is, right?” said one of the soldiers, his face covered in snow.
“Do you really think it’s here?”
“There’s no way it could grow in this blizzard...”
He was from Dephtar, and he was the one who had confidently answered to Serica Lauren first. At that moment, he hit something solid as he swept with his fingers through the soil. The soldier quickly buried his face between the wall and the ground, sniffing.
A fruity, sweet fragrant scent tickled his nose.
“...!!!”
Forgetting the cold that was splitting his fingers, he furiously dug into the ground. Beneath the earth, he uncovered a thick plant stem, like the root of a tree. The soil he uncovered held a faint trace of moisture.
With a trembling voice, the soldier whispered, “I... I found it.”
Whooosh...!!
At that moment, a wind swept along the base of the fortress wall. The soldiers instinctively looked up at the edge of the wall. In their eyes, the mighty fortress wall, which had always seemed so solid, now appeared to have a small but deeply significant crack.
***
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Hashir looked at Karyl, who stood before him, not even slightly out of breath, despite the words he had just spoken.
“It seems everything is settled.”
“All thanks to you, my lord. The wyverns, which wouldn’t fall asleep even with poison, have all gone quiet at once.”
He gestured toward the wyverns, who were bowing their heads just like the one Karyl had brought with him.
“The nobles of the principality would faint if they saw this. I wonder what their expressions will be like when they see the wyverns flying toward their territory.”
“There's no need to wonder. You can see it for yourself right now.”
Karyl began walking slowly. The moment he pulled back the tent flap, Hashir understood what he meant.
Fran was standing there, ghostly pale.
“He’s completely worn out,” Hashir murmured softly as he looked at Fran’s face.
“From the outside, it might seem like he’s on a winning streak, achieving victory at Cove, Moon Aether, and even against the 1st Wyvern Squadron. But to him, this has all been a devastating defeat. It’s only natural that he’s mentally worn out.”
“That’s not the only reason. It seems he’s been practically living off Obscura Herb. At this point, his brain might already be too far gone.”
Lilliana clicked her tongue as she looked at Fran, who was trembling uncontrollably.
“And as the withdrawal symptoms kick in, the hallucinations will only get worse. To his eyes, our lord must appear more terrifying than a demon.”
The moment Fran laid eyes on Karyl, he hastily drew his sword and screamed, “You...! You!!”
Whoosh—!! Whooosh—!!
But the sword struck nothing as Fran swung it wildly, like a madman flailing a club with no direction.
“...I doubt the nobles’ reaction to the wyverns will beat this,” Karyl remarked, effortlessly dodging Fran’s attacks with just a turn of his body.
Fran, unable to control his strength, stumbled forward and fell.
Thud—
Karyl caught him.
“Arghhhhhhh!!”
Fran lifted his head and stared at Karyl as if he had seen a ghost. In terror, he shoved him away and clutched Anthem’s collar, trembling like a leaf in the wind. A trickle of blood ran down his lips, and he began to convulse violently.
“M-My lord!!”
“...”
Karyl quietly watched Fran, then lightly struck the back of his neck.
“Guh!”
A blackish blood clot flew from Fran’s mouth before he crumpled in front of Anthem, as if he had passed out, his energy completely spent.
“Anthem Howard.”
When Karyl called his name, Anthem looked up with an unexpectedly calm expression.
“You may resent me, but as you can see, things wouldn’t have been much different even if I hadn’t intervened. The outcome would have been the same. Fran was destined to lose to Tuli before the war even began.”
“...”
“I didn't expect things to turn out this way either... But you heard what Fran said through the communication orb, didn’t you? Do you really think there was a proper agreement between him and Tuli, given his condition? No, he was merely a tool for her.”
It was now clear that everything had been orchestrated by Duchess Tuli Lurein.
“She never intended to give Fran the Wooden Cloud. It’s more likely that the Wooden Cloud and Tuli have already joined forces.”
Anthem couldn’t find any words to refute Karyl’s statement.
“I was right beside him...”
Karyl shrugged at his self-deprecating remark.
“Even if you were, you couldn’t have protected him every second of the day. His mindset doomed him from the very beginning of the civil war. His defeat was inevitable, and his name was never meant to be part of any glory.”
At that, Anthem’s head sagged forward.
“Like a fool, he trusted Tuli and handed over those who followed him on a silver platter. And because you couldn’t stand that, you let me intervene.”
“...I was just curious, that’s all,” Anthem replied. “Perhaps it’s just something I want to believe. That even Sir Fran’s irrational decisions regarding the war were part of His Highness’ plan.”
A right hand was someone with such exceptional talent that they could support a king and eventually manage to become a chancellor. However, no matter how exceptional a right hand was, if the circumstances didn’t favor them, they wouldn’t be able to fully realize their potential.
Following his death, historians frequently compared Anthem Howard to Bran Gamunt, who, by assisting Olivurn, helped bring about the golden age of the empire. In contrast to Bran, Anthem served many masters, including Fran Lurein, Viola, and Luon Shutean, and yet his story tragically ended in defeat.
The one crucial absence in his past life was a real, worthy master.
“Because he was the lord I chose to believe in and follow.”
Karyl slowly nodded, understanding what Anthem was trying to convey.
“I wanted to lead him to victory, no matter what. But it seems that His Highness was already defeated before the war even began.”
“And so, you tried to use me as a poison, believing that only the victor of the war could set things right.”
“But he crumbled before that could happen. Of course, you accelerated that process,” Anthem accused, looking sharply at Karyl.
“I, too, am one of those who had a hand in this war,” Karyl responded confidently, unfazed by Anthem’s gaze. “Just as you used me, I used you.”
“I suppose I tried to use someone beyond my control.” Anthem smiled bitterly.
Indeed, using Karyl to try to win the war was the right call, but as Anthem himself pointed out, Karyl MacGovern was simply too powerful to be controlled.
To think I was worried about the potential discord that might arise if he left Fran and went to Viola...
The future—no, the present—had shifted. Viola, who possessed the qualities of a ruler, was no longer the powerless princess of her previous life but the leader who could unite not just one kingdom but three.
What a foolish worry that was.
Realizing that, a faint smile played on Karyl’s lips. Anthem, unable to understand the meaning behind that smile, could only stare blankly at him.
After all, there’s no need to worry about handing Anthem over to her in the first place.
As future historians would evaluate, had Anthem Howard been able to serve a capable ruler, his talents would have been like wings attached to the back of a tiger. And if there was any ruler fit to give him those wings, it would be Karyl himself, not Viola, no matter how one looked at it.
And now, Karyl instinctively knew it was time to extend his hand to Anthem.
“What do you plan to do next? The war with Tuli isn’t over yet. With the fall of the lord you trusted and followed, everyone left is doomed.”
“...”
“The only thing you can do is pray that Tuli shows mercy to those left behind...”
Anthem shook his head.
“Mercy... We’ve already destroyed Moon Aether, beheaded Sir Terix, and taken the remaining wyverns. How could we possibly beg Lady Tuli for mercy now?” he said with a sigh. “I doubt that offering my head would even help in quelling her anger...”
After all, Tuli Lurein was known as the Queen of the Cold. Imagining her sitting on the throne within the snow-covered White Bunker, Anthem realized that there were few people for whom the word “mercy” was as ill-suited as it was for her.
“Everything is as you predicted. You’ve left us with no escape.”
“I suppose so,” Karyl calmly responded to Anthem’s resignation. “You’re right. I am ruthless.”
He had never tried to hide what he was.
“The path I walk is a thorny one, full of rebuke and resentment, and there will be times when I have to stand on top of the blood spilled by others.”
Karyl made sure to assess himself as harshly as he did others.
“No, I already stand in a large pool of blood. I just took thousands of lives moments ago.”
“...”
Anthem's gaze faltered as he looked at Karyl.
“But on the other hand, I also saved the lives of the soldiers behind me.”
For some reason, when Anthem heard the word “soldiers,” his heart skipped a beat. Was it because he had longed to hear those words from Fran Lurein, yet it was Karyl who spoke them?
“I cannot be a holy king.” Karyl shrugged. “Not that I ever wanted to be one in the first place.”
His tone was playful, but that made him seem even more extraordinary in Anthem’s eyes.
“But at the very least, I can offer you a glorious victory.”
And that extraordinary quality was now steeped in sincerity.
“I am certain of this: the victory I offer will be genuine and decisive, something that the one you currently follow cannot provide. I make no compromises, and I will seize victory with my own hands.”
Thump... Thump...
Anthem’s heart was racing.
“I’m aware that you, a descendant of the once-called Island King of the Howard family, are lending your strength to the principality because the people from those islands have become vassals.”
“There is no way you’re...”
Karyl, sensing what Anthem was thinking, shook his head preemptively.
“I have no intention of using them as hostages. They, too, will be under my protection.”
He then extended his hand, gesturing behind him.
“It’s not just the people of the islands. There are also countless lives in the principality that now depend on you. Just like the soldiers cheering behind us right now.”
As Karyl’s voice, imbued with mana, echoed across the battlefield, the wyverns around them all spread their wings simultaneously.
“Anthem Howard,” he called once more. “I will do everything in my power to protect those who will be under my care. On this path, though sacrifices may be made, there will be no defeat.”
Anthem Howard looked at Karyl with trembling eyes.
“Protect them from Tuli, and with them, the future of the principality that is yet to be written.”
Anthem felt as if he were facing a towering mountain, overwhelmed by a sense of pressure so intense that he could hardly breathe.
“Follow me,” Karyl urged, “and I will give you the strength to do so.”