"Pffft..."
Blood spurted from Musshuru's neck like a fountain. Still standing, his body sprayed crimson into the air like fireworks, splattering across Wapol, the nearby soldiers, and the villagers.
...
In that instant, everyone's pupils shrank. It was as if their minds couldn't process what had just happened.
Then, without its head, Musshuru's body finally collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
"T-The prince... the crown prince... he's been killed...!"
A soldier finally cried out in horror, his legs giving out beneath him as his face turned deathly pale.
Wapol, the second prince, stared blankly at his brother's severed corpse. Blood trickled down his own face, staining the snowy ground in red. He looked dazed—until terror took hold. His legs buckled and he crumpled to the ground.
"B-Blood... help... somebody help me! You bastards, protect me!"
Wapol crawled backward, screaming and sobbing in panic.
Only then did the soldiers snap out of it. They scrambled to raise their rifles and opened fire on Yemu.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But their eyes went wide with horror. The bullets passed straight through Yemu's body without leaving a scratch, as if he were a ghost. Unfazed, Yemu walked toward them slowly, step by step, under the weight of everyone's stares.
"Why... why can't we hit him?"
"He's a demon..."
"Run!"
"Don't come any closer!"
For the first time in his life, young Wapol felt the true terror of death.
Some soldiers ran. Others froze. No one was left to protect him.
Every step Yemu took felt like it crushed Wapol's heart.
Soon, that towering figure loomed right over him. Yemu raised the blade in his hand and swung it down.
In that moment, Wapol's mind went completely blank with fear. He lost control of his body, wetting himself as tears and snot streamed down his face—until a voice, low and calm like a whisper from hell, brought him back.
"Hey... hey... what are you spacing out for?"
Wapol snapped out of it.
"!!! Wait... I'm... I'm not dead...?"
"Of course you're not."
As he spoke, Yemu casually wiped the blood from Shishimaru using Wapol's lavish clothes, then sheathed the blade.
Wapol nervously patted himself down.
"I'm really... alive... That's... that's great..."
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a smiling face suddenly appeared in front of him—sending him right back into panic.
"Relax. I won't kill you. Unlike your stupid brother, you haven't done anything to offend me... And besides, I'm actually helping you."
Wapol blinked, stunned.
"Helping me?!"
"Yeah."
Yemu turned and glanced at the small mountain of gold behind him, his voice turning smooth and tempting.
"See all that gold? Now that your brother's dead, it's all yours. You're the second prince, right? Which means, now you're the king's only son. There's no one left to compete with you for the throne. So, tell me... doesn't that make me your ally?"
As Yemu's words sank in, the entire village went silent—so quiet you could hear people breathing.
Soldiers and villagers alike stared at the boy before them as if looking at a devil in human skin.
And then, something even more chilling happened.
Wapol suddenly burst into laughter. The fear on his face vanished completely, replaced by wild, unrestrained excitement.
"Yeah... all that gold is mine now... and so is the throne... Good riddance. That bastard brother of mine died at the perfect time..."
What truly horrified everyone wasn't just Wapol's words—it was that he turned to the man who had just killed his brother and offered him an invitation.
"Hey, you. Want to become my subordinate? If you agree, not only will I have the royal doctors treat those two, but I'll even make you captain of my royal guard—Dalton's replacement."
Just as a bone-chilling silence settled over the crowd, a voice unexpectedly cut in.
"Prince Wapol... the royal physician you requested has arrived—"
Dalton had just led the physicians to the scene, but he stopped mid-sentence the moment he saw the decapitated corpse of the crown prince. He froze on the spot.
"T-The crown prince... What the hell happened here?!"
Dalton might have despised the two princes, even loathed them—but as the loyal captain of the royal guard, he could never overlook the death of a royal.
At that moment, seeing that Dalton had arrived, one of the crown prince's soldiers gathered his courage, pointed straight at Yemu, and shouted.
"It was him... he killed the prince!"
Dalton's eyes immediately landed on Yemu—tall, well-built, with striking red hair and a golden blade at his hip, standing calmly in front of the second prince.
"Watch out, Prince Wapol!"
Dalton's warning had barely left his mouth before his body began to transform—horns sprouted from his head, his body grew covered in fur, and his face twisted into that of a black bull. With a massive oar-like sword in hand, he charged straight at Yemu.
But Yemu didn't even flinch. Instead, a smile spread across his face.
Someone had stepped in front of him.
"Dalton. What do you think you're doing? Stand down!"
Dalton froze, stunned.
"Prince Wapol... What is the meaning of this?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with what's going on here."
Without offering any further explanation, Wapol turned to the royal physicians behind him.
"What are you idiots waiting for? Get over there and start treating those two already!"
The twenty or so doctors looked at each other, then at Dalton. None of them moved. With the crown prince's corpse lying nearby, and the killer standing right there, none of them dared take a step.
Dalton was equally confused and uneasy.
"Prince Wapol, this... what is going on?"
Wapol's next words, however, made everything brutally clear—and sent a chill through Dalton's entire body.
"You fools still don't get it? My idiot brother is dead. That makes me the king's only son. If you don't do as I say, I'll have you all executed once I'm king."
The physicians finally sprang into action, nervously approaching the unconscious siblings lying in the snow to assess their condition.
"Prince Wapol... These two appear to be in poor condition. It looks like they've been poisoned. There are no medical facilities nearby—only those at the palace will do."
"Then what are you standing around for? I'm telling you idiots to cure them! If they die, I lose my gold... Hey, as long as they're cured, all that gold's mine, right?"
"Of course!"
"Perfect. You lot, guard that gold. No one touches a single coin."
Then, Wapol turned to Yemu, flashing a flattering smile.
"Please, come with me to the palace. Once your friends regain consciousness, I'll have them brought to you."
"How considerate of you..."
"No trouble at all... no trouble..."
As the group disappeared into the distance, the village was left in eerie silence—save for the stunned villagers, the mountain of gold, and the crown prince's headless corpse.
"Is this... really the future king of this country?!"
Dalton, who had witnessed everything, felt something deep within him collapse—his sense of duty, his ideals, his loyalty.
And then it hit him.
That red-haired man... He looked familiar.
The memory clicked, and his face drained of all color. Without hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the palace.
"This is bad..."