Hansen returned to his room through that path and sent a response to the temple.

It contained the decision not to walk the path of a priest anymore. After asking a maid to send the letter, he sat for a while, organizing his thoughts. Then, he immediately went to see the lord.

Carson, who was having lunch, initially didn’t recognize Hansen without his priestly attire. The moment he realized who he was, he recalled the protagonist with ashen eyes, whom he had seen only once from another country.

“I have something to tell you.”

Even though they were having a meal, Carson stood up from his seat. Then, he immediately guided him to his own office.

When Noah tried to prepare tea, Carson instructed to bring alcohol. It was daytime, but it wasn’t a suitable time for tea.

“Why did the priest come to see me?”

As Carson asked the question and poured the alcohol himself, Hansen only gripped the glass tightly but didn’t bring it to his mouth.

“From now on, what I’m going to say might be a bit verbose. One thing, if you could listen until the end as it’s something worthwhile, I would appreciate it.”

He started with the story he had confided in Inés.

Hansen, who lost his family in a house fire, caught the eye of the soldiers who followed his father and was immediately taken to the royal palace.

And there, he could meet the king of Fudelfinn.

The king stared at his face for a long time. Then he said, “You are my son.”

Overnight, Hansen was accused by his father, and he met someone who would be both his half-brother and an enemy.

At that time, the king had only one daughter, and there was no son to inherit the throne. The first queen was expelled from the royal family because she couldn’t bear a son, and there was no news from the second wife yet.

With no heir, the royal authority was always unstable. But for some reason, the king confined Hansen in an underground secret room, preventing him from going out.

The king occasionally visited him. Whenever he saw his silver hair and ashen eyes that resembled his own, his eyes always looked as if he were a child.

Hansen received an education as a royal in that confined place, and one day, he received a red ring, given only to the direct line of the king. Then, about a year later, Hansen was sent out through the door in the underground secret room that led to the outside.

The passage was the same path he had taken when he was first captured into the royal palace.

Later, he learned that the king had a son from his second wife. When a legitimate heir was born, the king had decided to abandon his half-son.

For the king, abandoning his son meant completely erasing him from this world. It was to prevent the blade of his own son from later threatening his own neck.

Hansen’s appearance in the world revealed flaws he had committed against commoner families. It was a reason to tolerate when he had no son, but after a legitimate heir was born, there was no reason at all.
As soon as he exited the passage, Hansen moved quickly, navigating through twists and turns, finally escaping the grasp of the soldiers. And he crossed the border that way.

After finishing the story, Hansen handed something to Carson.

“It might be hard to believe, so I brought this.”

It was a ring received from the Fudelfinn royal family. The thick red gem emitted a strange light that left the viewer breathless. Carson also knew what it was. However, he pushed the item towards Hansen.

“About four years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the king of Fudelfinn. It was a time when there was a breeze of friendship between the two countries.”

Carson, who handled various tasks for the imperial family, went to Fudelfinn directly under the emperor’s order. The mission he received at that time was to serve as a messenger of gifts sent to foster good relations between the two countries.

“The priest may not remember your face since you parted ways when you were young, but I definitely remember.”

With a suddenly elevated tone, Hansen looked bewildered. Carson was already treating him as a prince of a nation.

“You might find it unpleasant, but really… you resemble him. It’s undeniable, even if it’s not the same hair color and eye color.”

The atmosphere was almost identical to the point that it made you wonder how Carson hadn’t recognized him until now. Of course, the king of Fudelfinn was shorter and had a more robust build. But when he lowered and raised his head, the line connecting the wide forehead to the cheek resembled the king.

“So, what do you want from me?”

“I heard that you will soon wage war against Fudelfinn.”

Carson expressed neither affirmation nor denial as he tilted his head to one side.

“If you agree to my conditions, I will personally guide you through a secret passage leading to the royal palace.”

For a long time, Carson, who had been staring at Hansen without saying anything, suddenly thumped his chest loudly and then laughed lightly.

“How do you know that we’ve changed our strategy…?”