Left-handed swordsman, Song Baek. He was called the Secret Escort. Dedicated to serving the nation, he lost his right arm during the war and was told that he could no longer work on the battlefield.
But the Imperial Family didn’t abandon him. He was granted wealth and honor by acknowledging his achievements, but Song Baek, who had spent his entire life on the battlefield, couldn’t accept living a peaceful life.
Song Baek spent days of suffering, and one day, he held the sword again. He made the decision to end his life as a warrior, even if it meant dying in vain.
Song Baek swung the sword for years until his left arm got used to it. And when he regained his skills to some extent, he challenged the warriors of Murim while wielding his sword in his left hand.
At the beginning of the fight, it was hard to even go against a third-rate warrior. The balance of his body, which broke due to losing one arm, wasn’t fully restored, and every moment risked his life.
After years of training, the left-handed swordsman gradually developed a system. He used his twisted body to stay balanced, which was always pointed out as a weakness. He attacked aggressively, and his anomalous attacks would always work.
Finally, he met Baek Joong-hyuk and died. But when he died as a warrior, Song Baek smiled sincerely while reminiscing about his days when he was alive.
‘Left-handed swordsman Song Baek. I cannot say that he was the best warrior among the many I met, but the technique of using only his left arm was surely something he excelled at. I was so impressed with our confrontation that I ended up going for closed-room training. McBurney is no different. He lost his right arm, and his body is out of balance, but he naturally adapts well using his left arm.’
The reason he wanted McBurney wasn’t because of his resemblance to Song Baek. The information he distributed on the Southern Front greatly aided him during the war.
If a talented person like him stayed here, maybe the stony road would feel a little better. Not taking him in was even stranger.
So Roman went to McBurney and looked into his shocked eyes as he said,
“The left-handed swordsman was a person who lived the same life as you. However, he overcame his physical weakness and wielded the sword with his left hand, which surprised me. If you can promise to entrust your future to me, I will show you what it is like. And unlike the Cairo Kingdom, which doesn’t recognize your worth, I will use you better than anyone else.”
The pretense was omitted. It was a deal, and it offered a reward for his loyalty. That was all. At Roman’s words that he would use him for his worth, McBurney felt his heart burst.
‘The savior of my heart.’
One armed moron.
If only he could live as a warrior. McBurney would do anything for Roman.
Thud!
He fell flat on the ground. He didn’t care if people looked at him, he just put his face down and spoke loudly.
“I, McBurney, have heard that you will put me to good use. From now on, I will give my life to Roman Dmitry. Thank you very much for taking me under your wing.”
On that day, McBurney found new hope.
Parting with Roman, McBurney headed home. He was planning to pack his bags and follow Roman.
“Hey, McBurney.”
“You haven’t given up on your hopes to go to the battlefield? Please give up. I know that you were skilled in the old days, but now you are a bastard with no arm. You don’t even have a good background to support you. How long are you going to act like the pitiful commoner you are?”
“Right, take the advice and listen to us.”
They were his comrades in the temporary unit at the Western Front. Because they, too, had been eliminated, seeing McBurney in distress was upsetting.
“Just look at how our faces have gone stiff. Between you and us, there were times we could call our heyday. But look at us now. Our lives are all about chasing after nobles in the capital. But you get to follow Roman Dmitry and receive a huge reward. Then you will know what to do and get to live the rest of your life comfortably, so why are you sticking out your sour face in here?”
“Right. Fuck off! Can’t you just leave? My stomach hurts at the sight of you.”
Bitter insults.
What if he didn’t get Roman’s offer?
Maybe McBurney would have fought with them. But now that he found a new life, these people looked pitiful to him.
‘I am no different from you, I lost the will to live and wandered, but not anymore.’
Slick.
McBurney smiled. Carrying the burden on his shoulders, he headed outside while holding up his middle finger.
“Fuck off, you bastards. When we meet again next time, let’s see if your life and mine are different even then.”
So he left and felt more at ease. There was no going back now. McBurney will live for Roman Dmitry in the future.
War.
One event changed the lives of many.
Edwin Hector.
McBurney.
And Henry Albert, the fool of the Albert family, was also caught up in it.
“… phew.”
On the way back to his home, he sighed. He thought that if he followed Roman Dmitry, he would be rewarded for it, but the Cairo people only showed interest in Dmitry’s men.
Henry Albert was given a few bucks. For commoners like McBurney, that would be a great reward, but it wasn’t so great for Henry Albert.
‘Mr. Roman is too much. Still, we had struggled together for so long, couldn’t he take me too?’
When the war was over, Henry Albert secretly followed Roman. He sensed Roman’s authority and knew he would need Roman and his closest advisors, including Chris, to gain entry into the Central Government.
But hope doesn’t always turn into reality. Roman didn’t seem to accept Henry as a person, and he abandoned him as soon as they reached the capital.
And now Henry Albert was returning home.
“Right, what good would it do to be below someone? Living among people who support me is what I want to do. Ah, I don’t like it at all, going out into a world full of monsters like Roman Dmitry. And what about Edwin Hector? Just being exempt from military service is a huge achievement for me.”
He began to realize a couple of things. There were two figures representing the kingdom. When he thought of Edwin and Roman, he wondered about himself.
He was of similar age to them, yet he had no talent and was less confident too. That was how he managed to come home.
But…
[Hero of Cairo! Congratulations on your return, Henry Albert!]
[The pride of the Albert family! Henry Albert returns safely!]
[If the future of the Albert family is questioned, let them know it is Henry Albert!]
In front of the gate, cloths with strange words were written, and Henry looked blankly. Something had surely gone wrong.
At first, he didn’t understand what was happening. Henry Albert, who was being welcomed by his family, looked shocked and met Viscount Bale with a smile.
“… uncle?!”
“My dear nephew!”
Viscount Bale hugged Henry.
Actually, as soon as he saw the face of Viscount Bale, he wanted to slap him.
Viscount Bale, who believed in himself even when he first enlisted on the Southern Front, ran away from the army without even thinking about Henry when the war broke out.
This man didn’t know how angry Henry was about his actions. Henry vowed to inform the family of this man’s bad deeds, but here he was holding Henry’s hand, unaware of his feelings.
“Everyone, congratulate the pride of the family, my nephew!”
“Ohh!”
“Henry! Henry!”
Everyone looked excited. He missed the timing to speak, and Viscount Bale continued to speak about things Henry didn’t know of.
“As you all know, the Hector Kingdom crossed the border without giving notice. As the commander of the center, I was going to stay till the very end and fight the enemies, but then our Henry requested that I, as the commander, inform the Cairo Royal Family of what was happening. He pushed me away from the battle, saying he would stay with Roman Dmitry till the end and fight!’
Viscount Bale was a deserter. He expected the defeat of Cairo, but that didn’t happen, which made his situation miserable. Of course, he didn’t run away right at the start. He fought for a while, and when the situation didn’t change, he ran.
Therefore, considering his position, he had created a heroic deed in Henry Albert.
“Those with ties to the Central Government must have heard it. When we achieved the great victory in the guerrilla operation, it was our Henry who reported it to the Royal Family on behalf of Roman Dmitry. So Henry played a huge role. Others think that Roman Dmitry did it all, but we need to remember that the role of Henry wasn’t small either.”
Now he understood the reason for the existence of banners. Henry Albert was a hero to the family. The problem was that it wasn’t just within the family. But everyone around was being told of this.
A day passed when Henry’s father held him and said,
“There are a lot of messages coming in from the close nobles saying they want their daughters married to you. Henry, do you like someone? Last time I heard you say you liked the child of the Aiden family.”
The Aiden family was of the Central Government. He could see things clearly. The Aiden family, which had ignored them all this time, wanted an arranged marriage now.
‘The eldest daughter of the Aiden family is famous for her beauty. So many children of noble families want to marry her, but the Aiden family has rejected all the proposals and wants her to be married to me? Is this for real?’
He was stunned. His life was changing because of the war with Hector. But Henry did nothing in the war.
However, the mere fact of being with Roman when the war happened changed his status, and it wasn’t just that.
“This is the Cairo Royal Academy. Could you give us a lecture on what happened at the Southern Front?”
It was a contact from the capital.
His heart raced. The Cairo Royal Academy made the same offer to the people of Dmitry, who refused, so they moved to Henry Albert.
Henry knew then. The fact that you could be great even if you weren’t great by being with someone who was.
So he decided.
‘In order to increase my worth, I need to spread the word of how great Roman Dmitry is.’
His only achievement was being beside Roman. Henry Albert quickly accepted the offer to speak. The truth might be tragic, but it wasn’t too bad to borrow the name of Roman to make people look at him.
He didn’t think about anything else. If he was even a little smart in the first place, he wouldn’t be called a fool.
From then on, Henry Albert played the role of praising Roman Dmitry’s achievements to people. It was Henry Albert’s turning point in his life as a fool to whom no one paid attention.
A few days later, Roman left the capital. The people of the Central Government came out, and the people of Cairo shouted and cheered for him. As he was leaving the city, not once did he look back.
‘When I return to the capital next time, I have to make a choice.’
The four forces of Cairo would not like to wait any longer.
So….
‘Until then. I will completely take over the northern area so I can oppose the Central Government.’
The people of the Central Government didn’t know the true intentions of Roman.
Later on, Roman’s reason for visiting the capital was something they couldn’t even predict.
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