If a Mad Dog Bites a Club - Chapter 7
Translator and Editor: nieye
Chapter 7
Adrian’s outburst happened about a month and a half into their journey along the central road.
“Ugh, I really want to kill my bastard brother.”
Saying that, she lay sprawled in the square of the city that she just arrived in. The horse that had been carrying her until a while ago wasn’t even startled when she fell to the ground in a cloud of dust. Ever since she was injured on the battlefield and had an injured leg in prison, it hadn’t stopped causing trouble, so the sight of her on the ground was familiar to the horse.
It was clear that she was in no condition to ride a horse properly. However, that didn’t mean she could proudly ride a carriage. So, Adrian continued to rest on her journey, taking pit stops repeatedly. The well-trained horse held its reins and stood obediently beside her.
“Indeed, a warhorse of the Du family.”
Adrian exclaimed as she lay there.
Soon Nihil also dismounted from his horse. Adrian glanced at Nihil, who was kneeling by her side. She curled up and pretended to kick him with her foot.
Nihil flinched.
“Don’t do that, Nihil. You’re not my slave.”
However, Nihil hesitated and didn’t move away from her leg. Eventually, Adrian sat up again and sat cross-legged. Then she sighed.
“You’re at the point where I have to carry you, and what are you doing?”
In response to her words, Nihil made a strong expression of wanting to refuse, pretending to be okay. Adrian tsked.
“I don’t care about your brand, so speak freely.”
But Nihil remained silent. She sighed once more and tapped Nihil’s thigh as he politely sat down beside her.
“If you’re going to sit, sit comfortably, please.”
Only then did Nihil stretch his legs. He was at least three spans taller than Adrian and had longer legs. Nihil looked fine except for the bloodstains on his knees.
Adrian gritted her teeth as her eyes fell on the brown blood stains.
Normally, when someone is on a mission if that person is injured, they rest and recover before continuing. But neither Adrian nor Nihil received that consideration because of Kayley.
Adrian had initially thought she could rest for at least ten days. But just three days after the king’s order, Adrian was kicked out of the capital.
Adrian had learned the reason from the maid who had delivered her luggage to her room the night before.
The maid was a child whom Adrian had saved long ago on the streets, and so she became a maid for the Du family. The girl hated seeing her beloved lady suffer to the point of death, and then return only to suffer again, so she tearfully told Adrian what Kayley had said.
“I heard that the miss insulted the young master by calling him a cripple?”
So, Kayley had clearly taken Adrian’s words from prison to heart.
“He even added that you should experience being a real cripple while you were at it!”
Would Kayley, who was pleased with the maid’s tidiness and had her sent to his study, have known that she would repeat what he said to Adrian? He probably didn’t.
“That bastard only cares about his own feelings anyway.”
Muttering to herself, Adrian pounded her thigh with her fist. Because of that, Kayley had made Nihil suffer with her. Nihil was in slightly better shape than Adrian, but he had crawled to the king with wounds on his knees.
Although they rested and took their time, the continuous shaking on the horse added to the delay in their recovery.
After punching her thigh, Nihil came over again, but Adrian pressed her finger against the center of Nihil’s forehead. The large man mimicked being knocked around by Adrian’s single finger. Passing children in the city laughed at the sight.
Adrian sat down in the peaceful, small city. To call it a city was an exaggeration; it was more like a large village. But it was spread across the borders of Yogyakarta and the neighboring countries.
Adrian flopped down on one side of the city square. In the center of the square stood a partially broken sculpture. It was the form of a human pointing towards the sky, but its arms and back were shattered. Adrian immediately recognized it as a sculpture of a human searching for the Golden City.
“It’s strange…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh- Nihil, there you are.”
Adrian looked at Nihil with wide eyes. Since the incident with those bastards who branded his tongue, Nihil had been talking a lot less.
Moreover, Nihil hadn’t said a word in the past few days, probably because his wounds hadn’t fully healed yet. Nihil seemed like he was about to say something but closed his mouth again.
Adrian explained while clicking her tongue. According to Nihil, he had been sold as a child, so he didn’t know much about the legend of the Golden City. However, Nihil had also heard about the punishment Adrian received in the Hall of Apelard, as they were together at the time, so he only vaguely guessed that it was something absurd.
“That’s a statue of the Viral tribe searching for the Golden City. There is a story about the Golden City that has been passed down in Yogyakarta for a very long time.”
Nihil nodded. Adrian took off her shoes leisurely. Her feet were damp from walking all morning. She wiggled her toes and started telling Nihil the story as if telling an old tale.
“The Golden City is a story about a grand city made of gold. It’s said that the Black Water that Summons Fire comes directly from the Golden City. Countries that wanted to control the flow of the black water once searched for it.”
“…”
“There used to be statues of the Viral tribe looking for the Golden City in many cities and towns. But after Acela’s conquest last year, most of them were destroyed or discarded. However, this city still has one.”
Nihil tilted his head slightly. Instead of asking why they were discarded, his actions revealed curiosity. Adrian grinned at his response.
“According to Yogyakarta’s legend, the first human to discover the Golden City and inform the people of its existence had wings. It’s a story that degrades the status of the sky god Apelard.”
“…Wings?”
Adrian chuckled, knowing that he only chose words that wouldn’t reveal the tip of his tongue.
Nihil grew attached to Adrian because of those moments when she let the young slave soldiers stand guard and tell them old stories. She reminded herself of Nihil’s age again. He was nineteen. Still quite young.
“That’s right. Where are we going?”
“…Yogyakarta.”
“The royal family of Yogyakarta are the Viral tribe. Do you know how the Viralians differ from other Yogyakartans?”
Nihil blinked. Adrian smiled and then heard a stranger’s voice answer.
“…By their wings.”
Suddenly, an intrusive voice cut in, causing both of them to quickly turn their heads. Between the two, Adrian pretended to clench her fist in anger.
“Which bastard dares to ruin my joy?!”
The voice came from behind the two of them.
In the middle of the square, the person sitting against the light wasn’t clearly visible, but both Adrian and Nihil could tell it was a man. Without realizing it, Nihil was already halfway on his feet, taking on a defensive stance.
Adrian stopped Nihil.
“Stay back, Nihil.”
Adrian attempted to stand up slowly, but the man was quicker. Bending one knee, he sat down in front of her. In an instant, he was at eye level with Adrian. Her eyes widened as she looked at the man before her.
He was a graceful-looking man.
His black glossy hair covered his forehead plentifully. His perfect forehead and firm browbones nestled within the strands of his hair looked appealing. His eyes held the color of a clear blue sky, and his skin appeared slightly dark. His eyes glimmered playfully, slender and deep, while his nose and jawline were sharp.
It was a face one might turn around to look at even in the capital of Acela, not just in this small city.
However, it wasn’t just his face that stood out. His neck was thick, and his shoulders were remarkably broad. Despite crouching and bending his body overall, it was obvious that he was quite large.
Even his clothing alone indicated the loose style of Yogyakarta, and his shoulders looked three times wider than Adrian’s.
Overall, he was a very handsome man. Moreover, Adrian quickly sensed that this man was skilled in combat. He sat with his knees slightly bent, placing his hands on top of them, emitting a faint scent of resin. It was a measure to ensure that a sword wouldn’t slip from his hand during an intense fight. And it was a method not commonly used in the street brawls they often participated in.
In other words, he had either undergone formal military training or was currently undergoing it. However, it was surprising that the scent of resin came from a Yogyakartan since it was an Acelain practice.
The man stared at Adrian with a stern face. It was strange. Adrian had thought he would be smiling, given the teasing tone of his words. But when she met the man’s blue eyes, there was no hint of a smile in the words he had spoken.
Adrian said, maintaining her vigilance while playfully curious.
“You’re a handsome-looking bastard, aren’t ya?”
“…Thank you.”
The man replied courteously.
Why was that? As if her words were a signal, the man suddenly let go of his stern expression and broke into a smile. With a smile on his handsome face, he looked even more attractive. One could say there was a certain radiance about him.
“I apologize. I couldn’t resist joining in when I overheard you talking about the Golden City.”
“…Is that interesting? Even children know this story.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. The man tilted his head slightly and maintained his smile as he spoke.
“Well, what you were saying is quite interesting, but there’s a dangerous aspect to it.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
Adrian chuckled, squinting her eyes. She understood the meaning behind his words.
“Why would you intervene in someone else’s conversation like this? How dangerous can it be?”
The corners of the man’s mouth lifted.
“The one with the red wings will restore the Golden City and become the king of humans.”
“…”
“And so, the Yogyakartans chose the red-winged Viralian as their king. Hoping they would help them find the Golden City.”
The Black Water that Summons Fire.
Many countries were obsessed with obtaining the black water. Among them, Acela had managed to secure the upper hand. The black water existed only in certain regions of Acela’s southern territories and the Yogyakarta region.
After seizing the black water, Acela swiftly became the largest kingdom in the central part of the continent, maintaining its supremacy for hundreds of years.
The source of the black water remained unknown. It simply sprouted from the ground one day.
Theories on the origin of the black water varied widely, but the general belief was that it flowed from the Golden City, a myth of Yogyakarta.
As a result, just a few decades ago, numerous countries released people in pursuit of the Golden City. They hoped that by possessing the black water, they would gain an unparalleled advantage over other countries
But it was all in vain. Scholars and truth seekers who sought the Golden City shook their heads, asserting that such a thing didn’t exist.
Acela had also been among those countries seeking the Golden City. However, due to the conquest wars, they did not focus on finding the Golden City itself, but rather on using the black water that sprung from the earth for warfare.
Adventurers searching for the Golden City gradually disappeared, and even in Acela, few were discussing the matter anymore. It was understandable, for the legend of the Golden City not only undermined the standing of Acela’s sky god Apelard, but it also directly contradicted its religion.
According to Apelard’s scriptures, when the sky god Apelard first placed humans on this land, he descended from the heavens and scattered seeds. Humans were born from these seeds. Those that grew from the lotus root had fair skin and became Acelains. Those born from the brown, dry seeds were the Yogyakartans, from the gray, wet seeds were the Ilakians.
And from the golden shimmering seeds, the king of humans was born. The king, with flames in his heart, became the representative of Apelard and ruled over humanity.
The problematic part was the concept of the “King of Humans.”
According to the teachings of Apelard, Acelains were described as having fair skin and red hair, and the Acelain Royal Family, who worshiped the sky god Apelard, claimed to be the rightful rulers of humanity. They used this doctrine to justify their conquests of the southern and eastern regions, including Yogyakarta, where they enslaved the Ilakians and other people.
However, in the Yogyakarta legend of the Golden City, it was clear that the king of humans would be the Viral tribe of Yogyakarta.
As a result, from generation to generation, the Acelains conquered Yogyakarta and suppressed the story of the Golden City.
Especially in the Temples of Apelard, those who spoke of the Golden City were made into slaves. Thus, the man’s warning that it was “dangerous” held merit. Even the statue before them testified to this. The reason its back was shattered was undoubtedly due to someone destroying the wings on its back.
…Perhaps it was done by the Acelain army that had conquered this place.
Adrian sat up before the man, planting one knee firmly on the ground and resting her elbow on it, taking a fairly noble posture. The man knelt before her with one knee as well, resulting in a bizarre confrontation.
Nihil unintentionally made a rattling sound with the sword in his hand, but neither of them looked in his direction. Adrian continued to gaze into the man’s blue eyes for a while before making a sound of disapproval.
“It’s a pity.”
“What do you mean?”
“That the one with the red wings has fallen under the control of Acela.”
She would be lying if she said she expected the man to waver. Yet, to a small extent, she was genuinely curious about what expression she’d find if that smiling visage were to crumble. However, the man’s handsome face retained its cheerful expression.
“Didn’t you promise to return her safely?”
“…Marrying an Acelian doesn’t necessarily equate to returning safely.”
“Thinking that the princess will bend just because she shared a bed with an Acelain, isn’t that the arrogance of the Acelains?”
“Princess.”
Adrian chuckled softly.
“You speak of her as though she is a stranger to you.”
“I am merely showing respect to the heir.”
“As of now, the princess should show you some respect.”
It was a riddle-like exchange, but Nihil also seemed to have realized the man’s identity. Adrian continued speaking with a smile on her lips.
“I knew someone would come to meet us, but I didn’t expect the heir to the throne to show up personally.”
“During the long war, Yogyakarta lost all of its useful servants. Even someone seemingly as useless as me should work diligently, don’t you think?”
There was a thorn in his words, but it didn’t matter.
Those thorns couldn’t pierce her. Adrian narrowed her eyes and called out the man’s name.
“Celeste Lou Yogyakarta.”
“Yes, Miss Adrian Du?”
From the beginning, he’d known who she was. He, too, narrowed his eyes, not erasing his smile.
Celeste Lou Yogyakarta.
The unfortunate heir to the throne.