Monarch Chapter 109 (Patreon)

Chapter 109

For a while, Rayne didn’t know what to say.

He simply sat there, staring at Axel as the man looked back at him without any urgency, as if this was just another conversation between them.

His thoughts were still slow, still trying to catch up with everything, and Axel was the last person he expected to see or talk to straight up after waking up.

They had never been particularly close, not since the day Rayne had entered the squad.

At best, there had been a working understanding between them. But even that had broken apart after the incident with Fredrick. The moment he realised Fredrick had only been able to accuse him of theft because Axel had enabled him, their whole relationship had fractured.

Since then, their conversations had grown fewer and colder. So seeing Axel sitting in front of him now felt… strange.

The silence stretched between them, long enough that it started to feel deliberate. Rayne could feel the weight of it, but before he could decide what to say, Axel grunted and leaned back slightly in his chair.

“No one else is coming to see you,” he said plainly. “Your party’s out right now on some minor quest. And Captain Edran’s buried under paperwork. End of the Pascar Plains campaign means reports, signatures, all that shit.”

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone turning more matter-of-fact.

“You’ll be called up soon enough though by him and Commander Evans both. In a few hours, maybe.”

Rayne listened quietly, taking in each piece of information one at a time.

Everything Axel said was a lot, but he got one thing out of it, and immediately asked. “So we won?” he said, his voice rough from disuse. “The necromancer is dead? And why is my party out doing quests? They should be resting.”

Axel let out a short chuckle at that, shaking his head slightly as if he found the question amusing.

“They got their rest,” he said. “Plenty of it.” Then he leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees. “You’ve been sleeping for three weeks. And yeah… the master necromancer’s dead. Whole damn thing’s over. Varrick’s been telling everyone you’re the one who killed the apprentice too.”

For a moment, Rayne simply frowned, his brows knitting together as he tried to process what Axel had just said. Three weeks. The number didn’t sit right in his head. It felt too long. Even with the poisoning, even knowing how lethal it could be, three weeks sounded excessive.

His thoughts lingered on it, trying to make sense of the gap, but before he could ask anything further, Axel spoke again.

“One of the healers here has a skill for poison detection,” he said, his tone casual, as if he was recounting something trivial. “They found blackroot poison in your system when you were dragged back to the camp. Nasty stuff. You’re lucky you had that rare grade potion on you. It kept you alive long enough for them to do something about it.”

He shifted slightly in his seat before continuing.

“They said there was something else too. Some kind of healing effect already working inside you. Probably a skill of sorts. It was working with the potion, slowing things down, buying you time. But all of that drained your body dry. That’s why you’ve been out for so long.”

Rayne’s eyes widened slightly as he listened. If he was right, the healing effect was more likely [Paralysis Resistance] than [Lesser Regeneration], and he didn't like the army knowing about either, but before he could ask anything more, Axel cut him off with a small shake of his head.

“I don’t really care about your skills,” he said bluntly. “I’m just telling you what happened.”

The words were direct, almost dismissive, and Rayne found himself staring at him for a few seconds after that.

“Then why are you here?” He finally asked.

Axel leaned back slightly, a faint smile forming on his face, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Because I wanted to talk to you before I leave this fucking army behind.”

Rayne blinked, the statement catching him off guard. “You’re leaving?”

Axel snorted lightly and shook his head.

“Retiring,” he corrected. “That dungeon was my last run. I’ll get my papers once we reach Haven city. From there, I’m done.” He paused for a moment before adding, almost casually, “Got an offer lined up too. House Lanrice is paying me handsomely to act as a guard captain and instructor for the younger house members. Good pay, they are known to have good ale. Maybe I’ll finally settle down too.”

Out of everything Axel said, only one part truly registered in Rayne’s mind. House Lanrice, and before he could stop himself, the words slipped out.

“Did you know—”

Axel cut him off immediately.

“Fredrick’s dead. Yes, I know. Everyone does.”

His tone didn’t change, but the words landed heavily between them.

“Varrick dragged his body out with you. We are preserving it with magic since only noble houses could give their own a funeral. I'm the one taking his casket back to House Lanrice.”

Rayne didn’t say anything at that.

For a few seconds, he just sat there, letting the weight of it settle in his mind. Fredrick’s corpse being sent back to House Lanrice, Axel being the one to carry it, and everything related to that, he didn't care about.

What he cared about what the army thought had killed the noble. There was no way they hadn’t inspected the body. No way they hadn’t seen the stab wound.

In the end, he decided the best way to know more was to be direct. “What do they think happened?” Rayne asked slowly.

Axel let out a short chuckle, as if he had been expecting the question. “Half the captains think the apprentice necromancer killed him. The other half think you did,” he said plainly. “But all of them want to put you on trial. House Lanrice is definitely going to push for it.”

He leaned back slightly before continuing.

“Commander Evans and Captain Edran are backing you, unsurprisingly. But yeah, it’s been the biggest bit of gossip since we got back.”

Rayne frowned at that. “What kind of trial?”

“One with a truthsayer,” Axel replied. “They always get one to figure out what actually happened in such cases.”

Rayne’s expression darkened. That was the last thing he wanted.

“What would happen then?” he asked.

Axel simply shrugged at that, as if the question didn’t matter much to him.

“How would I know,” he said. “What I can tell you is that they’re going to be harsh on you. That much should be obvious.”

He leaned forward slightly, his tone turning a bit more serious than before.

“But your merits during the campaign might just save you. Especially if both Captain Edran and Commander Evans decide to pull a few favors. Those two aren’t the type to waste effort on someone they don’t think is worth it, and you’ve already caught their attention. You’ve even been positioned for a promotion,” Axel continued. “For a squad leader.”

Rayne raised an eyebrow at that. “Squad leader?”

Axel let out a short, almost bitter smile.

“Yeah. Every squad lost men in this campaign. A lot of them. Some lost their leaders too. So they’re already deciding who fills those gaps, and your name’s one of the obvious ones. Even with the whole Fredrick situation hanging over your head.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Of course, nothing becomes official until the truthsayers are done with you.”

Rayne leaned back slightly, absorbing that. He should feel excitement over the prospect, but sitting on the bed, he only cared about the invisible noose of the truthsayers he could already feel on his neck.

He stared back at Axel. “Is that why you’re here?” he asked after a moment. “To give me advice from your experience?”

Axel snorted at that, shaking his head. “Not advice,” he said. “More like a warning.”

The man let out a slow breath and glanced around the tent, his eyes briefly passing over the injured soldiers lying in silence around them before returning to Rayne.

“I never liked you,” Axel said plainly. “Don’t like most people either, and you’re no different. But you were still in my squad. That counts for something.”

He leaned forward again, his gaze sharpening.

“So I came here to tell you one thing. Be careful. Very careful.”

Rayne frowned slightly, not interrupting.

“Being a squad leader puts you one step away from noble politics,” Axel went on. “And in your case, it’s not even a step. It’s a straight dive into it. That’s the worst place you can be.”

Rayne exhaled quietly. “I don’t think I like politics.”

Axel let out a short laugh at that. “No one does,” he said. “At least not until they start earning gold from it.”

The faint humor faded quickly from his expression.

“Just understand this,” he added. “You’re going to be targeted more than ever. People will try to undermine you at every turn. Nobles don't even like common blood, and you are a bastard blood of the house that betrayed the kingdom. They would want to skin you alive.”

His gaze held steady on Rayne.

“They’ll try to get rid of you. Not always directly. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not.” He paused for a brief second before finishing, “So do one thing right.”

“And what’s that?” Rayne asked.

“Be careful who you trust in your squad,” he replied calmly. “You don’t get to pick your men, and from my experience, you’re more likely to die from a blade in your sleep than from a charging monster. Especially with the kind of reputation you carry.”

Rayne didn’t respond immediately. The words settled in slowly, but before he could say anything, Axel pushed himself up from the chair, took a step forward, and gave Rayne a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Good luck, bastard,” he said with a faint smirk. “I really want to see if you’re going to surprise me, or just die some pointless death.”

He didn’t wait for an answer.

The next moment, he turned and walked out of the tent, the flap falling shut behind him.

Rayne kept staring at it for a few seconds even after Axel was gone. The silence that followed felt heavy, filled with everything that had just been said.

After a while, he let out a slow breath and leaned back slightly, raising a hand to rub his forehead.

Why did it always end up like this?

No matter where he went, no matter what he did, things only seemed to grow more complicated. He had been given a second chance at life, yet somehow, it had placed him in an even worse position than before. A bastard of a fallen house, dragged into the dungeons, and now standing on the edge of noble politics with a trial waiting for him.

He let out a quiet sigh.

There was no point thinking about why anymore. That question had no answer he could use.

Instead, he closed his eyes and began to sort through everything Axel had told him. Out of all of it, the trial with the truthsayers stood out the most. That was the real problem.

If things went wrong there, nothing else would matter. Promotion, merits, even the support from Edran and Evans—none of it would save him.

He needed to understand what he was dealing with first.

They wouldn’t drag him into a trial immediately. The army would have to move first, probably toward a major city. If he was right, they would probably take him to the capital for something like this. That meant he had time. Not much, but enough to think, to prepare, and to figure out a way through it.

For now, though, there was nothing more he could do about it.

So he shifted his focus.

Rayne turned his attention inward, reaching for the presence he had felt since he woke up. The moment he did, the notifications waiting at the back of his mind surged forward all at once.

At once, he froze as lines of messages appeared.

You have slain Undead x23. You have slain Undead (modified) x7. You have slain Exploding birds x5. You have slain [Half-lich Necromancer] x1. You have slain [Noble Warrior] x1.

You have gained adequate experience.

You have levelled up the skill Paralysis Resistance. Level 2 reached.

You have levelled up the skill Pain Tolerance. Level 4 reached.

You have levelled up the skill Danger Sense. Level 2 reached.

Class Upgrade conditions met!

You have levelled up past the first wall. Please select a class among the given options to gain the experience.

Current options: 3.

Death Knight (Uncommon).

Arcane Duelist (Uncommon).

War Weaver (Rare)

Skill stealer activated.

+5 points in Arcane.

+3 in Strength.

+2 in Vitality

+1 in Agility.

You have stolen the skill Analysis (Rare). The skill has been registered as a new skill.

You have gained the title [Gravewalker] after repeatedly kicking death in the face, and rising stronger even when others expect you to have died. The title has been registered as a new title.

***

Volume 1 is almost over with only epilogues left.