The Path of Ruin-Chapter 113: The Summary of a Summary

"I see."

Hakon had clearly seen that Kael had changed his mind at the last minute. He could guess what was going through his mind. However, just as he had said before, he chose to respect his decision.

"I'll write the recommendation letter. My position in the department is quite high, so you'll be accepted without any issues."

With that, he stood up.

"Follow me."

Kael nodded, and they walked towards the trio waiting for them and Emila.

Hakon handled the situation swiftly. He told the three department representatives that Kael had made his choice and they could leave, but he didn't provide any further details. Major Peter, Avelin, and Colonel Tommy seemed a bit… uneasy when they realized they wouldn't be able to find out which department Kael had chosen. But they didn't say anything.

Or rather… couldn't say anything?

Hakon was someone even this trio was wary of.

Seeing such things, Kael grew even more curious about exactly what kind of person he was. Yes, he was General Loukan's most trusted man and a commander… and Kael had recently learned he worked for a rather important and shadowy department, but he sensed there was more to him than met the eye.

Hakon… wasn't simply a powerful man. He was much more than that. Kael was certain of it.

"Emila, put Kael's files on hold for now. I'm going to place him in the Shadow Recon Division. Once the procedures are complete, you'll handle whatever needs to be done."

"Oh."

After hearing Hakon's words, Emila shot Kael a look that was almost… pitiful.

"I thought you didn't want to send your one and only student into that cesspool when you let him meet with the other department representatives."

Hakon shrugged as his smile widened.

"I wasn't going to, actually. But he asked for it."

With that, the pitying expression on Emila's face grew even worse. She was looking at him like she was looking at a lunatic. As if she couldn't believe Kael actually wanted to join that department.

"Like master like disciple, I guess... Both complete lunatics..."

Kael, however, said nothing despite seeing this. The more he learned about the Shadow Recon Division, the more he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake. But he'd made his decision, and he wasn't turning back.

Having shown no mercy to anyone up until now, he had no right to show mercy to himself.

"Whatever. You may go, then."

As Emila waved them towards the door, Hakon thanked her as usual. Then, with Kael behind him, he left the room as instructed.

As they walked through the palace corridors, Kael was silent. Hakon, however, was whistling carelessly. This continued until the two reached Hakon's office.

When they stepped into the office, Hakon pulled a completely blank sheet of paper from his desk drawer and began writing something, paying no attention to Kael's presence.

Kael, however…

"Hey, Hakon…"

Hakon paused. He lifted his gaze from the paper in front of him and turned it towards Kael, who was standing before him.

"Hm?"

Then he paused again and, as if suddenly remembering something, tapped his hand against his palm.

"Right, I told you I'd have a gift for you!"

When Kael nodded, Hakon grinned slyly.

"Lately, we've been pretending to everyone that you're my disciple so that you'll look good. Seeing how much you've improved recently, I thought, actually... why not?"

Kael couldn't help but stare blankly at Hakon.

"So we can stop pretending now. I'm going to make you my disciple."

After processing what he'd heard, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening slightly.

At first… he'd expected a more 'physical' gift. Just like his new daggers. Maybe he'd get some armor. He'd heard rumors about magical items here and there, so he'd thought maybe he'd get something like that, but… the situation was different.

To become Hakon's true disciple?

This… though very different from what he'd imagined, was actually a far more valuable gift!

"Wait, so… you're going to teach me everything you know. I didn't misunderstand, did I?"

Hakon raised his thumb and nodded.

"Bingo!"

"So, you're admitting that saying there was nothing left to teach me before was a lie?"

Without hesitation, Hakon nodded again, shamelessly.

"Exactly!"

"…"

Kael couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Hakon…"

"Nuh-uh!"

Hakon crossed his arms and shook his head vigorously from side to side.

"From now on, you'll call me Master!"

"…"

Kael didn't even flinch. He showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Master…"

"Yes, my dear disciple!"

"Fuck you."

Hakon kept smiling without changing his expression one bit.

"Such lovely words from my one and only disciple! I'm so proud!"

And Kael… realized that no matter what he said, everything that came out of his mouth would please a demonic maniac like Hakon... So he decided to stop trying.

Hakon, in turn, turned back to the paper in front of him.

"Go to your room. Or go for a walk outside—do whatever you want for now. By tomorrow, my recommendation letter will be processed and your admission to the department will be approved. Around evening, we'll head to the Shadow Recon Division, and I'll show you around. After that… we'll decide what we'll do in the coming days."

"Alright…"

Hakon turned back to the paper in front of him and continued writing whatever he was writing. Kael, meanwhile, turned around and walked towards the door. He opened it and stepped outside…

But then he stopped.

After standing there motionless for a few seconds, he took a step back. He closed the door he'd opened.

"Hak- Master." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Hakon turned back to him, raising one eyebrow slightly as he looked at him.

"Now, if you truly see me as your disciple… I suppose you can answer the questions I'm about to ask. At least, if I haven't misunderstood the master-disciple relationship."

"Hm? Go ahead?"

"Who exactly... are you?"

"...?"

Hakon continued to stare at his face without saying a word. And Kael let out a soft sigh.

"I keep getting the feeling you're someone important. More than just a commander under General Loukan's orders, even. The Marshal showed you respect, you can come and go as you please in the palace, and the guards don't question a thing. Setting that aside, I can see certain things myself. That's why… I'm curious."

"…"

"Who exactly is the man I'm a disciple of? Why does everyone… seem to be wary of him? I'm curious."

"Haaa…"

Hakon set down the pen in his hand. He leaned back as far as he could. So much so that his chair was tilting at an abnormal angle. But he didn't seem to care; he fixed his gaze on the ceiling as if deep in thought.

Kael waited silently. He could see what Hakon was thinking. It seemed he was wavering over whether or not to give him what he wanted.

But then, the deep, unsettling silence that had settled over the room was suddenly broken.

"I think I can summarize it."

Hakon slowly straightened up. As he tore his eyes away from the ceiling, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. But it was different from the smile Kael was used to seeing—different even from the one in Emila's room that had felt so peculiar. His eyes were on him, yet he seemed to be lost in a place far, far away.

Kael swallowed involuntarily. And Hakon continued.

"I was the illegitimate prince of the Kingdom of Flencar—a name you might have heard of."

Kael couldn't help but widen his eyes at what he heard.

'A… prince? Wait, wait, wait… What the hell?!'

Was Hakon a prince? Even if he was illegitimate, was this devilish man really a prince?!

"The kingdom eventually fell due to being constantly at war. As an illegitimate prince, I was forced to flee. I lived in the forest for nearly four years, hunting for food, because I feared being killed. Later, I found myself in the middle of a battlefield and was captured by one of the warring factions. They didn't realize I was a prince; they just shoved a sword into my hand and told me to fight."

Kael nodded obediently, prompting him to continue.

"During the war, I became a Follower as I already had a blessing from my royal blood. Anyway, I met Lady Semira and General Loukan. I grew stronger and more skilled. Then the Empire arrived. It annexed the kingdom where I had served, and when General Loukan decided to join the Imperial army, I followed him."

Hakon narrowed his eyes, but he didn't stop. On the contrary, he continued speaking more smoothly.

"At that time, the Empire hadn't yet taken its current name; it was simply known as the Nameless Kingdom. It hadn't yet begun implementing practical systems like departments. For that reason, especially as members of one of the army's earliest units, we rose quickly. We became part of the first departments established. You could say I'm one of the founding members of the Shadow Recon Division."

So… did a large part of Hakon's position stem from this? From being one of the founding members of a department like the Shadow Recon Division?

"Over the years, I've handled countless dirty jobs for the Empire. And when I became a Seeker… I actually realized I could take revenge. I investigated the Flencar Kingdom and identified those who brought about its downfall. Then, even though I hadn't received orders from the Empire, I killed them one by one to sought out revenge. I'm the assassin of three kings and one queen."

Kael had to force himself not to drop his jaw. Thanks to the woman who was their enemy in the Halve Barony and Amar, he'd witnessed a Seeker's power firsthand. But killing four rulers… that seemed a bit... much…?

"My camouflage ability was a huge help, but don't think it was easy. Killing those four rulers took me a year and a half. Planning the best strategy, waiting for the right moment, trying not to get caught… Well, I eventually succeeded. I presented their heads to the Emperor, then revealed my true identity as an illegitimate prince."

'Holy shit! What the fuck am I even listening to? Is all of this even real?!'

It felt as if he was listening to an exaggerated fairy tale. Everything Hakon described was incredibly epic, but... there was no reason for him to be lying. So everything was most likely the truth.

"The Emperor granted me a few special privileges; my status is slightly higher than it normally would be because of this. After that, I became a hot topic, and everyone started hearing about my achievements. As they accumulated, there was hardly anyone left who hadn't heard my name, and everyone started to fear me. That's pretty much the main story."

Hakon… had truly given him a 'summary.' The number of details he'd skipped, the things he hadn't mentioned, was quite substantial…

But Kael didn't care.

"I… see…"

It was enough to satisfy most of his curiosity.

"Even though there's now a master-disciple relationship between us, there are still many things I can't tell you, Kael. Sorry about that. My life… is filled with things not worth telling, or things I simply don't want to share with anyone."

It would be a lie to say he wasn't eager to hear more… but Kael knew where to draw the line. Even this story—which could be called the summary of a summary of a summary—was enough for him, at least for now.

"When the time comes and you've risen in rank, you'll be able to learn more about me from the archives, but perhaps that's why you should prioritize your own growth as much as possible."

"I will."

Hakon smiled. He picked up the pen he'd set down, shifting his focus back from Kael to the paper in front of him.

"Then go. As I said, we'll discuss the important matters tomorrow. First, I need to prepare and submit the recommendation letter."

Kael nodded. Then, without any hesitation this time, he left Hakon's office, leaving him alone to get his work done.