[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-reborn-king":3,"chapter-the-reborn-king-the-reborn-king-chapter-457":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Reborn King",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1100640,1437,"Chapter 457: Safe Return Home","the-reborn-king-chapter-457",457,"\u003Cp>\"Horace.\" Charles’ panicked voice echoed throughout the forest, followed by the thunderous footsteps of his Uneyilding close behind. They quickly spread out, forming a perimeter around them. Lifting his head, Horace pulled his coat a little, revealing the shivering Astrid. She had lost her voice from how much she had been screaming, but her bloodshot eyes and pained expression told Charles enough. Crouching down, he carefully grabbed her hand and grit his teeth. \"She needs treatment.\" Reaching into his pouch, he looked around without anything to treat the wound; all he could do was grab a herb with paralytic properties he used after battle. Grinding it up with his gingers, he added a little saliva and carefully applied it to the wound. Astrid flinched, but Charles didn’t let her move, grabbing her arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take her.\" With a tired voice, Horace tried to push himself up but struggled. Giving up, he collapsed on the filthy floor, not even registering the filthiness of the act. \"Leave me here for a while. I wanna sleep. I’ll deal with whatever comes after.\" Looking at Horace, Charles had a conflicted look, but eventually agreed. Taking off the coat he was wearing, he wrapped Astrid up and picked her up, making sure not to aggravate her wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Horace.\" Charles paused before he walked off, his eyes staring at James’ corpse. \"Where is the other who was with him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gone. Search for him if you want. His name is Luca, but if it was a real one, I dunno.\" Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath. He hadn’t rested previously because of Astrid’s cries. With a pounding headache, all he wanted was some sleep before going back to work. He didn’t blame the girl, but it still annoyed him how long it lasted. Charles sighed, knowing Horace didn’t wish to say more at the moment and walked off, leaving an Unyielding soldier to guard him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-----------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alfred,\" Running into his office, Issac smiled, but avoided eye contact, \"She has been found. Charles has just returned.\" Alfred pushed up from the chair and ran out, Issac giving chase, and carried on. \"I must warn you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough.\" Alfred didn’t wish to hear more, unable to take any more bad news without seeing it first. Running in the halls, the servants all moved out of his way, and by the front door, he saw Charles holding Astrid. Nearly tripping over himself, he dashed in front of them and pulled the coat that was covering his daughter. \"My poor girl.\" Her hair was filthy and dry, her skin cracked and covered in a layer of grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid opened her eyes, tearing up again, reaching out for Alfred. \"Da...\" Her voice was quiet, near inaudible. Seeing her missing finger, he froze, taking a few deep breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shhh. Don’t worry. You’re safe.\" Turning to Issac, the gentleness he looked at Astrid vanished, replaced with an intense fury, \"Get the doctor, now.\" Issac didn’t bow, not wishing to waste a second, and ran off. Looking back at Astrid, he couldn’t hide his fury anymore, carefully taking her from Charles’s hands. \"You were brave, braver than I have ever been.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding her, Astrid could feel his racing heart, and although she could tell Alfred was mad, it was soothing. The pain subsided a little in his embrace, one she had never received from him before, finally letting her close her eyes and relax a little. \"I...\" Her weak voice entered his ear, her words not properly forming. \"Scared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alfred opened his mouth to talk, his bottom lip quivering. Gulping, he tightened his embrace, \"Don’t be. You’re safe. I promise you.\" Staring into Charles’ eyes, the fury froze over, a deep cold malice taking over, \"Where is Horace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Injured and resting where we found her. He killed one of the kidnappers, the other fleeing.\" Alfred nodded and tightened his hold again. From behind, he heard Issac return with the doctor. Spinning around, he marched forward and held her out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Treat her. If you fail...\" He didn’t finish, but the doctor, having spent years with Alfred, knew well enough what he meant. With a calmness built up over years of service, he took the girl and slowly walked off. Astrid stared. Alfred saw her wish to return to him and had to turn away, knowing her treatment came first. When she was gone, no one spoke, only Alfred grinding his teeth, making a sound. After a few seconds, he gnashed his teeth and let out a deep, hate-filled breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Constance.\" Curling his fist, his nails dug into his palm, almost drawing blood, \"Julius.\" Turning to face Charles, he struggled to get the words out, \"I want them dead. Their homes, their legacy, their people. I want it razed. I want no one to dare think they can do something like this to me. To my family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alfred..\" Charles cut in, trying to calm his friend down, but Alfred didn’t even care, fixated on his desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They came to my home. Took my daughter’s finger. MY DAUGHTERS!\" Alfred screamed, his voice echoing through the halls. Any servant nearby quickly ran off, knowing this wasn’t something they should be hearing. Even the Unyerilding, who never showed emotion, tensed a little. With a few deep breaths, the popping veins subsided. \"I didn’t want war. Every single time, they provoked me. And now they mutilate my family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles stayed silent in the face of Alfred’s hypocrisy, knowing it wasn’t the time or place. Closing his eyes for a second, Alfred collected himself as best as he could. Opening his eyes, he stared at the man opposite, \"I’m done.\" His word came out like a growl, \"No more plots, no more hiding. When they come, burn them all. Not one shall live. I promise you this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As you command. Your Majesty.\" After a few seconds of silence, that was all Charles could say. In the face of Alfred’s overwhelming anger, reason, comfort, or advice wouldn’t help him. All he wanted and needed was complete and utter obedience, proof he was still in control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Summon Marcus, Catherine, Abu, Horace and William. His retirement is over for the moment.\" Turning around, he rushed to the room Astrid was taken to. Charles finally could breathe a sigh of relief with him gone and looked around. The few servants that remained, watching from behind corners, ducked away as soon as their eyes met Charles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>----------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles knocked on the door to Sira’s room. The door opened soon after, and Isra stood with an annoyed look at having been bothered so late. \"Charles. This is hardly the time or place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forgive me, but this is important.\" Looking behind her, he smiled, \"May I?\" Rolling her eyes, Isra pushed the door open and let him in, a Royal Guard following right behind him. \"The Princess was found.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good.\" Charles could tell Isra didn’t care, her dislike for the bastards being an open secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But she lost a finger.\" Isra froze, frowning at the thought. Even if she hated the twins, it didn’t mean she liked the idea of them being mutilated. She could already imagine how brutally it was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How is Alfred?\" Isra asked, picturing her husband’s rage. Charles clenched his fists behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s the problem. He isn’t simply mad. He is saying dangerous things. Very dangerous, Your Majesty. Whilst I wouldn’t care usually, with Severia’s invasion imminent, we need him in his right mind, not fueled by revenge.\" Charles honestly spoke, not caring if it was leaked back to Alfred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want me to calm him?\" Turning to face him, Charles nodded. Isra sighed and fell backwards onto her bed, \"Charles. When Chris died, he schismsed. Of course, we already planned to, but he rushed it to spite his enemy when he couldn’t invade them. Nothing I said would have stopped that. What do you want from me now? Normally, it would be fine, but right now, I can only imagine what is going on in his mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please. Just try. We need him at his best.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will, but it will have to wait. Alfred will want to be alone with Astrid for a while, and my presence will only make things worse.\" Isra waved her hand, sighing again. She rubbed her eyes, then closed them, curling up over the covers. \"Get out, I want to sleep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles bowed and quickly left, closing the door behind him. With a deep breath, he walked to Issac’s office. Letting himself in, he wasn’t surprised that he was still awake, the deep bags under his eyes proof of how many sleepless nights he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"War?\" Issac asked with a tired voice. Charles moved to the drink cabinet and pulled a bottle and two glasses, pouring out drinks for them. Looking at the work on his desk, Issac scoffed and pushed it aside, pulling out his pipe and filling it with herbs. Lighting it, he took a drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles took a sip and leaned back in his chair, \"Yeah. Unavoidable now. Alfred won’t have anything else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was always the plan.\" Issac took a sip of the drink, enjoying its warmth, \"But I assume things have changed slightly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\" The two sat in silence, sipping their drinks and enjoying the moment of peace. They both felt the pressure of the situation, and part of them wanted nothing more than to run away from the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>",1570,"2026-06-03T11:17:51.400Z","2026-06-03T11:17:48.775Z",1,"novelbin.me","964e177746f086a1963b472a671a23df35ce64d54c7ebf7668660dd1df48c209","the-reborn-king-chapter-458","the-reborn-king-chapter-456",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-reborn-king-cover.jpg"]