"Your Highness."
Krald's adjutant, who had been watching the soldiers pass through the gate, opened his mouth cautiously.
“The capital gate is completely closed. That gate is never closed... Why is it?”
The gatekeepers closed the great gate after all of Krald's men had entered. It was a gate through which people from all provinces came and went day and night, and it was never closed unless there was an imminent war. No one in Rotair could be unaware of this.
After hearing the adjutant's words, Krald looked back with a frown. Sure enough, the door was completely closed, and the gatekeepers were standing guard in front of it. Krald snorted.
“Leave it alone. What does it matter whether they close the door or not?”
“But, my lord, there is one case in which you must retreat. If the gate is closed, then there is time...”
“You idiot! What kind of nonsense are you talking about!”
Krald looked so angry that he looked like he might throw his adjutant off his horse at any moment. The words retreat and defeat were not in his head.
He had not anticipated such a possibility at all. He was determined to achieve his goal today. It wouldn't take long for the Alliance reinforcements to arrive. However, they would have to be content with just mopping up the dregs.
As they drew nearer to the palace, Krald's condition rapidly became unstable. He was clearly not in his right mind, overwhelmed by anxiety, pressure, and an unnatural excitement. The sound of the horses' hooves and the footsteps of the soldiers grew louder and faster. When the closed Corne Hall finally came into view, Krald's eyes turned bloodshot.
“Kill everything you see! It doesn’t matter who they are, just kill them!”
Krald raised his sword and shouted in a fit of rage. It was at that moment. His mind, which seemed to have lost a single shred of reason, suddenly seemed to have become completely blank. Krald turned his head here and there on his horse, which was now running so fast that it could not be stopped. Why is it so quiet?
“Your Highness! All the rear gates are closed!”
A nobleman running from behind shouted in an urgent voice. Krald's eyes dazzled and moved. The adjutant running beside him also looked around in confusion.
“Your Highness, something is strange. I don’t see a single soldier from the palace.”
Krald's eyes rolled back and forth. This was certainly strange. This many soldiers had appeared in the center of the palace, and no one was stopping them? The gatekeepers might be, but where did all the soldiers guarding the palace go? Where were the King's soldiers?
“What does it matter? We’re better off without the soldiers. You idiots, you think nothing will happen because it’s the King’s funeral!”
“Your Highness, that can’t be! Even if soldiers can do that, the Knights of the Combler Order aren’t that lazy! It could be a trap by the Crown Prince, so change the subject for a moment and...!”
“Be quiet! Be quiet! Say that nonsense where I can’t hear you!”
The whip struck the horse's rump hard. Along with that, a howl burst out of Krald's mouth. It was impossible to tell who was howling. It was at that moment that the door to Corne Hall, which had been closed the whole time, opened.
“They’re archers!”
There was a series of thud, thud sounds, followed by someone shouting.
“It’s the roof of the palace! And on the walls!”
“It’s a trap!”
The adjutant riding along with Krald raised his head and opened his mouth in shock. The roof and walls of the palace, where there had been nothing, were now filled with archers with their bows drawn.
“What the...! Since when did the Rotair Army have archers?”
The most bewildered were the nobles who were of military origin, watching the soldiers fall to the arrows flying like rain. Since this was a country that had not been at war for a long time, except for the Comblers, Rotair's army was practically nothing more than a defense force. When and who on earth had such a large number of skilled archers?
It was Bartholomew who trained the archers of the roof. Years ago, he had preached to King Jedercayer about why Rotair's soldiers should learn archery. It was a conversation he had once had with Franz.
"I don't know if it's a field battle, but if you're waging a siege, not being able to handle a bow could be a huge weakness."
Although the King had not considered the possibility of a siege at the time, he felt that Bartholomew's suggestion that the army needed to be reorganized made sense.
After that, Bartholomew received orders from the King to gather soldiers who showed talent in archery and secretly trained them. The King and the Duke of Vergy prevented the news from spreading outside in case of an emergency. So even if he was a military officer, he could not help but be flustered.
“This is a big problem, Your Highness! The palace soldiers!”
Just as the arrows that were pouring down like a torrential downpour seemed to have finally stopped, Krald's private soldiers were surrounded on all sides by the palace soldiers who had been hiding. However, Krald did not stop talking. He was in a state where he could not stop.
“Just kill the Crown Prince! Kill the Crown Prince!”
Krald, his lieutenants, and several soldiers cut down the soldiers blocking their way and then rode into Corne Hall. They looked like they were running away to avoid a fight, but it didn’t matter. There was a thud as the door closed. Beyond that, the sound of weapons clashing and screams were loud.
Krald looked around the Corne Hall with bloodshot eyes. The flower-covered coffin of the King, the armed nobles surrounding it with swords, and the bewildered Queen Gilsis came into view one after another.
“Krald...!”
The Queen’s body fell to the ground. Krald, gritting his teeth so hard that it made a cracking sound, jumped down from his horse with his sword drawn. Then, sword blades rising from all directions simultaneously aimed at him. Krald paid no attention, raised his sword, and advanced. His goal, his target, was only one person.
Franz Jederkayer.
If only you weren't here.
Krald, who had been crying in an unintelligible voice, charged at Franz with his sword raised. Almost reflexively, Franz straightened his sword and blocked the first attack. The floor of the Corne Hall was smooth marble. If he had even made a slight misstep, he could have been finished.
“I will kill you! I will kill you! I will become King!”
The momentum with which Krald charged was merciless. His skills were neither rational nor outstanding, but Franz still felt that he was in danger. This was because Krald did not try to defend himself as usual.
Rather than being prepared to die, he simply had no other thoughts than to kill Franz. He didn't even consider the injuries he might sustain in the process.
“Beg for your life! Beg for your life! Hurry up!”
It was as heavy as a black rock that was being swung down with all its might. Franz kicked Krald's side with his foot, deflecting the sword that had been aimed at the center of his head.
With a groan, his body staggered, but he did not fall. Krald, who supported his body with the tip of his sword, jumped in again with his eyes wide open. The sound of the blades clashing was as loud as thunder. At that moment, Franz’s body hit King Jedercayer’s coffin.
'This!'
There was a moment of gap. Krald’s hands, which were holding the handle together, trembled, and then flew straight toward Franz’s arm, who had not yet taken a defensive stance. He quickly turned around, holding the coffin with one hand, and raised his sword, but the tip barely grazed the side of his arm.
There was a bang!
Krald pulled out the sword stuck in the bottom of the coffin and threw his shoulder back to rush at the hesitant Franz. Franz frowned and raised his sword diagonally to counterattack.
“Ugh...”
Krald's body trembled as he raised his sword above his head. His knees, which had been bent to rush forward, gave way and he fell to the floor.
“Krald! Aaak!”
Queen Gilsis's scream hit Franz's cheek hard as he stood there dumbfounded. Only then did Franz come to his senses and look at the scene before his eyes again. Krald's sword, which had been raised toward the air, rolled down the floor with a clattering sound. His eyes had completely rolled back, and now his pupils were invisible.
Dump!
Krald's convulsing body fell forward. A short dagger was deeply embedded in the back of his neck. The person who had stabbed him was...
“...Judith.”
Franz called her in disbelief. Judith’s hands, dressed in black mourning clothes, were soaked in blood. Her face and the nape of her neck were a mess, covered in blood from Krald, but Judith didn’t care. Her gaze, looking down at Krald, who had twitched and then stopped moving, was cold and heartless, like looking at a dead bug.
Judith looked at Queen Gilsis, who was trembling with a bewildered expression. Then she slowly approached the fallen Krald and pulled out the dagger stuck in his neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the Queen screamed again. However, Judith paid no attention and pushed Krald's body over with her foot.
“Judith!”
Franz shouted in surprise, but he could not stop Judith's actions. Judith held the dagger's blade straight down, dripping blood, and plunged it straight into Krald's chest.
The Queen was so stunned that she couldn't even scream anymore. There was a cracking sound, and the feeling of the tip of the sword digging into Krald's heart passed through her fingertips, into her palm, her shoulder, and deep into her chest. Judith leaned in as if to kiss him.
“I have decided that I will kill you with my own hands.”
Judith whispered softly, but Krald did not move an inch.
“From the moment you tried to insult me until this moment today, I have lived waiting only for this.”
“...”
“Just watch over your mother’s final path.”
Judith slowly raised her head. Her blood-covered eyes blinked absentmindedly. Franz seemed to be running towards her very slowly. And then the world went dark.
“Ugh...”
Krald's body trembled as he raised his sword above his head. His knees, which had been bent to rush forward, gave way and he fell to the floor.
“Krald! Aaak!”
Queen Gilsis's scream hit Franz's cheek hard as he stood there dumbfounded. Only then did Franz come to his senses and look at the scene before his eyes again. Krald's sword, which had been raised toward the air, rolled down the floor with a clattering sound. His eyes had completely rolled back, and now his pupils were invisible.
Dump!
Krald's convulsing body fell forward. A short dagger was deeply embedded in the back of his neck. The person who had stabbed him was...
“...Judith.”
Franz called her in disbelief. Judith’s hands, dressed in black mourning clothes, were soaked in blood. Her face and the nape of her neck were a mess, covered in blood from Krald, but Judith didn’t care. Her gaze, looking down at Krald, who had twitched and then stopped moving, was cold and heartless, like looking at a dead bug.
Judith looked at Queen Gilsis, who was trembling with a bewildered expression. Then she slowly approached the fallen Krald and pulled out the dagger stuck in his neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the Queen screamed again. However, Judith paid no attention and pushed Krald's body over with her foot.
“Judith!”
Franz shouted in surprise, but he could not stop Judith's actions. Judith held the dagger's blade straight down, dripping blood, and plunged it straight into Krald's chest.
The Queen was so stunned that she couldn't even scream anymore. There was a cracking sound, and the feeling of the tip of the sword digging into Krald's heart passed through her fingertips, into her palm, her shoulder, and deep into her chest. Judith leaned in as if to kiss him.
“I have decided that I will kill you with my own hands.”
Judith whispered softly, but Krald did not move an inch.
“From the moment you tried to insult me until this moment today, I have lived waiting only for this.”
“...”
“Just watch over your mother’s final path.”
Judith slowly raised her head. Her blood-covered eyes blinked absentmindedly. Franz seemed to be running towards her very slowly. And then the world went dark.
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