Doo doo doo doo!
“Good.”
The royal guards exchanged glances.
“No need to bother coming in, we’ll send you out. Get your bows ready.”
“Huh? Bows?”
The workers waved their hands in surprise.
In the meantime, the guards brought a lantern hanging at the entrance and lit an arrow wrapped in oiled cloth.
“Ah! No! Fire!”
The workers realized what the guards were trying to do and shouted desperately.
However, the arrow flew through the air without mercy.
Pfft! Clink!
The arrow flew through the window.
Whoosh!
The curtain caught fire and burst into flames.
“Ah! Fire!”
“No more! Why are you setting fire to our innocent inn! Stop it! Please!”
“Get out. It’s annoying.”
The guards pushed the workers away and continued shooting the burning arrows.
Pfft! Hurrrrr!
Flames erupted here and there. The swell of heat spread to curtains, carpets, and other flammable items.
“Oh my! There’s a fire!”
“Fire! Fire!”
“Bring the buckets of water! Where on earth is the fire coming from!”
Along with the flames, a commotion spread.
The royal guards stood still and drew their weapons. They intended to cut down the number of people running outside.
“...?”
However, most of the people running barefoot inside the building were workers.
“They wouldn’t be sleeping around at this hour... Why?”
The guards exchanged glances again.
The workers were busy carrying buckets of water and putting out the fire. Someone ran to wake up the owner who lived in another house.
“Isn’t there one?”
Tiwakan had rented the entire place.
The King of Sharka decided to strike first before the appointed time for today.
However, it seemed Tiwakan had already left.
“Damn it... I have to go inside and check.”
“Damn it.”
The royal guards reluctantly walked toward the inn they had set on fire with their own hands.
As expected, Tiwakan was gone.
The midnight moon rose.
Corpses piled up on the deserted beach not far from the inn.
The corpses were the royal guards who had set the inn on fire.
“Did we miss anything?”
Black asked, wiping the blood off his sword.
“No. Nothing.”
“Anyone injured?”
“Not bad enough to call them injured. Just a cut.”
“Good.”
Black turned his head to the moon, judging the time.
“Four hours until sunrise. Where did Fermos say he was?”
Bang!
Randall snatched the spear he was holding and, without changing direction, stabbed the guard in the neck. The guard fell without a scream.
“What the...?...Ugh...”
Another guard raised his spear and rushed at them. But Klima was faster. With his pale face and sweat dripping down his body, Klima grabbed the guard’s elbow from behind.
“Good job.”
In the brief pause between movements, Randall struck his neck with the tip of his spear.
In an instant, the two guards fell.
“Do you know where the Queen’s quarters are?”
Randall asked, taking off his helmet. It was certainly impossible to keep a helmet on inside the main palace. Klima followed Randall and took off his helmet.
“Princess, just keep it on. If you know the way, go ahead.”
“Yes. I know. This way.”
The villa was not small, but it was not difficult to find a place you had been to before. At least, it was much easier than finding your way through the labyrinth hidden behind nine waterfalls.
Liene began to walk quickly, following her memory.
The sound of galloping horses spread across the quiet beach after the sunset.
The sound started out small but soon became so loud that it hurt your ears.
"There it is!"
The sound of horse hooves continued to a large and magnificent inn building, just like any castle.
The lights were already on in every room of the luxury inn. The entrance and the spacious garden were all lit up, making it bright as day.
Heeeeeeeing!
The horse neighed harshly as he grabbed the reins.
The ones who had ridden their horses to the inn were the royal guards.
"Open the gate! It's the King's order!"
The guards got off their horses and shouted toward the inside of the inn.
"...Huh? The King's order?"
The workers who were stationed at the inn were startled and came running in a hurry.
"Open the gate! The people who are staying here? Where are they?"
“The guests are in their rooms. But why is our inn under the King’s command..”
The sound started out small but soon became so loud that it hurt your ears.
"There it is!"
The sound of horse hooves continued to a large and magnificent inn building, just like any castle.
The lights were already on in every room of the luxury inn. The entrance and the spacious garden were all lit up, making it bright as day.
Heeeeeeeing!
The horse neighed harshly as he grabbed the reins.
The ones who had ridden their horses to the inn were the royal guards.
"Open the gate! It's the King's order!"
The guards got off their horses and shouted toward the inside of the inn.
"...Huh? The King's order?"
The workers who were stationed at the inn were startled and came running in a hurry.
"Open the gate! The people who are staying here? Where are they?"
“The guests are in their rooms. But why is our inn under the King’s command..”
“Good.”
The royal guards exchanged glances.
“No need to bother coming in, we’ll send you out. Get your bows ready.”
“Huh? Bows?”
The workers waved their hands in surprise.
In the meantime, the guards brought a lantern hanging at the entrance and lit an arrow wrapped in oiled cloth.
“Ah! No! Fire!”
The workers realized what the guards were trying to do and shouted desperately.
However, the arrow flew through the air without mercy.
Pfft! Clink!
The arrow flew through the window.
Whoosh!
The curtain caught fire and burst into flames.
“Ah! Fire!”
“No more! Why are you setting fire to our innocent inn! Stop it! Please!”
“Get out. It’s annoying.”
The guards pushed the workers away and continued shooting the burning arrows.
Pfft! Hurrrrr!
Flames erupted here and there. The swell of heat spread to curtains, carpets, and other flammable items.
“Oh my! There’s a fire!”
“Fire! Fire!”
“Bring the buckets of water! Where on earth is the fire coming from!”
Along with the flames, a commotion spread.
The royal guards stood still and drew their weapons. They intended to cut down the number of people running outside.
“...?”
However, most of the people running barefoot inside the building were workers.
“They wouldn’t be sleeping around at this hour... Why?”
The guards exchanged glances again.
The workers were busy carrying buckets of water and putting out the fire. Someone ran to wake up the owner who lived in another house.
“Isn’t there one?”
Tiwakan had rented the entire place.
The King of Sharka decided to strike first before the appointed time for today.
However, it seemed Tiwakan had already left.
“Damn it... I have to go inside and check.”
“Damn it.”
The royal guards reluctantly walked toward the inn they had set on fire with their own hands.
As expected, Tiwakan was gone.
***
The midnight moon rose.
Corpses piled up on the deserted beach not far from the inn.
The corpses were the royal guards who had set the inn on fire.
“Did we miss anything?”
Black asked, wiping the blood off his sword.
“No. Nothing.”
“Anyone injured?”
“Not bad enough to call them injured. Just a cut.”
“Good.”
Black turned his head to the moon, judging the time.
“Four hours until sunrise. Where did Fermos say he was?”
“Four hours should be enough. He should be at the border.”
“That’s just the right time.”
Black pointed to the corpses of the guards.
“Change your armor. We’ll start first.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Tiwakan quickly changed his armor with the corpses. The armor of the Sharka royal guards was light compared to Tiwakan’s. Wearing a helmet and a cloak, Tiwakan became a royal guard like no other.
He occasionally complained that his shoes didn’t fit, but since there were twice as many corpses anyway, he would eventually find a pair that fit.
“...I’ll wear them too.”
Black turned his shoulders abruptly at the voice that suddenly came from behind him.
His mouth tightened.
“Where did you come from? I told you not to be near me.”
There was no need for Liene to see the body being disposed of. She was supposed to be with Klima in a safe place, but Liene did not stay still.
“I can’t do that. This isn’t a war you’re fighting alone. Dress me up too. I don’t know how to dress it up.”
“No. It’s a nuisance.”
Black deliberately cut her off coldly.
“I know. You don’t need me right now. Maybe I should have been in Nauk. But it’s more dangerous for me to hide somewhere alone. It’s war from now on. No one knows what might happen.”
“What I need right now is for you to be safe.”
“Yes. That’s why. That’s why I’m going with you. Think about it. That’s why we started the war. We’re trying to find the ring. I can’t fight like you, but I can find the ring.”
“That’s not a reason to dress you in armor, Princess.”
“If I wear armor, I can be in front of you. You can always check if I’m safe.”
“That’s...”
Black let out a breath.
“Princess. I...”
“The safest place for me to be is next to you, right? Isn’t that right?”
“...”
Black’s brow furrowed.
It was not that he didn’t know what Liene was talking about.
When he set out for Sharka, he didn’t know that finding the ring would lead to war. If he had known, he wouldn’t have even thought of coming with Liene.
But now that they were together, if he didn’t hurry, she would be chased by the royal guards.
In this situation, he wasn’t sure whether it was the right choice to keep Liene out of his sight, no matter how safe the place was. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened to her either.
“..You mustn’t forget. The Princess’s life is my life.”
That was much heavier and more poignant than saying that nothing should happen.
“I want to say the same thing. Your life is my life. So please protect it.”
In the end, Liene ended up wearing the royal guards’ armor.
It was worth bringing the men’s clothes that the ladies had torn away. It wasn’t so loose that she wore armor over his men’s clothes.
It was more of a problem for Klima than for Liene.
His body was so weak that he could see him staggering in his armor.
However, no one could stop Klima. Klima also remembered clearly what had happened to Liene when he wasn’t around.
Tiwakan, who had become a royal guard, set off for the palace.
It was easy to pass through the gates that he had already experienced.
Once he got the guards to open the gates in their guard uniforms, it was a success. The guards who suspected his identity were quickly beheaded to silence their screams.
Tiwakan went straight to the main palace where the King was. Fortunately, no one had noticed his identity yet, but they would soon find the body.
The plan was to find Bliny before that. The information agent said that Princess Bliny had moved to the main palace after being caught trying to escape.
“I’ll go to Lord Renfell and the villa.”
Liene quickly grabbed Black and said as the path she had been on before was revealed.
The helmet kept pressing down on her head, making it difficult to raise her head, and her cheeks turned red.
Black thought that was unnecessarily cute. Even in the middle of enemy territory.
“...Huh?”
“I have nothing to do from now on. I’ll do what I can.”
Black wiggled his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Isn’t that different from what you said earlier? You said you shouldn’t leave my sight.”
“Shouldn’t we consider it by distance? It’s not that far from here.”
“Why do you want to go to the villa?”
“I need to talk to Queen Dileras.”
“What are you talking about? Even if the Queen of Sharka is more sensible than the King, it’s probably different in this situation.”
“I know that. But there are some areas where Queen Dileras and I have similar interests. I don’t think we can just ignore that.”
Black licked his lips inside his helmet.
“To be honest. Is that why you said you’d come with me?”
“I can’t say there isn’t. But I don’t think what I said was wrong. I think that since we're here, I can do what I have to do.”
“...”
Black said after thinking for a moment.
Soon, a battle would begin where he would have to face a large number of guards. There was no benefit to having Liene.
“Take Randall instead. I can’t compromise on that.”
“Yes.”
He wanted to kiss her anywhere, but it was impossible with his helmet on.
And it would be strange if anyone saw him.
“I’ll kiss you later when I take off my helmet.”
Liene spoke quickly and turned around, but Black grabbed her hand.
“Are you just going to say it and leave?”
“You can’t do it now.”
“...You owe me something.”
“Why do I owe you something?”
“I’ll definitely collect it.”
Black let go of her hand.
“Be safe.”
“Don’t get hurt either.”
Liene and Klima turned around.
Black called Randall and pointed at the two, whispering softly in his ear.
“If Liene gets hurt, you die.”
“...I’ll do my best.”
Randall, who felt goosebumps for a moment, hurriedly followed the two.
Bang! The sound of a sword was heard from somewhere.
Black, who had been watching Liene’s back, turned his head to follow the sound.
“It’s starting.”
It was the beginning of a war.
“It’s His Majesty’s order. He has told you to convey His Majesty’s message.”
The villa was quiet even though it was well past midnight. Most people were asleep, and only the two-night guards guarding the gate were awake.
It seemed that the news from the main palace had not yet been relayed.
“At this hour?”
“I said it was urgent.”
Three guards were suddenly visiting the villa, so it must have been urgent. The guards removed the spear covering the gate without much thought.
Liene and her party were about to enter the villa.
“...Wait a minute.”
However, one of the guards called out to them.
He had better intuition than the others. That’s why they were disappointed.
“Something’s strange... If you’re from the main palace, why are you wearing a helmet? Are you really from the main palace?”
“But.”
Randall calmly replied and grabbed the spear that was tilted toward them.
“Take off your helmet. You can’t hide your face in front of the royal family...”
“That’s just the right time.”
Black pointed to the corpses of the guards.
“Change your armor. We’ll start first.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Tiwakan quickly changed his armor with the corpses. The armor of the Sharka royal guards was light compared to Tiwakan’s. Wearing a helmet and a cloak, Tiwakan became a royal guard like no other.
He occasionally complained that his shoes didn’t fit, but since there were twice as many corpses anyway, he would eventually find a pair that fit.
“...I’ll wear them too.”
Black turned his shoulders abruptly at the voice that suddenly came from behind him.
His mouth tightened.
“Where did you come from? I told you not to be near me.”
There was no need for Liene to see the body being disposed of. She was supposed to be with Klima in a safe place, but Liene did not stay still.
“I can’t do that. This isn’t a war you’re fighting alone. Dress me up too. I don’t know how to dress it up.”
“No. It’s a nuisance.”
Black deliberately cut her off coldly.
“I know. You don’t need me right now. Maybe I should have been in Nauk. But it’s more dangerous for me to hide somewhere alone. It’s war from now on. No one knows what might happen.”
“What I need right now is for you to be safe.”
“Yes. That’s why. That’s why I’m going with you. Think about it. That’s why we started the war. We’re trying to find the ring. I can’t fight like you, but I can find the ring.”
“That’s not a reason to dress you in armor, Princess.”
“If I wear armor, I can be in front of you. You can always check if I’m safe.”
“That’s...”
Black let out a breath.
“Princess. I...”
“The safest place for me to be is next to you, right? Isn’t that right?”
“...”
Black’s brow furrowed.
It was not that he didn’t know what Liene was talking about.
When he set out for Sharka, he didn’t know that finding the ring would lead to war. If he had known, he wouldn’t have even thought of coming with Liene.
But now that they were together, if he didn’t hurry, she would be chased by the royal guards.
In this situation, he wasn’t sure whether it was the right choice to keep Liene out of his sight, no matter how safe the place was. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened to her either.
“..You mustn’t forget. The Princess’s life is my life.”
That was much heavier and more poignant than saying that nothing should happen.
“I want to say the same thing. Your life is my life. So please protect it.”
In the end, Liene ended up wearing the royal guards’ armor.
It was worth bringing the men’s clothes that the ladies had torn away. It wasn’t so loose that she wore armor over his men’s clothes.
It was more of a problem for Klima than for Liene.
His body was so weak that he could see him staggering in his armor.
However, no one could stop Klima. Klima also remembered clearly what had happened to Liene when he wasn’t around.
Tiwakan, who had become a royal guard, set off for the palace.
***
It was easy to pass through the gates that he had already experienced.
Once he got the guards to open the gates in their guard uniforms, it was a success. The guards who suspected his identity were quickly beheaded to silence their screams.
Tiwakan went straight to the main palace where the King was. Fortunately, no one had noticed his identity yet, but they would soon find the body.
The plan was to find Bliny before that. The information agent said that Princess Bliny had moved to the main palace after being caught trying to escape.
“I’ll go to Lord Renfell and the villa.”
Liene quickly grabbed Black and said as the path she had been on before was revealed.
The helmet kept pressing down on her head, making it difficult to raise her head, and her cheeks turned red.
Black thought that was unnecessarily cute. Even in the middle of enemy territory.
“...Huh?”
“I have nothing to do from now on. I’ll do what I can.”
Black wiggled his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Isn’t that different from what you said earlier? You said you shouldn’t leave my sight.”
“Shouldn’t we consider it by distance? It’s not that far from here.”
“Why do you want to go to the villa?”
“I need to talk to Queen Dileras.”
“What are you talking about? Even if the Queen of Sharka is more sensible than the King, it’s probably different in this situation.”
“I know that. But there are some areas where Queen Dileras and I have similar interests. I don’t think we can just ignore that.”
Black licked his lips inside his helmet.
“To be honest. Is that why you said you’d come with me?”
“I can’t say there isn’t. But I don’t think what I said was wrong. I think that since we're here, I can do what I have to do.”
“...”
Black said after thinking for a moment.
Soon, a battle would begin where he would have to face a large number of guards. There was no benefit to having Liene.
“Take Randall instead. I can’t compromise on that.”
“Yes.”
He wanted to kiss her anywhere, but it was impossible with his helmet on.
And it would be strange if anyone saw him.
“I’ll kiss you later when I take off my helmet.”
Liene spoke quickly and turned around, but Black grabbed her hand.
“Are you just going to say it and leave?”
“You can’t do it now.”
“...You owe me something.”
“Why do I owe you something?”
“I’ll definitely collect it.”
Black let go of her hand.
“Be safe.”
“Don’t get hurt either.”
Liene and Klima turned around.
Black called Randall and pointed at the two, whispering softly in his ear.
“If Liene gets hurt, you die.”
“...I’ll do my best.”
Randall, who felt goosebumps for a moment, hurriedly followed the two.
Bang! The sound of a sword was heard from somewhere.
Black, who had been watching Liene’s back, turned his head to follow the sound.
“It’s starting.”
It was the beginning of a war.
***
“It’s His Majesty’s order. He has told you to convey His Majesty’s message.”
The villa was quiet even though it was well past midnight. Most people were asleep, and only the two-night guards guarding the gate were awake.
It seemed that the news from the main palace had not yet been relayed.
“At this hour?”
“I said it was urgent.”
Three guards were suddenly visiting the villa, so it must have been urgent. The guards removed the spear covering the gate without much thought.
Liene and her party were about to enter the villa.
“...Wait a minute.”
However, one of the guards called out to them.
He had better intuition than the others. That’s why they were disappointed.
“Something’s strange... If you’re from the main palace, why are you wearing a helmet? Are you really from the main palace?”
“But.”
Randall calmly replied and grabbed the spear that was tilted toward them.
“Take off your helmet. You can’t hide your face in front of the royal family...”
Bang!
Randall snatched the spear he was holding and, without changing direction, stabbed the guard in the neck. The guard fell without a scream.
“What the...?...Ugh...”
Another guard raised his spear and rushed at them. But Klima was faster. With his pale face and sweat dripping down his body, Klima grabbed the guard’s elbow from behind.
“Good job.”
In the brief pause between movements, Randall struck his neck with the tip of his spear.
In an instant, the two guards fell.
“Do you know where the Queen’s quarters are?”
Randall asked, taking off his helmet. It was certainly impossible to keep a helmet on inside the main palace. Klima followed Randall and took off his helmet.
“Princess, just keep it on. If you know the way, go ahead.”
“Yes. I know. This way.”
The villa was not small, but it was not difficult to find a place you had been to before. At least, it was much easier than finding your way through the labyrinth hidden behind nine waterfalls.
Liene began to walk quickly, following her memory.
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