"This is fun."
Said someone who had just beheaded a guard.
Since they were wearing guard uniforms, the walk to the King's bedroom was like a thrilling game.
They pretended to be guards and walked around, then dealt with the real guards who approached them when they felt something was wrong.
"I think I can play like this all night long when I have the stamina.
"Don't be overconfident. There are still a lot of them."
Twenty-five, with Randall gone, the number of guards that twenty-four had faced was more than double, but there were still a few hundred guards left. If they were to face them all at once, they would reach their physical limits.
"We have to find the Grand Princess as soon as possible. The moment they find out about the intrusion will come soon."
It was scary to say.
Bang!
Crack!
"Huh! They're coming from that side. I guess they know now. Wow, they're slow."
Black nodded lightly and adjusted his grip on his sword.
“I will go ahead. Follow me.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Ssut!
Black walked toward the center of the main palace where the King’s bedroom was.
The sound of swords continued without fail.
***
“What, what?”
Fortunately, the King received the guards’ report before Tiwakan arrived.
“Tell me again. What is it?”
“That... I’m not sure, but it seems Tiwakan entered the palace disguised as a guard. You should evacuate...”
Thud!
The King could not hold back and threw a pillow at the guards.
“Aren’t you sure? And you’re telling me to evacuate! And in my bedroom at that! What on earth are you doing!”
“We’re doing our best. But it’s not easy because they’re disguised as guards...”
“Shut up!”
Thud!
Both pillows fell to the floor.
The King couldn’t believe that he had to go through what he had experienced yesterday, what had made him so terrified, again today.
“Are all of my guards blind? How many of them have come rushing in? You can’t handle them!”
“The number is... well...”
“Ugh!”
The King roared, unable to bear his anger.
However, the King also had vivid memories of last night.
All the guards guarding the way to the truth were cut down with one stroke.
If not, they wouldn’t have been able to reach the truth so quickly and silently.
It was like that yesterday, so it could be like that today.
“Where should we go if we evade?”
“That... since they’re coming this way...”
In fact, the guards were still flustered. It hadn’t been long since the captain of the guards had been beheaded. There was no time to fill the gap, but Tiwakan had painfully exploited the gap.
It felt strange to each of them to do what the captain of the guards should have done.
“That... first, evacuate to the villa. It’s smaller, so it’s easier to defend than here.”
“The villa? The Queen is there right now.”
“Yes. It’ll be easier to defend.”
“... Guide the luggage.”
The King ground his teeth, then realized that there was nothing he could do and got out of bed.
***
“I am sorry to have come to you like this, Your Majesty.”
“...”
Queen Dileras stared at Liene, who was taking off her helmet, unable to close her mouth.
“There is no time, so I would like to finish my speech. Please do not be too surprised and sit comfortably.”
“Uh, why...”
“I wanted to tell you that a war has begun.”
“Uh, war?”
Queen Dileras placed a hand on her chest and caught her breath.
However, she did not scream or call anyone rashly. When the maid who had been sharing the room stood up trembling, she told her to keep quiet.
It didn’t seem to be because she was simply afraid of the sword Randall had at his waist.
“I don’t know if Your Majesty knows either. Princess Bliny sent an assassin to me yesterday. Someone precious was stabbed in my stead. However, no matter who was harmed, this is something that cannot be done against the royal family of a foreign country with which we have friendly relations. Accordingly, Nauk formally requested the King of Sharka to punish Princess Bliny. However, instead of punishing the Princess, the King of Sharka sent his guards to Nauk.”
“T, that...”
Queen Dileras’s face turned pale.
The word war was so unexpected that she couldn’t believe it even when she heard it, but now it felt real.
They were currently at war.
The opponent was too fast, so it was just too late to realize it.
“I want to find a way to resolve this issue amicably before the two countries reach a point of no return.”
“I, I...”
The Queen swallowed dryly, grabbing the hem of her robe as if she was going to tear it off.
“Do you think I have the strength to do so? I am a person who has not been able to secure my position in the main palace and has been isolated.”
“I believe you fully do.”
“Why...”
“There is only one thing Nauk wants. The punishment of Princess Bliny. I believe that this is what Your Majesty also wants.”
“That is...”
“However, I want the punishment to be carried out in Nauk. What Nauk has demanded from the royal family of Sharka is a pledge not to interfere in any way with the punishment of Princess Bliny. If Your Majesty promises this on behalf of the King of Sharka, Nauk will call off the war.”
Queen Dileras frowned.
The Queen was more eager to see Bliny disappear. The conditions set by the Princess of Nauk were of no harm to her. It was too easy to end the war that had begun.
“However, this body cannot replace the King. Even the Princess knows that.”
“Since the war has begun, the King of Sharka will gather his army. If he doesn’t die tonight.”
“...”
Her face, which had lost its color, already looked like a corpse.
“That means, the main palace... so even the main palace is already...”
“Yes, Your Majesty. If he's lucky, he’ll live, but he might die. But whether the King lives or dies, the result is the same.”
If the guards were lucky enough to block Tiwakan, the King would survive. And then the war would begin.
On the other hand, even if the King died, twenty-five people could not conquer the kingdom. Sharka would ask Nauk about the King’s death, and the result would be war as well.
“Your Majesty, you are the one who can move the nobles before the King issues the conscription order.”
“That means... prevent them from gathering their army?”
On the other hand, even if the King died, twenty-five people could not conquer the kingdom. Sharka would ask Nauk about the King’s death, and the result would be war as well.
“Your Majesty, you are the one who can move the nobles before the King issues the conscription order.”
“That means... prevent them from gathering their army?”
“Yes. Even if we know why Nauk declared war, I don’t think there will be any nobles who will agree to it. Those who agree will follow the King’s orders. Your Majesty must know the nobles who would disobey the King’s orders.”
“Aha...”
Queen Dileras unconsciously slammed down the blanket.
“I know what you mean. Let’s not expand the board.”
“Yes. As I said, what Nauk wants is not the Kingdom of Sharka, but Princess Bliny.”
“I will do so.”
The death of Prince Bashad caused an invisible rift between the royal family and the nobles.
The King and Queen were the first to do so.
The Queen could not forgive the King, and the King banished her to the villa.
There was also an outrageous rumor going around the royal palace that the Princess, who had moved to the main palace, was sleeping in the room next to the King.
The Fifth Prince, whose son was now responsible for the murder of Bashad’s army, could not have been happy either.
Even if only the Queen’s family and the Fifth Prince opposed the war, the size of the army the King could gather was greatly reduced.
“Then I will go back, believing that Your Majesty will write the oath on behalf of the King of Sharka.”
“If you will, I will... ah.”
Queen Dileras raised her hand as if she had remembered something.
“Then will you kill the Princess today?”
“There will be no killing here right away. I have something to receive.”
“The Princess is not in the palace. She is either in the main palace or has left the palace.”
“She left the palace?”
The Queen nodded.
“That is my guess. There is a small castle used for hunting near the Germ Valley, northwest of Sharka. I heard that the King sent something there a little while ago. If he was not going to hunt leisurely when war broke out, he might have sent the Princess there to hide her.”
“That would be possible. Thank you for your words.”
It was then.
Thump thump!
From afar, hurried footsteps were heard.
“There’s a body! Someone must have hidden in the villa!”
“Find it! Go to the Queen!”
It seemed that the guards’ bodies had been found at the entrance. The villa became noisy.
“...Tsk. How many are coming?”
Randall opened the bedroom door slightly and looked outside. If there were too many, it would be difficult to handle. Queen Dileras was also in trouble.
“Isn’t there another entrance? I can’t kill all the people in the villa... Oh, no.”
It was then.
Thump thump!
From afar, hurried footsteps were heard.
“There’s a body! Someone must have hidden in the villa!”
“Find it! Go to the Queen!”
It seemed that the guards’ bodies had been found at the entrance. The villa became noisy.
***
“...Tsk. How many are coming?”
Randall opened the bedroom door slightly and looked outside. If there were too many, it would be difficult to handle. Queen Dileras was also in trouble.
“Isn’t there another entrance? I can’t kill all the people in the villa... Oh, no.”
As he said it, he felt as if he had said the word “kill” too easily.
He knew that the Queen was kind, but it was another matter to think of them as on the same side.
“There is.”
However, the Queen nodded readily.
It was an absurd situation, but for now, they had to be sent away safely. That was the only way to make the Princess pay for her crimes.
“My people, I will take care of them, so the Princess should get out of here.”
Liene responded with a calm smile in place of her thanks.
“I will remember Your Majesty’s kindness.”
“Me too. I hope that the Princess will get what Nauk and I both want. Go quickly.”
The Queen told her maid to show the way the workers used.
“They are my guests. Make sure they leave the villa safely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Liene, Randall, and Klima left Queen Dileras’s room before they encountered the guards.
***
“There is no next room either. It seems they have already been evacuated.”
They searched the King’s bedroom, but Bliny was nowhere to be found. The King was nowhere to be seen either. It seemed they had narrowly missed the King.
The disheveled bedding and the messy appearance of the bedroom told them that someone had just escaped.
“Any traces of the Grand Princess? Do you think she ran away with the King?”
“That’s good... The only trace of the room being used is in the King’s bedroom.”
Thud!
Black roughly threw the corpse hanging from the sword.
“You’re surprisingly good at running away.”
“That’s right. What should we do now?”
“They must have escaped in a direction that doesn’t overlap with our paths. Let’s go this way. We have to find either the King or the Princess.”
“This way seems to be the direction of the villa.”
“...Why of all people.”
His expression turned into a sword.
Thud!
Black patted the blood off his sword and put strength into his toes.
“Hurry.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Soon, the guards swarmed in.
They seemed to be guarding the path to the villa. It was proof that the King had gone to the villa.
***
Boom!
“Open the door! Your Majesty the Queen!”
Boom!
The entrance to the villa was firmly shut. No matter how much he knocked on the door and raised his voice, there was no sound from inside.
It was natural.
Queen Dileras ordered everyone in the villa to remove the corpse, close the door, and remain silent.
“Open the door! Can’t you hear me!”
Boom!
The King, whose mind was getting anxious, shouted.
“Break down the door! Then it won’t work!”
“No, Your Majesty. Then we won’t be able to stop them.”
“Tsk!”
The guards quickly thought.
“Isn’t there another way into the annex?”
“There is a way that the workers use.”
“Then we’ll take you that way. No matter what happens, guard that door that leads from the main palace.”
“Understood.”
The guards were also trying hard.
They had never imagined that there would be men wearing other people’s clothes, so they were just taken advantage of without doing anything. Now that they knew who they were, they could respond properly.
Above all, they felt that there weren’t that many of them. If there were, there would have been even more guards.
“They’re wearing helmets to hide their faces. I think it would be better for us to take our helmets off.”
“That would be better. Hey, everyone, take off your helmets! Those wearing helmets are Tiwacan!”
The guards gathered at the entrance of the villa took off their helmets and prepared themselves mentally.
It was only a moment before Tiwakan appeared in the villa.
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