3 bar menu

Battle at the Royal Palace – Part 05

He thought he would be safe this far from the castle. He considered the First Residential District to be sufficiently safe, but Unken kept running anyway, all the way to the Second Residential District. Better safe than sorry.

Assassinating the king was a monumental task. His nerves were frayed to the point where he never wished to set foot in the royal castle again.

He was entertaining various thoughts—have they learned about the king’s death already? Or will they remain unaware until the morning?—when suddenly someone called his name. His heart almost jumped out of his chest.

His pursuer knew that he was the one who killed the king. And they also knew about his true identity.

I have overcome countless predicaments. But this is the first time I have faced a situation this dire.

The identity of this mysterious person remained unknown, but the silver mask adorning their face pointed to one individual.

“You must be Silver Face.”

“So you know about me.”

His guess was right on the mark. No wonder his sword was useless. As far as he knew, this man had bested the Sword Saint himself.

“I never would have imagined you uncovering my true identity… How did you know?”

“It doesn’t matter. Why did you kill the king?”

Silver Face appeared overly concerned. Why did he care so much about the king’s fate?

“What difference does it make if you know?”

Silver Face did not seem intent on capturing him. In that case, Unken thought it might be okay to explain the situation.

“Because what you did was stupid! Ah, damn it, why would you…”

Silver Face appeared upset. Oh? Unken thought. This man talked as if he knew him.

Is he someone I know? I can’t think of an acquaintance capable of defeating the Sword Saint.

Suspicion swirled in Unken’s mind. Perhaps addressing that question could help him escape this predicament. Though it would mean a life under Silver Face’s thumb.

“Silver Face, if you want to know the reason why I killed the king, I don’t mind telling you—”

“Wait!”

“Hmm?”

Unken sensed a presence approaching rapidly from behind.

“Gwwhoooaaa!”

There was no time to turn around. If he did, he was dead. But Unken was exhausted and couldn’t react in time.

“Tch!”

Silver Face sprang into action, tackling Unken to the side. A large sword sliced swiftly through empty space, rending the air with a piercing sound.

“Why are you stopping me, Silver Face?!”

A furious Commander Lawrence D. Falcon appeared, wielding a greatsword.

“Calm down! Stop attacking!”

Unken should have been struck down in that split second, but the fact that Lawrence still had his sword at the ready undoubtedly stemmed from Silver Face’s presence. Their exchange just now suggested they were acquaintances—and their relationship was more than just loser and victor in a battle.

“I returned to the castle first to announce the Dukes’ intentions, only to learn that the king had been assassinated. I saw this person running away. He must be the assassin.”

Lawrence rode his horse through the main street, while Unken navigated the back alleys. Though the knight might have occasionally caught glimpses of him at the intersections, Unken was concealing his presence the whole time.

He saw me even then?!

Rumors of him being a monster were true. A shiver ran down Unken’s spine.

Moreover, the man was so sharp that he identified him as the assassin from brief glimpses alone—or so Unken thought, but it was actually just the commander’s intuition at work. His intuition being right on the mark just proved how remarkable the Instinct skill was.

“I’m currently asking him why he killed the king,” Silver Face said.

“There is no need for that. Regardless of his reasons, only the death penalty awaits him.”

“I get that, but at least let us finish!”

“How could you defend the assassin? Are you perhaps an accomplice of his?”

“I’m not!”

Silver Face rose to his feet and stood in front of Unken. It did look like he was defending him.

This voice… It’s not low and muffled. Is it his real voice?

It sounded familiar, but right now, figuring out how to escape this situation was more important than uncovering Silver Face’s true identity. Unken couldn’t outrun the Sword Saint, and concealing his presence seemed ineffective.

Recognizing that all hope was lost, Silver Face attempted to somehow engage in a dialogue with the Sword Saint.

“Commander,” Silver Face said. “I caused you serious injuries while you were on official duty, but you didn’t object when I accepted the princess’s or the Margrave’s proposal.”

“My defeat was a result of my own weakness. It pales in comparison to the assassination of His Majesty.”

The rumors about the Sword Saint’s defeat were true after all. Hearing the confirmation from the man himself made Unken shudder. Silver Face didn’t seem that powerful, yet he bested the Sword Saint.

They say that the more skilled you become in playing a musical instrument, the more you can discern the difference between good and bad musicians. Strength might be similar in that regard. I’m much weaker than these two… That’s why I can’t comprehend Silver Face’s strength.

Unken was considerably mistaken, but there was no one to correct his misconception.

“The king was about to be replaced anyway!” Silver Face retorted. “It was just very bad timing.”

“Assassinating the king—”

“Then you’re just as guilty!”

“…What?”

“We were planning to replace the king, and you played a part in it. It’s as good as pointing your blade at the king. Did the king ever express a desire to abdicate even once? You’re a traitor as well!”

“I…” Lawrence’s brows knitted as he fell into contemplation.

“Wait a minute, Silver Face. Did I hear that right? Were you trying to make the king abdicate the throne?” Unken asked.

“Yeah. It was pretty much a success; we managed to gather the support of the three Dukes. They’re scheduled to arrive in the capital tomorrow and force the king to abdicate.”

“What?!”

“Correction, Silver Face,” Lawrence said. “It’s not tomorrow, but tonight. Duke Jackrune, Duke Golbishop, and Duke Nightblaze, along with Margrave Grugschilt, are already en route here.”

“Whoa… Good to know those senior citizens are still in good shape.”

“They desire a swift resolution. But still, the assassination of the king is inexcusable.”

“H-Hold on! Wait…” Unken choked on his words. But he had to verify it, no matter what. “S-So what you’re saying is… I killed His Majesty even though I didn’t need to?”

Unken felt his body temperature drop rapidly.

As part of his “agreement” with the Quinbrand Empire, he forced a succession of the throne. That way, the Empire should refrain from deploying their troops for a while.

But if what Silver Face and Lawrence said was true, that abdication would have been possible through the Dukes, then the king didn’t need to die.

“What have I done?” Unken’s mind was a jumbled mess.

“By the way, you killed him at the worst possible time,” Silver Face said.

“What do you mean?” Lawrence asked sharply.

“The chamberlain was gathering troops, about 300 of them. They were heading towards the king’s chamber. I’d bet there’s a huge commotion by now.”

“What?”

“Do you know what they will do once they find out that you’re back? They will realize that the three Dukes have come to a decision. In that case, they will strike before they’re done in.” Silver Face appeared almost certain of it. “Prince Kujastria is in danger.”

At that moment, a massive flame shot up from the royal castle, reaching towards the sky. It blossomed brightly in the air like fireworks, illuminating the three of them in the back alley.

It looked like high-level elemental magic, and Silver Face seemed to recognize it. It was probably some kind of signal.

“Look. If you two fight each other, you will only exhaust yourselves. Austrin and the chamberlain would love that to happen. Right now, we need to protect Kujastria.”

“Ugh…”

“The knights can stop them, but even they should have their limits.”

“No. The knights won’t make a move,” Lawrence said.

“What did you say?”

“I haven’t informed anyone in the Order about my actions. So if Prince Austrin comes up with some plausible excuse and claims that I’m also in agreement with him, the Order might not actively help them, but they won’t protect the princess either.”

Silver Face placed a hand on his forehead, gazing up at the sky through his silver mask.

“My actions were quite risky as well,” Lawrence said awkwardly. “If the Dukes failed to reach an agreement, I would have lost my position. I couldn’t involve the Order in all of this.”

“Okay, I get it. Then there’s only one thing you can do.”

“It would seem so. But I won’t forget about the assassination.”

Lowering his massive sword and carrying it on his back, Lawrence turned, then bolted away at an incredible speed.

“Come on, you too. We’re heading back to the castle,” Silver Face said.

“Back to the castle? What do you want me to do?”

“You get it, don’t you? Or are you fine with being branded a regicide? The Commander and I have to rescue Kujastria. You will do what you can.”

“Do what I can…”

Unken pondered it over. Blood began circulating back into his brain.

As Silver Face had said, he had to do what he could. The actions he took for the sake of this nation resulted in a major blunder. He had to make up for it.

“You’re right, Silver Face. Let’s go back.”

Unken and Silver Face sprinted back the way they came. He never imagined he would be returning to the royal castle so soon after he thought he was never stepping foot in there ever again.