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RICHARD gave one final ultimatum, demanding an unconditional surrender, but the only response was a downpour of arrows shot at them from the third-floor balcony.
“Good grief… And with their princess standing right here, although she’s not anymore…,” said the bearded commander.
“The king must have surprised them and ordered them to not show Hermine any mercy… She’s not his real daughter, at any rate.”
Richard and the bearded commander discussed this all rather calmly.
A massive dome-shaped barrier of light had been cast around them, with Sara at the center, and it deflected all the arrows that rained down on them like hail, leaving them scattered in pieces at their feet.
The archers on the balcony seemed to grasp that their arrows were ineffective—by the time the mutant soldier had taken down his barrier of light, they had already left the balcony. Had they retreated to prepare for their next assault, or had they realized there was no chance of victory and fled? The latter would give Sara more peace of mind…
But the king had strengthened the defense of the castle, so that doesn’t give much hope.
Sara’s breath caught in her throat the moment they opened the massive front doors and saw just how many soldiers were inside.
I’ve—I’ve never seen so many!
King Saleilles must have gathered every single soldier and knight that normally guarded the capital city. They looked totally different from the civilians and makeshift guards in town—they were equipped with armor and shields bearing the Saleilles coat of arms, and Sara could sense that they each had an unshakable fighting spirit.
“Soldiers! Eliminate the Ferrier army, including Prince Richard and the traitor Hermine!”
Sara felt tears spring to her eyes the moment she heard the man’s resounding voice.
He was a knight commander who had looked after Sara since she was little. She remembered him two years ago, when he excitedly came up to tell Hermine that he had been promoted to commander.
Sara’s hands balled into fists. She dashed the tears from her eyes and took a step forward.
“Everyone, listen to me! His Royal Highness, Prince Richard of Ferrier, has come here as a representative of Ferrier to bring the current king to justice for waging his senseless war against Ferrier that took the lives of so many people!”
“Your Highness, what are you—”
“Don’t you see the truth?! Some of you lost family members in the war last year, didn’t you? And after Saleilles’s defeat, you felt the king’s heavy taxes, the ones he levied to pay the reparations of the peace treaty, didn’t you? How many lives would have been saved had he not rose against His Majesty the King of Ferrier?!”
The knight commander quickly reached for his sword.
“Silence! How dare you speak with such derision against His Majesty—”
“You be silent, Knight Commander Henry Jean! The king has shown Ferrier nothing but disrespect. His policies have been utterly absurd, and as someone who had aspired to be a knight since you were a child, you should know that!”
The knight commander had once told Hermine this, but also Sara, who hovered around the princess like a shadow.
He was just a junior knight at the time, but he had seemed like a friendly older-brother type. He cheerfully told them about his dreams for the future, saying, “One day, I want to be a full-fledged knight who protects the people of Saleilles.”
The knight commander froze at Sara’s words. Through the eyeholes of his helmet, she could see that his eyes were bulging, darting this way and that like he was recalling some memory.
The knights around him exchanged puzzled looks at their commander’s stillness.
Maybe he can finally hear what I’m saying!
“Henry Jean… You used to play with me a lot when I was a kid, remember? I didn’t abandon Saleilles. If King Saleilles stays on the throne, this kingdom will perish. You will never be able to help build the beautiful kingdom you always dreamed of… That’s why I’m helping Prince Richard.”
“She’s right, Knight Commander…,” added Richard. “I was given an order by my brother, the king of Ferrier, and that was to punish the king who made a mockery of our kingdom. I don’t plan on harming innocent civilians or even beginning this unnecessary battle here. You and my wife seem to have some sort of friendship, so I would like to ask for your support.”
Richard spoke evenly, but he seemed to choose each word with great care. Perhaps because of this, the knights gave one another uneasy looks.
This might work…
Sara nodded and continued to speak. “Henry Jean. Please listen to us. Your soldiers… They won’t be able to win against the prince and Ferrier’s mutants.”
The knight commander looked aghast, but Sara continued.
“King Edouard of Ferrier wants Prince Alphonse to take the throne. If that wish is realized…I know Prince Alphonse will build a better kingdom than the one you have now. He will build the kingdom you’ve always hoped for.”
The knight commander blinked, digesting what she said. He opened and closed his mouth several times. The voice that escaped his lips sounded like a sigh.
“Princess Hermine, are you…? No, you’re… Guh!”
“Huh?!”
Just as the knight commander began to say something, he grunted in pain, pressing the side of his torso as he fell to his knees with a crashing sound.
Dark scarlet blood spilled out from under his hand.
“C-Commander?!” one Saleilles soldier cried.
“Those goddamn mutants… How could they do that to the commander?!”
The troops grew enraged at the sight of their wounded commander and readied their weapons.
Ferrier’s bearded commander immediately pulled Sara back. She found herself surrounded by Ferrier troops. A low growl escaped Richard’s lips.
H-How did Henry get hurt?!
“Wh-What’s going on?! No one…no one attacked him, right?!”
“Of course not! I couldn’t see very clearly, but I think the attack came from over there!”
We’re being set up!
But by the time Sara realized this, it was too late.
The knights, under the impression that their commander had been the victim of a surprise attack, drew their swords and spears in unison, brimming with bloodlust.
“Kill them! Kill every last monster from Ferrier!”
“Your Highness, this way!” said the bearded commander, pulling Sara toward the young soldier who could fly. “Persuading them is impossible like this!”
“R-Right!”
Sara grabbed hold of the young soldier’s arm. He wrapped an arm around her and leaped into the air right on the spot, flying so high up they nearly grazed the ceiling of the ludicrously tall entrance hall.
But Richard had not taken the man’s other hand. He threw off his cloak, let out an earth-shattering roar, and transformed into the Black Beast.
Sara shouted in surprise.
“Y-Your Highness!” Sara cried out immediately.
“It’s dangerous down there!” the young soldier told her. “The prince and his troops will take care of this area—let’s go on ahead and look for the king!”
Sara gasped.
That’s right…they had to go farther into the castle to topple the king. And of everyone in the Ferrier army, Sara was the only one who knew the places where the king was likely to be.
Her resolution hardened, but as she heard the screams and the dull sounds from under her feet and smelled the putrid odor of blood assaulting her nose, she thought she might faint.
Right… This is a battlefield!
This was what it was like the last time Richard had fought in battle.
High up as she was, Sara could smell the stench of blood, despair, and death.
“I’ll take us somewhere safe, Your Highness,” said the young man. “Just don’t look down.”
Sara managed to nod. She pressed a hand against her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still clearly hear the soldiers’ cries and the explosions the mutants of the Ferrier army fired at the Saleilles forces.
Amid the chaos, Sara heard an indistinct roar of a beast—her chest seized painfully with anxiety.
Everyone… Your Highness… Please be safe!
The young man kicked against the air below him to fly forward, Sara still securely in his arms. Eventually, they landed on the third-floor balcony. After catching their breath for a few moments, they began to consider the king’s whereabouts.
“We need to get the king before the second wave comes,” said the young man. “Do you know how to get to the throne room or his office?”
“I do, but…now that I think about it, he’s more likely to bolt than stay here, perched calmly on his throne.”
“Ah, so he’s a coward… Right. Then we also need to hit the places he might use as an escape route.”
Once Sara had seemed to calm down a bit, the young soldier flew off with her again. With Sara’s guidance, they landed in a deserted hallway. As soon as they touched the floor, they heard a stampede of footsteps approaching them. Before the source came into view, Sara picked up on the thick smell of blood. Her breath came out faster.
I can’t run away. I’ve made up my mind to do this!
The first thing she saw rounding the corner of the hallway was a jet-black beast.
“Your Highness!”
Sara spread out her arms. Richard came to a sudden stop in front of her and made a quiet sound. It was clear to see why he didn’t run to her—his fur was stained with a dark color, and blood was dripping from his half-open mouth.
After thinking about what Richard would want in this situation, Sara lowered her arms and gently pet a spot near his back that wasn’t too dirty.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she said softly.