Several minutes later, Commander Oliver was seen trying to climb out of the rubble of the San Sabaneta prison, which had been destroyed and split open by King Albert's slash. Shortly afterward, Commander Oliver emerged from the rubble. He had no visible injuries other than a wound in his stomach from King Albert's blow. Despite the apparent lack of injuries, Commander Oliver's body and clothing were heavily soiled by dust and debris.
After emerging from the rubble, Commander Oliver looked around. The buildings to the right and left of San Sabaneta prison were still standing, although there was some severe damage to the exterior walls. The only building destroyed was the central building, where Commander Oliver was currently located, as it was the one that had been hit most severely by King Albert's slash. Then, Commander Oliver looked to his left. Several meters to his left, several people were seen with mutilated bodies. These bodies had been mutilated because they had been in the path of King Albert's slash.
"King Albert's slash was truly dangerous. Not only did it cut through those people, but it also sliced through the center of this building from front to back. I was lucky I managed to avoid that attack. If I had been a few seconds late, I might have been torn apart along with the building," said Commander Oliver.
Then Commander Oliver walked slowly toward the front of the San Sabaneta prison. King Albert was no longer there.
"It seems he left immediately after launching that slash. He likely only wanted to hold me back so Duchess Harriet and Duchess Claret could escape, even though he could have killed me after I avoided his slash and was crushed by the rubble."
"Since he managed to escape, that means I failed to capture him and bring him before Her Majesty the Queen. For now, I must contact my knights to ask if they were successful in defeating Duchess Claret and Duchess Harriet," said Commander Oliver.
Commander Oliver then took a communication crystal from his pocket. Then, he began contacting his knights through it. However, after several minutes of trying to contact the knights, they didn't answer.
"Something's strange, none of them are answering my calls. I think I'll have to go after them first, then check the basement of the San Sabaneta prison building," said Commander Oliver.
Commander Oliver then hurried to where his knights were located. They were located not far from the front of San Sabaneta prison. Commander Oliver had placed them there to prevent the attackers from escaping. Commander Oliver's decision was correct, as Duchess Harriet and Duchess Claret had managed to escape while Commander Oliver was fighting King Albert. The knights stationed there should have been on standby to fight Duchess Harriet and Duchess Claret, but the lack of news from them worried Commander Oliver. Commander Oliver quickened his pace to reach the knights as soon as possible.
When Commander Oliver arrived, he was visibly shocked. The approximately 20-30 knights stationed there were lying in a pool of blood. Among the knights lying on the ground, several appeared to have holes in their heads, chests, and other parts of their bodies. These holes appeared to be caused by rifle bullets that had penetrated their bodies.
"I was suspicious when I contacted them and they didn't answer my calls. Something must have happened to them. But I didn't expect them to have all been defeated. Were Miss Harriet and Miss Claret the ones who did this? Or was someone else helping them?"
"It's pointless to think about it now. I must immediately report to Her Majesty the Queen," said Commander Oliver.
Commander Oliver then took out the communication crystal from his pocket and contacted Queen Kayana using it. Not long after, Queen Kayana's voice came from the communication crystal.
"Hello, Sir Oliver. What's wrong?" asked Queen Kayana.
"Hello, Your Majesty I would like to report about the people who attacked San Sabaneta Prison. They attacked San Sabaneta Prison to kidnap Lord Darwin's son, Florian, and Lord Darwin's knight commander, Commander Marshall. Also, the people who attacked San Sabaneta Prison and kidnapped them both are Miss Claret, Miss Harriet, and King Albert," said Commander Oliver.
"What?!?!!" said Queen Kayana, looking shocked.
-
Twenty minutes after Commander Oliver reported to Queen Kayana,
Other royal knights began arriving at San Sabaneta Prison. The number of knights who arrived was quite large, perhaps around hundreds. They came to inspect the prison and evacuate the knights who had been injured or killed in the attack by King Albert, Duchess Claret, and Duchess Harriet. Meanwhile, after the knights arrived at San Sabaneta Prison, Commander Oliver immediately left the prison to go to Sancta Lux Church. Commander Oliver went to Sancta Lux Church to treat his stomach wound.
Then, the royal knights who arrived at San Sabaneta Prison began dividing their duties. Half of the knights were tasked with evacuating the injured or killed knights outside the prison and inspecting the damage to the exterior and surrounding areas. The other half were tasked with evacuating the injured or killed knights inside the prison and inspecting the damage inside.
Those on duty inside the building began inspecting the entire building. They also inspected the ground floor, the prison's designated floor. On each floor, numerous knights lay covered in blood. Some of the walls were also damaged. The knights then inspected each cell on the ground floor. Surprisingly, the men inside were uninjured or killed. They appeared to be fine, although some appeared frightened. Because of this, the knights concluded that the attackers of the San Sabaneta prison only attacked those who tried to resist them, such as the knights guarding the prison. The attackers ignored anyone who did not attack them.
In addition to the knights who arrived at the San Sabaneta prison, many other people also came to the building. They seemed curious about what was happening there. Among them were several from Diganta. The people from Diganta began to gather information about what happened at San Sabaneta Prison so they could produce a newspaper about the incident. The newspaper about the San Sabaneta Prison attack incident that Diganta produced would cause a stir throughout the kingdom the next day. Although the entire kingdom would be in an uproar once they learned about the news, there was one place that 'seemed' not to be in an uproar because of the news: San Fulgen Academy.
The reason was because newspapers were not permitted to circulate within the academy grounds. Although adults within the academy grounds could get newspapers every day, students could not get them except on certain occasions. Such as when the plot to assassinate the San Lucia family and Her Majesty the Queen, planned by two Dukes, was revealed. Because the news was so shocking, Miss Karina, the principal of the academy, allowed the newspaper to circulate among the academy students so that the students would know what was happening outside the academy.
Regarding the news of the attack on San Sabaneta Prison, it seems that Miss Karina will not allow newspapers containing it to circulate within the academy grounds, as the incident is deemed unimportant. Even though Florian, the former chairman of Elevrad, had been kidnapped during the attack on San Sabaneta Prison, the students were deemed unnecessary to know about it, as Florian was no longer considered a student of San Fulgen Academy. The other students did not need to know what happened to him.
However, even though newspapers were not circulated among the students, some students still knew about the latest news in the San Fulgen Kingdom. The reason they knew was because they were informed by the adults within the academy grounds. Those who knew about the news would share it with the other students until everyone knew about it. It could be said that not allowing newspapers to circulate among the students was futile, because the students would still know about the latest news that occurred in the San Fulgen Kingdom. So in the end, even though newspapers about the attack on San Sabaneta Prison were not allowed to circulate among the academy students, some students would still know about it.
-
The next morning, at 4:30 a.m. in the academy garden.
Miss Violetta was doing her usual morning practice in the garden. Then, Miss Karina came to the garden and approached Miss Violetta.
"Good morning, Violetta," said Miss Karina.
"Hmm? Ah, good morning too, Miss Karina. What business has Miss Karina here? It's rare to see you here in the morning," said Miss Violetta.
"I came here because I wanted to tell you and Rid something, who usually train here in the morning. But I don't see Rid right now. Are you and Rid finished training?" asked Miss Karina.
"Yes, Miss. Rid and I have finished training, and he is currently practicing with his friends in the training area inside the academy building," said Miss Violetta.
"I see, so I arrived late because Rid had already left. Okay, I'll just tell you, Violetta. As for Rid, I can tell him later, anyway, he'll probably find out about this even if I don't tell him yet," said Miss Karina.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Miss?" asked Miss Violetta.
"It's about Florian, the son of Duke San Minerva, whom you fought earlier. Florian, who is being held in San Sabaneta Prison, has been kidnapped by some people who attacked the prison," said Miss Karina.
"Florian has been kidnapped, and San Sabaneta Prison has been attacked?!" said Miss Violetta, slightly surprised.
"Not only Florian, but Commander Marshall, the commander of Duke San Minerva's knights, who is being held for obstructing the inspection conducted by the Silver Peacock knights at Duke San Minerva's residence, has also been kidnapped. It seems the people who kidnapped them are the same people who planned the assassination of Her Majesty the Queen and the entire San Lucia family," said Miss Karina.
"It seems so," said Miss Violetta.
"Knowing that they attacked San Sabaneta Prison so openly, they might attack this academy next. Therefore, please strengthen security on the academy grounds, Violetta," said Miss Karina.
"Yes, miss," said Miss Violetta.
-
7:00 a.m.
As I was walking to my classroom from my dormitory, I passed several students on my way. Among them, I overheard them discussing the attack on San Sabaneta Prison. This piqued my curiosity, so I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.
After a few minutes of overhearing their conversation, I learned that the reason they attacked San Sabaneta Prison was to kidnap Senior Florian and Commander Marshall. I was a little surprised to learn this. After learning this, I decided to go to the classroom.
While in the classroom, I didn't hear any of my class talking about the San Sabaneta Prison attack. It seemed like only a few students knew about it, and I don't know where they got their information from. It's unlikely they learned about it directly from the newspapers, as newspapers aren't widely circulated among students in the academy. But I didn't think much of it.
-
That afternoon, 12:00.
Since it was break time, Noa and the others invited me to lunch.
"Rid, let's eat," Noa said.
"Yes," I said.
But as I was about to get up from my seat to go to the cafeteria, a light appeared in my pocket. It seemed to be coming from the communication crystal I was carrying. I immediately took the crystal from my pocket, and sure enough, it was the one emitting light. Noa and the others also looked at the communication crystal I was holding.
"It seems like Miss Karina is the one contacting you, Rid. She's the one who gave you the communication crystal so she can contact you," Noa said.
"Yes, I thought so too. Sorry, I have to answer this call first," I said.
"Ok, Rid," Noa said.
I then stepped away from them a little to answer the call. Once I was far enough away, I answered the call.
"Hello, Miss Karina?" I asked.
"Yes, it's me. Are you in the cafeteria right now, Rid?" Miss Karina asked.
"I'm still in the classroom, Miss. What's going on?" I asked.
"Could you come to my office now? Her Majesty is in my office right now," said Miss Karina.
-To be continued