Grand Duchy of Ronan.
A hawk cawed. There was a paper tied to its claws. When the Grand Duke stretched out his arm, the hawk landed on his arm.
He unfolded a small rolled paper.
The Grand Duke hardened.
He saw the smoke rising from the Imperial Palace. The sound of the whistle felt ominous. Was there a rebellion?
"Father! Did you hear the news?"
Dante opened the door of the office. Next to Dante stood Akan, already armed.
"The Crown Prince rebelled!"
'Why?'
The Grand Duke became shocked. Dylan was the Crown Prince. Even if he stood still, he would have risen to the throne…
At that moment, Charlize's face overlapped with the Crown Prince's face.
The Grand Duke's eyes hardened.
Charlize Ronan was the Grandmaster who taught the Crown Prince. If this rebellion failed, Charlize would die.
Since the application for expulsion had been sent, if Ronan insisted on his innocence, the Grand Duke and his sons would survive.
"Everyone, immediately get ready to go to the battlefield with military gears."
The Grand Duke declared. He went through many battlefields in his youth. The movement to arm military gear was quick.
"I have summoned all the knights and soldiers of the Grand Duke."
Akan, who had estranged relationships with the Grand Duke, became serious.
They soon left on their way.
***
"Grandmaster!"
Charlize looked down at Suha. He defeated both the Count's and the Marquis' order of knights who were members of the Emperor's faction.
"The Ronan family is coming here with knights and soldiers! What should we do?"
He looked resolute as if asking for an order.
It was the Ronans. Because it was Charlize's family, no one could rashly raise their sword.
'Are they trying to protect the Emperor?'
Charlize's eyes turned cold. Even though they were family, she didn't intend to lose if she ever confronted them.
She jumped off the horse. Charlize received the bow of a soldier who was watching and then put in an arrow.
Charlize pulled the bowstring.
All those who watched Charlize were astonished. Her family was running in the direction that Charlize was aiming the arrow.
'If anything gets in the way, take care of everything.'
Charlize held her breath. It was a very large bow for the young noble lady to hold. However, it was easy for Charlize.
A sharp arrowhead. Whatever it pierced, it would immediately die.
Charlize drew up her mana. Thanks to her good eyesight, she was able to see from afar. Charlize pulled the arrow more tightly. However.
'Red flags?'
The knights of the Grand Duke were holding red flags.
A white flag was often used in wars as a sign of surrender, but a red flag was a sign of joining the rebellion.
'This is…'
It was an expression that the Grand Duke of Ronan would join the rebellion.
'Should I say that I'm glad that he didn't aim his sword at me to protect the Emperor?'
Even if she didn't think of them as her family, she didn't want to see innocent blood spilled.
Charlize put down her arrow with her cheek stiffened. The Grand Duke, riding a horse at full speed, soon came to Charlize.
The Grand Duke then declared.
"I'll be on your side."
She knew the extent of his authority, but she didn't need it.
Charlize returned the bow to the soldier.
Duke Kenin, who had been next to Charlize, greeted the Grand Duke instead.
"It's been a long time, Grand Duke! You've made a good decision! It's better to follow the Grandmaster than following the Emperor who has been abandoned by Heaven!"
"…"
"You have raised your daughter very well."
The Grand Duke and the Duke were of the same age, and they were once classmates attending the Academy together.
Charlize didn't give Kenin a look whether he was dealing with the Grand Duke or not. Akan and Dante, next to the Grand Duke, looked at Charlize.
With their wistful eyes, the young masters could not talk to Charlize.
"Grandmaster! The monsters…!"
Monsters?
Charlize stared at the messenger running in a hurry with a firm look. The messenger was huffing and puffing to report.
"The Imperial Knights have released the shadow monster outside the Imperial Palace!"
"…What?"
"The numbers are over a thousand, and they are so huge that we don't even know where they are coming from… Soon this whole place will be in ruins!"
At his urgent cry, Charlize's expression became calmer. She drew her sword from its sheath.
"Don't worry."
"Yes?"
"I'll go."
"But it's dangerous!"
The Grand Duke who shouted out of the blue. The Grand Duke looked at her with his eyes wide open.
"Charlize, have you not heard! There are thousands of shadow monsters over there…! Let's evacuate everyone right now and just regroup plans in the future…!"
"That's right, Grandmaster! His Grace's words are correct!"
Many people agreed with the Grand Duke. However, Charlize asserted.
"I can handle the monsters by myself. And the longer the rebellion drags, the more disadvantageous it is for us. It was my plan to finish this in a short period of time, I will not backtrack from it. I'll push ahead no matter what."
Charlize cut off the Grand Duke's words. Every single moment right now was substantial. There was no time for quarrel. A knight then came out.
"But…! Even with several knights attacking the shadow monsters all at once, it is barely enough to knock one down…!"
Behind the shouting knight, three shadow monsters rushed in at the same time. But Charlize's movements were much faster.
Swisshh!
Charlize only swung her sword once, but the monsters fell at once. Seconds, not hours. Not many, but one.
The knight was at a loss for words.
"Everyone get out of the way."
Charlize said, looking back.
"Because all of you will only get in the way."
Charlize's eyes shone coldly as she dealt with the monsters perfectly in front of everyone.
At that moment, everyone stepped back as an unknown pressure enveloped the area.
Nothing but monsters were pouring down the mountain range. Charlize then ordered.
"Don't make a blunder. Stop all the Emperor's reinforcements. Do you understand?"
Surprisingly perfect domination.
Everyone, including the Grand Duke, became speechless at Charlize's determined attitude.
Charlize soon disappeared into the dark. The eyes of the knights who were anxious for a while soon hardened.
"Everyone, follow the Grandmaster's orders!"
The lords raised the flag and shouted. The soldiers and knights, full of morale, soon ran out shouting.
The Grand Duke trembled for a moment, but he couldn't help but be surprised at the situation which was somehow currently in perfect order. How much did they trust and follow Charlize that this was possible.
'Will you be okay?'
The Grand Duke was worried about Charlize, but the final will was with her.
The basic of the military is to follow its leader without question. The Grand Duke was now under her. The same went for Akan and Dante. For now, he had to do the task that was given before his eyes.
As he joined late, he had been slow to adapt, but his war experience soon permeated. Ronan would risk his life.
Even if the rebellion failed and he died, he would share his fate with Charlize. He pledged.
***
She could see the Imperial Palace burning in the distance. Charlize moved swiftly through the mountain range.
With tremendous vigor, the shadow monster slid down silently. In the mountains surrounding the islands, several monsters crawled.
'It must have been an alliance between the imperial family and the tower.'
Charlize's sword moved swiftly. The shadow monsters were most powerful on a dark night. But it didn't matter. Just like how she performed a perfect sword dance with her eyes closed.
It was possible to defeat the monsters just by sensing them.
Her sword glimmered under the moonlight.
Shiiiing!
The monsters began falling in droves. Charlize climbed up a tree, hopped down, and cut them down.
Things that were not essentially living things. They were an obsession of malice that only existed to survive and imitate life.
At that moment, Charlize stumbled on a branch of a tree by mistake. In an instant, her leg was revealed. Without missing a moment, the drooling monsters rushed with their eyes popped.
Ppyung! Puppyung!
It was then.
At the same time, a tremendous mana movement was felt, and the magic of the attack exploded on the monsters who tried to attack Charlize.
An explosion magic that only a wizard of the tower can do. Charlize's face hardened. She quickly found the one who used the magic, while swinging her sword to defeat the monsters that were not scared.
"You should be careful."
Ppyung!
The stranger used the magic one more time. Wearing a black robe, he was tall and had a good-looking appearance.
"Who are you?"
"Is it important in this situation?"
He had come to help her.
Payne couldn't finish his words. This was because Charlize pushed her sword close to his neck.
Charlize glanced at Payne sharply. He used magic without uttering a spell. Unspoken magic. He was a considerably powerful person. Second to the highest wizard.
'Young. And a genius.'
Charlize looked right through him.
Payne had been watching Charlize, but it was a bit refreshing because it was his first time seeing her so closely.
"You should be careful?"
Pyung!
Payne asked. Shortly after, a monster, who ran toward Charlize's arm, fell down with a roar.
Charlize decided to leave Payne alone and deal with the monster in front of her.
"I don't trust wizards."
"But wouldn't it be more convenient to have me?"
Payne also knew her skills. Even when Charlize went to a bar in the back alley with Lucy, the leader of the assassination guild. Even when Charlize took a fifteen days vacation to the Lion Mountains.
He had always been watching from afar.
Charlize didn't answer back.
One from the top, one from the bottom, one from the side, and one aiming at the leg. Charlize swung her sword in a big parabola and defeated them all.
It was physically impossible, but in that instant. Her sword passed the 'space'.
He had watched as she swung her sword in front of his eyes, but the blade somehow flashed from behind. Payne clicked his tongue at the ridiculous sight.
"You, you really are a subject worthy of research…"
Charlize handled the monster with her sword, and Payne supported her up with magic.
Of course by herself was enough, but it was true that she was dealing with them more swiftly because they were together. That was why Charlize left Payne alone.
It was a cool moonlight night.
There was no expression on Charlize's face.
***
"Lord, now you really have to hurry."
V said with an anxious face. Dylan, who was reviewing the document, finally took his eyes off it.
Still, his head didn't work properly. Charlize Ronan. Why was the Master's name here? Of course, it was a list of candidates, so it was only a few people who could have reviewed the document.
"Alright."
That's right, he was raising the rebellion right now. Every single moment was significant.
Dylan hurried out of the library.
But as soon as he came up from the secret passage, Dylan and Shadow became surrounded by numerous knights.
'Why are they here?'
Dylan asked himself. The answer came quickly.
'It's the Emperor's order.'
Either the library was ordered to be burned, and each knight guarding the emperor would be desperate. It seemed that he had sent dozens of knights here with torches and oil.
V, who felt it was a trap, looked up at Dylan with a frustrated expression.
"L, lo, lord…"
"You stay, be sure to protect the library."
It was not a kind of library that could be burnt with oil and fire from the outside. Because it was the place that kept the secrets of the imperial family for hundreds years.
They needed to get into the library themselves, solve the magic on each book, light the fire before the library would start to burn.
Dylan left the library to Shadow and climbed the stairs alone and stepped on the ground.
"Lord, what are you going to do?"
Although he was not at Charlize's level, Dylan was still a genius who had received one-on-one personal guidance from her.
It was not unusual for him to become a master at 19.
Even with dozens of knights, he could take them on by himself.
In his eyes was the ruthlessness that Charlize had raised.