The rest of the day and peaceful night passed, with the palace seemingly quiet and serene. Unbeknownst to the inhabitants, Varmark Shadowclaw and the Black Hood assassins had been busy plotting and planning their attack. They had meticulously scouted the palace, mapping out the layout and adjusting their targets. They had also rehearsed their movements, ensuring that everything would go smoothly when the time came.
At dawn, the peace was shattered as the assassins sprang into action. Their attack was well-timed to coincide with the changing of the guard, catching the tired and hungry guards off guard. The assassins had poisoned the guard's food during the night, and as the sleepy guards consumed their breakfast, the deadly poison worked its way through their systems.
The assassins had anticipated this move, and the same fate awaited the night shift guards, who would soon be relieved by their daytime counterparts. In one fell swoop, two-thirds of the palace guards were eliminated, leaving only the afternoon shift capable of resistance.
The remaining guards were still in a state of drowsiness, and it would take them some time to realize what was happening. By the time they did, it would already be too late. The palace had been transformed from a peaceful sanctuary to a bloody battlefield, with the Black Hood assassins wreaking havoc and carnage throughout the halls.
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As the Black Hood assassins launched their brutal attack on the palace to capture the princess, breakfast was served in the Castell mansion by a heavily backsided maid. The wench shuffled back and forth, her deep bags under the eyes indicating her severe lack of sleep.
Tadorion, who was equally sleep-deprived and more asleep than awake, watched her every move with a satisfied smile on his face, all the while shoveling food into his mouth.
Keiren didn't miss the other's smile, yet he didn't comment on it. After all, who was he to decide how the young noble spent his night. Rather he focused on slowly savoring this nobleman's breakfast.
Harald, Suran, Lelogas, and Duke Castell were all seated at the breakfast table with Keiren, while the Valkyrie stood behind him, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. Despite the sumptuous spread laid out before them, the Valkyrie refused to eat anything, her focus solely on her duty to protect Keiren.
As the meal drew to a close, the servants quietly left the hall, leaving only those of importance behind. It was then that Duke Castell spoke up, his voice grave and serious.
"Lord Kendrall, after a long and painful argument with myself, I have come to a conclusion that may be of interest to you. I am willing to provide you with all the information I have about Kebon von Stein, enough to enable you to kill him. I shall even go with you."
Keiren was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. He had never considered the possibility of Duke Castell being an ally in their fight. However, Keiren couldn't shake off his suspicions regarding the Duke's motives. "I have already arranged for the ransom. All I need is to put the Imperial seal on these documents, and you will become the owner of the Hunston province, which represents around 50% of my land, businesses, and annual revenue. Once this is done, we will need to travel to my ancestral home in the Great Wire province, where most of my wealth is stored."
Keiren's suspicions began to dissipate, but as the Duke spoke further, a depressed undertone crept into his neutral voice, adding weight to the seriousness of the negotiation at hand.
"I will join you in the fight against Prince Kebon von Stein and Archmage Trekon," the Duke stated, his voice tinged with a hint of depression that added weight to his words. "However, I wish for my son to remain here. As you know, he is not a skilled fighter. If he were, my family would not risk losing millennia of progress to rescue him from slavery."
The duke's reluctance to let his son participate in the battle was evident, and he seemed determined to keep him well-protected behind the formations and guards of the Castell mansion in Stonehaven. Keiren understood the father's motivation, and it was undeniable that the young noble's lack of rest during the previous night made him an unsuitable candidate for such a dangerous mission, but he was unwilling to simply agree. After all, Tadorion was technically his prisoner until the full ransom was paid.
While he could see that the Duke was a doting father, perhaps he might consider reneging on his word. After all, was this one son truly worth it to lose half of his assets, along with centuries of hard-earned progress and investment, was no small matter?
Nevertheless, eventually Keiren addressed Duke Castell, acknowledging and empathizing with his concerns. "I understand and share your worries about Tadorion's abilities for this mission. However, I must remind you that he is still my prisoner and I would prefer if he doesn't leave the house on his own."
"That shouldn't be a problem at all. I will make sure that he stays back and will not leave the house or else I will sell him into slavery myself to cut my losses." The relief Duke Castell felt by these words were visible to the naked eye and if not for his years in politics he would have audibly sighed. At the last part Tadorion's eyes became wide and for the first time on this day he registered something else beside the backside of a certain maid.
Duke Castell shot Tadorion a quick glance that made it clear he should remain silent, and then handed Keiren a folder containing all the information he had on Prince Kebon. The documents included both verifiable evidence and unverified but highly probable information, all of which Castell believed to be true.
The folder contained detailed information about Prince Kebon's origin, including his demonic father Nakton Wagnius and his connections to powerful and influential nobles. It also included background information on the Number Knights and their leader, Gerald Hunter, as well as details about Duke Castell's uncle, Archmage Trekon, and their plan to overthrow the Emperor. Keiren was most shocked by the information on how and why they were able to control Harald Thunderlance, as well as the reasons why no one from the loyalist side was able to help him.
Harald, having proven himself as the best of his generation and reaching the Immortal Realm at the age of 350, asked the Emperor for his daughter's hand in marriage. However, the Emperor was enraged at the prospect of Harald marrying his daughter, who was 100 years younger than him, and publicly humiliated him with the words, "You will never be worthy of my daughter, even if you were the last man alive." This caused Harald to lose all loyalty to the Emperor, and the latter knew it. The very next day, the Emperor began searching for suitable suitors, with half of them never making it to the palace and the other half too scared to even consider the option. Kebon then tricked Harald, and Trekon took control of his mind, turning him into a puppet to use against the Emperor. This was the most shocking detail for Keiren.
The loyalists were quick to see through the situation, but the Emperor refused to help Thunderlance. To him, it was a fitting punishment for someone who tried to steal his daughter. The Emperor even went so far as to forbid anyone from helping Thunderlance free himself. To add insult to injury, the Emperor told his daughter that her lover had become a traitor, without revealing that he was being controlled. As Keiren showed this part of the documents to Thunderlance, his eyes turned blue with rage. Lightning bolts crackled around him, and he struggled to restrain himself from seeking revenge on the Emperor, as he had been ordered to do by Kebon and Trekon when they controlled him.
After all the information had been revealed and tensions had cooled down, the group prepared themselves to confront Kebon von Stein. Little did they know, they had not received the crucial information that a massive army led by the Emperor Konrad von Stein was en route to reclaim Stonehaven.
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As the group approached the Stone Palace, they could see the imposing wall surrounding it, guarded by the Emperor's palace guards. The wall was 15 meters high, and the only entrance was through a gigantic gate that stood 5 meters tall. Standing guard in front of the gate was a massive giant, towering over them at 4 meters tall. The giant's weapon, a greatsword named 'Defender', was an impressive 3.5 meters long and 1 meter wide, standing upright between his legs.
The group knew they were in for a tough fight if they wanted to get past this gatekeeper and into the Stone Palace. What's more, the gate behind him was closed, with a group of soldiers present to defend it at all times, every one of them ready to fight to the death.
"Gregor!" Harald's jovial greeting made the gatekeeper suspicious. Harald Thunderlance was known for his lack of humor, as well as the grudge he held for the Emperor who had humiliated him in public. A frown appeared on the giant's forehead who towered over the riders and forced them to look up to him.
The Gatekeeper's voice boomed as he addressed Harald Thunderlance, "Harald, I'm not sure what to make of your sudden appearance here. I heard you left the city with your squad yesterday, but now you're back with a small army and Duke Castell in tow. So tell me, which side are you fighting for?" His voice held a hint of suspicion and hostility.
"I no longer fight for either side. I fight only for myself. The emperor and the prince can do as they please. I am here to meet with the princess and I kindly request that you allow us to pass without any unnecessary conflict," Harald replied calmly, but his words were clear and audible to all present.
As soon as the gatekeeper heard Harald's response, his muscles tensed, and he adopted a military posture, going from relaxed to rigid in an instant.
"I, Gregor, son of Bjorn, have been appointed as gatekeeper of the palace by the Emperor himself. He has handed me the obligation to judge who is allowed to enter and who is doomed to wait outside. Harald Thunderlance, your request to enter the palace to see the Princess is denied. The Emperor doesn't want the likes of you to dirty his city, nor does he want you anywhere near his daughter's presence-" Gregor recounted until a voice cutted his speech like a thunderclap.
"I say he is worthy and you, a giant oversized baby, do not fit the position of a gatekeeper in my eyes. The only reason you were put in front of the gate and not behind it is so your corpse can block the entrance to the palace for a few more moments after the enemy killed you." A man in golden armor walked out of the gate, his footsteps echoing across the courtyard, his voice booming with authority. His armor covered him from head to toe, and only a pair of ice-blue eyes were visible under the helmet, piercing through the darkness.
Harald looked at the golden armored man with confusion. He had no recollection of him at all, yet he didn't care one bit for his tone.
"I had hoped you could be honorable like your father and your ancestors."
The man's words struck Gregor like a blow to the chest. They opened up a well of pain and bitterness that he had been holding onto for far too long.
"Ha! Honorable?" Gregor scoffed before bursting into laughter so intense that it caused the walls surrounding the Palace to shake. "HAHAHAHAHA! You speak as if you're a fool. Are you going to tell me next that the Eternal Emperor and his Valkyries are watching us right now and that the honorable will be able to join the legendary immortal army? I spit on you! You and Thunderlance are both vermin that are eating away at the Empire from the inside out. Your families should have been vanquished long ago!"
As he continued his tirade of hate, spite, and wounded pride, something suddenly struck Gregor's jaw, preventing him from speaking any further.