The wind was blowing hard. After dusk, heavy rain came along with thunder striking each other in response. The hunting event stopped after dusk. So when the heavy rain fell without warning, many people were still trapped in the forest and freezing cold while hugging their bodies.
A long table was prepared for this banquet, but many of the guests could not make it on time. There was only the Emperor, a few ministers of the courtiers, and the princes in the tent. A rainstorm hit, and torrential drops of water rained down on the tent until it swayed several times. The gust of wind from outside almost turned off the lights inside the tent, but thankfully the candle flame was still able to be maintained by the pious little eunuch.
No one spoke, before a small secretary from the ministry of income voiced his confusion. "Why aren't the other guests present as well? The banquet is held after the twilight ends, and it only rains after dusk. Your Majesty, something is not right here."
The emperor laughed. His old voice echoed amidst the explosions of thunder from outside. The Emperor smacked the surface of the dining table until a nearby dish shook, and then he said in his majestic voice, "Let's keep this all short. This Majesty has given you a chance."
The atmosphere inside the tent sounded very quiet even though it was still raining heavily and lightning was still shouting outside. Several mocking laughs returned in response to the Emperor's words, before the men from the ranks of the escort team began to pull out the swords on their waists from their scabbards and raise their pointed ends.
The audience who did not know anything suddenly stood up from their luxurious chairs and immediately put on a wary attitude.
A minister shouted, "Imperial guards, how dare you guys?! Are you dogs that dare to bite the hand that feeds?!"
The supreme commander of the imperial guard, Galen, is not here. So people bit their tongues seeing there was no one they could scorn for all these unfavourable conditions.
One of the imperial guards stepped forward and said while raising his hands playfully, said, "Relax. We are here to protect the Emperor nothing but." His smile was very sinister. His face did not ring a bell in the memory of anyone. People guessed that he was a nameless little guard.
"To avoid unnecessary clashes, Emperor, come here quietly."
Of course, no one accepts that. The Grand Chancellor who was as old as the Emperor moved in front of the Emperor with a protective gesture, using his body as a meat shield to protect his comrades in arms. Several other ministers did the same.
The Emperor sneered, "Instead of protecting this old man's life, you should protect the lowly lives of yours."
The guard said with a slight chuckle at the end of his sentence, "Your Majesty, did you know that the lesser a life is, the easier it is to protect?" As he spoke, his hands made small movements to command the troops behind him. The men swiftly charged forward while drawing their swords.
On the other hand, the second prince was shaking until he almost peed. He was a battlefield strategist who had never really dived right into the depths of warfare. Whenever there was a problem at the border, people would call him for a solution, and he would help them figure it out without even getting out of his bed. Now when he was faced head-on with a situation that wasn't even as cruel as the original battlefield, his legs instantly turned to jelly. Someone grabbed his shoulder from behind, almost sucking his life out. When he turned his head back in a shaky movement, Prince Justin saw his older brother's face.
Cedric put one index finger to his lips with his other hand pulling Justin behind him in an instant. He whispered, "Stay behind me."
Justin nodded vigorously even though Cedric didn't see it at all. Cedric moved forward with Justin following behind him, closing his eyes tightly while holding the back of Cedric's military uniform.
In a flash, Cedric was in front of the long banquet table, kicking it in one steady motion, sending all the delicious dishes on it that innocent people had painstakingly prepared to scatter in all directions. The loud thud of the table startled everyone.
Cedric shouted, "NOW!"
The ropes supporting the tent were cut from the outside, causing the tent that was standing firmly to fall onto everyone inside. All the candles went out in the process, pitch black immediately greeted everyone's gaze. On instinct, Cedric grabbed Justin and went behind. The emperor and the grand chancellor had already been led out by people wearing black robes. There were a total of 11 people who brought the Emperor to a place some distance away. The emperor would have been terrified if he hadn't noticed Justin's soft sobs behind him.
The situation was further chaotic as there was no sign that the rain would stop anytime soon. The rebel guards furiously tore apart the tent that fell on them and became even more furious when their target was out of sight.
The leader of the rebel group shouted, "Disperse and seek the Emperor to the ends of the world! Kill anyone who gets in the way except the Second Prince and the Ministers!"
The people immediately dispersed in the blink of an eye.
They don't know how long they have been running. People lost count of time.
In the distance, the Emperor who was carried by a mysterious figure was immediately placed somewhere. The person then turned to face the Emperor respectfully and lowered the hood of the robe that was hiding his face. Displaying a familiar face that the Emperor could vaguely identify.
"Galen..." The Emperor whispered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The 11 people wearing black robes simultaneously took off their robes and revealed their appearances that were made exactly like the Emperor. Arthur was also among those 11 people. The man came forward and stood next to Galen, saying as briefly as possible to explain the current situation. "Eldest brother's suspicion is correct about the excessive production of uniforms in the ministry of personnel. Not sure whether they belong to the rebel group or not, but more or less forced or not the ministry of personnel has helped the group. The other guests were confined to their respective tents. Meanwhile, the generals are being intercepted in various places to prevent them from approaching His Majesty."
After Arthur finished speaking, Cedric who was still carrying the crying second prince on his shoulder continued, "Reinforcements will be arriving soon."
The emperor breathed tiredly in his place. The rain poured down on his bones and joints. But more than that, what hurts him, even more, was the fact that tonight, some people decided that his role as Emperor was no longer necessary. The emperor asked, "Where do reinforcements come from?"
Cedric replied confidently, "Livia's Armored Cavalry."
The emperor was surprised. He finally realized why his nephew who had always refused hunting invitations had suddenly appeared godly this year. The emperor asked in surprise, "Alastair knows?"
Cedric nodded. Explained, "More or less, he's the one who guessed the most about this uprising scenario."
"Oh my God..." The Emperor chuckled.
"Your Majesty, there is no time." Galen reminded. The emperor nodded.
"Erik, come here," Cedric called out to one of the 11 people disguised as Emperor.
Erik, whose name was mentioned, nodded. Without saying much, he ran with Cedric in one direction and disappeared into the darkness of the night. While running with someone on his shoulder, Cedric asked, "What about my wife?"
"Still no reply from Izel. But if anything bad happens to the Crown Princess, at least they have a beacon to tell us."
Cedric complained, "I don't want to be a widower so soon."
After running through the rain for a few minutes, they ran into an unwanted group.
Cedric hit his little brother's ass lightly, warning him, "Stop crying or we'll die together." Justin's gasp stopped, and he covered his mouth obediently.
Cedric put his stance on alert, his blue eyes staring intently into the distance, gleaming coldly and ominously. The enemies hid behind the bushes and trees. Cover their presence as tightly as possible.
"Hmph!" Justin's body on his shoulders stiffened, sounding Cedric's alarm. There was a figure dressed in all black sneaking up from behind, swinging the sharp blades of their daggers. Cedric bowed in just the right momentum, saving his very neck from an unwanted slash. He turned 90° and kicked the guy in the waist with a loud whack. The sound of bones cracking resounded loudly in the pouring rain. When the assailant fell to the ground, Cedric didn't hesitate to stomp on his neck and cut off his life. Justin couldn't see the violent scene in person, but just hearing the sound scared him to death.
Subsequent attacks came one after another. Cedric had no trouble throughout the process, managing to keep his life alive while carrying a useless human on his shoulder who couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Cedric smacked his butt once again harder before kicking the enemy in front of him.
Cedric shouted "FRIDAY, JULY!"
The two people watching on the top of the tree plunged responding to Cedric's call with great splendour. A boy with a brush holds an umbrella to avoid wetting a notebook against his chest, while a rough man with a scar on his face snatches Justin off Cedric's shoulder.
"Brother! Don't leave me alone!" Justin roared.
Cedric said, "Hit him and take him away."
Erik who had been hiding all this time showed himself while whistling, admiring how great and majestic Cedric's subordinates were.
Friday holding an umbrella innocently asked, "What about me, Your Majesty?"
Cedric pointed back with his thumb. "Bring that fake Highness. Go move apart with July. Make sure to protect his life."
Friday looked displeased but did not argue. Erik laughed crisply, saying, "I will be under your protection, Young Master."
Friday, delighted at the Young Master's call, gave a small snort, trying not to seem the least bit interested. He went towards Erik and in an instant, the two of them ran in the opposite direction to July who was carrying the second prince.
Cedric deliberately didn't take any troops with him. Choose to move alone. He snapped his fingers, popped a small golden portal and pulled a black cloak from within. He put it on but didn't raise the hood of his robes. Leaving his face in the rain for a long moment.
In the darkness, his tall stout figure sliced through the torrential rain. His blue eyes shone coldly in the darkness. In a moment, he disappeared. As if vanished in empty air. Vanish without a trace.
-0-
Moments before, somewhere not so far away,
Kirsi Daciana Reverie immediately put into practice the martial arts she learned during the middle to high school to a rough man who lunged at her with a double-edged sword. Kirsi parried the attack with the body of her gun, deflected the attack upwards and punched the assailant in the temple with the dagger in her left hand. Blood splattered in an instant. It presented a sight that in her entire life, Kirsi would never have imagined she would see with her own eyes. Worse yet, this heinous murder she had committed with her own hands.
Kirsi is a bit wobbly. From the outside, she looked fine. But on the inside, she really felt complicated and unkempt. Her breaths were ragged at intervals between one breath and another so short. She moved backwards, obscuring the appearance of her legs shaking like jelly.
Kirsi shouted coldly, "Run here if you want to live."
Viona flinched. Hastily got up from the ground and dashed towards Kirsi.
Kirsi completely has no confidence in her own abilities. She may be a black belt in karate and have perfect marks in the archery club, but the club activities and the actual events on the pitch cannot be compared at all. The sensation when she hit and slammed the white-uniformed opponent and shot her arrows towards the target board was very different from when she had to do it with killing intent.
Not to mention, she was in a state of early pregnancy. Pregnancy in the first trimester is fragile and unstable, but she has been moving all day and pushing herself to the limit. Kirsi believed that Cedric couldn't possibly let her run around alone and must have planted an escort or two for her. What's more, Arthur must also do the same for Viona. They might be heading this way, but were still intercepted halfway. She had risked everything against the idea.
As soon as Viona ran towards and hid behind her, Kirsi shouted at the small number of troops. "I, the Crown Princess, won't give up!" she purposely spoke such nonsense to convince them that she was no ordinary person who would come of use only after death. At least, knowing who she was, those people had the mind to let her live and use her as bait to attract Cedric.
After witnessing for themselves how Kirsi stood valiantly on her own and was able to deal with attacks from their group, the people kept quite a distance from her. Well, after all, they weren't tasked with indiscriminate killing. They were only asked to prevent certain people from going to the encampment area and to prevent them from attending the banquet held by the Emperor.
One of them crouched casually with a chuckle, saying, "Don't even think about running away, madam."
"I wouldn't dare."
The sky was darkening faster than it should have been. The air felt a little warm, making it stifling. It looks like it will rain soon.
Viona, who was sitting on the ground languidly, said while looking down at the moss on the ground. "You've been here from the start, watching how I was beaten." The terror from the blows just now made her dare to protest something irrational. Her cheeks swelled up, one of her eyes turned blue, and the corners of her lips were torn apart, making every word that came out of her mouth hurt.
Kirsi laughed mockingly, without looking at Viona, she said, "You are being unreasonable. If you can't fight back, then hide yourself as best you can. Do you want me to come faster and save you? Are you have no shame? Not everyone has tender and compassionate hearts like Arthur. Not everyone in this world is obligated to save you. If you feel it unfair, blame yourself for not being able to protect even yourself."
Viona cried silently.
There was the sound of movement in the distance. From the resulting vibration, it seemed to be a group of people. Birds scattered in the cloudy sky. A hand whistle sounded from afar startling the group of attackers who were immediately on alert. Those who were previously calm suddenly moved swiftly towards Kirsi, trying to forcibly catch her and carry her along to move around.
"Dammit, She actually summoned the Grand Marshal?!!" they had previously thought of Kirsi's screams as a mere threat. Didn't expect that such a terrible group would actually come.
Before the people got near her, Kirsi kicked Viona away and put herself in a standby position.
After being intercepted several times in the middle of the trip, the Grand Marshal gathered with the other troops that were equally intercepted and joined them in the direction of the gunshots and shouts that had previously echoed. The rain soon hit, making his sweat-drenched body even wetter. Amidst the pouring rain, Alastair's vision had deteriorated somewhat. He squinted a few times to find a woman swinging a gun at some rude men who were trying to hurt her. Not far from her, another woman was sitting quietly nearby, looking helpless and fragile.
Noticing someone's presence, Kirsi smacked the butt of her gun against the temple of one of the attackers and made him retreat for a while, and turned to the blonde man behind her. Only this time could she see the Grand Marshal's face a little clearer than before. At first glance, the Grand Marshal was quite similar to Arthur. The difference is, this man has the colour of eyes like a cat, or even a lion, with a skin colour that is not as pale as Arthur or Cedric. He looked fresher and mightier, though he was a little shorter than Cedric.
The Grand Marshal walked in decisive big strides. He grabbed a small set of daggers on his thighs and threw them right at the heads of those who were trying to attack Kirsi once again. The Grand Marshal said, "Crown Princess."
Several troops who had come with the Grand Marshal soon clashed with the troops of the revolutionary army. The clang between the clashing swords rang loudly in the pouring rain.
Kirsi dashed towards Alastair in one fell swoop. She said hastily, "They are revolutionary soldiers left over from the old eastern border command who joined the Northern bandit group. Most of them are tasked with intercepting the generals in the middle of the road and preventing them from reaching the Emperor's place in time. But if you leave right now, you will have plenty of time to protect the Emperor. There are only 4 people along with the Emperor himself who knows the position of the Emperor's shelter. I am one of them. Grand Marshal, allow me to whisper in your ear."
Alastair nodded seriously. He pulled Kirsi to a hidden place, stealing time before the next attack was launched. The two of them crouched warily behind the bushes. Alastair's eyes darted around, before saying, "Tell me."
Kirsi inched closer, whispering some of the words in the novel that she still remembered. To overcome the possibility that if the events this time did not follow the plot in the novel exactly, Kirsi added a few sentences of her hypothesis and another more certain way to meet the Emperor. Alastair nodded.
Kirsi stepped back and added, "Grand Marshal, there's no need to worry about me, the Emperor's safety is more important than anyone else."