Day Bringar's white military uniform was stained with bright red blood.
Unable to dodge when her trusted confidante stabbed her from behind, Day Bringar clutched the blade that pierced her body and spat blood.
"Leighton... Captain. What in the world... is this...!"
"..."
Leighton, readjusting the sword that had struck the queen, coldly spat out.
"It is for the sake of the country, Your Excellency."
"What are you talking about...?!"
"Your Excellency, you govern the country too emotionally."
Day Bringar turned around painfully, spitting blood. Leighton continued.
"You mingle with the citizens emotionally at festivals, you waste the scant budget on emotional indulgence in welfare for the poor, and you have emotionally decided on your successor."
"..."
"Although beloved by the citizens, under Your Excellency's reign, the Duchy of Bringar has always been in peril. As someone concerned about the future of this country... I can no longer stand idly by."
Leighton clearly revealed the ambition he had concealed all along.
"The next Duchy title is mine."
"...!"
"A lowly street rat who doesn't know her place, do you think I would hand over the country I have built over a lifetime to such a person? For what reason have I eliminated other Dragon Knights until now?"
Day Bringar's voice trembled with panic.
"Captain Leighton, what are you saying? Surely not."
"Yes. That's right. All the Dragon Knights who have died or retired, I've been manipulating behind the scenes to ensure that I am the only option left for Your Excellency."
Leighton's mouth twisted.
"But Your Excellency refused to consider me as your successor until the very end."
"..."
Leighton would never understand.
Apart from his competence, it was this glimpse of ambition within him... Day Bringar had not considered him as a successor because of it.
And yet, she had trusted his loyalty, knowing of this flame of ambition, which was also her fatal mistake.
"I am also a Dragon Knight. I have rights too. Indeed, who else could govern this country better than I?"
Leighton's voice, initially cold, gradually filled with fervor.
"I can govern this country better than Your Excellency. Only I can."
"Dare you stab the queen and think... cough! you can safely win the support of the citizens?"
"Who do you think has been the de facto ruler handling both the internal and external affairs of this country all along?"
Day Bringar underestimated how thoroughly Leighton had prepared his coup.
"From long ago, the military has been completely in my grasp. I'm currently subduing other government departments."
"...!"
"After Your Excellency passes, the real power of this country will be entirely in my hands. There's no need to worry about the citizens' support right now. That can be gained slowly over time."
"Captain Leighton...!"
Day Bringar gathered her strength to throw off Leighton and escape the situation, but her body wouldn't respond.
"This is the ancient Dragon-Slaying Sword prepared for this day. Even the great Duchess of Bringar will find it hard to survive after being stabbed so deeply."
Leighton slowly twisted the blade he had thrust in.
Although Day Bringar instinctively twisted her body, and the sword barely missed her heart, it was a fatal wound nonetheless. The floor was already soaked with the blood spilled by the Duke.
"Rest assured and pass on, Your Excellency. I will govern this country efficiently after consuming Your Excellency's heart and blood."
"Arrrgh...!"
The very moment Day Bringar sensed her end.
Suddenly-
"Mother! I'm ready-"
The young Dragon Knight—Dusk—said as she entered the office.
Silence flowed briefly among Day Bringar, Leighton, and Dusk.
Dusk was a clever child and grasped the situation immediately.
It was not an unusual sight to her. Even in the back alleys where she grew up, adults constantly stabbed and betrayed each other for the throne.
Swish-!
Dusk, who had trained in swordsmanship over the past year and never separated from her wooden sword, drew and threw it straight at Leighton.
The wooden sword flew directly at Leighton's face. Leighton dodged it by tilting his head lightly, but his attention was briefly disrupted-
"Ugh...!"
Day Bringar seized the moment, grasping the sword blade embedded in her chest and pushed it backward, dispersing magic power all around.
"Ugh?!"
Swept away by Day Bringar's magic power, Leighton was thrown far. Day Bringar collapsed in place, vomiting blood, and Dusk hurriedly supported her.
"Mother! Are you all right?!"
"Dusk..."
Day Bringar held back the blood pouring from her chest with her own hands.
'The internal injuries are not healing...'
Although the dragon power manifested and healed the torn skin and stopped the blood, the inside ravaged by the blade did not recover.
Even her magic power, which would normally bubble like lava, was now chillingly cooling.
It seemed there was a special curse on the ancient Dragon-Slaying Sword.
"Do not make this difficult, Your Excellency."
From a corner of the office, Leighton had already neatly regained his composure and readjusted his grip on his sword.
"Think carefully about what path truly serves the country. Without just Your Excellency and that young girl... this country can become much stronger."
"..."
"I am capable of it. You know my competence better than anyone."
Day Bringar managed a blood-soaked smile.
"Had you only aimed for my neck, I might have passed on my heart and blood to you. But I cannot do that now, not when you aim to kill this child as well."
Day Bringar stretched her arm and tightly embraced Dusk's small shoulder.
"If the prosperity of this country requires the sacrifice of such a young child's life, it would be better for it to perish...!"
And with her other hand, she reached out and pressed against the wall.
Boom-!
The burst of Day Bringar's magic power created a large hole in one wall of the palace, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
Gritting his teeth, Leighton ran forward with his sword, scanning the area, but by the time the dust settled, there was no sign of Day Bringar.
"Release the soldiers."
Officers of the military, who had been waiting in silence outside, rushed towards Leighton. He commanded fiercely in a cold voice.
"She won't get far. Find her...!"
***
As the city was beautifully decorated with flowers and ornaments for the festival, soldiers were now sprawled everywhere.
The festival was canceled, and martial law was declared in the city.
The citizens were alarmed by the sudden events, but they had no way to resist against the soldiers who aggressively pushed forward with spears and swords.
Everyone had to raise their hands and return to their homes.
The sunlit spots of the city were already under Leighton's control.
"Over here...!"
However, there were still hiding places left in the shadows of the city.
And Dusk knew the back alleys better than any soldiers.
Dusk, wearing a shabby robe, supported Day Bringar and headed deep into the back alleys.
"Help, please!"
Entering a dirty lot used by no one but the underbelly residents, Dusk cried out.
"Help, please! Is there no one?!"
Although there were hidden people around, no one showed themselves.
The rumors spread quickly. A coup had occurred at the palace, and Leighton and the military quickly seized key points in the city.
Leighton had been the queen's right hand for a long time. Every citizen knew how accustomed he was to wielding power in this country.
The scent of fresh blood indicated that power in this country was shifting to a new ruler.
In such a situation, who would dare help a dethroned queen dying on the run, and face the consequences later?
Both the poor and the rich valued their lives equally. People shrank back and held their breath, trying not to get involved in this affair.
"Please...! The queen is dying! Someone help...!"
Dusk cried out desperately, but no one appeared.
How could this be?
Unable to believe the people's indifference, Dusk clenched her teeth.
"It's okay, Dusk."
Supported by the girl, Day Bringar spoke with a pale face.
"...Maybe Leighton was right."
"Mother."
"I was only emotional, not a competent queen. I might have gained popularity among the people immediately, but I failed to build a prosperous nation..."
Day Bringar laughed weakly as she looked around at the emptiness.
"So this is the citizens' choice."
That was when someone appeared at the other end of the back alley.
Startled, Dusk looked and recognized the familiar face. It was a young woman covered in tattoos.
"Sister?"
"..."
It was the leader of the vagrant group that used to extort and abuse her under the guise of protecting her when Dusk grew up in these back alleys.
"Help me, sister! The queen is...!"
But as soon as the leader woman made eye contact with Dusk, she shuddered, clenched her teeth, and ran away.
"Ah..."
A desolate sigh escaped Dusk's lips.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of soldiers' boots grew louder from afar. It seemed that word had quickly spread that the queen had fled here.
Feeling the encirclement tightening, Day Bringar slumped to the ground. Dusk knelt before her, bowing her head.
"I will protect you, Mother. I am a Dragon Knight too..."
"..."
After staring into the young girl's determined eyes for a long moment, Day Bringar spoke.
"Dusk. The world's darkness is this deep."
"Huh?"
"And the darkness of people is even deeper."
Leighton, blinded by power, betrayed the sovereign he had served all his life.
And the citizens who turned their backs on the queen, frightened by that power.
People who easily forget the kindness they've received, the time spent together, in the face of their immediate self-interest.
It was an ugly, cruel, yet true facet of the beautiful Duchy of Bringar. Day Bringar grimaced as she laughed.
"Ugly, cruel, and pathetic, that's the world and that's people."
"..."
"But love, Dusk."
Even in such circumstances, Day Bringar said this.
"Don't hate, but love."
"..."
"You are capable of that."
What did it mean to do so?
Dusk could hardly comprehend the queen's true intention. But Day Bringar's gaze was so earnest that she nodded in agreement.
Just then, Leighton's soldiers poured into the alley.
"We've found the Duchess!"
"Close the circle and report to Captain Leighton immediately!"
The soldiers rushed forward, brandishing their spears.
Dusk hoped that Day Bringar could break through the encirclement, but the duchess did not prepare to fight.
She just pressed one hand against her chest, took a deep breath, and looked inward...
Dusk clenched her teeth and raised a piece of wood she had picked up along the way like a sword, ready to die protecting the queen until the last moment.
For the only person who had ever shown her warmth in her life...
That was when.
A retired soldier with a prosthetic leg limped from the back of the alley and stood in front of the queen and Dusk.
"Ah...?"
A bewildered sound escaped Dusk's mouth.
It was a familiar old man.
Indeed, it was the same old man who had attacked her at the festival a year ago.
"..."
The old man glanced at Dusk, then silently stood firm.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, people emerged from various parts of the alley and blocked the soldiers' path.
They were disabled or elderly veterans, all wearing old military uniforms.
They were retired soldiers living in the slums.
Suddenly appearing, they formed a circle around the queen, using their bodies to block the soldiers' encirclement. The soldiers were taken aback.
"What's with these old folks?!"
"What should we do? They're unarmed..."
"We can't attack civilians—"
At that moment, a cold voice cut through.
"Are the weapons in your hands just for show?"
Leighton appeared behind the soldiers.
He looked coldly at the retired soldiers and then at the queen and girl hiding behind them.
"Make way. A few casualties will clear the path."
"..."
But the soldiers hesitated to swing their weapons, looking at each other, and Leighton, frustrated, stepped forward.
"These cowards... Move aside. I'll do it myself."
Slish—
Leighton's Dragon-Slaying Sword was drawn with a menacing sound, pointing forward. But the veterans stared straight ahead with empty eyes, unmoving.
Leighton advanced without hesitation, raising his sword.
And—
"The queen is still alive!"
Suddenly, from above, such a shout was heard.
Everyone looked in surprise toward the direction of the shout, and on the roof of a building forming the back alley... a woman was shouting towards the city.
"Duchess Bringar is here—!"
It was the tattooed woman, the leader of the vagrant group.
Led by her, the children of the slums on the roofs and rooftops screamed as if in agony.
"The Duchess is here! The Dragon Lady is surrounded by rebels!"
"The Sun Queen is in peril—!"
"You cowards! Are you even the queen's subjects!"
As the children screamed, several soldiers quickly climbed the building to capture them.
"These brats, what are they doing!"
"Disperse immediately! Otherwise, you too will be dealt with..."
The soldiers, who were aggressively threatening the children with weapons, gradually trailed off their words.
"Oh, oh..."
"My God. This is—"
Triggered by the children's cries, the sight of citizens surging from various parts of the city looked like a tidal wave.