Outside Darius's mansion, the world was in chaos.
"What are they doing?" Ragnar roared furiously and looked at all the guards who dared not enter the prime minister's mansion.
The guards wanted to advance, but it was better to surround the place first to prevent any of the attackers from escaping. Those were the thoughts of everyone since this outcome would bring back the culprits of the attack.
Ragnar, as the first and closest to the prime minister's mansion, was sent to check what had happened. Lately, attacks had been happening one after another in the kingdom, causing great instability in security and people's trust.
"Lord Ragnar, the attack began approximately five minutes ago... The other noble families near this place have reported hearing loud screams and explosions, but all those sounds ceased when we secured the area," one of the knights who had arrived first said.
"The situation is critical; we've just received a report that Prince Gilgamesh's mansion was attacked, and the worst part is that Princess Ariel was in the same mansion. Everything seems to indicate that the attacks were coordinated. Follow me immediately, and let's find out what happened in this place."
As the Sword Emperor, who was the commander of the royal knights, everyone had confidence in him and followed behind Ragnar, keeping their eyes wide open for adversity.
A knight who was Ragnar's aide said with a cold expression, "Sir, there are records that in the mansion, there is a Sword King, two mages capable of wielding King-level magic, and more than fifty royal guards..."
"No need to report it; the guards are here..." Ragnar, who had advanced ahead, found numerous corpses on the ground. Their wounds were all very similar, but there was no pattern to suggest that a known technique had been used, so they were currently without clues.
"They're all dead..."
...
In Gilgamesh's mansion.
The corpses had been collected, and the blood had been cleaned to the best of their ability, but Simon was worried that Gilgamesh had not yet appeared.
The best part of all of this was that Princess Ariel had taken charge of everything in Gilgamesh's absence, which made suspicions about the prince's whereabouts disappear.
Boom!
At that moment, a sound struck the rear of the mansion right where the rarely visited courtyard was. But this simple sound was enough to send all the guards running to search for any enemies.
Simon, who was the quickest, saw Gilgamesh surrounded by many figures and furrowed his brow but didn't ask any questions.
"He's back, my lord!"
Gilgamesh had noticed Simon's presence as he walked towards him and nodded. "Take care of these girls; they are now part of my property, and no one should touch them. Ensure they receive the best treatment and prepare some rooms for them to sleep together."
"Understood! There won't be any issues," Simon replied, and quickly summoned some of the mansion's maids.
"I'm going to take a shower and then get some rest; handle this for me," Gilgamesh said as he waved his hand and walked away from the scene.
"You will all be fine now, don't be afraid and follow me in silence." Simon said, addressing all these girls, teenagers, and women of considerable age. He didn't know what had happened, but he could assume that the prince Gilgamesh had a plan behind all of this.
Initially, all those who chose to follow Gilgamesh believed that their lives wouldn't be much different, but seeing that he paid them no attention and seemed uninterested gave them the reassurance they needed for the night.
On the way to the baths, Simon, who had sworn loyalty to his prince, had to ensure that nothing tarnished his prince's reputation. So he said, "First, you won't be able to move around the mansion as you please. You will be placed in the dormitories until the prince decides what to do with you. Second, don't scream or cause any trouble. Besides that, whatever you hear, keep it to yourselves, and don't speak about anything that happens in this mansion."
Simon could see that they were slaves, as common as bread on this continent. But unlike other slaves, these seemed to have been kidnapped, judging by their fine faces hidden beneath all the dirt on their bodies. Perhaps nobles, but it wasn't known for sure, and Simon wasn't interested in investigating.
The girls, especially the smarter ones, knew who the princes of the kingdom they were in were. There were only three men and one woman. If they were under the care of the prince Gilgamesh, who had proven to be extraordinary, no one would complain, and they wouldn't be so foolish as to anger him.
After a few long hours, everything seemed to return to normal, but only in the morning would the kingdom be in chaos, as the prime minister had been attacked, and two of the princes had survived assassination attempts.
The blame for all of this would be directed at one person, and that was the first prince who seemed to have a deep desire for the throne. No one in the kingdom was foolish; they had all lived long enough to understand what a change of crown meant.
Wars among successors were very common, and they often sent assassins to end each other's lives. But now things had spiraled out of control, as the prime minister had been killed, and rumors had it that over a hundred swords were driven into him in revenge.
Within just an hour, rumors spread everywhere, and people began to suspect. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, walked down to the basement and looked at Eye Crow, the assassin who had come for his life.
"Prime Minister Darius Silva Ganius is dead, and all the innocents are now in my mansion, under my ownership," Gilgamesh said, looking at the woman lying on the bed. "Now you are free; you have suffered enough, and I forgive you for the sins you have committed. I want you to know that you are the first to be forgiven after attempting to take my life."
A golden ripple shimmered near Gilgamesh, and after reaching into it, he pulled out a vial containing crimson liquid. "You are free now. If you leave after taking this medicine, you can escape the kingdom. Tomorrow morning, everyone will be looking for suspicious individuals, but instead, if you choose to stay and be my sword, you could live a different life by my side."
The liquid passed down the assassin's throat, and her broken bones healed, wounds on her body disappeared, and she regained her mobility.
Gilgamesh walked toward the stairs and said, "It's your decision, and I will respect whatever you choose to do after this."