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chapter 13
Dantes slammed the door open with one hand. With a loud bang, the door swung wide, revealing Gunter, who had been disinfecting the wound on his cheek. He looked up blankly at Dantes.
“You’re hurt? Are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. Just some shrapnel. The bastards pulled some dirty tricks. I regret not being able to protect all the soldiers.”
Seeing Gunter in a better condition than expected, Dantes glanced at Cesario, who only shrugged. It had been his ploy—otherwise, the conversation with Roberto would never have ended.
Marco pressed disinfectant firmly against Gunter’s face as he spoke.
“This lunatic hurled the boys out of the way the moment the bomb went off. Must’ve hurt like hell, right? If it were me, I’d rather take the explosion than get thrown by you.”
Marco clicked his tongue. Dantes sighed and raked his fingers through his black curls, scattering them loosely.
“I thought you were badly hurt.”
“If Gunter Butler takes an injury, that’s no small matter. And it’s not just his face—his arms and legs are torn up too.”
“The real problem is that we didn’t resolve everything. Retreating… it’s a stain on my life.”
“You’re alive. That’s what matters.”
Dantes stepped closer to Gunter. Marco hadn’t been exaggerating; cuts and bruises covered Gunter’s arms and legs.
“How many wounded?”
“About ten. None seriously.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it. No one was badly injured by the bomb itself, but the first one Gunter threw out of the way had his ribs broken.”
“That’s due to his weakness. He needs more training.”
Gunter spoke with unshaken confidence, as if he bore no fault. Marco tidied the medicine box with little care. Cesario approached, adding his thoughts.
“The Terzes are getting bolder. They must know our forces are split between escorting Roberto and tending to your injuries.”
“This time, it was the bomb ambush that was troublesome. Most of them were just low-grade criminals again.”
Gunter gave his cold assessment. Marco folded his arms.
“Feels like they’re experimenting—testing what hits us hardest.”
“They’ll try everything, then send their elite with whatever works best. Tiresome pests.”
Dantes glanced over the documents stacked on the desk, then looked to Cesario.
“We should move out quickly.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until your arm heals more? Or hit one of their elite camps before we go?”
“No. They know we’re still here. If we delay, civilians could get caught in the crossfire. This place is too close to the village, and those vile dogs will harass innocents the moment they feel like it.”
“If it’s the Terzes, they’ll target the women first. Lewd pigs. Beautiful young girls will be the first victims.”
Marco, ever the self-proclaimed protector of women—his favorite beings in the world—spoke with conviction. Gunter grimaced. Dantes studied the map.
“Civilian casualties are one issue, but they’d also use it to stir up internal conflict in Delion. It’s all about sowing chaos.”
“Dantes is right. For them to attack this boldly without official sanction… it’s practically proof someone in the imperial family is colluding with the Terzes.”
“Whoever it is, I’ll wring their neck!”
Gunter seethed, still furious about retreating. Dantes’ eyes stayed on the map.
“I don’t fully trust the Aventurine family either.”
“The baron? Why?”
Marco looked surprised.
“Monterno Aventurine. That boy is suspicious. He was captured by goblins but barely injured. Then he tried approaching Roberto on his own. Strange. The baron might not know—he seems to think his son’s just overly curious.”
“Didn’t he just bring food?”
“Was that yesterday?”
Marco and Cesario asked in turn. Dantes nodded.
“He was at the secret passage the baron himself showed me. No reason to be there at dawn. He must’ve been trying to speak with Roberto.”
“So that’s how he slipped past the guards and reached inside. To deceive even us… impressive preparation.”
Cesario finally had his suspicions cleared. Marco, still baffled, mused aloud.
“What would that brat want to talk about with Roberto? Just curious about a notorious criminal? Strange that such a clueless kid has schemes at all.”
“I know, right? And Roberto doesn’t like people who talk too much.”
At the mention of Roberto, Dantes swallowed another sigh. Gunter was right. Roberto had never been much of a talker—he only ever spoke when necessary.
That thought tore Dantes’ heart even more.
“That day, I ran. That was betrayal.”
“I am already a sinner. I confess my crimes.”
Recalling Roberto’s voice, Dantes slammed his fist on the desk. Marco jumped, biting his tongue.
“Ah! Damn it! You scared me! What’s gotten into you?”
Gunter seized the chance.
“You just can’t forgive the Terzes, right? I should’ve shown them what for!”
“That’s not what we were talking about! We were on Monterno. Did he say something to you? What did you two talk about yesterday?”
“Nothing important.”
“Not true. You nearly broke the desk, Dantes.”
Marco examined the desk closely.
“See? The wood’s cracked along the grain. Press a bit harder and it’ll split.”
“Anyway, he’s suspicious. Needs investigating. Marco—you check him out.”
“Me? Why always me?”
“Because you’re standing right here.”
“You’re wasting talent like Marco Griffin on tailing some brat?”
Dantes softened his tone, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“No one’s more suited than you.”
“Ugh.”
Marco brushed his hand off with a defeated sigh. Cesario added his own doubts.
“I also found the goblin story suspicious. He’s so timid—how could he survive among a horde of goblins? How’d he even get in there?”
“What am I supposed to do, read the boy’s mind? It’s not like I can just bring back a live goblin.”
Marco stretched with exaggerated annoyance.
“Maybe Roberto knows something. Should we ask him?”
“No.”
Dantes’ answer was firm. Marco snorted.
“So you can ask, but we can’t? Honestly, Roberto’s the most likely one to know anything.”
“I’m the emperor.”
“How charming.”
“He’s a prisoner guilty of insulting the imperial family. I won’t allow casual interrogations.”
“How’s this casual? We’re just asking questions. Even you think Roberto might know something, don’t you?”
Dantes, seeing Marco wouldn’t let go, shifted tactics.
“Then I’ll ask him myself.”
“Isn’t your relationship with him a bit too strained for that?”
Cesario poked at the memory of their heated argument. Marco chimed in.
“Yeah. I went up the stairs to hear about Gunter, and your shouting echoed all the way. If I were Roberto, I wouldn’t answer you either.”
“What?”
Dantes barked, but Marco only grinned wider.
“First, I’ll investigate around his academy and places he frequents. Roberto will be the last resort. You can come along if you want, but I’ll be the one questioning him.”
“You couldn’t have said that from the start?”
“That’d be boring, Your Majesty.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Hey, I can only tease you here. Back at the palace, Cesario will glare daggers at me and scold, ‘Even as friends, you must show proper respect to His Majesty.’ Might as well enjoy this while I can.”
Marco chuckled and strode out first.
“What’s the deadline?”
“By tomorrow at noon. At the latest, we leave here the morning after.”
“Tight schedule. Alright. I’ll let you know if I find anything. Oh, and keep Monterno under watch—one or two men should do.”
“Already arranged. Too many unstable elements to track right now.”
Dantes turned back to the map. Gunter had already charted the fastest route back to the capital, but after the bombing, they had to assume traps, magic, or other tricks lay in wait.
“Will you take another route?” Gunter asked.
Dantes hesitated, then shook his head.
“We can’t leave that retreat unanswered. We’ll break through head-on.”
Gunter grinned, teeth flashing, clearly satisfied. Cesario, on the other hand, shook his head at the reckless choice.
But he had no better option either. The cleanest way was a frontal assault. Dantes tapped several points on the map.
“These will be our strongholds.”
His eyes now clear with resolve, Dantes spoke. Cesario realized once again just how immense a presence Roberto was to him.
