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Chapter 07
The masked men and the imperial soldiers were tangled together, each aiming for the other’s life. Some imperial troops were also trying to control the kingdom’s citizens who, panic-stricken, were attempting to flee.
“Kyaaaah! Please, spare me—!”
“Tch. Just die already.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you!”
Control was hardly being maintained.
Below the platform, Vivian, walking through the chaos, lightly kicked the longsword that had fallen at her feet toward a masked man.
You said you’d come on time—you’re really late.
The masked man, who exchanged a brief glance with her, quickly grabbed it and blocked an incoming strike. All around them rang the chilling sound of bayonet blades attached to imperial rifles clashing with the masked men’s longswords.
“Yes, that’s it! We’ll kill every last one of these vermin!”
At the clearly audible shout cutting through the noise, Vivian’s gaze lifted to the platform. Werner, standing at the edge, had a face flushed red as he yelled at the top of his lungs. He grabbed a soldier hurrying up the stairs.
“What about reinforcements? Not here yet?”
“Yes, sir. They’re a bit far off, so… I’ve passed on the orders for now. But are you really calling in everyone, even the minimum guard units?”
“Yes! Don’t make me repeat myself—listen! We’re going to kill every last bastard here, so gather all of them.”
“But then the governor’s office—”
“You little shit.”
“Urgh…!”
“Disobeying a superior’s order in wartime is punishable by summary execution.”
The soldier kicked by Werner’s boot curled up on the ground.
“Can’t you see what’s going on down there?”
Where Werner pointed, a fierce battle raged below the platform.
“Aaaah!”
Bang—!
“Please, stop!”
They were loading and firing their guns without hesitation. Bodies kept piling up on the ground, accompanied by horrific screams.
“I—I can see it…!”
“This is wartime, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir—wartime conditions!”
“Then if you don’t want to die, get moving, now!”
Werner shouted after the soldier as he ran off awkwardly.
Thanks to the fools who were caught while trying to escape to the roadside, bright red blood stained the snow piled on the bushes. After pressing the soldier into action, Werner returned to the governor’s side.
As if the records of having fought on battlefields were no lie, the governor possessed a solid, powerful build not fully concealed by his uniform. His movements reflected that as well. From the crispness of his salutes to the practiced way he organized formations and handled affairs, it was clear he was a capable commander.
Yet Peron Edwin’s appearance still puzzled Werner. Others seemed unable to sense the faint remnants of a kingdom-born air about him, but the more Werner faced him up close, the stronger his conviction became.
“Colonel, may I ask—what were you planning to say here today?”
Though he was the governor, he was also an army colonel and thus Werner’s superior. He was much older than Werner, and their abilities were beyond comparison. Werner’s own rank had been achieved solely by trampling on the kingdom’s people.
The governor tapped the railing of the platform with his fingertips.
“Well. Do I really need to tell Captain Werner that?”
Even in this cold, his face showed no redness at the nose or flush on the cheeks—it hardly looked human.
“No, sir.”
As Werner pressed his lips shut, Hemel nodded in satisfaction.
He used to butt in and ask impertinent questions, but over the past few days he’d learned at least some sense. How a man like this ever became a captain was beyond comprehension. If it were up to Hemel, he would never have approved such a promotion.
Since the moment the masked men appeared, Hemel had been watching only one woman.
Why the kingdom’s people reacted to the ringing of a single bell meant to draw attention as though they’d heard something horrific, why they were this terrified—there were no records explaining it. Hemel had read every document left in the offices, yet still couldn’t understand it.
Nor could he understand why they were already sobbing even before he himself appeared.
Until the surviving princess of Rosetea was killed—until the bloodline of the man who had left his mother to die alone was extinguished—he had intended to rule this kingdom well. The kingdom’s people were, in a sense, in the same position as his mother.
And yet, their terror was something Hemel simply couldn’t comprehend. So he followed her—the woman who was crying more bitterly than anyone else.
But that woman was… a little strange.
“Colonel…?”
As the corners of his lips suddenly lifted, Werner cautiously called out to him.
It must be my imagination.
As time passed, as the situation grew more urgent, as cries erupted everywhere, the sorrow on that woman’s face seemed instead to be fading. He’d only glimpsed it in passing—surely it had been a mistake.
“Yes?”
Werner, having heard his murmur, asked again.
Hemel’s blue eyes followed the fluttering strands of golden hair. Whenever the masked man dropped his sword and fell into danger—without fail. Even now.
Tap.
With a small, deliberate movement, she saved the masked man. This was already the sixth time. It couldn’t be coincidence.
“So it wasn’t my imagination.”
Hemel murmured again as he confirmed the woman slipping out toward the roadside.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Do we have spare soldiers?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Good. Assign them to that woman over there.”
Looking at Werner, he pointed to where the woman had been.
“Who?”
At Werner’s puzzled question, Hemel turned back and pointed again—then froze.
All that remained at the roadside he’d indicated were blood-stained bushes, a wounded soldier lying there, and a few people from the kingdom. The only thing they had in common was that they were all men.
In that brief moment, the woman had vanished.
Realizing this, Hemel tapped the railing once more.
“…Forget it.”
Marching in formation toward the Aeterna Tower, the soldiers passed by. To avoid drawing their attention, Vivian kept her head lowered as she slipped past them.
For the first time, Werner’s booming voice had been useful. The moment she heard that not only the offices but the entire governor’s compound had been emptied, her heart began to race on its own.
An empty compound meant that, at least for this moment, there were no guards at the governor’s office, none protecting the building, and none standing watch to prevent entry.
Of course, there would still be servants and attendants, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate the governor’s office.
The governor and the imperial leadership, who knew that Noah was of Rosetea royal blood, would surely be keeping the original adoption documents.
If she could get her hands on them, she could learn who Noah had been adopted by. And then—then she could start again from there.
Thinking that she was taking the first step toward the long-dreamed reunion with Noah, Vivian unconsciously quickened her pace. What had begun as a brisk walk soon turned into a run.
Just as when she’d first seen the governor days ago, Vivian stopped in front of the main gate of the governor’s residence to catch her breath. Though no sentry blocked her path, confirming that the troops really had all been pulled away, she still hesitated.
The governor’s residence had once been the royal palace of Rosetea. The walls and buildings had been torn down, the palace grounds remodeled in imperial style: administrative offices on the site of the main palace, military headquarters where the western palace had stood, and the governor’s residence where the southern palace once lay.
A small number of kingdom citizens with permits could come and go, but Vivian—who had erased her past and lived in a lowly status—had never been allowed to set foot there.
She could barely remember what the palace had originally looked like. It had been fifteen years since she last entered these grounds.
Pushing aside the swell of emotion, Vivian slowly headed toward the offices beyond the main gate. It was too soon to indulge in nostalgia.
“Your Excellency.”
Interior Minister Herald approached the governor, who was still gazing toward the roadside, deep in thought.
The disturbance that had seemed likely to end quickly had resulted in casualties grave enough to be called a massacre. It was a clear act of rebellion.
Imperial soldiers stood in two ranks, alternating between firing and reloading. The masked men, carrying longswords, seemed to have deliberately trained to fight rifles; exploiting the long reload time, they closed the distance. To stop them, the imperial troops had to resort to bayonet techniques they had yet to fully master.
The blades affixed to the rifle muzzles were threatening, but because the techniques weren’t fully ingrained, the empire’s losses were also heavy.
Of course, the rebellion would soon be suppressed. But if they continued to ignore evacuating the kingdom’s people and instead charged straight at the governor—
Imagining such an unwelcome scenario, Herald addressed the governor, who had yet to lose his composure.
“Would it not be better to give the planned speech after the situation has been brought under control?”
“Why—do you think suppression will be difficult?”
“For the moment, yes.”
Herald acknowledged the incompetence of the governor’s office. Even so, Hemel stared steadily into Herald’s unwavering eyes.
At his advanced age, Herald was the only leader within the governor’s office who could be called capable. That this system had not collapsed despite so many useless officials was largely thanks to him.
“Was the bayonet training also handled by Captain Werner?”
“Yes… It was abysmal. Though I am ignorant of martial matters, I will ensure greater attention is paid to the soldiers’ training going forward.”
“Good.”
Capable people who acknowledged their shortcomings and sought to improve were rare. Satisfied, Hemel decided to be lenient about the situation and nodded.
“As you say, it does seem difficult to remain here any longer.”
With languid eyes, he swept over the platform below, spattered with blood whose owner could no longer be identified.
Most of the kingdom’s people had already been evacuated. That meant there was nothing left for the masked men to protect.
As late-arriving imperial troops poured in, the masked men began to glance toward the governor, who still leaned against the railing, watching as though it were all an amusing spectacle—just as Herald had feared.
“I’ll return to the governor’s residence now. You stay here with Captain Werner and make sure this mess is properly dealt with.”
After all, I have no intention of letting such rabble run rampant on my land.
Leaving the chaos behind at an unhurried pace, Hemel turned and headed for his vehicle.
