Chapter 69 – Proper Posture (4)
“It seems it would be better for you to go inside now. They have all left.”
“That’s a shame. I wish they would come back…”
Immediately after the Elf delegation left, King Mikail, who had seen them off to his kingdom, did not hide his disappointment.
The visit of the Elves was the hottest topic since his ascension to the throne. It was a special issue that no previous king had experienced. It was only natural for a spirited young boy like him to be captivated by such a subject, but the problem was that he had fallen head over heels for Eluria, who led the Elves.
It didn’t matter that Eluria was over a hundred years older than him. Still unmarried, he realized what a perfect female form was when he saw her.
And that realization exploded when Eluria boldly set aside her traditional attire and wore the dress given by humans.
The daughters that the nobles subtly recommended as queens were around the same age as him, so they inevitably paled in comparison to the mature Eluria.
‘I can’t let them go like this. I know they certainly want to make agreements with other kingdoms.’
Realizing that the Elves intended to forge relations with various factions, he began to feel anxious. If he didn’t leave a special impression, it seemed unlikely that the Elves would return.
“Captain of the Guard. I think I need to go after them.”
“Wh-What!?”
In the end, Mikail acted impulsively. Without anyone noticing, he packed a gift for Eluria and coaxed the Captain of the Guard to take him to her.
“I have to go. Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Being aware of his position and always trying to act mature, Mikail began to throw a tantrum for the first time in a long while.
The Captain of the Guard, who had been like an uncle to him since his childhood, could not find the heart to stop Mikail, who was practically on the verge of throwing himself on the ground.
‘Well, what could happen? It’s just a leap.’
Ultimately, the Captain of the Guard, along with a small force, secretly led Mikail out of the royal palace on horseback. It was not unusual for the king to go out incognito, and he believed that there would be hardly any incidents within the realm.
“Th-That’s…”
However, they encountered a shocking scene as they rode along. The Elf delegation returning to their homeland was ambushed by a mysterious group.
“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!”
“We need to help them quickly!”
Startled, Mikail urged his horse forward. The guards had no choice but to follow.
“How dare these rebels! Do you know who this is?”
Mikail made his identity as the king known as he charged into the battlefield, but the startled assailants did not cease their attack. Seeing this, the guards, furious, jumped into the fray, engaging the assailants in fierce combat.
That was the reason this situation unfolded.
‘Things have come to this.’
Irilia, holding her fluttering hood, let out a bitter smile as she grabbed Patrick beside her. Thanks to Irilia, her companions, including Patrick, were still not directly fighting the enemy.
“Stay back with Rina. The guards have joined, so we’ve won this battle.”
“Indeed, while they prepared a lot, they are not perfect.”
Patrick nodded while observing the surroundings. The assailants were unaware of Irilia’s presence and King Mikail’s involvement.
With this outcome, the operation would surely fail.
‘But escaping is not an option either. It looks like we’ll have to fight to the death.’
If they tried to flee, the assailants were determined to chase them down to capture them. The enemy was aware of this; hence, they had no choice but to fight.
“Guhk.”
Thanks to that, Irilia, who did not need to reveal her identity to the guards or Mikail, turned her head. An arrow slicing through the air instantly pierced an enemy’s throat.
It was an arrow shot by Eluria. With a hardened expression, she continuously launched arrows imbued with mana, toppling the enemies.
‘Wretched beings. But we were already prepared.’
Eluria held no mercy in her anger towards the assailants, dispatching them with lethal accuracy. The guards who charged in with swords greatly benefitted from her support.
“That girl…!”
However, someone was targeting her. One of the instigators, Melchith, a knight, charged at Eluria with a sword shining blue.
Now that the situation had turned, he had to unleash the boiling fury within him.
“No, Lady Eluria!”
Arisa spotted him and shouted, but the distance was too great.
Melchith thrust aside the guard blocking him and, with bloodshot eyes, rushed toward Eluria, who had unfortunately dropped her bow just when the sword was about to strike.
“Ugh.”
“Wh-What was that?!”
At that moment, a loud gunshot rang out. The revolver’s cylinder turned, and a bullet struck Melchith’s arm as he charged.
‘I-I hit him.’
In the chaotic melee, it was King Mikail who aimed to save Eluria. He always carried the firearm for self-defense but had only practiced with it due to its rarity, never having fired it before.
The boy’s eyes widened in shock as his hand trembled from the weapon’s power.
“How dare you, you brat!”
Melchith, now completely consumed by agony and rage, had lost all sense of reason. He was determined to kill whoever was in front of him, whether the king or anyone else, since he was doomed to die anyway.
Melchith adjusted his grip on the sword with his other hand and threw himself forward.
Mikail, horrified, pulled the trigger again, but his hands trembled like aspen leaves, causing the large-caliber revolver to go wide.
Even if it was a weapon that disregarded mana, it still needed to hit to be effective. While Mikail hesitated, the enemy already lifted his sword.
“Ugh?!”
But at that moment, the ground trembled, and the soil and rocks shot up to grab Melchith’s feet. He was taken aback, unable to comprehend why the earth was holding him back.
“It’s easier to miss if you’re caught like that.”
“Wh-Who are you?!”
“Hold the gun properly with both hands, fully extend your arms, and most importantly, keep your mind steady.”
Someone appeared behind the startled Mikail and gently adjusted his stance. A beautiful voice resonated from behind him.
In other words, it meant she was about the same height as him, who was currently the youngest there.
“The enemy cannot move. If you aim well, you will definitely hit.”
‘I’ve only ever watched a pilot shoot a gun.’
Irilia chuckled as she helped the boy get ready to shoot. Mikail too could not push Irilia away, who casually touched him, being instinctively aware of her true nature. Despite her petite stature, he felt she was not someone he could defy.
“Now, shoot.”
As she whispered, Mikail squeezed his eyes shut and fired again. His aim was the heart of Melchith, who was screaming and struggling.
The bullet, making a deafening sound, penetrated the knight’s body, causing him to bleed profusely.
*
“What about the ones who fled!?”
“Don’t worry. They won’t get far and will soon be captured by the Elves.”
“Ah… I’m relieved.”
In reality, no more than thirty minutes had passed since the incident occurred, but for those involved, it felt like an agonizing eternity.
Mikail forgot his dignity and plopped down onto the ground. No one from the exhausted guards pointed this out.
“Even though the assailants utilized high-level setups and a fierce battle took place, there were hardly any casualties. We only lost three on our side, and a few Elves were injured, that’s all.”
“They… already knew?”
What shocked Mikail the most was that the Elves had already been aware of the assailants’ plot and had taken precautions. Although the chaos ensued when he barged in, the Elves managed to slaughter most of the assailants and capture a few without significant losses.
‘This is our responsibility.’
However, Mikail’s expression was far from good. After all, the incident had occurred within his own territory. He had wanted to show goodwill towards the Elves, but now he felt he had ruined that opportunity and grew despondent.
“I can finally thank you now.”
At that moment, Eluria approached them. It was uncertain what might have happened if Mikail hadn’t fired the gun.
Moreover, they had originally come running to help. There was no reason not to express gratitude.
“I feel unworthy. I had no idea such beings existed…”
“According to the intel we gathered, they belong to an extremist organization composed of various levels of extreme human supremacy. They attempted to assassinate the king under the pretense of rage against other races, so please punish them accordingly.”
As Mikail scratched his head, Eluria conveyed the information they had obtained. Upon hearing it, his eyes glinted.
They already had more than enough justification. This was not just an attack on the delegation; it was an act of rebellion.
He had every intention of capturing and punishing every one of them, regardless of who they were.
