Chapter 102: The Meeting
The dawn broke through the clouds, dissipating the lingering gloom and fog in the city.
The air was thick with the clangs and shouts of battle.
“The starving wolves outside the city can hardly contain themselves any longer.”
Old Leikmon, clad in silver armor, tightened the reins in his hands. The Horned Horse beneath him let out a long whinny and came to a halt, followed by the soldiers behind him. With his bloodied Blade drawn, he looked towards the magnificently adorned royal palace in the distance, his expression darkening.
“When the palace was built, they didn’t even consider defensive facilities! The designer thought no one would dare attack here. We’re separated from the inner sanctum by nothing more than a flimsy iron fence that isn’t even three meters tall! A slightly burly soldier could bend it with a hand and squeeze through! Without machinery, without arrows or pitch, tell me, how exactly do they expect to stop us? With those roses only cowardly women would be fond of?!”
Old Leikmon raged, his voice growing louder as he completely cowed the generals before him.
“I’m truly sorry… Lord Leikmon. I’ve done everything possible to allocate what resources we have to key positions, and promised rewards wherever due… but…”
The general paused.
“But it’s met with fierce resistance from the palace. We’ve broken through several times only to be pushed back… those Sword of Kanli… ordinary soldiers really can’t hold them off, my lord. Many of our brothers defending the palace don’t wish to give it their all…”
His meek words were tinged with exhaustion.
But Old Leikmon paid no heed.
“Three hours! Duke Lex will only give me three hours! Within those three hours, we storm in, take everything we can carry—the valuable jewels, the gold from the church just delivered, and the exquisite, beautiful women—they’re all yours!”
Old Leikmon pulled off his helmet, eyes bulging as he pointed a finger accusingly. Spittle flew from his mouth in his frenzy.
“After three hours, the Iron Guards will be coming in! By then, you will have nothing! Understand?!”
“Lord Leikmon…”
“Don’t explain things to me! There’s less than two hours left! I don’t care what tactics you use, ambush, or lives to fill the gap! If we haven’t breached the palace in twenty minutes, I’ll change the troops!”
With that, Old Leikmon waved his hand at the general.
“Go now!”
The general seemed like he wanted to say something more, but after glancing at Old Leikmon’s face, he swallowed the words and spurred his beast towards the cacophony of battle.
Once he was gone, Old Leikmon gazed back toward the palace, listening to the distant sounds of conflict, murmuring to himself for a long while, “Foolish boy… what are you resisting for? Your mother is in their hands…”
“Lord Leikmon!”
Suddenly called from the side brought him back from his thoughts.
Old Leikmon quickly put on a semblance of energy, turned around, and saw soldiers rushing in from another street, led by a feeble old man, forcing a smile.
“Congratulations, Lord Lex… ah, should I call you ‘Your Majesty’ now?”
The Old Duke didn’t respond immediately.
He looked a bit gaunt and couldn’t help coughing a couple of times as he approached Old Leikmon. It seemed his time in captivity took a toll, but his eyes remained sharp and scrutinizing as he regarded Old Leikmon, eventually breaking into a smile.
“Lord Leikmon, you must not remember me well? Do you think of me as a dirty, unscrupulous person?”
Old Leikmon’s smile grew wider, and he waved his hands repeatedly.
“Lord Lex, you underestimate me. In military affairs, it’s survival of the fittest; who cares about moral tactics? If that were the case, Her Majesty the Queen… Elizabeth wouldn’t have fallen to this point—she’s still too young.”
The Old Duke shook his head with a smile.
“I’ve just lived longer and seen more; I understand human nature better than that canary in a gilded cage… But don’t worry, once the dust settles, you will be the greatest hero of Ethanbel. I’ll return your city to you and ensure your family is safe. I’m not unreasonable; you help me, and I’ll help you.”
“However…”
His tone shifted.
“Lord Leikmon, your troops don’t seem to be following your orders very well… It’s been so long already. If it were the Iron Guards, they would have stripped that canary bare by now, wouldn’t they?”
Old Leikmon’s expression darkened at the remark.
“Lord Lex, you know the one fighting so fiercely over there is my foolishly loyal son… Let’s not speak of such cold words. We will soon take the palace, and not a single royal will be spared; just don’t forget your promises.”
“Of course I won’t…”
The Old Duke chuckled again.
He sat on his beast alongside Old Leikmon, casting him a sidelong glance.
“Lord Leikmon… your son has made an unfortunate choice, which may put you in a difficult position. But I must remind you, when necessary… do not hesitate.”
Old Leikmon’s smile froze.
But the Old Duke remained cheerful, looking up at the sky, lightly sighing, “What a pity; such a rare and stunning beauty in this world… if only she could be a bit more ordinary, raising her wouldn’t be so—”
Whoosh!
In the next moment, the wind roared overhead.
Crash—
The soldiers behind them fell into chaos, and Old Leikmon noticed and looked up, while the Duke’s eyes widened. A pitch-black meteor with a burning tail streaked across the sky, hurtling toward the royal palace.
“What is that…”
“What…”
The two exchanged looks.
In that moment, they both registered the deep shock in each other’s eyes. A bad premonition seemed to rise quietly from their hearts.
…
Cloaked in black flames, I zoomed beneath the buildings, tightly clenched my mouth as I flew low.
The center of the city was alive with murderous intent.
And I was heading straight for the most brutal spot of the conflict.
The royal palace.
Most likely, she was right here…
“Ahhhh—”
Soldiers clad in silver armor screamed and clashed below, piles of corpses stacked like mountains outside the palace gates.
Figures on both sides exchanged flesh and steel, bl**d gushing and chunks of meat splattering. The Horned Horse shrieked, knocked over a blue iron railing, and collapsed, crushing three guards beneath it. Crowds outside surged through the gap, and just as someone raised their hand…
Bright, blazing tongues of fire erupted, sweeping over a vast area outside the railing. The soldiers that had just rushed into the courtyard were engulfed in flames, rolling on the ground in agony, thick smoke billowing upward, the gap blocked again by the fallen bodies as another crowd broke through another railing…
Soldiers poured into the palace courtyard one after another, turning the circular square, the very place where Victoria and I once strolled, into chaos. Arrows whistled through the air; someone was hurling massive stones toward the distance, trampling over bodies to block the gates, dozens of cavalry charged from the left, and after a tumble of horse and man, bl**d was spilled on the ground…
Each scene barely stayed in my vision for long.
I accelerated, soaring over the battlefield, controlling the black flames as I zoomed down towards the palace’s main entrance.
“Stand back!”
The soldiers guarding the front gates scattered like birds. They shrieked and retreated, clearing a large space below; I flipped in mid-air and crashed down with a thud.
Then I rubbed my knees.
A little shaken up…
After straightening myself, I quickly reined in the Chaotic Power.
The black flames rolled back into my body, while white sparks still flickered around me. The soldiers at the palace gates dared not approach, forming a wide ring around me instead.
“Enemy attack—” someone cried out.
I scanned the surroundings, spotting some figures rushing towards me; the soldiers clanged their swords and promptly shouted, “I am the Pope Knight!”
But my voice, compared to the roars from the battlefield, seemed feeble.
“Ambush! Ambush—”
“Shields up! Hold the main gate—”
“Beware of her strange power—”
“She’s just one person—”
Just as those folks seemed ready to launch an attack on me, several from the Sword of Kanli arrived. The fight was about to break out when suddenly someone raised a hand.
“Wait!”
“Don’t be hasty! She’s not an enemy—”
I turned to see the familiar shining green-haired figure.
“Rect…”
In that instant, my emotions surged.
Finally, a familiar face!
“Not an enemy! Not an enemy! Don’t attack!”
Rect pushed through the soldiers, bloodied and tousled, looking worn out, limping painfully as he walked—it seemed he had taken some wounds.
Hearing him speak made the soldiers hesitate, but they still held their swords at the ready, and then more voices cried out: “Put down your swords! That’s Miss Peilo!”
A young officer stepped into the circle, looking somewhat familiar, as if I’d seen him before. He was scolding the soldiers to sheath their weapons while staring at me in astonishment, his gaze lingering on the dissipating black mist around me and catching sight of Captain Gray in my hand, his lips trembling.
“Miss, what have you done…”
I couldn’t afford to explain, nor did I have time, so I just blurted out, “Where’s Victoria?!”
“She’s not over here.”
Rect moved closer, speaking quickly, “Come with me; I have something to tell you.”
He exchanged a glance with the officer and quickly began heading toward the palace.
The soldiers parted, making way.
“Where is she?!”
I rushed to keep pace behind him.
“Take me to her!”
But Rect remained silent the whole way.
My heart grew more anxious as I followed him into the inner palace, moving through several corridors. Finally, when I couldn’t hold back any longer and tried to grab his arm, Rect suddenly turned.
“Don’t speak; just follow me.”
I blinked in surprise.
Then it hit me.
Of course, I shouldn’t speak about where Victoria was… I was too anxious…
Realizing this, I kept quiet and followed Rect as he led me through the inner palace, out the back door, through several long hallways, crossing the garden until we reached a small building on the side of a side hall. Rect pushed the door open, motioning for me to come in.
“Everyone thinks Her Majesty is in the main hall; few know about this place. If the palace falls, we can escape while they search the inner hall… I just don’t know how long we can hide.”
Those words made my heart tighten in fear.
“What’s happening…”
My throat felt stuck.
Rect slowly shook his head as he walked ahead. “Has the Saint returned?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she? Can we find her?”
“We can.”
“Great…”
I followed Rect up to the third floor, stopping before a door at the end of a corridor. He lightly knocked.
“The honor of the Sword Mark is supreme.”
That seemed to be a password.
After a moment, the door opened, and Rect slipped inside while I quickly followed him in.
Inside the room, a few Sword of Kanli members stood at attention, their gazes fixed on me, but at that moment, I had no thought to pay attention to anyone.
I spotted Victoria lying on the bed.
She looked weak and frail, her complexion pale, and her eyes tightly shut.
