massacre (2)
“… … Are you telling me to stop tracking you?”
Upon receiving the order, the senior knight raised his bowed head.
Suddenly, he wondered if he had heard it wrong.
“Captain, if I heard correctly, the pursuit of Viscount Vlado… … .”
“You heard it right.”
“… … .”
However, Edward, the knight commander who delivered the instructions, firmly dismissed the question.
His voice was without the slightest hesitation, so it was only natural that the knight’s expression was engulfed in bewilderment.
“Dae, why the hell? Shouldn’t we prioritize dealing with the tribals over the Holy Empire right now?”
The person the Argon Knights are now chasing is a nobleman who cooperated with Asus’ civil war conspiracy. It is also a person who is judged to be the closest.
But to stop the pursuit of such a serious criminal… … .
At that moment, the eyes of Knight Commander Edward, who met him, flashed blue.
“It is an order from the superior.”
“If it is an order from the superior… … 1Did the prince give the order himself?”
“I cannot give you more details. For now, defeat the members who went after them and return to the headquarters.”
“ah… … ! Yep, I see.”
The knight hurriedly hid his expression and accepted the order.
It was an uncertain situation, but what would he do as a knight?
All I could do was tilt my head on the way back.
‘Currently, was there anyone other than His Highness the 1st Prince who could give instructions to the Knights?’
… … By the way, by directly punishing the traitors with his own hands.
The first prince who took the lead in expelling collaborators more than anyone else.
Did Viscount Vla, who was not a criminal but involved in a civil war conspiracy, stop the pursuit?
‘Did he really worry that a battle would break out?’
If that’s not the case, His Highness the King may have moved it himself.
‘… … no way.’
The knight moved on, quickly erasing the thoughts that popped into his head.
In the end, it was because he thought that it was not the answer that he, as an article, would have to think about.
At that moment, Edward’s eyes widened as he watched the knight.
From noble mtl dot com.
-He’s hiding in Asus’s secret mansion, so there’s no need to chase him.
-Your Highness, what do you mean by that?
-It means that it cannot be found with the knights’ tracking technique anyway.
… … secret mansion,
Its existence was also unfamiliar, but it was even more so to say that it would not be found.
What is it?
Why did he say that it was only a mansion, so he could avoid the eyes of the Argon Knights?
However, Prince 1, who left meaningful words, only gave additional instructions.
-I’ll deal with him myself. The Argon Knights should focus on finding those involved.
– I’ll take your orders.
– My brother will execute as scheduled. Don’t miss a single one.
The back of the first prince leaving without hesitation… … It was as vivid as if it were still painted in my eyes.
Of course, I didn’t think from the beginning that things wouldn’t go as the first prince said.
“As scheduled… … is it.”
Edward slowly turned his gaze to the calendar hanging on the wall.
The night after this week, which has quickly approached.
“… … There will be bloody winds blowing in the capital.”
It was the appointed time for the execution of the members of the noble families involved.
Viscount Vlado, who would of course be an example, was the same.
***
smart-
“Come in.”
I said without even looking at the door.
The knocking on the door of the office was different from what I normally hear.
It meant that the subtle differences in the strength, angle, or spacing of the tapping could be felt sensuously.
Of course, he had already guessed the identity of the man behind him.
kiik-
“I have received a call. 1st Prince, how have you been?”
Silvery embroidery embroidered on the robe. And a familiar middle-aged voice.
The one who entered the office was none other than Wilford, the deputy head of the Mage Tower.
By the way, did you say that you received a call?
widely-!
I put down the fountain pen I was holding and looked at him.
“Why did you come? I must have sent a wizard who was good at defense.”
“Your Highness needs a mage, how can you stay still? Even though I didn’t major in defense, a guardian-level magic would be more helpful than any other mage.”
“Hoo, is it?”
It was a lot of confidence.
And the idea of doing it for me was also quite good.
‘Well, it’s definitely a bit more useful if it’s magic with a higher rank.’
However, it is not because it is a defense system that it is nailed down.
Mastery was also a big factor in discussing the true utility value of magic.
Still, saying that you came all the way here must mean that you have that much confidence.
“Unfold your defenses.”
“… … yes?”
Shuwook-!
“Huh!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the memorized sound fired from his right hand flew towards Wilford’s head with a piercing sound.
As soon as Wilford sensed it, he hurriedly moved his magic, and the shield that spread with a surprised breath succeeded in blocking it.
visor!
Kwajik-!
“No, I stopped… … !”
Wilford involuntarily exclaimed.
Since it was fired at a distance of about 5 cm from the head, there would have been no harm even if it had not reacted, but it felt an unknown sense of accomplishment.
However, the moment Wilford’s eyes moved around, he gasped in surprise.
“Oh, my God!”
It was launched in an instant, and it shattered the barrier made of magic in half.
Even that was not enough, so even the magical power of the guardian level that supported the form was scattered.
Hey, it flew at that speed, but would the shield be intact?
woo woo woo-
In the end, the shield that lost its power slowly disappeared into the air, leaving behind only a weak wave of magic power.
And what fell to the ground after that,
“Fountain pen… … .”
A fountain pen that doesn’t even feel any energy.
… … There was only one.
I rested my chin on the hand I had memorized and opened my mouth indifferently.
“It seems that you have accumulated proficiency in defense magic as usual. Quite right.”
“Go, thank you… … No, more than that… … .”
“The strength of the shield was tested.”
“… … ah.”
“Well, that should be enough.”
The other hand was briefly flicked.
Then Wilford picked up a fountain pen and approached with an expression that did not know if he was happy with the compliment or did not understand the situation.
He looked at it, wondering if he was surprised that the fountain pen hadn’t been damaged.
His gaze eventually turned to the desk, and the contents naturally came into his eyes.
“Ah, these are documents related to this cabinet meeting. Were you dealing with this?”
What happened at the Cabinet meeting naturally spread to the Magic Tower as well.
Whether it was cooperation with the Holy Empire or the horrors that followed.
It was safe to say that there was no place where the news had not spread.
Once again, Wilford’s eyes showed respect.
“You are amazing. Did you catch as many as five trio this time? Hearing the news, the owner of the Magic Tower was also delighted.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes, because Cromwell’s case was quietly buried.”
“Right.”
I accepted it with a shrug.
The great achievement of being able to protect the knowledge of the Magic Tower.
However, it could lead to confusion. In other words, it was something that could not be revealed to the world.
So he must have been glad that he was able to reveal it in public this time.
“Well, it just went well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The reason I called the wizard was to find the escaped Sejak.”
There is no need to explain the situation.
I continued talking behind my back and accepted the fountain pen Wilford had brought with me.
“I will leave immediately after processing the paperwork. to wait.”
“Ah, I see… … hmm?”
Wilford subconsciously nodded.
But then, suddenly realizing something strange, he raised his horse’s tail.
“If the Sejak escaped… … You’re referring to Viscount Vlado, right?”
“hmm.”
“If you do, why did you find someone who is good at defense?”
“I would have said that. To find him.”
“… … .”
What does the escaped Sejak have to do with defensive magic?
Unable to find an objective connection, the subtop owner’s eyes began to shake.
Of course, I wasn’t the one who kindly explained what had already been decided.
‘Because you’ll know when you see it yourself.’
Square- Square-
“… … .”
The only thing that could be heard inside the office was the sound of the pen tip rubbing.
***
The far eastern part of Esteban, which touches the Federation Empire.
The representative place to divide it was Siltaf Grande, a huge mountain range called the Mountain of Heaven.
However, the eastern terrain was not only blessed with mountains.
As if a barricade had been set up, mountains, hills, and forests rising here and there were blocking the place.
“It is a beautiful mountain.”
To Wilford’s admiration, I silently got off the carriage and brushed off my livery.
The fresh greens that have already bloomed after the cold has passed. They were sparkling blue with the scent of approaching summer.
‘It’s a familiar landscape.’
Looking at the scene unfolding in front of my eyes, I left an impression that I did not respond to.
20 years. No, was it now 19 years into the future?
However, the last scene that remained in my mind was the view of the forest that was burning.
A war between a small country and an empire.
They had to use everything that was available, so it was common to burn the entire forest.
In the process, Esteban suffered damage, but thanks to that, he was able to realize the importance of strategy and tactics.
‘Because it’s true that I was able to actually slow down their offensive.’
Swoop-
I stopped thinking and gestured to the coachman.
It was a sign to wait.
Before long, as I was leading the way up the road, Wilford followed me and asked.
“Your Highness, is Asus’s secret mansion really located in a place like this?”
“okay.”
Count Asus, who once claimed to be the king’s close friend and my guardian.
The arrangements he had made to overthrow Esteban had already been in place 20 or so years ago.
From the long-term infiltrator to poison the king, to the wealth that was secretly collected.
It was slowly eating away at Esteban from the root.
However, there were still some things that hadn’t been found.
That is, the secret mansion he made and the troops he was secretly cultivating.
No one was able to find that much, and it is still the same now, a year after the death of Asus.
It must have been sunk to the ground, and not even a trace of it came out.
“It’s definitely near the border area, so it’s a rare place. Even so, I don’t think it’s a place that won’t be discovered… … .”
It was Wilford’s question as he checked his vision with magic.
After all, a mansion is something you can see.
“Are you hiding the appearance of your home with magical powers?”
“Why did you think that?”
“This mountain is too small a place for man-made structures to cover it.”
“Right.”
surely… … Although the trees grew thick, they were not large enough to cover the mansion.
Suddenly, he saw his eyes slowly narrow.
“… … But my senses don’t feel any magical abnormalities.”
It was a look that seemed serious.
It was because he knew better than anyone else what it meant to not feel magical power.
“Your Highness, there may be magical powers that surpass Guardian level enveloping this place. If that’s not the case, there might still be an elder-level or higher wizard still residing there.”
“do not worry. There are no illusions here.”
“Is that so?”
He looked embarrassed and relieved that his guess was wrong.
Well, it must have been fortunate that there was room for help.
In the face of even more powerful magical power, he himself would be inferior to a firefly in front of the sun.
It was the very next moment that my footsteps, which had been quieting Wilford’s concerns, stopped.
“The distance to the wagon is sufficient, so this should be enough.”
“hmm? Weren’t you raiding the mansion?”
“I’ll have to find it first.”
“… … .”
A question that I don’t know how many times already has been reflected on Wilford.
But I just twitched my lips and shrugged.
“It’s a secret mansion and troops that can’t be caught even in persistent pursuit.”
Before the return, there were traces of Asus who struggled to find it until the very end.
A more convincing proof that the bastard went abroad. and where it was hidden.
From noble mtl dot com.
Ironically, this was the last place I was looking for before I died, and it was the location that all the evidence and traces I found earlier pointed to.
Perhaps you have searched for years to find out where this is?
‘Well, it’s only natural that you can’t find it in a year or so.’
No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to find a secret mansion built with the support of the Federation Empire within a year.
Even the traces that seemed to have gone into the ground.
Of course, even I, who was the last to find the traces, hadn’t directly confirmed the existence of the secret mansion.
But I was already convinced.
‘Thinking about it, this must have been the reason why he suddenly rebelled.’
A rebellion that came as soon as they found a trace. It was clear that the guy was in a hurry, feeling the burden of following him.
Because those actions were plainly different from what he had seen for decades.
That nervous action also meant that my guess about this place was correct.
‘Then it’s simple.’
seureung-
Elbern flowing from the scabbard made a bleak sound.
“Unfold your defenses.”
I thought of using a primitive method that could be used because it was here.
“I’ll break them all down.”