Chapter 66
The Palace of the Graeden Kingdom.
The entire building where the servants resided was currently under strict lockdown.
There were only three gates leading through the formidable walls surrounding the Graeden Royal Palace.
One was the main gate used by everyone; another was a secret passage known only to a select few of the royal family; and the last was the service gate used by servants to transport various supplies into the palace.
Of these three gates, two had already fallen and were overrun by monsters.
The remaining gate was the supply transport entrance attached to the servants’ quarters.
Crown Prince Theodore had put a great deal of effort into securing this specific gate. He had designated the servants’ dormitory building, which was closest to the gate, as his base of operations.
On the top floor of the building, sitting in the Head Chamberlain’s office, Theodore let out a long sigh.
“It seems Lloyd has established a survival camp at the Devonshire Mansion.”
The movements of his only younger brother were suspicious.
To say he had formed a camp simply to survive was a stretch, especially considering the caliber of people gathered at the Devonshire Mansion.
The Marquis of Devonshire, the Earl of Adler, and the Viscount of Hanworth.
They were the most powerful and influential figures among the nobles who supported Prince Lloyd.
In contrast, what did his own survival camp look like?
‘It’s nearly decimated.’
Could anyone have predicted things would turn out like this?
Aside from the Duke of Lonetail, it seemed no one among the factions supporting Crown Prince Theodore had survived.
‘It’s unexpected that the Duke of Lancaster isn’t at Lloyd’s camp, though. Is he dead already?’
After the incident broke out, the palace was the first to fall, and the King and Queen had passed away. To be precise, they were likely wandering somewhere in the palace, having transformed into monsters.
Theodore tapped his fingers on the desk. He looked up at his aide, Elderson, who stood before him.
“What is the status of the advance toward Brunel? Have you found Eden?”
“Communication was cut off near Westmore Station. It seems difficult to advance beyond Westmore.”
To get to Brunel from Benton, one had to take a train through Westmore, Honderf, and Kintne. From Kintne, a carriage ride was required to finally reach Brunel.
However, they were being repeatedly blocked at Westmore, unable to even reach Honderf or Kintne.
“Does that mean we are all isolated here and cannot leave?”
“…That appears to be the case.”
“Damn it. I wonder if other countries are in the same situation.”
“Given this rate of infection, I doubt it’s much different elsewhere. I’m not sure about the Western Continent, but the Kingdom of Briwood, which borders Graeden, is almost certainly facing the same circumstances.”
Elderson was right. At the very least, every nation on the same continent might have already fallen—or was about to.
But he couldn’t give up like this. He couldn’t just sit by and watch the world sink.
He had to uncover the cause of the incident and stop the infection as quickly as possible. After that, he would exterminate the monsters.
With the King dead, the Crown Prince was the only one left with the power to protect this country. He had to keep his wits about him and break through this crisis.
“I need Eden.”
Theodore muttered, his face deep in thought.
Eden was not only the heir to the Duchy of Lancaster but also a man of exceptional talent.
Though Eden had declared he would rise through the ranks starting as a lowly police officer, Theodore knew that his swordsmanship and marksmanship were already the best in the Graeden Kingdom.
When they attended the Royal Academy together, Theodore usually took the top spot, but that was only possible when Eden had no interest in the exams.
Eden excelled in every subject; there was nothing he couldn’t do. A genius who didn’t even have to try—that was Eden.
During their time at the Royal Academy, a massive riot had broken out among the students against the school regarding an admissions scandal.
Students from the Military Science department were deployed to the scene as reinforcements to suppress the unrest with force.
At that time, Eden had quickly identified the ringleaders and then broke the momentum of the mob from its center, suppressing the students in a short amount of time.
It was Eden who had made the greatest contribution to successfully ending the riot without any casualties.
In terms of pure ability, Eden was better suited to be a soldier than a policeman.
He was brilliant at strategy and skilled at leading people to execute operations.
Therefore, in an emergency like this, a talent like Eden was absolutely essential.
“And the Lady of Lancaster?”
“I believe she is resting with the other noble ladies who arrived with her.”
At Elderson’s words, Theodore stood up.
There was no time for even a moment’s rest.
The palace and the capital were already saturated with roaming monsters, and they were reaching the limit of how long they could hold out inside.
An apocalypse met without preparation was this fatal. Even the leaders of a nation were rendered this powerless and isolated, unable to take any action.
“I need to have a proper conversation with Lady Lancaster. We must bring Eden back.”
“Shouldn’t we confirm Sir Eden’s survival first?”
“You just said we can’t even advance past Westmore, yet you have a lot to say.”
Elderson fell silent, having no retort to Theodore’s sharp remark.
“Besides, if it’s Eden, he won’t be dead. I’m certain of it.”
Furthermore, Knox and Cherry Sinclair were in Brunel with Eden. Was Knox not one of the most skilled doctors in all of Graeden?
And wherever Cherry Sinclair was, Harrison Howard was bound to be there as well… While Cherry might be unnecessary, Knox and Harrison were capable talents.
Assuming they were still alive, of course. Regardless, if Eden was there, the chances were high that both were alive.
Theodore once again went over the reasons why he had to reach Brunel.
