Chapter 24
#24
Under the dim moonlight, a biting, tearing wind ripped through the two figures.
No matter how bundled up they were, the cold assaulted them at this high altitude. Walter pulled the cloth covering his mouth higher, directing his gaze downwards.
Pitch-black darkness spread beneath them. The moon, having been obscured by clouds, reappeared, and as if waiting for this moment, the darkness beneath them rippled, reflecting the light.
The sea of Portmeier, which would boast an emerald hue during the day, emitted an eerie movement, threatening the wanderers.
“We will head straight to the Duke's Castle!”
Napari conveyed his intention in a voice loud enough to be heard over the wind.
Walter, without replying, gripped the chain and shifted his center of gravity further back. At his signal, Napari leaned forward, beginning their descent.
They crossed the strait, passing by the harbor lined with ships. After passing the barrier separating the harbor from the city and several villages, the vast manor surrounding the Duke's Castle soon came into view.
To avoid any prying eyes, Napari ascended slightly higher, then carefully glided down, searching for a place to land.
After circling near the highest point a couple of times, Walter carefully scanned the surroundings for guards, taking Napari's place as he was distracted looking for a landing spot.
“Landing! Hold on tight, General!”
With a shout, Napari slowed his pace with slow wingbeats. He chose the watchtower on the left side of the castle as their landing spot, carefully flapping his wings as he calculated the distance.
Confirming the presence of guards around the watchtower, Walter removed the cloth covering his mouth and neatly folded it. Then, when they were within a certain distance of the ground, he released the chain without hesitation and landed.
Walter immediately ran towards the guards.
“Who’s there… Gack!”
The moment the guard, hearing the noise, turned around, Walter shoved the cloth into his mouth and struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
All of this happened in an instant. Before Napari could even express his admiration, Walter drew his sword and commanded him.
“I will infiltrate directly. Napari, are you familiar with the castle's layout?”
“I have memorized everything, including the stables and servants' quarters, so don't worry!”
“Then I don't need to explain further. You will wait on the terrace outside the conference room on the second floor. I will secure the target and join you on the terrace in half an hour.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Walter lowered his body and jumped down from the watchtower.
He didn't need to recall the castle's layout separately. As the second son of the Heiberg family and the leader of the Royal Army, he had been invited to the lord's castle countless times.
Godel Kill would never have imagined that his past social life would become a self-inflicted blow, tightening around his neck.
Without thinking of hiding, or slowing down, Walter hurried across the corridor, gripping his sword.
As a guard, noticing the intruder, shouted and drew his sword, Walter kicked off the ground with an incredibly swift step and leaped high.
“Kugh…!”
A short death cry echoed where the sword light had flashed.
Pushing the collapsing soldier aside with his shoulder, Walter swung his sword at another soldier behind him. All that remained behind his relentless sprint was a trail of red blood.
“Request reinforcements!”
“It's the General! Kill him immediately!”
Two Lykan soldiers bared their teeth and charged at him.
Knowing that he couldn't match them in brute strength, Walter narrowed his brow and focused his mind.
A bluish aura emanated from the blood-stained blade, and at the same time, the two Lykans charging towards him stood frozen in mid-air, like a distorted dream.
Walter, focusing his nerves, swung his sword, simultaneously cutting down both Lykans.
The Lykans, still suspended in the air, could only display terrifying expressions. Walter, still in the stance of cutting them down, simply stepped forward and dashed ahead.
“Ugh…!”
“Quickly, reinforcements, hurgh!”
Only then did blood burst out like fireworks, and the Lykans collapsed to the floor with a thud. Blood droplets, having lost their way, poured onto the corpses, leaving dirty stains.
Freely navigating through time and space, Walter calmly butchered the soldiers. Each time a blue light settled on the blade, the soldiers charging towards him froze in the air like broken dolls.
It was a technique that he usually avoided using because it was easy to lose focus, but it was an unavoidable choice now that he had single-handedly invaded enemy territory.
Stab, slash, stab again, slash.
Wielding swordsmanship ingrained in his body like breathing, Walter moved forward relentlessly.
“Stop, you monster!”
A soldier swung the sword he was holding violently.
Walter deflected the sword with a grip so strong that his hand went numb, then lowered his body and stabbed his thigh. With a loud groan, blood splattered with a chwaak.
The blood droplets that splashed into his eyes were quite bothersome. Nevertheless, he couldn't blink.
Even the most outstanding general has only one life, and on the battlefield, the line between life and death is crossed in the blink of an eye. If you don't want to die, you can't let your guard down for even a moment.
At the end of the dance-like swordsmanship, all the soldiers had fallen.
He blinked and took a breath. Certainly, whether it was because they had focused all their efforts on attacking the royal palace, there was only a minimal guard at the Duke's Castle.
It was going smoothly here, but what about the royal palace?
Beyond the softly flowing wheat-colored hair, he recalled eyes lost in deep thought.
Her finely shaped profile resembled her mother's, but her ability to execute anything calmly and resolutely was a unique characteristic she possessed.
Arsinoe….
Was she alright?
Even when establishing this absurd plan, Lucy was dry, without jokes or excitement.
She spoke with conviction in each syllable, and no soldier, even if they secretly scoffed, could oppose her plan.
Walter couldn't stop her either.
Frankly, even if it involved taking risks, this operation was quite interesting. Or rather, he was so fascinated by her intelligence that he couldn't even think of refuting it.
While preparing for the operation, he began to think about the most fundamental question.
Why was she chosen as king?
Since the day he knelt before her, countless gazes had asked the same question. But Walter himself did not know the answer.
But little by little, very little by little.
He felt like he knew what conviction he had in making her king.
What does the world look like through your eyes?
It was Lucy who had caught his attention with her bizarre actions from the moment they first met until they reunited. She had entered the military academy for the sake of the country, escaped the detached palace for her mother, fled to Pomnos, and lived there helping the Lykans even while being persecuted by the Lafi in that distant land.
A person who lives a life without confidence in the subject.
But a person who is not tainted by anyone.
That was the ideal candidate for king in Walter's opinion.
But the royal family was still intact, and change and revolution remained only as words in the dictionary. All that was left for Walter was an old ideal and the loyalty he should have as a soldier.
Just as he was comforting himself that ideals were just ideals, the late king died, and the last princess, who had been hidden in the shadows, revealed her talent and caught his attention.
A woman who had nothing but was not bound by anything, who was not tainted by anyone, and who was filled with altruism for others.
Arsinoe.
She was an ideal sovereign, as if heaven had sent her down for him.
“…So.”
Was that why he chose her?
So. Was it because it had to be that woman?
He had known her for quite some time, but he had never been able to figure out why he was so concerned about her.
But… now he felt like he knew.
As the long-standing question was resolved, a bitter smile formed along with a sense of liberation. Walter stroked his lower lip once and then returned to reality.
She said she was okay.
So she would be okay. I must be faithful to the given task.
He had to capture the prisoner before the commotion spread. And return to the royal capital as soon as possible.
Reminding himself of his purpose, he moved his steps again.
On his emotionless face, his black hair, soaked in blood, gleamed strangely.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
He slowly walked down the creaking deck. The moment he set foot on the pier, he felt a slight dizziness.
Even though it wasn't a long voyage, his aging body, as if accustomed to the waves, felt awkward on land. Godel Kill massaged his temples and straightened his posture.
“Are you alright, Your Excellency?”
A servant who had rushed over quickly supported him with an anxious face. Kill pushed away the servant's hand and put on a dignified expression.
“Whether it's because of the tension or because I stayed up all night, I can't hide my age. I hope we can occupy the royal palace without any problems.”
He massaged the back of his neck and looked around. Soldiers from the ship that had arrived earlier were lined up and heading to the pier.
The advance troops who had been staying at the garrison in advance must have already left to attack the headquarters.
The operation was going smoothly.
If he led the army into the royal palace as it was and captured the sleeping girl, the fight would be over.
There are tens of thousands of ways to win a war, but what ultimately determines victory or defeat depends on how meticulously the behind-the-scenes work has been designed.
Arsinoe was also quite clever, but he had a different perspective on the world. Kill, who had spread out the tightly woven net in his mind, was confident of victory with a soft smile.
