Chapter 27
#27
Kill, who had been staring at the aide with his mouth open, stammered as he returned the question.
“What are you talking about? How could the standing army of the Headquarters, small as it is, overwhelm four thousand troops? How?”
The standing army was only about twelve hundred strong. Besides, no matter how quickly Walter Heiberg had gathered troops, he couldn't have amassed that many soldiers.
Four to five thousand at most.
Even then, since today was the inauguration ceremony, he would have split up his forces for security reasons, sending most of the available troops to the palace.
So, the number of soldiers should be small...
"...Could it be."
Thinking about it, it seemed strange that the Lykan soldiers guarding the palace had retreated so quickly. He had thought they were retreating quickly because of the Illusion Grass, but what if that wasn't the case?
What if... the Lykan squad was all the soldiers that were in the palace?
The moment he finished his thought, Kill's face turned white as a sheet.
"You don't mean to tell me that all the royal troops guarding the center have been concentrated at the Headquarters!"
"I... I don't know. I will organize a proper scouting party and check the situation again. Please wait a moment,"
"Your Excellency-!"
One of the adjutants came running in disheveled.
Judging by the clothes covered in black oil, he seemed to be one of those who had witnessed the situation at the front lines. His pale face, contrasting with his dirty clothes, made one feel uneasy just by looking at him.
"Yo, Your, cough, Your Excellency, cough...!"
The adjutant gasped for breath and coughed. As he waited for his words and looked back, he saw the soldiers who had been waiting stirring and getting up from their seats.
Sensing a strange unease, Kill jumped off his horse and grabbed the adjutant's shoulder.
"What's wrong! Why do you look so terrible!"
"A, an attack! The enemy, a large army, is pouring in from the forest and the path leading to the royal capital!"
The desperate cry did not reach his mind and scattered in the air. It was because Kill was not focusing on him.
His eyes were fixed on the forest surrounding the palace.
With a rustling sound, something was cutting through the darkness and approaching him. Kill, who had been staring intently at the forest, screamed as soon as he identified the silhouette.
"A large army...! You don't mean to tell me that the large army you mentioned is approaching from over there...!"
Are you talking about those guys?
He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even finish his sentence.
The Parnassus army was pouring out of the forest, which had been filled with silence and darkness until just now, like a tidal wave.
"The Headquarters' soldiers, how could they be here so quickly..."
How on earth did this happen?
Kill desperately tried to understand the situation. Nevertheless, he could not come up with an answer.
He had thought that his soldiers would win, not be pushed back.
But half of them were trapped in the palace, and the other half were missing. And now, an unknown enemy army had emerged and was overwhelming the situation.
His head ached. He wished someone would tell him what was going on.
All that was certain in the current situation was the reality that the numerous soldiers pouring out of the forest were pushing back his troops.
"Counterattack! Don't run away!"
"There are too many of them! So many... Keuk!"
The light of swords and arrows tore through the blue dawn.
The Duke's army, which had been resisting, soon realized the difference in numbers with the enemy and lost their will to fight. An army that was at least twice as large was narrowing the encirclement towards the Duke.
There was nowhere to escape. Behind them were flames that seemed to burn their bodies and high walls, and in front of them was the Parnassus army exuding a fierce murderous aura.
"No... this... no..."
Is this the end?
My dream?
My will?
So futilely? Must I sink without even knowing why?
"No, no...!"
He could not be dominated by despair. He did not yet know the state of the troops he had sent to the Headquarters, so the opportunity for a reversal would surely come.
To be careful in any situation until the very end. In chess and Go, it is not the one who seizes the advantage but the one who concentrates until the end who wins.
Kill's way of life was to cut off the enemy's breath in an instant the moment he was sure of victory, and it was the strategy that had allowed him to reach his current position.
Regaining his weakening heart, he retreated his horse. His old body was tired, but his eyes were still sharp. Kill waited for his chance and looked around.
"Your Excellency. Please, look ahead."
With a trembling voice, the aide pointed ahead. Kill turned his gaze to where the hand was pointing, narrowed his eyes, and stared ahead.
A soldier wearing a Parnassus uniform was running towards them with a white flag attached.
The adjutant and soldiers wondered what their intentions were and gripped their swords, but Kill waved his hand to stop them. It was not for humanitarian reasons, but because he was curious as to why they had sent a white flag soldier, wondering if they had something to say.
The soldier who reached Kill bowed deeply. Then, he politely handed him the letter he had brought.
Kill told them not to let their guard down and opened the letter.
[To Duke Kill,
I applaud your decisions and bold actions, which I cannot dare to imitate. But I think this deviation should end here.
As the most intelligent person, you must have already figured out who is leading the current situation. I have already left this place long ago.
All that remains is my army.
I am merciful. I have no desire to kill you, who have sincerely devoted yourself to Parnassus for many years.
Surrender now.
I will highly value your history and personally grant you absolution.
If not, I will have no choice but to bring down the iron hammer upon you.
You may not know me, but I know you. If you do not surrender, you will see a darkness deeper than any terrible nightmare.
I hope you make a choice you will not regret.]
At the end of the letter, written in elegant handwriting, was a playful doodle of a smiling face, not a fancy seal or stamp.
Kill, who had been calmly reading the letter, burst into pent-up resentment when he saw the last doodle.
"Are you mocking me!"
The torn letter fluttered in the air.
He could not control his trembling fists. Kill struck his own thigh in vain and shouted at the soldier.
"Go! Get out of here! Even if I die here, I will never surrender to that bitch!"
Despite his heated anger, the soldier bowed politely without showing any signs of embarrassment and left the scene. His nonchalant attitude reminded him of the bitch's appearance, making him even more frustrated.
"Such insolence...!"
Kill struggled to calm himself, seething with anger.
It was forbidden to be swayed by emotions, but he could not control himself as he was driven to this point.
He slowly scanned his surroundings.
The Parnassus army had pushed them to the vicinity of the castle walls and was not approaching, maintaining a certain distance. Whether it was because of negotiations or because they were waiting for orders, they did not seem to be attacking immediately.
He looked back at his own troops again.
Attempts to extinguish the fire on the castle walls by carrying soil continued. He wondered what they had sprayed, as the flames did not go out easily.
Still, if they kept trying, the fire would go out, and they would be able to get the soldiers trapped in the palace out.
It's not over until it's over.
He would not give up.
"Put out the fire quickly! Get the soldiers trapped in the palace out! With the soldiers, these guys are nothing!"
Kill urged the adjutants with fire in his eyes.
Even in the face of a situation that seemed doomed, the adjutants silently followed their master's orders. It was at that moment that one of the adjutants turned towards the castle.
"Yo, Your Excellency! Something is coming over there!"
There was no need to say it. Kill was also looking at the sky that the adjutant was pointing at.
Kill strained his narrowed eyes, staring intently at the point that was getting bigger and bigger as the distance closed.
It was a Lafi.
A blue Lafi was gliding down towards them.
What's their plan this time?
"Archers!"
Fearing that it might be a strange attack, he ordered the archers to take up their bows. The archers, upon receiving the order, quickly notched arrows on their bows and aimed them at the sky.
Just as he was about to give the order to attack, a familiar baritone voice echoed loudly over the soldiers' heads.
"Duke! Stop if you don't want to regret it!"
Those who knew the voice looked at Kill with pale faces. Kill also frowned and recalled the voice he had just heard.
"This voice is..."
Walter Heiberg.
...It's the voice of General Daegunjang.
Kill focused a little more and looked at the Lafi. Only then did he notice the black dot hanging below the blue Lafi.
As it got closer, the shape became clearer. Looking closely at the dot that he had thought was one, he realized that it was actually two attached together.
One of them was General Daegunjang, and the other one was...
......The other one was.
"Atlinde...?"
It was his son.
Hair fluttering in the wind, a one-eyed young man with a black cavity that particularly caught his eye.
No matter how he looked at it, it was definitely his son.
"......Why."
...General Daegunjang was tying his son in front of his body and holding a sword to his neck.
Kill opened his mouth, lost for words, and only moved his eyes blankly.
The sight of the sword, which he had wanted to see at least once, the sword he had only heard rumors about, reflecting the dazzling light and pressing down on his son's neck, was nothing more and nothing less than a terrible nightmare, rather than a resolution of his questions.
"Wh... Why."
Why was his son, who should have been in the castle, here?
With General Daegunjang.
The question that struck like lightning did not offer any answers and melted into his thoughts. Kill, who was muttering something unintelligible, screamed and shouted as soon as he came to his senses.
"Lo, lower the bows! Lower the bows right now!"
He shouted in a daze and spurred his horse towards where his son was.
