Chapter 919: Chapter 423.1: Nora's Case

“The Third Underground Training Facility has been attacked! There was only one attacker but all the trainees have been taken away!” (Guard 1)

“We have no news from our collaborators who were hiding among the citizens. I think they might have been captured.” (Guard 2)

“The number of candidates for the Enhanced Human Technology program is rapidly decreasing! There are signs that the people we have expelled from the outside have sneaked inside the area――” (Guard 3)

That bastard, if it is like this, all-out war it is then. I will fucking kill him before he even gets to fight for the throne. As reports continue to come in, I, Nora Code, immediately give orders.

“We’ll retaliate! That bastard…… Don’t think you’re the only one with information. I’ll blow up that guy’s weapons factory. I’ll also fucking kill the nobles backing him and reduce his resources!” (Nora)

“B-But the Enhanced Knight Order is owned by Nora-sama. There is a risk that it will incur the wrath of the King of Code――” (Guard 1)

I turn my head and laugh at my subordinate who is saying something that is far too late.

“Well, I can just temporarily change the ownership. That’s the loophole in the system. Am I not right?” (Nora)

Currently, my area is under attack from an unknown enemy.

No――It is not unknown. This is an attack from Angus, my biggest rival, to weaken my forces. And it means that a taboo has been broken.

There had been no such overt attack until now. Both Angus and I have refrained from attacking for fear of incurring the King of Code’s wrath.

I know what is the trigger. It is the notice from the King of Code the other day.

The lock on Alisha Code’s door was broken through due to a loophole in the system. The fact that the lock placed by the king had been broken is hard to believe, but what is even more important is that the King of Code acknowledged it and gave no punishment.

In other words, it means that the King of Code has acknowledged a loophole in the system that had existed until now――He acknowledged the act that is in a grey area that is almost black.

That being said, I have no intention of stepping into the grey area right away. Because there is still a possibility of receiving a penalty from the King of Code. But Angus stepped in immediately. The result is the damage reports that I am currently receiving.

The Royal Guards is not the only Knight Order I have. Because the system limits the number of knights that can be appointed as Royal Guards, there are many other Knight Orders made up of knights who couldn’t join.

Although the abilities of these knights are not as good as those in the Royal Guards, they far outnumber them and are my main force. This time, the losses I suffered were the knight orders that had been training in various secret parts of my area.

What Angus broke is the 『Tacit understanding』 that no one in the Royal Family has ever stepped in despite being aware of a loophole.

The King of Code forbade fighting between Royalty before the battle for the throne began. However, that does not mean he forbade all fights. There are many different aspects to a battle, and if we simply forbid fighting, even the accumulation of military power before the battle for the throne would be included in the battle. It would be a waste of time to argue about what is in and what is out.

Therefore, the rules set by the King of Code are more generic.

The King of Code forbade fighting between the core fighting power of the Royalty――The Royal Guards.

In other words, it doesn’t mention anyone other than the Royal Guards.

However, the reason why the king forbade fighting between members of the royal family until the battle for the throne is to avoid the unnecessary loss of military strength that Code possesses. It is a bit of a stretch to say that it is okay to attack anyone other than the Royal Guard. But a fool who cannot discern the essence of the rules may well be judged unqualified to be king.

Therefore, up until now, no one had ever attacked the forces of other royalty and not just the Royal Guards.

I must say I was wrong. I underestimated him.

It is surprising to see that the cautious and sly Angus――A man with the greatest military strength and who does not need to make risky moves would suddenly take such a bold and risky tactic――.

However, I have no intention of petitioning the king on this matter.

Even if I petitioned and my request was accepted, my knights would not return. There is a high possibility that Angus would not be punished if he said that he misunderstood the notice from the King of Code the other day. If after this it is said that such surprise attacks would not be allowed in the future, the only result that would remain would be that my military strength had been reduced. There is no way I can accept something like that.

I also have access to a lot of information that Angus is hiding. In the first place, it is nearly impossible to keep something completely secret in this city where surveillance is possible through the city system.

However, even if I destroyed them, the gap created by the surprise attack would not be reversed. The main part of Angus’ weapons factory is located inside the fortress that is Angus’ base of operation. As expected, even I cannot make a move there. In the first place, he can just build weapons factories again. However, the losses of my Knights Orders cannot be replenished so easily.

The gap that existed then has widened even further. I have to think of some way to make up for it――.

It is unclear how much time the king has left. At my base of operation, the nobles who act as advisors are considering what moves we can take next.

At that moment, one of my subordinates approaches me as I desperately try to control my anger and remain calm.

“Nora-sama, Cry Andrich wishes to see you. He has brought along the 《Lightning Emperor (Raitei)》 …… And well………… Alisha-ojou.” (Guard)

“……………… Let them through.” (Nora)

I raise my head at what my subordinate said and speak in a low voice.

Soon after, Cry Andrich and his party arrive. Unlike the last time he came, this time he is with a large group.

Cry Andrich and the 《Lightning Emperor (Raitei)》, who is as fearless as ever and was my favorite, and his Party. And――A woman in a white dress――The Spare who I saw several times through the city system. Alisha Code. As he is let through, Cry speaks in a relaxed voice that doesn’t give the slightest hint that he is in the presence of royalty.

“Yah Nora-san, I am here again. Things are quite hectic today.” (Cry)

“Cry, are you the one who unlocked the door to the Spare――to Alisha’s room?” (Nora)

The knights feel a sense of tension when the first thing I say is a question and not even a greeting to the 《Lightning Emperor (Raitei)》 who has gone to the trouble of accompanying him. Cry doesn’t seem to notice this and after thinking for a moment, he answers nonchalantly.

“………… Hmm…… Well, I guess you can kinda say something like that.” (Cry)

That guy…… Could he be a god of misfortune?

Now that I think about it, my plans have always been derailed by this man.

The 《Lightning Emperor (Raitei)》 was snatched away from me and when I tried to make concessions to secure his cooperation, the knights started making pointless petitions about how to call Alisha, and now this man’s actions have sparked a war even though the king’s demise has not occurred yet. This particular incident cannot be dismissed with just a word about him being incompetent.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Thanks for reading! Well Nora, you are not completely correct, Cry is not a god of misfortune, he is god! And it is funny that Nora is not even correcting the way Cry talks to her anymore. And of course, let’s not forget how Nora is going to call Alisha!