Chapter 171

Clang! Clang!

“Aaaargh!”

“Stop, spare me!”

“Drive them all without exception! This way!”

“Kill them! For His Highness Gale!”

“His Excellency Mariv is watching over us!”

The scene in broad daylight was riddled with madness. If only it were night, it would be hidden by darkness and unseen. It felt like hell had unfolded under the bright sky.

Squish!

A corpse falling through the window left a blood stain on the outer wall. Shards of broken glass fluttered like sleet, and Ian reflexively raised his sleeve to cover his eyes.

Swish!

Spears and arrows flew without a specific target. Beric accurately deflected them with his sword and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“You shithead bastards! Look properly at the person before throwing!”

“Aaaah! Charge! Charge forward!”

“Kill them!”

“No, this is Ian Hielo, the minister! Our master! Huh? Ian, you said if you say your name, you’ll be safe, right?”

“It’s useless to talk to those who won’t listen.”

“Kill the traitors! Protect Bariel!”

“Argh! Really! If it’s like this! There’s no choice! Hahaha!”

However, it was unlikely to be heard by those consumed by madness. Beric swung his sword without hesitation at those blocking the way. Blood spurted along the trajectory, screams were torn, and his laughter seeped out.

“Beric. That’s too much. Let’s move.”

“What do I do if they’re asking to be killed?”

“Should I go first?”

“No, that’s not it. Let’s go, let’s go.”

It was the epitome of chaos. In the tension of life and death, it was impossible to distinguish whether the other party was an ally or an enemy. That momentary judgment could lead oneself to death.

What could be more worthless than a war sustained only by excitement without conviction? Ian squeezed through the commotion, keeping his shoulders as close to the wall as possible.

Clang! Clang!

“One, two! Coming! Block! Okay!”

“Beric, be quiet. The gazes keep turning this way.”

“I’m the quietest one here!”

Despite his words, his escort was perfect. Although he couldn’t prevent the blood from being spilled, he didn’t allow even a small attack to reach Ian.

Clang!

“This way, Beric!”

“There? Really?”

Ian, familiar with the palace’s geography, found a passageway and turned his body. It was a shortcut mainly used by low-ranking officials. As they dashed through the gap, the roars of battle gradually subsided. They were moving away from that terrible hell.

Tap tap tap!

“What’s at the end of this path?”

“The back door of the Third Imperial Palace will appear. It’s a bit far from Dilaina’s residence, but it’s better to first join forces with Xiaoshi and then search for them.”

Ian didn’t know if Dilaina and the twin princes had an escort, but if they didn’t, the presence of Xiaoshi alone would be of great help. Securing the new recruits and immediately returning to the Ministry of Magic was the best course of action.

“Huh? Ian, it’s a dead end.”

“Get down.”

Thud!

At Ian’s command, Beric showed his back. Stepping on it and jumping over the wall, the entrance to the underground prison of the Third Imperial Palace was immediately visible. The gatekeepers, heavily armed with locked bars and shields, were on high alert and pointed their spears at Ian.

“Who goes there! This is the underground prison of the Imperial Palace, turn back!”

“I am Ian Hielo, the Minister of Magic. I have come to find the intruder who entered His Highness Gale’s residence at dawn.”

“…I apologize, but I cannot allow it. The current security level is at 1, corresponding to a dangerous situation, and there is a concern that the inmates of the underground prison may escape.”

They opened their helmets and showed a troubled expression. The roar coming from far away seemed to be getting closer. It felt as if the battle, sweeping and spreading in all directions, was about to reach this place.

Zing.

Ian released his mana and warned the gatekeeper.

“It is commendable to carry out your duties, but look at the situation accurately. Who is the superior of you all?”

“It, it’s Wyvern.”

“That’s fortunate. He is currently seeking safety in the Ministry of Magic. He said he would unite his will with me, so who currently holds the command? I will only take one prisoner. If there is a problem because of this, report my name.”

The gatekeepers glanced at each other and fell silent. They seemed unable to make a judgment in the unpredictable situation of the Imperial Palace.

“He is an important person to sort out the chaos in the Imperial Palace. If you refuse, I will have no choice but to break through the iron door.”

“Break it all? Huh? Smash it to pieces?”

“Wait, wait a moment! Give us, give us proof.”

Ian took off his uniform outer garment and handed it over. Although it was soaked with someone’s blood, it was sufficient to leave as proof.

Clank!

“Please enter.”

The tightly closed iron door opened. Ian and Beric went down to the underground, guided by the guards. A damp place that didn’t let in a single ray of sunshine and was filled with a musty smell. Completely cut off from the outside, it felt like a different world.

Creak.

Ian spotted a man lying in the darkness. Xiaoshi, crouched with his limbs bound. His eyes were covered, but he could be recognized by his gray hair.

“Untie him.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Twitch. His ears, which had been still as if dead, twitched. As the guard untied the blindfold, his eyes of different colors immediately met Ian’s gaze.

“……”

“Xiaoshi. Can you walk?”

“Oh, oh, oh. Hello, hello.”

Ian raised the lantern to illuminate Xiaoshi. Bruises on his cheeks and a cut across one arm. Xiaoshi squinted his eyes as if the lantern light was too bright.

“…Why are you here?”

“What do you mean why? The master has come to find his slave. By the way, your wound is quite deep.”

It was a suspicious order, but Ian had promised that there would be no problem with Xiaoshi’s safety. But why did he look like this? He had also firmly instructed Gale.

“……”

“Speak.”

“The man wanted to see blood, so I inflicted it on myself.”

The guess was correct. Gale wanted Xiaoshi to be injured so that Ian could find fault with it later. Then what about the bruise on the cheek? When Ian looked at the guard, he shook his head as if his own foot had gone numb.

“We, we didn’t torture him. We just transported him and immediately imprisoned him here.”

Boom!

At that moment, a faint sound of an explosion. For it to be heard so loudly in the underground prison, the scale must be quite large. Ian gestured to Beric to raise Xiaoshi.

Swish.

“…What should I do now?”

The absence of orders. While in prison, that was more difficult to endure than anything else. Because he had been a slave since birth, every moment of his life was an order. Eating, sleeping, resting, working—his entire life was directed by someone. But without that, didn’t it feel like a signpost had been broken?

“What weapon do you mainly use?”

“…In the arena, we usually fight barehanded.”

“If you do that now, you will die meaninglessly. There are people outside that we need to bring back amidst the chaos.”

“…Dagger.”

A dagger? Ian turned to the guard. Perhaps he had a dagger in his possession. The guard fumbled at his waist, startled.

“Well, I have something I occasionally use to peel fruit.”

It was a foldable knife that fit snugly in the palm of his hand. Xiaoshi silently accepted it, and Beric waved his hands as if in disgust.

“How can you kill a person with that?”

“……”

“If you stab deeply, it will smell like fruit! Xia, don’t do that and take something long. Then, you know, you can roughly swing it and still go deng-gang deng-gang.”

“Enough. We don’t have time to waste. Xiaoshi, report everything that happened last night as we go.”

“…Yes.”

Tap tap tap!

Ian took Xiaoshi and left the underground prison. Xiaoshi’s eyes, which had been gray in the darkness, distinctly differed in light. The gatekeepers who had been managing the entrance shouted in a fluster.

“Shall I open the door? If you’re going out, hurry!”

“The battle has spread to this area as well. We will completely seal off the entrance!”

The battle that Ian and Beric had passed through had reached here. Flames and smoke rose from everywhere, and the sound of things breaking and shattering could be heard. Ian gestured to open the door and ran.

Thud!

“Aaaaargh! Kill them!”

“Don’t spare a single one of them!”

“The blood of these bastards will become the nourishment of Bariel!”

“These cockroach-like bastards. How dare they mention Bariel!”

Boom! Bang!

Clang! Crackle!

The blood pooled on the floor was like the sparks burning those buildings. So that was the reason Ian’s clothes were dirty. Xiaoshi was a bit startled but gripped the knife tightly without being shaken.

“You said you hate seeing blood.”

“…It’s fine.”

“Yahoo! Kill!”

Slash!

“Aaargh!”

“Yes. You have to be fine now. To survive.”

Beric thrust his sword into the heart of a soldier charging at Ian. After pulling out the blade that had pierced through the back in one go, he slashed the side again.

Xiaoshi frowned and looked down at the writhing soldier. If he had died instantly, it wouldn’t have been painful.

“Die!”

At that moment, another soldier charging at Ian. Beric tried to deflect it, but the corpse got caught on the tip of his sword. Ian condensed his mana while releasing his golden eyes.

Zing. Zing.

Squish!

But faster than that, Xiaoshi blocked it. With one hand, he grabbed the hair, and with the other, he thrust the knife into the eye socket.

“……”

Like butchering, there was a will to end the life in one strike. There was no excess in the movement of accurately knowing the vital points and attacking them. The soldier collapsed forward without even screaming.

Thud-

“……”

“……”

“…Ha.”

Heavy, concise, and swift. The strength could be felt even in the motion of retrieving the knife. Beric stared at Xiaoshi with his mouth wide open, and even Ian was speechless, quite taken aback. Only Xiaoshi sighed as he wiped the knife on his outer garment.

“…Aren’t you going?”

“…Let’s go.”

“Yaaah! Xia! What are you! What the hell are you!”

“Be quiet, Beric. You’ll go crazy if you get too excited.”

“No, Ian. You saw it too, right? Swish, squish! Ugh! What was that, how do you do that? Teach me too! No, let’s have a round right now!”

Zing!

As Beric clung to Xiaoshi, unable to hide his excitement, Ian released his golden eyes. As if telling him to shut up and follow, or else he would be beaten to a pulp. Beric came to his senses and blinked his eyes, wide-eyed.

“I almost made a mistake. Right?”

“There’s no second warning. Beric.”

“Hey, why are you being so scary? Then, shall we have a round after all this is over? Xiaoshi! Xiaoshi!”

Squish!

Xiaoshi ignored Beric and took the lead. And he neatly killed those blocking Ian’s way. Seeing blood wasn’t pleasant, but since there was an order from his master, he could endure this as well.

Ian followed the path created by Beric and Xiaoshi and raised his head. Soon, they would reach Dilaina’s palace.

***

“Lady Dilaina! Lady Dilaina!”

“It’s a big problem! Lady Dilaina!”

Dilaina woke up a little later than usual. She had a restless sleep due to a somehow turbulent dream. While she was getting ready in front of the dressing table, the head chamberlain’s shouts were heard.

“What’s the matter?”

The person who normally wouldn’t raise his voice unless it was quite serious was making such a fuss. The head chamberlain reported, panting heavily.

“Ma, Mariv, the prince, the prince has received His Majesty’s seal. Haa, an intruder entered His Highness Gale’s residence…”

“Speak properly!”

The atmosphere was unusual. The sound of guards rushing in could be heard, and they seemed to be trying to block the entrance to her palace by dragging all sorts of heavy furniture.

“His Excellency Mariv and His Highness Gale are currently engaged in a battle over His Majesty the Emperor’s seal. The knights and troops of each family have all entered the palace and are in a confrontation.”

“What, what does that mean…?”

It felt like her mind was going blank. To obtain His Majesty the Emperor’s seal? Then what about His Majesty?

“The Ministry of Magic has blocked the exit, so there’s no way out. For now, hide yourself here and-“

“Arsen! Jin!”

Dilaina immediately ran to the princes’ bedrooms. If Mariv and Gale had crossed swords, the sparks would naturally spread to them as well.

Bam!

When she opened the door, Arsen and Jin were sitting on the sofa. Arsen was smiling brightly, looking particularly happy.