“Suicide attacks! How dare you treat your men like pawns!”
King Henry glared at General Zaria with fury.
“Silence! You have no right to speak after using a vanguard force to slaughter your own men! Attack!”
General Zaria gave a merciless order. The assassins pulled cords from their cloaks and charged.
The royal guards used their bodies as shields, fighting off the assassins despite knowing they’d be caught in the blasts. The assassins outnumbered the guards. All the royal guards fell, and the assassins closed in on King Henry.
“I won’t let you harm my wife!”
King Henry raised his left hand, conjuring a small magic circle. A lightning spell, taught by Ekaterina, shot from his hand, striking the assassins. Their bodies exploded, and the blast threw King Henry, Cardinal Pharmaid , and Marie back. Elisabeth twisted in agony from the shockwave.
“Elisabeth, are you alright?”
King Henry was the first to get up and held Elisabeth.
All the royal guards were down, and Cardinal Pharmaid and Marie were unconscious.
“No, please escape. I can’t be saved anymore.”
Thanks to Cardinal Pharmaid ‘s healing, she could speak, but the wound reached her internal organs. Even with the best healers, she couldn’t survive.
King Henry, not listening, held her tightly.
“This place is too dangerous.”
King Henry carried Elisabeth to the audience chamber.
Inside, chaos reigned as courtiers and nobles fled in panic.
King Henry aimed for the door, but soldiers loyal to General Zaria, armed and ready, pushed through the fleeing nobles. With no other choice, King Henry fled to the throne.
“King Henry, I’ll have your head!”
General Zaria shouted as five suicidal assassins surrounded the king and Elisabeth.
“I won’t let you kill her! I won’t!”
King Henry conjured another magic circle, unleashing a torrent of flames that engulfed the five assassins.
The fire turned into a wall, blocking the remaining assassins. But the burning assassins exploded, causing five simultaneous blasts that shook the castle. Part of the floor gave way and collapsed.
“Archers, bring your bows. Aim for the queen. The king cannot dodge.”
Newly arrived soldiers under General Zaria’s command aimed their arrows at Elisabeth.
“Your Majesty, no. You must flee.”
Elisabeth pleaded, but King Henry didn’t move. He placed Elisabeth on the throne, shielding her with his body.
“Now! Fire!”
At General Zaria’s command, arrows flew, piercing King Henry’s back.
“Your Majesty!”
Elisabeth’s scream echoed as more arrows were notched for the final blow.
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Blood from the murderous blade sprayed into the air, splashing onto my cheek and the lily flag in the square.
I wiped the blood off my cheek with my fingers, staring at the red stains in disbelief.
It was the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the kingdom. Recognized for our role in defeating Garios, the Demon King’s brother, our Cashew Defense Force was invited.
But during his speech, King Henry apologized and declared the dissolution of all knightly orders to form an anti-demon knight corps. He named me the first commander.
The crowd roared in approval, but I, having heard nothing beforehand, was utterly bewildered.
Immediately after that, King Henry exposed the rebellion planned by General Zaria and Cardinal Pharmaid . General Zaria, in a fit of rage, tried to kill King Henry, but Elisabeth jumped in and took the blow instead.
The series of unbelievable events made everything feel unreal. However, the red blood that splattered on my cheek from Elisabeth was undeniably real.
“Lady Romelia,”
Ray, usually so calm and composed, was shaken and couldn’t keep up with the situation. The other soldiers also showed signs of confusion.
I didn’t know what to do either, but then one of the knight groups started moving. They bore a black flag with an eagle emblem—the Black Hawk Knights. They were moving to secure the castle gates.
Observing their military maneuvers, my mind shifted from confusion to the cold precision of a commander.
First, I assessed the situation around me. The ceremonial guards were all under General Zaria’s command, and they had drawn their swords and were on high alert. Additionally, the Black Hawk Knights were trying to seize the castle gates.
Among the knights in the plaza, the Blue Wolf Knights and the Red Moon Knights were responding to the rebellion, but the others were not moving, simply bewildered by General Zaria’s actions.
The citizens were stunned by the rebellion unfolding before their eyes. Some began to panic, and if this continued, a riot would break out. If we got caught in the chaos, we wouldn’t be able to move.
“Cashew Garrison! Form up!”
I commanded with a voice that cut through the chaos.
Despite their confusion, the 700 survivors of the Battle of Semed Desert Wilderness, the Cashew Garrison, immediately stood at attention due to their soldier instincts.
I drew my slender sword and pointed it sharply at General Zaria standing on the balcony.
“We, the Cashew Garrison, side with the royal family! We will take down General Zaria! Consider anyone other than the royal guards as enemies, and show no mercy to those who oppose us! Cashew Garrison! Charge toward the castle gate!”
I pointed my sword at the massive castle gate set below the balcony.
The entire Cashew Garrison charged, and I followed.
In front of the castle gate, the Black Hawk Knights were trying to take control.
“Otto, Kyle!”
I shouted while running, and the two quickened their pace as if they had been waiting for this moment. The Black Hawk Knights, noticing our approach, formed a shield line in defense.
“Otto! Do it!”
shouted Kyle as he leaped and Otto, with his war hammer ready, swung it with incredible strength, launching Kyle into the air.
Kyle soared over the enemy’s shield line and landed behind them. Immediately, he turned and spread his arms like wings. A moment later, six Black Hawk Knights fell, each with a dagger thrown by Kyle embedded in their backs or necks.
Despite their surprise, seven more Black Hawk Knights quickly moved into action, three attacking Kyle while four tried to close the gap in their lines.
But Kyle, moving like a leopard, dodged their attacks, and the gap was smashed open by Otto’s war hammer as he charged like a thunderclap.
The Cashew Garrison surged through the gap and overpowered the Black Hawk Knights trying to secure the gate.
“Otto, Kyle, Ben, and Bry! Leave 200 men here! Secure the gate and let no one through!”
“Understood!”
they replied in unison, and I left them to continue inside with the rest of the soldiers.
Inside the castle, we encountered about ten soldiers running toward the gate.
They were royal guards bearing the red lion emblem, not General Zaria’s men. We faced off, but I stepped forward to halt the confrontation.
“Are you the royal guards? I am Romelia of the Cashew Garrison! We side with the royal family!”
I made our allegiance clear. While we didn’t know who was friend or foe, our stance needed to be unmistakable.
“Thank you for siding with the royal family,”
the royal guard soldier said, lowering his sword in relief.
In the past, they might not have trusted us, but we had shared our lives at the Battle of Semedo Desert. Surviving that ordeal together meant a lot.
“We’ve secured the gate. Are these the only royal guards?”
I asked, noting their small number—only ten.
“It was King Henry’s order. To avoid detection, the guards were reassigned to other areas,”
he explained, narrowing his eyes.
They likely spread the guards to crucial points like the city gates and armory to foil the rebellion. But if the castle fell to General Zaria…
Realizing this, I understood King Henry intended to die. Killing the king in public would label Zaria a traitor without escape.
No matter how strong General Zaria’s influence was on the kingdom’s knights, defections would be rampant. When the tide turned against him, even his loyal knights would betray him.
King Henry’s miscalculation was that Elisabeth shielded him and was struck down.
Perhaps he thought the involvement of Cardinal Pharmaid would protect Elisabeth and her children, but he hadn’t considered Elisabeth’s true feelings.
“I understand. We will secure the inside of the castle. Gran, Zeze, and Ginny, take the right side. Ragon, Borel, and Gatt, the left. Schlo, Meril, and Rett, secure the rear gate with 100 men each!”
The soldiers moved according to my instructions.
“We’ll join you. Two at the front gate, two at the rear, and two on each side,”
the royal guard offered. Their loyalty to the royal family would make our allegiance clear.
“The rest will come with me to the king!”
I asked two royal guards to lead, and with 200 soldiers, we headed up the stairs toward the audience chamber. However, as we ascended, nobles were rushing down in panic.
I wanted to help them, but the king’s safety was our priority.
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