Chapter 276: Calm Before the Storm (1)
The people inside the manor were moving about in constant bustle.
“Move faster!”
“Hey, stop dawdling!”
Each of them armed themselves with something—swords, spears, or at the very least tools—and roamed in groups, blocking the entrances, reinforcing the windows, and even erecting additional walls behind the outer fence just in case. They were fully occupied with fortifying the manor like a fortress.
“How is the situation unfolding?”
The one who asked that question was a blond man with a nervous-looking face.
At his blunt inquiry, the man standing beside him answered politely.
“The commotion seems to be dying down, so it appears the disturbance may be gradually settling, Young Master.”
“……”
“A-ah, no. Merchant Leader.”
The man shook his head slightly.
“My apologies. It has simply been a habit for so many years…”
“…I understand. But be careful.”
The man referred to as the Merchant Leader let out a small sigh.
“More importantly, are you certain about what you said earlier?”
“I haven’t confirmed the outside myself, so I cannot be certain… Should we send someone out?”
“Don’t. What if they go out and end up drawing attention?”
“Ah, yes. I spoke thoughtlessly.”
“What about the goods and cargo?”
“They’re all intact in the warehouse. When I checked just a moment ago, nothing was missing.”
The man sniffed quietly.
Having served the Merchant Leader and his family for many long years, he had developed sharp instincts for reading the situation.
“Shall I check them once more?”
“Do that.”
“Understood, Merchant Leader.”
“And the people?”
“Two are dead, and four have yet to return. Around a dozen are wounded.”
“That is unfortunate.”
The Merchant Leader nodded.
The man beside him also looked resigned.
“See that their funerals are handled generously.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you wish to order?”
“Given the circumstances, remind everyone not to let their guard down. In situations like this, once one side is breached, a massacre often follows.”
“Please rest assured.”
“And…”
He trailed off for a moment.
“What about Mother?”
“Madam has been escorted to the inner residence. She appears to be greatly shaken…”
“As you know, despite appearances, she is rather timid.”
The man spoke quietly.
“She keeps asking what has happened to the other Young Masters, and whether they are all safe.”
“The second brother is in a position where he should be safer than we are. Tell her that.”
The Merchant Leader continued.
“And the youngest is under protection in the Academy—practically an impregnable fortress compared to any ordinary stronghold. Tell her she need not worry about him either.”
“Yes, understood.”
After finishing his brief orders, he fell silent.
As if waiting for something, he kept staring at the tightly shut door. Eventually he let out a small sigh.
“…I have something to deal with for a while. Unless it is urgent, do not let anyone in.”
“Yes, understood.”
With that final instruction, he turned and entered the building.
Though not large, the place had been chosen from the beginning for its sturdy construction and ease of defense, even paying extra to secure it. There should be little to worry about.
The only thing troubling him was a single message that had yet to arrive.
‘Surely…’
Had something gone wrong?
Thinking that, he quickened his steps.
If that were the case, he would have to inform Father as soon as possible.
“……”
As the man walked toward his office, a brooch engraved with the emblem of the Gwendil Count family glittered on the collar of his clothing.
“Your Highness.”
“……”
“Your Highness.”
The repeated voice ringing in his ears finally brought the Second Imperial Prince, Gernot, back to his senses.
“…What is it.”
“Things have been more or less organized now. If nothing major occurs, we should be able to settle the situation without serious trouble.”
“What…? Organized? Without serious trouble? Settle it!?”
Gernot immediately snapped back in a surge of anger.
“You brainless fool! Where exactly does this look organized to you? Where does it look like something that can be settled!”
“…My apologies.”
“You idiot! Look around you! Hasn’t a catastrophe already happened!”
Shouting that, Gernot grabbed the object in his hand and hurled it away with all his strength.
The sword sheath he had thrown clattered emptily as it rolled across the ground.
“How… how am I supposed to deal with this…”
Clutching his hair, he glared at the middle-aged knight who had been reporting to him with bloodshot eyes.
“You…! You people planned this entire thing, didn’t you! You’re all in on it!”
“…Your Highness, with all due respect, we act only out of loyalty to the Empire.”
“That’s exactly the problem! I am the Empire’s future—so why don’t you move according to my will!”
As he shouted, Gernot pointed at someone standing beside the middle-aged knight.
“You!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I will grant you my treasured sword. Go immediately and bring me the heads of the traitors!”
“By traitors, you mean…”
“Who else? The ones who dared frame me and cause this incident!”
He continued angrily.
“The Dragon Knights… yes, the Dragon Knights! Why haven’t they shown their faces until things reached this point? If they had moved, the situation would have been resolved already! Those worthless insects clearly refused to act on purpose! This is treason—an act of rebellion!”
“…Your Highness.”
The middle-aged knight spoke quietly.
Though the Imperial Knights and the Dragon Knights were rivals and not on the best of terms, he could not simply stand by while they were falsely accused.
“They sent word that the dragons appearing in the sky frightened the wyverns, preventing them from flying. Because of that, they could not move. They are likely dealing with the situation elsewhere on foot, just as we are.”
“What? Useless fools! And they dare call that an excuse!”
Gernot glared furiously, swinging his fists into the air.
“What about the guards? What were the guards doing? The Holy Knights and priests of the Holy Sun Church? The mercenaries scattered throughout the streets! And what about the Academy? What exactly were they doing!”
“……”
“Answer me! Answer!”
Smack!
The knight staggered as Gernot’s fist struck his face.
His cheek swelled immediately, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, yet he simply stood silently and endured Gernot’s rage.
“You people—you’re the biggest problem! What kind of Imperial Knights are you supposed to be! You bragged so much, yet you can’t even handle something like this properly…!”
Before finishing his sentence, he suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Though those around him rushed over in alarm, Gernot merely stared blankly around him.
“What… what am I supposed to do…”
The Departure Festival had been ruined—completely and utterly.
No, the festival itself wasn’t the real problem.
An incident like this had occurred in a gathering attended by countless nations, organizations, and factions…
And the number of citizens dead or injured was impossible to even count.
“The others…”
Gernot murmured weakly.
“…What about my other brothers and sisters? What happened to them?”
“There has been no particular news.”
“No particular news…”
Gernot repeated blankly.
He knew very well that such words were not good news for him at all.
After all, it had been he himself who forced the others aside from a festival that should have involved every member of the Imperial Family.
“……”
The Second Imperial Prince, Gernot, was indeed hot-tempered, and compared to his other siblings his mind was somewhat slower.
And he knew that fact himself.
Yet knowing he was not especially intelligent did not make him a fool.
If he had truly been foolish, no matter how powerful his background was, he could never have eliminated his rivals and secured his position as a successor.
“Ah…”
And no matter how he thought about it, today’s events were the greatest mistake he had ever made—fatal and utterly irreversible.
What should have been a shared responsibility among the Imperial Family had instead been forced through by his own stubborn will, causing him alone to stand at the center of it.
Above all, such a disaster had occurred in the very heart of the capital.
Support and recognition from other factions would surely vanish—and more importantly, the people’s trust would leave him.
“……”
It was unlikely he would be removed from the succession with this incident alone.
But it would haunt him for years to come, and it would undoubtedly become the starting point of a great fracture.
‘…And on top of that.’
A subordinate had died several days earlier.
Confidential information had been stolen.
Then there was the matter of Cardinal Bruyent—whose approach he had eagerly accepted, only to begin hearing strange reports afterward.
And finally, the group of dragons still circling in the sky, watching everything below.
Gernot could almost hear the ground beneath his once-solid footing beginning to crumble.
“Ha… heh.”
Suddenly he let out a small laugh.
“Right… so that’s how it is.”
Nodding slowly, Gernot muttered.
“…Those bastards plotted this.”
“Your Highness?”
“They did it. They definitely schemed this.”
Yes, that had to be it.
Otherwise, how could those thorns in his side—the twins, and Velita, that cunning woman—have obediently followed his words?
They must have all conspired together to orchestrate this incident.
No—there was no doubt about it.
“…I will give an order.”
Gernot muttered blankly.
“You will each take a group of soldiers and track down the whereabouts of my brothers and sisters.”
“…Please clarify your command.”
At the tense question of the knight, Gernot gave a faint smile.
“What? Are you worried I’ll tell you to bring me their heads? It’s nothing like that. Simply… yes, ensure their safety. And report to me in full detail where they were and what they were doing.”
“……”
“You claim to be loyal to the Empire, do you not? Ensuring the safety of other members of the Imperial Family is surely a form of loyalty to the Empire as well.”
“…That is true.”
Though it felt unsettling, Gernot’s words were correct.
The middle-aged knight immediately selected three trustworthy subordinates and issued orders.
“You will each lead men and find the whereabouts of the respective princes and princesses assigned to you. Once found, protect them—but send word to me immediately with a report.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
Just as the three groups of knights were about to depart—
“Your Highness!”
Someone shouted urgently while approaching Gernot.
The knights immediately blocked the man, but Gernot noticed him and gestured.
“Ah, yes. Come here.”
“My apologies. There were many enemies along the way…”
“Hurry. Give it to me.”
At Gernot’s impatient urging, the man approached and respectfully took something from inside his clothes.
It was a sealed letter.
Gernot snatched it almost greedily.
“…You.”
After reading it quickly, Gernot called the middle-aged knight beside him.
“Send another unit of soldiers.”
“What are your orders?”
“…We need to capture someone. Someone closely connected to this incident.”
Gernot clenched the letter so tightly it crumpled in his hand.
The letter sent by Cardinal Bruyent was mercilessly crushed within his grasp.
“Lian Gwendil.”
His eyes gleamed.
Like a man who had discovered a single escape route just as he thought there was none left, despairing of any way out.
“Capture him alive and bring him before me.”