Time for a Decision 1

Just by grasping how the royal castle will move in the event of an emergency, the success rate of our surprise attack had dramatically improved.

Besides, the domestic impression of Alexis could not be any lower, and it was the same for Percival who had gone with him. Although they had the help of a witch, there is no way that the royal castle would suspect us making a move so soon after we had just fled it.

And to be bringing Ordo with us. Even if more time had gone by, they would never assume a combined rebellion.

Even if Percival and Alexis were to arrive at the royal castle, a battalion of knights would not come running, and there was no sign that security had been strengthened.

There would be a warning call, but even then there was a deep-rooted mockery against Alexis embedded in the hearts of the knights. They would never think that, ‘the unfaithful prince who misused government expenses and ran away from the royal castle,’ would ever come bearing down on them with Ordo’s forces.

The curse was too strong, and it caused our enemies to grow careless.

“There will be minimal contact. People in the urban area will avoid us, and you can think of the outfielders as not even being there.”

It was Gina who was laughing so graciously.

She held a sleeping Concetta in her arms while elegantly walking as if she were attending a ball. However, contrary to the lightness of her behavior, she was currently casting a wide-ranging spell.

So that people in the city would not notice this march, they would avoid going near the royal palace.

It was a spell developed as it was passed down the Avelkin family.

The citizens would all comfortably oversleep, and if they were already awake, they would end up forgetting or even completely ignoring any business they had near the castle. The person themselves would not think much about the incident, would see the mass-oversleeping as just a rare incident brought about by the change of the season……..and would naturally turn their feet away from the castle.

I watched her deftly using her magic with a warm look in my eyes, but my gaze was drawn elsewhere when I heard another voice.

Percival had returned with several knights following him.

He stopped in front of Ordo saying, “It’s done.” The tone of his voice sank a bit, and the expression he wore was going past serious and had gone a little stiff.

But that should be natural. When he reached the royal palace with those few accompanying knights, he immediately headed towards a watch point in the vicinity. And sealed their movements.

According to Percival, the watchmen guards shift at equal intervals, and they regular communicate their status even if nothing is going on. Because he is familiar with the system, he knocked out a guard who was once his friend, and he sent out the message, ‘There is no problem.’

His treachery has begun, and although he was determined, there is no way he would be in a good mood.

“They won’t notice what has happened for awhile. I also sabotaged their communication relay, so even if they do realize what is going on, it will take time for reinforcements to arrive.”

“I see. How many are there in house?”

“At this time there should be no knights inside to speak of.”

“Right. Then we should only have to worry about the regular guards and the few knights they can summon from outside right away. Alright men, don’t move out of the witch’s protection.”

Ordo addressed his men.

He had hand-picked elite knights from his retinue. The number of people was small, but their strength was considerable.

But no matter how skilled with a sword a knight is, they cannot stand before magic. Rather, if they are enthralled by Emilia’s magic, then the more elite they are, the greater the risk is as having them be our enemies.

These personal were selected with this in consideration. Can you say that this is Ordo’s trust in them?

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“For today, any complaints or objections are strictly forbidden. Anyone who shows any frustration with me will be dealt with immediately.”

Ordo was forced to go with extreme measures as a countermeasure against Emilia’s magic.

Any dissatisfaction or complaints made could be a sign they had been infected by magic. The plan was to reap the consciousness of anyone who showed even the slightest sign of being affected.

The men might not care now, but the magic could bring up lingering dissatisfaction with Ordo or bring out resentment for the current situation in their chests, and it would grow without their notice from there.

Hearing all of this, the knights shared a look between each other. Not just an insult, but even a small complaint would lead to such treatment, it would be natural to wonder if a witch’s curse could really be that powerful……….

I watched those knights ruminating among themselves before turning my gaze to towards Ordo.

“No questioning might be a little much.”

“That’s it. Knights who have been trained this much should be able to do this much.”

“I’ve gotten paid to leave early, long holidays, and sick days. Ordo would kill me if I skimped out here.”

“It’s good to be healthy. Right, are we going?”

Through all the knights’ appeals, Ordo spread out the sketch of the royal castle he was holding in his hand.

Of course, I know that their answers are jokes. Rather than speaking vows of loyalty, jokes are better for relieving tension while simultaneously displaying one’s commitment. This was a service to help everyone involved.

However, they were somewhat awkward, and I could still see the anxiety on their faces. Still, they continued to tell jokes while forcing a smile.

Were they refusing to buckle running off of a man’s pride alone? I nodded my head once without mentioning anything so as to avoid distracting them.

The royal castle was acting as usual with no indication that their were intruders on the premises.

Our small group moved quickly yet carefully. Even though not a single person had breathed a word about our presence, this was the royal castle where the king of a nation lived. There are people constantly coming and going.

Not just the guards patrolling the interior, but maids as well. Ordo’s response to running across people was always the same, “You’ve earned yourself a good nap.” That meant a lot of unconscious bodies. There was no difference in treatment between men or women, and even the young servant girls were brought down. Girls……..it is a mistake to expect this man to treat you differently just because you are a girl.

But of course we do not have the time nor the means to stop and try to convince every single person we walk across, but the sight was still enough to make even the bitter Alexis divert his eyes away as much as possible.

As for Ordo, he looked perfectly normal as if he were just taking a stroll in his own mansion, and Gina,

“Oh my Concetta, you bit someone again.

she was praising Concetta who had bit a patrolling knight’s ankle causing him to release a loud groan.

No matter how thick, and adorable, and fluffy he is, Concetta is still a cat. He is also a familiar. He jumps forward with a roaring voice and a wild look in his eyes faster than most people can comprehend, sinking his razor sharp fangs and claws imbued with magic into the feet of his prey. Of course, the ankle was targeted to prevent the target from moving.

The caught knight would always collapse with a groan, blood flowing from his ankle forming a puddle next to him. As expected of Gina’s familiar.

Robertson was surprisingly fiercely competitive after seeing Concetta’s successes.

Using swift, eye-catching movements, he approached a maid from behind. In order to avoid having her scream, he jumped right onto her hand and bit her. His quickness could only be described as splendid, and his movements as he bounced off the walls and ceilings were something that would be impossible to predict even if you saw him coming.

The little bite left the maid woozy on her feet, causing her to lean against the wall for support until inevitably collapsing. It was a method that completely prevented her from calling for help, let alone warning any nearby people.

“I’ve been worried about this since awhile ago, but why do people collapse whenever Robertson bites them? ……huh, poison? You’re poisonous?”

The word ‘poison’ got stuck on my lips.

Apparently Robertson has a poison that is capable of numbing people. I guess his bite became more powerful after becoming my familiar. What a reliable familiar I have.

And so we continued through the intricate royal castle dealing with everyone we came across…………until suddenly I had to stop.

Something bone chilling had come over me. The source of that coldness was………the pouch hanging at my waist. It should be the necklace resting inside.

“…….Monette, so you also noticed.”

“Yes, Emilia has gotten up.”

“Apparently she didn’t feel like staying up late last night.”

Gina’s voice was lower than it had been before, but she did not look worried as her magical protections had not been disturbed. Concetta had also purred slightly, and his fluffy tail had risen slightly.

Surmising the situation from our remarks, the knights became reinvigorated, and an alertness returned to their figures once again. Ordo turned to face them.

“Okay, here we shall divide in two. You men are to leave the castle as soon as you are finished.”

“Yes.”

“You know the rendezvous point. Wait there, but if you start to embrace any suspicions towards me, abandon me and return home.”

“………Yes.”

The expressions of the knights went rigid at the word, “abandon.”

But they reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement when Ordo told them he would be safe.

“Please be careful…..”

Those, were the words I used for this seperation.

Noticing my uneasiness, Percival placed his hand on the shoulder of my armor in some small way to comfor me.

“It’s alright, we’ll bring him back safely.”

“…….Yes.”

Even though there was no time to spare, before separating, the surrounding knights offered me some encouraging words and confident smiles. They did not move until I nodded my approval, and then they rushed off quickly.

The silver color of their armor shined after receiving the light from the mansion.

Those of us left behind watched that glow slowly disappear……and then we headed towards a different place than them.

“What’s going on……?”

These were Emilia’s words as she was shaken awake.

The maid who had woken her up ignored those words, handing over a coat and urging her out of the room.

Normally acting gently, this was a maid who had always looked towards her with loving eyes as Emilia slowly rose out of bed slovenly scratching the sleep out of her eyes.

Emilia had gotten used to hearing the words, “Well, it’s already noon,” accompanied with a bitter laugh when she woke up, but this time the voice she heard was harsh accompanied by words of, “Quickly, we must hurry.”

The maid’s expression was grim, and Emilia quickly realized it would be better to listen rather than going back to sleep.

“Quietly. To avoid anyone nearby from noticing……. Prince Rodel will be coming as well.”

“Rodel? Hey, what happened…….?”

Leaving the room while being pulled along by the maid’s hand, they walked down the hall while holding their breaths.

The inside of the royal palace was just as it usually was despite the maid’s urgent attitude. It was quiet, and there were less people coming and going than there were during the afternoon. Emilia was weak to mornings and had never roamed the halls at this time before, although something similar to now had happened several times before.

But for some reason, there was a strange unrest this time. Emilia reflexively placed her hand to her chest, and she wrapped her hand around the amulet necklace she wore. No matter what, she had worn this necklace underneath her clothes no matter how fine of jewelry she received……..

Emilia thought it strange to only worry about it this morning. Was there a reason why it felt like it was hurting her skin? This thought was dully running in her subconsciously.

In one room they eventually passed through, Rodel’s figure was standing tall.

His expression looked grim as well, but it relaxed a little upon noticing that Emilia had arrived.

“Emilia, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Rodel, what is…….?”

“My uncle has attacked with his knights…….. And there are reports that he has my brother and a witch with him as well.”

“That’s, Alexis. Then the witch is probably………”

Emilia’s face turned pale in an instant as a story too outrageous for her to comprehend was brought before her. But before Emilia could ask any of her building questions, Rodel took her hand as there was no time to explain.

“Emilia, we must escape to a safe place for now.”

“Escape……?”

“Yes that’s right. It seems we cannot contact the knights stationed outside right now, so we cannot ask for any reinforcements. It is best for us to find a safe place to hide, and wait for our knights to deal with things. Even if they have brought a witch with them, they cannot defeat a royal family who isn’t here. I we have to do is escape, and our enemy will not have time to come search for us.”

Emilia nodded her head without knowing what Rodel was really urging her to do…..but then she reflexively looked back when she heard a sound on the other side of the room.

*Creak* It was a high-pitched, drawn out noise from the door slowly swinging open.

Emilia cuddled up to Rodel, but her eyes remained glued to who had walked through the now open door……..

“………….Sister Monette.”

and then called the name of the full body suit of armor that stood there.