[Chapter 267] It'll just take a little longer

The generals cheered at the lieutenant's words.

"If we take that, it's over?"

"Finally, we can go home."

They were already talking as if the battle was over, but the Imperial Palace was indeed the Imperial Palace, and its defenses were strict. The areas outside the walls where people lived and farmed had been completely burned to the ground, making it impossible to obtain loot, and instead, thorny obstacles were densely arranged in their place.

Just outside the walls, there were dense encampments of soldiers guarding the gates that had been opened in all four directions. Cledwin grinned.

"The Princess and I may not have the same taste, but we're thinking alike this time. They're thinking of a quick victory, too."

The Imperial Palace of Pelena is very large, but it has almost no farmland or orchards inside. They won't be able to hold out for long.

The banners of the families who still support the Imperial Family fluttered above the soldiers' encampments and the walls. One of the generals, recognizing a few of the banners, said,

"All the collateral branches of the Imperial Family have gathered."

The lieutenant tilted his head.

"Aren't the collateral branches of the Imperial Family mostly just stragglers?"

"That's right. But now, even a cat's paw is useful."

Cledwin glared fiercely at the Imperial Palace in the distance, then turned around.

"Don't be careless, and report any unusual occurrences to me. First, we'll send out scouts."

***

The Maindeland army had really come to attack the Imperial Palace.

Everyone knew it to some extent. The Maindeland army had marched south in a straight line. But when they actually saw the Imperial Palace in front of them, some of the soldiers' morale dropped.

"It's the Imperial Family, after all."

"Isn't this wrong?"

Those who said so were soldiers of defeated armies who had only accepted the completed "Betrayal" widely distributed by the Maindeland army as propaganda. They were honest people who frowned when some of their comrades, especially those who had quickly changed sides, loudly denounced Bisto's betrayal.

They couldn't help but feel something as they witnessed the Grand Duke's dazzling victory. They felt a sense of relief that they wouldn't die if they stayed here. But no matter what... wasn't this an act that disregarded the values they had learned since childhood?

A sense of rejection, ingrained at the level of instinct, rose to the surface. But they couldn't openly express their resentment. This army was now hot with the fervor of victory they had taken, and most of them had the attitude of "it's okay if I'm on the winning side."

One young soldier in particular, who had loved the stories of the three heroes since childhood, wandered around the camp after finishing his meal, looking for a place where his comrades weren't. He sat down alone in a secluded spot and sighed.

Someone approached him and spoke.

"May I sit with you?"

A familiar accent. This army, gathered from all over, spoke their own languages. The young man, thinking he had met someone from a similar region, nodded in relief.

"Yes, of course."

The man was dressed in the same rank as the young man and had a pleasant face. He sat next to the young man, gazing at the Imperial Palace, and suddenly sighed.

"Whew."

"Is something wrong?"

The young man asked sincerely. The pleasant-looking man hesitated before speaking.

"It's just... it's a bit difficult. The three heroes have done so much for people, and here I am, attacking the Imperial Palace... I've loved the stories of the three heroes since I was a child."

"Oh, me too."

The young man felt an instant connection with him. They were from the same area, had similar interests, and now they were both dragged into this army.

"Really? Why, when the theater troupe that performed the stories of the three heroes came to our town when I was a kid, I would run out and hang around the troupe all morning. When we played hero games, I would insist on being the brave Bisto."

"Haha, everyone does that at that age. I did too."

The young man felt very relieved. Lately, the people in this army had been so foolishly insisting that the content of that novel was true that they couldn't even talk about real history. They were foolish and easily swayed by propaganda.

The pleasant-looking man smiled faintly when the young man opened up to him. His kind face showed no hint that he had actually been watching this young man all this time.

"Honestly, it's a bit much. I understand why the Maindeland army is lying... but..."

"Yes, it's a bit much, it is."

The two men, speaking indirectly, exchanged conspiratorial smiles.

The pleasant-looking man lowered his voice and asked in a whisper.

"I was thinking, do we really have to be there when we attack the Imperial Palace? Maybe we could back off a little?"

"What? You mean desert... "

The young man was flabbergasted.

"Oh, no way. I'm not suggesting we run away like that. If we run away now and go back home, what would the lord say? It's not that... We're all lumped together because the main force doesn't really expect anything from us anyway. They'll do all the big things, and besides, haven't the McKinnon family's soldiers joined in?"

Was that so? The young man didn't understand the overall situation of the army, but he just went along with it.

"Well, yes."

"I used to follow some knights around when I was back home, and I know this means the Grand Duke is just using us for show. He doesn't really know how to operate a large army."

"Which knight did you follow around to learn about operating a large army...?"

"I caught some bandits. It's not that important, is it? Anyway, the Maindeland army won't put us in any important operations, and they've gathered people from different hometowns, so they don't even know each other's names within the unit. In the middle..."

The pleasant-looking man lowered his voice.

"They won't notice if we slip away. They're so busy, they won't catch us, will they?"

Even if soldiers from different hometowns were assigned to the same unit, the commander, as well as the soldiers themselves, had to know exactly how many people were in their unit. They naturally checked with each other to see who was slipping away and when.

But the army had grown so quickly that some of the lower-ranking soldiers didn't even know who was in their unit.

The pleasant-looking man's suggestion was tempting. The young man swallowed. But wasn't it against the rules? And running away during an operation... if they were caught, they would be summarily executed. He was about to object, as a good and honest person, when...

"Why would we say this if we didn't want to fight? We're here to survive now, but I'm scared. God sees everything, and we're all attacking Bisto's heir, the ruler he chose. What if we go to hell when we die? No, we'll definitely go. We've joined forces with a fake who claims to be a hero's descendant..."

The young man, a devout man who faithfully attended church every Sunday, gasped. The pleasant-looking man stood up, smiling.

"Oh dear, I must have said something foolish. I just said it because I was feeling frustrated. Go out and get some fresh air."

Before the young man could say anything, the pleasant-looking man left. It's easier to handle someone who thinks they made a decision themselves than someone who thinks they were forced. And the conclusions they reach after "deep consideration" are usually harder to reverse.

In a place where no one could see him, the pleasant-looking man, or rather, the Imperial spy, smiled.

'Foolish boy, he thinks he can get away with desertion by saying it indirectly.'

This kind of work was already happening all over the army. Persuading those who were particularly honest, devout, and oblivious, who wore their discontent on their faces.

These guys wouldn't even know where they were being led. They would be used to obstruct the Maindeland army's path during the attack, or as the vanguard to attack the Grand Duke's camp... They would be carrying out the role of spies for the Imperial Family without even knowing it.

Several of those who were already in charge of lower-ranking officers were secretly communicating with the Imperial Family, waiting for the moment to surround the Grand Duke. They were those who had been subjugated after being defeated by Cledwin, but were so devout that they could not deny the Imperial Family established by the first Pope, or those who harbored a thirst for revenge after losing someone close to them during the war.

'Bringing together these guys with such diverse backgrounds haphazardly, he's shooting himself in the foot.'

The Imperial Family's counterattack would begin soon. The spy thought so and happily returned to his tent.

The moon, almost full, rose early and shone gently above his head.

***

"Hilbrin went to the gorge in time, and thankfully there were no casualties among our people."

Nerys, worried that Tipeon might have been assassinated by an assassin, was closely monitoring the enemy's movements. And as soon as she figured out what the enemy could gain by scaring the other subordinate lords in the Earl's territory, she sent Hilbrin.

It would have been better if there had been other options, but there was no time. The secret passage was the shortcut if they wanted to move as quickly as possible.

It was a shame that the enemy had been exposed to the direction of the secret passage. It was only the direction that had been revealed, but if Silver Moon got the right clues, it wouldn't be long before they found the entrance. How could hundreds of cavalrymen move so quickly without leaving a trace?

But that didn't mean they should let innocent people die.

A voice with a hint of laughter came from the other side of the communication device.

<It's a good thing you moved quickly. The secret passage has been blown up.>

"I already did that."

If there was a chance that Silver Moon had found the location of the secret passage, it was better to blow up the entire path. There was no reason to avoid using the official entrance now.

Cledwin chuckled. Nerys looked into the void for a moment before asking.

"Did you manage to surround the Imperial Palace?"

<Yes. We're ready to attack.>

"Be careful and don't get hurt. You know what's most important, right?"

<I know. Releasing the Eye of Palos is top priority. As we discussed, I'll go to secret chamber first.>

"Yes. The nobles who left the Imperial Palace last were saying that there were strangely few people in the Emperor's Palace lately... I still think Caymil took the power from the jewel the Emperor possesses. If it's a power that can be given artificially, it can also be taken away. Then, with that extra power, in the worst case..."

<You mean we could create another owner of the jewel? I know. agree with your guess.>

The Imperial Family has already created at least one jewel for each generation. Until now, everyone naturally believed that the Imperial Family members born with azure blue eyes had their jewels awakened from birth.

That the jewels are like that from birth.

But didn't Nerys, who awakened her jewel at the age of 18, prove otherwise?

Then, how can anyone know whether a child who was not supposed to be born with azure blue eyes was "changed" to have azure blue eyes from birth by receiving magic?

"Caymil might be wielding that power in its entirety. Don't be surprised either way. We both know nothing about magic, so anything can happen. The only thing that's certain is..."

<That it's over if the dragon is released.>

"When I woke up, the dragon lair in Dreykum was also affected, so it's clear that seals affect each other. We just need to create a little gap, so as we discussed, investigate the Imperial Family's emblem."

Nerys' eyes shone with caution as she thought of the secret chamber.

"The fact that there is 'only' one object symbolizing the Imperial Family in a magical place with no other decorations, and that it is in a place that overlooks both altars... it must have meaning."

<I know. Don't worry. I also think there's something wrong with that emblem, but it doesn't matter if there isn't. If we destroy everything gets in the way, we'll find answer eventually.>

Nerys smiled.

"Yes. ...Are you busy? Let's end the communication and go to the meeting."

Cledwin whined, but eventually cut off the communication. Someone knocked on the door of the quiet bedroom.

"Lady, did you call for us?"

"Come in."

Ellen and Gilbert entered with tense faces. Nerys got straight to the point.

"From this moment on, restrict access to the central entrance and thoroughly check the identities of everyone entering and leaving."

It was something she could have asked the head maid and the butler to take care of. But suddenly? The two looked surprised.

Nerys explained.

"Caymil will definitely have sent someone. She wouldn't bet everything on finding one secret passage."

And Silver Moon would definitely find a way to get into White Swan Castle. Using all sorts of expensive magic and unimaginable sinister methods.

Caymil wouldn't spare any means, even in the face of her end.

But that didn't mean she had to make it easy for her.