105

From Game to Reality Episode 105

Internal Conflict or Confrontation (2) "Arsia, if the second prince, Hekoj, hesitates to attack, don't hesitate to raise your weapon first and strike, understood?"

"Yes." "Blackie (Black Eagle) will keep flying around the castle. So if an emergency situation arises, be sure to send telepathy to me. I'll provide support immediately with Blackie's magic sharing skill." "Yes." The day before D-DAY. I meticulously checked Arsia's armor, which was fully equipped with force equipment, as if I were releasing a child by the water, giving her constant warnings and reminders. That's how much I didn't trust the second prince. I knew he still liked Arsia. It was obvious he would try something as soon as he had the chance. If I were a emotionally damaged piece of garbage, I would have selfishly exploited whatever situation she faced, but I cherish Arsia like family and a doppelgänger. Therefore, I didn't want to subject her to any unpleasant experiences, no matter how small. So in case of emergency, I prioritized her safety whether we fought or not. Thanks to that, there were ten bracelets bound inside the gauntlets, which I didn't wield the sword in, all artifacts for her protection. "Well then, I'll be off." As I tried to send her off to the second prince's strike force. Despite being well-prepared, something didn't sit right with me. So I remembered one item and clapped my hands. "What's this?" And I pulled out a short white stick from the pocket dimension. It was the holy sword that I had given the Earth-style name Excalibur. "It's the holy sword." "Isn't it precious?" I raised Arsia's chin and delivered my lines like a dubbed actor in a movie. "You're more precious." "I feel a tingling sensation." At Arsia's typical reaction, I chuckled and removed my hand from her chin, dropping the seriousness from my expression and giving her a sincere piece of advice. "There's one thing you need to keep in mind." "Please tell me." "It's uncertain, but there might be a Grandmaster hiding in the castle. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to fight him, surrender immediately." Since she had always been with me, she knew what I meant by my words. I was referring to the secret unit of the kingdom, not just the Grandmaster mentioned by my father. "No, not just the Grandmaster, but surrender if you find yourself in unexpected danger. Understand?" "You're advising me to prioritize my safety." "Yes." I let go of her after hearing that response. Arsia walked with composure. But soon she stopped in her tracks. "Adrian, please be careful too." She muttered in a soft voice. With those words as the last, she disappeared alone into the teleportation gate of Lord's Castle. After Arsia vanished with light, I turned around and muttered a brief comment. "How cute."

"Oh, welcome. Count Klein." Where Arsia appeared was a small mansion on the outskirts of the capital, Lionel. Even though it was a small mansion, it was enough to hide a strike force of less than 30 people. As Arsia appeared, all three aura masters, Prince Luke, Viscount Vincent, and Baron Ignis, and the twenty senior knights of the strike force greeted her. "I greet Prince Luke Win Reinhardt." Arsia greeted the second prince with her usual calm expression. In response, the second prince patted her on the shoulder and nodded, welcoming her. "Why?" For some reason, Arsia didn't like the second prince's gesture.

However, there was no change in her expression, and after receiving formal greetings, she also greeted Viscount Vincent and Baron Ignis with formal attitudes. The second prince's eyebrows twitched, but he also didn't show any emotions, perhaps thinking it wasn't the time to do so.

"It feels reassuring to have this. I still remember how you looked in the hunting grounds."

"I apologize."

Viscount Vincent and Baron Ignis genuinely welcomed her. Adrian had a negative image among the nobles due to his eccentric behavior, but Arsia had a completely different image from him. Despite being a genius who became an aura master at the age of twenty alongside Adrian, she never boasted, always remained modest and elegant, and possessed a subtle beauty.

Since being a knight itself is a tough profession, Arsia naturally stood out among such people. Moreover, by silently supporting her fiancé's aggressive actions, she could be considered the ideal woman desired by all knights, and perhaps even by all men. Therefore, while Adrian might be competent, nobles were hesitant to approach him, whereas they wanted to approach Arsia at all costs.

"Are you really going to marry Lord Adrian?"

At that moment, Wesley, the eldest son of the Castellbell family, who was expected to become an aura master in his twenties after Prince Luke, pushed forward with such a question without any tact.

The Castellbell family was the household of Isabella, who was the leader of those who bullied Adrian during their academy days. Viscount Vincent stared at him as if to say, "What nonsense are you talking about before the war?" But not only Wesley Castellbell, but also many knights looked curious.

Despite the impolite question, Arsia maintained her original expression without showing any signs of being upset and answered simply.

"If Lord Adrian wishes."

From Arsia's perspective, if it was Lord Adrian's command, she couldn't refuse, but from the listener's perspective, it felt like Arsia liked the other party more than Lord Adrian.

Feeling uncomfortable, the second prince cleared his throat and organized the situation.

"Are we on a field trip?"

"Haha, sorry."

Wesley Castellbell scratched his cheek with a perplexed expression. With the situation settled, Arsia asked the second prince.

"Is there a strategy we need to be aware of?"

The second prince checked the time on his bracelet-shaped terminal and nodded.

"Alright, now that Count Klein is here, shall we start the explanation?"

Despite everyone being professionals, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at him in response to the second prince's reaction.

The second prince tapped his bracelet-shaped terminal with his finger. Then, a large three-dimensional holographic map appeared in the center of the hall where they were seated.

"The key to this war is how much of the kingdom's strength we can preserve while achieving victory. We always have to be concerned about the Croysen Empire's movements, so if we can prevent the loss of even one vanguard or one sky fortress, we must do our best to prevent it. Therefore, our strike force is crucial."

The mission of the strike force led by the second prince aims to end the war early. Naturally, when it came to ending the war early, there was no more certain way than to strike at the enemy's head.

"As knights, it may be dishonorable, but wouldn't it be acceptable to use poison if it's for the country's sake?"

This time, it was Wesley Castellbell again. The second prince, who had never noticed it before, suddenly felt a subtly irked emotion and nodded his head.

"Haven't I said so? Poison doesn't work on him."

"Pardon?"

"He possesses an artifact called 'Poison Resistance.' It's a treasure handed down by the royal family. So stop talking nonsense and listen quietly."

"Ah, understood."

In response to the second prince's sharp reaction, Wesley Castellbell closed his mouth.

"He has to personally put a sword to his throat. But it's not an easy task. Anyway, he's still the crown prince of the Kingdom of Reinhardt."

The second prince, who had shrugged, changed his expression and raised the corners of his mouth.

"But, with what I've acquired this time, I'm confident that I can strike his head easily."

As he flicked his finger, a path leading to the royal palace and the fortress appeared on the map.

"These are the blueprints used to build the royal palace. Secret passages are marked here too."

"Wow."

The secret passages of the royal palace were the most confidential of secrets. It was the highest-level secret that only those who became the owners of the palace could know.

"Although most of the marked secret passages have been cut off due to their age, the preliminary investigation results confirm that two passages can still be used."

As the second prince flicked his finger again, X marks were displayed on several passages on the map, leaving only two remaining.

However, those two passages were jackpot finds. They directly connected the crown prince's chambers to the king's office.

"If we were to send just any assassin, it would likely fail, but with us, it's a different story. We'll use these passages to deal with the crown prince and secure His Majesty the king. That's the core of this operation."

The second prince was the only one who elaborated on this so far.

But upon hearing his plan, the others clenched their fists. It was a straightforward strategy, making success easily predictable. If such a formidable force were to emerge from underfoot and launch an attack, who wouldn't be affected?

"To prevent leaks of the operation, I'll prohibit the use of communication and telepathy artifacts from now until the scheduled time. Will you all understand?"

In response to the second prince's chilling question, everyone nodded in understanding. Satisfied, the second prince nodded as well.

"Alright, let's begin simulating each scenario from now on."

"Yes!"

Thus, with D-DAY looming just a day away, the preparations of the second prince, which would become the signal for internal conflict, progressed smoothly.

"Are we going to do it? No, this is within the Cutline."

Of course, amidst this, Arsia had to deal with the second prince's actions of frequently patting her shoulders and pounding her back with skinship, which sometimes led to violent impulses and wrestling.

Thankfully, the second prince, to some extent, had the discernment not to cause any problematic situations.

As the day wore on, they stayed up through the night with bleary eyes, and then D-DAY dawned.

An old underground waterway not currently in use.

The second prince, along with the strike force including Arsia, fully armed with Vanguard gear, swiftly navigated through it on hoverboards.

It would have been quite a distance to cover on foot, but in today's technologically advanced world, it was a short distance that wouldn't even take a minute.

Their top priority wasn't to secure new recruits for the king, but rather the life of the crown prince.

Therefore, they first infiltrated the crown prince's palace through the secret passage.

"What, what's this?"

However, there was no sign of the crown prince, who should have been shocked and scrambling to flee in their presence.

Realizing that something had gone wrong, the second prince bit his lip.

"Was the operation leaked?"

If one wasn't foolish, they would know.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. If the crown prince had fled, they would move on to the next target.

"How dare they! Do they not know where they are?!"

Fortunately, it seemed that only the crown prince had hastily fled. Unaware, the king emerged from the secret passage and was met with the elite forces.

The second prince and his faction breathed a sigh of relief, but the king, upon seeing his second son leading armed subordinates into his office, became greatly angered.

"Apologies, Father. Please entrust the recruits to me for a moment."

"Luke, you rascal!"

Beeeep!

Unlike at the crown prince's palace, a loud alarm sounded, and guards swarmed in ceaselessly.

However, the king's personal guard, led by the second prince and Prince Luke, also happened to be the commanders of these guards.

There were even those who, lacking the confidence to wield their swords against their superiors, simply dropped their weapons.

As a result, the king of the Kingdom of Reinhardt found himself subdued too easily by the second prince.

"What are you all staring at?"

While they had missed the crown prince, securing the king's recruits was practically a victory.

Thanks to this, the strike force celebrated their easy accomplishment, but for some reason, only Arsia remained on edge.

Viscount Vincent chuckled as he observed her.

"Just in case, I'm preparing for any eventuality."

"Eventuality?"

A cryptic response from her.

Viscount Vincent urged her to relax, saying that she was overreacting, with a forced laugh.

But that's when it happened.

"[Your Majesty, do you require assistance?]"

A low voice of a stranger echoed in the empty air, followed by the king's shout, filled with rage.

"Protect me!"