Chapter 60

[3rd POV]

The evening turned out to be a difficult one for the young Queen Beatrice.

Once again, her uncle had dragged her to another dull and uninteresting party with foreign partners and nobility.

Beatrice had never enjoyed such events. She preferred spending her evenings at the theater or attending a symphony orchestra performance.

However, she didn't have much of a choice because her uncle and Chief of Security Harton had been bugging her lately about dedicating most of her time to traveling between smaller palaces.

As a result, she hardly had any opportunity to learn about the actual state of affairs in her kingdom.

Colonel Sumaan had taken over all the significant matters.

She loved him with all her heart and he was the only person left of her bloodline.

Naturally, their relationship had not always been so complicated.

In the early days after her parents' death, she became deeply attached to him—and crossed a line.

During a private dinner one night, they drank some intense wine that caused them to cross that "forbidden" boundary between them.

He became her first man.

They continued this kind of relationship for a time. However, Beatrice eventually came to her senses and broke it off.

Their relationship turned cold and distant after that for a while.

But over time, things settled back into place.

It was around this period that Harton, the Chief of Security, began treating her more strictly despite her young age while growing wary and even distrustful of the colonel.

She never spoke of this to anyone, but she noticed a lot. She preferred to remain silent, fearing she might be mistaken.

BBeatrice 's gloom was broken by Harton's voice, who was riding in the same car with her.

"Your Majesty?! Are you alright?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I'm just tired from the reception. I don't understand why my uncle asks me to attend these events. They're useless for our people and for me as well. It would be much..."

"BANG!!!"

The first car of the convoy exploded right on the road.

The car was forced to stop.

A group of people in black masks quickly circled the seven cars and started shooting at them. 

However, their efforts were futile as all the cars were armored. 

Then, the last car in the back of the convoy tried to reverse but was immediately hit by an RPG.

As a result, the remaining six cars were trapped.

The number of attackers only seemed to increase, and it was clear that nearly a hundred people were closing in.

The security guards from the three cars jumped out and returned fire, taking positions that allowed them to shoot at the enemy effectively while preventing them from approaching the car where the queen was located.

"Harton, what's happening?! Are these rebels?"

Beatrice shouted in fear.

"N-no! Your Majesty, it's most likely your uncle. There's no time to explain, we need to get you out of here. Sit down!"

He ordered the driver and moved to take his place.

With impressive skill and speed, Harton managed to drive out of the convoy's line and crashed into a nearby store, knocking down three attackers in the process.

He broke through the wall and drove onto a narrow street, smashing through wooden obstacles.

Then, he made it to a neighboring street. He accelerated, heading down a route only he knew.

But on the very first turn, the car flipped over after colliding with a tank.

The door was crushed from the impact, and Harton was unconscious.

 A half dozen attackers slowly approached the car.

In panic, Beatrice crawled out of the vehicle, trying to move away from them, but her legs couldn't move, and she couldn't stand them due to the overwhelming fear.

It was then that a strange silhouette in a cloak appeared before her.

With a swift motion, the figure threw knives at the attackers, and they fell dead.

The tank almost aimed the barrel at the queen and the figure, but then it exploded.

Queen Beatrice didn't know this, but the "figure" had successfully planted explosive tags on the tank's underside.

After that, she lost consciousness.

...

[1st POV]

The operation I had planned didn't go quite as expected.

The convoy set off a bit earlier than I had prepared for.

Lucy, Maze, and Pam were already waiting for me at the hotel with a full set of medical equipment that I couldn't quite figure out how Lucifer managed to acquire...

Anyway, I executed the "splitting" technique, sending one of "me" after the convoy while the other "me" tracked the movement of several armored personnel carriers, tanks, and a mysterious group of soldiers coming from the opposite side of the city.

It was a coincidence, but not a wasted one.

While I watched them, my other copy took care of the clones I had created, and I gathered the information about the convoy.

At that point, it was up to me.

These versions of "Me One" and "Me Two" weren't real.

Instead, we were disguised under a mixed look, combining the "assassin" outfit with a weapon from Los Angeles.

The outfit ended up being a "mercenary" armor, with a purple cloak over it, adorned with black inserts and a hood.

I wore a sturdy steel mask with a white skull drawn on it. It was quite a terrifying sight, especially at night.

This was the appearance I wore when I took down the colonel's henchmen and then my clone blew up a tank.

Afterward, I threw another kunai with an explosive tag at an approaching vehicle, eliminating the last visible threat.

The clone of me jumped down to join me almost immediately.

From the clones' memories, I knew that only four of Queen Beatrice's bodyguards had survived.

They even tried to attack my clone after she, along with a dozen of my other clones, killed the attackers and took their weapons and equipment.

It seemed they had mistaken her for an enemy.

However, my clone quickly subdued them and sealed them into a scroll.

After that, I sealed Beatrice and the barely conscious but still alive Harton into another scroll, and then we headed back to the hotel.

Pam was tending to the wounded while I checked the messages from the system and felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Ding!"

[Quest Complete: Noble Knight V2.0!

Reward:

+50 AP

+10,000 Experience

+1,000 relationship with Queen Beatrice

Title: Noble Knight]

[+1 Level Up]

A second class choice is now available.

This is wonderful.

Now, Healer seems like the perfect fit.

[Healer - This allows you to increase your reputation with most individuals, except necromancers. You also get a 50% higher chance of becoming friends with any character, excluding necromancers, and a special skill—Enhanced Regeneration.]

[+5 Endurance]

[+10 Intelligence]

[+10 Intuition]

[Gift Pack: A special healer's kit, immunity to all toxins and poisons, and a +10% chance to survive radiation exposure.]

[The skill "Regeneration" has merged with the "Enhanced Regeneration" skill, forming a new skill: Wolverine.]

Harton regained his composure after a few minutes, and both he and Beatrice came to their senses.

The bodyguards were also awake but bound. I'd free them later if necessary.

Harton asked, "Who are you?!"

"I'm Isaac Dinklage, but I think you already know that. Your memory should be fine, considering your position as head of security. So, you must have recognized the guests from tonight, if not by face, then at least by name."

"That's true."

Harton responded, "But who are you working for, if not the Colonel? Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved us."

A smart guy.

"I'm not working for anyone."

I replied, "Believe it or not, I accidentally overheard a conversation between two drunk idiots, one of whom was named Mirabeau. It seems like they're your subordinates."

The old man scowled.

"They were talking about an assassination attempt, so I got the idea to help you out. While I was a bit late, I only managed to save four of your men, and even those guys tried to kill me."

"I think we can understand."

One of the bodyguards chimed in, "You were in a mask, and you showed up quite unexpectedly."

"I'm not offended."

I answered with a smile, "That's why you're still alive."

"Are you a mercenary?"

Queen Beatrice asked.

"No. I'm a detective from Gotham City but I used to be in the military. I changed professions."

"Would you be interested in a little extra work?"

Her question started to unsettle me.

Beatrice's eyes now showed nothing but malice and anger, but I could sense desperation lurking there as well.

She quickly pieced everything together and realized who had set her up and what awaited her if she didn't find a way out.

She wasn't as hopeless as I had thought.

"So, they want to kill me now. But what exactly are your price?"

She asked, her tone sharp.

"Your Majesty..."

One of her bodyguards began to speak, but she silenced him with just a look.

Harton added, "I agree with Her Majesty. Mr. Dinklage would be extremely useful in the matter against the Colonel. He has a division of loyal guards at his side, along with helicopters, planes, and tanks. If someone could hold them off until I and Her Majesty prepare the troops for the battle for the capital, that would be ideal."

He shifted his gaze to me.

"I saw you and your 'double' when I was still conscious. Those gadgets you used... they were definitely not human. I've seen a lot in my life."

"However, the troops are two hundred miles away, conducting exercises."

Beatrice said, surprised or perhaps just playing along at her head of security's words.

"What forces do we plan to use to fight?"

"Rebels. But they aren't actually rebels."

Harton began explaining.

"After your father's death, I sensed something strange about his will. My instincts told me there was more to it. I dug up some data that pointed to the will being forged. Moreover, I've known for a long time that the Colonel was very interested in power and money. But I couldn't prove it to you, because you trusted your uncle so much."

'Yeah, so much so that she even let him into her bed. Well, I don't really care about that... well, almost.'

I thought but kept my face neutral.

"I see. But what about the rebels?"

Harton replied, "They are pockets of loyal soldiers who once served your father, along with a portion of the officer corps who suffered because of your uncle's 'reforms' or the tyranny of his internal circle. There are also people among them who had no prior connection to the military or police, and who had never held a weapon in their life. But now, they are a fully organized force, loyal to YOU. We just need to reach them and have them swear an oath of loyalty to you again."

"Alright, we'll talk about that later."

She nodded, then shifted her gaze to me, "So, what's your decision?"

"I didn't hear the terms under which I'll be working."

I replied, keeping my tone even.

"Ten million dollars, the hereditary nobility of Bialya for you, and your friends too."

She glanced at the others, "if they help, of course. I doubt they're just here for the scenery."

"That seems like a reasonable price."

I nodded, "But I also want the spoils."

"From the battlefield? Agreed!"

She nodded back, and we shook hands.

To be continued...

...

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