152. red wave (2)

As the reddish glow of the sunset faded over the horizon, and a deep purple curtain fell over it again, the twilight cast an ominous shadow over the ridge. Leon Benning’s house was busy. It wasn’t just that it was busy in the evening, but it was busy with a very disturbing atmosphere. The sound of carrying weapons, the sound of a quiet command, and the sound of dragging something heavy could be heard from here and there.

“I have come to report to the leader of the Knights of the Crescent Moon, Count Bernardo Lennon.”

A suit with the pattern of the Benning family. Leon Benning faced Bernardo Lennon, who had come to finish his report. Her ‘first’ puppet was completely in combat posture and exuding a lofty speculation. Something so strange stirred in Leon Benning’s mind. It has been too long since Leon Benning forgot that it was a feeling of longing.

“report.”

“30 Crescent Moon Knights and 300 subordinate general soldiers, battle preparations complete. Count, please give me your order.”

Bernardo set the example of a knight. Leon Benning looked at Bernardo and clicked his tongue. When he took the kingdom into his own hands, he wanted to use the cleanest way possible, but there were too many variables that went against his plan. A coup d’état is, after all, a dirty trick to seizing power. It was against the Count’s principles to neglect a cleaner method and commit something that would stand out in the public eye.

“If the uprising begins, I will run to the second prince’s palace first with the other knights and join the second prince. Bernardo, you should run right to the Raven Knights so you can join their knights.”

Leon Benning said so, then paused. As if something had come to his mind, the count looked at Bernardo for a while and chose his words.

“… As I said, if Theodora tries to resist, subdue her and bring her before me. If the time drags on too much, I won’t mind if you join me first.”

“Yes, I will.”

The Count’s eyes fell on the other puppets lined up behind Bernardo.

“Each of you lead your soldiers, divide into two, and run one to the 1st prince’s palace and one to the 1st princess’s palace, and secure the new recruits as quickly as possible. The principle is to bring them back alive as much as possible, but if it doesn’t work out, I won’t hold you accountable even if you kill them.”

“I will obey the count’s order.”

“We have to work as quickly as possible. All of the work in the house must be finished before the rooster crows for the first time in the morning. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The war fortunes were rising. Leon Benning looked around. At this time, there was not a single person who should be the busiest with him. Is it just the last struggle of the one who still has resentment towards him, or if there is something else.

there was a heart attack But it wasn’t perfect. The Count hardened his lips and summoned one of the puppets.

“Did you call, Count?”

“You, along with a few soldiers, set out now to find Emile Bordain.”

In the first place, it was strange that Arsene Vern and Maxime Appart were supposed to pass him through the screening. Should I have removed it beforehand? Have you been holding it for so long that your senses have become dull? The Count’s inorganic eyes coolly sink.

“Find him, save him and put him before me.”

You know the cost of betrayal better than anyone else. The corner of the count’s mouth rose sharply. Cold, unbridled anger lingered on his face.

Emile Bordain would struggle in such terrible pain that he would rather beg to be killed.

—

close up close up

The sound of horses galloping reverberates through the late evening royal road. The clatter of horses’ hooves as a carriage passed was a common sound that could be heard again and again, but the urgent clatter of horses’ hooves breaking the tranquility of the evening was of a completely different quality from the leisurely crossing of such carriages.

damn it

Following the sound, a blue-eyed man was leading a horse. Emile Bordain ran more desperately than ever. Probably by now, Leon Benning would have noticed everyone and ordered him to be hunted down or brought back. There was not much time left for Emile Bordain.

So, you should arrive before it’s too late. before they unleash blood in the palace. Before killing everyone who is not on their side. Before I can’t save my daughter again.

On the way to the palace, Emile Bordain got off his horse and ran. The guards guarding the royal palace recognized Emil’s face and asked him about his business.

“Emile Absentee Governor, what are you doing in the palace at this time… ?”

Emil looked at them. Wouldn’t it be better to inform these guards first that Leon Benning will lead an army into the palace? If there is a big uproar, at least the news will reach the royal family. The king can have time to prepare, and the first princess Marion serves,

Can not be done.

However, Emile quickly denied the idea that popped into his head. no one could believe There was no way for Emil to find out who belonged to the count and who did not. Where did the count’s pursuit team arrive to kill him?

“Deputy Finance Minister?”

He looked up at the sound of Emil calling him again.

“Wait, there are documents I left in the office.”

The guardsman tilted his head as if it were strange, but soon cleared the way for Emil. Emil quickly passed them into the palace and took out a bottle of medicine. Medicine for body alteration. From now on, everyone in the palace had to be regarded as an enemy. You don’t know who will respond to Leon Benning’s attack from the inside, or who will pretend to be on the king’s side and aim for the back of the head.

Tsk.

Emile Bordain looked at the vial disapprovingly. It was a very small amount. According to the king, it would last half a day at the longest, or something. During that half-day, Emile had to protect the royal family and his daughter from their attacks.

Emil didn’t drink all the medicine from the bottle. Because I need to instill confidence in the person I am going to visit from now on. After putting up with the strange feeling of twisting the muscles and skin tissue on his face, Emile looked around to find his way. The place where the 2nd escort stays. In this situation, the only person who could be sure was not on the count’s side would be staying.

I didn’t want to depend on that damn bastard.

Emile sighed. Now, I wasn’t in a position to cover cold or hot food. Emil had transformed into a middle-aged man with half gray hair. After changing into the attendant’s clothes he had prepared in advance, Emile moved on.

—

The training ground of the 2nd Guards. Exhausted from the training that ended late in the evening, the members began to clean up afterward with pained sounds. Maxim, who assisted in their training and was in charge of advising by the side, was helping to clean up the training ground. The team members, who were quite exhausted, did not refuse Maxim’s voluntary help.

“You always help me like this, thank you.”

“Nope. In the first place, I can’t even attend regular training, so shouldn’t I help at least this?”

Maxim, who stayed in the 2nd guard under the name of the 1st prince’s swordsmanship teacher, had a fairly high reputation among the knights in the palace. The winner of the martial arts competition and a hidden hero of the periphery. And even receiving the favor of the king and instructing the swordsmanship of the first prince. Perhaps thanks to this, the eyes of the knights and soldiers looking at Maxim were dominated by longing rather than jealousy or envy.

Training ended later than planned, Maxim frowned as he looked at the busy gymnasium. since when Perhaps from the day he made the promise to Louise, an ominous feeling lingers in his mind. Maxim put his hand on his pounding chest.

“Sir Maxim, is something wrong?”

The knights around him secretly asked Maxim, but Maxim could not give an answer. You can’t just say that your mind is agitated by foreboding.

“… it’s nothing. You worked hard today.”

Is it because the tension has been too loose lately? Maxim shook his head as he grabbed the hilt of Baek Ah’s sword. There were rumors that the previous meeting was noisy, but there was no actual conflict, and it was only cases that led to verbal fights and scuffles.

Maybe in the corner of my heart, I was relieved. Because the war didn’t happen, because this palace wasn’t drowned in bloody waves. It felt like I had the thing I wanted back right in front of me.

‘It’s been quite a while.’

The war hasn’t even started yet. Maxim thought that he might rather be pleased with this ominous pounding. If it wasn’t for the visit of a stranger who came to visit him.

“Maxim? Oh, there it is. Maxim!”

A knight approaching Maxim. Maxim looked at him and recognized the man waving vaguely. He was the vice-captain of the Knights of the 2nd Guards.

“Yes, vice-captain. what’s going on?”

“There is a person who came to see you. 1It looks like she works at the princess’s palace, but she’s not your fiancée, and there’s an attendant you’ve never seen before.”

valet?

Maxim tilted his head and approached the vice-captain. The vice-captain pointed to the entrance of the gymnasium and nodded as if to go. Maxim looked at the place the vice-captain had pointed out, and as he said, a person with a strange face seemed to be waiting for Maxim. Somehow, seeing that appearance that seemed very urgent, Maxim involuntarily hurried his steps and approached the attendant. The chatter grew a presence in Maxim’s heart.

“Yeah, what’s going on… .”

As soon as Maxim approached, the attendant grabbed Maxim by the front of his clothes and dragged him to the back of the gymnasium. Maxim followed without resisting the force, not knowing why. The back of the gymnasium where there are no people. The middle-aged man, who appeared to be an attendant, looked around quickly and spoke in a low voice.

“Maxim Appart. listen carefully.”

Maxim had the impression that he had heard that voice somewhere before. Before Maxim could even think about the origin of the voice, the man shook Maxim as if telling him to come to his senses. As Maxim’s eyes stared straight at the man, the man finally got to the point.

“Soon, Leon Benning will lead his army and march into the palace.”

Maxim’s eyes twitched. The tumult in my heart reached its peak.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is literally. There is no time. The count’s army, which has arrived at the palace, is divided into three groups and will attack His Majesty the King, His Highness the 1st Prince, and Her Highness the 1st Princess. And within, the army of the two princes will respond.”

It feels like hitting your head hard with a hammer. Maxim couldn’t accept all of the attendant’s words and only showed a puzzled look on his face. The attendant looked at Maxim in frustration and sighed.

“How do I know who you are and believe me?”

“As expected, it’s my fault for making someone like you my son-in-law.”

Maxim frowned when he heard the familiar sarcastic tone. The attendant took out a small bottle of medicine from his bosom. Maxim recognized the liquid in the bottle in the light of the gymnasium at once. Medications I’ve been beholden to for the past few months. It was a medicine for body transformation that could never be given to anyone other than the king. The scene in front of his eyes and the information in his head caused dissonance, making Maxim perplexed.

“That drug… you, please.”

Maxim opened his eyes wide in disbelief. Emile Bordain continued, frowning in irritation.

“I don’t have time for a damn explanation, so get moving. We need to move quickly, accompanied by people we can trust.”

Maxim was still hesitant. Emile Bordain sighed.

“Damn it, we have to move and evacuate the people of the royal family. There’s not much I can do. If you move in a row, those who respond inside will start moving first. You have to move quickly to counter their movements.”

Grabbing Maxim with a shaky expression by the collar, Emile Bordain spoke in a desperate voice.

“please. Please protect my daughter from the bloody wind that will soon blow.”

Maxim looked into those eyes. His eyes, always tinged with a sarcastic light, desperately clung to Maksim. Maxime clenched his teeth and pushed down Emile Bordain’s hand. Whatever that person had done, it didn’t seem like the time was right now to simply brawl about old things. Maxime answered Emile Bordain in a heavy voice.

“Just this time, I’ll try to believe.”

Only then did Emile Bordain’s face take on a relieved light. At the same time as Maxim was about to move on and return to the palace of the first prince, he looked back and looked at Emile Bordain.

“… What are you going to do now?”

At Maxim’s question, Emile Bordain laughed.

“Why, are you even worrying about your father-in-law now? It’s not even unique.”

The mocking sound was still there, but Maxim never showed any sign of anger at it. Only then did Emile Bordin shake his head and explain.

“Casting time.”

As Maxime frowned, Emile Bordain sighed and laughed again.

“The Count will surely send a separate pursuit party to catch me. We have to divert our forces while somehow getting them out of the way.”

There’s a reason why I purposely left traces and witnesses behind. Emile Bordain smiled viciously as he said that. For some reason, Maxim thought that the fishy laugh was very bitter.

“I have a way to live on my own. Hurry up and evacuate the royal family. I told you I don’t have time… .”

thud.

The heads of Emile Bordain and Maxime turned at the same time. Normally, it was just the noise of everyday life passing by. Maxim’s expression turned pale. How can the tumultuous premonition not be so wrong?

“… Hurry up.”

Emile Bordain, who was also contemplative, said so. Maxim could only nod his head and move on.