160. ask one’s resolve (2)

“Are you okay?”

Dennis patiently nodded at the question asked by Princess 1, Michelle, for the exact 25th time. The mask of the princess, who pretended to be strong and arrived safely at the Adventurer’s Guild by leading her followers with a stern face, had been removed for a long time. An hour had passed since they arrived at the guild. However, there is no news of Maxim, who left to check on the condition of the first prince and the king.

“It will be fine. Aren’t you a knight who can’t find an opponent in the kingdom except for Captain Hugo? Maxim will definitely be able to complete his mission and return.”

I was saying that to reassure Michelle, but Dennis was equally uneasy. Maxim could take care of himself in any situation, but what he was worried about was Charlotte. The situation, just in case, kept circulating in my head. Dennis frowned and shook his head to get rid of all the ominous thoughts that were flooding his mind.

‘It will be fine. Even I shouldn’t be so anxious.’

Dennis repeated that to himself while looking at the faces of the party. The knights of the 4th Guards sitting with their mouths shut. The maids who escaped together. And even Marion, who is more worried than anyone else, but tries hard not to reveal it.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

A cautious voice was heard. The guild branch manager was looking down at Michelle and Dennis with worried eyes.

“I’m fine, and I’ll ask Her Highness, the First Princess.”

The guild branch head nodded and called the busy staff and gave them instructions.

“It is a dizzy night.”

The branch manager sighed and sat down across the table from Dennis. Dennis nodded with a mixed feeling and agreed with the branch manager. The night wasn’t even halfway through yet. This will surely be the longest night of Dennis’ life.

“After hearing the news, an emergency call-up order was issued and all adventurers above a certain level were summoned. Skilled adventurers will appear in the guild soon.”

Saying that, the branch manager looked at the lobby of the headquarters, where the entrance was wide open. Dennis nodded stiffly. As soon as the branch manager finished speaking, a commotion was heard. Dennis widened his senses and sensed the signs, just in case, but the people entering the lobby were not knights, but adventurers summoned by the branch manager.

The adventurers who showed up seemed to be puzzled by the appearance of the palace people lined up at the guild’s headquarters. A bald adventurer, who seemed to be representative, spotted the branch manager and stepped forward.

“Chief, how did this happen now… .”

“Pierre, Leon Bening has raided the palace.”

At the words of the branch manager, it was only then that Pierre found the first princess sitting with her head bowed. Pierre hurriedly knelt down and noticed the adventurers who were following him. The adventurers who followed Pierre’s gaze all fell to their knees with the same bewildered expression as Pierre.

“Meet Her Highness, Princess 1.”

1 The princess lifted her head. I had to pretend to be strong again, straighten my face and face them. It was difficult to voice easily. A greeting flowed from between the lips of Princess 1, who bit her teeth to keep from sighing.

“… thank you for your loyalty Thank you for rushing to me regardless of the situation in such an emergency at the palace.”

Pierre, who glanced up at the first princess with a firm expression, hesitantly asked. He seemed quite taken aback by the fact that the first princess was the representative of the royal family to greet the adventurers.

“Are there only Her Highnesses, the 1st princess? His Majesty the King, but His Highness the 1st Prince… .”

Pierre looked at the first princess, whose complexion was turning pale, and hurriedly blurted out his words. 1 Dennis, who was sitting next to the princess, sighed and answered Pierre’s question.

“His Highness the First Prince and His Majesty the King have not yet arrived. Right now, the knights are making every effort to find His Majesty and the First Prince.”

I asked you a question. Looking at the face of Princess 1, who cast a deep shadow on her face, Pierre broke out in a cold sweat. 1 The whereabouts of the prince and the king are unknown. The royal palace was occupied by Leon Benning. A terrible foreboding creeped in.

“Keep your head up and relax. Waiting seems to be the priority right now, but I may need your help, so please take care of it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The adventurers got up from their seats with different expressions on their faces. There were those whose eyes lit up with excitement at the blatant battle clouds that touched their skin, and others who, like Pierre, had sunken eyes and were lost in thought without saying anything. Most of the time, it was a situation where they were only looking here and there because they were pressed by the momentum of the 1st princess and the 4th guard. Then, they soon began to check the equipment they were accompanied by several times to see if it was unreliable.

“Mr. Marion.”

The conversation died down, and while only metallic sounds were heard, Marion saw an ultramarine-haired adventurer approaching her. How do you know your own name? To Marion, who was tilting her head, the adventurer cleared her voice and greeted her as if she had been rude.

“… My name is Adeline.”

Marion opened her eyes wide and looked at Adeline. I had heard the story from Maxim several times. A blind knight he met while rescuing Christine. Somehow, it seemed like someone I had to meet, but I never thought we would meet face-to-face like this.

“You healed the eye.”

Adeline opened her eyes wide in surprise at Marion’s words. A voice with a sharp corner somewhere. Even though her face had already been healed, she was wearing the mask Maxim had given her as a habit. Adeline looked into Marion’s blue eyes.

“… Arsene, no, did Maxim tell you the story?”

Marion nodded. Adeline grabbed the corner of her mouth that was wandering somewhere between joy and surprise and recalled the purpose she originally came for.

“Is Maxim in the palace right now?”

Marion nodded again. Adeline, who was asking herself a question, had a strangely worried expression on her face, so I had doubts. Adeline, who fought alongside him, should know Maxim’s skills better than anyone else.

“Are you worried about anything?”

At Marion’s question, Adeline bit her lip. Bernardo Lennon. If the monster, who doesn’t even know how long it has been living, would follow this invasion. Adeline wondered if it would be okay to tell Marion about it, but then she turned around in surprise at another noise. The guild’s lobby is in an uproar again.

“-What happened!”

“Is your body okay?”

The 1st Guards remained in the palace. Marion recognized them and hardened her face. The fact that the first escort, which was supposed to serve the king, had arrived at the adventurer’s guild was never a good sign. The adventurers and the 4th escort greeted them as they entered the adventurer’s guild with miserable faces.

“shallot.”

Dennis ran to Charlotte, looking visibly relieved. Charlotte sighed in relief when she saw Dennis, but she couldn’t completely remove the shadow from her face.

“Your Majesty? Are you all right?”

“Sir Aaron will escort His Majesty, so it will probably be all right. You’ve probably fled somewhere else, so you’ll be contacted soon. but… .”

Charlotte looked at the place where the first princess was sitting. 1 The princess kept her seat, but she kept peeking at them, curious about what was going on, as if she couldn’t stand it.

“I couldn’t find His Highness, Prince 1.”

Dennis’ expression darkened.

“That means… .”

Charlotte shook her head. It means don’t make assumptions. Dennis nodded and looked at the jet-black knights standing behind the first escort.

“What did you come here for?”

There was obvious hostility in Dennis’ voice. Within the royal palace, there was only one Knights who wore black clothes. The Jackdaw Knights, who entered under the 2nd prince. As I was looking at them with kind eyes, someone squeezed in between the members of the Jackdaw Knights and appeared.

Paola, a stern-looking man, approached Dennis with a relaxed smile as always.

“Do you have anything to say? He came out after hitting the back of the head with Leon Benning and the second prince.”

Dennis frowned at Paola’s answer. Paola shrugged and looked at Dennis.

“Long time no see, Sir Dennis. Is this the first time you’ve seen it since the round of 16? You are really good at it.”

“I don’t remember getting that close to you.”

Dennis shook his head in discomfort at Paola, who was talking casually.

“Anyway, we, the Jackdaw Knights, no longer wield swords under the second prince. I want you to know that.”

“You say that you betrayed your master very easily.”

Dennis was also lighthearted, but he couldn’t get used to Paola’s flirtatious attitude.

“He was not someone worthy of being served as a lord. That’s all.”

Paola replied with a smirk. Behind them, the leader of the Jackdaw Knights appeared, supported by an orange-haired female knight.

“It may seem unpleasant, but this is our sincerity.”

Dennis opened his eyes wide as he looked at Theodora who appeared. He was well aware of her skill, and he owed her a great debt. The daughter of Leon Benning, who saved herself from Javier Franco’s sword.

And Maxim’s… .

Dennis’ thoughts were interrupted by Theodora’s continuing voice.

“We will not yield to The Leon Benning, nor will we bow our heads to the 2nd Prince who disturbs this country.”

Saying that, Theodora looked back at the members of the Jackdaw Knights who had followed her. They were all nodding their heads and fighting. Dennis thought it was not a matter for him to judge, so he turned his head in the direction of the first princess.

“Come in.”

Michel welcomed Theodora inside. Theodora had a pale face, but her eyes were still burning with fighting spirit.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

At Theodora’s apology, Michelle shook her head. The 1st Guard, in greatly reduced numbers, entered the headquarters along with the Knights of the Ravens and took up positions.

“There is no need to apologize. Can you briefly tell me what happened?”

“It is difficult to give exact information. During the battle with Leon Benning’s forces, I just gathered my troops and escaped to the place I was instructed before the war situation became more unfavorable.”

Theodora said that and looked around. Apparently, Maxim hadn’t reached this point yet.

“Maxim Appart is still fighting in the palace. If you order, I will rush to the palace right away to support you.”

Princess 1’s eyes shook at the words of Theodora, who indirectly requested that she be allowed to return to the palace. Not to be outdone by this, Adeline stepped forward and knelt down.

“If God permits, I will allow you to join us in the search. Please Yunheo.”

Dennis hardened his lips. Their will to return to the palace and search for the King, Prince 1, and Maxim was good, but now was the time to save even one person. Dennis also wanted to have those talented knights join the search, but he needed someone to advise him not to do that.

“Your Highness, I’m presumptuous, but-“

Before Dennis could finish his sentence, a third commotion came from outside the lobby. Without a moment to stop, the adventurers and knights ran outside.

“Has His Majesty arrived?”

“No, it could be His Highness, the first prince.”

Each adventurer muttered in a voice full of worry and anticipation. Marion clasped her hands, hoping that the person who came in would be her fiancé.

Surrounded by the crowd, it was difficult to see who had entered, but Adeline was able to recognize the identity of the person who had entered the lobby at once. Marion looked at Adeline, whose expression suddenly brightened, and turned to the lobby. Someone waved their hand in the air, and the crowd split left and right, revealing two tired-looking knights.

“Maxim!”

Marion ran out. Adeline looked at her from the back with a bit of envy, then followed Marion to the lobby.

“… Oh My God.”

And then, I had no choice but to freeze. The whole lobby seemed frozen like Adeline. dripping blood. The figure of a knight holding onto his side. Hugo Verne, who was walking into the lobby leaning on Maxim’s shoulder, waved his hand and said weakly.

“It’s a wound that doesn’t matter. Never mind, go back to work.”

wounds of nothing. However, the knights knew that the person who suffered that trivial wound was a knight called the strongest in the kingdom. They couldn’t take their eyes off them until Hugo and Maxim entered the guild and took a table and sat down.

“Captain.”

The members of the 1st Guards, who were looking more bewildered than anyone else, came running. Hugo Bern released his hand from the side he was holding on to. The crew members’ expressions quickly darkened. Considering that he was able to walk this far, it didn’t seem like a serious injury, but the important thing was not the severity of the wound.

“Who the hell… .”

The fact that Hugo Berne was hurt. The only thing that mattered was the fact that the kingdom’s strongest knight had been defeated. Christine cast healing magic on Hugo, and Hugo received Christine’s healing with a calm expression. When Hugo saw the first princess approaching him, he stopped Christine’s healing and knelt on the floor of the guild headquarters.

“Please punish the disloyal god.”

Michelle didn’t want to hear the words that would follow. But the truth was always harsh, hitting her without a chance to resist. Hugo Berne reported the results of tonight’s battle in a voice like a howling beast.

“God, Hugo Bern, we were pushed back and defeated without fulfilling Your Majesty’s command.”

“… What about Her Majesty and Louis?”

Hugo Bern’s voice trembled.

“The vice-captain Aaron Sis, who was escorting His Majesty the King, was killed in action, and His Highness the 1st Prince was captured by a group of cheaters. And,”

Tears were running down Hugo’s chin. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth along his chewed lips.

“His Majesty the King was killed by a group of cheaters.”