244. Bloom (3)
244. Bloom (3)
- 1 -
The moonlight was veiled by clouds, and everyone's vision was momentarily obscured.
Within the shadows of Highrash Royal Castle, black forms began to stir.
The Prince of the Han Nation, the martial artists who followed him, Seolhwa, and the Prince's yokai moved with their own distinct gaits.
Quietly, like a pack of wolves stalking their prey, harboring sinister intent.
- It must be here.
At the Prince's chant, everyone halted.
Some of them guarded the perimeter, while those at the very front looked up at the castle wall.
Far away on the battlements, a torch flickered and vanished. A patrol guard had passed by.
- It's strange.
One martial artist narrowed his eyes and warned.
- The guard is too lax.
Another added.
Their words were correct.
The patrol guards atop the wall were sparse, and the glow of the magical security barriers was faint.
After deliberating, the Prince nodded.
- Send a scout first.
At his words, the martial artists exchanged glances. Deciding who would go was swift.
- I'll be back.
A grizzled voice spoke, and then the speaker vanished from the spot. He was a retired assassin.
The remaining party relocated to a position more advantageous for infiltration and waited until the scout finished his reconnaissance and returned.
The assassin returned soon after.
- The guard is weak, but no one finds it suspicious. They say the guards are being rested because of the preparations for the fate reunion the day after tomorrow.
The Prince considered again, but there was no room for doubt now.
- Let's move. It's an opportunity.
Doubt and caution still lingered in the eyes of the martial artists, but no one objected.
They were people accustomed to fleeing, and the one who made the judgments was the Prince.
- Hurry.
Seolhwa's cold voice echoed around them.
Her blue eyes were fixed on the distant Narcissus Palace.
At the faint, familiar presence she felt from there, her heart began to race.
'Saya. I won't miss you.'
The corners of her lips lifted.
On that frost-laced smile, a frenzied obsession was etched.
- 2 -
Moonlight filtered through the clouds, softly illuminating the Narcissus Palace.
Libertas sat by the window, her black hair bathed in both candlelight and moonlight, emitting a light where warmth and cold coexisted.
Dressed in a maid's uniform, she moved her hand with her eyes half-closed, stroking the head of Yurena, who was using her lap as a pillow, as if waiting for something.
"Mmm..."
Yurena's eyes twitched as if she was having a nightmare. Her small eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed.
But her expression soon regained its tranquility as Libertas's touch reached her head.
A gentle touch, like a mother soothing a child.
It was deeply ironic that the hand's owner was the very one who had orchestrated this night's reunion.
"You seem to be having a bad dream."
At Evangeline's words, Libertas opened her eyes and looked at her.
In that gaze, there was a small measure of pity and affection.
"She's a child whose entire life became a nightmare once she realized it. Any memory would be painful for her."
Libertas's touch swept through Yurena's hair even more gently.
Evangeline slowly shook her head.
"But now, she will be happy."
"Why is that?"
"Because you, Master, are by her side."
"... I wonder."
Libertas murmured while gently stroking Yurena's ear.
It was something she couldn't be sure of.
Whether the place one escapes a nightmare to is truly not another nightmare.
That would depend on things that would happen between the two of them in the future.
"Master."
Saya knelt.
Moonlight poured over her hair, casting a dark blue sheen.
"They are coming."
"I can feel them."
Libertas's voice was still gentle.
In the garden outside the window, purple daffodils and black lilies that emitted their own light were undulating in waves.
As if awaiting the festival that was soon to begin.
"They're quite cautious, suspecting even a well-crafted weak point."
Libertas's sing-song, elegant murmur carried a subtle hint of delight.
"Wouldn't that be a virtue a fallen prince with no ties left should possess?"
"But in the end, they decided to enter. If only they had thought a little longer, they would have known it was the final warning."
Libertas gestured toward Saya,
and when she approached, placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered.
"Tell me what you desire. The punishment I wish to give them will be measured accordingly."
At her words, Saya lifted her head to look at her Master, and then shook her head.
"Your will, Master, is my will. Do as you wish."
"Alright. In that case."
Libertas stared into the darkness outside the window, the corner of her mouth lifting.
"They have reached my garden. The flowers are welcoming them."
The smile that bloomed on Libertas's lips was still gentle, and her tone was tender.
But the consequences implied by those words were not.
No sooner had her words ended than light began to bloom throughout the royal castle.
The light of purple daffodils carrying the scent of death.
- 3 -
A cold winter wind blew.
The purple daffodils swayed in the wind that swept through the palace garden.
As if trying to tell someone something.
The clouds veiled the moon once more, and in that moment, the shadows began to move.
The Prince and his subordinates arrived at this spot unhindered.
A place they absolutely had to pass before reaching the Narcissus Palace.
In front of the Main Palace where the King of Haisen resided.
Sarak
The intruders moved along the garden at the corner of the Main Palace.
Movements that left not a single footprint on the lawn.
The guard was lax, and their skills were exceptional.
Even if the palace guard had been at its usual level, it would have been difficult to detect them.
- Wait.
And from that point on, they sensed the situation had shifted.
- The number of soldiers has increased.
The Prince murmured as he looked around.
The martial artists also kept their stances low and surveyed the surroundings.
The atmosphere felt distinctly tenser than before.
Even if the outer parts of the royal castle were lightly guarded, the vicinity of the main castle was understandably not.
- Killing them would be simple enough.
- Hm.
At the words of the criminal who had fled to the Western Continent after committing mass slaughter, the Prince nodded without any agitation.
- No.
But the answer was no.
- Why is that?
- The gains aren't worth the losses.
The Prince's cool gaze turned toward the martial artist.
The martial artist felt a chill run down his spine and trembled slightly.
He knew this man was clearly weaker than himself, yet the pressure he felt was strange.
'They say no matter the nation, royal families possess the War of Ten Thousand Demons...'
How could such a man have been pushed out of the succession struggle without a fight?
As a flicker of doubt crossed the martial artists' minds, the Prince continued coldly.
- Do not forget that we have come to talk through a somewhat unreasonable method. We would receive a severe punishment the moment we attempted to infiltrate the princess's palace, but soldiers are assets of the royal family. If we harm them, we must pay compensation.
- Mm...
A chilling statement that treated people as property without a second thought. Not a single person present failed to feel a chill.
Though they themselves were people who had killed, swindled, and fled, the Prince's aura was on a different dimension from theirs.
- Therefore, prioritize subduing them.
- Yes, Your Highness.
- From now on, address me solely as "Young Master."
- Yes, Young Master.
They began to move again.
Peok!
"Ugh..."
Here and there, soldiers fell asleep on their feet, or collapsed and were dragged into corners.
Not a single drop of blood was shed.
- Let's go.
Thus, the Prince and his subordinates passed through the Main Palace and headed toward the Narcissus Palace.
"That's strange. The invitation was definitely for the day after tomorrow."
The Prince's face contorted in dismay.
For before them, a knight whose face they knew well had appeared.
One of the three most famous knights in the nation of Haisen.
"To have guests come at this late hour. It seems you've mixed up the schedule, but..."
From the shadows untouched by moonlight, a knight's heavy voice came.
The Royal Capital Guard Knight Commander, Rastain en Handelbart.
A faint purple glow bloomed behind him, and the light shimmered as if resonating with the light of the daffodils.
'There was definitely no trace of magic or sorcery.'
As the Prince scanned his surroundings in confusion, others appeared around him as if they had been waiting.
"I don't know where you've come from, but if you stop here, I shall see it as leniency and spare a limb."
The Expedition Knight Commander, Regina en Berno.
A female knight who had slain the giant that appeared in the eastern streets of the Royal Capital, but was currently incurring the people's resentment for failing to arrive in time.
She revealed herself with her greatsword held low to the ground.
"Vermin should all be burned. Who said anything about letting them go freely?"
The crimson-eyed Royal Court Mage, Sermandos en Pliju, also revealed his arrogant face.
Sparks were already flying from his fingertips.
'How can all of them be...?'
At a time when they should normally be asleep in their respective mansions.
If there was no unusual event, it was standard for only one of the four to be stationed at the royal castle.
The Royal Guard Knight Commander who resides in the main castle.
But the one who should have been there did not appear, and the others had come as if they had been waiting...
"Young Master. How should we..."
- Quiet.
One martial artist let out a panicked voice, and the Prince's cold voice cut him off.
'It was a trap.'
His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. All escape routes were blocked.
"Hoo..."
The moonlight filtered out from between the clouds again.
The Prince was silent for a moment.
To advance, or to retreat.
Two paths lay before him.
One was to kneel right here.
Then, he would certainly face a harsh punishment, but at least his life would be spared.
The prestige of the Han Imperial Family was at stake, so Haisen wouldn't be able to kill him.
But the price was clear.
He would lose everything he had built up.
Not only his standing in the Han Nation, but also the political influence he had barely retained.
The other was to advance.
If he succeeded, he could recover everything he had lost.
Perhaps even more.
But if he failed...
He would not only lose his life, but also sully the name of the Han Imperial Family.
- Young Master.
Seolhwa grabbed his arm.
Her blue eyes were fixed toward the Narcissus Palace.
- The Forbidden One is inside there.
The Prince drew a deep breath.
It was time to choose.
"Let's go."
At his words, the martial artists drew their weapons.
They had decided to cross the point of no return.
A life with nothing meant nothing to the Prince.
In that case, there was no choice but to advance.
'At least, it's possible if only these martial artists are sacrificed. They are people of unknown origin anyway.'
A heartless decision. But the Prince did not know.
That from the moment they arrived here, only one path had been prepared for them.
And the strange gleam flickering behind the eyes of the three mighty warriors.
- 4 -
The ball between the hosts and the guest began.
Kwang —!!
Along with a white sword slash that tore through the sky, an ear-splitting roar echoed.
The moment Regina's greatsword cleaved the ground with a roar, Sermandos's magic set the air ablaze, and Rastain's sword split the sky like a ray of light.
"The curtain has risen on the next act."
Libertas stood by the window, looking toward the Main Palace.
Her maid's uniform had changed into a black dress without her even noticing.
A dress that caught the moonlight and gave off a dark blue gleam.
Despite the lack of wind, the hem of her dress fluttered slowly.
As if a mist of death had descended, the surroundings gradually began to darken.
"Well then, let's watch and see who will reach the climax."
Her gentle smile remained.
A face like that of a young lady who seemed to know nothing of the world.
But the cold chill flowing from those eyes was far more intense than that of the women standing behind her.