265. Obsession (2)
265. Obsession (2)
- 1 -
The time when the dawn mist wrapped around the royal castle.
From the window of Hiscliff en Shaimdel's private office, a warm light was already spilling out.
The red light of the brazier flickered in the blue darkness of early dawn.
While the warmth inside and the cold outside contrasted sharply within the room, a chilling ambition glinted in Hiscliff's pale blue eyes.
"The day of the decisive battle."
He murmured as he looked out the window.
The silhouettes of the army lined up below the royal castle were vivid even in the darkness.
The armored cavalry and infantry were arrayed in orderly formation, their breaths turning into white plumes that mingled with the mist.
The largest expedition in the history of the Kiza Kingdom.
Though it paled in comparison to the armies of other nations, it was still a sufficiently elite force.
"Commander."
An adjutant who had approached silently bowed behind him.
"His Grace the Archduke has arrived."
Hiscliff nodded and rose from the chair before the brazier.
His platinum uniform glinted in the red light flowing from the hearth.
"Tell him to come in."
After the adjutant withdrew, a moment later, the still-young representative of the royal family entered with heavy footsteps.
Marcus sen Nesbic Kija.
His face was etched with deep fatigue.
Hiscliff walked toward Marcus.
His gait carried a soldier's dignity, and his face still bore that greed.
"Has the Chancellor made a move?"
At Marcus's question, Hiscliff shook his head.
The two men's gazes met in the air.
"Once the invasion of the Hinness Duchy begins, Chancellor Cromwell will certainly move."
Marcus spoke in a low voice. A shadow fell over his expression.
"I am against that."
Hiscliff shook his head.
"Though Chancellor Cromwell holds a position opposed to ours, he has always served Kiza with loyalty. Once the war actually begins, I believe he will do his utmost to support us from the rear."
"Are you certain?"
"..."
At Marcus's retort, Hiscliff fell silent.
Meanwhile, the Archduke raised his voice further.
"That man has been holding us back all along, has he not? Parading peace while opposing military expansion... He has been stealing our opportunities."
He walked over to the brazier and picked up a document. It was a troop disposition map for the expeditionary force.
"We cannot miss this opportunity. We have no time."
Marcus's face contorted. It was hostility.
"We must silence him before the march."
The face of the Commander of the General Knights darkened.
Unlike the Archduke who had only recently seized power, he had worked alongside the Chancellor for a long time.
As such, he could not imagine the Chancellor obstructing them... but right now, he and Marcus were allies.
Even if they would end up keeping each other in check, an alliance was an alliance.
He finally resolved himself.
"Do not worry. There is a way to ensure he can do nothing."
Marcus showed interest and leaned toward him.
"What method?"
Hiscliff approached the brazier and spread his hands. The red firelight illuminated his palms.
"The Chancellor is a devout believer. Every morning he visits the sanctuary for prayer. We can detain him there—only until the expedition is over. If we say there are concerns about rebellion, the people will be uneasy but will accept it for now."
Unease gripped Marcus's face.
"Forced detention. Is that not a method without an end in sight? If the expedition fails, we will face fierce opposition."
"Has Your Grace not already negotiated with the two kingdoms to ensure the certain success of this matter?"
When Hiscliff asked in return, Marcus averted his face slightly and let out a sigh of relief.
But anxiety still lingered on his face.
Though he sat in the seat of Archduke, his anxiety stemmed from having been merely an ordinary collateral royal.
"What about the Chancellor's close associates?"
"We'll simply have them report to the wartime administration office. They are all bureaucrats; unless the Chancellor's will reaches them, they aren't the type to act on their own."
Hiscliff took a sip of liquor from a flask he had drawn from his chest and spoke.
"The Royal Guard will keep the royal castle absolutely secure, so do not worry."
Only then did a satisfied smile appear on Marcus's face.
"Perfect."
A relieved smile and a heavy laugh.
The atmosphere between the two grew somewhat lighter.
"Strengthen the perimeter."
Hiscliff ordered his adjutant. It was after his conversation with Marcus had ended.
"There will be those listening around us."
The adjutant withdrew, and he looked out the window again.
The eastern sky was gradually brightening.
Beyond the castle walls, the capital of the Kiza Kingdom was beginning to awaken.
'... Traitors.'
But at the end of the corridor beyond his perception, in the darkness, a servant was already moving.
Where his footsteps were headed was the Chancellor's office.
- 2 -
The bells of the sanctuary rang out beneath the brightening sky.
Listening to those bells, Chancellor Cromwell sat in his own office.
The room, lit only by a single candle, was still quite dark.
"... What will you do?"
The old servant knelt before him.
It was after the servant had relayed what he had just heard from Hiscliff's office.
"At least they are considerate enough to leave my prayer time alone. How deeply thoughtful of them."
Cromwell's voice held no emotion whatsoever.
One could sense only the cold-bloodedness of a man who had practiced politics for many long years.
The reason he had been able to maintain the Chancellorship for so long was not merely because he was good at his job.
"They are making their final preparations."
The Chancellor slowly rose from his seat.
His footsteps echoed on the marble floor of the office, which lacked even the common luxury of a single carpet.
He could see the soldiers bustling about to prepare for the expedition.
"Had they left me alone, I would have simply supported them from behind."
The Chancellor's foremost concern was the revival of the Kiza Kingdom.
For that, he was more than willing to set aside his own opinions.
But his 'competitors', it seemed, did not intend to leave him be.
If so, then he too had no choice but to make a move to survive.
Because his loyalty to the state lay beneath the glory he himself would seize.
'As it happens, there is a good opportunity.'
He pulled out a single letter from his drawer.
A seal depicting a purple daffodil was vivid upon it.
A letter containing a warning from Countess Elskopf, the power behind Hysen.
Though the Chancellor himself had also sensed it, thanks to her intelligence, he was certain that one particular event would inevitably occur.
It was a matter that stirred both caution toward and gratitude for her—someone who saw the affairs of foreign nations as if reading her own palm.
"... Fools blinded by greed. To think I once considered them worthy of leading this nation together..."
He sat back down and began writing a new letter.
"Have this letter copied and sent to the nobles listed here."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
After handing the letter to the servant, he quietly rose, folded his hands behind his back, and gazed at the bookshelf in his office.
What rested there were numerous copies of the medals issued by the Kiza Kingdom during his tenure in state affairs.
Copies made so that the medals could be remade should their recipients ever lose them.
Among them, Cromwell directed his gaze toward Hiscliff's, a bitter light rising in his eyes.
"It seems our journey together ends here, Lord Shaimdel."
He steeled his resolve.
Cromwell would accept his enemies' detention.
So that no matter what occurred in the capital, no stain would befall his reputation.
- 3 -
As daylight began to break, the capital of the Kiza Kingdom stirred.
Though it was still early, countless people gathered in the streets.
It was to witness the departure ceremony of the expedition for which Kiza had spent years sharpening its sword.
Archduke Marcus Nesbic stood upon the dais.
The morning sunlight made the gold ornaments on his shoulders gleam even more brightly.
"Brothers and sisters. We now set out upon the path to reclaim justice."
As the murmured breaths of the crowd subsided, his voice filled the square.
The young Archduke was renowned among the people as a symbol of change.
Would he become yet another incompetent royal, or would he be the one to open a new era for Kiza?
His fate, too, was staked on this war.
"Duke Hinnes drove out his own eldest son from the territory without any just cause. To pass his lands to the child born of his new wife, he trampled upon the rights of the legitimate heir."
His words carried a clear sense of righteousness.
A small commotion stirred among the hushed crowd.
"The eldest son, whose rights were stolen from him, came to us weeping and imploring us to prove his justice!"
Clenching his fist and striking the dais, Marcus spoke in a voice laden with appeal.
Vocal power. It was the talent that made the Commander of the General Knights join hands with him.
"We! Are going to right this injustice! We will restore the rights of the true heir, and in the process, our Kiza will newly recover its mettle as an elder brother! More loftily than Hysen itself!!"
Marcus's voice grew even more impassioned.
"Today, we advance for justice. The tyranny of the hypocrite and traitor, Duke Hinnes, shall inevitably fall! For the great Kingdom of Kiza!"
A roar erupted. The knights of the expeditionary force drew their swords.
Hiscliff stepped forward.
His well-polished platinum armor shone dazzlingly in the morning sun.
"We will surely be victorious!"
Along with the echo of his oath, countless swords and spears were raised toward the sky.
"For the glory of Kiza!"
The roar of the cavalry split the sky, and the cheers of the crowd followed.
For the first time in fifty years, an invasion of a foreign country by the Kiza Kingdom had begun.
- 4 -
"They are finally going."
Three figures blended into the crowd, watching the procession with gazes colder than the rest.
Amidst the masses cheering every time the knights and soldiers passed by, they alone did not stir.
"That army will not return for two months. To move an army of over twenty thousand, including temporary auxiliaries, the supply lines must be absolutely secured."
The middle-aged man on the left among the three murmured, covering his mouth with his sleeve.
He was a nobleman who had once handled intelligence duties for the royal court, but had lost his position along with many others when the Kiza royal family was ousted.
"At least a fortnight just to reach the border. Including the expedition itself..."
The old man on the right flexed his knees.
He was the former senior knight of the Royal Guard who had been forcibly retired from the knight order at the same period.
"Her Highness said we should wait at least two months. Once they have grown distant, our uprising will surely succeed."
The three exchanged smiles that seemed knowing yet ambiguous.
It had only been two months since the Tripartite Government had seized power. The influence they held was still incomplete.
"By then, our preparations will also be perfect."
The woman in the center whispered lowly.
She was a voluptuous woman whose eyes curved with amusement as she half-covered her mouth with an ornamental fan meant for noble ladies.
The capital's streets remained in a festive mood.
While Hiscliff's army marched, the people in the streets continued to cheer.
But in the darkness, another blade was being prepared.
A blade that mistakenly believed itself to be the leading player.
'It is just as the Master said.'
Among them, the noblewoman serving Libertas—Hailey—smiled with the face of a Kiza Kingdom aristocrat.