Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Translation: godsn
The princess's words were true. Theo was utterly dumbfounded.
[Saya, this country is rotten. I'll avenge our father and return. Wait for me.]
For the past three years, I had devoted everything to this organization with the sole ambition of overthrowing the royal family.
It wasn't that I joined here after turning my back on my only remaining sister who stayed behind to witness this outcome.
What on earth had I been living for all this time?
"Down with Valdina! Crush the royal family!"
The hollow cries buzzed in his ears like auditory hallucinations.
The flames of rebellion that began in Asipalo Castle spread uncontrollably in the blink of an eye.
Within days, news arrived at the royal castle that five of the eight cities surrounding it had already fallen, throwing the interior into utter chaos.
"A rebellion?! How could this happen so suddenly in the current situation?!"
It was an emergency. An urgent council was convened.
"Did you hear? They say the rebels are so vicious that they're gutting everyone alive!"
"Why? For what reason? Things had been getting slightly better lately. Aid was coming, fewer people were starving, and the war seemed about to end."
"Probably some long-suppressed grievances finally exploding."
"Still, this is too abrupt..."
"This isn't the time for such concerns. The rebels are fiercely expanding their forces—we must prepare. Their momentum is unusually strong; what will we do if they reach here?"
But by the time terrifying rumors about the rebels spread through the royal castle, it was already too late.
They had long been right at their doorstep.
"At last, we've arrived. Do you see it, comrades?! Inside there lies the corrupt Valdina royal family that ruined this nation!"
From atop his horse, Horols pointed toward the distant royal castle visible on the horizon.
He turned his body to face his comrades.
"While we starved and died. While they laughed, drank, and reveled surrounded by gold—we will gut those greedy royals and offer their blood to this land!"
He exchanged glances with his true 'subordinates' planted among the rebels for agitation.
"Brothers! Cast off the shackles of oppression and reclaim our freedom!"
"Uwaaaaah! Dieeee!"
"Down with Valdina! Down with the royal family!"
The black-clad army, backed by the Shadows, began descending the mountain like a swarm of ants.
No one stopped them until they reached the royal castle.
The castle walls seemed almost peaceful, as if the possibility of civil war had never crossed anyone's mind.
Horols inwardly cheered in triumph.
'The Regent has exerted his influence! As expected, he's remarkable!'
From the initial uprising in the central region to their arrival here, no news had reached the royal castle—the Regent had completely severed all lines of communication leading inside.
"They'll come scrambling out in panic when they see us. If all goes well, we might capture it before tomorrow dawns."
Unprepared, disorganized soldiers would be easy prey. Horols licked his lips in anticipation.
"You—break down the gates! You—set up the ladders! Once over the walls, eliminate the guards first. Theo, stay by my side. I need your overview of the situation."
"Yes, Commander!"
Amid the rebels' fervent responses, Theo alone remained silent.
"Theo?"
"Yes, Commander."
His reply came a beat too late.
Horols raised the flag. The orange banner of rebellion fluttered grandly.
"Charge—!"
Just as the rebels surged toward the walls in perfect unison—
Thwip, thwip, thwip—!
Arrows fired by soldiers hidden atop the walls pierced through the vanguard of charging rebels.
"Wh-what the—?!"
"Fire—!"
Great confusion erupted among the rebels.
Who said they were still asleep?
From the beginning, the royal soldiers had been fully prepared atop the walls, waiting for the rebels' arrival.
Oil-soaked arrows set the wooden siege ladders ablaze.
Whoosh—flames erupted with acrid smoke from the moat-surrounded ground.
"Aaagh! I'm on fire!"
"Uwaaah! Gunpowder! It's coated with gunpowder!"
Splash, splash—the sounds of people plunging into the moat echoed from all directions.
They were caught off guard by the far more thorough and robust defenses than anticipated. Among them, Horols was the most shocked.
"W-what in the...! They said the royal castle was empty! That there was nothing but rabble inside!"
Horols' face crumpled like paper as he faced a reality starkly different from the Regent's promises. The seasoned tactics employed in this siege were anything but amateurish.
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Commander! Over there to the left!"
Someone pointed toward the rising sun's direction. A cavalry unit was charging toward their flank, poised to strike.
Their flawless sword-drawing precision and unbroken battle formation—even without radiating palpable bloodlust, it was unmistakable that these were elite knights.
A thunderous war cry echoed!
"Fall back, you filthy scoundrels!"
"Th-that's Marquess Gilifos's banner!"
Someone screamed. Horols spun around and flinched violently when he spotted the elderly man at the vanguard of the cavalry, swinging a mace in wide arcs as he charged.
"We've arrived, Your Excellency."
The Regent, clad in armor, stepped down from his carriage before the royal castle gates.
"Horols has reached the royal castle. If all goes well, it could fall within half a day."
"Good. You lot—continue setting fires across District 4 and keep inciting unrest as planned. Make it seem like those inside the castle are responding to them too. Understood?"
He intended to plant the fear that rebels had already infiltrated the royal palace.
"Samon, you will wait near the walls first."
"......"
No answer came from Samon, whose face was deathly pale. His bloodshot eyes and sunken gaze exuded an unsettling, sinister aura.
"Don't even think of taking advantage of the chaos to lay hands on your mother. The Fourth Imperial Princess is off-limits too. We can't afford to clean up that mess right now."
Aside from the Queen Dowager who had caned her grandson, the Fourth Imperial Princess—believing she had been tricked into Samon and Iason's scheme—had sent her knights to thrash him thoroughly. As a result, his barely healed wounds had reopened, forcing them to pour every last drop of the Holy Water stored at the ducal estate into him.
"If you disrupt our grand plan just to satisfy your petty vengeance like you did with Etienne, I will never forgive you."
The Regent warned again, well aware of his son's vindictive nature. Even after suppressing the rebellion and ascending the throne, the Queen Dowager needed to remain alive for some time. Both the elderly dowager and the Fourth Imperial Princess of Kazen would serve as living proof of their legitimacy.
"......"
The Regent patted his trembling son's shoulder.
"Your time for retribution will come soon. Just wait a little longer, and the throne will be ours. Once that happens, I won't stop you from doing whatever you wish."
"...Understood."
Samon nodded, hiding his eyes that gleamed with cruelty. The curtain had risen on the performance prepared to shake the royal palace in sync with the rebel army's advance.
"Medeia—where is Her Highness the Princess?"
The Regent barged into the princess's quarters with a flustered expression. Sweat dripped down his handsome forehead, and tension radiated from his face—a far cry from his usual polished composure.
"O-oh, Her Highness is in the garden—"
"A rebellion has broken out. All of you, evacuate immediately. There's no time to waste."
"W-what? A rebellion...?!"
The princess's ladies-in-waiting gasped, exchanging startled glances. The palace's chaotic atmosphere and the ashen smoke rising in the distance had felt ominously foreboding.
With no time to soothe the frightened attendants, the Regent strode briskly toward the garden with a single knight in tow. Soon, he spotted his niece sitting alone beneath a tree.
"Medeia!"
"Uncle? What brings you here so suddenly? And why are you dressed like this?"
Medeia studied the Regent with slightly widened eyes.
"Disaster has struck. A rebellion has erupted!"
The Regent seized her arm.
"The castle gates have been breached. They'll be upon the royal palace in moments."
"The gates... breached? That can't be..."
Medeia repeated in disbelief. Intoxicated by the urgency he himself had fabricated, the Regent failed to notice that his niece showed no surprise at the news of a rebellion.