Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Commotion in the Capital
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Chapter 59
Piot was beside himself.
The capital of the Sion Dukedom, Sionia, was far larger and busier than anything he had vaguely imagined from afar.
After passing through the First Gate, known as the White Eagle Gate, the grand avenue stretching into the city was a true "great road."
The main avenues in cities Piot had visited until now were typically only about five meters wide on either side.
But Sionia's grand avenue seemed twice that.
It was wide enough for two carriages and carts in each direction—four in total—to pass without issue, and at both ends of the road, bordered by drainage ditches, were sidewalks broad enough for three or four people to walk side by side.
The road and sidewalks were paved seamlessly with large cobblestones, and aside from the natural wear from people and carriages, it was hard to find any cracks.
Moreover, the horses and Gou pulling the carts all wore dung bags, so unlike other cities, the road wasn't soiled with animal droppings.
And the wonders weren't limited to the road.
The buildings lining the avenue were packed tightly, with hardly any single-story structures—almost all were two stories or more.
Near the gate, which doubled as a shopping district and market, the ground floors were mostly shops, while the second and third floors appeared to be residences.
"Since they've probably sent word from the gate, let's head straight to the Three-Headed Eagle Castle on our own. Someone will come to greet us at the drawbridge, but we need to be careful getting there. You all might not know, but this place... it's a cold and heartless city."
Perhaps invigorated by returning to urban life after so long, Sirban—reclaiming his cool city man persona (though Sionia was currently mild)—tried to guide his uncle, born and raised in the northern boonies and ignorant of city chill (the north had seen snow until recently), and the rest of the group.
At that, Blaho—who considered himself a true Sionia cool guy (Sionia's average annual temperature was around 20 degrees)—let out a scoff.
"You're talking like you know this place inside out, but isn't your hometown Paloma?"
"Uh... w-well..."
"I'm from Sionia, so I know it well. From the main avenues to the back alleys. Come on, everyone, this way. You in the back, follow closely."
Blaho, the native Sionia cool guy, threw back his cloak with a flourish and stepped forward.
But the two cool guys' charm offensive was cut short.
"Just follow us, Master Blaho."
"Make sure our guests from the northeast don't get lost."
The guard captain couldn't just let a group including the dukedom's Swordmaster, a direct heir of the ducal family, and top Dwarf officials from Iron Mountain proceed unattended, so he dispatched two guards.
And these guards, who often met nobility at the gate, were exceedingly businesslike, cool as ice.
"Ahem! Right."
The guards bowed once to the embarrassed Blaho and led the way at the front.
The young cool guy, who had been chuckling, hurriedly averted his eyes under the middle-aged cool guy's glare, and the group—from the truly cold and harsh lands—headed toward the Three-Headed Eagle Castle, the heart of Sionia.
Even amid the bustling streets, the procession of dozens of armed soldiers mingled with Dwarves drew plenty of attention from the townsfolk.
Moreover, it was rare to see dozens of obvious mercenaries marching right through the middle of Sionia, sparking great curiosity and bewilderment among the people.
"Mercenaries, huh? What's that about?"
"They don't look like locals."
"Mercenaries from outside? Did they cross the sea by ship?"
"Their gear doesn't look southern. Northerners, maybe? Through the forest?"
"But they're leading Gou, so they could be locals too."
Sionia was the capital and largest city of the Sion Dukedom, yet surprisingly, visitors were limited.
Outsiders were mostly western Yajan who crossed the sea or merchants from the southern Horab region, who looked quite different.
Excluding Yajan and Horab merchants, most visitors were from neighboring August or Pamell territories, but their appearances and attire were indistinguishable from dukedom residents.
Thus, this group—similar in looks to locals but with slightly off attire—couldn't help but draw massive interest from the territory folk.
Moreover, the dukedom's atmosphere had been quite poor over the past year, and Sionia was no exception.
External visitors had plummeted, and even those who came to Sionia moved quietly and unassumingly to avoid attention.
But now.
A group that clearly didn't belong here, escorted at the front by gate guards.
It was more than enough to captivate the eyes of Sionia residents who had endured a long, dull, subdued atmosphere.
"Guests for the castle?"
"Looks like a noble entourage from afar."
"There's Dwarves, and a few who look like noble lords?"
Sionia folk, innately curious and fond of spectacles, gathered more and more as the group moved toward the castle.
By the time ten minutes or so had passed since passing the gate, hundreds of onlookers were trailing behind the group.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know! People are swarming, so I'm just following!"
"I heard the lavish sultan from Horab is here, brought thirty dancers or something!"
"Huh? I heard a troupe of acrobats from the royal capital."
Merchants, quick-witted and weary from prolonged slump, couldn't pass up this rare windfall.
"Candy! So sweet, you'd miss one even if a monster dragged the other away while sharing!"
"Spicy lamb skewers so tasty, a goblin could join you eating and you wouldn't notice—for just one dien!"
"Try our refreshing honey mead, brewed with last year's honey!"
As street vendors selling all sorts of snacks joined in, Sionia's grand avenue toward the ducal castle instantly turned into a raucous festival.
"What is this? Is this okay?"
"I-I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened..."
Piot whispered, looking around, and Sirban was equally flustered.
In the end, they had no choice but to lean on Blaho, their supposed(?) protector.
But Blaho, who had itched from maintaining dignity as Black Eagle Legion commander for so long, was simply beaming, intoxicated by the city's rare vibrancy, as he followed the guards.
"Ah! Blaho! It's Swordmaster Blaho!"
Then someone recognized Blaho and shouted loudly.
"For real? Sir Blaho?"
"Wow! How long has it been since you visited Sionia?"
As the dukedom's famed Swordmaster, Blaho was hugely popular.
His personality—fierce to foes, gentle to commoners—made him especially beloved.
"Sir Blaho!"
"Did you come with the Black Eagle Legion?"
"Master Blaho!"
Many called out as they walked beside Blaho, and the commotion excited the trailing crowd, who had no idea what was happening.
This drew even more people behind the group.
"Nephew. This... isn't it a big deal?"
"Y-Yeah... looks like it."
Piot and Sirban grew more flustered, but they were powerless to quell the ignited frenzy.
Thus, the group unintentionally(?) led thousands toward the Three-Headed Eagle Castle, a bizarre sight clearly visible from the castle's watchtowers.
Lately, the atmosphere in the Three-Headed Eagle Castle had been like thin ice.
Intelligence that Gede was rallying local lords from Paloma and nearby to march east with troops was enough to tense the castle's knights and nobles, and that tension had trickled down, infecting even the underlings.
"W-What's that?"
"Hundreds—no, thousands of residents are swarming this way!"
Amid this, a clearly heavily armed, unfamiliar force led thousands of residents charging toward the castle.
"No way... a rebellion?"
"What? Rebellion!?"
"Rebellion! It's a rebellion!"
One offhand remark became accepted fact.
Like how a politician's slip of the tongue unified divided East and West Germany.
The stressed guard in the Three-Headed Eagle Castle, after days of tension, blurted it out thoughtlessly, plunging the battlements into chaos.
"What!? Gede Sion's son Sirban and Master Blaho are in Sionia!?"
And this merged with the fresh report from the Sionia guards: "A young man claiming to be a direct heir from the ducal family in northern Lagos has arrived with Gede Sion's youngest son Sirban and Black Eagle Legion commander Blaho."
"Hey! Is that true? Did Sirban really bring rebels?"
"What about Blaho? He's with them?"
"Y-Yes...?"
The Sionia guards, who had been curt due to stress from noble prodding and heavy duties, losing all their cool guy facade, were flustered.
But true to their duty of precise reporting, they conveyed only the facts.
"It is true that Sirban and Master Blaho arrived together."
"It is also true that a young knight named Piot Kilburn Sion brought numerous mounted mercenaries."
"Eek!?"
The Three-Headed Eagle Castle nobles panicked.
"Master Blaho joined them!?"
"What about the Black Eagle Legion? Did they join the rebellion too!?"
"We hadn't seen him in ages, and now this! The traitor!"
It was true Blaho had stayed quiet until now.
But the Black Eagle Legion prioritized Sionia duties and staunchly upheld their creed of non-interference in politics—it wasn't playing both sides.
Still, to the castle nobles who had waffled for ages since the previous duke's death, it looked like Blaho had bided his time before siding with Gede.
As the nobles floundered in confusion, the castle guard captain came rushing in.
"R-Rebellion! Thousands of rebels are charging the castle right now!"
"Kya啊啊啊!"
A massive chemical reaction erupted from a few spoons of truth mixed with two or three of coincidence and misunderstanding.
Great historical experiments and inventions often arose from chance.
But the reaction in the Three-Headed Eagle Castle produced results beyond the wildest imaginings of experiment leaders Piot, Sirban, and Blaho—not to mention Sion, who had orchestrated from behind.
* * *
'Strange.'
Atop a horse moving neither fast nor slow, Gede tilted his head.
Third day since departing Paloma for Sionia.
Moving deliberately slowly, half a day more and Sionia's walls would come into view.
Even then, it would take hours to reach the city, but he planned to halt there and set up camp.
Yes. Gede intended to demonstrate to his nephew Blunt and the Three-Headed Eagle Castle nobles.
Choose all-out war to plunge the dukedom into chaos, or submit and quietly admit them to the castle.
If they still dithered without choosing by then, he planned to withdraw the troops first.
Make it seem like they were giving up, earning legitimacy in the eyes of Sionia and dukedom residents who had watched it all.
But Gede had no real intention of retreating.
Once withdrawn, split the forces into merchant caravans and infiltrate Sionia to strike the Three-Headed Eagle Castle at once.
Cleanup?
History could be manipulated by the victor as desired.
Ultimately, a perfect plan securing both justification and profit.
Yet.
'Why no response? By now, they should send someone to probe intentions or protest.'
Gede didn't know.
What had just exploded in Sionia and the Three-Headed Eagle Castle.
(To be continued in the next chapter)