Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Chapter 54: Siege of the Capital (3)
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Raymond's plan was simple. He would lead the Royal Guard and the Shades to infiltrate the royal castle first via the secret passage.
Then, after securing the area and forming a defensive formation, they would hold out until the elite follow-up forces—composed of Heresy Inquisition Executioners and Imperial Army knights—arrived.
Of course, when the plan reached Marquis Blizzard's ears, the Royal Guard threw a fit.
Naturally, Marquis Blizzard teamed up with Marquis Tempest to try and talk Raymond out of it, but their first attempt failed.
"What should we do, Marquis Blizzard?"
Marquis Tempest asked. The two men, who effectively led the Royal Guard, had joined forces to persuade him, but it hadn't worked. Now, it was time to try something else.
After a brief moment of thought, Marquis Blizzard spoke up.
"We should ask the Azure Tower Lord to try convincing him. He's close to His Majesty the Emperor."
There were various circumstances, but Risefield Dior, the Azure Tower Lord, had been the first to declare his support back when Raymond was still the 5th Prince.
Now, they were extremely close, and he was one of the few retainers who could even attempt to sway the stubborn Emperor.
In the end, Marquis Blizzard and Marquis Tempest of the Royal Guard went to Risefield Dior and asked him to persuade the Emperor.
"Understood. I'll give it a shot."
Risefield stepped forward. But even he lacked confidence as he went to the Emperor to try and convince him.
He knew better than anyone that if Raymond had made up his mind resolutely, changing it was practically impossible.
"Your Majesty..."
The tent flap opened, and Risefield approached Raymond, bowing his head.
"Even you, old timer? Then the ones behind this must be the Royal Guard."
"Y-Your Majesty... That's..."
Risefield panicked greatly at Raymond's words. He couldn't lie to the Emperor, but blurting out what Marquis Blizzard and Marquis Tempest had requested was awkward too. He could only sweat profusely and shuffle his feet.
"Judging by your reaction, it must be Blizzard or Tempest who asked you in secret."
In truth, both marquises had come together to make the request, but Risefield held his tongue.
He couldn't dare lie to the Emperor, but he didn't need to volunteer every detail either.
"Let me be clear, old timer. I have no intention of changing my mind."
"Oh no, Your Majesty..."
At the firm declaration, Risefield clutched his head with a dazed expression.
He had been by Raymond's side since his days as the 5th Prince, becoming one of his closest retainers. He was confident he understood Raymond's personality to some degree.
'If His Majesty is speaking that firmly, it's too late to change his mind.'
Risefield shook his head with a short sigh. If Raymond was that resolute, the window for persuasion had passed.
Marquis Blizzard and Marquis Tempest had asked him to convince the Emperor, but Risefield judged it futile and gave up early.
"I won't try to stop you anymore. Just promise to return safely."
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
Raymond spoke in a confident voice. Even using the secret passage, they were infiltrating the heart of enemy territory.
It was an operation fraught with danger, with a high chance of variables arising. But Raymond believed he could smash through all those risks.
According to the intel from Count Potas, there were two high-ranking End Association executives staying in the capital city of the Jeist Magic Kingdom. However, one of them, the Puppeteer of Emptiness, was a non-combat type with almost no fighting ability. So, the only real high-ranking foe was his bodyguard, Avgard.
Raymond's own level was no slouch, and he had skilled escorts with him. He was certain they could crush any threats in the capital city.
"Don't worry too much and have a drink. I know we should avoid alcohol on the battlefield, but I'll make an exception this time."
"Heh, thanks."
Raymond grinned at the grumbling Risefield. Their bond was close enough that he could indulge such light complaints.
Even mobilizing the Azure Tower Lord failed to sway Raymond, and the Royal Guard couldn't convince him in the end.
They even asked Gestain and Desia Heli, who were His Majesty's closest bodyguards, to try persuading him, but it was hopeless.
The two of them shared the concerns about this operation, but since it was a decision Raymond had made himself, they felt it wasn't their place to interfere.
"Your Majesty. It's time."
After midnight, Count Potas arrived. Raymond emerged from his private tent, clad in black leather armor for stealth.
The waiting Royal Guard saluted sharply in unison, and Marquis Blizzard stepped forward from the ranks.
"Royal Guard, all personnel ready for deployment."
"Good. We move out now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Royal Guard responded in one voice. They swiftly and silently headed to the secret passage.
The vanguard consisted of Raymond, his two close escorts, the Royal Guard, and the Shades. Bishop Receiver also joined to cast the wide-area stealth spell.
The secret passage was wider than expected. Even with the sizable number of Royal Guard and Shades, they could pass through in formation without issue.
"The secret passage ends soon."
Count Potas, accompanying them as guide, reported in a tense voice. Raymond nodded in response instead of replying. Just as Count Potas said, the end of the passage soon came into view.
At the exit, multiple presences were detected. It seemed patrolling armed soldiers were nearby.
"Shades. Subdue the enemies."
"As His Majesty commands."
To secure the outside stealthily, Raymond sent out the Shades, specialized in assassination. The twenty-odd Shades slipped out into the darkness.
The moment the cold air touched their skin, their eyes had already counted the nearby armed soldiers.
They scattered sharp hidden weapons from above the patrolmen's heads in all directions.
Red blood sprayed here and there. Not even a small scream escaped the skilled assassins' work.
The patrolmen collapsed limply, and one Shade signaled back toward the passage.
Raymond and his escorts, who had been waiting for the hand signal, emerged one by one into the dark clearing.
"Have you secured the area?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. But when shift change comes, they'll notice the patrol is down."
The Shade leader answered Raymond's question. They had about an hour until the next patrol arrived for the handover. In that time, as many troops as possible needed to cross via the secret passage.
"How many can we get across in an hour?"
"The passage is wide, but not ideal for large-scale troop movements. If we push hard, I estimate two to three hundred in an hour."
"We'll have to pray."
Raymond frowned and bit his lip at Count Potas's answer. Time flew faster than expected.
As Count Potas predicted, nearly three hundred troops managed to cross into the royal castle via the secret passage. And the moment the hour was up, alarm bells rang out.
No contact with the patrol at shift change—they must have rung the bells in panic. In peacetime, they wouldn't react so sensitively, but wartime changed that.
It was an era where the slightest suspicion triggered the alarms.
"Your Majesty. Enemies will swarm soon."
Count Potas, who had briefly left the Emperor's side to scout and just returned through a portal, reported quietly.
"The castle garrison cavalry moved first. The rear is followed by the Royal Knights and Royal Mage Corps."
"So even the Royal Mage Corps got swallowed up."
Raymond said with a regretful expression. Count Potas nodded slowly and spoke.
"They were already under the End Association's control. Unfortunately, Marquis Incred's death accelerated it, and now they seem fully turned."
The conversation didn't drag on. Hoofbeats echoed. Not orderly or rhythmic—full-speed galloping toward them.
"Our position's been spotted! All hands to battle stations!"
At Kashiyas's sharp cry, the Imperial Army knights stepped forward. Bishop Receiver also rallied the Heresy Inquisition Executioners into formation.
"Your Majesty."
"What is it, Desia?"
"We're already busted, so wide-area magic's fine, right?"
"Hit 'em hard with a big one."
Desia grinned at Raymond's words and raised her staff. She drew a large circle in the air, completing a massive magic circle.
As the circle glowed blue, vivid azure lightning crashed from the sky onto the kingdom cavalry.
Boom!
An explosion roared out.
"Gaaah!"
"Arghhh!"
Screams rang out as the cavalry collapsed like dominoes. The epicenter of the high-tier magic was littered with burst corpses.
"W-What the...!"
"Magic with that power...! Definitely a high mage!"
"There's a high mage in the enemy lines!"
Over half of the five hundred-plus cavalry perished in one strike. The kingdom cavalry, charging in high spirits, lost their momentum.
"Maintain speed! Break through in one go!"
The kingdom cavalry commander shouted. Though shaken, they were elite castle garrison troops and quickly regrouped for the charge.
But their opponents were the Imperial Army knights—renowned as the empire's finest elite—and the Heresy Inquisition Executioners, who had inflicted the most brutal history on the Emperor's enemies.
"Gaaah!"
"Arghhh!"
The results were as expected. The kingdom cavalry couldn't pierce the Imperial knights' formation and scattered.
As the front lines crumbled, Heresy Executioners leaped over the knights' heads. They swung their arms, raining down sharp hidden weapons like arrows.
"Guhk!"
Fountains of blood erupted. By the time Raymond blinked, fewer than thirty cavalry remained mounted on their warhorses.
"R-R-R-R-Retreat... Retreat!"
They couldn't face hundreds with thirty. A senior cavalry officer, white-faced, issued the order in place of the fallen commander.
The command spread instantly through the NCOs to the thirty survivors, who wheeled their horses around.
"Pursue?"
"A second wave's coming soon. We tighten our formation here."
Kashiyas replied to his aide. He judged maintaining a solid defense here was better than chasing.
"Second wave incoming!"
Sure enough, no breather—the follow-up force arrived. Sylvia shouted a warning as she nocked an arrow.
"Guhk!"
Her arrow, infused with wind spirit, pierced a Royal Mage Corps officer's throat. He toppled without a chance to scream.
He was a top-tier mage, but the strike was too swift for even a defensive spell.
"Ranged attack!"
"Barrier up!"
The mages chanted defenses. Massive shields formed before them, and large ones covered the advancing infantry too.
"Advance!"
NCOs barked sharply. Knights led with drawn swords, exuding fierce auras, followed by spearmen.
"Enemies incoming! Brace for impact!"
Unlike the first cavalry skirmish, their numbers were overwhelming. Over two thousand from the castle garrison, Royal Knights, and Royal Mages—all tough elite troops.
"I'm going forward! Royal Guard, follow me!"
Raymond surged ahead, radiating pure white light. The Royal Guard, scanning for threats, hurriedly followed.
"Protect His Majesty!"
"The Shield of the Imperial Family advances!"
The Royal Guard shed their black cloaks concealing golden uniforms. The Shield of the Imperial Family revealed itself on the battlefield.
