Chapter 725: Chapter 725: Limited Time (4)

Astarotta, who received the ‘request’ to bring Raven, gave instructions to another guardian knight stationed outside the audience chamber.

In a way, it was subcontracting the subcontractor...

“He’s staying not too far away, so he should be here soon.”

Well, I had no reason to look down on that.

Even if subcontractors subcontract, and those subcontractors subcontract again, the person at the top never changes...

‘Looks like I’ll get to talk a bit more.’

I wasn’t about to waste leftover time meaninglessly, so I immediately started a background check.

“Astarotta, what is your official title?”

“...”

“I need to know so I can make plans too. But surely you wouldn’t disobey the king’s order to cooperate no matter what—”

“...Commander of the Guardian Knights.”

Oh, so that’s it.

Then she is the next generation ‘King’s Knight’ after the old royal knight.

“If your curiosity is satisfied—”

Nah, there’s no way it ends here.

“What’s the identity of the sword you carry? It looks very sharp.”

“...”

There she goes rolling her eyes again.

“I need to know your abilities exactly so I can plan accordingly—”

“...It is the sword given to the Commander of the Guardian Knights.”

“How powerful?”

“It doesn’t lose to the Creation Legendary Sword. Ah, though you’re a clan leader, you probably don’t know well about the Creation Legendary Sword?”

No way.

I’ve collected all the Creation Legendary Swords several times.

Of course, I know their power better than anyone.

“How many members are in the Guardian Knights?”

Anyway, I slowly raised the level of my inquiry, digging into key information about the palace.

Astarotta seemed unsure if this was okay, sighing deeply every time I mentioned the king, but she spoke freely.

“Any children?”

“Our Guardian Knights cannot have families.”

“Oh, then you must be careful with birth control?”

“...”

“You don’t mean... never even once in your life...?”

“...”

One by one, I uncovered information I hadn’t even known from the game.

By now, it was about time for Raven to arrive.

I had heard enough, and curiosity struck.

Pure curiosity.

‘How far does the king’s name reach?’

Her now-obedient attitude was a malfunction caused by excessive loyalty to the king.

A kind of bug.

So even during the background check, I kept my boundaries.

About the life-support device underground the palace.

Or the prison deeper below.

Or discussions related to the king’s lifespan.

No matter how dense she might be, she wouldn’t answer such questions.

She would definitely refuse, and once she refused, I’d know.

Refusal is not difficult.

‘Yeah, using bugs is also part of the player’s skill.’

For that reason, I tried never to cross the line.

Like a broken machine that starts working when struck, I judged it would only harm me if it suddenly normalized after too much shock.

But...

‘I’m curious.’

Though she won’t reveal information about the king, how far can I go?

If I ordered her to drop her pants in front of me, would she actually do it?

‘I’m curious, but...’

Somewhat disappointing yet fortunate, I never got to satisfy that curiosity directly.

“Hey, Yandel!”

Raven has arrived.

From what I heard, Raven had been doing quite well, despite feeling frustrated and uncomfortable.

Well, compared to that, I’m not much different.

Considering the ongoing war, this kind of comfort probably places him among the top in the entire city.

“You’ve put on weight.”

“W-What are you saying...? I have?”

“A little.”

“Ugh... Of course, being stuck in a room all day...!”

After briefly exchanging greetings with Raven who returned to the audience chamber, I straightforwardly explained the current situation.

Not in a barbarian’s lengthy way, but maybe because we had spent so much time together?

Raven summarized it in one sentence.

“You mean... we have to kill the prime minister...? Us...?”

“It just turned out that way. And we’re not the only ones. The royal family will support us.”

“T-That’s somewhat reassuring... But was the prime minister really the mastermind of the rebellion?”

“That’s what they say.”

With the goal clearly set, Raven started ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ asking many questions about the current situation.

Naturally, I couldn’t answer any.

I had been trapped inside the room all along.

“The outside situation will be explained to you by Elizabeth from now on. We waited for you to hear it together.”

“Elizabeth...?”

“Astarotta Berun. Call me Berun.”

“Oh... Yes... Lady Berun. Hello...”

Astarotta ignored Raven’s greeting and began briefing, and those of us who knew nothing about the outside were surprised at every explanation.

“What? Half the city was taken?”

“It’s not taken but occupied illegally by rebel forces, and it’s not half, more like a third. At best, in Rabigion, districts 13, 7, and 8, and only district 4 in Commelbi.”

Unlike the king’s indifferent reaction, the city’s situation was dire beyond words.

Everyone who needed to know already knew the prime minister was the rebellion’s ringleader, and he had crossed into enemy lines to command directly.

It was practically a civil war now, and it looked like it could drag on.

“So my comrades are in district 7, which has become enemy territory...”

“More precisely, the barbarian sanctuary. Nothing has changed since the last information.”

“This situation is much more troublesome than I thought.”

“Yandel, are you planning to reunite with your comrades first?”

“Yes.”

But even just getting to district 7 isn’t easy.

“To get there, you must pass through district 5 or 8, which border it...”

According to Astarotta, those are now frontlines with fierce day-and-night battles.

“Difficult. Even if you pass districts 5 or 8, district 7 is completely in enemy hands.”

“That’s true...”

While the two of us were talking, Astarotta suddenly interrupted.

“Bjorn Yandel, here’s some advice.”

“...Go ahead.”

“Think about what’s most important.”

Hah, advice, huh? I listened anyway.

Like a royal lackey, she advised me to obey the king’s orders first rather than care for my comrades.

‘Between her dazed behavior earlier and this, is something wrong with her head?’

Advice not even worth listening to.

If that were the case, she’d have stayed holed up in the audience chamber for a week. Why would I have accepted that condition?

So I skipped the advice without hesitation.

“More importantly... I have to go outside first.”

Since there were things I couldn’t understand just by words, I planned to go out immediately.

While talking with Raven again, Astarotta interrupted.

“If you go out like that, you’ll be found out quickly. I didn’t say this before, but most people think you’ve been seriously injured in the collapse.”

“Oh, I see.”

“How about hiding your face with a helmet?”

That advice at least seemed thoughtful, but my answer was ‘No.’

This huge body can’t be hidden with a helmet, and I’ve worn iron masks twice in my life already.

Besides...

“I’ll just go as I am.”

“Why?”

“So the news that I’m safe can reach my comrades.”

But Astarotta looked like she didn’t understand this decision.

More precisely, she looked disdainful.

“It’s the king who told you to act freely, so I won’t say more.”

“Then don’t.”

“But do you really think you can kill the prime minister with that mindset?”

Her voice was flat, showing no worry.

But the meaning hidden behind the question was obvious.

If I fail the king’s condition, worse things will happen. Can I handle that?

I shook my head firmly.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Fragments of records, time travel to the past, and so on.

Now, I believe in fate.

“The marquis is already a dead man.”

It was fate set since the Ice Rock expedition.

As I left the Apocalypse Palace, my first impression was: funny.

Because only when heading to the main gate did I see the palace’s exterior for the first time.

“Wow... I’ve only heard about it, but it’s really magnificent...”

Perhaps we are the first to enter from underground and leave through the main gate in all history.

“Keep the windows closed and be quiet until we leave the palace. It must not be known that you came out of Apocalypse Palace.”

“...Understood.”

The carriage leaving the palace carried Raven, Astarotta, and me, and the driver was one of the guardian knights.

“But is it really okay for you to leave the palace like this?”

“Weren’t you the one who asked me to come along?”

Well, that’s true.

Strictly speaking, when I asked if all the guardian knights inside the palace could be summoned, she said only she could.

“Don’t worry about it. It was the king’s order.”

“Hm... but the war’s ongoing; is it okay for the commander of the guardian knights to be absent?”

She smiled coolly at my question.

“This place isn’t easy enough to allow traitors a foothold.”

“Well, that’s good to hear...”

Honestly, I’m still not sure if traveling with her is the right choice.

At least her combat power seems certain...

But if I’m with her, the king will know all my whereabouts immediately. That could reduce my ability to act proactively in unknown situations.

‘Still, I don’t know much about the current situation yet. It’ll be easier with her.’

The carriage left Apocalypse Palace, passed by the twelve palaces around it, and entered the capital.

I was able to see the scene along the way.

“The war really hits home now.”

I had visited the Palace of Glory, the most familiar of the twelve palaces, several times for titles, promotions, and victory ceremonies.

“Th-This is Ure...”

The grand palace was nowhere to be found, only ruins piled high like a mountain.

Many soldiers were clearing debris, and dead bodies appeared whenever a rock was lifted.

“Identification?”

“A detailed investigation is required, but for now, a seal of the Count of Nartuil was found on the clothing.”

“We must treat him with utmost respect in case he is indeed the Count of Nartuil!”

“Yes!”

Passing through the narrow path made among the ruins, I heard vivid on-site conversations.

“...Did many nobles die in this incident?”

“At that time, the military headquarters gathered many nobles. Civilians say half the nobles died in jokes.”

Half the nobles...

Strictly speaking, half of the titled nobles.

That alone explained how serious the current situation was.

“Maybe the marquis calculated all this and gathered everyone.”

“Not maybe. The intelligence bureau is confident of that.”

Hmm, but here’s another question.

We know the marquis is the mastermind, but why did he make me stay in prison for two days?

Wouldn’t the marquis rather I get caught and die there?

When I asked Astarotta that, she replied,

“Well, I don’t think the prime minister expected you to die trapped there either.”

Well, honestly... I can’t imagine myself dying trapped there...

‘With half the titled nobles dead, it must be chaos. Some noble houses may vanish... But will the succession ceremony wait until after the war? It’ll probably be younger.’

Looking through the slightly opened window at the ruined palace, Raven muttered,

“...There won’t be any left.”

“Huh? What did you say? I didn’t hear.”

“Just... no matter how this war ends, the world we knew will be completely different.”

Her voice sounded somewhat fearful, and I nodded without realizing it.