The palace garden was in disarray when we arrived at the rally point. Hertrude and Vandel were trying to get people to listen to them, but only those standing closest could hear their shouts. Just five feet out, their voices were drowned out by panicked servants and shouting guards.
“Princess Hertrude! I am all the family my three little girls have!” A butler climbed onto the shoulders of his colleagues to be seen. “Please, let me return to them before it is too late!”
“Get off me, you idiot!” A kitchen worker bucked the butler off his shoulders, sending him tumbling into the grass. “I have a two-year-old boy and a pregnant wife back home! My priority should be higher than yours!”
A heavily pregnant maid near the front of the crowd reached outward toward Hertrude, tears streaming down her face. “My lady! Please let me return to my beloved husband and children! I will only be a burden to you here!”
The louder people shouted, the rowdier the crowd became. Before long, a brawl broke out, dragging everyone into a desperate struggle for survival.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The subterranean tremors were growing stronger. It would not be long now before the threat they were facing breached the surface of the capital. Hertrude knew this all too well. Stepping onto a makeshift stage, she tried once more to take charge.
“Everyone, please listen to me! I know you are scared, but now is not the time for fighting!” Hertrude’s pale face betrayed her own fear. “We must begin acting now, or many of our—”
A heavy clump of dirt flew out of the crowd, hitting Hertrude squarely in the face. Taken by surprise, she fell backward into Vandel’s outstretched arms.
Veins bulged across Vandel’s forehead and temples as a bloodthirsty glare formed on his face. His knuckles turned white as he reached for the hilt of his sword, ready to cull the crowd where they stood.
“Lord Vandel!” Several of his subordinates rushed forward to restrain his arm. “Please calm yourself! It was an accident!”
“Everyone, please listen to us!” Hertrauda shouted with everything she had, stepping in front of her sister.
Her voice traveled farther, but the crowd was far too preoccupied to pay her any mind. Anger and fear had taken complete hold of their senses. There was nothing the sisters could do now to quell the fighting.
‘Enough of this foolishness.‘
Fed up, I stepped forward to take command. My psychic pressure came down on everyone in the garden like a localized torrential downpour.
“All of you, be silent!”
Like a crack of thunder, my voice boomed throughout the vicinity, rattling the surrounding stone walls. In a split second, the crowd fell deathly still. Under the oppressive weight of my aura, their anger and fear were snuffed out, replaced by a spirit of total, instinctual submission.
“Your fears and worries are warranted, but this behavior is inexcusable. Are you civilized people or rabid dogs?” My gaze swept across the crowd. “Pick yourselves up off the ground.”
As people rose to their feet, they glanced toward the towering stranger. Upon seeing a titanic figure clad in silver armor, their eyes widened in shock. Though his otherworldly presence terrified them to the bone, something about it also put their hearts at ease. So long as he was here, they would survive to see another day.
Peace restored, I approached the stunned royals with my entourage. The crowd parted for us unconsciously.
“Lord Vandel, what is the current situation?”
“Is… is that you, Lord Aremus?” Vandel unconsciously trembled in his armor.
Vandel had seen this form once before, when Leon first came to the capital. It had been only a fleeting moment, but the man’s gaze alone had nearly brought him to his knees. There was unfathomable power in those emerald eyes he could not express in words. Now that Leon stood before him in the flesh, the sensation was countless magnitudes greater.
“Yes, Lord Vandel, I am Lord Aremus.” I offered him a calm grin. “You must have many questions, and I will answer them in due course. Right now, I must know what is going on so we can form a plan of action. The longer we delay, the greater our losses will be.”
Vandel wiped the sweat from his brow. “The details are hazy right now. Shortly before dawn, the Holy Kingdom’s Magic Knights we captured recently awakened. The soldiers on guard duty swear not a soul got close to them, but the evidence says otherwise. Either way, our engineers tried to shut them down before they could break free of their restraints. The attempt failed...”
After retrieving their weapons, the Magic Knights had moved to escape the underground facility. They attempted to break out via the airship hangar under the island, but the soldiers sealed it off before they could. Unable to breach the thick orichalcum doors, they resorted to blasting their way straight up through the rock.
“We lost contact with the surviving soldiers inside the facility a short time ago, so we are not sure how far they are from the surface now. Based on the increasingly violent tremors, they must be getting close.” Vandel looked up at me. “Most of our own Magic Knights were stored in that hangar as well. We can field twenty-seven Magic Knights at most—less than a third of the enemy force. I was hoping you might have some suggestions to swing the odds in our favor.”
Luxion’s hypothesis was spot on. The only question I had was: How did they gain access? I doubted the Principality had any traitors left in its ranks who could grant them entry. A stealth field like Luxion’s? No... the soldiers would have seen the cockpits open.
‘Could they be piloting the mechs remotely, like drones?‘
If that were the case, the solution to our problem was rather simple. To pilot them from afar, the mechs had to be equipped with a transceiver of some sort. Jam the signal, and they would drop like puppets cut from their strings.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
I turned toward Luxion. “Please perform a sweep of the capital. Look for any unexplained radio waves or other digital signals.”
<All clear. No digital signals detected within the capital area.>
With that possibility eliminated, that left one other transmission method. Dropping to one knee, I placed my hand on the ground and closed my eyes.
‘Alright, Leon, take a deep breath and relax…‘
As my senses sharpened, the subtle flow of magic through the environment became visible. The breathtaking spectacle of streaming lights momentarily took my breath away. Quickly focusing my magic sense on the ground beneath our feet, I could see the Magic Knights several hundred feet down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From the tops of their heads, thin threads of magic flowed toward the port. Following the conduits, I found a group of ninety people hiding in a large ship’s bilge. They were slumbering within capsules crafted of magic metals, likely meant to bolster their magic power.
‘Got you!‘
My eyes flew open as I stood once again. “Your soldiers were speaking the truth, Vandel. The Magic Knights are being piloted remotely by soldiers hiding out in the port.”
A glimmer of hope flashed in the princesses’ eyes.
“Say what!?” Vandel’s expression soured. “Damn those cowardly bastards! How dare they use such underhanded tactics to attack us! A knight should face their enemy on the battlefield, not from afar!”
“How would you recommend we proceed, Lord Aremus?” Hertrude looked at me with a hopeful smile.
“At their current rate, they will break through to the surface in ten minutes. I should be able to shut them down before then.” I turned to Vandel. “Rally your men and head to the western edge of the port. Ninety pilots are hidden inside the bilge of a large vessel.”
This information immediately caught the attention of several nearby knights. One of them stepped forward, snapping to attention before his commander.
“Lord Vandel, a large vessel arrived late last night. I watched the dockhands guide it in while performing my rounds. It was unusual for a vessel of that size to arrive so late, but I thought little of it. Forgive me for not—”
“You had no way of knowing it housed enemy soldiers. There is no need for an apology.” Vandel raised a hand to silence him. “When this matter is settled, we will need to add a requirement for all ships to be inspected before entering port. For now, I want you to lead us to the ship so we can deal with the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers.”
The knight saluted the Black Knight, swearing in his heart to make up for his oversight. Something about the ship had bothered him, but he had allowed the dockhands to convince him otherwise.
“Alright men! We set out for the port immediately!” Vandel drew his sword and pointed the tip toward the sky. “We are taking only five hostages! Kill everyone else without exception!”
Every guard, knight, and soldier present saluted the old man with resolute expressions. No matter the cost, they would see that not a single enemy eluded them. The Holy Kingdom had attacked the very place they laid their heads at night. This fight was personal now.
“Lord Aremus, I don’t have the manpower right now to assign the princesses bodyguards. Can I entrust them to your care for the time being?” Vandel bowed his head deeply.
“Of course. Go take care of business while I disable the Magic Knights.” I nodded. “Once they are out of commission, we will focus on rescue operations. All this shaking has likely brought down countless buildings, trapping people beneath the rubble.”
Vandel had no qualms about that plan. Public order was certain to be in disarray right now. The presence of the royal family in the city would help ease the worried hearts of the masses.
“Thank you.” The old man lifted his head and offered a firm nod. Without another word, he turned and set out with his men.
Once they had vanished from sight, I turned toward the waiting kitchen staff and servants. They looked at me with expectant, fearful gazes.
“As for everyone else, head into the city and find your families.” I gestured toward the garden gate. “Take them to an open area away from any large structures. Once this matter is settled, craftsmen must inspect every building for safety. The last thing we want is for you and your families to be buried alive while asleep in your beds.”
My warning drove them onward. They sprinted out of the garden to find their loved ones. As they ran, many silently prayed for their safety.
Now that the garden was emptied, I wanted to get moving. Before I could take a single step, several shaky hands grabbed my cape and tugged vigorously.
“Yes?” I glanced back at my party.
“I know time is of the essence, but… is there time for us to change clothes?” Angelica’s face was bright red. She had only just now realized she was still standing outside in her sleepwear. “What dignity I have left will be torn to shreds if someone sees me like this! Please grant my request just this once!”
Clarice looked at her female comrades with a tearful expression. They had forgotten a crucial bit of information.
“Ladies, I hate to be the bearer of grim news, but…” Clarice gestured toward the giant crater in the distance. “Everything we brought with us is at the bottom of that pit. We only have the clothes on our backs and our weapons.”
The color drained from their faces. Angelica and company had completely forgotten about the destruction of their quarters in the chaos of their near-death experience.
Defeated, the women collapsed to their knees. They looked ready to cry from the sheer humiliation they were about to endure.
Hertrude gave them a cruel, amused grin. “Hehe! Looks like I get to enjoy yet another entertaining show.”
Olivia, Roxanne, and Yunyun covered their faces in shame, recalling what had occurred last night after dinner. At this moment, jumping into the hole sounded genuinely appealing to them.
“Hertrude, please do not torment my fiancées and close friends.” I waved my hand, retrieving their luggage directly from my inventory space.
As the heavy trunks thudded onto the dirt, the women lifted their heads in disbelief. Upon seeing their belongings safe and sound, they leaped to their feet and rushed forward to hug me.
“You are the absolute best, Leon!” Yunyun pressed herself happily against my silver armor.
“Yes, thank you!” Olivia practically danced with joy. “We owe you big time for this!”
“As expected of my future husband.” Deirdre flushed red upon saying the words, though she did not let go right away.
After releasing me, the women began sifting through their luggage for suitable attire. Finding clothes they did not mind getting dirty or torn, they stripped off their nightwear and changed right there in the garden. My presence mattered little to them; they trusted I would not gawk or sneak improper glances.
While they changed, I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the magic connections controlling the Magic Knights. My plan was to channel my magic into my sword and sever every connection simultaneously. To do that, the threads would need to be drawn up out of the ground and gathered together, as they were scattered erratically through the subterranean rock right now. Since I had a few moments to spare, that is precisely what I intended to do.
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