Chapter 88
Although it was early morning, they were not asleep.
“…”
Standing in front of the barracks, Belles gazed down the endless mountain range, his face marked with clear anxiety, quite different from yesterday.
‘They should have arrived by now… why…’
The reason for his unease was simple.
The people who were supposed to join in the rebellion, those who had sealed the documents with him.
The soldiers sent by those nobles should have arrived already but there was no sign of them, not even a shadow.
In preparation for any unforeseen events, Belles had sent messengers to the nobles. However, there was no news from that side either.
‘Could it be…’
Could Lexion have done something?
‘No, that’s impossible. Lexion didn’t have the time.’
The incident at the villa was just yesterday. It was impossible for him to have done anything in such a short span of time.
‘Military authority… perhaps…’
Belles pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
This too was highly unlikely. Even if, by any chance, the Emperor had changed his mind, they only had one day.
Yes.
They were just delayed.
…Unfortunately, Belles believed this without a doubt.
“The Grand Duke is calling.”
At the sudden voice, Belles slowly turned his head. He looked at Royden standing in front of the barracks.
“It seems to be about the soldiers.”
Royden continued.
“The Grand Duke seems to be more worried than necessary. It’s really nothing to worry about.”
Royden seemed almost indifferent, perhaps even excited.
“The sooner this is over, the better. I’m eager to deal with that filthy man and return to my mansion.”
Belles remained silent.
“The place used by that filthy man must be equally filthy. You might not understand, being a Count, but high-ranking nobles like me care about such things.”
“…”
“Or maybe it’s a good opportunity to find a new mansion altogether. After all, the Duke will surely appreciate my contributions.”
Don’t you think?
Royden asked with a laugh, and Belles sighed briefly before moving into the barracks. Royden followed suit.
“What about the soldiers?”
The Grand Duke Clan’s first words as soon as their eyes met.
“They seem to be a bit delayed.”
“…”
“But they will arrive soon. I’ve sent messengers…”
“Don’t worry, Grand Duke Clan.”
Royden interrupted cheerfully.
“Reinforcements from the Rosenvester estate will also arrive soon, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
The Grand Duke Clan frowned slightly and fell into brief thought. Soon after, he looked at Belles and asked again.
“Is there any possibility of a traitor among the nobles?”
“I can assure you, there’s none. All those involved have grudges against Lexion and the Emperor.”
To prevent any betrayal, Belles had constantly monitored the nobles’ interests, so his assurance carried weight. The Grabd Duke Clan stroked his thick beard briefly before speaking with dry lips.
“I’ve placed people in the palace as well. If the Emperor shows any sign of giving military authority to Lexion or changes his mind, they are to inform me immediately.”
“Have you now.”
“Yes, and since there’s been no such contact, everything seems to be in order…”
“They will arrive soon.”
Royden said with a confident smile.
“So, Grand Duke, you need not worry too much. And the Emperor, if he has any sense, would never commit the madness of giving military authority to someone like Lexion.”
From Royden’s perspective, this was a reasonable thought.
What capability did that despicable worm have to deserve such authority? It was nonsense.
“Anyway, we just need to wait a bit longer. As I mentioned, reinforcements from my branch will send as many soldiers as possible…”
Royden’s excited chatter was interrupted.
“Duke, Duke!”
A loud voice suddenly shook the barracks.
“What is it?”
The Grand Duke Clan stood up abruptly, followed by Belles and Royden, looking towards the man who had rushed into the barracks.
“The soldiers are coming…”
“There, you see.”
Royden said with a smile.
“I told you they would arrive…”
“No, no!”
The man screamed.
“The Rosenvester soldiers are rushing in!”
“…What?”
“It’s not just that, judging by their appearance, all of them seem to be soldiers from the Empire…!”
In an instant, Grand Duke Clan and Belles, who were caught off guard, hurriedly rushed out of the barracks. Royden, who still hadn’t grasped the situation, was equally bewildered.
“This…”
The astonished Grand Duke Clan muttered under his breath.
“What in the world…!”
It was almost natural for the Grand Duke Clan to react like this.
The number of people climbing up the mountain range was so large that it was obvious at a glance.
“Then, the soldiers, too…!”
It was incomprehensible. Why did this happen? How could it happen?
“They’ve blocked the path…!”
As Belles’ complexion turned ashen, a rapid answer flashed through his mind.
“Paval didn’t come, the soldiers promised by the nobles didn’t come… They must have intervened in advance…!”
Perhaps even the plan to gather at the Gidi Mountains was known.
…Between Belles’ tightly clenched lips, there was a grinding sound of his teeth.
“What should we… What should we do?”
The man who had delivered the news asked with a pale face, but no one could provide a definite answer.
Meanwhile, the countless soldiers continued to draw closer, and Belles clenched his fist, glaring at Lexion’s face visible below.
“There’s no… there’s no way.”
Belles uttered in a splitting voice.
“There’s no path.”
Belles was right. The Gidi Mountains were treacherous, with many wild animals. Thus, the lack of traffic also meant that there were very few paths available.
“….”
Grand Duke Clan, already aware, nervously toyed with the hilt of his sword.
“Even if they plan for another day….”
Belles interjected.
“We have to break through… just like this….”
“W-What do you mean by that!”
Finally understanding the situation, Royden stammered with a paler face than anyone else.
“How can we break through with that number of people! No, my branch… my branch’s soldiers…”
Even if they were soldiers from his branch, there might be a chance to use them as a shield and escape. At this moment, Royden still harbored such hopeful dreams.
“The path has already been blocked!”
Unable to contain his anger, Belles turned to Royden and shouted back.
“If you were intelligent, you wouldn’t say such things after seeing the situation! You’re absolutely useless till the end!”
Royden’s face stiffened.
“How dare you…! Even as a Count, to a Duke like me…!”
But Royden’s tantrum didn’t last long. It was because of Belles’ cutting words.
“Duke, you must find a way to escape from here.”
First and foremost was preserving their lives.
Next was the Grand Duke Clan.
If the Grand Duke were to die here… there would be no future plans. This wasn’t born out of loyalty to Grand Duke Clan but simply an evaluation of his worth.
After all, Grand Duke Clan was a person who could become a valuable stepping stone for Belles, who sought greater power.
“Gather all the soldiers and mercenaries waiting here… in one place!”
As Belles’s words fell ominously, one man hurriedly ran towards the back of the barracks.
“We must… we must find a way to escape.”
But as if to mock Belles’ thoughts, Lexion, who had come right up to them, looked at him and said,
“Capture those criminals who have rebelled against us.”
The black pupils of Lexion, staring at Grand Duke Clan, Belles, and Royden, were unpredictable. He gazed at them like that for a moment before turning to those following behind him and shouting loudly,
“Don’t kill them, they must be captured alive. It would be too much of a luxury for them to die easily!”
