CHAPTER 3: YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO BE THERE (XXV)
Part 064
Adrian was looking at the report with a stern expression. Cale looked at the piled up reports and Adrian’s stern face with an embarrassed look on his face. The head of the Intelligence Department, Marquis Dallas, and the head of the Tactics Department, Count Seonil, suddenly submitted their resignation letters and did not show up for work. Is that all? A large number of nobles and aristocrats, including the two, went down to the estate over the weekend. Marquis Luther also reported that it was almost empty. It had always been a thing for those who were the heads of the family and the lords of the territory to go down to the territory, but suddenly like this, all at once. This was ominous.
The Marquisate of Dallas and the County of Seonil are located northwest of Laurentyne. It borders the Marquisate of Luther, including Romanov, which is the most important border area, and has been located on the border for a long time, so it was an area where private soldiers and knights were excellently operated. Above all, it was a leading noble family.
“I heard that Marquis Luther is completely empty.”
“Yes, my lord. Young Yeong who was attending the academy, as well as other young children, all headed to the estate at once. This is the first time the current Marquis has entered politics. In addition, most of the noble factions, such as Count Joachim and Count Zephyrus, headed to the territory.”
“Dozern and Hubie are gone too. They must have gone down together.”
Last weekend, he received word from Homer that Dozern and Hubby had disappeared from the palace. The fact that the prince and concubine’s disappearance took place inside the palace means that it was impossible without the help of some force beyond the reach of Adrian or Homer. It has been reported that after the people whose movements were suspicious disappeared, the ‘King’s Eye’ was hastily activated and a procession of gorgeous carriages left Midoc and ran toward the northwest all morning. He said he would report to the king and contact him again, but Homer’s message received earlier was even more shocking. The report was made early in the morning, but since it was not uncommon for the mother and son to get along well and go out for a night out, it was ignored. The king was sick and tired of the trial that the queen and concubine had conducted. Ortega IV disliked any kind of turmoil. About one-third of key positions in the capital military suddenly disappeared. In addition to the unknown whereabouts of George and Moon personnel, the insincerity of regular reports from the National Guard had reached a point where it could not be overlooked even in the name of guaranteeing the independence of each service. The National Guard headquarters in the border area has been sending out the same reports for three weeks now. Adrian decided that even though it was a hassle, he had to go to Romanov.
“I have to go to Romanov.”
“Would you like to go directly?”
Cale asked with disapproval. It was dangerous for the commander of the Capital Army to vacate Midok at a time when various unusual events were happening. Adrian knew it too, but he couldn’t just stand by and ignore the situation as his subordinates disappeared. It would take about a week to reach Romanov by horse. Adrian began compiling a list of subordinates who would fill his vacant position for at least two weeks. Cale’s face turned dark when he saw his name written on the top row. It was then that an urgent knock was heard. The knight of the Knights of Vigor came in out of breath, bowed, and placed Ethan’s note in front of Adrian.
[George is injured, please return home]
As soon as he finished reading, Adrian stood up. He handed Cale a note and left the office. The disorganized atmosphere of the Capital Army Headquarters and the scattered problems were important, but the matter that Ethan had been told to return home was more urgent. He forgot his coat, took only his sword, and got on his horse. He ran quickly and arrived at the Duke’s residence, where Adrian was greeted by Ethan, who was waiting at the entrance.
“What’s the status?”
“I pulled out the two bows stuck in my back, and now I’ve come to my senses. They say I’ve overcome a big hurdle, but it’s not good.”
As we were led into the guest room provided for George’s treatment, the doctor and nurse were organizing their tools. Ethan sent them out of the room. George lay face down on the bed, turned his head to his left, and saw Adrian coming in. He raises his left hand slightly in greeting.
“Hey, it’s late.”
His entire left eye was bandaged. Even though the bandages covering his entire upper body were new, blood stains were already seeping through them. Adrian swallowed his moans. George laughed as he looked at his lord, blood dripping from his stern face.
“It’s better than it looks, my lord.”
“The guy who came here with his eyes dripping only keeps his mouth shut.”
Ethan chimed in with an angry voice. It was Ethan who took on the most dangerous mission and sent George to the border. He couldn’t feel at ease.
“What kind of guy are you?”
Adrian asked. The spirit was so fierce that even George and Ethan were stung. George let go of his laughter and tried to get up to report, but was stopped by a gesture from Adrian. He continued speaking while lying face down.
“Taln has already completed its preparations for war. The entire army has already been deployed on the border, and the number is approximately 20,000. I went to Romanov to find out why no reports were made until the situation was like this, and my lord, Boromir Luthor, It was crazy. All the commanders and subordinate soldiers who were friendly to the lord or who did not agree with him were pushed to the southeastern front, and Romanov was completely taken over by them. These guys knew about the situation in Taln and blocked the report. After assessing the situation, I was trying to collect data, but the pursuit army caught up with me. I had to avoid it and return, so I couldn’t bring anything. I’m sorry, my lord.”
“You took your life with you. Rest.”
Adrian walked up to George, who was lying down, patted his left shoulder, which seemed relatively healthy, and left his room. Ethan followed Adrian out and let the doctor and nurse back in. In the office, the dark-faced lord and his subordinate looked at each other.
“What about the eyes?”
“I got hit with a knife and pulled out the drippings. That poisonous bastard.”
He even reported to Adrian, who kept his mouth shut as he thought about his subordinate who had lost one of his eyes.
“The security team found him lying down with a horse at the entrance to Midok’s outer castle and brought him in. The horse was already dead, and when he took off his outer clothes, they found that he was of the Bigor Knights and brought him in right away. If he had come just a day late, he would have been dead, Master.”
“There is no way in the Romanovs who doesn’t know that George is mine. If they fired an arrow at a guy like that, they would be asking for an all-out war with me. The war has already started, and it is clear that the National Guard has betrayed them. Call the commander immediately. Then, inform the National Guard that they have been excluded from the southeastern front.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The knights should be prepared to move at any time, and, no, I have to return to headquarters first.”
“Yes, my lord. Shouldn’t we also inform the king?”
Adrian couldn’t help but sigh at Ethan’s question. As he thought about persuading the king, his head already ached.
“I have to let you know. After finishing maintenance of the capital, I will stop by the royal palace this evening. Issue a wanted order for the missing Dozern and Hubi. I’m sure we’ve reached the Romanov area by now anyway.”
“Is it really… war?”
“As of this time, the entire Capital Army will enter a state of war. The National Guard-”
Adrian, who had been reading the situation and giving instructions, stopped. No matter how much you think about it, it is absurd. The northwest area of Laurentyne, including Romanov, is the territory of Marquis Luther and a noble family, and although Marquis Luther’s eldest son was the commander of the defense force, the defense force, which had been a strong shield that protected Laurentyne for 400 years, is pointing its sword at Midok. Even if Taln and the National Guard join and push in together, it will be a headache, but if they split into two and create separate front lines in the northwest and west, the situation will be even more difficult.
“We must anticipate the options the National Guard may take and block their path. Try to determine the size of the rebels involved.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Will the King, who considers maintaining peace to be the pride of his life, properly recognize this situation and react correctly? Homer had been informing the king of danger for a long time. It is none other than Homer who has been hysterically wary of the joint attack with foreign powers that his father first introduced to the world. And Ortega IV has long dismissed his opinion, citing its low feasibility. Ortega IV, who felt proud of having maintained the throne despite the long threat of Antelope hegemony, believed that he was in control of the royal family. He declared that it was not in his blood to do something like that, and that he also severely scolded Dozern, who had returned with Ailene in the lead, and brought him to his senses. The royal family who was about to go to trial disappeared overnight, but the king was comfortably enjoying his time abroad. It’s already late. Adrian, who had no way of knowing how urgent the situation at the border was, naturally tightened his fists.
First, they had to establish a wartime system, persuade the king, and set up the front line as far away from Midok as possible. He cannot tolerate any attempt to attract rebels into Midok. Adrian was determined to send out troops even if the king did not give him permission, but a question suddenly appeared in his mind.
“Ethan.”
“Yes?”
“Why did Dozern quietly disappear from the royal palace?”
Ethan tilted his head in response to Adrian’s question. He also carefully hid his affair with Taln, and he probably had to hide the participation of the National Guard, which could be said to be a hidden card, so he quietly withdrew. A preemptive attack before the capital army reorganizes would have a greater chance of capturing the palace. After breaking through the capital army and occupying the royal palace, killing the king and crown prince and taking the throne, the intention was to eliminate the opposition of the pro-royal nobles with the help of the noble faction and the National Guard. Since there is no king or crown prince, the only legitimate heir to the throne is Dozern… Hmm? After thinking for a while, Ethan understood Adrian’s question.
It is much easier to occupy an empty palace without a king or crown prince than to confront the king head on. It would not be difficult to destroy the pro-kings and nobles who had no central focus. He probably didn’t know this, so why did he leave the king and crown prince in front of him and run away to the front lines? If it had been him, he would have somehow taken the king’s head and moved it.
“Could it be that he wanted to quietly disappear for a few days, giving him time to join the Romanovs’ National Guard?”
Ethan, who had already come across the same question, made a guess out of curiosity. But Adrian quietly shook his head.
“There is more to be gained by dealing with the king first than by secretly joining the National Guard.”
“Now that I think about it, it’s also strange that Dozern and Hubby quietly escaped. It must have been quite a large number, but I wonder who won it without helping…”
Ethan’s face became pale as he spoke. Adrian, who had a similar complexion, found his sword and got up from his seat, when urgent footsteps were heard outside the door. The door burst open without knocking, and a familiar soldier from the Capital Army, who Cale usually used as a liaison, rushed in.
“The Royal Guard, uh, revolted! They closed down the palace and started a revolt!! They said they were heading to King Cale’s palace and asked for them to join…!”
Before he could hear the entire report, Adrian ran out of the office. While Adrian was riding a horse and leaving the duke’s residence, Ethan ran to the knights’ quarters in the back of the mansion without even thinking about serving him. The 38th day of fall, twelve thirty in the afternoon. Damian was in the palace.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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