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Side Story Chapter 5

“Of course—what you’re saying right now is all based on assumptions, Your Highness. I understand what you’re going through and am not dismissing the possibility of a mole within the fortress. However, the method you took to reach the conclusion is wrong because I’m not the mole. You’re just creating more confusion right now.”

Kiruea laughed bitterly in his thoughts. Things weren’t turning out very well since, just like Hamel said, Kireua didn’t have any concrete evidence. The part about Kireua sending out a search party was actually a lie—the mole would have noticed right away if he started anything inside the fortress.

“Your Highness, I want to make it clear that I’m not the traitor,” Hamel firmly stated. “I would never.”

The nearby people began to murmur among themselves. Many soldiers and knights were watching Kireua and Hamel right now. Since Kireua laid out his accusations against Hamel, he had to do something.

“My thoughts remain the same. The circumstantial evidence adds up,” Kireua said.

“Your Highness, you can’t harass me, an Imperial Knight of the great Avalon Empire, with circumstantial evidence even if you’re the second prince.”

“If you’re really innocent, follow military procedures and put yourself behind bars. If it becomes certain that you’re not the mole, I’ll release you right away.”

“Phew…” Hamel sighed dramatically. “Procedure? What kind of country has a procedure like this?”

“…\'Like this’?”

“Yes. While you’re the temporary commander-in-chief of this fortress, and it’s true that Her Majesty Charles entrusted you with leading the army, your power is limited to leading the army.”

Kireua frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t seem to know about this because you just returned, so I’ll explain: As you already know, the Avalon Empire has a long history of civil wars. There was even a civil war relatively recently, so in order to not repeat history, a minimal safety measure exists.” Hamel paused for a moment and then smiled. “Imperial law supersedes all national laws.”

The absolute supremacy of imperial law was the ultimate measure against the citizens of Avalon biting each other’s necks off, regardless of whether or not they were in the imperial faction or the aristocratic faction.

The Avalon Empire’s power was focused on the central government and the emperor, so the nobles hadn’t resisted much even though the current emperor had taken the throne quite abruptly. Since the Emperor made it all possible, his disappearance had created problems—that was how the Avalon Empire ended up in this kind of state today.

“Imperial law Article 13, Paragraph 1 states that the Imperial Knights shall not be punished by anyone other than His Majesty or the Knight-Commander.”

Kireua stayed silent.

“You should think carefully, Your Highness. The enemy could march in here any minute now, so do you really want to create conflicts within our people?”

Kireua was becoming more and more frustrated. He had all kinds of circumstantial evidence, but he didn’t have probable cause to arrest Hamel. He’d been backed into a corner.

“Yeah, why would Sir Hamel become a mole…?”

“His Highness must have been mistaken. Shouldn’t he apologize or something? He might be a prince, but…”

“What in the world are we doing right now? The rebel army might barge in here any moment now.”

Kireua bit his lip. He was considering backing down…

A man wearing a long robe pushed his way through the crowd of knights and stood beside Kireua.

“Then I’ll punish you myself,” the man said.

The gathering eyed him, confused.

“Imperial law Article 13, Paragraph 2 states that the Crown prince and the former Knight-Commander are able to punish the Imperial Knights on behalf of His Majesty and the Knight-Commander if they aren’t present.”

Hamel jolted.

“Was your name Hamel? Sir Hamel, why do you think the imperial law grants the former commander this kind of authority, rather than the vice-commander?” the man asked.

“Y-You think you can just show up out of the blue and ask questions like that…?” Hamel stuttered.

“Only His Majesty can appoint the Knight-Commander. The vice-commander, however, can be promoted from the Imperial Knights.”

“Who… are you?” Kireua asked.

The man took off his robe and threw it away. The crowd’s eyes widened in shock, even Kireua. Beneath the robe was a middle-aged man with short hair and a very impressive beard.

“Si-Sir Cain?”

Cain kicked Hamel in the stomach.

“Ugh!” Hamel groaned.

“A little fucker like you oughtta follow an order when you’re given one. How dare you talk that way to His Highness? Will ripping your mouth open help you follow orders?” Cain growled.

“Knights, what are you doing? Arrest this man,” Cain coldly ordered. “I’m going to interrogate him myself!”

The knights hastily saluted. “Ye-Yes, sir!”

* * *

Dargo led his one hundred thousand strong rebel army, spurring his horse on faster with no hesitation.

“Your Majesty, we’ll be within range of the enemy’s bows. They’re going to fire their arrows soon.”

Dargo’s eyes didn’t waver from the fortress. “Get into formation and hold up your shields. We’ll break right through.”

“Yes, sir!”

Dargo could see the distant fortress walls from in between the high valleys. He clenched his fists. He was going to break down the castle gate in ten minutes.

“Get into wedge formation! The first and second knight orders will stand in the front. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth knight orders will support the two knight orders from the back. The other two battalions will focus on protecting the mages.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

A loud howl shook the ground and the sky. It was, of course, the sound of Dargo’s white tiger, his authority, roaring. Drago’s exceptional authority sent adrenaline rushing through his and his allies’ veins, sweeping away their fears and igniting their fighting spirits. In this state, they were nigh-undefeatable.

“Woaahhhh!!!!!!”

“His Majesty Dargo is with us! Let’s revive this country!”

Dargo’s smile deepened. The thought of how he and his army would soon gain the title of the undefeatable army made his heart race. He was confident that they were not going to lose…until a single man appeared on the ramparts.

“W-Wait!”

A wave of golden light pulsed on the top of the fortress. The unique color of one’s aura depended on personality, but the brilliant gold they saw in the sky could belong to only one person.

“The C-Combat Emperor…?” Dargo choked out.

It belonged to him and him only—but that was impossible. That man shouldn’t be there.

However, Dargo’s hypothesis was quickly proven.

“Rebels, heed me!”

A wall of mana overwhelmed Dargo and his army, easily as strong as the roar of Dargo’s white tiger. The voice belonged to one of the great Nine Stars and the first knight of the Hero King, Joshua Sanders.

“My name is Cain de Harry.”

Cain fired his golden aura at the ground. It exploded right in front of Dargo and his army, forcing Dargo to grab his reins as his horse reared in shock.

“This is your warning. I’ll cut off the heads of anyone who crosses that line,” Cain declared.

Some of Dargo’s knights gulped without realizing. A horizontal line dozens of meters long was drawn before them, blocking their advance.

“What the hell…!”

* * *

After putting out the biggest fire, Cain immediately went to visit someone in the fortress.

“Your Majesty,” he said.

“This voice is… Sir Cain?”

“How are you feeling?” Cain asked.

Charles pried her heavy eyes open. The doctor that had been checking up on her quickly took a step back. She gave him a confused look.

“When did you come here…?”

“I should have come sooner. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“…I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t be greeting you like this.”

“No, not at all. Don’t be.” Cain shook his head. He gazed at Charles, who was clearly ill, for a long moment. Cain approached Charles and asked, “May I check your state?”

“Of course.” Charles nodded.

Cain quietly felt Charles’s pulse while Kireua, who had followed Cain into the room, watched anxiously.

Cain frowned slightly. “…Your mana source has been damaged.”

“I’ve been poisoned. I never imagined a rebellion would break out during my vacation.”

“Your destiny… is truly tragic, Your Majesty.”

“What choice do I have? Such is my destiny.” Charles sagged against the bedhead with a bitter smile.

“Your doctor must have told you this already, but you should recuperate in bed for months at least. If you overwork yourself any further… you might bedridden for the rest of your life,” Cain warned.

“I was planning to do so even if you didn’t scare me.”

“Haha. Considering that I’m talking to you, it’s very hard to believe that, Your Majesty,” Cain joked.

“My, you know that is very rude, right? I have such a reliable son by my side, so what could possibly worry me?” Charles looked at Kireua.

Cain glanced backward. Kireua smiled awkwardly.

“…Anyhow, I wanted to apologize to both of you again.”

“Sir Cain, why are you keep apologizing? Someone else is actually at fault right now,” Charles said.

“No, I could have arrived a little sooner. I stumbled upon soldiers waiting in ambush at the entrance to the valley…”

Kireua was shocked. “Huh? It’s true?”

“…Pardon?” Cain said, confused.

“N-Nothing. Then about those ambushers…?”

“I took care of them, of course, but there weren\'t as many of them as I expected. Maybe that was pretty much all the rebels left in the capital since the central region hasn’t really been affected by the rebels.”

“How is the situation in the other regions?” Charles interrupted.

“The rebels in the other regions are also fighting hard… Their Majesties and Her Highness are doing a good job. His Highness the First Prince is doing especially excellent.”

“Mmm… I’m always sorry to that child and Iceline… for always troubling them…” Charles smiled plaintively.

“Don’t think like that. Focus on recuperating for now,” Cain firmly responded. Charles nodded. Cain turned to Kireua. “By the way, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Sir Cain?” Kireua answered.

“I heard the news on my way over here.” Cain grinned. “You became a Master?”

“Ah… I got lucky and recently came to an epiphany, so I was able to return to the Empire just in time.”

“Becoming a Master when you’re twenty… You are indeed your father’s son. Congratulations.”

Kireua chuckled. “You’re too generous with your compliments.”

“Speaking of which, have you ‘awakened’?” Cain asked.

Kireua’s face darkened. “Not yet.”

“…Is that so? In that case, I’ll make it my priority—aside from the war.”

“Really? I really appreciate your help, Sir Cain!” Kireua joyfully shouted.

“And I’m not sure if this will help you, but… keep in mind that His Highness the First Prince has awakened,” Cain said.

Kireua’s eyes widened.

“I should congratulate him,” Charles said while Kireua was still processing.

“…Your Majesty?”

“I know what you’re worried about, Sir Cain, but just like I told you before, I don’t want to see these children fighting over the throne. I know better than anyone else how meaningless power is.” Charles firmly answered, silencing Cain. Charles looked to Kireua. “So, Kireua, live your life doing what you want to do.”

“…Mother…” Kireua muttered.

“Your happiness is my happiness. You know what I mean, right? You’re already my proud son, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

Tears welled up in Kireua’s eyes.

Charles turned back to Cain again. “Sir Cain, I’m asking this just in case, but have you found the whereabouts of His Majesty?”

Charles didn’t really expect to hear an answer to her question since Joshua would have already returned to the imperial palace if he hadn’t run into a problem, but Cain\'s reply was quite shocking.

“…I did find his traces,” Cain quietly said.

“I-Is that true?” Charles asked in disbelief.

“But…” Cain trailed off, his face turning grim. “Don’t get too shocked by what I’m about to say.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s unclear if His Majesty is alive.”

Charles and Kireua’s eyes lost focus.