Ch.188Suppression (7)

*Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—*

“…”

That bell sound—at first it was too loud and annoying, but now I’ve gotten used to it.

No matter how noisy and unpleasant it is, it’s still less disturbing than human screams.

“Are they… gone?”

Judging by how the various sounds from just beyond the door have quieted down, the intruders seem to have moved far away.

Should I leave now?

The soldiers on duty would have known that I entered the palace through the back gate, but considering that intruders came in through the same gate shortly after, those soldiers likely fell before they could properly report my arrival.

This means His Majesty probably doesn’t know I’m in the palace right now, or even if he does, there’s a significant chance he doesn’t know where I am.

If I stay put, the rescue team will arrive late.

‘Just hiding until this situation ends wouldn’t be a bad choice, but…’

The problem is the fire.

I’ve been hearing people screaming about a fire outside, and with the acrid smell and smoke, it’s certain that the palace is burning.

If things go wrong and the fire spreads here… I don’t even want to imagine what happens next.

“…Alright, let’s go.”

I should move quickly along the shortest route to the back gate.

Besides, there are plenty of places to hide along the way—rooms, furniture, and such—so if I encounter any intruders, I can hide just like I’m doing now.

*Creeeeak—*

In this era, fire is a terrifying disaster capable of easily destroying entire cities and palaces. Ellen, understanding this reality, prioritizes escaping the burning palace over hiding from intruders.

After carefully opening the door and looking around to confirm the corridor is empty, Ellen offers a brief prayer for the soldiers lying on the floor, fulfilling her duty before promptly leaving the room.

……….

“Your Highness!!”

“Oh, you’re safe!”

Louis and his group, who had to detour due to the royal guard’s fierce counterattack, rendezvous with the separate unit they had infiltrated through another route.

Unlike Louis’s group, who attracted attention and forced their way through the palace’s main gate, the separate unit infiltrated through different routes and hadn’t engaged with the royal guard.

“Though you entered through the back door, it seems you’ve had a few battles.”

“Yes, we dealt with several soldiers stationed at the back gate or patrolling inside the palace.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean they hadn’t fought at all—just that they hadn’t faced the royal guard.

Louis, wondering if they had avoided combat altogether since they appeared unharmed, resolves his curiosity upon seeing the blood on their swords and the dents in their armor.

“Soldiers? Were they guarding any important figures?”

“No, sir. The alarm had only just sounded, and they were minimally armed, suggesting they were merely palace patrol guards.”

“Hmm… That means no important person went through the back gate.”

“Correct.”

Despite creating multiple separate units to infiltrate in case the tyrant tried to escape through back doors or side entrances… tsk.

The remaining possibilities are… either the tyrant is still in the palace under the protection of the royal guard, or he managed to slip away undetected by the separate units.

“You didn’t miss any exits, did you?”

“No, sir. We deployed units to all exits shown on the map we secured beforehand.”

“…”

That map is certainly reliable.

Even I relied heavily on it just now to bypass or evade the royal guards inside the palace.

This means the tyrant is still somewhere in this palace.

There could be secret exits not shown on the map, but that’s too much of an unknown, and without any evidence to determine the existence of such exits, we can’t consider it in the current situation.

“The royal guard is primarily stationed on the third floor, which means the tyrant is likely there. Everyone, let’s claim honor and glory!!”

“Yes, sir!!”

Besides, if the tyrant had successfully escaped, those fanatical royal guards wouldn’t still be primarily stationed on the third floor.

The most important person in a country is its ruler. Even if there were other things to protect in the palace, if the monarch had successfully escaped, the royal guards would have followed him.

…Good. Although things have become slightly complicated because the royal guard’s resistance was unexpectedly fierce and powerful, we still have a good chance of success.

……….

“…Ellen isn’t there?”

“No, Your Majesty. According to the university security, she left work an hour ago.”

Having safely escaped the palace through a secret passage, the soldier sent to find Ellen at the university returned with troubling news.

Ellen had already left work.

‘Could she have… returned to the palace?’

No, even if she finished work, there’s no reason for her to go straight back to the palace.

She could be shopping or taking a walk—there are many possibilities.

“Do you know where Ellen went?”

“Well… it seems she went to the palace. There are witness accounts of her heading in that direction.”

‘…Damn it.’

My optimistic assumptions instantly fade.

If Ellen arrived at the palace after the commotion began, the soldiers would have prevented her from entering a palace full of intruders, so she’d be safe. But if she entered before the commotion started… No.

“How many troops can we use immediately?”

“Excluding the royal guard currently engaged in battle at the palace, there are about 1,000 soldiers protecting Dijon’s outer walls. The reserve forces we prepared are closer to Beaune, so they can’t be used immediately.”

A small number, but sufficient to stop a few intruders.

With major battles currently taking place in the Beaune plains near Dijon, most important forces are deployed there, making rapid mobilization slightly difficult.

If we conscript Dijon citizens and gather all nearby stationed soldiers, we could muster about 3,000 more, but since they can’t be used immediately, they’re irrelevant for now.

“Good, move all the soldiers guarding the outer walls to the palace. We need to eliminate the intruders quickly to—”

*BOOM!!*

“—…huh.”

Just then, from the direction of the city gates, there comes a sound like the earth itself is trembling, accompanied by the shouts of countless people fighting.

Are these Duke Vermand’s soldiers who pretended to be heading to Beaune?

Well, if that bastard had intended to act with just his escort, there would have been no reason to bring soldiers along.

“It seems we can’t use the soldiers guarding the outer walls.”

“Your Majesty! You must escape Dijon immediately!!”

According to reports from a few hours ago, Duke Vermand’s forces numbered about 3,000.

Compared to our 1,000 defensive troops guarding the outer walls, they outnumber us three to one, but they’re attacking while we’re defending.

The gates… good, they’re well closed.

“Enough. How long will we keep fleeing? One escape is sufficient, and Dijon, with its loyal subjects, is the safest place.”

Although some of Duke Vermand’s soldiers managed to enter due to the surprise attack, Dijon’s gates are designed to close by dropping from above when the ropes are cut, preventing more from entering.

Our defensive forces can handle this much.

Above all, unless they have siege weapons like we do, the gates won’t be breached within minutes. Besides, abandoning the capital would damage our legitimacy, which must be avoided. With rebels already causing trouble, we can’t afford to further undermine our legitimacy.

“Conscript the citizens, arm them from the armory. I will return to the palace.”

The intruders are targeting me, so if they learn I’m outside the palace, they’ll immediately come out. If Ellen is still inside the palace, I can rescue her during that opportunity.

Someone who wants to preserve their life while achieving their goals would rather hold out in the palace than rush out to capture me, but since this madman is using his own life as a chess piece, the probability of him choosing the latter is overwhelmingly high.

“Your Majesty!!”

“You just barely escaped from the palace, and now you’re going back?!”

Of course, this sounds terrible to the soldiers who have a duty to keep me safe and to my family who want to ensure my safety.

The guards, Ines, and Chloe all call out to me in shock.

“I’m not going inside the palace, but rather drawing attention outside to lure the intruders out. What you’re thinking won’t happen.”

“But you’re still revealing your location to the enemy!”

“It doesn’t matter if they know my location. They were only able to enter the palace because we were caught by surprise. The royal guard are closer to knights than soldiers in their skill, and they outnumber the intruders.”

Having escaped with my family through the secret passage as soon as the incident occurred, I don’t know how things have progressed since, but I know from reports at the time that the royal guard vastly outnumbered the intruders and were successfully holding them back.

The intruders, composed of Duke Vermand’s knights, are individually skilled, but my royal guard, whom I’ve cultivated with great care, are equally formidable. Even if the intruders know my location, they cannot breach the wall of royal guards to reach me.

“Why… why must you deliberately show yourself? Is it because of that woman again?”

Ines’s eyes tremble. She seems to believe Ellen is the cause of my decision and is greatly angered by this.

“…It would be a lie to say that’s not part of it, but that’s not the only reason. We need to deal with the palace intruders as quickly as possible, and this is the most effective way.”

In essence, I am the bait.

In an absolute monarchy where a single monarch represents the government, the monarch is not just extremely attractive bait—he’s the ultimate, irresistible prize.

If I reveal myself after preparing traps along the path to me, that madman will have to leave the palace and come toward me, even if he suspects there are traps.