Chapter 54: 54
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little more?”
“I’ve had enough rest.”
“I can handle it on my own without you. Marquis Laird will assist me too.”
“But wouldn’t it be better if I took the lead? With a valid reason, our private soldiers will follow more willingly.”
Zion could use the reason of avenging his fiancée.
Having a reason would boost the soldiers’ morale and give other nobles a reason to be convinced, even if only slightly.
“You’re not wrong… but if you take the lead, I’ll have to provide the troops. You have no experience commanding soldiers, do you?”
“Then could you assign an experienced knight to assist me? I just need the troops.”
“Hmm… They might lag behind you.”
“I will adjust to the soldiers’ pace. If you allow it, I would like to combine my family’s soldiers with Marquis Laird’s to annihilate those bastards.”
“You want to use Marquis Laird’s soldiers too?”
“If I lead, it will unify the soldiers and show the strength of our two families. If that happens, even His Majesty the King might look favorably on me and the soldiers, don’t you think?”
Robbenz nodded quietly in agreement.
With Zion leading, it would give a reason that could unify the soldiers and gain support from other nobles.
It would intimidate the enemies and possibly earn sympathy and support from the king.
In other words, Zion taking the lead would elevate the family’s authority and reputation.
“Not bad. How do you plan to eliminate them?”
“…It will take two days. I’ll locate their hideout on the first day and wipe them out the next.”
Robbenz was momentarily speechless, not even thinking to question him.
It was impossible to finish everything in just two days.
Even with the city guards and security forces, locating the hideout quickly would be a challenge.
The rebels likely knew this and had prepared or already hidden themselves.
“I understand your intentions, but it’s impossible. There’s not enough time, and if we move hastily, they might escape.”
“They must have a base. If we attack there, we can find the locations of other hideouts.”
“So that’s why you said two days?”
“Yes, once the locations are confirmed, we can finish it in a day.”
“…Can you handle it? A mistake could complicate matters further.”
“I’ll find the main base by today.”
Zion answered confidently.
Though not all, he knew the locations of several hideouts.
This was information the protagonist uncovered in the original story, also altered by a betraying rebel leader.
‘The characters and settings are the same.’
It’s easy to slightly modify the content under the same conditions.
But if the conditions are changed, the entire narrative will be twisted.
The background, characters, and flow are somewhat fixed, so any excessive changes would be quickly noticed.
‘One of the two must be correct.’
The rebels had two main bases in the capital.
The hideouts were indirectly connected to these two main bases.
Even by capturing just the main bases, they could apprehend all the rebels in the capital.
‘Even if both are wrong, it’s fine.’
There were other suspected locations.
All were used as rebel hideouts, and their scale was quite large.
With the city guards or security forces positioned in advance, they could respond immediately.
“Did you get permission from Marquis Laird?”
“Since I’m staying at Duke Adelaira’s mansion, I thought I’d seek permission here first.”
“…Marquis Laird might feel slighted.”
“The lord will understand.”
Robbenz smiled and then his expression turned serious.
Normally, one should seek permission from their father, regardless of title or age.
Yet, Zion came to him first, which made him feel somewhat proud.
“If you insist on taking the lead, I can’t stop you. Do as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, as a matter of etiquette, you should visit Marquis Laird yourself. I could go, but that wouldn’t be right.”
“Understood. I’ll go right away.”
“Take care.”
Zion bowed and quickly left.
Robbenz smiled faintly, feeling a small sense of anticipation.
‘If he considered me an outsider, he wouldn’t have come to me first. Does he already see me as his father-in-law?’
* * *
The capital of Alain Kingdom, Shagnod.
On the surface, it was a licensed gambling den frequented by wealthy nobles and merchants.
Since its establishment, it had never faced any restrictions, but in reality, it was cautious to hide its secrets.
Moreover, it was a central base for the rebels, using gambling to gradually fund themselves while maintaining a perfect cover.
“Is everything sorted?”
“Yes, the important documents have been taken away… We just need to burn these.”
In the underground of Shagnod, a rebel hideout was hidden.
The order for all rebels in the capital to evacuate had been issued, and now only a few were left to clean up the hideout.
Ideally, they should have finished before the enemy attack, but due to the urgent order, the sequence was reversed.
“I still don’t understand. Why did we create such a mess?”
“…We just follow orders.”
“I know that. But if we mess up, we’re the ones in danger, right? If we had a bit more time, everyone could have escaped safely.”
“With that mindset, you can’t get anything done.”
Some rebels had guessed the reason.
A recent mission had failed, and there were rumors that someone had been provoked.
They were likely evacuating in haste due to that someone and their backing forces.
“No one here doesn’t know the reason. We should have evacuated earlier, but we’re in danger now because we delayed.”
“A noble family got involved. The palace is also investigating. They anticipated this and gave the orders. The problem is what comes next.”
“Why the hell did they target a swordsman who can use aura? It was faulty intelligence that led to this mess, wasn’t it?”
“……”
Most rebels probably thought the same.
Faulty orders, mission failure, comrades killed during the mission, unexpected strong opponents, and the potential for retaliation.
The leaders must have known but took too long to make an appropriate decision.
“This mission too. Why target the eldest daughter of Duke Adelaira?”
“They thought it would be easy since she was outside the capital. But they failed, and the leaders made a different decision after discussions.”
“Are you saying we should have run away by now?”
“They probably lured that swordsman to act first.”
“…Why would they do that?”
“A swordsman who can use aura would rely on his strength and act recklessly. His fiancée was attacked, so he’d act emotionally… If anyone disobeys orders, it disrupts the command structure, buying time.”
“Ah… Now that you mention it, it makes sense. It would be trickier since he’s a noble too.”
“They can’t leave it alone, so Duke Adelaira and Marquis Laird will get dragged in. Then the city guards and security forces…”
From upstairs came the sound of something breaking, followed by the rush of many footsteps.
The two rebels looked at each other and quickly moved to gather a pile of documents.
Even if they were captured, they couldn’t let these documents be taken.
“…Don’t move.”
From the secret passage connected to the underground, dozens of knights appeared.
Upstairs, there were sounds of people rushing down.
It was likely the noble families’ soldiers or the city guards.
“Ugh!”
One rebel tried to reach the brazier but was struck by an arrow, collapsing instantly.
The other could only swallow dryly, glancing nervously.
“Move again, and it won’t be just an arrow.”
A young man stepped forward from among the knights.
The fallen rebel looked up at him with difficulty.
His purple eyes gleamed with clear hostility amidst his silver hair.
“…Search.”
“Yes, sir!”
At the young man’s command, the knights scattered, starting their search.
They first seized the documents the rebels were holding and thoroughly searched their bodies.
They also rummaged through desks, drawers, and trash cans, trying to find what they wanted.
“This is everything.”
“……”
Zion checked the documents one by one, tossing each to the floor.
However, none of the information he sought was there.
The documents had likely been disposed of or hidden in an inaccessible place.
“If you give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll spare you. If not…”
Zion drew his sword and pressed it to the rebel’s neck.
The fallen rebel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his leg.
He knew Zion was trying to extract information about the rebels.
“You’ll be begging me to kill you. There are many ways to get information even without you.”
There was no need to use Exceed Rain.
If he used Exceed Rain, they’d die too easily.
Using an ordinary sword was better to get the answers he wanted.
“Where are the other hideouts?”
“……”
“I’ll ask again. Where are the other hideouts?”
“I don’t kno—Aaargh!”
Zion swung his sword without hesitation.
A shallow cut appeared on the left wrist, the wound opening up.
Blood flowed from the cut, but Zion didn’t even glance at it.
“Stop the bleeding.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knights tied a tourniquet above the wound and quickly bandaged it.
But immediate healing wasn’t possible, and the pain remained.
“Next time, I’ll cut deeper. Where are the other hideouts?”
“Ugh…”
“I’m asking for the last time. Where are the other hideouts?”
“I don’t… know… Aaargh!”
Another cut appeared with the answer.
This one was deeper than the previous one, and there was more blood.
But Zion kept repeating the same words.
“Stop the bleeding.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knights stopped the bleeding again and stepped back.
Zion stared coldly and spoke quietly.
“Next, I’ll cut off a finger. Then the wrist, the shoulder, the leg, the waist. The heart will be the last. One more time. Where are the other hideouts?”