Chapter 28 (1/2)

The Princess and the Captain of the Order of the Knights

As soon as Scott F. Lands, commander of the 6th company, entered his dimly-lit bedroom, he heard something zipping through the air. The next moment sharp pain ran up the back of his hand. He immediately knew it was broken. Unable to see the enemy, he quickly turned back and out into the corridor. He felt a sting on his right thigh, and though it didn't break his bones this time, it was enough to send him rolling on the floor.

「Who goes there?!」

With only his arms, he dragged his body and hid behind the wall. His a.s.sailant was in his room.

How is this even possible? This is the fourth floor!

Scott lived alone on the fourth floor of an apartment building. His place was quite big, but he would know if the main door was opened. Yet he didn't hear anything - which meant that the intruder might have come in through the window.

Did he climb the walls? But they're made of smooth stone. Besides, I don't have valuables here. I've never heard of an attack in the n.o.bles district before!

To get to the n.o.bles district, one would have to pa.s.s through the First and Second residential areas. Not only was it difficult to climb over the walls, but the inspection was extremely strict as well. A series of questions sprang up in Scott's mind: Why me? How'd he get in here? What did he throw at me?

「Knights, huh? What a joke.」

The intruder spoke. Scott gave a start. He didn't expect his a.s.sailant would speak. One more thing bothered him. The voice didn't sound like it was coming from an adult.

「Who are you? Do you have any idea who I am?」

「A knight, right?」

「Do you know what happens if you attack a knight?」

「Do tell. Even if you all come at me at once, you can't defeat me.」

「You sure are confident. Where does all that s.p.u.n.k come from?」

Scott's gaze darted around. There should be a magic device to notify the Order of an emergency in the next room…

「Confident… Well, yes. Why would I be scared of someone who's just running around with tail tucked between their legs and not even fighting back?」

「Fight back? Oh, you mean you attacked me just now? I'm sorry, but I didn't even feel anything.」

Scott moved, limping slowly.

「I went easy on you so you don't get fatally injured. Is there something in the next room?」

Scott caught his breath, surprised the intruder guessed right even though he was hiding behind the wall.

「Are you going to call your friends? Go ahead. I'm out of here, anyway.」

「What?!」

Enduring the pain, Scott turned back to his bedroom and peered inside. A figure, illuminated by the moonlight and wearing a black cloak that seemed to suck in the light around him, stood on the window frame. His face was silver - he was wearing a mask of the Sun G.o.d.

「Stop right there! What are you af—?!」

Before Scott could finish, the boy jumped down, out of the room. Scott dragged his feet to the window, but by the time he peered down below, no one was there. All that was left in the room were two pebbles.

The morning sun shone on the royal castle. The huge structure, built using white stones that possessed both beauty and st.u.r.diness, glowed golden in the morning, glistened white during the day, and burned crimson in the evening twilight. A man was walking at a brisk pace to a room deep inside the building. The Order of the Knights' captain, Lawrence.

「Captain! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here so early in the morning?」

The grand chamberlain, an elderly man, greeted the captain in front of the room. A dazzling door, with gold ornaments stood behind him. From his position, it was as if he was guarding the person beyond the door.

「I would like to request an audience with His Majesty.」

「I don't recall you having an appointment with him.」

「It's an emergency.」

「I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave.」

「It's an emergency.」

「I see. I must ask you to leave.」

「Chamberlain, I'm telling you it's an urgent matter.」

「I hear you. There are a lot of people like you who claim to have an urgent matter to be discussed with His Majesty. The king is a busy man. Times like this when he could take his meal in peace is precious to him so he could rest his mind.」

Before the old man could say any more, voices of young girls came from within the room. The king was most likely ”resting his mind”. The chamberlain simply shot a glance at the door. This was a usual occurrence apparently.

「Please. I just want a little bit of his time.」

「Captain. You may excel in combat, and the leader of the powerful Order of Knights, but I will not tolerate such rude behavior.」

「The kingdom is in danger.」

「And the kingdom will be in danger as well if His Majesty is agitated and doesn't get his rest.」

The captain let out a creepy chuckle, his brows furrowed.

「Then I'll wait here.」

「You will only cause trouble.」

The chamberlain cast a glance at the king's bodyguards, prompting them to move. Unrelated to the Order, they belonged to a different division - the king's private army. There were various forces within the kingdom at the moment, making the chain of command complicated. The Order of the Knights more or less was at the center. Under it was the regular army. The Ministry of Military Affairs managed the regular army which numbered around 10,000 as opposed to the Order with only over 500 men. The king's private army was a different organization altogether.

「Do you really think three small fries can make me move?」

The three jumped to their feet the moment Lawrence glanced at them. They were men chosen only by their looks and social standing, who hadn't undergone any decent training, believing that danger couldn't possibly come to the king.

「Captain, any more of this insolent behavior and I will report it to His Majesty.」

「There's danger lurking about!」

The captain raised his voice, and the chamberlain shuddered, his face growing pale. Heavy silence descended upon them.

「What's with all the ruckus so early in the morning?」