Chapter 114

Aivert turned to look at Rodella, who had just spoken.  

Then, as if realizing what she meant, he spoke.  

“Of course, he’s a master of strategy, so even with only the chancellor’s knights, they should be able to hold them off to some extent. The enemy knights will probably start out claiming they only came for the assassin, acting all restrained.”  

But if things didn’t go their way, they’d show their true colors.  

Rodella thought the same. However—  

“No, I don’t mean strategy. It’s because Sir Latine is going to be there.”  

“What?”  

The man wasn’t allowed anywhere near a knight, much less a knight order’s headquarters or branch. How could Rodella possibly know where he had gone?  

Of course, if Latine Modilac decided to conceal his whereabouts, it was obvious no one could track him.  

So if her words were true, it made sense that even Royden wouldn’t know.  

But how did Rodella—  

Ah.  

Aivert seemed to have come to some conclusion, and Rodella said, “Even if he didn’t go there on his own, the chancellor must have called for him. He might have hidden his identity, but still.”  

In any case, it was certain they’d be together.  

Sensing her certainty, Aivert tilted his head.  

“And the reason you’re so sure?”  

“Well, that’s obvious.”  

Rodella answered as if it were self-evident.  

“The chancellor likes Sir Latine. I bet they meet often.”  

“……?”  

Aivert’s face went oddly blank, something rare for him.  

“What?”  

“When I heard about his dismissal, I thought the chancellor might be upset, so I told her she should go see Latine.”  

Rodella opened her hands.  

“But who could’ve guessed something like this would happen…?”  

It wasn’t just a stroke of luck in misfortune—it was the kind of luck that blew the misfortune away entirely.  

Was there even an assassin alive who could break through Modilac’s sword?  

Even if the enemy knights came in force, could they defeat the Commander?  

“When the chancellor’s in danger, Sir Latine will rescue her, and when Sir Latine’s having a hard time, he’ll be with the chancellor and understand his heart.”  

Rodella’s eyes sparkled. Then she asked Aivert,  

“What do you think? Am I like a love fairy?”  

The love fairy in imperial legend did happen to have black hair like Rodella’s.  

But Aivert was sure.  

“No. Not at all.”  

You’re not it.  

For some reason, a twisted feeling welled up inside him, and he blurted it out without thinking.  

Rodella blinked.  

“Why?”  

“For one thing, you can’t know their feelings.”  

And more than that—you never even knew mine.  

Aivert swallowed the rest of his words. That was when Rodella spoke.  

“How could I not? The chancellor only smiles when she sees Sir Latine. Not the fake smile, but a real happy one.”  

Hearing that, Aivert said without thinking,  

“I only smiled when I saw you.”  

If you were a love fairy, you’d have known that too.  

Rodella’s eyes went wide at his words.  

* * *

Sir Latine’s usual daily life as Commander of the Azure Knights was very busy.  

More precisely, the role of Commander wasn’t so busy in itself—but if you counted his hidden occupations, then it was extremely so.  

As an “unnamed mercenary,” he had to swiftly handle dangerous monsters that were hard to catch, and as a “legendary blacksmith,” he had to maintain weapons as well.  

And on top of all that, he had to stay in the Azure Knights’ headquarters whenever there was trouble, all while hiding his identity. That drained his mental energy and left him little time for proper sleep.  

So the sudden dismissal was frustrating enough to drive him mad—  

But on the other hand, it meant he finally had some rare free time.  

Including the chance to chat with a friend he rarely saw.  

“Hm.”  

Well, up until just a moment ago, it had been a break.  

Sitting in Ameris’s favorite rocking chair, he suddenly opened his eyes.  

Turning his gaze to the window, he raised an eyebrow slightly.  

Several suspicious presences were approaching.  

“The sound of armor clinking…”  

Knights. If a knight order of this size moved without permission, they could be charged with mobilizing forces unlawfully. Which meant they were probably—  

Either the Azure Knights or the Red Knights.  

“They’re not my guys.”  

Why would I give them such low-grade armor that it rattles like that?  

Concluding they were Red Knights, Latine rose to his feet.  

“Latine?”  

Ameris, who had been working, turned toward him.  

“Some strange people are coming toward the manor.”  

“What?”  

The news reached Ameris soon enough.  

While Latine was frowning at the Red Knights’ presence blocking the entrance to the chancellor’s manor—  

The butler rushed in with a report.  

“His Majesty was attacked by an assassin!”  

“What?”  

And that wasn’t the only shocking news.  

“Duke Benerix threw himself in the way to block the assassin, but the man disappeared in this direction.”  

Ameris and Latine locked eyes.  

They had the same thought.  

A setup.  

“And the Red Knights are trying to get in?”  

“Y-Yes… excuse me?”  

The butler, not realizing Latine was there, jumped in surprise at the sudden voice.  

Latine rose and waved at him.  

“They are, right?”  

The butler glanced at Ameris, who nodded.  

It meant: keep reporting.  

“Yes. They’re insisting we open the gate, accusing us of hiding the assassin.”  

“And if you don’t open it?”  

Latine asked. Ameris answered that one.  

“…They’ll try to force it open.”  

“Use force, then?”  

Latine dusted off his hands and said, “I’ll go out and talk to them.”  

Given the mood, “talk” basically meant a fight.  

“That’ll just make things more complicated.”  

Ameris immediately objected.  

“The Commander of the Azure Knights—”  

Guessing what she was about to say, Latine cut her off.  

“I don’t have the Azure Knights with me right now, and I’m dismissed from my post. I’m just Latine Modilac.”  

It was true, but still—  

“That doesn’t mean it won’t be a problem.”  

“So the Red Knights barging into the chancellor’s manor is fine?”  

“That’s…”  

Ameris pressed a hand to her forehead.  

Duke Benerix had practically staked everything on this.  

If he wanted to avoid the Royden faction’s and the Emperor’s faction’s information networks and move quickly, he would’ve had to plan the operation only with his closest associates, executing it fast.  

Naturally, that meant many holes in the plan, and if it failed, he would lose everything.  

Those holes would leak evidence like a sieve.  

The problem was, it had been such a bold move that, up to now, everything had somehow fit together just enough to roll forward.  

Somewhere, someone had to smash the wheel entirely to stop it.  

But…  

“Mm.”  

Ameris groaned.  

This was a complete blunder.  

Benerix had originally been a man who wanted to take the empire intact.  

He didn’t want to start a war to seize the throne—he wanted a “compelling reason” for the Emperor to abdicate or pass the throne to the next heir.  

That way, he could absorb not only the noble faction but also the neutral nobles, and even members of the Emperor’s faction who had only lightly tied themselves to it would follow the trend.  

The few remaining Emperor loyalists would then be isolated or share the Emperor’s fate. It was, for Duke Benerix, the best possible outcome.  

That was why he had slowly devoured imperial offices piece by piece.  

But once the size of the Royden faction was revealed, he changed course completely.  

She had thought it might happen eventually—but this quickly…  

At that moment—  

Thud!

There was a heavy stomp, as if the Red Knights were about to smash down the door.  

Even from a distance, the sound of metal clashing—armor and weapons—rang loud and clear because of their numbers.  

It was an overwhelming show of pressure.  

“You going to open the door for people like that?”  

Latine asked. The playful smile had vanished from his face.  

“If you open the door to them, you’ll die.”  

Even if he didn’t know politics, he could smell death, and Latine said it with conviction.  

“They’re not here to save anyone or find anyone.”  

“Then maybe—”  

Ameris began, perhaps to suggest another plan—  

But Latine cut her off.  

With the killing intent in the air, there was no time for leisurely debate.  

“If you’re hesitating because you’re worried about your personal connections, I’ve thought of a way around it.”  

Those bastards just want to claim I have shady dealings with the chancellor, right?  

Latine put one foot up on the windowsill.  

“Just tell them later you weren’t going to give me anything anyway. I’ll handle the rest.”  

“But—”  

How are you going to—?  

“I’m not going to watch them point their swords at you.”  

While Ameris hesitated, Latine opened the window and jumped out.  

And in an instant, he came face-to-face with the Red Knights.