Chapter 217

(217)

The seasoned administrative officer and field marshal began to contemplate victory once more.

Valenciaunos withdrew from the front lines for the time being.

Of course, Infiltrators and other beings rushed in.

“How dare you!”

“Shut that filthy mouth!”

Tenitia swung Hwanhan, and Rudi fired a magical canon that split a head open.

After retreating to the Imperial Palace, he summoned messengers and began to issue orders.

“First, the Silver Knight Order is to return. After swapping their equipment from bombardment to aerial combat, tend to the wounded and prepare to redeploy. They will deal with the flying invaders.”

Matheos quickly spoke up.

“I will order healing priests to the Wyvernfit.”

“Thank you, Saint.”

The messengers, with determined expressions, mounted their horses and dashed off.

Valenciaunos strived to avert his gaze from their backs and spoke.

“And focus on the evacuation of the residents. This is not a situation where we can control the power of magic.”

A black iron knight, running out of breath, bowed his head to Valenciaunos.

“We simply do not have enough manpower with just the Constable and the Black Iron Knight Order.”

“I will order the return of the Platinum Knight Order. The entry into the Magical Realms will be postponed, and they will assist in the evacuation until the Brass Knight Order enters the capital.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The orders of the Emperor’s advisor and the commander of the Knights were communicated throughout the capital by the messengers, who threw themselves into danger.

Receiving a light signal, the leader of the Silver Knight Order took a deep breath.

“Evacuating the citizens. A noble judgment. However, if this continues, the hunting of the invaders will have to be postponed. I still don’t know what your plan is.”

The leader of the Platinum Knight Order, with a more relaxed expression, dashed towards his comrades.

“Barbatos!”

“Yes, why are you here?”

“It’s a competition to see who can collect more heads! Let’s determine today who is the sharpest sword of the Emperor!”

At the provocation of the white knight, the giant knight snorted.

“Don’t regret it!”

The giant knight swung his battle hammer.

Bang!

The neck of a human-shaped Infiltrator collapsed, and its head buried itself into its chest.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

The white knight twirled his sword and struck, causing a beast-shaped Infiltrator to roll on the ground, its limbs severed.

“This is just the beginning!”

With the giant knight’s roar, black iron knights raised their swords all over the street.

* * *

“Don’t fall!”

“Don’t overdo it. The order is just to buy time!”

“The Constables, focus on evacuating the citizens!”

“What is the biggest problem right now? Speak up!”

“The issue is where to direct the refugees. They’re gathered on the outskirts of the city, but they’re milling about there!”

“Your Highness Valenciaunos! The situation—”

There were large gates to the north, south, east, and west in the capital, and there were barely any houses near the northern gate, which was obstructed by the Imperial Palace.

Thus, the citizens were primarily gathered near the eastern, southern, and western gates.

The door leading to the Ivory Tower special district was also on the western side, but it was tightly shut and would not open.

As Valenciaunos quickly pondered upon hearing the reports,

‘One of the eastern or southern gates must be left clear. That way, Helena and the knights coming from the central region can enter the capital.’

The official population of Silentalouon was about 400,000, commonly accepted to be around 500,000, but in reality, it exceeded 600,000.

If so many people blocked the gates, there would be no way for the knights to enter.

“I’ll clear the eastern gate.”

“The eastern side has a river, so the knights from the central region will have to cross a bridge.”

“Exactly. If that many people use the bridge, it will collapse, turning them all into fish food. Then no one can leave, and the knights from the central region cannot enter.”

“Ah.”

The knight looked impressed.

A messenger who had rushed alongside them said apologetically, “There’s word that we might be attacked by Infiltrators while moving.”

Valenciaunos squinted as he recalled the areas of the capital.

“Yes. That’s right.”

Both the Platinum Knight Order and the Black Iron Knights all rushed north from the Imperial Palace to the central canal.

The areas where citizens were moving on the southeastern section had few knights and many monsters.

Of course, the holy knights of the cathedral were present, but they were insufficient to evacuate the citizens around the church.

Moreover, they couldn’t send the Platinum Knights and Black Iron Knights over there.

“Fight to the end!”

“We have the Imperial Palace at our backs!”

“Get up, Sir Bonnel! Have you forgotten where your sister is?”

At that moment, they were fighting with their backs turned to the Imperial Palace, which housed their families, and thus, despite being massively outnumbered, they did not take a step back.

If they pulled people away now and the palace fell, then there would come a time when they would have to worry about the knights’ disobedience.

Therefore,

Valenciaunos coldly commanded,

“This is a battle of timing. Let them in. The knights from the central region will enter through the eastern gate, while the citizens will evacuate through the southern and western gates.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Nine messengers ran towards the various gates.

Valenciaunos noted that the control numbers on their badges were all different.

‘It was in teams of three. That means I sent almost thirty people. Have only nine returned?’

He briefly thought that he would have to send something to the families of the messengers later through Hadrian.

“Valenciaunos!”

“Hadrian?”

The treasurer Hadrian rushed down from beneath the Imperial Palace.

“You can’t do that! You must not open the southern and western gates!”

His white hair was disheveled, his clothing wrinkled, and blood was flowing from his forehead.

His usual glasses even had cracks in the lenses.

Yet in his blue eyes, there was a chill sharper than usual.

“What do you mean?”

“The calculations just came in. A potential 35,000 additional people would become Infiltrators. If they exit the capital and make their way to other cities in the central region or to the governor provinces, then within a month, that could balloon to a maximum of 850,000.”

“!”

“You know this better than I do, but leading up to your oath of loyalty, various Infiltrator cults have tried everything possible to send people to the capital. There are suspiciously abundant funds, but the merchant groups that have popped up everywhere have no activity records.”

He was a professional who had counted the world in numbers.

“The moment the gates are opened, those people will make contact with them. They are people who have lost their homes and families, steeped in despair. If we let them out of the gates, ten times as many Infiltrators will be born than those who’ve died today.”

“……”

“Bread can’t be burned, undercooked, or kneaded; it must be finished inside the capital. This must be the last evacuation of the combat zone. Opening the gates must not happen!”

“……”

“You are a great lord of the Empire, and I am the treasurer of the Empire. Think not just of Silentalouon but of numerous cities and governor provinces. You must lead them!”

* * *

Konel was a disabled person, a poor person, a girl, and a human with barely any heterogeneous blood mixed in.

She had risen from the bottom of imperial society to become a member of the council, and she had one wish.

“I won’t let anyone be abandoned! Maintain the distance! We must avoid trampling!”

“Lady Konel, the Infiltrators are approaching.”

“……Can we demolish the building number five on block two? We can use that to block the way.”

“That building was an eight-story stone building you cherished… Understood.”

“I have only humans. I must save people.”

It was too humble to call a dream, too grand to call a belief.

She had bore witness to people stabbing one another for money and drugs since childhood.

Now the streets were wealthy enough to build buildings.

The money that came was a result; the process was people.

People helped people, and as people began to trust one another, it had come to this.

She too had come to that point because she believed that she would make their lives better.

“Followers of God Amon, I permit complete mutation. This is no time to look good to anyone.”

“I will remain with the elite guard. Your safety is paramount.”

“Then I will go to the front line.”

“!”

Thus, what she believed in was not the goodness of people, but the desire for goodwill.

“This is bad! Lady Konel, the western gate is not opening.”

“What do you mean?”

“They say it cannot be opened under any circumstances until orders come from the Imperial Palace.”

“That can’t be! You should understand the situation here best!”

In that alley, something thrust its head out.

Creeeak! The sound came as an Infiltrator revealed itself.

Horribly shaped birds were flying in the sky.

Konel was a clever girl, sharp enough to understand what not opening the gates in this situation meant.

It meant that Duke Valencius had decided to keep the gates closed.

“Ahhh!”

“Infiltrators!”

“Hold my hand tightly!”

People rushed towards the gates, while the soldiers on the city wall with pulleys controlled the narrow stairs, pushing people back.

“Ah.”

Konel raised the electric ring that Sererassie had made to the sky, letting her hands drop.

“His Highness cares little for a few people like us. He must have spent his entire life looking up and never to the side or beneath.”

Just when she was about to move with the elite guard, standing at the back until the end.

“Get a grip!”

The shout of an old noble rang in her ears.

“Fire!”

The soldiers of the old noble drew arrows soaked in holy water, and the falling Infiltrator birds spread their four wings as they ascended back into the sky.

“What does it mean if a council member gives up first? You better think about what you’re planning to say while alive. You lot, common council members, aren’t like us—you’re burdened by the desires of others!”

“Who are you…?”

He was a court noble who fought with Konel on a daily basis in the Capital Council.

He was also someone who viewed her self-defense law as a thorn in his side.

“That law is quite reassuring right now. Get a grip and control those people. If we push each other and someone gets trampled, they’ll die before they ever exit.”

Konel looked around.

“Waaah!”

“Konel! I’m here!”

Noble representatives belonging to her faction gathered together, leading self-defense teams and controlling citizens.

Behind them, followers of God Amon were in chaos, trying to control the confused citizens.

“Don’t push!”

“String the iron ropes here!”

“Make signs with luminescent reagent!”

Konel headed toward the gates with the elite guard.

Standing on a wooden crate, she raised her battle prayer to Amon and shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Everyone! You can all evacuate safely! The self-defense teams and the soldiers of the court nobles will protect you! So trust one another and move slowly!”

She did not believe in goodwill.

Her life was too intense to believe in such things.

Yet because of that, she believed in the strength of the desire for goodwill among people.

“You there! Get off your horse! Are you thinking of trampling all these people?!”

“I am a rider of the Emperor! I carry a message from Duke Valencius! Clear the way!”

Upon closer inspection, he was not a madman who came riding in this situation, but an imperial messenger with one arm torn off.

Konel led him, guided by the werewolf elite guard, to the soldiers at the gates.

“By order of Duke Valencius, open the gates!”

Her faith was rewarded.

‘Ah.’

Konel thought as she heard the thunderous roar.

‘Do those who live calculating evil also wish for goodwill?’

Valenciaunos did not betray Konel.

* * *

The same events unfolded at the northern and southern gates.

“We’re alive now!”

“Everyone, let’s get out!”

“Thank you, knights!”

Valenciaunos sent the Silver Knight Order not to defend the skies but to aid citizens moving from the eastern gate towards the southern one.

Students and citizens near the Street of Learning, relatively closer to the northern gate, were directed entirely towards it.

At this time, Jin and the student council members displayed skills that could hardly be seen as those of students.

“I caught a giant spider!”

“Move aside!”

“Isn’t that a technique that shortens your lifespan?”

“Noblesse Oblige! My father is also evacuating citizens right now, and I can’t let him down!”

“Is the Swordsmanship Department slacking off? Keep the lines steady!”

Though some among them did not know the full story.

“President! Your eyes-”

The president chosen by Valenciaunos succeeded in using even that.

“Something entered a while ago. I can’t see well, but has anything changed?”

“Your pupils have turned yellow.”

“Damn it. It’s the same color as the royals. Let’s get out first.”

Jin, while sending students out, thought.

Standing at the dark pinnacle of the Street of Learning, at that moment, he felt pure gratitude.

‘Duke Your Highness, thank you for saving us.’

And thus, towards the wide road in front of the eastern city gate.

“Let’s go!”

Helena, the knights from the central region, and the great lords who had pitched their tents outside the city entered.

‘Huh?’

Valenciaunos thought as he looked at their banners.

‘You shouldn’t be here.’