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〈 Chapter 142 〉 Reedval Mansion (2)
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“You are…”
At the mention of me being the Masked Hero, her initially wide eyes turned hostile in an instant.
The operation they had been secretly preparing was one that could lead to immediate charges of treason if ever discovered.
That’s why they had been meticulous in hiding it, yet here I was, an unfamiliar human, knowing about it.
“Where did you hear such nonsense?”
As expected, the Head of the Family started by denying it.
And it made sense, given that the fate of the entire Reedval family weighed on this conversation.
Even if that target was her sister, Gwen, she would’ve been cautious.
On the other hand, that question put me in a bit of a bind.
The reason I knew this was thanks to Sung Yoo-rang’s knowledge.
But I couldn’t reveal that to her.
“Well, that’s a bit difficult for me to disclose.”
“Was it just a guess after all?”
No, it wasn’t.
And while I couldn’t state my evidence, I could at least talk about the details of her operation.
“The Unknown Festival is the day when everyone, including the barrier, loses their light. The knights guarding the royal castle will also lose their strength. You intend to take advantage of that opportunity.”
“Anyone could guess that to some extent…”
“Yes, one wouldn’t think it would be from the royal side. You assumed that wasn’t the case and planned to infiltrate through the old underground passage instead of an all-out battle.”
“That is…”
“But what to do? The knight’s faction has anticipated even that.”
At that, the Head of the Family looked shocked.
However, she soon composed herself and retorted.
“They don’t know every passage. So a certain number of troops should manage to infiltrate the royal palace through the passages.”
“And then? What are you planning to do from there? Even if the knights of the royal palace lose their strength, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get stronger, right?”
“I know that much…!”
The Head of the Family stood up abruptly.
“We know that as well. But can you understand our desperation to clutch onto even that little possibility? If we miss this chance… we can’t save the His Highness’s life…”
“That’s understandable.”
Elsie had officially come of age this spring.
She was now eligible to inherit the throne.
And from the coup plotters’ perspective, it would be easier to manipulate a young Elsie as a puppet than the king.
“You say Elsie is here. But what does that have to do with anything?”
Sure, Elsie was here.
But Princess Ershiarah was still in the royal palace.
To be exact, she was the fake Princess Ershiarah, but the enemy knights had no way of knowing that.
“Are you mocking us even while knowing that?”
“No, I didn’t mean to mock. It’s just that the term ‘little possibility’ you used was incorrect.”
“Excuse me?”
“This operation is bound to fail if it continues like this. Everyone will die.”
At least that was how it always went with the Hundred Braves.
It was because there was something they were unaware of.
“Do you think the knights succeeded in their coup through their own strength?”
Her expression shifted to one of realization.
Yes, that’s it.
“They borrowed the power of the Demon Kings. And even now, the Demon Kings are likely still inside the royal castle.”
I had no idea how many there were.
It might be a number that even Yusera and I couldn’t handle.
But compared to facing them alone with the enemy knights, there was definitely at least some possibility of success.
“A Demon King?”
She likely had some inkling.
But she was trying hard to deny it.
If she didn’t, then they wouldn’t have any chance of winning.
“That can’t be true. No way…”
Seeing her still in denial, I said,
“You need to act like a Head of the Family.”
The moment she heard that, her eyes sharpened.
Then she sat down again and said,
“I got too worked up. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. It was a normal reaction.”
“But as the Head of the Family, I shouldn’t be acting like this.”
I wondered how many truly perfect Heads of Families there were that met her standards.
Regardless, I also had to apologize for my part in what happened.
“I apologize as well for only pointing out flaws without presenting a solution.”
At that, the Head of the Family leaned forward.
“A solution? What do you mean by that?”
“Clearly, the enemy knights alone have no winning chances. But I have a potential solution.”
Truthfully, it wasn’t a perfect solution.
There was certainly a chance it could fail.
However, from my perspective, it was undoubtedly the best option.
“What is it?”
“A frontal assault.”
As soon as I said that, her posture, which had been leaning forward, fell back.
Her expression darkened in an instant.
“What exactly did you understand from everything I’ve said until now?”
“I understood everything clearly.”
It was mostly information she already knew anyway.
“But does a frontal assault even make sense? Especially with the Demon Kings inside as you mentioned?”
I nodded and responded.
“It’s possible.”
“That’s impossible. Unless my sister brings the Rose Sword…”
“I came instead of her.”
“You are…”
“I’m a High-ranking Hero.”
I maintained a relaxed demeanor.
She seemed to slowly grasp that my words might not be false.
And she also understood that there might be hope if I was indeed a High-ranking Hero.
“It seems you’re finally ready to hear about my frontal assault plan.”
To be precise, it wasn’t solely a frontal assault plan.
But there was no reason to explain that.
I began to outline my siege plan for the Leim Kingdom.
“First, one of my allies will breach the castle wall.”
Naturally, that ally was Yusera.
I continued my explanation as the Head of the Family appeared aghast at my casual mention of collapsing the castle wall.
“The Demon Kings and I will handle them. You all take the opportunity to engage the knights inside the royal castle through the collapsed wall.”
The reason I excluded Elsie was that she had a different mission.
“You’ll be dealing with the Demon Kings?”
She looked at me as if in disbelief.
After all, I didn’t seem particularly strong on the surface.
Even if I was, I would be only slightly stronger than an average person.
But it didn’t matter.
“I defeated three Demon Kings.”
Of course, I hadn’t fought them in a fair way.
But this time, I had no intention of doing so either.
After all, within the barrier, the Demon Kings wouldn’t be able to utilize their powers properly, so I planned to exploit that to the maximum.
Even so, the success rate would seriously dwindle depending on the number of Demon Kings.
“If you say so…”
She closed her eyes as if resigning to my confidence.
“I guess I have no choice but to believe you. As I said before, this will be the last chance.”
When she opened her eyes again, there was renewed determination in them.
“But you need to deliver as much as you expect from us.”
That statement was met with an answer from Elsie, who had remained silent until now.
“Of course.”
Looking at the Head of the Family, she added,
“We want to protect the kingdom more than anyone else.”
There was a palpable intensity from her, which she usually kept somewhat hidden.
I sent a glance to Elsie.
With that, she withdrew her pressure.
Confirming that, I brought up the last unmentioned fact to the Head of the Family.
“But even so, the current enemy knight strength is insufficient.”
It was nearly impossible to defeat the remaining knights in the royal palace with just the weakened enemy knights.
I absolutely needed reinforcements.
And that was already in the plan.
“Do you think there will be anyone willing to assist with a risky operation like this?”
“I plan to mobilize the Black Knights.”
“But the Black Knights already rejected my proposal…”
Before she could finish that thought, she stopped and looked at me.
Perhaps she was starting to catch on.
That this too was all part of my plan.
“Yes, that’s correct. There’s a way to persuade them.”
However, I still needed one more piece of information for the persuasion.
And that was…
“If you could help me with just one thing.”
I was sure the Reedval family could assist.
“What is that?”
“I need information about the last knight of the Leim Kingdom.”
Information about Libero’s past.
Gwen, being from the Reedval family, might have provided some snippets in her storyline.
However, even that was mostly fragmented, and I lacked specific information.
“The last knight of the Leim Kingdom?”
Please, it must exist.
The participation of the Black Knights would likely make a considerable impact on the operation.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the Head of the Family asked me,
“Will that be enough?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s the case, please follow me. I’m sure there’s something recorded by our ancestors in the study.”
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