TYND 32

Chapter 32

Kil gripped the reins tightly, as if he could tear them apart, and glared at the royal palace with burning eyes.

“What happened to the Grand General? The human who let that woman into the palace must be right beside him.”

“Unfortunately, no soldier has seen the Grand General directly, but we’ve received information that his aide is commanding the battalion.”

“That black Lycan is nothing but the General’s tail. If he’s there, the General must be there too. So why…!”

Unable to contain himself, Kil muttered curses through gritted teeth.

“I just don’t understand! What on earth is that woman thinking to do something like this? She’s isolated just like us, isn’t she!”

He could understand why the palace was sealed off, but that woman should also have been trapped inside.

Why commit such a foolish act?

Kil frowned as he pondered. Countless possibilities and futures branched through his mind, and at the end of them, one hypothesis emerged.

Could it be… if, by chance…

If Arsinoe wasn’t in the palace.

He recalled the Rappies that had flown outside carrying oil. He had assumed Rappies could only transport light objects like letters or small parcels, yet the Rappy unit just now had visibly bulky sacks strapped to their bodies.

He knew Walter Heiberg operated the Rappy squad in a strange way, but he had thought they were still essentially just messengers.

Rappies themselves were a rare species on the continent, so Kil didn’t know much about them in detail.

But if Rappies could carry something that heavy…

If they could carry that woman…

“No… that’s impossible. It can’t be…”

They are birds.

Moreover, Rappies inherently consider non-Rappy species inferior. They would never carry a person while flying.

Clenching his fists, Kil desperately tried to refute the thought.

Before advancing, reconnaissance had reported that the woman was in the palace. The Grand General had gone in with her and never came out, so she must still be there.

What could possibly be the purpose of such an act?

Does she think that by holding out, he would back down?

If so, that would be an extraordinarily naive judgment.

“How many soldiers are left?”

“About a thousand, sir.”

“Bring back the troops that went toward headquarters. There’s no need to despair. Cover the sand with fire, scale the walls, and open the gates. Then everything will be resolved.”

“But, Your Excellency…”

The attendant bit his lips, hesitating to speak. When Kil’s fierce gaze pinned him, he reluctantly spoke.

“The troops that went to central headquarters have lost contact. We’ve sent scouts continuously, but they vanish without a trace wherever they go.”

“…What?”

The anger that had furrowed Kil’s face was overtaken by shock and disbelief. He felt the twitching under his wide-open eyes.

Kil realized for the first time that when something is utterly absurd, you don’t even have the energy to be angry. Staring at the attendant with his mouth open, he stammered his question.

“What do you mean? How could a mere garrison at headquarters possibly overwhelm four thousand troops? By what means?”

Even at full strength, the garrison numbered only about twelve hundred. And no matter how quickly Walter Heiberg mustered his forces, he couldn’t have gathered a large army.

At most, four to five thousand soldiers, given the situation in Sa-cheon.

And since today was the coronation, most of the forces would have been sent to the palace for security.

So the troops should have been few…

“Impossible.”

Now that he thought about it, it was strange how quickly the Lycan soldiers guarding the palace had retreated. He had assumed they withdrew because of the phantom flames, but if not…

If…

If the soldiers in the palace had consisted solely of that single Lycan unit.

The realization made Kil’s face turn pale in an instant.

“C-Could it be that the kingdom’s troops guarding the center were all concentrated at headquarters?!”

“I don’t know. We’ll properly organize a reconnaissance unit and survey the situation again. Please wait a moment.”

“Your Excellency—!”

One of his aides came running, disheveled and out of breath.

His clothes were smeared with black oil, indicating he had witnessed the situation firsthand at the front. His pale, drawn face contrasted sharply with his messy attire, creating an unsettling impression.

“Y-Your… Excellency, huff, cough…!”

The aide gasped for air, coughing. As Kil looked past him, he saw the waiting soldiers stirring and rising from their positions.

Overcome by an odd sense of unease, Kil jumped from his horse and grabbed the aide’s shoulders.

“What is it! Why do you look so pale!”

“An… an ambush! At the path connecting the forest to the royal road, the enemy—a large force—is advancing!”

The urgent shout didn’t reach Kil’s mind, as his eyes were fixed on the forest surrounding the palace.

With a rustling sound, something approached through the darkness. Kil squinted toward the forest, and when he identified the silhouette, he shouted in disbelief.

“A large force?! You mean the large force approaching… that you just mentioned?!”

Is that what he meant by “them”?

It was so absurd he could hardly speak. The forest, previously silent and shrouded in darkness, was now being flooded by the Parnassus army like a tidal wave.

“How did the troops from headquarters get here so quickly…?”

What was happening? He desperately tried to make sense of the situation, but the answer eluded him.

He had assumed his forces would win, never fearing defeat.

But half were trapped in the palace, half were unaccounted for, and now an enemy of unknown origin had appeared and overwhelmed the situation.

His head ached. He wished someone would explain what was going on.

The only certainty was that countless soldiers emerging from the forest were pressing his forces.

“Counterattack! Do not retreat!”

“There are too many of them! So many… ugh!”

Swords and arrows tore through the blue dawn.

The Duke’s resisting forces soon realized the massive numerical disparity and lost morale. The enemy force, at least twice their size, was closing in to encircle the Duke.

There was nowhere to flee. Behind them were flames that could consume their bodies and high walls; ahead, the Parnassus army exuded murderous intent.

“No… this can’t be….”

Is it over?

My dream?

My will?

Do I have to sink so meaningless, without knowing why?

“No, it’s not…!”

He could not let despair take control. The condition of the troops sent to headquarters was still unknown; there was a chance to turn things around.

In any situation, one must act with utmost caution until the very end. In chess or Go, victory goes not to those who think they have won, but to those who remain focused until the final moment.

Kil’s way had always been to strike decisively at the enemy the instant he let his guard down, the strategy that brought him to his current position.

Shaking off the weakening feeling, he reined his horse back.

Though his aged body was tired, his gaze remained sharp. Kil surveyed the surroundings, waiting for the right moment.

“Your Excellency. Look ahead,” the attendant said in a trembling voice, pointing forward.

Kil followed the motion, narrowing his eyes at what lay ahead.

A soldier in Parnassus uniform ran toward them, carrying a white flag.

The aides and soldiers, thinking it might be some trick, gripped their swords, but Kil waved them off.

It was not out of humanitarian concern, but curiosity about what message the white-flag soldier had come to deliver.

The soldier reached Kil and bowed deeply, then respectfully handed over a letter.

Kil warned to remain alert, then opened the letter.