kscans

Chapter 61 - The Coup d'état That Will Shake the Royal Capital Begins Now

Appearing from the back of the hideout were Darius and the current Chancellor, Adrian.

"If a fugitive like me tried to persuade you, your judgment would likely waver. So, I thought that if I at least showed you the Chancellor's face, it would add a bit of credibility."

Darius introduced Adrian matter-of-factly. Adrian surveyed his surroundings with a blank expression, but his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Mireille.

Darius happened to glance to the side and noticed Kyle, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Isn't that Kyle?"

After Leonhard briefly explained the situation, Darius shrugged.

"Ah, I know he's one of the King's pawns. But he was just reporting to the King, right? There are plenty of knights like him."

His nonchalant words caused a slight stir in the hideout.

"Well, ultimately, it's up to Leonhard. Whether he can forgive the attack aimed at him... What will you do, Kyle? If you want to die right here, I'm fine with that."

His voice was slow and measured, so everyone could hear.

"But we are about to stage a coup d'état against the King."

A heavy silence fell over the hideout.

"A coup d'état...?"

Murmurs spread rapidly, but Darius continued, unfazed.

"I apologize for dragging you all into this. But as it stands, for those of you here, death awaits whether you follow the King's orders or not. In other words, you are all disposable pawns. You've probably already realized that. So I want you to make a choice. We will strike down the King."

Silence spread.

"I know that skilled individuals have gathered here. But the King and his cronies didn't find that amusing. That's why you were thrown into this Tree Sea. Even if you were to return to the Royal Capital safely, you'd be ordered to subjugate monsters in the Tree Sea, and if you disobey, it's the death penalty. If you head out to subjugate monsters unarmed, you'll meet the same fate in an hour. So, choose. Will you fight with us, or will you wait for death?"

After a moment of silence, Leonhard took out a small bell.

"Actually, I used this to protect everyone's lives on the way here. Your safety wasn't a coincidence, it was thanks to this bell."

He placed the Monster-Repelling Bell in front of everyone in the hideout.

"Honestly, I never expected things to turn out like this. I thought we'd be given some tools once we reached the base."

"I see, so that's why no monsters came," a knight said, as the members exchanged glances.

"Did the Imperial Guard intentionally take the bells back?"

Adrian spoke for the first time.

"That, we don't know now that the King's pawn is dead. What I can say is that the King's knowledge of the Tree Sea is very shallow. It's likely because the previous captain was monstrously strong. He seemed to perceive it as a treasure trove of profit if the monsters were killed. That's why he initially ordered the Imperial Guard to take the Tree Sea Defense Force under its command. However, there were many casualties. We don't know if Julius gave the order thinking they'd be fine with the bells, or if Cerio had received separate orders to retrieve them."

A faint light appeared in the Chancellor's eyes.

"The Imperial Guard was composed of nobles' sons. Many of the casualties were nobles. The King was met with fierce opposition, and in the end, in less than a week, he pushed the responsibility onto you commoners of the First Knight Order. However, due to this incident, the political preparations for a coup d'état are already falling into place."

"What role will we play?" a squad member asked.

"First, I want you to defeat many monsters using the alchemy items Mireille will create, which will allow for easy monster subjugation. With those materials, she will create the alchemy items we will use."

Darius's voice gained a bit of heat.

"There is a large Magic Furnace on Sacred Peak Mountain. The Mage Order protects it. Other knight orders cannot enter the Tree Sea. We will counter them with alchemy items and seize the Magic Furnace. If we can do that, we can significantly reduce the country's military power. If we succeed, we win."

Tension ran through everyone, and they all fell silent.

Of course, there was the grave and important matter of a coup d'état. But everyone, including Leonhard, had thought that Darius, being the King's nephew, was on the King's side, and that it was Adrian and Julius of the noble faction who had sent the commoner First Knight Order to the Tree Sea.

They had never expected two figures from opposite sides to collude, and they couldn't help but feel that a great political vortex was swirling right before their eyes.