Chapter 54: Chapter 54

After laying Cheryn down, Shan first lifted his skirt and untied the bundle bound to the inside of his thigh.

Then, after adding salt and sugar into a leather canteen and shaking it a few times to mix, he trickled the liquid into Cheryn’s mouth.

“Ugh…”

As her parched, cracked lips were forced open, blood beaded at the corners of her mouth.

Though groaning in pain as her lips split open, Cheryn drank the water Shan offered, like a chick receiving food from a mother bird.

After wetting her throat a few times in that manner, he split in half the bread he had brought, dug out only the soft crumb inside, and she chewed it carefully.

To avoid straining internal organs that had gone without food for a long time, mashing and swallowing it until it almost became porridge required immense patience.

“Ah, I feel alive again… I really thought I was going to die.”

Once her thirst and hunger were alleviated to some extent, Cheryn spoke with tear-brimmed eyes.

When communicating through the spider, he had not realized it, but she too seemed to have been driven near her mental limit.

After all, no matter how maturely she acted, was she not still a girl in her mid-to-late teens?

Of course, that was hardly something for Shan, who was two or three years younger than her, to comment on.

“What about Sir Aran?”

Peering inside the tower, Shan asked as he saw no one other than Cheryn.

Even though he had deliberately avoided asking after hearing that Kagon was dead, he had assumed Aran was together with her.

“I sent Aran to my maternal uncle first. Because I needed someone to contact for help on the escape route…”

Cheryn spoke self-deprecatingly, adding that her situation had become laughable since she herself failed to escape.

Nodding his head, Shan slightly knitted his brow.

“First, we had better get out of here.”

A foul odor wafting from inside the tower pricked his nose.

Being trapped in an enclosed space for over a week, it was inevitable for a human being.

Having become desensitized to the smell and failing to realize the fact earlier, Cheryn flushed slightly.

“Let’s go into the palace. In any case, we have to go through there to escape.”

Supporting Cheryn (who still had difficulty moving) under her knees and back, Shan carried her in his arms as he left the tower.

As a gust of cool early-winter air blew in, he felt her body pressed against his trembling violently.

“It’s cold…”

Cheryn squirmed and snuggled into Shan’s warm embrace.

Come to think of it, the hand he had held earlier had also been cold as ice.

Having been trapped for days in a small tower without even a fireplace in early winter, it was only natural.

It was fortunate that she had been caught while decently bundled up to escape; had she been wearing a dress, she would have frozen to death long ago.

“Will we be able to escape in this state?”

Cheryn had also disguised herself in clothes similar to a maid’s dress for the escape, but the sight of her being supported would surely look unnatural to anyone.

Moreover, there were likely many people who would recognize her distinct face.

To his concern, Cheryn gave a faint smile as she answered.

“It’s alright, there is a way… First, let’s head inside.”

For a place uninhabited for over a decade, the interior of the Blue Palace was fairly well maintained.

Of course, as no one lived there, it was overall bare and devoid of furniture.

A short while later, moving as Cheryn directed, Shan entered a vacant basement that seemed to have been used for storage.

In one corner stood a full-length mirror large enough to reflect an entire person, and Cheryn informed him that it was the entrance to a secret passage.

“I was caught trying to get out through here.”

As Cheryn recited a few lines of an incantation, a blue vortex churned inside the large mirror, opening up a passage.

The path stretching straight inward was pitch-black without a single light.

“Wow…”

“That’s why I had you come through a different passage when entering. If you can’t cast magic, there’s no way to open it in the first place.”

Worrying he might complain about suffering pointlessly by making him use another passage, Cheryn quickly added.

Shan nodded and entered the extremely narrow secret passage while holding her.

As the two passed through, the entrance turned into a wall in an instant, as if detecting their passage.

“Mmm…”

Had they walked roughly a hundred and fifty meters along the passage?

After turning left and right several times, Shan let out a soft groan.

It was because a stench similar to the one he had smelled in the tower earlier began to waft strongly from ahead.

There were a few holes above letting in light, and water trickled along the side of the passage, suggesting it was connected to the sewer beneath the latrines.

While moving, a heavy lump suddenly dropped from above once, and he avoided it in sheer horror.

The exit they reached moments later was likewise blocked by a mirror on the other side.

“Princess, it’s the exit.”

Tapping her lightly to call her, she groaned with an effort and reached her hand toward the mirror.

When she recited the spell just as she had when entering, the mirror opened and revealed the exit, just like at the entrance.

*

“Phew…”

Emerging on the other side, Shan let out a sigh of relief.

Although there were several risks of getting caught along the way, he had somehow succeeded in taking Cheryn and escaping from the royal palace.

Of course, it was still too early to relax.

Once the knight’s corpse abandoned in the Blue Palace garden was discovered, an investigation would begin, and the fact that someone trapped inside had escaped would become known.

If possible, they had to escape the capital before that happened.

“Where are we, by any chance?”

“The basement of the Magic Society.”

The Society’s basement was completely empty and bare, as all the mages had fled and riots had broken out taking advantage of the lack of public order.

Though it seemed only the magic mirror, attached like a part of the wall, could not be stripped away.

Emerging from the basement, Shan supported Cheryn at her side, letting her walk on her own instead of carrying her.

After all, a woman carrying another woman on her back was bound to attract people’s attention easily.

Fortunately, though her legs trembled like a newborn fawn, Cheryn was somehow able to walk on her own feet.

Seeing Cheryn walking supported by Shan, people clicked their tongues, assuming she had suffered harm from thuggish ruffians.

Avoiding small alleyways and moving along the main street, the Weavers mansion came into view before long.

Perhaps having relieved the stablehand who guarded the mansion overnight, the young man who worked as the kitchen assistant was guarding the entrance.

“Who’s there… oh, young master?”

As Shan stepped inside and took off his wig, the kitchen assistant finally recognized his identity and put down his club in surprise.

Wide eyes filled with shock quickly scanned Shan up and down.

“What on earth are those clothes…?”

Wherever he had been wandering around, why on earth was a person who was a knight wearing a maid’s dress?

Even more absurd was the fact that it suited him remarkably well.

Compared to this astonishing sight, he wasn’t even particularly curious about the identity of the girl being supported.

Regardless of whether the other person was stunned or not, Shan nonchalantly stated his request.

“Please call the maids.”

“Y-Yes!”

Scrambling inside, the kitchen assistant returned shortly with the head maid and another maid.

“My goodness, isn’t that Lady Ryn?”

“She doesn’t look well.”

“It’s probably because of the cold.”

“Oh dear! I’ll draw water in the bathhouse right away.”

Both of them recognized Cheryn’s face.

Of course, they knew her not as Princess Cheryn, but as Lady Ryn, the young mage who had visited a few times before.

Shan entrusted Cheryn to them, washed himself in a different bathroom, and changed his clothes.

Afterward, he greeted the male servants, including Tata the butler.

Having already been informed by the stablehand, they too knew that Shan had secretly entered the capital the previous night.

“Is Young Master Roden all right, by any chance?”

“Yes. He will return soon.”

“Haah…”

At Shan’s answer, Tata let out a sigh of relief.

Ever since Roden had deceived him to run away from home in the past, Tata had acted cold toward him, yet even in a situation like this, he could not hide his concern.

Naturally, the topic of conversation drifted to how the recent ogre subjugation battle had progressed.

“Oh!”

“How incredible. An ogre slayer…”

Not to mention the others, even Tata, who was usually calm and expressionless, showed restrained excitement.

It was likely because their current situation was just that difficult.

For it was a time when they desperately needed any single ray of hope to grasp onto.

After lifting their spirits with appropriately pleasant talk, Shan brought up his main business in earnest.

“Mr. Tata.”

“Yes.”

“Once the master recovers, will he be able to continue working in the capital in the future?”

At Shan’s question, Tata closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

“It seems unlikely to be feasible.”

As the stablehand had mentioned earlier, the breakdown of public order during this civil war had dealt a severe blow to merchants.

Naturally, Callion’s influence as head of the merchant guild was bound to diminish as well.

Furthermore, Callion’s primary clients, as he was originally a New Faith believer, were mostly New Faith believers nobles, all of whom had been executed or expelled from the capital during this conflict.

Considering that a merchant’s greatest asset was connections, even if not immediately, there was a high possibility of being pushed aside by emerging Old Faith jewelers.

“Then it would indeed be better to leave the capital.”

“Yes. The only issue is how to leave…”

After securing control over the capital, Conrad had been thoroughly locking down all city gates of Hasra for days.

To purge the remaining nobles belonging to Prince Elvin’s faction who had failed to escape.

Tata and the other servants had already requested several times to go outside and fetch a priest for Callion’s examination, only to be ignored every time.

Shan’s answer to this was simple.

“Well, we have no choice but to break through.”

Shan moving stealthily until now was not out of fear for a few night watchmen or dozens of soldiers guarding the gates.

He was merely wary of Conrad’s army being mobilized because of them.

Once they somehow broke through the encirclement and escaped the city, Conrad would not be able to mobilize a large force to pursue them.

For how could he dare, when Elvin was still lurking just to the south with his fangs bared?

Fortunately, there was no one who wished to stay behind without leaving the capital.

Because those who had families to care for or lacked loyalty had already left the mansion long ago.

Tata answered on their behalf, saying that although he would need to ask the maids as well, they too would most likely follow.

Everyone here had received immense grace from Callion and was virtually no different from retainers.

Later, while discussing what items to take from the mansion and how to meet up with Roden after leaving, the door opened.

Cheryn peeked inside and asked.

“Are you busy, by any chance?”

“No. It’s fine. It’s not a conversation that will reach a conclusion right away anyway.”

After washing her body with warm water, warming up, and filling her stomach with soup, Cheryn looked far more recovered than before.

A rosy complexion returned to her pale face, and her once unfocused, hazy gaze grew clear.

“Because the situation was so urgent, I couldn’t thank you. Thank you, really. Thanks to you, I lived.”

Though Cheryn’s hand clasping Shan’s was still on the cool side, it had become warmer than before.

Acknowledging her thanks with a nod, Shan tugged Cheryn along and spoke.

“You must still be tired, but could you take a look at the master?”

“Of course.”

As he had already informed her about Callion while communicating via the spider, Cheryn immediately headed to Callion’s bedroom with him.

Examining the old man who still remained unconscious, she placed her hand on his forehead and softly chanted an incantation.

“What magic is that?”

“Clairvoyance spell. As expected… blood has pooled inside his skull. This has to be drained through surgery. A skilled priest is also required.”

In that case, there was no choice but to head outside.

Because currently, all the skilled priests in the capital were under Conrad’s control.

Of course, using the Goddess’s blessing in human conflicts was strictly forbidden by both the Old Faith and New Faith, but treating those injured in such fights did not violate doctrine.

As such, summoning priests and conserving their power in preparation for future clashes was a natural measure.

“When do you plan to escape?”

“Tonight, right away.”

“Fortunately, we think alike.”

It had already been three days since Callion was struck on the head and collapsed.

Since there was no knowing how long an already aging body could hold out, they had to get outside as quickly as possible.

*

That night, the broken main gate of the Weavers mansion opened, and a total of nine people stepped out.

Shan, Cheryn, Tata the butler, the kitchen assistant, the stablehand, the manservant, the head maid, a maid, and finally Callion.

First, the kitchen assistant and the stablehand carried Callion on a makeshift stretcher.

Tata and the manservant carried a large bundle each on their backs.

They had gathered and brought out all the items worth money that could be salvaged, which they had managed to protect while facing robbers multiple times.

The two maids held smaller baggage in one hand and lanterns in their other hands, illuminating the path from front and rear.

Finally, standing at the very front slightly apart from the group, Shan held only a short sword and a single dagger.

Because it was he who had to physically throw himself into action for the escape.

“Phew…”

In the dead of night, only the sound of heavy footsteps echoed.

Before long, lights flickered up ahead.

They were night watchmen guarding the capital’s night, as always.

Normally, if he were traveling alone, he would have closed his eyes and passed by while avoiding the light, but this time the situation did not allow for that.

“Everyone, stop.”

After issuing the command, Shan closed his eyes and approached to a distance where he would barely be illuminated by the torches.

Then, opening his eyes just a crack, he threw a dagger toward the neck of one of the night watchmen who were chatting together.

“Keuh!”

“Ugh!”

With a dagger planted in his neck, one night watchman passed away without even being able to let out a proper scream.

Seeing his comrade, who had been chatting until a moment ago, collapse, the other night watchman stumbled back in terror.

“Th-There!”

A sword dug into the neck of the second night watchman, who was about to shout ‘Enemy!’.

Having closed in within the torchlit distance in an instant, Shan had thrust his sword straight into him.

Creating two corpses in the blink of an eye, Shan offered a prayer looking at the dead night watchmen and then made a clicking sound with his mouth to call the people behind him.

“Eek!”

“My goodness…”

At the sight of the corpses illuminated by torchlight, the Weavers household servants swallowed their screams in shock.

Although they had fought against robbers before, the sight of dead bodies openly spurting blood from their necks seemed to be a different kind of shock altogether.

Acting as the group’s scout, Shan led the way like that, opening a path by eliminating three pairs… six night watchmen in total.

Once among those times, he failed to dispose of them quickly and a scream rang out, but fortunately no door opened in any of the surrounding houses.

After all, who would dare step out in the middle of the night, not knowing what calamity might befall them?

Advancing smoothly like that for dozens of minutes.

Finally, the eastern gate of Hasra made its appearance.

‘From here on is the real deal.’

As a large force could pour in the moment the gate opened, the security at the gate was thorough.

Two near the pulley, four at the gate, six atop the city wall…

Furthermore, according to what Cheryn had investigated via the spider, sixteen shift relief guards were even asleep inside the tower attached next to the gate.

If a commotion broke out, all of them would rush out.

Looking around, there was no way to stealthily infiltrate past their eyes to open the gate wall.

Wasn’t that why he hadn’t climbed over the wall to sneak in when entering in the first place?

Here, using the same method would be most effective.

Stepping away from the gate, Shan scaled a section of the city wall unlit by light.

Then, he approached the six standing atop the gate wall.

“So as I was saying, I grabbed that Mary bitch’s ass from behind and kneaded it, and then she goes and says she’s not Mary, but Sheila…”

The guard spending the cold winter night with dirty talk panicked when the guard opposite him suddenly staggered with a thud sound.

Quick to turn his eyes, a green light approached from afar, stretching out and leaving a long afterimage.

A beast? No, suddenly atop the city wall?

When whatever had approached in an instant entered inside the torchlight, only then could he tell it was a young boy in his early-to-mid teens.

A boy with glowing green eyes, could it be that Altoan knight whom no one living in the capital could fail to know.

While Shan slashed and killed the two nearby soldiers in an instant, one of the remaining three behind struck the bell stationed nearby with all his might.

The other two frantically shouted toward their comrades below the wall.

“E-Enemy!”

“Everyone wake up! Get up!”

Below the wall, the soldiers near the pulley and the gate also realized the situation and hurriedly banged on the barracks door.

Realizing he had failed to eliminate them all with a surprise attack, Shan clicked his tongue.

As expected, when the numbers were this great and scattered here and there, it was impossible even for him to eliminate them silently.

‘Alright, then from now on it’s a battle against time…’

Once the bell toll that rang out earlier was relayed by the night watchmen, Conrad’s army would arrive before long.

Somehow, before then, they had to break through the gate and flee far from Hasra.

Having disposed of all three remaining men atop the wall, Shan went straight down the stairs.

The first thing flying toward him was a long spearhead.

Tilting his head slightly to dodge so closely that his cheek was barely grazed, Shan immediately extended the sword in his right hand and pierced the spearman’s neck.

At the same time, using the mace in his left hand to deflect a sword swinging from the side, he struck the opponent’s groin accurately with his foot.

“Ggah!”

A guard bending over in excruciating pain.

Driving his sword into that guard’s chest, Shan let go of the hilt, spun his body half a turn to utilize centrifugal force, and shattered another soldier’s head with his mace.

Drawing the one-handed sword at the waist of the soldier whose head was shattered, he obtained a new weapon as a bonus.

Now there were three left.

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Surround him! Even a knight dies if stabbed!”

Unlike ordinary cheap mercenaries, the guards were well-trained, fitting for those guarding the capital’s walls.

Encircling Shan as broadly as possible, they attacked from all sides to force damage upon him.

If an ordinary knight had to fight without a piece of armor like Shan, he would have been severely injured or killed.

However, with his unique, monstrous reflexes and physical capability, Shan parried all attacks and delivered counterattacks every time, reliably ending them one by one.

Always half a beat faster than his opponents, killing them in the simplest and most efficient manner looked just like a choreographed play.

In a frontal head-on confrontation, not a surprise attack, five of the six who had rushed at him lost their lives in an instant, causing the last one to collapse to his knees on the spot.

“Wh-What kind of monster…”

He knew knights were strong, but to think there would be such a gap even without proper gear, wielding only a roughly acquired sword and a mace each?

As Shan approached slowly, the last soldier scrambled up from the spot, spraying tears and snot, and fled.

He did not bother pursuing and killing someone who ran away like that.

Had the soldier headed toward where the group was hiding, he would have had to kill him, but that was not the case.

Just then, as if changing shifts, the door of the tower inside the wall opened, and soldiers poured out in a crowd.

With bewildered expressions, they stared at Shan standing with a sword and a mace, and at the corpses scattered around him.

“Wh-What on earth is…”

“Is it you!”

“Wait, isn’t that Sir Shan?”

“The Green-Eyed Knight?”

As expected of people living in the capital, it was impossible for them not to recognize his unique feature.

Aiming his sword at the sixteen guards coming out one by one, Shan spoke.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll say this only once. Run away. Then I will spare your life.”

A threat hard to believe coming from a single person (and a young boy wearing not a piece of armor at that) against sixteen soldiers.

Yet not a single soldier dared to laugh or show hostility.

Such was the weight brought by the reputation Shan had built until now, and the scene of carnage he had wrought.