Chapter 707: Chapter 707

The Captain of the Royal Guard frowned the moment he entered the audience chamber.

Having received a report of loud commotion within, he had rushed over with his knights, but it seemed he was a little late.

‘Tch, we should have prevented those damned mercenaries from entering in the first place.’

Who could have imagined that the Chancellor would be lying dead in the royal palace, with an axe embedded in his forehead?

Until now, the Royal Guard had not involved itself in state affairs and left them to the ministers. It wasn’t something they had the authority to judge.

But leaving it alone had led to this disaster. How could this place still be called the royal palace?

This wasn’t any different from bandits barging in and causing a ruckus. Truly, madmen had made their way in.

As the knights entered, the ministers all hid behind them in a panic.

“That lawless mercenary killed the Chancellor!”

“He’s ranting that he’s the King’s proxy!”

“The King’s gone mad too! Arrest all of them immediately!”

The Captain of the Royal Guard clicked his tongue and drew his sword. In fact, this might work out for the best. If the King had gone mad enough to grant proxy rights to a mercenary, arresting him wouldn’t be difficult.

Marquis Falkenheim would take care of the rest of the proceedings.

He issued an order to the Royal Guard.

“Arrest those bastards immediately. If they resist, kill them… huh?”

The captain blinked several times and stared at the knights standing behind Ghislain.

They were clearly knights brought by the Count of Nodehill. The crests on their armor confirmed as much.

But a few of their faces looked very familiar.

“Wait… you’re—?”

One of them had definitely been a senior knight under Marquis Falkenheim. What was someone like that doing with these mad mercenaries?

Under the weight of those sharp stares, the knight of Nodehill gave a bitter smile. He was indeed one of the senior knights captured after attacking Ghislain.

To the captured prisoners, Ghislain had presented only two options.

‘You’ve surrendered, so I’ll spare your life. But choose, to return with your mana core destroyed, or become a knight of Nodehill.’

A destroyed mana core meant they could no longer be called knights. It left them worse off than ordinary civilians.

So, most of the knights swore loyalty to Nodehill. Only two were released with their mana cores destroyed.

In an instant, Nodehill gained dozens of senior knights. Only a few were assigned to Larks to serve as Rio’s escorts.

Of course, Ghislain had no intention of trusting them blindly. Every one of them had their souls bound by Ghislain’s black magic.

After witnessing Gasco transformed into a Death Knight, none of the knights dared try anything. They had no choice but to believe Ghislain’s words that they would be freed once everything was over.

More than twenty of those high-ranking knights had gathered at the royal capital.

One of the knights drew his sword and spoke to the Captain of the Royal Guard.

“We’ve decided to side with Count Nodehill. No further words… are necessary.”

There was no need to keep digging up shameful matters. It was better to just go with the flow.

After all, they had personally experienced how terrifying Ghislain’s strength was.

“Y-You… you, pathetic scum… How dare you betray Marquis Falkenheim?!”

It wasn’t something the Captain of the Royal Guard should have been saying, but he continued ranting on Falkenheim’s behalf without a care.

However, even as he glared at the knight, he was troubled on the inside.

The enemy was a high-ranking knight. That meant he was someone capable of fighting hundreds of soldiers on his own. And there was no way to tell just how many others on that side were of equal caliber.

‘I’ll just bring an army.’

Then he’d be able to take them down. For now, the captain decided to retreat.

“Escort the ministers outside. We’ll discuss how to deal with them later.”

It looked a bit ridiculous to leave the enemy untouched and retreat en masse, but things would change once he returned with the military. The captain truly believed that.

But there was no way Ghislain would sit still and let his enemies escape.

“Where do you think you’re going? You think you can just come and go as you please in front of me?”

At some point, Ghislain had drawn his staff and shot forward.

Kwaaang!

The captain barely managed to block the oncoming staff. His body was pushed far back.

A chill ran through the captain’s chest. With just one clash, he could already feel the overwhelming difference in strength.

“Stop him!”

The captain shouted to his subordinates and tried to retreat but Ghislain’s staff moved faster.

Kwaang!

“Guhk!”

Ghislain’s staff struck the captain hard in the neck. His neck twisted grotesquely to the side.

Then, with a wide spin of his body, Ghislain’s staff circled around and smashed into the captain’s opposite side.

Kwaaaang!

Crunch!

Armor crumpled and the sound of bones shattering echoed. The captain folded like a snapped twig and collapsed.

Ghislain looked down at the instantly-killed corpse of the Captain of the Royal Guard and muttered,

“Too weak. Far too weak.”

It was to be expected. Those loyal and skilled had either been purged or exiled.

The ones left in the royal capital weren’t there to protect the king, they were there to watch him.

So, it was only natural that they were lacking in strength for what should’ve been the Royal Guard.

Ghislain straightened his back and looked around. Everyone else was frozen in terror, unable to move.

 The Captain of the Royal Guard had been the most skilled among those present. Yet even he had been killed in just two strikes.

Everyone was left breathless, overwhelmed by a level of power no mere mercenary should have possessed.

Ghislain extended his staff forward and spoke.

“Are you all traitors too?”

“……”

“If you are not traitors, then kneel before His Majesty this instant and follow me. I am a busy man.”

No one knew what to do. With no one to lead them, it was only natural.

There was at least the Deputy Commander, but he only rolled his eyes nervously, watching the ministers for cues.

After all, it was not the knights but the politicians who steered the state.

Amid the tense atmosphere, one of the ministers mustered his courage and stepped forward.

“H-Hey! Even if you act under His Majesty’s orders, this is outrageous behavior within the royal capital! Marquis Falkenheim will not sit idly by!”

Crunch!

“Gaaaah!”

The minister’s shoulder was instantly shattered by a strike from the staff, bringing him to his knees. He had tried to invoke Marquis Falkenheim’s name once more, but it had no effect.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain said,

“Do you not understand a word I’m saying? I told you I’m going to capture Marquis Falkenheim next. Hurry up and make your choice.”

Grrrrrr…

Ghislain unleashed his presence. An immense wave of mana burst forth and began to press down on everyone.

The knights of the Royal Guard turned pale, while the common soldiers and ministers began collapsing one by one, suffocating under the pressure.

Terror spread across every face.

The enemy continued to release his fearsome aura with a piercing glare. At this rate, they’d really die without even being able to breathe.

This kind of pressure wasn’t something just anyone could emit.

‘A Transcendent!’

Recognizing that Ghislain was a Transcendent, the Deputy Commander immediately dropped to his knees and forced out a shout.

“W-We will follow you! The Royal Guard and the garrison will serve you!”

Saaaah…

The moment his words ended, the crushing mana vanished from the surroundings. Only then could the people finally breathe.

“Khuhuhk!”

“Hahh, hahh!”

“Ghhhk…”

Everyone was gasping roughly, too busy trying to catch their breath. Ghislain immediately raised his staff and pointed at a few of the ministers.

“Imprison everyone except these few. Their guilt or innocence will be determined later.”

Most of the ministers were dragged off to prison. Only about five remained in the audience hall.

In this state, there was no way state affairs could run properly but Ghislain didn’t care.

Running the government could wait. The urgent matters could be handled by giving direct instructions to the administrators.

“Since the Chancellor is dead, I will serve as acting Chancellor for the time being. Ah, and I will also assume the position of acting Supreme Commander of the Royal Army.”

“……”

No one said a word. Whether he was the acting chancellor or the supreme commander, those titles weren’t something that could be tossed around with just a few words but arguing about it here would only get them beaten to death.

Ghislain twirled his staff as he spoke.

“We’ll be heading straight to the next destination, so summon the defense forces and have them on standby.”

“Ah, understood.”

The Deputy Commander led the knights and soldiers outside. The remaining officials simply watched, trying to read the room.

Alex, having witnessed the entire scene, stood with his mouth agape. Andrew and Rio were no different.

They had known Ghislain was a man of action, but they hadn’t expected him to act so recklessly.

Alex stammered as he asked Ghislain,

“W-what is the meaning of this? Aren’t you acting far too rashly?”

Beating up a few ministers wouldn’t revive the royal authority. Even if the Royal Guard could be mobilized, it wouldn’t affect the kingdom’s army or Marquis Falkenheim’s forces.

If those troops moved, the capital would be reduced to ashes in an instant. This wasn’t the kind of situation where one could just charge ahead blindly.

Andrew and Rio also spoke, sweat running down their faces.

“S-shouldn’t we build up the military strength of the territory first and slowly expand our influence? Form alliances with other lords too? Isn’t that the proper way?”

“Brother, this doesn’t seem right. Even if we occupy the capital, we’ll be surrounded by enemies. How do you plan to fight like this?”

Ghislain chuckled and answered,

“Why are you all so tense? We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“……”

“It’ll take some time for word to reach Marquis Falkenheim. Until then, we push forward like lightning. I have a plan.”

Everyone’s lips quivered as they trembled.

Whatever this “plan” Ghislain spoke of was, it seemed to just mean smashing everything in his path. They were all terrified. They couldn’t keep up with Ghislain’s thoughts or actions.

But the dye had already been cast. It was too late to go crawling back to Marquis Falkenheim and beg for forgiveness.

After assigning a few senior knights to guard Alex, Ghislain immediately stepped outside.

The mercenaries led by Julien were already on standby. Next to them, the Royal Guard and the defense forces stood awkwardly gathered.

Ghislain stepped forward and shouted loudly.

“We’re going to arrest the kingdom’s supreme commander, who dared to ignore a royal decree!”

The supreme commander of the kingdom’s army hadn’t responded to the king’s summons. Because there was no reason to follow the orders of a puppet king.

As always, he was indulging himself in his lavish mansion.

That is, until Ghislain stormed in with his troops.

BOOOOM!

“Uwaaagh!”

“What the hell! Who are these bastards!”

“It’s an attack! We’re under attack!”

No matter how tight the security might be, no guard could stop the force that had decided to break in.

Because the attackers far outnumbered them, the knights and guards of the mansion were subdued in an instant.

The supreme commander, who had been strangely enjoying himself in the middle of the day, was dragged out stark naked. He couldn’t even grasp what was happening.

“W-what the hell! Who are you people?! Do you even know who I am?! How dare you storm into this place!”

After calming his shocked heart, he recognized a few familiar faces. They were knights of the Royal Guard and soldiers of the defense force.

“Are you all insane? Have you gone mad?!”

Why would those who were supposed to be keeping watch at the royal capital suddenly raid his home? It was so absurd he couldn’t even form proper words.

At that moment, Ghislain stepped forward.

“Hey there. So, you’re the supreme commander? Ugh, couldn’t you have put some clothes on him before dragging him out? It’s an eyesore.”

“Who the hell are you?! If you don’t want to die, withdraw your troops and let me go right now!”

“I am Astion, deputy commander of the Julien Mercenary Corps, appointed as acting chancellor and supreme commander of the kingdom by His Majesty’s wise decree.”

“What kind of lunatic talk is that?! Hey! Arrest this bastard right now! Arrest him, I said! Are you all trying to die?! Bring every corps commander here immediately!”

The supreme commander bellowed at the Royal Guard, but they only avoided his gaze and didn’t budge.

Only then did the supreme commander begin to realize something was very wrong.

“W-what is happening right now? Huh? What the hell is going on!”

“We’re restoring discipline and order to the kingdom.”

“W-what discipline? Who the hell do you think you are?! W-what the hell is all this?!”

The supreme commander couldn’t understand the situation. He had no idea what had happened.

Given how swiftly Ghislain had moved, it was no wonder.

Nothing that had happened in the royal capital had leaked out. Most of the officials were imprisoned, and the Royal Guard and defense forces had all been forcibly brought out by Ghislain.

Pointing at the supreme commander, Ghislain said,

“Lock this one up too. I’ll need a proper handover.”

Then the supreme commander glared and shouted at Ghislain,

“You crazy bastard! Do you think you’ll get away with this after capturing me?! The entire kingdom’s army will march into the capital and burn you alive! The damned king who ordered this will die too! And do you think Marquis Falkenheim will just sit by and watch?!”

“Well, I guess if I lock you up, the kingdom forces nearby will try to rescue you.”

“That’s right! Do you really think everything will go the way you planned just by capturing me?! Taking control of the military isn’t that easy, you know! You’ll definitely die! That damned king will be killed too!”

The supreme commander screamed with such fury that killing intent practically radiated from his eyes.

He was absolutely convinced that he wouldn’t die. He believed his position and backing were strong enough to protect him.

To this stubborn fool, Ghislain casually asked,

“Wouldn’t it be much easier if you just cooperated?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I will never cooperate with you!”

“Really?”

“Damn right! I’ll tear you and the king to pieces and—”

“Then die.”

Thwack!

The supreme commander was killed with his skull crushed before he could even finish speaking. The Royal Guard and defense force watching flinched slightly.

He really was a brutal lunatic. From his demeanor alone, it felt like he could topple the entire kingdom single-handedly.

None of them realized that Ghislain had already reached the level where he could actually just do that.

Ghislain rifled through the supreme commander’s mansion, collecting the seal and other necessary items. Then he rounded up the high-ranking nobles who had ignored the king’s summons.

It hadn’t even been a few hours since he killed the chancellor. Ghislain moved so fast that most of them were captured before they’d even heard the news.

After rounding up all the high-ranking nobles in the capital, Ghislain issued a new order.

“Now let’s go and take over the kingdom army that’s blocking our forces.”

The army he currently led was far smaller than the kingdom’s army.

Even so, Ghislain advanced without hesitation.