149: The Chase (1)

“That’s outrageous!”

A loud shout came from the crowd. All eyes instantly turned in that direction.

A large man pushed back his hood, revealing his face, and shouted.

“There is no law that allows such punishment without a trial!”

Callion immediately recognized the man.

‘Earl Changeling?’

His face was covered in wounds, likely from a scuffle with soldiers while escaping house arrest.

The Earl met the Emperor’s gaze head-on and continued his protest.

“If the Duke is guilty, it is proper to convene the Imperial Council to determine his guilt. Executing an heir to the throne in this manner is unacceptable!”

“Remove that man!”

Duke Tulonel shouted, and the soldiers, who had been hesitating, rushed towards the Earl.

“Your Majesty! Do not repeat the sins of the previous emperor!”

“What are you waiting for? Remove him immediately!”

Enraged, Elkius berated the soldiers. But the seasoned knight’s resistance prolonged the scuffle.

By the time the soldiers managed to drag the Earl away, the atmosphere had turned dangerously hostile.

Growing anxious that the plan might fail, Elkius snapped in irritation.

“Stop wasting time and proceed!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Duke Tulonel signaled the executioner, a burly man who ascended the platform with a sword.

‘Not even allowing me a final statement.’

Callion looked at the people with a bitter smile, understanding the emperor’s refusal to remove his gag.

Since Earl Changeling was forcibly removed, the crowd’s anger has been boiling like a furnace.

But Elkius, focused on Callion’s imminent death, was oblivious to this fact.

“Execute him now!”

At the Emperor’s command, the executioner raised his sword. The well-honed blade reflected sunlight, scattering rays in all directions. Then.

“…Ugh!”

An arrow, shot from somewhere, pierced the executioner’s chest.

Startled by the unexpected turn of events, Elkius jumped to his feet.

Before he could identify the shooter, loud cheers erupted from all sides.

“Waaaah!”

The central square descended into chaos.

Julian, disguised as a priest, tore off his robe and drew his sword. Hidden soldiers among the crowd began attacking the guards.

Julian swiftly dealt with the guards in his path and leaped onto the platform to free Callion. With his hands freed, Callion tore off the gag.

“Are you all right, Your Highness?”

“You arrived just in time, Julian.”

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Where is Harold Lowden?”

“He has led the troops to the palace.”

Confirming that the plan was proceeding, Callion looked towards the VIP section. Elkius’ seat was already empty.

“Julian, seal off the capital and block the Royal Knights. I will pursue the emperor.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Faster. We must reach the palace before they catch up!”

Duke Tulonel leaned out of the window and urged the coachman. There was no sign of pursuit yet, but they needed to reach the palace and rally the knights to deal with Callion.

Elkius clutched the carriage curtains, trying to contain his rage.

‘…That bastard!’

He had pretended to be noble and righteous, but in the end, a traitor was a traitor.

He should have killed them all sooner.

Focusing solely on capturing Callion while ignoring his knights was his mistake.

But what more could those few knights do?

They might have rushed in out of desperation, but there were only a few hundred of them.

A moment ago, they had been caught off guard in the open square, but once the Royal Knights were mobilized, those rebels would be crushed in no time.

Unlike when he overthrew the previous emperor, this time he was still alive and in power.

Elkius gritted his teeth, determined to crush Callion and his followers this time.

Suddenly, the speeding carriage came to an abrupt halt.

“Your Majesty! The palace is locked!”

“What do you mean, the palace is locked?”

Elkius stuck his head out of the window.

All the gates to the palace were closed, guarded by unfamiliar soldiers.

He had no idea where these soldiers had come from, but there were too many to force their way through.

“How could they be so fast…!”

“We should find somewhere safe to hide for now.”

“Where could I possibly hide, leaving my palace behind!”

Duke Tulonel tried to calm the enraged Elkius.

“Go to Belfort and regroup the troops. We must act quickly before we are captured in the capital.”

“D*mn it!”

Elkius slammed his fist on the seat.

Fleeing hurt his pride, but as Duke Tulonel said, they had no choice but to retreat and bide their time for another opportunity.

Once Elkius fell silent, the Duke ordered the coachman.

“To Belfort.”

.

.

.

Duke Tulonel’s decision to head to Belfort was wise.

As soon as the carriage carrying Elkius left the capital, all routes in and out of the capital were blocked.

Callion’s soldiers were searching inside and outside the capital for him, news that reached Elkius on his way to Belfort.

To avoid detection, they had parked the carriage in the forest instead of staying at an inn and were assessing the situation.

“Count Owens is missing?”
“Yes. He was seen until a few days ago, but when we went there today, his mansion was empty.”

“Could it be that he simply went out?”

“The servants were gone too, and all valuable items have disappeared. It doesn’t seem like a mere outing.”

“D*mn it!”

Elkius spat out a curse.

His plan to have Count Owens bring soldiers from Belfort to surround the capital had fallen apart.

“Do not be too discouraged; Your Majesty, Marquis Berner should be arriving soon.”

Duke Tulonel attempted to comfort Elkius.

Indeed, it was too early to be disappointed.

Compared to the greedy but incompetent Count Owens, Marquis Berner was much more reliable.

Elkius calmed down, thinking that once Marquis Berner arrived with the Royal Knights and the capital guards, they would have enough numbers to confront Callion.

‘Stay calm. Everything will work out in the end.’

Didn’t Rosaline say the same thing? That everything would be fine in the end.

He chewed on his dry lips, waiting for Marquis Berner.

“Your Majesty! Marquis Berner is here!”

After a tedious wait, the Marquis arrived, but he was alone. The hurriedly riding Marquis dismounted upon seeing the Emperor.

“Your Majesty.”

“Why are you alone? Where are the soldiers?”

“Your Majesty, Commander Melkis has betrayed us.”

“Betrayed?”

“The capital guards have sided with Duke Tiflis. The Duke has ordered them to disarm and maintain order…”

“How could he!”

Elkius’ face was flushed with anger and betrayal.

“What about the temple and the priests of Armabellum?”

Even the calm Duke Tulonel urged the Marquis for answers.

“We sent a messenger, but they refused to meet and sent him back.”

“…!”

Elkius’ face turned ashen.

The plan was to secure the cooperation of the priests by promising the Cardinal of Armabellum that the papacy had fallen through, leaving no one else to request reinforcements from.

Marquis Berner, nervously gauging Elkius’ reaction, spoke cautiously.

“Your Majesty, if I may speak frankly, it would be wiser to surrender to Duke Tiflis to save your life…”

“Shut up!”

Elkius kicked Marquis Berner violently.

“You too plan to betray me.”

“Your Majesty, I didn’t mean that… Your, Your Majesty!”

“It’s wise to eliminate traitors in advance.”

Elkius coldly muttered as he drew his sword.

Marquis Berner, now pale with fear, stepped back, but Elkius’ sword cut him down without hesitation.

“Ugh!”

The Marquis let out a final groan and collapsed, dying where he fell.

Elkius looked down at the corpse with crazed eyes and spoke.

“Anyone who dares to speak of surrender before me will end up like this, no matter who they are.”

“…”

“Move out at once.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Your Highness, we have found a body.”

“A body?”

Having left Harold Lowden in charge of the capital and set out in pursuit of Elkius, Callion halted his horse in a strange forest.

Elkius’ party, inexperienced in camping, had left many traces, making the pursuit easy.

Dismounting, Callion examined the body found by his scout. The man, cut down by a sword, had a familiar face.

“Marquis Berner.”

“He seems to have died less than a day ago.”

Ahio said, inspecting the body.

The ground around the body was cluttered with horse and carriage tracks, and there were no signs of a struggle, indicating that Elkius had likely killed the Marquis himself.

“There must have been some internal conflict.”

Callion nodded in agreement with Ahio’s observation.

Elkius killing of Marquis Berner, his close ally, meant that he was now utterly isolated.

That left him with only one destination.

“He must have gone to Belfort.”

Callion clicked his tongue, frowning.

There was only one route to Belfort. If Elkius blocked the path and fought to the death, it would undoubtedly be troublesome.

“Hurry.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Callion increased the pace of their march.