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When we arrived at the Imperial Palace, the sun had already set.

Naturally, the castle gates were tightly shut.

Not only that, but there was no sign of the guards who were supposed to be guarding the gates.

“Listen up, soldiers inside the castle!”

Wylie, mounted on his horse, shouted in a booming voice.

“I, Wylie, the leader of Aslan, declare! Open the gates at once!”

At that, a man who appeared to be an officer poked his head out from above the gates.

“I am Vega, the captain of the Imperial Palace guard! What business do the soldiers of the Ruelberta Family have at the Imperial Palace?”

“Count Ruelberta has come to pay his respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Pay his respects?”

Vega showed signs of suspicion at Wylie’s words.

“Don’t lie to me! Who would come to pay respects to His Majesty at this hour!”

From the guards’ perspective, it was a situation they had no choice but to be wary of.

At this late hour, a small but unexpected group of soldiers had arrived.

And from the Ruelberta Family, no less, who were on the worst terms with the Imperial Family.

By now, the soldiers inside the castle must have thought a rebellion had broken out and were in chaos.

But this was exactly the situation I had anticipated.

If we weren’t going to be welcomed, then at the very least, we couldn’t let them ignore us.

I intended to show them.

The power of the Ruelberta Family. And the fear.

‘If they dared to invite me, they should have been prepared for this.’

The reason I chose to visit at this hour was to meet the Emperor at this specific time.

Even if I had come during the day, it was clear I would have been turned away.

“Here, take a look at this!”

Wylie held up a letter toward the castle and shouted.

The Emperor’s seal, imbued with magical power, glowed faintly in the darkness.

“Count Ruelberta has come here after receiving a summons from His Majesty the Emperor. If you do not open the gates now, you will be defying His Majesty’s will.”

At those words, there was a stir above the gates. But Captain Vega firmly shouted back.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard anything about that!”

“Can’t you see the Emperor’s seal?”

“Even if it’s the Emperor’s seal, I can’t allow armed individuals into the Imperial Palace!”

“Armed?”

Wylie looked confused.

He glanced at his companions and his own attire, finally noticing the single sword he was carrying, and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! This is just for self-defense. It seems you haven’t noticed that we’re not really armed!”

“Whether you claim to be armed or not doesn’t matter! We will never open the gates for you, so turn back!”

“Do we look like we can’t open a simple gate like this?”

“What…?”

“Watch this.”

Wylie dismounted and approached the gates.

The castle gates, the entrance to the Imperial Palace, stood firmly shut. Even for the burly Wylie, it was a large gate.

But he calmly placed his palm on the gate and spoke.

“I know it’s none of my business, but let me say this. Gates like these are never truly safe.”

“Not safe?”

The captain sneered.

“Listen to this nonsense. This gate was crafted by renowned artisans and enchanted with magic. The more force you apply, the stronger it becomes! No siege weapon in the world could break this gate!”

“I know. I know that gates like these ‘can’t be broken.'”

Wylie fiddled with the gate as he spoke.

“So, instead of breaking it, I’ll just open it.”

*Creak-!*

At that moment, an inexplicable sound was heard.

The sound of metal scraping made the captain and the soldiers stir.

*Thud.*

Something fell from Wylie’s hand.

The captain’s face turned pale as he realized it was a piece of the gate that had been ‘torn off.’

“What the hell is this!?”

“Oops. Looks like you need to fix your gate. Hahaha!”

Wylie laughed heartily.

But the captain was visibly shaken.

The gate he thought was secure had been easily torn apart, and his composure was gone.

“Archers, ready your bows!”

As Vega raised his hand, the guards aimed flaming arrows.

“Attacking the castle gates!? So you really are planning a rebellion!”

“Rebellion with just these few soldiers? You’re being paranoid.”

“What, what did you say!? You insolent fool!”

As the captain drew his sword and raged, Helga muttered.

“I expected this, but they’re not listening at all. Should we just subdue them?”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

We’ve shown them our strength. That’s enough.

The gates will open eventually if we wait.

The Emperor I know would never shy away from a challenge.

Especially if it’s a challenge from Tristan, whom she’s so wary of. She’d welcome it.

“Enough.”

Then, a calm voice came from somewhere.

A young man in red armor appeared above the gates.

It was Marco Peiriguris, the captain of the Imperial Guard, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Captain Marco! These insolent fools have damaged the gates-.”

“Open the gates at once, Vega.”

“Yes…!?”

With that, Marco looked down at us from above the gates.

He announced in a businesslike tone.

“His Majesty has granted Count Ruelberta an audience.”

*Creak, creak.*

The gates began to open as soon as he finished speaking.

Through the open gates, the Imperial Palace came into view.

The Imperial Palace, the heart of the Meikhael Empire, resembled a castle straight out of a fairy tale.

But this was no beautiful fairy tale.

This was a damn game destined for ruin.

From now on, I had to persuade the Emperor of this nation.

“Wylie.”

“Yes, Count.”

At my call, Wylie approached and knelt.

“Wait here.”

“Understood. If anything happens, we’ll charge in.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Hahaha… Your confidence is reassuring.”

Wylie spoke to me in a serious tone.

“Please take care of yourself, Count. You are our master. Forgive us for not being able to accompany you to the end.”

“Don’t worry.”

Wylie stood and spoke to Helga, who was beside me.

“Helga. Take good care of the Count.”

“Hoho… Don’t worry, Captain.”

With Wylie seeing us off, Helga and I approached the gates. There, armed Imperial Guard knights were waiting for us.

They didn’t exactly welcome us.

They glared at us, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

“Welcome to the Imperial Palace, Count.”

Marco, the captain of the Imperial Guard who had come down from the gates, spoke.

“From here on, only the escort will accompany you. The rest of the soldiers will wait here.”

“Understood.”

“So, it’s just the two of you?”

“That’s right.”

Helga answered for me.

“I alone am enough to protect the Count.”

“No.”

But I quietly denied her words.

Helga looked at me in confusion.

“…Count?”

“Helga. I’m sorry, but there’s one more person in our party.”

“Another… person?”

“Yes. You can come out now.”

“Yes.”

“!?”

As soon as my command ended, my shadow quietly rose.

It was a woman wearing a steel dog mask.

I introduced her to Helga.

“Let me introduce you. This is ‘Blanche,’ a temporary companion from the Black Dogs.”

“Nice to… meet you.”

She was about a head taller than Helga.

Her sturdy build couldn’t be hidden even by her thick coat.

She was one of the top fighters, just like Helga.

Helga, finding the situation absurd, spoke to Blanche.

“……Are you seriously trying to disguise yourself like this?”

“What… do you mean?”

“What do I mean…? Do you really not know what I’m talking about? Blanshe.”

“Who is that?”

“There’s a bitch who’s been tailing our Count.”

“……That’s wrong.”

“Oh? What’s wrong?”

“Anyway, it’s wrong. If you keep making such insulting remarks, that woman won’t forgive you.”

“Oh my…? Is that so?”

“Be quiet and follow me.”

Leaving them to bicker, I passed through the gates.

Then Helga shouted.

“Wait! Count! I’m coming with you!”

But Marco suddenly blocked her path.

“Hand it over.”

“What?”

“No weapons are allowed inside.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Seventeen daggers. Hand them over. Otherwise, you can’t enter the Imperial Palace.”

“…Tch.”

When he mentioned the exact number, Helga clicked her tongue and had no choice but to pull out all the weapons hidden in her coat.

As Marco had said, seventeen daggers fell to the ground.

Caught trying to smuggle in weapons, Helga stuck out her tongue and said.

“You… Are you some kind of dog or something?”

“Only a fool wouldn’t notice someone carrying seventeen blades. You’re not very bright.”

“Wait… What did you say? Not bright!?”

With that, Marco turned away mechanically. He probably didn’t mean much by it.

But Helga, who had just met him today, wouldn’t know that.

“What a lunatic… Unbelievable…”

Helga grumbled as she followed me.

Still upset, she complained to Blanche.

“Blanshe. I really hate that guy.”

And Blanche, fully immersed in her role, simply replied.

“…That woman agrees with you completely.”

 

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