Side Story Chapter 264

Iruca paced back and forth in Avalon’s headquarters, chewing on her fingernails as she always did when she felt nervous.

“Why am I so nervous? We threw the Hubalt forces off our tracks and we’re only two days away from the Palace. We can count on the Arcadia garrison for reinforcements if anything happens... So why am I nervous?”

Iruca was unable to regain her composure, so she headed outside. Feeling the cold night breeze made her feel a little better.

She looked up in the sky and let out a long sigh.

Just then, Iruca's eyes widened, her beautiful lip trembling.

“Was that... a falling star?”

A glittering star was plucked from the night sky and fell somewhere in the Human Realm, leaving a tail of light behind it.

Goosebumps riddled Iruca’s arms. “Could it be true...?”

“Iruca.”

Iruca jumped. She turned toward the voice and saw that Selim was walking toward her, followed by some of his Black Knights. They looked uneasy.

“...My answer is no.” Iruca frowned.

“You heard the story, didn’t you?”

“What story are you talking about? The story that Duke Tremblin is alive?” Iruca asked.

Selim was silent.

While swords clashed in the open, another battle took place in the shadows—an information war. All manner of rumors were fabricated as ammunition for this silent war.

“It’s been only an hour since we heard that Duke Tremblin passed away, but people are suddenly saying that he’s alive. Can’t you tell that something is odd?”

“...That is why I believe we should verify it.”

“Nonsense.”

“I’m going to do it myself.” Selim turned away.

The Black Knights quickly saluted Iruca before they followed their master as loyal knights should.

“Stop right there.” Iruca scowled at Selim. “Don’t make Duke Tremblin’s sacrifice be in vain.”

“Don’t use the word ‘sacrifice’ right now. Duke Tremblin isn’t the kind of person who would be defeated like that.”

“Do you see yourself right now? If you really believe that, why are you going out there?”

Selim couldn’t give a good answer to Iruca’s question but he didn’t stop walking away.

“You’ve already tried fighting Bel, so you should know that better than anyone else that Duke Tremblin has been defeated. If he’s not dead, he’s mortally injured!”

“...That’s all the more reason for me to go right now,” Selim answered.

His voice was so quiet that Iruca was now too far away to hear it.

“Selim, I said stop right now!” Iruca yelled.

“My lord...” The Black Knights hesitated for a moment but decided that their master’s safety was their priority. “Why don’t we wait and see what happens for the time being...”

“It’s okay.” Selim waved his hand at them. “I’ll check out the battlefield on my own, so you guys wait here.”

“...My apologies. Let us come with you.”

The Black Knights had to abandon their attempt to dissuade Selim, but he came to a halt anywayfor an unexpected reason.

“Yo-Your Majesty,” he stammered.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A group of people were coming from the opposite direction—they came from the Palace, led by Icarus.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“M-Mom?” Iruca sputtered when she caught up with Selim and the knights. “What is everyone doing? Why did no one notify me—!”

“I told them not to,” Icarus immediately answered. “Long time no see, Prince Selim.”

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Selim quickly regained his composure and offered Icarus his respects.

Since other people were around, Icarus addressed Selim in a formal tone and returned his greeting with the appropriate etiquette.

Despite being perplexed, Iruca also bowed. “Yo-Your Majesty... Is it okay for you to leave the Palace?”

“Don’t worry. The Queen Consorts who are more reliable than me are filling in for me.”

Avalon had recently gone through a stream of attacks, from Hubalt’s congratulatory delegation to a band of high-ranking demons, so the three Queen Consorts of Avalon had taken charge of sorting out the aftermath. As one of the Five Great Merchants, the Third Queen Consort was handling the restoration of Arcadia and sourcing the necessary materials. On the other hand, the First Queen Consort led the search to track down any possible remnants of their attackers. It was the Second Queen Consort’s job to reassure and unite people of Avalon, but she was here instead.

“We’ll prepare for a siege.”

“...But, Your Majesty...” Selim bit his lip.

“While His Majesty is missing, my orders take priority over all others under imperial law. You are not exempt, Prince Selim.”

Icarus knew how hurtful her words would be to Selim, but she volunteered herself as a villain because Selim needed to hear these words.

In response, Selim bowed deeply. Icarus gave Selim an explicit and unambiguous command; he would be defying imperial law if he insisted on rescuing Tremblin.

Icarus’s voice softened. “Pull yourself together, Prince Selim. At this moment, we should operate under the assumption that Duke Tremblin has died.”

“...Yes, I know.” Selim nodded. He also knew that if he were to be captured during his search, Tremblin’s sacrifice would become as worthless as a dog’s.

“We’re at war. A lot more people will be sacrificed. You’re putting everyone in a difficult spot if you act this way every time a something like this happens”

“...My apologies,” Selim quietly answered.

“Have a little more faith in your strategists. You should be more resolute in times like this.”

Selim bit his lip so hard that that bled. “...Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty.”

Icarus turned to look at her daughter. “Princess Iruca, please update me on the current situation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

* * *

The latest report about the war in Avalon was also being delivered in Swallow’s palace, although the empire wasn’t related to the war in any way.

“Avalon’s Sword Emperor has been killed. I received this information from our informants in Avalon, so it must be true. The Battle God is truly something, alright. I hope he keeps it up and barges straight into Avalon’s palace...” Duke Voltaire stopped his report and eyed the head of the table, his head tilted in confusion. “Fox Master?”

“...Ah, I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”

“...Is something troubling you?”

“It’s nothing big, but yes.” The Fox Master sighed as she adjusted her mask. “We’ll postpone our surprise attack on Hubalt.”

“Yes, I guess that is our best move right now.”

“Right. Avalon had been holding out very well in the north, but they lost their fortress and the Sword Emperor right after Bel joined the war. It’s best to see how this all shakes out for the time being.”

Voltaire nodded. “I’ll relay your instructions.”

Bel wasn’t going to withdraw his army and go back to Hubalt just because Swallow betrayed the empire because his goal was Joshua Sanders, not the acquisition of land.

“The Battle God wishes to eliminate the Emperor of Avalon and become the strongest man on the continent. If Hubalt’s forces were to move south quicker than expected, the Emperor of Avalon naturally would be anxious about how fast he’s getting his work done with the Demon Spirit in the ice boulder.”

That was the ideal scenario for Swallow because it would mean that Joshua would have to overstretch himself. However, a question arose: the Fox Master had never gone to the snowy mountain, so how did she know these details about Joshua’s self-imposed imprisonment?

“For us, the best outcome of this war is for the Martial God to engage the Battle God in sub-optimal condition and for both of them to die.”

“Understood, Fox Master, but there is one more thing to report,” Voltaire informed the Fox with a dark expression.

“What is it?” the Fox Master asked.

“We lost contact with the Grand Duke.”

The Fox Master’s breath caught in her throat, the first crack in her calm demeanor. The Grand Duke was exactly why she had been lost in thought.

“...So that’s how it went after all.”

“Pardon? What do you mean...?”

“From now on, we’ll operate under the assumption that Kireua Sanders defeated the Grand Duke.”

Voltaire's eyes widened. “Fo-Fox Master, hold on. Aren’t you overreacting? Nothing is certain right now. I know the Grand Duke is a relic of the last generation, but I highly doubt that a boy could have defeated him.”

Just then, a messenger rushed through the meeting room’s open door.

“Your Grace!”

“What is it?”

“Th-The knights lost K-Kireua Sanders.”

“What?!” Voltaire yelled.

“They tried to go after him, but a woman who was skilled in martial arts stopped them...”

Before Voltaire could explode in anger, Fox Master quickly interrupted. “What about the woman? What did they do with her?”

“I’m afraid they lost her too.” The messenger stared at the floor, unable to look the Fox Master in the eyes.

Voltaire slammed his fists against the table. “They’re all useless!”

“Tell those knights to return to the palace immediately,” the Fox Master ordered, astonishing both the messenger and Voltaire.

“Fox Master, what do you mean...?”

“Although we postponed our attack on Hubalt, that doesn’t mean we have to sit on our hands. Instead, we’ll resume our subjugation of Thran. And...” Fox Master’s eyes turned cold. “...that is why I need you to go to the dungeon right now and drag the Flame Emperor onto the chopping block, Duke Voltaire.”

“The chopping block...? An e-execution?” Voltaire stammered.

The Fox Master nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “Announcement to the entire empire that we’ll execute the Flame Emperor in three days. And I want you to take charge of the matter, Duke Voltaire.”