CHAPTER 617: THE ROYAL RESIDENCE DEFENSE (1)

Editor: Tseirp

On the afternoon of the day Ryo and the others left the capital, an alarming report arrived at the Imperial Palace from the north.

“Peiyu is advancing south!”

Peiyu is a country located north of Darwei.

Further north of Peiyu, it seems, lies the Choouchi Empire that had been a problem not long ago…

“Peiyu attacked? Are you certain that intel is not false?”

Upon receiving the report, Emperor Tsuin checked with Prime Minister Bian.

It was natural to ask.

The power ratio between the two nations was said to be somewhere between twenty to one and thirty to one.

If Darwei were invading, that would be one thing—but it made no sense for Peiyu, overwhelmingly weaker, to invade Darwei.

Moreover, relations between the two nations were not that bad at the moment.

The King of Peiyu had ascended ten years earlier, and since then had paid tribute to Darwei.

Darwei had sent back more than what it received… especially rice and other foodstuffs—so there was no discernible reason for war.

“It seems to be true that five thousand Peiyu cavalry have moved south and are attacking our cities.”

“I don’t understand it.”

Emperor Tsuin shook his head slightly.

That said, they could not sit on their hands.

That same day, an imperial edict was issued directly to Prince Ryun.

He was ordered to lead ten thousand Imperial Guards and drive off the Peiyu army.

The night before Prince Ryun’s departure, at the Kouri Royal Residence.

There, Prince Kouri, the Second Prince, and Lord Rowon were drinking coffee.

“Rumor is that Your Highness Kouri recommended Prince Ryun to His Majesty to repel Peiyu.”

“That’s right.”

Lord Rowon asked with a faint smile, and Prince Kouri answered with a faint smile as well.

“Why? Up until now, when repelling foreign foes, hasn’t Your Highness recommended Prince Churei of martial renown instead? Any prince who can command the Imperial Guards should not lose. In other words, this is a fine opportunity to accumulate merit. Prince Ryun, who will command ten thousand Imperial Guards this time, shouldn’t lose either.”

“Yes, Ryun should win. If he didn’t, that would be a problem. He is a person Darwei will need going forward. It would be inconvenient if he died in some place like that.”

“Then why…?”

Lord Rowon had asked that far, then tilted his head as if suddenly remembering something, and immediately became convinced.

“…Is the aim to keep Prince Ryun away from the Ryun Royal Residence?”

At Lord Rowon’s words, Prince Kouri said nothing and sipped his coffee with that faint smile.

“Now, Duke Rondo of the adjacent Rondo Manor is to the south. If Prince Ryun goes north… the Ryun Royal Residence will still have forces, of course, but compared to normal, it will be astonishingly fragile. In that situation, you are predicting Prince Bin will move.”

“…”

“Prince Bin, said to be losing sound judgment day by day, has his hatred directed at Prince Ryun. If Ryun’s family remains defenselessly in front of him… it is highly possible he would have, say, the remaining rank-two adventurers attack.”

“…”

“But why? Why have them attack the Ryun Royal Residence in that weakened state?”

Lord Rowon addressed the largest question to the silent Prince Kouri.

Prince Kouri, still smiling faintly, opened his mouth.

“As I said before, Ryun is a person Darwei will need going forward. There are not many with such talent and generalship. But in the past month, he has become stronger than we anticipated.”

“Stronger than expected?”

Lord Rowon tilted his head at Prince Kouri’s words.

“Yes. His heart has grown too strong. That makes him difficult to manipulate for my purposes.”

Prince Kouri still wore a smile… but Lord Rowon noticed a keen light in the depths of his eyes.

Something beyond Prince Kouri’s expectations had occurred.

That it had ‘become too much’.

That was very unusual.

“Why has he become too strong?”

“People strengthen other people’s hearts.”

Prince Kouri answered Lord Rowon’s question in a slightly roundabout, euphemistic way.

“In other words, because of someone around Prince Ryun, his heart has become stronger than expected? If it is someone Prince Ryun trusts that much… it would be Chamberlain Lin Sui, but he has been with the prince from the start. If we limit it to the past month… ah, I see. It must be Her Highness the Princess.”

“Yes. Princess Shio Fen.”

“I have never met her… but is it really that much?”

“Yes. She is a heroic woman. If circumstances were different, she would become an empress.”

“Ohh…”

It was rare for Prince Kouri to praise someone to this extent.

Lord Rowon was therefore surprised.

He continued,

“So, we should have her removed now?”

Prince Kouri gave no reply to that.

However, he seemed to want to tell Lord Rowon something.

“Lord Rowon, your disciple will remain at the Royal Residence. But I would like you to refrain from advising on this matter.”

“Hmm, Lu Yao, is it? She is talented… but it can’t be helped.”

“Yes, I admit she is excellent.”

“Well then, if she dies because of this, she only amounts to that kind of person.”

Lord Rowon shrugged and drained his coffee.

A few days after the punitive force led by Prince Ryun left the capital, late at night.

Princess Shio Fen, who had been sleeping, was awakened by the sound of bells.

Her maid Mifa immediately entered the room.

“Shio-sama, the Royal Residence is under attack. Put this on.”

Princess Shio Fen donned the outer cloak Mifa handed her.

Then the princess’s guard captain, Bizis and Lu Yao, commander of the Prince’s Yulin Guard, burst into the room.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang…

The loud ringing of a bell was clearly heard.

“This is…”

“The installed defensive alchemy tool! Enemy attack!”

Princess Shio Fen frowned as Lu Yao answered.

Bizis and Mifa reacted calmly, but they were surprised.

Surprise was natural.

This was the Ryun Royal Residence.

An attack on a prince’s castle should never happen.

But…

“Since Prince Ryun took troops and equipment, we are indeed thinner in defense than usual.”

In a calm voice, Princess Shio Fen, who was in charge of the Royal Residence in Prince Ryun’s absence, pointed out the obvious.

“Your Highness, please move to the shelter!”

“Understood.”

Without asking any questions, Princess Shio Fen accepted Lu Yao’s command.

Lu Yao, as the commander of the prince’s guard, ordered evacuation.

That was the optimal choice.

The shelter was a refuge protected by the hardest walls and doors.

On modern Earth, it would be akin to a panic room.

When a house is attacked by burglars, it’s a room to hide in and buy time until the police arrive…

The shelter is a building designed to secure the safety of the person being targeted by attackers by having them take refuge there.

“This way.”

Bizis, the princess’s guard captain, led the way; Princess Shio Fen followed, with Mifa last.

The maids waiting outside the room surrounded them and moved as an escort.

“Those two can handle it.”

Lu Yao murmured softly and ran toward the main gate.

“What’s the situation?!”

Lu Yao began assessing the situation as soon as she reached the main gate.

Before she could get an answer, she understood.

Things were pretty bad.

“Captain! We can’t hold like this!”

“There are too many enemies!”

Reported Lu Yao’s direct subordinates from the magic artillery unit.

They were reporting while casting magic artillery.

Their magic collided with the enemy’s and annihilated on contact… but the enemy’s magic barrage was far too numerous.

Some shots got through the barrage and dealt damage to the gate and walls of the Royal Residence.

The Royal Residence was a small castle.

Hence, its gates and walls were given magical defenses through alchemy.

Therefore, they would not fall easily.

Especially now, in a state of combat, the magical defense systems were operating at maximum output.

However, that did not mean they were invincible.

If hit by enough magic artillery, they would be worn down.

The damaged spots were repaired using the magic power of the mana stones.

In other words, if hit repeatedly, the defense systems would eventually run out of magic.

Thus, although the magic artillery unit was intercepting enemy magic by annihilation… even that could be penetrated.

“Where are my gauntlets?”

“Here.”

Lu Yao’s gauntlets, developed to enhance magic artillery.

“…This is our last set?”

“Yes. Twenty sets—everyone is equipped.”

“Even though His Highness left half behind, there are simply too many enemies.”

Lu Yao muttered in frustration.

She had developed forty sets so far.

Half had been taken by the expeditionary force led by Prince Ryun.

He had thought that twenty sets would be enough, but…

“Did we misjudge Prince Bin’s willful self-destruction?”

Lu Yao’s gaze fell on the attackers.

Among them were a few familiar magicians…

All belonged to Prince Bin’s forces.

In short, Prince Bin had even brought his own Royal Residence troops into the attack on the Ryun Royal Residence.

Not only the eighty Second-Rank adventurers that had been mentioned.

“Even if he captures the Royal Residence, Prince Bin would have no future.”

Everyone understood that.

Whether there was evidence or not no longer mattered.

They had so openly attacked the Royal Residence.

The Emperor would be furious.

The patrol soldiers who defend the capital might not raise their hands against Prince Bin’s Royal Residence troops.

So this assault might actually succeed.

But beyond success, Prince Bin nor his retainers would have a future.

For now, what Lu Yao had to do was to defend this main gate.

The rear gate was not structured to let large armies pass.

So the enemy there didn’t seem so strong.

However, if this main gate fell… the moment it did, a large army would surge in and occupy the whole Royal Residence.

“It can’t be helped.”

Lu Yao murmured, then chanted.

“ ‘Moonlight Causality’.”

At that moment, the bracelet Lu Yao wore on her right arm emitted a soft light.

It was the light of alchemy.

The bracelet split into twelve pieces, floated in the air, began to spin, and then flew forward.

Enemy magic artillery flew in.

The twelve ‘moons’ moved through the air one after another and collided with the magic artillery.

Magic that struck the ‘moons’ changed direction by 180 degrees and…

“Ugh.”

“Gya! ”

“Ugh…”

It struck those who had fired it.

“Oh!”

“As expected of the captain’s ‘moons’…”

Even her direct subordinates, who rarely saw Lu Yao’s ‘Moonlight Causality’, were astonished.

The ‘moons’ created by Lu Yao’s extraordinary alchemy reflected the enemy’s magic artillery.

“Drink a mana recovery potion while you can. Get yourselves ready.”

On Lu Yao’s order, the magic artillery team sprang into action.

(Against Prince Bin’s Royal Forces… how long can we hold?)

Lu Yao’s heart did not feel at ease.

“What was that just now?”

The assault force was led by Lin Sui, said to be Prince Bin’s right hand.

Though he had been rumored missing, in fact, he had been underground in the capital.

For a certain purpose.

Having achieved that purpose, he returned to Prince Bin’s Royal Residence and was immediately appointed commander of the assault force.

They had deployed sufficient forces to take the Royal Residence that had dispatched troops on an expedition, and had been advancing the artillery duel advantageously, but suddenly several of their magicians fell to an enemy’s magic artillery.

They were naturally astonished.

“Report! Captain Lu Yao has appeared at the enemy main gate.”

“I see.”

Lin Sui nodded once.

That made things clear.

“So that was the rumored ‘Moonlight Causality’.”

“As expected of Lord Rowon’s beloved disciple.”

“If only Lu Yao had been in the expeditionary force, this attack would have been easy.”

Comments from the staff could be heard, but Lin Sui did not respond.

Their plan had already been formulated and set in motion.

Lu Yao’s appearance had been anticipated.

They would proceed as planned.

“Double the density of magic artillery fire.”

“This rate of fire, this many shots…”

Lu Yao muttered without thinking.

The defenders were overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

Even though Lu Yao had activated ‘Moonlight Causality’ and all twenty members of the magic artillery team wore the gauntlets.

Still, some of the enemy’s magic artillery broke through their interception and damaged the gates and walls.

Every time those were repaired, the mana of the mana stones installed for the Royal Residence’s magical defense was consumed… and soon it would run out.

Once depleted, they would break through the main gate at once, and the Royal Residence would be ravaged.

Princess Shio Fen had at least been moved to the shelter…

The shelter was protected by a separate system of mana stones from the gates and walls, but even that was not perfect.

“Gah…”

A sudden, violent headache assailed Lu Yao and she dropped to one knee.

“Captain!”

“I’m fine! Continue the interception!”

A gunner called out, but Lu Yao brushed it off.

She knew the cause.

Overuse of ‘Moonlight Causality’.

Originally, it was built on the assumption of intercepting with six moons.

But against today’s volume of magic artillery, six moons would not be enough.

Judging so, from the start, she had sent out the design’s maximum usable number—twelve moons.

Yet that placed an astonishing strain on her body, causing a headache severe enough to make her lose consciousness.

This time she hadn’t blacked out, but dropping to a knee was unavoidable…

This was why she had hesitated to use .

Lu Yao grimaced at the dark future that would follow if the battle continued as it was.

But at that moment…

From the depths of the road, ten blue lights streaked out of the darkness.

“Ugh.”

“Guh…”

“Ugh.”

Moans of agony escaped from the attackers who had been impaled by spears.

“Huh?”

Lu Yao and those guarding the main gate did not understand what had happened.

Something had rushed in at high speed and attacked the assailants, it seemed…

The things that pierced through the assailants and ran in the opposite direction, then turned and raced back toward the attackers.

“…Golems?”

No one was sure who muttered that.

At the head of that group of golems was one with a yellow scarf around its neck!

“Friendship Token No.2-kun?”

Lu Yao murmured in disbelief.

Wheels appeared from its legs and it moved at high speed.

That mechanism had not existed before.

Perhaps it had been hurriedly added for this occasion…

After dealing two blows and momentarily driving back the assault force, the Rondo Manor’s Oniwaban Second Division, led by Friendship Token No.2, arrived before Lu Yao and the others.

Friendship Token No.2-kun led the line, properly arranged.

Each held an ice spear in their right hands, braced them, and repeatedly charged.

“Token No.2-kun… thank you!”

Lu Yao’s words elicited no reply from Token No.2.

But Lu Yao understood from its expression:

“I’m glad I made it in time”.

“Token No.2-kun and the others should charge at the enemy magicians like they did just now and break their formation. At the same time, we will switch to magic artillery attacks.”

The magic artillery unit, which had been desperately defending, would now attempt an offensive because of Token No.2-kun and the others’ arrival.

At that time, more magicians from the assault force were seen entering the fray.

Token No.2-kun raised its left hand.

It seemed to rally the golems of the Oniwaban Second Division behind it.

Then they charged.

With Token No.2-kun, its yellow scarf fluttering, at the forefront, the Oniwaban Second Division burst forward.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

If you like my translations, please support me on Patreon and unlock early chapter releases! 7 day free trial is available for Bronze tier now!