Chapter 137
That Night
The sky, filled with clouds threatening rain, obscured even the moonlight. The castle town, having heard the news about the Count, ended their day earlier than usual, enveloping the area in silence and darkness.
Sometime past midnight. A group of figures cautiously crossed the quiet streets, empty except for patrolling guards.
Dressed entirely in black to conceal their identities, they stealthily avoided the patrols while making their way towards the inner castle.
Upon arriving at the inner wall, the leader felt along the wall until he found a camouflaged rope.
Silently and smoothly, akin to a snake slithering over an obstacle, the masked figures scaled the inner castle wall without making a sound.
Curiously, there were no guards in sight atop the wall.
‘Good, just as promised.’
Underneath his dark hood, the man with a tarnished brass mask smirked. Using the rope, the others quietly descended the wall and scattered in small groups, blending into the darkness of the inner castle.
Ascending a sloped path, they approached a large mansion surrounded by long walls and gardens.
Torches were placed at regular intervals along the wall, with soldiers standing guard nearby. However, the black-clad figures effortlessly leaped over a section of the eastern wall, infiltrating the mansion grounds.
The guards who should have been alert stood eerily still, their eyes vacant of any life. The soldiers, seemingly on duty, were actually lifeless, supported in place by cleverly hidden props.
Over fifty masked intruders split into several groups and began infiltrating the mansion. Strangely, windows that should have been secured were left ajar, allowing them to slip inside like silent cats.
Having successfully breached the interior, the leader of the black-clad group, known as Number Six, an executive of the Imperial Hounds’ Ruben Kingdom branch, sent hand signals with a sinister smile.
‘Move to the designated locations and await orders. At the signal, kill everyone and burn everything!’
Thinking about finally having the opportunity to strangle the life out of the Count Ashton’s household, which he had been assigned to for over ten years, made Number Six’s adrenaline surge.
The Ashton count’s household might not be annihilated tonight, but this event would surely send them on the path to ruin. Suppressing his excitement, number Six quietly walked down the mansion’s corridor with his direct subordinates.
‘Unfortunately, tonight my role isn’t to spill blood.’
Licking his dry lips, he followed the predetermined route up the stairs. Despite the fact that there should have been guards stationed on each floor, no one had appeared to stop them yet.
At last, they reached the target’s room where a knight and two soldiers were standing guard. Unaware of the infiltration, they stood there with fatigued eyes.
Swish.
Like a ghost manifesting from thin air, number Six reappeared above the knight’s head. The eyes of the opposite soldier widened in realization, but it was too late as a blade descended upon him as well.
Thud, thud!
The three guards, including the Silver Bear Knight in silver-armored uniform, collapsed as daggers pierced the backs of their necks, killing them instantly.
As an Expert-level knight, he couldn’t fend off the ambush from a high-ranking Expert assassin like Number Six. Silently, number Six and his subordinates propped the bodies against the corridor wall, then quietly picked the lock and entered the room.
‘Mmmph!’
Moving swiftly to the bed, number Six pressed a cloth soaked in chemicals over the target’s mouth, rendering them unconscious almost immediately.
Without needing to verify with the portrait in his pocket, number Six confirmed the target’s identity and signaled his men to place the target into a large sack.
‘Heh heh heh.’
Pleased with how smoothly the operation was proceeding, number Six grinned inwardly. His subordinates carried the target out through the window and vanished into the darkness, while Number Six hesitated for a moment.
‘According to the original plan, I should be withdrawing now….’
Everything was going so well that greed began to creep in. Their informant had disclosed that the Golden Bear Knights were stationed on the fifth floor.
Even if he couldn’t defeat the entire knight order, evading them would be possible, considering the true threats were away from the estate.
‘I should check on the second target’s situation. And the signal should be going up any moment now…’
At that moment, flames erupted from a distant building visible through the window. Simultaneously, the sound of clashing blades and chaos erupted throughout the mansion.
“Enemies! We’re under attack!”
“Fire!!”
“Ah! Spare me!”
Suddenly, the mansion was thrown into disarray, with fire and noise spreading outside too. Number Six felt a thrill at the smell of blood in the air as he leisurely headed towards the second target’s room.
Although his subordinates were likely handling it already, he planned to visit the room just in case before making his way to the Count.
Creak, creak.
Since there was no need to worry about noise now, he moved comfortably towards his destination, but the strong stench of blood hit his nose sharply.
‘These fools… I told them to be careful, but they overdid it.’
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he entered the room.
Whoosh.
“Gasp!”
Number Six barely evaded a yellow sword light aimed at his neck, doing a backflip to dodge the attack just in time.
Drawing daggers in both hands, he saw a heap of bodies clad in black and a single knight standing beside them, sword pointed down, glaring at him.
Gulp.
Without realizing it, number Six swallowed dryly, sweating profusely as he froze in place.
‘Damn it. So it’s like this. Was he hiding his skills? I heard he had left with the others…’
Number Six found himself intimidated by the presence of Philip, the commander of the First Knights, and began to inch backward.
Securing the second target was now out of the question; despite assigning eight elite men to the task, it had been futile.
Tap, tap-tap-tap!
Fortunately for him, Philip didn’t pursue as his priority was clearly to protect the target. Sighing in relief, number Six quickly made his way out of the mansion.
‘Did they know about the attack? No, that can’t be it.’
Otherwise, getting the first target would not have been so easy, and the plan wouldn’t have proceeded this smoothly.
‘Philip being here means that brat Raul must have secretly hidden his forces.’
He realized Raul was not someone to be underestimated despite his young age. Raul must have sent a few knights back to the mansion out of anxiety.
However, in the end, they couldn’t prevent the infiltration.
As Number Six quickly disappeared over the wall, flames and smoke from the burning mansion illuminated the night sky behind him.
***
Bang!
“How could such a disaster happen under your watch?”
“Are you blaming this on me now?”
Loud voices erupted inside the chaotic mansion.
Waylon, the top-level knight of the Golden Bear Knights, and Baron Carlo, the commander of the Silver Bear Knights, were arguing.
“It is a fact that the security of the mansion, both inside and out, was entrusted to the Silver Bear Knights. How could you not notice until dozens of enemies had already infiltrated?”
“The Golden Bear Knights were also responsible for security! Even if you were assigned to the fifth floor, you didn’t notice either, and now you’re trying to shift the blame to me?”
Carlo’s argument was filled with absurdity, but Waylon, being outranked in both position and status, could only vent his frustration verbally, unable to take any action.
“This matter will be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible will be held accountable!”
“Hah! Try if you can. If you insult my knights who sacrificed their lives defending this place, I won’t sit idly by either!”
Five Silver Bear Knights had lost their lives during the night’s attack. Naturally, baron Carlo was also distressed.
“That’s enough! This isn’t what’s important right now!”
Finally, Philip, who had been observing, intervened. Upon Philip’s words, both men barely managed to contain their anger and fell silent.
Although not part of the Count’s personal knight order, Philip was the commander of the First Knights, Raul’s acting representative, and had played a significant role during the attack last night. His words held weight.
“Let’s first assess the damage and devise countermeasures. Report!”
At Philip’s instruction, a member of the First Knights bowed and gave a brief overview. The night’s attack had resulted in the deaths of 30 guards and five knights from the Silver Bear Knights.
Additionally, an outbuilding was completely burned down, half of the eastern garden was scorched, and the main mansion also suffered significant damage from fires and structural damage.
Remarkably, none of the household staff were harmed. This was thanks to Raul secretly positioning First Knight members among them to counter the attackers.
So, despite the apparent significant damage, the actual impact was minimal. However.
“And during the chaos, Lady Estella has been kidnapped.”
Bang!
“This is a disaster!”
Waylon slammed the table in fury. Baron Carlo, having nothing to say this time, averted his gaze.
Lady Estella.
She was the wife of Raul’s elder brother Dylan and Raul’s sister-in-law. Since the death of the Countess, she had managed the household with grace and earned the love and respect of many. The knights were deeply shaken.
“Additionally, intruders entered the residence of Chief Commander Viscount Ernest de Vogel and kidnapped his eldest grandson, ricky. The Golden Bear Knights’ commander, trevor….”
Not only the Count’s mansion but also the residences of other blood relatives and high-ranking officials within the inner castle were attacked. Some were killed, and their homes set ablaze.
In addition to Lady Estella, several prominent figures’ family members were kidnapped.
“Any news on the whereabouts of the assailants? What about the pursuit team?”
“For some reason, once they left the inner castle, their trail becomes difficult to follow.”
Crunch.
Philip clenched his teeth in frustration. Waylon ground his teeth, his expression grim.
“What about the gatekeeper who was on duty last night? Have you caught him?”
“When the soldiers arrived, the gatekeeper and his entire family had already disappeared. We’re tracking them and should receive news soon.”
“What on earth has happened? How could the heart of the Count’s domain be breached so effortlessly? How can we face Count Melvin and Young lord Dylan with this shame?”
“…….”
Waylon sighed deeply, while Baron Carlo also wore a bitter expression.
“Alright, let’s focus on what we can do for now. I’ve instructed the Guard Captain to seal the gates, so the intruders shouldn’t have escaped the castle. Waylon, please continue to ensure the utmost security for the Count. Baron Carlo, I need you to take charge of the mansion’s security once more. The leader of the remaining enemies might still try to infiltrate the mansion. I’ll pursue the intruders with my men and assess the castle’s defense status. The fact that they destroyed the outer portal suggests another attack may be imminent, so everyone, stay vigilant.”
The attackers had destroyed the portal the previous night, clearly to prevent the Count’s main forces from returning. Philip’s suspicions seemed accurate.
After concluding the emergency meeting, Philip exited the mansion and opened the guild communication.
「I’ve handled everything as instructed, Master.」
「Good work, sir Philip. Is Libby safe?」
「Of course. She hasn’t suffered a scratch. But when do you plan to deal with the rats?」
「Only after the real prey takes the bait. How’s Kane doing? No issues, I hope?」
「He’s struggling. He’s complaining about having to pretend to be asleep. Plus, these fools treat people like cargo. It would be nice if they handled him more gently.」
As Kane grumbled over the guild communication, Jake interjected with a laugh.
「Hahaha. Just hang in there a bit longer, Lady Estella. Your knight in shining armor, Jake, will come to the rescue soon.」
「Damn it. I’ll crush these bastards before Vice Commander Jake gets here. They treat their hostage so poorly.」
In reality, Lady Estella, who was supposedly kidnapped the previous night, was actually Kane in disguise. Raul had been amazed at how a robust man in his thirties could transform into a delicate woman in her twenties.
Furthermore, all the abducted key figures’ children had been impersonated by Kane’s operatives.
The real individuals were secretly protected by Raul.
‘The stage is set. Let’s see how our actors perform.’
Raul thought of the players who would enter the stage while fiddling the sharp dagger at his side.
(To be continued)