WeTried Translations
Translator: Hydrogen B
Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 200: The King's Return (9)
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Oswin forced his uncooperative body upright. The smell of blood reached him, and only then did his hazy mind snap fully awake.
The Commander?
As far as Oswin knew, there was only one person in Baldheim, the northern capital, who could be called the Commander. Kyle Baldrick, the final Commander of the Knights of Ash. With Yurian dead, the sole remaining claimant to the throne. The greatest thorn in Duke Ehrenfeld's side.
Could he already be here? In the city?
Oswin blinked repeatedly. Then, the lamp's glow made the faces of the two knights clear.
“You're Duke Ehrenfeld's knights, aren't you? Why me...”
Why are you helping me? And why were knights of Duke Ehrenfeld calling Kyle the Commander?
Oswin had only just realized who they were. There was too much he did not understand. Why had Duke Ehrenfeld's knights killed another knight under the same duke? Why did they call Kyle the Commander?
“We are not knights of Duke Ehrenfeld's house.”
The answer came from the man standing to the left of the one glancing down the corridor.
“We are knights of Count Haska's house.”
“Count Haska's house? Have you been disguised as Duke Ehrenfeld's knights all this time? Since when...?”
“Since before the Northern War, we have been planted within Duke Ehrenfeld's house. The duke does not care about one's origins as long as one is capable.”
Duke Ehrenfeld did not discriminate by status when appointing talented people. That was both his strength and his weakness. He rewarded people generously, but maintained no personal relationships with them. If needed, he would use them as tools, then discard them without hesitation.
“So there were secrets even I did not know about Count Haska's house. Was it the previous count's foresight...?”
Oswin had not expected them to use the duke's nature against him by placing knights within his ranks as spies. The previous head of House Haska had died in the Northern War. Thinking of the former head, Oswin's eyes turned bitter.
“What is happening outside? Have the city gates been opened?”
“Not yet. We are facing them across the city walls.”
“What of Duke Ehrenfeld? No, before that, the Commander...”
“We'll tell you everything later. We need to leave as quickly as possible. There is no time.”
Clank!
The man found a key on Duke Ehrenfeld's knight who had guarded the cell and opened the locked door. Still dazed, Oswin stepped out of the cell.
The underground prison corridor was still bathed in the eerie orange glow of the lamps. The only difference was the heavy smell of blood rising from beneath his feet. The knight who had guarded the cell moments ago was completely dead. Oswin staggered once from dizziness, barely steadied himself, and asked again.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“It will soon be midnight.”
“...The dead of night. It is very late.”
“This way.”
The two knights led the way through the underground prison corridor. Oswin's entire body ached from being confined for so long, but he gritted his teeth and silently followed.
As he laboriously climbed the stale spiral staircase, countless thoughts crossed his mind. How many days had passed since he was thrown into the underground prison? If knights from Count Haska's house had come here themselves, did that mean Kyle, the Commander of the Knights of Ash, was inside the city? And Duke Ehrenfeld?
Not long after he sank into thought, the air changed. At the entrance to the underground prison, Duke Ehrenfeld's knights, apparently dealt with in advance by the two knights from Count Haska's house, lay bleeding on the ground. There were also more than a few others nearby who had either fainted or died.
Oswin continued following the two knights. Once they left the Royal Palace, a cold night wind swept over his entire body instead of the damp smell of mold. A bright moon hung overhead. Only then did Oswin truly realize that he had escaped outside.
It feels as though I spent years in that prison. Even though I did not.
Have I grown this weak with age?
No, this is not the time for that.
Before Duke Ehrenfeld's soldiers notice us, we must hide first...
Oswin belatedly looked around. Yet strangely, there was no sign of anyone in the moonlit courtyard of the Royal Palace.
“Is everything taken care of?”
“We are mostly done. At least for a while, word will not reach Duke Ehrenfeld's ears. He seems to be quite drunk.”
At that moment, familiar knights approached from not far away. Oswin's eyes slowly widened. A tall, middle-aged man, who spoke casually with the knights of Count Haska's house as though he knew them well, stopped before the aged Count of the Royal Court.
“We have been waiting for you, Your Excellency.”
“How did you get here...?”
“Surely I had to be here if we were going to rescue Your Excellency? I am glad you are unharmed.”
The middle-aged knight spoke sincerely. Oswin knew him well. Even after Duke Ehrenfeld occupied Baldheim, he had continued serving Oswin faithfully as the Count of the Royal Court. The other three men behind him were the same. They were knights of the old era who had not forgotten House Baldrick, men who had bowed their heads to Duke Ehrenfeld while waiting for their chance.
“Your Excellency.”
As Oswin stood there in confusion, one of the two knights from Count Haska's house who had brought him here spoke.
“You must move now. We need Your Excellency's strength to retake Baldheim.”
“You need my strength? What do you mean?”
“The Commander is currently waiting outside Baldheim. He arrived earlier today. He has a little over six thousand troops. But Duke Ehrenfeld's private soldiers are guarding the area near the city gates, so they cannot enter.”
The knight from Count Haska's house quickly explained the situation. Only then did Oswin understand both his circumstances and what he had to do.
Kyle had led loyalist and neutral lords north to retake Baldheim. Duke Ehrenfeld had shut the gates tightly and held out.
“Do you remember saying that you were sowing seeds for a spring that would come someday?”
The middle-aged knight who had been listening quietly interjected.
“The time has come.”
Oswin had not waited helplessly. Without Duke Ehrenfeld noticing, he had prepared for the future.
“The preparations are complete.”
From ordinary soldiers living in Baldheim to its hundred thousand citizens.
“Your Excellency must lead us yourself.”
Many secretly resisted Duke Ehrenfeld. They had merely kept quiet and hidden because they lacked strength. They were all people who had not forgotten the rule of House Baldrick. Oswin had tried to win them over one by one.
After I was imprisoned, I thought it had all come to nothing.
“...”
From the knights of Count Haska's house to the men loyal to House Baldrick, Oswin met all their gazes and looked up. The elderly Count of the Royal Court's eyes, fixed upon the moon, no longer trembled. All that remained was relief that the seeds he had sown had not been in vain, and a sense of duty for what lay ahead.
“...Let us go.”
Having made his decision, Oswin moved his legs, which had remained still until then. The six knights silently bowed their heads and followed behind him.
At the main gate of the Royal Palace, the soldiers standing guard had been knocked unconscious, as though preparations had been made in advance. Oswin gave them a brief glance before immediately heading down into the city. As it was nearly midnight, the streets were submerged in soft moonlight and the faint light that occasionally streamed through windows. There was none of the vibrant atmosphere that had existed before the Northern War.
One, then two, then three.
Unfamiliar people joined their ranks. First came soldiers who had been on patrol, then ordinary citizens.
Before Oswin realized it, the procession that had begun with him and six knights had grown to more than several hundred people. The farther they crossed Baldheim's central streets, the more their numbers swelled. Some had been hiding in their homes before finding the courage to join. There were even parents who came outside holding their children's hands.
Oswin walked proudly at the head of them all. The broad avenue filled with people, and as they drew closer to the tightly shut southern gate, the torches burning atop the city wall flickered urgently.
“H-Hey! Over there...!”
“What is that?”
“It is a rebellion! Rebellion!”
A soldier's cry rang out loudly. Those guarding the area near the southern gate rushed down from the city wall in alarm, gripping their weapons. Among them were Duke Ehrenfeld's knights.
“Stop! Halt!”
A knight who appeared to be their commander shouted. Oswin, who had been walking at the head, stopped. Those following him stopped as well. The distance between the two groups was now less than fifty meters.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Oswin and the six knights stood at the front. Behind them stretched a long tide of countless soldiers and citizens.
“Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim.”
The knight who had stepped forward as their representative stared coldly at Oswin. The crowd filling the street could not simply be described as numerous.
A thousand.
No, two thousand?
Perhaps even more. What was certain was that the number of people coming out into the streets kept growing. There were even many soldiers among them who had been patrolling the city under Duke Ehrenfeld's orders. Meanwhile, the force guarding the southern gate until midnight numbered only around five hundred at most.
“You should be locked in the underground prison.”
“...”
“You killed your guards and escaped. You ungrateful bastards, after all the grace Duke Ehrenfeld has shown you... This is treason, Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim! Do you truly not understand the duke's great decision to protect the north from the Empire?”
Duke Ehrenfeld's knight shouted, trembling with rage.
“The traitor is not us, but Duke Ehrenfeld.”
Oswin calmly retorted.
“Do you truly think so as well? That we are the ones committing treason?”
The elderly Count of the Royal Court's gaze passed Duke Ehrenfeld's knight and turned toward those behind him. The soldiers who had hurried down, as well as the guards atop the city wall, could not bring themselves to meet Oswin's eyes. Ashamed and humiliated, they lowered their heads weakly.
“You bastards...”
“Open the gates. It is over. There is no need for people of the same homeland to shed blood.”
Oswin spoke calmly. His voice was composed, yet strong enough to carry in every direction.
“Do not speak such nonsense! How could we possibly listen to a loser who tucked his tail before the Empire...!”
The knight flew into a rage. Then, without warning, a deep Creeeak... rang out, and the city gate, made from a single solid block of Lunarium, slowly began to rise. The knight turned around in shock, and their eyes widened in horror.
When did this happen?
“Who did this? Which one of you did it?!”
Despite the sharp shout, the person who opened the gate did not reveal themself. Duke Ehrenfeld's private soldiers lowered their eyes and hesitated. The knight glanced toward the inside of the gate tower, their expression twisting viciously with rage.
“You worthless trash...!”
Clang!
The knight swiftly drew their sword. Not only the other knights waiting nearby, but some of the soldiers also gripped their weapons. The mages atop the city wall each took up a wand or staff and aimed below. The knights behind Oswin instantly stepped forward as though to protect him.
“Your Excellency!”
“Please step back.”
“No! Do not kill each other! This is meaningless!”
“Soldiers, step forward! Including those who opened the gates, wipe out every last one of these traitors!”
Shouts flew from every direction. It did not take long for the area around the southern gate to descend into chaos. Duke Ehrenfeld's forces and those following Oswin were just about to clash.
Splat!
Suddenly, red flowers bloomed atop the city wall. The mages, who had been ready to unleash magic with their wands aimed, collapsed all at once. Several mages had their limbs shredded by invisible blades and fell from the city wall.
Duke Ehrenfeld's knights were no different. One after another, they fell without even reacting. Before the knight who had stood at the front could react, a pure white blade was protruding from their chest.
“The Knights of Ash...”
Someone murmured blankly. Kyle pulled free Yurian's sword, wreathed in Sword Aura. Walter, Hermann, and the other Ash Knights did the same.
Slash!
Duke Ehrenfeld's knights fell. The area around the southern gate, which had seemed ready to explode at any moment, was cleared in an instant. Baldheim's gates, which had been groaning as they rose, now stood wide open. Beyond them, more than six thousand soldiers came into view.
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