Volume 4, Chapter 54 – Hope, Close at Hand

Without needing to look to find his way, Prince Schain chose his path almost by muscle memory. The road from the main gate of the Royal Castle to the back gate was as complex as a maze, with countless spies watching along the way. But he had long since deeply engraved the castle’s layout in his mind. In addition, because Yelido and Fia had taken most of the people with them, the spies were not as dense as usual, so his advance was exceptionally smooth.

—In fact, Dofilia had even taken the troops from outside the Royal Castle, so much so that he didn’t need to act personally. The two Sixth-Rank practitioners alone were enough to eliminate any hidden spies who might have reported them.

It was true that the [Citadel of Silence] existed in the Royal Castle. Even someone of Greyan’s strength could not use magic within it. But as long as one understood the principle by which it prohibited magic, there was a way to crack it. The reason he, Aldrich, dared to charge into the castle with only two Sixth-Rank practitioners was because he possessed the ability to use magic within its walls.

A Sixth-Rank warrior who could only use physical strength was not much different from a large elite troll. A magic-caster was even worse off. Even if mana could strengthen a person’s body in all aspects, including strength and agility, in a situation where the ranks were the same, a person who could not use magic was by no means a match for one who could.

As for where he had obtained the method to crack it, it had to start with his guard, Herian. Decades ago, when Herian was liaising with other nobles on his behalf, he had happened to meet a magic researcher who claimed to be from the Eternal Daylight Mages faction. That researcher had claimed that he could create a batch of amulets that could generate their own elements, allowing the wearer to use magic even within the [Citadel of Silence].

So, Herian had, on his own initiative, purchased a large number of these items from the researcher and named them ‘Domination Amulets,’ meaning amulets that dominated the elements.

As a result, Prince Schain had initially been annoyed at Herian for wasting money. But when he had secretly brought an amulet to the Royal Castle and tried it in a corner, he had discovered that it actually worked. Although one amulet could only last for thirty seconds and could not support magic above the Fifth Rank, this was already enough to create a gap.

It was worth mentioning that he had once wanted to improve the amulets, hoping to increase their limit. If he could release a Sixth-Rank spell in the castle, then even the guards at the back gate could be sniped by his men with a surprise Sixth-Rank spell. Unfortunately, no matter how much manpower he deployed to search, he could never find that magic researcher from the Eternal Daylight Mages faction again.

Of course, the matter of enhancing the amulets had not been left at that. He himself had also invested in magic researchers to try and improve them, but all of them had failed without exception. The [Citadel of Silence] also had different grades. If the one protecting the Silvar Royal Castle was so easy to crack, it would not exist in the castle.

Now, his group had already broken through the central courtyard and had arrived at the palaces that connected the courtyard to the back gate. The Royal Castle was mainly divided into two large areas, front and back. The front was a relatively spacious complex of large buildings that even foreign guests could see. And from the courtyard backwards was the residential area for the royal family and ministers. The roads here became narrow and complex, and one would encounter guards every ten or so meters.

Listening to the sounds of battle and screams around him, the prince quickened his pace. Although using [Flight] could overcome all obstacles, it would also make him a target for everyone. He had no desire to find out how big a hole a dragon-slaying ballista could make in his body. It wasn’t that he hadn’t encountered guards along the way, but that those guards were, one, unaware of the situation, and two, scattered. They were often cut down by his men in a single encounter before they could even react.

However, even so, only about five hundred people were left following him. The other three hundred had either been held up by the battle at the city gate or had gotten separated in the confusion. The rainy night, the tension, and the maze-like terrain of the castle easily caused those at the rear of the team to lose their way.

Soon, Prince Schain passed the Sea Palace, which marked the boundary of the central courtyard. He glanced at the Three Main Towers in the distance to confirm his position, then locked his gaze on the narrow passage ahead—it was a narrow passage only three meters wide, with five-meter-high walls on both sides, and a length of over fifty meters. As a prince, he knew the dangers of this passage. If there were an ambush on both sides, the moment they entered, they would instantly become trapped rats.

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Without a second thought, he shouted at Herian and the others behind him.

“Use the amulets! Blast down the wall in front of me!”

“Yes!”

With a series of sounds like jade shattering, a dense concentration of the four major elements instantly enveloped him and his rebel army. The weakest of these men could use at least a [Fireball] spell. For a moment, a total of five hundred magic spells of various colors shot towards the distant wall. Although half of them missed, their power was still enough to completely collapse the passage.

“Ugh!”

“E-enemy attack!”

With the collapse of the passage, the guards stationed on both sides appeared before him. Just as he had thought, there were over a hundred guards ambushing on both sides of the fifty-meter-long passage. And now, only two-thirds of them still had the ability to fight.

Without needing his command, Herian and the others knew what to do.

In a single breath, the rebel army charged towards the guards in unison. Although the sixty-odd guards reacted quickly, they were at a disadvantage in numbers and could not use magic. They only had time to fire a red-glowing crystal into the sky before they were quickly swallowed by the crowd. The two Sixth-Rank practitioners, in particular, after receiving permission to use magic freely, cleared the obstacles with two Fifth-Rank spells. The remaining five hundred rebels were left to clean up the small fry.

However, it should be said that these guards had not died in vain. The red crystal they had shot into the air made the once-excited rebels stand on the rubble and look at each other. Everyone silently looked at the prince, whose face was illuminated by the red light.

This red light was exceptionally conspicuous even in the rainy night. Anyone could guess that it was a call for help. They had been exposed. Before long, guards from other directions would come.

But he had already anticipated this result. In fact, for them to have only been discovered by the guards now was beyond his imagination. His dear niece had taken away too many guards, leaving the city’s defenses empty. If it had been a normal day, this passage would have been guarded by at least four hundred men. He might have been discovered by the patrolling soldiers as soon as he had broken into the city gate.

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“Keep moving forward! The spy from the Holy Kingdom doesn’t have much power to stop us! As long as we take her down, the Imperial Guard will come to their senses soon enough! We’ll split into two groups! One team will go to the palace to search for the spy’s whereabouts! The other will follow me to the Holy Tree to cut off her retreat!”

“Yes!”

Encouraged by him and knowing there was no turning back, the morale of the rebel army was once again boosted. They quickly split into two teams under the command of Count Lafaria. One team continued deeper into the Royal Castle, while the other spread out horizontally and ran towards the palaces.

It should be said that the people going to the palaces did not know that they were actually his delaying tactic. The scattered soldiers were to attract the attention of the guards who would come later, to slow down their reinforcements. The real main force, such as the two Sixth-Rank practitioners, were following behind him.

Things were just as he had thought. After the red signal rose, the entire Royal Castle quickly became noisy. The sleeping ministers and maids all peeked out of their windows to see what was happening. The guards from other directions formed teams and ran straight for the central courtyard. Not only that, but as a green crystal symbolizing a gathering signal rose, the guards at the palaces also gave up fighting on their own and collectively ran towards the place where the green crystal had risen, forming a defensive line together.

“Aldrich!”

Soon, he encountered the gathered guards in a narrow passage. He stopped and, with a cold smile, gestured to his men behind him.

He did not feel anxious at all, because the person blocking him was Godley.

Even if a large portion of the Imperial Guard in the Royal Castle had been taken away, there were still about three thousand left. Their strength was far greater than his subordinates’. He could indeed use the Domination Amulets to deal with them, but if he consumed too much mana, or used them up early, he would not be able to fight the guards at the back gate. However, being discovered after breaking in was almost a certainty. How to reach the back gate before the guards from other city gates arrived had become his biggest headache.

Therefore, Godley’s existence was extremely important.

As soon as Loca had suggested that they should cooperate with Godley, he had thought of a solution. As long as he had Godley gather the remaining guards in the passage after he was discovered, and then, just like the captain of the Fourth Squad had dealt with the vice-captain of the Third, stabbed these guards in the back, he could greatly shorten the time of his operation.

Godley was the eldest son of the Greyan family, a high-ranking member of the military. With his help, the coup was like a fish in water.

By the flickering torchlight, he could see the blood flowing at Godley’s feet. The soldiers standing behind him were not real Imperial Guards, but his own men. They had changed into the armor of the guard to disguise themselves, in order to deceive the squads that had gathered here.

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The two sides quickly met up.

“Godley, how is it on your side?”

Due to excessive nervousness, Prince Schain’s voice was even trembling.

“Everything is according to plan. Look over there.”

The middle-aged Godley pointed to the distance. One could see green crystals rising all over the Royal Castle. The people who had released these signals were the rebels Godley had arranged early on to confuse the guards. With gathering signals everywhere, the guards who rushed over would not know where to go.

However, Prince Schain was not carried away by joy. Things were going too smoothly, to the point that he always felt something was not quite right.

“Where is Erin Slate? I haven’t seen her all the way. It’s impossible for her not to have reacted by now!”

“Isn’t she the royal family’s loyal hound? She probably saw that the situation was bad and is protecting Veronica or Kalsey. These signals won’t hold for long. You should hurry to the Holy Tree. Remember our agreement. After this is over, let me kill Dofilia with my own hands.”

Godley’s words were indeed somewhat credible. Prince Schain breathed a slight sigh of relief. He gripped his shoulder tightly and guaranteed with great solemnity.

“I will not forget today’s kindness.”

Without delay, after Godley had given the signal for his soldiers to make way, Prince Schain continued on his way with his men. To delay the arrival of the guards, he left most of his men on the necessary path that Godley was guarding, taking only a hundred of his strongest elites with him.

In less than five minutes, he finally stood before the back gate of the Royal Castle that he had dreamed of.

One could see that the First Imperial Guard squad, which was guarding the gate, was already on high alert. The anti-magic ballista and shield towers were all ready. The First Squad had always had the duty of guarding the back gate; they could not leave this place no matter what. In addition, the semi-circular plaza where they were located was one of the few places in the entire castle where magic could be used. This group of people was the strongest resistance in his coup.

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By the time he realized this, the First Squad had already cast their spells at him.

Besides the anti-magic ballista, there were also real magic spells. Not only were there Third-Rank [Thunder Spear] and [Force Spear], but also Fourth-Rank [Ravens] and Fifth-Rank [Ice Storm]. The rainy night was instantly illuminated by the light of various spells. He could even see the faces of the guards behind the shield towers by the light of the magic.

Dammit, to greet me with such big spells right from the start.

He cursed in his heart. He crushed a Domination Amulet and a magic crystal, using illusion magic to confuse their vision. His goal was never to defeat the First Squad, but to reach the Holy Tree. So he didn’t have to personally join the battle. As long as he used [Flight] and [Concealment] to get over the wall during the chaos, his goal would be achieved.

“Protect His Highness!”

As if in coordination with him, when he used a dazzling magic shield to block his figure, Herian rushed in the opposite direction, not forgetting to shout loudly, as if the real Prince Schain was in the direction he was rushing.

The next second.

A chaotic rain of spells like arrows smashed onto the magic shield formed by the rebel army. This time, it was the rebels who were unprepared. The shield they had deployed only lasted for a few seconds before shattering with a series of cracks. The roar of the magic, carrying with it flesh and blood and screams, echoed through the streets.

But what the First Squad hadn’t expected was that just as they thought the rebels were just a disorganized mob, two balls of magic light suddenly appeared on the left and right of the plaza. At the same time, some of the rebels who had been thrown into disarray also came to their senses and threw stones with a restrained red glow at them—to be precise, they were magic crystals.

The two balls of magic light were naturally the product of the two Sixth-Rank practitioners, and the magic crystals were the weapons he had initially hidden in the houses of the many minor nobles. These were almost all his assets. From Fourth-Rank to Sixth-Rank magic, he had bet all his chips on this coup.

This time, the center of the explosion was in the First Squad’s formation. He knew in his heart that although the inherent barrier on the semi-circular plaza would help them resist the attack, they would not be able to spare any hands to stop him.

He no longer hesitated. He pressed his body against the wall and quietly ascended with [Flight]. [Concealment] could only roughly change his body to the color of the environment. If one looked closely, it would be easy to find something moving on the wall. Therefore, he had to be extra careful. No matter how fierce the battle below was, he still only let his body rise little by little.