Chapter 506
I Will Hold the King Accountable. (4)
The Capital Defense Commander hid atop the fortress wall, anxiously biting his nails.
‘W-what should I do? Should I open it? Or not?’
The Count of Fenris and the Northern Army were renowned for their strength and prestige. Moreover, he had only recently assumed his post and had no real battle experience.
No matter how formidable Cardenia’s walls were, he wasn’t confident he could hold them back.
‘Damn it, if only they had come a little later.’
The entire capital was preparing for a full-scale retreat. They had planned to flee in two days, but no one had expected the Count of Fenris to arrive before then.
As he hesitated, a booming voice echoed from below once more.
“Are you going to open up or not?!”
The Count of Fenris spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The Capital Defense Commander was drenched in cold sweat.
The knights and soldiers around him watched his flustered state with contempt.
Then, a thunderous voice rang out like a bolt from the blue.
“If you won’t open it, I’ll climb up myself!”
“…What?”
The Capital Defense Commander was stunned. Did he just say he was going to climb this massive wall?
Thinking he must have misheard, another deafening cry followed.
“If anyone tries to stop me, they’ll die!”
“……”
The Capital Defense Commander could only roll his eyes around in panic. Just then, a soldier rushed over and reported breathlessly.
“The Count of Fenris is climbing up!”
“What?! How? How is he climbing?!”
“He’s driving daggers into the wall and using them as footholds to propel himself upward…”
“……”
“He’ll be here soon.”
Upon hearing this, the Capital Defense Commander’s face turned deathly pale as he shouted.
“S-s-stop him! Stop him! No—capture him when he gets up! Why isn’t the fortress magic activating?!”
As befitting the last bastion of the capital’s defense, a substantial number of troops remained stationed there. The knights and mages present were of considerable caliber.
If the Count of Fenris was climbing up alone, maybe they actually stood a chance.
Thud!
At that very moment, Ghislain landed atop the fortress wall.
The Capital Defense Commander shrieked in desperation.
“There’s only one enemy! Seize him! Attack!”
But no one moved.
It was only natural. No one was foolish enough to engage Ghislain directly.
“W-why are you just standing there?! Are you defying orders?! Seize that traitor immediately!”
The Capital Defense Commander staggered backward, trembling.
No matter how much he shouted, no one obeyed. He had no idea how things had ended up like this.
Ghislain smirked as he strolled toward him. The soldiers instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path for him.
Glancing around, Ghislain threw out a casual remark.
“Oh? You guys are still alive. Been a while.”
Ghislain had frequently come and gone from the capital. Many of the knights and soldiers were familiar with his face.
As he greeted them, they responded with awkward smiles.
The Capital Defense Commander could only watch the scene in utter disbelief.
As Ghislain closed the distance, he grinned.
“We’re all good friends, aren’t we?”
“Y-you damn traitors…!”
The Capital Defense Commander clenched his teeth.
At this point, he needed to purge not just Ghislain, but also the knights and soldiers. Who could have predicted that the Count of Fenris would have personal connections with the garrison?
But he couldn’t afford to die like this. He had secured this position by offering countless bribes. The past few months had been a dream—he wasn’t ready to lose everything so easily.
Snapping back to his senses, he immediately dropped to the ground and begged.
“P-please spare me! I surren—”
Schlk!
Before he could finish, Ghislain’s sword severed his head.
Flicking the blood off his blade, Ghislain muttered.
“You should’ve opened the gates when I told you to.”
And so, Cardenia—the capital and the kingdom’s mightiest fortress—fell with laughable ease.
No matter how sturdy a fortress was, it was useless if those defending it had no will to fight.
Rumble…
The gates of Cardenia were secured by twelve interlocking mechanisms, each requiring simultaneous operation. Additionally, mages had to manipulate the mana circuits to unseal them.
Despite its complexity, the gates began to creak open.
Through the opening, the Fenris Mobile Corps entered, their banners held high.
There was no army left to oppose them.
The capital remained eerily silent. Most citizens had opted to stay hidden indoors.
Some onlookers quietly slipped away upon seeing the soldiers enter, lowering their heads and avoiding eye contact for fear of being captured.
From behind shuttered windows, others peered through cracks, observing the direction the army was headed.
And then, among them, a few recognized the flag of Fenris.
“T-that flag…”
“It’s the Count of Fenris! The Count of Fenris is here!”
“The Holy One has arrived!”
As someone shouted, people who had been hiding in their homes rushed to their windows. Those outside all lifted their heads to check the army’s banner.
“It… It’s real…”
“It’s really Count Fenris…”
“That’s the banner of the Fenris Mobile Corps!”
Riding a massive black horse at the forefront with an imposing presence was none other than Count Fenris, the man they had known for so long. Everyone recognized Ghislain’s face.
“Count Fenris is here!”
One by one, people began to emerge from their homes. Even those who had been fleeing turned back, gathering around the army.
Seeing the Fenris banner and Ghislain’s face, many wept. Some collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
They had waited for so long—for someone to save them.
And rumors had spread. That the Wolf of the North, Ferdium, would come to rescue them. That Ghislain, who had slain the Riftspawn and repelled the Ducal Families’ army, would arrive.
They had clung to the smallest shred of hope.
And now, just as they had wished, Ghislain had appeared.
“Count Fenris!”
“My lord! Please save us!”
“Please, rescue us!”
People rushed forward, falling to their knees before Ghislain, their cries growing louder and echoing further.
Hearing the commotion, even more people stepped outside. Before long, the streets of the capital were overflowing with a massive crowd.
Desperate pleas rang out from all directions—voices begging for salvation.
Listening to their cries, Ghislain clenched his fist and raised his arm high. At that moment, all voices fell silent.
In the hush that followed, only Ghislain’s voice resounded.
“There is no need to fear any longer! The tyrant’s reign ends today!”
The people held their breath, waiting for his next words. Then, in a firm voice, Ghislain declared:
“My father, Marquis Zwalter Ferdium, will usher in a new era!”
“Waaaaahhh!”
The people erupted in cheers at Ghislain’s proclamation.
The Wolf of the North, Zwalter Ferdium, was a well-known figure even among them. The rumors painted him as a man of great responsibility, one who deeply cared for and cherished his people.
If he were to become king, the world would be a far better place than it was now.
And on top of that, his son—whom the people revered as a Holy One—was none other than Ghislain.
It was obvious that Ghislain would be the next king. There was no reason not to rejoice.
Belinda leaned in and whispered to him.
“Wait, is it really okay to announce this now? The marquis will be troubled.”
Even in a coup, one did not openly declare their claim to the throne so blatantly.
After toppling the tyrant by force, the proper course was to follow due procedure—winning over the nobles and pretending to reluctantly take the throne.
Yet, here Ghislain was, boldly declaring his intentions without a hint of shame. Knowing Zwalter’s personality, he would surely be embarrassed.
But Ghislain simply shrugged.
“He’s going to take the throne anyway, isn’t he? Acting coy about it would just waste time. Look, the people love it.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Exhausted by years of tyranny, the people responded to Ghislain’s words with unrestrained enthusiasm. If anything, such a straightforward declaration resonated even more with them.
For the first time in a long while, the capital was alive with energy. The people were too busy cheering and crying with joy.
And yet, no one came to suppress them.
The city guard and the security forces had already surrendered.
Now, only the royal palace’s defenders and the royal knights remained.
“To the palace!”
“Waaaaahhh!”
The enraged crowd followed behind Ghislain, each wielding a weapon. It was a bizarre scene where rebellion and a popular uprising intertwined.
More and more people gathered, and their chants of Ghislain’s name echoed throughout the capital.
At that moment, someone blocked Ghislain’s path.
“Hm?”
Ghislain blinked several times. The person standing before him was not supposed to be here.
“Bishop Porisco?”
The archbishops and bishops of the Four Major Temples who had been in the capital had long since fled. The priests who had stayed behind for the people had all been captured and killed.
Naturally, Ghislain had assumed Porisco had fled as well. There was no way that cunning man would have remained.
Yet, to his surprise, Porisco was still in the capital.
Looking utterly emaciated, Porisco's eyes welled with tears.
“You… you really came! You really came! I’m saved! I’m alive!”
Ghislain asked with a slightly surprised expression.
“No, but why didn’t you flee?”
“I tried to run!”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“…Because of the children.”
“The children?”
Ghislain finally noticed dozens of ragged children huddled behind Porisco. They, too, looked famished and weak.
Porisco let out a deep sigh and explained.
“I was about to flee, but then I saw the slum children running away… I tried to hide them, and before I knew it…”
Porisco had been about to say that these brats had held him back, but with so many people around, he trailed off.
Ghislain looked at him in disbelief.
“You… stayed behind to hide the children? You, Bishop Porisco?”
“…Yes.”
—
When the king had ordered the purge of the slums, Porisco had intended to flee with his remaining wealth.
But as he was escaping, he had seen the children and heard them cry out.
— “Holy One! Please save us!”
Porisco, whose desire for fame had soared to the heavens after meeting Ghislain, couldn't bring himself to ignore them upon hearing those words.
So he had hidden the children in a secret chamber of the temple, intending to escape alone afterward. But he missed the timing and ended up trapped with them.
For days, he had been searching for an opportunity to escape. Then, he heard the people's chants and cautiously stepped outside.
And what he saw was astonishing.
“Waaaaah! He truly is the Holy One!”
“He even saved the children!”
“I knew it!”
Now, the people were cheering for Porisco. Most of the clergy had fled, yet he had remained alone to protect the children!
If someone like him wasn’t worthy of being called the Holy One, then who was?
Porisco stood there, dumbfounded.
“…?”
The truth was, he had only locked the children away and tried to run. He had no intention of taking responsibility for them. There had been a small stash of emergency rations in the secret chamber, so he figured they wouldn’t die immediately.
That was the extent of what he had done. He had only ended up trapped because the soldiers arrived before he could escape. If Ghislain hadn’t come, he would have been doomed.
And yet, the people were cheering for him.
Porisco was not the type to let such an opportunity slip by.
His expression changed in an instant, and he raised his voice.
“How could a servant of God abandon innocent children and flee?!”
“Waaaaah!”
“If not me, then who would dare step into hell?!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Today! In the name of God, I shall punish the wicked king!”
“Waaaaah!”
—
“…”
Ghislain silently observed the scene. In an instant, the entire atmosphere had shifted in Porisco’s favor.
He had always thought so, but this man was truly extraordinary.
Ghislain gestured for one of the defense force knights who had been following him.
“Distribute the defense force’s food supply among the children and the starving.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Ghislain prepared to march toward the royal castle once more, Porisco hurried after him.
“Wait! I’m coming with you!”
“Hm? Why?”
“I’m the only bishop left in the capital! I’ll testify to that bastard king’s crimes and officially declare my support for the Marquis of Ferdium! This is the will of the Juana Order! I’m really the Holy One now!”
“Oh-ho.”
Anyway, Zwalter would be forced onto the throne, but having the church’s bishop endorse it would make things look even better. After all, the priests had the right to judge a king who had fallen into heresy.
Porisco was the only bishop who had survived without fleeing. His promotion to archbishop was already guaranteed, and he would finally receive the Holy One title he had previously been denied.
If he publicly declared his support, it would not only suppress the resistance from other nobles but also solidify legitimacy.
Ghislain nodded readily.
“All right. Follow me.”
“That bastard of a king, fuck, he’s really dead now.”
Perhaps still enraged by his past sufferings, Porisco cursed as he followed Ghislain.
To be honest, he no longer felt afraid—he knew Ghislain’s power well enough. Hadn’t he driven out the Salvation Church priests who had been hiding in the capital before?
With Porisco leading the way confidently, the Fenris forces advanced, guiding the people to the royal castle.
There, they were met by a force standing in wait before the gates.
“Halt.”
At the very front stood the Royal Knight Commander, Count Palantz, his expression stiff.
“Hm.”
Ghislain let out a small chuckle before dismounting from his horse.
Even if the royal castle’s garrison and the Royal Knights combined their numbers, they were far too few. There was no way they could stop the Fenris Mobile Corps and the enraged citizens.
The royal castle’s guards already wore faces filled with fear. Even the Royal Knights were visibly tense.
Count Palantz understood this as well, which was why his expression hardened even further.
Ghislain drew his sword.
“We meet again.”
Grit.
Count Palantz clenched his teeth. The humiliation of having the king’s belongings stolen by this man resurfaced in his mind.
And yet, he had to acknowledge his skill.
The Royal Army, whom he had placed his faith in, had completely betrayed them and sided with the Marquis of Ferdium. It wasn’t just because of the marquis’s reputation or character.
The presence of Count Fenris, who had built an overwhelming record of achievements, played a much bigger role.
And that was what made it all the more regretful.
“When we attacked Marquis Branford, I should have eliminated you as well.”
“If you had, the king would’ve died back then.”
“You bastard….”
Count Palantz gritted his teeth once more. Ghislain’s gaze turned cold.
“I’ll give you a choice. Will you fight, or will you surrender? Of course, even if you surrender, you will die.”
The Royal Knight Commander was a dangerous figure. No matter how much Ghislain valued talented individuals, he had already made up his mind to kill the king. There was no way he could leave Count Palantz alive.
“…Hoo.”
Count Palantz let out a rough breath. The situation had completely reversed.
Even fleeing was no longer an option. The Ferdium forces were supposed to be advancing slowly, yet somehow, this man had arrived far sooner than expected.
It felt as if everything had been within his grasp from the very start.
But what could he do? He was the Royal Knight Commander. Having pledged loyalty to the king, he could not simply abandon him and flee alone.
Yet, there was no need to let his cherished subordinates die needlessly.
There was only one way out of this situation.
Extending his sword, Count Palantz spoke.
“I challenge you to a duel, Count Fenris.”
If he could just kill this man, it would all be over.