Chapter 97: Means of Obtaining an Army (6)

“Seize the king! His Excellency, Lord Lushak, has decreed that whoever captures the king will be rewarded handsomely! Kill everyone else!”

When the rebels broke into the king’s ranks, they were quickly intermingled and the SS and maids were killed.

“Your Majesty, we’d better split up and run. They’re after you, Your Majesty.”

“I can’t die yet…….! Come on, say something!”

“Please change into the clothes of the chamberlain. Then put His Majesty’s clothes on the chamberlain and make him like His Majesty. Most of the rebels were in the provincial territories so they will be fooled.”

Serena’s good looks were widely known in Estren so she stood out. If there was someone dressed as a king with the queen, they would normally think it was the king and they would pursue him.

This was not a viable solution because the rebels were so numerous that even if they split up and fled, there was a chance that they would both be caught but there was no other way.

The reward that is supposed to be given to the one who captures the king will blind them and they will all go after the king alone, which will buy them some time.

“Serena, you’re……? That’s…….”

“Your Majesty, we don’t have much time…….!”

The king was troubled but this king’s top priority was his own life. Of course, he loved the queen, but he was willing to abandon her to save his own life.

“……Then we have no choice. I’ll have to rely on you for now. I’ll give you a big reward when we retake the capital…….!”

The king quickly nodded to Serena’s suggestion, not bothering to say anything unexpected.

“Find the king!”

Still, the SS numbered 1,000, so while they struggled in the rear, the group split into two.

“Your Highness, your life is at risk in this situation.”

Dofle shouted to his daughter, his blood boiling.

“Now that I’m queen, it’s only natural that I should protect my husband.”

“I know that you do not have a relationship with him, and that you have no special feelings for him. Besides, His Majesty is too old to have spent the night with you! What kind of husband is that?”

The king had long since lost his ability to function as a man. As a result, he was unable to have children with his other wives. The older he got, the more impossible it became for him. Even so, he was a womanizer who sought out only beautiful women.

“That may be so, but I’m already a queen!”

Dofle was overcome with despair. At this moment, there was something more important to him than the fact of losing his country. He did not want to lose that so he pulled Serena’s arm.

“Father?”

“Serena! Get out of here!”

“I am a member of the royal court. It is only natural that I should share life and death with you.”

“Your marriage to His Majesty was a mistake! Damn, I should have taken you and defected to another country when the nobles tried to use our house……!”

Dofle expressed his regret.

“Still!”

“That’s enough. You will live free, Serena. In the world you’ve dreamed of since you were a child! I should have done this a long time ago.”

“Father……!”

Dofle took one last look at Serena.

“I’m sorry.”

Dofle hit Serena hard on the back of the neck, knocking her out. At any rate, Count Dofle is also a warlord.

“You two, take my daughter and run! Hurry!”

He then shouted to the two vassals that had followed him. They were vassals who had served the Dofle family since Serena was a child.

Sir……that’s!”

“I told you it was the last order. Now go! If you hesitate, you’ll never get away from here. This is my last request to you. I’m going to ask you to do the same. Would you leave your daughter behind? I want you to take Serena and return to your lands where your families are! This is my last order as Lord!”

“……”

The two vassals looked at each other at the firmness of his intentions. They too had children. So they could not help but understand Dofle’s feelings.

“You go! I will serve you to the end, my lord.”

“No, I’ll take care of this!”

“There’s no time for this. Go now! The rebels are almost upon us!”

The situation was so tense that eventually one of them had to nod. It reminded him of his own family back home, and he had to accept the proposal.

“I am a warlord. I’ll fight the rebels and buy us some time. In the meantime, you must flee!”

Dofle drew his sword to meet the rebels, hoping to buy them some time. Of course, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer but it was the only way.

***

In a way, Estren’s downfall was caused by a power struggle that was divided over succession and didn’t care about anything else.

In the end, it was a war of factions. Faction warfare is good when it is a harmonious combination of checks and balances, but it is irreversible when it is only about one’s own interests. That’s why forces like Kashak appeared, who were dissatisfied with the existing nobility.

In any case, it was important to know if Lushak would continue to be the tyrant I knew him to be. I was going to stay in the vicinity of the royal capital for a while because I needed to see it with my own eyes first. And as I looked around outside the capital, I saw the rebel army gathering.

“What crime have you committed against the people? Please stop the senseless killing now!”

A voice came from ahead.

The owner of the voice was familiar to me. I had only met him once, but he was someone I could not fail to remember. He was not the same type of person as Yurasia, but he was as good looking as her.

What was more memorable than his good looks was the spirit with which he threw himself without hesitation to protect the king. Kashak had also praised her spirit.

I’m not sure why the Queen of Estren is alone under siege by the rebels.

“What the hell is she talking about?”

The rebel soldiers naturally tuned out her words.

“You people……”

She stared at the soldiers with an intense gaze. Then she closed her eyes, as if she had a premonition of death. She acted as if she had no intention of begging for her life but there was an oversight. The soldiers didn’t seem to have any intention of killing her easily.

“I’ve never seen a woman so beautiful.”

“Look at the clothes she’s wearing. She must be a lady of some rank.”

“Hey, wipe that drool off your face!”

They’re troops without a commander to enforce discipline.

Especially if it is the same type of king as the king of Bridget, it is natural for the soldiers under his command to turn into a mob in the occupied cities. In order to boost the morale of the soldiers, orders for looting, arson, and murder must have been continuously issued without hesitation.

I leapt to my feet and attacked the soldiers. I didn’t even need to use Daitouren since my basic martial force itself had already been strengthened. Dealing with a small army was no problem at all. If there was a change in the situation, I could use [Invincibility for 30 seconds] and then worry about whether or not to use Daitouren.

I hit the [Attack] command lightly and cut off the arm of the soldier who tried to slash me then beheaded him. Though the soldiers were surprised by the cruel death of their comrade and thrust out their spears, I had no problem dealing with them.

“Guaaaaaah!”

[Dofle Serena]

[Age: 22]

[Martial Force: 2]

[Intelligence: 77]

[Command: 72]

Looking at her command, she must be the type of person who attracts people with her charm like Yurasia. Her beauty is on par with Yurasia’s, but her command is lower than Yurasia’s, which seems to be largely due to her martial force.

Yurasia is the type who stands on the battlefield herself, so naturally the synergistic effect of her high attractiveness will cause soldiers to follow her.

Perhaps her command is not the type of command that is needed on the battlefield to subdue and control those around her. Anyway, this woman, Serena, who had closed her eyes and prepared to die, didn’t feel any pain, but rather gently opened one eye to see what was going on when she heard the screams of the soldiers.

“Your Highness, why in the world are you here? And all by yourself!”

She noticed me, too, and brought her hands to her mouth, a hundred times more astonished than I was.

“Oh, my God! You’re Haddin-sama, aren’t you?”

She still thought I was Haddin because I called myself Haddin in Estren.

Anyway, she noticed me and suddenly fell flat on her face in front of me. She had a very earnest look on her face.

“Please help His Majesty and my father! You’re the one who defeated Count Kashak with one blow.….I believe it’s possible for you to do so! If you can help me……I’ll do anything. I will repay you for the rest of my life!”

She was about to hit her forehead on the ground. I asked, trying to hurry up to stop her.

“More importantly, why did you decide to leave the palace alone like this?”

“It was……my father who sent me away. I’m not sure what to do. But I can’t just leave my father and run away to save myself. So I was returning to my father.”

Her father, Count Dofle tried to help so I have to repay the favor.

“Let’s ride the horse first. By the way, do you know how to ride a horse?”

“Yes! I can ride! I learned when I was a kid!”

She saddled the horse that the dead rebel had been riding under alone and looked at me. Her face showed her sincere desire to go quickly.

I was talking about how to use Lushak’s rebellion to Aintorian’s best advantage while I rode back to the capital with Serena.