The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Desires Retirement

47. The Hidden Blow!

In the Empire’s capital.

Suspicious entities have appeared in the azure skies of Aunet, a land with a proud and ancient tradition.

At that moment, the airships that were prepared just in case took to the skies immediately.

Most of the airships were deployed to establish the Empire’s logistics network, but some were outfitted with military weapons to protect the capital.

As the airships equipped with magic cannons and magical tools soared to guard the Empire’s skies, the suspicious beings lurking beyond the clouds began to descend towards the capital.

“It’s the enemy! They’ve appeared!”

Enemies forced their way into what was thought to be a sacrosanct capital.

The Central Army fell into a panic, urgently announcing the enemy’s arrival.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The bells ringing out the news of the enemy’s appearance echoed as the Empire citizens took shelter inside buildings.

With the squares and main roads cleared, the Central Army moved, and the Security Brigade directed any remaining citizens towards sturdy buildings.

This was all made possible by the preemptive drills conducted in advance.

While the capital swiftly responded to the sudden enemy incursion, the Imperial Palace also swung into action.

“Your Majesty! You must take cover!”

At the urgent words of the attendant, Kariel nodded.

Unless it was a case of fleeing like his younger siblings or the Chancellor, the Imperial Palace was currently the safest place.

Thus, he moved towards the secret shelter prepared within the palace.

Just then, the thunderous sound of an explosion echoed against the palace’s barrier.

Boom!

A barrage of black beams pierced through the capital’s barrier, starting to crack the palace’s own defenses.

“Your Majesty!”

Kariel raised a hand towards Talion, who was rushing in from a distance.

“Steady yourself. Gather the Palace Knights and prepare to respond.”

“Your safety comes first…”

Talion’s words met with a sidelong glance from Kariel.

Gathering around Kariel were the Imperial Guards, all on the verge of reaching stage six.

Sighing heavily, Talion bowed his head and disappeared.

Before long, the sound of horns signaled the gathering of the Palace Knights.

Simultaneously, the sturdy barrier of the Imperial Palace began to crumble.

Kieeekk!

“Is that a Black Wyvern? No, it’s bigger than that. A Drake?”

Brion, remaining by Kariel’s side, tilted his head in confusion.

Even Brion, who was known as the monster surgeon, found this particular creature odd.

However, Kariel was well aware of their true identity.

He had seen them too many times in his past life, and they were once a threat to his very existence.

“Demon Dragons.”

“De…mon Dragon? Is that a Demon Dragon?”

Brion stared blankly at the sky at Kariel’s words.

Having seen these beings only in books, Brion’s expression was one of disgust rather than excitement at this rare sight.

Even he, who usually got excited at seeing new monsters, found the horrifying aura of the Demon Dragons repulsive.

“Attendant.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Summon a Mage to capture them in the Image Sphere.”

“Of course, but please, move quickly. It’s very dangerous here.”

Although the Royal Magic Tower had begun repairing the barrier, they were struggling as the Demon Dragons continued to intrude.

What’s worse, several figures could be seen leaping down among some of the Demon Dragons, complicating matters even further.

“Your Majesty!”

“Go.”

Kariel hurriedly dashed towards the shelter as the attendant spoke urgently.

Meanwhile, the Palace Knights began to gather at key points within the palace.

“Block them!”

“Stop the enemies!”

The Palace Knights shouted loudly, urging the guards, and soon even the Capital Defense Force joined in to repel the intruders.

“Capture them! Don’t let them through!”

Several Palace Knights yelled as they attempted to stop the masked assassins, but they faltered under the onslaught of the rampaging Demon Dragons.

In the chaos, the assassins vanished while being entangled with the Demon Dragons.

Realizing that their destination was the Emperor’s Palace, the Palace Knights fought fiercely against the Demon Dragons as they rushed towards the palace.

As news of the sudden attack spread, chaos engulfed the entirety of the Empire.

And this news quickly reached even the impenetrable fortress at the eastern edge of the West Continent through crucial communication networks.

“The Royal Palace is under attack? What about the Emperor! Is the Emperor safe?”

“We’re still not sure.”

Nopel Iron, the Count of the East, gritted his teeth at the officer’s report.

“How…?”

“They’re attacking from the air.”

“What are the Mages doing? Use mana to keep watch…”

“They said detection failed. They suspect it’s a type of ancient magic that evades visual detection.”

Nopel Iron bit his lip at the lieutenant’s report.

“Report as soon as you hear anything.”

“Yes!”

The lieutenant bowed and hurried away under Nopel’s command.

“Attacking from the air…”

If it were the Demon Dragons, it was highly likely that soldiers summoned by the dark mages of the East Continent were involved.

If so, it was his responsibility.

During the time it took for the forces to reach the Empire from the East Continent, they had effectively let themselves be caught unawares.

The issue was that Nopel’s misfortunes were far from over.

As if they were waiting, an urgent message flew in from the eastern part of the West Continent.

「A large army of Golems is invading the eastern Empire.」

A tremendous number of Golems had appeared near the border of Talos.

Reports began to flood in that they were marching towards the Empire’s borders, which were left exposed.

As news spread that the capital had been attacked, Talos took out a decisive plan they had prepared in advance.

The Eastern Army, stationed in the Principality, heard this news and hurriedly prepared to return to the Empire.

“Hurry up!”

“Yes!”

With Nopel Iron’s orders echoing, the Eastern Army quickly prepared to leave for their territory.

Although some troops were left on standby just in case, the overwhelming number of Golems was far too much for them alone to handle.

Thus, preparations were underway to intercept the advancing Golem army swiftly.

The Marquis Chardonnay, guardian of the impregnable fortress, hastened towards Nopel.

“Roman is on the move.”

Nopel’s expression turned shocked at the words of the fortress’s captain, Chardonnay.

“Now… what do you mean?”

Nopel’s question brought a heavy nod from Chardonnay.

“More than 40% of Roman’s forces will be sent here.”

“That can’t be…”

Nopel stared in disbelief at Chardonnay.

If that were the case, the Empire would have been made aware.

With the extensive intelligence networks set in the East Continent, they would have detected the movement of nearly half of Roman’s forces immediately.

Moreover, Wingzar wouldn’t stand idly by either.

Not only that, but if Roman’s borders were left vacant, other states would have started moving as well.

“Could it be…”

“It seems that nations have formed an alliance with Roman.”

Information disturbance.

While Wingzar was in play, if they only left that side alone, the suspicion would decrease.

No matter how quick the merchants were with information, it would be hard for the military to fool them if they resolved to deceive. At least it would take time before the military would realize the empty seats.

Roman was counting on that.

“So, with Golems behind us and Roman in front…”

Nopel sighed, plunging into thought.

The moment he heard that Roman was moving, he instantly grasped their intentions and was unable to mobilize the army.

‘If we pull back, they’ll launch a full assault on this place.’

Even with two Masters, it was far from guaranteed that they would be completely safe.

If Roman attacked the fortress with full force, even the legendary Chardonnay would struggle to hold.

Yet they could not leave the Golem army unchecked either.

“Let’s pull back one legion for now. And contact the center to inform them of the situation in the East.”

“Yes!”

At Nopel’s command, the lieutenant bowed and hurried off.

Watching his leave, Chardonnay turned to Nopel Iron and asked.

“Is it alright if I don’t go?”

Nopel nodded slightly at Chardonnay’s question.

“I will try to hold out as long as I can; please take care of things. If we leave it as is, Salem will also be in danger.”

Despite the warning that even the Empire’s key port Salem could be endangered, Nopel shook his head.

It would certainly hurt if Salem were damaged.

Nonetheless, he chose to remain at the impregnable fortress.

While Salem was important, it paled in comparison to this fortress.

“Let’s hold this place. My troops will buy us time against the Golems.”

Believing in his forces, Nopel spoke, and Chardonnay nodded gravely in response.

Given how resolutely the Count of the East expressed his desire to defend this place, he too had to reciprocate.

As always, he vowed to protect this place with his life and awaited the advancing army of Roman.