Tassa has been in daily contact with Your Royal Highness these days.
Though the year as Your Highness's personal guard had witnessed many extraordinary events, the new orders still left him bewildered and... perplexed.
Was the attack on the royal palace portrayed as Roland Wimbledon's punishment for Tefiko Wimbledon?
When the militia that had initially attacked the western frontier retreated to the capital in defeat, Tasa had heard of the 'warning' they carried. He initially assumed it was merely Your Highness's show of force or a feint—exploiting Tifecko's focus on vigilance and defense to strike other cities, much like Giasia had done, to plunder the enemy before winter arrived.
However, the subsequent orders from Border Town made him sense something was amiss. Your Highness seemed genuinely intent on attacking the capital and demanded he prepare for propaganda. The latest directive explicitly stated the attack would commence on Mid-Autumn Day, matching the exact timing specified in the 'warning.'
Consider this statement: 'The assault on the royal palace is framed as divine retribution.' This implies Your Highness would storm the capital's inner city—yet how could this be? The capital's Graycastle walls, built to withstand two houses side by side, are impregnable even to Your Highness's cannons. With the capital's Knight Corps, Imperial Guards, and conscripted militia, no army exceeding ten thousand men could breach its defenses.
The notion of witches launching surprise attacks is pure fantasy. The palace is riddled with God's Punishment Stones, with colossal ones stationed in grand halls and chambers. A single step into these rooms would strip witches of all their powers. This explains why Tefiko's relentless witch hunts went unpunished—assassinating a royal Noble in the palace was simply impossible.
Moreover, this method harbors a hidden risk. If Tifeke Wemberton were truly killed by the Witch, the Church would likely reap the greatest benefits... With just a little guidance, the Fourth Prince's plot to ally with the Devil's henchmen to seize the throne could be exposed, while the Nobles would unite against his forces. Yet, given Roland Your Highness's intelligence, Tasa is confident he would see through this.
So how exactly is Your Highness supposed to breach the inner city?
"Sir, what brings you here?" Hill Fox pushed open the half-closed door and entered the living room.
"Waiting for a new order," Tasa said with a shrug, "You go ahead and sit down." "...Yes." Noticing the former acrobat's surprised expression, he could only smile helplessly. Normally, he would only inform them after receiving official orders, but this time, he couldn't disclose the task Your Highness had assigned prematurely—unless the capital palace had been attacked, such a seemingly absurd directive might easily undermine their trust.
On the contrary, if Your Highness truly accomplished this, it would undoubtedly send a profound shockwave through them and greatly boost the group's confidence—especially when they witnessed firsthand that Your Highness, from a thousand miles away, could pose a tangible threat to Tefiko's throne. Such propaganda would be far more effective than any verbal persuasion.
So Tasa opted for a compromise: summoning Hill to the inner city to await Your Highness's warning. If successful, everyone would be pleased; if not, he could simply claim the messenger was delayed en route.
"Have some tea," Tasa said with a smile. "Don't wear your doubts on your face all the time. As an intelligence officer, the most crucial thing is—" "To conceal yourself, sir," he said, taking the teacup. "By the way, there have been more patrols on the streets lately, and even the guards on the city walls have doubled. Could these movements be linked to Your Highness's orders?" "Indeed, Tefiko—" Tasa had barely finished speaking when a thunderclap suddenly rolled across the mansion, its deafening roar making the window glass tremble. The ground shook slightly, the tremor brief yet distinct. Caught off guard, Hill's teacup fell to the ground and shattered into fragments.
"Excuse me, sir... but," Hill gasped, "what's going on?" "Follow me," Tasa God said solemnly.
The two dashed out of the garden house, their gaze immediately drawn to a black plume of smoke rising toward the palace. The thunderous roar they had heard earlier had clearly originated from that source. Having witnessed Your Highness's cannons and muskets, he knew only alchemical powder could produce a sound as thunderous as the wrath of heaven. Moreover, such violent tremors didn't resemble artillery fire—they sounded more like the explosive charges originally used against heavily armored demonic beasts.
Hill's mouth dropped in disbelief. "Is the declaration in Your Highness's warning actually true?" "Exactly," Tasa finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and, with a feigned air of authority, added, "This is also the new order Your Highness intends to issue to you."
Tie Fei Ke's face turned pale as he stared at the chandelier that had fallen before him, remaining speechless for a long moment.
"Your Majesty, cough... Your Majesty, are you alright?" The Prime Minister coughed through the swirling dust. "Damn it, what on earth is going on out there?" Tefiko remained silent, his throat parched. Beneath the chandelier hung a silver-armored Knight who had been briefing him on the refugee recruitment efforts—now his neck severed by the falling chandelier. Had he taken another step forward, he might have met the same fate...
The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.
"Is this an earthquake?" the Chancellor of the Exchequer exclaimed, still reeling from the shock. "We must leave the castle immediately and find a safe place." "Yes, Your Majesty, this is unsafe!" "Shut up!" Tefiko barked, only to realize his voice was hoarse as if someone had pinched his throat. "Sir Weimass, take me to the basement right now!" "Yes, Your Majesty." Though visibly nervous, Steelheart Knight remained remarkably composed compared to the other ministers. He stepped forward, helped Tefiko to his feet, and walked down the stairs.
As the new king journeyed along, he saw the corridor strewn with shattered glass. Through the broken windows, the celestial hall on the castle's side had vanished without a trace. Amid the rising dust, only a few solitary stone pillars remained of the once-majestic structure. This was no earthquake—it was the result of a massive snowball explosion!
Leaving the castle now would be a self-destructive move. Who knows if Roland Wimbledon has planted snow powder elsewhere? Only the basement, built with thick stone walls, is truly safe.
Damn it, Tifeke thought bitterly. Why would his fourth brother possess such an alchemical weapon? Could it be that when Jiashia left Bishui Port, he had also given him the formula, forcing him to use snow powder to fight a bloody duel with him?
But even so, how did he manage to smuggle snow powder into the royal palace? Even a witch with extraordinary powers couldn't pull this off!
"Lead the Knights to conduct a thorough search of the entire palace grounds, particularly in areas prone to snow powder accumulation like sewers, gardens, and warehouses!" As soon as they entered the basement, Tifeco immediately ordered the Steelheart Knights, "Arrest any suspicious individuals, regardless of their Noble status. Every attendant and servant entering or leaving the palace must be thoroughly searched—no one shall be spared!" "Under orders, Your Majesty." Only after Sir Waimas left did the new king realize his back was drenched in cold sweat.
Roland actually did it!
Regardless of how he accomplished it, if he could conceal snow powder in the palace this time, wouldn't it be just as effortless to place it in the castle next time?
"The place you're in is far less secure than you think. When that happens, everyone will see your throne is already on the verge of collapse." At the mere mention of this warning, Tefiko couldn't help but shudder.
As the anger subsided, he felt fear rising from his feet, slowly gripping his heart.