Chapter 161: Somehow Once Again (1)
Translator: miraclerifle
Editor: Borderline Masochist
Cale could hear people in the distance. He couldn’t tell whether they were screams or shouts. Many unidentifiable voices were mixed together.
Cale maintained his eye contact with the Cat and started to speak.
“Hilsman.”
The Cat flinched.
“Yes sir!”
At that moment, Hilsman approached the Cat and reached his hands outward.
The Cat tried to quickly turn and run away. However, the injury on his side made his front paw buckle and Hilsman did not miss that moment.
“I caught him!”
The Vice Captain could not hold on tightly to the injured Cat, and thus did his best to carefully hold the Cat as he approached Cale.
“Grrrrrr.”
The Cat revealed his fangs and raised his claws. His claws seemed ready to cut through Hilsman's leather armor at any moment.
“Ay.”
The Cat heard a sigh at that moment. A cold fluid poured over his body at the same time.
It was a potion.
Cale poured the potion on the Cat as a temporary solution as he started to speak.
“I can’t just ignore seeing the knight who showed me around being injured like this.”
The Cat flinched. Vice Captain Hilsman also flinched. Cale held back his sigh at Hilsman’s gaze that seemed to be saying that he had no idea as he observed the Cat Knight.
This knight was said to be from the slums.
The crown of any nation selects knights from the ordinary citizens on a strict ratio. To be picked like that is already a difficult feat; that citizen being from the slums meant that they had significant talent and luck.
He recalled what Hilsman had said about the Cat Knight.
‘Some of his siblings were said to have gone to the Alchemy Tower 15 years ago. His parents definitely seem to be human.’
Where would those siblings have gone 15 years ago?
Would they have gone to the Alchemists’ Bell Tower?
It would make sense for this Knight to try to kill the Vice Tower Master if that was the case.
Cale and the Cat’s gazes were still on each other as if they were feeling each other out. The Cat looked at the empty potion bottle and his healing injuries as he started to speak.
“... What do you plan to do with me?”
“You say that after you've been caught already?”
The Cat Knight stopped speaking at Cale's response.
Are you also trying to destroy Alchemy?
He had flinched at that question and pain had shot through his body. His injuries were then healed by the potion and the pain had gone away.
He had grown up in the slums and had developed his quick wit while living on the edge inside of the palace. That wit was telling him that he should go with this person.
The Cat Knight could hear the voice of Cale Henituse, the noble from the Roan Kingdom.
“The Roan Kingdom came here to investigate the incident caused by the Alchemists’ Bell Tower and the Empire 15 years ago.”
15 years ago.
Those words made the Cat Knight emotional.
He tried to soak in Cale’s calm demeanor.
“We wish to reveal their evil sins to the world. We want to show the world what the Empire and the Alchemists’ Bell Tower did to the people of the slums 15 years ago.”
“...I heard you came here to investigate the Magic Bomb terror incident.”
“Then why did I heal you and why am I trying to save you?”
The Cat flinched before starting to speak.
“...Save?”
“Yes.”
Cale slowly walked away from the dark corner of the garden toward the brightly lit area. He then gave Hilsman an order.
“Hilsman, I'll take care of everything else, so carefully head back to the palace.”
A highest-grade expert.
Hilsman was an expert now as well.
“Yes, young master-nim. I understand.”
Hilsman sounded reliable as he said that. Cale turned around. His gaze headed toward the Sun Palace entrance that was still busy with people coming out.
However, he heard the Cat Knight's voice before he could even take a single step.
“I cannot live.”
‘What?’
Cale tried to turn around. However, he saw a maid being dragged out through the entrance at that moment.
“Hahaha!”
The woman who was wearing an outfit that showed that she was one of the royal maids was laughing as they dragged her out. One of the knights who was dragging her out rushed toward the Imperial Prince with a serious expression on his face.
Cale found this to be odd.
‘Why is a royal maid here?’
A royal servant was soon dragged out as well.
A royal maid and a royal servant.
Compared to the regular maids and servants who did visible tasks such as taking care of nobles and royalty, the royal maid and royal servants oversaw many behind the scenes tasks in the palace.
That was why they were all over the place, however, they did not have the standings to be at this banquet hall that was full of nobles.
‘Why are they here?’
Cale turned his gaze back toward the Cat.
He had a bad feeling about this.
It did not seem to be over just yet.
“Young master-nim?”
Hilsman called out to Cale in confusion while watching him rush back toward his direction, but Cale did not answer as he lifted up the chin of the Cat in Hilsman's arms who had his head down.
“Make sure he doesn’t kill himself.”
“Yes sir.”
Cale's body started to move forward. He heard the Cat Knight’s quiet voice behind him.
“... It is already too late. The bombs should be lit already.”
Cale could hear Raon's voice in his head.
- Human, we will save them!
Cale quickly started to move.
There were still many things he needed to ask the Cat Knight.
He needed to know how they placed so many bombs around the wing while avoiding the guards as well, as what they were going to do afterward.
However, there was something he needed to do before that.
Cale could see the entrance of the Sun Palace.
“Young master Cale!”
Daltaro, the diplomat in charge of the envoy, was waving to him with shock and joy.
He could see the crown prince next to him as well.
“... You!”
Alberu spoke with shock while watching Cale quickly approach them, but he shut up after hearing what Cale suddenly said.
“... Fuck!”
Cale started to move again.
Alberu followed Cale’s movement and his eyes opened wide.
He could see the chaotic Sun Palace's entrance.
There were many of the members of the envoy there as well. They were either chatting with the Empire's administrators or having their identities checked as they were coming out of the entrance.
Most of them were low-grade administrators.
The higher-grade administrators were the first to escape.
Alberu’s gaze headed toward one of the Sun Palace’s wings.
“What the-!”
One of the servants who should have been with the rest was standing on the wing.
Psssssssssss.
That servant’s body was covered in fire.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Gasp, what is that?”
They heard a scream again.
The servant on fire, no, the royal servant who had stolen a servant’s outfit, stuck to the wing. A small bomb fell toward the ground from his hand.
Cale recalled the Cat’s words.
‘... It is already too late. The bombs should be lit already.’
Right. The bomb was already lit.
- Human, it is not too late.
Raon's words were correct as well.
Cale reached his hand out. Wind shot out like an arrow from his hand. Raon's magic was added onto the wind arrow.
This was the only way to hide Raon's magic from the Empire’s sword master and the Vice Tower Master.
“Ugh!”
The royal servant who was stuck to the wing fell off because of Cale's wind.
Boom!
Cale heard an explosion and could feel the ground starting to rumble.
One of the large wings of the Sun Palace, the ground underneath the wing that the royal servant was stuck on, was vibrating.
The explosion had already started.
- Human, can I use magic on my own right now? They'll know someone is by your side if I do! The sword master will recognize my great and mighty magic!
Cale could see the Imperial Prince. Sword master Huten was next to him as well. Behind them were Alberu and Daltaro, who were both heading toward him.
Cale looked at Alberu, Daltaro, and the rest of the envoy.
A voice echoed in Cale's head at that moment.
- Are you trying to sacrifice yourself?
‘Sacrifice? What nonsense.’
Boom, boooooom!
Tens of bombs went off and rocked the foundation of the wing.
The sight of the people trying to rush out of the Sun Palace’s entrance looked like a scene from hell.
Cale started to speak.
“Help me.”
Cale reached out his hands.
His body started to ripple. The shield surrounding his body started to move for the first time in a long time.
Crumble.
The middle of the wing that had been shaking had broken off. The broken part of the wing slowly started to tilt down.
Cale started to speak.
“We will support it.”
- Alright.
It was at that moment.
Alberu, who had been walking toward Cale, stopped moving. Cale’s name came out of his mouth.
“···Cale Henituse.”
It was currently night time.
A large silver light appeared in the middle of the darkness.
That silver light originated from Cale.
1. I am using royal with them because they make a comparison to regular servants in the next sentence.