It was a small earthquake. The tables vibrated, but the cups on top did not tip over nor was the sound of something breaking heard. The most that happened was that the stacked chips fell out.
«What's the earthquake?»
Surprised for a moment by the sudden natural phenomenon, when the shaking stopped, the nobles returned to betting as usual, except for one person.
«Look, young master, where are you going?»
«I just remembered something I had to do. I'm leaving this round».
The man turned over the cards in his hands and only took his chips when he came out. Then he took off the mask he was wearing. The concept of a gambling house that could be enjoyed wearing a mask was quite fun.
It can't just be an earthquake, no matter how you look at it.
Baekho went out into the night street and sat on the first bench he saw to calmly organize his thoughts. The other nobles did not seem to hear him from the noise in the room, but he heard the enormous wave of energy being transmitted from beneath the earth.
It was like a mixture of mana and divine power.
He wasn't a magician, but he had very fine-tuned senses and considerable mana-related talent, so he couldn't have been wrong.
In that case...They keep talking about breaking the protective barrier, but I guess they really did.
Before long, Baekho got to the truth. These couldn't be more ruthless bastards. It would be no coincidence that the action took place at midnight, when the maze opened.
Liars, huh?
Now that he had left the palace he did not know the details, but Noark's side would have entered the labyrinth with meticulous preparations. They probably poured out all their energy, without imagining that they would receive back the same method they used.
This could take down all the bastards below.
For Baekho, it was not a positive situation. If he had no other options left later, he was thinking about ending the game with Noark's bastards.
I have nothing to do anyway, should I come down and help?
The idea came to him, but Baekho smiled satisfied and shook his head. That didn't fit his style of play. Instead, this was better.
The palace must be empty right now, right?
Baekho's smile grew deeper.
***
The forehead of the palace guardian and knight of light, First Royal Guard commander Jerome Saintred, was deeply etched with wrinkles from the news he had just received.
«Is the palace under attack...?»
At first he thought it was a counterattack by Noark, but this didn't make sense either. They had recruited troops, pretending that the labyrinth was their objective, and had paid close attention to security, to the point that Noark's true objective was not revealed until two hours before departure, and the protective barrier was not broken until now. That meant there was not enough time for enough troops to hit the palace to escape.
«Has the withdrawal order been given?»
«Not yet.»
«Then the plan doesn't change. Continue the battle «.
Jerome led the army quickly through the sewers and as time passed, news was received about the identity of the person who had dared to attack the palace.
To think it wasn't a group.
He wondered if it was the solo work of the Fallen Scholar, whose level of danger had risen lately, but even that expectation was wrong.
«They are Lee.»
Once a more promising explorer than anyone, he had caused a disaster once he was discovered to be an evil spirit. Of course, very few people knew about that disaster. That incident was painstakingly covered up by the palace, which valued his talent, and he gained a new identity.
What a headache. How the hell did he know that even I would be away on the military campaign?
As far as he knew, Baekho currently had no means of obtaining information. In the past he communicated with an outside collaborator at an evil spirit meeting, but was currently expelled from the meeting. This was also the work of the palace. They had slipped information about Baekho's identity to the evil spirit called the GM and when there were no signs of expelling him, they sent him to Noark to become the enemy.
So you guessed it on your own?
Jerome groaned. He had heard that an earthquake had occurred on the surface as a result of the destruction of the protective barrier, but there was one part he did not understand. Infer the situation with the earthquake? That was understandable, but putting it into practice was something else. If he made a mistake he could have been caught again, so why would he risk it like that?
...That man would.
It hurt his pride, but Jerome admitted it. Baekho was a beastly man. When the opportunity presented itself, it bit the enemy with its jaws and did not care about the risk of being bitten.
And it had to be now, when the Order of the Rose is vacant...
Jerome was worried about the situation on the surface, but no withdrawal order had yet been issued, so now he only had to do one thing: fulfill his knightly duties to execute palace orders.
«We have arrived.»
Traversing the underground labyrinth, the army had reached the final gate to reach Noark, an enchanted stone gate with dozens of ancient spells. How many hours did it take to tear down this wall during the last conquest alone?
«Luckily, it looks like they haven't fixed it properly yet. Start».
When Jerome gave the order, the Corps of Wizards began to draw a huge eight-way magic circle on the ground.
¡Kabooommm!
After a long time passed like this, the magic circle scattered a strong light and shot out pure mana waves towards the stone gate.
¡Shaaaaa!
Beyond the dust cloud, the underground city revealed itself again.
«Come on, let's go. It's time to defeat the evil rebels and return peace and stability to this city». Jerome took out the state sword granted by the king and, before anyone else, entered the afterlife. «For the eternal prosperity of Rafdonia». There was no hint of hesitation in his footsteps.
***
The portal to the Plaza de la Dimension had closed. However, I continued there for a long time after that because of the idea that there might be useful information from those gentlemen.
Well, I just wasted my time.
The gentlemen did not share even the most trivial talk and disappeared as soon as the cleaning of the square was finished, so I gave up and left. Instead of heading to the inn immediately, I planned to stop by a tavern to find out what the other scouts thought of the incident.
Should I go to Mr. Bear's house while I'm at it? It would be a good idea.
It was a tavern that explorers also often visited. It wasn't in the popular layout of partitions or rooms either, so it was perfect for eavesdropping on conversations, although you'd be angry if I said it to your face.
«Oh, Yandel. What are you doing here at this hour? And without Missha».
«I was outside and I was bored. You seem very busy today so don't listen to me. I'm going to drink quietly in the corner».
«...Can't you call me? If it's you, my wife will probably say it's okay». Sensing an opportunity to laze around, Mr. Bear asked me this when I arrived at the tavern.
Gosh, don't you feel sorry for your pregnant wife?
«Today I want to sit quietly.»
«...If you say so. Do you just need something to snack and drink?»
«It would be great».
When I sat at an empty table and waited, Mr. Bear prepared a drink board made only of meat. As a reference, the drink chosen was the characteristic here, salted honey wine.
At first it tasted strange, but the more I try it, the easier it becomes.
Anyway, this wasn't my main reason for coming here. As I sipped my drink and kept my ears attentive, I could hear the conversations of the explorers and ordinary citizens around. Due to the nature of taverns, where rumors spread quickly, most conversations were about the army formed by the palace.
Nothing particularly of value.
That the palace was deliberately spreading false rumors, that Noark was sure he was afraid, was all substanceless information coming from his own brains. Well, I wasn't expecting information at the level of a tavern Round Table, so I wasn't disappointed. Anyway, my goal was to know public opinion.
Today, not even the normal inhabitants of the city view the palace favorably.
Then I closed my ears and drank while organizing my thoughts. After spending a lot of time like this, the tavern began to get less crowded, so Mr. Bear came over and took a seat in front of me.
«Yandel, what do you think?»
«About the army?»
«Yeah, your senses about these things are amazing, right?».
I thought about it carefully in my head before telling him my assumption that the military might be acting sneakily right now. That was because it wasn't safe yet. I wondered what veteran explorer Mr. Bear would think about it.
«...So that's what the earthquake was about?».
«Do you believe it?»
«Isn't it much more plausible? More than the hoax that the palace is afraid of Noark». Having seen the palace treasure once before, Mr. Bear was quick to accept it. He knew that the potential of the palace was much greater than he imagined. «...It is possible that next time we can enter the maze». Soon, Mr. Bear expressed his expectation that the Cold War would end much sooner than expected, and also became concerned about the city's economic problems. «Yandel, shouldn't you spend your money instead of saving it like that? If the situation in the maze calms down, prices will return to normal».
Those words moved me a little. Was it because he was a veteran explorer with a family to take care of? It seemed like Ainar and Missha weren't thinking about these things at all.
«Just watch for now. Tomorrow, we'll have a better idea».
«Yes, I'm hasty».
Getting off topic, I drank and chatted about this and that with Mr. Bear.
¡Gong! ¡Gong! ¡Gong! ¡Gong!
Then the alarm sounded from outside. It was the first time this had happened in more than a year of living in this city. Even when my carriage exploded last time and the GM and Baekho made a mess, the alarm bells didn't ring. But were they ringing now?
Clubk, clunk, clunk.
When I came out, I could see the Public Peace Agency guards running somewhere with the sound of boots. I grabbed one I saw and asked him about the situation. The guard told me he couldn't talk to civilians about it, but his attitude changed when I revealed my identity to him.
«My name is Bjorn, son of Yandel. I am a noble officer to whom the palace has granted the title of Baron. So tell me. What's going on?»
«...N-we don't know either. We have just received orders to provide support in Karnon. According to my colleagues, there was a big fire».
A big fire in Karnon at a time like this... It can't be a coincidence.
So could it be that Noark had invaded? Well, I wasn't sure about that, but it was possible. If they had found out beforehand about the palace's sneaky plan, this type of elimination war could have become a strategy.
Ha, these palace bastards don't do anything right.
As I sighed silently to myself, Mr. Bear observed from my side: «A fire in the royal capital? It doesn't seem like an ordinary test... I wonder if Raven is okay».
Um? Raven? Why her suddenly? Oh right. She said she stays near the palace to learn magic. Damn.
I was fine until now, but realizing this, my heart started pounding. An ominous feeling arose in an instant. These premonitions were never wrong, which increased the level of anxiety.
«I hope it ends with a simple fire-»
«Abman, me voy.»
«Where are you going in the middle of this? Yandel, listen to me. It is better to stay home at times like this». When I got up, Mr. Bear stopped me.
«Don't worry. I'll find her soon and bring her back».
«Then I will go with you...»
«What are you talking about? You should be with your wife».
I told Mr. Bear to close the store and go to my house with his wife, since Missha would be worried about me too. I should break the news first. It would put my mind at ease to have everyone together, too.
«…Be careful.»
Afterwards, I separated from Mr. Bear and climbed onto the roof of the military carriage heading to Karnon, the royal capital. The soldiers traveling below made a fuss, but when I revealed my identity, everyone calmed down.
After spending a long time like this, the carriage finally reached its destination. «Baron Yandel! We will arrive in Karnon soon!»
Without realizing it, I stiffened. Even in the middle of the night, the sky was red. The high, well-maintained walls were stained with black ashes and the surroundings were filled with acrid, smoky fog. Beyond the burning flames, or perhaps out of the way of the flames, wails and screams overlapped.
Jeez, what the hell had happened?
Karnon, the city of nobles, was on fire.