The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1297 - 197 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 3 (4)
Zes, Meria, Aegis, and Tilde were all here in the castle right now.
A few weeks ago, I had originally assigned them to keep watch over the far horizon outside the kingdom. Their task was to monitor the Empire’s movements and report any suspicious mobilization before it could become a real threat.
Right now, though, priorities had shifted.
The castle needed protection far more than the open fields and distant borders.
Zes and Meria were more than capable of acting as a defensive wall if something managed to break through. Both of them had the kind of strength that could hold a position even when things got ugly. When those two stood their ground, it felt like watching a pair of living fortresses planted right where they stood.
Artemis and Tilde were a different story entirely.
Calling them defensive forces would have been the wrong description. They were more like knives hidden in the dark. Quick, precise, and extremely unpleasant for whoever found themselves on the receiving end. Both of them specialized in swift bursts of action. If something suspicious happened, they would be the first to notice it, and probably the first to make someone regret their life choices.
Veronica and Lilia were also inside the castle.
Their presence meant the concentration of power here was almost ridiculous. Anyone who thought attacking this place would be easy clearly had a death wish or a very poor understanding of reality. Meanwhile, the Shadows were already out there handling covert operations against the other enemies lurking around the kingdom.
Still, one thing continued to bother me.
Someone had launched an attack, and I needed to know who.
My thoughts slowly settled on a single possibility.
"No... actually, I think I already know who they are."
Silverblades.
That organization had been formed long ago with one clear goal in mind and that was to oppose the monarchy. The nobles were also included in that hatred, since the entire aristocratic system was something they wanted to erase completely.
Their vision for the kingdom had been radical. And it was to tear down the crown, dismantle the noble houses, and rebuild the nation as a republic where no single bloodline ruled over everyone else.
It sounded noble depending on who you asked.
It also sounded like a very effective way to start a civil war.
The organization had once been led by someone named Eris. According to the reports I had read, that person died during the battle in the former principality. That same territory eventually declared independence and turned itself into a republic after it was captured by a General from another world.
The strange part was something else.
Stories suggested that the Silverblades had already been disbanded even before that battle happened. Eris supposedly dissolved the organization personally.
Which raised a question that refused to leave my head.
If the group had already been disbanded, then why were they attacking now?
"Myrcella, I’m going out for a bit," I said.
She looked up at me, her expression calm but clearly concerned.
"Alright... but are you going to be okay, Leon?"
Her tone had that familiar mix of composure and worry. Anyone else might have missed it, but I knew her well enough to notice.
My gaze moved across the room.
Zes stood quietly with arms crossed, looking like someone who could punch through a siege gate if she felt like it. Meria was leaning against a pillar with a relaxed posture that somehow still gave off the impression that she could start a fight in half a second. Artemis and Tilde were both silent, which honestly made them even more intimidating.
Veronica and Lilia were here too.
Looking at all of them together made one thing very clear. The castle was not exactly lacking in defenders.
"It’ll be fine," I said with a small shrug. "If anything happens, I’ll come back immediately."
That was not bravado.
It was simply the truth.
If something managed to destroy the Guardian outside the castle, I would know the instant it happened. The moment that barrier broke, I would return here without hesitation.
***
Shredica’s POV
The sound of steel cutting through the air echoed across the yard.
My sword swung again and again, slicing through empty space with sharp, controlled movements. Sweat was already running down my face and dripping from my chin. The afternoon sun had decided to be particularly unforgiving today, and it felt like it was personally offended by my existence.
Still, stopping never crossed my mind.
My thoughts were stuck on one thing.
My fight against Leon.
The memory refused to fade.
Every time our blades clashed, the sensation came back as if it had happened yesterday. I could feel the impact in my hands, the vibration running along the length of my sword. Each strike had landed perfectly.
Yet none of them had actually reached him.
Fighting him had felt strange in a way that was hard to explain. It was almost like trying to break through a wall.
Even that comparison felt wrong.
Walls could be broken eventually.
Give me enough time and I would find the weak point.
Leon did not have one.
He simply stood there and everything I threw at him stopped. It had been like trying to carve a mountain with a kitchen knife.
Frustrating did not even begin to describe it.
My sword cut through the air again.
And again.
Every swing carried the same question inside my head.
What could I have done differently?
Maybe I should have attacked from another angle.
Maybe I should have pushed harder.
Maybe I should have tried something reckless.
The possibilities kept looping through my thoughts, but every version of the fight ended the same way.
I still lost.
My grip tightened around the handle.
"Shredica?"
I stopped mid swing.
Angelica’s voice pulled me back to reality.
She had been standing nearby the whole time, watching the training yard like she always did.
These days she was stationed here with me, helping keep an eye on the heroes.
"Training again?" she asked.
"Well... yeah," I said, lowering my sword slightly. "Nothing suspicious is happening around the area right now, but that doesn’t mean I should just sit around doing nothing. Getting complacent in a situation like this sounds like a great way to die early."
Angelica nodded slowly.
"It really does feel like things are building toward something bigger," she said quietly. "The kingdom is barely holding itself together right now. Honestly... I’m worried about the Princess."
"If you’re that worried, you should go check on her," I replied. "There’s nothing here that absolutely needs you. We can handle a few kids."
Angelica gave me a look.
"They’re not just kids," she said. "They’re heroes."
Technically that was true.
Reality was a little less impressive.
At the beginning, those heroes had been summoned to strengthen the kingdom’s military power. The King and the Commander had also used them to boost their own reputation. Nothing impresses people quite like announcing that legendary heroes are fighting for your nation.
Things changed after the king died.
The heroes were still around, but nobody had decided what to actually do with them yet.
Large scale war was still only a possibility, not a certainty.
Until something changed, the heroes were basically just very fancy decorations.
I wiped the sweat off my face with the back of my hand.
That was when my stomach betrayed me.
A loud gurgling sound echoed from my abdomen like a dying animal.
"Fufufu... looks like someone’s hungry," Angelica said with a small laugh.
"I know a place that serves really good food," she continued.
Food sounded fantastic right now.
Training while hungry was basically torture.
So we headed there together.
The place was small but lively, the kind of establishment where people came more for the atmosphere than the furniture. The smell of cooked meat drifted through the air and immediately made my stomach complain again.
And then I saw her.
Standing behind the counter.
She was wearing her usual clothes under an apron, and her bright orange hair was tied into a high ponytail that swung slightly whenever she moved.
It had been a long time since I last saw that face.
"Welcome," she said with a friendly smile as we stepped inside.
The moment her eyes landed on me, the smile vanished.
Just like that.
Her expression froze somewhere between shock and recognition.
It was Arianne.
A member of the Silverblades, an organization which I had once been a part of.
