I am the Monarch Chapter 209: Amaranth (9)

Confused expressions and voices.
Awkward smile and eyes complicatedly tangled.

'Pierce's report said that the secret path's exit was connected to the palace's inner garden, though?'

Roan creased his forehead.
After the hexers' mind attack, his memories of the last life became clear like yesterday's.
It wasn't possible that he had incorrectly remembered the secret path's exit.

'Then that mean this place is actually the palace's inner garden, but……'

If it was the palace's inner garden, it was a place most clandestine and difficult to approach even within the palace.
Literally a place that only the royalties and the very few who received the royalties' permission could enter.
But the sight that spread before his eyes was.

'A military camp?'

More than hundreds of soldiers, and knights and commander rank soldiers wearing brilliant helmets and armors at that, completely filled his sight.
A story that absolutely wasn't in Pierce's report.

'So it's not an exactly same future, but a slightly changed future.'

Already, it was a situation where Simon Rinse's rampage occurred earlier than the last life.
However the future that unfold from now on change, there would nothing strange about it.
Roan deeply inhaled and grasped the Travias spear.
Simultaneously.

“Eh?! Count Roan Lancephil?”

One amongst the many knights recognized Roan and shouted.

“Eh?! It's real!”
“It's real! It's the real Count Lancephil!”

Soon, echoing voices were heard from everywhere.

“How did he get in here?”
“You said it. The palace's inner garden is the commanders and knights' camp, so……”
“No one can easily come in, though?”

Puzzled expressions, murmuring sounds.
However, such confusion didn't go very long.

Sseureng! Sseureng!

The knights and soldiers soon pulled out their swords.

“It's good anyhow. Doesn't this battle also end if we only capture Count Lancephil?”
“Right. Let's catch the traitor!”
“Execute the traitor Roan Lancephil!”

From the position of the knights and soldiers who followed Simon, Rona was a traitor and a conspirator.
Over hundreds of knights and soldiers pounced towards Roan.
A grand sight if one wished to call it.
Of course, it wasn't quite a happy situation from Roan's position, though.

[Will you be alright?]

Kinis flew over his head and asked.
Roan nodded his head.

'Although the heat is emptied, there is still water energy left.'

A situation where his heat and divine power were emptied from facing the secret path's Guardians.
However, the water energy he received from the Spirit King's Tear was still left.
Of course.

'Although its strength is less than the heat.'

Roan twisted his wrist and pointed at the knights and the soldiers with the spearhead.

Shwaaak!

A stream of water burst up along the spear's blade.

Flinch.

For an instant, the energetically rushing knights and soldiers faltered.
A split second.
However, Roan didn't miss that instant.

Taat!

Kicking off the ground, he pierced into the gap between the knights and the soldiers.

'Kinis!'
[Don't worry! I'll cause a bout of chaos!]

Kinis quickly answered and then dizzily waved her hands.
Each time, balls of water shot out and jets of water geysered out from the ground.
Simultaneously, the Travias Spear split the air and danced.
Following the spearhead, a sharp jet of water tore through the knights and soldiers.

“Kuk!”
“Kuuk!”

The stream of water pulled up through the water energy wasn't ordinary water.
By itself, it was like a well-sharpened blade.

Ssskuk! Sssguk!

Although they might be commander ranked, the low rank commanders who didn't learn mana techniques became Travias Spear's prey.
Arms and legs, necks and bodies independently split apart.

“Kuuk! Damn it!”
“What the!”

The situation for the knights or high rank commanders who learned mana techniques too wasn't so good.
They were greatly bewildered by Roan's attacks that, unlike ordinary mana, took a form of a jet of water.
Especially as Roan, who was famous as Crimson Ghost, endlessly jet out a blue stream of water, their bewildered looks became even more evident.
On top of this.

[Oi! Die!]]

With Kinis, who wasn't even visible to the eyes, widely flew around the palace's inner garden and poured down attacks, the knights and soldiers couldn't easily compose themselves.

'Good job. Kinis.'

Roan softly smiled towards Kinis, then kicked off the ground once more.

Pabababat!

The Travias Spear spun fast enough to turn invisible.

Chang! Chajang! Chang!

Sparks flew together with the noisy metallic sounds.

“Kuuk!”
“Damn it! Rush him!”

The knights and the high rank commanders clenched their teeth and pressured Roan.
Although Roan was much stronger when looking only at the skill itself, they trusted their numbers.

'Count Lancephil too is a human!'
'He will ultimately tire!'

Rather than facing the entire Crimson Legion outside the castle wall, ending the battle by capturing or killing only Roan was much more efficient.

“Execute the traitor!”
“Die!”

The knights and the high rank commanders' spirits boiled up.
Without a doubt, they befitted the dauntless warrior Viscount Delph Blick's men.

'Kuk!'

Even Roan, at the knights and high rank commanders that fiercely swarmed instead despite having shown an overwhelming might, became slightly panicked.
Although the water energy inside his body was the quintessence amongst the quintessences gained from the Spirit King's Tear, it couldn't reach the Flamdor Mana Technique's heat when looking only at its power and level of training.
Furthermore.

'The fact that the palace's inner garden has become noisy will soon be passed onto the center of command.'

Meaning that there was also the possibility of Patore Legion Delph led charging in.
Sure enough.

“What's going on!”
“Why is it so noisy!”

Through the inner garden's gate, knights and soldiers of brilliant armors poured in.
Just their numbers easily passed two hundred.

'The reaction is faster than I thought.'

Roan clenched his teeth.

'I'm piercing through.'

There was no time to face them one by one.
No, there was no spare strength enough to fight them one by one.
The speed at which the water energy, whose level of training fell short, was being exhausted was faster than the heat.

'For now, I will go to the south gate and open the castle gate.'

Roan slightly bent his knees and lowered his body.
A plan to instantly kicked off the ground and pierce through the enemies.
Suddenly.

“Everyone move aside!”
“Move aside!”

Loud voice burst out from the direction of the inner garden's gate.
Simultaneously, the knights and soldiers who surrounded and were fiercely attacking Roan scattered to the sides and moved back.
In an instant, the front of Roan's view widely opened up.

“Hmm.”

A quiet groan leaked out.

'Ballistas.'

The giant objects that blocked the front of the inner garden's gate and appeared.
They were ballistas that could shoot spear-sized arrows.

'It was the weapon Viscount Delph Blick loved to use.

For an instant, an old memory floated up.
Although the ballista had an outstanding destructive capability, it wasn't easy to use.
Due to that, it wasn't a widely employed weapon, but only Delph in particular enjoyed using it.
Particularly, he repeated development on top of development so that the ballista, which could only shoot three shots at most simultaneously, could shoot five, seven, and even ten shots at once.
The three sets of ballistas that were aiming at Roan right now, as expected, were the latest developed products capable of simultaneously shooting ten shots.
Furthermore, a situation where even loading was already done.
Before Roan could even quite kick off the ground, horrifying and weighty sounds rang out.

Tuung! Tuung! Tuung!

Thirty shots of spear-sized arrows tore apart the air and flew towards Roan.
A situation too late to throw his body and dodge because the speed was too fast.

'Damn it!'

Roan clenched his teeth and pulled the Travias Spear in front of his chest.

'This isn't a time to conserve the water energy.'

Shwaaak!

The water energy within his body rode his mana road and flowed in towards the spearhead.
The jet of water, geysering out in a giant crescent shape, poured out an incredible pressure.

Kang! Kagang! Kang!

The jet of water and the arrows collided and deafening booms exploded out.

'Kuuk!'

Each time he parried away a spear-sized arrow, his palms numbingly throbbed.
But because of the arrows restlessly flying towards him, there wasn't even a room to take a breath.

Kagang! Kang!

Roan clenched his teeth and swung the Travias Spear.
Thankfully, he was barely able to block the first ballista attack.
But due to excessive collision, the water energy within his body was exhausted with a rapid speed.
Not only that, an amazing damage was passed to his palms and wrists, elbows and upper body's muscles and joints including his shoulders.

'I have to destroy the ballistas.'

He could see the sight of five soldiers of bulky builds crowded on each ballista and pulling the string.
An appearance that pulling the string too wasn't easy as much as it had incredible power.
If he were to destroy the ballistas, now was the chance.
But.

“Die!”
“Tightly surround him so he can't escape!”

The knights and soldiers who momentarily stepped back, and even the ones who newly joined in gathered into one and pounced towards Roan.
It was a greatly effective and appropriate cooperated attack.

[Roan. Would it be alright for me to use the water energy?]

Kinis estimated the amount of mana inside Roan's body and asked with a nervous expression.
Because the mana Roan would use could become absurdly lacking if she were to carelessly take and use the water energy here.
Roan deeply breathed in and shook his head.
Right now, it wasn't a state where he could even share the water energy with Kinis.

'It will be troubling if even water energy hit the bottom.'

He had to exit out of the palace's inner garden and open the tightly closed north gate.
Until then, he had to conserve the mana in any way.

“Huu.”

Exhaling a short sigh, Roan widely swung his spear.

Chajang! Chang!

With a clear metallic sound, the exchange of attacks unfolded again.
However, the appearance of the battle was different than before.
The knights and soldiers, who seemed to be fiercely attacking, were pressuring Roan while maintaining an appropriate distance.
It was an act to merely buy time.
As expected.

“Move!”
“Move aside!”

The instant an order fell from the ballista's side, knights and soldiers scattered to the sides.
As if they had been waiting, spear-sized arrows poured down.

“Wa, wait I'm still!”
“Uut!”
“Kuk!”

Few soldiers couldn't quite dodge and became pieces of shish kabobs on the giant arrows.
Roan, looking at the ballista arrows flying without a gap towards him, pulled up the remaining water energy.
It wasn't a situation to act leisurely.

Kagang! Kang!

Metallic sounds hit the ears.
Definitely a more arduous feeling than the first time.
If he were to momentarily make a mistake, he could even lose the Travias Spear from his grasp.

“Outrageous bastard.”
“He really is a ghost.”
“To think he would block those ballistas twice.”

Knights and Soldiers that were watching shook their heads.
The ballista's arrows that each and every shot was said to have an equal strength to an ogre's strike.
Roan was parrying more than tens of shots of them.
Not only that but parrying perfectly precisely with the least amount of movement the things that were hard to even follow with the eyes.
He truly was a ghost.

“Die!”
“Rush him again!”

As soon as the ballistas' attack ended, the knights and soldiers swarmed.

“Kuk!”
“Kuuk!”
“Gguruk.”

As the fights repeated, the corpses of the knights and soldiers were definitely increasing geometrically.
However, it was a hundred-against-one battle in the first place, and ballistas on top of that.
From Roan's position, because it was a battle that unfolded right after the fight with the three Guardians, he could only feel more and more difficulty as the time passed.

'Even though I reserved as much as possible……'

In no time, a situation where the water energy too was showing its bottom.
The combined attack of the ballista and the knights were that effective.

“What the!”
“Count Lancephil is here!”

Furthermore, the enemy number was continuously being added.

'Huu.'

Roan clenched his teeth.
Once the knights and the soldiers' attack end, the ballista attack would begin again.
And if it was the current situation.

'It's precarious.'

If not careful, the possibility of being hit by a ballista arrow also existed.
Even so, it wasn't a situation where he could run either.
The thoughts inside his head became complicated.
At that moment.

“Move!”
“Move aside!”

Once again, a loud voice was heard from the ballistas' direction.
The knights and soldiers scattered to the sides like how a low tide fall back.
Now was the turn for the ballistas' arrow attack to pour down.
At that very instant.

Paat! Paat!

Above the ballistas, a group deeply wearing robes appeared.
They, rapidly swinging thin and long swords, massacred tens of ballista soldiers on the spot.
A perfect and beautiful swordsmanship.

“Gguruk.”

The ballista soldiers, without putting up a single proper resistance, fell down.

“Wha, what the?”

At the sudden situation, the knights and the soldiers widely opened their eyes.
They glared at the intruders who were balancing and standing on top of the ballistas and shouted.

“Who, who are you bastards! To dare level your swords at his majesty the king's soldiers!”
“Are you also traitors!”
“Immediately reveal yourselves and kneel down!”

Roaring shouts continued on.
At those words, the one amongst the robed people who was standing in the center slowly took off her robe.
Suddenly.

“Eh?!”
“What!”
“P, princess?”

The knights and the soldiers made surprised expressions while widely opening their eyes.
On the other hand, a faint smile hanged on Roan's mouth.
The person he always wanted to see and missed was right in front of his eyes.

“Aily……”

The one who alone revealed her identity amongst the ones who wore robes was in fact Princess Aily Rinse.
She looked at Roan and softly smiled.
Amongst the knights, few creased their brows and shouted.

“Do you know how much his majesty the king worried because princess disappeared?”
“Many noble sirs have truly worked hard to find princess.”
“But for princess to suddenly appear and attack his majesty's soldiers!”
“This is a treason, your highness! Treason!”

Aily, before Simon rampaged and right after he opened a coronation ceremony on his own and climbed onto the throne, hid herself.
Simon, who tried to bind Roan using her, sent out people towards hundreds of directions to find Aily, but couldn't win the result he wished.
He couldn't find a hint of her anywhere.
Inevitable for such to be so, Aily did not leave the capital, Miller, unlike the thoughts of Simon and the nobles who followed him, and instead hid at a place deep inside the palace.
From the time she was called the Shadow Princess, she had an outstanding talent for hiding herself.
Aily, while planning numerous plans inside the secret room she herself prepared, was watching for the chance to once again appear.
Of course, it wasn't that she did all of that alone herself.

Swoosh.

The group that stood at Aily's left and right pulled off the robes they were deeply wearing.

“Ah!”
“Tha, that's……”
“No way. How are they……”

Soon, exclamations burst out from everywhere.
The identity of the ones who appeared together with Aily.
They were the elves who had hidden themselves tens, hundreds of years ago.
While everyone was being surprised, the only composed person was Roan.
He already knew that Aily was a half elf and was someone internally nominated as the elves' queen.
And already before that.

'She decided to help me.'

It was a situation where Aily and the elves pledged to join strength with Roan.
In fact, Roan received the elves' help and was able to grasp the signs of betrayal Clay was scheming and set up preparations.

“Sir Lancephil. We will take care of here.”

Aily's gentle and beautiful voice flowed into his ears.
Roan slightly nodded his head.

“Thanks. Aily.”

It wasn't a situation to decline a goodwill.
Roan directly kicked off the ground and ran towards the ballistas.

“Where!”
“Where you going!”

The knights and soldiers yelled out a moment late and raced.
Suddenly.

Tuung! Tuung! Tuuung!

With horrifying and weighty sounds, ballista arrows cut through the air and flew towards them.

“Hph!”
“Ru, run!”

The knights and soldiers who were running at Roan shouted and tried to turn their bodies, but the ballistas' arrows were much faster than what they thought.

Puuk! Puuuk!

Spear-sized arrows directly skewered tens of knights and soldiers.
The one who gave the firing order for ballistas was none other than Aily.
She was emanating a chilling air that no one saw until now.
The large and beautiful yet killing intent-holding eyes glared at the knights and the soldiers.

“You cannot lay a single finger on Sir Lancephil.”

The sword she grasped on her hand gently cut across the air and pointed at the knights and the soldiers.

“I will deal with you.”

The instant her words ended, Aily kicked off the ballista and jumped into the air.
The group of elves followed her back.
They, with Roan who was running towards the ballistas from the opposite side, crossed as if brushing against each other.
Roan softly smiled and flowed out words as if to whisper.

“Thanks.”

Aily, rather than answering, faintly smiled and lowered her head.
Her long hair gently flowed along a wind.
A pleasant scent spread upon the blood-bitter smelling battlefield.
Roan, embracing Aily's scent, raced towards the north gate.

< Amaranth (9) > End.

Chapter end