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(217)
A 40-year veteran bureaucrat and field marshal began to think about winning again.
Valencianus first withdrew from the front lines.
Of course, eroders and foreign substances came in.
“How dare you!”
“Get that dirty mouth off!”
Tentia swung her sword, and Rudy shot her gun, splitting her head open.
He retreated to the front of the palace, called the messengers, and began to give instructions.
“The Blue Knights will return first. Change their equipment from bombing to air combat, then recover the wounded and sortie again. Deal with flying objects.”
Mateos spoke quickly.
“I will order healing priests to be sent towards Wyvernpit.”
“Thank you, Saint.”
The messengers rode out on horseback, their expressions filled with determination.
Valencianus said, trying to look away from their backs.
“And let’s focus on evacuating the residents. It doesn’t seem like a situation where we can control the power of magic.”
The black iron knight, who had come running out of breath, bowed his head to Valencianus.
“The police and the Black Iron Knights alone simply do not have enough manpower.”
“I will order the Platinum Knights to return. They will temporarily postpone their entry into the Demon Realm and assist with the evacuation until the Brass Knights enter the capital.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The orders of the Emperor's advisor and Knight Commander were delivered throughout the capital by messengers who risked their lives like chaff.
The commander of the Cheong Knights, who returned after receiving the light signal, took a deep breath.
'Evacuate the residents. It's a noble decision. However, if things continue this way, the hunt for the foreign object will have to be postponed. I still don't know what measures you have in place.'
The Platinum Knight Commander ran towards his villains with a much more relaxed expression on his face.
“Barbatos!”
“Yes, why are you here!”
“Let’s see who can cut off more heads! Today, let’s decide who will be the Emperor’s sharpest sword.”
The giant knight snorted at the white knight's provocation.
“Don’t have any regrets!”
The giant knight swung his war hammer.
bang!
The humanoid devourer's cervical spine collapsed, and its head was driven into its chest.
“Is that it?”
The white knight swung his sword and slashed upward, and the beast-like devourer rolled along the ground with its limbs severed.
“It’s just beginning!”
With the roar of the giant knight, black iron knights raised their swords all over the streets.
* * *
“Don’t give up!”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. This is an order to just kill time!”
“Police officers, focus on introducing the residents!”
“What is your biggest problem right now? Tell me!”
“The problem is where to send the refugees. They are being herded to the outskirts of the city, but they are in disarray there!”
“Your Majesty Valen! The situation is-”.
The capital had large gates in the east, west, south, and north, and there were few houses around the north gate that blocked the imperial palace.
Therefore, citizens mainly gathered near the East Gate, South Gate, and West Gate.
There was also a door leading to the Ivory Tower Special Zone on the west side, but it was firmly closed and would not open.
As soon as Valencian heard the report, he quickly thought about it.
'The space in front of either the East Gate or the South Gate must be left empty. Only then can Helena and the knights from the central region enter the capital.'
The official population of Soletaraon was about 400,000, the implicit population was about 500,000, and the actual population was over 600,000.
With so many people blocking the door, there was no way for anyone, no matter how old, to get in.
“Clear the area in front of the gate.”
“There is a river to the east, so the central knights must cross the bridge.”
“That’s why. If all those people try to use the bridge, it will collapse and everyone will become fish food. Then no one will be able to leave, and even the central knights won’t be able to enter.”
"ah."
The knight looked impressed.
The messenger who had come running along said as if he felt sorry.
“There was word that they might be attacked by eroders while moving.”
Valencian narrowed his eyes and thought of the capital district.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Both the Platinum Knights and the Black Iron Knights ran from the northern palace to the central canal.
The southeastern area, where citizens could move, had fewer knights and more monsters.
Of course, there were knights of the cathedral, but they were not enough to evacuate the civilians around the cathedral.
However, we couldn't send the Platinum Knights and Black Iron Knights there.
“Fight to the end!”
“The palace is behind us!”
“Get up, Sir Bonnell! Have you forgotten where your sister is?”
Now they were fighting with their backs turned to the palace where their families were, and so they did not retreat even an inch despite being greatly outnumbered.
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If we take away people here and the palace falls, then we will have to worry about the knights' disobedience.
thus.
Valencian gave the order coldly.
“It’s a battle of timing. Send them. The central knights will enter through the east gate, and the people will evacuate through the south and west gates.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Nine messengers ran towards each gate.
Valencianus noticed that the squad numbers on their badges were all different.
'There were three people in a group. They must have sent about thirty people. Only nine arrived?'
Later, I briefly thought about having Hadritan send something to the families of the messengers.
“Valencian!”
“Hardritan?”
Treasurer Hadritan came running down to the palace.
“No! The South Gate and the West Gate cannot be opened!”
His white hair was a mess, his suit was rumpled, and blood was streaming from his forehead.
The glasses I normally wear also had cracks in the lenses.
But his blue eyes held a colder, more desperate glare than usual.
“What does that mean?”
“I just got my calculations. There are 35,000 people who could potentially be eroded. And if they leave the capital and seek refuge in other cities in the central region or the governorate, and the erosion spreads like that, that number could grow to as much as 850,000 in a month.”
“!”
“You probably know this better than I do, but before and after the oath of allegiance, all sorts of corrupt sects did everything they could to send people to the capital. A suspiciously wealthy group with no record of activity appeared everywhere.”
These were the words of an expert who measured the world in numbers.
“The moment you open the door, they will come into contact with those people. They are people who have lost their homes and families and are in despair. If you open the door and let them go, there will be ten times more Corruptors than those who died today.”
“… … .”
“Whether the bread is burnt, undercooked, or kneaded, it must be finished within the capital. It must be finished by evacuating the combat zone. The gates must not be opened!”
“… … .”
“You are the Grand Duke of the Empire, and I am the Treasurer of the Empire. Think of not just Soletaraon, but many cities and governorates. You must lead them!”
* * *
Cornell was disabled, poor, orphaned, a girl, and a human being with little mixed race blood.
Having risen from the bottom of imperial society to become a member of parliament, she had one wish.
“No one will be left behind! Keep your distance! Avoid being crushed.”
“Mr. Cornell, the eroders are coming.”
“… …Can you tear down the building number 5 in block number 2? I’ll block the road with it.”
“That’s the eight-story stone building that Mr. Cornell cherished… … I understand.”
“All I have is people. I have to save people.”
It was too simple to be called a dream, and too grand to be called a belief.
Ever since I was little, I've seen people stab each other for money and drugs.
The streets that used to be like that have now become wealthy enough to accommodate buildings.
The money coming in was the result, but the process was people.
This is what happened when people helped each other and people trusted each other.
She too came to that place believing that she could change their lives for the better.
“Followers of Amon. Complete mutation is permitted. This is not a situation where it is important to look good to anyone.”
“The guards will remain. Lord Cornell’s health is more important than anything else.”
“Then I will go to the front line.”
“!”
So what she believed in was not the goodness of people, but the desire for goodness.
“No problem, Mr. Cornell! The west gate is not opening.”
“What did you say?”
“They say that it cannot be opened until orders come down from the palace.”
“That can’t be true! You know best what kind of situation this is!”
Something poked its head out from between those alleys.
The eroder revealed itself with a squeaking sound.
There were some horrible looking birds flying in the sky.
Cornell was a clever girl.
Even in this situation, I knew what it meant when the gates wouldn't open.
It meant that Duke Valencian had decided to close the city.
“Gyaaaah!”
“It’s an eroder!”
“Hold my hand tight!”
People rushed toward the gate, and soldiers pushed them back from the narrow steps on the ramparts where there were pulleys.
"ah."
Cornell lifted the lightning ring that Serenade had made into the sky, and lowered his hand.
“Your Majesty, these few people are probably not important to you. You are a person who has spent your entire life looking only up, not down or sideways.”
The moment she was about to move with her guards to stand at the very back until the end.
“Wake up!”
The shout of an old nobleman rang in her ears.
"firing!"
The old noble's private soldiers pulled the arrows soaked in holy water, and the foreign birds that were falling spread their four wings and rose into the sky again.
“What if a member of the National Assembly gives up first? You should think about what you can say while you’re alive. Aren’t you, the common members of the National Assembly, the ones who carry their wishes on your shoulders, unlike us?”
"you are……?"
He was a court noble who fought with Cornell every day in the capital's parliament.
There were also those who regarded her vigilante laws as a thorn in their side.
“That law is really strong now. Come to your senses and control those people. If you keep pushing and crushing each other like this, you’ll die before you even get out.”
Cornell looked around.
“Wow!”
“Cornell! I’m here!”
Members of her faction were gathering, leading vigilante groups and controlling the civilian population.
Behind them, the Amon followers were in chaos, trying to control the confused citizens.
“Don’t push!”
“Put a rope here!”
“Make a sign with luminescent reagent!”
Cornell headed toward the gate with his guard.
He stood on the wooden box, gave a battle cry to Amon, and then shouted in a loud voice so that everyone could hear.
“Everyone! You can all go out safely! The vigilantes and the court nobles and private soldiers will protect you from behind! So trust each other and move slowly!”
I didn't believe in good intentions.
Her life was too intense to believe in anything like good intentions.
But that is why I believed that people had good intentions.
“You there! Get off your horse! Are you planning on going after these people?”
“I am His Majesty the Emperor’s standard-bearer! I bring word from His Highness the Archduke Valencian! Make way!”
Upon closer inspection, he was not a madman riding out into this situation, but a royal messenger with one arm torn off.
Cornell led him to the soldiers at the gate, led by his werewolf guard.
“By order of His Highness the Archduke Valencian, open the gates!”
Her faith was rewarded.
'ah.'
Cornell thought as he heard the thunderous roar.
'Can someone who has lived only calculating evil also hope for good?'
Valencian did not betray Cornell.
* * *
The same thing happened at the North Gate and the South Gate.
“I’m alive now!”
“Let’s all go out!”
“Thank you, knights!”
Valencian sent the Knights Templar not to defend the city from the air, but to help citizens moving from the east gate to the south gate.
Students and citizens from the Learning Street area, which is relatively closer to the North Gate, were guided directly to the North Gate.
At this time, Jin and the student council members ran wild, showing off skills that were clearly unbecoming of cadets.
“I caught a giant spider!”
“Get out of the way!”
“Isn’t that a life-saving technique?”
“Noblesse oblige! My father is also evacuating citizens right now, so I can’t leave him out!”
“The swordsmanship department is playing around! Let’s keep our formation!”
Among them, there were some who did not know the inside story.
“Chairman! My eyes are-”.
The student body president chosen by Valencian succeeded in taking advantage of even that.
“What happened earlier? I can’t see you very well. Did things get a bit strange?”
“Your pupils have turned yellow.”
“Damn it. It’s the same color as the royal family. Let’s get out.”
Jin thought as he sent the cadets out.
He was at the peak of darkness on the street of learning, but at that time, he was purely grateful.
'Your Highness, thank you for saving my life.'
And along the street in front of the eastern gate that was created in that way.
"let's go!"
Helena, the knights of the Middle Kingdom, and the lords who had been encamped outside the castle entered.
'Huh?'
Valencian looked at their banners and thought.
'You shouldn't come.'