Dungeon Defense (WN)

Chapter 284: Puppet War (1)

Chapter 284: Puppet War (1)

“Kyaaah!”

A maid let out a scream.

She had opened the door to wake her master up and discovered a young boy sleeping on a pure white bed. However, his sleep was an eternal kind. The 11-year-old boy’s throat had been slit. His red blood soaked into the blanket. Lily petals were scattered across the sullied bed in an almost mocking way.

The last remaining descendant had been assassinated.

This news was quickly delivered to a portion of Frankian nobles. They were filled with shock.

“……O Goddesses. Why have you added tragedy onto tragedy?”

“We definitely created that estate while avoiding Brittany’s watchful eyes.”

A rebellion was right before their eyes. The royalists and republicans had argued and compromised in secret so many times for the sake of cooperating.

“He was born as a commoner and raised as one too. It should have been impossible for those Brittan bastards to have known unless we had a snitch…….”

“Imprison all of the servants in the estate!”

There were several smaller factions within the royalists and republicans. Numerous beliefs had been running in parallel lines. It was a compromise that was created almost miraculously within this constitutional monarchy. Once everything went up in smoke at such a critical moment, the nobles struggled to even open their mouths.

“Figuring out who committed this tragedy is not important right now. We must first discuss what we will do from now on.”

“From now on? What are you saying we can do now? Every last imperial descendant has died. Our great empire is now over. Everything is over…….”

“Frankia must still continue to exist. Even without the emperor.”

“I do not know what you are trying to say. Are you trying to say that we should become a republic?”

“If that is the only solution we have left.”

Several nobles started to argue here and there.

They had gathered and exchanged opinions in only small groups until now in order to avoid attracting attention, but they realized they wouldn’t be able to reach any sort of conclusion if they continued to talk in only small groups. What stance were all of the factions going to take……?

The nobles started to let out their complaints once the entire nation was befogged.

“Will we carry out our revolt as previously planned or are we canceling it!? We should at least decide on this clearly!”

“Our plans have been ruined, so we have no choice but to enthrone His Majesty Henry…….”

“You’re telling us to serve that emperor, who put our country in this state to begin with, again? Hah. Even if we did, do you think our people will support us? We might as well start a rebellion. That sounds more plausible.”

They had to prepare countermeasures as soon as possible.

The nobles agreed to hold an assembly in secret. The location was a secluded estate on the outskirts of the imperial capital, Parisorium. They also made sure to gather after Brittany’s army left the city just in case.

There were several nobles who refused to participate in the assembly. They were being especially cautious. Even if the political situation was uncertain, no, it was because it was uncertain that they claimed they had to be more careful.

“We have not discovered why the imperial descendant was assassinated. There is a chance there is a spy among us, and yet you are saying that we should gather in one place?”

“Do you think that slut Henrietta will miss this opportunity!? How unbelievable. You are all committing suicide.”

Will they seek safety despite the situation before them?

“Are you saying that we should wait until the war ends without establishing any sort of measures? Is that the safety you guys are talking about? That is not safety, that is simply you neglecting our nation and our people. That is nothing more than a dereliction of duties.”

“Brittany is currently in imminent peril. When will a chance like this come again!?”

Or will they take a step forward despite the danger?

A majority of the Frankian nobles chose the latter. They had been silent for four years already. What have they been patient for? It was all for an opportunity like this. About two-thirds of the families that were patriotic participated in this secret assembly.

However, history proved that acting boldly wasn’t the right answer on this day.

“An enemy attack!”

It happened while everyone was having a fierce debate throughout the night. The guards came in shouting.

“……They tricked us.”

“That damn harlot.”

All of the nobles unsheathed their swords.

There wasn’t anyone foolish enough to ask what was happening. The royalists and republicans had both unquestionably been living their lives while trying to avoid Brittany’s gaze. They immediately figured out what was happening.

They had already forgotten about the fierce argument they were having a moment ago as they took defensive positions around the entrance to the estate. They were all nobles who were taught to be knights from a young age. They may be unable to use aura, but they at least knew how to fight.

The soldiers that were stationed around the estate as guards were cleared out in an instant. The Brittan knights soon approached the front door with slow steps. Clack, clack, their footsteps echoed clearly.

“Would you look at this? For what reason have such lofty individuals gathered during the middle of the night?”

A female knight spoke in a mocking tone. She had on a silver-colored breastplate with a green cape fluttering behind her. The nobles clicked their tongues once they saw the female knight.

“Tsk. Milian de Nazaire, is it……?”

“A rather extravagant unwelcomed guest has arrived.”

The Green Rose Knights have been around since Brittany was founded. They had once managed to even make the Demon Lord army collapse with only a single charge. Their vice-captain had personally come to see them. The nobles had brought somewhat reliable escorts with them, but they weren’t enough to defeat the greatest knights on the continent.

The female knight grinned.

“Those renowned for their patriotism are one thing, but also seeing individuals who are known as traitors to the public here makes it hard to imagine what sort of conversation you all must have been having. Well, it must have been quite the interesting topic.”

“…….”

“Her Highness the Queen was also fairly interested in tonight’s meeting. You can give us the details while we are in the audience of Her Highness.”

They pretended to depart and waited for the nobles to gather.

The nobles let out a strained laugh. Within their group were also a few people who had acted like traitors and snitched on their fellow countrymen to Queen Henrietta. They had managed to get this far by sacrificing their pride, but it all ended up going to waste.

– Shiing.

The nobles held their swords forward. It didn’t matter what kind of excuses they tried to make here, Queen Henrietta was definitely not going to spare their lives. Only a dirty death awaited them after an uncertain amount of torture and humiliation.

They resolved themselves. They were worried about the safety of their families, but they were also proud nobles of Frankia. They were probably resolved as well.

“……And what if we refuse to have an audience with your queen?”

“There is one thing that humans cannot refuse in the world.”

The knights unsheathed their swords in unison.

“You must all die here.”

The battle started.

The Frankian nobles resisted valiantly. From the youngsters who had just become the heads of their households to the seventy-year-old man who had lost all of his descendants, everyone who could hold a blade charged forward.

There was only a single line that they shouted out in unison.

“For Frankia!”

Republicans took slashes for royalists. Royalists jumped into the fray in order to save republicans. Even these individuals who used to be archrivals because of their different ideologies were nothing more than allies in their final moments.

“For Her Highness the Queen!”

Swords stabbed into the chests of those nobles as if they were laughing at their sacrifice. A young noble’s intestines came spilling out on the floor as his stomach was impaled by a spear. The boy fell and tried to push his guts back inside of him, but he couldn’t do much before dying. The sounds of screams and groaning mixed together as they dyed the estate red.

A certain middle-aged man ran forward urgently with his hands up. He was the traitor who told Brittany about this assembly.

“Wait! Miss Nazaire! It is me! Do not kill me!”

The vice-captain approached him with a pleasant smile.

“So you were here. Her Highness will be very pleased with tonight’s results.”

“T-Thank you very much. Her Highness’ favor is like the rivers and seas.”

The small number of nobles and their escorts who were still alive became shocked with their blood-soaked faces.

“You bastard, Bethune!”

“May your dirty bloodline be cursed for all eternity!”

The people who used to be his allies shouted curses at the man. The man flinched for a moment, but he furrowed his brows as if he were displeased.

“……And how clean must your bloodlines be to sing praises about Frankia day in and day out? Nationality isn’t what’s important to the people. It doesn’t matter who the emperor is either. It doesn’t matter who the ruler is, whether they’re from Frankia, Brittany, or even the Demon Lord army, as long as they rule well!”

“Shut up, your words are filled with piss!”

A young family head shouted.

“Frankia was the one who raised you, not Brittany! The people of Frankia gave their taxes to you, your Frankian parents raised you, and it was the mountains and streams of Frankia that protected you! How dare a swine who doesn’t recognize his own parents talk about the people!”

“There is no point in arguing……. History is something that changes! For the sake of the people!”

It was at that moment.

The head of the man with a popped blood vessel was severed. The man fell to the ground with wide eyes. His head rolled to the feet of the other nobles.

“W-What……?”

“…….”

The nobles forgot about their anger as they were at a loss for words.

The female vice-captain was smiling in front of them. Her sword was drenched in blood. The female knight had personally executed the traitor who should have been Brittany’s ally.

“This is why you Franks are lacking. Regardless of how right your words are, you must have the strength to back up your words.”

“……Why did you kill that guy who betrayed us?”

“I do not understand your question.”

The vice-captain raised her sword and readied herself.

“I clearly said that you will ‘all’ die here.”

“…….”

“I will see if you are still able to talk about that belief of yours after you have become corpses.”

All of the nobles were slaughtered, leaving no survivors.

A violent storm swept over their families as well. A portion of Brittany’s army that had left the capital returned and attacked their families. A massive purge was carried out as women, children, and the elderly were killed indiscriminately.

– Currently, several nobles have conspired and started an uprising.

– According to the Emperor’s order, these disturbances will be neutralized swiftly.

– Due to the severity of their crimes of being moved by our enemy and trying to shake our foundation, they will be executed without any exception.

Thus, within the span of only two days, nearly three hundred people were executed.

The Brittan army became satisfied after they got rid of their future troubles and advanced without delay. Hundreds of thousands of troops were dispatched along with the Frankian soldiers to face the Demon Lord army. Their pace was as quick as a blitz.

“…….”

The nobles who survived due to their caution bit their lips. The heads of their comrades were put on display on the edges of spears in every plaza of the city. There was even the dead body of a young family head among them.

The nobles walked away from the plazas. They left and shed tears of blood in a secluded place within their estates where no one could see them.

“I will never forgive you, Brittany!”

Baron Bercy. Even this man, who humbly referred to himself as a baronet, was among the people who survived. He roared in sorrow with his lips that had been torn by his own teeth.

“Never! A day where the blood dries on Brittan soil will never arrive! I will devote my life, my blood, everything to this! I will have my revenge!”

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Things sort of proceeded as expected for the nobles of Frankia. Excluding the smart few who didn’t gather.

On another note, the wedding was enjoyable. Although I did have a bad headache throughout it because I probably had a heatstroke. I had to wear a full suit and was under the blazing sun way more than necessary since my brother refused to pick me up. I guess there are going to be a lot of weddings now that Covid restrictions have been lessening.

Welp, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.