We arrived at the Imperial Royal Castle with surprising ease, despite our departure.
While I understood that the residents wouldn’t attack us since they’d become demons, I never expected that even the soldiers wouldn’t.
Moreover, the moment they spotted the Allied Forces, they all fled.
Well, they didn’t seem to have fought the monsters that surrounded Kobaldia, and they were nowhere near High Class, so they likely had little combat experience.
“It’s somewhat anticlimactic, but from here on, it’s the Imperial Royal Castle. There will be guards, so they’ll surely attack us.”
“As you say. There’s also a possibility that the soldiers we saw earlier have regrouped and are planning a pincer attack. It’s an unlikely scenario, but we can’t afford to let our guard down.”
It was impossible for all of us to enter the Imperial Royal Castle, so a contingent needed to remain at the castle gate.
Ideally, half of the Ritters should have stayed behind, but since the participants were carefully selected elites from the Ritter’s Guild of each country, it would be problematic to leave any particular group behind.
Therefore, the Ritters, excluding the Orders, were the ones to enter the Imperial Royal Castle. However, twenty members from the Order’s Guild, including Rex, would accompany them.
Hunters, I apologize, but you will remain at the castle gate to prepare for a pincer attack and monster assaults.
However, that would leave Saya as the only Hunter entering the castle, and the number of Ancient Classes would be low. Thus, we of Wing Crest decided to accompany them.
As Rex said, I also believe the possibility of the fleeing Retisencia soldiers launching a pincer attack is close to zero.
Since this had been decided in advance, the troop deployment concluded without any issues, and we entered the Imperial Royal Castle with the Ritters.
Despite this, the soldiers here also fled immediately, leaving us no choice but to be exasperated.
At this rate, the Imperial Royal Family might have already fled.
However, there’s nowhere for them to run, so we’ll have to search the Imperial Royal Castle meticulously, starting now.
“Alright then, as planned, the Ritters will disperse and search the castle. Please note that resistance from the Retisencia army is expected. As they are now demons, be extremely cautious during your search.”
“Yes, sir!”
Following Rex’s orders, the Ritters divided into nine units and scattered throughout the castle.
Of course, Ancient Classes were assigned to each unit to guard against any demon assaults, so they shouldn’t be easily defeated.
I, along with one of the Soldier units, set out to search our assigned sector.
Emperor Reinhardt will remain in the Audience Chamber, but Rex, Rosemary, and Muse will be guarding him, so there’s no need for concern.
My assigned search area is the lowest level, including the underground prison.
I wondered why such a place was assigned to me, but it could be a shortcut, or they might be trying to exploit the assumption that royalty wouldn’t hide there. Therefore, I intend to search thoroughly, not missing a single rat.
With Sonar Wave, we can detect any hidden passages or secret rooms.
However, contrary to my enthusiasm, Sonar Wave detected nothing.
There was no one in the underground prison, nor were there any apparent hidden passages or secret rooms.
There were soldiers who seemed to be prison guards, but no other reactions were detected, so it truly seems empty.
Oh, and the guards, in their desperation, attacked, so I instantly defeated them with my Ice Edge Javelin.
The others are also searching with the Ritters, but I wonder where the Imperial Royal Family could be.
Side: Athena
I was assigned to search the Imperial Royal Castle’s kitchens and food storage areas with a Hydragoner.
Unfortunately, there were no Imperial Royal Family members or even guards here, and we found no clues.
“Another dead end, huh? I thought they might be hiding in the food storage, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“As expected.”
The reason I was paired with a Dragoner is because there are three Hydragonians among the Dragoners participating this time.
They were overjoyed that they, along with their husbands, had evolved through the rigorous training from their parents.
Their husbands are also here, and I know them, so due to racial considerations, I was assigned to a Dragoner.
“Logically, the Imperial Royal Family, with all their pride, wouldn’t be hiding in a place like this.”
“That’s right. We might have been outsmarted, but if they had that kind of cunning, this situation wouldn’t have happened.”
Hydragonewt Gustav and the Thunder Dragon Hydragonian couple, Demeter, are speaking disparagingly of the Imperial Royal Family, and I agree.
Oh, Gustav is here as the First Dragoner, the commander of the Dragoners.
Demeter left Mount Wilness forty years ago, but her daughter Persephone, the youngest Dragonian, is at Crystal Palace.
I’ve met her a few times with Gustav, and I often looked after Persephone, so we’re quite close, and she’s been a great help.
The other two Dragonians only married about ten years ago, so they haven’t had children yet.
“Anyway, there seems to be nothing here, so should we head back?”
“We have no choice. I wish we could have captured the Emperor ourselves, but this involves luck.”
“The search assignments were decided by lottery to avoid disputes, weren’t they?”
“Don’t remind me…”
Our search areas had been decided in advance, but I hadn’t expected it to be by lottery.
If only the Order’s Guild was participating, it might have been manageable, but with all the Ritter’s Guilds involved, deciding who searches where would inevitably lead to arguments.
However, with a lottery, even if you’re assigned a place with a near-zero chance of success, you can’t complain.
Thinking about it, the lottery might actually be a pretty good method.
I believe they called it an “Amida lottery,” where after all units decided on their locations, new lines were added.
At any rate, since there’s nothing more to find here, we decided to return to the Audience Chamber where Emperor Reinhardt is waiting.
Side: Mako
The unit of Beastars I’m accompanying is filled with a tense atmosphere.
This is because there is a Royal Beastmaster here, someone who shouldn’t be.
Our assigned sector was the courtyard, including the terrace, a terrible area, and the search was quickly finished with my Sonar Wave before we could return. However, the Royal Beastmaster, who craves merit, cannot accept this situation.
The reason is that the Royal Beastmaster is aiming for the position of consort to Emperor Glisina, the Beast King.
Initially, I thought she was jealous of the Hunter who would become H.R.H. David’s father and was preventing him from entering the castle, but after gathering information, I discovered she is an ambitious individual.
H.R.H. David’s father, while based in Glacian, is merely a Hunter who hasn’t even evolved to High Class.
However, Emperor Glisina took a liking to this Hunter and, at his pleading, H.R.H. David was born.
The kings of Alegria often remain unmarried, but it’s not an absolute rule.
Therefore, this fact is unbearable for the Royal Beastmaster, who desires the power of a consort.
What’s more, it seems she is aiming for the position of Grand Beastmaster, not just consort, revealing her ambition to control the nation of Alegria and eventually the Amister-Philias Federation Celestial Empire.
This information came to light when Associate Beastmaster Tolman was consulted by a Royal Beastar.
Tolman, who is also the former Grand Order’s Master and respected in other countries, was consulted, but he never imagined that the Royal Beastmaster, who is also the commander of the Imperial Royal Guard, harbored such ambitions.
Naturally, Emperor Glisina and the Grand Beastmaster have been informed, but since no actual harm has been done, and there is no concrete evidence beyond her testimony, punishment cannot be meted out.
Nevertheless, it is undeniably a problem, so she has been sternly warned, and Emperor Glisina has explicitly stated that accepting her as consort is out of the question.
Given that such an ambitious person cannot continue to be the head of the Royal Beastars, a successor has already been decided. However, the candidate for the successor, a Royal Beastar, has not yet surpassed the level of the current Royal Beastmaster.
This is why she can still hold the title of Royal Beastmaster, and she knows this, making her quite desperate.
“This is going nowhere. Falco, we’re heading to the residential area.”
“That’s not allowed. We’re assigned to this area, and the residential area is for the Facers’ jurisdiction.”
Perhaps because she’s been threatened with expulsion from the Beastar’s Guild, the Royal Beastmaster desperately needs to achieve something.
However, hunting An or Catastrophe Species now wouldn’t amount to much merit, and fighting Demise Species is impossible.
Therefore, her goal is the head of the Imperial Royal Family. However, our assigned area is the courtyard, including the terrace, and arbitrarily searching other areas is a serious violation of regulations.
Even if she were to bring the head of the Imperial Royal Family, she would not escape punishment.
Everyone in this unit understands this, but the Royal Beastmaster, with her narrow vision, doesn’t seem to realize it.
“More importantly, what gives you the right to give orders to Lord Falco, who is the First Beastar? You have no command or authoritative power.”
Furthermore, the Royal Beastmaster was not originally supposed to participate in this battle, but she appeared at Float at the last minute, so we had no choice but to bring her along.
We couldn’t leave her behind, not knowing what she might do, and it also serves as a form of surveillance.
Emperor Reinhardt and Rex, as well as the Conform Beasters Master currently stationed at Float, have all stated that she has no command or authoritative power.
Moreover, during the recent monster battle, her eagerness for merit led her to rush ahead and sustain the most severe injuries, which was the primary reason for the significant damage to the Beasts.
In short, from my perspective, she is nothing but a complete hindrance.
Therefore, despite knowing that my words might be harsh, I’m interjecting.
“That, well…”
“Let me tell you, Emperor Reinhardt heard about your shameful conduct earlier, and many Ritters, including the Grand Order’s Master, witnessed it. It’s doubtful whether any merit you gain now will even be recognized.”
In fact, by being here, she cannot escape punishment for violating orders.
With someone like this as the head of the guard, the Royal Family must be in constant anxiety. This is more than enough reason for her dismissal.
“…”
The Royal Beastmaster fell silent, but her gaze towards me was filled with murderous intent.
This is why I was assigned to this unit.
I possess defensive techniques that surpass Yamato’s, and my accuracy in designating wide-area targets is also superior.
Therefore, if the Royal Beastmaster were to make a move against the Imperial Royal Family, I could immediately defend against it and even restrain her.
Yamato could also do it, but considering the speed of a High Beastar, there’s a possibility he might not react quickly enough.
So, as unpleasant as it is, I have to be the one to do it.
“Um, may I speak now?”
“Ah, excuse me, Lord Falco. Yes, please go ahead.”
“Yes. We have no more places to search, so I believe we should return to the Audience Chamber.”
Indeed, we have finished searching all designated areas, and there is no reason to remain here any longer.
“I agree.”
With no reason to object, we also decided to return to the Audience Chamber where Emperor Reinhardt was waiting.
The Royal Beastmaster is under my close watch, and she seems aware of it, showing no signs of trying to escape.
However, if she were to catch sight of the Imperial Royal Family, I don’t know what she might do, so I must continue to monitor her closely.
