The Death Knight's existence was ominous, in and of itself. Carlton's instincts screamed at him to flee from such a filthily evil.
‘You were despicable when you were alive, and now you've become even more annoying in death.'
Carlton did not tear his eyes away from the Death Knight.
The first prince casually ordered the knight, "He's just a distraction. Kill him."
As soon as the words fell from the prince's lips, the knight charged at Carlton on his horse with terrifying speed. The black spear carried by the knight flew at the mercenary. Carlton avoided it by rolling sideways, but completely dodging a lance–especially when thrown from a higher elevation–was difficult.
"Ugh." The spear grazed Carlton's left arm, leaving behind a large wound in its wake. Carlton pressed at the wound with his right hand; blood soaked through his fingers. He was lucky–if the mercenary was unfortunate, he may have lost the entire arm.
‘There'll be no end if I continue like this.' Carlton scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes; he was at an overwhelming disadvantage. The formal attire and polished shoes he wore hindered his movements and failed to protect him from the sharp attacks.
He didn't even have a usable weapon. Since weapons were forbidden when meeting with the first prince, he had left his usual blade behind in his room. The dagger he brought just in case was confiscated during the body search just before he entered the audience chamber.
On the other hand, his opponents were all armed. The Death Knight was a given; Count Doubless's other knights were equipped with swords and shields. The Death Knight launched direct attacks at Carlton while the count's knights maintained their formation, enclosing Carlton in a circle. With their iron shields held high, they appeared like a steadily advancing wall, gradually closing in on him.
No matter how physically outstanding Carlton may be, there was a limit to his strength. His meticulously groomed hair and clothes had long been in disarray. Since it was impossible to avoid all the attacks, the wounds on his body gradually increased. Especially the deep wound on his left arm caused by the Death Knight; it bled profusely to the point of being dangerously alarming.
Still, Carlton grinned.
‘You think you can kill me with these paltry tricks?'
Carlton had spent most of his life in such mayhem. He had never given up–even when he thought he may truly die. The intense desire to survive had allowed Carlton to live through so many battles. This time as well, he saw a way to overcome his overwhelming disadvantage.
Count Doubless's knights–they were loyal knights but ordinary men as well. They were naturally repulsed by the Death Knight and wanted to keep their distance from it. Even though they were on the same side, they were instinctively more aware of the Death Knight than of their enemy: Carlton.
Swoosh–
A long lance flew through the air towards Carlton. Carlton deliberately rolled towards the count's knights as he avoided the attack; the Death Knight quickly followed afterwards, brandishing another spear.
Suddenly, as the Death Knight approached and swung his spear, the encircling formation of the count's knights, which had been closing in at a steady pace, came to a halt. Some knights flinched and took a step back. They felt deeply uncomfortable and were frightened that the spear intended for Carlton might target them as well.
Because they were well trained, no one abandoned the ranks, but a gap had formed. Carlton did not miss that opportunity.
He collided with one of the knights’ shields. The fully armored knight was like a moving block of iron, and, with the weight of the added shield, the knight felt like an iron wall. Carlton's action was reckless, almost self-destructive, as he threw himself against that iron wall.
However, Carlton's attempt succeeded.
Bang–!
The knight who collided with Carlton, along with the knight standing next to him, were pushed back and fell. The mercenary had seized the moment the count's knights hesitated due to the Death Knight's attacks; Carlton's eyes didn't miss the knight who had retreated slightly. The knight, in a state of internal conflict between natural instinct and his superior's command, had his judgment compromised; his body's center of gravity shifted backward, making it easy to topple him without exerting much force. Of course, Carlton's monstrous strength and resilience–his ability to not bruise even after slamming into a lump of iron–also played a large role.
The disadvantage of a knight's head-to-toe armor was its weight–it was heavy. Once the man fell, he couldn't stand up on his own without someone helping him up on both sides.
Carlton stepped on the struggling knight and ran. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped through the window.
The audience chamber’s windows were often left open to let out the smoke from heating. Thanks to that, Carlton only had to jump out.
The count's knights rushed to the window. The chamber was three stories high. If someone fell, it could be a fatal accident if luck wasn't on their side and, even if luck was, the person would likely end up with some broken bones. Even Carlton thought he would end up the same way.
However, Carlton landed on the ground and was able to run, body intact. He began to move away from the building at a fairly rapid pace.
"That's impossible!"
"Is he really a human being?"
The count's knights all exclaimed in astonishment and anger. They could only chase the mercenary with their eyes–none of them had the confidence that they would be as fine as Carlton if they jumped from that height. Only the Death Knight tried to jump down after Carlton.
"Enough."
The Death Knight stopped on the spot at Count Doubless's command. There were many eyes at the castle; he couldn't let the Death Knight roam around freely when he hadn't obtained full control over the palace.
Instead, Count Doubless ordered the living knights, "Find him. Even he won't be able to escape from the castle if he tries to run away."
"What should we do if we catch him?"
"It'll be troublesome to let him live."
"Understood!"
Count Doubless's knights hurried out of the chamber to make up for their earlier failure.
Soon afterwards, only Count Doubless, the first prince, and the Death Knight remained. Count Doubless looked at the window from which Carlton had jumped for a moment before approaching the prince, "My prince."
He knelt before the first prince, "I'm sorry, we let him through. But, don't worry. He suffered an injury before escaping, so we'll find him soon. We will further strengthen our forces at the exits so he cannot escape the palace."
"Fine," the first prince answered indifferently. Despite giving the order to kill his loyal servant–whom he had once proudly called his right arm–and despite the failure of that attempt, no emotion could be seen on his face. He stood still, as if he had nothing to do with what had just transpired in the audience chamber. Rather than being cold or objective, the prince looked blank as if he had lost all sense of reality.
Count Doubless continued, seemingly indifferent to the prince's condition and assured of the prince's favor, "Also, we'll move slowly towards Duke Anies. We failed to kill Carlton here, but we succeeded in separating those two."
"Duke Anies…" The first prince frowned as he thought of Luisen, "Do we need to go that far?"
Count Doubless's face hardened at the prince's reaction. Though the first prince looked a bit frustrated, he nonetheless had regained a bit of liveliness as opposed to his blankness before. "It's too dangerous to kill a Great Lord. Everyone would doubt me if the duke dies when the royal knights are supposed to protect him. If we consider the future of our reign…"
"My prince." Count Doubless interrupted, "Didn't you promise? From now on, you'll leave the South to me."
"I did, but…"
"I'll handle the other Great Lords as well. Please place your trust in me and wait, my prince." Count Doubless took the first prince's hand and kissed the back. As he did, a dark crimson mist emanated from the count's grip. It crawled up the first prince's arm like a living snake, seeping into the man's eyes and ears.
"Ah…. Ah…" The first prince let out a short groan that could be either a wail or a scream. His eyes became hazy again, just as they were earlier, and his face returned to an expressionless state, devoid of any vitality. "…That's right. I decided to trust you. Do as you please–whether you decide to kill him or spare him."
"That's very wise of you, my prince." Count Doubless rose as he looked over the prince. At first glance, the prince's gaze seemed ordinary but, in this state, the prince wouldn't even bat an eye if Count Doubless were to spit in his face…That was done deliberately.
He had lowered the first prince's guard, created a gap in his heart, and captured his soul. Like a brainwashed man, the first prince now only obeyed and reacted to the count. As the first prince's mental resilience was so strong that he occasionally tried to break free from the brainwashing, Count Doubless had to adequately maintain the facade of serving the crown prince.
‘It has been a smooth ride.'
It was a risky adventure for the count–he had taken the magic he had learned from the demon worshippers and used it on the prince. If he made a misstep, he would be caught by the church. However, when Luisen Anies began to deviate from his expectations, he had no other choice.
Thus far, his efforts had proven quite satisfying. He had driven Duke Anies to this extent, and now he shall soon fulfill his decades-long grudge.
Count Doubless left the audience chamber. The Death Knight followed the count for a while before eventually disappearing.
The empty chamber now only held the remnants of the battle and the first prince. As the sun set, the first prince's figure was completely engulfed in darkness. As if he had fallen into a deep swamp, there was no hope nor joy left in him.
TL: Something my PR said about this chap regarding a popular theory going around… gave me food for thought. I wonder if any of you guys will come to the same conclusion as she did.