บท 59: The Warning Beneath the Rain

Were the enemies sent by the people who sent me the letter?

That was the question of what would happen next. I knew it could well be a trap, but I wasn't afraid for my life because I was prepared.

"Do you know who that boy is?"

"I don't recognize him, but if his family is noble, I'll see him at my wedding. It's a shame, I should have invited Rhaenyra to this place…" Haldor said with a somewhat lost look as he picked up his weapons beside his seat.

Ravyn looked at the guard he had prepared and nodded for them to start the journey back to the castle. There were no armored bears; they drew too much attention, and what Haldor sought was not to stand out too much so that his enemies in the dark would decide to come out.

Haldor's eyes glowed a strong blue color from the magic he was releasing, but unexpectedly, there was a smile on his lips. He knew all this was just a game for the supremacy of these lands, one in which he would either live or reign.

"Bite the golden oak and cry for the fatherless bastards!" That phrase was what the victors in a succession for the throne said to the families of the enemy faction that fought against them. Suddenly, at that moment, everyone realizes that getting involved in an agonizing fight was unnecessary. Only when death is about to drag you into the darkness do you think it wasn't worth it, regret erupts, and tears cloud your vision.

That was what distinguished kings from nobles, commoners from nobles, and animals from humans.

"Come, I'll cut off your heads and feed your bodies to the armored bears!" Haldor said, raising his right hand with a euphoric smile.

It was then that the sky darkened even more, and a lightning bolt broke the sober silence that fell over the surroundings!

The shadow covered the ground, and the rain intensified more and more.

From the darkness of the alleys, several masked men in black clothes, resembling large night crows, descended from the skies. Even before they touched the ground, numerous blades aimed at the carriage where Haldor was. Buzzing in the air, those blades gleamed with a red hue.

"Witches!"

Miserable cries could be heard one after another as dozens of men descended from the building's roofs towards the guards protecting Haldor. Many of the guards, already prepared for any surprise attack, shouted upon seeing the enemies, "Protect the prince!"

Each of them drew their swords, which shone with a visibly bluish hue, and immediately took a defensive position around the carriage where Haldor was.

The sound of swords clashing filled the air, creating an unceasing metallic clanging, causing the commoners in the surrounding houses to retreat into the depths of their rooms, not daring to come out and see what was happening.

Two other men with a powerful killing aura descended from the roof and headed straight for Ravyn. Observing the color emanating from their bodies, they were both likely face-changing witches. The previous Ravyn couldn't defeat such powerful enemies, but now that he had such a powerful weapon forged by his armored bears, it would be a disgrace not to face these two formidable enemies.

"Only witches have mobilized? It seems they're giving a small evaluation to the third prince." Ravyn looked at these men coldly as he raised his sword towards the black-clad figures. To have this kind of beings in their ranks, the enemies must be led by one of two factions, the princess or the first prince.

In total, there were two witches who probably mastered some type of magic, seven great sword experts, and twenty highly trained assassins below the last rank. For this group of experts, going against the entourage of the future consort of the princess of these lands, who apparently had no powerful guards, this assassination was as easy as breaking a bottle of wine.

The two witches raised their swords, which shone with a threatening battle aura advancing forward. The pairs of eyes behind those two masks exuded bloodlust and cruelty, while their strikes aimed to take the lives of those in front of them.

Faced with these two attacks, a variety of methods flashed in Ravyn's mind. But no matter which he took, it would end up exposing the true strength he was hiding.

The status as a royal guard was granted to him with the King's blessing, and he swore to protect the crown prince of the Rhoynar from any harm. With the prince's strength still increasing, the forces being trained, and the warriors growing stronger, it means that sooner or later they will show their strength to the world without restrictions. This, in turn, means that no faction will have foolish ideas towards Haldor.

Because of this, everyone would now come to think that Haldor would be the next king of this kingdom for sure. But if it is now discovered that Haldor is preparing in such a way that he is creating his own army, suspicions will reach everyone, meaning the idea of taking the throne by force will lurk deep in their hearts.

If Ravyn reveals his full strength, it means there is a possibility that everyone will take even stronger measures against Haldor to kill him.

The level of killing among the high ranks would be so great that the other kingdoms would look suspiciously at what is happening in the capital, and if that happens, noble families outside the capital might unite and launch an attack in the name of a usurper who eliminated all the royalty.

If this happens, then it will no longer be about a few noble families, but hundreds of thousands of warriors, and that is something Ravyn cannot allow to happen.

"You will die here!" Ravyn shouted as his sword emitted a powerful force and his speed increased in an instant as he moved forward.

Boom! Boom!

Two powerful sword clashes were heard, and it was at that moment that Ravyn faced two sword expert witches head-on, creating a formidable battlefield.

While Ravyn was facing two witches, a figure emerged to his side and rushed towards his back with a poison-filled dagger in his hands. But at the same time, Ravyn's feet slid, and his sword slid behind his armpit, cutting the chest of the assassin attacking him from behind.

Arrr!

A brutal wound appeared on the chest of that assassin who was sent flying towards one of the houses. The assassin spat blood as he tried to hold his chest, but died seconds later as the bleeding made his body feel weak.

The two assassins grew increasingly nervous as Ravyn's attacks became more and more ferocious, making them take a defensive stance and constantly retreat.

The blood from their wounds began to stain their clothes, and it seemed they were not in a favorable position, but they had to reach the carriage of the third prince and end his life.

Everyone thought it would be easy, in their minds the consort only had the support of a few knightly families, but unexpectedly they couldn't advance towards the carriage, and each of the knights protecting it still firmly held their weapons. Instead, the bodies of the assassins lay on the ground with brutal sword wounds on their bodies.

However, the assassins' attacks were deceptive, and they only needed to cause a small wound to their enemies for them to fall to the ground paralyzed by the poison. In front of the carriage where Haldor was, the knights began to fall one by one. Under these unprepared circumstances, fewer than a dozen knights had to deal with dozens of enemies who suddenly ambushed them.

Strangely, Haldor's carriage had not suffered any damage, and it remained silent. If anyone saw this, they wouldn't know if the future consort was fine or trembling with fear.