noon.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and artillery shells streaked through the air. Buildings were destroyed one after another by the shelling. The special forces soldiers hiding in the buildings could no longer hold out and could only fight and retreat, beginning their evacuation towards the Royal Castle.
Amidst the ruins, the rebels were finally able to advance steadily, but Dingle, one of them, wore an unconcealable sorrow as he walked through the broken walls and rubble.
Corpses lay scattered across the ruins, most of them members of the special forces, but many civilians also perished in the process.
Although he knew it was unavoidable, Dingle was still deeply saddened to see these innocent people die in the war.
The other soldiers did not show the joy that they usually displayed when they achieved victories.
Because at this moment, they are not even able to judge whether what they are doing is right, and the only motivation that supports their actions is the "orders" from their superiors.
Their superiors said it was something they had to do, and that they had to fire, so they did.
No longer did any firm beliefs remain in their hearts; all that remained was to follow orders. As a result, almost everyone began to become numb, like a loaded gun waiting for a command to fire.
“Kaladi led his cavalry through the park behind the castle, Dingle. We need to change course and follow them into the castle from there.”
Dingle, who was leading his soldiers on the road, was dazed when he was patted on the shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Colonel Tennis’s slightly excited face.
“Blanca Park?” Dingle asked, regaining his composure.
“Yes, Blanca Park, the defenses there have been breached, and the charioteers have already advanced. However, we still need assault infantry to enter the Royal Castle,” Tennis explained.
Dingle nodded: "Okay, let's go now."
Tennis nodded, then continued with a hint of excitement, "If we can successfully enter the Royal Castle from there, victory will soon be ours!"
Upon hearing this, Dingle seemed somewhat dazed, muttering to himself, "Victory?"
'Where is victory?' He didn't say the second half of the sentence aloud. Instead, he looked up at the gray sky, then lowered his head and stared ahead.
"Let's go, let's take down the royal castle."
——
The meeting room on the second floor of the Royal Castle, an underground fortress.
Despite the presence of several wall lamps, the light was insufficient to dispel the shadows on people's faces in the cramped space.
Having changed into clean clothes, Von Palen stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the conference table. Several officials stood on either side of the table, each looking listless and their brows furrowed with worry.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and everyone looked up at the doorway. Bowerman strode into view.
Then came the urgent inquiry: "How is it, Bowerman?"
Bowerman didn't answer, but went straight to von Palen's side. He intended to whisper something, but as soon as he leaned in, von Palen turned around, looked at him, and said:
"Let's just say it directly; everyone has the right to know."
Bowerman's face darkened before he said, "A rebel force has broken into Blanca Park. It's the Carradine cavalry, and they're currently fighting us. Meanwhile, in other directions, the rebels seem to be trying to besiege the Royal Castle."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table changed their expressions.
One person exclaimed in surprise, "Karadi... he... how could he be involved in a rebellion? He was just awarded a medal at the beginning of last month..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than another officer gritted his teeth and shouted:
"This shameless bastard has finally revealed his true colors! I've always thought he was a hypocrite! He deserves to die!"
"How dare he betray the country! That bastard!"
Someone else asked:
"Then...did news of Wolfgang's rebellion get out of the city? What about those who weren't involved in the rebellion? Did they take any action?"
The barrage of questions made Bowerman's face grow increasingly grim. He didn't answer, but instead looked at the silent von Palen.
After a night of fighting, the man was surprisingly calm, unlike the anger he had shown when the battles on the front lines were repeatedly losing.
"Let's wait a little longer," von Palen suddenly said.
As soon as von Palen finished speaking, an official said urgently, "But Your Majesty, the situation is very bad. According to your request, we are not even able to leave the Royal Castle now."
"If you allow it, perhaps we could..."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Palen gave him a cold look and interrupted, "Do you want to leave?"
"No...no...no, I have no intention of going out." The man visibly panicked and hurriedly waved his hands.
Bowerman then said, "Alright everyone, don't worry too much. The situation isn't that bad. Wolfgang's rebellion has already made him a criminal. Other military units are moving in, but it will take some time."
"Just as His Majesty said, we need to wait a little longer."
"The rebels will soon be suppressed, and those traitors, led by Wolfgang, will face their final judgment!"
These words eased the tension in the crowd.
“Then…then let’s wait a bit longer. I know that Wolfgang guy…” an official was saying when Von Palen suddenly walked towards the door, muttering:
"Bowman, come up with me."
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Bowerman replied, and immediately followed. Before leaving, he stopped and scanned the faces of everyone in the conference room, issuing a warning:
"Everyone, don't panic. Trust His Majesty, trust our army, trust those who have a sense of justice. We will successfully deal with these traitors. The current riots are just a small test for us."
After saying that, he didn't say anything more and jogged to catch up with Von Palen.
Inside the meeting room, after nearly a minute of silence, an official finally spoke hesitantly:
"There has never been a rebellion like this in all these years, and... and it was started by Wolfgang and his men. Is the army really under our control now?"
There was silence, until several minutes later, when an elderly official sighed and replied:
“Minister Lutz, it is obvious that our army is out of control, and I think... we should all understand the root cause of this.”
——
The top floor of the Royal Castle Palace.
With his hands behind his back, Feng Palen stood by the window, gazing into the distance.
Plumes of black smoke were rising straight into the sky, and the sounds of gunfire had been going on since last night, keeping him awake all night.
“How can people change so much, Bowerman?” he suddenly asked.
“Hmm?” Bowerman, who was standing beside him, raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
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