The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 143
While Queen Aristia and the Kobolds were being guided by the Bronze Elves’ Guild Master in the underground tunnels, around twenty civil officers gathered in the castle’s lobby which also featured the grand staircase.
“Hey, how many rebels do you think there are…?”
“Not many people agree and sympathize with their methods to use violence to get their point across, so it’ll be fine.”
Some of those present try to reassure themselves with baseless assumptions, while others do not hide their indignation.
“So those fools advocating for reform have finally snapped!”
“Because of these shortcomings, the Obsidian Elves will always be inferior to us Porcelain Elves!”
While listening to the remarks of the conservative and extremist nobles who proclaimed Porcelain Elf superiority, Zeist, the Head of the Guards who had just called for the other guards to gather in the lobby, let out a deep sigh.
(As I recall, it was… “The ruling class dismissed those who do not understand the social system and simply regarded those who complain as stupid, while they justified themselves by looking for bad people to vent their frustrations on.”)
The chatter around him reminded him of the young lady who said those lines with dismay while playing with her curly hair.
(After the Queen went into hiding and Delphis was killed, I thought she was just a little girl who was just riding on her father’s coat-tails when he became the new Prime Minister, but … she is unexpectedly excellent.)
The proof of her brilliance lay in the fact that Zeist and the majority of his platoon leaders had already been won over by the “Moderates’ Coalition” organized by Lady Eliza.
“Sir Zeist!”
“Well, I’ll be damned… speak of the devil.”
Someone called out to him from the grand staircase leading into the second floor. Along with the 12 other guards gathered in the lobby, they all looked up to find the Porcelain Elf in a chic, blue dress with black accents.
Watching her steps as she descended the stairs, Eliza was followed by Listy, the Priestesses, and the Guard Knights of the World Tree.
“What’s the matter, Lady Eliza?”
“Well, father is waiting in the throne room for the status report, but depending on the situation, I thought it might be necessary to evacuate everyone from the Royal Castle…”
“… I was also thinking that we should make that decision depending on what happens next.”
“How do you think we should go about this?”
For a moment, Zeist recalled the report he got from the guards on the observation platform.
“Well, the rebels seem to be attacking from the southern and northern gates, so ideally, our routes of escape would be from the eastern and western gates.”
“It’s troubling that while the protesters are crowding the western gate, the eastern gate is surprisingly calm, so there may be a few ambushers or snipers in the area…”
It seems the purpose of the reform extremists is to make the Obsidian Elf Clan rise in power by taking control of the royal castle and securing the World Tree, but at the same time, they may also be intending to kill or capture the key figures of the monarchy.
Following that train of thought, then they would be keen on capturing the Priestesses of the World Tree in particular.
“If that’s the case, then it would be better to go to the west gate. The crowd is currently being managed by the 7th to 10th platoons, but you can meet up with some of them and they will escort you out of the castle.”
“Very well. Then after you inform father, please gather everyone left inside the castle and…”
“L-Lady Eliza! Intruders have been detected in the “Forest of the World Tree”! Their numbers are believed to be about two platoons!”
Just as its name implies, the “Forest of the World Tree” is a U-shaped garden surrounded by the castle with the World Tree standing in the middle. If one were to pass through that section, then they will be able to reach the main entrance to the Royal Castle, where the lobby and the staircase lay…which was also their current location.
