Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

438 Counterattack (5)

Footsteps on the smooth marble mosaic floor tiles produce a crisp, clear, and resonant sound with each step—the specially designed spacious hall amplifies even the smallest sounds to a level that makes them clearly audible, ensuring that any person offering advice will remain humble.

The towering Ingersoll walked across the floor, each step heavy as if he were treading on iron. The edges of his scale-armored skirt, which reached all the way to his ankles, were inlaid with gold threads, and as he walked forward, they resembled rolling dragon scales. His broad, crescent-bladed axe was polished to a gleaming shine, without a single scratch, clearly indicating that it had not been used in a long time.

Clad in iron armor, she walked through the long corridor constructed of marble and silk, the wall lamps on either side reflecting bright light, illuminating every detail. At the corner, guards wielding halberds stood watch over the burning braziers, silently saluting as she passed.

As the most prosperous and magnificent city in the world, the capital of the empire has four layers of city walls, including the outermost main city wall, the inner inner wall, the walls of the imperial city, and the walls of the imperial palace. The empire's most brilliant scholars have meticulously designed a complex and ingeniously interconnected structure, which can resist foreign invasion layer by layer, turning the entire city into a bloody meat grinder, making the city's defenders capable of fighting ten against one.

In this defense system, the imperial palace, where the emperor resided, was regarded as the last fortress in case the city fell. While it was built to be magnificent and splendid, it was also completely defensive. The thousands of imperial guards stationed here have repeatedly caused bloodshed to enemies who tried to seize the emperor's palace throughout history.

As the commander of the Royal Guard, Ingersoll was intimately familiar with the complex palace. Over the past decade, she had walked through it countless times, knowing the location of every corner and the placement of every brazier. She personally arranged the patrol teams to be airtight, ensuring that no one could infiltrate for an extended period without being detected... not even the henchmen.

Since the previous emperor, Ingersoll has served as a guard in the imperial city... so she is very clear about her duties—to protect the emperor, nothing more. No matter who the emperor is, all she has to do is protect the emperor and the one who is in the imperial city and sits on the throne. Therefore, she will guard against anyone who is a threat, not all ambitious people.

She continued forward through the long corridor, across a bridge spanning a pond, and amidst the croaking of frogs, entered the grand hall. She walked through carved window lattices and mosaic tiles, around tall and majestic marble pillars, and through towering bas-relief doors, until she arrived at a seemingly ordinary room.

Compared to the ornate carvings and luxurious decorations elsewhere, this door appeared quite simple, made of sturdy hardwood with copper plates reinforcing the edges, and decorated only with beautiful intertwined floral patterns along the edges, much like a servant's residence... But Ingersoll wouldn't come looking for a servant for no reason.

Soft noises came from the room; if you listened carefully, you could hear the baby's cheerful laughter and soft, tender babbling.

She raised her hand and gently knocked three times on the door, conveying her message with a special technique. Soon the door opened from the inside, and bright light rushed in, illuminating her entire steel armor.

The woman who opened the door for her was a female official who had been by the emperor's side for many years. Her hair at the temples was already gray, but it was still neatly tied back. The wrinkles on her face were hard to hide, and the corners of her mouth were always pursed with a resolute look. She maintained her usual serious demeanor and nodded slightly to her.

Ingersoll nodded in response and walked past her, and after a few short steps, around the screen, the Emperor appeared before her.

The emperor was dressed very casually at this moment, wearing a purple silk dress and strappy leather sandals. The belt around his waist was a beautiful pearl white, and his hair was secured with silver hairpins, making it almost indistinguishable from real silver unless you looked closely. The entire room was lit by a crystal lamp, making every corner bright but not too dazzling, and making the emperor's silver hair shine like real silver.

At this very moment, the emperor was holding a baby bouncing around in his arms with a very gentle gesture... It was a chubby baby with beautiful big eyes and a plump face. Its arms and legs were round and chubby, with gaps squeezed out at the joints, clearly indicating that it had never lacked nutrition.

The child, dressed in a soft cotton outfit, was struggling energetically in the emperor's arms. He was clearly not used to it and occasionally let out dissatisfied babbling, pawing around with his little hands and legs.

The emperor clearly had little experience in this area, but instinctively didn't want to hurt the child. He didn't hug him too tightly, but he always pulled the child back just as the child was about to break free, causing the child's dissatisfied babbling to ring in his ears from time to time.

The baby laughter that Ingersoll had just heard outside the door came from another direction—Christina was also sitting on another chair in the room, on that soft-leather-covered, carved wooden chair, teasing the little girl in her arms. With just a few brief changes in her expression, she made the child giggle, curled up in her mother's arms, not even wanting to move much, which was in stark contrast to the energetic little boy next to her.

Compared to other children of the same age in the entire empire, these two babies were probably the healthiest and most robust. Their faces always had the rosy glow characteristic of those with abundant blood and energy, making them look like exquisitely carved jade. They were lively and adorable, enough to win the hearts of any normal person... At least for Ingersoll, she couldn't help but glance at the two little ones a few more times while preparing to report on what was to come.

"Your Majesty, there seems to be some commotion in the city."

The emperor raised his eyes, his expression showing no surprise. After a moment's thought, he spoke in a calm tone:

In which area is it?

“There have been some unusual movements in 17 districts, but none of them are very obvious and it is difficult to determine the cause… ‘She’ has already gone to investigate and should be able to report back soon.”

The emperor nodded knowingly... They all knew very well who this "she" referred to... And probably only the emperor had ever seen that person's face and knew her identity. Even among the high-ranking officials of the empire, she was a taboo subject that was rarely mentioned. Apart from her, there was no other person.

The little boy in his arms started to fuss again. The emperor, both amused and annoyed, gently pinched the baby's soft, glutinous face with two fingers and pulled it to one side with just the right amount of force. As he let go, he witnessed the remarkable elasticity of the baby's cheek and also received a sudden, loud wail.

Children's tears always seem to come so inexplicably, so easily controlled. They are clearly ignorant, have not experienced any hardships or grievances, yet they can cry whenever they want, crying pitifully and immediately calling for their protectors.

Upon hearing the child cry, Christina immediately turned her head, stood up, took a few quick steps, and snatched her son away without saying a word. She displayed extraordinary agility and swiftness, which also deterred the emperor, who had just succeeded and was still somewhat unsatisfied, from his assailant reaction.

Few people could resist pinching the cheeks of adorable children, and even their mother found it hard to resist. While letting the two children play on the big bed next to her, Christina kissed and hugged them several times before reluctantly letting go, allowing the two little bundles of joy to frolic on the bed.

Only after Christina walked back to them did the emperor continue speaking:

“I have received a reply from Tersolius. He has decided to lead his troops back immediately to suppress any possible rebellion and reminded me to be prepared… Judging by the timeline, he should have already met up with the troops I arranged yesterday and should arrive in the capital soon.”

"Your Majesty, have you confirmed that a rebellion will occur?"

Ingersoll hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking the question. He regretted his impulsiveness for only a moment before making up his mind.

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers slowly tracing the armrest of his chair:

"**It's almost certain, Ingersoll... You should have noticed some movements as well. No matter how those rats in the shadows try to hide it, something will always show some signs... And regardless of whether the rebellion will actually happen, I can no longer tolerate someone sitting in his current position. It's too dangerous for all of us."

The Emperor's voice was calm, yet it contained something terrifying and heavy, like an abyss. Ingersoll nodded firmly, then slowly straightened up, her expression becoming deep and serious… Although she usually wore a serious expression, at this moment it carried a hint of bloodlust.

"Then I must make some new arrangements to prevent villains from threatening the throne."

The emperor lowered his delicate chin slightly, giving permission to his imperial guard commander:

"Go ahead. I grant you permission to mobilize all the resources within the palace. You need not come back to ask for my permission if you deem it necessary."

"...Furthermore, please allow me to offer you some advice, Your Majesty."

The emperor looked at Ingersoll with some confusion, then suddenly chuckled, and slowly shook his head:

“I know what you’re trying to say, Ingersoll… but that’s impossible. Once I leave the capital, things will become completely out of control. There are always ambitious people trying to overthrow and seize this country, and they are especially numerous in the capital. Only when I’m here can the situation be kept under control, and some people can only suppress their ambitions temporarily.”

“And once I leave the capital, they will have plenty of opportunities and ways to cause trouble… I cannot give them that opportunity before Tersolius returns, not even the slightest possibility.”

At this point, the emperor sighed softly, rubbed the inside of his eye sockets and the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, and gently closed his eyes.

"Although I know they harbor malicious intentions, for the sake of the empire's stability, I still hope to subtly undermine their power and foundation and resolve this issue in a relatively mild way. But now it seems we've all been too optimistic... Without bloodshed, this matter will ultimately be difficult to succeed."

"Our generation can't do things perfectly. In the end, we can only achieve the final result by cutting to the bone. Even if we try our best to clean up, we will probably leave a lot of mess for future generations... But there's nothing we can do about it."

………………

"His Majesty……"

This time it was Christina who spoke. The gentle woman looked at her friend with some concern, almost without hesitation reaching out to smooth the emperor's hair at his temple, before continuing:

“And my father, the chief elder of Scripps… Perhaps I can tell him about the signs of rebellion. He will certainly not stand idly by and should be able to help us control the situation.”

The Emperor knew what Christina meant—Elder Scripps had always held a pivotal position in the country, and even as her own imperial faction grew increasingly powerful and prestigious, she could not ignore the old man's opinions. Moreover, she knew that he had fundamental principles and would not tolerate any outrageous behavior that broke the rules or disrupted traditions…

“…I’m sorry, Christina, but I can’t place any more trust in him until Tersolius returns. At least for now, I absolutely will not allow myself to take that risk.”

The emperor ultimately shook his head, firmly rejecting Christina's proposal.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with my former teacher, but now, at this time when rebellion is most likely to occur, his behavior makes me suspicious… He seems to be completely oblivious to everything—that’s the hardest thing for me to believe.”

"Is he truly unaware of everything and being deceived by the other nobles, or is he deliberately turning a blind eye to let things unfold as they will...? At least we can't be sure right now. Since we can't be sure of that, I can't trust him."

Christina smiled gently, seemingly having anticipated the emperor's answer, though a hint of helplessness lingered in her smile.

“I understand, Your Majesty, I understand… In our current position, many things are unavoidable; we can only fulfill our responsibilities. I think that old man feels the same way…”

439 Failed at the last minute (1)

"Your Majesty, please punish me for dereliction of duty and lax management of my subordinates."

In the emperor's palace, heavily guarded by the royal guards, Clautina soon witnessed this scene—her chief of henchmen was kneeling on the ground, and next to him was a mangled, bloody mess that had been tortured and dismembered; only the blood-stained hair and clothes made it clear that it was still a human.

"...Get up first. Ingersoll said you went to investigate the strange events in the city, and it seems you have indeed found something. Tell me what happened first, and then I will decide whether or not to punish you."

A cold glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, and Ingersoll stepped forward and planted his axe on the ground, ready to carry out the emperor's orders at any time.

The woman, dressed in black, was small but sturdy. She was completely covered in black cloth, with only her eyes showing. She was kneeling on the ground in a humble manner. Two emerald green blades and all the other weapons had already been placed on the table next to her. She exposed her head to the axe with an attitude of complete non-defense.

Only after receiving the emperor's permission did the leader of the henchmen speak:

"Your Majesty, our henchmen have discovered the rebels. It is with their help that the rebel leader was able to collude with those scoundrels lurking in the shadows and to connect with those who harbor rebellious intentions... And it is precisely because of my carelessness and dereliction of duty that they were able to complete such preparations in the capital of the empire... Now the rebels are ready to make their move."

"The commander of the city garrison, Turiars, has betrayed us. He will lead his men to attack at dawn, and will use fire as a signal to assassinate His Majesty. Other rebels who have joined forces will also take this opportunity to launch a rebellion in an attempt to seize the country."

"...And this man is the leader of the rebellion among the henchmen, my second-in-command, Sosgraya. I captured him today, interrogated him urgently, and sent him here immediately after receiving the news. I also brought this criminal here with me. I ask Your Majesty to make your judgment."

The emperor fell silent, a thoughtful expression on his face, supporting his head with his hand. The mangled mess on the ground began to struggle, gasp, and convulse. After a long while, it actually began to sway and straighten its head, trying to get up.

The emperor impatiently stretched out his finger, and Ingersoll walked over without hesitation, placing the heavy axe in his hand on the man's back. Instantly, the man could no longer straighten up, and he was like a turtle being weighed down by a weight. He could only futilely stretch and flex his limbs, and the groans he made were as faint as mosquitoes. The filth, sweat and snot on his body made a mess of the ground, staining the beautiful mosaic tiles with a dirty color.

The man's current wretched state needs no further explanation. He is now more miserable than a lowly maggot. His entire body is covered in wounds, all cut out with extremely skillful techniques. Not a single nerve was damaged, but his skin was almost peeled off. Even his eyelids were cut off, revealing his white, bloodshot eyeballs...

At this point, the rebel was doomed. Even if he was still clinging to life, the extensive infection of his wounds would soon easily take his life. In the process, the terrible pain, like being burned by flames, would torment him constantly. Even a gust of wind would cause excruciating pain to his exposed nerves, and the dust he was covered in would burn his flesh like embers. All of this would continue until the end of his life.

This is unimaginable torture for anyone. At this point, living is only a painful torment, while death is the only relief. The mind will collapse under the dual torment of body and spirit... But for this man, this torture was expected. However, he had already lost all hope and knew that all his long-term plans had been in vain. Otherwise, it would not have been impossible for him to endure it without saying a word.

The heavy axe was like the last snowflake that crushed the tree, completely shattering his last efforts to stand up, leaving him only able to lift his eyelidless face in vain.

This was the only part of his body that hadn't been tortured—ensuring his identity could be recognized and his tongue remained unaffected, ensuring he could speak. However, his teeth were pulled out one by one to prevent him from biting off his own tongue and suffocating himself. The tendons in his hands and feet were also severed, leaving him only able to move on the ground like a worm.

The empire never shows mercy to criminals... This was a statement he had verified countless times in the past, and now he would use his life to verify it one last time, to fully savor the cruel methods of the Black Crows.

Of course, what he is currently accepting is far from the limit. After all, he must preserve his ability to speak and his physical strength, which limits many methods that can be used against him. Moreover, because the rebellion is imminent and the entire capital is like a powder keg about to explode, the prison warden who is dealing with him is also a bit crude in his methods.

Whether this is fortunate or unfortunate is hard to say... at least he will have to live in this miserable world for a while longer.

The axe pressing down on his back grew heavier and heavier, almost suffocating him. At first, he thought the captain of the Imperial Guard was deliberately increasing the force, but then he realized that his strength was being drained and he was turning into a pile of minced meat.

Just then, the emperor, sitting on his ornately carved chair, raised his right hand and made a gesture. The heavy axe on his back was immediately removed, giving his already weakened lungs a chance to catch their breath.

Of course, this certainly wasn't free—the thought flashed through his mind as he heard the voice of the empire's most esteemed emperor:

"...I need to know your reasons for betraying me. As the deputy to the head of the henchmen, I think I have given you enough power and status. Why did you choose to betray me? And who promised you anything?"

Even in the emperor's bedroom, the empire's architects fully utilized their ingenuity and wisdom. Next to the desk where the emperor received his ministers, there was also a structure to amplify the sound, ensuring that what the emperor wanted to say could be accurately transmitted to every corner of the room, and that the servants and guards outside the room could detect anything unusual immediately.

Even though the sound was so clear and bright, when it reached his ears, it was still like the chirping of birds falling ethereally from the top of the clouds. Although clear, it only made his consciousness weaker and weaker.

Seeing this, Clautina knew that the man was on the verge of death. She looked at the leader of her henchmen, who immediately understood. He reached into his leather pouch at his waist, pulled out a small glass bottle, grabbed the man's blood-soaked hair, and forcibly poured the powder inside into the bottle.

The effects were immediately apparent. The man, who had been lifeless just moments before, suddenly began coughing violently. Blood mixed with thick saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth onto the floor, and his breathing became rapid and smooth. He suddenly became fully awake.

"Cough cough cough!... Cough cough—Please forgive my offense, Your Majesty, but I was simply unable to answer your question just now."

The emperor remained silent, simply watching him calmly, while the man forced a bitter, pathetic smile.

"As for the reason, isn't it quite simple, sir?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the leader of the henchmen beside him, who still maintained a humble posture of admitting his guilt, like a black stone statue that had been carved out.

"I just want to go further, but I know that Your Majesty will never trust me as much as you trust her. The power I can gain in this life can only be limited to this. Someone as greedy and arrogant as me will naturally not be content with that. At this time, another person came out and told me that he has the blood of the emperor and can also inherit the throne. So it is only natural that I want to take a gamble."

"After all, if I had succeeded, I would have truly grasped the empire's hidden power, second only to the emperor. It's just that I failed as an opportunist."

"Now that things have come to this, I have no other wish but that Your Majesty, considering my honesty, will order my head to be cut off so that I can die a quick and painless death, without having to endure the agony of my flesh being burned alive. Then I will have no regrets."

After saying this, he seemed to lose all his strength again, collapsing to the ground and even turning his face to one side.

"besides."

"...What are you saying?"

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. Something like rolling clouds on the horizon began to squeeze his heart, like sharp teeth emerging from iron scales. Vertical pupils opened amidst the gray smoke, and eyes the color of lava burned almost like flames. An indescribable sense of oppression was crushing him inch by inch, grinding him into minced meat bit by bit.

“I said, you’re still hiding something from me, there’s something else you should tell me.”

Sosgorya's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of his mouth. Fear and excitement gripped him at the same time, making his fingers tremble and cold sweat pour down his body. The cold sweat would then touch his flesh, bringing wave after wave of intense pain, but he remained completely unmoved, only feeling fear for what he had just discovered.

"...You, you are so perceptive...Of course, there is also a reason that is almost negligible, that is, I, a lowly person, also want to break free from your control and want more freedom. It is just some insignificant delusion that has offended your ears."

Did that person promise you freedom?

"Yes, that's true. I just can't bear to give up my current power and want more, and I don't want my life to be controlled by others... I can't think of anything else worth pursuing besides these."

The emperor nodded slightly, then looked at Ingersoll. The captain of the royal guard, who was prepared, simply raised his long axe and swung it lightly at the back of the man's neck, causing his head to roll to the ground. The spurting blood stained a large area of ​​the floor tiles, and the convulsing body went limp after a few breaths.

Immediately afterwards, Claudia curled her index finger and tapped it three times on the table. A servant immediately pushed open the door, bowed, dragged the body out, and quickly cleaned up the bloodstains on the floor, even sprinkling perfume powder to remove the smell of blood.

In an instant, the emperor's bedchamber became clean and new again, as if no one had ever died there. Only the head of the henchmen remained kneeling there as before, because she had not yet received the emperor's pardon or judgment, and therefore would not move an inch before receiving orders.

The emperor pondered for a moment, then sighed softly:

"Get up. I will pardon your dereliction of duty for now, because you have proven to me that you still have enough loyalty and ability... For this alone, you still have a chance to make amends for your mistakes. Now, go and find the rebel Turiars and bring him back to me."

The leader of the henchmen bowed respectfully, then walked to the table beside him under the emperor's gaze. He reached out and retrieved his weapons one by one from the tabletop, inserting the sharp steel spikes into the leather sheaths of his belt, and then inserting two blades that gleamed with an ominous silver-green light like the fangs of a viper into the iron rings on his belt. In an instant, he was fully armed.

After doing all this, she slowly retreated in front of the emperor, then turned into black mist before their eyes and disappeared without a trace, leaving not even footprints or dust behind.

Ingersoll blinked curiously… She really wanted to know how the little girl had disappeared. It couldn't have really turned into a puff of smoke and drifted out through the window crack, could it?… Even if that were the case, the windows in the room weren't open…

But no matter what, she was only curious; she wouldn't be foolish enough to actively seek out the truth—only the emperor knew what was going on, and she wouldn't overstep her bounds or get involved in anything.

"Now, there's one more thing I'm curious about."

Ingersoll turned to look at the emperor beside her with some confusion, wondering what His Majesty meant... The emperor, without any intention of beating around the bush, quickly expressed his concerns.

"The capital of the empire is the masterpiece of countless architects and scholars. The possibility of the city guards rebelling was considered long ago. With you guarding it, even if the entire garrison army rebelled and attacked the palace, it would be destined to be a mountain of corpses and a river of blood, and they would not be able to make an inch of progress."

"What makes Turiars so confident that he can succeed before the quelling army arrives? And if he fails, what's the point of launching such a rebellion?... Or is he not the real mastermind from the beginning? Is he just a pawn used to draw attention?"

In the darkness, the light from the crystal lamps remained bright and gentle, and the emperor's doubts remained unanswered. However, Ingersoll, whose expression changed several times, suddenly turned pale with fright. But after frowning and thinking for a while, he shook his head and rejected his own idea.

“What came to mind, Ingersoll? Tell me.”

“It’s very simple, Your Majesty. I originally thought that someone in the Imperial Guard had betrayed us… and that they would open the palace gates before the traitor arrived. But after careful consideration, I think it’s impossible… After all, I know each and every one of them very well. From their selection and training to their current appointments, everything is clear to me. They have also undergone countless repeated investigations. Even if there really were a traitor hiding among them, they certainly wouldn’t be a large-scale group, so how could they possibly open the city gates?”

"Besides, even if the city gates are opened, we have plenty of follow-up plans to deal with it. They will never amount to anything. I'm just overthinking things out of concern."