Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 107

Chapter 107   Climbing the Spire with Eclair

Mid-November, Year 567 of the Unified Calendar—

A messenger on a swift horse was dispatched from the royal palace to the various lords across the kingdom.

The message announced that it had been officially decided that Duke Clock would be adopted by Queen Charlotte and that she would abdicate the throne in his favor. The ceremony was to be a grand affair, with many regional lords expected to attend.

“Hmm…”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll decline.”

I received the news while I was in the Gale region. The capital city of Shampur was far away, and given my status as a vassal in the eyes of the royal court, I decided to forgo attending the ceremony.

On the day of the event, I heard that Io attended on behalf of the Rillburn family as the lord’s proxy.

Thus, in November of the year 567 of the Unified Calendar, after many twists and turns, the king of the Owen Kingdom became Nicholas Clock.

In exchange, Charlotte Owen stepped down from the throne and became a duchess, joining the ranks of the subjects. However, given her status as the former queen, she was given the unique title of Grand Duchess, a title reserved for her alone, distinguishing her from other royalty and noble families.

◇◇◇◇◇

From the government office in the Gale region, I observed the bustling port town of Enkera below. The increase in ships had led to a surge in catches, and the skyrocketing prices of sea beast furs—specialties of the Gale region—were energizing the town’s market.

The sea beasts that provided these furs were known as Mamoru, creatures long classified as monsters. Despite their cute appearance, they were ferocious and often attacked sailors.

However, the recent improvements to Enkera’s port had made capturing Mamoru safer. As word spread among the nobles of the capital, Shampur, about the high quality of their fur, the prices had soared.

“Things seem to be going well, don’t they?”

“…What do you mean?”

I immediately regretted the irritable tone I used in response to Adelheid’s question.

“Sorry, I’ve been preoccupied with thoughts of the former queen.”

“Yes, it’s quite concerning, isn’t it?”

I had urgently summoned Eclair, who had been assigned other tasks, to the Enkera government office.

“You called for me?”

“Yes, I want you to investigate the situation of the former Queen Charlotte.”

“Understood!”

After seeing Eclair off, I returned to my office. Piles of documents awaited me, but they also signified an increase in tax revenue.

“Alright, let’s get to work!”

“Yes, my lord!”

For the next few days, I tackled the mountain of paperwork with young Percival, who had been hired as an assistant.

◇◇◇◇◇

Six days later—

Eclair, the spy, returned.

“How did it go?”

“Well…”

According to her, Queen Charlotte had been imprisoned in the tower of the royal castle by the faction loyal to Clock. Two weeks ago, there had been an attempt to poison her, but the culprit remained unknown. Due to the poison’s effects, she had developed an eye condition and, combined with the exhaustion from the political strife, she was bedridden all day.

“…I see.”

“Will you help Her Highness?”

“Hmm?”

Eclair, who usually stayed in the shadows, spoke up unusually.

“We owe you a great debt for saving our village. If it comes to a rescue mission, everyone in the village would entrust their lives to you, my lord.”

“…I see.”

Sneaking into the royal castle would be no small feat, and failure would certainly come at a heavy price. There’s nothing more dangerous than wounding the pride of someone noble.

“Alright. I’ll infiltrate the royal castle in Shampur. The operation will take place in ten days.”

“Understood.”

I looked into the mirror, checking the burn that covered my face. If I were captured, I couldn’t afford to have my identity revealed, even in death. Then, I drank the potion that changed my voice, something I did once a month.

◇◇◇◇◇

Ten days later, at night—

Sleet fell from the sky, numbing my hands. However, the thick clouds covering the moon worked in our favor.

I, along with Eclair and her followers, waited in the outskirts on the northern side of the royal castle.

While the southern side of the castle extended into the city, the northern side was more secluded, with the palace closer to the outer wall. The moat was deeper, and the walls were higher as a result.

“Let’s move!”

“Yes, sir.”

We clung to wooden floats and quietly swam across the moat. The calendar had already turned to December, and the coldness of the water pierced down to the bone.

After crossing the moat, we fitted clawed gloves onto our hands to climb the stone walls of the castle.

“This way, follow me!”

“Yes, sir.”

We carefully monitored the positions of the guards and moved into their blind spots. When there was no way to avoid being seen, we used blow darts tipped with a sleeping agent on the guards.

“Alright, start climbing!”

“Yes, sir!”

Our group consisted of six members, including Eclair. We were a small, elite team composed of skilled operatives.

There was no cover as we scaled the wall, and the icy wind felt like needles on our soaked bodies.

The wall was high, and a fall would mean certain death from such a height. I couldn’t help but mock myself—this was certainly not the sort of task a baron should undertake.

Occasionally, we clung to the wall, pausing to rest and avoiding the watchful eyes of the guards in the towers. After three hours of grappling with the wall, just as our grip strength was giving out, we finally reached the tower where Quenn Charlotte was being held.

“Let’s go!”

“…!!”

At my signal, we broke down the sliding door and rushed into the room together. There were no guards inside, only two maidservants.

We quickly gagged the two maids and tied them up with ropes.

“Who goes there!?”

Naturally, Queen Charlotte, who was resting in a luxurious bed, noticed the commotion. Her eyes were bandaged, indicating she had lost her sight.

“Your Highness, please bear with us for a moment,” I said.

To my surprise, her response was something I hadn’t expected.

“Is that you, Duke Rillburn!?”

“…!?”

How? My appearance and voice were completely different. How did she recognize me?

…A wave of panic surged within me.