“Do you know how to use a weapon?”
Tesvelan stepped past Livyat and asked Julia, who was following behind.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Tesvelan handed one of the weapons to Julia.
They walked out the small gate, arriving at the other side of the Council Hall, Pan Mountain Street.
After confirming there were no other enemies around, they began examining the two corpses.
“They’re not wearing navy uniforms, have no tattoos, and no markings. They’re just here to block the gate and kill any nobles trying to escape. Too bad they ran into me.”
Tesvelan analyzed.
Julia carefully studied the curved saber in her hand.
There was a pale yellow pattern on the hilt.
“This one is an old-issue navy saber, replaced long ago by the new model. Yours should be the same. Now, you’ll only find a few in the black markets out in the suburbs. There’s no way to tell if these two were navy soldiers.”
Livyat looked at the two who lay on the ground, already lifeless like dead dogs.
In this life, she’d seen more dead people than in her previous one, but mostly those who had died of sickness or starvation.
This was the first time she’d seen a corpse with blood drying on the ground.
It didn’t feel like much, but it seemed that Tesvelan was always deliberately blocking her view, not letting her see too clearly.
“Are we going to keep moving forward now, or head back?”
No sooner had Livyat finished her question than a fourth shot sounded out.
No, it was a long string of gunfire in rapid succession!
The sound came from Garden Street.
There was no doubt about it—either the Republican Guards had already arrived, shooting down the rioters, or the rioters themselves had a musket squad, wantonly massacring the nobles.
Either way, it wasn’t something the three of them could risk.
The three decided to head deeper into Pan Mountain Street.
If that didn’t work out, they’d go up the mountain, toward Ridge Avenue.
The current situation was obvious: the lower district near the port was even less safe, what with the inexplicable cannon fire from an unknown warship.
If the shooters were rebels, they might have already taken care of the patrol soldiers in the lower district.
The upper district, especially the Governor’s Mansion and Assembly Hall on Ridge Avenue, were heavily guarded and were the last bastions of safety.
Before leaving, Julia signaled the coachman to follow.
There was no longer any need to watch Garden Street.
The shops and apartments on Pan Mountain Street seemed to have locked their doors in a panic.
Occasionally, the doors stood wide open, but inside, not a soul could be seen.
In all her five years in Landingst , she had never encountered anything like this.
Pan Mountain Street twisted and wound.
After rounding a bend, they quickly spotted a squad of guards up ahead—unless they were rebels wearing Republican Guard armor.
The squad leader at the front clearly recognized Julia, stowed his weapon, and stepped forward, raising his fist in salute.
“Comptroller, there’s been a riot near the Council Hall. The Republic has declared martial law and dispatched the Republican Guard to suppress the unrest. I’m sorry you and the visiting elf ladies were startled.”
Julia had no doubt about the Guard’s ability to quell the riot.
But she urgently needed to understand exactly what was happening.
“Yes, there were casualties at the scene. So who, exactly, organized this riot?”
“Ma’am, I do not know. But I heard a warship was involved in the rebellion, though it has now been subdued by other warships. Would you like us to escort you back to your residence, or perhaps escort the elf ladies back to the consulate first?”
Julia caught the implication and waved her hand.
“There’s no need for either. We wish to see the Governor. Or, at least, let us stay on Ridge Avenue. Until the rebellion is fully suppressed, it’s the only truly safe place.”
“I’m sorry, Comptroller, but no one is permitted on Ridge Avenue right now. But I assure you, the Governor and your father are both quite safe. If you’d like, we can fetch some chairs for you to wait here until the martial law is lifted. Our squad will ensure your and the elf ladies’ safety.”
There was no mistaking it—they absolutely could not enter Ridge Avenue.
Julia seemed to stare at the guard’s eyes for a long time, but in reality, she was thinking: why wouldn’t the Governor allow anyone into Ridge Avenue?
Once she had a rough idea, she continued in an authoritative tone.
“I don’t much care for my own safety, but beside me are ladies of the elven royal family. If anything happens to them, even the Governor himself would be hard-pressed to explain.”
Livyat seemed to get Julia’s meaning.
She imitated Julia, putting on a noble’s air and said calmly, without expression, “Soldier, it is indeed your duty to guard this place. But the Republic is in rebellion, and it has failed to protect its honored foreign guests. Can you really shoulder such a responsibility?”
Tesvelan stepped forward and shielded her.
“Please don’t be angry. It seems humans truly don’t care about our safety. We’ll just return to the consulate.”
The squad leader jumped back two steps, waving his hands repeatedly.
“N-no, I would never want to stop you from going up! I’m just a soldier, even if they hang me, I wouldn’t dare do that! After the riot broke out, the Governor came in person and ordered all of us guards present. He said not to disturb His Highness’s enjoyment of his wine. Ah, look, how about I make an exception and report it for you? That’s all I can do—just try to make it work…”
Julia understood.
The Governor didn’t want the Prince to know about this, or at least not so soon.
So he was plying the Prince with wine.
After all, the banquet hall had a back door directly to the mountain, and sending him out of the city wouldn’t require passing through the lower district or the docks at all.
She pretended to be reluctantly persuaded.
“Fine, fine. I won’t make things hard for you. Patrol duty’s been tough enough lately. As you say, we’ll rest here for a while. Coachman, give each of the soldiers two ducats as a reward.”
With grateful salutes from the guards, the three of them sat down on the chairs that had been set out, gazing at the docks in the distance, hidden by buildings.
No more cannon fire echoed from there.
For now, it seemed, the Republican Guard had mobilized swiftly; if nothing unexpected happened, the mutinous warship had probably been taken by boarding.
As for Garden Street, it had fallen silent as well.
But who, exactly, had commanded this operation, and why?
The Prince had just arrived, and now they acted immediately after.
It was all too coincidental.
Julia stared at the distant sea, lost in thought.
Livyat glanced at Tesvelan.
She was toying with the curved saber in her hand, as if admiring a blade style completely different from that of the elves.
Just moments ago, she had slain two armed rioters in a flash, moving as nimbly and gracefully as a ranger.
So Tes was a combatant after all, or did all elves possess such powerful fighting skills?
She looked at her own slender arms and frail body—she could barely even swing a blade.
If she had taken the first step just now, she’d probably have been decapitated already.
Who would have thought that Tes, always so lackadaisical, could be so dependable?
She simply sat there in silence, watching Tesvelan play with the saber for a long while.
“Hey, little pervert. Still staring at me? What, want me to eat you up tonight?”
Tes suddenly put away the blade, leaning in with a sly smile.
“No, that’s not it. I just feel… Tes, you’re really reliable. I’m honestly glad.”
“Livyat can depend on me more if she likes… Wait, are you trying to tease me?”
Pfft.
Julia, sitting nearby, burst out laughing.
As expected, Livyat was the one person who could keep Her Highness in check.