The sun rose, casting its light over the city walls of Ushi City.
Mike Millen and Mik Englandram hadn’t closed their eyes all night. Their eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them.
They stared outside the mansion gates like mountain monkeys.
From midnight to the deep of night, to just before dawn, and now with the sun rising high.
Forget about Willis—even a single hair of Willis hadn’t been seen!
“L-Lord!”
A soldier in charge of gathering information ran in, flustered.
In that instant, everyone tensed.
Could it be—Was Willis only arriving now!?
It was dawn, and exhaustion weighed heavy.
They’d been standing guard all night. Even the most elite soldiers couldn’t maintain such high-strung vigilance forever.
If Willis chose this moment to bring her people for judgment, even if their surprise attack succeeded, it would be a pyrrhic victory!
Mike Millen cursed inwardly—You damned Willis, you set me up!
But the first thing the soldier said put him at ease.
“D-Deputy City Lord, Willis didn’t bring anyone!”
“Hoo~ Looks like we overthought it.”
Mik Englandram let out a sigh of relief.
He laughed, “I thought Willis would be so furious she’d charge over herself. Who would’ve thought she’d hold back?”
“Or maybe, she didn’t notice anything strange about the treasury?!”
“Ahahaha, could it be she thought those dozens of boxes of Gold Dragon were a lot…..”
But before he finished laughing, the soldier spoke again.
“But Lord, before dawn, the City Lord’s Mansion ordered—said an Elf stole most of the gold and silver jewels from the treasury and is now fleeing.”
“Willis has ordered Ushi City sealed, enforcing a city lockdown, and is conducting house-to-house searches!”
“Those fence-sitting City Guard Army received orders. The city gates are closed, and no one is allowed on the streets. Anyone found is treated as a spy and executed on sight!”
“I only got back because I had the Deputy City Lord’s token.”
The moment the soldier finished his report, the two men leapt to their feet.
“What did you say!? Say it again!”
Mike Millen snarled, grabbing the soldier’s collar.
The soldier, trembling, repeated the message.
Mike Millen, furious, slapped him.
Pa!
“No! Impossible!”
Mike Millen swore in rage.
Mik Englandram also wore an anxious expression.
“Brother, except for the ones keeping order at the mines, all our people are scattered throughout Ushi City!”
Because they’d had no time to prepare, there were only a little over three hundred of them here.
And if there were too many, it would attract attention and leak information.
If Willis grasped the situation and tried to escape with her people, they might not be able to catch up.
So emptying the treasury, enraging Willis, and luring her into a trap was the best plan.
But now, Willis hadn’t come!
“Now the whole city is sealed. If Willis makes a move, we’re the ones trapped in the jar!”
They’d originally planned to lure Willis in and catch her like a turtle in a jar.
Who would’ve thought the turtle would be themselves!
Now the city was locked down. How could their scattered subordinates communicate?
The City Guard Army of Ushi City were loyal to the Empire. Though over the years, some had been corrupted—
But if it came to outright rebellion or assassinating an Imperial Princess, that was absolutely unthinkable.
Most of the City Guard Army’s families weren’t even in Ushi City.
Some came from the prosperous regions of the Empire, others from the Capital of Monsell.
Ushi City was lucrative, but the environment was harsh.
Few wanted to bring their families here—instead, they sent them to better places to enjoy life.
So if the City Guard Army rebelled, whether they succeeded or not, their family lineages far away would be doomed.
Even if Mike Millen and the others worked hard to win them over, they could only get them to stay inactive.
Now, the only people Mike could command were his loyal few hundred.
Those City Guard Army, the moment Willis gave an order, would eagerly carry it out—without a word of warning!
“Damn it! That dog~bastard! All the bribes I gave before have gone to waste!”
Mike cursed in anger.
“If Willis labels us as traitors and leads them to suppress us, those dog~bastards would wield their blades without hesitation!”
Mik, now calm, suddenly smiled.
“It’s not that bad….”
“If Willis really had control over them, when she discovered the treasury issue, why not just bring all the City Guard Army to kill us outright?”
“She’s still using the excuse that the Elves stole it, searching house to house. That means our bribes still have effect!”
No sooner had Mik finished than several City Guard Army officers appeared at the door.
Instantly, the two men put on friendly smiles and ordered their hidden soldiers to stand down.
They greeted the officers with smiles, though the officers’ faces were stern.
“Deputy City Lord, Commander Mik, let’s skip the pleasantries—we know each other well.”
The leading officer spoke.
“Just now, the Grand Princess said the treasury was robbed and ordered us to arrest suspects like Mik Millen and other officials.”
“We tried to defend you, said good things, and finally shifted the blame to the Elves.”
At those words, Mike and Mik sneered inwardly.
Saying it sounded better than singing!
You helped only because you were afraid we’d be caught and expose you, right?
“Now Ushi City is under full lockdown. If you two slip up and Her Highness the Princess gets evidence, we’re all doomed.”
With that, the officer and his men left.
“Bastards! You flip sides faster than turning a page! When you were taking my Gold Dragons, I didn’t see you so loyal to the Princess!”
Mike’s curses drew a rebuke from Mik Englandram.
“Enough, enough. Their families are all in Monsell. If anything happens here, their family trees are gone….”
“In such a situation, if they’re willing to help us and don’t hold grudges, then the bribes were worth it.”
At those words, Mike felt a little better, but his face remained grim.
Not only had they wasted a night waiting, but now, at dawn, they heard such news.
Mike felt things slipping further from their control.
“Why not just have that lord issue direct orders to the City Guard Army?”
Mike grumbled.
“Are you fucking stupid or just pretending!? First, they’re Ushi City’s army—it’s not even certain they’d obey a lord’s orders.”
“Second, even if they obeyed, we’re not a revolutionary army, and this is Ushi City.”
“If the Emperor became furious, he could trace the order right back to the lord, ruining everything!”
Mik’s scolding snapped Mike back to his senses.
“You’re right. I was being foolish.”
But before the two could discuss their next move, another soldier rushed in.
“L-L-Lord! T-This is bad!”
A bad feeling rose in Mik Englandram’s chest.
“What happened now!?”
“It’s the Grand Princess Hilliu—she ordered that….”
The soldier panted.
“She said the Elves may have stolen treasures and fled Ushi City. She’s already reported to the Emperor, asking for Imperial Army garrisons in the surrounding regions to….”
“To use Ushi City as the center, form a large encirclement, and search for the fleeing Elves… They must be caught at all costs.”
At this news, Mik finally lost his composure.
“Bullshit! With such a ridiculous excuse, how could the Empire possibly agree!?”
To deploy a massive encirclement centered on Ushi City, gathering Imperial Army from all around—
How many soldiers would that require?
At least fifty thousand!
“But, but the Grand Princess said the Elves stole imperial treasures meant for tribute—”
“A total of five thousand boxes of Gold Dragon, two thousand wagons of pearls and jewels, and countless magic crystal ore and rare ores.”
“She asked everyone in Ushi City to cooperate, saying the treasures might not have left the city yet….”
At that moment, Mike had only one thought.
The Grand Princess sure could bluff—they’d only used funds equivalent to two thousand boxes of Gold Dragon.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.