Interlude: Maneuvers
“Gouen’s daughter is leaving the royal capital.”
Deep in the slums, inside a near-collapsing building found within a complex maze of alleyways, a small group of men knelt in a circle.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, without a doubt. She’s going on the royal academy’s spring field expedition.”
“That sounds awfully careless.”
“Don’t underestimate the kingdom. Most likely…”
“It’s a trap, I know.”
“Indeed. They wish to lure us out of the city.”
These men were the last of the group who’d plotted Duke Vistall’s assassination. They were hiding out in the royal capital, hoping to kill the duke before he could follow the anti-rebellion army back to his territory.
“But if we take his daughter hostage, we can force Gouen to act.”
“The Screws we have on hand aren’t enough to rid us of the Shiga Eight guarding the duke. I suppose this is our best chance at finishing him off once and for all…”
The monster-controlling Screws they had acquired from the Weaselman Empire had their limits. They didn’t work on monsters that were too high-level and required enough man power to wedge the Screw into a monster to control it.
“On top of that, I have it on good authority that Marquis Kelten’s granddaughter is going on this expedition, too.”
“If we manage to kidnap her, we could surely dull the blade of the royal army.”
The men smirked.
“But how are we to do that?”
“We draw away her escorts, plunge the guardians into chaos, and make an opening.”
The man glanced at the Screw in the corner of the room.
“I’ll put you in charge of creating the chaos. My subordinates and I will handle getting rid of the escorts and kidnapping the girl. As for where to take her…”
“Leave that to me. I have a few ideas.”
The men divided up their roles, then scattered out of the dilapidated house into the darkness.
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