"Your Highness, the bandit leader Hals has been executed, and all the rebels at the North Gate have surrendered."
At dusk, Duke Walker met up with Princess Catherine at the Royal Palace and brought Sir Haas's body with him.
"The rebel was probably driven mad by the news that the East Gate had fallen. He charged recklessly into our formation and was finally shot to death by a rain of arrows."
Catherine gave Hals, whose body was bristling with arrows, a cold glance and ordered, "Take this traitor's head and use it to persuade the remaining rebel forces still resisting to surrender."
Someone immediately came over and dragged Hals's body away to be "dealt with."
"Your Highness, Lord Rupert and several other ministers are here."
Catherine was overjoyed. "Bring them in quickly."
On the day of the rebellion, Hals had personally led troops into the Royal Palace. If Palace Minister Earl Rupert had not led a group of ministers in stalling Hals and bought the King valuable time, the King might never have escaped the rebels' clutches. In that case, the current situation would have been much more complicated. At the very least, Catherine would have been forced to hold back for fear of harming the King.
Thus, Catherine was extremely grateful to Rupert and the other ministers who had held back the rebels that day. Although she had received secret intelligence that Hals had not dared to massacre them and had merely imprisoned them, she was still worried that the rebel leader might suddenly lose his mind and do something irrational.
Another reason was that if more than half of the kingdom's senior administrative officials were killed, rebuilding the administration would not be easy. How could she then confidently lead the army south to suppress the rebellion?
Rupert and the others soon entered. "We pay our respects to Princess Catherine."
"Please, rise quickly."
Reunited after the upheaval, everyone was somewhat emotional.
Rupert asked worriedly, "May I ask whether His Majesty the King is safe?"
Catherine said with a guilty look, "Father is perfectly safe, and he has already regained consciousness. He should be able to return to the Royal Capital soon. But what about all of you? Will you blame me for attacking the city recklessly without taking your safety into consideration? I'm sorry."
Rupert looked completely at ease. "Your Highness, please don't think that way. Needless mercy is the greatest taboo for anyone leading troops."
The other ministers also expressed similar sentiments.
Catherine was greatly relieved. As they talked, she led them to the Hall of Government Affairs inside the Royal Palace.
"Father ordered me to assume control of the government until he recovers. Given the current situation, do you have any advice for me?"
Rupert said, "The most urgent task is to stabilize the people and restore order in the Crystal Radiance Region, then resume production."
Catherine wholeheartedly agreed. "Yes. Palace Minister, please draft a proclamation announcing the rebels' punishment and inform Crystal Radiance City Area and the surrounding regions, so that the people can feel at ease."
"Your Highness, please place the army under martial law for at least a month and pacify the region. After the rebellion broke out, the government orders in Crystal Radiance became chaotic, leaving the local authorities at a loss. Many people trying to fish in troubled waters took the opportunity to cause trouble. They must all be brought to justice." The Minister of Justice also offered his opinion.
"Yes, that is also extremely important. I'll notify the army."
XC District was where Crystal Radiance Fortress's official grain warehouses were located. As soon as the Royal Army recaptured Crystal Radiance, it sent people over to strengthen security around the warehouses and strictly prohibit unauthorized personnel from entering.
The sun had completely set by then. Because of the war, the residents had extinguished their lamps and gone to bed early. The roads nearby were eerily quiet, and only the occasional footsteps of patrolling soldiers broke the silence.
Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the warehouse compound. One of them yawned. "This is so boring. Hasn't the replacement guard arrived yet?"
"Just stand your post properly! It hasn't even been two hours." His companion was thoroughly speechless.
"My stomach is already protesting... Hm? It looks like someone's coming over."
The other soldier immediately shouted, "Who goes there? Halt!"
"Heh heh, don't be alarmed. It's me." The newcomer walked over calmly with a smile.
By the light of the torches, the soldiers made out a chubby face.
"Oh, it's the warehouse supervisor. Forgive us."
The newcomer was the official in charge of managing the grain warehouses. They had seen him during the handover of security duties that evening. Although he was amiable, he was still a minor noble whom two ordinary soldiers could not afford to offend, so they quickly bowed and apologized.
"Not at all. You're only doing your duty. Besides, I'm here to trouble you with a favor."
"May we ask what you need, sir?"
"When I left this evening, I accidentally left an important ledger in one of the warehouses. Oh dear, I have to stay up all night writing a report, and it must be sent to the Royal Palace tomorrow morning. Without that ledger, I'll have to make everything up."
"I see. I'll light the way for you and help you look for it."
The warehouse supervisor was certainly not an unauthorized person. Naturally, he had the right to enter and leave.
The soldier lit an oil lamp. The supervisor fetched a ring of keys from a room near the entrance, and the two entered the warehouse compound.
"Sorry to trouble you, young man."
"It's my honor to serve you, sir."
They walked along, making casual conversation.
When they reached a warehouse deep inside the compound, the stout supervisor suddenly stopped. "I believe it was this one."
"Let's go in and take a look, sir."
The two opened the door and carefully searched the warehouse by the light of the oil lamp.
"It doesn't seem to be here. Let's look somewhere else."
"Heh heh, there's no rush. Young man, have you ever watched a play?"
The soldier found the question strange. Why was the stout supervisor asking him that? Still, he answered honestly, "You must be joking, sir. Only nobles and wealthy people can enjoy those. How could someone like me have ever seen one?"
"Then let me tell you a little about them. A play's plot always has its highs and lows."
"Uh... I don't really understand what you're talking about." The soldier was becoming completely confused.
"There must be highs and lows for it to be a complete play." The warehouse supervisor's expression gradually grew strange, as if he were smiling and crying at the same time.
The soldier felt a chill at the supervisor's expression. What was wrong with this man? "Sir, let's hurry up and find the ledger."
The supervisor ignored him completely and continued speaking to himself. "The protagonists of tragedies often begin with everything going smoothly. Then they fall from the heights into the depths, and in the end, they never climb back out."
His eyes gradually became dull and lifeless, but both hands clutched a small sack of grain by the doorway.
The soldier grew tense, realizing that something was wrong. The man in front of him was far too sinister. He warned him, "If you keep this up, I'm going to blow the alarm whistle."
But the soldier's warning had no effect.
"And the protagonists of comedies often encounter an unexpected turning point after reaching rock bottom." As he spoke, the supervisor began tearing at the grain sack with all his strength.
"So, is this a tragedy—or a comedy?"
Just as the supervisor finished speaking, the sack tore open. The soldier's eyes widened in horror. There was no grain inside. It was sulfur, and he recognized it.
"Stop!" Realizing what was about to happen, the soldier roared and drew his sword, charging at the supervisor.
The supervisor quickly thrust a hand into his clothing, then pulled it out and flung a pile of powder at the soldier.
"Ah—" Agony and burning heat shot into the soldier's brain. He dropped his weapon, covered his eyes, and writhed in pain.
The warehouse supervisor picked up the oil lamp that had fallen to the ground. "And who, exactly, is the protagonist of this play?"
After dinner with the ministers and generals, Catherine returned to her room in the Royal Palace to rest. The familiar furnishings relaxed her somewhat.
She removed her armor, took a hot bath, and changed into a dress.
The princess walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a collection of poems. She planned to read for a while before going to bed, but for some reason, she felt constantly uneasy. She could not take in a single line of the beautiful passages she usually enjoyed.
"Phew... Is the recent fighting making me too tense? I've heard that many veterans become very strange after leaving the army. Catherine, Catherine, you mustn't become like that."
The princess walked onto the balcony to breathe some fresh air. In the night breeze, her graceful figure was fully revealed.
Suddenly, a point of light appeared directly west of the Royal Palace. Princess Catherine immediately realized that something bad had happened when she recognized the direction of the grain warehouses.
Sure enough, the point of light rapidly expanded until flames soaring into the sky illuminated nearly the entire XC District.