Fallen Baron

Hansel Abbott, a respected baron of the Auldo Kingdom—at least in the eyes of commoners, he had indeed been respected—was now stumbling along a muddy country road with a group of ragged refugees.

"Heavenly Killer rebels." he muttered again.

Just a week earlier, Duke Giles, known as "Greedy Wolf," had launched a rebellion. The King had long been unconscious, stricken by a grave illness, while Her Highness the Grand Princess, the only one capable of suppressing the revolt, had led her order of knights to the Eastern Highlands to drive off barbarians encroaching on the kingdom's borders.

Although Grand Duke Greedy Wolf's ambitions had long been obvious to all, the Royal Family had continued to favor a policy of appeasement. No one had expected the rebellion to erupt so quickly.

Worse still, Sir Hales, commander of the Royal Capital City Garrison and publicly known for his loyalty to the Royal Family, turned out to be a hidden piece Duke Giles had planted in the Royal Capital. While the elite Royal Family forces were away, he struck directly at the heart.

The Abbott Family had always been regarded as unwaveringly loyal to the Royal Family. Hansel, who happened to be outside the city when he heard the news, was so frightened that he did not even dare return home. That very night, he fled toward the highlands with his personal servant, Toman.

Order throughout the Crystal Radiance Region seemed to collapse overnight. Bandits seemed to spring up overnight as well, while the City Garrison began sweeping the surrounding areas, burning, killing, and looting. Soldiers and bandits were practically one and the same.

Coupled with Duke Giles's fearsome reputation, great numbers of commoners and minor nobles loyal to the Royal Family began fleeing elsewhere.

Hansel had pieced together several rumors from the refugees. After the rebels stormed the Royal Palace, they apparently had not found the King.

At the very last moment before the rebellion broke out, the Royalist Party received word. Martial arts students from the Royal Academy were urgently mobilized, joining the small number of Royal Guard members to escort the still-unconscious King and several other important figures out through the North City Gate.

Hansel had seen a convoy bearing Royal Family insignia on the road, but unlike the refugees desperately seeking protection, he had not followed it.

At a time like this, anyone still flaunting the Royal Family banner so openly made him vaguely uneasy.

He was now taking another route with his servant Toman. Naturally, there were plenty of refugees on this road as well.

Their carriage had gotten stuck in a bog earlier. Toman had whipped the horse's rear raw without pulling it free, and just as they were cursing their terrible luck, a passing band of robbers stole the horse and the little money they had left.

All the Baron could do now was curse the rebel army that had caused all this over and over again.

Just as master and servant were planning to rest by the roadside, a noble-style carriage caught up from behind. The family crest on it had been covered.

Yet as it passed them, a face appeared in the carriage window—a face that normally made Hansel sick, but now gave him a strange, faint sense of familiarity.

"Well, if it isn't Abbott?"

The flash of gloating on the other man's face instantly wiped away that tiny feeling of warmth.

Even so, the fully armed knights following the carriage reassured him considerably. He decided that no matter what, he had to get onto that carriage.

He could only force himself to speak. "Matthew, old friend, I was robbed by a pack of shameless bandits. For the sake of our years of friendship, could you lend me some help?"

Matthew smiled teasingly. "Why not? How could I let my good friend, Baron Hansel Abbott, mingle among a crowd of refugees covered in stinking mud like this? If word got out, it would be a serious blow to the image of us nobles."

As he spoke loudly in an exaggerated tone, he opened the carriage door, drawing a number of passing refugees to stop and stare.

"Thank you. I knew you would not abandon an old friend."

Hansel climbed into the carriage, swearing inwardly that when the other man fell on hard times, he would mock him thoroughly in return.

Matthew Stoman, Hansel's classmate, had also been his greatest rival throughout their student days. Whenever there was a debate competition, the two could always be seen trading impassioned speeches point for point, arguing until their faces were red and the sky seemed to darken. In private, they had slandered each other behind each other's backs countless times, each calling the other a treacherous villain.

Yet now, he had no choice but to rely on his mortal enemy's help to escape.

"How unpredictable life is!" Hansel sighed, then felt relieved that his mother and younger sister, who had gone far away to visit relatives, were not in the Royal Capital.

"Hansel, stop looking so miserable. Tell me, what are you planning to do?"

Hansel straightened his collar and recovered some of his spirit. "At a time when the kingdom is in turmoil, naturally I shall go serve under Her Highness the Grand Princess. Though my personal talents are lacking, it is the Abbott Family's bounden duty to ease the Royal Family's burdens."

"Hmph. Still as high-sounding as ever. Fine, I have the same plan anyway. The Stoman Family has never lagged behind anyone in loyalty to the Royal Family."

"I wonder whether Her Highness the Grand Princess will take us in once we reach the camp. Matthew, where were you before you fled?"

"I was checking the accounts at an estate outside the city when I received Father's notice, telling me to hurry to the highlands and seek refuge with Her Highness the Grand Princess."

"I saw a convoy with Royal Family insignia on the road. Why didn't you follow it?"

"Didn't you also avoid following it? With chaos everywhere, and they were still making such a grand display—do you take me for a fool? You still underestimate people, just like before."

The two were chatting idly when the carriage suddenly stopped. Both of them tensed. Had they run into rebels or bandits? Then they heard someone outside shout in an unfamiliar accent, "Excuse me, are you members of the Stoman Family? Could you step down from the carriage so we may speak?"

Matthew and Hansel had no choice but to get out. Beside a carriage at the roadside stood an old man, who gave a slight bow in noble greeting.

The old man introduced himself. "I am Baron Wakely Ford, Keeper of the Seal for the Greiman Earldom on the Northwest Coast. On behalf of my Lord, I offer greetings to you both."

"Greetings. I am Baron Matthew of the Stoman Family, and this is Baron Hansel of the Abbott Family. May I ask what you need?"

"I was traveling to the Royal Capital on estate business to seek an audience with His Majesty the King, but along the way I saw large numbers of commoners fleeing north with their families. They all said a rebellion had broken out in the Royal Capital, so I wished to ask you two about the specific situation."

"You have come from far away, honored guest, so perhaps you have not heard. It is all Giles's doing. He betrayed His Majesty the King."

"Oh? The Grand Duke known as 'Greedy Wolf'?"

"That's right. The Royal Capital has already been occupied by his accomplices. I advise you not to go there."

"I have not come to the Royal Capital in nearly ten years, yet I encounter such a major incident the moment I return. This Giles is truly hateful."

"Yes. We are also afraid of falling into the rebels' hands, so we plan to seek refuge with Her Highness the Grand Princess. She is currently leading troops in the highlands to drive out barbarians. With Her Highness's abilities, she should soon be able to return and suppress the rebellion."

"I wonder about His Majesty the King..."

"His Majesty should have been rescued. If you are willing, Lord Ford, you may come with us to find Her Highness the Grand Princess. His Majesty fell ill not long ago and has already entrusted matters great and small to the Princess."

"Is that so? Very well, then I shall trouble you two on the road."