Boom! Boom!
Inside the building at 17 Minsk Street in the Cherwood Borough, the mistress, Starling Summer, and her maids, terrified by the distant explosions, huddled in a corner of the room, feeling the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Only when the continuous, terrifying noises faded into the distance did Starling straighten up, glancing around with heightened tension.
"What exactly happened?"
The two maids shook their heads simultaneously, looking both bewildered and frightened.
Starling left the corner, instinctively wanting to go out of the room and talk to the neighbors to find out what had just happened, but worried that something unexpected might happen again, so she just paced around in the living room.
Several minutes later, she suddenly heard the door Door Opening. She turned around and saw her husband, Luke Summer, returning with a male servant.
"Aren't you working?" Starling asked instinctively.
The burly Luke replied with a serious expression:
"I happened to be passing by nearby, so I came straight back."
"Quick, put on your coat, we're going to church now!"
"What happened? What happened?" Starling asked the question again.
Luke stepped forward and said:
" Feysac's airships are bombing Backlund!"
"How... how could this be?" Starling's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Now is not the time to discuss this. Anyway, what's done is done, and we must get to the church immediately!" Luke gave his wife a hug. "Don't worry too much, I don't see those airships coming this way."
"Okay, okay!" Starling replied, still a little flustered.
As she put on the coat the maid brought her, she instinctively worried:
What will happen to the children?
"They're at a church school; someone will organize them to hide. We can't get there in time," Luke said calmly.
"Okay." Starling made a praying gesture, hoping that the god she believed in would provide protection.
The two, along with their male servant and female maid, quickly left their house and headed to the other end of the street.
As she passed house number 58, Starling glanced at it and whispered:
"I used to laugh at Lawyer Jurgen, saying he moved south and gave up many opportunities in Backlund for Doris. Doris's illness; now, I'm a little envious of him..."
Luke glanced at it and said:
"Don't worry too much, everything will be alright."
As Starling walked briskly, she couldn't help but ask:
" Luke, should we escape Backlund?"
"No, no need!" Luke Summer replied firmly, "It was just an accident."
Seeing his wife's obvious confusion, he added:
" Backlund is the capital of the kingdom, and it must be the area with the highest level of defense. This time it was just that no one expected it and there was a lapse in attention, which led to this. Next time, the Feysac people will not have another chance!"
"The Kingdom is the strongest military power on the Northern Continent. The Feysac people will definitely be taught a lesson and will have no chance of invading Backlund again. After this, Backlund will actually be the safest place!"
"I see..." Starling thought her husband's words made a lot of sense and was willing to believe him.
After explaining, Luke paused for a few seconds and then said:
"However, we still need to make some preparations. Once the church announces that we are free to move around, we'll immediately go and pick up the children, and buy as much food as possible!"
Inside a public school in the Backlund Bridge Area.
Because of the distance, Daisy and her classmates were unaware of what was happening in the North Borough and West Borough, nor did they feel the chaos spreading to Hillston Borough and Cherwood Borough.
However, some teachers still came to their classrooms and organized them to line up and go to the nearest church.
This immediately reminded Daisy of the Great Smog of Backlund last year, when they were also asked to take shelter in the church next to the school.
And yet, something similar has happened again...? The shadow in her heart made Daisy's body tremble slightly, and a strong sense of sadness and anger welled up within her.
As she passed the door, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at the teacher in charge and ask:
"Is this yet another disaster?"
"Perhaps..." The teacher was not clear about the specifics, only knowing to follow the instructions in the telegram.
"Is there a disaster like this every year, or even more than once?" Daisy asked, her voice slightly unsteady, with a hint of naivety.
The teacher looked at her with pity, shook his head, and said:
"All difficulties will pass; God will protect everyone."
Daisy didn't waste anyone else's time. Following the crowd somewhat blankly, she obeyed the rules and headed towards the nearest church.
North Borough, 22 Phelps Street.
Upon hearing the explosion, Audrey, who was at the " Loen Charity Bursary Foundation," immediately concealed dragon scales on her skin and rushed to the window.
Watching the airship formation bearing the Feysac flag appear in mid-air, witnessing bombs being deflected by the hurricane, tossed far away, some exploding upon impact, others vanishing entirely, as if entering Spirit World, Audrey's mind flashed back to the words of "The World," Gehrman Sparrow, and the mission of the Psychology Alchemists, leading to a sudden realization:
War has really broken out!
She immediately turned to Susie, the golden retriever, and her personal maid Annie, and said:
"Quick, hide at Saint Samuel Cathedral!"
Although Audrey didn't know how to deal with the air raid, her upbringing taught her to go to church as soon as possible if she was in danger.
Actually, her instinctive thought was to rush back to Queens Borough immediately to protect her mother, but considering that Annie and the other servants and staff here were ordinary people who had neither experience nor the ability to deal with such a crisis, she had no choice but to take care of them first and accompany them to Saint Samuel Cathedral.
To deal with potential dangers along the way, Audrey plans to wear both the " Hand of Horror " and the " Lies " to Distortion the trajectory of bullets and Flame Manipulation to detonate bombs prematurely.
When facing ranged attacks, the extraordinary capabilities of the " Spectator " approach are indeed difficult to utilize.
Secretly protecting her servants and Foundation staff, Audrey successfully entered Saint Samuel Cathedral, where she was greeted by several bishops and priests.
"Miss Audrey, don't worry about the Earl, the Countess, and Lord Hibbert. They all have dedicated protectors. This level of air raid won't harm them. Besides, you know how large and sturdy your basement is," a bishop quickly led Audrey aside, offering reassurance.
Audrey removed her sheer gloves, nodded in agreement with the bishop's statement, and, no longer in a hurry to go home, asked instead:
"How is the situation now?"
" The Feysac lost two airships and moved to the West Borough. Don't worry, all defenses are activated, and they won't cause any more damage." The bishop briefly mentioned this before leading Audrey and the others to the underground area of the church for shelter. The next level down was where the " Nighthawks " operated.
At 160 Böklund Street, the butler Walter and his servants hid in the underground area that also served as a wine cellar.
This was Dawn Dantès's order, and the gentleman himself went to see Bishop Electra with his personal valet.
After an unknown amount of time, Walter and his companions heard a knock at the door and, through a hole in the door, confirmed that their employer had returned.
"There aren't any more attacks now, but let's go back to Saint Samuel Cathedral for a while longer," Klein said, looking around.
"Yes, sir," Walter responded on behalf of the servants, then asked, "And then?"
As a competent steward, he frequently read the newspapers and understood that the situation was already tense. It wasn't hard for him to guess that a certain degree of war would break out after the bombing.
Klein pondered for a moment and said:
"Once the church confirms the situation, we'll go to the Megro Manor. You can bring your families."
"In any case, the kingdom's capital is definitely a relatively safe place, and the manors on the outskirts of the capital are even less likely to be targets of airstrikes. They're not worth it. Hmm, the Megro Manor has plenty of food and a large amount of wine. Even if the war lasts for a long time, we don't have to worry about starving to death."
Upon hearing their employer's words, the servants who were already married immediately beamed with joy, their previous paleness and fear vanishing. Walter, on the other hand, directly expressed his gratitude.
Then, after careful consideration, he said:
"More food can be bought, and in this case, no one will ever think it's too much."
"Also, there may be no more attacks near Backlund, but the security situation could be chaotic, and the manor outside the city must be prepared for this."
Klein nodded:
"I've also considered that. I'll talk to Congressman Macht and the military about purchasing a batch of 'scrap' weapons and ammunition. You all need to practice more."
"In short, Enuni and I will return to Backlund business as needed during this period. If there's anything we haven't considered, we'll make up for it then."
As for food, Klein did not forbid the butler Walter from purchasing it, so that if a famine were to occur, he would be able to provide relief.
After agreeing on the next steps, everyone at Dawn Dantès' mansion quickly packed their belongings, took their valuables, and followed their employer into Saint Samuel Cathedral, arriving underground.
Klein spotted Audrey walking among the crowd, Placate them down, and smiled slightly, nodding to the noblewoman.
Upon seeing Dawn Dantès, Audrey returned a smile, confirming from his demeanor that nothing serious had happened.
Fors and Hugh moved again, but still on the edge of the East Borough, closer to the Backlund Bridge Area.
After waking up naturally, Fors rubbed her hair, left the bedroom, and prepared lunch.
With a quick glance, she saw Hugh, who had already left, sitting in a chair, rapidly flipping through the newspaper.
"What's wrong?" Fors asked, bewildered.
Xiu frowned and said:
" The Feysac bombed the North Borough and West Borough..."
"What?" Fors blurted out, then immediately remembered the relevant matters discussed at the Tarot Club.
Just then, the newsboy's voice came from outside:
"Breaking News! Breaking News! The Kingdom declares war on Feysac!"
"Breaking News! Breaking News! The Kingdom declares war on Feysac!"