Rebellion 5
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
In the dead of night, the knocking at the door sounded incredibly out of place.
The drowsy Colonel Carter Holley of the 8th Infantry Battalion opened his door, clearly displeased.
He grumbled, "By the Lord of Light, what's going on?"
Standing at the door was one of his guards, who saluted sharply and handed him a note.
"Reporting, sir. The sentry on duty received this note, and it appears to be from Lord Grayman."
"Lord Grayman?"
Hearing that the note was from the lord, Colonel Holley suddenly became alert, his drowsiness dissipating.
He took the note from the guard and quickly read its contents.
Upon reading it, his expression changed drastically. Grabbing the guard's arm, he asked urgently, "Who delivered this note?"
"Uh..." The guard hesitated.
"Speak!" The colonel's tone was harsh, urging his guard to answer.
"A... a large parrot..."
The guard wore a look of disbelief.
"A parrot? What are you talking about? This is no time for jokes." The colonel reprimanded the guard sternly.
"Colonel, I'm not joking. It really was a parrot that delivered it."
The guard replied seriously, "It was sentry Ochoa at post number two. He said the parrot descended from the sky, landed on the railing of the watchtower, and raised its right claw. Ochoa quickly noticed that the note was tied to its claw."
Fine, Colonel Holley decided to take the guard's words seriously for now.
"Immediately wake up all the officers and soldiers, but don't assemble just yet. Have them remain in their barracks and await further orders."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Twenty minutes later, inside the office of the 8th Infantry Battalion, Colonel Carter Holley and the battalion's instructor, Major Paul Cobb, were looking over Paul's handwritten order.
Colonel Holley held the note up to the candlelight, examining it repeatedly. "There's no mistake. This is definitely Lord Grayman's handwriting. Such terrib- distinctive handwriting—I remember it well."
"I think so too," Major Paul Cobb agreed. Both men recognized the lord's handwriting.
"But..."
He glanced at the green-feathered parrot standing on the table in front of them.
"The appearance and identity of this 'messenger' are simply unbelievable."
Colonel Holley said, "I don't see the issue. If pigeons can deliver messages, why not a parrot?"
"But pigeons rely on their homing ability. Clearly, this parrot's nest isn't in our camp. I've never even seen it before. How did it find us?"
Colonel Holley waved dismissively. "Whatever the case, since this order was written by Lord Grayman himself, something must have happened in Babol Village. Of course!"
Suddenly, Colonel Holley slapped his palm in realization. "Isn't the garrison closest to Babol Village the 8th Infantry Battalion? It makes perfect sense that the lord would turn to the nearest military force in an emergency."
"You're right." Major Cobb agreed with Colonel Holley's deduction.
"In that case, no matter what's going on, we should head to Babol Village immediately."
"But..." Major Cobb hesitated. "It's nearly a day's journey from here to Babol Village."
Colonel Holley stood and paced for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up at Major Cobb. "I'll contact the mayor of the city and have him requisition some horses for us. We'll ride to Babol Village as soon as possible."
"Good idea!" Major Cobb nodded in agreement.
"Oh, and!" Major Cobb suddenly thought of something. "We should use the signal station to report this to Alden Town right away."
...
In Alden Town, the militia was left stunned by the news of the lord's assassination.
Lord Paul Grayman, assassinated? The powerful lord who eradicated pirates, who defeated the Kent family? How could such a formidable figure be assassinated?
Standing at the podium, Beluga, seeing the shocked militia, continued shouting, "Now, to stabilize the situation and prevent chaos, we need to immediately impose martial law in Alden Town. Unfortunately, the regular garrison is out on field training exercises, so the militia is our only available force. I declare—"
Beluga shouted, "The original training plans are canceled. The militia's current mission is to enforce martial law in Alden Town."
The militia gathered before him numbered over two thousand—a considerable force, well-versed in formations, marching, swordsmanship, and firearms operations.
"Now, follow your respective instructors to the armory to receive your weapons. Each person will be issued a musket."
...
The armory manager looked troubled as he faced the officer demanding entry, with the confused militia behind him.
"But we haven't received any orders..."
"What time do you think it is? You're still waiting for orders?" The officer shouted.
"But..."
"Men, arrest this man for obstructing military operations!"
Two burly guards appeared from behind the officer and pinned the armory manager to the ground without a word.
"You can't do this! Mmph!"
His mouth was gagged.
"Everyone, follow me to retrieve your weapons!"
The officer waved a large hand, leading the militia inside.
...
When Alden Town's Chief of Staff, Schroeder, learned of the militia's movements, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. He was currently in his residence.
As the chief of staff—second in command only to Paul—he hadn't participated in the field training exercise and had remained in Alden Town.
Logically, no matter what happened, Beluga should have come to him first.
Why was there an unscheduled night gathering? Why had they forcibly entered the armory to retrieve weapons without following protocol?
This was clearly a suspicious action, perhaps... a rebellion!
"I must go to the militia immediately and expose this conspiracy!"
Schroeder said anxiously to his assistant.
"Sir, you can't! If this really is a rebellion, the entire camp might already be under the control of the insurgents. If you go, you'll be walking right into a trap."
"You're right!" The guard's words brought Schroeder back to his senses.
"We need to find another military force we can rely on—someone other than the Alden Town militia."
"If it's not a rebellion, that would be ideal. But if it is, we'll have the military strength to fight back."
Schroeder made his decision.
"Quick, get me a horse! I need to leave Alden Town before they notice."
TL: Damn, give that assistant a raise!
(End of the Chapter)
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