As Expected

"Lord Barini, what is the meaning of this...?"

The blast had filled the room with choking smoke and dust. Hielaina squinted against the haze, covering her mouth and nose with one hand as she scrutinized the four figures on the balcony through the dim light. Standing behind Shatiel, her expression was grim as she pressed Barini for an answer.

"Cough, cough... Your Highness, this wasn't my doing…"

Barini coughed heavily while trying to move closer to her, but Shatiel blocked his path, raising a long blade—the very same one seized from a judgment cell during a previous engagement.

"I must've been tailed by Parotno's men. These people must be his agents..."

As the smoke began to clear, the silhouettes of the intruders grew sharper.

Night Knights—judging by the gold embellishments on their collars and epaulettes, they were from the First Four Squads.

Backlit by the sun and framed in smoke, their black leather uniforms glinted under the pale light, and their crimson eyes radiated a chilling aura of death.

"Do you not realize you stand before the true thirty-seventh heir to the Dazilet throne—Hielaina Irevia Satschama?!"

Shatiel stepped forward, blade in hand. Though she stood alone, her presence was no less imposing than that of the four Night Knights.

The Night Knights began to move.

Each of them was a veteran of countless battles, having clawed their way out of piles of corpses to survive.

They wielded different weapons, none of which were firearms. One drew a longsword, another dual-wielded short blades. They charged at Shatiel with deadly intent, without a word spoken.

"We serve only the Emperor who wears the crown."

The leader's longsword clashed against Shatiel's blade. At the same time, the dual-blade knight came at her from the side.

"You will pay for your treason!"

Shatiel's expression was icy as she deflected the first strike, then blocked the dual blades. Her attacker moved fast, clearly anticipating the first block and swinging the second blade from a different angle. Longswords weren't ideal for close combat—her enemy knew this and kept the distance tight, forcing her on the defensive.

Shatiel switched to a reverse grip, holding her blade diagonally before her, using the base of the weapon to parry the rapid and vicious strikes. The knight with the longsword saw his chance and slashed again. A third, also armed with a longsword, joined the assault.

The fourth Night Knight tried to enter the fray, but was intercepted by Barini's black-clad bodyguards. Gunshots rang out as they tried to hold him back.

"Watch out!"

Hielaina shouted—but too late. The Night Knight darted into the guards, leaving nothing but afterimages. Blood and entrails spilled as the guards collapsed like punctured water bags, lifeless in seconds.

Wiping the blood from his blade with his sleeve, the knight glanced at Hielaina before joining the melee.

"Your Highness, if you still trust me, please—come with me."

Barini had circled around the chaos to reach Hielaina, keeping a respectful distance.

"I do trust you, Lord Barini. But I believe my bodyguard can handle this."

Though Barini's tone was sincere, Hielaina still looked at him with wary eyes.

This meeting had been his idea, and barely had their conversation begun when Parotno's assassins arrived. It was difficult not to question his role in all this.

Granted, it had been Barini who helped her escape from the Heidrig during the coup, and it was he who arranged for her to join the Night Knights. But in politics, trust was a luxury. Everyone acted in their own interests. That was something her father had taught her—and something she had seen for herself during her years on the road with her master.

"I understand. Then I'll remain here with you and await the battle's end."

Barini brushed the dust from his coat and stood beside her. His composure drew a sideways glance from Hielaina.

"Your Highness's bodyguard is certainly... as formidable as the rumors say."

He watched the blur of blades and bodies with startling calm, as if unconcerned by the danger.

Steel clashed in rapid bursts. Sparks flew. The five figures danced through the confined space, clashing, separating, then clashing again. Yet Shatiel held her own, not merely surviving but probing for a breakthrough.

"Remarkable… So that's what Reagent No. 6 can do in actual combat…"

Barini murmured the words under his breath, but Hielaina caught them.

"Reagent No. 6?"

Her confusion was understandable. The Night Knights commonly used combat-enhancement formulas—Reagents No. 2, 3, and 4. There wasn't even a No. 5 in circulation. So what was this No. 6? She knew Shatiel's enhancements differed from the standard protocol—but was this the reason?

"Yes, that's right—Reagent No. 6. The latest innovation from the Imperial Academy of Sciences."

Barini seemed momentarily surprised by the question, but chose to answer.

"Lord Bohard has taken great interest in your circumstances. He authorized the use of the new formula for your personal guard."

"Bohard?"

Hielaina blinked in surprise. That name explained a great deal—like why the Minister of Internal Affairs would go so far to help her. But Bohard, the legendary sage who had once led Dazilet to glory before retreating into the shadows, had always shunned political involvement. What was he planning now?

"I shouldn't speak on Lord Bohard's behalf. He wishes to avoid any misinterpretation of political intent. But some matters have reached a turning point. I need your trust."

"Such as?"

Hielaina raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

Now!

Shatiel had deciphered the rhythm of her opponents' attacks. She twisted her body, delivering a horizontal slash that shattered one knight's blade and cleaved through his guard. Then she faced the dual-blade fighter head-on.

He tried to keep her at bay like before, but was caught off guard as she slipped past his defense—her hilt smashing into his skull. Before he could react, his hands suddenly went numb. At the same moment, the two remaining knights surged forward.

Shatiel caught one of the falling short blades, thrust it into the chest of the oncoming knight mid-sprint, then clashed with the last one standing.

"There are still those in the Imperial government who remain loyal to your father. Many in the military, especially among the rank and file, believe you are the rightful heir. I need your command, Your Highness—only then can I rally them."

Barini knelt before her, lowering his head and resting one knee on the marble floor.

Clang!

Shatiel's blade struck the floor with a force that split the stone, echoing like a war drum.

She had severed the last Night Knight's head.

Drenched in blood, she gripped her longsword with one hand and knelt beside Barini, brushing back her black coat as she bowed her head.

"..."

Hielaina gazed over the ravaged room, then down at the two kneeling before her.

This moment had always been fated. From the day she was born a princess, she had been destined to enter the arena of brutal political struggle.

"So be it. Barini Sigbodley—I command you to gather all who remain loyal to the Empire. Prepare to crush the usurper."

Her voice rang out, firm and unyielding. This was no longer just her battle. It was the beginning of something far greater—a campaign to prevent the South from plunging into war once more.

"Yes, Your Majesty."