Chapter 204: Twenty-third Episode: Chapter 5 (2/2)

”The doctor said it was cancer, but who knows? It's probably the same...as this shovel!”

”You have to rest!” Oscar noticed Rudolf's forehead was filled with cold sweat. It was a miracle that Rudolf was able to hang on for these hours with heavy injuries.

”Enough! Listen to me!” ex-Head of Secret Service Department waved his hand lightly, ”If I guess it correctly...did Her Majesty order for you to leave Dulin immediately?”

”That's right!” Oscar was even surprised. Could it be, other than hating him, his wife...there was still yet other reason.

”Hehe...” Rudolf smiled weakly, ”As expected...Her Majesty is afraid now...”

”Ola! I beg of you...” Oscar was finally impatient, ”Tell me clearly! What are you afraid of? Afraid of Andrew leaving the Empire? Afraid of me bring independence to Narcissus Knights? You should know that is impossible!”

”I am dead! There is no longer anyone who could stop you from controlling the situation in the Capital. You can use the power in your hands to control the Army Division and Capital Security Division. Use the cannons to control major government institution, use the knights to close off the transportation route in the Capital, use Special Combat Brigade to take over the Palace and count the wrongdoings of the Empress since her rise to power with a notice. Then, you can force her off the throne...”

The Head of Secret Service Department coughed badly. That ”tent” kept shaking. He still had not finished his words, but Oscar already understood the deep meaning hidden behind this shocking statement. He was stunned.

”Are you crazy? You truly are!”

”I am crazy?” Rudolf smiled forcefully, ”I am not crazy at all! Neither did the Empress! Or else, why do you think we are afraid? Maybe you really think that this is a crazy action now, but...O'Neil Andrew Morisette! I assure you. In the future, you will definitely regret not taking hold of this rare opportunity for your whole life! So, goodbye, Prince. Remember this. People will not be lucky in their whole life! It's getting late...when you leave in the dark...be careful!”

Oscar went out of the bedroom in a daze. He was stunned by such insane statement. (Monologue) Force her off the throne? Snatch power from the Empress? Is this possible? Is this necessary?

Why would people worry about such utmost irrational thing? But they seemed to be extremely serious about this!

Alanis was waiting by the door. She immediately noticed something was off with her husband.

”Don't worry...” Oscar smiled helplessly, ”He is still alive!”

The Empress shrugged and turned to the doctor subconsciously, ”He won't be living for long. We already decided to use compressed opium pill...hope that it will be less painful when he passes away.”

Oscar nodded lightly, ”It seems that this is the only way...” the Prince said as he made a praying sign in front of his chest.

”Oh yeah, Alanis. I have something to ask you!”

The Empress turned around looking puzzled.

Oscar thought for a while. He did not know how to start this topic. He could not discuss this matter in public and he was sure if his wife was afraid of this, then she would definitely not believe anyone said, especially the person in question.

”Nothing...” Oscar waved his hands acting like there was nothing, ”It's nothing important. Pretend I didn't say anything!”

Alanis was more confused, ”You didn't say anything after all. What is it?”

Oscar suddenly kneeled to his wife. He had not performed the formal greeting to Alanis for a long time.

”Your Majesty...Prince of Empire, Marshal of Guards, Head of Military Intelligence Bureau, Head of Andrew family, O'Neil Andrew Morisette now excuse myself!”

The Empress touched her hair. She glanced at the man on the floor in uncertainty. Her husband seldom called her Your Majesty, but Alanis had a feeling. She was afraid this was the last time.

The imperial chief historian Baron Bernadot Ogeiro who was waiting at the side naturally would not miss such huge incident of the assassination of the Head of Secret Service Department. He wrote at incredible speed and had recorded all that he had seen and heard in the document. When Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette walked out of Count Rudolf Hoss' mansion, the historian finally stopped his writing. He glanced at his handwriting. In his impression, Prince O'Neil truly seldom called Her Majesty as ”Her Majesty”. Surely in the future, the people who are interested in this would notice this when they studied this manuscript. Also, this was the last time Prince O'Neil called his wife with a respectful title.

Oscar walked out of the gate. The breeze was chilly on an early summer night. He was thinking and questioning! Why would Alanis' farewell be the same as that of Head of Secret Service Department? His wife told him to be careful on his journey. This did not amount to anything usually, but after Oscar heard about that matter that the people were afraid about, he felt that the deep meaning behind these words was not necessarily good!

Facing the elated Colonel Sandinand, Oscar waved his hands impatiently.

”Don't be happy too quickly! There is a dead man in the house. You should at least put on a grieving face. Don't make it hard for me!”

Sandinand seemed to not care about his master's advice, ”Your Highness, there's a message that came from Justania through our investigation unit of Andrew Military Personnel Bureau!”

”Justania?” Oscar frowned in question. Until this moment, only he recalled that he still had a faraway wife at the other side of the world.

”It's your daughter! Princess Arayna called her Evetyler. It's the name you gave to your daughter!”

”Ola...” Oscar snatched the letter and opened it swiftly. He read all the words in the letter carefully, especially his youngest daughter's name! Evetyler! Such beautiful name! The young Prince's silly smile already indicated how elated he was.

”Let's go! To celebrate!”

Sandinand scratched his head, ”The order to move out immediately has been conveyed to all camps!”

Oscar flung at the southern guy's forehead strongly and sneaked looks around him. Then, he spoke in a low voice to Sandy, ”F*ck it! We'll talk about it after we are drunk!”

Sandinand laughed cheerfully. He saluted to the Prince strongly, then shouted using all his volume, ”Yes Sir!”

Oscar flung at this letter that was filled with blessing again. He gazed at Rudolf Hoss' mansion for the last time, ”Since it's this way, let's not do anything to ruin the mood tonight.”

The wind was slightly chilly and seemed even cold in dark alleys. It was already late at night. The bustling Dulin city had completely calmed down, especially at the outskirts area far away from the city center. The low-ceiling houses were antique-looking. The narrow streets and the rocky road painted in light brown by the moonlight all appeared to have the looks of an ancient city. At the end of the quiet streets, a lonely street light shone under a small part of the night sky with its warm yellow light. A team of knights rode past the street light in fast speed. The sound of horses and jokes immediately broke the silent scenes under the night sky.

Oscar was at the front, riding Rayshure, but, once in a while, he would slow down his speed to talk to the knights behind him happily. Since the Prince was in the company of Her Majesty the Empress when he went out, the knights with him were not many. There were only two platoons of knights, a total of twenty people.

In a conversation, Oscar realized that another knight had become a father as well. His child was also a girl. At that instant, Oscar gave a three-month vacation to him and promised that he would prepare a gift for his newborn baby after he returned to Kenshin Palace.

The laughter of the knights echoed in the street. Along with the crisp sound of horse hooves hitting the floor, the series of melody was beautiful, making O'Neil Andrew Morisette hummed the melody from home. This Narcissus rhyme was about the touching story between a young girl and a knight. The knights who followed the Prince followed suit. They thought of the intense war time and the romance between men and women. They thought of their wives, their children and everything good in the world.

”Baby! What are you doing?” Oscar pulled at his rein without a choice. His Rayshure never rested from work, but suddenly stopped after entering this street.

The knights reached the Prince. They were glancing at the most noble war animal in the world in question.

Little Oslu kept breathing in. Not only did he stopped, he even moved backward slowly despite his master's order. Oscar glanced at his comrade in confusion. At last, he had to place his gaze on the street in front of him. Could it be there was something lurking in this dark street that scared Rayshure?

But wait, why did all the street lights go off in this street? This was the Capital of the Empire!

The Capital was never stingy with light!

”Alert...” the sensitive Devil Sandy was the second to guess the situation. He pulled his knight's sword out in a swift movement. The knight on his left did not ask for the reason. They immediately changed their blissful expression that was filled with hope. Some knights lightly prepared the silvery mirror while some sneakily prepared their crossbows.

Oscar gazed carefully at the street. He touched the smooth neck of his comrade with one hand and his other hand placed on the sheath in his bag. There was no sound. It was oddly silent, but maybe the people hiding was getting impatient. A piece of broken tile suddenly fell from the ceiling in one of the houses on the street. The sound of falling tile was extremely loud! Oscar looked at the knights behind him with a smile. Everyone knew that they should notice the ceiling.

”My friend! I thank you wholeheartedly, but some things have to be done! We can't hide from it...” Oscar's words and the warmth of his palm finally touched the terrified Rayshure. Along with the sound of friction caused by hooves in the air, the tall war animal held its front legs up in a sudden movement. After a loud shriek, Rayshure's feet stepped onto the rocky road!

The Narcissus Knights behind the Prince all held their weapons. They cheered ”Andrew Haila” and rushed courageously into the empty street. At the same time, an obvious phosphorous bond flew into the air and the arrows pierced the night sky with a screech. Surely not long after, his platoon of knights would reach this location. However, O'Neil Andrew Morisette could no longer laugh. Countless archers appeared on the roof. Just when the knights were passing through it, showers of arrows fell upon them along with helpless screams. The screams of the horses and people were terrible, but Oscar did not turn back. The archers underestimated Rayshure's speed. It was quicker than the arrows and swifter than the wind! It carried its master towards the end of the street.

All of a sudden, at the corner of his eyes, Oscar saw a figure jumping off from the roof. Almost at the same instant, a lead ball connected to iron chain flew out parallel to the ground! The lead ball tied around Rayshure's hind legs. When Rayshure fell forward in anger, the assassin had tied the other end of the iron chain at a pillar supporting the horse. The huge force made the Rayshure fell on the ground. Because of the momentum, Oscar rolled onto the ground. He did not continue to move forward but chose to go back instead. He should meet with the knights who were injured from before.

The fight began in an instant. Assassins kept jumping off the roof. Along with the gleam of the weapons, the blood from intense fighting and the fire sparks from the clashing of weapons fell all over the ground. The knights who guarded the Prince were experiencing the entrapment of four to five times stronger than themselves. There were sacrifices happening every second. Also, there were screams of dying assassin every second.

Oscar's machete swung around. The blood splashed around him like colorful oil paint. He kicked his opponent's sword away and slashed his throat. Then, he turned and stepped on the wall. Using the momentum, he broke the assassin's neck with his leg. His figure appeared in a blur in the midst of weapons. Sometimes, he stepped on the chest of the assassin to roll out of the entrapment. Sometimes, he slashed at his enemy upfront without going back.

When Oscar's mind was completely focused into the fight, a figure suddenly rushed into the entrapment at a speed indistinguishable by naked eyes from behind. Oscar was alerted by the sudden figure. His reaction was only able to make him turn around rashly. This capable assassin did not cause any harm. Oscar's body flew out the moment before the dagger reached him. As Devil Sandy took the hit for the Prince, he did not forget to slash his sword at this assassin whose head was covered with black cloth. The assassin reacted quickly. With only a slight twist of his head, he avoided the sword that flew at him.

Sandinand fell to the ground heavily. The dagger buried deep in his left chest. The clotted blood in his lung made him unable to speak. He could only moan in anger.

The intense fighting suddenly became silent. It was a matter of a few seconds. There were numerous corpses lying on the ground. The thick and viscous blood slowly became a small stream that flowed between the cracks of the rocky roads. It kept spreading outwards until every crack became the trench in which blood flowed.

Oscar looked at Sandy who was on the ground. The dagger and the wound caused by it made the Prince thought of a person.

”You are the one who killed my father!” Oscar turned to the leader of the assassin who was isolated in the entrapment.

That person's eyes betrayed his thought. This made Oscar believed that he was right, but he fell into deep confusion in the person's eyes.

”Where have I seen you? I must have seen you before! I recognize your eyes!”

Without caring about the Prince's word, the few assassins moved their feet slowly. Their leader had already taken out his weapon. The smartest person among the assassins of the Imperial family did not plan to give the time for O'Neil Andrew Morisette to reminisce about the past!

One of them rushed forward. This unlucky person was sent flying into the crowd by the angry Titan Prince. Oscar did not choose to run away when the opportunity presented itself. Instead, he turned around. Only with a slash, his machete pierced the throats of two people. A sword came flying at great speed at him from behind. Oscar did not care about it. He climbed up a round pillar under the roof and held onto the pillar tightly with one leg. At the same time, he turned his body around in a swift. The knife drew a half circle and the five assassins who surrounded him immediately fell while holding their necks.

The sword was aimed at Oscar's thigh which hung onto the pillar. Without hesitation, the Prince kicked at the pillar and flew forward due to the momentum. In an instant, he slashed at the assassin. The sword of the imperial assassin finally entered Oscar's sight. He turned around to launch his attack by blocking. The machete of the God-chosen warrior performed a terrifyingly great job in the attack.

The imperial assassin ran away after one hit. His companions surrounded the Prince instead! Oscar's strong attack finally exhausted him. His machete was thrown aside by a huge sword. The intense clashing of the weapons made his hands tremble. Excruciating pain made O'Neil Andrew Morisette who was in a dangerous situation let out an angry howl similar to a wild beast. Without thinking, he bumped straight into a short knife that was aimed at him quickly. The blade did not stab him but instead locked under the man's armpit. Oscar held the person's head and bumped into it. The sound of the enemy's broken skull also made Oscar dizzy, but he hung on with gritted teeth.

The stubborn Oscar held the person tightly as he fell to the ground. After avoiding the attack of a long sword, he kicked the body of the assassin away with his legs. The body crashed into his companions. At the moment Oscar stood up, he had already taken two knives out from his boots. Without even looking at them, he flung the knives behind him!

Two assassins howled in pain as they covered their necks, but one of the assassin's attack was not stopped at all. Oscar could only move aside to avoid it, but the sneaky high-ranked imperial assassin had sent its sword out. Oscar was so angry that he gritted his teeth to the point of breaking them. He had no other way to avoid it, but to place his machete across him. The long sword slashed along the blade of the machete. A deep wound immediately appeared at Oscar's right shoulder.

Just as before, the assassin ran away after one hit. Oscar could only turn around to face his back. The battle paused for a bit, but Oscar knew that the guy was only waiting for the time he passes out due to loss of blood.

Except for this top-notch assassin, the assassins who participated in this action were all lying on the ground. Only the occasional, painful moans showed that there were a minimal number of survivors among them. Oscar retrieved his glance from the place. He tore the corner of his shirt apart and pressed the piece of cloth tightly onto his right shoulder which was oozing blood! Excruciating pain made him frowned, but it was only that. Oscar was glaring. He put his machete on his left hand and released a challenge signal with an ancient knife ceremony.

The assassin nodded slightly. He greeted Oscar with the paladin's ceremony and said to the blood-stained Oscar with suppressed voice, ”Dortmund has a respectable son!”

Oscar originally did not want to relate this guy with the situation at his father's death because this would make him go mad during this life-and-death situation. However, since this guy had reminded him, then...

The terrifying howl gushed forward along with sharp light from his machete. A hint of smile immediately appeared at the corner of the imperial assassin's mouth. Just like how he used to know, Prince O'Neil's left hand was much slower than his right hand!

Oscar's machete was sent flying from his hand from the strong block, the imperial assassin's smile was replaced by deep fear in an instant. The machete's flying angle and force hinted that it was done deliberately. The blade was swung into a circle and the destination of the swirling was actually his chest. The assassin immediately turned around and swung his sword, but Oscar's right hand had already reached out to him. The sword only blocked the air. It was at this moment that the assassin realized he made a grave mistake. He should not think the wound on his enemy's shoulder was able to make the whole right arm lose its mobility.

Oscar held the machete as familiar as he held a cutlery. Almost miraculously, he rotated his joint and the blade came aiming at the assassin from below.

The assassin had an excellent reflex. Even though the force to block the air made him upset, but his instinct still made him move the sword slightly downwards. The wide sword was stuck on the guard, but the impact of the machete still pressed the sword onto him. The assassin's eyebrows were in deadlocks. The blade that cut into his skin made him realize that he had not been injured for many years.

Just when Oscar was about to give him a deadly slash, an odd sound of metal clanking suddenly came from the assassin's sword! The Prince widened his eyes. He saw the assassin pulled a narrower, gleaming sword from his long sword with surprise.

”Inner Sword!” The assassination weapon that Thirteen mentioned had never appeared in Westland before. The now-numb O'Neil Andrew Morisette did not have much time to think. He threw his machete away. At the same time the sword swung, he approached the assassin and hit his elbow. The assassin used his shoulder to take the hit. His body staggered backward while Oscar sprung backward from the momentum.

Two of them faced each other once again. The sound of horses, as dense as a rainstorm, could be heard from the streets.

The assassin looked at his weapon without a choice. The first time he used this weapon ended with not using at all. His vexing expression was noticed by Oscar, but he did not do anything that risked his safety. The assassin placed his sword across his chest and made a sign that signaled the end of the duel with standard knight's ceremony.

Oscar laughed coldly, ”An assassin should not care about this.”

The assassin nodded lightly in self-mock, then turned around and fled. He stepped on the wall and flung himself over to the roof, but the cunning Oscar did not allow him to flee so easily. The Prince found a knife from somewhere and threw it at the place where the assassin would reach. The assassin clumsily avoided the knife, then jumped over to the other side of the house with a hideous position. A series of noise came from behind the house but fell into total silence in only a few seconds.

Oscar turned to the soldiers of Special Combat Brigade who came rushing from one side of the street. He knew there was no point in chasing at all. There was nothing left at the back of the house.