Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 176
◈ 176. [Side Story] The night before the party (2)
“…….”
Serenade was looking down at the pile of documents on her desk..
The document was littered with cipher text, and she had just deciphered it and read it..
“Phew.”
Serenade swept her aching forehead with her fingertips..
Even more than she thought, the information gathering power of the Winter Silver Merchant Marine was powerful..
We were able to conduct extensive research into the information Ash instructed us to gather..
The problem was the content.
‘too sensitive.’
Due to extensive research, most of the information was fragmentary and fragmentary..
The brilliant Serenade was able to instantly read the overall flow just by scanning the fragments of information..
‘This is information that could be fatal to the imperial family..’
That's probably why Ash ordered this to be investigated..
But collecting this information itself is too dangerous..
Ash really... … Do you think this information can save the Winter Silver upper class??
It was then.
Ping- Ping-
I heard the sound of something cutting through the air outside the window..
“huh?”
At the same time as Serenade raises his head curiously,
Clang!
The window broke and arrows with fire fell inside..
Grumbling-!
The fire quickly spread into the building. Serenade became thoughtful and jumped up from her seat..
‘What is this??!’
no way… … Did you get stepped on??
Has someone noticed that Wintersilver has been collecting this information and is trying to eliminate it? Otherwise, has the extinction that Ash talked about already begun??
“Cough, cluck, cluck!”
Many thoughts crossed my mind, but I had to escape from here first. Serenade covered her mouth with a cloth and tried to leave the room..
Then suddenly my feet stopped..
Even if the gold and silver treasures and silk piled up in the upper chamber's room burn, it doesn't matter..
I had to protect the information Ash told me to gather..
Serenade hurriedly unfolded her coat, stuffed a bundle of documents into it, and left the room with the rolled-up coat in her arms..
The flames in the fire arrows may have been magically treated, but the flames quickly spread to the building..
“miss!”
“Lord of the top!”
When I came out, I saw other workers struggling to put out the fire. Serenade shouted..
“Stay calm and exit the building! Check to see if anyone is left! Let’s evacuate first.!”
A magical flame cannot be extinguished by ordinary human hands. It's better to evacuate quickly.
Under Serenade's instructions, the workers began to leave in an orderly manner..
Serenade looked around the hallway one last time and then tried to take the stairs downstairs..
That's what I was going to do until I found another maid suffocating on the other side of the hallway..
“……!”
Serenade urgently ran to the maid, quickly supported her by her shoulders and raised her body..
Grumbling-
The fire grew stronger. The black smoke emitted from the burning building obscured my eyes..
Serenade gritted her teeth, feeling herself suffocating..
***
Elise and I ran towards the building on top of Winter Silver, which was engulfed in flames..
The fire demon flickers its tongue and consumes the tall and splendid building..
Crowds of people are pouring sea water on the side to put out the fire, but the flames do not go away..
“serenade girl!”
Elise screamed and ran towards the building..
Elise shouted to the people at the top who were struggling to put out the fire in the building..
“Where is the serenade girl??!”
“Well, you haven't seen it since a while ago.…….”
Elise looked at the building burning red with a white face..
“Then, by any chance, you couldn't evacuate.……?”
The building is already completely engulfed in fire and it is impossible to go inside..
Well done!
Despite this, Elise poured a bucket of sea water on her head and tried to jump inside..
I urgently grabbed Elise's shoulder..
“Wait a minute, Elise! what are you doing now!”
“You wouldn't know it if you looked at it! If you're inside, I have to go save you.!”
“Are you crazy?! If you go in there, you too will burn to death.!”
“If the Master is in there! If you can't get out!”
Elise spat out fiercely..
“Then I too will burn to death together..”
“…….”
“If that's the last thing I can do for you, I will do it..”
For a moment, I was hesitating whether I should stop this twisted loyalty or just let it do what it wants..
“You don't have to do that, Elise..”
A weak voice came from next to me..
I was surprised and saw a woman covered in a gray robe among the people screaming..
It was a serenade. The face visible through the robe was covered in soot..
“We escaped before the building burned completely. call……!”
“serenade!”
“master!”
“Shh.”
Serenade, with her index finger on her lips, stumbled and headed towards the dock..
“Come this way.”
At the pier, a Winter Silver upper-class yacht, which I had previously ridden on, was waiting..
“Let's get out of here first..”
Elise quickly rushed to the captain's cabin and began preparing to set sail..
Serenade entered the ship's cabin and collapsed..
I sat across from him and urgently asked.
“It's okay, serenade?”
“I am okay. Cough! Rather, the information you told me to gather is…….”
With a devastated face, Serenade held out what she was holding dearly in her arms..
“Because I was late in getting out, it all burned down.…….”
The wad of paper Serenade held out was all scorched and the ink had evaporated, making it impossible to make out what it contained..
“I'm sorry, sir... … If I had escaped quickly, the information would have been safe, but our people were suffocated by the smoke and collapsed. I can't leave it alone.”
“…….”
“Although I am a merchant in name and identity, I still don't know what is more important... … Slow to judge. Although this information is more valuable than anything else,…….”
“No, serenade. you did it right.”
I smiled and carefully squeezed Serenade's soot-covered hand..
“Nothing is more important than people.”
“…….”
Serenade looked at me with blank eyes..
The yacht departed. The ship broke through the waves and sailed off the coast toward the inland sea..
Instead of burning the burned documents, Serenade organized and told me the remaining information in her head one by one..
The details of information that were already fragmentary became even more blurred, and the blurry links between information crumbled..
Serenade was unable to remember some information at all, perhaps due to shock from leaving the scene of the fire..
But it was enough. In any case, what I needed was not detailed information, but the minimum basis on which I could use my tongue..
I nodded..
“Thank you for your hard work, Serenade. that's enough.”
“I am… … Dear Sir, I wonder if it was of any help to you.?”
“of course.”
Relief flashed across Serenade's face beneath her robe..
This time, I took out what I had brought from my arms to her. Serenade was dumbfounded and she took it..
“Sir, this is……?”
“This is an invitation to a victory party..”
The final battle of the imperial capital will take place tomorrow..
This is the ticket to enter the party..
“…….”
After accepting the invitation, Serenade remained still. I tilted my head..
“what's the matter?”
“No, the reason you invited me to such a big event of the imperial family... … Because it's my first time.”
But eventually Serenade returned the invitation to me..
“But, sir. I'm really sorry... … I don't think I can attend.”
“why?”
“…….”
Serenade, who hesitated, slowly took off her robe..
I took a small breath..
Her once beautiful blue hair was scorched at the ends and curled unsightly, and her once white skin was burnt by the fire and turned red in places..
Serenade muttered while avoiding my gaze..
“How can I attend the royal party like this?.”
“…….”
“It's a place where celebrities from all over the world gather, but if someone named Dan Sang-ju of Winter Silver shows up like this... … everyone will laugh.”
Serenade's head lowered further and lower..
“More than anything… … Like this, I can't stand next to you tomorrow..”
“…….”
“If that's the case, I'd rather not go at all.…….”
I held that serenade's hand tightly..
“serenade. Let me tell you this. i need you tomorrow.”
“yes……?”
“To save your Wintersilver family. Also, to confirm the path forward for my southern front. You must come to the party tomorrow.”
This fire made it clear. The imperial family is already trying to eliminate the Wintersilver family..
Is it because they stole information that should not be touched, or is it because the time has come for extinction, or both?.
To survive, Serenade must attend the party tomorrow..
Because there is always a way out through death..
“…….”
Serenade's soot-covered face hardened when she heard that I needed her..
Her silver eyes closed tightly, then opened brightly with determination..
“……If so, I will definitely go. Even if it gets worse than this, I will stand at the party..”
I nodded heavily..
We had a long discussion afterwards about what to do at the party tomorrow..
It wasn't until late at night that we returned to the port..
The building at the top had already completely burned down, leaving only a pile of ashes, and only a few people were visible at the top cleaning up the wreckage..
‘It wasn't even a form of arrest, just a magic fire arrow attack and they got away.…….’
No matter how you look at it, it's a secret tactic..
I realized that Serenade's road to the party tomorrow was going to be difficult..
“elise.”
The ship reached the port, and just before getting off, I asked Elise a little question..
“You must have the confidence to protect the serenade.?”
Elise growled, anticipation radiating from her royal blue eyes..
“Even if it takes this life.”
“Save your life…….”
Still, the escort of this SSR grade swordsman is trustworthy..
“cheer up.”
I tapped Elise on the shoulder. Elise suddenly opened her eyes and glanced at me..
Serenade quickly gave instructions to the workers waiting at the port..
The message was that the fire control was at an end and everyone should return to the Wintersilver family mansion to strengthen defenses..
“Please return to your villa now, my lord. I ordered the carriage to be prepared..”
A serenade came to me. I made a chin gesture.
“you?”
“It looks like the place I'm in is going to be dangerous, so I'm not going back to my family tonight... … I want to be on this sea with Elise.”
Serenade smiled bitterly and stroked the ends of her burnt hair with her hand..
“I'm getting ready to go to the party tomorrow..”
I grinned..
“I'm not looking forward to it.”
“Don't expect anything.…….”
Serenade seemed to be so worried that the ground fell and she sighed..
The ship with Elise and Serenade set out to sea again..
I waved at the serenade who repeatedly bowed to me on the boat, and then I walked toward the carriage prepared by the Winter Silver merchant..
And then I made up my mind.
For the Southern Front. And to conquer this harsh game.
With serenade…….
Tomorrow, I'm going to break off the engagement..
***
next day.
Finally, the morning of the victory party dawned..
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