Book 3: Chapter 130 (1) |
According to Martin’s intelligence, King Kant’s land boat was designed to move at a precise speed, arriving at the border of the Royal District and Upper District exactly at midnight.
At the same time, thousands of paper lanterns embedded with recording stones would be released into the sky.
Leon took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his eyes fixed on the approaching King Kant and his army.
Once upon a time, he, like those royal guards, had taken pride in defending the nation and its king, even willing to risk his life for it.
But what he got in return was the Empire’s betrayal and slander.
To the Empire, all people and events were merely tools for the ruling class to secure their own interests. Even this war was nothing but a meticulously designed chess game.
But when a chess piece broke free from their control, they would stop at nothing to hunt it down to the ends of the earth.
And now, that rogue chess piece had returned.
“Dong—Dong—Dong—”
The midnight bell tolled precisely.
With the heavy, ancient chime, countless paper lanterns slowly rose into the night sky, illuminating it as bright as day.
At that moment, the massive land boat came to a stop at the border of the Royal District and Upper District.
King Kant slowly stepped to the bow, looking down at the masses below.
He had the arrogance of a king, but lacked a king’s presence.
Leon watched him quietly, waiting for his moment.
“My dear subjects, another Thousand Lantern Festival has arrived. On behalf of the Empire’s royal family, I thank you all for your outstanding contributions to the Empire over the past year!”
Outstanding contributions, meaning:
Paying taxes they shouldn’t have to, joining armies they shouldn’t have joined, doing work they shouldn’t have done…
Even those outside the Lionheart Society were well aware of the Empire’s dark underbelly.
But who dared to tear off that hypocritical mask?
When the lofty king uttered these insincere words, whether people had seen through the Empire’s true face or not, their only response was to cheer and applaud.
After a few brief words of thanks, King Kant basked in the crowd’s cheers.
As the applause gradually faded, he spoke again,
“Alright, don’t let my and Elizabeth’s presence disrupt the Thousand Lantern Festival tradition. Everyone, please continue releasing your paper lanterns!”
Phew—
Finally.
The crowd on the streets let out a collective sigh of relief.
And this was the moment Leon and the Lionheart Society had been waiting for.
At midnight, all five districts of the Empire released their paper lanterns together. At the same time, Lionheart Society members seized the moment to activate the recording stones hidden within the lanterns.
As his master had once told Leon, the world was a vast, intricate machine, and all you needed to do was be a good screw.
But tonight, Leon refused to be a screw manipulated by others.
He wanted to take control of this machine and make it run his way.
As the citizens and King Kant admired the lanterns, countless beams of light began to flicker within them.
The light, like sparks of a prairie fire, spread from the distant Slum District all the way to the Upper District, even reaching the Royal District.
Even non-magic users could tell that the light wasn’t from the lanterns themselves but from some kind of magical glow.
This peculiar, spectacular sight immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“What’s that…?”
“Mommy, Mommy, it’s so pretty! Look, there’s more over there!”
“Is that… the light of recording stones? But who’d put so many recording stones in lanterns?”
“No… instead of asking ‘who would,’ better ask ‘who could.’ The newspaper said these lanterns were specially made by the royals. If this isn’t some new royal event, then whoever did this… has some serious guts.”
…
King Kant looked up at the glowing lanterns in the sky, his brows furrowed, and asked in a low voice,
“Who arranged that? Why wasn’t I informed beforehand?”
A nearby guard quickly bowed, “Your Majesty, this… this isn’t part of our planned proceedings…”
Kant froze slightly, “Are those recording stones glowing in there?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
If it wasn’t arranged by the royals, then someone was clearly up to no good.
And with so many recording stones… if they were meant to broadcast a message or display some footage, the entire nation would see it.
As the ruler of the nation, Kant wouldn’t allow anything that could threaten his throne. He immediately ordered,
“Issue the command: shoot down every lantern in the sky!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
But before the guard could relay the order, Kant saw a black figure slowly step forward in front of the land boat.
The royal guards raised their spears and muskets, aiming at the figure.
Kant stared at the figure, narrowing his eyes, “And who’s that…?”
“Stop!”
The royal guard captain brandished a longsword, its tip pointed at the black-robed figure,
“One more step, and you’re dead!”
The figure in the black hooded cloak stopped in place.
But not because of the captain’s threat.
He calmly pulled a paper lantern from under his cloak and, under the slightly stunned gazes of the royal guards, unhurriedly unfolded it.
At that moment, a breeze blew past, knocking off the cloak’s hood.
Black hair swayed in the wind, revealing a face marked with faint scars.
Someone recognized him instantly.
“L-Leon Kasmod!! It’s Leon!!”
“All units, prepare for combat!”
Their tension was expected—after all, in a sense, the threat Leon posed was no less than that of any Dragon King.
But facing dozens of muskets and hundreds of blades, Leon remained calm and composed.
He held the lantern entrusted with the hopes of Teacher Carolyn and the entire Kasmod Welfare Home, snapping his fingers at the fuel port.