It was too chaotic to tell how many were coming. The Owlbear's gaze turned toward the one who had just spoken.
"Encrid?"
The beast saw a familiar face and instinctively called his name.
Encrid glanced around, first assessing those who had arrived and the man wearing the feathered hat before fixing his gaze on the beast.
Their eyes met. In that moment, Encrid organized a few facts in his mind.
The opponent knows him.
The opponent is likely a noble.
They are connected to the Black Blade Bandits.
They are in the process of transforming into a monster.
They know how to use that transformation.
Their brown eyes resemble someone familiar.
A name surfaced. A trained body, a stench of indulgence, someone who always emphasized manners.
Someone he hadn't seen for a while. But wasn't that person serving under Count Molsen?
If that's the case, does this mean Count Molsen and the Black Blade Bandits are in league together?
A few new questions arose, but Encrid had a good idea of who he was facing, so he spoke.
"Viscount of Bentra?"
Just from looking, he could identify them. His finely-tuned instincts told him so.
It was then that Bentra realized why these people looked familiar.
They were the ones he had brushed past once while entering the Royal Palace.
And as soon as he recognized that, he pushed off the ground.
He intended to flee.
Because he knew what these people—those from the so-called 'Madmen Platoon'—had done.
But his escape was unsuccessful.
Whoosh!
As soon as he jumped, a disc flew overhead.
His instincts reacted as soon as he heard the sound. If he jumped upward, he would die!
It was an absurdly fast throwing axe. Even his transformed, monstrous body couldn't withstand it, so he dodged.
Instead of jumping upward, the Owlbear lowered its head. It crouched down, halting its attempt to escape.
"Yes, I'll cut you down."
The blonde swordsman approached, speaking as he came closer.
He was the one radiating that ominous aura since earlier.
No sooner had he finished speaking, he rushed forward, his sword striking downward like lightning from above.
The monster-transformed Bentra crossed his arms upward to block, feathers puffing out across his body.
Clang! Crack, snap!
The blade seemed to be stopped, but it still cut halfway through his arms.
"Kraaaah!"
A terrifying scream erupted, a mix of human and monster agony.
"This is for our comrades."
During that moment, Asia, who had accompanied Encrid, thrust her slender sword toward his heart.
She had been standing quietly behind Encrid as if she wasn't there, before darting forward with a lethal strike.
'Damn it!'
The Owlbear tensed the muscles in its chest and leapt back, preventing the sword from piercing his heart.
With a soft thunk, the thin blade slid in between feathers, muscles, and flesh, and then out again.
As the sword withdrew, a stream of darkened blood followed.
The opponent was a Junior-Knight of the order.
No, that wasn't even the real issue.
There were at least five others here with similar skill to Junior-Knight Asia.
Whether he turned into an Owlbear or an ancient, legendary Owlbear, it wouldn't have mattered.
From the start, this was a fight he couldn't win. He was here to search for something, not to fight. In other words, the battle would be over by the time the moon rose.
If the Junior-Knights or the Knight Order hadn't stepped in, maybe things would've been different. But since they had, this was the inevitable outcome.
The surprising part was that Krang had sent guards and that the head of security himself had intervened.
Then again, at least a few people were concerned about the city's safety and order, so it wasn't all bad.
Oooh!
Bentra let out a few more howls.
"Shit!"
He endured while cursing out loud.
"Spare me!"
In the end, he begged for his life.
Watching this, the Southern Border Guard Commander in the feathered hat momentarily blamed himself for not recognizing his opponent.
'They're all monsters.'
What else could you call someone with the skill to toy with a literal monster like an Owlbear?
Only then did he realize that the rumors about the Border Guard were true.
Even in the Capital, people still called it nonsense, saying it was exaggerated talk.
'Bastards, they don't know anything.'
The Guard Commander, who had narrowly escaped death, felt a strong urge to rip apart the mouth of the bastard who had been spouting such crap.
The Owlbear, who had been holding on and on, had a hole punched through its thigh, and its head was smashed. Finally, its neck was half-severed by an axe blade.
Splurt!
Bentra, who had been entertaining the onlookers, collapsed to the ground, blood gushing out as dark crimson under Rem's handiwork.
He fell forward, face-first, collapsing as if his legs gave out.
As the blood of the beast drained out from his fatal wounds, the transformation was undone. He returned to his human form.
The feathers fell away, and his entire body shuddered. The flow of blood, which had been gushing out, began to slow significantly.
Just because he returned to a human didn't mean his fatal injuries disappeared.
"Cough."
Lying on the ground, Bentra coughed up blood, and Encrid approached, crouching down in front of him.
"Why are you here?"
He asked.
Of course, Bentra had no intention of answering.
However, as death approached, regret surged within Bentra, and he spoke with resentment.
"Unfair…"
His resentment wasn't directed at Encrid.
It was aimed at the one who had turned him into this.
Indulging in desire and pleasure was just a side effect, not something he had truly wanted. Though he had lost his humanity when he turned into a monster, in his dying moments, he regained a part of it. That's why he felt it was unfair.
"How did you become a monster?"
Encrid asked.
"Drug… a drug…"
Bentra muttered as he died.
The light in his eyes slowly dimmed. He would die soon.
Encrid couldn't ask any more questions. Bentra summoned all his remaining strength.
Without revealing this, he wouldn't be able to rest, even in death.
"I'm not the last one."
Count Molsen nodded as he received the report.
"He was discovered and killed earlier than expected."
The subordinate standing in the middle of the study said, while the Count, leaning back in his chair, answered indifferently.
"It's fine. He was a discard anyway."
Was it Encrid and his group again?
They were certainly causing quite a headache.
Even so, the Count was sincere when he said it was fine.
"Is the preparation ready?"
"Less than two weeks left."
"Good."
It would be a night lit by the full moon. The Count, who had been enjoying wine by moonlight, set his glass down and spoke.
"Let's see in two weeks, Your Majesty the Queen."
By then, whether he or the Queen would sit on the throne would be clear.
In front of Bentra's corpse—now back in human form—the Southern Border Guard Commander in the feathered hat saluted Encrid.
"Please forgive my earlier rudeness."
"There's no need for that."
Guarding the gate was simply part of the job, after all.
"We're grateful for your assistance."
The Commander said.
Encrid brushed it off. He figured anyone in his position would have done the same.
What concerned him more was what Viscount Bentra had said before crossing the river.
"But, are you sure it's okay for you to be away from your post?"
Encrid asked Matthew. He didn't know what was happening inside the palace, but he understood that it wasn't an ordinary situation.
So why had Krang's bodyguard come here?
"If there are no people, there is no country. If there are no citizens, there is no King."
Matthew replied. Encrid understood. It must have been a message from Krang.
If you turned a blind eye to people being killed by the Beast of the Moonlight and still claimed to be King, it wouldn't mean anything to him.
That resonated deeply with Encrid.
Krang was the kind of person who made you want to help, naturally.
"Anyway, it seems like we handled things well."
Encrid spoke, and Rem, feeling a bit let down, suggested they spar.
Ragna wiped off the blood and grease from her sword.
On one side, Dunbachel picked up her curved blade and nodded.
"Good, this."
She seemed completely satisfied after being handed what had once been in the assassin's possession.
"But was there another guy with that stench?"
Encrid asked. Dunbachel shook her head.
"I didn't see anyone with a similar smell."
Then, what else was out there?
And if there was more, would it have stayed this quiet?
Was there more than one Moonlight Beast?
No, the enemy had indulged in the blood of the beast. They succumbed to their instincts, seeking pleasure through the tool of slaughter.
Even without the words of the Southern Gate Guard Commander, this was a conclusion drawn from the information gathered during their investigation.
Encrid wondered if Bentra had just been babbling nonsense as he was dying, but at that moment, Bentra had been sincere.
Encrid wasn't dull enough to miss that.
So what was out there? What was left?
It wasn't in the Capital.
So what was it? What else was there?
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke.
"Count Molsen is making chimeras."
With that one sentence, Encrid reached his conclusion.
"Hey, we need to report this to the palace right away."
Asia said, and then she left. It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night, this was something urgent.
"That."
Before she left, Matthew approached. In the end, they hadn't even gotten to see him use his whip.
The ones who had taken down the Owlbear were Rem, Ragna, Dunbachel, and Asia.
"Do you have something to say?"
Matthew, after hesitating a few times, seemed to steel himself, biting his teeth once before opening his mouth.
"Help my Lord."
"Alright."
"When danger comes, just once…"
"Okay."
"…Hmm?"
"I said I'd help."
What did he think was the reason Encrid hadn't left and gone home yet?
It was to fight alongside Krang after seeing what he had set in motion.
Krang would become the King Naurillia needed.
Moreover, by sending his whip guard here, he had added actions to his words, proving his intent.
He said he would care for the country, the people, and the citizens.
He said he would become that kind of King.
At the same time, he had said they would become friends.
If he was that kind of person, even if Encrid didn't become his Knight right away, it was more than enough reason to wield a sword for him.
Encrid had already thought about it, so his answer came quickly.
It was so quick that Matthew was taken aback by it.
"He's not someone who'll stop by my side. So I won't even ask for help."
That was something Krang had said directly.
He had said he would handle this matter with his own strength. It was a gamble, but if it wasn't a gamble, he wouldn't be able to win.
"Then."
Matthew also turned and left.
By the time morning came after the night passed, a piece of news reached Andrew's estate.
It wasn't about what had happened that night.
The news of Viscount Bentra's death had been buried. Everyone was keeping quiet about it.
Even the story of capturing the Moonlight Beast had already been forgotten.
The news that was delivered was about the upcoming ceremony to grant the Grand Duke title.
It was a signal sent by Krang.
Perhaps because of that, Asia didn't show up anymore.
It felt empty without her, after spending several days together.
"What's going on? Isn't that Junior-Knight coming anymore?"
Rem was looking for her.
"There's a title-granting ceremony coming up. She's probably busy."
Encrid answered, drenched in sweat. He also felt regretful.
'If I could have sparred a hundred, no, two hundred more times, it would've been good.'
Then, he might have been able to break through the tip of her sword.
Of course, it would take a lot more time to truly overwhelm and defeat Asia.
Still, it was a shame.
She was an opponent he wanted to face dozens, hundreds more times.
"Well, since it's disappointing, I'll just have to beat up the Captain. Let's go."
Rem, clicking his tongue, scratched the itch that had been bothering him. Encrid felt the same way.
The internal affairs of the Royal Palace were changing day by day, all according to Krang's plan.
And Krang was adding fuel to the fire.
"Are we just going to sit by and watch? A Grand Duke!"
"Is he digging his own grave?"
It was something that had made all the nobles rise in uproar.
In a palace where a Marquis title was the highest rank, the Queen had declared she would bestow the title of Grand Duke on Krang.
"Where has Viscount Bentra gone?"
Viscount Mernes asked.
He was the one who had unified all the factions in the palace.
The reason the scattered factions had come together was largely due to the existence of Krang on the other side.
Having gathered the support of Marcus Visar and several other nobles, Krang had immediately aligned himself with the Queen, aiming to receive the title of Grand Duke.
Everything he did was a threat to the noble class.
From institutional reforms aimed at strengthening royal power, everything he did was something they couldn't just sit back and watch.
It was clear that he needed to be eliminated. He was a danger to the entire noble class.
Although the Queen appeared to be backing him, the rule was always to remove the loudest voice first.
'Is he being arrogant just because he has the Queen's support?'
Viscount Mernes judged that everything Krang was doing was ultimately the Queen's will.
'Why, Your Majesty…'
This would eventually lead to catastrophe.
It was inevitable. The factions had united, and the power they gathered would cause problems if not unleashed.
The Queen was digging her own grave.
The title-granting ceremony was set for a week later.
Viscount Mernes began to move the Assassination Guild.
He also used the power that had supported him from behind.
The remaining forces of the Black Blade Bandits entered the palace.
He placed his loyal members among the Royal Guard.
He also informed those Knights who had defected of the call to arms.
'This is loyalty.'
The tide had already turned.
Civil war would only rot the country from within.
So, the best solution was to quell everything before it even began.
If the Queen insisted on using her newly found brother as a shield.
'That brother will die.'
Then the Queen would no longer pull stunts like this. She would simply become a puppet sitting on the throne.
After that, the true King would take his place.
'That's where my job ends.'
The Viscount muttered quietly.
Everything would end the day before the title-granting ceremony.