"Gentlemen..." someone tried to calm the Red Knight down, but my loud response immediately interrupted this attempt.
"Do you want to challenge me to a duel?!" I exclaimed loudly, looking straight into the eyes of the impudent knight.
He hadn't just disrespected me, he had insulted my honor and dignity, which meant practically everything in this society. And to ignore such a spit was tantamount to admitting shame and one's own weakness. The Red Knight knew this, so he deliberately heated up the situation in order to achieve what he wanted. However, at the moment, it was not a duel of swords, but a duel of words.
- I'm not surprised at all! - I continued to speak loudly, turning completely to my opponent and taking a step towards him. - You always choose the obviously weakest opponents?! How many battles has the pilot of the "Morgana's Curse" had - one or two?! And right after this vile victory you decided to challenge me! Do you think that my lack of an arm will give you an advantage?! Shame, I'll show you your place!
With that, I threw off my cloak and took another step forward, feeling the pressure rising too quickly. The blood vessels in my eyes immediately burst. Which gave me an even more devilish appearance, perfectly matching my reputation among the nobles, who considered me a monster.
"Throw down the gauntlet. I'll take it," I growled, quickly throwing the last of the painkillers into my mouth.
"You will answer for your words with blood," the Red Knight hissed through his teeth: after all, my statements made the value of his victory in today's duel questionable.
"Gentlemen, calm down!" Christina suddenly interjected. And for a moment it might even have seemed that she did not want blood to be spilled: perhaps all my suspicion was just a consequence of developing paranoia due to frequent communication with Tzeentch.
"Too much has been said," the Red Knight said sparingly, also throwing off his cloak and drawing his sword from its sheath.
- Don't forget about hospitality! My family...
"Your family rented this palace, but it does not belong to you. You are not its masters and you do not need to cover for your lover," the Red Knight was clearly not distinguished by prudence and restraint.
And because of his statement, a gloomy silence fell. He had directly insulted the most beautiful and beloved daughter of the head of the Nordan family. However, such a display of insolence was typical of the Red Knight's character, and so no one was particularly surprised. He was not liked: although few could afford to say it to his face. His family was strong and owned a devastating war machine. Although even with other Knight owners, this asshole behaved no less insolently.
Only one person could influence him, but I couldn't find him with my eyes, just like Arthur. The family that owned Camelot had left, which meant my imminent death. Although no, I won't die: I'll use magic, kill this bastard, and then... then I'll still die, but later than my enemy. The situation is hopeless anyway.
But as soon as the glove fell at my feet, a thunderous voice rang out, like thunder in the midst of a storm.
- ENOUGH!!! - Galahad, accompanied by Arthur, shouted angrily and almost furiously. - There will be no duel! Mordred, I forbid you to take the glove! I also declare that the ball is over! Everyone return home. Representatives of the Council of Camelot, report to the round table!
Immediately, whispers began to spread. Something had clearly happened. Galahad was not only in a bad mood, but he could not hide it. The darkness also lay on Arthur and his guards. Besides, the ball would not end so easily, as the emergency convocation of the Camelot council hinted at. It included the most influential aristocrats, whose families or they personally owned Knights. And to simply call them to the council… Galahad would not do it without a good reason. Something very serious had happened.
"What's going on?" Kara guessed that things were very bad, but she couldn't even imagine any events that could change Galahad's face so much. "He... he's afraid..." Fear was frozen on his face.
- Let's go, quickly, - taking my cloak and hobbling towards the exit, I took my maid by the arm and then, accompanied by my guards, went to the convoy. - It seems it has begun. Damn it, we didn't have time to do a damn thing!
Time passed by in minutes. And although I did not know what exactly had happened, my convoy was racing at full speed straight to the town where I had been elected to the council. It was small, but it was the industrial center of many fiefdoms, from the lands belonging to my branch family to the Nordans. Right now, Galahad was still only deciding on a plan of action, delaying a complex statement that could lead to panic. Only the highest nobles and the military knew about the scale of the catastrophe destined for this planet.
So we drove straight to the square in front of the town hall, forcing people to run away in front of the vehicles that were prohibited from entering there.
- Kara, find Boris, take the fourth car with you. Your and his task is to notify all my enterprises about the transition to the production of alcohol only. The distillation stills have already been purchased, but are in the warehouses of the southern fief. Tell the local nobleman that the deal must be completed right now and the fate of the world depends on it.
- But…
"Do it!" I barked, not intending to waste my energy on thinking up all the plans for my performers: she and Boris would have to take the initiative and find a way to come to an agreement.
"Lance," I immediately turned to the commander of my security.
- Yes, sir! - the mercenary stepped forward and immediately assumed a soldier's stance. He was a former veteran who had been sent into retirement due to his age. But his wisdom and skill outweighed all possible disadvantages.
- Go to all the liege lords and every vassal. Tell them that a threat is near and all forces must be ready to repel the attack. First of all, visit the nobles, their guards, and personal troops: the regular army will be dealt with without us. Then return to the mansion. Prepare for war.
"Yes!" Lance answered without further questions. He saluted and went to carry out the order.
- What do you mean by this, Mr. Mordred?! - a senior office worker ran out of the town hall, accompanied by law enforcement officers. - What's going on?! Why did you bring your armed guards to the square?! Explain yourself immediately!
"Find a loudspeaker," I threw over my shoulder to the big guy, who was from the slums and was better not to trust him with anything more serious.
On the one hand, the clouds had thickened as much as possible. I could already smell the changes and feel the changes that were rushing along with the warp storms. However, the worse everything became, the closer the catastrophe became… the more my hands were untied. The chaos of the coming events will justify any of my actions: even the most decisive and insane. And that means everything that I did not have time to do during the preparation will be done now.
- Mister Mordred! - the town hall worker again drew attention to himself, and the law enforcement officers began to tense up, squeezing the handles of their revolvers in their holsters ever tighter.
But I seemed not to hear him, and then I turned around, looking at the square, where more and more people were gathering. Citizens opened their windows, stopped on their way to the store, simply studied what was happening with curiosity. They were interested in what exactly was happening, and only the cats, feeling threatened, had already begun to hide as deep as possible in the basements. Birds did not fly, and even mosquitoes and flies hid: although there were always a decent number of insects on the square.
"Three letters…" I said quietly, looking at everything that was happening with an empty gaze.
"What did you say, Mr. Mordred?" One of the bodyguards came closer to me.
"I need to write three letters," I repeated, after which, with one wave of my hand, my guards brought everything they needed.
Right there on the spot, I began feverishly turning letters into words, then turning them into sentences. There were many possible outcomes, but only a few were likely. All of them required radical measures and direct cooperation from the authorities. However, as soon as my fountain pen touched the parchment, a flood of change blew away all my plans, changing the future once again. This time, radically.
Everything turned out to be much worse than one could have imagined.
— CITIZENS OF ALBA!!! — came a voice from the kingdom's public address system. — THE KING HAS DIED!!! THE HIGH COUNCIL OF NOBILITY HAS TAKEN THE REINS OF GOVERNMENT INTO ITS HANDS TO STABILIZATE THE SITUATION!!! THE GOVERNMENT THAT HAS BEEN FORMED WILL BE TEMPORARY!!! REMAIN CALM AND SENSE!!! THE KING'S ARMY IS MAINTAINING ORDER!!! THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!!!
At that moment, the whole world froze in incomprehension, and I, in anger, broke my fountain pen in realization, spilling ink all over what I had written. It no longer made sense. The enemy was among us: the king had not died, he had been killed. Instead of the prince, the highest nobility had seized power. It was a declaration of civil war.
And then a psychic scream echoed throughout the system. All electronics malfunctioned, even the most primitive. Generators failed. While the loudspeakers were filled with the voices of those who had no right to speak in the mortal world. Fear pierced me like a poisonous arrow and my legs gave way: I did not fall only thanks to the chair. Someone or something with monstrous power created this storm, and the place of its creation was…
"The capital," I said out loud, because it was from the north that this energy was coming, which at that moment had already taken the lives of millions of people.
"What the…," my guard drawled, looking up at the sky. "What the fuck is going on?!"
"Damn it," I groaned, standing up and trying to figure out whether my head was splitting because of the warp or because the pills were wearing off.
Anyway, I hobbled up to the deputy commander of security, then put my hand on his shoulder and whispered.
— Do you trust me?
He slowly turned his gaze from the purple skies to me, focused his gaze for a second, trying to come to his senses, and then remembered the day he became my guard. Over the years, I had managed to help many people. And these people had strong brothers, sons, grandsons, husbands, fathers, and even grandfathers. And although someone might say that this loyalty was bought, the best proof of the opposite was the guard's fame.
- With all our hearts. We are with you until the end.
I raised some from their knees, dragging them out of the slums like Boris. I saved the loved ones of others. For others, my example served as proof that every person, even the most vile and wretched, is capable of something great. And I tried to keep the best of them as close to me as possible, so that they would not betray me or sell me out. And their confidence became my additional strength.
Turning towards the town hall, towards the workers and the law enforcement service, under the gaze of everyone gathered, I took as much air as possible into my lungs and drowned out the broken loudspeakers with my shout.
— IN THE NAME OF CROWN PRINCE WILHELM, I DECLARE ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE USURPATION OF POWER TRAITORS OF FAITH, HONOR AND MORALS!!! I GIVE MY WORD THAT I WILL CALL TO ANSWER ALL OATH-BROKERS WHO DARE TO HARM OUR WORLD WITH MAGIC!!!
And my words confirmed the worst fears of everyone who heard me. The citizens stood in a stupor. Some were turning grey before our eyes, and the elderly clutched their hearts, not believing that they had lived to see such dark times. The law enforcement officers froze in bewilderment, looking at my guards, who had already drawn their weapons and pointed them at the city hall workers and the law enforcement officers themselves.
— ON BEHALF OF THE MINOR NOBILITY OF THE FEUDS OF SZCHERBTSY, ELEGEY, KRANTONAR, WHITE FIRRS AND GRAY LAND, I DECLARE MARTIAL LAW!!! I ORDER ALL MEN BETWEEN EIGHTEEN AND FORTY YEARS OF AGE TO GO TO THE MOBILIZATION POINT BEHIND THE TOWN HALL!!! I INSTRUCT EVERYONE ELSE TO TRANSFER ALL FOOD, ALL WATER, ALL SUPPLIES TO THE CELLARS AND PREPARE TO START THE EVACUATION TO CAMELOT!!! — I continued to shout, taking control of the situation and with a confident shout, not allowing panic to reign. — THE TRUTH IS WITH US!!! JUSTICE WILL TRIUMPH!!!
"Drop your weapons if you are not traitors," said my deputy security guard much more quietly, looking at the town hall and law enforcement officers who still did not understand anything.
There were more of them, but our fingers were already on the triggers. Besides, victory was never determined by numbers. One man, ready to risk everything and personally shoot every enemy, the one in whom the light of an idea shone much brighter, was worth hundreds of those who doubted and were not ready to die. And so, although there were more of them, everyone threw down their weapons, not intending to risk their lives. After all, if a shootout had begun, they might have won, but many would have died.
Besides, judging by everything, they were not traitors and they themselves were very surprised by what was happening. However, I was going to sort it out later. First, I had to take power into my own hands, subjugate the army and not let the traitors stage a bloody coup. Not for the sake of the king, but for the sake of saving people, because nothing good was to be expected from the creators of the storm in the warp.
"Mr. Mordred, I found a megaphone," the big guy finally ran up to me.
- Great, now take it, get in the car and alert the whole city. And turn off those loudspeakers! - I exclaimed, pointing to the public address system. - They don't work and their terrible hum demoralizes the population!
And then we took the town hall into custody. The nobles who were there at that moment, and all the workers were effectively in our captivity. If suddenly one of the families decided to betray Alba, then the reprisal would not take long. And I really hoped that the news of my seizure of power would reach everyone's ears as soon as possible. However, first...
"We are announcing the gathering of banners. It is time to fulfill the oath," I told the people in the assembly hall. Well, of course, everyone agreed with me, because they actually had no choice.
The one who wielded the greatest power was always right. And thanks to my speed, I became strong, without hesitation or hesitation, taking the most radical measures. While the Nordan family had not yet even left Camelot, and the rest were waiting for some signs of who would definitely win, I decided to take control of the situation myself. I did not know the king, did not know whether he was good or bad, but in my soul there burned a bright conviction that the followers of chaos could not be allowed to gain the upper hand. No matter whether it was Nurgle or Tzeentch, everything would be much worse than it was.
The others did not understand this, for they had not seen Tzeentch in person, had not witnessed the last days of Draekernor. To them, Chaos was simply... an opportunity to realize their goals. These fools did not realize that Chaos was not their tool, but they were the tool of Chaos. Only a fool could think he could control something he could not even understand. Though I myself was not far behind them, to think I could resist such power.
The first to respond to my call were the law enforcement agencies and the military police. They were based right in the town, monitoring the observance of order by citizens and soldiers. The latter, by the way, although they were very respected in society, sometimes became arrogant and could cross red lines when visiting pubs. Afterwards, the commander of the military unit assigned to the city contacted me. He also declared his loyalty to the king.
However, there were still noble armies. And they should not be underestimated. If they combined their power, they could crush the regular troops, because some of them owned Knights. And considering that the king was dead, and probably the crown prince too… then the royal family had fallen along with its machines. This could make some strong nobles decide that they could turn from barons to counts. And if others followed them… the civil war would be lost.
"Will Camelot definitely support us?" the military police commander asked me as we carried out a comprehensive mobilization together, preparing to immediately move against any of the feudal lords who decided to refuse the gathering of banners.
- If Galahad also betrayed us, and I was wrong... then all my plans were wrong from the start and there is no point in doing anything. Therefore, I refuse to believe in his betrayal.
The commander nodded, after which he began cursing at his subordinates, who for some reason had not yet gone to the brick factory. The enemy could attack from anywhere, at any moment: after all, no one knew exactly how many traitors there were on the planet and how many nobles had fallen into the clutches of chaos.
However, everyone agreed with me - no half measures, everything must be done for the sake of victory at any cost.
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