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Chapter 94

Theodor's golden eyes met Heinz's yellow eyes.

But they only held each other's gaze—no question or answer passed between them.

"...I see. Understood."

It was Theodor who first broke the heavy silence.

"Then there's no helping it."

With his usual detached expression, Theodor's body began to glow white. Soon, with a sound like tearing and cracking, something shifted.

Animalization.

A massive brown bear, as large as seven burly men combined, appeared before the Imperial Knights.

Pudeudeuk. The armor, shattered into pieces and barely clinging to the bear's broad shoulders, fell to the ground.

——!!!!

With a roar that seemed otherworldly, the brown bear charged forward.

Startled by the beast's cry, the knights—unable to fight or flee—were sent flying like dolls as the bear crashed through them.

In an instant, the bear broke through the Imperial Knights and headed for the gate—screams came from the palace walls.

One terrified knight, shouting in fear, drew his bow. Hwik—an arrow flew through the air toward the bear.

The knight was a skilled archer. Despite his fear, the shot was precise—aiming straight for the center of the bear's back.

The other knights on the wall followed the arrow's flight with their eyes. They expected it to thunk into the bear's back—but—

Ting.

With a hollow sound, the arrow bounced off the bear's hide.

As it fell to the ground, the bear seemed not to notice—focused only on breaking through.

The sheer disparity in power demoralized not only the knights on the wall but also those before the gate. Their sword arms wavered.

"You forgot to take off your armor again, didn't you."

Demi Rune murmured proudly as he watched Theodor's overwhelming might.

Just then, a knight pushed through the scattered forces and raised a long spear. Watching it, Demi Rune gave a wry smile.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to claim I forgot this time too."

At the same time, Demi Rune's body glowed. In an instant, a moon bear animalized, shedding its shattered armor and lunging forward.

The moon bear blocked the spear aimed at the brown bear—the long shaft snapped in two and fell to the ground.

"Oh?"

Rib, having dismounted and was now fighting through the Sled Dog Knights blocking her path, tilted her head as she looked at Pallas.

"Why that expression, Lady Pallas? From your face, one might think we're losing."

"...When the Imperial Knight recognized Nuke instead of me. It's common knowledge that the Empire's great sage favors the Grizzlies."

The fact that the knight had recognized Nuke and been shocked seemed to have stung. Rib smiled softly and removed her hood.

"You've been in seclusion for a hundred years. It's only natural that people today wouldn't know you."

Before Pallas could react to the harsh truth, Rib ran forward.

With a tearing sound, Rib's body also emitted light.

The appearance of a polar bear—rarely seen in the central region—shocked the knights again. Glowing even whiter in the summer sun, the polar bear charged in a streak of light.

With a brown bear, a moon bear, and a polar bear joining forces, even armed knights couldn't hold.

"Ah, no...!"

The knights had no time to lament. The moment a path opened, the three bears raced madly toward the gate.

Raising a gale, the bears charged at the palace gate with all their momentum.

The three massive bears' body slams shook the barrier surrounding the gate.

But that was all. The barrier that had protected the Albero palace for centuries didn't budge.

Just as the knights sighed in relief, the bears charged again.

Thud! Zing...

Again the barrier shook, but held firm. The bears, tireless, kept up their rhythmic slams. After five repetitions—

Kwoong!

A vibration like an earthquake accompanied by a deep sound.

The barrier didn't break—but the iron gate behind it buckled. And it was made of solid steel.

"No—we can't let this continue!"

Just as the startled knights regained their composure and moved toward the bears—

"Stop!"

Before the knights stood the Knight Commander himself.

"Sir Hedwig...?"

"We must stop them!"

As the knights protested, Heinz shook his head firmly.

"Think calmly. Has the palace barrier ever been breached?"

"......!"

"The barrier only deactivates when the gate is opened. Even if the gate is destroyed, the barrier remains. Their actions are meaningless."

Though he spoke with conviction, Heinz was uneasy inside.

It was sophistry. The palace gate had never been destroyed—so there was a real possibility the barrier would fall with it.

Still, he asserted it.

The Count had come this far to see his daughter. Bringing armed knights to storm the palace meant Ber was in grave danger.

He couldn't stand by and do nothing—he wanted to do something.

"Verdiana healed the lung disease I was told was incurable. To repay that debt, I would do anything."

"Yes. Even at the cost of my life."

Yes—just like that young man.

"And rather than focusing on them, you should watch your backs."

To the knights, who seemed convinced, Heinz introduced a new topic with a tilt of his chin.

Turning to look, they saw a standoff already forming behind them.

The Sled Dog Knights, ready to clash with the Imperial Knights at any moment to cover the three bears.

Sword against sword. Spear against spear. Bow against bow—a tense standoff.

Neither side attacked, awaiting orders from the Knight Commander and the Captain.

Thud, thud, thud.

The pounding of the knights' hearts mixed with the bears' battering of the gate.

Kwoong, kwooong, kwaaang!

Just as the gate seemed to scream, about to give way—

Both sides readied their weapons. The battle was about to begin.

"Fire!"

A voice came from a completely unexpected direction—a volley of arrows rained down on the three bears from the right.

"Oh no."

As the three bears instinctively turned right, Pallas quickly erected a barrier to block the arrows.

But the arrow barrage didn't stop. Communicating with Pallas by eye, Theodor signaled retreat—the attack continued until the bears returned to the Sled Dog Knights' formation.

The force that had rushed from the right stopped before the Imperial Knights.

"We've come under imperial command! The Ritten Knights will also support the Imperial Knights!"

"We, the Vertier Knights, have also received the command."

"We too have joined to follow His Majesty's orders!"

With reinforcements, the Imperial Knights cheered. Their morale, which had dropped against the bears' overwhelming power, seemed to rise.

"Sir Hedwig. Congratulations on finally attaining the position of Knight Commander."

Étienne Vertier, head of the Vertier Viscount house and Captain of the Vertier Knights—who had provided covering fire—approached Heinz.

Though he greeted with a hearty laugh, there was a subtle disrespect in his expression.

The knights who had joined under imperial command—and their captains and lords.

These pro-Imperial nobles, supporters of the current Emperor, were all from prestigious families or served them.

They surely knew that Heinz was a man who had been half-cast out from the Hedwig family.

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