Chapter 62: It turns out he has always been a loyal minister

After the soldiers left, Uther returned inside.

“Miss, are you satisfied with my performance?”

“Yes.”

Fratina nodded. “Now, tell me about your ties to the royal family.”

“Alright…”

Uther explained that years ago, he was a captain in the royal guard, stationed at the palace gates. He’d seen many royals, but young Christine left the deepest impression—gentle and kind, unlike the aloof nobles. She was beloved by the guards.

Uther had hoped she’d one day become queen.

But Duncan, consolidating power, purged dissenters. Uther was exiled to Notting City on trumped-up charges, serving there from his prime into his nearing retirement.

Fratina, noting his scruffy beard and weary demeanor, saw he hadn’t fared well.

“If you resented Duncan, why stay here willingly?”

“…”

Uther gave a bitter smile. “I’m a coward, I suppose. With the royal family gone, resistance seemed futile. I couldn’t defy Duncan. He spared me, maybe to avoid more bloodshed.”

“But after being demoted, my career was over. So I just lingered in Notting City.”

“You’re lucky, then. With all the trouble around here, you’re still in charge.”

“Maybe this reinforcement is my replacement.”

Uther looked at Fratina. “You know about the kingdom’s troops coming here?”

“Not at first. I overheard soldiers talking as I snuck in. Can you give me details?”

“I don’t know much, but it’s tied to the… restoration army, not bandits.”

“This past half-year, they’ve hit five caravans passing through. The kingdom sent thousands to hunt them, but they vanish into the hills, striking our camps at night. We’ve been helpless.”

“Recently, word spread that the Hero took the guild’s commission against them. Duncan likely fears she’ll join them, so he’s sending troops.”

Fratina inwardly cringed. Duncan had guessed right.

Initially, only Lucia wanted to ally with the restoration army, but Fratina was starting to see them as better than Londe’s regime.

She sighed. “Duncan wasn’t wrong. I’m Hero Fratina.”

Uther blinked, then relaxed. “No wonder. Our defenses are lax, but not just anyone could sneak in. It’s an honor to host the Hero.”

He returned to the reinforcements. “Will this affect your plans?”

“It will, but those two will figure something out.”

Fratina meant Christine and Lucia, who’d been strategizing for after Notting City’s capture.

“Those two?”

“Princess Christine and Lord Lucius.”

“Oh… Lord Lucius, your rumored…”

“Yes.”

Fratina nodded.

A knock came at the door. A soldier’s voice rang out. “Commander, the troops are assembled as ordered. But we heard a disturbance at the mayor’s mansion—someone attacked. Should we assist?”

Uther glanced at Fratina, whispering, “Your doing too?”

She nodded.

He shouted back, “No need to worry about Mayor Victor. Doesn’t the city hall have its own guards?”

Victor, needing security for travel, had funded a fifty-man guard for the city hall and his personal safety, separate from the city’s forces.

Those fifty stood little chance against Emmeline, though.

“Understood.”

The soldier left.

Uther stood, turning to Fratina. “I’ll control my men and keep them from interfering with your takeover tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, and Victor’s a Duncan loyalist. Convincing him will take effort.”

With that, he stepped out.

At the camp’s central square, he faced nearly a thousand soldiers, calling out his trusted hundred.

To the rest, he ordered, “Everyone else, deposit your weapons and armor in the armory, return to your barracks, and stay there tomorrow, no matter what happens.”

The soldiers exchanged glances. An officer spoke up, confused. “Commander Uther, we’re the city guard. If we do nothing and bandits attack, isn’t that dereliction?”

“Nonsense!”

Uther glared. “I just got word: tomorrow, five thousand royal troops arrive to take over defense. You’re getting an early holiday.”

“What!?”

Some doubted, but most cheered for the break.

No one enjoyed wearing heavy, cumbersome armor. Shedding it was their daily salvation.

Fooled by Uther, the soldiers willingly surrendered their gear and returned to the barracks, eagerly awaiting their “holiday.”