Let's go our separate ways

Part 36

"Oh!"

"What is it?"

"Have you found the Queen?"

They are happy with Scale's interruption, but how long will they be happy with Scale who is aiming to ruin their terribly dreadful plan?

"I have not found Her Majesty," Scale says, to everyone's disappointment, "But I have found out where the guards are,"

"Where?" King Ray changes his plan, walking to Scale instead of going to find the Queen. After all, the longer it takes him to find the Queen, these relatives of his will get to enjoy nature in its glory.

Scale closes his mouth to smile grimly before saying, "Dealing with variant beast outbreaks,"

"What?!"

"Where?!"

"How is that good news?!"

These old men are tasked with obscuring the King with the news of the Queen. They do not know how the guards are handled by others. Variant beast outbreaks? Ridiculous! They could have been hurt by accidents too!

"All the gates are attacked," Scale points in a random direction, "The guards within the Castle are called to help, that's why the Castle seems empty," even His Majesty's Knights and Her Majesty's Knights are called over to help

"On whose authority?" King Ray knows it's important to save the Castle's gate guards who took the brunt of the variant beast's outbreaks, but to mobilise even the King and the Queen's private Knights? "What about the Capital City?"

"The variant beasts only appear at the Castle's gates, locking us inside," the later sentence is added to scare these relatives of the King. Scale is glad that the Capital is OK, but for someone to manage to smuggle these beasts to attack the Castle? Scale knows he will have to work overtime again in the aftermath of this incident. So not looking forward to it.

Although, at the moment, their priority should be looking for the source of these variant beasts' surprising appearance around the Castle.

"This!" someone accuses others randomly in fear, even though he must know the truth of the person, or the people, behind these variant beasts' outbreaks, "This must be the doing of the commoners who are invited by the Queen!"

Scale glances at that old man, remembering his face and identity. So swift to shift the blame, he must have been used to doing that. This means the number of crimes committed by this person shouldn't be small.

King Ray closes his eyes, his semi-non-existent patience almost wiped out by his understanding of their plan to usurp the throne. These no brains morons...!

"Call back everyone," King Ray's clear, calm, and collected voice sends shivers down everyone's spine, Scale includes. Opening his eyes, the eyes that shine cold light, King Ray gives out an order, "Kill the rebels," to end everything at once and for all.

"That's ill-advised, Your Majesty," Scale immediately takes out the trump card to stop His Majesty the King's murderous impulse, putting himself directly in King Ray's line of sight, "Her Majesty the Queen will disapprove such an order,"

"Cut off their limbs," back to the original plan then. King Ray calms down slightly at the mention of Queen Viola. However, it reminds him that he still doesn't know his beloved's current situation.

"Re-rebels?" these old men murmur among themselves, "Who could it be?"

The criminals, Flos and Rhythm, are called that because they assaulted Queen Viola. The rebels that King Ray mentions, who could they be?

King Ray smiles gloomily at them to answer their question. Those with survival instinct immediately deny their involvement, "It is not me, no! I am a loyal subject of Your Majesty!"

"Prove your loyalty," King Ray says, in such a cold tone that causes these old men to almost suffer hypothermia, "Go stand under the rain until everything returns to normal,"

If they can survive the sickness that comes after being drenched under this heavy rain, it will be their blessing. King Ray will at least spare them from losing limbs.

Isn't he very kind to his relatives?

"That's-!"

"Don't you care about the maids? Show a sense of camaraderie and join them in their punishment then," King Ray is practically ridiculing his elders now. Always have the intention to rebel but not daring to admit it when confront with this desire, pathetic.

And to lower their identity to stand side by side as the maids, these old men are downright angered by King Ray.

Scale release a sigh at King Ray's taunt of his relatives. Taking out a package from his pocket, Scale unwrapped the cloth containing several long needles and insert the needles into the head of these relatives who are about to have a brawl with King Ray on the spot for his disrespect to the elders by throwing out the tools.

1 by 1, these old men fall down after they manage to show Scale their incredibly shocked expression for his aggression at them.

"What're those?" King Ray does not respond to Scale's action, but just asks about the needles

"Anaesthetic drug-laced needles," Scale crouches down to pick up the needles on the bodies, "Got the idea from Miss Flos,"

Why is King Ray not surprised by Scale's admission. Looking down at these old men who are his relatives, King Ray has no compassion, "Throw them out,"

Scale points at himself then at the area hit by rain. Asking: you want me to do what?? Carry and put the bodies in a place not covered by the heavy rain?

"You do that," King Ray smirks in affirmation, "As for me, I will go kill the beasts,"

King Ray has a strong regenerative ability. It will be extremely helpful to have a person who is not afraid of injuries to be the vanguard. Although that's not what King Ray is supposed to be, a meat shield.

"After you are done with this, go find the Queen and the brats," to people in their 20s who are just a decade or so younger than him, King Ray thinks they are just like teenagers in the rebellious period, especially that young woman from the countryside. Shaking his head, King Ray does not care how Scale will be able to find these missing people as he gives the last instruction, "Protect the Queen,"

Scale does not want to respond, to accept these works, but he must still say, "Yes, Sir!" with a salute and an addition, "Good luck with the hunt,"

King Ray accepts his well-wish and sets off. Scale looks at the bodies of these heavy old men and sighs. He has this coming. As a subordinate. To do the boss's bidding.

Drag and drag. 1 body after another. Finally, whilst getting drenched himself, Scale finishes the task. Having been sitting behind a desk and having no time to exercise, supposedly no muscles to speak of, Scale thinks he has done an outstanding job hauling these bodies. Is he considered strong or weak? Oh, well. It doesn't matter.

What matters is finishing his tasks. Next task on the list: find the missing people.

Where should he start looking?

Whilst drying his hair, Scale feels fortunate that he always has the glasses off out of the office because the eyeglasses are only used to read the unreadable documents, so now his sight is not obscured by fog or rainwater. As for his clothes...

Thinking about it, Scale knows there is a room used as a wardrobe to store outdated garbs. The place is near Royal's chamber. Since he is tasked with searching for the missing people, why doesn't he go look for them over there?

Incidentally, he gets to change out of these wet clothes. Scale thinks that plan is feasible and so he moves, to the King's chamber's direction. Passing by the place where King Ray punished the disloyal maids to stand under the rain, Scale notices the head on the soil that these maids give a wide berth.

Seeing that, Scale doesn't know whether the owner of that head is alive or dead nor does he know the identity belonging to that head. However... Scale has an inkling as to who would do something unusual like this.

That person he is thinking of is no doubt the culprit. Although, Scale has to wonder for what reason the culprit imposed such a punishment on this person? Under what circumstance did they clash?