Resetting Lady-Chapter 280

‘Fifty men? Sir Raymond alone can handle that.’

Raymond’s greatest strength was his extreme long-range sharpshooting. What was even more astonishing was his rapid-fire ability. Raymond’s concentration and accuracy were beyond imagination, mowing down the battlefield at a speed many times faster than an ordinary sniper.

By the time someone pinpointed his location, he would have already eliminated everyone there single-handedly. Raymond didn’t even need a scope for his vision, and he selected firing positions with foresight far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

With such cover from him, fifty men weren’t a particularly daunting number.

Zion draped his own coat over Lewis and sent him to the rear. His role was to buy time, and if necessary, throw a bomb. Some of Lewis’s allied nobles might die, but the most important thing was Lewis’s survival.

Raymond had made the right decision in assigning Zion to Lewis’s side. Zion excelled at prioritizing his objectives and adapting to rapidly changing situations. He watched the men from behind a tree, observing their movements.

The soldiers, who had been firing indiscriminately, stopped shooting as their comrades began to fall. They had charged in expecting a one-sided massacre but quickly realized that they were the ones being hunted.

“Find him! There’s a sniper! Fall back and get under the trees—”

“Gahhhh!”

The jaw of the man at the front was blown off by a bullet. The scene was gruesome, but he wasn’t immediately dead. The victim himself panicked, and the surrounding soldiers screamed at the sight.

“The reinforcements will join us soon! Don’t lose your nerve!”

Someone’s shout managed to restore some order.

“Reinforcements…”

Lewis muttered behind Zion.

Though overwhelmed by the chaos, he managed not to succumb to panic. Lewis stared at the king’s pale, lifeless face beyond the broken wall. As the smoke cleared, the king’s visage became visible even from afar. He wanted to run to the king and shake him awake but knew he couldn’t.

‘When did Father prepare for this?’

Lewis glared toward the crown prince’s quarters.

He had always expected that the time would come when Gueuze would try to kill him. But to kill the king as well, and to aim for the complete eradication of Lewis’s allied nobles—he hadn’t anticipated this.

Anger began to burn in Lewis’s eyes.

* * *

“Was Sir Raymond your lover? Impressive work.”

Gueuze spoke as he looked down.

“My lover is not…”

“I know that no one else could pull off something like that. Don’t bother lying now. Look down—I’ve known about your relationship with Raymond for a while.”

Carynne, still nursing her aching limbs, rubbed her arms and peered down from beside Crown Prince Gueuze. She tried to pinpoint Zion and Lewis’s positions quickly but couldn’t see them clearly.

As the fog from the explosion began to dissipate, Carynne could finally see below. The chaos gradually subsided, and a tense standoff unfolded. Nobles who had brought their children were lying on the ground, shielding them with their bodies.

“What touching displays of paternal and maternal love.”

“……”

“I’m trying to kill my own son right now… Isn’t that ironic?”

Carynne kept her mouth shut. Gueuze didn’t seem to expect any response beyond that. With a theatrical expression, he continued watching the scene below.

“But that won’t last much longer.”

The tide of the battle would soon turn.

Gueuze murmured these words as he continued to observe.

* * *

Thud, thud.

“Damn it. Still?”

“They’ll be here soon. Stay put!”

The squad leader of the mercenaries barked orders at his men, forcing them to wait. Half of their numbers were already dead. Moving even slightly made them targets for the sniper, leaving them too afraid to even turn their heads. The plan to eliminate Lewis’s allied nobles first had completely fallen apart.

But reinforcements would come soon. Their master was the one destined to become the king of this nation.

“Do you even know what you’re doing? How dare you act this way toward Prince Lewis!”

As the standoff dragged on, a particularly bold noble child shouted loudly. Emboldened by the mercenaries’ hesitation to approach, a trace of reckless courage emerged. The sight enraged the squad leader, who yelled back.

“Shut up! You little brat, go suck on your nanny’s milk!”

“…The one who should shut up is you!”

“…I’ll kill you.”

One of the mercenaries, unable to hold back, stepped forward and raised his gun, aiming it at the child.

“Gaaahh!”

Bang!

But the one who fell was the soldier. Without even properly taking aim, he collapsed to the ground, becoming a lifeless corpse. The other mercenaries couldn’t muster the courage to move any further.

“Damn it…”

Tears welled up in their eyes as they began cursing.

They had never anticipated this kind of situation. They thought it would just be a matter of watching out for a few knights near Prince Lewis. After all, since this was the palace, the other nobles hadn’t been allowed to bring their own guards.

“Have there been any new orders from the crown prince?”

“No, but we just need to hold out a little longer. Those nobles don’t have any way to contact the outside. Soon… when reinforcements arrive… they’ll all die…”

The nobles near Prince Lewis were mostly young couples who had brought their similarly-aged children to establish ties between families.

More experienced and cunning nobles tended to favor Crown Prince Gueuze. Despite Gueuze’s personal flaws, they calculated that he would ascend the throne far faster than Lewis due to the circumstances.

These nobles had pledged their private soldiers to support Gueuze as a sign of cooperation. Once these nobles were eliminated, the rest of the matter would be settled.

Although a sniper was currently blocking their path, the arrival of thousands of reinforcements would change the situation entirely. No matter how skilled the sniper, he alone wouldn’t be able to handle thousands of soldiers alone. He could only fire one shot at a time. The squad leader vowed that when reinforcements arrived, he would personally hunt down the sniper and ensure he didn’t die a clean death.

“More reinforcements will come…”

They surely would. That had been the promise.

And they would share in the glory with Crown Prince Gueuze.

“…Soon…”

Grinding their teeth, they refrained from raising their guns. The moment they did, their heads would be blown off. They had to wait for reinforcements. They would come, as promised…

* * *

Bang!

“…What is this.”

Crown Prince Gueuze, his bloodshot eyes blazing, clenched his teeth and slammed his fist against the wall. The situation was veering off-course, something he hadn’t anticipated. Carynne stood silently beside him. Gueuze paced the room frantically, muttering like a madman. The composure he’d displayed earlier was nowhere to be found.

“Where is everyone? Why are they so late?”

The mercenaries he had promised to bring hadn’t arrived. While he had managed to coerce some of the palace guards into joining his side, not all of them had been won over. To secure victory, Gueuze’s private soldiers and those of his allies needed to act first and clean up the frontlines. Only then could they crush Prince Lewis’s supporters entirely.

However, Gueuze’s private soldiers were being held off by Raymond, and the nobles had failed to send their promised reinforcements. This was unthinkable. Gueuze had made deals with them, promising them rewards, and most of them stood to lose significantly if Lewis ascended the throne.

It wasn’t possible for Lewis to have swayed them.

“Then… why?”

Why weren’t they coming? Why weren’t they keeping their promises? Gueuze’s mind was in chaos. Why was no one sending their soldiers?

“Why?”

“……”

Carynne remained silent.

“What is going on here?”

“I don’t know, Your Highness.”

“There’s no way you don’t know… What have you done? What is happening?!”

“……”

Even as Gueuze shook her violently by the arm, Carynne offered no answers.

“What have you ruined?”

“Your Highness, I know nothing.”

“Didn’t you claim to have lived for hundreds of years? What have you done?”

Gueuze’s grip moved from Carynne’s arm to her neck, ready to apply force if necessary. The more agitated Gueuze became, the calmer Carynne seemed to grow.

“Hmm. Did you believe that?”

“……”

“Idiot.”

Griiiip.

Trembling with rage, Gueuze tightened his grip on her neck. Carynne grimaced but didn’t resist much. Her feet lifted off the ground as Gueuze choked her harder and harder. Her vision began to turn white.

Bang!

“Release her, Your Highness.”

Zion Electra stood beside Prince Lewis, aiming his gun at Crown Prince Gueuze. His face was smeared with sweat and blood, but his eyes burned fiercely.

“Release the woman immediately and step out, Your Highness Gueuze.”

Carynne fell from Gueuze’s grasp.

Cough, cough!

Clutching her neck, Carynne coughed violently.

Gueuze glanced briefly at Carynne before turning his gaze to Zion. Upon noticing the gun aimed at him, he sneered and spoke.

“State your name.”

“Zion Electra… Now, just step out unless you want a hole in your head.”

“Raymond Saytes’s lackey, was it? Just a filthy commoner… Stand down. I am the crown prince of this nation, and you are not someone who should dare point a gun at me.”

“Not a lackey, and… ah, damn it, spare me the theatrics.”

Zion spat blood-tinged saliva on the ground and stepped closer to Crown Prince Gueuze.

“I said, stand down.”

“The moment your hand goes inside your coat, your head will have at least three new ventilation holes.”

“No matter what you say, if I die, your execution is inevitable.”

“Oh, sure.”

At that moment, a young voice interjected.

“It’s all right, Father. You needn’t worry about my knight.”

“…Lewis.”

“Father.”

Their eyes met.

“It’s over now.”

Prince Lewis quietly declared the end.

* * *

“We’ve received a message from the Young Miss. It’s been resolved.”

“And Isella’s lover?”

“He’s safe.”

“I see.” freeweɓnovel-cøm

Verdic let out a deep sigh.

“So, it’s finally over.”

Not long ago, Isella Evans’s desperate plea and threats had ultimately swayed Verdic.

“As a merchant, I’ll gamble on this. Father, place your bets on Prince Lewis.”

It was what his runaway daughter had said upon returning home, pointing a gun at Verdic.

“Isella, have you lost your mind?”

“This was the only way I thought you’d listen, Father. I’ll drop the gun once I’m done talking.”

“…You crazy little—”

“I’ve placed my bets on Prince Lewis. And Father, you must cooperate. This is our family’s chance not only to survive but to rise beyond the status of nobles.”

At first, Verdic was so furious that he nearly raised a whip against his daughter. However, Isella’s relentless persuasion eventually softened his stance. The weapon in her hand added weight to her argument.

“If we succeed, we become nobles. If we fail, we become traitors.”

It was closer to coercion than persuasion, but realizing how deeply Isella was entangled in the situation, Verdic had no choice but to act.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s bet on Lewis instead of Gueuze.”

Once Verdic made up his mind, he gave it his all.

Verdic Evans sought a private meeting with Prince Lewis. He hadn’t expected to find himself entangled with the crown prince as a moneylender, but he saw it as both destiny and opportunity.

“I’ll offer the crown prince what neither the marquis nor His Majesty could.”

“I deeply thank you.”

Hearing those words from the young prince confirmed to Verdic that he had chosen the right side.

Crown Prince Gueuze never expressed gratitude. Born to rule, he saw everything he received as his due and gave nothing in return. Especially to someone like Verdic, a merchant with a questionable background, Gueuze treated him with disdain.

In contrast, Prince Lewis treated Verdic Evans not as a mere moneylender but as Isella’s father—a man who had extended great assistance to him—and expressed his gratitude.

It was exactly the recognition Verdic had long sought: the acknowledgment of royalty, something money couldn’t buy. It was also a promise of future cooperation.

“Bring me a list of all the nobles opposing Prince Lewis.”

When a merchant who had amassed wealth through questionable means sided with Lewis, the entire game changed. What had been common knowledge to Gueuze became revelations for Lewis. Verdic, with his deep understanding of the corruption and misdeeds of countless nobles, had everything laid out.

Verdic began writing letters to each noble.

Faced with these, the nobles had to choose once again. And in the end, they all chose silence.

“Isella really does take after me.”

“She’s even more than that.”

Selena chimed in from the side.

***

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