As the Crimson Guards in charge of protecting Leonard began clashing with the rogue capital guards, Leonard remained calm and composed.
"I never believe in things like coincidence, especially when it's so convenient and timely." He commented, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the window.
The capital guards, who had been assigned to jointly oversee the perimeter, suddenly turned. They drew their blades and activated mana-infused gear. Their eyes glinted with hostility when staring at the Crimson Guards.
"You all are heading toward the path of condemnation—!" The first Crimson Guard who was ambushed earlier by the sneak attack exclaimed.
Unfortunately, before he could finish his exclamation, one of the rogue capital guards lunged forward, his sword glowing faintly with wind-elemental enchantment.
The Crimson Guard sidestepped and parried, causing sparks to fly as the metal met metal. The clash rang through the air like a bell struck by lightning.
Alas, the first Crimson Guard sustained too many heavy injuries. In the end, the rogue capital guard managed to gain the advantage.
It was able to thrust its sword straight at the first Crimson Guard's heart, effectively killing the latter.
The rogue capital guard then pulled out their sword afterward and turned its attention to the other Crimson Guards.
"Defensive formation, NOW!" Another Crimson Guard barked, unfurling a crimson sigil on his gauntlet when it witnessed its companion falling in battle.
Soon, a fiery rune flared beneath their feet, igniting the defensive enchantments layered into the compound.
Shortly after the defensive enchantment appeared, more rogue capital guards surged in. Some were bearing short spears, others dual daggers. Their movements were sharp and precise.
"A kill squad…" One Crimson Guard muttered grimly. Such precise teamwork and maneuvering couldn't be accomplished by regular capital guards. They must have been strictly trained and specialized in assassination.
Being in the Crimson Guards, there was also an assassination division, so they knew quite a bit about the action.
Hence, they understood what a kill squad was and why they appeared grim.
They had practiced and trained hard as well, but the pressure was still high.
They could die at any moment, but they definitely could not afford to have the Crown Prince sustain any injuries, especially when they were still in the capital, Elarion.
While the battle continued to escalate outside the carriage, Mirelle glanced at Leonard in concern.
"Are we not going to escape?" She raised the question. "The carriage can be operated remotely through magic. I can also cast a large barrier around the carriage to bring us to safety.
Given the chaotic battle, Mirelle could no longer remain idle. She wanted to swiftly bring Leonard to a safe place and call for reinforcement. She highly doubted that all capital guards had gone rogue.
"If I were to escape, then what does that make the public—or my father thinks about me?" Leonard's eyes glinted in a cold light. "I'm the Crown Prince, and to flee from a trivial ambush incident. I might as well give up my life here as well."
"But you don't even know magic! Staying here and letting your guards die one by one is the Crown Prince's duty?" Argued Mirelle, who held a look of disbelief.
What could be more important than life?
The guards outside were being outnumbered and overwhelmed mainly because their focus was Leonard's safety. From her perspective, the tide of the battle would shift as soon as Leonard escaped to a safe place. This essentially would alleviate most of the Crimson Guards' pressure.
"This is why your ideologies never progress." Leonard suddenly said. "To break the people's biased view and judgment that stemmed from a long time, the person who wanted to make the change must not have a fixed mindset."
After saying his piece, Leonard did the unthinkable.
Rather than staying inside the carriage, he deactivated the magical formation around the carriage and opened the door.
"Stop!" Startled, Mirelle hurriedly tried to stop his suicidal action.
Alas, it was a little bit too late. She was struck in a daze by Leonard's statement, causing her to be distracted in that brief moment.
By the time she already caught on to the situation, Leonard had stepped out of the carriage.
His sudden appearance quickly caught everyone in the street by surprise.
The Crimson Guards' expression turned pale while the rogue capital guards' expression turned perplexed.
While both sides were baffled by his action, Leonard's eyes scanned around his surroundings.
The street was now burning from the residue magic being thrown around and buildings collapsed from the clashing of weapons infused with mana.
From afar, Leonard also spotted a few people injured by the curb, with most of them covering themselves with anything to avoid being spotted or targeted.
'When nobles fight, only commoners get injured.' His expression was stoic.
He wasn't feeling any guilt about their plight because this wasn't caused by him.
Instead, it was caused by those who wanted him either scared, injured, or dead. These commoners were merely collateral damage and unimportant in the eyes of the mastermind.
Moreover, a commotion this large had already occurred, but there was still no reinforcement.
This was the capital! Not some backwater city or rural region.
Could the capital really be that incompetent to allow such a commotion to continue and cause numerous casualties?
"That's the Crown Prince of Aldros!" While Leonard was standing near the carriage, a rogue capital guard shouted aloud.
"Charge and kill the Crown Prince for Umbra Vex!" They continued and used the Umbra Vex organization as their slogan.
"Protect the Crown Prince!" The Crimson Guards became frantic and hurriedly formed a defensive formation around Leonard.
As the two sides resumed clashing fiercely, Leonard remained unfazed and calmly gazed at the rogue capital guards.
"Was my life worth that much?" Leonard raised the question. "Whether you succeed today or not, it's guaranteed that you all won't be able to survive, much less anyone related to you."
His question was ignored, but he didn't mind.
For a kill squad to appear, it was already confirmed that these people were prepared to die alongside anyone related to them.