Chapter 26: Suppressed

Chapter 26: Suppressed The street turned deathly silent when Mirelle came out of the carriage and locked down the field. Leonard’s expression remained nonchalant, clearly having expected her to be capable of suppressing the incident. As for Geo, he heaved a massive sigh of relief when he realized the crown prince was out of danger. "Hurry up and capture all the rogue capital guards!" Geo swiftly commanded. Thanks to Mirelle placing a restriction on all the rogue capital guards, Geo would be a fool to not take advantage of the situation. In less than 3 minutes, all the rogue capital guards were taken down and placed in a specialized handcuff that prevented them from exerting any strength or mana. As Geo cuffed the leader of the rogue capital guard, he promptly stepped to the sideline and began the rescue mission. "It’s over..." "We’re safe." When the citizens involved in the battle noticed the Crimson Guards cleaning up the rogue guards, they were finally able to breathe normally and check on their loved ones. Meanwhile, at the center of the attention was none other than Leonard. "A sixth circle mage is really powerful. Just a single move and the chaotic situation ended without a hiccup." Leonard clapped his hands and praised. Mirelle kept silent. She was unable to tell heads or tails with this so-called rumored incompetent prince. "A sixth circle mage was in the carriage?" The leader of the rogue capital guards had his eyes widened in disbelief. He was struck into a complete daze. His movement might have been restricted, but his mouth could still talk and his eyes could still wander around. Thus, he was dumbfounded when he glanced at Mireille. He thought it was just some courtesan or maid accompanying the crown prince’s journey. How could he have predicted the woman to be a sixth circle mage? If he had known about this information, then he would have never commenced the operation. "Seems like you weren’t well-informed either." Leonard shifted his attention to the detained leader. "Umbra Vex huh? Can’t you think of a better scapegoat organization instead of Umbra Vex?" Knowing that the outcome was set in stone already, the leader closed his eyes and ignored Leonard’s words. Leonard wasn’t disheartened by his lack of response. "I suppose this is where the Crimson Ward Division mission comes to an end as well." He lightly said and smiled. This ambush incident in the capital was destined to spread all across the capital and Aldros Empire. Others would also come to an understanding that Leonard was filled with protection. "But Crown Prince, we were assigned to protect you at the Western Port." Geo’s face turned pale. "I never said you were dismissed." Leonard mused and clarified. "I’ve only said that the journey to the port would be smooth now. You don’t think there would be another ambush up ahead, right?" Realization quickly dawned upon Geo. It appeared that he had thought too much about the matter. With that being said, Geo joined the rest of the Crimson Guards to clean up the aftermath. They didn’t need to worry about Leonard’s safety when Mirelle was by his side. In the meantime, Mirelle placed the leader of the rogue capital guard to sleep with a spell and stared at Leonard. She cast a sound barrier around them and asked, "Why did you force me to reveal myself to the public?" The matter about her accepting to become Leonard’s magic tutor was supposed to be kept a secret. Yet thanks to his action, her presence was exposed and it won’t be long before the others receive the news as well. "I did it to avoid being incriminated," Leonard replied. Spencer’s secret action of recruiting her without informing the imperial family was close to stepping over the emperor’s head. Even though Spencer was an eighth circle mage, there was a limit to how much he could disrespect an emperor. "Just for that reason?" Mirelle furrowed her brows and frowned. It wasn’t that she was startled by his reason. Instead, it was more of being disappointed by it. She had thought Leonard was a compassionate crown prince who decided to show himself to give her a legitimate reason to make a move and rescue the endangered citizens. Even if it weren’t for the endangered citizens, she had also thought that Leonard was concerned about the lives of his guards. After all, a few members of his guards had fallen to battle by the ruthless rogue capital guards. Leonard didn’t bother to respond and simply glanced at the clear sky. The sky was blue and beautiful, completely indifferent to the blood it overlooked. His silence essentially made Mirelle disappointed and gave her a certainty that he was only concerned about his position and status. Little did she know, Leonard was in fact debating whether his choice to go high-profile was correct or not. The Crimson Guards dying and the citizens being involved made him realize how he needed to be more cautious and prepared. An open assassination, multiple casualties, and damage exceeding his expectations was something out of his control. ’Life is really fragile and worthless.’ He subtly glanced at the mourning citizens who were hugging tightly on their deceased companions. Ash floated like snowflakes. A child’s cry pierced the uneasy quiet atmosphere. After witnessing the cry of the child, Leonard turned to the first crimson guard who had met their demise while overseeing the perimeter. The deceased guard’s lifeless hand was still holding onto the spear tightly, almost as if he was unwilling to let go of his duty. ’Nobody won in this battle.’ Leonard thought to himself. While the rogue capital guards were caught off-guard by Mirelle’s ability, the Crimson Guards were similarly caught off-guard that the capital guards had turned rogue. Curtis had made sure to verify the capital guards’ identity beforehand and it was confirmed that they had served for at least 5 years. For the capital guards who served for this long to reveal their true selves was mind-boggling. It left Leonard completely stumped as to who the mastermind behind was. And no, he would definitely not think it was Umbra Vex. Not only was it ridiculous for them to blatantly shout their slogan or organization aloud, but it was also a pointless result to have him killed. There were a total of 8 princes in the Aldros Empire, including him. Killing him and there would be 7 more princes up for the crown prince position.