Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Coronation Crashing

The coronation was indeed decorated in red and blue with golden highlights, as Justice had described. We’d risen out of a well that was just outside the dug-out stands, left of the stage and near where a wide gap was to admit the flow of people and air into the stands. There were people still streaming into the gap, but it sounded and looked like the coronation had already started, with the voice of some dignitary droning with an amplification spell. 

“-On this occasion, the anniversary of our great Emperor Dawnbringer’s birthday, we have been blessed by the gods…”

The well our floating platform rose from was actually behind the stage proper, and the screaming was attracting the guard’s attention. We actually didn’t make any closer than fifty meters from the stage before we were confronted by six guards, clad in the Royal Guard’s armored vestments. Three rapiers, two crossbows and a sorcerer’s orb were trained in our direction. Rapier one shouted - quietly, so as to not distract the stage performance, “What are you doing?! You are under arrest!”

“No- there’s a coup, they are going to kill everyone you need to-”

Justice wasn’t quite out of breath, but she was panicked, words tripping over one another almost as soon as she could speak them. I stepped forward and sheathed Katarachin and held my hands up. One of the crossbow guards nearly fired on me, but Justice shut up, and I barked, “Lieutenant, this is an Etheria-Titan situation. We have incoming diggers, arch-threat!” Yes, I had read and memorized the code words used between City Guard and Royal Guard in a catastrophe. Just in case. I couldn’t place why I was managing to thrust enough authority in my voice to cause the humans to stand straighter. 

I asked, *Are you affecting my Poise?*

“{Firebrand} gives us a bonus to instill energy and rapt attention. It doesn’t last, but is nearly as good as a charm effect, but has several conditions.”

The screams behind us had died, but a new batch erupted from the right, louder, and with higher pitch. I pointed, “The heirs to half the gods-damned duchies are in those stands, go help them!” 

The five looked at their officer. I stared him down, teeth bared and unblinking. He was not stupid. There was more security closer to the stage, these civilians were defenseless.

He motioned, “Let’s go. No restraint.” The six turned and ran towards the chorus of screams. 

The speaker on the stage was still going, but it was faltering. Justice and I continued to run towards the stage. A knife’s throw away from it, I was hit with a Stunbolt which caused me to stumble, the wave of temporary paralysis causing my left and right side to desync. Justice put up a Light Shield just in time for two more bolts to be absorbed. A Knight stepped up to shove a glowing fist in my face, a blade in the other. There was another knight and some guards not far behind the first, with eyes on on Justice. “Stand down now and you won’t die outright.” There was a hard edge to the voice but I was able to place it immediately. 

“Knight Florince, there is a coup attempt in motion, right now.” Her hard face turned to me in a snap, not expecting to be called by name. “The Drakengard delegation has been suborned by agents trying to start a war. We need to catch and capture them to interrogate them, now.” 

“Scaleen? Justin?” 

“It’s Justice now,” I corrected, quickly. “Please, just put all your guard between them and the royalty on the stage, right now. The rest of the killers here are mercenaries and thugs hired to make it look like the Drakengard did this as an act of war.” 

“Can you prove any of this?”

“Only circumstantial. I met with several of the delegates two days ago under SoSum with High Investigator Raim, which should have been impossible, unless they’d somehow traveled into Sumar before the delegation reached the borders. Their names were Sessethenshen and Dessemetshor. You know they should have been tracked every step of the way here. How could I have learned their names otherwise?” I spoke fast, which fortunately was very easy as a Kobold under duress. 

You are reading story The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame at novel35.com

I didn’t bother to keep the chirping rasp from my voice, knowing that we had minutes before the delegation either killed the princess, or got themselves killed, which would hide evidence of the deception. That would just mean war. War that Justice had been working to prevent for eight years. 

Florince’s gaze flicked to the other Royal Knights that had now surrounded us. Shouts rose around us, the royal guard shouting commands and the speaker faltered completely. 

Something decided her, as she commanded, “Formation Hawk, six quickest, the rest Seagull, arch-threat.” Those around us rearranged, four breaking off to go around to the front of the stage, weapons still drawn. Keep these two in the center, no swift actions, you two.” 

Four guards flanked behind us weapons drawn, two for each of us, while Florince and two was in lead. 

Florince turned and began a sprint, surprising for the segmented plate armor she wore.  We were running behind the stage, to the opposite side of the stands. Florince was shouting orders to anyone still not engaged with the chaos. From where we’d come from, I could see dead bodies strewn across the grass, but no telling if they were the assassins, audience, or guards who were taken by surprise. 

We’d arrived on the other side of the stage, we were in front of a small stand of people but also to one side, not adjacent to the rest of the audience. It became apparent why quickly, as most of the stands were mostly not Human. 

There were four Draken, and a host of Kobolds to attend each. I happened to recognize a few of them, as it happens, and pointed them out to Katarachin silently.  

On the next row above the envoy, there were a dozen of the Elven Daeric Aristocracy in their monastic garb of handcrafted feathered and plated bones decorating their persons. 

 At the top end of the stands, there were currently only three Orc and one Human Tamaran magistrates, fewer in attendance due to current friction between Tamaria and Sumar over taxes last quarter. The minimum quorum of the seven Tamaran city states were dressed in their classically stylized, comfortable leather armor.

Most of the non-Draken were standing, looking confused and worried. The Draken were already out of their seats and stepping half down the stairs, Kobolds, both well dressed and barely adorned were moving around them.

The Draken and Kobolds all had weapons out. 

Knight Florince stood at attention before the bottom of the stairs that lead to the ground. “Attention all emissaries. Please return to your seats. We are under attack. Until the issue is resolved and we can deem it safe for you to go free, you shall remain here.” 

“We will not be kept here as mammals to the slaughter, stand aside.” One of the Draken I didn’t recognize spoke. 

“Desmeshintor, stand down. In fact, drop your weapons. This coronation was a no-weapon zone.” 

Desmeshintor stood there silently for a moment. Instead, Sessethenshen, standing at the back, locked eyes with me. Some thought traveled across his body, then he stomped his foot and said something harsh in Drakengard. Half a second later, the Kobolds rushed forward, leaping over chairs and over the banister to engage us with silent fervor. 

You can find story with these keywords: The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame, Read The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame, The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame novel, The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame book, The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame story, The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame full, The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame Latest Chapter