Every available knight – those who survived the siege, those guarding the capital, and those who were off-duty – were gathered at the palace, but even so, the manpower shortage was undeniable.

It was impossible to completely eliminate the capital's security, as this would lead to a decline in public safety. But calling back the palace knights from the front lines was also impossible.

The city of Biero, once a vital defensive point, had been captured almost unscathed and was now being used as a base for the invasion. The front lines needed every soldier they could get.

The kingdom had already issued a call to arms for all its nobles, but war preparations took time. It would take some time for the forces to gather.

However, there was hope that the nobles who had supported the coup would volunteer for the front lines, motivated by the hope of a pardon. Those who genuinely believed in the possibility of a pardon would act quickly and join the front lines soon. This would likely prevent further enemy advances.

Even so, it would only be enough to hold the line, not push them back.

Given the situation, the palace had limited forces to spare for security, and relying on Ryu was unavoidable for the time being.

Ryu, considered invincible, believed there wouldn't be any problems no matter what enemies came. Guarding the palace seemed like an easy task.

But in practice, it wasn't that simple.

Firstly, Ryu was a novice when it came to guarding. This was his first experience protecting anyone other than himself.

Fighting an enemy head-on was easy, but as a guard, you didn't know when the enemy would strike.

If he were the one under attack, his danger premonition ability would alert him, but it didn't activate for those he wasn't physically with.

It was fine when he was part of a party during adventures, as they were always together.

But it was difficult to be constantly with someone 24/7 in everyday life.

Moreover, he wasn't just protecting one person. His duty was to "guard the palace." It wasn't just protecting the King and Princess, but the entire palace itself.

There were no replacements, and even with Ryu's strength, it was too much for one person.

Technically, Ryu could monitor the entire palace with his Divine Eye. He could also stay awake for a week or two without needing sleep. However, he kept his Divine Eye ability a secret, and being accustomed to human habits, he preferred to sleep regularly.

The King and Sophie understood that it was impossible for Ryu to guard the entire palace alone, so they decided to call him only when necessary. They considered him as a combat force for emergencies and gave him a portable communication magic tool.

Communication magic tools were extremely rare and expensive, but the palace had a few that were portable. The devices were given to the King, Princess, Prime Minister, the commander of the palace knights, and the head steward.

This system suited Ryu, who could teleport. He could instantly arrive from anywhere he was when called. They even demonstrated it in action, and the Prime Minister and the others were satisfied.

Ryu was given a room to sleep in and could spend his time there or wander freely within (or even outside) the castle, waiting for a call.

However, there was one major problem with this method. It meant he couldn't respond to surprise attacks – assassinations – if he was called only after the attack happened.

Normally, the palace was guarded by knights in shifts 24/7, making infiltration difficult. But they were currently short-staffed.

(The King was aware of this problem, but he chose to remain silent, knowing it was futile to complain about it.)

And when assassins were actually sent, Ryu realized the gravity of the situation.

In the dead of night, assassins infiltrated the palace.

They were hired by the nobles who had supported the coup.

Some of the nobles who had supported the coup had knights of their own and could hope for a pardon by fighting on the front lines. But weaker nobles who didn't have knights had no such option. They were left to face their punishment. They decided to assassinate the King, succeed with the coup, and avoid their fate.

They knew the palace security was weak. It would be easy to infiltrate with assassins.

These nobles paid a dark guild to hire assassins.

Their targets were the King's life, and then the Princess's life...

Shadows crept into the palace in the dead of night.

It was pure coincidence that the assassins entered the palace just as Ryu woke up to use the toilet. The attackers were really out of luck.

The palace was dark at night. There were only a few torches scattered around.

In this world, most people could use magic to create light, but it only illuminated their immediate surroundings. It couldn't reach far, and the presence of light close by made distant areas seem even darker and more eerie.

Ryu, who didn't know the castle well, activated his Divine Eye to see in the dark as he headed towards the privy. Thanks to this, he managed to spot the intruders before they could carry out their crimes.

He had spotted the intruders, but Ryu, who desperately needed to relieve himself, simply stored the intruders in subspace. This was the first time he had stored living people in subspace, but it worked without problems.

They wouldn't die as he had stored them in subspace with air. Anyone with dimensional abilities could escape, but he had never seen anyone like that before.

After finishing his business in the privy, Ryu returned to his room and went back to sleep.

To be continued

Next time

Ryu finally joins the war?!

Don't miss it!