Episode 108

“To have grown into such a powerful mage… I am truly pleased.”

The Emperor looked at Rea with contentment.

Then, sensing something odd, he furrowed his brows.

“However, it’s strange. It’s difficult to develop a sense for aura without direct experience…”

The conqueror instinctively turned his head.

And stared at me with a cold gaze.

“Did someone teach you?”

Pierced by his gaze, I held my breath.

I merely rolled my eyes to signal Rea.

‘Are you trying to kill me?!’

“……”

Rea gazed intently at my tense appearance.

Then she smirked and lifted the corner of her mouth.

“Hmm”

Until now, I had always cunningly escaped any of her pressures.

Seeing me cornered, she had an expression as if finding it cute.

“Well, who knows…?”

Rea closed her eyes suggestively.

Then, she rested her chin on her hand, pretending to ponder.

“Actually, after Father collapsed, I tried to study your illness.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s eyebrows flashed.

His daughter had studied his illness for him.

Though he didn’t express it, he seemed moved by her words.

“Perhaps I became like this from studying the Grand Aura during that process.”

The Princess smiled leisurely and brushed back her hair.

“……”

The Emperor silently observed his eldest daughter’s smile.

Then he gradually withdrew his hostility and praised his daughter.

“You have reaped the fruits of your efforts, commendable.”

Leonhardt returned to being a kind father.

Together with his daughter, they tidied up the chessboard.

“But you’re not going to gloss over it like that, right? You should be ashamed of your earlier actions.”

Rea chuckled and scolded her father.

She must be one of the few dignitaries who could nag the ruler of the empire.

“I have forgiven you, so we are even, aren’t we?”

I looked at the harmonious father and daughter with satisfaction.

Then I discreetly stepped back.

“Phew….”

I quietly headed towards the balcony.

And I naturally prepared to leave.

But at that moment.

‘…!’

The empire’s 1st Princess, Rea was glancing at me while tidying the chessboard.

She quietly placed a finger on her lips.

With a suggestive smile.

“This time, you owe me.”

Although she didn’t say it, I understood her intention.

‘What will she demand next time as repayment…?’

Tired just thinking about it, I quietly wrapped mana around my legs.

Just enough not to bother the Emperor.

Then, like a wild animal, I stealthily slipped out of the ballroom.

“……”

Leonhardt quietly gazed at the balcony.

Realizing I had left, he smirked slightly.

The daughter watched her father’s smile with interest.

Then she quietly asked,

“How about it, Father?”

“What do you mean?”

At Rea’s question, the Emperor returned to his cold, expressionless demeanor.

“I mean that guy. Isn’t he a talent worth harboring in the empire?”

“His skill is certain. Although still imperfect, considering his age, it’s impressive.”

The Emperor coldly assessed the escort’s skill.

“Do you have no plans to keep him by your side and utilize him?”

Rea asked, crossing her arms.

“Skill and loyalty are different. Without something clear to hold onto that crafty fellow, it would be difficult.”

The Conqueror Emperor who had subdued all continents.

He valued completely subjugating any nation.

Just as he would let go of a small city-state if the resistance was strong, he was cautious with the man he had just met.

However, the Princess was different.

She resembled her father but she also had her mother’s ambition to get what she wanted.

“Don’t worry.”

Rea inherited both her father’s talent and her mother’s ambition.

She said with a mature smile in her eyes,

“I will see that he stays in the empire forever.”

Knowing how the sensuous Rozanna had held onto her father.

The daughter had now reached the same age her mother was when she married.

The Emperor tried to pass it off without much thought.

But, feeling an instinctive unease, he blinked his eyes sharply.

“What… what did you say?”

When her father asked again, the daughter just smiled slyly.

“Well, I’m tired, so I’ll go in first, Father.”

Then she descended the stairs with a sensual gait.

“I’ll see you at the party tomorrow.”

The Emperor gazed blankly at his departing daughter.

A beautiful and feminine figure, as if it would collapse with just a brush.

His eyelids fluttered, wanting to protect such a daughter for a lifetime.

Having descended from the ballroom, I moved far away from the central Imperial Palace.

Then, in a quiet forest, I met a courier pigeon.

“……”

In the pigeon’s secret letter was a message from Ekina, the Deputy Commander of the Red Flames.

‘There have been no orders for me yet. It seems the Crown Prince is being cautious now that His Majesty has awakened.’

While checking the party venue, I inquired about the Crown Prince’s status from her.

Because he might do something, feeling threatened by the Emperor’s awakening.

Fortunately, he had been quiet.

‘Yes, even with his strong influence, a rebellion or a public assassination would be too much.’

Since there was no justification to kill the Emperor.

Forcing a coup without justification would lead to a loss of support from the nobility.

‘Still, it’s quieter than I thought.’

I attached mana to my fingertips and burned the note.

Then, I headed towards the last patrol location.

Directly to the empire’s secret passage.

The entrance to the secret passage was completely detached from the Imperial Palace.

It was located under a chilling cliff, inaccessible without a specific spell.

As I neared the cliff, a disturbing smell began to emanate.

Eventually, I…

Realized the smell was of blood.

‘……’

I focused my mana on my senses.

Then, I attentively observed the bushes.

‘Four people?’

Four medium-level expert mana signatures.

I immediately ran towards them.

“…!”

I burst through the forest like an arrow.

And just as I was about to subdue them with mana in my grasp.

“The Black Moon…?!”

I encountered the wounded imperial intelligence unit, the Black Moon, who were resting.

“Who’s ther?e!”

The masked knights sitting down all tried to raise their daggers at once.

However, some staggered due to the searing pain.

“Wait a moment. I’m a Capital Defense Knight.”

I took out the badge with the Capital Defense Command Unit’s wall emblem from my pocket.

And showed it to them, convincing them.

“I came here because I smelled blood during the pre-festival patrol.”

“A party patrol all the way here? You expect us to believe that now?”

As expected of informants, they were highly cautious.

However, fortunately, there was a familiar face among them.

“Knight Vail Mikhail…?”

A familiar voice.

And the silver hair peeking out from under the mask.

“Dasha. Come out and explain…!”

I raised my hands in welcome.

Then I made it clear to the informants that I had no intention to attack.

“Everyone, lower your weapons. He’s an acquaintance of the Princess.”

As Dasha raised her fist, the members lowered their swords.

They removed their masks and showed respect.

“Sorry, we’re currently on a mission…”

“It’s okay, but what exactly is happening now?”

I lowered my hands and asked.

“From the look of your injuries, it seems you’ve fought someone… How could such a disrespectful incident occur during the pre-festival?”

I asked naturally, pretending to know nothing.

Then Dasha replied in a rough voice,

“We’ve caught a group trying to install explosives in the Imperial Palace’s underground. We’re currently pursuing them.”

Explosives…?

Could they have been planning to blow up the palace on the festival day?

For a moment, the Crown Prince’s face flashed through my mind.

But…

No.

Even if he were desperate, he wouldn’t resort to such foolish actions.

Moreover, the method was too simple and shoddy.

“How did Irina end up here?”

“Well… the Princess joined the pursuit with the Sinrok Knights.”

‘Irina herself?’

She even joined the chase.

Even if Allen accompanied her, it was too dangerous.

“Which way did she go?”

“Over there…”

Dasha pointed to an abandoned cathedral nearby with a swollen hand.

The path to that place was laden with the heavy scent of blood.

“I’ll go.”

I wrapped mana around my legs, expressionless.

And headed towards the cathedral at a fast pace.

“Hey… it’s dangerous to go alone!”

The Black Moon members shouted at me.

However, Dasha assured them it was okay and urged them.

“How can a Defense Knight with barely noticeable mana do anything?”

To their question, Dasha slowly shook her head.

Then she asserted with a serious look,

“Don’t worry. Maybe… he’s more reliable than us.”

I left the informants behind and arrived at the entrance of the abandoned cathedral.

There were already signs of battle.

Bodies of Eastern knights were strewn about the ground.

Surprisingly, they were not affiliated with the Crown Prince.

‘What happened here…?’

If they were not Lidia’s knights, then it was highly likely that Hakim or the Samad Kingdom was responsible.

However, Hakim and his associates had all been arrested.

So, it meant the Samad Kingdom could be the culprit.

‘Why would an allied country do such a thing…?’

Hakim and the Samad Kingdom.

And Crown Prince Leon, who controlled Hakim.

I thought deeply about their connections.

And came to two conclusions.

Someone powerful in the Eastern Kingdom was helping the Crown Prince.

And they were planning to rescue Hakim as a reward for helping the Crown Prince.

‘They’re resorting to the same petty tricks again.’

He had a card to play, even if his assassin was exposed.

‘First, I need to assess the situation.’

Passing the bodies, I encountered Sinrok Knights in uniform.

Among them was Allen, who had reached the level of a high-grade expert.

“Allen, is the Princess alright?”

Upon meeting, I asked about Irina, and he answered with a solemn look.

“We were dealing with Eastern assassins who infiltrated the empire. The Princess is safe too.”

The mature Allen gestured politely towards Irina, who stood among the knights.

She was wearing a uniform jacket over her tights.

Her eyes met mine, somewhat surprised.

“V-Vail…? How did you get here?”

The Princess quickly hid the bow she was holding behind her.

But due to its length, it stuck out conspicuously.

“Weren’t you inspecting the party venue?”

“I stopped by on my way back because I smelled blood.”

I forced a smile and examined Irina’s face.

Fortunately, there were no signs of injury.

‘How did Irina know to come and catch the assassins?’

“You should have called for backup. Why did you suppress them alone?”

“There was no time to call.”

The 2nd Princess blushed under my scrutinizing gaze.

“And… it was a moment to announce my Knight Order’s debut.”

Under the night sky, the Princess’s emerald eyes sparkled.

Those eyes truly belonged to a monarch.

“I’m glad you handled it well.”

I heaved a sigh of relief.

And instead of reprimanding, I praised her.

Irina had grown too.

She was no longer the frail and neglected Princess of her past life.

I looked around.

The Eastern knights were all neatly dealt with.

Fortunately, it seemed Camilla had trained the knights well.

“It’s not over yet.”

However, Irina still had a serious look in her eyes.

“Their leader is hiding inside with a lot of explosives.”

The Princess pointed towards the grand entrance of the cathedral.

Even as an abandoned cathedral, it was quite large.

Like the ‘Princess’s Palace’ that collapsed in her previous life.

“They’re threatening to collapse the cathedral if we enter.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to wait patiently for backup?”

In response to my question, Irina tightly shut her mouth.

She disliked the idea of someone else taking the credit, but she was willing to wait for the sake of her subordinates.

“Yeah, that would be the right decision….”

Reluctantly, but wisely deciding.

Indeed, a decision befitting the daughter of a wise emperor.

I looked at her intently.

Tomorrow would be the grand return party of the Emperor.

If she were commended for today’s deeds at such a grand event, her knight order’s standing would significantly rise.

The power of the Princess Alliance would also grow stronger.

“….”

I loosened the leopard-patterned tie I was wearing.

And putting it in my pocket, I said,

“I’ll go in and take a look.”

Boldly declaring to enter despite numerous explosives inside.

Irina and the Sinrok Knights beside her were shocked at my words.

“Vail, what are you saying? What will you do going in alone?”

“Yes, Master. It’s too dangerous!”

My students, who had learned from me, had become full-fledged knights.

They all looked at me with worried eyes.

“It’s okay. I have a simple way to solve this.”

I reassured them with my characteristic sly smile.

“Aren’t you taking a weapon?”

Allen asked cautiously.

By now, he was also worried about me.

“No, I don’t need one.”

Leaving them behind, I opened the gates wide.

And calmly entered the cold, abandoned cathedral.

Irina looked at me earnestly.

Like how I stayed alone in the palace in my past life to buy time.

With her hands neatly clasped, she seemed regretful to rely on me again.

“Vail….”

Under the roof, bathed in moonlight.

I walked calmly towards the center of the cathedral.

In the center of the hall, a man was standing.

An Eastern knight with tanned skin and various cuts on his body.

Surrounded by scattered explosives, he glared at me with fierce red eyes.

“Who are you…? I’m sure no one was supposed to come in.”

The man was breathing roughly.

Seeing that I had no weapons, he seemed slightly relieved.

“You’re not in uniform. Are you not a knight?”

He frowned at my appearance, with my mana concealed.

However, as I approached, he raised his dagger.

“Don’t come closer! Do you really want to die together?”

Each shout made dark, murky energy writhe from his chest.

His precarious appearance was like that of a rabid dog facing death.

‘The explosives on the floor must be for a suicidal spell.’

The moment he stabs his own heart…

‘If he detonates himself, this place will collapse along with him.’

However, I didn’t stop.

Instead, I silently approached right in front of him.

“Stop, I said stop!”

I finally stopped right before the assassin’s nose.

And then…

“Shh, please be quiet.”

I raised my finger to my lips and whispered quietly to the Eastern knight.

“I was sent by the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince.

Hearing this, his eyes trembled nervously.

“What… what did you say?”

He asked me back in a panicked voice.

“I received orders to take you out of here.”

I smirked slightly.

And then, with a villainous grin, I whispered to him.