Chapter 21
(21) I Will Protect Your Majesty (13)
‘It doesn’t matter if we can’t pull Heraith down from the throne. What’s important are the four knight orders.”’
The Black, White, Red, and Blue Knight Orders—each one handpicked and trained by Heraith himself.
If they could just seize control over those four, killing Heraith afterward would be a simple task.
‘That cursed bloodline of Delgado.’
Stephanie ground her teeth.
‘If I had known that blood would be so tenacious, I wouldn’t have let it be born in the first place.’
Even at the moment when she was sure she could kill him, she had failed. Maybe that’s why she felt anxious, afraid that even this perfect plan, one that had taken years and massive resources to prepare, might fail.
If it did, gathering the strength to carry out the next plan would take an extremely long time.
‘Father will be furious.’
Her father, the Border Duke Pellagon Calix, was a man who did not tolerate mistakes or failure. A significant amount of his resources had also gone into this plan.
‘If I fail, I won’t receive Father’s support until I regain his trust. And once that support is gone, Heraith won’t miss his chance—he’ll come after me, aiming to cut off my arms and legs. Of course, as long as Father is alive, he wouldn’t be able to kill me.’
The power of Duke Calix was immense, comparable even to that of the Emperor himself. That was why Heraith couldn’t kill Stephanie, the Duke’s daughter.
“Hensa,” Stephanie made her decision. “Summon someone to find out what the Emperor is doing right now.”
The answer came quickly.
“He’s at his private training grounds.”
“I see. Then send the Elders to pressure him on who the next Empress will be.”
Hensa’s eyes flickered.
“B-But Your Highness, wasn’t the plan set for tomorrow…?”
“What if tomorrow the Emperor suddenly decides to attend the festival and leaves the palace?”
“That’s why we informed the Elders in advance, didn’t we? They’re scheduled to visit him tomorrow morning to discuss the matter of the next Empress.”
That was how they planned to keep Heraith tied to the palace.
“Of course that was the plan. But Hensa, the Emperor is quick to catch on. If the Elders suddenly show up tomorrow morning, he might get suspicious. Isn’t it better to strike now, at a time even we didn’t expect?”
Hensa paused to think, then nodded.
“Yes. It’s a shame the royal families of Kabeno and Herd haven’t arrived yet. But considering how the Emperor has foiled our plots before, now—when even we’ve let down our guard—might be the perfect moment to act.”
***
From the Crown Princess’s palace, a snake slithered out with incredible speed.
It glided under trees and through the shadows of bushes, silently leaving the imperial grounds and heading somewhere unknown.
Upon its arrival, those who were waiting began to move with clockwork precision. They opened a large chest and took out several massive magic stones, each the size of a human head.
They carefully placed the stones in a circle atop a magic array drawn on the ground.
The stones glowed with an ominous red hue.
As each person took their place and began chanting spells, blood trapped within the stones began to flow, soaking the magic circle.
It took some time, but eventually a sinister force began to emanate from the circle, spreading in every direction.
The casters, worn thin, began collapsing to their knees, bleeding from their noses or vomiting blood. Still, they didn’t stop until sufficient power had been gathered.
Then, suddenly, the power that had spread outward gathered into one place—a point within a busy plaza where people had gathered to watch a play.
***
Eleanor slightly tilted her hat up to glance at Heraith.
He wore a long, hooded coat, though he didn’t have the hood up.
And yet, no one recognized him.
Light brown hair. Blue eyes. His facial features hadn’t changed much. But people knew the Emperor to have black hair and black eyes. Even if he looked familiar, no one would think he was the same person.
‘Besides, it’s not like people often get to see the Emperor’s face up close.’
How many people in this district had truly seen Heraith’s real face?
Even when he passed through during military campaigns, most likely bowed their heads too low to get a good look.
‘Such a tempting ability.’
She didn’t need to change the shape of her face, but if she could just change her hair and eye color like that, it could be used in so many ways.
‘How can I learn that technique? Would getting it from Eyo Bastid be easy?’
She had suspected Eyo because she feared that even Heraith might be deceived by such shapeshifting powers. But if Heraith already knew about Eyo’s ability, there was no reason to keep him at arm’s length.
‘Eyo Bastid probably isn’t as cautious as the Emperor. If I can charm him well enough, maybe he’ll tell me…!!’
They felt it at almost the same moment—a chilling force brushing across their feet.
Without a word, both of them bolted in the same direction.
Eleanor pressed down her hat; Heraith pulled up his hood. As he wiped his face with his palm, his features returned to normal.
‘He dropped the disguise. Maybe he can’t use his powers properly while transformed?’
Even while preparing for what was to come, Eleanor kept observing Heraith. Sensing her gaze, Heraith smirked.
“Would you stop staring at my face?”
“It’s so radiant.”
Eleanor replied as wind wrapped around her arm.
“I simply can’t look away.”
The crowd was dense, making it hard to move forward.
Eleanor swung her arms out to the sides, sending gusts of wind tearing through the crowd.
“Ahh!”
“W-What’s going on?!”
People were swept aside, creating a path. Heraith, running ahead, finally turned his head toward Eleanor.
“You can use magic while holding a conversation?”
“A little,” she replied.
KWA-DOOM—!
A thunderous roar from up ahead swallowed her words.
The sound, like a building being torn apart, finally drew screams and forced people to cover their ears.
“What was that?!”
“O-Over there…!”
“AAAHH!”
People screamed, some clueless about what was happening.
“It’s a rift!”
“A rift!”
Voices of those who recognized the threat cried out in terror.
No monsters had emerged yet, but panic spread quickly. Some collapsed, legs giving out, while others fled. The path Eleanor had cleared was quickly swallowed by the crowd again.
Eleanor unleashed another burst of wind to sweep them aside again and ran even faster.
At the center of the square, in front of the stage set up for the play, a swirling black energy—about as tall as a person—was writhing.
It looked like a black vortex, or like someone had splashed ink into the air. The energy radiating from it was sharp and ominous.
People nearby couldn’t escape the blast.
“Seven.”
Eleanor quickly counted the lives lost and summoned more wind.
Many remained near the rift, those who couldn’t move, or had been injured by the shockwave when it formed.
The already-dead couldn’t be helped, but she had to pull the others away.
At that moment, Heraith ran ahead and shouted at the top of his lungs,
“Anyone who can still move, get on your feet!”
His voice thundered above the rift’s roar, seeming to reach the heavens.
The terrified people blinked, a spark returning to their eyes.
“T-The Emperor…”
“His Majesty—His Majesty is here!”
Just his presence was enough to quell some of their fear.
Even if he was known as the mad Emperor who killed his own wives, when it came to rifts and monsters, no one was more reliable.
“If you don’t want to die, get up NOW!”
As Heraith shouted again, the least injured ones stumbled to their feet.
Now there were fewer people to carry.
Eleanor exhaled in relief and sent her wind toward the fallen. The wind spread like a carpet, racing toward the wounded.
As the breeze pushed them aside from the danger zone, Eleanor sent a second gust, this time aimed at the rift.
Just then, a low murmur came from nearby.
“Freeze.”
As soon as Eleanor realized it was a spell incantation, frost began to form on her wind surrounding the rift.
