It wasn't easy to find Ivanna and Tarkun in the spacious Crown Prince's Palace.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that the Crown Prince's Palace was in Geumnam District, so there were only women there.
The untrained, non-combatant maids were no match for Elijah. They could be easily subdued.
The Crown Prince's room was at the very top of the palace. First, they searched the rooms going down from the top. However, most of them were empty rooms where no one could feel anything, and there were too many rooms.
“If this continues, there will be no end.”
Rapine said with a stern face. Everything had to be done before dawn. After finding Ivanna and Tarkun, they had to go to the Prince's palace and find Kalia. Elze chewed her lips anxiously. If they searched like this, there would definitely be not enough time.
Blahar said that even the maids didn't know where Ivanna and Tarkun were. It seemed like they were in some kind of secret space, but it was actually quite a stroke of luck that Elze, who was a first-time visitor, found a place that even the girls who were used to visiting the Crown Prince's palace didn't know about.
While Elze was thinking of various ways to do something, Ilwooz called out to her quietly.
“Elze...”
Ilwooz had been looking tired ever since he left the bedroom earlier. He called Elze and immediately staggered to the ground.
“Ilwooz!”
Elze hurriedly ran to him and helped him up. Ilwooz was pale and sweating profusely.
"Are you okay?"
Ilwooz nodded to Elze's question. He muttered softly, panting.
“Desperate cries for salvation from Ines... How strong is the resentment of the dead...”
Elze paused for a moment. It was something she did not understand, but she felt that something was not right. Ilwooz wiped the cold sweat off his sleeve and said.
“It seems like something is going on in the Crown Prince’s Palace... It’s a more unbearable atmosphere than in Teslaon’s mansion...”
Ilwooz said that and let out a long breath. He then tightly closed his lips and slowly untied the string that bound his eyes.
A brilliant rainbow-colored eye was revealed. As the holy aura blew out, a white light appeared from his body. Ilwooz slowly stretched out his hand. A thin white ray of light flowed out, wrapping around his hand. And then it stretched straight out toward somewhere. Ilwooz spoke in a clear voice.
“This way. I think Ivanna is there too.”
Elze and Rapine ran after Ilwooz's white light. The light continued for a while until it reached a blank wall. As soon as Ilwooz saw the wall, he squinted his eyes and quietly placed his hand on the wall.
As the light penetrated the wall, something amazing happened. The solid stone wall melted into a creamy softness. The wall melted as if it had a will, creating a round hole. Behind it was a dark passage. White light flowed toward it.
The three of them stepped into the passage without saying who would go first. As Elze and her group entered, the hole shrank back down and became a wall. Elze, Rapine, and Ilwooz began to run at full speed.
Soon, they came face to face with a huge iron gate. However, it too lost its essence in the face of Ilwooz’s divine power and melted away softly. Then, a room brightly lit up was revealed.
“...”
Elze was the first to find a girl crouching in the corner. The girl, whose ankles were tied with thick iron chains, crouched down as soon as she felt someone. The iron chains clanked along with her trembling body. Her throat tightened at the sight, and Elze called out to her in a hoarse voice.
“...Ivanna.”
The girl flinched and then raised her head slightly.
"Captain...?"
Ivanna's eyes widened and she sat up, staggering.
“But, captain!”
Ivanna stumbled and ran toward Elze. The sound of chains clashing loudly followed her running footsteps. Elze hugged Ivanna without saying a word.
“Captain, captain...”
Ivanna hugged Elze tightly. She hugged her tightly as if Elze would disappear if she didn't. Ivanna buried her face in Elze's arms and spoke in a tearful voice.
“They threatened to turn me into a human, an animal, and... Tarkun, a chimera... But I..."
Elze clenched her teeth and comforted Ivanna's trembling body. It was hard to understand the incoherent words. However, it was easy to guess what Ivanna had been through by looking at the scenery here. Rapine, who was next to Elze, muttered absentmindedly.
“This is, a person...?”
The place where Ivanna was imprisoned was a huge laboratory. Dozens of large glass tubes stretched from floor to ceiling, lining both sides. It was exactly the same as what she had seen in Teslaon's mansion.
The only difference was that what was contained within the glass case was not a beast, but a person. Not just any person, but a person cut to pieces and sewn together with the beast, like rags...
This place, where just standing there felt like you would be cursed, was a laboratory against God.
"Ah..."
Ilwooz let out a sigh. He was unable to continue speaking, and then managed to say,
“They are neither dead nor alive now. They have no reason, but their emotions remain and they feel the pain as it is...”
Elze thought as she held Ivanna in her arms. Heglatan supported Teslaon's chimera experiments to create a new weapon of war.
However, beasts cannot keep up with human brains. Even though their bodies are strong, beasts ultimately act according to instinct. They need humans to make them into useful weapons.
The children seen at Teslaon's mansion were drugged. They all obediently followed Teslaon's orders.
Ultimately, the ultimate goal of the chimera experiment was to create a chimera by combining humans and animals, and then control it with drugs.
“...”
It wasn't just Elze who realized this fact. Rapine and Ilwooz also had faces that roughly realized the situation.
How long had the chimera experiment been going on? They couldn't tell.
However, it was in the Duke Seraph's mansion that Elze first got a clue for her experiment. The prostitutes locked in the basement there were drugged and turned into dolls, just like the children locked in Teslaon's mansion.
She guessed experiments had already been actively conducted at that time. And countless lives had been sacrificed during that time.
But now that Teslaon had disappeared, it would not be easy to find an alchemist who could continue the research.
Blahar must have been thinking of using Ivanna. Maybe Elze came to Heglatan too... She didn’t know it was his scheme from the beginning. When she thought about it that way, her whole body felt creepy.
The traps he had laid were as transparent and ingenious as spiderwebs, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and lies. Blahar had been smiling on the outside as if he had no intention of revealing anything, but behind his back, he had laid out a large plan.
“Captain. We don’t have time.”
Rapine, who had finally regained her senses, urged Elze on. Elze suppressed the emotions that were bursting out inside her. Then she held Ivanna’s shoulders tightly and met her gaze. Ivanna’s eyes were half-empty.
“Ivanna, Ivanna!”
“I, I... a chimera...”
Even though Elze kept calling her name, her eyes didn’t become clear. She just kept spouting out nonsensical words while turning pale. There was nothing she could do. Elze squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and slapped Ivanna’s cheek with her hand.
“Ivanna!!”
Ivanna shuddered as she raised her cheek and screamed like lightning. Her eyes became a little clearer. Ivanna looked at Elze, holding her cheek with her hand.
"Captain...."
Elze spoke to her in a flat voice.
“Get a grip, Ivanna. We’re going to rescue Tarkun and get out of this piece of shit. Got it?”
Ivanna's eyes widened at the name Tarkun.
“Tarkun...!”
She, who had been leaning against Elze as if she was about to collapse, suddenly got up. Then her foot got caught on the chain and she stumbled.
“Wait a minute.”
Ilwooz stepped forward and blew light. The chains slid down. Ivanna, her feet free, ran to a corner of the laboratory. She swept up various vials and papers filled with unknown formulas and shouted.
“Help me! I have to get all of these! Tarkun is in the next room!!”
Rapine ran to Ivanna and helped her up. Elze also tried to help Ivanna, but Ilwooz grabbed Elze's clothes. He spoke, breathing a little hard.
“Elze, we cannot leave this as it is. We must return those who have gone against the natural order to the arms of Ines.”
“...”
Elze, who had been silent for a moment, asked Ivanna a question in a low voice.
“Ivanna. Do you have any explosives available right now?”
"There is!!"
"Good."
A sharp grinding sound came from Elze's mouth. Elze spoke in a suppressed voice.
“Let’s make this son of a bitch’s palace... just like Seraph and Teslaon’s mansion.”
In the forest at dawn, Blahar and Serev were waiting for Elze with a group of knights.
Blahar was leisurely humming and picking flower petals. Serev was the only one who was nervous next to his lord who was so peaceful.
“Your Highness, there is not much time left until dawn.”
"Ah."
“Do you really intend to save them?”
"Then?"
Blahar scolded him with a face that said, "You're talking nonsense."
“Hey, Serev. We were going to do that from the beginning, right?”
“...”
“I also handed Ivanna and Tarkun over to the Crown Prince. It was all part of a grand plan to swallow up Elijah and the others.”
Yes, Blahar was targeting Elijah from the beginning and did all this.
He deliberately leaked information to the Crown Prince to have them capture Ivanna and Tarkun. He then used that as bait to lure Elze. In the process, he also got rid of the Crown Prince.
“You know where they’re hidden. Unless they have superpowers, they can’t find them.”
Ivanna and Tarkun were locked in a secret room in the Crown Prince's Palace. There was no way Elze and her party could find them. Blahar said with a giggle.
“Elze can’t leave because she can’t find Elijah. So she’ll come back to me.”
“...And what do you plan to do?”
“What should I have?”
Serev sighed inwardly at Blahar's wide-open eyes and tilted head. In fact, according to the original plan, Elze was supposed to be handed over to Duke Seraph. That was included in the contract between Blahar and Duke Seraph.
But Blahar was thinking of breaking his contract with Seraph. He knew that Duke Seraph would not stay still. Serev did not know how to get out of this difficult situation. It was even more so because it seemed that neither Duke Seraph nor His Highness Blahar would give up easily. It was at that time that he was deeply troubled.
“!!”
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to shake, and then a huge explosion sounded. The explosion that shook the quiet dawn was followed by people screaming. The flames that engulfed the darkness blazed fiercely. Serev, who had confirmed the location of the fire, spoke in a trembling voice.
“...This is the Crown Prince’s Palace, Your Highness.”
Blahar didn't answer. He just stared blankly at the flames as if he had been hit by something. He stayed like that for a while before shaking his head.
“Ah... This is it.”
Then he grinned and muttered.
“Aren’t you making me so happy, Elze?”
Blahar jumped onto his horse and shouted.
“The hunt begins now!”
The knights followed him, and all mounted their horses in battle formation. Standing at the forefront, Blahar gave the order.
“You can kill the other Elijahs. But the alchemist woman..."
Blahar said with a twisted smile.
“Capture Elze alive.”
His red eyes were gleaming bloodshot.
While Rapine and Ivanna were gathering materials from the laboratory, Elze and Ilwooz ran into the next room.
“Tarkun!!”
Tarkun looked fine on the outside, but his eyes were unfocused. He was under the influence of drugs. When he was brought to the lab, sitting like a doll with a blank face, Ivanna's eyes filled with tears. Her lips trembled. But Ivanna held back her tears, even as she squealed. She swallowed her tears and said.
“...This medicine takes time to detoxify. It will require at least several days of intensive treatment to detoxify, so there is no way to wake Tarkun up right now.”
Elze was so angry that she felt like she was going to explode. She was going crazy imagining all the terrible things the two of them had gone through. But now was the time to control her emotions. Elze repeatedly told herself to calm down. Then she assessed the situation and gave instructions.
“Ilwooz, is it possible to evacuate all the people in the Crown Prince’s Palace using divine power?”
"it's possible."
“Then get everyone out. Ivanna, how many minutes is the maximum possible detonation delay?”
Ivanna quickly scanned the materials in the lab and answered.
“All I can do now is... up to 20 minutes!”
“Yes. Now let’s get started on the installation. And Ivanna, the Crown Prince’s Palace is right next to the Prince’s Palace. After you’ve set up the explosives and evacuated the people, come to the stables there with Ilwooz.”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Rapine, you go to the Prince’s palace with me and rescue Kalia.”
“Understood, Captain!”
“Yes. Let’s leave right now.”
As soon as they made their decision, Elze and Rapine ran out of the laboratory. Ivanna and Ilwooz remained in the laboratory and diligently gathered the materials and research items. Ivanna shouted after finishing all the preparations.
“Mr. Ilwooz, this lab is about to be set on fire. Please stand back!”
Ivanna hastily mixed something together and put it into a glass bottle. She shook it and mixed it, then threw it on the floor. The liquid that was sprayed with a splatter made a sparkling sound and sparks rose up.
“We need to plant the explosives right now! This way!”
Ivanna dragged Tarkun out of the laboratory. Ilwooz followed Ivanna, then suddenly looked back.
The flames danced and flickered, and the glass tubes in the laboratory sparkled beautifully in the light. Although the contents were so ugly, the sparkle was beautiful. Ilwooz muttered with a bitter smile.
“Why do humans not change even after a thousand years...? Desires are always the same.”
Finally, Ilwooz recited a short prayer and turned around without any regrets.
The Prince's Palace was not far from the Crown Prince's Palace. Since Blahar had taken all the knights away, the security was also lax. Thanks to this, Elze was able to quickly find Kalia.
“Ma... ma’am?”
The Kalias were startled by Elze's appearance. And Elze's heart ached again when she saw Kalia's condition.
The Kalias were in terrible physical condition due to the long-term torture. The torture was so brutal that it was not certain whether some of them would ever return to normal.
Elze seemed to know why Blahar had said he would show her Kalia after the request was over. If she had seen Kalia like this, she would have grabbed Blahar by the collar right away, let alone the request.
“I’ll tell you the whole story later. Those who can move, help the injured.”
Elze and Rapine succeeded in taking Kalia out of the Prince's palace and to the stables.
"Captain!"
“Elze!”
Ivanna and Ilwooz had already arrived at the stables and were waiting for Elze. And at the exact moment they met, a huge explosion was heard. The explosives installed in the Crown Prince's Palace had exploded. Elze looked at the huge flames burning.
“...”
Now that the explosion has occurred, Blahar must have learned of Elze's betrayal. She wished he had waited a little longer.
But there was no time to regret. From now on, it was the beginning of a chase between the chased and the chased. Elze shouted, stretching out her hand in a big way.
“Everyone get on your horses! Take care of the wounded!”
With the addition of the Kalia, the number of men was close to twenty. Those who could move rode horses, and the wounded were carried on the back, so the number roughly matched the number of horses in the stable.
However, even though Kalia could move, their condition was not normal. They could barely speak, so they had to be led from time to time.
Fortunately, thanks to Ilwooz, the horses were obedient and did not rebel, so they were able to move relatively easily. Elze held the reins tightly and gave instructions from the front.
“Breakthrough as fast as you can.”
The horses, led by Elze, ran in a long line. The procession of horses running through the castle was bizarre. If it had been normal, they would have been stopped.
However, all attention was focused on the explosion that occurred at the Crown Prince's Palace. Those who were distraught by the explosion had no time to look after Elze and her group.
Thanks to that, they were able to escape safely from the castle and run towards the border. As they left the castle and reached the border area near the border, a dry plain spread out before them.
But soon, they were being pursued. Even though they ran as fast as they could, they were running with many wounded people. Naturally, their speed had to slow down. The gap between the pursuers and the fugitives was getting narrower. If this continued, they would all die together. They had to find a way out.
After riding on the plain for a while, Elze stopped her horse. The group followed Elze and stopped. They all looked exhausted. If they had gone any faster, there might have been someone who fell off their horse.
“Rapine, Ivanna.”
At Elze's call, two men rode forward.
“You guys, take Ilwooz, Kalia, and Tarkun and head to the border first. I’ll stay behind and delay the pursuit as much as possible...”
“No!!”
Rapine cut Elze off and shouted. He was always quiet and rational, but this time he was genuinely angry.
“Are you telling me to leave the captain alone in this place of death? That can’t be possible!!”
“Rapine!”
Elze knew why he was angry, but she couldn't accept it.
“Don’t you understand their purpose yet? Ivanna must not be caught!!”
Ivanna was the key to Heglatan completing his research on the chimera. Even if Elze was captured, Ivanna had to be protected.
“These are the Knights of Blahar. The elite of Heglatan. It is impossible to escape while protecting this many non-combatants. If we continue like this, we will all die together.”
“..."
“At least Blahar won’t kill me. He’s interested in me.”
But Rapine didn't answer. His eyes were bloodshot. Elze tried to persuade him with an anxious face.
“Rapine, I’m talking about maximum efficiency right now. We don’t have time to argue like this.”
"Captain...."
“Run. Run without looking back, cross the border. And ask Shan for reinforcements.”
“...”
“I’ll go near the border. If there’s a conflict happening at the border, I can end it without it becoming a big problem even if I fight the Heglatan Knights.”
Rapine had a pained expression. As Elze had said, it was best for someone to stay behind and buy time. And in this situation, Elze was the only one who could fight alone. At that moment, Ilwooz, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward and spoke.
“Elze, I will stay with you.”
But Elze shook her head.
“Ilwooz, you go first. Ivanna and Rapine can’t take all those people. They need you.”
The miracle of having safely transported Kalia up until now was due to Ilwooz's pacing of the horses. If it weren't for Ilwooz, the horses would not have behaved so obediently. He had to keep them next to Kalia.
"And..."
Elze hesitated for a moment and then added:
“It’s not something I really want to show you...”
In this situation, there was no room for the sword. Elze intended to kill all the knights. At least she did not want to show herself killing in front of Ilwooz.
At Elze's words, Ilwooz lowered his head quietly. He slowly raised his head from where he had been lowering it and called Elze's name.
“Elze.”
Ilwooz spoke in a soft voice.
“It doesn’t matter if your arms or legs are cut off. I can restore them as much as I want.”
“Ilwooz...”
“So, please just save your life.”
Elze laughed. It was truly his kind of cheer. Who in the world would tell someone not to worry and to fight, saying that they will reattach their limbs if they are cut off? Elze winked one eye playfully and said.
“I know. If I die, the demons will be resurrected right away. I will do my best to save the continent.”
Ilwooz smiled faintly at Elze's joke. Elze smiled back at him and said,
“But I have one favor to ask. Could you tell my horse to wait on the other side?”
Ilwooz nodded and came over. He stroked Elze’s horse with his hand and whispered something softly. The horse neighed as if it understood Ilwooz’s whisper. Elze got off the horse and urged the others on.
“Yes! Everyone, hurry up!!”
At Elze's urging, Rapine gritted his teeth and took Elze's place at the head of the group.
“Please hold on a little longer. I will bring Cirxus...”
“Captain, I’m sorry...”
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that the Crown Prince's Palace was in Geumnam District, so there were only women there.
The untrained, non-combatant maids were no match for Elijah. They could be easily subdued.
The Crown Prince's room was at the very top of the palace. First, they searched the rooms going down from the top. However, most of them were empty rooms where no one could feel anything, and there were too many rooms.
“If this continues, there will be no end.”
Rapine said with a stern face. Everything had to be done before dawn. After finding Ivanna and Tarkun, they had to go to the Prince's palace and find Kalia. Elze chewed her lips anxiously. If they searched like this, there would definitely be not enough time.
Blahar said that even the maids didn't know where Ivanna and Tarkun were. It seemed like they were in some kind of secret space, but it was actually quite a stroke of luck that Elze, who was a first-time visitor, found a place that even the girls who were used to visiting the Crown Prince's palace didn't know about.
While Elze was thinking of various ways to do something, Ilwooz called out to her quietly.
“Elze...”
Ilwooz had been looking tired ever since he left the bedroom earlier. He called Elze and immediately staggered to the ground.
“Ilwooz!”
Elze hurriedly ran to him and helped him up. Ilwooz was pale and sweating profusely.
"Are you okay?"
Ilwooz nodded to Elze's question. He muttered softly, panting.
“Desperate cries for salvation from Ines... How strong is the resentment of the dead...”
Elze paused for a moment. It was something she did not understand, but she felt that something was not right. Ilwooz wiped the cold sweat off his sleeve and said.
“It seems like something is going on in the Crown Prince’s Palace... It’s a more unbearable atmosphere than in Teslaon’s mansion...”
Ilwooz said that and let out a long breath. He then tightly closed his lips and slowly untied the string that bound his eyes.
A brilliant rainbow-colored eye was revealed. As the holy aura blew out, a white light appeared from his body. Ilwooz slowly stretched out his hand. A thin white ray of light flowed out, wrapping around his hand. And then it stretched straight out toward somewhere. Ilwooz spoke in a clear voice.
“This way. I think Ivanna is there too.”
Elze and Rapine ran after Ilwooz's white light. The light continued for a while until it reached a blank wall. As soon as Ilwooz saw the wall, he squinted his eyes and quietly placed his hand on the wall.
As the light penetrated the wall, something amazing happened. The solid stone wall melted into a creamy softness. The wall melted as if it had a will, creating a round hole. Behind it was a dark passage. White light flowed toward it.
The three of them stepped into the passage without saying who would go first. As Elze and her group entered, the hole shrank back down and became a wall. Elze, Rapine, and Ilwooz began to run at full speed.
Soon, they came face to face with a huge iron gate. However, it too lost its essence in the face of Ilwooz’s divine power and melted away softly. Then, a room brightly lit up was revealed.
“...”
Elze was the first to find a girl crouching in the corner. The girl, whose ankles were tied with thick iron chains, crouched down as soon as she felt someone. The iron chains clanked along with her trembling body. Her throat tightened at the sight, and Elze called out to her in a hoarse voice.
“...Ivanna.”
The girl flinched and then raised her head slightly.
"Captain...?"
Ivanna's eyes widened and she sat up, staggering.
“But, captain!”
Ivanna stumbled and ran toward Elze. The sound of chains clashing loudly followed her running footsteps. Elze hugged Ivanna without saying a word.
“Captain, captain...”
Ivanna hugged Elze tightly. She hugged her tightly as if Elze would disappear if she didn't. Ivanna buried her face in Elze's arms and spoke in a tearful voice.
“They threatened to turn me into a human, an animal, and... Tarkun, a chimera... But I..."
Elze clenched her teeth and comforted Ivanna's trembling body. It was hard to understand the incoherent words. However, it was easy to guess what Ivanna had been through by looking at the scenery here. Rapine, who was next to Elze, muttered absentmindedly.
“This is, a person...?”
The place where Ivanna was imprisoned was a huge laboratory. Dozens of large glass tubes stretched from floor to ceiling, lining both sides. It was exactly the same as what she had seen in Teslaon's mansion.
The only difference was that what was contained within the glass case was not a beast, but a person. Not just any person, but a person cut to pieces and sewn together with the beast, like rags...
This place, where just standing there felt like you would be cursed, was a laboratory against God.
"Ah..."
Ilwooz let out a sigh. He was unable to continue speaking, and then managed to say,
“They are neither dead nor alive now. They have no reason, but their emotions remain and they feel the pain as it is...”
Elze thought as she held Ivanna in her arms. Heglatan supported Teslaon's chimera experiments to create a new weapon of war.
However, beasts cannot keep up with human brains. Even though their bodies are strong, beasts ultimately act according to instinct. They need humans to make them into useful weapons.
The children seen at Teslaon's mansion were drugged. They all obediently followed Teslaon's orders.
Ultimately, the ultimate goal of the chimera experiment was to create a chimera by combining humans and animals, and then control it with drugs.
“...”
It wasn't just Elze who realized this fact. Rapine and Ilwooz also had faces that roughly realized the situation.
How long had the chimera experiment been going on? They couldn't tell.
However, it was in the Duke Seraph's mansion that Elze first got a clue for her experiment. The prostitutes locked in the basement there were drugged and turned into dolls, just like the children locked in Teslaon's mansion.
She guessed experiments had already been actively conducted at that time. And countless lives had been sacrificed during that time.
But now that Teslaon had disappeared, it would not be easy to find an alchemist who could continue the research.
Blahar must have been thinking of using Ivanna. Maybe Elze came to Heglatan too... She didn’t know it was his scheme from the beginning. When she thought about it that way, her whole body felt creepy.
The traps he had laid were as transparent and ingenious as spiderwebs, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and lies. Blahar had been smiling on the outside as if he had no intention of revealing anything, but behind his back, he had laid out a large plan.
“Captain. We don’t have time.”
Rapine, who had finally regained her senses, urged Elze on. Elze suppressed the emotions that were bursting out inside her. Then she held Ivanna’s shoulders tightly and met her gaze. Ivanna’s eyes were half-empty.
“Ivanna, Ivanna!”
“I, I... a chimera...”
Even though Elze kept calling her name, her eyes didn’t become clear. She just kept spouting out nonsensical words while turning pale. There was nothing she could do. Elze squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and slapped Ivanna’s cheek with her hand.
“Ivanna!!”
Ivanna shuddered as she raised her cheek and screamed like lightning. Her eyes became a little clearer. Ivanna looked at Elze, holding her cheek with her hand.
"Captain...."
Elze spoke to her in a flat voice.
“Get a grip, Ivanna. We’re going to rescue Tarkun and get out of this piece of shit. Got it?”
Ivanna's eyes widened at the name Tarkun.
“Tarkun...!”
She, who had been leaning against Elze as if she was about to collapse, suddenly got up. Then her foot got caught on the chain and she stumbled.
“Wait a minute.”
Ilwooz stepped forward and blew light. The chains slid down. Ivanna, her feet free, ran to a corner of the laboratory. She swept up various vials and papers filled with unknown formulas and shouted.
“Help me! I have to get all of these! Tarkun is in the next room!!”
Rapine ran to Ivanna and helped her up. Elze also tried to help Ivanna, but Ilwooz grabbed Elze's clothes. He spoke, breathing a little hard.
“Elze, we cannot leave this as it is. We must return those who have gone against the natural order to the arms of Ines.”
“...”
Elze, who had been silent for a moment, asked Ivanna a question in a low voice.
“Ivanna. Do you have any explosives available right now?”
"There is!!"
"Good."
A sharp grinding sound came from Elze's mouth. Elze spoke in a suppressed voice.
“Let’s make this son of a bitch’s palace... just like Seraph and Teslaon’s mansion.”
***
In the forest at dawn, Blahar and Serev were waiting for Elze with a group of knights.
Blahar was leisurely humming and picking flower petals. Serev was the only one who was nervous next to his lord who was so peaceful.
“Your Highness, there is not much time left until dawn.”
"Ah."
“Do you really intend to save them?”
"Then?"
Blahar scolded him with a face that said, "You're talking nonsense."
“Hey, Serev. We were going to do that from the beginning, right?”
“...”
“I also handed Ivanna and Tarkun over to the Crown Prince. It was all part of a grand plan to swallow up Elijah and the others.”
Yes, Blahar was targeting Elijah from the beginning and did all this.
He deliberately leaked information to the Crown Prince to have them capture Ivanna and Tarkun. He then used that as bait to lure Elze. In the process, he also got rid of the Crown Prince.
“You know where they’re hidden. Unless they have superpowers, they can’t find them.”
Ivanna and Tarkun were locked in a secret room in the Crown Prince's Palace. There was no way Elze and her party could find them. Blahar said with a giggle.
“Elze can’t leave because she can’t find Elijah. So she’ll come back to me.”
“...And what do you plan to do?”
“What should I have?”
Serev sighed inwardly at Blahar's wide-open eyes and tilted head. In fact, according to the original plan, Elze was supposed to be handed over to Duke Seraph. That was included in the contract between Blahar and Duke Seraph.
But Blahar was thinking of breaking his contract with Seraph. He knew that Duke Seraph would not stay still. Serev did not know how to get out of this difficult situation. It was even more so because it seemed that neither Duke Seraph nor His Highness Blahar would give up easily. It was at that time that he was deeply troubled.
“!!”
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to shake, and then a huge explosion sounded. The explosion that shook the quiet dawn was followed by people screaming. The flames that engulfed the darkness blazed fiercely. Serev, who had confirmed the location of the fire, spoke in a trembling voice.
“...This is the Crown Prince’s Palace, Your Highness.”
Blahar didn't answer. He just stared blankly at the flames as if he had been hit by something. He stayed like that for a while before shaking his head.
“Ah... This is it.”
Then he grinned and muttered.
“Aren’t you making me so happy, Elze?”
Blahar jumped onto his horse and shouted.
“The hunt begins now!”
The knights followed him, and all mounted their horses in battle formation. Standing at the forefront, Blahar gave the order.
“You can kill the other Elijahs. But the alchemist woman..."
Blahar said with a twisted smile.
“Capture Elze alive.”
His red eyes were gleaming bloodshot.
***
While Rapine and Ivanna were gathering materials from the laboratory, Elze and Ilwooz ran into the next room.
“Tarkun!!”
Tarkun looked fine on the outside, but his eyes were unfocused. He was under the influence of drugs. When he was brought to the lab, sitting like a doll with a blank face, Ivanna's eyes filled with tears. Her lips trembled. But Ivanna held back her tears, even as she squealed. She swallowed her tears and said.
“...This medicine takes time to detoxify. It will require at least several days of intensive treatment to detoxify, so there is no way to wake Tarkun up right now.”
Elze was so angry that she felt like she was going to explode. She was going crazy imagining all the terrible things the two of them had gone through. But now was the time to control her emotions. Elze repeatedly told herself to calm down. Then she assessed the situation and gave instructions.
“Ilwooz, is it possible to evacuate all the people in the Crown Prince’s Palace using divine power?”
"it's possible."
“Then get everyone out. Ivanna, how many minutes is the maximum possible detonation delay?”
Ivanna quickly scanned the materials in the lab and answered.
“All I can do now is... up to 20 minutes!”
“Yes. Now let’s get started on the installation. And Ivanna, the Crown Prince’s Palace is right next to the Prince’s Palace. After you’ve set up the explosives and evacuated the people, come to the stables there with Ilwooz.”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Rapine, you go to the Prince’s palace with me and rescue Kalia.”
“Understood, Captain!”
“Yes. Let’s leave right now.”
As soon as they made their decision, Elze and Rapine ran out of the laboratory. Ivanna and Ilwooz remained in the laboratory and diligently gathered the materials and research items. Ivanna shouted after finishing all the preparations.
“Mr. Ilwooz, this lab is about to be set on fire. Please stand back!”
Ivanna hastily mixed something together and put it into a glass bottle. She shook it and mixed it, then threw it on the floor. The liquid that was sprayed with a splatter made a sparkling sound and sparks rose up.
“We need to plant the explosives right now! This way!”
Ivanna dragged Tarkun out of the laboratory. Ilwooz followed Ivanna, then suddenly looked back.
The flames danced and flickered, and the glass tubes in the laboratory sparkled beautifully in the light. Although the contents were so ugly, the sparkle was beautiful. Ilwooz muttered with a bitter smile.
“Why do humans not change even after a thousand years...? Desires are always the same.”
Finally, Ilwooz recited a short prayer and turned around without any regrets.
***
The Prince's Palace was not far from the Crown Prince's Palace. Since Blahar had taken all the knights away, the security was also lax. Thanks to this, Elze was able to quickly find Kalia.
“Ma... ma’am?”
The Kalias were startled by Elze's appearance. And Elze's heart ached again when she saw Kalia's condition.
The Kalias were in terrible physical condition due to the long-term torture. The torture was so brutal that it was not certain whether some of them would ever return to normal.
Elze seemed to know why Blahar had said he would show her Kalia after the request was over. If she had seen Kalia like this, she would have grabbed Blahar by the collar right away, let alone the request.
“I’ll tell you the whole story later. Those who can move, help the injured.”
Elze and Rapine succeeded in taking Kalia out of the Prince's palace and to the stables.
"Captain!"
“Elze!”
Ivanna and Ilwooz had already arrived at the stables and were waiting for Elze. And at the exact moment they met, a huge explosion was heard. The explosives installed in the Crown Prince's Palace had exploded. Elze looked at the huge flames burning.
“...”
Now that the explosion has occurred, Blahar must have learned of Elze's betrayal. She wished he had waited a little longer.
But there was no time to regret. From now on, it was the beginning of a chase between the chased and the chased. Elze shouted, stretching out her hand in a big way.
“Everyone get on your horses! Take care of the wounded!”
With the addition of the Kalia, the number of men was close to twenty. Those who could move rode horses, and the wounded were carried on the back, so the number roughly matched the number of horses in the stable.
However, even though Kalia could move, their condition was not normal. They could barely speak, so they had to be led from time to time.
Fortunately, thanks to Ilwooz, the horses were obedient and did not rebel, so they were able to move relatively easily. Elze held the reins tightly and gave instructions from the front.
“Breakthrough as fast as you can.”
The horses, led by Elze, ran in a long line. The procession of horses running through the castle was bizarre. If it had been normal, they would have been stopped.
However, all attention was focused on the explosion that occurred at the Crown Prince's Palace. Those who were distraught by the explosion had no time to look after Elze and her group.
Thanks to that, they were able to escape safely from the castle and run towards the border. As they left the castle and reached the border area near the border, a dry plain spread out before them.
But soon, they were being pursued. Even though they ran as fast as they could, they were running with many wounded people. Naturally, their speed had to slow down. The gap between the pursuers and the fugitives was getting narrower. If this continued, they would all die together. They had to find a way out.
After riding on the plain for a while, Elze stopped her horse. The group followed Elze and stopped. They all looked exhausted. If they had gone any faster, there might have been someone who fell off their horse.
“Rapine, Ivanna.”
At Elze's call, two men rode forward.
“You guys, take Ilwooz, Kalia, and Tarkun and head to the border first. I’ll stay behind and delay the pursuit as much as possible...”
“No!!”
Rapine cut Elze off and shouted. He was always quiet and rational, but this time he was genuinely angry.
“Are you telling me to leave the captain alone in this place of death? That can’t be possible!!”
“Rapine!”
Elze knew why he was angry, but she couldn't accept it.
“Don’t you understand their purpose yet? Ivanna must not be caught!!”
Ivanna was the key to Heglatan completing his research on the chimera. Even if Elze was captured, Ivanna had to be protected.
“These are the Knights of Blahar. The elite of Heglatan. It is impossible to escape while protecting this many non-combatants. If we continue like this, we will all die together.”
“..."
“At least Blahar won’t kill me. He’s interested in me.”
But Rapine didn't answer. His eyes were bloodshot. Elze tried to persuade him with an anxious face.
“Rapine, I’m talking about maximum efficiency right now. We don’t have time to argue like this.”
"Captain...."
“Run. Run without looking back, cross the border. And ask Shan for reinforcements.”
“...”
“I’ll go near the border. If there’s a conflict happening at the border, I can end it without it becoming a big problem even if I fight the Heglatan Knights.”
Rapine had a pained expression. As Elze had said, it was best for someone to stay behind and buy time. And in this situation, Elze was the only one who could fight alone. At that moment, Ilwooz, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward and spoke.
“Elze, I will stay with you.”
But Elze shook her head.
“Ilwooz, you go first. Ivanna and Rapine can’t take all those people. They need you.”
The miracle of having safely transported Kalia up until now was due to Ilwooz's pacing of the horses. If it weren't for Ilwooz, the horses would not have behaved so obediently. He had to keep them next to Kalia.
"And..."
Elze hesitated for a moment and then added:
“It’s not something I really want to show you...”
In this situation, there was no room for the sword. Elze intended to kill all the knights. At least she did not want to show herself killing in front of Ilwooz.
At Elze's words, Ilwooz lowered his head quietly. He slowly raised his head from where he had been lowering it and called Elze's name.
“Elze.”
Ilwooz spoke in a soft voice.
“It doesn’t matter if your arms or legs are cut off. I can restore them as much as I want.”
“Ilwooz...”
“So, please just save your life.”
Elze laughed. It was truly his kind of cheer. Who in the world would tell someone not to worry and to fight, saying that they will reattach their limbs if they are cut off? Elze winked one eye playfully and said.
“I know. If I die, the demons will be resurrected right away. I will do my best to save the continent.”
Ilwooz smiled faintly at Elze's joke. Elze smiled back at him and said,
“But I have one favor to ask. Could you tell my horse to wait on the other side?”
Ilwooz nodded and came over. He stroked Elze’s horse with his hand and whispered something softly. The horse neighed as if it understood Ilwooz’s whisper. Elze got off the horse and urged the others on.
“Yes! Everyone, hurry up!!”
At Elze's urging, Rapine gritted his teeth and took Elze's place at the head of the group.
“Please hold on a little longer. I will bring Cirxus...”
“Captain, I’m sorry...”
Rapine and Ivanna left a word each and rode off. Ilwooz also left a short greeting for Elze.
“I'll be back soon.”
And then everyone disappeared. Elze stared blankly at the backs of the group as they disappeared.
Now Elze was alone.
Suddenly, she felt that the surroundings were bright. She looked up at the sky and saw a large sun peeking out from behind the mountains.
"Ah..."
It was dawn. It was the third morning in Heglatan.
Elze turned around her surroundings growing brighter. In the distance, the knights of Heglatan could be seen running towards her, kicking up dry dust.
The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground was heard. It was like the sound of drums announcing the start of a war. Fear suddenly surged up. Instinctive fear turned into extreme tension and swept over her body. A tingling sensation ran through her skin. Elze took a deep breath and muttered to herself.
“I can’t die here. I promised to return to my husband...”
The knights who were riding their horses slowed down after spotting Elze. Blahar and Serev were nowhere to be seen. They were probably knights sent as an advance party.
The one at the very front checked Elze's face on his horse and exchanged glances with the knights around him. Judging from the way he didn't dare to draw his sword, it seemed that an order had been given to capture her. One of the knights spoke to Elze.
“Surrender. You had better throw down your weapons.”
At those words, Elze snickered. Instead of answering, she raised her rapier and mangosh.
“...”
It was neither too much nor too little. The knights drew their swords without saying a word. The sound of swords being drawn resonated everywhere, and all the sword tips were pointed at Elze. Elze shouted in front of them in a loud voice.
“I am Elze of Elijah.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with a leisurely smile.
“He who wants to die early, come first.”
The knights' eyes narrowed at the arrogant remark. However, there was no one here who did not know Elijah's reputation. A faint fear rose among them, who could not approach her rashly. The knights were clearly in an absolutely superior position. However, the momentum was tilted toward Elze.
That was enough. Two swords stood straight in the air. Elze said, gripping the handles of the rapier and the mangosh tightly.
“...I’ll let you play as much as you want.”
Previous Next
“I'll be back soon.”
And then everyone disappeared. Elze stared blankly at the backs of the group as they disappeared.
Now Elze was alone.
Suddenly, she felt that the surroundings were bright. She looked up at the sky and saw a large sun peeking out from behind the mountains.
"Ah..."
It was dawn. It was the third morning in Heglatan.
Elze turned around her surroundings growing brighter. In the distance, the knights of Heglatan could be seen running towards her, kicking up dry dust.
The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground was heard. It was like the sound of drums announcing the start of a war. Fear suddenly surged up. Instinctive fear turned into extreme tension and swept over her body. A tingling sensation ran through her skin. Elze took a deep breath and muttered to herself.
“I can’t die here. I promised to return to my husband...”
The knights who were riding their horses slowed down after spotting Elze. Blahar and Serev were nowhere to be seen. They were probably knights sent as an advance party.
The one at the very front checked Elze's face on his horse and exchanged glances with the knights around him. Judging from the way he didn't dare to draw his sword, it seemed that an order had been given to capture her. One of the knights spoke to Elze.
“Surrender. You had better throw down your weapons.”
At those words, Elze snickered. Instead of answering, she raised her rapier and mangosh.
“...”
It was neither too much nor too little. The knights drew their swords without saying a word. The sound of swords being drawn resonated everywhere, and all the sword tips were pointed at Elze. Elze shouted in front of them in a loud voice.
“I am Elze of Elijah.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with a leisurely smile.
“He who wants to die early, come first.”
The knights' eyes narrowed at the arrogant remark. However, there was no one here who did not know Elijah's reputation. A faint fear rose among them, who could not approach her rashly. The knights were clearly in an absolutely superior position. However, the momentum was tilted toward Elze.
That was enough. Two swords stood straight in the air. Elze said, gripping the handles of the rapier and the mangosh tightly.
“...I’ll let you play as much as you want.”
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