Killian and his party rushed to the place where the fireworks were exploding, only to find that it was none other than the Rose Palace.
“Hey, it’s rebels!”
As one of the soldiers who discovered Killian shouted, the scattered soldiers surrounded the enemy in unison.
“Put down your weapons now!”
Count Capone, the commander, shouted while aiming his sword, but Killian didn't even blink an eye and instead showed the composure to break the barrel of the gun and load a magic bullet.
“Where is the person who set off the firecracker?”
Count Capone felt fear at the sight of dozens of armed knights being treated as mere nuisances.
“Why are you asking us when you were the one who blew it up!”
“Looks like you haven’t found it yet.”
Killian was able to shake off the anxiety he had been feeling all along, even if only a little.
Emily was still safe.
Knox, who was surrounded by others, relaxed his shoulders and spoke to Killian.
“What should we do? Should we just wipe them all out?”
Knox's voice was not so quiet, so the knights around him tightened their grip on their swords with tense faces.
There was a sense of imminent danger, as if anyone would take even a single step into a sword fight.
“Marquis Starr!”
In the midst of this tense standoff, the Marquis of Huppert was leading his knights and running towards the Rose Palace.
“...Marquis Huppert?”
Count Capone was very confused when he saw the Marquis de Huppert leading his knights armed.
“Your Grace, how is this place...?”
“Count Capone, it was you.”
The Marquis Huppert, who recognized the Count's face only after coming closer, spoke to him in a very plain voice.
“Why are you here? Is there an Emperor in the Rose Palace?”
Count Capone looked dumbfounded, unable to answer.
The Marquis de Huppert clicked his tongue at the sight of the count.
"You, too, come to your senses. How long are you going to hold onto that rotten rope?"
“Marquis... Are you on the side of the rebels right now?”
"I don't really like the term 'rebel.' It's just about putting everything back where it belonged."
“But, that doesn’t change the fact that the Marquis betrayed his lord!”
"Count, you still don't seem to understand the situation. Now is not the time to question loyalty."
In fact, most of the nobles who sided with the Emperor remained for their own benefit, but Count Capone was different from them.
So the Marquis didn't feel like attacking Count Capone without thinking.
"I know you have a good personality, but you need to understand the situation. How long do you plan to follow a corrupt Emperor?"
"But..."
“Yes, you do your thing. We’ll do ours.”
Killian didn't want to argue with Count Capone here anymore.
They had to deal with them quickly and find Emily first.
As Killian prepared to attack at any moment, one of Capone's soldiers shouted in a hopeful voice.
“Count! The Duke of Sadie is coming!”
The Count and his soldiers, certain that they had come to rescue them, breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a bit concerning that the Duke had left the Knights of Penitus behind, but still, one Sword Master was better than a thousand knights combined.
Killian watched Charles's actions with wary eyes, wondering why he had followed him here again.
Charles, who had been running after Killian, slowed down when he saw Count Capone and his soldiers camped in front of the Rose Palace.
If they didn't get them out of here, there was a good chance they'd have a hard time finding Emily.
'I guess there's nothing I can do.'
Charles decided to put aside his complicated thoughts about the Emperor and focus on ensuring Emily's safety for now.
He raised both hands in a sign of his lack of intention to attack and stepped between the two camps.
“What kind of trick is this?”
At Killian's sharp voice, Charles blocked Count Capone's view and approached him.
And he spoke in a low voice that only Killian could hear.
“For now, I will help you.”
Killian's expression became even more distorted at the offer to help.
Because it was obvious why he wanted to help her.
"Even if you don't want my help, it's better to accept it now. If you want to save Emily."
He wanted to tell him that he didn't need his help, but Killian knew that this wasn't the time for unnecessary pride.
When Killian didn't respond, Charles took it as a yes and turned around and went towards Count Capone.
The Count looked as if he was dying to know what on earth Charles had been talking about so secretly with Killian.
“Why are you all gathered here?”
“That’s actually...”
Count Capone looked around, then put his hand to Charles' ear and spoke quietly.
"His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince have taken refuge here. We have been waiting impatiently for your arrival."
Count Capone, who had never expected that the Duke of Sadie would betray the Emperor, told him confidential information in a fluent manner.
“But you’re saying that you guarded the front of the Rose Palace with soldiers in such a conspicuous manner?”
"Yes?"
“If you stay like this, won’t they also fully anticipate that the Emperor is here?”
“But the Knight Commander ordered all troops to concentrate at the Rose Palace...”
"Now that I'm here, command has passed to me. I will escort His Majesty. You go to the west entrance first and wait."
The west entrance was the entrance on the opposite side of the Rose Palace.
“Your Excellency, are you speaking alone?”
Count Capone cast his gaze behind Charles.
Even though Charles was a sword master, he seemed like a burden to face alone.
“There are Knights of Penitus lurking nearby, so don’t worry about anything.”
“Aha! So that’s what I thought!”
Only then did Count Capone's mind relax.
"If they see you moving so hastily, they'll become suspicious and chase you. In the meantime, we'll escort His Majesty out."
“Yes, I understand what you mean.”
Count Capone, who was following Charles' orders, carefully watched his expression and asked.
“But what conversation did you have with that man just now that you’re all standing there so still?”
"That..."
In response to that question, Charles shamelessly fabricated a lie.
“If you want to protect the person who set off the firecracker, you should just stand by.”
“Firecrackers?”
Count Capone tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Come to think of it, you were looking for that guy as soon as you got here... Who on earth is that Marquis Starr is looking for so desperately?”
“I don’t have time to explain all that to the Count.”
Count Capone immediately lowered his head, embarrassed by Charles' cold voice.
“I’m sorry, I’m off topic.”
“Let’s move to the west exit right now.”
“Yes, then Your Excellency, please take care of yourself too.”
If he had thought a little more deeply, he might have realized that Charles's order was strange, but Count Capone did not dare to contradict the Duke of Sadie's order.
Count Capone was unaware of the secrets of the Rose Palace shared between the Emperor and the First Knight Commander, and he had no idea that the Duke of Sadie, with his extensive war experience, would issue such sloppy orders.
As Count Capone led his soldiers away, Charles immediately approached Killian and spoke urgently.
“We don’t have much time, so find your wife quickly.”
Killian nodded and immediately began to search the surrounding gardens.
"Wait a minute? What the hell is going on here? Duke Sadie is helping us? And what do you mean we have to find your wife?"
Here, only the Marquis Huppert looked around with a bewildered expression, but no one was willing to explain anything to him.
“Boss! Come here!”
A moment later, a spherical, pure white halo appeared on one side of the garden.
“That’s...”
At the sight they saw for the first time, people stopped searching and stared blankly in the direction of the light.
The light gradually faded, and as Priest Franz completely withdrew his holy power, Emily and her companions appeared.
"Honey!"
“Emily!”
As soon as Emily saw Killian's face, she ran to him and hugged him.
“Ugh.”
Emily was startled by the sudden groan and immediately stepped back.
Blood was spreading from Killian's right arm.
“Hey, are you hurt?”
Emily, who had become lost in thought, tried to examine the wound, but Killian quickly held her in his arms with his other arm, preventing her from seeing the wound.
“It’s just a minor injury.”
“But the blood...”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
It was true. The moment Killian saw Emily's face, the burning sensation seemed to subside.
“Madam! I’m glad you’re safe!”
Giovanni, Knox, Chambers, and even Prince Kite all ran towards Emily with relieved faces.
Seeing the happy faces, Emily released Killian's hug and exchanged greetings with the others.
“I’m glad you’re all safe.”
"I didn't think you were an ordinary woman, but you really exceeded my expectations. How did you even think of coming here?"
Even though he said that, Messina also seemed happy to see Emily again.
“Yeah. You really don’t listen.”
Emily paused for a moment as she spotted the Duke of Sadie's face in the crowd.
“Didn’t I clearly say that I would try to save my husband’s life?”
Emily smiled awkwardly at that.
"It's not that I didn't trust you, Your Excellency. I needed to see for myself that my husband was safe."
At those words, Killian looked at Emily with eyes filled with longing and complex emotions.
Charles hid his bitter feelings as he looked at the two people who seemed affectionate.
"Anyway, since I've seen you safe, I'll leave. I heard there's a concentration of troops inside the Rose Palace, so be careful."
“Are you going?”
Charles nodded slightly at Killian's question.
Although he had already become a traitor from the emperor's perspective, he could not directly participate in killing him.
Now, it was even more impossible to protect the Emperor.
Killian turned around and grabbed him as he left, shaking his hand.
“Thank you.”
Charles, who had been looking at Killian's hand with indifferent eyes, eventually tightened his grip.
“Good luck.”
There seemed to be no more regret in Charles's back as he shook hands and left.
The knight who betrayed his lord could no longer remain in Vancent and serve the new Emperor.
Charles was now planning to return to his estates in Sadie and prepare for exile in a foreign country.
“Hey, it’s rebels!”
As one of the soldiers who discovered Killian shouted, the scattered soldiers surrounded the enemy in unison.
“Put down your weapons now!”
Count Capone, the commander, shouted while aiming his sword, but Killian didn't even blink an eye and instead showed the composure to break the barrel of the gun and load a magic bullet.
“Where is the person who set off the firecracker?”
Count Capone felt fear at the sight of dozens of armed knights being treated as mere nuisances.
“Why are you asking us when you were the one who blew it up!”
“Looks like you haven’t found it yet.”
Killian was able to shake off the anxiety he had been feeling all along, even if only a little.
Emily was still safe.
Knox, who was surrounded by others, relaxed his shoulders and spoke to Killian.
“What should we do? Should we just wipe them all out?”
Knox's voice was not so quiet, so the knights around him tightened their grip on their swords with tense faces.
There was a sense of imminent danger, as if anyone would take even a single step into a sword fight.
“Marquis Starr!”
In the midst of this tense standoff, the Marquis of Huppert was leading his knights and running towards the Rose Palace.
“...Marquis Huppert?”
Count Capone was very confused when he saw the Marquis de Huppert leading his knights armed.
“Your Grace, how is this place...?”
“Count Capone, it was you.”
The Marquis Huppert, who recognized the Count's face only after coming closer, spoke to him in a very plain voice.
“Why are you here? Is there an Emperor in the Rose Palace?”
Count Capone looked dumbfounded, unable to answer.
The Marquis de Huppert clicked his tongue at the sight of the count.
"You, too, come to your senses. How long are you going to hold onto that rotten rope?"
“Marquis... Are you on the side of the rebels right now?”
"I don't really like the term 'rebel.' It's just about putting everything back where it belonged."
“But, that doesn’t change the fact that the Marquis betrayed his lord!”
"Count, you still don't seem to understand the situation. Now is not the time to question loyalty."
In fact, most of the nobles who sided with the Emperor remained for their own benefit, but Count Capone was different from them.
So the Marquis didn't feel like attacking Count Capone without thinking.
"I know you have a good personality, but you need to understand the situation. How long do you plan to follow a corrupt Emperor?"
"But..."
“Yes, you do your thing. We’ll do ours.”
Killian didn't want to argue with Count Capone here anymore.
They had to deal with them quickly and find Emily first.
As Killian prepared to attack at any moment, one of Capone's soldiers shouted in a hopeful voice.
“Count! The Duke of Sadie is coming!”
The Count and his soldiers, certain that they had come to rescue them, breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a bit concerning that the Duke had left the Knights of Penitus behind, but still, one Sword Master was better than a thousand knights combined.
Killian watched Charles's actions with wary eyes, wondering why he had followed him here again.
Charles, who had been running after Killian, slowed down when he saw Count Capone and his soldiers camped in front of the Rose Palace.
If they didn't get them out of here, there was a good chance they'd have a hard time finding Emily.
'I guess there's nothing I can do.'
Charles decided to put aside his complicated thoughts about the Emperor and focus on ensuring Emily's safety for now.
He raised both hands in a sign of his lack of intention to attack and stepped between the two camps.
“What kind of trick is this?”
At Killian's sharp voice, Charles blocked Count Capone's view and approached him.
And he spoke in a low voice that only Killian could hear.
“For now, I will help you.”
Killian's expression became even more distorted at the offer to help.
Because it was obvious why he wanted to help her.
"Even if you don't want my help, it's better to accept it now. If you want to save Emily."
He wanted to tell him that he didn't need his help, but Killian knew that this wasn't the time for unnecessary pride.
When Killian didn't respond, Charles took it as a yes and turned around and went towards Count Capone.
The Count looked as if he was dying to know what on earth Charles had been talking about so secretly with Killian.
“Why are you all gathered here?”
“That’s actually...”
Count Capone looked around, then put his hand to Charles' ear and spoke quietly.
"His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince have taken refuge here. We have been waiting impatiently for your arrival."
Count Capone, who had never expected that the Duke of Sadie would betray the Emperor, told him confidential information in a fluent manner.
“But you’re saying that you guarded the front of the Rose Palace with soldiers in such a conspicuous manner?”
"Yes?"
“If you stay like this, won’t they also fully anticipate that the Emperor is here?”
“But the Knight Commander ordered all troops to concentrate at the Rose Palace...”
"Now that I'm here, command has passed to me. I will escort His Majesty. You go to the west entrance first and wait."
The west entrance was the entrance on the opposite side of the Rose Palace.
“Your Excellency, are you speaking alone?”
Count Capone cast his gaze behind Charles.
Even though Charles was a sword master, he seemed like a burden to face alone.
“There are Knights of Penitus lurking nearby, so don’t worry about anything.”
“Aha! So that’s what I thought!”
Only then did Count Capone's mind relax.
"If they see you moving so hastily, they'll become suspicious and chase you. In the meantime, we'll escort His Majesty out."
“Yes, I understand what you mean.”
Count Capone, who was following Charles' orders, carefully watched his expression and asked.
“But what conversation did you have with that man just now that you’re all standing there so still?”
"That..."
In response to that question, Charles shamelessly fabricated a lie.
“If you want to protect the person who set off the firecracker, you should just stand by.”
“Firecrackers?”
Count Capone tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Come to think of it, you were looking for that guy as soon as you got here... Who on earth is that Marquis Starr is looking for so desperately?”
“I don’t have time to explain all that to the Count.”
Count Capone immediately lowered his head, embarrassed by Charles' cold voice.
“I’m sorry, I’m off topic.”
“Let’s move to the west exit right now.”
“Yes, then Your Excellency, please take care of yourself too.”
If he had thought a little more deeply, he might have realized that Charles's order was strange, but Count Capone did not dare to contradict the Duke of Sadie's order.
Count Capone was unaware of the secrets of the Rose Palace shared between the Emperor and the First Knight Commander, and he had no idea that the Duke of Sadie, with his extensive war experience, would issue such sloppy orders.
As Count Capone led his soldiers away, Charles immediately approached Killian and spoke urgently.
“We don’t have much time, so find your wife quickly.”
Killian nodded and immediately began to search the surrounding gardens.
"Wait a minute? What the hell is going on here? Duke Sadie is helping us? And what do you mean we have to find your wife?"
Here, only the Marquis Huppert looked around with a bewildered expression, but no one was willing to explain anything to him.
“Boss! Come here!”
A moment later, a spherical, pure white halo appeared on one side of the garden.
“That’s...”
At the sight they saw for the first time, people stopped searching and stared blankly in the direction of the light.
The light gradually faded, and as Priest Franz completely withdrew his holy power, Emily and her companions appeared.
"Honey!"
“Emily!”
As soon as Emily saw Killian's face, she ran to him and hugged him.
“Ugh.”
Emily was startled by the sudden groan and immediately stepped back.
Blood was spreading from Killian's right arm.
“Hey, are you hurt?”
Emily, who had become lost in thought, tried to examine the wound, but Killian quickly held her in his arms with his other arm, preventing her from seeing the wound.
“It’s just a minor injury.”
“But the blood...”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
It was true. The moment Killian saw Emily's face, the burning sensation seemed to subside.
“Madam! I’m glad you’re safe!”
Giovanni, Knox, Chambers, and even Prince Kite all ran towards Emily with relieved faces.
Seeing the happy faces, Emily released Killian's hug and exchanged greetings with the others.
“I’m glad you’re all safe.”
"I didn't think you were an ordinary woman, but you really exceeded my expectations. How did you even think of coming here?"
Even though he said that, Messina also seemed happy to see Emily again.
“Yeah. You really don’t listen.”
Emily paused for a moment as she spotted the Duke of Sadie's face in the crowd.
“Didn’t I clearly say that I would try to save my husband’s life?”
Emily smiled awkwardly at that.
"It's not that I didn't trust you, Your Excellency. I needed to see for myself that my husband was safe."
At those words, Killian looked at Emily with eyes filled with longing and complex emotions.
Charles hid his bitter feelings as he looked at the two people who seemed affectionate.
"Anyway, since I've seen you safe, I'll leave. I heard there's a concentration of troops inside the Rose Palace, so be careful."
“Are you going?”
Charles nodded slightly at Killian's question.
Although he had already become a traitor from the emperor's perspective, he could not directly participate in killing him.
Now, it was even more impossible to protect the Emperor.
Killian turned around and grabbed him as he left, shaking his hand.
“Thank you.”
Charles, who had been looking at Killian's hand with indifferent eyes, eventually tightened his grip.
“Good luck.”
There seemed to be no more regret in Charles's back as he shook hands and left.
The knight who betrayed his lord could no longer remain in Vancent and serve the new Emperor.
Charles was now planning to return to his estates in Sadie and prepare for exile in a foreign country.
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