“Aaaah!”
Joachim felt the blade embedded in his shoulder and reflexively kicked the figure behind him.
"It's an assassination! Protect His Excellency! Catch the wretch!"
With the shouts of the guards, the room became a scene of chaos.
"Eric, burst it!"
At the same time, at the assassin's sharp command, Eric unzipped his pockets and scattered the contents into the air.
Maya wailed while lying face down, clutching her eyes with both hands, without even the strength to take out her pockets.
"Please save me, please save me, please. I don't want to die. I'm scared, my eyes, no. Please."
Terrified, it seemed as though no sound could be heard.
Chiiik!
The white powder that instantly filled the lord's chambers also clung to the knights' wet armor and skin.
“Aaaahhh!”
"It's hot! It's hot! Argh!"
Screams of burning flesh erupted from all directions.
The intense chemical reaction caused by the contact between white lime powder and moisture instantly transformed the Lord Chamber into a white hell.
Joachim, too, in burning pain, tore off his shirt and threw it off, trampling it on the floor.
His upper body, half-naked, was red and festering, taking on a grotesque form.
A crimson madness filled Joachim's eyes, who had never once in his life been so miserably toyed with.
Slap-!
Joachim's whip flew toward the assassin.
The assassin's mask strap, which had been firmly fastened, was severed along with a sharp cut.
Amber eyes and hair were revealed above the falling mask.
"...Who is this?"
The moment he confirmed that familiar face, Joachim let out a bitter laugh, forgetting even the pain.
"Isn't that Miss Rosien?"
It was not his brother's ghost. He can't believe that the wildflowers that have been alive and breathing in his youth will pop out.
But instead of answering, Lou roughly snatched the arms of Eric and Maya, who had fallen to the ground.
"Get up, snap out of it!"
And she burst the pouch of white clay powder she had given to Maya one more time.
A scream rose along with white smoke.
"Damn it, this dog...! Catch her! What are you doing! I told you to catch her, even if you have to break her legs!"
Joachim's roar chased after her.
***
Meanwhile, having parted ways with Lou, Peleus hurriedly crossed the corridor leading to the East Gate.
The pain in his shoulder was vivid, but his footsteps remained steady.
"Stop right there!"
However, as soon as he turned the corner, he was blocked by two soldiers of Barmia.
"Stop right there! Wait, why is a Knight of Osric in this area?"
The soldier asked sharply, having immediately spotted the Osric emblem engraved on Peleus's chest.
Since the castle's security had been on extreme alert following the basement explosion, his spear was already thrust halfway.
"His Excellency must have ordered all the Lord's troops to stand by their posts."
"I am acting on behalf of the Lord's urgent message. Please make way."
At those words, the soldier raised his eyes.
"From now on, the Governor-General's orders take precedence over the Lord's orders. Remove your helmets and disarm, ugh!"
The soldier collapsed before he could even show his temper dangerously. It was because Peleus closed the distance like lightning and struck him in the jaw.
As the soldier standing nearby opened his mouth in panic to shout, Peleus covered his mouth and pushed him against the wall.
This soldier, too, soon slid down the wall with his head bowed.
Peleus opened any door in the hallway and pushed the unconscious soldiers inside.
And then it moved quickly again.
The hallway soon became quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
Next to the waterway of the eastern loading dock. A horse stood beneath an embankment overgrown with reeds, as if hiding itself.
A shadow suddenly fell over it.
"My Lord, have you come?!"
Nathan, who had been waiting anxiously, finally let out the breath he had been holding.
His gaze quickly scanned behind Peleus.
Upon confirming that his master was alone, Nathan's gaze seemed to sink for a moment, but he soon regained his original cold composure.
"I was worried because it was getting late. As the blockade of the castle gates began, the atmosphere was ominous... Ah, my lord! Are you done fighting?"
Nathan keenly noticed that Peleus's stance, holding the sword, was slightly more unstable than usual.
Peleus shook his head as if it were no big deal and pulled the reins of the horse.
"It's no big deal. We'll set off as soon as Lou arrives."
However, Nathan, who was about to mount the horse, did not move.
"No. We must move first. We have saved horses for them as well, so if Lou and his party escape the castle, they will be able to rejoin us safely."
He shook his head firmly and stood in front of his master.
"But we cannot delay. Soldiers are assembling on the walls. If we wait any longer, it will be difficult to escape. It is dangerous!"
Urgency filled Nathan's voice. He glanced at Peleus and eventually uttered the forbidden title.
"Your Majesty, the forces here in Karkan are currently woefully insufficient to escort you. If anything were to happen to Your Majesty, the Master of the Empire...!"
Peleus was not unaware of his concerns, either. However, a corner of his heart felt heavy, as if weighed down by a stone.
"The evidence of the smuggling is in Lou's hands anyway. Since I came all the way here to secure it, I must wait for him."
"I already have that evidence."
Nathan took out a heavy leather scroll from his bosom.
It was decisive evidence containing all the details of the secret transactions with the Barmia merchants while disguised as the 'Black Anchor' gang.
"Just before entering Lord Osric's castle, Lou handed it to me."
"He... gave it to you in advance?"
Peleus's movements came to a sudden halt.
"Yes, and regarding the escape route as well, he strongly emphasized that if the group were to split, the person who arrived first must leave without delay."
At Nathan's answer, Peleus stared blankly into the air.
Lou had known from the beginning that he might not be able to escape the castle.
'That can't be true.'
Hadn't they surely promised to meet here, that they would definitely return—but at that moment, the strange determination that had been in Lou's eyes when they parted came to mind.
That gaze was devoid of its usual playfulness and contained only firm determination.
"Of course, I also have something to gain from there."
"It is a personal matter, but it will absolutely not be a hindrance. I promise."
"On the contrary, I am grateful. That I still have a mission left."
The incomprehensible words Lou had tossed out began to fit together one by one in his mind.
"The escape route is at the East Gate, isn't it? If even that is blocked, we are like rats in a trap. Since Joachim has blockaded the castle, before long, the soldiers will storm the East Gate."
Joachim. A strange feeling that did not hesitate to call the governor of Barmia.
In that moment, Peleus realized who she was targeting.
"You foolish...!"
Frost stood on his low voice.
Did you really think you could kill him and escape safely, even with the Governor's troops swarming the castle right now?
Or did you give up on any hope of getting out alive from the start and just jump in like moths to a flame?
His insides were boiling.
Uncharacteristically for someone who had lived his entire life controlling his emotions, uncontrollable anger welled up inside him.
'As I promised.'
Or maybe he had no effect on her, to the point where she even left her promise to me, the moment he thought he hadn't had any effect on her, a stabbing pain ran through his chest.
Peleus wiped his dry face.
She's just leaving, but he didn't prepare anything, let alone start saying what he wanted to say to her-
"Your Majesty?"
Nathan's eyes widened.
It was the first time Nathan had seen his lord, who was always fair and just and as calm as a lake, reveal his emotions so irritably.
However, he was even more surprised by the sight of Peleus dismounting from his horse.
"Your Majesty!"
Peleus strode back toward the east gate he had just exited. Nathan, pale with shock, blocked his path.
"Are you saying you intend to return to the castle now? Why? Haven't you already obtained the evidence?!"
"I have to go back."
Peleus did not bother to make an excuse.
His reason told him it was wrong. He knew better than anyone that it was a gamble that he, as the Emperor bearing the safety of the Empire, should never have taken.
However, he couldn't leave her alone. No, if he let himself lose her without even reaching out, he would never be able to forgive himself in the future.
"Then I will accompany you as well."
Peleus shook his head.
"Change your retreat route. Go to the border and tell D'Angel to come to Karkan within three days."
"What are you going to do!"
However, before Nathan could even catch him, Peleus had already left a long time ago.
It was not a strategy as an Emperor, nor a choice for the safety of the empire, but solely for Peleus Valdina. The moment he stepped outside the line for the first time, a man flowed in an instant.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment