Operation Empress Escape: Emir's Final Gala
"Morris Dmitry! Do you have any idea what you've done? You've kidnapped the Empress of the Empire! This is treason against Ryuclid!"
The recovered Empress Cecilia kept ranting like this. With her tongue, eyes, and ears fully healed, she acted as if she'd completely forgotten the horrors inflicted by the Emperor. For some reason, after being kidnapped by me—the Magic Department Minister—she now believed she'd regained her senses.
Spotting Emily beside me, Cecilia cried out in shock.
"E-Emir? Why are you... Don't tell me you're betraying Ryuclid too?"
"Sigh, Cecilia. You really don't remember?"
"Remember what? All I see before me is the brazen Magic Department Minister who dared kidnap the Empress and lift his head high, and the traitor I thought was my friend."
Emily ground her teeth at Cecilia's fiery outburst.
Grind!
"Why you..."
Emily muttered under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear.
"Let's end this touching reunion here. Your Majesty, please rest and recover. Since you can't remember, take it easy until we return."
I bound Cecilia's limbs to the bed and left the recovery room. Emily lingered a moment, watching her, then followed me out.
"She really lost her memories?"
"Yeah. Her mind couldn't handle it, so her subconscious erased everything the Emperor did to her."
"Poor Cecilia..."
Emily tilted her head skyward and squeezed her eyes shut.
"There's a celebration party at the Solarion mansion tomorrow at lunch, right?"
"Correct."
"A party in the middle of the workday when we have duties. That bastard Ryuclid's out of his mind."
"Thanks to him, it'll be much easier to proceed ahead of schedule. Be grateful."
Emily nodded at my words.
"But you said there's a tracking spell on Cecilia's body."
"Right. It reports her position to the Emperor in real-time whenever she moves."
I'd discovered the magic circle etched into her body during treatment. It notified the caster of her location instantly. No doubt carved by the paranoid Emperor.
"So anywhere she goes, we'll get caught?"
"Exactly."
"Then running away with Cecilia is pointless?"
"There's a way."
"What is it?"
"I'll layer a blocking spell over the magic circle. Even if the tracking activates, it won't reach the Emperor."
"How long can you maintain that?"
"Until a mage at your hideout surgically removes the circle."
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course."
"I heard it's a high-difficulty illusion spell that can fool even Swordmasters. You can cast that and a blocking spell?"
"I'll also cast invisibility to hide you all."
"..."
Emily's jaw dropped.
"Can you handle the strain?"
"I won't be able to use other spells while maintaining these, but I can endure."
Mana would be tight, but it'd be fine. I'd practiced for this day over and over.
"You're insane."
"I wouldn't have made the plan if it wasn't possible."
We're smuggling the Empire's Empress. She knew how dangerous this was without me saying it.
"The hideout's fully prepared, right?"
"Of course. I've mapped the route there too."
"Good."
"I'm shaking. Failure means execution."
"Wasn't that the plan?"
"Of course."
My palms were slick with sweat too.
"Then come with the Mercenary King tomorrow."
Emily pulled her robe low over her face. I wrapped her in an illusion spell.
The Swordmaster from the Emperor's faction guarding the entrance glared around vigilantly.
"Wait for me."
Emily, cloaked in my illusion, strolled past the Swordmaster without a care. Even right in front of him, no one noticed.
The next day, Emily arrived at the Solarion mansion right on time for the celebration party.
"Whew, I'm nervous."
I watched Emily steady her trembling heart beside me. Dressed in practical pants and hunting gear, she kept stroking her chest to calm herself.
The Mercenary King loomed beside her like a tank. Was it his bulk? His presence was overwhelming.
While the two waited in the lobby, I brought Cecilia out.
"Where are you taking me? Hey! Morris Dmitry! Answer me... Emir? Who's that next to you?"
Cecilia, dragged by my hand, widened her eyes at Emily and the Mercenary King.
"Emir, come to your senses and take me back to Ryuclid now."
"I can't do that."
Emily shook her head.
"I'll never hand you over to that bastard again. This happened because I gave up on you. I won't make the same mistake twice."
"Emir!"
"You're not the kind of woman who should suffer by his side. I'm sorry, but this time, I'm doing things my way."
"Please..."
Cecilia's voice cracked with tears, but Emily ignored her. Instead, she signaled the Mercenary King and gagged Cecilia.
"Just in case of unnecessary noise. Sorry, Cecilia—this'll be tough today."
Confirming everyone was assembled, I cast the same illusion spells on the three as yesterday. On Cecilia, I added the blocking spell.
"No one will see you from now on."
Not Swordmasters, not the capital's guards. Not even the tracking spell on Cecilia's body.
I'd fool them all.
"Let's move."
The event at the Solarion mansion was about to start. We four—including me—boarded the carriage.
Cecilia struggled, but she couldn't escape the Mercenary King's massive frame.
Clop clop.
As the carriage exited the gate, knights guarding the entrance blocked it.
"Where to?"
"To the Solarion mansion for His Majesty's invited party. Coming along?"
"Pardon the intrusion. We're to strictly inspect carriages leaving the Minister's mansion."
"Do as you wish."
After entrusting Cecilia to me, he'd stationed an excessive number of knights here. All to watch me, no doubt.
Pointless.
I watched calmly as the knights searched my carriage. Even the Swordmaster rummaged thoroughly.
"Nothing unusual!"
"We see nothing!"
They found zilch.
The Swordmaster bowed to me.
"My apologies for the inconvenience, Minister."
"Good work."
As the knights searched, Emily—who'd been holding her breath beside me—exhaled in relief.
"Whoa, thought we were dead."
The Swordmaster's senses hadn't detected the three sitting right next to me. The magic was solid.
I replied coolly.
"Didn't I say it'd work?"
I felt mana draining in real-time from sustaining the illusion strong enough to fool Swordmaster-level foes. But my expression didn't waver as I gazed out the window.
"Heading to the Emperor now?"
"Yeah."
"Think he'll notice?"
"Probably not. But..."
"But?"
"Once Cecilia leaves the capital, his instincts will kick in. He'll sense something's off."
"That much? With no clues?"
"That's the Emperor's obsession."
"Right. He was like that."
Emily nodded as realization dawned late. She'd know—she'd clashed with him countless times as the sub-male lead.
"You okay? If he finds out the Empress escaped, he'll come for your head."
"He won't catch us. Me getting exposed isn't part of the premise."
"If you say so."
The carriage rolled on, reaching the southern market in the capital.
"We'll get off here. We can handle it from now."
"Got it."
Emily and the Mercenary King took Cecilia and disembarked. She still glared at Emily with betrayal.
As the three departed, the carriage set off again.
"Whew."
Finally, the end of this tiresome charade.
Before even entering the Solarion mansion, raucous chatter filled the air, turning the place lively. Even in broad daylight, it brimmed with arriving nobles. They clustered in groups, chatting away.
All were Emperor-faction nobles. Not a single one from another faction.
I walked the mansion's garden, concealing my draining mana. As I entered, eyes from those gossiping moments ago locked onto me.
"He came after all."
"His former fiancée's entering the temple—he had to."
"To stop her?"
"Nah, it's over between them."
"Still, the Minister hasn't remarried. Maybe he still cares."
Their idle gossip carried to me. Responding to every rumor was a hassle.
I spotted Emir in the most ornate chair. In a green dress with a white rose adornment in her hair, she'd outshine anyone here as the fairest.
So I thought. Our eyes met, and my heart raced. I swallowed hard, unable to look away for a while.
Emir was always stunning, as ever.
"Beautiful."
The thought slipped out unbidden.
"Is it?"
Emir looked up at me.
"It's been ages since I saw you in such a glamorous dress."
"I put some effort in. It's the last one, after all."
She emphasized last.
"The last..."
Her words stabbed my chest. Surely from overusing mana, weakening the circles' pressure on my heart. Yet why did last hurt so much?
"Don't say such things lightly."
My voice sharpened unwittingly. As Emir opened her mouth to reply—
"You've arrived?"
The Emperor's voice rang out.
"I see the Sun of the Empire."
I bowed in greeting.
"I thought I'd be the latest, but someone beat me."
"Business delayed me slightly."
"Hm. Is that so?"
The Emperor eyed me up and down.
"How's Cecilia's treatment progressing?"
the Emperor asked.
"As expected."
"I gave you until tomorrow... Can you make it?"
"It's tight, but possible."
"Really? Hm... I'm already looking forward to it."
I bowed instead of answering.
"By the way, something feels off today."
"What do you mean?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Your voice is slower than usual, and you're oddly unsettled. At first I thought it was because of your beloved... but it feels like something else."
Incredible intuition. Sensing I was off despite knowing nothing.
Should I have worked harder on my facial acting?
"Could you show some magic for those gathered here?"
"Magic... you say?"
"Yes. I'd like to see what you're best at."
Had he intuited I couldn't cast properly due to other spells? Now he demanded a demonstration.
"Surely you're not unable to use magic, are you?"
The Emperor's eyes sharpened.