Where?
Marianne, who had heard the news of a fierce battle between magicians wielding fire and those wearing hunting dog masks in the eastern district of the Imperial Capital, immediately ordered the imperial knights.
“Cooperate with the magicians of the Magic Academy to create a barrier in the battle area. Stop the damage from spreading, and if the masked ones are defeated, the knights should rush in.”
The knights who received Marianne's instructions moved in perfect unison and headed outside. Seeing them depart, the Empress continued to listen to the updated reports and organize her thoughts.
‘According to the report from the Imperial Capital defense unit, the magician who caused the explosion is that guy from three years ago. Then, is the one fighting him Gilbert, a Hound?’
It was not that there had been a battle, but that a battle was still underway. That meant Isaac was not fighting there.
She still didn’t exactly know how much power her legal husband possessed.
Yet it made no sense that a monster capable of annihilating Diarose alone couldn’t handle a single magician who had been purged three years earlier.
‘Then where is he?’
From the way he had spoken directly and the reports she received from Haria, it was clear he would never send his subordinates to dangerous tasks and flee.
In other words, Isaac was currently tied down somewhere, Marianne’s speculation.
‘Where is the behind? What is the enemy’s purpose?’
Her thoughts looped endlessly. The Vlata Empire had countless enemies. Not only the Empire itself, but countless individuals who wanted to kill the Empress.
When names of bloodlines and organizations like the Sika Clan appeared and vanished, including the Holy Runtas Kingdom, the Elios Coalition, and the Garvaldi Republic.
“!”
Marianne tore her skirt and pulled a weapon from the holster tied on the inside of her thigh, leaping toward the front.
At that moment, the necks of the knights protecting the Empress from both sides and the imperial administrators who had gathered information flew off simultaneously.
Even if she had been a moment late, she felt with her entire body that she would meet the same fate as them, and Marianne asked the shadow.
“…Where did you come from?”
[This is amazing. I thought you had completely hidden it, but you detected the killing intent hidden so deeply.]
Stepping on the severed bodies, the black-armored knight revealed himself. His face was completely covered by the helmet, and whether it was magic-altered or not, the voice also seemed not to be his own.
[The Empress of the Empire has both martial prowess and wisdom, they said. Was it true? Terrifying, scary.]
Without taking her eyes off the Black Knight trembling with fear, Marianne calculated the distance to the entrance.
Confident in her skills, Marianne did not overestimate her own power. She didn’t know the identity, but the Black Knight in front of her was at least a Hero-class powerhouse.
She could never win against him.
[As expected, you’re smart. Realizing you can’t win and immediately thinking about how to kill, huh.]
Marianne bit her lip at the Black Knight’s words. He was mocking her. The place she was standing was already within the range of the sword strike.
[I don’t want to kill you, but since it’s an order, I have no choice. I hope you understand.]
The sword swung.
“Ugh?!”
Considering the Black Knight’s ability that didn’t feel like an end, it had been lightly swung. Nevertheless, Marianne’s defense, which had put in all her power, shattered instantly with the Empress’s sword.
[……Can you block this?]
The Black Knight, who hadn’t expected his attack to be blocked, expressed surprise.
But it was only that. Being surprised a little wasn’t a big deal.
[If you block this too, I’ll withdraw today.]
It wasn’t that the statement was true, but it was impossible from the start. With the sword lost, Marianne had no other defense means.
‘Like this, like this, it ends so futilely…?’
She had barely achieved revenge, yet in a place where no one would spare her, she was about to be killed by an absurd monster who suddenly appeared, and to meet her end alone and desolate.
Marianne couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t accept it. She would never accept it.
Never.
- Clang.
The sound of sword clashing echoed. Despite being the sound of weapons colliding for the purpose of killing, with a clear tone that seemed out of place, it appeared someone’s back.
“Huu. Just barely not late.”
The voice that had been troubling her in various ways recently. Marianne, who had been resisting death just a moment ago, was now simply blankly staring at his back.
Heat emanated from his back. Sweat had turned to steam and risen from his body. Just by seeing that, one could guess how hurried he had been.
“……Isaac?”
“Oh, it’s the first time you’ve called me by name.”
Marianne felt confusion at Isaac’s appearance, who was still facing forward and giving light jokes as usual.
Why?
How?
Why?
--
She was dumbfounded. If she had been a little late, her legal wife would have been separated from her beautiful body. Let’s be grateful for my own quick judgment that I could protect the human treasure.
[How did you come? How did you know our purpose is the Empress?]
“It was too obvious.”
Selemin’s Tears of the Deceased had summoned the resentment of the murdered magician. More precisely, it had added form to the residual emotions left at the scene?
Anyway, she had tried to track the culprit with that, but the resentment pointed to the place where Selemin had roughly guessed, which was outside the Imperial Capital. That too, extremely far away.
“If it’s that far, it’s worth suspecting once. I was thinking it might be luring me out.”
Then, what was the reason for luring? While thinking that, an explosion had occurred at some place in the Imperial Capital.
“The timing was too perfect. Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but realize it was a feint operation, and conversely, I thought maybe it wasn’t a feint but had another purpose.”
[……….]
Normally, the traces for pursuit would be fake, so one would have to go to the place where the explosion happened, or conversely, since the explosion was a decoy, one would have to continue tracking to where the culprit was.
“If it was a normal incident, it would be possible to use a method to force one of the two choices, but the scale of the explosion was too big for that.”
Thanks to that, I learned. If you cause a showy incident like this, it wouldn’t be a normal target, and the most unusual target in the Empire was none other than my legal wife, so I thought it was dangerous.
If the guess was wrong, it would have been a good thing, but the bad premonition had hit right on.
[Excellent. I admit it. Not only did you make an accurate judgment in a short time, but you also slaughtered my subordinates much faster than expected and came here. And even took the time to talk and catch your breath to provoke my interest… There’s nothing to fault.]
Ah, I caught the breathing. Just before arriving here, I had seen those subordinates blocking the way.
It seemed like I had to run and cut them off without hesitation because fighting normally would take a little time.
[Even though I picked out guys that were worth using, I couldn’t even buy time.]
From the Black Knight who was muttering, the aura explosively increased and shook the palace. The skin tingled and a coolness spread throughout the body.
It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was thrilling.
I, who also exploded my aura without holding back, the vibration became even stronger. The glass of the windows shattered, and the chandelier on the ceiling fell.
In the moment I was drawing countless trajectories in my head about how to divide the first move with the uncontrollable joy.
[Um. Today won’t do.]
“What?”
Suddenly the Black Knight withdrew his aura. No, what is that guy doing now?
“Are you joking?”
[It’s not. I also want to share swords with you until the end, but unfortunately, there was no permission to fight until my life ends with the order I received today.]
Then what? Was he thinking that if I heard that, he’d say ‘Oh, is that so? That’s a shame. Then see you later.’ and send me away?
“Are you really thinking that? Sending me away? The one who came to kill my wife?”
[No. So I prepared this too.]
Something dropped with a thud under the guy’s feet.
Is this a magic tool? I had been on guard for every action, but it didn’t move, yet something had a device pre-installed…!
The moment I saw it, I turned my body and ran toward Marianne, and from behind, the Black Knight spoke.
[If we meet again next time, don’t hold back then.]
Before the words ended, an explosion occurred that was the how many-th I had heard today. Without delay, I hugged Marianne and shot my aura into the sword with the other hand.
Thanks to that neutralization and the explosion itself not having much power, the damage wasn’t too great.
The Black Knight had naturally hidden his tracks. Looking at the lack of aura traces, pursuit was hopeless.
“Are you okay?”
Asking Marianne who was hugged in my arms, I lowered my head, and our eyes met as she looked up at me.
Full of confusion in Marianne’s eyes. It’s not an exaggeration. The palace, which had been absolute space, had been invaded, and the invader was a monster-like powerhouse, and she had almost died to that monster.
Rather, the fact that she was calmly adjusting her emotions by simply being confused was amazing.
“Ah, the imperial knights seem to have just barely cleared the obstacles and escaped.”
Among the people rushing here, there were no ones with strange vibes. The invaders who had intruded into the palace by retreating the Black Knight had all left.
“I’ll go out for a moment and come back.”
“……….”
If it was Gilbert, it would probably be okay, but I couldn’t help but worry. So I was trying to go to the ongoing battle site, but Marianne was holding my collar and not letting go.
It seemed like the shock and confusion were quite significant. It was an action she wouldn’t have imagined even in her usual self.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
“…….”
I pulled her hand holding my clothes a little away. There was a slight resistance, but it wasn’t enough to call it refusal.
This is similar to Selemin.
I briefly looked at Marianne, then ran toward the broken parts of the palace and leaped.
--
‘Where?’
“His Majesty!”
“His Majesty, are you safe!”
The imperial knights and high officials who rushed over shouted, but the Empress’s ears didn’t hear them.
‘Where?’
The maids were fussing over the Empress’s disheveled appearance, but the Empress didn’t move.
‘Where?’
Everyone was trembling with anger looking at the broken palace, but the Empress was quietly standing and looking in which direction.