It was a fact I learned later, but at this moment, Franz was diligently running toward the capital.
He must have thought that since he had obtained an absolute opportunity to eliminate his arch-enemy, he only needed to arrive on time and reclaim the throne.
Having the chance to eliminate both Karl and the child at once must have made him comfortable enough to intend to sit on the throne.
But by this age, he should have known that nothing in this world goes exactly as planned, especially for someone who had climbed to a high position wrapped in their mother’s skirts.
“Damn that bitch…”
The smoke was thick. As the magical stone held by the knight flashed and disappeared, the entire room beyond, where presumably much more magical stone was stored, shone with a purple light.
As the smoke began to clear enough for one to see an inch ahead, Marina busily assessed the situation.
The missing magical stone and sacrifice. Her face contorted hideously as she confirmed those two things first.
“…It’s gone.”
Valerie truly had left. She looked down at her empty hands. It was strange that her arms, which felt as heavy as the child, had become so light.
With a glimmer of hope, she searched the area thoroughly. Valerie was nowhere to be found. This time, she must have perfectly cast the spell, at the right time, as she usually did.
“Thank goodness.”
Her legs weakened. Lemetior. It was a spell meaning to return things to their former state. When you think about it, “return” is a potent term.
It could simply mean reversing time, or more broadly, returning to the original state, restoring.
She was unsure how many times she had mentally repeated the spell to avoid the mistake of miscasting it as she had done last time.
Fortunately, the spell had been successfully invoked, and Valerie returned to where she was supposed to be. Her weakened legs couldn’t hold her up and started to wobble.
It felt like she would collapse any moment, but she had only safely sent Valerie back to her rightful place. It was too soon to relax. She tightened her body, completely depleted.
Now, the next problem arose. She needed to rescue Minister Linke, who was trapped downstairs, and the imperial investigative knights imprisoned somewhere in the Grand Duchy, and quickly return to the capital, LaHart.
Could I do it? The road ahead seemed daunting, but there was no time for such thoughts. It wasn’t about whether I could or couldn’t; it was about figuring out a way to make it happen.
For a long time, I had lived comfortably, like a child wrapped in swaddling, only receiving protection from many people. Now, I had to properly fulfill my role.
Wasn’t it time to repay, even just a little, the many favors and sacrifices I enjoyed, being the head of the Count family and a Duchess? The people from Duke Albrecht’s side had already shed a lot of blood to get here.
I couldn’t even check the current state of the Louisette family. In this situation, all I could do was…
“Capture that girl and tie her up!”
At Marina’s shout, the knights moved in perfect unison. Seeing the knights approaching with rough ropes, I realized there was no more time left.
“…Rest.”
During my dull life in the ducal residence, I had learned a thing or two.
“Silayo!”
I chanted the spell with sincerity, recalling the words I had read in the magic book, articulating each syllable with strength.
Rest, Silayo. A spell to pause everything. When I first read these spells, I had doubted whether I would ever use them.
“…It really works…?”
The knights charging at me with fierce faces froze in place. Everyone in the room, including Marina, became still, as if captured in a painting.
“Oh my God, thank you.”
Out of boredom in the ducal residence, Hana had brought me plenty of reading material.
Having never experienced the fact that reading could alleviate boredom, I tried to ignore those books, but… I couldn’t find any other options.
Reading even a little made me feel like time was passing, and those books began to pile up, one by one.
The most interesting books I could read were those related to magic. When reading about the origins or history of magic, I dedicated all my time, except for meals, for three whole days.
There were quite a few spells I had memorized, thinking they might be useful. Who knew they would be so helpful now!
“…This isn’t the time to stand still.”
After returning Valerie to her original state, I had no idea how much magic stone was left here. If even a little remained, I thought maybe this spell would work again.
Seeing that the spell had properly taken effect, it seemed to suggest that some magic stones existed. I dashed past the knight-like statues towards the room where I presumed the magic stones were. And what I discovered there was,
“Wow, unbelievable.”
It was a massive mountain of magic stones. Describing it as a room felt wrong; the space beyond the door was vast.
The area was filled with purple magic stones, roughly the size of three wrestling rooms combined.
If there were enough magic stones to fill this place… then the amount used to send Valerie back was half, or maybe a bit more than that.
In any case, I was relieved that there were still usable magic stones left. For now, I had to leave this place since I didn’t know how long the halted time would last.
I picked up a few magic stones, shaped like gold bars, carefully placing them in the hem of my skirt.
I was lucky to have made it this far, but from now on, I needed the help of an expert—magic specialist Linke.
“Here we go.”
I hadn’t realized it before since I had only handled magic stones the size of pebbles, but they were heavier than I expected. While carefully ensuring the stones in my skirt wouldn’t fall, I moved as quickly as possible to get away.
I had to get to Linke. I needed to revive his consciousness and leave the next steps to him.
The saying that the beginning is half the battle was truly accurate. The notion that the start is difficult but the next steps are easier was also real. The seemingly impossible reversal of the situation was just around the corner.
I felt bound and helpless, thinking there was no way to defeat them, but somehow, after taking the first step, it became easier.
I gathered the magic stones and hurried downstairs to awaken Linke. Lemetior. The magic stone used for his complete recovery was about half of one.
Recovering his senses, Linke alternated his gaze between my liberated body and the magic stones wrapped in my skirt, realizing I had successfully completed his plan.
‘As expected, you did it.’
Was it praise or gratitude? After a sentimental remark, Linke hurriedly moved.
True to being the head of the Imperial Magic Department, he adeptly chanted spells to summon the royal investigation knights trapped somewhere in the mansion.
The knights were confined even deeper below us. Who would have thought that this seemingly gloomy mansion had a hidden underground prison.
As Linke and I ran through the gloomy underground prison, we searched for Clovis. But there was another problem.
“What should we do? Everyone’s frozen.”
I had activated a spell using the incantations I remembered, but my spell couldn’t freeze the enemy for the desired length of time.
While both the enemies and our allies were caught in my temporary freeze, Linke smiled at me.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. This is my specialty.”
Is this why people prefer seasoned professionals? Is this why specialized jobs earn more? Linke easily restored the frozen knights to movement.
Of course, we couldn’t be attacked while preparing, so Marina and the knights remained frozen. As Clovis regained his senses, he approached me immediately and knelt.
“Your Highness, I’m truly relieved to see you safe.”
What could I do about these foolish people who only thank me while covered in blood?
I barely held back tears mixed with pity and remorse. Linke also used magical stones to cast healing spells for the other knights.
“Please, be careful. Above all, your safety is important to me.”
I meant it sincerely. I knew that knights valued honor and loyalty more than their lives, but I still wanted them to take care of themselves and move cautiously.
What good is honor once you’re dead? Whether my feelings were conveyed, Clovis smiled broadly.
“I’m relieved you’re here, Your Highness. And thank you.”
Is it fortunate that I’m here? Before I could ask what he meant, Clovis and the knights quickly joined forces with Minister Linke and moved to execute their next plan.
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help but admire their clean and swift movements.
The investigation unit quickly took control of the mansion, which had temporarily been left unguarded. What Karl said about the Imperial Investigation Unit being composed of the Empire’s elite knights was indeed true.
