After that, everything went by in a flash.
It was a moment when I realized that once I sheathed my sword in bamboo, the blade would split in half if it came near me.
The knights of the imperial guard, tied hand and foot and helpless, took wing as they realized what they were capable of.
Overpowering a defenseless enemy army was a piece of cake for the elite knights of the Imperial Guard, and we turned the tide of battle before the magic’s statute of limitations expired.
To Marina, it must have felt like it all happened in the blink of an eye. She cried out at the rapid change of events before her as soon as the frozen time was released.
The spell that had forced her body back to health was broken, and Marina’s body reverted back to its horrific form, and she burst into black tears as the process became unbearably painful.
“Oh my God, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening.”
Perhaps because her lifelong goal was so close, Marina was in denial, unable to accept what was happening in front of her.
“Denying reality doesn’t change anything.”
The more she denied it, the more it would come back to bite her in the ass. Now it’s just a matter of time before her.
“Your Highness, you must hurry, even if we left right now, the distance to LaHart is still more than ……..”
“See how much magic stone we have left. Minister Linke, how many magic stones do we need to move all these people quickly to LaHart?”
“It would be difficult to move all of these people, so I suggest you move only the few you need.”
I nodded. Marina’s screams continued. Her bent body was too grotesque to be tied down with rope.
She gasped for breath, struggling to keep up, but she kept repeating the same words.
“My son’s ascension to the throne is just around the corner,” “You think I’ll leave you alone, my Franz will blow your heads off,” and so on. None of these words had the slightest chance of coming true.
Her cries became mere echoes, swirling around and fading away.
“The necessary few have been assembled, and the remainder of the Inquisition will do their best to transport the criminals here to LaHart. For now, Your Highness, I suggest you depart first.”
“Very well, I will hurry.”
Only one day left until the lord’s voting. I was anxious. Following Clovis’s guidance, I boarded the carriage. After moving the necessary luggage, Clovis, now inside the carriage, checked the surroundings again and closed the door.
“We will depart now. We plan to shorten the travel distance using magical stones… If you feel unwell at any time, please let me know immediately, Your Highness.”
“I understand.”
Once the preparations for the small group traveling to LaHart were complete, Linke began to chant the necessary incantations. After this journey, I would finally be able to see Karl.
My heart began to pound. I couldn’t tell whether it was the relief of having overcome a life-or-death crisis, the anticipation of returning home, or the excitement of seeing Karl.
I clasped my trembling hands together to calm my quivering fingertips.
***
Capital LaHart, Imperial Palace.
The last day before the lord’s voting began to fade. Karl’s face, gazing indifferently at the mountains stained by the sunset, was remarkably detached.
His wife and child were attacked unexpectedly and had vanished without any way to confirm their fate. They were likely held captive by enemies wanting to take everything from him, yet his outward demeanor remained unchanged.
Despite Pulcheria’s murmurs of concern, Karl’s expression remained silent.
But the knights who served him closely could sense it. They understood that this seemingly calm silence of His Grace was the most terrifying moment. Karl’s composure felt like the calm before a storm.
“Are you worried?”
“Not at all.”
Matthias, guarding Karl in place of Clovis, cautiously initiated a conversation.
His question, knowing Karl wouldn’t worry about the voting results, was merely an attempt to divert his gaze.
“Those who commit sins receive suitable punishment. There should be no deviation from that.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Unless a major incident occurred, the outcome of the lord voting was predetermined. Karl intended to expose the grave crimes committed by Duke Toskur at the voting venue.
He already had ample irrefutable evidence. After a long journey, tomorrow he could finally put an end to Franz and his associates’ wicked deeds.
However, the supporters of Duke Albrecht couldn’t feel completely at ease.
Because the Duchess had not returned.
If those holding the Duchess and the young lady hostage began to threaten them for the throne, it could flip the tides of what should have been an easy victory.
It would be ideal if they could suppress and locate the Duchess through force, but in the worst-case scenario, if Duke Toskur’s side continued to deny any involvement in Albrecht’s Duchess’s kidnapping, it could turn problematic.
Without conclusive evidence of the abduction, they could simply insist that the act was perpetrated by a faction that idolized them without any connection to the Dukedom.
Through Laila, they learned when and where Celeste and her party had moved. Coincidentally, as soon as they discovered that, they vacated their residence and disappeared. But that was merely circumstantial evidence.
The potential for them to concoct excuses and slip away was overwhelming.
To secure decisive evidence, witnesses who observed Celeste being kidnapped by the Duke of Toskur must emerge, or the Duke’s knights must make a confession, or a scene of Celeste being detained by the Duke’s side must be captured.
However, the likelihood of the first two scenarios becoming reality was very slim. Therefore, capturing the scene where Franz is holding Celeste was the best option. As Karl gathered his thoughts, he let out a short sigh.
“If Franz shows up at the polling place tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Keep him as occupied at the polling place as possible, and apprehend his knights.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Perhaps the overly loyal knights won’t easily speak. But I must extract some words from them without giving up.”
Matthias nodded. Knights are trained to value loyalty and honor their pledges above their lives.
While it’s uncertain how much torture they can endure, extracting a confession won’t be easy.
Knock. A knock interrupted their conversation. At Karl’s gesture, Matthias admitted the knight who knocked on the door.
The knight, who had rushed from afar, entered, panting heavily, and struggled to raise his hand in salute.
“Your Grace, I greet you!”
“You should have taken a moment to collect your breath and then knocked.”
“I apologize, Sir Matthias. It was an urgent matter, and I committed an offense.”
Before meeting royalty, one must arrange even their clothes, face, voice, and breath.
Matthias looked disapprovingly at the knight who had neglected the basic etiquette required of those working at the royal court.
“An urgent matter?”
“I received contact from the knights stationed at Septfera.”
Septfera. Franz’s secret base and the location where his mother is presumed to be hiding. Karl’s gaze immediately shifted from the knight’s face to the window.
“What’s the contact about?”
“They said they spotted a group seemingly heading to LaHart at the crossroads toward Septfera and initially halted them.”
“If they set out for LaHart…”
“They reported two carriages approaching at a terrifying speed. It wasn’t a physical force; it was clearly using magic. They weren’t royal carriages, but carriages bearing the Toskur seal. They urgently requested a stop, but the speed was too great to intercept.”
“So it’s a Toskur-sealed carriage racing from Septfera to LaHart. And they even used magic stones.”
“Yes, that was just received from the royal investigation team via the Louisette transmitter. They missed the advance team, but the follow-up team has been instructed to stop them. However, given their speed, it’s hard to be confident they can catch up.”
Could it be Franz? Karl’s eyes narrowed. If he was rushing back to the capital with Celeste and Valerie hidden in his hideout, it made sense.
Then they had to catch him before he reached LaHart. That would provide solid evidence that he had kidnapped and hidden Celeste and Valerie.
“Send more investigation teams toward Septfera.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
