Chapter 47

“Why you?”

When Lehan became serious, Lord Frache quickly waved his hand.

“Ah, no! Maybe I chose the wrong words.”

“……”

“Don’t look at me like that! I meant I’d fill in Raiden’s vacant position!”

“I see. Well, because protecting Edelis is my job.”

Lehan spoke firmly and pulled Edelis, who was nestled in his arms, even closer. The memory of Berman Pasis once confessing his feelings to the empress had surfaced in his mind.

“But don’t you have to look after the Imperial Knights?”

“There’s a vice-captain. And it’s the Imperial Guard—we prioritize the imperial family over the order itself. If anything were to happen to Her Majesty…”

He was merely speaking hypothetically, but Lehan’s eyes gleamed coldly. If something were to happen to the empress, there was no way Lehan would stay still. That’s why Frache thought he should fill in for Raiden. He couldn’t entrust the task to other knights—none were more skilled than Raiden.

“All right, then I’ll leave it to you.”

“I’ll be counting on you, Lord Frache.”

“Not at all. I owe Her Majesty a favor.”

“If you’re talking about Eliana, then I’m the one who received help. But considering the current situation, I’ll accept your kindness. Thank you.”

Lehan felt a bit relieved. Honestly, Raiden, who was already married, was the most convenient option. But even so, Johannes already had someone he liked. From Lehan’s perspective, having Berman Pasis spend more time with Edelis was the worst possibility—so Johannes was the better choice.

“Then let Ferrin and Pasis know.”

But before long, another incident occurred. The clinic in the slums was attacked by a group skilled in swordsmanship.

“I struggled with whether to report this or not… but I thought it was best that Your Majesty knew.”

“Thank you for telling me, Lord Pasis.”

No one else had mentioned it to Edelis. She assumed they hadn’t told her because they were worried about her, but it still made her feel left out. Raiden, her escort, had already been attacked, and now even the clinic she cared about—how could she not be affected?

‘Why? Is there really a reason to go this far?’

There were plenty of nobles who didn’t like the clinic. But none had a reason to harm Sir Raiden.

‘Could it be the work of different groups?’

But if so, the timing was too coincidental.

“Is the situation serious?”

“Two of the clinic guards were gravely injured, and three suffered minor wounds.”

“They can’t treat the severe injuries with the medicine they have… What should I do?”

“…That, I do not know.”

It would be good if they could see a doctor, but finding a doctor willing to go into the slums was difficult. And they couldn’t very well bring the severely wounded into the palace for treatment. Edelis paced in frustration.

‘Should I ask Lehan to send a doctor?’

No, there must be a reason no one had told her. If so, asking Lehan might not get her anywhere.

“What should I do…”

“What do you wish to do?”

Lord Pasis looked at Edelis with steady eyes.

“I’m worried about those people.”

“Do you wish to see them yourself?”

“…Yes. But that’s probably difficult, right?”

“It’s possible.”

“Really!?”

Given the situation, she thought there was no way she’d be allowed to go—even if she was worried. But if her escort said it was possible, maybe it was.

‘Just like last time, as long as I go with my guards, it should be okay.’

These days, emergency protocols were in place, so she didn’t even need a pass. If she were to go out, the group would include Ferrin, Pasis, Johannes, and Edelis.

‘Come to think of it, this is the elite of the Imperial Knights all going together.’

Last time, Sir Raiden had gone alone and was ambushed. If they stayed together, it shouldn’t be an issue. Who would dare attack the Imperial Knights’ finest?

“All right. Let’s prepare right away.”

“I’ll report to His Majesty.”

“Thank you!”

Edelis quickly got ready, and in case of a possible ambush on the way, she decided to ride with Lord Pasis. But as they prepared to depart, the others were nowhere to be seen.

“Where are the others?”

“They will be joining us shortly.”

“Then let’s wait and go together. Just in case.”

“……”

Pasis hesitated slightly. Was there something more he wanted to say?

“They’re moving with the doctors. If we want to wait, someone has to return to call them back.”

“Oh. So they’re setting off directly from there with the doctor.”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t we go to where the doctor is and travel together?”

“Apologies, but I haven’t been told the doctor’s exact location…”

“Do you at least know when they left?”

“If they hurried, we should be able to catch up.”

Edelis felt something was off, but at least they could catch up. That was a relief. It would be best to go immediately rather than waste time gathering more knights.

“All right, let’s go now.”

“Yes.”

Pasis immediately urged the horse toward the slums. They expected to catch up with Ferrin and the others soon—but there was no sign of them.

“Why can’t we see them yet?”

At Edelis’s words, Lord Pasis looked around. They had been going at full speed, so slowing down to scan the area was natural. Though anxiety crept in, they were nearing the slums, and she figured once they met up with the vigilantes, everything would be fine. She tried to suppress her unease.

Eventually, Lord Pasis slowed and then halted completely.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

He called her in a low voice. Edelis didn’t understand why he stopped or why he was drawing his sword. But soon, the sound of clashing blades could be heard nearby.

“There! Over there!”

At her pointing hand, Lord Pasis spurred the horse forward. They found Lord Frache and Lord Ferrin, along with three knights protecting a carriage, surrounded by dozens of attackers. The situation was more serious than she imagined. The attackers were fierce, forcing even the Imperial Knights to shed blood.

As Edelis and Pasis arrived, several enemies rushed toward them. Frache and Ferrin fought to clear a path for them, but it wasn’t easy. Edelis picked up a sword from a fallen enemy Pasis had taken down. Her hands trembled. She had learned swordsmanship for self-defense, but she had never used it on a real person.

“Your Majesty, behind me!”

She had thought merging with the others was enough—but in the middle of a real fight, she regretted everything. She ducked behind Lord Pasis as he stood alone, fending off countless blades.

More attackers turned toward Edelis.

“Damn it!”

There were too many. Lord Pasis was clearly wearing down. Even the elite knights were struggling—the longer this went on, the worse the outcome would be. Guarding both Edelis and the doctors while fending off so many was nearly impossible.

Just as Edelis was thinking they should’ve brought more knights—

“Your Majesty!”

“Ed?!”

The vigilantes arrived. The slums were nearby, and she’d hoped they’d come—but she hadn’t dared to expect it. But they had come, like rain in a drought. Not only that, since being hired by the emperor, they were now well-armed and had increased their numbers.

Their arrival turned the tide. Seeing this, the attackers changed tactics, abandoning the knights and rushing at Edelis and Pasis instead.

“Kyaaah!”

The vigilantes rushed in and cut down the enemies—but by then, Pasis had already suffered multiple wounds. One cut was deep, and blood dripped as he finally fell to his knees. The vigilantes surrounded Edelis and Pasis, protecting them.

With the vigilantes joining, the momentum shifted, and the unidentified attackers fled. Some eager vigilantes tried to chase them, but Lord Frache stopped them—there were more urgent matters.

“Lord Pasis, are you all right!?”

“Ugh…”

“The doctors came with us—where are they?”

At Edelis’s shout, the doctors who had been hiding in the carriage rushed out to treat Pasis.

“The sword wound is deep. We don’t have enough medicine in the carriage to treat this many patients.”

“Then let’s return for now. It would be better to go to the village after proper preparations.”

“But the villagers are also in critical condition!”

“I understand that, but Your Majesty has been attacked—returning to the palace is the priority.”

“I know the villagers are in danger. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

“Then why—”

“But if we go to the village in this state, we might lead even more attackers to them.”

Edelis, Raiden, and now this ambush—three attacks, all tied to her. She decided to play it safe. Until things calmed down, she would stay in the palace.

“I’ll send the doctors with the knights.”

“…Please, as soon as possible.”

Hearing Edelis’s firm reply, the vigilante nodded. They placed Pasis and another severely wounded man in the doctors’ carriage. Luckily, it was spacious enough for treatment to begin on the way back to the palace.

Upon arrival, Pasis immediately lost consciousness and was rushed to a prepared room to receive treatment.

“Edelis. What happened?”

Lehan came storming into her room, angry. Since she’d been targeted, Edelis shrank back and replied in a small voice. She knew it had been reckless to go.

“I heard the clinic was attacked.”

“Yes…”

“I thought it’d be okay if I went with the guards…”

“Then why didn’t you go with them?”

“I was supposed to meet them on the way. They left earlier with the doctors.”

“Then you should’ve gone with them from the start.”

“…I thought it’d be too late to help the village if I waited.”

But in the end, she hadn’t even made it to the village—Lehan was right.

“Haah… Edelis. Do you know how terrified I was when the messenger told me?”

He slumped onto the couch with a deep sigh. Edelis felt even more guilty.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve gone with you or sent the knights!”

“I couldn’t ask that of you. You’re the emperor—you’re already so busy!”

“How could I keep working, knowing your life is in danger?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Please, prioritize your safety above all else.”

“I will. From now on, I’ll stay put. At least until things settle down.”

She used to think, I’ll die by Lehan’s sword someday, so I won’t die now. But since part of the future had changed, so might the way—or person—who killed her.

‘Why did it take me this long to realize that?’

A chill ran through her entire body.

“I’m not saying never go out again.”

“Still, I’ll refrain from going out until they catch the culprit.”

Her firm answer made Lehan look both guilty and relieved.

“I’ll catch them as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Edelis walked over and gently patted Lehan’s head as he rested.

“What are you doing?”

“You looked shaken. I wanted to help you calm down. You look tired.”

“I was shaken—very much so. But I’m truly relieved you weren’t hurt.”

Lehan, trying to calm his shaken heart, grasped the wrist that had been stroking his hair. He pulled her into his arms, placing her on his lap and holding her close, as if trying to confirm that she was really safe.