However, Rudehrn was also a man who had lived through the passage of time. He would not be easily fooled.
He kept in mind the possibility that Carlynâs words were deceptive.
But thatâs not to say they were without effect. As Rudehrnâs original role was an imperial guard knight.
Protecting the emperor was a more important task for him than capturing the empressâ killer.
In other words, Carlynâs words were enough to make waves in the Sword Masterâs tranquil heart like a lake.
It was a reversal of the situation brought about by just a few words.
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âThe emperorâs lung disease. Do you think that was a natural illness?â
Currently, only the emperor, the two Sword Masters, and the Chief of Intelligence knew about the emperorâs lung disease.
Although they were looking around the empire for divine healing, only four people knew the reason. (+)[1]TLN: Iâm sorry, Iâm not sure if itâs either divine healing/divine healer/divine medicine. Since, by the time I translated this, I didnât have any single information about this character /or item. Iâm sorry for asking you this but for now, just keep in mind these 3 possible characters/items.
Of course, Carlyn knew because of the information in the game, but for Rudehrn it was startling words.
He couldnât even scold the rudeness of not attaching the honorific âHis Majestyâ when referring to the emperor.
Was the emperorâs illness the plot of someone? If someone could harm the emperor, who was behind it?
The troubled Rudehrn gritted his teeth subtly.
Though the combat had moved from swords to words, they were still in combat.
âIf they really targeted His Majesty, they should have aimed for when the war with the West was happening.â
Rudehrn was conflicted even as he spoke. Because he didnât have confidence, the emperorâs protection was even more strict.
âIf thatâs what you think, you can chase after me. Iâm planning to run now with all my might.â
âThereâs a contradiction. If your words are true, you shouldnât have stopped here.â
Carlyn didnât bother to answer.
Rudehrn already suspected that he was trying to catch two birds with one stone â assassinating the empress and surviving.
âAnd if itâs really too late as you say, itâs better for me to catch you than to go back.â
Rudehrn gripped his sword anew. But Carlyn maintained his composure and shrugged.
âDo as your heart leads. Following the will of the great Father of Darkness, I have already fulfilled my duty.â
ââ¦.â
âEven if I die today, I have no regrets. My grave must be here.â
Seeing Rudehrnâs expression, Carlyn smiled to himself. The answer was already decided.
Carlyn, the empress, Haisen, the devil worshippers, and the empire.
Things were too tangled up for Rudehrn to guess Carlynâs inside story.
The bodyguard who was called by the empress for being the princessâs bodyguard, killed the empress. It was an incomprehensible situation.
Naturally, Rudehrn could only think that Carlyn had some other force behind him.
That was also why he wanted to capture him.
Faced with Carlynâs fabricated lies, Rudehrn had no choice but to make a binary decision.
âDamn it.â
Rudehrn cursed inwardly. He knew he should capture Carlyn.
Beside the Emperor stood the Sword Master. He had to trust him.
But if someone like Carlyn, especially someone with the status of a hero of the empire, was backed by someone willing to risk their life to ensnare himâ¦
Hadnât he already prepared countermeasures for at least one Sword Master? Such suspicions lingered in his mind.
In truth, the conclusion was already set anyway.
Faced with the possibility of the emperorâs life and the empressâ killer, he had to choose one.
Even if Carlynâs words were false, as a loyal guard knight Rudehrn could only choose the former.
Rudehrn was in no position to take risks with the emperorâs life.
âIf I go back at full speed⦠Maybe I can make it before it gets dangerous.â
He racked his brains.
He knew the skill of the Sword Master at the emperorâs side. He wouldnât go down easily either.
Without leaving any words, Rudehrn turned his body after making his decision. He returns along the path he had chased at tremendous speed.
Carlyn found that silence quite heavy.
It would have been less scary if he had left some words like See you later or Iâll remember this humiliation.
Nevertheless, the crisis had passed, so he let out a genuine sigh of relief.
âPhew. Almost got caught there.â
He thought the probability was high that this adventure would work out, but there was still a tiny possibility.
Carlyn could have died here today. Being captured would have been more painful than death.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Although he was tired from the combat with the Sword Master, he couldnât just stay still.
Of course, the empire would pursue him, and Rudehrn could come back too. He had to get away as quickly as possible.
With the bright moonlight, Carlyn dashed with all his might to the west.
From experience, his top condition was maintained until falling asleep. Although it did degrade slightly if he stayed up all night.
He didnât know how much longer the Devilâs Blood would last.
That is, before this fortunate time ended, Carlyn had to run away as far as possible.
After escaping, the Devilâs Blood manifestation ended after two hours had passed.
It would be a lie to say there were no regrets, but it was sufficient that optimal condition still remained.
I stayed awake all night and exhausted all my strength running west until dawn.
Did I run for about 32 hours?
I skipped two cities and stopped running when I reached the third city.
It was a judgment that at least for the moment I wouldnât have to worry about the empireâs pursuit.
There were two reasons.
First, physically it would be hard for even the empireâs side to imagine covering the tremendous distance.
Also, the fact that I ran only west was based on my estimate of the Imperial Intelligence Agencyâs emergency response.
After Rudehrn left, I erased my tracks.
Since my last direction of escape was west, the empire would probably search more south and north.
Of course, they would still look west, but especially north. Because the devil worshippers were in the north.
âUghâ¦.â
As soon as I got up, I checked the time. 11 AM. I dug a hole and slept from 6 AM, so about 5 hours of sleep.
Not nearly enough sleep. Deep fatigue and exhaustion, emptiness, pain, and more tormented me.
Just because I ran in optimal condition doesnât mean the physical strain disappears.
In fact, more difficult than the fatigue was the exhaustion and emptiness.
With the Devilâs Blood and my top condition, I had exerted over 6 times my normal strength. The impression was significant.
Clearly my normal self, but an indescribable feeling of weakness.
âIt was expected.â
Maybe because I fought the Sword Master, there was a deeper regret than usual.
Next was the pain. The hole in my left armpit and the big and small injuries from the bloody battle with Rudehrn.
Especially where Temeâs Spear pierced was a problem. Although I applied a hemostatic and wrapped it in bandages, there was a hole in my shoulder.
I would have to focus on treatment for at least a few weeks.
âWhew.â
In the forest. Listening to the chirping birds, I replayed the combat with the Sword Master.
Since the pursuit hadnât arrived just yet, it was something I had to do while I had time.
There were many other worries, but whatâs done is done. Putting it off a bit wouldnât change anything.
Before I forgot the flow of the combat, etching it into my brain again was the priority.
Hmm. At the time of the fight it felt like I was touching something, but now I donât even have a sense of what it was.
With my weakened physical body and senses, it canât be helped.
Maybe I could realize something when I develop further or am in optimal condition again.
I replayed that combat about three times.
It made me wonder how I fought so well.
Although it was movement I felt and did through my senses, with my current body it was a realm I couldnât reach.
âThis much is enough for now.â
Just remembering the series of combat is sufficient. There are many urgent things.
What I had to think about now was the incident I had caused.
Killing the leader was part of the plan, but killing the empress was an unexpected development.
I was swept away by an unseen current.
But it wasnât a bad thing at all.
Although the plan was entangled because I didnât see through the leaderâs moves, in the long run, it was beneficial.
By killing the empress, a latent danger, and dealing with the devilâs seeds, it was a profitable deal.
As I thought before, the devilâs seeds were two in the game. It was that important.
I had eliminated one of them.
âWhat great fortune.â
If I wasnât careful, at the same time as Erendilâs death a devil could have descended on the imperial capital.
It could have been an even greater ordeal than I experienced in the game.
Also, I ruined the plot using the empress and disposed of Demorick Ruessfel, the leader.
He was quite famous even in the game, so the blow will be great.
And when you consider the infamous reputation of the devil worshippers will spread, the profit is beyond imagination.
As I thought before, that reputation will surely trigger advantageous butterfly effects.
In other words, in one night I tremendously upset the devil worshippersâ plans.
âErendil will have bought enormously valuable time just by becoming emperor.â
Right now itâs hard for me to jump into the succession dispute. Now Haisenâs role was bigger.
Since I took all the blame and left, it was like feeding everything into Haisenâs mouth.
Ah, who will appreciate my efforts made with resolve for death? It canât be helped to sigh.
But Haisen should handle it well.
âIt wouldnât hurt to expose the princesâ weaknesses right now.â
Since the Empressâs death and the disgrace that her bodyguard and war hero, Erendil, faced, there would surely be repercussions for her too.
After things quiet down a bit, if I exploit the princesâ vulnerabilities, it could not only mitigate the damage but also strengthen our position.
Choosing a princess rather than someone not of the imperial bloodline, even if slightly problematic, would be better.
Well, theyâll probably handle it sensibly on their own. Duke Brusek is also a clever man.
In fact, itâs not bad to leave it as an ace up my sleeve. The princes will certainly make their moves too.
Itâs also good to counterattack then.
âIf it doesnât look good I can always reveal their weaknesses myself.â
The problem was my relationship with Erendil. Until this incident happened, I had built up a fairly good friendly relationship.
To dispose of the devils and their worshippers, it will be better to continue that way.
But things got too tangled up. Even if I explain the circumstances, will Erendil understand?
She has eyes to see the truth so sheâll know if itâs true or notâ¦
But even the wisest person can change when it comes to family relationships. Let alone killed right before her eyes.
Even if she understands, it will be difficult to keep by her side the one who killed her mother.
âIt canât be helped.â
If it doesnât look like our relationship can improve, Iâll have to plant someone else to help from the outside.
Personally, itâs very regrettable, but isnât that enough?
The original plan was to make contact with Erendil again soon after taking the blame.
Because I was planning to go back and assassinate the empress too.
But now I might need to keep some distance. Time heals all wounds after all.
The same words might be better received after the shock has subsided a bit.
âWhew.â
I stood up. Was it because I hadnât eaten properly while escaping? My head was throbbing.
Since there was a city nearby, I should eat first.
The reason I didnât enter at dawn was just to avoid standing out.
A man entering and getting lodging at dawn, even in disguise, would draw attention in this situation.
Now there would also be a lot of foot traffic, so it was just right. I also had to check the situation and eat and wash up.
The discomfort was already reaching the point where it was hard to endure.
After disguising myself with prepared items, I could lightly enter the city by slipping some money.
How far did I walk? What caught my eye was a newspaper.
[The Empireâs War Hero Bewitched by the Devil]
The text filling the front page was of course about me. I quickly read through it.
The article focused more on the devil and its worshippers than my misdeeds.
Explanations about the Devilâs Blood from ancient texts and the return of devil worshippers.
I understood the empireâs intent.
After all, the downfall of the war hero would also greatly impact the empireâs authority.
They judged it was better to shock with the devil rather than interest in me.
âFrom the devil worshippersâ perspective, it must feel like a bolt from the blue.â
The emperor must have also been quite surprised after the incident to hear about the devil worshippers.
I wonder if the Chief of Intelligence who had been hiding it is still alive. There are probably internal storms.
Of course, they didnât completely ignore me. On page 2 was a wanted poster for me.
Looking around, wanted posters like that seemed to be in every back alley. It looks quite like me.
Hmm.
Even though Iâm in disguise, should I cut my hair?
âOh?â
At that moment, as if to indicate this chaotic major incident had settled down for now, the system message I had been waiting for appeared before my eyes.
1. TLN: Iâm sorry, Iâm not sure if itâs either divine healing/divine healer/divine medicine. Since, by the time I translated this, I didnât have any single information about this character /or item. Iâm sorry for asking you this but for now, just keep in mind these 3 possible characters/items.
Author's Thoughts
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