* * *
After filling his stomach, his eyelids grew heavy again.
“I keep getting sleepy… It’s troublesome.”
“They said it’s part of recovery. The priest will come again soon. Rest well for now. I’m sure good news will come tomorrow.”
“I hope so…”
But events didn’t unfold the way Tia so confidently promised.
The following evening, just as Lowell’s body had begun to recover, a thunderous roar echoed from beyond the castle walls—the signal that everything was about to change.
“What was that sound?”
Three hours had passed since they received the report that the location of the upcoming ritual would likely be raided.
According to Lowell’s calculations, by now, the Crown Prince would have apprehended those preparing for the ritual, Felix would be targeting the Duchy of Davon as the primary instigator, and the nobles aligned with the Crown Prince would be on their way to seize the homes of the other conspirators.
Lowell, who had been anxiously awaiting Felix’s contact, suddenly sprang to his feet.
Even those within the castle seemed caught off guard, as chaos quickly erupted outside.
“Go find out what’s happening.”
Tia swiftly commanded the guard stationed at the door. It wasn’t a good sign.
‘Even if it’s dangerous, it’s okay to call for me. No matter what happens, you must respond,’ Felix’s words echoed in Lowell’s mind as he absentmindedly stared down at the ring on his finger.
But in the end, he shook his head. This was the most critical turning point.
‘If they fail to capture the Duke of Davon—the ringleader—the Crown Prince and Felix could easily be branded as the ones staging a coup. On top of that, with the possibility of enemies already inside, reaching out now would be the worst decision. It’d be as good as handing over our location to them.’
No matter how he thought about it, contacting Felix now was out of the question.
“Master Lowell!”
Barely moments after making his decision, the owner of the castle burst into the room, his face pale, his breaths ragged.
Lowell’s guards drew their swords in warning, signaling the man not to come any closer.
The knight at the rear checked the escape route, ready in case this turned out to be a trap.
“T-The priest we brought in suddenly set off fireworks. It had to be some kind of signal to someone.”
“Did the priest know who I am?”
“Of course not!”
Lowell clenched his jaw.
For something like this to happen just as they were making their move against the nobles—it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
‘Don’t tell me… The Emperor gave secret orders to capture me?’
The Emperor’s only realistic path to victory was to unite the nobles who still believed they were on his side and rally them into a large-scale battle.
‘But instead of focusing on counterattacking, he orders them to capture me the moment trouble starts?’
That was the same as prioritizing the disruption of the ritual—or crushing Felix—over actual victory.
Even knowing that defeat here would likely mean losing all political power, the Emperor’s choice made no sense.
‘Then again, Felix and the Crown Prince probably think the same. They say black magic warps your mind… maybe he’s already lost his ability to reason?’
Frankly, the fact that the Emperor even resorted to black magic was proof enough that he’d lost his sanity.
Lowell couldn’t help but curse him internally.
Only the Emperor could rot a thriving empire so thoroughly in such a short time.
‘It’s that damn inferiority complex of his. His desires were so transparent, it must’ve been easy for the nobles to manipulate him.’
Lowell cynically thought that the only reason the Empire hadn’t already collapsed under foreign pressure was thanks to the Crown Prince and Felix.
“The mana fluctuations around the castle are intensifying. We’re preparing to defend the castle, but the enemy numbers are larger than expected. You should hide in the underground passage, Master Lowell. If the defensive line breaks, you’ll need to escape immediately.”
A chilling premonition crept up Lowell’s legs, a dull ache spreading through his abdomen.
The castle swiftly transitioned to battle mode, but the enemy pressed in with relentless, small groups.
Fend off one group, and another would immediately take its place.
Worse still, their numbers kept increasing.
“It seems they’re certain I’m here,” Lowell said, half leaning against Tony for support.
“Judging by how they aren’t even considering the possibility of misinformation, they must have some reason for their confidence.”
“If that’s true, the Arendell family, stationed nearby, will bring their black mages here,” Tia warned, assuming the worst.
“If that happens, the defensive line will fall in no time. It would be smarter to escape now, while the enemy is still scattered focusing on the siege.”
Lowell agreed.
The problem was his condition.
Glancing down at his legs, which were trembling with slight spasms, Tony—who had been closely observing him—spoke up.
“I’ll carry you. It’ll be faster, and easier to move without drawing attention.”
“Where do you suggest we go?”
They had two options.
Head toward the capital, or away from it.
The former meant a chance to regroup with Felix, the latter offered temporary distance from the Emperor’s influence.
‘It probably won’t make much difference either way…’
Lowell chose the latter.
“Let’s head back the way we came.”
The decision made, they moved quickly.
‘Where are those reinforcements the Crown Prince promised?’
The question crossed Lowell’s mind, but there was no time to wait foolishly for backup.
Slipping out through the secret passage, Lowell and the knights moved as quietly as possible.
But a constant, prickling sensation on his back made him look behind him more than once.
“We’ll be fine,” Tia assured him.
“We’re outnumbered, the castle might fall temporarily, but the real battle is what happens in the capital.”
“Right. If I stayed, I’d only be a burden.”
Fighting while protecting someone was always more difficult, especially as battles dragged on.
Still, Lowell couldn’t shake the thought: ‘If I hadn’t chosen this castle, maybe they wouldn’t be risking their lives now.’
The guilt of sacrificing them gnawed at him.
“Enemy presence up ahead. We’ll divert course.”
There was no time to wallow in regret.
Tia, leading at the front, changed direction swiftly, her sharp command raising the tension among the knights.
“Enemies approaching from the rear as well!”
The enemy’s grip on Lowell tightened.
‘Are we surrounded?’
Such precise movements were impossible unless the enemy was tracking Lowell’s every move in real time.
“We’re breaking through the front,” Tia declared, judging escape through the encirclement to be the only option.
Raising her twin rapiers, the other knights followed suit, drawing their swords.
“Advance!”
At Tia’s command, blades sliced through the air.
Blue sword energy erupted from each weapon, forming an intricate web that enveloped the enemy.
With loud cracks, trees sliced by the sword aura crashed to the ground.
Hidden among the trees, figures emerged, some too wounded to rise, but the majority surged toward Lowell, blood flowing but resolve unbroken.
‘They’re trained knights.’
They were nothing like mere bandits.
Their swordsmanship was superior, but more than that—their resolve was unwavering.
They harbored no hesitation, whether it was to kill or to die.
“Don’t waste time fighting one by one! Push through!”
Tia’s thin rapiers glowed with sword energy as she targeted the enemies’ weak points with precision, her fierce determination ensuring not even a fingertip touched Lowell.
The knights, emboldened by her ferocity, pressed forward.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, the enemy formation began to crumble under the skill gap.
The pursuers desperately tried to overtake them, but the elite guards, handpicked by Felix himself, proved too fast and disciplined.
The distance between them widened steadily.
“We’ll lose them within fifteen minutes.”
* * *
