The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

Marquis Lauren muttered when he saw the large emerald necklace in Theis’s pocket.

 

There was no way a mere liaison and errand boy could have such an expensive item, even though he claimed to work for the imperial court.

 “There’s no way a simple servant could have bought such an extravagant piece of jewelry as an accessory. It must have been used as a means of communication.” 

After speaking with Marquis Lauren, Rukia frowned and pondered.

 

‘Liaison jewelry would always be thoroughly inspected for the risk of interceptions.’ 

 

The last thing the imperial court needed was a mess of eavesdroppers.

 

Therefore, only those in charge of important missions outside the palace were given them.

 

‘How does this not fall under the palace’s detection spell…’

 

In the end, there was only one answer.

 

It wasn’t made of the common magic used by the Empire, which meant it wasn’t detected.

 “Didn’t you say that there’s a way to analyze the contact jewelry to find out the history and content of past communications?” “No, but I’ll do that right now, and I’ll report back to you as soon as I’ve figured this out. I’ll need you to restrain the person while I prepare for the examination.” 

It took less than five minutes for Rukia to finish preparing for the test.

 

Bringing a stone bowl with a clutter of golden needles, he poured the bluish solution into it.

 

Then he placed the jewel from Theis’s pocket into the bowl.

 

Immediately, green bubbles rose from the jewelry.

 

The golden needles, each pointing in a different direction, moved in unison and interlocked, and the smoke from the green bubbles swept past them.

 

And a faint, crackling sound came from the jewelry.

 [I’m… You mean to wait this time?] 

The words weren’t very clear, but I could make out what was being said.

 

And it was definitely Theis’s voice.

 [Yeah.] 

The unrecognizable voice, which appeared to be Theis’ counterpart, replied.

 [So… until that stupid Imperial Knight Commander who went out on an expedition is dealt with…] 

Just then, the emerald that had been bobbing in the water cracked open with a snap.

 

The voice emanating from the gem was no longer audible.

 

Looking down at the cracked emerald like a broken mirror, Marquis Lauren’s face went white.

 “Cap, Captain Minerva…” 

It was this that had shaken the imperial palace the morning before the expedition’s scheduled return.

  “I can’t get in touch with the expedition, and it’s never been like this before…” “We need to move quickly and covertly. If it turns out there was one mole, we can’t be sure there aren’t more.” “The captured mole emitted the same kind of ominous magic as the last one—” 

Cedric’s fists clenched wordlessly at the onslaught of his subjects.

 

His grip on the throne’s armrests tightened to the point of breaking, and his eyes glowed with a fiendish light.

 

A demon who would dance with his sword, decapitate his enemies, and step over their corpses.

 

‘I prayed and hoped for it.’

 

This time, it seemed, the gods had not answered Cedric’s call.

 

‘If the gods won’t stop it, I’ll stop this myself.’

 

His dark, blood-red eyes took on the color of death.

 

The fire in those eyes burned for one person, and one person only.

 “Mobilize all available forces immediately and head for the southern border.” 

Cedric’s voice rumbled with deep anger.

 “I will lead the way myself.”  

The morning of my return finally dawned.

 

My back was a little sore from the night before.

 

‘At the very least, I get to head back today.’ 

 

The report was well written, and the dragon’s scales and carcass were safely stored.

 

The imperial palace was also notified of my return via the contact jewelry.

 

For some reason, they didn’t reply right away, but I figured it was just a delay.

 

I thought to myself

, ‘Contact gems are all well and good, but if they don’t reply, I don’t know if they’ve seen my message or not.’

 

 

Unless both parties are using the jewelry at the same time and talking through it, there’s no way to know if the communication was working.

 [Well, it’s better than a letter, and it’s a lot faster.] 

‘Yeah, I guess.’

 

Hearing Caliberne’s words, I slipped the dull jewel back into my pocket.

 “Finally, I’ll be able to sleep in the Knights’ quarters tonight.” 

James stretched and said joyfully as he approached me as I finished polishing the gem and watering the horses.

 “The expedition is all well and good, but my back is a bit sore when it comes to sleeping at night.” “I understand, but in an emergency, we’d be on the road for a much longer time than we’d spend in the field, and that’s better than nothing.” “That’s true.” 

Rising early in the morning, I prepared for the return journey with my diligent men, and was soon on my horse.

 

We rode through the opening of the great forest where we had spent the previous night, and reached a canyon that lay deep within the forest.

 

The morning had been bright and sunny, but dark clouds gathered, and by the time we reached the canyon, we could smell the rain, or at least a hint of it.

 

‘Should we hurry? No, it’s worse if we rush and have an accident.’ 

 

We decided to move on since it wasn’t raining yet, and to stop if it began to rain and the ground became slippery.

 “You all know it’s dangerous out there!” said the captain, “You’ll have to ride slowly so you don’t slip.” “Yes, Captain!” 

Most of the men were familiar with the canyon, having traveled through it all the time on their way to the southern border and back.

 

Still, accidents always happen where you least expect them.

 “Everyone, follow my lead…” 

Just then, James, the horse next to him, bucked and fell forward.

 “James?” 

As I looked up at him in surprise, I heard a rustle and a crunch.

 

Glancing back, I saw that the entire expedition had collapsed, as if possessed by something.

 “What, wha-what?” 

At that moment, the horse I was riding also lost its center and tilted sideways.

 

Quickly jumping off the horse and landing on the ground, I stared at the sight of everyone laying motionless on the ground, my mouth agape.

 “What the…?” 

A deathly silence seemed to envelop my body, and a sense that something was wrong flashed through my mind.

 

‘Is it a stun spell? On this scale?’

 

It was at that moment that I ducked down beside the fallen horse and drew my sword.

 “Found it!” 

With a shout that sounded like thunder, a black shadow appeared with a fierce axe and charged toward me.

  

Waking up at a later hour than usual due to her poor physical condition, Persephine was puzzled by the unusually deserted palace.

 

The guards were not entirely gone, but they were certainly fewer.

 

Most of all, the palace lacked the typical bustle of a busy, competent group of people.

 “Hurry up and deliver this to the other department!” “Is the protective magic working?” 

Except for the guards, who remained still, every single person I saw in the corridor was running with urgent and anxious expressions.

 

Or shouted sharply, as if something very urgent had happened.

 

‘What’s going on…?’ 

 

Just as Persephine felt that something was amiss in the palace, a familiar figure entered the room, walking quickly with a slight flush in his eyes.

 “Ah, Princess Persephine. Good morning.” 

Persephine nodded, meeting his obsidian-like dark eyes.

 “Yes, Felix.” “Thank goodness.” 

He smiled broadly, and a knight scurried off behind him.

 

Watching him pass, Felix bent down and spoke in a low voice to Persephine.

 “There’s a bit of a ruckus in the palace, I think something’s going on.” “Really…? Has it been like this since earlier?” “Yes, it’s been like this since this morning.” 

At Felix’s words, anxiety slowly rose in Persephine’s heart.

 

‘What? No, my brother hasn’t said anything about doing anything yet.’

 

Her violet eyes were filled with anxiety and worry.

 

And Felix’s next words weighed heavily on her heart.

 “Yes, this morning I saw a group of knights, mages, and common soldiers exiting through the main gate, not a huge number, but…” “Felix.” 

Persephine asked, grabbing Felix’s arm.

 

Trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

 “Was His Majesty with them, by any chance?” “His Majesty? Uh… actually, I saw them from a distance, so it was hard to tell who was who…” 

Felix scratched his cheek and trailed off.

 

‘I wonder if my brother has caused some sort of incident? Something that would cause Deamant to suddenly need to mobilize its forces?’

 

Persephine’s face slowly turned white at the thought.