Chapter 68

“The Princess shall return to her residence at once and remain confined! You are forbidden from leaving without Our permission! Do you understand!”

This was the emperor’s strategy to stop the guild.

If I were confined to my home, I couldn’t open the guild.

‘So he’s determined to monopolize all the hunters in the empire, no matter the cost. This is going to get messy…’

But I couldn’t think of a way out.

To be honest, the emperor was right.

I didn’t establish the guild to save the world.

‘It was to keep the ruin from ending.’

It was for my own survival. So I wouldn’t die a miserable death again.

Just then, Johan flinched and turned his head to look somewhere.

He wasn’t the only one.

All the priest-rank hunters had turned pale, staring in the same direction.

At the same time, a pungent, heavy scent drifted from somewhere.

This smell, so faint that even my sensitive nose could barely detect it, was…

‘Sulfur?’

I quickly lowered my gaze to hide my agitation.

“Princess! Answer Us at once!”

“You will regret this.”

“Do you dare threaten Us? A mere princess, threatening the emperor?”

“It’s not a threat. I’m telling you the truth.”

“Is that what Duke Ruthius taught you? To disregard the emperor as if he were nothing?”

The emperor shouted, his face turning beet red.

His tone was different from the theatrical one he had used so far. He seemed genuinely enraged, the veins on his neck bulging.

‘Attacking my upbringing is crossing the line… Does he have an inferiority complex when it comes to the Duke?’

“We can no longer tolerate the arrogance of House Ruthius! Guards! Lock the princess in the dungeons!”

The shocked crowd gasped.

“Gasp!”

“Did His Majesty just say the dungeons?”

“Imprisoning a direct heir of Ruthius… Is that really okay?”

Even I hadn’t expected the emperor to go this far.

Moreover, he wasn’t just targeting me, but the entire Ruthius family.

As if House Ruthius had always looked down on the imperial family.

‘Ah!’

A realization flashed through my mind.

‘I was wrong. The emperor isn’t just trying to shut down the guild; he plans to crush all of Ruthius.’

Just as we planned to use this opportunity to bring him down.

Alex, his face pale, interjected.

“Your Majesty! Astell is a direct heir of the Ducal House of Ruthius!”

“And We are supposed to walk on eggshells because of that? What is so great about Ruthius that We should care?!”

“Your Majesty, but…”

“Silence! Young Duke, do not interfere further! Guards! What are you doing? Take the princess to the dungeons at once!”

Dozens of knights surrounded me. They looked tense, as if expecting me to resist.

I gave Alex a look and raised my hands in surrender.

“Your Majesty.”

The emperor’s blazing eyes shot toward me. I met his gaze and smiled sweetly.

“You will have to take responsibility for everything that happens from now on.”

“Shameless to the very end! Do you think such words will frighten Us?”

At that moment, the ground trembled violently.

Then, a fierce wind swept through the quiet rear garden, shaking the trees as if to uproot them.

Just as everyone shielded their eyes from the wildly scattering leaves and grass.

“It’s a gate!”

Along with someone’s shout, a long rift appeared in mid-air, erupting with a tremendous light.

“Th-This can’t be…”

“Ugh, my body…!”

Its presence was on a completely different level from the previous two gates.

An immense power pressed down on the atmosphere.

Hunters unable to withstand the pressure staggered as if they were about to collapse.

The high-rankers stood firm, but their expressions were just as stiff.

It was understandable. Even I felt my breath catch, and my shoulders ached.

As I frowned at the long-unfelt pressure, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Quest: Give up on clearing the gate.]

[Success: The death of Silvane Arthur Quehern Taikan]

[Failure: Acquire Memory Fragment (3/7)]

‘What kind of trick is this?’

Most quests were about clearing a gate.

‘But it’s telling me to do nothing?’

And if the reward for success was the emperor’s death, wasn’t this practically a gift?

‘And at such a perfect moment…’

At this point, I was beginning to suspect the universe itself was on my side.

Just then, a familiar sound echoed from within the rift, along with a gray mist.

*Clip-clop, clip-clop.*

“What’s that? It sounds like horse hooves.”

“You’re right, I hear it too.”

As the hunters murmured among themselves, a monster leisurely revealed itself.

Including its horse, the figure stood about three meters tall, wielding a spear even longer than that.

It was a colossal knight, armed head to toe in black iron armor.

“…It’s a knight, isn’t it?”

“That’s what it looks like to me. Though not an ordinary one…”

The creature slowly reined in its armored horse.

*Heeeyaaaah!*

The massive horse snorted, pawing impatiently at the ground with its forelegs.

Blood-red eyes. Nostrils puffing out clouds of gray smoke.

It was a Nightmare, a demonic beast from hell that brought bad dreams.

The hunters, who had flinched for a moment, slowly straightened up. The monster knight remained still, not attacking as they had expected.

“Wh-What is it?”

“It’s not moving.”

As everyone stood confused by the inscrutable situation, a strange voice echoed throughout the garden.

“Let the one who is worthy challenge me.”

“Let the one who is worthy challenge me.”

“Let the one who is worthy challenge me.”

It sounded like dozens of people speaking in unison from inside a cave.

The hunters looked at one another.

“The one who is worthy? What does that mean?”

“…It seems to be a challenge to a one-on-one duel.”

“So it really is a knight.”

The opponent was alone.

Compared to the first gate, where over a hundred monsters had poured out, or the second, with its endlessly spawning eggs…

It was only natural for this to feel manageable.

Smiles began to spread across the hunters’ faces.

“This seems too easy.”

“It seems a swordsman should step up. I will handle it.”

“Sir Patrick, what are you saying? Are we mages supposed to just watch?”

“It didn’t specify a class. Anyone can challenge it.”

The emperor, ever sensitive to the mood, threw bait to the hunters.

“To the one who brings Us its head, We shall grant one wish! If you desire marriage, you shall have marriage! If you desire status, you shall have status! Anything at all!”

“…!”

It was a sort of gate bounty.

It wasn’t money, but it was more than enough to stir the hearts of the hunters.

After all, one could marry a prince and become royalty, or desire a title and become a duke.

For the nobility, who were not short on money, it was the ultimate reward.

“Your Majesty! We will show you our strength!”

“Please believe in us!”

“Excellent! Hunters of Bluebird! We shall cheer you on.”

As the emperor stepped back, attendants quickly set up a chair and a canopy.

Since it didn’t seem very dangerous, he apparently intended to stay and watch rather than evacuate.

‘That’s probably not a good idea.’

Just then, the captain of the knights approached me and bowed his head slightly.

“Princess, it is time to go.”

“Shall we?”

As I started to follow the royal guard, Dante, who had been watching silently, suddenly spoke.

“Sir William, escort her to the East Tower.”

The captain of the Royal Guard, William, looked troubled and glanced at the distant emperor.

“What? But that place is…”

“Surely you don’t intend to lock the empire’s princess in a damp, dark dungeon?”

“Unless His Majesty specifies otherwise, she must be taken to the West Prison.”

“If something were to happen to her there, do you think Duke Ruthius would stand idly by? I doubt His Majesty wants things to escalate that far.”

After a moment of consideration, William changed direction.

“Princess, this way, please.”

What’s so special about the East Tower?

Following the royal guard, I arrived at a stone tower with a single, lonely window at the top.

We climbed a winding staircase until we reached a double-barred iron gate.

“Please enter.”

I calmly stepped inside, and William closed the gate.

*Clang!*

The two iron gates shut, and six large locks were fastened one by one.

“What is this place?”

“It is where mages are imprisoned when they commit a crime.”

“I see.”

So that’s why there was a magic circle etched into the floor.

‘A circle to restrain mana?’

“Please bear with it for a little while. You should be released as soon as the gate is closed.”

As if the emperor would let me go so easily.

He would probably try to negotiate with Duke Ruthius, offering my release in exchange for my joining Bluebird.

I chuckled and walked over to the window.

“What a prime spot.”

There was a reason Dante had insisted on sending me here. The window offered a clear view of the situation in the rear garden.

“Everyone, are you listening? I’m about to call out the names of a few hunters.”

<Viewers: 154>

I recited a few names, repeating each one twice.

“Relay this to them right now. Tell them not to step forward under any circumstances if they don’t want to die. When the system is back to normal, I’ll give you any reaction you want.”

<Viewers: 97>

I checked the viewer count and leaned my elbows on the windowsill.

Time to get the popcorn.