Chapter 3: Founding Day - (3)

“Lincia… Airen.”

There was no mistaking it.

The girl standing before me was the protagonist of Raising the Empress, Lincia Airen.

Lincia’s eyes, which had initially held fear, gradually filled with unmistakable relief as she seemed to recognize me.

Her small lips parted slightly.

“Sir Escoval…?”

And then, a single tear fell.

A clear droplet rolled down from her green eyes—then another, and another, until it became a flood.

Of course she would cry. She had just been caught up in a terrorist attack.

Even I was barely holding it together from the panic, so what about Lincia—who couldn’t have been older than fifteen?

Faced with the sudden appearance of the game’s protagonist, I had no idea how to respond.

In the end, I could only stand there awkwardly, looking at her.

That’s when I heard a ding.

It was a sound I had heard countless times while playing the game—familiar and unmistakable.

“…This is…”

Up until now, I’d been too overwhelmed to notice, but seeing that notification made it all clear.

Raising the Empress consisted of eight chapters in total—from the prologue to the final act.

And right now, I was inside the prologue.

The Founding Day Festival, during which the cult of the Evil God carries out a massive terror attack—a literal catastrophe.

The Empress, the only one to survive this terrorist act, must then endure the rest of the eight chapters.

In that journey, she faces nearly a hundred deadly encounters, yet in the end, she survives, comes of age, and ascends as the Empress.

But if she were to die during that process?

It would, without a doubt, lead directly to a dead end.

In the game, her death isn’t simply expressed as “Game Over.” Not by the system, nor by the lore.

According to the game’s setting, the Emperor of the Empire possesses the power to protect this dimension from outer-dimensional beings.

That power is inherited only by direct descendants of the Imperial line—and only after their coming-of-age ceremony and ascension to the throne.

So if the Imperial line is severed, it spells the end of the world.

That’s exactly why the cult of the Outer God carried out the attack—to end that bloodline.

This was something revealed in every single dead-end ending where the Empress dies.

Without an heir to inherit the Emperor’s power, interference from other dimensions begins. Monstrous beings and armies from beyond ravage the Empire.

It was usually shown in a single illustration, but that ending scene—where the land burned all the way to the horizon—was one I had seen many times. It was burned into my memory.

This world balanced on a knife’s edge—its survival entirely dependent on Lincia Airen living.

And from my perspective—someone who had possessed a character in this godforsaken game—it meant that she absolutely could not die.

And one of the most vital allies to achieving the survival ending was none other than the Imperial Guardian Knight—Freud.

Right. That’s the character I’ve possessed.

Freud was essentially the Empress’ personal bodyguard.

He was a key figure in preventing the most common dead-end: assassination.

If you wanted to see the good ending, Freud was absolutely essential—a steadfast support.

Without him, the Empress would always, always meet her end.

“Whew…”

I took a deep breath.

Clearing my thoughts, I looked at the girl before me.

Platinum hair and green eyes—a beauty so refined it seemed a god had personally sculpted her.

At the same time, she was the central figure of this world.

If I abandoned Lincia and ran away now…

She would definitely die. That would be a direct route to a dead end.

Even in the game’s prologue, the Empress survives only with the help of Freud or the other major characters, escaping to safety within the Imperial Palace.

The translucent notification hovering in the air confirmed my thoughts.

I turned to her.

Lowering myself to one knee, I extended my hand.

“…Your Highness, now is the time to preserve yourself.”

As Freud, I must protect the Empress.

That is the first condition for this world to survive.

****

It didn’t take long for Lincia to stop crying.

As expected of the protagonist, she brushed off her knees and accepted my support to stand.

Her gaze was still shaky, and her legs wobbled beneath her, but her will looked unshaken.

“Sir Freud… My father…?”

I slowly shook my head in response.

“I see…”

“The cult targeted the Imperial family.”

“…”

“That’s all the more reason why Your Highness must survive.”

“…Yes…”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

I had worried she might break at the news of her father’s death, but it seemed Lincia had already expected it, at least to some extent.

“We must go. There’s no time.”

Right now, escaping this place was our top priority.

I had no idea when that snake-eyed bastard I’d shaken off earlier might catch up.

Just as I was about to tug Lincia along, she grabbed my pinky.

Turning my head, I saw her trembling eyes and quivering lips.

It looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite form the words.

There was no time to wait.

I gently placed my other hand over hers and spoke as calmly as I could.

“If there’s something you wish to say, I’ll hear it later. For now, we must leave this place as quickly as possible. It may be dangerous, so please steel yourself.”

At that, Lincia reluctantly nodded.

Without another word, I led her through the winding alleys.

The alleys of the capital were like a maze, but the towering spires of the Imperial Palace were visible even from within.

If we just kept heading in that direction, we’d reach the palace.

Once we got there, the Royal Guard would protect us.

The cult wouldn’t dare attack the inner palace.

Even in the game, reaching the gates of the palace meant clearing the prologue.

As we hurried forward, a dark thought struck me like lightning.

What if we ran into enemies along the way?

Cold sweat trickled down my back as the horrific scene in the square replayed in my mind.

Could I even win in a fight?

Damn it. I should never have thrown away my sword.

The regret came crashing in. Tossing away my helmet and sword while fleeing had been beyond foolish.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed forward through the maze-like alleys.

We passed a few fleeing civilians along the way.

Some, seeing my armor, tried to plead for help, but I ignored them and quickened my pace.

I didn’t have the luxury to save everyone.

Soon, the alley widened noticeably.

Just past that path—surely, the palace.

The thought alone quickened my steps.

And then—

“…Ah.”

A silhouette leaned against the outer wall of the alley, staring directly at us.

A man with a curved blade drenched in blood—

A one-eyed man.

Talk about rotten luck.

The snake-like, vertically slit pupils peeking out from beneath his robe turned toward me and Lincia.

“Freud Escoval. So that’s why you ran. Makes sense now.”

He spoke with a tongue that slithered like a serpent. That voice still sent shivers down my spine.

His gaze shifted to Lincia, and next to me, I heard her let out a frightened gasp.

“I never imagined… a surviving bloodline of the Emperor still existed.”

Whoosh.

The man spun his curved blade in one hand and began to walk toward us.

I glanced back down the path we came. Could we run?

With Freud’s physical abilities, it wouldn’t be hard to escape on my own—like I had earlier.

But Lincia was beside me. Running while protecting her would be another story.

That left only one option: fight.

But could I win against this guy, unarmed?

I didn’t know.

But if the Empress died, this world would fall.

Resigned, I stepped forward.

“Your Highness, please step back.”

“Sir Freud…”

“I’ll be fine.”

Pushing Lincia’s worried gaze behind me, I stood between her and the enemy.

My words sounded brave, but my whole body was trembling.

My legs felt weak, my teeth chattered.

God, I wanted to go home.

“A fine stance. You’re a textbook knight.”

The man sneered, offering what could only be sarcasm.

He got into position, still wearing that twisted smirk.

And then, from a distance, he began to sprint—gradually picking up speed.

I had no sword. I could only assume a clumsy, makeshift stance.

“Hhk!”

In a blink, he was upon me—blade swinging.

Had I been in my original body, I never would’ve reacted in time.

But Freud’s superhuman senses were sharp.

My eyes locked onto the blade’s arc, and I twisted my torso to dodge.

Swish.

The curved blade narrowly grazed my armor as it missed its mark.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, searing pain shot through my thigh, knocking me to the ground.

“Guhk!”

The bastard had anticipated my dodge. His blade, already pulled back, was aimed for a follow-up strike.

Even I could tell—despite my ignorance of swordsmanship—that he was skilled.

Blood gushed from the deep wound in my thigh. The pain blurred my vision.

But there was no time to recover.

The man kept coming—swinging his sword in a relentless flurry.

“Ghhhk…!”

I rolled, dove, and scrambled to dodge with enhanced reflexes, but his strikes kept finding me.

My armor saved me from fatal wounds, but some blows slipped through the joints—cutting deep.

Blood sprayed onto the alley walls again and again.

Each wound brought unspeakable pain, but I had no time to even cry out.

After his barrage, the man stepped back slightly.

“How disappointing. The so-called best knight of the Imperial Guard—this is all you’ve got?”

Shrugging his shoulders, he laughed with clear contempt.

“Sir Oswald was far better in a duel.”

Of course.

Oswald—the decapitated knight—had trained his entire life in swordsmanship.

Me? I was just a regular guy possessing a superhuman body. Barely that.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

The man casually wiped the blood off his blade with the back of his knee, then lunged at me again.

“You son of a bitch…”

I wasn’t about to go down like this.

Better to go down fighting than to be picked apart like prey.

Besides, dodging and running had been driving me mad.

Whether it was the blood loss or a rush of adrenaline, I wasn’t even that scared anymore.

I locked eyes with the charging man and focused every ounce of my senses on him.

The world around me went silent.

His movements slowed—almost like I was watching them in slow motion.

I tightened my stance… and threw a punch straight at him.

A full-force strike using Gungon-style Combat Taekwondo.

BOOM.

To cut to the chase, I missed.

He must’ve sensed my killing intent and pulled back just in time.

But my punch didn’t stop.

With a deafening shockwave, my fist smashed through the alley wall—completely demolishing it.

Bricks exploded everywhere.

A few struck my head, but I felt no pain.

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard.

I didn’t know if it was me, that man, or Lincia.

“…To unleash that kind of power without mana… I take back what I said. You are a Guardian Knight, through and through.”

The man clapped slowly as he backed away.

He looked calm on the outside, but the expression beneath his robe?

It looked a little rattled.

“……”

I stared blankly at my own hand.

A literal wrecking ball that had just punched through a wall.

“…What the hell?”

I’m… freaking strong?

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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