Chapter 48: The Town (6)

Time rewinds.

The ticking of the clock gradually fades from my ears. A piercing pain shoots through my chest as I open my eyes.

It wasn’t as agonizing as dying, but it was still a pain I could never grow used to. Gasping for breath, I slowly lifted my head.

‘First, I need to assess the situation.’

The first priority was determining when I had returned to.

I saw Evan, his sword cloaked in aura, cutting down the Emperor’s Hands.

Behind him, Lily stood beside the old woman, trembling slightly. Further back, a golden magic circle was being redrawn.

I clicked my tongue without realizing it.

‘Of all times…’

The rewind was much shorter than I had expected. If I had returned to a point before the battle had started, I would’ve had more time to prepare.

Countless thoughts crowded my mind, but I shook my head to clear them.

There was no time to complain.

“Huuh…”

I took deep breaths and quickly scanned my surroundings.

A shadow entered my vision.

Someone appeared out of thin air. It was similar to Abel’s teleportation.

If I hadn’t been paying close attention, I wouldn’t have even noticed. That must have been why my past self almost got killed before the rewind.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like their tactics were becoming increasingly precise.

Whoosh.

The sound of the wind.

A figure, clad in a black mask, lunged at me.

I deployed shield magic over my fist. A red magic circle wrapped around my arm, forming multiple layers of protection in an instant.

It was the same method I had used in the library against them. They hadn’t learned.

Thud!

“Kkrrk?!”

The attacker let out a strangled sound as they crashed into the wall. Their body trembled violently as they tried to get up.

But before they could, a streak of blue aura sliced through the air, severing their neck.

Evan’s urgent voice followed.

“Lady, are you alright?!”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

It felt almost anticlimactic, stopping the attack so easily.

Evan stepped in front of me, reinfusing his sword with aura. More golden magic circles began forming on the ground.

He clicked his tongue and took a deep breath.

More enemies infiltrated using teleportation-like techniques. Yet his sword did not miss a single one.

One by one, then another.

The battle was nothing short of a massacre.

The number of Emperor’s Hands had already dwindled significantly. Even if they were mass-produced weapons, their numbers weren’t infinite.

Thud.

When the last of them fell, Evan leaned on his sword, breathing heavily. He didn’t say a word, but it was clear—he was exhausted.

It was only natural. He had fought them all alone.

Letting out a long sigh, he muttered,

“To think they would come all the way here…”

I agreed.

Even I hadn’t expected them to attack such a secluded village.

Wiping the blood from his sword, Evan sheathed it.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

A sudden applause echoed through the silence.

Evan frowned at the inappropriate sound.

The clapping grew louder, closer.

Through the doorway, a man stepped in.

He entered the cabin with slow, deliberate steps, still clapping.

Pale skin, deep dark circles, an eerie presence, golden eyes.

It was the young man who had guided us here.

‘…Were his eyes always golden?’

The thought struck me. The first time I saw him, he had black hair and blue eyes.

Before I could dwell on it, the young man spoke first.

“Impressive. I didn’t think you’d fend off that attack.”

He walked toward us, his every step sending a chill down my spine.

Gone was the indifferent face from earlier. Instead, there was an overwhelming pressure exuding from him.

Even Evan swallowed hard and tightened his grip on his sword.

The man smirked.

“And what do you plan to do with that lump of iron?”

“Shut up.”

Blue aura flared to life.

Though dimmer than before, its intensity had not faded.

The raging flames of his aura looked like they could tear through anything.

But the man simply stared at Evan, expressionless.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal.

It was a bizarre sight.

Not only did he stop Evan’s sword with a single hand, but he didn’t even bleed.

A golden magic circle on his palm blocked the blade with ease.

Still, Evan didn’t waver and immediately launched another attack.

Clang!

Screech…!

The clash of sword and magic circle filled the air with a harsh metallic ring.

With nothing but a magic circle the size of a palm, the man blocked all of Evan’s strikes.

“Strong. But too soft.”

He clenched his right fist.

Evan gritted his teeth and swung again.

His blue aura slashed toward the man—but before it could reach, a magic circle materialized, stopping it effortlessly.

“Let me show you.”

Whoosh.

The sound of wind brushing past my ear.

A gust swept against my cheek.

And in that moment, the man vanished.

He reappeared behind Evan, throwing a punch.

Evan barely turned in time, raising his sword to block—

But the man’s fist shattered the blade.

Boom!

It was a deafening crash.

Evan was sent flying into the wall.

Lily and I froze in place.

I had never seen Evan so utterly overpowered.

He wasn’t as strong as Abel, but he was still one of the finest knights.

Yet, this man took him down in one hit.

“Was I being too soft?”

“Cough…”

Evan forced himself up, gripping his broken sword.

His legs shook, but he refused to fall.

The man watched, then smiled as if amused.

“How loyal.”

“Stay… away from the Lady!”

A blue slash shot forward.

It was blocked. Easily.

Still, Evan did not stop attacking.

The man clicked his tongue and strode forward.

Wooong…

With a single wave of his hand, dozens of golden magic circles materialized around him.

A massive surge of mana gathered at his fingertips.

‘This is…’

Chills ran down my spine.

Mana of this magnitude—comparable to Abel’s.

To control this much mana with just a gesture…

Boom!

“Gah…!”

Evan didn’t even have time to scream before the attack hit.

He collapsed.

Watching him fall for the first time, a sinking despair clawed at my chest.

“I won’t… let you…”

With a weak clatter, Evan reached for the man’s leg.

“You have remarkable willpower,” the man mused.

“But that’s all.”

With a single kick, Evan was sent flying again.

The man turned away, as if he had lost interest. Then, he looked at me.

‘He’s strong.’

Blocking all of Evan’s attacks with a single magic circle. Controlling enormous mana with a flick of his wrist.

Overpowering Evan as if he were a mere child.

My arms trembled.

I stepped in front of Lily and glared at him.

Familiar golden eyes. Strength comparable to Abel’s.

There was no mistaking his identity.

“The Emperor...”

A low chuckle came in response.

“Quick-witted, aren’t you?”

The Emperor smirked and stepped toward me.

Gone was the benevolent ruler from the hunting festival.

Before me stood a ruthless predator.

If I let my guard down for even a moment, I would lose my head.

My lips felt dry.

“First, I should deal with that old hag.”

“...What?”

The Emperor extended his hand.

Something in the old woman’s throat began to burn a deep crimson.

Her face turned deathly pale before she collapsed to the floor. Cold sweat dripped down her wrinkled face as she coughed up blood.

“Kuhk… Cough”

Struggling for breath, the old woman convulsed—then fell completely still.

I turned my head, only to meet the Emperor’s indifferent gaze.

“...Why would you kill the person who raised you?”

“Hmm? Are you asking me?”

I nodded.

The Emperor smirked.

“Bold of you. Well, I suppose there’s no harm in answering.”

He stroked his chin for a moment before continuing.

“It’s simple. She was interfering with my plans.”

He killed her—just because she was an inconvenience.

Suddenly, I recalled something Princess Aria had once told me.

‘Abel intends to bring down the Imperial Family.’

‘It’s true. I’m on Abel’s side, too.’

When she first confided in me about Abel’s rebellion, my first thought had been: Why?

Why would a princess—a member of the royal family—side with a traitor?

But now, standing face-to-face with the Emperor, I could begin to understand.

He had just killed the woman who raised him without hesitation, simply because she was in his way.

Did any other reason matter?

“I see.”

Anger seeped through the cracks of my fear.

A burning sensation spread through my chest as I inhaled deeply, trying to suppress it.

The Emperor merely watched me, unfazed, as if he assumed I was frozen in terror.

‘If that’s what he thinks… he’s sorely mistaken.’

Shhk.

“...Huh?”

A blade, hidden at my wrist, shot forward.

The sharp edge buried itself deep into the Emperor’s abdomen.

It was the same dagger the Emperor’s Hands had used in the library.

An artifact capable of ignoring magic and piercing through anything. The very same blade that Princess Aria had secretly passed to me.

As I looked up, I saw it.

For the first time—

The Emperor’s face twisted in shock.

“You let your guard down, Emperor.”

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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