Chapter 62
Rather Than Being Held by You…
After hearing the aide’s report, Ernant openly twisted the corners of his eyes.
“…Are you certain?”
“Yes, this is a report submitted by the soldier who has been monitoring them with supernatural abilities. In fact, there’s been no contact with the royal guard either.”
Ernant’s frown deepened further.
If Martin had killed the entire royal guard and was rushing to the palace, there could only be one reason.
“Tch, did they discover the abduction of Yulia? Raymond and Karl must be dead for sure. Useless fools.”
He had ordered Raymond and Karl to stage it so that after abducting Yulia, it would appear she had been killed by monsters.
But seeing that Martin had slain the entire royal guard, it seemed they had been discovered.
If the abduction had been found out, the probability that Raymond and Karl survived Martin’s attack was practically zero.
“Well, it’s fine. Judging by the fact that he’s heading to the palace, it seems he doesn’t know where Yulia is hiding. And there won’t be any concrete evidence that I abducted her. Without proof, he won’t be able to cause much of a ruckus.”
“And secondly, there’s more bad news.”
“…What now?”
“Just now, Sir Willich von Kudenheim contacted us via a communication device.”
Willich von Kudenheim—the one responsible for monitoring Yulia on the island.
The moment Ernant heard the name, he sprang to his feet.
“…Speak. What is it? Has something happened to Yulia?”
Despite Ernant’s urging, the aide bit his lower lip, unable to speak immediately.
He could vividly predict how Ernant would react upon hearing this news.
Only after Ernant slammed his fist onto the window frame and pressed the matter did the aide finally speak.
“Sir Shunestern… has escaped from the villa.”
As expected, the secret passage led outside the villa.
Thanks to that, I was finally able to escape safely.
The moment I stepped outside, the villa seemed to erupt in chaos, suggesting that Willich had already noticed my escape.
He must have peeked into the bedroom, only to find it empty.
Anyway, now that my escape had been noticed, there was no time to dawdle.
I needed to reach the western coast quickly before the soldiers scoured the island.
As I had anticipated, there would surely be a boat waiting there.
I crouched as low as possible to remain hidden and started moving quickly westward.
Fortunately, the soldiers seemed to be stationed mainly around the mansion, so I didn’t encounter anyone while crossing the island.
Reaching the west safely would have been ideal—but then—
“River…?”
A massive river cut across the center of the island.
This meant I had to cross it to reach the western coast.
Without supernatural powers or a boat, I had no choice but to swim—and unfortunately, the river wasn’t small.
Could I really make it?
Swim across such a wide river with this exhausted body?
I hesitated briefly, questioning myself.
As luck would have it, Willich, who was patrolling nearby, spotted me and ran over.
“Sir Shunestern!! Don’t move an inch!! There’s a message from His Majesty!!”
He said Ernant wanted to speak to me.
Hearing Willich’s shout, I paused my dive into the river.
Seeing me look back, his expression relaxed slightly.
“Wise decision, sir. Huff… huff… You should at least hear what His Majesty has to say. Huff… He might even promise to reward you if you stay calm. Huff… huff…”
Despite being out of breath, Willich’s expression and voice conveyed a faint relief.
It seemed he believed he had successfully calmed me down.
I felt sorry for him, but I had no intention of sitting there calmly to have a long conversation.
I had paused only to leave this one message for Ernant.
“Tell His Majesty that I threw myself into the river simply because I abhor being held by him.”
“…?”
Ignoring Willich’s dumbfounded expression, I immediately leapt into the river.
Splash!
As the cold water enveloped me, the strong current pulled at my body.
The river was fierce and icy, but luckily, the sun was rising.
Under the gradually brightening sky, I swam vigorously toward the west.
Behind me, Willich’s unusually excited shouts echoed.
“Don’t let her go! She must not reach the western shore!”
“But the current is too strong! If we jump in now—”
“Orders! Jump in immediately and bring that woman back!”
It seemed the soldiers were hesitating because of the strong current.
Unlike them, I swam resolutely, braving the strong flow with every ounce of my strength.
But the soldiers were not lying—the current was intense.
My vision wavered wildly, and my already exhausted body slowly weakened further.
I suddenly realized I might be swept away and drown.
“….”
Even so, I had no regrets.
Drowning was a better fate than being held by Ernant.
Yes, I would try to survive, but even if I died, I would not regret it.
With that thought, I endured the fierce current for a long time before finally closing my eyes.
“These idiots!!”
Ernant’s shout froze the aides, servants, and royal guards in place.
Even after shouting, he seemed unsatisfied and yelled again.
“You couldn’t even monitor a single woman whose powers were sealed? And you let her escape!!”
Earlier, Ernant had received a report through a crystal from Willich.
Yulia had thrown herself into the river without even hearing his message.
He had tried to reason with her verbally so she wouldn’t escape, but she didn’t even entertain that attempt.
Standing before his bowed subordinates, Ernant clenched his fists, thinking:
Does she hate being held that much?
If she had waited quietly, he would have treated her kindly.
Yet, instead of receiving such considerate treatment, Yulia had chosen to risk her life in the river.
Her willingness to give up her life to escape from Ernant sharply pricked his nerves.
“Ha…”
With a deep sigh, the shoulders of his bowing subordinates flinched.
Ernant cast them a cold, piercing glance before giving his orders.
“Search the lower reaches of the river thoroughly. She’s not the type to die easily, so she must be alive.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will relay the order to search downstream. And if Sir Shunestern is found alive, what should we do then?”
“Then…”
Ernant trailed off, seemingly pondering, before continuing in a heavier tone.
“Cut off her left leg, below the knee, to prevent any escape.”
“…Yes. I will relay that to Sir Willich von Kudenheim. Don’t worry; she will be found soon.”
The bowed aide left with the guards.
Alone, Ernant closed his eyes.
Yulia’s graceful movements wielding a sword replayed in his mind.
If he caught her this time and cut her leg, he would never see that form again.
Yet it didn’t matter. It was always better to have her restrained, even if slightly damaged, than to lose her completely.
When I finally regained consciousness, I was reminded once again of how tenacious my life was.
I had expected to be swept away and drowned.
But I was alive.
I must have drifted downstream unconscious.
Surviving poison, monster attacks, and now nearly drowning—perhaps I truly deserved the nickname of a cockroach for such resilience.
But I couldn’t afford to relax yet.
I had to find a boat before the soldiers caught up.
Being captured would be absolutely horrifying.
Shivering, I hugged myself and began walking upstream.
Step. Step. I rubbed my cold arms as I went.
Not only the soldiers, but also the cold and hunger were serious challenges.
My soaking clothes drained my body heat, and my stomach was empty.
Had I missed two meals?
Already weak, all the exertion made my stomach feel like it was sticking to my back.
Then I noticed something that made me very happy.
“Ah.”
I gasped and quickened my pace toward the bushes ahead.
