Chapter 84
“Done!”
I shouted in joy at the success, and next to me came a sharp intake of breath: “Kuh—!” It was Evan. He hurriedly tried to cover his mouth as if to muffle the sound, but I had already heard everything.
“I didn’t realize the lady’s power was so strong. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Polite Evan immediately offered an apology. But it didn’t really seem necessary—after all, even Raymond, who already knew I was strong, looked completely dumbfounded.
Could it be that he didn’t realize I was stronger than him?
But that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was that we could move forward. I removed the lock, pulled the handle, and swung the door open to both sides.
The heavy door created a gust of wind that brushed against the mask covering my face. Ahead of me stretched a scene reminiscent of an exhibition hall.
“Wow.”
As I stepped inside, the interior lit up on its own. Magical lights installed throughout had been activated, brightening the space. Thanks to them, we could inspect the room with ease. The long space was lined with dozens of tables draped in red velvet, each displaying an array of items. These ranged from swords, shields, and crowns to rare fabrics and objects of unknown purpose.
“This place is really well organized, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
After a brief moment of admiration, Raymond and Evan began placing the easier-to-carry, lighter items into the bags they had prepared.
“I’ll look around a bit more.”
While the two of them worked diligently, I ventured deeper into the room. I was searching for the very item that had brought me here.
As I walked forward, my eyes quickly scanned each table until something peculiar caught my attention. On a small, fluffy cushion atop one table sat a tiny, red orb that looked like a candy.
“Oh. Is this it?”
Hesitantly, I approached and carefully picked up the orb. No matter how closely I examined it, it appeared to be nothing more than a candy—but there was no way ordinary candy would be left here.
I gently placed the orb in the palm of my other hand. It began to glow faintly, as if emitting light on its own.
“This is it!”
I went through the verification process exactly as described in the book before I could be certain. This was the miraculous medicine I had been looking for.
According to the original novel, anyone who took this pill would see their combat power increase two to three times. In the story, the emperor took this pill to fight the rebels. Even though his swordsmanship wasn’t as skilled as a duke’s, he could defeat ten opponents with a single swing, proving the pill’s effectiveness.
I clenched the orb in my fist and tucked it into my chest, determined to keep it until I needed it later.
“Have you packed everything?”
When I returned to the entrance, Raymond and Evan were waiting for me. Below them lay two large bundles, one on each side.
“That’s a huge amount.”
“This is nothing. We can handle it.”
“Good. Let’s leave quickly, then.”
At my urging, they slung one bundle over each shoulder and stepped forward. Since we had emptied the personal warehouse completely, the emperor would be in for quite a shock when he found out tomorrow. Without bothering to erase our tracks, we leisurely retraced our steps out.
The duke’s forces, having thoroughly cleared the secret warehouse, filled several other warehouses with new treasures.
Although the emperor was left penniless overnight, those warehouses were tied up in corruption, so no formal investigation could be ordered. It must have been infuriating for him—knowing the culprit but being unable to punish them.
The duke destroying the emperor’s factory and the duke raiding the emperor’s warehouse became a tit-for-tat situation, and these two incidents created a tense atmosphere within the empire.
Even if the newspapers didn’t report it, the conflict between the emperor and the duke had solidified publicly.
This division caused previously quiet anti-emperor factions to gravitate toward the duke. The duke’s forces were centered around me, the next magic tower lord Nian, and the Run siblings.
First came Nian’s joining.
He had been summoned to the magic tower at the lord’s request, and after completing his task, he moved to Raymond’s hideout. Because the emperor’s surveillance was strict, he had no choice but to slip in while he could.
In a meeting with Raymond, Melas, and me, Nian explained the tower lord’s position.
“From the start, the tower lord refused to provide additional troops to the emperor. He also secretly ordered me to maintain neutrality.”
“Neutral meaning the winner would lean toward us, or something like that?”
“Exactly.”
He didn’t deny it. The tower lord’s behavior was bat-like, but from our perspective, it was perfect.
“So we can interpret that as them not getting involved in this fight?”
“Yes. We will maintain a strictly neutral stance, so you don’t need to worry.”
Confirmed again by Raymond, he spoke with certainty.
Although the magical division was split between the tower lord’s faction and the next tower lord’s faction, as long as they shared the same stance, there was nothing to worry about. However, one concern remained.
“Has the emperor requested any potions?”
“The tower lord promised only three bottles.”
“That’s not much.”
“Yes. He would use them only on himself. That’s why he’ll want Aileen even more.”
Had the tower lord supplied a large number of potions, it would have been harder to defeat the emperor. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, which caused my own value to rise sharply.
Nian then lowered the ends of his eyebrows.
“As you know, I cannot openly side with Aileen. Instead, I’ll act as an informant and provide all necessary information.”
“I understand. That’s enough.”
“Aileen will pretend to be an ally outwardly. There’s no need to reveal too much.”
I nodded at Raymond’s advice and gave a firm reply.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
With the wind blowing, Nian disappeared using teleportation. Melas turned to Raymond with a suggestion.
“Your Grace, we should also gather allies. If a prominent family supports us, rumors will spread, and many will flock to our side.”
“Indeed. Who would be suitable?”
“How about the Run family?”
“Would it be okay, considering they rejected the marriage proposal?”
“Hmm. That’s true. Miss Navien of the Run family may have been deeply disappointed.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Taking advantage of Melas’ hesitation, I jumped into their conversation with confidence.
“I’ll vouch for her!”
I placed both fists on my waist and proclaimed boldly.
Networking shines at moments like this. My secret weapon was knowing Navien’s true feelings.
She had not been affected by the duke’s rejected marriage proposal and had her own goals. After Raymond received this information from me, he sent a letter to the Run family. That letter brought Navien and Adrien to sit before us.
“Can you really promise me?”
“Of course, Miss Run.”
Raymond’s offer was to help Navien avoid marriage and study abroad. As expected, she was very pleased with this deal.
“I’ll rely on you, Your Grace. I’ll do my best.”
“And I on you.”
With the deal sealed, the two shook hands. Navien was leading the decision of whether the Run family would side with the emperor or the duke. Adrien, watching beside her, sat dumbly like a straw sack.
I called out to him.
“Adrien.”
“Hm?”
“Aren’t you the next family head?”
“Was it me? Not her?”
“….”
There was nothing more to say, given even he doubted.
The duke successfully formed an alliance with the Run family. Once this news spread through high society, many families would likely cooperate.
Before leaving, Navien approached me with a smile.
“Thank you, sister. Thanks to you, I got the help I wanted.”
“No, I should be thanking you.”
“Even if it weren’t a deal, I would have supported Your Grace. I’m on your side.”
She whispered in my ear and nudged me with her elbow. Her knowing look made me blush involuntarily.
The Run family outwardly claimed neutrality, but they were closer to the duke than the emperor, having discussed marriage with Raymond. They were a renowned swordsmanship family with a strong sense of justice passed down through generations.
My worry lay elsewhere. The Cowett ducal family had been pro-emperor since Kyle’s time as crown prince.
Back home, I felt uneasy watching Okhee pick at sunflower seeds. I wanted to side with the duke, but I couldn’t risk my parents’ safety. And going against their wishes was difficult.
“Phew…”
I sighed deeply. Okhee lifted her head and made a soft “Ok-Ok” sound. She tilted her head about 45 degrees, as if asking what was wrong. Her cuteness made me stroke her head along the feathers’ grain.
“Drink some water while you eat.”
“Ok.”
She gave a short reply and dipped her beak into the cup.
