Chapter 11
Escape from Another World with a Possessor (11)
1. Families Collapse, Society Collapses, the Empire Collapses (9)
“Logically, there’s no way he’d head toward the Frost Mountains,” Selena said.
“Because it’s a dead end. He’d have to go through Wintel or Sharhan on the way. That makes sense, doesn’t it?”
It made sense that the Emperor blamed her for acting like a villain from a fairy tale, but why he suddenly pointed to Ariel Fortress City was completely beyond her.
“Does the Emperor have some kind of foresight ability?”
“No way. If he had foresight, he wouldn’t have met you.”
“Or maybe he wants to kill Duke Luhart, the ruler of Ariel,” Gayeon suggested.
The fact that the Emperor had singled out Ariel Fortress City could also imply that Duke Luhart was conspiring with Selena. And anyone linked to the Empress kidnapping—even a duke—would be in danger.
Since the newspaper hadn’t mentioned the duke yet, maybe that wasn’t the case. Still, it was clear that the Emperor had pulled a major trick on him.
“We only met for about thirty seconds at the coronation. We’ve never met before. No grudges or anything. He seemed like a tired office worker then.”
“Did you say anything to upset the Emperor?”
“Hmm. I remember saying I had to get back to work quickly. He had black hair and eyes, which reminded me of my senior at the convenience store. He seemed friendly, so I even gave him orange juice to cheer him on.”
Selena filed that TMI away and stopped thinking further.
“Forget it. You can’t reason with a madman. If we don’t go to Ariel Fortress City, it doesn’t matter.”
“But didn’t you say we had to prepare to move the magic stones?”
“We can do that in the previous city. It’s not like Ariel Fortress City is the only one.”
“Good. Anyway, we just have to be extra careful while traveling. Forget restaurant meals. Ugh… that rabbit bastard is no help at all.”
Selena felt her chest ache watching Gayeon press her slightly worn hat back down with a sigh.
Her precious original-world host, who deserved only the best, was now stuck eating preserved rations. How unfair.
She couldn’t let the Emperor drag them around any longer.
Running alone would only let them be manipulated—they needed to take control from the start.
“Gayeon, don’t worry. Basically, we just need to restore the atmosphere… no, make sure the public isn’t manipulated and instill real fear.”
“Huh? How?”
“If I fire a Hellfire spell in the city, it’ll immediately—”
“Rejected.”
A fast, firm refusal.
Selena didn’t give up and tried to persuade her.
“Listen. We can minimize casualties, right? If we hit city hall at night, everyone’s gone from work. It’ll be fine.”
“No! I’m not doing this just for the Empress! Hellfire has a ten-kilometer radius! It wouldn’t just destroy city hall; the surrounding area would burn too! Plus, the land would be barren for three years! No way!”
Unfortunately, Gayeon’s knowledge of magic was extensive—after all, she was a former Empress of the Empire where the first Emperor was an Archmage.
Selena couldn’t use the excuse of ‘range miscalculation’—it failed.
Seeing Gayeon’s narrowed blue eyes, Selena felt as if a voice said, “Trust lost: -10.”
Gayeon’s determination to prevent mass casualties was absolute.
Selena had no choice but to suggest another plan.
“Then how about this method?”
“No mass killing, no poison. Just… don’t use eighth-class magic in the city.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not that kind of plan. I won’t touch the public. We’ll only trouble the Emperor.”
Even if the citizens were manipulated like grass by the Emperor, they could be ignored. Mercenaries who annoyed people recklessly would be the same.
But not the Emperor.
After all, he was the root cause of all this:
- Oppressing his spouse,
- Trying to imprison a Korean possessor,
- Almost preventing Selena from meeting Gayeon and forcing her to live in this world forever,
- And daring to accuse her of being a pathetic kidnapper.
That could never be forgiven.
Heh. Count Kim doesn’t get away with this, Emperor.
Selena didn’t see him as a madman.
A sinister smile curved her lips, her green eyes glinting.
In the dark alley, behind the fallen thugs, the silver-haired Archmage’s ominous grin made Gayeon mutter:
“Demon Lord…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Really.”
Selena quickly cut off Gayeon’s thought before she doubted her life’s fate with the tyrant and demon lord option.
She spoke softly to her precious possessor:
“I promise. Using this method, we can make the Emperor pay without spilling a drop of blood. But I need your help. Will you cooperate?”
Hearing the plan to trouble the Emperor, memories of their academy days flashed briefly—but were quickly buried under the hardships of the past three years.
A shadow fell over Gayeon’s dazzlingly beautiful face.
“Of course. I’ll cooperate fully and well.”
Her reply left no hesitation. Selena smiled.
Since time was on their side, they slowly began preparations in Danil.
Some mercenaries noticed the subtle effects of her perception-altering magic and reported it, causing a minor stir. But due to repeated similar reports, two exhausted Expell-grade knights circled the area a few times and then left.
As always, when the boss goes crazy, the subordinates suffer—even in this world.
A week passed while knights worked late and mercenaries scoured the area.
Eventually, people concluded they had lost the trail of Selena’s teleports.
In reality, Selena had stayed in Danil rather than moving around, making it impossible to trace her.
The Empire had no choice but to search everywhere with manpower, thinning the layers of pursuit.
Only twelve skilled people inside Danil could detect the mana Selena subtly spread:
- One sixth-class, three fifth-class, eight Expell.
It was basically like raiding an empty house. Perfect. Today was the day.
Selena extended her hand politely to Gayeon.
“Ready, Miss?”
“Of course, Unnie.”
Gayeon placed her hand elegantly on Selena’s and smiled brightly.
She wasn’t in her usual travel outfit, but a white dress. Simple, with just a sky-blue ribbon. It looked like a field of lily-of-the-valley behind her.
Thanks to restful sleep and reduced stress, her cheeks glowed like spring apricot blossoms. It felt as if sunlight itself had taken human form.
Over the past couple of days, Selena had noticed the minor glitches in her perception-altering magic. When people said, “I saw someone very beautiful, but I can’t tell what they look like,” it now made sense.
Even beyond magical interference, Gayeon’s beauty left a lasting impression.
Our Gayeon… strong. A little scary.
In mental magic, shock can affect stability. In other words, Gayeon could shake someone’s mind with just her appearance.
If Selena were at the Mage Tower, she would have studied the link between beauty and mental magic.
Gayeon, unaware of Selena’s admiration, lightly feigned nervousness:
“I’m a bit tense. This is my first acting since playing a moving tree in elementary school.”
“It’s okay. Even if the acting is awkward, it works as part of the performance.”
“Eh? You didn’t prepare any spells for effect?”
“Ha. Your face is the effect.”
“Ha… Unnie, you really joke around.”
They chatted cheerfully as they walked to the central plaza of Danil.
It was busy, and the perception-altering magic was still in effect. No one noticed them as they climbed the high stage in the center.
“Third time seeing this view. It’s really nice,” Selena said.
The weather was clear—a perfect day for action.
Selena grinned and lifted her own magical obstruction.
Before anyone noticed…
The silver-haired Archmage snapped her fingers atop the stage, overseeing the entire plaza.
