~Chapter 95~
Regiana Troxia answered quietly,
“It’s a small skill.”
“But even that small skill is needed for me.”
The Emperor got off his horse. His attendant took the reins.
“Well then, let’s see what you can do.”
Regiana Troxia stepped forward. Aiden swallowed hard, feeling the growing tension.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. His heart started pounding wildly.
Regiana Troxia turned her body. It had been hidden by debris, so Aiden couldn’t tell what she was doing when she raised her hand.
As Regiana Troxia raised her hand, the debris parted as if it had a will of its own. Behind it, a small wooden door appeared.
Aiden was surprised; he hadn’t noticed it was there before. The door, despite being covered in debris, was perfectly intact, even shining as though it had just been completed that morning.
“I didn’t expect it to be there,” the Emperor said, his voice sounding like a low mutter.
Aiden unknowingly clenched and released his fists. What was inside? What had the Emperor wanted so badly? The moment of truth had come.
But a sense of fear gripped Aiden, stemming from the unknown. The intact door among the ruins, Regiana Troxia, and Duke Hertio standing guard—all of it created an unfamiliar feeling of danger.
Was Aiden the only one feeling this way? The process moved forward without a hitch. Regiana Troxia approached the door with careful, precise steps. A large ring with a particularly large stone was on her finger. As she extended her hand, she pressed her palm against the door.
Magic and power swirled around the door. Aiden couldn’t quite make out the symbols or the magic being used, but before he could focus more, the magic faded away, vanishing like something being sucked into the ground.
“…?”
The door looked just like a regular wooden door again.
For a moment, Aiden wondered if she had failed. Had she really failed? But then, the Emperor’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“…Is that all?”
Without responding to the Emperor’s question, Regiana Troxia placed her hand on the doorknob and, with absolute certainty, turned it.
There was no hesitation.
The door opened with a creak.
“….”
A cold breeze rushed out from the opened door.
The entrance to the Troxia estate’s basement had finally opened.
A sense of curiosity, confusion, fear, and anticipation lingered in the air. Though Aiden didn’t show it, he could feel the shift in the atmosphere around him.
“Well, that was easy,” the Emperor chuckled dryly.
Regiana Troxia, however, seemed completely uninterested in what was behind the door. Without a second glance, she turned around and walked back to Duke Hertio’s side. They stood there, ignoring the Emperor as if nothing had happened. Aiden averted his eyes, not wanting to see them holding hands tightly.
The Emperor gave a brief, dismissive comment.
“Good job, Miss Rena.”
“Thank you.”
As the Emperor turned to leave, Calix Hertio suddenly spoke up.
“Your Majesty, I trust you haven’t forgotten our promise.”
“Promise?”
The Emperor paused as if remembering something.
“Oh, that’s right. We had discussed that. But it’s not something to talk about here…”
“You promised safety, honor, and the restoration of Troxia to Regiana Rohelo Troxia.”
Calix Axel Hertio said, his face stern.
“….”
“I trust you’ll keep that promise.”
A cold aura passed over the Emperor’s face for a moment.
“…Very well, I’ll keep that promise.”
But just as quickly, his expression returned to normal.
The Emperor turned to leave, brushing off the earlier conversation.
Aiden glanced up at the Emperor’s side profile. He saw the gleam of satisfaction and desire in his eyes.
Regiana Troxia was staring at the door that had just opened.
Aiden knew just how much the Emperor had wanted to open that door.
Without realizing it, he leaned forward, trying to see what was beyond. He noticed the knights around him doing the same, trying to hide their curiosity.
But when Aiden finally lifted his head to look inside, there was nothing.
It was pitch black—utterly black. The darkness seemed to welcome anyone who would enter, as if it wanted to pull them in.
Aiden instinctively felt a wave of fear.
“Your Majesty…”
Someone called the Emperor’s attention. Aiden recognized the voice of the palace’s chief wizard. The wizard, lowering his head, stepped forward.
“I’ll go in first. I’ll check the situation inside…”
“No.”
The Emperor’s voice was firm.
“Only I am allowed to enter.”
The rejection was sharp and final. The wizard’s face flushed with embarrassment.
The Emperor made a gesture, and the nearest knight stepped forward.
The knight bowed his head.
“Your command, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor gave a quiet command.
“Until I come out, no one is to enter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And…”
With a small flick of his finger, the knight stepped closer. In a voice only those nearby could hear, the Emperor spoke again.
“Once I enter, kill everyone inside.”
The knight hesitated for a moment before replying.
“…Understood.”
Aiden watched the Emperor’s back as he descended into the basement, feeling conflicted. The Emperor stepped forward without hesitation and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Aiden recalled the Emperor’s last command.
‘…As soon as I enter, kill everyone inside.’
It had come to this again. He glanced at the young couple standing unaware. The tragic end they were about to meet flashed before his eyes.
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing Aiden could do. All he could do was silently wish them peace.
The Emperor’s knights silently moved forward, taking action without being noticed by Duke Hertio. Soon, screams and blood would fill the air. Aiden couldn’t bear to watch, so he turned his head.
Just as he squeezed his eyes shut…
Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow from the forest. Aiden opened his eyes and looked around, feeling the strong gust. It wasn’t a natural breeze; it was powerful enough to blow anyone away. People lowered their bodies and covered their faces.
The knights were confused by the sudden change.
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know!”
For a moment, Aiden wondered if Duke Hertio was behind this. But when he looked up, he saw the same confused expression on his face. With narrowed vision, he saw Regiana Troxia pulling Duke Hertio down beside her as they took cover.
The wind intensified, becoming so strong that it was hard to stay upright.
Everyone was in disarray when, without any warning, the attack began.
“AAAHH!”
Because he was near the front, Aiden saw clearly as a spell shot through the air, aimed at the royal wizard.
A light arrow cut through the wind without any effect from it, piercing the wizard and ending his life instantly. The royal wizard was dead.
The knights immediately drew their swords and got into defensive positions, but the enemy remained hidden in the darkness of the forest.
Aiden stared at the royal wizard’s lifeless body.
‘The first target was the wizard.’
That could only mean one thing: the enemy knew their identities.
‘After targeting the wizard, next…’
Aiden looked up as a sudden heat touched his face.
‘As expected.’
A rain of fire began to fall from the sky. For those who weren’t wizards, there was no way to defend against such an attack.
‘But the wizard isn’t gone yet.’
Regiana Rohelo Troxia.
Just as Aiden had predicted, she was already preparing her defense. Magic poured from her fingertips, covering everyone’s heads like a tent.
Boom! Boom!
People sighed in relief as they saw the flames dissipate upon hitting the protective barrier.
Aiden, however, felt a sense of confusion.
‘Why didn’t they attack Regiana Troxia from the beginning?’
From the two attacks that had come one after the other, it seemed the first spell had been aimed at killing the wizard to prevent any further magical defense.
But the wizard still remained. It was Regiana Rohelo Troxia.
Did the enemy not realize she was a wizard?
But soon, Aiden’s confusion was cleared.
When Regiana retracted the barrier, she staggered. Duke Hertio rushed to her side, but her face was pale.
‘Something went wrong.’
Tsk. Aiden clicked his tongue.
Meanwhile, inside the forest…
“It’s fine,” I thought.
“This is still within the expected range.”
I wiped the blood from my nose and stood up.
“Damn. They’re pretty clever.”
Screech!
A sharp sound cut through the wind in the middle of the forest, followed by a long object speeding towards me.
It wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed at the knight beside me, whose name I didn’t even know.
But when I saw someone dying right in front of me, there was no way I could ignore it, even if he was the Emperor’s man.
