Chapter 250: Great Escape (1)
Three days after Sidherst joined, a strange incident took place across the entire continent.
At the top of every Magic Tower in the world, an illusion spell was simultaneously projected. The gigantic figure of an older man, short-cropped graying hair, and a rugged look appeared and introduced himself.
“I am Sidherst, Master of the Magic Tower.”
Immediately afterward, he proclaimed that the Empire was already corrupted by black magic and that the dark forces it wielded were an evil that should never exist in the world.
His voice carried a deep resonance that inspired trust in those who heard it.
The impact was enormous.
Now that even the Magic Tower was aligning itself with Yuri Briol’s claims, people could no longer dismiss the existence of black magic as mere slander.
Some demanded that the Emperor clarify his stance on black magic, while others claimed that even the Tower’s Master had been won over by the anti-imperial forces.
The incident threw the entire continent into chaos.
And in the Imperial Palace—the epicenter of this entire crisis—the Emperor and his children met for the first time in a long while.
“Father. It seems you’ve recovered your health.”
At Yekaterina’s words, Eugen scolded her.
“Yekaterina. What kind of way is that to speak? You must call him Royal Father or Your Majesty.”
Yekaterina ignored him. Ivar chuckled.
“What does it matter? I see no problem in my daughter calling me father.”
“It’s disrespectful.”
“There’s no need for such formalities among us.”
“Even so—”
“Enough.”
After a long period in seclusion, Ivar had reappeared and summoned his children.
Eugen, Georg, and Yekaterina stood before him.
Yekaterina spoke again.
“You seem in good spirits today. Have you fully recovered?”
“Yes, that’s right. Everything is much better now. My body and spirit are more full of vitality than ever before.”
In Ivar’s eyes, as he sat upon the Imperial Throne, there seemed to be a strange light.
“I truly feel well. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Taking a break was a good idea.”
He swirled the wine in his hand, making the red liquid ripple inside.
“But while I was recovering, I heard there was a great commotion outside. Everyone shouting… hahaha… Black magic, they say. What nonsense…”
Georg stepped in.
“I’ll take care of silencing them. They think too lightly of us because we haven’t acted. We should use force.”
“Will it really be necessary to go that far?”
“Your Majesty has been too lenient.”
“You think so?”
Ivar let out a soft laugh.
“Eugen, my son, tell me what you think. What should we do?”
“I…”
Eugen lowered his voice, lost in thought. Ivar watched him closely, waiting for his answer.
To Yekaterina, the scene felt staged, as if everything had been set up so Ivar would readily accept Eugen’s words without question.
She made a mental rule for herself—if Eugen suggested something outrageous and her father followed it to the letter, then she would no longer trust Ivar.
The palace was full of strange rumors about him. Some servants even feared him, convinced he had become something no longer human.
And now, suddenly, he appeared more energetic than ever.
Perhaps the worst possible sign.
“I think…”
Finally, Eugen spoke.
“No matter what’s said outside, the truth does not change. But there is something we must beware of—internal enemies.”
“Internal enemies?”
“We can use this situation as an opportunity to arrest those within the Empire who align with our enemies’ opinions and undermine your authority. If the Empire stands united, that arrogant Briol and the rest of the rabble can be reduced to ashes without effort.”
“Well, well… Are there really such traitors in the Empire? Who dares insult me?”
“I didn’t dare say before, Your Majesty, but—”
Yekaterina blinked.
She felt a strong sense of déjà vu, though she couldn’t quite recall why.
Her memories of her previous life were like blurred, colorless images covered in static. Still, something about this moment felt disturbingly familiar.
An image came to mind—an endless line of ants marching. In her past life, she had seemed to view the Empire as an ant colony, people moving in unison, following the Emperor’s orders as if responding to invisible pheromones.
Killing their neighbors, hanging corpses, sacrificing themselves—even as if bewitched.
She remembered how it had filled her with despair.
And then, within those far-off memories, a scene became vividly clear.
“Ah.”
At some point in her past life, she had been standing in a tower, looking out toward the imperial capital.
The entire population was being controlled by some unknown force. People who had lost their will, obeying the Emperor blindly like living corpses.
She had wanted to escape that vile Empire, but was trapped in the tower.
Unable to flee, she could only sigh deeply, longing for someone she could not see.
That was how it had been in those days.
“Ah…”
The sound escaped her lips, but neither Ivar nor Eugen paid her any mind, absorbed in their conversation.
At her side, Georg asked in a low voice,
“What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”
Though he was known as a cruel, cold prince, with his little sister he was surprisingly gentle.
“No, it’s nothing.”
But she didn’t trust even Georg. Black magic could manipulate the human mind, and she didn’t know if his was already corrupted.
Then Ivar spoke.
“You’re right, Eugen. I hadn’t realized how much you’ve grown. I thought you still had a long way to go before inheriting my Empire, but you’re ready. You could be Emperor right now.”
“Don’t say that. I only wish to help Father.”
“And now you call me father… hahaha…”
Ivar refilled his glass with red liquid and drank greedily. He used to savor wine slowly, but now he swallowed it like a man dying of thirst.
To Yekaterina, it seemed ravenous—almost repulsive.
“Eugen, you’re right. Let’s do as you say.”
“Thank you.”
“You have my approval. Issue an emergency order to the entire Empire.”
Lost in thought, Yekaterina didn’t quite follow the conversation and opened her eyes wide.
Ivar suddenly stood.
“Establish reeducation centers and arrest all who show insolence. We will govern the Empire with firmer methods until the situation stabilizes. And arrest all foreigners remaining here—especially those from Briol—and thoroughly investigate any suspicions.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Eugen bowed his head in respect.
Yekaterina followed with a slight delay, even as she thought to herself—
I definitely have to leave.
***
Yekaterina had long anticipated that this day would come.
Though her memories of her past life were hazy, she carried an unshakable certainty in her mind—that she should not remain in the Imperial Palace for too long.
That was why she had insisted her father prepare a residence for her outside the palace grounds, and why she had employed various methods to discreetly send her fortune abroad on a constant basis.
Even so, she had not expected to have to leave so suddenly.
The first thing she did was summon the only person she trusted to her residence.
“I’m that person?”
“Yes.”
“That someone you’ve only just met is your only ally…? Your Highness must not have very good social connections, haha…”
Elaine joked the way she often did with those around her.
But Yekaterina was not the sort of person she was used to dealing with.
With a melancholy expression and eyes downcast, Yekaterina asked,
“Is that strange…?”
Elaine immediately lowered her head.
“No. I’m the one who should apologize.”
A beauty beyond the ordinary—just one sad expression from her could stir guilt in whoever looked upon her.
Yekaterina leaned toward Elaine’s face.
“Was it my fault…? Is it because of me…?”
“No, of course not. Please stop saying that.”
“Alright.”
With effort, Elaine managed to lift her head.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Yekaterina returned to her usual proud bearing and shrugged her shoulders. In her past life, they said she had been Yuri Briol’s lover—at least in that moment, the resemblance was uncanny.
“It’s not my fault. The world is what’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“By tomorrow, they’ll start harassing those from Briol. So, Elaine, you’ll have to leave with me.”
“Yes… although…”
Elaine sighed.
“Leaving the rest of Briol behind…”
“Well, you turned out to be quite sentimental.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“With such a large guild, anyone would think you were just a cold merchant chasing profit.”
“What I buy and sell aren’t just goods. It’s trust. And trust is the heart of people. In other words, my business is with people.”
“Human trafficking is illegal.”
“Well now, you really are like that man…”
“Really?”
“Don’t be pleased about it.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t be killed right away or anything like that.”
“I hope not…”
Standing before the wardrobe, Yekaterina suddenly removed her dress, revealing her slender neck and straight shoulders.
When Elaine, startled, averted her gaze, Yekaterina smiled.
“Why act like that between women?”
“It was just reflex…”
Elaine cleared her throat. To her surprise, Yekaterina was wearing a camisole and long undergarments beneath.
“Are you leaving right now?”
“If not now, there won’t be another chance. You have to go when no one expects it.”
“Ah…”
“Decisions must be made quickly, Elaine.”
With her travel clothes prepared, Yekaterina now looked the part of a traveler. She was so slim that her curves were almost too delicate, so she had to put on several layers of clothing.
Then she used a magical device to change the color of her eyes and hair, put on a mask, and covered her gaze with a hood.
“How’s this?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect.”
She smiled and lifted her head; even just the elegant curve of her eyes was enough to draw attention.
Elaine pulled her hood back down.
“Keep your head lowered.”
“It’s uncomfortable…”
Too much beauty could be just as troublesome as ugliness when it came to escaping.
“By the way, how do you plan to leave the mansion? We don’t know who might leak information.”
“Leave it to me. If I say not to disturb me because I’m tired, no one will enter. I’ll leave pretending to be part of your entourage. No one will know until tomorrow morning.”
“But I came alone.”
“That’s fine, just insist.”
“Huh?”
“I knew this day would come, so I made sure to have a difficult personality beforehand.”
“Hmm…”
Elaine nodded.
Although Yekaterina didn’t seem to have a particularly bad temper, the mansion’s staff treated her with a kind of wary respect, which Elaine had always found odd.
“Do you know how tiring it is to fake being angry? It’s even changed my personality.”
“I see…”
“If you slap someone, you know it hurts your hand more, right?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve always taken good care of them. I care about their well-being, which is why they still work here.”
“Understood.”
With Yekaterina urging her along, Elaine gathered her belongings.
“I’m ready. Are we just leaving like this?”
“Yes.”
Yekaterina banged on the door from the inside. Soon, the voice of a maid could be heard outside.
“Did you call for me, Your Highness?”
“Elaine and one of the staff are leaving. Escort them to the exit. I’ll be resting and I don’t want anyone entering or looking for me, understood?”
“Yes, but… I believe Lady Elaine came alone…”
“I told you I’m tired.”
“I… I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes. I’ll do as you ordered.”
Bam!
“Do it well.”
“Forgive me. Rest well, Your Highness.”
After striking the door, Yekaterina held her hand in pain.
“Ow…”
“Why hit it like that?”
“To seem fiercer.”
After composing themselves, the two walked out together.
Without suspecting that the woman beside Elaine was Yekaterina in disguise, the confused maid escorted them out of the mansion.
Once outside, Yekaterina stretched.
“That’s why I chose to live outside the palace. Don’t you think I made the right choice?”
“Yes, you did.”
“I would have liked to build a secret passage, but that was too complicated. Well then…”
Yekaterina linked her arm with Elaine’s and said,
“Shall we begin the great escape?”
____
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