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Chapter 14
The assassins and imperial knights stared at each other in confusion. It seemed none of the assassins had expected to run into the Emperor while coming to kill me. One of them asked their leader:
“W-what should we do?”
At that question, someone shouted harshly:
“Damn it! Kill them all!”
At that moment, the sharp sound of swords being drawn echoed through the hall as the imperial knights unsheathed their blades. From above, as the assassins on the second floor revealed themselves, Davin pulled me close.
Assassins had infiltrated from the reception hall below, and others from the upper floor. Davin and I were trapped right in the middle of the staircase.
What do we do?
I looked up at Davin in panic. Unlike me, he remained calm and drew his sword from his waist.
“Stay close to me.”
Without hesitation, Davin began cutting through the assassins blocking the left corridor on the second floor. He had judged that breaking through upward was better than being cornered from below.
Then an assassin hurled a dagger at me, and Davin swiftly deflected it with his sword. The loud clash of blades right beside me made me flinch.
Until now, assassins had never gotten this close to me. They were always eliminated before even reaching me, thanks to Davin. Only now did I realize how thoroughly he had protected me all this time.
The enemies weren’t only swinging swords—they were also throwing hidden weapons. It seemed I had been exposed within their range. Their target wasn’t Davin.
It was me.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Davin blocked the incoming attacks and spoke calmly:
“Stay even closer to me.”
“Yes!”
I nearly panicked at the sight of daggers flying toward me, but Davin’s steady voice pulled me back to my senses.
I’m safe as long as I’m with him. He’ll protect me.
Several imperial knights rushed up the stairs and began holding back the assassins trying to surround us. I instinctively clung tightly to Davin, trying to avoid the flying daggers. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder to shield me.
Then—
“Anise!”
From the first floor lobby, the Emperor’s furious voice called my name.
I reflexively turned toward him in shock.
At that exact moment, I felt Davin’s arm wrap around my neck—
—and something sharp pierced deeply into my throat.
“…Ah.”
A cold sensation spread inside my neck, followed instantly by a burning pain. Instinctively, I understood.
I was going to die.
That damn Emperor…
And then everything went black.
The moment the assassin’s dagger flew toward Anise, Davin reacted instantly.
He swung his left arm to block it, but he failed to fully defend against it. His arm, not fully protected by divine energy, was pierced by the blade.
“…Damn it.”
The worst possible situation. Davin clenched his teeth. As his arm was pierced, Anise was struck in the neck with a fatal wound. On top of that, the dagger seemed to be poisoned—an intense burning sensation spread through his arm.
Davin immediately covered Anise’s bleeding neck with his hand and poured divine energy into her body. He had never intended to reveal his power in front of imperial knights, but the wound was too severe.
They needed to move immediately. Treatment was urgent.
Clang! Clang! Thud!
As Davin grew desperate, his sword movements became faster. The enemy formation collapsed, and a path opened.
“Anise…?”
The Emperor, seeing Anise collapse in a pool of blood, went pale. It seemed he finally realized that his voice had caused her to hesitate, leading to her being stabbed.
Davin ignored him and cut through the remaining enemies. Once the path was clear, he lifted Anise into his arms and ran.
He spread his senses in all directions, checking for hidden enemies. Fortunately, none were nearby.
He reached Anise’s bedroom, closed the door, and drove his sword into the ground to block it from opening. After creating a temporary barrier, he laid her down and began pouring divine energy into her neck.
If anyone capable of sensing divine energy was nearby, this would be dangerous—but he had no choice. Otherwise, Anise would die.
A blinding light filled the room.
Fortunately, after a short time, Anise’s fading breath returned. Her complexion also improved. The poison inside her body disappeared completely.
Davin finally exhaled in relief.
“…Haa.”
His body was soaked in cold sweat. If he had been even a moment later, she would have been gone.
He once hated this power—but without it, Anise would have…
“Phew…”
The divine energy had healed the poison and wounds, but not her memory loss. Still relieved, Davin began thinking.
What now?
His gaze fell on the wound on Anise’s neck. Part of him wanted to erase it completely, but many had seen her stabbed. If they stayed here, the scar had to remain.
But do we even need to stay here?
He recalled the Emperor’s words—suggesting it might be a staged attack. Anger flared inside him.
Anise had once wanted to leave, and he had stopped her because she loved the Emperor before losing her memory. But after nearly dying because of that man…
If he had known this would happen, he would have taken her away earlier.
There were safe houses belonging to Count Miller scattered across various places. If Davin ran at full speed with Anise, no one could catch them.
Should I take her abroad and request asylum?
After healing her neck completely with divine energy, Anise could even disguise herself. A woman with a healed neck wound would be unrecognizable.
The sounds of battle outside gradually faded. The imperial knights had likely won.
“…Your Majesty!”
“Quiet…”
“Send word to the palace immediately! And bring a doctor! Here, take this—an emergency antidote!”
A voice belonging to Joshua, an imperial knight, rang out urgently.
It seemed the Emperor had been poisoned.
Davin flexed his previously injured arm. It had already healed thanks to the divine energy used on Anise.
What should I do?
The Emperor’s painful groans echoed in his ears as the knights hurried to treat him.
