The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

54 – 54. Imperial Disorder (1)

—-

Clad in his usual attire, Rudmila calmed her pounding heart fiercely, sporting a meaningful smile.

It was joyful.

Yet, at the same time, there was a tinge of regret.

What if she had entered the banquet hall in an elegant dress? Surely, many nobles would have cheered and supported us, acknowledging me and Edanant as an official couple.

Was it because of Edanant’s stunned expression that she felt this way?

Gradually, a desire, like a snowball, began to grow.

But eventually, she shook her head.

She had a duty to protect the royal family and the citizens. Therefore, negligence that set aside duty for personal happiness was never acceptable.

“hehehehe, Edanant was so surprised. Wasn’t that the first time he looked so lost?”

Elizaveta teased her sister, who let out a sigh of relief.

Rudmila let out a short cough.

“Ahem! Anyway, I will now return to my duties. Liza, I entrust you.”

“Yes.”

She forced a blunt response.

But deep down, she felt grateful to her younger sister.

If Elizaveta hadn’t insisted on her trying on a banquet dress, she wouldn’t have seen Edanant embarrassed.

Confidence surged within her.

As if to confirm it, Rudmila shrugged her shoulders.

“The Seven Blades must be vigilant at the boundaries of the banquet hall. No mishaps, no matter how minor, are to occur.”

Soon, seven knights representing the Valtaria Empire assembled.

The Seven Blades of Valtaria.

The retainers of the Red Dragon stood at attention, receiving strict orders.

As the gathering was attended by high-ranking nobles boasting great power, security was stricter than ever. Rudmila’s retainers strictly monitored the forces, guarding the palace.

“If the banquet ends without incident, Edanant must be waiting. We promised to dance together. I must ensure that no disgrace occurs before Edanant…”

As a royal princess, she had learned dance from a tutor, but it was a distant past. Even if she had become quite clumsy now, it was an understatement.

What if she stepped on someone’s foot?

What would happen if she completely embarrassed herself?

-Is that what you call dancing?

-A rough princess like you can’t even keep up with the beat…

Anxiety began to creep in early.

The image of the completely transformed Edanant came to mind.

Should she entrust her subordinates with commands and start practicing dancing now? The fear that surged was as intense as the expectations she had for Edanant.

“Madam! Something terrible has happened, madam!”

“….”

As she stared into space, lost in her thoughts,

the bold voice of a girl struck a nerve in Rudmila’s mind.

“Edanant sent a message! The Maids are attacking!”

“…What does that mean?”

The Maids were gathering.

It was not an easy story to take lightly.

If Edanant said so?

If that was the case, it couldn’t be a joke.

Rudmila’s knights suspected it might be a mischievous prank. But judging from the pale expression, it seemed far from a simple joke.

“Your Highness!”

An urgent cry rang out like a signal of crisis.

The commander of the defense at Hwangseong Gate rushed towards Rudmila.

“It’s a rebellion! A rebellion has broken out in Hwangdo!”

“……”

Unidentified forces were infiltrating one after another, engaging in a fierce battle. The commander requested reinforcements from Rudmila.

The situation was the same at other gates.

They sent urgent reports one after another, informing of the rebellion.

First, he ordered the guards of Hwangseong to stand firm. Then, he vowed to crush the rebels who attacked Hwangdo. Rudmila pondered the gravity of the situation as she recalled Edanant’s warning about the appearance of mines.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fate of the empire was on edge.

With a fierce explosion, pillars of fire shot up.

It happened in the city of Hwangdo.

Clearly, the mines Edanant warned about had struck.

***

Pillars of fire shot up in the city.

Since when were they prepared for this?

From Noble mtl dot com

Edanant frowned as he watched simultaneous explosions.

There was no doubt that the nobles opposing the Baltaria royal family had conspired with the cultists. Through the chaotic battle where numerous forces clashed like a powder keg, one could deduce that.

“Damn it!”

If the royal family and the rebels clashed like this, the empire would crumble on its own.

It had to be stopped.

At least the full-frontal confrontation had to be prevented.

But there was no room to stop the events unfolding in the city. The blades of the knight-priests, who worshipped the god of calamity, were closing in because disaster-worshipping knights’ blades were closing in on her.

“Die, wielder of the Holy Sword.”

“In the name of the god of calamity, I will slay the dog of the earth.”

The opponents this time were different from those they had fought before.

The knight-priests aimed to end her life with their sharp blades.

She parried the sword strikes.

Then, she drew her gun and aimed at the knight-priest.

Bang! Bang!

The gunfire rang out one after another.

Yet the knight-priest hit by the gunfire staggered for a moment.

“How can I face these knight-priests who rival the imperial knights in full force like this? Who am I, some Maximilian? Where did these guys even come from?”

The old man, watching the situation with a grim smile, was undoubtedly a follower of the god of calamity.

Edanant grimaced.

Why.

How are they still alive?

The empire and the Imperial Knights, victorious in the racial war, had pursued and exterminated the followers of the god of calamity to the end, cutting off their lineage. The remnants who barely survived were eventually eliminated by the Holy Maiden Party’s actions in the latter part of the novel.

“It is quite intriguing how we managed to survive such relentless pursuit.”

“Hmm.”

Edanant replied, swinging Aldebaran widely.

At the same time, one of the knight-priests coughed up blood and fell.

“But I can’t tell you. As one grows older, their lips tend to seal shut.”

“…Who is this old man teasing?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a swordplay made of flesh unfolded once again.

However, the situation had changed somewhat.

Edanant, who had been on edge due to the knight-priests’ movements, launched a counterattack.

The form of his swordsmanship changed.

Sharp sword strikes threatened the knight-priests who had surrounded him.

The followers of the god of calamity who hid in the chaos realm were unaware. They had no contingency plan against the swordsmanship of Maximilian, who always led the vanguard of the Holy Maiden Party. Hence, they were defenseless against the prowess of the hero Maximilian’s swordsmanship.

“This is not looking good. Call forth the protection.”

If the battle continued like this, the casualties would only increase.

Without hesitation, the knight-priests activated the protection of the god of calamity.

Boom!

Thick smoke billowed forth and enveloped the knight-priests. Their physical abilities and reflexes, worshipping the god of calamity, increased dramatically, and their eyes began to glow red.

Thud, thud.

That wasn’t all.

The sword energy unleashed by the knight-priests took on the blackness symbolizing the god of calamity.

“These damn nuisances. If they had appeared in the early part of the novel, the Holy Maiden Party would not have been unscathed. Now that Part 1 has ended, the Holy Maiden Party will certainly turn the tables, but…”

He felt perplexed by the knight-priests’ actions to end the fight in one fell swoop and wondered if he might easily defeat them.

They don’t know.

Have they even undergone closed-door training in the cave?

The enemies before them had no minimal information about the Holy Maiden Party.

Daring to face Aldebaran and don the sacred aura of a suicidal act against the disaster god revealed their ignorance.

“…!”

Edanant moved.

Swinging the Aldebaran dyed in bright white radiance, he launched an aggressive attack.

Quickly counterattacking leads to victory.

The holy knights responded immediately, like seasoned hunters dealing with a fierce beast.

Swish!

As the attack became bolder, vulnerabilities inevitably increased. The holy knights used this to wield their swords towards Edanant.

Cloth tore.

And the wounds gradually multiplied.

Instinctively dodging, it didn’t lead to fatal injuries, but it was only a matter of time.

Despite facing a precarious situation with extreme aggression, Edanant did not stop. He even demonstrated his skill by wielding the Sacred Sword in reverse grip.

“Ugh…!”

A holy knight, with the edge of the Sacred Sword slightly grazing his neck, stepped back.

Pain meant nothing.

Having endured injuries from creatures of the Chaos Realm, they were unfazed. Other holy knights were the same, each sustaining various wounds from Edanant’s bold attacks. Yet, without tending to their wounds, they pushed back against Edanant.

“Ugh!”

A holy knight in armor groaned in pain, dropping his sword.

Others were similar.

Trembling as if struck by severe cold, they hesitated and sat down.

Aldebaran’s sanctity corroded their bodies through the wounds, disrupting the divine protection of the disaster god, resulting in a vicious counterforce.

It was the ‘Sacred Clash.’

─────!!!

Their bodies exploded.

It was no metaphor.

Like a water balloon falling from a height, their bodies shattered into pieces.

It was the result of the clash between the divine protection of the Creator God and the disaster god. The holy knights, who allowed themselves to be exposed to Aldebaran’s sanctity, met a miserable death without exception.

“To use a divine power against Aldebaran… You lunatics, where on earth did you come from?”

A white divine spear was shot.

Taking advantage of the surviving holy knights stepping back, the disciples of the disaster god aimed for Edanant.