The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

62 – 62. Porticissimo (2)

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The ominous atmosphere dissipated.

As soon as they stepped outside with the help of the Luinongs, it became apparent.

A completely collapsed ruin.

Half-burnt gates and walls.

The acrid smell and charred debris that tormented the senses.

The buildings symbolizing the splendor and prosperity of the royal palace had met a tragic fate. Edanant and Rudmilla, who witnessed it, moved with stiff expressions.

“Sister!”

“Liza…!”

The beautiful princess ran towards them, her once exquisite dress now tattered.

It was Elizaveta.

Her delicate face, as pure as jade, was now marred with soot, showing the ordeal she had just been through.

“Any injuries? Are you hurt?”

“Everyone at the banquet hall is fine. Luinongs protected them.”

The little fairies shrugged, giving a dry cough.

Normally, one might have thought of it as a show. But this time was different.

If it weren’t for the Luinongs, the banquet hall would have been a field of death like any other place. The nobles who narrowly escaped death expressed their gratitude for the Luinongs’ heroics.

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“Ethan! Ethan!”

“Even your already ugly face looks worse now.”

Like Elizaveta, the girl with emerald green hair was in a disheveled state.

Edanant took out a handkerchief and wiped the soot-covered cheek of Lue, showing gratitude for her help.

“Eek, eugh…! It, itchy!”

“How much smoke did you inhale to get it up your nostrils? Quickly, blow your nose.”

“Sniiff, sniff!”

“That’s it.”

The nobles of the rebel army, who had tried to depose the emperor and set fire to the palace, began to surrender one after the other. While skirmishes, big and small, continued throughout, it seemed they would soon be quelled.

They had somehow overcome the crisis.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Ando gazed intently at Rue’s face.

“Milah…! Liza…! I’m glad everyone is safe!”

“Emperor, are you alright?”

Adorned in splendid golden armor, the Emperor led the imperial knights to the scene. Together with the troops defending the palace, they had engaged the rebels, their bodies stained with blood.

Truly an emperor of resolute character.

If it were any other lord, they would have awaited victory safely from a secure location.

Like a lion, the valiant Emperor personally wielded his spear, routing the rebels who had invaded the palace. The rumor of his valiant and fearless nature from his youth seemed to be true.

“We have successfully eradicated the mysterious monsters that swept through the capital of Huangdo. And… the calamity deity who dared to attempt your assassination was executed by Master Edanant.”

“He has achieved a truly remarkable feat!”

Arresting the apostles of bloodshed in the fairies’ paradise.

However, Ludmilla reported to the Emperor that the deity had been executed.

The deity was promptly put to death.

Furthermore, she boldly added that the deity’s remains had been completely incinerated.

“….”

Although bewildered, she did not ultimately contradict the Emperor. Ludmilla had signaled with her eyes, asking for understanding in accordance with her intentions.

It was not difficult to grasp Ludmilla’s inner thoughts.

Edanant tacitly acquiesced to Ludmilla’s intentions.

‘Even if it’s to protect me… could Ludmilla, who has blindly served the imperial family, possibly lie to the Emperor? I worry that she may be overburdening herself.’

Ludmilla, who exhibited an unwavering loyalty to the point of stubbornness, was all the more perplexing.

It was an act of disloyalty and unfilial conduct towards the Emperor.

Perhaps this was the first time.

There was a concern that Ludmilla might later be tormented by heavy guilt.

“You may not appear to have sustained any injuries, but you must have expended some energy. Now, leave it to the imperial knights and rest. I have made arrangements, so the maids will guide you.”

“But the skirmishes are still ongoing sporadically. If you entrust it to me, I will suppress them immediately.”

“It’s fine, don’t you have loyal Seven Blades?”

“…Yes, understood.”

When Barbados issued a solemn command, Ludmilla eventually had no choice but to relent. It was also due to the burden of conscience she felt for falsely reporting.

If there were a contest for the worst liar in the world, Ludmilla might be the winner.

Ludmilla showed discomfort, biting her lip.

It was as if she was self-advertising, saying, ‘I have committed a sin.’

Observing Ludmilla’s discomfort from the side, Edanant inadvertently let out a chuckle. Ludmilla’s fidgety demeanor, akin to a timid cat, seemed incredibly cute to him.

* * *

Edanant and Ludmilla were immediately sent off on duty.

There was no need for treatment.

They had only been scratched by flying shrapnel.

However, under Elizaveta’s firm demand, Edanant and Ludmilla had no choice but to comply. They sat briefly in the infirmary and received emergency treatment from the healers.

“Why did you say that?”

As the healers withdrew, leaving them alone, Edanant spoke up.

In response, Ludmilla turned her head to the side and answered.

“It was to conceal your true identity by any means necessary. It was an unavoidable choice.”

Ariel Spellada.

The apostle of bloodshed who had attempted to assassinate the Emperor of the Baltaria Empire was like a precious master key unlocking many mysteries.

The true identity of the Chaos Realm.

Sudden emergence of socialite factions.

And the circumstances that led to the theft of the Sage’s Mind Seal, a member of the Saintess Party.

They needed to thoroughly interrogate and uncover the details.

However, Ariel knew that Edanant was a apostle serving the deity of war. Therefore, she had concealed the truth to the Emperor as much as possible to maintain secrecy.

“How many times have I… no, received help from Ludmilla today.”

As soon as she referred to him as “Your Majesty,” Ludmilla’s gaze sharpened.

Quick to read her, Edanant changed the title.

“Please don’t worry. You have spared no effort in protecting the citizens so far. Consider it a small token of appreciation.”

“Yes, understood.”

As they were left alone in the sickroom, a meaningful atmosphere lingered.

Although they continued their conversation with mundane topics, they kept glancing at each other with a hint of awkwardness.

It was a strange situation.

Being alone like this.

Edanant and Ludmilla displayed a awkward response, seemingly unsure how to dispel the tension of awkwardness that had settled between them.

“Are all the Luinongs unharmed? I’m worried that the young fairies may have been traumatized by this disaster.”

“They were all healthy as usual. But just in case, I plan to check on them later.”

“hehehehe, the Luinongs’ performance was truly remarkable this time as well.”

“Yes.”

Blushing like a teapot, Rudmila cleared her throat and spoke with effort. But it was not enough to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Awkward.

I wish someone would come and help.

Rudmila was experiencing a situation far more difficult than when she faced off against the grotesque monsters in combat. His slightly trembling red eyes seemed to speak to him.

What should I do now?

It’s clearly an ‘event’ often seen in romance novels.

Just like that, with no prior dating experience, Rudmila quickly found herself in a state of panic. Not only did he lack experience in dealing with such situations, he had never faced anything like this before.

“Is it okay to leave the Apostle of Blood as is? What if she tries to escape…”

“I have taken precautions, so it’s fine.”

Guns designed to respond to Ariel’s movements were placed all around. If she tried to escape recklessly, the guns would immediately fire.

Even the Apostle of Blood cannot deceive the protection of war.

If she has even a hint of intelligence, she wouldn’t foolishly attempt to escape.

“Rudmila.”

“Yes? W-What is it?”

As the awkward atmosphere reached its peak,

Edanant suddenly spoke up.

“I was wondering if… the offer you made back then still stands.”

“…Ugh!”

The bold promise they shared in front of her sister and younger sibling came to mind. Rudmila’s face blazed more fiercely than ever before.

Profit…!

It was not just a simple metaphor.

The temperature in the room was actually rising.

Edanant looked at Rudmila like that, worrying about a fire. It seemed like she might breathe out flames like a red dragon at any moment. So, in desperation, he grabbed a water bottle instead of a fire extinguisher.

“Y-Yes… of course… it still stands. If you wish…”

As the situation heated up like a powder keg,

Rudmila, with her head bowed, whispered in a creeping voice.

“But is it really okay? Thanks to the barrier of the Luinong, the banquet hall is intact, but isn’t the area around it a total mess? Can we dance peacefully in such an emergency…?”

“D-Don’t worry…! I will make arrangements.”

“If it’s too much, we can postpone it to later.”

“No! I will find a way to make it work!”

Hmm.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

Rudmila’s insistence on a forced breakthrough was truly resolute and unwavering. Faced with the princess’s reaction, Edanant was engulfed in a sense of awkwardness, realizing he had made things more complicated with unnecessary words.