Chapter 79
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 79
"No. This can't be. Not this." I snapped the book shut. Why was cold sweat beading on my skin? This book was absurd. This shouldn't be happening. The Emperor's trauma resurfacing and shattering his mind—such a thing couldn't... It could. More than could. But this book differs from the 【Empress Confined】 I know. The plot flows similarly, the characters resemble one another, yet the details diverge. So this is merely a story, different from the original work...
[The Emperor emerged from the cave and beheld a colossal statue. He severed its head as it gazed down upon him in mockery.]
...Why is it identical?!
"Breathe. Calm yourself. Think clearly. The Emperor is in a secure location with traceable coordinates, and the mage's barrier protects the Hunting Grounds. This is neither prophecy nor the original work."
But there's no harm in being cautious, right?! I bolted from the Tent Camp and confirmed the mages were chanting—no, reciting incantations in fervent prayer. To be precise, I tried to confirm it.
"Ugh!"
All I witnessed was a mage convulsing with a cough before collapsing.
"Cough, gasp."
"...???"
Why did blood seem mixed in the cough? No—blood was more than half of it? I backstepped away from where I'd been approaching, evading the spray. Medical personnel rushed over to examine the mage in moments.
"This is... a contagious illness."
A putrid stench mixed with blood assaulted my nostrils.
"How many came into contact with Mage Daemon?"
"At least twenty or more. We had close contact to apply protective magic to each participant, so the number is considerable."
"Contact the Prime Minister immediately."
The Tent Camp and Arena erupted into frantic activity in an instant.
"I'll contact him. I have a family communication device."
But deep in the mountains, the signal wouldn't connect properly. I exhaled heavily.
"My lady!"
"We should suspend the hunt. With one mage down, the barrier could distort. We should escort The Emperor back immediately."
"...Yes!"
The Emperor's aides complied without hesitation. My position as The Emperor's provisional fiancée proved useful in moments like this.
"Marquis Cassion, are you alright...?" ...No, he wasn't. Looking closer, cold sweat trickled down Cassion's body. Barrier magic required all gathered mages to channel their power simultaneously and uniformly—it was a spell that consumed tremendous mental energy. If one mage stopped, the backlash would snap back, forcing another to shoulder the burden of two. The power didn't redistribute evenly across the remaining casters.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm managing."
"You don't look alright at all."
"I'm the Magic Tower Master, and I have an amplification device, so I can endure it." *Ping!* *Crrrunch...* In that instant, the bracelet-shaped amplification device shattered. He couldn't handle the strain.
"Damn it."
Cassion cursed once before collapsing. I stared at his pallid, unconscious form with a grimace. This was truly a disaster.
"The barrier containing the monsters has broken."
Night falls quickly in the Forest. Once the sun begins to set, monsters will creep out from the shadowed depths. That would be dangerous.
"Halt the hunt immediately and move all the mages from the Arena to a single Medical Clinic for examination. This is a contagious disease—we need to test them. Have the remaining mages announce the hunt's end through amplification magic."
"Forgive me, but Miss... you may not have the authority—" "If you can't follow my orders because I lack authority, send a messenger to Duke Lockhart, the Prime Minister. He'll say the same thing."
"..."
"What are you waiting for? Hurry. We have no time."
I gathered the spherical amplification devices Cassion had left behind and handed them to the knights.
"You can track the locations of those who went to the Hunting Grounds with these. The Magic Tower Master's mana will still be embedded in them. The mages just need to cast a weak locating spell on these—the magic will hold long enough to find everyone."
I approached the fallen mage.
"It's a contagious disease! You mustn't come close!"
"It's fine. I know what it is."
It was an ancient plague that had primarily broken out in the slums. I have no memory of it from childhood, but I've suffered from this disease before. I'm immune to it. It was an illness that caused red rashes across the entire body and weeping sores. What was peculiar was that it was fatal to the respiratory system—and I knew why. During experiments Hexagon conducted to create a special medicine, an unexpected mutation occurred and spread. Naturally, only Hexagon could treat it. But that was ancient history, and our household has the cure.
"Emma, contact Father and ask him to open the pharmacy in the Lockhart Greenhouse. One dose won't be enough. The incubation period is about a week, so there could be other exposed individuals."
"Should we conduct an investigation?"
I examined the mage's condition and realized something.
"No. It would have been confined to the Magic Tower. Since they were there preparing for the hunt, we only need to check the mages in the Magic Tower."
Given the Magic Tower's design—with special ventilation systems instead of windows to purify the air—there would likely be more patients. The fortunate thing was that mages tended to stay confined within the Magic Tower and rarely ventured outside. I pointed to one of the Emperor's Aides.
"Go to the Magic Tower, meet the Deputy Magic Tower Master, and bring back the access log."
"Yes, Miss."
"Miss, which Medical Clinic should we designate?"
The Aide showed me the locations of several Medical Clinics.
"I think it would be best to go to the Medical Clinic south of the Capital. Since epidemics are frequent there, they'll have plenty of beds equipped to handle such cases and specialized knowledge to match."
"Understood!"
Everyone moved with swift precision.
"This is dire. We cannot locate The Emperor."
What? Impossible? Cold sweat poured down my face in an instant.
"W-wait, The Emperor.... Is that true?"
"My apologies, My Lady."
"That cannot be...."
They cannot locate The Emperor? The Emperor has vanished? This cannot be happening. What about my family? My hands trembled. Moreover, hiring personnel came with steep contract termination fees and compensation for unforeseen accidents. If anything happened to that female mercenary, I would owe an astronomical sum in damages. The employment cost was already exorbitant, and if an accident occurred, I would have to pay hundreds of times that amount. The Imperial Palace attendants who caught me as I stumbled exchanged grave looks with one another.
"My Lady, His Majesty will be fine. He will surely return safely to your side. We will ensure it."
"He said he would return...."
That he would come back and grant me the title of top partner.
"He seemed so delighted, as if it were the last gift he would receive...."
I had given him that gift—the romantic project—and we were able to part safely.
"I still have so much to tell The Emperor...."
I need to discuss the annulment of our engagement.
"Your Majesty...."
Tears welled up in my eyes. Then what was the point of all my running away? What was the purpose of choosing hardship over maintaining peace? The original male lead, no less.
"How could you leave me alone... like this...."
Is there an ending where the original male lead disappears? If he disappears like this, I would have to live as though I were widowed to my fiancé? Then I would be forced into lifelong chastity.
"My Lady! Where are you going?"
"I...."
This cannot happen. This is an unforeseen situation. I must find The Emperor quickly.
"I am going to find The Emperor."
"That is impossible! Your body is not yet trained. Where would you even go? It is too dangerous."
"Even so, I must see His Majesty! I need to see with my own eyes that he is safe."
"That is impossible!"
"I am the lady of the Lockhart Family that supports The Emperor, and his betrothed-to-be. Please open the way for me to go to His Majesty!"
"...!"
It would be catastrophic if something happened to The Emperor. Though I had driven his overwork project relentlessly, I had never once wished for his death. The Emperor and our family must find a way to coexist, no matter what. Save The Emperor!
"If we miss this opportunity and something happens to His Majesty...."
Will you take responsibility for it? My frustration choked me, my throat tightening. I coughed roughly and rubbed my eyes, which were filled with dust. The more I rubbed them, the more dust seemed to work its way in, and tears streamed down my face. Yet the knights and the Emperor's Aide looking at me appeared as though they were deeply moved.
"Forgive me, Miss, but we cannot allow you to venture into the Forest alone. His Majesty would not wish for you to come to harm in such an unforeseen circumstance."
Ah, there's no reasoning with them.
"I have a way to locate His Majesty."
"...Pardon?"
I unfolded the location map I had been keeping hidden from everyone's view.
"The handkerchief His Majesty took with him. I placed a tracking spell on the embroidery I gifted him, allowing us to locate His Majesty."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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