Upon hearing the news that a fire-wielding mage and figures wearing hound masks were battling in the eastern district of the capital, Marianne issued orders to the imperial knights.

“Work with the magicians from the Mage Society to create a barrier around the battlefield. Prevent the damage from spreading. If the masked figures are defeated, the knights are to enter and intervene.”

The knights, following Marianne's command, moved in perfect unison and headed outside. As they departed, the Empress continued to analyze the situation while receiving updates.

‘According to the Capital Defense Force’s report, the mage responsible for the explosions is the same one from three years ago. If so, the one fighting him must be Gilbert, one of the Hounds.’

It wasn’t that the battle had already taken place—no, it was ongoing. That meant it wasn’t Isaac himself fighting there.

Marianne still didn’t know the full extent of her legal husband’s abilities.

However, she knew it was absurd to think that someone who single handedly annihilated Dia Rose wouldn’t be able to deal with a mage who was supposedly defeated three years ago.

‘So where is he?’

From her direct encounters with Isaac and from the reports she received from Haria, it was clear: Isaac wasn’t the type to abandon dangerous tasks to his subordinates and flee.

In other words, Marianne deduced that Isaac must be preoccupied elsewhere.

‘Where is the mastermind? What’s the enemy’s objective?’

Thoughts continued to spiral endlessly, one after another. The Blata Empire had no shortage of enemies. There were countless people and forces who wanted not only to destroy the Empire but to see the Empress herself dead.

The Holy Runthas Kingdom, the Ellios Union, the Garbaldi Republic—countless human nations—and even powerful clans and organizations like the Shika came to mind, their names flashing before fading away again.

Marianne tore her skirt and drew the weapon strapped to her inner thigh holster before leaping forward.

In that instant, the necks of the imperial knights who had been guarding her and the officials delivering information were severed simultaneously.

Had she been a single breath late, she too would have shared their fate. Feeling the weight of that truth throughout her body, Marianne spoke to the shadows.

“…Where did you come from?”

[Impressive. I thought I’d completely concealed my presence, yet you sensed such deeply hidden killing intent.]

Stepping on the corpses he had just felled, a knight clad in black armor emerged. His face was completely concealed by a helmet, and whether through magic or some other means, even his voice sounded artificially altered.

[They say the Empress of the Empire possesses both strength and wisdom. It seems they weren’t lying. Frightening. Truly frightening.]

Ignoring the jesting tone of the black knight, Marianne kept her focus on him while calculating the distance to the exit.

Confident in her abilities though she was, she never overestimated herself. Whoever this black knight was, his strength was at least on par with that of a hero-level fighter.

She stood no chance of winning.

[Smart as well. You realized you can’t win and immediately began strategizing to survive.]

The black knight’s mocking words made Marianne bite her lip. He was taunting her. Even now, where she stood lay within the range of his strikes.

[It’s a shame, really. Killing someone like you feels wasteful, but orders are orders. I hope you’ll understand.]

The blade swung.

“Ugh!”

Judging from the black knight’s immense power, it was likely a casual swing at best. Yet even so, Marianne’s desperate defense was shattered in an instant, her sword breaking alongside it.

[…You blocked that?]

The black knight seemed genuinely surprised, as though he hadn’t expected his attack to be stopped.

But that was all. A flicker of surprise didn’t mean he was any less dangerous.

[If you block this next one, I’ll let you live—just for today.]

Of course, the offer was a lie. And it was pointless to even try. With her sword gone, Marianne had no means left to defend herself.

‘Is this really how it ends…?’

She had finally achieved her revenge. Yet here she was, about to be killed by some monstrous figure who appeared out of nowhere, dying alone in some hidden corner where no one would even witness her end.

Marianne couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t accept it. She refused.

Absolutely not.

Clang.

The clear ring of metal striking metal reverberated through the air—a sound sharp and purposeful, despite being born from instruments of death. And with that sound came the presence of a back shielding her.

“Whew. Barely made it.”

It was the voice that had unsettled her so much recently. Just moments ago, Marianne had been resisting death with everything she had. Now, she could only stare blankly at the figure’s back.

Heat radiated from him. Steam rose from his sweat-drenched body, proof of how frantically he had rushed to her side.

“…Isaac?”

“Oh, calling me by my name? That’s a first.”

Still facing forward, Isaac spoke with his usual light, joking tone, leaving Marianne feeling utterly bewildered.

‘How?

How did he know?

Why?’

That was close. If I had been just a moment later, my legal wife’s neck would’ve been forced to part ways with her beautiful body. I should thank myself for my quick judgment in saving humanity’s treasure.

[How did you get here? How could you possibly have known our target was the Empress?]

“It was too obvious.”

The Tears of the Dead that Selemin summoned had called forth the resentment of the murdered mage—technically, it shaped the lingering emotions left at the scene, or something like that?

Anyway, using it to track the culprit, the direction Selemin estimated pointed somewhere outside the capital. And not just outside, but absurdly far away.

“We discovered the intent to kill was very far away. If it’s that far, it’s worth considering—was this all to lure me out?”

If so, the next question was: why lure me out? I was in the middle of pondering this when an explosion occurred somewhere in the capital.

“The timing was too perfect. It was obviously a diversion, so I couldn’t help but think there was an entirely different goal.”

[……….]

In most cases, when traces were left behind for pursuit, you’d assume the explosion was a diversion and follow the trail, or vice versa—ignore the trail and head for the explosion where the real danger might lie.

“But for something this flashy, forcing one of two choices would’ve been too crude. The scale of the explosion was far too large.”

That’s what gave it away. If they were making this much noise, their target wouldn’t be something ordinary. And what’s the least ordinary target in the Empire? My legal wife. That made her a prime danger.

If my guess had been wrong, that would’ve been a relief. But as it turned out, my bad feeling hit the mark perfectly.

[Impressive. I’ll admit it. Not only did you make the correct judgment in such a short time, but you also slaughtered my subordinates far faster than expected and arrived here. You even managed to pique my interest while catching your breath… truly flawless.]

Ah, so he noticed I was catching my breath. Right before I got here, those subordinates of his had blocked my way.

If I had fought them properly, it would’ve taken too long. So, I simply ran through them, cutting them down as I went, which left me slightly overexerted.

[And I had carefully chosen ones I thought were at least competent. I suppose they weren’t even enough to stall for time.]

The black knight grumbled as his aura exploded, shaking the entirety of the palace. My skin prickled, and a chill spread across my body.

It had been a long time since I’d felt this sensation. It was thrilling.

I, too, unleashed my aura without restraint, and the vibrations grew even more intense. Windows shattered, and the palace chandeliers came crashing down.

Overwhelmed with excitement I could hardly contain, I was picturing countless trajectories for our opening exchange when—

[Hmm. Not today, it seems.]

“What?”

The black knight suddenly withdrew his aura. What the hell was this guy doing?

“You’re kidding, right?”

[Not at all. While I would love nothing more than to trade blows with you until one of us perishes, unfortunately, the orders I received don’t allow for such luxury.]

So what was I supposed to do with that? Did he seriously think I’d let him go after hearing that? After he tried to kill my wife?

“Do you actually believe I’d just let you walk away? The guy who came here to murder my wife?”

[No. That’s why I prepared this.]

With a soft thud, something fell to the floor beneath him.

A magic device? I’d been watching his every move, but without so much as a twitch, he’d activated a pre-prepared mechanism…

The moment I saw it, I whirled around and dashed toward Marianne. From behind, the black knight called out.

[If we meet again, let’s settle things once and for all.]

Before I could even process his words, yet another explosion erupted. Holding Marianne tightly, I shot my aura-infused blade to counter the blast.

Luckily, I managed to cancel out most of the damage, and the explosive itself wasn’t particularly strong. The destruction was minimal.

The black knight, of course, had vanished, leaving no trace of his aura behind. There would be no pursuit.

“You okay?”

Lowering my head to check on Marianne, I found her staring up at me. Our eyes met.

Her gaze was filled with confusion. No wonder. The absolute stronghold of the palace had been infiltrated, and its invader had been a monstrous powerhouse. She had come within a hair’s breadth of death at his hands.

Considering that, it was impressive she was only disoriented. Most others would’ve crumbled entirely.

“Ah, looks like the Imperial Knights finally cleared the obstacles and made it here.”

I glanced toward the approaching knights. There was no sign of suspicious behavior among them, so it seemed the intruders had truly withdrawn.

“I’m heading back out for a bit.”

“…….”

Gilbert should be fine, but I couldn’t help worrying. I turned to leave for the battlefield, but Marianne grabbed onto my coat and refused to let go.

The shock and confusion must’ve hit her harder than I thought. This wasn’t like her at all.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

“…….”

Gently prying her hand off my coat, I felt a weak resistance, but it wasn’t quite a refusal.

This feels a lot like Selemin.

After a moment’s pause to look at her, I leapt through the broken palace walls and darted away.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, are you unharmed?”

The Imperial Knights and ministers rushed over in a panic, but their cries didn’t reach the Empress’s ears.

‘Where are you going.’

The maids fussed over her disheveled appearance, but she remained completely still.

‘Where are you going.’

While the others trembled with anger at the damaged palace, Marianne stood motionless, staring silently in one direction.