Chapter 109

Vivian jolted up from the bed at the sound of a loud ‘bang’ as the door was struck.  

It wasn’t them.  

If it were the woman who brought food or Robert Fame, they would have unlocked the door and entered. Someone was trying to break down the door and get inside.  

With trembling steps, Vivian walked toward the door.  

With a cracking sound, the door fell apart. The sturdy door was lifted away, and through the opening, Vivian’s father appeared.  

“Father!”  

Vivian ran toward the Duke. As his daughter leaped into his arms, Duke Tereon Dinever, who had entered cautiously, wrapped one arm around Vivian’s shoulder.  

“Vivi. Are you all right?”  

Without even lifting her head, Vivian nodded in response to Duke Tereon’s question. Holding a sword in one hand and embracing Vivian with the other, Duke Tereon turned his head back.  

“We’ve found Vivian.”  

At her father’s words, Vivian lifted her head and looked at Louis and Rayden, who followed him inside.  

Vivian slipped out of Duke Tereon’s arms and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Louis, confirming that Vivian was unharmed, narrowed his brows as he inspected the space where she had been confined.  

“If only I hadn’t been captured…”  

Duke Tereon caressed Vivian’s face and asked why she would say such a thing, but Vivian buried her face in her father’s hand and shook her head.  

“Vivian.”  

Louis approached Vivian.  

“No one is at fault right now. So don’t blame yourself. Just focus on returning home safely.”  

Vivian’s hair fell forward, completely covering her face as she lowered her head. Louis raised his hand, wanting to brush aside her curly brown hair to see her face, but hesitated and took a step back.  

“There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual here. Let’s head outside and regroup with Teresa and Aitor.”  

At Louis’s suggestion, Rayden gave the room one last look before stepping outside. This time, Rayden led the way, with Duke Tereon and Vivian in the middle, and Louis bringing up the rear.  

Teresa, who had been waiting outside for their return, quickly approached Rayden when he appeared.  

“Where’s the Lady Dinever?”  

At Teresa’s question, Rayden turned his head back.  

Seeing Duke Tereon holding Vivian’s hand as they emerged, Teresa placed her hand over her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.  

Seeing Teresa’s relieved expression, Vivian forced a smile and lifted the corners of her mouth.  

Aitor was leaning against a wall near the entrance to the underground area.  

Suppressing the nausea caused by the unpleasant sensation of something draining from his body, he kept his eyes fixed on the entrance, waiting for Vivian to emerge safely.  

When Rayden came out, followed by Duke Tereon and Vivian, Aitor bit his lower lip hard.  

Thank goodness. Thank goodness she’s safe.  

His legs felt weak, and he wanted to collapse and cry his heart out, but it wasn’t the time yet.  

They still needed to leave this place and return to the Empire safely.  

Aitor pushed himself off the wall and forced strength into his legs, taking one step at a time toward Vivian.  

“Aitor!”  

Vivian spotted Aitor and ran toward him.  

“Are you all right? Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared? You’re not hurt, are you? What about Zero? Is Zero safe too?”  

The only thing that had changed was himself. A sharp blade seemed to scrape through Aitor’s insides, from his stomach to his chest.  

Vivian’s eyes, swollen from crying, and her dark complexion showed how much she had suffered. Seeing her peridot-green eyes filled with worry for him, Aitor barely managed to curl the corners of his lips into a smile.  

“Who’s worrying about whom?”  

At Aitor’s words, Vivian finally seemed to relax and let her tense expression soften.  

“What a d*mn long day. Let’s get out of here already.”  

Rayden dusted off his dirt-covered clothes as he spoke.  

After checking the remaining time on the magic-nullifying stone, Teresa picked up the bag she had placed on the ground.  

“The last gate will open in two hours. If we head there quickly, we should be able to leave Palterno by the end of today.”  

Duke Tereon adjusted Vivian’s disheveled cloak. Louis and Rayden were readying their swords to depart when—  

‘Awooo—awoo.’  

A howling sound echoed from not far away.  

“Zero?”  

Vivian looked at Aitor. Just as Aitor opened his mouth to respond, a small firework launched by Lucas burst into the sky, lighting up the moonlit heavens.  

It was a signal that enemies were approaching.  

“Nothing ever goes smoothly, does it?”  

Teresa muttered a quiet curse and pulled a small knife from her bag, tossing it to Aitor.  

“We can’t fight right now, so protect yourself. Stay sharp, Aitor.”  

Teresa pulled out another knife and slung the bag over her shoulder.  

“How far do we need to go before you can use magic again?”  

Rayden asked, and Teresa grimaced slightly before shaking her head.  

“The radius of the device I made is quite wide, so it’s impossible to escape its range without being noticed by them. As for the time remaining…”  

Checking her watch, Teresa said they would need to hold out for fifteen minutes. She gestured to Vivian and Aitor, signaling them to follow her.  

Teresa, along with Vivian and Aitor, moved to a place that was not exactly safe but at least out of the way enough not to interfere with the fight.  

Watching them relocate, Rayden’s gaze suddenly sharpened.  

*Tap, tap, tap, tap.*  

Rayden quickly drew his sword and dashed toward the crumbling entrance.  

‘Bang!’  

The sound of clashing swords echoed loudly, heavier and fiercer than one would expect. It was the sound of Rayden’s sword colliding with the mercenary Jackson’s blade, who had been hired by Robert Fame.  

Jackson, pushed back by Rayden’s immense strength, quickly regained his balance and let out a sly chuckle. Adopting an aggressive stance, Jackson charged at Rayden with a powerful leap.  

It was a battle of strength versus skill.  

Rayden’s straightforward power, rooted in Imperial swordsmanship, clashed against Jackson’s cunning and varied attacks, honed solely to take lives.  

Blocking Jackson’s relentless attacks, Rayden struck at any openings he found, forcing Jackson to retreat.  

Jackson stepped back and whistled as he glanced at his side, where his torn clothing revealed a shallow wound.  

“Well, well. Looks like you’ve already been through quite a fight.”  

From behind Jackson, Robert Fame appeared. He looked at Louis’s group with an amused smile and clapped his hands.  

“I didn’t expect you to find this place so easily. Haha. I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”  

Robert Fame’s gaze swept over the group: Rayden, standing at the forefront with his sword ready to attack at any moment; Louis and Duke Tereon behind him; and Teresa, Aitor, and Vivian standing off to the side. Raising his right hand, Robert Fame spoke.  

“So, I’ve prepared something as well.”  

At his signal, mercenaries began to emerge.  

“I didn’t anticipate the inability to use magic, but…”  

The woman standing behind Robert Fame glanced at her watch with a dissatisfied expression.  

“Perhaps it’s for the best…”  

Shifting his gaze to Aitor, Robert Fame curved his lips into a charming smile.  

“Now then, mercenaries! Our target is Crown Prince Luideos Lindez Tapeullon. As for the rest… you may do as you wish.”  

At Robert Fame’s clap, the mercenaries began advancing slowly.  

“Thirteen minutes. We just need to hold out for thirteen minutes.”  

Teresa shouted from the back.  

As if her voice signaled the start, the mercenaries let out war cries and charged at Louis’s group.  

“Don’t touch this one!”  

Jackson shouted as he swung his sword at Rayden. Rayden gripped his sword tighter as Jackson’s attacks grew fiercer.  

As the mercenaries joined the fray, Louis and Duke Tereon were kept busy swinging their swords. Amidst the tangled chaos of people, Louis and Duke Tereon’s movements stood out.  

The two were effortlessly handling the mercenaries with precise and clean actions.  

“Your skills haven’t dulled.”  

Teresa glanced at Duke Tereon, who was fighting with ease despite facing two opponents, and then looked down at the watch in her hand.  

Ten minutes.  

That was the time remaining. Teresa placed her bag on the ground and began pulling out magic stones to use after the ten minutes were up.  

“That woman…”  

Teresa pointed at the woman standing behind Robert Fame with her chin.  

“She’s a mage, isn’t she?”  

“Yes.”  

Aitor answered quickly as his eyes darted around.  

“I’ll take care of her. You join the others and deal with the mercenaries.”  

“She’s a formidable opponent.”  

“So what? Are you saying I’ll lose?”  

Teresa raised an eyebrow and glared at Aitor, who let out a small laugh and shook his head.  

Although Robert Fame’s mercenaries had the advantage in numbers, they were gradually being pushed back. As more and more of them lost their fighting strength and fell, Robert Fame’s previously relaxed expression began to harden.  

“They’re not worth the money I paid for them.”  

Aside from Jackson, who was holding his own against Rayden, the others stood no chance of winning.  

“How much time is left?”  

“Eight minutes.”  

Clicking his tongue, Robert Fame reached for the sword at his waist, but the woman beside him grabbed his wrist.  

“It’s dangerous. Duke Tereon is a renowned warrior who made a name for himself in war, and the Crown Prince’s skills are considerable, even from what little I’ve seen.”  

“If we just stand by, we’ll lose the fish we’ve already caught.”  

Shrugging off the woman’s hand, Robert Fame drew his sword.  

Louis had just finished dispatching his last opponent and was heading toward Duke Tereon when Robert Fame stepped in his way.  

Swish.  

The heavy sound of a sword slicing through the air brushed past Louis’s hair. As Louis swiftly dodged, strands of his cut hair fell onto his shoulder.  

“Don’t let your guard down.”  

At Robert’s warning, Louis smirked.  

“Thanks for the advice.”  

The languid look in Louis’s eyes disappeared, replaced by the sharp, predatory gaze of a beast.  

“I like that look in your eyes.”  

“Do you have time for idle chatter?”  

Louis was the first to strike, swinging his sword at Robert. Robert barely managed to block the blow, but the force pushed him back.  

Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, Robert steadied himself and prepared for the next attack.  

“Those eyes… My sister was quite fond of them. I think I can understand why.”  

The clash of swords drowned out Robert’s words. When he realized Louis hadn’t heard him, Robert let out a bitter laugh and focused on finding an opening in Louis’s defenses.  

“Rayden!”  

Aitor shouted.  

Rayden, distracted by Robert’s duel with Louis, had let his focus slip. Jackson didn’t miss the opportunity, and his sword grazed Rayden’s left arm.  

As Rayden staggered back, Jackson pressed his advantage with a fierce *ssault. Robert, too, began to push Louis harder.  

“Four minutes.”  

Teresa glanced anxiously at her watch and clenched her fists.