The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

7 – Blank Space of the Holy Party (2)

About 40 survivors of the “Wolves of the Knife” attacked the Hohenberg family but ended up with many casualties.

Jebes, the Copper Wolf,

captured ten of his subordinates.

As remnants of a criminal organization that had plundered many kingdoms, including the Baltaria Empire, they were undoubtedly to be publicly executed. The Hohenberg family escorted all the captured criminals to the capital.

“Bang! Bang! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

“….”

A girl with emerald green hair ran around the office, making gun sounds and acting out.

Her eyes sparkled.

She even imitated gunfire sounds with her mouth and danced wildly, completely oblivious to the bloody situation that had just unfolded. She had been running around, making gun sounds repeatedly for over half a day, seemingly inspired by some story she had heard.

Watching the girl’s antics, a heavy sigh escaped.

“I heard it from the guard! Ethan took down the thieves who stole candy!”

“Uh, well….”

What on earth should he say in response.

Giving individual answers was too bothersome, so he gave up on correcting.

“After telling you to finish organizing the documents by the afternoon, you’re out playing…”

Due to the playful little one, there was no progress in the paperwork.

Thunk.

As he closed the drawer containing the guns, he muttered.

“Master Edan, a letter from the royal palace has arrived.”

“What… What!”

The butler, dressed in elegant ceremonial attire, presented a letter that had arrived from the palace.

An emblem engraved with the royal palace’s sentences.

It reminded him of the letter that had announced a substantial compensation.

As he stared at the letter the butler offered, cold sweat trickled down. He was afraid that the Batarya royal family might withdraw the existing compensation and demand an amount several times larger.

-But come to think of it, I miscalculated.

-78 billion is too little. I should receive around 160 billion.

-I won’t say anything more, just give me 160 billion.

Deep fear pressed on his mind.

Images of palace knights dispatched attacking the Hohenberg family, affixing urgent letters and seizure notices, flashed like a mirage.

Quivering.

He pulled out the letter, trembling all over.

“It’s Princess Ludmila.”

The Batarya royal family…

More precisely, it was a letter sent by Princess Ludmila.

There are many issues I would like to discuss with you, so please come to the palace.

It was a request that Ludmila had conveyed during her visit to the Hohenberg estate. It was a request for him to come to the palace, not about the compensation issue, which relieved him with a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was because the tension was released in a moment.

He sat down in his place like a puppet with cut strings.

“W-What’s going on?! Who sent such a lucky letter? If you don’t send a letter to someone else, you’ll face a terrible fate! If it’s a problem because you have no friends… send it to yourself first!”

“…It’s nothing.”

Rue, surprised by such a reaction, asked in an urgent voice.

Hair shaking wildly.

The look of surprise suggested that maybe the guardian was in serious trouble.

He spoke, keeping a close eye on Lue.

“Shall we go on a journey together? To the Imperial capital or somewhere else…”

“A journey?”

“There must be heaps of sweet desserts piled up! I’ll buy them all for you!”

“Oh, that sounds great! Let’s go!”

Sure enough, like a sly fairy, she quickly lured him with desserts.

The holy party headed east.

It was to prove himself to Rudmila by taking Lue along.

The diabetic fairy, innocently delighted without knowing the details, let it pass without much concern, promising to buy desserts later, though a little guilty.

“But it’s not easy to leave right away.”

Despite repelling the attacks of the Salamanders with only minor casualties, the situation in the Hohenberg Viscountcy had become somewhat ominous. It would take time to repair the castle and console the residents.

Moreover, the group that harbored resentment against the holy party would likely act more boldly after this assault, so he couldn’t recklessly abandon the Viscountcy. If he weren’t present, there would undoubtedly have been casualties in the Viscountcy.

It was difficult to leave the position due to the sudden attack by the villains.

Unless the Valteria royal family took responsibility for the defense.

However, the relationship with the royal family was very delicate, so he couldn’t dare to ask for help.

“No, I need to withdraw for now.”

“Hehe! Why withdraw?! Why crush your expectations that were growing like bean sprouts! It’s a plan to deliberately raise expectations and then break them! Bad Ethan!”

Pushing aside the whining child, he raised his pen.

It would be difficult to visit right away.

He decided to send a letter to Princess Rudmila, seeking her understanding.

After sending the letter, three days passed.

A sudden situation occurred where Princess Rudmila visited the Viscountcy in person.

* * *

How would the military units notified of the visit by the commander respond?

The red dragon of Valteria had arrived.

As soon as the news spread, the knights of the Viscountcy were deployed for protection.

The suddenly summoned knights were visibly nervous, worrying about any inadvertent mistakes. Consequently, they straightened their attire and swallowed dry saliva in succession. Unlike the last time, Princess Rudmila was coming as a guest, so they were fully prepared.

“I rushed here urgently upon hearing the news. Is the Hohenberg family okay?”

“Of course.”

“The identity of the villains… they are survivors of the ‘Wolves of the Sword.'”

“It seems that news of the Saintess Party has started to spread discreetly.”

In place of her father lying in bed, Rudmila was greeted.

It must have been difficult to restrain her father, who was determined to step forward. If she hadn’t said, “If my relationship with Princess Rudmila is problematic, I can go out without any issues,” he would have eventually tried to get up.

The central knights of Hwangdo followed.

It seemed that they had been deployed from the palace to escort Rudmila.

The specially made full-body armor, undoubtedly worth millions, and the sergeant’s equipment caught the eye. Even to the naked eye, they were different from the knights of the viscount’s rank. The attention of the crowd was focused on the resplendent full-body armor adorned with a golden lion.

“Finally, the feared event has occurred.”

Rudmila, who was accompanying from the side, muttered with a slight frown.

The spread of malice.

The villains who had fallen to the Saintess Party had awakened.

The malice directed towards the Saintess Party, unfolding across the continent, was proving it. Despite trying to track the Saintess Party to prevent a disaster, the villains had moved before them.

“The Prosperous Kingdom will move in earnest. They have been the most active supporters of the Saintess Party, haven’t they? They will respond most sensitively to the spread of malice. If we can’t stop the spread of malice, the Prosperous Kingdom will inevitably suffer the consequences.”

“Even so, the envoy from the Prosperous Kingdom has already been here.”

“Since the Second Saintess Beatrice disappeared… the First Saintess, who had temporarily stepped back, will take the lead.”

“…Hm.”

As my words finished, Rudmila swallowed a sigh unexpectedly.

The First Saintess of the Prosperous Kingdom of Gael.

When her name was mentioned, her beautiful face subtly changed.

Confusion.

And anger and discomfort.

It was a facial expression change that did not suit her perfect grace and majesty. In the face of such explicit emotional expression, I briefly wondered.

‘Why is she like that? As if I touched a sore spot. Clearly, the name of the First Saintess…’

Who was it again?

The First Saintess of the Prosperous Kingdom of Gael.

Certainly, a person indirectly mentioned just like Rudmila.

So it took a considerable amount of time to recall information related to the First Saintess. As I approached the entrance, after crossing the garden, I finally reached the answer.

‘…The White Dragon of the Prosperous Kingdom.’

Javelin Albeon Russell.

The successor of the white dragon who protects the goddess Gael.

Rudmila could vaguely guess why Princess Ludmila’s mood had become uncomfortable.

“The red dragon and the white dragon that appeared in the myth were as incompatible as water and oil. I don’t know the reason well, unfortunately.”

Unfortunately, she wasn’t an expert who could memorize even the trivial myths that appeared in the work, so she didn’t know the detailed relationship between the red dragon and the white dragon.

I’ll look it up later.

Or maybe I should ask Ludmila quietly.

With that thought in mind, Rudmila guided Ludmila to the entrance of Hohenberg Castle.

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“I have been waiting.”

“It is an honor to receive you, Your Highness.”

The butlers and maids, perfectly groomed, were mobilized for the princess’s welcome. The sight of servants lined up on both sides of the entrance, centered around the red carpet, felt majestic.

The red dragon had ruled here.

It seemed that the Hohenberg family had put considerable effort into demonstrating their prosperity.

Perhaps the relationship with the royal family had not been shattered due to the annulment.

To score points with the princess, who visited as a guest, the servants were mobilized to welcome her. In response, Ludmila smiled faintly and acknowledged the welcome.

“Thank you for welcoming the unexpected guest like this. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

A bright chandelier.

The top-quality carpet and a floor that shone like a mirror.

And the impeccable appearance of the servants without a hint of disarray.

They must have hurriedly prepared for the reception.

Whether she felt sorry for that or not, the princess scratched her cheek with a wry smile.

“That way is the reception room.”

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

Following that, Ludmila was led to the reception room.

As soon as they sat down on both sides, the maids brought in refreshments for the guests.

“Hmm?”

While sitting and sipping tea together,

A mischievous girl suddenly thrust her cute face between them.

Attracted by the sweet smell?

It wasn’t like ants swarming around leftover crumbs.

It shouldn’t matter anyway.

After all, they were going to the reception room.

The girl with emerald-green hair and Ludmila, who met her gaze, displayed a surprised reaction. Perhaps Ludmila recognized Ru, who had once been the mascot of the Holy Maiden Party. Probably they had crossed paths by chance at least once.

“So, you’re the girl who accompanied the Holy Maiden Party on their journey. Were you under your care?” Ludmila asked, setting down her teacup.

In response, Ru tugged at the hem of her clothes and opened her mouth.

“Edan, but who is this lady?”

“….”

Uh.

What did she just say?

Inadvertently, as tension released, the black tea in the teacup trickled down.

Lady.

Who is this lady?

The candid question echoed continuously in her ears.

The face of the twenty-seven-year-old virgin who was labeled as a lady by the cute girl stiffened noticeably.

Through her blatant change in expression, the voice ringing in her ears was confirmed not to be an auditory hallucination.

“Oh, oops! I shouldn’t call her ‘lady’ to her face…! My apologies, I momentarily forgot!”

Oh my goodness.

She sighed, sweeping her hand across her face.

My gaze was directed at the tatami mat soaked with black tea.