Cracking from where her fist struck, the stone statue then collapsed.

“…”

“This is not it.”

In an instant, Louiselle, who destroyed an ancient statue worth the price of a country, began to destroy other treasures as if it was no big deal.

BANG! BANG!

One, then two…it went on. Watching the scene of the national treasures being destroyed, the Crown Prince did not know whether to cry or laugh.

Although it was ignorant and straightforward, it was a sure and effective method. Still, he felt a nab of pain at the priceless treasures pummelled along with their artisanal history. Eventually, only one large piece of treasure was left in the treasure trove.

“This is…isn’t this the first emperor’s tombstone which he and the archmage made with a large number of magic stones? Why is this here…!”

As she removed the multitude of glamorous treasures, the tombstone that had been lying on the ground revealed itself. The letters carved on the tombstone possessed mysterious purple energy.

The two intuitively recognised that this tombstone was blocking the magic within the imperial palace.

“No way…this too?”

“Of course, we have to break it.”

Louiselle thrust her fist straight down on the tombstone.

“…!”

However, contrary to expectations, her attack did not work at all. Louiselle struck a few more times, but the result was the same. For the first time, there was agitation on her expressionless face.

“Perhaps the tombstone has a protective enchantment on it so that that method won’t work.”

“Then what should I do?”

As the Crown Prince spoke calmly, Louiselle abruptly shouted. She thought she could finally return to Irene now, but… there was an unexpected problem.

Moreover, it was difficult to gain the upper hand against the emperor’s army unless she destroyed this tombstone.

“…Please be patient for a bit. I’ll see what I can do about it.”

“Your Highness?”

“The inscriptions on this tombstone are in an ancient language. It is difficult to recognise because of the severe damage, but if I could somehow interpret the ancient language, I would know how to lift the spell.”

“…if that is not the case.”

“It must be. Surely His Majesty must have interpreted this tombstone in order to cast this magic spell. If there is a way to activate it, there must be a way to shut it down.”

“… How long would it take?”

“Ten minutes. Ten minutes should be enough.”

The Prince answered confidently and immediately got down to interpreting the ancient language. At that moment…

“Traitor!”

Soldiers were flocking to the entrance; perhaps the reinforcements had arrived. Whilst the Crown Prince was still perplexed, Louiselle stepped forward and spoke.

“I will take care of them. Please concentrate on the interpretation.”

“All right.”

Although the backup force was not small, the Crown Prince, who had seen Louiselle’s skills once, trusted her and was able to focus only on the tombstone.

Louiselle glanced at the Crown Prince, took out the pair of daggers she had just put away, and bolted towards them.

She hoped that her comrades and mistress would still be safe until she returned.

♔♔♔

“I remember…When I was young, I once challenged the former Grand Duke of Kristen to a duel.”

The emperor, who pointed his sword at Noel, suddenly spoke unsolicited, incomprehensible words.

There are no gaps.

Noel’s eyes narrowed. The emperor calmly talked about the past, but he did not see any room to counter. That was why Noel could not attack him; he was just on the outlook.

The Emperor smiled quietly at the sight. He had brought up the story of the past to catch Noel off guard, but he was careful not to hastily move because he was of the Grand Duke’s blood after all.

“Three rounds. There were three rounds between the Grand Duke and me. The three rounds decided victory or defeat. And the winner was….”

“…”

“It was the Grand Duke.”

The emperor smiled faintly and calmly continued his words as if recalling fond memories.

“That was the first time I lost to someone. The shock was not small. The Grand Duke looked down at me with cold eyes for a long time after I had fallen to the ground and then turned around wordlessly. Those eyes felt like they were mocking me. The humiliation was too much, and I could not stand it. So do you know what I did?”

“…”