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Translator note: Quite the whirlwind, right? Chloe's caught up in some serious drama. Wonder how she'll navigate this mess? Guess you'll have to stick around for the next chapters to find out!
I descended the stairs and opened the door of the shop.
I had intended for Julius to wait in the room, but since he insisted on coming along, I reluctantly agreed. Just to be safe, I carried a satchel over my shoulder, ensuring that I could retrieve alchemical items at any time. Just in case.
Standing at the entrance of the shop were three soldiers.
They wore the uniforms of the Royal Knights. With blue and gray fabric adorned with the golden crest of the royal family, their identities were unmistakable.
Even the soldier who had abandoned me in the back alleys of the capital three years ago wore the uniform of the knight order. So, I wasn't particularly fond of the Royal Knights. I made it a point to avoid them as much as possible whenever I saw them in town.
Though it made me nervous to speak, Julius being with me was reassuring enough.
"Good morning, members of the Knight Order. How may I assist you?" With a smile, I inquired.
The older man at the front looked between Julius standing behind me and my face before speaking.
"You're Chloe Seigrit."
"Yes, that's correct."
His manner was rather impudent.
Since the Knight Order was directly under the royal family, it wasn't uncommon for its members to be somewhat arrogant. They were polite to nobles but authoritative with commoners. While not all knights were like that, many were indeed.
"Was it true that you were accompanying the Black Prince Julius, an enemy of the kingdom? ... Chloe, we'll have you come with us to the royal castle."
I wasn't about to be addressed so familiarly by strangers.
While silently complaining in my mind, I made sure to keep a smile on my face.
It seemed they had business with me rather than Julius.
"Why? Please explain the reason for taking me to the castle."
I asked, not understanding why I was being taken there. Julius was purchased from the slave fighting arena through proper channels, and there was a contract to prove it. There was no fault on our part to warrant any complaints.
I stood as tall as I could, placing my hand on my hip and arching my chest, trying to maintain a dignified posture.
"Yesterday, there was a report from Lord Coldman that his private soldiers were killed. It seems you had a dispute with their eldest daughter Eliza-sama. Were you holding a grudge? Did you order Julius to attack Eliza-sama, leading to the killing of my soldiers?" The soldier said swiftly.
I recalled last night's events.
We were attacked by several people right in the square, and Julius took them down for us. No one was killed.
Were those private soldiers of the Coldman family? Eliza wasn't there, and the accusation that we orchestrated an attack on her and ordered the killing of soldiers was simply absurd.
"We didn't do anything like that; we were the ones who were attacked." Surely, they would understand once I explained.
I glanced up at Julius. He furrowed his brow, wearing a troubled expression.
"We have testimony from Eliza-sama. And several people witnessed Julius wielding his sword in the square last night, where he was seen arguing with Eliza-sama. ... Fragments of a rare mineral sword were found near the body dumped in the back alleys of the city. It's called the 'Everlasting Diamond.' Only someone like Julius would possess such a sword."
"So? it's not true. We were the ones attacked, and Julius-san didn't draw his sword. No one was killed, I swear." Unpleasant sweat trickled down my spine.
Even when I was imprisoned three years ago, no one listened to me even now.
The royal family and the Knight Order were the authorities. I was just Chloe Seigrit, the daughter of a criminal. So, the despicable feeling of futility crept up inside me, telling me that it was pointless to say anything.
But things were different now from three years ago. I had things to protect: my alchemy shop, Julius-san, and myself.
With that in mind, I rallied myself.
"You may not know how many soldiers of the kingdom that man Julius has killed. Do you intend to seek revenge against the royal family by acquiring such a madman? You can explain yourself at the castle. His Highness Cyril is calling for you."
"Sir Cyril...?"
"Hurry up. Julius is dangerous, so until your fate is decided, you'll be in the dungeon. ...Considering you killed the private soldiers of Coldman Trading Company, who have strong ties to the royal family, you'll likely face execution this time."
"...Julius-san."
Ah, I'm such a fool. I should have just followed Julius and fled. The world was vast, and there were plenty of cities outside the capital, I thought.
With all my might, I pushed Julius, who seemed ready to draw his sword, with both hands, back into the room.
"Hold him back, Hime-chan!"
"Got it, Chloe-chan."
I commanded the Chaos Gaze floating in the birdcage at the storefront.
Hime-chan responded with a delicate voice and emitted a heat ray from the red eye in the center of her black body. The soldiers' feet scorched, emitting white smoke. Ignoring the angry shouts, I slammed the door shut in front of the soldiers trying to enter the shop and locked it.
This was just buying time. The door would be broken down soon enough.
"What are you waiting for, Chloe? ...Just take them all down and escape. With Helios, no one can catch us." Julius said impatiently.
I approached Julius and placed my hand on the small lock attached to the black collar around his neck.
"Julius-san... I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. Let's go out through the window."
Julius tried to grab my hand. I shook my head and refused. Escaping might be the right choice. But how long could we keep running?
I haven't done anything wrong. Julius fought in the war because he was ordered to. He was just a soldier. That was all. I had endured enough pain and suffering.
I didn't want to suffer anymore. I wanted to prove my righteousness and live proudly.
Honestly, I wanted to stay with Julius forever.
But Julius belonged in freedom. The free sky, flying with Helios, suited him so well.
"In the name of Chloe Seigrit, I command: you don't need to be by my side, and don't do anything I dislike. ...In other words, I'm okay, so please don't come to rescue me."
I infused magic into the magic lock.
I really wanted to remove it, but Julius might come to rescue me if I did.
Julius obeyed my command, but I think he was someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill if it served his purpose. Perhaps he had just gotten used to it.
But deep down, I believe flying in the sky with Helios is the only thing Julius truly desired, and I didn't want to take that away from him.
I don't want to fight anyone anymore.
"Chloe, this fool...!"
"Julius-san, you are free. I'll be fine because I'm... Chloe, the kingdom's strongest alchemist!"
As Julius-san reached out to me, I took a step back and moved away. Quickly, I retrieved what I needed from the satchel hanging from my shoulder.
"Fly as far as you can. ...I had fun. Thank you so much!"
What I took out was a palm-sized white sphere.
I threw it at Julius's feet.
His eyes widened in surprise, and I could tell he was angry. It was so typical of Julius to be angry until the very end.
I'm sorry, but I had to.
"Emergency teleportation array, activate!"
Before Julius could grab my arm, I activated the power of the alchemical item.
The white sphere transformed into a shining pentagram, emitting a smokescreen. Emergency teleportation arrays were meant for escape during real emergencies, but the problem was not knowing where you'd end up.
I wanted to specify a location, but it would take too long to activate, so I abandoned the idea.
Julius's figure disappeared in an instant. The last thing I heard was his voice calling out, "Chloe!"
The door was broken down. Soldiers stormed into the shop, pointing their swords at me. I turned around and smiled at them as they rushed in like an avalanche.
"We're innocent, but we know how you imprison innocent people, toss them into back alleys like helpless lambs. So, please take only me."
"You let Julius escape...! To burden yourself with heavier guilt is foolish."
"Say whatever you want. Now, please take me away. ...But if you try the same thing as before, I'll scream at the top of my lungs. I am quite popular in the capital, so I'm sure the people there will be furious."
"...Take her away."
Two soldiers behind the older one grabbed my wrists.
I didn't resist, so I hoped they wouldn't handle me roughly.
My satchel was taken away, and instead, my arms were bound with ropes. Even though I hadn't done anything, I was treated like a criminal.
"Chloe-chan!"
Some people had gathered by the fountain in the square, likely drawn by the commotion.
Roge called my name in a panic.
"What's going on? What did Chloe-chan do!" Roxy shouted loudly.
Her voice was echoed by others around, demanding, "Release Chloe-chan!"
"I told the soldiers I sold a sword to Julius because they asked, but Julius's Everlasting Diamond sword wouldn't dull from just killing one person. It was obviously a false accusation. There's no way I'd sell such a shoddy blade!" Robert was angry.
It was an unusual display of anger from Robert, who was usually calm and gentle.
"What happened to Julius, Chloe-chan...!"
Roge tried to rush to my side, but he was held back by the increasing number of knights from the Knight Order.
"Roge-san, everyone, it's okay! I'll be back in no time!"
I smiled as usual, despite being bound with ropes. Seeing how many people were worried about me, I felt like crying.
Hey, Julius..
Not everyone in the world is bad.
So, Julius, please---be free, be happy.
I whispered these words in my heart.
And then, I was pushed into a carriage and taken away to the royal castle.