Vol. 1 - Ch. 83

Chapter 83

Edmund immediately realized the emperor was no longer in a coherent state. The emperor's eyes had lost focus, and drool was trickling down from the corners of his lips.

“Right now... Lock that traitor in the Maze Prison!”

At his command, the knights stationed nearby stormed in. The captain of the guard, well aware of Edmund’s prowess, approached with a visibly tense expression.

“Your Excellency, surely you understand that causing a major disturbance won’t benefit anyone.”

Edmund turned his head to look out the window. The sun was just beginning to set.

When Edmund made no move, the captain quickly exchanged glances with his comrades. As if by silent agreement, they all rushed at him. Edmund was restrained without offering the slightest resistance.

The captain didn’t find this strange. Considering the overwhelming numbers, he assumed Edmund had simply accepted the odds.

“I… I can do this. Just watch me…”

Mumbling through drool, the emperor staggered toward his concubine after witnessing Edmund’s capture.

— — —

“What about the magic suppressor?”

“I… I’m afraid we have none left. His Highness the Crown Prince claimed he needed them all. We’ll be able to procure more by tomorrow.”

The captain clicked his tongue in frustration, clearly uneasy about transporting Edmund under such conditions. Surrounded by dozens of knights, Edmund was led toward the Maze Prison.

As its name implied, the Maze Prison was a labyrinthine structure. Only those who had designed it or held its blueprints could navigate it safely. There was even a saying: lose your way in there, and you’ll wander for the rest of your life.

“Stay sharp and stick together!”

Though the prison corridors were narrow, Edmund couldn’t be entrusted to just a few guards. Progress was slow, with the knights counting heads as they moved. After some time, a set of iron bars came into view. Passing listless inmates sprawled across the floor, they finally reached an empty cell.

“In you go.”

As soon as Edmund stepped inside, the knights let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Shall we head to the Duke’s estate now?”

“Yes. Second Division, proceed to House Winter.”

Originally, the Second Division should have headed there much earlier. But they'd remained behind just in case something went wrong. Just as they were about to turn…

“Urgh!”

A knight who had been locking the cell door was suddenly hurled across the corridor, slamming into a wall. The captain pushed through the crowd to get a clear view. The cell was half-destroyed and completely empty.

“...Duke Winter has escaped!”

* * *

“You need to go. Now.”

Chris urged Johann.

“Just… just a little longer.”

Johann exhaled anxiously, pacing in circles.

The setting sun had bathed the world in red. They’d completed all preparations before nightfall. On Baroness Nouvelle’s advice that prolonging their departure might worsen Daphne’s condition, they had already dispatched an advance unit. The rest were now waiting for Edmund.

Then, from the distance, a lone horse came galloping toward them.

“What news?”

Johann immediately questioned the messenger who had received intelligence from a spy planted inside the palace. The man, breathless from the ride, shook his head grimly.

“He’s been imprisoned.”

Johann shut his eyes tightly. He had suspected as much when Edmund failed to return, but hearing it aloud hit like a blow to the head.

“Sir Johann, we must go. If His Excellency has truly been captured, the knights will soon come for the rest of us.”

Chris was quicker to regain composure.

“His Excellency will return. Even when captured alone on the battlefield, he wiped them out and came back alive.”

Chris remembered all too well how Edmund always emerged from the most desperate situations.

“If you trust him, then we need to leave now.”

As Johann watched the last of the sun dip below the horizon, he finally turned with resolve etched into his face.

“Our goal is to rendezvous with the advance unit and reach the North safely. Then, we wait for His Excellency. Move out!”

* * *

“What a nightmare this is…”

One knight patted his trembling legs. Hours had passed since Duke Winter escaped. While reports of sightings kept coming in, none had led to an actual capture.

They moved in teams of five, each with a copy of the maze’s blueprint, but exhaustion was setting in. The initial tension had long worn off; now most of them just wandered aimlessly, no longer eager to pursue.

“What’s the point? We won’t catch him anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

The youngest and only enthusiastic knight of the group asked back.

“There’s one of him, and five of us. We’re elite members of the Imperial Second Division!”

The rookie, still full of confidence, was unfazed.

“You clearly don’t know what Duke Winter is capable of.”

The oldest knight clicked his tongue.

“Everyone keeps saying that. But come on, he’s not a Swordmaster, and all of us have awakened magical abilities.”

Offended, the rookie snapped. Under normal circumstances, someone might’ve smacked the boy for his insolence. But today, the veterans just sighed.

“Every newbie says that. Then they see him in action and fall silent.”

The knight lowered his voice as he glanced around.

“He’s stronger than the First Division Captain.”

“What?”

The rookie’s eyes widened in disbelief.

For aspiring knights, the First Division was the pinnacle. Most of them dreamed of joining it, inspired by the legendary captain, a rare Swordmaster and one of the Empire’s finest.

And yet Duke Winter was stronger?

“Come on, don’t lie. Besides, the duke doesn’t even have magical abilities!”

As expected, the rookie didn’t believe it. The older knight shook his head knowingly.

“Figures. You won’t understand until you see it for yourself.”

Just then, the lead knight turned a corner and froze.

“It’s… It’s Duke Winter!”

Tightening their grips on their swords, the team charged forward. Edmund stood motionless as they approached. Then, calmly, he took a few steps back.

Seeing him up close, the rookie smiled. If he captured Edmund, he might even be promoted to the First Division. The dream was within reach. Drowning in ambition, he ignored the shouts warning him to stop and swung his sword.

Crash!

‘What…?’

The rookie blinked as he lay embedded in the wall, his vision clouded by dust. Edmund had punched through the stone barehanded. And just like that, he vanished into the swirling haze.

— — —

“Hah.”

Carlito chuckled dryly as he watched Edmund walk out of the Maze Prison with effortless composure. He had claimed not to need help, but Carlito hadn’t trusted that fully. He’d stayed nearby, ready to send aid at a moment’s notice, just in case.

The moment Edmund entered the prison, he’d succeeded in breaking out. Carlito had watched the knights stumble through the maze for hours before realizing something important. Edmund wasn’t lost. He was buying time.

[“Send word once you cross into the North.”]

Carlito recalled Edmund’s parting request, delivered as he slashed his own arm, leaving a trail of blood as proof.

He had obeyed, dispatching the signal only after House Winter’s people reached the North. And as if he’d been waiting all along, Edmund escaped with ease.

“Your Highness, it’s getting late.”

The attention would soon shift away from Edmund and back to him. Time to return to his role as the useless, pleasure-seeking crown prince.

“Still, I should give him as much time as possible. Send out agents. Throw the palace into chaos.”

With that final command to his aide, Carlito turned back toward the South.

‘It’ll be a long time before we meet again.’

As Carlito walked away, he recalled Edmund’s silhouette vanishing into the darkness and quietly wished him well.

That they would meet again. That he would survive until then.

This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.

Notes

T/N: Confirmed: Carlito is genuinely helping Edmund, he got thumbs up from me 👍

Hello everyone~

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Vol. 1 - Ch. 83

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