From the barrel where Elisha was, Count Dyke helped Prince Raymond to come out. He looked at Elisha with a grudge, making Elisha wonder what he meant. Should she have let the prince make a loud noise and be discovered by everyone?
Count Dyke turned his head first when Elisha stared at him coldly. He seemed unsure about what to do in that situation, either.
Servants and maids checked the surroundings and guided the party. As they went a little further, there were herbs, water, towels, and other stuff to remove the smell in the dark.
âHow did you prepare all this?â
When Elisha spoke, the maids smiled wildly. Even though they were nervous because this was a big day, they werenât afraid. Rather, they looked excited.
âWe thought several times about what the 2nd Consort would need and discussed it together.â
When Elisha thanked them sincerely, the maidsâ cheeks turned red. But, knowing that this was just the beginning, they quickly calmed down.
For the servants and the maids, Elisha looked much more powerful than Prince Raymond over there.
Annie unfolded the paper. It was the location of key figures in the dukeâs castle, drawn head-to-head by maids and servants.
Elisha and the other knights had received and looked at it in advance, but again they listened to the explanation with their eyes on it.
âAt the same time as the signal, each person should move to their assigned place and organize neatly. As this is a real battle, make your own decisions according to the situation if you have the confidence to survive.â
If she made a commotion one step earlier, the opponentâs attention would be drawn to her, and if she moved one step later, it would be hard to drag out time because of the already prepared opponent.
After finishing her words, Elisha gestured toward Count Dyke with her chin. Count Dyke glanced at Prince Raymond, who was still stunned and pondered what to do.
Elisha walked forward, grabbed Prince Raymond by the collar, straightened his torso, then raised her other hand and slapped him on the cheek.
Prince Raymond, as well as those around him, opened their mouths in amazement.
âIs it too loud? Iâm sorry.â As Elisha spoke, everyone around shook their heads. They meant it wasnât loud, but Elisha took it as a sign that it was okay.
Because even if Prince Raymond were the duke himself, not the dukeâs heir, it wouldnât make sense for him to be stunned in the middle of an enemy line on such an important mission!
Not to mention his daze was not caused by the enemy but by his colleagueâs hand because he couldnât stand being buried in filth!
When Elishaâs hand lifted again, Prince Raymond, fortunately, opened his eyes. If it werenât for that, the relationship between Count Dyke and Elisha would have gotten worse.
When he woke up, Elisha, who didnât even glance at him as if there was nothing to see, asked the servants and maids to stay away to avoid being harmed and followed the picture engraved in her mind.
The opponent she took on was Duke Verdin, the master of the land and the leader of the rebellion that shook the empire, who shouldâve been in the most heavily guarded area in this dukeâs castle.
As they looked at her slender back, none of the knights opened their mouths to ask if it was okay for her to go alone.
They knew what she could do and what she couldnât tolerate.
To be honest, they were more afraid of her than their enemies, more often than not. When the 2nd Consort had completely disappeared, the Imperial Knights quickly came to their senses and recalled the area they were assigned to.
The inside of the dukeâs castle was bright. In the central hall where the lights were not extinguished, the lion statue that had been seen before had been cleared away.
This was because the Western nobles said that the moment the lion statueâs jewel was broken, the duchyâs brilliant film began to crack.
As the meaning of its existence changed negatively, the position of the lion statue, which had to be passed by as soon as someone entered or left, made them more reluctant to keep it.
Elisha slipped through the concourse only to the shadowed position. Neither space had been empty for long.
A significant number of people were on guard duty in groups, and in a short period, the knights appeared, filled the space, disappeared, and reappeared repeatedly.
Undineâs help was helpful, but Elisha thought she wouldâve been discovered quickly if the maids had not wiped the filth with the herbal called Vision.
Elisha headed towards the upper part of the castle, the center. There were a few stoppages or dangerous situations in the middle, but fortunately, she could pass without attracting attention.
So she arrived safely in front of the room where the duke was staying, but she had no way to advance because tens of thousands of knights were guarding.
Elisha alternately gazed at the two doorways, which had been spaced apart in the long passage.
Considering that the passages she had passed have one door at regular intervals, with the width less than half the length, the interior mustâve been fairly large.
As Elisha opened her palm, a round, water-filled bead was created.
Elisha lightly tossed it upwards and counted. Sheâd be ready the moment it reached her again.
Just before the marble fell onto her palm, her index finger bounced the marble across the aisle towards the dukeâs chamber.
The bead, which flew with watermarks in the air, passed the dukeâs room and fell in front of the next room door. As the bead broke, Swoosh! a stream of water shot up and exploded.
Half of the knights in front of the dukeâs door ran towards the sound, and the other half drew their swords and prepared for an attack.
Among them, the one exuding the strongest momentum opened the door and went inside, looking around fiercely. It must be to check the dukeâs state and watch out the window.
Elisha made a few more water balls and rolled them.
It was a signal so loud that it rang through the entire inside of the dukeâs castle. Shortly thereafter, screams erupted from all over the castle.
âItâs an attack! The enemy has infiltrated the castle!â
Elisha kicked the floor and shot more beads. Before the dukeâs room, where the door had fallen due to the explosion, the knights blocked it with their bodies and faced Elisha. Without hesitation, Elisha bumped into them with a sword in one hand and the energy of water in the other.
The knightsâ bodies were pushed back, and the situation inside was seen. Duke Verdin, who woke up from a big white bed, was jumping to his feet.
â2nd Consort, how could you-?!â When Duke Verdin saw Elisha approaching from the other side, he cried out in shock.
Duke Verdin thought that all the little ones could do was do what they were told, and it was rare for them to do it right. Such a person couldnât think those little ones would one day hold hands, bring Elisha and the Imperial Knights into the duchy, and reach this castle through the central city.
No, even if he imagined it, he wouldnât believe it. Rather, for him, it would be more credible to hear that the 2nd Consort used a new ability and fell from the sky along with the Imperial Knights.
Elisha found the old man looking at her with shaky eyes and narrowed her eyes.
An ordinary old man was standing right there.
After removing all the veils that protected the surroundings, he looked shabby. Only his upright back and tightening eyes struggled to establish the dukeâs authority.
It might have been better if he had properly prepared for a rebellion. If he had, he wouldâve at least been able to move in a well-prepared situation instead of blocking the broken dam in a hurry like this.
Elisha could be here thanks to some support and her abilities, but it was also because Duke Verdin didnât want to die together and somehow chose the way to survive.
âIâve come to punish the traitors. Duke Verdin, will you accept His Majestyâs sword?â
While speaking to Duke Verdin, who was hiding behind his knight, Elisha did not lose sight of the energy attacking her back.
Elisha, who quickly turned her upper body and brushed away the swords stabbing at me, rotated her body and escaped the opponentâs attack range.
As the subsequent attack cut through the air, the dukeâs knights became more focused and rushed toward Elisha. Elisha, stepping back, drew closer to the wall and swiftly lifted her body off the floor. Elishaâs body swiveled over the tops of the heads of the knights approaching her as her feet kicked off the wall and descended behind their backs.
Elisaâs sword was drawn diagonally.
The duke knightsâ backs cracked, and blood splattered. When his knights were injured, the duke became impatient.
âWhy is no one coming when there is such a fuss?!â
âItâs noisy down there. It seems that the 2nd Consort did not come alone.â
The knight who appeared to be in charge answered and took the duke to the corner of the bookshelf.
Books were sparsely stacked on a bookshelf in the corner of the wall adjacent to the bedside, and they looked as if they were brand new.
Even without suspecting that, anyone who went to the bookshelf in the midst of this would not take out a book and read it.
Even though Elisha was bleeding on her back, she hurriedly turned around and stepped back from the knights who wielded their swords toward her and reached for the bookshelf.
It wasnât the bookshelf that Elisha touched. It was the wall next to the bedside. The walls shattered, and pieces of stone poured out.
The bookshelf, leaning against the corner of the wall, also shook violently in the aftermath, but it did not tip over. Instead, pieces of stone that had been thrown around it were scattered.
The duke and knight retreated in surprise. One had to slide the bookshelf to the side to enter the secret passage under the bookshelf, but there was no way now because the stone fragments were blocking its course.
While they paused, the knights stopped Elisha from approaching with their swords. Elisa frowned and swung her sword violently.
The energy of water connected to the sword hit the knightsâ chests hard and pushed them back.
The knights that had been pushed dropped to the floor as they lost their balance.
Elisha did not miss the moment and caught up with the duke and his knight, who were about to pass through the wall to the next room.
Elisha raised her sword and was about to pierce Duke Verdin and his knight at once-!
But then she looked at the window with an ominous feeling. The window, starting from the other side of the corner where the bookshelf stood, was wide enough to occupy the entire outer side of the dukeâs room, and through it, a familiar face appeared to Elisha.
The moment she saw him, Elisha didnât think about why he was here even though he should be in the Western Tower. She immediately withdrew and escaped to the other side.
The surrounding mana fluctuated, the window shattered, and a huge ball of fire shot in at Elisa. It was a distinctly different force than before!
Iâm sure I only gave him half the magic theory, so how-?
It was only then that Elisha recalled that the person who was her teacher was the one who eventually achieved the 8th-circle and had overlooked the fact that he might be able to overcome one level with only a small clue since he had the foundation.
Elisha bit her lower lip and turned her head to check behind. Her teacher was smiling and looking at her. It was a benevolent face that he only showed when he created the best magic formula.