YWPWYLFDM 29

Chapter 29

But Cloud met the attack with his greatsword, intercepting it in one sweep. Before anyone could react, he drew the hidden dagger from the hilt and drove it into the abdomen of a knight charging from behind.

With his left hand, he wielded the dagger with devastating efficiency, toppling several knights in an instant.

“Damn it.”

Alexia muttered a harsh word under her breath as she watched her subordinates fall wounded. In no time, the metallic scent of blood began to fill the air.

No matter their numbers, the ordinary knights could not match Cloud. Even though they were all highly skilled members of the Imperial Guard, they were no match for him. All they could do was temporarily impede his movements.

“…It seems my opponent here is you alone, Sir Dexen.”

Cloud’s blood-splattered face twisted into a grim expression as he spoke. He was right. Alexia swung her sword at him—heavier and far weightier than a standard blade.

Whoosh. The sound of the heavy sword slicing through the air was ominous.

‘…Truly an impressive woman.’

Though he had managed to parry her blade, this time it was genuinely challenging. It wasn’t the right moment to indulge in nostalgia, but he couldn’t help recalling his brother’s words about working with her.

Beyfold, who had sparred with her countless times, always said: “Alexia Dexen’s sword has a power that can’t be described precisely.” He had praised her repeatedly.

Cloud had never underestimated her for being a woman, but even so, he hesitated before the sheer force behind her strikes—more powerful than anyone he had faced before.

But that hesitation lasted only a moment.

If Alexia had strength, Cloud had agility.

After a few exchanges, he began to recognize the patterns in her heavy attacks. Rather than parrying, he chose to evade with swift movements.

While dodging her blade back and forth, a single remaining knight, still able to fight, gritted his teeth and charged at Cloud with his sword raised. Cloud intercepted with his dagger, but Alexia was not about to let the opportunity slip.

In an instant, her sword descended upon him.

Cloud twisted his body to dodge, but unfortunately could not evade completely. The blade slashed vertically across the right side of his face, narrowly grazing his eye.

“…Damn it.”

He couldn’t die here—not yet.

There was family to protect. They were his brother’s dependents, and with Beyfold no longer in the world to shield them, it was up to him to survive and safeguard them.

He resorted to the hidden weapon in his shoe.

Stamping his heel hard against the ground, a sudden explosion of light and sound erupted—a flash bomb created by magic.

Alexia, stunned by the unexpected noise and light, took a moment to recover her senses. By the time she did, Cloud had already vanished.

“Follow the blood trail!”

Those who were uninjured hurried after the trail he had left, but by the time they reached the back alley outside the building, even the blood had vanished.

“…Damn it!!!”

Alexia erupted in frustration. Too many had been injured, yet nothing had been gained. Underestimating Cloud had been her fatal mistake.

“Attend to the wounded! Quickly!”

Healers Alexia had prepared immediately began using restorative magic on the injured. Fortunately, there were many skilled healers since they were tasked with protecting the sole Imperial Prince. As long as the victims were alive, they would likely survive.

‘No… not entirely useless.’

At least one fact had been confirmed from this encounter.

Byron Lionel Vito Peles, the eldest son of the late emperor who had vanished after the rebellion, had returned.

“…Laura, is something wrong?”

Eila asked cautiously, spooning the stew Laura had brought her. They had been confined to the inn room for several weeks now.

Well, technically, she had slipped out once while Laura slept, but all she had done was return with a few sheets of paper and writing utensils from the inn lobby.

In any case, Winfred’s journey to be appointed Crown Prince was nearing its end. In just a few days, he would be wandering some remote mountain or fortress again.

But the atmosphere in the inn was strange. Both Laura and Capella stood silently by her side, wearing worried expressions.

Even Laura, usually quick to tease Eila or make baseless complaints, had seemed subdued in the past few days. She hadn’t uttered a single word of her usual nonsense.

“…No.”

Laura answered only that, biting her lips tightly. Her eyes, heavy with concern, glistened with tears.

Clearly something was wrong—something serious—but neither Laura nor Capella would speak, leaving Eila frustrated.

Sighing, Eila took another large spoonful of stew. She couldn’t force them to talk.

Soon, it seemed the time had come to use the sleeping potion she hadn’t needed in a while.

That evening, while Capella temporarily left to relieve Laura at Eila’s side, Eila took out the sleeping potion she had hidden in the box Winfred had given her, waiting for Laura to return. She didn’t forget to drop a single drop into the water bottle in the room.

‘…Almost there.’

She hadn’t made much to begin with; the potion was nearly gone. It wouldn’t matter once they left the city anyway.

A short while later, Laura entered the room with a dark expression.

“…Go to sleep now, milady.”

Laura, attending to her, spoke in a subdued tone. The atmosphere felt heavy.

“Mm.”

Eila rested her head on the pillow, pretending to fall asleep.

“Sniff, sniff…”

Laura began to cry quietly, as if trying not to make a sound.

‘…What on earth is happening?’

Confused, Eila could only watch. Whatever it was, it seemed serious.

After a while, Laura, parched, drank water from the bottle containing the sleeping potion. Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep.

‘…This is troubling.’

Laura, usually so strong-willed, was crying so bitterly. What could be going on?

Eila quietly slipped out of the room and made her way to Byron’s quarters.

She felt she could learn what was happening there the fastest.

As expected, Byron’s anxious voice reached her:

“Cloud? Any news?”

Cloud… Eila realized it had been several days since she last saw him. She cautiously opened the door to Byron’s room. One of Byron’s subordinates bowed apologetically, looking troubled.

“Yes, my lord.”

“It’s been several days… He hasn’t been captured, right?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem so. They appear to be searching for Cloud. From what I heard, he might have been injured, but nothing seems wrong…”

Hearing the report, Byron anxiously bit his lip with his only hand.

Eila stared in disbelief.

‘Cloud hasn’t returned for several days? What is going on?’

“…Use as many people as you can to search for Cloud. If he’s dead, at least bring the body back.”

Byron spoke in a dark tone. The subordinate saluted and began to leave to follow orders.

‘Better get out of here quickly.’

Eila stepped away from the door. She wanted more information, but there was no way to obtain it safely.

Back in her room, she pulled out her hidden paper and writing utensils, sitting beside the table to organize her thoughts.

‘Cloud’s mission… was to kill Winfred.’

If he had set out on that mission and hadn’t returned for days, there was only one likely scenario: he had clashed with the Imperial Guard protecting Winfred.

Cloud was cautious and a strong knight.

She had only seen him use a dagger when he taught her, but she had once witnessed him wield two swords of different lengths simultaneously. The intimidation she had felt then was vivid enough to remember as if it were yesterday.

Eila thought she might be superior to Cloud, but only in stealth and infiltration.

Even then, she would still be outmatched in skill. If he were injured to the point where others were harmed, something serious had certainly occurred.

‘Did he infiltrate the building? If so… is Winfred safe?’

If Cloud had rushed into the building to prevent harm to Winfred, her first concern was his safety.

‘He should be fine. The Imperial Guard wouldn’t be so negligent with their only prince.’

In her previous life, nothing like this had happened. This meant it was due to something Eila had changed after returning to the past.

‘…Could it be because I gave Winfred information? If so… it might be a trap.’

A trap set to deliberately capture Cloud.

‘Still… if Cloud doesn’t return, what happens to me?’