Return of the Female Knight

“Who the hell are you?”

“…”

The men did not speak, and their only response was to lift their swords together in preparation of an attack. Carlisle stepped in front of Elena to shield her.

“We have to get out.”

“I agree.”

Elena was about to rush back towards the carriage, when—

Hiiing!

Several men had already surrounded the carriage, and they cut down the driver and horse with their swords. Part of Elena’s vision went black as the large animal collapsed to the ground. Due to the Northern Palace’s isolation, no transportation meant that they were effectively stranded. Elena and Carlisle did not expect to be ambushed in the Imperial Palace, and did not have a single guard with them.

“Elena!”

Carlisle cried out to her, and Elena turned her head as he tossed her a sword.

Taat!

She caught the sword and rushed back to Carlisle’s side, before facing the men again. Elena’s fluid skill and expert stance momentarily confused the assassins, but they soon regained their reason, and with a loud cry, they rushed towards the pair.

Steel flashed in the night, and as Carlisle and Elena fought, the disadvantages piled up on them. There were too many men blocking them to be able to make their escape. No matter Carlisle’s and Elena’s elite skills, they still had physical limitations. In the end, they would run out of stamina and the hoard of troops would overwhelm them.

Elena took further stock of the situation. The fact that there was an ambush prepared in the place where Sullivan called them likely meant he was in trouble.

“What happened to Father?”

Carlisle’s eyes darkened ominously at Elena’s question, but he remained focused on the immediate problem in front of them.

“Let’s think about getting out of here first.”

There was a squelching sound as Carlisle drove his sword into a man’s chest and then pulled it out. The body collapsed to the ground and blood gushed into the air. Because Carlisle and Elena were fighting off so many men at once, their clothes were soon soaked dark red with blood. Carlisle gritted his teeth.

“I wanted to avoid this if possible, but I have no other choice.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“It’s not a great plan, but follow me. I’ll break through the path, so watch my back.”

“Understood.”

Carlisle was far more familiar with the terrain and layout of the Northern Palace. She followed his rapid footsteps and protected his back. The assassins were hot on their heels, determined to end Carlisle no matter what.

“Ah!”

As Elena blocked off three of the assassins, one of them managed to cut her right arm with their sword. Although the damage was minimal, she couldn’t afford an injury when she was constantly moving. The wound wasn’t deep, but blood dripped down from her limb. Carlisle glanced at her injury and grimaced silently.

Tadag tadag!

Carlisle and Elena grunted as they simultaneously fought to keep the assassins at bay and flee towards their escape route. If they failed…they may both lose their lives here.

Chaaang!

Carlisle blocked a sword headed straight for Elena, then spoke to her with a dark expression.

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have brought my wife. ”

Despite the danger before them, Elena gave a smile small at the fact that Carlisle would speak something so heartfelt at this time.

“What do you mean? Without me, your chances of surviving would have been halved.”

Survival seemed bleak at this point, but without Elena here, Carlisle’s death was almost inevitable. Elena’s red eyes shone like blood.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Don’t say that. If it comes to worst, I won’t hesitate to let you survive.”

“No.”

Elena had already survived alone in her last life, and Carlisle’s words affected her more than he realized. She never wanted to suffer through such a lonely hell again.

“If today is your last day, I will go with you.”

It was only a little while longer that Carlisle would become emperor. It would be devastating to die the moment before they reached their goal, but she did not intend to carry on. If Carlisle would fall here, then she would fall in the very same spot.

Carlisle gave a grim chuckle.

“…Then I must accept your decision.”

Both were quick to repel another enemy attack after their brief conversation.

At last, the two arrived at a dauntingly high cliff. Elena’s eyes widened as she looked at the drop below.

“Caril, this is—”

“I told you, it’s not the best option. But we don’t have any other choice.”

Carlisle’s gaze hammered home of the severity of this decision. Jumping off a cliff was not much better than being killed by assassins, but she didn’t have the time to say it.

Swiiiig!

Chang! Chaang!

It was getting harder to repel the enemies’ attack. The wound on her right arm had deepened, and her arm was starting to feel numb as blood flowed freely from it. On top of that, the assassins were emboldened once they saw that their prey was trapped by the cliff. Elena quickly glanced over to Carlisle.

‘Caril wants me to survive, but it’s not me that’s supposed to live and plan for the future. I have to stall the enemies so he can escape.’

Elena was only a pawn in Carlisle’s path in becoming emperor. It was he that had to survive and find the culprit who sent the assassins, and become emperor to deal with Ophelia and Paveluc. Despite the determination of Elena’s heart, however, her arm started to fail.

‘…A little more.’

The sound of metal rang in the wide empty air as Elena parried attacks from every direction.

Swiiiig—

In a gap between the assassins, a sword flashed furiously towards Elena in an angle she could not avoid. She tried to block it with her sword, but her right arm throbbed in pain and she missed her timing by a millisecond.

‘No…!’

Elena knew that there was no way to avoid the attack. She clenched her eyes in preparation for the sword that would skewer her body.

Suddenly, Carlisle’s arms grabbed hold of Elena’s body. The sword ran into Carlisle’s side, and as it pulled out, blood spouted like a fountain. The scene seem to happen in front of Elena’s eyes as if in slow motion.