Return of the Female Knight

Paveluc was in a foul mood. The battle at the border was going horribly. Elena was supposed to be his contingency plan, but he just received news that she escaped.

Kwaaang!

Paveluc slammed his fist on his desk.

“…Nothing can go wrong.”

According to his original plan, Paveluc would have sent Elena’s severed arm to the border as a warning to Carlisle. His expression contorted with fury at the failure of his plan.

Ttog ttog.

There was an urgent knock, and the voice of one of his subordinates came through the door.

“It’s about General Aegi, My Lord.”

“Come in and report.”

With Paveluc’s permission, the messenger entered the room and spoke.

“One of General Aegi’s spies has reported that the road to the Kelt Kingdom is blocked. The troops are losing morale, and the General wants to set a deadline in fighting the war.”

“Ha. How amusing that he so confidently declared he would take Carlisle’s life, and now he’s already got his tail tucked between his legs.”

Nevertheless, the Kelt Kingdom’s sudden loss of nerve was a great blow, and Paveluc couldn’t let them pull out of the campaign. The withdrawal of Kelt troops would leave Lunen vulnerable to utter defeat.

“Currently, there is no single kingdom that can challenge the Ruford Empire. If we miss this opportunity, you can tell General Aegi that the Kelt Kingdom will never be able to overthrow the Ruford Empire forever.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“I’ll go to the border where the General is now. Have my men follow me, and leave the minimum number of troops in the capital.”

“Understood.”

At the moment, the Lunen generals, along with General Aegi, were fighting hard at the border. Paveluc was certain that his presence would make all the difference, and as soon as he joined them, he could tip the scales in their favor. But before that…

There was one more thing to do.

‘I simply just can’t let my valued guest leave.’

Paveluc, his face set, took a long walk outside the dark castle. Hundreds of men were beginning to gather outside, and soon there would be thousands of troops ready to move from the capital city towards the border.

Paveluc walked confidently ahead of them, murmuring to himself in a low voice.

“Well…I guess I have to hunt the rabbit myself.”

He may have lost Elena, but she wasn’t out of Lunen’s borders yet. In addition, they were both heading in the same direction, and Paveluc did not intend to let her slip away again. She was more trouble than she was worth, and it was better for him to kill her with his own hands instead.

Above all, he wouldn’t allow Carlisle to get what he wanted. If Carlisle ever got Elena back, it would only be her cold corpse.

Paveluc had no intention of allowing Elena to fall into anyone else’s hands. It was better to take care of one’s own problems. The corner of Paveluc’s mouth lifted in a smile.

“I will harshly punish those who dare invade Lunen.”

***

At present, there were three units sent to rescue Elena, led by Alphord, Derek, and Kuhn, respectively. They succeeded in rescuing Elena, but they could not let their guard down until they escaped Lunen’s borders. The Ruford soldiers managed to slip into Lunen secretly, but now the entirety of Lunen was on the lookout for them.

Elena, who now regained some of her strength, turned to her father with a questioning look.

“Father, won’t Derek and Sir Kasha join us?”

“The greater the number of people moving together, the more attention it will draw to us. We’ve already coordinated our movements.”

“…I see.”

The elite Ruford knights were the best on the continent, but there still had to be a limited number of them to sneak into Lunen. Their capture would only amount to a few hundred soldiers.

From the beginning, the units planned to move separately to deceive their enemies. All three would move as if they rescued Elena, so Lunen would never really know which one had Elena and which one were decoys. Alphord omitted these details when he spoke to Elena, but she could make an educated guess on their strategy.

‘Everyone is worried.’

More people than she expected risked their lives to rescue her. She hoped that Derek, Kuhn, and the others would be as safe as possible…

Elena had no choice but to pray in her heart.