“It seems we can proceed like this. Once we infiltrate the imperial city, let’s move first. The other knights should start with some distance, preparing for any unexpected situations.”

Sir Dante spoke to the youngest knight among the ten members. It meant to go back and convey his opinion to the rest of the knights.

The handling of the Imperial Knights was the responsibility of Sieghart, who was in charge of the X-1 mission, and the knights of the Kshant Principality.

Their goal, tasked with the X-2 mission, was to reach the Emperor’s bedroom and eliminate him. They had to infiltrate the Emperor’s bedroom as stealthily as possible, as causing a commotion might allow the target to escape.

So, it would be better to move separately as Sir Dante said, rather than traveling in a group and exposing themselves to danger.

“Yes, understood!”

The knight who understood the fact moved swiftly.

Sir Dante, who had picked up the bag he had put down on the ground, now gestured towards Natasha.

“…Will the captain move with us as well?”

They had temporarily set aside titles that might reveal their identities.

Given that he was asking for her intentions in such a time-sensitive situation, it seemed Sir Dante hoped Natasha would not accompany him.

This was because nothing was as dangerous as running at the very front.

Bluntly put, even if the number of knights guarding the back gate was small, the same principle didn’t necessarily apply inside the imperial palace. Once inside, there could be many knights on standby.

Although they had received news through Cayena that palace security had become lax due to festival preparations, they couldn’t dismiss the suspicion that this information might be a trap, given their current inability to fully trust her.

“Well then.”

Natasha wasn’t unaware of this.

“It’s unthinkable for the captain to be absent in such a crucial situation.”

However, she couldn’t step back for just that reason.

“…Yes, I understand.”

Sir Dante smiled as if he couldn’t stop her. As if he had newly realized how stubborn the noble he served was.

“Then let’s depart.”

Natasha urged them to start without further hesitation.

Finally, Sir Dante sharpened his focus and crept forward.

He fitted an arrow to his bow and crossed the threshold with muffled footsteps. Moving his bow left and right busily, he checked the enemy’s movements. He was ready to shoot immediately if he encountered any enemies.

Sir Dante, who had been looking around in various directions, let out a sigh of relief.

“No one’s here.”

Fortunately, there were no knights standing guard at the back gate.

Natasha then took out a paper she had kept in her bosom and unfolded it. It was a paper with the location of the secret room that Natasha and Sir Dante had found during the imperial palace banquet.

She traced with her finger from where they were currently standing, ‘X-2’, to their destination, ‘O’.

“Do you remember the path in detail?”

Although they could follow the map directly, it would be most accurate for Sir Dante, who had experience going back and forth from the entrance to the exit of the passage, to guide them.

“Of course, it’s a path I’ve secretly entered and confirmed.”

Sir Dante shrugged with a confident expression.

“Just in case, move with your body lowered.”

Lanterns with lit candles were hanging in various places along the street. There was a high possibility that the knights guarding the interior might accidentally encounter their strides.

Following Sir Dante’s advice, the people lowered their bodies and slowly advanced in a single file like a flock of ducks.

The man’s steps were disciplined, befitting his confident answer.

Being a secret exit, the path was deserted. Perhaps because it was unknown even to the knights, there wasn’t a single knight assigned to surveillance in the vicinity.

Thanks to this, they were able to reach their destination more easily.

Sir Dante, who had been examining the lawn, suddenly stopped. After standing still and staring down for a while, he eventually crouched down and stroked the grass.

“This is the place.”

When he brushed the grass to the opposite side, a hidden doorknob was revealed.

Sir Dante, crouching down, lifted the doorknob with both hands.

Seeing that it didn’t budge even with Sir Dante’s strong force, it was clear that the resistance was unusually tough.

As if his strength had drained, he was breathing heavily.

“…Damn it.”

The man, who had never uttered profanity in front of Natasha, rarely muttered a curse.

Judging by the unfolding situation, it seemed some problem had arisen. Natasha, who had also crouched down, asked him what was wrong.

Feeling guilty about having to deliver sudden bad news, Sir Dante began his explanation with a much darker face.

“It seems the door is locked.”

“Locked? Didn’t we successfully come out last time?”

“…So, it seems we can get out from the inside, but can’t get in from the outside. Of course there would be a separate device for such an important place, how foolish of me not to check….”

Due to the extreme security of the imperial palace, Sir Dante had only confirmed the location of the passage but couldn’t actually enter it.

It was the first and last time he had traversed the passage on the day of the imperial banquet, so he hadn’t thought about the reverse situation.

“Then we can’t enter?”

Sir Dante grabbed the doorknob again and pulled.

Sir Dante, who sighed quietly, explained two directions.

“We could try breaking the doorknob with weapons. However, we won’t be able to prevent the noise.”

“You mean other knights might hear the noise and come looking.”

“…And if divine power has been applied, even the option of breaking the doorknob would be useless. If it’s imbued with divine power, it won’t break easily and it would take quite some time.”

“So we’d not only fail the plan but also risk exposing our identity.”

It was a terrifying future just to think about.

Natasha, who had been glaring at the door, grasped the doorknob.

“It will be possible.”

“…”

“No, we must make it possible.”

We had to.

Retreating here was out of the question.

It was while sitting holding the doorknob. In this difficult situation, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu was discovered.

As if it was a situation she had experienced once before.

‘Back then…’

Natasha recalled her past self lingering in front of the Emperor’s bedroom.

‘That door definitely had divine power on it too.’

The moment when the door that hadn’t budged no matter how much she struck it suddenly opened.

Natasha stared intently at her other hand that was fumbling. Her twitching fingers curled inward, forming a solid fist.

Whoo, Natasha, taking a deep breath, glared downwards with raised eyes. The doorknob, which had stubbornly maintained its form even against Sir Dante’s strength, seemed to be waiting for Natasha’s struggle.

‘Let’s try exactly like back then. To draw out again the opportunity that God gave me then.’

One.

‘My God. That damned door…’

Two.

‘Let me kill that damned Kyle Letius!’

Three—.

Natasha brought her fist down on the door.

Her hand, which had become ragged in a short moment, belatedly exuded tremendous pain.

“…Captain, is your hand alright!”

Sir Dante, surprised by the sudden situation, examined Natasha. Flustered, he kept moving his mouth afterward.

It was then.

Smoke began to billow over the hand gently placed on the doorknob.

The pale smoke like a heat haze enveloped the doorknob for a moment. The doorknob made a creaking sound, and soon the problematic door opened.

Natasha pointed at the door with her drooping hand. It was a gesture to check if it had opened properly.

Sir Dante ordered the surrounding knights to support the princess, then approached the door. Still doubtful, he slightly pulled the handle without lowering his guard.

“…It’s open.”

What greeted him was a wide-open door.

He poked his head under the door and slowly observed below.

“Yes, the ladder is still there below. It seems we can go down the ladder and then go backwards through the underground passage to reach the Emperor’s bedroom.”

It was a hopeful statement. A lively smile spread across his tired face.

“Alright, let’s depart immediately.”

She immediately got up and approached the door.

After Sir Dante’s turn, this time Natasha climbed down the ladder. Sir Dante, who had reached first, extended his hand to assist her landing.

All ten members successfully set foot in the passage. The remaining members who followed also arrived at the passage without major issues.

“It’s a bit dark.”

Perhaps because of the cave-like interior, voices echoed.

When the ground-level door was closed, light was blocked and the whole world was dyed in darkness. Natasha, unfamiliar with the darkness, groped along the wall, searching for the way.

Sir Dante, who had lit a candle, handed the lantern to Natasha. Although it couldn’t be called bright, the surroundings became light enough to move without problems.

As the passage wasn’t too narrow, the group decided to walk in pairs. Natasha, being in charge, took the very first row, and of course, Sir Dante took the place beside her.

It was while they were crossing, keeping their voices as low as possible in preparation for any situation.

When they had reached about the middle of the passage, someone revealed their form.

“…Cayena Ten.”

It was Cayena Ten, the untrustworthy helper.