Carlos ran following the faint presence he sensed at the end of his aura. He felt like he was going mad.

Was it all a trap? Causing a large-scale conflict of tens of thousands in a distant region to inevitably draw out troops, heading there himself to leave the imperial capital’s defenses weak and kidnap Mercedes… All of it?

Was such an elaborate trap possible for the Empress Dowager?

Had he been too complacent?

Endless self-recrimination followed. The more he berated himself, the tighter he gripped the reins and urged on his horse. He rode and rode until the horse was exhausted and began to stumble.

The place where he sensed Mercedes seemed to get closer, yet remained out of reach.

Ten minutes felt like ten years.

Clearly at the edge of his aura, he could sense the unextinguished light of life. And… strangely, he felt that life force growing stronger.

‘Is it Elawe’s ability?’

Could it be that a battle had broken out and Mercedes was forced to use magic herself?

That worried him even more. Though Mercedes’ condition had improved somewhat, she was still quite weak, and hadn’t she lived a life far removed from combat?

I should have had her learn self-defense. I should have had Skylar make her magical tools.

He had to keep repeating his regrets endlessly.

Still, thanks to Skylar who had chased after him and dispelled the curse, he was able to endure despite his exhaustion.

In fact, he was riding at a pace that would make a normal person scream for rest, but he did not stop. The pain in his body didn’t matter.

As he continued to extend his aura towards where he sensed Mercedes without withdrawing it, he soon felt Skylar’s magic being pushed back and his body beginning to petrify again.

But what did it matter if an arm or leg turned to stone and had to be cut off? He paid it no mind.

If only Mercedes was safe.

Please, please return safely to his arms.

That was all he wished for.

When had he come to love her this much? He’d known since he realized he could never kill her, he’d known, but…

“Damn it. To hell with this!”

After riding like that for quite some time, just when it seemed he was finally getting closer, his horse finally collapsed.

Carlos skillfully used a falling technique as he tumbled from the horse.

‘It was too much, after all.’

It would normally take two days to cover this distance, but Carlos was trying to do it in nearly one day, so it was inevitable the horse would tire out.

Carlos quickly gave the horse water and removed its saddle. After hastily providing the minimum care so the beast could rest…

He began to run.

Though slower than on horseback, his body had reached a level where he could use aura. His running speed was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Fortunately, he sensed Mercedes getting closer and closer. Her life force was still pulsing strongly.

“Please.”

In the distance, dawn was breaking. It was the sun rising after a full day since departing from the battlefield.

As he ran through the forest, all sorts of branches and plants scratched him, leaving cuts. Carlos finally arrived at his destination in a complete mess.

“Where is Mercedes?”

And there were a thousand soldiers standing guard.

It was an intimidating number.

The rebel leader had deliberately stationed quite a large number of troops here. Well, it was possible since so many defeated soldiers had gathered.

Not taking Mercedes away was bait. If the emperor mad with love really came here to face a thousand men, he would inevitably suffer losses.

Well, it would be the same whether he went to the imperial capital or remained in the area clearing up the conflict. They could overwhelm him with numbers here.

The leader believed Carlos had gained his fame by cutting down thousands because he had the backing of his knightly order behind him.

The skills of that knight commander, Gregory or whatever his name was, were also certain.

And those thousands of lives were not cut down in a single day, but were achievements made over many days and nights during long conquest campaigns.

In reality, it would be truly impossible for one person to immediately dispose of a thousand standing before them.

And Carlos Rivera had committed the foolish act of entering the battlefield alone, with the body of an emperor, because of love.

“It’s the Emperor of Lum!”

“You bastard!”

“Capture him at all costs, somehow!”

“For the Kingdom of Tean, erased from the map!”

“For my homeland!”

“Your Majesty of Weatheron, please watch over me!”

The defeated soldiers raised their swords, shouting the names of their respective countries.

Seeing the emperor covered in wounds and sweat, reeking of blood, they felt confident they could somehow subdue him.

There were a thousand of them, after all.

Everyone raised their swords and faced off against Carlos for a moment. Thinking he would be flustered and show even a little fear.

But even before that great number, Carlos drew his greatsword and exuded an even more intimidating aura.

Like a demonic hand about to devour them whole.

“Is Mercedes safe?”

He asked the same question again.

“You don’t need to know!”

“That wench has already been tortured plenty!”

“Haha. Her screams were pleasant to hear.”

The defeated soldiers hurled insults and sneered at him, scratching at his insides. It was because they believed in their numbers.

Carlos took a deep breath and clenched his fingertips again. His hands were already stiff and numb from using aura on the way here.

He spoke in a low voice, very calmly. But strong anger was boiling inside.

“Then you lot will have to be our outlet for venting today.”

“Ha! What confidence!”

“No need to see more. Do you think you can defeat us, Emperor! Just kneel!”

“You fool!”

As jeers poured in from all directions, Carlos replied with a sneer. His eyes were burning with anger, as if about to tear people apart.

“Are you usually this talkative? Well, no wonder you lost to me. People with no substance.”

“This bastard!”

“How dare you!”

Carlos’ provocation.

That was the start. A thousand warriors raised their swords and rushed at him. Carlos was instantly surrounded.

He was not afraid.

Mercedes was there at the end. The only thought was that he must hurry and take her hand.

The empty space before him.

His sword filled with aura sliced through that emptiness. The defeated soldiers were sent flying back en masse, then charged forward again… Chaos full of wailing began.

Carlos quickly wiped the blood that had splattered in his eyes and leapt towards the next opponent.

His movements were like those of a beast.

The soldiers swarming like ants seemed endless. Carlos’ body, which normally never ran out of breath, began to scream.

No matter how many he cut down, they kept coming.

Enemy blades flew at him incessantly. He glided between them like he was dancing, thrusting his blade. His mind was filled only with Mercedes’ face.

His arms stiffened and his legs grew rigid, making him gradually slower. Though Carlos had the reputation of cutting down a thousand alone, it was too much to fight while dodging blades flying from behind in a battlefield with no one guarding his back.

Still, Carlos did not stop.

“Huff!”

He drew in a breath and looked ahead again. The heat in his black eyes showed no signs of cooling. Mercedes, Mercedes. My Mel. My beloved and cherished lady.

I hope you’re not in pain. I hope you’re not suffering because of me. You’ve become more precious to me than anything in the world.

How long had he fought like that?

“You crazy monster!”

“Catch him! Catch him!”

Now things like ropes and chains were being thrown to try to capture him.

Though many had died, there were still many remaining.

Though the power of Carlos’ greatsword was tremendous, was it because he was alone? The soldiers’ momentum was still fierce and overflowing.

“Aaargh!”

“Die, die!”

“Ugh.”

In the midst of this, Carlos’ thigh was deeply cut. But he neither sat down nor retreated. He just caught his breath and entrusted his body to the sword techniques he knew.

Perhaps because of this, unlike the soldiers whose eyes were still bloodshot as they charged at Carlos, some on one side began to develop trauma. Behind those gritting their teeth, dozens began to step back.

Carlos was almost like a demon. The pressure that seemed impossible to overcome, the unextinguished fire in his eyes, made them afraid.

But in this chaos, no one paid attention to them. So… no one noticed.

That a white hand was secretly approaching, taking away their breath.

* * *

Perhaps it was thanks to absorbing life force from four people, but though she had grown rapidly exhausted during the battle, after fainting and waking up she felt refreshed and even overflowing with energy.

Mercedes didn’t realize it, but she hadn’t been unconscious for very long.

‘How much… time has passed?’

She blinked and looked around the dark underground room. There was no one.

Using the power within her body to sense presences nearby and outside, she became puzzled. There was no one monitoring her… and it seemed like some commotion was happening outside.

Whatever it was, if there was chaos outside, it would be easier to escape. She undid her bindings and immediately went outside.

After magically opening the door leading to the surface, she opened it slightly and peered out.

Through the gap, pandemonium was unfolding.

‘W-What is this?’

She had expected chaos, but seeing soldiers falling while bleeding made her flustered. Of course, this situation would make it easier for her to escape, so it was fortunate for her.

There seemed to be something in the center…

‘Huh? Car…los?’

Looking closely, Carlos was there in the center.

Alone.

“…Are you crazy, are you insane?”

Her body trembled slightly as she watched him swing his sword.

She got goosebumps at his movements that seemed to have reached the realm of art, and she was dumbfounded that he was pushing himself so hard.

Was he going to take down all these people alone, for her sake? Had he returned so quickly from that far-off place, for her sake?

To that extent…

Did he love her that much?

Mercedes thought she might cry. But there was no time for that.

She slapped her own cheek hard and quickly came to her senses.

There was no one to help them now. Seeing Carlos rush here alone, he must have left before the regional conflict was resolved.

Then she had to step up.

After coming out of the door, she moved quickly to avoid being noticed by others.

Her wheat-colored hair, white skin, and light-colored nightgown were too conspicuous to just walk around, and she needed more strength.

So she searched the bodies of soldiers who had fallen after being deflected by the sword, and disguised herself with a robe and armor she found.

By now, searching corpses didn’t bother her at all.

She had to save Carlos quickly.

Though she wasn’t sure how much she could absorb…

She secretly absorbed life force from those whose breath was fading, and from those who had fled and were trembling from trauma. She felt her power growing stronger. Soon.

When she felt confident she could create one decisive blow to dominate this chaos.

She raised her head.

Using such a large spell would likely make her collapse immediately, but she didn’t care about that.

She wanted to help Carlos.

With her heart racing, she knocked down one last soldier, then stood up and shouted. To draw everyone’s attention, she even used magic to make light radiate from her entire body.

“Carlos−!”

Amidst the pandemonium, her voice, magically amplified, rang out.

For a moment, all eyes turned to one place. Thanks to the light and sound, the battlefield paused briefly.

“Mer…cedes.”

Where everyone’s gaze was fixed stood a small figure in tattered robes, shining pure white.