Ch.25The White Knight of the Empire

“How on earth did they manage to travel so far in such a short time?”

Today marked the fifth day of tracking Charle. The sun and moon had already taken turns retreating beyond the horizon multiple times, each completing their recharging cycle.

“Five days… it’s already been five days.”

Realistically speaking, we’d missed the golden time window by a considerable margin. The only consolation was that whatever they planned to do with Charle remained unknown. At least their objective probably wasn’t something as one-dimensional as a hostage situation with her life at stake.

I hadn’t stopped running even once during this time. Despite racing at speeds that made the surrounding scenery blur past, I still couldn’t get a fix on Zikharun’s location.

Though I was relying on another function of this body that Nepy had engraved into me, I honestly felt anxious.

“Plus, this familiar scenery…”

The landscape stretching and receding like afterimages involuntarily reminded me of a snow-white back. I continuously recalled the owner of that white silhouette. Through my efforts, a clear image emerged—a woman with a familiar yet chilling impression.

‘Irefi!’

I was slowly beginning to remember. Though the substance was different, I recalled the white knight who fearlessly turned her back and strode forward with confident steps while facing the evil Nepy. Her afterimage seemed to melt into every path, demanding that I reflect on what was now a memory of the past.

‘This feels unsettling.’

It wasn’t that my journey with Irefi was unsettling. Rather, if I continued seeing these familiar landscapes, the next place would be that village where I learned about Irefi’s tastes.

‘Who would have thought that terrifying boss would burst into laughter at dad jokes?’

Citris Village.

In a short time, I found myself in the village where I first had dinner with Irefi. Every time I bounced across rooftops to avoid people, I could clearly hear the unsettled murmurs.

It was inevitable that I’d draw attention with movements that far exceeded human limitations. After a moment of clarity, I realized the houses of Citris Village had shrunk to the size of toys, and the villagers appeared as mere dots.

As I entered the lush forest path, I felt a twinge of anxiety. The geography I passed was familiar, and the direction my instincts pointed me was unmistakable.

The anxiety I’d hoped was unfounded became reality after half a day. A massive iron gate, spread wide like wings mimicking bizarre rock formations, came into view.

“The Great Cavern of all places? Is this for real? What’s so special about—”

What was even more unexpected was that while Zikharun’s energy felt vivid, I couldn’t detect anyone else’s presence at all. This meant they hadn’t even stationed minimal security personnel.

‘It must be one of two things. Either Charle isn’t there and only Zikharun is, or if only Zikharun is there, they don’t need security personnel.’

Assigning mediocre troops against an asymmetrical force like Zikharun would only reduce efficiency. Especially since Zikharun, whose signature skill was area-of-effect attacks, wasn’t suited for cooperative combat with allies. The Irefi raid in the original work was an extremely exceptional case.

Perhaps the rest of their forces were plotting something elsewhere.

‘There weren’t many characters in the original work who could match Zikharun, so this isn’t surprising.’

But if Charle wasn’t there, that would be a different story. I’d be tied up dealing with Zikharun while completely missing Charle. After all, I could track Zikharun, not Charle.

I desperately prayed that wasn’t the case.

“If Charle isn’t there, I’ll grab that protagonist by the hair and beat him senseless…!”

I’ll defeat him by any means necessary, even if I have to do something unimaginable.

◇

Three days before Nepy’s perspective.

“Haah.”

Irefi’s self-deprecating hot breath permeated the air. She was strolling through the garden to calm her troubled mind.

Since collapsing in Miren’s room, she’d been bothered by the terrible nightmare. The resentment and hostility that felt like thousands of needles densely pricking her skin still lingered, making her skin tingle.

And what about her hair dragging on the floor? When she accidentally stepped on it due to poor visibility, it broke off effortlessly without any pain.

She could tell her appearance was wretched even without a mirror.

“Aah! Really, what is this… it just won’t leave my head!”

Even shaking her head while clutching her temples with both hands didn’t help. Unlike in the dream, only her soft, bouncy hair brushed sharply against her forearms.

Yet the final thought she’d heard in her dream kept circling in her mind.

[Protect.]

“Does it mean protect my daily life? No, there’s no reason to worry about dreams in the first place… But why am I acting like this…?”

Irefi blankly focused on empty space.

Clear.

Perhaps it was because her body had transcended both cold and heat, making her numb, but it was probably hot. It was that season, after all.

Empty your thoughts. Looking at the clear blue sky without a single cloud would surely help her forget.

‘Mmm…’

Mmm…

It felt like her mind and thoughts were being purified. Just like this, just a little longer. Yes, just a little more.

What brought Irefi back to her senses from her escape from reality was a massive disturbance.

As she endlessly gazed into empty space, a sudden thunderous noise made her jump.

BOOM-!

“Huh!”

Irefi’s hand instinctively reached for her ceremonial sword. Simultaneously, she leaped onto a spire to investigate the source of the thunderous noise.

Irefi couldn’t help but be shocked.

Bright red flames and acrid black smoke were rising simultaneously from all directions across the island-nation of Eldrion.

“How!”

That was her first reaction.

No matter how stealthy the enemies might be, there are limits. How could enemy forces rise simultaneously from the four cardinal directions of the island where security had been strengthened as a precaution?

It was impossible. Such a feat was beyond even Irefi herself or Nepy.

“This is no time to analyze…!”

Irefi quickly gathered all the forces of the imperial palace. In emergency situations, she was the only one besides the Emperor who could issue orders equally to all knights regardless of their order affiliation.

That was the position of the Nelfrugia Knights’ Commander. As the Emperor’s chief bodyguard, she could exercise nearly unlimited authority when necessary.

The knights gathered in front of the main palace were packed tightly. This scene was possible because they had gathered as many forces as possible at the imperial palace in preparation for emergencies.

They stared at Irefi with stern expressions without saying a word. Irefi also opened her mouth with a rigid tone.

“From this moment, all four knight orders are under my command.”

Though it was a brief statement, the impact was considerable. Murmurs flowed from the other knight orders except for the Nelfrugia Knights, which Irefi commanded.

She continued without minding.

“Unfortunately, there’s no time for grand speeches. From now on, all forces of the imperial palace, regardless of rank, are to eliminate the rebels trampling Eldrion. Also, the field commanders will temporarily be the four commander-level officers gathered here, and the Nelfrugia Knights will be evenly divided among these four commanders to serve under their orders.”

“Yes! Understood!”

The response came primarily from the Nelfrugia Knights.

Among the knight orders gathered here, there were four besides Nelfrugia. The remaining four knight orders maintained a relatively lukewarm attitude, with passive responses barely audible like mosquito sounds.

Just as Irefi’s brow was about to furrow, one of the commander-level officers took the initiative to speak.

“If all of us leave, there will be no personnel to protect the imperial palace.”

“There is personnel.”

“But the knights gathered here represent the total force of the imperial palace.”

“I will personally protect the imperial palace.”

“Ha!”

He couldn’t help but snort.

The man who snorted was named Rezet, the commander of the Iagis Knights responsible for guarding the imperial palace. Rezet inwardly thought that Irefi’s mind had collapsed due to panic.

‘Has this woman truly gone mad? How vast is the imperial palace, and she claims she’ll handle it alone? There are limits to absurdity.’

Rezet’s statement had its own logic. As the chief responsible for the security of the imperial palace, he knew better than anyone how vast and complex it was.

And she claims she’ll handle such a palace alone?

Perhaps she feared dying by a blind blade in Eldrion? Rezet inflated all sorts of imaginations.

He secretly mocked Irefi as he saw her fingertips trembling slightly. It seemed like an act acknowledging his suspicions.

The moment he realized this was a complete miscalculation approached quickly.

“Rezet, do you find me amusing?”

“No, not to that extent…”

Even while speaking intimidatingly, Irefi had to acknowledge it. From their perspective, she was no different from a ridiculous clown.

By imperial order, she had thoroughly concealed her power, and spread false rumors that she had been seriously injured during a mission because of scandal. At Duke Feita’s manor, she had only stamped her feet because of the people who would be caught in the attack’s aftermath, and the vice-commander of Nelfrugia had committed suicide shortly after being detained.

The current version of her was a masterpiece of distrust and dishonor.

“…”

Irefi closed her eyes. It was to organize the thoughts that kept popping up.

Eldrion was rapidly descending into chaos. There were also many nobles who had settled on the island. The reason they stayed on the island rather than in their territories was because of their trust in the imperial family. She couldn’t let their faith plummet.

Above all, she was worried about the powerless common people. Innocent people who lacked the military and financial resources to protect themselves would suffer.

She finished her thoughts in a brief silence.

“…Then, I will prove that I am not amusing.”

“What? What sudden—”

Nonsense?

While Rezet swallowed his words, Irefi drew her ceremonial sword.

Shing-

The silver-white blade reflected the sunlight, gleaming magnificently. At that moment, Rezet unconsciously reached for his weapon.

He thought she had drawn her sword to make an example of insubordination. But Irefi’s gaze was fixed on Eldrion, not Rezet.

“What… are you trying to do?”

“Just watch quietly. We’re curious too.”

Someone from the Nelfrugia Knights interjected. Rezet looked at him, irritated by the impertinent tone of a mere knight, but soon closed his mouth. The gaze of the Nelfrugia Knights was too unusual to confront.

It was like the gaze of a child anticipating a long-awaited scene in a play.

“It’s just a vague guess, but we know. We know the Commander’s true value.”

Everyone in the Nelfrugia Knights knew.

That she had never given her all during training. That she was the only survivor of the Chainlich Phenomenon. And… though it was just a conspiracy theory, the rumor that she might have been the one who suppressed the Chainlich Phenomenon.

But rumors are just rumors. There had been much debate even within the knight order. And now, the prelude to revealing her true nature, which had been like a silhouette in a shadow play, was approaching.

‘Just this once. For the first time, I will disobey the imperial order, Your Majesty.’

Irefi instantly leaped to the top of the imperial palace. It was an unbelievably elastic movement. Just that alone elicited exclamations of admiration from the knights. But this was just the beginning.

Everyone present at the imperial palace that day witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Thud.

Irefi’s knees bent slightly as her lower body firmly gripped the ground. Her right and left hands, handling the ceremonial sword, crossed each other, raising a blue aura that fluttered like a flame.

“A Single Sword Strike Shakes the Stars.”

The extreme slash becomes a concept of phenomenon itself. Her true value lies in an offensive that transcends cognition. It’s the marvelous power of a woman who holds the future of the Destroyer.

She compresses and compresses the aura that gathered like mist around the sword. She internalizes it to the extreme until the silver-white ceremonial sword becomes the color of a lake released into the sky.

Wielding that vast thermal power is but a moment.

Slash!

Finally, her single strike traced a trajectory.

Shhh…

It was quiet.

The wind, the undergrowth, and humans all closed their mouths as if in silent meditation.

In a world that had become a void, only Irefi’s ceremonial sword quietly hid itself in its scabbard.

CRACK!

An untimely sound of air being torn was heard belatedly.

And everyone on the island, including those in the imperial palace, marveled at the strange phenomenon that defied natural laws.

Crack, crack!

Irefi’s slash belatedly left a straight-line afterimage in the clear void. It was a massive sword mark that could literally divide the sky of the island in half.

“What is that…!”

“Is this truly possible for a human…?”

“Am I… seeing things…?”

Whoosh!

At that moment, along with a storm-like updraft, the fire demons that had been engulfing the island in red became a massive whirlwind and surged upward as if being sucked into the sky.

The massive pillars of fire disappeared instantly upon touching the afterimage of the slash.

[Irefi-style Horizontal Slash – Splitting Heaven and Earth.] It was a nightmare pattern that had frustrated many Eldchain players with death and regression.

The afterimage of the slash left by Irefi was the result of cutting through the concept of space itself. Thus, the afterimage created a temporary vacuum in the void, causing the fire demons to surge upward as if being sucked in.

Without hesitation, Irefi jumped down from the top of the imperial palace and looked down at the knights with dignity.

“Is that enough now?”

“…Pardon?”

“Do you still find me amusing?”

“No, that’s…”

“If you understand, then depart. Right now!!!”

At Irefi’s roar, Rezet responded as if entranced.

“Ah… Understood! The Iagis Knights will deploy to the island immediately!”

“Well, we’re going to the island too!”

“Deploy!”

Once the tide turned, all the knight orders rushed toward the island. While most knights ran with puzzled expressions, the members of the Nelfrugia Knights wore somewhat triumphant faces.

When the vice-commander had caused a major incident, they thought they’d have to live with their eyes cast down forever. But the feat shown by Commander Irefi made the vice-commander’s betrayal seem like a trivial deviation.

In fact, members of other knight orders were glancing enviously at the Nelfrugia Knights.

“Commander Justitia is truly insane… Do the Nelfrugia guys always train under someone like that?”

“It’s a bit scary, but I’m envious…”

Many of them had joined the knight orders out of admiration for strength, regardless of their social status. Being drawn to a strong superior is not strange.

In response to their conversations, every member of the Nelfrugia Knights had the same thought.

‘They’d be shocked if they knew our Commander’s sword is literally a decorative ceremonial sword without a blade.’

It was just an incredibly sturdy ceremonial sword forged by a renowned craftsman.

It would be undignified for a low-ranking member to blabber about facts that the Commander herself didn’t reveal.

Despite it not being their own achievement, the knights of Nelfrugia felt their shoulders inexplicably straighten with pride.