# The Crimson Blood Dances
"Kill the Princess!"
"...Until when."
"Just kill the Princess!"
With each movement of Ricardo's hand, flowers bloom and disappear, leaving crimson blood on the floor.
"Are you going to be troublesome?"
I was scared. Afraid that Ricardo's sword would turn toward me.
"I'd like to stop now."
Instinctively, I close my eyes.
The heretics continued pouring in without a moment's respite. Their attacks, fueled by murderous intent whenever they looked at me, showed no signs of stopping.
But.
-Slash.
My silent knight was not allowing the heretics to harm me.
They looked like moths flying into a flame against him.
"..."
-Stab...!
"AAAAARGH!!!!"
As if to wake me from my confusion at the sudden situation, Ricardo had stabbed his sword into a heretic's leg and was wearing a cold expression.
"Your objective."
"...Hahaha! I cannot say. I am a messenger for His will...! Death does not frighten me."
-Stab...!
"Your objective for invading the Imperial Palace."
"Hahaha...!"
"The number of heretics and the apostle's location."
"...You will never fulfill His will..."
With his coldly composed gaze, Ricardo looked above the man's eyes and said:
"Is your most beloved person..."
"..."
"A child named 'Sara'?"
"..."
"Topics you dislike... ah, I just found a new one."
Ricardo's eyes began to turn cold. He was cornering the heretic so intensely that I couldn't even recall his usual smiling face.
In the chaotic situation, I couldn't hear the conversation between Ricardo and the heretic clearly, but.
"I've told you everything...!"
"..."
"Please, just don't touch my family."
"I'll consider it."
By the time I tried to focus and listen, Ricardo had already obtained the information he wanted.
After ending the heretic's life, Ricardo sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Then he lowered his sword and began to emit a chilling aura.
"...Things have become complicated."
The red aura seeping from Ricardo's sword began to spread toward the floor. And the moment Ricardo touched the tip of his sword to the ground.
"It's too noisy."
-Tap.
The sound of countless heretics climbing the stairs suddenly ceased, as if a mouse had been killed.
Ricardo, who had defeated the heretic forces with a single attack, ran his hand through his hair, approached me, and said:
"Let's go."
That we needed to leave this place.
I was bewildered by Ricardo's words about leaving when we had just secured a hiding place, but seeing his urgent expression, I bit my lip.
"Where... are we going?"
"..."
"Are we going to the Imperial Palace?"
"No."
"Huh...?"
When I heard Ricardo's response, I questioned him with a trembling voice. What did he just say?
"Then where are you taking me?"
"We're going somewhere safe."
"No."
The Imperial Palace is the heart of the Empire.
It's where the Emperor lives and where all the ledgers and treasures are kept.
Such a palace.
"You want me to abandon the Empire...?"
Ricardo was coldly telling me to abandon it.
Ricardo looked straight into my trembling eyes and began to move urgently.
"Princess."
"..."
"As you might have guessed, the Second Prince has joined hands with the heretics. That's probably why the barrier isn't working."
"I know... but if we abandon the palace, the Empire is finished."
"Even so, we need to escape now."
"But still...!"
"When Rowen returns, we can start reclaiming it then. It won't be too late."
I looked at Ricardo with wide, trembling eyes, thinking of my father inside the castle.
"No, we need to go now..."
"We can't."
Hateful as he may be... he's still the father who gave birth to me.
"I said we need to go now!"
The Empire can only be maintained if he stays alive. To ascend to the throne legitimately without controversy, we absolutely had to return to the Imperial Palace. If the Emperor disappears, the resulting shockwaves would be unimaginably large.
And...
My mother's keepsakes are there.
"We have to go..."
Ricardo, faced with my unyielding stubbornness, raised his voice for the first time and scolded me.
"Why are you being so stubborn...!"
"Ricardo..."
"Can't you see what's happening outside...?!"
"...But I have you."
"I can't handle this alone, that's why I'm saying this!"
In my confusion, I blurted out something foolish to Ricardo.
"This is our chance."
"...A chance?"
"A chance to earn merit."
"...Princess!"
"Theo is absent due to the western affairs, and if the second brother has started a rebellion... if I handle this situation well, I could ascend to the throne."
"...What nonsense."
"What if Theo returns after resolving the western affairs and is acclaimed by the people?"
"..."
"He's the hero of the west. If they praise him as worthy of being king, all our hard work will have been for nothing...?"
I was stupid then.
Because I made an unreasonable request to Ricardo, wanting to retrieve my mother's keepsakes and save my father.
In truth, I didn't care about Theo... but I thought this was the only way to persuade Ricardo.
"Then, you won't be able to save Olivia either."
"..."
"This is why you've been going through all this trouble too, isn't it? I know it's an unreasonable request, but...!"
The moment the name 'Olivia' left my lips, Ricardo's expression turned cold, and he tightly shut his eyes.
"...Ha."
I didn't know then.
That Ricardo was genuinely angry at that moment.
"...I am... such a fool."
"Huh...?"
After maintaining a long silence, Ricardo clenched his fist and then let his hand drop.
"Ending like this might not be so bad."
"What...?"
"Don't be angry. It scares me."
Ricardo shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Let's go."
"...Is that your answer?"
"..."
"Then I'll go alone..."
"To the Imperial Palace."
"Huh...?"
Ricardo stood up, dusting himself off, and spoke with the gentle smile he always showed.
"But can you make me one promise?"
"...What kind of promise?"
Ricardo smiled brightly and said:
"No matter what happens... don't cry."
"Cry?"
"Just because. I've seen too many beautiful women's tears, and I'm tired of seeing them."
"I won't cry."
Ricardo said nothing.
He simply silently held out his hand to me, sword in hand.
"That's good."
*
The streets of the capital were devastating.
Bodies of those who had fallen to the heretics' attacks were piled high in the streets, and the sorrowful cries of those who had lost loved ones echoed terribly in my ears.
-Block the gates!!!
-There are too many heretics!
-Block them somehow! Don't let them get further into the Imperial Palace!!
-...!
"...Ricardo."
I gripped Ricardo's hand tightly and looked up at him. Even for someone like me who had seen many things, such a scene was unfamiliar.
-Squeeze...
If he hadn't been beside me, I would have been retching long ago.
Ricardo, holding my hand tightly, smiled slightly and was taking me somewhere.
-Kill them!!!
-Deal with them somehow!
To where the sounds were loudest.
To where the screams echoed the loudest.
"Where are we going...? The secret passage is over there."
"..."
Despite my hesitant gestures, Ricardo steadfastly moved, dragging me toward the source of the sound.
"Where are you taking me...!"
"..."
"Stop...!"
"..."
"I said stop!!"
The moment I roughly shook off Ricardo's hand, I trembled with wide eyes at the scene unfolding before me.
-Ha...
Because an unexpected person was standing there.
Silver hair.
A white sword that immediately revealed who he was. And the swordsman who ranked as a Sword Master right after Ricardo... Mikhail.
"Mikhail...?"
Ricardo released my hand, which he had been barely holding by the fingers, and smiled.
"Go with Mikhail."
"Huh...?"
"He's better at protecting than I am."
"How did you know where Mikhail was... no, more importantly, why do I have to go with Mikhail?"
Ricardo gave a bitter smile but didn't answer.
"There's no guarantee Mikhail will help... why?"
"Because I can persuade him."
"That's impossible. You two don't even get along..."
"I can resolve that issue."
Mikhail, looking at Ricardo, opened his cold eyes and sighed. As if he had seen disgusting filth.
"Mr. Mikhail."
"Is this your doing?"
"Haha... no."
"Don't laugh."
"..."
"I can kill you now."
"I've really earned your hatred."
Ricardo began speaking in a small voice to Mikhail, who was wielding his sword.
-I'll find them for you.
-...What did you say?
-Isn't that who you've been looking for all this time?
As soon as Ricardo finished speaking, Mikhail grabbed Ricardo's collar and began glaring at him.
"How do you know that person's name?"
"..."
"Tell me...!"
"If you grant my request... I'll tell you."
"You'll pay the price for selling that person's name."
"..."
"...Make sure you keep your promise."
"...Yes."
After having an incomprehensible conversation with Mikhail, Ricardo walked back to me and began speaking with a regretful expression.
"From now on, follow Mikhail."
"What about you?"
"I..."
Ricardo looked beyond the castle gates with a bitter smile.
"I'll have to continue what Mikhail was doing, I suppose?"
"No, you come with us too."
Ricardo shook his head and answered.
"No."
"..."
"There's no time. Hurry and go. That's the only way we can escape."
"...But!"
"Quickly."
"...Don't get hurt."
Ricardo didn't answer.
Ricardo, who had stopped me as I was leaving, greeted me with a wistful expression.
"You must keep your promise."
"..."
"Because I don't like crying."
I nodded at Ricardo's words and disappeared from his presence. Not knowing this might be the last time I would see him.
"I'll be back."
I ended up giving such an awkward farewell.
*
Two men had arrived in front of Ricardo, who was standing alone.
Apostle Olaf.
"Hmm..."
And.
The Empire's High Priest was standing before Ricardo.
"Not Mikhail, I see."
Ricardo, sitting atop the bodies of countless heretics, stood up, dusting himself off, and smiled.
"I've been waiting."
Hearing Ricardo's words, the Apostle let out a hollow laugh, and the Empire's High Priest spoke to Ricardo with a cold smile.
"...Not bad."
"..."
"It turned out differently from the original purpose... but I was concerned."
"Well, that's an honor."
"The silver-haired knight went to the Imperial Palace, I presume. Along with your master."
"..."
"And so you, the Princess's 'dog,' are guarding this place."
"..."
"I was going to send you off painfully, considering the dead Temperance, but I'm in a hurry, so I'll make it easy for you."
Ricardo's eyes began to glow red.
"I can't let you pass."
Like a knight burning his final flame.
"Because I made a promise."
He began to swing his sword.