Chapter 89

“Sir Maxim, you know right? His Majesty also wants to stop.”

“But it’s His Majesty who ordered you to hide it from the lady. If you are the Emperor’s knight, you must obey him.”

Maxim looked at Amelie.

“I apologize, Miss Amelie. We believe and follow His Majesty’s choice is in the best interest of all. Please step back.”

“I don’t want to.”

Amelie flatly refused.

“Knowing that His Majesty is being swayed by disaster, you tell me to wait patiently?”

“It’s all because I’m worried about Miss Amelie. Please, please. We don’t want to fight Miss Amelie.”

Maxim was sincere. The knights have developed a liking for Amelie while obtaining potions through Chad. There were no knights who wished to fight her.

‘She needs to give up.’

When he gave the signal, the knights broke the carriage. In an instant, the horses and wheels were dismantled, and the carriage was no longer able to function.

“There’s no way to go to Grand Malt. Even if you get a carriage and go to the hunting ground, you won’t be able to make it in time.”

That’s exactly what Maxim said. It was not easy to get a carriage to the Grand malt hunting ground, leaving all the knights behind.

‘It would be easy to have a broom at times like this.’

Amelie bit her lips. In many ways, it was against her. Then Milena popped out of the back of the carriage.

“That’s not true! Miss Amelie can fly in the sky!”

Milena threw a broom at Amelie.

“Why is this coming from there?”

Amelie’s eyes widened. Why is the broom in the attic behind the wagon?

“You said before that you wanted to carry Manvers Young Lady on your broomstick. So I kept it in case you needed it.”

When Maxim and the knights appeared, Milena noticed that she needed a broom.Milena took a moment to admire and appreciate her past self very much, and approached the carriage as Amelie and Sir Maxim confronted each other. When the knights broke the carriage, Milena had wondered if she was caught, but luckily she was not caught, and the broom was fine.

“Good job! I’ll pay you back later!”

“Ugh, Milena! What would your brother say if he knew you were doing this!”

“Do I have to know that?”

Maxim shook his head. Thanks to this, all of his persuasion was gone, and there was no answer other than to battle. Amelie clenched the broom tightly.

“I don’t want to fight with you guys either. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”

“Aren’t you underestimating us too much?”

“Please understand if it hurts a little. It’s my first time using this magic.”

The knights drew their swords and ran towards Amelie. The momentum of the dozens of knights running was tremendous, but Amelie cast the spell without even blinking her eyes. As she swung her broom, a blizzard swept over the knights.

“Ugh, are you going to be like this? Really!”

“So why are you blocking me!”

The knights dashed forward through the blizzard. A strong wind blew against their body, and snow flew away, making her invisible. In the meantime, Serwin’s elite troops did not collapse and approached Amelie.

But they couldn’t beat Amelie’s magic. The magic grew stronger, and in the meantime, she quickly climbed onto her broom.

“I was worried that you would step on the wind and jump like His Majesty, but I’m glad.”

Amelie flew into the sky. She quickly became a dot and disappeared. As she moved away, she soon stopped her blizzard as well.

“What? Climb to the wind? That could have to be His Majesty—”

Maxim murmured, finding time to admire Serwin amidst the commotion.

“Sir Maxim—”

Chad hesitated and approached.

“What are you doing! It’s an emergency! Half of you go to Gran Malt first, and the rest follow Miss Amelie as she moves! We’ll have to guard her even on the ground!”

“Yes! I understand!”

The knights moved in perfect order.

******

‘Where is Serwin?’

Arriving at Grand Malt, Amelie circled the hunting grounds. However, it was difficult to find him as the trees obstructed her view.

Reluctantly, Amelie came down to Area 1. It said that Area 1 is the place where game is the most abundant, so she thought that hunting competitions would also be held in Area 1.

‘It’s very spacious—’

Amelie looked around with a broom in her hand.

“Oh? Isn’t this Miss Amelie?”

The noble young man recognized Amelie and came near. Amelie doesn’t know that person.

“I heard you weren’t coming today, but you were late. Everyone was disappointed, but I’m glad.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m going to Area 3 now. Would you like to come with me? You might be mistaken for prey if you go around alone.”

The noble young man was very kind to Amelie.

“I’m looking for His Majesty. Have you seen His Majesty?”

“Oh, yes, I have seen him in the northwest. But I don’t know if he’s still there.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Amelie ran in the direction the young man had indicated. The hunting ground was very wide, and Serwin was constantly moving, making it difficult to find him. She was moving as the unknown nobles informed her, but it was unlikely that she would be able to meet him until then.

“Where is he? I’m going to waste all my time looking for him.”

She thought there must have been some kind of magic that could be used in times like these. Amelie walked, remembering her spells one by one.

‘Huh?’

Then, with a strange feeling, she looked ahead. The bushes were blocking her eyes, and she saw Serwin when she removed it with her hand.

He must have been hunting animals because he was riding a horse and holding a bow. Other nobles followed behind him.

“Why are you here, Amelie?”

Serwin had a hard expression on his face as if he was angry.

‘Now who should be angry with whom!’

Without an answer, Amelie stared at Serwin.

“How are the knights? Why’re you alone? Who told you about this place?”

Serwin’s voice grew darker. He had a gut feeling that something was going wrong. The knights are nowhere to be seen, and she was so angry that it would be strange not to notice.

“You must have been surprised. You changed places in a hurry to get rid of me, but I’m here, right?”

“Why would I leave you?”

“Then why did you suddenly change the location of the hunting competition?”

Serwin kept his mouth shut with a stiff face. When he was angry, the nobles couldn’t do this or that, but only looked at him.

“Let them go for now.”

Serwin nodded his head. Then the nobles drove away on their own, giving the two privacy.

Amelie thought about how she could get everything she needed to say out. However, Serwin was too good at evasion to conduct a guided interrogation.

‘You’ll pretend you don’t know right?’

In the first place, she was not good at beating around the bush. Let’s just do as she always has done.

“Your Majesty, you know that the abnormalities that occur in the Imperial Palace are due to disaster, don’t you? You knew it, but you just let it go. Besides, when I talked about it, you pretended not to know.”

Serwin didn’t open his mouth.

‘Yeah, if you were going to answer quickly, you wouldn’t have hidden it in the first place.’

“Why did you pretend you didn’t know? What were you trying to hide by editing the data?”

Doubts are bad, but Amelie couldn’t think of any good reasons to behave like this.

“The dates are periodic. It’s like they were ordered to do it.”

“Amelie. That’s—”

“And what about the hunting days? You knew that disaster ruled your body. So you prepared to sacrifice sinners?”

“Where—”

“It doesn’t matter where I heard it! What’s important now is why you hid them!”

The emotions she had been holding back, such as anger and betrayal, were revived, and her head was dizzy.

“I can’t help but make bad guesses.”

Amelie was so emotional that she messed up her hair.

“Tell me. Did you just ignore all of that? Or maybe—”

Did you do what the disaster told you to do?

Amelie couldn’t bring herself to continue.

“…Why are you so curious about that?”

He maintained a defensive and strong attitude. However, unlike the outside, his inside was a mess.

He thought maybe this could happen. Because Amelie continued to exceed his expectations of her, as always. However, just imagining this scenario and its reality was different.

‘What should I do? Amelie is angry. An explanation, no, whatever I say is fine. Amelie is waiting for it. But what should I say?’

He couldn’t think of anything as if his mind had hardened. Meanwhile, Amelie’s face grew darker and darker.

“If that’s the case, you don’t need me, do you?”

“That’s impossible.”

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll just leave.”

Amelie sighed heavily, feeling her disappointment weigh her down. There was no other way than to open his mouth, which was grimaced in shame but still tightly closed. This was how much Amelie wanted to know what Serwin was thinking, she’d even threaten to leave. Even though there must have been some circumstances she was unaware of, she was offended and felt this was intolerable.

“What do you mean leave? Don’t say that.”

Serwin took Amelie’s hand in a hurry, as if in shock. He looked at her pitifully, as if Amelie had already abandoned him even though she had only spoken.

‘Should I tell you everything? If you had known the truth, you would have left me anyway. Wouldn’t it be better not to say it?’

No matter which way he chose, he didn’t see a good future. Serwin was torn between the two.

“I know. It’s hard to say. Was this the story you were trying to tell at the clock tower? I won’t blame you when I hear it.”

Amelie noticed Serwin hesitating and soothed him.

“Why is there a disaster every hunting day?”

“…is the result of an agreement.”

Serwin’s face distorted painfully.

******

As the seal weakened, disaster began to haunt him.

Then, when he turned 15, it was Hunting Day. He was robbed of his body for the first time. And the next day, he woke up covered in blood. Fortunately, he only hunted animals, and he didn’t hurt anyone.

Since then, disaster has constantly demanded that Serwin give it freedom one day of the year, like the night of Hunting Day, it will remain calm.

At first, he refused. What does he think disaster will do with his body if he accepts it?

However, the following year, Serwin lost his body again. The disaster knew him so well that he could simply push him into despair and take his control away.

The day after Hunting Day, disaster whispered again.

[I’m so tired of dealing with animals. I like people who are a little smarter and can play tricks. I am very much looking forward to next year’s Hunting Day.]

Serwin became afraid. At this rate, the disaster might leave the hunting ground and slaughter civilians who were truly innocent.

So, first, he proposed a deal to the disaster.

‘I will give up my body only on the night of Hunting Day. Hunting is allowed only for sinners. You must never leave the Imperial Palace forest.’

When he heard Serwin’s terms, disaster readily accepted them.