Chapter 206
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Emilia drew her sword and faced the knight charging up the stairs.
“Ugh!”
She pushed the clashing swords down forcefully, sending the knight rolling down to the first floor with a loud crash. Their expressions changed, now serious and focused.
“It seems like there’s something here that must be hidden. No matter what, capture that woman,” commanded the knight with a higher rank, brushing his hair back.
“Whatever happens, no one will care about a w***e who sells her body.”
Soon, several knights drew their swords and charged at Emilia. She braced herself, making sure her stance was firm and her gaze fixed on their movements.
The first knight to reach her swung his sword wildly. Emilia stepped back, destabilizing her opponent’s center of gravity, and swiftly kicked the knight.
“Agh!”
The knight barely managed to catch the railing, spitting blood from his mouth as he glared at her.
“You crazy b***h!”
Their swordsmanship was pitiful, unworthy of knights.
She realized now that the answer had always been clear. No matter what royal orders they had received, no knight would willingly search the streets of Delphora. Any knight who set foot there would only encounter trouble, and they would have no desire to engage in such a task.
The royal family would never send knights to oppress powerless women, not when all they needed was to find the Spiegel newspaper.
As expected, one of the knights was retreating toward the door. Emilia quickly drew the dagger from her thigh and threw it at him.
“Ugh!”
With a dull thud, the man who had been running toward the door collapsed. A stone, about the size of his fist, lay beside him.
“Madam!”
Turning her head, Emilia saw Dell, eyes wide and angry, throwing stones like a mad person.
“Get away! Leave now!”
Emilia was momentarily stunned by Dell’s actions, but then she noticed another knight slowly creeping up the stairs. She raised her sword and aimed it at his neck.
Emilia was exhausted after facing five knights. They had relentless stamina, constantly climbing the stairs without end. By now, it seemed like sheer determination was keeping them going.
She, too, was drenched in sweat, her sharp sword dulling with each swing.
‘I can’t last much longer like this.’
She turned her head to glance at Dell. It seemed like Dell had run out of stones, and now, with a worried expression on her face, she was tearfully trying to help.
“Dell, where are the others?”
“They’ve all escaped! I… I’ll hold them off, so you must go, Madam!”
“….”
Looking into Dell’s eyes, Emilia saw the sincerity. Despite the fear on Dell’s face, she was telling her to escape.
What a strange child she was.
“Go ahead. I’ll follow you shortly.”
“Stop lying! How can you stop them on your own? Look at their eyes! They’re crazy!”
Dell’s words were right. While Emilia was at her physical limit, the five men still seemed to have plenty of stamina left.
Glancing behind her, she saw flames rising. The fire that had consumed the room was now creeping into the hallway.
‘The fire will reach us soon.’
Emilia gripped her sword tightly and widened her eyes.
“When I give the signal, run like crazy. You can do that, right?”
“What? But I can’t leave you behind!”
“I’ll run as soon as I can. The fire will spread, and they won’t be able to follow us.”
Dell nodded at Emilia’s words, preparing herself to run by lifting her skirt.
“Hah, ugh. You’re one tough woman.”
The knight wiped his sweat away. Climbing from the bottom to the top of the stairs, he was definitely starting to feel winded.
Emilia saw the smoke slowly seeping out of the building and shouted.
“Now!”
At her shout, Dell ran toward the back. Emilia turned her body toward the direction Dell had gone and was about to follow when—
“Ugh!”
Her body was suddenly yanked in the opposite direction.
A sharp pain shot through her head, and the world spun. In an instant, she was thrown to the floor.
She quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach. Thankfully, there was no pain in that area.
“Where do you think you’re running off to? Cough, what is that smell?”
With the spreading fire, thick black smoke filled the air. As her vision started to blur, Emilia pushed the man’s hand away and ran toward the back door.
She barely made it to the emergency exit on the second floor, slammed the door shut, and wedged her sword into the entrance to block it.
“Madam! Hurry!”
Dell’s voice echoed from below as she anxiously stomped her feet. Emilia quickly made her way down the escape route leading outside.
By now, the fire had consumed the building. Black smoke poured out of the windows.
Crash!
The sound of glass breaking filled the air as flames leaped outside. She covered her nose and mouth with her handkerchief and hurried her steps.
“There! Get those women!”
At that moment, knights appeared from between the alleyways.
Emilia grabbed Dell’s hand and ran.
‘I can’t be caught.’
She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her legs.
❖ ❖ ❖
Mikhail did his best to draw Adrian’s attention. In fact, even without trying, he had not left Adrian’s side.
Whenever he stared off into the distance, Adrian would send knights after him.
“This place seems to be of no concern.”
“…It seems so. It looks like you haven’t found anything either.”
“With how much the king is interested in me, it’s no wonder others are jealous.”
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