HETT Chapter 41

“Bianca, what are you doing!”

“I know I’m being bad and selfish right now. But…!”

Bianca was crying.

“I want you to know one thing…I don’t care what happens to my father.”

Bianca, on her knees, spoke with a choked voice.

“But… if we are to be annihilated, my younger sibling and mother will all be sentenced to death… Then the knights and citizens belonging to our family will be in danger…!”

Bianca knelt down, clasped her hands together, and bowed her head.

Arundel held her throbbing head.

Indeed, the Duke Hellen’s family is a ducal family with a long tradition and history.

Therefore, not only the family, but also the residents and knights of the territory they hold, and the people belonging to the mansion were an enormous number.

It must be acknowledged that many people will suffer severe damage depending on the actions of Duke of Hellen.

However, it was not right to not judge him at all.

To make a decision, Arundel asked Bianca.

“So, do you want Duke Hellen, who tried to kill me, to go unpunished?”

In the end, Bianca was asking her to turn a blind eye to her father’s sins in exchange for her life.

Then, Duke Hellen will live his daily life shamelessly without knowing anything, and she will again face the unknown threat to her life.

“My father will definitely pay for his sins. Because I will make it so.”

“How can I believe that?”

A sharp voice sprang from Arundel again.

Without flinching, Bianca declared in a clear voice.

“Yes. I have disappointed you, but I will definitely save the life of the Empress and punish my father. I swear on our family.”

Arundel was lost in thought.

Bianca had been a precious friend until now.

A lovely and affectionate person. A person who knows how to get angry for others.

There were countless times when Bianca had been grateful. That’s why she cherished and trusted Bianca.

Even when she heard that she was the first candidate for the Empress, even when Zion nagged her to be careful.

And even now.

‘Even I think, my heart is too soft.’

Seeing Bianca kneeling and waiting for an answer, one side of Arundel’s chest ached.

Could she believe Bianca’s words that she would save her life and punish her father?

Lost in thought, Arundel’s eyes calmly settled.

“Bianca.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll trust you.”

At Arundel’s words, Bianca’s face brightened.

“I won’t disappoint you!!”

As Arundel was about to nod, she noticed that the collapsed wall behind Bianca was recovering.

Arundel pointed to the back with a flustered voice.

“The wall…!”

Seeing the recovering wall, Bianca urgently said.

“We don’t have time. The magic potion’s effective time is running out. If we’re going to leave, we have to hurry!”

“…Just a moment!”

In the urgent situation, Arundel looked at the firmly closed door.

‘…Zion.’

She knew that he had no choice now.

Since she couldn’t contact anyone else, she couldn’t tell Zion that the parasite was in her heart, and ask him to save her.

Moreover, the last time she saw him, she couldn’t find any reason in his eyes. It was uncertain whether he could handle this situation normally.

Arundel shook her head.

Then, there was only one answer.

Whether she trusted Bianca or not, her life depended on Bianca. She had to follow her now.

“Your Majesty!! We have to go now!!”

Bianca, who had stopped the recovering wall with magic, shouted with a strained voice.

Now, she really had to go.

‘I hope to face a different look when I come back.’

Arundel quietly prayed, remembering the last time he saw Zion.

So Arundel left the Empress’s Palace.

****

“Huff huff, how much further do we have to go?”

“Just a little further and there’s a small village. I think we can rest there.”

The two left the Empress’s Palace and headed for the mountain behind the palace.

Since they couldn’t boldly escape from the main palace, the path they chose was a secret and rugged mountain.

The journey was not smooth, but with the magic potion that Bianca had brought, they were able to reach the mountain a little more easily by hiding their appearance.

They hurried their steps, not knowing when Zion would discover the empty Empress’s Palace.

The mountain behind the palace was dark and the road was rough. Moreover, it was difficult to walk in the uncomfortable dress that was uncomfortable to wear.

So, when they were so tired that they couldn’t take another step, they saw the village.

“You’ve worked hard, Your Majesty.”

“Bianca… You’re stronger than I thought.”

Arundel looked at Bianca as if surprised.

Just by looking at her appearance, Bianca was also slender, but it seemed that there was a big difference in physical strength.

Seeing that she was still energetic after crossing this rugged mountain.

“As you know, Your Majesty, my dream is to become a magician.”

“Magicians have nothing to do with strength. You’re not a knight.”

“Ah, I was inspired by His Majesty the Emperor! I want to be a multi-player who is a magician and has strong physical strength.”

Bianca said with a bright expression.

Arundel’s expression darkened at the unexpected mention of Zion.

All the way over the mountain, she was worried about Zion, her head was about to explode.

[Don’t forget, you’re mine.]

Whether the possessiveness towards Empress Irina was re-expressed, Zion once again showed a grotesque obsession.

If he finds out that she has escaped from the Empress’s Palace, he will never stay still.

‘Please…not a sea of fire…’

It was the ending that Empress Irina had met.

After the Empress died, Zion, who had lost his object of obsession, eventually went mad and turned the empire into a sea of fire.

“What are you thinking so much about?”

When Arundel didn’t move and just stood there blankly, Bianca approached her and checked her complexion.

“Ah, Bianca. You said you heard from the maids that I was trapped, right?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

“How did you hear about it?”

“The Emperor, with a very fierce face, said he had cast a spell on the Empress’s Palace. Not knowing why.”

“I see…”

“They said they tried to stop him, but the Emperor’s energy was so overwhelming that they couldn’t even get close.”

Damn… the more she heard, the more anxious she became.

She really wondered what Zion would do.

But the water had already been spilled.

“Shall we go down before it gets darker?”

At Bianca’s cautious urging, Arundel nodded. After descending for a while, they reached a dark village.

Knock knock-!

“What is it at this late hour?”

When they knocked on the door of the inn that was open late, the innkeeper showed his face with an annoyed expression.

“Can we stay here tonight?”

At Bianca’s words, the innkeeper frowned.

“…It’s late, so we’re not taking any more guests.”

It felt like a lie.

Perhaps the innkeeper felt uneasy about the two women, whose identities were unknown and who were in a mess.

She didn’t expect to be able to smooth things over, but she didn’t think she would have to sleep on the streets.

When Arundel looked depressed, Bianca stepped in.

“Just a moment!”

“What is it?”

“I’ll pay double for the room.”

Just before the innkeeper turned around, Bianca quickly grabbed the door and spoke quite strongly.

The innkeeper seemed to hesitate a bit.

“…There’s only one room left.”

“We can share.”

Indeed…money is the best.

Thanks to Bianca’s extraordinary financial power, they were fortunately able to avoid sleeping on the streets.

Thinking about it, Arundel realized that she didn’t have a penny.

The Empress’s Palace was always filled without lack, and she had never bought anything with her own money.

Bianca probably knew this fact as well.

“Bianca… I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t have a penny.”

Arundel confessed, feeling anxious.

“Don’t worry. I came prepared.”

Come to think of it, Bianca had used a magic potion when she broke the wall that had Zion’s magic.

Seeing her confident attitude, it seemed that the rich lady had brought plenty of things that could be helpful, including money.

Arundel sighed with relief.

“It might be uncomfortable for you to use one room, what should we do?”

“I don’t mind.”

Anything was fine as long as it wasn’t outside.

She briefly missed the cozy bed in the Empress’s Palace, but it wasn’t a situation to be fussy now.

“Your Majesty, would you like to take a bath first?”

Arundel accepted Bianca’s consideration without refusing.

While crossing the mountain, she was finally able to get out of the ragged dress that was torn here and there, the hair that was tangled here and there, and the face covered with dust.

‘Ah, it’s warm.’

As she soaked her body in the bathtub, the events that had swept over her were momentarily forgotten.

When her body was tired enough, Arundel wrapped her body in a towel and left the bathroom.

‘It’s okay because we’re both women.’

Bianca was organizing the luggage from the bag she had brought. As soon as the door opened, the steam in the bathroom escaped, and Bianca raised her head.

“Your Majesty, have you finished bathing…!”

Bianca stopped speaking. Her gaze was fixed on Arundel’s wrist.

‘…Gasp’

Arundel, who noticed Bianca’s gaze, panicked and hid her arm behind her.

But, she knew. It was already too late.

“…Your Majesty. That mark on your wrist…”

Bianca spoke with a serious face.

“Well, this is…”

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

She had let her guard down while soaking in the warm bathtub. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have forgotten the bandage.

Arundel wanted to go back to her past self who had been careless and curse at her.

“That star shape…”

Gulp.

“It’s a tattoo that’s been trending among the young people recently!”

Bianca approached, unable to hide her excitement.

“Yes?.. Yes! That’s right! That tattoo.”

She didn’t even know what a tattoo was, but Arundel played along.

“Wow! I wanted to get one too, but I didn’t have the courage.”

Bianca looked at her with envious eyes, not knowing what she was talking about.

“It can be seen as a bit… rebellious.”

She had a rough idea of what it felt like.

A bit… like musicians who criticize society or artists who go against the times.

Well, whatever. As long as this mark of the demon wasn’t discovered.

Fortunately, Bianca seemed to know nothing about demons, as she had no interest or chance to meet one.

She calmed down the excited Bianca and sent her to the bathroom. Soon, Bianca, wrapped in a towel like her, lay down on the bed.

While Bianca was bathing, Arundel, who had been thinking about the schedule ahead, asked.

“Where are we going?”

“Tomorrow, we’ll buy some clothes and tools, leave the capital, and head east.”

“East?”

“Yes, there’s a magician’s tower in the east.”

“Is it related to the old magician?”

At the sudden mention of the magician’s tower, or ‘Magic Tower’, Arundel asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. As I mentioned, he is originally a famous magician and an alchemist.”

“So he made the heartworm.”

“That’s right. The heartworm that you ate is one of the potions he made.”

It wasn’t an ordinary magician to create such a threatening bug with a potion.

“His base is probably near the magician’s tower.”

“Bianca, you’re not even a formal magician, but you know a lot.”

“Well, I’m interested in magic-related things…”

Bianca, who had been shy, suddenly looked at Arundel with a serious face.

“If the heartworm was put in during the hunting competition, there’s about a week left.”

“…Yes.”

“By then, we must find the old magician and drink the antidote.”

Otherwise, everything would be over.

This mission, and her relationship with Zion.

‘Come to think of it, I think they said that demons often appear in the east.’

Royden had definitely said that.

Demons often appear in the ‘Kesh Village’ in the east.

If she was lucky, she could meet Hills and solve this mark at once.