Chapter 146

Elise tumbled down from the sailor’s arms, landing on the dock just as a desperate shout rang out.

“Run to the ship, Your Highness!”

Gritting her teeth, she forced strength into her wavering knees and pushed forward, gliding down the remaining slope. The distance left was minimal—just a little farther, and the ship awaited at the pier’s end.

She couldn’t afford to look back while sprinting across the unstable dock. There was no time. The uneven planks constantly caught the tips of her shoes, and waves crashed down violently on either side, forcing her to dodge as she ran, slowing her pace.

Above, dark storm clouds devoured the fading sunset. A foreboding gloom loomed over the horizon, swirling like an omen of an impending tempest. Lightning slashed through the sky in a jagged yellow streak. It wasn’t an aftershock of her magic, surely—but was it the laughter of an exhilarated dragon?

Only when she had put some distance between herself and the pursuit did Elise dare to glance over her shoulder.

“Ah…”

A broken gasp escaped her lips.

The sailor who had helped her down lay collapsed among the rocks. His face, twisted toward her, was frozen in an unfinished expression. The light had already faded from his unseeing eyes.

A sword was wrenched from his abdomen. Blood spurted upward in a gruesome arc, painting the scene in a chilling tableau.

Once again, she had survived at the cost of another life. Her jaw clenched so tightly it ached.

She could not—must not—get caught.

The knight who had retrieved his sword vaulted over a boulder, landing smoothly. More knights followed, stepping over the sailor’s lifeless body as they clambered over the wreckage and leaped down. Not just one or two—five, six, seven… In mere moments, their numbers swelled beyond ten, then twenty.

Elise bit down hard and forced her legs to move again.

She had been told to run straight to the ship. That meant there had to be someone waiting—someone on her side.

Even if no one was there to greet her, it didn’t matter. She tilted her head back, eyes locking onto the storm-tossed sky. She could feel them—golden eyes, gleaming with an eerie blue sheen, fixed intently on her.

A single chuckle from the dragon sent waves surging. One intrigued gaze made the clouds churn. The soldiers chasing her faltered, swallowing down their fear.

“A dragon…?”

The massive figure looming in the air was unmistakable. A long-tailed dragon, its silhouette stretching across the sky like the spine of the Grenetern Mountains.

“Shall I help you once more?”

A whisper curled between the deafening rumble of thunder.

“What will you offer me this time, Elizabeth?”

“Shut up!”

Elise no longer hesitated to hurl the sharp retort.

The wind howled around her, whipping her hair into a tangled frenzy. Beneath the urgency of her escape, something unexpected stirred—an unfamiliar sense of liberation. This was her choice. No one had forced her hand.

I can do this.

A long-buried voice whispered from deep within.

I’m not running to my death. I’m crossing the sea—to reclaim my life. To ensure that no sacrifice made for me was in vain!

She had no idea how long she had been running. The ship, once a distant speck, had grown larger with each desperate step until it loomed just ahead.

Then—

In the blink of an eye, the ground beneath her vanished.

Elise stumbled to a halt, momentum nearly throwing her forward. The dark blue sea yawned wide before her, a gaping maw rising like the jaws of a beast, ready to swallow her whole.

She gasped and flung out a hand, fingers latching onto a bent iron pillar. Had she hesitated even a second longer, she would have plunged straight into the churning waters below.

“Haa… Ha… What the—?”

Breathless and shaken, she whipped her head around.

The galleon—the merchant ship bound for Hamaram—was right in front of her.

Its nine sails, stretched taut across three towering masts, flapped wildly in the wind. Wooden crates and oak barrels, once secured on deck, now rattled and clattered with every gust. The ship was close—barely twenty paces away.

Yet she couldn’t take another step forward. The wooden gangway connecting the dock and the ship had been shattered. Elise teetered at the jagged edge of the broken pier, struggling to keep her balance.

The gap was too wide to jump. The ropes mooring the ship to the dock strained under the violent waves, jerking dangerously. If she grabbed hold recklessly, the force would only fling her into the sea.

What… what should I do?

A wave crashed against the dock, drenching her bloodstained robe.

“This is the end of the line, Princess.” The voice was cold, unyielding.

Elise flinched, hesitating for a fraction of a second—just long enough to seal her fate.

As she turned, countless blades glinted in the dim light, a steel cage closing in around her. The murderous intent pressing in from all sides felt like needles piercing her skin.

A deep, inescapable despair settled across her face.

***

Rezette gazed up at the ruins, now swarming with soldiers scrambling over the wreckage like an army of ants.

Even the shattered remains of the fortress seemed to be shifting, filling in the gaps as debris tumbled downward, propelled by raw magical force. The archway he had just kicked down crumbled into dust, flattening the ground beneath it.

And yet, he still couldn’t see the sea. The upheaval had raised the land above the horizon, warping the battlefield into an unfamiliar, chaotic maze.

“They’re all converging over there!” Ruben pointed east, his voice taut with urgency. “That must mean she’s there too, Your Grace!”

Rezette’s gaze sharpened. “How many did we send to the ship?”

“Twenty. The men on the other side should be assessing the situation by now.”

His knights knew their duty without orders—they existed to protect one person above all else. But twenty wasn’t nearly enough.

Rezette took in the battlefield, gauging the obstacles between him and his objective.

“Stand back, all of you,” he commanded.

“What? Ah, y-yes, sir!” Ruben stammered, then hastily signaled for the knights of Rotiara to retreat.

The wind howled, thick with the scent of salt and smoke, whipping debris around him. His cloak flared high, revealing his right arm and the back of his hand—tightly wrapped in the remnants of his shirt.

With deliberate calm, Rezette rolled up his sleeve. A useless gesture, really. Whatever fabric covered his arm would be in tatters soon enough. But habits were hard to break.

His skin, raw and reddened from the earlier shockwave, bore the angry marks of recent burns. Thick veins pulsed along the back of his hand.

But they weren’t blue.

They were black.

Magic coursed through his body, hardening into armor-like plates as his muscles expanded, shedding their human form. The ground trembled, caving beneath the surge of raw energy. An eerie, unnatural hum filled the air, vibrating through the ruins.

There was no need to climb over the wreckage. Whatever stood in his way, he would simply obliterate.

***

“The criminal will surrender all weapons and submit,” a knight commanded, his voice ringing over the crashing waves. “The Emperor has ordered that you be taken alive.”

Elise met the man’s gaze. He wasn’t Riman—the imperial deputy commander who had once scrutinized her like an object. This knight carried the same authority, but his expression was unreadable.

She didn’t move.

A sharp whistle tore through the air.

An arrow.

It struck a wooden stake just two paces from her, severing the ship’s mooring rope with a sharp snap. Now, only the anchor buried beneath the sea kept the vessel from drifting away.

At this range, hitting her would have been effortless.

They weren’t trying to kill her.

They wanted her alive.

Because of the child. The Emperor needs an heir, after all.

Elise clenched the fabric over her abdomen beneath her cloak. Their objective had never changed.

Another volley of arrows rained down, embedding themselves into the ship’s deck with heavy thunks. Shadows flickered above—moving fast. Retreating.

Someone was there. Someone on her side.

If only… if only the ship could get just a little closer…!

Elise dropped to her knees, stretching her leg toward a precariously balanced wooden plank beneath her. Her toes brushed the edge. Too flimsy. It wouldn’t hold her weight.

But if she jumped—if she could just make it across and swim the rest of the way…

If she were alone, she wouldn’t have hesitated. Every second counted—deliberation was a luxury she couldn’t afford. If the only alternative was death, then she would dive in without question.

But now… now…

If I enter the freezing sea and something happens to the baby…

No.

Biting her lip, she drew her foot back.

If there was no way forward, perhaps it would be wiser to surrender temporarily and find another way.

But then—

A shift.

Elise felt it before she understood it.

Her palms, pressed against the ground, registered an unnatural force. The wind, once chaotic, had turned, now spiraling in a single direction.

Southeast to northwest.

Her right ear went numb.

The air grew heavy, pressing down on her like an invisible hand. No matter how hard she resisted, her body tilted toward the sea.

She staggered.

A knight lunged forward, seizing her by the nape of her neck.

“Divine blessings of Grandel? Ha!” His grip tightened, yanking her closer. “A witch who splits the earth and overturns the sea—that’s what you are.”

He sneered and flicked a hand toward his subordinate.

“Make sure she can’t pull any more tricks. Cut the tendons in her wrists and ankles. As long as she can still bear children, that’s all that matters.”

A soldier grabbed her wrist, his grip cold and unforgiving.

Steel flashed.

The dagger, unsheathed in one fluid motion, caught the dim light as it arced downward.

Not just her tendons—he was aiming to sever her wrist entirely.

Too fast. She hadn’t even had time to activate the last magic circle imprinted on her body.

The blade fell—

And then—

Everything happened at once.

A force, unseen yet immense, exploded outward.

A roar tore through the air as soldiers were wrenched from their feet, hurled into the sea. The dagger tumbled away, clattering uselessly against the ground.

Their screams barely registered, swallowed by the howling wind and the crash of waves.

Elise was no exception.

The dock vanished above her as the terrifying sensation of freefall overtook her.

“Ah—!”

Her cry was cut short.

Something caught her midair.

Arms, strong and unyielding, wrapped around her as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.

There was no jolt, no violent impact—just the seamless sensation of being drawn into familiar warmth.

She knew who it was before she even looked.

She didn’t need to see his face or meet his gaze.

The way his chest rose and fell, the firm grip that held her, the embrace that shielded her completely—she recognized it all.

A faint scent of burnt wood clung to him.

Balanced on a narrow ledge jutting out between massive shards of debris, the man who had caught her stood unwavering.

There was barely enough space for one person, let alone two.

Elise’s feet dangled precariously, just shy of solid ground.

Small fragments of stone crumbled beneath them, vanishing into the abyss below.