I Became the Master of the Empress

243 – 247

-Boo… Boo.

The cries of wild beasts echo through the tranquil mountains at dawn.

In those mountains, countless soldiers are poking at trees and bushes with spears, searching for something.

Emilia saw the soldiers entering her territory.

She tapped something in her ear with her finger.

-Tap tap… tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.

As if signaling in Morse code.

Then, a voice came from the device in her ear.

-Confirmed, switching to hand signals now.

-Tap. Tap tap… tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.

And so, the first command began.

It was time for Emilia to become the bait.

‘Alright. These guys… they won’t know what hit them until morning.’

She quietly tore the scrolls she carried.

Emilia, trained as an intelligence agent, could tear them without making a sound.

After tearing all the scrolls and casting a buff on herself, she thought,

‘Good, they won’t catch me easily.’

With the buff magic that enhanced her physical abilities beyond those of an ordinary person, Emilia was ready.

Holding the black scrolls in both hands, she took a deep breath.

‘Alright. Here I go!’

As she tore the scrolls, mana wrapped around her hand and she threw it high into the sky, releasing a dark purple light, like a corrupt magic.

The soldiers, seeing the massive and sinister light of the spell, shouted,

“Uh… Dark magic! Everyone, be careful!”

-Boom!

And with that, Emilia climbed up a tree.

She sent a signal to the device in her ear.

***

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Philip and Martin, seeing the dark purple light burst in the sky, hardened their expressions.

That meant…

Something heralding the revival of the Locust.

‘Damn… Has the Locust really been resurrected?’

‘Such intense magic? We’re outmatched. When are the Holy Knights coming?’

It’s difficult to easily capture the high-ranking demon that has settled in the wild mountains.

Moreover, as time passes… its wings will regenerate.

Philip and Martin exchange glances and start a conversation.

“What should we do, General Martin?”

“We have no choice but… to send all the soldiers to search. There is still hope now.”

Sending soldiers into the wild mountains is tantamount to demanding their sacrifice.

After much deliberation, Philip nods.

“His Grace, the Archduke, also risked his life to capture that demon, didn’t he? I agree… Order all troops to search the mountains! There will be a grand reward for whoever captures the Locust!”

With that, the soldiers begin to climb the mountain with trembling expressions.

***

The soldiers start their ascent.

As they begin to hack through the underbrush with their spears, tense expressions on their faces.

One soldier finds a Locust under a tree and shouts.

“Wow! It’s a demon! I’ve found the demon!”

“Where?! Where is it?!”

“Oh… Almighty… please watch over us.”

But soon, the Locust leaps high and hides itself in the dense foliage above.

“That tree! Catch it quickly!”

-Swish!

“It went that way!”

And so, the soldiers begin to climb deeper into the mountain.

Meanwhile, someone communicates their movements with hand signals.

***

Lucius, looking at the tactical map while observing the hand signals.

He informs everyone.

“The soldiers are currently ascending the mountain. It seems like the right time to send more from the imperial palace.”

Karl returns to the spot, smiling contentedly.

“Thankfully, Your Majesty. I will now order the private soldiers to move and protect the imperial palace.”

Theodora nods in agreement.

‘Just one step… only one step left.’

As the Emperor’s permission was granted, Karl tapped on the wooden cup Lucius was listening to, as if sending a signal.

“Right, and send additional troops to the hills in about an hour.”

The soldiers from the Grand Duchy were dwindling, and everyone felt that it wouldn’t be long before Karl, feigning surrender, would disarm the Grand Duchy’s soldiers.

***

Despite searching the mountain for a long time, there was still no catch.

“General Philip, a report has come from the field. We drove the Locust to the mountain’s peak, but… it seems they’ve emerged midway down the mountain.”

At those words, Philip sighed.

“It’s the dead of night, difficult to track the demons properly. This is when we need a Holy Knight who can trace magic! When are they supposed to arrive?!”

Frustration and anger.

If they don’t catch the Locust quickly, the reason for the Grand Duke’s brush with death will vanish.

Therefore, Philip felt suffocated thinking that as time dragged on, the soldiers would grow weary, and the Locust would escape from this place.

It was already approaching 5 a.m.

In two more hours, dawn will break.

“Contact the 001 intelligence department to find out when the Holy Knights are arriving!”

“I’m trying to get in touch too, but… strangely, the connection isn’t going through. It might be the influence of magic.”

“Damn it!”

Philip and Martin felt frustrated by the unavoidable situation.

***

-In response to the shortage of elite troops, His Majesty the Emperor’s personal soldiers volunteered for the defense of the Imperial Palace.

Following Karl’s orders to the palace guards, the Emperor’s personal soldiers began to enter the palace with discipline.

Knights on horseback and heavily armed soldiers.

Seeing them, the commanders of the Grand Duchy couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After all, the Grand Duchy’s soldiers had been in charge of the palace’s defense for three years.

And then…

Karl summoned the commanders for an emergency.

-Is something really going on?

-The Locust has been resurrected, what could be more important than that?

Currently, Karl and his agents have seized control of the Grand Duke’s office.

It would all be for naught if the Grand Duke woke up or if soldiers came to report to him, so blocking them to keep the Grand Duke’s slumber a secret was the only wise move.

Karl made them wait in the Grand Duke’s conference room.

He mutters to himself as he checks the time.

“It’s about time.”

In roughly an hour, the sun will begin to rise.

Karl, having decided that no matter how much the intelligence agents scramble, they cannot prevent the discovery that they are not locusts.

He heads to the conference room.

“Minister?! What’s happening now? The soldiers are restless.”

They are displeased that the Emperor’s personal troops have entered the palace.

Since they belong to the Grand Duchy but have devoted themselves to serving the Emperor, they can’t help but suspect the reason they were called upon.

“Silence! I will now issue the orders.”

He organizes a unit with the Grand Duchy soldiers at the core, mixing in some of the Emperor’s personal troops, and assigns them a mission.

“Now! Hurry and support Generals Philip and Martin! The situation is dire due to an ambush by demon cultists.”

Watching the departing troops, Karl sends a signal.

-Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

And about 30 minutes later…

-Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap.

Karl, upon receiving the next command, is full of smiles.

“Within the next 10 minutes, subdue all the soldiers of the Grand Duchy. I trust only you.”

***

A serene silence.

Theodora and her retainers await new tidings.

“It should be time by now… Could something have gone wrong?”

Lucius speaks with a stern face, but no one answers.

“It’s only been about 10 minutes.”

Not much time has passed since Karl said he would meet with the commanders of the Grand Duchy.

But to them, these 10 minutes feel incredibly long.

“That’s right. We haven’t received any signal of failure yet. We must wait more patiently.”

As another 10 minutes pass, they begin to wonder if they have failed.

But then…

-Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Signals from the wooden cup.

Lucius hears it and says with a bright smile,

“Confirmation from Minister Karl that additional troops have been sent from the Grand Duchy!”

No sooner had he finished than Theodora rose from her seat.

“Send a signal to the city gate, and as soon as they pass, deliver it directly to Minister Karl!”

Then, after a while…

-Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock-tock.

“They’ve just passed the city gate!”

Theodora, hearing the report that the reinforcements had passed the gate, stood up.

And she did so with a very bright and beautiful smile.

“Deliver the message to Karl! Hurry!”

And then…

Everyone keeps silent, not relaxing their expressions.

They all desperately hope that this situation will end without any issues.

-Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Theodora thinks she hears the ticking of the clock louder than usual today.

For her, this moment is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

‘If I miss this chance… he will leave.’

She calms her heart, eagerly waiting for the next report to come quickly.

And Karl, perhaps knowing Theodora’s heart…

Sent the report sooner than expected.

-Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock-tock.

“The operation was a success!”

“Wowwww!”

“It’s a success! A success!”

“That’s a relief.”

The hall is noisy.

Everyone knows how much effort went into this operation.

And… Theodora, knowing that Devian has fallen into her hands, smiles and speaks to the people.

Now it’s time to give Devian the punishment he deserves for even thinking of leaving me.

Therefore… I issue the command as I had promised them.

“Bring the Grand Duke to the audience chamber, as promised. I shall overlook the appropriate pranks, as agreed.”

At my words, everyone except grandfather nods with fervent eyes.

“Yes! Don’t worry!”

“How many late nights we’ve had because of him.”

Watching Lucius and Mueller, and even Sabinelli, who felt wronged by him, their faces brimming with eagerness, I can’t help but smile.

After all, everyone here has been greatly wronged by Devian.