Chapter 251: Great Escape (2)

Yekaterina’s mansion was located in the part of the Imperial Palace grounds where the nobility resided, so the street was brightly lit by lampposts.

Adjusting her clothes, Yekaterina said,

“Hurry up. Where is your guild staying? We’re taking everyone with us.”

“Let’s take a carriage there first.”

The carriage was a public means of transport that ran within the imperial city. At the end of the street, coachmen seeking wealthy passengers were waiting for customers.

Elaine and Yekaterina boarded a carriage headed for the lodging where Elaine’s companions were staying.

As a precaution, the two didn’t exchange many words. Instead, it was the coachman who began speaking.

“Don’t you think the atmosphere in the Empire’s been tense lately? All because of those ridiculous rumors from Briol, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s true.”

“And that Yuri Briol, or whatever his name is, that arrogant… soon enough someone will have to teach him a lesson.”

“I see…”

“You don’t sound very convinced. Don’t tell me you’re one of those who likes him? There are more of his supporters than people think.”

“Let’s just say yes, more or less.”

Elaine answered vaguely on Yekaterina’s behalf.

The coachman kept ranting about Yuri for a while, until he turned to ask,

“By the way, what’s the reason you’re traveling at this hour?”

“You’re asking too many questions.”

Elaine replied with a frown, and the coachman chuckled.

“It’s just that one should gather information in advance.”

“What do you mean?”

“And what are you doing here, Lady Elaine?”

The atmosphere inside the carriage instantly grew tense.

The coachman continued in a mocking tone.

“At the very least, you should tell me where you’re going so late at night together with Her Highness the Princess.”

Instinctively, Elaine reached for the blade at her waist. As she weighed the idea of stabbing him in the back, the coachman spoke.

“You’re thinking of sticking me with it, aren’t you?”

“I see you know.”

“Don’t do it.”

At that moment, the carriage began veering off the route Elaine had instructed, heading into an unfamiliar road.

The surroundings grew darker and darker, and they were moving toward an area the usual residents of the imperial city would never dare to enter.

Yekaterina gripped Elaine’s hand tightly.

“The person I serve wants to see both of you. Fufufu…”

Elaine silently counted to herself.

She hadn’t expected to be kidnapped in the middle of the imperial city, but she hadn’t traveled to the East without learning some assassination techniques.

She was ready and, just as she was about to stab the coachman, the carriage came to a sudden stop, making them both stagger.

“Ah…”

Someone had stepped in front of the vehicle.

“We’ve arrived.”

A chill ran down Elaine’s spine.

She should have acted faster, but by hesitating, she had ended up in the enemy’s den, where they had clearly been expected. In this part of the imperial city, where the authorities held no sway, the chances of running into a patrol were close to zero.

Then, a voice spoke,

“I didn’t expect to see you here in the imperial city.”

It sounded strangely familiar.

“Won’t you even show me your face after all this time, Lady Elaine?”

It was a deep, cold voice, with a very particular accent.

Elaine replied,

“Gorio?”

The coachman in front took off his hat and bowed.

“By Lord Gorio’s order, I’ve come to fetch you. With your permission.”

He stepped down from the carriage, and immediately someone else took his place. With one glance, Elaine recognized him as Gorio.

Yekaterina asked Elaine,

“You know him?”

“Yes. He’s one of His Highness of Briol’s subordinates.”

She almost called him a thug, but since he was right there, she restrained herself.

Elaine knew the relationship between Gorio and Yuri.

In the early days of her expansion into other countries, Gorio had been ordered by Yuri to protect Elaine’s guild from pressure by other trade associations.

When local gangs tried to sabotage her, Gorio not only eliminated them with his meticulous methods, but even went so far as to control the underworld of that country.

Once Elaine’s guild was firmly established, she no longer needed his help, and their relationship ended. She hadn’t known he was now in the Empire.

Gorio began to drive the carriage.

“This is the slum district of the imperial city. I’m in charge of keeping it under control. Even in a place like this city, there always needs to be such an area.”

Elaine nodded while looking out the window at the view.

For someone to consolidate that much power even in the Empire proved he was a formidable man.

That was why Yuri had taken in someone who was once just a thug, just as he had approached her when she was merely the owner of a small guild.

If what Yekaterina said was true, then Yuri had recognized their abilities based on memories from his past life.

“So, why are you traveling with the princess, Lady Elaine?”

Since he was addressing Elaine directly, she saw no reason to hide anything. She explained the situation—soon the Empire might arrest everyone from Briol.

“Gorio, you should leave too. They’ll probably be even harsher with you.”

“Hmm…”

“There’s not much time left.”

“I see.”

Gorio remained relaxed even as he drove the carriage.

“I plan to take Her Highness the Princess to Briol. Tonight.”

“Then I’ve been getting in the way of a busy man. As an apology, I’ll guide you straight out of the imperial city.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll stay here.”

Elaine tilted her head.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why?”

Gorio shrugged and continued driving in silence. The people wandering the alleys lowered their heads upon seeing him.

In this slum, everyone who recognized him treated him with respect.

“I haven’t finished what I need to do. Same as you.”

His voice was calm.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship our prince has with the Imperial princess, but I imagine there’s a reason. I’ve sent one of my people to your guild, so they should be here soon.”

“How…?”

“I’m quick to pick up on things, Lady Elaine.”

“Well, I know that much.”

“Or is it that you’re worried about leaving the rest of Briol’s people here?”

Elaine looked at him, and Gorio continued,

“Don’t overthink it. Just go.”

He soon stopped the carriage at a certain spot. A foul smell hung in the air.

“You can’t save everyone. Someone has to stay behind.”

“You…”

Elaine was about to reply when, in the distance, footsteps were heard—it was members of Elaine’s guild, approaching while holding their breath.

Gorio spoke.

“The Briol Comrades Alliance and I will help our people as much as possible, so don’t worry.”

“What, have you suddenly reformed yourself?”

Elaine remembered what Gorio had been like in the past before entering Yuri’s service—an utterly ruthless loan shark and leader of a gang of thugs.

Many merchants had been ruined after borrowing money from him.

Gorio let out a faint chuckle.

“I’m just playing my part.”

Then he stepped down from the carriage.

Yekaterina, looking at the now-empty coachman’s seat, asked,

“Elaine, why do you provoke him?”

“Because Gorio isn’t like that.”

“And what does it matter? What’s important is that he’s helped us escape.”

“I suppose…”

“Let’s get down first.”

The two of them disembarked from the carriage, and the stench grew stronger. Yekaterina frowned, covering her nose.

“What is this place?”

Then Gorio appeared, holding a torch.

“This is where the imperial city’s garbage is dumped. To keep a city this beautiful, somewhere has to deal with the trash and the stench.”

Just as he said, beyond the torchlight rose a mountain of garbage.

Next to it, a large gate in the city wall, firmly shut, led to the outside.

“I’ll open that gate. The one in charge is close to us.”

Elaine stared at him for a moment, then tilted her head slightly.

“Thank you, Gorio.”

“No need.”

He shrugged.

“As I said earlier, I’m just playing my part, so you don’t have to thank me too much.”

Soon, the guild members arrived. One of them, sporting a black eye, asked Elaine,

“What’s going on? We were told to come, but…”

“What’s with that eye?” Elaine said, laughing.

“Don’t laugh.”

“What happened to you?”

“I complained when some thugs told us to pack up and follow them, and instead of answering me… they hit me.”

Gorio stepped in.

“Seems one of my men was a bit too rough. The situation was urgent, I hope you understand.”

While following him, Elaine briefly explained what had happened.

“We need to leave the imperial city as soon as possible.”

“I understand. And this lady? Is she staff? I haven’t seen her before…”

The man pointed at Yekaterina. Irene hesitated for a moment, but Yekaterina answered,

“I’m a friend of Elaine’s. I’ll be accompanying the group, so count on me.”

“Oh…”

With a beauty that seemed blessed by the gods, her voice was equally enchanting. The guild member was startled to hear it suddenly from beneath her hood.

Elaine sighed.

“We’ll have to do something about your voice too. She’s coming with us, and she’s an important person, so don’t be rude.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll keep her identity secret until we reach Briol, so I hope you understand.”

“Yes.”

They stopped before the large gate in the wall. At Gorio’s order, his men moved, and soon the dump gate began to open.

Outside the wall was equipment for processing the garbage, likely to bury it far from the city.

Gorio motioned with his hand.

“Follow me.”

They walked after him, the tainted soil clinging to their shoes.

“In a dump, you can find anything. No trace will be left behind.”

Gorio added,

“No one will know how you escaped. My help ends here. Reaching Briol will be each person’s own responsibility.”

“Thank you, Gorio.”

She expressed her gratitude, and he, with the faintest of smiles, turned.

“I wish you luck, Lady Elaine.”

Just as he had appeared, Gorio left without another word, and before they could call out to him, the dump gate shut silently.

All that remained were the mountains of garbage and the closed city wall.

That was the end.

A truly dry man.

“Who was that?”

“A man named Gorio.”

The guild members still looked puzzled.

“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s move.”

Either way, they were now outside the imperial city.

Thanks to Gorio, they had escaped beyond the wall without any danger.

But the real trial was only beginning—there was still the long journey out of imperial territory and back to Briol.

“Let’s go to Briol.”

Elaine looked at Yekaterina, who was still by her side, and reaffirmed her resolve. Then she whispered,

“Your Highness, I’ll introduce you to His Highness the Prince. So stick close to me.”

“I trust you.”

***

In the Empire, a new upheaval erupted. Under the pretext of “purifying” the nation, they founded reeducation centers and began arresting all foreign residents.

Some managed to hide, but most were inevitably caught.

Every country except the Empire protested the measure. The Empire, however, remained unmoved.

It seemed like an open provocation.

After all, they had already lost the people’s support through their use of black magic, and now they were taking extreme measures without caring about appearances.

Briol, the Holy Kingdom, Liberta, and Brusen sent delegations demanding an explanation.

Of course, their demands would be ignored.

The next step was obvious.

A declaration of war—and then war itself.

The whole continent waited, holding its breath, for this inevitable outcome.

Some were already fleeing to avoid being caught in the conflict.

“There’s no reason to keep hesitating.”

In Briol, King Joshua and his younger brother, Yuri Briol, presided over a meeting. Yuri stood up and declared,

“I will personally lead the army to the imperial border. The other three kingdoms and the Confederation of Small Kingdoms will join us. Does anyone object?”

None of the officials or nobles present said a word.

Yuri smirked slightly.

“No? Good.”

Thus, the war that would decide the fate of the continent was about to begin.