71. How to face the pitfalls

Crash!

Once again, a loud sound reverberated as the ground collapsed.

The sound of numerous footsteps began to echo.

Psyche quickly surveyed her surroundings in surprise.

At first, she thought the tent was shaking due to strong winds, but it wasn’t.

Somewhere, there was the sound of beasts.

In an instant, a suffocating fear overwhelmed her.

It had been several hours since the men had gone hunting. They were already quite far from this place.

The area where those who didn’t go hunting were located was at the edge of the forest, where there were no threatening beasts or predators.

So, to hunt, they had to venture deeper into the forest. It was also unreasonable to expect them to return this way.

This place, where only the Emperor, his knights protecting him, noblewomen, and some accompanying knights were present, became chaotic.

“Your, Your Majesty! The defensive barrier here has been breached! We must flee!”

“What?”

Psyche was more surprised than the Emperor by that statement.

The barrier set up to protect the Emperor was composed of formulas that could never be broken under normal circumstances.

To break down that barrier, it would require a Swordmaster or several well-trained military units.

“Ahh!”

“Ugh! Over there!”

The screams of the women there pierced Psyche’s ears.

She quickly stepped out of the collapsing tent.

“Ladies, you must flee!”

The knights of the duchess who remained to protect her approached her.

The Emperor’s knights diligently attended to the Emperor.

“What… what is that…?”

Psyche stood still for a moment, as if her feet were tied to the ground, looking at the strange beasts rushing towards them.

The beast, in the form of a wild boar, was three times larger than a normal one.

Not only was the beast larger, but it was also extremely menacing.

Rushing at full speed with thick saliva dripping from their mouths, they seemed utterly indiscriminate in their pursuit of prey.

The knights who were guarding this place tried to stop the beasts, but they were outnumbered.

“What on earth…”

Psyche quickly surveyed the situation around her.

Amidst the chaos of noblewomen fleeing and knights striving to protect the Emperor, she felt a strange sense of unease.

‘Is the security really this lax?’

Psyche couldn’t believe it. Even if it were a regular nobleman going out hunting for a brief moment, she thought they would be more thorough.

But such thoughts were fleeting. In an instant, she couldn’t focus on anything other than the onslaught of the beasts.

“Ahh!”

“Ugh!”

“Protect the Emperor!”

Psyche deliberately stuck close to the direction the Emperor was headed.

Still, being by the Emperor’s side seemed much safer than being alone. The knights of the duchy were also struggling.

“Growl…”

“Roar…”

Terrifying beastly sounds, as if scraping the bark of trees, echoed from all directions.

Psyche watched the knights trying to fend off the beasts, feeling compelled to do something rather than just watching. She grabbed a long, sturdy branch that looked somewhat reliable nearby.

She thought it was a good time to use the rudimentary swordsmanship Clint had taught her.

Although her skills were not exceptional, she felt it was better to stand up and try to confront the approaching beasts rather than just sitting idly by. 

Suddenly, the entire tent where the Emperor was collapsed completely.

The chaos intensified.

Psyche also had no chance to focus elsewhere.

After fending off the beasts rushing towards her, she continued to keep an eye on the Emperor.

He seemed oddly calm, being protected by his knights, which made the situation even more bizarre.

‘Something’s off…’

She noticed that the condition of the beasts was also abnormal.

‘It’s as if they’re under some kind of influence…’

The eyes of the beasts that approached closely were heavily bloodshot. While the beasts didn’t possess reason due to their nature, it was evident even to the naked eye that they were not in a normal state.

“Huh!”

Psyche struck another beast rushing towards her.

‘Weird, what’s going on…?’

The strange unease had been persistent since earlier.

“Hmph!”

Once again, the beasts rushed towards her.

It was relentless.

Amidst her distracted state, Psyche explored the nature of the strange unease.

‘What is it…?’

While the beasts were aggressively attacking, they didn’t seem as threatening as expected.

Psyche felt somewhat relieved by this realization.

She instinctively glanced toward the Emperor to see if he was unharmed.

‘Ah.’

She immediately grasped the nature of the strange unease.

Around the Emperor, there was an eerie calmness. The scene felt so alien that it sent shivers down her spine.

Despite the knights wielding their swords and assuming a defensive stance to protect him, that was all.

‘Come to think of it, the beasts aren’t making any moves towards the Emperor…?’

As soon as she saw that scene, Psyche understood the nature of the unease.

The fact that the beasts, which were indiscriminately attacking people, were not making any moves towards the Emperor.

“Huh!”

She struck down another beast rushing towards her. Simultaneously, the branch broke weakly.

She quickly moved closer to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor greeted her with surprise.

“…Oh, Duchess. Are you unharmed?”

Despite the urgency of the situation, the Emperor was smiling leisurely.

His strange laughter sent shivers down Psyche’s spine.

‘What is it? That laughter seems to imply that he knows something…’

Psyche took a deep breath and approached him.

After catching her breath, her pulse raced. She looked at the Emperor, who seemed unscathed, and spoke again.

“I will protect you, Your Majesty.”

“What? The Duchess?”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I have learned swordsmanship from my husband, but I never thought I would use it like this!”

Before Psyche could finish her sentence, a beast rushed towards her. It was a precise attack aimed at Psyche.

She quickly changed her stance and kicked the beast.

“Yaaah!”

“Ah, indeed, the Duchess is brave, isn’t she?”

The Emperor smiled satisfactorily at her gesture.

“It’s dangerous here. We should go somewhere without the swarm of beasts.”

As soon as Psyche arrived, the Emperor looked around with a worried expression.

“I will go with you.”

“You, Duchess? Are you sure?”

The Emperor started walking slowly towards the outskirts of the forest.

Psyche followed the Emperor. It seemed safer to leave the forest than to stay here.

“You, go inside and bring back those who went hunting. We will set up a defense here.”

The Emperor ordered one of the knights.

After a quick bow, he entered the forest.

“Duchess, don’t worry. I’ll…”

“Kyaaaaah!”

Before the Emperor could finish his sentence, a beast lunged towards him.

Once again, it was an attack aimed at Psyche.

“Goodness, these beasts are vicious.”

“Huh!”

Psyche kicked another beast that rushed towards her. At the same time, one thought crossed her mind.

‘Ah, could it be…?’

As soon as she had the thought, Psyche stopped in her tracks.

Now, there was only the Emperor, his knights, and Psyche left around her.

Only then did Psyche realize that this was a trap set up by the Emperor in advance.

“…Talais flowers.”

Psyche muttered without realizing it.

It seemed like no one heard her softly spoken words.

‘He used that.’

As she realized what was happening, Psyche felt that she shouldn’t just follow the Emperor quietly.

Blinded by jealousy and resentment towards the Duke, the Emperor couldn’t make a proper judgment of the situation.

Believing that everything would be fine once he eliminated the Duke, he failed to see his own foolishness.

“Someone who thinks they’ve lost everything is capable of anything.”

“Be careful with the Emperor. He won’t hesitate to resort to treachery and shallowness.”

Suddenly, Clint’s words about the Emperor came to her mind.

Psyche stood still and looked at the Emperor.

‘It’s a trap…’

Then everything fell into place.

Talais flowers blooming at an inappropriate time.

The beasts driven mad by the flower’s poison.

And the composed Emperor.

This was undoubtedly a trap.

Upon realizing this, she couldn’t help but laugh.

When Psyche didn’t move, the Emperor, who had been walking ahead, turned back.

“Why did you stop? What’s wrong?”

Then, Psyche realized that this was the real trap.

She approached the Emperor with a faint smile.

“Your Majesty, let me protect you.”

She bowed to the Emperor.

As she approached, the Emperor flinched.

She drew the ceremonial sword from his waist.

With a brighter smile, Psyche spoke again.

“Your Majesty, one should face traps with their entire being.”

“…?”

The Emperor looked puzzled.

Psyche turned away from him and drew the sword from its scabbard.