I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 49

Attendants holding lamps hurriedly knocked on the Emperor’s bedchamber door. It was the middle of the night. Emperor Dael was the first to awaken, mindful of the unprecedented discourtesy, and soon after, Empress Luria, who had been sleeping in his arms, also stirred.

“What is the matter?”

Emperor Dael asked, his displeasure evident. A capable attendant would have noticed the Emperor’s mood, but they showed no sign of backing down.

“Your Majesty!! The magic circle in the Imperial Palace…”

They reported that the magic circle in the Imperial Palace basement, which forbade any magic, had been breached. This was tantamount to saying that an external force could infiltrate the Imperial Palace, as teleportation magic would now be possible.

The attendant said that the knights were pursuing the culprit who had broken the magic circle, but it would be best to move to a safer location until security could be assured.

The Emperor’s bedchamber was the most heavily influenced by the magic circle installed in the Imperial Palace. It was the most securely protected place, but with the magic circle broken, it was better to move elsewhere.

Since each palace had its own magic circle, the next safest place was the Empress’s palace.

Upon exiting the bedchamber, they found the escort knights waiting for the Emperor. The fact that the attendant had not entered the bedchamber with the knights indicated that the situation was not as urgent as it seemed.

The Emperor, with the knights leading the way, moved towards the Empress’s palace. Destroying the magic circle in the Emperor’s palace was impossible with ordinary power, so he was certain that the target was his life.

What kind of madman…

Dael frowned, shielding the Empress as he walked. Even before revealing his special ability, he knew he was strong.

His power was none other than ‘curse,’ and no one could match his strength. After meeting his Guide, Luria, he had nothing to fear in the world, and he found it all quite amusing.

‘To dare try to kill me. I’ll teach you that there are things more terrifying than death!’

The Imperial family, with the blood of the gods flowing through their veins, was immune to all poisons and even possessed regenerative abilities. The only way to kill such an Imperial was through assassination, but since any assassin who entered Dael’s range would be cursed and die, assassination attempts on Dael were virtually nonexistent.

Therefore, Dael had no reason to fear this midnight commotion. His only concern was that Luria might be caught in the attack and killed by his side.

He was protecting her, so that wouldn’t happen, but there was always the possibility of the unexpected.

With a sense of foreboding, Dael looked at Luria beside him. She was half-running to keep up with the Emperor, panting for breath.

Dael, as if accustomed to it, swept Luria up into his arms. With the Imperial family’s innate physical abilities, this was no difficult feat.

If it had been during their honeymoon, Luria would have been flustered and called out his name, but now she simply blushed and clung to Dael.

The attendants following behind and the knights surrounding the Imperial couple pretended not to notice and kept their eyes forward.

Dael suddenly thought he heard a strange noise and turned his gaze to the side. They were running through the corridors of the Imperial Palace, and the leading knight’s lamp illuminated the surroundings.

It sounded like the flapping of bat wings… Dael thought. He had once entered a cave out of curiosity as a child and encountered a swarm of bats.

The swarm of bats, clustered together and flapping their wings against each other, was a bizarre creature that he couldn’t comprehend.

But the black shapes swarming outside the window were not bats. They were demons, perhaps tens of thousands, hundreds of millions, with slender, wide wings, flying in, wings colliding with each other.

“Aaaagh!”

“Protect His Majesty!”

One of the attendants screamed, and the escort knights drew their swords in unison. Dael gritted his teeth and unleashed his power.

People commonly thought that the Emperor’s special ability was activated by his gaze, but that was wrong. His ability was activated within the range he perceived.

It was difficult to determine how many demons were clustered together in one mass. So, while Dael’s power caused many to lose strength and fall, dozens survived and lunged forward.

The Emperor’s escort knights desperately slashed at them. Dael shielded Luria with his body and endured, using his power.

The dismembered attendants screamed, and the light of swords flashed everywhere. They had only been fighting the demons for less than ten minutes, but two attendants and one maid had lost their lives, and three or four were seriously injured.

It was at this moment that the commander of the Imperial First Knights Division appeared, leading the knights.

“Your Majesty!! Protect both Your Majesties!”

If until now, enduring had been the best option, the situation was now different. Dozens of Imperial knights rushed in to slaughter the demons, and the number of demons rapidly decreased.

Dael relaxed his shoulders when he saw Count Harmel, who was also his longtime friend. He was also one of the few Sword Masters in the Empire.

“I apologize for being late, Your Majesty.”

Harmel, who had cleared away all the demons, bowed before the Emperor and replied. Dael shook his head. Although three people had died, it would have been dangerous if they had been any later.

“What about the culprit who damaged the magic circle?”

“Lord Emperton is pursuing them.”

“…”

Dael remembered the report on the attack that Van had submitted. The mastermind behind this assassination was clearly the same person who had tried to harm Van.

‘It won’t be the same as with Van. They’ve even destroyed the magic circle in the Imperial Palace, so this won’t be the end…’

“I will track them down myself. You are to protect the Empress and go to the Empress’s palace.”

“Your Majesty!”

A startled Luria looked at the Emperor, but Dael took her hand with a gentle expression. It was an expression he only showed to a few people.

“If you stay by my side, even the Empress will be in danger. The enemy is surely targeting me… Please stay in a safe place, Empress. That is what I desire.”

At Dael’s words, Luria bit her lip. She resented the fact that being a Guide, she couldn’t be of any help to him in times like these.

But this was probably the case for most people. Not everyone could pick up a sword and become a knight or soldier.

‘There are things that only I can do. Right now, going to a safe place and wishing for his safe return is what will help him.’

“If that is truly your wish, then please allow Count Harmel to stay by your side. Other knights are sufficient for me.”

Dael seemed displeased with Luria’s words, but he realized that she would not change her mind and nodded.

All the knights of the First Knights Division were highly skilled, and he judged that the most dangerous place would be by his side.

When the Emperor gave his permission, Harmel quickly selected eight knights and ordered them to escort the Empress. Luria kissed Dael on the cheek and then withdrew from his side.

The Emperor watched Luria, surrounded by maids and escort knights, leave for the Empress’s palace, then turned his head and looked at Harmel.

“Duke Emperton… Where is Ludwig now?”

***

The path leading out of the Emperor’s palace and towards the Empress’s palace was shorter than the path to other palaces. All the past Emperors of the Empire had taken Guides as Empresses, and they desired their palaces to be close to their Guides.

That tradition was no different during Dael’s reign, so the Empress’s palace was still designated as the closest palace to the Emperor’s palace.

Luria felt somewhat relieved as she entered the Empress’s palace. Unlike the Emperor’s palace, the Empress’s palace still seemed to have its magic active, with the mana stones emitting a clear light.

Since it was still night, the light was prominent even in the darkness.

The group, which had moved hastily from palace to palace, entered the Empress’s palace with a somewhat relaxed demeanor. Since they had already sent people to make contact, all the maids and attendants of the Empress’s palace were waiting for the Empress.

Since it was late at night, Luria told most of them to retire. In a situation where they might be attacked, she thought that having too many people would only cause confusion.

Luria, accompanied by only a few maids and escort knights, headed towards her bedchamber. Since she had been sleeping in the Emperor’s palace every night, it had been a long time since she had come to the Empress’s palace.

As Luria walked along the brightly lit corridor, she suddenly felt something strange and stopped. She hadn’t noticed it while she was asleep in the Emperor’s palace, but it was clear now that she was awake.

It wasn’t just her, a Guide. The knights selected by Count Harmel were also mana users, so they seemed to have felt it as well.

‘Something…’

They felt as if the strong, solid power supporting their floor was cracking and breaking. Luria was certain that it was the magic circle that had been protecting the Empress’s palace.

“Your Majesty the Empress!”

The knights drew their swords and rushed to Luria’s side. Luria didn’t realize what had happened for a moment.

Two of the maids who had been guarding her side had their necks severed in an instant. Yet their bodies did not bleed and remained turned towards Luria.