Chapter 50

The commoners of the Duchy were flocking to see her.

“…”

Elisha’s silence was usually a well-founded void or different kind of answer.

Not being able to say anything like this was very rare of her.

A large hand reached out in front of Elisha, carelessly brushed her silver hair.

“Go out and show them a decent face.”

As Elisha frowned, Rohan continued.

“Weren’t they miserable? Therefore cherish and comfort them. These are the people who laugh and cry at your words, Your Majesty.”

“That’s why I don’t like it.”

As Elisha shook her head, Rohan looked at her softly, then slightly bent his dark brown eyes.

“It’s not that you don’t like it. You just find it uncomfortable, isn’t it?”

Elisha looked like she thought it was uncomfortable, but then hesitated.

“You can ignore the things you don’t like and ignore them, but even if you turn your eyes away from the uncomfortable things, they remain in your heart and weigh on you the whole time. Please think about it, 2nd Empress.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really hate them? Or is it just that difficult and bothersome thing?”

They had not spent a lot of time together, but the Elisha that Rohan had been watching all this time should be thinking of the latter.

Nevertheless, the moment when the fair hand, which had been hesitating, was finally lifted up…

Duke Verdin crossed the invisible line drawn on the floor of the concourse.

The 2nd Empress, who had an unexpectedly great success in the Vecchia Plain, made a new story in this duchy.

He did not want it to become so widespread that it became another achievement of Barossa.

If it hadn’t been for Patrick’s report at the gathering place where everyone was gathered, he would have been able to move and reduce the situation by mobilizing force to disperse the residents!

Without knowing how many times it was, the Duke tried to suppress the rising anger as he caught up to the 2nd Empress.

“If Your Majesty doesn’t like it, don’t go out. No, actually, it would be better for you to stay like this. From the point of view of a duke who must consider the safety of the 2nd Empress, I cannot help but doubt the intentions of those who flock without a clear purpose and ask for your presence.”

The commoners shouted out loud, and the knights who heard it fully conveyed their intentions, but it seems that it was not enough reason for Duke Verdin.

Or perhaps he simply could not admit that his people in his territory made their own decisions without the support of their superiors and flocked to this place to spit out praises for the 2nd Empress.

Elisha looked at the Duke and asked.

“Why are you worrying in vain?”

Then, before the Duke could say anything, she naturally lifted her stopped fingertips and laid them down on Rohan’s palm, which had reached out to her.

“Trust me like it was yesterday. Don’t I have Sir Rohan, the Knight of the Empire by my side?”

If the Duke says he doesn’t trust her, it was tantamount to admitting that there was something wrong with his and the western nobles’, who left the 2nd Empress in the Vecchia Plain behind, behavior.

The Duke kept his mouth shut, and Elisha looked at Rohan.

“I’ll escort you.”

Rohan’s low voice resounded widely in the central hall.

Elisha, who had her body upright, took one step, and Rohan moved accordingly.

The Knight of the Empire used his cold hands, which should not be suitable for pulling up the hem of her fluttering skirt to do exactly that…

His presence alone was more daunting than any other weapon and shone brilliantly.

Ordinary nobles were eaten by the strict energy, and even prominent figures shrank their shoulders in front of the Imperial knighthood.

However, the 2nd Empress easily dealt with it and moved in harmony with him.

As the masters of the empire usually did.

The backs of the two people were clearly locked in the eyes of those in the central hall.

The gloomy flames that soared behind the backs of the remaining people spread like a band around the walls of the concourse.

The 1st Knights, who were waiting outside, followed behind Elisha who had left the main hall.

Perry, who had gone to call Rohan, was with them, and Miller and one of the knights who had provided information came a step behind and took their position at the back of the group.

On the way to the main gate of the Duke’s Castle, Elisha asked.

“By the way, what did Sir Rohan do with all his knights from that early hour? I thought you guys had morning training.”

The condition of the knights was too good to say that they had received Rohan’s heinous training.

“The atmosphere in the Duchy was strange, so we were checking the condition of the horses and fixing our weapons so that we could depart at any time.”

Still the same old Rohan.

Elisha shook her head as if satisfied.

Meanwhile, they arrived at the gate that was firmly shut.

Due to the nature of the Duke’s Castle, many people come and go for various business, most of them after sunrise. It was rare for the open place to be closed so tightly.

As Elisha continued walking near the gate without stopping, the soldiers guarding the gate and the knights who commanded them jumped right and left.

Elisha and her party were the first to arrive here, straight out of the main hall, so there’s no way to know what kind of conversation was going on inside.

Elisha did not blame them.

“I have to meet the people who came to me. Open the door.”

However, despite the fact that she had revealed her purpose, they stood still and dragged on time.

Even now, Elisha could feel the crowd continuously rushing over the gate in front of her.

The more people there are, the easier it is to get hurt.

There’s a unique sense of vitality when it comes to following the flow of nature. If one induces it, they can look through the gap of the situation and grab the leash to pull it towards themselves, however, that is usually difficult.

Currently, it should be difficult for the Duke to do anything again, but still…

As Elisha lifted her finger while facing the castle gate, Rohan smirked.

“You can’t break it.”

At that, Elisha clicked her tongue and looked up.

The height of the gate is about 15 meters.

Tak!

As she lightly jumped and her body was lifted into the air, a stream of water soared from the ground and wrapped around her.

“Huh?”

“Is that for real?”

The soldiers and knights of the Duke’s Castle, who did not see what happened in the Vecchia Plain, opened their mouths wide in surprise and tilted their heads back.

Paang!

At that moment, the floor vibrated loudly, and a lump of earthy dust rose.

It was because of Rohan who drew the floor horizontally with the tip of his foot loaded with mana.

Because of Rohan, the figure of Elisha who was about to fly over the top of the gate was blurred.

After all, the inside of the skirt wouldn’t be exposed because of the water stream that was wrapped around her toes to her waist like a long vine that swayed in all directions, so there wouldn’t be any weird rumors.

“Ahh…!”

Whether it was because the mysterious power was invisible or because of the shattering of uneasy expectations, a voice mixed with regret erupted from somewhere.

As Rohan gave a cold gaze to the side from which the sound was heard, the surroundings immediately became silent.

Then soon…

“Whoaaa!”

Hearing the tremendous cheers coming from beyond the gate, Rohan did not delay any longer and jumped up the gate.

The dust on his toes was like a fluffy cloud.

Elisha looked down at the outside, still floating in the air above the gates.

At a place about 20 steps away behind the closed castle gate, the knights and soldiers of the Duke’s Castle stood in a long line to the side, blocking the road, preventing the people from coming any closer.

The feet of the people were black, stained with dirt from walking across the street.

Despite the fact that they seemed to have been frightened in front of the grim-looking knights, they did not stop appealing.

The voices looking for her, worrying about her, and talking for her tickled Elisha.

Then one of the commoners looked up and accidentally found a doll floating above the closed gate and shouted.

“There! The 2nd Empress is there…!”

This commoner had never actually seen her before this, but he had heard many stories all night long.

It didn’t seem like there were two mysterious people like that in the world.

The people saw where the man’s gaze was directed.

Indeed.

“It’s the 2nd Empress!”

“Whoaaa!”

With thunderous shouts pouring in, Elisha, who was about to jump down, hesitated a little.

She didn’t want Rohan to worry about her again.

Elisha gently pushed Undine, who was sitting on her shoulder, with her chin.

Undine grinned as she held her silver hair, which was gently flowing in the wind, in her hand.

While playing around with Elisha’s hair, Undine must have forgotten what she had to do. As she blinked, the stream of water that used to wrap around Elisha changed its trajectory.

The rushing stream stopped moving for a moment and then began to flow out like an ebb.

The commoners were greatly surprised by the stream of water dripping down under their small feet.

“Won’t she fall?”

“I-It’s dangerous!”

At the same time as the shouts erupted, the knights and soldiers looked up at Elisha and also opened their mouths in astonishment.

However, Elisha was not at all anxious even though the strength that supported her was fading and falling.

Rather, she even took a step forward in the air.

“Hooh!”

Those who were imagining the scene of her beautiful face getting smashed to the ground and soaked in blood from falling from a height of 15 meters closed their eyes tightly.

But nothing of concern happened.

On the contrary, a sight that was more than a miracle unfolded in front of their eyes!

A stream of water dripped down vertically from where Elisha was the moment she stepped into the air.

Seururuugh!

It shifted horizontally and firmly supported her feet.

Then, without stopping there, it gently flowed in an oblique line, creating a curve in the air layer by layer.

Elisha stepped down one by one the steps of water, which were about 3 meters long from side to side.

She stepped off the last step, but where she landed was not directly on the dirt floor.

The stairs made of water behind her crumbled and seeped under her feet, covering her shadow.

The surface of the water reflecting the sunlight scattered a splendid swarm of lights on Elisha, who stood above it.

“Ooh…!”

It was a mysterious appearance that had never been seen once in a lifetime for ordinary people living in the provinces, farming or wandering the mountains.

There were not many people who witnessed the event in Vecchia Plain yesterday, but everyone was now completely mesmerized by the majestic and dignified beauty.

Then, nobody knew who started first, but thousands of people began to fall on the floor.

Elisha looked down at the people who were bowing their heads at her.

“It really is bothersome.”

Elisha’s muttering wasn’t loud, but enough to be heard by those in front.

As they flinched, their foreheads pounded deeper on the dirt floor, making Elisha click her tongue.

That one thing at the Vecchia Plain could be said as enough in fulfilling her responsibilities.

And it is not only because it can be used to her advantage politically.

She found a man familiar to her eyes among those who were kneeling, and approached him.

The light of the water followed her feet and glistened.

“Hiiyy!”

The soldiers and knights of the Duke’s Castle, who stood like a wall to stop those commoners, gulped in surprise.

They dared not block Elisha’s steps.

But considering the safety of the 2nd Empress, they could not retreat carelessly, so they went back and forth like that.

At that time, they found Rohan, who was behind the 2nd Empress.

When he nodded, the relieved knights and soldiers faltered down the wall.

Meanwhile, Elisha approached the man in front of her and asked him a question.

“What did you buy yesterday?”

The man in the front, Thompson, raised his face slowly and carefully.