Chapter 1423: Side Story 32
Chapter 1423 - Side Story 32
Because of Duke Vardin’s orders, Rojan had to go to another empire. Although he wished to accompany Ellie, he could not go against Duke Vardin’s orders.
At that moment, a carrier pigeon flew toward Rojan.
“She won?”
With this victory, no one would doubt Ellie’s qualifications and strength anymore.
Rojan smiled, delighted at the news, as if he had also won the competition. If she were standing in front of him right now, then he would have hugged her tightly and danced with her. Alas, she was not. So, Rojan decided to set off right away and go to where the Great War of Swords was being held.
Just as he was about to set off, he caught sight of the beautiful flowers blooming on the side of the road. Rojan smiled bashfully as he picked the flowers and made a sloppy bouquet.
‘She’s the type who doesn’t get associated with flowers. But today is a special day, no?’
Rojan set off and headed to where Ellie was.
*** The carriage, accompanied by fifty of the servants and knights of the Phoenix Knight Order, was set to return to the Eivelis Empire.
The loud and boisterous voices of the knights outside could be heard from within the carriage.
“Kghhk! Those bastards from the other empires were jumping around arrogantly, but they all fell in front of the sword of Her Highness, the princess! I still can’t believe it.”
“You saw that, right? The strongest and the crowd favorite, Lord Rammath, lost to her in just ten seconds!”
“She’s definitely the next Sword Emperor!”
“I’m telling you! The princess will be the greatest and most powerful emperor of the Eivelis Empire!”
Ellie chuckled lightly. She could not wait to go back home. Why did she want to go back to the empire right away? She wanted to confess to Rojan and share her feelings with him.
Just then, screams erupted from outside.
“Why are these bastards… Keuaaaack…!”
“Keheok!”
“Ugh… Uwaaaaack!”
“Protect Her Highness, the princess!”
When she stepped out of the carriage, she was greeted by the sight of countless masked attackers engaged in a fierce battle with her knights.
The knights of the Phoenix Knight Order were excellent. Unfortunately, there were just far too many enemies. Right now, there seemed to be at least two hundred masked attackers attacking them from all sides.
Swoosh!
Ellie drew her sword.
“Your Highness, the Princess! Please run!”
“Please go!”
Ellie was not the type of person to back down or run away. Instead, she floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.
Fwoosh!
She raised her sword and moved to stab the chest of one of the masked men.
Ting!
It seemed her sword failed to pierce through the thick plate armor that protected them.
“As expected, a woman’s sword can never pierce through this thick armor…”
“Whirlwind.”
Crack, crack, crack!
The powerful force of the swordlight released by the sword in her hands spun and dug into the armor, piercing through the masked man’s chest.
“Kyahack!”
“...!”
The masked attackers were all shocked. Regardless of how powerful or sophisticated the swordsmanship Ellie was using, the fact that she was a child remained the same. A fourteen-year-old girl killing an elite knight with one stab of her sword was something that went beyond common sense.
However, the tide that had already turned in their favor turned once again when a man, who seemed to be the commander of the group of attackers, stormed in.
Swoosh!
The knights of the Phoenix Knight Order fell one after another with every swing of his sword.
“Your Highness, the Princess… Keuhaaack!”
“Your Highness… please get out of here, quickly…!”
“Kyaaaaack!”
Ellie stood frozen as the slaughter of her knights unfolded in front of her very eyes. This was the first time that she had seen such a bloody and brutal scene in her life. It was too much for a young girl of fourteen to process and handle.
Her servants and knights gathered around her. They raised their hands and created a wall that blocked her from harm.
“Your Highness! Please get out of here!”
“Go! Quickly! Ask for help!”
The sword held in Ellie’s hands shook along with her trembling body.
“You want to protect that child?! That child who will bring the empire to ruin?!”
A very familiar voice rang through the crowd. Ellie immediately realized who the master of the familiar voice and greedy gaze that landed on her was.
“Kill them all!”
The servants and knights who blocked the attackers from Ellie were swept away. The people who had been by Ellie’s side since she was one year old were being slaughtered mercilessly. When one of the masked attackers was able to reach through the gap of the human wall that the servants had created…
Chomp!
Ellie’s maid snatched the arm that was reaching out and bit it.
“Your highness! Please run!!!”
Ellie turned around.
‘My body is precious. I am the person who will lead the empire.’
Her father once told her…
–Your body and well-being are more precious than the lives of millions of people.
–Your honor, dignity, and pride are more valuable than the death of millions of soldiers.
–Keep this in mind. This is the path that you have to take. This is the path to greatness.
Then, she stopped in her tracks.
‘What is an emperor?’
When she stood atop the walls of the empire with Rojan, Ellie had made a vow.
Ellie stabbed the neck of the knight who was trying to tear her maid apart with her sword. Then, she took one step toward the enemies that flocked around them.
She wasn’t able to complete it yet. They had talked about creating a swordsmanship that far surpassed the swordsmanship that was being passed down and used by her ancestors. Regardless, Ellie executed every move of the swordsmanship that she had made and was still developing with her first love.
Ellie looked at the enemies around her as she twisted her body once, twice, three times, four times. At the same time, the swordlight that erupted from her sword spun fiercely.
Rumble!
The streams of swordlight that shot out from the tip of her sword fluttered like petals that bloomed and were swept away by a fierce storm. The petals fluttered lightly, yet cut off and tore apart the flesh and blood of the elite knights hiding behind the mask of an attacker around them.
Rumble!
“...Impossible!” Duke Vardin shouted, his face dyed with shock.
‘The Sword Emperor? No. This child will stand at a higher position than the Sword Emperor.’
Perhaps he had made a mistake. However, his ambition and greed would always take precedence.
Although Ellie had cut down the hundreds of knights that surrounded them, she was unable to leave them with serious and lasting injuries. It was mainly because she was still thin, slender, and weak.
At that moment, a knight raised his spear and moved to stab Ellie’s neck.
“I’m not going to run away!!!” Ellie shouted as she raised her sword and split the spearhead that was aiming for her neck.
Alas, that was not the only spear that aimed for her. Several spears shot toward her. Ellie stood in front of her servants and split the spearheads coming her way one after another.
She stepped forward and shouted, “I WILL NEVER RUN AWAYYY!!!”
Then, one of the spears was able to break through her defenses. Ellie stared at the sharp and gleaming spearhead that was about to reach her neck. She did not shy away. She stood there firmly and did not even flinch.
‘I don’t have any regrets.’
“That’s cool.”
At that moment, arms wrapped around her from behind. He hugged Ellie in his embrace and cut down the enemy with a swing of his sword. Just like what Ellie did earlier, the man spun in place.
Rumble!
The wind picked up, creating a bigger, majestic, and wilder whirlwind than the one Ellie had made earlier.
“Didn’t I tell you before? You have to do it faster. You have to put more strength into it. See, you have to spin this way.”
The petals created by the swordlight that shot out from his sword bloomed brilliantly in the fierce and wild tornado that he had made. The tornado was so intense that it also blew away the petals of the sloppy bouquet in Rojan’s hands.
This time, the knights, who had only been lightly injured with Ellie’s version of the attack, were being swept away and slaughtered. Even their limbs were being cut off and sent flying. By the time the attack ended, almost half of the enemies that surrounded them had died.
“We created this together.” Rojan smiled.
Bang!
Then, he kicked the ground and shot forward. He moved like lightning, his moves so swift and efficient to the point that one would question if this display of swordsmanship and skill was truly something that came from a young man.
Duke Vardin’s elite knights were torn apart.
“Wow…” Ellie stared at Rojan, her face filled with awe and admiration.
The sword of the man who possessed a similar talent… no, beyond her own, was truly fantastic and awe-inspiring.
Despite his outstanding talent and sharp sword, the number of enemies was far too many for him to handle alone. There was also the fact that Rojan had to fight while protecting Ellie and her servants. Because of that, he ended up suffering from varying degrees of injuries.
The worst was when Vardin stepped in. Although he was not as strong as the Sword Saint, he still possessed enough power. After all, he was the head of his own house and was also an excellent sword master. His addition to the fray made Rojan struggle.
Bang, bang, bang!
“It would have been nice if you were born as the crown prince!”
Vardin was not an easy opponent for an already exhausted Rojan. Their battle was tight and close. But he was not Rojan’s only opponent. There were also the knights who were sneaking in and trying to deal with Ellie. Every time his concentration was taken away from the fight to kill the enemies who were aiming for Ellie, a deep cut would appear on Rojan’s body.
Ping!
Ping, ping!
Meanwhile, Vardin stared at the scene in disbelief.
‘This is crazy! How is he still standing?’
Rojan, whose blood dripped down from the top of his head to the tip of his blade, looked like a blood demon swinging his sword.
Swoosh!
When Rojan swung his sword at Vardin, the duke’s entire vision was dyed red with blood.
Thump!
Rojan stabbed Duke Vardin’s chest without any hesitation.
“Kghhk!”
However, Duke Vardin was not someone to be outdone. He had already drawn the dagger on his waist and used it to stab Rojan’s abdomen.
Thud!
Rojan just frowned despite the deep and painful stab in his abdomen and tugged the sword out of Duke Vardin’s body. After confirming the duke’s death, he immediately lunged at the remaining knights without even bothering to remove the dagger stuck in his stomach.
“Hiiiiiiik! Mo… Monster…!”
The bloody Rojan staggered to his feet as he continued to slaughter and hunt them. If someone dared to go after Ellie, he would immediately appear near her, cutting down the daring enemy and protecting her from harm.
The battle lasted for six minutes. When it ended, all of the enemies had died, and Rojan was the only one left standing.
The bloody Rojan stood amidst the chaos. For some strange reason, the petals of the bouquet that were swept away by the wind scattered and fell softly around him. At that moment, he made eye contact with Ellie.
“Instructor! Instructor…!”
Alas, Rojan could not open his mouth to speak. All he could do was smile with his blood-stained teeth as he slowly collapsed on the ground.
Thump!
Thankfully, Rojan was able to stab the sword in his hand on the ground and prevented himself from falling entirely. He slowly knelt and looked at Ellie, who was running toward him. Then, he struggled to say, “Greetings, Sword Emperor Ellie…”
Ellie crouched down and made eye contact with her beloved instructor.
Rojan smiled. “Please… live the way you said you will leave. Please make sure to fulfill your promise. For the… people. By.. the people. Please keep your word and live for the sake of the people. And… become the strongest emperor.”
Rojan’s vision was already growing hazy. He tried so hard to raise his bloody hand. Then, he gently stroked Ellie’s head as he said, “Ellie…”
“...”
“Don’t fall and crumble.”
With that, Rojan took his last breath.
Ellie understood what Rojan’s words meant. His words were asking her to never waver or fall apart, especially at moments when she was forced to make a choice where she had to give up her people. He was asking her not to fall apart despite the hardships that would appear as stumbling blocks in her path as an empress.
Ellie hugged Rojan tightly. Unfortunately, she could not fulfill that promise today. She could not force herself to stay firm and not fall apart in front of him.
Ellie gathered the petals of the flowers from the sloppy bouquet that he had brought over and cradled them in her arms.
***
Upon their return, the Eivelis Empire immediately destroyed the entire Vardin Family and drove out everyone and exiled everyone from their faction.
Ellie stopped eating and drinking. The only thing that she did was to cry and hug her sword every single day. There was no opportunity for her to confess her feelings to Rojan, yet she was forced to let him go.
One day, a servant approached her and handed her something.
“This is Lord Rojan’s diary.”
[January 9. Today, I was asked to teach the Imperial Princess. Hmmm. She’s as cold as I have heard.]
[January 17. Okay. I take back what I said about her being cold. She smiles and laughs a lot more than I thought.]
[January 21. She’s working too hard and too much. She doesn’t even have friends.]
[January 30. I’ll keep on staying by her side. This way, she won’t feel lonely.]
Ellie realized that Rojan did not stay by her side every single day because he was free and he was bored.
Flip, flip, flip!
She kept on reading the pages of his diary.
[March 13. I must be stupid, huh? I came from the slums. Yet I have come to like someone whom I should never have liked.]
[March 18. It looks a bit difficult. But I want to protect the young and delicate Imperial Princess.]
Flip, flip, flip!
[December 6. Her Highness, the Princess, went to participate in the Great War of the Sword. I wanted to go with her, but I have to deal with the thing that Duke Vardin left me to do. Isn’t Duke Vardin an idiot?]
[December 11. I heard the news. My dear princess has won the Great War of the Sword. I’m going to see her. I’ll take this as a sign to gather my courage and confess my feelings. Ah! Of course, I will only pursue a relationship with her once she becomes an adult!]
[Well, it’s also fine even if she rejects me. I’ll be happy as long as I can stay by her side.]
[Even if I can’t see her, I hope she won’t fall apart and collapse.]
Ellie hugged the diary tightly to her chest. After reading the diary, Ellie began to eat again. Not only that, she also resumed her swordsmanship training. This was so she could live as she promised him.
***
After telling her story, Ellie stood up and said, “Alright. I have to go.”
Ellie returned to her empire after she met with Minhyuk. At this time, every year, she would go to the florist and order the same bouquet that Rojan had brought for her that day. With the bouquet in her hands, Ellie went somewhere.
Rojan had mentioned it in his diary. According to his entry, he wanted to be buried in this place that was not far from the slums if he died.
“Rojan,” Ellie murmured as she untied her blazing red hair and let it flutter behind her back. “What do you think?”
The slums that Rojan used to live in were now filled with lovely and sturdy buildings. There was no longer a slum area in the Eivelis Empire. The poor were no longer suffering.
Ellie sat down. Then, she began to tell him her story. She told him about how she was offered the seat of the Sword God, about the story of how she became the Hegemon King, the story of how she led her empire, and…
“I became an emperor for the people.”
She told him about how she kept her promise.
She smiled gently as she gently laid down the bouquet in front of his headstone.
“From now on, I will no longer break down or collapse.”
Ellie stood up. She turned around and walked away.