Chapter 18: The Elder Council – (4)

“Please become my Guardian Knight.”

That’s what Lincia said.

Her tone was more serious than ever before—it wasn’t just words. She meant it.

“The Guardian Knight?”

“What else could I possibly mean?”

Guardian Knight.

In the Empire, when a young emperor ascended the throne, a high-ranking noble—someone not of royal blood—was appointed as regent. That position was called the Guardian Knight.

A regent.

One who ruled in the emperor’s stead, both in title and in power. The Guardian Knight held authority second only to the throne.

But as the emperor’s position solidified and the empire’s strength grew, the Guardian Knight’s influence gradually diminished.

In the end, it lost its original regency role and came to signify a close aide—a protector who stood directly beside the emperor.

In terms of modern parallels? More like a chief of staff.

Still, even with diminished power, the title of Guardian Knight carried immense prestige.

Nominal or not, it was the highest rank one could attain within the imperial family without being of royal blood.

How do I know all this?

Of course—because it was in the game.

In Raising the Empress, you could appoint a knight or noble as the Guardian Knight.

Doing so would give you a partial bonus from their stats, and in many cases, prevent one of the dreaded bad endings.

Usually, people picked someone like Uriad the hexagon-stat Guardian Knight who appears in Act 2. Someone well-balanced, competent in every category.

By comparison, Freud was never a popular choice for Guardian Knight.

His stats were too skewed toward brute strength. And more importantly, picking him could trigger a catastrophic ending.

“……”

As that memory resurfaced, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

Lincia looked at me silently and asked again,

“What do you think?”

Guardian Knight.

It was the highest post imaginable.

If I accepted her offer, I’d essentially be ascending to a position of unchecked power.

I’d outrank both the Royal Advisor and Archmage Rowan. I’d be nearly equal to the Chief Councilor himself.

With such a title, I’d stand beside the Empress, able to act immediately in moments of danger.

I’d have the authority to do what I previously couldn’t. No more excuses. No more holding back.

It was a golden opportunity.

And yet, I hesitated.

Sensing my doubt, Lincia gently stroked the epaulet on my shoulder.

“Of course, not right now. After we successfully finish the Elder Council session… once I ascend as Empress, then you, Sir Freud, will become my Guardian Knight .”

“But… everyone will object.”

Appointing a lowborn knight like Freud to such a prestigious position would stir serious unrest.

Melina would be even more suspicious of me than before.

“There’s already plenty of opposition,” she said.

“You saw today’s meeting.”

“……Mmm.”

“And once I become Empress, it won’t matter anymore, right?”

If only it were that simple.

But Lincia was sincere. She truly wanted me to take the position.

“I saw a lot of betrayal today,” she continued.

“Elders who were once kind to me when I was young, officials who swore eternal loyalty to the crown… they all turned their backs on me.”

“……”

“Will you turn your back on me too, Sir Freud?”

“That’s…”

Of course not.

Lincia must become Empress. She must survive until her coronation. The fate of the world depends on it.

“But someone like me… someone like this… how could I ever deserve that seat?”

“Who else, then? If not you, then who? It has to be you, Sir Freud.”

“But…”

“Are you going to keep saying that?”

Lincia pouted.

She seemed genuinely upset by my continued hesitation.

“I’m serious right now.”

“……”

“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever asked a man to stay by my side.”

Her voice was teasing, but her face turned crimson the moment she finished.

Embarrassed, she covered her mouth and coughed awkwardly.

She looked so much like a child in that moment.

“A-anyway… that’s what I wanted to say.”

“…I’m sorry.”

In the end, I apologized.

I never imagined Lincia would come to trust me this much.

Guardian Knight…? That’s practically a political explosion.

If the Royal Advisor hears this, he’ll probably clutch his neck and faint. And Melina? She might poison me in Lincia’s place, just out of spite.

There’d be rumors. Ugly ones.

But none of that was the real reason for my hesitation.

The real reason…

Was the ending I saw just before waking up in this world.

The 100th Dead Ending in Raising the Empress.

- “The Close Aide.”

It was still vivid in my mind.

Freud’s blade piercing Lincia’s heart.

The Empress’s stunned expression.

Her lifeless body cradled in the arms of the weeping black knight.

In that ending, Freud betrayed Lincia just before her coronation—and stabbed her through the chest.

No one knew why.

The game didn’t provide much explanation for each ending. To most players, it just came off as a sudden and shocking betrayal from a stoic knight.

And one of the key requirements to trigger that ending?

Appointing Freud as Guardian Knight .

Of course, I’m not Freud Escoval. I’m just a guy from modern-day Earth in his body.

I’m not some mad dog knight. I’m not the villain who kills Lincia.

But still… I couldn’t shake the unease.

“Sir Freud.”

Lincia’s quiet voice broke through my thoughts.

I looked up and met her gaze.

Her eyes held a flicker of fear. She was trying hard to hide it, but I could tell—she was under immense pressure.

“…I’ll do it.”

I had no choice but to accept.

I’m not the Freud.

And for the sake of seeing this world through to its true ending, I would never betray her.

That’s the only thought that helped me hold it together.

Swallowing the unease clawing at my chest, I nodded.

“……Thank you.”

Lincia let out a breath, and the tension drained from her shoulders.

She took a step back, a soft smile forming on her lips.

“Sir Freud. No… Freud.”

She placed her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly.

“Make me Empress.”

I bowed my head in silence, offering my answer without words.

****

It was a restless, unsettled feeling.

I left the council chamber and sank into the grass nearby.

Tilting my head back, I looked up at the sky. Just like Lincia had said, the moon shone especially bright tonight.

“Guardian Knight, huh...”

All things considered, it was a good outcome.

The offer had come out of nowhere, but I couldn’t say it ended poorly.

At the very least, I could now stay closer to Lincia. And more importantly, I’d earned her trust—

Which meant I could prevent future dead ends more easily.

“…Is this really okay, though?”

The unease still lingered.

Who was Freud Escoval really?

Why did he eventually betray the Empress?

Was I doomed to follow in his footsteps without even realizing it?

It wasn’t that I wasn’t curious. I was.

But there had been no time to think. Chaos after chaos had unfolded with no room to breathe.

Once Act 1 was over, I needed to visit Freud’s estate.

If I combed through every corner, maybe I’d find some kind of clue about him.

First things first: I had to deal with the immediate danger.

Clearing the Elder Council arc came before anything else.

The rest could wait.

I stood up from the ground.

“Hm?”

And that’s when I noticed it.

Everything around me had gone unusually dark.

Just a moment ago, the path to the council chamber had been clearly visible.

Now, I couldn’t see a thing.

I glanced at the sky.

The moon, which had shone so brightly just seconds earlier, had vanished without a trace.

It wasn’t hidden behind clouds—it was simply gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Even the lamps scattered around the garden had all gone out.

There was no source of light.

A dense darkness had fallen over the estate like a drawn curtain.

This wasn’t normal.

The shock rooted me in place, unable to move.

And then, I heard it.

A faint rustling—

The sound of fabric dragging across grass.

“Who’s there?”

I snapped around, blade drawn.

Standing in the direction I faced was a woman.

She had long, black hair that covered one eye and wore a dress so deeply cut that it exposed the whiteness of her chest.

Upon seeing me, she smiled.

Her lips curled slightly as she spoke, her voice soft and seductive, almost like a hiss:

“Freud Escoval.”

Her words slithered like a serpent.

And the moment I heard that voice, my blood ran cold.

From her appearance, her clothing, to the intoxicating aura she exuded— everything about her screamed danger.

Sirens blared in my mind.

Lautrec should’ve locked down the entire premises. No outsiders were supposed to get in.

So how had she managed to appear right in front of me?

I was rattled—but strangely enough, Freud’s instincts remained calm.

“It’s been a while. Last time we met was on the Day of Rest, wasn’t it? A month ago, maybe?”

She spoke like she knew me.

Or rather, like she knew Freud.

“……”

I said nothing.

A careless word could lead to a deadly misunderstanding.

First, I needed to assess the situation.

“I’d prefer if you lowered your sword,” she said sweetly. “We’re not enemies… yet. Or are you already planning to bare your fangs?”

I didn’t lower my blade.

Instead, I tightened my stance, ready to strike at any moment.

She sighed and raised both hands in mock surrender.

“I’m not here to punish you,” she said. “I just came to deliver a final warning.”

When I remained silent, she frowned in visible irritation and tilted her head.

“Have you forgotten the pact, Escoval? I could’ve sworn you agreed to it.”

“Pact?”

The word slipped out before I could stop it. I had no idea what she was talking about.

Her tongue flicked like a snake’s.

“I heard you saved the princess. And that you killed Slane, too. I won’t fault you for that—he brought it on himself.”

Slane of the Serpent Eyes.

The moment I heard his name, it clicked.

She was with the cult.

Maybe even one of its leaders.

One of the major villains of Raising the Empress.

“I also heard you’ve saved her life multiple times since then. No use hiding it. We have eyes and ears on our side too, you know.”

She reached into her dress and pulled out a small object.

I instinctively braced for an attack, but it wasn’t a weapon—.

It was an accessory.

A necklace, dangling from a golden chain.

“Ghh—”

The moment I saw it, my chest began pounding wildly.

For no reason I could explain.

But it wasn’t me feeling this way.

It was Freud’s lingering soul inside me that reacted—his echo, his memory.

She gently stroked the necklace and murmured,

“The pact is absolute. You can’t defy it. If you don’t act first, you’ll be considered our enemy.”

Her voice remained calm, unaffected.

And then, without even trying, I felt it—

the overwhelming mana flowing through her body.

“A vow to sever the imperial bloodline. That’s what we swore. And you… agreed to it.”

“What?”

“We’ll be making our move soon,” she said, her voice low and deliberate. “It’s in everyone’s best interest if you finish your part before then.”

Her hand clenched the necklace tightly as she delivered her final line.

“Freud Escoval. My loyal hound. You’re only one step away. Kill the last remaining princess—Lincia Airen. Complete the pact.”

“……”

“You can’t refuse. You are Escoval.”

I had no words. No response.

Freud.

Were you really… one of them?

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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