Who would’ve thought that Anna’s plan—to clear up misunderstandings through a live broadcast—would backfire this badly?
What was ant to calm the masses has instead poured oil onto the fire.
I don’t even know if Bane is aware that this scene is being broadcast live across the Empire.
But the fact that he deliberately revealed himself in such an open, crowded space tells everything I need to know.
He ca prepared.
This isn’t desperation.
It’s calculation.
He wants them to choose violence.
He wants to die in front of the world.
Because the mont his blood is spilled, the narrative will no longer belong to the Empire.
And once that happens...
No one—not even the Emperor—will be able to take it back.
I should have realized it sooner.
I never imagined that a fanatic, drunk on his own beliefs, would be insane enough to willingly throw his life away.
A crazy bastard.
"I’ll warn you one last ti. Release your binding on us and step aside imdiately."
The knight at the front glared at as he spoke, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.
At this scene—this standoff—no one understood the true danger except .
To them, I must have looked like a stubborn fool. Soone shielding a terrorist. Soone standing in the way of justice.
They didn’t know.
They couldn’t see it.
But I still couldn’t move.
Don’t you get it?
If this continues, we’re all finished.
"We should arrest him first and determine his punishnt afterward," one knight said, his tone sharp with impatience.
"That’s not possible," another snapped back imdiately. "Once Her Highness has been injured, imdiate execution is the only protocol."
I clenched my fists.
They weren’t even trying to listen.
"The execution can be carried out later," I argued, forcing my voice to stay calm. "For now, subduing him is enough."
"No," ca the cold reply. "The dignity of the imperial family would be compromised."
"...The citizens are watching," I shot back, gesturing faintly toward the crowd beyond the cordon.
"That’s precisely why," the knight said without hesitation. "That is why we cannot back down."
Their words hit like a wall.
Unmoving. Unyielding.
Our positions never drew closer. Not even an inch.
Their absolute rigidity made my chest tighten with frustration, my heartbeat growing louder in my ears.
Damn these knights.
They’re all the sa.
Bound by rules carved into stone, blind to consequences that don’t fit neatly into their codes.
Couldn’t they bend—just once—when the situation demanded it?
I swallowed hard and looked past them, toward the man at the center of it all.
He stood unnaturally calm, eyes hollow, lips curled into a faint smile that made my skin crawl.
He wanted this.
He wanted to die here—publicly, dramatically, taking as many people down with him as possible.
And if the knights struck him down now...
I felt it deep in my gut.
Sothing irreversible would happen.
If I stepped aside, blood would spill. If I stayed, I’d be branded a traitor.
Either way, the next few seconds would decide everything.
"...Damn it," I muttered under my breath.
On one side stood a traitor, weaving grandiose sches to overturn society itself.
On the other were stubborn blockheads, incapable of compromise, convinced that brute force was the only answer.
A choice between two evils.
Should I step back and let the knights kill Bane?
Or should I interfere—force my way between them and stop this madness myself?
If I chose the forr, then this country really would be dood.
Bane’s death wouldn’t end anything. It would ignite everything. The mont his blood hit the ground, riots would spread like wildfire across the Empire. Cities would burn. Innocents would die.
The mont of decision was already upon .
And, as always—
"...Damn it."
"Argh...!!"
Before the knights could react, I surged forward, blasting them back with raw force. Their formation broke as they were thrown aside like rag dolls.
"Louis!"
I ignored the shout and rushed straight toward Bane.
To hell with it.
I’d deal with consequences later. First, I had to put out the fire right in front of .
With a sharp gesture, I activated Furion, binding Bane in glowing restraints before he could even react. The energy coiled tightly around his limbs.
Bane stiffened, eyes wide.
Before he could say anything, I hoisted him up and threw him over my shoulder.
"Let go...!" he shouted, thrashing violently.
As expected.
I knew exactly what he was trying to do—provoke the knights, die a martyr, and leave chaos behind.
I couldn’t allow that.
"Not happening," I muttered.
BOOM!
I blasted straight through the wall of the shop, stone and splinters exploding outward as I burst into the open air. Dust filled my lungs as I landed hard on the street outside, adjusting my grip on Bane as he struggled.
I took a step forward—
Then stopped.
"Louis...!"
A voice called out from behind .
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
For just a brief mont, my jaw tightened.
I glanced back over my shoulder.
Behind the shattered wall, amid the smoke and debris, stood the knights—regrouping, furious—and just beyond them, soone whose gaze pierced straight through .
This wasn’t just a reckless escape anymore.
This was the point of no return.
"Louis! Do you realize what you’re doing right now?!"
Rachel’s voice rang out behind , sharp and desperate.
Of course I do.
If anything, it’s the people standing back there who don’t understand.
But Rachel didn’t stop. She took a step forward, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she spoke again.
"What you’re doing is treason—clear and undeniable! If you keep this up, you’ll be branded a traitor!"
Her words trembled, not with anger, but with fear. Genuine fear—for .
I almost laughed.
...Treason? Traitor?
Sure, from an outsider’s perspective, helping soone accused of attacking the princess looked exactly like that. I could already imagine the reports, the rumors, the way my na would be twisted by tomorrow morning.
Still—
That label hit harder than I expected.
A traitor to the Empire.
For a fleeting mont, my steps slowed.
Rachel noticed. "Louis, please," she said more softly now. "If you co back now, we can explain. There’s still ti. You don’t have to carry this alone."
I stopped—but only for a second.
If I turned around, if I hesitated any longer, I knew I’d lose my resolve.
"I’m sorry," I said quietly, not looking back.
Those were the only words I could give her.
Because I knew this choice—no matter how it looked—was the only correct one.
If I walked away now, everything would truly fall apart.
So I ran.
Without looking back, I slipped into the narrow alley, my footsteps echoing briefly against the stone walls before fading into the night.
The noise of the street disappeared behind , replaced by silence and the sound of my own breathing.
From this mont on, there was no turning back.
By the ti the sun rose again, the Empire might call a criminal. A conspirator. A traitor.
But if that was the price for uncovering the truth—
Then so be it.
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