The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 169
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 169
Surprisingly, Alpheus kept his mouth shut despite the endless provocations.
Having experienced it in the Southern Region, I knew what that state meant.
That wasn’t agreeing with the Empress Dowager’s words. In fact, it was closer to not being provoked by whatever the enemy said and thinking of the best strategy.
So Alpheus was now more determined than ever to defeat his opponent and was steeling his resolve.
At that moment, the illegal warp that had been emitting an ominous light flickered and went out.
While this chaos was happening, Harrison had quickly chanted the counter-spell.
The Empress Dowager frowned and sighed.
“Damn it!”
I caught my breath and smirked inwardly.
It was truly an urgent situation, but at least we had put out the immediate fire. Earlier, I had instructed Harrison from the beginning to ‘chant the counter-spell’ when I looked back at him.
As long as the illegal warp existed, we didn’t know where we might be dragged. So for now, I had allowed myself to be captured helplessly while diverting attention from the warp.
Moreover, in the meantime, Alpheus had dealt with the dark mage, so no new warp could be created.
If being dragged away together through that illegal warp was the worst-case scenario, I had to prevent that first.
Although I ended up hanging in mid-air like this, this was a matter of priorities I had repeatedly mentioned. So I had no regrets about that split-second decision.
Alpheus had made a similar judgment, which is why he dealt with the dark mage first.
However, now that I was actually captured, it seemed difficult for him to act calmly, and Alpheus couldn’t easily continue his next move.
“Listen carefully!”
I shouted toward Alpheus, who was stuck below, unable to do this or that.
“Buy time for now!”
With the illegal warp gone, the Empress Dowager now had nowhere to go immediately.
Alpheus leaped once more to prevent the Empress Dowager from escaping through the window.
Anyway, as long as I was held hostage, Alpheus couldn’t attack the Empress Dowager freely.
But the Empress Dowager also had to capture me alive and take me with her.
In that situation, Alpheus could buy time by interfering with the Empress Dowager’s path, and in doing so…
“Grrrrrrr…”
Finally, Leopold appeared, bursting out from his hiding place, apparently sensing that something strange was happening.
“Baekgu!”
I shouted urgently.
In my haste, I used Alpheus’s abbreviated term.
“Over here!”
Actually, it wasn’t a height that a small puppy could jump up to.
But since Baekgu wasn’t an ordinary small puppy, he kicked off the wall several times and leaped up, immediately landing in my arms.
And then…
“This damn dog again!”
The moment the Empress Dowager tried to pull Baekgu away from me as if annoyed.
I looked into Baekgu’s eyes and shouted.
“Your true form, Woof!”
Everyone would learn that Wolf-dog and Baekgu were actually the same dog, but for now, that wasn’t the priority.
The moment our eyes met, Baekgu’s body instantly grew larger.
Wolf-dog, who had grown large in mid-air, didn’t miss the opportunity and bit the arm of the Empress Dowager holding me with his large fangs.
“Aaaahhh!”
Blood spurted from the arm that had been holding me.
Taking advantage of the moment when her strength weakened, I desperately broke free from her.
Before I could properly feel the fall, Alpheus kicked off the ground and leaped up to catch me.
Only after being held by Alpheus and landing softly on the ground could I breathe properly.
“Bri-bri!”
Alpheus shouted while catching his breath.
“Hah… Thank goodness… Really thank goodness…”
His voice and hands were trembling.
“Were you scared? Hm? You’re not bruised anywhere, are you? Hm?”
Even after putting me down, he kept examining my body.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, right? I wanted to make sure no one, absolutely no one could harm even a single hair of our Bri-bri…”
Since I had also called Baureliandugius “Baekgu” in urgent times before, I decided not to point out “Bri-bri.”
“I’m fine. Everything’s, everything’s okay.”
I whispered, ignoring my pounding heart.
To be honest, my whole body was still trembling from the memory of being swung around in mid-air just moments ago.
“See, you just need to listen to me.”
But since I couldn’t let my guard down yet, I held back my tears and continued coldly.
“You just need to move your arms and legs, that’s all. Then we can go home safely.”
Even in that moment when we safely landed on the banquet hall floor, Wolf-dog struck down the Empress Dowager hard with his front paws.
Both of them fell at the same time.
Both the Empress Dowager and Wolf-dog fell to the banquet hall floor with a thud.
“Arrest her!”
Anais shouted simultaneously.
“Arrest her! Imperial Knight Law Article 1, Section 5, users of dark magic must be arrested immediately!”
It was a faster command than the Emperor, who was still in shock over what his mother had done.
Just as all the knights in the banquet hall were rushing over, the fallen Empress Dowager got up.
She was unharmed despite falling from that height, and the arm bitten by Wolf-dog had already regenerated.
“How dare…”
Dark energy began emanating from her body.
“Mere humans who cannot be free from aging and disease dare to…”
At that moment, even Wolf-dog, who had been about to charge at her, instinctively flinched and stepped back. That’s how eerie and ominous the atmosphere she was giving off was.
“No!”
Harrison shouted toward the knights.
“Don’t get close! Don’t touch that energy!”
The urgent command was concise. Since Harrison was the only one here with knowledge of dark magic, everyone looked at him desperately.
However, Harrison couldn’t explain the reason coherently due to his lack of logical skills.
“Bad, bad! The energy is very bad! Everyone needs to avoid it! The stronger you are, the worse it is! If you’re not careful, you’ll be contaminated and controlled!”
High-level dark mages could control people by emitting energy.
The only ones who could be free from this energy were the people of Duke Dibostane’s house who had the 【Nullification】 ability.
It wasn’t for nothing that I had advised Alpheus to request an investigation, saying that if he had already done something improper, it was because he was affected by dark magic.
However, that was truly an ability only high-level dark mages could use. That energy was visible, and dark mages with patterns carved on their faces couldn’t hide their identity, so I felt there wasn’t much need to be wary of it normally.
If that were the case, then as Harrison said, powerful beings like Alpheus and Wolf-dog couldn’t get close instead.
Since they could become the opponent’s strength.
“Ah…”
At the same time, Ethan Dibostan fainted in the distance.
Since he was the only one who could step forward without hesitation here, there was a high possibility he was pretending to faint.
Anyway, thanks to Ethan, I glanced around and found something strange.
‘Wait. Where is Valerie?’
Valerie, who had been standing in the Imperial Family’s Special Seating Area until just now, was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
Alpheus took a deep breath to swallow his tension.
This was already the fourth time facing a Half-Human, Half-Beast.
He had fought the Half-Human, Half-Beasts of the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Regions and had never won even once.
At least with the Eastern Region’s Half-Human, Half-Beast, he could shoot sword aura to chase it away from a distance.
But this place happened to be a banquet hall crowded with people. If he carelessly shot sword aura, many people would be seriously injured.
And seeing Wolf-dog grow in size after listening to Brisa’s command, he realized.
‘It’s the Western Region’s Half-Human, Half-Beast.’
Then probably… the curse target was Leopold.
Maximus was also running from far away, and considering that Leopold was nowhere to be seen from some point on, it was possible to make an inference.
Alpheus swallowed his dry saliva.
Even the Western heir who had become a beast had risked his life and come running for Brisa.
‘Hah…’
Bri-bri’s ex-fiancé who had everything really didn’t sit well with him, but…
He thought of the heart of the beast Wolf-dog who had guarded Brisa’s side like a loyal dog, and the sorrow of the boy who had no choice but to send the annulment letter.
Alpheus was instantly moved by those emotions.
‘Yes… I could entrust Bri-bri to you, Wolf Boy.’
The conversation he had with the Magic Tower Master a few days ago came to mind.
“If we have to sacrifice our Bri-bri for world peace, I can’t bear to see that happen.”
He had said this to the Magic Tower Master.
“But if I have to be sacrificed for world peace, I can gladly give my life. While thinking of Bri-bri and countless lives who will live in that peaceful world.”
Then the Magic Tower Master said with a pained expression.
“Then now, I will inscribe a magic circle on you.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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