Chapter 276

After crisply frying Isabella’s head, Leonor took off her helmet, revealing her identity and proving that she had clearly drawn a line with the witch.

Even Josef, Matthias, and Ernst were actually killed by this witch, and she claimed that she had avenged them.

No one could accuse Leonor of being of the witch’s bloodline after seeing Isabella’s charred skull, though they might have snickered behind her back.

Even Elmain of the Elpinel Church Order, who had been most enthusiastic about witch hunts, was protecting Leonor.

The nobles of Leopold’s faction, shocked by Leonor’s true identity, also kept their mouths shut.

At that point, clinging to the witch’s bloodline would only have invited backlash.

The perfect timing of her revelation.

Even if she returned to the Imperial Palace now, no one could openly express dissatisfaction.

But Leonor didn’t do that.

Instead, she stood in front of the Exra-shapel Cathedral, swore to abandon the castle of Wittelsbach, and live as a mere knight.

With this, Isabella’s bloodline was completely erased from the imperial family’s lineage.

“If I return as a royal, it’ll just be a constant stream of annoying and unpleasant things. I could see exactly what the nobles were thinking.”

Leonor, who had come to visit, sat by the bedside and brought a teacup to her lips.

There was some concern about her condition due to the fact that she had personally slain Ernst and fried Isabella, but she seemed more relieved than expected.

Though she couldn’t quite hide the slight swelling around her eyes.

Having revealed her identity, she had thrown off the stifling black armor and returned to a riding outfit similar to what she wore before.

The only differences were her more stable demeanor, as if she had matured, and the sword at her waist.

The sword she had used before had broken during the battle. She spoke of it calmly, but it was clear she had been quite attached to it, as regret filled her expression.

After wetting her throat with black tea, Leonor continued her story.

—

This is the story after Leonor revealed her identity.

The nobles of Leopold’s faction, though they didn’t say it outright, looked at Leonor with great discomfort, while the ambiguous bats who were close to Isabella but didn’t join the rebellion stared at her as if she were a lifeline.

Bats. An apt expression.

These were nobles who, while supporting Ernst, had judged the civil war too risky and stayed quiet.

Some, with worms planted in their heads, went berserk and were dealt with after Isabella’s death, but not all of them were infected.

Though they hadn’t participated in the rebellion, they couldn’t be openly touched, but Leopold’s faction knew well that they had shown close ties to Isabella.

With Isabella’s true nature exposed to the world and her influence crumbling, it was clear that if Leopold returned, their futures would be bleak. They had committed too many sins.

Yes. To them, Leonor was their last lifeline.

Having personally dealt with Isabella, she was free from the responsibility of the witch’s crimes, yet she couldn’t deny her lineage from the Benes bloodline.

Moreover, she was a woman who had proven that, unlike Isabella, her affection for Ernst remained deep.

They likely planned to rally around Leonor and withstand Leopold’s attacks.

Claiming that their loyalty had always been to Ernst, not Isabella, and that they knew nothing of the witch’s deeds.

With the treason charges against Ernst cleared, they could argue that they had only cooperated with a traitor, thus avoiding the fatal accusation of treason.

This was the result of Leonor’s heartfelt speech to restore her brother’s honor.

The accusations that Ernst had sought the throne by inciting rebellion with the witch faded, and instead, sympathy grew for him as an unfortunate prince who had tried to stop the witch and was sacrificed.

Though Leonor likely didn’t intend it, this was an unexpected opportunity for them.

For Leopold’s nobles, it was an extremely awkward situation.

These people weren’t particularly close to each other, so if they lost their center and scattered to find their own paths, they could be picked off one by one.

But if they rallied around Leonor and united, it would be much harder to wipe them out, both in terms of justification and strength.

If mishandled, it could look like Leopold was mercilessly persecuting Leonor, who had made great contributions to the witch’s defeat.

Of course, since Leonor had declared she would abandon all royal rights and live as a mere knight, their…

Ambitious survival plans went down the drain.

But hey, you can’t make someone who swore before God and gave up all power and authority the center of your faction, right?

“I can’t just sit back and watch those who deserve to die use me and my brother as shields. Who knows, Leopold might even try to assassinate me someday if things go that way.”

Leonor smirked.

I’m not sure if Leopold would really go that far… but from Leonor’s perspective, it was definitely unsettling.

It was a smart move. In the end, she got everything she wanted.

Revenge for her family, restoring her brother’s honor, the downfall of the disgusting Isabella faction, and even the life of a knight.

And not just any knight, but a knight of the ‘Radiant Light.’

—

Yeah, the knight’s oath sworn in front of the cathedral.

Leonor declared right there that she would become my knight.

There was a bit of a stir… but Lacey, who was presiding over the ceremony, nodded without hesitation, and no one else objected.

By the time ‘Rene’s’ identity was revealed, everyone had already figured out that I was protecting Leonor.

In reality, it was probably just that I wanted to push a princess-turned-knight, who was too much of a burden to keep under me, into my jurisdiction.

A personal knight? I never thought about that.

I did consider keeping her close in case she was persecuted for being the daughter of a witch… but that was just about having her around, not making her my subordinate.

“You promised to protect me, didn’t you? You said you’d take responsibility for my life… so you have to see it through to the end. Right, Master?”

Leonor laughed playfully.

“Master? That’s a bit… Stop joking, what’s the real reason?”

“Even though I abandoned the castle of Wittelsbach and cut ties with Venice… not everyone will really believe that, will they? If I stay alone like this, my future doesn’t seem too bright… or long.”

Leonor paused, catching her breath, and shrugged.

“But if I live under our ‘Knight of Radiant Light,’ who would dare touch me? Even Leopold wouldn’t dare cross you to come after me.”

She wasn’t wrong.

For Leonor, who had lost all her support and was left alone, the safest place in the world was definitely under my protection.

If she was going to live under my protection anyway, she might as well become my official personal knight.

“If you think about it, I’m using your status for my own safety… I do feel sorry about that. But I swore to live happily, longer than anyone else, just as my brother wished. I can’t just fade away.”

Her words were too heavy to refuse.

“Besides, I like you personally. If I’m going to serve someone, I should choose someone I like.”

Leonor laughed as she put down her teacup.

Just as charming as before, radiant and confident. Like a rose crafted in gold.

“So, this is how it is. Take care of me, Lady Hasalleur?”

Thinking about it, there’s really no reason to refuse…?

I nodded.

I agreed because Leonor’s reasoning was sound, not because I was swayed by her face or her calling me ‘Lady.’

Absolutely not.

[ …I said I wouldn’t forgive you if you clung to a man. Are you misunderstanding that to mean it’s okay if it’s a woman…? ]

‘…That’s not it.’

What is this girl misunderstanding now?

Liking someone and loving them aren’t the same thing, you know?

Well, what does an eighteen-year-old girl know anyway?

—

Anyway, that’s how I got my first knight.

…Technically, Nigel was first, but Nigel feels more like he belongs to the border lord anyway.