Chapter 691

That night, the results of the comparison between the scrolls came out as expected, confirming that Ellen's scroll was the real one. However, since measures had already been taken, the comparison was just a confirmation of the fact. The imperial army had already started the blockade and the emperor was almost ready to go to war. The news was sudden and surprising to everyone in the empire, including the nobles. The imperial army was mobilized, including the standby army, and they all disappeared in an instant through a massive teleportation spell cast by the archmage. The news of the emperor's hunt for the hero spread quickly throughout the continent. Unlike before, the demon king himself had appeared, and no one thought the emperor would lose. The hero cultists were happy to hear that the hero was alive, but they also mourned because they knew the hero had no chance of winning. They had witnessed or heard of the demon king's massacre, and they had gathered in the autonomous region, where they could only hope for the hero's victory. Ellen ate an apple from the market and savored the sweet taste, feeling grateful for being able to eat an apple without having to grow or harvest it herself. She paid for it with a few fairy tales. "I can understand wanting to eat an apple in a field, but actually searching for one is just foolish. Even if you only find trees or roots to eat, you should be grateful. But in the city, it's possible with just a few fairy tales. Despite feeling grateful for the simple pleasure of eating an apple, Ellen doesn't let her guard down and walks along the edge of the road. Compared to previous eras, the empire is still unstable and crime rates are incomparably high. So there are many wanted criminals and people hiding their identities. Ellen can boldly enter the city because of the instability of the empire. Of course, if she were to be searched, it would be a problem. Ellen walks along the edge of the road, crunching on the apple. She didn't have any money. But luckily, on the way into the city, she met some robbers. It was lucky for Ellen, but unlucky for anyone else. The robbers gave her all their money and thirty fairy tales without even knowing who she was. So Ellen was able to enjoy the apple with gratitude to the robbers who tried to rob her. She came to the city because she needed information. 'I heard a hero appeared in the northeast.' 'Ah, it's probably a lie. Were there even one or two people who saw a hero or a demon king in this area?' 'No, this time it's different. It seems the demon king has also started a campaign.' 'The demon king?' 'Yes. If the demon king, who has never moved before, has come out, there must be something.' 'Huh... so what's going to happen?' 'I don't know. The imperial knights and archmages are all obsessed with finding the hero. It seems the entire border is blocked. They're doing large-scale inspections, of course.' 'Damn... whatever happens, it's going to be tough...' 'But still, a hero is a hero. Do you think they'll be caught so easily?' 'The demon king is a god. Haven't you heard of the Battle of Mayran Plain?' 'Do you really think that's true? It's all lies.' 'Of course it's true! The veterans of that battle can't sleep just by hearing the demon king's name.' 'You have to make sense. No matter how great the demon king is, how can he fight a war alone?' 'That's because he's a god!' Among the many stories on the street, Ellen picks out the information she needs. She knows her actions will cause something, but she decides it's information that needs to be urgently shared. If national measures are not taken and countermeasures are not established, the situation will undoubtedly worsen." However, as a result, the northeastern border of Kernstatt was completely blocked. It is unknown how wide the empire's blockade line will be, but it will probably be impossible to pass through. The important thing is that Kernstatt's territory has expanded more than the empire's. If the imperial army and the Kernstatt army are deployed, they may be able to establish a blockade line that completely blocks the northeastern border zone. However, Ellen's judgment was that there would be no more capacity than that, and that is a fact. Despite the situation, Ellen had her reasons for entering the city. In the uninhabited zone, she could not obtain information. Therefore, she had to enter the city to understand the situation. And secondly, Ellen was not in the northeastern part of Kernstatt. She was going deep into the southwest, which is the opposite direction of the area where the blockade line is installed. Therefore, the army is blocking the wrong place. Ellen submitted the information to the adventurer guild in Velodocia and hurriedly left the city. And she ran like crazy. Ellen chose a path that went deeper, risking danger, and found out that the blockade line was installed in the northeastern area as expected. Ellen cannot be caught now, no matter what the intention is. Therefore, Ellen chose a path that went deeper in the opposite direction of the place where the blockade line was installed. And when she finally left the city safely and took the last bite of the apple, she briefly regretted not buying one more. Ellen ran in places where there were no people. She ran over forests and mountains where there were no people to avoid being suspicious. In a situation where there was no time to spare, and since the empire is not foolish, it is natural that Ellen will not be in the place where the blockade line is installed. Therefore, she had to run through Kernstatt quickly in places where she could run. Ellen is undertaking the enormous task of crossing almost the entire country, focusing solely on movement rather than hunting monsters or evading pursuit. She had to enter certain cities to understand the real-time movements of the empire's army. Ellen chooses to flee in the opposite direction of the blockade line, risking danger and running through places where there are no people to avoid suspicion. She quickly leaves the city after purchasing minimal supplies and confirming the empire's movements. Ellen cannot afford to let her guard down, as the empire may have already detected her movements. She arrives at a city where she hears unexpected news that the hero has been captured. Ellen is perplexed as she is in the area and wonders who could have been captured. Despite the rumors, Ellen continues on her journey towards the southwestern part of Kernstatt. However, the hero has been captured. Even an enormous battle between the demon king and the hero took place. Who fought whom? Ellen had to visit cities to confirm the situation despite hurrying due to strange rumors. Countless armies watched the battle between the demon king and the hero, and they fought bravely in a one-on-one battle without the help of an archmage. After the fight, the demon king subdued the hero and sent him to the imperial capital. It was not a false rumor since too many people were talking about it. They said it was really Ellen Artorius who was captured. Ellen couldn't figure out what had happened. In the next city, rumors spread about Ellen's situation. "They're going to have a public execution." "A lot of people will gather in the imperial capital." "They're making an enormous execution stand." The hero was defeated by the demon king, sent to the imperial capital, and is scheduled for a public execution. Who did they capture, and what are they trying to do? Ellen gave up thinking about it. She had to leave Kernstatt. Fortunately, there were no checkpoints or heightened security due to the hero's capture. Ellen arrived at her destination, but strange things were happening. Ellen walked the streets absentmindedly, wondering what was going on and what the purpose of it all was. They pretended to capture the hero and execute a fake hero. But Ellen was still alive. No one would look for the dead hero, so no one would come looking for Ellen. Was it a mercy and a warning at the same time? They would pretend she was dead, so she should never appear again. The empire's army was originally for the show of capturing and executing a fake hero. But why now? Why at the most dangerous time for the empire's play to be exposed? Ellen was currently in Kernstatt territory. If she had known what was going on, she would have fled to a faraway place on human land to avoid being caught. She would have hesitated to hand over the records she had collected so far. The exact reason is unknown. The important thing is that the hero was reported to have died. Although she never intended to reveal herself, she must now live quietly. She cannot help the empire that Reinhardt has built, but she must not cause any harm either. Is the empire going to release her like this? And so, Ellen walks through the city. This city is her last stop. The Kernstatt border is still far away, but her destination will soon be reached. Ellen did not originally intend to head towards the Kernstatt border zone. She was at the western end of Kernstatt. In a situation where she was only one step away. Ellen saw something in an alleyway while walking down the street. Four cats basking in the sun. "Meow, meow." Cats have been a special animal to Ellen since they helped her through difficult and painful times. Since cats are city animals, she rarely sees them in the fields. So whenever she visited the city, she could see various cats. Ellen would smile at the memories of those difficult but strangely precious times. Are they still doing well? Such worried thoughts naturally came to mind. She had left them at the temple and hadn't seen them since. The child who would come and go, sometimes disappearing for good. The black cat that she never got around to naming. It had definitely had shiny black fur. Naturally, her gaze was drawn to the black cat among the cats. Something was hanging around the black cat's neck. Is it a bell or a collar? But what was hanging around the cat's neck was neither a bell nor a collar. Ellen opened her eyes wide. A round, white object. A piece of the moon that was inside the sun. It was definitely the same as the talisman Ellen had received from Daitomorian. The cat and the talisman. They were the same. They were not just similar. Ellen's lips trembled. An impossible place. An impossible animal. Wearing an impossible necklace, in front of Ellen. "Meow." It cried quietly.