Chapter 181: Meet the Empress Again

Richard immediately saw the Red Star Empress sitting in the middle of her cell with her eyes closed, as if in meditation.

Here, she naturally wasn’t wearing her usual gown, but a black robe that covered her entire body. Her red hair looked dry, yet her charm did not fade—her skin still appeared fair and flawless. She didn’t seem to have aged at all, even though almost ten years had passed since Richard last saw her.

However, four chains bound her wrists and ankles, restricting her movement so she could barely move at all. These chains emitted a special energy that clearly acted as a seal for a Magus’s power.

Of course, there was no point in meditating under such conditions, but perhaps she was doing so simply to preserve her dignity even in captivity.

The moment Richard appeared, the Empress opened her eyes.

Even without her powers, anyone would sense if someone was standing in front of them, even with their eyes closed.

"Who are you?" she asked warily, staring straight at him.

"Your Majesty, do you no longer recognize me?" Richard replied with a chuckle as he pulled back the hood covering his head.

Although his face had been visible, without his full hair showing, it would’ve been difficult to recognize him—and he had changed so much since the last time she’d seen him.

The Empress squinted, her gaze sharpening as she studied him.

A faint sense of familiarity flashed in her eyes.

After a few seconds, her eyes widened slightly.

"You—Richard?" she said in disbelief.

Richard smiled and nodded.

"Your Majesty, I’m here to take you out of this place."

Once everything became clear to her, the Empress froze for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Richard, I never thought you would be the one coming to rescue me," she said softly.

"You’ve done so much for me—it’s only right that I come to repay you," Richard answered.

"Your Majesty, we can’t stay here any longer."

He then opened a portal to the Dragon Hall.

"Please, step through. These chains may be strong, but they can’t stop you from entering this portal," he added.

The Empress nodded and stood, stepping through the portal without hesitation or doubt toward Richard.

Crack! Crack!

The chains shattered the moment she passed through the portal.

Richard quickly closed it, turned into void, and stepped backward into the shadows.

"What happened?!"

The sound of breaking chains drew the guards, who rushed toward the cell.

Richard didn’t linger. He instantly slipped away without looking back—his only goal was rescuing the Empress, nothing more.

Moments later, he emerged outside, where Grace still stood waiting, confusion lingering on her face.

Richard revealed himself in front of her, surprising the woman. The dazed look in her eyes vanished instantly.

"Are you done?" she asked.

"Yes—but you’ll need to enter my Hidden World. Soon, the city will be swarming with soldiers searching for whoever freed the Empress. I have to disappear again," Richard explained.

Grace tilted her head slightly. "What will happen to me while I’m in your Hidden World if you become nothingness?" she asked curiously.

"You’ll remain there, of course. You’ll simply exist within the void itself, since everything I carry is part of that nothingness," Richard clarified.

After that, he pulled Grace into an alley and summoned the portal again.

Grace stepped inside, and Richard vanished into the void once more.

The guards would surely begin inspecting anyone suspicious soon—and Richard didn’t want to risk being caught.

"Inform Prince Charles that the Red Star Empress of the Holy Star Kingdom has escaped!" a voice shouted from the prison.

’So Charles is the one in charge now,’ Richard thought.

If that was true, it meant the king must have been severely injured.

Richard had no desire to deal with Charles at the moment, so he continued on his way.

Fortunately, he could now maintain his void state much longer thanks to his increased capacity. Even so, he felt exhausted by the time he reached the outskirts of the city, where he finally returned to his physical form.

Outside the city, he was confident no one would find him.

Instead of flying directly, he slipped into a cargo carriage filled with goods, then entered the Dragon Hall from there.

Inside, Grace was calmly observing the vast Dragon Hall, while the Empress sat on the floor.

Although the chains had been removed and her power was no longer sealed, she looked extremely weak—likely suffering backlash from the force that broke the chains.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?" Richard asked.

"I only need time to recover," she replied.

"Is there anything you require?"

"I might need a large amount of Natural Spirit," she said.

Hearing that, Richard handed her a ring.

"If this isn’t enough, please let me know," he said.

The Empress accepted it, visibly surprised.

"This is more than enough... Richard, thank you—for everything," she said softly.

She seemed a bit embarrassed by her condition, having to rely on a man who was once just a boy in her eyes.

"This is what I should do, Your Majesty. You must rest, so we’ll leave you alone," Richard replied.

He glanced at Grace and guided her out of the Dragon Hall.

Grace appeared surprised when they emerged back inside the cargo carriage filled with goods.

Though spacious, there wasn’t much room left.

"I’d actually prefer staying in your Hidden World," Grace muttered, visibly uncomfortable with their surroundings.

Richard gave a helpless smile. "We can’t disturb the Empress. We’ll stay here for now. Once we’re far enough away, we’ll return to the airship. I’m worried the kingdom’s troops might stop any Flying Magic Vehicle they find."

Although displeased, Grace didn’t argue.

She peeked outside through the tiny gaps in the carriage, then turned back to Richard, her gaze suddenly heated.

Before he could react, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Her soft lips pressed against his rougher ones, her body clinging tightly to his.

Richard couldn’t help but respond, wrapping his arm around her waist as their kiss deepened.

Of course, it wasn’t the time or place for anything more—doing so would only ruin the tenderness and romance of the moment.

Still, holding and kissing each other like this was more than enough for their long journey home.

Unfortunately, just as everything seemed fine, a violent tremor shook the carriage.

It jolted upward before crashing down, one of its walls caving slightly inward.

Richard instantly expanded his Sixth Sense to see what was happening outside.

But it wasn’t an attack as he expected—the road beneath the carriage had collapsed.

Apparently, the road had already been severely damaged, yet the convoy insisted on passing through. Now, their carriage was stuck.

"Let’s go," Richard said to Grace, deciding they were far enough from the capital to safely take flight.

He soared into the sky with Grace following close behind.

From the start, they flew so fast that the convoy never even noticed their departure.

Piercing through cloud after cloud, Richard finally brought out his airship once they reached a high enough altitude. He poured plenty of Natural Spirit into it so it could travel at maximum speed.

There, both finally took off their cloaks.

However, this time, Grace didn’t try to embrace or kiss him again.

She simply sat down, pulled out her wine, and began drinking.

Richard guessed she really had a strong fondness for alcohol.

When he handed her a cup, she drank—but only half of it.

This wine was lighter, meant for comfort rather than intoxication.

"Richard," Grace suddenly said, "we’re only one step away from the Grimoire Realm. Even though we can defeat those already there, we haven’t truly reached that realm yet—it’s considered the beginning of the upper ranks among Magi."

Richard blinked, surprised that she suddenly brought up magic.

"If we can step into that realm, our strength will skyrocket. After this, let’s go somewhere we can advance to that level."

"Is there such a place?" Richard asked.

He hadn’t learned much about the Grimoire Realm yet, as his focus before had been on merging with the world itself.

"There’s one within the Eastern Region. People like us often go there—it’s a gathering place for rivals like us. But before that, you should deliver the Empress first," Grace replied.

"Of course," Richard said with genuine interest.

He immediately steered the airship toward the capital of the Holy Star Kingdom after crossing the border.

However, as they entered its territory, Grace suddenly stood up.

"I just received a signal from my mother. She must have realized I went with you and wants me to report everything to her," Grace said.

"Oh..." Richard hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Grace noticed his uncertainty and smiled faintly. She touched his face and whispered,

"If she turns against you, I’ll still choose your side. For now, I have to go—things will get troublesome if I don’t obey her summon."

After saying that, Grace immediately flew off from Richard’s airship, soaring straight toward the Night Valley City.