The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 15.3

And finally.

“Damn it… I’ll… go too.”

Even the man who had been speaking against Yernen’s plan announced his participation.

“Really?”

Yernen looked at the man and smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. The man blushed and turned his gaze away from the smirk that looked so annoyingly confident.

Turning his head from the man, Yernen met the eyes of the others and spoke.

“Then… tell me what each of you can do.”

Yernen, who was watching through the crack in the carriage, let out a long-suppressed sigh when he felt an intense gaze from beside him.

“…Why do you keep staring at me like that?”

“Because you’re amazing.”

The response was unexpected.

“What’s amazing?”

“Everything! How can you get people to move like that? They’re… completely different people now…!”

“……”

At Rudy’s words, Yernen glanced back. Indeed, the people there no longer had faces full of resignation. They had eyes filled with determination.

Hope was what kept people going. Yernen had just instilled that hope, and the people responded to it. From that point, what happened next was inevitable.

“By the way, why do you keep calling me that?”

“Because… you’re royalty and you look like an angel? But… if you don’t like it… um… what should I call you?”

The title felt a bit embarrassing, but with the way she said it, he couldn’t argue. He couldn’t reveal his real name, nor did he feel like making one up.

And it wasn’t suitable to be addressed by any of the titles he used to go by—whether it was “Your Majesty,” “Your Highness,” or “My Lord.” None of them fit the current situation.

After a moment’s thought, Yernen came to a conclusion. There really wasn’t anything else to be called other than that embarrassing title.

“…Call me whatever you want.”

“Yay!”

Rudy cheered quietly, her voice full of joy. Then she looked at Yernen with eyes full of affection and curiosity and spoke.

“Um, I have a favor to ask. May I?”

“What is it?”

“You said you were royalty, right? Then… do you know a lot of nobles?”

“Nobles?”

“Yes!”

Rudy nodded, then looked around nervously and whispered in a small voice.

“I’m actually looking for my aunt.”

“Your aunt?”

And Rudy began to share a story she hadn’t told anyone before.
“My mom and dad were originally from the empire. But they were captured by slave traders and taken to the kingdom as slaves. They met there, escaped, and then had me. Though my dad died at the hands of pursuers who kept chasing us, and my mom raised me alone for a long time until she passed away recently when we were crossing the border.”

“……”

“But before she died, my mom said something. She said that my dad was actually a noble in the empire. And that I must, absolutely must, go to my father’s family.”

“But before you could reach your father’s family, you were captured by the slave traders again.”

“Ahaha!”

Rudy laughed brightly, scratching her head.

“And the head of that family is your aunt, I presume.”

“Yes!”

So Rudy’s request was essentially to be taken to her aunt.
From what Yernen had learned, the west was not a place where a young child could wander alone, unlike the capital. If left alone, Rudy would likely be recaptured by slave traders even after escaping.

Knowing that, Yernen couldn’t just leave the child on her own. And since it wasn’t an impossible request as long as they managed to escape, Yernen nodded to Rudy.

Rudy, understanding the meaning of his nod, bounced on her feet with excitement. Seeing her, Yernen smiled and asked.

“By the way… what’s the name of your father’s family?”

“Well… what was it? I don’t remember very well. It was a hard name. I kept forgetting it even though Mom repeated it to me many times.”

Rudy rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a ring, placing it in front of Yernen.

The ring was a tarnished silver ring, scratched and worn, but Yernen recognized it immediately.

It was an item used by nobles of the empire to signify their status, engraved with the family crest. The head of the family and the heir carried gold ones, while other members had silver ones, so Rudy’s story seemed credible.

‘She must have gone to great lengths to keep this safe.’
Slaves typically had their belongings confiscated during body searches. For her parents to have kept the ring safe and passed it to Rudy despite being captured and taken to another country was nothing short of miraculous.

Yernen turned to look at the crest engraved on the ring. Slowly, surprise dawned on his face as he identified the family symbol.
“Let’s see, that….”

The crest was very familiar.

“Ro… Ronefelt? I think that was the name.”

It was the crest of Denver’s family, the House of Ronefelt.

Thump!

“Ugh, damn it.”

The carriage jolted violently, likely from hitting a rock. Alex, who had been peering outside through a gap, lost his balance momentarily but quickly regained it and resumed watching outside.

“Just like I said, we’re climbing the cliff…”

Hearing Alex’s awkwardly formal report, Yernen nodded, signaling with his eyes. As if telling him to get ready.

Everyone who saw this signal nodded in return and began preparing quietly for their escape.

Faces were tense, as everyone knew this was their first and last chance. Watching them move, Yernen leaned back against the corner of the carriage.

He knew the slave traders would choose this route.

Although he hadn’t invaded Mason, Yernen hadn’t neglected his analysis of the city. He had studied maps with knights and drawn up strategies. As a result, Yernen knew every route leading from the empire to Mason.

Once the chosen route and transport were known, predicting the upcoming plan became possible.

At the top of the cliff, the carriage would stop.

Even though it was still early, with the sun just beginning to set, the descent ahead was too steep and rough to find a suitable resting place.

The carriage would stop midway, and that was when they would bring food into the carriage.

Over the past three days spent in the carriage, the slave traders had followed a consistent routine. Twice a day, they opened the carriage door and placed a basket of boiled potatoes and water inside.

This was just as Rudy had said.

The traders acted as if they didn’t care at all if the captives inside were injured, exhausted, or even dead.

However… Yernen was an exception. The leader always checked to ensure Yernen’s hands and feet were bound properly and would touch him under the pretext of examining him for injuries before leaving.

It was truly disgusting. The slimy feeling of those hands made Yernen’s forehead break out in cold sweat each time. But today would be the last time he’d have to endure it.

The moment the leader touched him would be when the plan began.
On the first day, Yernen had assessed those who were captured with him. There were fifteen people in total, excluding himself, and two of them were particularly useful.

One was Alex, the man who had spoken harshly to him on the first day, and the other was Nell, the woman who was the second after Rudy to agree to the escape plan.

Alex knew how to handle horses, had a large build, and was strong enough to fight off at least one of the slave traders. Nell, surprisingly… was a spirit mage.

Though she could only control wind and earth spirits with minimal power, it was enough to create a plan.

When the carriage stopped and the camp preparations began, the group would split. Four would set up tents by the supply carriages, while three would light a fire, organize the surroundings, feed the horses, and bring the basket of potatoes into the carriage.

The moment the door opened and the basket was placed inside, and the leader groped Yernen, Nell would scatter sand into the eyes of the horse eating hay by the fire and tents.

All they needed was a brief distraction. If they could create a moment where the traders were too busy calming the startled horse to pay attention to the carriage, Alex would grab the reins and steer the carriage down the cliffside road they had climbed up.

They had spent the past three days preparing meticulously for this plan.

Using the spirit’s power, they had managed to sneak in one of the knives the traders carried and cut the ropes binding their hands and feet, monitored the situation constantly, and prepared for various contingencies and positioning.

Finally, the moment had come.

Everyone had taken their positions. Alex was by the door, Nell was at a spot with a clear view of the gap in the carriage, others were positioned to shield Nell, and Rudy remained by Yernen’s side, as usual.

Once they were all in place, hiding their freed hands and feet, the carriage stopped.

The sound of the traders preparing the camp could be heard outside. But Yernen didn’t hear the bustling noises; the only sound pounding in his ears was his racing heartbeat.
The rattling of chains grew louder, and finally, the door was opened, and the leader stepped in.

“So, you behaved today as well?”

The leader put down the basket of boiled potatoes and approached Yernen, who sat in the corner. He pretended to check Yernen’s bindings but then abruptly slipped his hand into Yernen’s clothes, brushing everywhere.

“…!”

It was unexpected.

The leader had groped him before, but never this blatantly.

“I’ve been thinking… no matter how I look at it, your belly looks pregnant.”

“Get… your hands off…!”

Yernen gritted his teeth, struggling to steady his breath and glaring at the trader.

“Even with such meager meals, your belly is getting bigger by the day. That means it’s already touched, doesn’t it?”

Yernen couldn’t deny it. His belly had grown enough that it was impossible to pretend he wasn’t pregnant anymore.

“It’s a pity we have to hand you over tomorrow… such a shame.”
With those words, the trader half-hugged Yernen, one hand slipping into his pants and groping his rear.

The revolting touch made Yernen feel like he would vomit. He tried to push the leader away, but his body refused to cooperate, trembling helplessly.

And then it happened.

Neigh!

“Aaah!”

A horse’s whinny and a scream rang out, followed by chaos outside.

“What’s the commotion?”

The leader, who had been enjoying Yernen’s reaction as he trembled in shock, scowled and stuck his head out of the carriage.

“What the—!”

Seeing the scene outside, he widened his eyes in shock and leaped out of the carriage. At the same time, Alex, who had been watching the leader closely, also jumped out and took control of the carriage reins.

Yernen, witnessing this, collapsed onto the dirty floor and gasped for breath.

“Angel… are you okay?”

“I’m… fine.”

Yernen bit down hard, suppressing the nausea that threatened to rise. Several people approached, cutting the ropes that bound his hands and feet, and with that, the carriage began to move.
Alex had successfully climbed into the driver’s seat.
The carriage, which had started slowly, picked up speed, racing ahead as the scenery around them passed in a blur.

“Oh my god!”

The people peering outside exclaimed. Yernen, still catching his breath, looked through unfocused eyes at the scene.

The traders, who had initially been shocked by the moving carriage, were now shouting and giving chase. Horses trampled everything in sight as they ran wild, and tents and the surrounding forest caught fire.

“…!”

Red flames spread uncontrollably, belching black smoke into the sky.

He had anticipated that a small spark might catch, but the scene before him far exceeded his expectations.

“What… what happened?”

Yernen turned to Nell, who was busy cutting the last of the ropes. He figured she might know, as she was the one who had initiated the distraction.

“I don’t know either…! I’m really confused!”

But she answered with a trembling voice, just as puzzled.