I Took the Female Lead’s First Time in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter Twenty-Two: A perfect victory

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News of the bandits' attack reached the Fervache Imperial Mansion, prompting the knights to prepare swiftly and head out for support.

There were ten in total.

It might seem like a small number at first glance, and their ranks ranged from first to fourth class, but their strength was indisputable.

Knights hailed as one-man armies on the battlefield. And with a first-class knight capable of wielding a mana blade among them, their power was beyond question.

However, Francia could not join them. As Yohan had said, her safety was the top priority.

Clop-clop-clop-clop.

The ten knights galloped on horseback, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

By the time they reached Yohan's location…

"My god."

"What in the world…?"

They were met with a scene of utter destruction along the path.

Although the Fervache Imperial Mansion bore "Imperial" in its name, it was quite some distance from the capital. Due to the Mansion's vast size, the grounds had to be located in a large, secured area.

As a result, the route to the Mansion passed through undeveloped areas like unpaved roads and forests.

But now, the path had been blown wide open.

Massive craters scarred the landscape, shattered trees and scattered boulders littered the area, leaving the road in ruins.

"Is this the aftermath of a battle?"

"At this level, could Lord Harsen have wiped them out on his own?"

"Seems likely. Everything's been utterly destroyed."

"…He truly lives up to the title of Special-Class Mage. This is absurd power."

The knights slowed their horses, scanning the area as they advanced. Reaching a clearing where black ash, scorched by mana, swirled in the air, they found Yohan.

"Lord Harsen!"

The knights dismounted and hurriedly drew their swords, approaching him. Yohan brushed his hair back.

"You're late."

"Our apologies."

"Never mind. It's all taken care of anyway."

Yohan squinted and waved a hand in front of his face to clear the stinging ash from his eyes.

"I took care of the leader and sent the underlings away as a warning."

"Have you identified them?"

"Yes. They're hyenas operating in the underworld."

"Hyenas…"

They were the cancer of imperial society, handling all sorts of dirty work for noble families.

"We'll talk more when we get back. What about the lady?"

"She has arrived safely at the Mansion."

"Good."

Yohan nodded and mounted one of the horses they had brought.

"Let's head back."

***

Meanwhile, Francia was in the Mansion lobby, biting her nails in a state of unease.

'Why are they moving already?'

She was worried about two things.

Yohan's safety, and the fact that the Cassis Lenokhonen's hyenas had begun to act.

She was confident Yohan would return unharmed, given that he had taken down even special-grade demonic beast single-handedly. But the hyenas moving this early was an entirely different matter.

'Is this some huge butterfly effect because Yohan and I became lovers?'

The point at which Cassis Lenokhonen typically begins to take action is after the crown prince, Fedelian, intensifies his schemes and the two engage in a war of nerves.

But this time, there had been no such conflict, nor any particular contact between the two. Yet the hyenas had already started to act—and boldly, at that.

'They're not targeting me. They're after Yohan.'

By comparing her past to the present, she quickly reached the answer.

The only way to achieve their goal was to kill Yohan Harsen, her lover. That must have been their conclusion.

'…In that case, I'll have to move faster too.'

Francia had knowledge of an unpredictable future. She knew the locations of several hidden treasures scattered throughout this world.

Until now, she had remained quiet since the timing wasn't right and no major disruptions to society had occurred.

'But I can't just sit by anymore.'

Hadn't things gone completely awry even during the recent reconnaissance mission into the Demon's lair (Magul)?

Things unfolded completely differently.

Originally, Francia should have been assigned to a different unit than Fedelian, and the Demonic Beast should have swarmed toward her.

Then, Fedelian would appear, rescue her, and resolve the situation.

But this time, not only was she assigned to the same unit as Fedelian, but the Demonic Beast moved entirely toward Yohan.

That was when she first started to feel alarmed.

'If both of them act simultaneously, even Yohan will struggle to handle it.'

She had to assist him in every possible way. Yohan was working desperately for her, to be with her.

'I'll have to bring it out.'

Fransia headed toward the vault in the Fervache Imperial Mansion.

Since handing over the Book of Calamity hidden in the Fervache Duke's mansion to Yohan, she hadn't been able to offer him any significant benefits—benefits—despite having knowledge of countless secrets.

But now, things were different.

'If the tide has begun, my goal isn't to slightly alter the flow but to break it entirely.'

She had been far too complacent. A brief period of peace and happiness had made her slack.

Francia opened the vault and retrieved a pendant she had hidden away for years. The seven stars within the red gemstone sparkled brilliantly.

An artifact.

Its name was Rubion, a mythical artifact said to let its bearer escape death seven times.

It had saved her life numerous times in the past and would undoubtedly be a great help to Yohan as well.

And this wasn't all. Using the events that would unfold, she planned to elevate Yohan's title and status to levels unimaginable compared to now.

'Yohan, I'm sorry. I'll do my best.'

***

Yohan returned to the Fervache Mansion in a disheveled state.

Francia had been anxiously waiting for him at the front gate.

"Yohan!"

The moment she saw him, she ran toward him and threw herself into his arms.

"Francia."

Yohan gently stroked her hair and smiled.

"I told you, didn't I? I'm stronger than I look."

"Being strong doesn't mean you should throw yourself into danger…"

Francia looked up at Yohan with her shimmering red eyes.

"You promised you wouldn't do this again."

"It was the best choice."

"…"

"I couldn't risk putting you in danger, Francia."

Francia puffed out her cheeks, unable to say anything further, and buried her face in Yohan's chest.

"You're so unfair. I worry about you, but when you say things like that, I can't argue back."

Yohan chuckled softly and gently pulled the clinging Francia off him.

"Anyway, I'm going to wash up. I'm too dirty to stay close to you right now."

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I'll have them prepare everything immediately."

When Francia turned and gestured to the butler nearby, he quickly headed into the Mansion with the servants.

"Get some rest. We'll talk later."

"Alright."

Yohan stepped into the Mansion.

After a short wait, the butler informed him that the bath was ready, and Yohan went to clean himself.

Ssshhh!

Reclining in the bathtub, Yohan stared at the ceiling and reviewed the earlier battle.

'Fighting against people is far more challenging than I imagined.'

Had the hyenas been at a top-tier level, or had he not combined Omniscient Perception and Eternal Flow Technique, the battle would have been much tougher.

It was clear that Yohan was still inexperienced with magic and, in truth, lacked real combat skills.

What good were overwhelming affinity and control? What use was learning miraculous high-tier magic? If he couldn't fight properly, it was all pointless.

'I need to focus more to training.'

Although he had dabbled in martial arts and combat techniques as a hobby since childhood, his use of magic had only begun recently.

'Still, I've learned a lot and confirmed the potential of my abilities.'

If he had swept them away with a single use of Spiral Heaven Breaker, it would've ended much faster, but opportunities to test himself like this were rare. He needed to take advantage of them while he could.

"In any case, this helped me understand my level clearly."

Against Demonic Beast where strategic thinking wasn't needed, he was strong enough to take down a first-grade magical beast on his own, but when it came to human opponents, he was severely lacking.

That was only natural, given his lack of experience.

'Instead of learning more high-tier magic, I should focus on honing the ones I've already know.'

And he needed to eliminate nuisances like shadows and hyenas to ensure that neither the Crown Prince nor Cassis could make a move. Building real combat intuition was essential.

With that thought, Yohan rose from the bathtub. He dried himself with the towels the servants had prepared, donned a robe, and stepped out of the bathroom to find Francia waiting for him.

"Oh, you're out."

Francia smiled warmly, patting the spot beside her on the bed.

"Come, sit."

"Okay."

Yohan shook out his damp hair and sat beside her.

"Here, Take this."

"What is it?"

Francia handed him a gem resembling a crimson ruby. It brimmed with refined magical energy, clearly something extraordinary.

"It's a talisman passed down in the Fervache family."

"…Can I really accept this?"

"Of course. You're going to become part of the Fervache Ducal House, after all."

Francia said this with a smile and kissed Yohan on the cheek.

"Always keep this with you. The Fervache Ducal House will protect you."

"Thank you."

Yohan lightly smiled as he held the crimson gem, as vibrant as a heart, in his hand. Francia, still filled with concern, rested her head on his shoulder.

"Doesn't it make you wonder why these incidents keep happening?"

She spoke as if tossing the words out casually.

"I'm aware. There are many nobles who don't like the idea of me being your lover."

Even if Fedelian and Cassis weren't directly involved, there were plenty of individuals displeased with Yohan being in a relationship with Francia.

Not just the high-ranking nobles of the Empire, but even the royal elders held the same opinion.

On top of that, there were even loyalists who believed Francia should become Empress…

"The Duke also told me. That many nobles are targeting Francia, and he asked me to protect you. I, of course, said yes."

Francia opened her lips to speak, hesitated, then closed them again. She seemed to have something to say but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You don't need to apologize. I want to be with you just as much."

Yohan, instantly grasping her feelings, gently stroked her hair.

"I'm a lucky man. To be in a relationship with the most beautiful woman in the Empire."

He grinned mischievously.

"…I'm sorry. Thank you. And I love you."

Francia once again buried her face into Yohan's chest.

"I'll try even harder."

"You're fine just as you are."

"No, I need to try harder."

"And Why's that?"

"Well…"

Francia shifted her gaze around nervously before avoiding eye contact.

"Because I'm your lover, of course."

"…I see."

Yohan chuckled faintly and leaned back onto the bed.

"I'm pretty exhausted from using so much magic. Shall we rest now?"

"Sure. I'll stay by your side tonight to make sure you sleep well."

"Haha. Aren't you always by my side?"

"…Well, yes, but still."

The two locked eyes and then burst into laughter.

It was a night when the moonlight was exceptionally beautiful.

***

"…I'm deeply ashamed."

The hyena knelt, bloodied and battered, bowing his head in shame.

"Hmm."

Cassis seemed deep in thought for a moment before drawing his sword and fixing his deep violet eyes on the man.

"You're really… displeasing."

Slash!

A pitch-black arc cut through the air, and blood splattered in its wake.

"To think you'd say you'd kill me someday—how irritating."

Thud-!

With a thud, the hyena's severed head hit the ground, his body collapsing like a lifeless puppet.

"clean it up."

"Yes, sir!"

At Cassis's command, the knights—members of the Black Order under his authority within the Lenokhohnen Grand Duchy—swiftly moved to clear away the corpse.

"How did he figured out this was my doing."

He had left no evidence. The only clue was that the hyenas were connected to one of the great families. Could that alone lead someone to suspect him?

Cassis's conclusion was simple: "Perhaps he has an intelligence network of his own."

As he calmly wiped his blade, he murmured to himself.

"Still, there were quite a few of them, including a first-class knight at the level of a public official, and he managed to defeat them all by himself… impressive."

It seemed Yohan Harsen was far from an ordinary high-ranking mage.

"The downside is that I can't make a move immediately, now that he knows I'm behind this…"

Cassis sheathed his sword and muttered to himself.

"I'll wait for another opportunity, Yohan Harsen."