The angry scolding in the main hall made Ron quicken his pace.
After all, as the neutral party conveying divine oracles, the Radiant Church interfering in the War of the Gods would have rather severe consequences.
At the very least, she would no longer be a Saintess.
Fearing that Keltia would regret it, Ron practically scurried back to the study in his bedchamber and retrieved the marriage contract from the secret compartment behind the bookshelf.
What Keltia wanted was this marriage contract.
This marriage contract between him and the Duke of Graham's second daughter.
Looking at the name on the marriage contract, Ron's mind couldn't help but conjure up her image.
Grovier Graham, a 17-year-old genius girl with extraordinary magical talent.
In the original plot, because the Late King of Rah, Ron, stubbornly refused to annul the engagement, she was restricted by the Shackles of Servitude and became a war tool for the Emerald Kingdom.
Although the Emerald Kingdom in the game, to win over and appease the Radiant Saintess, did not restrict her free will, she ultimately died in the war against the Diam Kingdom.
This marriage contract determined her future.
As long as the marriage contract was not annulled, she would be considered a member of the royal family, and once the Rah Kingdom was defeated, or Ron died, she would be controlled by the Shackles of Servitude.
As her close friend, Keltia naturally did not want to see such a thing happen.
So she found 'Ron' last night, hoping 'Ron' would annul the engagement.
But she clearly overestimated 'Ron's' character.
The result was, of course, an unhappy parting.
As an observer, Ron would denounce the Late King of Rah's selfish actions.
But as the person involved, Ron couldn't help but praise, 'Well done!'
If the marriage contract had been annulled last night, Keltia would not have gone against her duties today for the sake of so-called favors.
Ron folded the marriage contract, carefully placed it in his bosom, and then exited the study.
He walked towards the deeper parts of the palace, in the complete opposite direction from the hall where Keltia was.
Hand over the marriage contract?
Are you kidding? This is a life-saving charm.
Standing before the secret passage leading out of the royal capital, Ron curled his lips and looked back one last time.
"Thirty minutes isn't enough for me to complete my plan of national restoration. Until next time, Saintess."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ron slipped into the secret passage, sprinting at full speed.
Half an hour?
An hour?
Ron didn't know how long he had been running; the desire for survival made him dare not stop for a moment.
Finally, with unremitting effort, he saw the exit of the secret passage.
He used every last ounce of his strength to burst out of the secret passage in one breath.
"Hoo—"
With his hands propped on his knees, Ron quickly regulated his breathing.
After a short rest, he looked at the Rah Kingdom's royal capital standing in the distance and smiled with satisfaction.
He survived.
For the next few days, he should be safe.
Due to the existence of the Shackles of Servitude, the Emerald Kingdom, having defeated the Rah Kingdom, would not specifically guard against him escaping through the secret passage.
After taking the Rah Kingdom's royal capital, if they didn't receive a response from the Shackles of Servitude, they would only assume he found an isolated place and committed suicide.
After all, the Rah Kingdom had been established for less than thirty years, and he was the only living member of the royal family left, so the Emerald Kingdom had no one else to compare him to.
By the time the Emerald Kingdom realized he was still alive, it would be at least a month later.
By then...
"Your Majesty Ron."
An untimely voice interrupted Ron's reverie.
Ron was startled, his expression stiff as he turned to look.
He saw several soldiers in Rah Kingdom royal court knight armor emerge from a pile of rocks to the right-rear of the secret passage exit.
Damn it!
He had forgotten that some royal court knights deeply trusted by the Late King of Rah knew about the secret passage.
Damn it, they're waiting for me here.
He was so focused on guarding against enemies that he forgot about his own incompetent allies.
Seeing these royal court knights loyal to the royal family appear, Ron couldn't be happy at all.
With the royal capital currently under fierce attack from an enemy nation, their presence here clearly couldn't be to escort him safely away from the Rah Kingdom.
"Your Majesty Ron, please preserve the last dignity for the Rah Kingdom."
A knight handed over his sword, his voice sharp but respectful.
Ron's eye twitched.
He had gone full circle and returned to the starting point.
These knights were insane.
Instead of resisting the invading enemy, they came to ambush the King.
If he told them now that he wouldn't be put in the Shackles of Servitude, these guys certainly wouldn't believe him.
Is this the end?
Ron took a step back, his peripheral vision observing the surrounding terrain.
His dishonest little movements were all seen by the knight offering the sword, and the knight frowned.
The King lacked the courage to end his own life, so he would have to offend him.
Seeing the knight's eyes turn resolute and his posture shift from offering the sword to gripping it, Ron's heart tightened, and he quickly shouted, "Grovier, I command you to kill these traitors who overstep royal authority!"
The knights were first stunned by the words, then became alert.
Grovier, that magical genius, who at only 17 years old could use seventh-tier magic; on the battlefield, they had been fortunate enough to witness her terrifying strength.
They drew their swords and adopted defensive stances, scanning their surroundings for movement.
However, after waiting for a while, they did not see the famous magical genius.
Only then did the men realize they had been tricked by Ron, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"To preserve the royal family and your dignity, please forgive my disrespect."
The knight was not angered; he calmly pointed the tip of his sword at Ron's heart and thrust with all his might.
Watching the gleaming silver blade rapidly approach, Ron's eyes twitched wildly, and he lamented in his heart, 'My life is over.'
The opponent's attack speed was too fast; he, a weakling, couldn't dodge it at all.
"Bang!"
Just as the sharp blade pierced his clothes, about to enter Ron's body, a white arc of light descended from the sky, severing the sword blade in two.
The knight was stunned, and before he could react, a large number of vines suddenly burst from the hard rocky ground, firmly binding them.
They struggled desperately, but more and more vines wrapped around them.
At the same time, a blue figure slowly descended from the air between Ron and the knights.
The blue figure landed steadily, a waterfall of blue hair flowing in the wind, revealing the girl's delicate yet somewhat stern face.
She was Grovier, that astonishingly talented magical genius.
Seeing Grovier, the knights were both surprised and angry.
Ron also slightly opened his mouth.
He had only tried a random bluff, never expecting the real person to show up, and he didn't know if it was good or bad.
In the original work, Grovier was controlled by the Shackles of Servitude, making it impossible to fathom her original personality, and he didn't know her attitude towards him, her fiancé.
Perhaps she was also here to kill him.
Ron subconsciously clutched the life-saving charm in his bosom; with the marriage contract, Grovier wouldn't dare to kill him easily.
"Grovier, you did very well."
Ron spoke first, praising her.
Looking at Grovier, she was expressionless and said nothing, only bowing slightly to Ron.
Hmm...
Ron found it hard to fathom her thoughts, and he had no time to think; the commotion of this battle could very likely attract the enemy's attention, and he had to leave here as soon as possible.
"Grovier, I leave these few to your discretion. The situation is urgent; we can talk about anything else later."
After speaking, he tentatively turned to leave.
"Grovier, you can't let him go. The Rah Kingdom has already been defeated; he can't escape."
"Are you going to watch the King of the Rah Kingdom be used as a slave by the enemy nation?"
"Even if you don't care what happens to him, don't you care about yourself?"
"Don't forget, with the marriage contract, if you let him go, you will also become a slave to the enemy nation."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ron immediately felt his body locked by a surge of energy.
Shut up, you dogs!