Summary:
After High Inquisitor Caelus reports to the Church, Leo is officially classified as a **"Potential Existential Threat."**
A team of elite assassins is dispatched to eliminate him.
Leo and his allies — Elyna, Tessia, Selene (reluctantly), and Grimwald — escape from Saint Regulus Academy under the cover of night.
They begin their journey to find a new home — one where Leo can truly live in peace.
But the world outside the academy is not as forgiving as he hoped.
---
### 📝 Chapter 12 – Full Text (English)
We left under the cover of darkness.
No goodbyes. No farewells.
Just silence, the sound of hooves on stone, and the weight of my past pressing down on me like an iron shroud.
Elyna sat across from me in the carriage, humming to herself like this was just another field trip.
Tessia rode beside the driver, her cloak drawn tight around her shoulders.
Selene followed on horseback, expression unreadable.
And Grimwald? He was already grumbling about how much trouble we were going to cause.
"This is reckless," he muttered, sipping tea from a thermos. "You realize the Church will hunt us now?"
I gave him a small nod.
> Of course they would.
I had never expected mercy.
Only time.
Time to prove that I was no longer the man I once was.
---
The Decision
It all started with a letter.
Caelus had returned to the Church within three days of our departure.
His report was short.
**"Subject confirmed to be Kaiser von Zerath. Claims peaceful intent. Unverified. Recommend elimination."**
That was all it took.
Within a week, an assassination squad was dispatched.
Elite agents trained to kill reincarnated beings.
Their orders?
> Neutralize the threat before he regains power.
Selene received the order first.
She didn't tell us right away.
Instead, she watched.
She studied me during meals, during walks, even when I was asleep.
And then, one night, she finally spoke.
"I don't think you're lying," she said quietly. "But I have my duty."
I looked up at her.
Then slowly, I pointed to myself.
> "Do I look like a threat?"
She hesitated.
"No," she admitted. "But the Church doesn't care about what you are now. They only care about what you were."
I nodded.
Then I did something unexpected.
I handed her a folded piece of paper.
She opened it.
Two words.
> **"Help me."**
---
Escape Under the Stars
We left that same night.
Grimwald arranged the escape route using old contacts. A hidden tunnel beneath the academy's library led us out undetected.
By dawn, we were miles away.
The academy remained unaware until midday.
By then, we were long gone.
Elyna, surprisingly, handled the escape with more maturity than I expected.
"This is actually kind of fun," she whispered as we hid behind a hill. "Like a real-life adventure!"
I gave her a flat stare.
She grinned.
"What? It's not every day you help a former Dark Lord run away from religious fanatics!"
I sighed.
> Some things never change.
---
The Road Ahead
As the sun rose over the horizon, I looked back one last time.
Saint Regulus Academy stood tall in the distance.
A place I had hoped to find peace.
But peace, it seemed, was not something given freely.
It had to be earned.
And maybe… forged through fire.
Elyna leaned against the cart.
"So where are we headed?" she asked.
I pulled out a map.
Marked in red ink was a single destination.
> **The Free City of Elarion.**
A neutral zone. No allegiance to the Church or the Kingdom.
A place where people like me could disappear.
Or start anew.
I looked at my companions.
Elyna: unpredictable, but loyal.
Tessia: silent, but deadly.
Selene: torn, but strong.
Grimwald: cynical, but wise.
And me?
A baby with the soul of a fallen king.
Trying to build a better life.
One step at a time.
---