Count Krall is pointing his sword at us from the top of the stairs.
He is the second target we must eliminate at all costs and the enemy's best
fighting force.
Each of the Zaintert sisters excels in command and fighting ability, but he
has both.
And we already know from Krone that you can't mock his attitude just
because he's boastful of it.
"Commander Finlay…"
"I know. I'll finish him off here."
I called her name, and Lucy nodded as if she understood.
I stepped out of the way, and she readied her sword.
"Ms. Tilda, Ms. Anastasia, can you help me?"
At her words, the two women who had been called to the front stepped
forward.
"I have always wanted to fight this man," Tilda said softly.
Right now, Tilda is silently burning with a fighting spirit.
The reason is that previously they were allies and so he could not be
touched, but now they are enemies. Meaning she can fight him to her
heart's content without worrying about anything.
If you think about it, being strong is not really a good thing, as you will also
be targeted by a fighting maniac like Tilda.
On the other hand, Anastasia, with whom the Count has a history with, had
a look of disgust on her face.
"Wow. I can see that he's determined to kill me like crazy. I'm getting cold
sweats just from his stare."
It is true that the Count has been looking at Anastasia with one that could
kill since she came out.
Frankly, I wouldn't want to stand in front of that stare.
"You're finally out, dark elf. Your death will not be easy."
"Ugh, I'm seriously getting chills… Let's get this over with quickly."
The four of us went into battle stance together with the rest of the soldiers
we had on hand.
We outnumber them, but they are tired from fighting so hard.
In contrast, the other side is in pristine condition.
Moreover, almost all of the Count's troops were from the nobility or
knightly class, meaning they had stronger magic in their bloodlines and
enhanced physical abilities.
But if we don't defeat these guys, we won't be able to reach the Marquis,
who is probably above those stairs.
"Let's get started."
"Come at me, all three of you. You are all doomed to be cut down by my
sword!"
The four jumped out at once, three to one, and the soldiers behind also
collided with each other.
Instantly, the entrance hall that welcomed guests became a battlefield.
"Krone, let's step back. It's not safe here."
"Huh? What are you…!!"
A bloody sword flew right near us, and Krone gave an inaudible scream.
That was close.
I took her and a few guards back to ensure our safety.
Unlike the lich, an undead, all friends and foes are human, so you'll never
know what will happen, and you can never be too careful. If yo u a re ab le
to rea d this m es sag e, yo u are read i ng from an unaut ho rized agg regat
e si te. R ead at my Wo rdPr ess at st ab bing wi th a syr i nge. hom e. bl og
to su ppor t me and my tra nsl ation s.
"I'm begging you, Lucy. Don't fall down here."
I could only say this as I viewed in the corner of my eye the figure of Lucy
and the girls engaging in a superhuman battle with Count Krall.
◆ ◆
"Hyaaaaaaaaaahh!!"
Count Krall swung his great sword with an intimidating shout.
Every blow delivered from his thick, bear-like arms gave more power than
it appeared.
"Ugghh… it's heavier than I thought it would be."
Lucy groaned as she managed to deflect a blow aimed at her with the sword
she held in both hands.
She has already been given support magic by Anastasia but still loses out on
power.
In the first place, the Count has more innate magic power than Lucy
because of the purity of his bloodline.
Together with the difference between the stature of men and women, added
to the difference in their trained bodies, all of those cannot be just
overturned just by having support magic.
But this battle is not a one-on-one duel.
"――!!"
Just now, Tilda's spear was thrust into the Count's back with a silent fervor.
The spear was so large that it was unthinkable it could be welded in a thin
woman's arms in the common sense of Earth.
"Even a single blow would be fatal, but…"
"Naïve, heathen!"
The Count just turned around and catched the tip of the spear with the thick
body of his great sword.
"It's not over yet!"
Tilda immediately withdrew her spear and instead stepped forward and
launched a kick.
The blow, which could shake even a three-meter-tall ogre, forced the Count
to retreat.
"Guhu… above!?"
Sensing the danger, the Count jumped back.
The moment he jumped, he saw countless icicles sticking out of the place
where his body had been just a few moments before.
The icicles were sharper than the ones that had formed naturally and would
have inflicted as much damage as Tilda's spear had they pierced it.
"Oh my, your instincts are as sharp as a wild animal's. No, maybe even
sharper?"
Anastasia, who had released the magic spell, seemed a little frustrated as he
was able to avoid the attack from his blind spot.
On the other hand, the Count answered the sorceress's challenge by
shouldering his greatsword.
"Hmph. I've been fighting in the army since before I was controlled by
your magic spell. It is easy for me to sense your leaking murderous intent."
He replied in his usual arrogant manner, but neither of us denied it.
It is true. He had already been active in the military when Anastasia met
him.
And even while he was being manipulated, he still had self-consciousness
and memory.
Therefore, he could only seethe his anger as he remembered the humiliation
he felt while being manipulated.
"But first, the ringleaders of the rebels and the pagans," he continued. "You
dark elf will be chopped to pieces later."
Once again, the Count stepped toward Lucy, unleashing a vertical slice as
he went.
Even if you are clad in sheet metal armor, you won't be immune from this
lethal blow, even if you receive it with your sword in hand.
But Lucy didn't panic; rather, she even faced the Count's slash with her
own.
"If you think I'm only suited to command the troops while in the rear, you
are wrong."
Lucy has inherited not only the command capabilities but also the warrior's
talent from her father, who was originally known for his valor in front-line
battles.
And because she's a noble, she has also been trained more than an ordinary
warrior in swordsmanship.
"I can't protect Yuushin just by being a commander alone!"
After the incident against the lich, Lucy spent more time improving her
combat skills than ever before.
The strength she had developed through training with her vassals, who were
well acquainted with the battles of her predecessors, had been sublimated to
the point where she could even match Tilda in battle.
Combined with her excellent observational skills as a commander, she is a
good match for an opponent like the Count, who is an all-around fighter and
commander.
"Even so, that still proves nothing!"
The exasperated Count swung his sword sideways as if to slice through
Lucy's body.
"And that's where you're wrong!"
She repelled it by matching the cut-up from below.
But the next moment, she realized her blunder.
"-!? A dagger!?"
The Count was wielding his large greatsword with one hand, while Lucy
was holding her sword with both hands. Th is cha pt er tra nsl ation is m ade
poss i ble by sta bb ing wi th a syr in e tran slati ons. check o nly up -t o-da
te transl at ions on my Wo rdpr ess si te.
Once his left hand was in a blind spot from her, he pulled out a dagger
hidden behind his waist.
"Did you think I wouldn't try to pull the wool over your eyes? You'll be
sorry in the afterlife!"
It was only a small dagger with a blade of about ten centimeters, but it was
perfect for concealing and enough to kill a man.
What's worse is that Lucy, though she's wearing armor, it is not the type
that covers her entire body with it so as not to hinder her agility.
"Ah…"
The metal's dull glow approaching her body prevented Lucy from reacting
in time.
But just before the blade reached her, something white covered her vision.
"I won't let you!"
It was Tilda who saved Lucy with her own body.
"Ugh!!"
The knife blade pierced halfway into her side as compensation.
"Guh, I must have hit a rib!"
The Count realized from the response of his blade that he had failed to
deliver a fatal blow.
But Tilda did not stop there.
"This is payback!"
Tilda, wounded but still holding her spear short, immediately thrust out.
The Count quickly jumped back to avoid it, but Anastasia had already
deployed her magic spell and was waiting there.
"Come, let's end this for good!"
When he was far enough and away from them, she released high-speed
thunderbolt magic on the place he will land.
"Guuh, nhhooooo!"
Even the mighty Count could not avoid it and was wounded, but his
fighting spirit was yet to be exhausted.
He then pointed his sword at Anastasia with a vindictive look in his eyes.
You… wait until I kill you…!!"
"No, it ends here!!"
With an interruptive response, Lucy jumped out from behind the wounded
Tilda as if waiting for the moment when the enemy's attention was diverted.
"You dare, Finlay!"
The Count turned around and cut Lucy down with his sword.
But she parried the blow and continued on her way.
"What?!"
The Count's attack is repelled by the opponent he had just been
overpowering a while ago.
This was because the Count's power had been paralyzed by Anastasia's
thunderbolt magic, making him unable to use his strength as much as he
wanted.
In that short gap created by the Count, Lucy delivered a fatal blow.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Her sword, thrust out with great fervor, pierced his chest in a straight line.
The Count's movements became rigid, and fresh blood poured from the
wound.
"I'll… you…!!"
"!?"
But just before he died, the Count's body moved again.
He threw the greatsword in his right hand. The one at the end of it is
Anastasia.
"Anastasia!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
Even with Lucy's screams, Anastasia, who had been caught off guard
thinking it was over, could not move quickly enough.
Then a large sword as heavy as a child's weight spun and plunged into her
body.