I was already on the run when the Count's final blow struck Anastasia.
As I approached her in a cold sweat, I saw that she had fallen limp.
However, no fatal wound could be seen on her body.
The Count's dying blow seemed to have minimized the damage, as only the
hilt of his sword had struck her.
"Anastasia, are you all right?"
"Guh, cough… this level won't kill me. But that really did some damage."
Although it did not penetrate, the impact of that massive mass colliding
with her body must have been unbearable.
Anastasia is not going to be able to move for a while.
"Yuushin, are you all right over there?"
It was then that Lucy, who had helped Tilda up, arrived.
Tilda was not fatally wounded, but continuing the battle with her wounded
body would be impossible.
"Yeah, we're okay. But moving both of them to the rear first would be
better."
Looking around, the battle in the entrance hall had been settled with a
victory for our side.
The soldiers of the Count, who surrendered upon the death of their
commander, were taken prisoner and sent outside with the wounded.
The walls and gates had already fallen into our hands, and all that remained
was the Marquis on top. If you a re a ble to re ad thi s me ss age, yo u are re
adi ng fr om an unau thor i zed agg rega te sit e. Re ad at my Wor dPr ess at
st abb ing wit h a syri n ge. hom e. bl og to su ppo rt me and my tran sl
ations.
"Krone, take care of the two of them, and keep control of the place."
I left Tilda and Anastasia in her care as she came with her guards.
"Leave it to me. Are you two still going up?"
"Of course. This battle won't end until we take down the enemy general up
there."
Lucy also nodded at my words.
"Let's go, Yuushin. We're almost there."
After leaving everything to Krone, we left with the remaining able-bodied
soldiers to the upper floors.
◆ ◆
After regrouping our badly wounded units, Lucy and I headed upstairs.
At first, we are about four hundred strong, but now we only have fifty of
them.
The rest had fallen, but most were wounded or out of energy for battle.
Among them, we selected the best among the survivors, enough to defeat
the remaining enemies.
The Marquis's troops must also have been worn out from the battles at the
castle walls, courtyard, and entrance hall.
Especially with the loss of the Zaintert sisters' heavy infantry and the
Count's troops, only a few enemies remained who were phenomenal.
If I had to say it directly, we should be wary of Lacy.
"Commander Finlay, I have not seen the Zaintert sisters so far, but…"
"They are probably with the Marquis. They… no, Florencia should be the
last wall."
Apparently, Lucy is also aware that the younger sister is the last threat.
This is good, as she will not hesitate when the time comes.
As we continued onward, keeping a wary eye on our surroundings, we
heard rushing sounds coming behind us.
I was immediately alerted but saw the chief vassal old man with about ten
soldiers.
It seemed to be reinforcements.
"Milady, we have taken control of the outer edge of the castle, the
courtyard, and the lower level. The capture of the wounded and prisoners of
war is expected to be completed soon."
"Basically, we're dealing with a rat in a bag now, aren't we?"
Lucy nodded, and I felt relieved.
"The troops who went to the command headquarters and the executive
branch have also informed us that we have achieved our goal. We missed
some of the top brass, but we have the chief commander in custody."
"Not everything will go well as planned. But as long as we get the top brass
under control, we'll be fine."
It will take a good number of troops to overrun us, but no one but the chief
commander can command them all in unison.
The big picture is now settled. We moved forward again, finally reaching
the top floor.
"… it's strangely quiet."
I felt bad about the fact that no one else was moving except us.
"The Marquis is not a man to be caught quietly. Let's be careful."
Lucy's warning made everyone, including the soldiers, brace themselves.
The fact that we have not been intercepted so far means that the enemy is
gathering their remaining forces on the top floor.
We proceeded with more tension than before.
Then, we arrived at a door with a magnificent design.
"It is the office of the Marquis. Please open it."
Soldiers attached themselves to the door and opened it left and right as
Lucy ordered.
I thought there might be a barricade or something, but it opened more easily
than I had imagined.
At the back of the large room is another large desk.
On the other side, the Marquis was sitting in a chair, surrounded by armed
soldiers.
There were about 30 men. About half the number of those are at his side.
The Zaintert sisters are also near the Marquis.
We entered the room and prepared for battle.
"You have come, Lucy."
"Yes, I have come to claim uncle's head."
The Marquis, who probably already knew that his son had been defeated,
showed no sign of agitation.
Not intimidated by his stern gaze, Lucy exchanged a frontal glance with
him.
"Looks like you beat Luke. And here I was, beginning to think it was the
time to make him take over my seat."
"Don't worry. Even if he were alive, he would not be able to maintain in
your seat for long."
The insurrection is already there. All they need is someone to lead them.
Well, even if they surrender, at the very least, they will be locked up for the
rest of their lives.
But the proud Count Luke won't accept that. All more bow to the camp
where Anastasia is.
"Just to be clear, are you willing to surrender?"
Lucy said somewhat hesitantly.
The response was as expected.
"The marquis's name would be tarnished if he surrenders after his son's
death."
The Marquis says his form of rejecting the offer.
At the same time, the soldiers around him drew their swords.
The soldiers on our side also drew out our own.
In an instant, the atmosphere swelled, and the two sides were on the verge
of an explosive confrontation.
"It seems the Krall lineage will end with me, but I will not let their honor
fall to the ground."
Having ruled this land for many years, the Marquis was very particular
about his family name. Th is c hap ter tra ns la ion is m ade pos sib le by
stab bing wit h a sy ri nge t ran slatio ns. che ck onl y up -to- dat e tran sla
tions on my Wo rdpr ess si te.
Well, it's very like a nobleman, for better or worse, for him to prioritize
honor to the end.
Also, the Marquis's eyes have not yet lost their liveliness.
"You may have pushed me aside from the big picture, but what do you think
would happen if I took you down here?"
"What are you saying now, of all times? I have no intention of losing in this
situation."
When he started to say something disturbing, Lucy snapped at him.
Her eyes are fixed on the Marquis without carelessness, her hand on her
sword.
"You still don't know? If the coup forces lose their flagbearer, they will be
disorganized, and the moment they do that, the army will break free, giving
us the possibility of a reversal."
"That's a naive statement."
I said to counter the Marquis's words.
A reversal from here? You got to be kidding.
The military command headquarters has already been overrun.
It is safe to say that the city's armed forces are nearly neutralized.
"Well, if that's what you think, so be it. Then let's begin."
Saying this, the Marquis raised his hand.
The next moment, the wariness of the soldiers on the other side exploded.
"-!! Here they come. Get ready!"
It was only one gesture, but the spacious room became cramped in an
instant, with dozens of people charging inside.
Added to it the overflowing fighting spirit of the soldiers, it easily heated
both sides.
After a momentary stalemate, the two commanders gave their orders
simultaneously.
"Keep up the attacks. Annihilate the rebels!"
"Destroy the enemy one by one and take out Marquis Krall!"
With these words as a signal, the attack intensified.
I drew my sword and retreated, watching Lucy as she and her men attacked.
As I thought, this place would be filled with another wild battle, which
meant I would not be in the game.
Right in the center of the room, Lucy and Florencia were facing each other.
Florencia was standing in the way of protecting the Marquis and her older
sister next to him.
"Please step aside!"
"I don't wanna! If you want to pass through, you'll have to beat me first!"
At that moment, two soldiers jumped out from either side of Lucy and
attacked Lacy.
Both were unforgiving, killing blows as if they didn't intend to hold back
even if the opponent was a girl.
In this world, where magic power increases physical ability dramatically,
having a bigger appearance is not proportional to better fighting ability.
If you show mercy, the next moment, you may be the one who dies.
"Hmph, you think you can reach me with those puny skills?"
Lacy flaunted as she narrowly managed to dodge their attacks, drawing the
attackers' attention.
Then, as the two attackers finished their swing, they were hit with a
counterblow.
Wounded in the limbs, the soldiers crumpled to the floor, groaning.
They did not seem to be dead, but they would not be able to fight anymore.
Lacy took one look at the soldiers who had fallen at her feet.
Then she turned her gaze back to Lucy and grinned.
"They're well-trained, but they're still just a bunch of soldiers."
"You will not make fun of my men."
I noticed that Lucy's face became stern despite cutting off Lacy's
provocations.
They may be inferior to the Count's soldiers, but the elite under Lucy's
command is certainly stronger than the average soldier.
"Then what are you going to do? Certainly, I would not be left unscathed if
you keep shoving them on me, but either way, you will lose one or two
dozen of your men because they are still inferior. Or would you still dare to
try?"
"No. I won't let my men come at you anymore."
If we lose any more soldiers, it could hinder our future governance.
Lucy stepped forward and took the form of single combat.
"I will defeat you here."
"I won't lose either."
A space was created just for the two women in the room where the melee
continued.
Without a signal, the two began to fight.