The door was violently flung open, not pushed from the outside, but forcefully pulled from within.
The first maid, gripping the handle, was met with the sight of a man clad in iron armor, his eyes ablaze with a fierce bloodlust, prompting her to scream.
A mercenary thrust his sword, instantly killing the maid.
The maids and servants outside reacted swiftly, their nerves already on edge, scattering in panic like frightened mice.
However, mercenaries, numbering five or six, appeared at both ends of the corridor.
Clad in chainmail or lightweight iron armor, wielding broadswords or single-handed swords, they appeared nonchalant, viewing those before them as lambs to the slaughter, unprotected and unarmed.
A maid, in tears, knelt before Nora's now shut bedroom door, pleading for mercy.
They claimed to have been deceived by Howard's orders, hoping for Nora's forgiveness.
Nora, inside, chose not to respond, acting as if she heard nothing.
