"Where do you think this is? How dare you!"
It was the same dream again today.
In the midst of the battle, where savage tribes from the abandoned lands and hordes of monsters emerged from the magic circles scattered throughout the castle, she saw herself swinging her sword, yelling.
Asha licked her lips as she looked at the sword she was swinging as if it were a mundane task.
'I should have cut it shorter from there and then stabbed the chest of the one who rushed in.'
Of course, she knew that was the best decision at that moment. Nevertheless, reflecting on the fight afterward would be helpful for future battles.
'If there is such a thing as a future.'
Asha sighed.
"Asha! These bastards are definitely acting strange. They weren't this out of it before…!"
Deker yelled as he swung his sword at the charging orc warrior.
Asha felt the same.
All the savages she had encountered had eyes filled with madness, but they hadn't rolled their eyes back like these guys.
"So snap out of it! If they get out of the castle, it's over!"
His shout made the nearby Pervaz warriors and servants grit their teeth.
The sound of clashing steel, the bone-crushing thud of maces, the screams of agony mixed with terror, rang so loudly that ears became numb.
"Kill them all! Aaargh!"
"No, Hector!"
"Don't look this way, my lord! Please save Pervaz again this time!"
Hector, who suffered a fatal wound, seemed to sense his end and fell from the third-floor railing along with the enemies.
Even though Hector said not to look, Asha couldn't help but witness his last moments.
"Hector!"
He came to mind as he rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a few nuggets of gold.
"Hector! Hecto…!"
"Asha! Watch your back!"
She didn't even have the luxury to properly feel the grief of losing her close aide.
"Grrr, Grrr!"
With a disgusting breath, a large monster resembling a wolf lunged at her.
"You bastard!"
Asha plunged her sword into the forehead of the wolf-like monster. Pushed back by the monster's charging force, she stumbled backward, but the monster, slain by Asha's sword, soon collapsed to the ground.
Just before the monster fell, Asha pulled out her sword and wiped the monster's blood splattered on her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I will never forgive you! I will gouge out your eyeballs and tear off your limbs!"
She had guessed from Gabriel's warning that there would be an attack.
However, this demonic plan to completely annihilate Pervaz showed not even an ounce of respect for the people of the same country.
The Empire had been rude to Pervaz in the past, and Pervaz had endured it, but now they could not take it anymore.
'Even if I die here, I will come back as a demon and take revenge!'
Perhaps it was thanks to this vengeful spirit that the Asha and Pervaz people began to turn the tide of the battle.
"My Lord! It's holy water! You can stop the magic circle by sprinkling holy water on it!"
Someone figured out how to stop the magic circle from spewing out savages and stopped the magic circle from working.
With no more enemy troops pouring in, the sense of despair that 'this seemed like it would never end' disappeared.
"Lure them in!"
The savages and monsters had lost their minds and were attacking unconditionally, but Asha's army, which knew the structure of Pervaz Castle well, lured them to the unguarded balconies and made them fall to their deaths, or cornered them and massacred them.
A light was shining on the horrific battle.
"Go to hell, you demon bastards!"
And that was when Asha was about to take the life of the last Pir tribe warrior.
{Pilé Kahap!}
He shouted unintelligible words with his eyes wide, and black energy shot out from his palm and headed straight for Asha.
"Ugh!"
It felt like a solid sword had pierced her heart.
"Asha! Asha!"
She could hear Decker, who was nearby, calling out to her.
'I have to answer him… but I can't leave Decker behind…'
If this was death, she wanted to leave a will with Decker before she died. To keep his sanity and protect the castle to the end.
However, her whole body felt weak and her consciousness fell into darkness before she could even move her mouth.
'So this is how I die. Father, Dominic, Noah, Vincent… where are you all?'
She was worried about Pervaz, but she was also a little excited to finally meet her father and brothers.
However, death was not easily granted.
{Offer your soul. I will let you dream sweet dreams.}
{If you do not obey, I will tear you into small pieces and chew you up.}
The faint whispering seemed to grow louder and louder, and now it was echoing from all directions as if it was going to tear her mind apart.
Sometimes it was a sincere and sweet voice, and sometimes it was a child's voice. It was sometimes affectionate as if to disarm her, and sometimes threatening as if to bully her.
Asha's consciousness faded in and out, sometimes drifting into dreamlike states. Whenever she regained consciousness, she found herself reliving the day of the battle.
One thing was certain: she was not dead yet, but she was dying.
The time she spent dreaming and the time she was conscious were gradually decreasing.
Asha wondered if the demon had come to her because she had vowed to take revenge, even if it meant becoming a demon herself.
However, strange things had started to happen recently.
"Asha…!"
It sounded like someone was calling her name.
'Who is it? Decker? Father? Nina?'
She couldn't hear the voice clearly, but she felt a sense of earnest longing. Someone was desperately calling for her.
From that moment on, the time she spent awake gradually increased, and lights began to appear before her eyes, which had been nothing but darkness.
'What is this?'
Asha stared at the particles of light floating in front of her, pondering.
They seemed to be increasing in number day by day, and she thought that if they continued to increase, the darkness would eventually disappear.
When that thought came to her, Asha realized.
'Ah…! Someone is saving me!'
She guessed that since she had been affected by the strange black magic used by the barbarians, they had brought a shaman or priest from another territory.
'Yes, I will live. I will survive at all costs.'
Even as her consciousness faded again, Asha made a firm resolve to survive. She didn't want to let down the people who were saving her.
* * *
A carriage hurriedly raced down the road of Pervaz and stopped in front of Pervaz Castle.
Giles, who had been waiting anxiously at the gate, rushed towards the carriage.
"Father…"
The one who got out of the carriage was Dorothea.
She was exhausted after suffering for several days in the fast-moving carriage.
"What are you doing! Get out already."
"I'm sorry. I'm just a little… dizzy."
"Tsk."
Dorothea flinched at her father's clicking sound and tried to focus her mind even though her eyes were spinning.
However, there was nothing she could do with her physical condition, and as she got down from the carriage, she staggered and almost fell.
Fortunately, she managed to hold onto the carriage doorknob and avoid rolling over, but she sprained her ankle and scraped her shin on the carriage footrest.
Despite the pain, she gritted her teeth and held back a groan. Giles glared at her.
"What is this nonsense! You're twenty-three years old and you still can't carry yourself properly? What did your mother teach you!"
"I'm sorry. I was really dizzy. The carriage was shaking so much… ."
"Tsk tsk. Cecilia Dupret rode in the same carriage, but she was perfectly fine. Why are you like this?"
Dorothea could not answer and lowered her head. She followed Giles, who did not care about his injured daughter, enduring the pain.
However, Giles' mood was not as bad as Dorothea thought. It was only natural, because one important thing had gone according to his plan.
"Cecilia Dupret has given up the position of empress."
Giles said with a satisfied smile in his room, alone with Dorothea.
"Yes? Really… ?"
"Yes, it's true."
"I thought she would never give up… why… ?"
Dorothea wondered, recalling Cecilia, who was burning with ambition to become empress.
Giles' smile deepened.
"Actually, the word 'give up' is a misnomer. She was rejected by His Highness Carlyle after incurring his hatred for interfering with the war in the South with me."
Dorothea did not know exactly what the 'war in the South' was, but it seemed like it was not an ordinary matter if Carlyle had dropped the daughter of Duke Dupret from the Empress position.
"Are you okay, Father?"
"I've been ordered to be confined to my quarters for the time being, but I'm fine. Anyway, His Highness Carlyle can't afford to abandon me."
In this rapidly changing situation, it was out of the question to abandon the strategist. Giles had taken even that into account when he decided to start a war in the South.
What Dorothea wondered was what kind of trouble Cecilia and Giles had gotten into 'together'.
"But… you said that you joined hands with Miss Cecilia?"
"Yes."
Giles admitted in a tone that even seemed refreshing.
Dorothea could not understand how her father, who seemed to hate Cecilia, had joined hands with her.
As if he had read her mind, Giles smiled and replied.
"Because I expected this to happen."