At first glance, the number of knights standing with the red sunset slowly setting behind them seemed to be greater than that of Knight Leopold.
I understand that the knights sent from the Eastern and Southern Territories have not arrived yet. What happened?
I stared at them, a little embarrassed.
The Duke of Lucien said with a bright smile.
“Duke Leopold is not the only one who knows how to deceive the eye.”
In short, you deceived me.
What that means is that he saw through my plan.
Even more, I couldn't understand Duke Lucien's attitude.
If you knew everything, why didn't you stop it sooner?
There must have been many opportunities.
Are they sure they'll win even if they don't stop us?
Was this an opportunity to uproot not only me but the Leopold family as well?
The reason I thought that might be the case was because we were at a numerical disadvantage.
But we could win if we get help from the Artina Kingdom army waiting outside the palace.
Then, we couldn't avoid interference from the Kingdom of Artina in the future, so we wanted to achieve it with our own strength if possible.
Of course, Prophetes IV said that he would help me unconditionally at any time, so let him know if I need it.
But this, too, was not entirely trustworthy. There was no written contract, and verbal promises could change in an instant.
“Surrender, Duke Leopold.”
The Third Prince, Ian, said.
“If you throw down your sword and surrender now, I will not hold you accountable.”
I tilted my head and looked at the Third Prince.
“If you don’t punish them severely, you’re saying they’ll be punished anyway. You sound like you’re being very kind.”
“Treason is a high crime that destroys not only the family but also all of its descendants. It cannot be completely forgiven.”
“That’s good. I had no intention of being forgiven anyway. And I have no intention of forgiving the Emperor for what he did to me and my father.”
“Is this what His Majesty the Emperor did to the Duke?”
“Didn’t you know? The Emperor not only murdered my father to seize Leopold’s lands, but he also tried to kill me.”
“...!”
“His Excellency the late Duke Leopold was murdered? Didn’t he die while trying to save His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Ian and his knights were enraged, but the Duke of Lucien was calm.
An expression that said he knew everything.
That meant the theory that my father was murdered was true, so I clenched my fist.
Something inside me started bubbling, and for a moment, my eyes turned white.
I wanted to run to the Emperor's palace right away and drag him out.
I wanted to trample on that embarrassed face with my foot, cut out that tongue that only spit out dog-like sounds, and then ridicule it to my heart's content.
And, and...!
"Stop."
As I was struggling, consumed by deep anger, a large hand grabbed my hand.
“Calm down, Adele.”
It was Perdes.
He forced his hands apart by inserting his fingers between my tightly clenched hands.
Then a wound shaped like a fingernail and filled with blood was revealed.
There was blood on his fingernails, too.
I was so angry that I clenched my fists without even realizing that my nails were digging into my skin.
Pedes said, wiping the blood with a handkerchief.
“If you’re angry, don’t hurt yourself, hit those guys instead.”
Yeah. Why did I hurt my hand like an idiot?
I briefly thanked Perdes and then looked back at the Third Prince.
“That’s a lie!”
The Third Prince, who had been dazed after hearing the shocking truth, shouted as he came to his senses.
“You’re trying to fool me with such ridiculous lies...!”
“You can ask Duke Lucien whether what I said is a lie or not.”
The Third Prince turned his head so violently that it made a loud noise and looked at Duke Lucien.
The same was true for the knights standing behind him.
“That’s right.”
Duke Lucien scratched his head as if he felt burdened by the pouring gaze, then nodded.
“It is true. The former Duke Leopold did not die while trying to save His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but was murdered by the Crown Prince’s knights.”
I was curious to see how Duke Lucien would react, so I took a stab at him, and he told me the whole truth.
It was a little surprising and strange.
Judging from the way he confessed so readily, it seems like he has no intention of taking the Emperor's side, so why is he there?
“No. That can’t be. His Majesty the Emperor would never have done such an outrageous thing.”
Even though Duke Lucien had him verify the facts, the Third Prince found it hard to believe and denied it.
The Southern and Eastern knights also looked quite agitated.
On the other hand, Leopold's knights were burning with fighting spirit.
Even without looking back at them, I could feel their fearsome aura.
“Let’s stop this useless chatter here.”
I was worried because we were at a significant numerical disadvantage, but in this case, there was no need to worry too much.
We will win this fight.
No, I absolutely had to win.
I drew my sword and ran towards the enemies.
After the death of Adele's father, the late Duke Leopold, the prestige of the Order of Leopold was lowered, but their power was not diminished.
Moreover, the knights present here have been members of the Order of Leopold since the time of the previous Duke Leopold.
As expected from an order known to be as strong as the Imperial Knights, Leopold's knights did not give in despite being at a numerical disadvantage.
Rather, it brought them little by little.
The reason the knights were able to dominate the tug-of-war for victory was not only because of their outstanding skills but also because of Adele's role as a one-man army.
Her swordsmanship skills, solidified through repeating the same life four times, were fully demonstrated.
She inherited the blessing, or rather blood, of the red dragon, which gave her physical abilities superior to those of ordinary humans.
The tide was quickly turning.
As Adele was about to approach the Third Prince, Ian, to seize the opportunity for sure, someone rushed towards her.
Kakang-
The sound of sharp metal clashing resounded loudly.
Unlike the enemies she had fought so far, this opponent aimed precisely at the vital points.
Familiar swordsmanship.
'This is the Anatome Guard.'
Adele was a little nervous as she readjusted her grip on her sword at the appearance of a powerful opponent who was incomparable to the idiots she had fought so far.
What made her even more nervous was that there was more than one Anatome guard.
'There are four people in total.'
A similar situation to when she faced the Anatome Guard before.
What was different then was that the fighting space was wider, and Adele was not affected by the paralyzing poison.
'Their mindset has also changed.'
Unlike the Anatome Guard back then, the ones fighting now were all aiming for vital points.
The will to kill Adele somehow seemed strong.
'Seriously, these guys are annoying to the end.'
Adele clicked her tongue and ducked to avoid the sword of the first man who rushed at her.
She stretched out her leg and tripped the bastard, then swung her sword with her left hand to block the successive attacks.
At that moment, another Anatome guard rushed towards her defenseless back.
'This can't be stopped.'
Adele made a quick decision, pushed away the man with whom she was engaging her sword, and leapt into the air.
As if they had anticipated this, a dagger flew at her.
Adele twisted her body and narrowly avoided the attack.
However, she couldn't avoid it completely, and her side got slightly scratched.
“Adele!”
When Perdes saw Adele struggling and tried to run toward her, Adele shouted urgently.
“Don’t bother me by coming here for no reason. Just stay there!”
Interference. Perdes had no choice but to stop at the words that hit the nail on the head.
Adele was too focused on dealing with the Anatome guards to notice how much her words had hurt Perdes.
She could easily deal with two people, but three was a bit difficult, and four was a burden.
The reason she was able to fight the guards even with my paralyzed body at that time was because the road was narrow, and the enemies could not attack her all at once.
It was also thanks to this that they somehow didn't try to take her life.
The situation was completely different now, and many enemies were targeting her besides the Anatome Guard, making it even more difficult to deal with them.
Still, she gritted her teeth and held on somehow, but then the Anatome guards, as if they had made up their minds, all rushed at her at once.
“Captain!”
Connor and several knights, who had been fighting frantically and had belatedly realized Adele's situation, tried to rush towards her but were unable to do so due to the enemies blocking their way.
"No!"
The screams of Leopold's knights echoed miserably.
Adele also intuitively felt that she could not avoid it, and at that moment, she crouched down to avoid it as much as possible.
Kwak-
Blue magic arrows flew from somewhere and pierced the bodies of those who were trying to attack Adele.
At the sudden magical attack, Adele and everyone nearby looked towards the direction the arrow had come from.
Then, Perdes appeared, holding a pen instead of a sword and standing on a blue magic circle.
I understand that the knights sent from the Eastern and Southern Territories have not arrived yet. What happened?
I stared at them, a little embarrassed.
The Duke of Lucien said with a bright smile.
“Duke Leopold is not the only one who knows how to deceive the eye.”
In short, you deceived me.
What that means is that he saw through my plan.
Even more, I couldn't understand Duke Lucien's attitude.
If you knew everything, why didn't you stop it sooner?
There must have been many opportunities.
Are they sure they'll win even if they don't stop us?
Was this an opportunity to uproot not only me but the Leopold family as well?
The reason I thought that might be the case was because we were at a numerical disadvantage.
But we could win if we get help from the Artina Kingdom army waiting outside the palace.
Then, we couldn't avoid interference from the Kingdom of Artina in the future, so we wanted to achieve it with our own strength if possible.
Of course, Prophetes IV said that he would help me unconditionally at any time, so let him know if I need it.
But this, too, was not entirely trustworthy. There was no written contract, and verbal promises could change in an instant.
“Surrender, Duke Leopold.”
The Third Prince, Ian, said.
“If you throw down your sword and surrender now, I will not hold you accountable.”
I tilted my head and looked at the Third Prince.
“If you don’t punish them severely, you’re saying they’ll be punished anyway. You sound like you’re being very kind.”
“Treason is a high crime that destroys not only the family but also all of its descendants. It cannot be completely forgiven.”
“That’s good. I had no intention of being forgiven anyway. And I have no intention of forgiving the Emperor for what he did to me and my father.”
“Is this what His Majesty the Emperor did to the Duke?”
“Didn’t you know? The Emperor not only murdered my father to seize Leopold’s lands, but he also tried to kill me.”
“...!”
“His Excellency the late Duke Leopold was murdered? Didn’t he die while trying to save His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Ian and his knights were enraged, but the Duke of Lucien was calm.
An expression that said he knew everything.
That meant the theory that my father was murdered was true, so I clenched my fist.
Something inside me started bubbling, and for a moment, my eyes turned white.
I wanted to run to the Emperor's palace right away and drag him out.
I wanted to trample on that embarrassed face with my foot, cut out that tongue that only spit out dog-like sounds, and then ridicule it to my heart's content.
And, and...!
"Stop."
As I was struggling, consumed by deep anger, a large hand grabbed my hand.
“Calm down, Adele.”
It was Perdes.
He forced his hands apart by inserting his fingers between my tightly clenched hands.
Then a wound shaped like a fingernail and filled with blood was revealed.
There was blood on his fingernails, too.
I was so angry that I clenched my fists without even realizing that my nails were digging into my skin.
Pedes said, wiping the blood with a handkerchief.
“If you’re angry, don’t hurt yourself, hit those guys instead.”
Yeah. Why did I hurt my hand like an idiot?
I briefly thanked Perdes and then looked back at the Third Prince.
“That’s a lie!”
The Third Prince, who had been dazed after hearing the shocking truth, shouted as he came to his senses.
“You’re trying to fool me with such ridiculous lies...!”
“You can ask Duke Lucien whether what I said is a lie or not.”
The Third Prince turned his head so violently that it made a loud noise and looked at Duke Lucien.
The same was true for the knights standing behind him.
“That’s right.”
Duke Lucien scratched his head as if he felt burdened by the pouring gaze, then nodded.
“It is true. The former Duke Leopold did not die while trying to save His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but was murdered by the Crown Prince’s knights.”
I was curious to see how Duke Lucien would react, so I took a stab at him, and he told me the whole truth.
It was a little surprising and strange.
Judging from the way he confessed so readily, it seems like he has no intention of taking the Emperor's side, so why is he there?
“No. That can’t be. His Majesty the Emperor would never have done such an outrageous thing.”
Even though Duke Lucien had him verify the facts, the Third Prince found it hard to believe and denied it.
The Southern and Eastern knights also looked quite agitated.
On the other hand, Leopold's knights were burning with fighting spirit.
Even without looking back at them, I could feel their fearsome aura.
“Let’s stop this useless chatter here.”
I was worried because we were at a significant numerical disadvantage, but in this case, there was no need to worry too much.
We will win this fight.
No, I absolutely had to win.
I drew my sword and ran towards the enemies.
***
After the death of Adele's father, the late Duke Leopold, the prestige of the Order of Leopold was lowered, but their power was not diminished.
Moreover, the knights present here have been members of the Order of Leopold since the time of the previous Duke Leopold.
As expected from an order known to be as strong as the Imperial Knights, Leopold's knights did not give in despite being at a numerical disadvantage.
Rather, it brought them little by little.
The reason the knights were able to dominate the tug-of-war for victory was not only because of their outstanding skills but also because of Adele's role as a one-man army.
Her swordsmanship skills, solidified through repeating the same life four times, were fully demonstrated.
She inherited the blessing, or rather blood, of the red dragon, which gave her physical abilities superior to those of ordinary humans.
The tide was quickly turning.
As Adele was about to approach the Third Prince, Ian, to seize the opportunity for sure, someone rushed towards her.
Kakang-
The sound of sharp metal clashing resounded loudly.
Unlike the enemies she had fought so far, this opponent aimed precisely at the vital points.
Familiar swordsmanship.
'This is the Anatome Guard.'
Adele was a little nervous as she readjusted her grip on her sword at the appearance of a powerful opponent who was incomparable to the idiots she had fought so far.
What made her even more nervous was that there was more than one Anatome guard.
'There are four people in total.'
A similar situation to when she faced the Anatome Guard before.
What was different then was that the fighting space was wider, and Adele was not affected by the paralyzing poison.
'Their mindset has also changed.'
Unlike the Anatome Guard back then, the ones fighting now were all aiming for vital points.
The will to kill Adele somehow seemed strong.
'Seriously, these guys are annoying to the end.'
Adele clicked her tongue and ducked to avoid the sword of the first man who rushed at her.
She stretched out her leg and tripped the bastard, then swung her sword with her left hand to block the successive attacks.
At that moment, another Anatome guard rushed towards her defenseless back.
'This can't be stopped.'
Adele made a quick decision, pushed away the man with whom she was engaging her sword, and leapt into the air.
As if they had anticipated this, a dagger flew at her.
Adele twisted her body and narrowly avoided the attack.
However, she couldn't avoid it completely, and her side got slightly scratched.
“Adele!”
When Perdes saw Adele struggling and tried to run toward her, Adele shouted urgently.
“Don’t bother me by coming here for no reason. Just stay there!”
Interference. Perdes had no choice but to stop at the words that hit the nail on the head.
Adele was too focused on dealing with the Anatome guards to notice how much her words had hurt Perdes.
She could easily deal with two people, but three was a bit difficult, and four was a burden.
The reason she was able to fight the guards even with my paralyzed body at that time was because the road was narrow, and the enemies could not attack her all at once.
It was also thanks to this that they somehow didn't try to take her life.
The situation was completely different now, and many enemies were targeting her besides the Anatome Guard, making it even more difficult to deal with them.
Still, she gritted her teeth and held on somehow, but then the Anatome guards, as if they had made up their minds, all rushed at her at once.
“Captain!”
Connor and several knights, who had been fighting frantically and had belatedly realized Adele's situation, tried to rush towards her but were unable to do so due to the enemies blocking their way.
"No!"
The screams of Leopold's knights echoed miserably.
Adele also intuitively felt that she could not avoid it, and at that moment, she crouched down to avoid it as much as possible.
Kwak-
Blue magic arrows flew from somewhere and pierced the bodies of those who were trying to attack Adele.
At the sudden magical attack, Adele and everyone nearby looked towards the direction the arrow had come from.
Then, Perdes appeared, holding a pen instead of a sword and standing on a blue magic circle.
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