Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Maid Who Came in the Middle of the Night
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“Why are they still alive?”
At Count Sarisa's words, Viscount Trump bowed his head.
“There were escorts ambushed around them. The wolves we tried to release noticed first, so fortunately we weren't discovered...”
The viscount's plan to kill Lenia on the count's orders fell through in an instant. The plan itself had been extremely simple and efficient.
An ambush using trained wolves. Lenia was unarmed, and her only escort was Kyle. If it had been carried out properly, it surely would have worked. But the wolves tucked their tails and retreated before they could even approach the pair.
Thanks to the wolves' keen sense of smell picking up the blood and metal scents of the hidden swordsmen nearby first and sensing the danger. As a result, the assassination attempt ended as a mishap where one unlucky beater took an arrow to the thigh.
“What do you plan to do now? The Cligrove girl will return to her territory tomorrow.”
With the negotiations fully concluded, tomorrow was the day Lenia would depart. After that, it would be too late no matter what they tried. Viscount Trump pondered for a moment at the count's words before opening his mouth.
“Then tonight... we settle it at the party. How about recalling the soldiers whose contracts we terminated due to disarmament? They still hold loyalty to you.”
“If we recall them?”
“We use them to strike as the party winds down. They have quite a few escorts, but if we ply them with drink and mobilize all those terminated troops, we have a solid chance of victory.”
The method the viscount proposed carried enormous risk. Lenia's escorts were vanguard swordsmen and knights—a force numbering just over a hundred that was far from negligible. And if they lost, the count could lose his territory outright. In the worst case, his life.
He fell deep into thought. Should he take the gamble? A long deliberation continued. Only after quite some time did his mouth open.
Nobles love parties. It was the same in the family I used to belong to, but these people hold them every other day under the pretext of social gatherings.
One family hosts one nearly once a month, and each lasts two days, so factoring in all the families, it's practically parties every day of the month. Cligrove was no different, but at least there I could turn them down.
“Please wait just a moment! The Lady is almost ready!”
After more than an hour waiting in front of the door, the maid who had been coming and going from the room must have taken pity on me and said that.
And her words proved true—the firmly shut door opened soon after.
“I've made you wait again.”
“Not at all, Lady.”
This time too, Edward arrived promptly to escort her. He shot me a displeased glance. But I had no time to worry about such things. The atmosphere in the mansion felt off. No, the entire Sarisa Castle did. An eerie chill hung over the whole fortress.
Because of that, I had already stationed troops in the passage connecting the mansion to the castle proper. As we stepped out into the passage, the twenty vanguard swordsmen waiting there saluted in unison.
“Sir Lucas? Why have you gathered the vanguard swordsmen like this?”
The Lady asked with a puzzled expression.
“The atmosphere feels off, so I called in the emergency standby team.”
“The atmosphere... I appreciate your concern, but this seems excessive. Didn't I say it was unnecessary worry? The count is a man of reason.”
The Lady was capable. But she was too fixated on noble honor. When people are backed into a corner, they don't care about honor. And I didn't see Count Sarisa as some great man anyway.
“I haven't called everyone, so no need to worry. And I'll send them back right after the party.”
Normally, she would have just said okay and sent them away, but since I was insisting even while adding explanations to keep the swordsmen on standby, the Lady looked at me for a moment before nodding.
“If you say so, there must be a reason. I'll be careful too.”
But this time, Edward scanned the swordsmen with an obnoxious look on his face.
“This is Count Sarisa's castle. Stationing armed troops in a place like this is incredibly rude. Well... coming from a commoner, I suppose you wouldn't know.”
He sneered like that, but I simply looked down at him calmly and said,
“I prioritize the Lady's safety above all else. And I'll have the soldiers wait where they're out of sight as much as possible.”
He looked displeased, but since I emphasized it was for the Lady's safety, he had nothing more to say and just turned away after staring up at me.
“You lot, stay here on standby.”
I escorted the Lady to the party hall and ordered the swordsmen to take up concealed positions. But the party hall itself was peaceful, unlike the outside. The number of attending nobles had decreased significantly from the first day.
In the hall that looked almost empty, nobles were chatting in small groups here and there. When I entered, they all turned their gazes toward me at once.
“Baron Lucas, was it...?”
“They say he took down a deer over 700 pounds today...”
I let the nobles' chatter flow in one ear and out the other as I took my place beside the Lady. Standing in full armor in the party hall wasn't exactly a good look, but tonight I decided to just stay by her side anyway.
“So today...”
“Haha! That's why...”
But contrary to my worries, the party proceeded normally. The strange atmosphere I'd felt outside the castle seemed like a lie. There were no suspicious movements, and seeing the count not even glancing our way, I naturally relaxed.
And at that moment, while I stood like a statue against the wall guarding the Lady, someone approached me. A man with ordinary brown hair and dull blue eyes. He gave a friendly smile and offered me a glass of liquor.
“Baron Lucas. Don't just stand there—have some brandy.”
“I'm fine. On escort duty.”
I refused the drink he offered, but the man kept smiling and said,
“One brandy won't hurt, will it? A fine knight like you, Sir Lucas, surely won't get drunk on a single glass...”
In the end, I accepted his glass and downed it in one go. I wouldn't get drunk on a single brandy. Truth be told, even chugging a whole bottle wouldn't do it.
“Haha! That's the spirit of a real man!”
He burst into hearty laughter as I knocked back the brandy in one gulp.
“I'm Viscount Trump. I heard you bagged a deer over 700 pounds today...”
“Just good luck.”
He went on chattering endlessly about hunting. Stories about how huge the wild boar he'd caught was, how he'd hunted fierce beasts—pointless nonsense like that. But he seemed genuinely delighted, his smile never leaving his face.
“Even I'd never seen a deer over 700 pounds. Who would have thought the count's woods hid such a monster. If I'd known, I would've asked the count for permission and hunted there more often.”
He came off as nothing but a hunting otaku, so I let my guard down. I accepted the drinks he kept offering one after another and listened to his stories.
After talking for a good while, when the brandy ran out, he grinned sheepishly.
“Got carried away there. It's been ages since I met someone who hunts as well as you, Sir...”
“I enjoyed it too, Viscount.”
While I listened to him, the party had reached its final stages. Just as the count announced the end of the party, Viscount Trump set down his empty brandy bottle and bowed.
“It was a pleasant time. I hope you make it through the night safely, Sir.”
Safely? I looked at the viscount at his words, but he had already turned and was walking toward the count. The party, despite the ominous vibes, ended without incident. Maybe it really was just my imagination.
Thud! Thud!
But that night, as I put out the lights to go to sleep, someone knocked on my door.
“Sir Knight...! Sir Knight...!”
The one knocking was the maid assigned to me—the same one who had helped deliver William's belongings. She was in such a hurry that she opened the door and came in before I could even answer.
Entering a noble's room without permission was brazen, but the moment she entered, she cautiously peeked down the corridor before shutting the door.
“What's the matter? At this hour.”
“You... you have to flee now...! The count...”
“The count?”
“Soldiers are gathering right now! The count is trying to kill you and the Lady!”
I wondered if she might be lying, just in case. After all, she was Count Sarisa's maid—why would she warn me of his attack?
“...Why tell me this? Aren't you the count's servant?”
The maid bit her lip hard. She knew full well that what she was doing was betraying her employer.
“Because you're my benefactor. William's benefactor.”
There was no time to gather the swordsmen scattered throughout the castle. With the maid's help warning me of the attack, I hurriedly donned my armor and rushed outside. Then I headed straight for the Lady.
“Lady!”
“Si... Sir Lucas? What is the meaning of...”
There was no time to knock and wait for permission. I flung open the door, and the Lady—who was wearing only a negligee—hurriedly covered herself.
“What is the meaning of this rudeness? At this hour...”
“You must leave now! Count Sarisa has mobilized his soldiers!”
“What do you mean? Count Sarisa? How do you know?”
Outside was still quiet. I wouldn't have known either if the maid hadn't told me.
“There's a maid I did a favor for. We need to go! Before the soldiers barge in!”
At my urging, the Lady nodded and rose from the bed. There were too many people to gather right now—not just one or two—so we had to hurry as much as possible. Edward of course, but also the knights and cavalry who'd come with us. The swordsmen too, if we could...
“I'll go wake the knights. You wake Edward. But that's a problem... he was pretty drunk...”
“I'll handle him. Lady, you...”
At that moment, the dark outside the mansion lit up brilliantly.
“Waaah!”
“Kill the Cligrove witch!”
Damn it all.
“Ugh...”
Edward was dragged out by me in a drunken stupor, not even able to don his armor. The knights the Lady had brought were in no better shape, staggering just the same. But these people, at least, we couldn't abandon. For one thing, they were the Lady's retainers.
“Where to now?”
“Down those stairs—there's the stables! Hurry...!”
Sarah, was it? She was just a temporarily assigned maid, but she hadn't fled. Still, she seemed to feel it was too much to stick with us any longer and said as she took my hand,
“Good luck... Sir Knight... May your honor endure forever...”
“...Thank you.”
The Lady, me, and the knights—who were dead drunk and not even armored—tried to escape the mansion via the stairs. The route the maid had told us about led to the back garden, where she said the stables were.
“Grab the Cligrove bitch!”
Even amid all that, shouts still filled the air outside.