83
My Villains Chapter 83
22. The Witch (3)
I sat down on the stone steps, wiping blood from my mouth.
"Phew, that was intense."
I hadn't noticed during the fight, but now that it's over, my whole body is aching terribly.
Especially my shoulder that got hit by various weapons and my side that was stabbed multiple times - every breath brings excruciating pain.
My stomach and thighs throbbed from what felt like multiple punches, and my shin stung as if sliced by a sharp blade.
If it weren't for my sturdy armor, I'd probably be lying here dying right now.
After groaning for about ten minutes, the pain subsided somewhat. Or maybe I just got used to it? Either way.
I got up using the wall for support and looked around.
Having entered through the third floor and come down the stairs, this must be the second floor of the tower. Candles in brass holders dimly lit the room.
The room had arrow slits in the walls and contained nothing but a single soldier's corpse.
On one side was a spiral staircase leading up and down, and on the opposite side stood a thick wooden door reinforced with metal bands.
"The door seems locked."
Even pressing my ear against it, I couldn't hear anything.
They must have noticed the commotion here, so they probably don't have the manpower to send reinforcements.
"Ungh."
*Creaking sound*
I struggled with the doorknob for a while, but the door showed no signs of opening.
With a Strength of 23 I should be as strong as a wild boar, but is it still not enough...? I should put points into Strength next time I level up.
Should I try breaking it with Hrunting?
No, no. If I carelessly bash it and damage the blade, there's no way to fix it... Of course, being a unique weapon it probably won't break easily, but you never know.
As a substitute, I grabbed a battle axe from upstairs and tried chopping at it, but the door didn't budge at all.
The sturdy frame and layers of heartwood were incredibly tough. It would take at least 20-30 minutes of chopping to break through.
I went back upstairs but the door was severely warped, probably from the earthquake. Plus, seeing stone fragments jutting out between the cracked door panels, trying to force it might cause the wall to collapse.
*Sigh* No choice then.
I went down to the first floor, lighting the way with a candlestick.
A damp, moldy smell assaults my nose. Though it should be ground level counting by floors, it has the dank feeling of entering a basement.
Going down the stairs and shining light around, I saw stairs leading up to another tower on the opposite side, and a well in the center. Around it were scattered miscellaneous items like wooden barrels, boxes, and pottery, and in the corner...
"Hm?"
"Phoenix? Is that you?"
"Huh?"
In a small cell were some familiar faces. Grania and Sister Olga. They were both thoroughly bound with ropes, stripped of all weapons.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well..."
Grania made an awkward expression and glanced sideways at Sister Olga.
No way. Really?
"Sister, did they find the letter?"
"...Yes. Though it wasn't intentional..."
Ha, this is driving me crazy. Was the sudden royal guard movement really because of Sister Olga? Because of the letter I wrote?
"I accidentally dropped it while going up to the bedroom. It was so dark on the stairs, I didn't even notice."
...Really, if it wasn't Sister Olga, I would've cursed up a storm.
I let out a small sigh and said, "...It's fortunate you weren't killed on the spot. What about Farel and Gilius?"
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean?"
As I furrowed my brow asking, Grania answered instead.
"We were definitely caught together, but while we were brought here, those two were sent somewhere else. Anyway, hurry and untie us. Looks like the siege is still ongoing."
Finding the key wasn't too difficult. Among the soldiers I dealt with upstairs, one dressed differently turned out to be the jailer.
After opening the cell and untying them, Grania explained the situation.
"After being trapped in Salt Castle, the lord started acting strange bit by bit. Wouldn't touch his food and kept spouting nonsense about how the prince would invade."
"Why suddenly? Did he go mad?"
"That's possible. He was raging about how his son falling ill with fever was because of the prince's curse."
"Son? Ah, was the lord's sick family member his son?"
This time Sister Olga answered.
"Yes. Me and another sister were taking care of him."
"Hmm. Then where is the lord's family now?"
"Probably in the audience chamber. Since the lord isn't the type to fight, he'll be with his other relatives."
"Is the royal guard resisting now because of the lord's orders?"
"Probably. After the letter was discovered he went berserk. Was screaming about hanging us in the plaza."
Ugh, the scenario has really gone off the rails.
Let me recall the original scenario...
Following certain quests, you catch 'Kingpin' Ubar at the dock, then catch the 'Unveiled Witch' in front of Salt Castle.
There was no conflict with the lord in that process, and naturally no fighting with the royal guard. There was no reason to fight since the quests were given by the lord and his vassals in the first place.
But then the earthquake happened and Prince Ulkar took control of the city - situations that didn't exist in the game.
Of course, it's probably because I intervened in various events, but I think those elements might be why the scenario got so twisted.
Hmm...
Ah, whatever. This isn't the time to worry about that. Let's focus on what needs to be done now.
"I need to go open the portcullis. The knights are waiting eagerly for me. Coming with?"
"Well, we can't just sit here twiddling our thumbs."
"Then you both need to arm yourselves first. There's lots of ownerless equipment upstairs."
"Upstairs?"
Grania made an uneasy expression and glanced at the stairs.
"I heard weird noises earlier."
"Weird noises?"
"Yeah. It sounded like... Some kind of beast howling. Didn't you hear it?"
"...I'm not sure. Maybe you misheard the fighting outside?"
"It echoed so I'm not exactly sure... But it definitely came from above. Right, Sister?"
"Right. It was an unbearably irreverent laugh."
Looking at the two with uncomfortable expressions on their faces, I let out a snicker.
"Maybe you heard things because it's too dark. If you're that uneasy, wait here or leave."
Grania briefly made eye contact with Sister Olga before shaking her head.
"...No, it's not that bad. Let's go up."
The mercenary and the nun armed themselves with the equipment of the dead guards and stood behind me.
Sister Olga cast a healing prayer on me, and thanks to that, the sharp pain lingering throughout my body seemed to subside somewhat.
Since we couldn't waste any more time, we went straight up the stairs on the opposite side. As we were quietly creeping up to the room on the second floor trying to minimize our footsteps, swoosh, pak!
"Urgh!"
Damn it, what's this?
Something flew from the corner of the room and hit my chest. I reflexively twisted my shoulder, but the projectile was too fast to dodge.
As I hurriedly raised my shield and looked down, I saw an arrow with three fletches rolling on the floor.
Though it bounced off after deeply denting the riveted steel plate, pain shot through my chest bone as if I'd been struck with an iron club.
"Ugh, *cough* these bastards," After spitting out a stifled cough, I straightened my staggering upper body while pulling back my waist. Then, throwing away the candlestick, I drew Hrunting while kicking off the floor.
Then from the front came three, from the stairs leading to the third floor came two, and from the door leading to the hallway came three - a total of eight soldiers emerged. The familiar solid armor. The lord's royal guards.
They seemed to have been lying in ambush for quite some time, each with a wooden block in their mouths. Was that why even my sensitive hearing couldn't detect their breathing?
With so many enemies, the correct approach would be to take a firm stance and fight slowly. However, because the pain rising from my chest bone turned into anger as it passed through my throat, I couldn't hold back and charged forward.
"Kyaaah!"
Bang!
With a fierce roar, Hrunting sent one soldier flying along with his shield.
Then blocking an axe swinging in from the side with my shield, I deeply thrust my sword under the helmet of the attacker.
"Geurk"
Leaving behind the one whose eyeball had been pierced and whose body was trembling, I began to rampage with my blade stained red.
Since Grania and Sister Olga were watching my back, the enemies couldn't completely surround me.
Thanks to that, I freely swept through the narrow room, and it took less than 3 minutes to dispatch all the enemies.
"Haa, haa. Whew, I'm dying here."
I collapsed as I pulled my sword from the last soldier's chest.
"Phoenix, are you alright?"
"No, *huff* this is really tough."
The battle with the elite soldiers was more exhausting than I had imagined.
The lord's guards would thrust their weapons from blind spots at the slightest opening.
Because of this, I had to twist my body to take their attacks with my armor, and each time it felt like my muscles were tearing and bones were breaking.
Moreover, their solid armor made them difficult to deal with.
The only targetable spot was their face, and even that was covered with a chain veil. Since it wasn't cheap but properly made equipment, my wrist would sting every time I pierced through the chains with my sword.
It's fortunate the blade wasn't damaged, but before that, my wrist and elbow felt like they might break.
This fatigue accumulated through consecutive intense battles, and while I was enduring it thanks to my sturdy body, tough was still tough.
Of course, if I had used the 'Plunder' skill it would have been better... But I couldn't be sucking human blood in front of a clergy member.
"Lord who watches over all eternity. Grant your love through this servant's touch."
Along with a brief murmur, Sister Olga's hand glowed white. When the glowing hand touched my head, a faint light poured out and enveloped my entire body.
Whoosh.
Hmm, the pain is considerably lessened.
Compared to the priest at the church it might be lacking, but Sister Olga's divine magic seems quite useful.
This must be why Grania keeps this clumsy nun around.
"Phew, thank you. I feel much better now."
As I caught my breath and rotated my shoulders, Grania spoke as if in disbelief.
"Including those fought in the other tower, you've killed over twenty already? And not just any soldiers, but half of the lord's royal guards.... Weren't you barely able to hold a sword properly just a month ago?"
"Heh, was I? Fighting to the brink of death each time makes you improve quickly."
When I joked, Grania burst into a laugh while shaking her head. I also let out a laugh as I dusted myself off and stood up.
Going through the door where the enemy soldiers had entered into the hallway, there wasn't a single sign of life.
Thanks to the row of candlesticks brightly lighting the hallway, the portcullis at the other end was visible at a glance. There definitely wasn't a single hair of an enemy in sight.
"...What's going on?"
"Could be a trap."
Under her deeply worn helmet, Grania's dark brown eyes were flashing.
"Watch the ceiling and corners. Arrows might fly out of nowhere."
However, making those words meaningless, there were no ambushes or traps as we slowly passed through the hallway.
Even when we reached the winch for raising the portcullis, no one appeared, and I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Did they really run away?"
"Where would they run to? They must have gone up."
Hmm, that makes sense.
The hallway leading from the tower to the portcullis was so narrow that even I could barely pass through alone.
Even considering that my build is well above average, it was structured such that no more than two heavily armored soldiers could stand side by side.
If the royal guards were to face me in this environment? They'd all get cut down without being able to inflict much damage.
After all, they were only dangerous because they surrounded me in numbers. No matter how elite they are, they're just opponents that pose no challenge when faced one at a time.
Thinking about it that way, I understand why they retreated upward... But still, something feels off.
...Oh, wait?
"Hey, what's wrong with this?"
"Huh? What?"
When Grania saw what I was pointing at, she deeply furrowed her brow.
"Damn it. These bastards, they completely destroyed the mechanism!"
Fuck, I knew it was too easy. I wondered why things were going so smoothly.