84
My Villains Chapter 84
22. The Witch (4)
The winch's axle was completely smashed, as if someone had taken an axe to it. While pulling the chains connected to the latticed gate would raise it... Lifting such a wardrobe-sized piece of metal without mechanical assistance would be impossible.
We'd need to either bring in an ox or have a group of soldiers cluster around it. Without that, there seemed to be no way to open this latticed gate.
"Well, can't be helped."
I approached the vertically pierced embrasure and shouted loudly, "Lord Langbolt! The entrance has been secured!"
At my sudden shout, the soldiers surrounding the castle began to stir. Soon, Lord Langbolt, wearing a blue cape, stepped forward.
"Phoenix? Is that you?"
"Yes! We've secured the entrance, but the winch is destroyed so we can't raise the latticed gate!"
"The enemies?"
"We've dealt with all the ones who were in the rear turret! The rest seem to have gone upstairs!"
Lord Langbolt stroked his mustache for a moment before responding.
"Understood for now! Wait a moment!"
Well, I've pretty much achieved my goal at this point.
We saved Sister Olga along with Grania, and once the soldiers enter through the rear turret, we can work together to open the latticed gate.
Then the soldiers can push in and take care of the 'Unveiled Witch' and the royal guards, and the mission will be complete-
"Hey, you there!"
"Yeesh, you startled me!"
We were currently positioned just inside the Salt Castle's latticed gate.
Corridors extended left and right from the latticed gate, with stairs leading to the upper floor on the opposite side. The voice was coming from above the L-shaped stairs.
We quickly got into position and glared toward the stairs. While gripping Hrunting tighter and examining the stairway, it seemed the owner of the voice had no intention of coming down.
"You, aren't you the bloody swordsman?"
"...And who are you?"
"I am Kunrid Oalfson of Earfried!"
"Kunrid Al-what?"
As I asked back with a bewildered expression, Grania whispered beside me.
"He's the captain of the lord's royal guards."
"...The captain of the royal guards?"
What's going on now?
"What's a royal guard captain doing hiding up on the stairs! Show your face when you talk!"
"Hmph, such impudent words from a treacherous slanderer!"
"Slanderer? What nonsense are you-"
"Do you deny the crime of cowardly slandering an innocent noble lady?"
"Stop spouting nonsense, mister. Ubar confessed that she was the informant!"
"You wretch! Do not insult Lady Camilla!"
This guy just won't listen to reason.
"Besides, aren't you a mercenary hired by His Excellency! How dare you kill the royal guards and try to let bandits into the castle?"
"Hired my ass. I just did one forced job and that was it."
"You honorless cur!"
"Whatever, since when do mercenaries have honor?"
Grania frowned at my sarcastic remark but didn't say anything. The royal guard captain took a breath before shouting again.
"If you fulfill your duty of loyalty to His Excellency now, I'll forgive your previous transgressions!"
"Look, I'm telling you there's no duty left to fulfill."
"You bastard.... If you don't surrender right now, your companions will die!"
...My companions? Who? Ellen?
Ellen should be sleeping soundly at the inn right now?
Seeing my confusion, Grania quickly spoke up.
"He means Uncle Gillius and Farel. They must be holding them separately."
"...Ah."
Damn, I'd temporarily pushed them out of my mind. Those two are still left.
Gillius aside, Farel is too valuable to let die like this...
Perhaps taking my silence as hesitation, the royal guard captain spoke in a notably softer voice, "Count, His Excellency is a merciful person. If you swear loyalty before him, he will forgive all sins and bestow gold upon you."
"Ugh."
As I bit my lower lip and turned to Grania, she opened and closed her mouth briefly before shaking her head.
"...You can't accept it."
"What if we just save Farel and escape?"
"That won't be possible. They're trying to lure you in to kill you."
"Hmm...."
If she had whined 'please save my brother', I would have firmly refused... But with Grania responding like this, I'm finding it hard to say no.
Hmm, let's think about the enemy's forces first.
There should be about twenty royal guards. And that royal guard captain talking up there is probably a knight-level fighter.
The domain's mages... I heard the prince took them to the castle walls. That's fortunate in our misfortune. But crucially, there's Chapter 4's pickname, the 'Unveiled Witch'...
...No matter how I think about it, this seems like more than I can handle alone.
Just as I was about to voice my refusal, the royal guard captain called out, "Wait! The Countess has a new proposal."
"A new proposal?"
I waited for the royal guard captain's explanation, but the next voice I heard belonged to someone else.
"Brother Phoenix!"
"...Huh?"
That voice sounds very familiar...
Then Grania, who had been quiet, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Farel? Is that you?"
"Sis, you were here too? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Me, me and Sister Olga are fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine too, perfectly okay."
As if to prove those words, a man revealed himself on the stairs.
A slender build with firm forearms, light leather armor, and messy brown hair... It was definitely Farel.
"Why are you coming out from there?"
"Lady Camilla sent me. She wants to clear her name..."
"Clear her name? What nonsense-"
"My lady is only eighteen, brother. She doesn't know anything."
Farel's pupils turned purple in the yellow light illuminating the darkness.
In this world, eighteen is practically an adult, so why is everyone being so protective?
"Doesn't know anything? I told you Ubar confessed!"
"Brother, you believe the words of a thug?"
"Ugh, this is so frustrating."
As I beat my chest in frustration, Grania stepped in.
"Farel! Stop talking nonsense and come down quickly!"
"I can't, sis. If I come down, Uncle Gillius will get hurt."
"Lady Camilla isn't asking for much. She just wants to talk with Brother Phoenix."
"Talk about what?"
"I told you, she wants to clear her name. She has evidence to prove her innocence."
"Evidence what..."
"Even if you're not convinced by the evidence, they'll let me and Uncle Gillius go."
After saying that, Farel added in an earnest tone towards me, "Brother, please trust us just this once, for the sake of saving one- no, two lives."
...Damn it, this is driving me crazy.
After Farel's repeated persuasion, I finally agreed to the proposal.
Walking into an obvious trap willingly - this couldn't be more stupid.
Of course, I'm not completely without calculations.
First, the place where Countess Camilla requested to meet privately was none other than her bedroom. It's quite far from the audience chamber where the lord and royal guards are gathered, and the connecting stairs and passages are completely separate.
So if it's a trap, I plan to use the narrow passages to deal with enemies. There are many windows from the third floor up, so I could jump out if necessary.
Hah, even so, I don't want to take such risks. It would be easiest to wait for the knights and deal with this together...
While I was internally sighing, Farel, who was guiding me to the bedroom, suddenly spoke up.
"Thank you, brother."
"...Whatever. I'm not doing this because you're nice."
"Heh, still..."
The reason I took this risk was because I thought there might be a chance to take out the Countess.
Countess Camilla, also known as the 'Unveiled Witch', is the Chapter's final pickname. She's practically a mid-boss, and quite a difficult opponent.
The reason she's tricky is that she's not easy to approach. She's not particularly tough, so if I can get close, I could kill her in one slash. In a narrow, enclosed space like a bedroom, I might be able to get a decisive chance with a surprise attack.
In other words, my goal was to pretend to listen to their persuasion nonsense, then quickly take care of the 'Unveiled Witch' and rescue the hostages.
"I don't know why you're misunderstanding, but Lady Camilla is a good person."
"She's very kind not only to the official royal guards but even to mercenaries like me. She takes excellent care of Lord Godwin even though he's not her biological child. Though young, she's very considerate."
I knew he was usually talkative, but it's impressive that his mouth doesn't stop even in this situation.
"Hey, are you enchanted by the Countess or something? Why do you keep talking unnecessarily?"
"...Come on, enchanted?"
...Is this guy stalling? Did he really get enchanted?
While exchanging such words, we entered a corridor usually reserved for the lord's relatives.
Wooden panels hung on one wall, with portraits on the opposite side.
The wooden panels carved with knives and filled with paint were meant to cover windows. The portraits were probably of the lord's ancestors.
Only after passing through that corridor and turning two corners did we reach the bedroom.
"My lady, I've brought Brother Phoenix." After announcing this, Farel opened the bedroom door first.
"Let's go in."
Farel was acting as if he were a servant of Salt Castle.
An ominous thought crossed my mind, but I couldn't turn back now.
"Phew."
Steadying myself, I entered the bedroom with my hand on Hrunting's pommel.
The moment I took my first step into the room, the scent of cosmetics mixed with flower fragrance brushed my nose.
It could have been mild shampoo, or perfume sprayed a couple hours ago. It was an enchanting scent that would make you want to look back if you smelled it on the street.
The only light in the cozy bedroom came from candles piled on silver plates. Befitting the lord's bedroom, the room was quite spacious, with dark shadows cast in every corner.
Gillius, a large mercenary with a bushy beard, stood in one corner. It was strange that he was standing armed without being bound, but he didn't draw much attention. That was because of the woman sitting in the center of the room.
The woman sitting in an antique wooden chair with a high back must be Countess Camilla.
Face to face with her, I momentarily lost my words.
Like a married woman, she wore a white headscarf and had thin cotton veiling draped down to beneath her nostrils.
Even with her face covered, her dark eyebrows and straight nose were clearly visible.
Through the veil, her sparkling eyes held a child's innocence, while her red, full lips contained a woman's maturity.
Though small in stature, her long limbs gave her a balanced beauty.
...Huh, was the 'Unveiled Witch' always this pretty?
The Countess quietly gazed back at me.
Her lips seemed about to open... I wasn't sure if she was waiting for me to speak first, or choosing her words. Finally, I spoke first out of impatience.
"Well, *ahem* did you... Ask to see me?"
At my verbal stumble, the Countess's lips curved into a small arc. Then, bowing her head demurely, "Yes. Thank you for accepting my unreasonable request."
"No, not at all. Thank you."
"It's an honor to meet the bloody swordman from the rumors in person."
"Yes, I too... I too am honored."
What the hell, what am I babbling about? Clearly there's no trap here, so if I just cut her throat and run...
"The Count often praised you. Said you were a rare warrior."
"Did he now."
"So he was very regretful about this situation. About shedding blood over such a trivial misunderstanding."
"...Ubar has already confessed everything, and we obtained the letters you sent to the bandits. Even now, admit your crimes and surrender with the lord. The Prince will show leniency."
"What crimes are you accusing me of?"
"Weren't you in league with the thieves? You tried to sell off the entire city."
Her red lips pressed tightly together.
Just as I wondered if she was going to admit her guilt, the Countess began pleading in a tearful voice.
"Why would I do such a thing? I am the Count's wife. What could I possibly gain by selling the city, by selling my husband?"
"I love South Harbor. The bustling market streets, the honest fishermen, the trading post filled with all sorts of goods, the brave but kind soldiers, the child yet to be born - I love them all."
Teardrops rolled down beneath her veil. Instead of wiping them away, she stroked her lower abdomen. Looking again, I noticed her slim belly was slightly swollen.
"South Harbor will be the city my son rules. Not just this city, but the beautiful sea, the wide fields, the peaceful hills - all of Seiben will belong to my son. So, so why would I throw all of this away?"
"That's..."
"It wasn't a marriage I wanted. The Count is a good lord, but not an attractive man. But this child given to me, this child at least I love more than anything in the world. So, so I could never betray this city."
At the Countess's plea, suddenly my heart began beating rapidly.
A faint scene flashes through my mind. A woman blocking a strange man and shouting. Camilla's desperate plea resembled that memory.
I stood dazed for a moment. Camilla continued in a whisper.
"The love I've dreamed of since childhood was... A man with broad shoulders."
Her delicate form rose from the chair. Her mint-colored chiffon dress rippled softly.
"Someone who would protect me, who would take my side even if the whole world turned against me, who would embrace me no matter what sins I committed."
With each slow step, an intoxicating scent of flesh wafted over. I swallowed my quickening breath.
Purple eyes sparkling behind the veil. I couldn't look away from those eyes.
A white hand touched my chest. Camilla asked me with the face of a young doe.
"Are you... Are you such a man?"
Would Prince Ulkar believe me? If I said it was my foolish misunderstanding, if I said Ubar's confession was false, would he believe me?
...No, I can't. I don't want to show her the Prince's face. Any woman would be blinded by that beauty.
Yes, he won't listen to me. Because he's the cruel King of Slaughter.
I must defeat the enemies surrounding the Salt Castle with the royal guard. Go to the dock, board a ship and surrender to the pirates. Because Camilla is the priest's daughter.
My outstretched arms embraced Camilla's small frame. The conflict and fear that had filled my mind seemed to completely vanish.
I buried my nose in her fragrant hair and steeled my resolve.
Yes. It won't be easy, but it must be done.
For Camilla.