CHAPTER 12 - IV -
When I finally got back to myself, the Marquise had told me we should carry on with our escape. Then she entrusted me to Jessica and asked her to take me to the very end of this tunnel we’re in. Our other companions were sent ahead, so as not to be burdened by my earlier episode.
“Where are you going, Lady Monfort?” I asked.
“Rearguard duties, Your Holiness,” she answered, having selected twenty of her paladins. I guess they’d try to block the enemy from pursuing us, should they find the hidden entrance to the passageway?
I quickly gave my blessings to the Marquise and ordered her to, “Come back safely, Lady Monfort! If it is time to run, by all means, don’t delay.”
“Yes, Your Holiness!” she gave me a wink, “Let’s meet again at the Nebat. Please be safe!”
And with that, the Marquise of Monfort and her paladins disappeared into the relative darkness of the escape route.
“Your Holiness…” the princess Jessica was prodding me, “Don’t abandon us; let’s go!”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness!” I reassured her, “I will be strong for those people who sacrificed their lives, and are still devoted to me.”
We continued our escape through the narrow tunnel underneath the countryside. The passageways were narrow, only enough for three people to fit shoulder to shoulder. Our only source of light was Princess Jessica’s own light magic spell. The route was simple; we’re not afraid that we’d get lost. We expected to find the other party somewhere ahead of us.
Soon, the narrow tunnels gave way to a vast system of underground caverns. There were spots where we could see the light from the outside penetrating through the small cracks on the rocks; a clear sign that we’re nearing the surface.
However, what’s more astonishing to find was the walls made of brick stones that formed a part of a ruin we saw in these caves. It’s as if an old civilization, or some lost kingdom, had once stood here. Here, we found our companions waiting for us.
“Greetings. Your Holiness!” the Dame Atkins greeted me. Lily was still unconscious on her back.
“How are the others?” I asked about the other paladins and knights who were with us and assisting their injured friends.
“Rested. Well.” she curtly answered, as always.
“Good. Could you still continue?”
“Yes.”
“Then, by all means, please go ahead. Wait for us at the village of Nebat.”
The paladin vice-captain nodded and motioned for the others to follow her, which they did after I gave them my approval.
“…”
However, I noticed that our young escapee, Eris, was still tired.
“Eris, are you okay?” I sat on one stone among the ruins and invited her to sit beside me.
The young duchess never answered. She dragged herself forward, yet I could tell that she’s already spent.
“Hey, Braunhauer, take a rest.” Princess Jessica told her, “It’s not good that we continue and you’re like that. It might end up badly for all of us.”
‘Useless…useless…’
“Hm? Did you say something, Your Highness Jessica?” I asked my royal companion about what I heard.
“Your Holiness?” the princess had a confused look on her face, “I said nothing other than to advise this kid to take a rest.”
“Oh?”
‘You’re useless! You should’ve died! You’re harming this land!’
“I keep on hearing things!” I admitted to the princess.
“Hm? I don’t, Your Holiness.”
‘You’re useless, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth!’
“!!!”
At that moment, a bright flash of light suddenly appeared and almost blinded me. Then, I felt a gust of wind blew against my face, as I heard the princess Jessica von Albert attempted to utter a barrier spell.
“Kyyyaaaaa!!!” However, she was the one who got hit by the magic spell and was thrown a few distances away from where I was, losing consciousness.
“Your Highness!” I tried to reach out to her, but another blast of magic made me stop and retrace my steps.
And then, I realized it. Those voices I keep on hearing were my power of reading thoughts coming back to me. But what’s more disturbing was that those words came from that young duchess with a drawn wand and a large burning ember on its tip, standing before me…
“E-Eris…?”
**Kuro**
“Chhaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggeeeeee!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhh!”
The makeshift barricade fell on the sixth hit of the battering ram. By then, we finished fortifying the defenses in the passageway to the basement kitchen. Once the wooden doors of the palace crumbled, enemy magicians quickly moved in to pepper us with magic spells.
However, we didn’t let them finish. We brought the fight to them.
Since it took time to chant a spell, the knight made quick work of the magicians. Right at the door, the enemy poured their soldiers, led by the disciplined legionnaires. I attacked with my spear, dropping the heavy shield, and felled four of the rebels before I let go of my weapon.
I grabbed a sword nearby. Fighting with a spear in such a cramped space was a disadvantage to me.
“Sir, the windows!” I heard a knight shouted.
While focused on the main door, the enemy tried to flank us by attacking through the windows, where the barricades also fell apart. The other knights rushed to meet the threat of encirclement, and they cut down a considerable number of the rebels, before being killed themselves.
The fighting turned into a desperate stand. One by one I could see my allies fell around me. The group of knights defending the doorway slowly thinned out to cover and defend all the palace’s entry points. Deep inside, I was thinking, what the hell did I just get myself into?
We were slowly pushed back, ‘till I felt my back against the wooden barricades we set up in the kitchen passageway.
A legionary thrust his sword towards my neck, and I narrowly avoided his attack. Using his momentum, I countered him by slashing his neck. Once dead, I pushed away his corpse and went for another man to kill.
There was no time to think of what I’m doing. In my mind was Maddie, and her safety was my concern. The longer we fight, the longer we delay the enemy, and the farther our group’s escape would reach.
By this time, there were only a few knights standing. The second floor of the palace was clearly in control of the rebel and imperial forces, while the desperate fighting raged on the first floor. At least, the kitchen is still in our hands…
“…”
What’s this? A Chersean ‘Stalingrad’?
From the corner of my eyes, the imperial soldiers would kill our injured, so that they could pass on quickly. It’s considered a barbaric act in my world, but for a place like Chersea where battlefield medical care was non-existent, this was an act of mercy.
Well, at least these guys are honorable…
Just as my hands were about to give way to exhaustion, however, the defensive barricade behind me exploded, sending wooden shrapnel to hit the enemy and throwing most of them a few distances away from us. I felt someone pull me back, and I inadvertently fell through the passageway that led to the kitchen.
“!!!”
“What, do you think the Paladin Corps would abandon their captain?” It was the Marquise of Monfort, together with her fellow paladins, breaking through the other side of the barricade we set up. Their smiles and presence became a big help for our beleaguered forces just as we’re about to fall.
“But, aren’t you in charge of evacuating Her Holiness and the wounded?” I asked, still bewildered.
“Well, they’ve been safely led away by the others. I tasked the Dame Atkins for that job, and Her Holiness was helping her.” she explained to me, “Meanwhile, I and 20 of my girls came back to rescue their captain and the remaining knights.”
I looked to the ladies that volunteered to help us, “You don’t know how happy we are to see you.”
“Well, of course, Sir Kuro.” a paladin saluted me, “We would stand with our cowardly captain.”
The rest of the paladins agreed in unison. Their mere presence immediately breathed a new life to our failing defense, and we quickly reformed our forces to defend the kitchen passageway.
