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“The cavalry will sweep through the dark sorcerer, and the wizard will wipe him out before support arrives. And the priest, follow me right now.”

Siabel hurriedly approached Abel.

He was battered and gasping for breath, but the important thing was that he was still alive.

“Priests, treat Young Master Abel immediately and retreat inside the defensive line. Three knights here, stick with me.”

“…Ugh!”

“Stay still. Your wounds are severe.”

As Siabel stopped Abel from trying to get up, the priests gathered around him.

Their divine power focused on Abel. It would take time to heal, but at this rate, he should avoid losing his life.

Siabel, pulling out her sword later than the other knights, spoke.

“Thank you for your hard work, Young Master. Allen will take over for you, and we will finish this.”

An expert knight is one capable of facing a hundred soldiers.

Siabel approached Allen, who was aiming to retreat explosively.

Their gazes crossed for a fleeting moment. The hunter and the hunted. It was clear who was who.

Suddenly, an enemy blocked Allen’s way. A demon, a hybrid that had raised its level through trickery.

“How bothersome.”

There was no bypassing. If the unseen enemy had reached mastery, then she simply needed to slice through and advance.

Even with knights’ swords embedded in her body to protect Allen, the countless demons’ heads started to roll on the ground.

Siabel kept assessing the situation around her while shouting.

“Knights! Focus more on the dark sorcerer!”

The dark sorcerers, without the power to even wield their swords, were targeting her.

Just as she disrupted their pressure, finally, Allen Kalia appeared before her, glaring and ranting.

“Of all people, the annoying Shianella…!”

Assuming that a lateral slash would be effective as he turned his body, Siabel prepared her sword to strike at the enemy’s neck, maintaining a horizontal stance.

Once the setup was complete and the distance created—

Siabel glided forward, twisting her waist. With her left waist turned, and pulling her arms, the naturally advancing sword was a menacing threat.

“Block it, block it!”

Allen stepped back. The illusion of a snake coiling around his neck stimulated his survival instincts strongly.

He extended his arm and forcefully shoved the back of a rushing demon toward Siabel.

In his sudden move, the demon lost its balance, and its neck was effortlessly slashed.

“Thanks to that crazy Young Master, things got really messy for me. I have business at the Count’s House, and now I’m stuck here because of you and my sister.”

“It’s not our fault for meddling in other people’s affairs, Young Lady.”

An ominous aura began to leak from Allen Kalia.

With a nauseating sensation, combined with an unpleasant feeling, his appearance started to change. Had he donned an illusion, or was he consumed by a demon? His skin paled, and his eyes took on a murky red, emanating dread.

“Born a noble of the kingdom yet doing something so lowly—”

Siabel kicked aside the corpse of the demon blocking her way.

Seizing the opportunity as its lifeless body obscured Allen’s view, Siabel thrust her sword back into the demon.

“There’s no good in living longer, whether in the kingdom or the Marquis family.”

The sensation of piercing flesh crept up her hand.

Surely, for someone as significantly lacking as Allen, he wouldn’t be capable of dodging it.

However, even though her sword was pushed in to the hilt, it showed no sign of reaching him. Siabel kept her guard up, swiftly proceeding to her next move.

‘I’ll cut you down directly.’

Taking a large step closer to close the distance, she grounded herself.

If the thrust had failed, then she would simply slice his chest open.

There was no need to worry about a demon clinging to her sword.

“Argh…!”

She had cleaved. However, it was not a lengthy cut but rather a short one. The scream of agony revealed that she hadn’t easily ended his life.

“I’ll join in!”

With the demons somewhat cleared and the knights starting to gather around a common enemy, Allen’s escape route was completely blocked.

Siabel removed the demon lodged in her sword and checked on him.

His right arm had been severed. Yet, there was no blood pouring from the wound. The dark power was sealing the injury tightly.

“Hah… hah….”

He panted as he took in the knights surrounding him. They were still coming full force, intent on killing him. The blood-soaked sword awakened his sense of crisis.

Soon, he found himself in a situation where he could lose his head at any moment.

Strangely enough, he wore a lighthearted smile that seemed out of place for the predicament.

Using her animalistic instincts, Siabel gathered her strength to spring off the ground like a bullet.

“Ah…! Someone’s coming before me…!”

She had to kill the frenzied figure brazenly staring into the air.

“Ugh…!”

Holding her breath, she propelled herself off the ground.

But in the fleeting moment that she couldn’t even perceive, Allen’s desperate move exceeded her expectations.

“Damn it…!”

A murky energy erupted, consuming the space around him.

This was a power on a different level than that of dark sorcerers or lower demons. Even Siabel felt an overwhelming anxiety swell within her from its sheer strength, something a mere traitor could not wield.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

With the repulsion from the dark energy, her sword rose to the sky.

Siabel enveloped her sword with explosive mana, shredding the magic as she swung downwards.

Woosh─!

The sword cleaved through the air.

He had vanished, leaving only a void behind.

Siabel quickly observed her state and the altered situation caused by his magic.

‘My senses are being disrupted. Is this the work of the demon he contracted?’

It was a strange twist. The Shianella family was known for possessing powers that counter demons. She had never experienced an illusion like this, unlike her other knights or soldiers.

That’s why she had taken charge of the subjugation team. Demonic illusions never impacted her.

Raising her sword with the intention to eliminate Allen.

But what was unfolding before her eyes?

‘He’s using a cruel trick. Utilizing illusions to suppress Shianella’s bloodline.’

Illusions and deceptive demons. The acts of those beings perfectly aligned with their infamous titles.

From the darkened ground, her mother, Ainel Shianella, was crawling out. It was a deception aimed directly at the kingdom’s Sword Master, the utmost disgrace she could face.

Moreover, the entire background of the world surrounding her began to warp. It was like a dream that was imperfectly formed. One side revealed a ruined village, while this side was filled with black sand like a desert. The mixed and tumultuous world was enough to gnaw at her sanity just by being observed.

‘Allen—’

Leaving the knights’ status behind, she first sought out Allen’s position, but ultimately, she could only shake her head.

“…I lost track.”

She had succeeded in severing one of his arms, but she had ultimately missed him.

Now, she needed to break through the world he had conjured up with his life on the line.

Siabel drew the visions that had manifested around her into her gaze.

The head of the Count’s House, Ainel Shianella.

The wretched spear-thrower she had known since academy days, Aria Alenarr.

The trustworthy knight from the Count’s House, Diolia.

They were all exceptional individuals she recognized well.

“Tsk. Even that damn Aria showed up.”

Siabel readjusted her grip on her sword, letting out her frustration.

Yet, she wasn’t overwhelmed.

‘No way would the demon’s tricks work on Shianella.’

She knew well that her blood would neither suppress them nor lead to defeat.

“Just how was Shione able to capture the demon of the Great Forest?”

She couldn’t help but realize the magnitude of her sister’s achievement.

And that realization mixed with a growing sense of tension, melting into relief and ease.

She was, after all, a Shianella like her sister.

Her family would never fall prey to the demon’s schemes.

*

“The castle wall has fallen!”

“It is reported that Abel Kalia has sustained serious injuries…!”

“It has been specified that the location of Allen Kalia has been identified! Thus, Lady Siabel Shianella is—”

Once the castle wall was breached, the Marquis House became shrouded in panic.

Well, we’re inside, but out there at the very outer perimeter, it would already be a veritable demonic realm. This chaos was, of course, to be expected.

Shione contemplated this apocalypse, unable to tear her gaze from the castle wall.

“…Even with the new magic, it seems it was impossible to defend the walls.”

“Didn’t you see the bombardment from the dark sorcerer on the wall, Princess? Even so, surviving was all thanks to you.”

Now it was time to think about the fight. Being self-critical wouldn’t do any good.

Shione nodded at my words, checking the tension on her bowstring.

“But since my sister has moved to subjugate Allen, we can expect good news soon.”

I recalled Shione’s unique swordsmanship from our previous spar.

‘That blade is wicked.’

The first attack is always aimed at the throat.

Engaging in struggles while attempting to seize distance would quickly lead to dismembering flesh with just a little shift in power.

Yet if she tried to keep her distance and evade, it felt like she’d attempt to slice at her throat with a devil-like swordsmanship.

“I’m sure Lady Siabel will be able to take down Allen. Lady Siabel’s swordsmanship is renowned among the knights of the Count’s House.”

Once Siabel steps in, he would have to exert his utmost effort to avoid becoming a mere toy.

As I answered Shione’s statement, I noticed her kneeling and checking the tension, pausing to silently stare at me.

Giii…

If I were to express that gaze with sound, it might go something like this.

It reminded me of how a cat prepares for its hunt, fixating on its prey.

I felt like I had become both the target of a playful puppy and a hunting cat.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ray, you praise other girls way too much in front of me.”

“Lady Siabel is your sister, after all. How does that even make sense?”

“I like you a lot, so I’m just a bit jealous of my sister. What’s the issue?”

“……”

Oh, come on. It’s almost humiliating how brazenly I’ve responded.

Seeing Shione like this, I resolved to match her boldness.

After all, she had been struggling to check her tension, so this sudden change in the mood might relieve the heavy pressure surrounding us.

“…Are you upset?”

Shione rose without responding, making her final adjustments to her arrow.

I walked up to her confidently, dropping a bombshell.

“Lady Shione.”

“What?”

“Would you like to touch my chest?”

Since I had fallen into this world of reversed genders, I might as well use any opportunity for male bravado, even if my masculinity took a hit.

“Wh-what?”

“Oh, is the chest not a popular area? Or would you prefer something else—”

“What on earth are you saying…!”

See? Shione’s face is turning as red as a tomato.

I wasn’t teasing her in front of others, so seeing her in such a playful state was quite amusing.

But perhaps I had gone too far.

BANG─!

The arrow that was prepared in Shione’s bow flew out, embedding itself in the ground right beside my foot.

That was a dangerously close call.

However, it seemed Shione was no longer concerned about the arrow that had left her hand. She had hidden her face in both of her hands, but from between her fingers, I could see her eyes rolling as if she was thinking something quite revealing.

As she rambled on like that, once she recovered her composure, I had to face her fiery glare.

But it was only for a brief moment.

Now, both Shione and I focused on the coordination and directives for the battle. During this time—

BAAM─!

With a deafening crash, Shione hugged her arms around herself, shivering.

“Lady Shione, are you alright?”

“Ray, get ready for battle immediately.”

“Do you intend to move towards the source of the explosion?”

“……No.”

Sweat began to bead on Shione’s white forehead.

“We’re going to be facing something truly vile heading our way.”

It felt reminiscent of the time we battled demons in the Great Forest.

What we just joked about melted away in the face of imminent danger.

 

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