Chapter Thirty-One and a Half: Support ~Alphonse POV

“So, does that mean the duke is on our side?” Elsa asked for clarification.

“Well, if you’re asking whether he’s a friend or a foe, he’s on our side this time. He probably left the ring there to let everyone know that he’s kidnapped as well. Otherwise, there’s no way the duke would’ve dropped something so important.”

“But what was the duke doing in that house? Isn’t that house known only to a select few?”

“Last night, I went to see the duke, wondering if he knew of Sandra’s whereabouts. Since the duke was probably looking for her, I thought he might’ve discovered something… Thus, we made a few deals. I didn’t know where Sandra was yet, but I obtained evidence of the crimes that the duke had extracted from Sandra for over the past five years. In return, I told him where Lily was. I should point out that while the duke may be a worthless old bastard, he wouldn’t do anything to harm this kingdom. As such, there’s no way he’d have sold the information to them.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Neither Frederick nor Elsa seemed convinced.

“The duke is of Cression lineage. He loves this kingdom and swears to protect it—just like Will and I.”

I smiled quietly, resting my arms on the table, folded my hands, and rested my chin on them.

“It’s just a gander, but I think when the duke went to visit Lily to ask about the stole, the Black Scorpion happened to come and abduct her. For some reason, Will couldn’t resist, and was kidnapped along with the duke. I think it was James who defeated the guard knights.”

“The duke’s butler?”

“Indeed. He’s a guard just like you guys, so he’s tough. … Caddock, call Lazarus. I’ll use his troops.”

Caddock, who stood behind me, nodded and left the room, but not before bowing to the two.

“James must’ve been told that ‘if you value the duke’s life, take care of them.’ Now, would you like to go save the princess as well?”

“Of course, I was planning to accompany you all along. Do you know where she is?”

“Now, now, don’t be so hasty. He should arrive soon.”

I looked up at the two of them, who were confused, and let out a chuckle.

***

POV: Aqrab

“You seem pretty handicapped, Liyan.”

A lick of flame from the candlelight illuminated the place, which was the depiction of hell. From the wine cellar in the basement to the kitchen, and even the stairs used by the servants, corpses were piled high. They were intact—it was apparent that most of them were killed with a single blow.

Liyan no longer had any arms. He was writhing and groaning on the floor.

“True to his name, the Hero is strong.”

I crouched down and grabbed his head, forcing him to look up. He tried to call for a name, “Aqrab.” And yet, all that came out were blood and groans.

Liyan was quite skilled, so I kept him by his side, but he was too cocky. He always declared that he was stronger than the Hero of Cression, William Rutherford.

So, I decided to show him the truth. As per Sandra’s request, I sent Liyan to kidnap Liliana and the Hero. Of course, I specifically chose the time when the Hero would be at home. Luck was on my side, and I succeeded in kidnapping the Hero and Liliana, and even brought the broken duke.

However, Liyan’s sword-wielding arm was suddenly cut off.

I didn’t really understand. At the time of the attack, even though the drug didn’t work, the Hero was in poor health. Liyan said it was skill, but I thought it was luck. Otherwise, there was no way the Hero could’ve been captured.

Liyan seemed to have lost his consciousness. It was only a matter of time before all trace of warmth left his body.

“Sandra, this is what happens when you underestimate your opponents. Reflect on it in the afterlife.”

I stood up with a shove and looked around.

“You handled yourself pretty well back then. There was only a person, right?”

“Yes. On top of that, he was unarmed… Well, not really, he seized the opponents’ weapons.” Kroll answered calmly.

“I see. I’m guessing he went to his lovely wife?”

“Seems like it. What should we do? Sandra has used a few people without permission.”

“That’s because of me. The duke said that they were suspicious, so I made away with them. They aren’t that strong, so they’ll be dead in no time.”

I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders.

“Well, the troublesome guys will be coming soon, so let’s go. But before that, we need to greet the Hero. Kroll, you secure an escape route. I’ll go and say hello.”

“Okay.”

Kroll handed me the candlestick and disappeared into the darkness.

I watched him leave and walked down the corridor, which was really difficult to walk through.

“Sandy, you messed with something you shouldn’t have.”

***

POV: Alphonse

With Caddock standing to my right, I went through the entrance of the Allwyn mansion, which my subordinates had forced open.

In the wide entrance hall, a motley group of underlings were standing, each with their weapon at the ready and nasty smiles on their faces. I estimated that there were roughly more than fifty of them. I surmised that there were probably many others in various places as well.

I unsheathed the sword from my waist and slung it over my shoulder, smiling brightly.

“Greetings, everyone! We’re the Knights of Verite! We’ve come to request the return of our First Division Commander, William Rutherford, and his lovely wife, Lady Liliana Rutherford!”

“Your Highness, I apologize for the inconvenience, but please do not forget my master.”

James came up next to me and said that.

Oh, right. I apologized and declared, “I’ve come to get my cousin, Duke Fuchsberger, back!”

James nodded with satisfaction and stepped back.

The duke left James in the carriage, arrived at the small house, and was caught by a man named “Yan” when he tried to step into the garden. Since the duke was abducted, James was helpless, so he followed the knights from the neighboring house as per the duke’s instruction. He tailed them secretly, and when he discovered that they had been taken to the Allwyn’s house, he came to me.

Yes, it was James I was waiting for. Just as Caddock was by my side and Frederick was by William’s side, James was by the duke’s side. James was an excellent butler, so he did his job properly.

Standing behind me were Frederick, Elsa, and James. Behind them was the 32-man platoon led by Captain Lazarus that I had brought with me.

“Haha, is that everyone, Prince?”

Directly in front of the entrance hall, leaning against the banister of the open-air second floor, a man laughed condescendingly. He was probably the core leader among this crude group.

“I don’t think that’s enough people to welcome the Crown Prince.”

“Don’t worry. We’re everywhere—from the garden to the upper floors. But if there’s too much ruckus, I can’t guarantee the lives of the Allwyn’s servants.”

I heard someone click his tongue behind me as the leader laughed vulgarly.

I started to feel very amused. Did he seriously think he’d win against me?

“Oh, so you’re aware that I’m the crown prince? Do you think I’ll prioritize the lives of mere servants over the lives of the Marquis and Marchioness of Rutherford, along with Duke of Fuchsberger?”

“So you’re just going to abandon them? What would others say? What would the people think if they found out that the Crown Prince, who has a reputation for being kind, let those mere servants die? It’ll only take a small spark to bring this kingdom down.”

The man said with great hilarity.

I looked up at the man, tapping my shoulder with my sword.

“Let me rephrase. I’m not the kind-hearted crown prince, but a man who will become a benevolent king! Right, Caddock?!”

Caddock nodded deeply and drew his sword.

As the tension gradually increased, a tall blonde maid appeared from behind the maid. She placed her foot on the banister and jumped down into the entrance hall. The sudden appearance of the maid caused a commotion in the surroundings.

The maid came toward me, her footsteps clattering away.

“I have an announcement to make!”

The blonde maid spoke in a deep voice.

“We’ve safely rescued 28 servants of the Allwyn family! currently, our intelligence unit is escorting them to the Knights! So…”

The maid grabbed her blonde hair and took it off.

“His Highness the Prince of Cression, Alphonse, can go wild!”

Mario turned to the man and winked at him.

The man hurriedly said something next to the man beside him, and several people ran off somewhere. They probably went to verify the truth of Mario’s words.

“Mario, you’ve done well.”

“Ugh, I had it rough back there. Lady Liliana is in her room. An enraged Will ran away. The fight is probably over by now.”

Mario then laughed, “That guy didn’t even notice me,” as he took off his maid uniform, leaving him in casual shirt and trousers. His all-black attire was perfect for blending into the darkness.

Mario was Frederick’s substitute. He was attached to Will 24/7.

Hence, he was waiting with a few of his comrades from the intelligence unit in the apartment across the street from that small house. The intelligence unit was made of many knights who, like Mario, could no longer wield their swords due to injury or illness, so they were non-combatants. Nevertheless, they were still much stronger than ordinary people and were unafraid of such a rabble.

They were hiding out to investigate the destination of any suspicious people who had invaded and were repelled by Elsa, Frederick, or William. However, things didn’t always go as planned.

After the duke and the others had been kidnapped, Mario anticipated that James would return to report, and had been running around preparing the stage for our arrival.

“Is Lady Liliana safe?”

Elsa came forward and looked up at Mario, clinging to him.

“Of course. The duke has been keeping an eye on Sandra, and Will has been with Lady Liliana for a while now. I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect her because I can’t guarantee her complete safety.”

Elsa shook her head when Mario said apologetically.

Mario was strong, but that didn’t mean he was perfect. He had almost no grip strength in his dominant hand, so when the needed arose, he was at a disadvantage. He should be able to take care of the servants no problem, but it’d be a different story if he went against Liliana’s pursuers.

“No, as long as she’s safe, it’s fine. Besides, our master will guarantee that she’s safe.”

Elsa smiled with relief.

Elsa was always ruthless, but she trusted William with all her heart.

“Right. Okay then… Your Highness, I’m off to do one more task.”

“Where?”

“McNish Company. I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

“Understood.”

When I nodded, Mario passed between the knights and disappeared into the darkness outside. Watching his back, I turned back to the men.

It seemed that they had finally realized that the servants were gone. Their irritation made the atmosphere even more tense.

“Listen up, you fools!”

My voice echoed through the entrance.

“It’s a parent’s duty to protect their children. If it’s to protect my children, I’ll use any means—any person—anything without hesitation.”

I slowly pointed my silver shining sword at the man.

“Feed as many sparks as you want! My hands and feet will put them out every time! But if you dare lay a hand on my beloved kingdom—my children—then prepare to die!”

I heard the sound of swords being unsheathed behind me.

“Caddock!”

I ran off at the same time as I shouted. Caddock offered his hands as a pedestal, and I used it to leap to the second floor, showing the wide-eyed leader my best smile.

“Don’t think you can do as you please in my kingdom, scum!”

A sideways slash of the sword took his head off in an instant.

I landed on the banister on the second floor and readied my sword.

“—To all troops, show no mercy! Wipe them out!”

At that declaration, the entrance, which had been quiet for a moment, suddenly became an inferno of swordplay and angry shouts. Roars rose from the garden, and the outside became as bright as the day.

I jumped down from the banister and fought back against the men that had charged at me.

I was outnumbered, but it wasn’t a big deal.

At the edge of my vision, I caught a glimpse of a tailcoat and the skirt of a maid fluttering in the air, running toward me at the speed of lightning. Of course, Caddock had been fighting beside me for a while now.

“Take the prince’s head!! Then you’ll be a hero!!”

“As if I’ll let you!!”

I snorted, mowing down the enemies that appeared one after the other. I kicked them, punched them, stabbed them with my sword, and even broke their bones. I used every means possible to push forward.

“We need to defeat them with numbers!!”

Five of them jumped at me at the same time after such an arrogant shout. Two of them were taken down by Caddock’s sword, the other two by Frederick and James’ fists, and the third was blown away by Elsa’s kick.

“Wow, you’re still as strong as ever.”

“I train every day to protect my lady.”

Elsa replied with a smile as a guy leaped toward her.

Crunch!

He was met with a brass-knuckled punch to the face, which crushed his nose.

“If it weren’t for your master, I’d have recruited you to join the Knights.”

The butler and maid smiled at my words and said, “It’d be an honor,” as they took down one enemy after another.

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