NOVEL WEB EP.31
Maria’s plan was simple.
The factional conflicts had already begun with Yom leading the charge. Mutual impeachment and scheming were actively taking place. Those with lower status, or those poorly defended, were already being caught with weaknesses, declaring their intention to either remain neutral or completely withdraw from this political strife.
Maria ordered that we take advantage of this situation.
“…Are we seriously going to raid the Court Duke’s mansion?”
“What kind of ghastly talk is that?”
So when I suggested we ride this wave and storm the Court Duke’s mansion, Yom reacted like this.
I was no thug, and I certainly couldn’t stand being treated like a common criminal barging into someone else’s home.
“But isn’t this just saying we plan to force our way in through the front door to rummage through the Court Duke’s library?”
“…That’s not entirely incorrect.”
Since the Court Duke certainly wasn’t going to let us in willingly, we were indeed planning on barging in with some force. But I felt a bit wronged since we had come to seek the support of the Marquis of Wurttemberg for that justification.
“Isn’t it all the same? Of course, while mercenaries are running around under the pretext of inspections here and there, that only applies to weak nobles with no power to resist. There’s no way it would be easy to break into the mansion of someone as influential as the Court Duke.”
Yom was right about that.
It was true that raids on various mansions were occurring throughout the Palatinate, but on the surface, each faction was acting with the inspection rights granted by their respective superiors.
With the Security Forces within the castle split into various groups and largely turned into personal armies, they were thoroughly mobilizing just their own troops.
And, of course, like with any of these matters, mysterious forces bearing the name of the Security Forces did show up, but that was a given given the context, and it didn’t really matter.
“Especially since the mercenaries hired by the Court Duke are quite elite. They’re made up of those who applied to the Imperial Knight Order but were rejected. While they might not be knights, they aren’t pushovers either. Do you really think we could break through with any ordinary force?”
“Not impossible.”
I tapped the decorative sword hanging at my waist. I couldn’t exactly bring my proper weapon to an event like this, so I had settled for a makeshift one.
“…You’re not actually suggesting we go in ourselves, are you?”
“Of course.”
“Aren’t you mobilizing the Imperial Knight Order on behalf of Her Highness?”
“The knight order’s duty is to protect the princess. They can’t be called upon for such tasks.”
Even though I was present, I couldn’t simply mobilize them at will. They were contracted specifically for protection, not for use as mercenaries.
Most importantly, even if they were capable enough outside of the Imperial Knight Order to protect Maria, they weren’t overwhelming in combat when it came to fighting head-on.
But what if a Sword Expert participated?
“…Can we handle the backlash?”
Yom didn’t voice the doubts he had. It wouldn’t be easy for even several seasoned knights to defeat a single Sword Expert. Especially in a fight where capturing rather than killing was the priority.
Instead, his concern was about the political fallout.
However, that issue was already accounted for by Maria.
“In short, what if the Court Duke’s or Empress’s faction takes offense at me butting in?”
“That’s right.”
And there was already a solution prepared for that too.
“Then we just need to take down the Court Duke before he has a chance to stand up.”
“Huh?”
Maria and I both shared a consensus.
We were thinking of completely wrapping this up during the opportunity presented.
――
EP.31
The Court Duke, Antonius Wittelbach, snickered at the bewildering situation.
While it was clear the castle was in a bit of an uproar lately, he never expected a daring fool would actually point a blade in his direction.
No, even if they had the audacity, he wondered how anyone would even dream of invading his home.
Even if it were the Imperial Inspection Team dispatched by the Emperor, any high-ranking noble could easily bar their doors, rendering it impossible for anyone to recklessly enter their mansion. The rights of a noble were treated with great reverence.
And yet, it was utterly ridiculous that a disreputable group, a lowly Security Force with its prestige long gone, would dare to search his mansion.
“Leave it to the guards. They should be able to hold their ground even if a knight shows up.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Emperor couldn’t directly intervene. That would imply he was participating in the power struggle surrounding the succession. While he had intervened before by appointing the Crown Prince, that was the limit of the Emperor’s authority.
After all, a proper selection of the Emperor would occur on the day of the election, based on the abilities displayed by the heirs. Even the Emperor had no right to rob the candidates of that opportunity.
That was tradition.
And the Empress’s faction—well, that was simply a gift that the Empress had been painstakingly preparing for her son over a long period. When the third prince came of age and stepped into the fray, this faction would naturally become known as the Third Prince faction.
Everyone knew this, which was why even the Emperor dared not interfere with them.
This made the case of Baron Ulm exceptional. The inspection team had swooped in while the baron was absent.
“Well, that’s none of my concern.”
The Court Duke soon refocused on his primary duties. While sorting out whom to save among those currently being raided, and whom to cast aside, a commotion erupted outside.
“Has the Security Force finally arrived?”
“It seems so.”
The clashing sounds of weapons being drawn echoed, indicating that everyone was now cautiously readying themselves. Though they’d surely be careful, it was inevitable that injuries would occur now that blades were out.
The Court Duke sighed, realizing that a bit of money would be lost.
BANG!
Suddenly, a loud sound erupted, causing all commotion to halt in an instant.
“What’s going on?”
The Court Duke swiveled his chair around. His office had the perfect vantage point overlooking the front door, allowing him to survey the situation directly.
And there, standing at the entrance, was a soldier wielding an enormous sword.
No, it was far too large to be called merely a sword.
――
The situation was far from favorable.
Unfortunately, in terms of quality, the soldiers of the Security Force were significantly outmatched by the guards defending the Court Duke’s mansion.
While they had somewhat greater numbers, trying to leverage that advantage in the confined space of the front entrance was proving to be quite difficult. Nearly ten minutes had already passed without any progress at the main gate.
“This should be enough.”
However, this was intentional.
“When I give the signal, I assume I’ve conveyed the message to step back?”
“Yes!”
The leader of the Security Force, adhering to the words of the noble faction prioritizing local interests, responded boisterously.
From the back ranks, he drew his sword and stepped off the carriage.
This would firmly establish the perception that we were unable to break through, luring them into a complacent rhythm.
Now, it was time to charge in directly.
Crack!
Grasping the handle with both hands, I swung the blade back behind me.
“Ha!”
With a shout, I channeled my magical energy into the sword.
“Now!”
“Everyone, make way!”
BANG!
With the captain’s shout, I charged forward, my feet pounding the ground. In an instant, the space behind me burst open with a deafening noise. Before anyone could blink, the soldiers parted left and right, leaving only the dazed mercenaries of the Court Duke standing before me, swords in hand.
Without hesitation, I swung my sword.
CRACK!
CLANG!
The swords of the mercenaries shattered along the path of my attack. I had deliberately aimed for their weapons, striking from slightly behind, so there were no casualties, but in mere moments, over a dozen soldiers stared blankly at the remnants of their broken swords.
“Now! Press the attack!”
“Waaaaah!”
At my command, the soldiers of the Security Force roared and charged forth. The mercenaries whose swords had broken hurriedly fell back to swap places with others, but it was too late.
Instead, the guards surged in through the gap created by their retreat.
“Push! We’re about to break through!”
“No! Stop them!”
“Push harder! If they swing their swords, charge right in and take the hits!”
The situation flipped dramatically. No matter how skilled the fighters, when the enemy closed in tight, a messy brawl was inevitable. In a free-for-all with both sides disregarding formation, individual strength mattered far less than expected.
Moreover, it wasn’t the dead of night; in broad daylight, with both sides at least somewhat trained enough to recognize each other, the numbers game heavily favored the side with more men.
The problem, however, was that this favored numerical advantage forced mercenaries to swing their blades lethally to uphold their duty of defending the mansion.
“Grah!”
Several soldiers fell victim to the ensuing chaos.
Seeing this, a commander among the mercenaries shouted in horror.
“No! We must not kill them!”
But it was already too late.
In a panic, their wounded comrades were hastily evacuated. Both sides had brought healers in anticipation of such an incident, but I could tell just by looking that some were gravely wounded.
The injuries were far beyond what could be treated with basic first aid here.
Although he had served as a soldier in the capital, the leader of the Security Force turned pale; evidently, he hadn’t seen such gruesome injuries before.
“Captain, those guys were the first to draw blood, right?”
“Y-yes.”
Of course, they wouldn’t actually die. Anticipating such a situation, the Archbishop had arranged for the best healers from the cathedral to provide support, so while there might be scars, no one would actually perish.
However, the fact that they had inflicted life-threatening wounds could not be brushed aside.
And we were the justified party here on inspection duty.
Even if it was merely a formality, this convoluted procedure was what made inspections in open conflict with noble families so challenging—the inherent risk of them refusing to cooperate while still managing to avoid bloodshed.
If there was a clear justification, it was only natural that the one who crossed the line first would be the one to bear the blame and responsibilities.
And they had crossed that line.
“Captain.”
“Yes, yes.”
“We push in too. Tell the soldiers to clear the area.”
The next steps were self-evident.
That day, the Court Duke’s mansion met a storm of blows.
“We must secure the evidence before it gets destroyed! Move!”
The soldiers of the Security Force successfully charged into the mansion.