The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

The Interrogation Office was quite far from where we were staying. This was only natural. No matter how important a prisoner might be, they were still an enemy. If they managed to escape, they might try to assassinate important figures within the palace.

While the facility itself didn’t seem much different from regular rooms, its purpose was essentially that of a prison.

It was located at the very top of a tall tower within the imperial castle. The interrogation room was there.

Naturally, many guards were stationed around, but—

“This is....”

As we approached the tower, Claire and Alice stopped in their tracks, shocked by the scene.

Knights, who should have been the elite of the imperial castle, were sprawled about haphazardly. Some seemed to have already breathed their last. The barren dirt floor was splattered with red blood and blackened scorch marks.

It appeared that not just the knights, but also soldiers had put up a fight. Various fragments and half-cut firearms lay scattered on the ground, along with grenades that had not been used.

The blaring sound of sirens pierced the air.

New soldiers were being dispatched to replace the fallen. Over the sirens, the sounds of hurried footsteps and shouts could be heard from all around.

Although cannons surrounded the tower, they couldn’t just fire at will.

“Your Highness...!”

A knight rushed towards us.

“What is happening inside?”

“Lord Lucas has instigated a rebellion.”

I hadn’t properly grasped the situation due to my hasty approach, so when I asked, the knight quickly assumed a stance of attention and reported in a stiff voice.

“Inside the tower?”

“Yes. It seems he’s targeting the prisoner from the legal nation. And...”

The knight glanced at Alice and me before continuing.

“The Emperor and the Swordmaster are inside.”

“......Father is here personally....”

“Forgive me!”

As Alice murmured with a troubled expression, the knight exclaimed.

“We should have stopped this...!”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

I immediately responded to the knight. There had been no time to intervene anyway. Before they could even say anything, it must have all passed like the wind.

And the Emperor going there... It wouldn’t simply be to stop Lucas.

He must be enjoying this, without a doubt.

I gritted my teeth and loaded my gun.

“Your Highness, wait...!”

The knight tried to stop me, but I was already running.

Inside the tower, a considerable number of knights had already been deployed. The Imperial Gryphon Knights, directly under the royal family, known as the best in the empire.

As I climbed the spiral staircase winding through the wide tower, knights were packed tightly. I knew that Lucas could theoretically slaughter them all, but I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is that really physically possible?”

Moreover...

“Wait a moment, Sylvia.”

Alice grabbed my arm as I stepped onto the staircase. She held onto it tightly, as if she wouldn’t let me go.

“It’s dangerous.”

‘Does she know what’s going on?’ Before that suspicion could surface, I appreciated her warning. But...

“You know best what Lucas is like.”

“And you also know that I am the one who has suffered the most from that sword, Your Highness.”

For just a moment, I saw a pained expression flash across Alice’s face, but she didn’t release her grip.

“......There’s something I need to hear from Lucas.”

“Is it really that important? More than your life?”

Of course, it wasn’t more important than my life.

But I had faith in something.

No matter how formidable Lucas was, he couldn’t come out of a confrontation against both the Emperor and the Swordmaster unscathed. In the original story, he was already portrayed as having surpassed the Swordmaster’s skills by this time, but that didn’t mean he possessed overwhelming power.

In the duel with the Swordmaster, Lucas gets stabbed in the chest. It’s not a life-threatening wound, but it’s deep enough to leave a scar.

So, if the Emperor, who was still in his prime, was there, Lucas wouldn’t have a chance.

And the Emperor wouldn’t end the fight “while keeping Lucas alive.”

If I wanted to hear something, this could be my last opportunity.

“It’s absolutely something I need to hear.”

I spoke firmly, my eyes determined.

About my true identity. How on earth I ended up here.

Lucas was the only person who could give me even the slightest answer to that question. At least, he was among the people I could think of right now.

“So, can you let go of me?”

“.......”

At my words, Alice released my arm. Seeing her hand drop helplessly made my heart twinge a little, but I looked Alice straight in the eye and said,

“You absolutely won’t get seriously hurt. Your Highness should wait here. And Claire, Leo too.”

All three of them wore expressions of complete disbelief at my words, but I turned and spoke to the knight beside me.

“Can you keep an eye on them so they don’t come up?”

“B-but Your Highness—”

“Do I look like I’m going to go die?”

“.......”

At my words, the knight fell silent, realizing he couldn’t just ignore what I had said. After all, this was someone who had single-handedly swept away many troops on the battlefield.

“Sylvia!”

I heard a voice calling from behind, but I turned and stepped onto the stairs, climbing upward.

*

However, things didn’t unfold as I had expected.

The Emperor and the Swordmaster. They were the highest existence in this world when it came to swords, so it wasn’t particularly surprising that Lucas hadn’t been defeated.

But—

“Oh, my little sister has finally arrived.”

As soon as I opened the door, a smell of blood hit me. I was almost proud that I didn’t flinch.

“Cough, ugh...”

“I was just starting to miss you. After all, you’re the only one who can perfectly evade my swordsmanship.”

With a crack, the sound echoed.

“Ugh!”

A suppressed groan escaped the lips of someone gritting their teeth.

It was Verati, stabbed by Lucas’s sword. It looked like she had been cut in the belly, but it didn’t appear to be a fatal wound. At least, her insides weren’t spilling out.

As the sword lodged in her thigh was pulled out, a few drops of blood splattered.

The interrogation room was already a mess. The furniture that should have been there was barely recognizable, having been shattered beyond repair, and blood splattered on the walls.

And that blood wasn’t just Verati’s.

“I’m proud to see my son has grown this much.”

As the Emperor said this to Lucas, Lucas laughed incredulously. From the looks of the blood on his forehead, it seemed the Emperor had also been wounded by Lucas.

...The Emperor, by Lucas.

“Well, to be honest, isn’t this all just due to your equipment?”

Lucas said with a nonchalant expression.

“......You’ve been to the legal nation, haven’t you?”

“Right. You caught on quickly.”

In Lucas’s hand was the sword used by the knights of the legal nation. An artifact created during an era when humanity relied more on magic than physical laws.

Moreover, his clothing was also that of a legal robe. It was as if he had just returned from a long journey, with a small bag slung at his side. The straps were tightened to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with wielding his sword, making it look like the simplified military gear of a soldier in this era.

Lucas hadn’t suddenly converted. It was far more likely he had taken it because he deemed it useful.

Most legal robes looked similar, so I wasn’t sure exactly what abilities it had. Vitality? Recovery? Defense? ...In any case, it would be a significant help just by wearing it.

“Sylvia, you’re not someone you can face.”

The Swordmaster, who looked even more wounded than the Emperor, said this.

“.......”

Of course, I didn’t listen to the Swordmaster’s words. Even if I tried to flee from here, Lucas would chase after me immediately.

That was a misjudgment.

If Lucas had suddenly burst out like this, I should have assumed he was well prepared.

“Well, I wouldn’t normally think of pushing through with just equipment like this.”

Lucas said, shaking the blood off his sword. After just one shake, all the blood that had been on it flew off, leaving it perfectly clean.

“It seems that if I’m to face ‘you,’ I also need some preparations. Besides—”

Lucas spoke while looking toward a corner of the room with a smile.

“—there are also nuisances.”

Turning my gaze in that direction, I froze.

There stood the masked woman, who had been grievously wounded by Lucas’s sword. She wasn’t collapsed but was leaning against the wall, gasping for breath.

How...?

“Curious?”

At Lucas’s words, I turned my head back.

“I’m not going to tell you.”

And in an instant, Lucas’s face was right in front of me.

“Cough...!”

The only reason I was able to raise my gun immediately was that I could move my body as I had repeatedly learned over time.

But luck only lasts for one moment.

As Lucas swung his sword, my gun was sliced in two.

“Ah—”

“.......”

Seeing my gun, now cut in half, I was taken aback, and Lucas’s once-smiling expression turned emotionless.

And that expression was truly terrifying.

“See? Those who use tricks...”

Lucas said in a voice mixed with a sigh.

“When that fails, you can’t do anything.”

It was as if he was announcing a death sentence.