SWY 148

The soldier was young and fit, and his strides were fast. Kuph, on the other hand, was old and worn, lagging behind. The soldier’s sword was close enough to graze his back at any moment.

The nanny wasn’t in much better shape. She clenched her teeth, doing her best to ignore the pain in her injured ankle and run, but her pace couldn’t match what it had once been.

“Faster, nanny, run faster!”

Sharhan could do nothing but shout desperately while fending off the soldiers rushing at him.

“Catch those intruders, no matter what!”

Even knights from the inner castle came running out, panting. One of them had come so hastily that he hadn’t even had time to dress properly, only grabbing his sword.

Sharhan cursed under his breath and swung his sword with everything he had. Just as the pursuing soldier was about to stab Kuph in the back, Lestel’s axe flew through the air.

Whack!

The axe struck the soldier square in the back of the head.

“Don’t stop, just keep running!”

Lestel shouted at Kuph, who had paused for a moment.

“Yes!”

Kuph didn’t look back and kept running. Lestel yanked his axe out of the dead man’s skull and looked up, spotting Rael gripping the nanny’s hand and pulling her along as she started to fall behind.

Meanwhile, the number of soldiers charging their way continued to grow. Lestel sprinted toward Sharhan, and the two fought their way slowly toward the stable.

“Young master?”

“Young master Lestel!”

More soldiers recognized Lestel’s face, and confusion swept through the ranks. He looked like an intruder, but he was the heir of the Ailun family. They hesitated. If they engaged him seriously and he got hurt, they would be the ones who paid the price.

“What are you all doing? Why aren’t you stopping them!”

“Sir Giselle, it’s the young master!”

“What?”

The knight named Giselle looked over in shock. Once he confirmed it was really Lestel, his expression wavered, but only for a moment.

“Have you forgotten the Marquis disowned him as heir? He’s nothing more than a traitor who invaded the castle!”

Sharhan glanced at Lestel in alarm. But Lestel swung his axe with a calm face, as if he had expected this all along. Ironically, it was Kuph, still running with all his might, who flinched at the words.

‘I couldn’t bring myself to tell him…’

He wanted to turn back and check Lestel’s face but instead kept his eyes forward, spurred on by Adam shouting, “Hurry this way!”

“But…”

“What are you waiting for? Get them! Wait, isn’t that the son of the Kaios family beside the young master?”

Giselle’s eyes sparkled with recognition.

“Yes? Kaios… That’s right! It’s Sharhan Kaios!”

“Hah! So that’s why he snuck into the castle. He came to rescue Iris with the help of the former heir of Ailun. The Marquis has been waiting for that boy. This is perfect. Capture them both! Do not let them escape!”

The soldiers, who had hesitated to attack Lestel, suddenly changed. They didn’t know why, but they were aware that the Marquis wanted something from Sharhan Kaios.

“Catch the son of Kaios!”

“Whoever captures him will be greatly rewarded by the Marquis!”

Sharhan and Lestel fought while retreating toward the stable. Another knight joined Giselle in the battle. While ordinary soldiers were no match for the two, knights were a different story.

Once the knights joined the fray, Sharhan and Lestel began to lose ground. They held their own, but they couldn’t protect everyone running toward the stable.

“Capture the others too!”

“Kill them if you must!”

Adam rushed into the stable. Rael shoved the breathless nanny, pale and wheezing, inside, then turned with sword drawn to face the soldiers chasing them. Even with only five or six enemies, Rael had trouble holding them back due to his bad leg. Just then, Kuph arrived.

“Get inside, now!”

“What about you, Sir Rael?!”

“I’ll hold them off. You take Iris and the nanny and escape first!”

Rael blocked a frontal strike with difficulty, then gave Kuph a sharp nod. As Kuph was just about to enter the stable, a soldier slashed at him from behind.

Rael kicked the soldier in the side. Kuph was saved, but Rael lost his balance and staggered. The next attack landed squarely on his back.

“Sir Rael!”

Adam, who had just helped the nanny and Iris into the secret passage, ran at the soldier and swung his sword. He held it, but he wasn’t trained. His attacks were wild, almost desperate. At first, the soldiers flinched, but they quickly sneered and closed in.

“Why did you come back?!”

“Is that really what you want to ask? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Rael answered, pale-faced as he fended off more blows. His torn clothes fluttered with each movement, and blood flowed from his wounded back. His whole back was soaked in red.

Adam’s body was soon covered in cuts and bruises too. He wasn’t fatally injured, but his wounds were many and painful.

Together, Rael and Adam continued to fight, determined not to let the soldiers breach the stable. They had to buy time for Iris, the nanny, and Kuph to escape.

Sharhan and Lestel panted as they fought back to back against the encroaching enemies.

“Surrender quietly. The Marquis will not kill you.”

Giselle pressured Lestel as he approached.

“Looks like your skills have dulled. What, were you too busy sucking up to Claire to keep up with your swordsmanship?”

“And why are you helping the son of your family’s enemy? If you hand him over now, the Marquis might forgive you…”

“Shut your mouth and fight. I’ll never hand Sharhan over.”

“If you insist on this foolish path, then so be it. Even if I kill you myself, the Marquis won’t blame me. Kill the former heir if you must. But leave the son of Kaios alive. We need him. Whoever captures Sharhan Kaios will be handsomely rewarded!”

The soldiers’ attacks grew fiercer. The clashing of blades and axe echoed without pause.

Sharhan glanced toward the stable while fighting an unknown knight. Iris and the nanny seemed to have gotten away, but Adam and Rael looked in bad shape.

‘I have to help them.’

He wanted to go, but the situation here was just as desperate.

Inside the castle, things were descending into chaos. Survivors were flooding in through the broken gate shattered by the magic explosive.

“S-sir! Survivors are flooding in!”

“Sir Leaf! The young lady of the Kaios family is gone!”

“Protect the Marquis, his wife, and the young masters! Don’t let any harm come to them! Close the inner gate!”

Emaciated survivors shoved past the guards with bare hands. Many fell, cut down or stabbed, but the rest kept coming. Their eyes gleamed with desperation, driven by a will to survive.

“Find food!”

“Out of the way! Move!”

Sharhan didn’t miss the moment his opponent wavered. His sword plunged into the knight’s shoulder.

“Ugh!”

The knight groaned and dropped his sword. Sharhan pulled his blade free and immediately slashed the chest of an oncoming soldier.

“Agh!”

The man fell with a choked scream. He wasn’t the only one down. Breathing hard, Sharhan looked for Lestel.

He spotted a soldier trying to ambush Lestel from behind. Sharhan hurled a trap with a sharp flick of his wrist. The wire snapped around the soldier’s ankle, and he crashed to the ground.

Sharhan ran in, cut the soldier’s throat, and–

Boom!

Another thunderous explosion shook the ground. The walls of the inner castle crumbled as if in an earthquake. Shards of debris rained down. Some struck Sharhan’s back, forcing a short cry from him as he crouched lower.

When the tremor stopped, Sharhan rose. He saw Lestel’s axe bury itself into Giselle’s skull.

Sharhan sprinted toward Lestel, slashing through every soldier in his path.

“Shan!”

Lestel, wiping blood from his axe, saw him and reached out. They clasped hands for a moment, then let go and quickly looked around.

“Parel?”

They caught sight of a familiar figure vanishing deeper into the inner keep.

Then someone shouted.

“T-the dead! They’re coming in!”

Drawn by the explosions, the corpses had begun pouring into the castle.