NOVPUBKaang!
Yurgen deflected Bernaph's sword coming straight at him and blocked Caleb's blade striking from the side.
But they weren’t the only ones charging in.
Buuuuung!
Vulcan's steel mace targeted Yurgen’s legs. Seeing it, Jürgen immediately tried to pull out his sword.
Kakak!
However, Caleb’s sword breaker caught the blade, preventing it from coming out in time. Naturally, his body's response was delayed as well.
Kwaaang!
“Khuh!”
Yurgen staggered as he was hit in the shins. He maximized his mana to defend but felt as if his bones were breaking.
Having expended too much energy fighting Bernaph, he couldn’t defend effectively.
Still, his title as the Northern's Greatest Sword wasn’t for show. He wouldn’t fall so easily.
“How dare you!”
Kwa-jijik!
Yurgen shattered the serrated edge of Caleb's sword breaker with his mana and twisted to pull out the sword that was entangled. Even Caleb, who always had an expressionless face, stepped back with a slight look of admiration for that strength.
However, there was still one more opponent Jürgen had to face.
Puhuk!
“Cough!”
Taking advantage of the moment when Jürgen couldn’t properly stabilize his posture due to the attacks from both sides, Conrad's rapier pierced his neck at lightning speed.
“T-These bastards... Kruk!”
But Yurgen, endowed with powerful mana, wouldn’t die so easily from a rapier wound.
He raised his sword again, trying to kill at least one of them, but by then, Caleb had taken out a dagger and repeatedly stabbed at Yurgen's neck.
Pook! Pook! Pook! Pook!
“Cough, keh!”
Seeing Caleb continuously stab at his neck without any change in expression, the faces of the people in the banquet hall turned pale.
“Hey, hey, step back! I’m swinging my mace!”
As Vulcan raised his steel mace high and shouted, Caleb smoothly retreated.
Vulcan gritted his teeth and brought his mace down on Yurgen’s head.
Kwaaaaang!
With an immense sound, Yurgen's head was smashed to pieces in an instant.
Thud!
The moment Yurgen's body staggered, it fell to the ground.
A deep silence filled the banquet hall. No one dared to speak.
Yurgen, the Northern's Greatest Sword, was a pride of Rayfold and a symbol of power.
He was known to be able to handle a hundred knights simultaneously. To be called the greatest sword of a region, one had to reach that level.
Yurgen had indeed slain dozens of knights alone in several conflict zones.
Yet, he had fallen pathetically to the combined assault of the beggars that Amelia brought.
And that too, only to three people, without even exchanging many blows. It had happened so swiftly that the other knights had no chance to intervene.
Bernaph, who had been pushed back by the three’s intrusion, wore a sulky expression.
‘I’ve exhausted all my strength...’
It had been a chance to impress Amelia, and he missed it again. He had only wasted his energy for nothing.
She glanced at Bernaph, who was pouting his lower lip, and shook her head slightly.
She knew well what he wanted. It was a strength, but it was also a flaw that his true feelings were so overtly visible.
“Well done, Bernaph. You did great.”
Upon hearing Amelia’s praise, Bernaph’s face lit up.
‘Since I was the first to be praised, that means I won.’
Caleb, Vulcan, and Conrad had no thoughts about it, but Bernaph was inflating with excitement over the victory.
For Bernaph, the outcome was always determined by who could impress Amelia more. It wasn’t about who killed Yurgen first.
As long as he was the first to be praised, that was enough. It meant he was the best.
Amelia looked at Jürgen's corpse and muttered.
“Phew, I finally killed the most bothersome human. Why didn’t he believe that we could handle it?”
She had analyzed Jürgen’s abilities and even his small habits to devise the optimal strategy. Harold's inability to trust her and his constant hesitations had merely prevented him from acting.
For Harold, it was unavoidable that he didn’t properly understand the strength of the subordinates she commanded, as those, including Bernaph, were all collected by Amelia.
The only reliable subordinate he knew of was Vulcan, who used to be a fairly famous bandit.
“Now, shall we tidy things up?”
Amelia leisurely looked around at the people who were huddled together in fear.
Count Rayfold was in shock, sitting down after Yurgen’s death. The knights who had been forming a combat line also lowered their swords.
It was over. With Yurgen, the last hope, dead, no one could leave this place without Amelia's permission.
She gestured to Bernaph.
“Sort them out. Ensure the guests are sent off safely and courteously.”
Amelia’s soldiers, under Bernaph’s command, dragged all those who would be spared to a corner of the banquet hall.
They included the powerless daughters of the Count, some officials, surrendered knights, and nobles invited from other regions.
Count Rayfold was dragged out separately, tightly bound.
“Let go of me! You ruffians! I am the lord of this place! It’s me! The one you must pledge your loyalty to is not that girl but me! I will not forgive this! My army and vassals are watching with their eyes wide open. I will surely kill you all!”
No matter how much he shouted, the knights and soldiers held Count Rayfold firmly with expressionless faces.
Now, those remaining in the banquet hall were the vassals who held power, the commanders of the army who had attended the banquet, and the sons and relatives of the Count within the line of succession.
As she raised her hand slightly, the soldiers quietly surrounded them. The remaining individuals turned pale and shouted.
“P-Please spare us! Amelia!”
“This can’t be! We are family!”
“Miss! Please save us! We will pledge our loyalty! We will follow you without fail!”
Despite the desperate cries, Amelia didn’t even blink.
The moment her hand fell.
Papapapak!
The soldiers simultaneously fired a tremendous number of crossbows. The sharp bolts pierced through the bodies of those who were defenseless.
“Uaaaaaah!”
With screams filled with pain, everyone collapsed. It didn’t take long for their breaths to cease.
The banquet hall floor was stained red with their spilled blood. The survivors, categorized separately, trembled and curled up.
“U-uh....”
Count Rayfold watched all of this with a vacant expression.
“Ugh, ugh....”
He couldn’t even speak properly, only letting out groans. His legs felt weak, as if he would collapse, but he couldn’t even fall as he wasn’t allowed to do so.
The soldiers held him tightly, not even permitting him to sit.
Amelia approached Count Rayfold and looked into his eyes.
“You, you... you....”
Count Rayfold couldn’t even string together coherent words from shock.
He had lost his throne in an instant to a daughter he had never paid attention to. His vassals, who had once been his allies, were dead. Even the Northern’s Greatest Sword, who had always protected him, was dead. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
He couldn’t believe this was reality. How could this happen? How could such a thing occur!
It was a dream; it had to be a nightmare.
“Y-You....”
His disposition was quiet, and his reputation was high, so even though he seemed to have no plans to marry, he had just let things be.
After breaking off his engagement with Ghislain Ferdium, finding a new match had become difficult due to his age. Yet, he thought that his ability to placate the inhabitants of the region would still benefit his family.
But to think all of that had been an act! That she had been preparing to take his position!
If he had known this would happen, he should have married her off to a family of lesser standing long ago.
“Y-You... how dare you....”
He wanted to curse and shout, but no words came out. Something stuck in his throat prevented him from uttering any words.
“Grrr....”
They say power isn’t shared even with children.
More painful and shocking to him than the death of his sons or loyal vassals was the fact that he had been stripped of his throne by a daughter he had disregarded.
Filled with rage and with bloodshot eyes, spitting blood foam, Amelia said nothing.
As if contemplating something, she gazed at Count Rayfold for a long time, and finally uttered a short phrase.
“Take him away.”
“Grrr! You! You!”
Even as Count Rayfold was dragged away in a pathetic state, he turned his head to glare at Amelia.
As she met his gaze, she opened her mouth as if she remembered something.
“Oh, wait a minute.”
The soldiers halted their steps. Count Rayfold still turned his head to glare at her as if he would kill her.
Amelia recalled the happy memories from long ago with her father.
— Dad, Dad!
— Oh, my dear daughter! You’ve come!
When Amelia was still a child, the Count would lift her up and hug her tightly, rubbing his cheek against hers.
They had locked eyes like this back then.
Looking into her father’s eyes, she remembered the words he had said with a bright smile back then.
Amelia smiled just like she had then and spoke the same words again.
“Happy birthday, Dad.”
Today was Count Rayfold’s birthday.
Night of the Massacre
“Uaaaaaah!”
“Please save me!”
The night of slaughter wasn’t confined to the banquet hall. The military commanders who hadn’t attended the banquet were ambushed, killed, or captured for execution throughout various locations.
The vassals and officials were no different. Those who might oppose Amelia and those who had looked down on her were all systematically eliminated.
The vacant positions were filled with people loyal to her.
As the new sun rose and dawn broke, the lord of Rayfold had completely changed to Amelia.
When the inhabitants of the region heard the news, they rushed out into the streets one by one, cheering.
“Wow! The lord has changed!”
“Miss Amelia is the new Count!”
“We pledge our loyalty!”
The people were genuinely happy.
Amelia was someone highly respected among the inhabitants. She had always thought of them, helping those in difficult situations for a long time.
Just recently, she had generously distributed food to those suffering from famine. It was food that had been stocked up cheaply thanks to Ghislain.
Naturally, Count Rayfold and his vassals scolded her.
— How dare you use such precious food for those lowly people! Bring it back and store it in the region’s warehouse at once!
— I will use my own property as I see fit. The region exists because of its inhabitants. Please treat them kindly.
— How dare you speak so arrogantly in front of us! Immediately seize all of Amelia’s food!
Count Rayfold forcibly took away the food that Amelia had gathered. He did so without realizing that it was just a fraction of her supplies.
That incident spread throughout the entire territory in an instant. It was as if someone had deliberately spread rumors at lightning speed.
After that, the food distribution stopped, but the inhabitants cursed Count Rayfold instead, placing no blame on Amelia. On the contrary, they praised her even more, saying she had cared for them despite opposing her father’s will.
Amelia rode through the territory in a splendid, wide-open carriage, typically used during celebrations, distributing food once more.
People cheered and celebrated even more. They were genuinely welcoming the change of lord.
Watching her smile radiantly, Bernaph clicked his tongue.
‘Truly, I can’t figure her out. Sometimes she’s like a demon, and other times like an angel... Agh, what am I thinking! Of course, she’s an angel!’
Bernaph slapped himself several times for having such disloyal thoughts.
Among the crowd surrounding the carriage, a young girl was waving a flower necklace excitedly.
Seeing that, Amelia stopped the carriage and approached her.
“Did you bring that for me?”
“Yes!”
The girl nodded vigorously, her face filled with excitement.
“Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”
Amelia put the flower necklace around her neck and hugged the girl tightly. Though it was a shabby and plain necklace, Amelia treated it as if she had received a shining jewel.
“Wow! That’s Miss Amelia for you!”
Nyaang!
The cheers of the crowd grew louder. Amidst the lively atmosphere, Amelia smiled widely, but her eyes remained cold and settled.
‘Where did that beggar go? Where is he hiding?’
During the cleanup process after the “banquet,” a slight problem had arisen.
She had checked the bodies of those who died in the banquet hall, but the body of the Fourth Prince, Daven, was nowhere to be found.
There had certainly been Daven’s carriage in the lord’s castle. Thus, it was only natural to think he would be inside the banquet hall, but not only Daven was missing; even his bodyguards and servants were nowhere to be seen.
Amelia felt uneasy inside but managed not to show it as she completed the parade. For the time being, she intended to travel around to soothe the public sentiment.
Although she had built a reputation over a long time, it was necessary to engrave in everyone’s mind quickly and decisively that the lord had changed.
After finishing the event and returning to the lord's castle, Amelia ripped the flowers from around her neck and shouted.
“Daven! Have you found Daven?”
“I’m sorry. His whereabouts are still unconfirmed...”
Bernaph replied, flustered.
Initially, he thought that Daven might have simply gone to the restroom or the garden to enjoy a secret rendezvous. After all, they had surrounded the area around the lord's castle, so he believed he couldn’t escape.
However, no matter how much they searched, there were no traces at all.
With an angry expression, Amelia said,
“Find that bastard right now and bring him before my eyes.”
Nyaang!
“Understood.”
Once again scolded, Bernaph sulked and began searching the entire territory thoroughly.
Caleb’s smuggling group, Vulcan’s bandit group, and Conrad’s merchant group all dedicated themselves to finding Daven.
As a great lord of the North, Count Raypold had many personal connections and public alliances. He had to re-establish relations with each of them, and he also had to renegotiate with the vassals who held territories.
In such circumstances, if news of Daven being alive got out, it could lead to a troublesome situation. After all, the kingdom did not favor women inheriting titles.
Yet, whether he had sunk into the ground or flown into the sky, he was nowhere to be found.
Amelia’s subordinates collected information while retracing Daven’s steps. After a few days had passed, they finally managed to find a trace.
Upon learning Daven's whereabouts, Bernaph’s expression hardened as he muttered.
“He’s there? Why? I heard he definitely declined that banquet... wait, could it be?”
Daven had already left the territory a month ago, using a decoy.
At the very moment Bernaph confirmed Daven’s whereabouts, Ghislain smiled at the trembling person before her.
“I’ve just saved you.”
