Chapter 48: The Monster Assault
“No, I don’t know…! That’s nonsense!!”
“How ugly of you to deny it at this point, Duke Lecherie!”
Prince Slay raised his voice at Duke Lecherie, who refused to admit his guilt despite the decisive evidence presented.
It was clear that Duke Lecherie’s crimes were undeniable. Rather than being dragged down by him, it seemed Slay intended to thoroughly kick him out of the picture.
“Slay, you bastard! Have you forgotten the favor I did for you!?”
“There’s no way I would feel indebted to a great criminal! Lucas, quickly apprehend this man!”
Following Prince Slay’s command, Prince Lucas shrugged his shoulders in resignation.
“I understand, Brother Slay. Roan, Deputy Commander.”
“Yes. Hey, restrain Duke Lecherie.”
As Roan issued his command, two knights began to ascend the platform to restrain Duke Lecherie, almost simultaneously.
“—! Prince Lucas!”
Lily, sensing something, shouted Prince Lucas’s name. Upon hearing her, the prince immediately ordered the knights, “All personnel, assume alert status!”
Just then, the windows of the ballroom shattered all at once, and several creatures leaped into the venue.
“What the hell!?”
“A monster!”
“Why are there monsters here!?”
What appeared were squat, bipedal beasts covered in light gray fur. They stood about two to three meters tall, resembling primates like monkeys or gorillas. Each held a cutlass-like one-handed sword.
W-What are these things!? Monsters…!?
In this world, there exist not only wild animals but also grotesque creatures known as monsters. Most of them inhabit dungeons scattered across the continent, but occasionally, they venture out to attack people or livestock… However.
This time, it couldn’t possibly be that. This is the Central District of the Royal Capital, right next to the Royal Castle. For monsters to be lurking in such a place and to attack at this timing is far too deliberate…!
“Everyone, gather near the stage!”
Prince Lucas shouted to the attendees of the ball. The participants scrambled to escape the monsters, crawling toward the stage. At the same time, the Knights Order drew their swords and formed a protective line around them.
With ten knights against over thirty monsters, the odds were stacked against them.
But the knights here were the kingdom’s elite.
“Tch, what a troublesome situation this has become. I don’t get what’s going on, but don’t let your guard down, you lot! If even one of you dies, things will get even messier. Protect them with your lives!”
“Understood, Master!”
“And stop calling me Master!”
As they bickered, Roan and Alissa simultaneously charged at the monsters. Their swordplay was a blur. Before I knew it, two of the monster’s arms wielding cutlasses were sent flying through the air.
A mere difference of three times in numbers seemed irrelevant to those two. The monsters lunged at them all at once, but the other knights handled the situation with ease.
“Deputy Commander Roan! More are coming! There are 23 of them!”
“Got it, Purity! Did you hear that, Alissa? Let’s pick up the pace!”
“Understood!”
Roan and Alissa increased their extermination speed, and just as Lily had predicted, more monsters leaped in through the windows.
Are they trying to overwhelm us with numbers…!?
“Ahhhhhh!”
A pathetic scream echoed from behind, and when I turned around, I saw Duke Lecherie jumping down from the stage. He landed with a squishy sound, like a frog being squashed, but immediately got up and ran toward the horde of monsters.
“Duke Lecherie!? Get back, are you trying to die!?”
Ignoring Prince Slay’s admonition, Duke Lecherie dashed past the monsters.
“Wha—”
Everyone expected Duke Lecherie to be attacked and killed by the monsters. Contrary to that expectation, the monsters allowed him to pass and instead turned to attack us.
“Hugh, after him! We can’t let Duke Lecherie escape!”
“…! Hold on tight!”
I started running after Duke Lecherie while carrying Lily. However, multiple monsters blocked our path, seemingly trying to hinder our pursuit of him.
“Damn it…”
Fighting while carrying Lily was impossible. Should I trust the «Ninja» Skill’s «Physical Enhancement» and leap over them…?
“Run, Hugh!”
“Leave it to us!”
The heads of the monsters blocking our way were severed in an instant. Roan and Alissa had cleared a path for us.
“Thank you!”
I expressed my gratitude to the two as I dashed through the gap they created.
We had anticipated the possibility of someone interfering with the capture of Duke Lecherie. For instance, Prince Slay, the nobles supporting him, or Duke Lecherie’s private soldiers.
It was our responsibility to chase after the fleeing Duke Lecherie. Depending on the situation, we might have to escape ourselves, which is why I had been carrying Lily all along…
But I never expected to have to dodge monster attacks while pursuing Duke Lecherie.
Duke Lecherie’s figure was already gone from the hallway just outside the venue.
“Lily, which way!?”
“Right!”
Lily’s Skill, «Tactician», allowed her to identify allies and enemies from a bird’s-eye view. Its effective range was 1500 meters. Even if we lost sight of him, we could still track him within that range.
It was a powerful skill that justified her being chosen as the top student of our year. Its only drawback was that she lost her normal vision when switching to the bird’s-eye view, but that was no problem as long as I was carrying her.
“Turn left at the next corner, then take the stairs to the second floor!”
“Got it!”
I continued to run through the mansion, following Lily’s navigation.
“By the way, what were those monsters earlier…? They looked like they were being controlled by Duke Lecherie…”
“Who knows…? They clearly tried to hinder our pursuit of Duke Lecherie… Could it be that Duke Lecherie has a Skill that allows him to control monsters…?”
“…He claimed it was «Physical Enhancement». He boasted at the dinner table that it was convenient for nighttime activities as well.”
“His sense of conversation is the worst.”
“—! Stop!”
I came to an abrupt halt at Lily’s command, just as we reached the second floor and approached a windowed hallway.
Immediately after, just like the monsters that had appeared in the ballroom, two primate-like monsters burst through the window, wielding cutlasses.
There were only two of them, but the hallway wasn’t very wide. If they spread out, it would be difficult to slip past them.
“Lily, is there a detour…?”
“If we go back down the stairs to the first floor, we can take a detour, but…”
Just as I glanced back, another monster appeared right in front of the stairs, coming through the window.
“Is it just my imagination, or do they seem to be predicting our movements…?”
“…To add to that, it seems like my Skill can’t detect them until they get close. This is the first time I’ve experienced something like this.”
Not being able to detect them with Lily’s Skill… For a moment, the figure of the robed person I had seen exchanging money with Duke Lecherie flashed through my mind, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
What should I do…? Should I put Lily down and fight using the «Ninja» Skill’s «Martial Arts»?
…No, three against one would be tough. While I’m dealing with one, Lily could be targeted.
Escaping outside might be an option, but…
“Eh?”
Lily looked puzzled, a question mark appearing on her face. Following her gaze, I saw someone at the bottom of the stairs slashing at the monsters.
With a completely unexpected strike, the man cut down the monster and then tossed his hair back with a refreshing smile.
“Be grateful, Hugh Pnosis! This Idiot Hautness has come to your aid!”