Chapter 54: Chapter 37.2

“I was able to become a knight and take my family out of that town. And yet, taking this order is a mortal sin against the future princess of the Crown Prince.”

Rishe listened to their exchange, then said, “I think it’s best to talk about this later. Let’s go for now.”

“Go where?…”

“Of course, abduct me, just as His Highness Theodore commanded.”

In that second, Kamil and Elise stared at her with mouths agape.

Rishe endured the headache, flipped a paper she had used for her business meeting with Tully and wrote a note on it.

[Let’s talk about the rest in the chapel.]

With this, only Arnold would roughly guess the details.

Arnold’s memory should be fresh about her being summoned to the chapel about a week ago.

Thus, Rishe slipped out of the castle and burrowed in this building on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

***

With that note behind, His Highness Arnold should have been made aware that I left the castle of my own volition. Likewise, His Highness Theodore would believe that my abduction was successful… This way, neither will condemn Elise and the others.

She pushed the pins into the spot she was aiming for and felt something heavy. She wrenched it upwards and heard the sound of the door opening with a rattle.

She stood up and opened the door a little. Then she heard men talking from outside.

“Is there a need for so many people to watch over a lady? I obey Theo-sama’s orders, but to be honest, three is enough, isn’t it?”

“I heard that the young lady inside knows how to use a sword. Theo-sama is more worried about us than he is about the woman running away?”

“She’s all locked. There’s no way she could get out. Isn’t there five in this hallway, six upstairs, ten downstairs and outside? Under no circumstances…Ugh?!”

Rishe opened the door at once and kicked the man behind his knees.

She swung the dagger, still in its sheath, down to the back of the man’s neck as he lost his balance and fell to his knees. A small grunt echoed and he fell into the hallway with a flop.

“W-What the hell! What happened?!”

“Hey, the woman is out!”

“Nonsense, lock the door properly…”

“Just pin her down!　we’re ordered not to do anything rough, but there’s no other choice, let’s tie her up!”

One of the four remaining men tried to grab her.

Rishe bent down and dodged the hand that reached for her shoulder and slammed his elbow straight into the man’s groin. A scream smacked of a crushed frog reverberated, and the man stumbled back a few steps.

“Ughh~~”

Shallow.

Rishe analyzed her own shot calmly, and retreated. She took a big step back and took a pause.

As expected, the current Rishe’s strength and stamina was too weak.

If I’m to use martial arts with this physique, I’ll have to harness their force and gravity.

With that thought in mind, she faced the opponent before her.

The men, who finally realized what was happening, hurriedly drew their respective swords. This was quite a story when hers was still sheathed.

“Excuse me. Could you just let me through, please?”

“Watch out! She seems quite skilled!”

“Bullshit. It’s four against one!　Let’s attack all at once, don’t let her get away!”

She had asked politely, but there was no indication that the men would listen.

On the contrary, with a command, they all pounced at Rishe.

In the narrow corridor, such a fight was out of the question.

Rishe gripped her dagger and parried a rushing blade to the right.

With just one strike, the sword in the man’s grip was hurled away. If a sword that was brandished recklessly was struck at a certain point, the recoil would let it easily leave a hand.

The sword that flew off stuck in a door, and she slammed the hilt of her dagger into the belly of the stunned man.

“Kaha…”

Rishe pushed the man away, and quickly dodged the three remaining men. She aimed for an opening, then jumped into the bosom of one of them and cleaved his face with her sheathed dagger.

The area between the eyebrows was a vital point in the human body. If hit hard enough, the worst case scenario would be death, but with Rishe’s current strength, it was no problem. The man grandly collapsed without even a scream.

“What the hell are you? Which part of her is just a simple young lady with a nibbling swordsmanship!?”

“Damn it. You stupid…!”

One of them swung his sword down with his right hand. The moment she dodged it, a blade came right at her from the side.

A double-edged sword!

She readied her dagger and stopped the blow. Along with the dull clang, Rishe’s hand went pale and numb.

But…

Compared to the blow she deflected from Arnold’s sword, this blow didn’t feel the slightest bit heavy.

The last man standing looked at her and squeaked in fright.

Rishe didn’t seem to be bothered by the man. She unsheathed the dagger in her hand. The blade that has been sealed till this moment was exposed, and the flustered man quickly repositioned his sword.

But instead of pointing the dagger at the man, Rishe plucked the hem of her dress.

Then she plunged the dagger into the right side and cut the hem with a bleep. Rishe was very pleased to see the man in front of her, dumbfounded.

“Now I can move around a lot easier.”

“Huh?!”

After all, it wasn’t convenient to fight in a dress. It was an obvious fact, but he chewed on it seriously.

“Sorry for the wait. Before we continue, let me ask you again.”

“Sh-shit!”

“Can you step aside and admit defeat?”

She had a nap, albeit a short one, and the pill she took was taking effect. Although it was a pain reliever, Rishe was recovering.

If he didn’t put up a fight, it would be so much better. But the man, who was trembling all over and his shoulders quivering, lunged towards Rishe.

Since that was the case, she had no choice but to respond.

****

From what I’ve heard earlier, there are six people upstairs and 10 on the ground floor and outside.

Rishe pondered in the corridor where the five men were knocked down.

She quietly walked down the stairs. Then groans of men echoed in the corridor.

Rishe quickly drew her dagger and spun around, and swung her leg up, deploying the force of her rotation.

“Gah~!”

The heel of her shoe struck the man fully on the face.

“Uh, unbelievable…”