Chapter 41
Elluana scanned her surroundings anxiously. Aside from Sing, four members of the Spes Knights were facing off against over thirty armed assailants. The sounds of clashing steel, screams, and groans echoed all around.
‘There are too many of them.’
Her heart pounded violently as she caught sight of blood splattered across the graveyard. The metallic scent thick in the air made her stomach churn.
‘Why do things like this always happen to me?’
What she hated most was her own helplessness—standing by while people were cut down and fell before her eyes, able to do nothing but wring her hands and stamp her feet.
She had learned swordsmanship from Ron, but it had only been enough to fend off small-time thugs who wandered into Aden territory. All she could do now was observe the assailants’ movements. She couldn’t even follow the Spes Knights’ speed.
‘Wait…’
Now that she thought about it—
‘I can see all the assailants’ movements.’
That was when Elluana realized the vast difference in skill between the attackers and the knights.
The Spes Knights were strong. The four of them continuously cut down their enemies without pause. Sing didn’t even need to join them—she had enough leeway to focus solely on protecting Elluana.
‘They’re really holding their ground.’
Elluana gradually calmed down. Her trembling eased, and her heart no longer pounded like it would explode.
‘The Spes Knights are strong.’
Especially Sing.
Just as she had boasted, her whip was incredibly effective in this kind of situation. It deflected sudden arrows and thrown weapons with ease and helped maintain distance from enemies.
“Hyaah!”
If only her battle cries weren’t so bizarre, she would’ve looked even cooler.
“Hyo-ooh!”
The number of daggers entering Sing’s range dropped significantly. When the soldiers stationed outside the cemetery finally joined in, the tide clearly turned in their favor.
‘Who sent them?’
Now that the situation was stabilizing, Elluana began to wonder who was behind the attack. Who would target her? Regis? The Empress? Or someone who held a grudge against the Spes family?
“Don’t kill them all! Knock some of them out—we need to trace the mastermind!”
Sing shouted, then grinned as she added:
“It’s over, my lady. They were nothing special.”
Elluana agreed. If even she could follow their movements, they were clearly lacking.
“Why attempt an assassination with such low skill? There’s no way they could kill me.”
The funeral had been grand. In a small territory like Eden, everyone knew that Elluana had been adopted into the Spes family. So the idea of random thieves was absurd. In fact, they looked more like assassins than robbers.
The assailants had been overwhelmed from the start, yet none showed signs of retreat. It was as if they knew they had no chance and simply offered their lives.
Why?
Elluana turned her head toward the lord’s castle.
“…Louis?”
The Vita siblings had been adopted into a ducal household and were now at the top of the succession line. If any of the vassals were unhappy about this, their resentment was more likely to be directed at Louis, the boy, not her.
“Louis might be in danger.”
Sing, somehow catching her voice despite the surrounding screams, asked:
“Sorry, what?”
“Isn’t Sir Alex the only one protecting Louis right now?”
There were soldiers at the lord’s castle, but they weren’t exactly trustworthy. Until now, Aden’s soldiers had only dealt with wild beasts entering the villages.
If the real target was Louis… if this attack was just a diversion, and the true strike was aimed at the castle—
Elluana turned and grabbed Sing’s collar.
“We need to go to Louis!”
Sing instinctively looked toward the castle. She frowned and muttered,
“Fire?”
“What do you mean, fire?”
Following her gaze, Elluana saw smoke rising above the castle. Then, ominously, the bell atop the clocktower began to toll.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Elluana began to tremble again. Her grip on Sing’s collar tightened. Her heart pounded erratically. Of all times, her body had to lose control again.
She realized she hadn’t heard the tower bell ring since she’d left Aden, but that didn’t matter now.
“Captain! Clean up the scene! The entire First Knight Division will escort the lady back to the castle. We need to regroup with Lord Louis!”
At Sing’s command, the soldiers and knights who had been collecting the bodies raised their heads. They too saw the dark smoke curling above the castle.
Elluana finally let go of Sing’s clothes.
“Leave me behind. You’ll move faster that way.”
“There could still be enemies left.”
“Aden’s defenses are a joke. They won’t be able to respond if attacked.”
Sing knew she was right. The security around the castle was laughably weak. If someone seriously wanted to infiltrate, they could easily break through. Meanwhile, this side had already dealt with the attackers and secured the area.
Having made her decision, Sing said:
“I’ll stay behind.”
“They know our strength. If this attack was bait, and the real one is headed for Louis, he’s in danger. If it’s a real attack, I’m just a burden.”
“You can’t be left alone, my lady.”
“If nothing’s wrong, just bring Louis back. The castle isn’t far, and you’re fast.”
Sing bit her lip.
Staying with Elluana was the safest course of action. But if the castle was truly under attack, Elluana could end up in danger too. If Louis was the actual target, then Elluana’s plan was the most reasonable.
But reasonable didn’t mean safe. Leaving her alone was still a risk.
Sing had always lived a straightforward life as a knight. Cut down enemies. Protect allies. Simple. But guarding someone was different. Now she had to make a choice.
As Sing hesitated, Elluana added firmly:
“That’s an order. We don’t have time to argue.”
“Then you must stay near the soldiers. I’ll bring Lord Louis back right away.”
“Okay. I’ll wait here quietly. Go, quickly.”
Elluana pushed Sing’s back with a desperate expression.
“You must stay put.”
Sing sprinted off toward the castle with the knights in tow. The smoke above the castle thickened.
Elluana clasped her hands tightly in prayer.
“Dad, please protect Louis.”
Her body was moving again, but her heart still raced. It felt like something sticky and oppressive was wrapping around her whole body. Even when she’d been in prison, it hadn’t been like this. Why was she so shaken by these memories?
‘I was supposed to change. So why—’
Just then, she bit her lower lip.
“El.”
A familiar voice responded as if answering her prayer.
She instinctively looked around, but saw only soldiers and corpses. Ron’s voice couldn’t possibly be here. She must’ve been hallucinating.
“El! My El!”
Again, she heard the voice calling her. The only one who called her “El” was Ron. That kind, affectionate voice—it was definitely his.
“Is it really you, Dad? Dad?”
Frantically looking around, she saw a figure flickering behind Ron’s tombstone.
“This way, El. Come here.”
Dad. It’s Dad!
“Dad!”
As if hypnotized, Elluana began walking toward the voice.
The soldiers checking the corpses also reacted similarly. One by one, they turned and began muttering names, trudging forward.
All of them were walking toward the forest.
***
Raeyn shouted loudly after receiving a report from the spy who had rushed over from Elluana’s side.
“Lady Spes stayed behind at the graveyard with the soldiers. Looks like the Spes Knights went to check on her younger brother.”
Kazar, standing a bit farther away, shook the blood off his sword. At his feet lay the bodies of those dressed identically to the ones who had attacked Elluana.
“We’ve already cleaned up this side. We just need to worry until the knights return. What about the smoke from the castle?”
“Apparently the bakery caught fire. The thick black smoke was from putting it out.”
“Well, that wrapped up easier than expected.”
Kazar was right. The attackers had been dealt with almost laughably easily.
“It was a sloppy attempt.”
Raeyn crouched and rummaged through a corpse’s clothes as she made her assessment.
Kazar also kicked aside a body at his feet. He reached into its clothing but found nothing. Even the weapons they’d carried were cheap, mass-produced ones.
Same with the other bodies.
“I suspected as much, but there’s not a single piece of evidence.”
They had acted boldly enough to risk exposure, yet they left no trace behind. That was frustrating. Raeyn searched another body but found nothing.
“Wow. Not even a single silver coin. I guess if you’re going to target the Spes family, this level of caution makes sense.”
That was true, but Kazar found it all the more suspicious.
“But think about it. Isn’t it weird that they sent guys like this against the Spes family? You’d need a whole squad of knights just to stand a chance.”
Now that she mentioned it, Raeyn also found it strange.
“You’re right. You’d need a full unit just to put up a fight. Why send these grunts? Numbers alone aren’t enough.”
“Plus, the maid trailing them—she was a knight, right? Looked like Sing.”
When Kazar pointed this out, Raeyn turned toward the castle.
“Yeah, that was probably Sing. Not many knights use whips as a secondary weapon. You’re right—this is weird. There’s no way the assassins didn’t recognize a famous knight like her.”
Even if nobles might not know, any intel group that hired assassins would definitely know Sing—she was the one who had rooted out every spy that tried to sneak into the Spes duchy.
Kazar summarized the situation.
“So, the Vita siblings are being escorted by six members of the First Spes Knight Division. All elites.”
“Sure, deploying knights risks exposure, but sending these weaklings instead is even stranger.”
As they continued rifling through the corpses’ clothes, Raeyn suddenly stopped moving. Something had caught in her hand.
From the body’s chest, she pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with a noble family’s crest. She waved it in the air.
“Your Highness! Look at this!”
Kazar, now beside her, examined the emblem.
“The Russell Viscount family?”
