“You…”
“Though, that said, I have no intent of making it easy on you.”
When he finished saying that, Castor drew the sword at his hip.
“Sire, stay back!”
Aisha and the others in the infiltration team moved up, putting themselves between me and Castor. A number of my Little Musashibo (Large) dolls were mixed in with them, which made for a surreal scene.
Castor turned his blade towards me. “You’re a hero, aren’t you? Want to take me one-on-one?”
“Don’t be crazy. An ordinary guy who spends all his time doing nothing but administrative work isn’t going to be any match for you.”
If he wanted to challenge me to a duel, I was just going to have to shrug.
I had come here as part of the infiltration team, but I hadn’t defeated a single one of the guards. Well, though I wasn’t any use here, I was in the middle of fighting elsewhere right now.
By using my divided consciousness to the fullest, my armored dolls were manning the Albert’s main guns and the anti-air repeating bolt throwers we had secretly loaded aboard. I was using them to fight against the wyvern cavalry that we had lured in.
However… the wyvern cavalry were better trained than I had imagined.
It seemed I had caught them by surprise, but even the weapon called the wyvern killer, the anti-air repeating bolt thrower, might not be able to stall them for long.
While I was thinking about that, Aisha took a swing with her great sword. “Castor! How long do you intend to point your blade at His Majesty?!”
“Guh! For a little kid, she has incredible idiot strength!” Castor cried.
He said that, but given that he had stopped Aisha’s great sword with his own blade, I figured he had some “idiot strength” himself.
Aisha seemed indignant at being called a little kid. “I’d rather not say this in front of His Majesty, but I’ll have you know I’ve been alive for decades!”
“Hmph! Well, I’ve been fighting for this country for over a century!” he declared.
“Mrrrrgh…”
Come on, what were they competing over? Was this a pride thing because they were both from long-lived races? That was what I was wondering, when….
“If you underestimate a dragonewt, born of dragon blood, you’re going to get more than just hurt!” Castor shouted, spreading his wings wide to intimidate her.
The gust of wind that created was powerful enough on its own to blow a number of the nearby soldiers up against the wall. Aisha was managing to withstand it by putting her hands on the ground.
…So, that was the power of a dragonewt. It looked like he’d gotten more than just a cool look out of belonging to a race descended from dragons.
Then, in the next instant, Castor kicked off from the ground, remaining in the air as he dove forward. He didn’t pay the others any heed, thrusting his sword out straight forward as he tried to impale me on it.
“Sire!”
Aisha stood between us to protect me, using her great sword to block Castor’s charge. The clang of metal on metal echoed as their blades collided.
“Ha ha ha! You’re not half bad, dark elf girl!”
“My name is Aisha! I will not allow you to lay so much as one finger on His Majesty!” Aisha swung her great sword with all her might, knocking Castor away.
Castor made a graceful landing before hurling some verbal abuse her way. “Damn your idiot strength!”
“Yes. I’m not very smart. But if he needs a smart person, there’s the princess, or Sir Hakuya, or Madam Juna, or Duchess Walter. If my strength can still be of aid to His Majesty’s rule, if it will let me stay by his side, I don’t mind having ‘idiot strength’!”
Aisha adjusted her grip on her great sword. She was slowly closing the gap between herself and Castor.
Castor laughed jovially. “A fine display of loyalty. Is Souma a good master to you?”
“I don’t know!” she declared.
“Oh, come on…” I muttered.
She didn’t have to be that blunt. That hurt my feelings.
“I’m an idiot, so I don’t know what a good master is like,” Aisha went on. “However, I wish to be at His Majesty’s side! Because he heard my plea. Because his country’s food is delicious. Because he saved my village. I have many reasons, but the biggest must be because I like him! I want to be with His Majesty and the princess forever!”
It was a straight response, not calculated at all, which was so very like Aisha.
…It was a bit embarrassing.
I knew it wasn’t that kind of scene, but how could I not be happy when a beautiful dark elf had so many good things to say about me? I could feel myself barely holding back a grin.
Castor laughed even more jovially. “Ha ha ha! I knew you were like my Carla! But…!” Castor’s expression grew serious and he took up a fighting stance with his sword. “If you lack the power to back up that loyalty, you won’t be able to protect your master or yourself.”
With those words, Castor was about to attack Aisha again, when…
“I won’t let you do that.”
“?!”
One of the Little Musashibo (Large) dolls that was behind Castor came at him swinging its naginata. Castor turned suddenly to block it, but the moment he went to counterattack, the Little Musashibo spun around. When it did, its back split open like a cocoon, and someone leapt out.
The person who leapt out of the Little Musashibo doll was none other than Liscia, rapier at the ready.
“Wha?! Princess Liscia?!” Castor cried.
Faced with Liscia’s surprise attack, Castor pulled his sword back despite himself. Liscia was a member of the family that he had sworn loyalty to. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t be someone he could point his sword at.
Had he been aware it was Liscia he was facing from the beginning, with Castor’s martial prowess he could no doubt have incapacitated her without bringing her to harm.
In order to prevent that, and anticipating this might happen, Liscia had hidden inside a Little Musashibo doll, waiting for an opportunity.
This hesitation would be Castor’s undoing.
“Freeze! Ice Sword Mountain!” she shouted.
“Urkh!”
Not missing her opening, Liscia unleashed an ice magic attack at close range. Castor narrowly avoided it, but the magic struck the stone wall and floor, creating spikes of ice. Because of his large wings, Castor got caught in the spikes and was unable to move.
“Dammit!”
“Aisha!” she called.
“I’m on it, princess!”
While Castor was rendered immobile, Aisha swung the flat side of her great sword into him at full force. Castor was knocked flying along with the ice. There was the sound of ice shattering against the wall and then, an instant later, the sound of Castor slamming against it, too.
Right before my eyes was a scene of a person being thrown into a wall and leaving cracks in it, something I had only ever seen in battle anime before. After seeing him take a hit that I was sure would have killed me instantly, Castor was bruised but still conscious. I guess that’s what made dragonewts so impressive, huh.
With his back to the wall, he slumped down, groaning, “Urgh… So this is it, huh… I admit defeat, princess.”
“Duke Castor…”
Seeing the sad look on Liscia’s face, Castor smiled a little. “Don’t look like that. I stayed true to my pride, fought, and was defeated. I have no regrets. But, that aside… I’d like to ask you the same thing I asked the dark elf girl.”
“…What might that be?” Liscia asked.
“Is Souma… a good king?”
“Yes. For me, he’s a good king.” Liscia gave a clear answer to Castor’s question. “Whether he was good for the country and people is something to be decided once a king has died. There is no end to the number of kings who ruled well at first, only to become tyrants in later years. So, I can only give you my own opinion.”