I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 72

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (73)

The moment the freedom fighter took up his sword.

The morale of the vassals was at its highest. The count called them rebels, but they were not.

The grand duke himself was supporting their resistance.

The count, who had been tyrannical.

The merciful grand duke.

It was crystal clear whose words to heed.

Knights gathered around the Grand Duke.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Over a hundred knights.

They all answered in unison and followed the Grand Duke. Watching them, the freedom fighter clenched his sword as if he had made up his mind.

“Grand Duke! Although I am not much help, I want to assist you! Please take me with you!”

He looked at Marcus and nodded.

The freedom fighter moved toward the back of the Grand Duke.

The people of the domain shouted one by one as if they had made up their minds.

“Take me with you! I will fight with all my might!”

“Me too…”

Murmurs!

Just then, the street became noisy.

“Quiet!”

The voice of a knight filled with mana echoed. In the silence, the knight looked at the Grand Duke.

“Your Highness. What shall we do?”

“Let them do as they wish.”

“Yes!”

Although his voice was quiet, everyone heard what he said. The villagers cautiously followed the knights.

The number of people grew explosively as they headed toward the inner castle.

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* *

“This is bad!”

He was in such a hurry that he didn’t even knock before bursting open the door.

Seeing the butler’s disheveled appearance, Eun-dan swallowed hard and asked.

“What on earth is going on?”

“The outer walls have been breached! The Grand Duke himself has come to Toledo!”

“What?”

The count’s expression turned blank.

The situation was already bad enough. Public sentiment was at its worst.

And now the Grand Duke has appeared?

“How…”

The Grand Duke.

No matter what, he was sure that he had suffered injuries that would require at least a few months of recuperation.

He thought that the rumors of the assassination had spread so quickly because it was revenge by the Southern Alliance.

“We could have held out.”

If only he had had a little more time, he would have figured out a way.

But now it was different. Swallowing hard, Ir-dan asked.

“…How is the Grand Duke’s condition?”

“That’s…

“Speak quickly!”

“From the outside… he appeared to be completely normal.”

“…

At that moment, Ir-dan’s mind was racing at the fastest speed of his life.

Was the Grand Duke really in normal condition?

Was he forced to move despite being in a situation where he couldn’t even move properly?

His hopeful observations were short-lived.

“What if that’s not the case?”

What if the knights who were sent to assassinate him didn’t even manage to scratch the Grand Duke?

It was a thought he didn’t even want to entertain. But for some reason, he felt like it might be true.

Fear rose in the count’s heart.

“Can we hold out?”

What if they held their ground with the inner gate firmly locked?

The outer walls were already beyond control.

The morale of the remaining soldiers in the inner walls was in shambles.

The knights were still loyal, but the longer the siege continued, the more their loyalty would gradually crumble.

“If the Grand Duke is in good health…”

Gulp.

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The Dukes of Dekun and Itun.

He had heard how the two dukes had fallen.

The Grand Duke used his overwhelming mana control to jump over the castle walls and open the gates in one fell swoop.

The inner walls were lower than the outer walls. If he managed to get over, there would be no one to stop him.

The decision was quick.

“Prepare for a desperate battle.”

Hearing a powerful voice for the first time in a long time, the butler’s eyes lit up.

Could it be?

Could there be a secret move that even his closest aide didn’t know about?

It was at that moment.

“And be prepared.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re going to the House of Eltaニス.”

The House of Eltaニス.

It was one of the seven noble families of the kingdom and the count’s maternal family.

Only then did the butler fully realize what the count was thinking.

Flee!

There must be a secret passageway that the count was using.

It wasn’t a bad suggestion for the butler either. If he stayed here, he could be swept away after the grand duke occupied the inner castle.

Wasn’t he known for mercilessly hunting down corrupt officials?

As one of the count’s confidants, the butler was also one of the most corrupt individuals.

“…I understand.”

The news was relayed to the inner castle personnel. The count was devising a plan, so they were to hold out as long as possible.

The knights renewed their resolve.

* *

In front of the inner castle.

Countless people gathered there.

Even though the count had rallied their spirits, it was impossible to shake off the feeling of being overwhelmed.

“…What kind of forces are these?”

To exaggerate a little, it was as if all the vassals from the entire Toledo region had gathered there.

If even the knights felt this way, what about the foot soldiers?

Most of the soldiers had long since lost their will to fight.

This was especially true after they saw the Grand Duke at the front of the formation.

This was wrong.

To be honest, they didn’t even want to resist. How deep could their loyalty to the tyrannical count be?

“Everyone, draw your bows!”

The knights shouted loudly that the enemy was coming. Their words did not even register in their ears.

What enemy?

They were all their friends and family.

The soldiers hesitated. As if to help them make up their minds, the prince dismounted from his horse and began to run toward the castle walls.

The knights who saw this opened their eyes wide.

He was clearly running on two legs, but his speed was much faster than a horse running on four legs.

He flew into the air. The knights who couldn’t bring themselves to aim at the prince snatched the arrows from the soldiers and charged their arrows with mana.

Pssss!

Dozens of arrows filled with mana flew toward Ethan. There was nothing to support them but the empty air.

It seemed impossible to block dozens of arrows.

The villagers stared wide-eyed.

“Those…damn bastards!”

Everyone was stamping their feet in panic.

“…What?”

Everyone stared wide-eyed.

It was the same for the villagers near the inner castle and the people on top of the inner castle walls.

The Grand Prince’s body was burning. It was literally burning.

It looked as if he was engulfed in flames. Dozens of arrows flew through the air, hitting nothing.

The dragon slayers easily blocked the arrows and stared at the Grand Prince.

“As expected of the Grand Prince.”

They all knew.

The Grand Prince possessed terrifying power.

That was why his expression didn’t change even after being showered with magic-infused arrows.

The knights on the inner wall stared blankly at the scene. How could they stop someone whose body had turned to fire?

A monster that even magic-infused arrows couldn’t harm.

The Grand Prince stepped into the air once more and landed on the inner wall with ease.

The knights drew their swords.

The knights of the inner castle were the elite of the count’s family. They believed their master’s words without question. From now on, they had to buy as much time as possible.

Dozens of knights began to rush toward the grand duke.

It was as if they were moths flying into a flame.

* *

“Ugh. Everyone, move quickly!”

Irdan urged his family members. The secret passage in the mansion.

The count was using this place to escape with his family. He had even managed to bring along a few bodyguards and valuable items.

The unexpected turn of events had long since darkened the faces of his family members.

They had left the mansion without any prior warning.

That was when it happened.

“Waaah!”

A tremendous roar could be heard.

It was loud enough to reach the secret passage deep underground.

Irda’s expression froze.

Were the soldiers inside the inner castle shouting? That couldn’t be.

It was the tens of thousands of vassals who were said to be rushing toward the crown prince.

Judging by the volume of the roar, it must have been them.

“Could the inner castle have been taken?”

Had it already been captured?

His heart began to race.

“Just a little further!”

The secret passage, which seemed to go on forever, had come to an end. Just then, the count followed the bright white light and stepped out of the passage.

His expression froze.

The exit of the secret passage.

Two figures dressed in white robes were waiting there.

“You’re late.”

Their voices were calm.

The count swallowed hard.

White robes.

He remembered seeing them just a moment ago.

The bishop who called himself the eighth servant. It was one of the items he was wearing.

Meanwhile.

The knights hurriedly drew their swords and blocked the count’s path.

“Who are you?”

“Hm.”

One of the robed figures raised his hand.

“Gah!”

The knight grabbed his throat as if he couldn’t breathe and flew into the air.

He struggled for a moment.

Crunch!

In an instant, the knight’s neck was snapped. It was an overly pitiful end for one of the last six knights of the count’s family.

“Hiiii!”

Fear filled the eyes of the count and his family.

The remaining knights felt the same.

“Fourth servant, what should we do?”

“Just save the baron.”

“Yes, sir.”

At those words, the baron’s family members widened their eyes.

A terrifying aura began to overwhelm them. They couldn’t move a muscle. The same was true for the remaining knights.

“Help… Help!”

Crunch!

Crunch!

It looked as if they were slaughtering livestock, showing no emotion as they snapped their necks.

The count was overcome with extreme fear. After disposing of everyone, the two men stared intently at the count.

“Eighth bell. Tell us everything you know about his whereabouts. We already know that you met him.”

“You… dogs…!”

In an instant, his family was dead. Fear of death. Anger and confusion at the loss of his family.

The count was not in his right mind.

“Hm.”

The fourth bishop, who was looking at the count, nodded.

“Seventh bell. Get him to confess.”

“Yes.”

The bishop, who was looking at the count with an emotionless gaze, moved.

His hand was placed on Irdan’s head.

“Ugh… Aaah!”

The count screamed.

It felt as if his mind had gone completely blank. His body, which had been thrashing about, gradually grew still.

“Tell us the whereabouts of the eighth bell. Everything.”

“…I said… let’s meet… and assassinate the Grand Duke… together… And… I left with the knights… to assassinate the Grand Duke… I didn’t come back… All of them…”

“What is the level of the knights you sent?”

“One 7-star… six 6-stars… nine… strong… ones…”

“Hm.”

The two bishops looked at each other.

The seventh bishop.

The effect of the confession-type magic he used was clear. The side effect was so severe that it turned the target into a complete idiot.

The seventh bishop was assigned by the archbishop to investigate the matter.

The count couldn’t lie.

“You sent quite a lot of men.”

“That’s strange. The Grand Duke is fine over there…”

Not only the eighth bishop, but even high-ranking knights were involved in the assassination attempt.

How could the Grand Duke be so fine?

It was a question that arose naturally.

The fourth bishop fell silent for a moment at those words.

But only for a moment.

“That is not for us to judge. The archbishop will decide. Let’s go back.”

“Understood. What should we do with this one?”

The count was bleeding profusely from his chest. Even if the confession spell was removed, it would be difficult for him to return to his right mind.

“Take him with you if you wish.”

“Yes, sir.”

Behind them were carts filled with gold and silver, but the two bishops paid no attention to them.

“Nothing special.”

If there had been any useful artifacts, the two bishops would have sensed them already.

Just ordinary gold and silver.

To the bishops, it was nothing more than a burden. Especially in a situation where they had to return as soon as possible.

The more unnecessary baggage they carried when traveling through space, the more mana they consumed.

“Let’s go back.”

The moment the fourth bishop waved his hand.

The count and the two bishops vanished.

The exit of the secret passage.

All that remained were corpses with their tongues hanging out and carts filled with gold and silver treasures.