Chapter 2.2

Roseline, who avoided the large hands that stretched out toward her, poked a blade into the floor and turned the carpet upside down, and the knights who rolled down the stairs twisted and fell. The sun gathered at the end of the sharp three blades. The light reflected on the blades was so intense that it stung the knight’s eyes. On the armor of the knights who had fallen on the floor, Roseline jumped up.

“Oh my god!”

At first, the Captain was relaxed, thinking it was ridiculous, but then the Captain was embarrassed by unexpected situations and fell behind their strategy. The Captain has a good physique and strength, and knights seem to be dominant in numbers, but that’s a story that only works in a large stadium. In a cramped stairwell, it is rather disadvantageous to have more people. The radius of attack was limited to not hurt their troops, but there have been a series of accidents trying to counterattack Roseline, who jumps in and stabs and escapes, aiming for a gap between them.

But if it were a real war situation, I wouldn’t be so helpless. The Captain thought.

At best, he did not seem to expect that a strategy would be needed against a noble Lady. He didn’t know how much he looked down on himself. Roseline quickly and efficiently went after the knights’ wrists and neutralized them. By the time she had done about twenty wrists.

“Save me, Roseline!”

Roseline heard her mother scream.

“Stop, Lady Crimson Rose!”

Looking back in the direction in which Roseline heard the Captain’s voice. She saw her mother and brother sitting on the floor with a blade pointed at their necks.

“Roseline, please! Please save us.”

“My dear sister,” Alfons was sobbing.

“Have you taken my mother and brother hostage?”

Roseline pointed out. It seems that they are aware that it is something that only rascals would do. But now, it was before his face to fulfill the order of the Empress.

“If Lady Crimson Rose had not resisted, neither your mother nor brother would have been threatened.”

“Roseline, I told you not to disobey Her Majesty’s knights! What’s going on with you?”

Her dead father committed the crime; the Empress’ knights made a mess of their mansion, and the Captain took hostage of her mother and brother, and her mother’s resentment was consistently directed at Roseline.

“You don’t want to lose your mother and younger brother when you’ve lost your father.”

There was no strong bond between the family members. It’s been a long time since she gave up being loved by her parents. But that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t matter if Roseline lost her family in front of her.

“…please let mother and Alfons go.”

When Roseline laid down the sword, the Captain’s stiff face was finally loosened. He looked pitifully at the knights still tangled and groaning in pain and turned away.

“Bring the Countess Crimson Rose, love and spirituality.”

* * *

“Don’t you dare go to the capital, my dear!”

The knights whose wrist was wounded by Roseline’s blade could no longer hold the sword. They grabbed Roseline by the hair and dragged her outside to vent their anger. With her body tied to the rope, Roseline could not resist.

The man, who was moaning with his wrists wrapped around him, kicked Roseline.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t yell at me. Before I pull out your tongue.”

Despite the first aid, the man’s hands were devastating. Blood oozed through the tightly wound bandage. Some of them still groaned, holding their arms.

“You were so wild before, and now you’re frightened? You don’t even say a word.”

The giggles around Roseline overgrew. When she was a nobleman, there were signs of trying to put up with ridicule, but now that she was a sinner, she was not only a bully on the street.

Roseline cried reluctantly.

“Even if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to work as a knight  for long anyway.”

“…What?” the knights were confused.

“Be glad you lost your wrist. You have given the honor of retiring.”

The men looked puzzled by the unexpected response. Roseline did not know that she would remain calm even in this situation. Did they think she’d cry or beg?