Chapter Volume 1, 35: Earl Aubock?

Volume 1, Chapter 35: Earl Aubock④

After turning the table on 『Dark Night’s Short Sword』, Earl Aubock’s private army, Lambert shifted his attention to the last survivor: a woman.

「Woman, tell me everything you know about the Earl.」

The woman trembled in fear, each shiver wracking her whole body.

Although she did her best to glare at Lambert, her front could barely conceal the overwhelming terror she felt.

It was unfathomable. The idea that this single man could beat her and her comrades working together had never even crossed her mind.

However, Lambert was a veteran of the Eight Countries Unification War. Once long ago, his army was cornered by an army twenty times their size.

Moreover, the one who trapped him was from the strongest kingdom at that time; it was the Great Commander of Madeiraku, Aldemia, and their elite subordinates.

Lambert was an unstoppable force that day, cutting a path through the enemies and carving a path for his army’s victory. Although he managed to escape that encirclement, not once did Lambert think that he would have been able to be victorious without the help of his organ.

As a result, although Lambert survived without any injury, none of his subordinates made it out alive.

The enemy he faced at that time was both greater in number and more skilled, so it was no wonder that the enemy he faced today was nothing in comparison.

Being surrounded by just five members, who were raised in a peaceful era, of a corrupt noble’s private army was nothing compared to the hell that Lambert survived in the past.

「… There’s nothing you can do against the Earl, even with all the information I know about him. I’m just a disposable pawn who failed my duty. Even if I wanted, it’s not like I could escape from the Earl’s eyes.」

It was just as the woman had said; Earl Aubock prioritized safety and profit the most. The fate of anyone who dared to oppose the Earl was simply too miserable.

There was nothing left for the woman, not her pride as a member of 『Dark Night’s Short Sword』 or her loyalty to Earl Aubock.

Even though Earl Aubock took her from that orphanage and raised her as a member of his private army, the hatred she felt toward that man far surpassed her gratitude.

In addition, dying under Lambert’s blade was far better than returning alive to Earl Aubock. That was just how much she and her comrades feared that man.

She knew better than anyone else that the fate of anyone who dared to betray Earl Aubock was simply too pitiful, so much so that death was preferable. The reason she knew about this was that she and her comrades were the ones who dirtied their hands and handled traitors.

And to make matters worse, because she was a woman, who knew what kind of humiliation and hell would be waiting for her.

That was why she had to commit suicide before the Earl’s other private army came to catch her.

But then, Lambert had knocked her only escape clean out of her mouth, the poison being crushed along with her molar.

She knew very well how skilled Lambert was with the sword.

And, if she helped Lambert escape alive, perhaps she could also escape.

She was aware how naive that thought seemed, and yet, she could only hope it would come true.

「As for what I wanted to ask. Well, I guess… There’s no point in you detailing all his evil deeds right now. Just lead me to Earl Aubock’s mansion for now, I’ll ask more about that guy along the way.」

「… EH?」

For a moment, the woman couldn’t believe what she just heard.

Even though she was desperately thinking of a way to escape from the Earl, she never expected that Lambert would choose to march into the Earl’s lair on his own.

On top of that, she presumed from his words that Lambert, in fact, had no idea where Earl Aubock’s mansion was located.

She thought that Lambert’s plan was way too reckless.

Most of Ainsaz’s citizens knew the location of the Earl’s mansion.

She wanted to be spared from the fate of being executed as a lesson for what would happen to a traitor.

「Woman, well I guess it’s rude to call you “woman.” And we’ve no time here. Tell me your name… Or alias, that’s fine too.」

「… I-I’m not telling you anything, even if you try to flatter me, I should’ve told you from the start. Don’t underestimate me, I-I’m trained to endure torture…」

The woman replied to Lambert, trying her best to glare at him.

「I see.」

Lambert discharged his Undead’s miasma.

The inside of the office was instantly overpowered by an atmosphere of pure death.

The woman’s body was drenched in a cold sweat. It was as if her body wanted to suck every last drop of moisture from her being, the terror of absolute death dominating her mind.

When she raised her face in fear, the man whose full-plated armor shrouded both his body and expression raised his sword. The blade remained sheathed in its scabbard, high in the air.

「Ah… Ah…」

The woman’s eyes locked onto the scabbard while her mouth quivered silently. She opened it one moment, then closed it the next. No matter what she wanted to say, the words would not come out.

The next moment, the scabbard swung down before the woman could utter a thing.

The heavy, metal scabbard struck its target, and a gust of wind followed in its wake, crushing the woman’s head and reaping her life in a single moment.

But, that was just an optical illusion seen by the woman. In fact, she was only hit by the wind pressure, while the metal scabbard passed by the side of her face, stopping right before it struck her shoulder.

The woman who saw such a scene gasped.

Yes, she had barely escaped death.

The throbbing of her heart was followed by a sense of oppression, fear, and nausea. Her mind in tumult; there were no words to describe what she was feeling.

「I’m in a hurry. I won’t miss next time.」

「A… Almel… Almel… Armeis…」

Half conscious, the woman unintentionally spewed her real name.

Because that was all she could do at that moment.

Relief washed over her as Lambert pulled back his sword.