CH 92.3

Dozens upon dozens of elite soldiers filled in, surrounding her in an instant.

Even so, Leslie’s expression did not change one bit.

The slight tilt at the corners of her lips displayed arrogance.

“Yeah. I’m confident. So what are you going to do?”

Before Cloud could answer.

“Four years! Witch Leslie! Four years!”

Shuffling through the warriors surrounding Leslie, the clique of Princesses and Princes appeared. The Crown Prince exclaimed triumphantly, intoxicated with the feeling of victory.

“You confined the Grand Duke with your heinous schemes, harmed me, the fittest, and trampled on the Principality’s laws. Iris looks down on us, so let the witch pay for her sins!”

Leslie let out a laugh.

“Now I’m the one violating the Principality’s laws? Aren’t you the ones who tried to split the Principality over our father’s dead body because he was in critical condition?”

“Shut up, witch! I will not tolerate any more of your transgressions. If you surrender obediently, I will look over your sordid deeds and may grant you mercy.”

“You sound funny, Alfred. You have no right to do that, by the same law you speak of. Because only the Grand Duke has the right to punish criminals in this Principality.”

“Yesss, two years! How dare you, a mere girl, proclaim yourself to be the Grand Duchess? And when I am still alive?!”

“When did I proclaim myself as the Grand Duchess? I just said you have no right to punish me.”

“Oh? What is—”

“Please correct me, father. If I’m wrong.”

Leslie spat out with a smile.

Her words shook the arena.

Agitation spread among Princes and Princesses, as well as upon their warriors.

Alfred hastily spoke.

“Oh, that can’t be. Our father, the Grand Duke was already on his death throes, inch away from death . Do you believe that you can fool us with this excuse for your ignoble rebellion?!”

“What rebellion… if you want to believe it, so be it. You can see it with your own ignorant eyes. Father!”

Leslie exclaimed, looking out onto the balcony.

All eyes in the arena turned to the balcony. A figure walked from the inside of the balcony under dozens of pairs of eyes.

A tall giant man donning a fur cloak and a breastplate carved into a wolf’s face. Even at a cursory glance, he seemed to be an outstanding warrior, but his face was engraved with long, diagonal scars.

Among the warriors of the Principality of Polycia, there was no one who did not know the owner of that scarred face.

He was Osner, the Grand Duke of the Principality of Polycia.

He cast his gaze down the balcony with a cold expression.

“No, how can this…”

The Crown Prince’s eyes quivered.

The Grand Duke of Polycia, Osner, was alive and healthy, which meant that a crisis had arrived for him, who was pressing charges on Leslie on the pretext of imprisoning the Grand Duke.

Now the cause was gone.

Leslie laughed.

“Alfred. Why don’t you stop making a show of yourself and go greet our father, whom you haven’t seen in a while?”

Alfred’s eyebrows twitched. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

‘It’s over if I step back from here.’

He had already drawn his sword and his father saw it too. If he withdrew from here, he would lose everything he had, even if his life was to be spared.

He shouted loudly to the wavering warriors.

“Everyone, get your head straight! Do you intend to be bewitched by this treacherous witch’s damned witchcraft?!”

Leslie frowned.

“…witchcraft?”

“Yes! You want us to accept that is our Grand Duke? I remember the last time I saw the Grand Duke he couldn’t even eat a bowl of porridge by himself. But look at that; not only is he healthy but also jacked up too, tell me how? Because, now this sure sounds funny! It must be your witchcraft!”

The warriors who heard his words widened their eyes.

The bow-bearers took aim again, and the blade-bearers squeezed on their grip. Even to them, the Grand Duke’s sudden turnaround was unbelievable.

And it was not only Alfred who had no going back, but they too. If not more. Unlike Alfred, who would get away with his life, they would all be executed.

Leslie’s eyes darkened coldly at the unchanging attitude shown by Alfred and his soldiers.

“Even though I gave you all a chance to undo your wrongdoings, you all still wag your tails to the traitors. Good, very good. You are no longer citizens of the Principality.”

A chill of rage began to emanate from her. Alfred raised his hand. With the fall of his hand, arrows will rain down and a fight will begin.

In such a spur-of-the-moment situation.

“Hey, old man. Yes, here. I want to receive my prize first, is that okay?”

Cloud raised his hand and spoke, addressing his words to the Grand Duke.

The cold, frozen atmosphere melted for a moment.

What did he say..? While everyone was half tensed and half dumbfounded, Grand Duke Osner, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth.

“Since you won, it’s only natural to give you the prize. What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything special…”

Cloud scratched his cheek then grinned.

“Come on, give me a shot, old man.”

A loud laugh broke the silence that followed.

Osner laughed out loud and jumped off the balcony.

“Huh, Father?!”

Leslie, who lurched to catch him with her magic, her complexion dyed blue, heaved a sigh of relief as he landed lightly.

“…uh?”

Leslie narrowed her eyes.

What did she just see?

Osner didn’t even care about the thoughts of his frozen daughter. He passed Leslie and faced Cloud.

No, he looked down.

Because he was one head taller than Cloud.

“You want to fight this old man who just broke out off of his death bed? Is that really what you want?”

Cloud shrugged his shoulders.

“Look at yourself, old man. Do you give the impression of a dyin—”

Puck! Bang!

When the sound came, Cloud’s form had already vanished. The warriors in a straight line behind Cloud had their backs folded as if they had bumped into something, and dust rose from the cracked walls of the arena in the distance.

“What, only this much? True, young people these days are getting weaker.”

Osner, who was shaking his fists, clicked his tongue in a pitiful countenance.

-…

Silence fell.