Aisha stood in front of me spreading her hands to cover me. She stopped Castor’s attack with her greatsword. A loud *ching* rang out as metal collided with metal.
“Damnations! Out of the way, dark elf girl!”
“I refuse! I’m not letting you lay a finger on His Highness!”
Aisha swung her greatsword with all her strength, sending Castor flying.
Castor nimbly landed and cursed.
“Damnations, what ridiculous strength!”
“Yes. I’m not good with my head. But we have Hakuya, Juna, and Duchess Walter, all people with good heads. Yet when I’m told that my strength will be needed for His Highness’ supremacy, when I’m told I can stay by his side, I’m fine with ‘ridiculous strength’!”
Aisha readied her greatsword again, gradually shortening her distance to Castor.
“Why! Why are you so loyal to this man who hides behind women!”
“If you’re asking my opinion, then it’s because my King’s country’s cooking is delicious⁹, and because he saved my village … and a lot more, but after all, the most important one is because I like him as a person! I want to always be right by King Soma and Princess Liecia!”
⁹ «TN: priorities …»
Ah … this is embarrassing. I know it’s not that kind of scene, but I can’t help being happy when a pretty dark elf said something like that to me. In contrast to my broadly smiling face, Castor had a loathsome look on his.
“… Then die in his defense”
As he said that Castor slashed at Aisha once again, but that moment.
[I won’t let you!]
“!?”
The [Musashiboy-kun (large)] that had snuck behind Castor unawares slashed at castor with his halberd. Castor turned back and stopped the attack with his sword, but the moment he was going to counterattack, Musashiboy-kun rolled aside. Then as if tearing through his back, Liecia jumped out from inside holding her rapier.
“What!? Princess Liecia!?”
Against Liecia’s counterattack, Castor reflexively withdrew his sword. To Castor, Liecia was the daughter of the Lord he swore his allegiance to. Normally she wouldn’t be someone he would raise his sword against. If we had confronted Castor from the start with Liecia in clear view, he would have used his strength to disarm her without wounding her. To not let that happen, and having anticipated this sort of thing, I had Liecia hide inside [Musashiboy-kun (large)] and wait for her chance. That hesitation proved fatal to Castor.
“[Ice Sword Mountain]!”
“Kuh!”
Not letting the gap go, Liecia produced spikes of ice from the floor and ceiling, restraining Castor.
“Aisha!”
“Got it Princess!”
Turning towards the now immobile Castor, Aisha struck him with a full swing of the flat of her greatsword. The sound of ice breaking followed a moment later by the sound of Castor crashing onto the wall resounded. I witnessed the scene of a person being thrown against the wall making a circular-shaped dent like in a fighting anime. Having received an attack that would unmistakably kill me in an instant if it were me on the receiving end, Castor still kept his consciousness even while being wounded all over. As expected from a dragonewt, I suppose. The wounded Castor groaned.