Chapter 135

Considering the survival and affection of Robert, who is the quest target, the obvious choice is to just run away without looking back.

However…

‘What happens to the standing of a Duke who abandons his territory and flees?’

Will it just end with taking a bit of flak?

Would Jeffrey, who has been eagerly watching for an opportunity to bring Robert down, just stand by and let this happen?

If Robert loses his standing because of this incident, changing the master of the ducal domain will be an absolute certainty.

‘Because recovering his image will be practically impossible no matter what he does.’

In that case, the only option left would be to give up on romancing Robert and switch targets to Jeffrey.

‘That’s one way to do it, though…’

Should I ask Mo Je-won to pick for me or something?

I just can’t get a grip on this.

‘This is driving me nuts.’

It feels like my head is going to split open.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting ready?”

Ah, was I standing there spacing out for too long? I hurriedly sent a chat message and fixed my expression.

“Um. I was just wondering how I should break the news to Lord Villero and Noah.”

“…I’m not taking them. We don’t have the luxury for that. Which is just as well. Those two know way too much. There’s no need to shoulder risks just based on blind loyalty. Let’s ditch them while we have the chance.”

His tone was as placid as throwing a worn-out, long-used item straight into the trash can.

Does this guy have zero attachment or empathy?

Noah must have known him since childhood, and I heard Villero had served Robert alone from his youth all the way up until his old age as an elderly man.

To dispose of such people like throwing away worn shoes without a single shred of hesitation.

I seriously have to wonder if he’s a psychopath.

Ding!

After casually saying I understood and returning to my room, I checked Mo Je-won’s reply, which arrived right on time.

[ Mo Je-won: The protagonist is heading to the ducal domain right now, so maybe they can find a way to bail you out? Try telling them to hold out just a little longer. ]

I know that. But the situation here is just too bad.

No matter how fast you travel, the distance between the county and the ducal domain takes several weeks.

‘And by that time, things here will already be decided.’

[ Mo Je-won: Are you kidding me, you’re running out of food too? With no supplies coming in, what on earth gave you the guts to say you’d march all the way to the wall? ]
[ Me: I thought we’d reach it before running short. The problem was that the magic beasts’ offensive was way fiercer than anticipated, causing us to miss the timing to escape this fortress. ]
[ Mo Je-won: You should have anticipated that, too! ]

…That is complete and utter nonsense. How on earth am I supposed to foresee a future I’ve never seen?

Besides, every fortress always had a well-maintained storage room prepared for wartime, so food shortages shouldn’t have been an issue.

Turns out, not all the fortresses were properly maintained, though.

Someone must have embezzled the supplies from a few of them.

When you get stuck with a poorly managed fortress like that, you’re supposed to quickly relocate to another, but we couldn’t even do that right now.

Complete isolation. Stamina exhausted from the march all the way here. Meager rations. Knights who had lost all morale.

[ Mo Je-won: It’s literally the most hopeless situation imaginable. ]

Exactly as he said.

[ Mo Je-won: If Robert runs away, is there really zero chance of survival for the people left behind? ]

Since he planned to pull out the highly skilled knights in advance for his own escort, and on top of that steal the food… yeah, probably.

[ Mo Je-won: Haah…. Honestly, I have no idea if running away is even going to fix this. ]

Since the protagonist and the Saintess were scheduled to arrive, running away would technically resolve the crisis eventually.

Even if absolutely everyone here died, that is.

And that was already a foregone conclusion whether Robert ran away or not.

[ Mo Je-won: You used to be a Saintess, do something! ]

Do you think I can pull that off right now? And I am not in the mood for jokes.

[ Mo Je-won: Do you think you’ll regret it? ]

…I don’t know. Part of me feels a sense of emptiness knowing that the affection points I’ve painstakingly built up with Robert might go to waste, and another part feels a strange, draining sense of exhaustion and depression at having to just stand by and watch people I’ve grown somewhat attached to die along the way. Especially since I’ve been through it before.

[ Mo Je-won: If you want to survive, run away with Robert and figure out a plan so he doesn’t lose his standing. If it fails, changing your target is the most logical move. The answer is already set in stone, so why are you hesitating right now? ]

The answer is already set in stone?

…He’s right. The easiest path available to me right now is to run away.

Yet, the fact that I’m still hesitating means I don’t actually want to run away.

[ Mo Je-won: Don’t overthink it, just go with your gut. Put calculations aside for a moment. ]

…If I just blindly follow my gut like that, it might turn out to be the express ticket to my next reincarnation.

[ Mo Je-won: If you die and there’s a next time, you can afford to do it at least once. Plus, if you use your items, it might actually be easier than you think. ]

That… is true.

‘Fine, let’s just go for it.’

Let’s play tower defense against the magic beasts right here in the fortress until the protagonist and other reinforcements arrive.

If I actively utilize holy artifacts and potions, it might not be entirely impossible.

Let’s try saving as many people as possible so that Robert’s act of fleeing ends up looking like a mere minor hiccup.

The odds are slim, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just have to bank on my next life, what else can I do.

‘To use the holy artifact, I need to get people to gather together.’

Range, the range is the problem.

I need a reason for people to stay within the restricted effective radius of the holy artifact.
That means leadership is required, along with a focal point.

‘This is why being a Saintess was so much more convenient…’

It’s moments like these that make me miss mindlessly shouting out praises to Ralphican.

‘No. Let’s keep it simple.’

What’s decided is decided.

Whether it works or not, I’ll worry about that later… right now, it’s time to act.

“You’re not coming?”

“Yes. It makes sense for Your Grace to evacuate to plan for the future, but I am different. I believe Your Grace will find a way to rescue us before it’s too late.”

Knowing that informing Robert directly would inevitably result in him trying to drag me along using every sweet-talking persuasion in the book, I spoke to Darian in a matter-of-fact, notifying tone thirty minutes before departure.

‘Because arguing with that man is exhausting.’

What I’ve learned by watching him up close is that Robert’s stubbornness is off the charts.

Well, it was an unintended bonus that Darian got added to the affection list in the process.

With a complex expression filled with a mix of disbelief and pity, Darian rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I understand your intent, but wouldn’t it be better to come with us?”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“…Very well.”

Darian didn’t try to stop me any further.

And just like that…

Robert and the rest of the elite knighthood members left the fortress, their wagons packed full of precious rations.

As if the heavens themselves were merciless, not even half a day passed after that—

Thud! Thud!

“Damn it, I shouldn’t have come here…”

“Let’s run away. It might not be too late yet!”

“…Run away to where?”

The fortress had ultimately allowed the invasion of magic beasts.

Kugugugugung!

The sound of the outer stone walls of the fortress collapsing echoed through the air.
In accordance with the emergency protocol to gather in the dining hall during a crisis, we non-combatants were currently congregated there.

The reason for this protocol was likely because the dining hall, which housed the food preservation vault, served as the final defensive line for survival.

Screams and despair-laden voices of the people filled the venue…

‘Naturally, since the elite knights, the core of the knighthood who had been holding off the magic beasts day and night, had all bolted.’

It was only a matter of time before the defensive line collapsed.

‘Let’s just go with the plan for now.’

It was a gamble, though.

“Hey, hey, Belita!”

Clearing my throat and trying to shout out to the people, I was suddenly interrupted by an arrogant voice calling my name.

“What are we gonna do? I heard a few of the elite knights already skipped town! Cowardly bastards with no knightly honor! They’re saying there aren’t enough personnel to stop the magic beasts at all! Even the imperial folks were debating whether to run away amongst themselves.”

The one who had sought me out, sweating profusely and in a rush, was Drott.

‘How nice to see you in a situation like this.’

Drott was a member of an old vassal family and the protagonist’s squire, holding a fairly prestigious reputation within the Rubel family.

Which meant he held a fair bit of influence here, where most people belonged to vassal families.

‘If I put this guy at the forefront, I can lead the people, right?’

Just as I was starting to feel motivated, Drott blurted out a real mood-killer.

“You, run away with me. With your skills, you can easily get us out of here by taking me along.”

…I have no idea why there are so many people asking to run away together.

The unfortunate part was that not only did I have zero intention of doing so, but our mutual intentions were entirely about using each other.

‘Since he willingly self-reported his leverage, I might as well use it.’

“I plan to hold out here as much as possible for now.”

Drott doubted his ears and immediately pushed back.

“Are you out of your mind? That’s not gonna work! Didn’t you just hear the city wall break? This place is next!”

“Can Lord Drott escape alone?”

“…….”

A fierce, lethal glare pierced right through me…

“Staying with me is probably your best bet at raising your survival odds.”

“Haah. You seriously don’t seem to get the situation. The knights are running around like headless chickens, their formations broken, and they’re getting slaughtered left and right. You might be able to save your own skin, but getting others out too is impossible. No matter how good you are.”

“…….”

“And this is his order. To return to his side along with Belita. I walked straight into a death trap trusting only you, so isn’t this going a bit too far?”

Jeffrey? Did he know things would turn out like this?

‘Come to think of it, what on earth was Drott’s reason for coming all the way out here?’

“Hey, just save me, okay? Please~!”

Ding!

Not even worth considering.

Before the timer even popped up, I rejected him right on the spot.

“I refuse. Since I didn’t receive this order directly from him, I cannot accept it.”

“Hey, y-you don’t trust me right now? You think I’m making this up because I want to live. Ha! Wow! I’m completely speechless! How frustrated would he be if he found out!”

Kwakwakwakwang—!

“Everyone, run away! We’ll hold them off!”

The sound of stones collapsing rang out once more.

This time, it was extremely close to the dining hall.

Right after, the doors of the dining hall burst wide open, and knights came rushing through the gap.

Wearing differing styles of knight uniforms, it seemed that knights belonging to the ducal house and the imperial faction had been acting together.

Though Drott had rambled on about knights running away and whatnot, fortunately, there were still knights left who possessed a shred of knightly honor.

“If you just cooperate properly, I’ll make sure you survive.”

Turning my steps toward them, I whispered to Drott.

The bickering ends here. We truly didn’t have time anymore.

Before Drott could retort, I took the initiative.

“Everyone! Please gather over here!”

My shout failed to reach the ears of people consumed by extreme confusion and despair.
Just as I was clearing my throat to shout again, Drott grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

“Hey, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”

Ignoring him, I shouted out.

“A message from the Duke! Everyone, please maintain order and form a circle around me!”

To prompt him to help, I gave Drott’s shin a gentle kick with my foot.

Muttering an Ah, geez, Drott ended up raising his voice, too.

“Gather around, everyone! I-it’s an order from the Duke!”

The knights seemed to have some wits left about them.

Responding to Drott and my words, they approached us.

“What is the meaning of this?”