Chapter 395

Chapter 395

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 395: Wah! Ba-rat!

While sleeping, embracing the unusually troubled Faye like a body pillow, I woke up to the sound of someone running down the hallway and shouting.

“Attack! Cultists and monsters are crossing the Black Iron Mountains and invading! Warriors, take up your weapons! Those who are not, aid the warriors!”

“…What the?”

I was still half-asleep, my mind hazy, trying to figure out what I had just heard.

The voice from a moment ago struck me with reality once more.

“Madam Astrid has summoned the forces of an Evil God!!”

“Son of a…”

They were planning to leave tomorrow, but they were attacking at dawn today.

How wonderful it would have been if I had misheard in my sleep. I suppressed the irritation that was slowly rising due to being forcibly awakened.

I’ll save this for the cultists and monsters later; for now, I need to prepare.

Looking around, everyone was already awake. Only Faye, who was mentally exhausted and the weakest in terms of combat ability, was still stirring.

I gently shook Faye awake as she whined and tried to burrow deeper into my embrace.

“Senior Faye, wake up.”

“Uuung… if you want to touch my chest, go ahead… I want to sleep…”

“I didn’t wake you up to hear something so obvious. It’s a big deal.”

“My chest is bigger…”

“The forces of an Evil God have invaded, you know?”

“Fighting… If you need a potion, take it from my bag…”

“They say it’s the guys your stepmother brought.”

“…Heh?”

This seemed to shock her a bit, as Faye suddenly sat up and looked around.

She looked at our companions, who were already gathering their tools–no, equipment, and asked.

“What are you talking about?!”

“That’s what I’d like to know. What on earth is going on?”

I was also dumbfounded. It was true that the Yareunshade territory was near the border, but it was quite a distance from the front lines.

And yet, the monsters that were clearly being held back were suddenly pouring in? And leading them was the mistress of this household?

Wasn’t that as absurd as saying unicorns exist?! It’s not a platypus; where would a horned horse come from?!

But do you know this? Actually, a rhinoceros is a horse’s neck. Strictly speaking, it gets a bit complicated, but anyway, you could argue it’s a horned horse, so you could roughly count it as a unicorn!

“So, this sudden commotion might actually be real.”

“I don’t understand a single word you’re saying, but anyway, it’s definitely a big deal, as you say, Junior.”

“That’s right. It’s hard to believe that Madam Astrid brought them, but…either way, it’s certain that the forces of an Evil God are advancing.”

Nodding, I lightly checked my condition. I was a bit heavy due to lack of sleep, but there were no other problems.

Thinking that I could cover this much with mana, I lightly circulated my mana.

Meanwhile, Faye, who had been deep in thought about something, suddenly hardened her expression.

“…No. If it’s that person, she could definitely do it.”

“It seems you have something you can guess.”

“Madam Astrid… I don’t know what’s so good about him, but she likes Father a lot.”

“What does that have to do with pledging allegiance to an Evil God?”

“She’s the kind of person who would do anything to be loved by Father. And they say Evil Gods prey on people’s desperate desires, right?”

“Ah.”

Rohan had a terminal illness, though the name was unknown, and was on his last legs. What if there was a way to save such a Rohan?

“She’s someone who would gladly join hands with an Evil God.”

Faye sighed and changed her clothes. She wouldn’t be directly on the battlefield this time either, but the battlefield was a place where anything could happen.

She was already ostracized in the territory, and didn’t she say she had almost been assassinated in the past? She needed to prepare at least.

Just as she finished all her preparations and was about to go outside to check the situation.

“Excuse me!”

Bang!

The door opened with a force that threatened to break it. She had barged in without permission, but this wasn’t the time to worry about rudeness, so he understood.

The familiar face of the maid… the dwarf woman, who was Baru’s daughter, gasped and continued speaking.

“It’s an attack! The cultists are leading monsters and crossing the Black Iron Mountains! They’ve already approached within visible range, so you must evacuate immediately! The preparations… you’ve already finished them. Thank goodness.”

He chuckled at her relieved sigh and asked.

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know your name. What should I call you?”

“R-Ryubeubina,” she said.

“Alright, Ryubeubina. Why did you only come now?”

Normally, when something this dangerous happens, shouldn’t they evacuate the honored guests to a safe place first? Especially since Faye, who had the Jarl’s blood, was here too.

“I’ve been receiving such VIP treatment lately that this neglect feels rather new to me.”

“That’s…”

Ryubeubina flinched, as if something had occurred to her. Well, it was probably because she was reluctant to get involved with Faye.

Even though Astrid was leading the forces of an Evil God, this was her attitude. Had she not yet tasted the spiciness of the cultists?

He was about to sigh inwardly.

“That’s probably because everyone is intimidated by Count Yandel.”

“Ah.”

So I was the spicy one.

I was taken aback by the unexpected truth, but Ryubeubina continued in a serious tone, as if now was not the time for such reactions.

“This is not the time for this. You must evacuate with Lady Faye immediately.”

“Hmm hmm. You’re right. Then please lead the way, Ryubeubina.”

“Yes. If you follow me, we can go outside the territory through the underground passage…”

“No. To the city walls.”

“…What?”

Ryubeubina widened her eyes and looked up at me. She seemed to have trouble understanding what she had heard and began to stammer.

“B-but the city walls are dangerous! This is not the time for sightseeing; you must evacuate safely…”

“Haven’t you heard any news about me?”

“God… Killer?”

“I couldn’t have earned such a title by just running away, could I?”

I lightly shrugged and turned my gaze to Faye.

“Are you alright with this, Senior Faye?”

“Huh? With what?”

“These people here. They’re all the guys who ignored and badmouthed you, right? And yet, I’m asking if it’s okay to fight to protect this place.”

Faye let out a dumbfounded chuckle at my words.

“Junior… What on earth do you think of me?”

“A gloomy, lonely, big-breasted, pretty, obedient girl.”

“That’s too long! And it’s a completely irrelevant evaluation to the current situation! But thanks for saying I’m pretty!”

Faye, who had yelled once, let out a deep sigh and nodded.

“Well, anyway, it’s true that I had a lot of pent-up feelings… but I cut them all off yesterday. More importantly, whose lover am I? I can’t even distinguish between public and private matters? If it’s something that needs to be done, I’ll do it, Junior. I’m also willing to help if there’s anything I can do.”

“That’s what she says, Ryubeubina.”

Ryubeubina, who had been blankly staring at Faye’s words, belatedly came to her senses and bowed.

“I will escort you to the place with the best view of the surroundings… And thank you.”

Ryubeubina then turned around and led the way. I followed behind her, quickly striding through the hallway.

Stepping outside, the area around the mansion was deserted without a single soul in sight. However, as soon as we went beyond the mansion grounds, numerous dwarves were moving busily. They must have all come out to find their respective roles.

As we walked through the increasingly crowded streets, small whispers could be heard from here and there.

“Madam Astrid…? Is it true?”

“Well, that’s what they’re saying. It’s not just circumstantial; she even told them to open the city gates and surrender peacefully.”

“Has she gone mad?! With the Jarl sick, what is this…?”

Half of the whispers expressed disbelief at Astrid’s betrayal, while the other half cursed her.

Listening to this, something suddenly piqued my curiosity, and I asked Ryubeubina.

“By the way, what on earth has Madam Astrid been doing all this time that no one noticed the signs until she brought the monsters?”

“Since the Jarl fell ill, she has been handling all the major and minor affairs of the Yareunshade family. So, when Lady Faye arrived and Madam Astrid said she was briefly leaving with Master Svid for Jarl proxy duties, no one suspected a thing. At most, they just thought she didn’t want to meet Lady Faye.”

“As soon as Faye came, she hurriedly ran off and brought monsters… it certainly seems like something’s going on.”

Well, whatever Astrid’s circumstances were, it was none of my business.

What mattered was that she not only paved the way for the cultists and monsters but also advised everyone to surrender quietly without resistance.

It seemed to be one of three possibilities: either she was a cultist who had infiltrated, or she had recently defected, or she wasn’t a cultist but was in a cooperative relationship with them.

Whichever it was, she was an enemy to be killed.

An Evil God active in the North would likely be the God of Reckless Roar.

Unlike the Grotesque Proliferation or Boiling Silence, this one didn’t have special abilities but purely granted strong power and a solid physique.

But for me, that was actually a convenient opponent. If it was a straightforward power struggle, I wouldn’t lose to anyone.

With the thought of immediately using Punishment, I climbed onto the city walls and looked around.

“Huh?”

What the…?

Why are there so many?

Didn’t you guys get half wiped out by Solari before?