Chapter 74

### Defense and Counterattack

It's Julius's turn to take the lead, but it's a matter of life and death.

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**Learia**

A fierce yet pitiful and pleading cry. It resonated within me.

Father had said that this monstrous being was created using a human with a considerable amount of magical power as its base. And there was a person who seemed to fit that description. Most likely, the true identity of that powerful base was Cain Druitt.

And behind the scenes, pulling the strings was Learia Daches.

Based on my speculation, that girl is also a reincarnated soul. The only clear evidence is her careless testimony. However, her character is far removed from the original "Learia Daches." Her inexplicable actions and the way she treats Albertina as an enemy almost confirm it.

Is she trying to forcibly correct a broken route at this late stage?

Even if she kills me now, her crimes won't be erased. In fact, they will only become worse. I am currently an innocent young lady, with a noble lineage and a somewhat clumsy demeanor.

Moreover, my lineage and eye color carry a strange premium.

The royal family and the Senate seem to want me to bear a baby with the royal family's eyes, which is truly disgusting. I have a close connection to two of the four great ducal families and a noble position. Moreover, my father is a die-hard lover of his daughter. He would be furious.

Is it impossible to seek common sense from anyone other than His Majesty?

The Senate is also very dangerous, and so is Learia.

What does the person known as Learia seek, and why does she go to such extreme lengths?

Although she has distanced herself from Prince Lucas and Prince Leord, Cain and Graham must have admired her. From Gibreel, I learned that Findor has returned to his job as a teacher...

Based on in-game knowledge, Cain, despite his dependency, shows a clumsy and childish affection. He suffers from a curse but tries his best to love Learia.

Even if it's not his route, he should be a good friend.

Why does Learia go to such lengths to abandon him in such a miserable state?

This situation resembles the failure of Cain's curse removal in his bad ending.

If the curse removal is successful in Cain's good or true ending, he becomes a young man, not a child.

However, if it fails, he is consumed by the curse, manipulated by rival characters, and his magic goes out of control.

In the initial version of the game, I didn't know about the fan disk, version upgrades, or additional routes, but some of them involved transforming into a monstrous form.

To cure it, a high-quality special holy water or the cessation of life—essentially, death—is required. Our country has no saints or holy women skilled in curse removal.

While healers can treat injuries, ordinary curses, and status abnormalities, Cain's magical power is on par with Kishatia's, making the curse extremely powerful.

By dispersing or suppressing his magic with medication, Cain's magical power can be temporarily reduced, potentially weakening the curse.

"Miss Albertina"

"Y-Yes!"

Julius, who had noticed my thoughts, glared at me coldly as he held me in his arms and looked down.

Ah, oh... Is this a scolding?

"Do not even think about trying to do anything about it. This is not a situation for warmth."

"But... that monstrous being was originally human, wasn't it? It used words!"

"So what? Curses that erode the mind are not uncommon! If an amateur meddles, it won't end well."

"But... if it succeeds, it could be used to treat others..."

"You are the target! Prioritize yourself, even if it means leaving others to their fate!"

"No way!"

"Don't answer so quickly, you clumsy girl!"

He even clicked his tongue perfectly! This elite servant!

I am! A young lady! Master! Duke's daughter! Why are you so harsh?

While avoiding flying debris and cutting off tentacle-like things with a knife, Julius continued to scold me skillfully.

Ah, by the way, I understand why my father, who has returned from the battlefield, and Micaelis, who has the rank of a knight and serves as a bodyguard, have weapons. But why does Julius have a weapon? No, let's not think too deeply about it!

The Duke of Fortuna, who wields a greatsword, also has the role of a knight commander, so he probably had a bodyguard duty. However, his greatsword broke into pieces... Wait, is it melting? Could that monster use an acid attack?

But the Duke of Bear, without panicking, forcefully pulled a giant axe from the wall, causing a large section of the mural to be torn away. What kind of strength is that?

The monster that persistently targeted me was finally driven away by the Duke of Bear's powerful swing of the battle axe.

It's more like an octopus, but what is it?

"I have confidence in my defensive abilities!"

"Shut up. Stay out of the way. You are a complete novice in combat."

I tried to help by pulling on Julius's collar, but he immediately rejected me.

He rejected me so clearly and decisively that it was almost unnecessary to say it.

What is Prince Leord looking at Julius with such a shocked expression? Oh, how embarrassing. Eavesdropping is so vulgar.

"This is an emergency!"

"I know that, considering that Lady Grail entrusted you to me."

"... What's so strange? Aren't you my servant?"

We have always been together.

While Kishatia was at school, I spent more time with him, but originally, you were my servant, right?

With question marks dancing in my head, Julius gave me a dispirited look.

So! I am your senior! Why are you looking at me like you're seeing something pitiful? No, it's not that you're belittling me, but rather, you're pitying me?

"I have a fair amount of confidence that I am quite disliked by the Duke."

"Really?!"

"If Lady Albert didn't like me, I would have been fired long ago."

"My father isn't that extreme... is he?"

"No, he is. In fact, I am aware that Sebastian looks at me with a 'I wish you were dead' expression."

"What did you do to Sebastian? He is a very kind old man."

"The kind old man butler you know is deeply attached to his grandchild and his young lady.

The more you look for such people in the Latizche Duke's mansion, the more you will find. Remember this well."

Julius sighed without trying to hide his exasperation.

That kind and deep-voiced Sebastian? I don't think Julius would lie about something meaningless, but that kind and deep-voiced butler? He is very tolerant and accepting of my foolishness, even when I insist on reading picture books late at night. I think he is a pitiful housekeeper who is often troubled by my father.

But in the next moment, he was thrown to the side. A magic projectile flew to where we were, and the floor was gouged out.

Dust and debris flew, and I coughed, causing Julius to change his expression.

"... I talked too much. Are you hurt?"

"Just a cough. I'm fine."

"In the worst case, we will escape through the window. The entrance and the passage on the throne side are still blocked."

He glanced at the large, ornate stained glass window.

I know about this. According to the books I read, the stained glass in the audience chamber was brought from an ancient ruin thousands of years old and is made of materials from a lost advanced civilization. It has special light reflection, color changes, and resistance to impact and magic, which cannot be replicated with current technology. It is extremely rare and valuable.

"Don't worry, Miss Albert. You won't get hurt."

"But how do we break the special glass that has both physical and magical resistance?"

The floor, walls, and pillars have been damaged in the battle with Cain, but the glass remains unscathed.

Julius's face became serious.

"That glass is not ordinary, is it?"

"It is written in the books that it is from an ancient ruin..."

A loud explosion, and a knight was thrown against the glass, but it remained unbroken and shone brightly.

Ordinary glass would have shattered into pieces, right?

"I see, even in the audience chamber. It's not just beautiful but also a defense against enemy attacks.

In the worst case, we will dive into the crowd. Please bear with it."

"Julius, won't your arms get tired from holding me for so long?"

"Actually, it's a perk. You seem to have grown quite a bit, as usual."

"That's a mean comment! My height hasn't grown much in the past year!"

You men grow so easily!

Where have you grown? Where?

The cool expression on Julius's face as he looked down at me made me even angrier.

Despite the crisis, Julius still responds to my words.

And, strangely, having someone familiar around makes me feel more confident, so I end up resisting pointlessly.

I want to be useful. My calm mind tells me that I am a hindrance, but I have my strengths. My lineage, bloodline, appearance—and this barrier magic.

In terms of defense, I have as much confidence as my father.

... Did I say too much?

But it's a rare magic passed down through blood, significant enough to involve the right to the throne.

I am worried.

In the original story, my father did not intervene in Albertina's execution. Was he far away, or did he take responsibility and face punishment, or even die?

Is it possible that the original story's correction is so broken?

My heart trembles, and I instinctively hold it.

I was reincarnated as Albertina, saved from kidnapping by my father, and have been loved to the point of being overprotected.

A skilled swordsman, magician, duke, politician, and marshal—my father, who loved me the most, has always protected me.

How can I not use this power now?

"Uaaaaa!"

A scream rises.

Cain Druitt, in his monstrous form, unleashes his power.

The ceiling collapses—instinctively, I activate my magic to block the debris.

Everyone looks at the king and me in surprise, and when they realize I cast the barrier, they are astonished.

"Oh... what a sight! Excellent, to cast such a precise barrier in an instant! I knew of your power from the summer palace, but this is truly the magic of the royal family!"

An old man with a deranged smile approaches me, despite the situation. Cough, old man.

He is wearing an overly luxurious robe and jewelry, but he looks like a mummy.

Trying to focus on my magic, I instinctively cling to Julius. Julius silently looks down at the luxurious mummy with a very cold gaze.

"Danger! Speaker! Oh~"

A somewhat plain and faceless old man stepped on the luxurious mummy robe. The mummy stumbled, missed a step on the audience chamber's platform, and rolled down.

The mummy hit a broken pillar with his head, tumbled, and fainted.

The faceless old man glanced at the mummy and turned back with a kind face.

He gave a light wink. Ah, Julius seems a bit irritated...

"Hey! What a surprise, the footing is so bad! Lady Latizche, are you alright?"

"Yes..."

"Thank you for your concern, Duke Flings. The young lady seems to be quite shaken... I will express my gratitude on her behalf."

"Sure, sure, please keep the barrier up?

It seems that the fool who ran away first is worried that the monster will chase them, so they broke the few remaining entrances. Ahaha... The Sandis Castle is designed for a siege, making it difficult to enter or exit.

What are they doing? They should have finished it off quickly instead of hesitating."

The faceless old man seems to be the head of one of the four great ducal families.

The second half of his speech became rapid, and his eyes seemed to die.

Is he unexpectedly scary? He seems weak and harmless, but...

Julius remains calm.

Julius, you are a great support. I am confident in my clumsiness. I have no confidence in political interactions or noble maneuvering.

Duke Flings looks at me, who is clinging to Julius's neck, with a seemingly harmless but inscrutable smile.

When I make a small "peh..." sound, Julius sighs quietly. His eyes behind his glasses narrow, and he looks at Duke Flings with a cold, emotionless gaze. His thin smile suggests he is in a bad mood.

Duke Flings, seeing this, shrugs and steps back.

Thank you for reading.