Chapter 40

"Nyah, it’s not like it matters if there are more foolish women for those pretty boys! Hahaha, we won’t lose to them!"

"Don’t get too cocky just because of a surprise attack."

The abnormally resilient Micktinger brothers stood up even after taking a direct hit from Eric and Linsha’s attacks.

What should we do? First, we need to ensure the safety of His Majesty...

"Linsha, take Father to a safe place!"

"Leave it to me, Al! Uncle, hold on tight to Linsha!"

Following Eric’s instructions, Linsha carried the king and ran away from the scene at breakneck speed.

His physical abilities were truly remarkable. At that speed, he would reach the palace in no time.

"T-the target! Wait...!"

"I didn’t give you permission to go any further."

"Wh-what!?"

Nash, seeing Linsha carrying the king and fleeing at an unbelievable speed, tried to chase after him, but Eric wouldn’t let him.

They clashed swords a few times, and Nash seemed to realize that breaking through Eric’s defense would be impossible. He took a step back and glared at us.

"Sir Eric, please leave this to me and go to His Majesty. Johan and the others are injured and need medical attention."

I urged Eric to chase after Linsha, determined to capture the two of them this time.

The Micktinger brothers were far stronger than any of the previous assassins, and if anything happened to Eric, it would be a disaster.

"If they need medical attention, we can’t afford to back down. We’ll take care of these two quickly and call for help. That’s the faster way."

However, Eric showed no intention of backing down, readying his sword for battle.

Well, it’s true that fighting together would be faster...

"Your sense of justice is admirable, but sometimes you need to take care of yourself. If you die, that’s the end of it."

"Huh? Are you angry? I won’t die. You’re my bodyguard, after all. I won’t let you die either."

"You’re being too stubborn. You should consider your position as the crown prince more. ...Just this once."

I knew Eric wouldn’t back down once he made up his mind.

There were many things I wanted to advise, but it was pointless to say them now. It was better to focus on defeating the enemy in front of us.

For now, I would treat the person next to me not as the crown prince, but as a reliable comrade-in-arms.

"Brother! If we fail this mission, we’ll be the laughingstock of the underworld! Hahaha, I’ll kill them! Definitely!"

"Garcia, I’ll take the man. He seems to be the crown prince of this country. The woman will focus on protecting him."

The Micktinger brothers approached Eric from both sides, trying to pin him down.

It was the right decision for me to protect Eric.

But only when his life was in danger...

"Orubran Style, Tiger Wolf Flash!"

"What!? You’re aiming for me without hesitation!? Gah..."

Eric turned his back completely to Nash and attacked Garcia.

Garcia, taken aback by Eric’s unexpected move, took a step back.

"You’re giving up too easily. Come on, attack more!"

"Don’t get too cocky! Brother!"

Garcia, overwhelmed by Eric’s relentless attacks, checked on his brother Nash.

He still didn’t understand why Eric had his back to Nash.

That meant...

"You’ve completely separated us? Are you leaving Garcia to the crown prince?"

"Sir Eric is trusting me with his back. I believe he won’t die, so I’ll trust him with mine."

I stepped between Nash and Eric, deciding to take down Nash first.

I hadn’t forgotten my duty as a bodyguard, but Eric was strong. He might be more modest about his strength compared to Johan, but his speed was superior, and his skills were on par.

I believed that Garcia alone wouldn’t be able to kill me, so I trusted Eric with my back.

"Holy Wind, Spear of Light!"

"Is it really this different? Just by focusing on the attack...!"

Earlier, I had been distracted by the king’s safety, which made my spellcasting slower than usual.

Now, with only one opponent, my concentration was much better.

"I can’t accept this! We are renowned in the Delcott Kingdom—"

"This is the Elshaid Kingdom. I won’t miss this time. Breath of the Divine—"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

I didn’t want to kill him, so I held back the Breath of the Divine at close range.

Even so, it was effective enough to make Nash drop his sword and fall face down.

"Typical of Reia. You’ve already taken him down. Let’s finish this."

"Tch, you’re underestimating us! Pretty boys! I hate your face the most!"

Eric sheathed his sword and crouched down.

Garcia, enraged, held two daggers, one above and one below, and charged at Eric at high speed.

"Orubran Style, Secret Technique... One Demon Blade Flash!"

"Hehe, I knew you’d do that! An open back! I’ve got you!"

Eric quickly drew his sword to take down Garcia, but Garcia anticipated his move and circled behind Eric.

Then, he tried to stab Eric from behind, but...

"I can’t move! What is this chain!?"

"How long did you think you could fight me one-on-one? There’s no way you’d make such a big move without a plan."

"Light Chain Bind...!"

I had a hunch that Garcia would circle behind Eric, so I successfully captured him with the Light Chain.

The Light Chain is slow, so it only works if you can predict the opponent’s movement or if they are extremely careless. Fortunately, both conditions were met this time.

"It’s over. We’ve won."

Eric looked at me and raised his right hand high.

Um, is he trying to do a high-five?

"I didn’t expect Sir Eric to do something like that."

"Being told that with a straight face is embarrassing."

After reaching up to match his right hand with mine, I commented, and Eric blushed.

He must have been more excited than he thought, leading to this unusual action.

With Nash and Garcia, the major criminals from the neighboring country, captured, we quickly arranged for medical assistance for Johan and the others.

The king was safely transported to the palace by Linsha, and the major disturbance of the assassination attempt was temporarily over.

With such a bold assassination attempt, the identity of the mastermind would surely be revealed...