I don’t have the time right now to be distracted by my vivid memories of father and his crazy smile.

We were suddenly attacked.

On the other side of the tower we were on that connected the n.o.bles’ building and the knight building, the door to the tower that connected the knight building to the barracks was suddenly kicked open. With metallic clanging sounds, enemy soldiers drew their swords and came swarming like an avalanche, charging at the soldiers from my army closest to them.

“Dominic! Igor!”

Instantly, one of my soldiers had a fresh blood splatter down his back, while another one of my soldiers had a sword piercing through his stomach. My whole body felt like it was simultaneously flying into a hot-blooded rage, as well as trembling as if I was cold, bound by a strange feeling.

Before I realized it I was shouting out their names. The voice coming from my throat sounded more heartbreaking than I’ve ever heard it before.

“Richard, Wojciech!”

My soldiers were attacking the ambushers that had cut down Dominic and Igor. However, they were surrounded by a greater number of enemies, and Richard and Wojciech were pierced through by swords as well. With their eyes still wide open, both of them collapsed on the stone roof. I saw them convulsing limply with blood running out of their bodies, until someone’s arm blocked my vision.

“My lord, please get down!”

The arm was Gunther’s. Under his protection, we retreated back towards the n.o.bles’ building, and I put a hand on the hilt of my sword. Since overly long weapons would be useless indoors, I had left my halberd that Ergnade had taught me how to handle back in the mountain cave with the Shiru tribe.

Like the wind, the knights appeared from behind me to jump to my defense. They began cutting off enemy heads with their swords, and piercing them through their chests in return.

However, our a.s.sailants kept up their fierce attack. The a.s.sailants were equipped with slightly shorter swords than the average ones in Arxia, with extremely sharpened tips. It’s basically a single-edged weapon, strong at piercing, and easy to wield due to how light it is.

It’s become a chaotic melee on the fort’s rooftop, with screams, death cries, and angry roars adding to the confusion. People on both sides were dying left and right, even falling off the fort’s roof to the ground far down below.

At this ghastly scene, father’s howling laugh from long ago echoed in the back of my head. I felt like I was seeing the h.e.l.l that father had created all over again.

My knees were quivering, and my brain seemed completely numb.

“My lord, please escape!”

The moment that Gunther called out to me, an attacker came from my blind spot behind a pillar, flying at me. As I was jumping backwards, Gunther’s sword was already blocking the attacker’s sword. With the clashing sound of metal against metal, Gunther blew away his opponent completely. However, at the next moment another enemy was already attacking Gunther with a short spear.

“Gunther!”

I gulped. My body felt leaden. All I could hear was my father’s howling laughter in the back of my head. With the metal equipment that Gunther received from Fort Jugfena, he successfully deflected the enemy’s attack, then cut off the enemy’s head with his sword.

“Get out of here already!”

He roared angrily at me with worry in his voice. His voice sprang my body into action, and I finally took a step.

The other knights charged with my protection were also fending off attackers coming from all directions. If even one of them falls it feels like we’ll be overwhelmed, alarm bells were now ringing in my head. Turning around, I saw some knights retreating back into the n.o.bles’ building with the fainted Earl Einsbark and Wiegraf. One of them noticed my situation, and came running back over here with sword in hand.

“Hurry up and get out of here!”

At the same time that he was shouting at me, I was running there in a straight line as fast as I could.

From the side, I saw a type of gauntlet glove I’ve never seen before reach out, and slice the knight running over to me in half. Together with the knight’s dying scream, blood splashed out on me in a long stream. My right ear was beating in pain from the loudness of his scream. Luckily at least blood didn’t splash into my eyes. I used the inside of my sleeve to roughly wipe off the blood on my forehead.

I can’t stop just because I got splashed with some warm liquid. I slowed my running slightly so that I could change direction at any time. For the first time ever, I cursed at how young and weak my body was still, feeling just how much of a difference there was in physical capabilities between me and the knights.

“Viscountess!!”

Someone was screaming for me. I jumped sideways because I saw a reflection of light in the edge of my field of vision.

Sure enough, I made a good decision. I heard the sound of cloth tearing, and felt myself being pulled slightly by the momentum of something pa.s.sing by me. It seems that my cloak has been torn. My helmet fell off, making a banging sound against the floor. I still had my hand on the hilt of my sword.

I jumped up again without even taking a moment to catch my breath. Something heavy bounced off against the ground where my face had been just one second earlier. I didn’t even dare to look back behind me, and kept running again.

However, at that moment I started choking. Someone was dragging me by my torn cloak. He lifted me up into the air by my cloak, choking me.

“Cough……”

I reflexively grabbed at the cloth around my neck with both hands feverishly. Even so, all I could do was swing helplessly in the air. Although I kept trying to scratch and kick the person holding on to me, it did nothing at all.

I was getting dizzy and my eyes couldn’t see anything. Together with my vision flickering, my whole body was shaking violently. I was beginning to foam from my mouth, and it was dripping down my cheeks.

“Having a brat on the battlefield, eh. It’s the same everywhere.”

As everything in my world was going blurry, the only thing I could still hear clearly was the coa.r.s.e sounding voice of the man holding me.

“How pitiful. That’s right, at the very least, I’ll let you have some fun before dying. All children love to dream about flying, don’t they?”

As he said so, the man began laughing rather unpleasantly. Although I kept struggling –

I suddenly felt the pressure and pain against my neck disappear.

“Ah,”

My clothes were making annoying flapping sounds. My arms kept reflexively trying to grab onto something. All I got was handfuls of air.

After I was thrown off the top of the fort, although it was ridiculous, I couldn’t help but think of the free fall amus.e.m.e.nt park ride I rode before in my previous life.

At the same time, gooseb.u.mps were crawling up my flesh. I was rapidly approaching the ground, but my fear of death was completely dispersed due to the sound of my father’s howling laughter repeatedly echoing in my head.