The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement

Chapter 92

Brillie remained silently at her post for some time before reluctantly picking up her bow and arrows.

She knew that rushing out of the castle would only get her driven back, and she could not keep unleashing sword aura endlessly.

That's why she settled on using a ranged weapon as a compromise to deal with the enemy.

'As expected, bows don't suit me.'

Brillie pulled the bowstring taut and then released it. The arrow imbued with magic power shot straight out and embedded itself in the head of an undead.

The creature hesitated for a brief moment, but as the flames died out, it collapsed weakly.

'Arrows won't work on the tougher ones.'

Brillie was consciously distinguishing between the types of monsters as she loosed her arrows.

In close combat, she only needed to infuse her blade with magic power and cut straight through.

However, since she needed to defend the fortress, ranged combat was required, resulting in a decrease in her overall offensive power.

'Still, learning it has come in handy in some way.'

Brillie kept drawing the bowstring and striking her enemies with arrows. If a swordsman only practiced swordsmanship, a clear weakness would develop.

To truly become strong, one had to study other martial skills and supplement themselves.

'If it's going to be like this, using magic would be better...'

Brillie put her bow down for a moment and glanced sideways. Alter was exuding a vast amount of magic power, converting it into cold energy.

If a monster so much as brushed against that cold, it would be instantly frozen, making Alter's method seem far more convenient than individually shooting arrows.

'No. That's only possible because Alter Radiant is who he is. Ordinary mages can't do that.'

From the beginning, Alter's talent had been recognized even when he was cursed.

Even if he was given only a moment, he could freeze all his enemies.

Now that the restrictions of the curse were gone, he could display an even more superior side.

'... You told me I could rely on you.'

Brillie kept that promise deep in her heart. To rise as a swordswoman, she had to train diligently on her own.

Therefore, she had determined not to depend on anyone and to somehow achieve merit.

But Alter didn't even consider such things and simply sought to accept her presence.

'I can't let that happen. I have to become stronger.'

If her will faltered, even her trained body would become weak.

In the end, she would just become an ordinary noble lady and lose sight of the goal she had pursued for so long.

She had already vowed to protect her fiancé—how could she ever put down her sword?

'I decided to become family head because of you. So I won't lean on you.'

Brillie steadied herself again and placed another arrow on her bowstring. With her resolve now clear, she had no reason to hesitate.

She simply moved forward steadily, wielding her sword as a swordswoman.

'Even if I never become the family head... I will at least take responsibility for you.'

Ultimately, it was up to her father's discretion to decide the successor.

No matter how capable she was, if she was at odds with her father, she would never inherit the title of duke.

Therefore, she needed to be prepared to live on her own, regardless of when that day came.

'Father will always put the family first...'

Sensing a sudden threatening magic power, Brillie instinctively changed direction.

From far off, an armored knight was rapidly approaching. The flames blazing all over his body were overwhelming, incomparable to any other monster.

Perhaps it was that vassal who had been mentioned among the eastern army.

"Alter, that is..."

"Yes. I know. That must be the Knight of True Flame."

Even as he kept the monsters in check, Alter did not take his eyes off the Knight of True Flame.

The magic power he sensed was so forceful and steadfast that it was instantly recognizable.

Most likely, this one had stepped forward personally to disrupt their front lines yet again.

"It's... it's the Knight of True Flame!"

"Him again?"

"Doesn't he ever get sick of this?"

"How many does he want to kill this time..."

The soldiers recoiled at once in terror, shrinking back one after another.

Because of that one, the front lines had several times been thrown into chaos.

If not even the holy apostle could deal with this monster, how could ordinary soldiers stand against it?

"Brillie, I think you should draw your sword."

"Will he try to scale the wall again?"

"We should at least try to stop him before that."

Alter focused all his cold upon the Knight of True Flame. Against a powerful opponent, he couldn't afford a single gap.

If it could be ended quickly, their allies' losses would also be minimized.

"..."

The Knight of True Flame, detecting the coming attack, began advancing even faster.

He might be able to offset that cold, but exposed too long, his flames would die out. Thıs content belongs to novel✦fire.net

And if his movement was hampered for even a moment, sharp sword aura would surely rain down.

'He's driving back the cold. As expected, he's strong.'

Alter flinched but did not stop releasing his magic power.

Unless the magic was compressed to a high concentration, it couldn't counter Alter's cold.

Combined with bearing a dragon's flame within him, the Knight must have further strengthened his own magic power.

If left alone, he would soon be over the walls in an instant.

'Should I wait for him to climb up and fight together with Brillie? Should I pressure him with sword aura now?'

The Knight of True Flame was quickly drawing near the wall, but Alter still couldn't make a decision.

Even if he sent out sword aura now, the Knight might dodge or neutralize it.

It might be better to cooperate with Brillie, attacking the Knight of True Flame together.

'I can't kill him like this. It wouldn't be a disadvantage even if he made it up onto the wall... but...'

Alter realized that even that would be meaningless.

From the start, the Knight of True Flame had broken into the fortress alone to fight the holy apostle, and then, after a draw, had calmly withdrawn.

He must have done so because he was confident he could escape even if surrounded by the eastern army.

'For a monster, his behavior makes no sense. It's as if he's moving with some special purpose.'

Some monsters had latent intelligence, but usually, they obsessed over destruction and slaughter.

Even the Frost Witch had longed for her own destruction, bound by madness.

However, as the Knight of True Flame sought combat with the strong, his monster identity seemed lacking.

'Not unless his helmet is removed...'

"Ah..."

Brillie, missing her shot, swiftly drew her sword. The Knight of True Flame dodged the arrow with ease and leapt up in a single bound.

At the same time, the flames shrouding his armor surged even fiercer, and in an instant, a pair of wings appeared.

He landed atop the wall, spreading explosive flames all around him.

"Uaagh!"

"Argh..."

"Haa... you monster!"

"..."

The Knight of True Flame dismissed his wings and began walking slowly forward.

Not one soldier managed to block his incursion. They could only watch in terror as he approached.

"..."

The Knight of True Flame stopped at last and raised his sword at them. On the other side, Alter and Brillie stood.

Alter, facing him, released even more magic power.

"Alter, stay behind me. All right?"

"... Yes. I'll cover you."

Brillie, facing the Knight of True Flame, brandished her sword.

This monster had endured Alter's cold and made it this far—a formidable foe, certainly proficient in vicious swordsmanship, likely to press in with dragon's fire as well.

'Leave the flames to Alter, and if I can just pierce that sword...'

"..."

The Knight of True Flame stood unmoving for a while, then suddenly hurled himself forward.

Brillie immediately blocked the fiery slash, parrying it at once. But the Knight didn't care and kept pressing the attack, undaunted.

'Too fast. Where does this strength come from?'

Brillie measured her opponent's level after a few clashing blows. The pressure from the sword was intense; even deflecting each strike was difficult.

And the searing heat made it hazardous just to move in.

'So that's how it ended in a draw with the holy apostle.'

Brillie managed to keep pace with her opponent's sword strikes but couldn't break out of her defensive posture.

If she faltered for even a moment, the flame-clad blade would break through.

And if she were injured, Alter's safety would also be in jeopardy. Amidst all this, the familiar flow of the Knight of True Flame's attack nagged at her, making her inexplicably uneasy.

'How long can I hold out? Even attacking is hard...'

"Hmph!"

The Knight of True Flame, for the first time, was thwarted and took two steps back.

He'd been using his flames to ward off the cold all the while, but finally his right arm was momentarily frozen.

It thawed quickly, but if he let his guard down again, he would be counterattacked.

"Haah... Haa..."

Brillie finally caught her breath, trying to shake off the mounting tension for a brief moment.

If she'd made the slightest mistake, she'd have suffered a deadly wound. Without Alter's help, she surely would have already been knocked out.

"You can step back once you've held out long enough. I'll take care of the rest."

Alter steadied his magic power, stating this with gravity. The Knight of True Flame was pressing Brillie, but couldn't advance beyond that.

It seemed he was well aware of the threat Alter posed and responded with caution.

"..."

The Knight of True Flame, as if nothing were amiss, calmly adjusted his grip on the sword.

He'd expected as much, but the youngest son of the grand duke was wielding quite the formidable magic.

Moreover, she—Brillie—had become stronger too, so he couldn't simply press the attack recklessly.

'... In that case, I'll change tactics.'

The Knight of True Flame glanced between the two, then suddenly leapt up into the air.

At the same time, he manifested wings of flame and dove rapidly down. Alter instinctively sensed danger and erected an ice barrier.

"..."

The Knight of True Flame sliced only part of the ice wall and landed on the opposite side.

He hadn't shown even a hint of preparation, attempting to perfectly ambush them, but the youngest son of the grand duke had seen right through it.

And the ice wall was so sturdy that he couldn't completely destroy it.

'So this is why he was recognized by the great mage at that age.'

The Knight of True Flame was inwardly impressed as he and Alter stared each other down.

Back then, he'd wondered what was so great about him and had secretly resented him out of mere jealousy.

The bloodline of the Northern Grand Duke—her fiancé—possessed a potential that even he could not rival.

'The knights are starting to gather. If I don't escape now, it'll get quite troublesome.'

The Knight of True Flame, reluctant but resolute, fled outside the castle wall.

He had faced off against the two, so that would suffice for now.

In fact, going toe-to-toe with both proved he had been right in his convictions.

"Is it all right to just let him go?"

"We have to for now. Killing him right away would be difficult."

"...."

Brillie gazed with suspicion at the flames receding in the distance.

The Knight of True Flame had reproduced a sword technique she'd experienced in the past.

Above all, as it was the skill of the one she'd sought to surpass, she could only remember it even more vividly.

'It was definitely the Captain's swordsmanship. The Captain... is pretending to be a monster?'