Chapter 470: The Younger Disciple
Near the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
Theodore and Alida were standing by in the middle of the plain after issuing evacuation orders to the surrounding villages.
The stage was set. All that was left was to bring down the chaos.
Amidst this, Alida was silently ditating.
Usually, Theodore wouldn't disturb her.
But, there was sothing he had to say.
"Alida... May I make a request?"
"That's unusual," she replied.
Alida stopped her ditation and stood up.
Seeing the hue of criticism in her eyes, Theodore averted his gaze. He felt like she could see through whatever he was about to say.
"Please, don't be angry..."
"I'm not angry. I just think it's disrespectful."
"I understand that... but still, I want to defeat Nigel with my own hands. As his senior... I should be the one to end this. I thought of him as my real brother. I want to settle this alone."
Upon hearing Theodore's request, Alida sighed softly.
And then,
"I understand your feelings. You're confident, aren't you?"
"Please..."
"And if you fail, how will you take responsibility?"
"...After fighting , Nigel won't co out unscathed either. You can finish him off there."
"Then we should fight together. We cannot afford to increase the damage for your personal satisfaction. You should understand that it is a luxury just to be here."
"...You're harsher than usual."
"This operation is for the safety of the Imperial Capital. Your personal feelings cannot supersede it. He is dangerous. Therefore, we'll take him down together."
With that, Alida rejected Theodore's request.
Theodore wasn't really expecting her to agree.
Alida was always duty-bound.
And Theodore was well aware of it.
"I'm sorry... forget it."
"I understand your wish to correct your brother's misdeeds with your own hands. I too, if I could, would have wanted the sa. However, we are imperial guards. Everything is for the sake of the Empire and the royal family. Our white mantles carry the great achievents made by our predecessors. We cannot tarnish that. This issue is not yours alone anymore."
Alida held a strong sense of pride as an imperial guard.
From a young age, she aid to be an imperial guard, and worked hard for it.
The Emperor was her father's friend.
Since her childhood, she thought that she would serve him, and everyone around her expected the sa.
So even when it ca to her brother Lawrence, Alida didn't do anything.
She simply acted as how an imperial guard acts despite the circumstances.
"...You're right. It's not just my problem anymore... Forgive . I was arrogant... I forgot that I'm here thanks to the cooperation of many."
"Exactly... It's not us who are responsible. His Highness Arnold placed us here expecting nothing but victory. We are not allowed to report anything but victory."
This was a problem that should have been resolved by the imperial guards alone.
The Emperor had given them this task.
But, considering the damage to the Imperial Capital, a tactician was needed.
When a tactician was ntioned, Alida thought of Al.
The prince who had frad and killed her brother.
He was said to have switched places with Leo, but considering his past achievents, it was suspicious.
There was no point in probing it now.
So Alida didn't say anything.
Coincidentally, Theodore also thought he should seek Al's help, based on advice from the brave.
And when he asked,
Alida didn't miss the fleeting expression on Al's face.
A resigned look, as if he had no choice.
It was the sa expression he had shown to Elna, but Alida knew that before that, his gaze had captured her.
He accepted the heavy task because he was soft on his childhood friend.
But that wasn't all.
Alida knew that the look also revealed his sense of guilt towards her.
"The imperial guards have involved His Highness... All we can do is deliver results. Everything else is nothing but distractions."
Slowly, Alida drew her sword from its scabbard.
The bracelet that Theodore wore was reacting.
Nigel was about to teleport here.
"For His Highness..."
Muttering quietly, Alida entered her battle stance.
At the location to which Nigel had teleported, there stood a woman he had never seen before and his brother disciple who he had not seen for a while.
"Such a cunning plan."
With that dismissive comnt, Nigel raised his Fla God to the upper position. In response, the two of them also assud their stances.
"Imperial Guard Knights Commander, Alida von Weitling."
"Imperial Guard Knights Vice-Commander, Theodore Ryles."
The mont the two of them declared their nas, the atmosphere of the place instantly grew tense. Nigel's instincts as a swordsman were telling him. They were not opponents he could easily defeat two-on-one. Still, Nigel pushed back those instincts.
"I see I'm not being underestimated."
"Is that so?"
He heard a voice from the side. Nigel allowed his body to react, twisting his torso. He realized that he had been slightly cut on his flank. If he had been a little slower, he would have suffered a deep wound. Alida, who had been in front of him until a mont ago, was suddenly at his side.
Seeing her speed, Nigel ford a fla barrier around himself. The fla barrier, which serves both offense and defense, consus a lot of energy and reduces the attack power of the Fla God. It's a technique that has to be deactivated once you start focusing on attacking. Yet, he prioritized defense because he assessed Alida as that dangerous.
"For us, there is no such thing as insufficient or adequate. We are just following orders to defeat you. That's all."
"The Commander of the Imperial Guard Knights... This will be fun."
"I have no intention of making this enjoyable. You are Nigel, the disciple of the late Count Rossarc. I will defeat you on the orders of Prince Arnold."
With this declaration, Alida slowly started to walk towards Nigel.
TL's Notes:
This marks the end of the double upload season, now it will be just 3 chapters a week instead of 2... We shall see since I will be starting my new job soon ;d
More chapters on Patreon: /user?u=38972968
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