The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 191

191. Counterattack (2)

May 09, 2024

As the tentacle’s grip weakened, Duke Adrian swiftly slashed it away with his sword.

He immediately lunged towards Michael, aiming for his left shoulder blade.

For the first time, his attack landed. The tip of his sword, which had been deflected in the air, finally pierced Michael’s collar.

But that was it. Before the sword could penetrate further, Duke Adrian was thrown back again. Michael sustained a deep wound on his back, bleeding profusely, but it wasn’t fatal.

“Father!”

Duke Adrian regained his balance just before falling and charged at Michael again.

However, the second stroke of luck didn’t work. This time, something rose from the ground and ensnared the Duke’s sword.

At the same time, Michael’s already ominous energy intensified dramatically.

“Ha, you little vermin…”

Michael covered his left eye and sneered. Black smoke billowed from between his fingers.

[Woof!]

Silver, who had been biting at Perito, was also thrown back. Joshua coughed, seemingly shocked by the impact.

“Rose, I tried my best to accommodate you. If you had just come with me willingly, I wouldn’t have laid a finger on them. So why do you keep making things difficult and angering me?”

“……”

Rosette had a bad feeling. She prepared to cast a defensive spell at any moment, swallowing hard.

As if he had been suppressing his energy until now, raw, untamed mana and an unknown aura were leaking from Michael’s body.

Some of the knights groaned and clutched their necks, unable to withstand it.

Rosette agonized as she watched even Isabel, who had been composed, clench her teeth.

What should she do? What choice could she make to ensure that no one got hurt and that there was a good ending?

It seemed impossible to persuade Michael.

She didn’t know why he wanted Rosette so badly, but it seemed he would never give up on her.

No, Michael himself had probably forgotten why he wanted to be with Rosette in the first place. All that remained was his obsession and fixation on her.

He had forgotten his original purpose, leaving only fragments of emotion.

His blind desire for Rosette would only subside after he finally obtained her.

However, defeating Michael here without any sacrifices was nearly impossible.

Even if they joined forces to subdue him, someone’s sacrifice would be inevitable.

‘In that case, rather…’

Wouldn’t it be the right choice for her to go with Michael?

Michael said he would let the others go cleanly if Rosette came along willingly. He was capricious, but he wasn’t a liar, so he would definitely keep his word.

If she couldn’t trust him, she could make him swear an oath with magic.

‘Then, I can look for an opportunity to escape.’

If she could fully recover her strength while alone with Michael, she could subdue him.

She doubted whether she could take his life with her own hands, but for now, that was the most certain method.

Michael wouldn’t treat Rosette carelessly either, so she didn’t need to be too afraid of her time with him.

‘Even if I can’t escape and have to be with Michael for the rest of my life, it can’t be helped.’

Rather than losing all her loved ones and surviving alone, it was better to sacrifice her own happiness to save her family and Joshua.

Even if she couldn’t see them for the rest of her life, it would be enough to know that they were alive and well.

Rosette smiled tearfully as she looked around at everyone.

She had already received all the love she would receive in her lifetime over the past 12 years. That memory would be enough to sustain her for the rest of her time.

So…….

“I’ll do as you say, Michael.”

“Rose, no!”

“What are you talking about!”

There were objections from around her, but Rosette looked at Michael and said firmly.

“I’ll go on my own, so let the others go. Isn’t that enough?”

Michael, still covering one side of his face, laughed loudly.

“Rose, you should have said that earlier. When I gave you the chance first.”

“……What?”

“How can I trust you now that you say that in this situation? I can see right through you planning to send the people back to the capital and then run away later.”

“……”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Even if you do that, I won’t let you go. But you know.”

He stopped laughing and completely erased the smile from his face.

“It makes me feel dirty to think that you’ll keep thinking about the people left in the Empire.”

“……”

“I shouldn’t have given you a choice in the first place. I guess it’s better not to leave anyone by your side. It’s enough to have only me by your side.”

“……What?”

“Yes, I should have done that from the beginning. I’ve been considerate of your feelings, but all I get in return is rejection. Why should I bother thinking about your feelings?”

The situation had definitely changed.

The blood flowing from the wound on Michael’s back pooled at his feet, and a condensed energy of mana could be felt there.

Rosette swallowed hard. Countless magic formulas flashed through her mind.

Everything she had learned from Celine and the professors at the Ibellin Royal Academy, as well as the magic she had learned from Marquis Dallas in the past.

“I don’t even expect affection, so I’d rather receive hatred from you.”

She was even thinking of using that forbidden magic, which she thought she would never use again, if the situation really became dire.

“Lucas!”

Duke Adrian shouted, gripping his sword again. At the same time, Lucas, who had approached Rosette from behind, hoisted her onto his shoulder.

“……!”

Before Rosette could even scream, he started running quickly in the opposite direction. Silver also slung Joshua over his back and ran.

Daniel ran with Rotten, and the others followed them, sensing the urgency.

Duke Adrian’s figure quickly grew smaller. Rosette reached out to him, crying out in a silent scream.

‘Father!’

Before Michael could even chase after Rosette, Duke Adrian released all of his mana. With a roar, smoke billowed around them, obscuring everything.

“Oppa [Older brother/term of endearment for a male friend], let me down! I have to go get Father!”

Rosette pounded Lucas’s back with her fists, but he didn’t slow down.

“I’d rather go and beg Michael. I’ll tell him I was wrong and ask him to leave the others alone! Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

When they had moved some distance away, Lucas slowed down and asked.

“……What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What are you going to do? Are you going to be caught by that bastard for the rest of your life?”

“……”

“We can’t do that, Rosette Adrian.”

Lucas called her name again instead of the nickname ‘kid.’ It was proof that the situation was that serious, and that he was serious.

“Even if we send you away like that, Father and we will try to get you back no matter what.”

“And this is no longer just an Adrian matter.”

Isabel, who was following behind, gritted her teeth and said.

“What does that mean?”

Joshua, who had gotten off Silver, asked. Isabel told a story that those inside the barrier hadn’t heard.

“Although it’s Michael Lschel’s one-sided claim, it seems he has joined hands with the Second Prince.”

“What?”

“Is that true?”

Joshua and the other knights asked back in confusion. Isabel nodded with a serious face.

“Yes. We need to investigate further to be sure, but it seems he promised the Second Prince the throne.”

Joshua listened to Isabel’s explanation in silence.

“I assume he made it a condition to condone what he did to the Adrian family. No matter how powerful he is as the Master of the Magic Tower and a noble of the Shelton Kingdom, he won’t be able to avoid the Empire’s pursuit if he does things so openly. Of course, judging by that man’s personality and abilities, it seems he’s not afraid of being pursued, but rather annoyed by it.”

“……”

“Anyway, it means that Michael Lschel isn’t just after Adrian and Rose.”

This time, Isabel looked at Rosette and continued.

“So Father is making this choice not only as our father, but also as the head of Adrian and as a loyal subject of His Majesty the Emperor, do you understand? Rose, you must also safely escort His Highness the Prince to the Empire as a member of the Empire.”

“But, Sister……”

“So you don’t need to feel guilty that Father sacrificed himself for you.”

The weight of the word sacrifice was heavy.

Isabel and Lucas didn’t seem to think that Duke Adrian would return safely.

However, they seemed to believe that he had made the right choice as a noble protecting the Empire and as a father who loved his daughter.

That was the pride they had as Adrians.

They were trying to think that it was an honorable death because he had sacrificed himself for the Empire.

But Rosette couldn’t do that.

Struggling, she got off Lucas’s shoulder and said seriously.

“Sister, I’ve lived as an Adrian for more than half of my life, but I still don’t really know what the Adrian pride that you and Oppa talk about is.”

“……”

“I just want to protect my family. That’s why I turned back time, and I don’t want to repeat the same misfortune.”

The three Adrian siblings who were listening expressed their doubts at the words they were hearing for the first time.

“Turned back time?”

“Kid, what are you talking about?”

Joshua simply closed his eyes and listened to her words.

“Sister and Oppa, please protect your pride as Adrians. Joshua, no, Your Highness the Prince, please protect him safely and return to the capital to inform His Majesty about the Second Prince and Michael’s actions.”

Rosette declared resolutely.

“I’m going to protect Father.”