The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 192

192. Counterattack (3)

May 10, 2024

“I’m going to protect Dad.”

Rosette anticipated the worst-case scenario. If people tried to stop her, she was even prepared to subdue them with magic and go save Duke Adrian.

But Lukas ruffled her hair haphazardly and agreed with her.

“Alright. Let’s go, squirt.”

“So, don’t stop me… Huh?”

He grinned, showing his teeth.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I said let’s go. It’s not that I don’t trust Father’s skills, but it’s better to go help him anyway.”

“No, I alone…”

“I told you, I’m not comfortable sending you alone. What is our youngest going to do by herself?”

Isabelle scolded Lukas.

“Even if you’re immature, how can you say something like that now? What are you going to do by encouraging her?”

“Sister.”

The playfulness had completely disappeared from Lukas’s eyes as he looked at her. He whispered more seriously than ever.

“Unlike you, I’m too immature to care about noble duties or the responsibilities of a vassal [a person or state that is subordinate to another]. What’s important to me is our family, like our little Rosette here.”

“…….”

“Damn it, if something happens to Father like this, do you think I can live with myself? Do you think you or Daniel can either?”

Isabelle and Daniel couldn’t bring themselves to answer.

They were trying to rationalize that Duke Adrian was doing what he had to do for the Ernhardt Empire, but they couldn’t possibly feel at ease.

“So, you and Daniel take His Highness and return to the capital safely. Go there and do what you have to do. Rosette and I will do what we have to do here.”

Lukas playfully raised the corners of his lips again.

“Let’s meet safely in the capital afterward. I still have a lot to do. I have to see Daniel’s and Isabelle’s weddings, and even though I hate to admit it, I have to see our little Rosette get married.”

Rosette’s protests about going alone were lightly ignored.

“So, hurry up and go. Oh, and you.”

He approached Becky, who was trembling in the corner, and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

“M-m-m-me?”

“You’re coming with us.”

“Why me!”

“You said you worked at the Magic Tower, so you must know something about the Tower Master, even if it’s just a little bit? Like a weakness.”

“……I don’t know! How would I know that?”

Lukas’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Your answer was slow just now. You know something, don’t you?”

“…….”

“Besides, I saw earlier that you seem to be able to use magic properly after coming out of the barrier. Isn’t that parrot your familiar [a magical companion, often an animal]?”

As he said, a parrot was standing upright on a tree trunk that Lukas pointed to, craning its neck to look this way.

“And if we can’t stop Michael Lerscher like this, do you think you’ll be safe? I don’t think so. Wouldn’t that guy send someone to deal with you for the crime of disobedience?”

“…….”

Becky couldn’t bring herself to say no. She seemed to think that Michael would persistently follow her and take revenge.

“So, let’s go quickly.”

Becky hesitated, moving her lips as if contemplating, then gestured to her familiar. The parrot scurried over and clung to her leg.

At that moment, several knights raised their hands.

“We will go too.”

“We will protect our lord.”

Rosette shouted.

“I don’t need any of you! I’m going alone!”

However, they, including Lukas, were firm.

“No, we can’t! How can we send you alone, young lady?”

“We will escort you.”

“That’s right, Rosette. Give up and come with us.”

“…….”

“Then let’s go.”

Lukas held Rosette’s hand tightly.

‘Think calmly.’

She had to shake them off. She couldn’t afford to increase the number of sacrifices.

Michael Lerscher couldn’t kill her, at least. So, in the worst-case scenario, if she could just get the Duke to safety and go with Michael, the whole situation would be resolved.

She just had to desperately prevent Michael from going after anyone else.

But if other people went with her, it would become complicated. She wasn’t confident in safely evacuating multiple people, let alone the Duke.

‘Beep beep.’

As Rosette thought to herself, Bbi Bbi flew to her shoulder and cried.

[Bbi!]

‘Ask Sir Rein’s familiar what Michael’s weakness is.’

Bbi Bbi nodded as if understanding and flew to sit on the parrot’s back.

[Bbi? Bbit!]

The parrot conveyed Bbi Bbi’s words to Becky. Becky glanced at Rosette. When Rosette nodded slightly, Becky gently stroked the parrot’s head, as if she had noticed her plan.

It seemed they were communicating through thoughts.

Bbi Bbi, who heard it again from the parrot, flew to Rosette. Bbi Bbi held an unfamiliar blue magic stone in its beak.

Rosette looked at Becky with a puzzled expression, and Becky nodded slightly. At the same time, Bbi Bbi dropped the magic stone into Rosette’s palm and chirped.

[Bbit!]

[Woof!]

At the same time as Bbi Bbi shouted that it had found a weakness, Silver shouted something at Joshua. He must have said that Rosette and Bbi Bbi’s actions were suspicious.

“Rose……!”

However, Rosette was faster than he could react.

“I’m sorry, Brother.”

She pulled her hand out of Lukas’s and cast a spell. She created an invisible barrier between herself and the others.

“What is this? Rosette, cancel it quickly!”

Lukas pounded on the invisible transparent wall with his fist, and Silver scratched at it with his front paws.

Rosette mouthed to Joshua.

‘Please take care of Sister and Brothers. Return to the capital as soon as possible. And I love you.’

She barely turned her head away from his wide-eyed face and ran towards Duke Adrian with Bbi Bbi.

She ran so breathlessly that she felt the taste of blood in her throat.

Even as Rosette ran at full speed, she recalled what she had heard from Becky in her mind.

-I don’t know if it will help, but the Tower Master avoided requests related to the temple or visits from priests to the Magic Tower. It seems like there’s something going on, considering the previous Tower Master didn’t do that. I don’t know much else.

A temple and priests…

As Becky said, that alone was too weak to be called a weakness. Michael might simply have a grudge against the temple.

However, that was Michael’s only weakness at the moment, so she decided to put her hope in it.

Although Rosette didn’t have innate divine power, she knew magic that produced a similar effect.

How long had she been running? The aftereffects of two powerful mana clashing, unable to determine superiority, poured down on her as well.

It was such a powerful force that her skin tingled. In fact, she had minor scratches on her cheeks and arms.

‘Thank goodness. Father is still holding on!’

Rosette gained hope, strengthened her legs, and ran. Soon, she encountered a sandstorm so strong that she couldn’t see ahead. And she could make out two faint figures.

Duke Adrian was wielding a mana-glowing sword incessantly, and Michael was blocking the attacks with magic.

Michael’s reaction speed was slower than before. It seemed that Silver had severely torn the side of his familiar, Perito.

In fact, Michael’s body was stained with blood not only on his back, where he was first attacked, but also in various other places, whether he was cut by the Duke’s sword or not.

However, the same was true for Duke Adrian. Rather, looking at the injuries alone, the Duke’s condition seemed more serious.

Yet, his speed was not much different from before.

The two men didn’t notice Rosette even though she had come close. Rosette also held her breath and observed the situation.

‘He’s recovered some mana.’

Fortunately, her mana core had filled up quite a bit during the brief time she had escaped from Michael. And.

‘This had an effect.’

Rosette held the magic stone Becky had given her tightly.

-A lady with overflowing mana like you may not need something like this, but ordinary wizards like me carry these around. Especially this time, I didn’t know how strong the monsters would be, so I got the highest grade one, and it will be helpful.

According to the explanation, it was a magic stone that helped to quickly recover mana in the body and amplified the effect of magic even slightly.

The effect would be more dramatic depending on the owner’s mana reserves and skill, so it would definitely have an effect on Rosette, she added.

Rosette knew that something like this existed, but she hadn’t felt the need for it until now, so she hadn’t carried it around.

Rosette held her breath and watched the situation. Duke Adrian lunged at Michael, aiming for his heart.

But before that, a thin rope extending from Michael’s side tightly gripped his sword. The Duke’s movement was blocked.

The rope made of mana squeezed the Duke’s sword as if to crush it. However, the sword, made by a craftsman with special materials and covered with mana, did not break or even scratch.

“This is so annoying. I always say that vermin have tenacious lifespans, but this is very bothersome.”

Michael muttered, gritting his teeth, and waved his hand. This time, the rope pulled the Duke’s sword with all its might. The Duke resisted, clenching his hand tightly to avoid dropping the sword.

However, he couldn’t withstand the force and lost his balance as he was dragged along.

It was when he stumbled and faltered for a moment. In that very brief moment, Michael’s mana poured out like a sharp knife, aiming for the Duke’s heart.

“No!”

Rosette rushed towards them and cast a spell. The mana she poured out changed the direction of Michael’s mana. His mana was embedded in the ground to the left of the Duke like an arrow.

Rosette stood between the two men.

“Stop it now, Michael.”