I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince-Chapter 471: What happened in the Imperial Palace (2)

"Wa-wait, Lady Lydia! It’s dangerous to go alone!"

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Lydia, rushing up the stairs while calling out her fellow maids' names, was halted by the hero’s warning.

"There might still be enemies in the villa! Until we’re sure, we should all stick together...."

"Loraaa! Answer me, quick! Nerisss!"

"Damn...!"

Practically shouting to announce her presence, Lydia darted up to the second floor, her voice ringing through the villa. The hero, realizing the urgency of the situation, was the first to follow, with Silena immediately behind him.

"Hero...! [N O V E L I G H T] I’m coming too...!"

"Let us come too...."

"Wait! If too many of us move at once, Princess Rainy could be in danger! Lady Natalie, Mr. Thomas, and Lady Agnes, please stay here to protect the princess!"

"Understood!"

"Young Master Ethan, let’s head upstairs as well!"

"...Alright."

Princess Rainy glared at me, clearly displeased to be left behind, but there was no other choice.

...It was better for her not to witness what lay ahead.

There are times when it’s truly better not to know the truth.

In the original story, Princess Rainy suffered every possible misfortune right up to her salvation, and this affected those dearest to her. One of her greatest misfortunes was seeing her loved ones suffer because of her.

"Neris...!! Lora...!!"

"Lady Lydia! The villa might still be dangerous! Please calm down and lower your voice!"

"Lora!! Neris!! Please, please tell me you’re safe!! Please...!!"

In a nearly frantic state, Lydia continued to shout their names desperately. The hero tried to reason with her, but she showed no sign of quieting down.

Running around the villa making such noise in a place that was clearly under attack could only lead to bad consequences.

–Whoosh!

"Watch out!"

"...!!"

From the dark corridor came a sharp sound, something slicing through the air. The hero immediately jumped in front of Lydia, drew his sword from his waist, and barely managed to deflect two arrows that were whizzing toward her.

–Clang!

"W-what?!"

"I told you it was dangerous, Lady Lydia!"

"Hero...?"

Seated on the floor, Lydia looked up at the hero, her face stunned. The near-death experience seemed to have briefly restored her composure, while Silena silently aimed an arrow back in the direction from which the arrows had come.

–Thunk!

"Aagh!!"

"Guhhh!!"

The two arrows Silena fired struck something beyond the corridor, each following its arc. The cries of men reached us, their voices enough to put us on high alert once more.

"Lady Lydia, I know you’re distraught, but I have to ask."

"I apologize for my shameful display. What would you like to ask, Hero?"

"Were there any other servants besides the two maids you mentioned, specifically any ‘male servants’ in the villa who attended to Princess Rainy?"

"...No, there weren’t."

"Then if a man appears anywhere in the villa who isn’t one of us, it’s likely he’s one of those who caused this mess."

"...Yes."

Lydia nodded heavily in response to the possibility voiced by the hero. Though she managed to regain some composure, the uncertainty regarding her fellow maids, who had been with her for over a decade, clearly weighed heavily on her mind.

No matter how much I remembered from my previous life, there was no way for me to prevent the future at a foreign princess’s villa.

"There they are! Get them!"

"That elf killed Walter!"

"...!!!"

After Silena’s arrow struck, a crowd of men came rushing down the dark corridor. They weren’t wearing uniform armor, but they dressed similarly, like the knights who had ambushed us that morning.

"The target?"

"Not here. Probably downstairs?"

"Great! I was getting bored. Capture everyone except the target and the men!"

"..."

The knights, eyeing Silena and me with lewd grins, muttered about capturing us, starkly reminding us that this was the kind of world we were dealing with.

"Lady Lydia, I understand you’re upset, but right now...."

"I understand. I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me."

"Focus on the battle for now. Treat this as a fight to the death. These aren’t opponents we can afford to hold back against."

"So, just aim for the middle of their foreheads as usual?"

"Yes. Do your thing, Silena."

Knights brandishing swords and spears charged down the corridor toward us.

They were far from what one might consider true knights, their filthy intentions practically visible in their expressions.

"Kill the men! Capture the women! If they resist, feel free to slice off an arm or a leg...!"

–Slash!

"Who gave you permission to ogle my Lilith with such filthy eyes!"

Without hesitation, Ethan sliced through the first rank of knights who’d foolishly charged at us, underestimating our small group of five.

Immediately, the hero and Lydia joined the fight, their swords clashing with the knights’ weapons in the tight corridor. The air filled with the sounds of metal clashing and tearing through flesh.

"You damn brat...!!"

–Shwip!

"Throwing around such crude insults only tarnishes the honor of your impending death."

"What the hell are you idiots doing?! There are only three of them! Why are you floundering?!"

"If you’re so confident, then break through! Their swordplay is flawless...!"

–Thwack!

"Why don’t you try actually swinging that toy in your hand instead of talking?"

The three of us stood firm against nearly twenty knights, our line holding strong.

With Lydia, Rainy’s escort maid, and two Sword Experts in the lead, our defense was ironclad. Ethan and the hero complemented each other’s movements so seamlessly that their swordplay seemed to cover every possible gap.

The knights, though trained, lacked the basic strategies to handle such a situation, especially in a narrow corridor that limited their numbers. Only about five could fight us at once, allowing us to neutralize their numerical advantage.

And we had a ranged fighter in our midst.

–Thwish!

"Ugh...!"

"That damned elf! Don’t kill her—cut off her limbs so she can be our personal...Aaargh!!"

"...Humans, can they not communicate without such vulgarities?"

Usually, firing arrows in the middle of a melee would risk friendly fire, but with Silena, future sharpshooter, that was no issue.

While I lacked the precision to use magic in this setting, I could still strike hard where it counted.

–Flare!

"Arghhh!"

"What now?! What’s wrong with him?!"

"It’s a mage! Damn it, they’ve got a mage!"

"Get a grip! If we die here, we’re all...!"

–Boom!

"Aaagh! His head exploded!"

The scattered screams told me that Sally and Sei were wreaking havoc at the rear.

With the three of us handling the front, Silena’s arrows covering from above, and the two elemental spirits causing chaos from behind, there was no way we could lose this battle.

"Ugh...guh..."

"Kugh...ah...!"

After about thirty minutes of fighting, the only things left were the corpses of knights, some cut down, some struck by arrows, others burnt or blasted to pieces.

A few men still clung to life, but with wounds like theirs, they wouldn’t last long.

"How...how could thirty royal knights..."

"Numbers are meaningless if they lack skill. Shooting arrows at a party with an elf was idiotic."

"A battle in such cramped quarters...does the Kingdom of Defrin not teach basic tactics?"

"Not quite. These knights’ incompetence is likely because Queen Veronica handpicked and trained them. Those with 'proper training' would probably find her regency displeasing."

"So the knights from this morning were just another bunch of second-rate soldiers."

"Tang-nara? Never heard of that kingdom."

"Oh, uh...just another way of saying rabble."

"Rabble...? What does that mean?"

"Um, it means...."

"Not that your words really matter, Hero. Right now, we need to check what lies beyond this corridor."

"True. We should confirm the safety of the maids Lady Lydia mentioned."

"This time, no charging ahead alone, Lady Lydia."

"...Understood."

If the plot followed its original course, both maids would likely still be alive.

...Though in a world like this, a captive woman's survival doesn’t always mean something good.