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Though Sarah was hesitant and trailed off, her voice gave Espin even more certainty.
Even in a state of great fear, she insisted she couldn't have been mistaken.
"Davian, can you do it?"
Davian nodded silently.
"Go."
Thwack!
Davian leaped off the ground and instantly ascended all the steps to the audience chamber.
Shwing!
The First Royal Guard Captain hastily drew his sword and followed after him.
"Let's play for a bit."
Thump!
Espin, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed the captain's arm and pulled him back.
Whoosh!
The captain's sword swiftly slashed where Espin's neck had been.
No, it sliced through the space where Espin's neck had been.
Thwack!
Espin, who had lightly bent over to dodge the captain's sword, punched the captain in the abdomen.
The golden armor caved in, and the captain was forced to stumble back several steps.
'Strong...! She's returned much stronger than when she was a company commander in the Royal Guard...!'
Espin Elaina.
In her younger days in the Royal Guard, she was unmatched by anyone of similar age.
Naturally, she was considered a candidate for the next Royal Guard Captain.
Her promotion to Royal Guard Captain was a foregone conclusion; the only question was which of the 1st to 5th Guard she would be appointed to lead first.
She was one of the most watched figures in the royal court as a martial artist.
Then, she suddenly left for Portus City, a southeastern border town.
Rumor had it that it was for her daughter's treatment.
Of course, she received the high title of Marchioness at a young age, but she was inevitably distanced from the royal court, the center of power.
Fifteen years passed like that.
Just as memories of the Witch of the Battlefield were fading from the minds of the royal family,
She returned.
Leading an army of hundreds of thousands.
Much stronger than before.
"Treason! Attack!"
No matter how strong Espin had become,
The First Royal Guard Captain had also risen to his position through swordsmanship alone.
The swordsman's blood flowing through his veins ran hot.
Whether he won or lost, the desire to have a duel with Espin Elaina consumed him.
'You're not the only one who's gotten stronger.'
He wanted to hand over his sword right now and have a proper duel.
But.
'I am the First Royal Guard Captain. This is His Majesty's audience chamber.'
Rather than fighting Espin as a swordsman,
His top priority was to subdue and arrest her as quickly as possible.
Besides, Davian, who had come with her, was already at the throne.
If Davian intended to assassinate the king, he would be blocked by Espin and unable to prevent the regicide.
A terrifying thought.
Elite guardsmen began to rush forward.
As Espin became aware of them and looked up, Davian, who had leaped up the steps, was already gone.
Seeing the back door open, it seemed he had chased after that maid.
'Was that maid a spy?'
The First Royal Guard Captain had also overheard Sarah and Mons whispering.
"I'm warning you!"
Espin Elaina shouted.
"Anyone who comes within reach of my fist! Will die."
Shaaa.
A tremendous murderous aura emanated from Espin's body.
She used the murderous intent to make the guardsmen hesitate, and at the same time,
She secured her justification.
"We received intelligence that the maid who just left through the back door is a spy. Davian has gone to catch her before she can escape. It's not treason, so everyone calm down."
Even if she had secured her justification,
Using force in the audience chamber was already treason.
The First Royal Guard Captain shouted again.
"Attack!"
The captain's second command.
Now.
Espin's murderous intent and threats were useless.
The elite guardsmen would no longer hesitate and would charge at Espin.
The captain had the same determination.
The captain's sword was aimed at Espin again.
At the same time, the elite guardsmen drew their swords and began to surround Espin.
As they had trained, a quick-footed guardsman had already gone behind Espin and thrust his sword forward.
Espin, who quickly turned around, knocked away the guardsman's sword with her palm.
She then took a step forward.
Espin, who had instantly closed the distance, grabbed the guardsman's right arm with both hands and twisted it.
Crack!
He was wearing thick armor, but it was useless.
The guardsman's arm was broken.
She snatched his sword and turned around again.
The captain's sword was already aimed at Espin's vital spot.
The distance between the tip of the sword and the vital spot on the spine was only a hand's breadth.
'This is the end...! Espin Elaina.'
No matter how much of a Witch of the Battlefield she was,
She couldn't avoid a sword that had come this close.
Especially since it was a sword thrust by himself, who had risen to the position of First Royal Guard Captain.
Then.
Zap! Bang!
His vision flashed, and the captain's body froze.
'What... what is this!'
A jolt of electricity coursed through his body.
Was this what it felt like to be struck by lightning?
But the captain was not one to be defeated by this level of shock, and there was no time to panic.
He desperately tried to move his body by circulating his inner energy, but.
Thud.
The tip of Espin's sword touched the captain's neck.
"Stop it, Captain. Davian has captured the spy."
The captain turned his head and looked up the stairs.
He could see Davian holding the maid he had gone out with his left arm, and Davian's right hand was extended towards him.
Blue electricity, not yet completely extinguished, was crackling from Davian's right hand.
'Was it magic...? Such fast magic. All I saw was a flash. I didn't even see the magic coming.'
The reason why a swordsman has an advantage over a mage is because of reaction speed.
But such ridiculous magic.
This would completely upset the balance between swordsman and mage... As he was thinking,
The sensation of the sword touching his neck disappeared.
Espin Elaina lowered her sword and bowed to King Alonso.
"I apologize for causing a commotion in the audience chamber. But the matter was urgent and unavoidable. Your Majesty, that maid who brought you your medicine on time every day is a spy from the Marino Empire."
King Alonso turned his head and looked at the maid held in Davian's left arm.
"You...? Haven't you been serving me since you were a child?"
"Yes! I have been serving Your Majesty since I was young! I am not a spy! Your Majesty! You know that, don't you!"
King Alonso looked at Davian.
"That's right. This child is..."
Then.
Sarah, who was still kneeling on the ground, stood up.
She tore her long skirt with both hands, revealing her thighs.
"Davian, bring her here."
Davian brought the maid down the audience chamber steps.
As the guardsmen tried to rush in,
The captain raised his palm.
"Return to your positions and wait."
The elite guardsmen returned to their original positions.
The captain also put his sword in its scabbard and went down the steps to stand next to the three magistrates.
Davian and the maid approached Sarah.
"Serving Your Majesty since you were a child? That's ridiculous. I saw you in the Marino Empire just the year before last, didn't I?"
"Wh-what are you talking about? I've never even been to the Marino Empire..."
"That's your specialty, Sumnia, memory manipulation. What was the name of the ability...? Memorium?"
"Su-Sumnia? Who's that? I'm Alice, the maid serving Your Majesty."
Sarah strode up to Sumnia.
"Never mind. Where is it? The tattoo."
"A tattoo...?"
"Davian, strip her."
"Huh."
Sumnia gasped.
Davian looked at Sarah with surprised eyes.
"Here?"
"Yeah. There should be a tattoo somewhere on her body that reacts to my tattoo."
"Is it really necessary to strip her completely?"
Whack!
"Ugh!"
Davian grabbed the maid by the neck.
"Are you going to reveal where the tattoo is, or are you going to faint like this, wake up stripped, and then tell me? The fact that you'll be caught is the same either way."
The maid slapped Davian's arm with both hands, but
His arm was as solid as steel.
Meanwhile.
'Damn it...!'
Publique Solus, the Administrative Magistrate, gritted his teeth.
He had somehow managed to postpone the full-scale introduction of the spy detector that Davian had created due to its imperfections.
There were many who believed that, whether it was imperfect or not, it should be introduced immediately to narrow down the list of suspected spies and then distinguish them through interrogation, but
Publique had insisted on this until now with the logic that the sacrifice of one innocent person could not be exchanged for any value.
Therefore, Davian's spy detector was only used on people newly entering the capital and the royal palace.
'But if that woman is revealed to be a spy here...'
It would be difficult to avoid responsibility.
Wasn't she the maid who took care of the king's medicine three times a day in the king's closest proximity?
He didn't know what tricks she had used, but
The king and those around him had come to believe that this spy had been working here since she was a child.
He had the greatest power in the royal court, but
Power and authority could be scattered like grains of sand at any time.
The only way to prevent that was to become king.
King.
He wouldn't have to wait long to become that king.
'Damn it. I won't be able to oppose the introduction of that spy detector or whatever it is anymore.'
He recalled the spies who were in league with him one by one.
'Whatever happens to the rest is none of my business. And a few of them, I'll have to deal with myself first.'
While Publique Solus was trying to find a way out of this situation,
Thud.
The maid's body slumped.
Sarah shouted.
"Davian! What did you do, kill her!"
"I didn't kill her."
Slap!
Davian slapped the maid on the cheek.
"Huff!"
With a rough breath, the maid opened her eyes again and began to breathe.
"Tell me."
"Le... left. Left shoulder..."
Rip!
Sarah roughly tore off the maid's clothes.
Then, she placed her hand on the maid's shoulder and circulated her magical power.
First, the tattoo appeared on Sarah's thigh.
The tattoo symbolizing the spy of the Marino Empire.
Publique Solus shouted.
"Come to think of it! Then that woman is a spy first of all! Arrest that woman first..."
Davian interrupted Publique.
"She's not a spy. She was a spy. She's not anymore. Isn't she cooperating with us now? Considering the merit of catching a spy who was disturbing His Majesty's mind right next to him, shouldn't we be giving her a medal?"
Publique Solus, the Administrative Magistrate, frowned and looked at Davian.
'How can a young guy be so good at talking?'
At times like this.
"Your Majesty! Their actions have gone too far. They must all be arrested immediately. What is the Captain of the Guard doing..."
This time, King Alonso interrupted the Administrative Magistrate.
"Let's just let them do what they're doing for now."
It didn't take long.
The same tattoo that appeared on Sarah's thigh.
Appeared clearly on the maid's shoulder.
Sarah smiled and said.
"I caught you, Witch Sumnia. No, this is the Alcancia Kingdom, so I should call you Spy Sumnia."
However.
Spy Sumnia also smiled.
"It took me a while to buy some time."
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