Chapter 66: Pector of Despair Part 1

“Olivia, it’s not very polite to smash Miss Syria’s head into the window like that.”

“She won’t break from this much. Don’t worry.”

Syria. No matter how I look at her, it’s clear she’s doing this on purpose.

Especially since she knows I don’t feel the cold, yet she keeps acting like this. It’s obvious.

While I was thinking this, Claire, who was looking out the window, suddenly exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Oh!”

“Why?”

“It’s just… Why is it so big? This territory looks larger than the Great Forest!”

“The Great Forest is mostly undergrowth, so it makes sense,” I replied.

The Great Forest is indeed vast. Very vast.

However, because of the dense trees and foliage, the usable area seems small.

If it were cleared, it would be bigger than many countries’ territories.

“Wow, the Empire really is huge. My sister must have traveled all over the place, right? Did she visit Ashtar’s domain too?”

There’s no memory of that in the recollections of the first Olivia.

Perhaps it’s similar to how I, as Noah, lost some memories.

I mean, I even forgot about telling the Emperor some things.

“The Hero’s Party did stop by Ashtar once, but they didn’t stay long. At that time, the war with the Demon King’s army was at its peak. They just received some support and returned to the frontlines,” Claire answered in my stead.

Ah, I might recall that.

After all, the Empire had to support the Hero’s Party when it came to matters involving the Demon King.

They must have passed through Ashtar to handle something for the Empire back then.

“Do you know about my sister?”

“Lady Ella, you mean?”

Claire referred to Ella with “Lady.”

I see, since she’s part of the Hero’s Party, even a noble like Claire addresses her with respect.

‘It’s ridiculous. She’s just an annoying elf, unworthy of such titles.’

But I hold back.

I’m not Noah. I’m Olivia.

As Olivia, if I insult Ella here, I’ll just come across as a noblewoman badmouthing the Hero’s Party.

‘But it’s so tempting…’

Just then, Syria, still half-hanging from the window, spoke up.

“Uh, the knights are blocking the way ahead.”

She’s actually being useful for once.

Not that it matters since the coachman probably already mentioned it.

The carriage soon came to a halt, and knights in armor rushed toward us.

“What’s going on here?”

Aslan asked the knights, who saluted both him and me.

“Are you His Highness the Prince and his party?”

‘Oh, they recognize us right away.’

‘Wait. Are these knights from Ashtar?’

“Yes. There’s an intruder near the western border of the territory. The young lord instructed us to ask you to pass through quickly.”

‘An intruder? At this time?’

‘Who in their right mind would invade Ashtar now?’

“An intruder?”

“The newly built outpost was completely destroyed,” the knight explained.

“What? The outpost? The new one?”

I shoved Aslan aside to question the knight urgently.

“Completely destroyed?”

“Yes, my lady.”

If the building was reduced to rubble in an instant, there’s only one possibility.

The one who destroyed Berta—the magical outpost I had fortified—is here.

The Demon King’s general, Pector.

When he uses his powers, everything around him gets obliterated.

He destroys the habitats of living creatures, spreading despair.

“So, he’s here?”

“Wait, are you saying this might be Pector?”

“You know of him, my lady? Yes. That’s why the mage corps and the knights are searching the area thoroughly.”

In this situation, it might be better to summon the Seven Stars.

Even Ashtar can’t handle Pector.

That’s why the Hero’s Party has been dealing with him all this time.

The only reason the war has stayed balanced, despite his overwhelming power, is because he enjoys fighting strong opponents.

His goal isn’t necessarily to destroy the world.

The Hero won’t work.

That guy barely survived against Pector at Berta, let alone won.

No, it’s better to call the Seven Stars.

“We should summon the Seven Stars, just in case.”

Though the Empire’s Hero Party wasn’t officially recognized by the Church, they still need to step up when it comes to subjugating the Demon King’s generals.

“The Seven Stars? Then…”

Among the Seven Stars, there’s one who matches up well against Pector.

Pector wields swords and enjoys combat.

His body is resistant even to arrows.

So, the best match is someone who fights in a similar way.

The Light Blade.

“The Light Blade. Summon him. The Hero can’t handle Pector, but the Light Blade might hold him off. We’ll also need to gather all the Seven Stars.”

“Won’t they all just end up dying?”

No, that won’t happen.

Calling the Light Blade first is to entertain Pector in combat.

If we start with ranged attackers, Pector might get angry.

“The Hero is even less useful. Besides, Pector is someone you can reason with. If he’s satisfied or sees no point in continuing, he’ll leave.”

Pector knows his limits.

Whatever his reason for destroying Berta, he likely won’t cause unnecessary destruction in the Empire.

That’s why the Seven Stars are more important than the Hero right now.

“Understood. I’ll report to the young lord immediately,” the knight said and turned to leave.

***

“What was that, Olivia? You know about Pector?”

Aslan, who had been watching the exchange, asked.

“Yes. Well, sort of.”

“You say that, but you seemed to know a lot more than ‘sort of,’” Rivelte chimed in.

‘Did he really have to say something so suspicious?’

Rivelte is irritating in so many ways.

Aslan and his lackeys stared at me curiously.

That’s when Syria comes in handy.

I nudged her side.

“Oh, Syria told me about it.”

“Syria?”

“Uh… yes. I learned about it while helping Lady Noah with something,” Syria replied, coughing to cover her hesitation.

“Hmm. I see.”

“Syria should’ve spoken up first, but since she stayed quiet, I spoke on her behalf.”

Syria nodded her head.

“But I didn’t expect you to know about the Light Blade too.”

“Haha, isn’t the Light Blade cool?”

“Well, even I’m surprised. I didn’t think the lady would know.”

Claire looked amazed, and so did everyone else—except for Syria, Rivelte, and that annoying brat.

‘Seriously, if you’re a fan of the Hero’s Party, it’s only natural to know this stuff. And if you’re close to Syria, it makes even more sense.’

“What did you all think of me until now?”

“A bratty noble.”

“A brute with overwhelming strength.”

“Ahem.”

‘I should turn the tables on them one day.’

***

After the commotion, the carriage resumed its journey.

Just as we were about to leave the territory, Syria discreetly handed me her notebook.

[-Lady Olivia. Wouldn’t it be better to summon the Hero too?]

It was written using mana.

I replied in the same manner.

[-Adding one to zero doesn’t make two.]

[-Ah. Is the Hero that useless?]

[-He might even hinder the Light Blade. They need to work hard elsewhere to improve their skills.]

[-What if Pector refuses to leave?]

[-Then I’ll have to deal with him myself.]

‘If that bastard doesn’t back down, I’ll just hit him with a Meteor spell. No one survives that, not even with magic-resistant armor.’

The real problem is that if Pector has come to attack the Empire, then the other Demon King generals should also be on the move.

Even if they’re not well-coordinated, they know the Empire has been supporting the kingdoms from the shadows.

“Hm?”

“What is it, Rivelte?”

“I think we’ve got a guest waiting for us.”

“What do you mean?”

Now that he mentioned it, I had noticed strange noises earlier.

Clanking sounds.

If Rivelte noticed it, then it must be serious.

A short while later, my unease turned into reality.

Crash!

A loud noise rang out as several trees toppled, blocking the road ahead.

[Kill the prince inside!]

[Drag them all out!]

“There must be at least a few dozen of them.”

“Your Highness, there are intruders outside!”

Peeking outside, I saw several dozen assailants surrounding the carriage.

Their numbers weren’t overwhelming.

Judging by Rivelte’s calm demeanor, subduing them wouldn’t be difficult.

The issue was their intent.

‘If their goal was solely to kill the prince, could we protect him?’

Even if Syria used her bear doll, assassins sent with this kind of resolve might succeed.

“In that case, I’ll go out—”

As I started to rise, Claire stopped me.

“My lady, there’s no need for you to step in. Everyone should stay put.”

“Why?”

“Because this is Ashtar’s land.”

The situation shifted just when it seemed the attackers might launch an ambush.

Squelch! Slash!

[Ugh!]

[Who are you—? Gah!]

Sounds of flesh being pierced and bodies collapsing filled the air.

Screams echoed as attackers fell one by one.

“What’s happening? What’s going on outside?”

“It’s Ashtar’s renowned assassination squad,” Claire explained.

In moments, dozens of assailants lay dead.

Well, most were dead—some were still breathing.

Claire cautiously stepped out of the carriage.

It was clear the individuals who had handled the intruders were members of the assassination squad.

Their deadly aura and skill made that evident.

The ground beneath their feet was already soaked in the attackers’ blood.

They saluted us, confirming their allegiance to Ashtar.

The next to step out was Ryla, the prince’s most trusted aide.

Ryla grabbed one of the still-alive attackers and hoisted him up.

“Who are you people?”

The man sneered in response.

“Who do you think? We’re righteous rebels here to take down the incompetent crown prince!”

“Righteous rebels? What nonsense.”

That was pure drivel. No way was that the truth.

Ryla, losing his temper, raised a hand to strike the man, but I stopped him.

“Hold on.”

“Lady Olivia?”

I pushed Ryla back and kicked the attacker to the ground.

“That’s nonsense. You’re nothing but lackeys of some noble upset over the Lily incident.”

The attacker’s flinch gave it away.

I had guessed right.

“It’s not true. We’re—”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and moved his mouth oddly.

Seeing his tongue shift, I realized he had poison hidden in his mouth.

Thwack!

“Gah!”

I punched him, knocking the hidden poison out.

“You’re too dirty to call yourself righteous rebels.”

Their insides were as filthy as their actions.

It was obvious, even without looking too closely.

“Claire, tie these so-called rebels up and keep them in Ashtar. Later, they can be taken to the capital for interrogation.”

“Understood.”

Claire nodded toward the assassination squad.

The failed assassins were dragged away.

“Could they have been hired assassins?” Aslan asked me.

I understood his concern.

“If they were hired, the guild would’ve caught wind of it. No, as I said, many nobles have motives to target His Highness or me.”

It was likely an act of desperation from someone whose fortunes were already ruined.

“But to think someone would go as far as to try assassinating me.”

“Your Highness, even the royal family of the kingdoms faced multiple assassination attempts. Why wouldn’t the Empire’s prince, especially one involved in the Lily incident?”

Thinking about it, the kingdoms were truly chaotic.

A princess was nearly assassinated in broad daylight within the royal capital.

I was the one who managed to stop it.

“Sigh. You always bring that up.”

“It’s unavoidable. The aftermath of that incident was significant.”

“But how do you know about the kingdom’s assassination attempts?”

‘Ah. That’s… I’ll say Syria told me.’

I nudged Syria in the side.

“Syria told me about it.”

“Ah, yes. I know quite a lot of things,” Syria replied smoothly.

She and I were perfectly in sync now.

Translator’s Note: The chapter numbering follows the original author’s work. Although this chapter is labeled as Chapter 66 again, it is actually the 67th chapter in sequence. This numbering error is present in the original text, and I have kept it as it is for accuracy.