I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 48

Chapter 48: The Counterattack Begins

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After the gray-robed man fell, a strange silence settled over the plaza. None of the apostles tried to approach. They were wary of the young man standing before them. That young man, Leonis, rolled his shoulders lightly and then turned toward me.

“…For now,” he said, crouching down in front of me.

“Let me see your arm.”

“Huh?”

I held it out as told. The bleeding hadn’t stopped yet. The place that had been cut earlier throbbed with pain. Leonis returned his dagger to his waist and lightly took hold of my arm. At that moment, a faint light spread from his fingertips.

“Whoa…”

It was warm. It felt different from the light I sensed earlier, more reassuring. The wound slowly began to close.

…Whoa, this is my first time seeing it, so this is what it’s like.

It didn’t heal completely, but the bleeding stopped. The pain still remained. Leonis finally let my hand go.

“It’s just first aid, but you should be fine, right?”

He said it casually.

“I don’t specialize in healing.”

“…That’s more than enough. Thanks.”

I was literally about to die just moments ago. Just being alive felt like a bonus. Leonis stood up and shifted his gaze next to Cedric lying on the ground. It was brutal. I could really feel the harshness unique to this world.

“I’ll handle this one too, just in case.”

He raised his hand lightly. Just like with me, a faint light spread. Cedric’s chest moved slightly. It seemed he wasn’t dead.

“…He’ll live.”

Leonis said it plainly.

“He did well. We’ll leave the rest to others.”

Leonis is used to this…

I had already understood it a little, but experiencing it twice in this body made me certain.

In this world, death happens easily. Everyone has sorrow and resentment, yet no one questions that fact itself. Even after more than ten years here, I still can’t get used to that.

I  thought to myself when…

“Luka-sama!”

A familiar voice echoed.  When I turned, Allen was running toward me.

“Are you alright!?”

“…Yeah, somehow.”

I answered more normally than I expected. Allen looked around. Then his eyes stopped on Leonis.

“Leonis-sama, thank you very much!”

Leonis shrugged lightly.

“It’s fine. This is our mission.”

Another explosion echoed in the distance. The battle in the royal capital wasn’t over yet. Leonis scanned the surroundings.

“No point staying here.”

He spun his dagger lightly.

“Let’s move.”

“…Where are we going?”

When I asked, Leonis thought for a moment before answering.

“The royal castle.”

At those words, Allen tilted his head.

“T-the royal castle?”

“Yeah. The rest will wrap up soon. That’s about the only place left.”

Leonis started walking. We followed after him. Once we left the academy gates, it was already a battlefield. Smoke rose, and magic exploded in the distance. The royal capital was burning in places all over. At that moment… From the back of an alley, three black-robed figures rushed out.

“There he is!”

“Kill him!”

Their magic power swelled, but Leonis stepped forward. A flash of silver light.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

That was all. The three apostles collapsed almost simultaneously. Leonis didn’t even look back.

“…Come on.”

He said lightly.

“Let’s go.”

Allen let out a small breath.

“…Amazing.”

I couldn’t help but ask.

“…What are these guys?”

Leonis glanced up at the sky slightly. Above the royal capital, the gray flames that had been burning earlier were already gone.

“They’re members of an organization. They’re called Ash Necros, the Ashen Reaper.”

He continued calmly while running.

“They’re a group that wants the world’s destruction.”

He said it so casually, but the content was insane.

How do people like that even come to exist? Do they just wake up one day and think, “Ah, I want to destroy the world”? I seriously don’t get it.

I asked again without thinking.

“Then what was that ritual earlier?”

Leonis slowed down and answered while walking.

“It was probably a ritual using an Original Grimoire.”

“Original Grimoire?”

“There are several of those in this world.”

He smiled slightly.

“They’re magical tomes close to the world itself. Artifacts that existed in the same era as the Hero.”

Allen spoke up.

“…Those people earlier wanted noble blood.”

He said what I had also been wondering. Leonis nodded.

“A ritual needs a sacrifice.”

His voice was matter-of-fact.

“That’s one of them.”

A sacrifice for the ritual… Does quality matter for what’s used? When it comes to noble blood, it makes sense that someone of ducal rank would be preferred.

Leonis spoke while looking ahead.

“With an attack of this scale, there’s someone commanding them.”

In the distance, the tower of the royal castle came into view. White walls. The center of the kingdom.

“First, the royal castle. It seems they really intend to destroy the kingdom this time.”

Leonis lightly tightened his grip on the dagger.

“If we go there, it’ll all be over.”

Passing through the battlefield of the royal capital, we headed toward the royal castle.

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The stone-paved road leading to the academy. Through the white landscape, a single shadow moved. It was Yuka. Her footsteps made almost no sound. Even though she walked on snow, her footprints were barely visible. The academy gate came into view. Two black-robed men stood in front of it. They were among those who had come to attack the mansion.

“…They’re still coming?”

One of them muttered.

“Other parts of the capital should be busy too.”

“This place is full of weaklings. Easy job.”

At that moment, one of them frowned.

“…Hm?”

It felt like something moved. He turned his gaze. But there was nothing there except snow.

“Must be my imagination.”

The moment he said that—

Swish.

A faint sound and a flash of silver. A small hole appeared in the man’s throat.

“…Huh?”

Blood overflowed. Without understanding what happened, the man collapsed. The other man turned.

“Hey—”

Before he could finish—

Slice.

His neck was cut diagonally. A red line was drawn across the snow. Neither of them had time to make a sound. Yuka quietly swung her blade. She shook off the blood and stepped past the gate.

Inside the academy, just like outside, it had become a battlefield. Searching, searching, she desperately scanned the area. Then she noticed a large group gathered in the plaza. Holding onto a faint hope, she headed there. As she drew closer to the plaza, the smell of blood grew stronger. Several black-robed corpses lay scattered across the snow.

Yuka did not stop.

At the center of the plaza, many people were still gathered. Bound nobles, students, and even teachers. All of them had fear written across their faces. Yuka walked quietly into their midst. At the sudden appearance of the girl, everyone held their breath. Someone spoke in a small voice.

“…W-who is that?”

Yuka did not answer. She slowly looked over the hostages. One by one, she checked their faces. But… He wasn’t there.

“……”

A faint unease stirred deep in her chest. Yuka stopped in front of the hostages. Then she spoke.

“…I have a question.”

Her voice was quiet. Yet everyone present could hear it.

“Was there a student here with silver-tinged blond hair?”

The hostages looked at each other. Yuka continued.

“Age fourteen. Slightly taller than me. He’s Luka-sama of a ducal house.”

At that question, one man reacted.

“…H-he was here! Luka-sama left the academy just a moment ago!”

“I-I saw him too!”

No one was lying. Luka was now outside the academy, somewhere in the city. But he had been here just moments ago.

“…Do you know where he went?”

“I don’t know, but he headed that way.”

The man pointed toward the eastern gate. There was no time to doubt. Hearing that, Yuka immediately left the scene.

Luka-sama, please be safe.

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