Chapter 64 The Fate Of The Neithardt Family - Part I
The information that Alvine Neithardt was executed by the prince spread throughout the kingdom in an instant.
Without a doubt, the family that fell into the most confusion was the Neithardt family.
After all, the head of the family was charged with a crime and was judged directly by the prince without even waiting for a noble trial.
No matter how optimistically one looks at it, the future of the Neithardt family is not bright.
"Damn it!! Father, you've really gotten us into a mess...!!"
Amidst all this, the next head of the Neithardt family, Roland Neithardt, made a swift decision.
He planned to flee to the neighboring Bezelus Empire with all the wealth and research he could carry.
"All the status and honor you built in this kingdom is ruined! I told you to be a little more careful...!"
While packing at the Neithardt family's main residence, Roland endlessly cursed his father.
The hurried work, distracted by unnecessary thoughts, naturally became rough, and in his haste, he tripped over the desk.
Kicking the desk he tripped over, as if to vent his accumulated frustration, was utterly ridiculous... but he seemed unaware of it.
...A girl watching from the side sighed in disbelief, as if she couldn't even find the words.
(He used to praise everything his father said as wonderful. But the moment he fails, he just complains... how trivial.)
In truth, Roland shared the same ideology as his father, Alvine.
If it means maintaining their own power, they don't care what happens to anyone else.
As a person in power, they're allowed to do anything, and they should be.
They justify their actions by claiming that having greater power is for the sake of the people, while refusing to return any profits gained from their immoral actions to the people.
The embodiment of such ugly and distorted desire for power was the girl herself.
Faced with this reality, the girl no longer had the energy to feel anger or hatred; only emptiness filled her heart.
"Hey, what's with that look? Do you have a problem with me!?"
"...Not really, it's nothing like that..."
"Is that how you speak to your master!?"
"Ugh...!!"
Without mercy, Roland struck the girl, who was more than twice his size.
As the girl fell to the ground, a harsh sound echoed from her body, which was covered by a robe, as if it were a lifeless object.
It seemed that Roland had hurt his own fist from the blow, as he held his hand in pain.
"Ugh!! Damn it, who do these people think I am!!"
Even though he struck her and got hurt on his own, he shouted as if it were the girl's fault, repeatedly stepping on her.
The girl offered no resistance to such unreasonable treatment.
No, she couldn't.
Her body had been reshaped in such a way.
"Young master, it's terrible!!"
"What happened!?"
Breathless from tormenting the girl, Roland finally halted his violence in response to the butler's voice that rushed in.
Neither he nor the butler spared a glance at the girl, who remained completely still, and raised their voices at the newly arrived information.
"A knight order bearing the Granbell Family's flag has completely surrounded this mansion!!"
"What did you say!?"
* * *
"Father... today, we can go all out, right? "
"Yes. Don't think about anything unnecessary, just give it your all."
The Granbell knight order surrounding the Neithardt family mansion was filled with an overwhelming fighting spirit, as if they were about to start a war.
The excessively heightened fighting spirit excited their Magical Power, manifesting as a thin mist that drifted around them, surrounding the Neithardt family.
Normally, an excessive fighting spirit does not yield good results on the battlefield.
Carlot Granbell, who leads the knight order, understands well that a moderate tension and calm thinking are optimal.
However, this time he said nothing, believing that it was acceptable.
Because for them, this is not a war.
It is merely, a rampage.
"Let's go, Neil. The crime of hurting Yumie and turning blades against the royal family. Make sure to engrave it into the Neithardt scum."
"Yeah, I understand."
The Neithardt family must have realized that Granbell was deploying the knight order.
Wherever they had been hiding, they too were lining up their knights and preparing to confront them.
The strength of the Neithardt family's knight order lies in the numerous magical tools that cover their entire bodies and their sheer numbers.
Originally, there would be differences in the types and power of magic that could be used based on aptitude, but they have successfully corrected this with artificial tools, allowing them to deploy a large number of knights with a certain level of ability.
The military strength they have stationed in this main residence alone is comparable to that of a small nation's regular army.
If the Neithardt knights were to seriously defend, even Neil's magic would find it difficult to break through.
However, Carlot simply steps forward as if to say, "So what?"
"Don't come any closer!! If you get any nearer, I will attack!!"
In response to the sudden appearance and hostile actions of the Granbell family, the Neithardt knights issue a preemptive warning, which is only natural.
Carlot couldn't help but laugh at their "common-sense" response.
It seemed they had some intelligence after all.
Yumie, on the other hand, had been suddenly attacked without any warning, losing her lovely face and the freedom of her limbs.
"My name is Carlot Granbell. By the command of His Highness Prince Sigurt, who holds full authority from the king, I hereby order the arrest of all those belonging to the Neithardt family and their transport to the royal capital!! ...Furthermore, if there is any resistance, killing on the spot is permitted. Surrender quietly; this is your final warning."
Although they say they will take them away, everyone present understands the fate that awaits them at their destination.
Everyone realizes that the head of the family has done enough for them to grasp this──any decent person would have fled the Neithardt family long before reaching this day.
"Fire!! That guy is pretending to be the prince and is trying to unjustly attack us!! Shoot him down!!"
Everyone there understood that this was an unreasonable claim.
They understood, but without saying something like that, they felt they wouldn't be able to maintain their fighting spirit.
If they could drive back the Granbell knights, they might buy some time to escape the country──clinging to that slim possibility, they unleashed countless flames.
Even in their decay, the elite of Neithardt, renowned throughout the kingdom, unleashed their magic with impeccable coordination, targeting Carlots' body and engulfing him in a Flare Burst.
"Hahaha! Did you see that!! This... huh?"
The Neithardt knights, confident of their victory, doubted their own eyes.
From within the Flare Burst, Carlot, unscathed and spotless, stepped forward with composure.
"How pathetic. You thought you could bear the weight of the Ortria kingdom with this level of skill...?"
Carlot chuckled softly.
However, the emotion behind that laugh was far from goodwill; it was accompanied by intense anger.
With a terrifying smile, he coated his drawn sword in Magical Power and swung it with great force, without even using magic.
"Don't make me laugh!! To think you could bear the weight of a nation with that level of power is a hundred years too early!! "
That, just one swing.
The pressure from the sword tore through the air, creating a shockwave accompanied by Magical Power that surged forward.
As a result, the Neithardt knights, who should have been protected by numerous magical tool, were blown away like mere scraps of wood.
The barrier they had erected was mercilessly shattered, and the historic Neithardt mansion was diagonally cleaved in two.
Faced with such an utterly unreasonable power, the Neithardt knights were filled with fear, and the battle spirit they had barely maintained collapsed.
Some fled without a care, while others, in a panic, unleashed counterattacking magic, exposing their disgraceful and disorganized state.
This is the power of the strongest knight of the Ortria Kingdom.
Any magic was nullified by the sheer pressure of the Magical Power that flowed from him unconsciously, and any defense was sliced to shreds before that sword.
"One against a thousand."
That was the title that represented the existence of Carlot Granbell.
"Neil, the vanguard will be handled by me and the knights. You go after the Neithardt heir who is probably struggling to escape from that mansion right now."
"Got it, Father."
Carlot believed that Neil would catch up in less than ten years.
No, he was saying to surpass him, but after witnessing such overwhelming power, even Neil began to feel anxious about whether that was possible.
However, he scolded himself that this was not the time to be anxious.
To protect Yumie, he can't stay as he am... he need to become stronger.
The fact that his beloved younger sister, whom he wished to protect above all else, was hurt once again has left a deep regret within Neil.
This realization has been etched into him.
Carlot not doing everything himself and leaving a chance for his son to shine was likely a reflection of this sentiment.
he will definitely see this through.
With that determination, Neil broke through the main gate of the Neithardt residence, which had fallen into chaos due to his father's attack, and stepped inside the mansion.
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