Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 112

Episode 112

First, I need to catch the kidnapper to gather information. 

I searched my body, wondering if there might be another hidden dagger. Sure enough, there wasn’t, and there were no usable weapons in the vicinity either. 

At best, all we had was the rope we had loosened. I pondered what we could do with it.

From outside the door, I heard someone loudly muttering curses to themselves. 

“Miss Nelly.”

I turned and saw Mary holding a rope.

“If they come in, I’ll cover you from behind, so please, take the sword from them.”

“Alright.”

Mary stayed close to the wall on the side where the door would open, and I pressed myself against the opposite wall. The man’s voice grew louder.

“Leave her tied up, don’t keep checking on her, damn it, and when is that bitch coming again?”

Soon, the door creaked open. As the man entered, I closed the door, and Mary swiftly looped the rope around the man’s neck from behind.

Thud!

As the man fell backward, I wrested the sword from him and pressed the sharp blade against his chest. I had no intention of harming anyone, but if they found out I was bluffing, it would be over. I clenched the hilt of the sword to steady my trembling hand.

“If you don’t want to die, turn around quietly.”

As the man complied and turned around, Mary pulled his arms behind his back and tied them securely. She then gagged him and bound his ankles tightly.

Mary seemed to be either relieved or exhausted as she slumped to the ground, while I, still a bit shaky, moved the man as far away from the door as possible.

“From now on, you’ll answer my questions with nods or shakes of the head. If you lie, it won’t be fun for you!”

The man nodded vigorously.

“How many people are here? If there are more than the number I say, nod; if there are fewer, shake your head. If it’s correct, ‘umph!'”

The man nodded. When I asked about the total number, it seemed like there were a total of four men, including the one I had just captured.

Judging by the direction of the sunlight, it seemed to be around 7 o’clock. People would be walking around soon, and if we could escape from here, we could seek help.

“Miss Nelly, I believe I would only get in the way if you tried to escape. Please go out alone and bring help.”

“I can’t do that.”

If I leave Mary behind and run, she will lose her value as a hostage, and the kidnappers will likely kill her without hesitation.

“Let’s go together. After all, I came to rescue Mary.”

“Miss Nelly, I…”

“Crying will only tire you out. Come on, quickly!”

I spoke loudly to encourage her, and she nodded with a smile.

I leaned my ear against the door, confirmed that there was no sound coming from outside, and cautiously opened it. A square spiral staircase became visible. No one had imagined that we would attempt an escape, so there was no one watching us.

I proceeded with caution, and Mary followed silently behind me. The stairs were made of stone and didn’t make any creaking sounds.

We soon descended to the area near the second-floor room. As we passed by one of the doors, we could hear laughter and jokes coming from inside.

“Why isn’t that guy coming down?”

“Isn’t he having fun by himself?”

I swallowed hard and held Mary’s hand. She gripped mine tightly; she was just as nervous.

It was just when we were about to pass the last door that we heard something from inside, and it made our feet freeze.

“Go upstairs, and you’ll see.”

Chills ran down my spine. Without thinking, we both leaped down the stairs as quickly as we could. The footsteps following us were threatening. All I could think was that we’d be killed if they caught us.

My breath was burning my throat, but I couldn’t stop. Mary was breathing heavily as she followed me closely.

The front door drew nearer and nearer. I prepared to scream for help as I pushed the door with all my strength.

And then, at that moment…

Creak!

A sound like a large lock rattling came from beyond the door, and the door didn’t open.

“Ah!”

My hand slipped away, and Mary’s scream pierced the air. When I turned, I saw a man grabbing Mary by her hair. Before I could even react, Mary wildly swung the dagger she had been holding.

The startled man stepped back, allowing me to pull Mary behind me. I stood against the wall and looked at the approaching men.

One of them had a sword, and the other carried an axe. They were the only two who had come down, despite the earlier mention of four men.

Was the third man going to rescue the one we had tied up upstairs? 

‘The more people gather, the lower our chances of escape.’

With only two of them here, this might be the best time to run. There were windows nearby that could provide an escape route if there weren’t too many people around.

However, the men were not far from us, and jumping through a window would surely lead to capture. 

As I contemplated our escape plan, the men were plotting our demise.

“Let’s just finish them off.”

“We have to time it right, you know.”

“Why bother timing it? Just kill them and assume they roughly escaped.”

What did they mean by “assume they escaped”? I tilted my head and stealthily moved toward the window. The two men were still engrossed in their conversation.

“You know, seeing a corpse would put minds at ease. We’re getting paid for this, so why so much talk?”

“Just shut up.”

“Do you not have the ability to subdue two women?”

“We do so shut up!”

The man who intended to kill us approached with confidence.

“But it’s not a big deal if they can’t use an arm or leg, right?”

I didn’t want to tremble, but my body wouldn’t obey. I tightly gripped the sword’s hilt, but I knew it wouldn’t help much. We were about to be overpowered.

‘What should I do? Should I try to jump out the window?’

As I moved forward cautiously with the sword poised, suddenly, Viscountess Morgane appeared out of nowhere in the distant corridor.

“I’ve finished my job. You can kill them now.”

The men turned their heads in the direction of the voice, and I instinctively realized that the exit was where Viscountess Morgane had entered.

Everything happened in an instant. I seized the moment when the men were distracted, grabbing Mary’s hand, and we bolted to the side.

“Hey, you little brat, you’re trying to escape!”

As I turned my head, I saw a man throwing an axe at me. The sharp and heavy axe was flying straight towards me, and there was no time to stop.

I closed my eyes, and in the background, I heard a scream.

“Miss Nelly!”

A weight similar to mine fell on my back, and my head hit the ground. 

When I turned my head, I saw Mary. Instinctively, I reached down to push myself up, but the ground beneath my hand felt hot and damp. 

Looking at my hand, I saw it stained with a bright red liquid. Was I injured? But why didn’t it hurt? Maybe I was too shocked.

As I attempted to get up, my vision wavered. I heard a man’s voice from the side.

“You don’t mind if the maid dies, do you?”

“Deal with her. I’m leaving.”

I saw Viscountess Morgane disappear, and the sound of the door closing echoed. The man with the sword approached me.

His outstretched hand filled my vision. His fingers were so close that I could see them.

Thunk!

The sound of shattering glass came from above our heads. I turned my body and shielded Mary. I felt something swiftly pass over me, and when I raised my head, I saw Faust.

Wait, Faust?

“Estate manager, are you okay?”

“How…?”

“What do you mean, ‘how’? I’ve come to repay the favor.”

Faust pushed the men away and drew his sword, smiling faintly. The two men rushed towards him.

I wanted to tell him we needed to escape, but Faust skillfully held off the men. When I turned my head, I saw another person leaping through the window.

“Of course, making an entrance through the window is more stylish.”

It was Frer, muttering with a cold voice.

He had a medical bag as if he had expected someone to get injured. 

Relieved, I looked at Mary.

It was only then that I realized the blood on my hand wasn’t mine.

“Mary…”

My voice didn’t come out properly. It seemed that her arm had been grazed by the axe, and blood was flowing from the wound between the spread skin.

I reached out with trembling hands, but Frer held my shoulder.

“Step aside so I can stop the bleeding.”

I went limp and followed his lead, sitting down. He took a bandage from his bag and started wrapping it around Mary’s arm.

“She, she tried to shield…”

“It’s okay. She probably fainted briefly from losing a lot of blood. She’s breathing, and her heart is beating just fine.”

Perhaps it was the calmness in his voice that made me feel a little less fearful.

I didn’t know how these two ended up here, but I was grateful. Truly grateful.

Tears threatened to well up, so I bit my lip to hold them back. I stood up, and Faust turned towards us after defeating the two men.

“See that? When it comes to skills, I was right next to you.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Hey, what’s with that reaction?”

“I didn’t get a proper look because I was busy with treatment.”

“What? Well, you can’t just wake them up and knock them back down.”

Their banter released all the tension. It dissolved it completely. We couldn’t help but laugh. As I wiped away tears of laughter, Frer spun around.

I moved closer, thinking he was going to pick Mary up, but then his movement came to a screeching halt.

Frer set her back down on the ground and stood up.

“Sir, there seem to be more opponents now.”

“Ha-ha! It seems I have more to demonstrate… huh?”

Behind Faust, a group of enemies poured in.

I had been told there were four of them, but only two were visible. It appeared that one had gone to get more people.

While I worried about our chances of escaping, Faust looked at me and chuckled.

“Shall we try escaping through the window?”

He whined, but his voice was relaxed.

More than ten people surrounded us and drew their swords simultaneously. The sound of clashing was as thunderous as it was abrupt.

However, I wasn’t afraid at all.

It was like being wrapped in a blanket in front of a fireplace on a stormy day.

Although one person alone couldn’t handle such a large number as Faust seemed impossible.

I stood up as well, picking up a fallen sword from the ground. If I or Mary were taken as hostages, Faust wouldn’t be able to break through on his own.

If someone intends to attack, a threat must be made.

I steeled myself, but Frer snatched the sword from me. He picked up the scabbard and inserted the sword into it before holding it aloft.

“Step back, please.”

He stood next to Faust. I sat Mary down and watched the two from behind.

As Faust adjusted his stance, he asked Frer.

“Do you know how to wield it?”

“Yes. I won’t kill anyone, though.”

“Don’t get in the way…….”

Before Faust finished speaking, the enemies charged.

“These guys can talk!”

Frer chuckled, swinging his sword like a club, stunning them.

I occasionally threw glass shards at the enemies around me.

After some time, more than half of the enemies had fallen. I threw a large glass shard at a man about to attack Faust when, from a distance outside, the sound of several sets of hooves was heard.

It might be Adelhardt, but if the enemy is coming, it’s a big problem. Faust and Frer might not be able to hold on any longer.

My heart pounded.

“I hear hooves!”

Frer knocked another man out and came over to us. He lifted Mary onto his back.

Faust held the enemies at bay with his sword and approached me.

“There are only about five, so head for the exit.”

Upon hearing Faust’s words, Frer dashed ahead. He dodged the swinging swords coming towards him and headed towards the spot where the enemies were pouring in.

I also stuck close to Faust and followed. After a short distance, I was out of breath, but there was no stopping now. 

Huffing and puffing, Faust suddenly grabbed me forcefully. With the sound of clashing steel, Faust’s sword deflected an incoming strike aimed at me.

“Manager, sorry.”

“What the…!”

Faust lifted me and raced towards the exit as soon as we stepped out of the door. Just as we left the building, I saw Frer. He entered the forest as soon as he spotted us, with Faust following closely.

I was still draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My chest was compressed against Faust’s shoulder, and I used both hands to cover my mouth, raising my head.

The abandoned watchtower, which had been visible for a while, was gradually getting farther away. 

As the tower disappeared from view, Faust set me down. He took a few deep breaths and then turned his back to me.

“Get on.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for me to walk, as we don’t know what might pop out from where?”