The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent – 144
EP.144 Ambush (1)
The game’s setting book contained a lot of information, but that didn’t mean it had entire history books or character biographies written in full detail. In particular, some crucial background details were deliberately left out. That was only natural—it was to avoid spoilers.
Still, wouldn’t it have been better to include at least some of the past between the Emperor and the Sword Saint? In the original story, the Sword Saint died in his secluded hut, never meeting the Emperor again, so there was no reason for them to have any dialogue about each other.
Neither of them were characters who appeared throughout the entire game, either. The Sword Saint was a mentor figure who guided the protagonist before making his exit, while the Emperor was the final boss.
Especially the Sword Saint—if the player didn’t complete a hidden quest, they wouldn’t even meet him in the first installment of the game.
“Good. I wasn’t in the mood for more training today anyway.”
The Sword Saint said that to the Emperor before throwing a sharp glance at Jayden. Jayden flinched.
Then, the Sword Saint shifted his gaze again—this time, toward me.
“......”
I slightly lowered my head.
It was understandable. He had followed me here after witnessing my unusual talent, yet upon arriving at the imperial palace, all he saw was a ‘completely ordinary, untalented human.’ It would be disappointing.
Though his expression didn’t reveal much, the Sword Saint was perfectly capable of hiding his thoughts.
“It’s been a while. Let’s catch up over drinks.”
“Can an old man handle day drinking?”
“And you? Haven’t you spent all your time in the palace playing politics? You probably haven’t even been able to get drunk in public—at least your liver must be in pristine condition.”
The Sword Saint didn’t back down in the verbal exchange, responding with a smirk before turning to face us.
“We’ll continue training tomorrow. Don’t slack off just because I’m not here. It’s always obvious when you do.”
“Yes, sir!”
Jayden responded energetically, as if he was eager to make up for his earlier disgrace.
“Oh, right. Jayden.”
The Emperor suddenly spoke, as if he had just remembered something.
“I want to hear your report. Come to the audience chamber as soon as you’re ready. We’ll both be there.”
After saying that, the Emperor glanced at me once before turning away.
“Understood!”
Jayden answered firmly, then turned to me.
“Well then, Sylvia, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I, of course, did not reply.
*
Both Alice and Claire seemed to notice that something was off with me today. Alice had sensed it the moment she visited my room in the morning, and Claire had picked up on it during our training. Leo, too, had noticed.
All three of them asked, in their own ways, if I was okay.
“I’m fine. I just… want to rest a little.”
Since I couldn’t explain the situation in detail, I simply answered like that before heading to my room.
I was exhausted.
I knew this was all my doing. And, as I had thought earlier, I needed to stay close to the Sword Saint or the Emperor no matter what if I wanted to ensure my safety.
But at this point, everything just felt tedious.
I just… wanted to sleep.
I had barely slept due to constant anxiety, plagued by nightmares, unable to properly meditate—my mind was a tangled mess.
Ignoring everyone’s concern, I fled to my room, collapsed onto the bed without even changing my clothes.
Lucas… Ah, right. It’s dangerous to be alone…
That was probably the last thought I had.
But it wasn't my body that I needed to worry about.
*
"Sylvia!"
The sound of the door bursting open was immediately followed by two overlapping voices.
When I barely managed to open my eyes, I saw Claire and Alice staring at me with worried expressions.
"Are you hurt anywhere!?"
Claire asked urgently.
"No, there's no sign that anyone's been here. Everything is just as it was the last time I saw it."
Alice looked around my room before speaking, and only then did Claire let out a breath of relief.
I blinked several times, and my vision slowly cleared. At the doorway, Leo stood with his back to us, gripping his sword tightly. Judging by his stance, he had been standing guard while Alice and Claire rushed in.
"What…?"
"An attack."
Alice answered before I could even finish my question.
"An attack?"
"Lucas, right?"
Claire asked, and Alice nodded.
"Yes. Lucas. The one who had disappeared for a while."
The moment I heard that name, my mind snapped into focus.
I quickly sat up.
"Who was the target?"
The Sword Saint? The Emperor? At the very least, I hadn't been attacked, considering that I was still unharmed when Alice and Claire arrived.
“The interrogation facility."
But Alice’s answer was completely different from what I had expected.
Not the Sword Saint. Not the Emperor.
The interrogation facility.
Who was there that—
Ah.
"That's right."
Seeing the realization dawn on my face, Alice nodded.
"Chiara Verratti is still imprisoned there."
The Templar Knight we captured at the Northwood estate.
"But why would Lucas…?"
"I don’t know either."
Alice bit her lip slightly.
"…I have to go."
I immediately moved toward the corner of the room where I had left my gun, but Alice grabbed my arm.
"Wait, Sylvia."
Our eyes met as I turned toward her. She hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Your condition…"
At her words, Claire also glanced at me uncertainly. Including Leo, all three of them had seen how awful my state had been today.
But…
If Lucas had deliberately gone after the 'Papal State's prisoner,' then I had to know why. There could be something much bigger at play than what I had anticipated.
Not to mention, the masked woman who was still lurking somewhere around me.
I was still missing several pieces of the puzzle, but those missing pieces were slowly falling into place, forming a clearer picture in my mind.
"I have to go."
I put more strength into my voice this time. Alice stared at me for a moment before finally nodding.
"Then we're going with you."
To be honest, I wanted to go alone. But even if I said that, these three would never let me go on my own.
And since I didn’t have the ability to turn back time, I wouldn't be able to get past them.
"……."
More importantly, without such an ability, I wouldn't be able to protect all three of them.
But—
"……Fine. But under no circumstances should you push yourselves too hard."
"Look who's talking."
Alice replied, exasperation clear in her voice.
Everything had gone off course because of me.
I had to see the situation with my own eyes.
And… I had some faith in something, too.
There were two people in this imperial palace who would never turn a blind eye to Lucas’s presence.
*
"…Why the hell are you doing this?"
"There are plenty of reasons."
Faced with the red-haired man standing before her, Verratti retreated as far back as possible. Her back pressed against the wall.
As an esteemed knight of the Papal State, she knew that acting like this was disgraceful. But she had a mission that far outweighed her pride.
At the very least, she couldn't afford to die.
"I don't even know where to start."
Lucas swung his sword with a flick of his wrist. The blood clinging to the blade splattered onto the ground, leaving the blade pristine once more. As if he couldn't tolerate it being tainted in the slightest.
Verratti, staring at the now-spotless blade, let her mouth fall open in shock.
"…Jericho’s sword."
"Oh? So you recognize it? As expected of a Knights Templar."
Lucas held the sword upright, as if proudly displaying it.
It was an exquisitely sharp blade, capable of cutting through anything, yet its edge never seemed to dull. It wasn’t quite a "relic," but it was still a treasured artifact, crafted using ancient, lost magic.
"…Antonio?"
"What do you think happened to him?"
Lucas countered Verratti’s question the moment she spoke the sword’s original owner’s name.
"He wasn’t exactly skilled enough to deserve owning this sword."
Verratti clenched her teeth with a grinding noise.
"Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations when I headed to the Papal State. I was just curious about my little sister, the one who can read the future. Thought maybe I’d find a hint about her if I went there, so I went on a whim."
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly.
"Turned out there were a lot more clues than I expected. Though, it seems like you lot never even considered them."
"What… do you mean?"
Verratti asked cautiously, and Lucas simply stared at her.
Under that gaze, she felt a chill run down her spine.
She was going to die.
The man standing before her had no intention of letting her live.
"You're the one who should be answering my questions."
Lucas’s voice was slow, deliberate. As if he wanted her to hear every word clearly.
"I asked a few cardinals about you. Turns out, your capture here was at least partially intentional."
"……."
"If you could recover a relic from the ruins, that’s good. But if you ended up captured, you'd use the opportunity to search for a relic within the palace instead. You even had multiple magic circles inscribed on your body, didn’t you?"
"How… do you know that?"
"Told you. I asked around."
Lucas kept his smile intact as he spoke.
"It's a good thing the Papal State is such a secretive place, don't you think? Otherwise, the reputation of the Knights Templar would’ve taken quite the hit. And not just locally—globally."
He stepped closer to Verratti.
With her back already against the wall, she had nowhere left to retreat.
"I was planning to ask you the same thing. How about it?"
"I…"
Verratti started to speak but shut her mouth.
If even those cardinals had talked under interrogation, then whatever means had been used… it had to be far from the 'gentle' methods the Empire had shown her so far.
Which meant…
"Well, if you're not in the mood to talk—"
Lucas took another step forward—
"—Oh?"
He quickly ducked.
A blade sliced through the air where his head had been just moments ago. The sharp energy of the swing carried forward, gouging a long, deep cut into the ceiling just above Verratti’s head.
Small fragments of stone crumbled and rained down.
Lucas leaped backward, widening the distance between himself and the newcomer.
Then, turning to face them—
"Oh?"
A small, intrigued exclamation escaped his lips.
Standing there was a woman clad in a black robe, her face obscured by a plain white mask with only two hollow holes for eyes.