The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent – 145
EP.145 Ambush (2)
The interrogation facility was quite a distance from where we were staying. That was only natural. No matter how ‘courteously’ an important prisoner needed to be treated, an enemy was still an enemy. There was always the possibility of an escape attempt—perhaps even an assassination of a key imperial figure within the palace. The facility itself was no different from a standard room, but its purpose was effectively that of a prison.
At the very top of a towering structure within the Imperial Fortress stood the interrogation chamber.
Naturally, the area was heavily guarded—
"This is…"
Even before reaching the tower, Claire and Alice came to a halt, visibly shaken. The scene before us was utterly disastrous.
Knights, who were supposed to be among the best the Imperial Fortress had to offer, lay scattered about, some seemingly lifeless. The barren ground was marred with crimson blood and scorched black marks.
It wasn’t just knights who had fought back. The soldiers had resisted, too. The ground was littered with debris—shattered weapons, severed firearms, and even unused grenades rolling about.
The wailing sirens pierced through my ears.
Beyond the fallen soldiers, reinforcements were pouring in. The sound of hurried footsteps overlapped with shouted orders from all directions.
Cannons surrounded the tower, but none had dared to fire.
"Your Highness…!"
A knight ran towards us.
"What is happening inside?"
Having rushed here without proper information, I immediately questioned him.
"Sir Lucas has initiated a rebellion."
The knight stood at attention and delivered his report in a rigid tone.
"Inside the tower?"
"Yes. It appears he is after the Papal State's prisoner. And…"
The knight hesitated for a moment, glancing at Alice and me before continuing.
"His Majesty the Emperor and the Sword Saint are inside as well."
"…Father went in himself…?"
"Forgive us!"
Alice murmured, her expression complicated, and the knight raised his voice in desperation.
"We should have stopped him…!"
"No."
I responded immediately. There wouldn’t have been time to stop him anyway. Lucas must have slipped past them like a gust of wind before anyone could react.
And the reason the Emperor was inside that tower…
It wasn’t simply to stop Lucas.
He was enjoying this.
I gritted my teeth and loaded my gun.
"Your Highness, wait—!"
The knight called out, trying to stop me, but I was already running.
Inside the tower, an impressive number of knights were stationed.
The Griffon Knights, the direct knights of the Imperial Family—reputed as the strongest in the Empire—filled the spiraling staircase leading upward.
Even knowing that Lucas was supposed to be capable of cutting through all of them, I couldn’t help but question if that was physically possible.
And then—
"Wait, Sylvia."
Just as I placed my foot on the first step, Alice grabbed my arm.
She wasn’t just trying to dissuade me—she was holding on tight, as if she had no intention of letting me go.
"It’s too dangerous."
I was grateful that her first instinct was to warn me, rather than to question what I knew. But—
"You, of all people, know exactly what Lucas is like."
"And Your Highness knows better than anyone that I am the one who has suffered the most from that sword."
For a brief moment, a wounded expression flashed across Alice’s face at my words. But she didn’t loosen her grip on my arm.
"…There’s something I need to hear from Lucas."
"Is it really that important? More than your life?"
Of course, it wasn’t more important than my life.
But I had something I believed in.
No matter how skilled Lucas was, there was no way he could come out unscathed while fighting both the Emperor and the Sword Saint at the same time. In the original story, it was said that by this point, he had already surpassed the Sword Saint’s abilities. But that didn’t mean he had an overwhelming advantage.
During his duel with the Sword Saint, Lucas was cut across the chest. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it was deep enough to leave a scar.
And now, with the Emperor—whose prime had not yet passed—also present, Lucas had no chance of winning.
Besides, the Emperor would never let Lucas survive this fight.
If I wanted to hear what he had to say, this could be my last opportunity.
"I have to hear it, no matter what."
I fixed my gaze on Alice, strengthening my resolve.
I needed to know what I truly was. How I ended up here.
Lucas was the only person who could provide even the bare minimum of an answer. At least, the only one I could think of right now.
"So, will you let me go?"
"……"
Alice remained silent for a moment. Then, she let go of my arm.
Watching her hand fall limply to her side made me feel a twinge of guilt. But I met her gaze firmly and spoke.
"I won’t get seriously hurt. Please wait here, Your Highness. Claire, Leo, you too."
All three of them looked at me with disbelief, clearly unconvinced. But I turned to the knight standing beside me and said,
"Make sure they don’t follow me up."
"B-But Her Highness—"
"Do I look like I’m going up there to die?"
"……"
At my words, the knight fell silent.
After all, I was the one who had single-handedly wiped out an entire army on the battlefield. He couldn’t dismiss my claim so easily.
"Sylvia!"
I heard someone call out behind me.
But without looking back, I turned and ascended the stairs.
However, things didn’t go as I expected.
The Emperor and the Sword Saint—undoubtedly the strongest swordsmen in this world—had not fallen to Lucas. That much wasn’t surprising.
But—
"Oh? My little sister finally decided to show up."
The moment I stepped through the doors, the scent of blood hit me.
I was almost impressed with myself for not flinching.
"Kugh…!"
"I was just starting to miss you, you know. Turns out, you’re the only one who can perfectly evade my swordsmanship."
There was a sickening crack.
"Ugh…!"
A gritted-teeth groan of pain.
Verratti let out a pained cry as Lucas's sword pierced her. The wound seemed to be across her abdomen, though it didn’t appear fatal—at least, her insides weren’t spilling out.
When the blade lodged in her thigh was pulled out, a few drops of blood splattered onto the floor.
The interrogation chamber was already a disaster. The furniture that should have been present was shattered beyond recognition, and blood was splattered across the walls.
And it wasn’t just Verratti’s blood.
"I must say, I’m quite proud to see my son has grown this much."
The Emperor addressed Lucas with those words, but Lucas simply let out a scoffing laugh. A thin trail of blood dripped down his forehead—evidence that even the Emperor had been wounded by him.
...The Emperor, injured by Lucas.
"Well, to be honest, it’s mostly thanks to the equipment."
Lucas spoke nonchalantly.
"…You’ve been to the Papal State."
"That’s right. You figured it out immediately, huh?"
In Lucas’s hand was a sword once wielded by a Papal State knight—an ancient relic from an era when humans relied more on magic than physical laws.
His outfit was also different. He was wearing a priest’s robe, and slung over his shoulder was a small travel bag, secured tightly against his body so it wouldn’t interfere with his movements. The setup resembled the streamlined gear of a modern soldier.
Lucas hadn’t converted to their faith. It was far more likely that he had simply taken what he found useful.
Holy robes tended to look similar, so it was hard to determine their exact abilities. Stamina enhancement? Healing? Defense? …Regardless, just wearing one would offer a significant advantage.
"Sylvia, he’s not someone you can handle."
The Sword Saint, who appeared to be in even worse shape than the Emperor, warned me.
"……"
Of course, I didn’t listen. Even if I tried to run, Lucas would just chase me down.
I had miscalculated.
If Lucas had come this far, then I should have assumed he was fully prepared.
"Normally, I wouldn’t rely on gear like this to overwhelm my opponent."
Lucas flicked his sword, sending a spray of blood flying off with just a single motion. The blade, once stained red, was now perfectly clean.
"But since I’m dealing with ‘you,’ I figured I’d need some extra preparations. And besides—"
Lucas suddenly turned his gaze to the corner of the room, grinning.
"—there’s an intruder here as well."
Following his gaze, I turned my head—and froze.
There, leaning against the wall, was the masked woman, her body slashed deeply by a sword. She hadn’t collapsed yet, but her breaths were shallow and ragged.
How…?
"Curious?"
Lucas's voice snapped me back.
"Too bad. I’m not telling you."
And in the next instant, his face was right in front of me.
"Tch…!"
The only reason I managed to raise my gun in time was because my body reacted instinctively, trained through endless repetition.
But luck only lasts once.
Lucas’s sword swung—and in one clean motion, my gun was sliced in half.
"Ah—"
"……"
Staring at my weapon, now reduced to a useless, broken piece of metal, I faltered.
Lucas, who had been smirking just moments ago, let his expression fall into complete blankness.
And that face—was utterly terrifying.
"That’s what I mean. People who rely on tricks."
Lucas let out a sigh, his voice heavy with condescension.
"Once their little gimmicks fail, they can’t do a thing."
It was as if he were delivering a death sentence.