HowDeadTL: 23. The Guard Knight's Holy War in the Demonic Realm

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The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way

[The Guard Knight's Holy War in the Demonic Realm]

Translated by: ME

It has been six years since I became the chief personal guard knight for the Crown Prince.

This is the first time I have ever felt my life was in such danger.

As expected, the Macnagan Ducal household is indeed a 'demonic realm'...

***

His Highness currently attends Steinford Academy.

There is no real need for him to attend an external academy, but His Highness decided to enroll solely because he wanted to be with his fiancée, Lady Elizabeth.

He is usually busy with official duties and public affairs, so even if it's only for a few years, being able to live away from the castle with Lady Elizabeth is, I believe, a very good thing for His Highness.

That academy is now on its autumn break, so Lady Elizabeth, who usually lives at the castle, has returned to her family home.

Although, Lady Elizabeth also has her own public duties, so it's only for a mere three days.

One of those three days.

His Highness also planned to visit the Macnagan Ducal household and stay overnight.

Despite it being the home of his beloved Elizabeth, and even including a stay, His Highness was making a difficult face.

[Leon, you're getting wrinkles between your brows. Why the long face?]

Lord Hendrick, His Highness's aide, was poking His Highness's forehead with his finger.

Lord Hendrick can be this familiar because he is His Highness's cousin. His father is the elder brother of Her Majesty the Queen.

[You'll understand if you go there... Maybe.]

Brushing off Lord Hendrick's hand, His Highness spoke, still with that troubled expression.

[The Macnagan house is a demonic realm...]

At His Highness's utterly serious tone and expression, Lord Hendrick burst out laughing.

[So, what's that supposed to mean?]

[...Like I said, you'll understand if you go.]

As His Highness sighed, Lord Hendrick laughed and said, [Makes no sense to me.]

No, you probably *would* understand if you went, Lord Hendrick.

I thought this without voicing it aloud just as the carriage stopped.

It seemed we had arrived at the place His Highness called the 'demonic realm'.

***

[We have been awaiting your arrival.]

As we disembarked from the carriage, Lady Elizabeth spoke with a perfectly executed bow.

[Thank you for meeting us, Ellie.]

His Highness gently prompted Lady Elizabeth to straighten up, smoothly pulled her close by the waist, and kissed her cheek.

...The maid in the back is grinning, going [My, my~...], but is that alright? Also, there's a man who looks like a footman peeking from behind a pillar in the hall, praying with his hands together towards His Highness...

[Lady Elizabeth, I thank you for permitting my visit as well.]

Lady Elizabeth smiled at Lord Hendrick, who had executed a smooth, elegant bow.

[Guests are most welcome. ...Primarily by the servants.]

[Hah?]

She smiled at Lord Hendrick, who looked up with a puzzled expression, and then Lady Elizabeth smoothly took His Highness's hand.

[My parents are waiting. ...And the painter.]

[...My apologies, but could we perhaps have the painter sent away?]

[If I may be so bold, Your Highness, might I have permission to speak?]

The butler, who had been waiting behind Lady Elizabeth, spoke while performing a bow even more impeccable than Lord Hendrick's.

[Permission granted.]

[Yes. We wish to paint a portrait to hang in the Young Lady's room. It is the Young Lady's earnest request. I beg you not to dismiss it out of hand...]

His Highness made a choked sound, [Gu...].

That statement from the butler is probably about eighty percent lies.

Within this ducal mansion, His Highness is revered as a ['Savior God'].

I witnessed the events leading to this, and frankly, I was quite taken aback.

There seems to be an altar dedicated to His Highness somewhere in the mansion. They desire a portrait to display there.

His Highness dislikes this and refuses their offers whenever they are made.

However, even knowing it's a lie, when they say ['Lady Elizabeth wishes for it'], it seems even His Highness finds it hard to refuse.

[We are not planning anything large-scale, so it will not take much of your time. ...Is it no good?]

Lady Elizabeth looked up at His Highness with pleading, upturned eyes—truly a cunning move.

To go that far for a portrait of His Highness... For *that* purpose...

His Highness must understand that too, but faced with Lady Elizabeth, who normally never acts so coquettishly, he seemed on the verge of being easily ensnared. [Gu... nu... but...]

[Please, Lord Leon.]

His Highness made a pained decision as Lady Elizabeth tightly hugged his arm to her chest, her upturned eyes glistening.

[.........Fine. But just this once.]

The moment His Highness said that, I saw several servants clench their fists and whisper [Yes!!].

...Your Highness. You will undoubtedly be enshrined on that altar...

[Guard Knight, I am aware you have your duties, but please do relax today.]

Hah?

No, no, that's impossible.

[No, I am here strictly for His Highness's protection, so...]

[I am aware. However, within this ducal household, there exist no scoundrels who would harm His Highness. ...Please, leave it to us.]

His tone is polite, but the pressure is immense.

Just who is this butler? He has a strange air of intimidation.

He looks every bit the seasoned butler, though.

Norman, who had been standing behind Lady Elizabeth, walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder with a light pat.

[...Let's do as the butler says, Gray. ...It's better not to oppose him.]

I decided to nod at Norman's final words, muttered softly.

Because I was concerned about how terribly tattered his uniform looked.

...Just what happened to him yesterday?

[Now then, Your Highness, please come inside. Lord Hendrick, you as well. ...Dee!]

When the butler called out, a casual [Yes, sir~] came in reply, and a young man appeared before me.

Judging by his attire, he was a male laborer.

[We've got a little attraction prepared for the Guard Knight to enjoy! C'mon, this way~!]

I decided to reluctantly follow the young man as he started walking, beckoning me.

From behind me as I walked away, I heard the voices of Lady Elizabeth and the butler saying, [Good luck.]

***

[Ohh, it's the Crown Prince's guard today! Looks like we've got a tough one, that's great!]

The man looking at me and laughing cheerfully had a familiar face. Judging by his clothes and equipment, he must be the gardener.

[If he's gonna protect our god and fairy, he'd better be tough, right?]

The young man also laughed happily.

Norman was staring at the two of them with an unusually severe expression.

...What on earth happened yesterday, really...?

[Excuse me... Are you Lord Wesley?]

[Aye. And you were... Noel Simmons, was it?]

[I am currently called Noel Gray.]

So it was indeed Greg Wesley.

The former personal guard knight of the late King. ...Though now he looks for all the world like a gardener.

[I mean, knights are just so stiff and troublesome, ain't they? Who cares what the old man used to be, now he's the ducal family's gardener. That's fine, ain't it?]

The young man laughed as if exasperated, and Lord Wesley also chuckled.

[Well, he's right. But unlike me, this one here is an active knight. He can't afford to go all soft and floppy like you.]

The young man laughed heartily, saying things like ['I guess so'], but just who is he?

[Um, you are...]

[I'm a stable hand. My job is takin' care of the ducal family's horses.]

A stable hand...

I suppose that's true, but is that all? Really?

[Alright, you two, remember this spot here real well.]

Following Lord Wesley's words, I looked around.

It was a small gazebo in a corner of the garden.

[Next, here ya go.]

The stable hand young man held out a piece of cloth.

[What is this?]

[A blindfold. Please use this to cover your eyes nice and tight.]

A blindfold!? Why!?

[Now, now. It's just a little game. The day's still long, ya know? Let's have a relaxed game.]

Exchanging a look with Norman, we hesitated for a moment but reluctantly did as we were told and covered our eyes.

***

* * *

***

After that, we were put on horses, told we could remove the blindfolds, and when we did—we were in a forest.

I had no idea what was happening.

Weren't we just at the ducal mansion!?

[This is within the ducal estate grounds.]

Lord Wesley said, laughing as if seeing right through our confusion.

[It's nothing, just a little game. Your goal is to return from this starting point to the gazebo you were at earlier. Along the way, you might face some interference, or maybe nothing will happen at all.]

[Knights are better at group combat than individual fights, right? With two of you, that's plenty enough for a 'group', right?]

...No, I don't think two people count as a 'group'... But it's better than one.

[I wouldn't call two people a 'group'...]

Norman muttered with a sigh, and the stable hand young man laughed.

[That so? From our perspective, anything more than solo is a 'group'.]

[That might be true by your standards.]

[But you can't say for sure there'd *never* be a situation with only two knights, right?]

That is certainly true.

Just who is this young man?

[If you decide to surrender along the way, just shout it out loud. Now then, let's begin!]

In response to Lord Wesley's loud voice, various sounds erupted around us—rustling leaves, high-pitched whistles, cat calls...

Just how many people are hiding in the vicinity!? I hadn't sensed any of them.

[Begin!!]

As Lord Wesley's voice rang out, the young man blew an especially high and long whistle.

[Ah, right, forgot to mention.]

The young man, now straddling the horse that had brought us here, looked at us and grinned.

[I can't say how many are hiding, but anyone who gets taken down once is allowed to rejoin the action after a sufficient cooldown. Anyone taken down twice stays out.]

Rules!?

What in the world is this!

***

As the young man and Lord Wesley rode off on their horses, Norman let out a very, very deep sigh and scratched his head vigorously. An unusual gesture for him.

[...No help for it, let's go. Direction-wise... it should be that way.]

We could roughly deduce the direction based on the time elapsed and the sun's position.

But we had no other information.

[Right. ...More importantly, what *is* all this?]

When I asked, Norman let out another deep sigh.

[Didn't that stable hand say? It's a 'fun attraction'.]

His tone was dismissive. Really unusual.

What happened, Norman?

***

This place seemed to be a truly unmaintained, ordinary grove. ...Though it certainly appeared to be within the ducal estate grounds.

Trees growing wild and dense, grass left to run rampant.

The footing was bad, and the visibility was poor.

[Who...a.]

Norman noticed something and lifted his foot.

At his feet was a very thin, string-like wire.

I didn't know what it was, but it was some kind of trap.

About twenty minutes had passed since we started walking, and in that short time, there had been several traps. From simple noisemakers to ones where cutting a taut string made arrows fly from somewhere—many of them.

...More importantly, what does it mean that we've been walking for twenty minutes and still can't see the mansion!?

The ducal mansion certainly has vast grounds, but were they *this* vast!?

From our current position, the upper area was hidden by trees, making the sun's exact position unclear.

I had a simple compass as part of my standard equipment, but the needle was spinning everywhere, making it useless.

...The term ['demonic realm'] seemed truly fitting.

So far, we had ['incapacitated'] two opponents.

One was a young man who said he was a footman. I've never seen a footman take on two knights with just one knife before.

The other was a self-proclaimed laundry maid. I've also never met a maid who shoots blow darts from treetops.

I heard a *swish* sound cutting through the air, felt something flying towards me, and dodged instinctively. A thin metal rod-like object lodged itself in a tree trunk right beside me.

It was an unfamiliar item, about twenty centimeters long and one centimeter in diameter, with a tip that seemed honed to a razor sharpness. Probably a type of concealed weapon used by assassins and such.

It's probably best not to touch it.

As I was about to start walking again, I heard a *crunch* sound like someone stepping on the ground behind me.

I tried to turn around, but it seemed I was too late.

[Okay, minus one point.]

The voice I heard by my ear belonged to the stable hand young man.

Glancing down, I saw a blade pressed snugly against my neck.

[...Minus points?]

[Yep! Oh, and by the way, the minus points affect tonight's dinner menu!]

He said cheerfully as he withdrew the blade. Then, he spun the knife-like weapon once with a flourish and tucked it away inside his jacket. He probably had a shoulder holster.

The young man pulled the rod stuck in the tree and this time slipped it smoothly into his sleeve.

...So that was a decoy trap.

[Ah, about the conditions for minus points: it's minus one for ['a situation that could lead to incapacitation'].]

Well then, good luck~, he said in a light tone, then leaped up into the trees.

Incredible physical ability. I knew it, he's no ordinary stable hand.

***

Two hours had already passed. We were still in the forest.

The minus points I'd accumulated so far were three; Norman had two.

Since the opponents primarily used surprise attacks, it never turned into a proper fight. If we could just avoid the initial strike, we could often push through afterward.

I was starting to get a bit thirsty... when I spotted something unbelievable.

[...Norman.]

[What is it... Huh?]

Norman was also staring that way, dumbfounded.

A small table was set up in the middle of the forest. Next to it stood Marina, Lady Elizabeth's maid.

On the table was a sign that read: 'Water Station ※ Not a trap. Please feel free to use.'

[A trap...?]

I found myself nodding in agreement with Norman's mutter.

[No, it is no trap. It is a delivery from the Young Lady. She instructed us to ensure you stay properly hydrated.]

Marina held a water pitcher, and there were glasses on the table.

She said it was a delivery from Lady Elizabeth.

Then it probably isn't a lie. I can't imagine her falsely using Lady Elizabeth's name.

Norman seemed to think the same. We nodded at each other and headed towards it.

She poured water into our glasses, and we drank it down in one go.

[Would you like a refill?]

[Yes, please.]

She poured another glass, and we drained that one too.

[Thank you very much.]

As we placed the glasses down and tried to leave, Marina stopped us.

[We also have cookies, please do try some. Your movements will slow if you are hungry.]

[And those are not traps?]

Marina replied quietly to Norman's question, [They are not.]

Since Marina insisted, we decided to take just one each.

I broke it in half with my hands; it seemed like a normal cookie.

[Come now, please. We still have plenty.]

This is that thing where you can't move until you eat it, isn't it...

Steeling myself, I put the cookie in my mouth.

It had a crisp, soft texture. ...Wait a minute.

It had no taste.

It was astonishingly bland. Moreover, it sucked all the moisture out of my mouth.

What is this!?

Norman also had a suspicious look on his face.

In any case, it was a type of food we were experiencing for the first time.

[This is the Young Lady's 'Cookie (Evolved ver.)'. The texture is good, but it is tasteless and odorless. And it makes your mouth feel very dry.]

Lady Elizabeth!!

Please don't evolve in such a strange direction!!

Really, between the previous Cookie (tentative) and this one, how do you even make these!?

[Would you like another glass of water?]

[...Yes, please.]

I started to think this might be a kind of trap in itself.

***

Another hour passed from there.

I was starting to get it. It's not that the forest is large. We were being led astray, our sense of direction manipulated.

The sunlight barely reached us, and the compass was useless.

Amidst that, they subtly moved around during combat, disorienting us about our current location.

[I'd like to get out soon...]

Norman let out a *fuu...* sigh, showing clear signs of fatigue.

[Indeed. I wonder how long our concentration will last...]

I was also getting quite tired. ...Mentally, mostly.

***

As we continued walking, we saw another strange thing.

[Another trap...?]

Norman had become completely paranoid.

It was a signpost. A wooden signpost shaped like an arrow, with ['Route'] written on it.

[...Shall we proceed for now?]

[I suppose.]

It's not even certain if this is the right direction.

Even if it's a trap, let's play along.

There were signposts dotted around, all reading ['Route'].

Some had things written below ['Route'], like ['Coming from above! Watch out!']—and an attacker actually did drop down from above—or ['! Pitfall Warning!']—but there *was* *no* pitfall. It was confusing whether they were traps or genuine warnings.

Eventually, a route signpost appeared that read ['The exit is that way'].

Looking in the indicated direction, the forest indeed seemed to break off there.

[No, it's probably a trap...]

I urged the muttering Norman to go check it out anyway, and we headed that way.

[We're out...]

It really was the exit.

The dense grove ended, revealing a well-maintained path and neatly kept trees.

The sun was considerably lower. But now we could tell the direction.

For now, following this path should be fine.

I'm more accustomed to artificial environments like mansions than natural ones like forests. Thankfully, it's easier to identify places that require caution.

Before the target gazebo came into view, Norman and I together had ['incapacitated'] four servants.

...However, every single one of them looked completely unsuited for combat.

Just what is going on in this demonic realm?

***

It seemed that His Highness, Lady Elizabeth, and Lord Hendrick were enjoying tea at the target gazebo.

Marina was already waiting behind Lady Elizabeth. ...What is *her* deal...?

[Alright, just a little more to go. Let's give it our all!]

Blocking our path were the stable hand young man and another young man with white hair, grey eyes, and an unusually handsome face.

The white-haired young man gave a light, springy hop. The moment he landed, he closed the distance to us with incredible speed.

As I tried to evade him, the stable hand young man threw a knife at me.

Norman knocked the knife aside with his sword, and in that opening, I closed the distance to the stable hand.

But the stable hand lightly leaped back, resetting the distance.

These two were far too nimble, making their movements hard to read.

There's no way these two are amateurs.

I blocked the stable hand's swinging knife with my sword. Each individual strike was light. But the speed was extraordinary. The number of attacks was high too.

They're the type often seen among assassins and such.

I launched a kick towards the stable hand, but he nimbly hopped back to avoid it. Then the white-haired young man threw something aiming for my feet.

I managed to dodge and saw it was a small knife-like object.

The weapons the servants of this house use are too unusual, making them difficult to deal with.

I pulled the object stuck in the ground out and threw it back at the young man with all my strength. But the young man easily caught it, laughed, and said [Thanks].

He's pretty composed.

At that moment, I caught a glint of light in the corner of my vision.

A crossbow, aimed at the gazebo from the shadow of a garden tree.

There's no way a servant of this house would seriously target His Highness or Lady Elizabeth.

There *shouldn't* be, but—

I abandoned the two in front of me and ran towards the gazebo.

Norman was running towards the maid (another maid!?) who was holding the crossbow.

I stood in front of the gazebo, blocking the crossbow's line of fire, and looked in that direction. Norman grabbed the maid's hand, forcing the crossbow to point skyward.

[That's enough!!]

The butler's clear voice rang out from the gazebo.

[Wiz, good work~]

[Good work~]

The two we had just been fighting patted my shoulder, laughing as they spoke.

Was it... over...?

Norman also released the maid's hand he was holding and was apologizing to her. She was laughing heartily, though.

Is it over...? ...What an exhausting day...

***

[Alrighty, let's begin the overall review~]

Standing before the roughly ten people gathered in the garden in front of the gazebo, the stable hand young man began speaking in a relaxed tone.

[First, Anna.]

[Yes-ss!]

The one who responded energetically, raising her hand, was the maid who had been ['incapacitated'] twice along the way.

[You did very well! As a bonus prize, we award you the 'Right to Choose Your Own Bread Fillings'!]

[Yay! Nathan, sir—! I'd like ham and cheese!]

[Okay~, got it. I'll have it ready for tomorrow morning~]

[Next, Elise. Let's try a little harder!]

[Ehh—!! But I think I did my best—!!]

His Highness, Lady Elizabeth, and the others were also listening to this ['overall review'] from the gazebo.

His Highness had a somewhat distant look in his eyes, and Lord Hendrick looked stunned. Only Lady Elizabeth had a cheerful, smiling face.

[And last, the Reaper.]

[Don't call me the Reaper!!!]

The one shouting was the white-haired young man.

[You've gotten dull, haven't you? Your movements are slow. Some 'Reaper' you are. Stop acting so full of yourself.]

[I'm just a porter! It can't be helped if I'm slow! I'm not full of myself! And I'm not the Reaper!]

[Shut up, Reaper.]

[I said, don't call me the Reapeeeer!!!]

Dull? Movements slow? *That*!? You must be joking!

[And as for you guard knights...]

Lord Wesley started speaking, taking over from the young man.

[Your stance of not forgetting your primary duty is a pass. If you could just be a bit more flexible in your responses, it'd be perfect.]

[Understood.]

Norman and I bowed in unison. Voices from the surroundings called out things like [So cool!] and [Knights are wonderful!], but I decided to pretend not to hear them.

[You're criticizing Caesar harshly, but haven't you gotten dull yourself?]

The stable hand young man grinned at Lord Wesley's words.

['Cause I'm just a stable hand, right?]

[Well, I suppose that's true.]

[Hey, Lily, can I see that crossbow from earlier?]

Lady Elizabeth had, at some point, joined the crowd of servants.

[Sure, sure, here you go~. I tried shaving down the grip a bit~.]

[This pulley could probably be shaved down a bit more too. Lighter is better, right?]

[Eh—? But wouldn't that compromise the strength too much—?]

They were chatting away in lively voices, as if discussing dresses or jewels.

[If we change the material of the string here, we could probably get a bit more power and range.]

A footman joined the conversation.

[That's right. I thought about that too.]

[The limbs could probably use some work too~.]

I'm glad they're having fun.

...I became convinced that the factor behind Lady Elizabeth becoming the person she is undoubtedly lies within this demonic realm.

***

Overall, I had three minus points, and Norman also had three.

It seemed we lost our dessert for dinner. Not that I mind.

Furthermore, when I tried to sleep late at night, the so-called honeytrap squad showed up, exhausting me mentally.

The Macnagan Ducal household is a demonic realm.

...The next time His Highness visits this place, I wouldn't mind if someone else accompanied him... If possible, I'd like to decline...

***

The Cookie (Evolved ver.) was developed under the supervision of the academy's chemistry and physics lecturers.

They managed to fix the hardness, but failed to resolve the tastelessness. The lecturers are investigating the cause in their spare time.

When Ellie tasted it, a rabbit with an 'X' for a mouth danced a line dance through her mind before passing out.

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