35. The Oath To Return.
“The messenger Jillian sent had requested for troop support.”
Troop support?
Bianca felt as if her eyes were going dark at Rappin’s words.
“Wha.., is this how it usually is? Do they always request for additional support?”
At that moment, Bianca lost all strength in her body and almost fell over where she stood.
Fortunately, Rappin caught her just in time, otherwise she would have ended up rolling around on the floor in an awkward manner.
“It’s not the norm, but it’s not unprecedented either.”
Despite Bianca’s surprised appearance, Rappin responded politely without changing his expression.
“Wait, can I help you over?”
Right now, both her elbows are supported by him.
It was an unbelievably small touch to support an adult woman.
Because he was a sincere and polite knight, he did not carelessly lay a hand on Bianca.
And since he was in no position to lift her up and move as he pleased, Bianca’s permission was needed.
“Okay.”
With this answer, Rappin picked up Bianca and carried her away.
Julie, who was always jealous of Rapin, also seemed to think it was not time for this and quickly prepared tea.
In a moment, Bianca was able to half-recline on the soft sofa and receive a cup of warm tea.
However, she wasn’t calming down.
“Did they say that the situation was very bad?”
“They say the scale of this wave was bigger than expected.”
“So?”
“It is said that part of the 7th fortress was destroyed and all 6th fortresses are currently under attack.”
I haven’t toured all the forts yet, but I heard that each fort was built with as much effort as the main castle.
It was also said that special attention was paid to the 7th fortress facing the ice wall.
“Then the casualties…….”
Is Jillian okay?
I couldn’t bear to ask the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
Requesting troops was the authority of the leader.
And, if something unfortunate had happened to him, she would have received much scarier news than a request for additional troops.
The question I could barely suppress burnt my insides.
“The fortress has collapsed, and it looks like some knights were trapped in the falling debris. Their condition is critical, but no one appears to have lost their lives yet.”
“What a relief.”
It was fortunate that there were no casualties.
Bianca let out a long sigh.
“What about the Duke?”
For a moment, Bianca thought she was the one who let the question slip and quickly covered her mouth.
But the question seemed to have come from Julie’s mouth, not hers.
Rappin’s gaze was fixed on Julie.
“I am sure the Madam is curious about the Duke.”
“He didn’t say anything about it.”
“I don’t think he is injured. That’s fortunate, Madam. Lord Rappin is indifferent to this kind of thing. He sometimes forgets the most important words.”
“I’m so glad he is safe.”
Bianca grabbed the teacup with both her trembling hands.
Hooking only one finger through the cup handle or grabbing the cup with both hands were strictly prohibited by etiquette, but my hands were shaking and I had no choice.
My palms gradually grew warm and my body, which had been shaking like an aspen tree, gradually began to calm down.
“So there has been no news since then?”
After I took a sip of tea, Julie began her interrogation.
As if he was feeling bad about it, Rappin acted sincerely, nodding or answering with a gentle expression even when the younger Julie scolded him.
“I just heard that they have moved to 6th Fortress and are handling the attack.”
The questions were asked by Julie, but the answers were meant for Bianca.
Although he was being scolded for being tactless, Rappin also seemed to understand her feelings, and instead of showing off his displeasure, he was trying hard to remember at least one more thing he had heard.
“What do you mean by them handling the attack?”
There was no way Julie, who was born and raised here, wouldn’t understand that.
So, that was a question for Bianca, an outsider.
Was that why?
Bianca felt like the tea was warming her deep inside her heart, not just her stomach.
My body, which had been shaking violently from the tension, gradually began to relax, and my bleak mind gradually began to come to its senses.
“The 7th Fortress has collapsed at the start of the wave, and they are dealing with monsters at 6th Fortresd. The request for additional troop support is to replace the knights who were swept away when the fortress collapsed.”
“If you had said that from the beginning, I wouldn’t have been so surprised.”
“You weren’t surprised at all…”
“Oh, no, I was surprised.”
Even though she said that, Julie was smiling.
“How far has the clearing progressed?”
“About half way through?”
Haa.
I finally let a relieved sigh at these words.
My heart ached at how difficult it must have been for them, but I was excited at the same time.
I felt like the day of his return was fast approaching.
***
“Are you okay?”
Blatt simply pointed to Jillian’s left shoulder, which was bandaged.
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“Even though half of your shoulder was blown off, you still have that kind of composure. That’s really amazing.”
Blatt twitched the corner of his mouth grumpily at Jillian’s calm words.
This wave was absolutely terrible.
Thanks to the knight who was on guard, they were able to respond quickly, but the number pouring out from beyond the ice wall was unusual.
Crack!
It seemed like there was a crack in the ice wall, and the thick ice wall suddenly burst resulting in the monsters coming out.
It was truly a wave.
A huge number of monsters came crashing down like a sea wave.
It was at that time that the 7th Fortress collapsed.
Its thick stone wall was hit by the monsters coming from far away and it collapsed!
Would it have been less embarrassing if they had been attacked?
The wall collapsed just because they were push by the monsters!
There has never been a time in history when a castle wall collapsed, so it was not even expected.
The collapse of the castle wall was a disaster.
The knights were crushed, and monsters rushed through the gap.
It was hell everywhere.
The person who jumped into the gap was Jillian Baloch, the master of Blatt and the guardian of this ice wall.
He single-handedly cleared away the monsters that surged in like black waves.
The knights had a hard time just removing the collapsed stone wall and pulling out the wounded soldiers who were lying down.
Duke Baloch, who had been holding out alone among the monsters since he did not receive any support, was injured
Although he was great enough to be called the Dragon of Termina, that didn’t mean he had no limits.
“It will be very helpful to have your shoulder stitched.”
Even with red, wet shoulders, Jillian remained calm.
“It isn’t badly cut.”
“Ahu. If your wife finds out about this…….”
“Blatt.”
It was at that moment that Jillian’s calm expression broke.
For the first time, the man who had thought his injury was insignificant, hardened his countenance as if it was a big deal.
“I thought I told you not to talk about it?”
“Sure, sure. Is it even possible for it to be discovered? If I keep my mouth shut, it will become a secret. Your wife would never know that the your shoulders were so tattered.”
Jillian narrowed his brows at Blatt’s openly sarcastic words.
“You said you’re busy right now.”
“That’s right. So much so that you don’t even have time to show it to the doctor and sew it up.”
“Blatt.”
Blatt didn’t even pretend to be surprised by the hos cold, bloody voice.
It was not the time to be surprised by his cold voice.
Jillian’s condition was very bad.
Elizabeth, the captain of the 6th Castle, had gone out to check on the situation and receive the reports, so Blatt was the only one by Jillian’s side at the moment.
This moment when the monsters stepped aside and took a breather will be the only opportunity to call a doctor.
The monsters who were almost swept away by Jillian will come rushing in like a swarm of bees as soon as they regroup.
Why would that be the last time?
Because monsters had no concept of backing down.
These were exceptional circumstances.
When the fortress collapsed, the knights were crushed, and in order to buy time to rescue them and retreat, Jillian literally swept the monsters away.
As the power poured out to the limit condensed into an aura at the tip of the sword, Jillian swung it like a whip.
Woosh.
At once, an eerie and foreign sound rang in their ears, and half of the foul-smelling guys exploded and half were pushed out.
While he was using all his strength to widen the distance between them, the unharmed knights picked up their comrades and ran away, ending up here.
It was a miracle that there were no casualties in such terrible conditions.
When the monsters come to their senses, they will soon come rushing in again, and it was unclear whether this unbelievable luck will be with them even then.
Wouldn’t it be even more difficult if Jillian Baloch, who was their absolute best, had one of her shoulders torn apart?
Although he said, ‘It’s okay, it’ll get better soon,’ Jillian’s condition could never be okay.
Drip.
Blood was still dripping from the wound, which had been roughly bandaged.
Was he doing this because he was afraid the knights would be agitated by the news of his injury?
But, that was a stupid idea.
Jillian Balloch.
There was no one in this world who could deal with this monster other than him, the only heir to the Baloch family.
If several knights were to attack one monster, it could be dealt with.
But did that make sense?
This is a wave.
It was impossible to keep several knights against each monster as they flocked in countless numbers.
That means, in the end, without Duke Baloch, there was only annihilation left for them.
But getting his body like that?
Blatt, feeling somewhat moved, narrowed his eyes at the stubborn Jillian.
“Think about it carefully, Duke.”
“I’m thinking well.”
“If you don’t stop the wave here during the second battle, you know better than anyone where that monster will go. The main castle walls are the same as here.”
This was a provocation and a gamble.
There was no one in this Baloch territory who did not know that Jillian Baloch cherished and spent money on the princess of Termina.
It was an open secret that after the lady collapsed from the cold, Giant Rabbits fur was spread all over the castle floor.
“Blatt. You should watch your words.”
“It’s not that I can’t watch what I say, it’s that I’m telling you the truth.”
In an instant, his frighteningly cold gaze enveloped his entire body like a blade.
But Blatt never gave in, even as he gritted his teeth.
Drip.
Blood was dripping from Jillian’s limp fingertips without fail.
“Did you forget that you are a human, despite the non-human-like name of Baloch? If you leave that arm as is, you will really not be able to use it.”
“I told you it would heal quickly.”
“The Duke is not a troll, so is there any way that the wound would just attach itself?”
Blatt was prepared to die.
Either die here now or later.
He would be torn apart by monsters in a moment.
Blatt had no choice but to die if Jillian Baloch did not look after his wounds.
How long did such a bloody confrontation last?
Jillian pursed his lips at Blatt, who was raising his voice in annoyance.
“Was I such an unreliable master?”
“You know that’s not the case!”
Blatt’s shout was accompanied by the sound of wet cloth being torn.
Rip!
Jillian tore off his left sleeve in one go and whispered coldly.
“Blatt, I promised to return. How would I dare break a Baloch’s oath?”
His exposed left shoulder was neatly attached.
Drip.
The sound of blood dripping from the wet seam was like a roar.
***
TL:
Hello dear readers,
The updates will return to be as before, three times per week, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
