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Chapter 53 Part 1 – We are fighting in the forest during the night. Against the cruel Witch of Doom. A cruel …… eh?

「Hiyahahahh!! Be scared!! Tremble in fear!! I’m sure you’ve never experienced this kind of horror before!!」

The loud laughter of the Witch of Doom echoed through the forest at night.
With their faces covered in mistletoe that she had planted, the attacks of the assassins and the horses were three-dimensional.
Kicking the trunks of the trees instead of the ground, they moved through space in a zigzag like a lightning bolt.

「Hey hey …… something like that is actually possible!?」

I scrunched up my face.
My eyes could not keep up with their movements.
It was only natural. Human eyes are fundamentally designed to respond to things that move on the ground.
It is unusual to encounter foreign enemies that are bouncing around in the air like a super ball.
The reason why we can catch a ball that is thrown is because we can predict its trajectory, and by nature we have a poor eye that cannot keep track of even a mosquito or a fly when it suddenly changes direction.

Seeing my shocked expression, the green leaves on the Witch of Doom’s face swayed and boasted of her victory.

「These guys parasitized by mistletoe are more than twice as powerful as they used to be!! People like you can no longer do anything about it no matter how hard you try. Don’t worry, the fear is only for a moment. They will soon trample over you and I will turn you into a part of the family.」

Oh, how strange.
I can see the terribly malicious expression on the old woman’s face, even though her face is covered with mistletoe.
I guess this is a situation when the name does not describe the body, but the body describes the name.
Her words and actions are too much like those of a typical villain witch.

「Oh, hey, you’re not going to run away? But then, even if you run away, I’ll cut off your hands and feet from your body.」

She pointed her finger at me and shouted in a hoarse, gleeful voice.

Ahh, I guess she likes to torment the weak. I hate this type of person.
How can she say such words to me, whose appearance is that of a little girl around four years old? Her personality is rotten.
Mother intuitively sensed it before I did.

Bradd seemed to have the same thoughts as I did, so he sighed and looked at me.

「I now understand how Mrs. Cornelia felt when she suddenly fired the arrows. So, what do you want to do? Run away? Fight?」

「…… You already know the answer, but you’re still asking me.」

When I glared at him lightly, Bradd shrugged his shoulders and brushed it off.
When he does that kind of gesture while wearing maid clothes, it makes me a little angry because it’s strangely cute.

「I guess, but I still have to hear it from your own mouth. Come on, hurry up. Everyone’s ready.」

The attendants of my family from the〈Lawless Crew〉have begun to stretch their body and the members of the Imperial Guard had raised their spears while mounted on their horses and they looked at me with expectant gazes.

Yes, yes, I understand.

I pointed the tip of my folding fan at those people who had become part of the Witch of Doom’s family and were coming toward us.

「…… Let’s fight. There is no way I would let a devil that uses humans as sacrifice go free. I do have a bit of a knack for noblesse oblige. It seems that god is too busy to see and deal with all the wickedness on earth. So we shall impart judgment on evil ourselves …… I command you in the name of Scarlet Ruby Noel Lingard. Defeat her!! In the darkness of the world of suffering, we shall be a blade that cuts through the darkness.」

…… Well, I guess that’s about it.
It might have been better to give a slightly more villainous speech ……
Everyone responded with, 「Understood!」, and went into battle stance.
Bradd grinned.

「That’s a good declaration of war. We will be your absolute sword and shield. Don’t be afraid, don’t back down, just look ahead. I will definitely protect you.」

Bradd stood beside me in order to protect me. His black one-piece dress with a white apron over it fluttered.
The big, red ribbon tied on his jet-black hair swayed in the wind.

Seriously, he’s probably the only boy who looks that dependable and good-looking in a maid’s uniform.

His appearance seemed quiet. And yet, the presence that he emanates is denser and more terrifying than that of the approaching grotesque opponents.
Those with eyes to see would immediately recognize that, but unfortunately, the Witch of Doom seemed to be blind although her eyes were open.

「Hah, you brats that do not know your place. Your last words are so disappointing. Now, do you have anything else you want to say?」

I deliberately sighed loudly, opened my folding fan, and glanced at the old woman through the gap.

「Oh, Grandma Leaf, I have three things I want to say to you.」

「What did you just say?」

The Witch of Doom, who was completely convinced that I was afraid of her, was bewildered and questioned with an idiotic voice.

「First, I was surprised earlier, but I was not afraid. The demon dog Gallam was a hundred times more frightening than this. If you want to frighten me, give me at least one-tenth of the horror I had back then.」

That’s right, as soon as I was born, my life was threatened by the demon dog Gallam, the incarnation of fear and destruction. I was prepared to die at least ten times from the demon dog that combined the wiles of the devil with the tenacity of the undying. Compared to that nightmarish battle, this is just an attraction.

「Second, we are the ones that will trample over you, not you.」

I reached for the thin line of the crescent moon in the night sky.
I could see the〈Lawless Crew〉and the imperial guards ready to intercept.
Then, I clenched my hand tightly. That was the signal.

Countess Rosenthal’s former subordinates were shot down in mid-air by the〈Lawless Crew〉.
Using the three-men assault technique of the Imperial Guard, the horses were hit and sent flying by a trident.
The sound of hoofbeats ran through the night. The distinctive sound of dry blows overlapped with the heavy clashing sounds that caused sparks to fly.

All that remained was the sound of the opponents being thrown on the ground.

It was overwhelming.
There was not even an opening for Bradd to come out.
Everyone was on their guard, alert and ready with an attack stance, but with just the first blow, the enemies were incapacitated.

Only the mistletoe on her face wriggled like a sea anemone, but she could no longer stand up. The shock has caused an abnormality in her semicircular canal and her neural networks are malfunctioning. It’s like a boxer getting knocked off his feet. Even if her brain has been hijacked by mistletoe, the body will not be able to do what she says for a while.

「T-This is impossible …… my invincible warriors with doubled strength ……」

The Witch of Doom’s eyelids and mouth were fluttering in disbelief at what had just happened.
Looking at her state, I sneered.

「Invincible with just that level of strength? Don’t make me laugh. Our attendants are from the assassination group〈Lawless Crew〉and the Imperial Guard is the most powerful chivalric order in Hydrangea. Their strength is completely different. If you want to take them on, you’ll have to increase your strength by ten times. Did you come here to make us laugh, not to trample over us? You are as ridiculous as someone that thought they could grasp the moon in the sky.」

I opened the hand that had been grasping tightly on the moon in the scenery and pointed my finger at her.

「And now for the third and final point. I’m sorry to reject the offer, but I refuse to be your servant. I’m afraid that with a master like you, I’m going to be weaker than I am now.」

Of course, I have the same respect for the elderly as anyone else. Old people are the kingdom’s treasure. However, when I thought of the thoughtless words this old woman must have spewed on her victims, I had no hesitation in showing my villainess character.