Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

The Sword Saint truly lives up to his name. Ram was completely convinced, took back his empty bowl, and turned to leave.

Reinhard remained alone, beginning to wonder what he had just drunk.

……

at the same time,

Roswaal, who had left early, was flying over the territory, scanning his surroundings.

He seemed to be looking for something.

As Roswaal slowly descended above the forest, his gaze swept over the layers of tree canopy until he finally saw the abandoned building hidden in the shadow of the mountainside.

"Found it!" Roswaal breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the temporary base of Capela's [organization]!

He landed on a distant treetop, not immediately going inside.

Instead, he went over his plan again to avoid making any more mistakes.

Now, Capela has been beaten down to just a head, but he's still not dead.

This alone is enough to show that with his magic, it would be very difficult to completely kill this Bishop of Lust.

Even if it were possible, it would likely cause a huge commotion and wouldn't escape Reinhard's notice.

Therefore, the best course of action is to release them.

However, this method is also troublesome. Now Reinhard is wary of him, so he has been guarding Capella in the dungeon.

As long as the Sword Saint is still around, it will be difficult for Roswaal to completely remove Capela from the mansion.

Therefore, we need a foreign player to attract Reinhardt's attention!

The best candidate, of course, is the Witch Cult.

However, time constraints forced Roswaal to abandon the idea.

Although he knew quite a bit about the location of the witch cultists.

The problem is, distant water can't quench immediate thirst; those people are too far away.

By the time they arrived, Reinhard would probably have already returned to the capital with Capella and Subaru.

Therefore, Roswaal could only place his hopes on the children that Capela brought.

Hopefully, there are enough of these people to draw the Sword Saint's attention away and buy him time to release Capela.

Roswaal took out a large black robe from his bosom and wrapped it around his body from head to toe, then used magic to change his voice.

After confirming that his appearance and aura were concealed, he headed towards the stronghold.

As soon as he stepped into the stronghold, he noticed that it was unusually quiet inside.

The detection magic swept across the corridor.

At the end of the dimly lit corridor, there seemed to be only a blue-haired girl with a ponytail huddled in a corner.

Roswaal's heart sank.

He had originally hoped that there would be enough manpower left at the outpost.

It now seems that the plan has already lost half its chips at the very beginning.

……

Mary hadn't slept well all night.

At first, she was only worried about Elsa.

After Capella left, she huddled in the corner and waited.

Whenever she heard the slightest noise outside, she would immediately look up, thinking that she would see Capella returning with Elsa in the next second.

After all, Mom is so strong, she will definitely be able to rescue Elsa.

Mary kept telling herself that.

But the sky outside turned from pitch black to a gloomy gray, and the familiar figure never appeared at the door.

Elsa remains missing.

Even Capela didn't come back.

Mary started to get restless.

She would hug her knees tightly for a while, then look towards the door again, her mind racing as she tried to guess Elsa's current situation.

Could that man already be torturing Elsa?

Why did Mom take so long?

Did Mom also encounter an accident?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Mary shook her head vigorously.

impossible.

In Meryl's eyes, Capela has always been the most terrifying and powerful being.

How could anyone possibly catch Mom?

Mary tried to maintain this conviction, but her body unconsciously shrank even more.

Footsteps came from outside the corridor.

Mary suddenly looked up.

A figure shrouded in a black robe walked in.

That person didn't have Elsa's aura, nor did he resemble Capella.

They are the enemy!

Mary immediately raised her hand.

Several demonic beasts pounced out of the shadows and lunged at the man in black robes.

Roswaal was slightly taken aback, and as his sleeves fluttered, several flames exploded in front of him.

He had already given up hope for this empty outpost.

But once he saw clearly how Meryl controlled the monster, the disappointment in his eyes quickly faded.

This little girl is actually a Beast Tamer!

Great! Heaven is on my side!

This child may have limited direct combat abilities, but she can command a considerable number of magical beasts.

If used properly, there might be a chance to stall Reinhard!

Roswaal withdrew his magic, letting the flames extinguish.

Seeing that her sneak attack had failed, Melly summoned more magical beasts to stand in front of her, watching her opponent warily.

Who are you?

What are you doing here?

Roswaal glanced at the magical beast blocking Meryl's path, then spoke in a disguised voice:

"Don't be nervous, I'm here to save Lady Capella!"

Meryl did not let her guard down and still had the monsters in front of her.

"Do you know Mom?"

"of course."

"Lord Capella has been captured!"

"impossible!"

Mary suddenly stood up.

The several magical beasts blocking her way simultaneously lowered their bodies and let out low roars.

"Mom won't get caught. You're lying to Meryl."

Believe it or not.

Roswaal calmly stated the location.

"She is currently being held in the underground cell of the Earl of Roswaal's mansion!"

Before Merry could retort, Subaru Natsuki's image appeared in her mind first.

Even after Elsa pierced his heart, the man still pulled out his blade and continued fighting.

She attacked with the magical beasts that had hidden in the village, but could only watch helplessly as Elsa fell into his hands.

If the opponent is that sadistic man...

The fact that Mom was caught no longer seemed absurd.

The determination on Mary's face gradually disappeared, and her pupils began to tremble.

She suddenly realized that the girl she called "Mom," whom she feared, looked just like a petite blonde girl, even about the same size as herself.

They even dressed more flamboyantly than I did...

In other words, she's also a loli...

Isn't this exactly what that man likes?

"Mom...you actually..."

Meryl's voice lost its strength.

Elsa fell into his hands.

Now even his mother is in his hands.

Meryl believes that the reason Capella went to that mansion was because she knelt before her mother last night, crying and begging her to bring Elsa back.

She ruined her mother's life too.

"Mother……"

Meryl's voice suddenly lost its strength.

Where is Mommy?

"I already told you that~"

Roswaal watched as Merry's face rapidly paled, and deliberately lowered his voice further.

"She and Elsa are both in the underground prison."

underground...

cell...

Mary's breathing became erratic.

Her mind began to work uncontrollably.

She thought of Elsa's fate in that man's hands, and then of the horrifying things Subaru might do after discovering Capella's shapeshifting abilities.

For example, forcing Capela to impersonate Elsa.

Two people who look exactly alike are forced to stand side by side.

In that man's hands, they would become substitutes that could be replaced at will.

Examine, drive, torment...

Mary shook her head vigorously, but she couldn't suppress the images that kept appearing in her mind.

Gradually, Mary's eyes filled with terrified tears...

Fear and unease in her conscience left Mary at a loss.

"I told you, I can help you!"

Roswaal spoke up at the opportune moment, as if he were not the one asking for help, but the one offering assistance.