NOVEL NEXT 534
"Commander! Your orders!?"
Rosemi's mind faltered, turning blank as remorse overwhelmed her prior feelings of satisfaction for having allowed her mother to leave. Regardless of the stubborn notions that were insistently shoved upon her, no child would ever desire harm upon their own parent. Especially not one who had already experienced the loss of someone dear to them.
The worry, fright and terror of potentially losing another filled her with great desire to abandon her post, to ride south in hopes of reaching duchess Alyssa. Unable to hear the pleas and voices of the knights below, who were smart enough to figure out the implications themselves, as people who had personally accumulated such scars upon their own armours, they knew very well that something had gone wrong.
Her desire to relinquish herself of the royal sceptre, of responsibility, of her orders to hold Thrud castle fought against her lifetime of discipline and training. The values, principles and knowledge that had been imprinted within her since young, and the belief that the correct action to take within her current situation was to abandon a single life, in exchange for the greater good of the majority.
A heavy hand planted itself upon her shaky-shoulders, snapping her attention towards him, Jeffrey de Lumix stood with unwavering eyes.
Rosemi took her chance and pushed the sceptre, the symbol of power, authority and heavy responsibility into his chest. However, the man remained unyielding in his belief, the belief that his daughter who had spent her life trying to fill in the shoes of someone else, a life of hardship, whilst all the other noble daughters were enjoying tea and cake, she diligently trained, the belief that she would and could show up to the occasion.
Jeffrey declined the baton, gently pushing it back into her arms before pulling her into an embrace, breaking noble etiquette without a care for who and what saw.
"My dearest Rose, you aren't alone. The burden you carry, share it with me."
With no thoughts towards dropping any punchline, the duke released his daughter as he bent down to pick up the sword Rosemi had unknowingly dropped, before wrapping her fingers around its grip.
"But- What if-"
"-No buts, no what-ifs. Just do as I did when choosing to marry your mother. Just chose the path you think you'll least regret. And live with it. Regardless, I'll be there for you, like I've always been and always will."
He let go of her hand, allowing her to ease her grip around the handle, leaving her with only the lingering warmth that comforted her.
"Daddy's right, I'm not alone. I- I can do this... I am a noble, a knight, a brilliant swordsman if I say so myself, and most importantly, I am Rosemi de Lumix. Since when did I ever dwell on anything this much?"
With Victoria's sceptre in her off-hand, swirling with [Holy] as it was a divine-tool blessed by the goddess of wisdom, Erica's sword in her main, which radiated with golden waves of [Divinity] and her father's gentle support. Rosemi swallowed her fears as she no longer fought against the rising of her heart beat, but chose to embrace it, riding it, utilizing its rapid BPM to course her mana throughout, before finalizing her decision.
"Duke Jeffrey de Lumix, the shield of humanity. I order you to rally your cavalry and head south, your oaths, your vows of fealty and obligations to the royal family and the kingdom of humanity, go- go and fulfil them!"
Having made her decree loud and clear, she tore her gaze away from Jeffrey and analysed the current defence.
The duke saluted, with a stoic face that showed no emotion, no agreement or disagreement upon the orders he had received. Before marching down the stairs to summon his remaining heavy-cavalry into action, and once more, ride into the deepest darkness of uncertainty and unknown.
Seeing as the defenders were performing to their predetermined instructions, and holding the castle walls from the dragonkin who attacked with great ferocity, who were now engaged in a chaotic melee as the fighting consumed multiple segments of Thrud Castle. Her gaze shot over towards the useless nobles who had been spending the majority of the time spectating, watching as the knights and soldiers loyal to their houses fought and died.
"Listen up, I the regent and commander personally designated by Her Majesty the queen, will now be entering the fray once more. Whoever has the heart to do so, join me in defending our glorious kingdom! Live or die, I will remember your names and ensure it is recorded down in honourable and prestigious history.
Those who chose to remain as bystanders can go fuck themselves for all I care. Just remember, the goddess of wisdom is watching us at this very moment! And whether you're permitted to enter through the gates to the heavenly kingdom, is determined by the decisions and actions within your lives! Moments like these! Moments like the now! This is the defining moment that all men dream of having!
Goddess wills it!"
Before the various nobles could voice their dissatisfactions or complaints, she leapt from the highest vantage point without a care, with mana-imbued legs, her knees as well as her two weapons tore through the back of a blue-skinned dekan.
With utmost trust and belief in the duke and his knights, she concentrated all thoughts towards fighting the dekans that came in varying sizes and transformations.
"Knights! On me!"
Amidst the chaos of battle, through the shouts, screams, cries, trumpets and the beating of war-drums, Rosemi's voice cut through all sounds as the royal-sceptre within her grasp decreed it so. Ensuring the regent, the leader was heard without fault.
Oliver and the newest batch of knights were the quickest to form a line, shoulder to shoulder, as Rosemi continued to advance.
[Critical Aura] blessed her every sword strike with 25% critical rate, in addition to [Lumix Bloodline] that further increased it to 55%, amplified by her dexterity and highly-optimized swordsmanship, courtesy of Asai's tips on finding the literal sweet spot of both striking and mana-consumptions. Rosemi tore through the sharp-claws, the scaled-tails and even the maws that sought to consume her.
[Liberation] relinquished the dekans of their greater defensive stats, shocking them greatly as their usual tankiness failed to keep them standing. With a flurry of sword strikes that adeptly severed limbs as she [Sword Waltz] danced through the battlefields, dozens, hundreds of dekans were soon crippled and left to the wrath of the humans and elves who swarmed their weakened bodies like locusts.
[Divinity] radiated at its brightest, as her heart pumped and roared like a race car's engine, [Bloodthirsty] kept regenerating her stamina and health as every kill refreshed her alertness, spurring her onwards as blood, gore, bits and dirt covered her regal uniform like a common-soldier's. Her usual strawberry-blonde hair tinted in crimson as further amounts of blood spurted all upon her with every decapitated dekan.
Caring not of her image, not of what society expected and demanded of a noble to act, without a care for grace, Rosemi de Lumix hunted.
