The number of Imperial soldiers exceeded thirty in the visible range alone.
　In terms of numbers, Minerva and the others with less than twenty men were at a clear disadvantage.

''Young lady, two minutes is the limit!

I understand!

　Minerva understands that all they can do is buy a little time for people to escape.
　It's a good thing that you're able to have a great deal of fun with your own personal computer.
　And the more time that passes, the more imperial soldiers will be added to the ranks.

　But if you can stop the imperial soldiers even for a short time here, the number of residents who can escape will increase by that much.
　That's why Minerva holds the sword in her hand.
　It's worth it.

''What are you doing, get it out of here!

　Minerva was about to intercept the imperial soldiers when a nobleman's voice arrived from behind Minerva, shouting that to Gosha.
　Feeling disappointed, Minerva swung her sword to check the soldiers in front of her.

''But master, with so many commoners like this, we can't move the carriage!

　As I glanced behind me while changing my position to keep the imperial soldiers away, I saw a nobleman in a carriage saying something unbelievable.

''I don't care if we run over a commoner!

'Well, that's as good as it gets: ......!

Just let me out!　Now those commoners would make just the right shield!

　Perhaps overwhelmed by the nobleman's swordsmanship, the person in charge begins to move the carriage with a grief-stricken face.

''Tch, that bastard!''

　Moore, noticing the movement, swears, but of course his words don't reach the other party.
　Even if you want to blame them, Minerva and the others have their hands full with the imperial soldiers.

　Even though there are still people around, the carriage starts to move.

　But the next moment, the wheels seem to move as if they are stuck in a hollow and the carriage suddenly comes to a halt.

What the hell!　What happened!

'Yes, suddenly the wheels of the carriage are ......!

　The surrounding guards hurriedly reported to the shouting nobleman.
　If you look at it, the wheels of all three carriages, including the one the nobleman rides in, were torn apart as if they had been sliced apart by a sharp blade.

　Without the wheels, the carriage is just a box.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
　The back two carriages are leaning and expensive looking items are spilling out onto the street.

　The imperial soldiers who saw this changed their eyes.
　A few of the free handed men went to the carriage to avoid Minerva and the others and secure the loot.

''Miss, we're retreating!

Yeah!

　Along with the overrunning of the weak, it is looting that brings joy to the soldiers on the battlefield.
　The treasures loaded in two carriages must have been seen by the eyes as an attraction that exceeded even the slaughter lust of the imperial soldiers.

　As Minerva and her team slowly retreated, the Imperial soldiers began to prioritize looting over pursuing.
　Some of them seemed to have chosen overrunning rather than treasure, but once they struck those few Imperial soldiers, there was no one to pursue the residents.

''Collect them all!　Hey, hey, hey! Don't run away!

　The aristocrats are getting out of their carriages and groaning.

　But the men have already fled, and the few guards that remained are too few compared to the number of imperial soldiers.
　They were immediately surrounded and cut down one by one.

''Wow, that's my property!　To you and the rest of the miscellaneous soldiers...

　The nobleman who got out of the carriage and held his arms full of the nasty spilled load was also easily stabbed in the neck by an imperial soldier's spear and crumbled down.

''It's now, retreat!

　Moore's command was given as the Imperial Guard swarmed to the carriages.
　There is no reason to deal with the fleeing inhabitants and Minerva, who are so intent on lining their pockets that the imperial soldiers have no reason to deal with them.
　As a result, they were able to retreat with little damage and with the bait of the nobility's fortune in plenty of time.

　But already the imperial soldiers have infiltrated all over the royal capital.
　In front of Minerva and the others who were running through the royal capital, wary of the pursuit of the imperial soldiers, another group was now in sight.

　No, it's not correct to call it a gang.
　To be more precise, there are two groups: one group bracing themselves against the wall of the building and another group surrounding it.

　Surrounding them are the soldiers of the Empire.
　The ones against the wall are probably the residents of the town.
　Although each of them have weapons in their hands, they are dressed in different outfits and their stance is clearly amateur.

'Captain Greystar.

That number is no problem. We'll eliminate them all at once.

　When Minerva called out, that was enough to get the captain of the duke's mansion's guard to do his will.

''Pinch me!''

　At Moore's direction, his companions jumped in from either side of the Imperial soldiers.
　There were less than ten Imperial soldiers in number.
　Unlike earlier, Minerva and the others had a numerical advantage, and they were also in the form of a counterattack on the Imperial soldiers who had previously driven the residents into the wall.

''Let's do it all at once!

　Moore's voice gives his companions momentum.

　However, it's a wall-to-wall attack.
　There isn't enough space for all of them to wield their weapons.
　While watching over Moore and the others cutting and tying, Minerva was ready to jump out at any time to prepare for her companions' injuries.

''d*mn!''

　One of the imperial soldiers, perhaps bloodthirsty at their obvious inferiority, ignored Minerva and the others and slashed at the inhabitants.
　The sword in the soldier's hand sliced through one of the residents.

''Father!''

　A young girl runs up to a middle-aged man who is bleeding and collapsing.

'You too!'

　Just as the soldier's deadly blade is further directed at the girl, a blurry 'something' that slips into Minerva's vision from the side interrupts.
　The blurry something grazed the soldier's arm at high speed, and in the next moment, it disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.

　When that something disappeared, something fell to the ground with a dull sound.
　It was the sword that the Imperial soldier had raised just a moment ago, and the wrist that was holding it.

''Gyaaah!''

　The soldier screams out in pain from his suddenly cut off wrist.

'We'll help you!'

　The next thing that resounded was a woman's voice with a sense of power.
　When I glanced over, the person standing there was dressed in a sorcerer-like outfit.

　A slightly sunken face, thin lips and a small nose, fluffy, light candy-colored hair.
　On the whole, I would say he had a well-defined face.
　Although her clothes and face were covered in dust and dirt, she had a mysterious charm that gave her a certain elegance.

'Protect the inhabitants!

　Minerva, who instantly judged them to be on our side, approached the woman.

　The numbers and quality of the people on this side were originally greater than our side.
　What Minerva and the others cannot reach are the people beyond the imperial soldiers.
　It's a good thing that a sorcerer can protect the inhabitants even from a distance.

The blessing that resides in Mumei's shield is the blue tranquility ---- physical barrier (Fergalos)!

　The sorceress immediately responded to Minerva's request by erecting a barrier around the people.
　The speed of the chanting proved that the sorceress was a skilled user.
　Of course, physical barriers are no panacea, but they can't be broken by ordinary soldiers with a little training.

　As long as the people are safe, the rest is a battle with a known outcome.
　Without Minerva having to cross swords, Moore and the others were steadily neutralizing the imperial soldiers.
　Eventually, when they had finished neutralizing all the imperial soldiers in less than three minutes, they split up and went to work on alerting the surroundings and tending to the wounded.

''Immediately stop the bleeding of the wounded, ...... and bring the cure!

　The first priority would be the middle-aged man who was cut down by the soldiers.
　Unlike Minerva and the other Imperial soldiers, they were mere civilians and wore no armor.
　They are too helpless in front of the sharp blade.

　Even if you treat them immediately, the chances of their survival are quite low.
　If there was a high-grade cure, it might be possible to heal even a very deep hand, but Minerva and the others right now didn't have that on hand.
　That's why they must control the bleeding as much as possible and apply the cure to the wounds as quickly as possible, even if only for a minute.

　However, Minerva's impatience is quickly dissipated by a voice that can be heard among the residents.

'Don't worry about it. The wound has already been healed.

　Minerva turned around at the sound of a familiar female voice.

　Several people who had been blocking her gaze avoided her to the left and right to clear the way.
　Out of the open view, beside a middle-aged man covered in blood, a woman who appeared to be his daughter, and another young woman dressed in monastic clothing was there.

　They must have just finished their treatment.
　The woman sitting by the middle-aged man stood up and Minerva spoke her name at the same time.

''Lady Sorte?''

　It is a famous person in the royal capital, with whom Minerva is also acquainted.
　This is Sister Sorte herself, a famous candidate for a saint.

'It's been a while. Lady Minerva.

　When Sorte bowed her head, a tuft of cherry-colored hair spilled out of her veil.
　Minerva's expression smiled at the unexpected encounter.

It's a long time ago, Sorte-sama. I didn't expect to see you here.

Me too, sir.

　Solte's cheeks relaxed as well, as if she felt the same way as Minerva.
　After chewing on the warmth and happiness for just a few moments, Minerva quickly pulled herself together and asked, "Is he okay?

''Is that person okay?''

'Yes, sir. He's clear and I think he's going to be okay. No other people were seriously hurt.

　Solte's reassuring words were returned by Minerva, who was concerned for the injured middle-aged man.

'That's good to hear. But eventually another Imperial soldier will come again. Please evacuate at once.''

　The crisis is out of the way, but the danger is still there.
　Of course, no one knows where to go in the royal capital to be safe.

''What are you going to do, Minerva-sama?''

We're going to look around here for a while to see if anyone else has escaped.

　Of course, Minerva has no desire for destruction.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　Then suddenly a voice interrupted the conversation between Minerva and Sorte.

''May I accompany you?

　They both turn to the direction of the voice at the same time.

'You're the one I was talking about earlier: ......

　The owner of the voice was the female sorcerer who had just used magic to cover me.

''It's nice to meet you for the first time. My name is Eleanor Milmeus. I am very sorry for my rude greeting, but please be familiar with me.

　The woman who had picked up her robe as a skirt with her hands and slumped slightly at the waist, the woman who called herself Eleanor hung her head.
　The name sounded familiar, and Minerva asked to confirm her own memory.

'Milmeus ......, are you Viscount Milmeus's daughter, if you are Viscount Milmeus's son?'

'Yes, sir. My father is the Viscount Milmeus.

　It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're doing.
　I'm sure you're aware of the feelings Eleanor has for her father when she speaks in such a manner, but she never shows it on her face, which is the result of her daughter's upbringing.

I'm Minerva of the Dukes of Nilesteria. I'm embarrassed to be dressed like this, but please excuse the situation.

　The current Minerva is dressed in equipment for fighting, albeit of high quality construction.
　There is no dress, or even a hem to pinch like Eleanor's.

The Dukes' ......

　Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Minerva's family name.
　Since both parties had never met to begin with, and Minerva had been away from social gatherings for the past three years, few people knew the face of the grown-up duchess.
　They probably knew Minerva was a nobleman from her attire and the way she behaved around her, but they didn't expect her to be the duchess of a duke family.

''I beg your pardon.''

　Eleanor apologizes for her attitude, albeit in surprise, and then offers again.

''More importantly, Nilesteria-sama. If you are going to guide the evacuation, let me help you too. As you saw earlier, I have some knowledge of magic. I participated in the Imperial War four years ago, so I won't be a drag.

It's .......

　Minerva choked on Eleanor's request to accompany her.

　It's true that the magic skills shown earlier were superb.
　It's a good thing that you can't get away with it.
　In battle, the addition of just one sorcerer can greatly increase the strength of a battle.
　It's a welcome thing if you simply think about fighting the enemy.

''Of course you understand that it's dangerous, right?''

The danger is well known. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do. That's why you are holding a sword in your hand right now, isn't it?

　Those words are something that Minerva feels strongly about on a regular basis.
　Minerva is happy to have a young lady who shares her aspirations, forgetting the situation.

''Thank you, Milmeus-sama. We would be delighted to have your help--

　When Minerva was about to answer that with a smile, an explosive sound rang out from the center of the royal capital.

　Everyone who was present at the scene couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.
　The one located in the center of the capital, that is, the center of the Kingdom of Naglas - the royal castle.

''Shh, the castle is ......''

　Someone in the group shivered.
　While everyone's eyes were glued to the ground, the part of the castle that had been standing solemnly until yesterday was now falling down.