Piece 20 (part 2)

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The powerful explosion came from the third floor, which was the floor right below where we were at. The powerful blast completely demolished the entirety of the castle above the third floor, and everything collapsed until it crashed down all the way to the ground level.

Everyone at the castle site was affected heavily by the blast, and some had to run very far away from the debris falling from the skies. The castle was over fifty meters tall, and all of them crumbled down after the explosion occurred.

The students were already at the carriage when it happened, and they all realized that the castle had collapsed. And right away, they knew that it was by no means something that children like them should be involved in.

"LEAVE!!! LEAVE THE SITE!!!!" One of the knights accompanying the students under the heavy rain shouted, and all the carriages carrying the students began to move.

Slowly but surely, the carriages carrying the students began to depart from the castle site. It was fortunate that all the students were already outside the castle when the explosion happened, but they still need to make sure that none of the students were harmed.

After the carriages carrying the students and teachers left, the knights began to investigate the explosion. Most of the knights are already outside to bid farewell to the students, but there are still plenty of knights that are inside the castle. It's unfortunate, but the death count definitely isn't small.

However, it's only going to get bigger from this point on.

Rustling sound came from the forest outside the castle, and the knights watching from afar definitely noticed. But, by the time they realized, a knife had already reached their throats.

"KHAAAKKK!!!!!!!!---" The scream of a knight was heard loudly throughout the rainy castle site that has collapsed, and all the knights turned aware of the potential attack happening. 

But, they are certainly not ready for what is about to come.

"T-They are…"

"Bandits!!"

The knights quickly realized the army of men that were currently approaching the castle, and they recognized the clothes worn by the armed people approaching them. And their numbers… it's definitely a lot more than what the knights can handle.

The dire situation has only turned even worse.

"Ouchie…" A mumble was heard deep underneath the rubbles of the castle, and I can't help but realize just how heavy the boulder on top of me is.

How the hell am I alive right now?

When the explosion occurred, the source of the blast was right underneath my feet. I was blasted through the roof, and the whole castle ended up collapsing below me. By the time I landed on the ground, all the debris from the floors above me were dropped on top of my body, and it should've flattened me completely to juice.

And yet… I'm completely fine. It felt like I'm being squished by a really heavy pillow, and I can't exactly say that this is what I would be experiencing if I was a normal commoner girl.

This magic, it's definitely Dad's magic. It's something he must've casted on me to protect me, and I can't help but feel widely amazed at just what kind of magic abilities he can do.

Still… I can't get out. The castle debris above me is far too heavy to be lifted. I'm just stuck here, like another debris that is piling up on this castle site.

I can't get out, huh…? Still, this much is already really amazing. I'd expect to be completely in pieces, if not, completely squashed underneath the rocks. Whatever magic Dad planted on me, it's definitely a lifesaver. Literally.

FTANNGGG!!!!!

FTAANNGGGGG!!!!!!!!

That's… swords? A-Are there people fighting up there?

Shit. I have to crawl out. I need to find out what's going on.

Very slowly, I began moving my body. I wasn't too worried about the magic wearing off since it could've disappeared a while ago when the blasts occurred, or when the gigantic debris landed on top of my body. I was daring enough to keep slipping myself between the large building pieces, not caring about how even a small opening of the protective magic could've easily destroyed my fingers.

The magic Dad casted is like adding a layer outside my body. It covered my body with a very thin energy, completely stopping anything from touching me. It even covered my clothes, which I'm very glad of.

After a very long crawl, I was able to see sunlight more clearly. I thought the rain had subsided slightly, but then I realized that the sound is still occurring on top of me.

T-Then, what the hell is that light?

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The debris around me all shook powerfully. I became startled right away, and I quickly gathered my thoughts so I stopped panicking.

T-That was a powerful explosion. It occurred not too far from me, so the person who did it must be pretty near--

BLLAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another explosion occurred, and I very quickly curled my head down. I was afraid that the blast might go near me, but it seems like where I am currently is quite far away from where the battle is happening.

Still. One of those explosions happening on top of me, I could be dead. I don't know how long the protective shield can keep protecting me.

After a while, the explosions continued to happen from different places. I took a deep breath before continuing climbing up, and I finally arrived at the world outside the pile of debris.

The light that I saw earlier was actually a ball of light magic that was casted on the skies. It was placed there on purpose to light up the rainy afternoon that is completely covered in smoke and fire, and it allows me to see the world around me clearer.

The knights are currently fighting. Sparks of magic are flying all over the place, even arrows are being shot. Swords hitting each other was heard everywhere, and I realized that the amount of battle happening isn't small.

And the people fighting the knights… I recognized their attires. My mind sent me back to five years ago, when I first had my swordsmanship training alongside Uncle Althorn. It was the very first time I genuinely fought someone, and I even killed a few, all by myself.

They are bandits. But from the looks of it, they aren't simple bandits.

Is this… a siege?

"Stay alive and stall for time!!! Backup from Cytus will arrive soon!!!" A very loud shout was heard coming behind me, and I turned my attention to the source.

Not far from my position, a group of knights was found crowding a certain area. All of them seemed to be fighting a ton of bandits as well, but the bandits numbers are much greater. From the looks of it, even though they are heavily outnumbered, the knights are doing well.

The fight over there was the fiercest of them all. It was incredibly loud because explosions are happening almost every five seconds, and I can tell the people fighting there are elites.

This is… shit. This whole situation is shit.

How the hell am I going to get out of here?

"Give it a rest, old man!! You can't win against me!!" A shout was heard not too far from the crowd, and I realized that the voice sounded familiar.

I pulled my body out of the debris and started approaching the source of the voice carefully. There was plenty of building debris around me that was quite large, and I used them to hide myself as I approached a certain fight happening slightly close to my position.

And arriving there, my eyes were sighted with the fight involving four of the most important individuals in this whole battle.

On one side is Jeremy and the old knight who was the division commander. Unfortunately for them, Jeremy is the healthiest, because it looked like he only received a light graze on his head. The old man, however, no longer has a left arm.

On the opposition are the two people I'm looking for. Standing face to face with the old knight was a large built man I never saw before. His body is pretty large, and his head is completely bald with multiple scars on his face. He had two sharp red daggers on his hands, and his body is wearing a different looking set of clothes than the bandits surrounding the castle debris. His face is wearing a grin of confidence and battle addiction, and I can tell he is winning because he wasn't wounded in the slightest.

And the person behind him is Roy. And he is smiling widely, as if this was the exact outcome that he wanted the most.

"Roy…?"

My voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone, and the four of them turned their eyes to me.

Seeing me completely unscathed surprised both Jeremy and the old knight. The dual dagger bandit who looked really big only turned confused seeing me, but Roy stared at me with a rather concerned expression.

"Milly.…"

Just what… are you doing, Roy?