An unexpected situation unfolding right in front of me.
Suddenly, seeing the enemies that popped up from nowhere igniting fires everywhere, the face of Archbishop Maxim, who had just jumped to her feet, stiffened.
“Wh-what on earth is happening? Where did these enemies come from…?”
“Your Grace! Now is not the time to be dazed! Please give us orders quickly! At this rate, all our supplies will be burnt to ashes!”
The paladins shouted in urgency.
Fierce battles were taking place everywhere between the enemy soldiers and the paladins. The numbers seemed roughly equal, and considering the combat abilities of individuals, it was usually the paladins who had the upper hand in such situations.
Although being shot in a vital spot could risk one’s life, the paladins’ aura and weapon techniques were certainly nothing to be underestimated.
However, despite all that, the paladins in front of Maxim were being dragged along helplessly against the attackers.
The reason was simple. At this moment, the attacking enemies were moving in a well-coordinated manner under the orders of what appeared to be their commander, while the paladins were acting separately and completely losing control.
“Damn it! You fools, stop right there!”
“Not that way! Target over there! They’re all crowded there!”
“What are you talking about? This situation is way more urgent!”
The person who should have been giving commands was asleep, leaving the paladins unable to figure out how to react.
In light of this unexpected situation, Archbishop Maxim should have collected her thoughts and taken charge of the battle, but she fell into a panic, unable to make any decisions and just fidgeting her feet.
“Uh… what do I… how do I deal with this? Wh-what can I do in this situation…?”
“Pull yourself together, Your Grace! We need your orders…!”
“I… I don’t know… I have no clue! What do you expect me to do here…?”
Fortunately, the enemies’ target was the piled-up supplies, not the paladins themselves, so the losses in manpower weren’t too severe.
The problem was the supplies, burning helplessly in various places due to the paladins’ inability to defend properly.
Since protecting those supplies was Maxim’s duty, she felt her responsibility for each loss weighing down on her, plunging deeper into confusion.
“Damn it! Those who are left, follow me! We’ll drive the enemies out, no matter what!”
“Okay… got it!”
In the end, one paladin who could no longer stay idle stepped up to organize the remaining troops into action.
Following his lead, the paladins surrounding Maxim began to move together as one.
By procedure and regulation, they were supposed to obey the orders of their commander, the archbishop, in such times.
However… having decided that relying on someone who was merely shouting “how” yet making no judgments would only get them all killed, the paladins had no choice but to take action of their own accord.
Thus, the paladins charged off to confront the enemies, leaving Maxim behind.
Watching them rush off to make sense of the situation, Maxim was still unable to take any action.
At that moment…
“! There she is! That lady is the leader of the paladins!”
“!”
Maxim’s face began to show signs of shock at the voices of a few attackers.
Dressed in distinctive attire that stood out even in dim light, it was easy to spot Archbishop Maxim.
Despite the darkness, the blazing torches near the barracks illuminated Maxim’s lavish clothing adorned with golden thread.
Moreover, the paladins had just left her side to protect the supplies.
Thus, left completely defenseless, Maxim instantly caught the attention of the attackers, who surrounded her with weapons drawn.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this! How dare you… vile heretics, approach the servant of God like me…”
Maxim shouted with a voice filled with confusion.
However, in response, the attackers only laughed derisively.
“Vile heretic? Ha, the arrogance of the church still pierces the heavens, it seems.”
“To be so prideful even in such a situation, I can’t tell if you’re brave or just too dumb to grasp the situation.”
With those words, the attackers moved in closer, weapons still aimed at Maxim.
Determined to resist, Maxim pulled out the dagger she always carried.
“D-Don’t come any closer! You… how dare you treat me, Maxim, with disrespect? I am the archbishop recognized by His Majesty the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope! If you lay a finger on me…!”
With those words, Maxim swung her dagger at the soldiers now right before her.
But…
-Clang!-
The next moment, her dagger slipped helplessly from her hands after a single swipe from a soldier’s weapon.
Immediately, a soldier’s fist collided with her abdomen, and Maxim, unable to resist any longer, collapsed to the ground clutching her stomach powerlessly.
And as Maxim lay there, the soldiers’ faces began to turn joyful with maniacal smiles.
“Well, this worked out nicely. Just burning supplies was a bit unsatisfying, but capturing the archbishop of the church…”
“She’s practically a lord-level figure, right? Never thought we’d snag such a big fish!”
“Let’s take her with us; Commander Mansfeld will surely be pleased.”
“She’s not bad-looking either; she’ll make for a decent trophy from this operation!”
“Y-you… you… filthy…”
In a heavy agony, Maxim’s voice trembled with rage.
Watching her, the soldiers licked their chops and hoisted her body onto their shoulders, setting off.
At that moment…
“! General Tilly! General Tilly’s soldiers are here!”
A sudden uproar erupted as a group of soldiers charged in.
The subordinates of Mansfeld, who had initiated the attack, clicked their tongues in discontent.
“Tch… they arrived sooner than expected… Retreat the entire unit! We’ll be in trouble if we drag this out!”
“Understood!”
“Fall back! Everyone, disperse!”
And just like that, the attackers who had rushed in like the wind started fleeing rapidly, wanting to avoid being cornered.
General Tilly felt a surge of impulse to pursue them, but could only suppress that desire.
What was most urgent was to save the burning supplies.
Additionally, he needed to prepare for any potential follow-up attack from Mansfeld.
“Put out the fires as quickly as possible. Protecting our supplies and armaments takes priority over dealing with the enemies!”
“Yes, General!”
“And you lot, head forward and assess the situation. Report any suspicious movements from Mansfeld at once.”
“Understood. We will obey.”
The soldiers hurriedly moved in accordance with General Tilly’s orders.
Once he sorted out the immediate crisis, Tilly began surveying the damage inflicted by the attack, frowning automatically.
‘Not catastrophic, but the damages are greater than expected… I had hoped for at least some safety since the paladins were supposed to be guarding…’
Made up of stronger warriors than regular soldiers, the paladins had been particularly adept at defending against mages.
Of course, they were more vulnerable to firearms like infantry than mages, but still formidable troops.
However, while not utterly useless, the paladins had not defended their position as effectively as anticipated, which caused Tilly to feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
‘It was a mistake to fully trust the archbishop’s optimistic words. No matter how strong the paladins are, I should have stationed more troops…’
Regretting it but simultaneously relieved that the damage had not been more severe, Tilly sought out Archbishop Maxim to get a clearer understanding of the situation.
But then…
“W-what…? Not here?”
“No… No matter how much we search, we can’t find her. We even checked the wounded and the corpses, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”
“C-can it be…”
Tilly began to feel a creeping, ominous thought settle into his mind as the soldiers reported Maxim’s sudden disappearance.
And ultimately… that thought would prove to be all too true.
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