"The first defensive line has been breached!"
"The second defensive line has taken catastrophic damage... It's no good, we can't hold them back!"
"Hold the line! We just have to hold on until the lord and young master return!"
A not-so-small disturbance had erupted in the Cattleya marquisate, in the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Aiwood.
The House of Cattleya was a distinguished family of warriors.
The current head of the household served as knight commander, and all of his children had joined the knight order, each attaining a respectable rank.
The sole exception was the youngest daughter — Yuri Cattleya, the only girl among the siblings.
"We absolutely cannot let Lady Yuri escape...! Even if it costs us our lives, we have to hold her back!"
The main residence of House Cattleya. In the center of the spacious garden, a man — the house steward — was shouting.
Armed soldiers surrounded him on all sides, and from inside the mansion, screams and the sounds of destruction echoed outward.
Multiple layers of barricades had been erected both inside and outside the residence, but... just how long could they hold out against that "Demon"?
"The second defensive line has collapsed... Lady Yuri is coming out!"
One of the soldiers cried out.
Moments later, the mansion wall burst open from the inside, and a woman appeared.
"Lady Yuri...!"
"Haa, haa... Could you people please just stop this already?"
Panting with exhaustion, the one who stepped through the hole in the wall was none other than Yuri Cattleya.
Yuri was wearing nothing more than a single shirt over her underwear — a thoroughly indecent state of dress. Her ample chest was on the verge of spilling free, making the sight rather provocative, but... not a single person present was stirred by it in the slightest.
If anything, what filled the faces of the soldiers around her was the utmost vigilance, and... a trace of fear.
"I just want to go back to the royal capital… I have classes at the academy, and my friends are waiting for me. So… will you let me through?"
"…………!"
Yuri spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.
The head butler nearly let his face twist but somehow held his composure.
"…The marquis has ordered me not to let you leave the estate under any circumstances. Please, return to your room."
Not long ago, Yuri had run away from the Cattleya marquis household's estate.
Defying her father and older brothers, she had left the domain and, with the backing of relatives, enrolled in the Royal Academy in the royal capital.
It had been about half a month since Yuri was captured — or rather, brought back — from the battlefield of the civil war sparked by Marquis Eiger.
Fighting as a volunteer in the royal army, Yuri had been discovered by her father and brothers and seized by the entire family. She was then forcibly taken back to the estate in their domain.
(And yet… to think she'd attempt an escape while the marquis is away…!)
Gritting his teeth, the head butler lamented his master's absence.
With Marquis Cattleya, the knight commander, away in the royal capital on business, Yuri had smashed through her room's door and attempted to flee.
She had broken through the soldiers assigned to watch her, smashed through the barricade set up in the corridor, and… at last, made it clear outside the estate building.
(Over thirty soldiers already incapacitated… and all by hand. So this is what the 'Demon Blood Disorder' can do…!)
Since childhood, Yuri had been kept confined within the estate, barely allowed to step outside at all.
This was born of her doting father's selfishness, but… there was, to a degree, a legitimate reason for it.
Yuri suffered from the so-called 'Demon Blood Disorder,' and for that reason it was judged that she could not be allowed out in public.
The Demon Blood Disorder was, as its name implied, a condition — or rather, a physique — originating from the barbarian tribe known as 'demon bloods.' The demon bloods were a race incapable of using magic like humans, but in exchange possessed extraordinary physical abilities.
Patients with the Demon Blood Disorder had extremely low mana, but in compensation, their muscles and skeletal structure developed tremendously… granting them physical capabilities far beyond those of an ordinary human.
Yuri's build was that of a girl her age... perhaps slightly more developed, if anything, but the strength of her muscles and bones was beyond ordinary.
She could crush rocks with her bare hands, tumble down a cliff unscathed... possessing extraordinary physical strength and durability beyond imagination.
That was the situation House Cattleya found itself in — keeping Yuri confined to the mansion so she wouldn't come to harm... or so she wouldn't harm anyone else.
"Holding back so I don't break anything is actually pretty tough. So... it'd really help if you'd just step aside quietly."
"Tch...!"
The steward's face twisted in frustration, and the soldiers nearby wavered.
Most of the elite guards already stationed at the mansion had been defeated, and they had reached the final defensive line.
It was only a matter of time before this position was breached. At this rate, Yuri would make it outside.
(To fulfill the master's orders... I have no choice. I'll risk my life here...!)
"That's enough. Our dear little sister."
"You are...!"
The steward's face lit up as he turned around.
Atop the mansion gates that had been shut, a young man in his mid-twenties stood.
"Now that I'm back, don't think you can just do as you please."
"Brother Toya..."
The young man standing there was Toya Cattleya.
The third son of House Cattleya — and one of the brothers who doted on Yuri.
—————— I'm posting continued episodes on my limited blog.
If you're interested, take a look!