After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 49

Chapter 49: The Final Resistance

“What! Don’t underestimate the proud knights of the Bergen family!”

A female knight in her thirties, despite others trying to stop her, made unnecessary arguments. I was also astonished. In a situation where they allied with bandits, mentioning their family name would practically be an admission that the entire earl’s family was involved in wrongdoing.

“Oh, you said the Bergen family. If you’re from the Bergen family, you should naturally know my face.”

“What, a little girl dares to… Oh, could it be… Y-Your Highness Beatrice!”

“Indeed, it’s Beatrice. Is it proper for knights of the earl’s house to point their swords at a princess?”

“N-No, it’s absolutely not!”

The female knight knelt, and everyone around her followed suit.

“Now, I have something I want to ask. Why are you aligning yourselves with bandits?”

Beatrice directed her gaze at the trembling leader, the old lady. The old lady knew it herself; she survived intentionally to serve as evidence against the noble’s misconduct in accusing them.

“That is…”

“Why is the esteemed guardian of the northern frontier, the proud Bergen family, collaborating with bandits?”

The knights fell silent. They didn’t willingly engage in wrongdoing. It was just that they couldn’t go against the influential main family they had served for generations.

“If you won’t answer, then I’ll have to ask the owner of that luxurious carriage.”

“I-I beg your pardon…”

“No, this is beyond forgiveness. It has become a matter concerning the survival of the Bergen earl’s house.”

Under Beatrice’s questioning, the knights could only lower their heads. Just when the silence seemed to drag on indefinitely, a plump woman emerged from the overly decorated carriage. She seemed around the same age as Mom, but her demeanor was sloppy, and she didn’t look like a warrior entrusted with the northern border.

“What’s wrong with you all! Move forward quickly!”

“Well, um… Princess, Your Highness.”

“What?… Hm, you are…”

“As expected, it seems you haven’t forgotten my face. Earl Bergen, why are you associating with these bandits? Answer me.”

Bl00d drained from Earl Bergen’s face, turning him pale. Well, he probably didn’t anticipate this situation. The military had a network of information; any significant crackdown would be immediately known.

“If you can’t answer, then allow me. To win the favor of a young son-in-law, you indulged in luxury beyond your means, leading to the financial collapse of your originally affluent estate. Despite that, your son-in-law’s extravagance continued. To fund it, you intervened in the succession issue of the Altoner Trading Company, a major business among the kingdom’s top three, intending to plunder their wealth… And you used this bandit group to assassinate the heir of the company. The bandit village is already under control, and there is plenty of evidence… Confess your sins, and, if you admit it sincerely, I will allow an honorable self-execution suitable for the Bergen noble family.”

Beatrice eloquently explained the sins to the deranged noble, passing judgment. Her eyes were cold and full of dignity, undoubtedly those of a ruler. Despite her slender and seemingly frail physique, she now looked like a giant. Well, she was born for leading a country.

However, faced with the prospect of his own death and probably the extinction of his family name, Earl Bergen didn’t take it well. After twitching his eyes and lips for a while with a pale face, he suddenly widened his eyes and spewed an unbelievable obscenity.

“Young girl! Have you forgotten the merits of the Bergen family, which has protected our country from the threat of the empire for generations! In that case, we shall withdraw from this kingdom and pledge allegiance to the empire! I’ll make your head a souvenir! Kill her, everyone!”

The Bergen family knights hesitated for a moment, but when the tall female knight drew her sword, they all stood up, pointing their swords in our direction. The earl himself, a master of earth magic, was already spinning several large rocks above his head, seemingly ready to hurl them at us at any moment.

“It’s an emergency. I’ll annihilate them, is that acceptable?”

Mom seeks permission from Beatrice. Since the “Goddess of Flames” has already timed out, the only magical means Mom has to protect us is an incinerating type of magic. Ayaka quietly stands in front of me… for her, protecting me is the top priority.

“It’s unavoidable…”

When Beatrice squeezed out those words, a mass of light slipped past us.

“What…!”

The mass of light, with the force to blow away the knight at the forefront effortlessly, took on the form of a young girl. Her strawberry-blond hair, slightly disheveled, clung to her neck dampened with sweat. It was a sight quite different from the usual her, somewhat seductive.

“Gretel!”

“It took more effort than I thought! Now that I’m here, I won’t let you do as you please!”

There stood my reliable childhood friend, discarding even her middle sword and enveloping her fist with a golden aura.