Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 181 - Rescue

"Zephyr!"

Once again, that lone word had arrived to become their savior.

The air before the Walpurgisknight's blade warped and twisted like torn fabric, revealing the gleaming blade of Carnwennan. The rest of Eris' form soon followed suit, bursting out the once empty space like a painting coming to life. She smirked as she emerged from the torn fabric of space, stopping the black-clad knight's attack from landing just in time.

As the Walpurgisknight pitted his overwhelming strength against Eris' frail body, Scarlet's form soon emerged behind her knight, standing behind Eris bravely as she fixed the Walpurgisknight with a furious glare.

"L-Lady Scarlet!" Viviane gasped, her eyes widening in shock not at the pair's sudden arrival, but Scarlet's appearance. In short, the normally refined noblewoman was simply a mess.

Scarlet had emerged from the spatial distortion with her normally immaculate raven hair in absolute disarray, parts of it hacked off by what appeared to be a crude blade designed more for thrusting than cutting. Her once elegant and opulent dress was severely torn and shredded, reduced almost to tatters around her legs. Worst of all, her right arm was tightly bandaged, the skin on her arm bruised and stained a deep red.

Despite her worrying appearance, Scarlet still somehow managed to exude a regal and imperious bearing, carrying herself with the utmost grace and pomp as she stared the Walpurgisknight down, her back arched straight in the perfect expression of indignant rage. Focused purely on her target, Scarlet did not even acknowledge Viviane's presence.

"Pridwen." Scarlet intoned, causing the space around Eris to ripple violently, expanding in an instant and throwing the Walpurgisknight backward. As there was no actual force exerted upon the black-clad knight, he was powerless to resist as he was slammed onto the ground by the sudden acceleration.

"I'll leave them to you, Lady Scarlet." Eris said without taking her eyes off the armored form of her opponent. Already, the Walpurgisknight was leaping to his feet despite the heavy armor weighing him down. There was no time for Eris to waste as she darted forward, her glowing dagger at the ready.

Only after Scarlet watched Eris descend upon the Walpurgisknight and press their advantage did she finally turn to address Viviane, her deep violet eyes gazing into Viviane's golden. An eyebrow raised, she spoke with an almost haughty expression that was remedied by her lighthearted tone. "It seems you've found yourself in a right mess of things, haven't you?"

Viviane managed to force a smile on her face despite the situation. "I should say the same for you, Lady Scarlet. Just what happened to you...?"

"I was attacked by Captain Vale and his soldiers during the cannonspawn suppression," Scarlet explained curtly. "Those spineless ingrates and their false devotion... Gah! I do not wish to talk about it at the moment."

"Captain Vale attacked you...?" Viviane's eyes widened, incredulous. Sure, the captain had nearly drawn his blade on her as well, but he'd backed down in the end, even if only in response to a threat. Viviane simply couldn't imagine the soldier having the gall to draw his weapon against Scarlet of all people, much less actually strike her.

"Captain Vale is no longer relevant. I have pacified the soldiers with the help of Spinel's knights and Eris." Scarlet said with an air of finality.

"And the cannonspawn?" Viviane asked despite already knowing the answer. It was the only way the captain and his men could've found out about Scarlet's Crest which had been deemed heretical by the church for reasons unknown.

"Eradicated." Scarlet waved her hand dismissively, glancing toward her knight as Eris and the Walpurgisknight's weapons came together in a particularly loud clash. "But enough about me. I will recover in due time. What of Dame Medrauta? How did she even end up in this state in the first place?"