"Follow Lady Arabelle's lead! We must not fall too far behind!"
Shortly after Arabelle led her troops into the Delarosa's estate, the matriarchs of small households also advanced with their forces.
Evidently, these small households had come to assist Linetta in hopes of earning her favor and seeking opportunities to get closer to Vaan.
However, Vaan already had the allegiance of the capital's people via the magic oaths and effectively controlled the kingdom. Thus, their plans would produce their intended effect.
Vaan no longer needed to rely on others. On the contrary, they needed to depend on him.
As some of the minor households' forces rushed past Vaan, he caught a few grudging and envious gazes among the young men before they quickly looked away in fright and panic.
He didn't doubt they were Lillias's suitors.
After all, Linetta was already publicly recognized to be in a relationship with him. As such, that only left Lillias to pursue and forge a marriage connection between their households.
It was all to establish a solid backing, whether through the Delarosa Household's own influence or him, who was related to it through his relationship with Linetta.
Unfortunately, these minor households could only be disappointed since both sisters' hearts belonged to him.
Vaan casually shook his head with nonchalance before continuing to monitor the Delarosa's estate with his Omni-Sense.
…
Meanwhile, High Witch Adeline's raging voice shortly resounded from the central building's middle floors.
"You!" Adeline pulled over a panic-stricken servant and thundered, "What the hell happened?! Why did the outside forces suddenly launch their assault? Don't they care about Belline's life!?"
"I-It's Lord Vahn, my Lady! He is here! The people watching over the marchioness had been reduced to ashes in a fiery attack! Now, a fire barrier protects her from harm's way. No one can breach its defense!"
The male servant did not dare to leave out a single detail and spilled everything he knew to the best of his knowledge, fearing the enraged lady's wrath.
"Dammit!" Adeline cursed.
Her expression turned extremely nasty and vile in her fury as she tossed aside the male servant, causing the latter to slam into the corridor's reinforced stone wall.
The impact shattered several bones and inflicted heavy injuries on the male servant, but the person did not dare to leave or complain after getting back on his feet.
Instead, he shivered in a groveling position until Adeline left first.
Swoosh!
The stone castle seemingly grumbled to life as the ceiling parted way, and the marbled floor beneath Adeline's feet elevated her to the very top.
There, Adeline had a clear view of the situation happening on the Delarosa's properties around her.
"Surrender, and you may live; resist, and you will die!"
"Surrender, and you may live; resist, and you will die!"
Under the pressure of the overwhelming forces charging into the Delarosa's estate with high momentum, Adeline's people quickly surrendered their weapons, prostrating on the ground after the other.
The chain of command within Adeline's force collapsed before any order was even given.
"Ingrates!" Adeline cursed.
Although she was fueled with even greater fury after seeing her people surrender so easily, she also knew they wouldn't be able to change anything even if they stubbornly resisted.
It was better for them to surrender and grab hold of the chance at life; they still had that chance.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Adeline, who commissioned a hit on her nieces and was suspected of several other crimes.
It didn't take long for Arabelle and the other friendly matriarchs to surround the old castle with half of their forces. The other half went to apprehend all the surrendered members of the Delarosa Household and secure the estate.
While the battle witches remained on the ground, Arabelle and the other matriarchs took to the skies to confront Adeline on an even level. Their pride wouldn't allow their enemy to stand on higher ground.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm Their eyes had to be leveled or above Adeline's.
"Adeline! I've held back for many years! However, today, I must get my answers from you! You had something to do with Belline's illness and my son's death, right?!" Arabelle barked as she hovered in the air.
Adeline glanced at the dozen or so High Witches surrounding her before bursting into maniacal laughter as if she had lost her mind.
"Hahahaha! So what if I did?! So what if I didn't!? If you really want to know, you'll have to beat it out of me!" Adeline asserted her dominance, allowing her mana to surge wildly and pressure the surrounding.
She knew she didn't stand a chance of winning, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Very well. I will do just that!" Arabelle's gaze turned cold.
Within moments, the other matriarchs coordinated with Arabelle and simultaneously unleashed their spells on Adeline.
Vaan had tagged along to watch the show, but alas, there wasn't much to see; the difference was too great.
Still, he couldn't help but frown due to the terrible stench coming from Adeline, though no one else seemed to be bothered by it.
Most likely, only he could smell the rotten stench due to his superior senses.
Although Adeline managed to resist the matriarchs' united attacks for a short while by borrowing the power of the reinforced old castle, her defenses were eventually shattered one by one under the bombardment of High Witch-level spells.
"Arghhh!" Adeline cried in pain and anguish.
A violent wind blade sliced off her left leg, and a frost ball froze her right arm before shattering into a thousand pieces.
Although Adeline retained the rest of her body, she still suffered various cuts and burns all over her body during the short barrage of spells before Arabelle and the other matriarchs quickly halted their attacks.
By then, the weakened Adeline was too defenseless to resist the confession spell and eventually spilled all her crimes.
Just as Arabelle had suspected, Adeline was involved in Belline falling ill and Arabelle's son, Chalmers, who was also Belline's husband and the father of Linetta and Lillias.
However, the truth and reason behind Adeline's actions were more twisted than everyone anticipated.
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