It was Gozo. He was also awake. Was he doing the rounds? His duty here was also to protect Saya, so it was entirely possible, but Gozo’s tone made Jubilia uneasy.
“I’m checking on Lady Saya’s room.”
“Give it up. She’s resting. Don’t interfere. I’ve already verified her safety.”
“You cur... Did you enter Lady Saya’s room?”
“Not me; It was Lady Ivara. Obviously a man wouldn’t be permitted to do such a thing. We royal guards aren’t so ignorant.”
“Then it’s no problem if I do the same. I’m going to check on Lady Saya. I won’t wake her.”
“Stop. Lady Ivara said she is not to be disturbed.”
Gozo was being strangely obstinate. The feeling of unease within Jubilia changed to suspicion.
“Step aside. I only plan to open the door and check.”
“You can’t. Are you refusing to listen to a royal guard?”
“Indeed. I am Lady Saya’s guard. Her safety takes priority above all else.”
Jubilia’s suspicion turned to conviction now that Gozo was refusing to budge. She flung open the door to Saya’s room. It was completely empty. The windows were thrown open to the outside.
“Lady Saya?! Where—”
“Excitation: Hardy Blade!”
Jubilia jumped from the spot at once as a bloodcurdling voice came from behind. In the next instant, an enormous sword—Gozo’s blood caliber—slammed down where she had just been standing.
“Where is Lady Saya?! What about Ivara?!”
“That’s none of your concern!”
Jubilia clenched her teeth. She had been deceived by the two of them. A sudden attack from a blood caliber proved they were up to no good. Saya was surely in danger.
The knight thought things over while dodging the strikes from Gozo’s greatsword. Getting caught up in a fight with him was exactly what they wanted. She had to go look for Saya as soon as possible.
However, the interior of this place was extremely narrow. The only exits were the door and the window. It would be difficult for her to get away while Gozo was attacking her. In that case, Jubilia only had one course of action.
“Excitation: Blood Blade!”
A slender red blade manifested in Jubilia’s hand.
“You’ll let me through.”
“You think I’ll step aside just because you asked?”
“I don’t.”
Jubilia lunged forward. Here in this cramped building, her weapon gave her an advantage since it was able to weave through any obstacles. Her attack was blocked by the small buckler on Gozo’s left arm. It was made of some sort of high-quality material. Even a blood caliber seemed incapable of easily piercing it.
“Tch.”
“Like an attack from a lowly knight could ever hit me. I’m a royal guard!” Gozo boasted.
Jubilia somehow managed to suppress her panic and think things over calmly. Gozo was strong. His enormous blood caliber put his status as a high-ranking noble on full display. The sheer volume of blood he was using was completely different from the slender sword Jubilia’s aptitude allowed for as a common knight. It was impossible for her to block that blade.
Nevertheless, Jubilia was confident in the skills she had drilled into her body. The only one to ever surpass her in a sword fight was that swordsman from Cobalt. As proof of that, Jubilia’s blade was overwhelming Gozo.
“I can’t believe you’re making me waste this much.”
Jubilia surpassed Gozo’s weapon with enough speed and repeated strikes to get him to grumble. At this rate, she was sure to win the battle, but it would take too much time. Gozo’s defense was tight, protected by the wide swings of his enormous sword and his shield. Jubilia’s only option to break through was to deliver countless blows. She was in a race against time, however. She had to go rescue Saya as soon as possible.
To that end, Jubilia decided to make a gamble. She pulled a small bottle from her pocket and chugged its contents.
“Is that Amrita?!”
She completely ignored Gozo’s shock. She didn’t have the time to pay attention to such trivial matters. A torrent of power coursed through her. Her entire body turned into a raging flame.
Jubilia corrected the grip on her sword. She focused on the blood flowing through her, imagining strength being delivered to every part of her body.
As she focused that strength into her legs and her dominant arm, her limbs burned with scorching heat.
Gozo held up his buckler in a panic. It was a reliable defensive stance. Jubilia had been forced into a hard battle because of it. But now, she didn’t care about her foe’s defenses.
She focused only on the power flowing through her body. She suppressed the rampaging heat, which forcefully surpassed her own aptitude through sheer strength of will.
“Excitation Overdrive,” she said as she unleashed a thrust.
Blood burst from Jubilia’s fingertips. Her blood caliber swelled in size, becoming enormous for a single instant, piercing through everything in the blink of an eye.
The shield Gozo held at the ready, his armor, and even his heart were all penetrated with ease.
Gozo died without even knowing what had happened. Perhaps that was for the best. He couldn’t possibly have permitted the defeat of a royal guard such as himself, so knowing nothing of it would surely leave him happier.
Despite winning the fight, Jubilia wasn’t exactly in good shape. Her blade returned to liquid form, and fresh blood pumped through her body. She staggered and nearly collapsed, but just barely managed to remain on her feet. Sweat came from her every pore, and she was just barely able to withstand the tremendous nausea that assailed her. The excess of power overflowing from within was now attacking her body.
Excitation Overdrive was a way of forcefully drawing out power to rival even a high-ranking noble. This technique had been granted to her by Lernaean. It was accomplished by taking an excess dose of Amrita, which was normally impossible to get. There were rumors of it being sold for ridiculously high prices on the black market. That was where Lernaean had gotten some to give to Jubilia.
By taking a dose over what was normally administered, Amrita brought out terrifying powers. However, the cost far outweighed the benefits, and the side effects were terrible. Fatigue and a dull pain spread throughout her entire body. It took everything for her to stay standing.
Still, she had to go. She had to protect that silver-haired girl.
Thus, Jubilia leaped out of the window.