Shirou easily killed the Shirone Kingdom soldiers. Their average level was only lower than Water God Style, so it was no problem for him.
Shirou observed the soldiers and saw that the only one with any skill was the female knight named Jinjie, but she was only mid-level Water God Style.
She wasn't even worth considering as an enemy.
Once Shirou stopped and started thinking about how to rescue Lilia as well, the soldiers were all too scared to come forward.
Shirou's Sword God Style moves, which were almost impossible to see with the naked eye, were like something from a monster to these soldiers. They were no match for him.
While he had the chance, Shirou checked on Aisha, who was behind him, worried that she might have been traumatized by the chaos.
After all, Norn had become distant towards him after watching his fight with Paul.
But Aisha didn't seem to be like that. She didn't seem scared at all by the fighting, but instead looked excited, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow, so amazing! Big brother is so amazing!"
Aisha opened her mouth excitedly, clenching her small fists and waving them as if she was cheering Shirou on.
The ponytail on her head swung back and forth with her movements.
Unlike Norn, Aisha accepted that Shirou was her big brother almost instantly, and she wasn't scared at all. Instead, she was very happy.
You could even say that, just looking at them, Shirou and Aisha looked more like siblings.
Because they both had red hair.
Shirou felt strange about this. It had been a long time since someone had honestly called him big brother (Eris's awkward way of saying it didn't count), so he felt like he had gotten a shot of energy after a long time.
If he had a little sister supporting him, he could take on not just the Shirone Kingdom, but even the Asura Kingdom!
"Hehe..."
Shirou smiled and shook his head, telling himself not to get too excited or too proud.
The Shirone Kingdom may be a small country, but they might have some powerful people.
He couldn't underestimate them.
So he quickly looked at Aisha and seriously asked, "Aisha, do you know where Lilia is? If I can find out where she is, I can figure out how to find her."
Shirou's Clairvoyance couldn't pinpoint locations exactly. Trying to find Lilia in a large place like the Shirone Royal Palace was impossible to do quickly.
But if he could narrow down the area and focus on a specific location, then he could find her.
"Mom's location?"
When Aisha heard Shirou's words, she thought for a moment and then said, "She should be in Prince Pax's palace. I heard some soldiers say that he's trying to get information about where Roxy is, so he won't let Mom talk to anyone."
"Prince Pax..."
Shirou had already learned from the soldiers that Lilia and Aisha had been abused by Prince Pax, so he wouldn't be merciful anymore.
He picked up Aisha with one hand, grabbed a soldier on the ground, and forced him to tell him where the prince's palace was. Then, he rushed to Pax's palace as quickly as possible.
On the way, he used Clairvoyance to look at the palace and saw that Lilia was indeed being held somewhere inside.
Prince Pax and his men were waiting there, as if they were expecting him.
"So, he's not a complete idiot."
Shirou was a little surprised. He thought that Prince Pax was so obsessed with Roxy that he would be a fool blinded by lust.
If that was the case, he would have brought his men to capture him right away after learning that he had taken Aisha.
But Pax wasn't that impulsive. Instead, he knew to use Lilia as leverage and wait for him to come.
That calmness alone showed that the prince was not simple.
Shirou became even more careful and used Clairvoyance to check everything around him as much as possible.
After making sure it was safe, he put Aisha down and tried to have her take Avalon and hide in a safe place.
"There's no safe place in this palace."
But Aisha shook her head. "Mom always said that the only safe place in the world is with family, which is why I wanted to write a letter to Dad."
"That..."
Shirou was silent when he heard Aisha's words.
He could imagine how painful and hopeless it must have been for Lilia and Aisha to be alone in this country with no one to rely on.
Now that her big brother had finally found her, Aisha didn't want to leave his side.
"Okay, but you have to stay by my side, okay?"
"Hehe, big brother Shirou is just like Mom said, a reliable person."
"Lilia mentioned me?"
"Yeah, she said that the most reliable man in the Greyrat family is big brother Shirou."
"That's not true."
Shirou smiled and shook his head. He didn't think he deserved such high praise. Paul and Rudeus were just as good as him.
But Aisha didn't seem to think so. She said stubbornly, "That's definitely true, because all the other men in the Greyrat family are perverts! Paul Dad supposedly cheated on Mom and that's why I was born. And that brother Rudeus would always peek at girls when they were taking a bath. He's such a pervert! They're all weird! Only big brother Shirou is a gentleman and the most reliable big brother!"
"...Don't say those things to them."
"Of course, bad things should only be said behind people's backs."
"Oh..."
Shirou didn't expect Aisha to know so many strange things at such a young age. He wondered how Lilia had raised her.
But no matter what, Aisha didn't seem to hate him.
That was definitely a good thing.
As for what she thought about Paul and Rudeus, he could only hope that they would change her mind with their actions in the future.
"Okay, Aisha, get ready. We're going to rescue your Mom."
Shirou put Aisha on the ground and had her follow him.
"Okay."
The little red-haired girl in the maid outfit nodded strongly, holding a sword sheath that was almost as tall as she was.
Shirou and Aisha went into Pax's palace and saw Prince Pax sitting on a chair, surrounded by guards, looking at them in an arrogant way.
"Oh... so this is Shirou Greyrat? He's not what Roxy said he was. He's just an ordinary-looking guy."
Prince Pax criticized Shirou's appearance to his face.
But Shirou wanted to say something about him instead.
Prince Pax's appearance was ridiculous. He was acting important, but he was very short. Not only was he short, but his arms and legs were short too. His body was like a barrel, like mixing a dwarf with a miner, but his face was especially big, the size of a human adult male.
His looks were hard to describe, the kind that would attract attention on the street.
Because he was so ugly.
Of course, Pax was a prince, so people usually wouldn't criticize him for his appearance.
This made him seem somewhat confident.
"Where's Lilia?"
Shirou didn't say much after arriving. He just asked where Lilia was.
Pax clapped his hands, and soon servants brought out Lilia, tied up. Her mouth was covered.
Aisha looked scared and worried when she saw this.
Shirou calmed his little sister down first, then looked at Pax coldly, ready to save her.
But before he could act, the floor around him suddenly got cold.
Before Shirou could react, the ground cracked open and an invisible magic circle suddenly activated, binding him completely.
"A barrier spell?"
Shirou knew what the magic circle was right away. He tried to break through the barrier, but he didn't expect that even his Sword Saint-level swordsmanship couldn't destroy it.
"Gahahaha! It's useless! Useless! I had that magic circle made to catch Roxy! It's a royal-level barrier! Even if you're a Sword Saint, you can't break it!"
Pax laughed loudly on the platform.
He had set this trap a long time ago, waiting for Shirou to fall into it.
Shirou had to admit that Prince Pax was not someone who acted without thinking. He was smarter than he looked.
But he was definitely evil, or he wouldn't have abused Lilia and Aisha like this.
While Shirou was thinking and considering the situation, Pax said arrogantly, "Hmph, it's so satisfying to see that look on your face, Shirou Greyrat. Roxy thinks so highly of you and respects you so much. If I kill a guy like you, Roxy will definitely be impressed with me."
"You want to kill me?"
"Well, not right away. Before I kill you, I'm going to use you as bait to lure Roxy here. Lilia wouldn't be attractive enough as bait, but if it's you, who she praises so much, Roxy will come! And when Roxy shows up, it will be the end of her life as a woman! I'm going to keep her as a slave for the rest of her life and make her give birth to five heirs!"
Pax said confidently, already starting to fantasize. "Oh, right! I'll attack her for the first time right in front of you! And then I'll cut off your head and do it a second time with a Roxy who looks like she's in despair!"
"..."
Shirou was speechless when he heard Pax's words.
He even wondered if Pax was related to the Greyrat family too, and was an illegitimate son of Paul's.
He was too similar to Paul and Rudeus.
Of course, Shirou was angry when he heard Pax's words.
Although he knew Pax would never be able to do those things, he couldn't ignore such disgusting desires. He would feel like he wasn't living up to his title as a hero.
"You think this kind of barrier can trap me?"
"Hmph, I know you're some kind of Sword Saint, but even a Sword Saint can't beat my power as a prince!"
"Is that so? Then I guess I have to prove myself."
Shirou stared at Pax and slowly raised his right hand, pouring in magic power.
"Trace, On!"
"Fake Spiral Sword!"
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