The negotiation didn’t go well, my father threw a tantrum by throwing a glass at the enemy’s commander. The negotiation was a blunder. I only heard it from one of the maids, but it’s a horrible situation with Rachel turning into her panicking state again. Of course, this time, it will be more cannons and gunfire, but I hope they can agree on a ceasefire at the very least.
“Hey, Rachel, I think we should run away,” I say as I look at the M4 in my wardrobe. I don’t know what, but I’ll have to use this rifle to defend myself, sooner or later. I doubt that my father actually agrees to a ceasefire.
Rachel then squints her eyes, questioning whether her sister is sane, “Are you serious? Just the two of us? We can get killed before we even leave the mansion, dumb dumb.” Rachel protested, and yeah, I more than agree with that. We’re just children.
What if I create a ballistic vest to protect my torso? I shake my head, knowing that idea won’t work since a single bullet to my leg is more than adequate to stop me from walking and running away from the chasing soldiers. I need something solid, the best way to get through is not to get detected in the first place. Dark clothing is preferred, white clothing will make me stand out.
To be honest right next to my bed is the stand-by emergency kit. I can run away anytime I like, but it’ll leave a bad taste in my mouth if I leave Rachel behind. There are the M4 magazines on a cavalry leather bag, a pair of long military leather boots from that era, and long pants. I’ll say it again, running in high heels and a long skirt is suicidal, period.
I trust Albert, that man’s intuition can be said to be borderline prophecy, maybe it’s because he simply knows more about the current situation than I am. What’ll happen on the next attack, though? That’s simply a question that I want to know which answer. Will it happen quietly, or will it happen very loudly with a large-scale assault?
“Can you convince our father to leave before someone tries to kill us again?” I ask Rachel.
Rachel crosses her hands, then she gives out one of the largest sighs I’ve ever noticed. “Do you really think our father will leave? He values his principle more than anything.”
“Hey, what’s the hurt of trying?” I ask.
“Helen, don’t you forget that I said earlier that a lockdown like this is not the first time it happens. Do you think both of us have ever tried to convince him at all? Let me ask that simple question. Has our father even listened to that idea?” Rachel asks.
I try searching my memory, but it’s simply empty. I don’t know the real Helen at all. The real Helen’s memory is simply gone from my mind and I don’t have any idea about what she has done together with Rachel. However, judging from what Rachel said, it’s clear that our father won’t listen to reasons.
“How about our mother?”
“She’s too loyal to our father, Helen, in short, we are going to die,” Rachel says, without any hesitation. Tear then begins to fall out of her eyes. I immediately hug her and rub her back with both of my hands.
I feel indifferent about the attack. I am more concerned about Rachel than my own safety. I have the nerve to put one in my head before those soldiers outside do anything to me, but I doubt Rachel will be able to even think about doing that. That’s why it’s up to me to protect her.
"Rachel, listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. Our father's soldiers will protect us. I promise," I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. The truth is, the mercenaries are either fleeing or turning against us, and the soldiers aren't much better. It's unlikely that they'll be able to help us.
The staff - maids and butlers - will likely surrender as soon as they're confronted with guns. That leaves just our family to defend ourselves. My mother and I will probably be the first targets. It's going to be a tough fight.
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I grip my sister's shoulders firmly with both hands. "I'm here for you, Rachel. I may be younger, but it's our responsibility to protect each other. You can count on me." This is not the time to act as a little sister anymore.
“I’ll do the same.”
I need to come up with a plan to get us out of here safely. When the attack comes, it's going to be brutal. They'll probably use cannons and artillery to try to take us out all at once. Or, they might send a large group of soldiers to try to capture us by force. Either way, we need to be ready.
I want my sister to be as prepared as possible, even more so than me. I'm confident that my mother will be able to protect herself, but I need to make sure that my sister and I have a way out of this mansion.
“Rachel, do you have any idea how to get out of this mansion relatively unharmed?” I ask her, considering that the mansion is surrounded by grassland from all over the place. Unless we are going to crawl in the grass, I prefer if we have a better exit plan.
Rachel wipes the tears from her eyes. “I remember a secret passage, right on the well,” She answers. The well? So, practically, are we going to crawl on the well? Isn’t that too risky? Then again, I really don’t have many choices, do I? However, won’t the well be submerged? Why does Rachel know that entrance at all?
“How do you even know that?” I ask.
“Huh? Didn’t you tell me first?” Rachel comments.
"Excuse me? I don't remember there being a secret entrance in the well," I say, confused. The well is located in a room next to the bathroom and is still in use, but I don't know if there's a tunnel or not.
Should I check it out before we go in? The well can get pretty deep, and I have no idea where it would take us. I don't remember there being a cave or anything like that, especially since Helen's memory is gone.
"Albert showed us the way in the summer when the well was almost dry," she says. "We walked together to the edge of the river. Don't you remember?"
It's autumn now, and it's been raining a lot. I have a feeling that the well is almost completely submerged. But if we can stand up in it, there's a chance we'll at least be able to breathe. That’s the last plan though, only if the mansion is completely surrounded.
"Rachel, do you have any pants?" I ask.
"Of course I do," she replies, looking at me like I'm crazy.
"Get one or two pairs ready, and some shoes too," I tell her.
"What for?" she asks.
"Just do it," I say, trying to be patient. "And get some sturdy shoes, not our regular ones."
"What kind should I get?" she asks.
"Like these," I say, holding up my mother's old adventuring shoes. They're made of leather and go up to my knees, providing good protection, even if they are a bit bulky.
"Geez, Helen, how am I supposed to find something like that? Mom only has one pair," Rachel says.
"We'll figure it out tomorrow," I tell her even though I’m not sure tomorrow will be the best time for us to actually look for a pair of shoes. I think our regular non-high-heel shoes will do the job. “For now, our regular shoes might be good enough.”
That’s for the basic logistic side of things, however, I do think that there’s something missing. There should have been something that I packed earlier, but I can’t recall what that thing is. Rachel then put a leather bag with a book shape right next to the pants that she prepared earlier.
“Is that your grimoire?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s vital equipment for anyone,” Rachel adds.
My grimoire is on my table. I put it on the leather bag containing my magazines and close it again. I don’t think packing food is a good idea, especially since it can be rotten. However, I think we need money. I don’t have any Uralis with me, does Rachel have any?
“Bring all of your savings, if you can,” I tell her too.
Rachel opens the cabinet on her table and grabs a small pouch from the table. She then puts the gray pouch into the same leather bag as the one which she uses to place her grimoire. Okay, how much money is inside that bag, though?
“There should be around 50,000 Uralis there, it should be enough, I think?”
“I think so?” I am not sure. I don’t know the Uralis into dollar conversion so my logic regarding money in this world is still rather unclear. However, let’s see how Uralis works to some extent. I really hope I don’t have to use that backup money.
With all preparation done, I hope nothing happens tonight.