The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

The Battle of the Courtyard (Side Story)

***The Lord Haya's Manor, somewhere in North Chersea...***

"Attack!"

"!!!"

The paladin assault aiming to capture the top echelon of the 'Knights of Cassandra David's leadership began with a powerful explosion, followed by a loud whistle. With a mighty fire magic spell, the paladins threw open the gates of the Lord Haya's manor and rushed inside. The action shocked everyone in the courtyard, and sent the carriage horses in a panic that some of them broke into a run, inevitably colliding with each other. Amidst that chaos and confusion, the paladin guards leapt into action and surrounded their targets.

The human nobles and their guards were quickly overwhelmed and arrested. However, the demon solders—though initially surprised—fought back, though their matchlock fire was disorganized. Fortunately, the paladins cast a barrier magic just before the first wave of bullets rained on them.

"Hold!" Dame Atkins ordered. As per their training in fighting with and against gunpowder weapons, the Lord Kuro instructed them to note the loading time of their enemy, and hit them while reloading. Once the demons' fire withered, the vice-captain dispelled the barrier and cast a wind spell that blew the gunpowder smoke back to the shooters' faces.

"Fire!" this time, the squad leaders bellowed the attack to resume. The paladins—in their line formations, with their shield-bearers kneeling at the front—discharged their matchlocks against the enemy, wounding or killing some of them. Then, they advanced one pace at a time.

Because of the surprise, the demons' morale quickly fell. It only took the paladin gunners two shots before most of their enemies surrendered. The ones who wished to continue the fight fell back into the manor itself; those who tried to break out via the back side of the property were also captured, as the other paladin squads were waiting for them in that area.

Wasting no time, Seirna's spy Umberto Benicci immediately went around the demon prisoners to check on their identities. He was looking for the crippled demon, the leader of the 'Knights'. However...

"You're only wasting your time," a human noble they captured muttered to him. "You won't find him here."

The former prince chose to ignore the man. Until recently, he had no idea what the leader of the 'Knights' looked like. Nevertheless, he could still remember the wheeled-chair of that person he once was afraid of. And because of their observation earlier, Umberto could clearly recall that demon's face.

And he wanted vengeance on that bastard who nearly have him killed...

"That demon..." it was the Dame Atkins, "...where?"

"He's not here," Umberto's eyes wandered around, and ended up staring at the manor. "Though, you've seen him as well, right? That demon is talking with those humans over there just before we attacked. And then, he's gone!"

"Escaped through smoke?"

"I highly doubt it. That guy's on a wheeled-chair; it'll be impossible for him to escape fast with all the ruckus earlier. And even if he decided to hide in that manor over there, he has a lot of obstacles to get pass through."

The dame followed the tracks the former prince was showing her. There were debris scattered around the courtyard, that it'd be hard for anyone with a wheeled-chair to traverse from their spot towards the doors of the manor within a few minutes.

"Monster help, probably?" she suggested.

"I guess?" the former prince was unsure himself. "Well, if it does, what do you think? Should we force our entry, or wait for the Saints to help?"