Eluin had more than one Count Tonigell; anyone could take up this banner of ideals.
At that moment, inspiration struck him. He grabbed the swordswoman's hand, got to his feet, and rushed to the window. Raising both hands high, he faced everyone in the square and shouted with all his strength:
"I believe her! Everything she said is true—!"
His shout echoed repeatedly across the square.
It alarmed everyone. The Black Armored Knights standing guard around the square also turned around. When they saw Hainf, they drew their swords with faces as dark as water and began advancing toward the inn.
"Are you insane, sir?" The swordswoman pulled Hainf back in astonishment. Several arrows immediately struck the windowsill. Screams erupted inside the inn, and chaos broke out at once.
Yet Hainf was strangely calm at that moment. He felt a sacred sense of mission surging in his heart. Instead, he seized the swordswoman's wrist and said, "Do you believe me, Lady Claudia?"
"Well... although I do feel that the count seems a little strange today."
"Believe me," Hainf interrupted her. "This isn't about who the count really is. Nor are we fighting for one particular person. This is about Eluin's future. Are you an Eluinian, Lady Claudia?"
"I'm a mountain dweller." For some reason, as the swordswoman looked at Hainf's solemn face, she was filled with a strange sensation. She answered instinctively, "But I'm also an Eluinian."
"Then come with me. We'll fight side by side." Hainf raised his head. On the stairs leading to the inn's second floor, several broad-shouldered Black Armored Knights appeared aggressively.
He drew the sword at his waist.
"For Eluin—!"
The crowd in the square had fallen into complete panic. They were at a loss, not knowing what had happened, but they vaguely sensed that