Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 75
Overview
The Valiant Guards launch a major siege on the manor, forcing Gideon to choose action over divided loyalty. Keeley leads the defense with ruthless efficiency, while Gideon begins fighting against his former comrades and proving his usefulness to the Malevolent side.
The attack escalates when the back gates are breached and the guvres’ enclosure is threatened, while The Villain remains unreachable. By the end of the chapter, the manor’s survival is uncertain, and Gideon’s allegiance has shifted from hesitation to active defense.
Summary
At the manor, Gideon is caught in the middle of a full siege. Valiant Guards batter the front gates and fire arrows over the walls, while the smaller force of Malevolent Guards meets them with ruthless resistance. Keeley directs the defense from the rampart and prepares to use a flaming pumpkin projectile against the attackers.
Because Gideon recognizes the Valiant Guards below as former colleagues, Gideon instinctively tries to stop Keeley from throwing the weapon. Keeley rejects his hesitation, tells Gideon to decide which side he is on, and sends him away to look after his sister. Despite the violence, Gideon finds himself admiring Keeley’s ferocity, even as he realizes the attack may have killed men he once served beside.
Edwin arrives with stale bread, explaining that the loaves are not food but weapons. Gideon joins him in throwing the rock-hard bread from the rampart, knocking at least one climbing knight from a ladder. The absurd improvised defense briefly gives Gideon a sense of purpose amid the chaos.
An office pixie reports that the Valiant Guards are breaking through the back gates and lifting the grate to the guvres’ enclosure. Keeley rushes to respond and calls for available Malevolent Guards, and Gideon volunteers. When an arrow nearly strikes Keeley, Gideon pulls her into cover, and Keeley accepts his help, challenging him to prove what he can do.
Gideon and Keeley race through the manor, but Keeley cannot reach The Villain through the ruby communication device. In the courtyard, Gideon takes a sword and fights against the knights he once protected, cutting them down because the manor is under threat. As Gideon sees the Valiant Guards overwhelming the Malevolent defenders, Gideon fears The Villain may return too late to find the manor still standing.
Who Appears
- GideonFormer knight who defends the manor, conflicted over fighting Valiant Guards he once served.
- KeeleyMalevolent commander leading the manor defense and challenging Gideon to prove his loyalty.
- EdwinArrives with stale bread repurposed as projectiles against the attacking knights.
- Office pixieWarns Keeley that the back gates are breached and the guvres’ enclosure is threatened.
- The VillainAbsent leader whom Keeley cannot reach while the manor falls under attack.