《Kuro no Hiera Glaphicos》 Volume 1 - Prologue In days long past, used his mighty powers to seal the . The people revered and respected this mighty and great , even though he¡¯d already fallen into a deep slumber. Tasked with ensuring that the never broke its seal by the , humans have been guarding and patrolling the ancient grave that houses the sealed to this day. Sadly, the name of that powerful had long been lost in the river of time. Even if his holy name was still remembered by the people, no one would easily speak it because of their veneration towards him. As people no longer knew the true name, they called him , which meant The Lord of Atonement. Because of this, the worshippers and followers of this particular god were known collectively as the . And unsurprisingly, the was sealed within one of the Church¡¯s ancient graves. Located near the Yamoda Kingdom¡¯s Capital City Ahmad, that unholy place was known as . The so-called Domina¡¯s were special magicians chosen to guard and to re-seal the if it were to ever awaken and break out in place of the Gods. Everything was red. Searing flames surrounded him in every direction, burning ever closer. Whether it was his comfy bed, the sofa that he liked to bounced up and down on, or the table where he¡¯d reluctantly do his homework, the young man could not remember them anymore. Those memories disappeared one by one in the fires that burned around him. The young man gazed at his mum, the fires around them reflected within his eyes, blinking in and out creepily. His mum had her hand around his neck, about to strangle him to death. The young man did not understand why his mum was doing this, so there was nothing he could do but gaze at her and silently wait for death. What did he do wrong to deserve this? The young man did not know. The only thing he could feel was his body temperature ebbing away¡­ In contrast to the blazing flames that roared around him, the young man silently, calmly headed towards death step by step. At that moment, the young man¡¯s eyes met with his mother¡¯s. To his surprise, she was crying. Why was she crying? The young man did not understand, like how he did not understand why she was trying to kill him in the first place. Was it because she had no choice but to kill her own son with her own hands? Or was it because of something else? But no matter what, there should be not be a reason on earth for a parent to kill their own child. ¡ª and it was as he was thinking about this that he suddenly realized. This was not reality, but a dream. ¡­ Dimitar, covered in cold sweat, woke up with a gasp. He looked out of the window at the star laden night sky; seems like it¡¯s still a long time till daybreak. After rubbing the back of his neck unconsciously, Dimitar patted his silver hair and got out of bed. He took the sword and the scabbard lying by the wall, and walked out of his dorm into the garden. A light night breeze tickled his body, making his sweat covered body feel incredibly comfortable. It was hard to fall asleep again after dreaming such a nightmare, so Dimitar went out to do some exercise. The exhaustion that came after should make it easier to sleep. And even if he could not sleep, practicing with his sword till daybreak wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Because his mum, who¡¯d always tell him to sleep earlier, was no longer by his side. Volume 1 - CH 1.1 Four concentric layers of thick and tall walls enclosed the Holy Capital Ahmad of the Kingdom of Yamoda, protecting the city from invaders and wild beasts. The innermost layer was the wall that surrounded the Royal Castle. The Magic Academy, the Army¡¯s training area, blacksmithing workshops, and the food stores of the city all lay within it. The residences of Nobles lay within the protection of the 2nd innermost wall. They were all mansions built with stone, so that if the Holy Capital was besieged in any event, they could act as fortresses and strongholds to repel invaders. The area in between the 2nd and 3rd layer was the Old City. It was the outermost area of the Capital City 200 years go, but with the increase in population over time, the city had to expand, leading to the birth of a new area, and the creation of the 4th wall to enclose and protect it. Approximately 40,000 people lived in this grand metropolis. No other city in the whole of Yamoda, no, in the whole continent, could match Ahmad in scale and population. Valeria muttered under her breath. She furrowed her brow, still mumbling, obviously deep in thought. Before long, she frowned, wrinkles forming near her nose. Her ramblings had gone up in speed, evidently frustrated by something. Even though her face was all scrunched up into a glower, Valeria looked extremely cute, most likely because she had inherited her deceased mother¡¯s beauty. Valeria Costacurta¡¯s mother was once known as the most beautiful woman in Yamoda before her death. Valeria, dressed only in underwear that exposed most of her smooth, silky skin, was currently staring silently at a gorgeously designed tabard that hanged on a human-shaped closet with a confused expression. ¡°¡­ Umm¡­ Ojou-sama¡­ you¡­¡± Probably scared by the terrifying silence that permeated the room, the housemaid asked Valeria timidly: ¡°¡­ Oujo-sama, is there something you dislike about this tabard?¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dislike it, but¡­¡± Valeria released her folded arms under her breasts, and lifted the hem of the tabard. ¡°Isn¡¯t this piece of clothing way too transparent¡­?¡± Within the tabard was a tulle dress. Because it was made with transparent and light cloth, her tight vest and panties would be visible for everyone to see. ¡°Ojou-sama, but this is the official uniform for Dominus¡¯¡­¡± ¡°I know that, but can¡¯t you do something about thi¡ª¡± Valeria, who was mumbling and muttering non-stop, suddenly stopped talking, and grabbed hold of the chair in front of the closet. ¡°V-V-V-Valeria!¡± A slightly overweight man pushed open the door to her room with both hands and rushed in with a flustered and exasperated expression. ¡°I-I do not remember to agreeing on this matter with you! O-Our only daughter, the only daughter of the Costacurta family is¡­ Uoooh!¡± ¡°Get out! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m changing here?! OMG, so annoying!¡± A chair slammed into him even before Valeria¡¯s words reached his ears. ¡°Wh..a..h¡­!¡±The man was sent flying backwards, landing and rolling on the floor out the door before smashing into the wall of the corridor. ¡°Nei! Close the door!¡± ¡°But, is this really alright¡­?¡± ¡°Nei!¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll close it right away!¡± After ordering her hesitant maid to close the door, Valeria crossed her arms under her breast once again and turned her head to look at the already closed door. Pushed up by her folded arms, her exquisite and rightly-proportioned breasts puffed out, displaying her beautiful and attractive curves. ¡°Hey! Valeria! Open the door!¡± Loud and desperate knocking could be heard from the other side of the door. ¡°Explain to me clearly what¡¯s going on! I¡¯ve already told you that I won¡¯t be agreeing to this! I won¡¯t allow the only daughter of my Costacurta family to become a Dominus!¡± ¡°Why are you still saying this¡­ Isn¡¯t being selected as one of the only 12 Dominus¡¯ in the world a great honour? Father, what are you still so unsatisfied about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s a great honour¡­ but, but once you become a Dominus, marriage will be¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already been selected! Who cares about marriage!¡± Valeria said with furrowed brows. ¡°Father just don¡¯t talk about this matter anymore! You¡¯re causing so much of a racket that I can¡¯t focus!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!! You also have the responsibility to marry a good husband and give birth to children to continue our bloodline! Since there¡¯s still time left, go and tell the King or the Academy Headmaster that you want to decline the offer of being a Dominus¡­¡± ¡°FATHER!¡± Valeria cut off her father in mid sentence, and extended her right arm to point at him, who stood on the other side of the door, with her index and middle finger. ¡°¨C becoming a Dominus has always been my dream, and is the first step to restoring the Costacurta family¡¯s reputation! Please don¡¯t stop me!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡­ if it¡¯s for the restoration of the Costacurta family name, I can¨C¡± ¡°Father, relying only your family¡¯s power and connections to restore the Costacurta family to its former glory is a fool¡¯s errand! And anyways, I¡¯m the current HEAD of the Costacurta family, not you! You¡¯re only my guardian! Don¡¯t forget this simple fact!¡± ¡°Of course I know that! But, as your father¨C¡± ¡°If you continue to talk about this matter..¡± The pupils of Valeria¡¯s beautiful eyes suddenly contracted, and numerous red lines started to appear on the back of her right hand. The countless straight and curved red lines crossed each other to form a complex design, emitting a red light that blinked in and out whilst whizzing about the crest. ¡°Do I have to send the door flying to get you to leave?¡± ¡°Uuuuuuwahh!¡± Valeria¡¯s father wailed in pain, before walking away from the door. His footsteps could be heard, getting softer and softer as he walked further and further away from the room. Valeria relaxed her tense shoulders and sighed, and the strange glow on the back of her right hand started to fade. ¡°Is that¡­ Oujou-sama¡­?¡± ¡°What, Marr?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I disagree with you, but there is logic in Master¡¯s words¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Once I become a Dominus, I¡¯ll have to protect my body¡¯s purity (awww, no popping cherries) until I retire or resign. It¡¯s a rule that has been passed down since ancient times¡­ Because of this, in the 9 years that I¡¯ll serve as a Dominus, don¡¯t talk about giving birth to children, even marriage is not allowed. ¡°And anyways, in 9 years I¡¯ll only be 25 ¡­ but to be honest, it¡¯s kind of late to marry at 25.¡± The women who lived in the city usually married and gave birth to children at the age of 20. And there were quite some women the same age as Valeria (16 years old) who had already given birth to children. Even the Ojou-sama¡¯s of Noble Families would usually be engaged in their 16¡¯s or 17¡¯s and marry at the age of a roundabout of 20. In terms of an Ojou-sama, 25 was a rather old age to marry at. Valeria, who was pouting and still rambling non-stop, shook her head as if to stop herself from thinking off random things, and used her hands to comb through her long hair. ¡°Anyways! It is my first priority to do my best to restore my Costacurta Family¡¯s former glory!¡± ¡°Oujo-sama, it is good that you want to restore the Costacurta Family from the ashes¡± ¡°I agree, you¡¯ve worked so hard to achieve the best grades in the whole of the Academy after all. Now that all your efforts have been repaid, I think you need to be self-conscious to become a good Dominus from now on. ¡°Self-conscious? I¡¯m definitely self-conscious! 120%!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think a Dominus who¡¯s self conscious would dress only in her underwear and wave her fist around to vindicate herself.¡± ¡°And if you don¡¯t change your clothes quickly, you won¡¯t be able to attend the ceremony in the Palace in time.¡± TL Note: Another maid ¡°Aaaaa~~Aaaaaa! I can¡¯t hear you ~~ Nah Nah~~¡± Ignoring the racket her maids were making, Valeria took the lacy tulle dress from the human-shaped closet and put it on silently. Volume 1 - CH 1.2 In the corner of a dimly lit workroom, Dimitar was sat on a chair yawning ceaselessly. ¡°Young man, still haven¡¯t slept enough?¡± A man dressed in a labcoat eyed him, whilst banging on a broadsword on the worktable. ¡°Uoooh¡­ yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You¡¯re young. Young. Stop being such a lazybone.¡± The labcoated man with a heavily stubbled chin laughed. ¡°Dimitar, you¡¯re 16. It¡¯s outrageous how you¡¯re still drowsy so early in the morning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, Dolly made me like this!¡± ¡°Dolly? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the boss of by the South Gate.¡± ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s that widow, right? I¡¯ve heard that she likes young men.¡± The man nodded his head as if he understood the meaning behind Dimitar¡¯s words, then said with a faint smile: ¡°Dimitar you playboy, tired because of spending too much time wooing women. Sigh, there¡¯s no hope for you now, m¡¯boy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of women; the wine there was just too pungent and powerful. Got absolutely wasted.¡± ¡°No matter what excuses you make, Dimitar, you¡¯re still too slack and lax. Especially when you¡¯re going to be taking on an incredibly important job today¨C¡± ¡°Argh, please, don¡¯t teach me how to live my life right now so early in the morning¡± Dimitar resisted the urge to yawn, and turned his head to look out the window. The workshop was located behind the Royal Palace in an inconspicuous corner of the Army¡¯s training area. Because it was quite off the beaten track, not many people went there, making it a very peaceful and tranquil place. Even when Dimitar had nothing important to do, he would rush over to the workshop to steal some sleep. TL Note ¨C I think it¡¯s because Dimitar works at the workshop ¡°Adjustment has been completed!¡± The man said, whilst taking off his monocle and stuffing it into the pocket of his labcoat. ¡°Even though it¡¯s far from completed, you can use it now to help me collect some performance data.¡± ¡°As long as I can use it in battle, it¡¯s no problem.¡± Dimitar swung it through the air lightly a few times with one hand. At the same time, glowing blue lines formed on the back of his hands, spreading onto the swordhilt all the way to the swordtip. ¡°It seems to be a bit lighter than it was last night¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®seems¡¯, I¡¯ve actually made it slightly lighter to make it more effective in battle.¡± ¡°As expected from a crazy genius inventor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult me when you¡¯re complimenting me, brat.¡± After taking a puff from his lit dark-silver pipe, the man opened his mouth to release a cloud of smoke. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t you have to meet with a Dominus today? Stop messing around here and get going.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an official meeting so it¡¯s no big deal¡­ and anyways, I just can¡¯t find the motivation to protect a little girl.¡± ¡°Dimitar, aren¡¯t you a little boy yourself? And no matter what, she¡¯s still a Dominus. If you don¡¯t want to do this job, why don¡¯t you just decline?¡± ¡°¡­ No, I¡¯m doing it.¡± Dimitar sheathed the sword into its scabbard. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give Aunt and Lucius trouble again.¡± ¡°Then think before you speak, as the job you¡¯re about to to take on is a job that many people would fight over for.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ oh yeah, help me say hello to the Academy Headmaster.¡± The labcoated man continued to puff his pipe, and reached his hand out for a bottle of wine. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Brilliant rays of sunlight hit Dimitar¡¯s face the instant he walked out of the workroom. Today, he was going to be appointed as a Hiera Glaphicos. To this young man who wanted to become a member of the Seal Knight Corps, it was a road he didn¡¯t want to walk, but had to walk after the shattering of his dream. Volume 1 - CH 1.3 Strolling in a cloister within a forest of stone pillars, Valeria gave an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Hah¡­ As expected, I¡¯m still a little nervous. Even my shoulders have gone stiff!¡± ¡°Why do I feel like now¡¯s still not the time to relax? I¡¯ve already been chosen as a Dominus though?!¡± Karin Rudbeck said with a measured tone. She was another girl chosen as a Dominus alongside Valeria, though with lower test scores. Maybe Karin was tired too, but she did not show it. Compared to Valeria, who would express her emotions on her face regardless, Karin was a person who wouldn¡¯t show what she was thinking or feeling. Reportedly, she didn¡¯t do it on purpose; it was just a habit she¡¯d developed since from a very early age. Because of this, many people thought that she was a cold girl when she actually was not. Not like Karin cared, though. Due to this, Karin was also looking at Valeria, her best friend, with a cold, indifferent gaze. ¡°¡­ you¡¯re going to meet your Hiera Glaphicos later, right?¡± ¡°Uhuh. Oh yeah! Who¡¯s going to be my Hiera Glaphicos?¡± ¡°Did nobody tell you?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­. Karin, you¡¯re so lucky to have Petra as your Hiera Glaphicos.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be entrusting our bodies to them from here on out, so it¡¯s best if they¡¯re sisters or relatives (girls, obviously) we grew up with. That way it won¡¯t be that embarrassing. Ah¡­ I¡¯m so jealous of you.¡± ¡°But I still feel kind of awkward and embarrassed at having to show my naked body to my relative.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but no matter what, its still better than having a man as your Hiera Glaphicos.¡± ¡°What?!!¡± Valeria shouted upon hearing Karin¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s happened before?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really say it hasn¡¯t happened before¡­ Because in reality, a lot of Hiera Glaphicos¡¯ are men!¡± ¡°That I know, but we¡¯re girls! Wouldn¡¯t it be weird for them to assign males as our Hiera Glaphicos¡¯? I don¡¯t think it¡¯d happen, to be honest¡­¡± ¡°Generally speaking, if they had to assign male Hiera Glaphicos¡¯ to us, they¡¯d usually be old grandpa or relatives¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether they¡¯re old grandpas or relatives, I don¡¯t want to be assigned a male Hiera Glaphicos! Because that way won¡¯t I be¡­ you know, by somebody I don¡¯t like?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be worried about that. Normal magicians may get male Hiera Glaphicos¡¯, but I¡¯ve never heard about Dominus¡¯ getting one. If, by chance, you get assigned a male Hiera Glaphicos¡¯, it would become an unprecedented situation, a sign of bad things to come.¡± ¡°Mn, yeah.¡± Valeria gave a big sigh of relief. Indeed, Dominus¡¯ were different to normal magicians who could be both male or female. They were all unmarried women for one, and could not lose their virginity until their 9 years of service were over. Therefore, assigning male Hiera Glaphicos¡¯ to Dominus¡¯ was something that could not happen. ¡°¡­ let¡¯s leave it at this for today.¡± ¡°Mnmn, do remember to tell me about who you get assigned to! If it¡¯s really a male¡­ haha!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, it¡¯s making me feel uneasy¡­¡± After patting Karin lightly on the back, Valeria said her goodbyes and left for the Magic Academy. The Royal Magic Academy was an organisation of Crest Magicians under the management of the Kingdom of Yamoda. It¡¯s main institution was located in the Capital City Ahmad, and it had many other branch institutions spread out all over Yamoda. Even though Dominus¡¯ were of special status, they were still considered to be a type of magician; therefore, Dominus¡¯ from Yamoda were under the jurisdiction of the Royal Magic Academy in normal circumstances. ¡°¡­ forgive me for my discourtesy.¡± Under the guidance of a female clerk, Valeria entered the office of the Academy Headmaster. ¡°Valeria Costacurta has come to report for duty.¡± She said, whilst curtsying with her right hand on her chest and keeping the hem of her skirt from touching the floor. As a Dominus, she had no obligation to curtsy to State Ministers, but she still did so anyway, as the Academy Headmaster was not only the Headmaster of the Academy she studied at, but also the strongest magician in all of Yamoda! Orvieto Richternach, known as the , was a beauty dressed in a black robe, and one of the most powerful people in Yamoda, known for its powerful magicians. ¡°Now now, don¡¯t be so formal. Welcome, Valeria.¡± Orvieto put down the quill in her hands and stood up from her chair, welcoming Valeria into the room with a faint smile that made people feel at ease. Even though she was already over 40, people oftentimes mistook her for a 20 year old. Rumours had it that Orvieto had employed some type of magic to look this young. Gesturing for Valeria to sit on the sofa, she grabbed hold of a goblet of red wine and proffered it to Valeria. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for having to make you come so far to the Academy.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s no problem, Headmaster.¡± ¡°Wait here for a bit, your Hiera Glaphicos will be coming soon. Really, to make a Dominus wait¡­ that fellow sure does have guts.¡± Valeria took a sip of red wine and smiled. It was because of her frank and friendly personality ¨C though other people may attribute it to her young appearance ¨C that Orvieto didn¡¯t look like one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. With some nobles and state ministers, etiquette had to be followed and formality was required, but with Orvieto, one could talk freely and openly. Wetting her lips with top-notch red wine, Valeria asked ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but before the Hiera Glaphicos arrives, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°You guys decided on Karin¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos pretty quickly; but why did it take so long to decide on mine?¡± ¡°I think you know that whether it¡¯s in complexity or density, Dominus¡¯ are much more stronger than normal magicians. It is especially the case with your Crests, so the Hiera Glaphicos that can repair them are very few in number. That¡¯s why it took so long to decide on who¡¯s going to be your Hiera Glaphicos.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why¡­ It¡¯s already been decided right? Who¡¯s going to be my Hiera Glaphicos?¡± Orvieto shrugged her shoulders and gave a mysterious smile. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Orvieto put her goblet of wine on the table. And at the same moment, knocking could be heard from outside the door. ¡°Please enter.¡± ¡°Forgive me for my discourtesy.¡± Valeria could not help but widen her eyes in disbelief at the young man who walked in through the door. His was around the same age as her, 16-17. Even though the air of naivety had not disappeared from his face yet , he was taller than Valeria by one head. He had a lanky, skinny body, but it did not give off the impression of him being weak and fragile. Maybe it was because he had solid, sturdy muscles in places where solid, sturdy muscles were needed. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry that I¡¯m late.¡± The dark-silver haired young man ignored Valeria, who was sat upon the sofa, and gave Orvieto a deep bow of apology. ¡°You¡¯re late by 10 minutes¡­ what happened?¡± ¡°I was held back by the Chief Engineer.¡± ¡°Held back by Albiol?¡± ¡°Yes. He told me to give you his greetings and regards.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so¡­ I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time.¡± Orvieto smiled sweetly, then turned her head to look at Valeria. ¡°¨C this young lady over here is the newly chosen Dominus, Ms. Valeria Costacurta. Di, you should know of the Costacurta family, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± Valeria frowned once again upon hearing the conversation between Orvieto and the young man. Why did they seem so close? Disregarding Valeria¡¯s look of confusion, Orvieto put her arm around the young man¡¯s shoulders and said: ¡°This chap here is Dimitar Richternach.¡± ¡°Ricternach¡­.?¡± Valeria widened her eyes in shock and repeated the young man¡¯s name again and again under her breath. ¡°His surname is Richternach¡­ Could it be¨C?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my nephew.¡± ¡°What?!!¡± ¡°From today onwards, he¡¯ll be your exclusive Hiera Glaphicos!¡± ¡°WH-WH-WHA-WHAT!??!!!¡± Dimitar smiled at Valeria¡¯s dumbfounded, vociferous reaction, then folded his right hand across his chest, bowed his head down and said: ¡°From today onwards, please take good care of me, your eminence Costacurta.¡± Although the young man spoke with a hint of sarcasm, Valeria didn¡¯t really register it. The fact that her Hiera Glaphicos was a male, and around the same age at that, gave Valeria such a shock that she went speechless in surprise and stupefaction. The so-called Hiera Glaphicos¡¯s were tasked with adjusting, repairing, and maybe even re-writing the Crests that covered Crest Magicians from head to toe. In other words, it meant that when necessary, Valeria had to take off her clothes and expose her pure white skin (naked bodyyyyy YES) to Dimitar. ¡°H-h-he-headmaster¨C¡± Valeria, who¡¯d finally calmed down by taking deep breath¡¯s nonstop, opened her mouth to ask Orvieto what in God¡¯s name was happening. But before she could speak, Dimitar interrupted her and said: ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± ¡°You have to go back already?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve still got some stuff left to do.¡± ¡°¡­. although I won¡¯t ask about your private matters, don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Also, come over to my house when you have time. That child would be delighted if you did so.¡± ¡°I will.¡± After replying to Orvieto¡¯s question, Dimitar walked out of the Headmaster¡¯s Office. To Valeria, it felt like it was as if she wasn¡¯t here to meet with up her Hiera Glaphicos for the first time, but to listen to a conversation between Dimitar and his aunt. ¡°¨C Headmaster!¡± After Dimitar left, Valeria asked once again with a high-pitched voice: ¡°What in the world was that?!¡± ¡°What, my dear?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me a question when I¡¯m asking you a question¨C¡± Faced with Orvieto¡¯s surprised expression, Valeria felt a sense of powerlessness that she¡¯d never felt before. Even though today was the first time that she¡¯d had a conversation with Orvieto, never in the world did she expect that the , the most powerful woman in the kingdom, would have such a naive and nonchalant personality. Each time Orvieto did something or said something, Valeria would feel the original impression she had of her slowly disintegrate. Valeria rubbed her solar plexus with her hand, then said in a low voice: ¡°May I ask¡­ um.. can you tell me why you¡¯ve assigned that young man to be my Hiera Glaphicos?¡± ¡°Like I said before, because your Crests are extremely dense and complex, there are only a handful of Hiera Glaphicos¡¯ who can handle them. In fact, there¡¯s so few of them that we can count them by hand! Also, your father has given the Academy a fair amount of money so that we assign a Hiera Glaphicos that is powerful enough to protect you from harm.¡± ¡°M-my father!¡± ¡°Therefore, we concluded that Dimitar was the best choice of personnel¡­ no, the only choice of personnel.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t decide on things so casually!!¡± Valeria was so angry that she¡¯d already forgotten who she was talking to, slamming her fist into the table so hard that shook and rattled. ¡°He¡¯s a guy! A guy!!!!¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a pretty reliable man, and his sword skills are top notch¨C¡± ¡°But still, he¡¯s a guy! A man! How many times do I have to tell you that he¡¯s a man?! I¡¯m a girl, for goodness sakes, how can you assign a male Hiera Glaphicos to me?! It-it¡¯s¡­¡­ too embarrassing!¡± ¡°Ooooohhh, so you were worried about that, huh?¡± ¡°To me, it¡¯s a big problem!!!!¡± Valeria shouted with a red face: ¡°¡ª I¡¯m a Dominus? No, even if I wasn¡¯t a Dominus, what would happen if an accident happens¡­¡± TL Note ¨C Accident, as in getting $%^%$^%ed ¡°Valeria, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Orvieto cut off Valeria in mid-sentence, then said in a nonchalant manner: ¡°Di¡¯s only interested in older women. That¡¯s how he¡¯s always been.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what does that mean?¡± ¡°In other words, he won¡¯t lay his hands on you, my little girl.¡± TL Note: LOLI!!!! ¡°H-how¡­ do you know that for sure?!! Nobody knows what goes on in a man¡¯s mind¨C¡± ¡°Valeria.¡± Orvieto cut her off mid-sentence again, then said warmly, though with an indescribable might: ¡°I¡¯ve already said there won¡¯t be a problem, so there won¡¯t be a problem. Di won¡¯t do anything transgressing to you ¡ª if you still aren¡¯t convinced, then I¡¯ll vouch for what I¡¯ve said with my life.¡± ¡°Headmaster¡­.!¡± Since Orvieto had already said she¡¯d wager her life, there was nothing more Valeria could say. Even though her lips were still trembling, as if she wanted to continue voicing out her opinions, she knew that she could not win against Orvieto in an argument. And like that, their meeting concluded, and Valeria left the office in a dejected manner. ¡°Uwu¡­ uwahhhhh¨C¡± Valeria did not know why, but the tabard she was wearing for the first time felt strangely heavy. She was so downcast that she didn¡¯t notice the people who bowed their head down in respect of her when she passed them. To Valeria, the anger and frustration she felt of having a male Hiera Glaphicos had already buried the joy she felt at having been selected as a Dominus. Unconsciously, she was already thinking of how to change this reality. First, let¡¯s stop worrying over whether or not it was because of my family that I was assigned a male Hiera Glaphicos. Even though I can¡¯t confirm whether Orvieto really is that kind of person ¡ª it seems that she trusts that Dimitar very much. Based on the meeting just now, I can tell that no matter how many times I request Orvieto to change my Hiera Glaphicos, she won¡¯t switch Dimitar for somebody else. But even so, I cannot give up on being a Dominus. Dominus¡¯ were the wives of God, and there were only 12 of them within the 7 countries that comprised the . Even the strongest Kingdom in the continent, Yamoda, had only 3 Dominus¡¯. To young women who possessed magical talent, becoming a Dominus was something more glorious and honourable than being fancied by the children of Nobles. It was their ultimate dream. Not to mention, Valeria had the responsibility of restoring the Costacurta Family name. No matter what, she could not give up this hard earned opportunity just because her Hiera Glaphicos was a man. ¡°¨C¡± Valeria rubbed her pouting lips with her hands whilst walking, before stopping dead in her tracks right as she stepped out of the courtyard of the Magic Academy. She¡¯d seen the young man who was basking in the sunlight by the side of the fountain, yawning ceaselessly. His current lazy, lax and indolent expression made him seem like a different person from the smart young man who was in the office just moments ago. Maybe this was his true nature. Valeria frowned, then walked over to Dimitar Richternarch. ¡°Richternach-dono.¡± ¡°¡­. huh?¡± Dimitar looked at Valeria, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his hands. ¡°I¡¯m going to be frank with you.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°Please resign immediately.¡± ¡°What in the world are you saying?!¡± Dimitar said rudely. The sincereness from back then had disappeared without a trace. He¡¯d only act like a good, polite boy in front of Orvieto. Even though it was pot calling the kettle black, as Valeria herself was pretty rude towards Dimitar, but since Dimitar was speaking to her with such a rude tone, continuing to call him ¡°dono¡± would be rather stupid. Valeria furrowed her brows in anger, then pointed her finger at Dimitar¡¯s nose and said: ¡°Hiera Glaphicos! Hiera Glaphicos! I want you to resign from your post as my Hiera Glaphicos!¡± ¡°What are you babbling on about?!¡± Batting away Valeria¡¯s finger lightly, Dimitar stood up. The height difference was immediately noticeable ¨C Dimitar was taller than Valeria by a head. Therefore, Valeria had no choice but to lift her head to look at him. However, this did not suppress her imposing manner, and she raised her finger again to point it at Dimitar¡¯s nose. ¡°Just what is wrong with you?!! This is no way to treat a Dominus! There is no way I can accept the fact that you¡¯re going to be my Hiera Glaphicos. Resign now before you make the Headmaster lose face!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my freedom, my right to decide whether or not I resign, not yours. Stop sticking your nose into things that do not concern you.¡± Dimitar swatted away Valeria¡¯s hand once again, pressed his middle finger on Valeria¡¯s nose, and said in an unpleasant manner: ¡°Sure, I¡¯m your Hiera Glaphicos, but in no way does it mean that I¡¯m your servant. During work, I¡¯ll treat you with the required etiquette and formality, but I won¡¯t treat you like a king at other times¡­ really, casually telling somebody to resign from their post as Hiera Glaphicos¡­ just who do you think you are?!¡± ¡°Uuuu!¡± ¡°What an idiot. Stop trying to stick your nose into other people¡¯s business when you should sort yourself out first. Sigh, honestly¡­ If you get into trouble, my daily life is going to be affected!!¡± ¡°Y-y-you, do you have brain problems?!¡± Valeria tilted her head to knock off Dimitar¡¯s finger. Headstrong and stubborn, she was about to lecture Dimitar on how rude he was to her. ¡°I¡¯m a Dominus. How dare you¨C¡± ¡°Hey~~¡± As she was about to vent her anger and frustration at Dimitar, a deep voice of greeting came from behind them. Startled by the suddenness of the greeting, she hastily turned her head backwards. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you guys had already met, so I guessed that ya¡¯ll were probably still around. Ah, it¡¯s good to see the two of you.¡± A young man dressed in the uniform of the Seal Knights Corps said with a faint smile. ¡°¨CLucius-dono!¡± Valeria pushed Dimitar to one side, then ran towards the young man. ¡°It¡¯s been so long, Lucius-dono!¡± ¡°Your eminence Costacurta¡­ congratulations on officially becoming a Dominus.¡± After Lucius saluted her respectfully, he took hold and kissed lightly the back of Valeria¡¯s right hand. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like such an outsider¡­ Valeria is fine, Lucius-dono ?.¡± Valeria stuck her butt out and leaned forward seductively, staring at Lucius with eyes of adoration. Lucius was the vice-commander of the Seal Knight Corps, a man that many young lady aristocrats yearned for. Not only was he handsome and a genius, he was humble, polite and kind to others even if they were of a lower status. And coupled with the fact he was only 20 this year and Orvieto¡¯s only son, there was a high probability that he was going to take over the Richternach Family in the future. Lucius¡¯ qualifications made the young women who wanted a rich and powerful husband even more crazy about him. Valeria, obviously, was no exception. Back then when she¡¯d just been selected as a Dominus candidate and had to go in and out the Royal Palace often, she¡¯d always try to find opportunities to get closer to him and make him remember her name and face. Even though her best friend Karin looked down upon her actions, she did not care, because if she was really selected as a Dominus, then she would not be able to live the life of a normal young woman for 9 years. Finding opportunities to get close to Lucius was one of the only joys she had during that period of time. ¡°Lucius-dono! It¡¯s a personal affair, but I hope you¡¯ll say yes¡­. to celebrate my inauguration as Dominus, I¡¯m going to be hosting a little party at my house. If you have time, I hope that you¡¯ll come¨C¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry, but can we talk about this at a later date? ¡ª I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Lucius, without malice, interrupted Valeria, adjusted and sorted out his cape which denoted his position as vice-commander of the Seal Knights Corpse, then walked over to Dimitar. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard from mother. Di, you¡¯ve been working pretty hard this time, eh?¡± ¡°Haha, not that hard as of yet.¡± ¡°Chi¡­¡­?¡± Valeria widened her eyes in shock once again upon noticing how intimately Lucius and Dimitar were conversing. Even the nobles who went in and out the Palace frequently could only exchange greetings of courtesy with Lucius. However, this unruly, rude and galling young man could make Lucius take the initiative to speak with him. Not only that, the young man looked uninterested with conversing with Lucius, and even tilted his head to one side! Valeria, who¡¯d noticed Dimitar¡¯s actions, found it extremely unbelievable. ¡°But, being the exclusive Hiera Glaphicos of a Dominus is not a job that everyone can do. Well, at least it¡¯s different to serving as a Seal Knight, which any noble can become. This is a world where strength is everything, isn¡¯t it, Dimitar?¡± ¡°Is it all thanks to Aunt that I¡¯ve been appointed as a Hiera Glaphicos to a Dominus?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s a relative, mother won¡¯t allow people to do jobs that they don¡¯t have the ability to do. Mother appointed you as the exclusive Hiera Glaphicos of a Dominus because she believes you have the power and the ability to do the job well ¡ª don¡¯t underestimate your Aunt, Di!¡± ¡°N-no, that wasn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡± Dimitar shook his head, then gave a shy smile. ¡°Huh??!! W-w-w-wh-whatttt!!!!!!¡± Valeria, who¡¯d finally recovered from her initial shock, let out strange sounds of surprise and confusion, breaking the atmosphere of intimacy between Dimitar and Lucius. Walking in between them, she asked: ¡°¡ª Lucius-dono, what¡¯s all this about?¡± ¡°Ah?! No, I don¡¯t even know where to begin¡­¡± Lucius, who was a bit perplexed over where to start, looked to Dimitar for assistance. ¡°Did you not tell Ms. Valeria?¡± ¡°I have no duty to do so.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so¡­ ugh.¡± Lucius sighed wryly, before saying: ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve already heard it from my mother, but Dimitar is my relative; my mother and his mother were cousins.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯ve heard about that.¡± Valeria did not want to ask about this, but why they had such a good relationship. Even though Lucius¡¯ mother and Dimitar¡¯s mother were cousins, their sons shouldn¡¯t be so close to each other. Most second cousins only knew each other¡¯s names; some may not even know each other¡¯s names ¨C after all, the familial relationship that tied second cousins together were pretty much non-existent. However, Lucius and Dimitar¡¯s relationship was so good that they seemed like best friends! Valeria just could not accept that. Well, to be more accurate, she was envious of Dimitar. Dimitar, who¡¯d been watching Valeria¡¯s facial expression change and change and change, gave a ¡°malicious¡± smile and put his arm over Lucius¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Ah! Ah! AHHHH¡­.!¡± ¡°Because my parents died when I was very young, I lived at Lucius¡¯ house before I was old enough to start to living by myself.¡± ¡°H-h-how d-d-dare you not call Lucius-dono with honorifics¡­..! And you even leeched off Lucius and his family, eating and living for free at his place!¡± Valeria felt her blood boil in anger. Lucius, who¡¯d probably expected her indignant reaction, shook his head and smiled: ¡°He didn¡¯t leech off my family. To me, Di is my little brother.¡± ¡°L-l-li-little brother¡­..!¡± Dimitar, who¡¯d been observing Valeria¡¯s reactions from the very start, gave a smile of victory once again! ¡°You want to know why Dimitar is a little brother to me? It¡¯s because the only members of the Richternach Family still alive are me, my mother and Di. So whether it¡¯s me or my mother, we view Di as our closest family; we also rely on him very much too!¡± ¡°Lucius, don¡¯t say it like that, I¡¯ve never done anything for you guys. I¡¯m always on the receiving end.¡± As if he wanted Valeria to see it, Dimitar purposely patted Lucius on the shoulder. No, it was not ¡°as if¡±. Dimitar really ¡°wanted¡± Valeria to see it, as he could see that Valeria fancied Lucius. Even though he¡¯d noticed that Valeria was clenching her teeth so hard it might break in anger, Lucius pretended that he still did not know what Valeria was thinking and said heartily to her: ¡°But Di here did not rely on his relationship with my mother to become your Hiera Glaphicos.¡± ¡°U, uuu, uuuuu, then its no problem now¡­.¡± ¡°Di is not only an excellent Hiera Glaphicos, he¡¯s an amazing bodyguard as well. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s a bit rude¡­.¡± ¡°Umu, mn¡­..¡± Even though Valeria wanted to argue that Dimitar was more than a little rude, she could not oppose what Lucius said. In the end, there was nothing she could do but reluctantly give a stiff smile as a response. ¡°¡ª If you get into danger or trouble that you can¡¯t get out of, go find Di for help no matter what. Don¡¯t underestimate him because he looks so young ¨C Di¡¯s actually seen a lot of the world!¡± Valeria wanted to tell Lucius that the current situation was already trouble she couldn¡¯t get out of, but in no way was she going to say it out aloud. In the end, she moved the stiff muscles on her face to give an unconvincing smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be leaving now, Ms. Valeria ¡ª Di, I hope that you¡¯ll protect her well.¡± ¡°Yes, Luc.¡± Dimitar waved Lucius goodbye and watched him leave, whilst Valeria tried to curtsy elegantly without her tabard touching the floor, which took her quite a bit of work. ¡°¨C see you.¡± Just as Lucius disappeared from their field of vision, Dimitar gave a few big yawns, then strode away in a hurry to leave. ¡°Ah ¡ª wait, wait!¡± Valeria called out to Dimitar suddenly. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished talking ¨C¡± Dimitar turned his head back to look at Valeria, snorting and smirking: ¡°¡­ Please bring your request to His Majesty if you want me to resign from my post as your Hiera Glaphicos ¡ª but if you do so, you¡¯d be making my aunt, the Headmaster, lose face. I hope you think carefully before making a decision.¡± ¡°¡­.!¡± When Valeria finally registered what he¡¯d said, Dimitar was long gone already. She did not know why, but she felt a sense of defeat at not being able to rebut Dimitar¡¯s last point. Not resigned to the end result, she clenched her hands into claws and tore at her nicely braided hair, tearing it into messy clumps. Volume 1 - CH 1.4 Isaac was currently pruning the roses above his head, so when he received an urgentmemorial from the south of Yamoda, he frowned in displeasure: ¡°¡­ Why are you giving this to me? Do you not have to show it to my father first?¡± ¡°Because his Majesty had to leave for an inspection of Taloma straight after the Dominus coronation ceremony¡­¡± ¡°Inspection? Don¡¯t kid me, Minister. Taloma is his 3rd mistress¡¯ land. You know, the really sexy widow. I think her name was Pruna?¡± ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m not so sure either¡­¡± The Internal Affairs Minister lay prostrate before Isaac, chattering away whilst rubbing the sweat off his neck. It was not so much the hotness of the room, but rather the nervousness and anxiety that he felt that caused him to sweat like a pig. Isaac rolled the memorial back into its original cylindrical form and tossed it to the minister, before taking up his pair of scissors to continue pruning his roses. ¡°¨C then? What do you want me to do after reading this memorial?¡± ¡°Before his Majesty returns, Prince Isaac has the most authority within the Kingdom. If possible, I¡¯d like Your Highness to make a decision regarding this matter as soon as possible¨C¡± ¡°Then do nothing about it.¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°When I say do nothing about it, I mean do not act rashly. Do you understand?¡± ¡°B-but! If this piece of information is correct and true, we have to come up with a countermeasure before it¡¯s too late!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you believe to be the best possible course of action, why consult with me? Is it because you want me to become your scapegoat, to take responsibility if your countermeasure fails or if my father gets angry, Minister?¡± ¡°Your Highness, that definitely was not what I meant!¡± ¡°Would you be willing to assume responsibility if I give you the go ahead, but get reproached by my father?¡± ¡°Ahek-ahek!¡± TL Note ¨C sfx for coughing ¡°Hmmm? So you aren¡¯t willing, huh? Then wait for my father¡¯s instructions like a good boy.¡± Isaac shrugged his shoulders, then got back to pruning his roses. Jeffren, the King of Yamoda, was known for his combat prowess and was honoured as the continent¡¯s greatest hero. However, his son was his complete opposite, a gentle, refined bishounen, known throughout the continent for his love of growing roses. And because of this, people wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all if he put his love for roses in front of his love for the kingdom. Camunas wiped the sweat off the back of his hands, then walked towards Isaac and said: ¡°M-m-minister understands now! Your Highness, if you have any thoughts or ideas on how to proceed with this matter, please tell this Minister, and this Minister will use it as a reference to come to a decision¨C¡± ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re sure about that? I¡¯m so sorry to trouble you.¡± Isaac replied with a fake smile. After some deliberation, he nodded his head with a pleased expression and said: ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ there¡¯s no way we can hastily send troops to that place, and moreover, we don¡¯t have the power to mobilise such a huge army in the first place.¡± ¡°T-t-then, what do we do?¡± ¡°Assemble the army and gather food rations first. Since we have to ensure that the troops get to that place as soon as possible, we can only assemble an army consisting of only elite soldiers. In short, do as much as you can to prepare the troops for departure before my father sends word.¡± ¡°Is that all¡­?¡± ¡°Of course not! We still have to send someone over to gather intel. Even though we cannot move the troops as of yet, sending someone over to gather intel is not a problem.¡± ¡°I understand! Minister will discuss this with Karide-dono and will send somebody to gather intel at once!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, nearly forgot. Don¡¯t send soldiers.¡± ¡°Sorry your Highness. What did you say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t send soldiers. It¡¯s because the lowest order of soldiers are not given the ability to make decisions; we need to send somebody who has freedom to make their own decisions, and can adapt to the mission as need be¡­ they must have a certain degree of authority, must be absolutely loyal to the kingdom, and must be able to fight well¡­ who do you think, Minister, is a suitable choice of personnel for this mission?¡± ¡°Your Highness, if you ask me so suddenly¡­¡± Isaac sighed a long sigh and returned to his roses, bringing them together to form a bouquet upon noticing Camunas¡¯ confused expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know of who to send already.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you about this? I¡¯m planning on borrowing the Magic Academy¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Magic Academy? But normal magicians don¡¯t have the power or ability to conduct this mission¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll not be sending ¡°normal¡± magicians¡­ moreover, isn¡¯t it because we need personnel like them for missions of this sort that my kingdom invested a fortune into the Academy, and a lot of effort into training their magicians? The Magic Academy is not some sort of charitable organisation, after all.¡± Taking off his gloves and apron, Isaac put on his velvety cloak and walked out the greenhouse with the bouquet in his hands. ¡°Your Highness, may I ask where you are going?¡± ¡°Did I not imply it in my previous sentences? I¡¯m going to the Magic Academy.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Minister will send a messenger immediately to the Magic Academy to summon Headmaster Orvieto to the Palace¡­¡± ¡°Then it¡¯d take at least an hour or two for us to actually meet¡­ a goddamn waste of time. Going to the Academy myself would save a lot of hassle, and that way, no matter how unreasonable or unjustifiable my request is, Orvieto won¡¯t be able to refuse it, right?¡± ¡°O-o-oh¡­ so that¡¯s why¡­¡± Camunas nodded his head in agreement with Isaac¡¯s words. The neighbouring kingdoms believed Isaac only to be a rose lover and an incompetent, ignorant dandy, but that was not true in the very slightest. Under that seemingly ignorant expression of his was a strategist clever and cunning enough to rival his father. It was an open secret within the Royal Palace, otherwise Camunas would not especially request an audience with Isaac for advice. ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Isaac shook his bouquet of roses, then turned his head back to look at Camunas. ¡°I¡¯ll ensure that the person entrusted with this mission will investigate properly¡­¡± Volume 1 - CH 1.5 Like a starving wild dog, Puyol walked back and forth in a panic in his office. The sound of soldiers running outside the window scared him so much that he scampered behind his work desk to hide. ¡°Mayor¡­ please don¡¯t be so afraid.¡± The commander of the local garrison, Mazari, said helplessly. Puyol, upon hearing his words, stroked his beard and started to do some stretches behind his work desk. ¡°W-w-what are you saying, I¡¯m not afraid, why would I be afraid? I-I-I¡¯m just exercising my body because of what happened that day. Hu, Her, Ha!¡± ¡°Something big happened again today.¡± Mazari, who was sat in front of the round conference table, gave a long sigh, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°¡­ even though I told you not to be so afraid, our current situation doesn¡¯t look good. One third of the town has already been occupied by rebels, and the number of people who want to join them are rising with each passing day.¡± ¡°T-t-then don¡¯t talk about these scary things in such detail¡­¡± ¡°Mayor, I can¡¯t do that. You must know of our current situation in order to make decisions.¡± ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re right¡­¡± Mayor Puyol stood up and stretched his slightly overweight body, before sitting back down on his chair. Holding his head in his hands, he started playing around with his quill in nervousness and anxiety. ¡°Hey, that memorial we sent back to the Holy Capital asking for reinforcements¡­ has it been safely delivered yet? The local garrison stationed here aren¡¯t going to be able to hold off the rebels for too long.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. And reports from my soldiers have shown that the rebels have people who know combat magic. If they continue to rebel, we may be forced to abandon the town.¡± ¡°What? This town doesn¡¯t even have a Branch Academy of the Royal Magic Academy, so rebels who can use combat magic shouldn¡¯t exist¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, so I believe that some of the rebels aren¡¯t from our town, but from elsewhere. I suspect that this whole uprising was initiated by people with ulterior motives against the kingdom.¡± ¡°Mn¡­. right, when will reinforcements arrive?¡± ¡°That huh¡­. even if the memorial has already arrived at the Capital, whether they¡¯ll actually send reinforcements over is an uncertainty.¡± ¡°W-w-why?¡± ¡°Because Seriba¡¯s too close to the kingdom¡¯s borders.¡± Mazari shrugged in frustration. This mayor with a short mustache may be great at handling internal affairs of a town or city, but when it came to military affairs, he was a greenhorn, a rookie without knowledge and strong decision-making skills. Therefore, Mazari practically had to handle this urgent situation by himself. Even though his head hurt from the burden, Mazari didn¡¯t complain, because he was a soldier who always abided by the dogma ¨C ¡°Do your best no matter the situation¡±. Pointing at the map spread open on the conference table before him, Mazari said: ¡°¡ª as you can see on the map, past the mountain range in the south is the territory of followers of the Wild God, and Bagueiro has great influence over there. ¡°Of course I know that, I¡¯m the mayor of Seriba!¡± Puyol slammed with his hand in anger, then tilted his head and asked: ¡°What does this have to do with why reinforcements may come late?¡± ¡°Sending large troops into the town may provoke Bagueiro¡­¡± ¡°In other words¡­?¡± ¡°Bagueiro will think that it¡¯s a sign of invasion, so they¡¯ll send large troops over the mountain range into Yamoda.¡± ¡°What! T-t-then it¡¯s going to be really bad! If we¡¯re not careful, we might incite a clash between Yamodan and Bagueiroran troops! And at that time, the rebel uprising here will only be an appetizer to a much greater conflict!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a high possibility that we won¡¯t be getting reinforcements any time soon.¡± ¡°F-f-fuck! It¡¯s impossible to hold off the rebels with only the local garrison! They¡¯re severely untrained and goddamn weak!¡± ¡°Mayor, I know it¡¯s a bit too late, but I¡¯m very sorry about the fact that the local garrison¡¯s so weak and uncoordinated. Seriba had a population of 2000 people, so the local garrison only had less than 400 members. ? of the garrison had already turned their coats, so the number of rebels had built up to an incredible 700 people. Of course, not all rebels had combat ability, and the local garrison was a standard Yamodan troop, not that easily overwhelmed by numbers alone, but nobody could predict the future. After all, rebels were appearing even in the local garrison! ¡°¡ªanyways¡­ there¡¯s a chance that the main perpetrators of this uprising are Bagueiro and the followers of the Wild God?!¡± ¡°Even if that were so, our situation would not change¡­ In short, before the reinforcements from the Capital arrive, we must do anything and everything to hold out. I hope you understand what I mean by that, Mayor. Anything and everything.¡± ¡°B-b-but there¡¯s nothing I can do to contribute to the battle effort! I¡¯m just a weak scholar!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t speak like you¡¯re proud of that.¡± Commander Mazari stood up, tipped his hat, then sighed once again. Volume 1 - CH 2.1 Dominas¡¯ and normal magicians used magic in the same way, through engraving tattoos onto their bodies. Those tattoos were how the world¡¯s vast and endless supply of energy was realized and utilized. Therefore, magic was known as Crest Magic. Not everybody could use magic. Roughly speaking, only one in ten people had the ability to use magic, even simple magic, such as fire lighting or breeze channeling. Only one in a hundred people had enough magic power to be called real magicians. According to the Tel Layton Church, magic was a power created by God to seal the Demon. It was a skill that he imparted upon his children, the humans, so that they could ward off all evil. Only those who worshiped and believed in him could use it. In reality, the ability to use magic and piety were not linked. Sitting on the chair by the window inside the workshop, Dimitar was currently grinding his blade Jagielka against a grindstone. Annoyed by the small figure who was darting around in the corner of his peripheral vision, he drew his eyebrows together and said: ¡°¨COi.¡± ¡°What~?¡± Bettina muttered as she stopped moving about, turning her head to look at Dimitar. ¡°Are you sure that you want to come with us?¡± ¡°Of course~!¡± Bettina put down the huge wooden box she was carrying in her hands, then pounded her chest twice with her fists. ¡°¨CAs well as Dimitar-dono, Valeria-sama said that she wanted at least one female companion to travel with her.¡± ¡°Um, are you really a female¡­?¡± ¡°Of course~!¡± Bettina pounded her chest once again with her fist. But it was as Dimitar said. It was really hard to figure out whether Bettina was a male or a female because she was covered tightly from head to toe in a pink, short, and fat suit of armour. However, to be fair, her voice did sound like that of a cute little girl¡¯s, and she was only a bit taller than Dimitar¡¯s waist in height. She¡¯d said she was only 13, and based on her height, she didn¡¯t seem to be lying. Even though Dimitar went to the workshop a lot, he still hadn¡¯t seen the young girl¡¯s true appearance before. The niece of the weird Chief Engineer, she was always suited up in a suit of pink armour, and did not let anybody see her face except for her uncle. Bettina lifted a huge wooden container easily two times her size, and placed it in the corner of the workshop. ¡°Dimitar-san, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re a really big pervert.¡± ¡°Do you even understand what pervert means, Bettina?¡± ¡°But uncle said you were a big pervert.¡± ¡°Curse your uncle¡­¡± Dimitar slammed his grindstone into the wall, and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s why I had to accompany Valeria-sama on this trip. Uncle was scared that if it was a normal female, she¡¯d succumb to your predatory hands~¡± ¡°Sigh. Whatever.¡± ¡°Also, Uncle said that if Dimitar-san could not repress his desire to molest Valeria-sama, I¡¯d have to use my brute strength to restrain you~¡± ¡°¡­ even though it seems like your Uncle has set a lot of ¡°tasks¡± for you to do on this trip, your actual role is just to carry our luggage.¡± Dimitar had already heard that this time¡¯s mission was supposed to be a secret mission. If it was not to spite him, there was no other reason why that naive, capricious Dominas in charge of the mission would want to bring this pink armoured girl along with them. He was sure that Valeria would come to regret this decision in the future. With an annoyed look on his face, Dimitar wiped Jagielka clean then resheathed it into its scabbard. ¡°Dimitar-san, Dimitar-san!~¡± ¡°¡­ what? You¡¯re so noisy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, bu-bu-but can you help me carry one of those crate over there over here?¡± Turning his head to look at Bettina, he saw her standing by the pile of wooden boxes, still and unmoving. Dimitar walked over to her, then poked her a few times with his finger. ¡°Oi, what¡¯s up? You got a stroke?¡± ¡°N-n-no, it¡¯s just I¡¯ve used up all my magic¡­. Quick, quick, pass that crate to me¡­ ahhhhh! I-i-it¡¯s coming out¡­!!¡± ¡°Bettina¡­ wait! What the fuck are you saying?!¡± ¡°I-i-i¡¯m sorry! But, when somebody says it¡¯s coming out, it means that somebody¡¯s about to pee! Y-y-you, how many times do you want a young girl to say such embarrassing things?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t always put the blame on others¡­ and anyways, why don¡¯t you just take your armour off and go to the toilet¡­?¡± ¡°I-i-i-i-i, I can¡¯t! I don¡¯t have any magic left within me, so I can¡¯t take my suit of armour of! Uuuuuh! I can¡¯t help it, I¡¯m about to pee!¡± ¡°Then pee in your armour. I¡¯m going now.¡± ¡°Why¡¯re you so cruel? Aren¡¯t we teammates?¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t want a teammate who pisses her own pants and uses up her magic within 3 to 5 minutes.¡± Dimitar replied in a ruthless fashion. Just as he was about to go home, a middle-aged man dressed in a dirty labcoat walked through the entrance of the workshop. ¡°Oi! I haven¡¯t explained properly the contents of the mission! Don¡¯t go yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to explain at this point? But I sure do need to know why your niece has such a weak bladder.¡± ¡°Huh? Dimitar, you sure are a rude and vulgar guy.¡± Albiol looked over at Bettina, who was still shouting ¡°It¡¯s coming, it¡¯s coming out!¡±, then reached out his hand to grab a cylindrical object that was piled orderly in the the corner of a wooden cabinet. ¡°As you know, this Bachururusu is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯d be great if that girl is also aware of that¡­¡± TL Note: I honestly don¡¯t know what the fuck they¡¯re talking about Dimitar heaved his suitcase onto his shoulder, then strapped his sword and scabbard onto his waist. ¡°¨C then I¡¯ll be leaving first. Tell Bettina to come after she¡¯s done with the toilet.¡± ¡°Roger that ¡ª and because this is Valeria¡¯s first mission as a Dominas, this mission shouldn¡¯t be dangerous¡­ but it¡¯s good to be cautious.¡± Albiol blew a ring of smoke at Dimitar. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll complete this mission to the best of my ability.¡± Nodding his head impatiently, Dimitar left the workshop. As indicated by the clock tower in the middle of the city, there was only 30 minutes left until their departure time. Even though he really wanted to say his goodbyes to Lucius, there was not enough time left. Upon recognizing the girl leaning against the front gate of the Magic Academy with an impatient look on her face, Dimitar knit his eyebrows together and frowned. ¡°Oi! I¡¯m talking to you!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Valeria Costacurta started swinging her ceremonial sword around upon hearing Dimitar¡¯s voice. ¡°Hey! How could you make me wait here all by myself?! You know that you¡¯re my Hiera Glaphicos, right? I¡¯m going to report you to the Academy Headmaster¨C!¡± ¡°So loud.¡± Dimitar covered his ears with his hands so that he could block out her voice. ¡°There¡¯s still 30 minutes till the appointed time. How could you blame me for being late when you came too early? And anyways, are you actually planning to go on the mission dressed like that?¡± ¡°Hmmm? What? You¡¯ve got a problem with what I¡¯m wearing?¡± Valeria was wearing a golden edged white battle tunic embroidered with golden threaded lilies. Gifted to her by the King, it was the official uniform of the Dominas. Dimitar used his scabbard to lightly lift up Valeria¡¯s tunic, revealing a translucent dress, a close fitting bra and a panty beneath it. ¡°W-w-what are you doing, you shameless person?!¡± Valeria stumbled backwards with a face beet-red in embarrassment. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°You¡­ haven¡¯t you been told that this time¡¯s mission is a secret mission?¡± ¡°I-i-i know that! What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be instantly recognised as a Dominas if you go on the mission dressed like that. I bet you you¡¯d be surrounded by crowds trying to get a glimpse of you the moment you enter a town or city.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Goodness sakes¡­ I originally thought you weren¡¯t that stupid, but I take it back. It¡¯s because of this that I get a headache every time I¡¯m near a naive ojou-sama who hasn¡¯t seen much of the world.¡± ¡°Y-y-you can¡¯t blame me because of that!! It¡¯s my first time going on a mission for the country as a Dominas!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s also my first time going on a mission for the country as a Hiera Glaphicos! Wait for me here ¨C don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Sighing loudly, Dimitar walked towards the Magic Academy¡¯s stables. Unlike the military, the Magic Academy had no need for large numbers of horses, but even so they kept a few horses within the stable as means of communication and travel. He led two rather fit and healthy horses out of the stable to Valeria, then tossed her a roughly made leather cloak lying on one of the horse¡¯s saddle. ¡°Wear this.¡± ¡°Why? Are you kidding me? Why do I have to wear such a dirty piece of clothing¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not dirty at all in the slightest ¡ª it¡¯s goddamn new! Just cover your battle tunic up. We can¡¯t complete our mission with you in such a sparkly and luxurious outfit. Also, put that ceremonial sword away as well.¡± ¡°B-b-but, it¡¯s the symbol of my status as a¨C¡± ¡°You¡¯re so goddamn noisy. Your pride, and your status as a Dominas is not important right now. The completion of the mission we¡¯re assigned is.¡± Dimitar¡¯s words shut Valeria up. ¡°Dimitar-dono!¡± Kling Kliang! A diminutive figure suited up in pink armour was currently running at full pelt towards them, carrying lugagge two times her weight on her back. It seemed like Bettina wasn¡¯t lying when she said she had the strength of ten grown men. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Bettina gave a bow of apology to Dimitar, then turned around to bow even more deeply at Valeria, who was shocked by her sudden arrival. ¡°Valeria-sama, to be able to meet you is my greatest pleasure and honour.¡± ¡°Mmm, uhmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the niece of the Chief Engineer of the 3rd Factory Quique Albiol, Bettina Albiol~ I¡¯ll be Valeria-sama¡¯s attendant for the duration of this mission! Please take good care of me! ¡± ¡°I-i-i did ask for a female attendant to accompany us on our mission¡­ so you¡¯re the attendant?¡± ¡°Yes! Whether it¡¯s chores, or your personal safety, please entrust everything to Bettina!¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re sure you¡¯re actually a girl?¡± Valeria asked with suspicion in her voice, making Bettina jump around in anger. ¡°Why does everyone ask me that?! No matter how you look at me, I¡¯m a girl full with the energy and charm of youth! Listen to my voice! Look at how high-pitched and girly it is! I¡¯m definitely a girl! I swear!¡± ¡°Regardless of whether she¡¯s full with the energy and charm of youth or not, she is indeed the niece of that strange Chief Engineer. And coupled with the fact that she¡¯s pretty barbaric, ahem, strong, I think she¡¯s well qualified for the role of carrying our suitcases and luggage.¡± Dimitar butted in into their conversation, whilst slipping another cloak made out of coarse leather over Bettina¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Wear this cloak for me as well¡­ even though there¡¯s no use in complaining now, why did your uncle have to paint your armour with such a bright and conspicuous colour?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t do that! It was I who painted Bachururusu bright pink! Because pink is a very cute colour!¡± TL Note: Ooooh! So Bachururusu was the name of Bettina¡¯s armour! Fuck, but the previous bit still doesn¡¯t fucking make sense¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Although Dimitar really wanted to bash his head onto the floor in frustration, he kept his cool and started loading his and Valeria¡¯s luggage onto the saddles of their horses silently. ¡°Oi! Your eminence¡­¡± Upon noticing Valeria put on the leather cloak over her battle tunic reluctantly, Dimitar opened his mouth and said: ¡°Have you ever ridden a horse?¡± ¡°Y-y-you¡¯re so rude! Of course I know how to ride a horse! It¡¯s an etiquette that every noble has to know! Who do you think I am!¡± ¡°Right, but can you ride for 5-6 hours continuously?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? This mission requires not only stealth, but speed as well. Therefore, we have to go at full pelt towards our destination without much rest in between.¡± ¡°B-b-but¡­¡± Valeria averted her eyes, grumbling whilst stroking her butt with her hands. Dimitar could not help but frown at her actions. Clicking his tongue, he said: ¡°¡­ seems like you have experience, but I can tell that you¡¯re a rookie at horse riding. And based on the way you¡¯re acting¡­ you got a lot of the skin on your ass scraped off on your last horse ride. Am I right?¡± ¡°A-a-ass?! You pervert! Of course not! Only a little part of the skin on my butt was scraped off! A tiny bit!¡± ¡°And because of that you didn¡¯t go horse riding ever since?¡± ¡°Mnnn¡­¡± As expected, Dimitar was right. And by the looks of it, it was impossible to lead their horses on foot from the capital over to Seriba. ¡°Oi, suit of armour!¡± ¡°Dimitar-san, we¡¯re not complete strangers~ please don¡¯t call me suit of armour~ my name is Bettina!¡± The pink suit of armour protested whilst unloading her luggage onto her horse. Even though Bettina¡¯s helmet had holes on it for her to see, breathe and eat, it was impossible to see her face, as the entirety of her head was covered by the helmet. ¡°Because you¡¯re not allowing other people to see your face, I think calling you a suit of armour is perfectly justifiable. Also, are you sure you can ride a horse in that cumbersome suit of armour?¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Bettina pounded her breastplate with her fist, then said in a prideful manner: ¡°Because I can run as fast as a horse dressed in this suit of armour.¡± ¡°Even though I¡¯m not actually worried about you¡­ but are you sure you can actually run that fast?¡± ¡°Yes! And I can also run for half a day straight without feeling the slightest bit tired! Uncle¡¯s invention is awesome, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll put your words to the test later¡­ and if that¡¯s the case, your horse can become a packhorse, and you¡¯ll attach yourself to it with a rope and run alongside it. Once our horse gets tired, we¡¯ll it with yours. That way, we can save a lot of time.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, what did you just say? Did you just say ours? Ours?¡± ¡°If you have to blame somebody blame yourself for being a complete noob at horseriding.¡± Dimitar placed his foot onto the stirrup then vaulted onto his horse. After that, he grabbed Valeria by the waist with his right hand, then scooped her up onto the saddle in front of him. ¡°Wait¡­!¡± ¡°Put this underneath your crotch. It¡¯ll help prevent the skin on your crotch from being scraped off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s butt, not crotch! Butt!¡± ¡°Shouting ass and crotch right in the middle of broad daylight¡­ It seems like our newly appointed Dominas will be pretty popular with the public, huh?¡± ¡°AAARRGGHH¡­!!!!¡± Valeria¡¯s face flushed red in embarrassment once again. After placing the fur blanket Dimitar gave her underneath her butt to act as a cushion, she looked away from him and went silent. Dimitar shrugged his shoulders, then turned to look at Bettina: ¡°Oi! It¡¯s time to go, suit of armour!¡± ¡°Dimitar-san, my name¡¯s Bettina!¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± With the snap of the reins, they were off! Volume 1 - CH 2.2 After going through the huge stack of paperwork on his desk, Lucius Richternach returned home. Just as he changed from his uniform into some casual clothes, an unexpected visitor appeared before the gate¡¯s of his mansion. ¡°¨CCostacurta¡­ so he¡¯s Valeria¡¯s relative?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s her father.¡± Tira, who¡¯d been working in the Richternach mansion since she was young, said with hints of disgust. In actuality, she wasn¡¯t really disgusted; it was just that she was too overly serious with everything. Lucius, who¡¯d grew up with her, was very aware of this point. Wrapped in his sleeping robe and about to jump into bed, Lucius said quietly: ¡°I think mother¡¯s going to be staying overnight at the Magic Academy tonight-¡± ¡°Lucius-sama, I¡¯ve already told Valeria¡¯s father that Orvieto-sama isn¡¯t currently at home, but he keeps on insisting that he wants to come in and see you¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I think I know why he¡¯s here¡­ It¡¯s fine, let him in.¡± Tying up his long silver hair that he¡¯d just let loose into a ponytail, Lucius walked towards the living room. When mother wasn¡¯t home, Lucius was the master, the host of the mansion. It wouldn¡¯t to make visitors wait. After ordering his maids to prepare a few glasses of red wine for the meeting ahead, he sat down on a comfy chair to wait for Tira to bring Valeria¡¯s father in. ¡°¨CL-L-Lucius-sama! Valeria¡¯s father, who¡¯d appeared together with Tira, said with a wretched face. He was so loud that it was bordering close to a shout. ¡°My daughter! M-m-my daughter! The hope of our Costacurta family¡­!¡± Faced with a man in so much of a panic that he couldn¡¯t speak properly, Lucius could do nothing but give a wry smile. ¡°Costacurta-sama, please calm down¡­¡± With a smooth, practiced motion, Lucius gave a hand gesture for Valeria¡¯s father to sit down on the sofa. ¡°Please, be my guest.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Wetting his lips with the glass of red wine in front of him on the coffee table, Borja finally calmed himself down. Sighing, he said: ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, to have you see me in such a crazed fervor¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind. But there¡¯s something I want to ask you first, and that¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s with that very conspicuous piece of plaster on your head?¡± ¡°Aha, i-i-it¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ll tell you later, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Right ¡ª if you don¡¯t mind me asking this, but why do you want to visit my mother so late in the evening? Mother¡¯s been pretty busy with her work at the Magic Academy lately, so I don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll be coming back.¡± ¡°I needed to see the Academy Headmaster for help! Since she¡¯s not here, I can only ask Lucius-sama for help!¡± Avoiding the patch of his head covered in plaster, Borja wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°From what you¡¯ve said just now¡­ this is about your daughter, right?¡± ¡°Yes! My daughter Valeria! Lucius-sama, do you know where my daughter has gone?¡± ¡°Where she¡¯s gone¡­?¡± ¡°She left home really early in the morning today to God knows where¡­ Apparently, the Academy headmaster had given her a secret mission, so I was hoping you¡¯d know where she¡¯d gone off to.¡± ¡°Secret mission, huh¡­?¡± Lucius crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded his head slightly. ¡°¨CEven though Orvieto is my mother, in public, she¡¯s the Headmaster of the Magic Academy, and I¡¯m the Vice-Captain of the Seal Knight Corps. Even if we¡¯re mother and son, there are many things that we cannot tell each other. That¡¯s why t I didn¡¯t know that your daughter had been sent off on a secret mission until you told me just now, so I¡¯m really sorry Borja-san, I really don¡¯t know where she¡¯s gone off to.¡± ¡°Arghhhh!¡± ¡°Did your daughter not tell you anything at all?¡± ¡°Y-y-yeah! She only told me that she was going off on a secret mission, so when I tried to stop her from leaving, she blasted me with magic¨C¡± ¡°Blasted you with magic?¡± ¡°Well, not directly¡­ She blasted the tree next to me, causing a branch to snap, and crack! It crashed onto my head!¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you¡¯ve got plaster on your head.¡± Because he was knocked out on the spot after being hit by the branch, by the time he woke up, it was already dusk, and his daughter had long left the mansion already. Lucius wanted to laugh after hearing Borja speak of his ordeal, but managed to repress his desire to do so. Wanting to comfort Borja, he said ¡°The mission was supposed to be secret, but your daughter still mentioned it to you. Isn¡¯t that her unique way of caring for you?¡± ¡°If she really cared about me, she would¡¯ve listened to me and refused to go on that secret mission! A-a-also, at that moment in time I was unconscious on the floor!¡± ¡°But if she did that, she¡¯d be disobeying the Magic Academy¡¯s order. Because of her new status as a Dominas, she can¡¯t do so. And also, wasn¡¯t becoming a Dominas your daughter¡¯s dream since she was young?¡± ¡°That I know of¡­¡± Borja said whilst sipping from his glass of red wine. Even though it wasn¡¯t brandy or some sort of very fiery and powerful alcoholic beverage, he was drinking the red wine too fast. Not long after, he started complaining once again. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re worried about your daughter, but her selection as a Dominas proves that she has both the ability and power to live up to her status. Not to mention that she¡¯s a genius in magic that only appears once every ten years.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s still a child! A little girl!¡± ¡°She¡¯s got the ability and power to take care of herself. Nothing bad will happen to her.¡± ¡°B-b-but¡­¡± ¡°Borja-san, I¡¯m very curious as to why you¡¯re so opposed to Valeria becoming a Dominas?¡± Borja retracted his hand that was about to grab his glass of wine on the coffee table, then looked at Lucius with pleading eyes. ¡°¨CTira.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please leave us alone for while.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tira, who was by Borja¡¯s side pouring red wine into his glass for him, gave a deep bow of respect and left the living room. Upon hearing the loud and heavy noise of the door closing, Borja started speaking in a low and quiet voice: ¡°¡­ to be honest, I¡¯m very opposed to Valeria becoming a Dominas, because all I want her to do is find a good husband and continue the Costacurta family bloodline.¡± ¡°I remember you only have¨C¡± ¡°One child. Valeria. Because her mother had a very weak body¡­¡± Although the Costacurta family had lost its former power and glory, it had married into the Royal Family at one point in time, so it was still one of the oldest and most prominent families in the whole of the Kingdom. One of the major problems they currently faced was the headache of continuing on their bloodline. Even Lucius himself was facing this dilemma, because he was Orvieto¡¯s only son and had to marry a women one day to continue on the Richternach family¡¯s bloodline. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Dominas¡¯ had to serve the country for a term of 9 years before retirement. Once Valeria retires from being a Dominas, she would be 25. Also, her Hiera Glaphicos is a young male, so I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯d leave a bad impression on people¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°Lucius-sama¡­¡± Putting down his glass of wine on the coffee table, Borja spoke with trembling hands: ¡°¨CI¡¯ve heard that my daughter¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos was handpicked by the Academy Headmaster, and that he¡¯s a member of the Richternach family.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. His name is Dimitar.¡± ¡°Since there was nothing I can do to change Valeria¡¯s mind, I wanted to find a Hiera Glaphicos who¡¯s capable of protecting her from harm¡­ and that was what I requested of Orvieto-sama. Sigh¡­ Lucius-sama, it shames me to say this, but the words I¡¯m going to say next may be very rude¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Please continue.¡± ¡°About Dimitar-san¡­ I¡¯ve heard nothing but bad rumours about him.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t they just rumours?¡± Faced with Borja¡¯s serious expression, Lucius laughed: ¡°Dimitar¡­ Even though Di¡¯s still young, he¡¯s a man who¡¯s undergone many hardships. He has a great sense of responsibility, knows when to go forward and when to retreat, and has great swordsmanship and magic ability. To be frank, he is the person most suitable for being your daughter¡¯s bodyguard.¡± ¡°B-b-b-but¡­¡± ¡°The reason why you¡¯re hearing so many bad rumours about him is because Di is rude, and has many enemies because of that. But, when Di was appointed as Valeria¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos, I told him that he had to protect Valeria no matter what. I told him that.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.?¡± Unable to decipher the meaning behind Lucius¡¯ words, Borja knit his eyebrows together in confusion. ¡°¨CI¡¯ve told Di that he had to protect Valeria at any cost, and he agreed, so he¡¯ll do everything he can to protect her from harm. He¡¯s just that type of person. Won¡¯t go back on anything he¡¯s promised to do. Also, he won¡¯t do anything bad or harmful to your daughter, because I¡¯ve told him not to as well.¡± It was at this point that Lucius realised that all he¡¯d been doing was repeat what he¡¯d said whilst smiling. Even with Lucius¡¯ assurances, Borja¡¯s facial expression remained serious and unconvinced. He didn¡¯t know himself what type of person Dimitar was, so as a father who was very worried for his daughter, it was perfectly justifiable that he would remain unconvinced by Lucius¡¯ words of assurance. ¡°¡­ Costacurta-sama, I trust Dimitar in keeping your daughter safe, so can you have faith in me?¡± ¡°Mn¡­ since Lucius-sama places so much trust on Dimitar¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry.¡± Taking advantage of Borja¡¯s hesitation, Lucius continued to speak: ¡°I¡¯ll tell my subordinates to investigate where your daughter¡¯s gone off to. And if anything happens to your daughter¡­ trust me, I won¡¯t let her die.¡± ¡°Lucius-sama¡­ you¡¯re willing to help me?¡± ¡°Yes. Because your daughter and I aren¡¯t complete strangers, and my little brother Dimitar is participating in the secret mission as well.¡± ¡°Thankyou, Lucius-sama! I leave my daughter¡¯s safety in your hands!¡± Borja finally relaxed his body, which was previously stiff with tension and wracked nerves. So nervous before that his butt wasn¡¯t even touching the couch, he sank down like a stone into the sofa. ¡°Since Lucius-sama has already agreed to my request, I won¡¯t ask for more now ¡ª I¡¯m very sorry for disturbing you so late in the evening.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, please rest assured that I¡¯ll do everything within my ability to ensure that your daughter doesn¡¯t come to harm.¡± It was almost about time for Borja to leave, so Lucius poured him one last glass of wine. ¡°Lucius-sama, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Borja, who¡¯d finished that last glass of wine, stood up, said his goodbyes, and left for home a different man. In high spirits, he was obviously pleased with how the meeting had went. ¡°Ahhh, so tough to deal with¡­ no wonder Valeria finds him annoying and aggravating.¡± Lucius sat down on the sofa once again. Lifting up the wine bottle to see how much red wine was left, he put it to his mouth, about to gulp down the remaining contents. ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t copy Dimitar-sama and drink like that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with drinking directly from the bottle. When the Seal Knights Corps are off on an expedition¨C¡± ¡°Young master, you must remember that the mansion is not a battle zone.¡± Tira snatched the wine bottle from Lucius¡¯ hands, then poured the remaining red wine into Lucius¡¯ wineglass. Lucius shrugged his shoulders, and chugged down all the wine in the wineglass in one go. ¡°¨C I¡¯m sure the Royal Palace will issue an official statement on what¡¯s happening in Seriba very soon¡­ Seem¡¯s like the trouble there won¡¯t be resolved in one or two days.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance they¡¯ll send out the Seal Knights Corps¨C?¡± ¡°No, none at all. The Seal Knights Corps exists only to protect The Demon¡¯s Seal, and because they¡¯re only comprised of naive and airheaded young nobles, there¡¯s no chance in hell they¡¯d be able to suppress a rebellion, an uprising. However, I can¡¯t just sit back and watch because of that.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± After Tira retired to her bedchamber, Lucius stood up and walked towards the window. Looking out, he readjusted his sleeping robe so that it wouldn¡¯t fall off. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Let¡¯s not think about why mother approved of it first. What does Isaac have in mind, sending Valeria and Dimitar to Seriba?¡± Volume 1 - CH 2.3 If the roads were deserted, they would whip their horses and gallop at full speed, but when the roads were busy or had people travelling on them, they would slow down to avoid attracting attention. Valeria and co. stuck to these rules as they rode south towards Seriba. Before long, the Sun set to the west, and night descended upon the earth. Even though Valeria had a blanket underneath her to ease the pain of horseriding, her bum hurt because she¡¯d stayed in her saddle for too long. Because of that, she got off her horse on a crowded part of the road and started doing some stretching. ¡°Right, what is Seriba like?¡± ¡°Valeria, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t do any research beforehand¡­¡± Dimitar, who was still on his horse, looked at Valeria with cold eyes. ¡°I-I-I-I didn¡¯t have the time!¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve have had one nights time to do some research¡­¡± ¡°Also, why are you still on your horse when I¡¯m on the floor walking? Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t as if asked you to get off your horse ¨C you got off yourself.¡± Although Dimitar replied with exasperation and averted his eyes with discontentment, he got off his horse and started leading it forward by the reins. Behind them, Bettina was also leading her horse forward by the reins. In the eyes of passersby¡¯s, they were only three normal travellers. After looking around their surroundings to check for eavesdroppers, Dimitar whispered: ¡°¡­ Seriba is a town near the border of the kingdom to our south. A rural town without even a Branch Magic Academy.¡± ¡°How could there be an uprising in such a peaceful, tranquil and rural area?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s an uprising there that the Royal Palace is in so much an uproar.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Although Seriba¡¯s only a little town in the mountain range to the south, the terrain behind the mountain range is under the jurisdiction of Bagueiro.¡± Bagueiro, the neighboring kingdom south of Yamoda, was a kingdom that worshipped pagan gods, so to Yamoda, a kingdom under the influence of the Tel Layton Church, Bagueiro was an enemy nation that needed to be wiped off the map. They hated each other so much that in the past 15 years alone, they had had more than 5 small-scale confrontations! ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the uprising in Seriba¡­?¡± ¡°Might possibly be a ploy of Baguiero¡¯s.¡± Dimitar answered nonchalantly, making Valeria shudder. ¡°¡­you¡¯re scared?¡± ¡°O-o-of course not!¡± Valeria immediately refuted upon sensing that Dimitar was making fun of her. ¡°How could I be scared of those barbarians?!¡± ¡°Eh~? Valeria-sama¡¯s scared~?¡± Bettina asked through her helmet. ¡°Though I haven¡¯t seen any of those barbarian pagans before, from the moment I first heard that there was a chance they were behind the uprisings in Seriba, I got super scared~¡± ¡°T-t-to be honest, I haven¡¯t seen those barbarian pagans before¡­ but as long as one faith in God, one shall fear no enemy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud of your faith in God, of your piety, but your overdose of bravery and courage is making me worried. I¡¯d prefer it if you were scared of the barbarians, even if just a tiny little bit.¡± ¡°Oi! I¡¯m¨C¡± The Kingdom of Yamoda¡¯s 2nd Dominas, Valeria Costacurta ¡ª but before she could blurt it out, she clamped her mouth shut with her hands in a panic. It seemed they were very near a town, as there were tourists and farmers and merchants all around them. She¡¯d definitely create a great uproar if she exposed her identity here. Dimitar gave a smile of victory at her near slip. ¡°¡­ we¡¯re very close to Kuromutan town, so we¡¯ll rest there tonight, and continue on our journey at daybreak. That way, we can cover more miles tomorrow.¡± ¡°W-w-we have to leave at d-d-daybreak, and journey for the rest of the day tomorrow?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that look of despair for? It¡¯s the horse who has to run for one whole day, not you. You should be pretty comfortable sitting on the saddle¡­.¡± ¡°No, sitting on the saddle for a day is actually pretty tiring!¡± ¡°Then rest well tonight.¡± At that moment, a bell started to toll. Trying to find out where it was coming from, Dimitar squinted his eyes and looked forward, to see the outline of a little town at the end of the road. ¡°You hear that? A bell¡¯s tolling¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, because the sun¡¯s about to set. I¡¯m sure that very soon, the town gates will close for the night.¡± ¡°R-r-really? Why do they have to close the gates?¡± ¡°To prevent thiefs and the sort from sneaking into town at night¡­ Valeria, you sure are the smartest person I¡¯ve ever met. How do not know that towns and cities close their gates at night when you live in one?¡± ¡°Mnn¡­..!!!¡± Like many other aristocratic young ladies, Valeria was brought up in a very sheltered environment, so her lack in general knowledge was understandable. But using that as an excuse would make her seem stupid and unintelligent, so all she could do was bite her lip and repress her urges to refute Dimitar¡¯s comments. At that moment, Bettina tugged Dimitar¡¯s cloak. ¡°Dimitar-san, Dimitar-san, if we don¡¯t hurry up we¡¯re going to be in big trouble!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We still have time before the sun sets.¡± Valeria hated to admit it, but Dimitar¡¯s posture and confidence made her feel safe and at ease. ¡°R-R-Richternach-sama, mn¡­ s-s-so, um, you have a lot of experience travelling?¡± ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just that during my time as an intern at the Seal Knights Corps, I was given a lot of chores and tasks to do.¡± ¡°Such as going on expeditions with the Corps?¡± ¡°Unlike other armies, the Corps is a social club for young nobles, so even if we had to go on practice expeditions to somewhere far away, we wouldn¡¯t camp out in the wilds. You know what we did? We would book rooms in the most luxurious in town, and splash money on entertainment and fun. They were practice expeditions in name only. In actuality, we were just going on holiday¡­. That¡¯s why I, as an intern, was given all the chores to do.¡± Dimitar didn¡¯t look like he was particularly fond of his past, but he wasn¡¯t angry at it either. There was just an ambiguous wry smile on his face that revealed nothing about his feelings or emotions ¡°Fu¡­ we¡¯ve made it.¡± Making it before the gates closed at sunset, Dimitar and co. successfully entered the town of Kuromutan. Bettina gave a sigh of relief. Valeria, who¡¯d left the Royal Capital in the whole of her life, was shocked by the chaoticness and dirtiness of the town. Perhaps it was because the town was situated on the road that connected the south and the north of the country, but the streets were filled with merchants and their packhorses & donkeys, as well as numerous travellers wearing cloaks just like Valeria. Many of those travellers were from other countries, easily identifiable by the colour of their skin. The banter and chatter between the people on the streets and the different aromas and smells that drifted about the air merged with the rays of the setting sun to form a very special and unique odour. Valeria put a handkerchief to her nose to block out the smell whilst surveying her surroundings. ¡°Dimitar, where are we going to lodge for the night? I can¡¯t sleep without a bed, you know.¡± ¡°Valeria, you¡¯re asking for too much. We¡¯re on a secret mission here, so lodging at an inn like the Tabard Inn is a nono.¡± ¡°Tabard Inn? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Ah, I know what it is.¡± Bettina butted in whilst navigating the one of the most crowded and popular streets in town. ¡°The so-called Tabard Inn, is an inn that only Dominas¡¯, special envoys of the country, and nobles of high status can lodge in. It¡¯s one of the most high-class and luxurious inns in the country! Am I right, Dimitar-san?¡± ¡°Mn ¡ª haha, yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Dimitar seemed to be uninterested in the chit-chat between the two girls, looking around their surroundings as if he was trying to find something he¡¯d lost. ¡°If we aren¡¯t going to lodge there, where are we going to lodge for the night?¡± ¡°A budget inn, if you don¡¯t want to sleep outside by the roadside.¡± ¡°Budget inn?¡± Dimitar stopped moving, and pointed to their north-east. A gargantuan three-storied beast of a building, with a sign depicting a grape vine hanging above its main entrance stood proudly at the end of his finger. ¡°There? That¡¯s an inn?¡± Peeking inside the inn from its slightly open main entrance, Valeria reeled back in disgust and shock. It looked more of a dirty bar far away from the town center than an inn, and was definitely not a place that a young woman would feel safe in. ¡°Any building with a grave vine sign hanging above its main entrance is a bar that provides and serves red wine.¡± ¡°I was right! This building isn¡¯t an inn, but a tavern!¡± Already able to smell the strong odour of alcohol without even entering the inn, Valeria knit her eyebrows together and stared at Dimitar with eyes that could kill. ¡°Valeria, you sure are a naive, inexperienced ojou-sama. Budget inns are taverns that provide lodging. Remember it.¡± Dimitar started inspecting the inn¡¯s outer appearance once again, holding his hand to his chin, obviously deep in thought. ¡°¡­ based on its appearance and size, this inn should be the biggest inn in town. There are a lot of rooms in the inn, and it also has its own stable. We shouldn¡¯t be able to find another inn better than this in town.¡± ¡°Mn ~ yeah yeah, Richternach-sama is so smart!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I have a bit more experience travelling than you¡­ If you have time to be ironical and satirical, why not work on making yourself less inconspicuous?¡± Dimitar lifted Valeria¡¯s hat and put it back on her head. ¡°There¡¯s a low chance that somebody would recognise you here, but because of that, people in Kuromutan won¡¯t respect you because you¡¯re a Dominas or a member of the Costacurta family.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°This world is a rough and cruel place. Women, especially young, good-looking women are kidnapped and sold for high prices. You understand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°D-D-Dimitar-san! Don¡¯t talk about such scary things!¡± ¡°Bettina, your suit of armour¡¯s too heavy for anybody to kidnap you.¡± Dimitar replied coldly, before striding into the inn. Valeria, left behind by the roadside, shuddered fearfully at Dimitar¡¯s words. Noticing her terror and unease, Bettina tugged Valeria¡¯s cloak lightly. ¡°Valeria-sama~¡± ¡°Mn? W-w-what?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re feeling uneasy and insecure about conducting a mission as a Dominas, I¡¯ll ask uncle to make a Bachururusu next time for you. That way you won¡¯t be kidnapped~!¡± Rapping Bettina lightly on the helmet, Valeria could not help but give a wry smile in response. ¡°¡­. wouldn¡¯t it affect my ability to cast magic if I¡¯m suited up from head to toe in armour?¡± Not long after, Dimitar returned, with the lady innkeeper and a few burly men by his side. Not waiting for Valeria and Bettina to break out from their stupor, he gave their horses to the few men, and started conversing with the lady innkeeper about lodging and room rates, not forgetting to tip them along the way for better service. Although there were a lot of things that Valeria was still angry and unsatisfied about, she slowly came to realise that if she wanted to complete their mission successfully, she had to cooperate with Dimitar¡¯s pragmatism and realism. ¡°Dimitar-san, sugoi, so cool~! Indeed, you¡¯re very reliable!¡± ¡°¡­. Though it pains me to say this, I agree.¡± Valeria nodded her head unconsciously in agreement, though her face became as stiff as a board from her sense of defeat at Dimitar¡¯s hands. ¡°Oi, follow me.¡± After wrapping everything up with the lady innkeeper, Dimitar ordered Bettina to carry a half of the luggage, taking the other half himself, before nagging the girls to hurry up and enter the inn. The unpleasant and distinct odour of alcohol hit Valeria like a truck, making her gag and cover her nose in reflex. Apart from the stench of cheap booze and smoke, the tavern was also suffused with the smell of a day¡¯s hard-earned sweat. Incredibly nasty. ¡°You guys should rejoice, because there¡¯s still one empty room left. The best one, as well.¡± Dimitar led the girls proudly towards their room, located on the inn¡¯s third floor. After inspecting the room closely, Valeria could not help but grumble in complaint. Although the room wasn¡¯t as messy and as filthy as the tavern below, it was about as small as a room in the servants quarters of the Costacurta Family mansion. Simplistic and minimalistic, there was only two plain, unadorned beds, a table and a chair. Valeria could not believe that this was the best lodging available in Kuromutan. ¡°Then do you want to take a look at the other rooms?¡± Dimitar sighed after unloading their luggage in the corner of the room: ¡°¡­ The other rooms left are only half this room in size, and the beds are there are basically straw mats. Not only that, you¡¯ll have to share the straw mats with other lodgers, both male and female unlike, as there aren¡¯t no other empty rooms.¡± ¡°¡­ um, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stick with this room.¡± ¡°Valeria ojou-sama the genius has finally made a wise and correct decision!¡± Dimitar¡¯s reply oozed with sarcasm and irony. Making sure that the girls were settled, he proceeded to place bread, cheese, bacon and red wine in a wineskin on the table. ¡°Oi! Pink armoured girl.¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Bettina¡­ sigh, at least it¡¯s better than calling me suit of armour.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­ don¡¯t you have to change your cassette?¡± TL Note: I¡¯m assuming that the Cassette is something needed to power Bettina¡¯s armour? ¡°Not now~¡± ¡°Ok then¡­ I¡¯ve told you guys this before, but we¡¯ll be leaving at dawn, so eat dinner quick and sleep early. After finishing speaking, Dimitar turned around, about to leave the room. Valeria, who was folding her cloak, looked at him with eyes widened in confusion and surprise. ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep in the same room as you guys.¡± ¡°There¡¯s other empty rooms?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, there aren¡¯t, but since I¡¯m a guy, I can just find a spot and lay down to sleep. Hand on the door knob, Dimitar looked back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Rest well, Valeria, Bettina. It¡¯s going to be even more troublesome for me if you guys fall sick because you guys didn¡¯t get enough sleep.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡­ W-w-why would I be worried about you?!¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right¡­ remember to lock the door properly and tightly.¡± With a twist of the door knob, Dimitar exited the room. Listening to Dimitar¡¯s advice, Bettina cinched the door with a nog. ¡°Dimitar-san should be alright, right¡­.?¡± ¡°Since he said he¡¯s going to be fine, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to turn out alright.¡± Valeria shook her head in reply, before taking off her tabard, folding it neatly on top of her luggage, and jumping agilely onto her bed. Just like she¡¯d expected, the bed was incredibly hard, but it wasn¡¯t to the point that she couldn¡¯t sleep properly on it. At least it was better than camping out in the wilds, she thought whilst stretching lazily. ¡°Valeria-sama, let¡¯s eat dinner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dinner¡­.?¡± Moving the chair to the table, she sat on it and grabbed a piece of bread, it¡¯s hardness making her frown in displeasure. Even bread that¡¯d come out of the oven this morning wouldn¡¯t get so hard and firm this fast. Their dinner consisted of hard, stony, almost uneatable bread, cheese slices and bacon. To Valeria, who¡¯d grown up in a rich noble family, it was inconceivable. ¡°Is there any hot food? Like vegetable soup or roasted chicken?¡± ¡°No, definitely not.¡± Bettina held a knife in her armoured hand, slicing the bread into thin, equal pieces. ¡°Because budget inn¡¯s normally don¡¯t provide room service, so if you want to eat hot food, you¡¯ll have to go to the tavern down below and pay extra for the meal ~ but obviously, we can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Even if this mission wasn¡¯t a secret mission, there¡¯s no way we could eat in such an environment.¡± ¡°Ah! Right!¡± Bettina shouted in epiphany: ¡°Valeria-sama, please place the cheese on the bread slices and heat them up.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Use that ~ your magic!¡± ¡°You really are¨C¡± Valeria was a Dominas. No matter the era, there were only twelve Dominas¡¯ at one time on the whole continent. The Kingdom of Yamoda had three, and Valeria was one of them. It was extremely disrespectful to ask her to roast hardened bread with her magic. Although Bettina was still young and naive, Valeria still had to teach her a lesson. ¡°Bettina, you do know that I serve Go¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Valeria-sama has the most magic talent out of all the Dominas candidates for this time¡¯s Dominas Selection ~ I¡¯m so jealous of you, because I don¡¯t have any magic talent.¡± Bettina cut Valeria off mid-sentence. Though her helmet was covering most of her face, Valeria could still see the envy in her eyes. Valeria suddenly felt much better after hearing Bettina¡¯s words. ¡°Bettina, you pesky little girl¡­ hmph.¡± Raising her index finger, Valeria focused her mind on casting magic. Instantly, scarlet magic crests appeared on the back of her hand. Complex magic crests were unnecessary to create a small flame to heat bread, so Valeria only had to use 1/100 of the complex and dense magic crests engraved upon her body from ¡°head to toe¡±. ¡°So cool ~ ?¡± Bettina clapped her hands praise, before using her knife to skewer her freshly sliced bread and hold it over the flame that Valeria was producing on top of her index finger. ¡°Magic sure is God¡¯s grace upon the people, the source of our wisdom and foresight.¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°But why are so many people unable to use magic?¡± Bettina asked after placing a slice of cheese on top of the freshly roasted bread, creating a mouth-watering sandwich. It was a simple question, but Valeria was stumped for an answer. According to the Tel Layton Church, magic was a tool that God created to seal The Demon, and a skill that he blessed upon his children, the humans. Only those who believed in God could use magic ¡ª this was what Valeria was brought up to believe. But in actuality, only one in ten people could cast magic. Valeria and Dimitar belonged to the one in ten people who could cast magic, and Bettina belonged to the nine in ten who couldn¡¯t. Let¡¯s take a look at the Kingdom of Yamoda for exmaple. Even though almost all the citizens of Yamoda were zealous, reverent believers of the Tel Layton Church, most of them were unable to use magic. Why that was so, why there was such a discrepancy in what she¡¯d been taught, Valeria could not explain. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s not think too much about that.¡± Valeria muttered to herself whilst eating her sandwich. Although she was a renowned genius in magic, she wasn¡¯t great at thinking about and answering philosophical and logical questions. Her good friend Karin had once said Valeria¡¯s genius with magic was innate. Karin was correct, because casting magic was as natural, as easy as breathing to Valeria. She didn¡¯t have to think about it. She only had to do it. Because of that, Valeria acknowledged the fact that she wasn¡¯t very good with using her brain, though she was very talented at casting magic. It wasn¡¯t humbleness or modesty, but the truth. She really couldn¡¯t get her mind around difficult things or questions. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the wine¡¯s a bit sour?¡± Valeria tilted her head and said after downing all the wine in the wineskin in one go. The red wine that Orvieto gave me yesterday was much more tastier. ¡°Should be because it¡¯s been oxidised a bit. Commoners usually drink wine of this quality, because not everybody¡¯s rich and a noble.¡± Bettina replied, whilst lifting the visor of her helmet and stuffing the sandwich into her mouth, gulping it down like a ravenous wolf. ¡°¨C because my uncle loves to drink wine, he buys freshly made red wine daily from the market. Most of the time he gets the cheap and sour ones, so he would add in a little sugar or pepper before drinking them.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Valeria was shocked. Bettina, who was a few years younger than her, knew more about the ways of the world than her. There was much she had to learn in order to become an up to snuff Dominas. But, what astounded Valeria the most was that eating with other people ¡ª though the food was incredibly simple, incomparable to the dishes that she would eat at home ¡ª made her her food tastier, and made eating much more enjoyable. She rarely ate with other people, usually preferring to eat all by herself at home. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Valeria suddenly thought of Dimitar, of where he was and what he was doing. If it was him, he wouldn¡¯t care about whether the food was delicious or not. He¡¯d eat the hardened bread silently, and wash it down with some sour wine from the wineskin. Lost in her own thoughts, she failed to realise that the bread she was roasting had already been burned into cinders. Volume 1 - CH 3.01 The Kingdom of Yamoda was situated in the central plains of the Bakersfield Continent, a place with a particularly warm climate. With vast amounts of fertile land suitable for farming, and pastures for livestock to graze on, Yamoda was an opulent agricultural country. Because the Kingdom had never experienced any food shortages before, the citizens of the country led peaceful and tranquil lives. The Kingdom¡¯s public order and safety was excellent as well. Although Yamoda didn¡¯t have a harbour for trade with countries overseas, as it was a landlocked country, there was long-term political stability in the state, so the roads that connected the cities of Yamoda together were well maintained. As a result, overland trade thrived and prospered within the Kingdom. Strong economical power also allowed the Kingdom to possess a tough and staunch standing army, a deciding factor in their position as the head of the Holy Alliance of Kingdoms. To the south of Yamoda was the Kingdom of Bagueiro, a Kingdom that believed in pagan gods. The two Kingdoms were separated by a steep mountain range, so although they had had a few skirmishes in the past few years, those skirmishes had not erupted into full blown war yet. ¡°Valeria-sama, you¡¯re so much like Dimitar-sama, always yawning.¡± ¡°¡­ nothing I can do about it. I didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡± Valeria suppressed her urge to yawn once again and looked away from Bettina, who was already full of spirit and energy long before the sun had even risen. Karin constantly talked of how Valeria was always over excited, but Karin had obviously never met Bettina before. Compared to that pesky little girl in pink armour, Valeria was a stoic, quiet monk from the mountains. Dimitar had woken them up 30 minutes ago with a series of noisy knocks on their door, looking fresh and ready for a new day, with no sign of exhaustion from journeying the whole day yesterday on his face. He¡¯d already retrieved their horses from the inn¡¯s stable, and had also made all the preparations needed for the journey ahead. Valeria could not help but think: Where on earth did he sleep yesterday? ¡°Whatever, who cares about him.¡± Carrying buckets of water over to the horses for them to drink, Dimitar turned his head to look at Bettina and jokingly rapped her on the head with his gauntleted left hand, producing a heavy, metallic thunk. ¡°Ah! Why did you hit me for no reason?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s early in the morning, so other lodgers at the inn are still fast asleep. If you have time to shout and muck about, why not help me carry our luggage and unload it onto the pack horse¡¯s back? Seriously, think of why you¡¯re in a suit of armour in the first place.¡± ¡°OK! Ok¡­.¡± After ruthlessly bequeathing the laborious task of moving and unloading luggage to Bettina, Dimitar walked over to Valeria. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Scared that Dimitar would laugh at her face, which was still drowsy and messy from having just woking up, Valeria took a few moments to compose herself and sort herself out before turning around to look at him. ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°That pesky little girl¡¯s real appearance. What does she look like? Did you see her face last night?¡± Dimitar looked awfully deadpan, so Valeria thought that he was going to ask her about something serious, not about what Bettina looked like. But because Valeria also wanted to talk about that with Dimitar, she replied with a low voice: ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything last night!¡± ¡°What? Bettina went to sleep with her armour on?¡± ¡°No¡­ it was more like¡­ I went to bed before she did¡­¡± ¡°Che!¡± Dimitar looked at Valeria with condescending eyes, as if she was trash lying on the street, before clicking his tongue. ¡°W-w-why are you looking at me like that?!¡± ¡°I was really tired yesterday!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so goddamn useless. And stop shouting so goddamn early in the morning.¡± ¡°Mugu¡­!¡± Although Dimitar¡¯s attitude was quite infuriating, what he said was the truth, so all that Valeria could do was bite her lips and reluctantly keep her mouth shut. At that moment, the lady innkeeper came out of the inn¡¯s main entrance. Wearing a shawl, she brushed her hair backwards, before saying in a small voice: ¡°My dear guests, are you ready to go?¡± Although the lady innkeeper referred to Valeria and co. as dear guests, it was obvious that she was only using that to address Dimitar, as she was looking at nobody but him. Valeria found it rather strange. The lady innkeeper proceeded to walk over to Dimitar. ¡°Take this, it¡¯s breakfast that I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Dimitar took the bag of food from the innkeeper¡¯s hands with an indifferent look on his face. Valeria widened her eyes in shock, and Bettina secretly ¡ª ahem, not really, all the clangs and clunks gave her away ¡ª tiptoed next to her. ¡°Valeria-sama! D-d-did you see that? They seem like¡­ a couple who¡¯ve just done it!¡± ¡°Done what¡­? How do you even know about that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± As the two girls were having a private discussion about what had happened between Dimitar and the lady innkeeper, the lady innkeeper snuggled intimately over to Dimitar¡¯s side, grabbing hold of his arm. ¡°But¡­¡± She turned her head to look at the girls. ¡°¡­. although I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re travelling with them, it must be tough having to babysit those two little children.¡± ¡°Little children¡­!!!!!¡± Upon hearing that she was being referred to as a little child, Valeria unconsciously pulled up her sleeves in anger, ready to fight. If it wasn¡¯t for Bettina holding her back, scarlet magic crests might¡¯ve blossomed into existence on her arms, sending jets of fire towards the rude and coquettish innkeeper. ¡°V-V-Valeria-sama, please calm down!¡± ¡°But that damned woman dared to insult me, a Dominas¨C¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯re very angry, but we¡¯re currently on a secret mission for the Kingdom, so please, please, don¡¯t do anything rash and stupid! You absolutely must not use magic, otherwise the mission won¡¯t be secret anymore!¡± ¡°Did you not ask me to use magic to heat our dinner yesterday?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s different! If we cause a scene now, we¡¯d definitely alert the officials in town to our presence! Though they may not recognise you, it¡¯d still cause unnecessary trouble for us.¡± ¡°Mnmnmn¡­.!¡± Dimitar glanced at Valeria with indifferent eyes, waiting for the horses to finish drinking water, before leading them by the reins over to the innkeeper. ¡°If we have time to spare on our return journey, we¡¯ll come back to your inn.¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll wait for you! You have to come back!¡± The lady innkeeper put her arms around Dimitar¡¯s neck, then kissed him with her, plump, cherry-red lips. ¡°WHARAGHWGHIWUEFH!¡± The lovey-dovey, intimate scene was too much for Valeria and Bettina to bear, who hugged each other whilst screaming and exclaiming at the top of their lungs in surprise and embarrassment. ¡°¡­. so fucking noisy.¡± Dimitar disentangled himself gently from the innkeepers embrace, frowned, then kicked Bettina¡¯s bum with all his might. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time we left.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that like it was us who delayed us from departing earlier.¡± ¡°Did it come across like that? I¡¯m very sorry, Valeria ojou-sama, I hope you forgive me for my blunder.¡± And with that, they were off! ¡°¡­ Oi! I¡¯m talking to you!¡± Valeria shouted in Dimitar¡¯s ear after the lady innkeeper disappeared from sight. ¡°What was that just now?! What¡¯s your relationship with that unchaste, promiscuous woman?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just innkeeper and guest! Nothing more! Did you think that she was my long lost mother?¡± ¡°Stop talking glibly¨Cwait, last night did you¨C?¡± ¡°Yeah, I slept in the innkeepers room last night.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to sleep in someplace outside the inn?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you stupid or stupid?¡± Dimitar replied with a helpless expression on his face. ¡°Why would I sleep outside in the cold when there¡¯s an inn right there in front of me? Because there weren¡¯t any empty rooms left, I convinced the innkeeper to share her bed with me. That was it.¡± ¡°Bed, you said bed¡­!!!¡± Valeria and Bettina looked at each other, repressing their urges to scream. ¡°I know what you guys are thinking, and to be honest, something did happen between me and the innkeeper. But because of that, the innkeeper lowered our room rates, so you guys should be thanking me instead!¡± ¡°Dirty, dirty!!!¡± Valeria scolded, face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. She did not know why, but she always scolding people after meeting Dimitar. ¡°¡­. what¡¯s dirty?¡± ¡°B-b-because! You a-a-and the innkeeper¡­ d-d-did that!!¡± ¡°Why are you calling me dirty when you yourself didn¡¯t shower last night?¡± ¡°As if YOU showered.¡± ¡°Yeah I did. I even had the innkeeper wash my back.¡± ¡°WIUGHISUDHGIUHSDF!!!¡± Valeria bit her tabard in anger. Dimitar¡¯s indifference to her questions made her extremely furious for some reason. ¡°Alright, quiet down¡­. now¡¯s still not the time when people can pass through the gates freely.¡± Dimitar said, as if he wanted to infuriate Valeria even more. There was nothing Valeria could do about it, though, because what he said was true. In order to save money on oil or candles, most people would wake up at sunrise, and go to sleep at sunset. Staying up for the night was a rare occurrence. Therefore, most of the residents of Kuromutan won¡¯t wake up until an hour later. Bettina surveyed their surroundings, before asking Dimitar: ¡°Dimitar-san, if the gates haven¡¯t opened yet, wouldn¡¯t leaving a bit later be a bit better?¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t set off at daybreak, when most people are still asleep in bed, we won¡¯t be able to cover enough distance today. We have to make it to Seriba the day after tomorrow, after all.¡± ¡°But what if the gates really haven¡¯t opened yet?¡± ¡°Simple, use money.¡± ¡°M-m-money?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t speak later, or you¡¯ll make everything more complicated.¡± Walking over to the south gate, Dimitar rapped on the door of the night watch¡¯s resting room. ¡°¡­ who is it? Who¡¯s knocking on the door at this ungodly hour?!¡± The door opened by a crack, and a member of the night watch stuck his head out with a displeased look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s still really early in the morning that we have to find you.¡± Dimitar replied, whilst unhooking a pouch of coins from his waist and handing it to the guard. In the deathly silence of daybreak, the clinking and clanging of coins was deafening. ¡°I¡¯ll help you open the wicket. Quick, quick!¡± ¡°I know, and besides, I¡¯m in a hurry as well.¡± With that, Valeria and co. left Kuromutan through the wicket the guard had opened, speeding away towards Seriba under the cover of darkness. ¡°Do we really have to keep at this pace for the rest of the day¡­ is the uprising at Seriba that serious?¡± Valeria asked angrily from atop her saddle. ¡°If you don¡¯t know the reason why we¡¯re in so much of a hurry to Seriba, then I advise you to keep your mouth shut so that you don¡¯t humiliate yourself. Your humiliation is my humiliation, and a bad evaluation on your part from the higher ups is a bad evaluation on my part as well. Remember that well.¡± ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t need you to tell me that! Of course there¡¯s no way I¡¯d do anything to cause you to receive a bad evaluation from your higher ups. Have you not heard that I¡¯m a renowned genius magician that only appears once every ten years?!¡± ¡°I really hope that¡¯s the case ¡ª We¡¯re going too slowly. I¡¯m going to speed up.¡± ¡°Wait¡­. Don¡¯t!!!¡± Bearing down on Valeria, Dimitar kicked the horse¡¯s flank with his spur, causing the horse to accelerate towards Seriba, the town in flames of rebellion. Volume 1 - CH 3.02 It is a Myth made out of lies. This was what Hookon would think every time he heard priests of the Tel Layton Church preach to the masses about their God¡¯s teachings. To him, their so-called God was a heresy. If crest magic was God¡¯s gift to the people, if only those pious to God could wield it, then why was he and other non-believers of their God able to use magic as well? His ability to cast magic could not be denied, so the Tel Layton Church¡¯s teachings were wrong and misguided. Looking at the camp fire burning to the south, Hookon nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s the only guard cantonment in the Southern District?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°They¡¯re currently retreating towards the Old City District to the north. I think they¡¯re planning to rally there with the Old City¡¯s walls as their base.¡± ¡°And the residents of the town?¡± ¡°More and more of them are joining our cause. The rest are fleeing towards the Old City District to take refuge from the fighting.¡± ¡°Right.¡± After listening to his subordinate¡¯s report, Hookon clapped his gauntleted hands. ¡°Put out the campfire, and push our defensive lines forward. Have our soldiers take turns to keep watch, and tell those who aren¡¯t on watch duty to get as much rest as they can.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I have to rest now.¡± Hookon walked over to and entered their stronghold in the frontlines ¡ª it was a house that they¡¯d just received from a resident supportive of their cause. At that moment, a skinny, scrawny figure clad in shadows strode over to him, as silent as can be. ¡°¡­. Hookon, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t get too carried away.¡± Although the person was garbed completely in a black robe and had a veil over her face, it was obvious that the person was female. Judging from her voice, it was clear she wasn¡¯t a young teen, but a mature woman in her thirties. Spotting the woman in his peripheral vision, Hookon stopped walking. There was nobody else except for him and her in the dim, candlelit hall. Although sounds of soldiers bickering and going about their work outside the house could be heard, the hall was otherwise strangely silent, as if it isolated from the outside world. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Isn¡¯t everything going rather successfully? Seriba¡¯s local garrison only has a few hundred soldiers, anyways.¡± ¡°Hookon, you don¡¯t get it, do you? What I¡¯m trying to say is, don¡¯t get carried away just because you¡¯re winning against the local garrison of a rural country town.¡± The woman leaned on the wall behind her. ¡°¡­. reinforcements from the Holy Capital are going to arrive soon.¡± ¡°Reinforcements? That¡¯s not possible!¡± Raising an eyebrow, Hookon folded his arms across his chest in deep thought. ¡°¡­. They still sent out reinforcements knowing that doing so could infuriate and enrage Bagueiro?¡± ¡°No, they didn¡¯t send troops. They sent a Dominas. And as for why? To investigate the uprising we¡¯ve caused here in Seriba, and relay what they¡¯ve discovered back to the state.¡± ¡°The Tel Layton Church sure is foolish, to send over someone as important as the Dominas to investigate us.¡± ¡°Do not get too carried away because of tiny successes, Hookon. I hope I do not have to say that again.¡± Hookon, who was originally smiling and clapping, gulped in fear. Her searing, burning gaze was too much for him to handle. ¡°Dominas¡¯ are much more powerful than ordinary magicians. They can wipe out a town¡¯s local garrison, 200 men and all, without breaking a single sweat.¡± ¡°Is that really true?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an outsider, so I don¡¯t fault you for doubting me, but it is the truth. Only the best of the best, the most talented of the talented, the girls with the most magic potential, can become a Dominas ¡ª you think you can measure up to them? In your dreams.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m warning you, mind your language, Medou.¡± Hookon replied hoarsely, lips trembling in fear and anger. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been a little unlucky¡­ this time I¡¯ll succeed. One day, I¡¯ll prove to the motherland that I am the one who has sacrificed most, contributed most to the country!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about your worth, your value, or what your beloved Barbarian King thinks ¡ª what I care about is the success of this uprising. The Kingdom of Yamoda must fall into chaos in accordance with our plans. ¡± ¡°Is that not what I¡¯m working towards?¡± Hookon extended his gauntleted hand for the woman called Medou to see. ¡°You have my gratitude. And because of that, I have decided that I will respect your words¡­ but if you continue thinking of me as an idiot, or continue saying opinionated, unnecessary things about me, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°¡­ Then show me. Show me your power. Show me your determination. Show me¡­ success! Show me!¡± Medou nodded her head, then disappeared into the darkness. ¡°I pray for your success. I hope you¡¯ll be able to reclaim your former position and glory, General Hookon.¡± ¡°If you have to pray, pray to our God. Marido has power. Tel Layton does not.¡± ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t believe in Gods.¡± After saying that, Medou disappeared into the darkness for good. Even Hookon did not know how she did that. Probably some kind of unbelievable, high-tier magic. ¡°¡­ what an intimidating and frightening woman.¡± Sighing and clicking his tongue, Hookon clapped his hands. Volume 1 - CH 4 Disclaimer: I do not guarantee a 100% accurate translation. Do kindly notify me if you see any mistake. The Thing that was Lost A crest magic warrior who could master magic at a practical level was an existence that was more dangerous than a fully armed heavy knight. Hence, each country managed their magic warriors strictly so that magic wouldn¡¯t be misused for crimes. In the magic superpower, Amaddo, the Royal Magic Academy¡¯s main institution and its branches were located in the Holy City and its provinces respectively. Though they managed the crest magic warriors, Dominas who were extremely powerful magic warriors also worked as the magic academy¡¯s Senior Inspectors during peace times. There were three Dominas in the present Amaddo. Valeria Costacurta who was called the once-in-10-years talented woman. Karin Rudbeck who had the alias of ¡°Ice Gaze¡±. ??? And Shakira Babel, the ¡°Immortal Dominas¡± who was extolled as the ¡°Matchless Person¡± of Amaddo. The shouts which had arisen until some time ago transformed into cries of triumph now and faded away towards the south. Dimitar, who had hidden himself in a passageway on the rampart and arranged his breathing, rose up slowly and sighed. It wasn¡¯t very conspicuous due to the darkness, but his entire body was bloodstained. However, most of it was the victims¡¯ blood and Dimitar¡¯s body didn¡¯t have much damage. But it couldn¡¯t be helped but said that the damage on his mental side was fairly big. ¡¸¡ªDimitar-san?¡¹ A subdued voice which was hesitant of the surroundings came from below. ¡¸Is the one over there not Dimitar-san desuka?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re being careless, Gacha Pink¡¹ Dimitar uttered discontentedly and jumped from the rampart. ¡¸Dimitar-saan!¡¹ Bettina rushed out from deep inside the dense forest with a ¡°gacha gacha¡±. ¡¸T, that¡¯s great! I, I was, lone, lonely by myself¡ª!¡¹ Avoiding the tackle of the girl who had the power of a cow¡¯s level, Dimitar scanned the surroundings. ¡¸Is that so? You¡¯re alone huh¡¹ ¡¸Uuu¡­ugu, e, e, e¡ªdo, do you know how much I wanted to go pee¡­¡¹ ¡¸Your desire to urinate is inconsequential¡¹ ¡¸B, but, it seems that the cartridge is becoming empty soon¡­!¡¹ ¡¸What? I just have to exchange it right?¡¹ ¡¸P, please do¡¹ When Bettina took out a cylindrical cartridge from among her luggage and passed it to Dimitar, she turned her back and squatted. ¡¸¡­I think it¡¯s this place¡¹ Recalling what the Chief Engineer did, Dimitar opened the box on the back of Bachururusu. ¡¸And the empty one is to be thrown away?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, d, don¡¯t! In the first place, this¡¯s the crystallisation of the cutting-edge technology that stores magical power artificially¡¹ Bettina who had her cartridge changed began to draw a circular magic crest (Furigana: Hierateika) on the ground excitedly. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸By drawing a magic crest like this on the ground, then¡­alright¡­put the empty cartridge in this way here, it absorbs the magical power that drifts infinitely in the nature, and will be fully charged in about one night desu¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s convenient¡­So is that true?¡¹ ¡¸Why¡¯re you doubting me!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s too convenient. ¡ªBut maa, if it¡¯s that eccentric Chief Engineer, it isn¡¯t strange even if he invented this sort of device. After all, he¡¯s a man who has sacrificed his life that much¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar unpacked his luggage. Biting the hard bread which he had taken out roughly, he forcibly swallowed it down with cheap wine. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, Dimitar-san¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Um¡­where¡¯s Valeria-sama?¡¹ ¡¸We got separated¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸If she felt like it, she should be able to fly in the air albeit short distance. For her escape to be later than mine means that she was probably caught¡¹ ¡¸Eeh!? Valeria-sama was caught!?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no conclusive proof, but seeing the rebel army withdrew easily, it¡¯s valid to think that they had earn some military gains. In other words, they returned triumphantly since they had caught the Dominas¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡¯ll happen if Dominas-sama is caught desukaa!?¡¹ ¡¸If the other party are barbaric believers, it won¡¯t be strange even if she¡¯s killed. There¡¯s also the possibility of experiencing something unpleasant, which I¡¯m hesitant to explain to you who is a kid, before she¡¯s killed¡¹ ¡¸Eeeh!?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being noisy at everything¡¹ Dimitar chided Bettina and stood up. Though the simple meal only serve to barely satisfy his hunger, it helped to recover his energy which was lost in the melee to some extent nonetheless. ¡¸Will Valeria-sama be safe¡­?¡¹ Bettina sank down to the ground on the spot with a ¡°gasha¡±. ¡¸If they want to use the trump card that¡¯s the Dominas effectively, they¡¯ll execute her publicly before the citizens. Thus the rebel army¡¯s morale will rise, and the mayor¡¯s side will conversely become dispirited¡¹ ¡¸When¡¯ll the execution be desuka!?¡¹ ¡¸Once dawn breaks I guess. Even the rebel army should know that reinforcement may come from central if they dawdle. If so, they¡¯ve no reason to delay it¡¹ ¡¸W, why is Dimitar-san so calm desuka!?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t resolve the situation if I¡¯m flustered¡¹ Dimitar wiped off the blood that had stuck onto his whole body, frowned and stroked his neck. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯ll standby here as it is¡¹ ¡¸Understood! ¡­But what about Dimitar-san?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll go and rescue Her Eminence¡¹ ¡¸B, by yourself desuka!?¡¹ ¡¸Do you think I can take you along on a swift covert activity?¡¹ Dimitar gave a small and wry smile, and pulled out Jagieruka from its scabbard on his waist. Bettina¡ªor rather, Bachururusu¡¯s power was definitely useful. If this girl, who possessed both the sturdiness to repel arrows and the charging power of a raging bull, rushed forward, it might be impossible to incapacitate her unless a catapult-type ballista or a powerful magic was used. But it was a fact that she was entirely unsuitable for moving without being discovered by the enemy. ¡¸Secure the luggage onto the horses and be on standby so that you can escape anytime¡¹ ¡¸B, but, what if in the worst case Dimitar-san¡­d, didn¡¯t come back¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Even if I didn¡¯t come back, Her Eminence will surely return. At that time, you must bring her back to the capital¡­This¡¯s an important mission¡¹ ¡¸I, I understand that but¡­I¡¯ll be troubled if Dimitar-san also doesn¡¯t come back since Oji-sama will be sad¡¹ ¡¸Even I don¡¯t intend to die in such a place¡¹ Dimitar rolled up his right sleeve and swung Jagieruka lightly. The magic crest which was carved onto Jagieruka¡¯s surface supplemented the magic crest that was applied on Dimitar¡¯s arm. The magical power ran through that complex path according to a defined law and temporary transformed the boy into a superhuman. With the magic ¡°Double Power (Furigana: Force)¡±, Dimitar jumped and moved to the top of the rampart again. ¡¸Dimitar-san! May the fortunes of war be with you!¡¹ Glancing at Bettina whose pink body was peeking out from a thicket and was waving her hand, Dimitar started running. From the unconfirmed information that the mayor¡¯s side had obtained, the current headquarters of the rebel army was Earl Boske¡¯s villa in the new town. He didn¡¯t know what sort of person Earl Boske was, but on this occasion, it couldn¡¯t be helped even if he act flashily there (hence damaging the Earl¡¯s villa). Even if this was the king¡¯s royal villa, it couldn¡¯t be compared to an active duty Dominas. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Referring to the map that was perfectly driven into his head, Dimitar arrived at the vicinity of the intended villa and soundlessly jumped off the roof. Though the world was still completely ruled by the darkness of the night, there was probably three to four hours left. If the sky began to grow light, covert activity would become remarkably difficult. Decreasing his breathing frequency to the limit, he erased his presence and advanced into the darkness. The sounds of footsteps moving about and voices of the soldiers on night watch could be heard from the perimeter of the grand villa that was enclosed by high walls. Laughter was mixed in sometimes, and it might be due to gaining unexpected military gains in the raid just now. They had thick southern accents and there were parts where Dimitar couldn¡¯t follow, but as expected, Valeria was undoubtedly captured and brought here. Dimitar secretly sat down on an empty barrel which was piled up and kept Jagieruka in its scabbard. ¡¸It had become something inconceivable huh¡­Oba-sama might have planned to add prestige to the new Dominas¡¯s first job, but her consideration backfired¡ª¡¹ Although Dimitar focused his mind so as not to interrupt his tension, he inadvertently harboured doubts. It was natural that Orvieto knew Dimitar¡¯s character well, but at the same time, she also should have understood what kind of girl Valeria was. If so, it was hard to consider that Orvieto couldn¡¯t foresee what Valeria would think when she was told the truth concerning her mission¡ªand how the girl who had a strong desire to succeed with her own strength would act. ¡¸Am I the one being tested¡­? If I¡¯m being tested whether I can control that shrew¡ªthen Oba-sama sure is bold¡¹ If Valeria lost her life with this, it¡¯d be a terribly hard blow for Amaddo. Naturally, there¡¯d be voices which hold Orvieto and the crown prince accountable for dispatching Valeria who was still a novice Dominas on this mission. However, the crown prince was the only son of the king after all, and surely Orvieto alone would have to take the blame substantially. ¡¸¡­This isn¡¯t a laughing matter¡¹ The act of circulating magical power inside the body through magic crests¡ªin short, the act of using magic, was accompanied by physical and mental fatigue. Though this world was full with an inexhaustible supply of magical power, humans couldn¡¯t draw it in endlessly. Just like how it wasn¡¯t possible to keep running for a long time, it¡¯d cause ¡°shortness of breath¡± and magic couldn¡¯t be use continuously for a long time. Dimitar glossed over his fatigue with a short rest and stood up with a wry smile. New footsteps approached directly close by, and though he heard humming, he didn¡¯t hear the voice talking to someone else. Judging the other party to be alone, Dimitar pulled out a knife that was inserted in his boots. He then dragged the soldier who was walking while humming without a care into the cover. ¡¸!? Y, you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Shut up¡¹ Straddling the soldier who had panicked and struggled, Dimitar struck his chest with all his might. ¡¸O¡­¡¹ The soldier ended up expelling the air in his lungs forcibly, lost his voice instantly and shook his body painfully. Dimitar flashed the knife ostentatiously and pushed it against the soldier¡¯s throat. ¡¸Don¡¯t make noise even if you can let out your voice alright? I don¡¯t want to add any extra work, and you¡¯d also hate to have extra holes added to your body right?¡¹ The soldier nodded weakly and in the end, inhaled a large breath. The spear which the soldier was supposedly shouldering was already kicked flying far away by Dimitar. ¡¸Answer truthfully. ¡ªIs this place your headquarters?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is the leader Hokon?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s General Hokon¡­¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t care about that guy¡¯s past glory for now¡­Did you captured a person who was dispatched here from central in the raid some time ago?¡¹ ¡¸¡­W, we did¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ Dimitar exerted strength into his right hand slightly and the knife¡¯s tip cut into the man¡¯s throat just a little. ¡¸Hi!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. It was just a slip of my hand. As long as you don¡¯t irritate me, it won¡¯t slip any further¡­So, the one who was captured is a Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Do you intend to experiment it? To test the extent of my irritation with your body; you¡¯re quite a challenger huh¡¹ Dimitar muttered indifferently and let the knife slip further. A red line ran from the man¡¯s throat to the tip of his chin. The amount and pain of the flowing blood shouldn¡¯t have been something great, but they were enough to make the soldier shudder. ¡¸It, it¡¯s a Dominas!¡¹ The soldier who had refused to talk once began to speak fluently immediately again. ¡¸The general defeated t, that fake; the girl who pretended to be God¡¯s wife! A, and captured her! He¡¯ll execute that girl, and the s, stupid¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re to keep fumbling your words, then you don¡¯t need to say the unnecessary stuff¡¹ With the knife, Dimitar hit the cheek of the man who was drenched in sweat with a ¡°hita hita¡± and spoke. ¡¸¡­So where¡¯s that girl? She was brought to this headquarters right?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­but, which room is she in, I¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t know?¡¹ ¡¸I, I don¡¯t know¡¹ ¡¸¡­Those¡¯re the words that irritate me the most so far¡¹ Dimitar held down the soldier¡¯s mouth, put his entire weight and sank his knee into the soldier¡¯s solar plexus. ¡¸!¡¹ Dimitar made the soldier faint in one blow; when he covered the soldier from above with an empty barrel and hid him, Dimitar did an approach run softly and jumped over the wall before the next night watchman came. Earl Boske seemed to be quite a wealthy person and his villa was fairly large. There were bonfires burning here and there on the premises, and countless armed soldiers were wandering around. Seeing that they weren¡¯t negligent like the night watchman from just now, they were probably professional soldiers who became estranged from the stationing troops. As Dimitar hid himself in a short thicket, he focused his consciousness on his right hand. Magical power flowed into the magic crest which was applied on Dimitar¡¯s arm and it emitted a faint bluish black light. ¡¸In such a mansion, the places where people can be confined are limited¡­¡¹ Convincing himself with that mutter, Dimitar fired small flame arrows in succession. ¡¸Mu!¡¹ ¡¸What is it!? What happened!¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s ¡°Fire Bullet (Furigana: Blast)¡± knocked down all the bonfires and light was erased from the backyard. At the same time, the soldiers reacted without a moment¡¯s delay. Some set up their spears and prepared for an attack, and some started running towards the main building. ¡¸¡­Yare yare¡¹ Dimitar stroked his neck with a sigh and moved to the roof of the main building under the cover of the night. ??? Her side hurt. She was kicked heavily and her ribs might be cracked. But when compared to this surprise and humiliation, she could endure this pain no matter how much it was. ¡¸Ku¡­!¡¹ Regardless of how much strength she put in, the rope that was binding Valeria didn¡¯t move an inch. From the start, it wasn¡¯t something that could be torn off with a sixteen-year-old girl¡¯s physical strength. Hence, Valeria remained lay down with a ¡°goron¡± on this cold floor. There was only a small latticed window on the stout door, and though only a weak light leaked in from there, it barely illuminated the room¡¯s interior that was filled with stagnant air. Many jute bags were stacked in the corner and bunches of garlic and herbs were dangling from the ceiling. Perhaps this place functioned as a storehouse where food was kept. Valeria shivered from the coldness and pain which permeated her body, and once more put strength into both her hands. It wasn¡¯t to tear off the rope binding her waists. She thought of weaving a small flame with magic and burnt off the rope. But no matter what she did now, the flame which could usually be lit up instantly by concentrating her mind couldn¡¯t be created. She couldn¡¯t see her arms which were tied behind her, but she totally didn¡¯t sense the magical power passing through there. ¡¸To have erased my magic crests¡ª¡¹ Valeria recalled the time when she was shot by that man¡¯s mysterious needles of light. There was no pain or impact. Leaving only a vague sense of discomfort, that needle took away the magic crests from Valeria¡¯s skin. The procedure of carving magic crests onto the skin involved considerable pain. From the time when Valeria had just turned 10 years old, time was spent little by little to carve the magic crests onto her whole body. In particular to becoming a Dominas, highly dense magic crests which were much more complicated than an average magic warrior¡¯s were required. Therefore, Valeria¡¯s pain was far more painful and longer than the children who generally aimed to be magic warriors. However, everything which she had obtained at the end of that pain was lost in just a few minutes. That sense of loss was more unbearable than anything for the current Valeria. ¡¸¡­U¡¹ Valeria bit her lips, muffled her voice and cried. Though it was a shock to have lost her magic, it was even more of a shock that it was due to the sorcery (Furigana: Fata marefika) which was manipulated by the barbaric believers. This was the same as Redountra whom Valeria wholly relied on had lost to pagan Gods. Valeria, who was shaking her shoulders and crying, suddenly perceived steady footsteps descending the stone staircase and gulped. At the same time, unfamiliar words of southern accent and coarse laughter were heard. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ If the people who grew up in Bigerou didn¡¯t have the heart to worship Redountra, then there was no sense of reverence towards Dominas in them either. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to harm Valeria too. But what Valeria feared more was that her body would be defiled. To the barbaric believers, the current Valeria was just a defenceless ¡°girl¡± whose body was deprived of freedom and was lying down. ¡¸Kuu¡­¡¹ Wriggling her body like a caterpillar, Valeria escaped to the corner of the storehouse. Even though there was no place to hide anywhere, she couldn¡¯t help but to do so. Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of the door and the sound of a lock resounded with a ¡°gachari¡± instead. It seemed that the sturdy lock on the door was removed. Though someone appeared to be peeking inside from the small window, the other party¡¯s face wasn¡¯t visible from Valeria¡¯s side. New tears streamed down Valeria¡¯s cheeks that were wet with tears. She wanted to scream loudly, but to not have done so was the girl¡¯s last pride. The door finally opened quietly and two men who were carrying a small lantern entered. There was a slight opposition to calling them as men. They were boys whose ages didn¡¯t look to be different from Valeria¡¯s. That their skins¡¯ colour was somewhat dark was probably because they were¡ªjudging from their speeches¡¯ accent¡ªpeople who had migrated from beyond the mountain. However, even if she couldn¡¯t comprehend the boys¡¯ hushed conversation, she understood the meaning of the glitters in their eyes that were staring at Valeria. On the contrary, the part where they weren¡¯t adult men but still boys made Valeria feel unpleasant afresh. She got goosebumps over her entire body and the centre of her body grew cold rapidly. The feeling of despair at being unable to escape gnawed at the girl¡¯s mind in one breath. It was at that time when the boy who had entered later tried to close the door behind him. ¡¸¡ªNgoo!?¡¹ The boy¡¯s body was dragged out of the storehouse with a tremendous force and his back crashed into pathway¡¯s wall. ¡¸!?¡¹ The boy who was carrying the lantern became surprised and turned around. The unconscious boy¡¯s body flew here and both of them struck the storehouse¡¯s wall together. ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ The lantern tumbled onto the floor and the fire went out. The surroundings then became dim instantly. In the midst of that, something moved. Valeria held her breath and strained her ears. It seemed like something heavy was being dragged along. The jute bags were then torn and the wheat inside spilt out, making ¡°zara zara¡± sounds. The feeble groans of the boys mixed in occasionally, but they also disappeared shortly, and there was no sound before long. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ Valeria desperately strained her eyes. Someone then whispered close to her ear. ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t make a sound¡¹ ¡¸Hii!?¡¹ ¡¸I told you not to make a sound¡¹ After an irritated click of tongue, a small light was lit up with a ¡°potsuri¡±. ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Dimitar who was completely garbed in black came to the middle of the circle of the faint glow. ¡¸Despite coming to rescue you at great pains, everything would be useless if I¡¯m discovered here¡¹ Dimitar helped Valeria up, turned to her back and severed the rope that was binding both her arms. ¡¸¡­Even so, how did the peerless, albeit imperfect Dominas-sama get caught so easily? You can¡¯t say it¡¯s because you don¡¯t have the experience you know?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Staring at both of her hands which had finally become free, Valeria sniffed. She hardly heard the boy¡¯s question that was mixed with sarcasm. Although she felt a sense of relief at escaping from danger, the current situation which she was in still didn¡¯t feel real somewhere. ¡¸¡ªOi?¡¹ Cutting the rope that was tying her ankles, Dimitar peered into the girl¡¯s face. ¡¸What is it? Did they even make you drink some strange drugs?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ªt, that¡¯s not it! I, it¡¯s nothing!¡¹ Valeria came to her senses at last, turned her back to Dimitar hurriedly and wiped her face briskly. Speaking of now, though it was too late, she didn¡¯t want her face which had traces of tears remaining to be observed fixedly. When Dimitar slapped his hand on his knee and stood up, he looked down at Valeria and stroked his neck. ¡¸Judging by your appearance¡­seems like you avoided the situation where you¡¯d lose your Dominas¡¯s qualifications¡¹ ¡¸I, isn¡¯t that obvious! Rather, don¡¯t stare at me!¡¹ Valeria concealed her breasts which were in the bustier and the area around her navel with her hands. The tabard and thin dress had been torn off when she was thrown inside here. ¡¸¡ªYour pose will become like that anyway when you use magic right? What¡¯re you going to do, feeling shy each time?¡¹ ¡¸T, that may be so but¡ª¡¹ It might be because she was exposed to the danger of her chastity that she was probably very sensitive to a man¡¯s gaze. Valeria faced her back towards Dimitar and repeatedly took deep breaths many times. When she calmed down and looked around the area, those boys were unconsciousness and lying down in a corner of the storehouse. Both their hands and feet were tied with the torn jute bags, and even gags were forced into their mouths. Since they were tied around back to back, they probably couldn¡¯t slip out so easily even if they woke up. ¡¸¡ªMore than that, answer my question¡¹ ¡¸Question? ¡­What is it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Why were you caught so easily?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh!¡¹ Valeria remembered that mysterious needle of light again and hastily spoke to Dimitar. ¡¸M, my magic crests were erased¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s true! A strange man used it¡­it¡¯s probably, um¡­sorcery, or rather, I think it¡¯s their magic¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Wait a minute¡¹ Dimitar temporarily interrupted Valeria¡¯s words and put his hand on his temple. ¡¸Your magic crests were erased? You?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Un¡¹ Even if Valeria felt ashamed to confess her ineptitude to Dimitar, it wasn¡¯t good to stay silent. Valeria held out both her hands before Dimitar and concentrated her mind. ¡¸¡­Hora¡¹ She tried to light up a flame on her fingertip, but the remaining magic crests on both her hands only released weak lights and couldn¡¯t even create a fire like the glow of a firefly. ¡¸Certainly¡­the magic crests on the backs of your hands are completely gone¡¹ ¡¸A strange man did this¡­I think that guy is probably Hokon¡¹ ¡¸Your magic crests were erased when that needle pierces you huh. Only the magic crests on both hands were erased?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯re also my right knee and¡ª¡¹ When Valeria hesitated to speak a little, Dimitar maintained a triumphant expression. ¡¸Is it your forehead or your chest? If the magic crests on those places were erased, then even if you¡¯ve other magic crests remaining elsewhere, you can¡¯t use magic satisfactorily¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria nodded silently, folded her arms and covered her cleavage. ¡¸This¡­what¡¯ll become of me¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t ask me¡¹ Cutting down the words of Valeria who was shaking anxiously, Dimitar stoked his neck. ¡¸I also haven¡¯t heard of such case. There¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll know what¡¯ll become of you when I haven¡¯t even investigate in detail¡­Or would you want me to cheer you up by saying ¡°it¡¯d work out somehow or another¡±?¡¹ ¡¸W, who would!?¡¹ ¡¸Fun¡¹ Dimitar looked at Valeria who had unconsciously raised her voice and laughed slightly. He removed the clasp of the scabbard on his waist and faced the door. ¡¸¡ªAs an emergency measure, I may be able to connect one part of your magic crests that were erased at least¡¹ ¡¸R, really!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You seem to have completely forgotten my social position¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s right¡­¡¹ The image of Dimitar wielding the gigantic sword was too strong and she had started to forget, but he was originally Valeria¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos. ¡¸I¡¯ve memorised all of the composition images of your magic crests. Though it¡¯s impossible to draw new magic crests from scratch, it isn¡¯t so difficult to simplify them to some extent and reproduce them. ¡ªMaa, our priority is to escape from here safely first¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s right! What about that kid? Bettina!¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s safe. She¡¯s waiting for us to return outside the town¡¹ Dimitar took the lead and exited the storehouse. He suddenly looked back and gazed at the side of Valeria¡¯s waist. ¡¸L, like I said, what is it!? I told you not to stare at me!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face turned red and she tried to hide her navel and thighs frantically. Dimitar then spoke to her coldly. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I prefer good matured women who¡¯re a bit more fleshy¡¹ ¡¸Haa!?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not what I wanted to say. ¡ªNeedless to say, your treasured sword was also taken away?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Though it was given an exaggerated name, it was a ceremonial sword in the end¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯re always five, six spare treasured swords placed in the magic academy. Do you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s my first time hearing it¡­¡¹ ¡¸There seem to be plenty of Dominas who dropped and broke them or forgot to maintain them and let them rusted. Basically, those sheltered girls don¡¯t know the handling of a sword¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s how it is¡¹ Staring at the back of Dimitar who was climbing up the narrow staircase, Valeria smiled as she felt relieved. Perhaps Dimitar had such a talk to mitigate Valeria¡¯s feelings of guilt. Valeria immediately denied that notion. If Dimitar was worried about Valeria, then it wasn¡¯t an action that stemmed from his consideration towards her, but would be for the sake of his own success. Dimitar had said so from the beginning. Fundamentally, this boy was an egotist through and through. Therefore, the fact that she felt relieved and almost complained when she saw Dimitar¡¯s face just now could never be revealed to him. ??? On the very same day, the pedlars in Roma were summoned to the royal castle. It was after the night had gotten late that they had finished their meeting with the crown prince and went back. It could be said to be an exception that the crown prince had met the merchants personally rather than the Minister of Finance. Even after that meeting had ended, the crown prince took the ministers along this time and moved to the office without going to bed. ¡¸¡ªThe fact that communication from Seriba has ceased since the first report arrived means that it¡¯s in that much state of emergency. I think we ought to send reinforcement at once and rescue our countrymen in Serbia from Bigerou¡¯s barbaric believers¡¹ Military Minister Garido-kyou¡¯s moustache quivered and he stressed so. Garido-kyou of the armed struggle clique, which had run through numerous battlefields with the current king, had been consistently insisting to dispatch troops from the start. ¡¸B, but¡­to plan against Bigerou now is¡ª¡¹ That the Finance Minister looked sullen was probably from worrying about the effect on the national budget due to raising unexpected war expenditure rather than foreign relations. ¡¸Is it a question of money? You aren¡¯t going to say ¡°what¡¯ll happen to the budget if Seriba really falls¡± are you?¡¹ Shaking the quill pen with a ¡°fuwa fuwa¡±, the crown prince Jeffren Isaac looked at the Finance Minister. ¡¸I, it¡¯s not like I speak of budget¡¯s matters only¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Obviously, even I don¡¯t intend to disregard the budget and advance things¡¹ Putting down the quill pen, Isaac stood up. He looked over the ministers who were seated at the huge table, coughed lightly and continued. ¡¸¡ªThe ones whom I¡¯ve met a while ago were merchants who come and go between our country and Bigerou. And so, I thought of having them provide various information¡¹ Although there was no official diplomatic relations, people would cross over long distances, mountains or deserts if wealth could be generated in that place. Ironically, those who were the most well-informed in Bigerou¡¯s state of affairs weren¡¯t people who were engaged in politics, but the merchants who moved by calculating profit and loss. ¡¸Bigerou has no intention to invade our country¡¹ When Isaac declared so, the ministers exchanged surprised looks. ¡¸I, is that true!?¡¹ ¡¸Putting together the different talks that I heard from several merchants, I¡¯ve concluded it to be so¡­Bigerous has no intention to invade out country. At the present at least¡¹ ¡¸P, please let us hear your basis for concluding so¡¹ When the Home Minister who was prone to worrying asked, Isaac left the table and moved to the window. ¡¸¡ªIt seems that the barbaric emperor Gorgorois is ill¡¹ ¡¸Ill!?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, that old man has passed the age of 60 already so it¡¯s a credible story. It¡¯s because he clings onto the throne indefinitely despite even having a grandchild already that it turned out like this¡¹ ¡¸T, then, Seriba¡¯s rebellion is¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡­I think it isn¡¯t directly related to Bigerou. If their barbaric emperor is bedridden with illness, then to be honest, Seriba might be out of question¡¹ ¡¸But Your Highness¡¹ Combing down his splendid moustache, Garido spoke in a solemn tone. ¡¸Conversely, there¡¯s a likelihood of Bigerou plotting the rebellion in Seriba to prevent us from moving troops towards them during this opportunity¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s correct of course. But in either case, I can say this much. ¡ªThe current Bigerou doesn¡¯t have the leeway to cross over that mountain range and dispatch soldiers to our country¡¹ The crown prince turned over the curtain and viewed the night sky outside the window. Looking back at the ministers over his shoulder, he expressed a calm smile which felt out-of-place when considering the current agenda. ¡¸¡ªGarido-kyou, will you please organise an army to rescue Seriba at once? I¡¯ll leave the selection of the commander to you. You¡¯ve already prepared ahead to some extent right?¡¹ ¡¸Though provisions and warhorses have been prepared in accordance to Your Highness¡¯s instructions, ¡­is it fine not to wait for His Majesty¡¯s return?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter. ¡ªAnd Kamunyas-kyou, among the merchants whom I¡¯ve sent back some time ago, will you please call back the one who has the most influence in Bigerou secretly?¡¹ ¡¸I shall do so, but for what reason exactly¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Let him accompany the reinforcement and prepare in case Bigerou protests something. Say that the objective of this time¡¯s military movement is to the end, quell an internal rebellion and not violate the national border. There¡¯s the possibility of being turned away at the door if it¡¯s only our truce bearer, but if the merchant who has pull in Bigerou is there, the story might be different¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡­what shall we do in case they still don¡¯t accept?¡¹ ¡¸At that time, disregard them. The other side can¡¯t mobilise army anyway. If we convey our reason, the just cause stands with us at the critical moment¡¹ ¡¸A, at the critical moment¡­?¡¹ When Kamunyas pondered, Isaac waved his hand with a ¡°hira hira (flutter)¡±. ¡¸Don¡¯t mind the minor details. ¡ªMore than that, can everybody get to your respective work at once? The Military Minister will organise the army; the Finance Minister will secure relief supplies to Seriba and revise the budget; the Foreign Minister will draw up a letter addressed to Bigerou and let the merchant carry it. Is that clear?¡¹ ¡¸As you wish¡¹ Garido bowed exaggeratedly and left the office. The Finance Minister and Foreign Minister also followed him at a quick pace. Kamunyas saw them off, wiped the sweat on his forehead and sighed. He approached the crown prince who stood by the window, lowered his voice and asked. ¡¸¡­W, will we make it in time?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows? I¡¯m amateurish in the military aspect ¡¹ ¡¸That can¡¯t be¡­is Your Highness not the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Templar Aegis) too?!¡¹ ¡¸Everyone knows that I¡¯m a decorative leader. I just become the leader because there¡¯s such tradition. Substantially, Lucius consolidates it and I only say¡ºI¡¯ll leave it up to you¡»even during manoeuvres¡¹ ¡¸Y, Your Highness¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m alright¡¹ The crown prince clapped on Kamunyas¡¯s shoulder and smiled optimistically. ¡¸We can avoid the worst case. Probably¡¹ ¡¸W, when you say the worst case¡­is it the fall of Seriba and an outbreak of war with Bigerou¡­? Or that the rebellion will spread to other towns?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nee, Home Minister¡¹ Isaac gazed out of the window, and if one had to say, a puzzled look spread across his slender face that resembled his mother¡¯s. He then looked down at Kamunyas. ¡¸Somehow it¡¯s that, you see. It looks like your sense of values is too different from mine¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps you¡¯re too pessimistic and I¡¯m too optimistic. ¡ªI thought it¡¯d almost never become the army¡¯s turn if it went smoothly. And in the worst case, Costacurta-geika got injured, escaped and returned¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s as expected¡­pardon my words but, is that thought not asking a little too much¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Then I remembered. The white roses which I recently bought from a Diruma¡¯s merchant have aphids on it immediately. If I don¡¯t get rid of them quickly¡¹ Clapping his hands with a ¡°pon¡±, Isaac left Kamunyas behind and exited from the office. ¡¸Though their characters are completely different, His Highness is surely His Majesty¡¯s child. They¡¯re important people in various meanings¡­¡¹ Seeing off Isaac who ran to tend to his roses right after discussing a national crisis, Kamunyas dropped his shoulders with a gloomy sigh. ??? Hokon kicked the boys who were lying in the underground storehouse in a fit of anger and returned above ground. ¡¸Don¡¯t let her escape! She shouldn¡¯t have gone so far yet! A Dominas whose magic is sealed is simply a girl! Capture her before she¡¯s rescued by the mayor¡¯s side at all costs! If that¡¯s impossible, then kill her!¡¹ ¡¸Ha, haii!¡ª¡¹ Were they surprised by Hokon¡¯s angry expression? The soldiers scattered in a hurry. In a room which was used as a study by this mansion¡¯s original owner, Hokon sat down on a sofa which was placed before a bookshelf for reading purposes and took off his gauntlets. This study became Hokon¡¯s living room after he had occupied this place. ¡¸The Dominas who was once captured slipped through the tight vigilance net and returned alive splendidly¡­meaning this¡¯s the worst case where she¡¯ll encourage the enemies instead¡¹ ¡¸!¡¹ Hokon, who had sighed greatly and looked up at the ceiling, shook his shoulders with a start at that voice that he heard suddenly. ¡¸¡­I did told you not to take a Dominas lightly¡¹ A woman, who was dressed in black from head to toe and had been standing unnoticed in the corner of the room, rebuked the rebel army¡¯s ringleader so. ¡¸¡­Medou huh¡¹ Hokon, who was about to reach his hands out for the gauntlets that he had just taken off, settled down on the sofa again as he clearly felt relieved. ¡¸I¡¯m not making light of the Dominas in particular. This ¡°trump card¡± which you¡¯ve given me is certainly effective. As long as I¡¯ve this, a Dominas isn¡¯t worth fearing; magic warriors too of course. This isn¡¯t making light of them, but the undeniable truth¡¹ ¡¸Then how was she able to escape?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹ The tone of a proud Hokon suddenly became depressed. The woman in black cape watched that and smiled coldly. She drew near the study desk and picked up the books that were piled up there. ¡¸¡­A Dominas is always accompanied by her Hiera Glaphicos¡¹ ¡¸Hiera Glaphicos? Ah¡­I definitely received a report of a youngster acting as her guard and following close to her but¡ªis it only a Hiera Glaphicos?¡¹ Hokon combed down his moustache and laughed. ¡¸You mean to say that Hiera Glaphicos came here alone and rescued the Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸Whoever had rescued her doesn¡¯t matter already. ¡ªApart from that, the problems are the Dominas has escaped and there¡¯s no report of that Hiera Glaphicos being killed¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸When the magic crests which are carved onto a Dominas¡¯s skin becomes damaged due to injuries, the role of an exclusive Hiera Glaphicos is to perform restoration of them on the spot. ¡ªWhat¡¯ll you do if the two of them link up? If you carelessly give them time, the magic crests which you¡¯ve erased at great pains might be restored¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t give them that much time!¡¹ Hokon struck the armrest with his fist, placed the water jug directly to his mouth and drank the water in one gulp. ¡¸¡­We¡¯ve gained control of 70 to 80 percent of the town already. They¡¯ve to break through the line of defence which was laid out by us to reach the town hall!¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t limited to taking refuge in the town hall. What¡¯ll you do if they cross over the rampart and escape out of town?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve mobilised all personnel who can carry weapons. To say nothing of the defence line, I¡¯ve already stationed empty-handed people on the rampart too. ¡ªI¡¯ll say this beforehand, Medou¡¹ Hokon nervously rubbed his hands together in front of his chest and stared at Medou. ¡¸¡­I know you approached me and offered assistance to use me with some sort of intentions. Where your true aim lies is of no concern of mine. Do as you like. ¡ªHowever, I only won¡¯t allow you to hinder me¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯d be great if even half of that arrogance is accompanied by good results¡¹ When Medou closed the book, the corner of the room became faintly bright. The book in her hand had abruptly burst into flames and turned to ashes in the twinkling of an eye. Spilling the little remaining ashes from her hand with a ¡°sara sara¡±, Medou muttered. ¡¸If you can make the best use of this chance and truly make a comeback to your motherland¡¯s military authorities, we shall assist you hereafter too. But if you even have trouble dealing with a novice Dominas and her Hiera Glaphicos, then you don¡¯t have the value which you think you have. End your life on the soil of a foreign country with the devotees who believed and followed you¡¹ ¡¸You¡­who do you think you¡¯re!?¡¹ Hokon got up from the sofa, put on the gauntlets and pointed at Medou. ¡¸Is it Haiderota or Bito!? At any rate, you¡¯re the spy of some country that wants to undermine Amaddo¡¯s hegemony right?! You¡¯re a petty thief who makes our country fight against Amaddo and tries to obtain benefits while others fight. Don¡¯t speak conceitedly!¡¹ ¡¸Our country? You¡¯re the defeated who was ousted from the country; where¡¯s this ¡°our country¡± that you spoke of?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Hokon¡¯s complexion which had become red from anger suddenly turned pale. ¡¸Though you called me a petty thief, you got the help of that petty thief and tries to return to his motherland somehow; what does that makes you then? This goes beyond awkward and laughable; you¡¯re pathetic¡¹ ¡¸¡ªShut up!¡¹ Hokon moved his right hand lightly and connected the path of magical power. A needle of white light shot out from his fingertip. However, Medou just shook the curtain behind her and disappeared from the spot before it pierced her chest. ¡¸!?¡¹ Hokon hurriedly looked around, but the figure of a person who was dressed completely in black wasn¡¯t anywhere. There was literally no silhouette or figure of her and she had vanished. Hokon undid one button of his collar, breathed deeply and greatly, and left the study at a quick pace. ??? Her side became even more painful. Her side had heated up and even the hand holding it down became hot. Even if she had thought of running as quietly as possible, the breathing which escaped from her mouth became rough after all. Honestly, she was in a state where she barely even followed Dimitar who had kept his speed in check considerably and ran. It was agonising, and she wanted to stop and rest immediately. She wanted to lie down on a cushion bed or a sofa. Even if that was impossible, she wanted to drink a mouthful of water at least and take a breath. But when she saw the back of the youth who kept running silently with the drawn gigantic sword in one hand, she couldn¡¯t complain so. It wasn¡¯t because Dimitar was persevering that she must do likewise. Dimitar used to be an underling of the Seal Chivalric Order, thus he might have confidence in his stamina. Above all, he was unhurt unlike Valeria, so it was natural for him to run calmly. The fact that Dimitar completely didn¡¯t look back on Valeria, who couldn¡¯t use magic and to make matters worse, had cracked ribs, irritated her somehow. Rather, even if Valeria didn¡¯t say anything, she thought that Dimitar ought to stop his feet and call for a rest at least. Though he was well versed in worldly affairs, he was really rude and insensitive¡ªor rather, he was a boy who didn¡¯t try to exercise tact. However, it was precisely because the other party was Dimitar that Valeria couldn¡¯t complain. As a Dominas, she had more pride than others, thus she couldn¡¯t show her weakness to the boy who was incompatible with her. Besides losing her magic, if she was to borrow help from someone¡ªwhat¡¯s more, if it was this wicked tongue youngster of all things¡ªit¡¯d be frustrating and Valeria truly wouldn¡¯t be able to get back to her feet. Hence Valeria gritted her teeth and kept running. She fixed her eyes on Dimitar¡¯s back and moved her feet resolutely without knowing where she was heading in the night town¡¯s back alleys. However¡ª. Her side became even more painful. Even her hand which was holding it down became hot. The same thought looped inside her head many times over and over again, and when most of her thinking process was paralysed by pain and fatigue, Valeria crashed into Dimitar¡¯s back and fell on her bottom. ¡¸Taa¡­! W, w, why, did you¡­s, sud, den, ly¡ª¡¹ Playing innocent that she had thought of ¡¸It¡¯s about time you stop your feet and rest, idiot!¡¹ until a while ago, Valeria tried to rebuke Dimitar who had stopped suddenly. But new pain ran through her side from the impact of falling on her bottom, and her words became incoherent. Looking down on Valeria, who was biting her lips which had turned pure white and was anguishing, Dimitar narrowed his eyes. ¡¸You¡ª¡¹ Dimitar quickly squatted down and casually pull off the mantle that he made Valeria wear. ¡¸W, what¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸Are you an idiot? If you can handle the strain, then there¡¯s no need to report it. But if you can¡¯t handle it, then don¡¯t hide it. And in such an emergency too¡¹ Dimitar muttered irritatingly and his gaze fixed upon Valeria¡¯s bare side. ¡¸It¡¯s quite an internal bleeding¡­did it happened when you were caught?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Un¡¹ ¡¸Did you vomit blood?¡¹ ¡¸That, I didn¡¯t¡­¡¹ ¡¸So it wasn¡¯t fractured¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m, fine¡­!¡¹ The current shock cleared up her foggy mind. Although it was only for about a minute, she was able to sit down and rest. If she had said that she couldn¡¯t stand up as it is (due to the injury) or that she couldn¡¯t run anymore, the boy before her would look down with condescending cold eyes, and definitely speak sarcastically with an expression that was unthinkable to the naive Valeria. Valeria inhaled a lungful of breath quietly and tried to stand up. ¡¸I¡­won¡¯t become, something like a burden, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re an idiot¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­?¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re a burden, I just have to throw you behind. It¡¯s because you¡¯re someone who can¡¯t be thrown away that I haven¡¯t done so¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡­¡¹ ¡¸Similarly, if I sustained a deep wound in a fight and can¡¯t run properly, you can regard me as a burden and discard me. In that way, even if it¡¯s just you, it¡¯s my duty that you live and return. But the opposite doesn¡¯t applies¡¹ ¡¸You¡­can¡¯t you, phrase it a bit better, somehow¡­? ¡¹ While putting her hands on her laps and adjusting her breaths, Valeria glared up at Dimitar. ¡¸Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t a situation where I can care about a person whom I can¡¯t stand¡¹ Dimitar looked around the surroundings and curved his lips. ¡¸¡ªBecause you put on strange airs and run slowly, the enemy line¡¯s defence should be strengthened already. I had thought of taking refuge in the mayor¡¯s place quickly, but that might be impossible¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s my fault?¡¹ ¡¸In the first place, it wouldn¡¯t have become like this if you weren¡¯t caught¡¹ ¡¸¡­Who¡¯s my guard again?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. But if it¡¯s the name of the fellow who disregarded my opinion when I insisted that we should return to the capital, then I remember it¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria glared at Dimitar for a while, sighed greatly and got up. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll appeal directly to the Head Director when I return to the capital. I¡¯ll definitely get her to change to another Hiera Glaphicos!¡¹ ¡¸Then you¡¯ve to live and return first¡¹ Dimitar turned his back towards Valeria and squatted down. ¡¸It¡¯s impossible to move any further without being detected. I¡¯ll carry you on my back¡­You might make a good target for the novice archers with your current slowness¡¹ Valeria furrowed her brow and brushed up her hairs that clung onto her forehead and cheeks in sweat. ¡¸Don¡¯t joke around¡­! I¡¯m, not a child!¡¹ ¡¸If you hate being treated as a child, I can also treat you as a log and carry you on my shoulder. In that case, your side will suffer from the burden and it¡¯ll hurt considerably, but are you okay with that?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ ¡¸The third choice is to carry you in my arms instead of on my back. Even if we¡¯re attacked by surprise from the back, you won¡¯t be injured; meaning this¡¯s probably the best¡¹ ¡¸Are you serious¡­!¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s my minimal compassion. I¡¯m letting Your Eminence-sama choose. To be carried on my back, be a log, or be carried in my arms? ¡ªI¡¯ll carry you in my arms if you can¡¯t decide at once¡¹ ¡¸I, I don¡¯t need you to do that!¡¹ ¡¸Then decide quickly. I can¡¯t treat your side unless we escape to a safe location¡¹ ¡¸¡­Or rather, you can use healing magic?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t¡¹ ¡¸Then don¡¯t put on airs!¡¹ Enduring the pain and shouting close to Dimitar¡¯s ear, Valeria nervously clung onto the boy¡¯s back. Being the same age as Valeria, Dimitar¡¯s back was by no means wide, but even so, she felt that it was extremely big. Putting on the mantle after carrying Valeria on his back, Dimitar brought its four corners to the front of his body, tied them tightly, and stood up. ¡¸You¡¯re lighter than I thought¡¹ ¡¸¡­That, are you praising me?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not praising or speaking ill of you. I¡¯m just saying my thought honestly¡¹ ¡¸¡­I really dislike you¡¹ ¡¸Iya, I probably dislike you more. This isn¡¯t related to gender, but I can¡¯t stand fellows who speak of things that they couldn¡¯t do. ¡ªBut then, I don¡¯t intend to bring in my personal feelings into my duty so be at ease. And Lucius also requested me to protect you only even if I die¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-sama did?¡¹ Feeling that she had heard that name after a long time, Valeria¡¯s heart fluttered without knowing the situation. ¡¸If you die, the Head Director¡¯s position will be lost and Lucius will also be troubled¡¹ Dimitar shook Valeria lightly and started running nimbly. It was surely faster than just now. Since he hadn¡¯t rely on magic yet with this, it affected her annoyingly, but Dimitar was certainly not a boy who was just all talk. Valeria coughed a little with a ¡°kohon¡± and asked. ¡¸¡­What food does Lucius-sama likes?¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸The food that he likes¡­you should know right?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t say that I don¡¯t know, but you¡¯re asking that now?¡¹ Dimitar was heard clicking his tongue. ¡¸¡ªIf you¡¯re going to ask such pointless question, then it¡¯s better to sleep without a care if possible¡¹ ¡¸T, there¡¯s no way that I can sleep in this situation!?¡¹ ¡¸Then don¡¯t ask such question. In this situation¡¹ Dimitar wielded his sword. Magical power ran through the magic crests which were applied on the boy¡¯s right hand and sword, and radiated strongly. The ¡°Double Power¡± magic which was the basic in the Seal Chivalric Order lifted the pair¡¯s body weight up to a private house¡¯s roof. ¡¸¡ªYou see anything?¡¹ Lying down on the roof, Dimitar asked in a low voice. ¡¸There¡¯re things resembling lights here and there¡­But they seems to be moving¡ª¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re pursuers carrying torches¡¹ Lights that looked like a red chain extending thinly could be seen in the north of the town. Perhaps they were lines of defence which divided both camps¡¯ sphere of influence¡ªit might be the rampart that separated the old and new town areas. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the stationing troops who were maintaining that line, but the rebel army. Though the rebel army could face their enemy¡¯s camp from there and advance its military force freely, the opposite (for the mayor¡¯s side to do likewise) was already impossible. ¡¸¡­As I thought, it¡¯s impossible to head to the town hall like this¡¹ ¡¸W, what shall we do?¡¹ ¡¸After we get out of the town and meet up with Gacha Pink, we¡¯ll move to a safe location and fix whichever magic crests that I can¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ It was a natural remark as a Hiera Glaphicos. That was an act to regain the magical power which was lost for Valeria whose magic crests were erased here and there. In fact, it should be something to be delighted about. Despite this, she couldn¡¯t express a face full of smile and feel pleased. It was because she¡¯d be greatly indebted to this boy, and that she was simply still reluctant to have her skin touched here and there later. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s go¡¹ Indifferent to Valeria¡¯s conflict, Dimitar began to move again. End of Chapter 4 Volume 1 - CH 5 A Worthless Thing In mythical times, there were 12 magic warriors who endeavoured to seal the ¡°Demon (Furigana: Maroudo)¡± with Redountra. As a leader, each of them guided their people and raised 12 countries in various places of the continent. These countries were the beginning of the current ¡°Holy Alliance (Furigana: Riga Santourear)¡±. It was because there was originally one girl in each of the 12 countries that there were always 12 Dominas. At the present when everything was reduced to being myths, the 12 allies had become 7 as a result of destruction and annexation, and merger. But even now, they were continuing the surveillance of the seal of the ¡°Demon¡±. Since the allies had decreased, the current Amaddo possessed 3 Dominas that a country formerly had one. ??? Among them was Valeria Costacurta who was referred to as the once-in-10-years talented woman. She felt that a very long time had passed, but in fact, 6 hours hadn¡¯t even passed since Valeria arrived in this town. In any case, the night had yet to grow light. But although the silence wasn¡¯t that different like the beginning, the atmosphere which filled the surroundings had changed completely. Even Valeria understood that the whole town was enveloped by a tense atmosphere. Perhaps this might be what was called the thirst for blood. ¡¸¡­Yare yare¡¹ Dimitar moved on the roof in an extremely low posture, clicked his tongue and stopped his feet. There were lights burning alone in the night sky. Though its distinct silhouette which had slipped into the darkness wasn¡¯t visible, there was a rampart not so far away, and countless watch fires were burning on top of it. When straining one¡¯s eyes very much, there were soldiers who shouldered spears wandering about near the firelight. ¡¸¡­It wasn¡¯t like that when we arrived here!¡¹ Valeria muffled her voice and said so. ¡¸Of course. It was the old town that¡¯s more to the north where we first crossed over the rampart. That place was still the territory of the mayor¡¯s side after all¡¹ Hiding in the shadow of a gable, Dimitar stoked his neck. Valeria noticed it since she was being carried on his back like this, but somehow it seemed that this boy had the habit of stroking his neck at the drop of a hat. ¡¸Nevertheless, it¡¯s highly risky to pass through the enemy line and head to the town hall. ¡­In that case, it¡¯s quicker and easier to force our way through here¡¹ ¡¸Force¡­eh? I, in this state?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because it¡¯s this state. It¡¯s still fine now, but we¡¯ll be discovered shortly once dawn breaks. Those guys probably won¡¯t capture you alive the next time. If they encircle our surroundings and shoot arrows simultaneously, setting me aside, it¡¯s doubtful whether I can even protect you who are on my back¡¹ ¡¸J, just a minute! I wish you wouldn¡¯t joke!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not joking. ¡ªIf it¡¯s now, we may still take advantage of the darkness somehow. We¡¯ll approach in one go, jump over the rampart and take refuge in the forest¡¹ ¡¸C, can you do that?¡¹ ¡¸I can. However, the danger increases as time passes. Like I said earlier, we¡¯ll be conspicuous at any rate once it becomes bright, and even my stamina doesn¡¯t last forever¡¹ It was due to the assistance of magic that Dimitar, who had carried Valeria on his back the whole time since some time ago and moved, didn¡¯t muddle up his breathing a lot. But even that had its limit. Although maintaining a state like this where certain magic was activated for a long time continuously was plain, it was far more difficult than making one shot of showy magic explode. Stroking his neck lightly, Dimitar stood up. ¡¸¡ªShall we go?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? Just a minute? A, are you serious!? What about my opinion¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t seeking for your opinion from the start. Either way, you only have to be carried by me. So that I want to do it, let me do it with the method that I think seems to have the highest success rate¡¹ ¡¸Then why did you specially explained it!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Now that you mention it, you¡¯re right. From next time onward, I¡¯ll move without explaining¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t j¡­!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re noisy. Do you intend to inform the enemies of our location before we get closer?¡¹ Dimitar held back Valeria who tried to shout and rushed out from the gable¡¯s shadow. Her body jolted to the left and right, and the pain in her side which had started to settle temporarily recurred. ¡¸Tsu¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re going to shout, then pray to Redountra. Unlike me, you¡¯re devout right?¡¹ Though Valeria didn¡¯t know whether Dimitar who had muttered so was showing his usual cold smile, he was probably smiling. Dimitar, who had received the support of magic, sped towards the rampart while causing the roofs to creak. ¡¸! ¡ªSomeone is coming!¡¹ Valeria stretched her neck eagerly and looked at the rampart over Dimitar¡¯s shoulder. In addition to the watch fires, she slightly saw that many torches were swaying. The soldiers on the rampart were moving in a bustle, and there seemed to be also soldiers readying not just spears, but also bows and arrows. ¡¸Over here!¡¹ ¡¸The Dominas is here too! Don¡¯t let her escape!¡¹ Together with the voices calling out to their comrades, the sounds of the arrows¡¯ feathers cutting through the wind ran intermittently. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Dimitar stepped greatly and jumped. After several seconds of a floating sensation, a light impact assailed Valeria again. ¡¸This kid¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar landed on the rampart, and soldiers who were holding spears came stabbing at him simultaneously. ¡¸Don¡¯t hold up someone who¡¯s in a hurry¡ª¡¹ Valeria¡¯s field of vision which was coloured by the watch fires rotated dizzily. She saw the gigantic deadly weapon which was carved with magic crests (Furigana: Hierateika) flashed, and the soldiers who raised sprays of blood were blown off. ¡¸Hi¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸I said to be quiet right?¡¹ Dimitar cursed at Valeria who had saw the sudden bloodshed and screamed. Dragging along clamorous sounds of metals crashing into each other, Dimitar started running on the passageway. Casually mowing down the soldiers who tried to obstruct his path, he jumped onto the parapet that towered on both sides of the passageway. ¡¸¡­This time won¡¯t be soft like just now¡¹ ¡¸Haii? Eh? W, what!?¡¹ ¡¸Since you may feel a jolt in your side, brace yourself so that you don¡¯t cry¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡ª!?¡¹ Faster than she could understand the meaning of Dimitar¡¯s words, a second floating sensation tickled Valeria¡¯s bottom. Dimitar had immediately jumped from the rampart towards the forest. ¡¸Pu¡ª¡¹ The watch fires and starlight ebbed into long and narrow beams of light in Valeria¡¯s eyes, and immediately after, the pair plunged into the deep black and thick foliage. ¡¸Kuu¡­!¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s left hand reached out and grabbed onto a thick branch. Even if his arm and leg strength could be enhanced due to magic, it didn¡¯t mean that his flesh had changed into steel. If he fell as it was, even if he avoided crashing into the ground completely, both of Dimitar¡¯s legs wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the body weight of two people and the acceleration, and would turn into mush. However, Dimitar separated from the branch at once. While changing his body¡¯s direction 180¡ã, he began to fall again from a height of about a two-story house¡¯s eaves. ¡¸Why¡ª!?¡¹ Valeria immediately swallowed her words of doubt. Dimitar might have judged that they¡¯d become an easy target while hanging from the branch that he separated his hand from it at once. Innumerable arrows flew like slanting rain from above the rampart and swooped down on the pair who was in the midst of falling. It wasn¡¯t just arrows, but even spears were mixed within. ¡¸They¡¯re too wicked¡­!¡¹ Dimitar swung his sword and flicked off the arrows and spears, but when he bent both his legs and made his body sink deeply to soften the landing¡¯s impact, an arrow made a sound and pierced his left shoulder tip. ¡¸Kyaa!¡¹ For Valeria, to suddenly see an arrow sticking out and blood spouting up before her eyes, she couldn¡¯t help screaming even if she tried to endure it. ¡¸¡­Were you hit somewhere?¡¹ ¡¸I, I wasn¡¯t hit but, y, you¡ªRichternach-kyou! Y, you, you¡¯re, p, pierced in the shoulder!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s my own body. ¡­I understand that even if you don¡¯t say it¡¹ Dimitar stood up immediately and hid in the shade of a tree. It could be clearly inferred from his voice¡¯s tone which was lowlier subdued than usual that he was enduring the pain. ¡¸¡­Kuso¡­!¡¹ The feet of Dimitar who had escaped into the night forest evidently staggered, and his breathing had also become much rougher. ¡¸Just a minute, nee¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Around here is, my limit, huh¡ª¡¹ Dimitar stopped abruptly, thrust his sword into the ground and fell to his knees with a ¡°gakuri¡± on the spot. ¡¸Hey¡­y, you, just have to let me down if it¡¯s so tough! We seemed to have successfully shaken off the pursuers too¡ª¡¹ ¡¸They won¡¯t, give up on pursuit, so easily¡­before long, they¡¯ll assemble a number of people and chase after us¡ª¡¹ When Dimitar laughed sporadically, he untied the knot of the mantle that secured Valeria onto his back. ¡¸Tto¡­¡¹ Valeria was able to recover her physical strength considerably while being carried on his back, and she stood firmly on both feet though her side worried her. She went round to the front of Dimitar who was still crouched down on the spot and couldn¡¯t get up. ¡¸Just a minute¡­!? What¡¯s this!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t make a noise. We¡¯ll be noticed¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s body wasn¡¯t pierced by only one arrow in his left shoulder. There were two in his abdomen and also two in his right thigh. Each was embedded very deeply and blood seemed to keep on flowing slowly even now. Valeria immediately went down on her knees and let her gaze wandered about meaninglessly. ¡¸W, what to do? What shall we do about this?¡¹ ¡¸¡­There¡¯s nothing that can be done right now ¡¹ ¡¸T, then, leave they as they are?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡­as expected, they¡¯re a hindrance¡¹ Dimitar pulled out the knife which was inserted in his boots and cut the stems of the arrows that pierced his abdomen and thigh in the middle. To not have drawn out a breath entirely was probably to prevent any more bleeding than this. When an edged tool was lodged in, the wound would bleed massively and instead shorten one¡¯s life upon extracting it thoughtlessly¡ªeven Valeria knew this. Dimitar cut the five arrows short with shaky hands. When he put away the bloodstained knife into its scabbard, he held out the mantle which was taken off messily to Valeria. ¡¸Spread this out¡­on the flat ground over there¡¹ ¡¸You want to lie down? W, wait a moment!¡¹ Valeria held the edge of the mantle and spread it softly. At that moment, her bottom was kicked from behind. ¡¸Ahya!?¡¹ She fell forward with a clumsy shriek and something heavy leaned on her bottom with a ¡°nosuu¡± immediately. ¡¸Baa¡­w, what¡¯re you doing all of a sudden!?¡¹ It was Dimitar who had straddled Valeria. Although she panicky propped herself up with both hands and tried to get up, pain ran through her side when she exerted strength and she couldn¡¯t get rid of Dimitar at all. What she could do at the most was to turn her head and glared at Dimitar. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯ve any complaints, I¡¯ll hear them later¡¹ ¡¸¡±Later¡± you say¡ªstop it! W, what¡¯re you intending to do!?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being noisy. Be quiet¡¹ Dimitar twisted both of Valeria¡¯s arms to her back and tied them up tightly with a thin rope while muttering. Continuing further, he bound both her knees and ankles in a state where her feet were placed together. Hence, it became difficult for Valeria to even stand up. ¡¸Y, you¡­!¡¹ In the state where her cheek was pressed against the ground across the mantle, Valeria concealed her trembling and spoke to the boy. ¡¸What on earth are you planning!? Doing such a thing¡­!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really care that you¡¯re strong-willed, but don¡¯t cry afterwards¡¹ Dimitar muttered coldly, twisted a cloth slightly and tried to force the gag into Valeria¡¯s mouth. At that moment, she recalled the memory of when she was captured by the rebel army and then thrown into the underground storehouse. Remembering the eyes of the rebel army¡¯s boys who had carried a lantern and entered the storehouse, goosebumps rose on her entire body with a ¡°zowari¡±. ¡¸Sto¡­!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because you scream like that that the workload increases¡¹ Dimitar said so seemingly irritated and made Valeria bit the gag. Although she shook her body desperately despite the pain in her side, that degree wouldn¡¯t make Dimitar move aside. ¡¸¡­Behave yourself. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll eat you whatsoever¡¹ Dimitar leaned over Valeria and whispered close to the girl¡¯s ear. ¡¸Though you seem to be misunderstanding something, I told you that I prefer nice older women who have more flesh right? In the first place, do you think there¡¯s an idiot who will get in the heat suddenly and push a girl down when he¡¯s bleeding from his abdomen and is out of breath?¡¹ Valeria put strength into her glare as if saying ¡°Then what¡¯s it!?¡±. Dimitar removed the gauntlet on his left hand and both his hands¡¯ fingers made a ¡°boki boki (Onomatopoeic for cracking knuckles)¡± sound. ¡¸¡ªHenceforth, I¡¯ll restore your magic crests¡¹ ¡¸¡­?¡¹ ¡¸With my condition, it¡¯s regrettable but it seems that I won¡¯t be able to move before joining up with Gacha Pink. Though it doesn¡¯t matter if I were to die, you¡¯ll be dragged in too at this rate since the current you, besides suffering a wound, also can¡¯t use magic ¡¹ ¡°Therefore¡ªI¡¯ll repair your magic crests as an emergency measure,¡± said Dimitar. ¡¸I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll be discovered by those guys, and I simply don¡¯t have the free time to connect all your erased magic crests, so I¡¯ll connect the important parts only for the time being. Even if I connect just the magic crests on the back of your right hand and chest, you might be able to use some magic one way or another¡¹ For Valeria who shot magic from her fingertips and palms a lot, the magic crests on the back of her right hand were important. In addition, the magic crest, which bundled the magic crests that were applied on her limbs into one and was carved on the centre of her body¡ªjust around her chest, was also equally important. If she could get the magic crests of those areas restored, Valeria would be able to use magic again. It was the best news in the current situation where her life was targeted by enemies. But compensation was needed for that. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria¡¯s throat made a gulping sound behind the gag. The procedure of carving magic crests onto the body was accompanied with a pain as though one was cut by an edged tool. They were carved onto Valeria¡¯s body¡ªthe bodies of the girls who aimed to be a Dominas from when they were a child little by little. In the process of applying magic crests of manyfold of an average magic warrior, there weren¡¯t few girls who couldn¡¯t endure that pain and ran away. That was so, even if there were several proficient Hiera Glaphicos who worked while alleviating the pain by means of magic. And she was told that it¡¯d be done once more here and now; moreover, she had to entrust everything to this sharp-tongued, insolent and incompatible boy whom she had just met recently. Although a Hiera Glaphicos was said to restore a Dominas¡¯s magic crests originally, there was scarcely a full-scale restoration. As there was only one Hiera Glaphicos, the pain couldn¡¯t be alleviated while restoring the magic crests. To put it in terms of an injury¡¯s treatment, this might be giving first aid at most. In short, Dimitar was trying to perform a simple operation at this place without anaesthesia. When Valeria was hesitating, Dimitar spoke as if he had seen through her mind. ¡¸Are you hesitating on what to do? ¡­Unfortunately, your thoughts are inconsequential under these circumstances. I¡¯ve to do this while I¡¯m conscious¡¹ Dimitar continued in seemingly self-mockery, and his hand gripped the right hand of Valeria whose movement was sealed. Immediately after that, a sharp pain ran through the back of her hand. It was such a pain where she thought that her skin was sliced off finely with a knife, like peeling an apple¡¯s skin. ¡¸¡­Tsu!¡¹ She stifled a scream of agony behind the gag and stiffened her whole body. Valeria knew that cold sweats were oozing out suddenly from her white skin. ¡¸Don¡¯t struggle. ¡­Even if it¡¯s like this, I¡¯m neutralising the pain more or less¡¹ Dimitar grasped Valeria¡¯s hand with a strong force and while holding it down firmly, he drew a line on her skin with his fingertip. Valeria struggled and writhed to escape from that pain, but Dimitar pinned her down with arm strength only and continued to work silently. Inside her mind that had boiled gradually, Valeria understood why Dimitar had tied her up and even made her bite on a gag. If her body was unrestrained, perhaps Valeria might have screamed in a voice which was audible even outside the forest and rampaged. After that, exactly how many minutes had passed? Dimitar finally stood up. Her right hand was already numbed, and the fact that she couldn¡¯t feel most of the pain after the midpoint might be the only saving grace. As she had stiffened her entire body¡¯s muscles the whole time, she accumulated a fatigue as if she had sprint a long distance with her all, and her whole body was bathed in perspiration. The most unpleasant thing was that the Dominas¡¯s ¡°uniform¡± with little area had absorbed her cold sweat and was soaking wet. ¡¸¡­Next, if I connect some of the magic crests on your chest, you¡¯ll be able to use magic¡¹ In that case, she¡¯d be able to neutralise the pain by herself and treat her side. Dimitar turned the girl¡¯s body face up while saying so. ¡¸Once you can use magic and have treated your wound to some extent, escape at once¡¹ Dimitar straddled Valeria¡¯s waist again. ¡¸¡­Gacha Pink and the horses ought to be waiting at the vicinity where we first sneaked in. When you join up, return to the capital immediately. Don¡¯t try to do any unnecessary meritorious deed¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Live and return, and report, that magic which erases magic crests to the Head Director. That¡¯s the most important matter¡¹ Dimitar extended his hands towards Valeria¡¯s chest and began to undo the string of her bustier. It was supposed to be unpleasant to the point where she¡¯d die to have such a thing done by a man whom she didn¡¯t like, and yet Valeria strangely didn¡¯t think of resisting. To begin with, it was because she was totally exhausted and didn¡¯t have such physical strength, and her mind was also befuddled. However, the best reason was probably because she somehow didn¡¯t feel the fear or repulsiveness which she had felt in the rebel army¡¯s soldiers in that storehouse within Dimitar. Above all, she thought that it was even absurd to worry like that when seeing the current Dimitar. Previously, even such a thought of whether this boy could accomplish the restoration of her magic crests came to her mind. Dimitar¡¯s face was pale to that extent. The hands of the boy who tried to undo the bustier¡¯s string were becoming wet and deep red with blood. Midway, he often wiped his hands around his waist since his fingertips were slipping due to the blood. It wasn¡¯t because Valeria perspired that a jarring ¡°gucha gucha¡± sound was made, but because Dimitar¡¯s lower half of his body was absorbing a lot of blood and was dripping wet. He was clearly bleeding heavily. Nonetheless, Dimitar somehow undid the bustier¡¯s string and slid it down. ¡¸¡­Be at ease. The important parts aren¡¯t visible¡¹ Did he notice that Valeria stiffened her body for a moment? Dimitar laughed. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ She didn¡¯t have the time to feel disgusted as that pain attacked her again. ¡¸Don¡¯t move¡­don¡¯t struggle¡ª¡¹ Dimitar repeated it like a charm and a bluish black complex pattern emerged on his right arm. The technique for restoring magic crests was also an advanced magic. Dimitar¡¯s finger slid over Valeria¡¯s white skin. A faint red line extended from her cleavage which rose and fell gently to her collarbone. Furthermore, it went past her shoulder and connected to the magic crest of her fingertips from her right upper arm. ¡¸Nmu¡ª!¡¹ A pain that was in a wider scope than a while ago was produced. But Valeria didn¡¯t struggle anymore. No matter how much pain she was in, Dimitar would never stop his hand until the stopgap treatment ended. Hence Valeria only thought of the moment when the magic crests¡¯ restoration ended, bit the gag and endured the pain. ??? ¡¸Fuguu! Ugugugu¡­!¡¹ A spasm attacked Bettina, who had brushed the bodies of the two horses and taken a short rest, yet again and caused her to ooze cold sweat. ¡¸I, I want to pee¡ª¡¹ Perhaps due to a mental reason, Bettina had to go to the toilet often. She was troubled by this since she was really young. It couldn¡¯t be said that this matter was completely irrelevant to the girl being adopted by her uncle and was living with him. In any case, feeling the urge to urinate upon becoming a little tense was quite a fatal ¡°chronic disease¡± for the girl who was approaching adulthood. ¡¸Uuuu¡­Dimitar-san still hasn¡¯t come back¡ª¡¹ Bettina rubbed her thighs together skilfully while wearing the armour and put up with the urge to urinate. ¡¸I, I¡¯ll quickly take off this armour now and¡ªhyawaa!?¡¹ Just when she started thinking of going to relieve herself stealthily, she felt that she had heard men¡¯s voices from somewhere and ducked her head. She pushed her way through the thicket and went towards the town. When she examined the situation secretly, there were many lights flickering on the rampart. ¡¸Ababababa¡­! W, was Dimitar-san discovered by any chance¡ª!?¡¹ Noticing that the enemies¡¯ movement had become hurried, Bettina¡¯s tension rose even higher. Naturally, she was further cornered by the physiological phenomenon. ¡¸I, if pushed to the utmost limits, a person¡¯s willpower can control the body freely! ¡ªThough I heard something like that, it¡¯s impossible, Oji-sama! In the first place, my will is weak!¡¹ Bettina returned to the horses and stamped with a ¡°gacha gacha¡±. ¡¸W-w, what to do? If I¡¯m found by the enemies at such a place¡ªI, I¡¯ll definitely wet myselffff!¡¹ At this unpleasant premonition, Bettina lost her composure more and more. She then noticed the horses which were casually grazing on the grass lifted their heads and twitched their ears all together, and stopped her movements quickly. She felt that she had sensed faint footsteps different from her serious ones. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Bettina took the retractable battle axe which was equipped behind her waist and focused on the darkness from across her visor. Though it was unlikely that the enemies who should be fighting for supremacy in the town would appear suddenly and unexpectedly from inside the forest, there was also the worst case scenario. Bettina grasped the battle axe that transformed Bachururus¡¯s power into an even more brutal fighting power and put herself on guard. At her rear¡ªdirectly close by this time¡ªwas a ¡°kasari¡± sound of grass being stepped on. ??? Though it felt like it took several hours, it actually might have taken no more than 30 minutes. Even when Dimitar cut the ropes on her limbs and got up sluggishly, Valeria couldn¡¯t move from that spot for a while. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ A night wind brushed her skin that was covered in cold sweat. A coldness which she didn¡¯t experience until some time ago attacked her abruptly and Valeria shivered. Valeria got up slowly, removed the gag and threw it away. ¡¸¡­Try it¡¹ Dimitar leaned against a tree trunk apparently in affliction, sat down and said in a hoarse voice. He probably meant to use magic to see if the magic crests were properly restored. ¡¸Before that¡¹ Valeria wiped the sweat of her whole body with the mantle that she picked up. When she pulled up the bustier that had slipped off, she approached Dimitar in strides and slapped the side of his face with all her might. ¡¸¡ªYour method was rough! It¡¯s painful and you¡¯re heavy! And you¡¯ve no delicacy! If I can¡¯t use magic well with this, I¡¯ll give you another slap!¡¹ Valeria who had kept on talking loudly turned her back to Dimitar and moved her right hand lightly. Magical power began to flow from around her cleavage to her right fingertips via her shoulder instantly. Due to this flow of magical power forming magic squares, magic surfaced. ¡¸¡­They¡¯re connected, if I¡¯ve to say so¡¹ Although complex magic squares of that extent¡ªnamely magic crests, were necessary to use advanced magic, by moving the magic crests to induce the flow of magical power, complex magic squares could also be drawn with simple magic crests. The current Valeria couldn¡¯t use significant magic without such process. Nevertheless, being able to use magic somehow was greatly different from being unable to use it entirely. ¡¸¡­Fuu¡¹ Turning over the reference books inside her mind and recalling the magic square of healing magic, she neutralised the pain at her side. The pain which was tinging with heat subsided gently and it became considerably easy to breathe. Valeria took a breath with a ¡°hoo¡± and looked down on her appearance again. In any case, since her tabard and dress were taken away, she was lightly dressed in just a bustier and hot-pants. Even those were also soaking wet in sweat and blood, and she might catch a cold at this rate. She wanted to retrieve her luggage quickly and change her clothes. ¡¸We shall meet up with Bettina then, Richternach-kyou¡ª¡¹ When she could finally regain the initiative, Valeria turned around to Dimitar with a face full of joy. She became startled and opened her eyes wide. It was because Dimitar had fallen face-down. ¡¸It, it¡¯s a lie right!? I didn¡¯t hit you so strongly¡­i, iya, though I did hit you with all my might, even so, to end up like this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Are you an idiot?¡¹ Dimitar smiled bitterly at the flustered Valeria and got up with a ¡°yorori¡±. ¡¸It¡¯s normal to collapse if one bleeds this much¡­¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡¯re you saying now? I can¡¯t believe you! You¡¯re irresponsible!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t care if I die here, but it¡¯d be bad if you were to die. Therefore, use your magic minimally so that you can escape somehow¡­that¡¯s enough, so meet up with Gacha Pink quickly, run away¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I, I can¡¯t just leave you behind right!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s your responsibility to do so¡­¡¹ ¡¸You¡­a, aren¡¯t you strange!?¡¹ Dimitar leaned on the tree again. Valeria held his nape¡ªit looked like it was already getting slick with blood¡ªand said. ¡¸Why¡¯re you going that far? You can¡¯t put up with me right?¡¹ ¡¸This and that are different matters¡¹ The weak sigh which came out from Dimitar¡¯s mouth reeked of blood. ¡¸That might be so theoretically, but it¡¯s human¡¯s nature to not actually do so isn¡¯t it!?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say pretty words and escape immediately. ¡­You also hate me right¡­?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Tsu¡¹ The half-dead boy retorted with a cavil and Valeria became speechless. Valeria definitely didn¡¯t like Dimitar and she fully understood that the other party also thought of her that way. However, Valeria couldn¡¯t become completely cold-hearted to forsake Dimitar here and escape. Dimitar had rescued Valeria and prioritised the restoration of her magic crests over his own treatment. It was certainly his duty, but the original cause was that Valeria had disregarded Dimitar¡¯s opinion of returning to the capital at once, arbitrarily went ahead and then got caught by Hokon. Valeria furrowed her brow, pulled Dimitar¡¯s arm and made him stand up. ¡¸¡­What¡¯re you planning to do?¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re bleeding heavily, be quiet¡­!¡¹ She lent her shoulder to Dimitar and began to walk slowly, but it was quite a hard labour for the powerless Valeria. ¡¸¡­Normally¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet!¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I said don¡¯t talk! You¡¯ll waste that much stamina!¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re going to read so much into it, then stop the bleeding first¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ Although the arrows which were stuck inside must be extracted to stop the bleeding, the degree of difficulty of that task, which was one step short of an operation, was too high for Valeria who didn¡¯t want to see blood if possible. ¡¸It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t do it but¡­to not stop the bleeding and take me around; do you intend to hasten my time of death?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll take you and return¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be troubling if I don¡¯t have you work hard after this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that? A confession of your twisted love?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say, stupid things, ¡­!¡¹ Until now, Dimitar always treated her as if she was simple. She was derisively laughed at for being ignorant of the ways of the world, and though her position should be higher, she was callously instructed on this and that; her bottom was kicked on and her chest was touched; they were utterly painful experiences. In addition, if she were to abandon Dimitar, she¡¯d end up burdening and living with the vexation of being unable to get even and the guilt of making him into a sacrifice forever hereafter. Undoubtedly, that¡¯d be much heavier than the body of Dimitar whom she was now lending a shoulder to like this. ¡¸¡­In the first place, why¡¯d you strain your body this far if you dislike me? You said that it¡¯s for your success in life, but won¡¯t it be pointless if you lose your life?¡¹¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because I¡¯m a person who only has many faults and no value¡¹ ¡¸¡ªHai?¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s personality was certainly full of faults, but he possessed considerable ability as a soldier. Unable to understand why he¡¯d belittle himself to this extent, Valeria knitted her eyebrows. ¡¸That I can be in a such position¡ªbefore that, that I can live until today is due to Lucius and Oba-sama¡¯s aid. Therefore, I must help you and accomplish the mission so that I won¡¯t cause them to lose face. ¡­It turned out like this because you acted arbitrarily¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m sorry okay¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t have to apologise¡­a Dominas is permitted to act on her own judgement, and it was also my role to hold your reins properly. It was my ineptitude that I couldn¡¯t control you¡¹ ¡¸¡­When hearing you portray yourself as a bad person to that extent, it¡¯s like hearing that I¡¯m being awfully childish and wilful instead¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a fact that you¡¯re a brat¡¹ Dimitar raised his lips and smiled. ¡¸¡­Anyway, seeing that it has come to this, my job is to send you back to the capital. Even if I die here¡­maa, it might be glorious death as a Hiera Glaphicos, and Lucius and Oba-sama¡¯s reputation will rise¡¹ ¡¸Like I said¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t need to mind it. ¡­Assuming that I died, it won¡¯t be for your sake, but for Lucius and Oba-sama¡¯s sake¡¹ ¡¸You¡­! If you¡¯ve the leisure to talk back like that, then walk even more steadily!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said so right? To leave me behind and¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case!¡¹ Valeria spoke and drowned out Dimitar¡¯s mutter that seemed to vanish anytime. ¡¸It¡¯s not for your sake that I didn¡¯t abandon you, but for Lucius-sama¡¯s sake! If I let you die because of me¡­ho, hora, Lucius¡¯s impression of me will become bad!¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­that¡¯s just like you¡¹ ¡¸Right? After all, I don¡¯t really care if you die or live! But for the future of Lucius-sama and I, I¡¯m trying to help you because it can¡¯t be helped! ¡ªIf you understand, then walk quickly!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Since Lucius is Oba-sama¡¯s only son, he can¡¯t become the Costacurta House¡¯s son-in-law no matter how hard you try you know?¡¹ ¡¸Ko¡­y, you, saying unpleasant things¡­!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m just teaching you the reality. ¡ªLeaving that aside, talk a bit more quietly¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve a lot of complaints¡­!¡¹ ¡¸That doesn¡¯t matter but we¡¯re being caught up¡¹ ¡¸Ehh?¡¹ Dimitar thrust Valeria away lightly and pulled out the sword on his waist in a flash. The spear which had made a jarring sound of ¡°kain!¡± and turned into two equal parts fell at the boy¡¯s feet. As if that was the signal, the soldiers of the rebel army rushed out from within the darkness. Dimitar stood to protect Valeria¡¯s back and cut down the arrows that flew here. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped¡­cover me¡¹ ¡¸Y, you plan to fight?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no choice but to get rid of all the pursuers here right? Or will you leave me behind and escape ahead now?¡¹ ¡¸Mou¡­! Don¡¯t instruct me on everything! My position is higher!¡¹ Valeria took a longer time than usual, produced a large flame and hurled it towards the soldiers. ¡¸Uwa¡ª¡¹ Maybe the soldiers were cautious of Dimitar, they had surrounded him at a distance and were about to shoot arrows. Due to the flame scorching and burning off the bowstrings, the bows split open in the soldiers¡¯ hands one after another. Catching the enemies off guard, Dimitar rushed in at one go and flashed his sword. Several soldiers raised spurts of blood and collapsed; unrest spread out among the remaining soldiers. ¡¸¡­Run¡¹ Leaning on the sword that was thrust into the ground, Dimitar looked back at Valeria as he heaved his shoulders greatly. ¡¸¡­If there¡¯re no projectile weapons, it might be possible somehow. Escape quickly¡¹ ¡¸You didn¡¯t hear what people are saying at all!¡¹ Valeria ran up to Dimitar¡¯s side and waved her right hand with a big action. ¡¸¡­Didn¡¯t I just said that I won¡¯t leave you behind!? I¡¯ve been telling you repeatedly that this¡¯s for Lucius-sama¡¯s sake!¡¹ As if chasing Valeria¡¯s hand that flowed like it was stroking the empty space, a vivid flame spouted out in the dark and caused the soldiers to flinch. Thereupon, countless arrows flew here from somewhere. ¡¸Gaa!¡¹ ¡¸T, they¡¯ve other comrades!?¡¹ The soldiers immediately became restless at the surprise attack from an unexpected direction. ¡¸¡­They¡¯ve more or less made it in time huh¡¹ ¡¸Ehh?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡ª¡¹ Dimitar raised the sword overhead languidly, supported the blade with his left hand and shook its tip. A bluish black line extended from the boy¡¯s arm that was gripping the hilt, passed through his fist and ran to apex of the sword. ¡¸Can you let me have a rest soon¡ª?¡¹ An enormous lump of flame flew from the edge of the sword which was swung at the same time as he spat out. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Let alone evading, the confused soldiers, who didn¡¯t even noticed that Dimitar had spent time and prepared magic, received it directly and were blown off. While the flame¡¯s redness hadn¡¯t subsided, Dimitar kept the sword into its scabbard and said to Valeria. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re moving at once¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸They probably won¡¯t give chase anymore. If they do, it¡¯ll be after they had returned temporarily and gathered a number of them¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s not it. The arrows from a while ago¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it¡¹ ¡¸I will!¡¹ ¡¸That may be so for you, but I don¡¯t care about it¡¹ Trying to drag his body, Dimitar turned around. ¡¸¡ªDimitar-sama¡¹ It wasn¡¯t even three minutes when Valeria had lent her shoulder to Dimitar again and began to walk, that a slender figure suddenly appeared from the thicket before them. ¡¸Don¡¯t panic¡¹ Dimitar restrained Valeria who had tried to direct her right hand towards that person and smiled. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s not just you right?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. Bocchama is also here. ¡ªI was against it though¡¹ A woman who was wearing lightweight leather armour stepped forward in front of the pair. The colouring (¥«¥é©`¥ê¥ó¥°) of black hair with light brown skin was relatively rare in Amaddo. She was an individual beautiful woman who concealed the sparkle of a strong will in her eyes that tended to be moist. Seeing that she was carrying a small bow and quiver on her back, this woman was probably the one who took the enemies by surprise and shot the arrows moments ago. Valeria looked at Dimitar and the beautiful woman alternately, and tilted her head to the side. ¡¸¡­Who¡¯s she?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s a maid of Lucius¡¯s house¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Thial Krkic, Valeria-sama¡¹ Like the maids in Valeria¡¯s mansion, the girl¡ªThial displayed a gesture of holding her skirt and bowing courteously. That pose was certainly typical of a maid, but she had never seen a maid with such a militaristic style. At the very least, the Costacurta House¡¯s maids shouldn¡¯t have touch a bow and arrow or sword. ¡¸¡ªIn any case, please come this way. Bocchama is waiting over there together with Bettina-jou¡¹ ¡¸Bocchama¡­did Lucius-sama come?¡¹ Valeria unintentionally looked up at Dimitar¡¯s face, but the boy turned away and didn¡¯t say anything. ??? Lucius extracted the pierced arrowhead and held his hand over the wound where fresh blood flowed out again. A faint soft light dwelt in Lucius¡¯s right hand that had removed its glove and gently healed the pain of Dimitar¡¯s wound. ¡¸It¡¯s good that it ended with this degree¡¹ ¡¸Who knows¡¹ Dimitar averted his gaze from Lucius who had glanced at his expression with upturned eyes and closed his eyes. Unlike Dimitar who could only use magic that was solely for fighting, Lucius could use various magic. He might have inherited his mother¡¯s talent as it was. Lucius then asked Dimitar who had taken a large and deep breath altogether while the pain receded. ¡¸¡ªWell then, the magic that erases magic crests, what kind of thing is it?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t see it personally. Please ask Her Eminence about that¡¹ ¡¸You¡­do you also use that tone towards Valeria-jou?¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸It sounds as if you¡¯re making fun of her you know? Aren¡¯t you repeating ¡°Her Eminence Her Eminence¡±?¡¹ ¡¸I think ¡°Her Eminence¡± is an honorific, but does it sounds like I¡¯m making fun of her when I use it?¡¹ ¡¸Even though you¡¯re actually using it with the intention of making fun of her¡¹ Lucius lowered his voice and smiled. ¡¸¡ªTruth be told, I also thought that you and Valeria-jou seem incompatible. You dislike strong-willed girls like her after all¡¹ ¡¸Then why was I chosen to be her exclusive Hiera Glaphicos? Even Oba-sama ought to know that right?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand Haha-ue¡¯s thoughts either. Unexpectedly, she might just enjoy seeing you and Valeria-jou in a fluster (due to being paired up)¡¹ ¡¸¡­This isn¡¯t a laughing matter¡¹ ¡¸Haha¡­maa treat that as a joke¡¹ Lucius withdrew his small smile and changed his expression. ¡¸¡ªIf it¡¯s a Hiera Glaphicos, anyone should be able to erase magic crests?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡¹ In the case where a magic warrior who had committed a crime was arrested, his magic crests would generally be erased; since in a state where magic could be used, easily breaking out of prison was possible even if he was thrown into it. ¡¸¡­But it¡¯s impossible to erase them in an instant¡¹ While borrowing Lucius¡¯s assistance and coiling his upper body in bandages, Dimitar muttered. ¡¸It usually takes the same time as drawing magic crests or more. To be able to erase them in an instant means that it¡¯s clearly a ¡°magic¡± that we¡¯ve yet to know. How about you?¡¹ ¡¸I also don¡¯t know. ¡ªIn any case, although I received the notice from you and rushed over, I¡¯m glad to have arrive¡¹ ¡¸It might be bittersweet for Her Eminence¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡¹ ¡¸So you¡¯ve understood Valeria-jou well in this short time?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s easy to understand her. She reveals whatever she¡¯s thinking on her face too much. ¡­If you¡¯re with her for half a day, even you will immediately understand what that girl is thinking¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ Maybe something was amusing; when Lucius smiled with a ¡°nico nico¡± and stood up, he patted on Dimitar¡¯s shoulder and went to the other side of the thicket. Dimitar leaned against the tree trunk, grabbed and ate the high-grade cheese and bacon that Lucius had brought, and drank the wine. From the eastern sky that had finally begun to dawn, dazzling light shone through the leaves and branches of every tree. ??? Valeria borrowed Thial¡¯s help, cleaned her body and put on her spare ceremonial clothes. She leaked out a sigh of relief while combing her long hair. As expected, she was unsettled as she was lightly dressed, but nevertheless, it was much better than to keep on wearing those wet clothes. ¡¸¡­Even so, why¡¯s Lucius-sama here?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because he received a letter from Dimitar-sama¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Di¡ªRichternach-kyou¡¯s letter?¡¹ Valeria stopped her hand that was moving the comb and looked at Thial who was snapping off thin branches and throwing them into the bonfire. ¡¸That guy, he sent such a thing? When?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t read the contents, ¡­but it somehow seemed to be sent from Cromatan town¡¹ ¡¸By now, Valeria-jou has realised that he¡¯s attentive to fairly small details despite how he looks right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡¹ Valeria hurriedly put on the mantle at Lucius¡¯s voice that had flown here. ¡¸Have you finished dressing up already?¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai, please come in!¡¹ ¡¸Well then, excuse me¡¹ After he was informed so, Lucius pushed his way through the thicket and came over. ¡¸Um¡­Richternach-kyou is?¡¹ ¡¸Dii is having a meal at the other side. There¡¯s no need to worry about his injuries¡¹ Lucius sat down near the bonfire and smiled. ¡¸¡ªAs a matter of fact, Dii sent a carrier pigeon to me from Cromatan¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡­that guy called for Lucius-sama with that letter!?¡¹ ¡¸He didn¡¯t tell me to come in particular. He wrote and sent information of Seriba that he had gotten out from the pedlars in Cromatan; the rest is maa¡­things about you and the like¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ Hearing that Dimitar had written about her in the letter to Lucius, Valeria was shocked. ¡¸W, what did that guy write about!?¡¹ ¡¸To be specific, he didn¡¯t write criticism on you. ¡­Maa, should I say it¡¯s a very objective impressions¡ªor perhaps a report regarding your character?¡¹ ¡¸W, why¡¯s there a need to report to Lucius-sama of such matters!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Valeria-jou has already understood what kind of thing a Dominas¡¯s first job is right?¡¹ ¡¸Is it about gaining experience and achievements in an easy mission?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªDii wrote that whether you¡¯d flare up when you learnt of such circumstances¡¹ ¡°Gikuri,¡± Valeria gulped. ¡¸Considering your character, Dii predicted that far from being unable to feel satisfied with such an arranged mission, wouldn¡¯t you get angry instead? When that happens, he doesn¡¯t know if you¡¯ll go back to the capital meekly. If it turns out like that, he may have to return by knocking you out and dragging you along, but he never arrive at the conclusion whether it¡¯s alright to go that far or not. ¡­Dii seemed to be hesitant on that matter¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria hung her head in shame. Having reacted as per Dimitar¡¯s prediction, as if her shallowness was exposed, she was somehow ashamed. ¡¸I also thought about it because I received such a letter¡¹ Lucius who was in a plain black clothing that was different from the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s (Furigana: Templar Aegis) uniform spoke with a bitter smile. ¡¸¡ªJust then, Valeria-jou¡¯s father came to my home and only spoke of how he couldn¡¯t help but to worry about you¡¹ ¡¸M, my father came!? To Lucius-sama¡¯s mansion!?¡¹ Valeria¡¯s cheeks became even redder and hotter. He had insisted that she declined to be a Dominas and had begged Lucius in tears; exactly how far would that father hinder his daughter before he was satisfied? ¡¸It¡¯s his parental love of solely thinking about his daughter. I was deeply moved¡¹ Maybe he saw through Valeria¡¯s mind, Lucius spoke so as to pacify the girl. ¡¸Somehow, there doesn¡¯t seem to be the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s turn in this matter, and it¡¯s also the first job of Dii who is like a younger brother, so I thought of going to see the situation a little¡­that maa, since things became like this result-wise, it might be good luck in various ways¡¹ ¡¸In other words¡­it¡¯s unrelated to the Chivalric Order¡¯s mission that you¡¯re here¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. If this became known to mother and His Highness, they might get angry. In fact, I should be preparing for unforeseen situation and standing by in my home¡¹ Looking at Lucius who had smiled and replied so, Valeria harboured mixed feelings. Although her father had interfered needlessly, she was happy that Lucius had worried about her and rushed here. But perhaps within Lucius, this was for Dimitar¡¯s sake rather than for hers. Valeria somehow understood that. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve given the horses water to drink!¡¹ A pink coloured armour which was pulling four horses appeared. In contrast to Valeria who had undergone a bad experience, the girl who had met up with Lucius earlier than Valeria was energetic and in high spirits as ever. ¡¸So when will we depart desuka~?¡¹ ¡¸Depart?¡¹ At Bettina¡¯s remark, Valeria tilted her neck to the side. ¡¸¡ªAre you going somewhere?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? I mean, aren¡¯t we¡¯re returning now?¡¹ ¡°Gachiri,¡± Bettina¡¯s gaze went around and looked at Lucius. Drawn in by that, Valeria also looked at Lucius and quizzically raised her eyebrows at the handsome young man¡¯s countenance that seemed somewhat uncomfortable. ¡¸Lucius-sama¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a bit hard to say this but Valeria-jou, ¡­let¡¯s return to the capital as it is now¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸I fully understand your anger, but this isn¡¯t something that can be handled by a Dominas one way or another. This isn¡¯t because you¡¯re new, but that it has already become a scale where the army will be mobilised¡¹ ¡¸Therefore, return obediently¡ªis that what you ¡®re saying?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Perhaps at this time, elite soldiers should be heading towards Seriba from Roma. We just have to leave it to them afterwards. Even if you only bring back the information of the magic which erases magic crests that the rebel army¡¯s ringleader had used, your performance is praiseworthy enough. You did uncover a new threat to us¡¹ Valeria also understood what Lucius had said. She was told the same thing by Dimitar too. But nevertheless, she still wasn¡¯t convinced. It no longer had anything to do with what kind of work a Dominas¡¯s first job was. Returning to the capital like this would seem as if she had lost to that Hokon¡ªthat was to say, a Dominas¡¯s authority had yielded to a heathen god; it didn¡¯t sit well with her by all means. ¡¸Valeria-jou? Is something the matter?¡¹ Maybe he notice the expression of the quiet Valeria, Lucius asked her seemingly puzzled. ¡¸Um¡­Lucius-sama. I still¡ª¡¹ A presumptuous voice interrupted the words of Valeria who was about to continue with ¡°don¡¯t intend to return¡±. ¡¸Lucius¡¹ ¡¸Are you feeling alright already, Dii?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡¹ While licking his thumb, Dimitar, who had carried the leather bag of wine and turned up, sat down next to Lucius. ¡¸¡­When do you think the army will arrive?¡¹ ¡¸Despite his appearances, His Highness is a person who doesn¡¯t hesitate once he decided to do something. If we assume that the army had set off already, they¡¯ll arrive by tomorrow¡¯s night at the latest I guess¡¹ Lucius stared at the dazzling morning sun and answered. ¡¸Is that so? In that case, we¡¯ll rest until sunset today and move after it gets dark¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean, Dii? If we¡¯re going to return, then right now¡ª¡¹ ¡¸We can¡¯t return yet¡¹ Dimitar donned black clothes on his upper body that was covered with bandages, jerked his chin and pointed to Valeria. ¡¸¡­No matter how you look at it, Her Eminence isn¡¯t in agreement¡¹ ¡¸Huh¡ª¡¹ Being directed the topic suddenly, Valeria faltered at once. ¡¸¡ªBesides, the tabard that was bestowed from His Majesty hasn¡¯t been recovered; the treasured sword too¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­given these circumstances, it probably can¡¯t be helped. There¡¯re replacements¡¹ ¡¸And that¡¯s how it is, but what¡¯ll you do?¡¹ As if to say that she¡¯d be the one to decide, Dimitar looked at Valeria. ¡¸I, I¡ª¡¹ Valeria honestly didn¡¯t want to return yet. Leaving Hokon as he was would be admitting hers and Redountra¡¯s defeat. No matter how much words of praise she received from the Head Director and crown prince, she¡¯d only feel empty as long as she held onto this thought. But Valeria couldn¡¯t do anything alone. The most important thing which Valeria learnt in this time¡¯s mission was that she wasn¡¯t as omnipotent as she had thought. The assistance of Dimitar and the others was necessary in order to repay the favour back to Hokon. However, Valeria didn¡¯t know whether it was okay to prioritise her own feelings here again and force troubles onto them; after all, she and Dimitar were close to death because of that. Lucius opened his mouth to fill up the silence that was born among them. ¡¸¡­Valeria-jou, I¡¯ve said this just now, but just by reporting the existence of the magic that erases magic crest, your performance this time is praiseworthy enough. Knowing or not knowing that matter beforehand will make a great difference in the damages that the approaching army will sustain¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That alone may be insufficient¡¹ Dimitar interrupted Lucius¡¯s words again. ¡¸It seems that Her Eminence wants an extraordinarily flashy debut. That degree of achievement is by no means enough I think. ¡ªIsn¡¯t that so?¡¹ ¡¸I, indeed! That¡¯s right! That¡¯s so, Lucius-sama!¡¹ After she had reflexively followed Dimitar¡¯s lead, Valeria clicked her tongue with an ¡°oh no!¡± in her mind. With this, it was as if she had Dimitar supported her to persist in her own wilfulness. It irritated her to have created another debt again. Lucius mixed in a sigh and shook his head. ¡¸¡­This¡¯s troubling. Officially, I shouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡¹ ¡¸No! I can¡¯t trouble Lucius-sama any further¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said that you¡¯re an idiot¡¹ When Valeria panicky tried to decline Lucius¡¯s assistance, Dimitar¡¯s insult flew over. Although it wasn¡¯t the first time that she was mercilessly called an idiot, she got angry in regardless of how many times she heard it. Dimitar gulped down the wine with a ¡°goku goku¡± and pointed at Valeria. ¡¸¡ªListen, use whatever you can use. What¡¯re you holding back for at this late hour? Is the current you in a position to put on airs?¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like you¡¯re asking him to die. It¡¯s only to help out a little right? Lucius is a good person, so he definitely won¡¯t refuse¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Dii. Don¡¯t say such things before the person himself¡¹ ¡¸Will you refuse then?¡¹ ¡¸I obviously can¡¯t refuse, can I? Going by the flow of this conversation, only people like you would calmly refuse Valeria-joy¡¹ ¡¸And that¡¯s how it is. Rejoice, Your Eminence¡¹ Dimitar looked at Valeria and showed a cynical-like smile. ¡¸¡ªThe Lucius-sama whom everyone yearns for will unofficially lend us a hand¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­¡¹ Lucius who had smiled bitterly at the goodness of Dimitar¡¯s tone noticed Thial¡¯s gaze and cleared his throat slightly. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s, how it is. I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯d like Thial to accompany us a bit more¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind in particular, if that¡¯s what Bocchama wants to do¡¹ Thial replied indifferently as if she was somewhat displeased. But for just an instant, in the fleeting glance that she had directed to Dimitar, was it animosity towards the sharp-tongued boy? There was something which clearly wasn¡¯t good will mixed in. That was probably something that came from jealousy. It might be because she was feeling jealous of Dimitar and Lucius¡¯s closeness again that she understood it. ¡¸¡­So in the end, what does Valeria-jou wishes to do?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡ªI want to capture the rebel army¡¯s ringleader who calls himself General Hokon with my own hands¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, if you¡¯re able do that, this rebellion can be quelled without shedding blood needlessly¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That may be a way of doing it. ¡ªWe just have to target Hokon only, since there¡¯s no need to take on the entire rebel army by ourselves¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me you¡­?¡¹ Maybe he realised something, Lucius looked at Dimitar. As expected, there seemed to be a very good bond which was difficult for other people to cut in between these two people. End of Chapter 5 Volume 1 - CH 6 Let the Wind Blow at Dawn In Amaddo that had the ¡°Hill of Seal¡±, there was a Seal Chivalric Order that was formed to protect the seal. Although the Amaddo¡¯s crown prince, otherwise a young man of the royalty who possessed the succession right to the throne, served as the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s leader for generations, the commands of the group were substantially entrusted to the vice-leader. Each group member was a young person from a respectable family, and being selected as a member was supposedly a very honourable thing. But in reality, to be called a combat group was something that had become distant already. On the other hand, the intensity of the group members¡¯ elitism grew, and there were mentions of it becoming an exclusive group. ??? Its current leader was the sole son of the present king, Jeffren Francesc the 11th, Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac. On the morning of that day, a spy on the mayor¡¯s side, who had attempted to intrude into the new town areas, was brought to a perfectly displeased Hokon. If this was a mere prisoner, Hokon wouldn¡¯t need to go out of his way to interrogate him. Considering that Hokon had personally taken it upon himself to ask, then it was because this spy held important information. ¡¸¡­Let me ask you one more time¡¹ Hokon, who was ruminating while walking aimlessly inside the study, stopped his feet suddenly and looked at several letters that were placed on the desk. ¡¸Will the reinforcement from the capital really arrive tomorrow night?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The prisoner, whose hands were tied behind his back, bit his lips and faced away as he knelt before Hokon. Even if the soldiers who were standing on both sides poked him with their toes, there was no sign of him opening his mouth. Hokon picked up a letter and silently read it once more. What the prisoner had, were secret messages addressed to the people who were participating in the rebel army. It was written that the Amaddo¡¯s reinforcement would likely arrive at Seriba tomorrow morning and speedily subjugate the rebel army, thus it wished for them to surrender and collude with them (mayor¡¯s side) before it was too late. Simply put, it was a letter which urged a surrender to split the rebel army from the inside. ¡°Kushari¡±, Hokon crushed it into a ball and questioned him further. ¡¸To whom were you planning to send these to? And are there any other people whom you¡¯ve sent identical letters to?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I can also put you through torture at once though¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Oi, that¡¯s enough¡ª¡¹ The soldiers who had dragged the prisoner along vented their irritations before Hokon did. But when Hokon reined them in, he clapped a little in front of his chest and, ¡¸Investigate this prisoner¡¯s identity. There should be at least one or two relatives or close friends on our side¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ The prisoner who had faced away the whole time until then looked up at Hokon as if he was surprised. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped if he doesn¡¯t wish to talk. Let¡¯s have someone among his relatives shoulder his crime. It¡¯s truly¡ªa sad thing¡¹ ¡¸P¡­please wait! That sort of¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Hou¡­as I thought, such a close person exists?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re keeping quiet again? Ma, very well. ¡ªPlease search for his relatives and bring them to the courtyard. Have it done by noon¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸W, wait! Please wait!¡¹ Hokon coldly looked down at the prisoner who had opened his mouth again and combed down his moustache. ¡¸¡­Until I¡¯m satisfied, if you carelessly keep your mouth shut again, then at that time, I¡¯ll really locate your relatives and crucify them. I truly¡­truly dislike wasting time you see¡¹ ¡¸U, understood¡ª¡¹ The prisoner oozed cold sweat and hung his head. ¡¸¡­Then let me ask you again. Is the story of the reinforcement true?¡¹ ¡¸A, an unfamiliar girl came to the town hall at dawn and said that reinforcement from Roma is heading here¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Who¡¯s that girl?¡¹ ¡¸I, I don¡¯t know. ¡­But the mayor was very humble, so she might have been a messenger who is a distinguished person of central or something¡­¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. ¡ªAnd?¡¹ ¡¸And¡­after I talked with the mayor for a while¡¹ ¡¸He gave you this special mission?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s right¡­he said to deliver this letter to Montreuil-san somehow¡ªthere seemed to be four, five soldiers who were given similar mission, but I don¡¯t know where they went¡­¡¹ ¡¸Montreuil¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s a distant relative of the mayor¡¹ The soldier who was on standby beside Hokon softly whispered into his ear. ¡¸He didn¡¯t get along with the mayor very well since the past. He¡¯s a wealthy person and has been providing us funds in exchange for his personal safety¡¹ ¡¸A narrow-minded person who has neither thoughts nor ideals¡­that sort of man will turn traitor again immediately if it becomes inconvenient, which is often the case¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯ll you do?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll have to think this through¡¹ It was easy to capture and get rid of the town¡¯s influential people who had the possibility of betraying him without the need to argue. After all was said and done, the one who held real power was Hokon. But setting aside when the rebellion succeeded completely, at the current stage where the mayor¡¯s side had yet to surrender, to judge the influential people who had offered him their collaboration would incite the antipathy of the masses on his side. In addition, if the rumour of the reinforcement coming from the capital were to spread, Hokon¡¯s situation would deteriorate in one breath. ¡¸I might ask him something else again. ¡ªThrow him into the underground storehouse. Don¡¯t let him escape this time, understand?¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡¹ After the prisoner was marched off, Hokon asked the soldier who was his close aide. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s still no contact from our country?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­it seems that the condition of His Majesty¡¯s health isn¡¯t satisfactory¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What a ridiculous rumour!¡¹ Hokon rejected his close aide¡¯s words and clenched his fists. ¡¸¡ªIf I raise an army here, His Majesty will definitely respond to it! For the sake of crossing that mountain range and mowing down those fellows who boast of being gifted with God¡¯s wisdom, our troops which had received the blessing of Marido will come! Until then, I¡¯ll never give up!¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ªin that case, what¡¯ll you do?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll pulverise the opposition force which is barricading themselves in the town hall before Amaddo¡¯s reinforcement arrives. We¡¯ll take the town hall, and capture the mayor and the stationing troops¡¯ commanding officer. Afterwards, we¡¯ll blockade all the gates, fortify our defence and attack the enemy¡¯s reinforcement¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s, in other words, we¡¯ll hold the town? Even though we may not know when the reinforcement from our country will arrive¡ª¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll come! Without fail!¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸More than that, what happened to the escaped Dominas and her Hiera Glaphicos? Are they not caught yet?¡¹ ¡¸¡­In the early dawn, several soldiers had discovered them in the town¡¯s western forest, but hindrance came in¡­¡¹ ¡¸Did they fail to catch them?¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m sorry. ¡­However, it may be impossible to escape as the Hiera Glaphicos had sustained fairly severe wounds. Perhaps it was the soldiers on the mayor¡¯s side who had obstructed them¡¹ ¡¸Then the town hall is sheltering the Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no positive proof but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s fine¡¹ At any rate, the top priority attack target of Hokon didn¡¯t change. Whether the information about the reinforcement from the capital arriving tomorrow night was true or not, the conclusion would be settled for now if the town hall fall by today. ¡¸There may be similar letters that had reached the others. Send soldiers to the important wealthy merchants and influential people immediately, and enquire them of the authenticity. ¡­Even if they follow us now, there¡¯s no certainty that people who will become restless and betray again won¡¯t appear once they learn that reinforcement is coming soon¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ Hokon ordered the soldier and sat down on the sofa. When he was alone like this, he¡¯d let out a sigh as expected. Although he lost the power struggle within the army and was ousted from the country, Hokon had run through many battlefields until now. He was proud of both his mind and body not wasting away despite being past 40 now and also had a strong spirit of presenting this town that would become a bridgehead to invading Amaddo and returning triumphantly to Bigerou. However¡ªHokon was aware that this was his weakness though¡ªit was unfortunate that Hokon had few subordinates whom he could trust. This Seriba which was located at the southern end of Amaddo had interactions with Bigerou at a civilian level since a long time ago. There were many southern people and mixed bloods with southern ancestry who had migrated from the other side of the mountain range living here. If the feelings of alienation and discontent which were potentially held by such people were stirred up in a skilful manner, it was easy to cause a rebellion. Although the rebel army was built up like that, the ones whom Hokon could actually rely on were only his ex-subordinates who were simultaneously expelled from the country and had wandered together with him here, and they numbered less than 30. The citizens who sided with them due to dissatisfaction towards the central government could still be said to be better, but there were also many citizens who couldn¡¯t help but to side with them because of the surrounding circumstances; such people would probably defect to the mayor¡¯s side readily if Hokon¡¯s situation worsened. Due to such significance, Hokon didn¡¯t trust his entire army. His deep sigh might have stemmed from that anxiety. ¡¸¡­The story of the reinforcement is true¡¹ ¡¸Medou, is it?¡¹ Hokon laughed while sitting on the sofa. The woman who was completely dressed in black would aim at the time when Hokon became alone and called out to him abruptly. But when this was repeated so much, he had an inkling of that timing somehow. Hokon then spoke without looking back at Medou. ¡¸Do you¡¯ve comrades in Roma? Where did you obtain such information from?¡¹ ¡¸My comrades are all over the world. ¡­And you seemed to have let the Dominas and her Hiera Glaphicos escape, no?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t let them escape. I¡¯ve cornered them to the town hall¡¹ ¡¸Did you allow your subordinates to use such sophistry since the past? If so, then it¡¯s only to be expected that you lost your standing¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m already used to your wicked tongue. ¡ªSo, what do you need? It¡¯s rare for you to appear during the day¡¹ ¡¸I only wish to give a farewell before I leave here¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ Hokon looked at Medou suspiciously. ¡¸Do you not understand unless I say it clearly? ¡ªI¡¯ve given up on you. The rebellion will be subjugated tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸You haven¡¯t even seen it with your eyes until the end¡ª¡¹ Clicking his tongue, Hokon stood up. But when he looked back again, the figure of Medou wasn¡¯t anywhere already. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ Hokon simply stood still alone in the study where sunlight was shining upon it. Now that he thought of it, Medou didn¡¯t show up in front of others besides Hokon, and Hokon himself also didn¡¯t even inform his trusted subordinates about Medou. It suddenly seemed as if the existence of the woman called Medou was an illusion or something, and Hokon stared at his hands. Now, only this gauntlet which Medou had given him indicated her existence. ??? The Commanding Officer Mazzali of the stationing troops looked down on the town¡¯s map that was spread over the table and groaned with a bitter expression. ¡¸¡­Certainly, as long as the reinforcement from the capital arrives, it may be easy to subjugate Hokon¡¯s rebel army. But if this town hall were to fall before that, it¡¯ll become difficult. Therefore, the question is whether we can resist the enemy¡¯s attack until the reinforcement¡¯s arrival or not¡­¡¹ ¡¸Please do hold out¡¹ Aloof to Mazzali¡¯s distressed expression, the girl before him announced indifferently and simply. ¡¸In any case, the reinforcement won¡¯t arrive early. Hence, I humbly request that the stationing troops as well as the commanding officer rouse themselves here¡¹ ¡¸Humbly request, you say¡­¡¹ ¡¸We wouldn¡¯t have hardships if we can really rouse ourselves with such words, you¡­¡¹ The plump mayor who was resting his chin in his hands on the table threw a glance to the woman who named herself as the Dominas¡¯s attendant. But if Mazzali were to say his true feelings, then he wanted to glare at the mayor. After all, this middle-aged man with the principle of peace at any price concealed the fact that a Dominas had come to this town the whole time. Although he thought ¡°I see¡± when he heard of the part where it was a top secret mission, nevertheless, there was probably no need to make it a secret even to him who was the person in charge in the military aspect. When Mazzali cleared his throat deliberately, he approached the window. ¡¸Needless to say, we intend to devote all of our power for the sake of the motherland. ¡­But will the reinforcement really come?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll come¡¹ Each and every remark of this woman named Thial was short, and on top of that, she was unsociable. Maybe something was boring as she was making a seemingly displeased face the entire time. Moreover, perhaps she had a little of the southern people¡¯s blood mixed in, she had black hair on a light brown skin and black eyes. If Mazzali had met her alone, he¡¯d never believe that she was a Dominas¡¯s attendant. Mazzali secretly beckoned to the mayor. ¡¸Mayor¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡¯s it, Commanding Officer?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Can we really trust this woman? In fact, the possibility that she¡¯s a spy on Hokon¡¯s side¡ª¡¹ ¡¸But this child has the decree, and she also knew about the contents of last night¡¯s conversation which are known only to Dominas-sama, Hiera Glaphicos-dono and me, you know? If so, she isn¡¯t a spy right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸In the first place, isn¡¯t it too late to say such things now? We¡¯ve already dispatched spies as per what that child had said¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You know¡­wasn¡¯t that something you did without my permission? Why didn¡¯t you discuss a word about that with me? To make matters worse, you made the civilians as spies and sent them to that side¡ª¡¹ Mazzali desperately held down his anger towards the mayor who had said things as if he was an outsider and shook his voice slightly. ¡¸B, but, that was Hiera Glaphicos-dono¡¯s instruction¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Attendant-dono¡¹ Mazzali turned his gaze away from the mayor and approached Thial. ¡¸¡ªWhere¡¯re Dominas-sama and Hiera Glaphicos-dono? I¡¯d like to meet them directly and hear about the story. Besides, there¡¯s the issue of security¡­if we don¡¯t assign guards¡¹ ¡¸Guards aren¡¯t necessary¡¹ Thial curtly declared so. ¡¸Besides, Dominas-sama is currently in the middle of the top secret mission so she can¡¯t come here¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ªin that case, if there¡¯s danger to the pair¡­!¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I can¡¯t say the details, but ¡°reinforcement¡± has already arrived at that side¡¹ Thial pulled the chair without making a sound, stood up and bowed respectfully. ¡¸¡­I sincerely hope that you¡¯ll keep the matter of Dominas-sama coming here a secret¡­¡¹ When Thial left behind such words and departed, Mazzali immediately called his subordinate. ¡¸¡ªOi, secretly follow that woman from just now¡¹ ¡¸Hey, hey~y! W, wait just a moment, you all!¡¹ The mayor panicky detained Mazzali and the subordinate. ¡¸W, what¡¯re you planning, Commanding Officer¡ªdo you still suspect that child?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t be optimistic like the mayor¡¹ ¡¸You¡ª¡¹ ¡¸C, commanding Officer!¡¹ As the commanding officer and the mayor were arguing, another soldier rushed into the office. ¡¸What¡¯s it? What happened?¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s the report from the scout! T, the movement of the rebel army¡¯s soldiers is becoming hurried!¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸C, Commanding Officer! Those guys aren¡¯t planning to begin an all-out attack at last, are they¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Or rather, weren¡¯t the spies whom you sent in caught immediately?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? W, what do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­¡¹ Slightly fed up with the slow-witted mayor, Mazzali looked down at the map. From the start, Hokon must have anticipated that Amaddo¡¯s reinforcement would turn up shortly in Seriba that was at a politically delicate location. But if the reinforcement arrived quicker than expected, Hokon¡¯s rebellion which was unable to gain total control of Seriba would end in failure. Hokon was probably well aware that the weakness of his plan lay there. Mazzali scratched his head with a ¡°bori bori¡± and put on his hat. ¡¸¡­I think the spies who were sent to the other side were caught and the information that reinforcement will arrive was leaked to the other party. Due to that, Hokon became impatient and began preparation for an all-out attack¡¹ ¡¸W, what did you say¡«y!?¡¹ ¡¸If he suppresses this town completely, even if the reinforcement comes, he can shut the ramparts and hold the town for half a month or so. In the meantime, the situation will reverse again if reinforcement from Bigerou comes¡¹ ¡¸W-w, what should we do, Commanding Officer!?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s one thing that we¡¯ve to do. ¡­That girl from just now also said it right?¡¹ ¡¸What did she say again?¡¹ ¡¸To hold out, until reinforcement arrives¡¹ If it was tomorrow night and the reinforcement arrived, and if they could carry out a clear indicator of shifting to a counterattack, the morale of the soldiers, who hitherto were exhausted from defending against attacks that occurred be it day or night and pressured by the numerical inferiority, would rise. ¡¸¡ªConvey this matter to the ordinary citizens too, and recruit volunteer soldiers. After that, you don¡¯t have to think about what comes next. Bring out all the food and wine, and treat them to everyone. ¡­If we hold out until tomorrow midnight, we can win!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Mazzali issued instructions to his subordinates and lined up coins on the map. Where and how much military force should he deploy¡ªhe must organised the preparations for interception before the enemy¡¯s all-out attack began. ¡¸Err¡ª¡­Commanding Officer? What should I do?¡¹ ¡¸For the time being, please show your face occasionally at that balcony, and lavish compliments on the soldiers and civilians who are working there¡¹ ¡¸I, is it fine with just that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a job that only you can do¡¹ Mazzali answered without looking back at the mayor. Even if it was a rumour or a joke, if talks that the mayor had escaped from the town hall and the like spread, people would judge that there was no chance of winning and lose their will to resist. It was easy to prevent that by having the person himself diligently appeared in front of the people. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, but even if the reinforcement doesn¡¯t makes it in time and this place falls, I must have you remain in the town until the end together with me¡¹ Glancing at the mayor, who was waving his hand with a triumphant look on the balcony that overlooked the town hall¡¯s courtyard, over his shoulder, Mazzali warped his lips inside his mind. ??? Perhaps a conflict had started somewhere already, violent shouts roared from a distance. Valeria, who was leaning against a tree trunk with her right leg stretched straightly, squinted at the setting sun that shone through the foliage and asked suddenly. ¡¸¡­Nee¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t your strategy a little rough?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯re you saying at this time?¡¹ Dimitar, who was restoring the magic crests (Furigana: Hierateka) of Valeria¡¯s right knee, took a deep breath greatly and raised his face. Was it the effect of having slept from dawn until around noon? His complexion seemed to have improved considerably. Valeria grimaced at the pain that was similar to her knee being scraped off with a ¡°chiri chiri¡± and continued. ¡¸Because¡­in the end, you informed both sides that reinforcement is coming, right?¡¹ ¡¸I informed the mayor¡¯s side only¡¹ ¡¸But that information was leaked to Hokon immediately, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve foreseen that and given instructions on this and that; otherwise, I¡¯ll be troubled¡¹ ¡¸However, the battle started because of that, you know?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯re you saying now? Battles take place repeatedly every day¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Be it but or however, you¡¯ve a lot of contradictory conjunctions¡¹ Dimitar stopped his hand that was drawing magic crest and held it over Valeria¡¯s knee. He was alleviating the pain that arose when drawing magic crests. Dimitar, who had recovered after a brief rest, ate hurriedly and went back to restoring Valeria¡¯s magic crests like this. The restoration of her left hand¡¯s magic crests had already finished and as long as her right knee was over and done with afterwards, the inconvenience of using one type of magic would disappear. Naturally, there was a need to return to the capital and get them restored to their complete forms, but this was sufficient as a stopgap measure on the battlefield. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Lucius took Thial, who had played an active part in this and that, and went to scout out the battle formation on Hokon¡¯s side. Bettina who had waited continuously for Valeria to come back without a wink of sleep last night was sleeping close by while wearing her armour. Therefore, although it wasn¡¯t the case, the air was somehow heavy. It might be only Valeria who felt that the air was heavy, but at any rate, she couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable to be face-to-face with Dimitar like this. Valeria cleared her throat slightly and asked. ¡¸¡­So, what should we do after this?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll beat Hokon up¡¹ ¡¸Iya, that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking about the specific method¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Grab the nape of his neck and pummel your fists into his face. I¡¯ll stab him for the finishing blow¡¹ ¡¸My meaning of specific is different! I¡¯m asking about the method to reach Hokon!¡¹ ¡¸¡­You still don¡¯t understand?¡¹ Dimitar glanced at Valeria¡¯s face fleetingly. There, a smile, which she had often seen until now and as though making fun of people, appeared. Although it was as irritating as ever, she could feel that the boy¡¯s imprudence was mysteriously and conversely reliable. ¡¸If Hokon knows that reinforcement is coming very soon, he¡¯ll probably become desperate to take the town hall by today, since he has no chance of winning no matter what he does after the reinforcement comes¡¹ ¡¸So why¡¯re you kindly informing him this? The matter of informing mayor-san is still understandable but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If the rebel army sets out for an all-out attack to hasten the conclusion, their military force will naturally concentrate on the front line. The vicinity of the old rampart which divides the new and old town areas will become the first battleground. The rebel army will attack the old town areas with this as a reference point, and the the stationing troops will try to force them back somehow¡¹ ¡¸If it turns out as such¡­what¡¯ll happen?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Their military force will gather there, you know? It becomes clear if you think about it¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡¹ ¡°I see!¡± Valeria clapped her hands. ¡¸And when I had thought that the pursuing soldiers haven¡¯t come into the forest since then, were all of them perhaps sent around to the front line? This means that they don¡¯t have military force to spare here? Is that it?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not exactly wrong¡¹ Dimitar brushed his neck and smiled bitterly. ¡¸¡­The army, which maintains its bulk at the front line and becomes reliant on the front, will become short-handed in the rear; especially in the case of wishing for a short decisive battle. Therefore, Hokon will likely invest his main military force mostly in the front line¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­that means that the soldiers will be gone from Hokon¡¯s surroundings?¡¹ ¡¸They may not be completely gone, but the opportunities which we can take advantage of are sure to increase. ¡­We shall attack there¡¹ ¡¸¡ªNee¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it this time?¡¹ ¡¸Why did you change your perspective suddenly?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar who was drawing magic crests from her kneecap to her shin raised his face quizzically. ¡¸Even though you said nothing but ¡°go back, go back¡± to me until midway¡¹ ¡¸The one who didn¡¯t listen to what people said was you right? And are you dissatisfied that I sided with the obstinate you?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because Lucius-sama objected¡¹ ¡¸Given his position, he¡¯d have done so. There¡¯s the matter of Oba-sama too, and even he had barely violated the military laws and rushed here. If you make a blunder here and really lose your life this time, the Richternach House will disappear from the world¡¹ ¡¸Hold on¡­it¡¯s like you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s someone else¡¯s fault somehow!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a fact that the underlying cause was that you disregarded my opinion at the start¡¹ ¡¸Mu¡­!¡¹ When he brought that up, Valeria had no words to respond. ¡¸¡­Ma, either way, it might be because Lucius had judged that there¡¯s a chance of success in this plan that he gave in¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Somehow, it seems that Lucius-sama is very soft on you¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar raised his face again and stared at Valeria fixedly. ¡¸W, what? Did I said such a strange thing?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡­in short, I guess that¡¯s the reason why you are displeased with me. You¡¯re the same as Thial. It seems that she isn¡¯t pleased with Lucius spoiling me too¡¹ ¡¸You think that was the only reason why I dislike you? You¡¯re so simple¡¹ ¡¸I intend to look at reality more than you do. ¡ªHow¡¯s this?¡¹ Dimitar sighed and hit the girl¡¯s kneecap lightly. Valeria put on her boots, got up and gathered her consciousness in her right leg. Red glowing phosphorescence ran from her thigh, through her knee and to her ankle. There were still many lines that had disappeared, but if she had this much magic crests, she might be able to use magic without difficulty. ¡¸¡ªI guess it¡¯s troubling that you don¡¯t have your tabard¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Your tabard¡¹ Being told so again, Valeria, as if she had remembered her appearance now, hurriedly hid her breasts and the area around her navel with her hands. ¡¸W, where¡¯s the mantle!? Hey!¡¹ ¡¸It seems that the dirty mantle has surprisingly become your favourite¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped right!¡¹ ¡¸Fun¡¹ Dimitar threw the mantle over to Valeria and walked towards Bettina. ¡¸¡ªThough you¡¯re new, if a Dominas is robbed of her tabard and treasured sword by the barbaric believers, and ran home shamelessly, this long-awaited achievement will lose its value. For the sake of raising my evaluation as well, I¡¯ll have you succeed in life¡¹ ¡¸Is that all for Lucius-sama too?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Without saying anything, Dimitar casually kicked Bettina¡¯s bottom. ¡¸Oi, Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸Hiwaa!?¡¹ Bettina who was fast asleep jumped up to her feet at the shock that was transmitted from her tailbone. ¡¸Nanana, na!?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t be half asleep. The day is getting dark soon. We¡¯re starting to move¡¹ As though matching those words, Lucius and Thial came back. ¡¸Are you ready, Dii?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, we¡¯re almost done. Any further restoration can only be entrusted to the main institution¡¯s specialist. ¡­So, what about those guys?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s as expected at the present. The rebel army has mustered a considerable war potential at the front line¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s not necessarily good. If the stationing troops can¡¯t hold this onslaught at bay, the town hall will fall before you defeat Hokon. Even victims will appear greatly, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Her Eminence will defeat Hokon before that¡¹ ¡¸Her Eminence, is it¡­¡¹ Lucius combed his long beautiful silver hair upwards and smiled wryly. Such black and plain clothes which shunned public gaze were unsuitable for the gorgeous Lucius. When she thought that Lucius had purposely put on such guise with Dimitar in mind, her begrudging envy towards Dimitar reboiled with a ¡°futsu futsu¡± again. ¡¸¡ªIs this fine, Valeria-jou? You really won¡¯t regret it?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ However, Valeria smiled sweetly. ¡¸If I think that everything will be for Lucius-sama at the end, I can endure any amount¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸No no, I¡¯m speaking to myself. ¡ªWell then, let¡¯s go, Richternach-kyou¡¹ Valeria quietly pulled up her bustier beneath the mantle and began to walk. ??? Valeria and party waited for sunset and climbed the rampart. In the passageway where soldiers should be in swarms last night, there wasn¡¯t a single person now. It seems to be true that the military force was invested into the front line as much as possible. ¡¸¡­They haven¡¯t forgotten that we exist, have they?¡¹ Despite it being a convenient development for them, Valeria somehow felt like the existence of herself who was a Dominas was ignored and wasn¡¯t amused. ¡¸They probably thought that Valeria-jou had taken refuge in the town hall¡¹ ¡¸Either way, they wouldn¡¯t have expect us to come jumping in¡¹ The Dominas whose magic crests were erased and the Hiera Glaphicos who had sustained severe wounds¡ªfor this pair who should have barely escaped alive to come back shortly again, Hokon certainly might not have anticipated that. ¡¸We¡¯re going¡¹ ¡¸Just a minute, don¡¯t take command so proudly! It should be me right!? Setting aside if I back down and concede this point to Lucius-sama¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re extremely fussy¡¹ Dimitar clicked his tongue with a sigh mixed in and jumped down from the rampart without hearing Valeria¡¯s fault-finding to the end. Although he got in the last word each time, seeing him like this, it looked like his injuries had become fairly better. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Valeria-jou¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ Valeria directed a smile which had suddenly changed just now to Lucius, to the extent where even she felt that she was self-interested, and ran after Dimitar. Her right leg¡¯s magic crests which were just restored a while ago created a wind, killed the acceleration skilfully and let the girl¡¯s body land softly. As it was the place where she had escaped from once, she already knew Hokon¡¯s whereabouts. It might take the time to say ¡°ah!¡± if she used magic and ran swiftly. ¡¸¡ªThial, Bettina-jou, I¡¯ll leave that place to you¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m going off!¡¹ Thial who had bowed slightly and Bettina who had bowed respectfully with a ¡°gachin¡± got off the dim road and ran away. The strategy¡ªessentially, it was thought up by Dimitar alone¡ªwas that Valeria would break into Hokon¡¯s headquarters while Thial and Bettina became decoys and attract the enemies¡¯s attention. ¡¸¡ªValeria-jou. If we break in, please allow me to take separate action¡¹ Lucius said while running on top of the private houses. ¡¸Although it¡¯s almost certain that Bigerou has nothing to do with this time¡¯s rebellion, perhaps there may be evidence that indicates the existence of a Bigerou¡¯s spy¡¹ ¡¸Understood. It¡¯s regrettable that we can¡¯t go together, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right, you¡¯ve Dimitar¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Was it because his name came out? Dimitar looked at Lucius silently. ¡¸Take care of Valeria-jou properly all right, Dii? You promised, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ Dimitar replied curtly, took an especially large step and leaped in one breath. Jumping over many private houses and clearing even the high wall, he landed in the back yard of Earl Boske¡¯s villa that had become the rebel army¡¯s headquarters. Valeria followed him and flew into the empty sky. If it was the usual, she wouldn¡¯t use magic so cheaply, but she didn¡¯t want to be carried and transported by Dimitar in Lucius¡¯s presence. ¡¸¡­To have that degree of difficulty escaping is ridiculous¡¹ Dimitar who had hidden himself in a thicket muttered while arranging his breathing quietly. ¡¸Don¡¯t say such things, Dii¡¹ Lucius who had landed softly after Valeria chided Dimitar. At that moment, a pillar of fire rose in the south. ¡¸¡­It has begun¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-sama, that¡­what¡¯s it that¡¯s burning?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the windmill spire which is beside the south gate for drawing well water. If Hokon intends to choose the plan of holding the town after suppressing it, it¡¯ll be a severe blow to him for that to burn down¡¹ ¡¸If he realises that it¡¯s burning, he surely won¡¯t leave it alone¡¹ As though supporting the pair¡¯s words, the premises became noisy at once. When they held their breaths inside the thicket, many soldiers rushed out and ran in the direction of the back gate. Lucius undid the clasp of the sword on his waist and said to Valeria. ¡¸If you successfully capture or kill Hokon, convey it to the soldiers on both sides immediately and put an end to the battle. ¡­That¡¯s your role, Valeria-jou¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸Well then, Dii, I¡¯ll be going¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. We¡¯ll manage this side, so you do well too¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s my line¡¹ Lucius brushed Dimitar¡¯s hair with a ¡°kushari¡±, stood up and began to run. It was possible that movement might be faster than Dimitar. As one would expect, the title of the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s (Furigana: Templar Aegis) vice-leader wasn¡¯t just for show. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re moving too¡¹ ¡¸Ah , un¡¹ Valeria kept close to Dimitar and came out of the thicket. Dimitar had already drawn out his sword. ¡¸Richternach-kyou¡¹ Valeria changed her tone a little and pointed at the villa¡¯s third floor. ¡¸¡ªI think that people with important positions would generally sleep in the highest place that can command a view of other people, but how about you?¡¹ ¡¸Is there a commander who would sleep in the midst of an all-out attack? ¡ªBut maa, I agree with the idea of attacking from above. Lucius seemed to have gone from below¡¹ ¡¸Then¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re slow¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria, who was about to use magic and jump again, under his arm and started running. After an approach run of merely five, six steps, he jumped greatly. ¡¸Just a min¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Reserve your magic for knocking down Hokon. It looks like this¡¯ll become a showy exchange of shots¡¹ ¡¸¡­U, un¡¹ When Dimitar who had descended at the third floor¡¯s balcony in one go released Valeria with movement that had no hesitation, he wedged the edge of the knife which he had pulled out from his boot into the window¡¯s crevice, loosened its clasp from the inside and unlocked it. ¡¸¡­You really don¡¯t do this sort of things as your occupation, do you?¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t you be quiet and watch people do their things?¡¹ Dimitar returned her question with a question and crept into the room through the window that had been quickly opened. It seemed to be someone¡¯s bedroom, but there was no sign of life. Dimitar rushed over in a trot to the door connecting to the corridor and turned its knob quietly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Just when he opened the door slightly, sounds which were similar to several men running around noisily were heard from below. ¡¸No way¡ªwas Lucius-sama discovered!?¡¹ ¡¸I think he let himself be discovered on purpose¡¹ Dimitar went out to the corridor and observed the left and right. ¡¸¡­Which way do you think it is?¡¹ ¡¸Left¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the basis?¡¹ ¡¸When we were going up to the balcony just now, I saw that only a room at the eastern end was illuminated¡¹ ¡¸¡­You seem to have learnt to put your wit to work a little¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re totally rude!¡¹ Valeria waved her mantle and began to walk down the corridor. So as not to be discovered by the enemies or the like, without thinking of such things, she headed for the room at the eastern end with a ¡°noshi noshi¡±. Now that she had come this far, she planned to face the enemy¡¯s ringleader openly instead of moving sneakily. On the verge of doing that, ¡¸! There¡¯re intruders!¡¹ As soon as she approached the place that was a well as far as the first floor, voices came from below. When she unintentionally looked, there were several soldiers at the hall below, and they were looking up this way and shouting. ¡¸The intruder here is a decoy! Protect the General!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t let them escape!¡¹ ¡¸W¡­¡¹ Valeria drew back her neck and looked back at Dimitar. ¡¸W, what shall we do!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Weren¡¯t you calm because you had some plans?¡¹ ¡¸I, isn¡¯t that obvious! So that my feelings don¡¯t lose, I¡¯ve thought that much and¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve to put on airs but¡­for now, it¡¯s evident that Hokon is ahead¡¹ Dimitar who had glanced at the door beyond the corridor swung his sword and shouted. ¡¸Destroy the stairs here! We can buy time with that!¡¹ ¡¸U, un!¡¹ Valeria raised both hands as she was told. Her right hand¡¯s magic crests created a scorching flame, and her left hand¡¯s magic crests produced a violent whirlwind. Mixing those two together, the bright red flame turned into a maelstrom and surged forth. ¡¸Uoah!¡¹ ¡¸Hot¡¹ The flame that had spread onto the staircase connecting from the hall on the first floor was fanned by the wind and increased its force. It rose like a wall at once and obstructed the soldiers¡¯ path. ¡¸¡ªHurry up!¡¹ Dimitar who had easily destroyed another staircase urged Valeria and began to run. ¡¸E, even though I told you not to take command!¡¹ Valeria, who had promptly ran right after Dimitar and tumbled into the room through the door that Dimitar had kicked open, quickly ran her eyes over and searched for Hokon¡¯s figure. ¡¸You¡¯re¡­!¡¹ It seemed like that place was the study of this mansion. There were bookshelves which were fully stored with books lined up against the wall, and there were a comfortable-looking sofa and study desk placed by the window. And then, the man who had spread a map on that desk stared at Valeria with a look of surprise. ¡¸Hokon, prepare yourself!¡¹ After flowing-like movements that resembled a dance, she strongly stamped her left foot. Thereupon, a gale which gave the impression of a kamaitachi welled up from her toes, tore up the carpet and approached Hokon. ¡¸I never expect you to come back here¡ª!¡¹ Hokon¡¯s look of surprise soon changed into a fearless smile. Just before Valeria¡¯s ¡°Tornado (Furigana: Razor)¡± turned the desk right into halves, Hokon jumped to the side to avoid it and stuck out his right hand. ¡¸¡­Oi¡¹ Hokon¡¯s fingertip which was facing Valeria¡¯s chest accurately deviated sideways due to a book that had flown from the side. ¡¸Tsuu¡­!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll experience pain if you ignore me, you know¡¹ Dimitar, who had thrown the book instantly and caused Hokon¡¯s aim to go astray, kicked down a chair and plunged in. ¡¸Are you the Hiera Glaphicos¡ª¡¹ Hokon¡¯s eyes alternated between Valeria and Dimitar. He might be hesitant about who he ought to defeat first. That was, whether Dimitar shortened his distance with Hokon or Valeria prepared her next magic, too much of an opening. ¡¸Lower your head, Richternach-kyou!¡¹ ¡¸¡ªGot it¡¹ An enormous wind blade skimmed and flew over Dimitar who had lowered his posture to the extreme. Hokon who had tried to fire the needle of light from a shooting arrow pose undid that stance with a click of his tongue, and stuck both his hands forward instead. Immediately after, it made a great ¡°katsun¡± sound, and the wind blade which Valeria had released was smashed up. A wall of invisible power had repulsed her magic. Hokon, who had stepped back slightly and withstood the impact, attacked Dimitar in a flash. ¡¸Was it you who did those unnecessary things¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m just doing my job. ¡­I think the one who did unnecessary things is you¡¹ ¡¸Shut up, boy!¡¹ Hokon drew the sword on his waist and attacked Dimitar. ¡¸¡­Nu!¡¹ Unable to stop the force of Dimitar¡¯s blow, Hokon staggered slightly. As expected, the differences in age and specialised skill might have been shown plainly then. Thereupon, perhaps Hokon had realised that it was foolish to cross swords directly; he stuck out his left hand while jumping to the rear. ¡¸Avoid it!¡¹ Seeing thin lines of light running on the gauntlet¡¯s surface, Valeria shouted. ¡¸I don¡¯t have the time to be bothered with you¡­!¡¹ A mass of flame flew from the hand of Hokon who had spat out hatefully. In any case, this being the place, there was no lack of things to burn. In an instant, the fire spread to the books on the bookshelves, and the surroundings grew bright. It was a terrible misfortune for Earl Boske. ¡¸Even if you don¡¯t have that intention, we¡¯ve a need for your neck¡¹ ¡¸Ku¡ª¡¹ Dimitar who had stepped to the front of Hokon¡¯s chest in one breath unleashed an extreme upper swing blow. The body of Hokon who had stopped that with ¡°Iron Wall (Furigana: Rampart)¡± was blown off just a little comically and went through the ceiling. ¡¸Don¡¯t let him go down¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸Although their numbers are few, his subordinates are below. If we poorly let them link up and escape, everything will be for nothing. ¡­Isolate Hokon only as it is and finish this¡¹ ¡¸But he can use various magics to that degree¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really understand, but it may be a device that¡¯s similar to this Jagieruka¡¹ Dimitar shouldered the sword that he held in his hand and looked up at the ceiling¡¯s hole. ¡¸He supplements his own magic crests that he originally possesses with that gauntlet¡¯s magic crests. ¡ªIt shouldn¡¯t be an article that can be made in the rural areas around there but¡­we can only capture him and make him confess the truth of it¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s true. ¡ªAnyway, unless we settle this!¡¹ Dimitar restrained Valeria who had stepped on the wind with new determination and tried to pursue Hokon. ¡¸Are you an idiot?¡¹ ¡¸Ha!?¡¹ ¡¸If you pursue him too directly, you may receive an ambush¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria under his arm and crossed the study while going round the flames gradually. He jumped out through the window, kicked the balcony¡¯s handrail and leapt up. ¡¸¡­Just like I thought¡¹ When Hokon went up onto the roof, he stood ready at the edge of the large hole that he had opened. He probably thought of making a surprise attack when Valeria came running after him. ¡¸¡ªOi, this way¡¹ ¡¸!?¡¹ Dimitar casually threw Valeria into the night sky. The eyes of Hokon who was surprised and had turned around wandered between the girl and boy again. ¡¸I said this way, didn¡¯t I¡¹ It was clear that Hokon¡¯s awareness was drawn in by Dimitar¡¯s provocative words. Facing Dimitar who had raised Jagieruka and ran, Hokon spread both his hands and adopted a posture to shoot an arrow of light. Although they hadn¡¯t arranged beforehand, concerning the result, it was an effective combination of Valeria and Dimitar. ¡¸Normally, it¡¯s not that way, right¡­!¡¹ As she complained seemingly irritated, Valeria rearranged her posture in the empty sky and drew two magic squares simultaneously with the magic crests on both her hands. ¡¸!¡¹ When Hokon¡¯s right hand separated from the invisible bowstring, three arrows of light flew towards Dimitar at once. At almost the same time, Valeria¡¯s ¡°Tornado¡± caught Hokon. ¡¸Gaa¡­!¡¹ The two wind blades cut through the air and ran, hitting both of Hokon¡¯s arms. Although the damage wasn¡¯t to the extent where his arms were severed, at least with this, he might not be able to move both his hands freely anymore. His right hand especially, seemed to have injured its elbow¡¯s tendon and blood vessel. A great deal of blood overflowed and began to dye the gauntlet which Hokon had worn red in the twinkling of an eye. ¡¸Richternach-kyou!?¡¹ While ensuring that she could shoot a subsequent ¡°Tornado¡± at any time, Valeria looked at Dimitar with a sidelong glance. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s no problem¡¹ Dimitar who was walking slowly stared at Jagieruka¡¯s blade fixedly. ¡¸It can even erased the magic crests that were carved onto such a thing? It¡¯s an extremely convenient tool. It looks like Chief Engineer will cry in surprise¡¹ Dimitar tapped the excellently smooth blade with his finger and gazed at Hokon. ¡¸¡­I¡¯d like you to teach me of its origin in detail¡¹ ¡¸D, don¡¯t joke with me¡ª¡¹ Hokon strongly held down onto his right elbow and glared at the pair. However, his complexion wasn¡¯t as clear as the shine in those eyes. ¡¸I¡¯ve always dream of the day when I¡¯ll make a comeback to the motherland again¡­! In such a place, for a boy and girl to¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Give it up already, Hokon! You didn¡¯t have the chance to win from the beginning!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s this girl who was caught by me once saying¡­!¡¹ ¡¸To not have gotten rid of us easily at that time is probably the cause of your defeat¡¹ Dimitar cut off Hokon¡¯s words of resentment and smiled coldly. ¡¸¡­Or do you give nothing but such excuses even if you fail in military operations? In that case, it couldn¡¯t be helped even if you were ousted from the country¡¹ ¡¸Nu¡­!¡¹ ¡¸A, anyway!¡¹ Feeling that Dimitar seemed to be taking charge of this situation again, Valeria raised her voice a little. If she didn¡¯t settle at least the conclusion herself, then she really didn¡¯t save her face as a Dominas. ¡¸There¡¯re various things that I want to ask you, so I¡¯ll have you come with us. First, inform the rebel army of an immediate ceasefire¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Wait, Your Eminence¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Dimitar suddenly pulled Valeria who tried to step forward again towards Hokon towards himself. The next instant, the roof at Hokon¡¯s feet fluttered up sparks and collapsed. ¡¸!¡¹ It seemed that the flames had spread faster than expected in the mansion while Valeria was fighting. Speaking of which, the surrounding¡¯s temperature had become much higher than a while ago, and when looking down at the garden, there were also figures of soldiers escaping from the mansion. ¡¸Oi!¡¹ Hokon just managed to hold onto a beam and avoided falling. However, it wasn¡¯t clear how long the middle-aged man whose both arms were wounded could endure. The study directly below was already filled in flames, and he¡¯d hardly survive if he fell down. Dimitar approached to the very limit and stretched his hand towards Hokon. ¡¸It feels unpleasant that the prisoner dies. Grab on quickly. ¡ªThose injuries too, if we don¡¯t stop the bleeding immediately, they will become irrecoverable, you know?¡¹ ¡¸P, prisoner¡­you say?¡¹ Hokon looked up at Dimitar and twisted his mouth hatefully. ¡¸I¡¯m yet, to be, caught¡­!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough of your sophism, middle-aged man¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t receive the disgrace of a captive¡ªIf I¡¯m to be disgraced, then once is enough¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Oi!?¡¹ Perhaps Dimitar felt unrest at those words, he bent forward and seemed to be about to catch hold of Hokon, but Hokon had separated his hand slightly earlier. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Thanks to Dimitar standing up to obstruct her field of vision, Valeria didn¡¯t witness that moment, but she clearly understood that Hokon had personally chosen death. When she was in a daze before that reality, Dimitar covered her head with something. ¡¸Hey¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s still early to be in a daze¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡ª?¡¹ Covering her from the head was her tabard that should have been taken away by Hokon. ¡¸W, where was this?¡¹ ¡¸The study from just now¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ While feeling a little ashamed at herself who completely didn¡¯t noticed it, Valeria took off the mantle and put on the tabard. Although she felt that its hem was short a little when she saw it for the first time¡ªeven now, a portion of her thighs were visible with her kneecaps exposed¡ªas expected, she felt her body becoming tense when she wore this. ¡¸Oi, didn¡¯t I say it¡¯s early to be in a daze? Don¡¯t grin¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not grinning!¡¹ She glared at Dimitar who had poured cold water on her transient joy. ¡¸We¡¯re going to stop the battle, right! I fully understand that!¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll be speeding up¡¹ ¡¸Hya!¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria under his arm and jumped down to the garden. ¡¸¡ªHokon has died in battle!¡¹ Dimitar crossed the space between the soldiers who were desperately trying to put out the fire while shouting so. ¡¸Hokon has died! The rebellion is a failure!¡¹ ¡¸W, what did he say¡­!?¡¹ ¡¸Confirm it with your eyes if you can¡¯t believe it! He was burnt to death in the vicinity of the study!¡¹ Dimitar threw behind such words and jumped over the wall. He promptly jumped onto the roof of a private house, chose the shortest distance and headed to the front line. ¡¸Nee! Is Lucius-sama all right, I wonder!?¡¹ ¡¸He doesn¡¯t have the baggage that is you, and is much more agile than me. He can run away as much as he likes. ¡­He¡¯s stronger than me, you know?¡¹ Dimitar glanced at Valeria who was carried under his arm with a ¡°jirori¡± and sighed. ¡¸Leaving that aside, think about what to do with the soldiers. Unless you can make them believe that Hokon has died, the battle won¡¯t end. ¡­Now that it has come to this, it¡¯s a pain that we couldn¡¯t capture Hokon alive. ¡ªOi, Your Eminence, what do we do?¡¹ ¡¸Since their headquarters was burnt greatly to that state, afterwards is maa¡ªisn¡¯t it fine if I face down their opposition somehow with my dignity?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Are you saying that seriously?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªIn fact, Dominas must be able to do something like that, right?¡¹ Valeria replied confidently to Dimitar who seemed doubtful. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll do it and show it to you¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s impressive that you can talk big to that extent when you¡¯re being carried under the arm by people and moving¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough, so hurry up! You¡¯re being pointlessly talkative, Richternach-kyou!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Fun¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s speed became fast, and they steadily approached the rampart that separated the two towns and friends and foes. Under the illumination of the sparsely burning watch fires, several tens of soldiers were seen coming and going on the rampart. ¡¸¡­To be specific, what¡¯ll we do?¡¹ ¡¸Basically, you just have to protect me!¡¹ ¡¸Hai hai. ¡­I¡¯ll prepare the stage a bit, so wait a little while¡¹ ¡¸Hahi!?¡¹ When Dimitar suddenly threw Valeria up high into the sky, he accelerated further and jumped onto the rampart in one breath. If opposite from this place was the mayor¡¯s side, then here was the rebel army¡¯s side. But in reality, the present condition was that the rebel army was attempting to rush into the old town¡¯s side where the town hall existed with this old rampart as the base. The stationing troops built a barricade right on the other side of the rampart and were defending well, but against the rebel army that was shooting arrows endlessly from above the rampart, they seemed to be forced to retreat gradually. Therefore, Dimitar naturally appeared right in the midst of the enemies. ¡¸!? You¡¯re¡ª¡¹ ¡¸First of all, you¡¯re a hindrance¡¹ Dimitar knocked down the soldiers who had wrapped red cloths around their arms one after another. There, clad in wind and waving her tabard, Valeria descended. Although she staggered just a little, because she was thrown all of a sudden and she did that on the spur of the moment, it might still be preferable that she didn¡¯t just fall unsightly. ¡¸It¡¯s the Dominas!¡¹ ¡¸The Dominas is here!¡¹ ¡¸Capture her¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your attitudes are big, you all¡¹ Dimitar obstructed the soldiers, who had recovered from their surprise and came attacking Valeria, and kicked them around. ¡¸Oi, Your Eminence. Give these guys a blow that¡¯ll make them have no choice but to be quiet¡¹ ¡¸Leave it to me, Richternach-kyou!¡¹ Clearing her throat with a ¡°kohon¡±, Valeria let both her hands fluttered in the night wind. Circulating magic power into the magic crests, she took more time than usual and drew complex magic squares. During that time, Dimitar defended against the arrows that came flying and the soldiers who came charging. ¡¸Step back!¡¹ Together with the pompous words that she never use, Valeria stuck both her hands out. ¡¸Hokon had already realised his defeat and committed suicide! All of you discard your weapons at once and surrender too! Otherwise¡ª¡¹ A stream of violent wind gushed out from Valeria¡¯s two overlapping hands. ¡¸Uoah!?¡¹ ¡¸U, pu¡ªu!¡¹ Fanned by the strong wind, the soldiers were blown off and fell over, falling from the top of the rampart one after another. Although it didn¡¯t have the sharpness to cut their bodies, they might not be able to remain on the spot if they were swallowed up by it. Half-hearted arrows would no longer reach Valeria. Without change, Valeria turned them towards the surroundings in a fan shape with a ¡°guru~u!¡± and fired them. Due to that, most of the soldiers were brushed off from above the rampart of the vicinity. Incidentally, the nearby private houses¡¯ roofs were torn off and blown away. It had turned into a terrible state. However, it seemed that the rebel army¡¯s fighting spirit could be temporarily weakened for the time being. ¡¸Look at that proper~ly!¡¹ Valeria placed her left hand on her waist and pointed to the south with her right hand. As there was hardly any illumination of the town, Earl Boske¡¯s villa could be properly seen to be burning brilliantly even from here. ¡¸Your headquarters has fallen already! Hokon has also committed suicide! Do you understand!? The rebellion has failed! Since reinforcement from Roma will arrive tomorrow, you¡¯ve no chance of winning no matter what you do!¡¹ ¡¸S, shut up!¡¹ Weak voices came up from below the rampart. ¡¸General Hokon won¡¯t give up on victory so easily¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re noisy!¡¹ Dimitar who was squatting beside Valeria and avoiding the wind until then, crushed the voices of refutation with his usual rudeness. ¡¸If you think that Hokon is still alive, then this isn¡¯t the time to be fighting at such a place, right? Return to your headquarters quickly and put out the fire before he turns into cinders! ¡­But then again, only his burnt corpse will be found there!¡¹ ¡¸In, in any case!¡¹ In order not to let Dimitar seize the initiative, Valeria raised her voice further. ¡¸If you still don¡¯t surrender even with this, I¡¯ll thoroughly burn you with a flame storm this time! You understand what kind of thing, this Dominas me, Valeria Costacurta¡¯s power is a little now, right¡ªit¡¯s all right if you discard your weapons obediently and surrender, otherwise, I won¡¯t be merciful! There¡¯s no need to wait for the reinforcement, I¡¯ll dispose the entire rebel army myself!¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ There weren¡¯t disturbing voices this time. Although the soldiers¡¯ expressions couldn¡¯t be confirmed one-by-one, it was clear that unrest was spreading out among them. It was a hard to deny fact that their headquarters was blazing up flashily. Moreover, the sense of anxiety that they had no chance of winning if Hokon¡¯s death was true might have shaken the rebel army¡¯s soldiers. ¡¸Oi¡¹ Dimitar who had stood up spoke close to Valeria¡¯s ear. ¡¸¡ªIn times like these, it¡¯s the carrot and stick approach. Since most of these guys were instigated and thus participated, now that Hokon has died, use cajolery like not charging them with crimes in particular or something and give them a push again¡¹ ¡¸U, un¡¹ Valeria nodded slightly and opened her mouth again. ¡¸¡ªNow that the ringleader, Hokon, has already died, if the citizens remaining here can cast away your ill feelings and live peacefully, I can personally make a request to His Majesty the King not to look into the crimes of the people who had participated in the rebellion in particular¡ªthat¡¯s why, all of you discard your weapons quickly!¡¹ At Valeria¡¯s words, a new quiet commotion spread out. There might be people who felt doubtful whether they¡¯d be really acquitted despite participating in the rebel army. Moreover, the stationing troops¡¯ soldiers who were behind Valeria, the side that had fought desperately up to here, surely wouldn¡¯t be satisfied that the rebels was let off without any blame. ¡¸A, and there¡¯s one more thing!¡¹ Valeria instantly thought of a good pretext and pointed at the sky. ¡¸¡ªIn regards to the citizens of this town that was deeply damaged by this time¡¯s rebellion, in the three years from now, I¡¯ll exempt you from the obligation of paying taxes! Since you don¡¯t have to pay taxes, please work steadily and reconstruct the town! I¡¯ll also negotiate this with His Majesty and definitely have it implemented! I¡¯ll stake this name of Valeria Costacurta!¡¹ ¡¸Valeria-sama banzai!¡¹ The ones who shouted so were the soldiers defending the barricade in the old town areas. And thus, it immediately spread into a big wave. ¡¸Dominas-sama banzai!¡¹ ¡¸Valeria-sama banzai!¡¹ The soldiers threw their helmets and hats that they were wearing up into the night sky and raised voices of joy. It weren¡¯t just the soldiers of the stationing troops, but also the soldiers who had participated in the rebel army; they had discarded their weapons before one knew and were giving praises to Valeria. When Valeria responded to the soldiers¡¯ voices and was lavishing an amiable smile, Dimitar whispered. ¡¸It¡¯s great that you stopped the battle but¡­are you all right? I don¡¯t think the exemption of taxes in the three years from now is a matter you can decide of your own accord¡¹ ¡¸W¡­y, you said it, right? The carrot and stick approach!¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t tell you to give a big sweet like that¡¹ Although he refuted so, Dimitar smiled. Valeria who had started to inflate her cheeks also floated a smile immediately and waved her hand to the surrounding soldiers again. In any case, the battle had ended. Valeria Costacurta defeated the rebellion¡¯s ringleader and subdued the revolt¡ªas the first job of the new Dominas, it was an outstanding result. End of Chapter 6 Volume 2 - Prologue Marriage Hunting¡¯s Advice Due to lead being inserted into the iron wick that coursed through its centre, the bokken became slightly heavier than Jakieruka (¥¸¥ã¥®¥¨¥ë¥«, his sword¡¯s name). If he couldn¡¯t swing this for dozens of minutes and still remain fine, then he was totally unsuitable for actual combat. The colleagues from his Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s (Furigana: ¥¿¥ó¥×¥ê¥¨¥¹?¥¢¥¤¥®¥¨¥¹) days didn¡¯t take such training very seriously. Hence for better or worse, it was the only time for Dimitar, who was completely isolated from that group, to train alone quietly. If he was to be evaluated now, he¡¯d have a childish rebellious spirit. However, the Dimitar from those days would swing his sword earnestly, sacrifice sleeping time to study magic and read to increase his knowledge, as he wholeheartedly didn¡¯t want to lose to the surrounding nobles who only have their high pride. Eventually, that endeavour wasn¡¯t useful in aiming for the top of the Chivalric Order, but instead became a great weapon in his life as a crest officer. However, this weapon rusts very easily. Therefore, Dimitar would polish it whenever he was free. In the inn¡¯s back yard, he was continuing his practice that looked simple from a third person¡¯s view and the landlord¡¯s daughter was grumbling imprudently at such Dimitar. ¡¸¡­How can you swing that thing day after day without getting bored of it?¡¹ (TN: Mercier¡¯s pronunciation is slightly off, so some words are misspelled intentionally.) Stepping on a stool to air the washed clothes, Mercier (¥á¥ë¥·¥§) looked at Dimitar and mixed in a sigh. ¡¸You aren¡¯t a child. I don¡¯t understand why Dimi-shan who is old enough to know better would amuse yourself with swordplay¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because it¡¯s a world unrelated to you. It¡¯s fine to not know anything¡¹ Mercier was still seven years old; hence she didn¡¯t know what kind of work Dimitar did. Simply put, even if she saw him practising with the sword like this, she might never have thought that it was a necessary training for his work. Therefore, Dimitar permitted the girl¡¯s cheeky speech and conduct. Besides, if he was untactful and angered her, it was likely that he would have to air the remaining washed clothes by himself. At any rate, the washed clothes which the perspiring girl was airing included Dimitar¡¯s too. ¡¸¡ªAbout that, Dimi-san isn¡¯t wandering from place to place, so won¡¯t it be better for you to get your hands on some jobs?¡¹ Unaware of Dimitar¡¯s open-mindedness, the blameworthy and smooth-tongued girl said things at her own convenience. ¡¸If not, you won¡¯t be able to marry even if you want to. Why not take the son of the bakery across the street as your bride? He¡¯s eighteen¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡­However, if I were to get married, then I can¡¯t stay in this inn anymore. I¡¯ll have to rent and move into a house somewhere else¡¹ ¡¸¡­In that case, that¡¯ll be troubling¡¹ Mercier who had almost finished airing the clothes dried her hands on her apron and murmured. ¡¸If Dimi-san isn¡¯t here, the income from the rent will decrease¡¹ ¡¸Rather than decrease, there¡¯ll be none right?¡¹ Mercier¡¯s house was both an inn and a bar, but for these several years, Dimitar was the only lodger. It was uncertain if something was wrong, thus it didn¡¯t accommodate tenants; if the bar where vulgar men gathered was kept at a distance, it might be unthinkable that someone lived here (inn). ¡¸Anyway, if that¡¯s case, it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t marry¡¹ ¡¸That makes sense¡­come to think of it, Otou-san always say being single makes him feel at ease¡¹ ¡¸The problem¡¯s solved then¡¹ ¡¸Everything ends well I guess¡¹ Mercier readily changed her opinion and started walking to the main building while holding the empty pail in her arms. The praiseworthy girl, who lost her mother early and had assisted her father since she was a child, seemed just a little weak-willed. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ After moving his body for another five minutes, Dimitar finally lowered the sword. Dimitar had been free ever since returning from the mission in Seriba a few days ago. While restoring and recovering his magic crests (Furigana: ¥Ò¥¨¥é¥Æ¥¤¥«), unless Valeria was designated for the next mission, it was natural that the turn of Dimitar who was her exclusive crest officer wouldn¡¯t come along. As a matter of fact, since Valeria¡¯s achievement of suppressing Seriba¡¯s insurrection together with the on-site garrisoned troops was highly evaluated, Dimitar¡¯s reputation also rose. However, it was still insufficient. Unless he accomplished more merits and gained the surrounding people¡¯s recognition, he wouldn¡¯t be of use to Lucius and company in a truest meaning. Therefore, in such times like these¡ªhe concluded that he shouldn¡¯t let them go to waste ¡ªyet Dimitar was feeling impatient. Leaning on the bokken that was thrust into the ground, Dimitar was arranging his breathing while wiping off his sweat when he suddenly felt an undivided gaze on him and turned around. ¡¸Dimitar-san, Dimitar-saan!¡¹ From the arched back gate¡¯s shadow, a short but wide figure with a mantle pulled over her head stretched out a pink hand creakily towards Dimitar and beckoned him over. ¡¸¡­Are you always in this get-up?¡¹ Dimitar accommodated Bettina with an amazed expression. ¡¸I know that your appearance is conspicuous, hence you wear that mantle, but won¡¯t it be better to just take off Bachu (¥Ð¥Á¥å, Bettina¡¯s armour¡¯s name) somehow in the first place?¡¹ ¡¸I, I was in a rush!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸O, Oji-sama! Oji-sama was!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Chief Engineer (Furigana: ¥Þ¥¨¥¹¥È¥¦©` ¥ë)?¡¹ ¡¸He, he was abruptly taken away by people from the castle!¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡ª¡ª¡¹ Brushing up his forelocks that were damp with sweat, Dimitar closed his eyes partly. End of Prologue Volume 2 - CH 1 Posted on September 9, 2016 Woman of the Past? At a corner of the Roma castle and in a small hall where the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s investiture ceremony was carried out, was a ¡°knight¡¯s room¡±. Although the investiture ceremony hadn¡¯t occurred once in these several years, this place wasn¡¯t use for other official function. Therefore, it was unprecedented that numerous people gathered in this ¡°knight¡¯s room¡±. One of the leading actors was none other than the crown prince, Jeffren Isaac. Assembled on the prince¡¯s flanks were the military minister Garido-kyou and his aides. Furthermore, the Chivalric Order¡¯s vice leader Lucius Richternach was also present. However, tying down such royal court¡¯s authorities was this place¡¯s other leading actor, the ¡°oddball¡±¡ª Amaddo Army Third Arsenal¡¯s Chief Engineer Quique Albiol, who by rights, shouldn¡¯t have been able to meet the crown prince easily. The crown prince was arranging the roses in a vase on a table and Quique, who was standing before it in his usual slightly dirty white robe, polished his monocle and sighed. ¡¸You!¡¹ Finding fault with Quique¡¯s behaviour, Garido-kyou raised his eyebrows. ¡¸¡ªIn the presence of His Highness, what kind of behaviour is this?!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, iya¡­This is, maa¡­I¡¯m originally a useless employee who¡¯s not used to appearing before Your Eminences, so I¡¯m not sure what behaviour will be good¡ª¡¹ To what extent was he serious? Quique bowed his head with a ¡°pekori¡±. Garido-kyou seemed about to say something more, but if he (Isaac) let the raucous minister speak here again, the talk wouldn¡¯t proceed regardless of how much time has passed. While his pruning resounded with a ¡°chakichaki¡±, Isaac reined in the minister and asked. ¡¸Chief Engineer Albiol¡­is it?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s correct, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s nothing to this, it isn¡¯t a meeting to catechize you¡¹ ¡¸I see. I thought that it¡¯ll be an informal inquiry for sure¡¹ Quique replied nonchalantly. The crown prince mixed in a wry smile and whispered secretly to Lucius who was beside him. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve the memory of seeing this (Quique¡¯s behaviour) somewhere, albeit difficult to recall¡¹ ¡¸I feel that the attitude of Dimitar who teases people is considerably influenced by this Chief Engineer-dono¡¹ ¡¸Ah, Dimitar does take after him¡¹ Isaac agreed with a self-satisfied look. ¡¸Chief Engineer¡¹ Lucius cleared his throat slightly and asked anew. ¡¸¡ªThis has already been announced officially and I think you¡¯ve heard about it, but a revolt occurred in Seriba a few day prior¡¹ ¡¸Wasn¡¯t it suppressed by Costacurta?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. With the current efforts of Costacurta, the revolt didn¡¯t spread to other lands and was suppressed in its initial stage¡­Nonetheless, we actually saw something that bothered us very much at that time¡¹ ¡¸Something bothersome¡­?¡¹ ¡¸A magic that erases magic crests instantly¡ªAnd, the gauntlet which makes it possible¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ Putting his monocle back on, Quique frowned at Lucius¡¯s words. ¡¸The revolt in Seriba was caused by the incitement of a southern person called Hokon. That background is presently under investigation but it¡¯s likely that someone provided that gauntlet to this man¡¹ ¡¸The gauntlet that you mentioned, what kind of thing is it?¡¹ ¡¸Unfortunately, the actual article couldn¡¯t be retrieved, but according to His Highness¡¯s report, it was a gauntlet applied with subtle magic crests. If a person who originally couldn¡¯t use magic freely wears it, he will be able to use magic or so it seems¡¹ ¡¸Chief Engineer¡¹ Throwing out his old yet adequately thick chest, Garido-kyou spoke. ¡¸¡­From what I heard, aren¡¯t you doing a similar research? Magic engineering (Furigana: ¥Æ¥¯¥Î¥í¥®¥¢?¥Þ¥ì¥Õ¥£¥«) or something¡ª ¡¹ ¡¸Just a minute, Garido-kyou¡¹ Isaac pointed the tip of the shears towards the military minister. ¡¸Why¡¯re you acting so high and mighty?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸¡±From what I heard¡± you say, why are other people involved? If I remember correctly, aren¡¯t you the military minister? That being the case, you should normally have a good grasp of what is being manufactured by the army¡¯s workshop or what kind of research is going on shouldn¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Er, that is, um¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, it¡¯s natural that minister-kakka has no knowledge of it¡¹ Quique replied in place of Garido who had fallen silent from the prince¡¯s words. ¡¸In the first place, there wasn¡¯t a decent budget allocated to my research. Although it¡¯s called research, maa, it¡¯s akin to my hobby and since funding is a necessity, I paid for it with my own money, that¡¯s how it is, yes¡¹ From Quique¡¯s manner of speaking, it was as if to say that a detailed report wasn¡¯t obligated since he didn¡¯t receive the budget. Or, perhaps it might be a meagre sarcasm towards the top brass that doesn¡¯t understand his research. ¡¸Nonetheless, the fact that the army¡¯s workshop is managed on the Chief Engineer¡¯s individual finance is a problem in itself¡¹ ¡¸Your, Your Highness, such a thing, if I may have a moment! Going out of your way to concern yourself with this is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I presume Your Highness¡¯s question is whether or not I can create a similar thing to that gauntlet?¡¹ ¡¸U, umu¡¹ ¡¸Unless I see the actual article, it¡¯s unfortunate but to be blunt¡­maa, it¡¯s almost impossible¡¹ ¡¸Impossible? As expected, it¡¯s impossible huh¡¹ ¡¸Rather, if such thing exists, I¡¯d certainly like to see it for future reference. It¡¯s pleasing to know that there¡¯re people who devote their enthusiasm into magic engineering besides me¡¹ ¡¸Then¡­is it someone else who made it and gave it to Hokon I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Your, Your Highness! It¡¯s overly hasty to assume so! We¡¯ve yet to search this man¡¯s workshop!¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Could it be that I¡¯m under suspicion?¡¹ Quique looked at Garido-kyou in amazement. It was fine for the minister who was somehow promoted from a military person to show fortitude and nerves of steel, but his way of thinking was severely lacking in flexibility. It¡¯d be alright to let him command an army that was comprised of capable staff officers, but letting the person himself to draft strategies might be a considerable gamble. Isaac waved his hand lightly to hush Garido-kyou and spoke to Quique. ¡¸Maa, the possibility isn¡¯t nil since the gauntlet¡¯s origin is completely undetermined. Even Hokon¡¯s subordinates totally don¡¯t know from where and how their ringleader obtained that gauntlet¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s unfortunate but like I said before, it¡¯s beyond my capacity to make such thing¡¹ ¡¸I understand. But if that¡¯s the case¡­¡¹ While Isaac was pouting his lips and ruminating, a page came along and notified him that there was someone requesting for an audience. ¡¸An audience? With me? Who is it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Valeria Costacurta¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Isaac raised his eyebrows and spontaneously looked at Lucius. ??? At Bettina¡¯s urging, Valeria arrived at the royal palace urgently and reflexively frowned upon seeing Dimitar who was standing at the decorated gate of the elegant garden. Though it was hard to say that Dimitar was affable, he had a visage that showed that he was in an exceptionally bad mood today. She had a premonition that prior to greetings, abusive words would fly towards her at the instance they met. ¡ªJust when she thought so, it really did fly towards her. ¡¸You¡¯re late. Don¡¯t take your own sweet time¡¹ ¡¸Haa!?¡¹ Although she anticipated it, Valeria furrowed her eyebrows at those unsparing words and approached Dimitar. ¡¸You¡­That¡¯s not how you speak to a person after calling her out abruptly right!? And I was even spending time leisurely at home! In the first place, for what reason did an exclusive crest officer like you call me for!?¡¹ ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t open your big mouth and shout so much. The soldier is watching¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Indeed, in the garden where the greenery and brick-paved paths drew symmetric patterns, palace guards could be seen here and there. Valeria noticed one of them gave her a respectful bow while standing at attention. Valeria hurriedly shut her mouth, took off the mantle that she wore to avoid the public¡¯s attention and straightened her dishevelled formal wear. ¡¸¡­In any case, you should come personally if you¡¯ve a business to take care of. Getting Bettina to call me, there¡¯s a limit to your laziness!¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Gacha Pink. You haven¡¯t explain anything to her?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes. I only thought of meeting up with Valeria-sama immediately¡­¡¹ ¡¸Eh? What?¡¹ ¡¸Your assistance is needed, though strictly speaking, it¡¯s for this fellow and not me¡¹ Hitting the top of Bettina¡¯s helmet, Dimitar removed the sword hanging on his waist. ¡¸Whatever, I¡¯ll explain gradually. ¡ªHold onto this and wait here while we enter the inner part of the royal palace¡¹ ¡¸Un, understood! Please take care of Oji-sama~¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡¹ Dimitar entrusted his sword to Bettina, who was trembling and stamping her foot repeatedly to resist the urge to pee, and promptly proceeded for the royal palace¡¯s interior. ¡¸W, wait a moment! Richternach-kyou! What¡¯s going on? This Oji-sama is?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s the army¡¯s Chief Engineer and also Gachi Pink¡¯s Oji-san, but it seems that he was marched off to the royal palace this morning. Gachi Pink said to get him back somehow and hoped for the awe-inspiring Your Eminence Costacruta to appear personally¡¹ ¡¸This child¡¯s Ojisan? Why on earth? Is he guilty of something?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s certainly eccentric, but he¡¯s not a person who would do wicked deeds¡¹ Entering the royal palace, a cool shadow fell on the vicinity and the pair¡¯s footsteps resounded loudly. Even here, a considerable number of palace guards were protecting various places but excluding Dimitar, no one tried to stop Valeria¡¯s advance. The status as a Dominas was special to that extent. Dimitar continued speaking in an even lowered voice. ¡¸¡­Did you write about Hokon¡¯s gauntlet in the report of the Seriba¡¯s case?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Of course. What about it?¡¹ ¡¸You, did you perhaps use my Jagieruka as an example to explain that guy¡¯s gauntlet? Going by that flow, it¡¯s no wonder that he is personally questioned by the crown prince¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? What kind of flow?¡¹ ¡¸Think about it, since a person who can make useful tools of such irregularity happen to be near his esteemed self, the prince will try to ask about his story first. It might actually be a way of questioning I think¡¹ ¡¸Way of questioning¡­is it?¡¹ ¡¸Considering how soldiers raided the workshop and forcibly marched Ossan off, the prince probably held the suspicions that he is a spy of a force that is hostile to Amaddo or a collaborator¡¹ ¡¸Then, we¡¯re to dispel that doubt?¡¹ ¡¸Ah. If he think calmly, it¡¯ll be instantly clear that Ossan and the Seriba¡¯s case are unrelated, since His Highness is an intelligent person contrary to the town¡¯s impression. I doubt he¡¯d think of Ossan as the criminal but there¡¯re people who suspect Ossan. To get those fellows to understand and release Ossan, we¡¯ve no choice but to elucidate on this and that¡­Or shall we return to Bettina and tell her that we can¡¯t advocate for her uncle?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­¡¹ As usual, he was a young man who says disagreeable things. She could ignore or rebut it if it was merely a verbal abuse, but the wicked part of Dimitar was that he was skilful in making an appeal to people¡¯s feelings of guilt like this. Dimitar said such things on the expectation that Valeria wouldn¡¯t take on an indifferent attitude towards Bettina whom she was acquainted with. Dimitar indifferently raised the corners of his mouth and looked at the page that came trotting from their front. ¡¸Don¡¯t make such a sulky face. The other party is His Highness the crown prince you know? Besides, Lucius is probably there too¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-sama is!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­How self-interested¡¹ Ridiculing Valeria¡¯s quick change of attitude, Dimitar inspected his countenance and conveyed the purpose of Valeria¡¯s application for an audience with the crown prince. ¡¸Ple, please wait just a minute!¡¹ The title of Dominas held approximately the same importance as a minister in this Amaddo¡¯s royal court. Hence the page going back in a complete hurry that surpassed a trot might be a consequence of the fear from keeping Valeria waiting. And it seemed that title even displayed its effect on the dignitaries that were assembled in the small hall. Without waiting for three minutes, the page from some time ago appeared soon again and guided the pair to the ¡°knight¡¯s room¡±. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re unsure what to say, leave it to me without overdoing it¡¹ Dimitar whispered softly so that it slipped into the sound of the door opening solemnly. ¡¸¡ªSince Bettina¡¯ll cry if you make any careless remarks and worsen Ossan¡¯s position. It seems like something you¡¯d do though¡¹ ¡¸Gunuu¡­!¡¹ At Dimitar¡¯s words which took people for fools, Valeria grasped the hem of her tabard tightly and suppressed her anger. ??? After giving a profound bow and raising his head, Dimitar somehow managed to read the flow of the place by observing the faces of those present singly. Military minister Garido-kyou who had an unpleasant expression still held onto the conservative that cavalry and infantry were the focus of the battlefield, and didn¡¯t think too well of the magic warriors (Furigana: ¥Þ¥ì¥Õ¥£¥³¥¹) who possessed great power within the army. To say nothing of, Garido definitely wouldn¡¯t try to show understanding towards Quique¡¯s research which might enable ordinary people to use magic. Presumably, the crown prince and Lucius were pacifying Garido-kyou who didn¡¯t have a very favourable impression of Quique thus holding a suspicion that he was a spy¡ªsomething like this perhaps? And the grin of Quique, who was the heart of the matter, when he saw Dimitar appeared, made him feel somewhat irritated. For whose sake did he went out of the way just to come here, thought Dimitar. He quelled the urge to curse and looked down at Valeria with a sidelong glance. ¡¸Err, um¡­¡¹ Valeria finished her manual-like greetings and shifted her gaze around nervously. That being said, this lady wasn¡¯t the type who¡¯d become nervous in front of nobles; it was likely that she became tensed easily just by being before Lucius. After seeing Dimitar mixed in a sigh, as if guessing his feelings, Lucius broached the subject. ¡¸Costacurta-geika, the urgent matter with His Highness¡­what could it be?¡¹ ¡¸Th, that¡­a, about the gauntlet which was in the enemy ringleader¡¯s possession from the recent Seriba¡¯s rebellion case¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is there something that you should report to His Highness?¡¹ ¡¸Th, there is! Well, if I had to say, there is, but how should I put it¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Which is it, Costacurta-geika?¡¹ The taciturn Garido-kyou promptly urged the hesitant Valeria on. However, the present Valeria didn¡¯t have a plan to break down this impasse. She was sure there was none. If there was, would she not have keep on talking one-sidedly to the obstinate old man? That was evident from Valeria looking at Dimitar occasionally since some time ago. It was obvious that her gaze was shouting ¡¸Can¡¯t you say something!¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Bowing reverently with his hand placed onto his chest, Dimitar immediately began spouting a pack of lies. ¡¸¡ªCostacurta-geika and I have faced that Hokon guy before. That is to say, the ones who know the gauntlet, which was used by that man, the best are currently Her Eminence and I¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ ¡¸Based on that, I currently don¡¯t think that Chief Engineer Albiol is the person who could have made that gauntlet¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like to hear your reason for that, Your Eminence¡¹ The person who interfered at once wasn¡¯t the crown prince, but Garido-kyou. ¡¸Th, that¡ªRichternach-kyou, explain to His Highness and minister-kakka¡¹ Valeria probably didn¡¯t know what Dimitar wanted to say, thus she diverted the topic to him. ¡¸If I¡¯ve to say it as it is¡­simply put, Chief Engineer Albiol has no talent for magic. Without the talent for magic, he can¡¯t draw magic crests¡¹ ¡¸¡­So, what is it that you wanted to say?¡¹ ¡¸In short, for Chief Engineer to somehow make a tool, the cooperation of a magic warrior who can design magic crests is indispensable¡¹ ¡¸Like I said! What¡¯re you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Garido-kyou¡¹ The crown prince reined in the military minster who had raised his voice spontaneously. ¡¸What Richternach-kyou meant to say is this.¡ªFor Hokon¡¯s gauntlet to be completed, a person who can use the magic of erasing magic crests instantly is necessary¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s correct¡­However, does a magic warrior who can use such convenient magic exists in reality?¡¹ ¡¸As far as I know, there isn¡¯t. There¡¯s no information of such magic being used in other cases either¡¹ Lucius replied immediately. His words were well-founded since his mother was the director of the Royal Magic Academy (Furigana: ¥×¥Õ¥µ?¥Þ¥ì¥Õ¥¤¥³¥¹). ¡¸Then it¡¯s unjustified as expected. If the magic crest that served as its (gauntlet¡¯s) basis doesn¡¯t exist, it¡¯s impossible for Chief Engineer to create such thing however much he wanted to¡¹ ¡¸Nu¡­¡¹ Garido-kyou couldn¡¯t come up with any refuting words and furrowed his brows deeper. Hearing the words of Dimitar who was in front of the vase of roses, the crown prince removed his gloves and said to Quique. ¡¸¡ªThat being the case, Chief Engineer Albiol. My apologies for suspecting you¡¹ ¡¸Not at all, if your point of view is taken into account, then it¡¯s a justified judgement. Besides, I can¡¯t say anything concerning magic crests since the actual thing isn¡¯t here, but it¡¯s apparent that gauntlet was created by means of magic engineering¡¹ ¡¸Chief Engineer¡¹ The crown prince then leaned forward and asked. ¡¸I¡¯d like your candid opinion but, do you not know of another person besides you who can make such thing?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s likely that whichever country it may be, this sort of research is in progress, albeit different in degree, is what I think. ¡ªHowever, I¡¯ve no connection whatsoever with the fellow researchers of that side, so I¡¯ve no clue who you mean¡¹ ¡¸Do you mean to say you¡¯ve no knowledge of who it may be?¡¹ ¡¸Well, there¡¯s just one person but¡¹ ¡¸Who is it?¡¹ ¡¸In truth, there¡¯s a person named Nereida who continued to research with me in my workshop, but five years ago, She left Amaddo in pursue for better research environment¡¹ (TN: The noun used to refer to Nereida doesn¡¯t specify the gender, but I denote her as a she after reading the next few pages.) ¡¸Saying she left Amaddo, in short, she was headhunted?¡¹ ¡¸I believe that¡¯s likely to be the case¡­At any rate, it¡¯s due to an unsatisfactory amount of budget being allocated to my workshop¡¹ Quique looked at Garido-kyou repeatedly from across his monocle. Finding the sight of the military minister¡¯s face turning bright red yet unable to say anything to be comical, Dimitar faced down and laughed. The crown prince let out a sigh and looked at Garido-kyou. ¡¸Since our country originally has numerous magic warriors, I can understand why the expansion of artificial magic war potential is apathetic but¡­still, isn¡¯t it unpleasant if such intellect goes to other countries? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s necessary to distribute the budget even more precisely¡¹ ¡¸Then, Chief Engineer¡¹ Replacing the crown prince, Lucius asked. ¡¸Where¡¯s that Nereida person now?¡¹ ¡¸She had only sent me a letter once¡¹ ¡¸When?¡¹ ¡¸Last autumn. It was a letter of invitation to research together again, but naturally, I declined. ¡ªI don¡¯t know her exact location, but it seems to be in Biranoba at that time¡¹ ¡¸Biranoba, huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hey, just a minute¡¹ While watching the crown prince, Lucius and even Garido-kyou discussing something, Valeria whispered softly into Dimitar¡¯s ear. ¡¸When he said Biranoba, he meant that Biranoba? Our neighbour?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so¡¹ Biranoba was a signatory of the ¡°Holy Alliance¡± (Furigana: ¤ê¤«¡¤¥µ¥ó¥È¥¦¥ì¥¢©`¥ë) and a neighbour that had prosperous exchange with Amaddo. Based on that alone, it was hard to think that Biranoba would lure an Amaddo army researcher away, yet the thought of them being capable of anything existed too. ¡¸¡ª¡ªAh, Valeria-jou? And Richternach-kyou too¡¹ Having finished the discussion, the crown prince addressed the pair with an extremely relaxed tone. ¡¸I wonder if the both of you can go on a trip for me?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I asked if it¡¯s possible for you to travel to Biranoba¡¹ ¡¸Us?¡¹ ¡¸Strictly speaking, it won¡¯t be just the two of you.¡ªIn any case, only you two had seen that gauntlet, isn¡¯t there the phrase ¡°your ship had already embarked (point of no return)¡±? There¡¯re also various coordination which¡¯re essential, but for now, can you begin preparation for departure?¡¹ ¡¸Th, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t? Even though I tentatively have the discretionary power since Father¡¯s currently absent and it¡¯s an official command from a senior inspector (Furigana: ¥»¥ó¥½©`¥ë ¥Þ¥è©`¥ë)?¡¹ ¡¸Er, well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s settled. Thank you. And Chief Engineer Albiol too¡¹ Summarising his talk with a gentle clap of hands, the crown prince once again spoke to Dimitar and Valeria after ordering Quique to leave the room. ¡¸Valeria-jou, if I recall, Karin Rudbeck who is of similar age as you has relatives in Biranoba right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­I heard that her maternal grandmother was born there¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s decided¡­You¡¯ve no complaints right, Garido-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Since His Majesty has yet to return, we¡¯ll abide by Your Highness¡¯s sanction¡¹ Although he said that, displeasure was plainly written on the minister¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t clear why, but it was likely that the development wasn¡¯t amusing to Garido-kyou. ¡¸Valeria-jou and Karin-jou are to head towards Biranoba as soon as preparations are completed¡¹ ¡¸As goodwill ambassadors to Biranoba¡­is it?¡¹ It wasn¡¯t a rare case for Dominas, who were wives of Reduntra (¥ì¥É¥¦¥ó¥È¥é), to visit another country as a country-representing envoy. Hence it was natural that Valeria had such thought upon hearing the crown prince¡¯s proposal. ¡¸Nay, not as the country¡¯s representatives, I want you to go under the guise of Rudbeck-jou visiting her relatives till the end. If we do that, then even if some problem arise, it¡¯ll be hard for it to develop into a serious trouble between countries¡¹ It was a rational decision yet it seemed really like His Highness to omit the official stance and say his true intention directly. Sure enough, Valeria who had heard that didn¡¯t know how to reply and could only show a complicated smile. ¡¸If that Nereida person really did make that aforementioned gauntlet, then there¡¯s a likelihood that Biranoba was involved in the Seriba¡¯s rebellion. Secretly investigating such a thing will be an important mission. Will you do it?¡¹ ¡¸Un, understood. I¡¯ll put in my utmost effort¡¹ Valeria breathed deeply and agreed. In any case, for this girl who desperately wanted to stack up achievements, it was impossible for her to reject such important mission after hearing it. Of course, for Dimitar too, no matter how many such chances present themselves, he wouldn¡¯t feel troubled. Raising the corners of his lips secretly, Dimitar left the crown prince¡¯s presence together with Valeria. ??? ¡¸¡ªYo¡¹ When the pair returned to the garden in front of the royal palace, Quique Albiol was waiting for them with Bettina clinging onto his waist. ¡¸What a misfortune huh, Ossan¡¹ ¡¸Iya, absolutely. Furthermore, for troubling even Her Eminence Costacurta, I¡¯m really sorry¡¹ Quique grasped the head of Bettina who was still sniffling and gave a bow. That was his own way of paying respect to Valeria, but having said that, he didn¡¯t pay too much attention to formalities. Having become accustomed to Dimitar¡¯s insolence and Bettina¡¯s over-familiarity, Valeria didn¡¯t take offence to Quique¡¯s attitude. While holding onto the hem of her dress beneath the tabard lightly, Valeria gave a bow and then asked Quique. ¡¸I shall ask you bluntly since you¡¯re here, but Chief Engineer didn¡¯t really make that gauntlet, did you?¡¹ ¡¸I presume that thing gave you considerable troubles?¡¹ Quique took out a khsier from the bosom of his wrinkled-up white robe and gave it a light shake. At that moment, a red light lit up with a ¡°poun¡± in its bowl. It was probably an item Quique created by means of magic engineering. Inhaling the smoke once with a ¡°fuka¡±, Quique nodded. ¡¸¡ªMa, it¡¯s theoretically feasible, but it¡¯s impossible in reality. This was said just now but, it might be somehow possible if a magic warrior, who can use the magic to instantly erase spell crests, exists and his cooperation is obtained¡¹ Magic that erased spell crests existed. It was used primarily to deprive magic warriors who had committed crimes of their magic; nonetheless it couldn¡¯t erase spell crests instantly. At best, its speed was almost the same as drawing spell crests, and if it¡¯s to the degree of erasing bit-by-bit, then he had heard about it. ¡¸¡­On the contrary, I want to ask if that gauntlet actually exist?¡¹ ¡¸It does¡¹ Dimitar replied earlier than Valeria. ¡¸This person included, but I¡¯ve clearly seen it.¡ªRather, even you can verify that the spell crests engraved onto Jagieruka¡¯s blade have disappeared completely right? It suffered damages from that gauntlet you know?¡¹ (TN: Dimitar used the rude ¤³¤¤¤Ä to refer to Valeria.) ¡¸In the case of metal, there¡¯s the possibility of them (spell crests) being abraded due to heat. I won¡¯t believe it unless I see the actual thing¡¹ ¡¸That reminds me¡­ I wonder why was it not found?¡¹ Hokon had spent his final moment inside the blazing mansion. Therefore, the gauntlet in question should have been recovered by searching every nook and cranny of the fire-devastated ruins. ¡¸Didn¡¯t it become a problem because it wasn¡¯t found?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Hokon¡¯s burnt corpse was discovered¡¹ Censuring Quique¡¯s remarks, Dimitar continued. ¡¸¡­But the gauntlet wasn¡¯t on Hokon¡¯s hand. His corpse had retained its original form despite how strong the flames might have been, so it¡¯s inconceivable for the gauntlet which is made of metal to melt without leaving any trace.¡ªThat being the case, I can only think of someone taking it away¡¹ ¡¸Bearing that in mind, His Highness seems to think that Hokon had a collaborator. Different from Bigerou (¥Ó¥²¥í¥¦), it¡¯s surely someone who can manipulate dangerous magic¡¹ ¡¸Ossan¡¹ Dimitar asked with a pensive look on his face. ¡¸What kind of person is that Nereida? She shouldn¡¯t have been around when I started going in and out of your place right?¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, I also don¡¯t know that person¡¹ Bettina agreed with Dimitar¡¯s words. If it was five years ago, then she was still an eight years old child. For a child lacking discernment to come and go, Quique¡¯s workshop was too much of a danger. ¡¸If she¡¯s still alive, she should be around thirty now. I also don¡¯t know her detailed background very well¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m amazed you did an important research with such a person¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because it was a research which wasn¡¯t given a budget. There was no reason to decline her assistance. Above all, she was capable.¡ªHowever, if I think about it now, perhaps that woman¡¯s intention from the start was to steal my research¡¹ ¡¸That person¡­is a woman?¡¹ ¡¸Nereida is her given name, Your Eminence. She¡¯s a considerably beautiful woman with long black hair. Though I can only describe her outward appearance characteristic to that extent¡­¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s in Biranoba, black hair might not be common. For now, we can only search with that as a clue¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that similar to catching clouds?¡ª¡¹ Feeling fatigued ever since coming out, Valeria sighed. However, if she considered this as a chance to do a meritorious deed, it was a beneficial talk. Besides, it was plausible there were various perquisites. ¡¸¡ªThen Richternach¡¯s kyou, carry out the preparations without any mistake¡¹ Ordering Dimitar so, Valeria began her way back home. Different from her previous mission, this mission¡ªthough definitely an absolute secret¡ªdidn¡¯t require her to conceal her social status or do nothing but hasten; to be a Dominas till the end but hiding her true objective and head towards Biranoba. ¡¸In short, it¡¯s an official elegant trip right?¡¹ Valeria mixed in a mutter while humming. She was sure that there will be three meals per day and a nap upon arriving at Biranoba, and a party will be held nightly to warmly welcome them. Needlessly to say, she shouldn¡¯t forget that this was the crown prince¡¯s imperial command but if it was within the scope of forgiveness, wouldn¡¯t it be fine to enjoy herself, or so Valeria thought. Hence Valeria summoned Nei and Maru who were her childhood friends as well as housemaids when she returned to the mansion and began selecting a dress. ¡¸Are you going to Biranoba?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­Ma, Karin seems to be tagging along as an extra though¡¹ Opening the closet, Valeria skimped through the variety of dresses from one end to another. During missions or ceremonies, she was obligated to wear the tabard and dress bestowed by the king; hence she wanted to wear something she liked on such times. ¡¸¡ªMu?¡¹ Recently, Valeria had finally removed the band-aid on her forehead, and her father Borha (¥Ü¥ë¥Ï) peered wonderingly into the room. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Valeria? It¡¯s unusual for you to put on and off one dress after another¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter right? It¡¯s unrelated to Chichi-ue after all¡¹ Holding the dress against her chest, she spun around repeatedly before the full-length mirror and replied rudely. Although the other party is her blood relative, she can¡¯t talk about the top secret mission¡¯s details carelessly. And even if she didn¡¯t, as a result of her thoughtlessly saying that she was going on a top secret mission previously, her father had intruded into Lucius¡¯s place and caused an inconvenience. Therefore Valeria was absolutely resolved not to speak of this time mission. ¡¸Well? Is a dance scheduled to be held in someone¡¯s mansion? I¡¯ve heard talks of extravagant events being kept in check temporarily due to the recent Seriba¡¯s case though¡¹ ¡¸Although His Majesty mustn¡¯t return from his lover¡¯s place, there¡¯s no need for self-restraint right? If His Majesty return in the near future, a very lavish victory celebration will be held in the royal palace, so shouldn¡¯t I devote myself into making a new dress?¡¹ That celebration¡¯s protagonist was obviously Valeria and she had already ordered a dress. Nonetheless, no matter how she thought about it, she knew that it wouldn¡¯t be fun to be swamped with the guests¡¯ greetings on the appointed day. Hence, for this mission where she was the carefree invitee, Valeria intended to find room for enjoyment at any cost. ¡¸Then why¡¯re you choosing dresses?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re fussing over every detail¡¹ Valeria gave an exasperating sigh and turned around to face her father. ¡¸I¡¯m just accompanying Karin since she¡¯s visiting her relatives¡¯ place in Biranoba. That¡¯s enough so don¡¯t meddle¡¹ ¡¸What!? You¡¯re going to Biranoba!? How come I didn¡¯t hear of such thing!¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that obvious? This¡¯s the first time I mentioned it. By the way, I¡¯ll still go even if you say not to okay? Since I¡¯m ultimately the head of this family, there¡¯s no reason for me to be instructed by Chichi-ue on every detail¡¹ ¡¸I know that¡­But Biranoba?¡­And if I¡¯m not wrong, Karin is the Rudbeck House¡¯s daughter?¡¹ ¡¸What about it?¡¹ ¡¸That means her relatives must be a fairly distinguished family.¡ªAlright, go for it, my daughter!¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, I¡¯ll still go without you telling me¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Though it¡¯s a small country, Biranoba has a long-standing history. If it¡¯s with that distinguished family, you might attain quite a social status. And you seem to be getting ready to attend a party by the looks of it. Now, go forth and capture a son of that good family be it the second or third son!¡¹ ¡¸Haa!?¡¹ Borha abruptly told Valeria to set off and began pushing her back, but it was expected if she thought about it. In short, he probably meant for her to go and search for a husband. Astonishment and anger welled up simultaneously, causing Valeria to throw the dress in her hands towards Nei. ¡¸¡ªThere¡¯s no reason for me to search for a husband right!? I wish you¡¯d stop bringing up that topic in each and every thing!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not saying that you¡¯ve to get a husband immediately. But for the nine years later, while you still can¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Be it now or nine years later, I don¡¯t want to hear such talks from you! I don¡¯t live for the sake of giving birth to a heir!¡¹ ¡¸N, no, I don¡¯t¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because you¡¯re my guardian that I allowed you to stay in this mansion, but I can still carry on living even if I¡¯m alone. If you¡¯re to complain any more than this, can you please go home, Chichi-ue? For the dowry, I can give it to you now with all the interest included!¡¹ The Costacurta House was in great decline during Valeria¡¯s grandfather¡¯s generation, but it recovered thanks to the vast amount of dowry that Borha had prepared when he was adopted into the family. As one would expect, a person who¡¯d say such things to Valeria didn¡¯t exist anymore, but her grandfather at that time was backbitten for selling his daughter to a merchant for money. It was an old story whereby such grandfather and mother were already deceased, but Valeria still loathe her grandfather who treated her mother as a transaction¡¯s material, and she couldn¡¯t bring herself to like the father who had bought his way into this family. Due to that, Valeria couldn¡¯t stop herself from opposing her father who¡¯d badger her to get a husband immediately. Looking at the back of her father leaving the room despondently over the mirror, Valeria expelled her anger quietly. ¡¸Ojou-sama¡ª¡¹ Nei who was helping Valeria to choose a dress spoke with a indescribable expression. ¡¸Danna-sama doesn¡¯t think of Ojou-sama as a tool for giving birth to a heir¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ne¡ªi! Enough of that talk already!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hai¡¹ For unintentionally chastising even Nei, Valeria silently fell into self-loathing. ??? Eventually, it was arranged for Dimitar and party to depart for Biranoba one week later. Karin Rudbeck probably had to send a letter to her relatives during that period to schedule for a visit. Though they weren¡¯t visiting as the country¡¯s representatives, the other side still need to prepare adequately to welcome the the pair of Dominas. In any case, the coordinating role wasn¡¯t Dimitar¡¯s job under those circumstances. His duty was to act as the party¡¯s escort until the end. It¡¯d be better if his turn didn¡¯t come, but depending on the situation, there might be a time when he have to act as a spy. Perhaps on that occasion, Dimitar would have to dirty his hands. ¡¸¡­¡ªFor the time being, I want you to hear this but¡¹ Giving a sidelong glance towards Bettina who was running around inside the workshop with a ¡°gashon gashon¡± and consolidating the luggage, Dimitar asked Quique. ¡¸If by chance that woman named Nereida was really involved in the Seriba¡¯s rebellion, she¡¯ll be a wanted man of Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be¡¹ Quique replied disinterestedly while cleaning the bowl of his khiser with a piece of twisted paper. ¡¸¡ªThere¡¯s a possibility I¡¯ll have to kill that woman, even so you¡¯re fine with that?¡¹ ¡¸Is this a talk about seeking my permission?¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯ve an irreplaceable relationship with that woman, I¡¯m thinking of apologising¡¹ ¡¸Oi oi, don¡¯t speak of such things in front of a child¡¹ Quique stuffed leaves of shredded tobacco into the bowl again, lit a fire and then knitted his brows. ¡¸Is she not your daughter, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸I took custody of her and raised her up so she¡¯s like a daughter to me¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? You¡¯ve strange tastes¡¹ ¡¸Kora¡¹ (TN: ¤³¤é; use to reprove or scold someone.) ¡¸Setting aside the topic of Gacha Pink¡¹ Dimitar stood up from the chair by the window. ¡¸¡ªSince you don¡¯t mind, then I won¡¯t hold back against her. It¡¯s easier that way. Is there something else?¡¹ ¡¸By something else, you mean?¡¹ ¡¸¡­For example, she¡¯s in fact a master of great swordsmanship or an expert in magic?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen her use sword or magic before¡­But, she¡¯s fairly knowledgeable so she might have conceal the fact that she can use magic ¡¹ ¡¸Saying that you felt she had conceal it, are you feeling that woman is suspicious to some extent?¡¹ Quique didn¡¯t answer Dimitar¡¯s question. As though he had never heard that question, he gazed out of the window and puffed out smoke. Honestly, even Dimitar couldn¡¯t grasp this oddball¡¯s real intention. From the start, he was a man who turned his back on promotion and fame, only immersing himself in the researches that he wanted to do. Being detached from the world, the authenticity of the things he spoke of couldn¡¯t be measured. Dimitar held Jagieruka¡¯s hilt in his left hand and released a sigh. ¡¸¡ªGacha Pink, it¡¯s time to go¡¹ ¡¸Haai!¡¹ With the luggage fastened onto the back of her small and stout body, Bettina bowed to her uncle with a ¡°pekori¡±. ¡¸¡ªWell then Oji-sama, this Bettina will now head out to dispel Oji-sama¡¯s regrets¡¹ ¡¸Oi, stop that way of speaking. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve died of an unnatural death¡¹ For a moment, Quique smiled wryly at his niece who had mistaken the usage of those words and then tapped his khiser on the ashtray¡¯s edge. ¡¸¡­Maa, I think Dii knows it perfectly, but still the both of you, be careful not to leak confidential information okay?¡¹ ¡¸Roger desu~¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ll keep a close watch¡¹ Sent off by Quique, Dimitar and Bettina left the workshop behind them. ¡¸Dimitar-san, Dimitar-saan¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m convinced that I know what kind of person Valeria-sama is already, but what kind of person is that Karin-sama who will be travelling with us this time desu? ¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t ask me. I haven¡¯t meet her yet¡¹ ¡¸Is that so desu? But, she¡¯s surely a pretty person since she¡¯s chosen as a Dominas right?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so. She seems quite competent. Probably the calm and cool prodigy type¡­That our Eminence (Valeria) is above that person (Karin), I can¡¯t believe it for a moment¡¹ ¡¸If she¡¯s above Karin-sama who is a prodigy, then, Valeria-sama is a genius desune!¡¹ ¡¸Rather than genius¡­that person is a natural airhead. She¡¯s the type who doesn¡¯t give a damn about magic theories and cut her way through everything with instinct or intuition¡¹ Slightly winkling up his brows, Dimitar shut his mouth upon seeing a carriage parked inside the Royal Magic Academy¡¯s backyard. There were already three girls and Lucius standing beside the carriage. ¡¸Ah!¡¹ Noticing Dimitar¡¯s party, Valeria flourished her hat that was adorned with feathers and raised her voice. Since this time was publicly a personal trip, Valeria wasn¡¯t in her Dominas ceremonial clothes of a dress beneath a tabard, but a gorgeous orange dress typical of a noble¡¯s daughter. ¡¸You¡¯re late¡ªit¡¯s rude to keep us waiting!¡¹ ¡¸Ma ma, Valeria-jou, since this is a long-awaited trip¡­¡¹ When Lucius soothed her so, Valeria turned towards him with a flower-like smile and nodded. ¡¸If Lucius-sama says so¡­hai ?¡¹ ¡¸Dii, you should have come slightly earlier¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve arrived in time¡¹ Confirming the time on the clock tower, Dimitar said so. ¡¸¡ªIf you¡¯ve any complaints, it¡¯d have been fine if you specified the time five minutes earlier from the start¡¹ ¡¸Look here¡ª¡¹ When Valeria opened her mouth angrily, the bell signalling noon began to chime. Thereupon losing her timing, Valeria instead inhaled a large breath and snorted with a ¡°funn!¡± and faced away. Lucius shrugged his shoulders lightly and introduced the remaining pair of girls to Dimitar. ¡¸¡ªDii, these¡¯re Karin Rudbeck-geika and her exclusive crest officer, Petra Rudbeck-jou¡¹ ¡¸Your fame is widely known¡¹ Since Karin and Valeria were on intimate terms, it was likely that Karin had already heard about Dimitar¡¯s personality. It was futile to take on a courteous behaviour now, but since Lucius was nearby, perhaps it might be better to give a neat greeting in the beginning at least. ¡¸I¡¯m Dimitar Richternach, Your Eminence¡¹ Dimitar placed his right hand on his chest, bend his back slightly and bowed. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The beauty with bluish grey hair¡ªKarin Rudbeck looked at Dimitar who was much taller than her sincerely. This girl was probably much more prudent and cautious than Valeria. Trying to see through her opponent¡¯s feelings without revealing her emotions¡ªas though appraising him, was what Dimitar thought as he took on such an indifferent gaze. ¡¸¡­Pleased to meet you, Richternach-kyou¡¹ After plenty of time had passed, Karin greeted Dimitar. ¡¸Though we may give you trouble one way or another, I look forward to working with you, Richternach-kyou¡¹ Pushing up her glasses, Petra Rudbeck smiled sweetly. Though Karin and Petra were cousins of similar age, it felt rather unnatural to Dimitar that Petra was lavishing smiles as if she was the uncivil younger cousin. Although this and that weren¡¯t things that he could publicise, Dimitar lightly struck the head of Bettina who was loading the brought luggage onto the carriage¡¯s rear, ¡¸¡­She¡¯s the army¡¯s Chief Engineer Albiol¡¯s niece and Costacurta-geika¡¯s attendant, Bettina Albiol. She¡¯ll be accompanying on this trip as an escort together with me¡¹ ¡¸Be, Bettina desu! Pleased to meet you~¡¹ ¡¸¡­Best regards¡¹ Replying indifferently, Karin turned towards Lucius. ¡¸¡­Then vice-leader, we¡¯ll depart now¡¹ ¡¸Yes, please take care¡¹ Borrowing Lucius¡¯s hand, Valeria and party boarded the carriage. ¡¸¡ª¡ªDii¡ª¡¹ Lucius whispered softly to Dimitar who was confirming that their luggage was fastened securely. ¡¸I think this goes without saying but, the pair (Karin and Valeria)¡¯s safety¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I know. Other than that, isn¡¯t it natural to bring a bit more attendants along?¡¹ It was a luxury for four people to get on a two-horse carriage, but if the Dominas pair that Amaddo was proud of was to set off for a foreign trip, they ought to bring alongside an additional dozens of attendants or escorts. Even if it was publicly a personal trip, to be able to count the numbers of attendants with one hand, it was indeed too few. ¡¸There¡¯s that but¡­the other side said it wasn¡¯t necessary¡¹ ¡¸The other side?¡¹ ¡¸Rudbeck-geika¡¯s grandmother¡¯s home¡ªValiente House wishes for them to come by themselves as they¡¯ll prepare everything necessary¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that a usual correspondence?¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s tactful way of expressing something but¡­maa, recklessly taking attendants along will become a responsibility there, and in the worst case, your burdens may increase¡¹ Lucius murmured with a lowered voice. Though it wasn¡¯t clear what Valeria and Karin were thinking, but at least Lucius seemed to have taken into consideration the possibility of it becoming that sort of thing. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, take care and go¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡¹ The girls had boarded the carriage but without a coachman, the carriage wouldn¡¯t move. Hence, Dimitar sat on the coachman¡¯s pedestal and picked up the bridles. ¡¸Um~, what¡¯s the best thing for me to do¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be cramped if you get inside and the three preceding visitors might cry¡­You shall be next to me. Put on your mantle so you won¡¯t be conspicious¡¹ ¡¸Roger desu~¡¹ Dimitar waited for Bettina to climb proddingly onto the coachman¡¯s pedestal and stuck the bridle with a snap. End of Chapter 1 Volume 2 - CH 2 Those without Dominas When the ¡°Holy Alliance¡± formed, each of the twelve allied countries had a Dominas. However, the countries participating in that alliance had now decreased to seven. It was the consequence of fellow allies repeating the cycle of occasional disputes, mergers, separations and annexation, downfall and sudden rise to power. Currently, the legitimate alliance signatories numbered seven including Amaddo. In regard to that, eight quasi-signatories matched their paces with Amaddo to protect the ¡°Hill of Seal¡°. In general, the former was a large country while the latter were small countries, but above all, the obvious conclusive difference was whether they had Dominas or not. ??? Biranoba was one of the twelve countries when the ¡°Holy Alliance¡± formed. It had a history that long but lost its Dominas during those 200 years and had to be contented with its quasi-signatory position now. (TN: Crest officer = Hiera Glaphicos) Valeria pulled back the drawn curtain of the carriage¡¯s window once it left the Roma¡¯s castle gates fairly behind. ¡¸¡­If there¡¯s any inconvenience from becoming a Dominas, then it¡¯s that we can¡¯t appear freely in front of people¡¹ If someone was to peek into the carriage by chance and expose the fact that Valeria and Karin were aboard, the castle town might have become quite a bit of racket. Hence the velvet curtain was drawn across the window to avoid unnecessary trouble. After opening the window slightly, the regular sounds of the horses¡¯ hooves and wheel streamed in with the gentle wind that carried the grass¡¯s fragrance unique to the countryside. Closing the book that she was reading, Karin abruptly asked Valeria, who was resting her elbow on the window frame and taking deep breaths, a question. ¡¸¡­Excuse me, Valeria. Is it alright if I ask you a question?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine but¡­what¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸How old is he?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Him. How old is he?¡¹ ¡¸By him¡­you mean Richternach-kyou?¡¹ Karin nodded quietly. ¡¸Ah¡ª, I¡¯m certain that Richternach-kyou is the same age as Valeria, right? ¡¹ Opposite from Karin, the smiling Petra answered. Petra was Karin¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos but she had originally aimed to be a Dominas and this relation was known to Valeria. ¡¸Then, he¡¯s one year younger than me¡¹ While caressing her lower lips with her index finger, Karin murmured monotonously. ¡¸¡­His parents aren¡¯t around anymore right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Yes, during his childhood, in a fire¡­¡¹ Accurately speaking, it wasn¡¯t because of a mere fire that Dimitar¡¯s parents had passed away. It was a more tragic reason, but Valeria was hesitant to tell Karin the truth with her mouth, thus she simply agreed ambiguously. ¡¸Then, his guardian is the academy¡¯s principal?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re right but¡­what about it?¡¹ ¡¸Is he your fianc¨¦, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Hahi!?¡¹ Valeria gave a cowardly response to Karin¡¯s too abrupt question. ¡¸Wh¡­what do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Exactly what it means. Whether it¡¯s decided that he¡¯ll be your marriage partner or not¡¹ ¡¸I, I know that much! I totally know it! What I want to hear is, what kind of intention do you¡¯ve for being curious about such personal information¡­¡¹ ¡¸If he¡¯s free¡ªI¡¯m thinking of including him as a candidate¡­It¡¯s certainly personal information, though it¡¯d be great if father can officially sound the academy¡¯s principal out when it comes down to the last moment¡¹ ¡¸Do, do you perhaps¡­fancy that person?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. Conversely, I¡¯d like to hear from you but, do you not like him?¡¹ ¡¸O, obviously!¡¹ Unintentionally shouting with a loud voice, Valeria hurriedly covered her mouth. There were just the three of them inside the carriage and Valeria didn¡¯t think that Dimitar and Bettina who were on the coachman¡¯s pedestal had heard their conversation; but more than that, she was ashamed that she had lost her composure. ¡¸¡­I mean, that man has a bad mouth and a big attitude. Though this¡¯s my duty, it¡¯s really nothing but vexatious to be deployed together you know!? ¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª, a straightforward person? Or the like?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s not such a cool person!¡¹ After Petra¡¯s example was rejected immediately by Valeria, Karin looked on indifferently. ¡¸Maa, I¡¯ve heard your opinion¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re seriously considering that guy as your groom candidate? ¡¹ ¡¸He isn¡¯t bad as a choice. In fact, he might be excellent¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that so?¡¹ Valeria couldn¡¯t understand Karin¡¯s thoughts a bit. She got the chills just from imagining a marriage with Dimitar. Even though she gave in unwillingly into her imaginations and thought of him as the partner who played the pseudo husband, it might have been impossible to live together under one roof in the first place. Of course, even Valeria acknowledged Dimitar¡¯s ability as a Hiera Glaphicos and escort but this and that were separate matters. However, without breaking her usual cool smile, Karin shook her feathered folding fan while replying. ¡¸Whether or not I¡¯m interested in him, and whether or not I accept that personality of his which you¡¯ve thoroughly disparaged, are talks for the future. However, is Richternach-kyou not a very good person at the present, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you flattered him too much, Karin¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because I¡¯ve yet to experience his shortcomings. Even so, he can complete his jobs, have good looks, is young and healthy, and above all, the status as a person of the Richternach House is top class as a marriage partner. What he lacks is personal assets?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Hearing Karin¡¯s analysis, Valeria tried to think calmly. Certainly, ignoring Dmitar¡¯s wicked tongue and insolent attitude, if she looked at him objectively without prejudice, then as a man, he might belong to the fairly popular category. However, Valeria couldn¡¯t overlook those faults no matter what. Moreover, she had terrible experiences because of them, and thus she didn¡¯t agree to Karin¡¯s opinion upfront. Did she deduce that from Valeria¡¯s murky expression? Karin shut the folding fan with a snap and raised her pearl pink lips. ¡¸Rather, it might be assuring that you took such a stance. Just competing for the top seat against you is enough¡¹ Valeria and Karin were originally neither acquaintances nor friends, but rivals who aimed to be a Dominas and thus encountered each other during the intense competition. Eventually, Valeria became the top seat while Karin became the runner-up and both fulfilled their dreams of becoming a Dominas, but perhaps their relation might have become one where they quarrelled very much. Valeria gazed out of the window and sighed. ¡¸Such concern is completely unnecessary.¡ªIn the first place, I absolutely detest choosing my marriage partner based on pedigree or fortune¡¹ She then remembered venting her irritation at her father recently and became sullen again. ??? On the afternoon of that very same day, the crown prince Jeffren Isaac summoned Home Minister Kamunyas-kyou to the glasshouse and asked him. ¡¸Has Chichi-ue¡¯s letter arrived? Did it say anything?¡¹ ¡¸Ha!¡­It¡¯s concluded that he¡¯ll return from Taroma five days later¡­¡¹ ¡¸That, saying five days later¡¹ Pruning with a ¡°pachipachi¡± sound, Isaac raised his face from the roses. ¡¸¡ªFive days later from when? From when Chichi-ue write the letter or when the letter reached you?¡¹ ¡¸Most likely, is it not five days after His Majesty has written the letter¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Fuun,¡­elegant as usual huh¡¹ (TN: Kanji ƒžÑÅ) ¡¸Indeed¡­¡¹ Wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, Kamunyas looked downwards. ¡¸So, is that all?¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸Look here, I didn¡¯t dispatch a fast horse just to know when he¡¯ll return from his mistress¡¯s place you know? Did he not write about other more important matters?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Show it to me. That letter, you¡¯ve it right?¡¹ Removing the glove, Isaac held out his hand towards Kamunyas. Seemingly like a rose mania¡¯s hedonist, this young man was fairly perceptive. Kamunyas looked at the crown prince with upturned eyes and nervously took out a letter from his breast pocket. ¡¸¡­Hee¡¹ Reading the letter that the senior statesman had received from his father in one go, the crown prince raised his well-featured lips completely. ¡¸It¡¯s unusual for him to praise me. I thought he¡¯d be angry that I arbitrarily decided to exempt Seriba¡¯s taxation but¡ªeh?¡¹ Scrolling down the content of the letter, the crown prince¡¯s line of sight stopped suddenly. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s written that all national politics will be entrusted to me in the absence of Chichi-ue? Is this fine?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­Since it¡¯s endorsed by His Majesty¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Fuun¡¹ ¡¸N, nonetheless, you still have to consult with the senior statesmen in the end¡­¡¹ ¡¸But of course, even I¡¯d never think of becoming this country¡¯s dictator from just this one sentence. Or rather, being a dictator is surprisingly troublesome right? You¡¯ve to decide everything alone after all¡¹ In Amaddo, the king is an existence that stands at the top of the government and also a religious leader who unifies God¡¯s believers in the country. The king¡¯s words are absolute, and the roles of the senior statesmen who work at the royal court are no more than his advisers to the end. Everything within the country is decided by the king, and that principle cannot be changed. ¡¸¡­Maa, that¡¯s why Chichi-ue takes a breather like this from time to time¡¹ ¡¸Indeed¡­¡¹ It was quite hard for the crown prince to approve and Kamunyas leaked a vague voice at his words without adding a response or a sigh. ¡¸¡ªIncidentally, is the appointed date for when Haha-ue returns from the royal villa known yet?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡­no, not yet¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s bad¡¹ Returning the letter to Kamunyas, the crown prince revealed a faint smile which couldn¡¯t be thought of as pleasant, put on the glove again and picked up the shears. ¡¸¡ªIf Haha-ue returned from recuperation and the fact that Chichi-ue went to his mistress¡¯s place was exposed, it¡¯s possible that her condition will deteriorate again. In the worst case, it might develop into a divorce¡¹ ¡¸B, but, what can¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll write a letter to Haha-ue and request for her to rest at the royal villa for the time being as there¡¯s disorder due to processing the aftermath of the Seriba¡¯s rebellion¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a splendid idea¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Afterwards, it¡¯ll be great if the Biranoba¡¯s matter is settled promptly¡ªBy the way Kamunyas-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸Call Kaparos-kyou. Can I not confirm the budget, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸The budget¡ªis it?¡¹ ¡¸And call Barzari-kyou here too¡¹ Kaparos and Barzari were senior statesmen that served as the Finance Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister respectively; together with the Home Minister Kamunyas and Military Minister Garido, they were referred as Amaddo¡¯s Four Elder Statesmen. ¡¸W, why is it necessary to summon the both of them?¡¹ ¡¸A budget is necessary for the Chivalric Order¡¯s manoeuvres right?¡¹ ¡¸Huh, manoeuvres!? Why at this kind of time!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s this kind of time¡­We might have to force the Biranoba¡¯s government to accept negotiation when the necessity arises, so I made arrangements with Barzari-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness¡­! What in the world are you trying to do!?¡¹ ¡¸Maa maa¡¹ The crown prince cut a white rose and pushed it against Kamunyas; mixing in a hum, he went back to trimming the roses. If one has to say, the father that was the king, was a man who expanded Amaddo¡¯s territory and thought of fighting against barbarous believers as his job¡ªto say nicely, he was heroic; to say poorly, he was rough¡ªand didn¡¯t meddle with domestic matters in details. However, the son who was the crown prince appeared nonchalant but was in fact shrewd and calculating. Simply put, his deepest thoughts were completely impalpable. Therefore, Kamunyas couldn¡¯t fathom what the crown prince was trying to do at this point of time. If it¡¯s this intelligent young man, he doesn¡¯t appear likely to do anything rash to harm the national interest, though the crown prince has the knack of making people worried from doing unimaginable things. ??? Having stopped en route for the night at a large relay station, Valeria¡¯s party arrived at Biranoba¡¯s capital city Buruan the next day. As a friendly country since olden times, there was no inspection point to hinder people from travelling between Amaddo and Biranoba. Moreover, Buruan didn¡¯t have castle walls that should protect a capital. A beautiful white-plastered castle towered at the top of a gentle hill, and town areas spread out in every direction with it as the centre. Without the demarcation of castle walls, Buruan was a large business city where people and articles went in and out freely regardless if it was day or night. ¡¸Hee¡ª¡¹ Showing her face from the carriage¡¯s window, Valeria held down the hat atop her head and gazed at the castle. ¡¸What a lovely castle, albeit slightly insecure. On such a open plains, and what¡¯s more, there¡¯s no castle walls. Can the capital be defended at the critical moment?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think that critical moment will come¡¹ Dimitar replied promptly from the coachman¡¯s pedestal. ¡¸Biranoba is interposed between its allies, Amaddo and Diruma, with them on its east and west respectively. The possibility of an attack from foreign countries is exceedingly close to zero¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ When Valeria looked back inside the carriage, Karin silently nodded. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s also due to Buruan¡¯s national policy of not imposing tariff that there isn¡¯t a castle wall or gate. If merchants can go in and out freely without being imposed with tariffs, that alone will flourish business transactions¡¹ Perhaps she heard Dimitar¡¯s words; Karin spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡­He¡¯s quite learned, isn¡¯t he? Having that kind of profound discernment, I think it¡¯ll be good for you to follow his example a little though¡¹ ¡¸He just have a broad knowledge from running errands here and there during his Chivalric Order¡¯s days¡¹ Hence it wasn¡¯t unusual for Dimitar to have an extensive knowledge, but Valeria wasn¡¯t amused that Karin praised him and couldn¡¯t help but feel agitated. It seemed that even if Karin¡¯s high evaluation of Dimitar was a bad joke, she didn¡¯t seem to be teasing Valeria. Valeria settled down onto the soft and fluffy seat, shut the feathered folding fan and adjusted her low-cut d¨¦collet¨¦. ¡¸¡ªBy the way Karin, what kind of person is your relative?¡¹ ¡¸¡­The Valiente House is the home of my maternal grandmother. It¡¯s a noble family even in Biranoba and I heard that the current family head Dante serves as Biranoba¡¯s deputy prime minister¡¹ ¡¸Ah, what a remarkable person¡¹ ¡¸That being said, his age isn¡¯t that different from us though¡­If I remember correctly, he should be around nineteen¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? He¡¯s a prime minister of a country at nineteen!?¡¹ ¡¸The deputy prime minister¡­But I think it¡¯s probably temporary due to talks of succeeding his father who passed away last year¡¹ Karin mixed in a sigh and answered, then looked at Petra suddenly. ¡¸Petra, inform Richternach-kyou of the route¡¹ ¡¸Okay¡¹ Petra opened the small window affixed right behind the coachman¡¯s pedestal and directed Dimitar the way to Valiente House¡¯s mansion. It seemed that the great nobles¡¯ residences in this Biranoba were mostly in the town¡¯s outskirts. The path bordered by rows of Cytisus scoparius branched off from the centre of the tranquil rural districts and a white mansion¡¯s silhouette soon appeared on the other side. (TN: Cytisus scoparius) Leaning out from the window again, Valeria tilted her head sideways. ¡¸The castle and the street of stores and houses from some time ago are also like that, but this capital has numerous white buildings¡¹ ¡¸¡­You, do you not know what the national flower of Biranoba is?¡¹ Holding the bridle with his back curled up, Dimitar looked at Valeria over his shoulder. It was that usual cold look that scorned the other party. ¡¸Eh? I, I don¡¯t know but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸There ought to have been plenty of time to prepare, yet what in the world were you doing?¡¹ ¡¸What¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the basic of basics to investigate on the foreign country if you¡¯re going there on a mission. At any rate, you were probably choosing dresses instead of investigating sufficiently on Biranoba right?¡¹ ¡¸Ginuu¡­¡¹ Since what Valeria had actually did first after receiving the crown prince¡¯s order was choosing dresses, she had no words for rebuttal. Averting his gaze from the young lady who was mumbling with a ¡°mogo mogo¡±, Dimitar shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸¡ªBiranoba¡¯s national flower is the white lily. The Biranoba castle was painted with white plaster with that as an image and was called the White Lily castle as its alias. It¡¯s for the same reason why the castle town¡¯s buildings are white. It seems that slaked lime is often gathered from the mountain district that is adjacent to Diruma¡¯s national border. High quality plaster is one of this country special product. Remember these well. Rather, you should have study beforehand. Your excessive ignorance affects not just me, but also Amaddo¡¯s honour¡¹ ¡¸Mugigi¡­!¡¹ To the valid reasoning that came directly from her front as always, Valeria could only clenched her fists tightly and withdrew into the carriage. ¡¸¡­Sorry. I¡¯m of the complete same opinion as him¡¹ Undoubtedly dealt a blow by Karin, Valeria¡¯s face turned even redder and she shut the window. ??? When they passed through Valiente House¡¯ door and approached the water fountain at the centre, the mansion¡¯s maids stood in a line and greeted the party. ¡¸Don¡¯t lose focus¡¹ Stopping the carriage before the foyer, Dimitar told Bettina in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªCarry as much luggage as you can. Although the other side will carry them too, you must carry your own luggage personally¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind but¡­why?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll explain it eventually¡¹ Dimitar leaped off from the coachman¡¯s pedestal, prepared a small stepladder and opened the carriage¡¯s door. ¡¸Welcome, Karin-sama, Petra-sama¡¹ The maids greeted Karin and Petra simultaneously when they descended from the carriage. It was likely that they had visited this places several times before. The thoroughly trained maids also didn¡¯t forget to greet Valeria who descended next. Dimitar gave the custody of the carriage to a person of the mansion and carried twenty percent of the luggage himself while Bettina took the other eighty percent. Afterwards, Karin and the party stepped into the Valiente house. ¡¸¡ªWelcome, Karin. And also the guests¡¹ Upon entering the spacious entrance hall, a clear voice resounded. From the second floor corridor of the hall, a young man wearing ceremonial clothes with long shirttail descended. ¡¸That¡¯s him?¡¹ Valeria raised a question, which was synonymous to her only, towards Karin in a low voice but it was also heard by Dimitar. Why did this girl ask every single thing that can be understood without thinking¡ªDimitar reflexively clicked his tongue and endured it, then causally observed this mansion¡¯s master. Biranoba¡¯s deputy prime minister, Dante Valiente, descended from the stairway slowly¡ªaccording to the information that Dimitar had learned beforehand, he followed his father¡¯s footsteps by becoming the prime minister though he was still nineteen this year. It was certain that he was a young and smart politician with a future of great expectations. Dante¡¯s somewhat falsetto-like shrill voice irritated Dimitar slightly though and he didn¡¯t like it in any way. Descending while touching his big and round red ringlets, Dante bowed and softly kissed the back of Karin¡¯s hand. Looking at Karin with upturned eyes, he muttered. ¡¸How old are you again?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You shouldn¡¯t have forgotten after seven years right?¡¹ ¡¸Hahaha, is that so?¡¹ Dante narrowed his eyes and smiled, then took the hand of Valeria who was beside Karin. ¡¸Pleased to meet you, Costacurta-geika. I¡¯m Biranoba¡¯s deputy prime minister, Dante Valiente¡¹ ¡¸Pleased to meet you, Your Excellency. At your invitation, I¡¯ll be in your care and boldly intrude on you¡¹ Though her facial expression seemed slightly stiff, her words flowed out carefully. Most likely, she had practised her speech in the carriage. Dante finished greeting Petra too and finally, he looked towards Bettina rather than Dimitar. ¡¸You¡¯re the Hiera Glaphicos, Richternach-kyou¡ª, and this is?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Valeria-sama¡¯s attendant, Bettina desu~¡¹ ¡¸Attendant?¡¹ Dante raised his eyebrows and stared at Bettina. Certainly, it was expected that he couldn¡¯t accept it immediately when a mass of short and stout pink armour introduced itself as an attendant. Karin then said to the puzzled Dante. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s a meaning behind this child¡¯s appearance. She won¡¯t be a bother and I guarantee her identity, so don¡¯t touch on this topic anymore¡¹ ¡¸And I thought that such fashion is popular in Amaddo.¡ªIs that an armour which somehow move on magical power?¡¹ ¡¸Um, maa¡¹ ¡¸As expected of the magic-advanced Amaddo. I¡¯m envious that its magic engineering is making progress¡¹ Dante smiled bitterly and invited the party inside. At the passageway adjoined to the interior, a huge man with sharp eyes was standing there. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t a retainer that performed routine duties in this mansion. He was probably a mercenary or something. ¡¸He¡¯s a guard of this mansion, Salomon Pujor. Though he may be taciturn and unsociable, he¡¯s reliable and has served here since my father¡¯s generation¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar secretly checked the hand of Salomon who bowed silently. The skin near the base of his right thumb was stiff and tough, probably a result from wielding a sword or spear for many years. He was definitely a soldier who had accumulated a considerable amount of experiences. ¡¸The guest rooms have been prepared separately¡¹ What Dante had personally guided them to, was a detached room of the vast mansion on the first floor that faced the elegant courtyard. It was a room of first-class furniture and interior, making the inn where Dimitar usually stay seemed absurd and such room was prepared for every one of the five men party. ¡¸Please have a rest first. I shall have cold beverages prepared at once. Afterwards, someone will guide you around the mansion¡¹ Bequeathing generosity typical of a master of a noble family that had continued for generations, Dante then stated that he had work to do and returned to his study. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Exchanging looks with Valeria and the rest, Dimitar entered the room assigned to him and knocked on the wall and floor to check for the presence of secret path or hidden door before unpacking his travelling clothes. ¡¸There¡¯s none here huh¡­though it won¡¯t be strange for the family head¡¯s room to have one or two secret passages¡¹ Loosening his neck with a ¡°kokikoki¡±, Dimitar widened the collar of his outer garment and stepped forward to the bay window. A bed of beautiful flowers were blooming directly beneath the window. Since the window wasn¡¯t fit fixedly, it was possible to go to Valeria or Bettina¡¯s rooms without passing through the mansion via this window. Naturally, he could use this to escape when the situation called for it. While constructing an escape route in case of emergency within his head, Dimitar began changing his clothes. It was an exceeding troublesome talk, but Dimitar have to attend this evening¡¯s party in light of his position. For Dimitar who hated formalities, passing time with a flawless and clear face as a member of the Richternach clan that was Amaddo¡¯s noble family and above all else, as Valeria Costacurta¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, was quite a torture. If this wasn¡¯t defined as part of the mission, he wanted to break the window and escape immediately. ¡¸Dimita~r-san! Dimi-sa~n!¡¹ The massive door was imprudently knocked on and pink¡¯s voice could be heard beyond it. ¡¸Don¡¯t shorten people¡¯s name as you like¡­Be it you or Mercier, why do brats act over-familiar with everyone?¡¹ Opening the door and inviting Bettina inside his room, Dimitar fixed the cuffs of his white shirt and sighed. ¡¸I don¡¯t want to be told that by Dimitar-san who call people Gacha Pink desu~¡¹ ¡¸So, what do you want?¡¹ ¡¸Um¡ª, it seems that a party will be held here tonight but, what shall I do~?¡¹ ¡¸Standby in your room¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸I said to standby in your room¡¹ ¡¸W, w, why! Even I want to eat the good food at the banquet desuu!¡¹ Bettina stomped her foot with a clatter. Annoyed by the tightness of the collar, Dimitar sat down on a chair. ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll ask you couple of things but¡­did you bring a dress?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t aware that there¡¯ll be a party¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because I never mentioned it¡¹ ¡¸How cruel!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like I was particularly told about this either. It was because I guessed it somehow that I was prepared for it.¡ªDo you get it? At the moment when you never thought through such things carefully, you¡¯re already unnecessary in tonight¡¯s party¡¹ ¡¸T, this¡¯s discrimination desuyou!¡¹ ¡¸Then, supposed you know it beforehand, can you prepare a dress that¡¯s expensive enough to build a small house?¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? Build, a house¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that obvious? It¡¯s a party gathered with people who wear such dresses you know? If it¡¯s a woman, she has to wear other necessities like necklace or rings. Though Our Eminences have fallen to ruins, they can prepare at least this much since they are originally from noble families. But it might be impossible for you? Even if you managed to borrow a dress somehow, do you know manners? Can you hold an acceptable and witty conversation without being impolite? What if a man invite you for a dance?¡¹ Bettina crumbled down with a boisterous ¡°Gachaa!¡± sound from Dimitar¡¯s successive questions. ¡¸It, it¡¯s impossible desuu¡­¡¹ ¡¸I thought so¡¹ Simply put, Bettina is just the niece of a Chief Engineer who worked for the Amaddo Kingdom¡¯s army. She¡¯s undoubtedly a commoner and by rights, far from participating in tonight¡¯s party, it was impossible for her to be invited to this mansion as a guest. ¡¸¡­Maa, though I want to see you in an appearance besides the armour, give up on tonight. Above all, you can¡¯t endure the urge to pee during the party¡¹ ¡¸Uuu¡­B, but, the banquet¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll bring the food to you somehow¡­Apart from that, you absolutely cannot take that off¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hai?¡¹ ¡¸That Bachu something¡¹ ¡¸You mean Bachururus?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t forget what the Chief Engineer said. That¡¯s a mass of highly classified information. Also, take care of that during the party. Watch over it properly¡¹ Dimitar pointed towards Jagieruka that was leaning against the luggage while drinking the water from the pitcher. ¡¸Eh? Why?¡¹ ¡¸While I feel uneasy leaving it behind in this room, I can¡¯t bring such dangerous thing into the party¡¯s venue¡¹ ¡¸When Dimi-san puts it that way, it¡¯s as if there¡¯s a thief in this mansion¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not only this mansion. I¡¯m always this cautious wherever it may be. Since you also brought along this pink armour, always act with this in mind¡­If that is stolen by chance, the one to be dismissed is your uncle¡¹ ¡¸Oh, please don¡¯t threaten me¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not a threat. It¡¯s the fact¡¹ ¡¸¡­Somehow, it has become scary to be in this room alone¡­¡¹ With her toes turned inwards, Bettina returned to her room feeling restless while grumbling. She was probably struggling against the urge to pee that assaulted her again. Dimitar pulled the curtain across the bay window and lay down on the bed with Jagieruka held under his arm. He wasn¡¯t very tired in particular but his trait was to rest whenever it was time to do so. ??? That very same day, after he was summoned by the crown prince and talked about various things, Lucius managed to return home before meal. In the middle of changing clothes, he heard his mother returned home and became amazed. ¡¸¡­Though I say this, it¡¯s rare for Haha-ue and I to return home before meal at the same time¡¹ ¡¸It has been roughly ten days since the last time¡¹ Thial who was assisting Lucius¡¯s change of clothes supplemented his mutter. ¡¸In that case, I¡¯ll have my meal together with Haha-ue tonight since it¡¯s a rare occasion¡¹ ¡¸Then it shall be so¡¹ Fastening the belt of his gown and striking his side with a ¡°pon¡±, Lucius went to the dining hall. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯re early today too¡¹ When Lucius sat at the table first and drank his wine, Orvieto appeared after changing her clothes. ¡¸It was His Highness¡¯s instructions for me to return home early and rest¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that boy planning to do something again?¡¹ ¡¸Haha-ue¡¹ Lucius picked up the cutlery and looked at his mother with upturned eyes. Orvieto held the most important post in the kingdom but it bothered him whenever she said such disrespectful things from time to time. From Orvieto¡¯s view, the crown prince Isaac was certainly a young man whose age wasn¡¯t that different from her son, but nevertheless, it was inexcusable to call him that way. It might even become a troublesome matter if someone from the castle heard it. Swirling her glass wine, Orvieto said boldly. ¡¸After all, he¡¯s currently doing something right? Furthermore, he sent two Dominas to Biranoba¡­What on earth is he doing, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸As expected, it¡¯s something that I can¡¯t even tell Haha-ue ¡¹ Naturally, Lucius knew about the objective behind Valeria and party¡¯s trip to Biranoba, but even if his opponent is Orvieto, he wouldn¡¯t tell her that. ¡¸Setting my position as the magic academy¡¯s principal aside, I¡¯m curious as Dii¡¯s guardian¡­Since Valeria-jou has set out, this means that child also left right?¡¹ ¡¸I think you¡¯ll find out whether he¡¯s here or not if you go to the inn and check¡­And foremost, this¡¯s my first time hearing that Valeria-jou has set out¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re poor in lying and acting¡¹ Orvieto pouted her lips slightly and placed the glass down, then reached out for the serving of soup with warm steam rising up from it. Though a cuisine of roast mutton¡¯s tender shoulder meat, meatballs which used spice and omelette with eel stuffing were spread out alongside on the table, Orvieto didn¡¯t eat much of those. ¡¸¡ªIncidentally, what¡¯s the task that you¡¯ve to do?¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸Boy¡ªno, the crown prince said something right? Resting your body or the like¡¹ ¡¸A manoeuvre is expected to begin soon. In the case, I might be absent from home for a few days¡¹ ¡¸A manoeuvre, the Chivalric Order of bonbons?¡¹ (TN: ¥Ü¥ó¥Ü¥ó means inexperienced young man from well-to-do family; personally I can¡¯t think of an English-equivalent word for it¡­) ¡¸¡­You absolutely can¡¯t talk about this outside, Haha-ue. Including me, the gathering of bonbons is a fact¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m very interested to see those bonbons leave their nest, and what kind of manoeuvre they¡¯ll do¡­perhaps this¡¯s also related to the Biranoba¡¯s case?¡¹ ¡¸I cannot say that. If you want to know, please ask His Highness¡¹ ¡¸I shall do so if I ever feel inclined to¡¹ Saying so, Orvieto sipped her vegetable soup elegantly. ¡¸¡ªI wonder if Dii is eating properly?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright. Unlike Haha-ue and I, Dii is a person who can prepare food by himself if there isn¡¯t any to eat¡­Besides, I think he should be surrounded by luxurious cuisine around this time¡¹ ¡¸That means Dii is currently at a place that can produce such cuisine? Where in the world can it be I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Having carelessly talked about Dimitar¡¯s whereabouts, Lucius averted his mother¡¯s gaze. ??? The Valiente House seemed to possess more influence in Biranoba than Valeria had thought. That could be understood by judging the number of people assembled in tonight¡¯s party. This might be the true influence held by an old family; a noble family that had preserved its prestige. If the previous her, who had yet to become a Dominas, used the Costacurta House¡¯s name to gather people, Valeria was sure that she couldn¡¯t gather this much of them. However, it was likely the Costacurta House should have boasted of a glory like this until her grandfather squandered the house away. Valeria¡¯s dream was to regain Costacurta House¡¯s former glory with her own strength. ¡ªNonetheless, the austerity forced onto Valeria because of that was harsher than she imagined. ¡¸Is Valeria-jou already playing an active role as a Dominas in her country?¡¹ ¡¸Exactly, please allow us to hear what sort of activities you¡¯ve performed up till now¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­well¡­¡¹ Surrounded by young nobles who had reached adulthood, Valeria made sure that her smile didn¡¯t cramp with the utmost efforts. Speaking of party, it was the same even in Amaddo where Valeria was encircled by people, but the sense of distance of every person here was unusual. Simply put, it was the first that she felt swarmed by curiosity. ¡¸Most of the work that I engaged in is related to the country¡¯s highly classified information, so¡ª¡¹ She couldn¡¯t say that she had only completed one mission until now and that she was here now for her second mission¡ª, hence she properly evaded the topic. ¡¸Even that sort of matters are entrusted to Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸I certainly thought that you¡¯d be offering prayers to Redountora every day at the temple¡¹ ¡¸Though I want to experience that kind of tranquil day, I¡¯m a Dominas as well as a high grade inspector of Amaddo, so I¡¯m busy one way or another¡­¡¹ Although Valeria concealed her lips with the feathered folding fan and laughed elegantly with an ¡°Ohohohoho¡±, she was emotionally worn out. In short, Dominas were rare existences for the Biranoba¡¯s nobles. Certainly, Dominas were people with rare talents and there were only twelve of them on the continent, but before that, magic warriors were scarce in Biranoba. Since Biranoba didn¡¯t have a Dominas, there was neither an official organisation to research magic nor a specialised organisation to manage magic warriors. Also, talents who possessed magic power had left the country repeatedly, and eventually, the magic warriors who could use magic on a practical level were almost nonexistent in Biranoba now. Valeria Costacurta was a magic warrior who possessed the strongest power in the continent and also a Dominas; though she might be an object of interest and longing rather than an object of reverence to them. Obviously, her charm as a woman was involved to some extent seeing that they were periodically throwing glances towards her low-cut area; nevertheless, that didn¡¯t become much of a consolation to her. One of the young nobles then asked Valeria who casually shifted the position of the shawl on her shoulders to reduce her skin exposure. ¡¸I heard that Valeria-jou is sixteen, but how long does a Dominas¡¯s duty lasts?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s usually nine years¡¹ ¡¸Which means¡­you¡¯ve to dedicate your purity to the God until you completed your duty at twenty-five?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a waste¡ª¡¹ Valeria heard his muttering mingled with an unpretentious sigh and nearly spouted out instinctively. ¡¸Iya, if it¡¯s Valeria-jou, she¡¯ll become more beautiful nine years later¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll also try to lead an honest life of abstinence for nine years¡¹ Unable to tell if these young men were joking or being serious, Valeria naturally responded with a forced smile and ran her gaze around quickly. In this numerically inferior situation of one against many, there was a limit to continuing her lady facade. At this rate, she might either reveal her usual determined face and draw the surrounding¡¯s attention or faint from the mental suffocation. In order to overturn this situation, Valeria surveyed her surrounding in hope for a friendly support. Unfortunately, the figure of Karin who was the most reliable couldn¡¯t be found and Petra didn¡¯t noticed Valeria¡¯s pinch as she was chatting happily with women that seemed to be her old friends. Since Bettina didn¡¯t come to this place from the start, that being the case, there was one more person whom Valeria could rely on¡ª. ¡¸¡ª!?¡¹ As Valeria was amazed, she involuntarily ended up looking again . Similarly to how Valeria was surrounded by dressed up young men tonight, Dimitar was also encircled by ladies in lovely dresses. On top of that, what on earth was he talking about with a flattering smile which she had never seen before? And was he not making the women laugh? While Valeria was surprised that the youth didn¡¯t even slip up at this kind of place, she was also seething in anger with a ¡°futsu futsu¡± at the same time. Even if he didn¡¯t know them, he was able to act cordially with women whom he had just met today and don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll meet again after this. Yet why wasn¡¯t he able to do the same to her who is his superior? She wouldn¡¯t have mind if it was just that, but why did he keep repeating mannerism that irritated her¡ª. She barely maintained her composure when she began to think of that. At the very least, she couldn¡¯t make a smile for the party. ¡¸¡­Valeria-jou?¡¹ Did he notice Valeria creasing her brows deeply? A young man then called out to her quizzically. ¡¸Ah, n, no, it¡¯s nothing¡ª¡¹ Valeria, who blinked her eyes hurriedly and somehow erased her stern expression, replied with a surprised voice and fell into a slight panic. When Valeria calmed down her agitation and glared at Dimitar with a ¡°girori¡±, their lines of sight coincided. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Receiving Valeria¡¯s gaze that was filled with slight anger and irritation, Dimitar surprisingly didn¡¯t ignore it. After bowing to the surrounding women and slipping out from the centre of that encirclement, he approached Valeria. ¡¸Pardon me for intruding on your chat.¡ªYour Eminence¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s something that I want to tell you¡¹ Dimitar gave a meaningful bow and glanced towards the balcony fleetingly. ¡¸¡ªEveryone, please excuse me for a while¡¹ Valeria informed the young men and proceeded to the balcony with Dimitar. ¡¸What on earth do you want to talk about?¡¹ When Valeria asked in half relief and half irritation, Dimitar resumed his usual brazen countenance and snorted. ¡¸I¡¯ve no need for you specifically. And there¡¯s nothing to talk about either¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸I only used that as a pretext to bring you out here simply because you made a sullen expression. Aren¡¯t you troubled because you were surrounded by those youngsters?¡¹ ¡¸Err¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Am I mistaken? If I misunderstood, then return quickly¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no no no, y, you aren¡¯t wrong, um¡ª¡¹ She¡¯d be embarrassed if she admitted it, however the cause of Valeria¡¯s sullenness was Dimitar rather than those young men. But to complain though she was expressly brought out here, and in addition, she was actually feeling embarrassed knowing that Dimitar was observing her; hence she wasn¡¯t able to reply in any way. ¡¸Was it hard pretending?¡¹ When Dimitar sighed greatly, he leaned against the balcony¡¯s handrail and laughed derisively. ¡¸¡ªHowever, they¡¯re desperately putting up a pretense too¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Those people?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. They¡¯re fully aware of the merits of receiving a former Dominas as a bride¡¹ ¡¸Merits?¡¹ Valeria ceased the insignificant shaking of her feathered folding fan and asked a question in return. ¡¸¡­You kept them company without knowing such thing?¡¹ Dimitar became astonished, then sighed again and said. ¡¸For people who possess magical ability and promote themselves highly, it¡¯s natural but they¡¯d go to the place that gave them the highest evaluation. In that sense, Biranoba might be the best. In any case, this country doesn¡¯t has a Dominas and lacks magical war potential. If it¡¯s in such a country, a Dominas is valued highly even though she¡¯s retired¡¹ ¡¸Retire¡ª, I¡¯m not retiring yet!¡¹ ¡¸Hence the talk of nine years later. Even I¡¯ll be troubled if you retired now.¡ªHowever, they might be relatively serious in proposing to you even after nine years you know? It doesn¡¯t mean the Dominas¡¯s skills will decline suddenly just because she retired. Also, just by having a magic warrior among the relatives might be greatly linked to a successful life in this country¡¹ ¡¸They¡­they¡¯re proposing to me for that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸If you think of it as a kind of political marriage, then it¡¯s more than probable. They seek neither beauty nor assets nor political strength in their spouses, but purely magic powers¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ In that situation, it was as if she was told that she had nothing to boast to other people except her magic ability. When Valeria thought so, she unconsciously grumbled that aloud. ¡¸¡­You¡¹ Hearing Valeria¡¯s grumble by chance, Dimitar looked down on the girl coldly. ¡¸If the title of Dominas and magic talent are taken away from you, what¡¯s left of you then?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Of course, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Besides your father¡¯s fortune, it¡¯s your appearance and youth¡¹ Dimitar cut Valeria off and said so when she tried to list them on- by-one. ¡¸Even Biranoba has plenty of beautiful girls from wealthy families. If they had wanted that sort of marriage partner, it wasn¡¯t necessary for them to expressly search for a noble¡¯s daughter from outside the country¡¹ He then said those words bluntly and left the balcony. ¡¸What, that¡­!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s cheeks twitched and she saw off Dimitar¡¯s back. ¡¸There¡¯s nothing left of me if my title and magic are taken away!? Who is!?¡­No, he didn¡¯t say nothing remains though. Even so, saying that father¡¯s fortune and my youth and appearance are all that I¡¯m left with is¡ª¡¹ Valeria released a sigh mixed with anger and leaned against the balcony. While tapping the feathered folding fan on her shoulder, she looked down on the garden below. ¡¸¡­Hmm?¡¹ She couldn¡¯t see clearly since the starlight was insufficient, but there were two figures nestled close to the shade of a tree. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria returned to the hall from the balcony and closed the glass door with her hands held behind her. She tried to scrutinise the hall¡¯s interior again but Karin wasn¡¯t anywhere as expected. Moreover, Dante who should be the host didn¡¯t seem to be around too. She could easily guess who the pair of silhouettes at the shade of the tree from a while ago belonged to. ¡¸¡­Aren¡¯t you unexpectedly quick to settle things?¡¹ Valeria spread the folding fan to conceal half of her face and proceeded to the table that was lined up with cuisine. ??? In Amaddo, the earliest age when people began training was seven or eight while even the latest would be before their twelfth birthday should they decided to become a Dominas. To begin the training meant engraving magic crests onto the skin first, followed by studying usage of elementary magic. Karin was a child who memorised quickly but nonetheless she was ten when she chose this path, hence that time when the magic crests were first carved onto her remained in that girl¡¯s mind even now. Though more than half of the girls aimed to become a Dominas, did they feel the lack of talent or could they not endure the pain of having magic crests drawn on them? They¡¯d abandoned their dream half a year after the training started. Thus in the midst of the harsh competition, Karin publicly became a Dominas with her natural ability, endeavour and some help from luck. The last time that she visited the Valiente House was when she was ten, before she participated in the training, and thus this was her first visit in seven years since she seldom left Roma during the training. The traces of those days when she played hide and seek in this garden as a child were already gone. ¡¸After father¡¯s death, I was made to take over the reins¡¹ Dante smiled at Karin while guiding her through the garden at night. ¡¸¡ªSince I¡¯ll be the one supporting this Valiente House after my late father¡¹ ¡¸It came to the point where you want to paint it in your colour¡ªright?¡¹ ¡¸Maa is it something like that?¡­There¡¯re expectations that young generations like us will be the ones to support this country¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Karin looked up at the balcony where boisterous laughter could be heard faintly and gave a small sigh. ¡¸¡­Did you form personal connection with me too for that? You¡¯re ambitious like your Chichi-ue¡¹ The Dante Valiente in Karin¡¯s memories was a slightly precocious boy of twelve years but, the Dante whom she met again after seven years was a young and already splendid head of the Valiente House. He was currently the deputy prime minister as a proxy for his father who died suddenly, but if it was this young man, he might seized a post above that eventually with just his true strength. ¡¸You were brought up in Amaddo all this time so you might not know it intuitively but¡¹ Dante walked to the square gazebo at the corner of the garden to distance themselves from the loud noise that had escaped, offered a bench to Karin and continued speaking. ¡¸¡ªOur Biranoba¡¯s situation is extremely delicate¡¹ ¡¸Is it because it¡¯s between two large countries?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s exactly the problem¡­The peace that Biranoba presently has comes from the geographical condition of lying in between the major powers that are Amaddo and Diruma. Our peace is protected by these countries¡¯military forces¡¹ ¡¸Is there a problem with that?¡¹ ¡¸Military-wise, Biranoba is compelled to depend on Amaddo and Diruma and has to bear a portion of both countries¡¯ enormous amount of war funds annually as collateral¡­ But if I¡¯m allowed to say, then that¡¯s a completely needless expenditure¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s not unnecessary isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Originally, we should be carrying weapons ourselves to protect the country. However, the current us don¡¯t have that weapons. As a result from bearing a portion of both countries¡¯ war funds, there¡¯s no surplus for possessing weapons¡¹ ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t it the same at the end?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s different¡¹ Dante sat on the bench opposite of Karin, looked up at the moon and shook his head exaggeratedly. Each of his theatrical actions hadn¡¯t changed from the time when he was a child. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s a state of overly lax servitude. Even you¡¯ve seen the old map at least right? The Biranoba from before boasted a territory that was almost twice of the current, but those plots of land belong to Amaddo and Diruma now¡­Do you know why?¡¹ ¡¸My apology¡­I¡¯m not interested in history. And this isn¡¯t my motherland either¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s also your grandmother¡¯s birthplace¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s true¡¹ Though Karin brushed it off curtly, she undoubtedly understood why historical context became so. Biranoba was forced to cede its territory to both countries because it had became an undeveloped country in magic and wasn¡¯t able to produce a Dominas successively, thus burdening Amaddo with the training of Dominas. In regards to the enormous expense that was essential to train Dominas perpetually, Biranoba which had lost its Dominas had to cede its territory or dowry so to call it. (TN: To summarise: Biranoba¡¯s a 3rd rate country in magic > unable to train a Dominas > task is taken over by Amaddo > in return, Biranoba gave Amaddo territory as Dominas¡¯s training expenses.) ¡¸If there¡¯s a power in our country, without losing a Dominas, our territory wouldn¡¯t need to be ceded. The stipulation that Biranoba had with Amaddo at that time clearly¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is there any meaning explaining that to me now?¡¹ Fanning Dante¡¯s face gently with her feathered folding fan, Karin interrupted her childhood friend¡¯s speech. ¡¸If you want to reproach your processors¡¯ folly, I think it¡¯s better to do so to your heart¡¯s content at your royal court¡­However, telling me that is barking up the wrong tree. Since I¡¯m part of the Amaddo¡¯s government, I¡¯m not in the position to interfere¡¹ ¡¸But there¡¯s a power in you too¡¹ ¡¸¡­Power?¡¹ Karin wasn¡¯t sure what kind of talk Dante was trying to bring up and knitted her brows. As expected, she shouldn¡¯t have a face-to-face talk with Dante. To begin with, Karin and party came to Biranoba to search for Quique¡¯s assistant, a woman named Nereida. She didn¡¯t have the leisure to engage in reminiscent talk with Dante here. ¡¸¡­Do you remember the last time when you spend the summer here?¡¹ Dante said so while fiddling with his quirky forelocks. ¡¸At that time, I received such a shock when I heard that we couldn¡¯t meet for a while because you¡¯d be gone for training¡¹ ¡¸¡­Such a thing might have happened¡¹ ¡¸The words that I told you at this square gazebo on that day wasn¡¯t a joke or anything, but have you forgotten them already?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What were they?¡¹ Although Karin had searched through her memories and recalled those words accurately, she took it upon herself to feign ignorance and looked away. Just then, the moon in the night sky was obscured by the thin clouds and its brightness weakened. For better or worse, the mood didn¡¯t turn bad. ¡¸You¡¯re heartless¡­I asked if you would marry me you know?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t remember¡¹ ¡¸Even now, my feelings haven¡¯t change¡¹ ¡¸Even if that¡¯s so, I cannot respond to it¡¹ ¡¸I understand that as a Dominas, you¡¯re obligated to maintain your purity¡¹ Dante shrugged his shoulders and stood up. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve waited for seven years. Therefore, I believe there¡¯s no reason why I can¡¯t wait for another nine years¡¹ ¡¸¡­Are you serious?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m serious¡¹ ¡¸¡­However, if I were to collate and contemplate the preceding conversations, then it¡¯s because you want my magic talent after all isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve been an intelligent woman since the old times so glossing it over poorly might also be pointless, and above all, I want to be honest to you so I¡¯ll say this clearly¡­ I certainly want your magic talent¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸However, genuinely wanting to marry you is my true feelings. Was there any man besides me that propose to you before knowing you¡¯ve magic talent?¡¹ He really hadn¡¯t changed. Seeing Dante spoke with his hand placed onto his chest, Karin thought so. Dante Valiente was a person who did everything grandiosely, pompously and never tried to hide his desire. Needless to say, he should bear in mind to be self-effacement since he lived in a political world, but even so, that essential part from when he was a boy seemed to remain in him. Karin rose up from the bench and proffered her right hand to Dante. ¡¸¡­The host can¡¯t be absent forever, can he? Let¡¯s return soon¡¹ ¡¸I still haven¡¯t hear you answer¡¹ ¡¸You know that it¡¯s not something which can be answered at once right?¡¹ ¡¸Maa, you¡¯re right¡¹ ¡¸Your response to my appeal is exceeding low¡­I¡¯m a daughter of the Rudbeck House you know?¡¹ ¡¸If you give birth to two sons, the eldest and second son can be the heirs to the Valiente and Rudbeck House respectively¡¹ ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t tell Valeria this¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Karin closed her mouth and let Dante led her by hand in silence. If Valeria heard Dante¡¯s words, she¡¯d likely jump for joy at the loophole whereby she, who was a daughter and heiress, could get married to Lucius. Irrefutably, if she resorted to such method, then the Costacurta and Richternach Houses could attain heirs. And if it was a girl like Valeria, then she might coolly give birth to around two or three healthy children. However, Karin somehow thought that might not go well with Valeria and Lucius and felt vaguely uneasy. End of Chapter 2 Volume 2 - CH 3 His and Her Secrets In Amaddo, the task of engraving magic crests is permitted only to special crest officers affiliated to the magic academy. Basically, one must have her magic crests engraved by a crest officer after obtaining the magic academy¡¯s approval to become a magic warrior. Thus, all magic warriors within Amaddo¡¯s jurisdiction¡ªexcept unlicensed and wandering magic warriors¡ª were placed under its control. ??? Generally, such circumstances weren¡¯t much different even in other countries. And it was known that the crest officers in the magic-advanced Amaddo drew magic crests of good efficiency with precision. That might also be the cause of Valeria and Karin attaining their reputation as excellent Dominas. Having rested comfortably for the first time in a while at his home, Lucius Richternach who was summoned by Jeffren Isaac on the next day appeared at the crown prince¡¯s glasshouse. ¡¸¡ªDid you call for me, Your Highness?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ While trimming the roses like usual, the crown prince began to talk suddenly without looking back at Lucius. ¡¸Did everyone have a good sleep yesterday?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡¹ Yesterday, Isaac didn¡¯t tell only the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s vice leader Lucius to rest at home. All members of the Chivalric Order were also similarly notified. In the case of noble youngsters, resting at one¡¯s home meant using a good mantle to visit the pleasure quarters of the night frequently, showing up at a mansion¡¯s party of some place or abstaining from such nightlife to rest obediently at home. Lucius could resort to ordering for a minor house-arrest, but in any case, any member who disregard the crown prince¡¯s order and indulged in nightlife might very well incur his displeasure. ¡¸It¡¯s splendid if you¡¯ve rest well. Then, it¡¯s been a while but let¡¯s go on a long trip¡¹ ¡¸Is it an expedition¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing too exaggerated. We aren¡¯t specifically going to war¡­Ma, I want to hunt for foxes though¡¹ ¡¸Where¡¯ll we be going? Is it near Gruma forest?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not good playing dumb, Lucius-kun¡¹ Handing over his gloves that had released the pruning shears to the page, the crown prince turned around towards Lucius. ¡¸¡ªWhy¡¯ll I go to Gruma or the like with everybody for a duration of several days?¡¹ ¡¸I think Your Highness is going personally to receive the queen under the pretext of fox hunting. In these recent times where people¡¯re feeling insecure, it¡¯s necessary to assign escorts for the queen¡¯s return¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Though that may be so, I¡¯ll be troubled if Haha-ue doesn¡¯t keep on resting until Chichi-ue returns from his mistress¡¯s place¡¹ ¡¸Then where¡¯ll it be?¡¹ ¡¸I think the vicinity around Reman is good¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not possible to hunt foxes there¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s also close to Biranoba¡¯s national border¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s an unexpected surprise¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­who¡¯s the one that¡¯s feigning ignorance?¡¹ Lucius mixed in a small mutter to his bitter smile. Reman was a relay station that was near Biranoba¡¯s national border. The surrounding was a gentle hilly area where meadows and vineyards spread out, and it wasn¡¯t a plot of land with numerous foxes that could make hunting possible. It was evident that the crown prince¡¯s objective wasn¡¯t fox hunting. ¡¸¡ªMa, can you dispatch a fast horse to Reman immediately and secure lodging place first? We¡¯ll depart in the noon¡­It¡¯s possible right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. On top of being notified to rest at home, the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s members are also prepared for emergencies¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true¡¹ The crown prince returned the cuffs of his blouse to their original positions and left the glasshouse. ¡¸¡ªIf we don¡¯t put the heat on those noble bonbons periodically, they¡¯ll become lax at once. If there¡¯re people who haven¡¯t assemble at the departure time, expel them immediately¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸Although there¡¯re a lot of people who want to join the Seal Chivalric Order, somehow they merely think of the Chivalric Order as something like a close friend¡¯s club. It¡¯s might be like that previously, but if it doesn¡¯t change gradually¡¹ Narrowing his eyes at the morning¡¯s sunlight, the crown prince placed his hands on his waist. In the current situation where the king was travelling incognito to his mistress¡¯s territory and the queen returning home to recuperate from her illness, it was debatable if it was good or bad for even the crown prince to leave the capital. It was likely that the ministers weren¡¯t happy about it but this crown prince hardly yielded once he had spoken out. At first glance, he seemed frail but his ability to persist in his own thoughts was undoubtedly inherited from his father. He might have already forced the minister to accept this time¡¯s ¡°hunting¡± too. ¡¸¡­Lucius-done, Lucius-dono!¡¹ From the shade of a tree, the Home Minister beckoned to Lucius who had parted from the crown prince. ¡¸What¡¯s it, Kamunyas-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸As expected, the talk with His Highness is about his foreign travel to Biranoba¡­? ¡¹ ¡¸Foreign travel? Nay, he said that he¡¯s going fox hunting since the Chivalric Order is doing manoeuvres¡¹ ¡¸So¨Cwhat! That¡¯s a pretence right? To begin with, where did he say he¡¯s going hunting?¡¹ ¡¸Reman¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hora! Reman! Isn¡¯t fox hunting impossible in such a place?!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s my sentiment too¡¹ Lucius smiled bitterly again and pacified the minister who had numerous worries. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯ll be alright, Kamunyas-kyou. Though it¡¯s difficult to understand what His Highness is thinking, he isn¡¯t the kind of person who¡¯d damage the national interest with his ideas and jokes. Isn¡¯t that evident from his ability whereby he skilfully managed the recent revolt?¡¹ ¡¸I acknowledged that point but¡­Biranoba is an old ally, and if some troublesome problems arise under His Highness¡¯s judgement when His Majesty is currently absent¡ª¡¹ This minister¡¯s thumbnail was worn-out whenever Lucius saw it. He seemed to have the tendency of chewing it and fretting immediately when things involved him. ¡¸¡­Lucius-dono! I don¡¯t think His Highness¡¯ll change his mind even if we protest now. If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no other alternative but to rely on Lucius-dono for the rest! Please stay close to His Highness and keep an eye on him so that he doesn¡¯t do reckless things. Please, I beg of you¡­!¡¹ ¡¸I shall do so despite my poor ability¡­¡¹ Lucius resisted spouting anything out again and nodded slightly. ??? As one¡¯d expect, though the crowd in Buruan lost to Roma¡¯s by a level, its streets were considerably lively. However, even if Valeria viewed the townscape that was overflowing with liveliness, her heart was subtlety clouded. She had been feeling like that since last night. ¡¸¡­If the title of Dominas and magic ability are taken away from me, only my father¡¯s fortune, and my youth and appearance remain¡ª¡¹ While gazing out from the carriage¡¯s window absentmindedly, Valeria muttered. ¡¸Apart from my father¡¯s fortune; this means that he acknowledged me as a talented and beautiful girl right? He has no choice but to acknowledge it right?¡¹ ¡¸Valeria?¡¹ ¡¸If he acknowledged me as a perfect talented woman, then why does he take on that sort of disrespectful attitude? Isn¡¯t it odd? And yet he greeted the other women smilingly¡ª ¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Valeria?¡¹ ¡¸If the other party is a young, talented and beautiful girl, won¡¯t an average man treat her more gently? He¡¯s definitely not an average man, but even so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Valeria?¡¹ Having her elbow grasped and shaken, Valeria finally came to her senses. ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What were you muttering about since some time ago? Are you alright?¡¹ ¡¸Hai? Ah, yes, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine¡¹ Realising that Karin, Petra and even Dante¡¯s gazes were focused on her, Valeria corrected her sitting posture. ¡¸Is there something inadequate in this house¡¯s service?¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s extravagant¡¹ Valeria dispelled Dante¡¯s concern with a smile, and whispered to Karin secretly while hiding her mouth behind the folding fan. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯d like to hear your opinion a little¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸I shall say this, but it¡¯s a metaphor okay? ¡¹ ¡¸¡­So what¡¯s it exactly?¡¹ ¡¸Assume there¡¯s a beautiful girl here; an almost impeccable child gifted with both intelligence and beauty¡¹ ¡¸And?¡¹ ¡¸Assuming there¡¯s a man, who despite not bearing a grudge against such a beautiful girl specifically, call her names, look down on her and occasionally exert minor violence on her etc.; Anyway, he only takes on those kinds of detestable attitudes towards her, then, what do you suppose that guy is thinking? ¡¹ ¡¸¡­That man¡¯s mentality?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Karin squinted and stared at Valeria fixedly. ¡¸¡­Excuse me, did this beautiful girl really not do anything to that man?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Thinking sensibly, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯d go that far when nothing was done to him. There definitely must be something¡¹ ¡¸None none! There¡¯s definitely none! To go to that extent even though there¡¯s nothing!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Why¡¯re you insisting on that so much?¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What kind of talk is this exactly?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a secret talk between just the two of us behind closed doors, don¡¯t dwell on it too much~¡¹ Seeing Valeria panicked, Dante and Petra interrupted. ¡¸¡­Just nice. You should listen to an opinion from a man¡¯s view¡¹ Valeria didn¡¯t have the time to stop her. Karin narrated the metaphor that she heard from her friend precisely and made Dante listened to it. Dante then put his hand on his chin and pondered, ¡¸¡­Such a thing is unrelated to gender. Wouldn¡¯t a person usually not adopt such attitude when there¡¯s no grudge?¡¹ ¡¸Unless that man has a great persecution complex, it¡¯s certainly improbable¡¹ With a ¡°poya~¡±, Petra then continued in a somewhat dragging tone. ¡¸¡ªHowever, this might actually be a simpler matter¡¹ ¡¸Simple?¡¹ ¡¸Hora, isn¡¯t this often the case with children? They inadvertently become mean when they¡¯re too conscious of the child that they like¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Then this¡¯s that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸Ah!? Y, you¡¯re wrong! It isn¡¯t particularly¡ª¡¹ Valeria tremblingly shook her head and discontinued the topic, then hurriedly pointed out of the window. ¡¸Ah, what¡¯s your impression of the tailors in this town? I kind of want to take a quick look for a while!¡¹ ¡¸No no, since Biranoba follows Amaddo¡¯s fashion, I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s anything that can pleases Valeria-jou¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­But isn¡¯t Buruan¡¯s cotton fabrics of good quality?¡¹ ¡¸Anything is fine. We can¡¯t even stroll freely on the streets back home¡¹ Valeria¡ªand Karin too¡ªwas known by everybody in Amaddo. She might be surrounded by a crowd immediately if she carelessly showed her face in the castle town. However, Valeria wasn¡¯t that much of a celebrity in Biranoba. At the very least, the people who knew that Valeria and Karin were the neighbouring country¡¯s Dominas upon seeing them should be almost zero. Visiting the tailor of the hat that Dante¡¯s mother often used when she was alive, Karin nonchalantly drew near and whispered when they were trying on various hats. ¡¸¡­The previous conversation wasn¡¯t just a metaphor right?¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸Does it concerns Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸I, it isn¡¯t specially like that¡ªmaa, it¡¯s true that man has a sharp tongue though¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ Placing a vivid hat adorned with feathers of southern countries¡¯ birds atop her head, Karin gazed at the mirror with Valeria alongside her. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ It was hard to read the mind of this indifferent lovely girl from her expression. Since it wasn¡¯t clear whether Karin had read her thoughts, Valeria was in no way comfortable. Even in the worst case, she didn¡¯t want to be wrongly suspected as being strangely conscious of Dimitar. But nonetheless, if she denied it verbally, it might become a weird situation where that¡¯d be taken as an affirmation instead. And since it seemed that even Petra and Dante could hear them, Valeria ended up not saying anything. ¡¸¡ªB, by the way Karin¡¹ While looking at Dante who was discussing something with the shop¡¯s proprietor across the mirror, Valeria suddenly recalled about last night. ¡¸You slipped out with him during last night party, and were wandering around the garden right? What were you doing exactly?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nothing. Just an idle chat¡¹ Placing the hat that she had worn atop Petra¡¯s head, Karin replied monotonously. ¡¸If it was just an idle chat, then it wasn¡¯t necessary to leave the hall secretly¡­What in the world did you talk about?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I was proposed to¡¹ ¡¸EH!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your voice is too loud¡¹ Rebuking Valeria who raised a surprised voice, Karin glanced towards Dante. This was prevalent in this sort of shops for nobles, but a corner of this vast shop interior looked out on a sunny courtyard where Dante and the proprietor were drinking black tea on a table that was prepared over there. If one was to notice the shop interior, it was likely that Dante had reserved it as Valeria and party were the only people choosing commodities. With a voice that wasn¡¯t audible to Dante, Karin continued in her usual tone. ¡¸¡­It isn¡¯t something surprising in particular¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Dante has been fond of Karin since childhood, hasn¡¯t it?¡¹ While varying the angle of the hat, Petra muttered as if she was unrelated. ¡¸I definitely thought of it as joke that children often say~¡¹ ¡¸¡­He seemed serious, didn¡¯t he?¡¹ ¡¸And I was insignificant since the olden days~. I was a little jealous that it was always Karin who was popular~¡¹ ¡¸¡­If it¡¯s Dante, I can yield him to you¡¹ ¡¸That way of speaking somehow irritates me~¡¹ Petra returned the hat to Karin¡¯s head with a ¡°bafun¡± and separated from them. Valeria alternated looks between the slender retreating figure and the expressionless Karin¡¯s face, ¡¸¡­Does Petra likes Dante-san by chance¡­?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s not it I think. Like what the person herself said, she¡¯s only irritated by my way of speaking. Probably¡¹ Returning the slightly contorted hat to its original spot, Karin rearranged her dishevelled hair. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve told you this before that Petra and I are long-time close cousins, and it¡¯s enviable that I¡¯ve such a partner as my Hiera Glaphicos, haven¡¯t I?¡¹ ¡¸Eh, uh huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­The relationship between Petra and I isn¡¯t that good. Though needless to say, it isn¡¯t bad either¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that how it is?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Even Petra was originally the same as me. She aimed to be a Dominas to raise the Rudbeck House to its prime you know? Compared to our relationship, it¡¯s an even more open rivalry, I guess? In addition, Petra lost the competition and became my Hiera Glaphicos, so it¡¯s not like she won¡¯t feel frustrated or envious¡¹ ¡¸But she¡¯s smiling to that extent¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s her characteristic. She¡¯s the type of child that¡¯d pinch people¡¯s arms while smiling¡¹ ¡¸I may not be in a position to interfere, but are you guys alright?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Both Petra and I intend to rebuild the Rudbeck House, so we won¡¯t do something like obstructing each other. One way or another, we¡¯re cousins and childhood friends¡¹ ¡°Apart from that¡ª,¡± Karin continued in a whisper. ¡¸Is your side alright instead? I don¡¯t want us to be caught up in your bad relation¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s maa¡ª¡¹ Valeria wanted to refute by saying ¡°even we understand our situation, so don¡¯t worry¡±, but putting aside Dimitar, Valeria wasn¡¯t very confident if she could get along well with Dimitar. ??? And now, while Valeria and party were sightseeing the streets of Biranoba with Dante who took a day off from government duties. Dimitar wanted to accompany them to grasp the geography of the town, but upon thinking that carrying his huge sword with him was uncivil, and was likely to attract attention instead, he decided to remain in the mansion. He also felt uneasy leaving Bettina alone. After swinging his sword for a while in the room, Dimitar went to the kitchen and prepared a bacon and cheese baguette sandwich. The homemade bacon was seasoned perfectly, and he was sure that the baguette sandwich would be delicious by using it. Tossing the just finished sandwich, an apple and a bottle of wine into a basket, Dimitar returned to his detached room. The mansion was deserted in the early afternoon, as if last night¡¯s hustle and bustle was a lie. The servants of such a place didn¡¯t make a noise or arbitrarily take a nap just because their master was absent. They simply performed their own tasks quietly and indifferently. However, in regards to the huge man who stood motionlessly at the end of the long corridor, what on earth could his job be? ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ It was the man introduced by Dante when he arrived here yesterday. Salomon Pujor; though he worked as the mansion¡¯s guard, he was probably a Valiente House¡¯s private soldier. If it was this noble family that had produced the country¡¯s senior statesmen over many generations, it¡¯d be unnatural instead if it didn¡¯t employ such people. That huge man stared fixedly at Dimitar who was about to return to his room. According to others, it might be seen as two people on the verge of clashing. In any case, they had swords hanging on their waists and it seemed to be two swordsmen mutually examining their opponents. However, before the atmosphere between them began to tingle with scorching heat, Salomon bowed lightly and turned on his heels. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s definitely a face of having killed people before¡¹ Sighing quietly, Dimitar started to move again. ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ Returning back to detached rooms, Dimitar knocked on the door of Bettina¡¯s room and turned the knob without waiting for a reply. ¡¸Dibida~ru-zaan!¡¹ When he opened the door, a pink armour came tackling towards him with a noisy ¡°gacha gacha¡± sound. ¡¸¡­Do you not understand what I¡¯ve said?¡¹ ¡¸Uguu¡¹ Evading deftly, Dimitar struck the back of Bettina¡¯s head lightly and gave a cold look towards the little girl who had lost her balance and fallen prostrate. ¡¸Why isn¡¯t the door locked? You¡¯re careless¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s desune¡­¡¹ Bettina stood up with a ¡°gachori¡± and peered into Dimitar¡¯s basket while explaining. ¡¸I was so hungry that I went to the corridor to check if Dimitar-san hasn¡¯t come back early many times! Even last night, I didn¡¯t get any treats¡ª¡¹ ¡¸People won¡¯t die even if they forego one meal¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that already! But this isn¡¯t a question of dying or not, it¡¯s a question of eating or not desuu!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying very well, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re hungry¡¹ Dimitar locked the door and placed the basket on the table. ¡¸¡ªSo, did anything change?¡¹ ¡¸Nothing in particular desuu¡¹ Bettina bit into the baguette sandwich that she had promptly took out from the basket and replied so. ¡¸¡ªBy the way Dimitar-san, what¡¯s your impression of the party in such a place?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s roughly as you¡¯ve imagined¡¹ ¡¸Roughly as my imagination? Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. It isn¡¯t that great to be constantly serious. And a while ago, you complained that you didn¡¯t get any cuisine, but even I didn¡¯t eat decently. Though the food was there, I didn¡¯t have the time to eat¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸At best, I¡¯ve tasted them. And a person that eats greedily at that sort of place wouldn¡¯t be invited in the first place¡­Try and think, an affluent noble wouldn¡¯t be so greedy right?¡¹ Unsheathing Jagieruka halfway from its scabbard, Dimitar checked its blade. ¡¸Then, if a suspicious person was at such a place, you¡¯d naturally realise it at once right? ¡ªSo, was Oji-sama¡¯s acquaintance present?¡¹ ¡¸At the party? If you say suspicious, then Our Eminence was acting the most suspicious, but it seemed that the woman in question wasn¡¯t there¡¹ ¡¸Is that person really in this country?¡¹ Cutting the apple skilfully with a knife, Bettina opened her visor briefly with a ¡°Baja!¡±, threw it inside and continued to chew on her meal without exposing her face, and unhesitatingly said something that could shake the mission from its core. ¡¸It¡¯s possible that she isn¡¯t in this country from the beginning¡¹ ¡¸¡­The one who received that person¡¯s letter from this country is none other than your uncle you know? She¡¯s definitely in this country¡¹ ¡¸But~, that doesn¡¯t proves she¡¯s still here does it?~ ¡¹ ¡¸¡­Certainly, it¡¯s possible that she isn¡¯t here already.¡ªBut in Biranoba where magic warriors are scarce, magic engineering researchers are valued higher than them. Thus, here ought to be a good place for people with such skills to reside¡¹ ¡¸Is that how it is?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­To begin with, have you really not seen that woman even once? I heard that she researched together with the Chief Engineer in the workshop you know?¡¹ ¡¸N~¡­¡¹ Bettina replied after brooding a while. ¡¸¡­There was only Oji-sama in that workshop by the time I started living with him, so I¡¯ve never seen that person before¡¹ It didn¡¯t seem like the girl¡¯s usual tone and felt lonely in some respects. Come to think of it, why did this girl live with her uncle instead of her parents? Were her parents dead or was she abandoned by them? However, Dimitar didn¡¯t pry into it. If he had to say, it was because she resembled him. What happened to your parents, and why aren¡¯t you living with them?¡ªTo Dimitar, it wasn¡¯t a very pleasant feeling being inquired about this and that. Hence Dimitar didn¡¯t drag on that topic anymore. Dimitar rolled up the cuff of his right sleeve from the back of his hand to his elbow, and extended his left index finger quietly. Lines of phosphorescence ran in his forehead and left hand. ¡¸¡ªWhat¡¯re you doing, Dimitar-san?¡¹ ¡¸.¡­I¡¯m reconstructing the magic crests¡¹ Wrinkling his brows slightly, Dimitar drew magic crests on his right hand. Jagieruka¡¯s magic crests that were erased from the fight in Seriba were personally drawn by Dimitar, and though they were mostly restored by Quique, they couldn¡¯t be considered complete yet. Thus, magic crests were additionally applied onto Dimitar¡¯s right hand to compensate that. ¡¸He¡ª¡­Crest Officers can also do such things¡¹ ¡¸If a large wound which can disrupt the magic crest remains on the skin, the line can still be drawn while avoiding it. Even if the efficiency deteriorate only a little, I¡¯ll adjust it as much as possible so that a similar magic can be used¡­That¡¯s the job of an exclusive Hiera Glaphicos like me¡¹ ¡¸But can magic not heal the likes of wounds?¡¹ ¡¸Not all magic warriors can use healing magic. Its degree of difficulty is surprisingly steep after all. Besides, it also possible that the magic crest may fail to employ healing magic¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ah, now that you say it, that¡¯s so, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Leaving that aside, go to sleep now¡¹ It was irritating to be occasionally asked this and that when he wanted to concentrate on his task, thus Dimitar lightly changed the subject. ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸For what purpose did you come here for? What¡¯s your current position?¡¹ ¡¸Err~¡­I¡¯m Valeria-sama¡¯s attendant, or perhaps I should say follower or¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. And if necessary, you¡¯ve to be Our Eminence¡¯s guard¡¹ ¡¸Even if you tell me that~, I don¡¯t think Valeria-sama needs something like a guard?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s if she can wake up instantly¡­Your role is to stay vigilant while she¡¯s sleeping without a care. Take a sleep now in preparation for tonight¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s fine, but what will Dimitar-san be doing in the meantime?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be doing various stuffs¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸I said various stuffs¡¹ While feeling slightly annoyed again, Dimitar pull his rolled up sleeve back into place and sighed. ??? Valeria, who was ignorant of various things and worldly affairs, couldn¡¯t grasp how great and how hectic the official position of this country¡¯s deputy prime minister was, but Dante who was accompanying her party and strolling through Buruan for some time went to the royal palace for government matters before their meal. Owing to this, today¡¯s dinner progressed rather quietly and indifferently compared to yesterday¡¯s party with the absence of the family head. It was too quiet for Valeria instead. It was so quiet to the point where she felt uncomfortable. Speaking of manners, it was proper to converse without being coarse when normally dining together like this. Although it was proper to do so, nobody talked. Dante who¡¯d moderately bring up topics and softened the atmosphere was absent, and Karin who was originally taciturn was subdued. Although Petra¡¯d replied if she was addressed to, she¡¯d looked absent-minded for some reason, and yet her hands handling the cutlery didn¡¯t stop. Valeria knew from the start of this trip, but it was unbelievable that Petra somehow ate a lot from her slender physique. A lively yet boisterous conversation might have taken place if Bettina was here too, but the girl follower wasn¡¯t present. In that case, the only remaining person was Dimitar who was more indifferent than Karin and had a wicked tongue. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria looked at Dimitar while cutting the saut¨¦ of duck with her knife. As expected, even Dimitar wouldn¡¯t disparage Valeria in front of the mansion¡¯s maids, but it was still inconceivable that he¡¯d strike up a conversation with Valeria in a friendly manner abruptly. Moreover, it was somehow infuriating for Valeria to call out to Dimitar to perceive her distress. Valeria became tired from chatting as expected, and when she brought the fork to her mouth, silence descended suddenly. That was natural as she was the only person talking since the start. If she thought about it, why did she, who wasn¡¯t even the host, had to take such things into consideration? With only her abiding by the manners, were the rest not simply lacking etiquette¡ª? Her indignation grew stronger whilst chewing. With a ¡°girori¡±, Valeria glared at Dimitar with a sidelong glance while suppressing her feeling of wanting to spasmodically throw away the fork. ¡¸¡ªCostacurta-geika¡¹ ¡¸Hau, haii!?¡¹ As Dimitar had spoken up just when she was thinking of ¡°you say something too¡±, Valeria became a little flustered. Dimitar ate the roasted beef garnished with mustard stylishly and silently, and said so without looking towards Valeria. ¡¸I¡¯m pleased to see that you seemed to have fully enjoy the streets of Buruan¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? Ah, un, I guess so¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve information to share¡¹ ¡¸Information? Ah¡­n¡ª, that¡¯s not it I think? In the end, we only went shopping¡¹ Valeria recalled that the purpose for coming to Buruan was because of a mission, and she replied honestly while feeling a bit embarrassed. Dimitar who had heard that nodded with an expression that was different from sneering at her or being angry at her. It was a somehow frightfully satisfied and seemingly wanting to say something counternance. After tilting his wine glass with margin to spare, he said ¡¸¡­Well well¡¹ and gave a vague reply that could be taken with any kind of meanings, then became silent again. Eventually, the meal finished as it was. ¡¸¡ªWhat was that!?¡¹ Valeria who had returned to her room, declined the maids¡¯s assistance to change her clothes, then tore off her favourite dress and cursed. Although Dimitar frustrated her each time, she was also furious at Karin and Petra who completely didn¡¯t participate in the conversation. Nay, Petra was, give and take, fine. Petra, who was the lady that went ¡°poya~¡± at that street, originally had few points of contact with Valeria and hadn¡¯t make her feel especially uncomfortable so far. But Karin was a separate matter. Karin had many mannerisms of being level and calm and speaking forthrightly, and also a sense of rivalry from the start. She¡¯d repeatedly and lightly¡ªafter apologising first with an ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±¡ªspeak sarcastically of Valeria. For example,¡¸You¡¯re certainly a genius; a genius instinct-wise¡¹or¡¸You¡¯ve been training magic only so you aren¡¯t free to study common sense very much¡¹or the likes. It was because Valeria now knew what kind of girl Karin was that it turned to a point where she was saying ¡°hai hai¡±, but each of Karin¡¯s past remarks used to raise Valeria¡¯s blood pressure. ¡¸Kono! Konokonokonokono! Teitei¡ªteah!¡¹ (TN: Onomatopoeia for venting anger) Valeria jumped onto the bed with a ¡°bofun¡± in her undergarments, turned towards the soft pillow and struck it repeatedly with both her fists. ¡¸You¡¯re one to talk! Not having etiquette or something! And yet mocking me at every opportunity! This¡¯s irritating!¡¹ Valeria amused herself by practising hooks for some time until the pillow¡¯s contents ended up extremely to one side, expelled the faintly remaining anger with a deep breath, and lay down with a ¡°gorun¡±. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Looking up at the exaggerated canopy, Valeria reflected back on the words that Dimitar had spoken just now. Was that perhaps sarcasm towards her who had strolled in the streets of Buruan with Dante as the guide? If that was the case, why did Dimitar have to speak of such sarcasm? If it was for enjoying the stroll despite being in the middle of a mission, then Karin and Petra should be equally guilty, and yet why did Dimitar said such things to Valeria only? ¡¸It can¡¯t be¡ª¡¹ Hugging the pillow with a ¡°gyu!¡±, Valeria knitted her brows. ¡¸I don¡¯t think this¡¯s the case but¡­perhaps that man held a grudge for being ignored¡ªah, that can¡¯t it, can it?¡¹ Dimitar had courteously declined the trip when he was invited by Dante before it, then bowed and said ¡°I¡¯ll leave Her Eminences in your care.¡± It was Dimitar¡¯s own volition to remain in the mansion so it was impossible for him to bear a grudge. Besides, Dimitar¡¯d have conveyed it more directly instead of such roundabout method if he was truly angry at Valeria. However, the Dimitar of that time wasn¡¯t particularly angry. If so, what was Dimitar¡¯s real intention exactly¡ª? ¡¸¡ª¡¹ While pondering on such matters, Valeria suddenly felt absurd. Why did she have to concern herself with thoughts of this and that regarding the likes of Dimitar? It was almost the same as asking why she had to pile up great efforts onto herself; a meaningless thing to Valeria. Valeria released the pillow and shut her eyes. She tried to picture a scene where she was sipping several cups of wine and saying ¡°Delicious, delicious¡±, and before long, she had that actual feeling of doing so. While feeling slightly inebriated, Valeria lay down and closed her eyes for just a short time. When she opened her eyes after feeling chilly, the mansion was enveloped in stillness. The candlestick that she lit had already disappeared, leaving only the wick, and the time seemed to be midnight already. ¡¸U¡ª¡­did someone use a magic to advance time quickly?¡¹ Valeria who was slightly naked put on a gown above her undergarments and descended from the bed. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ Retrieving a bottle of brandy from the cabinet, Valeria gulped down a half-filled glass in one go and felt her body warmed up. She then felt there was some sounds from the garden and approached the window with bated breath. She pulled the thick curtain aside and looked at garden through the glass. As the sky was cloudy, the garden was enshrouded softly in darkness without any moonlight. Valeria who had just woken up some time ago couldn¡¯t detect anything moving within that darkness with her eyes. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ After a slight deliberation, Valeria re-tightened the strap which was fastened firmly over her chest and left the room quietly. If Valeria didn¡¯t mistakenly hear the noise from just now, then Dimitar might also have noticed it even if he was sound asleep. It was truly annoying to admit, but that man was especially sharp in this kind of area. ¡¸¡­Hey¡¹ Knocking on Dimitar¡¯s room, Valeria called out reservedly. ¡¸Hey, I need a moment with you¡¹ She tried knocking for a couple of times but there wasn¡¯t a response. Even if the noise from just now was her imagination, she didn¡¯t think Dimitar wouldn¡¯t notice it despite her knocking like this. In other words, it was likely that he knew Valeria was knocking and was ignoring her. ¡¸I know you¡¯re awake!¡¹ Kicking the door lightly with a ¡°klunk¡±, Valeria returned to her room angrily. If Dimitar was feigning sleep like that, then the noise which she heard previously might have been the wind or something as expected, and wasn¡¯t anything suspicious in particular. ¡¸¡­Valeria-samaa?¡¹ ¡¸Hia!?¡¹ As Valeria was about to return to her room, she was surprised by a pink armour that had suddenly appeared from the door of the opposite room and screamed in disarray. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? At such a time¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s nothing¡ªstill, shouldn¡¯t it be time for you to sleep too, that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Dimi-san said this¡¯s a military secret so I¡¯ve to manage it strictly¡­¡¹ (TN: A.k.a Bachu) The voice of Bettina who answered so seemed awfully sleepy. ¡¸It¡¯s that sort of thing¡­? W, well whatever¡ªthen, good night¡¹ ¡¸Fuai¡­furua!?¡¹ (TN: Yawning¡¯s sfx) Striking herself on the visor with a ¡°klunk¡±, Bettina¡ªprobably trying to to rub her eyes¡ªretired into her room with an unsteady gait. ¡¸¡­Good grief¡¹ Returning to her own room, Valeria stifled a big yawn and entered the bed again. In the pale dimness, she gazed at the canopy and thought quietly. She accepted Dante¡¯s suggestion and enjoyed her shopping today, but to the end, she had came here for a mission. Since she had finally secured a place that could become her base, she must give her utmost effort and begin investigating from tomorrow onward. But then again, Valeria couldn¡¯t guess where to begin from and how to investigate. In any case, a considerable number of people were residing in just the streets of Buruan alone. Even if Nereida Kirugiakos was hiding among them, it might become an extremely arduous work to locate her. First of all, she had to talk to everybody from that vicinity tomorrow. After thinking about this and that of such a thing, sleepiness assailed her once more. Valeria pulled the warm blanket up till her chin and closed her eyes softly. ??? After midnight, Dimitar slipped out from his bed quietly. He had already woken up quite some time ago and was simply waiting for the chance to begin moving, hence there wasn¡¯t a delay. Hanging Jagieruka by his waist, he went out to the garden from his window. Although Dimitar executed covert actions that took advantage of the dark night, what he felt most apprehensive about was in fact, going in and out of this mansion. At any rate, all of the security personnel including that aggressive Salomon were on duty here. It¡¯d likely become a troublesome matter in various ways if he was spotted by those guys. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ However, as if to ridicule Dimitar¡¯s apprehension, the mansion¡¯s security was unexpectedly inadequate. It was evidently short of personnel in regards to the scope of the land. Without enlisting the help of magic and getting discovered by anybody, Dimitar scaled over the high wall easily, and after looking back at the mansion briefly, drew out Jagieruka. When Dimitar swung the tip of the sword, the magic crests engraved onto its blade began to release phosphorous light. Invoking the ¡°Double Power (Furigana: Force)¡± magic crest, Dimitar¡¯s physical ability rose dramatically. Sheathing his sword back into its scabbard, Dimitar started running in the dark at a speed equivalent to riding a horse. Arriving at Buruan¡¯s town areas in a flash, Dimitar clung on top of a roof of a windmill that was built on the town¡¯s outskirts and with a ¡°fu¡ª!¡±, took a deep breath. ¡¸Speaking of anti-climax, this¡¯s anti-climactic¡­¡¹ Buruan which was located above a gentle hill had one flaw, and that was water couldn¡¯t be secured if a windmill wasn¡¯t use to draw it. The windmills¡¯ spires that dotted the town¡¯s circumference were high and didn¡¯t have people living in them, thus they could be said to be the ideal hiding places. When Dimitar had rolled up his left sleeve and exposed the magic crests, he waved his fingertip lightly to create a small flame. Relying on that red and faint illumination, he took out a map from his breast pocket and checked it. Though he had requested Lucius to prepare Buruan¡¯s map on the day before departure, it wasn¡¯t something one could obtain. It was secretly drawn up by Amaddo¡¯s army, and locations of the royal palace and military installations were written down elaborately. Dimitar revised the map under the light and crammed most of it into his head, then stood up. However, at the moment when he bent both legs to jump off from the windmill¡¯s spire, Dimitar grasped Jagieruka by its hilt with his land hand and unsheathed it in a backhand grip. ¡¸!¡¹ Looking back over his shoulder, a petite silhouette who was enveloped in an unseasonal gale and dancing in the empty space appeared before Dimitar¡¯s vision. ¡¸¡­Cease trying to cut suddenly¡¹ Karin who wore a black mantle swooped down while speaking in a low voice. She was dressed in her Dominas garb that revealed her solar plexus to her navel beneath the mantle. And the radiance of her bluish white magic crest remained on her slender and well-proportioned right thigh that had extended out from the short pants. Dimitar released his hand from Jagieruka¡¯s hilt and asked her after surveying the surrounding. ¡¸¡­Why¡¯re you here, Rudbeck-geika?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it troublesome to talk while minding every detail? You don¡¯t take on such disposition towards that girl right?¡¹ (TN: She¡¯s referring to how Dimitar speaks to her pretentiously.) It seemed that Karin had heard of Dimitar¡¯s insolence from Valeria. Rather than troublesome, it¡¯d be extremely helpful to Dimitar if he could do away with formal speech. ¡¸I use it with a different meaning¡¹ Dimitar shrugged his shoulders lightly and murmured brusquely. ¡¸¡­That girl¡¯s magic skills aren¡¯t inferior but being ignorant of the ways of the world makes her discernment bad. Even though I brought up a topic just now, she totally gave a wrong reply¡¹ ¡¸I believe that was Richternach-kyou¡¯s fault. If you knew Valeria¡¯s discernment is bad, shouldn¡¯t you have ask her a bit more clearly?¡¹ ¡¸I couldn¡¯t ask if she had did a reconnaissance of the town in the presence of the mansion¡¯s maids¡­From that look, she seemed to have really enjoy her shopping, and repeatedly rebuking her for that is troublesome. Time is precious. ¡ªSo, what¡¯re you doing for you to be here? You aren¡¯t chasing after me, are you?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not chasing after you in particular, but we¡¯re probably trying to do the same thing¡¹ ¡¸Unlike Her Eminence from my side, I presume you did a proper reconnaissance?¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t anything like a reconnaissance since it isn¡¯t my first time coming to this town¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true¡¹ If Karin knew this town well, then she was much more reliable than Valeria. It wasn¡¯t like they specifically arranged to act together, but when Dimitar jumped down from the windmill¡¯s spire; Karin followed Dimitar and landed gently as if it was a matter of course. The diminutive starlight made the plastered walls of the aligned buildings stood out dimly in white and cast faint shadows of the pair, who were walking while killing the sounds of their footsteps, onto them. ¡¸¡­Which place do you think is suspicious?¡¹ With the mantle¡¯s hood pulled over to conceal her face, Karin asked Dimitar. ¡¸If limited to this town, then the army¡¯s facilities are the top priorities for investigation. First will be the armoury, followed by the workshop. If the actual article is somehow there, then the likelihood of Nereida assisting this country¡¯s army becomes fairly high¡­Of course, unless the person herself is caught, we can¡¯t prove that Biranoba is involved in the recent rebellion¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t imagine Biranoba¡¯s government doing such a thing. To begin with, if Amaddo weakens, national defence will become a cause for great uneasiness even to Biranoba¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯d also become a pretext for Biranoba to be independent and strengthen its military force¡¹ ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t believe that human nature is fundamentally good?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it. In reality, there¡¯s also unexpected good-natured people in this world¡­But if you¡¯re to presume such a thing that has no guarantee, then Amaddo will experience the same thing as Biranoba this time¡¹ ¡¸So you¡¯re a realist¡¹ ¡¸I live realistically after all¡¹ While replying so, Dimitar expanded the map inside his mind again. If they headed north as it was just a bit more, they¡¯d reach the town¡¯s best plaza that becomes a marketplace every morning. Thence, if they went three sections north, turned east and advanced for a while, they should arrive at the boundary where the Biranoba army¡¯s parade square and armoury converged. ¡¸¡ªYou mustn¡¯t use magic¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ In the darkness of the night, it was conspicuous to produce phosphorescence from pouring magical power into the magic crests. Besides, if it was a suspicious person who used magic in Buruan¡ªmoreover a young woman¡ªthen Karin and party were likely to be suspected in the foremost. In any case, there wasn¡¯t a woman in this town that could currently use magic practically like them from the onset. At the end of the considerably wide eastern road, the armoury surrounded by high walls could be seen. Sentinels were patrolling the circumference, and sounds of their military boots resounded, as if to intimidate any suspicious person who approaches there. ¡¸¡­May I?¡¹ Dimitar lowered his voice and looked down towards Karin. ¡¸I don¡¯t really understand, but alright¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ Dimitar suddenly carried the waist of Karin who was even lighter than Valeria over his shoulder, and jumped onto the roof of a private house. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve the impression that you¡¯re accustomed to this¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no helping it¡­I also don¡¯t want to think of carrying a Dominas and running around as a Hiera Glaphicos¡¯s main duty¡¹ Dimitar replied in a murmur to Karin who was restraining herself from smiling and began to run. Even though he was made to do the same thing in Seriba, what differed from that time was that people, who were oblivious to everything, were sleeping normally underneath the roofs. If he trod through the roofs carelessly and caused a tumult at once, the armoury¡¯s security would tighten immediately. However, Dimitar wasn¡¯t tensed. He calmly ran in the night, leaped over a street and using the high wall as a foothold, descended onto the armoury¡¯s roof in one breath. ¡¸¡­This¡¯s convenient¡¹ Karin who was hiding alongside Dimitar on the roof murmured. ¡¸What¡¯s convenient?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is it unreasonable to request the same thing from Petra?¡¹ ¡¸In exchange, your affinity seems good¡­Ours is the worst¡¹ ¡¸You knew that and yet you don¡¯t intend to improve it¡¹ ¡¸You should say that to Her Eminence instead of me. She¡¯s envious of my good relationship with Lucius¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of that child, that seems just like her¡¹ ¡¸¡­Whatever¡¹ Dimitar removed an unglazed roof tile. However, beneath the tile was a densely affixed iron plate. It might have been a counter-measure for fire prevention rather than crime prevention. It seemed difficult to strip this off without making a sound and enter inside. Karin bent forward over the edge of the roof and affirmed the sentinels¡¯positions, then returned and said. ¡¸¡­What shall we do now?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t plan to break in forcibly¡¹ If it became known that a trespasser had broken into the army¡¯s facilities, the entire Buruan would instantly be in high alertness. Taking their future activities into consideration, he wanted to avoid that scenario. Dimitar retrieved a small porcelain bottle from his breast pocket. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸Sleeping drug¡­What about the sentries?¡¹ ¡¸Two of them. I think there¡¯re other guards patrolling though¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll put them to sleep simultaneously, then open the lock and sneak in at that time. We¡¯ve to make sure they didn¡¯t realise someone trespass inside¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that possible?¡¹ ¡¸If you manipulate the wind skilfully, you can put those two to sleep immediately¡¹ Dimitar handed the bottle over to Karin. ¡¸¡­The content will vaporise immediately once you uncorked the bottle. Please drift it towards their locations skilfully and don¡¯t inhale it no matter what okay?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Karin quietly stopped her breathing and uncorked the small bottle. The sleeping drug prepared by Dimitar was made by blending an ingredient that Quique had extracted from a mandrake¡¯s root and alcohol, and its effectiveness was guaranteed. However, it was relatively lighter than air and would literally vanish like mist if left alone. Karin grasped the bottle with her left hand and held her right hand aloft beside it. The phosphorescence of her bluish-white magic crest on the back of her right hand lit up faintly, and a gentle breeze began to blow. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The wind summoned by Karin carried the sleeping drug, and was slowly blown downwards towards the ground from the roof. Perhaps the guards keeping watch below would only think of it as the wind¡¯s direction changing slightly. Dozens of seconds after the unnatural wind had begun to blow, the soldiers guarding the entrance dropped their spears and collapsed on the spot. ¡¸Let¡¯s finish this before the soldiers on patrol come¡¹ Dimitar said so to Karin and jumped down from the roof while carrying her under his arm. ¡¸¡­The key¡¹ Upon descending onto the ground, Karin examined the waists of the soldiers and tossed the key that she had found to Dimitar. ¡¸If it¡¯s a lock of this level, I can open it without the key¡¹ ¡¸¡­You can open it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve actually prepared tools in consideration of the possibility where I¡¯m unable to get the key¡¹ ¡¸¡­Even though you seems experienced in this, you don¡¯t commit burglary right?¡¹ ¡¸That rude reaction is similar to Her Eminence¡¯s you know? You ought to be a little ashamed¡¹ Raising his lips to a grin, Dimitar removed the lock and grasped the iron door¡¯s handle. With its weight equivalent to that of a mass of iron, the sliding-type door would normally have to be opened by two adult men, but if it was the current Dimitar who had slightly become a superhuman, then that wasn¡¯t a difficult procedure. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that smell?¡¹ The air that had escaped when the door was opened caused Karin to grimace. ¡¸It¡¯s the smell of stale oil. It¡¯s used to prevent the swords and armours from rusting. Light¡¹ Karin immediately created a magic flame. Inside the armoury that was illuminated by the soft light were countless armaments aligned orderly. In this vast space that could hold a little party, the armours and shields that lined up side-by-side while reflecting the redness of the flame was a spectacle itself, yet it also seemed detached from the vividness of a real battlefield somehow. ¡¸It¡¯s fine to say that they¡¯re neatly arranged but¡­there¡¯s hardly any traces of them being used in reality¡¹ ¡¸Should that not be the case? As far as I know, even if you trace back until 100 years in the past, Biranoba shouldn¡¯t have mobilised its army once¡¹ ¡¸Even if that¡¯s so, a proper army would still practise periodically¡¹ Dimitar knocked on the surfaces of the shields that were piled up orderly with his finger and laughed. ¡¸These¡¯re completely unused¡­is Biranoba¡¯s government temporarily satisfied of its current status quo to live cosily under the umbrella that are Amaddo and Diruma?¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s true, then this¡¯s strange. Didn¡¯t we come here because the possibility of Biranoba employing that woman called Nereida to expand its magic war potential exists? And yet there¡¯s no sign of military expansion in Biranoba?¡¹ ¡¸What those guys are planning are of no concern. What we¡¯ve to search for are armaments or tools made via magic engineering.¡ªMa, there¡¯s nothing that seems to be it here though¡¹ An armament made by magic engineering¡ªlikewise Dimitar¡¯s Jagieruka for example ¡ªhad magic crests carved onto its surface. However, all the armours and shields that were stored here only have simple and sturdy design that prioritise practicability; not to mention magic crest, even useless ornaments weren¡¯t added. Karin opened the lid of a long chest and checked its contents, then spoke to Dimitar in a fed-up manner. ¡¸¡­The spears here are also normal ones.¡ªWhat shall we do? Do we turn over all the chests here and search?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, that might not be necessary.¡ªThere¡¯s none here. Let¡¯s go¡¹ Once he left the armoury quickly, Dimitar closed the door and put on the lock again. ¡¸Please disperse the air around here a little. I don¡¯t want the smell of oil to reveal the fact that the armoury was opened¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Karin once again manipulated the wind to mix the air which smelled of oil into the night air and dispersed it. In the meantime, Dimitar returned the key that they had used to the waist of the sentry who was sleeping soundly. Once the sentries woke up after a while, they¡¯d probably thought that they had merely dozed off. ¡¸¡ªNext is the workshop¡¹ Dimitar held Karin under his arm and leaped onto the armoury¡¯s roof. Similar to the time when he intruded, he used the wall as a foothold and escaped. Beyond this point was the parade square, and the army¡¯s workshop was located at its corner. However, the army¡¯s lodging house and stable was built nearby, thus the intrusion required more caution. ¡¸¡­Dominas¡¹ Karin leaked out a sigh while Dimitar ran at full speed along the wall. ¡¸Do they keep on doing this kind of work, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸It may vary from country to country¡­For example, during her term of office of nine years, Bito¡¯s Dominas seems to live a life that¡¯s nearly no different from house arrest in the royal palace. Needless to say, her treatment seems to be the same as royalty¡¹ When Dimitar left the Seal Chivalric Order and switched to the path of a crest officer, he was made to study diligently under Orvieto. Hence, he was well-informed to some extent, of the various countries¡¯s situations which couldn¡¯t be heard normally. ¡¸¡ªEven if she has an outstanding ability as a magic warrior, when thinking of worst case scenarios, she wouldn¡¯t be sent off on a dangerous mission. Bito isn¡¯t blessed with magic warriors; if it becomes a situation where they carelessly lose a Dominas who was in her tenure and couldn¡¯t appoint a substitute, they might protest when His Majesty elect another Dominas from Amaddo to make up for it¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then Amaddo is strange¡­If I¡¯m not mistaken, there doesn¡¯t seems to be another country that has such strict competition to become a Dominas¡¹ Karin gave a lonesome smile. ¡¸There might be just that many people who possess magic ability in Amaddo. Anyway, Amaddo¡¯s Dominas isn¡¯t simply a figurehead. Besides holding the post of an inspector concurrently, she¡¯s a capable piece that receives imperial command and moves accordingly if something happened¡­Do you dislike that?¡¹ ¡¸ I think it¡¯s worthwhile,¡­but now¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a rather roundabout way of saying it¡¹ ¡¸In any case, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ll stop now because I dislike it right? Even I¡¯m the same as Valeria. I became a Dominas to rebuild my house you know?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need for her to rebuild the house by herself right? Her father is wealthy¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because the relationship with that father isn¡¯t good that she wants to do it by herself one way or another¡¹ ¡¸Her circumstances aren¡¯t what I know of¡­Ma, I think it¡¯s still early for her to be saying self-important things¡ª¡¹ Dimitar suddenly stopped his feet. The sound of footsteps approached from a nearby corner. It numbered one, but was fairly close. Dimitar quickly surveyed around the vicinity. When he immediately confirmed that there was no place to hide, he gently kept Karin¡¯s head down, bent his body and leaped in one bound. ¡¸!?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯ll you do? Weren¡¯t you seen?¡¹ The soldier who had turned around the corner began to reach for the whistle hanging from his neck, but he fainted from a hit before he could blow it. ¡¸¡­Yare yare¡¹ Dimitar stroked his right hand that had struck the soldier¡¯s medulla oblongata and crouched down. ¡¸It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll do something since you weren¡¯t seen. A night burglar that¡¯s accompanied by a woman is somewhat unnatural after all¡¹ While saying so, Dimitar searched the chest and pockets of the unconscious soldier, and took most of his of wallet and valuables to pass it off as the deed of a robber. ¡¸¡­Besides having a job that doesn¡¯t seems good and pays little, he was hit and then fainted; to make matter worse, all his money on hand was taken. He¡¯s really an unlucky man¡¹ ¡¸Do you really have no personal history of being a theft or a robber?¡¹ Karin said to Dimitar with a soft smile spread across her cold look. ¡¸I won¡¯t deny that there¡¯re various unfavourable rumours of me, but at the very least, most of them are baseless nonsense spread by nobles who held ill will towards me. If I had the time to steal sneakily, it¡¯s better to do my work normally and succeed in life¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re unexpectedly diligent¡¹ ¡¸I told you that I live realistically right?¡­Let¡¯s go¡¹ Dimitar ended his talk with Karin and started walking. If it was someone like Valeria, she¡¯d pounced on that and seized the initiative after he let out that verbal slip involuntarily. But Karin wouldn¡¯t speak thoughtlessly, and above all, since she was intelligent, it was difficult to assume leadership even if they acted together. Naturally, Dimitar should be in a position whereby he must obey Karin since she was above him in status and age. But somehow, in addition to Karin overlooking such a thing entirely, she seemed to let Dimitar do as he liked. It was uncomfortable somehow. He was sure that he had acted on his own initiative, and yet he felt that he was skilfully twisted around her little finger. Thus¡ªDimitar suddenly thought so. Was Valeria¡¯s personality, which was the type that was easy to lead around by the nose, in fact not an unexpected good fortune for him? End of Chapter 3 Volume 2 - CH 4 A knock would normally sound a little gentler, but the knock of this time was extremely harsh and noisy. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Opening her eyes slowly, Valeria grimaced from a dull throbbing pain that ran through her temple, clicked her tongue and got up. The light shining in from the gap of the curtain was dazzling, and her lengthened shadow indicated that it was still early in the morning. However, this rude knock wasn¡¯t from a maid-san that had come to wake Valeria up. ¡¸Valeria-sama Valeria-sama!¡¹ She could roughly hear the low and restrained voice of Bettina together with the boisterous knocking that continued even now. It seemed as if that armoured girl didn¡¯t realise that it was completely meaningless to lower only her voice. Valeria furrowed her brows even deeper from that sound which pounded in her head, and went towards the door. ¡¸Hold on¡­You¡¯re being noisy¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah! You¡¯ve finally woken up desune, Valeria-samaa!¡¹ When Valeria undid the lock, a pink body intruded inside with a tumbling momentum. ¡¸¡­Why in the world did you wake me up on such an early morning¡­?¡¹ ¡¸T, this¡¯s terrible desuyou, Valeria-sama!¡¹ ¡¸So, what is it¡­?¡¹ Bettina hurried to the window while dragging along noisy footsteps with a ¡°gacho gacho¡±. When she had turned over the curtain and checked the garden, she returned to Valeria who had drunk some water from the pitcher and was seating on the bed. ¡¸I, I actually saw this a while ago desuyou!¡¹ ¡¸Saw what¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Although I stayed up all night, I unintentionally dozed off at dawn¡¹ ¡¸Ha? Why did you stay up all night?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll explain that again afterwards. A, anyway, some noise came from the garden after I dozed off desu! Thereupon, I woke up and wondered what it was. And when I flipped the curtain to look, they were there desu!¡¹ ¡¸What was there?¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar-san and Karin-sama desuyou!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ Valeria, who was tired and had placed her hand on her forehead, raised her face at Bettina¡¯s words. ¡¸Di¡­Richternach-kyou and Karin? Eh? Where were they?¡¹ ¡¸In the garden over there desuyou!¡¹ ¡¸Why were the two of them¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t hear properly, but the two of them were nestled close together and somehow talking secretly under a tree as if they were doubtful of the surrounding. They seemed to have returned to their respective rooms afterwards, and I thought of hurrying to notify Valeria-sama¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Just a minute¡­!?¡¹ Her slightly remaining sleepiness was completely blown away. If she was to believe Bettina, then Dimitar and Karin had avoided public gaze and met clandestinely. She didn¡¯t think that Karin, who fully understood her own position and was also very prudent, would ever do such a careless thing. But at the same time, Valeria was bothered by the remark of Karin who didn¡¯t feel that Dimitar was detestable. In reality, when she thought of what the pair were secretly doing and talking about in the garden at dawn, the brain of Valeria who had just woken up boiled with a ¡°gura gura¡±. She wasn¡¯t sure what to say and how to explain it, but she was angry somehow or the other. Although she didn¡¯t know why, she was angry. Pulling and tearing off her gown, Valeria flung it away and changed her clothes hurriedly. She then flew out of her room while holding the hem of her dress, and lightly kicked the door of Dimitar¡¯s room. ¡¸Richternach-kyou! Open the door quickly! Otherwise I¡¯ll break it!¡¹ ¡¸Valeria-sama, p, please calm down! Why did you flare up suddenly~?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m calm! And I¡¯m not angry!¡¹ When she responded with a menacing look that startled Bettina, the lock opened with a ¡°kachari¡± sound and Dimitar peeked through the gap of the slightly opened door. ¡¸You¡¯re so noisy¡­What¡¯s the matter exactly?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve something to talk about!¡¹ Right after she said so, Valeria half-forcibly intruded into the room. ¡¸Good grief¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who was rumpling his dark grey hair while yawning in succession, was actually in a light sleep as he was naked above the waist. Since he was always bustling about while carrying that large sword, his body was supple and balanced. It made her associate him with a sly carnivorous animal like a wolf or fox. And remaining faintly near his slightly visible abs was probably the arrow wound that he had received in Seriba. (TN: To be precise, Dimitar was in the 1st stage of sleep.) Valeria, who was staring at Dimitar¡¯s body absentmindedly for a short time, came to her senses suddenly and shook her head while shuddering. ¡¸¡ªA, anyway! Put something on first! It, it¡¯s rude to a lady!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Aren¡¯t you the one who had entered forcibly?¡¹ Dimitar stroked the scruff of his neck and grumbled. ¡¸¡­So, what¡¯s it? Since you¡¯ve specially come to disturb someone¡¯s quiet sleep, I suppose it¡¯s quite an emergency?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being imprudent! Despite doing such a thing¡­¡¹ While occasionally giving sidelong glances towards Dimitar who was buttoning his shirt, Valeria adjusted her breathing. ¡¸Such a thing? What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡ªBettina! Hora, repeat what you said just now!¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡ª? Me?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so go on!¡¹ ¡¸U~¡¹ Bettina reluctantly repeated the contents that she had told Valeria just now. Hearing that, Dimitar¡¯s eyebrows quivered. ¡¸¡­Oi, you said that you dozed off? I¡¯m sure that I told you to stay vigilant at night¡¹ ¡¸Aah, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve nothing to apologise for!¡¹ Valeria scolded the pliant armoured girl that was apologising, and scowled at Dimitar with a ¡°girori¡±. This kind of man wasn¡¯t frightening at all as long as he put on a shirt. ¡¸Rather, what¡¯s with the ¡°stay vigilant at night¡± part?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll need a guard when I aren¡¯t around right? That¡¯s why I told her to keep watch at night¡¹ ¡¸Then, is it that? You forced the role of being my guard onto Bettina and indulgently go on a yobai yourself?¡¹ ¡¸Yobai, you say?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than yobai¡­y, you met with Karin secretly right!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When Dimitar, who was sitting on the bed¡¯s edge, crossed his long legs and rested his chin on his hand, he released a lengthy sigh, raised his lips and gave a faint smile. It was the half-amazed-like and always mocking people¡ªto say nothing of irritating¡ªtype of smile of his. ¡¸Y, you¡ª¡¹ Valeria unconsciously flared up and raised her voice. ¡¸Karin¡¯s a Dominas in active duty you know!? Do you know what will happen if you get involved with her?! It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯ll be punished, even Karin¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve neither gotten involved with her nor intend to do so¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t laugh at each and every thing! Your attitude is terrible!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because you¡¯re saying so ludicrous things¡¹ ¡¸Then what¡¯s it!? What were you doing with Karin!?¡¹ ¡¸Is there a need to tell you?¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡ª¡¹ Retorted by Dimitar with a ¡°sakuri¡±, Valeria became speechless. (TN: Onomatopoeia for being hit in the bulls-eye.) Needless to say, if Dimitar was indeed trying to make a move on Karin, then Valeria must prevent it since Amaddo¡¯s interest and honour would be greatly damaged. However, if that wasn¡¯t the case, then Valeria had no right to interfere with what Dimitar and Karin were talking about or doing; even if she was Dimitar¡¯s superior. ¡¸I won¡¯t act in a way that¡¯d bring trouble to Lucius. Therefore, I¡¯ll never do what you¡¯re suspecting, and there¡¯s no need for you to be edgy¡­If you understand that, then leave quickly. I¡¯m feeling sleepy¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­I could hear you even from the the corridor¡¹ Yet when Valeria tried to argue vehemently, Petra who had finished changing her clothes and Karin who was in her gown and still looking sleepy entered the room quietly. While rubbing her eyes, Karin stepped up to Valeria. ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but you¡¯re misunderstanding this¡¹ ¡¸Misunderstanding?¡¹ ¡¸If I really met a man secretly, I¡¯d have done so in a place which is even more isolated. Do you think it¡¯s exciting to be in a place that can be seen immediately if you flip the curtain ?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­¡¹ Now that Karin mentioned it, it might be so. She didn¡¯t notice it since she lacked the actual experience. Although Bettina was equally guilty, her embarrassment of having made an exaggerated fuss took precedence. ¡¸T, then, what on earth were the two of you doing?¡¹ ¡¸We were wandering around here and there in the town. Starting from the army¡¯s armoury, we searched the workshop, and even the stable. I was thinking whether we could find evidence of Nereida¡¯s existence¡¹ ¡¸You went on a search¡ªeh? Last night?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than last night, it was few hours ago¡¹ ¡¸W, why¡¹ Once Karin had pointed out her misunderstanding, the voltage of Valeria¡¯s subsided anger rose again with a ¡°guru guru¡±. ¡¸W, why? Such a thing, without notifying me¡­And also, why do you¡¯ve to do it with Karin!?¡¹ ¡¸I also said the same thing but~¡¹ Petra pushed up her glasses lightly, and muttered in a tone that didn¡¯t seem to be angry. ¡¸¡ªI wasn¡¯t informed of anything too, and was told of the circumstances when I noticed this child came back just now¡ª.Why did you hide it from me too, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I simply ran after Richternach-kyou at once because I noticed the sound of him leaving. I didn¡¯t call out to you because I judged that I¡¯d have lost sight of Richternach-kyou during that time¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough from Karin¡¯s side¡ª¡¹ Folding her arms, Valeria glared at Dimitar. Although she knew that it was impossible for this young man to become flustered from just a small cross-examination, she wouldn¡¯t feel satisfied unless he apologised. ¡¸¡ªYou, w, why didn¡¯t you call me!?¡¹ ¡¸I planned to call you. Although I knocked on your room before leaving the mansion, you¡¯re probably sound asleep at that time already right? There wasn¡¯t a response¡¹ ¡¸No way!? You knocked? Really?¡¹ Valeria¡¯s complexion changed with a ¡°gikuri¡± from Dimitar¡¯s remark. She had returned to her room after last night¡¯s meal, flopped onto the bed at once and ended up sleeping. The next time when she woke up was already midnight. She felt that she had heard some noise at that time, but thinking back now, that might have been the sound of Karin leaving the mansion. Although she knocked on the door of Dimitar¡¯s room immediately afterwards, there wasn¡¯t a response. If she thought of it as a sign that he had already left the mansion, then the consistency matched. Did Dimitar notice the visible change in Valeria¡¯s expression? He gave a small snort. ¡¸¡­Judging from your expression, were you not sound asleep? As expected¡¹ ¡¸U¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ma, when you drank to that extent during the meal, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be of any use until you sobered up¡¹ (TN: Corrected the mistake in chapter 3. (>??<) ) ¡¸How rude! Saying that I¡¯m useless¡ª¡¹ ¡¸To begin with, you¡¯re lacking in self-awareness¡¹ Dimitar spoke coldly in order to muffle the words of the indignant Valeria. ¡¸I¡¯m sure that I asked you this at mealtime; whether you had fun outside during the day¡¹ ¡¸W, what of it?¡¹ ¡¸You didn¡¯t realise it? That was sarcasm you know?¡¹ Crossing his legs, Dimitar wiggled his toes with a ¡°pura pura¡±, and a really wicked-like smile floated on his lips. Valeria was bitterly made to realise this during the mission in Seriba, but when Dimitar made such an expression, he¡¯d thoroughly defeat her with logic and reason. ¡¸¡ªIf you¡¯ve even a little bit of self-awareness, you¡¯d have survey the state of the town while you were out or memorise the map, and even though there were things you ought to do, the first thing you did when you came back to the mansion was to make me and Gacha Pink carry your belongings? Indeed, you certainly seemed to have shopped enjoyably¡­In short, that¡¯s the extent of your resolution to this mission¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Why would I take you, who didn¡¯t investigate for the mission, and to make matter worse, got carelessly intoxicated from drinking so much wine, along on a secret espionage activity? You¡¯d likely only be a hindrance¡­Maa, I originally didn¡¯t plan to take you along, but to have no self-awareness even here is rather uninspiring¡¹ ¡¸But¡­t, then, why was Karin¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t drink as much as you did in the first place¡¹ Standing shrewdly before the full-length mirror and arranging her dishevelled hair, Karin looked at Valeria from across the mirror. ¡¸Besides, saying that I wanted to shop and sending the carriage to various shops was to affirm with my own eyes, how much the town which I¡¯m visiting after several years has changed, and also the changes that can¡¯t be known just from reading a map, so that I won¡¯t be troubled when the time to move comes¡¹ ¡¸Y¡­you were thinking of such thing while shopping, Karin!?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸A person that has self-awareness like her is useful¡­This way of speaking is rude to Rudbeck-geika. Anyway, do you understand why I didn¡¯t wake you up with this? It¡¯s because it¡¯s a waste of time¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ As expected, he didn¡¯t go easy on her. She was undeniably defeated thoroughly and had no words to retort. Yesterday, Valeria thought that she had unconsciously gotten carried away and enjoyed herself too much, hence she thought of doing her best from tomorrow for sure. However, that thought was too naive. Despite being in the midst of a mission which might influence her country¡¯s interest, the thought of doing her best from tomorrow was her ineptitude as a person chosen for this mission. Dimitar discontinued the matter regarding Valeria, whose face was flushed from the anger towards him and above all, the anger towards herself, and spoke to Karin. ¡¸¡­Just nice. Let¡¯s discuss what lies ahead now¡¹ ¡¸Very well. It has been three days already since we came to Biranoba, and our evaluations will also be affected if we don¡¯t produce some conclusive results soon¡¹ ¡¸¡­Even if you said conclusive results, did you discover something?¡¹ When Valeria had finally said that much, Dimitar looked at her fleetingly and nodded. ¡¸I¡¯ve discovered that the army facilities of this town didn¡¯t store weapons and armours which seemed like it (products of magic engineering), and have no trace of Nereida either. It wasn¡¯t a detailed search but, maa, nothing might turned up even if we searched the royal palace¡¯s treasury¡¹ ¡¸Then where¡¯s she hiding?¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s my intuition but¡ªthis case is unrelated to Biranoba¡¯s government¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸This country has no intention of expanding its military force at all. The soldiers¡¯ discipline is lax, and even the armours¡¯maintenance is perfunctory. It¡¯s by no means a state where they can separate from Amaddo and protect the country with their own strength. In addition, its military budget isn¡¯t especially large too¡­ At least, I don¡¯t think that the military authorities are involved based on these implications¡¹ ¡¸Then what¡¯s it? A matter that¡¯s contrary to our expectations even though we came to Biranoba?¡¹ ¡¸That might not be the case. It¡¯s a fact that Nereida mailed a letter to Chief Engineer from this country¡¹ ¡¸But we haven¡¯t find a clue on where she¡¯s now, and there¡¯s no proof of her making something right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you exclude the possibility that is the army¡¯s authorities, then there¡¯s one place which I feel is suspicious¡¹ Saying so, Dimitar glanced at the back figure of Karin. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s it, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸Does the Valiente House has at least one or two other detached residences?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Though it has villas in Amaddo and Diruma, there¡¯s also one nearby¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­if it¡¯s that place, then I¡¯m sure it¡¯s about an hour by carriage from here~¡¹ Petra supplemented Karin¡¯s reply. Dimitar then nodded with a self-satisfied look, and continued in a low voice. ¡¸Please teach me of that place in details¡¹ ¡¸Wait a minute¡¹ Valeria knitted her brows and stared at Dimitar. ¡¸That way of saying¡­eh? Surely you aren¡¯t suspecting Dante-san are you? I mean¡ªisn¡¯t he Karin¡¯s relative and also the next prime minister of this country?¡¹ ¡¸If the army isn¡¯t the mastermind, then what we ought to suspect next is an influential person within the country. Since a large-scale research can¡¯t be advanced secretly unless it¡¯s someone with money and power¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t understand what Dimitar had said. However, while it was justifiable, she didn¡¯t feel good suspecting Dante at the start. Dante wasn¡¯t the only influential person of this country, and wasn¡¯t it alright to do so after checking the many other possibilities? First, to suspect Dante meant suspecting Karin¡¯s relative and childhood friend. However, it was unexpected that Karin whom Valeria was glancing at didn¡¯t appear offended¡ªit was her usual stance nonetheless¡ªand was indifferently facing herself in the full-length mirror. ¡¸Hey, Karin! Shouldn¡¯t you say something? Your childhood friend is under suspicions you know?¡¹ ¡¸¡­If I were to separate myself from a relative¡¯s standpoint and think of the possibility only, then if it¡¯s surely Dante, he¡¯s liable to do it¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, he¡¯s likely to do such things secretly if it¡¯s him¡¹ ¡¸Is¡­that so?¡¹ ¡¸He isn¡¯t a bad person at the core, but perhaps I should say that he¡¯s an excessive strong patriotic person with just a little prejudice¡­since the past, he¡¯d say things like being responsible for this country someday, and changing this country that¡¯s similar to a vassal state of Amaddo and Diruma. His pride is also very high¡¹ ¡¸But to suspect him from just that¡­there¡¯s plenty of people with strong patriotism right?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know that man well but¡¹ Dimitar interrupted the conversation between Valeria and Karin. ¡¸¡ªThe first time I felt that man was suspicious was when we arrived at this mansion. At that time, do you remember what that man said when he saw Gacha Pink?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Um¡­¡¹ ¡¸I was bothered by that too¡¹ Separating from the front of the full-length mirror, Karin replied instead of the speechless Valeria. ¡¸¡­If I remember correctly, Dante at that time said something like he was envious that magic engineering is progressing in Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸What about it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You knew the word ¡°magic engineering¡±?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? That¡¯s maa, I heard it when I met the Chief Engineer some time ago¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t know until I participated in this mission. Petra too right?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ ¡¸I, I knew of it!¡¹ Bettina, who didn¡¯t have the chance to interject the whole time until now, raised her right hand with a ¡°gachuin¡± and spoke up. ¡¸I also knew of it since earlier on¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that because you guys go in and out of the Chief Engineer¡¯s workshop all this time¡ªI don¡¯t want to be shown off to by such a thing!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t intend to show off in particular¡­The point is, it isn¡¯t a word which should be known unless you¡¯re such a person (a workshop¡¯s patron)¡¹ Dimitar said so while looking coldly towards Valeria who had spontaneously raised her voice. ¡¸If one is to go in and out of a workshop, it¡¯s natural that he¡¯d be familiar with the word ¡°magic engineering¡±, but on the contrary, it¡¯s an unfamiliar word to people who don¡¯t go in and out of there. In the first place, it¡¯s a neologism that the Chief Engineer applied to his research. Even in Amaddo¡¯s royal palace, there¡¯s hardly anybody who know of such a word.¡ªIn that case, where exactly did Dante learn of the word ¡°magic engineering¡±? Can a completely unrelated person to such research deduce that Bachu was an armour which was somehow made via magic engineering from just a glance?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ If she considered that the word was transmitted to Dante from Nereida who had researched with Quique, then the explanation made sense. Rather, there was no choice but to think so. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure the contact came from whom, but there must be a connection somehow between Dante and Nereida. I believe there¡¯s hardly a doubt of that¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s case¡ª¡¹ Valeria looked around the room. Perhaps the sword and gauntlet which were heavily inscribed with magic crests were hidden somewhere within this mansion. ¡¸¡ªThe actual article might not be here¡¹ As if he had seen through Valeria¡¯s thoughts, Dimitar continued. ¡¸I tried to roughly search the mansion during the day yesterday, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be a place for keeping such a thing. It¡¯d have been understandable if it¡¯s a set of decorated armour, but as far as a large quantity is concerned, it¡¯s not hard to narrow down the storage area¡¹ ¡¸What about the detached cabin where the gardener lives and the stable?¡¹ ¡¸They aren¡¯t inconceivable as possibilities¡­, but letting us stay like this and yet not restricting our movement in particular, I feel that it may be possible that the actual article isn¡¯t here. Even if it is, it might be imperceptible¡¹ ¡¸¡­If it exists, it might be in the detached residence¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª, if I¡¯m not mistaken, I heard that the mansion was built especially for Dante¡¯s Oba-sama to recuperate from her illness. Therefore, it¡¯s seldom use now¡¹ If it was a vast mansion that was far away from town and in addition, where guests weren¡¯t invited to, then it certainly might be an ideal place for a person to hide in and continue researching. It seemed suspicious just from hearing about it. However, Valeria still didn¡¯t feel fully satisfied somehow. More accurately speaking, it wasn¡¯t the matter of suspecting Dante that she was unsatisfied with. What she wasn¡¯t satisfied with, was that the talk was progressing under the initiative of Dimitar and Karin with it (Dante¡¯s possible involvement) as a prerequisite. She couldn¡¯t help feeling as if she was excluded. In fact, Dimitar and Karin had decided their future plans by just the two of them before Valeria could interject. ¡¸¡ªThen it¡¯s decided with this¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹ ¡¸Now that¡¯s it has been settled, everyone please leave. As expected, I can¡¯t move tonight if I don¡¯t sleep a little¡¹ ¡¸¡­Yes. I¡¯ll also take a rest¡¹ Karin hid a small yawn with her hand and left the room with Petra. ¡¸¡­You included¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸I said that I¡¯ll be going to sleep soon right?¡¹ Dimitar began to take off his shirt again while saying so. Seeing his surprisingly white back, Valeria¡¯s face turned bright red and she panicky rushed out to the corridor with Bettina. ¡¸Y, you really have no delicacy!¡¹ Valeria, who had cursed towards the door that was closed violently, noticed the gaze of Karin who had taken a step out of her room, and feeling embarrassed, she hurriedly cleared her throat. Karin stared at Valeria fixedly and spoke deliberately. ¡¸¡­You, what¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸You seem to have a dissatisfied look since just now¡¹ ¡¸T¡­that¡¯s because you guys arbitrarily decided everything!¡¹ ¡¸To be specific, we don¡¯t have such an intention but¡­you should have said it if you¡¯ve an opinion¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have the chance to do so!¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­? I¡¯m sorry about that. Then, will you let me hear your opinion once again?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­¡¹ Even if Karin said to let her hear it again, Valeria didn¡¯t have an opinion in particular. When she went ¡°au au¡± without saying anything else, Karin gazed at Valeria with a sympathising look, ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t have to be pretentious even to me okay, Valeria? Otherwise, won¡¯t you feel suffocated?¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not pretending!¡¹ ¡¸Ara, I¡¯m sorry for arbitrarily deciding that¡¹ ¡¸Saying I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry¡­it doesn¡¯t mean you can say whatever you like if you apologise like that¡¹ ¡¸While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m sorry for another of my arbitrary assumption¡¹ ¡¸W, what? There¡¯s still something else?¡¹ Karin approached Valeria with a ¡°zuzui¡± and looked up at her face from up-close. ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re actually jealous that you¡¯ve been displeased since just now?¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ When she understood the meaning of Karin¡¯s words, Valeria¡¯s mind became blank. It was completely unexpected. What was unexpected wasn¡¯t Karin¡¯s words, but her current attitude that seemed as if she was jealous of something. That¡¯s ridiculous¡ªthinking that made Valeria restless. ¡¸Www, wh, what¡¯s this, all of a sudden!?¡¹ ¡¸I think you felt excluded and became jealous because Richternach-kyou and I worked as a pair a lot¡­Am I wrong?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡¯re wrong!¡¹ Valeria clenched her fists and denied it with all her might. ¡¸I¡¯m certainly offended by his self-justification but¡­that¡¯s all! It¡¯s just unpleasant that you guys advanced the discussion as you like!¡¹ ¡¸Really?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right!¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry for saying weird things¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, don¡¯t apologise for everything¡­Even though you don¡¯t really feel that sorry¡¹ ¡¸Sort of¡¹ Laughing coldly with a ¡°fufun¡±, Karin returned to her room. When Valeria was seeing her off while adjusting her breathing, ¡¸Err¡­Valeria-sama?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not because I¡¯m jealous!¡¹ Valeria turned around and screamed at Bettina who had called out to her timidly. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s Karin¡¯s arbitrary assumption! Therefore, you won¡¯t take it seriously and say boring things to that guy right!? If you do so, I¡¯ll fire you!¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t tattle to Dimitar-san especially but¡­what I want to say is desune, if you talk in such a loud voice here, won¡¯t everything be overheard?¡­Maa, it might be too late even if I said it now though¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ After she stared at her own face that was reflected on the curved surface of Bettina¡¯s smooth helmet briefly, Valeria hurried to her room in a trot. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m going to sleep already!¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? Didn¡¯t you just wake up a while ago?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going back to sleep!¡¹ Bettina seemed to be saying something beyond the door, but it wasn¡¯t audible to Valeria who had dived into the bed and pulled the blanket over her head. She decided not to hear it. ¡¸Uuuuuu¡­!¡¹ If she calmed down and thought carefully, such a thing should never happened. Who was it that she liked¡ªValeria would unhesitatingly and instantly answer that it was Lucius. What did she thought of Dimitar¡ªshe¡¯d declared immediately without hesitation that he was strong, and swearing to Redountra, a gloomy, irritating and unpleasant fellow. Even if Valeria tried to think over and over again repeatedly, that stance of hers didn¡¯t waver. Nevertheless, Valeria didn¡¯t understand it well why it wavered from such things spoken by Karin. She thought that it was alright not to know what she didn¡¯t know, and that it¡¯d have worked out if she skilfully concealed her agitation, but it was regrettable that she had hurriedly denied it in a loud voice. That¡¯d seem like she was hit in the bull¡¯s-eye and panicked. ¡¸Gununu¡­!¡¹ Valeria placed her head on the pillow again and continued her small-scale confinement till close to noon while groaning in a low voice. She didn¡¯t want to say anything to Bettina and Petra now, and of course, Dimitar and Karin too. ??? A silhouette of a bird with its wings widely spread was traversing the blue sky slowly. While a strong breeze with the scent of greenery blew with a ¡°soyo soyo¡±, Isaac looked up at the sky and drew his bow to the maximum quietly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Although the bowstring resounded with a ¡°hyuu¡±, the bird calmly flew away as it was. Isaac frowned and looked back towards Lucius over his shoulder. ¡¸¡­Since it¡¯s so far away, it can¡¯t be helped that I missed right?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s a person belonging to the army¡¯s archery corps, it¡¯s natural for the bird to be shot down but, maa, it¡¯s Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸Hey, don¡¯t you feel your way of speaking is scathing?¡¹ ¡¸Excuse me. I meant to say that a person like Your Highness normally doesn¡¯t has to take up a sword or a bow¡¹ Lucius smiled slightly and bowed, and then holding the edge of his mantle lightly, he raised his right hand overhead. A high-pitched cry resounded after several seconds, and the bird from before fell from the sky. Without a moment delay, several young men of the Chivalric Order galloped on their horses to retrieve the game. Isaac held up his hand over his brows and gazed at the bird that was shot down, and then looked back at Lucius again and sighed. ¡¸¡­How ostentatious. However, good skill¡¹ ¡¸Thank you¡¹ Lucius hid his right hand, where the magic crest vanished from, under the mantle and replied nonchalantly. ¡¸If I can¡¯t do this much, then I¡¯m unsuitable to be in the Seal Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸¡­Even though I¡¯m the leader when I can¡¯t use magic well?¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness is fine. You¡¯re His Highness after all¡¹ The Amaddo¡¯s crown prince; based on that point only, he was appointed as the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order. In the first place, the group of magic warriors that was organised to protect the ¡°Hill of Seal¡±, might be in the process of becoming an existence like an Imperial Guards Chivalric Order now. The Seal Chivalric Order, commanded by its leader Isaac¡ªsubstantially, it was the vice-leader Lucius¡ª, headed to a prairie near the national border, set up camp there, and had been hunting under the name of manoeuvres since morning. Most of the members were practising sword superficially; otherwise, they were sitting down and chatting pleasantly, or amusing themselves with card games¡ªin any case, it was as if there was no tension of a manoeuvre here. Numerous tents hoisted with multi-coloured flags were set up nearby, and as it was exactly noon, thin smokes from meals trailed up. When one more hour elapsed, the bird which Lucius shot down moment ago would become a treat for the crown prince. It was like a picnic of nobles. Isaac entered the shade of a large tree which towered alone in the prairie and said. ¡¸¡­I want to hear your honest impression, Lucius-kun¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸How many people among the current Chivalric Order can perform the same feat that you did just now?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯d be great if there¡¯s half¡¹ Lucius answered so, but he understood that there was even less in reality. Even though the quality of Amaddo¡¯s magic warriors had improved, the quality of the abilities of the young men who enrolled into the Chivalric Order decreased year by year. Although it was ironic, it was an unmistakable fact. ¡¸That¡¯s to say, half of them are unsuitable to be in the Chivalric Order?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how I think at least¡­In the first place, what¡¯s important to the dignitaries of the grand nobles who are thinking of letting their grandchildren and sons serve Your Highness isn¡¯t magic or sword skills, but the amount of donation¡¹ ¡¸How detestable, for such a convention to be enacted¡¹ ¡¸This type of members aren¡¯t capable of protecting Your Highness and the royal family at the critical time, but there are many people who haven¡¯t thought of such matter at all¡¹ ¡¸Ma, a flashy battle that¡¯d involved even our Chivalric Order hasn¡¯t occur for more than 100 years, so this isn¡¯t incomprehensible¡­but for the Chivalric Order that I lead to be a gathering of good-for-nothings and only for appearance is somewhat worrisome¡¹ Isaac who was grumbling slightly shut his mouth suddenly and looked up at the sky. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When Lucius followed Isaac¡¯s line of sight, he spotted a tiny white pigeon flying from the west. ¡¸¡­Even if I who can¡¯t use sword or magic say one thing or another, there¡¯s no persuasive power, and if I don¡¯t have at least an adequate skill of the bow¡¹ Lucius stopped Isaac who had said so and was about to prepare the bow again. ¡¸Please wait, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸N? What¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a carrier pigeon of our army. Considering the direction, it¡¯s likely a notice from Costacurta-geika who had headed to Biranoba¡¹ ¡¸That means she had found out something at once?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s possible¡¹ Lucius went towards a tent in a trot. With both the king and queen currently absent from the capital and even the crown prince leaving Roma, the party had brought along a mobile pigeon house in preparation for the worst. Normally, a carrier pigeon could only return to its nest box; but this carrier pigeon that was raised in this pigeon house was able to return to it accurately even if it was moved to other places. It was a valuable object prepared as a means of communication to Kamunyas-kyou, but it was Lucius¡¯s concern that made Dimitar carried a similar pigeon. A slightly dark tin tube was fastened onto the leg of the pigeon that had headed for the mobile pigeon house and descended with a ¡°hata hata¡±. ¡¸It was earlier than I imagined¡­it¡¯s great that it didn¡¯t prove to be a fool¡¯s errand for coming until here¡¹ ¡¸Please wait for a moment¡¹ Lucius retrieved the rolled up memo from the message tube. The other members had also gathered in the vicinity of Lucius and Isaac. ¡¸So, what did the Ojou-san say?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It seemed that the Seriba¡¯s case from the other day was unrelated to Biranoba. The likelihood of its government and army participating in that is low¡¹ When Lucius had presented the unrolled memo to Isaac, he prepared the crown prince¡¯s seat near the bonfire. An assembly type table and chairs were carried at once, and Isaac¡¯s dining table was put together. ¡¸¡­Fuun¡¹ Isaac sat down on a wooden chair laid out with cushion and snorted. ¡¸It¡¯s boring that the material to shake Biranoba has decreased¡¹ ¡¸If their guess is right, I think that¡¯s enough to shake Biranoba¡­but is Your Highness perhaps thinking of giving some reasons to crush them?¡¹ When Lucius asked in a lowered voice, Isaac drank his sugared wine in one gulp and shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸I¡¯m not thinking to that extent. A buffer is necessary between Diruma and I also don¡¯t want to incur the enmity of Biranoba¡¯s strongly patriotic citizens¡­However, I¡¯d like to sell them an even greater favour or make a large loan etc. if possible; isn¡¯t it convenient to have such trump cards in time of emergencies?¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ ¡¸Then, maa, let¡¯s depart when the meal finish.¡ªLucius-kun, I wonder if you can go first and enter Biranoba to drop a few lines to their prime minister-dono? Do pretend that we¡¯re travelling incognito to the utmost¡¹ ¡¸With this large household, I feel that this isn¡¯t travelling incognito though¡¹ Excluding the members, the party of approximately 100 people was comprised of the chefs and even the attendants taking care of the pigeons. Lucius looked back at it and smiled bitterly. ??? Valeria filled the white porcelain bathtub that was carried in with Bettina¡¯s horsepower with water, and took off her dress. ¡¸Even though it¡¯s fine to borrow the mansion¡¯s if it¡¯s a bath~¡­¡¹ Did Bettina who was made to assist Valeria¡¯s bathing unconsciously expressed her thoughts? She vented such complaints. Thereupon, Valeria deliberately lowered her voice, ¡¸Perhaps Dante-san might be the mastermind¡ª, if I¡¯m made to hear such things, I can¡¯t enter the bathroom calmly right!? I¡¯ll be unarmed while bathing!¡¹ ¡¸I think Valeria-sama is strong even if you¡¯re unarmed though~¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s an issue of feelings, feelings!¡¹ ¡°Hyu hyu¡±, she lightly drew a sign with her right hand and thrust it into the water with a ¡°zabon¡±. She waited for a minute as it was and the lukewarm water gradually became warm. ¡¸He¡ª¡¹ Seeing that Valeria heated the hot bath with magic, Bettina felt admiration and leaked out a sigh. ¡¸¡ªToasting bread or heating a bath; as expected, magic is convenient in various ways if it can be used¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t experience pain for such things specifically. Rather, I don¡¯t use it for these kinds of things only in the first place¡¹ If she was to enter the bathroom, rather than heating the hot bath entirely with magic, she¡¯d at the most set a fire first and heat the hot bath normally with firewood. It was much easier and the efficiency was also good. Bettina might not understand even if she explained, but to make so much water into a hot bath in a short time, a considerable amount of heat which could burn a small house in the blink of an eye must be released in one go; in short, a seemingly simple and very advanced magic must be used. It was mentally taxing to use such magic and she¡¯d also feel hungry later. When a line of red light connected her right hand which was plunged into the bathtub to her cleavage, Valeria¡¯s mental power was undoubtedly exhausted. Bettina stared at the magic crest¡¯s radiance earnestly and spoke up at this late hour. ¡¸¡ªValeria-sama, do you really possess magic crests on your whole body?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s this about, all of the sudden?¡¹ ¡¸I mean, doesn¡¯t Dimitar-san has them on his hand or forehead only?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know. Magic crests only appear when they are being used¡­Maa, it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve them on almost my whole body¡¹ There was a conceit of enduring that much pain within Valeria. It could be clearly said to be the only part where she didn¡¯t lose to that impertinent Dimitar. Taking off her undergarments, Valeria submerged into the hot bath and grandly stretched herself. ¡¸N¡ª¡­¡¹ ¡¸Valeria-sama¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸Your whole body means your bottom and¡­um, your embarrassing places too¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸I said almost right, almost! Almost my whole body!¡¹ ¡¸Then, there¡¯s none on your bottom?¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t use them if they¡¯re on strange places you know? The skin must be exposed to use the magic crest of that place¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see¡­Besides, you¡¯ll have to show it to Dimitar-san when the necessity arises¡¹ With those few words from a nonchalant Bettina, Valeria recalled the matter in Seriba. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ She frowned and held onto her chest quietly in the hot bath. Although that time was a situation where her magic crests had to be restored before been discovered by the enemies, she¡¯d become furious at having her cleavage casually pressed against and her waist touched even when she thought back on it now. Although she impulsively hit Dimitar hard afterwards, that still wasn¡¯t enough as a maiden¡¯s revenge. ¡¸Nee, Valeria-sama¡¹ ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡¸If the magic crests on your breasts disappeared or get damaged, must you still show your breasts to Dimitar-san?¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Valeria-sama?¡¹ ¡¸N, no way! Of course not! Such a thing will never bufu!¡¹ Valeria who was about to raise her feet onto the bathtub¡¯s rim broke her balance, sank into the hot bath till her head, and then stood up hurriedly. ¡¸¡ªD, don¡¯t say weird things suddenly! I, it¡¯s embarrassing¡­!¡¹ ¡¸But ¡°exclusive¡± means this sort of things right? You can¡¯t say it¡¯s embarrassing when the time comes can you?¡¹ ¡¸T, that may be so but¡­¡¹ ¡¸There wasn¡¯t such a thing before?¡¹ ¡¸W, why are you asking this sort of thing!?¡¹ ¡¸I mean, the relation between Valeria-sama and Dimitar-san seems bad. If that¡¯s the case, it might become rough¡ªis what I think¡­if it becomes so, then whose side should I take?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll choose my side! Whose attendant are you!?¡¹ ¡¸That seems to be a matter of course¡­but probably¡¹ Thereupon, Bettina gulped a little and prevaricated. Although she couldn¡¯t be seen due to the visor, she probably had shut her mouth. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s it? Probably?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no¡­since you¡¯ll get angry if I say it¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hearing you phrased it like that makes me want to hear it more and more though?¡¹ Valeria made sure to lean forward on the bathtub¡¯s edge and urged Bettina on with a ¡°zuzui¡±. ¡¸But, um¡­then I¡¯ll say it honestly. In the first place, no matter what kind of situation it is, I feel that Dimitar-san¡¯s decision is more correct than Valeria-sama¡¯s¡­¡¹ ¡¸You¡ª¡¹ Valeria raised her right which had a magic crest appearing on it overhead, but she submerged it into the hot bath with a sour expression. Although it was vexing, it was pointless to refute it. ¡¸Fun!¡¹ Sprinkling Bettina lightly with hot water, Valeria immersed herself into the hot bath again until the tip of her chin. ¡¸¡­Suppose you become a magic genius like me, and your magic crests are damaged to some extent, can you still cover for yourself? If you really could, then that guy won¡¯t have a turn to show up¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s with that doubtful intonation?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Maa, if they¡¯re damaged, there¡¯s also a magic crest that¡¯s the highest priority for restoration; in that case, I¡¯ll have to borrow that guy¡¯s help even if I¡¯m reluctant to do so¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Is it some sort of special magic crest?¡¹ ¡¸¡­So you don¡¯t know it well, me neither. It¡¯s said to be a magic crest that was handed down since long ago to signify the status as a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Where is it?¡¹ ¡¸I said it right? That magic crests can¡¯t be seen unless magic power is circulated¡¹ Valeria held her own body, curled up her back and pointed at the area around her left scapula over her shoulder. ¡¸It should be roughly in this area¡­¡¹ She concentrated her consciousness on her back slightly and poured in magic power. ¡¸Ah¡­! A small magic crest resembling a rose has appeared!¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t understand well, but only that magic crest has to be restored immediately if it¡¯s damaged. It isn¡¯t used for some magic in particular¡­how do I say, it¡¯s a sign of a proof? In that sense, it¡¯s something carved onto you when you¡¯re officially chosen as a Dominas. I had Karin showed hers to me before, but it¡¯s slightly different from mine¡¹ ¡¸He¡ª. Then it really is a proof of a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸However, to carve this extra one takes time and feels painful. Sometimes, I become envious of the people who are living a life that¡¯s unrelated to such things¡¹ ¡¸¡­But I feel that the girls from all over the country still have the thoughts of wanting to become a Dominas¡¹ ¡°Kyukkyu¡±, while wiping her pink body that was sprayed by the hot water with a towel, Bettina murmured somewhat despondently. ¡¸Even I, won¡¯t say to be like Dominas-sama as expected, but I¡¯m still thinking of becoming able to use magic even now. If so, I might be able to help Oji-sama¡¯s research more¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Sorry¡¹ Thinking that she had hurt Bettina¡¯s feelings somehow, Valeria sat in seiza in the bathtub and apologised in a small voice. Valeria had seen tens of these girls who had their dreams shattered and dropped out so far. If she had made one wrong step, she might have become like them too. Hence, if that was true, she should have understood the feelings of the girls who held a sense of failure, and yet she had said careless remarks without doing so. Bettina spoke to the despondent Valeria in a slight panic. ¡¸It¡¯s fine either way, why does Valeria-sama has to apologise?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m similar to Oji-sama. Oji-sama also can¡¯t use magic. But, the circumstance where normal people also can¡¯t use magic is precisely why I think Oji-sama started his current research¡¹ ¡¸I see..¡­¡¹ ¡¸By the way, if Valeria-sama doesn¡¯t get up soon and take a nap, wouldn¡¯t it be troubling later? There¡¯re preparations to be done too¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re right¡¹ It was obvious that Bettina was being mindful towards her who was feeling depressed, but Valera decided to go along with that. End of Chapter 4 Volume 2 - CH 5 Night of the Red and White Clovers Magic crests were carved onto the human¡¯s skin because the human body was a substance that could circulate magic power the most efficiently. At the very least, the present magic warriors didn¡¯t know of a medium that was more suitable than their own bodies for manifesting magic. Magic warriors circulated magic power into the magic crests which were carved onto their bodies with their will. The shape drawn by that circuit became a magic square and made powers of miracle appeared in this world. However, an alloy which was good enough to substitute the human body as a medium and manifest magic was created, and spread secretly and rapidly. Its developer was the Amaddo Army¡¯s Third Arsenal Chief Engineer, Quique Albiol. ??? He was also undoubtedly a genius, albeit eccentric. If one was to take charge of a whole country¡¯s government, then a deep and extensive knowledge was necessary. The vast amount of books collected in this library aided his career as a politician and could be called his support. In order to become a Dominas, Karin had read a huge amount of reference books as expected, but their quantity in her personal library, the Rudbeck Houses¡¯s, could by no means be compared to the Valiente House¡¯s. Karin, who was looking up at the bookshelf like how she had looked up at it with awe and envy when she was a child but from a slightly higher viewpoint, heard the sound of door closing and looked back. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve kept you waiting, Karin¡¹ Dante who had entered the room while playing with his curled red hair with his finger was wearing a dark red vestment signifying his current status. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I understand that you¡¯re busy with work¡¹ ¡¸No, I don¡¯t mind¡¹ ¡¸I want to talk again just by the two us before returning to my country¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re returning to your country already?¡¹ Dante¡¯s eyes became round in surprise. ¡¸Hasn¡¯t it been only three days since you came here? Didn¡¯t you spend half a month or a month here in the past?¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s different from childhood. Similarly to how you¡¯ve realised the deputy prime minister¡¯s title, I¡¯m also interested in the the title of a Dominas now¡¹ ¡¸I know that but¡­I don¡¯t want to send you back as it is¡¹ Dante leaned against his favourite desk and folded his arms. Karin thought that each of his theatrical actions was exaggerated. ¡¸¡ªThe thing that I said to you before wasn¡¯t a joke¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, what was it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about me hoping to take you as my wife. You¡¯re good in feigning ignorance as usual¡¹ ¡¸¡­I remembered¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear¡¹ ¡¸I should have said that it wasn¡¯t a question that can be immediately replied to¡¹ ¡¸Can you hear me out first, Karin?¡¹ Dante opened the desk¡¯s drawer and took out a bunch of documents with finely written characters. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the draft of a petition that I intend to report to His Majesty soon¡¹ Saying so, he held them out to Karin. ¡¸¡­Is it fine for me to read it? I¡¯m from Amaddo you know?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind. Rather, the conversation can¡¯t proceed unless you read it¡¹ Since it was Dante¡¯s proposition to the king of Biranoba, it had to be deeply connected to their national interest, but Karin scanned through it like she was told to. ¡¸¡­Magic warriors¡¯ training institution?¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ It was a petition stating that a place like the Magic Academy in Amaddo should be established in Biranoba. The summary of the required budget and the timetable for until when magic warriors could be produced practically etc. were written down quite meticulously. ¡¸¡ªThe Holy Alliance was originally the 12 magic warriors who helped Redountra sealed the ¡°Demon¡±, but it stemmed from the countries which were founded to surround the current ¡°Hill of Seal¡±¡¹ Though it might be nothing new to the Dominas you¡ªDante made a preface like so, and began to talk to Karin. ¡¸They became kings eventually, and after Redountra fell into slumber, they kept surveillance to ensure that the seal doesn¡¯t come undone. They left behind 12 Dominas, one to each of the 12 countries, so that the ¡°Demon¡± can be sealed again in the worst case. Henceforth, even if we temporarily lack a Dominas, their number continues to be the same even now without changing¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s right. Until now, there were several occasions where a substitute was needed suddenly due to unforeseen accidents or deaths from illnesses, but nevertheless, I remembered that there wasn¡¯t a time when 3 or more Dominas were missing simultaneously¡¹ ¡¸However, what happened to the number of allied countries?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Karin stopped her hand that was turning over the fine quality paper and looked at Dante with upturned eyes. ¡¸Presently, just 7 of the countries that participated in the alliance remained. Amaddo, Diruma, Haiderota, Mirzoza, Bito, Picabia and Garmany. You should also know what became of the other 5 countries right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Biranoba is also doing well now as a quasi-signatory¡¹ ¡¸Yes, a quasi-signatory. Still, it might be preferable that just the outward appearance as a country remains. Even if it¡¯s our Biranoba or Berdou¡¹ Dante¡¯s gaze ran towards a picture frame that was hung on a corner of the wall. However, it wasn¡¯t a picture fitting of the Valiente House¡¯s family status that was displayed inside, but a picture map centring on Biranoba. ¡¸¡ªBut Romarikku, Emelily and also Baragan cease to exist in this world already. Moreover, Romarikku and Baragan were annexed by Amaddo and Haiderota, and vanished from the map¡¯s surface¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­The current me can only reply with this much¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like I¡¯m criticising your motherland¡¯s deed in particular. But I just want to reaffirm to you that the present situation deviates greatly from how the alliance should originally be¡¹ Dante moved towards the picture map on the wall and said so. The Biranoba in the map was very small, and being pressured by Amaddo and Diruma in its east and west, it looked as if it¡¯d crushed anytime. ¡¸With just Amaddo and Diruma, they possessed nearly half of the entire alliance¡¯s territory and moreover 5 Dominas. This present condition can by no means be said to be well-balanced right?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that balance fine if there¡¯s stability because of it?¡¹ ¡¸A situation where there¡¯s a congregation of Dominas isn¡¯t desirable, and Amaddo¡¯s power becomes increasingly strong. Therefore, I want a small country like Biranoba to possess a Dominas similar to before. And I want Amaddo and Diruma to approve of it¡¹ ¡¸And I¡¯m to assist you in that?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t have to be right now¡¹ Dante tossed the draft that Karin had returned into the drawer. ¡¸It can be after you¡¯ve finished serving your Dominas¡¯s duty. Come to Biranoba and marry me. And then I want for you to guide the next generation at the magic warriors¡¯ training institution that I created¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re barking up the wrong tree¡¹ Although Karin was Dante¡¯s blood-related relative, she was a person of Amaddo to the bitter end. Abandoning Amaddo to live for Biranoba¡ªwhich meant abandoning her House at the same time¡ªwasn¡¯t simple. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m a Dominas as well as a High Grade Inspector of Amaddo, and also the only daughter and heiress of the Rudbeck House¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. That¡¯s why I said this at that time right? It¡¯s possible to do so if you give birth to 2 children¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll say this clearly¡¹ Karin dragged up the shawl wrapping her shoulder and said to Dante. ¡¸I don¡¯t want to give birth to your children¡­To say nothing of now, but also 9 years later¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡ªquite a shock¡¹ Dante opened his eyes widely at Karin¡¯s words. Brushing up his forelocks, a fixed habit of his, he took in a deep breath greatly and shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸I never thought that I¡¯d be disliked by you¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t dislike you. However, I cannot think of you as my future husband¡¹ ¡¸Even as a partner?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m born and raised in Amaddo, and has no obligation to work for Biranoba. Besides¡ª¡¹ It¡¯d be better if it (Dante¡¯s draft) was for ordinary magic warriors, but if he was going to create a genius girl that could become a Dominas, then a specialised educational institution have to be prepared. Also, a talented girl must be selected from a large number of candidates, and given thorough training from her childhood. The special annual budget that Amaddo invested in Dominas¡¯s training easily surpassed a somewhat small country¡¯s war funds. Furthermore, for a country like Biranoba that had to start the training of magic warriors from scratch, a lot more budget was necessary. ¡¸¡­Does the current Biranoba has the national power to invest an enormous budget into magic training? This country certainly has become rich economically, but will the citizens still agree to your idea when they hear that the war funds will jump up by three times suddenly? What about the royal family?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯ll be a fundraising and I¡¯ll obtain the citizens¡¯ understanding then. Even if I couldn¡¯t obtain it, their antipathy can be suppressed¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, what do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸Any more than this will be a secret concerning Biranoba¡¯s national interest. ¡ªHowever, if you accept my offer, I won¡¯t hesitate to speak freely without holding anything back¡¹ Dante, who had stopped his hand that was touching his forelocks and laughed, recovered his serous look suddenly and added on. ¡¸¡ªYou also want to know what I¡¯m thinking in actuality right? Didn¡¯t you come all the way from Amaddo for this?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Karin closed her eyes partly and pinched the fingertip of the long glove that she wore on her right hand. She then quietly poured magical power into the magic crest hidden beneath the long glove. At that time, she heard Petra¡¯s shriek for the first time in her life and held her breath. ??? As Dante¡¯s mansion was originally distanced away from Buruan, it tended to become silent suddenly when the day got dark, but the vicinity of the Valiente House¡¯s detached residence was even more rustic. There were no lights of private houses in its surrounding, and no sign of life except the occasional hooting of owls. Late in the night, Valeria who had slipped out from the mansion secretly and came here while being shouldered by Bettina, looked up towards the hilltop from within the forest and frowned. ¡¸¡­If it¡¯s from here, we¡¯ll be completely visible for a while until we reach that residence¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve come to understand things a little huh¡¹ Dimitar who was replacing the cartridge of Bettina¡¯s back said so sarcastically. Although judging from his expression, Dimitar probably wasn¡¯t intending to make fun of Valeria, but was only stating the truth. Even if that was the case, it didn¡¯t change the fact that she felt offended though. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Glossing over the anger which was welling up within her with a small cough, Valeria looked at the residence that was built on the hilltop again. Though its scale was quite small compared to the main house, if she was to consider that it was built for only one old person to rest in, it could be said to have an extravagant structure nonetheless. From what Karin had said, walking along the wall and around the perimeter of that land once took her about 20 minutes on foot. There also seemed to be a fairly large garden. ¡¸¡­Even if someone was inside, it¡¯s time for them to be asleep right?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s a story of the caretakers-cum-servant couple usually staying inside, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true¡¹ Dimitar who had finished changing the cartridge stroked his head and sighed. ¡¸That means there¡¯s somebody else?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve no definite proof, but that¡¯s likely to be so¡¹ ¡¸Who?¡¹ ¡¸Have you met that large man who greeted us on the first day anywhere after that?¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸That tough fellow called Salomon Pujor. The one in charge of security¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­now that you mention it, I haven¡¯t see him at all¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve only seen him two, three times during the day. I don¡¯t see him once the day gets dark¡¹ ¡¸Is there something wrong with that?¡¹ ¡¸He probably a former mercenary or soldier of some place, and had accumulated a fair bit of experience¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that so?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll understand if you see it from this perspective¡­Do you think it¡¯s this easy to slip out from a mansion that such a man is guarding? It was the same when Rudbeck-geika and I investigated the army¡¯s facilities. It was so easy to come and go that it was anti-climactic. Why in the world is that so?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡ª¡¹ Even if she was asked why, she could only answer that wasn¡¯t it possible since they had actually slipped out of the mansion like this. However, Dimitar pinched the nose of Valeria who was about to continue so with a ¡°mugiyu!¡± and forcibly interrupted her words. ¡¸Bumu!¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s 3 possibilities. Did that man skipped out on guarding the mansion, or was he not in the mansion from the start¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the remaining one?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll be on standby here¡¹ Dimitar rolled up his right sleeve without mentioning the third possibility. ¡¸¡ªIn the worst case, the role of carrying Her Eminence, who dreams of a happy old age, on the shoulder and escape is yours¡¹ ¡¸Um~¡­I, just a moment¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Endure that physiology phenomenon as much as possible¡¹ (TN: He¡¯s referring to Bettina¡¯s urge to pee whenever she¡¯s nervous.) ¡¸No, no way¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Your Eminence¡¹ Dimitar heartlessly left behind Bettina who had probably became teary-eyed beneath her visor, and began to walk in front. ¡¸Don¡¯t take charge! I¡¯ll say this many times, but the superior is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t dawdle, superior¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s infuriating¡­!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being noisy¡¹ The forest ended before long and the gentle hill continued from there. Even under the faint moonlight, it was distinctly clear that an innumerable number of white petals were falling onto the slope that was covered in a greenery of white clovers. Excluding that, there was hardly any grove of trees, and there wasn¡¯t a place to hide at the critical moment as expected. ¡¸¡ªHey¡¹ Valeria asked Dimitar in a low voice. ¡¸You said that there¡¯re 3 possibilities just now. Explain the last one¡¹ ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t understand?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Dimitar, who was straining his eyes and staring fixedly at the residence, turned his head lightly and looked down at Valeria. ¡¸You seriously don¡¯t understand?¡¹ ¡¸That©`¡¹ Valeria who had thought ¡°I was pitied on again!¡± almost screamed instinctively, but given the circumstances, it was also a fact that she didn¡¯t understand, and she somehow restrained her anger. ¡¸¡­Can you explain in detail for my reference, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸Fun¡¹ Dimitar removed the scabbard¡¯s clasp and pulled out his sword. ¡¸¡ªThe third possibility is that he overlooked our movements despite noticing them¡¹ ¡¸Overlooked¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Thinking normally, the first possibility is non-existent since such a man won¡¯t skipped out on his work. Similarly, it doesn¡¯t make sense for the person in charge of security to leave the mansion, so the second one is out too. He didn¡¯t skipped out and wasn¡¯t absent, and yet he didn¡¯t guard the mansion. In other words, he deliberately created a chance for us to move easily¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? Could it be that Dante-san has also noticed what we¡¯re trying to do¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Of course¡¹ Dimitar answered back casually. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯d still be fine if it was just Rudbeck-geika and Petra, since they¡¯re relatives in the first place. However, you, Gacha Pink ad I had shown up at the same time. If it¡¯s that sharp-witted man, he¡¯d have immediately guessed that we didn¡¯t came along for the purpose of sightseeing. We were made to move freely¡¹ ¡¸M, made to move freely¡­you were aware of it!?¡¹ ¡¸Rudbeck-geika and Rudbeck-kyou should have noticed it too. You and Gacha Pink didn¡¯t seemed to notice it¡¹ Although Dimitar replied calmly, Valeria couldn¡¯t maintain her composure at all. If Dimitar¡¯s conjecture was correct¡ªif Dante was aware of everything¡ª, then Karin and Petra who remained in the mansion were in danger. There was no country that tolerated foreign spies. ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything if you had understood that much!?¡¹ ¡¸It was Rudbeck-geika who said that they¡¯ll remain in the mansion¡­In short, she concluded that it was better for us to take on this mission. Even if they¡¯re captured in the worst case, if it¡¯s those two, they won¡¯t be killed first¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª¡¹ ¡¸They aren¡¯t completely incompetent too and they won¡¯t be caught easily¡­Based on such premise, we can only take action. If you still want to say more, return to Gacha Pink¡¯s place. I¡¯ll go by myself¡¹ ¡¸I, I didn¡¯t say that I won¡¯t go!¡­To begin with, I just said it this morning to stop going off on your own without me!¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go quickly¡¹ Dimitar covered Valeria with the mantle that he was wearing, and on top of which he carried her on his back. ¡¸Hiwa!?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t make noise at everything, you¡¯re being noisy¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria on his back and rushed out from the forest. Dimitar whose physical ability was enhanced by magic was faster than any swift horse. There was hardly a person that could perceive Dimitar, who had slipped into the dead of the night and was running at this speed,¡ªwhile wearing a black mantle too¡ªwith his naked eyes. Having ran up the hill just like that, Dimitar clung onto the wall enclosing the residence¡¯s environs and muttered in a very calm tone. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s an extremely high wall. Is it really a mansion built for his Baa-san¡¯s recuperation?¡¹ ¡¸It looks exactly ideal for barricading oneself when something happens. Since it stands alone on a hilltop, it¡¯s good for commanding a view in any direction¡¹ ¡¸Even if I think that it was built here with such factors in consideration, if it¡¯s that man, then it isn¡¯t anything strange¡¹ Dimitar looked at Valeria over his shoulder. ¡¸¡­Oi, try to put your feet on my shoulders and stand up. Can you not peek inside from above the wall?¡¹ ¡¸Eh, is that fine?¡¹ ¡¸I said to do it. You don¡¯t have to worry¡¹ ¡¸¡­You know, I can endure anything if it¡¯s for the mission, but even so, you irritate me¡¹ ¡¸Cease your irrational false accusation¡¹ ¡¸Hai hai¡­Don¡¯t ever look up okay?¡¹ ¡¸Be at ease, even if you meaninglessly undress and climb onto my shoulders, I¡¯ve no interest in the bottom or crotch of a thin young girl in the first place¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say crotch!¡¹ Valeria placed her feet on both of Dimitar¡¯s shoulders and stood up timidly. ¡¸Yo¡­¡¹ Standing on tiptoes while her legs trembled with a ¡°puru puru¡±, Valeria¡¯s face barely appeared over the wall. She then strained her eyes and surveyed the area. ¡¸¡­How¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸I can see a light¡­¡¹ ¡¸So someone is there? They haven¡¯t sleep yet?¡¹ ¡¸Rather, there¡¯re many lights and they¡¯re moving¡­¡¹ ¡¸They might be guards of this place¡­As I thought, it¡¯s different from what I heard¡¹ ¡¸Even so¡ªthe Valiente House is really wealthy. Doesn¡¯t he own several such mansions here and there? Is the deputy prime minister job so profitable?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. However, the Valiente House is an old family that possesses territory not only within Biranoba, but also in Amaddo and Diruma. If managed well, maintenance of this much is possible¡¹ ¡¸Why do Biranoba¡¯s nobles have territories in Amaddo?¡¹ ¡¸When Biranoba ceded territory to Amaddo, they seemed to have avoided having their individually owned plots of land confiscated. Thereupon, the Valiente House¡¯s territory remained inside Amaddo like a exclave¡¹ ¡¸He¡ª¡­Even though they¡¯re relatives, it¡¯s surprisingly different from Karin¡¯s House¡¹ Valeria jumped down from Dimitar¡¯s shoulders with a ¡°hyoi¡± and sighed. ¡¸¡ªKarin¡¯s Ojii-sama was a person with a preference for spending money extravagantly, and he squandered the Rudbeck House in a flash. Karin will have a fairly hard time rebuilding it. That includes me of course¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸When we met in the beginning¡­how should I say, we had a really serious relationship because Karin is that type. Anyway, our surroundings were all rivals aiming to be a Dominas. ¡ªHowever, once Karin and I realised that we were aiming to be a Dominas to somehow settle our grandfathers¡¯ generation¡¯s credits that we were burdened with, feelings of affinity budded instead, and we become on very good terms¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Oi¡¹ Dimitar interrupted Valeria¡¯s statement and looked towards the mansion. ¡¸¡­By chance, is that a mere talk about yourself?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸I thought it was some information that¡¯d be useful for investigating this mansion and listened to you, but if it¡¯s just an idle talk, be quiet at once¡¹ ¡¸I, isn¡¯t this much fine!¡¹ ¡¸Your private life is none of my concern. It¡¯s just like how you aren¡¯t interested in my private life¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that!?¡¹ Though Dimitar said so, Valeria was in truth just a little interested in his private life; rather than his private life, it was the story of his childhood. After she completed her first job in Seriba, she heard from Lucius¡ªthe story where Dimitar was about to be killed by his biological mother when he was a child, and it had been on her mind since then. Although she didn¡¯t ask for it, according to the rumours gathered by Valeria¡¯s father, it seemed that Dimitar¡¯s mother was made to do a double suicide with her child. The mansion where the parent and child lived was also burned down; what sort of circumstance was there for Dimitar alone to be rescued? Afterwards, Orevieto took custody of Dimitar and raised him together with Lucius like brothers. If it was her spirit of curiosity, it was to this extent, but Valeria wanted to know about that matter. However, there was no way she could ask such things in this situation. She might just be ignored even if she asked, and it was also vexing to yield to Dimitar just to have him teach her about it. ¡¸Good grief!¡¹ Valeria exaggeratedly brushed up her blond hair with tinges of orange, and said with a fed up face. ¡¸¡ªEven though I expressly thought of getting along with you since Lucius-sama had requested me to do so!¡¹ ¡¸You can ignore what Lucius said. That guy read too much into things¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t order me on everything! In the first place, don¡¯t refer Lucius-sama as that guy!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s up to me to decide how I call that guy, and there¡¯s no need to get along with you too. It¡¯s sufficient if we just do our best in the mission¡¹ Dimitar smoothly warded off Valeria¡¯s anger and looked up at the wall again. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s go¡¹ ¡¸Hiaa!?¡¹ Carrying Valeria on his shoulder, he jumped over the wall and lay down on the ground with a ¡°petari¡±. As most of the rooms weren¡¯t illuminated, the vast garden was enveloped in the heavy darkness of the night. Although the surroundings were barely visible due to the moonlight, nobody might noticed them if they kept their postures lowered and held their breaths. Looking at the lights moving randomly in the darkness, Dimitar muttered in a low voice. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m not sure how many guards are there, so forcing our way through is the last measure. We¡¯ll enter from above like last time¡¹ ¡¸G, got it¡¹ Valeria nodded deeply and began moving in a half-rising posture behind Dimitar. ¡¸It¡¯s vast¡¹ The building wasn¡¯t very big, but the garden was vast. Even when the person in recuperation wasn¡¯t here now, a gardener seemed to have come regularly to maintain it as a strong fragrance of flowers wafted from somewhere. Once the light of a lantern disappeared, Dimitar stopped his feet there, carried Valeria on his shoulder again and jumped. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s find the evidence quickly and return¡¹ Kicking the top of a virgin statue that decorated the large pond, Dimitar jumped again and moved to the second floor balcony, and easily picked open the lock on the window. ¡¸You¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve said it many times, but I haven¡¯t commit theft. Be it you or Rudbeck-geika, is it a Dominas¡¯s trait or something to treat people who are skilfully with their hands as thief?¡¹ ¡¸Karin said that too?¡¹ ¡¸Indifferently¡¹ Dimitar crept into the dark interior, surveyed the vicinity and sheathed his sword for the time being. This room which had a nice view from its balcony might originally be the room of the old woman that was recuperating from sickness. It seemed to be converted into a lodging room when Dante came along after her death. Other than a bed, a desk and a cabinet lined up with sake bottles were firmly placed in a neatly maintained condition. ¡¸¡­Search the drawers over there thoroughly¡¹ ¡¸Ha? There¡¯s no way the armaments can be kept in such a place¡¹ ¡¸We aren¡¯t searching for that only, but also clues to locate Nereida¡¯s whereabouts¡­Letters or something, I want documents that show the link of Dante and Nereida¡¹ ¡¸Ha~a¡­you think the evidence can be found so conveniently?¡¹ ¡¸How we think is irrelevant. At any rate, search for it. That¡¯s our job¡¹ Valeria uttered a sigh while opening the desk¡¯s drawers in turns. ¡¸¡­Even though I took great pains to become a Dominas, the jobs that I¡¯m assigned to only seemed to be an imitation of a spy or a petty thief¡¹ ¡¸Are you indignant?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t you say something like ¡°quit if you¡¯re indignant¡±. I didn¡¯t say that I¡¯m indignant¡¹ ¡¸Then what¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s different from reality, or perhaps I should say¡ª¡¹ ¡¸In short, like the bonbons who attended that party, you think it¡¯d be nice if a Dominas dedicates prayers to Redountra throughout the day?¡¹ Dimitar who had searched under the bed with his sword¡¯s scabbard showed an unpleasant smile and stood up. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re a Dominas as well as a high grade inspector of Amaddo, and I¡¯m also entrusted with both the roles of being your exclusive Hiera Glaphicos and an inspector. In that case, we¡¯ve to quietly obey the orders from above. That¡¯s court service¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand the role of an inspector well. In the first place, what does that job entails?¡¹ ¡¸Domestic and foreign investigations¡¹ ¡¸Investigation? On what specifically?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no specific regulations. In any case, every event that concern Amaddo¡¯s national interest are targets for investigation¡­That¡¯s why it can be broadly interpreted as much as one likes¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s to say, a Jack of all trades?¡¹ ¡¸To say it trivially, that¡¯s so, but only the king and his proxy can order the high grade inspectors. Basically, there¡¯s no need to follow the instructions of people other than them. You should act with a little more self-awareness that high grade inspectors were given a great authority of that much¡¹ Having said so, Dimitar instructed Valeria on this and that, and occasionally kicked her bottom. Although she wanted to say ¡°who¡¯s the one lacking self-awareness¡±, she knew that she¡¯d be logically retorted if she said so, hence Valeria kept quiet. ¡¸¡­Hmm?¡¹ Affirming that opening all the drawers was a pointless labour, Valeria noticed the small knife that was placed on the desk together with an ink bottle and a quill pen. Its structure couldn¡¯t be described as especially unusual, but something felt out of place. ¡¸¡­Ah, I see¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it?¡¹ Dimitar closed the cabinet¡¯s door and looked back. ¡¸This knife¡ª¡¹ Valeria picked up the knife with her fingers and showed it to Dimitar. ¡¸It¡¯s extremely simple and feels plain¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s strange¡¹ ¡¸Un. I thought it¡¯d be flashier if it¡¯s used by Dante-san¡­¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯d be sure to use something appropriate for his social status¡¹ In fact, the furniture and stationery that were placed here were only things befitting of a great noble. The quill pen was also made from the tail feathers of a rare male Sagittarius serpentarius. Compared to those, this knife was very¡ªto say it nicely, simple and sturdy; to say it badly, it was plain. It was definitely unusual as a noble¡¯s possession. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria pulled out the knife gently and looked closely at its blade. ¡¸This¡¯s¡­magic crest?¡¹ Noticing faint and complex lines coursing through the blade, Valeria murmured so. ¡¸Let me borrow it¡¹ Dimitar held the knife that he received from Valeria¡¯s hand. When Dimitar poured in his magical power, the engraved magic crest on the knife¡¯s blade shined with a ¡± boya~!¡±, and a small flame lit up at its tip. ¡¸¡­It seems useful for lighting up a fire in the fireplace¡¹ Dimitar immediately extinguished the flame and laughed. ¡¸It¡¯s quite a basic article¡­It was probably used when Nereida promoted herself to Dante, since it¡¯s the easiest to understand what magic engineering can do by showing an actual article. Did she coaxed him by saying that she can create more things than this and as many as he likes if he assisted her¡ª¡¹ ¡¸But isn¡¯t this weak as an evidence?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s search the basement¡¹ Dimitar sheathed the knife, threw it back to Valeria, and quietly opened the door facing the corridor. ¡¸If there¡¯re armaments being kept here, then they had to be in the basement. And if there¡¯s no basement, they¡¯ll be on the first floor¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸Think about their weight¡¹ Moving slowly and quietly along the uninhabited corridor, Dimitar spoke while descending the stairs. ¡¸¡ªSimply put, the armours and swords are a mass of metal. If such things are kept in large quantity in this type of room, the floor would collapse from their weight. In that case, they¡¯ve to be in a spacious and strongly structured room where its floor, walls, ceiling and everything are covered with stone¡¹ ¡¸That means¡ª¡¹ The first floor seemed to comprise of an entrance hall, a few guest rooms, and a dining hall which served as a living room too, but as far as they could see from peeking lightly, it was only decorated with a few armours and swords as works of art. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s an underground storehouse for keeping food in our mansion too¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ There was a stairway leading to the mansion¡¯s basement at the side of the kitchen. However, even though the mansion¡¯s interior was completely cleaned, it was dusty from that point on. Due to that, it was clear that a few footprints remained slightly. ¡¸¡­It seems that the servants are prohibited from going any further from here on¡¹ ¡¸¡­What shall we do?¡¹ ¡¸Is there an idiot who¡¯d come until here and return without checking it?¡¹ ¡¸I know that! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being noisy¡¹ Dimitar rebuked Valeria who had raised her voice instinctively and observed the long corridor. There didn¡¯t seem to be another stairway leading to the basement besides this. In that case, if the guards noticed them while they were descending to the basement, they¡¯d completely become trapped rats. If this exit was set on fire, it¡¯d be enveloped in smoke and might easily become a trip to the netherworld. It was annoying to admit, but Dimitar should have also realised this since Valeria had realised it. Though Dimitar usually made quick decisions, the fact that he didn¡¯t try to descend immediately when they found the stairway might be because he couldn¡¯t discard that possibility and was perplexed. Valeria drew out the knife that she found earlier, lit up a small flame, took the initiative and began descending the stairway. ¡¸Oi¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t have the time to be worried right? There¡¯s the matter of Karin too, so isn¡¯t it better to finish up quickly?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Maa, that¡¯s better than wasting time on hesitating¡¹ As though making himself to decide, Dimitar muttered and followed after Valeria. ??? If this mansion was purely built as a place for an old person to rest in, and was subsequently changed to a place of a secret conspiracy, then this basement might originally have been prepared as a storehouse for storing food and wine reserves. If it was the mansion located in Buruan¡¯s outskirts, even if the stock of food ran out, it could immediately be bought from the market, but that was difficult for this mansion which was distanced far away from the town. This storehouse should be fairly vast to stockpile a large quantity of food to prepare for a time when something happened. As though to support Dimitar¡¯s conjecture, the stone stairway was wide enough for a large-build man to move while carrying a wine barrel and a sack of wheat. ¡¸¡ªRichternach-kyou¡¹ Valeria who had descended the stairway earlier looked up at Dimitar with a somewhat tensed expression. In front of the girl was a reinforced door enshrined with an iron frame and rivets. It didn¡¯t seemed to have a lock on it, but a small window attached with iron grilles cut through the door at eye-level. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Probably, Valeria might have recalled the incident in Seriba. There, Valeria¡¯s magic crests were erased, and she got captured and was almost deprived of even her chastity. It wasn¡¯t strange for that fear which she had felt inside the dark storehouse to remain as an uneasiness even now. ¡¸You can go back up and keep watch if you¡¯re feeling unwell¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸A mental trauma is a troublesome thing. Apparently, many guys tried to forcibly overcome it and made blunders¡¹ ¡¸¡­What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t you feeling scared to enter the basement because you recalled the incident in Seriba?¡¹ As Dimitar¡¯s observation had hit the mark, Valeria¡¯s face stiffened and her lips quivered slightly. ¡¸¡­Since I¡¯m a man, I can only imagine the feelings of you who freeze from fear when such things happened, but it isn¡¯t something shameful. It¡¯s probably normal to feel that way¡¹ ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t want your sympathy¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t intend to sympathise you. However, even if I take you along, you won¡¯t be very useful and will only increase my burden. If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no trouble in moving by myself¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re forbidden from acting alone! I¡¯ve said this many times right!?¡¹ ¡¸Then don¡¯t make such a face that¡¯d seem to cry at any time¡¹ ¡¸I¡­It¡¯s not like I¡¯m about to cry in particular!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face was flushed in a deep red and she abruptly struck the tip of Dimitar¡¯s shoulder with her small fist. She didn¡¯t think that it was good to hit a person to hide her embarrassment, but it probably wasn¡¯t bad now that she could move her paralysed feet. ¡¸You might break your bone if you hit with your fist. If you want to hit no matter what, then use your palm¡¹ When Dimitar had lightly dusted off the area of his shoulder ostentatiously, he grasped the iron ring handle and pushed open the door. ¡¸¡­There doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone inside¡¹ There was a fairly wide space like Dimitar expected, though approximately half of it was occupied by wooden boxes that were stacked up neatly. Placed in half of the area near the door, were a large work desk and a bookshelf reaching from the floor to the ceiling which were inappropriate for a food warehouse. Walking timidly, Valeria lit a fire in a lamp that was hung on the wall, and knitted her brows as though she had noticed something. ¡¸This shield¡ª¡¹ Similar to the paintings that produced the gorgeousness of a noble¡¯s living room, this storehouse was decorated with shields aligned at fixed intervals. The shields, which reflected the lamp¡¯s illumination and shone in dull silver, were slightly small, but a familiar pattern was lightly engraved onto their surfaces. Dimitar struck that surface with a ¡°kotsun¡± and laughed. ¡¸It¡¯s simple, but it¡¯s obviously a magic crest¡­And such a number of them too¡¹ ¡¸What about the box over there?¡¹ ¡¸Probably swords and armours I guess. I¡¯ll search the desk¡¹ Leaving Valeria to check the box¡¯s contents, Dimitar started to investigate the desk and bookshelf. Inside a small vase which was placed on the desk were only the remains of a withered flower with most of its water evaporated. In contrast, there was no dust accumulated on the desk or chair. When he put these facts together and ruminated on it, it might have been at most one month or so since a person entered this storehouse. Turning the pages of a book that he had pulled out from the bookshelf with a ¡°para para¡±, Dimitar asked Valeria. ¡¸¡­Did you find something?¡¹ ¡¸Swords and spears¡­and armours here¡¹ ¡¸You found them huh¡¹ ¡¸¡ªDoes this means that Nereida did her research here from quite some time ago?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows¡¹ ¡¸I mean, there shouldn¡¯t be so many of this type of weapons and armours even in Amaddo right? Wouldn¡¯t it take a reasonable amount of time to gather so many of these?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s true¡¹ Dimitar shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Valeria. At the feet of the seemingly puzzled girl lay a slightly short-sized sword and breastplate that she had probably took out from the box. Both of them were tinged with radiance like those shields that were aligned on the wall. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure if this¡¯s an accurate example since I¡¯m not an expert¡­but it seems that it¡¯s necessary to do a treatment like plating with some special alloy to engrave magic crests on swords and shields¡¹ ¡¸Plating?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­It¡¯s possible to draw magic crests on that alloy¡¯s surface in the same way as how it¡¯s done on the human¡¯s body¡¹ Dimitar pulled out only half of Jagieruka and showed Valeria its sword blade. ¡¸¡ªIn reality, I helped the Chief Engineer to engrave this guy¡¯s magic crests. I can modify them to a certain extent on the spot¡¹ ¡¸Then, mass production will be easy as long as that alloy can be prepared?¡¹ ¡¸That might not be the case. There¡¯re too few magic warriors in this country¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­the task of engraving magic crests takes time?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. There¡¯re few magic warriors who can draw precise magic crests. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s this sort of valuable talent in such a magic-undeveloped country. It¡¯s likely that Nereida had laboriously spent time to complete these. ¡ªThough it¡¯s queer that the said person isn¡¯t here¡¹ ¡¸Fu~n¡¹ Valeria who had sat on the box jumped off with a ¡°hyoi¡± and picked up a sword. ¡¸¡ªContrary, is it easy to gather this much if it¡¯s Amaddo?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­But that¡¯s if the conditions of the army providing a plentiful budget to the Chief Engineer and the Magic Academy cooperating extensively are attached¡¹ Judging roughly from their appearances, the magic crests which were engraved onto the swords and armours here were far simpler when compared to Jagieruka¡¯s. Jagieruka had precise and complex magic crests, and several magic crests could be used properly by Dimitar¡¯s will, but each of the armaments here could only use one magic crest. If Jagieruka was a custom made one-of-a-kind item, then these were undoubtedly mass produced items. Dimitar continued to check the bookshelf and discovering a bundle of papers inserted between the books, he narrowed his eyes. ¡¸I don¡¯t know if this¡¯s drawn by Nereida but¡­I found that person¡¯s blueprint¡¹ ¡¸Blueprint?¡¹ ¡¸The design draft of magic crest. There¡¯s writing too. Whether or not it¡¯s Nereida¡¯s handwriting, if we take it and return to show it to Chief Engineer¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who had folded up the bundle of papers and stuffed it inside his vest, noticed things like grains of sand falling down in small light bits and looked at up the ceiling. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re heading back¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s a sign that someone was running close by¡¹ ¡¸No way! They noticed?¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps the lamp¡¯s light has leaked out from the hole used for ventilation. Let¡¯s escape before the stairway is blocked¡¹ ¡¸H, ho¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Follow behind me¡¹ Dimitar picked up a sword and shield that were lying down, and headed towards the stairway. ¡¸! There they are, seize them!¡¹ As soon as they rushed out from the underground storehouse, such a voice came down from above the stairway. Barely confirming his opponent, Dimitar wielded the sword while concentrating his consciousness into his right hand. ¡¸¡­This kind of feeling I guess?¡¹ A vivid flame surged forth from the tip of the short sword. When he thrust out the shield in his left hand simultaneously, the violent wind produced from it fanned the flame. It became a scorching hot wind that ran down from above and engulfed the guards. ¡¸Owa!?¡¹ ¡¸Gyaa!¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re a hindrance¡¹ Pushing aside the guards who were enveloped by the flame and running about trying to escape, Dimitar held up the shield and ran up the stairway with Valeria without stopping. Although the guards seemed to be equipped with that sword and shield too, were they afraid of friendly fire in the confined space or they simply couldn¡¯t master them; they didn¡¯t use magic. ¡¸These valuable toys are pearls thrown before swine¡¹ Kicking down the guard before him with his momentum as it was, Dimitar jumped out to the corridor. ¡¸Di¡­Richternach-kyou!¡¹ ¡¸¡­If it¡¯s troublesome, it¡¯s alright not to use that way of calling every time¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it¡ªin front! In front!¡¹ Valeria pointed to the other side of the corridor. Several soldiers could be seen facing towards them and nocking arrows. ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t use magic. Preserve your magical power since your turn will come afterwards¡¹ Dimitar reminded Valeria with a whisper and held the shield aloft. The wind which welled up at once greatly deflected the arrows that were shot. ¡¸¡­Certainly, even if an ordinary person becomes able to use magic, that person¡¯s endeavour is needed to master it¡¹ Dimitar threw out the short sword as he spat out coldly, and before the soldiers could nock their second arrows, he shortened the distance and unsheathed Jagieruka. ??? When Valeria picked up the short sword and caught up to him, Dimitar had already cut down all the soldiers. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Although she had several near-death experiences in Seriba, she had yet to grow accustomed to the redness and smell of blood. While trying not to look at the defeated guards as much as possible, Valeria held out the sword to Dimitar. ¡¸Um¡­here¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t need it. Just hold onto this for now¡¹ Dimitar pressed the shield onto Valeria in place of the short sword, led the girl by her hand and rushed out of the mansion. The deep darkness which had enveloped the mansion¡¯s surroundings until some time ago was now expelled by the flames of the torches and bonfires, and started to disappear. The dark shadows were casually brushed aside and there was hardly any place to hide. ¡¸There they are!¡¹ The soldiers carrying the torches noticed that the pair had rushed out from the mansion and ran. It seemed that they were also equipped with that sword and shield. ¡¸We¡¯re retreating quickly¡¹ ¡¸Is that fine? What about the evidence!?¡¹ There were definitely armaments that were made by using magic engineering here. Although they were here, there was no proof that it was Nereida who developed them. There was also no evidence of Nereida and Dante having a cooperative relationship, much less evidence of secretly assisting Hokon¡¯s revolt in Seriba. ¡¸¡­Unless there¡¯s a very strong evidence, Amaddo can¡¯t judge Dante as a criminal anyway. At any rate, Dante isn¡¯t a person of Amaddo but Biranoba, and also its Deputy Prime Minister. From the time I realised that Dante seems to be the mastermind, I knew that we aren¡¯t chasing after simple evidence¡¹ ¡¸Hold¡ª¡¹ Dimitar lifted Valeria, carried her on his left shoulder in a state where she was facing backwards, and ran. ¡¸If it¡¯s you, you can use that shield¡­Be careful of the arrows¡¹ ¡¸E¡­even though there¡¯s evidence¡­, you knew that it was useless!?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I intended to say¡¹ ¡¸Then why did we came here!?¡¹ ¡¸Though it cannot become an evidence, I thought that Dante would become defiant and talk if we thrust the actual article before him and pressure him¡­ Maa, We don¡¯t have to think about the obtained evidence¡¯s use. I¡¯ve said this many times but our mission is to gather evidence. It¡¯s not like we came here to pursue and arrest Dante¡¹ Certainly, what they ought to think of now was to shake off their pursuers, returned to Dante¡¯s mansion, and linked up with Karin. ¡¸¡ªDon¡¯t bite your tongue, Costacurta-geika¡¹ Warning Valeria lightly, Dimitar evaded the attack of a guard who came stabbing with a spear, and kicked the ground. ¡¸Gugiu¡ª¡¹ He trampled on the guard¡¯s head, jumped onto the branch of an orange tree, and then jumped again towards the wall from there. When the guards raised voices of admiration and surprise at that agility, Valeria was already on the other side of the wall. ¡¸Start a fire¡¹ ¡¸Huh? What?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll confine the pursuers. If you start a fire with that knife just a little and fan it with a wind, that¡¯ll suffice¡¹ ¡¸I, is that fine? This whole place might turned into a sea of flames you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so do it¡¹ ¡¸¡­Why do you¡¯ve to say it unsparingly like that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Make it fast¡¹ ¡¸Hai hai¡¹ Although Valeria frowned, she pulled out that knife, and scattered the small flames which rose on its tip onto the carpet of white clovers. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ When she looked up suddenly, she saw many lights running after them from the mansion on the hill. She also heard the neighs of horses and it was likely that they were pursuing with quite a large number of people. Valeria hurriedly held up the metal shield and stirred up the flames which lit up alone on the dark greenery fiercely with a gust of wind. ¡¸¡­Nice work. This¡¯ll buy us some time¡¹ Dimitar glanced at the sea of flames produced at the rear over his shoulder, and rushed into forest where Bettina was made to standby. ¡¸Gacha Pink!¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai! I didn¡¯t sleep desu, I didn¡¯t sleep desuyou!¡¹ Bettina who was sitting on the root of an oak tree sprang to her feet. ¡¸¡ªIs your urge to urinate alright?¡¹ ¡¸It, it¡¯s alright desuu!¡¹ ¡¸Then, we¡¯ll return quickly and link up with Rudbeck-geika¡¹ Dimitar placed Valeria whom he was carrying on his shoulder onto Bachururusu¡¯s head. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s not your manner of speaking, but merely your petty thief-like behaviour that¡¯s disappointing¡¹ (TN: Spoken by Valeria.) ??? A woman wearing a white robe looked around the dim room¡¯s interior and slowly sat down on a chair. Although the room, which was entirely made of stone from the floor to the ceiling, wasn¡¯t dusty, there was a feeling of oppression that couldn¡¯t be cleared away. However, to feel calm from that might be an occupational disease in a certain sense. After looking into the empty drawer and bookshelf, the woman pulled the cuff of her white robe and polished the monocle¡¯s lens. ¡¸¡­I want you to prepare the same books from the previous laboratory¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯ve a list, I¡¯ll prepare them at once¡¹ The one that replied so was a woman who had covered and hid her whole body with a black robe and cape. On one side was a woman wearing a white robe and sitting on a chair, and on the other side, was a woman dressed completely in black and leaning against the wall. Without crossing their gazes with each other, the extreme pair of women exchanged words while facing different directions. ¡¸¡ªWhat¡¯s the other thing that you need?¡¹ ¡¸Money¡¹ ¡¸This¡¯s a serious conversation, Maestro¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m saying it in all seriousness though¡¹ The monocle woman ran a quill pen across a pure white paper and answered without appearing interested. Chief Engineer¡ªcertainly, this woman¡¯s appearance might be appropriate to be called as such. ¡¸¡ªI can¡¯t conduct experiment if there¡¯s no money. If I can¡¯t search for a metal with better efficiency, I can¡¯t surpass Quique¡¹ ¡¸You made Sorubakken¡¹ ¡¸That was mostly made by you right, Medou? I only created its form as a gauntlet. The essential magic crests were thought up and engraved by you¡­If Quique was the one helping you, Sorubakken would be more efficient¡¹ The monocle woman wrote something down on the paper, pressed it against the woman garbed completely in black¡ªMedou, and took out a khsier from her breast pocket. By shaking it lightly, a magic crest faintly emerged on the metal pipe bowl¡¯s part. ¡¸Honestly, when thinking whether Quique had seen the things that I put in Biranoba, I feel ashamed and my face burns with shame. Even if they¡¯re mass produced items, I don¡¯t want to think that I can only make such things¡¹ ¡¸However, you¡¯re able to draw out a substantial funds from the Valiente House because of them. It¡¯s likely that you won¡¯t be troubled by research funds for a while¡­And, this is?¡¹ ¡¸The list of books that I want for now. Prepare them even if you¡¯ve to steal¡¹ ¡¸Very well then¡­What else do you need?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s see¡¹ The woman rose up from the chair and stood in the middle of the empty room. She faced the wide wall and slowly began to exhale smoke. ¡¸Whatever Quique is making recently, I want the actual article. If possible, that enormous sword¡ª¡¹ Medou asked the woman who was hesitating to speak. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡­Actually, I think that my assistance might be unnecessary for you¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no such thing¡¹ ¡¸After all, aren¡¯t you able to draw such a magic crest?¡­It seems like no one knows it yet¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s regrettable, but that¡¯s not designed by me¡¹ Medou shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. ¡¸Even now¡­I simply remember just a little of the things that many people had forgotten¡¹ ¡¸I think that¡¯s enough though¡¹ ¡¸At any rate, I¡¯ll handle your request discreetly. It might be quite difficult to steal the sword from that boy¡¹ The woman called Medou, who had said so and was about to leave the room, to a stop. ¡¸Ah, I forgot another thing!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸Paint this place white with plaster or something¡¹ ¡¸The wall?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than writing small notes, I think there¡¯s no trouble filling them here¡¹ The woman pointed at the wall and smoked the khsier. End of Chapter 5 Volume 2 - CH 6 Ice Petals It¡¯s necessary to draw magic squares by circulating magical power into spell crestswith specific movements for magic warriors to use magic. In particular, when Dominas who had applied a large number of magic crests onto their bodies used magic, the displays of elegant movements with their whole bodies were likened to dances dedicated to Redountra. The dances of those maidens, whose white soft skins were exposed and bodies were entwined with vivid magic crests, were considered to be very sacred and were accompanied by certain seductiveness as well. ??? However, men mustn¡¯t touch them since Dominas are God¡¯s possessions¡ªwives of ¡°Lord of Redemption¡±. (TN: Kanji for Dominas means God¡¯s priestess/shrine maiden.) It was a few hours until dawn when Dimitar had returned to Dante¡¯s mansion. Even in Buruan¡¯s downtown, it was a time when the shops of any places had their signboards taken down and its citizens were asleep. Needless to say, it wasn¡¯t strange if the area around the town¡¯s outskirts was enveloped in complete darkness and silence. Nevertheless, that place was like a night-less city. Dazzling lights leaked out from all of the mansion¡¯s windows and noises of people could be heard. Evidently, it seemed that several people were awake and moving around. ¡¸¡­They turned on the lights rather flashily and considerably¡¹ Sitting on the wall and observing the mansion¡¯s situation, Dimitar stifled a wry smile that he had unconsciously leaked out, stroked his neck and sighed. ¡¸What shall we do?¡¹ Using Bettina as a stool, Valeria climbed the wall and asked in a low voice. ¡¸Meaning?¡¹ ¡¸Like¨CI¨Csaid! What shall we do after this!¡¹ ¡¸Is it alright for me to decide? Rather, don¡¯t you have any ideas?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸So there¡¯s none then?¡¹ ¡¸T, there is! Um¡­s, secretly link up with Karin first¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Rejected¡¹ ¡¸Haa!? Then why did you purposely ask me?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. I was a fool to have asked you. Sorry¡¹ Dimitar gave a superficial apology that was completely devoid of sincerity and stood up on the wall. ¡¸¡­If Rudbeck-geika is captured by Dante, it might be impossible for us to link up secretly from the start¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t there a possibility where Karin wasn¡¯t captured?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s say that you attacked the enemies and are about to get caught, how¡¯ll you prevent that?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? With magic¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s unlikely for the mansion to come out unscathed when a Dominas uses her magic and rages¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡¹ ¡¸Since that didn¡¯t happen, it¡¯s likely that abstracted, tall and lanky Hiera Glaphicos made a blunder and got caught. Although she should disregard that as a Dominas, even Rudbeck-geika might not be able to act carelessly in a situation where her cousin is taken as a hostage¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t hold back even if you¡¯re made a hostage though¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When he suddenly looked at Valeria, she had a face that seemingly want to say ¡¸I¡¯ve said it!¡¹. Being able to become conceited from this much meant, in a certain sense, that this girl would be a very happy person. Dimitar shrugged his shoulders and, ¡¸It¡¯s a wise decision¡­Ma, I doubt that you¡¯ll be able to win against an opponent that can make me a hostage though¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar immediately crushed Valeria¡¯s conceited expression with a grimace, undid Jagieruka¡¯s clasp and looked back to his rear. ¡¸Oi, Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸Hai~¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll be on standby here¡¹ ¡¸Eh~? Again?¡¹ Bettina who was at the bottom of the wall raised an unsatisfied voice. ¡¸¡ªI was made to wait in the dark forest the whole time just now too desuyou?¡¹ ¡¸The ¡°gacha gacha¡± noisy you aren¡¯t suitable for a delicate mission¡­Don¡¯t make me say it so many times¡¹ (TN: Well, that clears up how Gacha Pink comes about.) ¡¸Aren¡¯t Dimi-san the one with no delicacy~?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re noisy. As for criticising an adult, at least do it after you¡¯ve become able to control your urge to urinate¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be. That¡¯s more difficult than winning against a wolf with bare hands desuyou¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say an exaggerated thing¡­Anyway, you¡¯ll be on standby here; plunge in when it becomes noisy inside¡¹ ¡¸What shall I do if that doesn¡¯t happen desuu?¡¹ ¡¸It will. For sure¡¹ ¡¸If by chance that doesn¡¯t happen¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re noisy. I¡¯ll definitely make it noisy so be quiet and wait¡¹ Dimitar interrupted the obstinate armoured girl¡¯s words and jumped down towards the inner side of the wall. ¡¸Hey¡­what¡¯re you planning to do!?¡¹ Valeria hurriedly chased after Dimitar, lowered her voice just in case and asked. ¡¸Although we discovered some evidences, we don¡¯t know the whereabouts of the crucial Nereida. If so, we can only ask Dante¡¹ ¡¸You can say that but¡­you intend to enter from the front?¡¹ ¡¸The other party is expecting our return after capturing Rudbeck-geika. If so, it¡¯s futile even if we try to take them by surprise and rescue the hostages¡¹ ¡¸Then what shall we do?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve been made to do completely roundabout things until now. At least for the conclusion, I want to go directly from the front¡¹ ¡¸Want to go¡­isn¡¯t that like going there to get caught!? Supposedly, they had taken Karin as hostage!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re right¡­When the time comes, Dante may prioritise his ambitions over Rudbeck-geika. If he used Her Eminence as a shield, even I can¡¯t interfere¡¹ Dimitar had calculated that even if Karin was captured, if it was Dante who was a relative, he wouldn¡¯t behave so roughly. But, Dimitar also knew that it might not be an absolute thing. Ultimately, Karin might have only been treated politely when compared to Dimitar or Valeria. If necessary, Dante would undoubtedly use Karin and Petra as shields. ¡¸You¡¯re going despite knowing that?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡­That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to come¡¹ Dimitar took away the shield and knife that Valeria was holding, and jerked his chin towards the wall. ¡¸¡­Wait together with Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not waiting!¡¹ Valeria grasped Dimitar¡¯s hand and spoke. ¡¸¡ªI can¡¯t be quiet when my friends are caught right!? Besides, for me to entrust it to you only and standby at a safe place¡­that¡¯s impossible!¡¹ ¡¸Look here¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking well, but I somehow know your thoughts¡¹ ¡¸¡­Do you or do you not know, which is it?¡¹ ¡¸Shut up! Though it¡¯s exasperating, you trying to do something itself mean that there¡¯s a prospect of victory isn¡¯t there? There is right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ It was troublesome to explain everything so Dimitar tried to face away and ignore her, but Valeria specially took a roundabout path to his front, and continued in a preaching tone. ¡¸¡ªSince it¡¯s D, Di¡­Richternach-kyou who always say proud things to one person or another, you won¡¯t move without having a prospect of victory right? Not to mention, even Karin and Petra are involved in this situation¡¹ ¡¸¡­The thing called prospect of victory doesn¡¯t exist¡¹ ¡¸But you¡¯re thinking that it¡¯s not like nothing can be done aren¡¯t you? You think that you can break the impasses, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to enter from the front¡¹ ¡¸¡­So what if I¡¯m?¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, I should go too right?¡¹ ¡¸From my standpoint, it¡¯s not a good plan to expose you to dangers¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the opposite, opposite!¡¹ Valeria took back the shield and hit Dimitar¡¯s chest with her small fist. ¡¸¡ªIf it becomes well-known that I watched from a safe place while I sent my subordinate Hiera Glaphicos to a dangerous mission, it¡¯d stain my reputation! I want to pile up achievements favourably, you too right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯ve a way with words¡¹ ¡¸But that¡¯s how it is in reality right? Besides, is there some good reason for you to assertively leave me behind?¡¹ If he had to say whether there was a reason or not, it wasn¡¯t like there was one in particular. Naturally, it was best not to take Valeria along so as not to endanger her, but Dante might strengthened his vigilance if he didn¡¯t see Valeria¡¯s figure. That being the case, showing up all together might make Dante relax his guard. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s fine to follow, but don¡¯t move on your own accord okay?¡¹ ¡¸Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to instruct such things rather than you?¡¹ Valeria leaked out a complaint while hitting his chest again. ¡¸Do you not understand? This isn¡¯t an instruction but a ¡°suggestion¡±. If you¡¯re a capable superior, you¡¯d have accepted it meekly. A narrow-minded superior wouldn¡¯t accept it¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re using that way of speaking again¡¹ Although Valeria pouted, she started walking alongside Dimitar. It might mean that she agreed with Dimitar¡¯s words for the time being. Though there was no guarantee that she¡¯d abide by his instructions when it really became a critical moment¡ªin any case, Valeria had a previous offence in Seriba (meaning that she did just that in Seriba)¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t act so rashly since Karin¡¯s life depended on it. Dimitar gave the girl, who snorted roughly in secret and walked with big strides, a fleeting look and brushed his nape quietly. ??? ¡¸!¡¹ Valeria, who personally pulled open the foyer¡¯s door and entered the mansion, saw each direction that greeted them and instinctively gasped. The hall where servants stood side-by-side in a row on the first day that she came here was crowded with soldiers shouldering spears tonight. They had put on those wonderful breastplates that Valeria had found just now in Dante¡¯s detached residence. And now, sitting in a row from the large main staircase to the second floor corridor were the young nobles that had praised Valeria on the night of the party. At the centre, needless to say, was Dante Valiente. After intimidating the surrounding soldiers with a silent look, Valeria looked up at Dante. ¡¸Welcome once again¡ªshould I¡¯ve said that, Valeria-jou?¡¹ The smile of Dante who was touching his forelock was extremely brazen. She didn¡¯t think very much of it before, but as a matter of fact, she couldn¡¯t help feeling that it was unpleasant after she knew that he was an enemy. The door closed immediately, and Valeria who was completely surrounded with Dimitar as a set opened her mouth after taking a deep breath softly. ¡¸¡ªWhere¡¯re Karin and Petra?¡¹ ¡¸Those¡¯re the first words you say in this situation?¡¹ Dante stopped his finger that was twining his forelock and smiled wryly. A deep crease was etched on Valeria¡¯s forehead with a ¡°biki!¡±, and she tried to raise her voice, but her toes were lightly stepped on and she swallowed her words at once. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When she looked fleetingly to her side, Dimitar was grinning. Even though they were the same grinning expressions, Dimitar¡¯s smile was still more preferable than the current Dante¡¯s. Dimitar placed one hand on his sword¡¯s scabbard and spoke to Dante with a loud voice. ¡¸¡ªWhat¡¯re you saying? It¡¯s natural for Costacurta-geika to be concerned about Rudbeck-geika¡¯s location¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that the likes of Hiera Glaphicos are audacious¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d humbled myself if the other party is the Prime Minister of a country, but if he¡¯s a criminal, then that¡¯d be unnecessary¡¹ ¡¸A criminal you say?¡¹ Dante shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. ¡¸¡ªShould you guys who arbitrarily sneaked into my detached residence be saying that? I had known from the start what all of you are doing¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then say so. If you had, we might have saved troublesome labour and time¡¹ Dimitar clicked his tongue slightly, held up the shield that Valeria was carrying, and showed it to Dante. ¡¸¡ªYou had Nereida Kirugiakos made this right? In addition, we also discovered swords, spears and breastplates. Preparing such things in massive quantity, what exactly are you planning to do? Conquering the continent?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re noisy¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ma, in any case, that¡¯s out of question with such inferior imitations. If those kinds of things can captured the whole world, our Amaddo would have unified the world a long time ago¡¹ ¡¸Shut up¡ªI¡¯m telling you to shut up!¡¹ At that moment, the expression of Dante who was smiling faintly until now changed completely. Was he infuriated? Dante clenched his fist, hit the corridor¡¯s handrail, and pointed at Valeria. ¡¸What do you Amaddo¡¯s people understand!? You won¡¯t know the humiliation and pain of our Biranoba that had continuously been being made light of so far!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand it well, but do you wish for us to know? If that¡¯s the case, you should have just said so. As expected, even the magic-advanced Amaddo doesn¡¯t has mind-reading magic¡­In short, you want us to sympathise with you?¡¹ Without a moment¡¯s delay, Dimitar jeered at Dante. Naturally, Valeria didn¡¯t feel like sympathising with him in the least, but as for Dante, it seemed as if his already frayed nerves were rubbed the wrong way with a file. Dimitar¡¯s wicked tongue was truly merciless. Dante struck the handrail once more. ¡¸Your pretentious statement doesn¡¯t matter! More than that, where did you move Nereida to!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸How much have you heard about us from that woman!?¡¹ Valeria frowned and looked up at Dimitar. If they took Dante¡¯s words at face-value, then Nereida was certainly under his supervision, but was no longer around now. To make matters worse, it appeared that Dante was under the impression that Nereida¡¯s disappearance was Valeria¡¯s doing. The seemingly puzzled Dimitar exchanged looks with Valeria, and when he exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders before long, ¡¸¡­There¡¯s no way we know where that woman is right? To have kept these self-righteous and ignorant young masters that are like you company, aren¡¯t you tired?¡¹ ¡¸Watch your words, Hiera Glaphicos. ¡ªI must have that woman work much more. I¡¯ll eventually persuade the king, and organise a heavy infantry group by means of magic engineering for the sake of having the superpowers recognise Biranoba¡¯s strength¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s a splendid pipe dream¡¹ Dimitar twisted his lips and sneered. He lightly bent over and whispered into Valeria¡¯s ear. ¡¸¡­It seems like Nereida really isn¡¯t here. It looked like she escaped¡¹ ¡¸Seems to be so¡¹ They realised that Nereida wasn¡¯t here already. Although they don¡¯t know when she had disappeared, they could only coerce and get such minor information out of Dante. Valeria gave a small cough with a ¡°kohon¡±, and conversely pointed at Dante. ¡¸¡ªAnyway! Bring out Karin and Petra! If you release the pair safely, I¡¯ll show you kindness. You¡¯re this country¡¯s Deputy Prime Minister, and to say the least, Karin¡¯s relative¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Kindness? You¡¯ll, to me? ¡ªAmaddo will show kindness to me?¡¹ Dante told a young man who was nearby something while giggling. ¡¸¡ªDo you not understand your position, Costacurta-geika? This should be the scene where you beg me for kindness right? After all, you¡¯ve committed espionage in our country. Even if Biranoba and Amaddo are first-class friendly nations, it¡¯s by no means a permissible matter¡¹ ¡¸You want to say espionage?¡¹ Dimitar snorted with a ¡°fun¡± and pondered. ¡¸If this matter is proclaimed to the world, the reputations of you and Karin who are Dominas will sink to the ground. Furthermore, the authority of Amaddo that had made its Dominas act like spies might be forfeited¡¹ ¡¸¡­And, what of it?¡¹ ¡¸It means that the room for negotiation is created there¡¹ Dante took off his dark red vestment completely, and patted the hilt of an excessively ornamented sword that was hanging on his waist. There, the previous young noble brought Karin and Petra along, and returned. ¡¸Karin!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ A rope was tied around Karin from the top of her dress. What was she thinking as she stared fixedly at Dante almost expressionlessly? On the other hand, as if disregarding this place¡¯s tension, Petra gave a bitter smile that seemed awkward, and apologised energetically. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Valeria. I messed up just a little and got caught. That¡¯s why Karin isn¡¯t in the wrong, really. It¡¯s my mistake~¡¹ ¡¸I know that, so be quiet for a moment!¡¹ Her rhythm had gone completely astray when she let Petra talked. Valeria silenced her older friend, faced towards Dante and shouted. ¡¸Release the pair quickly!¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯ve said that they¡¯re negotiation¡¯s materials right?¡¹ ¡¸You want to get ransom from Amaddo?¡¹ ¡¸Unfortunately, I¡¯m not that in need of money¡¹ ¡¸Then what is it!?¡¹ ¡¸What I demand from Amaddo is the right to retain a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Right¡­to retain?¡¹ ¡¸¡­As I thought, it¡¯s that huh?¡¹ Dimitar muttered with a ¡°bosori¡±. It seemed that this young man had predicted Dante¡¯s aim and was somehow peeved. ¡¸The present Amaddo possesses 3 Dominas which the former 12 countries ought to have 1 each. Compared to that, it has been a long time since our country lost a Dominas. Our status in the prestigious ¡°Holy Alliance¡± has also now become a semi-signatory. ¡ªI cannot be satisfied with that in any way¡¹ While saying so, his passion which was hard to contain became a fire-like brilliance and flickered in Dante¡¯s pair of eyes. Perhaps this intelligent young man had felt humiliation, which was hard to bear, at the current position that his country was placed in since a long time ago. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, setting aside your feeling of frustration¡¹ Dimitar spoke while stroking his head. ¡¸It¡¯s shameless to take the pair, including our important Dominas, as hostages for the sake of carrying out that dearest wish. You can advocate whatever you want, but what you¡¯re doing is simply kidnapping¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯re you saying? Karin was carrying out espionage¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Both of them are your relatives¡¹ Dimitar interrupted Dante¡¯s words and smiled brazenly. ¡¸¡­The two of them were just wandering about in their relative¡¯s mansion. They weren¡¯t carrying out espionage. ¡ªOr so our country¡¯s statesman-sensei would claimed if it¡¯s him¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t you the same too!? You sneaked into Valiente House¡¯s detached residence and stole the things there!¡¹ ¡¸Although you said steal¡ª¡¹ Contrary to the excited Dante, Dimitar was indifferent to the end and didn¡¯t change his seemingly controlled tone. As a result, the composition of a calm and composed Dimitar and a cornered Dante was portrayed clearly. ¡¸¡­Certainly, we found a large number of research results and documents that are related to magic engineering in your detached residence. Apart from imitations like this shield, there were numerous documents that corresponded to Amaddo¡¯s military secrets. Why were they in your¡ªBiranoba¡¯s Deputy Prime Minister¡¯s detached residence? Though Nereida Kirugiakos is someone who did research related to highly classified information in our country, you sheltered and let her continued her research there while knowing that? This¡¯s a serious problem¡¹ Dimitar smirked and continued. ¡¸¡­Can you give a justifiable explanation in regards to this? Not just to us, but also Biranoba¡¯s king. Are you able to throw out your chest and give a convincing explanation?¡¹ ¡¸A pointless sophism¡ª¡¹ Grasping his sword¡¯s hilt tightly, Dante¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡¸This talk of which side is justified is inconsequential! Right now, it¡¯s about which side is standing dominantly in reality! Bear that in mind, Hiera Glaphicos!¡¹ As if in response to the master¡¯s shout, the spears of the soldiers who were surrounding Valeria and Dimitar formed a small circle. The sour look of that Salomon Pajor also blended into that unnoticed. ¡¸¡­Is it fine to not think this through?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Whether it¡¯s justified or not; is it alright to not think about such matter?¡¹ Pulling out the magic knife that Valeria had found in the detached residence, Dimitar repeated while holding up his fingertip and shaking it with a ¡°fura fura¡±. ¡¸Then this talk is simple. ¡ªIn short, it¡¯s fine if we make it such that the winning side puts the fault on the losing side¡¹ Dimitar pointed the knife¡¯s tip towards Dante, and unsheathed the sword at his waist with his right hand. Salomon, who was expressionless and maintaining his standing-at-attention posture until now, saw that and opened his eyes wide. ¡¸Just a minute¡ª¡¹ Valeria pulled Dimitar¡¯s sleeve. ¡¸What¡¯re you planning to do!? Even though Karin and Petra are caught!¡¹ Based on Dimitar¡¯s character, it might be absolutely impossible for him to capitulate helplessly to a man like Dante, but Karin was currently a hostage, thus he couldn¡¯t be rash. In the first place, it was none other than Dimitar who predicted that Dante might harm even Karin when needed. Nonetheless, Dimitar shook off the hand of Valeria who tried to restrain him, and muttered with a faint smile. ¡¸Rudbeck-geika has quite a good style¡¹ ¡¸Haa?¡¹ Valeria couldn¡¯t comprehend the meaning of the words that Dimitar had abruptly let out. ¡¸It¡¯s not to your extent, but maa, it sticks out where it should sticks out and curves in where it should curves in. ¡ªBut after all is said and done, she has nice legs¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯re you saying?¡¹ ¡¸Those¡¯re dangerous legs¡¹ Valeria stared at him in amazement with a ¡°ha!¡±, and looked up at Karin ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, Dante¡¹ At that moment, the captured Karin who was beside Dante spoke for the first time. ¡¸It seems like I¡¯ve overestimated you a little. I¡¯m truly sorry, Dante¡¹ Dante narrowed his eyes and slowly looked down on Karin. ¡¸¡­What¡¯re you saying, Karin?¡¹ ¡¸Setting aside the past, you¡¯re after all a person of Biranoba that is currently still a magic-undeveloped country¡¹ In the eyes of Karin who had turned towards Dante, there was a colour similar to sympathising with him. ¡¸¡­If this¡¯s Amaddo, you shouldn¡¯t think that it¡¯ll be fine to just bind a captured magic warrior with rope. To have not pay heed to such matters, you don¡¯t have the qualification to establish a magic country¡­I¡¯m sorry to have said this bluntly, Dante¡¹ The long hem of Karin¡¯s dress shook greatly with a ¡°fuwari¡±. ¡¸Certainly¡ªI¡¯d erase her magic crests if I¡¯m in your position; otherwise, I¡¯d put her to sleep with medicine or something. It¡¯s because you¡¯re a person of a magic-undeveloped country that you didn¡¯t even think to that extent¡¹ Immediately after Dimita had sneered coldly, a chilly tempest that violently shook the entire hall welled up suddenly. ¡¸¡ª!?¡¹ In the middle of the unseasonal north wind was the right leg of the captured Karin Rudbeck. A bluish-white magic crest emerged distinctly on her leg which flickered beneath the hem of her dress that was fluttering in the gust. ¡¸Damn¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Dante-sama!?¡¹ When Dante reflexively tried to protect his face from the grains of small ice that were mixed into the wind, the consciousness of Salomon who was worried about him almost strayed away from Valeria simultaneously. ¡¸That¡¯s why I said that she has nice legs right?¡¹ Dimitar squinted in the strong wind that was stirring up the hall, and threw the knife that he was holding over his shoulder. The knife that was clad in magical flame became a long, straight and deep crimson arrow, tore through the circle of soldiers who flustered by the unexpected situation, and pierced the display window. ¡¸A pink raging bull will plunge in if she notices that¡­Let¡¯s go, Your Eminence-sama¡¹ ¡¸Eh? ¡ªKya!?¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s hand struck Valeria¡¯s bottom. ¡¸Ko, ko¡­Aaa, I, I¡¯ll retort afterwards! Definitely!¡¹ Valeria swallowed down her anger towards Dimitar, and revealed her right hand. The sharp blade of ¡°Tornado (Furigana: Razor)¡± flew straight to the middle of the strong wind, and cut the ropes that were binding Karin and Petra. ¡¸Karin! Now!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t escape! Karin¡ªthe place where you ought to be is here you know!?¡¹ While being protected by Salomon, Dante nevertheless faced Karin and stretched out his hand. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹ Removing the remains of the rope and throwing it away, Karin softly held down her hair that was fluttering in the wind. ??? Even the unseasonal gust which Karin had created might not be able to keep them confused like so for a long time. In fact, Salomon who was deemed to be the strongest had moved from the position of protecting Dante, and was already squaring off against Karin. The other soldiers were also setting up their spears and attacking in succession as though to obstruct Dimitar and Karin from linking up. ¡¸By the way¡¹ Brandishing Jagieruka with a ¡°burun¡±, Dimitar inquired. ¡¸¡ªAssuming that Rudbeck-geika and you are about equal, what¡¯s the extent of Rudbeck-kyou¡¯s magical ability?¡¹ ¡¸Petra¡¯s?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, although they were the same Dominas candidates, since she dropped out midway¡ª¡¹ ¡¸She falls behind by several levels huh¡­Then it¡¯s better to evacuate her¡¹ Karin and Petra, who ought to be captured and were standing side-by-side awhile ago, were currently separated. Although Karin who was squaring off against Dante was still fine, no matter how one looked at Petra, she was screaming and was being chased about. It was likely that she¡¯d be caught again before long. There, a pink mass smashed down the foyer¡¯s door and barged in. ¡¸Gua¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Gihii!?¡¹ The soldiers were flashily blown off together with their screams. While the place was briefly frozen by surprise, the pink armoured girl who emitted a vivid lustre took out a retractable battle axe from the back of her hips. ¡¸Fushu~¡­according to your summon, Bettina Albiol now intrudes at the scene desuu!¡¹ ¡¸You noticed it well¡¹ When Dimitar lightly kicked the solar plexus of the soldier in front of him and made him fall forward, Dimitar stepped on the opponent¡¯s head that had lowered to a just right height, and jumped at once. ¡¸¡ªRudbeck-kyou!¡¹ Landing on the corridor¡¯s handrail, he casually kicked about the young nobles whose eyes were wide opened in surprise. This was a tough world; he didn¡¯t know about those insignificant soldiers, but as expected, when it came to these nobles, he shouldn¡¯t kill them thoughtlessly if he considered the future troubles. ¡¸Bugu!¡¹ ¡¸Boa¡­¡¹ Dimitar rudely trod on the young men, who had spouted nosebleeds and collapsed, and stretched his hand out to Petra. ¡¸Come, Rudbeck-kyou¡¹ ¡¸A~n! I was frightened~¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡­You¡¯re a boisterous woman¡¹ Dimitar once again casually swung Petra, who was on the verge of tears and was trying to cling onto him, and called out to Bettina that was downstairs. ¡¸Gacha Pink! You protect her! Rather, escape as it is!¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? W, why?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a hindrance when a woman who can¡¯t be a fighting power is hanging around! I can¡¯t move to the best of my ability!¡¹ Saying so, Dimitar threw Petra. ¡¸Kya¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Richternach-kyou!?¡¹ Valeria who was engaging the regular soldiers with Bettina noticed the falling Petra and raised a shrill voice. ¡¸Bet¡­c, catch her, Bettina!¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai ha~i!¡¹ Bettina extended the battle axe, greatly rotated it once with a ¡°gurun¡±, and swept away the surrounding enemies. She then went directly below Petra immediately and caught her body. ¡¸Oi, Gacha Pink!¡¹ Dimitar, who had followed Petra and returned to the hall on the first floor, jerked his chin towards the foyer¡¯s door that Bettina had destroyed. ¡¸¡ªGo quickly!¡¹ ¡¸B, but, is that fine?¡¹ ¡¸I told you to go!¡¹ ¡¸I mean, isn¡¯t there a lot of enemies! Even I want to help desuu~!¡¹ ¡¸If you want to help, then disappear right now¡¹ Dimitar placed Petra who was being carried in Bettina¡¯s arms on the head of her armour, and kicked the little girl¡¯s bottom. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s dangerous for us if you rampage like this in a confined space. Setting me aside, if you make a mistake and Her Eminences get caught up in it, it won¡¯t end with you and Chief Engineer being sacked you know?¡¹ ¡¸Abababababa¡­I, I won¡¯t do such a thing!¡¹ ¡¸Then get out quickly! You¡¯re a hindrance!¡¹ ¡¸Ri, Richternach-kyou! Karin is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about us¡­We¡¯ll link up shortly. After cleaning up these guys here, we¡¯ll follow you¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t let you¡­!¡¹ A mass accompanied by a thirst for blood descended in front of Dimitar who was about to face the staircase again. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Salomon Pajor brandished a gigantic axe and jumped down on the spot where Dimitar had instantly backed away. The axe that he was holding was even more brutal than the one that Bettina had used; moreover, this man wasn¡¯t enhanced by magic, and was wielding it with natural physical strength. Dimtar couldn¡¯t help but say that he was a formidable master. Dimitar narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡­Rudbeck-kyou. Lucius ought to be arriving soon. Please escape from this place with Gacha Pink and join up with Lucius¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood. Please take care of Karin¡¹ ¡¸Yeah¡¹ ¡¸Alright, we¡¯re going, Bettina-chan!¡¹ ¡¸Haai!¡¹ Petra¡¯s magic separated the soldiers into two, and a pink armour dashed through the path that was created there. There were soldiers who tried to pursue the pair hurriedly, but they were stopped by Salomon¡¯s throaty voice. ¡¸There¡¯s no need to chase them!¡¹ Salomon aimed the battle axe that he had raised highly at Dimitar, swung it down, and commanded the soldiers. ¡¸It¡¯s fine as long as we seize the Dominas! Consolidate the defence and block up the escape routes!¡¹ ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t intend to escape though¡¹ Dimitar, who had evaded the thick and solid blade by a hair¡¯s breath, caught Valeria in the corner of his vision, and subsequently searched for Karin¡¯s figure. However, Karin who should have been in the corridor until a while ago wasn¡¯t anywhere, and Dante had also disappeared before he knew it. Both of them might have moved towards the inner part of the mansion. It didn¡¯t seem like he had the leisure to spend too much time and fight. ??? Karin tore off the dress that had a large rip due to her magic to suitableness, and cut it short. She then ran after Dante, and went towards the mansion¡¯s interior. At times, there were soldiers who came chasing from behind every now and then, but she incapacitated each of them with one blow while looking over her shoulder. Magic crests were engraved onto those spears and swords, and it seemed that magic could be used as it was, but nevertheless, it couldn¡¯t be helped but said to be reckless to try to oppose a Dominas with magic. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Perhaps it was considerably distanced from the entrance hall, the noise of battle became very far away. However, that might be convenient for her to settle things with Dante. Discarding her long gloves, Karin opened the door and left it as it was. She quietly peered into Dante¡¯s study and opened her mouth. ¡¸¡­Where¡¯re you, Dante?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s regrettable¡­very regrettable, Karin¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Karin heard Dante¡¯s voice from somewhere and headed further inside. ¡°Jyarin¡­¡± a stiff sound like metals rubbing together could be heard. Karin had a hunch that it was the sound of a sword being pulled out from the scabbard. She recalled that there was a dull shining metal scabbard adorned with gems and mother-of-pearl on the waist of Dante who had ran inside some time ago. ¡¸I wanted you to help me realise my dream¡­and that conversation which I had with you was in fact, my sincere feelings¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­if it¡¯s a joke, I can still laugh and shrug it off but¡­I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re serious aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªThat habit of yours wasn¡¯t fixed in the end¡¹ Dante¡¯s laughter could be heard from the large hall that became the party venue a few days ago. Karin believed that he was waiting there. Karin untied the shawl on her shoulder and wrapped it around her waist. The exposure was suppressed unlike her Dominas¡¯s ceremonial clothes, but unless her magic crests were exposed as much as possible, she couldn¡¯t use magic efficiently. ¡¸However, you don¡¯t really think that I¡¯m bad right?¡¹ Dante spoke in the deserted hall. ¡¸Although you¡¯ve the habit of immediately apologising with an ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, you don¡¯t really think that I¡¯m bad. ¡ªYou were originally a very proud and arrogant child, so you weren¡¯t a person who¡¯d willingly apologise to others at all. Hence, your Haha-ue disciplined you from childhood to express and apologise at every opportunity¡¹ ¡¸¡­So?¡¹ ¡¸Therefore¡ªyou don¡¯t really think badly of me even now. Even though you¡¯re trying to crush my dream, you don¡¯t think that I¡¯m bad even the slightest¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want to destroy your dream in particular¡­However, it¡¯s just that my dream won¡¯t come true without Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ve no choice but to be forceful¡­¡¹ A large round shield that Dante didn¡¯t have until a while ago shone in his left hand. A complex magic crest emerged faintly on its surface. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s said that a Dominas¡¯s magical power can repel even a heavy knight¡­but how about you? Have you actually give and take lives?¡¹ Dante waved his mantle and swung the sword that he was holding once. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Karin avoided the flame arrow that flew from its tip, twisted her body gracefully, and raised her right hand overhead. A bluish-white line ran from near her low-cut d¨¦collet¨¦ to her right fingertip. An enormous magical power was condensed and ran through in one go. ¡¸¡ªHa!¡¹ A stone of ice which gave the impression of an icicle flew from the fingertip that Karin had directed at Dante. However, just before that stone came into contact with the shield that Dante had held aloft, it fragmented and disappeared. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Does Amaddo has things like this I wonder?¡¹ The face of a triumphant Dante appeared from the back of the shield. ¡¸¡­That woman is definitely a genius¡¹ ¡¸The person using it may not necessary be a genius though¡¹ ¡¸Shall we try and see, Karin? ¡ªWill you get tired out and become unable to stand up first, or will this shield be smashed up first?¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s what you wish for¡¹ Karin nodded slightly. ¡¸¡­Perhaps I¡¯ll listen to your wish, since I think this¡¯s the end¡¹ ??? ¡¸We¡¯re the ¡°Patriotism Magic Corps¡±; people who greatly admire Dante-sama¡¯s chivalry and work for that herald¡­we won¡¯t allow you that are like the superpowers¡¯ pet dogs to hinder that progress¡ª¡¹ Dimitar evaded the blow of Salomon who was throwing hatred, and greatly leaped to the rear. ¡¸¡­You¡¯ve become talkative all of the sudden, Ossan¡¹ ¡¸Can you decrease the number of words you speak a little too?¡¹ Valeria took up a position where she became back to back with Dimitar, and said so with a low voice; though she might not have the room for those words. When looking at her shoulders heaving up and down slightly, it seemed like she had been accumulating fatigue gradually. On the contrary, it didn¡¯t seem like the number of soldiers who were encircling their surrounding had reduced very much. Needless to say, a considerable number of them were injured in the fight against Dimitar and Valeria, but above all else, the height of their fighting spirits was troublesome. They didn¡¯t lose their fighting spirits with a few wounds, and would face Dimitar and Valeria until they couldn¡¯t move. Dimitar didn¡¯t especially hesitate in a fight against such people that could be called fanatics. However, that might not be the case for Valeria who wasn¡¯t accustomed to injuring people. Her kindness was unsuitable to corner people to that extent. Dimitar understood that he should take on the necessary role of a villain in such times. Noticing that Valeria was looking fleetingly upstairs, Dimitar muttered. ¡¸¡­Do you remember this mansion¡¯s structure?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸In your case, rather than not remembering it, you didn¡¯t check it?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it, being sarcastic at this late hour?¡¹ ¡¸I want to say it insistently but I don¡¯t have such free time¡¹ There was only one more staircase that went up to the second floor from the first floor in this mansion¡¯s main building. A small staircase used primarily by the servants existed in the opposite side of the mansion, but to reach that staircase without going via this stair hall, it was necessary to go outside the mansion once, and take a large roundabout path. ¡¸This place is already enough with me alone. You¡¯ll go act as Rudbeck-geika¡¯s support¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Dimitar stabbed Jagieruka into the floor, grasped both of Valeria¡¯s hands, and swung greatly. ¡¸Hiwa¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Go¡¹ Dimitar, who had rotated thrice in high speed, faced the second floor, and thrown Valeria with that momentum, promptly pulled out Jagieruka. ¡¸Nu¡ª!¡¹ Salomon who had reacted quickly tried to run up the staircase and chase after Valeria. ¡¸There¡¯s no need to get worked up over a young female opponent right?¡¹ ¡¸Chi¡ª!?¡¹ Dimitar gripped Jagieruka with both hands and did a full swing. The magical power that dwelt in its blade became a red flame and blew upwards, swallowing Salomon who had promptly held up his battle axe and stood ready. ¡¸Gu¡­nu!¡¹ The back of Salomon who had stopped the huge fireball crashed into the staircase. His large build was buried halfway into it, and the scattered flames began to lick the staircase. ¡¸Richternach-kyou!?¡¹ Valeria, who landed on her bottom and patted her hips, clung to the handrail and stood up. ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so go quickly!¡­If possible, it¡¯d be helpful if you can set fire to that side¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Rudbeck-geika needs assistance right?¡­It¡¯s fine, so go¡¹ Valeria nodded slightly with a ¡°kokun¡±, scattered big lumps of flames at her feet, turned on her heels, and started running towards the mansion¡¯s interior. ¡¸U, nu¡­!¡¹ Salomon, who had rose up while breaking the staircase, saw Valeria disappeared at the other side of the fire, and a deep crease was etched between his brows. ¡¸When thinking of your master¡¯s position¡¹ Sighing lightly, Dimitar stroked the scruff of his neck. ¡¸¡ªIsn¡¯t it better to do something about the bonbons that¡¯re collapsed over there first?¡¹ ¡¸Gu, mu¡­!¡¹ It seemed like Salomon wanted his subordinates to pursue Valeria, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t help but prioritised the rescue of the unconscious nobles¡¯ sons. Whether Dante¡¯s aspiration would bear fruit or fall apart here, Dante¡¯s position would get worse to that extent if the nobles¡¯ children, who were his collaborators, were burnt to death. While the soldiers were carrying the young nobles out from the hall, the fire that had increased in force was licking the staircase to the utmost. As long as this fire wasn¡¯t extinguished, it was difficult to head towards the mansion¡¯s interior via its side, not to mention going up to the second floor. With this, only Valeria could cut into the fight between Karin and Dante for the time being. Afterwards, if Dimitar disposed the enemies remaining here, the match would be almost settled. ¡¸Leader!¡¹ The soldiers, whose hands had become empty, set up their spears and approached the back of Dimitar. Seeing faint lights gathering at their spearheads, Salomon hurled a rebuking voice. ¡¸Stop it! Do you intend to intensify the force of the fire further!?¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡­b, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What imperfect secret weapons huh. Or are they too much for amateurs to handle?¡¹ Dimitar raised his lips coldly. Although they gave themselves an exaggerated name like ¡°Patriotism Magic Corps¡±, with the magic crests that were engraved onto the spears and swords that they were holding, only magic to the degree of shooting basic flame arrows repetitively could be used. If gathered in a moderate number, they might produce a fixed war results in the battlefield, but using them in the current situation was akin to pouring oil on the fire. It was also because Dimitar had judged that they wouldn¡¯t be able to utilise their precious armaments sufficiently if it was here, that he had thought of entering the mansion and fight. ¡¸¡ªDon¡¯t interfere¡ªprioritise carrying out the casualties and extinguishing the fire! Leave it to me to be this kozou¡¯s opponent!¡¹ Salomon, who had brushed off the sparks and re-gripped the gigantic axe, stared at Dimitar, and gradually shortened the distance between them. It was according to Dimitar¡¯s plan that the coming and going of the second floor and mansion¡¯s interior was prevented by the fire, but from another point of view, it could also be said that the space to move around was reduced due to it. For Salomon whose blows had weight to them despite his slow movement, restricting Dimitar¡¯s fine movements should work advantageously for him. Salomon also had the confidence that he absolutely wouldn¡¯t lose to Dimitar if it was a one-on-one. ¡¸You seem pretty composed, then please answer a question of mine¡¹ Rotating his neck lightly, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸¡ªDo you not have a relative or something in Seriba?¡¹ ¡¸Seriba? Which countryside is that?¡¹ ¡¸A plump middle-aged man¡­iya, it¡¯s a trivial story. Please forget it¡¹ ¡¸Foolish¡­is it a practical joke?!¡¹ The gigantic axe descended head-on. Dimitar withdrew right behind, made an opening, and immediately tried to step towards Salomon¡¯s chest, but with an instantaneous judgement, he changed the leap that he was about to do previously to a big side step. ¡¸¡­Fumu¡¹ Salomon¡¯s axe, which was swung down and appeared to be sinking into the floor, stopped exactly just before that, changed its vector suddenly, and came up just like a spear. If Dimitar had tried to close the distance with Salomon, he might have received the current raising stab in the front. ¡¸A kozou with a good intuition¡­I¡¯ve a high opinion of you now¡­¡¹ Salomon, who had showed that he trod strongly to break the floor tiles into pieces, momentarily looked at Dimitar that had jumped horizontally, and smiled thinly. ¡¸¡ªHowever! Can you endure beyond this point with your intuition only!?¡¹ ¡¸!¡¹ Salomon who had wrapped his whole body in metal armour trod with a speed exceeding Dimitar¡¯s expectation. He attacked Dimitar where just a moment of delayed reaction would become a fatal chance. When Dimitar had put his strength into his abs in preparation for the shock, his body had already floated lightly off the floor by about 10 cm and blown off backwards. ¡¸Ku¡­!¡¹ When Salomon had already closed the gap even more, he greatly brandished the battle axe horizontally. If Dimitar stepped in while receiving that blow which drew a straight line, his body would simply become round slices. Dimitar grasped Jagieruka that he had recovered in a backhand grip with both hands, and stabbed it into the floor. There, the massive axe¡¯s blade flew. Jagieruka¡¯s blade clashed against Salomon¡¯s axe, and sparks scattered. When he stopped the blow of the axe, Dimitar pushed his right hand against Salomon¡¯s chest at once. ¡¸Gua¡ªa!?¡¹ Salomon, who had retreated greatly, held down his chest from above the armour and anguished. Though just for an instant, the flame created by Dimitar scorched Salomon¡¯s armour, and its heat had burnt his skin. ¡¸¡­When fighting against a magic warrior, one mustn¡¯t carelessly wear things like metal armour¡­seems like you guys don¡¯t have such know-how too¡¹ Dimitar pulled out Jagieruka and laughed. The movement of Salomon from just now was obviously accelerated by some sort of magic. It was likely that a magic crest for that purpose was fitted into Salomon¡¯s armour. It seemed that he was using an armament which was one rank above his subordinate soldiers¡¯. However, it wasn¡¯t perfect either. If it could utilise magic of a level like those used in the Seal Chivalric Order, Salomon¡¯s tackle would be heavier, and might have incapacitated Dimitar with one blow. For it to have ended with that degree (where Dimitar wasn¡¯t incapacitated in one blow), it meant that Salomon¡¯s comprehension and proficiency regarding magic were to that extent after all. Even if the magic crest which had to be carved on the flesh originally was substituted with a tool, if the person using it wasn¡¯t skilled in magic, its real worth couldn¡¯t be demonstrated. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s done this way¡¹ Drawing a sign lightly on Jagieruka¡¯s tip, magical power passed through his magic crests. Dimitar¡¯s whole body was filled with new power and his movements accelerated. ¡¸Kozou!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s unfortunate, but nothing can be done with willpower only¡¹ Dimitar closed in on Salomon who had a surprised expression, and violently collided against him using his shoulder¡¯s tip, as though to repay what was done to him a while ago. ¡¸W, what¡­t!?¡¹ ¡¸In the case of Amaddo, even the nobles¡¯ foolish sons who don¡¯t possess a fragment of policy can do a feat like this. In short, they¡¯re different from you guys based on the first starting point. Whether Dante is a patriot or whatever, this difference can¡¯t be simply filled¡¹ In reality, there were hardly any young men who were as skilful as Dimitar in this kind of magic in the Seal Chivalric Order, but that bluff was enough to give Salomon even more shock. ¡¸Fuu!¡¹ Dimitar aimed a strike from a direct overhead position at Salomon whose balance was destroyed. Despite that, Salomon whose back was on fire put up his battle axe and caught Jagieruka¡¯s blade. However, the battle axe¡¯s handle easily became two equal parts. ¡¸Paa¡ª¡¹ Jagieruka¡¯s blade ran through from the top to the bottom without change, and deeply split apart Salomon¡¯s armour. ¡¸Oh¡­ah¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Biranoba¡¯s weapons and armours sure are brittle huh¡¹ Dimitar spoke cruelly to Salomon whose eyes were wide open and knees were shaking. ¡¸¡­Not only magic, even its simple military technology can¡¯t catch up to Amaddo, so this might be expected. In the first place, such facts could be understood if you think just a little, and yet why¡¯re you convinced that you can win against me?¡¹ ¡¸Gu, gaa¡ª!¡¹ Both arms of Salomon stretched towards Dimitar¡¯s neck. ¡¸You followed the wrong master¡¹ Dimitar evaded Salomon¡¯s arms just before his windpipe was grabbed and crushed, and thrust the tip of Jagieruka into the armour¡¯s crack. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re an ex-mercenary who can freely choose who to serve, then that¡¯s your responsibility. Don¡¯t think badly of me¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Salomon¡¯s death cry was coloured by a deep crimson flame. ¡¸¡­Fun¡¹ Dimitar kicked Salomon¡¯s chest lightly, extracted Jagieruka and snorted. Salomon whose armour¡¯s inside had torrents of flames poured into it staggered with a ¡°nota nota¡±, fell face-up shortly and didn¡¯t move. ¡¸L¡­leader!?¡¹ Witnessing Salomon¡¯s final moment, the soldiers who had lent their shoulders to their comrades and were trying escape from this sea of fire, let out sorrowful groans. Dimitar returned Jagieruka to its scabbard, and spoke to those soldiers. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s no need for the underlings to get dragged into their superior¡¯s world and die right? Discard your weapons and armours and escape quickly. The military police will begin to move tomorrow. If you still stay as Dante¡¯s private soldiers, you¡¯ll be implicated and thrown into prison¡¹ It wasn¡¯t clear whether Dimitar¡¯s consideration got through to the soldiers. He didn¡¯t plan to talk in detail beyond that, and had no intention of checking if the soldiers nodded. Dimitar stopped his breathing with a puff, executed an approach run and flew towards the wall of fire. ??? Karin and Petra¡¯s grandmother was from the Valiente House. Assuming so, one might be able to say that the Valiente House was originally a family lineage that produced numerous people with magic abilities. In fact, Dante who was the heir of the Valiente House skilfully mastered the sword and shield created via engineering, and fought above equal footing against Karin. It meant that he had magic talent by nature. If Dante had been born in Amaddo, he¡¯d have developed his talent as an excellent magic warrior without depending on such tools; otherwise, there was no doubt that he¡¯d establish his position in the Seal Chivalric Order. ¡¸¡ªIf I¡¯ve this Gabirondo and Begiristain, even I can overwhelm a Dominas¡¹ Swinging the sword once, Dante spoke triumphantly. For each of them (Dante¡¯s actions) to be unnaturally theatrical, it might have been a habit from childhood. Specifically, Karin didn¡¯t dislike it, but she was amazed a lot. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Karin brushed the hem of her dress lightly and stood up. So far, all of the magic that Karin had unleashed was offset by the shock wave created from the shield that Dante was holding. On the contrary, Karin had been receiving minor wounds here and there. ¡¸¡­You ought to understand by now. You cannot win against me¡¹ Karin slowly shook her head at those words of Dante. ¡¸You still don¡¯t understand. You cannot win against a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Yareyare¡­how far do I¡¯ve to go for you to admit your defeat?¡¹ ¡¸As long as there¡¯s faith towards Redountra, a Dominas will not be defeated¡¹ ¡¸I should give praise to that faith, but¡ª¡¹ Dante suddenly faltered and frowned. ¡¸¡­Was the mansion set on fire?¡¹ A burning smell drifted from somewhere. Perhaps Valeria had done it flashily. Dante spat out in displeasure. ¡¸Doing an unnecessary thing¡­it seems like the explanation towards His Majesty will become even more troublesome again¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say¡­as expected, this time¡¯s matter is all your own judgement? The government and army don¡¯t know anything¡­¡¹ ¡¸If they were more capable, I could have rely on them a little more but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That arrogance will destroy you¡¹ Karin put up her left hand overhead and swung once. ¡°Tornado¡± dashed through the empty space and severed the chains that suspended the chandelier. ¡¸!¡¹ Dante held the shield over his head while and jumping sideways to avoid it. The candles¡¯ flames spread onto the carpet near Dante who had escaped from being crushed to death. Karin raised a strong wind and fiercely stirred it up even more. ¡¸Although you should also have memories of this place¡ªit¡¯s regrettable¡¹ When he brandished Gabirondo while jumping back, the cold air which was mixed with the small ice grains (from Karin¡¯s previous attacks) spread like ripples to creep on the floor. ¡¸!¡¹ The flames that collided with the cold air changed into hot steam, and coloured the hall white. When Karin instinctively faced away and retreated, an ice arrow penetrated the white veil and flew towards her bosom. ¡¸Karin!¡¹ ¡¸¡ªValeria!?¡¹ Karin, whose arm was suddenly pulled and fell over on that spot, quickly changed her line of sight. Valeria, who was directly besides her and was bleeding from her shoulder¡¯s tip, sank down to the floor. Although Karin didn¡¯t understand what happened well, she was only certain that Valeria had protected her and suffered a wound. ¡¸Good grief, even though you acted shrewdly on one thing or another, in the end, your finish is naive isn¡¯t it?¡­That¡¯s because you lack experience¡¹ Valeria endured the pain and smiled bitterly. Karin reflexively counterattacked with an indifferent mutter. ¡¸To be able to say it so proudly, you¡¯re also inexperienced aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Why didn¡¯t you say ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± at such times?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ She could do it as much as she liked if it was an insubstantial apology. To apologise voluntarily, behave modestly and avoid discord with others were Karin¡¯s secrets of success in life. In fact, even if she believed that she wasn¡¯t in the wrong, she¡¯d apologise first. Her pride wasn¡¯t hurt since it was just a superficial apology, and if she could avoid trouble by just bowing her head, then it was a cheap thing. On the contrary, words of apology didn¡¯t come out when she really believed that she was at fault. Karin wasn¡¯t used to saying such heavy words. ¡¸¡­Ma, it¡¯s fine though. At any rate, I wasn¡¯t demanding an apology from you since the beginning!¡¹ Valeria, who had applied strength and stood up, held down her left shoulder and shut up. Karin looked at Valeria with a sidelong glance and checked the damage on her friend. Numerous small wounds ran from Valeria¡¯s left shoulder to her upper arm. They weren¡¯t serious physical damage, but it couldn¡¯t be helped but to say that her war potential was greatly lowered. Although they were just trifling wounds, if they harmed her magic crests, she wouldn¡¯t be able to use her magic smoothly like usual. And that very same thing could be said to Karin. Is this called actual combat?¡ªKarin quietly arranged her breathing, and coldly focused on the status quo where she presumably couldn¡¯t rely fully on her strength. The magic crests which were engraved onto the frail skin must be exposed to use magic freely, but if that skin was wounded, then magic couldn¡¯t be used. Karin now realised the madness where Dominas, who were called magic warriors and carried such dilemma, had to versus an opponent by uniting during this time. But in contrast, she didn¡¯t think of wanting to escape from here. Nonetheless, Valeria who should have experienced the rigorousness of an actual combat more than Karin by a step, stood up without losing her smile. Hence, it was impossible for only Karin to abandon this fight. Not to mention, the one before their eyes was Karin¡¯s childhood friend. ¡¸¡­I won¡¯t compromise to the end, who¡¯d play with you (Dante)?¡¹ (TN: Karin¡¯s serious mode unlocked.) ¡¸You said something, Karin?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nothing¡¹ Karin sighed slightly, and when she wiped the blood on both arms with the shawl wrapped around her waist, she held Valeria back and made her withdraw. ¡¸Karin?¡¹ ¡¸You treat your own injuries. ¡ªI¡¯ll handle Dante¡¹ ¡¸Just a min¡­!¡¹ ¡¸If I compromise, I thought that he¡¯d notice my miss eventually¡­but he didn¡¯t notice it after all¡¹ ¡¸Your miss? What¡¯re you saying?¡¹ Dante narrowed his eyes quizzically. ¡¸It¡¯d be great if you look at reality, Karin. In reality, the injured one is you¡ªall of you only. I don¡¯t have a single scratch¡¹ ¡¸Indeed¡­However, the cause of that is my naivety. The wounds that Valeria and I bear were all due to my naivety; it wasn¡¯t because you¡¯re strong. Not to mention, it¡¯s absolutely impossible for you to be stronger than a Dominas¡¹ She looked at Valeria fleetingly. Karin didn¡¯t have any more words for her in particular, but perhaps Valeria had discerned something with just that, she nodded slightly and withdrew slowly to the rear. ¡¸It¡¯s a very simple story if you think about it, and you didn¡¯t notice it¡¹ Arranging her breathing, Karin gathered her consciousness in both hands. A bluish-white light ran from her cleavage via her shoulder towards the tip of her white arm. As a result of her magic crests being damaged here and there, it took more time than usual, but Karin who was called a Dominas didn¡¯t falter. ¡¸I won¡¯t let you!¡¹ Swinging Gabirondo, Dante seized the initiative and shot flame arrows. ¡¸¡­Indeed, very simple¡¹ A scorching heat and cold air dwelt in Karin¡¯s right and left hands respectively. It was an impossible feat for many magic warriors to manipulate several magic crests simultaneously. Karin who had pulled it off extremely easily released two magic arrows at almost the same time. ¡¸¡­Even if you¡¯re somehow able to have magic crests on borrowed items, the one to use them in the end is you¡¹ Both flame arrows clashed from directly opposite and disappeared, but Karin¡¯s ice arrow flew towards Dante without change. ¡¸Chi¡­!¡¹ The shield which Dante held up negated the ice arrow with a unique explosive sound that shook the air. However, Karin didn¡¯t stop both her arms during that time. Her left and right hands were immediately loaded with new ice arrows again, and she literally released them towards Dante in rapid-succession. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ While stopping the innumerable magic arrows that flew here at high speed one after another, sweat began to ooze slightly on Dante¡¯s forehead. ¡¸Well? Have you realised as expected?¡¹ Together with those cold words, the nth ice arrows that Karin had thrown hit Dante¡¯s shield directly without being offset. ¡¸¡ªGu¡¹ The valiant young Prime Minister who had thrown off his dark red vestment staggered greatly from that impact. Moreover, there were two ice arrows. ¡¸¡­Ku, oh!¡¹ The first shot was made to disappear by the shock wave, but the second shot couldn¡¯t be erased, and Dante who ended up stopping it with Begiristain staggered again and lost his balance. In a flash, Karin exposed her thighs from the rip of her dress and greatly took a step forward. The luminescence of the bluish-white magic crest coiled around her white skin, and a cold air which couldn¡¯t be compared to so far run from her step. ¡¸¡­No matter what kind of magic crest a person possess, magic can¡¯t be fired in rapid succession so often, Dante¡¹ The cold air ran in a straight line and materialised in the form of an ice fang. Just like the fang of a wild beast, the icicle extended upwards diagonally from the floor, and attacked Dante with an unavoidable timing. ¡¸!? Gua¡ª¡¹ Perhaps the reflexes of Dante who had immediately protected himself with the shield ought to be praised, but that was all. Unable to offset it with Begiristain¡¯s shock wave, Dante received the gigantic icicle¡¯s direct hit head-on, and was flashily sent flying. ¡¸¡­Even if it¡¯s just a little, if you¡¯ve accumulated proper training, you¡¯d have understood at once¡¹ Brushing her pale hair lightly, Karin stepped up to Dante who sank down to the floor in a posture of being flung against the wall. ¡¸It¡¯s hard even for proficient magic warriors to gather and use magic many times in a short time, much less people like you who didn¡¯t train for that¡­Well? It¡¯s like you just ran a long distance at full speed right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dante¡¯s shoulders heaved greatly, but he couldn¡¯t utter any words and glared at Karin fixedly. ¡¸It¡¯s reckless to exchange shots with a Domina by equipping a magic-tempered blade, Dante. We keep on enduring the pain and suffering which ordinary people cannot imagine since childhood, and obtain our current powers¡­They can¡¯t be surpass with such tools¡¹ It was simply because Karin couldn¡¯t become callous that Dante was able to overwhelm her until the middle (of the fight). If it was the intelligent Dante, he¡¯d have naturally notice his own fatigue while using magic many times. She thought that if it was Dante, even if he was competing with a Dominas from the front, he¡¯d have realised that the first to be short of breath would be himself who had no stamina magic-wise. She thought that he¡¯d realised that he could never win, admitted his loss and discarded his weapons. But before he was a clear young man, Dante was an arrogant youth (his arrogance precedes his logic). That arrogance clouded his eyes and he couldn¡¯t notice this fact. Therefore, she had to knock him down until this point. ¡¸¡­Dominas are that special at least. I¡¯m sorry, Dante¡¹ Looking at Dante who used his sword as a support and tried to stand up, Karin held both her hands out. ¡¸That¡¯s why, I¡­! Our country too, a Dominas¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸In comparison, you underestimated Dominas too much. Or, did you mistake me because I had always followed behind you? I¡¯m no longer the same as that time¡¹ ¡¸Karin¡ª!¡¹ Dante raised Gabirondo overhead with a very hoarse shout. ¡¸¡­This¡¯s the end already. If I don¡¯t finish everything soon and extinguish the fire, your memories and mine will really become ashes¡¹ The last two arrows released by Karin sent the sword and shield flying from Dante¡¯s hands, and his body struck the wall again due to that impact. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dante collapsed face down and didn¡¯t move as it was. However, he wasn¡¯t dead. He might have a bruise or so at his back when he crashed into the wall, but excluding that, he was probably mostly unhurt. Dante was just severely exhausted. Although Karin was induced into a similar state, her appearance was almost close to ruin. Valeria who had retrieved Dante¡¯s sword and shield stroked Karin¡¯s cheek suddenly. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s blood on it¡¹ Wiping off the blood scattered on Karin¡¯s cheek, Valeria smiled. ¡¸¡­This¡¯s trivial, but as expected, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really care¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? I actually think that it¡¯s a comparatively important matter though¡¹ For Valeria to not try to speak words of cheap comfort to Karin, who had defeated Dante with her own hands and destroyed his ambition, might be Valeria¡¯s own way of taking her feelings into consideration. Setting aside whether that turned out well or not, Valeria was a child who put great effort into taking people¡¯s feelings into consideration. Karin sighed for a long while. ¡¸¡­If I return to the country, I can¡¯t visit Obaa-sama¡¯s grave¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸Obaa-sama also had memories of this place¡¹ Surveying the ruined hall that was a mere shadow of its former self, Karin sighed again. End of Chapter 6 Volume 3 - Prologue Strategy Discussion Garden of philosophy¡ª. ¡ªThe place that was called so was in a corner of the Roma¡¯s royal palace. Although the sound of it made one associate it with a scholar¡¯s study that was surrounded by old books, it wasn¡¯t anything much, and was the greenhouse where the Crown Prince did his hobby, which was cultivating roses. The Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac exterminated pests, did pruning and watering with his humming mixed in occasionally, and was far off from the word called philosophy, but the numerous roses that he grew were¡ªunexpectedly¡ªall articles of rare beauty that were desired by not only internal, but also each country¡¯s dilettantes. Conceding a hundred steps (to give in, albeit unwillingly), even if he wasn¡¯t a philosopher, it was undoubted that this Crown Prince¡¯s ability in cultivating roses outclassed the professionals. Pointing the tip of the sword that was held in his hand to the sky, Jeffren Isaac narrowed his eyes. ¡¸Just like that¡­the sword is an extension of your hand¡¹ Dimitar who was waiting at a spot one step behind told Isaac so. ¡¸Please imagine the magic power that¡¯s circulating inside your body moving along your arm and to your fingertips, and from there, flowing further towards the sword¡¯s tip¡¹ It was hard to say that the unrefined sword which was wide and had no useless ornament was something suitable to be held by a country¡ªthe continent number one superpower Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince. However, the moment Isaac pursed his lips, the brilliance of a crimson red that had emerged on the sword blade was surely accompanied by a certain mystique. ¡¸Mu¡­!¡¹ The Military Minister in attendance was heard leaking out a faint groan in surprise. ¡¸¡­Ha¡ªa!¡¹ In a complete change, when Isaac who had opened his eyes wide swung the sword that was pointing at the sky, a vivid flame spouted from its tip. ¡¸Oh¡ª¡¹ The Finance Minister who was beside the Military Minister raised a clear voice of surprise. ¡¸¡­That was magnificent, Your Highness!¡¹ ¡¸Iya iya¡¹ Isaac, who had lowered the sword and gently wiped his forehead, took a deep breath greatly and looked back at everybody. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s easier than I thought. I feel a little mentally tired though¡¹ ¡¸Even though it¡¯s magic, it isn¡¯t something that can be used infinitely¡¹ Lucius presented a mantle to Isaac who was wearing a blouse and explained. ¡¸¡ªWhen inexperienced people use magic many times within a short time, they¡¯ll accumulate fatigue in no time and become unable to move¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, our army¡¯s magic warriors (Furigana: Marefikos) are trained to not become tired so easily even if they fire magic in succession?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s correct¡¹ ¡¸Fu¡ªn¡¹ Isaac, who had passed the sword to Dimitar and put on the mantle, rotated his neck lightly and took another deep breath. The sunlight that poured down brilliantly reflected off the glass of the rose greenhouse and was dazzling to the eyes. It seemed that Isaac called this greenhouse where he immersed himself in his hobby with an exaggerated name of ¡°Garden of Philosophy¡±, but Dimitar couldn¡¯t understand what on earth about playing around with roses was philosophy at all. But for Dimitar who supported Quique, it should be a delightful matter that Isaac was trying to deepen his understanding of magic engineering (Furigana: Tekunorogia marefika). Isaac stared at the military minister, Garido-kyou. ¡¸¡ªWell? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s convenient that untalented people like me can also use magic in this way?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡ªwith all due respect but¡¹ Garido-kyou who boasted of an old yet imposing physique etched a deep crease on his brow with a ¡°guu¡±. ¡¸As I see it, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that can be counted as a war potential on the battlefield. If it¡¯s the magic warriors¡¯ magic, they¡¯re better¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re still saying such things? I believe just now wasn¡¯t because this is poor-quality, but that I¡¯m lacking power though¡¹ Isaac pointed at the sword that Dimitar was holding and shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸¡ªIt can¡¯t be helped, explain a little, Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha¡¹ Although he felt perplexed that the conversation was abruptly turned towards him, Dimitar didn¡¯t show it on his expression. Originally, Dimitar was here to take the place of Quique and teach the way to use Jorkera¡ªthe ¡°magic motion sword (Furigana: Espada marefika)¡± that Quique had presented to the Crown Prince. Knowledge was driven into his head so that he could roughly answer when he was questioned something. Dimitar bowed slightly and said to Garido. ¡¸Military Minister-kakka said that you don¡¯t think things like this can become the leading part of the battlefield, but then, what do you think is the leading part of the battlefield?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s of course, cavalry. Infantry comes after that¡¹ Garido-kyou stoked his firm chin and answered. ¡¸Then, a thousand years ago?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸Was the leading part of the battlefield the cavalry a thousand years ago too?¡¹ Cavalry; in other words, a branch of the army wielding weapons on horseback was formed after stirrups were developed and soldiers could straddle atop horses. Before that, chariots that could be pulled by horses played an active role. Since even Dimitar knew this much, the Military Minister should know that cavalry itself was non-existent in the thousand years ago when stirrups didn¡¯t exist. ¡¸As Your Excellency knows, the leading part of the battlefield may change together with the era. ¡­Of course, our army¡¯s cavalry will play an active role as the main force for a long time hereafter too¡¹ So as to not spoil the mood of Garido-kyou who loved cavalry, Dimitar continued while inserting a follow-up without fail. ¡¸However, if a new invention is created, the entire army that adopted it needs to evolve too. Thinking that way, this magic motion sword is nothing more than one of the newest weapons. What¡¯s important is how to incorporate it into strategy and tactics, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯ve a point but¡ª¡¹ As usual, Garido-kyou¡¯s expression was stiff. It seemed that he was a more conservative person than heard in the rumours. In reality, the magic of the degree which the Crown Prince had shown just now couldn¡¯t even replace fire arrows on the battlefield. Even if it did, for Amaddo¡¯s long bow unit, they could shoot more accurate fire arrows from even further, thus it might also be natural that Garido-kyou found it difficult to accept. Dimitar inhaled a large breath and said to the Crown Prince. ¡¸¡­Your Highness, instead of Chief Engineer (Furigana: Maestro), may I call his niece here?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? The Chief Engineer¡¯s niece?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. She¡¯s Bettina Albiol-jou who serves as Costacurta-geika¡¯s maidservant and at the same time, works as an assistant in the Chief Engineer¡¯s research¡¹ ¡¸Fuun¡­ma, all right. Let¡¯s meet her¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much. ¡ªBettina-jou! His Highness has given his permission!¡¹ ¡¸Ha, ha~i!¡¹ When Dimitar shouted, a pink armour came running with a ¡°gasha gasha¡± from the other side of the glass-sided greenhouse. ¡¸T, thank you very much for allowing me to have an audience with Your Highness! I¡¯m Quique Albiol¡¯s niece, Bettina! T, today, is a l, lucky day¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª, dispense with the formal greetings, Bettina-jou¡¹ Isaac held back Bettina who was overly tense and stared at the pink armour fixedly. Garido-kyou and Kaparos-kyou, and moreover their aides too, were staring in wonder. ¡¸¡ªSo, what¡¯s this appearance, Bettina-jou?¡¹ ¡¸T, this armour is called Bachururus¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s one of the inventions that Chief Engineer developed. We shall now display its power¡¹ Dimitar interrupted Bettina¡¯s speech and whispered secretly. ¡¸¡ªOi, show this fellow¡¯s real worth to Military Minister-kakka¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸Demonstrate the power of Bachu something¡¹ ¡¸E¡ªto¡­h, how?¡¹ ¡¸The beanbag juggling game¡¹ ¡¸Ehh? B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so do the beanbag juggling game¡¹ ¡¸Haa, hai!¡¹ Perhaps Bettina who was bending her knees before the Crown Prince was pestered by Dimitar repeatedly and had resolved herself, she stood up straight and approached Garido-kyou. ¡¸Then¡­excuse my rudeness¡¹ ¡¸W, what are you¡ªnuoa!?¡¹ Bettina suddenly lifted up the large build of Garido-kyou who had reflexively put himself on guard. ¡¸Bettina-jou is still thirteen years old. Although she¡¯s such a young girl, she¡¯s able to exhibit this sort of power. How¡¯s it, Your Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸Hey, o, oooh¡ªh!?¡¹ Bettina threw Garido up into the air and caught him, threw him up and caught him; she was easily treating him exactly like a beanbag. Needless to say of the Crown Prince who was watching on the side, this was probably the best appeal to Garido-kyou. ¡¸With this, I think you can understand a part of the magic engineering¡¯s real worth, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸L, l, let me down! Oi!?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough already, Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸Haai¡¹ Perhaps Garido-kyou, who had danced in midair for about ten times and finally returned to the ground, felt dizzy as one would expected, he was leaning against his aide and wiping his sweat. ¡¸G, good grief, all of a sudden, what are¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Please consider, Your Excellency. At some point in the future, all the soldiers of the Amaddo Army can manifest such power¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸However, if the army hesitates to adopt magic engineering here, other countries may obtain this power earlier. Just because we neglected the research of magic engineering, it doesn¡¯t mean that even other countries¡¯ researchers will follow it¡¹ ¡¸Nu¡­¡¹ Dimitar thereupon turned around to the finance minister, Kaparos-kyou. ¡¸¡ªIn addition, this power isn¡¯t just a military affair, but can also be put to use in the areas of industry and agriculture¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ Kaparos-kyou, who had been keeping silent the whole time until then, nodded with a self-satisfied look while touching his pure-white beard that grew from his chin. ¡¸When the wind¡¯s direction is poor and the windmill doesn¡¯t work, or when the water wheel doesn¡¯t work due to water shortage¡­that power may certainly be useful. Besides, it¡¯s also useful for cultivating the fields¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is, Garido-kyou. ¡ªRegarding this matter, I intend to report it to Chichi-ue, telling him to formally put out a research budget ¡¹ Isaac fixed the cuffs of his blouse and said. ¡¸If to the end, the army doesn¡¯t want to continue the research of magic engineering, I¡¯ll be responsible for Chief Engineer. I want to make my Chivalric Order into a group that can also fight seriously. I want their equipment to always be the latest and strongest ones¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, please allow me to be present too when you report to His Majesty. This is a very interesting research. It¡¯ll contribute greatly to our country¡¯s development¡¹ Hearing Kaparos-kyou adding such words, Garido-kyou made his face increasingly grim. ¡¸¡­If His Highness and even Finance Minister say so, then it¡¯s unavoidable. ¡­Certainly, I don¡¯t want to fall behind Haiderota and the like in these areas¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Garido-kyou¡¹ As they were able to somehow persuade the most difficult person, Dimitar and Lucius looked at each other and smiled slightly. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, you¡¯re a girl, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah!¡¹ Without the time to stop him, Isaac had raised Bachururus¡¯s visor with a ¡°gachan¡±, expressly bent over and looked inside. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Isaac and Bettina stopped their movements as if frozen in place like that for a while and didn¡¯t say a single word. Before long, when Isaac closed the visor, turned back and folded his arms with a pensive look on his face, ¡¸¡­Bettina-jou¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸From now on, don¡¯t take off that armour in front of people unnecessarily. ¡ªIs that clear?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­? Ah, ha, hai¡­in the first place, I¡¯m always wearing it¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s fine. ¡ªI hope Richternach-kyou will also let her be as such¡¹ ¡¸¡­Acknowledged¡¹ Although he didn¡¯t understand why he was told such a thing, Dimitar obediently agreed. In any case, he had fulfilled his obligation towards Quique. End of Prologue Volume 3 - CH 1.1 Ally and Imaginary Enemy Amaddo and its neighbouring country, Diruma, had, in these several hundred years, been strengthening their alliance by means of marriages between fellow royal families. That the ¡°Holy Alliance (Furigana: Riga Santourear)¡± was in a long stable state was probably due to the firm friendship between Amaddo that boasted the greatest national power in the alliance and Diruma that possessed the third greatest national power. However, it couldn¡¯t be said that there was no cause of conflict in the alliance that looked firm. The superior of the north, Haiderota. This country which had a national power that ranked below Amaddo¡¯s in the alliance was advancing its military expansion with a clear intent. They didn¡¯t try to conceal their ambition of wanting to replace Amaddo and becoming the leader of the alliance. If one were to speak of a place that was overflowing with flowers within the castle of Amaddo, then the Crown Prince¡¯s greenhouse came to mind in the foremost, but this courtyard was a comfortable location as well. As Queen Arumdena, who was now in the middle of recuperating in a royal villa on her parent¡¯s side, liked gardening since her early years, the Crown Prince¡¯s hobby might have been influenced by his mother. However, in contrast to the bias-like¡ªfussiness that, in some respects, existed in the Crown Prince¡¯s playing around with roses, it felt like the flowers which decorated this garden had a broad-mindedness that accepted anything. Although a lot of flowers seemed to be planted disorderly at a glance, they were somehow pleasing to the eyes. One would feel that spreading a white table in such a courtyard, inviting a beautiful woman and beautiful girls and treating them to tea in a fine early afternoon didn¡¯t suit this fortitudinous king in any way. After all, speaking of the 11th generation Jeffren, he was a military man who made a name for himself with his battle skills. Compared to sipping tea with a teacup, gulping down sake with a large beer mug was more like him. Perhaps he had such awareness himself, the great man who wanted to stand on the battlefield despite being past 40 picked up the thin cup snugly, sipped the tea and frowned openly. ¡¸Your Majesty¡¹ Orvieto who was drinking tea in a graceful manner looked at the king fleetingly with upturned eyes. ¡¸¡ªIf you dislike its bitterness, won¡¯t it be fine if you put sugar into it?¡¹ ¡¸This degree can¡¯t be called bitter¡¹ King Jeffren Francesc who had placed the cup down folded his thick arms and smiled wryly. ¡¸I¡ªah¡ª¡­to put it simply, I prefer sake¡¹ ¡¸I understand¡¹ ¡¸However, everyone said that a military-style drinking feast isn¡¯t suitable for inviting young ladies and expressing my gratitude¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much for doing this specially¡¹ Karin who was drinking tea beside Valeria bowed her head. Seeing that, Valeria also lowered her head hurriedly. The king, who had just returned from his mistress¡¯s side, invited Valeria and Karin, and Orvieto as well, to the royal palace to personally thank the Dominas who had assisted in the resolving of troubles during his absence. ¡ªWas what Valeria heard. But after sitting on this seat for about 30 minutes, she began to feel that the situation was peculiar somehow. ¡¸¡ªNee, Karin¡¹ Stretching her hand to a marzipan that was made in the shape of a wild berry, Valeria whispered to Karin softly. ¡¸Isn¡¯t something strange?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Right? Isn¡¯t that so? We¡¯re the guests of honour at this tea party, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Despite that, His Majesty is mostly talking to Head Director only since just now!¡¹ ¡¸So it seems¡¹ ¡¸Why did it become like this?¡¹ ¡¸¡­This is a story that I¡¯ve also heard from Petra though¡¹ Scooping the jam of rose¡¯s petals with a silver spoon and dissolving it into her black tea, Karin replied in a low voice. ¡¸When he wasn¡¯t engaged yet, His Majesty¡ªor rather, I think he was the crown prince at that time; but anyway, more than 20 years ago, it seemed that His Majesty proposed to Head Director and was rejected¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, it¡¯s a story about His Majesty being rejected by Head Director¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ While leaving her mouth open with a ¡°bokan¡±, Valeria stared at the king and Head Director. Indifferent to the young ladies who were whispering like that, the king even reached out his left hand shrewdly and grasped Orvieto¡¯s hand while stroking his manly beard. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, it¡¯s all thanks to you that two capable Dominas are born like this. I¡¯ve to express my gratitude, Orvieto¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much, Your Majesty. ¡­But if you really think that way, then please call out to them a little¡¹ Indeed, the king¡¯s goodwill towards Orvieto was expressed well in that over-familiar tone. Even though there was an onlooker with an amazed expression nearby¡ªand despite being told to call out to the girls¡ªthe king paid no attention to Valeria and Karin. ¡¸¡­By the way, Your Majesty¡¹ Pinching the back of the king¡¯s left hand and tearing it away with her fingers, Orvieto spoke coldly. ¡¸How¡¯s Queen-denka¡¯s condition? Has she not returned from Gruma yet?¡¹ ¡¸Ah? Un, ma¡ª¡­about that, hora, you said to put our focus here just now¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re right. Today is the tea party to thank both Her Eminences¡¹ When Orvieto smiled cheerfully and said so immediately, the king sighed exaggeratedly and smiled wryly. ¡¸Yare yare, as expected, it¡¯s no good, huh! Even though it has been nearly 20 years since your husband died, your behaviour is stiff as ever¡¹ ¡¸I shall take that as a praise¡¹ Bowing respectfully, Orvieto looked at Valeria and Karin. ¡¸¡ªI believe this goes without saying, but please don¡¯t carelessly make a move on these two people too. To say nothing of Amaddo, it¡¯ll become a big problem of the entire alliance as well¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m fully aware of such a thing! Or rather, even I won¡¯t make a move on girls who are younger than my son, you know? I¡¯m clear about the boundary of such a matter¡¹ ¡¸Please cease that sort of vivid talk in front of the maidens who serve God¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡ª, sorry sorry¡¹ The king, who had laughed with a ¡°gahaha¡± and scratched his head, ordered a maid who was waiting at a short distance away to prepare brandy. ¡¸Your Majesty. Having sake in daytime is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸To put it bluntly, I dislike black tea. I can¡¯t comprehend the feelings of those guys who appreciate things like this¡¹ ¡¸In that case, this won¡¯t be a tea party¡¹ ¡¸Do you want to see me frown whenever I sip a mouthful of tea?¡¹ ¡¸I shall humbly decline¡¹ ¡¸Maa that¡¯s how it is¡¹ When Orvieto closed her mouth with a sigh, the king finally faced the girls and smiled broadly. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve heard about the Seriba and Biranoba¡¯s matters from Kamunyas. It¡¯s said that both of you did splendid work that was unexpected of a new Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹ ¡¸Though its order with your first job had reversed, we must still hold your debut ceremony grandly. ¡ªWhat do you think, Orvieto; what kind of idea will be good? Since it was made flashy to that extent on Shakira¡¯s occasion, I want to make this extravagant no matter what¡¹ ¡¸Is it because there are two people at the same time?¡¹ ¡¸To put it simply, that¡¯s right. At that time, if you hadn¡¯t refuse it to the end, who¡¯d Father choose to be the top student¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Babel-geika, I suppose¡¹ Laconically yet clearly, Orvieto gave an immediate reply. It was heard that when she was still a girl¡ªwhen the present king was the crown prince¡ªOrvieto was chosen to be one of the Dominas candidates; but because her mother who was the head of the Richternach House had died, she gave up the path of a Dominas and succeeded the house. At that time, Orvieto didn¡¯t have a father or brothers and sisters already, thus she had no choice but to get a husband and give birth to an heir for the sake of continuing the Richternach House. At that time, the one that had competed with Orvieto was Shakira Babel who commanded the entire alliance¡¯s Dominas as their head even now. That Orvieto and Shakira were collectively called the ¡°Souheki (two matchless people/a pair of bright jewels)¡± wasn¡¯t only because the pair was simply the best magic warriors (Furigana: Marefikos) in Amaddo; the fact that they were fellow rivals who had worked hard together since girlhood might have been the cause too. He poured the brandy which he had the maid prepared into the black tea to the brim, and similar to a boss of an outskirts¡¯ bar gulping down cheap sake and then grumbling¡ªnaturally, Valeria had never actually seen that sort of people though¡ªthe king emptied the cup with a sigh. With this, it was unclear whether he was drinking black tea containing sake or drinking black-tea-flavoured sake. ¡°Puha¡ªa¡±, the king took a breath and nodded greatly. ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­there¡¯s the contribution from Romarikku this year, so there¡¯s totally no problem budget-wise. Let¡¯s invite lots of guests from the whole country and make it extraordinary and grand. Afterwards¡ª¡¹ The king began to say so and thereupon, Home Minister Moroku Kamunyas came dashing with a ¡°dota dota¡±. ¡¸¡ªYour, Your Majesty~!¡¹ ¡¸Oh, you¡¯ve become able to read the situation, Kamunyas-kyou. I was just thinking of calling you. About this time¡¯s debut¡ª¡¹ ¡¸S, save that talk for later! As a matter of fact, just not long ago, an express messenger from Haiderota carrying a letter that has their king¡¯s signature had arrived¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Haiderota?¡¹ The king, who was smiling mainly at Orvieto until then, knitted his thick eyebrows and started speaking bitterly in displeasure as soon as he heard ¡°Haiderota¡±. ¡¸¡­What in the world does such an uncivilised second-rate country want with our country?¡¹ ¡¸That, he said that it¡¯s an urgent matter at any rate¡­¡¹ Kamunyas, who had wiped his sweat and came before the king, held out a letter that was roundly rolled up and fastened with a ribbon. ¡¸Haiderota is tentatively our ally, right?¡¹ Valeria whispered into Karin¡¯s ear secretly. ¡¸¡ªConsidering all that, wasn¡¯t that an extreme way of speaking just now?¡¹ Although it was harsh to call an ally a second-rate country, the 11th generation Jeffren was originally referred to as the king who loved war the most in the continent. To be called uncivilised by such a war enthusiast, even Haiderota might lose its face. Thereupon, Orvieto answered Valeria¡¯s question instead of Karin. ¡¸His Majesty loathes Haiderota because that country treats its populace¡¯s livelihoods as sacrifices and advances its military expansion. His Majesty calls that uncivilised¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? I¡¯ve certainly heard that Haiderota is a powerful country with a very severe military doctrine, but¡ª¡¹ Haiderota was a military superpower which boasted a national power that ranked below Amaddo¡¯s. As a signatory of the Holy Alliance (Furigana: Riga Santourear) that believed in Redountra, it was a friendly nation as well as the greatest rival to Amaddo¡ªit was a story that even Valeria who was ignorant of worldly affairs would hear often. In any case, it seemed that the people of Haiderota had been thinking of wanting to oust Amaddo and becoming the leader of the alliance themselves. Karin supplemented Valeria who was spreading jam onto a scone and eating with a ¡°mogu mogu¡±. ¡¸¡ªEspecially after the civil war that happened nearly a hundred years ago, they make the expansion of their military preparations the highest priority without caring about how others see them¡¹ ¡¸Due to that, I feel that exacerbating the citizens¡¯ dissatisfaction is putting the cart before the horse, but¡­Your Majesty, what kind of matter is it exactly? If it¡¯s all right with you, please let us hear about it too¡¹ ¡¸Rather than that, this matter concerns you¡¹ The king held out the letter to Orvieto and pointed at Valeria and Karin in turn. ¡¸¡ªEh? U, us¡­, is it?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªIndeed. ¡­This is completely a harassment of Haiderota¡¹ Folding his thick arms, the king caused the chair to creak and leaned back on it. ¡¸¡ªKamunyas, the Haiderota¡¯s messenger is still here, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai¡¹ Kamunyas, who had shrewdly gotten someone to prepare a seat and drank the black tea, took a breath with a ¡°hotto¡± and nodded. ¡¸He said that he can¡¯t return unless he has heard His Majesty¡¯s reply¡­so, what exactly does the letter from Haiderota say?¡¹ ¡¸It told me to hold the Dominas¡¯ debut¡¹ ¡¸¡­Debut?¡¹ Karin narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. If it¡¯s our debut, then even without being told by Haiderota¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Of course, that¡¯s my intention from the beginning; the other party should also be aware of such a matter¡¹ ¡¸In short¡ª¡¹ Orvieto who had looked over the letter passed it to Kamunyas this time and continued in a calm voice. ¡¸¡ªThey want to ascertain whether the two of you really have the qualifications to be the cruxes of the seal, I guess¡¹ ¡¸That¡­is Haiderota perhaps saying that we don¡¯t have the qualifications of a Dominas!?¡¹ ¡°Guguu¡±, a deep crease grew in Valeria¡¯s brow. She never had the experience of her position of a Dominas, which she had undergone that much hardships, won through the intense competition and obtained with great difficulty, drawing flak¡ªit¡¯d have been better if it was from within the country¡ªfrom a foreign country¡¯s government. Placating Valeria who had instinctively begun to half-rise to her feet, Orvieto spoke. ¡¸Originally, a Dominas is a selected person whom a whole country gives all its efforts and raises by spending several years. The training of a Dominas is something which takes that much effort; if I were to rephrase it, it¡¯s something which ought to take that much effort¡¹ ¡¸¡­In, in other words¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Even though selecting one Dominas originally takes that much time, both of you were selected at the same time¡¹ ¡¸¡­Since two people were chosen simultaneously, the time taken is one half; does it mean our abilities are doubtful because we¡¯re Dominas who were chosen in half the time?¡¹ Karin murmured indifferently. ¡¸Normally, replacing two Dominas all at once in a country is an unlikely situation. In the first place, besides our country, the countries that have two or more Dominas are only Diruma and Haiderota; but customarily, the replacements will always stagger for a period of around several years, then will they be allowed¡¹ ¡¸After all, a veteran Dominas retiring from her position and is taken over by a new Dominas means that the one protecting the seal weakens temporarily¡¹ Having drunk up the black tea that contained brandy, the king poured brandy into the cup, which didn¡¯t even have a drop of black tea, this time and drank this up in one gulp again. Spitting out a breath smelling of alcohol with a ¡°fuha~a¡±, he snorted in displeasure. ¡¸And that¡¯s why, deliberately taking time and carefully selecting the Dominas candidates are so that the effect of the protector¡¯s weakening becomes a minimum; and deferring the period and then allowing the replacement are so that the Dominas aren¡¯t all newcomers¡ªthey probably want to say that our country which didn¡¯t abide by such a general rule is outrageous¡¹ ¡¸Even in our country that has three Dominas, it has been more than twenty years ago that two people took over simultaneously¡­since the time when Babel-geika was chosen¡¹ ¡¸However, the case this time¡ª¡¹ That Valeria and Karin were chosen simultaneously was because the two positions of the Dominas who will finish her term of office of nine years and retire, and the Dominas who had to retire due to health reason would be vacant at the same time incidentally. Speaking of inevitability, then this was inevitable; it wasn¡¯t because Orvieto and the king aimed for something and did so. In addition, Valeria and Karin, who were chosen to be the Dominas in this time¡¯s replacement, were two people who possessed abilities that was difficult to say which of the two was better¡ªit was none other than Orvieto who had evaluated so. The certification of the celebrated ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡± wasn¡¯t just for show. Hence, Valeria believed that hers and Karin¡¯s abilities shouldn¡¯t fall behind other countries¡¯ Dominas¡¯. She didn¡¯t believe that her disposition as a seal¡¯s protector was especially inferior either. ¡¸¡ªPerhaps to those guys, whether your abilities are suitable for a Dominas or not, such a matter is inconsequential¡¹ Making the chair scream with a ¡°gishiri¡±, the king stood up. ¡¸Or rather, I even feel they might be hoping that your abilities are low¡¹ Dominas were the greatest magic warriors who stood at the peak of the country, and those abilities were one of the measurements indicating the level of the magic warriors of an entire country. With such a meaning, for Haiderota which was thinking of kicking down Amaddo, it was obvious that the abilities of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas being low would be better than being high. The king snatched the letter from Kamunyas¡¯s hands and crumpled it into a ball. ¡¸Your, Your Majesty!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve read its contents. Such a thing isn¡¯t needed anymore, right?¡¹ The king threw back the letter, which was balled hard and small, to Kamunyas and looked back at the girls angrily. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m sure that Haiderota¡¯s ill-natured people saying these things is a plot to annoyingly make excuses and try to see our skills. How about you, Orvieto?¡¹ ¡¸I think so too, Your Majesty¡¹ Orvieto bowed her head courteously and concurred with the king¡¯s opinion. ¡¸To begin with, there¡¯s no regulation that Dominas must hold a debut for foreign countries. In fact, such an event didn¡¯t take place when Haiderota¡¯s Dominas took over four years ago and last year¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a different matter if it was just us who weren¡¯t invited¡¹ ¡¸The purpose of Haiderota demanding our country to hold it this time is evidently the assessment of both Her Eminences. Their real aim is to ascertain both Her Eminences¡¯ abilities and calibres as magic warriors¡¹ ¡¸Even without being told, I intend to hold it grandly¡¹ Snorting with a ¡°fufun¡±, the king smiled. Completely different from the time when he was smiling broadly at Orvieto until a while ago, it was a bold smile. ¡¸Well then¡­what shall I do? Summon every one of the other side¡¯s royal family?¡¹ ¡¸In that case, Your Majesty¡¹ Orvieto spoke to the king who was constantly licking his lips. ¡¸¡ªHow about we go there of our own accord?¡¹ ¡¸Of our own accord?¡¹ ¡¸Haiderota wants to see both Her Eminences¡¯ abilities, right? If that¡¯s the case, we just have to show them. In return, let¡¯s have the other side show us their Dominas too. It¡¯s a good opportunity for both Her Eminences to broaden their knowledge; after all, it¡¯s not like there will be chances to see a foreign country¡¯s Dominas in person¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­that seems to be interesting¡¹ ¡°Girari¡±, the king¡¯s eyes sparkled at Orvieto¡¯s suggestion. ¡¸If we send in both Her Eminences as diplomats, even Haiderota has to take on the etiquette of entertaining state guests. How much hospitality is Haiderota which spends all its time in military expansion capable of¡­we just have to make them waste money as much as possible¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Staring seriously at Orvieto who had declared so at once, Valeria became speechless. It was because she learnt that Orvieto was someone who said scarier things than she had imagined. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, did you just realise it now? As expected, you¡¯re a natural airhead¡¹ When Valeria secretly told that to Karin, her friend with cold eyes mercilessly insulted her after adding a completely insincere apology at the beginning. ¡¸She wouldn¡¯t be qualified to be the magic academy¡¯s (Furigana: Prasa marefikos) head director just by being simply carefree, would she? She¡¯ll surely have a political sense of that extent¡¹ ¡¸Iya, but, how do I say this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Maa, I also agree with your view of this being different from your mental image though¡¹ From the fact that Orvieto had forcibly pushed for Dimitar to be her exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, Valeria already understood that she was a calm yet high-handed person. However, in regard to the current Orvieto who was closely face to face with the king and Kamunyas and plotting this and that, Valeria could also catch a glimpse of her side as a cool-headed schemer. While waiting for the adults¡¯ discussion to end, Valeria quietly sipped the black tea which had cooled completely. Volume 3 - CH 1.2 Distantly gazing at the army¡¯s infantry who were training, Dimitar sat on a barrel of the eaves¡¯ edge. Being inside the workshop that was filled with the smell of tobacco whenever he went there, even his work efficiency would fall. Moreover, rain was scarce lately, and days of fine weather continued. In that case, it wasn¡¯t bad to work outside like this too. Crossing his legs and placing the sword on his knees, and then drinking a mouthful of wine from a leather bag, Dimitar picked up a steel pen. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar used the steel pen and carved detailed designs onto the blade of the sword which was sprayed with coarse metal powder that he didn¡¯t fully know of. It was tiresome to have to put in his strength and carve these lines, which could usually be drawn smoothly with one finger, with a ¡°gari gari (scratching sound)¡±. ¡¸¡­Maa, it saves me the trouble that he (Isaac) didn¡¯t make a fuss of it (wielding Jorkera) being painful though¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Di¡¹ Quique Albiol, who had suddenly shown his face from the workshop¡¯s window, indicated the sword that he made and asked Dimitar. It was the new magic motion sword (Furigana: Espada marefika), Jorkera, which Dimitar had taught the way of using it to the Crown Prince yesterday. ¡¸¡ªThough the letter from His Highness stated that it¡¯s all right to complete it as it is, do you still have to modify it?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I figured that it¡¯s probably still a little heavy for the Crown Prince to use. ¡­Since that sort of person is using it, it¡¯s apparent that it¡¯ll be decorated gaudily at any rate. In fact, it¡¯s better to take into consideration that it¡¯ll become a bit heavier and modify it¡¹ ¡¸Even though you said that¡¹ Smoking the kiseru with a ¡°pukari¡±, Quique put on his monocle again. ¡¸¡ªAt this point in time, by how much will be good to reduce to make it light?¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s possible to shorten it by about two fingers¡¯ width. Since there are many cases of the sword¡¯s tip being chipped unexpectedly in a melee, I didn¡¯t put magic crest (Furigana: Hierateika) there from the start¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. Next is¡­carving a coulisse in the centre?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. At the same time, it¡¯s better to lengthen the hilt a bit more. With the centre of gravity close to the grip, it¡¯ll become easy even for the frail His Highness to handle¡¹ ¡¸Either way, we can only leave such a matter to Krutowa-jiisan. ¡­It¡¯ll be nice if it¡¯s completed by tomorrow though¡¹ ¡¸By tomorrow?¡¹ Dimitar suddenly raised his face and looked at Quique. ¡¸Were you told to complete it by tomorrow?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s also the work of the jewellery craftsman, so he wished for it to be delivered to the royal palace in the noon the day after tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡­even His Highness intends to go out?¡¹ ¡¸Ha? What¡¯s this about His Highness?¡¹ ¡¸It means His Highness may soon have something to do where he¡¯ll carry the new sword and go out¡¹ If there was a time when the Crown Prince, who often played around with roses all day long, would carry a sword on his waist, then it¡¯d be during some formal ceremony; otherwise, it might be when the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) made an appearance. And speaking of a large ceremony that was to be scheduled in the future, Valeria and Karin¡¯s debut came to mind first, but because the fixed date for that would be decided after this, there shouldn¡¯t be a need to hurry to that extent. ¡¸Does something comes to your mind?¡¹ ¡¸Though I didn¡¯t hear the official word, that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s none. ¡­However, that Highness has a side which I don¡¯t fully understand what¡¯s he thinking and will abruptly think of worthless things¡¹ ¡¸Oi oi, you¡¯re being disrespectful¡¹ Smiling bitterly at Dimitar¡¯s words, Quique withdrew into the workshop. As if changing places with that, a pink mass went round the workshop and ran here, dragging along noisy footsteps with a ¡°gacha gacha¡±. ¡¸Dimi-saan!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t make the ground tremor. I¡¯m doing an intricate work. If my hand slips and I pierce the steel pen into my thigh, I¡¯ll put in a centipede through that slit¡¹ ¡¸Mun, though I hate centipedes, thank you very much!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ Dimitar knitted his eyebrows at Bettina who had suddenly knelt before him and begun to worship him. ¡¸What on earth are you talking about?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about yesterday¡¯s matter desuyou! Isn¡¯t it thanks to Dimitar-san that I was able to have an audience with His Highness desukaa?!¡¹ ¡¸That, huh. Though His Highness is certainly a noble person, don¡¯t you often see him on the streets?¡¹ Calling it a manoeuvre of the Seal Chivalric Order and going here and there without a purpose; taking a group of attendants and going to the town¡¯s market to buy rose¡¯s seedlings; the Crown Prince was relatively a royalty who would appear in town. Subsequently, he was recognised as a wastrel son by the populace, but at any rate, ¡ªthough phrasing it badly¡ªhe wasn¡¯t really someone unusual. ¡¸T, that¡¯s not it desuu! After all¡­a commoner like me could receive a personal greeting from His Highness and get the permission to talk to him¡­! I was so moved that my pee seemed to have leaked!¡¹ Shaking her pink body with a ¡°furu furu¡±, Bettina sniffled like she was overcome with emotion. Most likely, her cheeks were wet with streams of tears beneath that visor. Although he wanted to check what kind of tear-stained face was it, he was specially told not to touch such a thing (Bachururus) by the Crown Prince, hence it was better to not think about imprudent things. ¡¸I¡¯ve always thought that Dimi-san might be a cold, scary and relatively terrible person, but I was mistaken!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Oi¡¹ ¡¸As expected, Dimi-san is a good person desunee!¡¹ ¡¸I know. I understand, so don¡¯t sidle up to me anymore. ¡­I said that I¡¯m in a middle of an intricate work, didn¡¯t I?¡¹ If he left her as she was, Bettina might cling onto Dimitar¡¯s lap and choked in tears of gratitude. Although there were various remarks that bothered him, they weren¡¯t to the extent of raising the corner of his eye and scolding her; Dimitar decided to sweep them aside for the time being and concentrate on his work. ¡¸¡­By the way Dimi-san, that, what are you doing desukaa?¡¹ Bettina, who had turned her back to Dimitar and made a ¡°gachagoso¡± sound, sniffled and asked at this late hour. She had probably raised her visor and wiped away her tears. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s different from the one that was shown to His Highness yesterday, right?¡¹ ¡¸That one will include minor adjustments and then be presented to His Highness. ¡ªThis one is a prototype for normal mass production. For now, I¡¯ve to complete it into something which has a better efficiency than Nereida¡¯s products that was confiscated in Biranoba¡¹ ¡¸Are you perhaps drawing magic crests desukaa?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, it¡¯s a rough sketch though¡¹ Originally, the research of Magic Engineering (Furigana: Tekunorogia marefika) was done by Quique¡¯s own effort, but it seemed that getting someone to design magic crests was also difficult at that time. Most of the capable Hiera Glaphicos were busy and they scarcely had the free time to lend a hand in Quique¡¯s suspicious research. It was after Dimitar, who was expelled from the Seal Chivalric Order, went in and out of this workshop that it (Quique¡¯s research) became smooth in one breath. Dimitar who had begun to advance on the path of a Hiera Glaphicos could draw magic crests according to Quique¡¯s theory; furthermore, he could also handle the completed weapon better than an average person and assist in its improvement based on his feeling of using it. In that sense, it was possible to say that Dimitar was the ideal assistant for Quique. It was because such a past existed that Dimitar somehow continued to be the assistant even now when Quique¡¯s research was gradually recognised by the public. If the magic motion sword that Quique invented was officially adopted, all members of the Seal Chivalric Order would be carrying swords engraved with the magic crests that Dimitar had designed. It was amusing somehow and Dimitar unintentionally laughed. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s the matter, Dimi-san?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡¹ Dimitar, who had finished drawing the magic crests, blew off the iron powder with a ¡°fuu¡± and stood up. Afterwards, once this blade was given a treatment similar to plating with a special alloy, it was possible to draw magic crests on it just like on the human skin, but Dimitar¡¯s work was up to here for now. As for the plating, it was the domain of the blacksmith that Quique was acquainted with. Closing the book that he had used as reference for the designs of the magic crests and holding it under his arm, Dimitar peered into the workshop through the window. ¡¸Oi, Ossan!¡¹ ¡¸N? Is it done? As expected, the Hiera Glahpicos-dono who has expectations placed on his future sure works fast¡¹ Quique who was applying black paint onto Jorkera¡¯s tip looked in the direction of Dimitar fleetingly. ¡¸What, are you going back already?¡¹ ¡¸The next mission has been decided in private. I¡¯ve to prepare for it¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­huh, hold on? Does that possibly mean Bettina too?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s likely to be the case. ¡­The official appointment will be announced at that time, I guess. At any rate, Gacha Pink had become someone who was allowed to have an audience with His Highness¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s true¡¹ Quique struck the head of the kiseru against the rim of the ashtray and spat out a seemingly comical smile from the bottom of his heart together with a pale purple smoke. ¡¸¡­Iya, frankly speaking, you¡¯ve helped me out¡¹ ¡¸On what?¡¹ ¡¸How should I say it¡­she¡¯s a child who can¡¯t help but want to feel needed by people. Many things happened between her parents and relatives and her in the past, you see¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸For such a child, to be recognised by the people of the royal family and even get to talk to them might be quite a happy thing. Rebellious people like you and me might think that it isn¡¯t something to feel that grateful about though, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar shifted his gaze from the inside of the workshop, which wasn¡¯t shine by the sun, to outside where the sunlight was raining incessantly. The pink armour, which was reflecting brilliant sunlight with a ¡°kirari (momentary flash of light)¡±, was moving large wooden boxes with a ¡°gacha gacha¡± with her humming mixed in, seemingly oblivious to Dimitar and her uncle having such a conversation. With a patron called the Crown Prince siding with Quique¡¯s research, it looked like this workshop was gradually becoming lively. ¡¸¡­Even if that was the case, I didn¡¯t do anything in particular. In order to show an easy understanding of the results of your research, I just thought that using Gacha Pink was the fastest¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that might be so. However, it was definitely thanks to you¡¹ ¡¸¡­This is unlike you¡¹ Feeling that Quique would bow to him and express his gratitude again if he were to stay like that, Dimitar threw the sword onto the worktable and left that place at a quick pace. Maybe it was because he couldn¡¯t thank people very well that Dimitar wasn¡¯t good with being thanked by people. Especially towards an expression of gratitude which was filled with sincerity that wasn¡¯t just superficial, he didn¡¯t know what was good to say in return, so he felt needlessly troubled. Therefore, Dimitar left the workshop at a quick pace. He might soon have to leave the capital because of an important mission again. Before that, there were things that he must do. Volume 3 - CH 1.3 When the Crown Prince summoned Lucius for Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s business, it was often the case that it¡¯d be at the ¡°Garden of Philosophy¡± almost every time, but today was unusual; there was an order saying to come to a private room inside the castle. Thinking that the Crown Prince most likely wanted to exclude other people and talk with just the two of them, Lucius who had arrived at the Crown Prince¡¯s room alone in the afternoon quickly learnt of the correctness of his prediction. ¡¸¡ªI want to divide it into the First Army and Second Army¡¹ Piling up a large quantity of documents on the desk, Isaac said with a sigh mixed in. The maid who had carried tea here had left already, and there were only Lucius and the Crown Prince inside the spacious room. ¡¸Ah, I believe you understand even without me saying this, but I¡¯m talking about the Seal Chivalric Order, you know?¡¹ ¡¸That is, hai¡¹ Looking down on the two mountains of documents built in front of the Crown Prince, Lucius cleared his throat slightly. ¡¸¡­May I hear about it in detail?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, isn¡¯t it decided that our Chivalric Order has a fixed number of people?¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ According to the old legend, the fixed number of people in the Seal Chivalric Order was decided to be 89. To be specific, it utilised all 89 members in the form of placing eight platoons, each with 11 people, under the leader who was the Crown Prince. Vice-Leader Lucius also served as the commanding officer of the first platoon, but substantially, it could be said that he assembled the entire Chivalric Order in the Crown Prince¡¯s stead. In cases where a vacancy arose in these 89 people due to some reasons, there was a structure where an excellent person from among the apprentices that always existed in the dozens would be elected as the new formal member, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that it (vacancy) would be taken up by excellent people in number order. The deciding factor was, plainly speaking, the economic strength and influence of one¡¯s home. For the young nobles of Amaddo, becoming a Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s member held a very big significance. If they could join the Chivalric Order, the impressions which the Crown Prince, who was the leader, had of them would improve, and that¡¯d become a foothold in obtaining some sort of post within the royal court in the future. Desperate nobles who gave large donations to the Chivalric Order and promoted their relatives, who were their sons, grandchildren and younger brothers, for the sake of that were by no means a minority. In contrast, even if they had the abilities, there were people who couldn¡¯t become a formal member no matter how much time passed because they didn¡¯t have a backer and economic strength. ¡¸Like this, the standard can¡¯t be maintained¡¹ Shaking the quill pen, the Crown Prince pouted his lips. As one would expect, not all members were chosen by whether their donations were large or small, but nevertheless, the amount of donations couldn¡¯t be completely disregarded. In a state where the Chivalric Order was cut loose from the army¡¯s budget, it was precisely such donations existed that they could live quietly and comfortably free from worldly cares. ¡¸I want the donations, but I also want to improve the standard of the Chivalric Order¡ªwhat a troubling situation this is, huh?¡¹ ¡¸Even if we choose the members by quality only, I believe that will gather donations in its own way though?¡¹ Not all of the young great nobles with large donations were poor-quality members only. In reality, members who fully met all three important conditions of a rich home and the person himself being diligent and talented weren¡¯t few. However, most of the sons and grandchildren of the nobles who gave large donations were in no way chosen based on abilities, and it was also a fact that many times, they were possessors of poor skills. If they disregarded that and tried to choose a member by ability only, nobles who¡¯d start saying that they will stop their donations might appear. Lucius personally felt that to be able to move at the critical moment without being influenced by the great nobles¡¯ ties of obligation was really ideal instead, but Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac¡¯s thought seemed to be slightly different. ¡¸We shall gather donations as per up to now, or rather, more than up to now. Even if it¡¯s a little, I¡¯d like to weaken the power of the great nobles¡¹ ¡¸I understand that thought but¡­¡¹ ¡¸On top of that, we¡¯ll raise the standard too. For that, I want to divide it into the First Army and Second Army¡¹ Isaac held out the bundle of documents which was stacked in front and on his right to Lucius. They seemed to be the members¡¯ personal information forms that were written at the time of their enrolment. Having just looked over briefly, assuming that he set aside their homes¡¯ assets and current statuses, only young men whom Lucius thought were reliable with regard to ability were gathered. ¡¸¡­This one is the First Army?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ ¡¸So that means, the thick solid bundle there is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸The Second Army. ¡­Ma, they¡¯re for exploitation uses¡¹ Perhaps because the other party was Lucius, Isaac spoke his true thoughts without hesitating. Exploitation uses¡ªnamely, members whom he had no expectation of in terms of ability, but could anticipate funding support from their homes. ¡¸Then, reorganise in the form of those people as the apprentices and these people as the formal members¡¹ ¡¸That probably won¡¯t work¡¹ Before Lucius had even said everything, Isaac began to speak words of denial. ¡¸Judging from the side that gave money, I¡¯m certain that they will come pestering us to make them into formal members because they¡¯ve contributed economically. It was like that until now. Originally, ¡°donations¡± weren¡¯t that sort of thing, but maa, I understand their feelings¡¹ ¡¸Then, how about we try changing the names of ¡°Apprentices¡± and ¡°Second Army¡±? To put it nicely, it¡¯s called an image strategy¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯s it specifically?¡¹ ¡¸The high-standard Chivalric Order which Your Highness wishes for, is a combat force that is also capable of going out to attack in case of emergency, right?¡¹ ¡¸Maa, I did say that, but it¡¯s such a thing¡¹ ¡¸But on the contrary, the current Chivalric Order¡¯s duties aren¡¯t combat, but mostly things such as attending ceremonies and the like, and being the bodyguards of important people for form¡¯s sake¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hahaa¡¹ And then, perhaps he had guessed what Lucius was trying to say, Isaac narrowed his eyes satisfactorily and laughed. ¡¸In other words, dividing it into external and internal sections?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. We¡¯ll have the external section¡¯s combat force manage both sides, but mobilise the internal section during ceremonies only. Objections will surely ensue if you name these people the ¡°Second Army¡±, but if you name both parties like that under the guise of reorganisation, I think the members who are sent to the Second Army and their relatives will preserve their honour¡­¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­the bonbons who pushed through by the amount of their donations didn¡¯t consider going out to places of combat from the start; what they wanted is just the title of the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s member¡¹ ¡¸If we fixed the number of people of either section to be 88 each, I believe we can send all the skilled people who are living in obscurity in the apprentices to operating forces now. There may be a need to newly recruit some people though¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good. Since there are about 120 people now, including the apprentices, simply put, the number of members has increased five tenths, and the total amount of donations will also naturally increase¡¹ Isaac clapped his hands and bent forward. Although he was saying things just like a miser, there must be even more separate thoughts collected inside this young schemer¡¯s mind. ¡¸¡ªWell then, until the next mission¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s impossible¡¹ This time, Lucius spoke to cover the Crown Prince¡¯s words. ¡¸For the reorganisation of the organisation, it¡¯s necessary to spend time carefully and choose the members; more practically speaking, we must also add a difference that is noticeably understood. ¡­For example, unless the Second Army makes brand new uniforms¡¹ ¡¸How troublesome¡­on top of that, doesn¡¯t this require money again?¡¹ ¡¸That may be done one way or the other with donations¡¹ Returning the members¡¯ personal information forms to the top of the desk, Lucius added on. ¡¸¡ªFor the next mission, let¡¯s take along carefully-selected members only for the time being. The official reorganisation will be after that¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ma, it¡¯s meaningless even if just the number is big. However, is selecting a few still better?¡¹ Scratching his head with a ¡°pori pori¡±, Isaac breathed out an exaggerated sigh. ¡¸In fact, shouldn¡¯t such a thing be done somehow in Chichi-ue¡¯s generation? He has a personality that can¡¯t tolerate a weak Chivalric Order more than me, you see¡¹ ¡¸I heard that His Majesty¡­didn¡¯t have much enthusiasm in the activities of the Seal Chivalric Order in the first place¡¹ Jeffren Isaac¡¯s father, Jeffren Francesc, was known to love battles since the time when he was the crown prince. Summoning scholars and soldiers and studying strategies, he personally picked up swordsmanship and was even called the best user of the present age. Maybe it was because of such a rough disposition, Crown Prince Jeffren Francesc didn¡¯t perform his job well as the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order that was useless in combat, and accompanied the army which the late king led, running around the battlefield. If Jeffren Francesc had something that¡¯d approve the existence value of the Seal Chivalric Order, then it might only be the fact that he met Barjor Garido who was an unrivalled comrade in arms that was slightly older than him and subsequently one of Amaddo Four Elder Statesmen. ¡¸¡­Apparently, it was around the time when my Ojii-sama was the crown prince that the Chivalric Order became a system that operates on donations like now¡¹ Causing the chair to creak, Isaac smiled in somewhat self-derision. ¡¸For the sake of the son, grandchild, and consequently our family, I think the money collection system that cleverly stimulates the nobles¡¯ vanity and intensely sucks up donations is certainly implemented well. It was an ingenious plan typical of the 10th generation Jeffren who was called a rare strategist¡¹ Most likely, the 10th generation Jeffren didn¡¯t count the Seal Chivalric Order as a war potential from the beginning, and devised it as a method to gradually chip off power from the great nobles to strengthen the royalty. Lucius heard that the previous king, who was already deceased when he started to understand things, was definitely that sort of person. Pouring the black tea which was slightly over-steamed into a cup and presenting it to the Crown Prince, Lucius switched the topic. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, among the personal information forms of the First Army members there, I didn¡¯t find Lindegoa-kyou¡¯s one¡­¡¹ Derek Lindegoa had impeccable parentage, character and moreover, ability; in a sense, he was a rare young noble. At the age of 25 this year, he was older than Lucius, but being Lucius¡¯s adjutant, he acted as the first platoon¡¯s mediator. Hence, even in the Crown Prince¡¯s Chivalric Order reorganisation plan, he was a talented person who absolutely must be in the First Army and that it¡¯d be strange if he wasn¡¯t. ¡¸Ah, I¡¯ve to discuss that matter with you¡¹ Placing paperweights made of crystal on both the usable pile and the unusable pile, the Crown Prince stood up. He approached close to the window, next to Lucius, with the cup of black tea in hand. ¡¸¡ªLindegoa-kyou¡¯s Ochichi-ue told me to remove his son from site¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸It looks like he found out the pregnancy of Derek-kun¡¯s wife. It¡¯s said that his Ochichi-ue intends to transfer the family headship to Derek-kun at the same time as the birth of their child¡¹ ¡¸¡­Was it like that?¡¹ One couldn¡¯t join the Seal Chivalric Order unless he was less than 30 years of age and a noble born in Amaddo. There was a regulation that one must leave the group before he welcomed his 30-year-old birthday, be it a formal member or an apprentice. It might be because 20-year-old young nobles gathered and repeatedly went on nothing but pleasure jaunts in the name of manoeuvres which were weakly related to combat that there were voices ridiculing the Chivalric Order as a ¡°noble bonbons (young sons from affluent families) close friends club¡±. When thinking from that aspect, Derek Lindegoa had a deferment of another 5 years, but not just him, most of the members left the group without waiting to be 30. Using the title of the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s member to the maximum, they¡¯d obtain reasonable posts in the royal court or become soldiers, otherwise, they¡¯d succeed family headships¡ªin any case, the young men who had left the group finally lived as real ¡°adults¡± from then. And now, it might mean that the time when Lindegoa-kyou whom Lucius had been relying on became an adult had arrived. ¡¸In that case¡¹ After thinking for a little while, Lucius made a suggestion to the Crown Prince. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s have Lindegoa-kyou take on the coordination of the Second Army. Even though they won¡¯t go out to site, it¡¯s impossible for someone who has no self-consciousness and sense of responsibility to unify a group that is close to 100 people¡¹ ¡¸Shall we get him to delay his resignation a bit longer until the new system gets on track? ¡­Since it¡¯s mostly office work, his Ochichi-ue will probably consent to it¡¹ Staring at the scenery outside the window, the Crown Prince, who had taken a deep breath quietly, put the cup on the desk and opened a drawer. ¡¸¡ªAnd one more thing¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it?¡¹ ¡¸As Lindegoa-kyou is gone, I¡¯ve prepared a candidate to be your adjutant¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not promoting someone within the group to take his place?¡¹ ¡¸At the very least, I¡¯d like to show that the First Army is chosen by prioritising ability to the internal and external sides. ¡­Though I said that, he¡¯s a child whom an acquaintance requested if I could look after him, you see¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Lucius, who had received the envelope that was applied with a stately sealing wax, quickly looked over its contents. It seemed that one letter was a personal information form and the other was a letter of introduction. The name that was written on the personal information form was Anhel Safrukada, a 16-year-old who was born in Gruma; his personal history had nothing in particular. Although it was natural that there was no personal history for this age, this was similar to not knowing anything. However, the matter of being born in Gruma bothered Lucius. If one were to speak of Gruma, then it was also the birthplace of Queen Arumdena¡ªthe Crown Prince¡¯s mother. ¡¸Your Highness, is this perhaps¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯ve seen the letter of introduction, then surely you¡¯d understand. ¡­This is a request from a source that is hard to refuse no matter what¡¹ What was written at the end of the excellent composition which strung together all sorts of flowery words and recommended this youth who was called Anhel, was the signature of Arumdena¡¯s biological father, Berumdes-kou, father-in-law to the current king, Jeffren Francesc, and equivalently the grandfather to Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac. Although there were many members who had huge backing in the Chivalric Order, this youth¡¯s backer was extraordinarily great. Putting the letter back into the envelope and placing it on the desk, Lucius asked. ¡¸My information is limited and I¡¯ve never heard of the Safrukada House¡­but what kind of relation does this youth has with Berumdes-kou?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know it well either¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, it has already been decided to allow this child to enrol. ¡ªOf course, if you don¡¯t agree to it, then I won¡¯t let him be the vice-leader and will let him gain experience from being a novice though¡¹ ¡¸If¡­Your Highness has made your decision, then I¡¯ve no objection¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s the honours student Lucius-kun, he¡¯d say it like way. ¡ªHowever, I can¡¯t put people who have no ability beside you. After all, that¡¯d run counter to this very reformation¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹ It was written in the letter of introduction from Berumdes-kou that as this youth was a possessor of a magic talent which was regrettable to let it be hidden in the countryside, Berumdes-kou hoped that he could be allowed to join the Chivalric Order by all means and be of use to His Highness. Before and after his daughter became the king¡¯s legal wife, Berumdes-kou understood his role and was known by his modesty that was unconnected to arrogant behaviour, thus he shouldn¡¯t have let people with insufficient ability into the Chivalric Order by nepotism only, so this youth might certainly have talent. However, that was precisely why Lucius didn¡¯t understand Berumdes-kou¡¯s real intention. To begin with, Berumdes-kou was a person who never once recommended even his relatives, much less acquaintances, to the king until now. Why would that old wise man write up a letter of introduction like this for the son of a small noble who completely wasn¡¯t talked about in the capital? Exactly what kind of relation was there between Berumdes-kou and the Safrukada House; it was a matter that one would care about even if it wasn¡¯t Lucius. Picking up the cup again, Isaac sipped his tea. ¡¸¡ªMaa, why don¡¯t we try to see him first? The person himself said that he¡¯ll come here shortly; you can give your judgement after ascertaining how useful he is¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Bowing his head slightly, Lucius secretly sighed. End of Chapter 1 Volume 3 - CH 2 Strong wind with the smell of saltwater flowed in from the open window that faced the balcony. The slope which faced the sea and came down from the peak of this rocky mountain was levelled into the shape of a huge stairway, and innumerable houses with white walls were standing in a row, clinging to that place. This land, which was placed between a sea at its front and a precipitous cliff at its rear, was a fort rather than a picturesque scenery. Attacking it from the cliff¡¯s side was impossible, and one had to use ships and send in soldiers from the seaward side to attack, but to reach the castle that was located at the peak of the rocky mountain, one must go up the terrain which was in the shape of a stairway consisting of 9 layers. However, it was structured where one must pass through a meandering and narrow hill road to go up one layer of that stairway; moreover, a small watchtower gate would always be placed in the middle of it. On the hill road where its width was narrow, numerous soldiers couldn¡¯t make an assault all at once. In addition, the soldiers who had barely cling to the watchtower gate would be poured with boiling hot water and oil from above before breaking through there and be forced to retreat. There was no army which had crushed 9 such obstacles and attacked as far as the peak until now. An old man, who had went out to the balcony of that impregnable small castle, stared at the sea and narrowed his eyes. Countless small wrinkles which signified the years he had spent were carved on his skin which was tinged with red like that of a Chinese date. Although his age surpassed 50 and was probably close to 60, his physique was excellent. The military uniform with a mantle and the sword, including its scabbard, which was held in his left hand, suited his imposing physique well. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The old man quietly unsheathed the sword from its scabbard. ¡¸In case of a battle in the sea¡¹ Blocking the sunlight with the sword¡¯s blade, the old man muttered. ¡¸¡­I truly don¡¯t think we¡¯ll fall behind other countries. However, if it comes to a battle on the land, simple numbers will demonstrate their effectiveness¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s as you say¡¹ A young soldier who was standing in the room¡¯s corner where the sunlight didn¡¯t reach answered the old man¡¯s mutter. This person was still young. He was probably in the first half of his twenties at the most. ¡¸With a thing like this¡­even I¡¯ll be able to use magic?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not omnipotent. You can consider it as one of the convenient tools and weapons to the end¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re really clever¡¹ Shaking his white beard, the old man closed one eye and stared at the blade. On the sword blade that brilliantly reflected the sunlight, some patterns seemed to be faintly carved in bilateral symmetry on either side of the back of the blade. ¡¸However¡­though it¡¯s one of the weapons to the end, if other places are preparing them, we¡¯ve no choice but to possess the same things too¡­¡¹ ¡¸Though it seems that this sort of thing isn¡¯t maintained in Aurillac yet, perhaps in Amaddo, it¡¯s something whose research is progressing considerably¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Then, that woman is a subordinate of Amaddo?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s difficult to understand to that extent, but¡¹ Straightening the disorder of the white tie that decorated his neck, the man replied after one mora (a unit of metrical time equal to the duration of a short syllable). ¡¸¡ªIf that woman is a subordinate of Amaddo, even if she came to contact us having some sort of aim, it¡¯s a fact that we obtained new weapons¡¹ ¡¸Is it¡­a quantity of the degree where they can be used as weapons on the battlefield¡­?¡¹ ¡¸50 swords and shields, and 80 spears¡¹ ¡¸In which case¡­allocating them to the elite guards and they¡¯re finished at best¡­¡¹ The old man, who had nodded with a long sigh, quietly put the sword back into its scabbard. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Lightly brushing his long forelock away, the young man opened his mouth without a moment¡¯s delay. ¡¸¡ªThough we can¡¯t catch them in our country very much, it¡¯s said that wild pigs are extremely delicious¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸However, it ends there if we finish eating the wild pigs. ¡ªIf so, what should be done to continue savouring that deliciousness from now on?¡¹ ¡¸Cyril¡­¡¹ The old man looked back at the young man over his shoulder, increased the wrinkles on his mouth and smiled bitterly. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re indeed clever, but because you¡¯re clever, everything you say tends to be too exaggerated¡­that¡¯s fine when talking to people and making them understand¡­but such a manner of speaking is futile on me¡¹ ¡¸My apologies¡¹ The young man who was called Cyril bowed politely with a ¡°pishii¡±. ¡¸¡­I know this is something that goes without saying for His Highness, but then, I¡¯ll say it candidly. Even our country ought to mass produce things which are similar to that¡¹ ¡¸¡­Can it be done?¡¹ ¡¸Allow me to do it¡¹ ¡¸Maa¡­I can¡¯t let our country fall behind Aurillac¡­¡¹ The old man, who had come back into the room from the balcony, passed the sword to Cyril, arranged his mantle and sat on a sofa. ¡¸¡ªWhat about Lampitor?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s attending to the preparation for departure. The preparation for the warships can also be done within a few days, but the land route¡¯s side will take more time¡­¡¹ ¡¸Fumu¡­it¡¯s her first campaign, huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸I believe there¡¯s no need to doubt her ability¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not doubting that¡­; however, that woman not only supply weapons like this, but also inform us of Aurillac¡¯s activity, and her real motive is unknown¡­tell everyone not to be negligent even a little bit¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Cyril bowed very deeply to the old man and left the room. ¡¸¡ªThe royal prince-denka¡¯s permission has been issued¡¹ Passing the sword to the soldier who was waiting outside the room, Cyril ordered in a low voice. ¡¸Send 3 of each swords, shields and spears respectively to the army¡¯s arsenal; send the remaining to the elite guards so that they can master them immediately¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸And prepare a carriage too¡¹ ¡¸Are you returning to the capital?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s just me, I¡¯ll return by horse. His Highness is also going back¡¹ Cyril narrowed his eyes while walking in the corridor where its windows were small and wasn¡¯t sunny. ¡¸When one has been spending a long time in such a place, any fortitudinous soldier will degrade into an ordinary old man who passes the rest of his life embracing a cat. I don¡¯t want His Highness¡ªOji-ue to become that kind of defeated person¡¹ ??? Volume 3 - CH 2.1 Disclaimer: I do not guarantee a 100% accurate translation. Do kindly notify me if you see any mistake. She¡¯ll Make Progress Too In the magic superpower, Amaddo, an enormous budget was expended and elementary schools were established in various places to pick out people with magic talents from the whole country. In these schools where the school expenses for the first two years were free and all the children could attend, their aptitudes as magic warriors (Furigana: Marefikos) were checked while they studied fundamental reading, writing and arithmetic. Here, the children who might have even a little talent were encouraged to commute to school after their third year and take a more advanced general education and basic magic education. In particular, if they were deemed to have talents, there were cases where they¡¯d transfer to specialised schools after being exempted from school expenses. Naturally, not all the children had magic talents. Only quite a limited children could finally receive up to the specialised education at the magic academy (Furigana: Prasa marefikos), but as a by-product of this elementary education, the literacy rate of Amaddo was high among its neighbouring countries, surpassing the rest. As a result, it could be said that this educational system raised Amaddo¡¯s national power. In the afternoon of the very same day, Valeria visited the magic academy¡¯s (Furigana: Prasa marefikos) library. In Roma where the population¡¯s literacy rate was approximately 100 percent, regardless of them being the national, municipal, or even the private ones that debauched wealthy people built to flaunt, there were many libraries; however, the library which was established on the premises of the magic academy¡¯s main institution, setting aside quantity, if speaking in terms of quality, could be said to be the highest even in Amaddo. All the books which were collected here were rare books only, but more than that, books which were impossible to comprehend unless one had special expertise were collected in great numbers here. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The other users silently bowed to Valeria who had pulled out several volumes of books from the bookshelf and was going towards the reading room. Even in the magic academy, the title of Dominas was a special thing as expected. However, Valeria herself broke the silence that the surrounding people took upon themselves to create. ¡¸¡ªAh¡¹ Valeria raised a slightly idiotic voice because she had noticed Dimitar, who had a sullen expression, was at a bookrest. Did he also become aware of the other party because of that voice? Dimitar, who had been staring at some sort of gigantic book, raised his face and looked at Valeria. When Valeria surreptitiously came over to the bookrest, she asked Dimitar in a small muffled voice. ¡¸Hey! Why are you here!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m also a magic warrior (Furigana: Marefikos). Is it wrong to be here?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mean it that way¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve something to investigate¡¹ Glancing at Valeria¡¯s hands, Dimitar conversely asked her. ¡¸¡ªWhat did such a you come here to do?¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡ªI¡¯ve something to investigate too¡¹ Valeria instinctively hid the books that she was holding in her arms. However, this bad-natured Hiera Glaphicos might have seen through Valeria¡¯s objective just by glancing at the books¡¯ titles. ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ The mouth of Dimitar who was nodding with a triumphant look curved upwards. ¡¸W, what¡¯s it, that smile?¡¹ ¡¸Iya. ¡­I think you¡¯ve a good mental attitude¡¹ ¡¸Fue?¡¹ Not understanding what Dimitar was saying for a moment, Valeria frowned and asked a question in return. ¡¸You thought of investigating Haiderota before departure, right? That¡¯s a good mental attitude. It seems that your self-consciousness has emerged at last¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ Unable to understand immediately despite it being repeated so, Valeria tilted her head to the side again. What Valeria had been carrying, were books related to the neighbouring countries¡¯ history books and historical geography. They were certainly the things that she thought of investigating Haiderota and then borrowed, though it was just that never in her wildest dreams did she expect Dimitar to praise her for it. ¡¸¡­What? I didn¡¯t intend to say anything strange though¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s not it¡­it¡¯s rare that you¡¯d praise people, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re misunderstanding it¡¹ Stroking his neck, Dimitar shook his head. ¡¸It isn¡¯t rare that I¡¯d praise people, but simply rare that you¡¯ll do things which would be praised by me¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When she thought he had praised people, this happened at once. Valeria furrowed her brow and pursed her lips indignantly. ¡¸¡ªBe that as it may, I¡¯m not a small-minded person who will find fault with a fellow who did praiseworthy things¡¹ ¡¸And yet you¡¯re always using a mean way of talking¡­¡¹ ¡¸In the case of the strong-willed you, that way will most likely inspire you and produce a good result¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s an excuse which you thought of just now, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re going to study, then do it quickly. This is a waste of time¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t gloss over it like that!¡¹ Turning her gaze away in a huff, Valeria sat at a bookrest opposite of Dimitar and opened a book. Considering the flow of time of the other day¡¯s tea party, it had probably been decided that Valeria and Karin would head to Haiderota within these few days. It wasn¡¯t an expedition where she was entrusted with a top secret mission like thus far; she was told by the king to meet Haiderota¡¯s Dominas and assess their abilities. It wasn¡¯t clear what she should do to succeed in this somehow vague mission, but most importantly, Valeria was angry at the matter of Haiderota finding fault with their qualifications. Therefore, Valeria planned to investigate Haiderota beforehand so that she wouldn¡¯t go there and be looked down on. It wasn¡¯t particularly because she was told many things by Dimitar in Biranoba, but because she genuinely thought of not wanting to lose to Haiderota¡¯s Dominas. Valeria, who was studying the books quickly and investigating Haiderota¡¯s history, its positional relation with Amaddo and its capital, raised her face at a question that had come up suddenly. Come to think of it, even though Valeria was making rustling sounds of turning over the pages since a while ago, Dimitar completely didn¡¯t make the sound of turning over a page. If she tried to see very carefully, what Dimitar was reading wasn¡¯t an ordinary book. Firstly, its size was odd. The binding which greatly protruded from the bookrest had a size that gave one the impression of a washboard; furthermore, gems and luxurious ornaments with gold and silver foils were added onto its smooth leather cover. It was a book that Valeria, who had used the library here many times, hadn¡¯t seen it once so far. Perhaps he had perceived the gaze of Valeria who was staring fixedly, Dimitar raised his face and muttered. ¡¸¡­What? Do you still need something?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Valeria, who had matched gazes with Dimitar, deliberately lowered her voice and asked. ¡¸I mean, you didn¡¯t turn over the page at all since a while ago. What exactly is it that you¡¯re reading?¡¹ ¡¸This? This is a book that has everything about you written down¡¹ ¡¸Hahi?¡¹ Valeria, who had reflexively raised a hysterical voice, hurriedly looked around her surroundings. Maybe they had taken into account her position as a Dominas as one would expect, there were no users who would shout at Valeria, but it could be understood by the atmosphere which had increased its weight somehow that the voice which she had let out had disturbed everyone¡¯s reading. Valeria carried just the chair, went round the bookrest and sat next to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­So, what¡¯s this huge book?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, it¡¯s a book that has everything about you written down. To be precise, it may be better to say it¡¯s a book that is going to have everything about you written down hereafter¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ Valeria fixedly stared at the book that Dimitar was reading. This strongly made book, whose front and back covers, including its binding, seemed to use wood for the core, had a structure that could add pages afterwards, and in fact, its contents were still several pages only. And in the page that Dimitar had opened, something like a human model spreading both its hands was drawn largely. Seeing elaborate and complex red lines running zigzag inside that human model, Valeria finally understood the meaning of Dimitar¡¯s words. ¡¸Are these perhaps¡­my magic crests (Furigana: Hierateika)¡­?¡¹ It was definitely a schematic diagram of the magic crests that were carved on Valeria¡¯s whole body. ¡¸We Hiera Glaphicos call this ¡°Magic Crests Map (Furigana: Prano Del Hierateika)¡±. It¡¯s a book that is permitted to be loaned to Hiera Glaphicos only¡¹ Turning over the previous page with a ¡°pirari¡±, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸¡ªThese are your magic crests that were altered after you finished the mission in Seriba and then returned. The ones that I were seeing until a while ago were your magic crests after you returned from Biranoba; in order words, they¡¯re the newest magic crests. If you look closely, the detailed parts are different, right?¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mention it¡ª¡¹ Although Valeria had left the capital twice so far because of her missions, she injured her magic crests at the destinations on both times. When her magic crests were damaged in the course of the mission, even though she¡¯d get the magic academy¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos to perfectly restore her magic crests after returning to the capital¡ªshe stubbornly wanted Dimitar to do nothing except the stop-gap treatment at the site¡ªin that case, her magic crests would contain small alterations. In fact, when she returned from Biranoba and got her magic crests restored, Murunau-jyoshi (Ms.) who did the treatment said that she had slightly altered her old magic crests. ¡¸It¡¯ll be made into a map and left behind like this. This is for using it as a reference when restoring your magic crests from now on¡¹ Returning to the original page, Dimitar gazed at it again. Valeria somehow couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable at the seriousness of that gaze. ¡¸H, hey¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸When it¡¯s being stared at like that, something¡­feels embarrassing though¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it¡¹ ¡¸I will!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t care. Rather, this is also my job¡¹ Dimitar caused his neck to make a ¡°koki koki¡± sound and took a deep breath. ¡¸Presently, the one who is responsible for the designs and the main restoration of your magic crests is Murunau-jyoshi, right?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s right, but¡­?¡¹ ¡¸This is a slightly ominous example, but if Murunau-jyoshi dies suddenly, who¡¯ll restore and alter your magic crests?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ Murunau-jyoshi was an old woman who served as a Dominas several tens of years ago. After she had retired as a Dominas, she became a Hiera Glaphicos after she finished marrying, giving birth and raising her children; she was a veteran who had roughly 30 years in this field. She was certainly at an age where it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if she died at any time. ¡¸They leave behind the Dominas¡¯ newest maps in this way so that anyone can become the successor in case of such an unforeseen situation. ¡ªAnd I must also constantly memorise your newest map¡¹ ¡°In case of unforeseen situations,¡± Dimitar added. ¡¸¡ªThe least troublesome thing is that I¡¯m responsible for the main restoration and even the alteration after returning to the capital¡­but you hate that, right? That¡¯s why I was at the scene only and requested Murunau-jyoshi to do the alterations¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s because¡­it can¡¯t be helped if there¡¯s a compelling situation¡ª¡¹ If it wasn¡¯t an especially urgent situation, getting Murunau-jyoshi to do the restoration was obviously better than getting Dimitar who was a man to do it. ¡¸Ma, since Head Director said it¡¯s fine, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter in particular. ¡­Dominas are allowed that much wilfulness¡¹ ¡¸¡­If that¡¯s the case, I didn¡¯t want to be assigned a male Hiera Glaphicos from the beginning¡¹ When Valeria expressed so in a whisper, Dimitar coldly stared at her, ¡¸Don¡¯t make me explain many times. The Hiera Glaphicos who, besides being able to perform the role of your bodyguard, can memorise all your elaborate magic crests, and furthermore, restore them at the destination, is only me. If you feel bitter, blame the fact that Murunau-jyoshi wasn¡¯t 30 years younger¡¹ ¡¸D, don¡¯t say unreasonable things; she¡¯s someone who is greatly my senior and yet¡ª¡¹ Valeria, who couldn¡¯t raise her voice and had spoken ambiguous words incomprehensibly, suddenly remembered something at that moment and unconsciously clapped her hands together. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s right, there¡¯s something that I want to ask you a little¡¹ ¡¸Chi¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who had scowled at Valeria with a ¡°girori¡± as if to say ¡°I¡¯m working¡±, re-crossed his legs in another direction and sighed exaggeratedly. ¡¸Don¡¯t cause trouble for the other users. Just as much as they can¡¯t complain to you, I¡¯d probably be blamed. ¡ªSo, what¡¯s it this time?¡¹ ¡¸Ano, this¡ª¡¹ For Valeria¡¯s ¡°map¡±, it seemed that the left page of the two opposite pages showed the magic crests on her front, and the right page showed the ones on her back. Valeria pointed at the area around her scapula on the right page. ¡¸Hora, isn¡¯t there one magic crest that isn¡¯t actually used here? What does this exist for?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­the contract¡¯s mark (Furigana: Contract)?¡¹ ¡¸Contract¡¯s¡­mark?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not given such a name officially. However, it appeared that the Hiera Glaphicos called that magic crest on the back of the Dominas that way since the olden days¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸I also don¡¯t know the detailed account. They were the proofs of marriage that were exchanged between Redountra and his wives, or rather, I heard they were things with that kind of feeling¡­but surely Murunau-jyoshi might be more well-informed. You¡¯re barking up the wrong tree to have asked me¡¹ Dimitar shrugged his shoulders and continued. ¡¸What I know are at least the facts that there are 12 types of marks on each of the 12 Dominas, and only people who have them are recognised as Dominas and are given special powers by Redountra¡¹ ¡¸S, special powers¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a mere legend. It¡¯s not a magic crest that can actually create such a power¡¹ Dimitar indifferently told Valeria who had unintentionally bent forward. ¡¸¡ªIt has no more meaning than that of an ordinary decoration; you know it the best, right?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ As the magic crest which was made in the shape of a flower on Valeria¡¯s back only shone with a ¡°boya~a¡± even though she circulated her magic power, it wasn¡¯t something that could manifest some sort of magic. That was exactly why Valeria was concerned about what kind of meaning it had. Closing the gigantic book, Dimitar stood up. ¡¸You¡¯re making an expression that seems to say ¡°it¡¯s absurd to undergo painful experiences for such a meaningless thing¡±, you know?¡¹ ¡¸N¡ª¡­honestly speaking, just a little¡¹ ¡¸It may be a mere symbol, but nevertheless, I was taught to treat it importantly. Since the olden days, I was told to make that magic crest the top priority if it was damaged. Therefore, it¡¯s possible that we¡¯ve yet to understand it only, and there may be some kind of meaning to that flower¡¹ ¡¸I, I see¡­you¡¯re right, that may be the case¡¹ ¡¸Or perhaps it¡¯s meaningless as expected¡¹ ¡¸Which is it!?¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet¡¹ ¡¸Buguu¡¹ Holding down the mouth of Valeria who had involuntarily raised her voice with a ¡°gashii¡±, Dimitar knitted his brows. ¡¸Don¡¯t be conceited because the surroundings took you into consideration and didn¡¯t rebuke you. I shall say this without minding it. ¡ªBe quiet in the library¡¹ ¡¸I, I know¡¹ Valeria, who had thought ¡°it¡¯s not imprinted with Dimitar¡¯s hand-print by some chance, is it?¡± and peeked at a hand-mirror and checked her face, returned the borrowed books to the bookshelf and left the library together with Dimitar for some reason or another. The sun was already setting in the west, and the shadows at their feet were pointing to the east and stretching over a long distance. Passing through the magic academy¡¯s quadrangle that was scarce of life, Valeria tried to ask Dimitar while walking in the direction of the main entrance. ¡¸Di¡­Richternach-kyou, did you hear something about this time¡¯s mission?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because I heard it that I came to memorise your newest magic crests¡¹ ¡¸Ah, is that so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Maa, our destination is Haiderota this time. Though it¡¯s Amaddo¡¯s rival, it¡¯s a country that is related to the alliance. It probably won¡¯t become a dangerous situation like so far¡¹ ¡¸But I don¡¯t understand what kind of girls Haiderota¡¯s Dominas are even though I investigated using the books¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s obvious. There¡¯s no need to specially go to see them if they are recorded in the books¡¹ ¡¸Uguu¡­¡¹ Having no words to retort, Valeria bit her lips. ¡°What should I say to counterattack this subordinate who always had a riposte?¡± When she was pondering one thing or another in the bottom of her seething mind, she came across a carriage which she recognised once she went out the gate. ¡¸¡ªValeria!¡¹ The one who had emerged looking like he¡¯d tumble down from the carriage was a plump middle-aged man¡ª Valeria¡¯s biological father, Borha Costacurta. ¡¸Chii, Chichi-ue¡ª¡¹ Valeria held her mouth down and fleetingly looked at Dimitar. Did he know from the start, or did he realise it due to Valeria¡¯s single word just now? Dimitar was looking at Borha and smiling faintly as if he had guessed something. Sensing an unpleasant premonition somehow, Valeria pushed Dimitar aside and walked to her father. ¡¸Chi, Chichi-ue! Why did you come here?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s for the sake of meeting you and Head Director but¡ªiya, leaving such a matter aside!¡¹ Borha¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t directed towards his daughter who was in front of him, but towards Dimitar who was on the other side. Borha might have probably guessed that this person was the aforementioned¡ªone whom he had heard nothing but bad rumours of¡ªDimitar Richternach. ¡¸H, hey! Are, are you that person? That¡ª ¡¹ ¡¸Chi, Chichi-ue!? What in the world are you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough, so you be quiet! ¡ªYou¡¯re hora, that person, right? Lucius-dono¡¯s relative, ah¡ª, Di, Dimi¡­¡¹ ¡¸No, you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Dimitar nonchalantly told a lie to Borha who had approached him with a ¡°zuzui¡±. ¡¸Well then Your Eminence, please take care in the mission this time too¡¹ Dimitar, who had bowed courteously, also bowed lightly to the stupefied Borha, left the two people behind at that spot and quickly departed. Borha, who had seen him off, suddenly came to his senses and turned round to his daughter, ¡¸Oo, oi! J, j-j, just now! The young man just now! He¡¯s that person, isn¡¯t he? I didn¡¯t make a mistake, right? That, Dii, Di¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar Richternach¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s it!¡¹ Slapping his gleaming forehead with a ¡± pachin¡±, Borha shouted. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter with that youngster! I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s Lucius-dono¡¯s relative or what, b, but to brazenly tell a lie a, and not even greeting me decently¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He doesn¡¯t have the social obligation to greet Chichi-ue in particular, right?¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m the Costacurta House¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re a commoner who came in as the son-in-law. ¡ªThough he lost his parents, he¡¯s a person of the respectable Richternach House, you know¡¹ Valeria didn¡¯t intend to side with Dimitar. However, if she had to strictly say who was of a higher standing, then Dimitar was probably of an even higher status than her father who had entered the Costacurta House from a mercantile house. If he attended a proper party, Borha must go and greet Dimitar. ¡¸Gununununu¡­!¡¹ Borha, who had made a flushed face and kept silent, glared fixedly in the direction that Dimitar left in, but he immediately turned back and headed towards the magic academy¡¯s foyer. ¡¸Just a minute, Chichi-ue!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t stop me, Valeria! I can¡¯t tolerate it anymore! I¡¯ll appeal directly to Head Director and have that youngster removed from his position as your Hiera Glaphicos!¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s Head Director, then she¡¯s at the royal palace. It¡¯s unclear when she¡¯ll return¡¹ ¡¸Ehh¡­?¡¹ ¡¸After all, Head Director doesn¡¯t have free time like Chichi-ue¡¹ ¡°It¡¯s good that Father and Dimitar didn¡¯t grapple in front of the magic academy.¡± Valeria, who had leaked a sigh of relief with a ¡°hoo¡±, boarded the carriage which her father had just gotten off from. ¡¸¡ªIn the first place, there¡¯s no way that she can dismiss Richternach-kyou because he didn¡¯t greet Chichi-ue, right?¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s not a reason like that; I completely don¡¯t think that youngster is suitable to be your Hiera Glaphicos¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Even though you don¡¯t really know what kind of job Hiera Glaphicos is¡¹ Putting her elbow up onto the window frame and resting her chin in her hand, Valeria grumbled in a whisper, but it didn¡¯t seem to have reached her father¡¯s ears. ¡¸¡ªDespite his appearance, Richternach-kyou is a person who received words of praise from the Crown Prince. In short, he¡¯s a Hiera Glaphicos whom Head Director and the Crown Prince approved. ¡ªYou seriously want to lodge a complaint against that?¡¹ ¡¸I, iya, but¡¹ When Borha, who had boarded the carriage while saying so with heavy breathing in a state where his anger still lingered, instructed the coachman and ordered him to return to the mansion, he folded his arms and deepened the crease on his forehead. ¡¸In the rumour that I heard¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He was dismissed from the Chivalric Order?¡¹ ¡¸U, umu¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a rumour to the end¡¹ ¡¸But it¡¯s said that some truths are mixed into rumours too, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Like¡ªI¡ªsaid¡ª, the rumour itself is a rumour that isn¡¯t sure what he did specifically, right?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, I happened to hear what he did to be dismissed. It¡¯s truly a rumour which can¡¯t be said very openly though¡¹ Valeria, who was absentmindedly viewing the town at the time of sunset from the gap of the curtain, frowned at the words of her father and turned around. ¡¸¡­What did he do?¡¹ ¡¸Umu. This is something which a certain house¡¯s son, who had already left the Chivalric Order, got drunk in alcohol and spoke of carelessly¡­but it seemed that youngster somehow half-killed 3 of his colleagues when he was an apprentice of the Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ If it was Dimitar, he¡¯d most likely succeed in doing something of that extent. It didn¡¯t mean that he¡¯d seem to do this, but that it was possible for him to do it. For Dimitar who had grown extremely accustomed to fighting scenes, there was no doubt that he could easily make at least 2 or 3 bonbons of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) beyond recovery. However, there was a very big difference between having such an ability and doing such a thing. ¡¸I feel regretful towards Lucius-dono, but I don¡¯t think that youngster is a person who is so decent! If he were a decent young man, he wouldn¡¯t have half-killed as many as 3 young people of good families!¡¹ Seeing the imperious and indignant Borha, an anger which was difficult to suppress filled the inside of Valeria¡¯s chest with a ¡°muku muku¡±. ¡¸¡­Though he¡¯s certainly a person who is nothing but arrogant and sarcastic in various ways, he¡¯s not a person who will meaninglessly and in addition, one-sidedly exert violence on someone!¡¹ Why is this me saying things to defend Dimitar?¡ªValeria didn¡¯t understand it well either. However, although it was still a short association, it was unpleasant that Dimitar, who had struggled through the boundary between life and death many times together with her, was being criticised by her father who knew nothing of those hardships. It was intolerable. She couldn¡¯t forgive it. ¡¸In the first place!¡¹ To her father who had shaken his plump body with a start, Valeria continued further. ¡¸¡ªTo look down on Richternach-kyou is to look down on me who is his superior; if there¡¯s a person who can speak ill of him, it shall be this me first! At the very least, it¡¯s not you!¡¹ ¡¸Va, Valeria¡­?¡¹ She regretted after saying it. It wasn¡¯t something that she should have said. Turning her face away from the gaze of her father who was staring at her in blank amazement, Valeria looked outside the window again. Anyway, she got angry to this extent. The girl had times like that when she became intensely ill-humoured. ¡°It¡¯s probably like that just now too.¡± Valeria arbitrarily concluded so for the time being and continued to ignore her father, who had been talking to her timidly, until they arrived at the mansion. Volume 3 - CH 2.2 Strong wind with the smell of saltwater flowed in from the open window that faced the balcony. The slope which faced the sea and came down from the peak of this rocky mountain was levelled into the shape of a huge stairway, and innumerable houses with white walls were standing in a row, clinging to that place. This land, which was placed between a sea at its front and a precipitous cliff at its rear, was a fort rather than a picturesque scenery. Attacking it from the cliff¡¯s side was impossible, and one had to use ships and send in soldiers from the seaward side to attack, but to reach the castle that was located at the peak of the rocky mountain, one must go up the terrain which was in the shape of a stairway consisting of 9 layers. However, it was structured where one must pass through a meandering and narrow hill road to go up one layer of that stairway; moreover, a small watchtower gate would always be placed in the middle of it. On the hill road where its width was narrow, numerous soldiers couldn¡¯t make an assault all at once. In addition, the soldiers who had barely cling to the watchtower gate would be poured with boiling hot water and oil from above before breaking through there and be forced to retreat. There was no army which had crushed 9 such obstacles and attacked as far as the peak until now. An old man, who had went out to the balcony of that impregnable small castle, stared at the sea and narrowed his eyes. Countless small wrinkles which signified the years he had spent were carved on his skin which was tinged with red like that of a Chinese date. Although his age surpassed 50 and was probably close to 60, his physique was excellent. The military uniform with a mantle and the sword, including its scabbard, which was held in his left hand, suited his imposing physique well. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The old man quietly unsheathed the sword from its scabbard. ¡¸In case of a battle in the sea¡¹ Blocking the sunlight with the sword¡¯s blade, the old man muttered. ¡¸¡­I truly don¡¯t think we¡¯ll fall behind other countries. However, if it comes to a battle on the land, simple numbers will demonstrate their effectiveness¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s as you say¡¹ A young soldier who was standing in the room¡¯s corner where the sunlight didn¡¯t reach answered the old man¡¯s mutter. This person was still young. He was probably in the first half of his twenties at the most. ¡¸With a thing like this¡­even I¡¯ll be able to use magic?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not omnipotent. You can consider it as one of the convenient tools and weapons to the end¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re really clever¡¹ Shaking his white beard, the old man closed one eye and stared at the blade. On the sword blade that brilliantly reflected the sunlight, some patterns seemed to be faintly carved in bilateral symmetry on either side of the back of the blade. ¡¸However¡­though it¡¯s one of the weapons to the end, if other places are preparing them, we¡¯ve no choice but to possess the same things too¡­¡¹ ¡¸Though it seems that this sort of thing isn¡¯t maintained in Aurillac yet, perhaps in Amaddo, it¡¯s something whose research is progressing considerably¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Then, that woman is a subordinate of Amaddo?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s difficult to understand to that extent, but¡¹ Straightening the disorder of the white tie that decorated his neck, the man replied after one mora (a unit of metrical time equal to the duration of a short syllable). ¡¸¡ªIf that woman is a subordinate of Amaddo, even if she came to contact us having some sort of aim, it¡¯s a fact that we obtained new weapons¡¹ ¡¸Is it¡­a quantity of the degree where they can be used as weapons on the battlefield¡­?¡¹ ¡¸50 swords and shields, and 80 spears¡¹ ¡¸In which case¡­allocating them to the elite guards and they¡¯re finished at best¡­¡¹ The old man, who had nodded with a long sigh, quietly put the sword back into its scabbard. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Lightly brushing his long forelock away, the young man opened his mouth without a moment¡¯s delay. ¡¸¡ªThough we can¡¯t catch them in our country very much, it¡¯s said that wild pigs are extremely delicious¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸However, it ends there if we finish eating the wild pigs. ¡ªIf so, what should be done to continue savouring that deliciousness from now on?¡¹ ¡¸Cyril¡­¡¹ The old man looked back at the young man over his shoulder, increased the wrinkles on his mouth and smiled bitterly. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re indeed clever, but because you¡¯re clever, everything you say tends to be too exaggerated¡­that¡¯s fine when talking to people and making them understand¡­but such a manner of speaking is futile on me¡¹ ¡¸My apologies¡¹ The young man who was called Cyril bowed politely with a ¡°pishii¡±. ¡¸¡­I know this is something that goes without saying for His Highness, but then, I¡¯ll say it candidly. Even our country ought to mass produce things which are similar to that¡¹ ¡¸¡­Can it be done?¡¹ ¡¸Allow me to do it¡¹ ¡¸Maa¡­I can¡¯t let our country fall behind Aurillac¡­¡¹ The old man, who had come back into the room from the balcony, passed the sword to Cyril, arranged his mantle and sat on a sofa. ¡¸¡ªWhat about Lampitor?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s attending to the preparation for departure. The preparation for the warships can also be done within a few days, but the land route¡¯s side will take more time¡­¡¹ ¡¸Fumu¡­it¡¯s her first campaign, huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸I believe there¡¯s no need to doubt her ability¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not doubting that¡­; however, that woman not only supply weapons like this, but also inform us of Aurillac¡¯s activity, and her real motive is unknown¡­tell everyone not to be negligent even a little bit¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Cyril bowed very deeply to the old man and left the room. ¡¸¡ªThe royal prince-denka¡¯s permission has been issued¡¹ Passing the sword to the soldier who was waiting outside the room, Cyril ordered in a low voice. ¡¸Send 3 of each swords, shields and spears respectively to the army¡¯s arsenal; send the remaining to the elite guards so that they can master them immediately¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸And prepare a carriage too¡¹ ¡¸Are you returning to the capital?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s just me, I¡¯ll return by horse. His Highness is also going back¡¹ Cyril narrowed his eyes while walking in the corridor where its windows were small and wasn¡¯t sunny. ¡¸When one has been spending a long time in such a place, any fortitudinous soldier will degrade into an ordinary old man who passes the rest of his life embracing a cat. I don¡¯t want His Highness¡ªOji-ue to become that kind of defeated person¡¹ Volume 3 - CH 3.1 Suggestion in the Rain Haiderota, which was 1 of the 12 countries when the ¡°Holy Alliance (Furigana: Riga Santourear)¡± came into existence and presently boasted the second-place national power among its allies, was a militaristic superpower that was steadily pressing forward its military expansion in order to unseat Amaddo from the position of the leading power, though it didn¡¯t make the declaration as one would expect. Geographically facing the sea in the north, Haiderota could be said to be the continent¡¯s best in naval strength already, but on the other hand, it was limited in ore resources such as iron ore and coal. It was simply too much to cover the ore resources that were necessary to not only manufacture swords, armours and helmets, but to also construct warships with just its domestic production output. From the fact that Haiderota appropriated an enormous military budget like every year and forced that burden onto its people in the form of tax, its worldly matters were constantly unstable. However, the antagonistic attitude towards Amaddo wasn¡¯t entirely the only reason for Haiderota being zealous in the augment of its armaments to that degree. Truthfully, she had been worrying about whether she could properly greet nobles from another country, but it seemed that she was able to successfully pull through it somehow. Putting her hand against the chest of her tabard, Valeria leaked a sigh of relief with a ¡°hoo¡±. ¡¸¡­Setting aside that His Excellency, Diaghilev-geika looks quite formidable¡¹ Karin who was beside her whispered in a low voice. Although Clotilde was certainly punctilious and polite in her demeanour and speech, it made them feel an invisible thorn. Especially in the looks that she occasionally gave Valeria and Karin, an emotion which was hard to say was amicable was obviously mixed in. ¡¸Nevertheless¡­why is she the only one who isn¡¯t wearing a pair of trousers?¡¹ Staring at Clotilde¡¯s figure from behind, Valeria tilted her head to the side. Every member of the Gale Chivalric Order (Furigana: Rorudor Rafuale) below its leader, Sigibert, was wearing a military cap and uniform with identical design lines. They most likely signified the difference in position within the group; basically, one could say that everyone wore the same uniform. And Clotilde was fundamentally wearing that uniform too. However, she was wearing a military cap and jacket only. Her bottom, which was covered by clothing that seemed to be white undergarment, could be seen every now and then since a little while ago through the shirttail, which split into two like a shallow¡¯s tail, at the back of the uniform. Although she had properly put on boots, her thighs were almost completely visible. ¡¸¡­Put your imagination to work a little¡¹ Perhaps he heard the conversation of Valeria and Karin, Dimitar interrupted. ¡¸If you take off the tabard as well, you¡¯ll be in a shameless appearance that isn¡¯t much different to that though¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not shameless! That¡¯s the proud uniform of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas! To begin with, we¡¯re lightly dressed so that we can use our magic immediately at the critical moment¡ªah, I see¡¹ The skin exposure of a Dominas was a lot was because large quantity of magic crests (Furigana: Hierateika) to that extent were carved onto her skin. In that case, it might be because magic crests were carved there and so that she could use them immediately at the critical moment that Clotilde was exposing her thighs that way too. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Maybe Karin had guessed it from the beginning, she didn¡¯t have the look of being surprised or impressed in particular. Valeria felt embarrassed somehow and tried to relax her limbs which had grown stiff due to the long trip in a carriage while taking deep breaths greatly. ¡¸¡­Hey¡¹ Realising that Dimitar was fixedly staring at Clotilde¡¯s bottom, Valeria narrowed her eyes. ¡¸Aren¡¯t you looking at it too much?¡¹ ¡¸Looking at what?¡¹ ¡¸¡±What¡±, you say¡­like I said, hora¡¹ ¡¸Surely you¡¯re not thinking that I¡¯m looking at that woman¡¯s bottom or something, are you?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you aren¡¯t?¡¹ ¡¸Not her bottom; it¡¯s her thighs¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want you to put on airs! There¡¯s not much difference, right!?¡¹ Dimitar threw a cold look to Valeria who had lowered her voice and screamed. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re fundamentally misunderstanding something¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡¯s it!?¡¹ ¡¸On the whole, there shouldn¡¯t be magic crests carved onto your bottom, no?¡¹ ¡¸Baa¡­¡¹ Of all things, what did he start to say in front of Lucius? Valeria wanted to give an unsparing round of applause to her reason that somehow endured slapping Dimitar. However, Dimitar continued indifferently, unconcerned about Valeria¡¯s anger. ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you¡¯re misunderstanding it. ¡­I¡¯m looking at her thighs fixedly is because I¡¯m anticipating ¡°Won¡¯t her magic crests emerge by some chance?¡±. Even if I gaze at her bottom, magic crests aren¡¯t carved on it anyway¡¹ Magic crests were carved onto the whole body of a Dominas¡ªthat was true to a certain extent, but it didn¡¯t mean that her entire body really had them. As Dimitar had said, Valeria also didn¡¯t put magic crests on delicate areas like her breasts and bottom. Such circumstances were probably the same even in Haiderota. Valeria arranged her breathing and then enquired after clearing her throat slightly. ¡¸¡­In, in other words, Richternach-kyou wants to say that you¡¯re observing her because of your sense of duty as a Hiera Glaphicos? That you¡¯re interested in the magic crests of another country¡¯s Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, it¡¯s not only that, I guess. Individually speaking, bottoms that are a bit bigger are¡¹ ¡¸Dii¡¹ Lucius interrupted the words of a grinning Dimitar midway. It seemed that Lucius, as one would expect, understood well the topics that were fine to talk about and topics that weren¡¯t in a situation like this. ¡¸¡­From what I heard, she¡¯s a Dominas whose forte is extremely offensive magic; going to missions such as international border disputes and subjugation of thieves, she¡¯s said to have rendered military exploits many times. She¡¯s practically a female soldier rather than a Dominas¡¹ Perhaps he wanted to change the topic, Lucius talked to Valeria and party about Clotilde. If she was a possessor of a personal history which was so spectacular, they could certainly agree with the fact of her being called by an impressive second name such as ¡°White Rose of Steel¡± too. On the map, this prairie where the Gale Chivalric Order had set up camp seemed to be Haiderota¡¯s territory already. Valeria who was sitting in the carriage completely didn¡¯t know when they had crossed the national border. At the circumference of the camp where innumerable large tents were put up, members of the Gale Chivalric Order were getting ready for the evening and running about in preparation for encamping at night. Meanwhile, all of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) which had just arrived a short time ago were also starting the work of putting up tents. When watching them like this, it looked like the Seal Chivalric Order and the Gale Chivalric Order didn¡¯t have much difference, but perhaps, between His Highness and His Excellency who were unfolding an exchange of sarcasm, there were great conflicting opinions in that perception. ¡¸It¡¯ll take a bit longer until our meals. Please have these beverages first¡¹ An assembly-type table was placed in front of a conspicuously large tent, and wine and fruits were already lay out on it. At that table, a girl was pouring wine into a tin tankard and wandering around, humming a tune. All in all, even though it should be the same style as Clotilde¡¯s, it might be because she was a little plump that it didn¡¯t look like she was wearing a similar uniform. Perhaps she¡¯d be called a charming beautiful girl; the back figure that was moving around with small, quick steps gave one an impression of a stuffed toy bear in some respects. Valeria stared in amazement and secretly whispered into Karin¡¯s ear. ¡¸¡­Nee, is she perhaps¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That seems to be the case¡¹ From the look of it, there were no other women in this Chivalric Order. Hence, it meant that the girl, who had a same appearance as Clotilde, was probably the other Dominas who belonged to this Chivalric Order. Maybe she didn¡¯t notice the party that had turned up yet, the girl picked up a bright red apple which was served in a bowl and began biting it with a ¡°shaku shaku¡±. Moreover, munching roasted amandes (almonds) and licking marmelos (quinces) which were dipped in honey, she occasionally snitched the dining table¡¯s delicacies. Clotilde gave an unnatural cough after breathing out a big sigh. ¡¸¡ªAhh!?¡¹ And then, perhaps she had finally perceived the arrival of the guests, the girl hurriedly held her military cap under her arm and gave a military-style salute with a snap. ¡¸T, thank you for your hard work! I, I¡¯m Malena Puyol! I serve as the assistant of Haiderota Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s vice-leader!¡¹ Although her words were exaggerated, it was comical that ¡¸Mugugu¡¹or something like that was sometimes mixed into them. In any case, just the fact that she wasn¡¯t used to such situations was well understood. She was probably still a newcomer, though this wasn¡¯t something that could be said in Valeria¡¯s standpoint. One would feel relieved somehow when seeing her still chewing her food. ¡¸I feel like I can get along well with this child¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is it because it feels like you¡¯re seeing the same kind?¡¹ ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t act suspiciously to that extent as expected¡¹ Counterattacking Dimitar¡¯s sarcasm in a low voice, Valeria sat down on a chair that was offered by Sigibert. Sigibert and Isaac sat at both ends of the long table facing each other, and two Dominas were at both their sides. The Amaddo¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos were given seats next to them and then took their seats. Only Lucius¡ªas if it was his duty¡ªwas standing nearby Isaac. ¡¸¡ªWell then¡¹ As soon as he sat on his seat, Sigibert opened his mouth. ¡¸We¡¯ll spend the night here as it is today; tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll depart towards our capital, Aurillac, but I¡¯d like Isaac-denka and the gentlemen of the Seal Chivalric Order to return to Roma as it is. Please leave the escorting of both Her Eminences from here on to the Gale Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve no doubt in the abilities of both Her Eminences, Diaghilev and Puyol, but regrettably, you¡¯re the one who consolidate the Chivalric Order¡¹ Chewing the amandes with a ¡°pori pori¡±, Isaac smiled thinly. ¡¸¡ªAt least, I¡¯d like you to present a security system that we can agree to. To begin with, how do you plan to take them to Aurillac? It¡¯s an international problem if something happen to our Ojou-samas, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Be at ease¡¹ Sigibert waved his riding crop with a ¡°pii¡± and smiled confidently at Isaac¡¯s head-on sarcasm. ¡¸¡ªOur Haiderota army is the king¡¯s army. Therefore, I¡¯m thinking about making it into an appropriate journey. This is also an excellent opportunity to make known the dignity and authority of our Dominas and the Gale Chivalric Order to the people along the way¡¹ ¡¸Setting aside the matter of what¡¯s a king in your country, in other words, it means that you¡¯re parading to Aurillac?¡¹ ¡¸To say it so that it¡¯s easy for you to understand, it¡¯s like that¡¹ Sigibert lifted up his tankard of wine and looked at Clotilde who was beside him. ¡¸¡ªEven just recently, our Dominas, Diaghilev-geika, personally just led the army and exterminated a group of robbers. There are many people who wish to catch a glimpse of her. Besides, the public sentiments will settle down by doing so as well. This is also called ¡°politics¡±, but¡­Isaac, do you not understand, I wonder? You don¡¯t understand, right; you surely won¡¯t understand¡¹ ¡¸Call me ¡°Your Highness¡±, Sigibert-kun¡¹ Sighing as if he was astounded by him, Isaac put down his tankard. ¡¸¡­In the first place, there¡¯s no need to get three of Her Eminences to take the trouble to appear to capture thieves in our country, and there¡¯s also no need to have a parade to dispel the dissatisfaction of the people who suffer from heavy taxation. Even if we¡¯re told to understand the circumstances of your country in spite of the big difference in the public order levels, that¡¯s impossible¡¹ ¡¸Muguu¡­!¡¹ Sigibert¡¯s face began to turn red again. Even though the person himself intended to make Clotilde¡¯s bravery and reliability appealing, he was probably frustrated that he had conversely ended up pointing out the poorness of the internal public order. As Orvieto had said not long ago, Haiderota was a country that put its military expansion first and its people second; it seemed that those people who held dissatisfaction immediately carried out armed uprising and became groups of robbers. Therefore, the fact that Isaac interfered in this and that regarding the journey¡¯s escort¡ªeven if the side of pestering Sigibert existed considerably¡ªwas very reasonable. ¡¸Your concern is unnecessary¡¹ Taking over Sigibert who was biting his lips with a ¡°Ginuu¡­¡±, Clotilde spoke. ¡¸Our country¡¯s public order hasn¡¯t been so poor in the recent years either. ¡­However, we¡¯re only severely conducting crackdowns especially of late due to the thought of His Majesty who wants to make the country difficult for criminals to live in. Besides, if in the unlikely event that thieves obstruct our journey, I¡¯ll show you this me cutting them down personally¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡ª, you¡¯re really courageous. Diaghilev-geika is a Dominas of the type that we don¡¯t have¡¹ Brazenly clapping his hands with a ¡°pachi pachi¡±, Isaac shifted his gaze to-and-fro between Sigibert and Clotilde several times. ¡¸¡ªIf Your Eminence is saying to that extent, I¡¯ve nothing to say. In fact, the one whom we should depend on when something happens isn¡¯t Sigibert-kun, but Diaghilev-geika. His words couldn¡¯t put me at ease, but since Your Eminence said so, there¡¯s no doubt about it¡¹ ¡¸W, why are you saying such¡ª¡¹ Just when Sigibert was about to half-rise to his feet, plates of cuisine which smelled good were carried here. Green peas potage, partridge roast and frumenty containing venison¡ªall of them were very exquisite cuisine as dinner on the ground of a night camp. Plates were lined up one by one before Isaac and then he spoke to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªIs it about time that our tents are also finished being put up? Lucius-kun, you¡¯ll instruct everyone and get them to finish their meals¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Bowing politely, Lucius left. Although it was a disappointment for Valeria, so long as Isaac ate here, Lucius must look after the Chivalric Order. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Dimitar suddenly stood up. ¡¸I¡¯d like to give the instructions for hereafter to Bettina-jou, but may I?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡­that¡¯s right. Since that child will definitely feel helpless by herself, go and see her situation just a little¡¹ ¡¸Understood. ¡ªIn that case, I¡¯ll be leaving¡¹ Dimitar also bowed politely and left the dinner¡¯s dining table. However, Valeria didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d straightforwardly disappear because of Bettina. Although she didn¡¯t have a definite reason, she somehow understood from the short association with Dimitar thus far that when he purposely spoke like that, his real aim lay in another place. Volume 3 - CH 3.2 Running at a trot in the camp that was ruled by a restless atmosphere due to the preparation for dinner, Dimitar caught up with Lucius. ¡¸¡ªWhat do you think, Lucius?¡¹ ¡¸About what?¡¹ ¡¸Those people intend to head for Aurillac with the mood of a parade, you know¡¹ ¡¸In a country where the populace¡¯s dissatisfaction towards the government is becoming chronic, the royalty will make a round of visits to every place in the form of ¡°imperial tour¡± and make the will of the people settle down. It¡¯s a common move¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of typical of this country where political situation is unstable, this is so like them¡¹ Dimitar looked around his surroundings while walking side-by-side with Lucius. Although the people from the Seal Chivalric Order weren¡¯t non-existent, the ones who were moving around in the vicinity were mostly the Gale Chivalric Order, namely Haiderota¡¯s people only. It wasn¡¯t possible to say remarks which might be interpreted as criticism towards Haiderota openly very much. Perhaps he was aware of that, Lucius¡¯s voice was also extremely low. ¡¸¡­To be honest, the effect is doubtful with just Sigibert-kakka, but if it¡¯s that Diaghilev-geika, the populace¡¯s support can be obtained. For a country of warriors like Haiderota, a Dominas who stands at the army¡¯s vanguard and fights is considered more of a hero than an unskilful soldier¡¹ ¡¸I understand that. ¡ªHowever, they plan to involve even Our Eminences in that monkey show, you know?¡¹ The Gale Chivalric Order probably intended to push its vice-leader, Clotilde, rather than its leader, Sigibert, to the front, assemble a brave file of troops and go towards Aurillac. Valeria and Karin would then be shaken in the carriage, with the appearance of being protected by them. But in that case, Valeria and party might become appendages to Clotilde. The leader of the alliance was, to the end, Amaddo; Dimitar believed that the situation where the leader country¡¯s Dominas were eclipsed by another country¡¯s Dominas should be avoided. ¡¸¡­That Dominas has the height and her appearance is eye-catching too. With those, she¡¯ll inevitably stand out if she straddles an ostentatiously decorated horse. Unless they (Valeria and Karin) also dress up very strikingly and show their faces, the leading part of the parade will be taken by that woman as things are, you know¡¹ ¡¸Is that situation so bad?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ Noticing Lucius who was staring at him and smiling bitterly, Dimitar who had asked so in return narrowed his eyes. ¡¸What do you mean? That¡¯s definitely bad, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s better if it¡¯s in Amaddo; this place is Haiderota, you know? As expected, it¡¯s impossible that both Her Eminences of our country disregard Diaghilev-geika and play the leading part in the home town of the other party¡¹ ¡¸Even so¡¹ Dimitar knitted his brows and then folded his arms. ¡¸¡ªI can¡¯t tolerate our country¡¯s Dominas being treated like those people¡¯s extras¡¹ ¡¸This is unexpected, Dii. You¡¯ve that much patriotism¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t patriotism in particular. I¡¯m merely not pleased with those people¡¯s way of doing things only¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Maa, it¡¯s a good inclination either way. Whatever your reason may be, the fact that you¡¯re thinking about Valeria-jou¡¯s position like that means¡¹ ¡¸Of course. This is related to my success in life¡¹ Dimitar felt as if there was an implication somewhere in Lucius¡¯s manner of speaking and was in no way comfortable. Even though Dimitar had been worrying about this and that purely because of political reasons, Lucius was reading too much into such a matter of his own accord. For Dimitar, things had turned out contrary to his actual wish. ¡¸Look here, Lucius¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry so¡¹ Lucius interrupted Dimitar¡¯s words and hit the area around his upper arm with a ¡°pon¡±. ¡¸His Highness had foreseen that it might become a situation like this from the beginning. Upon discussing with Haha-ue, a plan has been prepared properly¡¹ ¡¸A plan? Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It has been factored in that the other side will start something. After all, it¡¯s said that the person called Sigibert-kakka has a rivalry spirit towards His Highness one way or another since he was a child. No matter what kind of trivial thing it is, he¡¯ll compete with His Highness and try to win. ¡­But regrettably, he seems slightly simple and ignorant of the ways of the world to compete with His Highness¡¹ ¡¸I knew that he¡¯s simple and childish once I saw him¡­¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, things won¡¯t turn out as those people want¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡¹ Although Dimitar didn¡¯t know what kind of plan His Highness had worked out exactly, he probably didn¡¯t have to worry since Lucius stamped his seal of approval. ¡¸¡ªWhat? Did you go out of your way to leave the dinner party just for that reason, Dii?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, I remembered that I left Gacha Pink alone¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s Bettina-jou, she should be helping to put up both Her Eminences¡¯ tents, most likely at the instruction of Lindegoa-kyou¡¯s side, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸I see. Then, I¡¯ll go and help a little. ¡­I want to give her a warning¡¹ ¡¸A warning?¡¹ ¡¸Even if we¡¯re in an ally¡¯s territory, her armour is a mass of military secret. I should have said that to her on the occasion of a mission, but she¡¯s simply lacking the awareness. Even though she has nothing to do, she¡¯ll wander aimlessly at once and act in a behaviour that will attract people¡¯s attention¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mentioned it¡­I recalled something¡¹ Lucius, who was walking side-by-side with Dimitar, stopped suddenly and scratched his head. ¡¸I¡¯ve also forgotten to convey a few words to His Highness¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it? Is it about Jorkera by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­it¡¯s about His Highness; he might see a suitable time and boast of the new sword to Sigibert-kakka. Sigibert-kakka is a gentleman who can¡¯t use magic too, so this is a perfect opportunity to make him feel bitter, right?¡¹ It seemed to be something that mischievous His Highness would really do. If it was to make Sigibert who would try to compete with him on everything stamped his feet, he¡¯d probably flaunt one or two military secrets nonchalantly. ¡¸Dii, return immediately and convey this matter to His Highness. I¡¯ll talk to Bettina-jou myself¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing¡¹ ¡¸?¡¹ ¡¸You probably have thoughts regarding Diaghilev-geika, but don¡¯t show it in your attitude, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Those are words which you should say to Our Eminence¡¹ Setting Karin aside, Valeria who was ignorant of the world¡¯s severity and malice most likely hadn¡¯t notice the scheme of Haiderota¡¯s side yet. The image of her who had realised that making her face bright red and screaming vehemently seemed to come into his mind. Volume 3 - CH 3.3 On the very same day, Quique who had visited the royal palace finished a meeting of nearly an hour and left the office of Roland Kaparos-kyou. The attendees of the meeting were three people, Quique, Kaparos-kyou, and also the head director of Royal Magic Academy (Furigana: Prasa Marefikos), Orvieto Richternach. Quique spoke to Orvieto as they walked side-by-side on the well-polished marble passage. ¡¸¡­However, what¡¯s this, Head Director-dono. Even though we¡¯ve been discussing like this for the sake of the request from the Seal Chivalric Order, it¡¯s simply irresponsible that the all-important His Highness isn¡¯t here¡¹ ¡¸Ara, aren¡¯t you thinking that the discussion concluded easier when His Highness isn¡¯t here, Albiol-san?¡¹ Orvieto, who was carrying a bundle of documents in her hand, lowered her voice and smiled as if it was amusing. ¡¸Iya iya, that¡¯d be so rude of me¡¹ Quique took out his favourite kiseru from the pocket of his wrinkled white robe, shook it gently and lit a fire. Breathing in the smoke quietly, he then turned his face away from Orvieto and exhaled. Orvieto called Quique ¡°Albiol-san¡±. Although she¡¯d also add the title of ¡°Chief Engineer (Furigana: Maestro)¡± at places where there were other people, she¡¯d often call Quique who was much lower than her in terms of status by adding ¡°san¡± to his name. On the other hand, in regard to Orvieto, Quique made sure to properly call her ¡°Head Director¡±, but perhaps even if he addressed her as ¡°Orvieto¡± without an honorific, she gave the feeling that she wouldn¡¯t get angry. After all, Quique and Orvieto had a friendship which exceeded almost 20 years. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, that¡¯s truly great, Albiol-san¡¹ ¡¸What is?¡¹ ¡¸Your research of many years was recognised¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t continue my research because I wanted it to be recognised in particular though¡¹ Swallowing the bitter smoke, Quique smiled wryly. In the first place, today¡¯s meeting was related to the mass production plan of the magic motion sword (Furigana: Espada Marefika) that the Crown Prince had proposed. It could be said that precisely because the Crown Prince recognised Quique¡¯s research that even the Finance Minister was involved and the specific discussions began to move. ¡¸¡ªBut maa, it became easy to secure a budget, and I can also proudly get the cooperation of the magic academy, so in that meaning, I guess it¡¯s certainly possible to say that it¡¯s great that it was recognised¡¹ ¡¸Really¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah, but speaking of to recognise or to not recognise, the ones whom I really wanted it to be recognised by are Head Director and Babel-geika instead though¡¹ ¡¸Me and¡ªShakira?¡¹ ¡¸My research is, Head Director, the result of more than 20 years which the grudge of one ordinary person towards the pair of geniuses of established reputation had compelled him to do¡¹ ¡¸Ara, saying ¡°grudge¡±, how dangerous¡¹ ¡¸Of course; for a youngster who originally wanted to become a magic warrior and was ignorant of the ways of the world, if he personally saw Head Director and Her Eminence¡¯s magic abilities before his eyes, whether he¡¯ll genuinely admire you or become perverse and jealous, it¡¯ll only be either of those¡¹ Quique was originally born in this capital. Although the Albiol House was a mercantile house and wasn¡¯t to the degree of being called wealthy, it was much more economically blessed than a commoner¡¯s. Quique himself was also the youngest child of the three siblings and didn¡¯t need to think about succeeding his parent too; he was in an environment where he could devote himself to the things which he liked from childhood. The boy, Quique, was fascinated by magic then, but the fact that he didn¡¯t have an ounce of that talent was confirmed before long, and the path of a magic warrior closed early. Nonetheless, Quique who had continued to hold an interest in the thing called ¡°magic¡± strove to study by himself in the magic academy¡¯s library and the like. It was just then that Quique subsequently met the geniuses who were called ¡°Amaddo¡¯s Pair of Bright Jewels¡±. ¡¸¡­At that time, from the moment I met Head Director-dono and Her Eminence and witnessed those magic talents, I thought of creating a world where even common ordinary people can use magic someday and had been continuing my research the whole time. Anyway, the talents of you two were to that extent¡¹ ¡¸To be able to get the genius with an unusual talent say so, Shakira and I are honoured¡¹ ¡¸A genius with an unusual talent? Me?¡¹ Bending his eyebrows, Quique looked at Orvieto. ¡¸¡ªSince Dominas Bradmante whose name first appeared in Amaddo¡¯s history books, the Dominas who remained in the record add up to several hundreds, but no one among them used magic without depending on the magic crests which were carved onto their own bodies. ¡­You accomplished something which successive generations of Dominas couldn¡¯t do in a generation. If I don¡¯t call that a genius, what should I call it?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ma, it¡¯s just that there wasn¡¯t a person who thought of doing such a thing until now, I guess¡¹ ¡¸Then, that idea is already something of a genius¡¹ ¡¸¡­Please don¡¯t flatter me. I¡¯ll feel uncomfortable¡¹ Knocking his kiseru lightly against the corridor¡¯s stone pillar and throwing the tobacco ashes away, Quique scratched his head with a ¡°bori bori¡±. More than 20 years had passed since the day they first met; Albiol had become a completely exhausted middle-aged man, and Orvieto had become a married woman, and then a widow from a Dominas candidate, but she was still beautiful even now. When that Orvieto smiled sweetly at him, even Quique who was nicknamed as an eccentric looked like he¡¯d be in a strange mood. ¡¸In any case, I¡¯m grateful to Albiol-san¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s about Dii, there¡¯s no need to express your gratitude. After all, it¡¯s a situation where I¡¯m being helped by him¡¹ ¡¸However, it isn¡¯t an exaggeration even if I say that that current child exists because of Albiol-san¡¯s invention, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Any more than this is unnecessary¡¹ Quique interrupted Orvieto¡¯s words, went outside the corridor and came out under the setting sun. Although one might say that a patron had sided with him, Quique¡¯s research environment didn¡¯t improve dramatically. The Crown Prince had promised to newly build a workshop for his exclusive use, but he¡¯d have to continue his research in that army¡¯s workshop which didn¡¯t get much sunshine for a short while. ¡¸Well then, Head Director¡ª¡¹ Quique, who had thought of returning to the workshop and looked back at Orvieto, noticed that she was looking in a different direction and chased after that gaze for no particular reason. ¡¸¡­Is there something wrong with that young man?¡¹ ¡¸No¡ª¡¹ A young man could be seen walking in the corridor which was visible on the opposite side across the lotus pond. Although he was considerably and delicately slender, he was wearing a uniform which was frequently seen in this royal palace. ¡¸That child, somewhere¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That uniform, if I remember correctly, is the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s¡¹ Seeing off the young man who had disappeared into the royal palace, Quique turned his neck slightly. A member of the Seal Chivalric Order; that was to say, for Orvieto¡¯s son¡ªLucius, the young man was his subordinate. Perhaps Lucius had invited the boy from just now to their mansion, and thus Orvieto felt that she recognised him. ¡¸¡­Is that so, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Are you bothered by something?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like that, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Iya, this is a new surprise¡¹ ¡¸Ehh?¡¹ Even when the young man¡¯s figure couldn¡¯t be seen, Orvieto who was absentmindedly staring that way turned her head suddenly at Quique¡¯s laughter. ¡¸What¡¯s it, Albiol-san? Saying ¡°a new surprise¡±¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s that even Head Director-dono will forget things. I thought that you¡¯re a person who would never forget the things which you¡¯ve seen and heard once¡¹ ¡¸If I¡¯ve a perfect memory to that extent, I shouldn¡¯t have that much hardships during my training period¡¹ Orvieto held the documents in her arms again and smiled a little. ¡¸¡ªWell then, Albiol-san, do your best at work¡¹ ¡¸Head Director as well, please don¡¯t overwork yourself¡¹ Waving his hand lightly, Albiol started to walk. A few days had already elapsed since Bettina left the capital as Valeria¡¯s attendant. The workshop without Bettina and Dimitar was very quiet; it was pleasant to thoroughly read the multitudinous data which Nereida had left behind in Biranoba and to be engrossed in speculations, but on the other hand, he also felt that something was insufficient. As he held the kiseru which didn¡¯t contain tobacco leaves already at the edge of his lips, Quique squinted in the sunset glow. ??? Volume 3 - CH 3.4 OCTOBER 12, 2017 ~ LUMINSTIA ¡¸¡ªHey!? Is it really like that!?¡¹ Seeing Valeria showing an angry expression like he had imagined merely two hours ago, Dimitar inadvertently laughed. Valeria who had observantly spotted that, ¡¸You! There¡¯s nothing funny! Or rather, this is an issue of our motherland¡¯s honour!¡¹ ¡¸You hadn¡¯t thought of this until you¡¯re explained to in detail; what are you getting angry at now? Rudbeck-geika had realised this on that occasion, you know?¡¹ When Dimitar muttered coldly, Karin who had set herself onto a cushion looked at Valeria fleetingly as she concealed the lower half of her face with a plume folding fan. ¡¸I thought for sure that you were suppressing your anger after knowing about it, ¡­but I¡¯m sorry, it looks like I¡¯ve overestimated you too much again¡¹ ¡¸Hey! Is that something which you¡¯ve to purposely say to me now!? In the first place, what does ¡°again¡± means; ¡°again¡±!¡¹ Karin¡¯s ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± wasn¡¯t filled with apologetic feelings as usual. For Valeria who knew her well, it could only be heard as a provocation phrase that angered the other party instead. Bettina, who had been opening her visor and throwing food into her armour with a ¡°gashan mogumogu, gashan mogumogu¡±, spoke to Valeria who was pacing around a little inside the spacious tent. ¡¸Valeria-samaa, please calm down at any rate. It¡¯s already late at night, and there are people on the lookout in the surroundings, so if you scream in an overly loud voice, everything could be heard¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand Valeria¡¯s anger as well though~¡¹ The tent, which the Seal Chivalric Order had carried for the sake of stopping one night here, had the same size as the one that the Crown Prince used during expeditions; it was fully furnished with a low table at its centre, cushions which substituted a sofa for the Dominas to relax, and even assembly-type beds. Petra, who was sitting on one of those beds and polishing her glasses¡¯ lens, looked at Valeria with upturned eyes. ¡¸It¡¯s natural to get angry if you¡¯re being treated like an extra of that stern Her Eminence. It¡¯s just as if Amaddo had submitted to Haiderota~¡¹ ¡¸Right!? If it¡¯s a condition like this from now, we don¡¯t know what kind of harassment we¡¯ll encounter after arriving at Aurillac!¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s enough, so don¡¯t make a loud voice at each and every thing¡¹ Storing the sword which he had done maintenance on into its scabbard, Dimitar stood up. Turning over the rug which was suspended at the entrance for insulation with a ¡°perari¡±, he peeked at the situation outside. Although it had lasted somehow while he was eating his dinner, the rain had been sprinkling since just now. When considering that the journey would still continue by carriage for a while, it was unpleasant that too much heavy rain was falling. While listening to the ¡°sara sara¡± sound of rainfall, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸His Highness knows that easy-going His Excellency well. Therefore, thinking that such an incident might be possible, it seems that he had prepared a plan from the beginning¡¹ ¡¸A plan?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It appears that the plan has arrived¡¹ Dimitar greatly turned over the rug again and invited the visitors who had come in the middle of the rain inside. ¡¸Excuse us for coming here at night¡¹ The ones who had said so and carried in a black long chest were the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s substantial top and its right-hand man, the Lucius Richternach and Derek Lindegoa pair. ¡¸Lu, Lucius-sama!?¡¹ Valeria, who had been pacing around inside the tent with an irritated look until then, hurriedly sat on a cushion and fixed the untidiness of her hair. Lucius and Lindegoa placed the long chest onto the ground, sighed with a ¡°hoo¡± and smiled. ¡¸These are presents from His Highness to both Her Eminences¡¹ ¡¸Presents?¡¹ ¡¸¡±I hope that you¡¯ll pulverise Sigibert-kakka¡¯s ulterior motive for me with these tomorrow¡±; His Highness did say it like that¡¹ Lucius spoke proudly in some respects and opened the cover of the long chest. ¡¸Eh¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸These are¡­¡¹ The girls looked into the long chest and raised voices of wonder respectively. ¡¸Fuwaaaa¡­! T, this is amazing~!¡¹ ¡¸Ah~¡­when seeing things like these, as expected, it¡¯s frustrating that I didn¡¯t become a Dominas~¡¹ Valeria looked up at Lucius, ¡¸T, thank you very much for going out of your way to do this! We¡¯ve specially troubled Lucius-sama¡¯s hands¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Iya, it¡¯s all right. ¡­If I¡¯ve to tell you the truth, then it¡¯s because the members are slightly disputing among themselves on who will carry this here¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Other than this Dimitar¡¹ Lucius thereupon poked Dimitar lightly on his elbow. ¡¸¡ªGenerally, men are living things who are thinking about wanting to become acquaintances with beautiful and clever women. Especially if the other parties are active service Dominas; after all, they¡¯re flowers on a high peak whom they wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to exchange words with easily¡¹ ¡¸No way¡­¡¹ Valeria was blushing in the cheeks and shaking her body with a ¡°furi furi¡±. Although Valeria was being shy like this in front of Lucius, if one assumed that Lucius didn¡¯t know what her usual form was, then one couldn¡¯t help saying that this was fairly joyous. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar leaned against the tent¡¯s prop and sighed quietly. Valeria was the sole daughter of the Costacurta House, and Lucius was also the son and heir of the Richternach House. When considering the circumstance where both of them must continue their family names, no matter how Valeria lavished her charm on him, it was impossible to take Lucius as her husband. The figure of the girl who continued her pointless endeavour was humorous, and even though he also felt just a bit of pity, Dimitar didn¡¯t say anything particularly. ¡¸Dii¡¹ Lucius spoke to Dimitar in a whisper. ¡¸¡­Haiderota will most likely carry out small harassment like this from now on as well. As expected, they won¡¯t act in a behaviour that will become a diplomatic issue, but it¡¯s better to think that it¡¯s natural that they¡¯ll do things which they¡¯ll politically use¡¹ ¡¸I guess so¡¹ ¡¸Though we¡¯ll return to the capital tomorrow, we¡¯re relying on you only hereafter. Valeria-jou is an innocent lady, and Karin-jou is intelligent, ¡ªbut how should I put it, they¡¯re different from you¡¹ ¡¸They don¡¯t have the craftiness?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t say it to that extent. ¡­I just wanted to say that unlike you, they lack the maliciousness, so they may not notice the plans of those people who have evil intentions¡¹ ¡¸Ma, I won¡¯t deny that though¡¹ Dimitar was thinking that it was fine that his role was a part like that. Rather, for these girls who¡ªcould be called ¡°pure¡± in a sense¡ªwere ignorant of the ways of this world, if there wasn¡¯t someone who was conversely well aware of the world¡¯s dirtiness beside them, they¡¯d be easily deceived and get caught in a plan; anyway, they¡¯d probably stumble somewhere. It might unexpectedly be because of such a thought that Orvieto pushed him to be Valeria¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos too. ¡¸¡ªWell then, we shall leave soon¡¹ ¡¸Ah! Lucius-sama, at least leave after you¡¯ve drank a cup of tea or something¡­¡¹ Valeria looked back to the table while saying such thing. However, there was no way that she could prepare tea of course. Since Dimitar knew that Lucius would bring over the Crown Prince¡¯s secret plan, he had driven the maids out from the tent for the Dominas beforehand. Dimitar softly informed Valeria who was looking around her surroundings with an ¡°awa awa¡±. ¡¸¡­If you wish for it, shall I go and get hot water and tea leaves? The maids¡¯ tent is right next to us, and if it¡¯s for covering up the face of Her Eminence who likes Lucius-sama very much, I can at least endure going in the middle of the rain and coming back¡¹ ¡¸Hey!? W, why are you purposely using such a way of speaking¡ª¡¹ ¡¸To be worked hard by Her Eminence is my job after all. I don¡¯t mind that you thrust an unreasonable demand at me without reservation like you always do. I¡¯ll accomplish it even if I¡¯ve to clench my teeth¡¹ ¡¸I-I-I-I-I! I, I didn¡¯t! I, I, I! Be it that sort of unreasonable demand or working him hard, I, I didn¡¯t do such things! I, I didn¡¯t do it!¡¹ Shaking her head with a ¡°buru buru¡±, Valeria¡¯s face turned bright red and she appealed to Lucius. ¡¸I know¡¹ Lucius nodded with a bitter smile mixed in and struck Dimitar¡¯s back with a ¡°bashin¡±. Keeping the smile which faced the girls as it was, he lowered his voice again and spoke to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­You, be moderate in teasing her too¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because she¡¯s strangely in high spirits even though she¡¯s in the middle of an important mission. Her self-consciousness is insufficient¡¹ ¡¸Even if that¡¯s the case, causing her to be embarrassed and making her have unpleasant feelings is wrong, you know? I won¡¯t tell you to get along with her, but cease the behaviour which will purposely create the cause of discord¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar nodded. If he did any more than this, the serious Lucius might really start to get angry. ¡¸Well then, we¡¯ll be leaving¡¹ Lucius and Lindegoa courteously bowed and left the girls¡¯ tent. ¡¸¡ªOi, Gacha Pink¡¹ Dimitar carried Jagieruka¡¯s scabbard on his shoulder and called out to Bettina, who was looking inside the long chest with a pose which whether or not she had a greedy countenance¡ªwas unclear, but gave that sort of feeling somehow, once. ¡¸You¡¯ll stay up all night here. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re acting as a guard officer too, all right?¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ ¡¸Ufufu, I¡¯m so happy~¡¹ Hitting Bachururus¡¯s sparkling helmet with a ¡°pechi pechi¡±, Petra laughed with a ¡°nihe~e¡±. ¡¸We¡¯ll hold a big chatting meeting for fellow girls with everyone tonight, won¡¯t we?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! So don¡¯t sleep! I¡¯ll keep night watch tonight!¡¹ ¡¸¡­There¡¯d be no point in you keeping night watch if everyone is staying up all night though¡¹ Putting his hand on his forehead, Dimitar went out underneath the sky that was drizzling rain. Although he was an exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, Dimitar couldn¡¯t sleep in the same tent as Valeria and party. Dimitar had gotten a small tent prepared for him in the nearby vicinity and would intentionally pass the night there without sleeping until morning. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who had entered the small tent where even one person couldn¡¯t lie down satisfactorily, held Jagieruka including its scabbard in his arms, sat down and put on a blanket from his shoulders. While wearing his boots, he didn¡¯t change his clothes or lie down so that he was ready for the worst case and could rush out any time. Spending one night in this posture was, contrary to expectations, tiring, but coming to a clean decision that it was also within his job, Dimitar quietly closed his eyes. ??? Volume 3 - CH 3.5 The river¡¯s water level was rising more than usual was probably because the rain had concentrated in a short time and fallen on the upstream mountain area. The water becoming murky due to the mud, and furthermore, green trees¡¯ leaves and broken twigs mixing into the stream were supporting that. The rain around here approximates to a drizzle at the most, and it seemed that the damage to the crops was almost none, but as expected, when it became midnight, the figures of people going out in the vicinity was zero. However, that was if one excluded a group in black mantles which was assembled in the vicinity of the bridge¡ª. It was a sturdy bridge which the inhabitants of the neighbourhood had put forward an appeal to the country to safely cross over this river where the water level often rose due to the influence of torrential rain and was only completed just around 10 years ago. If one got close to the guardrail and looked down at the river surface, it was akin to looking down at the ground from above a belfry; there were probably people who experienced dizziness at the height. The men under the bridge were submerged to the top of their knees in the river¡¯s current, holding onto the middle bridge pier and doing something. Whenever the front of a mantle split, a black uniform flickered from beneath that. ¡¸¡­Is a construction like this really necessary?¡¹ The man beside a youth in a coat, who was watching over the work of those mantles from above the bridge, asked him in a low voice. ¡¸To carry out such a construction at a place like this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What kind of meaning is there¡ªis it?¡¹ With a sigh mixed in, the youth finished the man¡¯s sentence. ¡¸Whether it has a meaning or not, I don¡¯t know. It certainly seems like she¡¯s reading too much into things, but Her Eminence¡¯s thoughts have parts that are difficult for us petty officers to comprehend. ¡­However, Her Eminence had wished for this in any case. It¡¯s fine if we work as per the instructions¡¹ ¡¸But¡­! Is Cyril-sama fine with that!? To be told to serve a young girl of an unknown origin like that all of a sudden¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Pay attention to your words. You¡¯re being disrespectful¡¹ The youth¡ªCyril Duebur rebuked the man, who was the equivalent of his adjutant, and looked down at the mantles working on the river surface. ¡¸This isn¡¯t only the Royal Prince-denka¡¯s (the king¡¯s younger brother), but also the King-heika¡¯s idea. Our country made the decision to put that girl up as a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. ¡ªThe lantern¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Making his adjutant carry the lantern, Cyril spread the map that was drawn on a parchment. Tracing this river and the highway that intersected it with his finger, he looked out far off in the northwest direction. However, in this night where the moon and stars were being limited a great deal due to the rain clouds, only the deep black silhouette of the forest could be seen at the most; it was practically the same as seeing nothing. At that moment, the soldiers who had been working under the bridge looked up at Cyril and shouted. ¡¸Cyril-sama! The work has been completed!¡¹ ¡¸All right¡­everyone come up! We¡¯ll return before the day breaks¡¹ The soldiers, who had been working in the river at Cyril¡¯s instruction, followed a rope which was suspended from the riverbank and went up in succession. Although they should have been quite fatigued to have continued their work while going against the river¡¯s current, it didn¡¯t feel that those movements had slackened. ¡¸In the first place, what¡¯s necessary for a Dominas isn¡¯t lineage, but pure ability and resourcefulness¡¹ Straddling a horse that was tied at the entrance of the forest, Cyril said so. ¡¸Where you were born in and whose child are you, such things are inconsequential. ¡­And now, what¡¯s requested of us is to prove that our Dominas is even more superior than Aurillac¡¯s Dominas. For the sake of that, no matter what thing it is, I¡¯ll definitely do it¡¹ The soldiers, who had soaked in the river and worked, and the soldiers, who had been keeping watch of the surroundings on top of the bridge, imitated Cyril and mounted their horses. The night rain which had increased its force just a little might have concealed the sounds of their horses¡¯ hooves well. ¡¸At any rate before long, I¡¯ll make them understand¡­who¡¯s the older brother and who¡¯s the inferior younger brother¡¹ Wiping his face that had gotten wet in the rain, Cyril caused the bridle to resound and began to gallop. Volume 3 - CH 3.6 Suggestion in the Rain Haiderota, which was 1 of the 12 countries when the ¡°Holy Alliance (Furigana: Riga Santourear)¡± came into existence and presently boasted the second-place national power among its allies, was a militaristic superpower that was steadily pressing forward its military expansion in order to unseat Amaddo from the position of the leading power, though it didn¡¯t make the declaration as one would expect. Geographically facing the sea in the north, Haiderota could be said to be the continent¡¯s best in naval strength already, but on the other hand, it was limited in ore resources such as iron ore and coal. It was simply too much to cover the ore resources that were necessary to not only manufacture swords, armours and helmets, but to also construct warships with just its domestic production output. From the fact that Haiderota appropriated an enormous military budget like every year and forced that burden onto its people in the form of tax, its worldly matters were constantly unstable. However, the antagonistic attitude towards Amaddo wasn¡¯t entirely the only reason for Haiderota being zealous in the augment of its armaments to that degree. Truthfully, she had been worrying about whether she could properly greet nobles from another country, but it seemed that she was able to successfully pull through it somehow. Putting her hand against the chest of her tabard, Valeria leaked a sigh of relief with a ¡°hoo¡±. ¡¸¡­Setting aside that His Excellency, Diaghilev-geika looks quite formidable¡¹ Karin who was beside her whispered in a low voice. Although Clotilde was certainly punctilious and polite in her demeanour and speech, it made them feel an invisible thorn. Especially in the looks that she occasionally gave Valeria and Karin, an emotion which was hard to say was amicable was obviously mixed in. ¡¸Nevertheless¡­why is she the only one who isn¡¯t wearing a pair of trousers?¡¹ Staring at Clotilde¡¯s figure from behind, Valeria tilted her head to the side. Every member of the Gale Chivalric Order (Furigana: Rorudor Rafuale) below its leader, Sigibert, was wearing a military cap and uniform with identical design lines. They most likely signified the difference in position within the group; basically, one could say that everyone wore the same uniform. And Clotilde was fundamentally wearing that uniform too. However, she was wearing a military cap and jacket only. Her bottom, which was covered by clothing that seemed to be white undergarment, could be seen every now and then since a little while ago through the shirttail, which split into two like a shallow¡¯s tail, at the back of the uniform. Although she had properly put on boots, her thighs were almost completely visible. ¡¸¡­Put your imagination to work a little¡¹ Perhaps he heard the conversation of Valeria and Karin, Dimitar interrupted. ¡¸If you take off the tabard as well, you¡¯ll be in a shameless appearance that isn¡¯t much different to that though¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not shameless! That¡¯s the proud uniform of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas! To begin with, we¡¯re lightly dressed so that we can use our magic immediately at the critical moment¡ªah, I see¡¹ The skin exposure of a Dominas was a lot was because large quantity of magic crests (Furigana: Hierateika) to that extent were carved onto her skin. In that case, it might be because magic crests were carved there and so that she could use them immediately at the critical moment that Clotilde was exposing her thighs that way too. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Maybe Karin had guessed it from the beginning, she didn¡¯t have the look of being surprised or impressed in particular. Valeria felt embarrassed somehow and tried to relax her limbs which had grown stiff due to the long trip in a carriage while taking deep breaths greatly. ¡¸¡­Hey¡¹ Realising that Dimitar was fixedly staring at Clotilde¡¯s bottom, Valeria narrowed her eyes. ¡¸Aren¡¯t you looking at it too much?¡¹ ¡¸Looking at what?¡¹ ¡¸¡±What¡±, you say¡­like I said, hora¡¹ ¡¸Surely you¡¯re not thinking that I¡¯m looking at that woman¡¯s bottom or something, are you?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you aren¡¯t?¡¹ ¡¸Not her bottom; it¡¯s her thighs¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want you to put on airs! There¡¯s not much difference, right!?¡¹ Dimitar threw a cold look to Valeria who had lowered her voice and screamed. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re fundamentally misunderstanding something¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡¯s it!?¡¹ ¡¸On the whole, there shouldn¡¯t be magic crests carved onto your bottom, no?¡¹ ¡¸Baa¡­¡¹ Of all things, what did he start to say in front of Lucius? Valeria wanted to give an unsparing round of applause to her reason that somehow endured slapping Dimitar. However, Dimitar continued indifferently, unconcerned about Valeria¡¯s anger. ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you¡¯re misunderstanding it. ¡­I¡¯m looking at her thighs fixedly is because I¡¯m anticipating ¡°Won¡¯t her magic crests emerge by some chance?¡±. Even if I gaze at her bottom, magic crests aren¡¯t carved on it anyway¡¹ Magic crests were carved onto the whole body of a Dominas¡ªthat was true to a certain extent, but it didn¡¯t mean that her entire body really had them. As Dimitar had said, Valeria also didn¡¯t put magic crests on delicate areas like her breasts and bottom. Such circumstances were probably the same even in Haiderota. Valeria arranged her breathing and then enquired after clearing her throat slightly. ¡¸¡­In, in other words, Richternach-kyou wants to say that you¡¯re observing her because of your sense of duty as a Hiera Glaphicos? That you¡¯re interested in the magic crests of another country¡¯s Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, it¡¯s not only that, I guess. Individually speaking, bottoms that are a bit bigger are¡¹ ¡¸Dii¡¹ Lucius interrupted the words of a grinning Dimitar midway. It seemed that Lucius, as one would expect, understood well the topics that were fine to talk about and topics that weren¡¯t in a situation like this. ¡¸¡­From what I heard, she¡¯s a Dominas whose forte is extremely offensive magic; going to missions such as international border disputes and subjugation of thieves, she¡¯s said to have rendered military exploits many times. She¡¯s practically a female soldier rather than a Dominas¡¹ Perhaps he wanted to change the topic, Lucius talked to Valeria and party about Clotilde. If she was a possessor of a personal history which was so spectacular, they could certainly agree with the fact of her being called by an impressive second name such as ¡°White Rose of Steel¡± too. On the map, this prairie where the Gale Chivalric Order had set up camp seemed to be Haiderota¡¯s territory already. Valeria who was sitting in the carriage completely didn¡¯t know when they had crossed the national border. At the circumference of the camp where innumerable large tents were put up, members of the Gale Chivalric Order were getting ready for the evening and running about in preparation for encamping at night. Meanwhile, all of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) which had just arrived a short time ago were also starting the work of putting up tents. When watching them like this, it looked like the Seal Chivalric Order and the Gale Chivalric Order didn¡¯t have much difference, but perhaps, between His Highness and His Excellency who were unfolding an exchange of sarcasm, there were great conflicting opinions in that perception. ¡¸It¡¯ll take a bit longer until our meals. Please have these beverages first¡¹ An assembly-type table was placed in front of a conspicuously large tent, and wine and fruits were already lay out on it. At that table, a girl was pouring wine into a tin tankard and wandering around, humming a tune. All in all, even though it should be the same style as Clotilde¡¯s, it might be because she was a little plump that it didn¡¯t look like she was wearing a similar uniform. Perhaps she¡¯d be called a charming beautiful girl; the back figure that was moving around with small, quick steps gave one an impression of a stuffed toy bear in some respects. Valeria stared in amazement and secretly whispered into Karin¡¯s ear. ¡¸¡­Nee, is she perhaps¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That seems to be the case¡¹ From the look of it, there were no other women in this Chivalric Order. Hence, it meant that the girl, who had a same appearance as Clotilde, was probably the other Dominas who belonged to this Chivalric Order. Maybe she didn¡¯t notice the party that had turned up yet, the girl picked up a bright red apple which was served in a bowl and began biting it with a ¡°shaku shaku¡±. Moreover, munching roasted amandes (almonds) and licking marmelos (quinces) which were dipped in honey, she occasionally snitched the dining table¡¯s delicacies. Clotilde gave an unnatural cough after breathing out a big sigh. ¡¸¡ªAhh!?¡¹ And then, perhaps she had finally perceived the arrival of the guests, the girl hurriedly held her military cap under her arm and gave a military-style salute with a snap. ¡¸T, thank you for your hard work! I, I¡¯m Malena Puyol! I serve as the assistant of Haiderota Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s vice-leader!¡¹ Although her words were exaggerated, it was comical that ¡¸Mugugu¡¹or something like that was sometimes mixed into them. In any case, just the fact that she wasn¡¯t used to such situations was well understood. She was probably still a newcomer, though this wasn¡¯t something that could be said in Valeria¡¯s standpoint. One would feel relieved somehow when seeing her still chewing her food. ¡¸I feel like I can get along well with this child¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is it because it feels like you¡¯re seeing the same kind?¡¹ ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t act suspiciously to that extent as expected¡¹ Counterattacking Dimitar¡¯s sarcasm in a low voice, Valeria sat down on a chair that was offered by Sigibert. Sigibert and Isaac sat at both ends of the long table facing each other, and two Dominas were at both their sides. The Amaddo¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos were given seats next to them and then took their seats. Only Lucius¡ªas if it was his duty¡ªwas standing nearby Isaac. ¡¸¡ªWell then¡¹ As soon as he sat on his seat, Sigibert opened his mouth. ¡¸We¡¯ll spend the night here as it is today; tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll depart towards our capital, Aurillac, but I¡¯d like Isaac-denka and the gentlemen of the Seal Chivalric Order to return to Roma as it is. Please leave the escorting of both Her Eminences from here on to the Gale Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve no doubt in the abilities of both Her Eminences, Diaghilev and Puyol, but regrettably, you¡¯re the one who consolidate the Chivalric Order¡¹ Chewing the amandes with a ¡°pori pori¡±, Isaac smiled thinly. ¡¸¡ªAt least, I¡¯d like you to present a security system that we can agree to. To begin with, how do you plan to take them to Aurillac? It¡¯s an international problem if something happen to our Ojou-samas, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Be at ease¡¹ Sigibert waved his riding crop with a ¡°pii¡± and smiled confidently at Isaac¡¯s head-on sarcasm. ¡¸¡ªOur Haiderota army is the king¡¯s army. Therefore, I¡¯m thinking about making it into an appropriate journey. This is also an excellent opportunity to make known the dignity and authority of our Dominas and the Gale Chivalric Order to the people along the way¡¹ ¡¸Setting aside the matter of what¡¯s a king in your country, in other words, it means that you¡¯re parading to Aurillac?¡¹ ¡¸To say it so that it¡¯s easy for you to understand, it¡¯s like that¡¹ Sigibert lifted up his tankard of wine and looked at Clotilde who was beside him. ¡¸¡ªEven just recently, our Dominas, Diaghilev-geika, personally just led the army and exterminated a group of robbers. There are many people who wish to catch a glimpse of her. Besides, the public sentiments will settle down by doing so as well. This is also called ¡°politics¡±, but¡­Isaac, do you not understand, I wonder? You don¡¯t understand, right; you surely won¡¯t understand¡¹ ¡¸Call me ¡°Your Highness¡±, Sigibert-kun¡¹ Sighing as if he was astounded by him, Isaac put down his tankard. ¡¸¡­In the first place, there¡¯s no need to get three of Her Eminences to take the trouble to appear to capture thieves in our country, and there¡¯s also no need to have a parade to dispel the dissatisfaction of the people who suffer from heavy taxation. Even if we¡¯re told to understand the circumstances of your country in spite of the big difference in the public order levels, that¡¯s impossible¡¹ ¡¸Muguu¡­!¡¹ Sigibert¡¯s face began to turn red again. Even though the person himself intended to make Clotilde¡¯s bravery and reliability appealing, he was probably frustrated that he had conversely ended up pointing out the poorness of the internal public order. As Orvieto had said not long ago, Haiderota was a country that put its military expansion first and its people second; it seemed that those people who held dissatisfaction immediately carried out armed uprising and became groups of robbers. Therefore, the fact that Isaac interfered in this and that regarding the journey¡¯s escort¡ªeven if the side of pestering Sigibert existed considerably¡ªwas very reasonable. ¡¸Your concern is unnecessary¡¹ Taking over Sigibert who was biting his lips with a ¡°Ginuu¡­¡±, Clotilde spoke. ¡¸Our country¡¯s public order hasn¡¯t been so poor in the recent years either. ¡­However, we¡¯re only severely conducting crackdowns especially of late due to the thought of His Majesty who wants to make the country difficult for criminals to live in. Besides, if in the unlikely event that thieves obstruct our journey, I¡¯ll show you this me cutting them down personally¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡ª, you¡¯re really courageous. Diaghilev-geika is a Dominas of the type that we don¡¯t have¡¹ Brazenly clapping his hands with a ¡°pachi pachi¡±, Isaac shifted his gaze to-and-fro between Sigibert and Clotilde several times. ¡¸¡ªIf Your Eminence is saying to that extent, I¡¯ve nothing to say. In fact, the one whom we should depend on when something happens isn¡¯t Sigibert-kun, but Diaghilev-geika. His words couldn¡¯t put me at ease, but since Your Eminence said so, there¡¯s no doubt about it¡¹ ¡¸W, why are you saying such¡ª¡¹ Just when Sigibert was about to half-rise to his feet, plates of cuisine which smelled good were carried here. Green peas potage, partridge roast and frumenty containing venison¡ªall of them were very exquisite cuisine as dinner on the ground of a night camp. Plates were lined up one by one before Isaac and then he spoke to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªIs it about time that our tents are also finished being put up? Lucius-kun, you¡¯ll instruct everyone and get them to finish their meals¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Bowing politely, Lucius left. Although it was a disappointment for Valeria, so long as Isaac ate here, Lucius must look after the Chivalric Order. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Dimitar suddenly stood up. ¡¸I¡¯d like to give the instructions for hereafter to Bettina-jou, but may I?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡­that¡¯s right. Since that child will definitely feel helpless by herself, go and see her situation just a little¡¹ ¡¸Understood. ¡ªIn that case, I¡¯ll be leaving¡¹ Dimitar also bowed politely and left the dinner¡¯s dining table. However, Valeria didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d straightforwardly disappear because of Bettina. Although she didn¡¯t have a definite reason, she somehow understood from the short association with Dimitar thus far that when he purposely spoke like that, his real aim lay in another place. ??? Running at a trot in the camp that was ruled by a restless atmosphere due to the preparation for dinner, Dimitar caught up with Lucius. ¡¸¡ªWhat do you think, Lucius?¡¹ ¡¸About what?¡¹ ¡¸Those people intend to head for Aurillac with the mood of a parade, you know¡¹ ¡¸In a country where the populace¡¯s dissatisfaction towards the government is becoming chronic, the royalty will make a round of visits to every place in the form of ¡°imperial tour¡± and make the will of the people settle down. It¡¯s a common move¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of typical of this country where political situation is unstable, this is so like them¡¹ Dimitar looked around his surroundings while walking side-by-side with Lucius. Although the people from the Seal Chivalric Order weren¡¯t non-existent, the ones who were moving around in the vicinity were mostly the Gale Chivalric Order, namely Haiderota¡¯s people only. It wasn¡¯t possible to say remarks which might be interpreted as criticism towards Haiderota openly very much. Perhaps he was aware of that, Lucius¡¯s voice was also extremely low. ¡¸¡­To be honest, the effect is doubtful with just Sigibert-kakka, but if it¡¯s that Diaghilev-geika, the populace¡¯s support can be obtained. For a country of warriors like Haiderota, a Dominas who stands at the army¡¯s vanguard and fights is considered more of a hero than an unskilful soldier¡¹ ¡¸I understand that. ¡ªHowever, they plan to involve even Our Eminences in that monkey show, you know?¡¹ The Gale Chivalric Order probably intended to push its vice-leader, Clotilde, rather than its leader, Sigibert, to the front, assemble a brave file of troops and go towards Aurillac. Valeria and Karin would then be shaken in the carriage, with the appearance of being protected by them. But in that case, Valeria and party might become appendages to Clotilde. The leader of the alliance was, to the end, Amaddo; Dimitar believed that the situation where the leader country¡¯s Dominas were eclipsed by another country¡¯s Dominas should be avoided. ¡¸¡­That Dominas has the height and her appearance is eye-catching too. With those, she¡¯ll inevitably stand out if she straddles an ostentatiously decorated horse. Unless they (Valeria and Karin) also dress up very strikingly and show their faces, the leading part of the parade will be taken by that woman as things are, you know¡¹ ¡¸Is that situation so bad?¡¹ ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ Noticing Lucius who was staring at him and smiling bitterly, Dimitar who had asked so in return narrowed his eyes. ¡¸What do you mean? That¡¯s definitely bad, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s better if it¡¯s in Amaddo; this place is Haiderota, you know? As expected, it¡¯s impossible that both Her Eminences of our country disregard Diaghilev-geika and play the leading part in the home town of the other party¡¹ ¡¸Even so¡¹ Dimitar knitted his brows and then folded his arms. ¡¸¡ªI can¡¯t tolerate our country¡¯s Dominas being treated like those people¡¯s extras¡¹ ¡¸This is unexpected, Dii. You¡¯ve that much patriotism¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t patriotism in particular. I¡¯m merely not pleased with those people¡¯s way of doing things only¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Maa, it¡¯s a good inclination either way. Whatever your reason may be, the fact that you¡¯re thinking about Valeria-jou¡¯s position like that means¡¹ ¡¸Of course. This is related to my success in life¡¹ Dimitar felt as if there was an implication somewhere in Lucius¡¯s manner of speaking and was in no way comfortable. Even though Dimitar had been worrying about this and that purely because of political reasons, Lucius was reading too much into such a matter of his own accord. For Dimitar, things had turned out contrary to his actual wish. ¡¸Look here, Lucius¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry so¡¹ Lucius interrupted Dimitar¡¯s words and hit the area around his upper arm with a ¡°pon¡±. ¡¸His Highness had foreseen that it might become a situation like this from the beginning. Upon discussing with Haha-ue, a plan has been prepared properly¡¹ ¡¸A plan? Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It has been factored in that the other side will start something. After all, it¡¯s said that the person called Sigibert-kakka has a rivalry spirit towards His Highness one way or another since he was a child. No matter what kind of trivial thing it is, he¡¯ll compete with His Highness and try to win. ¡­But regrettably, he seems slightly simple and ignorant of the ways of the world to compete with His Highness¡¹ ¡¸I knew that he¡¯s simple and childish once I saw him¡­¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, things won¡¯t turn out as those people want¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡¹ Although Dimitar didn¡¯t know what kind of plan His Highness had worked out exactly, he probably didn¡¯t have to worry since Lucius stamped his seal of approval. ¡¸¡ªWhat? Did you go out of your way to leave the dinner party just for that reason, Dii?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, I remembered that I left Gacha Pink alone¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s Bettina-jou, she should be helping to put up both Her Eminences¡¯ tents, most likely at the instruction of Lindegoa-kyou¡¯s side, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸I see. Then, I¡¯ll go and help a little. ¡­I want to give her a warning¡¹ ¡¸A warning?¡¹ ¡¸Even if we¡¯re in an ally¡¯s territory, her armour is a mass of military secret. I should have said that to her on the occasion of a mission, but she¡¯s simply lacking the awareness. Even though she has nothing to do, she¡¯ll wander aimlessly at once and act in a behaviour that will attract people¡¯s attention¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mentioned it¡­I recalled something¡¹ Lucius, who was walking side-by-side with Dimitar, stopped suddenly and scratched his head. ¡¸I¡¯ve also forgotten to convey a few words to His Highness¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it? Is it about Jorkera by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­it¡¯s about His Highness; he might see a suitable time and boast of the new sword to Sigibert-kakka. Sigibert-kakka is a gentleman who can¡¯t use magic too, so this is a perfect opportunity to make him feel bitter, right?¡¹ It seemed to be something that mischievous His Highness would really do. If it was to make Sigibert who would try to compete with him on everything stamped his feet, he¡¯d probably flaunt one or two military secrets nonchalantly. ¡¸Dii, return immediately and convey this matter to His Highness. I¡¯ll talk to Bettina-jou myself¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing¡¹ ¡¸?¡¹ ¡¸You probably have thoughts regarding Diaghilev-geika, but don¡¯t show it in your attitude, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Those are words which you should say to Our Eminence¡¹ Setting Karin aside, Valeria who was ignorant of the world¡¯s severity and malice most likely hadn¡¯t notice the scheme of Haiderota¡¯s side yet. The image of her who had realised that making her face bright red and screaming vehemently seemed to come into his mind. ??? On the very same day, Quique who had visited the royal palace finished a meeting of nearly an hour and left the office of Roland Kaparos-kyou. The attendees of the meeting were three people, Quique, Kaparos-kyou, and also the head director of Royal Magic Academy (Furigana: Prasa Marefikos), Orvieto Richternach. Quique spoke to Orvieto as they walked side-by-side on the well-polished marble passage. ¡¸¡­However, what¡¯s this, Head Director-dono. Even though we¡¯ve been discussing like this for the sake of the request from the Seal Chivalric Order, it¡¯s simply irresponsible that the all-important His Highness isn¡¯t here¡¹ ¡¸Ara, aren¡¯t you thinking that the discussion concluded easier when His Highness isn¡¯t here, Albiol-san?¡¹ Orvieto, who was carrying a bundle of documents in her hand, lowered her voice and smiled as if it was amusing. ¡¸Iya iya, that¡¯d be so rude of me¡¹ Quique took out his favourite kiseru from the pocket of his wrinkled white robe, shook it gently and lit a fire. Breathing in the smoke quietly, he then turned his face away from Orvieto and exhaled. Orvieto called Quique ¡°Albiol-san¡±. Although she¡¯d also add the title of ¡°Chief Engineer (Furigana: Maestro)¡± at places where there were other people, she¡¯d often call Quique who was much lower than her in terms of status by adding ¡°san¡± to his name. On the other hand, in regard to Orvieto, Quique made sure to properly call her ¡°Head Director¡±, but perhaps even if he addressed her as ¡°Orvieto¡± without an honorific, she gave the feeling that she wouldn¡¯t get angry. After all, Quique and Orvieto had a friendship which exceeded almost 20 years. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, that¡¯s truly great, Albiol-san¡¹ ¡¸What is?¡¹ ¡¸Your research of many years was recognised¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t continue my research because I wanted it to be recognised in particular though¡¹ Swallowing the bitter smoke, Quique smiled wryly. In the first place, today¡¯s meeting was related to the mass production plan of the magic motion sword (Furigana: Espada Marefika) that the Crown Prince had proposed. It could be said that precisely because the Crown Prince recognised Quique¡¯s research that even the Finance Minister was involved and the specific discussions began to move. ¡¸¡ªBut maa, it became easy to secure a budget, and I can also proudly get the cooperation of the magic academy, so in that meaning, I guess it¡¯s certainly possible to say that it¡¯s great that it was recognised¡¹ ¡¸Really¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah, but speaking of to recognise or to not recognise, the ones whom I really wanted it to be recognised by are Head Director and Babel-geika instead though¡¹ ¡¸Me and¡ªShakira?¡¹ ¡¸My research is, Head Director, the result of more than 20 years which the grudge of one ordinary person towards the pair of geniuses of established reputation had compelled him to do¡¹ ¡¸Ara, saying ¡°grudge¡±, how dangerous¡¹ ¡¸Of course; for a youngster who originally wanted to become a magic warrior and was ignorant of the ways of the world, if he personally saw Head Director and Her Eminence¡¯s magic abilities before his eyes, whether he¡¯ll genuinely admire you or become perverse and jealous, it¡¯ll only be either of those¡¹ Quique was originally born in this capital. Although the Albiol House was a mercantile house and wasn¡¯t to the degree of being called wealthy, it was much more economically blessed than a commoner¡¯s. Quique himself was also the youngest child of the three siblings and didn¡¯t need to think about succeeding his parent too; he was in an environment where he could devote himself to the things which he liked from childhood. The boy, Quique, was fascinated by magic then, but the fact that he didn¡¯t have an ounce of that talent was confirmed before long, and the path of a magic warrior closed early. Nonetheless, Quique who had continued to hold an interest in the thing called ¡°magic¡± strove to study by himself in the magic academy¡¯s library and the like. It was just then that Quique subsequently met the geniuses who were called ¡°Amaddo¡¯s Pair of Bright Jewels¡±. ¡¸¡­At that time, from the moment I met Head Director-dono and Her Eminence and witnessed those magic talents, I thought of creating a world where even common ordinary people can use magic someday and had been continuing my research the whole time. Anyway, the talents of you two were to that extent¡¹ ¡¸To be able to get the genius with an unusual talent say so, Shakira and I are honoured¡¹ ¡¸A genius with an unusual talent? Me?¡¹ Bending his eyebrows, Quique looked at Orvieto. ¡¸¡ªSince Dominas Bradmante whose name first appeared in Amaddo¡¯s history books, the Dominas who remained in the record add up to several hundreds, but no one among them used magic without depending on the magic crests which were carved onto their own bodies. ¡­You accomplished something which successive generations of Dominas couldn¡¯t do in a generation. If I don¡¯t call that a genius, what should I call it?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ma, it¡¯s just that there wasn¡¯t a person who thought of doing such a thing until now, I guess¡¹ ¡¸Then, that idea is already something of a genius¡¹ ¡¸¡­Please don¡¯t flatter me. I¡¯ll feel uncomfortable¡¹ Knocking his kiseru lightly against the corridor¡¯s stone pillar and throwing the tobacco ashes away, Quique scratched his head with a ¡°bori bori¡±. More than 20 years had passed since the day they first met; Albiol had become a completely exhausted middle-aged man, and Orvieto had become a married woman, and then a widow from a Dominas candidate, but she was still beautiful even now. When that Orvieto smiled sweetly at him, even Quique who was nicknamed as an eccentric looked like he¡¯d be in a strange mood. ¡¸In any case, I¡¯m grateful to Albiol-san¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s about Dii, there¡¯s no need to express your gratitude. After all, it¡¯s a situation where I¡¯m being helped by him¡¹ ¡¸However, it isn¡¯t an exaggeration even if I say that that current child exists because of Albiol-san¡¯s invention, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Any more than this is unnecessary¡¹ Quique interrupted Orvieto¡¯s words, went outside the corridor and came out under the setting sun. Although one might say that a patron had sided with him, Quique¡¯s research environment didn¡¯t improve dramatically. The Crown Prince had promised to newly build a workshop for his exclusive use, but he¡¯d have to continue his research in that army¡¯s workshop which didn¡¯t get much sunshine for a short while. ¡¸Well then, Head Director¡ª¡¹ Quique, who had thought of returning to the workshop and looked back at Orvieto, noticed that she was looking in a different direction and chased after that gaze for no particular reason. ¡¸¡­Is there something wrong with that young man?¡¹ ¡¸No¡ª¡¹ A young man could be seen walking in the corridor which was visible on the opposite side across the lotus pond. Although he was considerably and delicately slender, he was wearing a uniform which was frequently seen in this royal palace. ¡¸That child, somewhere¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That uniform, if I remember correctly, is the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s¡¹ Seeing off the young man who had disappeared into the royal palace, Quique turned his neck slightly. A member of the Seal Chivalric Order; that was to say, for Orvieto¡¯s son¡ªLucius, the young man was his subordinate. Perhaps Lucius had invited the boy from just now to their mansion, and thus Orvieto felt that she recognised him. ¡¸¡­Is that so, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Are you bothered by something?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like that, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Iya, this is a new surprise¡¹ ¡¸Ehh?¡¹ Even when the young man¡¯s figure couldn¡¯t be seen, Orvieto who was absentmindedly staring that way turned her head suddenly at Quique¡¯s laughter. ¡¸What¡¯s it, Albiol-san? Saying ¡°a new surprise¡±¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s that even Head Director-dono will forget things. I thought that you¡¯re a person who would never forget the things which you¡¯ve seen and heard once¡¹ ¡¸If I¡¯ve a perfect memory to that extent, I shouldn¡¯t have that much hardships during my training period¡¹ Orvieto held the documents in her arms again and smiled a little. ¡¸¡ªWell then, Albiol-san, do your best at work¡¹ ¡¸Head Director as well, please don¡¯t overwork yourself¡¹ Waving his hand lightly, Albiol started to walk. A few days had already elapsed since Bettina left the capital as Valeria¡¯s attendant. The workshop without Bettina and Dimitar was very quiet; it was pleasant to thoroughly read the multitudinous data which Nereida had left behind in Biranoba and to be engrossed in speculations, but on the other hand, he also felt that something was insufficient. As he held the kiseru which didn¡¯t contain tobacco leaves already at the edge of his lips, Quique squinted in the sunset glow. ??? ¡¸¡ªHey!? Is it really like that!?¡¹ Seeing Valeria showing an angry expression like he had imagined merely two hours ago, Dimitar inadvertently laughed. Valeria who had observantly spotted that, ¡¸You! There¡¯s nothing funny! Or rather, this is an issue of our motherland¡¯s honour!¡¹ ¡¸You hadn¡¯t thought of this until you¡¯re explained to in detail; what are you getting angry at now? Rudbeck-geika had realised this on that occasion, you know?¡¹ When Dimitar muttered coldly, Karin who had set herself onto a cushion looked at Valeria fleetingly as she concealed the lower half of her face with a plume folding fan. ¡¸I thought for sure that you were suppressing your anger after knowing about it, ¡­but I¡¯m sorry, it looks like I¡¯ve overestimated you too much again¡¹ ¡¸Hey! Is that something which you¡¯ve to purposely say to me now!? In the first place, what does ¡°again¡± means; ¡°again¡±!¡¹ Karin¡¯s ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± wasn¡¯t filled with apologetic feelings as usual. For Valeria who knew her well, it could only be heard as a provocation phrase that angered the other party instead. Bettina, who had been opening her visor and throwing food into her armour with a ¡°gashan mogumogu, gashan mogumogu¡±, spoke to Valeria who was pacing around a little inside the spacious tent. ¡¸Valeria-samaa, please calm down at any rate. It¡¯s already late at night, and there are people on the lookout in the surroundings, so if you scream in an overly loud voice, everything could be heard¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand Valeria¡¯s anger as well though~¡¹ The tent, which the Seal Chivalric Order had carried for the sake of stopping one night here, had the same size as the one that the Crown Prince used during expeditions; it was fully furnished with a low table at its centre, cushions which substituted a sofa for the Dominas to relax, and even assembly-type beds. Petra, who was sitting on one of those beds and polishing her glasses¡¯ lens, looked at Valeria with upturned eyes. ¡¸It¡¯s natural to get angry if you¡¯re being treated like an extra of that stern Her Eminence. It¡¯s just as if Amaddo had submitted to Haiderota~¡¹ ¡¸Right!? If it¡¯s a condition like this from now, we don¡¯t know what kind of harassment we¡¯ll encounter after arriving at Aurillac!¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s enough, so don¡¯t make a loud voice at each and every thing¡¹ Storing the sword which he had done maintenance on into its scabbard, Dimitar stood up. Turning over the rug which was suspended at the entrance for insulation with a ¡°perari¡±, he peeked at the situation outside. Although it had lasted somehow while he was eating his dinner, the rain had been sprinkling since just now. When considering that the journey would still continue by carriage for a while, it was unpleasant that too much heavy rain was falling. While listening to the ¡°sara sara¡± sound of rainfall, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸His Highness knows that easy-going His Excellency well. Therefore, thinking that such an incident might be possible, it seems that he had prepared a plan from the beginning¡¹ ¡¸A plan?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It appears that the plan has arrived¡¹ Dimitar greatly turned over the rug again and invited the visitors who had come in the middle of the rain inside. ¡¸Excuse us for coming here at night¡¹ The ones who had said so and carried in a black long chest were the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s substantial top and its right-hand man, the Lucius Richternach and Derek Lindegoa pair. ¡¸Lu, Lucius-sama!?¡¹ Valeria, who had been pacing around inside the tent with an irritated look until then, hurriedly sat on a cushion and fixed the untidiness of her hair. Lucius and Lindegoa placed the long chest onto the ground, sighed with a ¡°hoo¡± and smiled. ¡¸These are presents from His Highness to both Her Eminences¡¹ ¡¸Presents?¡¹ ¡¸¡±I hope that you¡¯ll pulverise Sigibert-kakka¡¯s ulterior motive for me with these tomorrow¡±; His Highness did say it like that¡¹ Lucius spoke proudly in some respects and opened the cover of the long chest. ¡¸Eh¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸These are¡­¡¹ The girls looked into the long chest and raised voices of wonder respectively. ¡¸Fuwaaaa¡­! T, this is amazing~!¡¹ ¡¸Ah~¡­when seeing things like these, as expected, it¡¯s frustrating that I didn¡¯t become a Dominas~¡¹ Valeria looked up at Lucius, ¡¸T, thank you very much for going out of your way to do this! We¡¯ve specially troubled Lucius-sama¡¯s hands¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Iya, it¡¯s all right. ¡­If I¡¯ve to tell you the truth, then it¡¯s because the members are slightly disputing among themselves on who will carry this here¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Other than this Dimitar¡¹ Lucius thereupon poked Dimitar lightly on his elbow. ¡¸¡ªGenerally, men are living things who are thinking about wanting to become acquaintances with beautiful and clever women. Especially if the other parties are active service Dominas; after all, they¡¯re flowers on a high peak whom they wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to exchange words with easily¡¹ ¡¸No way¡­¡¹ Valeria was blushing in the cheeks and shaking her body with a ¡°furi furi¡±. Although Valeria was being shy like this in front of Lucius, if one assumed that Lucius didn¡¯t know what her usual form was, then one couldn¡¯t help saying that this was fairly joyous. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar leaned against the tent¡¯s prop and sighed quietly. Valeria was the sole daughter of the Costacurta House, and Lucius was also the son and heir of the Richternach House. When considering the circumstance where both of them must continue their family names, no matter how Valeria lavished her charm on him, it was impossible to take Lucius as her husband. The figure of the girl who continued her pointless endeavour was humorous, and even though he also felt just a bit of pity, Dimitar didn¡¯t say anything particularly. ¡¸Dii¡¹ Lucius spoke to Dimitar in a whisper. ¡¸¡­Haiderota will most likely carry out small harassment like this from now on as well. As expected, they won¡¯t act in a behaviour that will become a diplomatic issue, but it¡¯s better to think that it¡¯s natural that they¡¯ll do things which they¡¯ll politically use¡¹ ¡¸I guess so¡¹ ¡¸Though we¡¯ll return to the capital tomorrow, we¡¯re relying on you only hereafter. Valeria-jou is an innocent lady, and Karin-jou is intelligent, ¡ªbut how should I put it, they¡¯re different from you¡¹ ¡¸They don¡¯t have the craftiness?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t say it to that extent. ¡­I just wanted to say that unlike you, they lack the maliciousness, so they may not notice the plans of those people who have evil intentions¡¹ ¡¸Ma, I won¡¯t deny that though¡¹ Dimitar was thinking that it was fine that his role was a part like that. Rather, for these girls who¡ªcould be called ¡°pure¡± in a sense¡ªwere ignorant of the ways of this world, if there wasn¡¯t someone who was conversely well aware of the world¡¯s dirtiness beside them, they¡¯d be easily deceived and get caught in a plan; anyway, they¡¯d probably stumble somewhere. It might unexpectedly be because of such a thought that Orvieto pushed him to be Valeria¡¯s Hiera Glaphicos too. ¡¸¡ªWell then, we shall leave soon¡¹ ¡¸Ah! Lucius-sama, at least leave after you¡¯ve drank a cup of tea or something¡­¡¹ Valeria looked back to the table while saying such thing. However, there was no way that she could prepare tea of course. Since Dimitar knew that Lucius would bring over the Crown Prince¡¯s secret plan, he had driven the maids out from the tent for the Dominas beforehand. Dimitar softly informed Valeria who was looking around her surroundings with an ¡°awa awa¡±. ¡¸¡­If you wish for it, shall I go and get hot water and tea leaves? The maids¡¯ tent is right next to us, and if it¡¯s for covering up the face of Her Eminence who likes Lucius-sama very much, I can at least endure going in the middle of the rain and coming back¡¹ ¡¸Hey!? W, why are you purposely using such a way of speaking¡ª¡¹ ¡¸To be worked hard by Her Eminence is my job after all. I don¡¯t mind that you thrust an unreasonable demand at me without reservation like you always do. I¡¯ll accomplish it even if I¡¯ve to clench my teeth¡¹ ¡¸I-I-I-I-I! I, I didn¡¯t! I, I, I! Be it that sort of unreasonable demand or working him hard, I, I didn¡¯t do such things! I, I didn¡¯t do it!¡¹ Shaking her head with a ¡°buru buru¡±, Valeria¡¯s face turned bright red and she appealed to Lucius. ¡¸I know¡¹ Lucius nodded with a bitter smile mixed in and struck Dimitar¡¯s back with a ¡°bashin¡±. Keeping the smile which faced the girls as it was, he lowered his voice again and spoke to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­You, be moderate in teasing her too¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because she¡¯s strangely in high spirits even though she¡¯s in the middle of an important mission. Her self-consciousness is insufficient¡¹ ¡¸Even if that¡¯s the case, causing her to be embarrassed and making her have unpleasant feelings is wrong, you know? I won¡¯t tell you to get along with her, but cease the behaviour which will purposely create the cause of discord¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar nodded. If he did any more than this, the serious Lucius might really start to get angry. ¡¸Well then, we¡¯ll be leaving¡¹ Lucius and Lindegoa courteously bowed and left the girls¡¯ tent. ¡¸¡ªOi, Gacha Pink¡¹ Dimitar carried Jagieruka¡¯s scabbard on his shoulder and called out to Bettina, who was looking inside the long chest with a pose which whether or not she had a greedy countenance¡ªwas unclear, but gave that sort of feeling somehow, once. ¡¸You¡¯ll stay up all night here. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re acting as a guard officer too, all right?¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ ¡¸Ufufu, I¡¯m so happy~¡¹ Hitting Bachururus¡¯s sparkling helmet with a ¡°pechi pechi¡±, Petra laughed with a ¡°nihe~e¡±. ¡¸We¡¯ll hold a big chatting meeting for fellow girls with everyone tonight, won¡¯t we?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! So don¡¯t sleep! I¡¯ll keep night watch tonight!¡¹ ¡¸¡­There¡¯d be no point in you keeping night watch if everyone is staying up all night though¡¹ Putting his hand on his forehead, Dimitar went out underneath the sky that was drizzling rain. Although he was an exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, Dimitar couldn¡¯t sleep in the same tent as Valeria and party. Dimitar had gotten a small tent prepared for him in the nearby vicinity and would intentionally pass the night there without sleeping until morning. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who had entered the small tent where even one person couldn¡¯t lie down satisfactorily, held Jagieruka including its scabbard in his arms, sat down and put on a blanket from his shoulders. While wearing his boots, he didn¡¯t change his clothes or lie down so that he was ready for the worst case and could rush out any time. Spending one night in this posture was, contrary to expectations, tiring, but coming to a clean decision that it was also within his job, Dimitar quietly closed his eyes. ??? The river¡¯s water level was rising more than usual was probably because the rain had concentrated in a short time and fallen on the upstream mountain area. The water becoming murky due to the mud, and furthermore, green trees¡¯ leaves and broken twigs mixing into the stream were supporting that. The rain around here approximates to a drizzle at the most, and it seemed that the damage to the crops was almost none, but as expected, when it became midnight, the figures of people going out in the vicinity was zero. However, that was if one excluded a group in black mantles which was assembled in the vicinity of the bridge¡ª. It was a sturdy bridge which the inhabitants of the neighbourhood had put forward an appeal to the country to safely cross over this river where the water level often rose due to the influence of torrential rain and was only completed just around 10 years ago. If one got close to the guardrail and looked down at the river surface, it was akin to looking down at the ground from above a belfry; there were probably people who experienced dizziness at the height. The men under the bridge were submerged to the top of their knees in the river¡¯s current, holding onto the middle bridge pier and doing something. Whenever the front of a mantle split, a black uniform flickered from beneath that. ¡¸¡­Is a construction like this really necessary?¡¹ The man beside a youth in a coat, who was watching over the work of those mantles from above the bridge, asked him in a low voice. ¡¸To carry out such a construction at a place like this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What kind of meaning is there¡ªis it?¡¹ With a sigh mixed in, the youth finished the man¡¯s sentence. ¡¸Whether it has a meaning or not, I don¡¯t know. It certainly seems like she¡¯s reading too much into things, but Her Eminence¡¯s thoughts have parts that are difficult for us petty officers to comprehend. ¡­However, Her Eminence had wished for this in any case. It¡¯s fine if we work as per the instructions¡¹ ¡¸But¡­! Is Cyril-sama fine with that!? To be told to serve a young girl of an unknown origin like that all of a sudden¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Pay attention to your words. You¡¯re being disrespectful¡¹ The youth¡ªCyril Duebur rebuked the man, who was the equivalent of his adjutant, and looked down at the mantles working on the river surface. ¡¸This isn¡¯t only the Royal Prince-denka¡¯s (the king¡¯s younger brother), but also the King-heika¡¯s idea. Our country made the decision to put that girl up as a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. ¡ªThe lantern¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Making his adjutant carry the lantern, Cyril spread the map that was drawn on a parchment. Tracing this river and the highway that intersected it with his finger, he looked out far off in the northwest direction. However, in this night where the moon and stars were being limited a great deal due to the rain clouds, only the deep black silhouette of the forest could be seen at the most; it was practically the same as seeing nothing. At that moment, the soldiers who had been working under the bridge looked up at Cyril and shouted. ¡¸Cyril-sama! The work has been completed!¡¹ ¡¸All right¡­everyone come up! We¡¯ll return before the day breaks¡¹ The soldiers, who had been working in the river at Cyril¡¯s instruction, followed a rope which was suspended from the riverbank and went up in succession. Although they should have been quite fatigued to have continued their work while going against the river¡¯s current, it didn¡¯t feel that those movements had slackened. ¡¸In the first place, what¡¯s necessary for a Dominas isn¡¯t lineage, but pure ability and resourcefulness¡¹ Straddling a horse that was tied at the entrance of the forest, Cyril said so. ¡¸Where you were born in and whose child are you, such things are inconsequential. ¡­And now, what¡¯s requested of us is to prove that our Dominas is even more superior than Aurillac¡¯s Dominas. For the sake of that, no matter what thing it is, I¡¯ll definitely do it¡¹ The soldiers, who had soaked in the river and worked, and the soldiers, who had been keeping watch of the surroundings on top of the bridge, imitated Cyril and mounted their horses. The night rain which had increased its force just a little might have concealed the sounds of their horses¡¯ hooves well. ¡¸At any rate before long, I¡¯ll make them understand¡­who¡¯s the older brother and who¡¯s the inferior younger brother¡¹ Wiping his face that had gotten wet in the rain, Cyril caused the bridle to resound and began to gallop. ??? Perhaps because of last night¡¯s rain, today¡¯s morning air was moist and felt gentle on the skin somehow. Although the sun had only stepped into a low position in the sky, it also seemed as if that radiance was making a firm promise of today¡¯s clear weather. While both sides¡¯ Chivalric Orders¡¯ members were beginning the preparations for breakfast, Dimitar held a wooden sword that was used for practice in his left hand and stood face to face with Lucius who held a similar wooden sword. Ever since Dimitar lived alone, the opportunity to do sword practices by the two of them had decreased remarkably. Even if he went and visited Lucius¡¯s mansion, due to the wilfulness of Orvieto who would say ¡¸If you¡¯ve the free time to swing wooden sticks, then the both of you please be my opponents¡¹, that opportunity would be snatched away at once. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar originally wasn¡¯t left-handed. Lucius who was facing him also held the wooden sword in his left hand and turned his right hand to the back of his waist. In order to be able to cut the way through predicaments even if they injured their dominant arms, they used the swords with just their left hands like this and practised. Omitting useless movements, seeing each other¡¯s distance and unleashing thrusts, or quickly moving their bodies back; at a glance, there was no flashiness, but a slow and steady war of nerves, as if whittling away the mind, was going on. ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t the dawn a little noisy?¡¹ Evading the blow of Lucius who had utilised his wrist and cut upwards, Dimitar who had jumped greatly opened his mouth at the same time when he quietly spat out a breath. ¡¸Maybe something appeared, I guess¡¹ Brushing away the long hair that clung onto his cheek, Lucius answered. ¡¸¡ªThere are things that will appear variously along the national border¡¹ ¡¸I know that, but there¡¯s no report here at all?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll report it. ¡­However, His Highness and His Excellency are still resting. They¡¯re just waiting for them to wake up, probably¡ª¡¹ Lucius¡¯s words broke off, and a tremendous spirit flew here instead. As if pursuing that, the tip of the wooden sword flashed. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar bent the upper half of his body, avoided the wooden sword and caught his breath slightly. If it was an unrefined crossing of swords like colliding bodies and all, one wouldn¡¯t think that Dimitar was inferior to Lucius. One wouldn¡¯t know about the past, but Dimitar¡¯s body was bigger than Lucius¡¯s now, and his pure physical strength was probably higher too. However, when it came to practices like competing with each other¡¯s number of moves, speed and accuracy in this way, he could by no means win against Lucius. If one were to speak of predicting the opponent¡¯s movement with keen observing eyes and elaborate calculations and then moving, Lucius was one step higher than Dimitar. Dimitar narrowed his eyes and then said to Lucius. ¡¸¡­Shouldn¡¯t we bring this to an end soon?¡¹ Before they knew it, those unoccupied people had surrounded at a distance and began to watch Dimitar and Lucius¡¯s practice. This was more or less a familiar scene for the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s people¡ªwhen he was still an apprentice member, Dimitar had often practised with Lucius¡ª, but considering the Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s people, the practice of the pair who wielded wooden swords with one hand while sealing off their dominant hands might seem very unusual. Lucius bent his head slightly to one side and smiled. ¡¸Do you hate losing in public?¡¹ ¡¸If I had to say, I hate exposing my skills more. Especially to Haiderota¡¯s people¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ Nodding exaggeratedly, Lucius lowered his sword. There, Sigibert turned up, bringing a sporadic applause along with him. ¡¸Yaa yaa, what zealousness since the morning. ¡­Were you able to sleep well last night, honourable guests?¡¹ ¡¸This is¡­good morning, Your Excellency¡¹ Dimitar matched Lucius and bowed to Sigibert. He had noticed that Sigibert was watching them from a little while ago. Rather, he had noticed Clotilde who was beside Sigibert. The plump Dominas who was called Malena or something was also together with them, but from what Dimitar had observed, that person was weak in moving her body by herself, and her combat-related skills were probably all equally low. The matter of Dimitar saying that he didn¡¯t want to expose his skills substantially meant that he didn¡¯t want to show them to Clotilde. ¡¸Nevertheless¡­do you always carry out that kind of strange practice in the Seal Chivalric Order? It¡¯s a practice method that isn¡¯t seen very much in our country though¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s not carried out in the group. It¡¯s not something that can be recommended to everybody after all¡¹ ¡¸Hohou¡­¡¹ Sigibert stopped his hand that was waving the riding crop with a ¡°shupi shupi¡±, ¡¸¡ªWell then, how about this? For the sake of a future reference, can I not request for a contest with someone from my Chivalric Order? Iya, I¡¯d like to request that by all means¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar fleetingly peeked at Lucius¡¯s expression with a sidelong glance. Although Sigibert had said so in a light tone, if this turned into Lucius having a contest with a person of the Gale Chivalric Order, the honours of both sides would hinge on it whether he wanted it or not. Of course, Dimitar didn¡¯t think that Lucius would lose so easily, but this wasn¡¯t a match that he could thoughtlessly accept without Isaac¡¯s permission. However, having said that, to decline on the spot would be similar to the Seal Chivalric Order running away from a match against the Gale Chivalric Order, and its image would become worse. In any case, he probably had to ask for Isaac¡¯s decision. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ When Dimitar was thinking if he should go to Isaac¡¯s tent to inform him of this matter, Isaac came along while yawning consecutively, as though he had chosen a suitable timing for his appearance. Valeria and Karin, and moreover, Petra and Bettina were following in the rear as well. ¡¸I think it¡¯s fine to do so¡¹ Dispensing with all the greetings, Isaac rubbed his eye and nodded. ¡¸¡ªAs for the ability of Sigibert-kun¡¯s prideful Gale Chivalric Order, even I¡¯d like you to show it to me. How about a match as a light exercise before breakfast? However, magic is excluded¡¹ ¡¸Isaac-denka¡¯s approval has also been given out¡­Arushanbor!¡¹ When Sigibert raised his riding crop, a tall man stepped forward from among the onlookers who had been watching Dimitar and Lucius¡¯s martial arts practice until a little while ago. On top of his eyes being small and not knowing where he was looking at, it was also hard to read what he was thinking of from his taciturn expression. Sigibert clapped on that man¡¯s shoulder and said proudly. ¡¸¡ªThis man is Nicola Arushanbor. He has mastered sword and magic at the same time, and is a brave man who contends for first, second even in our Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸Fu¡ªn¡¹ Isaac who had been staring at Arushanbor absentmindedly held back Lucius who tried to take a step forward. ¡¸¡­Your Highness?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­let¡¯s go with Dii-kun here¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Although Dimitar¡¯s eyebrows quivered with a ¡°bikuu¡± instantly, he wasn¡¯t particularly surprised. After all, he had immediately understood what Isaac was thinking about. Rather, it was Valeria, who was behind the Crown Prince, who was opening her eyes wide in astonishment with an expression that seemed to want to say ¡¸Ee!? Why isn¡¯t it Lucius-sama!?¡¹. ¡¸Dii¡­¡¹ ¡¸No problem¡¹ Telling Lucius a few words, Dimitar stroked his nape and stepped forward to the front. ¡¸Malena Puyol-geika¡¹ ¡¸Haa, haii!¡¹ Malena, who was suddenly called by her name by Clotilde, saluted with a ¡°bishii¡± in a hurry. Clotilde supported Malena¡¯s back with her hand, ¡¸¡­Unlike me who is a military person, Puyol-geika is an expert in healing magic. She can heal a small injury in a flash¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is, so compete to your heart¡¯s content¡¹ In other words, the other party probably had the intention of coming to seriously knock him down without going easy on him whatsoever. In fact, if it was Arushanbor who had been practice-swinging a wooden sword silently since just now, he¡¯d no doubt make two or three armed soldiers beyond recovery in the blink of an eye despite the difficulties. The circle of onlookers had become bigger than a little while ago. In the centre, Arushanbor and Dimitar, who was opposite him, held wooden swords in the right hands of their dominant arms and took deep breaths greatly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Although the sound of a bell signalling the start of the contest didn¡¯t ring in particular, the fight had already begun. Dimitar perceived so. In proportion to Arushanbor being taller by a head, his reach was also longer. The other side might be higher in physical strength as well. When it came to having a match with purely sword techniques only without using magic, fighting methods like the usual couldn¡¯t be done. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Arushanbor came moving straight from the front. ¡¸!¡¹ Dimitar drew back his body and dodged the blow from a directly front and overhead position. If he had thought to stop that blow carelessly, he¡¯d be overpowered as it was and receive the wooden sword on the crown of his head. Arushanbor promptly switched the wooden sword, which was evaded by Dimitar and sank into the ground, over to a violent thrust. ¡¸Fuu¡ª¡¹ While letting the three blows of thrusts which had extended towards him in succession slide on the back of his wooden sword to ward them off, Dimitar slipped into Arushanbor¡¯s chest together with a short shout and drove a compactly folded up left elbow strike into the large man¡¯s solar plexus. ¡¸Guu¡­¡¹ The voice of Arushanbor which Dimitar heard for the first time was such a muttered groan. Even so, the taciturn large man only retreated slightly, and there was no indication of him admitting defeat. Of course, if just now was a real battle, Dimitar would probably have stabbed the knife, which was always inserted in his boots, into him instead of doing a naive action like an elbow strike. When Dimitar showed sign of shortening the distance even more and attacking further, Arushanbor hurriedly tried to jump back. At that timing, Dimitar trampled on the toe of Arushanbor¡¯s boots. ¡¸Muo!? ¡ª¡¹ Being tall meant that his centre of gravity was high, that was to say, it was connected to the fact that it was easy to destroy his balance. Arushanbor instantly unleashed his wooden sword as he fell backwards, but Dimitar agilely evaded it and in return, softly pressed Arushanbor¡¯s shoulder down. ¡¸¡­Guu!¡¹ Thrusting his wooden sword at the throat of Arushanbor who had easily fallen down face up, Dimitar looked back at Isaac. ¡¸¡ªAre, it ended very easily, didn¡¯t it?¡¹ Even though Isaac had called out to him so while grinning, Sigibert couldn¡¯t say anything as he left his mouth open with a ¡°pokan¡±. The reaction of the spectators from Haiderota¡¯s side was more or less something similar. They probably never thought that Arushanbor would be defeated so easily. Just one person, only Clotilde was staring at Dimitar with a stern expression. ¡¸Ma, maa, things like this also happen. Un, they happen¡¹ As if he had finally woken up from a dream, Sigibert shook his head lightly. ¡¸¡ªAfter all is said and done, this isn¡¯t a real battle. If this is a real battle, it wouldn¡¯t turn out this way. If it¡¯s a real battle!¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps that might be so. If this is a real battle, I think our Richternach-kyou would have won even faster. After all, he¡¯s good at magic too¡¹ ¡¸W-w, what did you say!? P-p, please try to say it once more, Isaac-kun!¡¹ ¡¸Call me ¡°Isaac-denka¡±, Sigibert-kun¡¹ ¡¸Kuoh¡­! T, that¡¯s irrelevant now, right!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s right. We were talking about your subordinate being easily defeated by my subordinate¡¹ ¡¸Mugi¡ªi!¡¹ Sigibert tore his hair off with a ¡°bari bari¡± and bit on the edge of his splendid mantle. ¡¸¡ªB, b-b, but it¡¯s that, that! T-t, the strongest person in my Chivalric Order, isn¡¯t A-A, A, Arushanbor, you know!? In reality, Diaghilev-geika is the strongest! She¡¯s first, and Arushanbor is second! That¡¯s why, hora, i-i, it, i, it¡¯s regrettable if you thought that you¡¯ve w-w, won because of a thing like this! Y, you, like I said, s, s-s, stop being conceited too!?¡¹ ¡¸What? Are you perhaps cold? Shivering ¡°gachi gachi¡± like that? Or are you trembling in anger?¡¹ ¡¸I-I, I¡¯m not trembling in particular!¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? But maa, if we go by your line of argument, then Dimitar-kun isn¡¯t particularly first in our Chivalric Order as well. The most talented one is Lucius-kun, and far from being the second in position, Dimitar-kun is a child who was dismissed from the Chivalric Order for bad behaviour. ¡­Even so, it looks like he¡¯s an opponent who is too heavy of a burden for the second in position from your place¡¹ ¡¸Mugigigigigigi¡­! S, so you didn¡¯t throw the vice-leader, but that young man here with that intention from the beginning, Isaac¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Did I not say to call me ¡°Your Highness¡±, Sigibert-kun¡¹ ¡¸Mugyah¡ªh!¡¹ While watching the form of Sigibert unsightly losing his composure with a sidelong glance, Dimitar grasped Arushanbor¡¯s hand and helped him up. ¡¸My apologies¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When Dimitar bowed lightly, Arushanbor, without a single word, bowed even deeper and departed from that spot. He was a really simple man. ¡¸I thought that since it was you, maybe you¡¯d thoroughly beat him though¡¹ When Dimitar came back to Lucius, Valeria who had shrewdly taken up position beside Lucius spoke in a tone that seemed to be making fun of him in some respects. ¡¸¡ªOn top of that, you apologised; that¡¯s really unexpected¡¹ ¡¸¡­Are you an idiot?¡¹ Returning his rolled up sleeves to their previous positions, Dimitar sighed. To be the opponent of this girl was much more tiring than having one match against the opponent, Arushanbor. ¡¸Although it became a fighting mess on that His Excellency¡¯s whim, he isn¡¯t an opponent whom I originally have a grudge against, and above all, we¡¯re having those people guard us from here on, you know? It might become troublesome if we provoke them more than necessary¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Valeria¡¯s smile stiffened. While it might be true that they could heal with magic as much as they wanted, there was no way that Dimitar could viciously beat an opponent whom they¡¯d receive assistance from after this. Although Isaac didn¡¯t say anything, what was requested of Dimitar from the beginning was such a subtle discretion. But then, since Isaac was persistently teasing Sigibert like that, it seemed that Dimitar¡¯s effort was also in vain and that they had earn the Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s animosity. Arranging the collar of his shirt, Dimitar wiped the sweat that had slightly surfaced on his forehead. Although rain had fallen last night, it looked like it¡¯d be a fair weather today in the daytime at least. There¡¯d probably be many people who would come to gather along the highway to take a look at the Dominas too. When he thought that maybe that His Excellency would then go crazy again, Dimitar believed that he¡¯d reap what he sowed; on the other hand, he was also slightly annoyed with him. Volume 3 - CH 4.1 As planned for some time, the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) turned towards Roma and backtracked. After seeing that off, Valeria and party departed for the capital of Haiderota, Aurillac, guarded by the Gale Chivalric Order. From today, they¡¯d board a roofless carriage that Haiderota had prepared, and then advanced while making themselves pleasant to the people at the roadside. Of the people who had crowded at the roadside, some were looking up at Valeria and party in a daze, and some were waving their hands wildly. In any case, it was proof that Valeria and party had tightly caught hold of their hearts. ¡¸This itself¡­feels good, on the contrary¡¹ Waving her hand with a flutter from atop the carriage, Valeria spoke to Karin who was beside her. ¡¸Yes. As for Sigibert-kakka, I guess he¡¯s getting angry that it didn¡¯t go according to plan though¡¹ Karin who replied so and Valeria as well, had adorned their whole bodies with tiaras and accessories that they never wear, and had put on even fluffier mantles from above their tabards. Although the degree of exposure of their skin had decreased a lot, one could say that their entire gorgeousness and impressiveness had increased considerably. By having Clotilde, dressed in an awe-inspiring military uniform, stand at the head of a dazzling battle formation, and showing the form of Valeria and party being jolted in the carriage and coming along at the rear to everybody, he¡¯d implicitly show their own country¡¯s Dominas protecting another country¡¯s Dominas¡ªin other words, Sigibert most likely intended to appeal something like the power relationship of the two. However, since Valeria and party¡¯s gorgeousness had increased in this way, the matter of them being treated like Clotilde¡¯s extras was avoided. At a glance, the seemingly happy-go-lucky Crown Prince had seen through Sigibert¡¯s aim and brought in these clothing from Amaddo from the start. Heavily adding even more parts like this to the tabard which was considered to be the uniform of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas was something that should happen on the occasion of some special ceremony or so. In fact, it was during the investiture of Dominas that Valeria and Karin were in these appearances before; this was their second time since then. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, I wonder why we aren¡¯t in this appearance regularly? Something is strange about the uniform being lighter¡¹ Picking up the cloth of the mantle that she usually didn¡¯t wear very much, Valeria tilted her head to the side. ¡¸Are you able to take that off immediately at the critical moment?¡¹ Dimitar, who was sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat of the carriage, muttered in a whisper as he faced the front. ¡¸¡­Maa, the reason is probably more or less like that. It¡¯s true that I also want to be in an appearance of this much regularly though¡¹ It didn¡¯t look like she minded it very much, but as expected, it didn¡¯t seem to mean that Karin also wasn¡¯t opposed to the usual style that had a lot of exposure. ¡¸¡­To be in that appearance day and night, I think just Babel-geika, who has no chance to leave the capital unless something very serious happen, is enough¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mentioned it, Babel-geika is in this appearance whenever we meet. ¡­Or rather, you know Babel-geika?¡¹ ¡¸More or less¡¹ Needless to say Amaddo, the ¡°Immortal Dominas¡± who stood at the top of all the Dominas¡ªShakira Babel seldom came outside from the Bradmante palace that was built close to ¡°Hill of Seal¡± at the outskirts of Roma. A point of contact for Dimitar and Shakira didn¡¯t seem to exist. ¡¸Hey, how did you get to know her? Even we, have only met her three times so far¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ask the person herself if you¡¯ve the chance. It isn¡¯t something to be said by me. ¡­More importantly, don¡¯t let your guard down too much just because you¡¯re popular¡¹ ¡¸I-I, I didn¡¯t let my guard down in particular¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good if that¡¯s the case¡¹ While saying so, Dimitar casually let his gaze fly to the vicinity. Even though their surroundings were enclosed by the Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s horseback riders, only he alone had been feeling tense since just now. ¡¸You can¡¯t put your trust in the Haiderota¡¯s guards that much?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t say that the Chivalric Order here is inexperienced in combat. They¡¯re probably much better than our close friend club. ¡ªHowever, this place still isn¡¯t so far away from the national border¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Certainly, this place still wasn¡¯t so distant from the national border. If she felt like it, she probably could gallop a horse and return to Amaddo¡¯s territory without taking an hour. However, Valeria couldn¡¯t understand why he was being overly concerned by that. ¡¸It¡¯s because nasty thieves frequently appear at plots of land along borders like this¡¹ Perhaps he had anticipated Valeria¡¯s question, Dimitar answered before he was asked. ¡¸Is there some relation between borders and thieves?¡¹ ¡¸There is. ¡­From the thieves¡¯ perspective, even if they¡¯re chased by the authorities, they won¡¯t be pursued anymore if they cross the border¡¹ ¡¸¡­You mean that they can¡¯t give chase, to the extent of rashly crossing the border, since it¡¯ll become a violation of national border?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. It won¡¯t become a problem if our relationship is good like Amaddo and Diruma¡¯s, but even though we¡¯re in an alliance relationship, it doesn¡¯t mean that Amaddo and Haiderota are so intimate. Since they can go back and forth between such two countries and shake off their pursuers, this environment might resemble a paradise for the thieves¡¹ ¡¸¡­Does the fact that it was noisy at dawn perhaps have some connection to that?¡¹ ¡¸Ehh?¡¹ Valeria opened her eyes wide in surprise at Karin¡¯s words. Although they had slept in the same tent, Valeria completely didn¡¯t notice the noisiness that Karin had sensed. ¡¸Did Petra notice it? Nee?¡¹ ¡¸Me? Not at~all¡¹ ¡¸And Bettina?¡¹ Setting aside Petra who had slept earlier than Valeria, Bettina said that she¡¯d keep watch throughout the night, so she should have noticed something if she was awake. However, when Bettina¡ªwho was waving her hand towards the roadside with greater joy than Valeria and party for some reason¡ªwas asked by Valeria, ¡¸Eh? Ah¡ª¡­ehehe. I fell asleep halfway and didn¡¯t notice it¡¹ ¡¸You really¡­¡¹ ¡¸But everyone had gone to sleep before me, and it was boring to stay awake just by myself; as expected, I get sleepy unless I talk¡¹ ¡¸Can such a thing be a reason for negligence; even though you¡¯re the night watch¡¹ Speaking bitterly in a whisper, Dimitar stroked his neck. ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t know whether this morning¡¯s disturbance was the incursion of thieves from somewhere or not, but it¡¯s a fact that there are many thieves in this country¡¹ ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t recorded in the history books,¡± Dimitar continued. ¡¸Haiderota¡¯s national policy is that its military expansion is the top priority, so the tax is heavy. Since there¡¯s also labour especially in the rural districts, everyone is suffering. A part of the peasants who had gotten tired of lives like that abandoned their villages and took refuge in the towns, but the world isn¡¯t so lenient. Most of the people, who had dreamt of an easy life and then gathered in the towns, faced the reality that things didn¡¯t proceed as they had hoped and let their dissatisfaction smoulder. ¡ªIt¡¯s a thing called ¡°typical urban illness¡±¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria fixedly stared at the back of Dimitar who had started to say scholar-like things suddenly. She also thought of this when she had ran into him in the Magic Academy¡¯s library¡ªit was vexing to acknowledge this sharp-tongued man¡ªbut he was a diligent studious person. And perhaps that stemmed from the desire to try not to besmirch the honour of the name called ¡°Richternach¡±, Lucius and Orvieto. ¡¸¡ªOf those people who had such dissatisfaction, it¡¯s easy for the young people especially to incline towards crimes. Even if they cause troubles in the towns and escape, since they can¡¯t return to their hometowns, they¡¯ll generally hide in the plains and become thieves. On the other hand, the army is huge, so it¡¯s easy to carry out frauds too. There are also probably many bad soldiers who think of putting the army¡¯s weapons on the black market to make an earning. ¡­The thieves who stop being peasants in this way become an armed and troublesome existence¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, why does Richternach-kyou know such things?¡¹ Karin then voiced Valeria¡¯s doubt for her. ¡¸In the first place, no matter which country you go to, the ones who are the most well-informed in the various countries¡¯ states of affairs are the merchants. If you carefully listen to the conversations that such people get drunk and talk on and on, even if you¡¯re in Amaddo, you can guess the various countries¡¯ states of affairs to a certain extent¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, Dimi-san is lodging at a bar¡¹ ¡¸Merchants who have finished their everyday businesses will gather in that kind of store and exchange information with each other or come together to express their dissatisfaction¡¹ ¡¸Are you perhaps living in such a place for that?¡¹ ¡¸That wasn¡¯t my aim in particular though¡¹ Dimitar looked at the girls fleetingly, ¡¸¡­More importantly, now that His Highness has returned, the person who can stop that His Excellency¡¯s sarcasms is gone. Will your side be all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­I¡¯ll be all right¡¹ Karin, who had nodded slightly, directed a meaningful gaze towards Valeria. ¡¸E, even I¡¯ll be all right!? I can splendidly ward off one or two sarcasms!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be nice if it¡¯s only sarcasm that comes flying though¡¹ ¡°Exactly what sort of basis do you have?¡± Dimitar said such a thing and made Valeria feel unpleasant. In the path of the ostentatious procession, a large clock tower¡¯s silhouette came into view. It was Klutoreto, a leading big town even in the southern part of Haiderota. ¡¸¡­I heard that a lodging house has been prepared in that town¡¹ ¡¸It was a simple bed last night; looks like I can slowly rest tonight¡¹ Sighing with a ¡°hoo¡±, Valeria looked up at the sky. She felt as though the clouds had increased a little more than before noon. Perhaps it might rain again. Volume 3 - CH 4.2 That day, the Costacurta House received a rare guest for the first time in several years. He was Vicente Barunaro¡ªthat was to say, the younger brother, who was far apart in age, of Valeria¡¯s father, Borha. Although the Barunaro House was a prominent mercantile house even in Roma, the second son, Borha, who was hard to say to have business ability by any standard, was adopted into his wife¡¯s family, the Costacurta House, together with a large amount of dowry. Afterwards, the eldest brother succeeded the parents¡¯ house, and the youngest child, Vicente, was made to work at the place of a person in the same profession in the neighbouring country, Picabia. It was their deceased father¡¯s judgement to entrust him to other people and let him diligently accumulate experience as a merchant, and then get him to eventually return to the parents¡¯ home and assist his eldest brother¡¯s business rather than being pampered and be brought up in the parents¡¯ home. That Vicente said that he had received a rare vacation and came to visit Borha. ¡¸Roughly¡­how many years have it been since then?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­if I remember correctly, it was when Valeria was still around 10 that you intruded previously, so isn¡¯t it at least five, six years already?¡¹ Vicente who was led into the Costacurta House¡¯s living room extended his healthily suntanned arm and picked up the wine glass. Vicente, who was more than 12 years younger than Borha, just finally became 30 this year, and was a handsome man with masculine features who didn¡¯t resemble his older brothers. Since the Bellanda Company, which Vicente was entrusted to, traded in various foodstuffs centring on wheat, he probably became like this naturally while carrying heavy sacks of wheat on his shoulder and working. The growth of his younger brother was a small surprise for Borha who remembered well the childhood of Vicente who had a weak constitution; at the same time, he also felt happy. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, exactly what kind of curious turn of event is it? For you to have come to visit my place¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said it, right? I received a vacation¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s a vacation, you should have had it many times during these five years, right? In spite of that, even though you returned to our parents¡¯ home, you didn¡¯t come to show your face at my place at all. It¡¯s normal to think that something special has happened since you suddenly came along now¡¹ ¡¸¡­Borha-aniue is also sharp, contrary to my expectations¡¹ Stroking his chin that had grown a thin beard, Vicente smiled broadly. ¡¸Did you think that I was an idiot!?¡¹ ¡¸Iya iya, I¡¯d never think that Ani-ue who was allowed to go to university was a mere idiot. It just wasn¡¯t entirely being made the best use of for business; if anything, your head is good, isn¡¯t it? However, what¡¯s bad about Ani-ue is that when things become related to Valeria, you really become an idiot. ¡­At any rate, you remained hated by her even now, right?¡¹ ¡¸Gununu¡­!¡¹ When he was being told that, Borha had no words to reciprocate. It was a fact that the relationship between him and his daughter was strained. Vicente, who was grinning and gazing at the expression of such an older brother, suddenly tightened his lips, ¡¸¡­As a matter of fact, I¡¯ve been visiting several places here and there for the purchasing of grains in this one month or so. Hence, I received a vacation the day before yesterday and came back to Roma¡¹ ¡¸Hou¡¹ ¡¸¡­I heard that Valeria is going to Haiderota?¡¹ ¡¸Ha? Ah¡­I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s the goodwill ambassador or what, but umu, she had went out anyway¡¹ Borha became slightly bad-tempered at his younger brother¡¯s words. When he recalled the matter of his daughter¡¯s mission, he remembered even the matter of the impertinent Hiera Glaphicos as it was a set with that. After Vicente had looked around his surroundings as if he was afraid of the vicinity for some reason, he pushed the wine glass aside and leaned his body forward on the low table. ¡¸Though I think that it¡¯ll be terrible if I carelessly talk about a thing like this and then it becomes a strange rumour, ¡­there¡¯s something weighing on my mind just a little. I thought that it might be better to tell it to Ani-ue¡¹ ¡¸What? What in the world is it?¡¹ ¡¸There was a strange change in the market price of grain in Picabia. ¡­It looked like someone purchased quite a sizeable quantity of grains; things such as wheat and corn¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s so strange about that? I don¡¯t understand business well, so explain it a little easier for me to comprehend¡¹ ¡¸To put it simply¡­that¡¯s right, the harvesting of the wheat which was sowed in winter is generally the period after this until summer, but you understand that, don¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Umu¡¹ ¡¸In other words, now is the period when the quantity of wheat which appears on the market is the fewest in the year. Hence, it¡¯s expensive¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­that¡¯s indeed strange. Do you mean that if it¡¯s a bit longer, this year¡¯s harvest will begin, and new wheat will instantly appear on the market, and its market price will also decrease, and yet there¡¯s someone intentionally purchasing them at this timing when the price is high¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. If there¡¯s a famine somewhere, then it¡¯s still understandable, but the climate has also been stable these several years, and there¡¯s no place that seems to be experiencing a famine. I don¡¯t know about the other side of the mountain in the south though¡¹ ¡¸Mu? Then, who on earth would carry out such an uneconomical behaviour? And for what exactly?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s it¡¹ ¡°Kon kon¡±, Vicente tapped the table with his finger and furrowed his brow. ¡¸A situation where a large quantity of grains becomes necessary even though there¡¯s no famine¡ªcan you not guess it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It can¡¯t be?¡¹ Feeling like the outline of the conversation had finally come into sight, Borha¡¯s complexion changed. When grains which constituted staple food like wheat were purchased in a large quantity, what one must consider in the foremost was the possibility of war occurring. No matter how powerful an army might be, it couldn¡¯t fight if there were no provisions. Borha stood up from the sofa, joined his hands together behind his waist and started to walk aimlessly inside the wide living room. ¡¸¡­And the whereabouts of those wheat?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, Bellanda-san also said that he was bothered by this and tried to investigate in different ways, but it seems that quite an amount of wheat is flowing into Yururogu through various wholesale stores¡¹ ¡¸Yururogu¡­!?¡¹ ¡¸In addition, Amaddo¡¯s Dominas said that they¡¯d visit Haiderota at this timing. ¡­It¡¯s a little suspicious, right?¡¹ ¡¸Mu¡­¡¹ Borha slapped his forehead with a ¡°pechin¡± and looked outside the window. There was still a bit more time until evening. If he hurried to the royal palace from now, he might be able to meet with the minister within today. Of course, a mere citizen who didn¡¯t have any kind of title shouldn¡¯t be able to meet with an important person of the government so easily, but even though things might appear this way, Borha came from the wealthy Barunaro House, and moreover, he was the son-in-law of the Costacurta House now; additionally, he was the biological father and guardian of the active service Dominas, Valeria Costacurta. Even without an appointment, he could probably get him to listen to his story at least. ¡¸¡­Vicente, I¡¯m going to the royal palace after this¡¹ ¡¸As expected, you¡¯re going, huh?¡¹ ¡¸Umu. If something were to happen to Valeria by any chance, it won¡¯t be a problem of our Costacurta House only. If it¡¯s the Finance Minister, Kaparos-kyou, I can probably meet him at once¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, please promote Bellanda-san at any cost for me¡¹ Vicente floated a bold smile with a ¡°niyari¡± again and held out his right hand towards his plump older brother. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m not saying that I expect gratitude in return, but I quickly taught you the information that I¡¯ve caught hold of in the business here, so that much is fine, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really understand business though¡¹ Grabbing his younger brother¡¯s hand back, Borha shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸It seems that the master of your workplace is quite a capable person. Though I, who have left the family, am not in the position to be able to say this, study to the utmost; sooner or later, you¡¯ll have to support Ani-ue¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­For the time being, I¡¯ll return to our parents¡¯ home tonight and be Ani-ue¡¯s liquor partner¡¹ The face of Vicente who laughed with a grin was completely an adult already. When Borha who had seen his younger brother, who said that he¡¯d walk leisurely and go back, to the entrance hall returned to his study at a quick pace, he summoned the maids, Nei and Maru. ¡¸I¡¯m going to the royal palace, so I¡¯ll entrust the preparation of the carriage to you. And if I remember correctly, there¡¯s the wine that was sent here from my parents¡¯ home to celebrate Valeria¡¯s Dominas inauguration, right? Hurry up and wrap that up. I¡¯ll make it into a gift to Minister-kakka¡¹ ¡¸Ano¡­is that fine; taking, um, Ojou-sama¡¯s wine out as you please¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Since she said that she didn¡¯t want a present from my parents¡¯ home, ma, it¡¯ll probably be fine¡¹ Borha, who had laughed in what looked to be self-ridicule, noticed that his face in the mirror was slightly nervous and lightly clapped his cheeks. Borha, who was born in the wealthy Barunaro House and was also now the biological father of a Dominas, had not a few opportunities to meet with royalty and titled nobility, so he wouldn¡¯t be nervous because of a meeting with the minister now, but the topic was, as one would expect, a topic this time. ¡¸¡ªThough Valeria didn¡¯t inform me, did you not hear about roughly when she¡¯d be coming back?¡¹ ¡¸Ojou-sama¡¯s return, is it? I was told that it might be a little long this time, but even concretely when it¡¯ll be is¡ª¡¹ Nei who had brought the wine, which was put in a wooden box, from the basement shook her head at Borha¡¯s question. ¡¸¡­Ano, did something happen to Ojou-sama?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be troubled if something happened. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to take measures ahead of time¡¹ Coughing ¡°after all, I can only do that much¡±, Borha personally carried the box of wine in his arms and headed to the entrance hall. Volume 3 - CH 4.3 NOVEMBER 24, 2017 ~ LUMINSTIA Perhaps it was originally supposed to be a lodging for government special envoys coming and going between Amaddo and it, Klutoreto¡¯s tabard inn was something like the residence of a small noble rather than an inn. There was a garden which was specially partitioned by high walls in the front, and despite being near the town¡¯s business district, a moderate degree of silence was assured indoors. It seemed that today¡¯s guests were just the Gale Chivalric Order and Valeria¡¯s party, and it was unlikely that they¡¯d be troubled by curious onlookers. Valeria¡¯s party, who had unpacked their baggage and taken a short rest, gathered in a hall, where a huge table was prepared, for the dinner that began along with the evening. Many dishes of delicious-looking cuisines were lined up on top of the table, and Malena, who had seen those, plainly let her throat sound a ¡°gokuri¡±. As expected, it was easier for Valeria to become friendly with this girl than with Clotilde who seemed to be always wearing a cool-headed mask. ¡¸Well then, once again¡­welcome to Haiderota, both Your Eminences¡¹ Sigibert raised his wine glass and spoke to them. Sitting at the table were Sigibert, Clotilde and Malena, these three people, and moreover, Valeria¡¯s party of four people¡ªValeria and Karin, and also the two Hiera Glaphicos who were opposite to them. ¡¸Though I wasn¡¯t able to provide adequate hospitality yesterday because of the night camping ground, I¡¯ve ordered the chefs to display their abilities tonight. Saa, please eat¡¹ From that statement, it was clearly transparent to see that he wanted them to praise Haiderota¡¯s cooking. Maybe because Isaac had returned to his country and the person who would tease him was gone, it was completely Sigibert¡¯s unrivalled sphere of activity already. Of course, Valeria didn¡¯t intend to needlessly find fault with the cuisines that were lined up on the table. Staking Haiderota¡¯s dignity¡ªthough it was exaggerated to say something like that, the numerous cuisines which he prepared, probably having a pride close to that, were certainly wonderful and delicious. ¡¸¡ªBy the way¡¹ Keeping a smile which seemed nasty in some respects on his mouth, Sigibert began to talk. Sarcasm might burst forth immediately. Valeria looked at Sigibert with upturned eyes while inserting her knife into a falsetto chicken that was filled with garbanzo beans and cheese and then grilled. ¡¸What do you think of the continent¡¯s situation in the recent years?¡¹ ¡¸¡­The continent¡¯s situation?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªEspecially in your country, a rebellion just occurred very recently too, didn¡¯t it? Though a nation¡¯s times of peace and war, rise and fall are normal in this world, your minds have no time to feel at ease, right? Ahaha¡¹ Valeria became slightly angry at Sigibert who had laughed happily while saying ¡°it¡¯s terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡±. From the point of view of Haiderota who regarded Amaddo as its rival, the recent rebellion in Seriba, so to speak, others¡¯ misfortune, might be a thing called the ¡°taste of honey¡±. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re talking about the rebellion in Seriba, that was suppressed in the early stage with Costacurta-geika¡¯s great efforts; it wasn¡¯t a matter to the extent of our minds being disturbed¡¹ Karin indifferently, but immediately, shifted to the counterattack. ¡¸Besides¡ªI¡¯m sorry, if it¡¯s about being troubled by internal rebellious elements, then our country can¡¯t possibly compare with your country¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Sigibert¡¯s expression stiffened with a ¡°hikii¡±. If she remembered correctly, in a book that Valeria had read, nearly 100 years ago, there was a big dissension stemming from the throne succession issue in Haiderota, and one part of the royalty, which had parted from the current royal family, declared independence in a province. Apparently the region which became independent was approximately 20% at most of the entire country, but even so, the reality of the country dividing into two didn¡¯t change. However, Haiderota¡¯s royal family stubbornly didn¡¯t accept that, calling their ex-relatives who had become independent ¡°rebellious elements¡±; even regarding the new nation that they had established, they claimed that it was a province of their own country which was illegally occupied by rebellious elements to the bitter end. Incidentally, Amaddo attached importance to its relationship with Haiderota and didn¡¯t recognise the aforementioned new nation as a country. In any case, Karin¡¯s remark must be a scathing sarcasm for Sigibert. Even though they were being troubled by rebellious elements for many years, Sigibert was also quite careless to have shelved that and brought up this topic. Beside Sigibert whose expression had stiffened, Clotilde coldly narrowed her eyes. Perhaps she thought that this young master had said needless things again¡ªthings like that. ¡¸Um¡ª¡­ah¡ª¡­¡¹ Just when Sigibert cleared his throat again and tried to retake control, Clotilde calmly spoke the next words at once without leaving a pause. ¡¸¡ªExcuse me¡¹ Those words gave one the impression of cold metal. Clotilde, who had put her knife and fork down and wiped her mouth with a napkin, stared at Valeria. ¡¸Costacurta-geika is a lady who is referred to as the ¡°once-in-10-years talented woman¡± even in the magic superpower, Amaddo¡­this is an excellent opportunity; I¡¯d like you to let me hear Your Eminence¡¯s thoughts by all means¡¹ ¡¸Eto¡­w, when you said ¡°thoughts¡±¡­?¡¹ Valeria, who had asked a question in return while feeling pressured, strongly felt the gaze of Dimitar, who was sitting right next to her, on her profile. Feeling like he was giving her a warning to be careful in her response, her heart instantly palpitated. ¡¸First, what kind of thing has Amaddo been propagating a Dominas as to its people?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹ Clotilde was evidently testing Valeria. She was trying to ascertain the extent of Valeria¡¯s knowledge and insight. ¡¸Of course, Dominas, um¡­as the symbolic wives of the ¡°Lord of Redemption (Furigana: Redountra)¡±, they guide the people, and that faith¡ª¡¹ Recalling the things that she was taught in the Magic Academy (Furigana: Prasa Marefikos), Valeria explained with faltering wording. However, since such a thing was taught to anyone in the beginning if they entered the Dominas training, it was impossible that Clotilde, who was an active service Dominas, didn¡¯t know this. Although she vaguely felt that such an answer as per the textbook wasn¡¯t what Clotilde wanted, Valeria didn¡¯t answer other than that. Clotilde, who was listening attentively to Valeria¡¯s words, quietly nodded with a face that had brushed feelings aside. ¡¸That¡¯s very easy to understand¡ªit¡¯s an answer that is easy for even children who had just enrolled into elementary schools to understand¡¹ For Valeria, it couldn¡¯t be helped in any way that the impression of Clotilde felt like something of a condescending attitude. As though saying ¡°it¡¯s an uninteresting answer on the level which even children who had just entered elementary schools could say¡±, she felt like she was being made into an idiot. And perhaps, the intuition of Valeria who had felt so wasn¡¯t wrong. A colour of obvious disdain was floating in the eyes of Clotilde whose expression is lacking more than Karin. Following the gaze, which seemed to pierce her, of Dimitar that she felt on her right cheek, she felt Karin and Petra¡¯s gazes on her left cheek. Their worries towards Valeria could be felt in their gazes. In other words¡ªValeria had committed a mistake that was glared at by Dimitar and worried about by Karin and Petra. As soon as she thought so, her palpitation grew even quicker. Not knowing how she should follow up, the inside of her head became hot with a ¡°ka~a¡±. ¡¸A, ano¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Well then Your Eminence, I¡¯ll ask you one more thing¡¹ Malena, who appeared to be very uncomfortable, tried to say something while the edges of her mouth were smeared with sauce, but Clotilde ignored that and threw a question further. ¡¸What kind of thing is Redountra¡¯s doctrine? I¡¯d like Your Eminence to let me hear your own thoughts¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The inside of Valeria¡¯s mind became completely pure white at that question. Valeria wasn¡¯t very good at this sort of scholarly conversation. In the first place, for Valeria, Redountra was simply something that she must earnestly show respect to; he wasn¡¯t a ¡°what¡¯s his doctrine¡± existence. Magic could be used even if she had never thought deeply about Redountra¡¯s doctrine; rather, she felt that was it not important to continue believing without thinking about unnecessary things to borrow Redountra¡¯s powers. Therefore, even if Redountra¡¯s doctrine existed, it wasn¡¯t something that she could explain this or that to people¡ªwas what Valeria was thinking. At the very least, it was impossible to logically explain it to Clotilde at this place now. ¡¸Diaghilev-geika, regarding that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If Rudbeck-geika has a personal opinion, I¡¯ll ask you afterwards. First, allow me to hear Costacurta-geika¡¯s thoughts¡¹ Clotilde flatly rejected Karin who had tried to interject. Valeria, who couldn¡¯t hope for Karin¡¯s timely help, put down her cutlery and clenched her fists. If she held the knife poorly, her hand might tremble and make coarse ¡°kacha kacha¡± noise. ¡ªEven though such a thing was thought, the answer to the main question didn¡¯t come to mind at all. After a long, long silence, Clotilde quietly took a deep breath and slowly nodded with that triumphant expression again. ¡¸¡­It seems that my question was too vague. I¡¯m sorry¡¹ Although she was outwardly apologising to Valeria, it was to the end superficial only. The expression of Clotilde completely told a different thing. As though seeming to want to say either ¡°I¡¯ve seen your limits¡±¡ªor ¡°you¡¯re of this standard?¡±, a thin and faint smile clung onto her lips. It must be because she believed that she had properly seen and judged Valeria¡¯s ability that Clotilde easily retracted her question. ¡¸¡­¡¹ At the sense of defeat that she was one-sidedly knocked down and the frustration that she couldn¡¯t even counterattack, Valeria felt the inside of her nose became ¡°tsu~n¡±. If it was magic skill, she wouldn¡¯t fall behind even if her opponent was Clotilde. Even though she didn¡¯t know whether she could win or not, she could at least fight head-on. However, when it came to an academic battle of words, Valeria was at her wit¡¯s end. It was frustrating, and Valeria almost cried. Thinking that she¡¯d really lose if she cried, she somehow endured that alone. She had no choice but to endure. Perhaps he felt that a retort had been repaid in the exchange just now, Sigibert¡¯s disappointed expression from until a little while ago had disappeared, and he was drinking wine while grinning. In fact, he looked like he¡¯d start to hum a tune at any time. ¡¸¡­May I say one thing?¡¹ When Valeria was firmly biting her lips, Dimitar, who had been continuing his meal in silence until then, removed the napkin which was thrust into his collar and opened his mouth. Clotilde slowly shifted her gaze to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­What might it be, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the matter of Diaghilev-geika¡¯s question from just now¡­, but to begin with, it¡¯s meaningless to ask Costacurta-geika that sort of thing¡¹ The thin smile vanished from Clotilde¡¯s face, and a suspicious expression surfaced. ¡¸Why is that again?¡¹ ¡¸Costacurta-geika doesn¡¯t answer that sort of question. Or rather, she can¡¯t answer it¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ What did this person started saying again?¡ªValeria opened her eyes wide and looked at Dimitar. In regard to this, it wasn¡¯t just Valeria, but Karin and Petra, and above all else, Clotilde was surprised. ¡¸¡±Can¡¯t answer it¡±¡ªwhat in the world is that?¡¹ ¡¸How Redountra¡¯s doctrine proves to be depends on the interpretation of the person who receives it. One may say that there are tens of thousands ways of thinking. Hence, I understand the reason that a person to explain the meaning to the people is needed. Perhaps in your country, Diaghilev-geika shoulders that duty¡¹ Without even a slight pause, Dimitar spoke at length. There wasn¡¯t even an interval for Clotilde to interpose. ¡¸But in our country, there are¡ªways our country¡¯s Dominas ought to be. In our country, telling Redountra¡¯s doctrine to the people is done by Shakira Babel-geika. And then, reading an extensive amount of history books, collecting and arranging the words of wise men, and bequeathing them to future generations are things that Karin Rudbeck-geika ought to do. And Valeria Costacurta too, as expected, has the thing that she ought to do¡¹ ¡¸The thing that Her Eminence ought to do is?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s ¡°to stand beside the people¡±¡¹ Clotilde opened her eyes wide in surprise. Moreover, Valeria also opened her eyes wide in astonishment. It was her first time hearing that she had such a role. However, Dimitar was confidently talking about her position that Valeria herself didn¡¯t hear of either. ¡¸¡ªMost of the people are unrelated to difficult doctrine. They just genuinely believe in Redountra. Indeed, originally, difficult doctrine and books are not needed in order to believe in God. Costacurta-geika is a lady who embodies that¡¹ In short, Dimitar was saying that Valeria was a Dominas, who didn¡¯t understand difficult things well, whom people, who didn¡¯t understand difficult things well, felt familiar with. It was quite an inexpressible, complex feeling similar to being looked down on and being praised, but it didn¡¯t mean that there was no persuasive power. For the people who weren¡¯t scholars, the books which were written about Redountra¡¯s doctrine were too difficult. After all, they were to the extent that Valeria herself didn¡¯t bother to read them properly. Nevertheless, even such a Valeria could be blessed with magic talent and become a Dominas. ¡¸¡­This is undoubtedly God¡¯s grace¡¹ Dimitar spoke in succession so as not to give the other party time, fully demonstrating his glibness that was usually used to corner Valeria mentally. ¡¸Knowledge isn¡¯t always necessary in order to believe in Redountra. One can just earnestly believe in Him. God is able to bestow grace onto this faith that could be called ¡°simple honesty¡±. Costacurta-geika is a lady who embodies such a love of God¡¹ ¡¸Love of God¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Looking at Her Eminence, Amaddo¡¯s people understand the importance of a heart that believes in Him. People who can learn, people who can¡¯t learn, and even people who can¡¯t even read characters, as long as they¡¯ve hearts that believe in God, they can receive that grace¡­people look at Her Eminence and perceive so. And also, Her Eminence¡¯s existence makes people feel that God is closer to them. ¡ªThus, Her Eminence is extolled ¡°Pure Jewel¡± by Amaddo¡¯s people¡¹ This was again Valeria first time hearing that such a second name was attached to her. As it was somehow heard like this when Dimitar said it, she went beyond being amazed and was even impressed. Indeed, since even Valeria who didn¡¯t understand things like difficult doctrine in the slightest was competent to be a Dominas in this way, people who thought that something good might happen if they prayed earnestly also probably existed in their own ways without a doubt. Clotilde who had kept silent for a while, perhaps collecting her thoughts in that short time, tried to open her mouth once more. ¡¸¡ªSpeaking of close to oneself¡¹ Prior to Clotilde uttering a word, Dimitar continued and started to talk. ¡¸That Puyol-geika is a big eater. It¡¯s really pleasant to be watching her¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The lower parts of Clotilde¡¯s eyes quivered with a ¡°hikuu¡±, and she glanced at Malena who was beside her in silence. The Malena in question¡ªas she made her cheeks, which had stuffed food just like a squirrel, puffed up¡ªwas shrugging her shoulder with a ¡°bikuu¡±. ¡¸She¡¯s a lady who seems easy to get on with; surely she¡¯s adored by Haiderota¡¯s people too, I think¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­of course¡¹ Clotilde nodded laconically. However, her cool-headedness which had no gap until just now crumbled a little, and she seemed to be feeling awkward somehow. If one were to look very careful, Sigibert also showed a grim expression. Although it wasn¡¯t well understood, it seemed that for them, they couldn¡¯t welcome the fact that Malena was touched upon much. Sigibert personally poured wine into their glasses and quickly changed the topic. ¡¸¡ªBy, by the way, how¡¯s the cuisine, I wonder? Do they suit your taste?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re eating very deliciously~¡¹ Petra¡¯s long-drawn-out words caused the strained atmosphere to relax in a skilful manner. She had probably aimed for that effect and answered in that way at the very beginning. Thereupon, Malena who had shown the most relieved expression, more than anyone at that place, hurriedly cleaned the edges of her mouth with a napkin and started to talk about tonight¡¯s cuisine. ¡¸T-t, this pie, baked in a parcel, is Haiderota¡¯s local speciality, a, and is called ¡°Coffin Pie¡±! The case which was made with pie dough is likened to a coffin, and minced meat of calf and lamb which was seasoned with spices is stuffed in there and then baked¡ª¡¹ Malena, who had been timidly peeking at Clotilde¡¯s complexion only until then, became talkative as soon as she started the explanations of the cuisine. Although one could easily imagine if he saw that figure and her actions up to this point and so on, this girl might really love to eat. In the end, the talk of ¡°what Redountra¡¯s doctrine is¡± fizzled out on that note, and it was possible to calmly enjoy the wine and cuisine while listening to Malena¡¯s explanation, which put professionals to shame, in the latter half of the dinner. In short¡ªValeria was saved by Dimitar. Volume 3 - CH 4.4 ??? Although he inwardly took offense at Clotilde¡¯s provocation at the place of the dinner, Dimitar had no complaints about the cuisine itself. It might be better to not carelessly talk about the splendour of that menu to Bettina who couldn¡¯t get the same cuisine. Dimitar, who was prepared a room beside Valeria¡¯s party, opened the window and tried checking left and right. This place was the third floor above ground, and a beautifully maintained green garden spread out under his eyes. In case something happened by some chance, he might have to carry Valeria¡¯s party in the arms and escape from this height. Gulping down the water of the pitcher, which he had gone to the kitchen, taken it and then came back by himself, a little, Dimitar sat on the bed. No sooner had he sat down than the sound of a reserved knock was heard. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Immediately standing up again, Dimitar removed the crosspiece and opened the door with a sigh mixed in. He had a rough idea of who had come. ¡¸¡­Ano¡¹ The one who was at the other side of the door was, as expected, Valeria. Gazing at Dimitar with upturned eyes, she was being bashful somehow. ¡¸¡­Do you¡¯ve some business with me?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than business¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I want to rest when it¡¯s time to rest. Quickly get it over with¡¹ Muttering curtly, Dimitar returned to the bed. Was she comparing it with her room where she was living together with Karin and Petra? While looking around the area restlessly, Valeria appeared to be choosing her words carefully. ¡¸Um¡­a little while ago¡¹ ¡¸Are you talking about the matter during the meal?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡ª¡¹ Even though she nodded so, she didn¡¯t continue beyond that point. However, if he were to consider the stout-hearted Valeria¡¯s personality, it might be a matter of course. Dimitar had sent a timely help to Valeria who was one-sidedly cornered in an argument by Clotilde at the place of the dinner. He thought that she had come to say a few words of thanks for that matter, but if she couldn¡¯t honestly say thanks, then it was a mere waste of time. Getting slightly irritated, Dimitar began to talk of his own accord together with an exaggerated sigh again. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re thinking of saying thanks to me, that¡¯s not necessary¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s unnecessary to say thanks. Though with respect to timing, it became a state where I seemed to have followed up for you, it¡¯s my job to follow up for you; to begin with, I didn¡¯t lie. I just told the truth¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s a lie! In the first place, what was it, hora? ¡°Pure Jewel¡±? I¡¯m not called by such a second name!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, that certainly felt a little too exaggerated, but it¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? We just have to suitably spread rumours like that and induce everyone so that you¡¯re really called so when we return to Roma. ¡­First, even though Babel-geika and Rudbeck-geika have second names like those, it isn¡¯t good, with regard to your position, that only you don¡¯t have it¡¹ ¡¸However, such a thing isn¡¯t something that is given to me by ourselves, is it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s important is the image. It¡¯s a fact that Dominas has a symbolic aspect; it doesn¡¯t mean that somebody becomes unhappy because we¡¯ve just manipulated it a bit¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true, but¡­¡¹ Valeria, who was complaining unintelligibly, was looking downwards, seemingly embarrassed in some respects. Even though her desire for improvement was strong, to be reserved only at times like this was neither a virtue nor anything. Dimitar knitted his brows and pointed at the bed. ¡¸Sit¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hai?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so sit. We¡¯re going to Haiderota¡¯s capital after this; if it turns into a situation like just now again, so that you can come through it even if I¡¯m not beside you, I must get you to become conscious of yourself without fail¡¹ ¡¸¡­Y, yes¡¹ Looking down on Valeria who had demurely sat down with a meek expression, Dimitar cleared his throat slightly. ¡¸¡­Can you quarrel with Rudbeck-geika and then win?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t win¡¹ ¡¸U¡­ma, maa, I¡¯ve the confidence that I won¡¯t be discouraged, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t call that winning. ¡ªAnyway, it¡¯s a fact that that Karin-sama is more eloquent, and seeing the flow just now too, to put it bluntly, you¡¯ve no chance of winning if you¡¯re challenged to a battle of words by Clotilde¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Although Valeria looked up at Dimitar with a sharp look, she didn¡¯t object. As one would expect, it might be impossible for her to not admit that. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s why, you can completely leave that side to Karin-sama already¡¹ ¡¸¡­And that¡¯s fine?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you do your best now, you can never become like Karin-sama. However, if it¡¯s just simple power, you might be able to surpass Babel-geika. Besides, I said it just now too, right?¡¹ ¡¸W, what was it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸You, who is always speaking carelessly and confidently even without any basis, is an existence that is even easier to get on with than Karin-sama and Babel-geika to the people who similarly don¡¯t understand difficult doctrine and the like. It¡¯s only because there¡¯s an existence like yours that everyone feels at ease¡¹ ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t that expression somewhat worse than just now?¡¹ Valeria pouted her lips and knitted her brows. ¡¸Don¡¯t mind each and every minor detail. ¡ªAnyway, it¡¯s fine as long as you understand the general education and the world¡¯s common knowledge. Be it doctrine or what, you don¡¯t need to use your brain for abstruse things. I think that perhaps Head Director too, isn¡¯t expecting such a role of you¡¹ ¡¸Ehh¡­?¡¹ ¡¸What is it, that face which seems so dissatisfied?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because¡¹ ¡¸Then, shall I say it this way? Frankly speaking, you¡¯re more straightforward than Karin-sama, and your smile is cuter than hers¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? C, cute?¡¹ ¡¸After all, her smile is a smile that seems to be concealing something behind it. Though men of the type who likes that sort of smile probably exist too, the smile that is widely liked by men and women of all ages is yours. Since only this is a question of natural appearance and personality, Karin-sama can¡¯t surpass you no matter how much she endeavour¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is, it that so¡­?¡¹ As she held her cheeks with both hands, Valeria¡¯s face turned red and she mumbled. She probably never thought that she¡¯d be praised like this. Speaking of simple, she was simple, but such a sincere and honest part was surely an important factor to a Dominas who was widely loved by the people. Stroking the nape of his neck, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸Listen, all right? Remember this properly. So, if that soldier Dominas who seems to have a bad personality tries to start things that look like battle of words again, smile cheerfully and say that you¡¯ll leave that sort of things to Rudbeck-geika¡¹ ¡¸I, I see¡­un. I understand¡¹ ¡¸But if she still appear to be persistent, find fault with the other Dominas¡¹ ¡¸That plump child?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Precisely tease about the part of her being fat. If you do so, the other party also have no choice but to be quiet¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that a little¡­impolite towards the girl? With matters regarding outward appearance¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If the other party tries to single out your lack of discernment for criticism, we¡¯ll just single out that Puyol-geika¡¯s figure for criticism. In the first place, that¡¯s probably an important matter for a Dominas as well. It¡¯s because her self-awareness as a Dominas isn¡¯t enough that she becomes that sort of figure. She reaps what she sows¡¹ Although a beautiful appearance was requested of a Dominas who was God¡¯s wife, in a different meaning from that again, always maintaining the beautiful proportion was also requested of her. Or rather, even if she wasn¡¯t a Dominas, since she was a magic warrior (Furigana: Marefikos), it was also possible to say that the maintenance of her figure was her responsibility. Dimitar glared at Valeria with a ¡°girori¡±. ¡¸I shall say this in advance¡­, but I won¡¯t tolerate it if you become chubby like that girl or conversely become thin to skin and bones, you know? At the worst, I might get stuck with drawing and replacing your entire body¡¯s magic crests¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? W, why!?¡¹ Holding her stomach down in a hurry, Valeria became flustered. ¡¸That¡¯s obvious. If your vertical and horizontal proportions change, the proportion of the magic crests which are carved on your skin will also change. If the degree is very bad, you won¡¯t be able to draw the correct magic squares, and the need for alteration will arise¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see¡­¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re conscious of it or not, but most likely, your magic crests should have been slightly adjusted to match your growth many times until now. Unrelated to the matter of being fat or thin, girls who are at the age of adulthood will also grow taller in one go at a certain stage¡¹ ¡¸¡­Now that you mention it, my chest also grew bigger in one go about two years ago¡ª¡¹ Valeria, who was looking down on her breasts and speaking to herself in a murmur, raised her face as if she was surprised and quickly hugged her chest. ¡¸Ahhhhh! No, that¡¯s wrong! It¡¯s nothing!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t scream¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar shook his head. ¡¸¡­In any case, Haiderota¡¯s second Dominas should have quite the ability, but it seems that she can¡¯t maintain her figure. In a sense, ¡°a Dominas who lacks self-awareness¡± may be the cause of headaches for Clotilde. She probably shouldn¡¯t be able to play innocent to that and find fault with you, so remember this well¡¹ ¡¸U, un¡­¡¹ While her face was red, Valeria stood up and started to walk towards the door. ¡¸Ano¡­sa¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough, so return to your room quickly¡¹ I won¡¯t get any benefit even if I¡¯m told thanks, et cetera by you¡ªwas what he wanted to say, but if he had said that, this girl might start to scream again. He didn¡¯t want to come to a foreign country and expose Amaddo¡¯s shame. ¡¸This place is the country of those people who are always aiming for an opportunity to stand in the way of Amaddo. ¡­Thoroughly think that your own actions are directly linked to the evaluation of our motherland¡¯s Dominas and then act¡¹ ¡¸¡­I understand¡¹ Valeria, who had nodded admirably, seemed to have said ¡¸Thank you¡¹ in a small voice just before she went out to the corridor and closed the door behind her, but perhaps that might have been Dimitar¡¯s hearing mistake. Either way, since opening the once closed door and going out of his way to ask her back things like ¡¸Oi, what did you say just now?¡¹ might only rub Valeria¡¯s nerves the wrong way, it was definitely better to preferably pretend not to have heard it and then sleep. When Dimitar extinguished the light of the candlestick, he leaned his body against the bed¡¯s backboard, held Jagieruka in the arms and shut his eyes. End of Chapter 4 Volume 3 - CH 5.1 Disclaimer: I do not guarantee a 100% accurate translation. Do kindly notify me if you see any mistake. What¡¯s Dreadful is¡ª The current king of Haiderota, Remi Christian Duevre, was a person of legitimate lineage among Haiderota¡¯s legitimate lineage. On the other hand, the leader of the ¡°Rebel Army¡±, which had spread its influence centring on Yururogu in Haiderota¡¯s northern part, was Euchemard Duevre. Although he was of illegitimate lineage, he was a person who had inherited the blood of the respectable royal family. The biggest cause of Haiderota¡¯s break-up turmoil prolonging this much was, in contrast to the successors of the legitimate lineage, who under normal circumstances were faultless, being entirely mediocre people only, people who were certainly allowed to be called ¡°great men¡± appeared one after another in the successor of the illegitimate lineage and that family. Maybe it was because various things happened that even though she should be tired, she couldn¡¯t sleep very well that night. However, due to that, she noticed the commotion immediately. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Valeria, who had pushed the blanket aside and stood up on the bed, pointed at the candlesticks which were installed on the room¡¯s wall in turn. ¡°Shupii, Shupii¡±, tiny flame arrows ran and gradually expelled the darkness from within the dark room. ¡¸Karin, Petra! Wake up!¡¹ Calling out to them so, she jumped down from the bed. When she had changed her underwear in a big hurry and worn her usual ceremonial dress, Valeria rushed over to the window and pulled open the curtains. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s~the matter? It¡¯s not morning yet, right¡­?¡¹ Groping for her glasses that were placed at the bedside and then grabbing it, Petra complained in a seemingly sleepy voice. Karin, the other party, straightened up her back and got up, and then narrowed her eyes and seemed to be listening carefully. ¡¸¡­The horses are neighing¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s noisy outside. Something might have happened!¡¹ Valeria pushed open the window and revealed her face. The town, which had already fallen asleep when Valeria¡¯s party got into their beds, was ruled by an unexpected commotion. The voices as if many people were shouting, the neighs of horses, and moreover the sounds of horses¡¯ hooves could be heard from extremely nearby. In addition, a burnt-like smell was somehow permeating the night air that carried a little moisture. ¡¸¡­A fire?¡¹ ¡¸It looks like a fire has broken out from the rear stable¡¹ When she was startled by a voice that flew here suddenly and looked to her left, similarly opening the window, Dimitar was leaning forwards. He had already finished changing his clothes. Or rather, since it was this alert boy, he might have been taking a nap in a war preparation state without even changing his clothes in case of an emergency. ¡¸How are Karin-sama and Glasses?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re awake, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Finish changing your clothes. I¡¯ll take Gacha Pink and go to your room¡¹ Saying so one-sidedly, Dimitar then withdrew his face. ¡¸¡­What does he mean? What happened?¡¹ Karin asked Valeria who had closed the window and turned around. ¡¸I don¡¯t know yet¡­, but for now, it looks certain that a fire has occurred at the rear stable. Richternach-kyou said that he¡¯ll arrive shortly¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡ª, I wish that he¡¯d wait just a little¡¹ When Valeria looked, Petra, who was dressed in her underwear, was looking into the mirror and fiddling with her hair. Valeria put her hand on her temple and sighed ¡°ha~a¡±. ¡¸¡­Will you put on your clothes before combing your hair?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind in particular though~¡¹ Looking at Valeria with a glance across the lens, Petra smiled meaningfully. Valeria put on a thin dress and her tabard and snorted slightly. ¡¸If you¡¯re saying that, even he isn¡¯t interested in you, and he won¡¯t care either, will he? He said that he likes older women¡¹ ¡¸Are~? This is surprising; Valeria, you had that sort of conversation with him~?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Intending to lightly sidestep it and yet was strangely hounded, Valeria became at a loss for words. Then, there was the ¡°domu domu¡± sound of a knock with weight and a little girl¡¯s voice that could be called carefree. ¡¸Valeria-sama¡ª! Karin-sama¡ª! Petra-sa~n¡ª! Please open up!¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t have to confirm one-by-one¡¹ The voice of an arrogant boy and a ¡°gain¡± sound similar to striking metal was heard, and the door opened with a ¡°gachari¡±. ¡¸Iya~n, I haven¡¯t finish changing my clothes yet~¡¹ While fastening the buttons of her blouse, Petra raised an unnaturally sweet scream. However, Dimitar just glanced at her and ignored her, and quietly closed the door after checking the corridor once. Bettina, who had ran up to Valeria with a ¡°gassha gassha¡±, stamped a little with a ¡°dosu dosu¡± and spoke, looking excited somehow. ¡¸It¡¯s terrible! The fire at the back, it seems like an arson!¡¹ ¡¸An arson?¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you think about it, that is so, isn¡¯t it? In this season, the stable originally isn¡¯t a place that seems to use fire after all¡¹ Karin calmly analysed. ¡¸The soldiers on the lookout had noticed the outbreak of fire and taken the horses out from the stable for the time being, but it seems that they behaved violently and ran away. I think that it¡¯s noisy because of that¡­, but if we assume it to be arson, it becomes a troublesome matter¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ This tabard inn was assumed to be where special envoys of Haiderota or Amaddo would fundamentally sojourn. Setting fire to the establishment there meant that it might be valid to think that it was the deed of the people who held animosity towards Haiderota or Amaddo. In addition, if he set fire at this timing, the possibility that this was an offence of someone who aimed for Valeria¡¯s party also existed. The fact that Dimitar was placing one hand on the hilt of his favourite sword as he stood near the door indicated the tensed current situation. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar tightened his mouth and looked at the door. That face was a face that had sensed something. Valeria could hear the noisy footsteps of ¡°dota dota¡± approaching as well. ¡¸E, excuse me!¡¹ Malena, who was wearing her military cap, came flying into the room in a hurry without even a knock. Letting sweat float on her forehead and busily breathing ¡°fuu fuu¡±, she looked around the room¡¯s interior. ¡¸I-i, it, it looks like there¡¯s no abnormality¡ªf, for the Amaddo¡¯s guests; t, that¡¯s the most important thing! W, well then, I¡¯ve to hurry, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Wait¡¹ Grabbing the back collar of Malena who had turned on her heel with a ¡°kurori¡± and tried to leave the room, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸What on earth happened?¡¹ ¡¸Ehh? No, that¡¯s, um¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s evident that some emergency has occurred¡­ for the sake of protecting both Her Eminences too, I believe that I¡¯ve the right to hear what happened though?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s, I understand what you¡¯re saying, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯d like to ask Diaghilev-geika or Sigibert-kakka directly. Where are the both of them staying at?¡¹ ¡¸Awa¡­ Dia, Diaghilev-geika is, um¡­ s, searching for, His Excellency¡ª¡¹ The complexion of Malena, who was mentally overwhelmed by Dimitar, suddenly changed after explaining to that extent. It felt as if she had unintentionally made a slip of the tongue. Valeria knitted her brows and asked Malena. ¡¸By any chance¡­ did something happen to His Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸N, noo! There¡¯s completely! N, no such thing no such thing! H-H, His Excellency is alive h-h-h-haii!¡¹ At her panic state that was too terrible to look at, it was understood that something had happened to Sigibert as expected. Dimitar shook Malena lightly while grabbing the nape of her neck, and then discarded his courteous tone and spoke in a low voice. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter with His Excellency? If you don¡¯t speak honestly, I¡¯ll make the matter of Haiderota making light of our country¡¯s Dominas into an international problem, you know? I¡¯ll have you take responsibility for it too¡¹ ¡¸Ahhhh, l, like I said, D, Diaghilev-geika is, properly, searching for, H, His Excellency¡¹ ¡¸Is His Excellency missing? And Diaghilev-geika is searching for him?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s right!¡¹ ¡¸So, in the meantime, the state guests from Amaddo are left as they are without being informed anything? This is a big problem¡¹ ¡¸Ehhhhh!? It¡¯s a big problem even though I¡¯ve spoken honestly!?¡¹ ¡¸That might be so. After all, the leader of the Gale Chivalric Order (Furigana: Rorudor Rafuale), which is in charge of security, is missing, and the vice-leader left us alone and went to search for the leader. ¡­If something happens to us in the meantime, it¡¯ll be a break-up of diplomatic relations, and a war if things don¡¯t go well, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Hiiiiii!?¡¹ ¡¸If an unforeseen situation happens to both Our Eminences, our country will have to deal with your country with a firm stance. Of course, since it means that the seals will be insufficient, the need to make an excuse to each nation of the alliance will arise, you know? ¡ªSaa, if you understand that, then say the truth quickly. For the sake of protecting yourselves as well, accurate information is necessary¡¹ ¡¸Awawawa¡­¡¹ Pressed for an answer by Dimitar, Malena¡¯s chubby skin turned ghastly pale and she became frightened. It was natural that Malena who originally looked timid would wilt if she was pressed for a decision which might become such an international problem while the two people at the top position weren¡¯t here. And then, Dimitar had probably seen through that too, so he threatened her severely. Before long, Malena caused her throat to exaggeratedly sound a ¡°gokuri¡± and started to explain the situation in a faltering tone. ¡¸T, the truth is¡­ His Excellency and Diaghilev-geika, before resting, had an arrangement to discuss about the plans for tomorrow and thereafter, but His Excellency didn¡¯t come to the hall even though it was time for the appointment. Thereupon, just when Her Eminence who had felt suspicious was about to go towards His Excellency¡¯s room, flames rose at the stable¡ª¡¹ ¡¸In the end, His Excellency is missing?¡¹ ¡¸It, it seems to be like that¡­ and because of that, Her Eminence ordered me to confirm your safety¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Before confirming our safety, you should say such an important matter without glossing over it¡¹ Making usual drastic cuts of sound argument typical of this boy, Dimitar went out to the corridor. ¡¸What shall we do, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸Go to His Excellency¡¯s room. Diaghilev-geika should also be there anyway¡¹ ¡¸Ah!? P, please wait just a minute! I¡¯d like everyone to stand by in the room¡ª¡¹ Although Malena tried to restrain them desperately, there was nobody who would obey her. Following Dimitar, Valeria and Bettina, and moreover Karin and Petra, walked in the corridor at a quick pace in succession. If one were to add a reason that looked real in curiosity, huddling together and taking action with everyone was easier to protect themselves at the critical moment¡ªwas what one could probably say. One would think that perhaps this decision wasn¡¯t wrong. Sigibert¡¯s room which was prepared on the first floor was a little smaller than the room that Valeria¡¯s party was resting in, but if one considered that he stayed alone, it was quite spacious. However, that gorgeous room was now devastated, a mere shadow of its former self; Clotilde Diaghilev who had snugly worn her uniform was standing stock still beside the window that was casually left open. When Clotilde, who had known that Valeria¡¯s party had came along, knitted her brows slightly, she bowed lightly and began to talk of her own accord. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for the report being late. It¡¯s a state of emergency, so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡­ certainly looks like a state of emergency¡¹ Looking around the interior of the ruined room, Dimitar sighed. ¡¸It¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be a thief¡¹ ¡¸Hai. For a deed of a thief, it¡¯s too skilful¡¹ It didn¡¯t mean that one could just secretly open the window to enter Sigibert¡¯s room to steal. He¡¯d also need to traverse that vast garden without being discovered by the members on the lookout, and in the first place, Sigibert¡¯s sword which seemed really expensive was left as it was in this room. There was no way that a thief would disregard such a thing. ¡¸Is it a kidnapping?¡¹ Even though Dimitar asked, Clotilde neither denied nor affirmed it. Maa, as long as one saw this situation, the impression it left of a kidnapping was very likely. Even in such a tensed scene, Clotilde¡ªin contrast to Malena who kept being nervous¡ªdidn¡¯t destroy her resolute expression. ¡¸¡­At any rate, we¡¯ll put the effort into His Excellency¡¯s search and rescue. I¡¯d like the guests from Amaddo to remain here, please¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­ that, are you telling us to handle the firefighting at the stable and the confusion of the members there?¡¹ When Karin indifferently asked a question in return, Clotilde exchanged glances with Malena and kept silent as if she was troubled. ¡¸We¡¯ll be troubled if either one of Your Eminences doesn¡¯t stay¡¹ Dimitar continued Karin¡¯s words. ¡¸The gentlemen of the Gale Chivalric Order most likely won¡¯t move on our instructions. Not to mention, if they heard that His Excellency who is the heart of the group was kidnapped, isn¡¯t it possible that the members who have strong patriotism will shake free from our control and start saying that they¡¯ll go to the search for His Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I think that such a thing won¡¯t happen though¡¹ Biting her lips, Clotilde shook her head. ¡¸Puyol-geika, please remain here together with Arushanbor, consolidate the members and control the situation¡¹ ¡¸Haa! U, understood!¡¹ ¡¸Afterwards, upon making the vigilance strict and ensuring the guests¡¯ safety, send out a search party for His Excellency with Arushanbor as the commanding officer¡¹ ¡¸Understood! ¡­H, however, Diaghilev-geika, what will you do¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be going ahead¡¹ The minute that she said so, Clotilde bowed to Valeria¡¯s party and jumped out through the window with a speed similar to that of a wind. ¡¸W, well then, I¡¯ll return to my mission too!¡¹ Saluting with a ¡°bishii!¡±, Malena then ran out to the corridor with a ¡°dota dota¡± too. ¡°After ensuring the guests¡¯ safety¡±¡ªeven though she was told something like that, to have left Valeria¡¯s party there, she was someone with quite a careless nature. Inside the ruined room where a night wind which smelt burnt blew in, the Amaddo team of five people, it was unclear who had influenced the rest first, gradually and mutually started to exchange glances. ¡¸¡­What shall we do?¡¹ ¡¸What shall we do~?¡¹ ¡¸Ano, I¡¯m sleepy, so I think that it¡¯s fine if we return to our rooms and sleep¡¹ ¡¸¡­Before that, I think that it¡¯s better to help with the extinguishing of the fire though¡¹ ¡¸A, ano sa¡¹ Valeria looked at Dimitar fleetingly while caressing her lips. ¡¸What¡­ do you think we should do?¡¹ ¡¸Are you asking me?¡¹ Curving his mouth, Dimitar asked Valeria back as if it was unexpected. ¡¸Maa¡­ if I clear away my prejudice and assess it, then ¡°is the best person who can make the decision which is beneficial to us in such a state of emergency not me or Karin, but you?¡±¡­ is what I think though¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s a rare, decent conclusion¡¹ Dimitar, who had grinned broadly, folded his arms and nodded exaggeratedly. ¡¸If we consider your safety to be first, then it goes without saying that we should remain here and pass the night. Most likely, the thief¡¯s aim from the beginning is the kidnapping of Sigibert-kakka. Therefore, even if we remain here, the possibility of the thief coming to attack again is low¡¹ Setting his personality aside, Sigibert was the cousin of the current Haiderota¡¯s king, and a royalty who also possessed the throne inheritance right; hence, it was perfectly thinkable for him to be a target of kidnapping. In particular, since this place was a provincial town that was distant from the capital, and the security system too, speaking of which one, was put together centring on Valeria¡¯s party, this was probably the ideal chance for the kidnapper. ¡¸¡­Is there also a pattern where you don¡¯t consider our safety to be first?¡¹ ¡¸Should I call it ¡°Amaddo¡¯s national interest¡±¡­ ma, if our Crown Prince is present, he¡¯d probably give an order like this¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸If His Highness had come, perhaps he¡¯d tell us to rescue that His Excellency and then amply demand gratitude. I individually think that that¡¯s better too¡¹ ¡°However¡ª¡±, Dimitar looked at Karin. ¡¸If it¡¯s only me and you, it¡¯ll be all right even if I decide and make you follow me, but Rudbeck-geika is also here after all. Discuss by both Your Eminences and decide. ¡ªYou¡¯re fine with that, right, Glasses?¡¹ ¡¸That ¡°Glasses¡± way of calling me may not be nice~¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll attach a ¡°chan¡±¡¹ ¡¸A, ano~ ¡­Dimi-san?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t intend to listen to your opinion from the beginning. Do shut yourself away in the toilet¡¹ ¡¸N, no way!¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet. Even if you shake your body with a ¡°furu furu¡±, it doesn¡¯t look cute. Or rather, the metallic sound is nothing but jarring on the ears¡¹ Kicking Bettina¡¯s body lightly with his boots that had increased its strength due to metal plates, Dimitar gazed at Valeria and party as if hurrying for a decision. ¡¸W, what shall we do, Karin? What shall we do?¡¹ ¡¸Even if I¡¯m told ¡°what shall we do¡±¡­ I¡¯m sorry, try to think about it calmly, Valeria¡¹ Karin pointed at Petra and then explained clearly in an easy-to-understand manner. ¡¸In the current situation, it¡¯s impossible to prepare a carriage, isn¡¯t it? Therefore, in order to pursue the criminal who had kidnapped His Excellency, we¡¯ve no choice but to leave Petra who can¡¯t ride a horse here¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see¡¹ Valeria and Karin, even if there were no horses, could move at a considerate speed if they used their magic, and Bettina could also follow them. But nevertheless, it felt pitiful to leave only Petra here. ¡¸Dimitar, what¡¯s the best thing to do in order to move the fastest in the current situation?¡¹ When Valeria asked so, Dimitar put his hand on his slender chin and nodded after opening his eyes wide as if he was slightly surprised. ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­ ma, there¡¯s the pattern of me running and pursuing by myself. If it becomes a very long distance pursuit drama, a horse is indispensable no matter what though¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s unacceptable that it¡¯s you alone! Since we¡¯ll be braving dangers and demanding gratitude, it¡¯s no good if we don¡¯t properly make it into an ¡°Amaddo¡¯s Dominas surpass Haiderota¡¯s Dominas¡± that sort of composition!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Did you eat something bad?¡¹ ¡¸Hai?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡­ the you of tonight is saying nothing but relatively decent things¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, you can just praise me honestly, right!¡¹ Although she angrily folded her arms, she didn¡¯t feel bad somehow. ¡¸Well then, Dimitar and I, and the other is Bettina¡­¡¹ ¡¸Iya, it¡¯s better to leave Gacha Pink behind¡¹ ¡¸Eh~? Why? I won¡¯t say that I¡¯m sleepy anymore!¡¹ ¡¸Since we don¡¯t know how much distance the pursuit drama will become or how much time it¡¯ll take, the possibility of the cartridge becoming empty on the way can also exist. If you become unable to move, there won¡¯t be a pursuit or anything. Besides, this person will immediately say indecent topics and hold us back¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not an indecent topic! I really want to urinate only!¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, we can¡¯t take such a you along with us and carry out a long distance pursuit drama. You¡¯ll be the house-sitter¡¹ Dimitar then looked at Karin, seemingly wanting to say that he wanted to hear her opinion. ¡¸¡­If Valeria is fine with it, I also don¡¯t mind though¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s decided. Karin and Petra will assist with extinguishing the fire and¡­ the medical treatment if there are wounded people. It feels uneasy if it¡¯s just that plump-chan somehow¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸And then, Bettina¡ªeto¡¹ ¡¸Why did you hesitate to speak there!?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, after all¡­ is there physical labour, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸You can let Gacha Pink retrieve the horses that had escaped into the entire town. ¡ªYou¡¯ve also become familiar with the treatment of horses in your own way already, I think¡¹ When Dimitar interrupted the conversation from the side, Bettina clapped her hands and shouted with exultation. ¡¸Hai, I understand! If so, I¡¯ll do my best too~!¡¹ ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you¡¹ Dimitar stepped over the window frame and went out to the garden. Amidst the darkness, members who carried torches were coming and going, appearing busy. Everyone was becoming restless to the extent that it was slightly doubtful whether the division of roles into ¡°people who would extinguish the fire¡± and ¡°people who would stand guard¡± was properly done. However, Valeria and party weren¡¯t question by anyone even though they came out to the garden because of that. ¡¸¡­So, what should we do specifically¡ª¡¹ Just when Valeria started to say so, her body was pulled by a strong force. ??? The ones who had set fire to the stable might have been the kidnappers. If a fire rose, it¡¯d simply fall into chaos here, and furthermore they¡¯d (Haiderota¡¯s people) have to set the horses free whether they wanted to or not. As well as making them use part of their manpower for the sake of extinguishing the fire, it was a rather annoying move to prevent pursuit on horses. Conversely speaking, there was no doubt that the thieves would use horses and try to escape in one breath in this interval. When Dimitar, who had quickly activated the ¡°Double Power (Furigana: Force)¡± magic, carried Valeria under his arm and ascended onto Tabard Inn¡¯s roof, he jumped from there again and headed for the clock tower. The clock tower at the centre of the town, as much as one could roughly see, was the tallest structure in this Klutoreto. If it was from that top, a wide field of vision including the outside of the town could probably be obtained. ¡¸He¡ª!¡¹ Although Valeria began to utter a cramped scream at the sudden matter, he didn¡¯t intend to slow down his speed. Jumping from roof to roof lightly, Dimitar then jumped up to the top of the clock tower. ¡¸!¡¹ There was a preceding visitor on the steeple where there shouldn¡¯t be anyone. ¡¸Di, Diaghilev-geika¡­?¡¹ Valeria who was being carried on the shoulder by Dimitar murmured as if she was surprised. ¡¸Costacurta-geika and Richternach-kyou¡ªwhy are the both of you here?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because the view is good. Diaghilev-geika also thought of the same thing, right? ¡­We¡¯ll help you¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Clotilde, who had knitted her brows for a moment, unexpectedly bowed in silence only without telling them to return to their rooms. ¡¸¡ªDid you see something?¡¹ ¡¸Nothing except the town¡¯s lights¡¹ Setting the inside of the town aside, it didn¡¯t seem that the thieves who had escaped to the outside of the town would gallop horses without any light. There was neither a moon nor a star tonight due to the clouds covering the sky, and the darkness was deep to the extent that nothing could be seen in the blink of an eye if one left the town. If so, only the small amount of light which the thieves shone on their feet might be the sole clue to finding them. ¡¸¡­Have they already escaped far away to the extent where even the light of their torches couldn¡¯t be seen¡ª¡¹ Clotilde muttered, looking frustrated. It seemed that this woman also couldn¡¯t suppress her emotions completely to the degree that they had thought. When Dimitar let Valeria off nearby, ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, they might be found if we try to view from a slightly higher place¡¹ ¡¸A higher place¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Oi, you, take a look¡¹ ¡¸He?¡¹ Grabbing the right hand of Valeria who was looking blankly, he faced the night sky and flung her with all his strength. Clotilde opened her eyes wide in surprise and alternately looked at Valeria, who danced in mid-air, and Dimitar. ¡¸W, w, what are you doing all of a sudden¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s variously troublesome, so I¡¯ll omit the explanation, but ma, this is our way of doing things¡¹ It was getting troublesome to continue feigning friendliness as well, and Dimitar returned to his usual tone and smiled with a ¡°nii¡±. ¡¸Ah, ah! That way! Over there! There¡¯s a light moving in the pitch-dark centre!¡¹ Valeria, who had created a wind in the empty sky and somehow adjusted her posture, then pointed at the other side of the darkness and shouted. That white arm was pointing at the north of the town¡ªor perhaps one should say ¡°slightly northeast¡±. If the map of Klutoreto which Dimitar knew was accurate, there was only one road stretching in that direction. ¡¸¡ªAll right¡¹ Dimitar re-activated his ¡°Double Power¡± magic, aimed at Valeria who was falling slowly and jumped. ¡¸¡­With this, if it¡¯s your mistake in vision, I can¡¯t laugh, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I, i, if you didn¡¯t fling me all of a sudden, I could have prepared myself mentally a bit more! Or rather, it isn¡¯t a mistake in my vision!¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s fine¡¹ Dimitar, who had caught Valeria in the air, made her clung onto his back and pulled Jagieruka out. The magic crest¡¯s radiance extended from his right elbow towards Jagieruka¡¯s blade, and the enormous magic power manifested as a violent gale. ¡¸¡ªWe¡¯re jumping!¡¹ The wind which Dimitar had brought forth naturally pushed the bodies of the two people who were falling. The place where Dimitar, who had received the wind and earned a distance in one breath, landed next was the top of the gate of the rampart that was built on the outer-most perimeter of Klutoreto. ¡¸Don¡¯t bite your tongue!¡¹ Using the newly created wind as a cushion and softening their landing¡¯s impact, and then jumping down to the ground immediately, Dimitar started to run. Naturally, no sort of light could be seen in their path. Their route was weaving their way through the inside of the wheat fields and continuing towards the north; after that, a dense forest was lying in wait. ¡¸¡­To be visible from above probably means that the thieves haven¡¯t entered that forest yet at that point in time¡¹ ¡¸I mean, it isn¡¯t necessarily so that that light is the thieves in the first place, is it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t carelessly say things that might deny our actions from the foundation¡¹ Although Valeria said so, that possibility was low. Klutoreto was a town that held a population of close to 10,000, and there were many amusement quarters where people would make merry and noise after sunset too; at any rate, the king¡¯s cousin, Sigibert, and the four Dominas were sojourning today. Naturally, since going out at night was restricted to guard the important people, if there were people carrying torches and wandering aimlessly, it could already be viewed as rebellion elements disregarding the order of Haiderota¡¯s royal family. ¡¸¡­Ma, it doesn¡¯t seem that the other party are kidnappers who would do this for mere money¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸The one who was kidnapped is the king¡¯s cousin, you know? Furthermore, the ones who were sojourning together with him are Amaddo and Haiderota¡¯s Dominas. They won¡¯t avoid the capital punishment if they failed in their crime and were captured, and even if it went smoothly, they¡¯d be pursued as wanted men until they die¡¹ Certainly, if they made Sigibert into a hostage, they might be able to get an enormous ransom. However, the risk and return didn¡¯t counterbalance. If money was simply their objective, there were as many more lucrative methods of earning it as they liked. ¡¸Since they kidnapped the king¡¯s cousin to the extent of braving this much danger, their objective isn¡¯t money. Something like revenge that stemmed from profound grudge¡­ maa, if we think realistically, he might be a hostage for pushing through some political demand¡¹ ¡¸Maybe. Though he¡¯s like a gentleman who gets carried away easily and seems to perpetrate various things, I can¡¯t think of that His Excellency doing things to the extent that he¡¯d be resented by the people¡ª¡¹ When he was having such an exchange with Valeria who was on his back, the sounds of hooves approached from behind. ¡¸Both of you! The horse!¡¹ When they looked back over their shoulders, they could see Clotilde, who had straddled a horse, leading an unburdened horse and coming this way. ¡¸This will be helpful. ¡­It looks like it¡¯ll become a long distance pursuit drama¡¹ Without decreasing his speed, Dimitar jumped onto the horse while carrying Valeria on his back. However, the horse was unperturbed at that impact. As one would expect, the military country, Haiderota, had been gathering strong warhorses. ¡¸Near the clock tower, Her Eminence¡¯s follower just¡ªthe pink one¡¹ ¡¸Ah, Gacha Pink?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That person has that kind of name?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s wrong! She properly has a name called ¡°Bettina¡±!¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, since that person just gathered the horses that had escaped¡­ I was saved the trouble at any rate¡¹ ¡¸Diaghilev-geika¡¹ Skilfully moving Valeria who was on his back to his front, Dimitar then asked Clotilde. ¡¸Do you have some knowledge of the thieves?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸You have, right?¡¹ ¡¸Most likely¡ª¡¹ Clotilde momentarily held her breath and then muttered like she was squeezing it out. ¡¸¡ªThey¡¯re the subordinates of Yururogu¡¹ Volume 3 - CH 6.1 It was certainly a little girl. Casually tearing off the black mantle that had gotten dirty in mud and making her neck sound a ¡°kokiri kokiri¡± was, possessing hair that was long to the degree of reaching her ankles and skin, which had faintly emerged in the very dim light, that was white to the extent of abnormal, a little girl with melancholic eyes. The plenitude of exposure, which one could see nothing but cloth wrapping around the circumference of her flat chest and waist in very small amount, made one think of Valeria¡¯s appearance when she used magic, but because she was short and lacking variation of body line, she looked much more younger than Valeria. However, Dimitar, whose chest was greatly cut open, understood well more than anyone that it was impossible that she was an innocent little girl according to that appearance. It wasn¡¯t because he was rained on, but because he was purely shuddering that Dimitar felt his back muscles shivering. ¡¸¡­She¡¯s not a normal kid¡¹ Rather than conveying to Valeria who was beside him, perhaps Dimitar muttered to warn himself. It was probably this girl who had cancelled out Clotilde¡¯s magic just now. Thinking about that, he immediately understood that her magic skill was quite something. And then, even if one thought about the matter of her managing a large warhorse with this small body, grappling with Dimitar at the moment when they met and swinging her knife, it was possible to say that that agility put professional soldiers to shame. However, what was the most troublesome was that she could kill people as if she was breathing. Despite aiming at the human body¡¯s vitals and swinging her knife, she neither released killing intent deliberately nor had any hesitation. It was better to face and fight her from the front; he might hardly survive if that sort of person made a surprise attack on him in the dark. ¡¸¡­Though I¡¯m concerned about the number of people being numerous, you¡¯ll have to take on those people in our surroundings¡¹ Brushing his forelock that had absorbed the rain and sweat and became heavy upwards, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸And then, run away if there¡¯s a chance¡¹ ¡¸Look here¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine to link up with Clotilde and rescue His Excellency or return to the town and call for reinforcement. ¡­At any rate, move away from that kid¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, I can¡¯t do that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You definitely can¡¯t win¡¹ Dimitar casually made Valeria who had doggedly opposed him obeyed by force. It was because he believed that that was an undeniable fact. If it was just putting a distance from right in front and shooting magic at each other¡ªin Dimitar¡¯s opinion¡ªValeria might win. However, in a one-on-one battle where anything goes, no matter how, Valeria probably had no chance of winning. She¡¯d be approached in the blink of an eye and stabbed deeply once with the knife, and it¡¯d end with that. ¡¸It¡¯s not because you¡¯re weak¡¹ While understanding that it wasn¡¯t any kind of consolation, Dimitar added. ¡¸It¡¯s simply that¡­ she¡¯s just merciless¡¹ Differentiating the two girls¡¯ positions was most likely just that one point. Valeria was gentle. It might be fine even if one paraphrased it as ¡°timidity¡±. She was afraid of herself being wounded, and at the same time, she was afraid of injuring others. If one were to make an extreme argument, she couldn¡¯t kill people. However, that girl could kill people. She probably wasn¡¯t afraid of herself being wounded either. Therefore, Valeria couldn¡¯t win against that girl. Just by shortening the distance and making one stab to Valeria¡¯s vitals while she was hesitating, the girl would become the living victor, and Valeria would be transformed into the defeated that could die. ¡¸¡­Leave her to me¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar!?¡¹ While hearing that voice at his back, Dimitar slashed at the girl. ¡¸Do, dodo¡ª¡¹ The girl, who was looking at Dimitar fixedly with upturned eyes, seemed to be trying to say something in a faltering tone, but it didn¡¯t become a clear word. Instead, the somewhat large knife attacked Dimitar. The edge of the knife which had drawn a strange curve caused Jagieruka¡¯s blade to smoothly slide on it, and Dimitar¡¯s slash was easily warded off. It was the brilliance of the skill that he wanted to show to the bonbons of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis). However, he didn¡¯t have the free time to be feeling admiration. Patterns of pale purple phosphorescence emerged closely packed on the girl¡¯s bare white stomach. They were considerably high-density and complex magic crests (Furigana: Hierateika), but Dimitar who was a Hiera Glaphicos could immediately understand those were for using what sort of magic. ¡¸It¡¯s¡ªlike that, huh!?¡¹ Dimitar took a distance against the girl instantly and thrust Jagieruka into the ground. Removing the gauntlet that was put on his left arm in substitute for a shield, he concentrated his consciousness into both arms. Separate magic crests on each arm shone, and Dimitar¡¯s whole body was filled with a new power. Then, the girl came charging towards him at high speed. ¡¸!¡¹ Pulling Jagieruka out quickly, he repelled the girl¡¯s knife back. It was a blow that possessed an unnatural weight, but this was also within the estimation for Dimitar. ¡¸Though you hold a huge projectile weapon¡­, you¡¯re the type that is similar to me, huh¡¹ What the girl had used just now were ¡°Double Power (Furigana: Force)¡± and ¡°Double Speed (Furigana: Flash)¡±¡ªmagic which dramatically raised physical ability that Dimitar also frequently used. ¡¸Oh, o-oh¡­ oh?¡¹ The girl, who was easily sent flying, kicked a tree trunk with both her feet, landed with a ¡°hitari¡± and gazed at Dimitar quizzically. She most likely noticed that Dimitar had used the same magic as her. The other thieves came interrupting in that opening. ¡¸Step aside, Dimitar!¡¹ Valeria who had come running to the side of Dimitar, who was staring at the girl, stuck her left hand out forwards. The flame arrows which the thieves had fired were entirely pulverised by Valeria¡¯s ¡°Iron Wall (Furigana: Rampart)¡±. Perhaps they were surprised at that jarring noise, the horses which were nearby ran away into the forest, leaving behind shrill neighs. ¡¸If you¡¯ve the spare time to do something like that, then go somewhere!¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡­!?¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria under his arm and greatly jumped backwards, but the thieves were already taking a roundabout path to there too. While it might be true that those movements were easy to grasp, he couldn¡¯t ignore the thieves who, unlike the girl, released clear killing intents either. ¡¸Chi¡­!¡¹ At almost the same time when he heard the sound of the thieves unsheathing the swords on their waists, Dimitar extended his right foot to the back while sinking his body. ¡¸Gugo¡ªo¡¹ The sensation of ribs been broken was transmitted through the boots. Dimitar¡¯s back kick had probably done a direct hit on the chest of a thief at the rear. Furthermore, letting Jagieruka pass through his armpit, he did a stab with it and delivered the finishing blow. ¡¸In, in front!¡¹ Valeria, who was pressed down by Dimitar and had squatted down on the spot, finely scattered ¡°Fire Bullets (Furigana: Blast)¡± towards the girl who was approaching from the front. However, the girl weaved her way through those gaps and ran here. It was a kinetic vision that one ought to be shocked at. ¡¸Do the rest yourself somehow!¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ Dimitar grabbed the nape of Valeria¡¯s neck and flung her, and then attacked the girl. On this occasion, the other thieves wouldn¡¯t become a significant problem. Their number had decreased to some extent, and when compared to the girl, their abilities fell behind by several levels. If those people of this standard were her opponents, then Valeria should be able to defend herself as much as she liked. However, only this girl couldn¡¯t be left alone. The worst case was this girl and Valeria squaring off one-on-one while Dimitar was occupied with the other thieves. Therefore, Dimitar proactively slashed at the girl of his own accord. ¡¸¡ªFuu!¡¹ Despite stepping in, the girl sank her body and evaded the point of Jagieruka that had matched her and ran horizontally. Although a tuft of her bluish-purple hair was cut and fell as if dancing, she didn¡¯t even narrow her eyes. As she stared at Dimitar with completely unshaken eyes, the girl tried to jump into Dimitar¡¯s chest. ¡¸You¡¯re more troublesome than I imagined¡ª!¡¹ While stepping backwards, he thrust Jagieruka which had magic crests emerging on it into the ground. An intense cold air ran radially from there while freezing the ground. ¡¸¡ª?¡¹ The girl, who had stepped on the ground that had frozen and split finely, grimaced and hurriedly jumped back. For the girl who was wearing sandals, this footing was probably unpleasant. In that interval, Dimitar pulled out the knife that was inserted in his boots. Recalling his practice with Lucius, he assumed a stance with his legs in an L-shape. The posture of thrusting out his left hand which gripped the knife to the front with his right hand which gripped Jagieruka at the back was for opposing the girl who had come challenging him to close combat. The girl, who had temporarily jumped to the side, kicked a tree trunk and came attacking Dimitar again. ¡¸!¡¹ He turned the knife which had come extending towards his face away to the side with his knife that was far more meagre when compared to that. Dimitar who had sensed that the girl tried to forcibly grapple with him as it was boldly stepped in of his own accord and struck his forehead against the girl¡¯s head. ¡¸Aii!?¡¹ Raising a shrill scream, the girl was blown off. Even if she obtained amazing physical ability by means of magic, only this difference in body weight wasn¡¯t covered up as expected. Dimitar then fired magic arrows towards the girl who had rolled and bounced on the ground. ¡¸H, H-h, how dare, you¡ª¡¹ Holding down her temple where blood weakly oozed, the girl swung her left hand. Similar arrows surged from those fingertips and were negated together with Dimitar¡¯s arrows. Her instantaneous reaction and speed of even using magic; even the proficient magic warriors (Furigana: Marefikos) of Amaddo would probably be astonished. Dimitar kicked the ground and closed in on the girl. Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, he threw a full swing of Jagieruka. Honestly, Dimitar wasn¡¯t inclined to the composition of slashing at a young girl without going easy on her, but the sense of danger that such a cheap vacillation would become fatal had removed the limiter of his mind. Making a ¡°gatsun!¡± dull sound, Jagieruka¡¯s blade sank into the tree trunk. The girl who had jumped lightly dodged the blow striking from the side. ¡¸You impertinent¡ª!¡¹ The girl landed onto Jagieruka¡¯s sword blade as it was, aimed at Dimitar¡¯s face and released a kick. ¡¸¡ªWhat!¡¹ Blocking the girl¡¯s turning kick with his left elbow, he then grabbed that ankle immediately and swung her. If he could throw her to the ground or even into a tree trunk with that force, that¡¯d be the best, but seeing the girl raising her knife overhead, Dimitar threw her out at once. If they continued such a hand-to-hand combat, it¡¯d probably cause shortness of breath to the girl first eventually. By borrowing the power of magic, the girl could also obtain a speed and power on par with Dimitar¡¯s, but to stand on the same place as Dimitar, the originally powerless girl must push herself to the limit more than Dimitar. That was to say, she must be saddled with more mental burdens than Dimitar. Of course, this shrewd girl should have realised that. If so, the girl might not aim for a hand-to-hand combat that would slowly exhaust her, but a short-term decisive battle by means of flashy magic. If that could be predicted, he could make the battle progress to his advantage. The girl, who had rolled in the mud with a ¡°goro goro¡±, made magic crests emerge on both her bare arms while standing up. However, he wouldn¡¯t give her the time to let them transform into real magic. ¡¸Excuse me for my manners being bad¡ª¡¹ Dimitar hooked the corpse of a thief which was lying down close by onto Jagieruka and flung it towards girl. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Immediately after a sound of clicking tongue was faintly heard, the girl put up a rampart around and before her. The corpse which had lost the strength of its limbs was sent flying with a ¡°gunyan¡±, and the mud turned into sprays due to that aftermath and scattered flashily. Seizing that opportunity, Dimitar shortened the distance between him and the girl. ¡¸Y, y-y¡­ y, you¡ª!¡¹ Although the girl directed her right hand which was coloured by magic crests towards Dimitar, prior to the flame arrows surging from those fingertips, the side of Dimitar throwing his knife at her was faster. ¡¸Tsu¡ª¡¹ The knife that Dimitar, who had acquired a physical ability that far surpassed an ordinary man¡¯s, threw was even faster than the arrow of a strong composite bow. The fact that that knife which should have been aimed at her chest was limited to just gouging her left shoulder might be because the girl had tried to reflexively avoid it. Although that reaction was magnificent, Dimitar didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be killed by that. When Dimitar kicked up mud and approached the girl, he tried to drive the toe of his boots into the girl¡¯s solar plexus. It was when he noticed through the gap of her copious hair which drooped loosely that the girl wasn¡¯t looking at him but the night sky that he sensed that it was a mistake. ¡¸¡ª!?¡¹ The girl, who had held her knife in her mouth, stopped Dimitar¡¯s kicking leg with both hands, used that force and soared into the air in one breath. In front of that dark gaze was¡ª. Volume 3 - CH 6.2 ??? ¡¸¡ªBe careful, Your Eminence!¡¹ Creating wind and staying in the night sky, Valeria who had tried to send flame arrows towards the enemies on the ground opened her eyes wide at Dimitar¡¯s sharp voice. ¡¸No way¡ª!?¡¹ That girl came soaring directly this way from Valeria¡¯s blind spot. Just like Valeria had always been doing, the vivid magic crest which had emerged on the girl¡¯s right leg was picking up her small body on the wind. ¡¸Run away!¡¹ Those following words of Dimitar brought Valeria back to reality from her surprise. ¡¸Why do I have to¡ªrun away!?¡¹ Raising her eyebrows, she raised her right hand overhead. The red magic crest which ran from the top of her shoulder to her fingertips in an instant was reflecting Valeria¡¯s will and flickering strongly. She understood that the opponent was an unknown magic warrior who possessed frightening power. She understood that when the girl negated Clotilde¡¯s magic at the beginning. However, she was angry at being told to escape since she absolutely couldn¡¯t win by herself. If it was magic¡ªif it was shooting magic at each other, she wouldn¡¯t lose no matter who the opponent was. She wanted to make him¡ªnot the girl before her eyes, but Dimitar¡ªrealised that here and now. ¡¸I¡¯m not conceited! This is a matter of pride! A Dominas of Amaddo running away without having a match with a child whom nobody knows about is absolutely unforgivable!¡¹ Valeria stared at the girl and directed her right hand¡¯s index finger at her. ¡¸O, o-o-o¡­ soo¡¹ While muttering something in a clear voice that was quite out-of-place and gave one the impression of a small bird¡¯s chirp, the girl who had tightly grasped a knife in her right hand sidestepped it easily. ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ The girl evaded the red-hot flame which Valeria had staked her pride as a Dominas and shot just by twisting her body slightly. The flame which had lost its target impacted near Dimitar who was on the ground and transformed the surroundings into a momentary midsummer. From the middle of that dazzling sunlight, the girl who had dishevelled her hair in the hot wind came rushing in like it was nothing. ¡¸¡ªHi, ii!?¡¹ The girl¡¯s knife accurately extended towards Valeria¡¯s chest. An intense pain ran on the right arm of Valeria who had protected her face at once and tried to put up a rampart around her. The point of the strange-shaped knife slid from the vicinity of her elbow to her wrist, and red blood spurted out in the dark. ¡¸¡ªAh!?¡¹ Valeria who was stiffening her whole body in pain and shock realised that rain was falling from the front of her body. Before she knew, Valeria was starting to fall. Perhaps when she tried to use a rampart to defend herself¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t in time in the end¡ªher concentration of trying to continue circulating magic power to her right leg was interrupted. Due to tumbling down from the sky because of that, considering that she could escape from the girl¡¯s assassin¡¯s dagger instead, one might be able to say that she was lucky. Of course, if the back of her head crashed into the ground as it was, she¡¯d surely die on the spot because of a blow on the whole body or a skull fracture; even if she was breathing, she¡¯d be easily finished off without being able to move. When Valeria held her right hand with her left hand, circulated magic power to her right leg again and created a whirlwind, she then directed it at the ground. ¡¸¡ªTte!¡¹ Since her bottom landed on the ground with a ¡°dosun¡± and that impact ended with the degree of groaning, one could also probably call that ¡°good luck¡±. At the least, it ended without fracturing her neck bone. Her feeling relieved was also momentary, and the other thieves came attacking there. ¡¸!¡¹ ¡¸I said to run away, I¡¯ll¡ª!¡¹ A thief, who had pulled out the sword on his waist and came slashing, was blown off in a pose where his body bent with a ¡°gunyan¡±. ¡¸Dimitar¡­¡¹ ¡¸You did it again¡­!¡¹ The left arm of Dimitar, who was breathing heavily while saying so, perhaps because of the flame that Valeria had shot just now, broke out in bright-red blisters like it had a severe sunburn. His blouse also had burn marks here and there. Dimitar, who had nonetheless caused one of the thieves to become incapable of combat with one kick, lifted Valeria up with his wounded left arm and swung his sword. ¡¸Gaa¡­!¡¹ One thief scattered fresh blood and collapsed again. ¡¸Good grief¡­ with this, you¡¯ve understood that she isn¡¯t an ordinary kid, right!?¡¹ Following the gaze of Dimitar who had shouted as if spitting out, Valeria looked up at the sky too. The girl, who floated in the empty sky together with the midnight breeze, was looking down on Valeria and Dimitar and holding that knife up. ¡¸! Dimitar! T, that knife¡¯s blade!¡¹ ¡¸Messing around with us¡­!¡¹ Distinct magic crests were emerging on the surface of the wickedly curved knife. ¡¸¡ªChii¡¹ Dimitar clicked his tongue. Perhaps he had understood immediately as well. It was the magic which was shot from that knife that had negated Clotilde¡¯s magic. That was also a kind of ¡°Magic Motion Sword (Furigana: Espada Marefika)¡±. ¡¸Hey!¡¹ The remaining thieves came slashing at Valeria¡¯s party, who was distracted by overhead, in one breath from every direction. ¡¸Her comrades are still here, aren¡¯t they¡­!¡¹ Enduring the pain in her right arm, Valeria made her magic power converge in her left hand. Letting the ¡°Tornado (Furigana: Razor)¡± run in a straight line, it then mowed down the enemies who came rushing in. ¡¸Guah!¡¹ ¡¸Gu¡ª¡¹ The thieves who were blown away crashed into the ground and tree trunks, and confirming that they had stopped moving, Valeria then immediately glared up at the girl again. She already understood the power of the magic that was shot from that knife. If she didn¡¯t cast a magic that was no less on par with it and cancel each other out, Valeria and Dimitar might be burnt pitch black here. She made her entire sensitivity converge to produce a magic of that extent. However, the magic crests on her right arm completely couldn¡¯t be used, and above all, the pain of the wound hindered her; it took time to the extent that even she was irritated to charge up sufficient destructive power. ¡¸Ku¡ª!¡¹ Beside Valeria who was grinding her teeth, Dimitar thrust his sword into the ground. Dimitar who had taken a deep breath pointed both his hands to the sky. Those arms were completely covered by ivies of bluish-black light in the twinkling of an eye. Those weren¡¯t the magic crests for the magic which raised physical ability that Valeria often saw. They were extraordinarily complex magic crests¡ªfor making extra-large explosive flame magic explode¡ªthat Valeria was trying to formulate with one arm right now. ¡¸Y¡­ you, that sort of magic¡ªwhy!?¡¹ She had never heard that Dimitar could use a magic with such a destructive power. She had thought that the offensive magic which Dimitar could use were on the level similar to those that the army¡¯s magic warriors used at the most, and that it was also surely because he had borrowed that sword¡¯s power. Nevertheless, if it was true that that powerful magic, similar to Valeria¡¯s, could be used without relying on that sword, then¡ª. ¡¸Aren¡¯t you the one who is messing around¡­!¡¹ When humans got extremely angry or excited, some strange things would be produced inside their heads, and they wouldn¡¯t feel pain temporarily¡ªValeria had heard said story from Karin. The current Valeria was exactly that way. The strong anger which shook her whole body had numbed the pain in her right arm; sharpening her sensitivity, she accelerated the flow of her stagnated magic power in one breath. She heard a strange sound of ¡°basun¡± above her head. That girl must have shot her magic. However, Valeria wasn¡¯t looking at the girl anymore. As she fixedly glared at Dimitar¡¯s profile, she made the magic which she had amassed in her right arm explode together with her anger. Volume 3 - CH 6.3 One should say that it was fortunate that the rain was continuing to fall without stopping. No matter how many times they shot flashy magic of that degree, it hardly spread fire to their surroundings, and the left arm which had sustained burns could also cool immediately. If he counted such trivial good luck one by one, then overcoming the dreary bad luck which waited beyond this might become slightly easy. Valeria¡¯s magic, which had far exceeded Dimitar¡¯s expectation and speedily exploded, after slightly forcing that girl¡¯s magic back, cancelled each other out and scattered in night sky. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Lowering his arm that had been making the magic power converge, he grabbed Jagieruka. Dimitar, who had stared at the girl through the veil of drizzling rain, narrowed his eyes and took a step forwards. ¡¸Te, te, i¡ª¡¹ Perhaps she received the aftermath of the two explosive flames that had clashed, the girl who had flown down unsteadily sustained burns on her right hand that held the knife. It wasn¡¯t a damage to the extent of fatal, but the fact that her right arm¡¯s magic crests were sealed didn¡¯t change. It became a situation where Valeria and the girl¡¯s right arms¡¯ magic crests couldn¡¯t be used. Even if she borrowed the power of magic, it might already be impossible for the girl to do close combat with Dimitar with one arm. Whether she knew that and had the will to fight an extended battle or not¡ªDimitar lightly swung Jagieruka to show that he could still use the sword with both hands. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The girl¡¯s chirp stopped, and her eyes which contained trepidation in some respects began to move hurriedly, looking around restlessly. Ironically, that was a very humane reaction that she, who should be a dreadful slaughterer who aimed at people¡¯s vitals without hesitation, showed for the first time. ¡¸!¡¹ Bending her body, the girl who was taking rough breaths on nearly all fours suddenly jumped up. Purple magic crests were drawn on both legs, and they created a strong wind that blew away the raindrops. ¡¸This¡­!¡¹ Valeria instantly raised her left hand overhead. ¡¸Stop¡¹ Grabbing the hand of Valeria who tried to make a new magic crest emerge, Dimitar sighed. ¡¸¡ªLeave her alone if she¡¯s withdrawing. Cornering a wild animal and receiving a desperate counterattack is also foolish¡¹ ¡¸However¡­!¡¹ ¡¸More importantly, close up your right hand¡¯s wound. You¡¯ll collapse due to excessive bleeding, you know¡¹ Jerking his chin lightly, he made Valeria become aware of the depth of the wound that she had received. Valeria¡¯s right hand had been deeply cut open with a ¡°zakkuri¡± from near the elbow to the wrist, but because of the metal bracelet, it ended without her artery and tendon being cut. One should probably call it ¡°luck among the misfortune¡±. However, there was no guarantee that they could count another good luck like that when they further cornered the girl who was fleeing away. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll search for the horse¡¹ Leaving Valeria who had begun to obediently treat her right arm¡¯s wound behind at the spot, Dimitar pushed through into the forest. Somehow securing one of the horses that had become frightened by the exchange of flashy magic and ran away, he returned to Valeria¡¯s original position. Valeria, who was standing stock still in the middle of the path, held her right arm whose wound was healed and glared at Dimitar with a reproachful look. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand what she wanted to say somehow, but he didn¡¯t think that it was a situation where he¡¯d be rebuked either. Dimitar had instructed Valeria to leave here together with Clotilde. Since Valeria had disregarded that and remained in this place, what she¡¯d experience and what she¡¯d think here, those might be her self-responsibility. Dimitar secured the clasp of Jagieruka¡¯s scabbard and spoke to Valeria. ¡¸I don¡¯t think that the kid from just now will link up with her escaped comrades¡­, but I¡¯m worried about Clotilde. Let¡¯s go¡¹ ¡¸You, sa¡­¡¹ ¡¸What is it? We don¡¯t have the free time for making pointless talk¡¹ Dimitar straddled the horse and hit the front of his saddle with a ¡°pon¡±, saying ¡°get on here quickly¡±. ¡¸¡ªOr is it that you want to be scolded for disregarding my instruction again, here and now?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because¡ªthat¡¯s because you don¡¯t acknowledge me!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t acknowledge my power, right!¡¹ Valeria shouted, her cheeks flushing bright red in the cold rain. ¡¸I was chosen to be a Dominas! However, you don¡¯t acknowledge my power, do you!¡¹ ¡¸Therefore, you wanted to show me? To show me that you can fight even by yourself, and if I praise you, you¡¯d be fine with that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like that!¡¹ ¡¸Ma¡­ in reality, you weren¡¯t able to fight by yourself¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Valeria bit her lips and glared at Dimitar with eyes like she was looking at her parents¡¯ enemies. He could tease Valeria with sound arguments until she cried here, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have such free time. It was unthinkable that there were other magic warriors on the level of the girl from just now, but if he thought about the possibility of the worst case, he was worried about Clotilde who had continued the pursuit alone. It¡¯d be better to run after her quickly. ¡¸¡­If Clotilde and Sigibert die, our position will conversely get worse. We¡¯ll go to see the situation¡¹ Dimitar took a deep breath greatly and extended his left hand to Valeria. Valeria then grasped that hand. ¡¸¡­That, you¡¯re really amazing¡¹ Valeria who had muttered in a low voice was fixedly staring at Dimitar¡¯s left arm. The magic crest from just now was still faintly remaining on the skin that had blistered in deep red. ¡¸That is so, isn¡¯t it; you can use such a magic too! You¡¯re knowledgeable in various things, can use a sword, can mount a horse, and are always calm! Since you can be a Hiera Glaphicos, and on top of that, can even use such an amazing magic, it¡¯s natural that I¡¯ll seem like an idiot, right!? That¡¯s why you don¡¯t acknowledge me, right!? No matter how much I did my best, you absolutely won¡¯t acknowledge me!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Do you want to be acknowledged by me?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Think carefully¡¹ Conversely, Dimitar grasped Valeria¡¯s arm back and forcibly pulled her up onto the horse. If he waited for Valeria who had become emotional to calm down, it might take until dawn broke. Placing Valeria on the horse in such a way as to carry her under the arm, Dimitar made the reins resound. ¡¸¡ªWhat you¡¯ve been saying since a little while ago was, you want to be acknowledged by me when you¡¯ve become able to kill people too, you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s different!¡¹ ¡¸To begin with, you couldn¡¯t see through that kid¡¯s ability. If you knew that the opponent is stronger than yourself, then you might have used the cleverness of at least performing a surprise attack secretly from under cover¡¹ ¡¸But¡­ such a thing, isn¡¯t something that a Dominas would do, right!? For a Dominas of Amaddo, no matter who the opponent may be, from the front¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Work like murder isn¡¯t requested of the Dominas of Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The situation varied according to countries, but Dominas standing in the battlefields was something that happened occasionally, and there were examples like Clotilde¡¯s as well. However, what the current people of Amaddo were requesting of the Dominas wasn¡¯t that sort of role. ¡¸I said that you¡¯ve your role, right? Bear in mind that the surrounding people are making the efforts to protect that image. ¡­Don¡¯t think that children will feel intimacy towards a Dominas who has killed people and then approach her¡¹ While speaking to Valeria who had cast her eyes down, Dimitar clearly understood. At the least, he believed that he could understand. For the sake of strengthening the position of Amaddo that was the leader country, Orvieto had been thinking of actively sending Valeria¡¯s party to the outside. Intervention of dispute, inspection of the frontier, inspection work, and also diplomacy¡ªin order to resolve the trouble that arose in the process, it wouldn¡¯t always be concluded with just lip service. Therefore, Dimitar was assigned to be Valeria¡¯s assistant. Helping Valeria and raising her reputation on one hand, Dimitar would be entirely responsible for the work that would lead to damaging her image because she did it herself. This was often the case in the world of politics. What Orvieto was requesting of him was the role of a villain like that. ¡¸¡­In the first place, when did I say that I don¡¯t acknowledge you? Saying that I don¡¯t acknowledge you who is a Dominas means finding fault with the decision of Head Director and His Majesty who had chosen you to be a Dominas, you know? I¡¯m not foolish to that extent¡¹ Dimitar spoke while galloping the horse. ¡¸You¡¯ve a role that the other Dominas don¡¯t, and I acknowledge that. I know that you can use every magic almost equally at a high level, and I also know that you¡¯ve the desire to improve yourself more than others. ¡­What do you want me to acknowledge of you anymore?¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ Maybe because it had gotten wet in the rain or there were other reasons, Valeria wiped her face with the back of her hand many times, sniffled a little and muttered. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯re actually making fun of me, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸That can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s a fact that you do foolish things¡¹ ¡¸That¡­ I wish you wouldn¡¯t say ¡°foolish¡±!¡¹ Valeria suddenly raised her face and hit Dimitar¡¯s arm that gripped the reins. ¡¸¡ªFirst of all, trying to use a flashy magic like you¡¯re competing with me, you¡¯re really looking down on people! Pretending that you can¡¯t use it despite being able to use even that sort of magic, you were looking at me who had gotten proud and laughing in your mind the whole time, right!?¡¹ ¡¸If I were laughing at you, I¡¯d look at your face and laugh openly and above board. It isn¡¯t interesting if your reaction isn¡¯t known¡¹ ¡¸Ki¡ªi!¡¹ Tearing off her long hair, Valeria hit Dimitar¡¯s arm even more violently. If it was the usual, it wouldn¡¯t be very painful, but his left arm which was blistered would hurt as expected. ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Perhaps she had realised that like now, Valeria stopped her hand that was hitting Dimitar¡¯s arm. Dimitar then raised his lips and, ¡¸The unrefined me can¡¯t use healing magic. I¡¯d like to have the versatile Costacurta-geika to heal it quickly¡¹ ¡¸Saying things that make fun of me like that again¡ª¡¹ Although she grumbled ¡°butsu butsu¡±, Valeria made a magic crest emerge on her left hand and started the treatment of the wounds on the left arm and chest of Dimitar who was clutching the reins. ¡¸¡­Are (huh/eh)?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸You¡­ did that just now, right? Ano¡ªhora, that!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t think that you can have a conversation with just a pronoun. What do you want to say?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because, even though it was burned and the magic crests shouldn¡¯t have been usable¡ªmagic crests rose up on this arm just now too¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that, huh¡¹ Thoughts of ¡°did she realise it as expected?¡± and ¡°she didn¡¯t realise it until now?¡± turned into a jumble, and Dimitar gave a bitter smile slightly. ¡¸That magic crest¡­ the truth is, I never intended to use it again¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸I certainly used that sort of magic which substitutes projectile weapons by myself before. ¡ªHowever, I understood that I can¡¯t master it well no matter how hard I may try and decided not to use it after that¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t master it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It went out of control¡¹ Dimitar laughed at himself. It was a past that he didn¡¯t want to remember much, but it might not be bad in a self-admonition sense. ¡¸No matter how much I injured the skin, it¡¯d never disappear. It¡¯s futile with the degree of a blister. Even though I sustained an even more terrible burn, and the skin was completely burned hideously, this left arm¡¯s magic crest didn¡¯t disappear and didn¡¯t stop going out of control either¡¹ ¡¸Such a thing¡­ eh? It really exists?¡¹ ¡¸If my story is unbelievable, then you can try asking Babel-geika next time¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s something that Babel-geika knows as well?¡¹ ¡¸When this left arm went out of control previously, it was Her Eminence who helped Lucius and me. Honestly, that person is difficult to deal with, but because of just that, I¡¯m indebted to her for my whole life¡¹ At that moment, Dimitar, who had remembered Shakira Babel¡¯s grinning face and knitted his brows, noticed that a small light was lit ahead. ¡¸¡ªThere she is¡¹ In the middle of a circle of a dim light was the person in question, Clotilde Diaghilev, who held up the light and Sigibert Duevre who was placed on horseback, tied as he was; moreover, there were people in black from head to toe who had collapsed in the vicinity, not moving with so much as a twitch. ¡¸The both of you¡­ are safe, I see¡¹ The one who came running was Clotilde who had noticed Dimitar¡¯s party; at this unexpected thing for her, she relaxed her mouth like she felt relieved in some respects. ¡¸His Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s safe. ¡­It seems that he was made to smell a medicine or something and was put to sleep only¡¹ ¡¸As one would expect of the ¡°White Rose of Steel¡±¡¹ Roughly looking, about five, six thieves had collapsed. Since she defeated the thieves who had mastered magic and swords by merely herself, Clotilde was surely a Dominas suited for combat. Dimitar, who had carried Valeria under his arm and dismounted the horse, tore off the thieves¡¯ mantles and tore them to appropriate length, and then asked while tying them up quickly. ¡¸Is it certain that this is the deed of Yururogu?¡¹ ¡¸We won¡¯t know the exact things unless we try interrogating these thieves¡­, but there¡¯s no mistake anyway, I think. I¡¯ve recollection of this sword and harness. They¡¯re the things that the rebel army is using if I remember correctly¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hyowaaaa!? ¡ªUguho!¡¹ An odd scream resounded abruptly, and something made a ¡°dosun¡± falling sound. ¡¸Ugugugu¡­ w, what on earth is this¡­? U, untie me, untie me, untie me!? W, who do you think I am¡ª!¡¹ Sigibert, who had tumbled to the ground, was shouting while wriggling like a caterpillar. Although it was good that the medicine had worn off and he had woken up at last, he probably fell from horseback when he stirred. ¡¸Y, Your Excellency¡­¡¹ The figure of Sigibert, who was covered all over with mud and shouting, completely had no dignity of a military vice-minister of a whole country. Clotilde walked up to him with an astringent expression, and when she untied the binding, Sigibert tried to stand up vigorously, and his foot slipped and he magnificently fell on his bottom. ¡¸Pu¡ªgya!¡¹ Lightly driving his knee into the bottom of Valeria, who had seen that and was about to burst into laughter, and changing it into a scream, Dimitar nonchalantly spoke to Sigibert. ¡¸Are you all right, Your Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡­ to have experienced something terrible¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t seem to be injured; that¡¯s the best¡¹ ¡¸¡±Best¡± you say¡­ it¡¯s not the best, good grief! What were the security people doing?¡¹ ¡¸The person in charge of security is Your Excellency though¡¹ ¡¸That sort of quibble is¡ªeh? Are (huh/eh)? You¡¯re¡ª¡¹ Perhaps Sigibert who had thrown off his mantle, which was covered in mud and became very heavy, and stood up then finally realised that the other parties weren¡¯t his subordinates; he scratched his head with a ¡°pori pori¡± as he kept opening his mouth halfway. ¡¸Ah¡ª¡­ Richternach-kyou, and even¡­ Costacurta-geika as well. Why in the world are the both of you here?¡¹ ¡¸We were searching for Your Excellency together with Diaghilev-geika¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Your Excellency was kidnapped from the inn by the hands of the thieves. ¡­Do you not remember?¡¹ Sigibert bent his mouth into a ¡°he (¤Ø)¡± character and groaned at Clotilde¡¯s question. ¡¸¡­I certainly remember that someone seemed to have broken in through the window, but I was suddenly covered with something and couldn¡¯t see anything, after that¡ªwhen I realised, I was here¡¹ ¡¸In any case, let¡¯s return to the town. Puyol-geika must be worried as well¡¹ ¡¸Ah, umu¡­¡¹ Sigibert, who had received Clotilde¡¯s help and straddled a horse, then stared at his right hand and sighed. Maybe he didn¡¯t feel at ease if he didn¡¯t have his favourite riding crop. Clotilde placed one thief who was tied up on her horse and, ¡¸Let¡¯s leave the remaining thieves here. After we return to the town, we can dispatch a party to apprehend them again¡¹ ¡¸U, umu. I also think that that¡¯s good¡¹ Dimitar who had straddled a horse together with Valeria spoke to Sigibert who had cleared his throat and said such a thing now. ¡¸¡ªAt any rate, it was truly great that Your Excellency is safe. If something were to happen to Your Excellency, how much would our country¡¯s Isaac-denka have grieved¡­ to the extent that I want to inform him of Your Excellency¡¯s safety with a fast horse even at once¡¹ ¡¸Eh ah!? Ah, iya, it¡¯s fine, that kind of thing! T, there¡¯s no need to read too much into things like that, un, no need, no need, no need! After all, there¡¯s no need to go out of the way to cause him to worry!¡¹ Sigibert hurriedly shook his head with a ¡°buru buru¡±. Certainly, the person in charge of security himself was successfully kidnapped by the thieves; furthermore, he received the assistance of Valeria whom he should have protected and was rescued, and if this wasn¡¯t handled properly, it might become an international problem and a mess where he besmirched Haiderota¡¯s honour. Most importantly, if this was known by Isaac, it might become an even more depressing situation than a reprimand from the king for Sigibert. ¡¸Costacurta-geika, sorry to trouble you, but may I ask for a light?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, hai¡¹ Relying on the magic light that Valeria held up, Dimitar galloped the horse. Clotilde and Sigibert then followed from the rear. ¡¸¡ªRichternach-kyou¡¹ Clotilde who had come shortening the distance spoke in a lowly subdued voice. ¡¸¡­I¡¯d like you to not say spiteful things to His Excellency too much¡¹ ¡¸If that degree is spiteful, then Isaac-denka¡¯s one is a mental torture. ¡ªI thought that maybe that sort of exchange was a proof of friendship between the both of them for sure though¡¹ ¡¸Richternach-kyou too, seems to be a person who loves sarcasm as much as that His Highness of yours¡¹ ¡¸It depends on the time and situation. It was you who tried to make Our Eminence feel embarrassed at the beginning, so I¡¯m also just matching that style. I was told by His Highness to retaliate if I had something done to me¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹ When Dimitar mentioned the matter of the dinner time, Clotilde knitted her brows like she was troubled and glanced at Valeria. He had just observed for slightly one day only, but fundamentally, Clotilde was a person who was too serious and had a strong sense of responsibility. She also earned the trust from her subordinates, and possessed the disposition of someone who led others much more than Sigibert. Most importantly, she seemed to be fastidious and had a high pride. It most likely wasn¡¯t her own idea, but probably because it was Sigibert¡¯s instruction that such a person would deliberately bring up that sort of topic at the place of the meal. After all, even if Clotilde had the thought of ascertaining the abilities of Valeria¡¯s party, such a malicious method didn¡¯t quite fit her image. Clotilde inhaled a deep breath and nodded many times. ¡¸¡­Very well, I guess. I shall talk to His Excellency myself so that such a thing won¡¯t happen hereafter. I don¡¯t want to create unnecessary discord between allies while it¡¯s turning into a situation like this¡¹ ¡¸Thanks then¡¹ When Dimitar nodded his head, Clotilde reduced her speed a little and lined up with Sigibert¡¯s horse. She was probably giving a warning to Sigibert immediately. Although he didn¡¯t know whether the party¡¯s visit to Aurillac would advance as planned from now on or not, at least they should be freed from that sort of sarcasm while they were in Haiderota. ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ Estimating the time when Clotilde left, Dimitar spoke to Valeria. ¡¸¡ªJust now, if your magic wasn¡¯t on time, I planned to use a huge magic with the resolution of it going out of control. If a similar thing happens again next, and in the case that I really cause it to go out of control, the possibility of you being nearby is high¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­?¡¹ Valeria twisted her neck and looked up at Dimitar¡¯s face. ¡¸S, so¡­ what?¡¹ ¡¸At that time, you must stop me¡¹ ¡¸Huh!? ¡°Stop it from going out of control¡± you say, if I remember correctly, the magic crest¡ª¡¹ It was precisely because she had received teachings from Orvieto in the Magic Academy (Furigana: Prasa Marefikos) that she, as one would expect, seemed to know at least the method to cope with it when magic power went out of control. In the event that magic became impossible to control due to it going out of control, the thing which one should do first was to sever the magic crest that had the flow of magic power¡ªthat was to say, damaged the magic crest and magic power normally wouldn¡¯t flow. ¡¸Normally, it¡¯ll be fine with that. However, my magic crest won¡¯t disappear even if you injure my skin¡¹ ¡¸Then what should I do?¡¹ ¡¸Hit me with all your strength and make me lose consciousness. It was stopped with that last time too¡¹ ¡¸¡±Last time¡±¡­ Babel-geika?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I suddenly had something done to me with a ¡°gatsun¡±, so I don¡¯t understand well, but Lucius said that she seemed to have hit me with all her strength with a stone of the extent of an infant¡¯s head. ¡­If Her Eminence wasn¡¯t a master of curing magic, I might have died as it was¡¹ ¡¸You¡­ perhaps, the reason for quitting the Chivalric Order is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It seems that various rumours are floating around, but there¡¯s nothing to be said from my own mouth. ¡ªI¡¯ve the obligation to keep secrets¡¹ Wiping his right hand which was slippery due to the rain on the thigh of his trousers¡ªit didn¡¯t have much meaning though¡ªDimitar struck and made the reins resound. Volume 3 - CH 6.4 In the early morning where a dense morning fog rose, without concealing a big yawn, Amaddo¡¯s king, Jeffren Francesc, went down to the royal palace¡¯s courtyard. Kamunyas-kyou, who appeared to have been made to go along with it, was vigorously tilting his head to the side, thinking that this was something unprecedented. In order to deliver the personal letter which Foreign Minister Barzari had stayed up all night and finished writing to the location of the Seal Chivalric Order that should be standing by in the vicinity of the national border, a messenger was about to depart. It was, first of all, unprecedented that the king would go out of his way to send that off. While Barzari-kyou was letting his quill pen run fluently under the candle¡¯s light, the king who should have been sound asleep spoke in a loud voice as if to blow away his sleepiness when he walked up to a young knight member who was kneeling motionlessly. ¡¸Angel Saforcada!¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ The youth, who worn a hair band that was made with plaited cords on his forehead, looked up at the king and nodded slightly. ¡¸This is the fourth day that you¡¯ve joined the Chivalric Order?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the third day¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? This is a sudden big task, huh¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ One could see that the features of the boy, Angel, which still preserved their childishness, seemed to be stiffening a little in nervousness. According to what Kamunyas heard, this boy just became a Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s member due to the recommendation of Gruma¡¯s influential person, Berumdes-kou. Although he wasn¡¯t selected from the beginning for the mission of the Dominas guards this time since the linking up was delayed, to intentionally make that newcomer deliver the personal letter was also again unprecedented. Kamunyas didn¡¯t understand well the decision of the king who was about to intentionally make him do so. Handing a long and narrow wooden box that stored the personal letter and a traffic certificate over to Angel, the king spoke. ¡¸¡ªGive this personal letter to my son, and follow my son¡¯s instructions afterwards¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸You must hurry, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Hugging the wooden box which he had raised high and held with both hands in his chest, Angel stood up. When seeing his standing figure like this, the sword on his waist and the Chivalric Order¡¯s mantle which seemed really new felt a little oversized for Angel. Although it was heard that he was 16, might he not be, in reality, one, two years younger? Angel, who had straddled the white horse that was prepared, lightly scratched the tip of his nose where freckles remained and bowed very deeply towards the king and the ministers. ¡¸This is disrespectful from atop the horse! Angel Saforcada, I¡¯m off!¡¹ The white horse neighed after his dignified statement, and the sound of horse¡¯s hooves resounded in the morning of the fog. ¡¸Ou ou, what a lively youngster. It¡¯s to the extent that I want to make my son follow his example¡¹ Seeing off the youth who had ran away, the king floated a smile that looked like a bitter smile. ¡¸Your Majesty¡­ why did you give this duty to such a young man?¡¹ ¡¸N? Ah, there¡¯s no meaning in particular¡¹ The king casually answered Kamunyas¡¯s question. ¡¸If I have to say, I only thought of letting that youngster produce some kind of achievements¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸At any rate, he¡¯s the youngster which that man-dono had specially spoke of and recommended. As a raw material, he might be excellent. ¡ªIf so, it¡¯s better to use him continuously and let him accumulate experiences, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ ¡¸It seems that my son is trying to reform that Chivalric Order as a combat-like group. If that¡¯s the case, then no matter how many excellent capable people there are, he won¡¯t be troubled¡¹ ¡¸H, however, if we appoint the children of the low-status nobles to important positions too much, won¡¯t the opposition from the other great nobles become strong¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t care about that sort of thing¡¹ Folding his thick arms, the king snorted boldly. Waving his mantle and turning back, he took Kamunyas and the secondary retainers under him along and returned inside the royal palace. ¡¸That Chivalric Order belongs to my son. It¡¯s fine if my son does as he wants. Even if something like then incurring the great nobles¡¯ opposition and suffering a setback happens, that might be a good experience. ¡ªI believe that the custom of the Crown Prince serving as the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order originally had an objective in such a matter¡¹ ¡¸I, I see¡­¡¹ Even on top of actual government affairs, the relationship between the royal family, the government and the nobles was very delicate and was something that one would be made to take into consideration. If he (the Crown Prince) could learn that in the Chivalric Order game that was similar to playing house, one could even say that it was playing a part in the bringing up of the future monarch. However, Kamunyas¡¯s worried look didn¡¯t slacken even though he heard so was because the Crown Prince was trying to make the Chivalric Order into a combat unit, not an ordinary game of make-believe. Especially nowadays, he (Isaac) had been discussing with Finance Minister Kaparos-kyou and Vice-Leader Lucius repeatedly; if the Chivalric Order really didn¡¯t become the playing place of the young nobles anymore from now on, wouldn¡¯t that become the cause of a serious confrontation between the royal family and the great nobles; Kamunyas thought about such a thing. ¡¸Ma, for the time being, the things which we can do are finished with this¡¹ The king clapped the shoulder of Kamunyas, who was bending slightly forwards and walking, very friendly with a ¡°ban ban¡±. ¡¸¡ªEveryone, thank you for your hard work! Slowly take a rest for now. Even if you don¡¯t rest, I¡¯ll properly go back to sleep, you know? Don¡¯t wake me up until noon, all right, Kamunyas¡¹ ¡¸A, acknowledged¡­¡¹ Laughing loudly with a ¡°gahhahha!¡±, the king went towards his own room. When Kamunyas, who was holding down his aching shoulder and bowing, breathed a sigh of relief, he then went straight towards his office without returning to his mansion. Although the king had said such a thing, there was no way that a person in the position of being called ¡°the country¡¯s elder statesman¡± could sleep leisurely in this situation. Volume 3 - CH 6.5 It was the time when perhaps the first crow of the cock would begin crowing very soon that Valeria¡¯s party came back to Klutoreto¡¯s tabard inn. On that way back, Valeria and Dimitar tried to ask the person concerned, Sigibert, about that girl, but this His Excellency¡¯s memory was vague as expected¡ªto put it bluntly, it was of no use whatsoever. Although he was called out to by the members who had come out to the vast garden and was waving his hand in a carefree manner, saying things like ¡¸Yaa yaa, thank you for your hard work, gentlemen!¡¹, if Sigibert wasn¡¯t a man who was called ¡°His Excellency¡±, he might have lost his life about this time. ¡¸Y, Your Excellency~y! Your Eminence~!¡¹ Perhaps they heard the news that these four people had returned safely, Malena and Arushanbor came rushing out from the inside of the lodging house. Following that, Karin, Petra and Bettina also came along. It seemed that the fire at the stable had already been extinguished, and in the night air where the drizzle continued to fall, they hardly sensed that burnt smell anymore. ¡¸Oh, Puyol-geika! It appears that I¡¯ve caused you to worry. However, if it¡¯s about me, then there¡¯s no need to worry; indeed, your worry is unnecessary, unnecessary!¡¹ ¡¸It, it¡¯s not that at all!¡¹ Malena who had come running to the front of Sigibert, who was covered all over with mud and trying to look good, passed a letter which she had been holding¡ªupon a little hesitation¡ªto Clotilde for some reason. Maa, it was an understandable decision somehow. ¡¸¡­What is it? Did something happen again?¡¹ ¡¸Seems like it¡¹ Karin came along and whispered in a low voice to Valeria who had received Dimitar¡¯s help and dismounted from the horse. ¡¸¡­A short time ago, an express messenger from Aurillac arrived¡¹ ¡¸The one who will come along at such a period of time is at least a messenger who will inform us of a state of emergency. ¡­It doesn¡¯t seem to be good news¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEveryone¡¹ Clotilde whose complexion had changed came along towards Valeria¡¯s party that was sitting on the edge of the water fountain in front of the entrance. ¡¸¡­A new problem has arisen again. We must return to Aurillac immediately after this¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸There might be¡­ an outbreak of war¡¹ ¡¸Is it perhaps with¡­ Yururogu?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. ¡ªThough their total number is unknown, it¡¯s said that Yururogu¡¯s rebel army has appeared at a place that is 100 leagues (482.8 km) north of Aurillac¡­¡¹ ¡¸Their large army appeared at such a place all of a sudden?¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡­ they had probably used warships¡¹ Dimitar, who had put his hand on his knee and stood up, turned his neck with a ¡°guruu¡± and sighed. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve heard that the navy of Haiderota which faces the northern sea is quite a thing. If so, Yururogu might also be something similar. If their warships go up a big river, won¡¯t they be able to send in a large army to the inland considerably?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s most likely so. ¡­As the sea had been rough because of the stormy weather these last few days, the discovery might have been late due to that¡¹ ¡¸Requisition horses from the residents here!¡¹ Clotilde turned around at that voice. ¡¸¡ªCarry only the necessary minimum luggage, work around-the-clock, prepare spare horses and return to the capital! The departure is one hour later! All members, start your preparations!¡¹ Having Malena prepare a change of clothes, Sigibert was issuing instructions to Arushanbor and the others on this and that. It was extremely imperious that, lamenting the blunder of himself who was successfully kidnapped in his own way, he might be thinking of wanting to make up for it somehow. ¡¸¡­For this reason, we can no longer accompany you to the capital¡¹ ¡¸Even if we¡¯re told so, we¡¯ll be troubled, you see. ¡­I¡¯ve explained to you about that kid, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, what¡¯s this talk about a kid?¡¹ While Clotilde and Dimitar were having a conversational exchange, Karin asked Valeria quietly. ¡¸Ah¡­ un. There was a strange child¡¹ Her mood became dark when she recalled the matter at that time, but it was impossible not to explain. Valeria briefly talked to Karin and the others and told them about the formidable girl whom she and Dimitar had encountered. ¡¸Ehhh!? T, then, doesn¡¯t this mean that, that magic warrior girl, might, still be hiding in this vicinity!¡¹ Bettina slightly walked pigeon-toed and started stamping. ¡¸¡­What if you go pee while you¡¯ve the chance?¡¹ ¡¸I, I can¡¯t go to the toilet by myself immediately after hearing a story like that!¡¹ ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ What kind of discussion did he have with Clotilde; Dimitar then spoke to Valeria¡¯s party. Clotilde had already returned to her original duty and was briskly giving instructions to her subordinates. ¡¸What will you do? She said that she doesn¡¯t mind us coming together with them though¡¹ ¡¸¡°Together¡± you say¡­, but they intend to return to the capital at full speed, right!?¡¹ ¡¸It seems that they¡¯ll provide three horses and a carriage¡¹ Even if they prepared a carriage, it was probably impossible to follow the warhorses¡¯ full speed, and even the other attendants whom Valeria¡¯s party was accompanied by must all be left behind here. ¡¸She said to follow them knowing that it¡¯s impossible, or to remain here and wait for the welcome from Amaddo after they leave about 10 guards behind¡ªchoose the one that we like¡¹ ¡¸Though she said ¡°choose¡±~, in reality, doesn¡¯t she think that it¡¯s a bother if they¡¯re followed by us? I can hear that as an act of ostensible kindness done in one¡¯s own interest~¡¹ ¡¸That is so, isn¡¯t it; it¡¯s because a large-scale battle might occur near the capital by some chance. If an accident happens to the state guests from Amaddo at such a place, even if they repel Yururogu¡¯s army, Haiderota¡¯s reputation will fall¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true¡­ if it¡¯s to the extent that they¡¯ve to take such a risk, it might be better to be called ¡°a little impolite¡± and get us to return to Amaddo as it is. At the least, if it¡¯s Diaghilev-geika who is at the scene, she should have concluded so¡¹ ¡¸¡­But we even thought of going through hardships to rescue Sigibert-kakka, and yet they said ¡°please return to your country quickly¡± because of a state of emergency; it feels like our efforts have come to naught somehow¡¹ When Valeria inadvertently complained so, Dimitar suddenly looked back at Clotilde and, ¡¸Your Eminence! Our conversation just now, concerning the matter of the horses and the carriage, we¡¯ll gratefully receive them¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡ªwhat are you deciding at your own discretion!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a very waste of time to be worrying about this and that¡¹ Perhaps the burn was itchy because it was just healed, Dimitar spoke while rubbing his arm. ¡¸It¡¯s for Amaddo¡¯s national interest that we¡¯ve purposely trod on thin ice. That being the case, our actions hereafter should also think about the national interest as the top priority. ¡­Of course, there¡¯s the alternative of having both Her Eminences return to our country safely for the sake of national interest as well, but in that case too, I don¡¯t intend to sluggishly stay in contact with Amaddo here. If we board the carriage and leave at dawn, we can cross the national border by dusk¡¹ ¡°To go north or to go south, you must decide that¡±; Dimitar thrust this at Valeria and Karin. ¡¸Gacha Pink will go prepare for leaving here, and Glasses will go explain the situation to the maids. ¡ªMeanwhile, I¡¯ll do your emergency treatment¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Me?¡¹ ¡¸If I connect some lines, they might be usable to a certain extent. It¡¯s better than doing nothing¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Valeria stood in a line with Dimitar, sat on the edge of the water fountain and held out her right arm. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯re in the middle of your medical treatment, can you give me just a moment?¡¹ When Valeria was grimacing and enduring the pain, Karin sat beside her. ¡¸This time, it¡¯s like I haven¡¯t done anything, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­So?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be strange if I say that returning as things are is unpleasant¡­, but if I were to state the official stance, I think that contributing to the resolution of the alliance¡¯s internal dispute is an important job of Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ that¡¯s a plausible reason¡¹ ¡¸Besides, that child whom you said that you saw¡­ she was holding it, right?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ To say the truth, Valeria was also worrying about that the most. What that girl was holding was unmistakably a magic motion sword. Where in the world did that come out from¡ªdid Yururogu have the technology to develop that on its own, or was it the same as Hokon and Dante, that it was provided by someone? The monopoly of magic engineering (Furigana: Tekunorogia Marefika); if that couldn¡¯t be done, then to Amaddo that tried to always be in the forefront, it was a problem that they couldn¡¯t overlook. Dimitar, who had been drawing and adding magic crests on Valeria¡¯s right arm, raised his lips at the Dominas¡¯ conversation and nodded. ¡¸¡­Ma, that might be appropriate. Honestly speaking, that girl¡¯s knife falling into Haiderota¡¯s hands isn¡¯t amusing, and whether Haiderota has such a technology or not, it¡¯s better if we can investigate such a matter too¡¹ It seemed that their answer had come out. When Valeria was grimacing at the pain that was similar to her skin being torn and trembling lightly, Karin quietly whispered into her ear. ¡¸¡­Come to think of it, I noticed this a little while ago though¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Noticed what?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve come to call Richternach-kyou ¡°Dimitar¡±¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Valeria opened her eyes wide and stared at Karin¡¯s face, and then hurriedly looked at Dimitar. Fortunately, was Karin¡¯s whisper just now inaudible, or was he only concentrating on his work; as he held Valeria¡¯s right arm, Dimitar was carefully sliding his finger on that white skin, and there was no indication of him meddling in their conversation. Valeria lowered her voice, grasped Karin¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡¸Hey! Don¡¯t say irresponsible things! If they¡¯re heard by this person, it¡¯ll turn into a strange thing again, right!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, did you perhaps not notice this yourself?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, the matter of you calling him ¡°Dimitar¡±. ¡ªI see, you¡¯ve been unconsciously calling him so¡¹ Narrowing her eyes and staring at Valeria, Karin nodded quietly. That face, which was mixed with a faint smile that seemed to want to say ¡°I¡¯ve understood everything¡±, was somehow very odious. ¡¸It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that! I, I¡¯m simply avoiding troubles only!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s troublesome?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s because¡ªwhen Lucius-sama is present, everyone will be confused if I call him ¡°Richternach-kyou¡±¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, even though Lucius-sama has returned to Roma, you¡¯ve been calling him ¡°Dimitar, Dimitar¡±, haven¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸S, such a thing¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Oi¡¹ Dimitar interrupted the words of the flustered Valeria. ¡¸¡ªYou understand whose magic crests I¡¯m restoring, right? If you¡¯re going to speak in a jumble and struggle, it¡¯s fine even if I forcibly do this after tying you like the last time, you know?¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡¹ At the very moment when she was given a glare with a ¡°girori¡±, Valeria shut her mouth. Valeria herself certainly didn¡¯t notice that she had been calling Dimitar ¡°Dimitar¡± before she became aware of it either. Perhaps Dimitar making the face like he was a little surprised might be due to that way of calling. However, suddenly returning to the way of calling him ¡°Richternach-kyou¡± like until now just because it was pointed out by Karin like this, she might, on the contrary, be teased by Karin saying that she was too conscious of it. Thus, Valeria pretended that she was enduring the pain, closed her eyes and shut out the noises from the outside world. End of Chapter 6 Volume 4 - CH Pr Summer soon arrived. Narrowing his eyes at the strong wind that had the smell of greenery, Amaddo¡¯s king, Jeffren Francesc, looked at the top of the hill. ¡¸The world has nothing serious in general¡ªand it¡¯s a fine weather. I feel like I want to have a drink¡¹ ¡¸You say extremely carefree things¡­¡¹ When the king turned around, he could see the ¡°Immortal Dominas (Furigana: Domina Berumanens)¡±, Shakira Babel, coming along, accompanied by attendants who were holding a large parasol over her. ¡¸¡ªIsn¡¯t that comment unnecessary when two of our country¡¯s Dominas might be dragged into a foreign country¡¯s civil war?¡¹ Shakira, who should be close to 40 already and yet could only be seen as a girl no matter how in terms of outward appearance, narrowed her eyes and spoke to the king with a complacent smile. With a friendliness as though dealing with a friend of 10 years¡¯ standing, it was something very unthinkable towards the head of state. However, the king only gave a wry smile and didn¡¯t get angry. ¡¸It¡¯s, to the end, a talk about this Roma. I didn¡¯t even say a single word that Haiderota¡¯s worldly matters are peaceful, you know¡¹ ¡¸Are you not concerned about both Her Eminences¡¯ bodies, you this drunkard?¡¹ ¡¸Oi oi, can¡¯t you use a bit more decent wording when there are other people in the surroundings at least?¡¹ ¡¸That has been more than 20 years ago since now, when I was still no more than a candidate for the Dominas, on a certain night¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Wait just a minute!¡¹ The king hurriedly interrupted Shakira, who was looking up at the distant sky, starting to speak of it. ¡¸¡­¡±Refrain from making remarks that might lower the dignity of the king and the nobility of the Dominas in front of people¡±; I¡¯ve been saying so many times, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the dignity of the king that falls, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m particularly fine though¡¹ Driving her small fist into the king¡¯s flank, Shakira giggled. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, whatever brought this on again today? If you can say that there are things to do, I¡¯ll personally go to the royal palace¡¹ The king pointed at a table which had been prepared there to Shakira who had changed her wording all of a sudden. ¡¸Even though things may appear this way, I¡¯m tentatively this country¡¯s Great Gods of Heaven and Earth Official (Furigana: Batoriarka Mayor). I have to patrol this hill occasionally¡¹ The Great Gods of Heaven and Earth Official was Amaddo¡¯s religious supreme authority, and that position was even higher than a Dominas. In Amaddo where ardent God believers were numerous, it became a custom that the king would also serve as the Great Gods of Heaven and Earth Official to avoid a troublesome problem which would arise due to the confrontation between the world¡¯s powerful person and the religious authority. ¡¸My goodness¡­ that¡¯s a good mental attitude¡¹ The preparation for black tea was completed on the table. Shakira reached out her hand to the white porcelain cup and fleetingly looked up at the king¡¯s back. ¡¸¡ªWell then, the reason for calling me to this place is?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve one thing to inform you in advance¡¹ Joining his hands together behind his back, the king who was fixedly staring at the top of the hill looked back over his shoulder at Shakira and smiled. ¡¸¡ªYour hometown¡­ eto, what is it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Selsuru¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that that. Though your appeal is to want me to increase the stationing troops at that Selsuru to prevent suffering damage from groups of robbers, it seems that ¡°right now¡± is impossible. The personnel expenses can¡¯t help becoming rather absurd with this¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that right?¡¹ In Shakira Babel¡¯s birthplace, Selsuru, the matter of wicked thieves making frequent appearances had become the residents¡¯ pending problem for many years. Shakira, who was concerned about that, had been making requests for the increase of the number of stationing soldiers for the crackdown on the thieves towards the king. ¡¸¡ªThough increasing the number of personnel is impossible¡¹ The king sat down on the chair opposite of Shakira and continued at once. ¡¸I¡¯ve decided to build ramparts in Selsuru to make up for that¡¹ ¡¸Build ramparts?¡¹ Shakira put down her cup and tilted her head to the side. ¡¸¡­Doesn¡¯t building ramparts require more budget than increasing military force?¡¹ ¡¸That is maa, if you look at it in the short term, that is so, but if you look at it with a long-term view, then personnel expenses will cost more. Moreover, building ramparts is, in a manner of speaking, a public-works project¡¹ If it became a country-initiated large-scale construction work, manpower would come gathering from here and there searching for jobs since wages would certainly be paid. Thus, it¡¯d enrich Selsuru¡¯s economy in terms of result. A deterioration in public order due to temporary population increase was also possible, but nevertheless, the merits were probably greater than the demerits. ¡¸One more thing; this isn¡¯t just for protecting the town from thieves, but also for expelling the thieves¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I plan to dismantle the forts that are left alone in the outskirts of Selsuru and reuse them for the ramparts¡¯ building materials. After all, the thieves coming to gather in that area no matter how many times we drive them away is also because these forts, which are easy to become those people¡¯s strongholds, have been left alone¡¹ The forts near Selsuru were originally built for the defence of the national border during the period when that place was the country¡¯s border; at the present where Amaddo¡¯s territory had expanded, they had already long lost the meaning of their existences. It was certain that dismantling and diverting into the ramparts that would protect the town was more logical and economical than repairing these now. ¡¸As long as we have strongly built ramparts, protecting the town adequately even with the current military force can be done. In the end, this way is more economical¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a thankful story, but to put together a special budget for that is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It won¡¯t require a budget. Or perhaps I should say, it requires a budget, but I¡¯ve came up with a method to cover it¡¹ ¡¸So that means?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll be using your name and collecting donations¡¹ Nonchalantly moving the cup of black tea which the maid had poured aside, the king placed a bottle of brandy which he had taken out from under his mantle onto the table. ¡¸¡ªWe¡¯ll give the naming rights of the towers and gates that are attached to the ramparts of Selsuru to the people who had provided the donations. A letter of your own handwriting will be delivered from you to the people who made especially large amount of donation. In short, at the same time when their names will be etched onto the ramparts of Selsuru, they¡¯ll be thanked by even a Dominas. If it¡¯s this, the vain nobles and wealthy merchants will come jumping at it all together. In case the collection of donations is poor, the queen and I will take the initiative and make a donation. Those people, the nobles who want to try to get on our good side, will probably follow immediately¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, again, ¡­a ruthless method¡¹ Shakira, who had returned to a relaxed tone once more, added a bit of the king¡¯s brandy to her cup of black tea. The aroma of the black tea and brandy mixed together, rode upon the winds of the green hill and flowed away. ¡¸The one who had thought of it isn¡¯t me, but a person from long ago. ¡­It was Orvieto¡¯s son who had dug it back up from among the documents though¡¹ ¡¸The Richternach-kyou who has a title?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸Hora, there¡¯s one more person in Orvieto¡¯s house, right? The child who had just become a Hiera Glaphicos a little while ago?¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, both have titles, right?¡¹ The king gave a bitter smile while drinking the alcohol hard with the teacup. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, letting him take charge of the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aigies) is wasteful¡¹ ¡¸Then, won¡¯t it be fine if you give him some kind of position and let him serve in the royal court?¡¹ ¡¸I want to do so very much, but it doesn¡¯t look like my son is going to let go of him. The person himself doesn¡¯t seem to have that intention either; ¡­after all is said and done, he¡¯s only 20¡¹ ¡¸His Highness might have the thought of wanting to appoint that child as his adviser when he eventually succeeds the throne. Similar to how Your Majesty had selected the military minister from among your comrades-in-arms¡¹ ¡¸That might be so¡­, but in the first place, does my son has the ability and qualifications to succeed my headship?¡¹ ¡¸Be that as it may, Your Majesty doesn¡¯t have other successors, right? Or do you have an illegitimate child somewhere?¡¹ ¡¸There isn¡¯t anything like that though¡­; it¡¯s just that my retirement might be postponed until the future. He doesn¡¯t seem to have much interest in women too¡¹ Saying so, the king placed a fearless smile which one couldn¡¯t tell was a joke or was serious on the edge of his lips. End of Prologue Volume 4 - CH 1 The dazzling morning sun was shining above the ridge of the mountain beyond the east. The sunlight which had somewhat lost its sharpness due to the morning fog that still weakly remained was dimly extending Valeria Costacurta¡¯s shadow on the muddy road. Walking up to Dimitar Richternach who was standing still on the bridge that was about to collapse, Valeria spoke. ¡¸¡­Is it really fine with this?¡¹ ¡¸This will also become a large favour. It isn¡¯t bad if you think that way¡¹ The members of the Gale Chivalric OrderRorudor Rafuale who had fallen down into the rising river when the bridge was destroyed and unfortunately lost their lives were six people, and the wounded had rose to 17 people. Although there was no missing person, it was said that 30 and more horses had been washed away. Setting ¡°were they alive as they were or in the state where they had become carcasses¡± aside, it might take a few days to recover all those. Therefore, Sigibert selected 60 people from among the uninjured members and departed again. The number ¡°60¡± seemed to be the minimum number, which was calculated backwards from the number of remaining horses and then yielded, to be able to run through to Aurillac at full speed. The other members were left here to protect the casualties and the corpses. And then, Valeria¡¯s party also remained here for the treatment of the members. For Valeria, although she wanted to go to Aurillac, she was requested to remain here without fail by Sigibert and Clotilde, and above all, she couldn¡¯t endure the guilt of forsaking people who had sustained serious injuries and were on the verge of death. Fixedly gazing at the collapsed bridge and the opposite bank, Dimitar asked. ¡¸The treatment of the casualties?¡¹ ¡¸It has mostly finished¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? ¡ªOi, Gacha Pink!¡¹ Dimitar turned back and summoned Bettina who was running around between the casualties who had been laid down on the roadside. ¡¸W, what is it, Dimi-san?¡¹ ¡¸What on earth are you doing?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Iya, I¡¯m carrying water and moving the wounded¡­ after all, hora, I can only do things of that extent, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need to do helpful things to that extent. As long as the treatment is completed, they¡¯ll do the rest by themselves. It¡¯s not that only the wounded and the dead were left behind in particular, after all¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be troubled if you do unnecessary things, and your cartridge becomes empty at the critical moment¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Does that mean that I have some special mission!?¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t just you in particular though¡¹ Dimitar beckoned to Karin and Petra, gathered everyone in the surroundings of the carriage that had lost its horses and informed them suddenly. ¡¸Our obligation has already been fulfilled. We¡¯ll be going soon¡¹ ¡¸¡°Going¡± you say¡­ to where? Does that mean leaving the people here behind, and only us will return to Klutoreto first?¡¹ ¡¸Word has travelled to Klutoreto already. Carts which are pulled by cows or donkeys will probably arrive shortly in succession and collect the wounded. We¡¯ve done the minimum treatment for them already, don¡¯t worry about it. ¡ªIn the first place, it has been decided that it isn¡¯t Klutoreto that we¡¯re going to, but Aurillac though, right?¡¹ ¡¸That was so a few hours ago~, but the situation has changed greatly, hasn¡¯t it? All the horses have been taken; how will we go to Aurillac~?¡¹ While playing around with the tips of her hair with a ¡°kuru kuru (coiling around)¡±, Petra raised a doubtful voice. Certainly, they didn¡¯t know how many days it would take to go to Aurillac if there were no horses. ¡¸¡ªIf I remember correctly, they said that they¡¯ll move northwards along the river, cross a different bridge and go towards Aurillac?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ Karin took out the map and opened it. As one would expect, small roads weren¡¯t thoroughly drawn, but the distance to Aurillac was well understood. ¡¸Is it here¡­ if not, can they cross over by using the bridge around here, I wonder? In any case, they¡¯ll make a considerable detour¡¹ ¡¸Ma, if they¡¯re thinking of crossing this rising river with 60 men and horses, they¡¯ll have to search for a place that has a bridge spanning it¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the same for us as well, isn¡¯t it? At any rate, we can¡¯t go to Aurillac unless we cross this river, right?¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t so difficult to go across in particular, right? If it¡¯s me, it¡¯ll take an instant¡¹ Stifling a yawn, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸As long as we cross this river, we might be able to procure either horses or a carriage at the village ahead. If we obtain horses within today, we¡¯ll most likely arrive earlier than those people of that Chivalric Order. After all, we are going the shortest distance¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, you might be able to cross, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You also can, right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? ¡­Maa, un¡¹ Needless to say of Dimitar, if Valeria and Karin also used magic, jumping over the section where the bridge had fallen and crossing over to the opposite side wasn¡¯t difficult. However, Petra then sweetly raised a voice of dissatisfaction. ¡¸Eh~? It¡¯s a little impossible for me though~?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, but if that¡¯s the case, if Dimitar carries Petra in his arms and go across¡­ you can jump, right, if it¡¯s a distance of this extent?¡¹ ¡¸No problem. I can even throw her if you like though¡¹ ¡¸Well then¡ª¡¹ Valeria then stopped her words midway. Even though they didn¡¯t arrange beforehand, everyone¡¯s gazes concentrated on Bettina. ¡¸Ehhh!? D, does that possibly mean that only I will remain here!?¡¹ ¡¸No one said anything like that¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡­ but! The gazes of everyone just now were looks as if you¡¯re looking at a slightly pitiful thing, weren¡¯t they?!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, it¡¯s a fact that leaving you behind here will take the least time and effort though. I can also entrust the lookout of this long chest to you¡¹ The contents of the long chest were the luxurious clothing that Valeria¡¯s party had worn on yesterday¡¯s journey. They were also adorned with big and small jewels, and one could say that they were quite a fortune. They were things that they had to bring back to Amaddo safely. ¡¸H, how cruel! Even though I didn¡¯t get you to let me eat delicious cuisine adequately, to be left behind for the sake of keeping an eye on our belongings is too much!¡¹ ¡¸I feel that treating you is also another question, but¡­ hey Dimitar, can¡¯t you do something somehow?¡¹ It was too pitiful to come here and then leave only Bettina behind. However, Dimitar, with an unconcerned expression, ¡¸There¡¯s the way of thinking that not going to Aurillac is safer too, you know?¡¹ ¡¸However¡­ Bettina also wants to go together with us this much¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! We¡¯re comrade-in-arms who have been sharing joys and sorrows up to this point, so it¡¯s natural to go together! Aren¡¯t we in the same boat?!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want to be in the same boat with you who immediately behaves as if you have incontinence, but ¡­ma, fine, I guess. Your great physical power should also serve some kind of use¡¹ Sighing greatly, Dimitar pointed at the long chest that was loaded on the carriage and spoke to Petra and Bettina. ¡¸¡ªFor the time being, seal this thing and request someone among the people around there to take responsibility of it and deliver it to Klutoreto¡¯s inn. As long as it¡¯s delivered to the inn, the maids who had been left behind will probably keep it for us afterwards¡¹ ¡¸Understood~?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll be going off for a while¡¹ While Bettina, who had carried the long chest in her arms, and Petra were moving towards the spot where all the Gale Chivalric Order was, Dimitar undid the bunch of ropes that was tied to the carriage¡¯s rear. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m slightly afraid that the bridge will begin to collapse¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Though I think that there isn¡¯t a problem if it¡¯s us, the moment when Gacha Pink jumps greatly and lands on the bridge of the opposite side, the remaining section might collapse in one breath because of that impact¡¹ ¡¸Eh, hey, don¡¯t say unlucky things!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a possible story¡¹ ¡¸N, no no! Such a thing absolutely isn¡¯t allowed!¡¹ Perhaps with Bachururus¡¯s weight, she wouldn¡¯t be able to rise to the surface if she fell down into the river. She¡¯d probably sink with a ¡°buku buku (bubbling)¡± as it was. It was too much to see Bettina¡¯s real face after she became a drowned body. ¡¸We¡¯ve entrusted the matter of the luggage to someone~¡¹ ¡¸Huh? What¡¯s wrong, Valeria-sama? Your complexion is somewhat pale?¡¹ ¡¸It, it¡¯s nothing in particular¡¹ Holding down her cheeks that had turned slightly pale, Valeria spoke to Dimitar in a whisper. ¡¸¡ªR, really, what should we do!? As one would expect, even you can¡¯t carry Bettina in your arms and jump to the opposite side, right!?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s obvious¡¹ While stroking his neck, Dimitar asked Bettina. ¡¸¡ªOi, Gacha Pink. Can you jump to the opposite bank with the power of your Bachu-something?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than to the opposite bank, if it¡¯s to that side of the bridge, I think that I can jump though¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no good. That bridge is about to break, you know? There¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯ll completely crumble down without being able to withstand the impact of your fall. We can¡¯t feel at ease if your landing spot isn¡¯t the opposite bank¡¹ ¡¸¡­If it¡¯s that, then it¡¯s doubtful. I won¡¯t know unless I try though¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Challenging the limits of its performance isn¡¯t bad too, on this occasion¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar!¡¹ Valeria put her hands on her waist and glared at her subordinate who was grinning broadly. ¡¸¡ªThe truth is that you¡¯ve thought of a different method, right!?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t get angry at everything. It¡¯s a harmless joke¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like you not to joke about that sort of thing!¡¹ ¡¸Good grief, you¡¯re so attentive to every single thing¡­. Well then, I¡¯ll explain. First of all, I¡¯ll carry Glasses in the arms and cross over to the opposite side first¡¹ When Dimitar who had explained so activated the ¡°Double PowerForce¡± magic, he carried Bachururus¡¯s cartridge case in his right hand and the bunch of ropes in his left hand, and made Petra cling onto his back. ¡¸Both my hands are full. Hold on tightly, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Ha~i?¡¹ Carrying the carefree Petra on his back, Dimitar lightly executed an approach run and jumped. ¡¸Oh¡ª!¡¹ At the rear, the Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s members could be heard raising voices of astonishment. Perhaps they noticed that Valeria¡¯s party had started something. Nevertheless, it must be because not even a single person who was in the position to be able to voice his opinion to the Dominas of a foreign country¡ªin other words, Clotilde¡¯s party¡ªhad remained here that no one was trying to restrain them. When Dimitar, who had safely crossed over the river and landed on the opposite bank, tied the end of the rope onto the trunk of a nearby tree of some kind, he held the other end and immediately came back towards this side again. ¡¸¡ªNext is you¡¹ Dimitar went around to Bettina¡¯s back and detached a cylindrical object that was equipped on her waist. Usually, an axe of the expansion-and-contraction type should be attached there for sure, but something like a slightly largish umbrella was installed today. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸If a member of the diplomatic corps carries a brutal battle-axe and goes in and out the royal court of a foreign country, our country¡¯s image will deteriorate. This time, I had her carry the Chief Engineer¡¯s new product¡¹ ¡¸New product?¡¹ ¡¸Yo¡­!¡¹ Dimitar extended its handle with both hands and opened the steel umbrella. ¡¸Both of you, get on Gacha Pink¡¹ Carrying the umbrella that was oversized for people to use on his shoulder, Dimitar pointed at Gacha Pink. ¡¸Eh? G, get on where?¡¹ ¡¸Our Eminence will get onto the top of the head. Karin-sama will¡­ that¡¯s right, sit on the left arm so that you¡¯re leaning against the shoulder¡¹ ¡¸Why do I have to get onto the top of the head¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say every single trivial thing. There¡¯s no time. ¡ªGacha Pink, hold up this umbrella with your right hand. Fix it firmly so that it doesn¡¯t move, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Haai¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand though¡ª¡¹ Putting her feet on the cartridge case at Bettina¡¯s back, Valeria smoothly climbed onto the spherical head of Bachururus. ¡¸Nee¡­ Valeria¡¹ ¡¸N?¡¹ Karin, who had gotten onto Bettina¡¯s left arm with a ¡°chokon¡±, was lightly tilting her head in contemplation and staring at the umbrella that the girl in armour held up. On the inside of the umbrella that was made linking many long and narrow isosceles triangles vertically, complex patterns had been drawn faintly. ¡¸These are, magic crestsHieratika¡­?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no way that that eccentric will make things like an ordinary iron umbrella, right?¡¹ ¡¸Oji-sama isn¡¯t an eccentric!¡¹ ¡¸Then, he¡¯s an odd person¡¹ Dimitar wrapped the rope around Bettina¡¯s pink body. ¡¸¡ªI think that you¡¯ve understood already, but this Choruruka is an irregular ¡°magic motion swordEspada Marefika¡±. Though ordinary people can¡¯t wield it as its weight is too much, it¡¯ll tentatively become a contrivance where ¡°WhirlwindCyclone¡± and ¡°Iron WallRampart¡± can be used¡¹ ¡¸By the way, the one who named Choruruka is me! How¡¯s it? It¡¯s cute that it¡¯s like a match with Bachururus¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Setting the name aside¡¹ Dimitar, who had mercilessly interrupted the statement of a delighted Bettina, traced the magic crests on Choruruka¡¯s surface with his finger and, ¡¸If you circulate magic power into this thing with the two of you, a magic of considerable power can be fired¡¹ ¡¸In other words, what do you mean?¡¹ Valeria asked with irritation and a sigh mixed in. ¡¸Gacha Pink will execute an approach run and jump in order to gain as much height as possible. Jump not to the front, but upwards. And then, you¡¯ll push that with magic. Have you understood the reason?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ it¡¯s like that, huh¡¹ With that, they finally understood the reason why they got onto Bettina. It was probably to fire their magic towards the rear when Bettina jumped to gain her jump distance. ¡¸I think that it¡¯ll most likely be sufficient in terms of distance, but if by any chance, in case you fall without reaching the opposite bank, Gacha Pink shall pull in this rope with desperation. Though you might be soaked in water a little, it¡¯ll end without you sinking as it is and going to the other world¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸If you understand, then go quickly. It doesn¡¯t end with us crossing the river¡¹ Dimitar, who had hit Bettina¡¯s helmet with a ¡°pachin¡±, executed an approach run again and jumped over the river. ¡¸Well then, I¡¯m going, Valeria-sama, Karin-sama! I¡¯ll point the umbrella right behind at the same time as the jump, so please circulate your magic then¡¹ Amply taking an approach run distance, Bettina started stamping. As Valeria was sitting exactly on the back of her head facing the rear, her eyes met with those of all the Gale Chivalric Order who were looking this way with flabbergasted expressions. ¡¸Ahahaha¡­¡¹ When Valeria was floating a forced smile and waving her hand, Bettina began to run. Although she knew that the ¡°gasha gasha¡± footsteps sound would be noisy, she was swaying unexpectedly. Looking like she¡¯d smoothly slide off from the top of the helmet, Valeria hurriedly grasped the feather decoration and supported her body. ¡¸Abu, ah, wa¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, the place to hold on to isn¡¯t there, but the umbrella¡¯s handle, you know? Otherwise, you can¡¯t circulate your magic power, can you?¡¹ ¡¸I-I-I, I, I know!¡¹ Despite Valeria¡¯s voice quivering like this, Karin was talking in a tone that was the same as usual. She surely knew a special vocalization. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I thought that maybe you haven¡¯t realise¡¹ Karin nonchalantly extended her hand and touched the handle of the umbrella that was called ¡°Choruruka¡±. ¡¸E, empty apologies are forbidden¡ª¡¹ The moment when Valeria shouted, a weightless floating sensation assaulted her. It was because Bettina had jumped with a ¡°gashan!¡± without hesitation. Her horizontal field of vision until then completely changed to one that looked down from a high place, as if like that of a bird. ¡¸We¡¯re going, Valeria¡¹ ¡¸I, I know! That¡¯s why I said ¡°I know¡± just now too!¡¹ Valeria and Karin let their magic powers concentrate in the hands that had touched Choruruka¡¯s handle. Brilliant light ran on their white skins, and it caused the magic crests that were drawn on the inside of the umbrella to shine vividly via Choruruka¡¯s handle. Simultaneously, a strong wind was generated, and it pushed Valeria¡¯s party. ¡¸Kya¡ªaaa!¡¹ It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was because of fear or excitement, but at any rate, Bettina who had never jump this high flapped both her feet and raised a shrill voice. ¡¸A, acting wildly is fine, but j, j, just the landing, do it properly, all right!?¡¹ ¡¸Ha, haai!¡¹ Valeria twisted her neck and confirmed the front and slightly below. Although it was an eye measurement, the jump distance was sufficient, and they probably wouldn¡¯t fall into the river or onto the bridge. What she was literally uneasy about was the landing only. ¡¸¡ªBettina, point the umbrella downwards¡¹ Karin hit the helmet with a ¡°pechin¡±. ¡¸Ha, haii!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so point it downwards¡¹ ¡¸L, like this!?¡¹ ¡¸Valeria!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Valeria, who had instantly understood what Karin wanted to do, matched Bettina pointing the umbrella, which had been pointing right behind, downwards and circulated her magic power into Choruruka again. ¡¸!?¡¹ The fierce wind which had started overflowing from Choruruka killed the downward acceleration on the girls in a skilful manner. ¡¸Ototototo¡­!¡¹ Bettina held Valeria and Karin down tightly with both arms, having thrown the umbrella out just before this, and landed via both feet somehow. ¡¸¡ªFuu¡¹ Jumping down from Bachururus that had dug up the ground full of holes and whose movement had finally stopped, Valeria took a deep breath. ¡¸Are all the three of you all right~?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Probably¡¹ Petra, who had been watching in the shade of a tree the whole time, held her glasses down and came running. Valeria looked back at Bettina and Karin, confirmed that the two people had no abnormality and then nodded. ¡¸Leave being delighted until later. I said that it doesn¡¯t end with us crossing the river just now too, didn¡¯t I?¡¹ Dimitar, who had picked up Choruruka and closed it, equipped it on Bettina¡¯s waist and looked back at the opposite side of the bridge once. ¡¸¡­First of all, it¡¯s the securing of horses. A two-horse carriage is also necessary¡¹ Hanging the cartridge on Bettina¡¯s back, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸Oi Glasses¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like you to at least attach a ¡°chan¡± though~¡¹ ¡¸Then Glasses-chan, you¡¯ll get onto the right arm of Gacha Pink. Karin-sama will stay like that; I¡¯ll carry Our Eminence on my back¡¹ ¡¸Aah, I wanted to be carried on the back by Richternach-kyou~¡¹ Leaning coquettishly against Bettina¡¯s smooth helmet, Petra raised a nasal voice, but Dimitar indifferently cut her down in his usual tone. ¡¸That¡¯s if you don¡¯t mind being thrown out at the critical moment. My top priority job is Our Eminence¡¯s guard, not to carry you on my back¡¹ ¡¸Ara, how mean~¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no spare time to be chattering pointlessly¡¹ Turning his neck with a ¡°kokiri¡±, Dimitar nimbly carried Valeria on his shoulder. Carving new footprints on the highway that was muddy due to the rain, they started running in the morning sun. ¡¸W, will, you be all right?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Um¡­ you intend to run to the next village, right?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not carrying Gacha Pink on my shoulder. It¡¯s light if it¡¯s you alone¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s not a topic about light or heavy¡ª¡¹ She heard the talk that there was a village when they crossed the river and went further. For the time being, it had been decided that procuring horses there was their objective, but how long it¡¯d take until they arrived there was unclear. Setting Bettina who ran with Bachururus¡¯s power aside, since Dimitar was flesh and blood, it didn¡¯t seem that he could keep running like that for hours. Above all, Dimitar had continued to run for the rescue of Sigibert last night as well. ¡¸If you¡¯re thinking about my stamina, your worry is unnecessary¡¹ As if he had seen through Valeria¡¯s mind, Dimitar declared without disturbing his breathing much. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve confirmed with the map a little while ago, but it isn¡¯t so far to the next village. If horses are obtained, I intend to relax moderately¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not worrying about that sort of thing in particular though¡­¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s a trivial talk, then take a nap. Resting during the time to rest is also within your job¡¹ To the blunt Dimitar, Valeria became unable to say anything further. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The sunlight that ran up the eastern sky shone into Valeria¡¯s eyes dazzlingly. Although she ended up practically staying up all night, today would probably become a long day too. Valeria, who had held down her hair that was fluttering in the wind, drew back her neck to the steady oscillations and closed her eyes. ??? The Yururogu¡¯s king of the previous generation had three children. They were Arthur, the eldest son who was the current king, Euchemard, the second son who was supporting his older brother and controlling Yururogu¡¯s army, and Rhea, the eldest daughter who had long become the deceased already. Cyril Duevre was the only son whom that Rhea had given birth to, and was equivalent to a nephew for Arthur and Euchemard. However, in addition to there being an age difference close to that of a parent and child between Rhea and her two older brothers, because of Rhea giving birth to Cyril was quite late too, in terms of generation, Cyril was closer to being Euchemard¡¯s grandchild rather than a nephew. On the other hand, the Royal Prince Euchemard was an old man who was already over 50, but to show that he had no ambition for the throne, he maintained his bachelorhood until this age, and had neither a wife nor a child. Perhaps there was such a matter, Cyril had been especially loved by Euchemard. That Cyril, who was no more than a staff officer of Euchemard, was paid respect to by the surrounding soldiers might be because, while being the Royal Prince Euchemard¡¯s favourite, Cyril himself possessed an inheritance right to the throne. However, even that was a matter which seemed depressing to Cyril sometimes. After all, Cyril¡¯s own wish was, to the end, to assist Euchemard as a soldier and serve the country. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ In front of the map that was spread on the table, Cyril narrowed his eyes. ¡¸¡­Is that information certain?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. It¡¯s a report that a group of about 50, 60 horsemen were passing through the detour like we had imagined. As the aforementioned Dominas are mixed in, it¡¯s almost certain¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, Sigibert didn¡¯t fall down into the river, huh. Well, well, what providential protection¡­¡¹ Quietly continuing those words, Cyril narrowed his eyes at the sunlight that shone in through the window. The mission of Cyril, who was participating in this time¡¯s military operation as Euchemard¡¯s confidant, was to confine the Gale Chivalric Order that had left Aurillac, and if possible, to capture Sigibert Duevre. Everything was for protecting Euchemard¡¯s main force that had used the sea route and landed. Although they failed in the capture of Sigibert, one could probably say that they succeeded in the confinement of the Gale Chivalric Order. At the least, their arrival to the capital, Aurillac, should be delayed by a few days. ¡¸If it¡¯s as planned, His Highness¡¯s main force should finish the preparation for the march to Delbryuk and depart from Luberuteiyu before the Chivalric Order¡¯s return to the capital, but¡ª¡¹ The special task force of Cyril¡¯s party was at the south of Haiderota, a long distance from Euchemard¡¯s main force. It was originally a selected few of about 20 people, but at that time when they failed in Sigibert kidnapping drama last night, it lost about two thirds of them. Although they were hiding themselves in a deserted house like this now, they¡¯d probably fall into a predicament if they were discovered by Haiderota¡¯s army. They must move northwards without being discovered by the enemy and link up with friendly troops immediately. ¡¸Cyril-sama, if we don¡¯t depart quickly¡­¡¹ ¡¸Not yet. Her Eminence still hasn¡¯t return¡¹ ¡¸However, if she did make the bridge fall just as planned, she should have returned here already. She didn¡¯t come means that somewhere¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Iya¡¹ Feeling that the sunlight shining through the window was blocked by something, Cyril raised his face again. ¡¸¡­Start the preparation for departure. It seems that she has returned already¡¹ A girl with black hair was sticking her face out through the window that was no more than just a square hole. ¡¸Y, Your Eminence¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Prepare for departure¡¹ Cyril, who had repeated so to his dumbfounded subordinate, noticed that the girl who had slowly, slowly entered through the window was covered with wounds and immediately added on. ¡¸And call the medic. We must examine Her Eminence¡¯s injuries at once¡¹ ¡¸U, understood!¡¹ When his older subordinate hurriedly ran out from the room, Cyril quietly beckoned to the girl. ¡¸¡­You did well to return safely. It seems like you¡¯ve succeeded in the confinement¡¹ ¡¸Oh, o, o¡­¡¹ When the girl¡ªLampito sat down in the corner of the room while letting out a voice that didn¡¯t become words, she started licking her injured arm with a ¡°pero pero¡±. Tattered bandages were wrapped around her right arm in very little amount, but honestly speaking, they weren¡¯t of any use. ¡¸¡­Even though you aren¡¯t a beast, you¡¯re too slovenly. Cease that kind of behaviour already. The current you have a position, you know?¡¹ ¡¸¡­U?¡¹ Lampito tilted her head to the side and stared at Cyril. Properly using several magics, suggesting doing tricks to the bridge to hinder the enemy¡¯s movement; her intelligence should be very high, and yet in regard to this girl, one would have the impression which was the exact opposite of that degree of intelligence. She looked like a baby who still didn¡¯t know right and left¡ªor rather, she seemed just like a girl who was raised by a wolf and wasn¡¯t well versed in words. There, the subordinate from just now came back accompanied by the medic. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ It might be because she had smelled the scent of the medicine box which the medic was carrying that her small nose moved with a ¡°hikun¡±. Lampito¡¯s small body quivered, and she suddenly jumped up onto a beam. ¡¸Lampito! ¡­Your Eminence¡¹ Cyril looked up at the girl and sighed greatly. ¡¸¡­If we don¡¯t treat you quickly, it¡¯ll affect you in the distant future. These people won¡¯t harm Your Eminence in particular. Please come down and receive the treatment¡ª¡¹ Ignoring that sort of persuasion of Cyril, Lampito went round to the back of the exposed pillar, fleetingly stuck just her face out and peeked at the situation below. Cyril shook his head like he was sick of this and received the medicine box from the medic. ¡¸¡­Her Eminence¡¯s feelings are highly strung right after the mission. Entrust the treatment to this petty official; you people shall leave this room¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough, so hasten the preparation for departure. We¡¯ll leave here as soon as Her Eminence¡¯s treatment is completed¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ When his subordinates had left the room obediently, Cyril then opened the medicine box. ¡¸¡ªThere¡¯s no time. I¡¯ll do the treatment for you, so come down quickly¡¹ ¡¸S, s, s, smelly, smelly, smelly!¡¹ ¡¸Of course. This is medicine, after all¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough, so come down quickly¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Perhaps she had finally resigned herself to it; when Lampito smoothly descended along the pillar, she came to the table with a timid look. ¡¸Good grief¡ª¡¹ Making the girl sit on the chair, Cyril sighed again. He felt that the number of times when he sighed had increased recently somehow. ¡¸These probably aren¡¯t wounds that would somehow be treated by people without knowledge¡­¡¹ Cuts, scratches, and bruises; Lampito¡¯s small body was literally covered with wounds, but what was especially terrible was the burn on her right arm where a bandage had been wrapped around perfunctorily. The bandage was partway clinging to the half-dried wound that seemed to be only washed with water and wasn¡¯t even applied with medicine. ¡¸Though this is an emergency treatment¡­, it might hurt with this¡¹ ¡¸U, uu¡­¡¹ Perhaps pain ran when he peeled off the bandage with a ¡°peri peri (light tearing sound)¡±; Lampito drew back her neck and trembled a little. Cyril took out a small bottle from inside the medicine box and started applying ointment onto the girl¡¯s arm. ¡¸That woman who brought you along to His Highness¡ª¡¹ Cyril spoke without resting his hands that were doing the treatment. ¡¸¡ªDespite teaching you offensive magics of that degree, she didn¡¯t teach you healing magic at all? She seems to be a very heartless master. She¡¯s too irresponsible¡¹ ¡¸T, t, t-t, ta, lent is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Talent? Is it about magic talent?¡¹ ¡¸N, not, not enough, after all¡­¡¹ Lampito stared at Cyril with upturned eyes and nodded many times as though observing his mood. While snugly wrapping a brand new bandage from her upper arm, Cyril leaked a sigh once again. ¡¸Are you humbly or seriously saying that? If you don¡¯t have magic talent, then all members of our army¡¯s magic warriorsMarefikos ought to feel ashamed of their inexperience and hang themselves. That includes this petty official too¡¹ Yururogu, which was greatly opened up a big lead in resources and population by Haiderota, had been focusing its attention on the expansion of its magic war potential for many years. A capable magic warrior could, on one hand, shoot projectiles that rivalled a skilled archer¡¯s, and could also hold back the charge of a heavy cavalry. If it was a one-on-one battle, there was almost no branch of the army that could win against a magic warrior. Thus, Yururogu had been putting effort into the training of magic warriors for many years. In this field¡ªeven if they weren¡¯t a match for Amaddo¡ªthere was the pride of being ahead of Haiderota. However, looking from the viewpoint of Cyril who was such a soldier of Yururogu, Lampito¡¯s magic talent was something unsurpassed. A magic warrior who could fight with this girl head-on and win was probably non-existent in Yururogu¡¯s army. Cyril, who had quickly finished Lampito¡¯s treatment, put the rolled-up sleeves of his military uniform back to their previous state and put a mantle on the girl¡¯s shoulders. The shoulder that he touched over the cloth was too thin; it was a great surprise when he thought that a fighting strength of that degree was hidden in this small body, but if he changed his point of view, then there was no existence which personified the rightness of the guideline that the completion of a magic war potential was the only means to win against Haiderota as splendidly as her. ¡¸When we link up with the main force, I¡¯ll get you healed by an expert magic warrior, and then you¡¯ll receive the restoration of magic crests. ¡­Even if you¡¯re scared of other people forever, it can¡¯t be helped? You¡¯re a person who must eventually stand in front of the people, you know?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nu¡¹ Leaking a murmur that could be interpreted both like she understood and didn¡¯t understand, Lampito scratched her head with a ¡°pori pori (scratching)¡±. Seeing half-dried fragments of mud falling with a ¡°goso¡± to that rhythm, Cyril sighed again. ??? In the northern extremity of Amaddo, there was a town called ¡°Harun¡± at a place that was one day even by walking to the border of Haiderota. Besides 15,000 residents, a standing army of 5,000 was stationed in this fortress city that had preeminent high ramparts even in Amaddo. Similar to Haiderota placing a fortress city called ¡°Krutoreto¡± near its national border, Harun was also a town which carried out developments as preparation against the ally that they (Amaddo) couldn¡¯t let their guard down of. The Seal Chivalric OrderTanpries Aigies, which had escorted the two Dominas to Haiderota¡¯s territory, had been continuing its sojourn in that Harun since yesterday. He shouldn¡¯t have things to do in this town in particular, and yet while it might be true that Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac didn¡¯t order the Chivalric Order to depart, he didn¡¯t tell them to have a good time and rest either; ordering the members to look after the horses and maintain their weapons, he himself had been reading books in a carefree manner in a room of the tabard inn. A great majority of the members seemed to be unable to read the real intention of such a Crown Prince and were perplexed. ¡¸Vice-Leader¡¹ Lindegoa began to talk to Lucius who was looking around at the work of the members at the stable behind the inn. ¡¸¡ª By any chance, does His Highness think that some kind of trouble will occur?¡¹ ¡¸Trouble¡­ is it?¡¹ Lucius narrowed his eyes and ruminated on the words of his adjutant. Dusk was already approaching. Brushing the horses and giving them fodder; although they were working like they were ordered to, it was perfectly clear that the members were becoming restless. For them who couldn¡¯t throng to bars and make merry as they were strictly ordered to stand by in the inn until there was another order, only dinner was probably something to look forward to now. As if avoiding the other members, Lindegoa lowered his voice and continued. ¡¸¡­If an incident of some kind happens in Haiderota, the express messenger to our country must always pass through here and go towards Roma. Is it not because His Highness foresees that we can act immediately in case something happens to both Her Eminences that he¡¯s making us rest here without returning to Roma at once? If it¡¯s here, the military force is sufficient as well¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m unable to comprehend His Highness¡¯s thoughts, but even if it becomes such a situation, as one would expect, he can¡¯t mobilise the standing army here by his own judgement¡¹ No matter who Isaac was, he didn¡¯t have the authority to mobilise an army without the king¡¯s permission. If Isaac seriously tried to mobilise the military force of Harun of his own accord, it was the duty of Lucius and others to advise him not to do that. ¡¸¡­However, I also think ¡°Is His Highness not waiting for something?¡±¡¹ ¡¸That ¡°something¡± is?¡¹ ¡¸A messenger from Haiderota, or¡ª¡¹ Lucius stopping his voice then was because a voice calling him could be heard. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Vice-Leader¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Nodding together with his older subordinate, Lucius hurried into the inn. Although one might simply call it an inn, this place was a guest house that was built taking into consideration the matter of warmly receiving special envoys from Haiderota too. Needless to say its appearance, even its entrance hall had been built to extremes of luxury to boast about Amaddo¡¯s power. Seeing a small youth who wore a uniform that was identical to theirs kneeling in that wide hall, Lucius tilted his head to the side. ¡¸You¡¯re the one who want to meet me?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. I¡¯ve come from Roma in order to convey the words of King-heika. Please deliver this to Crown Prince-denka by all means¡¹ When the youth deftly handled his mantle and stood up, he presented a long and narrow paulownia box and a traffic certificate. Judging from that attire, he was probably a member of the Seal Chivalric Order. However, it was a face that Lucius saw for the first time. Seeming extremely young and having features like a girl¡¯s, his physique was slender and his height was also short. He was about 14, 15 years old no matter how one looked at it. Although he didn¡¯t personally meet face to face with all the members, as far as Lucius understood, there wasn¡¯t a member who was young to that extent. It was because the matter of Lucius and Dimitar joining at 15 itself was quite irregular. ¡¸Your name is?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Angel Saforcada¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s you, huh¡¹ Recalling the youth who came out in the conversation with Isaac a few days ago, Lucius nodded slightly. Angel Saforcada, receiving the recommendation from Berumdes-kou who was the biological father of Queen Almudena and also the grandfather of Isaac, was the youth who had newly become a formal member of the Seal Chivalric Order. There were many children of great nobles in the Chivalric Order, but since Angel¡¯s patron was an important person who surpassed the rest, was there not some kind of complicated reason regarding Angel¡¯s enrolment? Lucius was thinking so. However, in any case, now wasn¡¯t the time to be prying into this or that. Lucius, who had confirmed that Angel¡¯s traffic certificate was of the king¡¯s own handwriting, extended his hand to the boy knight who had freckles and cheeks like apples. ¡¸You should probably give that handwritten letter to His Highness directly yourself. ¡ªI¡¯ll guide you. Please follow me¡¹ Lucius took Angel along and headed for Isaac¡¯s room together with Lindegoa. ¡¸Your Highness¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s still early for dinner, right?¡¹ Isaac, who was lying sprawled on the bed and reading, didn¡¯t even raise his face from the book despite his subordinates entering in succession. Lucius lightly cleared his throat and told him about the matter of an express messenger arriving from Roma. ¡¸An express messenger? Is it perchance from Chichi-ue?¡¹ ¡¸It seems like that¡¯s the case¡¹ Isaac, who had finally raised his body, stretched himself greatly and looked at Angel while scratching his head. ¡¸E¡ªto¡­ you there, who are you?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Angel Saforcada, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s you, huh. The newcomer-kun who has the recommendation from Ojii-sama¡­ right?¡¹ Tossing the book and getting off the bed, Isaac turned his neck lightly. ¡¸¡ªSo? You who should be waiting in the capital for our return have come to me to convey a verbal message from Chichi-ue?¡¹ ¡¸His Majesty has left a command to proceed towards Aurillac immediately together with the Chivalric Order and enter into negotiations with Haiderota as an ambassador plenipotentiary¡¹ ¡¸Negotiations?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. ¡ªIt seems like Yururogu is planning an invasion of Haiderota¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yururogu!?¡¹ Lindegoa-kyou unintentionally made his voice sound shrill and nervous. ¡¸That¡¯s terrible. I¡¯m concerned about both Her Eminences¡¹ In contrast to Lindegoa, Isaac¡¯s tone was even cheerful in some respects instead. Angel presented the paulownia box to Isaac and, ¡¸To Crown Prince-denka, King-heika¡¯s command is to negotiate with Haiderota taking into account the safety of both Her Eminences and the national interest of our country¡­ here¡¯s a personal letter to Haiderota¡¯s king¡¹ ¡¸Hai, thanks for your hard work¡¹ While tapping his shoulder with a ¡°pon pon¡± with the box that he had received, Isaac approached near the window. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, about that, can our Chivalric Order depart if I¡¯m thinking of departing immediately?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. As we¡¯ve given the horses plenty of water and fodder, we can depart at any time as long as we¡¯ve Your Highness¡¯s order¡¹ ¡¸Though you say that, we humans haven¡¯t have our meals yet, right? It can¡¯t be that everyone has finished their meal already even though I haven¡¯t eaten, can it?¡¹ Isaac, who had turned around, stroked the vicinity of his navel and smiled a little. ¡¸¡ªHence, first is dinner. We¡¯ll depart towards Aurillac when our meals have finished. Lindegoa-kyou, though I¡¯m sorry that you won¡¯t have your dinner, can you go to Krutoreto first as a messenger, I wonder? I want to slightly rest in that area, so explain the situation to the mayor in advance¡¹ ¡¸At your will¡¹ Bowing to Isaac, Lindegoa left the room at a quick pace. ¡¸With all due respect, Your Highness¡¹ Angel nervously opened his mouth. ¡¸In, in such a case, isn¡¯t it a common custom that we wait here for Lindegoa-kyou to return? If we let the Chivalric Order transgress the border without the permission of Haiderota, I think that it might become a troublesome matter in various ways¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine? After all, hora, it¡¯s a state of emergency. I think that just sending Lindegoa-kyou ahead is fair though¡¹ ¡¸Is, is it like that?¡¹ ¡¸Or rather, if Haiderota confine us, and if something happens to both Her Eminences of ours in the meantime, Haiderota will be burdened with a liability that they can¡¯t recompense our country, right? Since we¡¯ll go to meet them, I¡¯d like them to express their gratitude instead¡¹ Angel still didn¡¯t seem to be convinced by Isaac who was boasting calmly. Somehow, he seemed to have quite a serious character. ¡¸Well then, I¡¯ll call you as soon as the preparation for the meals is completed, so please dress yourself too, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸Un?¡¹ ¡¸Saa, shall we go?¡¹ Lucius tapped Angel¡¯s shoulder, took the newcomer and went out to the corridor. Enduring the bitter smile that had inadvertently escaped, he spoke to Angel. ¡¸¡­If you live in this Chivalric Order, it¡¯s better that you get used to this as soon as possible¡¹ ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸Despite appearances, His Highness is thinking about it in various ways. He¡¯s a little lazy though. ¡ªEven if I¡¯m told that His Highness didn¡¯t return to Roma immediately and was passing time here because he had foreseen that this sort of thing would happen, I won¡¯t be surprised¡¹ ¡¸Is His Highness such a person¡­?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s such a person¡¹ ¡¸As I¡¯m not very well-informed about the worldly affairs¡ªI didn¡¯t know that His Highness is that kind of person¡¹ ¡¸Maa, you¡¯ll gradually understand. ¡ªBy the way, what were you told by His Majesty to do after this?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m ordered to obey His Highness¡¯s instruction¡­¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, closely look at His Highness¡¯s method of doing things right beside him. His Highness seems to evaluate you highly¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m grateful¡¹ Bowing his head quickly, Angel went downstairs together with Lucius while trotting with small, quick steps. ??? ¡¸¡ªFun¡¹ Hitting the surface of a simple, circular shield lightly with the head of the khsier, Quique Albiol talked to himself. ¡¸Its weight balance isn¡¯t bad¡­, but not only is it too simple and uninteresting in terms of design, it¡¯s also uninteresting in terms of function. That Nereida fellow, she really cut corners¡¹ ¡¸Hee. Look who¡¯s talking. If that¡¯s the case, how will you complete it, eh?¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t saying that with the intention to speak ill of her in particular though¡¹ In the workshop tonight, besides Quique who was the master of this place, a small old man who had put an eye-patch on his right eye appeared. A number of wrinkles that were carved on his face and his head that had completely become bald from the forehead indicated that he was of considerable age, but in contrast, his arms which stuck out from the shirt that was stained with burn marks here and there had tight muscles. Perhaps if they arm wrestled, he might certainly be stronger than Quique. While scrutinising the shield that he held with those thin arms, Quique curved his lips like he was ridiculing it. ¡¸¡­If it was Nereida, she¡¯d make something more efficient. It¡¯s precisely because I believe so that I think that this thing is like a failure¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand where is exactly bad at all though¡­¡¹ The one-eyed old man¡ªMaster Krutowa was a swordsmith who had been helping Quique¡¯s research together with Dimitar and Bettina. Although he understood Quique who was called ¡°an eccentric¡±, it didn¡¯t mean that he understood the theoretical part of his research. ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ if it¡¯s me, first of all, I won¡¯t put magic crests on the centre of a shield like this¡¹ While casually cutting salami and cheese on the table, Quique spoke. ¡¸¡ªA shield is a shield. In other words, it¡¯s a tool to block enemies¡¯ attacks. If you put magic crests on a centre like this, there¡¯s a possibility that the magic crests will get blurred at the instance when you blocked enemies¡¯ attacks and become useless¡¹ ¡¸Maa¡­ it might be so¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s me, I¡¯ll make it into a bit more complex shape and stop at just fitting magic crests on its edge. It can¡¯t completely prevent the magic crests from getting damaged with that, but accidents should decrease¡¹ ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ Quique stabbed the salami which he had cut onto the tip of a knife and carried it to his mouth, and old man Krutowa nodded with a self-satisfied look. ¡¸That nee-chan looked more like a genius to me, but you¡¯re still one step higher, huh¡¹ ¡¸Rather than skill, it¡¯s the difference in our ways of thinking. ¡ªThat¡¯s why this shield is uninteresting from my point of view, but having said that, it doesn¡¯t mean that it can¡¯t be used. In the sense of preparing many identical things, such a simple thing is surely better¡¹ Snatching the bottle of wine from the old man¡¯s hand and pouring it into his beer mug, Quique spoke. ¡¸¡ªMore importantly Jii-san, the stone that your merchant acquaintance had brought in, won¡¯t you show it quickly?¡¹ ¡¸Ou, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right¡¹ Wiping his fingertips which were smeared with the fat of the salami on the shirttail of his shirt, old man Krutowa took out a mass of unshapely metal from the pocket of his trousers. ¡¸This this, it¡¯s this thing¡­ in my opinion, there¡¯s no mistake that it¡¯s the aforementioned metal. How do you see it?¡¹ ¡¸Wait a minute¡­¡¹ Quique put on his monocle and stared at the metal that he had received from the old man. The metal, which was of a size that was slightly smaller than a baby¡¯s fist, matched the swaying of the light of the lamp and changed its radiance, as if it was emitting a brilliance like that of a rainbow. There was no coldness that was characteristic of a metal; on the contrary, when he was grasping it like this, he even felt the hallucination that his body temperature was rising little by little, centring on his hand. ¡¸¡­Speaking of alike, it¡¯s alike¡­, but in reality, it¡¯s the first time that I¡¯m seeing a mass which is big to this point. Its purity seems to be high too¡¹ ¡¸Is that so, is that so?¡¹ ¡¸Where did he obtain this?¡¹ ¡¸It seems to be the vicinity of Romarikku¡¹ ¡¸Romarikku? Though it¡¯s indeed a place like that, there might be a large ore deposit or something in that vicinity. When Dimitar comes back, shall I get him to investigate a little?¡¹ When Quique removed his monocle and put the mass of metal onto the table with a ¡°kotori¡±, Krutowa surveyed the inside of the workshop now after such a long time. ¡¸¡­Come to think of it, I thought that it was surprisingly quiet, but that slack young girl from your house and that brat with an unpleasant look aren¡¯t here. Where did they go?¡¹ ¡¸Since both of them are Her Eminence¡¯s attendants, they¡¯ve gone to Haiderota¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s really something troublesome¡¹ Biting the goat cheese, Krutowa laughed scornfully. For this old man who originally wasn¡¯t devout much, let alone Dominas, even Reduntra might not become an object to revere. End of Chapter 1 Volume 4 - CH 2.1 More than a whole day had passed since that morning when the bridge was dropped, and it was the afternoon of that day when the Gale Chivalric OrderRorudor Rafuale who had been intently galloping horses towards Aurillac finally and slowly arrived at a town which seemed that they could rest in. Due to having kept running throughout a whole day and night without resting, the members were at the peak of fatigue. Although they came here while managing with spare horses and glossing over it, it might already be their limit. To begin with, the horses probably wouldn¡¯t last any longer. In fact, even though there were 60 horsemen at the time of re-departure, several people had already dropped out as their horses had become unable to run. One should probably say that just by being able to arrive here without falling below 50 horsemen was splendid. Their uniforms, which were new articles when they had departed from Aurillac, were also covered with mud because of this forced march. They had to remove the dirt and fatigue of their journey tonight and depart towards Aurillac tomorrow again. Trying not to show her fatigue as much as possible, Clotilde lightly dismounted from her horse and called out to Sigibert who was completely exhausted on his horse. ¡¸Are you all right, Your Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not all right¡­ not all right. It¡¯s not, but¡ª¡¹ No matter how one looked at it, the totally exhausted Sigibert was nevertheless smiling while wiping the mud that had splashed onto his cheeks with a handkerchief and arranging his disordered hair by using his fingers as a comb. One couldn¡¯t argue that it wasn¡¯t simply enduring something out of pride, but to a person who was in a position where he must encourage his subordinates, one might be able to say that it was a very important talent. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, we can¡¯t be flurried in this serious affair, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a splendid mental attitude, Your Excellency¡¹ ¡¸Iyaa, what, as a royalty, that¡¯s natural. Aha, ahahahaha¡ª¡¹ Sigibert, who had tried to get off his horse together with a dry loud laughter, missed stepping on the stirrup and fell down ungracefully. ¡¸Your Excellency!¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m all right. I just hit my waist a little. Yes, I¡¯m all right¡ªow ow ow¡­!¡¹ The town¡¯s inhabitants were surrounding Sigibert, who had held his bottom down rather than his waist and stood up, at a distance and gazing at him. If it was the usual, he should send in a messenger beforehand and order the governor of that place the preparation to meet them, but there wasn¡¯t even leeway of that extent this time. Thus, perhaps to them, it must be inconceivable that this slightly dirty group was unexpectedly the Gale Chivalric Order¡ªthe combat group that comprised two Dominas whom their motherland was proud of and the military vice-minister. Sigibert, who had borrowed Arushanbor¡¯s shoulder and stood up, put his hand against his temple and sighed. ¡¸First¡­ let¡¯s see, we have to tell the mayor of this place about us arriving here, I guess. After all, we are a large household of 50 people, and even just preparing tonight¡¯s beds and meals might be a task. Besides, the preparations of the horses also¡ª¡¹ Sigibert¡¯s words paused there. When she unintentionally looked at him, he was stiffening as he looked diagonally upwards for some reason. ¡¸Your Excellency¡­?¡¹ Clotilde, who was lured in by that and chased Sigibert¡¯s gaze, also stopped her movement suddenly and opened her eyes wide. Malena and Arushanbor too, were similarly looking diagonally upwards and stiffening like they were frozen. ¡¸Well, well¡­ you really arrived early¡¹ From a window on the second floor of an inn a short distance away, Valeria Costacurta¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos¡ªthat astute young man called ¡°Dimitar Richternach¡± was looking down at Clotilde¡¯s party. ¡¸W, why are you here¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go there¡¹ When Dimitar temporarily retracted his face, following the footsteps of ¡°dota dota¡±, Valeria¡¯s party came out from the inside of the inn. They were Valeria Costacurta, Karin Rudbeck and their respective Hiera Glaphicos, and the remaining one was that girl who wore pink armour and helmet¡ªin short, the party of important people from Amaddo, excluding the maids. ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ Even though he thought that they had surely turned back to Klutoreto like that and were returning to their country about this time, why did they arrive before them? ¡¸Thanks for your hard work, Sigibert-kakka¡¹ ¡¸Ah, iya, that¡ª¡¹ Receiving Valeria and Karin¡¯s greetings, Sigibert hurriedly pushed Arushanbor away. As the Gale Chivalric Order¡¯s leader and the military vice-minister of a country, he might not have wanted the figure of him standing up holding on to a person¡¯s shoulder to be seen. Although to the other party that was Valeria and the others who knew the full particulars of the kidnapping drama on the day before yesterday, he felt that it was meaningless no matter how he fixed something, Sigibert was a person who would become broken unless he did so. He was a man who encouraged himself by continuing to put on airs and lived using self-respect for nourishment. Fixing the tie on his collar at this late hour, Sigibert cleared his throat lightly and asked. ¡¸Ah¡ª¡­ um, why is everyone here? Or rather, how did you come here?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you ask me ¡°how¡±¡­ eeto, we came here normally by horses¡ª¡¹ Valeria replied apologetically in some respects. ¡¸I don¡¯t mean it like that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be that you cross that river¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Dimitar answered promptly instead of Valeria. ¡¸Since it was once decided that we¡¯ll go towards Aurillac, we must go there at all costs¡ªthat¡¯s Costacurta-geika¡¯s thought. After all, in Roma, it¡¯s even said that Her Eminence¡¯s consent has the weight of a castle¡¹ Clotilde, who had alternately looked at Dimitar who had spoken profoundly and Valeria who had nodded so and so next to him, bit her lips, thinking that troublesome people had come out to the front stage in her heart. If it was just simply magic being her forte¡ªeven if she was the once-in-10-years talented woman Valeria¡ªthey could oppose her with Clotilde¡¯s power. However, this young man, Clotilde particularly regarded him as their weak point, who was accompanying Valeria was a possessor of a strategist-type talent that couldn¡¯t be dealt with by ordinary means. Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac and this Dimitar Richternach; it somehow felt like many capable people like these had appeared in this world in Amaddo. And then¡ªaside from whether it was a good or bad thing¡ªmost of the senior statesmen with a strong right to speak in Haiderota¡¯s royal court were nothing but military people who were weak in Machiavellianism, truly typical of the military superpower Haiderota. It was still fine now, but when the change of generation of capable people eventually advanced, Amaddo might greatly open up a big lead over them in strategy battles. In any case, now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that sort of future matter. Since Valeria¡¯s party had come here like this, they couldn¡¯t treat them coldly. Clotilde calmed her mind and spoke to Sigibert. ¡¸¡ªAt any rate, we can¡¯t leave our guests from Amaddo at an inn like this. Let¡¯s prepare rooms at the town hall, Your Excellency¡¹ ¡¸Ah? U, umu, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s as Diaghilev-geika says. Let¡¯s arrange it with the mayor of this town immediately. I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s cramped, but I¡¯d like both Her Eminences to wait at this inn a little longer until then¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m greatly obliged to you for your consideration¡¹ Karin courteously bowed her head. ¡¸¡ªWell then, see you again later¡¹ When she had placed several members of security roles in front of that inn and she herself had straddled the horse again, Clotilde went towards the town hall together with Sigibert and Malena. Making sure to push aside the people who were crowding on the main street, a group of men and horses marched in an orderly manner towards the town hall. Sigibert, who was moving at the front, asked Clotilde in a whisper. ¡¸Nevertheless, this has turned into a troublesome matter. Why didn¡¯t they return to their country, I wonder? It can¡¯t be that they were given some detailed instructions by Isaac-kun and came here with the intention of making trouble for us, can it¡­¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t assert that that possibility is completely non-existent, but since they intentionally remained in our country which Yururogu might open hostilities with, this can¡¯t be done unless they have an appropriate resolution and objective. Rather, it might be a contrivance of selling a favour to our country in some sort of way¡¹ ¡¸N, now that you mention it¡­! If it¡¯s Isaac, it seems that he¡¯d really do it; he¡¯s liable to do it, he¡¯s liable to do it!¡¹ Bending the riding crop with a ¡°giri giri¡±, Sigibert ground his teeth. Naturally, so that they wouldn¡¯t do strange things, they had secretly ordered the members who were left behind under the pretext of security not to be negligent in their surveillance. ¡¸W, what should we do? What are we going to do, Diaghilev-geika? If they follow us to Aurillac as it is, then¡­¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, no matter what their objective is, them moving around in this situation now is not amusing¡­¡¹ In the first place, Haiderota finding fault with Amaddo, saying ¡°introduce your new Dominas¡±, was the cause of this matter. As a result of the king being overcame by the courtiers of the hard-line faction who were obsessed with a sense of rivalry against Amaddo, Valeria and Karin¡¯s foreign travel to Haiderota turned into a reality. They couldn¡¯t tell them to return to their country now, and before that, only the authority of making such a diplomatic decision wasn¡¯t given to Sigibert or Clotilde. Even if they sent Valeria¡¯s party away, Amaddo might not accept it unless the king apologise at least. They couldn¡¯t send them back to their country immediately. And if they couldn¡¯t, then coming up with the very best move among them was what Clotilde¡¯s party ought to do now. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯ve reached a situation about which nothing can be done; we can do nothing but to escort them to Aurillac, I guess. ¡­However, though you might receive a scolding from His Majesty in the distant future, it doesn¡¯t mean that there¡¯s no plan that can make this situation into a plus to some extent¡¹ ¡¸What!? W, what¡¯s that¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s to dispatch horses in every direction immediately and make Amaddo¡¯s Dominas¡¯ intention of visiting Aurillac as planned known to every place¡¹ ¡¸B, but, when you think about security matters, I feel that spreading around news like that isn¡¯t very good¡­¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯ll be fine with this. At least for the short term¡¹ Clotilde declared so with confidence. If the commander of Yururogu was capable and vigilant, there should be an effect. ¡¸I¡¯ll explain in detail when you¡¯ve calmed down. ¡­More importantly, if we don¡¯t secure an inn and the horses in preparation for tomorrow¡¯s departure¡¹ ¡¸Ah, un, that¡¯s right, as one would expect of Your Eminence! Of course, I¡¯ve also noticed that matter though, un¡¹ Sigibert, who had smiled awkwardly, ordered Arushanbor in a hurry and made him head for the purchasing of horses. Sigibert who almost put on airs reflexively even towards members of the same organisation seemed irresistibly cute to Clotilde. Volume 4 - CH 2.2 Although it wasn¡¯t raining, Cyril¡¯s mantle was getting wet and increasing its weight heavily. He felt that he was being mercilessly deprived of his body temperature just by keeping still. If possible, he wanted to light a fire and eat something warm, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen in the current situation of Cyril¡¯s party. Collecting dry firewood in this dense morning mist was an impossible story, and there was something which he must think about first rather than a warm meal now. Thoroughly chewing the hard deer jerky and sending it to the inside of his stomach, Cyril repeatedly asked his subordinate whom he had made to go draw water. ¡¸¡­They aren¡¯t the thoughtless words of a drunk?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. As it¡¯s a story from a parent and child who are about to leave for fishing after this, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s completely nonsense¡­ at any rate, the village has been talking about nothing but that rumour since yesterday¡¹ ¡¸If¡­ that¡¯s the truth, it¡¯ll become troublesome¡¹ Cyril stared at the map with a grim expression. What his subordinate, who had gone to a nearby river to draw water, found out from the fishermen who came out to catch freshwater fish after this was the story of the Dominas of the neighbouring country, Amaddo, heading for the royal capital, Aurillac. Cyril¡¯s party had already grasped the information about the Dominas coming from Amaddo. Rather, the military operation this time was changed to carrying it out suddenly was because they had aimed for the timing when the Gale Chivalric Order left Aurillac for that meeting. However, it was an unforeseen situation to Cyril¡¯s party that Amaddo¡¯s Dominas headed for Aurillac as it was. Presently, although the Gale Chivalric Order should be heading for Aurillac at full speed, that was the best evidence that they had noticed the movement of Yururogu¡¯s army. If that was the case, Amaddo¡¯s Dominas might of course knew the possibility of a battle breaking out in Haiderota¡¯s territory too. If one was thinking about the safety of the first-class important people called the ¡°Dominas¡±, it was normal to discontinue the foreign travel to Haiderota and return to Amaddo. However, it was said that the party from Amaddo, far from returning to their country, was heading for Aurillac as planned. ¡¸We must ascertain the authenticity of that information first, but¡ª¡¹ Appeasing his thirst with cold water, Cyril shut his mouth. The existences of the three magic warriorsMarefikos who were hot on Lampito¡¯s heels when she had kidnapped Sigibert from Klutoreto a few days ago and then rescued him were on Cyril¡¯s mind at this point. ¡¸Your Eminence¡¹ Cyril turned his head and glanced at Lampito who was sitting back to back with him and filling her mouth with jerky with a ¡°mushi mushi¡±. ¡¸¡ªWhen Your Eminence abducted Sigibert, you said that there were three magic warriors who had come to pursue your party¡¹ ¡¸U?¡¹ As she stuffed jerky into her mouth to the extent of her cheeks swelling, Lampito looked up at Cyril and nodded. ¡¸One of them was a silver-haired woman in white uniform¡ªthere¡¯s no mistake, is there?¡¹ ¡¸U, uu, un¡¹ It was most likely the ¡°White Rose of Steel¡±¡ªClotilde Diaghilev without a doubt. If it was the Dominas whom Haiderota was proud of, then Lampito being defeated might also be possible. However, it seemed that the one whom Lampito actually fought wasn¡¯t Clotilde. According to the faltering girl¡¯s words that Cyril had somehow deciphered, the ones whom Lampito fought were a young man and woman magic warriors¡ªa young man who carried a black long sword and a beautiful girl who was younger than Clotilde. If that pair was Haiderota¡¯s magic warriors¡ªthough it¡¯d be unpleasant¡ªthis matter wasn¡¯t complicated. It¡¯d be fine just by being prepared for an inscrutable war potential besides Clotilde. What became really complicated and troublesome was the situation of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas and its related people hindering Lampito. Although Yururogu was advancing its troops towards Aurillac, it wasn¡¯t thinking of fighting against even Amaddo simultaneously. Or rather, establishing cordial relations with Amaddo and not wanting it to intervene in this time¡¯s ¡°internal strife¡± was Yururogu¡¯s objective. Therefore, clashing with Amaddo¡¯s Dominas here was bad. If the one whom Lampito fought was really a Dominas of Amaddo, then the need to explain that Yururogu didn¡¯t have an antagonistic intention towards Amaddo, using a diplomatic route in the distant future, would emerge. Moreover, if Amaddo¡¯s Dominas were really heading for Aurillac, it¡¯d also affect the marching of the main force. If by any chance it became a situation where Yururogu¡¯s army had caused harm to Amaddo¡¯s Dominas, Yururogu would completely make an enemy of Amaddo. They didn¡¯t know that Amaddo¡¯s Dominas were in Aurillac¡ªsuch an excuse probably wouldn¡¯t be accepted. ¡¸Link up with His Excellency immediately! If we don¡¯t work out a countermeasure¡­¡¹ Muttering with a bitter expression, Cyril stood up. ¡¸Oo, ooo, o¡¹ Lampito, who was cheekily leaning against Cyril, lost her support and toppled over with a ¡°koten¡±. Cyril looked down at her and indifferently to the utmost, spoke without putting in any emotion. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Your Eminence. The battle hasn¡¯t started yet¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡­u? Un, I, under, stand¡¹ Nodding many times, when Lampito had forcibly stuffed the remaining jerky inside her mouth, she then jumped onto her horse at a run. ¡¸It¡¯s good that you¡¯ll obediently follow this petty official¡¯s instruction, ¡­but I¡¯ve to instil the general etiquette into you before you grandly make your debut to the citizens. As one would expect, that¡¯s too unrefined¡¹ Sighing weakly, Cyril stopped the short break and ordered his subordinates to mount their horses. Although the sun should have risen already, the morning mist was enshrouding the inside of the dense forest and even the signs of it clearing up couldn¡¯t be seen. Cyril¡¯s party adopted a close formation and galloped their horses so that they wouldn¡¯t lose sight of each other. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Lampito suddenly brought her horse near him and pointed at her ear. ¡¸I, I-I, can, hear, s, s, something¡­!¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ Cyril looked around the vicinity and listened carefully. The sounds of violent horses¡¯ hooves¡ªother than that, nothing could be heard in particular within this quiet forest. However, Cyril who tried to discard it thinking that it might be the girl¡¯s mistake immediately noticed his misunderstanding. ¡¸There¡¯s someone else besides us¡ª¡¹ The next moment, the sound of horses¡¯ hooves grew louder in one breath. What Lampito had heard were the sounds of hooves that horses, apart from Cyril¡¯s party¡¯s, were carving. ¡¸!?¡¹ It was nothing but a prank which the dense morning mist had created that two groups of men and horses would suddenly cross each other without really noticing it until that moment. ¡¸¡ªGuu!¡¹ ¡¸Uwa!?¡¹ Everyone there might have tried to pull the reins and rein in their horses at once. However, the horses crashed into each other without making it in time, and there also seemed to have people who fell from their horses. But then, there was no time to leisurely confirm that. ¡¸Oh¡­h!¡¹ Cyril realised that his subordinate who was just behind him had gasped in surprise and drawn the sword on his waist. That was natural as a reaction of a person who had suddenly encountered someone inside this forest where one¡¯s field of vision wasn¡¯t effective, but nevertheless, he should have suppressed that with his reason. ¡¸Stop!¡¹ The horses¡¯ neighs drowned out Cyril¡¯s shout. Although the other parties whom he had finally confirmed by sight at close range seemed to be a group that had put on matching blue mantles, he didn¡¯t know their origin. What Cyril had at least understood at this moment were the facts that they were a group that carried weapons in their hands and that their number was far more than theirs. ¡¸Don¡¯t mind them, withdraw!¡¹ Right besides Cyril who had shouted again, Lampito agilely stood up on top of the horse¡¯s saddle. ¡¸What are you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸E, e, enemies!¡¹ Lampito pulled out the knife with her left hand and made the magic crestHieratika run from her slender arm to its tip in one breath. A red incandescent mass instantly swelled upwards and drove the cold mist away. ¡¸Uoah!?¡¹ ¡¸Baa¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸You this fellow¡ª!¡¹ Carrying Lampito who had suddenly made a flashy magic explode at the moment when the two groups met under his arm, Cyril kicked the horse¡¯s abdomen. ¡¸All members, withdraw!¡¹ Calling out to them so, Cyril galloped his horse. At any rate, he had his hands full just by taking Lampito and leaving here; he didn¡¯t have the time to worry about his other subordinates. ¡¸You this fellow really did an unnecessary thing¡­!¡¹ Repeating his irritation towards Lampito, Cyril single-mindedly galloped his horse. If they encountered an armed group besides their allies inside the enemy territory, it¡¯d surely be the enemy without a doubt. However, to challenge the other party whose number was far more than theirs without any plan was a much too reckless act. Cyril¡¯s party which was merely less than 10 horsemen might easily be annihilated by the counterattack of them who would be burning with anger. Most importantly, at this timing when they had to highly prioritise linking up with the main force, the matter of causing an unnecessary battle itself was unthinkable. This girl called ¡°Lampito¡± unmistakably possessed greater magic talent and combat ability than Cyril¡¯s party, but she didn¡¯t have the intelligence to effectively use that talent. Unable to determine when she should use it and when she shouldn¡¯t use it, and only knowing wielding that powerful strength, she was a girl that was like a baby. Although Cyril looked back to the rear over his shoulder, he didn¡¯t see any silhouette that had come to pursue them. It was a fortune that they weren¡¯t pursued by the enemies, but they had strayed from his subordinates. They¡¯d probably gather in due course for the linking up with the main force if they were alive, but the possibility of them being counterattacked by that group and then losing their lives was also probable. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Cyril glanced at Lampito whom he had carried under his right arm, subdued his anger and sat the girl in front of him. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s hurry¡¹ ¡¸U¡¹ Perhaps Lampito couldn¡¯t understand Cyril¡¯s anger. Although everyone, the soldiers who had gone to the kidnapping of Sigibert some time ago, didn¡¯t return in the end except Lampito alone, she was a girl who declared that it was because their abilities were insufficient, her expression unchanged. Even if her comrades now died because of her again, it didn¡¯t seem that she¡¯d feel remorse for that; to begin with, she might not even have the self-awareness that it was her fault. For this girl who was like a beast that was difficult to control, perhaps their deaths were just the consequence of their weaknesses. Therefore, Cyril didn¡¯t say anything anymore. It was meaningless even if he said it; Cyril¡¯s duty was to make sure not to let her behave thoughtlessly before that. In short, the deaths of his subordinates were all Cyril¡¯s responsibility. Volume 4 - CH 2.3 The huge magic flame which had blown the cold mist away with just one blow was stopped at a wall of strong power and scattered into the sky. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Shaking his wrist lightly with a ¡°pura pura¡±, Lucius put on his glove again. ¡¸¡­Is it fine already?¡¹ At the centre surrounded by the members of the Seal Chivalric OrderTanpries Aigies, Isaac, who had held his head under his arms and fallen prostrate on the saddle, timidly raised his body. Although the forest at dawn had already regained its previous tranquillity, the smell of blood was mixed in the air. A man who was cut down in a single stroke by Lindegoa-kyou and then fell from his horse had died in a puddle of blood. The members, who had drawn their swords, loosened the thread of tension which had been making them tense and quietly leaked out sighs. ¡¸¡­He didn¡¯t have any item that may indicate his identity¡¹ Hazard-kyou who had searched the man¡¯s corpse looked back at Isaac and reported. ¡¸He couldn¡¯t have been a traveller who was surprised at the sudden encounter and just drew his sword by reflex for self-defence, ¡­right?¡¹ ¡¸If he was a traveller, he¡¯d have luggage typical of one¡¹ At Isaac¡¯s words, Lucius answered while looking around the surroundings. As much as Lucius could confirm, the other party should have at least five, six horsemen, but it was only one person who was defeated here. The remaining had probably ran off to somewhere. Although their identities were uncertain, just the fact that they weren¡¯t a friendly party was incontrovertible. ¡¸¡ªBefore that, Your Highness. A decent traveller won¡¯t shoot magic at the moment when two people meet¡¹ The magic, which the horse-riding girl whom they had encountered just now shot, could be flicked off by the ¡°Iron WallRampart¡± that Lucius had instantly deployed. If his reaction had been late, needless to say Lucius, Isaac who was behind him and the members who formed a circular formation to protect him might have been blown off in a bunch. A person who could unleash a magic of that degree in that instant¡ªin addition, a girl who seemed much younger than Lucius, couldn¡¯t be a mere traveller. ¡¸¡­However, he also didn¡¯t seem to be a type of bandit¡¹ Perhaps he was bothered by the smell of blood, Isaac held his nose and mouth down with a handkerchief and looked down at the unidentifiable corpse. ¡¸Certainly, it¡¯s more fitting to say that he was a person of some army rather than a thief¡¹ ¡¸Then, this person is Haiderota¡¯s¡­?¡¹ The one who muttered so was Angel Saforcada. However, he didn¡¯t looked straight at the corpse. Somehow, he didn¡¯t seem to be very good with blood. ¡¸It might be too hasty to decide so. One can say that Haiderota is already in a state of war with Yururogu. There¡¯s also the possibility that this person is a spy of Yururogu¡¹ ¡¸I, I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I was too hasty¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need to apologise, right?¡¹ Lucius clapped on the shoulder of the boy, who looked down, with a ¡°pon¡±. Although he was slightly impatient, one could say that Angel had been able to demonstrate more than enough that he had just the ability not to make Bermudes-kou, the person who recommended him, embarrassed with today¡¯s accident. After all, Angel had deployed ¡°Rampart¡± almost simultaneously as Lucius and repelled that fireball together. ¡¸Even the newcomer, Angel-kun, in our Chivalric Order can accomplish this much. ¡­If a Vice-Minister-kakka of somewhere learns of this, he¡¯ll probably break his riding crop and feel bitter¡¹ Wearing his hat again, Isaac smiled. ¡¸¡ªSaa, let¡¯s hurry¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡¹ Lucius left about three members at this place for the present and ordered them to follow the party after burying the unidentifiable corpse together with its personal belongings. They could by no means carry the corpse on a journey where they had to hurry, and if they left it here as it was, it might become just bones in the blink of an eye because of the animals in the forest. For the sake of investigating its identity again later on too, burying it here now was the best choice. ¡¸All members, mount your horses!¡¹ At Lucius¡¯s command, the Chivalric Order straddled the backs of the horses again and started running in the forest. ¡¸¡ªWhat do you think, Lucius-kun?¡¹ Isaac, who was keeping pace with Lucius, secretly whispered to him. ¡¸About what?¡¹ ¡¸About Angel-kun¡¹ In front of the pair, Angel was travelling at the head of the group together with Hazard. Perhaps because an incident like just now had happened, his eyes flew here and there restlessly, and he seemed to be cautious of the vicinity. ¡¸¡­Certainly, he seems to be a possessor of a considerable power. Setting having little combat experience aside, are the excellence of that reaction and instantaneous judgement innate? If not, he might have accumulated a great deal of magic training¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, he has the qualifications as Lindegoa-kyou¡¯s successor, is it?¡¹ ¡¸I think that he still lacks the ability as Lindegoa-kyou¡¯s successor, but if we teach him various things at practice, can he not immediately absorb and cope with them, I wonder?¡¹ Rather, Lucius¡¯s genuine thought was that he should put Angel close by for that training. As long as their birthplaces weren¡¯t asked, there were quite a lot of young men in the Seal Chivalric Order who would work their fingers to the bone, but the people who had this much talent were really few, after all. Volume 4 - CH 2.4 Night; suddenly feeling thirsty, Valeria woke up. Even though such a thing didn¡¯t happen very much normally, in this particular case of today, it might be because fatigue had been accumulating as expected that she slept poorly. Although she was together with Karin and Petra in a room that was given to them at a corner of the town hall, both of them didn¡¯t notice Valeria slipping out of her bed and were sleeping soundly. Putting on her gown, Valeria carried the empty pitcher and went out the room. ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ ¡¸Hi!?¡¹ Valeria, who had tried to walk slowly and quietly in the dark corridor where there was only starlight shining in from the windows, was called to a halt before carving the first three steps and looked back with clumsy movement. ¡¸¡­What are you doing in the middle of a night like this?¡¹ Opening the door of the opposite room, a half-naked Dimitar showed his face. While scratching his dark grey hair roughly, he stared at Valeria fixedly. No, he might not be staring, but because of his expression that seemed to be displeasure from waking up, it only appeared like she was being stared at. ¡¸T, that¡­ I¡¯m slightly thirsty¡¹ Valeria held the pitcher up and showed a forced smile. Thereupon, Dimitar grabbed his sword and shirt from inside the room and came out. ¡¸W, what is it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Sigibert was abducted from the tabard inn in Klutoreto, you know? Is there any guarantee that this place is perfectly safe?¡¹ Dimitar muttered with a sulky face and began walking while buttoning up the shirt that he had put on. He seemed to be saying that he¡¯d accompany her to the kitchen. ¡¸Even if you don¡¯t do that much for me in particular¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Or rather, do you know the location of the kitchen in the first place?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡¹ Now that he mentioned it, Valeria didn¡¯t know where the kitchen was. On the contrary, the astute Dimitar, having decided to stay here for one night, might have immediately wandered around, roughly investigating what was where and from where they could go in and out. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m also hungry. I might as well guide you¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Even though you ate that much without limit?¡¹ Today¡¯s dinner was a lively one, with not just Sigibert, Clotilde and Malena, but also the mayor and his wife joining in. The fact that Dimitar should also have been at the dinner that was satisfactory in not just the flavour, but also in terms of quantity, and yet was already hungry was in no way comprehensible. ¡¸My body is probably trying to recover the blood that I had shed¡¹ Stroking the back of his neck, Dimitar muttered in a way of speaking that one couldn¡¯t tell was in all seriousness or in jest. ¡¸¡ªI hear that it¡¯s good for anaemic people if they eat liver. In today¡¯s dinner menu, the stewed pig liver cream was especially delicious¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t like liver very much though¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯ve to eat it in particular¡¹ Picking up the candlestick that was hanging on the wall at the end of the long corridor, Dimitar descended the stairs. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ When they had descended to the first floor, Dimitar suddenly stopped his feet. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸The other side of the door ahead of here should be the kitchen¡­ but look, there¡¯s light. It seems that someone is there¡¹ ¡¸¡­There¡¯s also a pleasant smell somehow. Isn¡¯t someone cooking?¡¹ ¡¸At this time?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it just nice; you want something to eat, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true though¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar pushed the kitchen¡¯s door open without even knocking in particular. ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ Valeria, who had stepped inside the kitchen after Dimitar, saw a figure shaking left and right in front of a big oven and opened her eyes wide in surprise. Perhaps noticing the voice that had unintentionally leaked out, she stiffened just as she looked back at Valeria. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ In a pose where she was about to move a skewer which was grilled with an open fire to her mouth, Malena Puyol stared at Valeria and Dimitar. Soon, beads of sweat oozed out with a ¡°futsu futsu (flowing out)¡± on that chubby glossy white skin. ¡¸E, errr¡ª¡¹ ¡¸T, this is terrible!¡¹ When Valeria softly called out to her, Malena suddenly made a face which seemed to be crying and started bowing many times. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! Please keep this matter a secret! Especially from Clotilde-geika; please¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Rather, won¡¯t it be exposed immediately if you loudly make noise like that?¡¹ ¡¸Auah!?¡¹ Pointed out by Dimitar, Malena hurriedly held her mouth down. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s a visitor who came earlier than us, huh. That¡¯s certainly convenient¡¹ Dimitar, who had snorted ¡°fufun¡±, showed a smile that seemed wicked and started wandering inside the dim kitchen, where speaking of illumination, was just the flame of the oven. ¡¸Oi, Chubby¡¹ ¡¸Ha!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s you, Puyol-geika. As one would expect, calling you ¡°Chubby¡± is too rude, huh. I also want something to eat though?¡¹ Looking into the pots which were placed on the wide table in turns, Dimitar asked rudely. Not even a tiny amount of the awareness to pay respect to Malena could be felt anymore. ¡¸There¡¯s something, right? Anything is fine even if it¡¯s something similar to what you¡¯re eating¡¹ ¡¸Eh? ¡ªAh, ha, hai! In here¡­¡¹ Malena moved a big ceramic plate which had been put in the oven onto the table. ¡¸I think that this is the meal of the chefs, but whether or not it¡¯ll suit your taste is¡­¡¹ ¡¸Garbage Pie, huh¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹ Valeria, who had quenched her thirst for the present with the water of a water jug, looked at the pie-like thing that remained on the plate and knitted her eyebrows. Although it was a food that she was seeing for the first time, it somehow smelled of animal and her appetite wouldn¡¯t come forth. ¡¸This surely won¡¯t suit your taste, I think. ¡­It¡¯s a pie that was stuffed with internal organs, waste meat and the like which noble-samas hardly eat and then baked¡¹ When Dimitar had searched for a fork from somewhere and come back, he started eating the pie of entrails without hesitating. Although having even such an imagination was unpleasant, Valeria wouldn¡¯t want to kiss a man who would reach his hand out to a food like this without hesitation no matter how much he wanted to eat liver even if she die. ¡¸¡­By the way, you¡¹ While holding the plate in his arms and eating the garbage pie with a ¡°musha musha (munching)¡±, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸Ha, hai?¡¹ ¡¸Do you not have a relative or something in Amaddo? Around Seriba?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­? N, no, as much as I know, there isn¡¯t¡ª¡¹ Seeming to want to say that she couldn¡¯t understand why such a thing was asked, Malena showed an indescribable smile and tilted her head to the side. ¡¸Is that so? I¡¯ve asked you something trivial. Forget it¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡­¡¹ ¡¸L, leaving that aside, why is Puyol-geika in such a place at such a time?¡¹ Trying to change the delicate atmosphere, Valeria asked unnaturally. ¡¸Are you an idiot? It must be because she was hungry, right? If not, there¡¯s no way that she¡¯d be grilling meat with the oven while shaking her bottom with humming mixed in¡¹ ¡¸P, please don¡¯t say it! Please don¡¯t mention that anymore!¡¹ ¡¸Even though you said that, you¡¯re steadily eating meat¡¹ Looking at Malena who was stuffing her mouth with grilled skewers with a ¡°moshari¡±, Dimitar raised his lips. ¡¸¡ªMa, all the surrounding people probably know that you¡¯re such a person, so there¡¯s no need to keep up appearances now, is there?¡¹ ¡¸B, but, the truth is, I¡¯m strictly ordered by Clotilde-geika to abstain from eating between meals¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡ª¡­¡¹ If her figure changed greatly, her magic crests would be distorted and she wouldn¡¯t be able to use magic well¡ªrecalling the conversation that she was made to hear from Dimitar, Valeria nodded vaguely. After all, she felt that it¡¯d be rude if she clapped her hands together saying ¡¸I see!¡¹. ¡¸If I¡¯m dismissed because my ability isn¡¯t enough, though disgraceful, I¡¯ll still accept it. But¡­, if I¡¯ve to stop being a Dominas due to my figure of all things! In regard to my parents, siblings and my whole clan, I won¡¯t be able to save my face! They¡¯ll think ¡°Don¡¯t you have that much self-restraint?¡±!¡¹ ¡¸Even though you said that, you¡¯re steadily eating the next meat¡­¡¹ ¡¸U, uuu¡­ but, this is delicious! My stomach which can eat anything deliciously is detestable!¡¹ Tears spilled over and fell in large drops on Malena¡¯s glossy and tender cheeks. Although, to the people, it might be a very silly worry, to almost unconsciously cry in sympathy might be because of Malena¡¯s cuteness that gave one the impression of a small animal. Dimitar put a small frying pan into the oven and threw lard into it. Furthermore, while he was heating up the frying pan, he carried a lump of cheese out from a shelf, placed it onto the table and sliced it with his favourite sword. ¡¸¡­In any case, a type like you probably can¡¯t move your body to maintain your figure. If you move your body, the outcome will be you becoming all the more hungry and the amount of your meals increasing more and more¡¹ ¡¸I, I experienced that already¡­!¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, do intensive training of magic. That seems to unexpectedly make one lose weight. It might be because one will get mentally tired¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that true!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Maa, in your case, I think that it¡¯s also better to decrease the amount that you eat a little though¡¹ When the lard had gone round the frying pan, he put the sliced cheese in one by one. The cheese began to dissolve quickly with a ¡°jyupu jyupu¡±, and started to waft an appetising aroma. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, the town that was occupied by the enemy, what kind of place is it?¡¹ ¡¸Do you mean Luberuteiyu?¡¹ ¡¸That one. I heard that it was a port city¡¹ ¡¸Even if it¡¯s called a port city, it doesn¡¯t face the sea¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, you did say that it¡¯s at a place where one have to go fairly upstream along the river¡¹ Before they knew it, Valeria and Malena were standing on both sides of Dimitar and peering in at his hands¡¯ movement. They shouldn¡¯t have been so hungry, and yet the smell of the cheese which began to burn fragrantly had an attraction that was in no way easy to oppose. ¡¸Though it¡¯s an important stopover when transporting things, which had crossed the sea and were carried here, to various places using land routes and the river, the scale itself isn¡¯t very big¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the enemy¡¯s number?¡¹ ¡¸Saa¡­ according to the testimony of the people who had escaped from the town, it seems that they slipped into the storm and the darkness of the night, landed suddenly and occupied the town in one breath, but unfortunately, their numbers are¡­ however, I think that since the number of their cavalry doesn¡¯t seem to be many, aren¡¯t infantry and archers their main constituent?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, if they try to transport not only soldiers, but even warhorses in the thousands, it might be quite troublesome. ¡ªThen, how far is the distance from Luberuteiyu to Aurillac?¡¹ ¡¸That too, the exact number is difficult to know, but I think that perhaps it¡¯s 1000 leagues or so in a straight-line distance?¡¹ ¡¸Fumu¡¹ When Dimitar had sprinkled salt on the crisply-toasted cheese, turned the frying pan over and transferred it to the plate, he held it out in front of Malena. Looking at that plate and Dimitar¡¯s face alternately, Malena¡¯s throat made a gulping sound. ¡¸Eh? M, may I!?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll gratefully receive it!¡¹ Malena started eating the crisply-toasted cheese immediately. Dimitar roughly wiped the blade of his sword, stored it in the scabbard and leaned it against a pillar that had a gloss like it was smoked black. ¡¸¡ªIf the enemy has started advancing southwards from Luberuteiyu, can they arrive at Aurillac smoothly?¡¹ ¡¸No, that¡¯s¡­ in addition to there being innumerable branches of the R¨¹bel River in the south of Luberuteiyu, it¡¯s a vast area of lakes and marshes¡­ nmu, so a route where large-scale military force can be assembled and advance on is very¡­ hamu, l, limited¡¹ ¡¸If we gain control of that route, we can restrain the enemy from proceeding southwards, huh¡¹ ¡¸You can say so¡­? After all, there¡¯s a town that can also be called a defence position on that route¡­¡¹ ¡¸Defence position?¡¹ ¡¸Hai. It¡¯s a town called Delbr¨¹ck¡¹ Malena who had eaten the cheese up in the blink of an eye wiped her mouth and smiled cheerfully. Even though she was making a face like it was the end of this world until a little while ago and saying ¡¸Please keep this a secret!¡¹, she was surprisingly self-interested. ¡¸How much is the population?¡¹ ¡¸Eto, if I remember correctly, I think that it¡¯s about 20,000? As peat can be collected at that area, the population seems to be numerous as it is since the olden days¡¹ ¡¸If the town¡¯s population is 20,000, let¡¯s see, its standing army¡¯s number is 7, 8,000 at the most, huh. Though we don¡¯t know how much is the enemy¡¯s military force, judging from them having advanced their army to the inland areas in a bold manner, it shouldn¡¯t be few to the extent that we can temporise. If things remain as they are, I might feel slightly anxious¡¹ ¡¸Sigibert-kakka also said that previously¡¹ Deliciously drinking up the water of a beer mug that Dimitar had held out, Malena took a breath with a ¡°puha¡±. ¡¸¡ªAccording to His Excellency and Diaghilev-geika¡¯s conversation, it seems that they¡¯ll most likely concentrate the war potentials from various places at Delbr¨¹ck, reorganise, and engage the enemy army that will come closing in from Luberuteiyu¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ ¡¸However, the rebel army¡¯s general is most likely Archduke Euchemard Duevre¡­ that¡¯s what His Excellency is most cautious of¡¹ ¡¸Euchemard¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Archduke Euchemard is the younger brother of Arthur Duevre, who arbitrarily claims to be Yururogu¡¯s king, and a person who is holding the two appointments of prime minister and supreme commander of the army concurrently. He¡¯s old, but it seems that he¡¯s known for being very proficient at war¡­ ah, of course, I haven¡¯t seen that person myself though¡¹ Although she was speaking ill of Yururogu¡¯s king by using the expression ¡°arbitrarily claims to be¡±, the people of Haiderota most likely had no choice but to acknowledge the ability of Euchemard as a soldier. That was well understood from Malena¡¯s way of speaking. He seemed to be quite a strong enemy. While pouring the water which was drawn from the water jug into the pitcher, Valeria tried asking somehow. ¡¸Did something like this also happen before?¡¹ ¡¸No, if it¡¯s a national border violation from mounted bandits¡¯ plundering, then it has happened to the extent of countless, but it seems to be the first time that a rebel army of this scale has suddenly stepped into the inland areas. That¡¯s why the situation this time seems to be clearly different from usual¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? ¡ªI¡¯ve more or less understood¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, thank you for this useful conversation¡¹ ¡¸D, did I perhaps¡­ s, say something that I mustn¡¯t say!? Like a state secret or something!?¡¹ ¡¸It probably isn¡¯t anything exaggerated like that. It¡¯s merely something that we¡¯ll know eventually¡¹ Extinguishing the oven¡¯s fire, Dimitar patted the girl¡¯s shoulder. Showing a beaming smile which he absolutely wouldn¡¯t show usually was, on the contrary, scary. ¡¸¡ªMa, I¡¯ll keep the fact that you ate between meals here a secret for you, so you should also forget about tonight, obediently return to your room and sleep early¡¹ ¡¸No, no way¡­!¡¹ Leaving Malena who had received a shock there alone, Dimitar quickly left the kitchen. ¡¸H, hey, Dimitar!¡¹ Running after Dimitar with short steps, Valeria secretly asked. ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸To have asked thoroughly to that extent, what on earth did you know?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know anything¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know anything, but it¡¯ll be a factor for the time when we decide something from now on. Even if we asked the other Her Eminence, she most likely won¡¯t reveal her own country¡¯s information easily like that. Our luck is good that there¡¯s a gluttonous and loose-tongued Her Eminence¡¹ When she had thought why was he keeping company with the gluttonous Malena, was it because he was thinking of such a thing; Valeria was struck with admiration now. ¡¸¡ªTomorrow will be a long trip from the early morning too. Rest well, all right?¡¹ Curtly saying so, Dimitar then withdrew into his room. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When Valeria had quietly opened the door and entered the room, she returned to the bed after locking the door securely. Fortunately, Karin and Petra were sound asleep. They probably didn¡¯t notice that she had slipped out of bed in the middle of the night and done this and that with Dimitar. Although Karin was also like that, Petra in particular would often tease Valeria with such things. Things like what Petra was anticipating would never happen between them. Nodding many times in the dark, Valeria pulled the blanket over her head. Volume 4 - CH 3 R¨¹bel River, which maintained the water source to Cardoso Mountain Range, was a large river that went towards the north while meandering through Amaddo¡¯s territory, ran through Haiderota and flowed into the northern sea. Large-scale riparian works to deeply dig up R¨¹bel River¡¯s riverbed and strengthen the riverbank with stone-arranged river walls were once planned in Haiderota. The plan to try to set R¨¹bel River up as the centre of a large canal network, besides the whole country of Haiderota, should have been jointly carried out with Amaddo, but Haiderota dividing into south and north due to internal strife was the cause of it coming to a standstill at the draft stage. ¡¸Thinking about it now, that might have been a good fortune instead. Right, Cousin-dono?¡¹ As he held the cup of black tea, Haiderota¡¯s king, Remi Christian, was slowly walking in the war council room that was paved with small pieces of marble. The white skin which seemed to be seldom exposed to the sun and the gentle gaze which looked to be drooping slightly didn¡¯t seem to suit a ruler of the continent¡¯s leading military country. If one had to say, perhaps it was more fitting to say that he was a young recluse who indulged in reading day and night inside a dim study. Sigibert, who was five years younger than Remi Christian, knitted his eyebrows seemingly ashamed in some respects and nodded a little. ¡¸Certainly¡­ such a way of thinking¡ªum, might also be possible. Yes, it might be possible¡¹ ¡¸Right, right? That¡¯s the case, right? Even I understand that much¡¹ Remi Christian, who had nodded greatly with a childish action that didn¡¯t suit his age, drank up his black tea in one breath, put the cup onto the side table and poked at a point of the floor with his toe. Small pieces of white, black, and moreover, dark brown marble were innumerably spread on the floor of this hall, and drew a map of Haiderota and its surrounding countries by means of a mosaic picture. What Remi Christian had pointed with his toe was the spot equivalent to Luberuteiyu on that map. ¡¸¡ªIf there was such a big canal, Yururogu¡¯s rebel army would surely have advanced their warships to the south even more about this time. Iya, I¡¯m glad, I¡¯m glad¡¹ It was a way of speaking as if he had foreseen this matter and then had the development project of the canal come to a standstill. Sigibert was overconfident despite lack of ability, but Remi Christian, rather than overconfident, was carefree; to put it badly, he was laid-back. This lack of sense of danger might be a great misfortune to the people below supporting him. Haiderota¡¯s senior statesmen were lining up in a row in front of a large window that reached near the ceiling from the floor. Although Dimitar was also mixed in there and standing up straight, he was desperately stifling a bitter smile that had leaked out inadvertently. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria who was beside Dimitar looked up at him, seeming to want to say something. ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nothing¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet if that¡¯s the case. If by any chance you¡¯re asked for an opinion and have trouble doing so, you can casually throw it to me¡¹ Amaddo¡¯s party, which had linked up with Sigibert¡¯s party that arrived late and entered Haiderota¡¯s capital, Aurillac, were immediately permitted an audience with the king. The king, Remi Christian, seemed to be a generous and affable man, and even on the occasion of this country¡¯s serious matter, he didn¡¯t tell the Amaddo¡¯s party to return to their country at once, but instead suggested that they stayed as much as they wanted. The only one thing which Dimitar completely didn¡¯t imagine was the king, Remi Christian, displaying motivation in a strange direction. ¡¸¡ªHey, Cousin-dono. Faced with this national difficulty, what should we do?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­¡¹ Putting his hands which held the riding crop together behind his back, Sigibert stared at the enormous map at his feet with a meek expression. Today¡¯s war council which even Valeria¡¯s party were allowed to attend, if one had to say, should be called ¡°the childish king playing war council.¡± As long as he was advancing this war council, they couldn¡¯t have a discussion which they¡¯d deeply delve into; to begin with, it was also impossible that they could fluently talk about things that seemed to touch on military secrets in the presence of several important people of Amaddo. A tall old man who was standing right beside the king solemnly opened his mouth while stroking his chin where white beard had grown densely. ¡¸With all due respect¡­ now that things have come to this, promptly sending the whole army to Luberuteiyu and crushing the rebel army by means of a directly-head-on decisive battle is the best; that¡¯s what I think¡¹ This old man, who had disregarded Sigibert and stated his personal opinion, was Haiderota¡¯s military minister, Ballesteros. His physique that was still imposing even though he was over the age of 60 and his looks¡ªa contrast to the king¡¯s¡ªwere the very things of a traditional Haiderota¡¯s soldier. ¡¸¡­He¡¯s like our Military Minister somehow¡¹ Valeria muttered in a whisper. ¡¸Garido-kyou? He¡¯s more troublesome than that person¡¹ ¡¸Ballesteros-kakka is the maternal granduncle of King-heika, and seems to be an existence that can be called the ¡°country¡¯s elder¡± too¡¹ Karin quietly cut into the pair¡¯s secret conversation. ¡¸¡­Is Sigibert-kakka perhaps not appointed vice-minister at that young age to place King-heika¡¯s Cousin-dono as the assistant and keep that old soldier who seems obstinate from being out of control even if a little, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ Of course, that didn¡¯t seem to turn out well to Dimitar. As far as one could see how he interrupted the conversation just now, Ballesteros disdained the young Sigibert and even harboured antipathy against him. Sigibert¡¯s expression was dark might be because, in addition to the king¡¯s carefreeness, Ballesteros¡¯s existence made his work difficult. While the crowd of retainers became noisy at Ballesteros¡¯s words, Sigibert waved his riding crop with a ¡°pi¡±, calmed the place down and opened his mouth slowly. ¡¸Ballesteros-kakka¡¯s words are absolutely correct; I¡¯ve no choice but to say that they¡¯re correct. ¡­But at the same time, I also can¡¯t help saying that the suggestion is impossible to implement¡¹ ¡¸Hou?¡¹ ¡¸According to the report that arrived just now, riots due to disturbing elements and attacks due to thieves are incessantly breaking out in various places of Haiderota presently¡­ if we don¡¯t suppress those first, transferring of significant military force is impossible¡¹ ¡¸Whether that¡¯s impossible or not is inconsequential. What I¡¯ve told His Majesty was the plan that we should concentrate our military force at Luberuteiyu at any rate and annihilate the rebel army¡­ as for the method to specifically implement it, we shouldn¡¯t take the trouble to have the discussion in His Majesty¡¯s presence¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the case. That¡¯s the case, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Maa maa, Cousin-dono¡¹ Calming Sigibert who had begun to raise his voice down, the king requested the chamberlain for another cup of black tea. ¡¸¡ªThough both ministers¡¯ opinions are like that, at this point, I also want to be honoured with the opinion of the goddess that our army is proud of. Right, Diaghilev-geika?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡¹ Holding her military cap under her arm, Clotilde who was waiting behind Sigibert pointed at Luberuteiyu¡¯s spot. ¡¸Though this is echoing Sigibert-kakka¡¯s words, at present where we can¡¯t mobilise a large military force as the real problem, I think that defeating the enemy at Luberuteiyu is certainly impossible. It¡¯s also possible that when it becomes the situation where we¡¯ve suppressed the various places¡¯ riots and can concentrate our military force, the rebel army has already advanced south from Luberuteiyu even more. ¡ªLike Your Majesty has aptly said, if R¨¹bel River¡¯s width and depth were twice its current¡¯s, the rebel army might have advanced their warships even closer to this Aurillac¡¹ ¡¸Right, right, that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t that right, Minister?¡¹ ¡¸Mu¡­¡¹ Ballesteros showed a bitter face to the king who innocently clapped his hands. ¡¸Therefore, until the preparation where we can concentrate our military force is made first, I think that it¡¯s necessary to gain time while carefully observing the enemy¡¯s movement¡¹ ¡¸¡­Does Your Eminence has some plan for that?¡¹ ¡¸As for the specific plan, we don¡¯t have to take the trouble to discuss it in His Majesty¡¯s presence¡¹ ¡¸Mu¡­!¡¹ Using Ballesteros¡¯s expression from a while ago against him, Clotilde cut off his move to question her there. Although one would think that she was probably covering up for Sigibert, she was an intelligent woman who can also be quick-witted on the spot. Dimitar asked Karin in a whisper. ¡¸You seem to be knowledgeable about strategy too, but what do you think?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know the topography of that vicinity well, so I can¡¯t answer anything¡¹ Although Karin said so and avoided an immediate reply, looking at it from another perspective, she also seemed to want to say that she could make a strategic judgement if the information was complete. When the place¡¯s atmosphere was becoming oppressive because of the indignant Ballesteros, the chamberlain came to inform the king about something. ¡¸¡ªOh, is that so?! I¡¯ll meet him, I¡¯ll meet him; show him in at once¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ The chamberlain temporarily withdrew, and before long, the thick and heavy doors slowly opened. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Remi Christian-heika¡¹ A young man in gorgeous attire, who had calmly entered the hall, held his hat with feather decorations against his chest and bowed exaggeratedly. ¡¸I¡¯m Jeffren Isaac Fortia who have come to visit as Jeffren Francesc¡¯s proxy. In spite of the abrupt visit, thank you very much for permitting the audience¡¹ Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac, who had carefully delivered a verbal message, glanced at Sigibert fleetingly and smiled. ¡¸W, why are you here¡ª!?¡¹ Sigibert opened his eyes wide and ground his teeth with a ¡°giri giri¡±. It was surely unexpected that Isaac who should have returned to his country would appear in this Aurillac¡¯s royal palace, and moreover, at this timing. Dimitar¡¯s party was also similarly surprised. ¡¸¡­Though I was thinking that it was time for the envoy from Amaddo to arrive soon, I never thought that His Highness would come¡­¡¹ ¡¸However, if it¡¯s negotiating with Haiderota as His Majesty¡¯s proxy, it isn¡¯t strange even if His Highness comes. He¡¯s already at the age where he can do that sort of things¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true too, huh¡¹ Dimitar had already noticed Lucius who was waiting beside Isaac. Lucius being his attendant meant that the Seal Chivalric OrderTanpries Aigies was also most likely together with him. ¡¸Not fated somehow until now, I wasn¡¯t blessed with the opportunity to see Isaac-denka¡¯s countenance; but to be able to meet you at last, I¡¯m very happy. ¡­However, did Your Highness perhaps come to receive both Her Eminences here? This is a rare and good opportunity, so I wanted to get both Her Eminences to stay in our country for a little while and teach us about your country¡¯s advanced magic training though¡ª¡¹ The king muttered regretfully in some respects. However, Isaac looked at Valeria and Karin and then held out a letter that he had been carrying in his hand to the king. ¡¸¡ªNo, since I also don¡¯t have many opportunities to visit other countries like this, as long as King-heika permits, I¡¯m thinking of staying here for a little while together with both Her Eminences. I¡¯ve obtained the document stating that he¡¯ll entrust everything to me from Father like this as well¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good! I also want to hear in detail stories of Amaddo, and I also want to ask for your opinion on the matter of the rebellion elements. ¡ªRight, right, Cousin-dono?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ if Your Majesty wishes so¡­¡¹ From Sigibert¡¯s point of view, simply meeting Isaac here again was probably the worst feeling. Furthermore, if Isaac stayed as the king¡¯s guest of honour, that worst feeling would continue even more. To tell the truth, Sigibert must be wanting him to return to his country together with Valeria¡¯s party immediately. However, Isaac might also have guessed that Sigibert was thinking that way; if that was the case, Isaac would never return to his country. Even if Isaac decided to stay just to harass Sigibert, Dimitar wouldn¡¯t think that it was strange. As if he thought nothing of the crowd of retainers who were present¡ªand as if he noticed it now¡ªIsaac looked down at the map that was drawn on the entire floor. ¡¸Oh, is this perhaps¡­ the midst of a war council? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m sorry to have interrupted you. Everyone, please continue¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, this is just nice; let¡¯s be honoured with Isaac-denka¡¯s opinion. After all, His Highness is the son of the 11th generation Jeffren who is well-known for being proficient in war and is also the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order. I want to get your advice by all means. Right, Cousin-dono?¡¹ This young king probably knew nothing of the discord between Isaac and Sigibert. Secretly stealing a glance at Sigibert¡¯s face that was becoming increasingly bitter, Dimitar raised his lips. ¡¸Fumu¡­ I¡¯d like to know the current situation first though¡ª¡¹ Isaac, who was wandering on the map with a triumphant look, suddenly pointed at Dimitar¡¯s party. ¡¸Here, first of all, our country¡¯s, um¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who had noticed that Isaac was trying to throw the conversation this way, stared at Lucius fixedly and then looked at Karin quickly with a sidelong glance. Although he didn¡¯t fully understand what Isaac was aiming for, at the very least, it was vanishingly unlikely that Valeria would be useful in this situation. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ Perhaps he noticed the movement of Dimitar¡¯s gaze, Lucius spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªRudbeck-geika is a talented woman with encyclopedic knowledge and strong memory and is well-versed in our country¡¯s military history and books on strategies as well. How about receiving an explanation regarding the current war situation from Her Eminence first?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s also true. ¡­Is that fine with you, Rudbeck-geika?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hai¡¹ When Karin stepped forwards to the centre of the map, she started whispering something into Isaac¡¯s ear. ¡¸¡ªI see, I¡¯ve understood the general situation¡¹ ¡¸¡­What did you understand?¡¹ At Sigibert¡¯s words which could make one feel an emotion that seemed to be hatred in some respects, Isaac responded with a refreshing smile. ¡¸That¡¯s of course, the fact that the riots and attacks which are breaking out in the various places are probably because of the enemy¡¯s strategy, Sigibert-kakka¡¹ Isaac answered in an especially polite¡ªor rather, hypocritically courteous tone. ¡¸It¡¯s certain that they slipped a great number of spies into Haiderota¡¯s territory. Your Excellency should also know that well, no?¡¹ ¡¸Nu¡­!¡¹ Implicitly bringing up the matter where he was abducted by Yururogu¡¯s subordinates, Sigibert bit his lips. ¡¸We, we¡¯ve also hypothesised such a thing! We¡¯ve hypothesised that! Riots breaking out so extensively, and moreover, at the same time in various places are because the spies whom the rebel army had secretly sent in are inciting them! That sort of thing, we don¡¯t need Isaac-denka to point it out!¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t have to be so agitated, do you, Sigibert-kakka? ¡ªAnyway, the fact that those spies chose the timing when the Gale Chivalric OrderRorudor Rafuale had left Aurillac and then simultaneously commenced their activities is almost certain¡¹ ¡¸So, so what?¡¹ ¡¸To the enemy, your country being unable to move its army as it wishes for the suppression of the riots should be within their expectation. That being the case, it¡¯s unthinkable that the enemy will simply wait in Luberuteiyu like this. They¡¯ll aim for this period when Haiderota¡¯s army can¡¯t move and advance their war potential south even more, or attack the surrounding towns and expand the domain under their control¡ª¡¹ Isaac stood at the halfway point between Aurillac and Luberuteiyu on the map. ¡¸Delbr¨¹ck¡­ is it? Anyway, if there¡¯s a large-scaled town here, isn¡¯t it fine if you have your various places¡¯ war potentials gather here as the objective for the present? At places too near to Luberuteiyu, they might be individually defeated by the enemy before their numbers are assembled¡¹ ¡¸I understand that kind of thing. That¡¯s why¡ª¡¹ Ballesteros, who had begun to raise his voice, swallowed the words which came after that and calmly spat out his irritation. ¡¸¡­If the plan, which Diaghilev-geika said a while ago, to gain time really exists, then the talk of concentrating our military force in Delbr¨¹ck will also have a sense of reality¡¹ ¡¸It does exist¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m saying that there¡¯s a plan to buy time¡¹ Everyone¡¯s gazes concentrated on Isaac who had nonchalantly answered. Valeria leaked a sigh of admiration and muttered in a whisper. ¡¸Though it¡¯s impolite if I say it like this, ¡­His Highness might be a more amazing person than I thought¡­¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s amazing?¡¹ ¡¸After all, should I say that he¡¯s completely like a professional soldier¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ that¡¯s probably all second-hand knowledge from Karin-sama, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Karin¡¯s?¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps what His Highness is skilful at aren¡¯t strategies that meticulously move soldiers on the battlefield, but rather, schemes that lead other countries around by the noses from a room in the royal palace, or political manoeuvres for winning over the citizens and having them move as he wishes¡¹ At Dimitar¡¯s words of ¡°that¡¯d perfectly fit his image more¡±, Valeria knitted her eyebrows. ¡¸Though I feel that you¡¯re saying much more impolite things, I certainly feel that way too¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps Karin-sama should have been born as a man. In that case, she won¡¯t need to compete with you as a Dominas, and will also have the possibility of becoming a great commander who can achieve meritorious services as a soldier¡¹ Paying no attention to the pair who were having a conversational exchange in a whisper, Isaac carefully stated his cherished opinion. ¡¸The plan to hold back the rebel army¡¯s invasion without even moving a single soldier of Haiderota¡ªthere¡¯s one¡¹ ¡¸Is there really such a splendid method, Your Highness?¡¹ ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have said so if there isn¡¯t, Your Majesty¡¹ Facing the king who seemed dubious, Isaac answered confidently. ¡¸¡ªThis me will act as a mediator and march into the enemy camp¡¹ ¡¸What¡­!¡¹ Indeed, if it was Isaac, he might be able to stand between Haiderota and Yururogu and act as a mediator. If Yururogu didn¡¯t want its relation with Amaddo to deteriorate, they had no choice but to take into consideration the treatment of Isaac; naturally, the movement of Yururogu¡¯s army should also be restricted. However, that¡¯d also lead to a troublesome problem at the same time. ¡¸Why did Karin-sama even suggest such an unnecessary thing¡­¡¹ Dimitar frowned and talked to himself. ¡¸An unnecessary thing? Isn¡¯t it good, if the war really can be avoided because of that. People won¡¯t die pointlessly, and Amaddo¡­ or rather, perhaps His Highness¡¯s reputation will rise, right?¡¹ Although it was nice to hear if she spoke optimistically, Valeria was only thinking about the plus side. If one considered the demerit in case it didn¡¯t go smoothly, it was a plan that one couldn¡¯t participate in at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡¸It¡¯s good that Amaddo will act as a mediator between Haiderota and Yururogu. However, the Crown Prince personally going to that place is, as one would expect, dangerous. If he¡¯s caught like that and then taken as a hostage, an enormous ransom will be demanded. ¡­Besides, whether His Highness is really granted that much authority or not, there are still some doubtful points in that matter as well¡¹ ¡¸Eh? But just now he himself¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Though he said that he was appointed ambassador plenipotentiary, it doesn¡¯t mean that he can do anything as he pleases as the king¡¯s representative. Only matters related to the negotiations with Haiderota; he probably should have a restriction like that. ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t seem that he has the right to even intrude into the negotiations with Yururogu¡¹ ¡¸If, if that¡¯s the case, is there something bad about it?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. I don¡¯t know the details, but at the very least, it probably won¡¯t end with just His Highness being scolded by His Majesty. ¡­When Yururogu notices the inadequacy of such a matter and comes complaining about this and that, it might diplomatically become some troublesome situation¡¹ ¡°And what is more troublesome than that is¡±¡ªDimitar quietly continued in a whisper to the other party, Valeria. Seeing Lucius who was holding his forehead down beside Isaac, he was able to have confidence that his thought was correct. ¡¸¡­His Highness is someone who is very enthusiastic about such things. He¡¯s already brimming with the intention to go; perhaps in the mind of the person himself, it¡¯s a matter that he has decided to do¡¹ Like that fear of Dimitar, Isaac faced the king and, ¡¸How is it? As long as it¡¯s all right with Your Majesty, this me will act as a mediator with Yururogu; it¡¯s good if it goes smoothly; even if it doesn¡¯t go smoothly, it might buy some time until your country has make preparations¡¹ ¡¸But¡­ is this really fine?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. If the cause smoulders indefinitely in the northern extremity of the continent, the barbarian believers in the south might gather strength¡­ and I myself want to show Father my good points too, after all¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it¡¯ll help us if you can do so! At any rate, I hate conflicts. If the matter is resolved without seeing blood via Your Highness¡¯s action, there¡¯s nothing better than that!¡¹ ¡¸Your Majesty is truly a benevolent person¡¹ ¡¸Iya, ahaha! This troublesome war council is also settled in an instant! I¡¯m so happy, I¡¯m so happy?¡¹ When the king clapped his hands which were wrapped in gloves together and ordered to disperse, he then patted Isaac¡¯s shoulder, seemingly relaxed. ¡¸Saa, Your Highness. Though the sequence has become reversed, I shall have a hot bath prepared for you first. How about we continue the full story while eating our dinner after you¡¯ve completely washed away the fatigue from your journey?¡¹ ¡¸With pleasure¡¹ ¡¸¡ªAh, Cousin-dono, prepare rooms for everyone of Crown Prince-denka¡¯s Chivalric Order respectively as well. In that annex, the same as both Her Eminences. All right?¡¹ ¡¸Please leave everything to me¡¹ Perhaps he had already given up, Sigibert dropped his shoulders weakly and bowed towards the backs of the king and Isaac without even concealing a big sigh. While the crowd of retainers were leaving the war council room as they discussed this and that, Lucius came to where Dimitar¡¯s party was. ¡¸Lucius-sama!¡¹ Lucius bowed to Valeria, who had made a ¡°kyarun?¡± sound in a lively voice and whose cheeks had blushed, while smiling gently. ¡¸Valeria-jou and Karin-jou, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re safe. ¡­Thank you for your hard work, Dii¡¹ ¡¸Ma, various things happened¡¹ Dimitar, who had put his hand onto the nape of his neck, glanced at Karin. ¡¸¡ªMore importantly Karin-sama, why did you suggest such an unnecessary idea to His Highness?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Allow me to clearly deny, but that isn¡¯t my idea¡¹ Casting her cold eyes down, Karin shook her head. ¡¸What I had suggested was that it was better to concentrate the war potential in Delbr¨¹ck and prepare to meet the enemy on this side of Aurillac only. I heard the information about Delbr¨¹ck from Richternach-kyou¡­ so in that process, I said that riots seem to be occurring frequently because of the enemy¡¯s manoeuvring, and the time for moving of war potential can¡¯t be guaranteed¡¹ ¡¸Everyone¡¹ When Dimitar¡¯s party was lowering their voices and saying this and that, Sigibert who had brought his eyebrows tightly together came. ¡¸¡­No matter what it becomes, we can¡¯t bear the responsibility, you know?¡¹ ¡¸His Highness has probably taken that into account as well. He won¡¯t do an action like making complaints about this and that afterwards¡¹ ¡¸That might be so, that might be so. If it¡¯s him, he won¡¯t ask me or our army for help no matter what happens¡¹ Sigibert, who had roughly fixed his long hair by combing his hand through it and put on his cap again, took a deep breath greatly and stared at Lucius. A shadow which was mixed with irritation and self-loathing ran on that profile. ¡¸However, he should also know that if in the unlikely event that something happens, it might affect the friendly relations between our country and your country. ¡ªTo have gone so far as to do so, why does he tries to tread on thin ice? A harassment towards me at the risk of his life?¡¹ ¡¸This isn¡¯t something that I can answer¡ªbut if our country which is called the ¡°leader¡± sits and overlooks the crisis of an ally, it¡¯ll be bad for our reputation¡­ is His Highness not thinking like that, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Isaac-kun is?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s a person who must eventually succeed the throne of big Amaddo, after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s the worst day. I don¡¯t even want to think about such a future, and I don¡¯t want to imagine it either¡¹ Lightly clicking his tongue, Sigibert looked downwards. ¡¸¡ªI, I¡¯ve kept you waiting!¡¹ Malena, whose figure wasn¡¯t seen the whole time in the war council room, entered the hall such that she ran counter to the flow of the crowd of retainers and saluted Lucius¡¯s party. ¡¸Since the preparation for everyone¡¯s room is finished, I¡¯ll guide you!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve taken up your time, Puyol-geika¡¹ While walking in a line behind Malena, Lucius glanced over his shoulder at the back and whispered to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­Though there¡¯s no doubt that Diaghilev-geika is the preeminent talented woman of Haiderota, it seems that she¡¯ll undergo hardships in the future¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The other party whom she¡¯s in love with is bad. ¡­Or rather, her taste in men isn¡¯t good¡¹ Softly propping her hand against the back of Sigibert, who was firmly stepping on his marble motherland, Clotilde was talking to the young minister about something. Although the pair should certainly be of the same age, that appearance looked as if an older sister was encouraging an unreliable younger brother. Perhaps she had overheard the conversational exchange between Dimitar and Lucius, Valeria opened her eyes wide with a ¡°ka¡± and alternately looked at Lucius¡¯s face and Sigibert¡¯s party. ¡¸Eh!? T, that¡¯s, that sort of that!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m so amazed that even my sigh won¡¯t come out. The ones who didn¡¯t notice are roughly you and Gacha Pink, you know? The lowness of your mental age is sometimes a crime¡¹ ¡¸Ehh!? Valeria-sama and I have such a common point!?¡¹ ¡¸You be quiet¡¹ Hitting Bettina¡¯s head hard with a ¡°gashan¡±, Dimitar sighed. Valeria fixedly stared at her feet and, asking no one, muttered. ¡¸¡­However, while it may be true that Diaghilev-geika likes him, um¡­ will she be wedded to Sigibert-kakka?¡¹ ¡¸Well¡­ Sigibert-kakka is a person who has the right to succeed the throne, so thinking from his position, isn¡¯t arbitrarily deciding a spouse by himself difficult? At the very least, it must be after consulting with the people of the royal family and the senior statesmen¡­¡¹ Lucius honestly answered the inconsequential mutter of Valeria. ¡¸Of course, I heard that Diaghilev House is also one of the distinguished families of Haiderota and has produced many excellent Dominas, so in the aspect of family status, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem. ¡ªThat¡¯s to say, it¡¯ll probably depend on Sigibert-kakka afterwards¡¹ Even if the feeling of mutual love which Dimitar hated existed between that pair, so long as Clotilde was a Dominas in active service, they couldn¡¯t get married now yet. As it had been four years since Clotilde became a Dominas, if it was the usual, she must protect her chastity for five more years¡ªuntil she became 25. And then, in terms of position, whether Sigibert who was of the same age could be single until 25 or not was slightly doubtful. After all, Sigibert who was a member of royalty had the obligation to marry a wife as soon as possible and have a successor. ¡¸Lucius-sama¡ª¡¹ Valeria raised her face and began to talk. Dimitar who had felt a bad premonition tried to blocked that instantly, but didn¡¯t stop it in the end. ¡¸Does Lucius-sama¡­ have to think about that sort of thing?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ It was a question like Dimitar had imagined. Dimitar couldn¡¯t quite understand why she¡¯d ask something which, no matter how, wouldn¡¯t end without her getting hurt, but perhaps in this girl¡¯s case, it might be better that reality was thrust clearly before her once and then she realised it. In other words, it was because of such a slightly sadistic consideration that Dimitar didn¡¯t stop Valeria. ¡¸Lucius-sama is also the heir of the Richternach House. Are you in a similar situation as His Excellency?¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s completely different. My house¡¯s good point is being long-established only, and isn¡¯t related to the royal family, so even if it comes to an end like this, I at least think that it doesn¡¯t matter in particular. Maa, I¡¯m pestered by Mother in various ways though¡­¡¹ ¡¸Lucius, don¡¯t say thoughtless things. I¡¯ll report to Head Director, you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a joke¡¹ Lucius hit Dimitar¡¯s chest while smiling wryly. ¡¸¡ªHonestly speaking, I think that it doesn¡¯t matter even if I can¡¯t get married in my whole life, but because the continuance of the Richternach House is Mother¡¯s wish, a heir for that sake is indispensable. I can¡¯t tell Mother to remarry and give birth to a younger brother or a younger sister now; as expected, I, the only son, have to do this somehow¡¹ I¡¯ll eventually marry a wife and have a heir¡ªwhether Valeria heard Lucius¡¯s words, which continued so, properly or not, Dimitar didn¡¯t know. Although he could imagine the expression of her who had looked downwards again, he couldn¡¯t confirm it. Dimitar thought that she reaped what she sowed. At the very least, he had no intention of sympathising with her. Dimitar averted his gaze from the stupid girl and spoke to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªMore importantly, there¡¯s something that I want to tell you¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Though I think that she¡¯s probably a spy of Yururogu or something¡­, I met a troublesome kid¡¹ ¡¸A troublesome¡­ what, child?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know it clearly, but she¡¯s evidently younger than our Her Eminences. However, she¡¯s frighteningly skilled. If I¡¯ve to say it more accurately, she knows how to fight¡¹ Recalling that girl whom he had met in the forest at night on the outskirts of Krutoreto, Dimitar explained. ¡¸In addition to being able to use magic and move well, what¡¯s the most problematic is that she¡¯s using something that looks like a magic motion swordEspada Marefika¡¹ ¡¸Wait¡­ that child whom you spoke of, is she a girl with long black hair?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve an idea?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s her, we also encountered her on our way here¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸In the forest where we had crossed the national border and went north a little, we came across several horsemen, but we received a dangerous magic at the moment when the two sides met. Though we repelled it somehow and there was hardly any injury, ¡­if I remember correctly, I think that that girl had used a somewhat large knife and unleashed a ¡°Fire BulletBlast¡±¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s probably her. I¡¯m sure. She¡¯s the kid who tried to abduct His Excellency¡¹ Encountering the Crown Prince¡¯s party which was going towards Aurillac meant that that girl was also moving northwards together with her comrades. Judging from the situation, it might be natural to conclude that it was to link up with the friendly troops in Luberuteiyu. ¡¸It, it¡¯s here!¡¹ What Malena had guided Lucius¡¯s party to, was a detached building at the east of the royal palace. Dimitar¡¯s party which had arrived in Aurillac earlier was also similarly staying at this building. This detached building seemed to be entirely opened just for the guests from Amaddo. The Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s members, with several people respectively forming one group, were already entering each room on the first floor on Arushanbor¡¯s instruction. Incidentally, the rooms which were prepared for Isaac and Lucius were on the second floor, and the guest rooms which were allocated to Valeria¡¯s party were on the third floor. Ordering Arushanbor to put guards up at various places of the building, Lucius went out to the courtyard together with Dimitar. ¡¸¡ªThat girl¡¯s identity and strength go without saying, but not only that, the knife which that child was using also bothers me¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It doesn¡¯t seem to have a versatility like my sword¡¯s, but nevertheless, it¡¯s definitely a magic motion sword¡¹ Propping his hand lightly against the scabbard on his waist, Dimitar looked around the courtyard. Even though he was discussing with Lucius like this, it was a habit which was indelibly ingrained to his core to somehow check whether there was danger or not at the place where he was. ¡¸¡­At present, if we exclude our country, there¡¯s no country that is known to clearly possess Magic EngineeringTekunorogia Marefika. However, like the aforementioned woman who is called ¡°Nereida¡± had done so in Biranoba, the possibility of her getting Yururogu¡¯s assistance and conducting research¡ª¡¹ ¡¸No, that possibility is low¡¹ ¡¸Why do you think so?¡¹ ¡¸Recall the number of swords and shields that were seized from the Valiente House. Though it was a noble, Nereida had created that many things with the assistance from an individual, you know?¡¹ Nereida had the technique to develop magic motion swords. What was necessary for mass production were a certain extent of time and abundant funds, talented people who could draw magic crestsHieratika, and raw materials. If she could prepare a number of that extent with the assistance of Dante, an individual, if she had gotten the assistance of a whole country, mass production might have become possible far easier. ¡¸If Nereida did change sides to Yururogu, let alone that one knife, an even more massive amount of weapons should have been produced. However, there¡¯s no report of Yururogu using a new weapon like that at present. In other words, we can judge that Yururogu doesn¡¯t have Magic Engineering of a practical-use level yet¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Lucius, who had been intently pondering about something at Dimitar¡¯s words, suddenly raised his face as if he was enlightened. ¡¸¡­Perhaps it¡¯s because His Highness had thought that that girl might be a person of Yururogu that he suggested to personally march into Luberuteiyu as an arbitrator¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Doesn¡¯t His Highness most likely want to confirm whether Yururogu has the technique to just create magic motion sword or not¡ªwhether it¡¯s being mass-produced or not?¡¹ ¡¸Confirm and do what then?¡¹ ¡¸It might be bad if we don¡¯t think of some counter-measure. If Haiderota and Yururogu have a full-scale battle like this, and if the magic motion sword falls into Haiderota¡¯s hands in that process¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Setting Yururogu aside, it being possessed by Haiderota will certainly be troublesome, but whether His Highness really did thought that far or not is dubious¡¹ ¡¸Oi¡¹ As one would expect, Lucius knitted his eyebrows at Dimitar¡¯s tone that seemed to make light of the Crown Prince. ¡¸It¡¯s a joke¡¹ In this garden where the characteristics of Haiderota materialised, statues of soldiers wearing armours and shrubs which were trimmed in a rectangular shape stood out even more than the flowers. In Dimitar¡¯s eyes which had grown accustomed to the Roma Palace¡¯s garden and the Crown Prince¡¯s greenhouse, they were reflected as slightly tasteless things. Looking up at the setting sun that seemed dazzling, Dimitar muttered. ¡¸¡­If His Highness attends the negotiations with Yururogu, you¡¯ll naturally go too, huh¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸What will our Her Eminences do? Will you leave them behind?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve to think about that¡¹ If Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince and Dominas personally made a visit, their seriousness would be conveyed to Yururogu. If it was a pusillanimous commander, he¡¯d withdraw his army without being able to disregard Amaddo¡¯s intention; even if he didn¡¯t go to that extent, he might have to respect their country¡¯s instruction. Hence, the objective of buying time for the time being could be achieved. However, on the contrary, if the other party was a stouthearted commander who wouldn¡¯t easily yield to the name of ¡°Amaddo¡±, and if the negotiations didn¡¯t work out, he might try to take not just Isaac, but also the Dominas as hostages. And then, the enemy commander was most likely the latter type. ¡¸You¡¯re going even though you¡¯ve predicted to that extent?¡¹ ¡¸His Highness himself had declared so in front of that many people, after all. This won¡¯t end with us not going now¡¹ ¡¸¡ªDimi-san! Lucius-sama!¡¹ The window on the second floor opened with a ¡°gashan¡±, and a pink armour, which reflected the setting sun and shone, stuck its face out. ¡¸The tea preparation seems to be done~!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Can¡¯t you be quiet a little?¡¹ Waving his hand with a ¡°hira hira¡± with an annoyed face, Dimitar entered the building together with Lucius. ??? Although she was extolled as ¡°Her Eminence¡± for the time being, she was actually a girl whom no one even knew where she was born in and whose lineage was unclear. Maybe it was because he had been calling her ¡°Her Eminence, Her Eminence¡± and politely taking care of her due to his position, or maybe there was no reason in particular, Cyril Duevre was extremely loved by Lampito. More accurately speaking, Lampito hardly became emotionally attached to any person except Cyril. But for Cyril, he thought that he didn¡¯t become a soldier to take care of a young girl. Not to mention, he never even dreamt of being made to help out with the bathing of a child. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Cyril, who had rolled up the cuff of his trousers and the sleeves of his shirt and sat down on a short stool, had been continuing washing Lampito¡¯s black hair the whole time since a while ago. ¡¸You¡¯re too lazy, you know¡­¡¹ No matter how many times he ran the comb through her hair, light brown bubbles rose up each time. When she abducted Sigibert, although she fought against the pursuers and plunged headfirst into the mud, if she had washed her head properly afterwards, it wouldn¡¯t have become like this. Lampito probably only washed her face perfunctorily with the river¡¯s water and didn¡¯t run her fingers through to the roots of her hair and washed it well. ¡¸¡­In the first place, is there a need to grow your hair so long?¡¹ ¡¸U?¡¹ Lampito who was submerged in the hot water to her nose turned around at Cyril¡¯s complaint. Due to the bathtub¡¯s hot water becoming dirty already, the light brown bubbles were sticking under her nose like a moustache. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll change the hot water¡¹ Casually wiping the girl¡¯s face, Cyril pulled out the bathtub¡¯s stopper. ¡¸Bring new water here!¡¹ When Cyril ordered so, maids who carried buckets in their arms entered the bathroom which was full of steam and began pouring water steadily into the bathtub that had just become empty. ¡¸C, c-c, c, cold¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Then heat it yourself¡¹ Coldly thrusting Lampito who had shrank her body at the coldness of the water away, Cyril lathered the soap again. ¡¸¡­Properly speaking, this is a maid¡¯s job; why does this petty officer have to do something like this¡­¡¹ If possible, he wanted to push this onto the maids who had drawn the water, but so long as Lampito hated even being touched by them, Cyril had no choice but to do so. ¡¸You¡¯re too lacking in various ways¡­¡¹ When the maids had left the bathroom, Cyril leaked a complaint which was mixed with a sigh that had become a habit recently. ¡¸¡­How on earth were you raised to have become like this?¡¹ ¡¸A, a, alone¡ª¡¹ While personally warming the bathtub¡¯s water with her magic, Lampito spoke. ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸I, grew, up, a, alone¡¹ ¡¸Alone? You grew up alone?¡¹ ¡¸P, probably¡­¡¹ ¡¸What an unsure way of speaking even though it¡¯s about yourself¡¹ Perhaps Lampito was strangely shy of strangers and couldn¡¯t speak words well was because¡ªeven if being raised by wolves was a joke¡ªshe grew up alone in the forest. When he looked at Lampito, Cyril unconsciously thought about such a matter. ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t tell me, you can¡¯t speak any words until you met that woman called ¡°Medou¡±?¡¹ ¡¸P, probably¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Making sure to scrape her scalp with a ¡°gori gori¡± and wash the girl¡¯s hair, Cyril sighed. ¡¸And that ¡°Medou¡±, where¡¯s she now?¡¹ ¡¸¡­U, U, Uru¡ª¡¹ ¡¸?¡¹ ¡¸Uruhaimato¡­¡¹ ¡¸Uruhaimato? Where¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸I, I, don¡¯t, know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, she¡¯s there, right? Will she come to meet you from there someday?¡¹ ¡¸I, don¡¯t, know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Nothing but things that you don¡¯t know, huh¡¹ Washing the girl¡¯s head like he was massaging it with a ¡°guri guri¡± with his fingertips, Cyril smiled wryly. Certainly, in regard to Lampito, there were only things that he didn¡¯t know. Where was she born and where did she learn magic, and why did she come to Yururogu¡ªwhat he barely understood was at least the fact that it was a woman called ¡°Medou¡± who had set Lampito up as a magic warriorMarefikos. The origin of that Medou herself was unknown. However, from the fact that she brought advantageous information to Yururogu and left Lampito behind together with the weapons by which magic became usable even to ordinary people, saying to use them as he liked, at the very least, she wasn¡¯t an existence of the extent of an enemy now. ¡¸¡­This is too laughable¡¹ Thinking about it, Euchemard and Cyril had relied on such uncertain women who whether were worthy of trust or not was even doubtful and mobilised the army to defeat Haiderota. If he calmly thought about it, it was devoid of reason. In short, they were being cornered to that extent. Yururogu was still weak and young as a country to fulfil their dearest wish of defeating Haiderota; on the contrary, Euchemard was getting too old. In order to leave some sort of form behind while Euchemard was alive, it was necessary to use everything that could be used and to cross a dangerous bridge (to take a risk) in full awareness of it. For that, he had to get Lampito to be an excellent ¡°tool¡±. Excess emotional attachment and sympathy, let alone being unneeded, would, on the contrary, become hindrances. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re getting out soon¡¹ Pouring hot water over the girl¡¯s head many times with a ¡°zaba zaba¡±, Cyril stood up. Cyril, of course, and Lampito couldn¡¯t absent themselves from the place where they¡¯d receive the rare guests who would come soon. Looking down at the basket that contained a brand new change of clothes and also Lampito¡¯s knife, Cyril unintentionally talked to himself. ¡¸¡­Even if I asked you, who don¡¯t even know who your master is, how this knife is made, you probably can¡¯t answer anything, huh¡¹ ¡¸¡­U?¡¹ ¡¸No, I asked something useless. Forget about it¡¹ Averting his gaze from the naked body of the girl who had gotten out of the bathtub, wiped her body roughly and then changed her clothes slowly, Cyril leaked an especially big sigh. ??? Crossing many streams and going towards the north after leaving Delbr¨¹ck in the early morning, the day was already starting to get dark. Perhaps it was because the lakes and marshes area which were rich in water were nearby, the blowing evening breeze had a trace of damp moisture in some respects. Needless to say every person of the Seal Chivalric Order that had seen the Crown Prince¡¯s party off, movable war potentials were probably going towards Delbr¨¹ck from the whole country of Haiderota around this time. However, to gather the number just to fight against Yururogu¡¯s army directly head-on, it¡¯d take a bit more time. To gain that time¡ªthe party headed for Luberuteiyu under that pretext. ¡¸I¡¯ll say this in advance just in case¡¹ While galloping his horse at a canter, Isaac informed his travelling companions. ¡¸¡ªRather than saying that it¡¯s for Haiderota, it¡¯s for our country¡¯s national interest that we¡¯re crossing a dangerous bridge like this now. ¡­Especially Costacurta-geika, I want you to understand such a thing¡¹ ¡¸Hai, Your Highness¡¹ Valeria, who was swaying on the same horse as Dimitar, nodded with a meek expression. ¡¸Ma, the negotiations itself is my job, but I want everyone to properly watch for things that seem to be connected to our country¡¯s national interest hereafter¡¹ ¡¸S, specifically what?¡¹ ¡¸Magic motion sword, is it? Weapons that are similar to what Dii-kun has¡¹ ¡¸Ah, hai¡¹ ¡¸And though I don¡¯t think that they have it, things which are similar to the armour that Bettina-jou is wearing¡¹ Pointing at the pink mass that was energetically running side-by-side with the horses with a ¡°gashon gashon¡±, Isaac laughed with a ¡°fufun¡±. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, whether there¡¯s a country besides ours that continues to have Magic Engineering or not, that¡¯s the problem. After all, even though we¡¯re finally about to commence a full-scale development, elevating our country, it¡¯ll be pointless if that technique was already leaked to another country¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡­¡¹ Valeria knitted her eyebrows and secretly asked Dimitar. ¡¸¡­A magic motion sword that can be confirmed, it¡¯s just the one knife which that strange child was carrying, right?¡¹ ¡¸For now, that is. ¡ªHowever, there¡¯s also no positive proof that that kid was a soldier of Yururogu in the first place¡¹ ¡¸Then, isn¡¯t it not mass-produced yet?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s exactly why we want to ascertain that. ¡ªI said this just now too, but if Yururogu had been keeping a large quantity of magic motion swords, there¡¯s a possibility of them falling into Haiderota¡¯s hands through the battle. That alone absolutely have to be avoided¡¹ ¡¸¡­How troublesome. Even though Haiderota isn¡¯t an enemy country, but an ally¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d rather have them be our enemy, then there¡¯d be no problem. An opponent where it doesn¡¯t matter that we thoroughly defeat them by force. ¡­A half-baked ally might be the most troublesome¡¹ Muttering like he was annoyed, Dimitar stared beyond the north. With the sky that was changing from a madder red to an ultramarine colour as the background, lights which seemed to be fires for luring fish at night lining up here and there could be seen faintly. ¡¸Your Highness, it¡¯s Luberuteiyu¡¹ Lucius pointed forwards and informed Isaac so. Although it still wasn¡¯t fully known from this distance, what were flickering with a ¡°chira chira¡± might be the watch fires that were lined up on the rampart. Isaac looked back at Dimitar and asked. ¡¸¡ªDii-kun, if Yururogu had a large quantity of magic motion swords, can¡¯t we somehow dispose of them in one breath, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Unfortunately¡­ if such a thing is possible, they¡¯ll be unusable as weapons¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s so, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸According to what I heard from Chief EngineerMaestro, it seems that by heating the magic motion sword at a very high temperature for a long time, the magic crests which are drawn on its surface will melt and run off, but that takes quite a time. To dispose of them in an instant, we probably have no choice but to physically destroy them¡¹ ¡¸That, isn¡¯t it perhaps easier to make the peace negotiations a success?¡¹ ¡¸That might be so¡¹ ¡¸Yare yare¡­ we can only pray that its mass production hasn¡¯t make any progress then¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Even when the Crown Prince and Dimitar were having such a conversational exchange, the silhouette of Luberuteiyu was steadily growing larger. It felt as if a sound like that of a horn¡¯s could be heard from a distance somewhere, but perhaps that might be the crew of a ship which went in and out that port city blowing it. Realising that she had been unconsciously holding Dimitar¡¯s hands which grasped the reins, trying to suppress her uneasiness, Valeria hurriedly retracted her hands. ??? As they had made an express messenger go ahead of them already, Isaac¡¯s party which had arrived at Luberuteiyu wasn¡¯t attacked suddenly as suspicious people. But nevertheless, it didn¡¯t mean that they¡¯d surely take a friendly attitude. How to treat Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince and his party; it might be accurate to say that at present, they simply couldn¡¯t decide on an attitude yet. ¡¸¡ªEven though it¡¯s called a port city, as one would expect, there¡¯s no smell of seawater¡¹ Soldiers who held spears in the arms were standing on the rampart and even in the town. Dimitar strained his eyes and observed them in the dim light of dusk, but he didn¡¯t find any person who was equipped with a weapon that seemed like a magic motion sword. ¡¸¡­I heard that it was captured in the blink of an eye, but is that true, I wonder?¡¹ Dimitar narrowed his eyes at Valeria¡¯s mutter. ¡¸Why do you think so?¡¹ ¡¸After all, the rampart is destroyed here and there, so it¡¯s consistent with the siege was protracted¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Certainly, the rampart had collapsed in several places. Rather than the stones being piled up again for repair, it felt as if it was forcibly destroyed. ¡¸That¡¯s perceptive, considering that it¡¯s you. You noticed it well¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re going to praise me, then praise me honestly¡¹ ¡¸If you can even explain the reason why the rampart has collapsed, I¡¯ll praise you¡¹ ¡¸Please dismount here¡¹ The soldier who had guided the party from outside the town requested Isaac¡¯s party to dismount in front of a large building. Although one might call it large, that was comparing it with the surrounding buildings; for example, it couldn¡¯t compare with the royal palaces of Amaddo and Haiderota at all. Seeing that the warehouse was adjacent to it, it was most likely the commerce and industry meeting hall of this Luberuteiyu. As it was the tallest structure in the vicinity, it could be said that it was the ideal place to overlook the whole town. ¡¸Uuuuu¡­ I somehow want to pee¡¹ ¡¸You feeling the urge to urinate is a usual thing. You don¡¯t need to report every one of them¡¹ ¡¸Hey, just a minute¡¹ Valeria, who had stepped into the entrance hall that was guarded by many soldiers, looked up at Dimitar and whispered. ¡¸¡­Is this place perhaps the enemy¡¯s temporary headquarters?¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Dii¡¹ Dimitar, who was softly poked in the side by Lucius, looked outside through the window at the landing of the stairs that led to the second floor. This commerce and industry meeting hall seemed to be a structure where one could go out to R¨¹bel River from the rear as it was, and through the window, he could look down at innumerable ships that were anchored at the riverbank. Although there were several big ships, which obviously weren¡¯t for business purpose, that had lowered their sails, there was no doubt that they were probably the warships that had carried Yururogu¡¯s soldiers. What bothered Dimitar was the fact that some large cargo was being transshipped from that warship to a small ship. It couldn¡¯t be seen clearly as it was dark, but there was a considerable amount. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s that? It¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be provisions¡¹ ¡¸Huge stones are loaded on that ship¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps destroying the rampart was for this?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I thought¡­ but if possible, I want to confirm the contents in detail¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t think about strange things, all right, Dii? Your role is Valeria-jou¡¯s guard. Until we return to Delbr¨¹ck, think of it as the most important thing¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ Not allowed to stop long, Dimitar¡¯s party ascended the stairs as it was. ¡¸¡­Welcome and thank you for coming¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s party was led into a room with an area that was slightly questionable to be called a hall. If this building was the commerce and industry meeting hall, this place might be a room that was used for meetings or something. The one who had occupied the chief seat of the enormous round table, which was placed in that room, was a white-haired old man with an excellent physique. With a sharp glint in his eyes and an appearance of indeed a veteran great commander, the resplendent military uniform suited him well. The old man opened both his hands and invited the party in. ¡¸I heard that¡­ you¡¯re Amaddo¡¯s Isaac-denka and his party?¡¹ ¡¸Indeed¡¹ Taking off his hat and propping it against his chest, Isaac bowed calmly. ¡¸I¡¯m Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince, Jeffren Isaac Fortia. ¡­Are you Euchemard Duevre-kakka?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not that I aren¡¯t called so¡­ but in any case, please have a seat¡¹ From the old man¡¯s attitude, it didn¡¯t feel like he was looking down on Isaac, but nevertheless, it also didn¡¯t feel like he intended to abase himself. Even if it was Jeffren Francesc the person himself who had appeared here, this old man¡ªEuchemard would most likely stick to the same attitude. He¡¯d never flatter the other party no matter who he was; one could guess that his pride was high. Isaac sat down directly opposite of the old man and prompted Valeria to sit next to him. Dimitar, Lucius, and Bettina too, stood at a position where they could protect the backs of these two people. Euchemard¡¯s eyebrows quivered with a ¡°hiku¡±, and he looked at Valeria carefully. ¡¸¡­That person, is she perhaps¡­?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s our country¡¯s Dominas and a Senior InspectorSensor Mayor, Valeria Costacurta-jou¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ the rumours of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas are famous even in the northern extremity, but she¡¯s more beautiful than I had imagined¡­¡¹ Euchemard who had nodded with a self-satisfied look picked up a small bell and rang it lightly. ¡¸Let me offer you tea first¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Following Euchemard¡¯s words, the maids came into the room. The women had expressions that were tense in some way, but still prepared the black tea with a fluent manner of using their hands. Since it didn¡¯t seem that Euchemard¡¯s army would go out of its way to bring any civilian woman from Yururogu along, they were most likely people of this town originally, and were simply made to work on the instruction of the occupation army. However, it wasn¡¯t because he had seen them that Dimitar instinctively started to reach for Jagieruka¡¯s hilt, but because he saw with his own eyes the soldiers who had come into the room together with them¡ªespecially the young commissioned officer who seemed to be approximately in his twenties and a young girl who had appeared at the very end. End of Chapter 3 Volume 4 - CH 4.1 ¡¸¡ªThere¡¯s no mistake. She¡¯s the child whom we encountered in the morning mist¡¹ Dimitar and Lucius looked at each other and nodded slightly. She was the girl with that brutal knife whom Dimitar¡¯s party had confronted in the forest at night on the outskirts of Krutoreto. Perhaps the other side had also remembered Dimitar¡¯s party; the girl opened her eyes wide in surprise, but without even showing a hostility that was worth mentioning, she hid herself behind the young man who was beside her. Surveying the soldiers who had lined up in every direction of the room, Isaac scratched the tip of his nose and smiled wryly. ¡¸This is, thanks¡­ though for me, I¡¯d like to have a talk quietly in a bit calmer atmosphere¡¹ ¡¸Unfortunately, I¡¯m a military person by nature¡­ and this way calms me down one way or another. Moreover, there¡¯s no official diplomatic relation between our country and Amaddo. I believe that it¡¯s better to take precautions though¡­?¡¹ ¡¸¡­We didn¡¯t come here particularly to fight against you, you know, Euchemard-kakka?¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, are you saying that the weak king of Aurillac had begged you in tears and you came to propose a reconciliation in their place?¡¹ ¡¸He didn¡¯t beg me in tears in particular, but ma, you¡¯re not far from the mark, I guess. ¡­Getting straight to the point, I¡¯d like your army to promptly set this town free and return to Yururogu, please¡¹ ¡¸You want us to withdraw¡­? You went out of your way to come here to say that?¡¹ Picking up the cup of black tea, Euchemard repeated somewhat exaggeratedly. Shaking his sturdy shoulders, he laughed in a low voice. ¡¸When one becomes the Crown Prince-denka of the continent¡¯s strongest country, Amaddo¡­ it seems that every day of his can¡¯t help but be boring. To have gone out of your way to come here just to say such a ridiculous thing¡­¡¹ Speaking of as per their assumption, it was a cold response as per their assumption. However, considering that there was also the possibility of not listened to from the beginning, it could be said that just sitting at the negotiating table like this, though imperfect, was better. ¡¸¡­The rebels in Aurillac can¡¯t mobilise their war potential as they want now. In contrast to them, our army¡¯s morale rose due to gaining total control of this Luberuteiyu in a flash, and our fatigue from making the expedition to this place has already healed in these few days too. Additionally, reinforcements are arriving one after another. In this situation where everything is advantageous to us, why must our army make a concession and withdraw?¡¹ Isaac threw many sugar cubes into his black tea, and yet he spoke without drinking a sip of it. ¡¸¡ªCertainly, Haiderota¡¯s army might be having its hands full with suppressing the rioters at various places now. However, the movable war potentials are all gathering towards Delbr¨¹ck, and even the Gale Chivaric OrderRorudor Rafuale is probably arriving there around this time. If they fight hard and stop your southward movement, the war potentials from various places should eventually come rushing and reverse the progress of the battle. With your current strength, do you really think that you can win against Haiderota in a protracted war?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t intend not to see reality to that extent¡­ the objective of the military operation this time is simply gaining a reconciliation with advantageous conditions after advancing our army close to Aurillac in one breath and making the usurper Remi Christian¡¯s blood run cold, after all¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t this enough already?¡¹ ¡¸Well¡­ I heard that Remi Christian is a somewhat happy-go-lucky man. I¡¯ve been thinking if the threat isn¡¯t enough with this degree, but¡­ more importantly, there¡¯s one thing that I want to make sure of with Your Highness first¡¹ Facing Isaac who had unusually begun to show slight irritation, Euchemard put his cup onto the saucer and cleared his throat a little. ¡¸¡­Is Isaac-denka really the great king Jeffren¡¯s proxy, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸What makes you say that?¡¹ ¡¸For example, suppose that we stopped our march here in accordance with Your Highness¡¯s words and withdrew. Naturally, we¡¯ll demand a certain level of compensation from those rebels in Aurillac. ¡­However, where¡¯s the guarantee that they¡¯ll fulfil that agreement?¡¹ The antagonism structure of Haiderota and Yururogu who mutually called each other ¡°rebels¡± and ¡°rebellion elements¡± was deep-seated. Like Euchemard had said just now, it was probably impossible that Yururogu would agree and withdraw its army unless there was a cession of territory or a payment of an enormous reparation. However, if Haiderota didn¡¯t abide by that agreement, the one who had to make up for it would be Isaac who acted as the intermediary for the reconciliation, namely Amaddo. If he wanted to use the phrase of ¡°in consideration of our country¡±, he had to take on a certain level of risk too. ¡¸¡­Well Your Highness, the problem here is your position. Are you really here as the great king¡¯s proxy, I wonder? If Aurillac does a base breach of trust, will you¡ªin other words, Amaddo kingdom, really pay a compensation that corresponds to us withdrawing our army here now, or will you not; I¡¯d like you to say it definitely¡¹ Moving the cup aside, Euchemard tapped the table with a ¡°gotsu gotsu¡± with his finger. ¡¸¡­If by any chance Your Highness isn¡¯t actually the great king¡¯s proxy, and if you aren¡¯t here to represent Amaddo¡­ then excuse me, but your words have no guarantee whatsoever. To relinquish a town which we should have obtained before our own eyes, only Aurillac will gain the advantage. And we can¡¯t even demand that compensation from Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸That, maa, I can only get you to trust me¡¹ Although Isaac answered with a wry smile mixed in, Euchemard didn¡¯t soften his expression at all. ¡¸You want me to trust you without even an official letter? Before that, without even any guarantee that you¡¯re really Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince, you want us to sit at the negotiating table with Aurillac¡­ is that what you¡¯re telling me?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The smile disappeared from Isaac¡¯s face. Although he heard that Yururogu¡¯s royal prince Euchemard was an excellent soldier, as might be expected from him simultaneously being the prime minister, it seemed that his brain also functioned quite well. Like Dimitar had worried, one could say that attacking Isaac coming here without having the king¡¯s personal letter was the embodiment of this old general¡¯s astuteness. As one would expect of Isaac too, perhaps because he knew that he didn¡¯t have logic, it seemed that he couldn¡¯t refute that point. ¡¸Conceding a hundred steps¡­ let¡¯s assume that you¡¯re truly Isaac-denka¡¹ Without waiting for Isaac¡¯s subsequent words, Euchemard continued further. ¡¸Let¡¯s assume that I believed those words of you representing Amaddo and being here as the great king¡¯s proxy. And in addition¡­. You standing between us and Aurillac and doing this reconciliation negotiation means that your country is acknowledging us¡ªwe whom you call ¡°North Haiderota¡± or ¡°Yururogu¡± as an independent country¡­ can I interpret it so, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness¡ª¡¹ It was rare that that Lucius would commit a rude act of cutting into the representatives¡¯ conversational exchange, but he probably couldn¡¯t not interrupt the conversation no matter what. If they carelessly acknowledged Yururogu as an independent country here, their friendly relation with Haiderota whose position was to never acknowledge Yururogu might be shaken greatly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Isaac lightly waved his hand in silence and restrained Lucius. Perhaps he wanted to say that he perfectly understood what Lucius wanted to say. Raising the corners of his mouth with a ¡°niyari¡±, Euchemard rested his chin in his hands. ¡¸Do you understand¡­? To sit on that seat representing your country is, in other words, that sort of thing, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸Then¡¹ Taking a deep breath greatly, Isaac nodded many times. ¡¸¡­From here on, it¡¯s small talk¡¹ ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡¸A mere small talk. I¡¯m a young man who just happened to be here by chance¡¹ ¡¸Fu¡­ you¡¯re an interesting personage¡­¡¹ ¡¸For example¡­ this is hypothetical¡¹ Sipping the black tea that was very likely to be considerably sugary, Isaac began to talk. ¡¸¡ªIf you withdraw your army to the north as it is, what kind of compensation will you demand from the people in Aurillac? How much compensation do you think that they should pay? Is it land? Or is it money?¡¹ ¡¸What will you do hearing that?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, it¡¯s a mere interest. I¡¯m not thinking of trying to bring it back to Aurillac and suggest it to someone in particular¡¹ ¡¸An allegory, is it¡­¡¹ Looking at Isaac who had said something brazen, Euchemard smiled again. ¡¸Nonetheless¡­ the land which the rebels in Aurillac are unjustly occupying should be unified under the rightful king eventually; to not cede it at this stage now is unreasonable¡­¡¹ ¡¸Then, what do you want?¡¹ ¡¸Let me see¡­ since this is a matter which we must get all the allies as well as Aurillac to agree, if we were to demand something from Aurillac, it¡¯d be the diplomatic effort for that¡­¡¹ ¡¸Diplomatic effort? What is it specifically ?¡¹ ¡¸Presently, Aurillac unjustly has a possession quota of two Dominas, but one of them will be transferred to us, and moreover, we¡¯ll be admitted into the Holy AllianceLiga Santourear¡ªwhat we demand from Aurillac is the diplomatic effort to make all the allies consent to this¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ One could know that Valeria had gasped slightly. As one would expect, Yururogu bringing up such a condition was unexpected even for Dimitar. The right to keep a Dominas and the affiliation to the ¡°Holy Alliance¡± rather than territory, money or treasure¡ªthere was probably no move as brilliant as this to make Yururogu¡¯s position as a country firm and dramatically change its relations with the neighbouring countries for the better. However, that was why it was easily imaginable that Haiderota would never acknowledge this. It was impossible that they¡¯d accept a condition that was equivalent to being told to hand over one Dominas when even counting Yururogu as an independent country was intolerable. Thinking about it, Dimitar suddenly understood. ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Dii?¡¹ ¡¸If you include the discovery of talented people and the establishment of an educational institution, a long time of several decades and an enormous fund are needed for the training of a Dominas. Even if they try to train a Dominas from now, it can¡¯t be done so easily. In such a plight, even if they say to hand over the possession quota of the Dominas, I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s any sense of reality to it at all¡­ I see, it¡¯s like that, huh. ¡ªThey already have a Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ At Dimitar¡¯s hoarse mutter, Isaac narrowed his eyes and stared at Euchemard¡ªand then the girl who was secretly hiding behind the young man at the back. ¡¸It can¡¯t be¡ªthat child?¡¹ ¡¸¡­My adopted daughter, Lampito Duevre. She¡¯s our country¡¯s ¡°Dominas¡±¡­ the greatness of her power, I believe that you already know it though¡¹ ¡¸Negotiation has come to an end already, Lucius¡¹ Without averting his gaze from Euchemard¡¯s party who had spoken proudly, Dimitar quietly unfastened the clasp of Jagieruka¡¯s scabbard. Euchemard had already seen through the fact that Isaac didn¡¯t have the authority to carry out an official negotiation with Yururogu. No matter how Isaac stood his ground, it was already impossible to make them compromise. In the first place, if they had even prepared a Dominas by their own efforts, they should only be thinking about dealing a blow of deep regret to Haiderota and in addition, making them accept the condition just now. In that case, any negotiation more than this was useless, and there was no reason to remain here either. ¡¸¡ªThen¡¹ Isaac picked up his hat and stood up. ¡¸I¡¯ll be drinking tea at Delbr¨¹ck tomorrow. I¡¯ve an acquaintance who likes small talk there too, after all¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯ll be troubling¡¹ When Euchemard said so, the young man who had been standing behind held up his right hand in silence. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ With that as the signal, the soldiers who had taken on the posture of standing at attention along the walls at every direction took a step forwards with their spears at the ready. Turning round, Isaac surveyed them and, ¡¸¡­What kind of plot is this exactly?¡¹ ¡¸I should have said it not long ago though? There¡¯s no guarantee whether you¡¯re really Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince or not at all¡¹ Euchemard, who had placed his hands on the round table and stood up slowly, stroked his chin which was covered by white beard and, as if changing places with the soldiers, stepped back to the exterior of that circle. ¡¸If you¡¯re an impostor of the Crown Prince, that¡¯s lese-majesty. We must arrest and severely question you and then hand you over to Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s reasonable. ¡­So, what if I¡¯m the real one?¡¹ ¡¸Since it¡¯s rare that I could get acquainted with Your Highness, I¡¯d like you to come to our country by all means and stay for about half a year; afterwards, we¡¯ll escort you to Amaddo¡¹ Either way, he¡¯d be captured and escorted to Yururogu. Euchemard most likely had decided to use this rough method, which was more effective and typical of him, to not let Amaddo intervene in this battle. ¡¸¡­Maa, I did think that it might become like this though¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, please stand behind me. Dii, I¡¯ll entrust Valeria-jou to you¡¹ Staring at the soldiers who were shortening the distance gradually, Lucius muttered in a low voice. ¡¸Iya, you¡¯ll lead and cut a path open for us, Lucius¡¹ ¡¸Do you have some plan?¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, it¡¯s fine if we escape, right? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s not a very difficult thing. I specially brought this person along for that¡¹ Dimitar hit Bettina¡¯s helmet with a ¡°pechi pechi¡± and skilfully pulled Jagieruka out with his left hand. ¡¸¡ªOi, you there¡¹ Dimitar, who had judged that the one commanding the soldiers in place of Euchemard who had stepped back to the rear was that young man, pointed the tip of his sword at him and spoke in an arrogant tone. ¡¸Whether they¡¯re the real Isaac-denka and Costacurta-geika or not, I¡¯ll teach you immediately. ¡­Moreover, the difference between a real Dominas and a fake Dominas as well¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nonsense¡¹ The young man spat out coldly and placed his hand softly onto the head of the girl behind him. Euchemard sighed lightly and spoke to the young man. ¡¸Cyril, Lampito. Capture that girl and the Crown Prince alive without killing them. ¡­Don¡¯t kill them, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸U, uu, un¡¹ Lampito who had nodded with a ¡°kaku kaku¡± pulled that huge knife out from its scabbard behind her waist. She surely wouldn¡¯t use a flashy magic like that night¡¯s in this room where friendly soldiers and Euchemard were, but even leaving projectile out entirely, it didn¡¯t change the fact that the girl¡¯s slaughtering technique was of extremely high degree. ¡¸¡­Fun (humph)¡¹ Dimitar poked the floor which was covered by a rug with his toes and after whispering to Valeria, raised his sword overhead. Volume 4 - CH 4.2 Valeria who was told by Dimitar to make a hole in the floor, before questioning the real meaning of it, circulated magic power into both arms and excited her magic crestsHieratika. ¡¸Royal Prince-denka! Stand behind us!¡¹ The young man who was called Cyril pulled his right glove out and quickly moved to a position to protect Euchemard. At that time, Lampito had already put a foot onto the round table. ¡¸¡ªFu!¡¹ A moment faster than Lampito could jump, Dimitar kicked the round table including the girl up. The front kick which was strengthened by magic caused the huge table to dance in midair. There, Dimitar struck his sword which he had grasped tightly with both hands against it. ¡¸Do it! Penetrate the floor!¡¹ While pulverising the round table with a blow that was clad in the blade of the wind, Dimitar spoke to Valeria behind him. ¡¸U, un!¡¹ Valeria pushed both hands against the floor and made her magic power explode through both arms. ¡¸Gacha Pink, protect His Highness!¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡ªiiii!?¡¹ Valeria¡¯s magic made a large hole in the floor, and the collapse of it started in one breath from there. ¡¸Ototototo¡­¡¹ Bettina placed Isaac onto her head and held the enormous umbrella which she had detached from the back of her waist overhead. Since this could repel the building materials even if some of them fell here, it might be just right for protecting the Crown Prince. ¡¸Y, Your Highness! Please hold on tight to me!¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I¡¯ll be relying on you¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll be here¡¹ ¡¸Uhia!?¡¹ Valeria, who was suddenly held up by Dimitar in his arms and then carried on his shoulder facing the back, instinctively raised a strange scream. ¡¸¡ªIf there¡¯s any fellow who come chasing us from behind, inflict a blow and drive him away to the extent where you won¡¯t get out of breath¡¹ ¡¸U, understood!¡¹ Dimitar, who had carried Valeria on his shoulder, followed after Bettina whose footing had collapsed of its own accord because of her own weight and then fallen down. Lucius who had jumped down first seemed to be mowing down the enemies downstairs for the following Valeria¡¯s party. To be carried on his back, and to be carried on his shoulder by Dimitar; feeling that this sort of things were becoming her usual places somehow, Valeria was unsatisfied with it a little, but this wasn¡¯t the time to be saying such trifles in a grumbling manner. They had to cut open this place where the defence was the heaviest in the enemy¡¯s base with only five people and escape. Lucius would run at the front, Bettina at the centre would protect the Crown Prince, and Dimitar and Valeria would act as the rearguard¡ªwhether everyone could return alive all together or not depended on how many pursuers Valeria could repel. ¡ªScolding herself so, Valeria strained her eyes. ¡¸They¡¯re coming!¡¹ Lampito came chasing Valeria¡¯s party, who had rushed out from the commerce and industry meeting hall accompanied by a thunderous roar and a cloud of dust, closely. Cyril and the soldiers, who held spears and were considerably lagging behind, could be seen running out directly behind her. Of course, Lucius and Dimitar were running with ¡°Double SpeedFlash¡± here, and Bettina was also keeping up with it; hence, if someone was hot on their heels, it¡¯d only be Lampito and Cyril who were using the same magic and moving at high speed. ¡¸Lucius-kun!¡¹ Isaac who was lying face down on Bettina¡¯s smooth helmet shouted. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t seem that we¡¯ve the time to retrieve our horses! Let¡¯s escape like this! Light the signal fire!¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Lucius, who had been mowing down Yurugoru¡¯s soldiers who stood in his path with one sword without even using magic, removed his left glove and pointed at the night sky. ¡¸Eh?¡¹ From Lucius¡¯s fingertips, three flame arrows of red, blue, red were shot up consecutively towards the sky. ¡¸W, what¡¯s that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t look away!¡¹ ¡¸Fugusu!?¡¹ Valeria, who was suddenly exposed to an acceleration from the side and was pressed in her flank, leaked a queer groan again. ¡¸Damn¡­!¡¹ Dimitar kicked the stone pavement, leapt onto the wall of a private house and moved further onto the roof from there. A huge red fireball spreading out on the stone pavement was reflected in the corner of Valeria¡¯s field of vision that was turning round and round. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ It was most likely the magic that Lampito had made to explode. If Dimitar¡¯s reaction was slow, both of them might have been completely showered in that flame. Valeria focused her mind, stared at Lampito and waved her right hand once. ¡¸Ya!¡¹ Before the eyes of Lampito who had tried to shorten the distance with Bettina in one breath, Valeria threw a spear of cold air at her. Although it didn¡¯t seem that it¡¯d hit that agile girl, by freezing the ground of the vicinity, it looked like it was possible to stop Lampito¡¯s feet to some extent. ¡¸U!?¡¹ ¡¸Lampito!¡¹ ¡¸Ah!?¡¹ The young commissioned officer, who had come from behind, lightly picked up Lampito whose feet had slipped with a ¡°tsururi¡±, placed her onto his shoulder and moved onto the roof of the private house. ¡¸Chi¡­¡¹ Dimitar who had noticed that clicked his tongue, seemingly annoyed. ¡¸It¡¯ll be an open space soon. We might be caught up there at this rate. You¡¯ll go first and blow the castle gate away with Gacha Pink¡¯s umbrella¡¹ ¡¸Eh? ¡°Go first¡±, you say¡­¡¹ ¡¸Gacha Pink!¡¹ As soon as he said so, Dimitar casually threw Valeria. ¡¸Hyoah¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll buy time! You do well there!¡¹ ¡¸Di, Dimitar!?¡¹ Dimitar, who had passed Valeria to Bettina, turned around scraping off the roof tiles with a ¡°gari gari¡± and faced Lampito¡¯s party. ¡¸Valeria-sama!¡¹ Valeria, who had created a whirlwind at her feet and clung onto Bettina¡¯s left shoulder somehow, quickly looked around the vicinity. In the unobstructed open space, soldiers were closing in like surging waves from every direction. No matter how strong Lucius was or how much horsepower Bettina had, it might be difficult to rout them all and force their way across. ¡¸Valeria-sama, Dimi-san is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯ll be all right!¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯ll be all right!¡¹ Since Dimitar said that he¡¯d buy time by himself, he¡¯d accomplish it. Speaking of worrying about Dimitar who was about to remain alone, she was indeed worried, but if she neglected what she ought to do with that as the reason, he might grind his fist against the crown of her head again afterwards. Therefore, Valeria decided not to worry about Dimitar for a while. ¡¸Lucius-sama, please jump up!¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so jump! Bettina too!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ At Valeria¡¯s signal, Lucius and Bettina jumped simultaneously. ¡¸Uha¡­!¡¹ Perhaps he saw the enemy soldiers who were crowding below with his own eyes, Isaac raised a voice of admiration with a bitter smile mixed in. ¡¸Bettina, point the umbrella downwards!¡¹ ¡¸Please call it ¡°Choruruka¡±!¡¹ Bettina, who had expressed her dissatisfaction at Valeria not able to remember the name that she had given, pointed the steel umbrella directly underneath. At the same time, Valeria poured huge amount of magical power into it through the handle. ¡¸U¡­ooa!?¡¹ ¡¸Buah¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Waaaaa!¡¹ A local storm which had suddenly arose assailed the soldiers who were swarming into the open space. Together with indecorous screams, the soldiers were blown away like tree leaves. ¡¸Lucius-sama, Bettina! Now!¡¹ Lucius and Bettina who landed in the centre of the open space, which had opened wide, starting running towards the castle gate. Although it was a broad main street from the open space to the castle gate, now that this town was occupied by Yururogu¡¯s army, the ones coming out onto the street were soldiers only, so in that sense, it was very easy to do things. ¡¸Since I don¡¯t have to worry about involving unrelated people¡­!¡¹ Propping her body against Bettina, Valeria raised both hands overhead. Carrying a flame in her right hand and a strong wind in her left hand, she stared at the soldiers who came surging out with a ¡°wara wara (bustling)¡±. However, without even making them actually explode, the soldiers, just by looking at Valeria, hurriedly dropped their weapons and jumped into the private houses around there. ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Ahaha. It seems that the blow just now was quite devastating¡¹ Holding his hat down, Isaac laughed in a carefree manner. ¡¸¡ªMa, isn¡¯t it fine? With this, there¡¯s no obstacle anymore¡¹ ¡¸That is so¡­ but if we don¡¯t procure horses somewhere¡ª¡¹ To keep running at high speed borrowing the power of magic also had a limit. Even if it was Lucius, he probably couldn¡¯t run for one hour at a speed similar to riding a horse. Unless they obtained horses somewhere, they couldn¡¯t shake off their pursuers. However, perhaps Isaac had some idea; he was very calm. ¡¸That¡¯s all right as well. ¡­For the time being, let¡¯s leave the town¡¹ The gate which they easily passed through when they had come here was now tightly shut. As one would expect, soldiers¡ªeven though they were completely preparing to flee¡ªwere pointing their spears at them and standing ready in front of it. Furthermore, soldiers who were equipped with bows and arrows were also lining up in a row on the castle gate. ¡¸!¡¹ Splendidly knocking down the arrows which were shot immediately with his sword, Lucius jumped backwards. ¡¸Your Highness and Lucius-sama, stand behind us!¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸Bettina, stand firm with the umbrella at the ready!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Bettina pointed Choruruka forwards, opened her feet and stood ready. Although a great number of arrows came flying like rain from above the gate, not a single one penetrated the steel umbrella. Valeria, who had sat on Bettina¡¯s shoulder, placed her hands onto the handle of the umbrella after confirming that Lucius and Isaac had gone round behind her. ¡¸Ha!¡¹ The first shot was ¡°WhirlwindCyclone¡±. Mowing down most of the arrows that came flying, the soldiers in front of the gate and moreover the archers on the gate with that, Valeria excited her own magic crests and shot ¡°Fire BulletBlast¡± in succession. The magic of Valeria, who was probably more superior than any magic warriorMarefikos of Yururogu¡¯s army, easily blew away the gate that was made up of strong wood and steel. ¡¸Bettina, carry His Highness on the shoulder and charge!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Valeria created a wind, ran in midair and went out the castle gate one foot earlier. The sun had already descended completely, and where the boundary line of the sky and earth was couldn¡¯t be ascertained. If they went one step outside the town where people lived after sunset, that place was a world of darkness where night ruled like it was natural, and she didn¡¯t know which way they should escape at all. ¡¸Valeria-jou, this way!¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-sama!?¡¹ ¡¸Please head for that small light!¡¹ When Valeria turned her eyes to the direction that Lucius had told her, a very small light could certainly be seen flickering. Was it a torch or a lantern; anyway, it must be an artificial light. However, there wasn¡¯t anything like a village besides Luberuteiyu around here, and there also shouldn¡¯t be any civilians wandering around the vicinity after Yururogu gained total control of it. In any case, she could only believe Lucius¡¯s words now. Repeatedly making big jumps with a ¡°chon, chon¡±, Valeria headed for that light together with Lucius and Bettina. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ However, Valeria hadn¡¯t move much before she stopped. ¡¸¡ªValeria-jou?¡¹ Letting Bettina go ahead, Lucius came back immediately. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? Saa, quickly!¡¹ ¡¸But Dimitar still hasn¡¯t¡­¡¹ ¡¸As for that, he¡¯ll be all right. You said so as well, right?¡¹ Patting Valeria¡¯s shoulder, Lucius spoke. ¡¸If he said that he¡¯ll do this, he¡¯ll definitely do so. He won¡¯t say things that he can¡¯t do¡¹ ¡¸That is so, but¡ª¡¹ Although he said that he¡¯d buy time, he didn¡¯t say that he¡¯d definitely catch up with them. Valeria was bothered by that. Moreover, the ones whom Dimitar was facing to buy time was the combination of Lampito who had no hesitation whatsoever in injuring people and Cyril who could use magic. Even if it was Dimitar, she couldn¡¯t assert that he wouldn¡¯t be defeated. ¡¸It¡¯s all right¡¹ Lucius spoke once more. ¡¸¡ªSince I told him to treat the matter of being your guard as the top priority, Dii will definitely abide by it. He¡¯ll catch up with us immediately¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Valeria didn¡¯t feel relieved at those words of Lucius. Holding a hazy feeling which couldn¡¯t be expressed at all in her chest, Valeria was led by the hand by Lucius and was about to start running again. At that moment, a dazzling flash spread out. ¡¸!?¡¹ It was a light that clearly occurred outside the town. When she strained her eyes, she could see someone in front of that deep crimson radiance running towards them. ¡¸Dimitar¡­?¡¹ Although the light which had greatly expanded upwards faded immediately, she somehow knew that that figure was Dimitar. He was probably being chased by Lampito¡¯s party. The flashes which sometimes flew in the darkness must be due to the magic that Dimitar and Lampito¡¯s party shot. ¡¸I have to help him¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s unnecessary, Valeria-jou¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Lucius raised his sword towards the sky. ¡¸¡ªLindegoa-kyou! I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ A voice responding to Lucius¡¯s call could be heard from extremely close by. Immediately after that, innumerable flame arrows were simultaneously shot in the direction of Luberuteiyu from behind Valeria. ¡¸!¡¹ Exactly when did they arrive; when the startled Valeria looked back, every person of the Seal Chivalric OrderTanpries Aigies who had put on black mantles were standing in a line. ¡¸W, why¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Actually, though I left half of the Chivalric Order together with Karin-jou, I had the other half follow right behind us, you see. ¡ªAnd then, I had them slip into the darkness and stand by here. ¡­Hora, didn¡¯t I get Lucius-kun to light the signal fire just now?¡¹ Isaac who seemed proud in some respects answered Valeria¡¯s question. The Crown Prince was already straddling a horse. ¡¸Did you know that¡­ it¡¯ll become like this?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than knowing, maa, I only imagined the worst case scenario though. If I had marched in leading the Chivalric Order from the beginning, they¡¯d, on the contrary, be cautious of us and we might not even get to negotiate; on the other hand, if I had marched in with a small number of people and was attacked, getting away might be difficult too¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, I¡¯ll go meet Dimitar¡¹ Lucius who had straddled a horse took one unburdened horse and started running. ¡¸Eh? ¡°M, meet Dimitar¡±¡­ by himself!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right. They aren¡¯t idiots as well. They probably understood that there are troops in ambush because of the shooting just now; don¡¯t you think that they won¡¯t chase Dii-kun too far and easily receive an ambush? ¡­Nevertheless, if they¡¯re stupid opponents who will still persistently chase Dii-kun, we can join forces and deal with them here¡¹ With that, Valeria finally understood that the volley of flame arrows just now was to intimidate the enemy. Certainly, if they considered the fact that the magic warriors who had worn black mantles would make a surprise attack on them in the darkness of the night where even the light of the town didn¡¯t reach, even soldiers with long military service might hesitate. ¡¸Valeria-sama~! This way, please~¡¹ When she looked, Bettina was waving her hand on the coachman¡¯s seat of a carriage that had put up a lantern. ¡¸¡­If you had imagined up to this point and made preparations for it, if you could tell me a few words about it beforehand¡ª¡¹ ¡¸After all, that¡¯d be uninteresting, right?¡¹ At those words that was indeed typical of Isaac, Valeria could only show a wry smile. Whatever the dispatching method was, it was a fact that they had escaped from that predicament thanks to Isaac. ¡¸¡ªAh!¡¹ When Valeria sat down on the carriage¡¯s seat and was completely exhausted, Bettina raised a lively voice. ¡¸Dimi-san has come back!¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Dimitar, who had galloped his horse side-by-side with Lucius and come back, was grasping the reins with his left hand and hanging his right hand down limply. His shirt which was rolled up to his elbow was dyed in deep red probably because his upper arm was deeply and greatly cut open. When she looked carefully, there were also many small wounds on his cheeks and chest. ¡¸Lucius-kun, the pursuers?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ve returned to the town¡¹ ¡¸All right; then, we¡¯ll also run away before they increase their number and come back¡¹ ¡¸Understood. ¡ªDii, you¡¯ll get on the carriage. Valeria-jou, might I ask that you give medical treatment to him?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, hai¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who had dismounted the horse and boarded the carriage, spoke less words than usual. Bettina struck and sounded the reins, and the carriage started running with a ¡°goto goto¡±. Inside the carriage that was shaking with a ¡°goton goton¡±, Valeria held her hands up over the wound on Dimitar¡¯s right arm and asked in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªThis, was it done by that child?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s that too¡¹ ¡¸¡°That too¡±?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s also that young man. ¡­Maa, he¡¯s probably older than me, but he can use the sword considerably¡¹ ¡¸Is he that strong?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than strong¡­ he¡¯s troublesome¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s troublesome?¡¹ Dimitar, who had been absentmindedly looking up at the ceiling until then, suddenly stared at Valeria and spoke. ¡¸¡­That man, he was using a sword similar to what we had found in Dante¡¯s villa¡¹ Volume 4 - CH 4.3 JUL 6, 2019 ~ LUMINSTIA As they didn¡¯t know when the commerce and industry meeting hall which had a gaping wide and big hole in the floor will collapse, the headquarters of Euchemard¡¯s party was changed to the mayor¡¯s private residence. Looking down at the garden which was busy due to the sudden moving from the balcony, Euchemard combed his beard down. ¡¸Contrary to expectations¡­ rumours are unreliable¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is it about Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince?¡¹ ¡¸Do you also think so?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Cyril, who had failed to catch the Amaddo¡¯s party and come back, knelt in front of Euchemard with the readiness to be reprimanded, but the royal prince of Yururogu didn¡¯t blame him for that. If he had seriously intended to capture them, he should make a surprise attack when luring them to the negotiating table, capture Isaac first and press the remaining people to surrender. Euchemard, who said that the responsibility lay with him in the first place since it was him who purposely didn¡¯t do so and had jokingly said to try listening to the other side¡¯s opinion, was even raising his lips happily instead. ¡¸Which part of him is a wastrel son who has a mania for rose¡ªhis appearance looks weak, but as one would expect of the only son of the famous Jeffren Francesc, he inherited his boldness from his father¡­¡¹ Cyril also felt the same way about that. That determination, which didn¡¯t match his young age, to evasively sidestep and not let his mind be read easily was surely the embodiment of extra-ordinariness of the young man called ¡°Jeffren Isaac¡±. Moreover, he also had the strategic shrewdness to use the reinforcement that he had hidden under the cover of the darkness and escape as it was. ¡¸However, to have let them escape like that was a mistake. ¡­If it becomes a situation where Amaddo really give support to Haiderota because of this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That probably won¡¯t happen¡­¡¹ Sentinels who carried spears on their shoulders were coming and going in the courtyard where watch fires were burning. Although they ended up suffering more than 100 casualties as a result of trying to capture Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince, it probably didn¡¯t have much effect on the general situation. ¡¸¡ªRather, I can be certain that Amaddo won¡¯t put its back into intervening in this battle. If they had that intention, they probably won¡¯t send in the son who didn¡¯t even have an official letter¡­ that¡¯s most likely the youngster who happened to be staying in Aurillac merely coming uninvited of his own accord¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be good if that¡¯s the case though¡¹ ¡¸If Jeffren Francesc appears on the battlefield, it¡¯ll also be nice to try facing him once though¡­¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸Forgive me, Cyril. It was a joke¡­¡¹ As expected, the old general who had continued to fight against Haiderota which possessed a power that was twice his own country¡¯s over a period of several decades probably liked battles on the battlefield. Those few words just now was filled with a real feeling which one couldn¡¯t assert that it was a mere joke. Euchemard returned into the room and sat down on a sofa together with a faint smile. ¡¸¡­In the first place, that country is one that will try to weaken Haiderota¡¯s national power if there¡¯s a chance. Wanting to take advantage of this and watching the dispute between Aurillac and us from a high place might be the truth. If so, the whole country probably won¡¯t give assistance to Aurillac. They might lend a hand for form¡¯s sake at the most, let us obtain the victory of the battle itself and try to weaken Aurillac¡¹ ¡¸Indeed¡­¡¹ Was it the hobby of this place¡¯s mayor, or the result of his family doing a helpful thing; very good wine were collected in the cabinet of this study. While letting Lampito cling around his waist, Cyril opened the cabinet and took a wine bottle out. ¡¸For Amaddo, Aurillac and us going down together is the ideal thing¡­ that being the case, even if Amaddo really does participate in the war for argument¡¯s sake, that¡¯ll probably be after both sides become exhausted¡¹ Cyril, who had poured brandy into a somewhat large glass and put it onto the table in front of Euchemard, stroked the hilt of the sword on his waist for no particular reason. ¡¸Umu¡­ appearing with a triumphant expression at the time when the battle seems to have ended and trying to just profit from it as a mediator in name only¡ªif it was the previous Amaddo¡¯s king, he¡¯d certainly do so, but it¡¯s possible that the current king might also do so. That country had been cleverly intervening in its neighbouring countries¡¯ disputes like that and expanding its influence, after all¡­¡¹ ¡¸However, we won¡¯t let it become like that this time. We¡¯ll settle it before Amaddo intervene¡¹ ¡¸It has to be that way¡­¡¹ Euchemard, who had gulped down the brandy and heaved a long sigh, looked at the tear that was made on the shoulder of Cyril¡¯s military uniform and his eyebrows wriggled. ¡¸¡­How¡¯s your wound?¡¹ ¡¸I just treated it simply. ¡ªTo have ended with this degree is a good fortune though¡¹ ¡¸Hou¡­?¡¹ ¡¸In regard to what Lampito said, that Valeria Costacurta and the young man behind her seem to be the pair who had interfered with the abduction of Sigibert that night as expected¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ no wonder they¡¯re so talented¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing, the sword which that young man was using was fundamentally similar to the one which this petty official has. Furthermore, he¡¯s skilled in handling it¡¹ ¡¸That thing with which magic becomes usable even to an ordinary person, huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hai. ¡­However, he was properly using multiple magic with that one sword. The craftsmanship of the sword itself seems to be quite different. As expected, we should judge that this sort of research is quite advanced in Amaddo¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, we must get Amaddo to stay out of this more and more until we can stand on the same stage¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ Cyril who had nodded at Euchemard¡¯s words looked down at Lampito, who was sitting down on the floor and playing with her hair, and secretly sighed again, thinking why didn¡¯t this girl sustain a single scratch despite chasing the same enemy. Volume 4 - CH 4.4 ¡¸¡ªIya iya, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯ve come back safely, Isaac-kun! After all, I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy the whole time, thinking what if you were captured by Euchemard and executed like that. ¡­Of course, you don¡¯t have to worry about failing in the negotiation. That¡¯s right, I also don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t! After all, our army wasn¡¯t thinking of relying on you from the beginning!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ What awaited Isaac¡¯s party which had finally arrived at Delbr¨¹ck close to dawn was, just as one expected, a storm of Sigibert¡¯s intense sarcasm. Although the person himself might claim that this was just his feeling of relief being honestly expressed, it was sarcasm no matter who heard it. If it was Dimitar, he¡¯d have reflexively retaliated with even more sarcasms, but perhaps Isaac had grown accustomed to such a personality of Sigibert, there wasn¡¯t even an indication of him getting angry in particular. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Isaac, who was sitting on a sofa wearing his mantle like the time when he had returned, was waving his hat with a flutter and looking up at the ceiling, but before long, when he put his hand on the handrail and stood up vigorously, he gracefully bowed towards Clotilde and Malena. ¡¸¡ªWell then, Diaghilev-geika, Puyol-geika, after we¡¯ve stopped by Aurillac and greeted King-heika, we¡¯ll return to our country¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡¯re returning already?¡¹ ¡¸As I said a few days ago, I¡¯ve marched into Euchemard Duevre¡¯s headquarters and bought time. With this, they¡¯ve passed the entire day in idleness. Though the negotiation itself failed, we dealt a blow to his troops to some extent, and regarding their plan and the outline of their army as well¡­ oops, I said something intrusive¡¹ Isaac, who had said something suggestive and unnaturally held his mouth down, propped his right hand which held the hat against his chest and courteously bent at the waist again. ¡¸¡ªI wish everyone good luck. Well then, farewell¡¹ ¡¸Wait¡ªwait just a minute, please wait! Wait, Isaac-kun!¡¹ ¡¸Isaac-kun?¡¹ ¡¸I, Isaac-denka!¡¹ When Sigibert who had specially corrected himself walked up to Isaac with long strides, he brought his face close to a distance as if he was going to kiss him. ¡¸¡­Your way of speaking just now, I¡¯m slightly bothered by it though?¡¹ ¡¸What thing, Sigibert-kun?¡¹ ¡¸The enemy¡¯s plan and its outline or something like that; you stopped midway even though you began talking, right!?¡¹ ¡¸Is there something wrong with that?¡¹ ¡¸Cease stopping midway! Speak clearly!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Do I have such an obligation to do so?¡¹ ¡¸Ha!?¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t you misunderstanding something, I wonder?¡¹ Isaac, with a beaming smile, spoke quite indifferently. ¡¸Me negotiating with Euchemard is simply my arbitrary decision, right? I suggested to go by myself. I wasn¡¯t requested by you all to arbitrate in particular. ¡ªRight?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ maa, that is so though¡¹ ¡¸That means, regarding the things that we had seen and heard there, the contents that we had discussed with Euchemard¡ªma, assuming that we acknowledge them as one independent power though, they¡¯re diplomatic secrets of our country already. There¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll easily tell them to you all, right?¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡ª!?¡¹ Seeing the faces of the chuckling Isaac and the surprised Sigibert, Dimitar couldn¡¯t resist a laugh and instantly looked downwards. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s cruel¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Dii¡¹ Lucius who had chided Dimitar beside him was also smiling wryly. Isaac¡¯s method, to the extend that Sigibert seemed pitiful looking from the side, was devious. That was why Sigibert whose complexion was constantly changing appeared all the more comical. Isaac gave even more additional blows to Sigibert who was opening his eyes wide. ¡¸If you want to know Euchemard¡¯s objective and the outline of his army, then dispatch the Chivalric Order that you¡¯re proud of and investigate as you please. I¡¯ll bring this important information back for my motherland and work out a countermeasure with Father¡¹ ¡¸W-w-w, wait, wait wait wait, please wait!¡¹ ¡¸Iya, if you tell me to wait, then I can wait at least a little though. After all, Costacurta-geika is also resting because of fatigue, and we too, had been moving for almost 24 hours without sleeping, you see; in fact, returning to our country so soon is, speaking of troublesome, also troublesome¡¹ While picking the hole of his ear with his little finger, Isaac sighed. ¡¸¡­There are only us in this room anyway. Let¡¯s talk about what we really think, Sigibert-kun¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Judging from appearances, the gathering of your military force still seems to be insufficient. ¡­The truth is that you want to borrow our power, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ As far as Dimitar could see, every person of the Seal Chivalric Order which Isaac had been leading this time was centred on ability-based members that excluded the useless bonbons. Being able to use the sword was natural, and their abilities as magic warriors were probably considerably high as well. Although their number was no more than 50 or so, if one took into consideration a unit which was based on 50 magic warriors who possessed horse-riding moving speed, it could become quite a big role on the battlefield. And Sigibert who had also personally created a combat group called the ¡°Gale Chivalric Order¡± should know that better than anyone else. ¡¸Nu¡­!¡¹ Grasping the riding crop tightly while biting his lips, Sigibert seemed to hesitate for a little while, although he finally had no choice but to give in. ¡¸¡­I understand, I understand. I¡¯ll write a letter to His Majesty about my intention to ask for your cooperation afterwards¡¹ ¡¸An excellent decision¡¹ Winking with a ¡°pachin¡±, Isaac returned to the sofa. This place was a room in the military headquarters that was next to Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s town hall. Unlike a small town like Luberuteiyu, a headquarters to control and unify soldiers was established in Delbr¨¹ck that employed a large-scale stationing army. Approaching the sofa¡¯s position and personally pouring wine into Isaac¡¯s glass, Sigibert asked immediately. ¡¸¡ªFirst, I want to hear about Yururogu¡¯s aim. As expected, is it the cession of Luberuteiyu and northward? Or are they demanding cash which corresponds to that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s neither land nor money¡¹ ¡¸Then, what on earth¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Dominas¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Sigibert reflexively looked back at the two Dominas of his country. ¡¸It¡¯s not like that. What Yururogu is demanding is the possession right of a Dominas. And the matter of Haiderota acknowledging Yururogu as an independent country, and in addition, appealing to every related country so that it can join the Holy Alliance¡¹ ¡¸Ri¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s in exchange for that condition, they said that they can withdraw their army though¡¹ ¡¸Ri, ridiculous! That¡¯s impossible, impossible, impossible!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, I thought that you¡¯d say so¡¹ Resting his cheek on his hand, Isaac sipped the wine with a ¡°chibiri¡±. In contrast, perhaps the condition which Yururogu had given was so exasperating, Sigibert walked up to the enormous desk that was placed by the window and started striking its edge with his riding crop many times with a ¡°beshi beshi¡±. ¡¸Damn it damn it¡­! That dotard, what does he think a Dominas is!? In the first place, it¡¯s impossible that those rebels have enough resources to raise a Dominas! It¡¯s impossible that they have!¡¹ ¡¸Iya, that¡¯s not the case either, you know¡¹ ¡¸What!? What did you say, Isaac-kun!?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than having the resources to raise one, it seems that they already have her, the Dominas¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, the Dominas. Yururogu also has one¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be¡ª¡¹ Clotilde half-rose to her feet. ¡¸The girl who abducted His Excellency on that night¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸It seems to be like that¡¹ Dimitar who had fought against Lampito twice told them indifferently. ¡¸Euchemard Duevre¡¯s adopted daughter, Lampito¡­ though the person herself didn¡¯t give her name, Euchemard had called her so¡¹ ¡¸Maa, for her fighting strength, it doesn¡¯t seem strange even if she calls herself a Dominas. ¡­Right?¡¹ ¡¸T, to be a Dominas¡ª!¡¹ Sigibert who had tried to give some opinion shut his mouth in the end. He most likely was about to say that it wasn¡¯t fine if one was strong. However, Clotilde herself, whom he relied on, was a Dominas who was completely devoted to offensive magic; in that sort of sense, it was possible to say that she was of the same kind as Lampito. In other words, to deny Lampito was to deny his country¡¯s war goddess as well. As one would expect, Sigibert probably also noticed the contradiction. Isaac then spoke to Sigibert who continued to go around the perimeter of the desk in circles. ¡¸¡­So, what will you do?¡¹ ¡¸What will I do? What do you mean by what will I do?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, will you accept their condition?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s impossible! It¡¯s unnecessary to even inform His Majesty about it!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, it wasn¡¯t actually brought up in a document either, and the other side too, probably thought that it was easier to negotiate after giving you a hard blow¡¹ ¡¸That means¡­ t, t, there¡¯ll be, an outbreak of war!?¡¹ Malena, who was sitting on the sofa and curling herself up like a bear stuffed toy, asked timidly while reaching for a container of raisins. Although she was certainly timid, her hand which was eating things even in this situation not stopping was, in a certain sense, something admirable. ¡¸As far as I¡¯ve heard about the story just now, Euchemard¡¯s aim is already obvious¡­ a withdrawal, other than on the condition that they had told us, is probably impossible. ¡ªIn that case, we¡¯ve no choice but to repel them by force¡­¡¹ ¡¸Isaac-denka¡¹ Sigibert, who had taken a deep breath greatly and calmed down his mind, occupied the desk, picked up a quill pen and changed his tone slightly. ¡¸¡­What do you think the enemy¡¯s total number is? And what kind of equipment are theirs centred on?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? I¡¯ve to tell you that?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m officially requesting you, the ambassador plenipotentiary, for your cooperation as the military vice-minister though? What¡¯s the enemy¡¯s total number?¡¹ Showing a stiff smile, Sigibert deliberately emphasised their titles again. Isaac then left the sofa and walked up to the pictorial map that was hung on the wall and used for war council. ¡¸For us to cooperate, there¡¯s a condition¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸If you can agree to this, I¡¯ll tell you all the information regarding Yururogu¡¯s army that we¡¯ve seen, and my Seal Chivalric Order will also stand on the battlefield as the reserve forces this time. I¡¯ll drop a few lines to Father in my own country and have relief supplies sent as soon as possible too. As long as I can get King-heika¡¯s permission, we can dispatch our army to subjugate the rebels in the south of Haiderota. In that case, you can move your war potentials immediately, right? ¡ªAh, of course, this is all free of charge, you know? The aid of our goods and the dispatch of troops of our army as well¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s very generous of you, but for that reason alone, I¡¯m curious about what the condition is; I can¡¯t help but become so¡­ anyway, try stating the condition, Isaac-denka¡¹ ¡¸Here¡ª¡¹ Isaac pulled out his sword and pointed at the map with its tip. It touched the slightly north side of the border between Amaddo and Haiderota, in other words, Haiderota¡¯s territory. If he remembered correctly, due to its mountainous terrain, it was a land which the highway wouldn¡¯t extend through if there wasn¡¯t any important village. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re digging a new mine, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Sigibert and Clotilde¡¯s complexions changed suddenly. Only Malena eating biscuits, which had kirsch compote put on them, without changing might be because she wasn¡¯t informed anything about it. In other words, this meant that it was quite a confidential matter. ¡¸You¡¯re digging, right? Is it iron ore?¡¹ Even though Isaac asked once more, Sigibert neither responded with a negation nor an affirmative. ¡¸I say, you had better consciously think about standing in the populace¡¯s point of view a bit more, you know?¡¹ Putting the sword back into its scabbard, Isaac shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. ¡¸Though the opposite cases aren¡¯t too many, there are quite a lot of people who escape from your country to ours, you know? And then, from the mouths of such people, information is circulated in various ways. We don¡¯t need to particularly send spies¡¹ ¡¸W, what¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The populace, who had a harsh experience there and then escaped, will try to sell the information that they have since they want to improve their own treatment even a little at a new land. Naturally, we¡¯ll buy them. By at least preparing a plot of land to build a house for a family that had migrated here, they¡¯ll tell us information such as you¡¯re gathering up manpower for the mine development or you¡¯re preparing a highway at a quick pace¡¹ Isaac¡¯s grandfather, the 10th generation Jeffren, was known as the man who had expanded Amaddo¡¯s territory mainly by means of stratagems, but in the internal administration, it was said that he adroitly mastered the carrot and stick policy, thinking of grasping the citizens¡¯ hearts as the most important thing. And then, what kind of end result will neglecting to win the hearts and minds of people be, here was the good example of it. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Sigibert furrowed his brow and folded his arms in silence. ¡¸¡­Ma, if you persist in being completely ignorant of it, then that¡¯s fine as well. We¡¯ll just return to our country as it is. Though saying it this way is excessive, it¡¯s like fire on the opposite shore¡¹ ¡¸Your Excellency¡­!¡¹ Clotilde knitted her eyebrows and looked at Sigibert. ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Besides, we¡¯re also starting the development of that mine¡¹ ¡¸What!?¡¹ Sigibert who had been showing an expression of hesitation hit the desk at those words of Isaac. ¡¸S, s¡­ stop joking around, will you!? What right do you have to develop our country¡¯s resources¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah, you finally admitted¡¹ ¡¸Ku¡­!¡¹ Isaac, who had seen Sigibert biting his lips and smiled complacently, suddenly returned to a serious look and told him coldly. ¡¸¡­The ore deposit there exists astride both our country and yours. That being the case, Amaddo naturally also has the mining right. ¡­In the first place, you started mining secretly from us, and if there¡¯s a chance, you¡¯re thinking of digging even the ore deposit on Amaddo¡¯s side, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re not in the position to be able to say this and that, right?¡¹ ¡¸Nu¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Maa, in short, what I want to say is, since the mine is at such a delicate location, how about we develop it together instead. That¡¯s the condition for us to cooperate in the battle this time¡¹ ¡¸T, that sort of thing¡­ it isn¡¯t something that I who don¡¯t have the authority can decide here; there¡¯s no way that I can decide it!¡¹ ¡¸However, you can suggest it to His Majesty, right?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s possible, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸Therefore, it¡¯s fine if you give me your endorsements here. If the Military Vice-Minister and the two Dominas¡ªthe three people who hold important positions of Haiderota will drop a few lines, saying that you¡¯ll surely persuade His Majesty for me¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Sigibert kept his mouth shut again. As a matter of fact, even if Sigibert¡¯s party exchanged signatures on some sort of document with Isaac here, one would feel that it wouldn¡¯t generate a diplomatic binding force. Like he himself had said, Sigibert didn¡¯t have the authority to decide such a thing. Naturally, Clotilde and the rest also shouldn¡¯t have it. Thus, even if Sigibert¡¯s party got Amaddo¡¯s cooperation and weathered this battle, and then said that they couldn¡¯t persuade the king as expected afterwards and wiped the slate clean about the topic of the mine development, Haiderota wouldn¡¯t need to take the blame in that matter. However, to be unable to keep the promise with Isaac¡ªor to shirk payment, the reputation of Sigibert¡¯s party would certainly fall. Even if they didn¡¯t have to resign their jobs because their reputations fell, the biggest damage would be rumours of Clotilde and Malena¡ªthe Dominas whom Haiderota was proud of doing such a breach of trust rising. Perhaps what Sigibert was worrying about wasn¡¯t his reputation and so forth, but Clotilde and the rest. Speaking of extreme, Sigibert could resign his minister position to apologise for his own lack of insight, but that wasn¡¯t allowed for the Dominas. In other words, if Clotilde¡¯s party dropped a few lines saying that they¡¯d persuade the king, it must be carried out without fail. After all, if it couldn¡¯t be carried out, they¡¯d besmirch the name of the Dominas. ¡¸¡­Your Excellency, may I?¡¹ ¡¸Diaghilev-geika¡ª¡¹ Clotilde, who had stood up straight, looked at both Sigibert and Isaac alternately and spoke sonorously. ¡¸Under these circumstances, I think that it¡¯s all right to accept Isaac-denka¡¯s negotiation¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine? The continent¡¯s largest country, Amaddo, will support us. If Yururogu hears it, the morale of its rebel army will probably be reduced. And the matter of the mine development, if it¡¯s developing it together, half of the produced iron ore¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Seven-three¡¹ Clotilde¡¯s eyebrows quivered with a ¡°hiku¡± at Isaac¡¯s words. ¡¸We¡¯re seven, you¡¯re three. ¡­That¡¯s natural, right? Since this ore deposit lies between both countries, properly speaking, we¡¯d have shared it fifty-fifty, but we¡¯ll be taking compensation for aiding you in various ways from there, hence I¡¯m talking to you about it; I think that seven-three is appropriate though¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Since you can get assistance to escape from this predicament using stones which you can¡¯t dig out even a piece yet as the price, it¡¯s better not to covet too much, you know? Besides, you probably also have an aim other than that, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your Excellency, as expected, we should accept this negotiation by all means¡¹ ¡¸Y, Your Excellency!¡¹ Malena, who had been chewing food the whole time since just now, drank up the ginger ale which she had put in plenty of sugar, wiped her mouth and stood up. ¡¸I, I, don¡¯t understand difficult things very well, but if Diaghilev-geika has said to this extent, I, I¡¯ll agree with her as well!¡¹ ¡¸Puyol-geika¡­ you too?¡¹ Sigibert who was in a state of being pestered by the two Dominas, perhaps finally resolving himself, dipped the quill pen into the inkwell and spread a fine-quality paper. ¡¸¡­Isaac-kun¡¹ ¡¸What is it, Sigibert-kun?¡¹ ¡¸You write a letter to your own country immediately too. I¡¯ll be troubled if the precious goods don¡¯t make it in time¡¹ ¡¸As for that, there¡¯s no problem. Our country, unlike yours, has been pooling quite a bit of goods in the large cities of every region of the country in case of unexpected disaster, epidemic or war. I¡¯ll have about half of the standing army of Harun move towards Haiderota together with the relief supplies immediately¡¹ Pointing at Harun on the map, Isaac smiled. ¡¸¡­For the time being, if we fill the stomachs of the people who were incited by the spies and are causing riots, they¡¯ll become quiet¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be good if that¡¯s the case though. ¡ªSaa, how¡¯s this, Isaac-kun?¡¹ Isaac, who had received the document containing the signatures of Sigibert, Clotilde and in addition, Malena¡¯s, also personally included his signature there and nodded approvingly. ¡¸¡ªWell then, I¡¯ll also write a letter addressed to Father at once. In the meantime, can I let my subordinates rest?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve already prepared rooms for your members¡¹ ¡¸Well then, let¡¯s work out a plan again when day breaks. ¡­To tell the truth, this is the first time that I¡¯m going out to a real war. I¡¯m so excited that I¡¯m not sleepy at all¡¹ ¡¸Are? This is your first campaign? Is that so, I see, I see¡¹ Sigibert, who had snorted as if to say ¡°I¡¯ve won!¡±, gulped down the wine and threw out his chest. ¡¸Maa, if you want to know the rules of the battlefield, ask me! I¡¯ll gladly teach you as a senior, I¡¯ll surely teach you! Hahahaha!¡¹ ¡¸Thanks¡¹ Isaac then left the room accompanied by Lucius and Dimitar. Volume 4 - CH 5.1 ¡¸¡­Contrary to expectations, it was settled easily¡¹ While walking in the corridor, Lucius muttered. ¡¸Ma, Diaghilev-geika did put in a good word for us, after all¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s most likely thinking of using the joint development as an opportunity to adopt our country¡¯s advanced mining technology. What a shrewd person¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ As its mining technology was also immature in its own way, Haiderota which lacked mine resources wasn¡¯t at a level that could be compared to Amaddo. Even if they could only obtain 30 percent of the mining amount, if they could learn the advanced mining technology of Amaddo in that process, it might be helpful in enriching Haiderota in the future. ¡¸Dii-kun¡¹ Isaac spoke to Dimitar at the rear while rubbing his eyes. ¡¸¡ªYou should rest a little too. Even though your wounds were healed quickly with magic, the blood which you lost won¡¯t be recovered immediately, right?¡¹ ¡¸Thank you for your concern¡¹ Dimitar bowed to Isaac and headed for the room where Valeria¡¯s party was resting. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ Although Dimitar tried to open the door of Valeria¡¯s party¡¯s room after knocking lightly on it, perhaps something was stuck, and he could only open it slightly. When he exerted his body weight and pushed with all his strength, a heavy sound of ¡°gagon¡± was heard and the door finally opened. ¡¸U, pu¡­?¡¹ Stepping over Bettina who was lying down on the floor, Dimitar entered the room. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll ask just in case, but what¡¯s she doing here?¡¹ ¡¸It seems that she was going to keep a night watch¡¹ ¡¸She fell asleep three minutes after taking up her position there though~¡¹ Karin and Petra who were sitting side-by-side on a sofa answered all together. Dimitar rolled and shifted Bettina who was sleeping deeply, and then closed the door tightly. ¡¸You didn¡¯t sleep?¡¹ ¡¸We were woken up when we were sleeping. By Valeria and Bettina¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the state of Our Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸It feels like she changed her clothes and fell asleep immediately~¡¹ ¡¸Ma, as one would expect, she¡¯s probably tired¡¹ Dimitar ruffled his dark grey hair and sat down on an empty chair. Valeria was breathing quietly while sleeping on a bed that was lined up in the inner part of the room. Despite loud noises of ¡°gagon, goron¡± being made, there was completely no sign of her waking up. In addition to not sleeping for almost a whole day and night, to have fired flashy magic in rapid succession, fatigue was probably accumulating in both her mind and body. Karin closed the book that she was reading and rested her chin in her hands. ¡¸As far as Richternach-kyou can see, what¡¯s the number of the enemy force?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll know such a thing. I also didn¡¯t count when they were lined up¡­ in the first place, it was after sunset when we arrived at the other side¡¹ ¡¸But His Highness¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ma, if he¡¯s asked by His Excellency, he¡¯ll answer with an appropriate number¡¹ Of course, if one thought about the scale of Luberuteiyu, it was difficult to think that 30,000 soldiers, for example, were staying there. To begin with, according to the newest parish¡¯s believer register, Luberuteiyu was a town with approximately 1,000 houses and a population of less than 5,000. Even if they imprisoned the residents as prisoners on the warships that were anchoring at the river, used all the private houses as a substitute for barracks, and moreover, put up tents on the outskirts of the town, the limit was probably 20,000 at the most. ¡¸However, can Yururogu capture this Delbr¨¹ck with a number of 20,000, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸If one think about it normally, they probably can¡¯t. The stationing army of this town is approximately 8,000, surpassing even Harun¡¯s; additionally, the military force which is rushing from Aurillac together with the Gale Chivalric OrderRorudor Rafuale is around 1,000 horsemen. Moreover, if Haiderota gathers together the war potential that can be mobilised at the present stage, it might even exceed 10,000 within two, three days¡¹ The plan to hold a castle where there was no hope of reinforcement would only produce a disastrous outcome, but in this case, it was understood that reinforcement from various places would come gathering eventually. In short, they could just seclude themselves in this Delbr¨¹ck with a military force of 10,000 and defend against an enemy of 20,0000 for a while. For Delbr¨¹ck which had strong rampart, that was a simple matter. However, there were a few disquieting elements. ¡¸¡­First of all, it¡¯s impossible that that old man called ¡°Euchemard¡± can¡¯t predict the things which even I can predict¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, the enemy might still have some kind of trump card or a large-scale reinforcement?¡¹ ¡¸At the very least, the other side has the conviction that they can make this town fall. Otherwise, they probably won¡¯t thrust a condition that aggressive at Haiderota. ¡ªBesides, there¡¯s one more thing¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸When we entered the other side¡¯s headquarters, we saw some kind of cargo being transshipped at the port. The stones which were cut and carried off from the rampart were also transported somewhere¡¹ It was impossible that a proper business activity was taking place in this state of emergency; if that was the case, that was a part of some kind of military activity. What was Yururogu transshipping onto the small ships, and where were they trying to transport them to¡ªeven though he had a bad feeling about it somehow, Dimitar didn¡¯t know what it¡¯d cause. He simply felt a vague uneasiness. ¡¸Petra¡¹ Karin picked up the borrowed gown and stood up. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s go to where Sigibert-kakka is¡¹ ¡¸Eh~? Why?¡¹ ¡¸There are a few things that I¡¯m curious about, so I want his permission to use the library here¡¹ ¡¸Mo~, even though you don¡¯t have to study until you came to a place like this¡¹ ¡¸If there¡¯s something that I¡¯m curious about, I can¡¯t help but investigate it. ¡­My character, you know it, right?¡¹ ¡¸Hai hai, I know that it¡¯s a troublesome character~¡¹ Petra, who had been calculatingly taking off her boots, laced up her shoes over again with a sigh mixed in and looked at Dimitar fleetingly with upturned eyes. ¡¸¡ªBut is this fine~? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯ll only be Valeria and Richternach-kyou in this room though~?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s Bettina¡¹ ¡¸That child doesn¡¯t count when she¡¯s sleeping~. Even though she was kicked away by Richternach-kyou just now, she didn¡¯t even wake up and was saying something like ¡°u~n, pee-pee~¡±¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right. ¡ªHora, let¡¯s go¡¹ ¡¸Aan (crying loudly)¡¹ Petra left the room, half-pulled by Karin. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When he had firmly secured the lock and the crossbar on the door, Dimitar held Jagieruka, including its scabbard, in his arms and flopped onto the sofa with a ¡°battari¡±. From Krutoreto to Aurillac, Delbr¨¹ck, and then Luberuteiyu; having repeated long-distance travelling almost every day without even the time to slowly rest his body during these ten days or so, as one would expect, Dimitar was also at his limit. ¡°Come to think of it, did I lock up the window?¡±; such a thing faintly crossed the corner of his mind, but before he got up to check that, Dimitar¡¯s consciousness was totally swallowed up into the deep darkness. Volume 4 - CH 5.2 She woke up suddenly. The light that she felt on her retinas was probably dawn shining in through the gap of the curtains. However, she didn¡¯t know how many mornings it had been since she collapsed onto the bed here. It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if she had been sleeping for more than 24 hours, but judging from this tired feeling that was still dully dominating her whole body, she might actually have slept for a few hours only. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ She lifted just her head and looked around the spacious room interior, which was dyed in a very dim light. Just when she thought there was something reflecting the morning sun brightly and shining dazzlingly, it was Bettina who was lying down stretched out on the carpet and snoring adorably. If she remembered correctly, Karin and Petra should have been here until she lost consciousness, but the figures of the pair weren¡¯t here now. Instead, she saw Dimitar who held his sword in the arms lying down on the sofa. Valeria held her head down with her hand, made her neck produce a ¡°koki koki¡± sound and slipped out of the bed quietly. Killing the sound of her footsteps, she crossed the front of the sofa and reached for the water jug that was placed on the table¡ª. ¡¸!¡¹ ¡ªWhen she was about to pick it up, her throat was held back by a sword¡¯s scabbard that had come extending suddenly. ¡¸¡­Chi¡¹ Dimitar, who had raised half his body with a face that still seemed sleepy in some respects, looked at Valeria and clicked his tongue softly, and then immediately lay down on the sofa again. ¡¸Don¡¯t try to kill the sound of your footsteps poorly. ¡­I thought a thief had crept in¡¹ ¡¸B¡­ I, I only tried not to make footsteps¡¯ sound as much as possible so that I wouldn¡¯t wake you up since you were sleeping! Even though I took that into consideration, why do you use such a way of speaking!?¡¹ ¡¸Such consideration is unnecessary¡¹ Leaking a big yawn of ¡°fuwaa¡±, Dimitar closed his eyes. When Valeria carried the water jug and a glass and returned to the bed, she drank the water with a ¡°goku goku¡± and took a deep breath greatly. ¡¸¡­You still haven¡¯t slept enough, right? Rest a bit more¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not to your extent¡¹ ¡¸If it becomes a battle, there won¡¯t be time to rest. ¡­It¡¯s better to sleep while you can now¡¹ ¡¸¡­As expected, it¡¯ll become a battle?¡¹ ¡¸According to that flow, there¡¯s no way that it won¡¯t¡¹ ¡¸We¡­ have to fight too?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Together with the faint sound of clothes rustling, Dimitar got up again. ¡¸¡­It seems that His Highness and the Chivalric Order intend to go along with it¡¹ ¡¸What about us?¡¹ ¡¸In the discussion between His Highness and Sigibert-kakka, the talk of how to treat both our Eminences wasn¡¯t brought up at all. ¡­Perhaps it should be all right for you and Karin-sama not to fight. Though Sigibert-kakka might make a fuss, saying that this isn¡¯t what was promised, His Highness had probably negotiated with that intention from the beginning¡¹ ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ Putting the water jug on the bedside, Valeria held her knees, which were covered with the blanket, in the arms. ¡¸You don¡¯t have to fight¡¹ Dimitar repeated. ¡¸If you wish to do so, you can also request His Highness to make arrangements so that you can return to our country before the battle starts. ¡­What will you do?¡¹ ¡¸¡°What will you do¡±, you say?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, if you want to return to our country, then get His Highness to make arrangements so that you can even go back today. ¡ªNaturally, because of this situation, we might be going back quietly with just us five people on one two-horse carriage though¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ a little lonely¡¹ Valeria brushed her forelock up and smiled wryly. ¡¸Besides, Lucius-sama, His Highness and others will remain here and fight, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be¡¹ ¡¸And yet, is it all right for only us to go back¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not an issue of good or bad. It¡¯s about what you want to do¡¹ Before she knew, Dimitar was standing right beside the bed with his arms folded. ¡¸¡­In the first place, we came to this country to let Haiderota¡¯s people know how amazing Amaddo¡¯s Dominas are, right?¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, that was the case at first¡¹ ¡¸However, if only us go back in this situation, won¡¯t shameful rumours of us returning to our country for fear of a battle, on the contrary, spread?¡¹ ¡¸There might be people who will spread that sort of rumours. However, rumours are rumours. You don¡¯t have to mind them. ¡ªI¡¯m always severely gossiped about things I didn¡¯t even do, but I¡¯m not so bothered by it in particular, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I wish you wouldn¡¯t lump me together with you. ¡­To an ordinary person and a Dominas, the importance of one¡¯s image is completely different¡¹ ¡¸I should be delighted that you¡¯ve such self-awareness though¡­ so what do you want to do? Do you want to go out to the battlefield and fight? Surely you aren¡¯t going to say that you want to be acknowledged by me with that again, right?¡¹ Recalling the words said by Dimitar in the forest of Krutoreto on that night, Valeria¡¯s chest felt a throbbing pain. ¡¸T, that¡¯s not it though¡­ however, isn¡¯t running away from battle and returning to our country a little um¡­ wrong, I wonder¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ma, I fully understand that you¡¯re feeling uneasy¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not feeling uneasy!¡¹ ¡¸What are you putting on airs for?¡¹ Placing his bottom onto the back of the sofa, Dimitar raised his lips sarcastically. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯re feeling uneasy about standing on the battlefield. However, rather than feeling uneasy about being afraid of battle or being afraid of getting injured, you¡¯re feeling uneasy about whether you can¡¯t kill people or not. After all, you¡¯re overwhelmingly stronger than most soldiers who appear on the battlefield¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria stared at Dimitar¡¯s face in blank amazement and ruminated on those words. ¡¸Even if 100 or 200 soldiers come charging, everyone will easily be blown off if you make them eat a huge magic at that moment. There might be people who will be burnt pitch black and be killed instantly too. ¡ªHowever, that¡¯s natural. Those guys are ordinary people, and you¡¯re a Dominas, after all¡¹ Dominas possessed that sort of overwhelming power¡ªthat was why they could protect people at the critical moment. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to seal the ¡°DemonMaroudo¡± in the place of the ¡°Lord of RedemptionReduntra¡± in the worst case. After all, the ¡°Demon¡± was millions and millions times as strong as a human¡ª. ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ As if she had remembered the meaning of the power that Dominas possessed now, Valeria raised a stupid voice. ¡¸¡ªAh!¡¹ Valeria tore her hair off with a ¡°kusha kusha¡± and breathed out angrily. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, all of a sudden? Did you finally become insane?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it!¡¹ Grabbing a pillow instantly and throwing it at Dimitar, Valeria stood up on the bed suddenly. Putting her hands onto her waist and throwing out her chest, she looked down at Dimitar. ¡¸Uh¡­ in short¡­ wait just a minute, I¡¯m collecting my thoughts!¡¹ ¡¸Do as you like. I¡¯m going to sleep already¡¹ ¡¸Hey, l, listen to me properly!¡¹ ¡¸¡­What a troublesome girl, good grief¡¹ Putting his hand onto his neck and sighing as if he was fed up with her, Dimitar jerked his chin. ¡¸¡ªAnd?¡¹ ¡¸In, in short¡­! I came here as the Dominas of Amaddo to show that my qualifications are enough to the people of Haiderota, right?¡¹ ¡¸So?¡¹ ¡¸However, we can¡¯t say that we were able to achieve that objective yet! After all, there¡¯s this state of emergency!¡¹ ¡¸Ma, that is so¡¹ ¡¸And Lucius-sama said that he¡¯ll remain here and fight!¡¹ ¡¸It has nothing to do with Lucius in this case, I think. Even if that were true, if you¡¯re going to say it, then it¡¯s His Highness¡¹ ¡¸A, anyway, what I¡¯m saying is that our country¡¯s brave soldiers are going to remain here and fight together with Haiderota¡¯s soldiers!¡¹ ¡¸Right¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, I too, should¡ªremain here and do what I can do¡­?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Why did it become half a question there?¡¹ Dimitar pointed at Valeria with a wry smile mixed in. ¡¸Though you exhibit an unnecessary independence and run wild when I tell you to stop, is you hesitating only when you ought to make a decision like this that, your harassment towards me?¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s not like that!¡¹ ¡¸Then you just have to say ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± these few words¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯ll do it! Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll do it and show you!¡¹ When Valeria jumped off the bed and brushed Dimitar¡¯s hand that was pointing at her away, she conversely thrust her index finger at the tip of Dimitar¡¯s nose. ¡¸¡ªMaa? There¡¯s an arrogant guard officer with me, after all? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be exposed to danger so much though?¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Good for you then¡¹ The sarcastic remarks she had made with all her might easily warded off by Dimitar, Valeria locked eyes with Dimitar silently, unable to find any words to follow up instantly. ¡¸¡­Ah¡­¡¹ At that moment when she didn¡¯t know what to do with the somewhat uncomfortable silence, a loud metallic sound of ¡°gashaan!¡± sounded in the corner of the room suddenly. ¡¸Awawa, wa, wawa¡­!¡¹ ¡¸B, Bettina¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Wa, wa, waaaaaaaan!¡¹ Exactly how long had she been awake? When Bettina who had hit the floor with a ¡°domu domu¡± came to Valeria and Dimitar nearly on all fours, she clasped both hands together as though offering a prayer and began to cry hard in a loud voice. ¡¸I, I, I! Am extremely touched now! That my pee seems to be leaking out!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say dirty things. Exactly what kind of dream are you having to be still half asleep?¡¹ Kicking Bettina lightly with a ¡°gasu¡±, Dimitar tried to push her far away. However, Bettina sidled up to Valeria and Dimitar with her knees and clung onto their waists. ¡¸I¡¯m touched by the awkward master-servant love between Valeria-sama and Dimi-san! I¡¯ll follow the two of you for life!¡¹ ¡¸¡­What¡¯s the matter with her?¡¹ ¡¸W, who knows¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, you¡¯re annoying, so go away. You might have incontinence because of too much strong emotion, after all¡¹ ¡¸Bueeeeee!¡¹ Bettina, who was forcibly torn off by Dimitar, rolled on the floor for a little while as she continued to cry, but before long, like a thread cut with a ¡°putsu¡±, she stopped moving, let out a quiet sleeper¡¯s breathing simultaneously and began to sleep again. ¡¸¡­Dimitar¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸This¡­¡¹ Valeria, who was about to put a blanket on Bettina at least, discovered several empty bottles of wine lying around beneath the bed and showed them to Dimitar. ¡¸¡­Just a drunk, huh¡¹ Dimitar kicked Bettina¡¯s helmet once more with a ¡°gatsun¡± and lay down on the sofa. Valeria also returned to her bed, drank a sip of water and pulled the blanket over her head. Although there was no basis for it in particular, she had a feeling that all her fatigue would disappeared and there wouldn¡¯t be a single fragment of uneasiness remaining the next time she woke up. There was no basis for it in particular. Volume 4 - CH 5.3 The few days after that weren¡¯t anything special in particular. Although reports that Yururogu¡¯s army had left Luberuteiyu and was in the course of advancing southwards came in periodically, since the plan of Haiderota¡¯s army, which had gathered in Delbr¨¹ck, was decided to be holding the castle, it seemed relatively calm. At the very least, it was reflected so in Valeria¡¯s eyes. ¡¸¡ªWhat!?¡¹ That day, numerous plates of sumptuous cuisines such as the roast of a calf covered with gravy and lobsters boiled to a bright red were lined up on the dinner table, but a piece of paper that came at the last moment caused Clotilde¡¯s complexion to change completely. ¡¸Ships of unknown affiliation¡­?¡¹ Clotilde, who had looked over the report, openly knitted her eyebrows and put down her fork. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Diaghilev-geika? Is there something you¡¯re worried about?¡¹ Isaac who was cutting into a meat cutlet of a beaver¡¯s tail, which was also a local speciality of Haiderota, glanced at Clotilde who had looked downwards with a pensive look on her face. ¡¸In the first place, the ships you mentioned are?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve received a report from fishermen living on the shores of R¨¹bel River saying that they saw several ships advancing towards the lakes and marshes region. This information is already from three days ago though¡¹ Brushing her long hair up, Clotilde returned to her seat. ¡¸If these are the ships that Euchemard had prepared, where could they be about this time¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You worry too much, Your Eminence¡¹ Holding his wine glass up high, Sigibert smiled. ¡¸¡ªIn any case, the enemy¡¯s main force isn¡¯t cavalry. We already knew that the troops of the enemy, which is centred on infantry, are marching towards us from Luberuteiyu. If we take the infantry¡¯s movement speed into consideration, no matter how they hurry, their arrival should be after tomorrow¡¯s morning. Starting the war will probably be after it¡¯s close to noon, when the fog clears up, to avoid friendly fire¡¹ Tossing the juicy veal together with the raifort (horseradish) into his mouth, Sigibert poured the wine personally. ¡¸¡ªThey¡¯re most likely transporting provisions or weapons on those ships; it must be that sort of things, I¡¯m sure of it¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ While everyone was discussing this and that, Dimitar continued to eat silently by himself. It wasn¡¯t because he was displeased or feeling unwell; he was probably pondering something deeply. Valeria looked at Dimitar with a sidelong glance while eating a capon meat pie. ¡¸¡­Are you worrying about something?¡¹ ¡¸Why are you asking such a thing?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re making that sort of face, after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that so?¡¹ Dimitar put down his cutlery, gulped down the wine and wiped his mouth. ¡¸The loads that those guys were trying to carry out from Luberuteiyu on the small ships bother me¡¹ ¡¸Loads? As in the cargoes?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Those weren¡¯t provisions¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that? You don¡¯t actually have a rough idea of what they are, do you?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve no idea, but¡ª¡¹ When Dimitar continued her words together with a sigh, a light earth tremor attacked the entire room. ¡¸Oh no~, an earthquake?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, the tremor just now is different from an earthquake¡¯s. It seems that something made a loud noise far away as well¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar was the first to leave his seat and went out to the balcony. ¡¸What happened, Dii? Can you see something?¡¹ ¡¸Smoke is rising¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What!? Is it a fire?¡¹ ¡¸No, I don¡¯t see any flames. I think it¡¯s a cloud of dust¡¹ Everyone, who had stopped eating and gone out to the balcony, gazed in the direction Dimitar was pointing. Certainly, beyond the rampart where watch fires were built here and there, smoke was rising densely. The horn announcing a state of emergency was blown, and soldiers could be seen running hurriedly. ¡¸¡­What is it? What happened?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll go check immediately¡¹ ¡¸Iya, if that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go with everyone. In the face of a real battle now, a strange disturbance spreading isn¡¯t good. It¡¯s better to ascertain the cause immediately and bring the confusion under control¡¹ ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll go first¡¹ When Dimitar rolled up the sleeve of his right hand and exposed its magic crestHieratika, he put his foot onto the balcony¡¯s railing and leapt into the night sky. ¡¸Hey¡­ me too!¡¹ ¡¸Diaghilev-geika too, if you would, please. We¡¯ll also follow after¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡¹ Following Dimitar, the two Dominas wrapped the night wind around themselves and ran up to the empty sky. Midway, they kicked the roof of the clock tower, jumped once more and ran after Dimitar who had gone ahead. ¡¸What!? What on earth happened!?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know yet¡¹ Dimitar, who had arrived on the rampart first, was looking around his surroundings with his sword drawn. Clotilde caught a soldier who held a torch up high and asked him what had happened. ¡¸I, I don¡¯t know! As soon as I heard a tremendous noise, that tremor occurred¡ª¡¹ ¡¸A loud noise¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar! Your Eminence! Look at that!¡¹ Valeria, who was bending herself forwards from the passageway and looking down at the other side of the rampart, pointed at a large stone that was stuck in the ground. ¡¸A stone¡­?¡¹ Clotilde narrowed her eyes suspiciously and checked the parapet nearby. ¡¸It¡¯s not a building material that has tumbled down from around there in particular. Even if it fell down from the top of this rampart, a tremor of that extent won¡¯t happen, and it shouldn¡¯t make that sort of thunderous roar too¡¹ ¡¸Then, what on earth¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ what was loaded and carried out on those ships, was this, huh¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t comprehend things by yourself like that again! Explain it properly!¡¹ ¡¸Dii! Valeria-jou!¡¹ When Valeria was poking Dimitar¡¯s chest, Lucius could be seen running up the stairs. There were also the figures of Isaac, Sigibert, Karin and others behind him. ¡¸It¡¯s most likely a trebuchet!¡¹ Karin shouted. ¡¸I was right after all¡­ and it¡¯s also quite a big one¡¹ ¡¸Trebuchet!?¡¹ Sigibert was startled and asked a question in return. At that moment, a thin sound similar to moving fast against the wind could be heard coming from somewhere. ¡¸!¡¹ The next moment, a ear-splitting noise was produced, and the watchtower by the north gate collapsed. ¡¸Gyaa¡ª¡¹ Many soldiers were dragged into its collapse and raised death cries. Lucius looked back at Isaac and others and, ¡¸Your Highness, Your Excellency! Please return to the headquarters immediately! It¡¯s dangerous here!¡¹ ¡¸I never thought they¡¯d throw stones here¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Hora, don¡¯t be in a daze and escape, Sigibert-kun!¡¹ ¡¸E, escape, you say!?¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re not pleased with that way of speaking, should I say ¡°go in a different direction¡± then? This place isn¡¯t a strategically good location, so withdraw to the rear!¡¹ ¡¸Karin-jou and Petra-jou too, please stay beside His Highness. I¡¯ll leave it to you when something happens!¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸And then, Diaghilev-geika!¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Please send out cavalry from the north gate immediately. There are most likely enemy scouts nearby¡¹ ¡¸B, but, we don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll throw stones again¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a test firing now. The real attack will probably be after they make minute adjustment. ¡­However, they can¡¯t make the adjustment unless they know where the stones they had thrown in the test firing impacted. The scouts who will return to report that they impacted near the castle gate in the test firing just now must be close by without fail. It¡¯s bad to let them escape¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹ Clotilde jumped off the rampart and ran towards the nearest soldier station. Valeria grasped Dimitar¡¯s sleeve and asked. ¡¸¡ªNee, what does it mean? What¡¯s a trebuchet?¡¹ ¡¸An offensive weapon that launches that sort of huge stones far away¡¹ Pointing at the stone that was stuck near the rampart, Dimitar explained. ¡¸¡­Look, it came flying again¡¹ Perhaps he heard the sound of moving fast against the wind similar to just now, Dimitar looked up at the night sky. ¡¸Kyaa!?¡¹ This time, an enormous stone impacted as if to shave the edge of the moat in front of the north gate. It was a stone cut in a shape close to a cube, which even if an adult tried to hold it in the arms, his arms wouldn¡¯t go around it at all. Valeria didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how much it¡¯d weigh. ¡¸¡­Repeating the test firing like that, they¡¯ll try to calculate the exact direction and optimum weight of the stones. Usually, trebuchets can¡¯t move easily once they¡¯re installed; in the first place, they aren¡¯t things that can shoot many rounds consecutively¡¹ ¡¸However, the second shot hit the tower by the gate, and the third shot fell into the moat in front of the gate. If those guys¡¯ aim is the destruction of the rampart around the north gate, they¡¯re narrowing down on their aim already¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ Although a fire didn¡¯t occurred, soldiers who held torches up high were gathering around the north gate whose tower on one side was destroyed, trying to rescue the wounded that were pinned under the stone. ¡¸¡­If the enemy¡¯s aim was accurate, the subsequent one probably wouldn¡¯t have been launched at the moat, but there¡¹ Valeria involuntarily shuddered at the words of Lucius who had pushed his feelings aside. The battle had already started, and Valeria was placed in the front line before she knew. Volume 4 - CH 5.4 Afterwards, three more shots of stones came flying, and one shot among those hit an inn located on the outermost circumference of the town directly. As this Delbr¨¹ck might become a battlefield, there wasn¡¯t a single guest staying at that inn; although it was fortunate that it didn¡¯t claim any victim, only the inn¡¯s owner and the leaders protecting the town couldn¡¯t feel so cheerful. After all, they couldn¡¯t capture one of the scouts Yururogu had sent out. ¡¸As I¡¯ve heard the story of the enemy cutting and transporting stones of the rampart from Richternach-kyou, I searched for data regarding trebuchet¡¹ Opening a large-sized book that she had borrowed from the city library on the table, Karin spoke. ¡¸Among the six shots of test firing, the second shot hit the tower near the castle gate directly, and the sixth shot reached as far as inside the rampart. If the enemy scouts have brought back and reported this result, it should be possible for them to make final minute adjustments to destroy the castle gate or to attack inside the rampart directly¡¹ A large schematic diagram of a trebuchet was drawn on the paper, which had begun to change colour. Simply put, it was something like an enormous pair of scales. However, one side of the pole was extremely short and a very heavy weight hung down from it, and a bag-shaped net for loading stone bullet was tied to the tip of the other side. When throwing, the arm on this long side would be secured in a pushed-down state with a rope and the stone bullet would be set on that tip. If the rope was cut afterwards, the arm would be swung by the acceleration of the falling weight on the opposite side, and the stone bullet would fly at a terrific speed. According to the explanation written down on the book, for a trebuchet of the size in this illustration, it could hurl a stone the weight of two people to a distance of one-fifth league. ¡¸¡­However, the enemy¡¯s trebuchets are clearly stronger than the one in this picture¡¹ Glancing outside the window, Lucius spoke. It was silent now, but in all likelihood if dawn broke, the enemy would have finished the minute adjustments and might start the real stone throwing. Until then, they must devise a countermeasure. ¡¸Damn Euchemard¡­! Using the very march of 20,000 infantrymen as a decoy¡ª¡¹ Waving his riding crop, Sigibert had been pacing around the whole time since just now inside the room. Haiderota had guessed that Euchemard¡¯s army was approximately 20,000 from quite an early stage. In contrast, the Haiderota¡¯s army that could be mobilised immediately was only about half that number. Hence, they chose the plan to shut Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s gate and defend until the arrival of reinforcement. However, while Haiderota¡¯s army was shutting themselves inside the town and hastening the preparations for holding the castle, Euchemard was probably transshipping the dismantled trebuchets to small ships in Luberuteiyu and having them transported this close via the river and the lakes and marshes region separately from the main force. If Sigibert hadn¡¯t chosen the plan to hold the castle, but to conclude things with a field battle and set up camp outside the town, they¡¯d surely notice Yururogu¡¯s army trying to install the trebuchets. ¡¸Your Excellency, even if you say such a thing now, it¡¯s no use¡¹ Clotilde spoke to Sigibert, who was grounding his teeth out of anger. ¡¸¡ªFrom the start, Euchemard is known as a brave general who is better at field battles than at castle siege battles, to say nothing of the difference in war potential between them and us being twofold¡¹ ¡¸Maa that¡¯s right. Even I¡¯d choose the battle to hold the castle than a field battle. It¡¯s not something you¡¯ve to worry about, Sigibert-kun¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t compare me with you, Isaac-kun¡­ even though this is your first campaign¡¹ Waving his riding crop once with a ¡°hyu¡±, Sigibert took a deep breath. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, since we¡¯ve ascertained that the enemy has powerful weapons called the ¡°trebuchets¡±, our objective is also naturally narrowed down¡¹ ¡¸First is¡­ the destruction of those trebuchets?¡¹ Karin nodded at Valeria¡¯s words. ¡¸Unless we destroy those trebuchets promptly, we¡¯ll just be overran one-sidedly. The rampart here might also be destroyed eventually. Considering that the watchtower was blown off with one hit, no matter how strong this town¡¯s rampart is, it¡¯ll collapse if it receives three shots in the same place. As for the doors of the north gate, two shots at the most¡­ it won¡¯t last more than that¡¹ ¡¸Holding the castle and all are impossible if the rampart is destroyed, right¡­¡¹ ¡¸If the 20,000 infantrymen Euchemard commands rush in, we¡¯ll hardly have any chance of winning. And to also protect the populace from the war, we can only surrender afterwards¡ª¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll destroy those trebuchets at all costs before that! If we do so, we can bring this to a battle to hold the castle as per our strategy at the beginning!¡¹ ¡¸So, what should we do specifically? Since the enemy will also naturally think of the trebuchets as their trump card, they must be guarding them tightly, right? The number of soldiers guarding them is 20,000, you know, 20,000? I don¡¯t want to lose in my first campaign¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, use your Chivalric Order effectively as much as possible. Though it can¡¯t compare with my Gale Chivalric Order, your Chivalric Order too, possesses both the movement capability of a cavalry and the destructive power by means of magic, right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? What? In the end, it¡¯s only that sort of gambling-like hit-and-run plan? What an unreliable commander¡¹ ¡¸¡­No matter how you provoke me, I won¡¯t say ¡ºYou try being one then!¡» or something. Indeed, I surely won¡¯t say it!¡¹ ¡¸Your Excellency¡­ and Your Highness too, please leave it at that¡¹ Rebuked by Clotilde, Sigibert turned away in a huff. Although he was certainly unreliable, the 10,000 troops gathered in this town wouldn¡¯t move unless it was his order. They could only bet on Sigibert¡¯s command here. ¡¸Of the 10,000 troops, I¡¯ll deploy 2,000 as combat engineers inside the rampart. I¡¯ll leave the command of this combat engineer unit to Puyol-geika. I¡¯ll appoint Arushanbor as your adjutant¡¹ ¡¸U, understood!¡¹ As expected, this time was the first campaign of Malena, who had stood up suddenly and saluted with a ¡°bi¡±. She was originally the type to lose her composure immediately, but as it was additionally her first campaign, her tension became quite odd. ¡¸If the enemy¡¯s stone throwing attacks hit the rampart, Her Eminence¡¯s combat engineer unit will aim at carrying out repairs promptly. And then, the remaining 8,000 will be organised into cavalry and infantry and be commanded by Sigibert-kakka and me, with the destruction of those trebuchets as the primary objective¡¹ ¡¸The bigger the trebuchet is, the more time it takes until the next firing¡¹ Karin calmly supplemented the concrete plan that Clotilde was explaining. ¡¸The trebuchets, which the enemy had prepared this time, have an estimated range of approximately one-third league¡­ there¡¯s no doubt that they¡¯re very big. As the firing interval is most likely from 8 minutes to about 10 minutes, if we repair the rampart during that time, as long as accurate firing doesn¡¯t continue much, we can hold out for a few hours¡¹ ¡¸In other words, we should approach and destroy the trebuchets in the meantime¡­ they¡¯re made of wood, right?¡¹ ¡¸Most likely so. ¡­However, there are times when large trebuchets are reinforced with iron parts, and they¡¯ve probably taken precautions against such a thing too. For example, setting the trebuchets on fire with fire arrows and the like isn¡¯t very realistic¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case¡­ then as expected, we can only hit them with all our strength from point-blank range?¡¹ Isaac¡¯s meaningful gaze caught Dimitar¡¯s party. Perhaps in Isaac¡¯s mind, Dimitar and Lucius would do the work of such a thing without even being told. Isaac put his hand onto his slender chin and pondered something for a short while, but before long, he looked back at Sigibert and, ¡¸I¡¯ve a little suggestion, Sigibert-kun¡¹ ¡¸What is it, Isaac-kun?¡¹ ¡¸Call me ¡°Your Highness¡±¡¹ ¡¸¡­You wanted to specially say that, at this time now?¡¹ ¡¸Iya, that¡¯s not the case¡¹ Isaac and Sigibert deliberately moved to the corner of the room and discussed something there. As far as one could pick up the fragmentary words that could be heard leaking out here and there, it seemed that Isaac was forcing a difficult problem onto Sigibert again. Valeria pulled Dimitar¡¯s sleeve lightly two, three times and whispered quietly. ¡¸¡­What should we do?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say such irresponsible words¡­¡¹ ¡¸In the first place, I don¡¯t have the authority to move at my own discretion. I just act in accordance with His Highness¡¯s or your order. ¡ªDon¡¯t you have any thought?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? E, even if you tell me such a thing suddenly¡­¡¹ ¡¸Then, wait until the two people¡¯s conversation finish. His Highness should most likely have some plan¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that so?¡¹ ¡¸I also think that way, Valeria-jou¡¹ Lucius smiled cheerfully. Even though this was by no means a situation where one could think optimistically, to be relieved like this because of a single smile from Lucius, Dimitar felt that he himself was a self-interested person. Since it was like this with Dimitar, it might be all the more so for Valeria, who was in love with Lucius. ¡¸Hai, I understand! If Lucius-sama says so!¡¹ While clasping Lucius¡¯s hands and shaking with a ¡°bun bun¡±, Valeria raised a shrill voice. She didn¡¯t even notice Karin and Petra watching her with cold looks. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar stifled a yawn and looked outside the window while stroking his neck. The moment when dawn broke was approaching soon, but perhaps because of the thick fog, the signs of dawn couldn¡¯t be seen at all. End of Chapter 5 Volume 4 - CH 6.1 The girl was twitching her nose. Even if he heard that she was trying to scent out whether there were enemies hidden in this fog or not, Cyril wouldn¡¯t be surprised anymore. He had already understood that Lampito was a girl outside the scope of his common knowledge in various senses. Euchemard, who had gotten onto a two-horse chariot, stared in the direction where Delbr¨¹ck should be in an imposing stance supported by his sword without sitting down. Large number of soldiers were lined up orderly at his front, back, left and right. ¡¸¡­If possible, I don¡¯t want to destroy that town too much though¡¹ The mutter of Euchemard wasn¡¯t particularly because he sympathised with the town¡¯s inhabitants. Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to idly torment people, but matters after winning were probably in the mind of the brave general with long military service. After getting Delbr¨¹ck to surrender according to plan, Euchemard¡¯s party would fight a defensive battle against the Haiderota¡¯s reinforcement, which would come closing in intermittently, based in Delbr¨¹ck this time. In that case, it was a self-evident truth that it was easier to defend when the town¡¯s damage was small. ¡¸If I remember correctly, I heard that there are plazas, which also serve as markets, in the north and south of Delbr¨¹ck. After gaining total control of the town, if we promptly bring in and install the trebuchets again at the south plaza, we might be able to cause serious damage to the reinforcement, which will come closing in¡¹ ¡¸After all, if it¡¯s that town, we¡¯ll have as many stones as we like¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hai¡¹ ¡¸Nevertheless¡­¡¹ Euchemard shifted his gaze upwards. Although it was blurred because of the fog, a silhouette that gave one the impression of a big tree whose leaves and branches were cut off towered in front of Cyril¡¯s party. Looking up at the top, Euchemard smiled slightly. ¡¸Is the one defending this place that youngster who is Remi Christian¡¯s cousin?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s Sigibert Duevre, who had a narrow escape the other day¡¹ ¡¸For that kind of youngster to even come intruding again without Ballesteros¡­ does he intend to vindicate his reputation, or is Remi Christian simply feeble-minded¡­ in any case, it¡¯s worth seeing when they¡¯ll notice this¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be excellent if we can end this before they notice though¡¹ ¡¸Certainly¡­ it¡¯s not too late even from now; however, it¡¯d save us the trouble if they surrender¡¹ ¡¸U?¡¹ At that moment, Lampito, who was leaning against Cyril¡¯s bottom and facing the rear alone, raised her face as if she had noticed something. ¡¸¡ªYour Highness!¡¹ Before long, an orderly soldier riding a horse came from the front and informed Euchemard¡¯s party. ¡¸It seems that sounds of horns could be heard from the direction of Delbr¨¹ck!¡¹ ¡¸¡­It looks like that youngster wants to fight with me at any cost¡­¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that better than a castle siege battle, which is no different to mere work, for Your Highness as well?¡¹ ¡¸However, don¡¯t be too happy. ¡ªYou must render military service too, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡¹ Within the whole army that had begun to move slowly, the chariot Euchemard was riding also started running. ¡¸¡ªAs soon as the preparations are complete, commence throwing. No need to think about aiming at the enemies who will come out attacking from the town!¡¹ Cyril, who had seen Euchemard off, straddled a horse together with Lampito and encouraged the combat engineers operating the trebuchets. ¡¸¡ªThey¡¯ll eventually fear the sound of the stone bullet cutting through the wind and lose their fighting spirits! Don¡¯t let up on throwing stones at all until then! At the same time, we mustn¡¯t allow the enemy to get close! If we do so, victory is ours! The time to take a big step towards engraving our names in history together with Euchemard-denka has come!¡¹ The combat engineers and also the soldiers guarding the trebuchets thrust their fists up high to the sky simultaneously at Cyril¡¯s loud voice. ¡¸Yururogu banzai! Euchemard-denka banzai!¡¹ The cheers of thousands of soldiers shook the sky, which was filled with fog. To cheer them up even more, Cyril held his sword up over his head and galloped the horse. ¡¸Victory to our army! Death to the usurper of Aurillac!¡¹ While saying a phrase that was ordinary but for the purpose of raising the soldiers¡¯ morale, Cyril incidentally looked down at Lampito. For this girl who was opening her mouth wide and looking up at him, she most likely wouldn¡¯t understand the feelings of them, who fought for their motherland, even if she took a whole life. After all, Lampito probably didn¡¯t have a hometown. Volume 4 - CH 6.2 Hooves sounding ¡°kappo kappo¡±, the Seal Chivalric OrderTanpries Aigies Isaac was leading departed for the front leisurely from Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s north gate. The Gale Chivalric OrderRorudor Rafuale, which Sigibert led, and Haiderota¡¯s regular army were already starting their march towards Yururogu¡¯s army to destroy those trebuchets. Nonetheless, the fog was still thick, and at the present time where each other¡¯s figure couldn¡¯t even be seen, it might be a situation where they were advancing by groping their way. There should be an even longer delay until the real battle began. ¡¸Well¡­ though I promised to cooperate, what should I do? Specifically, how should I move my military force?¡¹ From above the head of Isaac who was saying carefree things, a somewhat out-of-place and relaxed girl¡¯s voice also descended this way. ¡¸Crown Prince~! It¡¯s dangerous to be at such a place when the enemy¡¯s stone bullets come flying~¡¹ ¡¸Uh¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Petra Rudbeck~! Please remember my name already~¡¹ Petra, who had bent herself forwards from the top of the rampart, was waving her hand with a ¡°bun bun¡± at Isaac beneath her feet. She, who wasn¡¯t suitable for battle, but was skilful at healing magic, would remain in the town together with Malena and take charge of logistical support. When Isaac had raised his hat and returned the greeting to Petra, he turned round to the front and sighed. ¡¸¡­I got told so by an amateur in war¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, the possibility of the enemy aiming and throwing stones at the surrounding rampart of the north gate isn¡¯t small. Though looking at the war situation, we should move from here first¡¹ When Lindegoa-kyou advised so, Angel who was waiting at the back knitted his brows openly and looked up at the sky. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s the matter, Angel-kun?¡¹ ¡¸No, just now, a sound¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Has a stone come flying already?¡¹ Lucius knitted his brows and similarly looked up at the sky. ¡¸¡­Is that it!¡¹ Lucius, who had quickly pulled off his glove and made a magic crestHieratika emerge on the back of his hand, fired a wind blade towards a silhouette that could faintly be seen beyond the veil of fog. ¡¸All members, calm your horses down!¡¹ Together with the grating sound of destruction, innumerable fragments of stone, from the size of a fist to the size of a pebble, fell from above their heads. ¡¸W, well done, Vice-Leader-dono¡­¡¹ Realising that Lucius had intercepted the stone bullet that came flying with his magic, Angel, though surprised, spoke words of praise. ¡¸No, I was just lucky. There¡¯s no guarantee that I can destroy it in the same way the next time it comes flying. ¡­If only this fog doesn¡¯t exist, then there are ways to deal with it though¡¹ ¡¸More importantly, isn¡¯t your hearing great, Angel-kun?¡¹ ¡¸No, that was me being lucky by chance only¡­¡¹ Smiling awkwardly as if he was shy, Angel scratched the tip of his freckled nose. Several seconds after that, a stone bullet sank into the rampart behind every member of the Chivalric Order. ¡¸!?¡¹ ¡¸What¡ª¡¹ Petra and Malena¡¯s shrill screams could be heard from above the rampart. Because they had received a surprise attack when they were feeling relieved that it wouldn¡¯t come flying for a while, their surprise might also be a matter of course. Perhaps even the Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s members couldn¡¯t understand what had happened, they were showing looks of bewilderment and desperately soothing the horses¡¯ wild excitement. ¡¸Are you all right, Your Highness!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ma, somehow or other¡¹ Isaac, who was holding on to the saddle to support his body, raised his face and smiled wryly. ¡¸This too¡­ I seem to have made a simple but serious misjudgement¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, all the members are safe. There¡¯s no casualty either!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re still lucky, huh. ¡ªAll right, then while Sigibert-kun is fighting a desperate battle at the centre, we¡¯ll move to the top of the hill that has relatively good footing on the west side!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Lucius and Lindegoa immediately overtook Isaac, who had struck his reins and started running, and became the vanguard. Angel who had stiffened his face was following them beside Isaac, who had moved to the rear. Isaac looked at Angel, and typical of this young man, he raised his lips with a ¡°ni¡±. ¡¸This has become an unexpected first campaign for both of us, huh¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes. ¡­But unlike me, Your Highness appears to be very calm¡¹ ¡¸Rather than calm, ma, I¡¯ve assumed a defiant attitude, you see. ¡­Moreover, Lucius-kun and others are in the position to become my shield¡¹ ¡°That¡¯s why I can remain relatively calm¡±, Isaac told Angel. That was most likely the truth. The Chivalric Order that Isaac aimed for, was a combat group that gathered only excellent soldiers who could guard their leader, who didn¡¯t even know how to handle a sword, and calmly cut across the centre of an enemy army of 1,000,000. Volume 4 - CH 6.3 The sun had already appeared above the mountain¡¯s ridge line completely, but the fog still hadn¡¯t cleared away. Of course, the hot air enveloping the surroundings wasn¡¯t only because of the fierce battle, it was easy to predict that the temperature would rise after the fog had cleared away. It¡¯d be quite warm until about noon, and it¡¯d probably be a cloudless clear sky. ¡¸Will the overall situation be decided by then¡­?¡¹ Narrowing his eyes at the battle cries, screams and bellows that could be heard far in the distance, Euchemard looked up at the sky. At the foremost line, the cavalry of Haiderota¡¯s army had repeated attacks, which seemed meaningless, on the infantry of Yururogu¡¯s army many times over since a short while ago. Building a wall of heavy infantry at the front and lining up archers and magic warriorsMarefikos at the rear, Yururogu¡¯s army merely continued to stop the attacks of Haiderota¡¯s army only. However, just by that alone, Haiderota¡¯s cavalry was gradually decreasing their number. The heavy infantry of Yururogu acted as a strong shield and protected the archers at the rear; at the same time, the archers¡¯ accurate shooting blunted the charge force of Haiderota¡¯s cavalry. As a result, Haiderota¡¯s army couldn¡¯t even break through Yururogu¡¯s infantry unit. However, Euchemard would never actively make an attack. Holding out against the enemy¡¯s fierce attacks, the moment when the other party showed signs of getting tired and retreating was by rights the perfect chance to switch to the offensive, but Euchemard would by no means give the order to do so. If the enemy retreated, he¡¯d leave it to them to retreat; if they attacked, he¡¯d fortify the defence like a turtle. The reason is that Euchemard didn¡¯t need to win in this field battle. The Yururogu¡¯s army just have to build a strong wall in front of its precious trebuchets and keep on protecting these castle siege weapons until Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s rampart was destroyed. Rather, they were afraid of moving forward too much to try to annihilate the enemy cavalry, leaving the trebuchets unprotected. ¡¸Your Highness¡¹ A new information came to Euchemard, who was watching the progress of the battle attentively. ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸A cavalry of about fifty horsemen is approaching from the west!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is it a detached force of Aurillac?¡¹ ¡¸The details are unclear, but it¡¯s a group that had rose patterns printed on blue mantles¡¹ ¡¸Rose¡­ huh¡¹ Euchemard¡¯s moustache quivered. ¡¸¡­I certainly didn¡¯t expect the Amaddo¡¯s brat to use the Aurillac¡¯s brat as a decoy to run through this battlefield¡­¡¹ ¡¸What should we do?¡¹ ¡¸Increase the thickness in the west a little. The extent of fifty horsemen won¡¯t make much difference, but just in case, we mustn¡¯t allow them to break through. ¡­Amaddo¡¯s Seal Chivalric Order is nothing but elites who have perfected both swordsmanship and magic¡­ ma, I don¡¯t know to what extent is that the truth, but there¡¯s such a rumour¡¹ ¡¸Ha!¡¹ Seeing the orderly who had ran away off, Euchemard knitted his brows. ¡¸¡­It doesn¡¯t seem that Amaddo¡¯s intention is to intervene in this battle though¡¹ The trebuchets were continuing their throws smoothly. At this rate, Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s rampart would probably collapse in the not-so-distant future. However, it was a small surprise to Euchemard that Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince would nonchalantly appear on this battlefield. Even if he understood that it wouldn¡¯t immediately lead to Amaddo¡¯s full-scale participation in the war, it wasn¡¯t something that could be completely ignored either. Although fifty cavalries was numerically trivial on this battlefield, it was a fact that it evoked a sense of discomfort, which was very hard to express, in Euchemard. Volume 4 - CH 6.4 ¡¸¡ªAmaddo¡¯s Crown Prince is coming from the west?¡¹ Cyril, who had received the same information slightly later than Euchemard, held the head of Lampito, who had reflexively tried to jump off the horse, down and suspiciously asked a question in return. ¡¸Is it the aforementioned chivalric order?¡¹ ¡¸His Highness seems to think so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Excluding a part of the war potential that was protecting the trebuchets, Euchemard had deployed almost all of the military forces as a thick wall. On the other hand, Cyril was thinking the Haiderota¡¯s army, which Sigibert commanded, clashing with them head-on was to forcibly break through the wall, fight against the trebuchets and try to destroy them, but it seemed that their objective wasn¡¯t only that. ¡¸Sigibert is a decoy, huh¡ª¡¹ Muddy land, mostly marshes, lakes and wetlands, spread out to the north of Delbr¨¹ck. Both armies were also deployed on relatively soft soil. It wasn¡¯t much of a burden to the infantry who remained on the spot and fought, but for the cavalry who rode fast and fought, they¡¯d be subjected to far more burdens than normal times. That Sigibert¡¯s attack was unsuccessful must be because of such footing as well. However, the west of this battlefield was a slightly elevated low hill, and the footing to there wasn¡¯t bad. The Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince most likely intended to run down from there in one breath and attack the flank of Yururogu¡¯s army. Although their number was fifty at most, and he heard that it was a chivalric order that gathered sons of nobles only, it might be too hasty to consider them outside war potential from that alone. Daring to appear on this battlefield meant that courageous young men had been chosen; after all, the other party was Amaddo. If he perceived them as a group of horse-riding magic warriors, it was fine to regard them not as fifty cavalries, but five hundred light archery-cavalry soldiers, possibly having more fighting strength than that. Above all, he heard that the vice-leader of the Seal Chivalric Order was the son of the famous ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡±. The main force at the front was a huge decoy to get Yururogu¡¯s army to turn its gaze that way, and these fifty were in fact the trump card¡ªCyril, who was thinking of such a possibility, however, noticed Lampito sniffing ¡°fun fun¡± and narrowed his eyes. ¡¸¡­Where¡¯s that woman?¡¹ It had been confirmed that Sigibert was among the enemy army. However, he hadn¡¯t hear any reports that Clotilde, his adjutant, was there. The other Dominas didn¡¯t have any fighting strength, so it wasn¡¯t strange even if she wasn¡¯t at this place, but it was impossible that Sigibert wouldn¡¯t send out that woman, whom he personally boasted as ¡°White Rose of Steel¡±, as a war potential. Besides, if the Amaddo¡¯s Crown Prince didn¡¯t return to his country and was here, then where were the Amaddo¡¯s Dominas? Did they remain in the town for fear of getting injured? ¡¸¡­Lampito¡¹ Stroking the girl¡¯s head, Cyril spoke. ¡¸Where do you think we should go?¡¹ ¡¸U, u¡­? T, that way¡¹ Lampito stood behind Cyril with a smooth, unhindered motion, held on to his shoulder and pointed to a different direction. ¡¸Is that so¡ª¡¹ Cyril pulled the reins and turned the horse around. ¡¸If you¡¯re saying so, then that¡¯s probably the case¡¹ This was what ¡°Her Eminence¡±, whom they ought to serve, had said. It wasn¡¯t something Cyril could object to. Volume 4 - CH 6.5 ¡¸¡ªTwo!?¡¹ Being screamed at from nearby, Dimitar instinctively pulled back his head. ¡¸Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯ll know if you listen to the sound carefully¡¹ ¡¸Even if you tell me that, the noise of the wheels is so loud that I can¡¯t hear well!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your voice is louder now though¡¹ ¡¸Kyaa!?¡¹ The cart shook greatly with a ¡°gakon¡± and Valeria fell down. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll fall down if you stand up, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯ve already fallen down!¡¹ Snapping at the calm Karin, Valeria got up. ¡¸Are you all always noisy like this?¡¹ Clotilde spoke with a half-amazed and half-wry smile. Dimitar snorted lightly and looked back over his shoulder at the Dominas who was dressed entirely in white even at a time like this. ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you fight together with His Excellency? There¡¯s no need to accompany us, who might be doing the dirty work¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t do that. The destruction of the trebuchets is an absolute mission for Delbr¨¹ck¡¯s defence. I can¡¯t leave it to others. ¡­Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t trust you all¡¹ ¡¸W, we know that¡¹ Arranging her dishevelled hair and looking somewhat perturbed, Valeria asked Clotilde. ¡¸¡ªY, you said ¡°two¡±, right!? Is it true that there are two?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m afraid so¡¹ ¡¸The sound is slightly different from the one we heard during the test firing at dawn, after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realise too¡¹ ¡¸The trebuchet¡¯s stone bullet will draw a large parabola and come flying. Rather than being fired, it felt more like it was being fired upwards¡¹ Dimitar sat down on the cargo box, which continued to shake with a clatter, and explained so that even the girl who was ignorant of the ways of the world would understand. ¡¸¡ªEspecially Yururogu¡¯s trebuchets, they might be of uncommon size judging from the flying distance. Naturally, the stone bullet will fall after ascending temporarily to a considerable height. At that time, you can hear a sound, similar to moving fast against the wind, that precedes it slightly¡¹ ¡¸Are you saying that it¡¯s different from the sound at dawn?¡¹ ¡¸Strictly speaking, it isn¡¯t different. It overlapped¡¹ ¡¸Overlapped?¡¹ ¡¸While the sound of the first shot moving fast against the wind hasn¡¯t disappear, you can hear the next sound overlapping it. That¡¯s probably the two trebuchets firing at staggered timings¡¹ ¡¸I, isn¡¯t that bad¡­?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s bad for sure¡¹ To have focused on nothing but the fact that the enemy had brought out the trebuchet and be arbitrarily convinced that there was only one¡ªas a lot of parts and a tremendously heavy weight must be prepared for even one¡ªthey could do nothing but say that they all had been careless. It wasn¡¯t completely unimaginable if they considered the fact that it was impossible that the old general, Euchemard, would leave the trebuchet¡¯s flaw, which was its long firing interval, as it was. Dimitar frowned while stroking the nape of his neck. ¡¸¡­There being two trebuchets doesn¡¯t only mean that the number of stone bullets that will come flying merely doubled. It has become a more troublesome matter¡¹ ¡¸Certainly¡­ if there¡¯s only one, the rampart can be repaired in the ten minutes until the next throw, but since we know that there are two, we can¡¯t repair calmly. We don¡¯t know when the next stone will come flying¡ª¡¹ ¡¸But if they come flying in succession, we¡¯ve an interval of close to ten minutes to spare afterwards¡ª¡¹ ¡¸The enemy has two trebuchets¡­ that being the case, I believe that thinking they might also have a third one is a very natural thought. Especially because of this fog, we can¡¯t directly ascertain the number of trebuchets from the top of the rampart, after all¡¹ Clotilde murmured while playing around with her cap, which was on her lap, for some reason or another. ¡¸¡ªHowever, Puyol-geika will probably manage it aptly even if casualties appear. She was originally a child who was discovered by the predecessor when she was working as a subordinate at a charity hospital of Aurillac and then aimed for the path of a Dominas, after all¡¹ ¡¸Though I said that, it¡¯s pointless if we don¡¯t stop the throw itself. ¡­If His Excellency¡¯s army is annihilated, I¡¯m afraid that we can¡¯t hold the castle even if the rampart is safe¡¹ ¡¸Um~¡­ can I ask a question?¡¹ Bettina, who kept running with a ¡°gassha gassha¡±, interjected timidly. ¡¸Do I still have to go forward like this?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. If you didn¡¯t advance in the wrong direction¡¹ ¡¸I ran correctly as you said! Even though I¡¯m covered with mud like this and doing my best¡­¡¹ Shaken by the cart that Bettina was pulling, Dimitar¡¯s party was trying to circumvent the east side of the battlefield greatly. As the outskirts of Delbr¨¹ck slanted gently from the west to the east, the further east one went, the wetter and muddier the land became. That Yururogu would take up its position there was probably because they, taking into account the firm soil that could withstand the trebuchets¡¯ weight and the stone bullet¡¯s flying distance, concluded that the trebuchets couldn¡¯t be installed at places other than there. Especially this east side, one could say that it was practically a wetland zone. If one went further east, water would gradually percolate through the ground and one would soon reach a lakes and marshes region. Anyway, as the ground that abounded in mud was too much for even the horsepower of a warhorse, if one carelessly stepped into such a place, one¡¯s feet would stop, and one might become a suitable prey for archers. Bettina was running swiftly on that muddy level ground, which was empty because of that, with her non-standard leg strength. Taking a roundabout path greatly like this and cutting through the north side of the battlefield, and then making a surprise attack on the trebuchets from behind was the mission assigned to Dimitar¡¯s party. In short, both Sigibert¡¯s army at the front and Isaac¡¯s Seal Chivalric Order, which had moved to the hill on the west side, were decoys. ¡¸We¡¯re reaching soon¡¹ Clotilde took out a detailed map of the outskirts of Delbr¨¹ck and nodded slightly. Before long, when the greenery started to stand out more than the area of mud covering the earth, they encountered a river. In reality, it was a stream of shallow water, which was doubtful whether it could be called a river and could be crossed over in one stride; however, it was virtually the only landmark while their fields of vision had been obstructed by the fog. ¡¸Gacha Pink, turn left. Run along the river¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Turning abruptly in front of the river, the cart drove at full speed again, churning up not mud but spray this time. Dimitar stained his eyes and stared fixedly forward. ¡¸¡­Ma, whether there are two or three trebuchets, what we¡¯re going to do doesn¡¯t change. At any rate, we¡¯ve to destroy all of them¡¹ ¡¸You said ¡°destroy¡±, but how will we do that specifically? Are we really going to destroy them with all our strength?¡¹ ¡¸The easiest way would be cutting the rope for raising the weight¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Such a simple thing?¡¹ ¡¸The trebuchet¡¯s structure itself is simple¡¹ The trebuchet, which made its arm swing using the force of the weight coming down and then launched the stone bullet with that momentum, must raise that weight using a rope and a pulley first for its throw. If that rope was cut, though a matter of course, let alone the throw, even the preparation couldn¡¯t be done. ¡¸¡ªHowever, the rope can also be replaced immediately, and since the trebuchets are non-standard in the first place, there¡¯s a possibility that they¡¯re using not ropes but chains too. ¡­Therefore, if we destroy the pulley itself or the shaft connecting the weight and the arm, I don¡¯t think they can be repaired so easily¡¹ ¡¸The other party also won¡¯t let us do that so easily, but as one would expect, it might work out if we take them by surprise from right behind. ¡­Oi, stop for a while, Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸Yes yes¡¹ Bettina put on the brakes, stumbling a step or two forward. A large number of deep grooves were carved on the ground several steps in front of her. The grooves, which ran from north to south, crossing the stream of water, indicated that the transport corps loaded with a considerable amount of cargo had passed through here. ¡¸Run along these wheel tracks now¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Bettina began to run towards the south this time. They¡¯d naturally arrive at the installation location of the trebuchets if they followed these wheel tracks. Bending herself forward from the cart and looking down at the wheel tracks, Valeria murmured as if she was struck with admiration. ¡¸The fact that such a deep wheel track could be made means that the weight is very heavy¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s probably about ten times the weight you¡¯re imagining¡¹ ¡¸Ten times!?¡¹ ¡¸How heavy do you think it is? Incidentally, according to what I heard from the chief engineerMaestour, the weight of a trebuchet lying idle in the storehouse of the Roma¡¯s army weighs nearly two hundred talents¡¹ ¡¸T, two hundred talents¡­!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about two hundred times your body weight¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not so heavy!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m always carrying you on my back and running around; judging by my sense, you¡¯re that heavy though. I see. Then, it¡¯s your clothes and treasured sword that are heavy, huh¡¹ ¡¸Gunu¡­!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face became bright red, and she kept silent. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry to disturb you when you¡¯re chatting happily¡¹ As soon as Valeria kept silent, Karin opened her mouth this time. ¡¸Did you not hear something just now?¡¹ ¡¸I heard it all right¡ªbut I feel that it was a little different from the sound of a stone bullet flying¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably the sound of the arm swinging when throwing. ¡­They¡¯re close by¡¹ The air temperature was rising even more than when they left Delbr¨¹ck. The fog might also clear away very soon. Under the cover of the night fog and darkness, Yururogu had successfully installed the trebuchets without being noticed by the Haiderota¡¯s army, but it was Dimitar¡¯s party¡¯s turn to take a roundabout path to their rear under the cover of the morning fog and make a surprise attack on them this time. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar stopped his hand that was stroking the nape of his neck and suddenly removed the steel umbrella from the back of Bettina¡¯s waist. ¡¸Dimitar? What do you intend to do?¡¹ ¡¸Be careful. ¡­I hear the sound of hooves¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Clotilde, who had bared her shoulders silently, wore her cap low over her eyes. Her expression was already that of the woman who was extolled as a goddess of war by the people of her motherland. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s as far as you go!¡¹ ¡¸!¡¹ A great number of deep crimson flames descended from the sky, blowing the fog away. ¡¸Tsk¡ª¡¹ Dimitar held Choruruka up with his left hand and opened it towards the sky. ¡¸Akyaa!?¡¹ Immediately after Dimitar had used ¡°Iron wall¡±Rampart to knock down the rain of flame arrows, Bettina who was pulling the cart was blown off together with a scream. ¡¸Hey¡ªwa!?¡¹ Bettina, who was blown off, crashed into the cart and flew into the air together with all the passengers. Volume 4 - CH 6.6 For an instant, she didn¡¯t understand what had happened. However, she was attacked by the sensation of her body floating weightlessly immediately after Bettina collided with the cart, and when she realised, her field of vision had reversed. Although she didn¡¯t fully understand what had happened, she could immediately comprehend what kind of situation she was in. She doubted that she¡¯d get used to such things, but at any rate, she was probably blown off flashily. Valeria¡¯s eyes moved around quickly, and confirming the positions of the sky and ground, she promptly concentrated her consciousness on both feet. ¡¸¡ªTo!¡¹ Using the wind created by both feet and rearranging her posture, she landed softly. ¡¸You¡¯re quite good. ¡ªYou¡¯d have gotten a passing mark if you had been a bit more careful though¡¹ ¡¸Ui¡ª!?¡¹ Holding Valeria who had breathed a sigh of relief in his arms sideways, Dimitar jumped back from that spot. Suddenly, a long-haired girl descended on the spot where Valeria was until just now. The knife that the girl was grasping tightly with both hands sank into the wet ground with a ¡°mishiri¡± up to its hilt. ¡¸That child¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡°Her Eminence¡± has appeared, huh¡ª¡¹ When they hurriedly ran their eyes over the surroundings, they saw a man riding a horse turning around on the opposite side and running towards them. He was probably that young commissioned officer called ¡°Cyril¡± or something. It must be the girl¡ªLampito who had sent rain of flames from above the heads of Valeria¡¯s party, and the young man¡ªCyril who had dealt a blow to Bettina. ¡¸C, come to think of it, how¡¯s Bettina!?¡¹ ¡¸Ma, if it¡¯s one blow, she can probably withstand it with room to spare. ¡­It seems that that man isn¡¯t very skilful at magic¡¹ ¡¸Costacurta-geika! Richternach-kyou!¡¹ When they looked in the direction of the voice, Clotilde and Karin were helping the completely exhausted Bettina up. For the time being, the three people all seemed to be safe. Arranging her breathing quietly, Valeria passed magic power through the magic crests on both arms so that she could use magic at any time. ¡¸¡­What should we do?¡¹ ¡¸You all go first while I prevent those guys from leaving¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re still saying that?¡¹ Valeria smacked Dimitar¡¯s head with a ¡°supan¡± and instinctively raised her voice. ¡¸¡ªYou also said that last time, remained behind by yourself, and then came back severely injured, right!?¡¹ ¡¸That was because I didn¡¯t make a serious effort¡¹ ¡¸That sort of thing again¡ª¡¹ The ¡°serious effort¡± Dimitar was saying was probably that, the magic crest that would emerge on his arm. However, if that was the case, then she mustn¡¯t let Dimitar make a serious effort. After all, he said that it was impossible to stop by himself if he went out of control. Valeria took a step forward to restrain Dimitar and confronted Lampito, who was staring fixedly at them. ¡¸Rather than beating you to stop you, the opponent here seems easier!¡¹ ¡¸¡­That might be a reasonable assessment, but I said that the matter of you fighting against that young girl is reckless¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say every single thing that will grate on my nerves! ¡ªKarin, Diaghilev-geika! You all go first!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, we shall do so then!¡¹ Karin replied with a particularly loud voice. It wasn¡¯t like the usually quiet Karin. However, it was a response that could be said to be very typical of Karin. ¡¸!¡¹ The eyes of Lampito, who had reacted to Karin¡¯s voice, shifted. It was obvious that Karin had shouted to distract Lampito¡¯s attention. ¡¸¡ªYa!¡¹ Valeria fired ¡°Whirlwind¡±Razor towards Lampito, who had looked away. ¡¸Don¡¯t lose focus, Lampito!¡¹ Just before the wind blade hit her directly, Cyril who had come from behind stretched his hand and pulled Lampito up onto the saddle in the nick of time. ¡¸Mou! Why did she avoid it!?¡¹ Her attack that had taken advantage of Lampito¡¯s carelessness evaded, Valeria stamped her feet. Immediately after that, Cyril¡¯s horse pitched forward. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you had been a bit more careful, you¡¯d have gotten a passing mark¡¹ When she looked to the side in surprise, Dimitar spat out words similar to just now while in the pose of having swung his sword downwards. It seemed that he had aimed for the moment when Cyril had rescued Lampito and then felt relieved. ¡¸H, how sly! Snatching another person¡¯s achievement¡ªhyo!?¡¹ Dimitar carried Valeria, who had tried to protest, in his arms and started running. ¡¸W¡­ eh!? D, do you normally run away!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not running away. I¡¯m just setting my priorities. ¡­Besides, if we¡¯re going to fight anyway, then I¡¯m changing location¡¹ ¡¸To where!?¡¹ ¡¸Having companions around will be less lonely¡¹ In front of Dimitar who had accelerated in one breath with his enhanced leg strength, a characteristic silhouette could be seen already. ¡¸Bettina!¡¹ ¡¸Au¡­ Valeria-sama¡ª¡¹ Shouldering the umbrella, Bettina was running while zigzagging unsteadily. Karin and Clotilde had probably gone further ahead. ¡¸Are you all right!?¡¹ ¡¸I, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m all right, b, but anyway, Karin-sama told me to run¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. They¡¯ll immediately catch up with us if we stop¡¹ When she looked back at Dimitar¡¯s cold words, Valeria caught sight of Lampito and Cyril pursuing them relentlessly. ¡¸¡ªWe shall charge in like this¡¹ ¡¸C, charge in where!?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¹ At the front pointed by Dimitar, a vague silhouette of a big tree could be seen beyond the thin fog. ¡ªNo, it wasn¡¯t a big tree; it was a trebuchet. The things wriggling at its base were probably the Yururogu¡¯s soldiers protecting the trebuchet. Perhaps Karin¡¯s party had already cut their way into the enemy position, vivid battle cries could be heard, and Valeria shivered lightly. Volume 4 - CH 6.7 Relying fully on the momentum of rushing in, Dimitar drove a flying kick into the soldier in front of him. ¡¸Gubu¡­¡¹ ¡¸Uah!?¡¹ Pushing down five, six soldiers at the back all at once, Dimitar surveyed his surroundings. Whichever way he looked, there were only enemies and no figures of allies anywhere. If one used flashy magic in this situation, they¡¯d be dragged into it no matter what. In order to seal Lampito¡¯s powerful magic, he had purposely rushed into the Yururogu¡¯s soldiers. However, Dimitar who had looked back to the rear realised that his expectation was naive. ¡¸¡ªAre you kidding me¡­!¡¹ Lampito had already raised that knife overhead, and its tip contained a pale brilliance. No matter how one looked at it, there was no sign of her being concerned about the surrounding friendly troops. ¡¸I¡¯m going to throw¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ Valeria frowned at Dimitar¡¯s murmur, which had leaked out in a whisper. ¡¸Throw, you say, t, throw what!?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it obvious when I said that I¡¯m going to throw?¡¹ Flinging Valeria on his back to the sky, Dimitar lowered his posture and started running. ¡¸!¡¹ As was expected, Lampito¡¯s gaze moved away from Dimitar and turned towards Valeria. Although it didn¡¯t mean that her attention was distracted, it might be because her senses were too keen that this girl would react immediately to slight changes in her surroundings; as a result of that, she seemed to have the weakness of creating such unguarded moments. ¡¸Don¡¯t look away, Lampito!¡¹ ¡¸¡ªAh, u, un¡¹ At Cyril¡¯s few words, the tip of Lampito¡¯s knife, which was about to turn towards Valeria for a moment, immediately turned towards Dimitar again. However, hesitation could still be seen in that tip. ¡¸¡ªYa!¡¹ Cold air condensed at the knife edge, turned into ice bullets and flew. ¡¸To!¡¹ Dimitar instantly grabbed a soldier there by the scruff of the neck and pulled him towards himself. ¡¸Aga!?¡¹ Innumerable icicles pierced the back of the thin metal armour that the soldier was wearing. Even if they didn¡¯t penetrate, the armour that was showered with stones of ice in succession deformed horribly, and the soldier who had received that impact on his back lost consciousness in an instant. ¡¸Oi oi, isn¡¯t he your ally?¡¹ Casually throwing the soldier who had become limp at Lampito, Dimitar slashed at the girl. ¡¸Lampito! This petty official will be this man¡¯s opponent! You¡¯ll protect the trebuchets! Go deal with Clotilde Diaghilev!¡¹ ¡¸U, u¡­!¡¹ When Lampito temporarily jumped backwards to maintain a distance from Dimitar, Cyril slid into that place without a moment¡¯s delay. In his hand was, as expected, that magic motion swordEspada Marefika that Dante had possessed in large quantities. ¡¸You¡ªwhere did you obtain that!?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸That sword!¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Raising his lips coldly, Cyril slashed at Dimitar. The moment when the tip of the sword, which ran from the right shoulder to the left flank, drawing a path that would cut him down, was repelled by Jagieruka, it ran horizontally this time, aiming for Dimitar¡¯s throat. The surrounding Yururogu¡¯s soldiers couldn¡¯t interfere in the fight between Dimitar and Cyril and were just surrounding them at a distance. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Fast. Dimitar, who had bent backwards slightly and dodged the sweeping-sideways blow, felt a chill on his back. During the time when Dimitar lunged his sword once, Cyril had lunged twice; rather than him simply moving his sword fast, it was the change during the process that was fast. Although exasperating, that could no longer be described as anything but a difference in technique. When Cyril tried to change the point of his sword and slashed at him again, Dimitar kicked Cyril¡¯s stomach and leapt backwards. ¡¸Gu¡­¡¹ Without missing a split second, Dimitar swung Jagieruka¡¯s tip. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ll dampen your ardour¡¹ A bluish-black brilliance meandered intricately and ran through from around his right elbow to the point of his sword, bringing about new vitality in Dimitar¡¯s whole body. Furthermore, Dimitar drew different magic squares one after another and thrust them at Cyril. ¡¸¡­Fu!¡¹ Although he narrowed his eyes at the flames that had spouted out, Cyril quickly took a roundabout path from the side and thrust at Dimitar with his sword. A smile that made one feel that he still had room to spare appeared on his mouth. ¡¸It seems to be a place called ¡°Uruhaimato¡± or something?¡¹ ¡¸What¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸The woman who brought this sword seemed to have said something like that. ¡ªWhere that is, this petty official doesn¡¯t know though!¡¹ ¡¸Ga¡­!¡¹ An intense pain sank into the solar plexus of Dimitar, who had dodged all three continuous thrusts. Cyril had thrown a knife that he had carried concealed at him during the fight where blades were flashing rapidly. The surrounding soldiers charged at Dimitar, who had staggered unintentionally, with their spears at the ready. ¡¸Damn¡­!¡¹ Dimitar endured not to fall face up in the nick of time and jumped upwards. ¡¸¡ªI won¡¯t let you escape!¡¹ A carefully-aimed flame arrow flew towards Dimitar who had slipped out from the middle of the circle of encirclement with an astounding jumping power. It was an attack from Cyril who had used the magic motion sword. ¡¸¡­This is still easier than going against the tip of his sword, which is hard to pin down¡¹ Suppressing the pain, which was throbbing to the throbbing pulsation of his heart, with a wry smile, Dimitar knocked down the flame arrow. It might be because of the exaltation from the fight, the pain in his solar plexus was disappearing as if it had already become numb. From the viewpoint of wielding a sword, this was helpful, but it didn¡¯t mean that the bleeding had stopped. ¡¸Guga¡¹ Dimitar stepped on the head of a solider who was just near the landing spot, glanced diagonally behind and jumped again. Although the fog had faded, it was difficult to search for Valeria¡¯s figure in this melee. However, he¡¯d probably meet her eventually if he moved towards the trebuchets, which could be confirmed even from here. Dimitar pulled out the knife stuck in his stomach and grimaced at the new pain. Volume 4 - CH 6.8 Bettina, to the left!¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ In accordance with Valeria¡¯s instruction, Bettina swung Choruruka to the left. ¡¸Gugyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Gowa¡¹ The soldiers were blown off at that instant and raised deep screams. Immediately afterwards, ice stones struck against Choruruka¡¯s surface, and it shook violently. ¡¸To the top a little!¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes!¡¹ At the same time as Bettina having Choruruka take on that angle of elevation, Valeria placed her hand onto its handle and poured her magic power into it in one breath. The wind that had arisen there blew Lampito, who was approaching overhead, away. ¡¸Now, while we have the chance!¡¹ ¡¸Yes! Please hold on tight!¡¹ Bettina pointed the umbrella to the front and started running towards the trebuchets while carrying Valeria on her head. Although their figures couldn¡¯t be confirmed yet, judging by the fact that soldiers¡¯ screams could be heard from another location, Karin and Clotilde might also be cutting their way into this place already. ¡¸We have to destroy the trebuchets quickly¡­!¡¹ Just by counting, Valeria had heard the throwing sound of the trebuchets more than five times. If all those stone bullets impacted the same place, the rampart might have been destroyed already. She could only pray that Petra and Malena would repair it somehow. ¡¸Ooooh!¡¹ Perhaps they were trying to obstruct Bettina¡¯s path, lightly-equipped infantrymen formed a row and created a wall, their spears pointed to the front at the ready. However, once Bachururus, which boasted the power of ten humans, was carried by that speed, it couldn¡¯t be stopped so easily. The soldiers who had stopped Bettina¡¯s charge directly were pushed back in one breath, their spears easily smashed. ¡¸Gyawah!¡¹ ¡¸Guoh¡­ e, endure¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Push them back¡­!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a shame, but that¡¯s impossible!¡¹ Valeria passed magic power through Choruruka, which was adhered to the soldiers, without a moment¡¯s delay and invoked ¡°Whirlwind¡±Cyclone. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The brave men, who had stopped Bettina¡¯s charge once, were shaken by a local storm and blown away flashily. However, even though they were simply blown off, they were sent flying high and then fell down, or crashing into their comrades; most soldiers became unable to stand up properly. The ones who could receive this unscathed¡ªlike her, for example¡ªmight only be people who could recover their balance in the air. ¡¸How persistent¡­!¡¹ Noticing that Lampito was pursuing from the rear, Valeria bit her lip. In order to do something about that nimble girl, Valeria could only hit her with a powerful magic that absolutely couldn¡¯t be offset. But because Lampito¡¯s movements were fast, she wasn¡¯t given time to use powerful magic. Thus, she could only blow her away with Cyclone to buy time in the end. At that moment, the soldiers who were trying to block the path of Valeria¡¯s party again screamed and were routed. ¡¸Valeria!¡¹ ¡¸Karin!? And Diaghilev-geika too!¡¹ In front of her, Valeria could catch a glimpse of Karin¡¯s and Clotilde¡¯s figures fighting alone¡ªthough the number of people was wrong to say so¡ªinside a crowd of soldiers. ¡¸Bettina! Run straight like this! Karin¡¯s party is there!¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Bettina roared noisily on the route that Karin had cut open for her. Valeria looked back to the rear again. Before her eyes was Lampito¡¯s face, of which more than half was hidden by her casually flowing hair. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The big eyes beyond the long hair were staring fixedly at Valeria, containing neither animosity nor hatred but an emotion that one couldn¡¯t tell what it was exactly. It was a situation where Lampito was barely clinging to Bettina¡¯s back in a strange posture, but perhaps it also gave an impression that the girl was inhuman, she looked unbelievably eerie to Valeria. ¡¸Hi¡ª!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s mind turned pure white inside, and her scream leaked out one beat late. Although Valeria had a vague thought that she had to chant some magic, Lampito raised her right hand faster than she could point her right hand at the girl¡¯s face. Naturally, her hand was grasping that knife. ¡¸Ta¡ª!?¡¹ The next moment, a small knife pierced Lampito¡¯s right shoulder, and her body lurched diagonally, sliding down from Bettina¡¯s back. ¡¸¡ªAre you all right!?¡¹ ¡¸Dimitar¡­¡¹ Valeria, who was dazed like that for a little while, became aware of Dimitar, who had been running side-by-side with Bettina unnoticed, and blinked her eyes as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep. ¡¸You aren¡¯t hurt, are you!?¡¹ ¡¸Uh¡­ it seems that I¡¯m all right¡¹ Valeria checked her own body and then looked around her surroundings. ¡¸She isn¡¯t dead¡¹ Dimitar spoke while stroking his stomach, seemingly annoyed. ¡¸¡­I intended to aim for her neck, but since there was a distance and it was while I was running, it missed a little. I think it had probably pierced her shoulder, but she won¡¯t die from the wound of one knife¡¹ ¡¸Ah!¡¹ Cyril, who had held the girl in his arms, jumped out from among the infantrymen with a tremendous force, drawing a large parabola and overtaking Dimitar¡¯s party in one breath. ¡¸Soldiers of Yururogu who possess unyielding fighting spirit!¡¹ Cyril jumped onto the top of a trebuchet, carried Lampito with his left hand and held the sword in his right hand up high. ¡¸¡ªEndure here! Don¡¯t let those lawless people come near! The enemy¡¯s rampart will crumble down together with a roaring sound soon! If you can endure until then, victory is yours! Eradicate the fake Dominas!¡¹ ¡¸Uooooooooh!¡¹ One could tell that the soldiers had become lively at Cyril¡¯s words. ¡¸¡­Ma, if a handsome man and a beautiful girl speak cheesy lines exaggeratedly, most people would be deceived and start to feel that way¡¹ Sneering coldly at Cyril¡¯s speech, Dimitar touched Choruruka¡¯s handle. ¡¸¡ªOi!¡¹ Dimitar opened a path with one blow of Cyclone, and Valeria¡¯s party finally linked up with Karin¡¯s party. ¡¸I¡¯m glad that all three of you are safe¡ª¡¹ Perhaps her uniform and cap had been lost somewhere, Clotilde who had greeted Valeria¡¯s party with a voice that felt slightly tired was practically in an outfit similar to underwear, but the figure of magic crests shining like emeralds emerging on her white skin, even if it was seen by Valeria who was a woman, was very attractive. While observing the moves of the surrounding soldiers vigilantly, Karin occasionally checked Cyril¡¯s party, who was on top of the trebuchet. ¡¸¡­They¡¯ve taken up positions at an unpleasant spot¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll probably come down of their own accord even if we leave them alone. If they¡¯re there, then the next throw can¡¯t be carried out no matter how much time passes, after all¡¹ ¡¸No, I¡¯ll drag them down immediately¡¹ ¡¸Wait a moment¡¹ Restraining Clotilde who was burning with a quiet fighting spirit, Dimitar held out his sword to Valeria. ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ ¡¸She and I will do something about the one in front of us. You and Karin-sama will do something about the other one over there¡¹ ¡¸¡­That girl is a fake Eminence, right?¡¹ Clotilde mowed down the soldiers, who had tried to attack from behind, with one blow of her treasured sword without even turning around and stared at Dimitar. ¡¸She looks like quite a formidable opponent; do you have an idea or something?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Our Eminence will defeat her¡¹ ¡¸Huh!?¡¹ He had her hold the heavy sword with both hands, and to make matters worse, arbitrarily made a strange declaration; Valeria then raised a miserable voice. As she was almost killed when they fought previously, she had carefully thought in her own way how she could defeat Lampito this time; in the end, even though she was beginning to give up, thinking that it might be impossible for her, what on earth was he telling her to do, making her hold such a weapon, which she couldn¡¯t even use. ¡¸Gacha Pink, you¡¯ll open a path for Karin-sama¡¯s party¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ ¡¸Well then, shall we go?¡¹ Dimitar removed the gauntlet on his left hand, held Valeria up in his arms and started running. ¡¸!¡¹ Seeing Bettina beginning to run at the same time, Lampito¡¯s face moved, looking around restlessly. ¡¸You protect this side! I¡¯ll keep those people in check!¡¹ Leaving Lampito at that spot, Cyril leapt to pursue Karin¡¯s party that was led by Bettina. Perhaps from his perspective, he must have seen Bettina¡¯s gallant figure forcibly blowing off the soldiers who were present and lined up. ¡¸Hey¡­ Dimitar!?¡¹ Valeria who was held up in his arms in a posture different from usual¡ªin short, a princess carry¡ªlooked up at Dimitar¡¯s face while grasping the sword tightly in front of her chest, her face turning bright red. ¡¸W, what do you intend to do!? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to do that again¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Be at ease. I said that I won¡¯t make a serious effort, right?¡¹ ¡¸Nevertheless, even if you foist this on me¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right¡¹ ¡¸So what¡¯s all right!?¡¹ ¡¸Can you use ¡°Lightning Bolt¡±Blitz?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Do you understand the magic crest¡¯s composition?¡¹ ¡¸I, I think I understand, but¡­ I¡¯ve never used such a troublesome magic!¡¹ Fundamentally, the higher the power of the magic was, the more time it took to use it. After all, it took that much time to circulate sufficient magic power in the complex magic crest and complete it as a magic square. In that sense, Blitz was a magic that took an exceptional time. If Valeria tried to use it, she¡¯d probably take two, three minutes. However, its power was tremendous; if she could use that, even defeating Lampito was certainly not impossible. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯ve never used it. Even I have never used it, after all¡¹ Nimbly jumping onto the shoulder of the soldier in front of him and then to the next soldier from there, Dimitar spoke, jumping from shoulder to shoulder. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Lampito, who was on top of the trebuchet, aimed at Valeria¡¯s party and shot ¡°Fire Bullet¡±Blast in rapid succession. However, just like how Valeria couldn¡¯t catch Lampito with her magic, Lampito couldn¡¯t catch the current Dimitar either. While skilfully dodging the girl¡¯s magic and running, Dimitar laughed in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªHowever, this thing was completed on the assumption that Blitz would also be used¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that true?¡¹ ¡¸Look here¡­ I designed the magic crests of this thing, you know? Why would I tell a lie?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I, I see¡­ that¡¯s true¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, if you use that, your burden should decrease considerably. Most importantly, the time can be shortened¡¹ ¡¸That might be the case¡ªbut I¡¯ve never used a magic motion sword¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say stupid things. You even used it just now, right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m referring to the umbrella called ¡°Choruruka¡± or something. I¡¯ve said that that¡¯s a kind of magic motion sword too, right? If you can use that, you can also use Jagieruka. Don¡¯t be choosy¡¹ ¡¸Even if you say so¡­¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, we¡¯re commencing at once. After I move to a position where you can hit her, fire without hesitation when you can use it. ¡ªIn order to make her realise the power of Amaddo¡¯s Dominas, a demonstration of that extent might be necessary¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹ Remembering why she was on this battlefield, Valeria nodded. Holding the sword up high, she quietly poured her magic power into it. Red magic crests emerged on the blade¡¯s surface immediately. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Turning over the various drawers inside her head, Valeria recalled the magic square for Blitz. Using the magic crests carved on both her arms and also this sword, she faithfully reproduced that magic square. The light, which was weak at the beginning, gradually became stronger, its brightness increasing as if pulsing. ¡¸You concentrate on that! ¡ªI¡¯m charging in!¡¹ Dimitar used the soldiers¡¯ shoulders and heads as footings and approached the trebuchet in one breath. Without letting one feel the instability of his steps completely, Dimitar dodged Lampito¡¯s attacks entirely and then trampled on the head of a combat engineer, who was preparing the stone bullet, with all his strength. ¡¸Bu¡­ gusu¡ª¡¹ Perhaps the bone of his neck had suffered damage, the combat engineer fell down; Dimitar kicked his head and jumped onto the tip of the diagonally inclined arm. On the opposite side was Lampito opening her eyes wide. On this and that side of one wooden foothold, Valeria¡¯s party finally stood face to face with Lampito. ¡¸¡ªDimitar!¡¹ Valeria, who was narrowing her eyes firmly, felt the sword she was holding shaking with a ¡°biri biri¡± and had a hunch that the magic¡¯s invocation was near. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m going!¡¹ Dimitar executed an approach run of two, three steps and jumped. ¡¸U, h, h-h, h, h¡­ hit¡ª¡¹ Lampito created a fireball bigger than herself in between the knife on her right hand and her left hand and threw it towards Dimitar, who had rushed up to the empty sky. ¡¸It¡¯s now or never, oi!?¡¹ Looking down at Lampito, Dimitar shouted. Valeria extended both hands and held the sword up high towards the sky. At that moment, a dazzling flash¡ªlightning surged from the tip of the sword, which Valeria had raised overhead, towards almost every direction. No matter how agile a wild beast was, this couldn¡¯t be avoided. ¡¸Uwa¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Higi¡¹ ¡¸Goah¡­¡¹ The lightning, which gave one the impression of a writhing snake, wriggled on the ground and mercilessly hit the surrounding soldiers very hard. One tail of the lightning snake then knocked down the fireball, which Lampito had thrown, and also hit the girl herself directly. ¡¸¡­I!¡¹ Her long hair standing on its end, Lampito stiffened greatly with a ¡°bikun¡±, lost her balance like that and fell down from the top of the arm. ¡¸Lampito!?¡¹ Cyril¡¯s voice could be heard from the other side, but he wouldn¡¯t make it in time already. When Dimitar landed near where Lampito had been standing until just now and snatched the sword from Valeria, he changed to a backhand grip and thrust it into the arm of the trebuchet. Making a bizarre ¡°bakin!¡± sound, a small crack was made in the wooden part of the arm, which was reinforced with steel plates, and bright red flames spouted out from that crack. ¡¸Hold on to me¡¹ ¡¸U, un!¡¹ Valeria clung onto Dimitar¡¯s back like he had told her to. At the bottom, Lampito¡¯s fireball had hit the pedestal of the trebuchet directly, and it was starting to burn with a vivid flame. The flames burning from both the top and bottom, though little by little, were certainly licking at the trebuchet. ¡¸! Put out the fire! Put it out!¡¹ Although the soldiers started raising loud voices and making noise, they were just making noise only; there was actually hardly anyone moving to extinguish the fire. Rather, they might not have the method. Sparks fell as if dancing like red fireflies, and when the enormous weapon showed signs of collapsing, the soldiers soon raised voices of sorrow and began to run away from that place. ¡¸¡­Rest around there¡¹ Dimitar, who had come down from the trebuchet, tossed Valeria there, made his neck produce a sound lightly and had his sword at the ready. ¡¸¡ªMove aside!¡¹ Cyril came charging with a tremendous force from the front of Dimitar, who stood before the blazing trebuchet. Valeria, who was holding her breath and watching attentively, saw with her own eyes the distance between the two people becoming zero in the twinkling of an eye and them crossing each other. ¡¸!¡¹ One sword made a hard sound, flew in the air and pierced the arm of the trebuchet, whose surface had begun to carbonise. ¡¸Gu, nu¡ª¡¹ Cyril, who had clutched his flank and fallen to his knees suddenly, looked back at Dimitar over his shoulder and leaked out a groan of pain. ¡¸¡­Speaking of unexpected, this is certainly unexpected. Are you worried about that kid and feeling impatient¡­?¡¹ Dimitar, who had also sustained a straight line wound on his chest, laughed painfully and looked back at Cyril. ¡¸Dii!¡¹ Valeria hurriedly ran up to Dimitar and supported his body. ¡¸Are you all right!?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ At that moment, a roaring sound, accompanied by an earth tremor, could be heard from the other side. ¡¸¡ªThey¡¯ve completed their mission too, huh¡­¡¹ Karin¡¯s party had probably succeeded in the destruction of the other trebuchet. Since Cyril, who was protecting it, left it behind and came here, that might also be a matter of course. ¡¸¡ªAh!?¡¹ When she looked back suddenly, Cyril¡¯s figure had disappeared. ¡¸W, where is he!? Where did he go!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Leave him alone¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He probably went to save that kid¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? B, but that child¡ª¡¹ Staring at the trebuchet that was blazing to the extent that she could already feel the heat even at this distance, Valeria became speechless. If he really jumped into that flame in that seriously wounded state, he probably wouldn¡¯t survive. ¡¸¡­Rather than worry about others, worry about ourselves first¡¹ Karin¡¯s party came running from the other side while driving away the soldiers. Bettina and Clotilde also seemed to be alive and well. ¡¸¡ªWe¡¯ve succeeded in the destruction of the trebuchets; the plan afterwards is to promptly retreat the army and change to holding the town, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see¡¹ ¡¸Get Diaghilev-geika to launch the signal flare¡¹ Dimitar wiped the dirt off his sword with his armpit, kept it in its scabbard and sighed. ¡¸¡­As one would expect, thinking about cutting across the middle of the enemy and returning to the town after this makes me fed up¡¹ Volume 4 - CH 6.9 When he received the report that two trebuchets had been destroyed, Euchemard¡¯s white eyebrows quivered, and he tightened his jaw and looked up at the sky silently. The morning fog had already cleared up, and as if to prove that fact, thick black smokes could be seen rising up in the distance. The forces deployed at the front didn¡¯t allow Sigibert¡¯s cavalry to come near even now, and the Seal Chivalric Order, which had made a surprise attack from the west side, was also repelled by their splendid defence. If one cut that out and looked at it, Euchemard¡¯s army hadn¡¯t lose yet. On the contrary, it was overwhelmingly predominant. However, if one looked down and gazed at the entire battlefield, including Delbr¨¹ck, one could say that the defeat of his army was already inevitable. ¡¸Your Highness!¡¹ Orderlies came rushing from the forces on the left wing and the front in succession. ¡¸The enemy¡¯s military forces are¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Turning around and starting to retreat in one breath, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ha? Ah, yes, that¡¯s right!¡¹ ¡¸What should we do? Do we pursue them?¡¹ ¡¸How are you going to pursue their cavalry running away at full speed with heavy infantry?¡¹ Euchemard could see through Sigibert¡¯s plan already. Now that the destruction of the trebuchets had succeeded, their roles as decoys were already over. Afterwards, they could just run into Delbr¨¹ck, shut the gate and fortify their defence. After that, they¡¯d wait for the reinforcement to arrive, match the timing and switch to the offensive¡ªit was neither a clever scheme nor anything; however, though ordinary, it was a reliable plan. Euchemard had lost the trebuchets; if there was a plan that could still disrupt Sigibert¡¯s plan of holding the town, then it¡¯d be to run after them, who were retreating, closely, rush into Delbr¨¹ck in a free-for-all state and gain total control of the town like that, but nevertheless, if one took the difference in moving ability between both sides into consideration, that was impossible. That Sigibert, who should have been able to send out a bit more war potential if he didn¡¯t use cavalry, purposely didn¡¯t let infantrymen and archers participate in the war at all was most likely because he had imagined this escape drama. Even if he advanced his army to the front of Delbr¨¹ck from now, unwilling to give up, the most they could do was to suffer a baptism of volleys from the archers lying in wait on top of the rampart. After hesitating for a period of about one minute, Euchemard held his treasured sword up high and ordered the whole army. ¡¸Retreat the army two leagues and rebuild it. Thereafter, withdraw towards Luberuteiyu in order while preparing for the enemy¡¯s surprise attack¡¹ ¡¸W, we¡¯re retreating!?¡¹ ¡¸We understood the solidness of Delbr¨¹ck from the beginning. Hence, there¡¯s the plan this time¡­ if that fell apart, it¡¯s meaningless to remain here¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say anymore. ¡­If the enemy consolidates its military forces and switch to the offensive, we won¡¯t be able to hold out for half a day at Luberuteiyu. That being the case, making peace with them while we can or returning to our country quickly is an excellent plan¡­ in the first place, we can¡¯t be away from our country for so long¡¹ ¡¸¡­How regrettable¡¹ This painful choice was disseminated to the whole army by the orderly who was regretting bitterly. After gazing at the orderly¡¯s horse running off for a little while, Euchemard suddenly asked about the safety of Cyril and Lampito, but there was no one who could answer that question. End of Chapter 6 Volume 5 - CH 1 ¡¸A young man is really nice, un!¡¹ The girl said so with a big smile. ¡¸¡ªHow should I say¡ª, I feel young again just by being near! Right?!¡¹ ¡°What¡¯s¡¸Right?!¡¹?¡±¡ªalthough he thought so, Dimitar didn¡¯t say it. However, it seemed to have appeared clearly on his face, and the girl, who was bending herself forward through the window of the carriage greatly, pouted her lips and tapped Dimitar on the shoulder. ¡¸Ah¡ª, is that it, are you dissatisfied with my remark or something?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t say anything¡¹ ¡¸However, you¡¯re originally a more adorable boy, right? If you make such a sulky look, hora, that, isn¡¯t it appropriate to think you¡¯re dissatisfied or something?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s dangerous, Your Eminence¡¹ While clicking his tongue in his mind, thinking ¡°What an irritating woman¡±, Dimitar pushed the girl back into the carriage gently, quickened the pace of his horse and overtook the carriage. ¡¸Dii¡¹ Lucius, who should have been at the front of the party, stopped his horse and waited for Dimitar. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? Did something happened?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s nothing in particular. However, that Eminence is just annoying, meddling in every single thing¡¹ ¡¸She has taken a liking to you¡¹ Lucius laughed in a voice that couldn¡¯t be heard by the surrounding members. ¡¸It¡¯s not a laughing matter¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s not a bad thing to be favoured by that person. Think of the mission and endure it for a while¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ true¡¹ Dimitar rotated his neck and gazed out over the grandiose party from the front to the rear. Shakira Babel, the head Dominas of Ahmad guarding the ¡°Hill of Seal¡± at Holy City Roma, was returning home for the first time in several years. Shakira¡¯s hometown, Selsuru, was a distance of galloping a horse for two days and two nights from Roma, but since this wasn¡¯t a trip where they had to hurry in particular, it had been decided that they¡¯d take about five days to go there at leisure this time. The ones taking on the responsibility of guards for the journey this time was the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis, in which Jeffren Isaac, Ahmad¡¯s crown prince, served as the leader. However, it was Vice-Leader Lucius who was substantially taking command of it. Isaac would sometimes look into the carriage and ask about Shakira¡¯s mood; afterwards, he¡¯d just gaze at the scenery of the countryside, swaying on his horse in a carefree manner. ¡¸Anyway, please do well. If you complete the mission steadily, the assessments regarding you should change, and you¡¯ll also get closer to becoming an official member¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯d be good if that¡¯s the case though¡¹ Dimitar followed Lucius, who had patted him on the shoulder and returned to the front, with his eyes and sighed. The blueness of the sky with few clouds and the vividness of the greenery of the ground were dazzling to his eyes. Incidentally, the gazes of his colleagues looking at him occasionally were irritating. ¡¸¡ªThe youth there!¡¹ Her Eminence, Shakira Babel, was bending herself forward through the window of the carriage again. The attendants accompanying her were frantically trying to pull her back inside the carriage, but she was completely unconcerned by it. Dimitar responded to Shakira¡¯s call while becoming fed up with her. ¡¸¡­I¡¯m Dimitar Richternach, Babel-geika¡¹ ¡¸I heard that just now. ¡ªBut hora, there¡¯s another Richternach-kyou here, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the vice-leader¡¹ ¡¸Well then, can I call you ¡°untitled Richternach-kyou¡±?¡¹ ¡¸¡­If you can call me by that lengthy way of calling every time, it certainly won¡¯t cause confusion. I don¡¯t mind that though¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good~, that sort of spirit. To not curry favour with those in power, I¡¯d like the other members to follow your example too. Right?!¡¹ Propping herself up with her elbows on the window frame, Shakira was smiling radiantly. No matter how one looked at it, she was younger than Dimitar, but this girl¡ªno, this woman here had continued to be a Dominas for almost more than twenty years already. When Dimitar looked at Shakira fleetingly with a sidelong glance, his gaze entwined with hers. ¡¸N? What¡¯s the matter? Do you have something that you want to say to me, untitled Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I heard that you and the head director are old friends¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Dominas are without doubt Ahmad¡¯s magic warriorsMarefikos as well, so it¡¯s not possible that I¡¯ve nothing to do with the magic academyPrasa Marefikos¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not what I meant. I mean on a personal basis¡¹ ¡¸Of course we are¡¹ At present, the one serving as the head director of Ahmad¡¯s Royal Magic Academy was Lucius¡¯s mother and Dimitar¡¯s foster parent, Orvieto Richternach. That Orvieto and Shakira were acquaintances since childhood. It might also be because Dimitar was Orvieto¡¯s relative that Shakira had an eye on him. Dimitar stared at Shakira and murmured in a whisper. ¡¸¡­How old is Your Eminence now?¡¹ ¡¸You actually asked something that is awkward to ask without any hesitation¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think it¡¯s awkward to ask in particular. I genuinely want to know and I felt that you wouldn¡¯t get angry even if I asked¡¹ ¡°Though I also don¡¯t think you¡¯d answer honestly,¡± Dimitar added in his mind and snorted. It seemed that this girl¡ªno, Her Eminence enjoyed teasing him and watching his reaction. If that was the case, Dimitar wanted to make a small counterattack and satisfied himself even if a little. ¡¸According to the rumour going around town, Your Eminence knows a magic with which you won¡¯t grow old. That¡¯s why you can still be young like that and be a Dominas indefinitely¡¹ ¡¸I was certainly told so¡¹ ¡¸Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a secret¡¹ He had been completely made fun of by her. Dimitar¡¯s face, which was usually cold, became even more sour, and he kept his mouth shut. ¡¸¡ªBy the way, untitled Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸As one would expect, this way of calling is long and troublesome¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t Your Eminence say that you want to call me like that?¡¹ ¡¸Un, that¡¯s the case, but I¡¯ve already stopped that. I¡¯ll call you ¡°Dii¡±. It seemed that the titled Richternach-kyou called you so just now; perhaps Orvieto also calls you so, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, yes¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll do so too. It¡¯s short and simple. ¡ªHey, Dii-kun¡¹ ¡¸¡­What is it?¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t fit in with the other members, huh¡¹ Although Dimitar felt his cheek twitch reflexively, he calmed his heart, which was beating fast, and answered in a particularly low voice. ¡¸¡­You can tell, huh¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s only natural, since I¡¯ve been watching you the whole time from the time we left Roma. The observation of adorable boys is one of my hobbies?¡¹ Resting her chin in her hands, Shakira spoke as if singing. The figure of her doing so was just like a girl from anywhere, but Dimitar was starting to vaguely feel that she was a middle-aged woman that was hard to deal with on the inside. ¡¸You¡¯re fifteen?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸There are many nobles who want their sons to join the Seal Chivalric Order, right? After all, it¡¯s an honour¡¹ ¡¸Even if you call it an honour, it¡¯s not as much as that of Dominas-sama¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m guessing that¡­ the other members are jealous of you? Though you¡¯re an apprentice, it¡¯s rare to become a member of this chivalric order at the tender age of fifteen, after all¡¹ He certainly thought so. He heard that they also made quite a fuss when Lucius became a member at fifteen as well. Considering that he was appointed vice-leader in merely four years after that, Lucius must be much more amazing than Dimitar, but the fact that no one was jealous of him because of that¡ªthough it seemed that a section of the members was jealous of him¡ªmight be due to Lucius¡¯s gentle personality and his perfect ability. ¡¸In their case, it must be better for their mental health to think it was because the vice-leader and the head director of the magic academy pushed it through that you could become a member¡¹ ¡¸I guess so. ¡­I¡¯ve never ask the people themselves though¡¹ Dimitar was aware that he wasn¡¯t welcomed here. He understood this from the cold gazes and the atmosphere. However, he didn¡¯t care about it. ¡¸¡ªOh, I can see a town!¡¹ As if forgetting that the atmosphere had become worse due to the subject she herself had broached¡ªor rather, this important person surely wouldn¡¯t think it had become so because of herself in the slightest¡ªShakira gazed at the silhouette of the town that had appeared dimly in the path of the party and clapped her hands. ??? The quota of the Seal Chivalric Order was fixed to be eighty-nine people. Since its establishment, it had neither increased nor decreased. Even if a vacancy appeared, since a great many people wanted to join, the vacancy would be filled immediately. The status of a Seal Chivalric Order member was that valuable to the young noblemen. All current eighty-three official members and about twenty apprentices, who were aiming for the remaining six quotas, were participating in the mission this time. The rest were the ten or so attendants who took personal care of Shakira. It was a large group of more than one hundred people in all. Almost all of them were putting up countless tents on the outskirts of the town and encamping at night. In short, it was also because of that that Dimitar was shouldering the spear, which he wasn¡¯t accustomed to using, and standing up straight near the bonfire. The Seal Chivalric Order, which was composed of influential nobles¡¯ children, often used military exercise as a pretext for leaving the holy city, but the fact was that it was a mere journey to go on a pleasure trip. After all, the members were merely green young men from well-to-do families who didn¡¯t know hardships, so they absolutely wouldn¡¯t encamp at night. The planned site for the military exercise would always be close to a large town, and all the members would stay at an inn. Rather, places that didn¡¯t have inns at which all the members could stay wouldn¡¯t become the proposed site for the military exercise from the beginning. That it¡¯d become a situation where they had to encamp at night for tonight was simply because there wasn¡¯t an inn that had a capacity of that much in this town. In the first place, if not for the irregular mission to guard the Dominas returning home, this west Selsuru wasn¡¯t a town that the Seal Chivalric Order would come to. In the end, only Shakira, the Crown Prince and Lucius could rest on soft beds; most of the members had to pitch camp outside the town and encamp at night. However, for Dimitar who wasn¡¯t very particular about the softness of the bed, whether it was the bed of an inn or a mattress of grass, either was fine. If he could be freed from Shakira who would irritatingly play with people, he even thought it was also fine to sleep outdoors without a tent. ¡¸¡­This is sufficient as long as it doesn¡¯t get colder¡¹ Stifling a yawn, Dimitar stroked his neck. Figures of members sitting down and dozing near the countless burning bonfires could be seen here and there. Only a very few members besides Dimitar were standing guard seriously. In a sense, the Seal Chivalric Order, which the Crown Prince led, possessed a nature like that of a squad of imperial guards, but honestly, its quality wasn¡¯t high. Being composed of nobles¡¯ children meant that, roughly speaking, many behaved like a spoilt child and had no willpower. The few decent members would break free from the lower position soon, so the ones assigned such painful work, which would come up occasionally, were dropouts of good lineage who didn¡¯t even want to make an effort to get out from there, or new apprentices like Dimitar. Nevertheless, these lazy appearances of theirs were painful to watch. Lucius said that the Crown Prince seemed to be thinking about changing the nature of such a chivalric order; at this rate, the chivalric order of imperial guards that the Crown Prince led would certainly be shameful. It wasn¡¯t for the sake of guaranteeing the safety of those lazy guys that Dimitar was keeping night watch seriously. Dimitar, who had made his neck produce a ¡°koki koki¡± sound, decided to leave that place and patrol somewhere else. Shakira was born in the Selsuru further east of here. It was once a small village, but with the matter of bringing a Dominas into the world as the impetus, it became a town that had a moderate population now. That Shakira would frequently stop by the neighbouring towns and villages whenever she returned home¡ªthough it might be very troublesome for the army and chivalric order that were assigned the role of guards¡ªmight be because she wanted to spend money, even if a little, in her birthplace. ¡ªWhen Dimitar shouldered his spear and walked while thinking about such a thing, he heard the scream of a girl. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar sighed softly and walked towards the voice at a quick pace. Although one might call it a town, west Selsuru was originally a small agricultural village, and cultivated land spread out along the highway. If one left the camping site, the surroundings were already pitch dark. In the darkness with just the starlight, a small light was moving in an appearing and disappearing manner. That light, which had become more distant from the camping site and gone into a cornfield prior to its harvest, was dragging along an intermittent scream that seemed to be muffled. A bottle of wine, of which its cork wasn¡¯t pulled out yet, a lump of big cheese and also an empty basket were lying around nearby. ¡¸¡­Humph¡¹ Dimitar thrust his spear into that spot and rushed into the cornfield while rolling up the sleeves of his uniform. ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ ¡¸!?¡¹ Inside the forest of tall corns, four men and women looked back at Dimitar¡¯s voice. Three of them were young men wearing uniforms identical to Dimitar¡¯s¡ªin other words, they were members of the Seal Chivalric Order. And then, the other person was a girl of approximately the same age as Dimitar. Judging from her clothing, she was most likely a girl from this town. However, the girl¡¯s mouth was covered by the young men, and her cheeks were wet with tears; the clothes she was wearing had been torn here and there with all their strength. ¡¸Well, it¡¯s obvious at a glance¡¹ Dimitar, who had spat out in a whisper, with the force of rushing in, drove a kick into the solar plexus of the man who was covering the girl¡¯s mouth. ¡¸Gubuo¡ª¡¹ The young man who was blown off flashily clutched his stomach and groaned. ¡¸You¡ª!?¡¹ ¡¸Richter¡ª¡¹ He also drove his fist into the remaining two young men in succession and tore them off from the girl for the time being. The lantern the young men were holding dropped to the ground, and the surroundings became dark in one breath, but Dimitar¡¯s eyes, which had got used to the darkness, caught the young men¡¯s surprised expressions clearly. ¡¸Your reactions are so bad¡¹ Dimitar protected the girl behind him and looked down at the three people lying down on the ground. Although he didn¡¯t know their names, the three people were all official members, so they were equivalent to seniors to Dimitar. When Dimitar had looked back over his shoulder at the extremely frightened girl and put his index finger up in front of his lips, telling her ¡¸be quiet¡¹ with the gesture, he turned round towards the three people again. ¡¸¡­With all due respect, what on earth are you trying to do on the land related to Babel-geika, Seniors?¡¹ Even though Dimitar asked so, the three people didn¡¯t answer. One person had been continuing to leak out groans while clutching his stomach since just now. Although the remaining two people¡¯s noses were crushed and they had fallen on their bottoms, it didn¡¯t seem that they couldn¡¯t talk. The gazes they were directing at Dimitar were overflowing with intense animosity. Immediately afterwards, it became a realistic action and erupted. ¡¸This¡­! Stupid brat!¡¹ The young man whose half of the face was coloured deep red by the nosebleed jumped to his feet and tried to pull out the sword he was carrying on his waist. ¡¸¡­Do you not understand the meaning of me purposely dealing with you barehanded? You¡¯re so stupid¡¹ Extending his right leg lightly, Dimitar pressed the hilt of the other party¡¯s sword down with the sole of his boot. Easily preventing the other party from drawing his sword with that, he casually hit the startled young man, whose movement had stopped, hard on the side of the face. ¡¸Bogu¡­¡ªgya¡¹ Just when the other party staggered, leaning to the right, he did a follow-up attack with a hook from the opposite side like a counter. With a muttered groan, the young man made one full turn and collapsed. Without a moment¡¯s delay, Dimitar stared at the other young man. ¡¸Doraaa!¡¹ From Dimitar¡¯s point of view, the movement of the young man who had somehow drawn his sword and was about to cut him down was really clumsy, and perhaps his nose was clogged up by the bleeding, even his shout of fighting spirit sounded strange in some way; Dimitar had more trouble suppressing his laughter than dodging it. ¡¸¡­You should have run away first¡¹ Dimitar easily dodged the thrust, which the other party didn¡¯t put his back into, lightly drove his left and right fists into the young man¡¯s face and lightly kicked him in the groin from below as the finishing. ¡¸Nga¡ª!?¡¹ Dimitar kicked the young man, who had clutched his groin and sunk down to the ground, hard in the nape of the neck, making him faint completely, took a deep breath greatly and looked around his surroundings. Among the three ruffians, one person continued to squirm the whole time while vomiting the contents of his stomach. However, as for the degree of his injury, one could say that his was the lightest. The nose of another person was completely broken, and the last person lost a few molars, and they were all suffering from concussion. There was no doubt that their faces would most likely swell up horribly tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, even though things might appear this way, Dimitar thought this should still be light as punishment for the dishonourable attempted rape that the people of the chivalric order of imperial guards had perpetrated. ¡¸¡­Though a person of low standing like me saying this is that, we¡¯ve done something inexcusable¡¹ Dimitar looked back at the trembling girl, who was squatting down on that spot, and gently held out his hand to her. ¡¸N, no¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Are you from this village?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll take you home¡¹ ¡¸T, thank you very much. B, but¡ª¡¹ The girl, who had borrowed Dimitar¡¯s hand and stood up, looked at the three young men and faltered. It seemed that the trouble she was involved in had somehow become a serious matter, and she might be feeling uneasy in another sense. ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry¡¹ Dimitar urged the girl and started to walk. ¡¸¡ªIf you don¡¯t feel satisfied even though things may appear this way, I don¡¯t mind if you tell the leader of the chivalric order to that effect. He¡¯ll hand down appropriate punishment to those three people¡¹ ¡¸No, I¡¯m not dissatisfied¡­¡¹ The girl, who had finally regained her composure, showed a small but awkward smile and shook her head. Dimitar came back to the place where he had stuck his spear upright and picked up the wine and cheese that were lying around. ¡¸I¡¯m really sorry. You intended to deliver food and drink to us, right?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­ my father said to at least deliver sake to the members who couldn¡¯t stay at the inn¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Please tell your father that we accepted them with thanks¡¹ Brushing the dirt off lightly and biting into the cheese, Dimitar smiled. ??? People in the world were saying that Shakira Babel had cast a spell on herself. That was to say, she cast a spell with which she wouldn¡¯t grow old. In reality¡ªalthough one might say that, it was a hearsay Lucius heard from his mother¡ªit seemed that Shakira had hardly grown older. Shakira, who was chosen to be a Dominas at merely thirteen years old, was praised as the possessor of the greatest magic ability in Ahmad at that time, but Shakira¡¯s appearance would pass as a thirteen-year-old girl even now. In fact, Shakira, who was sitting at the same table as Lucius and having a meal, only looked like a voracious girl that could be found anywhere. ¡¸¡ªIs there something on my face, titled Richternach-kyou?¡¹ Shakira carried the wine glass to her mouth with both hands, looked at Lucius with upturned eyes and asked. ¡¸It¡¯s not like that in particular¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Your Eminence. The, um, ¡°titled¡± you¡¯ve been saying since just now is¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s that, to differentiate between the untitled Richternach-kyou and you. Titled Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that¡­ troublesome?¡¹ ¡¸Un, it¡¯s troublesome. That¡¯s why I decided to call that person ¡°Dii-kun¡±. I overheard you calling him so, after all¡¹ Wiping her lips lightly with the tip of her little finger, Shakira narrowed her eyes. At first glance, she was a girl; however, there was clearly a brilliance that gave one the impression of an adult woman in those pupils. ¡¸Lucius-kun, what have you been talking about with Her Eminence since just now?¡¹ The Crown Prince gracefully cut the roast of a calf, on which gravy containing mushrooms was poured, into small pieces with a knife, carried it to his mouth and then asked Lucius. ¡¸We¡¯re talking about Dimitar who joined recently. He¡¯s my relative¡¹ ¡¸Ah, him. ¡­That¡¯s why you call him ¡°Dii-kun¡±, huh¡¹ Isaac nodded exaggeratedly and smiled. ¡¸¡ªOur Vice-Leader is much more capable than me, but it seems that he¡¯s very soft on that relative of his¡¹ ¡¸That seems to be the case¡¹ ¡¸With all due respect, I don¡¯t mix work and private matters¡¹ ¡¸I think answering back like that, for instance, is the cause of you being called soft on him¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Pointed out by Isaac, Lucius kept his mouth shut. Even without Isaac saying it, the fact that Lucius was too overprotective of Dimitar had been pointed out¡ªmainly by the maid in his home, Thial¡ªseveral times so far. However, it was natural that Lucius would worry about Dimitar who was like a brother, and Lucius didn¡¯t think that was overprotective. Most importantly, paying attention to this and that word and action of Dimitar, who wasn¡¯t good at associating with people, was not only for the sake of avoiding needless trouble but was also necessary for the sake of the House of Richternach. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m paying attention to Dimitar in various ways, so I¡¯m by no means overprotective¡±¡ªenduring the matter of wanting to assert so, Lucius moved his knife and fork. He¡¯d surely be teased by both Issac and Shakira again if he said that. ¡¸¡ªThe food here is delicious¡¹ The salad, of which violet flower, lettuce and onion were cut fine and an orange-flavoured dressing was sprinkled from above, though simple, was very delicious. The rabbit stew, which was seasoned with spice, was also on the same level as what one would spend money to eat in the capital. It seemed that there was quite a skilful chef in this inn. Shakira spoke while rolling a boiled egg vigorously on the table. ¡¸¡ªIt seems that they went out of their way to call in a chef to coincide with me returning home¡¹ As Shakira would stay here without fail when she returned home, this inn, which was the only one in the town, added a detached room just to accommodate her. Twice in several years, Shakira would just stay overnight each time when going and coming back; it was never opened for other guests. Thinking about that, it was probably nothing special to employ a competent chef for a limited time. Moreover, Shakira returning home provided economic financial leeway to the towns and villages which were along the way to the extent that it was profitable nevertheless. ¡¸The truth is that I quite wanted to retire, but when I think of everyone at my hometown, I feel that I have to cling on to my position at all costs¡¹ ¡¸Cling, you say¡­ Your Eminence is indispensable to our country. It¡¯ll be troubling if you retire so easily¡¹ ¡¸Oh my, Your Highness said a compliment you don¡¯t really mean¡¹ Shakira sprinkled salt on the boiled egg and smiled. ¡¸Even though Your Highness was still nowhere to be seen when I became a Dominas, you¡¯ve become able to speak quite good like this now¡­ then of course I¡¯ll grow old too¡¹ Although her manner of speaking was just like an old woman¡¯s, the boiled egg she was nibbling should be the seventh one, if they remembered correctly. Her body was small, but she ate a lot. Lucius sighed lightly and poured wine into the Crown Prince¡¯s and Shakira¡¯s glasses. ¡¸¡ªI heard that Your Eminence seems to be the same age as my mother¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸I heard it so from Mother¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s that, you¡¯ve been deceived. After all, I¡¯m younger than Orvieto as one would expect, you see¡¹ As Orvieto also possessed an outward appearance that was far younger than her actual age and an unsurpassed magic talent, she was called by a second name which was ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡±. From the fact that she and Shakira were collectively called the ¡°two matchless people¡±, the extent of her true strength could be understood. ¡¸That girl too¡ª, you don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking about in her mind while she¡¯s smiling, right?¡¹ Even if she said ¡°right?¡±, it was impossible that Lucius, who was Orvieto¡¯s son, would answer ¡°that¡¯s right¡±. Ignoring the glum vice-leader, Shakira drank up the next wine she had just received in one gulp and put the glass on the table with a tap as if requesting Lucius to pour wine. ¡¸Even though she was only thinking of becoming a Dominas together with me, she started talking about quitting halfway¡­ and when I realised, she had already taken a husband; on top of that, she even gave birth to a child with a ¡°poron¡±¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t born with a ¡°poron¡± though¡­¡¹ Lucius cleared his throat softly and poured wine into Shakira¡¯s glass again. It seemed that Lucius¡¯s mother, Orvieto, and Shakira had a relationship where they competed with each other, aiming to be Dominas together. However, Orvieto quickly dropped out from the competition with the reason that it was for the sake of giving birth to a successor to the House of Richternach, but without neglecting her diligent study of magic only and after continuing to polish her skills, she had taken up the responsible position as head director of the Royal Magic Academy now. Shakira playing with Dimitar and teasing Lucius like this might be because of the rival relationship between Shakira and Orvieto, which spanned twenty years. At that moment, Shakira¡¯s head suddenly dropped to the table. ¡¸Hey¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence!?¡¹ Seeing Shakira¡¯s forehead knocking against the table, not just Lucius, even Isaac half-rose to his feet from the chair reflexively. ¡¸Your Eminence! What¡¯s the matter!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­How nice it must be for Orvieto¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡­?¡¹ ¡¸She has a son who is so well-balanced and serious, and an adopted son who is slightly naughty and mischievous; on top of that, both are handsome young men¡­ isn¡¯t that unfair?¡¹ ¡¸Y, Your Eminence¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Oh dear¡­ it seems that our Eminence is drunk¡¹ Isaac evaluated Shakira, who was grumbling while lying flat on her face on the table, so and leaked an insipid laughter. ¡¸¡ªBabel-geika who is called ¡°Dominas of Eternity¡±Domina Permanence probably also has various hardships that we ordinary people can¡¯t understand¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Lucius shrugged his shoulders and looked down at Shakira, who had started to breathe quietly while sleeping before they realised it. When she was like this, she really looked like nothing but a girl who still retained her innocence, but if she felt like it, the current Seal Chivalric Order could be annihilated by her in the blink of an eye. That was a skilled Dominas. ¡¸¡ªCome to think of it, Lucius-kun¡¹ Isaac spoke to Lucius, who had carried Shakira to the bedroom together with her attendants and then came back, while shaking his wine glass. ¡¸When we arrived here in the evening, the mayor of this town consulted, ¡­or rather, appealed to me when I was drinking tea together with Her Eminence¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸It seems that a nasty bunch has been making frequent appearances in this area recently. He doesn¡¯t know whether they¡¯re bandits or a group of robbers though¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ if I remember correctly, I heard that the bandits who had made an abandoned fort in north Selsuru into their headquarters were subjugated and annihilated by the army about half a month ago. Isn¡¯t this most likely the deed of those remnants?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, this is the jurisdiction of the army, right?¡¹ ¡¸At the very least, it¡¯s not a domain we should interfere in¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ well, our top priority mission is to drop Her Eminence off and then pick her up later while we¡¯re doing a military exercise¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­However, from Babel-geika¡¯s point of view, she¡¯ll probably want to do something about it immediately¡¹ Shakira was regarded as the head of all the Dominas by not only Ahmad but also the ¡°Holy Alliance¡±Liga Santourear; the situation where degenerate ex-bandits were rampant in Shakira¡¯s hometown, her home territory, so to speak, would probably pain her heart, and it was by no means a glorious matter for Ahmad. ¡¸Let¡¯s make a request to organise a punitive force immediately¡¹ Putting his empty glass down, Isaac stood up. ¡¸¡ªNot being able to catch all the bandits in one fell swoop is the ineptitude of the punitive force. I have to say a few words to Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness, writing a letter to him is all right, but please be careful with your expression¡¹ ¡¸N? Expression?¡¹ ¡¸Garrido-kyou is a proud person. Failing to catch a section of those thieves is certainly the ineptitude of the punitive force, and regarding the military movements, the minister for military affairs should take responsibility in the end, but having said that, if you write in a way which criticises that situation too much, since it¡¯s that Excellency, he might get angry¡­¡¹ In which case, the response would, on the contrary, be late, and the people on this land would be troubled as a result. Minister Barjols Garrido was not only proud but also stubborn; he was an ex-soldier of such an old-fashioned type. Isaac put his hand on his chin and nodded with a triumphant expression. ¡¸I see¡­ you have a point there. In short, you want me to aptly flatter that sort of stubborn old man in order to get him to do things?¡¹ ¡¸¡­In summary, you¡¯re not wrong¡¹ ¡°I didn¡¯t say that Garrido-kyou is a stubborn old man though,¡± Lucius added and smiled wryly. If he didn¡¯t deny that properly, this Crown Prince was a young man who might tell a lie like ¡¸Come to think of it, Lucius called you a stubborn old man¡¹ to the person himself. ??? The next morning, when Dimitar and the others came out from their tents, the town had already woken up completely and was starting to spend a day that was the same as usual. Although it was called a town, this place was originally a local agricultural village, and the lifestyle wasn¡¯t so different from before. One would get out of bed at first light, do farm work until evening, and then go to bed without staying up late. In the eyes of such people, the chivalric order group who got out of bed after the sun had risen on the other side of the mountain ridge must have looked very lazy. When Dimitar was fastening his luggage to the horse¡¯s saddle in preparation for departure, Lucius came here at a quick pace while receiving morning greetings from many members. ¡¸Dii¡¹ ¡¸Yo¡¹ Raising one hand lightly, Dimitar raised his lips. The fact that Lucius, who would distinguish between public and private matters properly, addressed him as ¡°Dii¡± in a low voice for fear of attention meant that Lucius probably didn¡¯t call out to him to instruct him on something as the vice-leader. Therefore, Dimitar also responded as the younger childhood friend. ¡¸Is your preparation completed?¡¹ ¡¸Almost¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s take a walk¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re departing very soon, right?¡¹ ¡¸Her Eminence is still washing her face. It¡¯ll take nearly one more hour¡¹ Saying so, Lucius patted Dimitar on the shoulder lightly and started to walk. ¡¸¡ªThe town mayor came to the inn early this morning to greet us¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯ll probably come to see us off at the time of departure anyway. This town mayor is so free¡¹ ¡¸Rather than greet¡­ he came to thank us for another matter¡¹ Lucius looked at Dimitar fleetingly with a sidelong glance. ¡¸¡­It seems that the town mayor sent people to deliver food and drink to the chivalric order last night while they were encamping at night¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ ¡¸Do you know?¡¹ ¡¸We were treated to cheese and wine¡¹ ¡¸The town mayor¡¯s only daughter was among the people who brought the food and drink, ¡­but it seemed that that child was almost raped by the people of the chivalric order¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s terrible. Even though she specially brought the food and drink, the person herself was almost eaten, huh. What a big problem¡¹ Dimitar answered as if it was somebody else¡¯s problem and smiled. Lucius saw that and dropped his shoulders with a sigh. ¡¸As expected, it was you, huh¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not so hungry for women that I¡¯ll attack such a young girl, you know. In the first place, young girls aren¡¯t my cup of tea¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not saying that you did that kind of inexcusable behaviour. ¡­The town mayor said that he wanted to properly thank the young member who had saved his daughter when she was in danger. You were the one who saved that child, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hmm, I guess so. I never knew that that girl is the town mayor¡¯s daughter though¡¹ Since he understood that it was pointless to play dumb, Dimitar nodded honestly. ¡¸¡­You overdid it¡¹¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Did I do something unnecessary?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­ you did well in a sense that you prevented a dishonourable action of the group, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not speaking clearly. What on earth do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said that you overdid it. The other parties whom you beat up are a little¡­¡¹ ¡¸The other parties? Come to think of it, I couldn¡¯t tell exactly because it was dark, but who were they?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re probably Michel and his followers. This morning, they said that they¡¯d by no means come out from their tents, so when I went to see the situation, their faces were covered with conspicuous bruises and were terrible¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so. ¡ªSo, those people said that I did it?¡¹ ¡¸The people themselves said that they got drunk and fell down, but I know that that¡¯s not the case when I saw it. Those are injuries from being hit¡¹ ¡¸Well, they tried to rape the town mayor¡¯s daughter who had come to deliver food and drink, after all. They¡¯re probably idiots¡¹ If they told Lucius the truth, even their own dishonourable criminal act would come to light. Besides, it took them three people to deal with a barehanded apprentice; moreover, it was probably so embarrassing to be beaten up without even being able to counterattack even though they drew their swords that they couldn¡¯t say it at all. Standing on top of a slightly elevated hill that was slightly distant from the camping site, Dimitar spoke while watching the tents being folded. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯d like them to think they were fortunate that it ended with that extent instead. Properly speaking, all three of them should be permanently expelled, right?¡¹ ¡¸Strictly speaking, that¡¯s the case, ¡­but the present situation is that we can¡¯t do so. Michel, in particular, has a big backer, after all¡¹ Lucius muttered with a bitter expression. Worried about that, Dimitar peered at his childhood friend¡¯s face quizzically. ¡¸¡­That Michel, who¡¯s he?¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t know?¡¹ ¡¸No¡¹ ¡¸Please have an interest in other people a bit more. I said that you won¡¯t be able to conduct yourself well if you don¡¯t broaden your knowledge, right?¡¹ ¡¸Sorry. ¡­I¡¯ll pay attention to that matter after this, so tell me¡¹ ¡¸¡­The one whom you hit last night was Michel Bolieiro¡¹ ¡¸Bolieiro¡­? Is he a relative of the House of Bolieiro by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than a relative, he¡¯s the son who will succeed the head family. The other two people were¡ªah, H¨¦ctor and Hugo? Anyway, they¡¯re also from the Bolieiro clan; if I remember correctly, they should be Michel¡¯s cousins¡¹ Lucius put his hand on his forehead and leaked a heavy sigh again. The House of Bolieiro was a prominent great nobility even in Ahmad. Although it wasn¡¯t really so in recent years, it had produced many ministers from among the clan during the period of the previous king, and its power was still big. ¡¸Will their authority in the royal court influence this chivalric order that the Crown Prince leads?¡¹ ¡¸The House of Bolieiro is at the top in terms of amount of donation to the chivalric order every year¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re at the top in that sort of thing, huh. It seems faster to count their sons¡¯ abilities from the bottom though¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because that¡¯s the case. ¡­They want to make their sons, who by no means could be called capable, succeed in life somehow. They might have considered the donation to the chivalric order to be a gift to the Crown Prince¡¹ ¡¸No matter how much money they send to Ahmad¡¯s Crown Prince, it won¡¯t be a bribe, right? In the first place, no matter how you strive to succeed in life in this chivalric order, you can¡¯t become the leader¡ª¡¹ After muttering to that extent, Dimitar narrowed his eyes. ¡¸¡­Does that guy want to become the vice-leader by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably a fact that I¡¯m not well liked by him. When I was appointed the new vice-leader by His Highness, I felt that he had glared at me with eyes as if he was seeing his parents¡¯ enemy¡¹ ¡°Therefore¡ª,¡± Lucius continued. ¡¸¡ªI also know that His Highness won¡¯t waver because of a bribe, but nevertheless, he can¡¯t disregard the intention of the House of Bolieiro, which had given that much support, completely. Apart from the donation matter, their influence on other nobles is also big, after all. I think His Highness is racking his brains over the treatment of Michel because of that too¡¹ ¡¸Nevertheless, it doesn¡¯t mean that he can break the rules of the chivalric order, right? Even if he wasn¡¯t a member of the chivalric order, that should be an act which violated the law¡¹ ¡¸I know. That¡¯s why Michel couldn¡¯t make a fuss and say that it was done by you, and it¡¯s hardly possible that His Highness intends to blame Michel any more. ¡ªBut regarding Michel, it¡¯s not good that you overdid it. Since you¡¯re my relative, I think he isn¡¯t pleased with you too¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that so? He knew me, huh¡¹ Come to think of it, when he was beating up those three people last night, there was one man who was about to say Dimitar¡¯s name. That person was most likely Michel Bolieiro. Stroking his neck, Dimitar spoke to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s return soon. The group won¡¯t be in order unless you¡¯re there¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ While descending the hill and returning to the gathering point of the chivalric order, Lucius repeated. ¡¸Anyway, don¡¯t get mixed up with Michel¡¯s party any more. If they¡¯re going to do something intolerable that violates the rules, you can just inform me. It¡¯s better if they bear a grudge against me only; there¡¯s no need to even make them hate the very sight of you¡¹ ¡¸That sort of guys are good at shutting their eyes to their own actions and then blaming others for it, after all. Perhaps in their minds, it must have been decided that I¡¯m one-sidedly at fault already. I¡¯ll remember that advice, but it¡¯s probably too late anyway¡¹ Although he felt guilty for making Lucius¡¯s position difficult, he hadn¡¯t the slightest feelings of guilt towards Michel. Even now, Dimitar who was told the circumstances could only think they should be thankful that it ended with that extent instead. In an extreme instance, even if the one who attacked the town mayor¡¯s daughter last night was the Crown Prince, Dimitar¡ªeven though Dimitar would go easy on him somewhat¡ªwould probably not use words but hit him to stop him likewise. If they were that kind of people who would desist from doing it because of words, they¡¯d have stop at the point of time when the girl shouted for help in the first place. If those guys didn¡¯t stop it, one could only stop them with overwhelming authority or stop them with violence, which would work at once. ¡¸¡ªGood morning, Dii-kun!¡¹ Accompanied by attendants behind her, Shakira Babel could be seen coming along with long strides. Dimitar and Lucius put their right hands on their chests and knelt down on the spot in the same way as the surrounding members. ¡¸Good morning, Your Eminence¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that, never mind the formal greetings¡ªhora, everyone is still preparing for departure, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªWell then¡¹ Lucius stood up quietly and ordered the members to go back to work. ¡¸By the way¡­ Vice-Leader Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸What is it, Your Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like you to listen to one whim of mine¡¹ Shakira was grinning while folding her arms and walking slowly around Dimitar and Lucius. Even she herself had said that it was a whim, so it was probably nothing good anyway. ¡¸The weather is good today. I don¡¯t feel like staying inside the carriage¡¹ ¡¸So that means¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I want to ride this Richternach-kyou¡¯s horse with him today¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹ Lucius and Dimitar looked at each other and knitted their brows. Shakira¡¯s attendants also opened their eyes wide in surprise at their master¡¯s remark. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Your Eminence. There¡¯s also the matter of security, so I¡¯d like to have your forgiveness for that¡­ and if by any chance you fall down from the saddle¡¹ ¡¸Shouldn¡¯t Dii-kun pay attention to that so that I won¡¯t fall down?¡¹ Interrupting Lucius¡¯s words, Shakira spoke. It was as if she was provoking Dimitar and him. ¡¸If I fall off the horse, I¡¯ll just complain persistently to Orvieto. ¡ªIn any case, I want to do so¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Lucius sighed lightly and looked at Dimitar. Lucius wasn¡¯t particularly worried that Dimitar might let Shakira fall from the horse in the slightest. The fact that he didn¡¯t look happy must be because he was genuinely thinking about the security issue and that he didn¡¯t want to make Dimitar stand out too much today when only one day had passed after that thing happened. Stroking the nape of his neck, Dimitar spoke to Lucius. ¡¸Don¡¯t mind me, Vice-Leader. If Her Eminence wishes for it¡¹ With the intention of telling Lucius not to mind his own difficult position, Dimitar answered not as a relative but as a chivalric order member. Lucius shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸¡­Well then, Your Eminence, please wait just a minute. We¡¯ll do so if we can get His Highness¡¯s permission¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah, if that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s fine? I¡¯ll go get His Highness¡¯s permission directly together with Dii-kun, so you, that, it¡¯s fine if you do your own work. ¡ªAll right Dii-kun, give me a ride to where His Highness is?¡¹ While saying so, Shakira was already trying to put her foot on the stirrup of Dimitar¡¯s horse. Even though her resplendent tabard had rolled up and her pure white and slender leg had become completely visible, it was as if she was unconcerned about it. ¡¸Y, Your Eminence! That¡¯s dangerous!¡¹ ¡¸Shall I prepare an additional saddle?¡¹ Dimitar curled his lip and suggested so to Shakira. ¡¸In that case, I can only see your back. I¡¯ll ride in front!¡¹ ¡¸Well, I don¡¯t particularly mind¡¹ Dimitar, who had put his hands under both the small Eminence¡¯s arms and pushed her up onto the saddle lightly, took the reins and started to walk. Lucius and the attendants looked worried, but they already understood that Shakira wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone¡¯s opinion after she had suggested so. Shakira smiled, her body swaying left and right to the horse¡¯s steps. ¡¸You must support me properly, all right?¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re worried, then you shouldn¡¯t have said that you want to ride a horse¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t look so displeased, Dii-kun. If you¡¯re on cordial terms with me, isn¡¯t it convenient for you in various ways?¡¹ ¡¸What is convenient?¡¹ ¡¸I heard about the town mayor¡¯s daughter¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar glanced at Shakira. ¡¸¡ªMoreover, it seems that the other party whom you had beaten up is that Bolieiro¡¯s foolish son¡¹ ¡¸Is that senior so famous?¡¹ ¡¸Uh-huh. He¡¯s famous in a bad way¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ve probably taught him a good lesson¡¹ ¡¸However, his father is an influential person. ¡ªIt¡¯d be good if the titled Richternach-kyou and Orvieto, and of course, you, don¡¯t get dragged into this¡¹ When he was told that, Dimitar¡¯s heart wavered. Although he believed that it wasn¡¯t wrong to beat up Michel, it wasn¡¯t Dimitar¡¯s real intention to trouble even Lucius and Orvieto because of that. Perhaps he should have acted after thinking calmly a bit more before beating him up with no questions asked. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s why¡¹ Shakira spoke to Dimitar, who was looking down, from horseback. ¡¸If you¡¯re on cordial terms with me, I might be of service when something happens¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence, try changing our genders and think about it¡¹ Dimitar also almost burst into laughter unconsciously at Shakira¡¯s mischievous ¡°hee-hee¡± chuckling. ¡¸If I were a young girl, and Your Eminence were an oily middle-aged man, those words just now would sound like those of a terrible brute. It gives one the impression of the beginning of a tragedy¡¹ ¡¸First of all, you¡¯re not a young girl, and I¡¯m also not an oily middle-aged old man. Secondly, even if someone almost took advantage of your weakness, it¡¯s not your character to accept it meekly as it is, right? That¡¯s why your example is meaningless. To begin with, I don¡¯t have any ulterior motive¡¹ ¡¸I see. I¡¯m glad to hear that¡¹ Muttering curtly, Dimitar searched for the figure of the Crown Prince. The departure time was drawing nearer and nearer, and the surroundings were filled with noises, but even in this situation, the gazes of Dimitar¡¯s colleagues that were pointing at him were tinged with coldness as usual. Or rather, it felt like the temperature had dropped more than yesterday. The story of Dimitar knocking Michel out was most likely spreading. The fact that the right and wrong of what Michel¡¯s party had perpetrated was pigeonholed and that Dimitar had openly opposed the House of Bolieiro might have made the difference in temperature between Dimitar and them more conspicuous. That was to say, being on friendly terms with Dimitar was equivalent to the act of offending the House of Bolieiro. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯re so awkward¡¹ Shakira, who was silent for a short while, opened her mouth with a sigh. ¡¸I feel that you absolutely don¡¯t want to yield to anyone¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think like that in particular though¡¹ ¡¸You do. If there are exceptions, then they¡¯re the other Richternach-kyou and also Orvieto only, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar didn¡¯t say yes or no, but even if it wasn¡¯t Shakira, one could immediately understand that it was a silence that meant affirmation. ¡¸If I remember correctly, your parents are no longer here¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Your mother set fire to the mansion and tried to make you die together with her¡¹ She was a woman who would bluntly say things that people didn¡¯t want to recall. Dimitar endured the matter of wanting to say a cutting remark a lot and nodded. ¡¸¡­Your Eminence also knows about it, huh¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m of the same generation as Orvieto, you know? Doesn¡¯t that means I¡¯m of the same generation as your mother too? I was already a grown woman at that time, so its natural that I¡¯ll remember it properly. It became a disturbance of that extent, after all¡¹ Dimitar completely didn¡¯t remember, but considering the weight of the name of the House of Richternach, he could imagine the magnitude of the disturbance at that time. The cousin of Orvieto Richternach, who was already known as the magic warrior who possessed preeminent ability, attempted to drag her son into a forced double suicide. If they were adults of a certain age, they might remember it clearly. ¡¸That¡¯s why you feel indebted to Orvieto and the other Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not indebtedness but kindness¡¹ ¡¸Both are similar. Mentally, you¡¯re not on an equal footing with them already¡¹ Dimitar got angry, but at the same time, he also felt that she had hit the nail on the head. Dimitar certainly felt indebted to Lucius and Orvieto. Although he said that it wasn¡¯t indebtedness but kindness, like Shakira had also pointed out, whether this was indebtedness or kindness, the difference wasn¡¯t significant. His mother had chosen a dishonourable way to die, and he who had survived was adopted by Orvieto and was living under her patronage even now. It was an indisputable fact that there were times when he wondered if the existence of Dimitar Richternach, who was here now, itself was already a liability to Lucius and Orvieto. ¡¸You¡¯ve talent¡¹ ¡¸¡­Pardon?¡¹ At Shakira¡¯s abrupt words, Dimitar looked up at the attractive older woman who looked like a girl. ¡¸I said that you¡¯ve talent. It¡¯s that, I just know that sort of thing¡¹ Shakira narrowed her eyes and smiled. ¡¸From what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯ve more talent than the other Richternach-kyou. But because of your indebtedness to him, you can¡¯t demonstrate it readily¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s absurd¡¹ ¡¸Hey hey, there¡¯s no need to call this me absurd, is there?¡¹ Grasping the treasured sword, including its scabbard, worn on her waist and hitting Dimitar¡¯s head lightly, Shakira puffed out her cheeks. ¡¸My insight won¡¯t be wrong! ¡ªIt¡¯s that, it¡¯s better that you keep your distance from Orvieto and the other Richternach-kyou a little. I feel that the current environment will corrode your talent. Right?!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not ¡°right?!¡±. I don¡¯t know whether Your Eminence knows this, but in this world, that sort of thing is called needless meddling¡¹ He understood that the other party was an important person of the country, but as one would expect, she had no right to speak to that extent. Dimitar kept his mouth shut glumly, and after that, due to Shakira hailing the Crown Prince and obtaining his permission, his expression ended up becoming even more glum. That was because swaying horseback together with this Eminence would probably be accompanied by a considerable mental pain. ??? That night, the party set up camp before the forest of Selsuru. Shakira¡¯s hometown, Selsuru, would be right there if they went through the forest like this, but going into the forest after sunset¡ªthough there was a highway laid out¡ªwas akin to a suicidal act. The forest at night, where one wouldn¡¯t know from where stray dogs, wolves and bears could appear, was a dangerous place, which even hunters would hardly set foot in unless there was a good reason to. Besides, even if they went through the forest all night knowing the danger, it¡¯d be before daybreak when they arrived at Selsuru. In that case, it¡¯d be better to stay up all night here safely, depart early morning tomorrow and arrive at Selsuru before dusk; their fatigue would be mentally and physically lesser as well. Countless tents were pitched in the surroundings of a huge and luxurious tent, which was rarely used, for the Crown Prince¡¯s use. It looked just like a group of herbivores sleeping with their shoulders pressed against each other for fear of attacks from other beasts. Fortunately, Dimitar who had undertaken the night watch duty last night was freed from that hard work tonight and could lie down at a normal time. The sense of security that the journey, which was full of nothing but worries, would finally be over tomorrow turned Dimitar¡¯s tired feeling into a pleasant one. Dimitar, who was lying down in the endmost tent of the group together with the other apprentices, crawled out from the middle of his sleep quietly and opened his eyes softly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ He could faintly hear the popping sounds of the firewood of the campfire mixed in with the breathing sounds and snores of his sleeping colleagues. Conversely, he could hear them only. Even though he could hear the hoots of owls and the sounds of insects before going to sleep, they had stopped now. When Dimitar felt uneasy suddenly and tried to get up, a fire arrow penetrated the tent and flew in. A red flame rose up from the fire arrow, which had pierced the prop, and spread to the canvas. ¡¸! It¡¯s a night attack!¡¹ Calling out to the surrounding apprentices, Dimitar tore off his blanket and stood up. ¡¸Tsk¡­ what are the night watchmen doing!?¡¹ Dimitar hurriedly buttoned his shirt, grabbed just his sword and rushed out of the tent. The members on night watch were moving about in confusion outside. Fire arrows were flying here sporadically from the other side of the darkness, but as the enemies¡¯ figures couldn¡¯t be confirmed, they were probably thrown into confusion. Approximately half of the members could act without being flustered. The horses had also become frightened by the sudden attack and were starting to neigh. Honestly, he didn¡¯t care what would happen to the members who had relaxed their guard, but if any harm befell even the Crown Prince and Shakira, Lucius¡¯s position would become bad. Dimitar removed the scabbard, unsheathed his sword and ran towards the Crown Prince¡¯s tent. ¡¸Your Highness! Your Eminence!¡¹ ¡¸Dii!¡¹ Pieces of firewood scattered from the campfires that were kicked over, and among the members who were trampling them and running around, a voice responded to Dimitar. ¡¸Lucius!?¡¹ Lucius came from the direction of the Crown Prince¡¯s tent and as one would expect, he was calm. While encouraging the surrounding members, he was giving them detailed instructions and trying to restore order. ¡¸You¡¯re safe, huh, Dii¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­What about His Highness and Her Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re safe. His Highness is already leaving this place together with Her Eminence on a carriage protected by the members¡¹ Lucius brushed his long silver hair away and sighed. ¡¸¡ªJudging from this half-baked night attack, it¡¯s most likely the deed of bandits¡¹ ¡¸Bandits?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I heard that the remnants of the bandits who were subjugated by the army a little while ago have been attacking the towns and villages of this area¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ their total number shouldn¡¯t be many, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve issued instructions to every commanding officer to retreat slowly while making arrangements to guard His Highness and Her Eminence, ¡­but you¡¯re an apprentice whose attachment hasn¡¯t been officially decided yet. You can do as you like. However, don¡¯t die, all right?¡¹ ¡¸I know¡¹ Dimitar lightly grabbed back the left hand of Lucius, who had patted him on the shoulder, and turned on his heel. The young members who still hadn¡¯t got used to actual fighting were becoming restless in the first night attack of their lives, but the relatively experienced members were trying to retreat, though little by little, in the direction that the Crown Prince and the others had moved while drawing their swords and counterattacking. His colleagues here probably didn¡¯t need any help in particular. The ones who probably needed help the most now were the apprentices who had slept in the same tent as Dimitar. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m under no obligation to them in particular, but if I¡¯m the only apprentice who survived, I¡¯ll receive harsh treatment again¡¹ Dimitar, who had come back to his tent, couldn¡¯t help smiling wryly at the expected development. The flame that had spread from the fire arrow to the tent coloured the darkness red, and ten or so men were fighting in front of it. To be more precise, the young men who had got cold feet completely were standing face to face with men who wore shabby leather armours. All the men had stubbly beards that looked dirty, and their appearances were certainly convincing if they were called degenerate ex-bandits. ¡¸What are they doing¡ª¡¹ Dimitar laughed at his colleagues, who were on the verge of tears and swinging their swords blindly, and picked up a spear that was dropped on that spot. ¡¸Oi!¡¹ He simultaneously attracted the thieves¡¯ attention and threw the spear at them. ¡¸!?¡¹ As if to restrain the thieves who had tried to cut down the young men in one breath, the spear pierced the ground in front of them with a heavy impact. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Not only the thieves but also the young men looked back at Dimitar and opened their eyes wide in surprise. ¡¸Since I specially attracted the enemies¡¯ attention for you, you should have escaped at this opportunity¡ªstupid fellows are stupid through and through, good grief¡¹ Shaking off the redness of the flickering flame behind his eyelids lightly, Dimitar ran. Moving his left hand according to a specific pattern while running, he poured magic power into the magic crestHieratika and excited the magic circle for ¡°Double Power¡±Force. ¡¸¡ªMove aside! Step back!¡¹ Dimitar, who had accelerated to a speed that surpassed an ordinary person¡¯s in one breath, jumped over the young men who still couldn¡¯t move, and his sword flashed. ¡¸Guga¡¹ Flicking off the rust-covered sword of the thief at the very front greatly, Dimitar drove a front kick into his solar plexus like a stake. His leg strength, which had been strengthened by magic, most likely must have ruptured the thief¡¯s internal organs in one blow. No longer paying any attention to the thief who had vomited blood and collapsed, Dimitar spoke to the young men behind him. ¡¸If you can¡¯t fight well, take the horses and retreat! You¡¯re in the way!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes¡ª¡¹ The young members, who were stunned by the shock of an actual fighting, nodded at Dimitar¡¯s threatening attitude, tumbled and ran away from that place. The origin of the Seal Chivalric Order was said to be the eighty-nine warriors who had supported the ¡°Lord of RedemptionReduntra¡± together with the twelve priests to seal the ¡°DemonMaroudo¡±, rendering a meritorious deed. It was said that they were warriors as well as excellent magic warriors, and in imitation of them, one must be able to master not only the sword but also magic to join the chivalric order. However, that was simply the official stance, and the members who had no magic talent weren¡¯t few. For example, like those fellows who had ran away just now, the members who could neither use magic nor handle a sword well¡ªwithout a single exception¡ªcompensated for their lack of talent with the economic power of their parents¡¯ homes. If he had to receive token support from such fellows who had no fighting power, it was much easier to fight alone. ¡¸I can¡¯t afford to even babysit green young men from well-to-do families, you know¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar spat out so and deeply slashed at the wrist of the thief who had lunged at him with a spear. ¡¸O¡ª¡¹ In a one-to-many fight, he didn¡¯t have time to finish the enemies off one-by-one. If he stopped moving even a little, he¡¯d be surrounded and killed. Therefore, it was more efficient to not think about killing the enemy in front of him but inflict a wound on him and make him lose his fighting spirit for the time being. Fellows who didn¡¯t have an ounce of sense of mission, like bandits especially, gave top priority to their own survival, so Dimitar didn¡¯t think they¡¯d continue to fight until they stopped their own massive bleeding. ¡¸Go¡­, damn it¡ª!¡¹ When he had just cut off two, three little fingers and one wrist in the twinkling of an eye, Dimitar jumped back greatly. At that moment, an intense pain shot through the back and upper arm of his right shoulder. He immediately understood that an arrow had flown from somewhere and pierced him. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Although he staggered slightly, Dimitar didn¡¯t stop moving. He immediately transferred the sword to his left hand and rushed into the group of remaining thieves. That he had purposely cut his way into the midst of the enemy was to prevent being shot by a second and third arrow. ¡¸Gyaa!¡¹ Biting his lip at the pain, Dimitar swung his sword. The thief who was cut lightly in the chest let out an exaggerated scream and rolled on the ground. ¡¸¡­Tsk¡¹ The fingers of his right hand didn¡¯t move well. He could endure any amount of pain, but he couldn¡¯t handle the sword well with this hand. Dimitar had been training regularly so that he could use the sword with either hand on the assumption that there might be an unexpected situation, but not being able to use his right hand was a serious situation nonetheless. After all, he¡¯d lose by misusing his powers and be at a disadvantage if he thoughtlessly went on the defensive, and the more time he spent, the slower his movements would become due to the bleeding. When Dimitar dodged the spear of the thief in front of him and conversely lunged his sword, he aimed and thrust at the joint of the leather armour. ¡¸Gu, bu, o¡­!¡¹ Putting his foot on the shoulder of the thief who fell forward and pulling his sword out, Dimitar immediately looked back and lay face-down instantly. An arrow moving fast against the wind flew by close to him. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Normally, fools who would shoot arrows when their allies were fighting didn¡¯t exist. In other words, the one who had been shooting arrows since just now wasn¡¯t a thief; moreover, they weren¡¯t Dimitar¡¯s ally either. Some thieves were hit by the arrows from just now and fell. Perhaps they had lost their nerves seeing that, the surviving thieves, who had each sustained a wound in their fight against Dimitar, escaped towards the other side of the darkness that was flickering with flames. While bending over, Dimitar ran with short steps and hid himself behind a tree. Furthermore, an arrow pierced the bark of that tree. It had become clear with this. The arrows were obviously aimed at Dimitar. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The force of the flames that had turned the tent into black ashes wasn¡¯t of the extent of spreading to the young tree. The flames gradually abated, and the surroundings fell into a deep darkness again. Just before he jumped behind the tree, Dimitar had noticed that there were figures of people approaching, carrying a bow and arrows. He felt that there were three people at least. ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t tell me it was those green young men from well-to-do families? The one called Michel or something¡­¡¹ As far as the people trying to kill him, besides the bandits, were concerned, he had no idea of anyone else but them. ¡¸They looked like fellows who would run away first when we were attacked by the bandits though¡­ or rather, were they late in running away?¡¹ Although Dimitar smiled wryly, this wasn¡¯t a situation where he could smile so. The fact that they suddenly shot arrows when he was crossing swords with the bandits meant that the other party didn¡¯t care even if Dimitar lost his life¡ªrather, they were probably thinking of killing him. Their intention to finish Dimitar off for certain could be felt from the fact that they appeared now when the bandits had fled. Dimitar knitted his brows, looked at his right arm and gently pulled out the arrow stuck in his upper arm. ¡¸¡­D, damn it¡ª¡¹ The blood flowing from the arrow wound soaked his shirt bright red. It might have ended with a bit slighter wound if he had worn an outer garment, but it was a misfortune that he had rushed out lightly dressed as soon as he got up. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When he listened carefully, battle cries could be heard faintly from the direction closer to the forest. While Dimitar was fighting alone, everyone was probably escaping safely in the direction the Crown Prince¡¯s party had retreated. Judging from the fact that the bandits had retreated unexpectedly easily, they might have mistaken their party for a large-scale caravan. Although the bandits had made a night attack thinking they were suitable preys, they received an unexpected resistance and ran away hurriedly¡ªit was more or less something like that. It seemed that the ones remaining here were Dimitar and the wicked assailants only. If those assailants with the bow and arrows were Michel Bolieiro and his followers, the number of people should be three, but in any case, they were troublesome opponents for the current Dimitar. ¡¸¡­Good grief, increasing troubles for me¡­¡¹ Dimitar swallowed a groan of agony and shook his left hand quietly. Containing a bluish-black brilliance, the magic crest drew the magic circle for ¡°Tornado¡±Razor. ¡¸¡ªFu!¡¹ He jumped out from behind the tree and released his magic power simultaneously. As expected, the number of enemies were three people. It seemed that they reacted to Dimitar¡¯s movement and tried to shoot their arrows, but the wind blade reached them just an instant earlier. ¡¸Giah!¡¹ The sound of the bowstring of a bow being cut and snapping and someone¡¯s scream were emitted loudly. Dimitar pulled out the sword that he had thrust into the ground and ran towards the enemy immediately. ¡¸Y, you¡ª! I never like you guys!¡¹ The one who had thrown away the bow of which its bowstring was cut, drawn a sword and come charging was a young man who had wrapped a bandage across the centre of his face. ¡¸¡­As expected, it¡¯s you guys, huh¡¹ Confirming that it was the face of Michel Bolieiro¡ªthe other party whose nose he had broken last night, Dimitar clicked his tongue. The current wounded Dimitar didn¡¯t have the leeway to think about the other party¡¯s position and go easy on him. If he prioritised his own survival, he might really kill Michel¡¯s party. However, even though it was for self-defence, killing the heir of the House of Bolieiro would become a big problem in the future. It was still fine if only he himself was blamed, but he wanted to avoid causing trouble to even Lucius and Orvieto. While feeling slightly irritated, Dimitar crossed swords with Michel just as they were passing by one another. If he rashly did something like locking sword to sword and pushing, it was clear that Dimitar, who could only use his left arm, would be overpowered. He wanted to cast the ¡°Double Power¡± magic again, but in this one-on-three situation, he couldn¡¯t even take the time to do so. A spear extending from the side attacked Dimitar, who had turned around and tried to slash at Michel simultaneously. ¡¸!¡¹ The one handling the spear was a young man who was the only person whose face had no injuries. He was either H¨¦ctor or Hugo¡ªhe most likely must be H¨¦ctor. Dimitar arbitrarily assumed so. ¡¸Die! Richternach!¡¹ The tip of the spear that H¨¦ctor, whose face had turned deep red, was lunging in rapid succession extended towards Dimitar¡¯s throat. Perhaps it was because he was kicked in the solar plexus and became unable to move first last night that his damage was consequently the smallest, his handling of the spear was strong and accurate. ¡¸If you can do that much, you should just aim to succeed in life seriously though¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who had spat out so inside his mind, cut off the tip of the spear while bending himself backwards and dodging H¨¦ctor¡¯s offence. ¡¸¡­! Y, you bastard¡ª¡¹ Without a pause, Michel and Hugo came slashing at him. ¡¸You guys are an eyesore!¡¹ Michel directly swung the sword he was gasping tightly with both hands downwards from an overhead position. Michel who came striking with his sword again and again, his face which was divided into top and bottom by the bandage flushing deep red, was comical and at the same time, bizarre as well. ¡¸Just Lucius alone is already an eyesore, a, and yet there¡¯s even you¡­! You Richternachs! Quickly disappear! Die! You¡¯re a hindrance!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ Although he wanted to curse at Michel¡¯s self-centred shout, Dimitar bit his lip and endured it. At present, he wanted number of hands more than number of words. He somehow parried Michel¡¯s and Hugo¡¯s weapons and tried to take a roundabout path to the side. ¡ªHowever, just when he was about to do that, he was severely hit on the waist. ¡¸Gu?¡¹ H¨¦ctor recklessly brandished the spear that had lost its tip and hit Dimitar¡¯s back again and again very hard. ¡¸This guy¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar tried to slash at H¨¦ctor just as he was turning around, but his hand that was holding the sword was hit by the handle of the spear and he unintentionally dropped the sword. ¡¸Daa¡ª¡¹ Hugo lunged at Dimitar who had tried to pick up the sword with his left hand, which had become numb. Although it ended with just his flank being slightly gouged out because of him twisting his body instantly, Dimitar got entangled with Hugo who had collided with him and fell over. ¡¸¡­Ah¡¹ The arrow stuck in his back snapped, and the arrowhead sank in even deeper. He somehow held back a groan of agony, but he couldn¡¯t stop the new bleeding. Michel kicked Dimitar, who had tried to stand up to protect his right shoulder, flying. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar fell down to the ground from the back again, looked up at Michel, who had changed his sword to a backhand grip, and opened his eyes wide. ¡¸Die¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar reflexively thrust his left hand out towards Michel, who had raised his sword overhead. At that moment, a brilliant flame swallowed Michel up. ¡¸Bo¡­a¡ª¡¹ Michel dropped his sword, protected his face and fell down. Burnt by the flame, the uniform made by the best tailor in Roma smouldered. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ After staring at Michel rolling on the ground and struggling to put out the fire in a daze, Dimitar stared at his own left hand. The sleeve of his shirt, which was rolled up halfway, had been carbonised in an instant. The skin from his elbow to the tip of his left hand was hideously burnt; however, a bluish-black flickering magic crest had distinctly emerged there. ¡¸¡ª!?¡¹ Dimitar, who had tried to hold his left hand in his arms, grimaced at the heat. Although his left hand itself didn¡¯t feel anything as if it was numb, hot air was still coiling about its surroundings. ¡¸Michel! Oi, Michel!¡¹ H¨¦ctor and Hugo were hurriedly trying to put out the flame that had spread to Michel. The field of vision of Dimitar, who had been looking at those figures and his own hand alternately, was suddenly dyed deep crimson. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ A red storm was swelling. A woman who closely resembled Orvieto was putting her hands on Dimitar¡¯s neck and crying. Before he realised it, that place had changed into a room of a mansion where luxurious furniture was completely burnt by flames, and Dimitar who was looking at that had become a very young boy. The woman gradually put strength into her hands, which were grasping Dimitar¡¯s neck. The suffocation dyed Dimitar¡¯s field of vision even redder. The inside of his nose was burning. The woman seemed to be saying something, but Dimitar¡¯s ears could no longer hear any sound. The flames burnt the dress of the woman, who was strangling Dimitar while crying, anew. Nevertheless, the woman didn¡¯t take her hands off him. The pain was difficult to endure, and Dimitar finally shouted. ??? Lucius, who had turned around at the violent sound that had shaken the air, looked at the pillar of fire that had risen towards the night sky and gasped. ¡¸¡­Hey, what, is that¡­?¡¹ Taking off his hat which was adorned with birds-of-paradise plumes, the Crown Prince said so as if groaning. The Crown Prince and his guards had already moved to a location that was distant from the camping site and were arranging their formation. Although the majority of them were children of nobles who were inexperienced in combat, soldiers who possessed both magic and swordsmanship at a high level in the true sense of the word, such as Lucius, weren¡¯t few either. If they got out of the momentary confusion, it was easy to repel the surprise attack of the degenerate ex-bandits which lacked measures. However, the pillar of fire that extended intermittently towards the sky made the party, which had finally started to feel relieved, fall into wild excitement again. Lucius calmed his horse, which had become frightened and neighed, down and surveyed the members who were surrounding and protecting the Crown Prince¡¯s riding horse and Shakira¡¯s carriage and then spoke to the adjutant of First Squad, of which he took direct command. ¡¸Lindegaard-kyou, please take command in my stead. Please assemble a battle formation in columns of fours with His Highness and Her Eminence placed in the centre of the ranks and evacuate into the forest at a slow march like that¡¹ ¡¸Understood! But what about you, Vice-Leader¡­?¡¹ The older adjutant, Lindegaard, was an honest young man who served Lucius without prejudice. Lucius didn¡¯t feel uneasy about entrusting the rest to him at all. ¡¸I¡¯ll go look at the situation of the members who still haven¡¯t linked up with us¡¹ ¡¸No way¡­! Please order me to do that!¡¹ ¡¸No, if I assign such a role to you, I¡¯ll be made into a villain again in the future¡¹ Lucius held Lindegaard back and then galloped his horse to the Crown Prince¡¯s location. Rebuking the members who had become restless, Lucius spoke to Isaac in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªYour Highness, I¡¯ll return to the camping site and look at the situation. Please advance like this together with Her Eminence, Your Highness. I¡¯ve entrusted the entire command to Lindegaard-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Hey, are you seriously saying that, Lucius?¡¹ Putting on his hat again, Isaac knitted his brows. ¡¸We don¡¯t know what happened, but no matter how you think about it, it¡¯s dangerous, you know? Why do you have to specially¡ª¡¹ ¡¸There are still people who haven¡¯t linked up with us. Though it seems that they¡¯re in the midst of moving here, we can¡¯t leave them behind¡¹ Lucius didn¡¯t say that Dimitar was mixed in among them. He didn¡¯t want it to be interpreted as mixing work and private matters. However, it seemed that Isaac had already seen through the mind of such Lucius. ¡¸¡­Well, it can¡¯t be helped¡¹ After surveying his surroundings, Isaac nodded. ¡¸Quite a bit of wounded people had appeared already, not to mention the big problem it will become if dead people appear. Sorry, but I¡¯m counting on you, Lucius-kun¡¹ ¡¸Certainly¡¹ Lucius bowed lightly and turned his horse around. That pillar of fire couldn¡¯t be seen in the night sky any more. It had been rising intermittently since just now; however, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t due to the deed of the degenerate ex-bandits. ¡¸Vice-Leader¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Are you all right!?¡¹ Lucius encountered the apprentice members who had come from the direction of the pillar of fire and felt a slight disappointment knowing that Dimitar¡¯s figure wasn¡¯t among them. ¡¸What in the world happened!? What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸I, I don¡¯t know! We, simply came chasing the main force anyway¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Are there still people remaining at that place?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡¹ The members were looking at each other and speaking ambiguously, seemingly embarrassed for some reason. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? Speak clearly!¡¹ ¡¸Um¡­ Richternach-kyou told us to escape first¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ Inhaling deeply and quietly, Lucius nodded. ¡¸Does that mean he¡¯s still there?¡¹ ¡¸M, most likely yes¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I understand. All of you head for the forest without delay. Link up with the main force and protect His Highness and Her Eminence¡¹ ¡¸What will Vice-Leader do?¡¹ ¡¸Never mind that, go quickly!¡¹ Lucius ordered as if shouting and kicked the horse¡¯s abdomen. ¡¸Dii¡­¡¹ Although Dimitar was still an apprentice so that the other members wouldn¡¯t say that Lucius was favouring him, he possessed real ability where it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if he was appointed as a formal member immediately. Therefore, even if he was surrounded by the thieves in the middle of the melee, he should have been able to cut his way through and run away by his own efforts at least. Nevertheless, the fact that Dimitar still hadn¡¯t linked up with the main force meant that Lucius should probably assume that some accident had happened to him. Moreover, he was bothered by the fact that he hadn¡¯t seen the figures of Michel¡¯s party, it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if they ran away first if there was an enemy attack, the whole time. ¡¸¡ªO-i, Lucius-kun!¡¹ Unexpectedly hearing a girl¡¯s carefree voice which could be called out-of-place, Lucius looked up at the sky behind him. ¡¸Your Eminence!?¡¹ Lucius instantly stretched out his arms to catch Shakira Babel who had flown down together with the wind, her tabard fluttering. ¡¸Nice, nice, if I have to be held in the arms by someone, a pretty boy or a handsome young man is the best as expected. Right?!¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence¡­ why in the world¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that, I¡¯m also going together with you¡¹ ¡¸You mustn¡¯t!¡¹ Stopping his horse hurriedly, Lucius spoke. ¡¸Please go back! We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening¡­ it¡¯s too dangerous!¡¹ ¡¸Huh, you don¡¯t know? Then as expected, you have to take me with you¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean, Your Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s probably magic power going out of control¡¹ ¡¸Out of control?¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, Dii-kun will be in danger if we don¡¯t hurry¡¹ ¡¸¡­Understood¡¹ Properly speaking, Lucius should give top priority to Shakira¡¯s safety and turn back, but if she said that she was going to move forward, he had no way to stop her. In fact, Shakira rode upon the winds she had personally created and came here by herself. If he couldn¡¯t get Shakira to change her mind, he could only protect her by her side. ¡¸¡­You said ¡°out of control¡±, do you mean Dimitar¡¯s magic power?¡¹ ¡¸Do you have an idea?¡¹ Shakira, who was clinging to Lucius¡¯s back, asked a question in return with a voice containing a smile. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s the son of Orvieto¡¯s cousin¡ªright?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­ that might be due to his lineage of the House of Richternach then¡¹ ¡¸What is?¡¹ ¡¸I feel that there¡¯s something in that child that is different from ordinary people¡¹ ¡¸Do you mean that¡­ he has talent?¡¹ ¡¸Of course he has talent. ¡­However, that child possesses something even more troublesome. You might not have noticed it, but Orvieto must have noticed it. Even I sensed it, after all¡¹ ¡¸Mother did¡­?¡¹ When Lucius was ruminating on it quizzically, he was hit on the back of his head suddenly. ¡¸Enough of chattering! Hora, hurry up!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s the possibility that the horse will become frightened from here on and not listen to what I say, so¡ª¡¹ Leaving a few words like that, Lucius kicked the stirrup and leapt. Holding the left glove in his mouth and smoothly pulling it off, he drew a magic circle with the magic crest that had emerged on the back of his hand. ¡¸I¡¯ll speed up¡¹ Getting off the horse, Lucius started running like that at the same time he landed. His leg strength raised by magic, Lucius accelerated steadily. ¡¸Is this magic carefully created by the chivalric order? It¡¯s good for people with strong physique¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s an honour to receive your praise, Your Eminence¡¹ When Lucius, who had carried Shakira on his back and ran in the night even faster than riding the horse, arrived at the camping site which was mercilessly burnt to the ground, he narrowed his eyes at the hot wind and was stupefied. Dimitar was squatting down on the ground, surrounded by a tent and bushes that were burnt down. ¡¸Dii¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Wait, Lucius-kun!¡¹ Shakira restrained Lucius, who had tried to run up to Dimitar. Immediately after that, flames spouted from the left hand that Dimitar had held up high, became a new pillar of fire and disappeared into the sky. ¡¸Dii!?¡¹ ¡¸As expected, his magic power is out of control¡¹ Shakira pulled his long hair and restrained Lucius, who had unconsciously tried to take a step forward, again. ¡¸¡ªIf you approach him carelessly, even you will get charred, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Ridiculous¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Hora hora, try to survey your surroundings with your usual calmness¡¹ When he was urged by Shakira and observed his surroundings, someone had collapsed a short distance away. Although they had become limp, they seemed to be still barely breathing and were moving slightly. ¡¸¡­Michel¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Well, leave those profligate sons to me; you, that, do something about Dii-kun. ¡­But be fully careful, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Lucius lowered Shakira from his back and ran up to Dimitar. ¡¸Are you all right, Dii!?¡¹ ¡¸Lucius¡­?¡¹ Dimitar raised his face with an agonised look. ¡¸What happened!?¡¹ ¡¸Well, various things happened¡ª¡¹ From that hoarse voice of his, one could gather how irritated Dimitar was. Lucius squatted down beside Dimitar, looked at his hideously burnt left arm and frowned. ¡¸How terrible¡­¡¹ ¡¸G, get away from me, Lucius¡ªeven I, can¡¯t suppress it well¡¹ ¡¸You have to suppress it. ¡­You¡¯ll die if you continue to use magic like this, you know?¡¹ Magic wasn¡¯t created from nothing. If one used magic, one would pay the price for it in the form of fatigue. Normally, one couldn¡¯t continue to use magic beyond one¡¯s limits, but in the case of the current Dimitar whose magic power was out of control regardless of the will of the person himself, it was clear that he¡¯d exceed his limit eventually. ¡¸Before that, your arm might become charcoal¡¹ Lucius jokingly created cold air between both hands. However, the ice that had frozen there, without cooling Dimitar¡¯s left arm sufficiently, turned into steam in an instant and just choked the two people. ¡¸Pu¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough already, Lucius¡­ take that meddling Eminence and run away quickly¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t speak!¡¹ When Lucius produced cold air between both hands again, he grasped Dimitar¡¯s left arm with those hands. ¡¸Lucius!¡¹ At the same time hot steam rose up, Dimitar¡¯s voice broke in falsetto. ¡¸Stop, stop it! Get away from me, Lucius!¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, you have to stop your magic power from being out of control first¡­!¡¹ Enduring the pain of his skin being burnt, Lucius spoke. ¡¸¡ªIf I¡¯m going to abandon you so easily here, Haha-ue and I, wouldn¡¯t have adopted you, at that time¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Lucius¡­!¡¹ Even while they were like this, the block of ice Lucius had created turned into steam in an instant. Lucius stared at the magic crest that had emerged on Dimitar¡¯s arm and furrowed his brow. ¡¸Why¡­? Even though the skin is inflamed this much, why won¡¯t the magic crest disappear¡­?¡¹ Magic manifested by means of a magic circle that magic power, which had flowed into the magic crest, drew. One couldn¡¯t use magic unless one had a magic crest, and even if just a part of it was damaged, it was bound to interfere with the use of magic. That was exactly why an occupational category called ¡°Hiera Glaphicos¡± existed to restore a magic crest that was damaged because of injury. However, the magic crest on Dimitar¡¯s left arm, with no relation to the injury on the skin¡ªand also with no relation to his will¡ª, was causing magic to manifest. ¡¸Gu, u¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar thrust Lucius away and pointed his left hand towards the sky. That pillar of fire, together with a roaring sound, was shot from there again.The enormous magic power had probably run about inside Dimitar¡¯s body and, searching for a place to escape, became a flame and spouted out from his left hand. Lucius got up immediately, grasping Dimitar¡¯s left arm. ¡¸I¡¯m telling you to stop, right, Lucius!?¡¹ The sleeve of Lucius¡¯s uniform became dry in an instant and began burning with a flame. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Lucius stifled a groan of agony and tried to suppress the scorching heat that was burning their skins with the ice his left hand had created. However, Lucius¡¯s cold air merely turned into hot steam and couldn¡¯t repress the heat Dimitar had created. Dimitar¡¯s face, where traces of burns remained, stiffened and he shouted. ¡¸It¡¯s impossible! Stop!¡¹ ¡¸Before telling me to stop, how about you make an effort too¡­?¡¹ Lucius narrowed his eyes, stared at Dimitar and smiled wryly. During that time, an intense pain attacked him. ¡¸Will the two of us be burnt to death like this, or will you repress it with your willpower¡ªthis depends on you, Dii¡­¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re so unfair, you know¡ª¡¹ Dimitar bit his lip and shut his eyes. A deep wrinkle was carved on his brow, and he was probably concentrating his mind. The flickering of the magic crest on his left arm gradually became faster. ¡¸¡­Oi¡¹ Dimitar opened one of his eyes and spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡­Sorry. It¡¯s probably impossible¡¹ ¡¸I know that it¡¯s impossible! But it¡¯s your body, right!?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s impossible is impossible¡ªget away from me already! Even you will be blown off¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Suppress it!¡¹ ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar suddenly stretched his right hand and pulled out the sword on Lucius¡¯s waist. ¡¸!? Stop!¡¹ Seeing Dimitar raised the sword overhead, Lucius immediately comprehended his real intention. If it couldn¡¯t be suppressed even if he tried to, he was going to cut off his left arm, including the magic crest that wouldn¡¯t disappear even if the skin was burnt. However, even without Lucius risking his life to protect him, Dimitar didn¡¯t swing the sword downwards. ¡¸Are you guys idiots?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Huh?¡¹ When Dimitar dropped the sword and fell forward greatly, Shakira was standing behind him and holding a stone as big as an infant¡¯s head in her arms. ¡¸Well, let¡¯s forget about Dii-kun. After all, his magic power is out of control with no relation to his will, and he had been desperately trying to do something about it. ¡ªBut even you panic together with him; what are you going to do then?¡¹ Shakira tossed the stone aside and thrust her finger at the tip of the nose of Lucius, who was dumbfounded. ¡¸I know that you¡¯re worried about this child, but you mustn¡¯t be swallowed up by the atmosphere, Lucius-kun. I don¡¯t want to see your game of make-believe friendship! ¡ªGood grief, it¡¯s really ridiculous!¡¹ Shakira squatted down beside Dimitar while complaining and held her hand up over his head. A pale light dwelt in the small palm of her hand and illuminated the profile of Dimitar, who had lost consciousness. ¡¸¡ªEh!?¡¹ At that moment, Lucius noticed for the first time that the rampage of Dimitar¡¯s magic power had subsided and that he was shedding blood from the back of the head. ¡¸Ah! D, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Your Eminence hit Dii with that stone!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s right. That¡¯s because you won¡¯t do it¡¹ Shakira pouted her lips and glared at Lucius. ¡¸Me telling you to do something about Dii-kun means making him stop using magic even if you have to hit him hard, you know? Do you not understand unless I say so clearly? In that case, I¡¯m at fault for not saying that then¡¹ ¡¸N, no, such a thing is¡­ out of the question¡¹ Lucius held his right hand, which had sustained a terrible burn, in his arms, sat up straight and bowed to Shakira. Now that she mentioned it, it was certainly like that. As one would expect, cases with destructive power were so far rare, but people who weren¡¯t accustomed to the handling of magic causing their magic powers to go out of control was something that happened often. In such cases, one should first damage the said person¡¯s magic crest to stop the flow of magic power; when even that didn¡¯t resolve things, make the person themself lose consciousness¡ªLucius remembered that he was taught so by his mother when he just started receiving introduction to magic. Lucius was angry with himself for not being able to remember such an important thing in this critical situation. ¡¸¡ªNever mind that, you heal your arm first¡¹ When Shakira sighed lightly and stood up, she took light steps and extended both hands towards the sky. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Making clear rustling sounds, small fragments of ice began to fall like a sudden shower. It seemed that with Shakira¡¯s power, making an out-of-season hail fall was simple. ¡¸¡­The smouldering fire around there will mostly be put out with this, I guess¡¹ Shakira looked back at Lucius and tilted her head to the side with a ¡¸N?¡¹. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? You can¡¯t use healing magic?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no, I can use it. More or less though¡¹ ¡¸Then heal your arm quickly. It hurts, right?¡¹ ¡¸This much pain is nothing special¡¹ ¡¸Mine feels painful just from looking at it¡¹ Shakira smiled slightly and squatted down beside Dimitar again. This time, she held her hand up over his hideously burnt left arm and started to heal the wound with that soothing light. ¡¸¡ªIs this child, that, I wonder; is he influenced by what happened when he was a child, after all?¡¹ ¡¸¡­The double suicide disturbance?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ ¡¸The person himself said that he didn¡¯t care about that though¡¹ ¡¸Has his magic power ever gone out of control so far?¡¹ ¡¸No, it didn¡¯t. At the very least, it didn¡¯t, as far as I know¡¹ ¡¸In that case, what became the trigger for it, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Could the cause of it be someone trying to kill him?¡¹ Lucius, who had cursorily healed the burn on his right hand, stared at Michel¡¯s party and curled his lip. They had backbitten Dimitar and played boring tricks on him many times until now, but as one would expect, they had never tried to kill him. That Michel¡¯s party, all three people, were dying here meant that they had most likely tried to take advantage of the confused state of affairs to kill Dimitar but were killed by their intended victim instead. When Dimitar felt that death was close at hand, he recalled the memory of his childhood where he was about to be killed by his mother, and with that as a start, his magic power went out of control¡ªit was by no means too much of a jump to think that. The torrent of uncontrollable flames even coincided with the cruel experience Dimitar had gone through. ¡¸¡­In any case, it might be dangerous to let Dii-kun use magic like this¡¹ Naturally, such a topic would be brought up. Of course, that was if Dimitar could be a member of the chivalric order like this. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Lucius looked down at the young men who had lost consciousness haphazardly. It was a consolation that Michel¡¯s party didn¡¯t die. Thanks to Shakira¡¯s healing magic, serious after-effects might not even remain. But nevertheless, Michel probably wouldn¡¯t forgive Dimitar. After tonight, the centre of Michel¡¯s anger might shift from Lucius to Dimitar. Beneath the hail that was raining incessantly, Lucius stood stock-still quietly. ??? A hastily made table was set up at the remains of the camping site where a burnt smell still faintly remained, and a simple breakfast of just lightly toasted breads, smoked hams and also cheeses and boiled eggs were lined up on it. However, the Crown Prince, who had said that he had no appetite because of lack of sleep, had been drinking wine only since just now and had hardly consumed them. On the contrary, Shakira claimed that she was hungry as she had worked throughout the night and was even extending her fork towards the Crown Prince¡¯s plate. Lucius, who was standing by beside the Crown Prince, spoke in a small voice. ¡¸¡­We¡¯ll be going to Selsuru like this today. If you don¡¯t eat even just a little¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I just don¡¯t have any appetite. Even if I don¡¯t have lack of sleep, there are those kinds of faces right before my eyes, you see¡¹ In front of Isaac, who had also replied so in a whisper, were Michel, H¨¦ctor and also Hugo kneeling down side by side. All three people had wrapped bandages here and there, but the fact that it ended with this degree despite them sustaining burns to the extent that they were dying was probably due to Shakira giving them first aid with magic. Seemingly unaware of the fact that he had made the Crown Prince lose his appetite, Michel continued to shout, his saliva flying from the corners of his mouth. ¡¸Your Highness! That brat was going to kill us! Please pass a strict judgement on him in accordance with the chivalric order¡¯s rules! Please pass a just judgement on that impudent Dimitar Richternach!¡¹ ¡¸Even if you tell me that¡­¡¹ Without even hiding a big yawn, the Crown Prince rubbed his eyes sleepily. ¡¸Ah, Lucius-kun, what did the Richternach-kyou, who isn¡¯t you, say about this matter?¡¹ ¡¸He said that it was them who had tried to kill him. He was suddenly shot by an arrow during the fight against the thieves¡¹ Lucius stared at Michel and answered so. Properly speaking, Dimitar should have answered that with his own mouth. Confronting Michel¡¯s party in front of the Crown Prince and declaring his own innocence and the other party¡¯s lawlessness should have been the right way. However, Dimitar wasn¡¯t allowed to do that. For troubles within the group, it was stipulated that the fellow members would assert their rightfulness in front of the leader, and upon hearing the points of both sides, the leader would judge their right and wrong, but Michel rejected Dimitar¡¯s presence on the grounds that his status was still an apprentice. ¡¸That¡¯s nonsense!¡¹ Hugo, who was next to Michel, shouted. ¡¸That guy is speaking without thinking, Your Highness! We also saw it! That brat suddenly attacked Michel¡­ and the two of us tried to stop him¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! If Oji-ue learns of this matter¡ª¡¹ H¨¦ctor also kept in tune with Hugo and asserted so. Lucius¡¯s eyebrows quivered, and he secretly clenched his fists tightly. ¡¸Ah, so noisy, so noisy; can I have one person do the talking?¡¹ The Crown Prince waved his hand and knitted his brows. ¡¸¡­Michel, and you on both his sides! All three of you are close relatives, right? If that¡¯s the case, the testimony of you guys can¡¯t be accepted as evidence, you know¡¹ ¡¸No way¡­!¡¹ ¡¸B, but in that case, both sides can¡¯t assert their rightfulness!¡¹ ¡¸Judging from the situation¡ª¡¹ Lucius spoke to the Crown Prince in a voice that had pushed emotion aside as much as possible. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t seem that Richternach-kyou acted to make a surprise attack on them. When I went towards the scene, I met the members who had escaped late, and according to the report I received, Richternach-kyou had remained there alone to fight against the thieves¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Who said such a thing!¡¹ As if to suppress Lucius¡¯s words, Michel stood up and shouted. ¡¸If a person who had said such a thing exists, I want them to come out! Come on!¡¹ Michel looked back at the members sitting in a row behind him, opened his arms exaggeratedly and appealed to them. However, nobody responded to that and stepped forward. They were most likely afraid of going against the House of Bolieiro. Although Lucius remembered the faces and names of the apprentices whom he had talked with last night, he also didn¡¯t particularly feel like forcing a tough decision on them here. Seeing that no one came out, Michel smiled contentedly. ¡¸Hey¡¹ At that moment, Shakira, who was holding a tin tankard with both hands and drinking wine, called out to Michel rudely. ¡¸¡ªThe Bolieiro-kun whose nose is crooked, and in addition, whose front teeth are also missing¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Michel¡¯s smile froze, and his face flushed in one breath. ¡¸You, that, and the other two people too; first of all, do you fully understand who saved you?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­ of course, we understand. I don¡¯t know what I should say to express my gratitude to Babel-geika¡­¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t need your insincere and empty thanks in particular; in return for that, won¡¯t you leave it at that? It looks like this and that will become troublesome, you see¡¹ Shakira, who had put her tankard down, rested her chin in her left hand and rolled a boiled egg with her empty right hand. ¡¸I, I can¡¯t do that! He tried to kill us, you know!?¡¹ ¡¸The other party also said that it was like that, right? Then, we can call it even. Right, Your Highness?¡¹ ¡¸I also want to do so, but only this I can¡¯t do so. Father will nag at me, saying ¡°Dissolve the chivalric order, which is like playing house, if you can¡¯t manage the members properly¡±, after all¡¹ The Crown Prince, who had shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, gulped down his wine and sighed. ¡¸¡ªSince nobody witness the scene, it¡¯d be good if there¡¯s some physical evidence though¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mention it, Your Highness¡¹ Shakira, who had filled her mouth with the boiled egg and ham alternately, pointed at Michel with the tip of her fork. ¡¸¡ªThat Bolieiro-kun whose nose and front teeth were broken, that, while I was treating him, he was saying ¡°I was in the wrong, forgive me¡± in delirium the whole time, you know?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The expression of the Crown Prince, who seemed to be smiling wryly, became stiff at Shakira¡¯s words. ¡¸¡­What does that mean, Michel Bolieiro?¡¹ ¡¸T, t, that¡¯s¡­ n, no, y, you¡¯re mistaken!¡¹ Michel¡¯s red face turned ghastly pale, and he hurriedly tried to gloss over it. ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s fine, Bolieiro-kyou¡¹ The Crown Prince stood up from his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡¸Since there are no witnesses, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll decide what I think is right here. ¡ªI¡¯ll expel Dimitar Richternach from the Seal Chivalric Order¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Lucius opened his eyes wide and stared at the Crown Prince¡¯s profile. ¡¸Not just Her Eminence¡¯s story, I also received a report from the vice-leader, but Richternach-kyou, who couldn¡¯t handle magic properly and let it go out of control, don¡¯t have the qualification to become a member, who must be perfect in both magic and swordsmanship, of our chivalric order. ¡ªAm I right?¡¹ The last few words were obviously directed at Lucius. Considering the incident Dimitar had caused, expulsion might certainly be an appropriate punishment. Even if Michel¡¯s party attacking him was the impetus, the fact that Dimitar had let his magic power go out of control wouldn¡¯t change. ¡¸¡­Well, though I can¡¯t say this openly¡¹ Shaking his big hat, the Crown Prince added on. ¡¸This is certainly out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou¡¯s father too¡¹ ¡¸¡­Thank you very much¡¹ Michel wiped his sweat openly as if he had felt relieved and smiled broadly. However, his smile stiffened immediately. ¡¸¡ªAnd then, the three of you are also expelled¡¹ ¡¸Huh!?¡¹ ¡¸Expulsion, you know, expulsion punishment. Michel Bolieiro-kyou, as well as both Bolieiro-kyous, Hugo and H¨¦ctor, will also receive expulsion punishment¡¹ ¡¸No way¡­!¡¹ ¡¸It takes two to make a quarrel¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying? You¡¯re completely wrong¡¹ Ignoring the three people speaking their objections respectively, the Crown Prince spoke nonchalantly. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s because you¡¯re weak¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ ¡¸¡°It takes two to make a quarrel¡± normally means that it¡¯s between people who fought on even terms, doesn¡¯t it? But you¡¯re weak. If what you guys said is right, it means that, in short, all three of you were about to be killed by Richternach-kyou alone, right?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Although it¡¯s not my place to say so, such weak fellows aren¡¯t needed in the chivalric order from now on. ¡­I¡¯m not joking or saying this on a whim; it¡¯s because I really want to make this chivalric order into a group of strong warriors only¡¹ ¡°Therefore, you guys are the first step of the purge.¡± The pupils of the Crown Prince, who had smiled and informed them so, weren¡¯t smiling like that seemingly frivolous tone of his. Michel¡¯s party looked at each other mutually. ¡¸Y, you¡¯re mistaken, Your Highness! That¡¯s¡­ ah, that was a surprise attack! That Richternach brat made a surprise attack on us when we were coming out of the tent, and¡­!¡¹ ¡¸All three of you? In an instant? Without even the time to counterattack?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes!¡¹ ¡¸And he didn¡¯t finish you off thoroughly?¡¹ ¡¸Ah? Ah, no, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s enough¡¹ A displeased wrinkle was carved on the Crown Prince¡¯s forehead, and he held out his hand to Shakira. ¡¸Your Eminence, pass that to me¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ What Shakira had passed to the Crown Prince was an arrow that was broken into two in the middle. The Crown Prince threw the arrow to the front of Michel¡¯s party and asked them. ¡¸This was the arrow that was stuck in Richternach-kyou¡¯s back. ¡­Do you recognise it?¡¹ ¡¸N, no¡ª¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no way that you don¡¯t, right? Isn¡¯t that the arrow we usually use for hunting?¡¹ The Seal Chivalric Order¡¯s equipment was all custom-made, but the army equipment that one could tell the difference the easiest was the arrow. The arrows supplied to the army used duck feathers as arrow feathers in order to procure a large number with standardised quality, whereas the arrow feathers of the arrows used by the chivalric order¡ªbecause of the Crown Prince¡¯s fixation¡ªwere made of precious snow-white falcon feathers. What Michel had picked up with his trembling hand was certainly the arrow of the chivalric order, which had pure white arrow feathers. ¡¸Her Eminence extracted it personally, so there¡¯s no doubt that this was stuck in Richternach-kyou¡¯s back. ¡­The question is who shot this arrow. It¡¯s a matter of course, but it¡¯s impossible that the degenerate ex-bandits would have this arrow, so naturally, someone from the chivalric order must have shot it¡¹ The Crown Prince, who had gone round by the side of the table and come to the front of Michel¡¯s party, was carrying a slender sword in his hand before one knew it. ¡¸¡­Besides the four people concerned, not a single person saw you and Richternach-kyou fighting. This means that there were only the four of you there. Am I right?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s to say, other than the three of you, there¡¯s no one else who could have shot the arrow at Richternach-kyou, right? He can¡¯t shoot his own back by himself, after all. ¡ªWell, who was it? Among the three of you, who received a surprise attack from Richternach-kyou and were defeated in an instant and were letting out painful cries the whole time while sleeping until Her Eminence treated you, who on earth could have shot the arrow from his back?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­¡¹ Michel was at a loss for words and kept his mouth shut. Staring at the Crown Prince¡¯s sword, which was placed on his shoulder quietly, from a close distance, he broke out in a cold sweat again. The other two people also couldn¡¯t utter words of explanation any more and were trembling. Hitting Michel¡¯s cheek with the back of the sword, the Crown Prince muttered. ¡¸¡­Your words are nothing but lies¡¹ ¡¸Y, Your Highness¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Though this chivalric order doesn¡¯t need weak fellows, it doesn¡¯t need liars either. Lying means that you aren¡¯t loyal to me¡¹ The Crown Prince swung the sword once, kept it in the scabbard and returned to the breakfast table. ¡¸We can properly determine whether you¡¯re right or wrong here, but if we do that, I think it¡¯ll probably become inconvenient for the House of Bolieiro in various ways. That¡¯s why, hora, I said it just now too, right? Out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou¡¯s father, I don¡¯t want to do so. If you understand, then accept the reality obediently¡¹ ¡¸P, please! Please reconsider, Your Highness! Please! Please, please, just not the expulsion punishment¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re so stupid¡¹ The Crown Prince stared at Michel, who was pleading desperately, coldly and reached for the fig. ¡¸¡ªEven if you want to make a surprise attack, why would you use the bow and arrow that we usually use as they are? In addition to being weak, you¡¯re a liar, and on top of that, you¡¯re also stupid; my chivalric order doesn¡¯t need such awful people from now on. ¡­I¡¯d like you not to make me say this so many times¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve been talking repetitively since morning¡­ if you can enumerate such worthless excuses, then it seems that your physical condition doesn¡¯t have any problem already. When we arrive at Selsuru, I¡¯ll prepare a carriage for you, so the three of you should board it and return to the capital. And then, repent in your home until you receive the official verdict¡¹ ¡¸N, no way¡­¡¹ ¡¸If you can¡¯t obey this, it won¡¯t end with just your expulsion punishment. ¡ªI¡¯ll speak to Father and get him to prohibit everyone of the House of Bolieiro from entering and leaving the royal palace¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Michel made a strange sound inside his throat and didn¡¯t say anything any more. He probably was able to finally understand that no matter how much he struggled, let alone calming down the Crown Prince¡¯s anger any more, things might become even more severe if he wasn¡¯t careful. When Michel¡¯s party, the three of them, were urged by the other members and withdrew from the front of the Crown Prince, Lucius bowed very deeply. ¡¸Thank you very much, Your Highness¡¹ ¡¸I haven¡¯t done anything to be thanked by you though¡¹ The Crown Prince smiled while licking his finger that had got wet from the fruit juice of the fig; the calmness until just now had disappeared from his pupils as if it was a lie. ¡¸¡ªBut well, it¡¯s fine for you to feel a debt of gratitude of your own accord. I¡¯ll have you return the favour in some way someday, after all¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Ha¡ª¡­ good grief, it took up so much time in the end¡¹ When Shakira, who had even consumed the Crown Prince¡¯s portion of breakfast completely, jumped down from the chair lightly, she hit Lucius on the bottom, seemingly relaxed. ¡¸Well then, Lucius-kun, let¡¯s go to where that Richternach-kyou, who, let alone a title, had even lost the position of an apprentice member, is. I want to take a walk to help my digestion¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ Although he felt more or less satisfied because Michel had been punished, he felt down as expected when he thought about Dimitar. The Crown Prince spoke to Lucius, who had nodded and then drooped his head, with a sigh. ¡¸¡ªSince he can¡¯t return to the capital together with those three people, can you tell him to return home immediately for me?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I already had him make preparations with that intention from the beginning¡¹ Lucius bowed lightly and started to walk together with Shakira. ??? Dimitar tied his small luggage to the horse¡¯s saddle, and his preparation for returning home was finished with that much. It just took a lot of time because they were preparing an exaggerated procession; originally, the distance between Selsuru and the holy city was that of two days and two nights if one galloped a horse alone. Not much luggage was needed. When he was checking the reins and the stirrup, the bandage that was wrapped around his left arm, even though it was unpleasant, came into view, and his hands that were working stopped naturally. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ He remembered, though not perfectly, the memory of the time when he was about to be killed by his mother. He still saw it in his dreams so often that he couldn¡¯t forget it even if he was told to forget it. Perhaps because of that, he was more or less reluctant to handle flames when he started learning magic, but he overcame it shortly. He was completely unafraid of seeing flames and creating flames now. ¡ªFor Dimitar, who had thought so, going out of control last night was a big surprise as well as a big setback. The fear and despair when knowing that there was something that couldn¡¯t be controlled by himself inside him was impossible to describe in many words. More importantly, because of such an ineptitude of his, it not only made his own position worse, but even caused Lucius trouble. If he had made a single mistake, the two of them might have lost their lives all together. When he was thinking about such things gloomily, he saw Lucius and Shakira coming this way. Dimitar sniffled and wiped his eyes with the arm that was covered with bandage. A pain ran through his body, and it felt as if his heart, which had become timid, was whipped. ¡¸Dimitar¡­¡¹ ¡¸You, that, expulsion punishment¡¹ Next to Lucius, who had opened his mouth hesitantly, Shakira spoke quite indifferently. Although he could half-expect things to become like that, it might possibly be due to that tone of Shakira that he wasn¡¯t more shocked than he thought he¡¯d be. At the very least, it was a fact that he didn¡¯t want to expose his despondent state to this cheeky Eminence. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Dii. I couldn¡¯t protect you at all¡¹ Lucius cast his eyes down and murmured with a sorrowful expression. ¡¸¡­No, it¡¯s fine. No matter how you think about it, I¡¯m the one at fault¡¹ If he had paid attention a bit more and conducted himself aptly before he was given a warning by Lucius, he wouldn¡¯t have incur the unnecessary enmity of Michel¡¯s party. In the first place, he had accepted that his magic power going out of control was also a consequence caused by his own inexperience. ¡¸Hey, hey! You!¡¹ Shakira, who had been looking up at Dimitar and Lucius alternately, drove a punch into Dimitar¡¯s stomach, looking dissatisfied. ¡¸The one who helped you in the end was me though? And yet you didn¡¯t thank me properly, you know, the Richternach-kyou who is unemployed?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yeah, yeah, thank you very much¡¹ Dimitar, who had expressed his thanks half-heartedly while stroking Shakira¡¯s head, realised that he finally smiled, though awkwardly, and almost cried again. ¡¸Good grief¡­ with that sort of attitude, I won¡¯t give you any advice, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t need any¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Dii¡¹ Lucius chided Dimitar, who had tried to refuse flatly, and knelt down in front of Shakira. ¡¸What kind of advice is it? If it¡¯ll benefit Dimitar from now on, I¡¯d like to hear it by all means¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, in consideration of the commendable Lucius-kun, I shall tell you¡¹ Shakira, who had cleared her throat theatrically with an ¡°ahem¡±, joined her hands together behind her back and began to walk around the young men in circles. ¡¸¡­The verdict this time, I believe that His Highness has no choice but to do so and that Dii-kun also painfully understand his own imperfections. ¡ªHowever¡¹ ¡¸However?¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps Orvieto might say one thing or another. She seems to dote on you, after all¡¹ The expression of Shakira, who had looked up at Dimitar fleetingly, wasn¡¯t making fun of him in the slightest. ¡¸¡ªIf that woman tries to begin to say this or that about His Highness¡¯s decision, the two of you must stop her somehow. Otherwise, it might become a big trouble that will involve even the House of Bolieiro again¡¹ ¡¸I understand. I¡¯ll advise Mother against doing so¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing. ¡ªDii-kun has a wonderful talent, but at the same time, he also has the instability where he can¡¯t control his magic power well. It seems that being brought close to the danger of dying was the impetus last night, but anyway, as you are now, it might become like that every time you use flashy offensive magic¡¹ ¡¸¡­In short, I mustn¡¯t use magic?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t tell you not to use it at all. Well, it means that flashy magic comes with that sort of risk. ¡­Anyway, while you¡¯re unable to control your magic power properly, don¡¯t think about using those sorts of magic with cool appearances like ¡°Dokan!¡± or ¡°Kabusha!¡±¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar stared at his left hand fixedly. Even if being expelled from the chivalric order was inevitable, if he couldn¡¯t even use flashy offensive magic, then he also couldn¡¯t join the army as a magic warrior. As a matter of fact, one could probably say that Dimitar¡¯s dream of wanting to succeed in life and work for Lucius and Orvieto had been severed. ¡¸Hey, hey, my talk isn¡¯t finished yet¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Shakira held out a letter to Dimitar, who was looking blankly at her. ¡¸When you return to the capital, you should visit my old friend who is working at the army¡¯s arsenal. This is a letter of introduction¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence¡¯s old friend?¡¹ ¡¸Un. He¡¯s quite an eccentric, but he¡¯s conducting a rather interesting research, you see¡¹ Shakira threw out her thin chest proudly and scratched the tip of her nose. ¡¸¡ªIf it¡¯s that eccentric, I think he can come up with a method for you to utilise your magic power without it going out of control¡¹ ¡¸¡­Thank you very much¡¹ Dimitar stuffed the letter, which he had grasped tightly, into his pocket and put his foot on the stirrup. ¡¸Go back carefully, Dii!¡¹ Lucius held Shakira in his arms, jumped back from the side of the horse, which had neighed shrilly, and shouted. ¡¸If it¡¯s difficult to face Haha-ue, you can stay at an inn in the town for a while! Let¡¯s go back together when I return from my mission!¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-kun¡­ you¡¯re quite overprotective, you know¡¹ Although he could barely hear Shakira laughing, Dimitar didn¡¯t look back any more. Leaving behind his childhood friend and the small Dominas, the horse that was carrying Dimitar accelerated steadily. It seemed that the pain in his left hand, which was grasping the reins, wouldn¡¯t lessen for a while, but that was a trivial problem. What was important to the current Dimitar was what should he do hereafter. If he couldn¡¯t be of service to Lucius and Orvieto, what worth did he, who was even abandoned by his own biological mother, have? It was decided that he¡¯d be expelled from the chivalric order and that he couldn¡¯t become a magic warrior as well; Dimitar didn¡¯t know what he should do now. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar bit his lip, and hot tears trickled down his cheeks. Unable to see the path he should advance on yet, Dimitar simply passed through the centre of the rural landscape and single-mindedly galloped his horse on a straight highway towards the capital. Volume 5 - CH 2.01 Setting the nobles society aside, in the lives of the ordinary citizens, they¡¯d normally do the things they ought to do quickly when the day got dark and then sleep immediately at night; it seemed to be natural for them to do so. If they stayed up late at night, it¡¯d use up that much lamp oil or candles; in other words, it was to cut down such wastefulness. The ones who had lit up lights brightly even though it was night were nobles and wealthy merchants who could afford to do so economically; if not, they were probably bars and inns. Therefore, except for the busy streets¡ªalthough it was called the best capital of the continent¡ªthe surroundings were naturally pitch dark when it became night. An express messenger had secretly come to Valeria Costacurta¡¯s home from the royal palace at such a time. It was because the king had personally summoned her. ¡¸Keep it a secret from everyone, he says¡­ it was still found out by my family no matter what I did¡¹ Valeria, who had put on a black mantle as if to avoid public notice and come out of the mansion, pouted her lips and grumbled. Due to Valeria¡¯s father hounding her, asking ¡°What kind of business is it exactly?¡±, and making a fuss even though the messenger said ¡¸Come as soon as possible in absolute secrecy¡­¡¹, she was late in leaving the mansion. ¡¸When a messenger is dispatched to me in the future, I must make sure that it isn¡¯t found out by Chichi-ue¡­¡¹ Valeria held a small lantern up high and made a night journey while muttering. The Costacurtas¡¯ house was more on the inner part than the old town area; in other words, as it was in an area close to the royal palace, human presence was almost dwindling at this time. The public order wasn¡¯t so bad unlike the downtown area, but there were thieves who targeted nobles¡¯ mansions sometimes, so she couldn¡¯t be careless. Of course, even if such lawless night burglars suddenly appeared before her eyes here now, if it was with Valeria¡¯s real ability, she could probably defeat her attackers easily. It was a piece of cake with one of the magic crests on her right hand; it was also easy to char them to the extent that they wouldn¡¯t die. However, setting that sort of matter aside completely, she¡¯d be surprised if she really happened to meet a thief, and it wasn¡¯t something she could welcome. Not wanting to encounter things like thieves if possible was her real feelings. ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ ¡¸Hiwa!?¡¹ Someone suddenly called out to Valeria from the darkness behind her, and she reflexively lit up a light of magic on the index finger of her right hand and looked back. ¡¸Don¡¯t shoot. ¡­It¡¯ll cause a fire¡¹ Dimitar, who had similarly put on a black mantle, grabbed Valeria¡¯s fingertip that was pointing at him. ¡¸Y, you¡ªw, why are you here?¡¹ ¡¸You were also summoned by the royal palace, right? A mission being given to you means that I¡¯ll also be called¡¹ Dimitar released Valeria¡¯s hand and snorted lightly. ¡¸E, even if that¡¯s the case, to have deliberately followed behind me secretly, your character is so bad!¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying? Enough of your excessive self-consciousness. For me, not making any sounds of footsteps is how I normally walk, and since my destination is the same as yours, it¡¯s natural that the route we take will be similar. It doesn¡¯t mean that I followed you secretly in particular. ¡­If you hate me walking behind you, I¡¯ll move to the front. You can follow after me at leisure¡¹ ¡¸Ah! H, hey¡ª¡¹ Valeria hurriedly chased after Dimitar, who had started to walk at a quick pace. ¡¸In the first place, you live in an area closer to the royal palace than I do, and yet why are you still at such a place? Your movements are so slow every time¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­ because I couldn¡¯t use a carriage¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t use one either¡¹ ¡¸Y-y¡­ you¡¯re so annoying. I was only late in leaving the mansion because Chichi-ue made a fuss about this and that!¡¹ ¡¸I see. With that father of yours, it can¡¯t be helped then¡¹ Although she got angry at Dimitar, who had said so and smirked, Valeria had no words to retort. After all, it was a fact that Valeria¡¯s father was troublesome in various ways. Hence, Valeria gave a cough once and changed the subject. ¡¸¡ªBy, by the way, having us come to the royal palace in absolute secrecy at such a time, what on earth does it mean?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. ¡ªAt the very least, it isn¡¯t something decent. In any case, we¡¯ll probably be ordered to do a mission that can¡¯t be spoken very openly¡¹ ¡¸But the one who summoned us was His Majesty the King, right?¡¹ ¡¸It was written so in the letter¡¹ ¡¸A mission, which can¡¯t be spoken openly, given by the king¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Even if you think about it here, it¡¯s meaningless. We¡¯ll know it shortly¡¹ Valeria and Dimitar entered the royal palace through the side entrance, which was strictly guarded by sentinels, and were immediately guided to an office. ¡¸¡ªOu, sorry about this¡¹ In the symbolic vast office with a huge tapestry and a round table, perhaps because it was late at night or because this was an unofficial audience to avoid notice, the light was kept to a minimum, and there wasn¡¯t even a single person waiting other than the king. The king amiably called out to Valeria¡¯s party, who had arrived, beckoned the two people to come right beside the light and then sat down on the chair. ¡¸The truth is that I¡¯ve a mission that I want you to undertake confidentially¡¹ With a friendliness as if he was asking them to run an errand, the king began to talk immediately. ¡¸¡ªTo tell you the truth, that person of mine will be coming back soon¡¹ ¡¸That person of mine¡­?¡¹ Unable to understand what the king was saying, Valeria tilted her head to the side and asked a question in return. ¡¸¡­Make a guess. He¡¯s talking about Her Highness the Queen¡¹ Thereupon, Dimitar poked Valeria lightly and whispered so into her ear. ¡¸You don¡¯t understand my roundabout way of speaking, huh¡¹ ¡°Gahahaha!¡± The king, who had laughed heartily and scratched his head, explained to the two people again. ¡¸Do you know that Almudena¡¯s physical condition had deteriorated recently and that she had returned to her parents¡¯ home?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ King Jeffren Francesc¡¯s lawful wife, Almudena, was known as a compassionate and ladylike beautiful woman. Although her lineage was also good as she was the only daughter of the influential Duke Bermudez of Gloom, she was a good-natured person who never boasted about it; that was the town¡¯s public opinion of her. However, her body hadn¡¯t been very healthy from birth, and she had been returning to her parents¡¯ home for about half a year to recuperate. Taking advantage of that, the king had been gallivanting around his lovers¡¯ places here and there¡ªthis probably wasn¡¯t something that should be said here. ¡¸¡ªThat Almudena has recovered completely and will be coming back to Roma¡¹ ¡¸Congratulations on that¡¹ Dimitar spoke congratulatory words without a moment¡¯s delay. This boy was really astute, or rather perfect, in that sort of aspect. Of course, he was doing the right thing, but because he was too attentive, she¡¯d, on the contrary, appear to be a person who couldn¡¯t be concerned about it; Valeria felt irritated a little. Seemingly unaware of the mind of such Valeria, the king continued. ¡¸So, I want you to go and meet Almudena¡¹ ¡¸Go to Gloom¡­ to meet Her Highness the Queen?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. And then escort her back to Roma. ¡­However, you must conceal your identities¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s about being the guards of Her Highness the Queen, we¡¯ll gladly undertake it, of course¡­ but why do we have to conceal our identities¡ª?¡¹ It was a matter of course that a person with a position like Almudena¡¯s would be provided with a bodyguard, so that was fine. Although Dimitar was slightly bothered by why they were chosen for the mission, if he regarded this as the king having a high opinion of their real abilities, then he could accept it. What was incomprehensible was why Valeria¡¯s party had to conceal their identities. Without changing his expression, Dimitar asked. ¡¸¡­If it¡¯s the guards for the queen, then isn¡¯t it fine to send the country¡¯s army or the Crown Prince¡¯s chivalric order?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t want a very flashy return. Or rather, I don¡¯t want the people in the towns and villages along the route to know about that person returning to the capital¡¹ ¡¸Travelling incognito¡­ huh¡¹ Dimitar narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly. For some reason, his expression was as if he had understood something of his own accord by himself. It was as though he was telling her ¡¸You¡¯re so dull!¡¹, and this caused Valeria to feel really irritated again. Repressing that slight indignation, Valeria asked. ¡¸Why do we have to do such a thing?¡¹ In Valeria¡¯s opinion, if the queen had recovered, wasn¡¯t an appeal to extensively let the people who had been worrying about her physical condition until now know that fact necessary instead? However, the king just shook his head slowly and didn¡¯t tell her the reason for not doing so. Instead, the king put two sealed letters and a small pouch on the round table. ¡¸¡ªFor now, I¡¯ve written letters of introduction to the queen and Father-in-Law-dono. Take these and hurry to the royal villa in Gloom. This one is the current travelling expenses¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? H, hurry, you say¡­ right now?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹ The king nodded greatly as if that was a matter of course, wiped off the composed smile that was really typical of him in an instant and spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll say this just in case, but if something happens to Almudena, you¡¯ll pay for it, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­?¡¹ Before Valeria tried to ask ¡°What do you mean?¡± in return, the king stood up from his chair and clapped the two people on the backs. ¡¸Anyway, I¡¯m counting on the both of you¡¹ ¡¸¡­Acknowledged. Please leave everything to us¡¹ Dimitar frowned slightly and nodded. ¡¸Hey¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Well then, we¡¯ll depart immediately¡¹ Dimitar brought his hand to the back and rudely poked Valeria, who was on the verge of tears and had hurriedly tried to interject, silencing her. Picking up the pouch containing the letters and travelling expenses, Dimitar put his right hand on his chest and bowed courteously. ¡¸Hey! I still haven¡¯t finished talking though!?¡¹ A dissatisfied Valeria flared up at Dimitar, who had pulled her and left the office. ¡¸His Majesty is a busy person. Don¡¯t trouble him with your pointless question¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not a pointless question!¡¹ The voice, in which she had shouted so, echoed inside the royal palace at night, and Valeria reflexively pulled back her head. It¡¯d be problematic if the matter of Dominas Costacurta-geika, who was famous in many ways, and her exclusive Hiera Glahpicos quarrelling in the royal palace late at night became a rumour by some chance. Valeria lowered her voice and chased after Dimitar, who was walking at a quick pace. ¡¸Good grief¡­ is it because he¡¯s an ex-soldier; I¡¯m not sure if His Majesty can¡¯t control his strength or what¡ª¡¹ Rubbing her back that was tingling painfully, Valeria grumbled. ¡¸You¡¯re really noisy¡¹ Dimitar, who similarly should have been clapped on the back, looked down at Valeria with a calm gaze. ¡¸If your back hurts so much, I¡¯ll examine it for you. Take them off. Take off your clothes here right now¡¹ ¡¸What¡­¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet if you don¡¯t want to. What does speaking of your dissatisfaction towards His Majesty mean; speak after you think about it a bit more¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡¹ Valeria looked back at the sentinels, who were saluting behind, over her shoulder and shut up. If it was His Majesty the King, even if Valeria expressed some idle complaints, he probably wouldn¡¯t think of it as disrespect or anything and get angry over this sort of trifles, but how the surrounding people would interpret it was another question. It¡¯d become troublesome in many ways if unfounded rumours like ¡°discord between the king and the Dominas!¡± spread. Valeria subdued her dissatisfaction and spat out her anger quietly. ¡¸¡­Even if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ve never been to Gloom, you know? What about you?¡¹ ¡¸In reality, I¡¯ve never visited there either, but I went close to it when I was in the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis. I also have a map, though it¡¯s slightly old. There¡¯s no problem¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that. In fact, why won¡¯t he send the Seal Chivalric Order, I wonder?¡¹ If it was the return of Queen Almudena who was loved by the citizens, it might be fine to make the Seal Chivalric Order dress themselves up and march in a parade. Its leader was the Crown Prince, Almudena¡¯s biological son, and in reality, she heard that the Seal Chivalric Order also acted as the guards when Head Dominas Shakira Babel-geika returned home last year. Valeria, who had come out to the courtyard inside the royal palace where watch fires were burning, murmured with a thoughtful look. ¡¸¡­Well, the queen might dislike a flashy parade, but even if that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t it a fact that sending the army to escort her and return to the capital while appealing to everyone along the route safer?¡¹ ¡¸Why do you think so?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because¡ªhora, if it¡¯s Ahmad¡¯s regular army, there¡¯s nobody more excellent than them for the roles of guards¡¹ Moreover, if they use the army¡¯s mobility, they could send notifications beforehand and ensure the safety of the route and inns. In the first place, not many people would recklessly charge into a large party protected by the army. To be shot at when she was leisurely showing her face through the window of the carriage and waving her hand¡ªunless such a thing happened, one might say that the queen¡¯s safety could almost be guaranteed. Valeria was thinking, ¡°Isn¡¯t a demonstration to avoid unnecessary trouble required sometimes?¡± ¡¸Get the army or the chivalric order to be the queen¡¯s guards¡­ even if that¡¯s impossible, if we extensively spread the fact that this me is accompanying her, for example, how do I say, um¡­ d, deter¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Deterrence¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that! We can prevent attacks from miscreants with that thing called ¡°deterrence¡±¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t talk repetitively¡¹ Dimitar coldly poured cold water on Valeria, who had clapped her hands a bit proudly. ¡¸His Majesty must be aware of the things you¡¯d have thought of a long time ago. Moreover, don¡¯t you understand that he was intentionally instructing us to do it like this?¡¹ ¡¸I, I know that sort of thing¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, I ought to be glad that you unusually have a decent thought like that¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s none of your business!¡¹ ¡¸In short, His Majesty is probably thinking about something improper¡¹ ¡¸¡­Fue?¡¹ Valeria returned a flat response to Dimitar¡¯s way of speaking, which was meaningful for some reason. ¡¸I said it just now too, right? This isn¡¯t a decent mission. In fact, it¡¯s a mission where something important is still concealed even from us who are dispatched, you know? ¡ªIt¡¯s impossible that it¡¯s decent¡¹ Dimitar pressed down on the pocket where he had kept the letters and curled his lip sarcastically. ¡¸¡ªIn any case, His Majesty¡¯s order is absolute. Since we undertook it, we can¡¯t not do it. We¡¯re departing immediately¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? Now!? Are you serious?¡¹ ¡¸His Majesty said so¡¹ ¡¸B, but what about Bettina?¡¹ ¡¸If we bring such a conspicuous pink along to be the guard of Her Highness the Queen, her identity will be exposed immediately. We can¡¯t bring her along this time¡¹ ¡¸But we haven¡¯t even made any preparations¡ª¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t need any preparations. As long as we can procure a strong horse, that alone is enough¡¹ ¡¸But there¡¯s no change of clothes or anything¡ª¡¹ ¡¸This is a top-secret mission where we must conceal our identities, so your Dominas uniform isn¡¯t needed anyway, and if you return to your mansion, that father of yours will make a great fuss completely, right?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­¡¹ She had certainly forgotten about that. Since they had a dispute to that extent when she left the mansion, Valeria¡¯s father probably hadn¡¯t slept yet and was awaiting his daughter¡¯s return. If she nonchalantly returned at this time, she didn¡¯t know when she could leave the mansion the next time. ¡¸If we can meet Her Highness the Queen, we¡¯ll let nature take its course afterwards. ¡ªUntil then, we¡¯ll manage with this¡¹ Its contents were probably gold coins; Dimitar spoke casually while playing with the pouch, which was making jingling sounds, nimbly. Volume 5 - CH 2.02 Almudena¡¯s hometown, Gloom, was at a place where one would have to gallop a horse along the highway from Ahmad¡¯s holy city, Roma, for about two days. In the surrounding hilly areas of Gloom, which were covered with soft grass, pasturage of sheep had been practised since a long time ago. One could say that it was a matter of course that Gloom¡¯s economy was based on sheep farming and then grew. ¡ªAlthough she knew things like these as knowledge, if Valeria didn¡¯t actually see it, she couldn¡¯t even imagine that prosperity. The scale of the town itself was much bigger in Roma, of course. But here, this entire small and well-arranged town was filled with hot air; using a metaphor, it gave an impression like Roma¡¯s market was enlarged as it was. There were lumps of fluffy wool, textiles that were already manufactured and figures of people making transactions even though it wasn¡¯t a market on the large and small alleys here and there; when Valeria thought so, a shepherd leading a flock of sheep, which were just sheared, was parading through the main street. Wafting from the shopfront of a nearby bar was probably the smell of grilled mutton skewers. Drunkards, who had been gulping down tankards of ale since daytime with them as a side dish and were sitting down hard on the roadside, weren¡¯t just one or two either. In any case¡ªyes, it was noisy. But for Valeria, it was a cheerful and likeable disorder and felt similar to liveliness. The figures of people coming and going, seemingly busy, under the bright sunlight might be indicating that they were generally happy. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s this smell, I wonder?¡¹ Valeria, who was looking around at the scene of the town she had visited for the first time, frowned at the offensive smell that had pushed the smell of mutton being roasted aside and wafted here. It was an odour¡ªas if something had rotted¡ªthat Valeria, who had a good life from the time she was born, wasn¡¯t particularly familiar with. ¡¸It¡¯s probably that¡¹ Dimitar who was dressed ordinarily in a plain waistcoat and trousers, different from usual, jerked his chin towards the top of the roof of a two-storey house facing the road. ¡¸?¡¹ Valeria, who had looked up, was also wearing simple cotton clothes now. They were travellers who had just come to this Gloom from somewhere¡ªthey were probably seen so by the local people. ¡¸¡­What are those?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re probably drying sheep skins¡¹ Sheep skins, of which the wool was sheared short, were certainly lined up on the roof in the state where they were nailed to boards. Due to this weather, decomposition might have started already. ¡¸What does that do? What are they going to do after drying the sheep skins?¡¹ ¡¸I heard that the wool becomes easy to pull out when they let the skins dry like that and decompose slightly. They¡¯ll probably make parchments. Many sheep around here have white wool colour, after all. White parchment is made from sheep with white wool¡¹ ¡¸Hee¡ª¡¹ There were a few villages that had developed the technology of papermaking near Roma, and although good-quality paper had been produced in large quantities already, the demand for parchment was still big. Alongside woollen goods, leather products and meat, parchments also seemed to be one of the special products of this Gloom. ¡¸The economy really revolves around sheep in this town, huh. ¡­What are you doing, Dimitar?¡¹ When she looked suddenly, Dimitar was pointing at the horse they had ridden here and having a long talk with an old person, who was sitting on the roadside, for some reason. Before long, Dimitar received several silver coins from that old person and then handed over the reins of the horse in return. ¡¸Eh? Hey, did you sell the horse?¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t need it to sneak into the royal villa anyway. Or rather, it¡¯s just a hindrance¡¹ In any case, they mustn¡¯t reveal their identities to people other than the queen and Duke Bermudez and had to infiltrate the party as guards while concealing their identities¡ªthat was the king¡¯s instruction. Therefore, Valeria¡¯s party must first sneak into the royal villa somehow and establish contact with the queen or Duke Bermudez secretly. Putting on the mantle again in order to hide his huge sword, Dimitar walked on the gentle stone-paved slope. While walking side by side with him, Valeria asked casually. ¡¸I heard that the royal villa in Gloom is very small, but is that true?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not small or anything; that seems to be it¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ Dimitar pointed at a high wall that could be seen in front. Rather than a wall, it might be better to call it a rampart already. There was even a moat that completely enclosed its perimeter. ¡¸That, you say¡­ eh? Isn¡¯t that a somewhat strictly guarded mansion of a rich person or something?¡¹ ¡¸Well, you normally wouldn¡¯t think the royalty¡¯s royal villa is at the centre of the town¡­ but it seems that that¡¯s the real royal villa in Gloom¡¹ Glancing at the map he had taken out from his pocket, Dimitar smiled thinly. ¡¸¡ªThough it¡¯s called a royal villa, it seems to be Duke Bermudez¡¯s mansion originally. I heard that because of additions to the building and reconstruction, it looks like a tasteful small palace¡¹ ¡¸This area was originally Duke Bermudez¡¯s territory, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. When His Majesty the King intended to build a royal villa for Her Highness the Queen, Her Royal Highness seemed to have said that she didn¡¯t want him to do such an extravagant thing for her. It seemed that Duke Bermudez offered his own mansion because of that, and it became the royal villa of today¡¹ Perhaps it was because she wasn¡¯t in very good health herself, Queen Almudena donated to the poor and built a charity hospital in Roma with her personal fortune; she was known for her compassionate personality. The episode where Almudena refused the construction of a new palace that was for herself was indeed typical of her. The aforementioned royal villa in Gloom¡ªor rather Duke Bermudez¡¯s mansion, seemed to be located approximately at the centre of the town. In old fortified cities, the lords¡¯ small castles were often built to become the final defence positions in case of emergencies, and perhaps the situation was also similar here; the existences of that high rampart and moat were indicating that. Despite that, one couldn¡¯t feel a sense of intimidation probably because the front castle gates were left open and the drawbridge had also come down. In fact, carts loaded with barrels of wine were getting checked by the gatekeepers and going inside the rampart normally even now. It seemed to be quite open to the town¡¯s citizens. ¡¸The atmosphere isn¡¯t bad, ¡­but considering the queen is staying here, there¡¯s no air of tension¡¹ Dimitar observed the gatekeepers fixedly and murmured. ¡¸The local conditions and customs here are that carefree, right? Perhaps guards aren¡¯t needed?¡¹ ¡¸Even if Her Highness the Queen and Duke Bermudez say that it¡¯s unnecessary, we¡¯re acting on the king¡¯s edict. How can we return shamelessly?¡¹ Before long, Dimitar, who had been observing the flow of people around the royal villa for a while, began to walk along the moat. ¡¸¡­Though the gatekeepers don¡¯t have any feelings of tension, the eyes of the people of the town are numerous here. It¡¯s quite difficult to sneak in without being seen by the citizens who are wandering aimlessly around there¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it better to wait for the day to get dark?¡¹ ¡¸As one would expect, there¡¯d probably be sentries standing on the rampart at night. Besides, it¡¯s a waste of time to wait until night¡¹ Dimitar put his right arm, of which the sleeve was rolled up, out from beneath the mantle. Blackish-blue lines were already shining dimly on the skin. ¡¸Eh? Don¡¯t tell me you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Even if there are a lot of public gazes, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone is standing watch without a break of a moment. In short, it¡¯s fine if no one witness the moment of our trespassing¡¹ Dimitar ginned, put his arm around Valeria¡¯s waist suddenly, kicked the ground and jumped over the moat in one breath. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ The acceleration towards an unnatural direction started, and the colours in her field of vision changed rapidly. As it was too abrupt, it caused Valeria to feel giddy slightly. ¡¸¡­It seems that we aren¡¯t discovered somehow¡¹ When she suddenly realised it, Valeria was sitting down hard in the cool shade of a tree, and Dimitar was straining his ears intently right next to her. The surroundings were very quiet. With just a wall separating them, the hustle and bustle of that lively town felt far away. Incidentally, they didn¡¯t hear voices like discovering intruders and then making noises either. ¡¸If¡ªif you¡¯re going to sneak in, I, I wish you¡¯d say a word to me¡­¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t want to miss that moment¡¹ ¡¸Even so¡­ w, well, it¡¯s fine¡¹ Holding her knees, which were shaking lightly, in her arms, Valeria shook her head. ¡¸¡­So, where¡¯s this place?¡¹ ¡¸Inside the wood behind the royal villa¡¹ Taking a breath in the shade of a sorbus commixta, Dimitar was watching the state of their surroundings. ¡¸If it¡¯s the place that Her Highness the Queen, who is recuperating, will usually be at, it¡¯s probably a place that is especially quiet even inside the mansion. Besides, I heard that the queen likes gardening, or rather growing flowers¡¹ After one passed through the wood, there was a pond where lotus leaves of various sizes were floating, and its circumference was bordered by beautiful flowers. Green ivies twined around a small arbour on the side of the pond, playing a part in creating a refreshing silhouette. Even if it was seen by untrained eyes, it was a tasteful garden that was well maintained. ¡¸Her Highness the Queen most likely touched it up. That being the case, she¡¯ll come eventually if we wait here¡¹ ¡¸In that case, I¡¯ll rest a little¡ª¡¹ ¡°Until then.¡± When she said so, leaned her back against the tree trunk and breathed deeply, Dimitar immediately spoke in a low voice. ¡¸She appeared as soon as we talked about her¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Valeria hurriedly knelt and looked towards the pond. ¡¸Ah, you¡¯re right¡­¡¹ From the other side of the pond, the figures of several people passing under a white arch and coming this way could be seen. They were a beautiful woman who had put a dressing gown on top of a dress, which looked simple but well tailored, and two middle-aged women who looked like maids waiting on her. Dimitar asked Valeria in a whisper. ¡¸You should have seen Her Highness the Queen before, right?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ Valeria, who had been going in and out of the royal palace countless times ever since she was chosen as a Dominas candidate, had never talked with the queen directly, but she had seen her before. The beautiful woman in the dress was without doubt Queen Almudena herself. ¡¸She¡¯s the queen. I¡¯m certain of it¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ As one would expect, they couldn¡¯t hear the voices, in which they were talking, when they were this far apart. However, if they observed the situation fixedly, they could somehow understand what kind of conversational exchange that was. The queen who wanted to take care of the flowers by herself and the maids who were put in a difficult position because they were going to do that sort of thing¡ªit was probably because of such a reason that they were scrambling for the watering can. Before long, the maids were ordered by the queen to do something, and then they carried empty buckets and returned to the other side of the arch. ¡¸They were ordered to draw water, huh¡­ if we¡¯re going, it¡¯s now¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Valeria had no time to confirm that. When Dimitar left the shade of the sorbus commixta, he boldly approached the queen without any sign that he was afraid of his surroundings in particular. ¡¸I beg your pardon for disturbing you when you¡¯re relaxing¡¹ ¡¸Ara?¡¹ Queen Almudena, who was watering the flowers humming a tune, looked back at Dimitar¡¯s voice and showed a dubious expression rather than a surprised one. ¡¸You¡¯re¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m called Dimitar Richternach, Your Highness the Queen. Presently, I¡¯m working as a Hiera Glaphicos at the magic academyPrasa Marefikos, but I previously belonged to the Seal Chivalric Order under the Crown Prince¡¹ ¡¸Richternach¡­ so that means you¡¯re Head Director-dono¡¯s?¡¹ ¡¸The head director is the cousin of my mother¡¹ ¡¸Oh, yes, that¡¯s right. If I remember correctly, I heard about it from Issac before. ¡ªThen, that person is¡¹ Almudena, who had clapped her hands slightly and nodded many times, shifted her gaze and looked at Valeria. At the same time Valeria walked up to them hurriedly, Dimitar added without a moment¡¯s delay. ¡¸This is Valeria Costacurta-geika¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡¹ If the topic of her was brought up like that, then she couldn¡¯t stand around idly indefinitely. Valeria put both hands on her chest, bent her knees slightly so that the hem of the skirt didn¡¯t spread out and bowed. ¡¸I, I beg your pardon for showing up in an appearance like this, Almudena-sama. I¡¯m Valeria Costacurta¡¹ ¡¸My, my, I heard that someone was chosen as a new Dominas in the letter from His Majesty, but you¡¯re really lovely! Even a simple appearance suits you well¡¹ ¡°Pachi pachi pachi!¡± Perhaps clapping her hands slightly was a habit of hers; Almudena nodded, her eyes sparkling. It seemed that the rumour of her kind and friendly personality was true. ¡¸¡ªAra ara? That¡¯s strange though¡¹ Almudena stopped clapping her hands suddenly and tilted her head to the side. ¡¸Why are you in this Gloom? And in that kind of appearance; on top of that, you appeared secretly from the back of the mansion¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Regarding that, this is the letter from His Majesty¡­¡¹ Dimitar knelt down on one knee in front of the queen and held out the letter he had taken out from his pocket. ¡¸Really, for His Majesty to send Her Eminence as an express messenger from Roma, it¡¯s such a discourteous action¡­¡¹ The face of Almudena, who had unsealed the letter with an expression that was cheerful in some way and then opened it, immediately changed to a puzzled one. ¡¸This is¡­ written by His Majesty?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is something dubious?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because¡ª¡¹ With a dubious expression, Almudena held out the letter she had been holding to Valera¡¯s party. ¡¸Pardon me¡¹ They received it nervously and ran their eyes over it quickly. In the letter, instructions from the king to Almudena for when she returned to Roma was written down in detail. For example, to limit the number of people in the party as much as possible, to make sure the fact that it was the queen¡¯s party wasn¡¯t exposed at all during the journey, and regarding the security structure for the journey, to leave it to Valeria and Dimitar completely, and so on¡ª. Valeria didn¡¯t understand why the king would instruct her to do such things. That was probably natural since even Almudena, who was his spouse, didn¡¯t understand either. However, she was the king¡¯s consort after all. ¡¸¡ªWell, it¡¯s fine¡¹ Almudena, who had a pensive look on her face for just a while, immediately showed an attractive gentle smile again and clapped her hands. ¡¸Yes, yes. Speaking of easy, this way is easier. This means that I can leave everything to you. ¡ªRight, Your Eminence, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ ¡¸Er¡­ no, but¡¹ Even if she said that she¡¯d leave the party¡¯s security to Valeria and Dimitar, it was difficult to conceal the identities of two people. In the first place, Valeria didn¡¯t even have the slightest idea how they should sneak into the party without being suspected. Concealing that discomfiture, Valeria made a triumphant expression and nodded. ¡¸Regarding that¡ªDi¡­ Richternach-kyou, you¡¯ll explain it to Her Highness the Queen¡¹ Although it irritated her considerably, if it was Dimitar, he probably must be thinking about a way to solve such a problem smoothly. When Valeria brought up the subject, Dimitar raised his lips slightly. ¡¸¡­First, I¡¯d like you to prepare temporary identities for us¡¹ ¡¸So that means¡­?¡¹ ¡¸For us to join the party without being suspected by the people of this royal villa, we¡¯ll need identities that won¡¯t be doubted by anyone. ¡­For example, identities like the distant relatives of Your Highness the Queen¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case¡­ that¡¯s it, let¡¯s do it like this¡¹ Almudena pointed at Valeria and Dimitar in order. ¡¸Let¡¯s say that you¡¯re relatives from my mother¡¯s side of family and that you¡¯re accompanying me to wait on me in the royal palace. How about that?¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much. ¡­If you can take the opportunity to introduce the both of us and say that we¡¯re also serving as the party¡¯s guards because we can use magic, it won¡¯t be suspicious even if we take charge of this and that¡¹ ¡¸Then, it¡¯s decided. ¡ªFrom today, Your Eminence will call yourself Valeria Saforcada, and Richternach-kyou will call yourself Dimitar Saforcada for the time being, all right? Both of you will pretend that you¡¯ve come from the house of my great-grandmother on my mother¡¯s side of family, after all¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯m very sorry to trouble you, but could you discuss with Duke Bermudez the gist of that as well?¡¹ ¡¸Of course¡¹ Almudena then looked back towards the arch briefly. ¡¸The maids will come back soon. ¡ªBy the way, how did you come in here?¡¹ ¡¸We climbed over the rampart there and came here¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ll be all right going back as well. ¡ªCan you come and visit my father from the front gates normally in about one hour, I wonder? If you say that you come from the House of Saforcada, they¡¯ll let you in¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Dimitar bowed very deeply to Almudena, and the next moment, he carried Valeria under his arm and dashed into the wood. It wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a single leap. It was an amazing jump that only leg strength enhanced by magic could turn into reality. Immediately after that, the maids came back, carrying buckets filled with water in their arms. If they had been late just a bit more, by a hair¡¯s breath, they¡¯d probably be seen by the maids completely. They observed the situation for a while in the shade of a tree, but there wasn¡¯t any indication that the maids had noticed their trespassing. Before long, the queen carried the letter from the king concealed inside her dressing gown and returned into the mansion. ¡¸¡­I feel that we¡¯ve overcome the first stage for now¡ª¡¹ ¡¸The mission is to return to Roma. Don¡¯t relax your attention¡¹ Dimitar, who had reminded Valeria so, was staring into the distance fixedly and seemed to be pondering something, but even if she asked him what was he thinking about, he surely wouldn¡¯t answer. ??? Volume 5 - CH 2.03 While trimming the roses in the greenhouse named ¡°Garden of Philosophy¡±, Crown Prince Jeffren Isaac spoke to his subordinates behind him. ¡¸How¡¯s¡­ the reorganisation of the aforementioned Second Army? Is it making progress?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not ¡°Second Army¡±¡¹ Lindegaard-kyou cleared his throat and reminded the Crown Prince so. ¡¸¡ªPlease call it ¡°Red Left Hand¡±Sinistra Glauna¡¹ Lindegaard, who had answered so, himself was wearing a uniform based on deep crimson and dark red. He was in marked contrast to Lucius Richternach who was standing right next to him in a blue uniform. ¡¸We¡¯ve hastened the tailoring of the remaining uniforms, mantles and hats, but a bit more time is needed for everything to be complete¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because there¡¯s a tacit understanding that concerning the equipment of the chivalric order, we¡¯ll prepare everything as top quality products¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not because of me, you know, Lucius-kun? The one who made such a precedent was Jeffren X, my grandfather¡¹ Looking back at the young men who could also be called both arms of his, Isaac put the secateurs away in the pocket of his apron. Isaac¡¯s plan to reform the Seal Chivalric Order into a polished combat group had already started concretely as soon as he returned from the campaign in Heidelauta. The members who didn¡¯t know the situation were told that the scale would be increased for further activities hereafter; it was also announced that the group, which had become huge, would consequently be divided into two and be managed. It was because of Lucius¡¯s idea that these two groups were named ¡°Red Left Hand¡± and ¡°Blue Right Hand¡±Dextra Blau respectively. Among these, the nominal group, which had gathered green young men from well-to-do families who were unsuitable for combat only, was the ¡°Left Hand¡±, which wore red uniforms identical to Lindegaard¡¯s. From ancient times, it was a custom in Ahmad¡¯s royal court that people of higher statuses would line up on the right side, that was to say the left side from the king¡¯s view, of the audience room. In other words, Ahmad¡¯s nobles perceived the left to be more superior than the right. That Lucius would concede the left to the group of green young men from well-to-do families was because he took the feelings of those circumstances into consideration. Lindegaard-kyou would unify this group, which would most likely be called Left Army, as its vice-leader. The profligate sons of the great nobles who would find fault with family status would probably obey the instructions of Lindegaard-kyou, who was an influential noble, as well. On the other hand, capable people, regardless of their lineages, were gathered in ¡°Right Hand¡±, which used the traditional blue uniform as it was, and Lucius would lead it like he had so far. The left and right vice-leaders stood on equal footing under the leader, Isaac, but substantially, one could say that they, the Right Army, as a combat group, were the Seal Chivalric Order. ¡¸Well, whether their uniforms are complete or not, there¡¯s no particular mission for the Left Army yet¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s very vexing, ¡­but I, who, properly speaking, should have retired, have now decided to hold the reins on the group of green young man from well-to-do families tightly to the utmost¡¹ Lindegaard-kyou showed an indescribable wry smile. His child would be born shortly, and Lindegaard-kyou, who had used that as an opportunity to inherit the headship of the family from his father, had already decided to leave the chivalric order, but the Crown Prince got him to put it off under the condition that until a capable person who could command the Left Army was trained instead. The retirement of Lindegaard-kyou, who thought highly of Lucius despite having influence over the great nobles and also approved of Isaac¡¯s reform proposal, was in fact quite a heavy blow. Isaac, who had removed his gloves and apron, looked at the page in attendance and waved his hand lightly. ¡¸You, leave here for a while¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Once the boy left the greenhouse with small, quick steps, Isaac sighed greatly and spoke to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªI want to request a job for the Right Army immediately¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Can you choose ten skilled members only and go to Taroma?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Taroma?¡¹ Just by hearing the name of the place, Taroma, Lucius had a feeling that he understood what the mission was related to, but he purposely didn¡¯t ask about the details of the mission here. ¡¸What an adult response, Lucius-kun. ¡ªSince the particulars of the mission are written here, read it after you arrive at the actual location. However, this is a top-secret mission so be inconspicuous¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ Lucius received a sealed letter, on which sealing wax was applied, from Isaac and nodded. If Lucius¡¯s conjecture was correct, then this probably wouldn¡¯t be a very pleasant mission. ¡¸Is it all right for me to choose the members to take along?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind. ¡ªAh, it might be better to take him along though¡¹ ¡¸Who?¡¹ ¡¸Angel-kun. I must get him to understand what kind of group he has joined¡¹ Isaac mentioned the name of the newest member in the chivalric order and smiled meaningfully. Volume 5 - CH 2.04 On the day after Dimitar and Valeria went into the royal villa with fictitious identities, the queen left Gloom in the early morning. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t noticed by the town¡¯s residents. It might be several days later that they¡¯d learn of the queen¡¯s return to Roma. In accordance with the king¡¯s instructions, they limited the number of people in the party as much as possible. There were only five maids to take personal care of the queen, and the rest were about ten men for carrying luggage. Adding Dimitar¡¯s party, it was a party of about twenty people in all. A decent caravan was much bigger than their household, so from an outsider¡¯s perspective, it most likely looked like a short trip of a moderately wealthy woman from somewhere. ¡¸¡ªSurely no one will think this is the queen¡¯s party¡¹ Surveying the party, which was taking a short break in the shade of the trees along the highway in the tranquil rural landscape, Valeria was nodding contentedly for some reason. ¡¸We probably should be careful of thieves at the most¡­ though there might not be any either¡¹ The blueness of the sky and the whiteness of the flock of sheep, which was bleating on the green meadow that could be seen in the distance, drew a refreshing contrast. It seemed that the young girl, who was ignorant of the ways of the world, assumed that bad people wouldn¡¯t appear often in such a peaceful place. Coming and going on the highway right beside her were travellers heading towards Gloom, travellers leaving Gloom and merchants¡ªin any case, the traffic was heavy. The ones that would do an act like attacking the party here would surely be thieves who were very pressed for money. ¡¸¡ªDon¡¯t be too far away from the queen¡¹ Dimitar whispered into the ear of Valeria, who was breathing deeply, and then called out to the party to have them begin preparations for departure. Dimitar¡¯s party, which had succeeded in establishing contact with the queen secretly, pretended to be people from the House of Saforcada, which was the distant relative on Almudena¡¯s mother¡¯s side of family, and were introduced to the people of the royal villa on that day. At the same time, Duke Bermudez announced that the queen would return to Roma incognito, and that Dimitar¡¯s party would take charge of being the party¡¯s guards. That nobody raised any voice of objection to that in particular seemed to be because when Almudena returned home to Gloom from Roma, people along the route would come gathering no matter where they went because they had prepared an exaggerated procession and dealing with them had been difficult, but most importantly, it was due to a justifiable reason, which was to not trouble the convalescent queen. At the very least, the people of the party were currently following Dimitar¡¯s instructions. Although he thought he¡¯d incur their ill feelings because he was young, the status of the queen¡¯s distant relative seemed to have exhibit a tremendous effect to the ordinary people as expected. Dimitar looked into the carriage that the queen and Valeria had got on. ¡¸Queen-sama, may we depart?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll leave everything to you. I¡¯ll be having a chat with Her Eminence, after all¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s fine, I guess. ¡­Then, Your Eminence, I¡¯ll leave Her Highness in your care¡¹ ¡¸U, understood¡¹ Perhaps she was trying to match the conversational exchange of Dimitar and the queen, Valeria straightened her back, put on airs and bowed slightly, which wasn¡¯t like her. If her mood was always as calm as this, it¡¯d be easy for Dimitar to do his job, but as long as it wasn¡¯t a situation where an aristocrat was next to her, he probably couldn¡¯t demand that of this girl. The wagon that the maids had got on was lined up in the front, and the large wagon that was loaded with the male labour and luggage was lined up in the rear, in a way that the queen¡¯s carriage was placed between them; Dimitar alone straddled a horse and was watching the whole party while moving to the front and rear of it. Realistically thinking, for Dimitar to be watchful by himself, a party of this extent was the limit. Considering the queen¡¯s physical condition, they should move as slowly as possible, and sleeping outdoors was out of the question. It was better to expect that it¡¯d take five days or more to reach Roma. Opening a map on horseback, Dimitar bit at a jerky. There probably wouldn¡¯t be time for Dimitar to eat calmly in the future for a while. Volume 5 - CH 2.05 ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Your Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, no, it¡¯s nothing. I was just in a daze a little¡­¡¹ Valeria came to her senses from Almudena¡¯s voice and hurriedly glossed over it on the spot. ¡¸Ara ara, Your Eminence is tired. You¡¯ve completed many difficult missions until now, so it can¡¯t be helped¡¹ Almudena said so and advised Valeria to lie down. ¡¸A, absolutely not! How can I do such a discourteous action¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ara, it¡¯s not discourteous. Your Eminence is one of the only three Dominas in our country¡­ if something happens, I¡¯d be scolded by His Majesty¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, it¡¯s not the case that my physical condition is bad in particular¡­¡¹ Like the open atmosphere of the royal villa in Gloom had indicated, Almudena was such an open-hearted and friendly woman that one couldn¡¯t think she was the queen of a large country. Despite that, her words, actions and bearing weren¡¯t vulgar; she had accurately grasped the etiquette that she should grasp. In short, Almudena was proficient in the skill of slipping through the wall between people gracefully. Since such Almudena and Valeria left Gloom, it had been just the two of them inside the small carriage the whole time. Although Valeria could leave it to Dimitar to take responsibility for guarding the party, keeping Almudena company like this was actually mentally tiring as well. In any case, Almudena liked to chat. ¡¸Oh, yes, continuing the talk from just now¡ª¡¹ Saying so, Almudena returned to her reminiscent talk about Isaac¡¯s childhood. Incidentally, Valeria was made to listen to the start of her romance with the king before that. When Valeria was harbouring the suspicion that she might have been dispatched as the queen¡¯s conversation partner, Almudena spoke as if she had suddenly thought of something. ¡¸¡­Speaking of which, how does Your Eminence feel about that Hiera Glaphicos-dono?¡¹ ¡¸Hahi!?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, what sort of relationship do you have with that taciturn Hiera Glaphicos-dono? It¡¯s normally impossible that the exclusive Hiera Glaphicos of a Dominas is a young man, right? Nevertheless, the fact that you have a male Hiera Glahpicos like this means that¡ªfor example, you¡¯re actually blood-related older brother and younger sister?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s w¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Well then, are you fiance and fiancee who have sworn your futures to each other from when you were very young children?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s even more wrong!¡¹ Although a young male Hiera Glaphicos being assigned to a Dominas was certainly an irregularity, there was no reason for Almudena to be suspicious of that. Valeria hurriedly began to deny Almudena¡¯s assumption. ¡¸T, there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s like that! You can say that this is a special case¡ªm, my overprotective father requested that my Hiera Glaphicos also have the ability as a guard, and as a result, it was decided to be Richternach-kyou by process of elimination only¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ara ara, it¡¯s such an unromantic reason?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be troubling if it was!¡¹ Thereupon, the window of the carriage was knocked on, and the aforementioned Hiera Glaphicos-dono showed his face on the other side of the glass. ¡¸¡ªIt seems to be a little noisy, but did something happen?¡¹ In front of the queen, Dimitar asked with an uncharacteristic politeness. He probably wanted to say that her voice was loud. ¡¸I, it¡¯s nothing!¡¹ Valeria opened the window and ranted in one breath. She then shut the window immediately and even closed the curtain. When she thought of Dimitar watching her fixedly, though it was to be expected as a matter of course since he was the guard, she didn¡¯t feel at ease. Valeria lowered her voice and spoke to Almudena. ¡¸Queen-sama! I¡¯m earnestly saying this, but please keep our identities secret no matter what! The ones who know are Queen-sama and Duke Bermudez only, that¡¯s His Majesty the King¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right, I understand¡¹ Perhaps the way Valeria was flustered was amusing, the queen covered her mouth with a feather folding fan and smiled nonchalantly. Volume 5 - CH 2.06 In Ahmad, which possessed a vast territory, untouched dense forests still remained here and there. They were dark green seas that hid the frightfulness where one might have to wander about in darkness like that for several days if they carelessly strayed off the highways. Taroma was a small island floating in such a sea¡ªa post town built on a wide open land in the forest. In order to survive in the forest where threats such as bears, wolves and occasionally thieves lurked, people gathered at one place; moreover, travellers seeking safe inns would come there¡ªsuch a cycle repeated itself and Taroma developed. That Taroma, which didn¡¯t have any special agricultural products or special products, would grow into a town, of which the scale exceeded a population of three thousand, was solely because of the conditions of its location. When Lucius¡¯s party, which had been heading towards Taroma day and night, came to a place that was half a day more to the relay station in Taroma, they veered away from the highway slightly and made their horses rest at a quiet riverside. In the end, Lucius, who had been told by Isaac that the selection of members to take along would be left to him, brought eight people who seemed to be particularly tight-lipped and Angel Saforcada, whose name was mentioned by Isaac, along with him and departed. Rather than assessing their sword and magic skills and then choosing them, it was a personnel selection that took account of their sincerity and loyalty to the royal family. It didn¡¯t mean that Isaac said something to him, but Lucius thought such things might be necessary for the mission this time. Lucius, who had checked whether the harness had become loose while quenching the thirst in his throat with a leather bag of ale, separated from the other members and looked at Angel, who was swinging his sword. Honestly, it couldn¡¯t be called skilful. The fact that he was still unskillful was conspicuous, but setting whether he had talent or not aside, it was certain that he was a beginner. However, setting the sword aside, he had magic talent. He had shown it more than enough during the campaign in Heidelauta. ¡¸Angel-kun¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes¡¹ As if slightly surprised, Angel hurriedly kept his sword in the scabbard and looked back at Lucius. ¡¸It looks like you¡¯re not used to riding a horse, but are you all right?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes, I¡¯m all right. I¡¯m sorry for causing you to worry¡¹ Arranging the forelock sticking to his forehead because of the sweat, Angel nodded, looking shy in some way. As long as this young man, who had an innocence just like that of a girl, didn¡¯t wear this blue uniform, he probably didn¡¯t look like a member of the Seal Chivalric Order at all. ¡¸This is a good opportunity, so I have a few things I want to ask you, but is that fine?¡¹ ¡¸What might they be?¡¹ ¡¸What were you doing before you came to the chivalric order? I know that your magic skill is quite something, but where on earth did you train it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡­ didn¡¯t train it anywhere, I simply practised it continuously in my own mansion. I like to study since I was a child, after all¡¹ It went without saying that unless one was a possessor of a clear head, one couldn¡¯t become a skilful magic warriorMarefikos. However, it wasn¡¯t something that anyone could become if they were intelligent either. Even for the large country Ahmad, only one in ten people had magic ability; furthermore, an environment where they could develop it¡ªan environment where they could receive professional learning and carve magic crests was necessary. Of course, it had been confirmed that Angel wasn¡¯t an unregistered magic warrior at the point of time when he was recommended to the chivalric order. In the branch of the magic academyMonasteria Marefikos in Gloom, the record of his magic crests being drawn by the Hiera Glaphicos of this place accurately remained. However, that was why it could also be said that it was strange on the contrary. Angel, who had his magic crests carved at the branch and took the first step forward as a magic warrior, didn¡¯t acquire training there. Perhaps sensing that Lucius was harbouring doubts about those circumstances, Angel opened his mouth somewhat hesitantly. ¡¸My house has fallen quite low during these hundred years or so¡­ and it¡¯s my family¡¯s last hope that I succeed in life. Hence, my family supported me all together and invited a famous magic warrior to the mansion as my private tutor, and then I¡¯ve been training diligently since I was seven¡¹ Rather than a story heard somewhere, it was a common story. In order to rebuild their houses, fallen nobles would entrust everything to the excellent children within the families; for example, Valeria and Karin were also like that, and it was like that for Lucius who supported the House of Richternach, which couldn¡¯t be called a great noble at all and was just ancient, as well. Such people were also in great numbers in the chivalric order. In short, Angel was also one of such young people. ¡¸Even though things may appear this way, the House of Saforcada is an ancient lineage that is a distant relative on Her Highness the Queen¡¯s mother¡¯s side of family¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡¹ ¡¸No, that¡¯s normal. It¡¯s really a fallen house that can no longer appear in the high society, after all¡­¡¹ If they didn¡¯t go in and out the high society of Roma, then their names wouldn¡¯t be recorded in the directory, which was relied upon to confirm the nobles¡¯ identities. Although Lucius must memorise the house names of many nobles for work, as one would expect, even he couldn¡¯t grasp a house name that wasn¡¯t in the directory. ¡¸That¡¯s the reason why Duke Bermudez recommended you, huh¡­ did you come to Roma immediately after the training with your private tutor?¡¹ ¡¸No, I was in Gloom for the last half a year or so¡¹ ¡¸Gloom? So that means you¡¯re Her Highness the Queen¡¯s¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. To repay Duke Bermudez and Her Highness the Queen for their kindness at least, I took up the position of her guard¡¹ ¡¸Does the Crown Prince¡­ knows that you were Her Highness the Queen¡¯s guard?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve already talked to him about it¡¹ That was to say, he knew but kept it from Lucius. This was indeed typical of the mischievous Isaac. But on the other hand, he also felt that the Crown Prince was too malicious a little. He had no conclusive evidence as he hadn¡¯t read the decree yet, but he had a premonition that the mission this time would probably be too harsh to have a new member, who was still sixteen, accompany them. Lucius informed the other members of the end of their rest and put his foot on the horse¡¯s stirrup. ¡¸¡­You¡¹ ¡¸Yes?¡¹ Lucius then spoke in a low voice so that the other people couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡¸Do you know what kind of town Taroma, which we¡¯re heading towards after this, is?¡¹ ¡¸I heard that it¡¯s a large post town¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is that all?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll explain when we reach there¡¹ Sending the newcomer, who had guarded the queen in Gloom, to Taroma on a top-secret mission this time¡ªif the details of the mission were as Lucius had guessed, then it might be possible to say that Isaac¡¯s sarcasm had gone a little too far. Volume 5 - CH 2.07 ¡¸¡ªOi¡¹ ¡¸Fua!?¡¹ Valeria, who had shut the window, put out the lights and was thinking about getting into bed soon, was surprised that Dimitar showed up at the balcony and somehow swallowed the scream, which had almost leaked out unconsciously. ¡¸W, what is it, Dimitar? The queen has already slept, you know!?¡¹ Valeria lowered her voice and tried to hide the bed where Almudena was sleeping from Dimitar¡¯s gaze while rebuking the rude boy. ¡¸I came because I thought she had slept already. You¡¯re also going to sleep anyway, right?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­ t, that¡¯s right, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I have something to tell you before that¡¹ Dimitar then pointed at the door of the spacious room. ¡¸¡ªSecure the bar on the door and come up onto the roof through the window. We can¡¯t be too far away from Her Highness the Queen, after all¡¹ Right after he said that, Dimitar put his foot on the handrail of the balcony and jumped lightly. ¡¸Hey¡­ he¡¯s really self-centred!¡¹ While getting angry at Dimitar¡¯s arbitrary attitude that didn¡¯t allow any objection, Valeria firmly secured the bar on the door. As long as one didn¡¯t force their way through, one could only go through the window via the balcony to enter this room now. In other words, if they stood watch over the balcony from the top of the roof, miscreants wouldn¡¯t be allowed to break in. Valeria checked Almudena¡¯s peaceful sleeping face and went out to the balcony. Concentrating her mind on her right leg slightly, she created wind magic and soared lightly. Their itinerary was already halfway over. Just like they had done so far, the party was concealing their identities and lodging at the biggest¡ªthat is, the cleanest and safest inn in town today as well. Valeria was also staying overnight at Almudena¡¯s room and guarding her closely as usual. However, this was the first time that Dimitar came in the middle of the night and called Valeria out. When he had climbed onto the gently inclined roof, Dimitar sat down and maintained his sword. Although he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to pull this out even once during the journey towards Roma, he wanted to arrive in the capital like this without pulling it out if possible. ¡¸What is it that you want to talk about?¡¹ ¡¸The plan for tomorrow. You¡¯ll explain it to Her Highness the Queen tomorrow morning¡¹ ¡¸Plan?¡¹ ¡¸The plan for guarding her. Tomorrow will most likely be the critical moment, after all¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ His way of speaking was as though something would happen tomorrow. Valeria sat down beside Dimitar, lowered her voice and asked again. ¡¸Critical moment, you say¡­ what do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s neither a town nor a village where we can rest on the way tomorrow. If we take the speed of the carriage of this party into consideration, I reckon that after we leave here in the early morning and pass through the highway in the dense forest, we¡¯ll barely arrive at the next town before sunset¡¹ ¡¸Is there something wrong with that? We¡¯re not sleeping outdoors, so it¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­In short, if there¡¯s an attack, then it¡¯ll most likely be in the forest during the journey tomorrow. In addition to it being dense and easy to have one¡¯s troops hidden there, judging from the few stars today, it¡¯ll probably rain tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­? Attack?¡¹ Valeria reflexively looked up at the night sky and ruminated on Dimitar¡¯s words. ¡¸Looking at the topography, if the enemy is going to spread a net and wait for us, then it can only be this town in front of the forest. They probably noticed that we¡¯ve reached here. ¡­In other words, there will surely be an attack tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡ªEh? What¡¯s that?¡¹ Valeria opened her eyes wide in surprise and covered her mouth. It was a fact that the mission this time was entrusted to them because guards were necessary in case of lawless assailants, but it was her first time hearing that they¡¯d surely be attacked. Or rather, his way of speaking just now sounded as if he even knew who the assailants were. ¡¸Hey, Dimitar! You know something, right!? Something that I don¡¯t know!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll say this in advance, but everything is His Majesty¡¯s idea. Complaining to me about this and that, you¡¯re barking up the wrong tree¡¹ Making such introductory remarks, Dimitar started to narrate. Volume 5 - CH 2.08 Although Dimitar thought he¡¯d surely be together with Valeria since he was summoned, being told that it was a top-secret mission, it was just the king alone who was waiting for him in the office. ¡¸¡ªAh, if it¡¯s the young lady from the House of Costacurta, she¡¯ll come a bit later¡¹ Perhaps he had seen through Dimitar¡¯s slight confusion, Jeffren Francesc XI grinned. ¡¸Summoning just you first is because¡­ well, it¡¯s a topic that I don¡¯t want the too innocent girl to hear about¡¹ Setting whether Valeria was someone with a pure and innocent image or not aside, Dimitar judged that it seemed to be a questionable topic and nodded silently. ¡¸Almudena will come back soon¡¹ ¡¸Congratulations¡¹ ¡¸Ah, un. Well, it¡¯s certainly a happy thing that her physical condition has recovered¡¹ The king, who was reclining on the chair, sighed greatly and scratched his head. ¡¸¡­Someone might be trying to kill Almudena¡¹ ¡¸Assassination¡ªis it? Not abduction?¡¹ Dimitar narrowed his eyes. If one became the royalty of a country, the possibility of someone trying to kill them would always follow around them, but speaking of Almudena alone, it felt unexpected. She was certainly the queen of the large country Ahmad without doubt, but she didn¡¯t marry from a foreign country, and she continued to observe her position as the wise woman that supported her husband, who was the king, behind his back and had never interfered with political issues. In short, she had no political influence. Therefore, if there was something by which Almudena¡¯s existence would influence the state of affairs in the continent, it¡¯d probably be the situation where she was abducted. ¡¸It¡¯s assassination. ¡­I also have a rough idea of who the other party that is trying to kill her is¡¹ The king cleared his throat slightly. ¡¸Well, although I said assassination, it hasn¡¯t actually commenced yet, and the other party is slightly difficult for me to make a move proactively¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Just the assassination plan of the queen was quite a serious matter, but it seemed that the other party also had some special circumstances. Dimitar was curious about the other party, whom the king was taking into consideration. ¡¸Therefore¡¹ The king, who had stood up from the chair, patted Dimitar lightly on the shoulder and spoke in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªIf the number of guards is few when Almudena returns here, the other party will probably see it as a good opportunity and put the plan into effect. If we can catch the perpetrators at that time and make them confess, we can catch the mastermind¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean¡­ Her Highness the Queen will be used as a decoy to lure in the mastermind?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t put it so bluntly. ¡ªWell, it¡¯s certainly like that though¡¹ The king smiled slightly, but his eyes weren¡¯t smiling. The intelligent brilliance as a schemer was dwelling in that pair of eyes. ¡¸That¡¯ll expose Her Highness the Queen to danger though¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m fully aware that this is a selfish matter. However, this problem has already become something politically delicate. I can¡¯t make the government take action unless there¡¯s a just cause, so I have to take some risks for that¡¹ ¡°The one taking those risks isn¡¯t you but the queen.¡± Dimitar interfered so in his mind and nodded greatly. If the other party was one that he must catch to the extent of deliberately exposing his beloved queen to danger and that he couldn¡¯t carelessly meddle with unless he went that far to obtain definite evidence, then the number of them was quite limited. It must be an internal influential person¡ªmost likely someone from the great nobles. That the king was always speaking in a manner, which was roundabout in some way, and not trying to say who the mastermind was meant that the other party was one that he had some reserve about. However, there was no need for Dimitar to know that here and now at least. Stroking his chin which had grown full of beard, the king spoke with a sigh. ¡¸¡ªHowever, keep this conversation secret from Her Eminence for the time being, all right? She probably can¡¯t do that sort of subtle communication, right?¡¹ ¡¸I think that¡¯s the case. She¡¯s also strangely upright, so if she learns that Her Highness the Queen will be exposed to danger to lure the assassins out, even if it¡¯s Your Majesty, she¡¯s liable to flare up at you¡¹ ¡¸That young girl is not only strong-willed but seems to be stubborn too, after all¡¹ The king, who had shrugged his shoulders and smiled wryly, held out a sealed letter to Dimitar. Even his smile, which was done for form¡¯s sake, had already disappeared completely at that moment. ¡¸¡ªIf the thieves are lured out as per my plan during the journey, you must protect Almudena by all means¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯ll be unharmed; I¡¯ll protect her¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll decapitate you if you let her get hurt. Since I can¡¯t behead a Dominas, I¡¯ll have you bear the culpability of ineptitude alone¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Those words of the king most likely wasn¡¯t a joke at all; they were probably the truth. What he said was very one-sided and harsh, but from another perspective, it also meant that Dimitar was given a mission which was that important. Rather than harbouring ill feeling towards the king, Dimitar was even thinking of using the fact that he personally received a secret order from the king like this as the first step to succeed in life instead. ¡¸Though protecting Almudena is important, finding out the mastermind is an important mission as well. Make the thieves confess who ordered them without killing all of them. I¡¯ll leave the method to you¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ ¡¸After you¡¯ve identified the mastermind, open the decree I gave you just now and follow the instructions inside. Until then, don¡¯t read it no matter what, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ The king pointed towards the solemn door and spoke to Dimitar, who had put the sealed letter away in his pocket. ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, once you leave the royal palace, come here again together with Her Eminence as if nothing had happened. Since it has been decided that you¡¯ll depart immediately afterwards, prepare a horse in advance as well¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Although the king was demanding in various ways, Dimitar understood that the king had judged that he could meet those demands, and then he courteously bowed and left the office. Volume 5 - CH 2.09 ¡¸¡ªThat sort of conversational exchange happened before you met me by chance? Or rather, perhaps you didn¡¯t accidentally meet me there but were waiting for me there on purpose?¡¹ Valeria, who had more or less heard the undisclosed circumstances between Dimitar and the king which he had narrated, furrowed her brow and clenched her fists tightly. ¡¸In the first place, why wouldn¡¯t His Majesty confide such an important matter to me? It seems that he didn¡¯t trust me, and this hurts my feelings!¡¹ ¡¸He probably didn¡¯t trust you in reality¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Then, how about this; if you learn of His Majesty¡¯s real intention at that place, will you be able to remain silent nevertheless?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ The fact that Dimitar and Valeria concealed their identities and served as Almudena¡¯s guards was to make it easy for the assassins to make a move on them by purposely showing an opportunity and then draw out the mastermind¡ªit didn¡¯t seem that Valeria who was told that would be able to keep quiet. She¡¯d sympathise with the queen who was used as a decoy and start to scream and then make a fuss, saying ¡°If you know that there will be an attack, then you should assign proper guards.¡± He didn¡¯t intend to praise her in particular, but Valeria had that sort of kindness and a troublesome sense of justice, which would rear its head sometimes. It was right to keep the truth secret until this moment today. Dimitar kept Jagielka, of which the sword blade he had finished polishing, in the scabbard and spoke indifferently. ¡¸¡­Listen, all right? Humans, no matter who, have ill will and self-interest. Of course, they might also have good will, but when many people gather and engage in politics, there¡¯s seldom any turn for pure good will. If all of the people governing our country are upright, clean-handed and have neither ill will nor self-interest, then Ahmad would have been invaded by other countries and perished a long time ago. Though these words are hackneyed, politics will accomplish nothing with just whitewashing¡¹ ¡¸Even so¡ª¡¹ ¡¸We just have to guard Her Highness the Queen properly. ¡­Or do you not have any confidence in yourself?¡¹ ¡¸T, there¡¯s no problem! However, this is unrelated to how politics are; if it¡¯s absolutely necessary to do so, then I will, and I¡¯m going to say a few words to the queen too¡­¡¹ ¡¸And pointlessly make her become frightened?¡¹ ¡¸U¡­¡¹ ¡¸Not everything can be told foolishly honestly. ¡­More importantly, it¡¯s no good to be away from Her Highness the Queen¡¯s side for too long. You should return to the room soon. We¡¯re leaving early tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸¡­Un¡¹ Valeria looked as if she still had something to say, but it must be a useless complaint anyway. Dimitar, who had made Valeria understand with the atmosphere that he didn¡¯t intend to talk any further and sent her away to her room, looked up at the night sky which had few stars and frowned at the moist wind. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to end with a scanty rainfall either¡­¡¹ Volume 5 - CH 2.10 It rained from morning the next day as expected. Early morning¡ªalthough one might say so, because of the earliness to accommodate the queen, a few hours had already passed since they departed from the inn at the time when the sun would have risen long ago if it was a clear sky. In any case, the top priority was to arrive at the next town by sunset today, and the plan was to solely advance forward without taking short breaks frequently like they had during the journey so far, but the ground which was muddy because of the rain was hampering the horses¡¯ steps. In reality, even though noon had just passed, delays were starting to occur in the plan already. The visibility was extremely poor due to the pouring rain and the cloudy sky blocking the sunlight. Dimitar, who was sitting on the driver¡¯s seat of the queen¡¯s carriage and grasping the reins, lowered the hood of the fur mantle with high heat-retaining property, looked up overhead and let out a white sigh slightly. At that moment, high-pitched neighs of horses reverberated as if to pierce the sound of rainfall, which was sticking to his ears and wouldn¡¯t go away. ¡¸!¡¹ Hearing that, the first wagon which the maids had got on stopped. The excited horses might not be listening to what the driver was saying. The front blocked, the queen¡¯s carriage and the wagon with the menservants which had come from the rear also naturally stopped. ¡¸¡­Good grief¡¹ Dimitar stroked his nape lightly and stood up. Before long, several men and horses pushed the darkness aside and came from the path of the highway, which meandered inside the forest. The violent neighs just now probably belonged to these horseback riders. When Dimitar looked back, several horseback riders were also kicking up mud and approaching from the rear of the party as expected. Noticing that there were swords, which were reflecting dim light and shining dully, in the hands of the horseback men, Dimitar hit the roof of the carriage with a bang and shouted. ¡¸It¡¯s thieves! The women should run away! The men should surround the carriage at the centre! Protect Her Highness!¡¹ At that one voice, middle-aged women, who had put on plain mantles, rushed out from inside the first wagon with a force that they literally fell over and ran into the forest while screaming. Subsequently, the men who had jumped down from the third wagon, far from protecting the queen¡¯s carriage, also followed the maids and ran into the very dim light. ¡¸¡­As one would expect, they¡¯re excellent¡¹ Dimitar followed the attendants who had fled in the twinkling of an eye with his eyes, carried the petite maid, who similarly had been sitting on the driver¡¯s seat side by side with him, under his arm and jumped in one breath. ¡¸Now then¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who had jumped up onto the branch of a tall tree, looked down at the men who had suddenly appeared from the front and rear of the party jumping down from their horses and then surrounding the carriage at the centre without paying any attention to the attendants that had run away. ¡¸!? That man there, come down!¡¹ One of the thieves looked up at Dimitar and shouted, but Dimitar ignored him. He understood that unless they had leg strength enhanced by magic, they couldn¡¯t come up here no matter what they said. ¡¸Leave the attendants alone!¡¹ Another thief shouted in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªMore importantly, kill the queen first!¡¹ With an unreserved thirst for blood, the thieves put their hands on the door of the carriage. The next moment, several men were blown off at the same time the door opened. ¡¸Gya¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Gu, ah¡­¡¹ Both men who had fallen over had large burns in the middle of their chests and were groaning in anguish in the mud. The other thieves who had been staring at that in astonishment raised their faces with a start at the faint creaking of the carriage. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re those assassins, huh¡¹ Valeria, who had lightly blown her index finger which stood upright and descended from the carriage calmly, put her hands on her waist and surveyed left and right. ¡¸What¡­ w, where¡¯s the queen!?¡¹ ¡¸Just the guard¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Though I feel slightly awkward saying such a thing in front of the queen¡ª¡¹ Valeria narrowed her eyes, and a deep crimson magic crest emerged on the back of her right hand. ¡¸You¡¯re too insolent! Who do you think I am!?¡¹ When Valeria swung her right arm once, a veil of brilliant flame spread out between the thieves and her. ¡¸Uoah!?¡¹ ¡¸So hot!¡¹ Scorched by the explosive flame, the thieves retreated. Dimitar, who had been watching that from a high place, gently put the mantle, which he had put on, on the maid beside him. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness the Queen. Can you wait here a little longer?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine if I wait here, right? Or rather, the height here isn¡¯t one that I can go down by myself at all though¡­¡¹ The one who had lowered her hood and smiled at Dimitar was none other than Queen Almudena. Dimitar, who had predicted that there would be an attack in this forest today, made Almudena wear the clothing of an attendant from the time they departed from the inn, and he not only put a mantle on her so that her face couldn¡¯t be seen but also placed her right next to him. Moreover, all the attendants fleeing was also something prearranged from the beginning so that it wouldn¡¯t cause casualties. Dimitar shouting to protect the carriage at the centre was just a cheap trick to direct the thieves¡¯ attention there. When would the attack happen¡ªputting it the other way around, in what kind of situation would they surely attack; if he could guess that, then it wasn¡¯t difficult to repel them. It could be said that the success of this plan was almost assured when the king decided to use the queen as a decoy. Dimitar made the queen cling on to the trunk of the tree and whispered. ¡¸Please don¡¯t move carelessly and fall down¡ªI¡¯ll deal with them immediately¡¹ ¡¸Yes, please do, Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸The queen is over there! Prepare the bows and arrows!¡¹ The thieves, who had finally realised that the queen was up on a tree, took out their bows and arrows, but Dimitar had already jumped down from the top of the tree branch. ¡¸Though I¡¯m underhanded, you slacked off towards the end, or rather the problem is from before you¡¯re cornered. You¡¯re too sloppy¡¹ Dimitar, who had come down at a terrific speed, swung Jagielka which was kept in the scabbard as it was and struck the thief, who was trying to notch an arrow to the bowstring, with a side blow. ¡¸Bubo!¡¹ Although it wasn¡¯t a drawn sword, the content of the sturdy scabbard was a huge sword that could be called a mass of steel. If one was hit on the side of the face by this dangerous weapon which was even heavier than an incomplete blunt weapon, there was no way other than to become unconscious in one blow. Dimitar took a step forward with great force without a moment¡¯s delay, thrust the hilt of his sword at another thief in the solar plexus once and made him faint in agony. He then looked at Valeria over his shoulder and spoke. ¡¸We¡¯re in front of Her Highness the Queen, don¡¯t spill any blood!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m doing so!¡¹ ¡¸Also, I don¡¯t think I have to worry, but don¡¯t kill them!¡¹ ¡¸I know that too!¡¹ Valeria brushed up her hair, which had got wet in the rain, and swung both hands, shooting ¡°Fire Bullet¡±Blast successively. ¡¸Gu!¡¹ ¡¸Gaha!?¡¹ The thieves surrounded Valeria and tried to slash at her from every direction, but their swords couldn¡¯t even get into reaching distance, and they were blown away one after another. For Valeria who possessed extraordinary magic power, if it was a magic arrow of which its power was controlled to this degree, she probably wouldn¡¯t get out of breath shooting several tens of it in succession. At the point of time when there wasn¡¯t a single magic warrior mixed in with the thieves, it was clear that things would become like this. Even if fully-armed heavy knights charged at her in hundreds, she could cut them down calmly¡ªthat was the power of a Dominas. Volume 5 - CH 2.11 The fight ended shortly. Or rather, it couldn¡¯t even be called a fight. From the viewpoint of Valeria, it was more fitting to say that she exterminated them. She had undoubtedly exterminated those disrespectful fellows; that was the reality. Roughly surveying the thieves who were covered with mud and groaning, Valeria put on a mantle. Although she had got quite wet in a short time, perhaps because she was mentally uplifted, she didn¡¯t feel the coldness. Almudena got Dimitar¡¯s help and came down there. ¡¸Ara ara, though I know this as a knowledge¡­ the power of a Dominas is amazing¡¹ Almudena, who was lowered onto the driver¡¯s seat of the carriage for the time being, was opening her eyes wide in surprise, as if she was feeling admiration, while clapping her hands a little. Perhaps it was because she was trying to maintain her dignity as the queen of a country or because that was her character by nature that she didn¡¯t become very frightened by the thieves¡¯ attack. Considering the way that queen¡¯s eyes sparkled when Dimitar began to say ¡¸Please pretend to be a maid and sit on the driver¡¯s seat today¡¹, it probably must be due to her character. Almudena, who naturally looked as though she had nothing at all to do with what was going on, also seemed to be unequalled in having nerves of steel. When Dimitar whistled through his fingers, the attendants who were hiding in the forest came back timidly at the signal of it. ¡¸Bind these guys up and tie them to the trunk of a tree around there. ¡ªAnd then, I¡¯d like someone to gallop a horse, go to the next town and tell the other side to send soldiers for guarding Her Highness the Queen as soon as possible¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ At Dimitar¡¯s instructions, the men opened their eyes wide in surprise. They were probably wondering whether it was fine to expose that here even though they had decided to conceal the identity of the queen¡¯s party as it was until this journey ended. Dimitar caught a horse the thieves had ridden and looked at Valeria, seemingly languid. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Costacurta-geika will take responsibility for it¡¹ ¡¸C, Costacurta-geika?¡¹ Not only the men¡¯s but even the gazes of the maids gathering beside the queen converged on Valeria simultaneously. Valeria, who had attracted attention suddenly, looked back at Almudena as if she was troubled. ¡¸Do as those two people say¡¹ Almudena told them in a quiet voice. ¡¸¡ªThose people are Valeria Costacurta-geika, who was inaugurated as a Dominas not long ago, and her exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, Dimitar Richternach-kyou. They¡¯re trying hard to guard me¡¹ The attendants, who had heard the identities of the two people from the queen¡¯s mouth, hurriedly bowed deeply and started to move according to Dimitar¡¯s instructions. ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any fellow who can move properly, but tie them securely to prepare for the worst¡¹ Dimitar, who had added so, forcibly dragged one thief with relatively light injury deep into the forest. ¡¸Hey, Dimitar? Where do you intend to go?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll return immediately. ¡ªYou go and prepare a new mantle for Her Highness the Queen¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ t, that¡¯s right¡¹ Although she was wearing two pieces of mantles, even Dimitar¡¯s, in layers, Almudena had also got quite wet because of this rain. Even though it was impossible to change her dress, her body would get chilly and she might catch a cold if she didn¡¯t at least dry her hair and change her mantle. ¡¸Queen-sama, please¡¹ When Valeria let Almudena into the carriage, she helped her remove the mantles, which had become soaking wet and heavy, and made a small fire in both hands which had opened softly. ¡¸¡ªI noticed this just now, but¡¹ While warming herself with Valeria¡¯s flame, Almudena murmured. ¡¸As expected, the relationship between Your Eminence and Richternach-kyou isn¡¯t normal¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? I, isn¡¯t normal, you say¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because the people allowed to use that sort of rude language towards you in this country are Head Dominas Babel-geika or His Majesty, isn¡¯t it? Of course, Babel-geika isn¡¯t such a person though¡¹ Almudena, who had added so, stared at Valeria with upturned eyes. ¡¸¡­As expected, the two of you have a special¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡¯re mistaken!¡¹ That strange topic was brought up again, and Valeria was flustered. ¡¸T, that man¡¯s language is rude is simply because he¡¯s impolite! He¡¯s superficially polite but actually rude, o, or perhaps I should say that he has no respect for me¡­ he¡¯s always making light of me and acting in that sort of insolent attitude like he¡¯s looking down on me from above towards me!¡¹ ¡¸But Your Eminence tolerates that, right? This means that to Your Eminence, Richternach-kyou is a special person who is allowed to behave like that, right? Besides, Your Eminence calls him by his name as well¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡ª¡¹ Feeling that she was told something very fundamental, Valeria was at a loss for words in an instant. Why did Valeria tolerate Dimitar, who had been extremely insolent and had been speaking in a way that looked down on her from the time they met at the beginning? When the air temperature inside the carriage had risen moderately, Valeria extinguished the magic flame and started to narrate as if she was reconfirming her own thoughts. ¡¸¡­When we met at the beginning, I was bitterly told of my naivety and the part of me that was ignorant of the ways of the world by him. I think if it was another Hiera Glahicos, they probably wouldn¡¯t do that sort of thing. At the same time, I was also made to realise that Dimitar was a very capable person. Um¡­ it¡¯s very frustrating, and I don¡¯t want to admit, but I¡¯m inferior to him, or rather¡ª¡¹ However, if she made a direct appeal to Orvieto in such a situation, saying ¡¸Please dismiss this man since his language and attitude irritate me¡¹, it¡¯d be as if she was admitting complete defeat. It felt as if she was dismissing Dimitar in retaliation for not being able to win against him no matter how, and it might be because of that that she couldn¡¯t make up her mind¡ªthat was how she thought now. ¡¸I certainly get angry with him, but when I observe him, he takes a respectable attitude towards people he acknowledged. It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m not at that sort of level yet that he won¡¯t show such an attitude towards me¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your Eminence wants Richternach-kyou to acknowledge you, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. And then I can dismiss him after that¡¹ Valeria, who could finally smile from the bottom of her heart, combed Almudena¡¯s hair, put a dry, new mantle on her and then got out of the carriage again. Exactly at that moment, she saw Dimitar coming back from deep inside the forest. However, there wasn¡¯t any figure of the thief who should have been taken away just now. ¡¸Dimitar! Where¡¯s the thief from just now?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s no longer of any use¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m saying that he¡¯s no longer of any use after I¡¯ve made him confess the things he should confess. ¡­There¡¯s no way that I can drag a thief covered with blood to the front of Her Highness the Queen, right?¡¹ ¡¸T, that means that you, torture him¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I only spared his life in consideration of Her Highness the Queen. He probably can¡¯t move for a while. ¡ªOi, there¡¯s another thief deep inside the forest, so give him a perfunctory treatment afterwards and then tie him up similarly¡¹ Dimitar ordered the attendants who had free time, and then he frowned at the rain, which continued to fall without knowing when to give up, and passed a letter to Valeria. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s this?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the decree I was entrusted with by His Majesty the King before you came. ¡ªI was told to open it after I¡¯ve caught the thieves and made them confess the name of the mastermind¡¹ ¡¸Eh? I can read it? That means that you know who the mastermind is?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­I have to explain to Her Highness the Queen too. That seems to be the most troublesome matter¡¹ Dimitar placed his hand on the nape of his neck and sighed. Volume 5 - CH 2.12 Valeria and Almudena were sitting side by side in the carriage and reading the decree, which the king had entrusted to Dimitar. The force of the rain had weakened considerably, a sign that it¡¯d seem to stop by sunset, but instead of the sound of rainfall, the sound of pen running on paper was dominating the surroundings now. Since a short while ago, Dimitar had been writing some kind of letter without saying anything. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Raising her face from the decree, Valeria broke the heavy silence. ¡¸¡­If the mastermind of this matter is Countess Dryton, promptly inform the Seal Chivalric Order waiting in Taroma so, it says¡ªwhat does it mean?¡¹ ¡¸It means just like that. That¡¯s why I¡¯m writing a letter to the chivalric order like this¡¹ ¡¸That means that¡­ the mastermind of the matter this time is her, right?¡¹ Almudena asked Dimitar with an expression that was unusually gloomy. ¡¸That¡¯s right, Your Highness the Queen¡¹ Dimitar stopped the pen for a short while and nodded. ¡¸The thief has confessed. He said that Countess Purna Dryton hired them with money¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ Fidgeting with her hands which were joined together in front of her chest, Almudena continued. ¡¸¡­Is there anything that can be done? In any case, I¡¯m safe and sound like this, after all¡ª¡¹ ¡¸This is the order of His Majesty¡¹ Dimitar shook his head slowly. ¡¸If people who committed high treason are acquitted, we won¡¯t be able to get people from the lower classes to observe the law. Moreover, the people around Your Highness the Queen also had a dangerous experience because of the matter this time. Though it consequently ended without claiming a single victim, if we had make one wrong move, harm might even befall the attendants outside. Shouldn¡¯t the criminal be judged for the sake of them as well?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡ªyes, yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s as you say¡¹ Almudena put her hand on her chest and breathed deeply over again. She was probably trying to suppress the shock, which wasn¡¯t small, somehow. Dimitar put the letter he had just finished writing in an envelope and got off the carriage. ¡¸¡ªDeliver this as well while you¡¯re at it. You can get the people of the garrison to dispatch an express messenger to Taroma. They¡¯ll understand the details if they read this¡¹ Dimitar entrusted the letter to the attendant who was about to head for the next town and then looked back at Almudena, who was inside the carriage. ¡¸Please wait like this for a while. The soldiers for receiving you will arrive shortly, and the rain will probably stop as well¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Almudena nodded slightly and closed the door of the carriage, seemingly despondent in some way. ¡¸¡ªHey¡¹ Pulling the hood over her head, Valeria stood beside Dimitar. ¡¸Who¡¯s that countess?¡¹ ¡¸N?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, who¡¯s Countess Dryton? That person is the mastermind of the assassination plot this time, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, she¡¯s a woman who is much more flamboyant than you, who rose from a poor noble to a Dominas, and has achieved success in a life full of ups and downs¡¹ ¡°However¡ª,¡± added Dimitar with a sigh. ¡¸She overdid it¡¹ Volume 5 - CH 2.13 The town of Taroma was developed on a wide open land inside a forest. Therefore, the outskirts were practically adjacent to a forest that was already dense. As a land to escape the looks of gossipy, curious onlookers and live in seclusion, it probably wasn¡¯t bad. Taroma was originally a town that travellers going through the forest would stop at just to rest, and when it came to the outskirts, they were even more deserted. In that sense¡ªfor Lucius¡¯s party tonight¡ªit was a location where it was easy to do their work. After Lucius¡¯s party, who had secretly slipped out of their inn in Taroma late at night, put on black mantles that seemed to slip into the darkness and dismounted their horses beside a lake, they came here on foot. ¡¸Witzel-kyou and Burdisso-kyou have suppressed the front and rear of the mansion, huh¡­¡¹ Murmuring so, Lucius stood up. Lucius¡¯s party were on top of the roof of a certain mansion by the side of the small lake on the outskirts of Taroma. The fact that there was no noisiness inside the mansion at all probably meant that no one had noticed that intruders were here yet. However, that might also be natural. If it was Lucius and the members who had abilities he acknowledged, it was simple to break in without being noticed by the inhabitants of the mansion. Lucius spoke to Angel and the other members in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªWe¡¯ll rush inside the mansion after this. The maids, menservants, guards, et cetera, even if we add all of them up, there should be less than thirty people, but fundamentally, everyone is a non-combatant. They probably won¡¯t be a hindrance to us. Don¡¯t hurt them as much as possible, and if they try to flee, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you let them escape¡¹ ¡¸Is that all right?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter. Our objective is just one person¡ªthe master of the mansion, Countess Purna Dryton only. She¡¯s most likely still awake¡¹ At the stage of coming here, they had confirmed that the lamps in the living room of the mansion were lit. And then, they had also grasped the fact that the master of this place liked to drink sake throughout the night there with the information from a leading source. The mission of Lucius¡¯s party which had been kept secret until they arrived at this town¡ªit was the arrest of Purna Dryton. ¡¸Vice-Leader-dono¡¹ Angel secretly asked Lucius. ¡¸I¡¯m a person from the country who is ignorant of the ways of the world, so I don¡¯t fully understand¡ªbut that woman called Countess Dryton, what kind of person is she exactly, and what crime did she commit that she have to be apprehended?¡¹ ¡¸Purna Dryton is a mistress of His Majesty the King¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Looking down at Angel who had gasped in surprise, Lucius smiled wryly. When Countess Dryton, who had visited Roma last year, came to greet Isaac, Lucius was also present. He still remembered that he was told by Isaac afterwards that that person was the king¡¯s newest mistress and thought ¡°I see¡±. She had a thorough knowledge of how to use her beauty and was voluptuous; furthermore, she was an ambitious beautiful woman. ¡¸Once I knew that the destination was Taroma, I vaguely understood that the mission was related to the countess¡­ I see, you didn¡¯t know, huh¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­Then, why does His Majesty want to apprehend that woman¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸She has committed high treason trying to assassinate Her Highness the Queen¡¹ He could tell that Angel had gasped again. To the citizens of Ahmad, Queen Almudena who was brimming over with kindness was exactly an existence that could be called the empress. It might be natural to be surprised to hear about her assassination. Not to mention, there was a past where Angel served as Almudena¡¯s guard, so he must be even more surprised. ¡¸The thief who had attacked Almudena-sama has confessed everything. Our mission is to secretly apprehend Purna Dryton and send her under escort to Roma¡¹ Softly touching the letter from his childhood friend that he had just received one hour ago inside his pocket, Lucius continued indifferently. ¡¸¡­If you¡¯re reluctant to do it, I don¡¯t mind even if you stand guard over the rear of the mansion together with Witzel-kyou, you know¡¹ ¡¸No, I¡¯ll go as well¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? ¡ªIf that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s begin¡¹ When Lucius calmly walked on the inclined roof to the edge of the eaves, he threw off the black mantle and jumped down to the balcony below his eyes. Angel and the others also followed him immediately. ¡¸¡ªExcuse me¡¹ Lucius made half a rotation on the handrail of the balcony, turning towards the window. He then pulled out the sword from his waist immediately, broke the window by kicking it and rushed inside. ¡¸!?¡¹ On the sofa placed at the centre of the wide living room, a beautiful woman wearing a dress looked at Lucius and froze in place. Her glossy, light brown skin matched the pure white silk well. Compared to her own beauty, the countless rings adorning her fingers and the gold chain adorning her chest were nothing more than simple supplements. It was probably because the visit was completely unexpected that the woman was staring at Lucius with her eyes wide open while lying sprawled on the sofa slovenly and holding a wine glass with one hand. ¡¸Kya¡ª!¡¹ A maid who had carried a bottle of wine and came into the living room let out a high-pitched scream. It could be said that this was more proper for a reaction when witnessing men holding drawn swords breaking in through the window. Lucius¡¯s party left the maid, who had dropped the bottle and ran away, alone and surrounded the beautiful woman on the sofa. ¡¸Y, you¡¯re¡ª¡¹ The woman, who had worn a dress of lascivious design, sat up straight and surveyed Lucius¡¯s party. Although her voice was trembling, the blue pupils of her almond-shaped eyes were glaring at Lucius, hiding a brilliance that seemed to be challenging him. ¡¸Madam-sama! Ma¡ª!?¡¹ Perhaps they had heard the scream of the maid from just now, several menservants rushed into the living room, but as soon as they saw the swords that the members had pointed at them, they shut up and stood stock still. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re the people of the Seal Chivalric Order who have received a royal decree and come from Roma. We don¡¯t have any intention of harming the people who work in the mansion¡¹ ¡¸The Seal, Chivalric Order¡­!¡¹ The beautiful woman¡¯s expression stiffened even more. ¡¸Countess Dryton¡­ right?¡¹ Lucius turned towards the beautiful woman and asked so. Although there was no clear reply to that, it was certain that this beautiful woman was the countess. ¡¸Why did we come here¡­ you understand, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I, I don¡¯t know!¡¹ Countess Purna Dryton aimed the knife used for cheese, which was there, at Lucius and threw it at him, screaming in a loud voice. ¡¸Even if you¡¯re the chivalric order under the direct control of the Crown Prince, aren¡¯t you too rude!? This place is my mansion, which was bestowed on me by His Majesty the King! Moreover, I¡¯m His Majesty¡¯s¡ª¡¹ ¡¸His Majesty¡¯s affection only remains valid on the premise that your conduct is discreet, Countess¡¹ Lucius, who had easily dodged the knife, roughly interrupted the words of Purna, who seemed to be trembling. ¡¸I know what kind of ¡°value¡± you have to His Majesty. ¡­However, far from being grateful for that fact, you forgot to mind your position and planned to kill Her Highness the Queen¡¹ ¡¸O, on what basis are you saying such things!? Where¡¯s the evidence¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve been drinking in celebration early, thinking the news that the assassination of Her Highness the Queen had succeeded will come, right? However, that seems to be too hasty a little¡¹ Looking down at the empty bottle of wine which was lying around on the table, Lucius spoke. ¡¸You understood once we came here, right? The news you wish for won¡¯t arrive no matter how long you wait. Your plan has ended in failure. Her Highness the Queen is alive and well without a single scratch¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ ¡¸The thief who had attacked Her Highness has confessed completely. He said that they tried to kill Her Highness the Queen at your request¡¹ ¡¸Y¡­ y, you¡¯re wrong! I, such a thing¡ª¡¹ Colour was disappearing from the face of Purna, who had shaken her head. Her sensual lips were trembling slightly, and her voice was trembling even more. That confident expression of hers, which he had seen in Roma before and seemed to look down on even the Crown Prince, was nowhere to be found any more. ¡¸If you want to vindicate yourself, please do so in front of His Majesty. Regarding this matter, His Majesty wishes for a fair judgement. It¡¯s because he thought about Countess¡¯s reputation that he deliberately dispatched the Crown Prince¡¯s Seal Chivalric Order in absolute secrecy and not the national armed forces¡¹ If the army was mobilised, the story would become exaggerated, and the matter of the countess plotting the assassination of the queen would spread in one breath. Whether she was innocent or not, the king surely didn¡¯t wish for her to be exposed to such strange looks; Lucius was thinking so. ¡¸Now then, please stand, Countess¡¹ While hoping that she¡¯d obediently comply with what he said like this at least, Lucius urged Purna to do so. ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Purna, who had been looking downwards fixedly and biting her lip, removed the large ruby from the ring she had put on her middle finger and held her hand over the wine glass, which still had about half of its contents remaining. ¡¸! Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡¹ White, fine powder spilled over and fell from the base of the ring with a rustling sound, dissolving into the red wine. Angel, who had witnessed that, extended his arm instantly and tried to snatch the glass away from Purna, but Lucius obstructed him. ¡¸Vice-Leader-dono!?¡¹ Looking back at Lucius who was holding his shoulder with a strong force, Angel opened his eyes wide. ¡¸Don¡¯t interfere¡¹ Lucius murmured and simply watched Purna¡¯s way of doing things. ¡¸Gu¡­!¡¹ Purna, who had gulped down the wine, which the fine powder had dissolved into, in one breath, immediately clutched her throat and showed an expression of agony. ¡¸As expected, she took poison¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine with this¡¹ Looking down at the beautiful woman who had tried to take poison personally and commit suicide, Lucius repeated, though he wasn¡¯t saying it to Angel. ¡¸It¡¯s fine with this. It might be a mercy to let her choose how to come to an end at least¡¹ ¡¸Vice-Leader-dono¡­¡¹ ¡¸If it was a false accusation that she completely knew nothing about, she wouldn¡¯t have committed suicide in the first place. To have prepared even poison so that she could die any time like this meant that she was the mastermind after all¡¹ If one killed a royalty of Ahmad, it¡¯d in all probability be a capital crime. Whether it was a failed attempt or a perpetrated crime, it¡¯d hardly be taken into consideration. And in many cases, they¡¯d be beheaded in front of the populace of Roma. From the beginning, Purna most likely had the resolution to commit suicide if this plan failed. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ A thin line of blood spilled from Purna¡¯s lips, and she collapsed on the carpet. ¡¸M, Madam-sama¡ª¡¹ The menservants called out to Purna in hoarse voices, but she was already dead. It might be the last obstinacy of Purna Dryton to deem the matter of surviving ungracefully and receiving the shame of a prisoner and then dying as a spectacle unacceptable. ¡¸Everything was a big gamble based on her resolution, huh¡­ this is truly typical of her; her life was flashy to the end¡¹ Lucius sighed lightly, kept his sword in the scabbard and spoke to the men who had sat down hard on the spot. ¡¸Not a word to anyone about what happened tonight. Make all the people in the mansion thoroughly enforce it. ¡­Do you hear?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­! B, but, what about Madam-sama¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The countess passed away because of a sudden illness¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸The madam passed away because of a sudden illness. Make the preparations for her funeral service immediately. ¡­The representative of His Majesty the King should come from Roma before long. Proceed with it so that everything will be error-free¡¹ While ordering them unsparingly, Lucius persuaded himself that doing so would be the most fortunate option for them as well in the end. ¡¸¡­Vice-Leader-dono¡¹ While looking at the menservants who had started to move hurriedly, Angel loosened the tie around his neck and asked. ¡¸Is our job, um¡­ only things like this?¡¹ ¡¸That depends on His Highness. On an individual basis, I wish that there¡¯s only work that is more open and above board, like the campaign not long ago¡¹ In either case, an assassination drama where the king¡¯s affair scandal turned sour in the end wasn¡¯t something that occurred so often. Lucius cast down his eyes quietly, thinking His Majesty would probably behave properly for a while. Volume 5 - CH 2.14 Jeffren Francesc, who was gazing at the night sky from the balcony of his office wearing a dressing gown, heard the clinking sound of glass rubbing each other and looked back. ¡¸¡ªIf I remember correctly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Heidelauta will be coming tomorrow, right? To discuss the matter of the aforementioned mine?¡¹ Jeffren Isaac, who had arrived holding a bottle of wine and two glasses in both hands, spoke to his father with his usual smile that seemed insolent. ¡¸I don¡¯t think you can oversleep too much that day¡­ but are you that concerned about it?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll fail¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, you should go to sleep quickly¡¹ Isaac poured the wine into a glass and held it out to the king. ¡¸It¡¯s all right, Lucius-kun and Dii-kun will manage it successfully¡¹ ¡¸You seem to have a very high opinion of them, huh? Well, they¡¯re the son whom Orvieto is proud of and his childhood friend, so I also thought of entrusting it to them¡¹ ¡¸Those two people are excellent, you know¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡¹ As though drinking water, the king gulped the quite cold wine down. For Jeffren XI, who was said to like sake after battles and women, wine was undoubtedly the same as water, and this probably wouldn¡¯t amount to a drink before sleeping. Here, Isaac sat down on a chair, which was placed on the balcony, while sipping his wine bit by bit. ¡¸¡­Even so, will that woman be obediently apprehended?¡¹ ¡¸Purna? You¡¯re the one who said that it¡¯s all right though¡¹ ¡¸By ¡°obediently¡±, I mean will she be apprehended gracefully, or will she resist in an unseemly manner¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s well¡ª¡¹ The king pondered for just a moment and then answered. ¡¸Ironically, she¡¯s a strong-minded woman who is likely to commit suicide before the eyes of the people catching her¡­ but if possible, I wish that it¡¯ll be like that¡¹ ¡¸Hee¡¹ ¡¸Though I ordered that she¡¯s to be sent under escort to Roma, if it really becomes so, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll scream about during the journey. She knows various secrets of mine, you see¡¹ ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s like that, huh¡¹ ¡¸¡­Besides, Purna herself probably can¡¯t endure the matter of her becoming a person shamed in front of others any more. Though that woman still hasn¡¯t reach thirty, she has been living exposed to inquisitive looks for more than enough in just the first half of her life¡¹ A feeling of pity towards his ex-mistress, who had committed a serious crime, distinctly appeared on the profile of the king, who had murmured with a sigh. Isaac flicked the rim of the glass with his finger and asked questioningly. ¡¸¡­If you sympathise with her to that extent, why didn¡¯t you give the countess a warning or keep her at a distance before she had that kind of outrageous ambition?¡¹ ¡¸No no, it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t show that sort of behaviour that she could swiftly climb up to this point¡¹ ¡¸Are you saying that you don¡¯t have a discerning eye?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you were in my position, you surely wouldn¡¯t notice it¡¹ The king, who had snatched the bottle of wine from his son¡¯s hand and put it to his lips directly as though it was troublesome and then gulped it down, let out a sigh smelling of alcohol towards the night sky and murmured, looking as if he was mocking himself in some way. ¡¸¡­I didn¡¯t realise her aim until she complained that she wanted a son in the bedroom¡­ until then, she had been acting continuously as a woman free of avarice in front of me the whole time¡¹ Jeffren XI still had several other mistresses, but his child was just Isaac, who was the son Queen Almudena bore, alone. Even if he had women somewhere else, Jeffren XI made sure not to let them bear children at all so that troublesome matters wouldn¡¯t occur at the time of the succession to the throne in the future. The women who became his mistresses should have been severely told that as well. If Purna told the king that she wanted a son in that situation, it probably could be seen as evidence that she wasn¡¯t satisfied with her current status of a mistress. At the very least, the king thought so; at the same time he returned to Roma, he had Purna¡¯s surroundings carefully investigated. It was actually because those few casual words were the impetus that the assassination plot against Almudena emerged. ¡¸She¡¯s a good woman¡­ but she tried to kill Almudena; as one would expect, I can¡¯t forgive her¡¹ ¡¸Or rather, wouldn¡¯t it just be fine if Chichi-ue didn¡¯t faithlessly have nothing but mistresses from the beginning?¡¹ Isaac, who had emptied his glass and stood up, announced that he¡¯d go to sleep already and withdrew from the balcony into the office. ¡¸Oi, Son¡¹ ¡¸¡ªYes?¡¹ ¡¸In my case, it can¡¯t be helped already¡¹ The king spoke to his son, who had stopped temporarily, with a serious look. ¡¸¡ªYou must think of me as a bad example from which you can learn and not have women here and there, all right? At the very least, be a faithful man after you marry a consort¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve been saying so continuously to Chichi-ue since about five years ago, you know? You have Haha-ue, so stop womanising already and be a faithful man¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that so?¡¹ The king tilted his head to the side unnaturally and immediately laughed heartily to gloss over it. Volume 5 - CH 2.15 Holding the scabbard of Jagielka in his arms, Dimitar was looking up at the sky. The rain had stopped before sunset, and although there were still clouds remaining here and there, countless stars were twinkling in the sky tonight. The night wind, which had a trace of moisture slightly, gently brushed his skin and seemed to be alleviating his gloomy feeling. ¡¸Hey¡­!¡¹ When Dimitar narrowed his eyes at the wind, Valeria clambered onto the roof. ¡¸¡­What¡¯s the matter with you? To have intentionally climbed to such a place, are you very free?¡¹ ¡¸Or rather, that¡¯s my line¡­!¡¹ Valeria spoke angrily in an imposing stance on the roof of the inn. ¡¸Just when I was wondering where in the world are you and what are you doing that you had to quickly disappear by yourself¡­ why are you exposing yourself to the night wind in a carefree manner?¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t enjoying the cool air in a carefree manner in particular¡¹ Sitting cross-legged and resting his chin in his hands, Dimitar snorted slightly. ¡¸¡­Perhaps in Taroma about this time, Lucius is being made to play the role of a villain that he doesn¡¯t want to play. I just thought I¡¯ll stay awake until morning without drinking sake and sleeping in a carefree manner for tonight at least. We¡¯ve completed the first stage of the mission, after all¡¹ ¡¸The role of a villain, you say¡­ Lucius-sama?¡¹ ¡¸It was written in the decree of His Majesty, right? If the mastermind is found out to be the countess, inform the Seal Chivalric Order, which is standing by in Taroma, of it. ¡ªAnd speaking of a person in the Seal Chivalric Order who could be entrusted with this sort of job, there¡¯s no one other than Lucius, after all¡¹ Valeria sat down next to Dimitar and asked while playing with the tips of her long hair. ¡¸That countess, she¡¯s the mistress of His Majesty the King, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ That the king tried to settle everything with utmost secrecy was, in short, because he had guessed that the one trying to kill the queen was his mistress. Jeffren Francesc was known to be broad-minded, but as one would expect, his reputation among the citizens might be ruined if it became known that his womanising had a repercussion in the form of an assassination plot against the queen. Moreover, when the king tried to take Purna as his mistress, voices telling him to refrain from that alone were raised one after another from among the senior statesmen, such as the Four Elder Statesmen. As one would expect, it might be embarrassing for the king, who had overcome those voices of opposition and laid his hands on Purna. ¡¸She was opposed by them that much¡­ that countess, what kind of person is she exactly?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve never met her personally either, but Lucius told me various things about her. ¡ªSimply put, it seems that she¡¯s an exceptionally wicked woman¡¹ ¡¸Wicked woman? Does she pick up men here and there?¡¹ ¡¸It means that she¡¯s loose with men. In that sense, His Majesty is probably much looser¡¹ ¡¸Look here¡­¡¹ While appalled at Dimitar¡¯s words which might be equivalent to disrespect, Valeria listened to his story attentively. ¡¸¡ªOriginally, the woman called Purna wasn¡¯t even born in Ahmad, let alone be a noble of this country. It seemed that she was born in a distant foreign country, bought by a slave dealer when she was a very young child and then came to this country¡¹ ¡¸Slave dealer¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Blue pupils, light-brown skin and jet-black hair¡ªso she might be born on the other side of the mountain range¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean that she¡¯s a barbaric believer?¡¹ ¡¸Whether she¡¯s a barbaric believer or a God believer, I don¡¯t know. Anyway, it seemed that Purna, who was brought to this country from a foreign country when she was a very young child, had only been thinking about crawling up from her current position at any rate¡¹ There was no way to check now, but she most likely was a woman who entertained customers with song and dance in a bar on the outskirts of a town or something in the beginning. Or perhaps she was a low-class prostitute. Speaking of demand for girls who were born in a foreign country but were beautiful, it was mostly for those sorts of things. In any case, Purna rose from such a rock-bottom environment to become the mistress of a noble in some way. If her class as a prostitute rose, she could also have a connection to the high society. And after she temporarily obtained a status, she¡¯d use that as a stepping stone and aim for the top little by little. Stepping up from a mistress to the lawful wife when the wife of a poor noble died, she inherited all the assets when her husband died shortly thereafter and then became the mistress of another noble¡ªwhenever someone died, Purna would raise her status and become wealthy. After repeating that many times, the status she had finally reached was the king¡¯s mistress and the title of Countess Dryton, which was bestowed by the king. ¡¸Does that mean that¡­ she assassinated the lawful wife and the husband?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no evidence, but it¡¯s too much of a convenience, after all. It¡¯s probably like that¡¹ What Purna, who had a strong ambition to rise in the world and a desire for prestige and money because of the reaction caused by an unhappy early life and environment, had seen at the end was the dream of eliminating Almudena and then personally becoming the queen of Ahmad. However, perhaps the great number of successful experiences made Purna do so; she might have thought the man this time was of the same class as the men she had controlled so far. As a result, that became Purna¡¯s first and last fatal mistake. ¡¸¡­Assassination of Her Highness the Queen, even if it was a failed attempt, it¡¯s probably the capital punishment, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The countess might not be alive any more about this time¡¹ ¡¸Looking at it as a whole, this job doesn¡¯t make one feel very good¡¹ Valeria sighed and smiled weakly. ¡¸¡ªWell, it¡¯s an honour to be able to become acquainted with the queen though¡¹ ¡¸Everything is the result of His Majesty judging that we can protect Her Highness the Queen completely just by ourselves and then entrusting everything to us. This isn¡¯t bad for our careers. For the time being, take it in a good way like that¡¹ ¡¸Well, protecting the seal means protecting Ahmad and the royal family which are equivalent to its foundation, so us Dominas have to do this and that for the sake of that; un, I understand that reality too¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then this wasn¡¯t pointless¡¹ Dimitar pulled out Jagielka and started to polish its wide sword blade. ¡¸Your Eminence~!¡¹ Dimitar suddenly stopped his hands, which had just started to move, at the carefree voice that could be heard coming from below and looked at Valeria. ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t that Her Highness the Queen? She seems to be looking for you though?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ ahahahaha¡¹ Valeria tried to laugh to gloss over it, but the voice that was calling her didn¡¯t stop. On the contrary, it felt as if the numbers were increasing. ¡¸Costacurta-geika~!¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence, where are you~?¡¹ ¡¸Please tell us your stories by all means~¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re very popular¡¹ Perhaps it was because her identity had been exposed to even the maids, she was probably badgered by everyone to tell them her heroic stories as a Dominas. Dimitar literally smiled thinly as if it was someone else¡¯s problem and started to polish the sword again. ¡¸Well, keep them company as much as you can. We¡¯ll probably reach Roma tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest, so it seems that you have to be patient until then¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡­ you do something about it too!¡¹ ¡¸Talking about the grace of God that the Dominas had received is the job of the Dominas. And talking about it in a way that is easy for people without prerequisite knowledge to understand, in particular, aren¡¯t Babel-geika¡¯s or Karin-sama¡¯s roles but the role of Valeria Costacurta-geika, who is also known as the ¡°Pure Jewel¡±; I should have said this before as well though¡¹ ¡¸U¡¹ Valeria, who was prevented from refuting any further, dropped her shoulders and turned her back towards Dimitar. The best way to seal the mouth of this girl, who was noisy in various ways, was to bring up subjects such as the duty of the Dominas and so forth and cleverly attack her pride. ¡¸¡­You must come immediately too, all right? The queen said that she wants to hear your stories as well¡¹ ¡¸What a curious person¡¹ Murmuring a few insolent words, Dimitar held Jagielka aloft. The moonlight peeping through the rift between the clouds reflected off the edge of the sharp blade and pierced Dimitar¡¯s eyes. There wasn¡¯t even a little smudge of blood on the sword blade. Come to think of it, he never pulled out Jagielka, except for maintenance, in the mission this time. ¡¸¡­I hope that each time will be like this though¡¹ Dimitar, who had talked to himself with a sigh, kept the sword in the scabbard, stood up and casually jumped down from the edge of the eaves. Volume 5 - CH 3.01 DEC 5, 2021 ~ LUMINSTIA Banquet of Flowers; on a Summer Day The university of Roma, which was once located in the old town of Roma, was the oldest and the biggest university of Ahmad. However, about half a century ago, due to the increase in number of students and the deterioration of its facilities, the plan to relocate all the departments except the department of theology to the outskirts of Roma occurred; as a result, the newest town in Ahmad, Lauris, came into existence. Leaving Roma and then going east for about one hour along the highway, that was where Lauris was located. It was a university town that placed the university of Roma, which had relocated, at its centre, but rather than an independent town that was separated from Roma, it might be more accurate in reality to consider it as a part of Roma. The young Quique Albiol also spent his student days in the student district of this Lauris. ¡¸Ru~? Raruru~? Ru~rarura~?¡¹ A pink mass was spinning round and round. There was no deviation in the rotation axis. It was a splendidly stable rotation. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Quique Albiol, who had confirmed that with a sidelong glance, sighed lightly and put on his monocle again. He then put a ruler on a paper, which was spread on the work table, and drew a line. On the stomach¡ªpart of the armour¡ªof the girl who was dancing round and round happily, a gorgeous relief of a rose was sparkling. Quique, who had been drawing lines for a while, glanced at her again and smoked his kiseru. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re in a good mood, Bettina¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right?¡¹ Bettina suddenly stopped her rotation and pointed at the relief of a rose with both hands. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s because I¡¯m the first to specially receive the decoration that the Crown Prince created, you know!? Me, who is neither a member nor a noble!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s certainly amazing¡¹ Ten days had passed since Bettina came back safely from Heidelauta. And then, Bettina specially received a summons from the royal palace yesterday and was awarded the decoration by Isaac. It was a decoration called ¡°Ahmad Distinguished Services Rose Crown Medal¡± or something, which he never heard of. Of course, it was also natural that he never heard of it; Isaac specially and newly created it to award it to the person from among the members of the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis who had rendered distinguished services in particular. How did Bettina edge out excellent members like Lucius to be awarded that? Thinking about it calmly, it was suspicious in various ways, but in any case, to decline to be given the decoration was disrespectful in its own way. Therefore, she gratefully received the object that made the design of the actual decoration into a relief and attached it onto Bachururus like that. It might be a consolation that there was no exaggerated ceremony. ¡¸Ranranru~?¡¹ The pink object, which was spinning round and round and skipping, was a kind of weapon that possessed the weight of two big men and, furthermore, five times their power. If she was careless, this small workshop would be destroyed in the twinkling of an eye. ¡¸¡ªDon¡¯t be too happy¡¹ ¡¸Yes? Did you say something, Oji-sama?¡¹ Bettina, who had grabbed a hand mirror, suddenly decided on a pose and reflected her own body. She then gazed at it and glowed with self-satisfaction. ¡¸No, it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re happy¡¹ Quique didn¡¯t fully understand the political aspect of things, nor was he interested in it. However, if he had to guess from a layman¡¯s view, he felt that the Crown Prince awarding such a decoration to Bettina was most likely to avoid a pointless battle of egos between the great nobles. Thinking about it normally, this decoration should first be awarded to Vice-Leader Lucius Richternach, who enjoyed the deep confidence of the Crown Prince. However, no matter how great Lucius¡¯s achievements were, there weren¡¯t only ¡°patrons¡± who would be convinced by that. ¡°Please let my son receive the first honour by all means¡±¡ªthere was also bound to be parents who would unreasonably say so among them. In any case, many people would discover the value of this first honour, and it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine quarrels occurring due to that. Therefore¡ªthis was simply Quique¡¯s guess though¡ªIsaac probably chose Bettina, who had no direction relation with the chivalric order, to be the first recipient, for which a fierce competition was expected. It somehow seemed that his niece was used as a shield, and although a bit of feeling of dissatisfaction remained in Quique, the royal court was more or less such a thing. If one hated it, they shouldn¡¯t get a job that had to do with the people from the royal court. However, Quique couldn¡¯t get a job except his current one, so compromising in various ways, he was in this current place. ¡¸¡­However, people of royalty and titled nobility tend to be capricious¡¹ ¡¸Oji-sama?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡¹ ¡¸Jeez, you¡¯re mumbling to yourself a lot today, Oji-sama!¡¹ Scolding him cutely, Bettina put the hand mirror down. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s right! If I tell Okaa-sama and Otou-sama about this in a letter, I think they¡¯ll surely be delighted!¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Striking the kiseru against the corner of the work table, Quique lost sight of the words he should follow up with. Even though such a thing happened, Bettina still hadn¡¯t forsake her parents? Quique felt a slight anger, though it wasn¡¯t towards Bettina. The anger was towards Bettina¡¯s parents, who were Quique¡¯s older brother and his wife¡ªthe parents who were cold towards such a brave girl. ¡¸Pardon me. Is Bettina Albiol-jou here?¡¹ ¡¸An?¡¹ Quique, who was about to stuff new tobacco leaves into the kiseru to suppress his anger, took off his monocle and looked back at the courteous greeting, which was never heard of in this workshop. ¡¸The Crown Prince summons Bettina-jou¡¹ Standing at the door was a neatly dressed page. ¡¸His Highness?¡¹ ¡¸He said that there¡¯s something he wants to request of Bettina-jou, so he¡¯d like her to come to the ¡°Garden of Philosophy¡± immediately¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I, I understand!¡¹ Bettina¡¯s voice sounded shrill, and she extended her arm towards the wall. ¡¸¡ªP, please tell him that I¡¯ll go to see him immediately!¡¹ What did she think people¡¯s clothes were? When Bettina picked up the spare white robe hanging on the wall, she started to polish the surface of Bachururus with it with a tremendous force. ??? Volume 5 - CH 3.02 Nearly one hour later, Bettina who had polished up Bachururus to a bright shine was standing in front of a greenhouse inside the royal palace together with Isaac. ¡°Garden of Philosophy¡±¡ªit seemed that that was the elegant name given to this greenhouse, which the Crown Prince had prepared for cultivating roses. ¡¸In, in other words¡ªyou want me to clear this place?¡¹ ¡¸Clear, huh. You could certainly say that¡¹ Patting Bettina¡¯s head, Isaac pointed at the wood on the right of the greenhouse. Lining up neatly were albizia julibrissin at the front and cytisus scoparius at the back, but judging from the way the branches spread out, it felt somewhat cramped. Due to that, it also looked like the sunlight was blocked out to some extent. ¡¸¡ªWell, frankly speaking, only this greenhouse has become a bit cramped. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like you to chop down some albizia julibrissin around here and level the ground to construct the foundation of the greenhouse¡¹ ¡¸Only the albizia julibrissin? Then, leave the cytisus scoparius as they are?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Bettina, who had placed her right arm on the relief of the rose and bowed slightly, detached the pink battleaxe from the back of her waist and extended it. Bettina named the umbrella ¡°Choruruka¡±, and because she herself also thought of calling this something like that, this axe was now given the name of Rucheruku. ¡¸¡ªThen, Your Highness, please step back~¡¹ ¡¸Un. ¡ªAh, the trees you chop down might be used for something, so can you please remove their branches and pile them up together somewhere?¡¹ ¡¸Sure~¡¹ Bettina held Rucheruka by the end of its handle, rotated once and struck the trunk of an albizia julibrissin. The albizia julibrissin, which was as thick as the leg of Bachururus, was easily cut down with that one blow. Bettina, who had caught the tree that had tumbled through the air with one hand, plucked off the branches and leaves, which had grown thickly, making it into a straight, cylinder shape, and threw it down at her feet. ¡¸Ho, that¡¯s quite a skill¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much. As a matter of fact, the current workshop also wasn¡¯t so wide at first, but I cleared a copse and expanded it¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ ah, that¡¯s right, about that workshop¡¹ While gazing at Bettina¡¯s work a short distance away, Isaac added on. ¡¸¡ªYou probably have to assist the chief engineerMaestro too, and it might also be inappropriate to have you be occupied with the work here only, so let¡¯s see¡­ is about two hours a day fine; can you please proceed with the work little by little?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, with pleasure?¡¹ ¡¸Good reply. Then, I¡¯ll be working in that greenhouse. ¡ªAh, and one more thing¡¹ Isaac, who was about to turn back towards the glass-walled greenhouse, stopped his feet like he had suddenly realised something and added on again. ¡¸That suits you¡¹ ¡¸Yes?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a good design, if I do say so myself¡¹ Isaac pointed at her stomach, smiled contentedly and then left. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Bettina looked down at her own stomach and touched the relief of the rose softly. ¡¸Aha¡¹ While laughing so, she turned on the spot. Volume 5 - CH 3.03 Quique, who was born in the old town where his parents¡¯ house was and was renting and living in a house in the old town even now, seldom headed towards the new town. That was because Quique was a workaholic, and as the place where he worked was the third arsenal behind the royal palace¡ªa small workshop with an exaggerated name¡ª, his life was fundamentally completed just inside the old town. Speaking of just these days alone, one could say that Bettina, who had started to work as Valeria¡¯s attendant, had a much wider area of activity. Such Quique waited for dusk and then went out to the new town. He told Bettina that he was going to the place of blacksmith Courtois-jiisan, who was always helping him with his work. Bettina most likely didn¡¯t doubt those words of his. When he thought of that, his heart hurt a little. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Stopped by the hustle and bustle which was filled with the smell of alcohol, Quique looked up at a signboard with a design of grapes and ivies intertwining with a tankard. ¡°TANKARD¡± was engraved on the signboard, which was exposed to wind and rain and had started to get blurred. Tankard obviously represented a bar, and grapes and ivies meant that there were wine and ale respectively. Recently, Quique had been staying at home completely, but when he was a student, he¡¯d frequent bars here and there together with his friends, so he knew that much. ¡¸TANKARD¡­ here, huh¡¹ Hearty laughter of men and the smell of appetising food leaked out from inside the store. Due to the nature of the locality, bachelors from the neighbourhood would gather after work to search for meal and sake. When Quique pushed open the creaking door and entered the store, he didn¡¯t head towards an empty seat at a table but the innermost counter seat. ¡¸Which one do you want?¡¹ The storekeeper, who was at the inner part of the counter, suddenly urged Quique, who had sat down, to choose one of the two choices. ¡¸Ah¡­ let¡¯s see¡¹ For a moment, Quique didn¡¯t understand what the storekeeper meant, but he immediately realised that the storekeeper was asking him what he wanted to drink. Wine or ale, it could only be one of those. For bars in this area, one could say that simply having options was still better. ¡¸Then, ale and ham¡¹ Quique, who had ordered a minimum of sake and snack, looked around the store interior again. The store was about seventy percent full, and all the customers were men. Although there were only guys who seemed to be really rude, everyone¡¯s drunk appearances were cheerful, and they didn¡¯t have gloomy appearances. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem to be a store that served sake with a lot of adulterants and made excessive profits. ¡¸Ah¡­ is Dimitar here?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Dimitar?¡¹ A deep wrinkle was suddenly carved on the brow of the storekeeper, who seemed to be a few years older than Quique, and he glared at Quique. It was precisely because he had been doing a business where he dealt with drunkards every day that his expression had quite an intensity. Perhaps trained from carrying wine barrels, even his arms which extended from the short sleeves were so thick that they couldn¡¯t possibly be compared with Quique¡¯s. If it became a brawl, Quique probably had no chance of winning. Although Quique almost spouted the ale instinctively, he hurriedly shook his head. ¡¸I, I¡¯m not a suspicious person in particular. I heard that he¡¯s lodging here¡­ I work in a workshop of the army¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That white robe¡­ you¡¯re that ¡°eccentric¡±, huh¡¹ His brow furrowed as it was, the storekeeper¡¯s stiff expression finally became a smiling face. ¡¸I heard from that brat. ¡ªI was told that you¡¯re an eccentric who conducts a slightly difficult research in a workshop¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s not far off the mark to say that I¡¯m an eccentric though¡­¡¹ It seemed that Dimitar had been calling Quique an eccentric even in other places. Quique didn¡¯t particularly get angry at that. That contrary boy having a sharp tongue was nothing new. ¡¸¡ªIf it¡¯s Dimi-san, he¡¯s not here¡¹ Perhaps she had overheard the conversational exchange of Quique and the storekeeper, a girl, who was carrying a big tray in her arms and running around between drunken people, stopped her feet and interrupted. ¡¸She¡¯s the drawing card of this store. Greet him, Mercier¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Mercier. Dimi-san is always being taken care of by you¡¹ The girl Mercier, who wasn¡¯t good at speaking her lines smoothly, was unexpectedly polite. Looking down at the hair whorl of Mercier who had bowed, Quique absent-mindedly thought that sharp-tongued boy was the type that little girls unexpectedly seemed to become attached to. ¡¸If it¡¯s Dimi-san, he said that he¡¯ll be at work for a while and won¡¯t be coming back¡¹ ¡¸Work?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it Oji-san¡¯s work?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you called it work¡­¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s job was a Hiera Glaphicos. Otherwise, it was the one called ¡°Special Duty Inspector¡± or something; in any case, it was something that was ordered by the Magic Academy or the king to make a move. Dimitar helping Quique with his research¡ªthough there was the recommendation of ¡°Dominas of Eternity¡±Domina Permanence, Shakira Babel, at the beginning¡ªwasn¡¯t his official job. He was simply just helping when he was free, and if one had to say the order of precedence, it went without saying that his work of a Hiera Glaphicos came first. ¡¸I see¡­ he left the capital because of work, huh¡¹ Hearing that Dimitar wasn¡¯t here, Quique who had returned to reality just a little because of that gulped down the ale and sighed greatly. ¡¸Is it an important business?¡¹ When the storekeeper asked, Quique shook his head with a wry smile. ¡¸I don¡¯t know how he explained to you, but my work is something like an extra. ¡ªAnd on top of that, he has never properly explain to you what kind of work he¡¯s officially doing, right?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s not a fellow who talks so much, after all¡­ even when he¡¯s eating his meals here, he keeps silent the whole time and seems to be listening attentively to the conversations of the guys in his surroundings¡¹ Polishing the tankard he had just washed, the storekeeper shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸He¡¯s strangely matured though he¡¯s a kid, or perhaps I should say, he takes a cynical attitude¡­ well, when I thought about the kid living by himself, it might be that he always have to put himself on guard so that he won¡¯t be taken advantage of by wicked people¡­¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case¡¹ Quique bit a savoury ham clipping and sighed. Dimitar taking a cynical attitude was simply because his personality was like that. Compared with the swindlers and petty scoundrels around there, Dimitar was much more wicked. In the first place, Dimitar wasn¡¯t a boy with no relatives; although he properly had a backer, which was the House of Richternach, he was just continuing to live alone in the downtown area of his own accord. However, it seemed that Dimitar didn¡¯t disclose such circumstances to the parent and child of this bar at all. He probably thought they wouldn¡¯t be able to associate with him naturally if he told them that he was a person from the House of Richternach, or that he was the exclusive Hiera Glaphicos of a Dominas. Therefore, Quique also thought there was no need to say anything unnecessary from his own mouth. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve gone on a fool¡¯s errand if he¡¯s not here¡¹ Quique, who had just eaten up the ham and drank up the ale, stood up immediately. ¡¸If you like, how about putting it on the brat¡¯s tab? Why don¡¯t you stay longer a bit more, Master?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t call me ¡°Master¡±¡¹ Quique scratched his hair, which had grown untidily, and put the coin he had taken out from the pocket of his white robe on the counter. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s something I want to ask of Dimitar a little, but if I arbitrarily drink sake on his tab, it¡¯ll be difficult to ask him afterwards. I¡¯ll leave for today¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Do come when you¡¯re free again next time¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll do so¡¹ Quique waved his hand lightly, tipped the girl called Mercier one copper coin while he was at it and then left TANKARD. ¡¸Dimitar boy is at work, huh¡­¡¹ Stopping in the noise reeking of male body odour, Quique looked up at the night sky. Perhaps the stone pavement was releasing the heat it had absorbed during the day now, he felt that air was rising up from under his feet as if steaming him even though there was a night wind. ¡¸However¡­ Bettina didn¡¯t receive any message¡¹ Dimitar was Valeria¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos; that was to say, him leaving the capital because of work meant that Valeria had also left the capital because of some kind of mission. However, Bettina who should accompany Valeria as her attendant when she¡¯d similarly leave the royal capital because of a mission was at home. That meant that it was an individual mission of Dimitar, or it was some special mission from which Bettina was omitted¡ª. In any case, it was pointless to think about this and that since Dimitar wasn¡¯t returning to the lodging house. Bettina was looking after the house by herself at home. Thinking of buying something delicious as a present and then going back before it got too late, Quique held the kiseru in his mouth and started to walk. Volume 5 - CH 3.04 In merely three days, Bettina had finished deforesting the planned construction site of the second greenhouse just by working alone. The work that awaited her next was to dig up the stumps and transport a large quantity of soil to fill in the holes. And afterwards, if she made the ground level and trod the soil down, all the work entrusted to Bettina would be completed. From there onwards, it was the specialists¡¯ domain. ¡¸Fu~¡­¡¹ Bettina, who had raised the visor of Bachururus and wiped the sweat on her forehead, leaned against the bundle of the logs of albizia julibrissin, which were piled up like a hill, and sat down. There wasn¡¯t much physical fatigue due to the power of Bachururus, but only the heat of summer was something about which nothing can be done. Bathed in the sunlight of summer, the amour of Bachururus, in particular, had greedily accumulated that heat. Without the shade of the cytisus scoparius, the situation would be as though she was entering a steam bath. ¡¸I¡¯ll be troubled if the seasons in the future are like this. I have to request Oji-sama to think of a way to let me stay cool¡ª¡¹ Bettina rehydrated with wine and took a short rest. ¡¸¡­But not wanting to go and pee very much after you sweat a lot, that was true¡¹ Bettina, who was talking to herself about such a thing, overheard the flustered voice of a middle-aged man and secretly showed her face from the back of the mountain of logs. ¡¸Even if you suddenly tell me such a thing¡­¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s not a sudden topic at all!¡¹ It was Isaac; in addition, if she remembered correctly, she believed that that person was Minister for Home Affairs Camu?as-kyou. Bettina saw the two people entering the greenhouse. Seeing that there wasn¡¯t a single page who would help the Crown Prince with his work if it were usual, perhaps the two people might be planning to talk about politics. For a moment, Bettina thought ¡°Is it all right for me to be here, I wonder?¡±, but Isaac also knew that Bettina was working here at this time, so Bettina continued to drink the wine, thinking he probably didn¡¯t mind in particular if that was the case. ¡¸¡ªYour Highness is twenty years old already. It isn¡¯t strange even if you take a consort¡ªor rather, it¡¯s stranger that such a topic wasn¡¯t brought up until now!¡¹ ¡¸Pu!?¡¹ Knowing that the topic of the two people was related to Isaac taking a wife, Bettina almost spouted the wine. ¡¸Though it¡¯s somewhat rude to say it like this, His Majesty is, well¡­ um, how do I say, towards women¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine if you say it clearly, that his womanising is extreme¡¹ ¡¸¡­H, His Majesty certainly has that kind of tendency, but despite that, he has no child besides Your Highness. This means that a male of direct descent who can succeed to the throne of Ahmad is just Your Highness alone! Naturally, if Your Highness doesn¡¯t have a heir, our royal family will cease to exist, you know!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not something to be so anxious about, right? You said that I¡¯m twenty years old already, but if you¡¯re going to say that, then I¡¯m still twenty years old, you know? Besides, if we don¡¯t care about direct descent, there are also other young men who can be the successor, right?¡¹ ¡¸You mustn¡¯t!¡¹ While wiping the sweat on her forehead, Bettina heard Camu?as-kyou, who was rumoured to be a timid person, speaking loudly unexpectedly and reflexively ducked her head. ¡¸¡ªPlease look at the nearby Heidelauta! As a result of the king passing away without deciding on a prince to be the crown prince, the issue of the successor grew worse and the country split apart, you know? Though discourteous, if His Majesty and Your Highness die all at once like this, even our Ahmad might be on the verge of splitting apart!¡¹ ¡¸Hoho. ¡­In other words, if Chichi-ue or I died, what you¡¯ll think about first isn¡¯t our funerals or what but the issue of the successor?¡¹ ¡¸T, that, well¡­ if I have to speak without fear of misunderstanding, we don¡¯t serve an individual but the country called Ahmad¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Un, good, good, that¡¯s correct. I also felt relieved that Camu?as-kyou is a possessor of such a sense of balance¡¹ ¡¸Though they¡¯re¡ªsuch kind words, I won¡¯t let you leave this matter unsettled here today, Your Highness!¡¹ The conversational exchange of Isaac and Camu?as-kyou could be seen beyond the greenery through the glass. Bettina even forgot about her thirst, held her breath and gazed at that. ¡¸In any case, you have to choose a suitable partner as soon as possible and get engaged at least¡­¡¹ ¡¸Suitable partner?¡¹ ¡¸I think choosing from among the daughters of famous nobles and royalties after surveying not only within the country but also the entire allied countries is the logical move¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s an issue that can be settled immediately if Dilmah has a princess of marriageable age, but unfortunately, they don¡¯t have one¡­ in that case, I can¡¯t choose so easily, right? In the first place, what kind of person will you accept? If I married a strange person, her relatives will throw their weights around, and it¡¯ll become terrible, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Mu¡­¡¹ ¡¸Then¡¹ Isaac sighed exaggeratedly and continued. ¡¸¡ªFor example, how about a Dominas?¡¹ ¡¸Yes?¡¹ ¡¸The House of Costacurta is originally a distinguished family that has a connection to the royal family, and the House of Rudbeck is also a distinguished family with a long history, right? They just fell by chance recently, and their family statuses are much higher than such nobles, and there¡¯s also no fear of troublesome maternal relatives interfering impudently¡¹ ¡¸I, I see¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s Costacurta-geika, she probably can give birth to many healthy children. And if it¡¯s Rudbeck-geika, she seems to be able to give birth to very intelligent children. ¡­In fact, there should be a few examples of a retired Dominas becoming the queen before now¡¹ ¡¸C, certainly, if it¡¯s both Their Eminences, they have enough qualifications to become Your Highness¡¯s consort¡ªhowever, both of them were just inaugurated this year, so the wedding will be nine years later at the quickest¡­¡¹ ¡¸That sort of matter, we can just prepare the next Dominas candidates and have them retire earlier than usual, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Bettina was listening to those words of Isaac in a daze. Isaac was looking for a marriage partner, and in addition to that, partners like Valeria or Karin¡ªat the point of time Bettina thought so, her mind went blank, and further information didn¡¯t go in at all. When she realised, she had opened the window of the room of her home fully and was looking up at the summer night sky fixedly. A lot of time must have passed after that, but even so, she had no memory of what she did during that time at all. Volume 5 - CH 3.05 Inside the greenhouse where countless roses were in full bloom, one would choke because of the heated air and the sweet-smelling fragrance. Although it was also because the number of roses had increased that the greenhouse became cramped, the fact that Camu?as was together with him today was also a big factor. This middle-aged man¡ªin a sense different from Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou¡ªwas really stuffy that it was unbearable. ¡¸C, certainly, if it¡¯s both Their Eminences, they have enough qualifications to become Your Highness¡¯s consort¡ª¡¹ Wringing out the handkerchief with which he had wiped the sweat on his forehead, Camu?as furrowed his brow. ¡¸However, both of them were just inaugurated this year, so the wedding will be nine years later at the quickest¡­¡¹ If they excluded exceptions like Shakira Babel, a Dominas¡¯s term of office was usually nine years. Valeria, who was inaugurated at sixteen, and Karin, who was inaugurated at seventeen, must protect their chastity until they retired at twenty-five and twenty-six respectively. Setting engagement aside, marriage was impossible. For Camu?as who wanted Isaac to get married as soon as possible, that must be the one and only greatest obstruction. While making the secateurs produce ¡°chaki chaki¡± sounds, Isaac spoke to Camu?as. ¡¸That sort of matter, we can just prepare the next Dominas candidates and have them retire earlier than usual, right?¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ that means exists too¡¹ Camu?as nodded many times while wiping his sweat with the handkerchief. ¡¸Ah, just a minute, just a minute¡¹ Isaac patted Camu?as, who was murmuring with shining eyes, on the shoulder and shook his head exaggeratedly. ¡¸For your information, mentioning the names of both Their Eminences is just to give you an example, all right, an example¡¹ ¡¸What? Example¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m seriously thinking of wanting to make both Their Eminences my wives in particular. I¡¯m saying that there should be no problem if it¡¯s this level and simply mentioned their names as one of the guidelines, so try not to be thoughtlessly forward and cause trouble for both Their Eminences, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ Isaac pressed Camu?as, who had suddenly calmed down, further for an answer. ¡¸In the first place, I don¡¯t want to get married yet¡¹ ¡¸W, what are you saying now¡ªplease think of this as one of the duties of the royalty as well¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll get married eventually, but even if you tell me that so suddenly¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why please look for a suitable partner and get engaged first¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want to get engaged and be tied down for the present¡¹ Isaac interrupted Camu?as¡¯s words and pruned the branches of the roses. He knew that as the crown prince of Ahmad, he must get married and have a heir eventually. However, he disliked the fact that even his partner and the timing were all decided by his surroundings. In the first place, it didn¡¯t make sense that only he had to abide by it even though his father had been relatively doing whatever he pleased. While trimming the potted roses for his mother who would come back from the place where she had recuperated shortly, Isaac spoke. ¡¸Though I feel apologetic towards Camu?as-kyou, I¡¯d like you to let me do as I like a little longer¡¹ ¡¸¡­I understand¡¹ What was he thinking; Camu?as nodded with an extremely meek expression. ¡¸It¡¯d be nice if you follow His Majesty¡¯s example and become acquainted with the young ladies from various places. Then, a new love might arise¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Are you thinking of something strange?¡¹ ¡¸No no, please leave everything to this me. I¡¯ll go and make arrangements immediately¡¹ Leaving behind a somewhat creepy suppressed smile, the middle-aged man left the greenhouse hurriedly. Isaac followed him with his eyes with a sigh and started trimming a rose that had a large bud. ¡¸What in the world is he making arrangements for? ¡­Huh?¡¹ Isaac, who had left the greenhouse to draw water for the watering can, realised that there was no figure of Bettina, who should be cutting down the albizia julibrissin. ¡¸By any chance¡­ did I make her misunderstand something?¡¹ Volume 5 - CH 3.06 If it was true, Bettina should have finished helping the Crown Prince in the morning and then helped with the moving work in the workshop from the afternoon; however, Bettina didn¡¯t show up at the workshop somehow. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When Quique returned home, Bettina had already come home and was shutting herself in her own room in the attic without even eating dinner. Although he called out to her several times, her responses were poor. However, only sighs could be heard faintly. ¡¸¡ªGood grief¡¹ Quique also breathed a big sigh as if to compete with her and started the maintenance of Bachururus, which was placed on the work table of his home. Originally, Quique giving Bachururus to Bettina¡ªto test the fruits of his own research was a matter of course¡ªwas to make Bettina be confident. It was an armour prepared for the girl who wanted to be needed by someone and be useful to someone and yet wasn¡¯t very good at facing people directly. Bettina¡¯s world had certainly expanded because of this armour. But at the same time, this might also become the cause of her getting her feelings hurt again. Bettina was actually deeply worried even now. Quique, who had generally finished the maintenance, put a pot on the oven and warmed the green pea soup up. Although they had started living here together for more than five years, Bettina¡¯s speciality was eating, and she could hardly cook. On the contrary, Quique was skilful at cooking because he left his parents¡¯ home and had been living alone from an early age. It might be because Quique could do all the housework to a certain extent by himself that he couldn¡¯t get married easily. Quique filled a wooden tureen with thick soup, put white breads that were lightly toasted with the fire of the oven into a basket, placed them on a tray and then went up the narrow stairs. ¡¸¡­Bettina?¡¹ Even though there were other empty rooms, Bettina had been living in this room in the attic, saying that the low ceiling calmed her down. Quique suddenly showed up in the attic and observed his niece¡¯s state. ¡¸Oji-sama¡¹ Without even lighting a fire in the lamp, Bettina was sitting on her bed and looking up at the moon through the square skylight, where a part of the roof was cut out. ¡¸Why do I not have magic talent?¡¹ That murmur didn¡¯t seem to be lamenting or resenting the reality where that wasn¡¯t the case; if one had to say, it sounded like it was filled with resignation that was untypical of a thirteen-year-old child. ¡¸Why, you say, that¡¯s because you¡ª¡¹ For the tall and thin Quique, the ceiling of this attic was too low. Quique placed the tray on the floor and sat down on the stairs. ¡¸That sort of talent is something you¡¯re born with¡­ so you can only consider yourself to be unlucky. But why are you asking such a thing again?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because if I have magic talent, I might be able to become a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s also a dream-like story. The possibility certainly isn¡¯t zero though¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Even if becoming a Dominas is impossible, I should be able to help Oji-sama a bit more. If not, even if I don¡¯t have talent, if I¡¯ve been born in the house of a noble at least, then¡ª¡¹ ¡¸This is a serious illness¡­¡¹ Anyone would probably say idle complaints like envying other people¡¯s circumstances, but at the very least, this was the first time that Bettina said such a thing. ¡¸¡ªEat them before they get cold, all right?¡¹ Leaving these words behind like that, Quique went down the stairs. Naturally, Bettina didn¡¯t reply. ¡¸¡­I give up¡¹ As expected, Bettina¡ªjust imagining it was a discourteous matter¡ªmight be harbouring feelings beyond her position towards the handsome Crown Prince Isaac, judging from her murmurs just now. If she could become acquainted with distinguished people, it might somehow be helpful when she left Quique¡¯s side in the future and became independent; thinking so, he recommended Bettina to be Valeria¡¯s attendant, but it backfired this time. Quique sat down on a chair placed in front of the oven and lit a fire in the kiseru. Today¡¯s tobacco was a high-class item produced in Brabant, which Bettina had brought back yesterday, saying that she received it from Isaac. However, perhaps it was because he wasn¡¯t used to such a luxury item, or perhaps it was due to his current mental state, he didn¡¯t feel that it was great at all. Quique simply inhaled and exhaled the bitter smoke aimlessly and silently listened to the sound of the firewood in the oven popping. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Quique actually wanted to ask Dimitar what was Bettina like when she went out on a mission¡ªand what could he interpret from Bettina¡¯s attitude towards Isaac. If it was that boy, and if it became the development that Quique feared, he probably would have seen through it already. But unfortunately, Dimitar hadn¡¯t come back to the capital yet. That made Quique¡¯s mood even more gloomy. Volume 5 - CH 3.07 Staring at the beautiful woman who had fallen face down, a line of red blood spilling from her lovely lips, Lucius sighed. ¡¸Everything was a big gamble based on her resolution, huh¡­ this is truly typical of her; her life was flashy to the end¡¹ The beautiful woman¡¯s name was Countess Purna Dryton¡ªthe mastermind of the assassination plot against Queen Almudena. For Lucius, the matter of Purna, who was cornered, personally ending her life was within his expectation, but for the people serving her, it must have been a bolt out of the blue. Looking at the maids and menservants who had sat down hard on the spot, Lucius kept his sword in the scabbard and announced indifferently. ¡¸Not a word to anyone about what happened tonight. Have all the people in the mansion thoroughly enforce it. ¡­Do you hear?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­! B, but, what about Madam-sama¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The countess passed away because of a sudden illness¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ ¡¸The madam passed away because of a sudden illness. Make the arrangements for her funeral service immediately. ¡­The representative of His Majesty the King should come from Roma before long. Proceed with it so that everything will be error-free¡¹ He must gather all the people working in the mansion here first and then have them begin the preparations for the secret burial. ¡¸¡­Vice-Leader-dono¡¹ Gazing at the menservants who had started to move awkwardly, Angel Saforcada loosened the tie around his neck. ¡¸Is our job, um¡­ only things like this?¡¹ ¡¸That depends on His Highness. On an individual basis, I wish that there¡¯s only work that is more open and above board, like the campaign not long ago¡¹ ¡¸Like not long ago¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Though they¡¯re similarly jobs to protect the country, running around on a dangerous battlefield is probably much better than being witness to the last moment of a woman, right? ¡­Hazard-kyou!¡¹ When Lucius called one of his subordinates whom he had brought with him on this top-secret mission, he instructed him to secretly get in touch with the mayor of Taroma immediately. Although this manner of speaking was bad, he must make the mayor understand the cause and effect so that the people of this mansion wouldn¡¯t blurt out thoughtless things in the future. ¡¸U, um¡­¡¹ Passing Hazard-kyou who left at a quick pace, the maid who had gone round to call the people of the mansion to this room came back and began to talk in a tone that was frightened in some way. ¡¸I, I wanted to gather all the people in the mansion¡ªb, but I didn¡¯t see the figure of only one person¡¹ ¡¸That person isn¡¯t here?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡­ it¡¯s the gardener, a man called Niko Bonucci¡­¡¹ When the maid spoke of that name, the surrounding menservants looked at each other simultaneously. As if the maid¡¯s panic had spread, even the other people started to be noisy. It was unthinkable that such a reaction would appear just because one ordinary gardener had disappeared. Lucius tilted his head to the side and questioned her. ¡¸What kind of man is he exactly?¡¹ ¡¸Niko was¡­ formerly a thief¡¹ ¡¸A thief?¡¹ Angel knitted his brows and raised a wild voice. ¡¸¡ªWhy is a thief working as the gardener of the countess¡¯s mansion?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­¡¹ According to what the maids had explained, looking as if it was extremely hard to speak about it, the aforementioned Niko Bonucci was a young and reckless bandit. Hiding himself in the forest on the outskirts of Taroma, he made a living from aiming for the travellers coming and going and travelling alone on the highway; however, he was pursued by the authorities and was seriously wounded, and it seemed that he was captured when he tumbled into the premises of this mansion. People who were not only robbed of their money and goods but even killed by Niko weren¡¯t few, and a reward was offered for his head. Therefore, if it was true, Niko should have been handed over to the mayor of Taroma as he was and be sentenced to capital punishment. Nevertheless¡ªwhat kind of whim was it exactly¡ªPurna didn¡¯t hand Niko over to the government officials. It was unexpected that she¡¯d treat his wounds, prepare clothing for him and let him live in a cabin in the corner of the grounds as a gardener. ¡¸Why is that kind of¡ª¡¹ In contrast with Angel whose expression seemed to be puzzled, the maids cast their eyes downwards, looking as if it was difficult to give an answer. It seemed that this new chivalric order member couldn¡¯t guess it, but Lucius could somehow understand the situation from the maids¡¯ behaviours. ¡¸¡­He was her secret lover¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ The face of Angel, who had raised a wild voice again, became red suddenly after one mora. ¡¸Even though she was called Countess Dryton, the reality is that she was one of His Majesty the King¡¯s mistresses¡­ and His Majesty also won¡¯t always be here. Rather, he¡¯s absent for most of the year. That being the case, it isn¡¯t so strange that the countess of loose morals would have another lover. ¡­In short, it¡¯s like that, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Yes¡¹ The maids nodded slightly. ¡¸However, after Niko became the gardener, his manner which was like a mad dog when he was captured changed completely, and the change was as if you could say that he was extremely obedient towards Madam-sama¡­ or rather, he was worshipping Madam-sama¡¹ ¡¸Was he feeling a debt of gratitude, being a bad person, or¡ª¡¹ Drawing in a breath greatly, Lucius stopped his words midway there. Witzel-kyou, who had been guarding the rear of the mansion, came here at a quick pace. ¡¸Vice-Leader!¡¹ ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹ ¡¸The horse is missing!¡¹ ¡¸Horse?¡¹ ¡¸Even though there¡¯s a carriage, there¡¯s no horse in the stable¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When Lucius narrowed his eyes and stared at the maid, she shook her head as if she was frightened again. She probably wanted to say that she didn¡¯t know anything. Lucius then spoke to Witzel-kyou. ¡¸Witzel-kyou, please remain here. Hazard-kyou should be coming back with the mayor soon, so I¡¯ll leave the subsequent matters to the both of you¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not a problem, but what¡¯s Vice-Leader going to do?¡¹ ¡¸Just one man disappeared from the mansion. It seems that leaving him alone will become a troublesome matter¡¹ Leaving that place to Witzel-kyou, Lucius took the remaining members along with him and left the mansion. ¡¸What are we going to do, Vice-Leader-dono?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll pursue Niko Bonucci¡¹ Lucius answered Angel¡¯s question laconically. ¡¸Do you know where he escaped to?¡¹ ¡¸I can more or less guess. ¡­But then, I hope that such a conjecture is wrong though¡¹ Lucius returned to the place where they had tied their horses on the opposite side of the lake almost at a run, put his foot on the stirrup and smile wryly. ¡¸If my conjecture is wrong, then it doesn¡¯t matter at all even if Niko Bonucci escapes somewhere like this. ¡ªHowever, that¡¯s probably not going to happen¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹ Angel, who had similarly sat on top of the saddle, bent his head slightly to one side and asked again. ¡¸What does that mean exactly? Where in the world did that gardener escape to¡ª¡¹ ¡¸The clandestine love between a countess who had too much time on her hands and a gardener, speaking of common, is common, but it¡¯s a slight problem that the both of them are all bad people. ¡­Especially all the more so if the gardener worshipped the madam like a goddess¡¹ Lucius and other members, eight people in all, started running in the forest at night. Although it was along a lane, if they missed one step, that place was a sea called a forest covered up by cold darkness, and they¡¯d probably go astray immediately if they were careless. ¡¸¡ªIf Niko Bonucci learnt of the death of the woman whom he worshipped as a goddess, what kind of action do you think he¡¯ll take?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­ he was formerly a bandit who was skilful at rough things, so as expected¡ªit¡¯s revenge?¡¹ Angel, who had answered so, surveyed his surroundings, looking slightly tense. ¡¸It¡¯s not wrong to think like that first¡­ but his target probably isn¡¯t us¡¹ ¡¸W, why?¡¹ ¡¸The fact that he had been a bandit for a long time in a dangerous forest, where wolves, bears and people in the same trade were prowling about, without losing his life or getting captured or forming a faction meant that that man is probably quite strong. And he most likely must be more cautious and cunning¡¹ That was why Lucius was thinking he¡¯d never attack them in a simplistic manner. No matter how skilled a man Niko was, it was impossible that he¡¯d challenge Lucius¡¯s party to a fight by himself and then ended safe and sound. He¡¯d probably lose his life easily without even fulfilling the matter of carrying out revenge for Purna. ¡¸¡ªThat much can be understood even without thinking deeply. Besides, the revenge won¡¯t be accomplished just by killing us, who had driven the madam to commit suicide. Niko Bonucci probably should have known that too¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡ªthe queen!?¡¹ ¡¸If Purna Dryton had told Niko Bonucci her own real intention, then that¡¯s not impossible¡¹ As long as Queen Almudena didn¡¯t exist, Purna¡¯s ambition could have been achieved. It could also be said that it was because of Almudena that Purna¡¯s dream had been shattered and that she committed suicide¡ªthe possibility of Niko, who thought so, trying to kill Almudena again wasn¡¯t zero. ¡¸Normally, at the point of time when one¡¯s own lover began to say that she wanted a son of a man other than himself, he¡¯d be driven by jealousy, and then he¡¯d turn to violence¡­ but perhaps to Niko, the madam might really be an existence like a goddess. Not a lover but simply an object of worship¡ª¡¹ Urging his horse on as if to compete with Lucius, Angel spoke. ¡¸¡ªWhere¡¯s the queen now!?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know the exact location, but she most likely has arrived at the vicinity about two days to the royal capital along the highway from Gloom. Even if Niko is aiming for Her Highness the Queen, in terms of distance, it¡¯s impossible to ambush her during the journey. ¡ªIn that case¡¹ Confirming the relative positions of Taroma, Gloom and Roma on the map inside his mind, Lucius kept his mouth shut. Volume 5 - CH 3.08 ¡¸Your Highness!¡¹ Camu?as, who had rushed into the greenhouse, gasping for air, hurriedly wiped the sweat oozing on his forehead and began to talk rapidly. ¡¸T, t-t, the queen, is , is returning!¡¹ ¡¸That sort of thing, I know about it¡¹ ¡¸Ha!?¡¹ While having a page fan him with a large round paper fan, Isaac was pruning the roses without even looking back at Camu?as. ¡¸H, how did you know? Even though the messenger who came to announce beforehand just arrived a moment ago¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because if you count backwards from the day Haha-ue¡¯s party left Gloom, you¡¯ll know that she¡¯ll arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow¡¹ It was a distance of about five days, being jolted in the carriage leisurely and peacefully, from Gloom where Queen Almudena had been recuperating to this Roma, and there was no rough path along the way where they¡¯d be stranded either. ¡¸B, but Your Highness¡­! We didn¡¯t receive the information of the queen leaving Gloom itself until today, you know? Despite this, how did Your Highness know the date and time of her departure¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s because I heard them from Chichi-ue¡¹ ¡¸Haa!?¡¹ The truth, which was a bolt from the blue, was thrust at Camu?as again, and he opened his eyes wide. ¡¸I mean, it was Chichi-ue who instructed Haha-ue. He told her to leave Gloom secretly and come back so that she wouldn¡¯t be found out¡¹ ¡¸W, why did His Majesty issue such instructions!? Moreover, to have even kept it secret from us¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably to uncover the assassins¡¹ ¡¸A, assassination!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re so noisy¡¹ Isaac, who was surprised by Camu?as¡¯s voice and almost cut off a large rose, tossed the shears. ¡¸Chichi-ue had sensed that the wicked fox in Taroma was thinking of killing Haha-ue, and then he secretly provided her with bodyguards¡¹ ¡¸When you say ¡°the wicked fox in Taroma¡±, don¡¯t tell me you mean, Countess Dryton¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, her¡¹ Isaac, who had waved his hand to get the page to leave, removed his gloves and looked back. Even though Camu?as, who was first-class on domestic affairs, understood that Purna Dryton was a wicked woman, it was certainly unexpected that the king¡¯s womanising would even develop into an assassination plot against the queen. One might be able to say that it was because it was Jeffren Francesc that he could smell the stench of a scheme in the countess¡¯s slight change. Isaac, who had gulped down the water of a water jug, in which lemons and ice were floating, and then taken a rest, put his hands on his waist and bent and stretched lightly. ¡¸¡­And then, the countess who knew that Haha-ue would be returning to the capital with a small number of people hired assassins and had them attack her during the journey. ¡ªHowever, she had the tables turned on her splendidly. It¡¯s probably because such a trouble had been mostly solved that Haha-ue¡¯s party would dispatch a messenger to notify us of her return¡¹ ¡¸Solved¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, we¡¯ll hear the details from Costacurta-geika afterwards. After all, the ones serving as Haha-ue¡¯s guards are actually Her Eminence and Richternach-kyou¡¹ ¡¸What¡­ n, now that you mention it, I hadn¡¯t seen them these few days or so, but the reason was like that, huh¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. If you understand, then¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Then, Your Highness!¡¹ Return to your work quickly; Isaac was about to say that to drive Camu?as away, but Camu?as refused to back down, his eyes sparkling for some reason. ¡¸¡ªThe queen getting well and returning is a joyous matter in any case! Therefore, whether it¡¯s called a tea party or a garden party, how about holding a banquet to receive the queen at least? If we decorate the venue ornately with the flowers Your Highness had cultivated and then Your Highness personally receives the queen, she¡¯ll surely be delighted!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Isaac kept his mouth shut and stared fixedly at Camu?as, who was smiling while wiping his sweat. It was unusual that Camu?as, who should be running around busily all the time because of the things the king and the Crown Prince had done, would personally suggest doing something in this way. More importantly, this full smile of his was suspicious. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re planning something, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Ha? No no no no¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not ¡°no no no no¡±; I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re planning something¡¹ ¡¸T, that kind of¡­ w, what would you say I¡¯m planning?¡¹ ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have asked in detail if I knew. ¡­I can somehow guess it though¡¹ ¡¸No no no no, Y, Your Highness is thinking too much!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, that¡¯s fine¡¹ ¡¸A, anyway!¡¹ Camu?as retreated slowly. ¡¸Please leave the selection of the venue, the preparations of the food and drinks, and the arrangements for the garden party to this me! I¡¯ll make arrangements as soon as possible! T, then, I shall take my leave!¡¹ He left those words behind like that and went out of the greenhouse at a quick pace. ¡¸¡­Well, the fact that these flowers, which I¡¯ve been cultivating because of my hobby, could be of use to some extent might be something I should be pleased with¡¹ Isaac, who had followed Camu?as with his eyes, surveyed the flowers inside the greenhouse and sighed lightly. Volume 5 - CH 3.09 After the first stage of the extension work of the greenhouse had been completed, Bettina who was summoned by Isaac again was assigned the work of moving pots of roses to the vicinity of the triumphal arch on the outskirts of Roma. ¡¸Sorry for asking a favour of you suddenly, Bettina-jou¡¹ ¡¸Not at all! It¡¯s totally all right!¡¹ Next to the white horse that Isaac was riding, Bettina was pulling a cart fully loaded with pots of roses with creaking sounds. Two wagons, where pages were sitting on the drivers¡¯ seats, were following behind them. Under the sunlight of summer where the greenery by the roadside was becoming more and more pronounced, the party was heading towards the east leisurely. ¡¸Haha-ue is coming back to the capital tomorrow afternoon. ¡ªCamu?as-kyou was enthusiastic about it, saying ¡°Let¡¯s hold a garden party to receive her.¡±¡¹ ¡¸I see. In any case, it¡¯s a happy event¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Okaa-sama¡­ no, the queen is returning from recuperation, so it¡¯s a happy event, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, you could say that¡¹ Isaac, on horseback, looked up at the blue sky and nodded slightly. ¡¸Speaking of which, how¡¯s Bettina-jou¡¯s family?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, my mother isn¡¯t in good health too, so she¡¯s recuperating in the countryside together with my father¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re living with the chief engineermaestro because of that, huh. ¨CYou¡¯re the same as me then¡¹ ¡¸Ha?¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s like my place also has substantially no parents. Chichi-ue will regularly disappear, saying ¡°war¡± or ¡°mistress¡±, and Haha-ue also won¡¯t be in the royal palace for one third of the year because of her seeking to improve her health with a change of climate. Come to think of it, I hardly have any memory of me and my parents eating a meal all together by the three of us¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Isaac, who had murmured so, seemed to be gazing at a place even further than the sky absent-mindedly. Bettina greatly took a deep breath. ¡¸¡ªThen, we have to make it succeed by all possible means¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, this garden party. Isn¡¯t it the place for the long-awaited reunion of parent and child?¡¹ ¡¸Parent and child, huh¡­¡¹ Isaac ruminated with a sigh and looked down at Bettina. ¡¸Since I was born as the prince of Ahmad in this way, I haven¡¯t been able to make a person whom I can call a close friend even when I¡¯ve reached this age. It might be because I was brought up among the adults of the royal court, watching nothing but adults, that my personality has surely become warped¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s a close friend¡­ isn¡¯t Lucius-sama like that?¡¹ ¡¸Lucius-kun is¡­ well, a partner whom I can place my full trust in, but he¡¯s slightly different from what you¡¯d call a close friend. I don¡¯t think he thinks so either. As long as this country doesn¡¯t fall, it¡¯s impossible that the relation between the two of us will break free from that of a master and servant¡¹ ¡¸¡­Is that how it is?¡¹ Bettina felt a tinge of loneliness in Isaac¡¯s words. Although she only knew about the recent matters here, at the very least, from Bettina¡¯s point of view, it felt like Isaac and Lucius were two bosom friends, and they could joke with each other familiarly; it looked as if the relation between the two people was beyond that of a mere master and servant. Nevertheless, Isaac asserted that Lucius wasn¡¯t a friend. Perhaps that might be called the solitude of a statesman. ¡¸At the very least, I think it¡¯d be slightly different if I had a brother¡¹ ¡¸A brother¡­ is it?¡¹ ¡¸A sister is fine as well, or rather, a partner with whom I could pass childhood together¡¹ Isaac, who had been playing with his broad-brimmed hat, looked down at Bettina again. ¡¸¡ªLet¡¯s see, if I had a younger sister like you, I think it¡¯d probably be fun¡¹ ¡¸P, pardon!?¡¹ ¡¸If a child like you was my younger sister, wouldn¡¯t every day be fun? What kind of life would it be to have a younger sister, I wonder? Would we play with dolls together?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s see¡¹ Looking down at her own pink feet that were stepping firmly on the ground, Bettina arranged her breathing and answered. ¡¸I also don¡¯t quite fully know what kind of feeling I¡¯d have if I had a younger sister, but if I had an older brother like Your Highness, I think I¡¯ll surely boast about it over and over again to everyone¡¹ ¡¸Ahahaha, you want to boast? About me?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. A kind, amusing and good-looking brother, all one can do is to boast about him, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸I see¡ª, to you, I¡¯m like an older brother that you¡¯re proud of, huh¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹ Normally, she¡¯d probably be rebuked for being disrespectful if she said such a thing. Just the daughter of a commoner with no special rank or title exchanging words with the Crown Prince of Ahmad directly was an unmerited treatment, and yet she additionally said that he was like an older brother in the Crown Prince¡¯s face; if the nagging courtiers found fault with her, depending on the situation, it might even cause trouble for Quique. However, there were only pages besides Isaac and Bettina now. That exhilarated Bettina all the more. Being a substitute for a younger sister was fine as well; she¡¯d be happy if she could be of some use to this Crown Prince¡ªBettina almost skipped, and she hurriedly restrained herself. Volume 5 - CH 3.10 Afterwards, Bettina finished helping Isaac, and then she came back to the workshop while really skipping this time and humming a tune. ¡¸Oji-sama~?¡¹ Bettina looked into the mailbox and called out to her uncle. Bettina and Quique passed most of the day in this workshop. Hence, letters were delivered not to their house but here; however, inside the mailbox which she had opened were only letters and memoranda related to Quique¡¯s work, and there was no sign of a letter addressed to Bettina that was delivered from her parents¡¯ home. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Closing the mailbox with a click, Bettina entered the workshop silently. Perhaps he had some things to do, there was no figure of Quique in the workshop. Instead, Dimitar was sitting on a barrel at the back of the workshop under the eaves and sharpening his sword. ¡¸Dimi-san!¡¹ ¡¸Your voice is too loud¡¹ It should have been less than ten days that they hadn¡¯t met, and yet those extremely cold words of his felt nostalgic for some reason, and Bettina hurriedly went out through the back door. ¡¸I heard that Valeria-sama and Dimi-san left to guard the queen, but you¡¯re so heartless! Couldn¡¯t you have said a few words to me?!¡¹ ¡¸Are you an idiot? There¡¯s no way that we could thoughtlessly tell people that we were going out for a top-secret mission, right? Our Eminence also kept this secret from that troublesome father of hers, and even I left the capital without disclosing it to Lucius too. If you have any complaints, tell them to His Majesty who had given us the top-secret mission¡¹ Dimitar, who had put the long sword on the whetstone and was sharpening it lightly, twisted his neck and glanced inside the workshop through the window. ¡¸¡­The chief engineer hasn¡¯t come back yet?¡¹ ¡¸That seems to be the case¡¹ ¡¸You weren¡¯t together?¡¹ ¡¸I was requested by Isaac-sama to pull a cart¡¹ ¡¸A cart? What¡¯s that?¡¹ Dimitar let out a tiny smile as if he had lost interest and stroked the nape of his neck. ¡¸Huh? Come to think of it, Dimi-san is the queen¡¯s guard, right? But I heard that the queen is returning tomorrow though¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because of that matter that only I came back first. Her Highness the Queen has already entered the inn for today, and she should be resting leisurely about this time. Our Eminence as well¡¹ ¡¸So early?¡¹ Bettina held both hands over the slits of the visor and looked up at the afternoon sun. It was also because the days were becoming longer recently, but omitting that, it was probably an early period of time to cut a day¡¯s journey short and enter an inn. There should still be at least three more hours until the sun set and the gates of the town closed. ¡¸A fast horse from the Minister for Home Affairs came and told us to adjust the time¡¹ ¡¸Adjust the time?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about holding a garden party to receive Her Highness the Queen tomorrow, and we were requested to arrive at the venue at such and such time without fail. In short, he doesn¡¯t want us to come back too early. After all, it won¡¯t look good enough to be shown publicly if we come back before the preparations are completed¡¹ ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s it! I moved flowers because of the preparations for that¡¹ ¡¸You were made to help too, huh. I¡¯m also troubled by the whims of the higher-ups¡¹ Dimitar kept the sword in the scabbard and sighed. ¡¸I have to rush to Camu?as-kyou¡¯s place to work out the detailed arrangements and then return to the inn, where Her Highness the Queen is, again after this¡¹ ¡¸Huh, you went out of your way to drop by here even though you¡¯re so busy; does that mean that you have some important business with Oji-sama?¡¹ ¡¸Though it¡¯s not urgent, it¡¯s slightly about Jagielka. ¡ªMore importantly, you¡¯re somewhat strange, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Pardon?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s this kind of feeling¡¹ Saying so, Dimitar looked down at Bettina and drew a wavy line with large fluctuations with his fingertip. ¡¸¡ªJust when you came back with noisy skips, you looked into the mailbox and became depressed, and then you were in high spirits as soon as you saw me; you¡¯re mentally strange a little¡¹ ¡¸Huh? I¡¯m not strange in particular¡­¡¹ ¡¸Are you not?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter if you aren¡¯t. I¡¯m also busy, after all¡¹ When Dimitar said so and stood up, Bettina reflexively extended her arm and grabbed the hem of the young man¡¯s shirt. ¡¸U, um!¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸M, may I ask you something¡­?¡¹ ¡¸If you feel the urge to urinate, you don¡¯t need to inform me. Go quickly¡¹ ¡¸I, it¡¯s not like that¡ª¡¹ Bettina didn¡¯t know whether it was all right to consult Dimitar about this sort of matter or not. If she was going to consult with someone, it¡¯d be easier to talk with Valeria who was of the same sex, but Valeria wasn¡¯t here, and perhaps even if she explained her own situation, it didn¡¯t seem that she¡¯d be able to receive any advice from her. If one were to say who could judge this and that objectively, it went without saying that it¡¯d be Dimitar. ¡¸¡­Did Dimi-san hear anything about the reason why I¡¯m living together with Oji-sama?¡¹ ¡¸No, I have no interest in it in particular. .¡­Well, I did think it was unnatural though¡¹ ¡¸Unnatural?¡¹ ¡¸Unlike me whose parents have passed away, both of your parents are alive and well, right? Despite this, you¡¯re not living with your parents but your uncle. That can¡¯t be called natural¡¹ Dimitar folded his arms and sat down on the barrel again. Bettina squatted down next to him and looked up at the blue sky together with him. ¡¸My mother¡­ she¡¯s sick¡¹ ¡¸Sick? What kind of illness is it?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡­ it seemed that her body had been weak since long ago¡­ but she has a mental illness now. She left this town to recuperate because of that. It has been many years already¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s distressing¡¹ It was typical of Dimitar to not say any consoling words imprudently. If he had strangely said kind words to her, Bettina surely would have cried. ¡¸I wrote a letter to my mother to tell her that I had received a decoration from Isaac-sama, but her reply never come¡¹ ¡¸Why? Is her health so poor that she can¡¯t even read a letter?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s wrong. ¡­Surely even now, a daughter like me probably doesn¡¯t exist in my mother¡¯s heart¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When Bettina secretly looked up inside her visor, she could tell that Dimitar was looking down at her and knitting his brows. ¡¸¡ªWhen I was three, my younger sister was born. At that time, is it called puerperal fever; my mother ran a high fever and was hovering between life and death¡­ and though she recovered somehow, she was only concerned about my younger sister who was just born and seldom cared about me any more after that¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s distressing too¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, well¡­ still good. However, that younger sister of mine died abruptly when she just became two years old¡ªit was at that time that my mother fell ill¡¹ Bettina¡¯s mother continued to cry because of the deep grief, and she continued to cry until she lost consciousness, and when she finally woke up, she had completely forgotten about her other daughter. Although Bettina, who was only five years old, was living in the same house, she was treated as non-existent by her biological mother. Bettina sniffled and cast her eyes downwards. ¡¸Even though I¡¯m right beside her, my mother wouldn¡¯t look at me. She¡¯d always hold the doll given to my younger sister in her arms and murmured memories of my dead younger sister only¡­ to my mother, her own daughter was just my dead younger sister, and she was sad and sorrowful that the only daughter of hers had died¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ Before one knew it, Dimitar had turned his gaze away from Bettina and was looking up at the sky. Bettina raised her visor with a clank during that opportunity and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. ¡¸Ojii-sama and Obaa-sama looked after me, but because it wasn¡¯t good for my mother and me like this, my father took my mother with him and moved to the countryside¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You didn¡¯t meet her even once after that?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­¡¹ Shutting her visor with a snap again, Bettina cried quietly. Volume 5 - CH 3.11 To be honest, it was troublesome. Talking with another person about a depressing topic like this, that was. Dimitar crossed his legs and rested his cheek on his hand on top of his knee. ¡¸I see¡­ I¡¯ve thought the ¡°Albiol¡± family name sounded familiar since before, but you¡¯re the daughter of Albiol & Co., huh¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Although one might say that, the one who succeeded the business is my eldest uncle¡¹ The House of Albiol focused on the business of oil, candles and so forth, and it had been doing a steady business in this Roma for generations. Even though it wasn¡¯t to the extent of the House of Barnaro, Valeria¡¯s father¡¯s parents¡¯ house, it could be called a moderately wealthy house. The eldest son Habi, the current head of the family who had taken over the business from Bettina¡¯s grandfather, was living in the Albiols¡¯ house near the grain market even now; it was said that the second son Tito, Bettina¡¯s father, was living in recuperation together with his wife in his wife¡¯s birthplace. ¡¸And that¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re living together with Quique-ojisan, who is the youngest child of the three brothers, in the downtown area, huh¡¹ ¡¸Thinking I was pitiful, being an unwanted child to my mother, Oji-sama took custody of me. Oji-sama said that since that house had become his elder brother¡¯s house already, I wouldn¡¯t have a place where I belonged, and that I might as well live together with him¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s terrible. You¡¯ve been together with that eccentric the whole time since you were a kid, huh¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, Oji-sama isn¡¯t an eccentric!¡¹ Bettina laughed with a nasal voice. Realising that he had felt a bit relieved that it ended without her crying loudly, Dimitar pulled in his head, feeling embarrassed. ¡¸The chief engineer had said that you always want to be of use to someone before, but is that connected to such a personal history?¡¹ When Dimitar asked unreservedly, Bettina laughed, and after showing some hesitation, she nodded using her whole body. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t needed by my mother¡¹ ¡¸Is that why you¡¯re helping the chief engineer?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the most important. I want to help Oji-sama and be of use to him. I want to be of use to Valeria-sama; of course, I want to be of use to Dimi-san too!¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ And then, Dimitar felt as if he had understood a little. Normally, no matter how strong the magic armour protecting her was, there was no girl who would want to enter a dangerous battlefield of her own free will. Nevertheless, Bettina had exposed herself to such situations countless times so far. That was probably because she had an intense longing of wanting to be useful if there was something that she could do. In order to assist Valeria, to help Dimitar, and to make Isaac¡¯s strategy successful¡ªshe had worked regardless of the dangers. That was without a doubt a behaviour that came from her wholeheartedness of wanting to find out the value of herself, who wasn¡¯t wanted by her mother. Following the clouds drifting slowly in the blue sky with his eyes, Dimitar spoke. ¡¸I understand that that¡¯s the reason why you looked into the mailbox and came back crestfallen. ¡­And then, what¡¯s the reason why you were in high spirits like an idiot just now?¡¹ ¡¸Saying that I¡¯m like an idiot, you¡¯re so cruel!¡¹ ¡¸Then, what¡¯s the reason why you were in high spirits cutely?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? C, cute, no way¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re probably feeling shy while wriggling inside the armour, but it only looked like a pink mass is shaking in other people¡¯s eyes, you know¡¹ Dimitar, who had kicked Bettina¡¯s head lightly, gazed at the shining crest of a rose on the girl¡¯s body. ¡¸¡­So, is His Highness the cause?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­ Bull¡¯s-eye, huh. You also said that you had helped His Highness with his work just now, after all¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­ well, yes¡¹ While stroking the crest of the rose, Bettina started to talk haltingly. ¡¸Um¡­ I think you¡¯d surely laugh and say that I have the nerve to have such a stupid dream, ¡­but I¡¯m elated because Isaac-sama started talking to me¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I said so just now too, but I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be needed by people. I started to work as Valeria-sama¡¯s attendant then, and now, not only did an audience with Isaac-sama came true but he even started talking to me, and I¡¯ve been helping him with various work; because of that, I excessively had a dream that is slightly beyond my position¡¹ ¡¸Beyond your position, huh¡¹ Bettina probably thought Isaac had taken a liking to her and was in high spirits. And she probably had misunderstood the meaning of the words ¡°take a liking to¡± a little. After all, Isaac was a handsome man, and since he was generally kind towards anyone, there must be many girls like Bettina who had misunderstood. ¡¸¡ªBut I¡¯ve come to my senses. Whether it¡¯s just odd jobs or what, since Isaac-sama told me to help, I must be content with that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying?¡¹ Interrupting Bettina¡¯s words, Dimitar poked the girl¡¯s head with the scabbard of the sword. ¡¸¡­Do you understand your own position?¡¹ ¡¸P, pardon?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re the attendant of our Eminence, you know? If you have the time to do odd jobs for His Highness, then taking care of Her Eminence is the logical move¡¹ ¡¸B, but~¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, it can¡¯t be helped that we disappeared without saying anything because it was a top-secret mission this time. But from now on, if the mission of our Eminence and the odd jobs of His Highness clash, our side will absolutely take priority¡¹ ¡¸No way~¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like that or like this. Only the Great Gods of Heaven and Earth OfficialPatriarca Mayor can order the Dominas, and only the king can order the Senior InspectorsCensor Mayor. That is to say, the time for our Eminence to take action is only when there¡¯s an order from His Majesty, who holds those two positions concurrently. His Majesty¡¯s orders and His Highness¡¯s odd jobs, even an idiot will know which one should take priority. ¡ªBy the way, helping the chief engineer is of an even lower priority¡¹ ¡¸P, personally speaking, these three choices are difficult¡­¡¹ ¡¸Humph¡¹ Dimitar jumped down from the barrel lightly and cracked his neck. ¡¸¡ªIf it really turned into such a situation and you¡¯re troubled by it, that means that you¡¯re that much needed by the people surrounding you. That¡¯s your wish, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Bettina, who was holding her head in her hands and shaking, raised her face with a start. ¡¸In the first place, being neglected by your mother isn¡¯t a big deal. I was almost killed by my mother, you know¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Due to her messing up in the forced double suicide and dying first just by herself, I couldn¡¯t make a single complaint. Compared to that, your mother is still alive; that alone is better. You can go to your mother and give vent to your pent-up resentment any time, after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Bettina, who had been staring at Dimitar in a daze for a while, soon lowered her head. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve lost¡¹ ¡¸This isn¡¯t an issue of winning or losing though¡¹ Dimitar started to walk with a wry smile. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m going back to guard Her Highness the Queen. Give my best regards to the chief engineer¡¹ ¡¸Yes! Thank you very much!¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s not something you have to thank me for¡¹ Dimitar waved his hand lightly at Bettina and untied the reins of the horse, which was tied under a tree. Lauris, where the queen¡¯s party had put up at today¡¯s inn, was just one hour on foot to the east from Roma. If he travelled by horse from now, he could probably return before dinner with time to spare. On his way back via the side of the military drill site of the army, there was Quique quietly puffing out the smoke of his kiseru under an evergreen oak, of which the branches and leaves spread out greatly. ¡¸¡ªOi, middle-aged man¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s over, huh. How was it?¡¹ ¡¸In general, it seems that it was as you¡¯ve been worrying about. Well, I think it¡¯ll be all right since she herself said that she had come to her senses already¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ Quique sighed as if he honestly felt relieved and put on his monocle again. It was Quique, who was troubled by the matter of his niece, who called Dimitar, who had finished the preparatory meeting with Camu?as-kyou in the royal palace and was about to return to Lauris, to stop. In short, Dimitar was asked by Quique to look at Bettina¡¯s state a little before he returned to Lauris. Dimitar stroked the nape of his neck. ¡¸¡­I heard about the circumstances straightforwardly from the person herself, but you¡¯ve also taken custody of a troublesome person¡¹ ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t call her troublesome. To me, she¡¯s my cute niece, you know?¡¹ ¡¸If you really think so, then please do something about your niece¡¯s troubles by yourself at least. Good grief, you have the nerve to use people familiarly¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a different matter. There are also issues that are difficult for guardians to interfere in¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand, but there¡¯s such an interfering middle-aged man nearby, and yet why is she troubled by that kind of thing¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, you really helped me¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing in particular¡­ I always receive your help, after all¡¹ Dimitar, who wasn¡¯t accustomed to being thanked by people, felt uncomfortable and straddled the horse quickly. ¡¸Bye then¡¹ Dimitar snapped the reins of the horse and started running. Although it didn¡¯t matter even if Dimitar himself was late in particular, the queen who was tired from the journey would go to bed early. He wanted to return to Lauris as quickly as possible and report the plans for tomorrow at dinner. Volume 5 - CH 3.12 The highway running towards the east from Roma passed through Lauris and extended further; it then branched off into roads heading towards Gloom and Taroma midway. If one went out of Roma and walked for about ten minutes along that highway, there¡¯d be an enormous triumphal arch built of brand-new white stones. Nearly thirty years ago from now, during the era when Ahmad was still governed by Jeffren X, the God believers and the barbarian believers clashed at the northern foot of the Cardoso mountain range in the south of Ahmad in a scale that was the greatest in history. The allied forces of the barbarian believers led by Bigelow¡¯s barbarian emperor Gorgorois VII was approximately one hundred and fifty thousand, and the allied forces of the God believers of which Jeffren X was regarded as the leader was approximately one hundred and ten thousand. The military force which, adding up both sides, exceeded two hundred and fifty thousand people gathered at the foot of the precipitous mountain range, and a fierce battle unfolded over a span of half a month. The eight Dominas who had hastened to the battlefield also participated actively in this great battle of the century, and it ended in the victory of the God believers. As a result, Bigelow¡¯s sphere of influence receded to the south side of the mountain range, and peace came to the various countries of the alliance for the time being. The Jeffren Andres Triumphal Arch was built to commemorate this historical victory. The circular plaza surrounding this triumphal arch became the venue of the garden party for receiving Queen Almudena. Bettina, who had been helping to arrange the pots of roses, which were lined up under the arbour, to decorate the plaza on Isaac¡¯s instructions during the morning, squatted down next to an empty cart inside the wood slightly distant from the plaza and was gazing at the elegant banquet at a distance. At the plaza decorated with beautiful flowers such as roses, Isaac and the daughters of nobles were having a pleasant chat while drinking black tea. According to the schedule, the queen¡¯s party would arrive shortly, and then it¡¯d change into a formal party to celebrate the recovery of her illness and her return to the capital. However, it was probably Bettina¡¯s imagination that Isaac¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t cheerful despite that. Members of the Seal Chivalric Order were standing by right in front of Bettina. Although it was under the pretext of guarding Isaac, they were simply forming a line inside the wood so as to encircle the plaza without disturbing the banquet. Nevertheless, compared with the members whose active participations were seen by Bettina in Heidelauta, the members who happened to be present here today were restless somehow; or rather, they had been fidgeting the whole time. Well, many girls who had dressed up beautifully came to the garden party, so Bettina could also understand the feeling of being very happy to see them at a short distance. However, looking at the figures of them being rebuked by Lindegaard-kyou again and again, it didn¡¯t seem that they were doing their work seriously. At the very least, it might have been a bit different if Lucius was present, but Lucius¡¯s figure wasn¡¯t at this important place for some reason. In short, these members were probably what Isaac called the Second Army. Bettina didn¡¯t understand very difficult things, but when she saw this, she could also comprehend Issac¡¯s thought of wanting to change the structure of the chivalric order. ¡¸¡ªDespite this being decided abruptly, quite a lot of people had gathered¡¹ The members began to chatter pointlessly again without being seen by Lindegaard-kyou. ¡¸Of course. It seemed that Minister for Home Affairs-kakka made every effort to do this¡¹ ¡¸Camu?as-kyou? Why?¡¹ ¡¸This garden party was planned for the sake of choosing a consort candidate for His Highness¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Staring at the backs of the members who were secretly talking about a secret, Beetina sighed. If she heard such a topic suddenly, she might have raised her voice unconsciously. However, Bettina had already heard the conversational exchange between Isaac and Camu?as-kyou a few days ago. That was why even now, the feeling of strangely accepting that, thinking ¡°Ah, it¡¯s like that¡± occurred first, and she didn¡¯t feel very shocked. Let¡¯s try not to have a dream that is overly beyond my status¡ªthough it might also be because she came here today while telling herself so. The enormous triumphal arch cast a cool shadow on the plaza. The highway connecting from Roma passed right under this triumphal arch, passed through the centre of the plaza and continued further towards the east. From the direction of the east, two members holding the flags of Ahmad up high came, jolting on their horses. From the fact that the tone of the beautiful girls¡¯ chattering went down a level, it could somehow be understood that they were the forerunners of the queen¡¯s carriage. Volume 5 - CH 3.13 ¡¸¡­You give too much weight to this, you know¡¹ Isaac, who was reclining on a chair, muttered such a thing deliberately with a sigh so that the person in question could hear it. Sure enough, Camu?as-kyou who was standing next to him, while only his expression was a smiling face, rebuked with a low and subdued voice. ¡¸Your Highness¡­ the daughters of influential nobles are also present, so please refrain from that kind of remark¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because if you want to receive Haha-ue, you can do so in Roma, can¡¯t you? Get the citizens and all to wave small flags, you know?¡¹ ¡¸The queen doesn¡¯t wish for such a grandiose parade!¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, this kind of garden party is unnecessary as well, right?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­! I wanted to get the queen to take a rest here first, and after doing that, move to the royal palace where His Majesty is¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter even if you don¡¯t make this and that plausible excuses¡¹ He understood Camu?as-kyou¡¯s aim. His intention was probably to gather the daughters of nobles using this garden party for receiving the queen as a pretext and let them get acquainted with Isaac. Perhaps it was also explained clearly to that effect to the girls, they had been awfully over-familiar with him since some time ago. As one would expect, they didn¡¯t forcibly lean coquettishly against him, but them coming to talk to him by turns, saying ¡°Oh dear, how about a refill of black tea?¡± or ¡°How about having some sweets?¡± was the most irritating thing. That was why in the end, he ended up having a conversation with Camu?as like this to avoid that. If he was talking to Camu?as-kyou, the girls would also suspect that it might be some political topic and wouldn¡¯t come and interrupt them readily. ¡¸Come now, Your Highness, the queen¡¯s carriage is coming¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­¡¹ Isaac stood up from the chair and moved to the centre of the highway, which was paved with white paving stones. Camu?as-kyou and Lindegaard-kyou were behind him; moreover, the daughters of nobles followed in succession behind them. If Bettina who was living outside the society of royalty and titled nobility saw this kind of him, what would she think; Isaac unintentionally glanced towards the wood, but due to the guards who were arrayed forming a wall, that pink silhouette couldn¡¯t be seen. Dimitar Richternach was sitting on the driver¡¯s seat of the white carriage, which had come together with a modest entourage. It was probably because he was cautious of his surroundings that his eyes were looking all around and didn¡¯t settle down. Although it also felt as if he was overdoing it a little, as the guard of the queen of a country, it was better to be this cautious. When Dimitar had stopped the carriage quietly in front of Isaac and the others, he jumped down from the driver¡¯s seat lightly and then prepared a stool after bowing very deeply. ¡¸¡­Oh!¡¹ When Dimitar opened the door of the carriage, voices of admiration could be heard coming mainly from the inside of the wood. The one who had borrowed Dimitar¡¯s hand and come down first was a beautiful girl in a scarlet dress. Needless to point out, she was one of Ahmad¡¯s Dominas¡ªValeria Costacurta, the talented woman who was called ¡°Pure Jewel¡±, according to Dimitar. She most likely didn¡¯t bring the uniform of the Dominas with her because guarding the queen was a top-secret mission. What Valeria was wearing was a dress of Isaac¡¯s mother, which Isaac also remembered seeing before. Setting the area around her chest aside, a thin silk shawl was wrapped around the area around her waist to cleverly gloss over the fact that it was slightly too large for her. ¡¸I must say, seeing her like this¡­ she¡¯s certainly wonderful¡¹ Staring at Valeria whose expression was slightly stiff, Isaac muttered. ¡¸Oh? Just as I thought, does Your Highness like Costacurta-geika?¡¹ ¡¸¡­I say, that sort of suspicion is boorish, you know? I simply wanted to praise a beautiful girl that she¡¯s beautiful¡¹ Flatly rejecting Camu?as¡¯s murmur, Isaac put his hands on his waist. ¡¸Ara ara, even though I said that such a grandiose¡­ reception is unnecessary¡­¡¹ Queen Almudena, who had come down after Valeria, with a look that wasn¡¯t as dissatisfied as she¡¯d have others believe despite saying so, narrowed her eyes in front of Isaac. If you think about it very carefully, it was the first time in about half a year that Isaac met his mother. ¡¸Welcome back, Haha-ue¡¹ Isaac put his hat against his chest, bowed especially deeply and smiled. ¡¸Your complexion seems to have improved very much. Also, you looked like you¡¯ve become a little plumper¡¹ ¡¸Ara ara, did I gain so much weight, I wonder? These few days, I¡¯ve been together with Her Eminence the whole time during meals, so I might have enjoyed chatting to her and unconsciously overeaten¡¹ ¡¸No, not at all, I like a healthy Haha-ue more¡¹ Isaac took the place of Dimitar and took Almudena¡¯s hand, and then he spoke to Valeria. ¡¸Though it was suggested by Father, I¡¯m sorry to have caused trouble to Your Eminence. Has Mother been unreasonable in various ways?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no¡­¡¹ She probably had. He could tell by looking at the expression of the girl who was at a loss for words. Though Almudena was gentle, she was strangely aggressive. Valeria made ¡°au au¡± sounds as if she was slightly troubled, but perhaps she had noticed that there were many people¡¯s eyes behind Isaac, she smiled faintly and answered in a low voice. ¡¸Um¡­ honestly speaking, being wilfully twisted around the queen¡¯s little finger, I had quite a pleasant experience because of this¡¹ ¡¸Ara ara, are you praising me, Your Eminence?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, ahahaha¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, isn¡¯t it fine, Haha-ue¡¹ When Isaac urged Almudena to start walking, Camu?as and Lindegaard and also the daughters of nobles parted left and right simultaneously and opened up a path. ¡¸¡ªCome, please drink some tea over there first¡¹ ¡¸Ara ara¡¹ When Isaac led Almudena by the hand and was about to return to the banquet, Dimitar suddenly let out a sharp voice. ¡¸Your Highness!¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEh?¡¹ Realising that something had moved in the corner of his field of vision, Isaac raised his face. Someone was on top of the triumphal arch. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When he realised that it was a large man having an enormous crossbow at the ready, a pink mass had come rushing out in front of him. ¡¸Bettina¡ª!?¡¹ Making the sounds of moving fast against the wind, a number of arrows with the thickness of a small spear came flying from the top of the triumphal arch in succession, and all of them hit Bettina. ¡ªOr rather, Bettina opened her arms and took on all the arrows that should be converging on Isaac and the queen by herself. Without clearly understanding what had happened, the girls let out shrill screams and started to run away from there. The members of the chivalric order came rushing out from the inside of the wood hurriedly, but it was uncertain how many people had grasped the precise location of the assailant. ¡¸Your Highness! Go inside the carriage together with the queen!¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Quickly!¡¹ Pulled by Dimitar by the arms and protected by Valeria, Isaac and Almudena went round to the rear of the carriage. Volume 5 - CH 3.14 Pulling out Jagielka which he had never used during the journey as a guard, Dimitar shouted. ¡¸Lindegaard-kyou! Those guys are a hindrance when they¡¯re wandering aimlessly! Tell them to quickly protect the girls and escape into the wood!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ If it was the other members, even if he asked such a thing, the best one could expect was that he¡¯d be ignored. Lindegaard-kyou, who thought highly of Lucius, was one of the few nobles who would treat Dimitar properly without despising him. On top of the triumphal arch, the large man was nocking arrows on the crossbow and pulling the lever. It seemed that it wasn¡¯t just a big crossbow but also a thing called the multiple bolt crossbow, which could shoot many arrows all at once. Moreover, those arrows seemed to be much thicker and heavier than a normal one. If it was from this distance, they¡¯d probably even penetrate the armour of a heavy cavalry. It was a non-standard projectile weapon, of which practical use was possible only because he had extraordinary physical strength. Dimitar instantly raised Jagielka overhead and fired a wind blade. ¡¸Gu¡ª¡¹ Making a strange ¡°bagin¡± sound, the multiple bolt crossbow that the man was holding was smashed up. The magic blade that Dimitar had fired had only cut its bowstring, but perhaps it was because the tension was too strong, the multiple bolt crossbow itself seemed to be damaged by the recoil. When the man, whose cheek was cut deeply by the bowstring that had snapped, glared at Dimitar, he grabbed the huge barbarian¡¯s sword at his feet and jumped down from the triumphal arch. ¡¸Kyaah!¡¹ If one had jumped down from that height, they most likely wouldn¡¯t have survived. Perhaps they were imagining the death of the large man, new screams rose from among the girls who were running about trying to escape, but the man didn¡¯t strike the paved road and die. ¡¸Uoooooooh!¡¹ Skilfully using the rope tied around his waist, the large man kicked the side of the triumphal arch and descended on the ground safely, and then he let out a roar of anger and charged towards Dimitar. However, the man¡¯s aim most likely wasn¡¯t Dimitar. The one whom he was actually staring fixedly at should be either Isaac, who was hiding behind the carriage, or Almudena. ¡¸Dimitar!¡¹ Valeria who was hiding herself together with Isaac¡¯s party screamed, her voice cracking. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry¡¹ Dimitar faced the man and smiled coldly. If one thought as a soldier who couldn¡¯t use magic, it could be said that this large man was quite a formidable enemy. Whether it be his accurate shooting with that multiple bolt crossbow, which seemed to be difficult to operate, or his physical strength or his keen and nimble movement that was like a wild animal¡¯s, which he had shown just now¡ªhe was without a doubt the type of person who had weathered the most of his life with violence. He probably wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill people either. However, now that he had failed in the sniping of his surprise attack and exposed himself, the man no longer had any chance of success. ¡¸¡­Shouldn¡¯t you get up soon? Show everyone your strong point as much as possible¡¹ The moment Dimitar called out to her so, Bettina, who had fallen down spreadeagled, got up slowly. ¡¸Uoh!?¡¹ The large man seemed to be surprised by the pink armour that had suddenly stood in the way in front of him. However, the surprise was only for a moment, and he immediately raised the barbarian¡¯s sword overhead and brought it down towards the top of Bettina¡¯s head. ¡¸Interrupting the long-awaited reunion of a parent and child¡­¡¹ ¡¸Guoh¡­!?¡¹ Making a loud ¡°gain!¡± sound, the large man¡¯s barbarian¡¯s sword was repelled. The hands of Bettina, who was facing him, were grasping a battleaxe, which was named Rucheruku. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s unforgivable!!¡¹ Bettina rotated Rucheruku, which was kept short, once and struck the large man in the stomach with its handle. ¡¸Ga¡ª¡¹ It was a compact movement with hardly any motion, but if it was Bettina who had the power of ten men, that was enough. The large man, who had received a severe blow directly, was blown off flashily without being able to let out his voice properly and fell face down, and then he was motionless as he was. ¡¸Capture the ruffian!¡¹ At Lindegaard-kyou¡¯s order, the young men serving as guards finally got involved in a work typical of that. The large man was immediately tied up and taken away while he was unconscious. ¡¸Whew¡­ that surprised me¡¹ Looking at Bettina, who had turned around after following that with her eyes, Isaac, Almudena and even Valeria let out voices of surprise simultaneously. ¡¸Uwa!?¡¹ ¡¸Kya!¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡­ a, are you all right, Bettina!?¡¹ ¡¸Pardon? Ah, I¡¯m all right¡¹ Countless arrows were stuck in the face of Bettina, who had answered nonchalantly. To be more precise, the arrows were caught in the slits section of the helmet. ¡¸A, all right, you say¡­ really?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. All of them stopped midway, so I¡¯m unhurt¡¹ ¡¸Well¡¹ Dimitar casually put his foot on Bettina¡¯s visor and was pulling out the arrows, which had got stuck in the slits, with all his strength. ¡¸Hey, Dii-kun, be a bit more careful¡ª¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no problem. She¡¯s sturdy, after all¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it¡¹ Taking little notice of Isaac who was nervous somehow, Dimitar pulled out the arrows one after another. When he took them in his hand again like this, he could fully understand the viciousness of these arrows. If the shooting at the beginning had been fired towards the participants of the garden party, five, six casualties would have certainly appeared. ¡¸Ah, my field of vision is finally clear¡¹ When all the arrows had been pulled out, Bettina stroked her chest as if she felt relieved. However, her body immediately trembled with a start, and she started stamping bashfully. ¡¸W, what¡¯s the matter, Bettina-jou? As expected, are you injured somewhere¡­?¡¹ ¡¸N, no, it¡¯s not like that¡ª¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry, Your Highness. It¡¯s something like a usual spasm¡¹ Dimitar hit Bettina¡¯s helmet hard. ¡¸¡ªOi, go quickly before you wet yourself in front of both Their Highnesses¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes! P, please excuse me!¡¹ Bettina bowed and ran off from that place. Almudena followed the pink object, which was being urged by a physiological phenomenon and had run off, with her eyes and murmured in a daze. ¡¸¡­Who on earth was that just now?¡¹ ¡¸That was the niece of Chief Engineer Albiol of the army, Bettina Albiol-jou, Haha-ue¡¹ Sighing lightly, Isaac explained to Almudena. ¡¸¡ªShe¡¯s an important friend of mine¡¹ Volume 5 - CH 3.15 Hearing that Isaac as well as Almudena were safe, Lucius, who had arrived at the triumphal arch plaza several hours later than the queen¡¯s party, almost collapsed on the spot because of the sense of relief and feeling of exhaustion. In fact, Angel and the other members, who had made a forced march here together, sighed deeply and sat down hard. ¡¸I see¡­ well, you¡¯ve really helped me. Thank you, Dii¡¹ Putting his hand on the horse¡¯s saddle to support his body, Lucius smiled wryly. The tidying up of the plaza, which, until a little while ago, had been overdecorated with the roses Isaac had cultivated, was mostly finished already, and only a few sentinels remained to stand guard now. ¡¸¡ªThough it¡¯d have been better if Niko Bonucci was captured at the madam¡¯s mansion, he had already escaped when we noticed. When I thought if something had happened to both Their Highnesses because of this, I was beside myself with fear¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped since you didn¡¯t know that such a man existed¡¹ Dimitar stroked the nape of his neck and narrowed his eyes at the sunset glow. ¡¸¡ªIn the first place, the one who has to feel the most responsibility is Camu?as-kyou, you know? If that Excellency hadn¡¯t planned this garden party, Her Highness the Queen¡¯s party could have entered the royal capital yesterday, and once she entered the royal palace, no matter how skilled that man was, he couldn¡¯t attack so easily¡¹ ¡¸That might be so, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸To begin with, the mission given to you was the arrest of Countess Dryton, right? Guarding Her Highness the Queen is my job. And consequently, no one was wounded. ¡ªIs that bad?¡¹ ¡¸Well, if there¡¯s any problem, finding a person to take responsibility for it and then denouncing them is the world of politics, after all¡¹ While saying so, Lucius was thinking no one would be punished because of the matter this time. Like Dimitar had said, no one was wounded, and to begin with, this series of troubles stemmed from the king¡¯s problem of fooling around. From the point of view of the king¡¯s character, he seldom searched for the responsible party and punished them without touching on the delicate part. He¡¯d surely just laugh heartily and overlook everything. Dimitar looked back at the deep black silhouette of the triumphal arch and pointed at its top. ¡¸¡­It seemed that that man went up there and had been waiting for the party to arrive since early morning¡¹ ¡¸What an astonishing persistency¡­¡¹ ¡¸How will His Majesty deal with him? As one would expect, there¡¯s no way that the man who had commited an assassination attempt of Her Highness the Queen can be acquitted, right?¡¹ ¡¸The countess had gulped down poison and commited suicide. That being the case, letting Niko Bonucci, who couldn¡¯t avenge her, to choose death as well might be a mercy. ¡ªIn any case, we¡¯re not the ones to decide that¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true¡¹ Dimitar rotated his neck lightly and started walking. ¡¸¡ªOi, Dii! Won¡¯t you have a meal at my house tonight after a long time? After all, you haven¡¯t shown your face to Haha-ue even once after you came back from Heidelauta, right?¡¹ ¡¸Sorry, I have to drop by the workshop for the adjustment of Jagielka today. Is tomorrow night no good?¡¹ ¡¸I understand, tomorrow then. I¡¯ll prepare food to the best of my ability¡¹ ¡¸I look forward to that¡¹ When Lucius was following Dimitar, who had waved his hand with his back turned on him and left, with his eyes, Angel came walking, leading his horse. ¡¸Though this is a rude question¡­ I heard that Richternach-kyou caused a problem and was expelled from the chivalric order. Is that true?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s certainly a fact that His Highness had expelled Dimitar. ¡ªHowever, it¡¯s slightly wrong to say that he had caused a problem¡¹ ¡¸Why do you say so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t tell you in detail. If that was declared openly, various inconveniences will appear. Mainly for the people of the great nobles, you see. ¡ªYou can guess from that, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ ¡¸Come, we¡¯ll go back as well. We have to report to His Highness¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Together with Angel who had saluted very seriously and the others, Lucius led his horse and started walking. Their bottoms hurt because they had galloped this much distance with hardly any rest. As one would expect, even Lucius, who was more faithful to the mission and had endeavoured more than anyone, didn¡¯t want to ride a horse for the time being. Volume 5 - CH 3.16 ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Looking closely at the surface of Jagielka which Dimitar had brought back the day before yesterday, Quique stared at the exquisite lines of argental that were carved on its surface. Argental¡ªthis name itself was given by Quique though¡ªwas a metal of which the conductivity of magic powers was extremely high. Quique used this argental, and at the end of countless trials and errors, he opened up a field called Magic EngineeringTechnologia Marefika. Grasping the success or failure of the mass production of the magic motion swordEspada Marefika lay entirely in the securing of this rare metal. ¡¸¡­It seems that he had used quite a flashy magic. It got blurred here and there¡¹ Comparing the ¡°magic crest map¡±Prano Del Hieratika Dimitar had drawn with the actual magic crestsHieratika with his eyes, Quique lit a fire in the kiseru. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Puffing out white smoke, he looked at a mass of metal that was placed on the desk close to the wall. Swordsmith Courtois-jiisan, who always helped Quique with his work, brought it in here a few days ago, saying that his acquaintance found it around Romarikku. As a result of a detailed examination, it turned out to contain argental in large quantities. If it was refined well, twenty swords that had magic crests of the same density as Jagielka¡¯s could probably be made with that one mass. If it was the magic crest of simple design on the short sword that Nereida had made, one hundred of them could be secured with surplus. ¡¸If I have that much, I can carry out various experiments and also challenge the prototype model that I wasn¡¯t able to get until now¡­¡¹ However, he couldn¡¯t keep being very happy and pleased with that. The fact that a mass of which the purity was so high and, moreover, which was so big was found in Romarikku meant that there might possibly be an argental deposit in that vicinity. If that was the case, a proper research group should be sent in. For the sake of the development of Magic Engineering and the large-scale production of magic motion swords, a large quantity of argental must be secured. Beside Quique who was sighing while thinking about such a thing, a pink mass was spinning round and round. ¡¸Ru~? Raruru~? Ru~rarura~?¡¹ Her axis of revolution was the same as always and had no deviation. It was a splendidly stable rotation. She might have a hidden talent in this field. Quique took off his monocle and pointed at a wooden box placed in the corner of the room. ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t dance forever, fetch a bit of wine for me¡¹ ¡¸Understood~?¡¹ Bettina approached the wooden box while turning round and round, and when she had taken a bottle of wine out in a fluid motion, she came back to Quique like that and stopped spinning. ¡¸Come come, here you are, Oji-sama¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re especially in high spirits again today?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because the reply to my letter has arrived from Otou-sama!¡¹ Letting out an uncontrolled suppressed laugh of ¡°Ufuufuufu¡±, Bettina took out an envelope from the inside of the visor. ¡¸After I wrote that I had received a decoration from Isaac-sama, Otou-sama was very delighted! Moreover, although it¡¯s little by little, he said that Okaa-sama is also calming down!¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ that¡¯s good¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Bettina, who had nodded greatly, began to dance while humming again. If one thought about it, the number of times when Bettina¡¯s father sent a reply to her letter could be counted on one¡¯s fingers. For that reason alone, Bettina was overjoyed. Furthermore, when she heard that her mother¡¯s condition was heading for a recovery this time, it might be impossible to tell the girl not to spin round. Quique, who had re-seated himself deeply on the chair and was drinking the wine, looked at the clock tower of the royal palace, which was visible through the window. ¡¸Oi, I don¡¯t care, but is it all right for you not to go to the queen¡¯s place soon?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Ah, t, that¡¯s right!¡¹ As she had achieved a great contribution in the capturing of the assassin, Bettina received words of appreciation from the king directly. In addition, it seemed that the queen had also taken a liking to her this time, and she was asked to help with the gardening in the royal palace today. It seemed that the pink armour was projected to be very adorable in the eyes of the queen, whose character was easy-going and broad-minded; it was also heard that the Crown Prince and the queen were fighting lightly for Bettina between themselves. ¡¸¡ªThen, I¡¯m off!¡¹ Bettina polished up her whole body quickly and ran out of the workshop with a ¡°gashan gashan¡±. While listening to that noisy sound of footsteps becoming more distant, Quique tilted the bottle of wine and talked to himself. ¡¸Bettina is so popular¡­ as an uncle who is acting as her foster parent, it¡¯s a complicated feeling in various ways¡¹ While pouring wine into his favourite glass with a ¡°glug-glug¡±, he puffed out white smoke. The days of living leisurely in this workshop, which he was attached to, though it was cramped, were also about to come to an end soon. End of La cr¨®nica del AHMAD Banquet of Flowers; on a Summer Day Volume 6 - Prologue One¡¯s Elders Similar to how there was a limit to the number of characters that could be written on a piece of paper, there was also a limit to the magic crestsHieratika that could be carved on the skin. How densely could the magic crests be carved on a fixed surface area¡ªsimply put, that was directly connected to the ¡°skilfulness¡± of the magic warriorsMarefikos. Magic warriors who possessed a lot of magic crests could reproduce that many diverse magic circles and use diverse magic, after all. Generally, it was said that a smooth and beautiful skin was the best canvas for drawing magic crests. The fact that one of the requirements for the Dominas, who should be the pinnacle of magic warriors, was to be a young and beautiful girl most likely wasn¡¯t unrelated to this. At present, something on which magic crests could be drawn more efficiently than their beautiful skins and could let magic power flow didn¡¯t exist. Even the heat of the full-blown summer didn¡¯t penetrate inside this royal villa. From the start, as the summers in Ahmad were bright and clear, it wasn¡¯t particularly difficult to get through them, but the summer in this royal villa was so cool that one would want to suspect that perhaps it was the result of using magic or something. In the courtyard of Bradmante Palace, Dimitar Richternach, who was being treated to a quite cold black tea in an arbour on the side of a small pond, put down his cup and shifted his gaze. ¡¸Hoho¡¹ That voice of wonder was theatrical in some way. She probably wasn¡¯t making fun of him in particular, but that most likely must be one of her means of self-effacement towards all people except herself. There didn¡¯t seem to be a person who could read the real intention of this small Head Dominas. Shakira Babel, who was holding a sparkling mass of metal aloft in the sunlight, looked back at Dimitar after nodding slightly with a ¡°Hmm¡±. ¡¸Hey, Dii-kun¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Hoi¡¹ Right after she said so lightly, Shakira threw the mass of metal. ¡¸¡ªTo¡¹ Standing up instantly, Dimitar extended his arm and caught it. ¡¸¡­I said ¡°Please treat it with care¡± at the beginning, didn¡¯t I?¡¹ ¡¸I treated it with care properly. From here, it¡¯s Dii-kun¡¯s job to bring it back safely, right?¡¹ ¡¸Good grief¡­¡¹ She was a woman who always have a comeback as usual. Dimitar suppressed a slight irritation, put the mass of metal into a bag and hung it from his waist. ¡¸¡ªSo?¡¹ ¡¸So? ¡ªWhat do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, I want to hear Your Eminence¡¯s opinion. ¡­From the start, I came here for that; you didn¡¯t forget that, did you?¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ Shakira entered the arbour nonchalantly and sipped her black tea. Dimitar stared at the woman in her forties, who only looked like a girl, coldly and let out a murmur. ¡¸¡­Setting your appearance aside, that forgetfulness of yours seems to have become more severe considerably, huh¡¹ ¡¸Mu? You used abusive language towards me just now, right?¡¹ ¡¸Please interpret it not as abusive language but admonition¡¹ Dimitar deliberately put his right hand on his chest and bent at the waist courteously. ¡¸¡ªYour Eminence is the one and only ¡°Dominas of Eternity¡±Domina Permanence in the whole world and the person who should also be called the greatest treasure of our Ahmad, but if it became known that that Eminence has, in reality, secretly aged inside, you¡¯ll surely become the laughingstock of the whole world. ¡­That¡¯s why this unworthy me hardened my heart and said this. Since that forgetfulness of yours has become so bad, Your Eminence can no longer perform your duties as a Dominas¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Aah aah aah! You¡¯re so, that!¡¹ Shakira, who had rested her chin in her hands and shown a pouting expression, interrupted the words of the insolent boy and screamed. ¡¸¡ªFrom the beginning, you were a child who could express yourself well, but after you frequent the workshop of that eccentric, you¡¯ve improved even more!¡¹ ¡¸Thanks for that¡¹ Shrugging his shoulders, Dimitar sat down again. Dimitar understood that there was no way that Shakira would seriously get angry from this much. From her point of view, this most likely was nothing more than the extent of an impudent kid talking impertinently. In fact, Shakira was showing her usual grin already. She, who was lonely because of her status, might be enjoying having such a conversational exchange with Dimitar. ¡¸¡ªSpeaking of which, it seems that Your Eminence knew about the chief engineer¡¯sMaestro research from quite some time ago?¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ Folding her arms with a solemn expression, Shakira nodded. ¡¸From the start, the fact that I gave a small mass the size of the tip of my little finger to Quique-san was the impetus for Quique-san to start the research on argental, you see¡¹ ¡¸Your Eminence did?¡¹ ¡¸Un. I picked it up by chance, but I passed it to Quique-san, thinking ¡°this metal looks somewhat unusual, so why not try to examine it?¡± Right at that time, Quique-san was entrusted with the development of weapons and defensive armaments by the army, and he was just starting a research to manufacture a new alloy¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s like that, huh¡¹ ¡¸The one I picked up at that time was also shining prettily like that one. Is it called purity? I think it¡¯s probably quite high. ¡ªOr rather, since Quique-san is the best expert concerning that, there¡¯s no need to hear my opinion now¡¹ ¡¸I think so as well¡¹ Quique most likely wanted to send Dimitar to this Bradmante Palace with the excuse of hearing Shakira¡¯s opinion. Dimitar certainly hadn¡¯t been in contact with Shakira. It couldn¡¯t be helped even if he was called ungrateful. However, Shakira didn¡¯t blame Dimitar, who hadn¡¯t turned up the whole time, in particular. ¡°As expected, an old person is patient.¡±; naturally, Dimitar didn¡¯t say that out loud and simply limited himself to raising his lips slightly. ¡¸¡ªThe fact that that huge weapon of yours and that pink armour, including the prototypes as well, were created with the argental I picked up at the beginning means that quite an amount of weapons can be made with just that mass this time, doesn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so. ¡­However, it probably still isn¡¯t enough at all to equip the entire army of Ahmad with magic motion swordsEspada Marefika though¡¹ Argental was a metal that could draw magic crests on the surface of the magic motion sword. In other words, if one wanted to make a highly efficient magic motion sword that possessed detailed magic crests, one must prepare an amount of argental that corresponded to that. With this amount of argental in the state before refining, it probably still wasn¡¯t enough to prepare magic motion swords that could withstand actual fighting in hundreds or thousands. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that Quique¡¯s research got a boost. Until now, it was the scarcity of argental, which had become indispensable to the research, that was becoming more of a big obstacle to Quique¡¯s research than the budget deficit, which came from the lack of understanding of the upper echelons. ¡¸¡ªIncidentally, I haven¡¯t heard about this so far, but what kind of relationship do Your Eminence and the chief engineer have?¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Quique-san and me?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ though we aren¡¯t acquaintances from way back to the extent that we can be called childhood friends, our relationship is close to that, I guess? When I was studying at the Magic AcademyPrasa Marefikos here, Quique-san also frequented the library, and we got to know each other because of that, you see¡¹ ¡¸Then, the Head Director and the chief engineer too¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, those two people were on good terms¡¹ While eating the large grapes that were chilled with ice, Shakira smiled impishly. ¡¸¡ªYou probably knew as well, but I came from the countryside, and it was a struggle to the death, thinking that I had to make a success in life with my magic talent somehow or other; honestly, I had no time to spend except for studying¡¹ ¡°But Orvieto is, well¡ª,¡± Shakira continued. ¡¸Isn¡¯t that child, hora, a genius? Though I feel irritated¡¹ ¡¸Haa¡­¡¹ He often heard that Shakira was a genius. Of course, Orvieto, who was called the ¡°two matchless people¡± together with her and possessed the alias of ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡±, must also be a genius, but as expected, he heard that Shakira, who had obtained a special status as a Dominas, had a higher reputation of being a genius from way back. Therefore, the fact that Shakira regarded Orvieto as her rival to this point seemed unexpected for Dimitar. ¡¸¡ªThat was why that child would exchange discussions about this and that with Quique-san in the library and what and enjoyed her youth. It was after I had become a Dominas that I became on good terms with Quique-san¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡¹ ¡¸Besides, didn¡¯t Quique-san like Orvieto?¡¹ ¡¸The chief engineer did?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ Sending the seed of the grape flying towards Dimitar with a ¡°Pu!¡±, Shakira smiled broadly again. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ve been short like this from way back, but Orvieto was a beautiful woman like that, you know. In those days, the objective of most of the men going in and out of the library was to look at Orvieto, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Things like that still happen though¡ª¡¹ Drinking up his black tea, Dimitar sighed quietly. When Dimitar became old enough to understand what was going on around himself, Orvieto¡¯s appearance was already that of the present. Her youthful beauty, which didn¡¯t look as if she had a big son named Lucius, always gathered the gazes of men even now. Shakira almost ate up the grapes, which should have been served for Dimitar, by herself and muttered softly. ¡¸This is so unfair¡­¡¹ ¡¸Should Your Eminence be saying that?¡¹ Stroking the nape of his neck, Dimitar smiled wryly. Volume 6 - CH 1.1 Library Due to the demands of institutions such as the Magic AcademyPrasa Marefikos and the university, the paper industry in Roma had flourished from long ago. As the woods in the surrounding plains of the town had been mostly cut down and the procurement of wood, which was the raw material for paper, had become costly now, the top place for simple production output had been conceded to another town, but utilizing the water in the canal that was drawn in from a branch of the Rubel River, the paper-making craftsmen were still producing high-quality paper in Roma now. It could be said that not only did the flourishing of such a paper industry made the producing of cheap manuscripts possible, but it also supported the elementary education of Ahmad¡¯s citizens. At present, the paper from Ahmad, which prided itself on its stable quality, was even brought into the countries in the south, and of course, the allied nations, extensively via various routes. The moon was thin. Due to the clouds hanging in the sky, the stars were also few. The darkness tonight was stickily deep. Like several jewels linked together by a string, about fifty horses were walking on a thin and precipitous path among the mountains within the darkness. Brushing up her hair that was about to droop onto her forehead, Galarina looked back at her own column, which resembled a caravan. At the north foot of the Cardoso mountain range was the Romarikku region of the Kingdom of Ahmad; as the nature of the locality was one full of undulations with little level ground, it flourished by means of the mining industry rather than agriculture, and above all, by means of commerce. Galarina¡¯s caravan also had big luggage tied to both sides of the saddles of all the horses, but the contents were nothing but objects that could only be obtained in the south side of the Cardoso mountain range¡ªthe large country of the barbarian believers, Bigelow. Galarina¡¯s caravan would come and go between the antagonistic Ahmad and Bigelow, loaded with the products of both countries¡ªto tell the plain truth¡ªthey were a group of smugglers. They had purposely chosen to pass through the mountain road at such a midnight in order to cross the national border without being seen by the soldiers of Ahmad. In Ahmad where the barbarians¡¯ doctrine wasn¡¯t approved, the matter of barbarian believers entering the country itself was prohibited, but merchants with a strong commercial spirit like Galarina, who would cross the precipitous Cordoso mountain range and religious wall and come and go between both countries, existed in no small numbers. Although Ahmad as well as Bigelow were clamping down on that as their official stances, their commercial activities were mostly permitted tacitly. Due to such a guilty commerce, an unofficial interaction between the antagonistic Ahmad and Bigelow materialised. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Galarina pushed up her spectacles and looked downwards at the book in her hand again. Galarina, who had placed her right leg on the saddle and was sitting in a half-cross-legged state, was skilfully holding a lantern up high and reading the book. She didn¡¯t even know how many times she had gone into the territory of Ahmad via this byway with this. As it was a path they had already become familiar with, the menservants of the caravan were advancing their horses silently without the need for Galarina to be in charge in particular. ¡¸¡ªNee-san!¡¹ From the rear of the party, a tall and thin man came riding on horseback. He was Galarina¡¯s biological younger brother, Fatih. ¡¸Galarina-neesan!¡¹ Fatih caught up with his older sister, who continued reading in silence, and tapped Galarina on the shoulder with a delicate movement. ¡¸Why don¡¯t you do something about that habit of reading a book on a horse soon? There¡¯s nothing more ill-mannered than this¡¹ ¡¸¡­I believe that I aren¡¯t causing you trouble¡¹ Although it was a little lacking in manners for Galarina to say this, Fatih was an eccentric man. Even though he was turning twenty-four, he was always delicate; under these circumstances, it could be said to be a trivial problem. Fatih closely resembled their mother who was similarly beautiful as Galarina; however, he was a man who would apply gaudy make-up on his handsome face and wear flashy women¡¯s clothing. ¡¸¡ªRather, you¡¯re a bother, Fatih¡¹ Glancing at her younger brother through the lens, Galarina continued. ¡¸I¡¯m not very impressed that your make-up is thick to that extent. The smell is too strong¡¹ ¡¸Araran¡­ how upsetting, I¡¯m so hurt¡¹ At the curt words of his older sister, Fatih joined both hands together and twisted his body. ¡¸¡ªOr rather, more important than that, aren¡¯t we arriving at Romarikku soon? It¡¯s my first time in half a year, so I¡¯m looking forward to it~¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. ¡ªOr rather, you specially came riding on horseback from the rear to say such a thing? The protection of the rear should have been entrusted to you, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I forgot an important thing~. Can I buy jewels after we reach the other side? I want to give them to Kaa-san and the other older sisters as souvenirs¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re very unpleasant, Fatih¡¹ Galarina threw down these words coldly. ¡¸Why do you, who is a man, want to dress up as a woman, and why did you twist and turn meaninglessly like that? That¡¯s impossible to understand even for me(masculine first-person pronoun)¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? But Nee-san call yourself ¡°me¡±, don¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t mean that I want to become a man in particular. The coquettish appearances, speeches and conducts like those of our older sisters just aren¡¯t my cup of tea. I don¡¯t intend to dress up as a man either¡¹ During the strange conversation between the older sister and the younger brother, the other men didn¡¯t even speak a single word. Excluding the voices of the two people, only the orderly sounds of countless hooves and also the sounds of Galarina turning the pages of the book dissolved quietly into the silence of tonight. When¡ª. Galarina, who had been reading her book enthusiastically until then, knitted her brows suddenly. She had sensed that the night air was disturbed unnaturally. ¡¸Hahan?¡¹ Caressing his lips on which an indigo-blue lipstick was applied, Fatih narrowed his eyes. This younger brother might also have sensed the same thing as Galarina. The man who was advancing at the head of the party pulled the reins and looked back at the two people. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ In the path of the party, countless lights were flickering. ¡¸In a mountain like this at such a time¡­ are they by any chance of the same profession, I wonder? Hey look, Nee-san, don¡¯t you have a premonition that something interesting will happen~?¡¹ Fatih shook his older sister¡¯s shoulder and laughed. ¡¸¡­Fatih¡¹ Galarina, who had confirmed that the ones approaching slowly were slightly dirty men wearing shabby leather armours, pressed her spectacles down with the tip of her little finger and murmured. ¡¸No matter how you look at it, those guys come from the south side of the mountain to work¡¹ ¡¸¡­That seems to be the case¡¹ Similar to Galarina¡¯s party, the men who had dangerous looks in their eyes all possessed dark-brown skin. These men most likely also crossed the national border from Bigelow¡¯s side and came here. It could be said that they were the same kind as Galarina¡¯s party in the sense that it was a behind-the-scenes business, which avoided attention. However, their gazes which were fixed on the party contained clear hostility. They were without a doubt the kind of guys whom one would call ¡°thieves¡±, ¡°bandits¡±. ¡¸I see¡­ for caravans that make a living by smuggling like ours, we can¡¯t ask the authorities for help even if we were attacked. That¡¯s why they purposely spread a net at such a place and lie in wait¡­ something like that, huh. I¡¯ve understood¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s good that you understand, but what are we going to do, Nee-san?¡¹ Although he asked Galarina so, Fatih seemed to be happy in some way. ¡¸I¡¯m reluctant to injure our companions, but we also have an agreement with the prefectural governor. If we can¡¯t get them to return to the other side of the mountain obediently¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll try asking for the time being?¡¹ Fatih advanced his horse and moved in between the caravan and the thieves. ¡¸¡ªYou guys over there~¡¹ Grasping the reins with his left hand, Fatih spoke loudly while in a posture where his right hand was moved to the back of his waist. ¡¸Judging from appearances, it seems that you¡¯re people from Bigelow like us, but why do you come to such a place and attack your companions~? If you¡¯re going to be after someone anyway, isn¡¯t aiming for the caravans of Ahmad¡¯s people the logical move~?¡¹ ¡¸This is divine punishment!¡¹ The man at the front with an unshaven face shouted in a rough, husky voice, which gave one the impression of a gong. ¡¸We¡¯ll give traitors like you who violate state prohibition, ally with the heretics and crave fortune divine punishment!¡¹ ¡¸Uwa¡­! Divine punishment!?¡¹ Fatih widened his eyes and looked back at his older sister. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s amazing, Nee-san! We¡¯ve seen various scum so far, but this is the first time that we meet scum who spoke of something like divine punishment with a serious look, isn¡¯t it? Right, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s impossible to understand¡¹ Heaving a long sigh, Galarina waved her hand lightly. It was intended to put the meaning of ¡°you can do as you like¡± into it. Sure enough, Fatih smiled a smile of satisfaction and nodded. ¡¸Then, everyone~?¡¹ Fatih placed his hand to his mouth and informed the men of the caravan. ¡¸Can everyone protect Nee-san and the luggage carried by the packhorses~? ¡ªFor the time being, I¡¯ll deal with these guys by myself¡¹ ¡¸What did you say¡ª!?¡¹ Slight confusion and anger spread among the thieves. Properly speaking, the caravan should have been terrified by the appearance of the thieves, but they were completely unperturbed; on the contrary, the man of slender build who was wearing female clothing declared that he¡¯d kill them just by himself. Fatih easily slipped in during that moment of opening. ¡¸Gufu, ehehe. ¡ªDie! Idiot!¡¹ Fatih, who had let out a coarse chuckle as if mumbling, kicked the stirrup and disappeared from the top of his horse. At least, it probably seemed that way to the thieves. ¡¸¡ª!?¡¹ Just like a bird of prey that had set its sights on a prey on the ground and swooped down on it¡ªhis right hand, which had moved to the back of his waist, was already pulling out a large curved sword when he flew down¡ªFatih slashed at the thief. ¡¸Gya, ha¡ª¡¹ Fully carried by the acceleration and his weight, the blow practically cut the man with the unshaven face, who appeared to be the leader of the thieves, in two with a single stroke. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When the man with the unshaven face fell to the ground, making a wet sound, Galarina lost interest completely. If this was dealt with by Fatih, no matter how many thieves of that standard there were, it was irrelevant. This would probably be settled shortly. The eccentric Fatih was a warrior who possessed that much power and also the guard who protected this caravan. While listening to the death throes of the thieves, Galarina devoted herself to reading. Volume 6 - CH 1.2 Her debut in Roma, which had been delayed the whole time because of one thing or another since she was inaugurated as a Dominas, finally ended without any mishap a few days ago. Until that day arrived, Valeria had actually been thinking she wanted to do this quickly, but when she became the leading role of the debut, she had to continue waving her hand with a smiling face the whole time during the parade and also had to attend a boring ceremony, which took many hours; they were nothing but things that made her mentally fatigued. Honestly, she thought of foisting all of the rest on Karin and then sneaking away halfway many times. Valeria, who was exhausted in her home for several days because of that, was summoned by Orvieto. ¡¸Romarikku¡ªis it?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Inside the office where the thin curtains were closed, the sunlight of midsummer was reduced to some extent, and it was full of pale shadows. Urged by Orvieto, Valeria tasted the cold wine and then breathed a sigh of relief. Orvieto then asked Valeria again while playing with a quill pen. ¡¸You know¡ªthe relationship between our country and Romarikku, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes, roughly¡¹ The state of Romarikku, which abounded with mineral resources, was an important administrative district that sustained the current Ahmad¡¯s policy of enriching the country and strengthening the army from the foundation. However, just until a hundred and fifty years or so ago, Romarikku wasn¡¯t a region of Ahmad but a fully-fledged independent country. It had a past where after the royal family was overthrown due to a large-scale insurrection, Ahmad suppressed the rebellion and then annexed it. That was the general knowledge which everyone would learn in elementary education. Orvieto pointed at Valeria with the tip of the pen. ¡¸¡ªYou mightn¡¯t be aware of it, but as a Dominas, you have a deep connection to Romarikku¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m aware of it. That¡¯s because¡­ um, I was told by Richternach-kyou before¡¹ Although she felt slightly embarrassed, Valeria replied honestly. Originally, it should have been a fixed rule that one country had one Dominas, but the current Ahmad had three because it had taken over the possession quota of Dominas that other countries had. And among the increased quota of two, one belonged to Villanova which had become an associate member country, and the other one belonged to the former Kingdom of Romarikku. ¡¸Exactly. At the present time, the quota that our country originally had was assigned to Shakira-san, and the quota that was taken over from Villanova was assigned to Karin-jou, and the quota that Romarikku had was assigned to you¡¹ Due to such circumstances, the people from the Romarikku region regarded one person among the three Dominas as the Dominas of their own ¡°country¡± even now, and on the occasion of taking over, they¡¯d send enormous donation via the Magic AcademyPrasa Marefikos of their own free wills. Even the debut this time, the donation from Romarikku was used for a portion of the budget. Hence, it became a custom that the so-called ¡°Dominas with Romarikku¡¯s quota¡± made a courtesy visit to Romarikku during her service and conveyed her gratitude to the citizens. If one were to speak of the current generation, then that was Valeria¡¯s role, of course. ¡¸But why at this time¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Various difficult missions occurred again and again immediately after your inauguration, and you certainly had been very busy¡¹ Joining her white hands together, Orvieto nodded. ¡¸¡ªHowever, now that they have settled down, the timing is just right. Your debut in Roma has ended, and if you delay your visit to Romarikku even though there¡¯s no special event in particular, the people in Romarikku might think you¡¯re looking down on them. ¡­You understand that that¡¯s not politically good as well, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Besides, this is also the wish of the Great Gods of Heaven and Earth OfficialPatriarca Mayor¡ªor rather, His Majesty the King¡¹ ¡¸His Majesty¡¯s?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­The public order in the Romarikku region has been deteriorating recently¡¹ Orvieto stood up, turned the curtain lightly and narrowed her eyes. ¡¸From the start, the tendency to be self-reliant remained strongly in that vicinity even after the annexation, and the Ahmad¡¯s government had been making every effort to soothe that. They even appointed a special hereditary prefectural governor, nicknamed ¡°Margrave¡±, which other places don¡¯t have. ¡ªBut as expected, what will secure the hearts of the people is probably the smiling face of a Dominas rather than the power of politics¡¹ When she was told so, she could no longer say that she was tired or what. Although Valeria thought of herself as na?ve, it was ultimately the sense of duty as a Dominas that moved her. ¡¸In other words, His Majesty is telling me to inspect the Romarikku region and to pacify its citizens, right?¡¹ ¡¸He didn¡¯t say it clearly, but since he intentionally wants you to go at this time, I believe that it¡¯s like that¡¹ ¡¸I understand¡¹ Nodding deeply, Valeria put her glass down and stood up. ¡¸¡ªThough I don¡¯t know how helpful I can be by going, I¡¯ll fulfil my obligation as a Dominas!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m so happy that you said that¡¹ When Orvieto, who had smiled sweetly, immediately returned to the front of her desk and signed some kind of document smoothly, she then rang a bell to summon her female secretary, gave her that document and sent her o somewhere. It probably must be a decree regarding this matter or something. From the beginning, Orvieto believed that Valeria wouldn¡¯t refuse this matter; the rest was to prepare a document that she just had to sign and wait for Valeria. That shrewdness which didn¡¯t match her gentle beauty was, in a few words, as one would expect. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ll settle all the preparations for the detailed fixed date and the personnel who will accompany you. Please study about the chronology of events up to the history and annexation of Romarikku well until you depart¡¹ In order to understand the feeling of each citizen of Romarikku, it was probably necessary to know its history until the annexation. Otherwise, when she had dinner together with the higher-ups there, she might carelessly say something rude. ¡¸¡­If that guy can also speak gently in this manner, then I also won¡¯t feel irritated every time¡­¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no!¡¹ Valeria, who had unconsciously let out an idle complaint about Dimitar while being thankful for Orvieto¡¯s advice, hurriedly glossed over it on the spot. Volume 6 - CH 1.3 She had counted those repeated words up to ten times, but because it was becoming rather troublesome, she stopped counting the rest after that. Without stopping her hand that was turning the page of the book, Galarina raised her gaze fleetingly and looked at the governor of this town. ¡¸That¡¯s troubling¡­ no, really troubling. That¡¯s really troubling¡¹ Gavrilo Alija Dzeko, who had been pacing around inside the room since some time ago, was the eighth ¡°Margrave¡± of Romarikku. Controlling not only this large city Romarikku but also all of the civil affairs and military affairs of the Romarikku region, it could be said that he was the governor, in a manner of speaking. However, the figure of him going this way and that while wiping his sweat with a handkerchief like that was quite different from that of such an influential person. He was a dandy who grew a splendid moustache; hence, that flustered appearance looked comical in some way. A few wrinkles were carved on the brow of Fatih, who was sitting on the sofa opposite Galarina and polishing his nails, and he glared at Dzeko. ¡¸¡­Haven¡¯t you been too restless since some time ago, Your Excellency? What in the world is troubling you so much?¡¹ ¡¸No no, it¡¯s natural that I¡¯d be troubled by that, Fatih-dono. ¡­Ah, that¡¯s really troubling¡¹ Perhaps it was difficult for him to deal with a big man with heavy make-up, Dzeko glanced at Fatih and immediately averted his gaze, and then he covered his face with both hands. ¡¸Um¡ªthe matter about the thieves whom you encountered is also like that though¡¹ ¡¸Araran? If it¡¯s those guys, I dealt with them properly though? Though they were reduced to thieves, my heart really aches that I have to kill companions from the same motherland with these hands of mine. My heart aches that I can¡¯t sleep¡¹ ¡¸¡­Fatih, stop twisting and turning¡¹ Unable to endure, Galarina spoke a few words, but just as one thought, Fatih wasn¡¯t listening at all. ¡¸No no, I¡¯m grateful that you were able to deal with the thieves¡¹ Raising the fingers of his right hand and shaking them unsteadily, Dzeko walked up to the side of the window of the luxurious living room. ¡¸Ah¡­ Puyol-kyou, I want to ask you something a little, but how many cases of attacks on caravans occurred this year?¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes¡¹ A seemingly very earnest Hiera Glaphicos, who had been waiting in the corner of the room, leafed through the documents at hand and then answered immediately. ¡¸Just the ones mentioned in the report here¡ªt, there are sixty-five cases¡¹ ¡¸Sixty-five cases! This is troubling, this is very troubling¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Otou-sama is being theatrical over everything, you know¡¹ Jelena, who was sitting down on the carpet and leaning against Galarina¡¯s knee, looked at Dzeko with pupils that gave one the impression of a cat. Although they were blood-related biological parent and child, as far as Galarina could observe calmly, the relationship between the father and the only daughter wasn¡¯t very good. The words that she hurled towards her father were tinged with an indescribable coldness. Dzeko looked back at Jelena, took a deep breath greatly and told her. ¡¸You keep quiet a little. I¡¯m talking to Galarina-dono and Fatih-dono about a political matter¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s political about that¡­¡¹ Jelena turned away and ate candied quinces while leaning her body on Galarina¡¯s knee. Honestly, her foot would become numb if she leaned against it the whole time, but because Jelena was very attached to Galarina who would visit this place occasionally, Galarina decided to endure that much dissatisfaction. ¡¸This is a very political matter. Children probably don¡¯t understand though. ¡ªAh, nevertheless, this is troubling. The fact that the public order has deteriorated to this extent during my tenure of all days¡­¡¹ Dzeko looked up at the sky exaggeratedly, and yet he¡¯d look this way occasionally. Galarina closed the book with a sigh and smiled wryly. ¡¸¡­If there¡¯s something you want to say, then say it clearly, Your Excellency¡¹ ¡¸No no, I wonder if telling Galarina-dono this sort of thing is barking up the wrong tree¡¹ Making introductory remarks like that, Dzeko began to talk again. ¡¸Recently¡­ since spring in particular, the matter of mounted bandits and bandits of the barbarian believers making frequent appearances has been attracting attention. This is a very troubling situation¡­ I even got Pancev-kyou to mobilise the army to crack down on them strictly, but if possible, if I can get Galarina-dono to do something about it in secret with your power, then¡­¡¹ ¡¸No! How can you request Onee-sama to do such a thing, Otou-sama!? Onee-sama doesn¡¯t have such an obligation!¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, you be quiet, Jelena. ¡ªHow about it, Galarina-dono? For the sake of our mutually pleasant business transactions, won¡¯t you lend me a helping hand again?¡¹ ¡¸For the sake of our business transactions¡ªeven that has come up, huh¡¹ Tapping on the hard cover of the book, Galarina raised her lips. ¡¸¡­Well, it¡¯s fine, I guess. That much is within the acceptable limits. It concerns an important business for us too, after all¡¹ Galarina nodded lightly and pushed her round spectacles up. ¡¸Oh, I see! I¡¯m grateful for that!¡¹ ¡¸However, I¡¯ll take an appropriate compensation, all right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a matter of course! ¡­Ah, I¡¯m so glad, you really helped me!¡¹ As if he was honestly feeling relieved, Dzeko stroked his chest and wiped the sweat on his forehead. ¡¸Well well, with this, I can feel temporarily relieved. ¡­After all, it has been decided that an inspection from the capital will come shortly¡¹ ¡¸Inspection?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªThe newly appointed Dominas-sama, who was just inaugurated in the beginning of spring, is coming¡¹ ¡¸Newly appointed Dominas? Do you mean Valeria Costacurta?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, yes. There¡¯s a deep connection between our Romarikku and Costacurta-geika¡ª¡¹ ¡¸The story about the quota or something, right? ¡­There really is nothing more bothersome than this¡¹ Fatih finished polishing and blew on his nails, which were polished to a bright shine, once; he then shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly and smiled as if sneering at him. ¡¸No no, for us, it¡¯s something to be very grateful for. After all, Her Eminence will go out of her way to come to Romarikku on the occasion of taking over in this way, you see. ¡­Therefore, it¡¯ll be troubling if something happens during this period. If something happens to Her Eminence, I¡¯ll easily be beheaded¡¹ ¡¸Araran? Are you saying that¡­ what¡¯s important is your own head?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, no, i, it¡¯s Costacurta-geika, of course, Fatih-dono. ¡ªThat¡¯s why at least during Her Eminence¡¯s royal visit, I must do something about the rampancy of thieves¡­¡¹ ¡¸In reality, it¡¯s already a hundred and fifty years ago that Romarikku was an independent country, isn¡¯t it? Despite this, you¡¯re still saying something like ¡°Her Eminence, Her Eminence¡±? Should I say that you¡¯re too devout or ridiculous¡­¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s, well¡­ but Fatih-dono, in your native country, you also worship, uh, Ma, Ma¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Marido¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that! You worship that god of war, right?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows¡¹ Galarina urged Jelena gently and stood up. ¡¸There are certainly many people who believe in Marido, but that¡¯s not the case for me. To me, a god simply exists there. The phenomenon that is called a god is a very interesting subject of research, but nevertheless, I won¡¯t rely on it or pray to it¡¹ ¡¸Look here, if you¡¯re always saying that sort of slightly difficult thing, you¡¯ll age quicker, you know, Nee-san. ¡­Gufu¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve said this all the time, but your way of laughing is unpleasant¡¹ Throwing a few heartless words at her younger brother who had shaken his shoulders and let out a chuckle, by means of a blazing fastball, Galarina carried the book under her arm. ¡¸Then, Your Excellency, we¡¯ll rest for tonight now¡¹ ¡¸No! Onee-sama, just a bit longer! Please? It¡¯s fine, right? The time is still early to be sleeping!¡¹ ¡¸Even if you say that, I¡¯m at my limit already¡¹ Taking off her spectacles and rubbing her eyes, Galarina smiled wryly. It was today¡¯s afternoon when she finished the long journey of crossing over the mountain range and arriving at this town, and due to business matters and the discussion with Dzeko after that, she had no time to rest. She quite wanted to rest herself well on a proper bed. Dzeko, who had an exhausted expression, chided his only daughter, who was grasping Galarina¡¯s left hand and shaking it. ¡¸Don¡¯t be so unreasonable, Jelena. Galarina-dono is tired from the long journey. If you ask too unreasonable things, you¡¯ll make Galarina-dono¡¯s health worse¡¹ ¡¸Onee-sama isn¡¯t so weak! That¡¯s why she¡¯ll be all right!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not for you to say though¡­¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped¡¹ Galarina patted Jelena on the head lightly. ¡¸¡ªThen, come to my room after you¡¯ve finished changing your clothes. Don¡¯t complain even if the bed is small¡¹ ¡¸Yes?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Galarina-dono¡¹ Dzeko pulled in his head and apologised for his daughter¡¯s wilfulness. ¡¸No, I don¡¯t mind. ¡­I also have a few younger sisters, but they¡¯re not attached to me to this extent¡¹ ¡¸Nee-san, you forgot about me!¡¹ Putting her hand on the face of Fatih, who had tried to come and cling to her nonchalantly, and pushing him aside, Galarina declared coldly. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s out of the question. You¡¯re not a younger sister¡¹ ¡¸Aan¡¹ ¡¸Then, Your Excellency, see you tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Please rest well¡¹ Galarina, who had left the living room of the ¡°Margrave¡± of Romarikku, started to walk along the wide corridor with long strides. The rooms that were prepared for Galarina¡¯s party when they¡¯d be staying at this mansion were always the same, so it was unnecessary to go out of her way to have a guide accompany her. Just like her house that she knew thoroughly, Galarina headed directly towards her own bedroom. ¡¸¡ªFatih¡¹ ¡¸Hahan?¡¹ The big man, who was looking at a hand mirror and gazing at his own face, gave a vague answer without even glancing at his older sister. ¡¸Do you know Valeria Costacurta?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ I know about the tale of her heroism where she suppressed the rebellion that occurred in Seriba by herself immediately after she was inaugurated this spring at least¡¹ ¡¸I heard that she also got herself involved with the internal discord of Heidelauta afterwards. Truly typical of Ahmad, she might be a classic example of a Dominas that isn¡¯t a decoration. Very interesting. It seems that things will become intriguing¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ ¡¸That kind of Dominas will make a royal visit to Romarikku at this timing¡­ the ones who would think there¡¯s nothing going on behind the scenes are stupid and easy-going people¡¹ ¡¸¡­Nee-san, are you making fun of me by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s incomprehensible that you realised this about this time. ¡­I believed that I¡¯ve been saying so since long ago¡¹ Galarina, who had shrugged her shoulders, threw a cold gaze at her biological younger brother through the pair of spectacles and then walked away, dragging out faint sounds of footsteps. Volume 6 - CH 1.4 Due to his position of a petty Hiera Glaphicos, Dimitar often utilised the library of the Magic Academy. As it couldn¡¯t be utilised by anyone, it wasn¡¯t very crowded and was quiet; it was just right for investigating this and that and thinking over his speculations. Even today when he was waiting to depart several days later, Dimitar came to the library. However, it wasn¡¯t for the purpose of memorising Valeria¡¯s newest ¡°magic crest map¡±Prano Del Hieratika. That work had been completed already. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who had been opening the books piled up in the surroundings of the bookrest one after another and reading absolutely every little bit that he could lay his hands on, massaged his eyes from the top of his eyelids and sighed deeply. ¡¸¡ªOi, Dii¡¹ When he looked back at the voice calling out to him in a moderate volume, Lucius who was wearing his chivalric order uniform was coming this way. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Lucius? How unusual¡¹ ¡¸I had things to do at Haha-ue¡¯s place a little. And then, when I asked her, she said that you¡¯re at the library, so I stopped by to see you¡¹ Unlike Dimitar whose position had never become more than Valeria¡¯s exclusive Hiera Glaphicos, Lucius was an existence that always attracted attention. It could be said that the vice-leader of the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis, who was the only son of the ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡± and was selected by Isaac at a young age, joining the backbone of Ahmad¡¯s government around the time of Isaac¡¯s accession to the throne was seen as a certainty. Moreover, if it was a showy handsome young man who was still single and, on the contrary, didn¡¯t even have a lover to whom he had promised his future, it was natural that he¡¯d gather public attention, centring around young women especially. Actually even now, many of the magic warriorsMarefikos who were reading quietly in the library were gazing steadily at Lucius, who had appeared unexpectedly. Seemingly unaware of such gazes, Lucius brought a chair and sat down beside Dimitar. Dimitar then looked at Lucius with a sidelong glance. ¡¸¡­Were you not told by the head director not to come here too much?¡¹ ¡¸? No, what do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸The girls who are aiming to become the next Dominas also go in and out of here often, you know¡¹ Lowering his voice, Dimitar raised his lips. ¡¸¡­You¡¯re a temptation to those sorts of girls. They¡¯re merely girls who have few opportunities to come into contact with men and are ignorant of the ways of the world, after all¡¹ ¡¸Even if you tell me that¡­¡¹ Lucius looked around his surroundings as if he was troubled. Matching that, the girls who had been watching Lucius the whole time lowered their gazes to the books in their hands hurriedly. Their appearances might be innocent from a third person¡¯s point of view, but without a doubt, the people themselves would most likely have distressed feelings for a while. Clearing his throat slightly, Lucius spoke. ¡¸¡­More importantly, what are you investigating? You¡¯re departing the day after tomorrow because of a mission again, right?¡¹ ¡¸Have you¡­ heard of ¡°Uruhaimato¡± before?¡¹ ¡¸Uruhaimato?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ The Yururogu officer¡ªCyril Duevre, whom Dimitar had confronted in the Battle of Delbr¨¹ck, had certainly said that. ¡¸To what extent is that true, I don¡¯t know. ¡­However, when I questioned those guys closely about the origin of the ¡°Magic Motion Sword¡±Espada Marefika that they were using, that man called Cyril said so. It seems that those guys¡¯ swords were given by a certain woman, but that woman came from a place called Uruhaimato¡¹ ¡¸Uruhaimato¡­ no, it¡¯s a place name that I¡¯ve never heard of, but have you been investigating that the whole time?¡¹ ¡¸It might be words spoken without much thought from his mouth to confuse me, but I think perhaps that woman might be Nereida¡¹ ¡¸Certainly, strange guys have been operating behind the scenes here and there recently¡¹ Starting from Hokon¡¯s rebellion in Seriba, then Dante Valiente from Villanova, and then the internal discord of Heidelauta and Yururogu¡ªeven just the matters that Dimitar and Valeria were involved in, this much was related to magic motion swords. And then, the origin of the magic motion swords wasn¡¯t clear in all those cases. ¡¸That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯ll try investigating a little as well¡¹ ¡¸You really helped me¡¹ ¡¸By the way¡¹ Lucius¡¯s expression, which was serious until then, suddenly broke into a smile, and he patted Dimitar on the shoulder. ¡¸¡ªI heard from Haha-ue, but it seems that Valeria-jou wants to borrow Thial for the royal visit this time, but was that your suggestion?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so¡¹ ¡¸You also know that Thial is the heart and soul of the maids of my house, right? To intentionally bring that Thial along, you have some motive, right?¡¹ ¡¸Thial understands the language on the other side of the mountain, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­So that¡¯s the reason¡¹ As if he was fully satisfied, Lucius nodded greatly. When Dimitar started to be taken care of by Orvieto, Thial Krkic was in that mansion already. Dimitar was still four or five at that time, so Thial who was three years older should still have been seven, eight years old, but even now, he remembered that she had blended in with the older maids and had been working since that time. Dimitar didn¡¯t know due to what circumstances that Thial had to be in Orvieto¡¯s mansion from such an age because he had never heard the detailed story, but judging from the colours of her skin and hair, it was evident that she was born descending from the southern people, and as a matter of fact, Thial could understand Bigelow¡¯s language. ¡¸Caravans of the southern people from the other side of the mountain range often come to Romarikku. Thial might be of some use. ¡ªHowever¡¹ ¡¸However?¡¹ Looking at Lucius who had said a conjunction with hidden meaning, Dimitar knitted his brows. ¡¸¡ªYou¡¯re unable to get along with Thial at all¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not my fault in particular. If I had to say, it¡¯s probably yours¡¹ ¡¸Mine?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Are you feigning ignorance? Or do you not seriously know?¡¹ Dimitar pressed his temple with a fed-up expression and averted his gaze from his childhood friend, who was staring in puzzlement. The flaw of honour student Lucius who was perfect in everything, which could practically be said to be the one and only, was that he was insensitive towards the affection from women that was directed to himself, to the extent of being heartless. In short, Thial liked Lucius. That was precisely why she wasn¡¯t pleased with Lucius being concerned about Dimitar in various ways. This was what was called jealousy. Perhaps there was that as well, when Dimitar was staying at Orvieto¡¯s house, he was often scolded by Thial because of his manners and way of living. Dimitar himself didn¡¯t think he was undisciplined to that extent though; after all, it was Lucius whom Thial was using as the standard. The other party whom he was compared with was bad. ¡¸¡ªWell, thanks to that, I could manage most of the housework by myself after I started living alone. Aren¡¯t you receiving my portion of scolding from Thial now after I left?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not to the extent of scolding¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I hit the mark, right?¡¹ Dimitar poked Lucius, who had smiled wryly, in the shoulder and started to put the books away. ¡¸¡ªSetting jokes aside, take more than ample care going there, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ When Dimitar finished returning the books he had taken out in large quantities to the bookshelves, Lucius¡¯s figure wasn¡¯t there already, and the other readers were also regaining their usual calmness. Dimitar, who had left the library, headed towards the parade ground of the army without going back to the lodging house directly. Having obtained a sponsor that was the Crown Prince, Quique Albiol¡¯s new workshop was being built in a corner of the parade ground. He was called by that Quique regarding the journey to Romarikku this time. ¡¸¡ªHey, middle-aged man¡¹ ¡¸Oh, you¡¯ve come¡¹ Quique, who had been watching the foundation works of the new workshop being carried out from the shade of a tree, waved his kiseru at Dimitar who had arrived. ¡¸It seems that it¡¯ll be quite wide¡¹ Stones serving as the foundation were being lined up on the ground, which had been firmly tamped down. He didn¡¯t know how many storeys it¡¯d be, but even if it was a single-storey house, it¡¯d be far bigger than the previous workshop. ¡¸It seems that it¡¯ll become quite a huge workshop¡¹ ¡¸Right? Neither the First Arsenal nor the Second Arsenal are this huge. I hope that I won¡¯t feel uncomfortable because it¡¯s too huge¡¹ The First Arsenal mainly carried out production of weapons and defensive armaments, and the Second Arsenal carried out production of horse gears and arms. It wasn¡¯t wrong to think of both as large-scale forges. The number of working engineers and blacksmiths would surely add up to dozens of people. ¡¸In the first place, calling that workshop which is used by only you and Gacha Pink the Third Arsenal itself is strange¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you in advance, but that wasn¡¯t named by me, you know? Originally, my workshop was established with the development of new alloys as its objective, but somehow a name like that was necessary to provide it a budget, and because of that, it was treated as the third arsenal¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because of that that you have an impressive job title like chief engineerMaestro too, huh. ¡­That won¡¯t change after this, will it?¡¹ ¡¸Well¡­ who knows. The minor details haven¡¯t been decided, but it probably can¡¯t be an internal department of the army as it is¡¹ In the present situation, the one who was taking the strongest interest in Quique¡¯s research was Isaac; Minister for Finance Caparros-kyou and Orvieto from the Magic Academy came after that. On the other hand, Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou was sceptical about the thing called magic motion sword even now¡ªor rather, he was finally starting to acknowledge its usefulness. Therefore, Quique¡¯s research would be spearheaded by the Seal Chivalric Order and the Ministry of Finance from now on; moreover, it¡¯d probably be sped up under the assistance from the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Royal Magic Academy. If that happened, it¡¯d be difficult to keep Quique¡¯s workshop established as a lower branch of the army as it was. ¡¸¡ªThe location is rented on this parade ground like it has been until now, but on the organisation chart, is it an independent research institute; otherwise it¡¯ll become a research institution under the direct control of the Crown Prince, won¡¯t it? Well, that sort of slightly difficult matter is inconsequential though¡¹ Quique murmured as if it was other people¡¯s affairs and smoked his kiseru. What was important to this eccentric was the fact that an environment where he could conduct the research, which he wanted to do, as he liked was being prepared; he was hardly interested in which organisation he belonged to and whose subordinate he¡¯d become. Staring at the carpenters who were working, seemingly busy, Dimitar sighed. ¡¸¡­Nevertheless, that¡¯s exaggerated¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say that. His Highness wishes for it¡¹ ¡¸His Highness?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Since Dante Valiente privately built a workshop to that extent behind closed doors, he won¡¯t tolerate it if the workshop that he himself took the lead to have it built is more seedy-looking than that. ¡­Well, even if we set the talk of such honour aside, considering the possibility of the basic technology of the magic motion sword is being leaked to other countries, it¡¯s necessary to adopt a system for full-scale mass production as soon as possible¡¹ ¡¸So that means that a forge will also be prepared?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Until now, whenever there¡¯s something, I¡¯ll take the products to Courtois-jiisan¡¯s blacksmith shop and get him to process them, but from now on, the entire process can be carried out here. I intend to get Jii-san to work here too¡¹ If it had been clearly decided that his research would be sped up as a national policy, it wouldn¡¯t be like the time when Quique could personally advance his research any more. As all the things Quique dealt with would become no different from state secrets, the entire work process had to be strictly managed. There was no way he could take a secret into the blacksmith shop of an acquaintance and let them make a little bit of changes to it. ¡¸¡ªSo, have the fixed date been decided for you?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re departing the day after tomorrow¡¹ ¡¸I see. Though being Her Eminence¡¯s guard is difficult in various ways, I¡¯m counting on you for my mission too¡¹ ¡¸I know. No matter how huge a workshop we build, it¡¯s meaningless unless we can secure the essential material, after all¡¹ Putting his hand on the base of his neck and making it produce a ¡°koki koki¡± sound, Dimitar sighed, which was unlike a young man. At that moment, Bettina, who had been keeping the queen company in the royal palace, came back. ¡¸Oji-sama, I¡¯ve returned~? ¡ªAh, what, Dimi-san is here too¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­Have you heard about the journey to Romarikku?¡¹ ¡¸Of course¡¹ Bettina smartly polished the relief of the rose carved on her stomach with the soft cloth in her hand and spoke proudly in some respects. ¡¸¡ªEven at Valeria-sama¡¯s parade a few days ago, this me had grasped the reins of her carriage. The driver¡¯s seat of Valeria-sama¡¯s carriage is already no different from my special seat!¡¹ Due to the size of Bachururus, she couldn¡¯t get into the cabinet of the carriage unless she broke the door, so if they let her accompany them, she could only sit on the driver¡¯s seat. As a matter of fact, it was because of such a simple reason that the opportunities for Bettina to take the reins had been increasing recently, but there was probably no need to thrust the realistic truth at the girl and spoil her motivation. Dimitar gave his responses suitably and interrupted Bettina, who was about to report the contents of her talk with the queen today in detail. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s a royal visit to a region this time. Since it also contains the meaning of a guard, bring Rucheruku¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes. ¡­Or rather, Dimi-san, did you go out of your way to come to tell me that?¡¹ ¡¸I was simply free¡¹ Stifling a big yawn, Dimitar greeted Quique and Bettina in a perfunctory manner and left. Volume 6 - CH 2.1 18-22 minutes 03.07.2022 Margrave of Romarikku The civil war that became the cause of the collapse of the old Kingdom of Romarikku one hundred and fifty years ago was named the ¡°Rebellion of the Seven Kings¡± in future history. The origin of the affair was a rebellion against the royal family at that time, which had been ruling over the people in tyranny to the extent of being cruel, but after the royal family was overthrown, the rebellion began to take on an appearance of a succession struggle to be the king. The seven powers, which held their grounds in various places, each nominated a person who was descended from the royal family as its leader and competed fiercely. Ultimately, Blanco Alija Dzeco from the faction that had received the backing of Ahmad defeated the six remaining royalties and suppressed the rebellion; afterwards, Romarikku was annexed by Ahmad in the form of him abdicating the throne of Romarikku to Ahmad¡¯s king anew. This was the origin of the ¡°Rebellion of the Seven Kings¡±. It was around the last century since Romarikku was annexed by Ahmad that the highway connecting to Romarikku from Ahmad was maintained and roughly became its current state. Before that, when Romarikku was still an independent country, there wasn¡¯t that much close interaction between Ahmad and Romarikku. Simply put, coming and going between both countries was accompanied by difficulties in itself. Valeria Costacurta¡¯s party was heading towards the east along the wide highway, which was now maintained completely. There were approximately fifty members in the party, and all of them, besides the ten or so maids, were soldiers who guarded her. Only Valeria had got on the four-seater carriage, which had put up a sunshade canopy, and Bettina was sitting on the driver¡¯s seat. During this period when the heat of the summer was growing increasingly severe day by day, it wasn¡¯t unlikely that she¡¯d collapse from the sultriness inside this tightly shut carriage. On both sides of the carriage, Dimitar and Thial were each straddling a horse and strengthening the defence. Dimitar was in his usual appearance, but Thial wasn¡¯t wearing a maid outfit like when she was in the mansion but male clothing that was similar to Dimitar¡¯s. Her position within the party was simply Valeria¡¯s maid, but in case of emergency, she could also become a guard to fight and protect Valeria. Due to that sort of meaning, she was wearing male clothing. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, that sort of gallant appearance also suits Thial-san well. I¡¯m so envious¡¹ Bettina, who was on the driver¡¯s seat, called out to Thial, who was moving at the side. ¡¸It¡¯s not a question of whether it suits me or not. It¡¯s necessary for the task¡¹ Without neglecting to be cautious of her surroundings, Thial answered indifferently. Although Valeria and Bettina had been calling out to her repeatedly since some time ago, a reply that would spice up the conversation from there didn¡¯t come back in particular. Valeria had already met Thial during the top-secret mission in Seriba, but she certainly didn¡¯t think of her as a person who was so difficult to associate with. ¡¸Hey, Dimitar!¡¹ Valeria lowered her voice and beckoned to Dimitar quietly. ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸I, I say, did we do something to her?¡¹ While looking at Thial on the opposite side with a sidelong glance, Valeria bent herself forward from the carriage and asked Dimitar. ¡¸Though I didn¡¯t know Thial-san well since I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to chat with her properly in Seriba, was she this kind of person? Rather than cold, she¡¯s completely unfriendly¡­ did we do something that angered her by any chance?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ she always feels like that¡¹ ¡¸Is, is that so?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s normal that she¡¯s unfriendly towards us¡¹ Dimitar declared readily. ¡¸¡ªIf the other party is Lucius or Head Director, she¡¯ll properly show a smiling face and talk to them too¡¹ ¡¸Eh? That means¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Though it¡¯s like that for me, you¡¯re probably not liked by her very much too¡¹ ¡¸Hey¡­ setting you aside, why me as well? Just as I thought, did I do something that angered her!?¡¹ ¡¸No, you unusually didn¡¯t make a blunder at all¡¹ ¡¸Then why?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s similar to you thinking hatefully of me. ¡­Guess with that¡¹ ¡¸Pardon?¡¹ Valeria, who was staring in puzzlement for a moment, felt as if she had suddenly understood everything and instinctively stared at Thial¡¯s profile. Thial¡ªjust like Valeria¡ªwas probably jealous of the close relationship between Lucius and DImitar. Speaking of which, when Lucius rushed to Seriba, Thial was watching Lucius listening carefully to what Dimitar had to say while saying something or other with an expression that was bitter in some respects. If it was that kind of Thial, then it might be natural that she¡¯d feel ill at ease about Valeria, who didn¡¯t try to hide her affection for Lucius. Valeria knitted her brows and spoke to Dimitar. ¡¸W, what should I do? What kind of attitude should I take!?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows¡¹ ¡¸Who knows, you say¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t ask me that kind of thing. If you don¡¯t like Thial, you can utilise that fact that your position is higher and be mean to her slightly¡¹ ¡¸Be mean to her, you say¡­ I can¡¯t bring myself to do such a thing¡¹ ¡¸Then, you should just treat her normally¡¹ Dimitar, who had asserted with a brusqueness that was above Thial¡¯s, raised his lips. ¡¸¡­Well, if you think about it objectively, Thial has much more hope than you¡¹ ¡¸Eh? W, what do you mean? Hope?¡¹ ¡¸Though Thial is a maid, she¡¯s living with Lucius under one roof. And it¡¯s a common story that noblemen have sexual relations with the maids in their own mansions. ¡ªLucius is a man too, you know?¡¹ ¡¸N, no way¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t say that the possibility of Lucius laying hands on you, who is a Dominas, is zero, but it¡¯s exceedingly close to zero. After all, Lucius understands that if he does such a thing, then not only he himself but also the House of Richternach itself will be ruined. ¡­Compared to that, Lucius laying hands on Thial has much more realism¡¹ ¡¸L, Lucius-sama isn¡¯t a person who would do such a thing!¡¹ ¡¸Then, the possibilities of both are zero. It seems that you, comrades who are rejected, will get along well. I¡¯m so glad¡¹ ¡¸Ginu¡­!¡¹ Although Valeria bit her lip in anger, she didn¡¯t give vent to her indignation. If she behaved carelessly in the midst of the many attendants who were in her surroundings, Valeria¡¯s authority as a Dominas would fall. Valeria, who had motionlessly cast her eyes downwards and desperately calmed her mind down, took a deep breath quietly and shifted her eyes to the scenery in her surroundings. This carefree journey was also approaching its final stage, and she¡¯d arrive at Romarikku tonight. This area was already the territory of the old Kingdom of Romarikku, but unlike the plains on the outskirts of Roma, the scarceness of greenery was striking. The land, which had lots of boulders exposed on the surface of the earth, went on, and the winds that blew across were dusty and dry. A lot of people saw her off when she departed from the previous inn town, but for the last two, three hours or so, she didn¡¯t see one stray dog, let alone a person, with the exception of her party. She heard that unlike Ahmad where agriculture and animal husbandry had flourished from long ago, Romarikku¡¯s soil was infertile, and it developed by means of mining industry and commerce rather than agriculture. Perhaps it had such a background, small-scale agricultural communities hardly existed in the current province of Romarikku, and most of its population was concentrated in towns with mines and markets. This was the reason why figures of people were hardly seen along the road. ¡¸¡ªSpeaking of which¡¹ Valeria suddenly had something she was concerned about and asked Dimitar. ¡¸What do the people of Romarikku actually think of me, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying now?¡¹ ¡¸After all, Ahmad annexed Romarikku in the end, right? In that case, what sort of feelings will the original people of Romarikku have¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, though Ahmad and Romarikku were originally sworn allies, it didn¡¯t mean that they were necessarily close neighbours¡¹ The Holy AllianceLiga Santourear, of which Ahmad had become the leader country, was simply formed to oppose the ¡°Demon¡±Maroudo. Presently, it was a mere military alliance, and it had a strong nuance of being an alliance to oppose the influence of the barbaric believers in particular. ¡¸Of course, since they had formed an alliance, their relation became stronger than ordinary fellow countries, but nevertheless, it didn¡¯t mean that both of them left the profit-and-loss arithmetic out completely and associated with each other without giving vent to their dissatisfaction, to say nothing of Ahmad being a country whose specialty is pushing through something unreasonable with military strength as its backing. ¡ªIn fact, there were times when Ahmad and Romarikku were about to be plunged into an all-out war¡¹ ¡¸W, were they on bad terms so much? In the history book I had read, there was no description of both countries going to war though¡­¡¹ ¡¸That was a history book written in Ahmad, after all¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ahmad and the old Kingdom of Romarikku clashing over the border was a matter that was even more than a hundred years in the past than the annexation of Romarikku. Since Ahmad¡¯s army had been famed for being the strongest on the continent from that time, Romarikku¡¯s army should have been defeated easily with just one hit. Ahmad didn¡¯t intend to destroy Romarikku in particular; it was probably aiming for the mine resources. Besides creating an overwhelmingly superior war situation, offering a reconciliation in the form of a compromise from Ahmad and then seizing the mining rights of the mines as reparations¡ªthat¡¯s the method Ahmad is good at¡¹ Wiping the sweat on the nape of his neck, Dimitar sighed. ¡¸But in reality, it didn¡¯t become like that¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because of this¡¹ Before she knew, rugged rock cliffs towered on both sides of the highway. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s not very high, but the foot of this rocky mountain stretches for about ten leagues from north to south. Whether it¡¯s the north side or the south side, if we want to bypass this mountain and head towards Romarikku, the marching distance will probably become close to threefold. There seems to be hardly any maintained roads too. ¡ªIn short, the shortest route to Romarikku is this valley, which runs through the mountain, cutting across it¡¹ The walls on both sides were too tall, and sunlight couldn¡¯t shine on this mountain road properly. While feeling her sweat lessening in the cool shadow, Valeria looked up at the overbearing rock cliffs. ¡¸From a topographical point of view, there¡¯s no road that is easy to set traps like this. If they hide a certain number of soldiers on top of the valley and throw large boulders or logs down when Ahmad¡¯s army tries to pass through, that alone will cause serious damage¡¹ ¡¸But if it¡¯s the Ahmad¡¯s soldiers, everyone will be cautious about that sort of thing, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Ahmad¡¯s advance party had most likely sent scouts here to ascertain that there were no traps and ambushes and then tried to pass through here in one breath after that. Launching a swift attack by means of cavalry is the favourite technique of Ahmad¡¯s army. ¡ªEven so, despite being cautious that much, it seemed that Ahmad¡¯s army had received a surprise attack in this valley and sustained heavy damage that they were forced to retreat¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no detailed record regarding the battle at this time left, after all. ¡­But well, I can make a guess. Rather, if I¡¯m told to prevent the Ahmad¡¯s army from advancing here without using traps and ambushes, I¡¯ll can only think of that way¡¹ ¡¸Eh? What kind of strategy?¡¹ ¡¸Working you hard¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ Valeria didn¡¯t know what he meant for a moment, but looking up at the rock cliff, she could somehow understand. Even if it was impossible to set traps and ambushes on top of this cliff without being found out by the scouts, it was probably possible for one girl to hide herself at least. And if that girl was a Dominas¡ªif she was a magic warriorMarefikos who possessed an offensive ability that rivalled that of several hundreds of soldiers¡ªit was possible to cause serious damage to the Ahmad¡¯s army passing through here. However, it wasn¡¯t always the case that all Dominas could use flashy offensive magic; in the first place, the matter of sending a Dominas into the front line as a war potential itself was very improbable in countries other than Heidelauta. The Romarikku at that time had most likely used such an emergency measure to repel Ahmad. ¡¸¡­In any case, there was the suspicious movement of Bigelow as well, and Ahmad, which had received a severe blow in this valley, abandoned further advance, paid reparations to Romarikku on the pretext of supporting the mine development and reconciled with them. Setting the official stance aside, it was substantially Ahmad¡¯s defeat¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why the details weren¡¯t written in the history book at all¡­¡¹ It was Valeria¡¯s first time hearing that Ahmad, which was called the strongest country on the continent, had such a past. It was a fact that not only Valeria but also most of its people probably weren¡¯t able to know. When she was thinking about such a thing, Dimitar suddenly waved one hand and stopped the party. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t let the horses act violently, Gacha Pink¡¹ Without answering Valeria¡¯s question, Dimitar, who had ordered Bettina so, looked back at the rear and told the party. ¡¸¡ªAs we had previously discussed, non-combatants to the centre¡¹ At Dimitar¡¯s command, the military escorts of the party started to move simultaneously. In order to protect the carriages and wagons that carried the maids, the soldiers riding on horseback had their shields, which were hanging from the saddles of their horses, at the ready and surrounded the vicinity. ¡¸Valeria-sama, over there!¡¹ At the front where Bettina had pointed at over the soldiers¡¯ heads, figures of countless men and horses could be seen. According to the schedule, people who had been sent to meet them from Romarikku were expected to come partway, but it was too early for that. The arrival at Romarikku would be around today¡¯s sunset, and they heard that they¡¯d link up with the envoy of the prefectural governor a little while before that. ¡¸Valeria-sama, please move back¡¹ Thial spoke to Valeria, who had unconsciously bent herself forward from the carriage, leaned on Bettina¡¯s head, strained her eyes and stared fixedly at the front, indifferently. ¡¸¡ªThey¡¯re thieves¡¹ ¡¸Thieves!?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ When Valeria borrowed the telescope that Thial had held out and checked, the ones who were obstructing the path of the party were certainly all coarse men who were straddling horses. Their weapons and defensive armaments were inconsistent, and it didn¡¯t seem that they were troops from somewhere. ¡¸It seems that there are quite a number of them¡­¡¹ ¡¸There probably aren¡¯t a hundred of them though¡¹ Stroking the nape of his neck lightly, Dimitar undid the clasp of the scabbard on his waist. ¡¸¡­What should we do, Dimitar-sama?¡¹ Extending her right hand to the hilts of the pair of swords tied to the back of her waist, Thial asked. ¡¸The one thing that I¡¯m curious about is whether those guys are there upon knowing our identities¡¹ ¡¸If those thieves know that Valeria-sama is here, will they get out of the way obediently? I think that¡¯s impossible though¡¹ The words of Thial, who had asked a question in return like that, sounded like she had coldly detached herself from this in some respects. She might be thinking an ¡°occupation¡± reeking of blood, which was a bandit, and the devoutness of the god believer couldn¡¯t co-exist. ¡¸No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­ well, at the moment they stood in front of Her Eminence¡¯s party like that, it¡¯s a cause for severe punishment¡¹ Dimitar kicked the abdomen of his horse lightly and moved forward. ¡¸Hey! Dimi¡­ Richternach-kyou! What are you going to do!?¡¹ ¡¸Please wait in the carriage, Your Eminence. I¡¯ll settle this immediately. ¡ªThial, I¡¯ll entrust the protection of Her Eminence¡¯s carriage to you¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Dimitar, who had gone out to the front of the party, accelerated in one breath together with several horseback soldiers only. At almost the same time, countless arrows came flying from the thieves in front, drawing a curved trajectory. ¡¸Protect Her Eminence!¡¹ ¡¸Ohhhhhh!¡¹ The soldiers surrounding the carriage held their large shields aloft and stood ready. Despite receiving an unforeseen attack, there wasn¡¯t a single person who was flustered or had tried to flee. Unlike the useless members of the chivalric order who were green young men from well-to-do families and were heard about in stories, the soldiers from the army whom Dimitar had chosen, though their positions were low, seemed to be experienced in actual fighting as one would expect. A jarring ¡°gakakakakakaka!¡± noise resounded, and a great number of arrows flew off the surfaces of the large shields. Although there were a few arrows that flew towards the carriage, the canopy of this carriage was a custom©\made item that had chain mail fitted between the cloths. Setting fire arrows aside, it was impossible for plain arrows that had flown from a long distance to penetrate it. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ While settling down on the seat of the carriage, Valeria observed the battle in front intently with the telescope. Against Dimitar and the others who had separated from the party and made their horses go fast in one breath, the thieves who had shot the pre-emptive arrows also threw their bows away, drew their swords and charged this way. As far as she could see from the course of events until now, there seemed to be no thief who could use magic. Immediately after that, screams rose from among the thieves, and several groups of men and horses could be seen being blown off flashily. It was probably Dimitar. Since it was impossible that that cold person would be merciful to the bandits, it was natural that it¡¯d end up like that. Nevertheless, the fact that flashy blood sprays weren¡¯t made might be because he was thinking he shouldn¡¯t dirty the road that a Dominas would be passing through with blood. A few thieves broke through the fighting scene in front and came this way, but even so, they couldn¡¯t pass through the wall that the escort soldiers had created. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s strange¡¹ Thial, who had dealt with an approaching thief with the bow and arrow, which she was skilful at, without drawing her sword, suddenly voiced her doubt. ¡¸What¡¯s strange?¡¹ ¡¸The thieves¡¯ reactions are strange. It¡¯s fine that they came attacking, but they¡¯re bewildered by something¡­ that¡¯s the kind of impression I have¡¹ ¡¸Bewildered¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know clearly either¡¹ Thial shot several arrows in succession while saying so, and all of them hit the thieves. Valeria had also thought about it when she was in Seriba, but when and where in the world did Thial, who was usually serving as the maid of the House of Richternach, hone this skill as a soldier? Volume 6 - CH 2.2 4-5 minutes 10.07.2022 While playing with his long eyelashes with his fingers, Fatih sighed exaggeratedly. ¡¸¡­Far from seeing her true strength, they couldn¡¯t even approach the important Dominas¡­¡¹ ¡¸The ones protecting the party, though imperfect, are the regular soldiers of Ahmad¡¯s army, after all. I don¡¯t know about a surprise attack, but it¡¯s within expectations that it¡¯ll end up like this if they fought head-on¡¹ ¡¸Hahan?¡¹ Fatih, who was looking down at the one-sided battle below his eyes from the edge of the cliff, widened his eyes at those words and looked back at his older sister. ¡¸¡ªLook here, though it¡¯s stingy if I say it like this, I distributed quite a bit of small change to instigate those guys, you know? All of that was in vain, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸It wasn¡¯t entirely useless. Though a few, there are things that I¡¯ve understood¡¹ Pushing up her spectacles, Galarina analysed indifferently. ¡¸¡ªFirstly, this reverence that the people of Romarikku have for the Dominas is beyond my imagination. Those guys, who would commit cold-blooded robbery drama remorselessly if it were usual, cowered and became unable to act properly as soon as they realised that the other party was the Dominas¡¯s party. Setting whether it¡¯s faith that lies in the core or the fear of the fighting strength that is a Dominas aside, I¡¯ve understood that it¡¯s not simple to make the people of Romarikku eliminate a Dominas¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s all?¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing, that exclusive Hiera Glaphicos is troublesome. Though the ability of the Dominas herself is still unknown, he might possibly be even more difficult to deal with than the Dominas. It¡¯s probably wiser not to antagonize him¡¹ ¡¸Well, he¡¯s most likely going easy on them¡¹ Fatih, who had nodded with a ¡°un un¡±, narrowed his eyes with a smile of satisfaction and shook the kiseru. ¡¸¡­Nevertheless, he¡¯s a cute child. I¡¯ve taken a liking to him¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re at liberty to take a liking to him, but it¡¯s impossible to bring him back with us to our country¡¹ ¡¸Wait a minute! Why? Why is it impossible?¡¹ ¡¸The name of that Hiera Glaphicos is Dimitar Richternach¡­ he¡¯s a person from that famous House of Richternach¡¹ ¡¸Richternach? The ¡°Witch of Sunlight¡±?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s impossible that the relative of Ahmad¡¯s first-class important person will change sides so easily. If we¡¯re going to eliminate him, we can only kill him¡¹ ¡¸My goodness¡­ isn¡¯t that too much of a waste!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Like I said, stop twisting and turning like that. It¡¯s seriously unpleasant when you do that¡¹ While the tall and thin cross-dresser was twisting his body, the battle in the valley seemed to have come to an end already. The thieves had realised their own defeat, dragged the wounded along and fled; on the other side, the Dominas¡¯s party arranged their formation and then advanced as if nothing had happened without pursuing them intentionally. Playing with his flashily coloured hair, Fatih spoke. ¡¸¡ªSo, what should we do, Nee-san?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m returning to the town¡¹ ¡¸As for that, though you¡¯re returning to the town, you seem to want to say that there¡¯s another task?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s absolutely necessary to silence those guys who had escaped just now. ¡ªSooner or later, the fact that the Dominas¡¯s party had received the attack of the thieves while travelling will be found out even if we¡¯re reluctant. Naturally, constables are expected to be dispatched. If those guys are easily caught and the testimony that they were requested by a male transvestite with a huge frame to attack the party appears, it¡¯ll become troublesome in the future¡¹ ¡¸¡­I¡¯ve said this many times, but can you stop using the expression ¡°huge¡±? I¡¯m just a little big¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not a little. It¡¯s quite¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a little!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Never mind that, go and deal with the aftermath quickly. You¡¯re really inefficient because you¡¯re always engaging in idle talk¡¹ ¡¸Guhe¡­ then, I¡¯ll borrow a few people¡¹ When Fatih, who had licked his lips lightly, selected several people from among the men waiting at the back in silence, he left with a swiftness that gave one the impression that he was just like a leopard or something in the face of the poorness of the footing. Volume 6 - CH 2.3 15-19 minutes 29.07.2022 It was about six hours after Valeria¡¯s party had received the attack of the thieves that the people who had been sent to meet them from Romarikku appeared in front of them. The party had already passed through the valley and was advancing on open land. As it was the time when the sun was hanging over the ridgeline of the western mountain, if one were to say that it was as planned, then it was certainly as planned; however, considering that they got a messenger to go ahead regarding the attack a short while ago, it might be possible to say that the response was slow. Normally, one would rush to Valeria¡¯s side even if they had to move the schedule forward. However, seeing an extremely out-of-place-looking man at the front of the stationing troops that had come to receive them, Dimitar somehow fully understood. ¡¸Don¡¯t start talking of your own accord, all right?¡¹ Dimitar whispered to Valeria quietly. ¡¸That man at the front¡¹ ¡¸Which one? There are two people¡¹ ¡¸The one in military uniform is most likely the commanding officer of Romarikku¡¯s garrison. If I remember correctly, he¡¯s called ¡°Yumir Pancev¡± or something. Well, he doesn¡¯t matter. The man who isn¡¯t in military uniform, that¡¯s probably the margrave¡¹ ¡¸The prefectural governor?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡­He probably heard that you were attacked and hurriedly came to inquire after your safety¡¹ ¡¸The reception was late because of that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably like that. ¡­As for positions, though he¡¯s Romarikku¡¯s prefectural governor, yours is higher. Don¡¯t greet the other party first¡¹ ¡¸Un, understood¡¹ Although Dimitar himself thought it was ridiculous, dignity was necessary for a Dominas. In a region like Romarikku especially, they must clearly show that the Dominas¡¯s position was higher than that of the prefectural governor, who governed the politics of this world. ¡¸W-w, we¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡¹ When the man, who had come down from his horse as if he was going to fall off, came to the side of the carriage that Valeria was on at a run, he went down on his knees on the spot and bowed respectfully. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m Romarikku¡¯s hereditary prefectural governor, Gavrilo Alija Dzeco. I heard that Costacurta-geika¡¯s party was attacked by insolent thieves, and in order to ascertain Your Eminence¡¯s safety with my own eyes first, I led the troops and came hurriedly¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s, thank you for your hard work¡¹ Valeria bowed sluggishly, looking slightly tense. Although it was unacceptable that her voice seemed to have cracked, it probably looked like magnanimous behaviour from an outsider¡¯s perspective. ¡¸Our Romarikku¡¯s garrison will take over as guards from here, so please be at ease and leave everything to us¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m thankful for your consideration¡¹ ¡¸Such kind words¡­ come come, Pancev-dono, if you would, please¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Receiving Dzeco¡¯s order, the soldier with a manly beard gave a command to the garrison. The soldiers, who had come from Romarikku, changed direction and arranged a battle formation in order to further protect the party, including the military escorts. If it was this number, even in the worst case, they probably wouldn¡¯t receive an attack from thieves any more. ¡¸¡ªDimitar-sama¡¹ Immediately after the party started to move again, Thial, who had been standing by at a place slightly distant from Valeria¡¯s carriage, caught up with Dimitar. ¡¸The attack just now, what do you think of it?¡¹ ¡¸If you think about it simply, it means that the public order of this region is becoming worse to that extent¡­ but even so, those guys just now were strange in some way¡¹ Dimitar looked at Dzeco with a sidelong glance. Across the carriage, on the opposite side of Dimitar and Thial, Dzeco was addressing this and that to Valeria while wiping his sweat with a beaming smile. Although Valeria was already looking fed-up, this was also one of the Dominas¡¯s duties. ¡¸¡­Seeing him like that, he doesn¡¯t look like a man who is descended from Romarikku¡¯s royal family¡¹ ¡¸As I¡¯m ignorant of the ways of the world, I¡¯m not very knowledgeable, but is the prefectural governor of Romarikku that special?¡¹ ¡¸Excluding the Great Gods of Heaven and Earth OfficialPatriarca Mayor, which the king served as concurrently, only the prefectural governor of Romarikku is an important post that is allowed to be hereditary in Ahmad. If one were to say that it¡¯s special, then it¡¯s certainly special¡¹ ¡¸Why is it such a special case?¡¹ ¡¸Do you know the details of the annexation of Romarikku?¡¹ ¡¸More or less¡¹ One hundred and fifty years ago, with the rebellion against the oppressive rule of the Romarikku¡¯s royal family as a start, the country lapsed into chaos, and after the royal family was overthrown, multiple powers competed with each other over the throne, which had become vacant, and Romarikku approached the crisis of being divided. Ahmad, which had seen that as a good opportunity, nominated Blanco Alija Dzeco, who was from the branch of the Romarikku¡¯s royal family, as its leader and dispatched a large army on the pretext of aiding the reunification of Romarikku. ¡¸Though it seems to be historically called the ¡°Rebellion of the Seven Kings¡± or something, Ahmad supported Blanco, defeated the other royalties successively and then gained total control of the capital city Romarikku. Afterwards, Ahmad, which had succeeded in the internal reunification shortly, annexed Romarikku in the form of receiving an abdication from the new king Blanco, but it didn¡¯t mean that all its citizens accepted that¡¹ Although one might call it ¡°abdication¡± or ¡°annexation¡±, the reality was something similar to the usurpation of the country, where the royalty from the branch was utilised as a puppet. Nevertheless, the fact that a rebellion didn¡¯t occur after the annexation was probably because of one thing, the influence of the Romarikku¡¯s Dominas. Staring fixedly at the twilight which came creeping quietly, Dimitar narrowed his eyes. ¡¸¡ªThough Ahmad, which had obtained a puppet called Blanco, had the military strength to simply subjugate the whole country of Romarikku, it was weak in the sense of winning the people¡¯s hearts and minds. Therefore, Ahmad exerted influence on the Romarikku¡¯s Dominas at that time, Jelena, and obtained her support for Blanco and Ahmad¡¹ ¡¸If there was the support of the Dominas who was universally loved by the citizens, the antagonism towards Ahmad would also subside¡­ is that what you mean?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. ¡­Jelena most likely must have realised that Blanco was Ahmad¡¯s puppet and also understood that the way things stood, Romarikku might be annexed. However, in order to subjugate the inside of the country promptly and regain the peaceful lives of the people, she could only borrow Ahmad¡¯s overwhelming military strength and make the old royalties holding their grounds in various places surrender in one breath¡¹ In the end, rather than letting the corrupt royal family live long and prolonging the people¡¯s sufferings, Jelena chose the side of people obtaining peaceful lives even if her motherland became a part of Ahmad. ¡¸¡ªThe new king Blanco and Jelena, who was more adored by the citizens than him; due to the two people pledging allegiance to Ahmad all together, the annexation of Romarikku materialised¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t any problem occur?¡¹ ¡¸There were probably quite a number of people who were dissatisfied with the annexation, but at the very least, it seemed that something like dissatisfaction erupting in the form of seeing blood didn¡¯t happen. Besides, Ahmad also didn¡¯t leave it as it was and took this and that measures to pacify the Romarikku¡¯s citizens. One of them was the ¡°Margrave¡±¡¹ Blanco, who had abdicated the throne of Romarikku, took a daughter of the Ahmad¡¯s king as his wife, became the relative of the Ahmad¡¯s royal family by marriage and governed the province of Romarikku as the prefectural governor like that. Since then, Blanco¡¯s descendants, who had been governing Romarikku for generations, came to be commonly called the ¡°Margrave¡± because of the area of the region they ruled. ¡¸Only Romarikku is allowed such a way of governing. Since they understand that Ahmad¡¯s government is paying attention to Romarikku, and this also appeals to the pride of the people here, they turn a blind eye to some of the dissatisfaction. Besides, it¡¯s a fact that the current politics are much better than those at the closing years of the old Romarikku¡¯s royal family¡¹ Hitting the nape of his neck, Dimitar shifted his gaze. Beyond the twilight which was closing in gradually, countless fires could be seen faintly. Those were probably watch fires, which were lit in preparation for the night watch, lining up here and there on top of the jet-black silhouette of the rampart. The vast number of red light spots was eloquent of the hugeness of the town called Romarikku. ¡¸Oh, we can see it!¡¹ Pointing at the distant view of Romarikku, Dzeco spoke somewhat excitedly. If one strained their ears, they could hear metallic sounds overlapping repeatedly. Without a doubt, those were most likely the sounds of various blacksmiths swinging their hammers in front of the furnaces. Dimitar heard that there were more blacksmith shops in Romarikku, which was abounded with mineral resources, than in Roma. ¡¸The population of Romarikku¡¯s civilians is more than ninety thousand, and the military forces that are always stationed in Romarikku are ten thousand¡ªa large city in which more than one hundred thousand people reside permanently, even if one surveys the whole country of Ahmad, there aren¡¯t so many of them. They¡¯re most likely Roma, Surogu and Ryuban, and Romarikku should come after them. In addition, this town, possessing the continent¡¯s leading iron ore deposit, is also an important place for having authority over Garumani in the east, where the political situation is unstable, and the cunning Vito¡¹ ¡¸Are Romarikku¡¯s governors like that¡ª¡¹ Thial murmured, looking astonished in some respects. ¡¸Well, he seems to be affable, and his lineage is also seemingly good¡¹ Perhaps it was because the town wasn¡¯t built in the front line, although the ramparts were high and strong, there was no moat around Romarikku. From the large gate that was left open towards the west, soldiers holding ceremonial staffs up high were lined up along the wide highway. The party, which had weaved its way between that and passed through the gate, was greeted exuberantly by the Romarikku¡¯s citizens. Countless people were crowding the main street to catch a glimpse of the new Dominas who had come here for the first time in nine years. The faces of curious people were also sticking out from the second storeys of the private houses along the road, and they were scattering beautiful petals, which were probably prepared during daytime, on top of the party. ¡¸¡­As one would expect, I¡¯ve got used to this, huh¡¹ Valeria continued waving her hand smilingly in response to the voices of the people who were calling out her own name. Her experience from her debut in Roma seemed to have been put to good use properly. While receiving the enthusiastic welcome of the Romarikku¡¯s citizens, the party soon arrived at the town hall, which was roughly located in the centre of the large town. It was said that the royal palace of the old Kingdom of Romarikku once existed here, but it was destroyed at the time of the rebellion one hundred and fifty years ago, and afterwards, when Romarikku was annexed, it was never rebuilt, and this town hall was built instead of it. ¡¸Welcome, Costacurta-geika¡¹ Appearing from the inside of the town hall and greeting everyone were a beautiful girl, who seemed to be younger than Valeria, and a young man, who was humbling himself beside her. ¡¸They¡¯re my only daughter, Jelena, and a houseboy of my house, Nacho Puyol¡¹ Dzeco introduced the two people immediately. Jelena, who was wearing a luxurious dress fitting for the only daughter of the ¡°Margrave¡±, stared at Valeria with extremely shining eyes and bowed respectfully, but that gaze of hers felt as if it was expressing something dauntless, and Dimitar felt a slight sense of discomfort. ¡¸Jelena-jou¡¯s name, is it the name of the Romarikku¡¯s Dominas by any chance¡ª¡¹ Perhaps she had been studying properly beforehand, Valeria spoke of that topic before she was poked by Dimitar with the elbow. ¡¸Yes, yes. Though it¡¯s lacking due respect, I had named her after the Dominas-sama who had once saved this country. It¡¯s embarrassing that she completely fails to live up to her name though¡­¡¹ ¡¸Otou-sama, why don¡¯t you leave that kind of talk until later and guide Her Eminence and her attendants inside first?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s right. ¡ªCome come, Your Eminence, this way¡¹ Guided by Dzeco and the others, Valeria and her attendants entered the town hall. As might be expected from presiding over a one-hundred-thousand-people-class large city, the town hall of Romarikku was considerably vast even if it wasn¡¯t to the extent of the former royal palace. The overly ornamental armours that lined up in a row along the corridor seemed to be directly expressing the forte of the town called Romarikku, which produced a lot of iron ore and prided itself on advanced cast iron technology at the same time. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Valeria, who was walking after the prefectural governor and his child, glanced at Dimitar over her shoulder. Dimitar quickened his steps in a casual manner, stuck closely and diagonally behind Valeria and asked in a low voice. ¡¸¡­What do you want?¡¹ ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you take the hint and help me!?¡¹ While lowering her voice, Valeria glared up at Dimitar and spoke bitterly. ¡¸What are you talking about?¡¹ ¡¸I was made to listen endlessly to that pompous prefectural governor boasting about his country, you know!? Can¡¯t you take the hint and intervene or something like that?¡¹ ¡¸Is the prefectural governor¡¯s talk so boring?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than boring, his talk is¡­ how should I say, um¡ªI can¡¯t say it well¡¹ Dimitar looked down at Valeria, who was speaking ambiguously and unintelligibly, and shifted his gaze to Dzeco¡¯s back. ¡¸¡­Well, despite being timid, that man seems to talk very fluently. It¡¯s said that he also has the resourcefulness of a merchant¡¹ ¡¸Really, it¡¯s tiring to give responses to everything as well¡¹ Valeria dropped her shoulders with a sigh and looked around her again. ¡¸¡­Nevertheless, the town hall here is really vast¡¹ ¡¸Although it¡¯s called the town hall, it doesn¡¯t control this town only. Since this place presides over the whole province of Romarikku, one can also say that it¡¯s the provincial government building at the same time. In addition, it also serves both the roles of the headquarters of the army and the residence of the prefectural governor, so it probably has to be that huge. ¡ªIncidentally, the detached guest house where we¡¯ll be staying was the palace that the Romarikku¡¯s Dominas once lived in, which was dismantled and reconstructed here and then refurbished¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Isn¡¯t this the first time you come here?¡¹ ¡¸This is the first time I come here, but I¡¯ve grasped its general structure. After all, I checked the blueprints of this place before departure and kept them in my mind¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re thoroughly prepared as ever¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s my job. And your job is to smilingly make yourself pleasant to the people of this land. Naturally, the prefectural governor is also included among them. Don¡¯t make complaints such as having stiff shoulders or getting tired immediately after you arrived¡¹ Dimitar severely gave Valeria a warning and then whispered to Bettina and Thial, who were following behind. ¡¸¡ªI don¡¯t think there are particularly any miscreants who will strike our Eminence directly, but this town is near Bigelow, so there are also many barbarian believers who go in and out of the town for the sake of business. Don¡¯t relax your attention, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ When Dimitar turned his gaze back to the front, his eyes met Jelena¡¯s. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Although her strong gaze, which seemed to be challenging him, turned towards the front immediately, it was naturally understood from merely that instant just now that the girl wasn¡¯t simply a girl who had led a sheltered life. At the very least, she didn¡¯t seem like a carefully raised girl from a well-to-do family who did reading and embroidery as her hobbies. ¡¸A weak-willed father who is always timid and his extremely impudent and strong-willed only daughter, huh¡ª¡¹ It looked like there were many things that must be recorded in various reports after he returned to Roma; Dimitar sighed to himself inside his mind. Volume 6 - CH 2.4 11-14 minutes 30.08.2022 At almost the same time as that, Isaac, who had given Quique Albiol a new workshop and an enormous budget and had him start on the mass production of the magic motion swordsEspada Marefika on a full scale, was beginning the remodelling of the ¡°Knights¡¯ Room¡± inside the royal palace. Originally, the Knights¡¯ Room was a spacious room prepared for the investiture ceremony of the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis, and it was hardly used for other purposes. Isaac would accept a private audience or generally be pleased with arranging the roses he had cultivated in a vase here often, but even so, their frequencies were a few times in a year. Many craftsmen had been entering that spacious room, which was hard to say had been put to practical use much, since yesterday. Its luxurious interior was removed on Isaac¡¯s instructions, and instead, many long wooden boards with exquisite carvings were carried in. ¡¸¡ªYour Highness, could you kindly tell me soon?¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ Isaac, who had a round table prepared in the wide corridor and was watching the craftsmen going in and out while drinking black tea there, tilted his head to the side at the question of Lucius, who was present. ¡¸Tell you what?¡¹ ¡¸The reason for this construction work. Judging from the wood that is being carried in, it seems that you¡¯re intending to have some big furniture installed¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m thinking of ordering bookshelves, you see¡¹ ¡¸Bookshelves¡­ is it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going to turn this spacious room into my library¡¹ ¡¸Your Highness is certainly an avid reader, but¡ª¡¹ Even when he was acting as the leader of the Seal Chivalric Order, Isaac would always carry several books on him and then read them at his destination. Even if they were mostly gardening books related to the cultivation of roses, it was probably impossible to find fault with the assessment of him being an avid reader. ¡¸Those are books for recreation. I¡¯m not going to move the books in my room here in particular. If so, I won¡¯t need a library this big¡¹ ¡¸Then what kind of books¡­?¡¹ ¡¸At present, I intend to gather mainly books related to crest magicHiera Marefika¡¹ Putting almonds and cashew nuts dipped in honey into his mouth, Isaac smiled proudly in some respects. ¡¸¡ªOf course, as far as a collection site of knowledge related to such magic goes, our country already has the Royal Magic AcademyPrasa Marefikos. The scale of the library there is one of the greatest in the continent, and the collection of books is enormous too. However, since I¡¯m going to proceed with the mass production of the magic motion sword from now on, I believe that it¡¯s necessary to prepare a collection site of knowledge here in advance as well. When all is said and done, I¡¯m the one spearheading it¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ Honestly, it seemed unexpected for Lucius that Isaac would think of such a thing and then put it into effect without even consulting him at all. Although this comment was bad, even if he thought of such a thing, if it was the previous Isaac, he was bound to leave all the affairs to Lucius. ¡¸¡ªBesides, there are that many magic warriors being attached to the Ahmad¡¯s army, so it¡¯s strange that there¡¯s no library that they can use freely at any time. The fact that we have to receive the assistance of the magic academy whenever something happens, from the standpoint of the minister for military affairs for example, is very unpleasant¡¹ ¡¸Is Your Highness¡ªI apologise if it¡¯s my misunderstanding¡ªthinking of reducing the influence of the magic academy on the army?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand, but I have nothing against your mother. However, it¡¯s a fact that I think the power of the magic academy is too strong¡¹ Stirring the contents of the teacup with a silver spoon, Isaac continued. ¡¸It¡¯s fine that the magic academy is managing the system for educating and nurturing the Dominas candidates. A consistent education from childhood is necessary for the training of a Dominas, and I¡¯m not thinking of doing that here. I also have no complaints about the magic academy managing the non-governmental magic warriors. Rather, I don¡¯t want to take charge of them to that extent¡¹ ¡¸Then¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The fact that even the magic warriors belonging to the army and the chivalric order are under the management of the magic academy, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s not very good for our country, which possesses an enormous magic war potential that can¡¯t be disregarded? At the very least, the current system where one can¡¯t become a magic warrior unless they have the approval of the magic academy, I think it¡¯s necessary to make changes to it in the near future¡¹ In Ahmad, for the sake of managing the magic warriors within the country, only people who had received the examination of the magic academy and were deemed to have the qualifications were given the permission to draw magic crestsHieratika on their skins. Moreover, the Hiera Glaphicos drawing those magic crests themselves, without a single exception, belonged to the magic academy. That was to say, in Ahmad, one couldn¡¯t become a magic warrior unless they had the permission of the magic academy, and regarding the restoration and adjustment of the magic crests, they also had to get help from the Hiera Glaphicos belonging to the magic academy. Whether they were soldiers or civilians, as long as they were magic warriors, they couldn¡¯t get away from under the management of the magic academy. ¡¸At the very least, I believe that the magic warriors working in the army should be nurtured by the army to the end. To be trained by the army and be looked after by the army¡ªI want to make it into such a natural structure¡¹ If Isaac, who was the crown prince, said that he wanted to do so, then it could be said that it was already a matter that had been decided. After all, Isaac would eventually become King Jeffren XII and administer the politics; at the same time, he¡¯d also stand at the top of the religious world as the Great Gods of Heaven and Earth Official. ¡¸Building my library here is the first step for that, I guess?¡¹ Isaac said so and reached for the refill of black tea that the page had brewed. ¡¸¡ªOh, yes, I remember that¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Can you go to Villanova for a while?¡¹ ¡¸Villanova? Is it by any chance the House of Valiente¡ª¡¹ ¡¸As one would expect, your conjecture is good, Lucius-kun. Since the cleaning up of the mansion is mostly finished, I want you to collect the remaining collection of books that wasn¡¯t burnt¡¹ Due to the recent matter in Villanova, the head of the House of Valiente, Dante, was incarcerated, and his mansion, secondary residence and all of his various other assets had been placed under the management of Ahmad. Isaac¡¯s intention was to collect the valuable books related to magic from among them and then housed them in his own library. ¡¸If it¡¯s the library of Dante Valiente who had been secretly advancing the research of magic motion swords, I think it¡¯ll have plenty of such books as well. But unfortunately, I have no magic talent¡¹ ¡¸Understood. ¡ªThen, is it all right if I bring a few people from ¡°Blue Right Hand¡±Dextra Blau along for work?¡¹ ¡¸Of course it¡¯s all right, but incidentally, who do you intend to bring along?¡¹ ¡¸First, Saforcada-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Hee?¡¹ ¡¸In my eyes, Saforcada-kyou¡¯s magic talent is the best within the group. Regarding knowledge in particular, he seems to be quite well-versed¡¹ ¡¸That excellent? How is he when compared to you?¡¹ Lucius, who was suddenly asked something that was difficult to answer, simply showed a faint smile and let it pass. ¡¸He was probably taught by a very outstanding private tutor. Though his combat aspect is still uncertain, if it¡¯s a work that requires knowledge like this time, I believe that Saforcada-kyou will be of more use than me¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s this sort of work, huh¡­¡¹ Letting out a chuckle, Isaac nodded greatly. ¡¸¡ªThat¡¯s enough, you don¡¯t have to go out of your way to give your respects to me when you depart, so can you depart as soon as possible? Since I¡¯ll have the construction work here finish in one week, I¡¯d like you all to come back by then as well¡¹ ¡¸Certainly¡¹ Lucius put his cup down, bowed to Isaac and started walking. ¡°Speaking of which, is Dimitar carrying out his mission well on the other side?¡± Narrowing his eyes at the sunlight shining in through the window, Lucius suddenly thought of such a thing. ¡¸¡ªVice-Leader-dono!¡¹ In less than thirty minutes after Lucius had summoned him, Angel Saforcada appeared at the stable. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for being late¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not late in particular. I should have told you to come in one hour though¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes, I¡¯m sorry¡¹ Angel¡¯s face had become red, and he bowed repeatedly while gasping for air lightly. Lucius thought not only his magic talent but also this seriousness and dedication to his mission were hard to come by. ¡¸We¡¯ll depart immediately when Hazard-kyou comes¡¹ ¡¸I heard that we¡¯ll be heading for Villanova, but what kind of mission is it this time?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s an important mission, but at least it¡¯s not one where you¡¯ll see blood¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ though saying such a thing is somewhat inappropriate, I feel relieved a little¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯d be helpful if every time is like this though¡¹ Lucius unconsciously smiled wryly at Angel, who had openly shown an expression of relief, and placed his hand on the saddle of the horse that he had the attendant prepare. ¡¸Vice-Leader¡¹ ¡¸Hi, Hazard-kyou. Thank you for your hard work¡¹ ¡¸This is going to have lingering effects forever. It¡¯d be good if it¡¯ll be settled with this¡¹ As one would expect, Hazard-kyou, who had arrived slightly later than Angel, seemed to have guessed the details of the mission to a certain extent just from hearing that it was a journey to Villanova. Lucius straddled his horse at once and departed from the royal palace, accompanied by Angel and Hazard-kyou. It was about two full days¡¯ distance if one went to Villanova from Roma by carriage, but if they also included the course of starting work after going to the royal capital Bruan, loading the books they had selected on a cart and then bringing them back, they had no time to take it easy since they were ordered to finish within a week. While urging his horse on towards the west single-mindedly, Lucius explained the mission this time to the two people. ¡¸We¡¯ll select things related to crest magic from among the collection of books that was seized in the mansion of Villanova¡¯s former deputy prime minister, Dante Valiente, and bring them back to Roma¡¹ ¡¸Why are we doing such a thing¡­ is it all right to ask that?¡¹ ¡¸His Highness seems to be building his own library. He judged that it¡¯s better to have another library besides the one established as an annex of the magic academy, a collection of books that the people from the chivalric order and army can peruse freely¡¹ Why Isaac had come to judge so, Lucius didn¡¯t say. Isaac, who had been weakening the economic strength of the great nobles with all sorts of methods until now, was thinking of reducing the influence of the magic academy this time¡ªin order to make the royal family¡¯s ruling system more firm, it might be a correct judgement in its own way. However, Lucius couldn¡¯t quite understand Isaac¡¯s thought of readily disclosing such an important plan to none other than the biological son of the head director of the magic academy. Did he not think he¡¯d tell his mother, or did he believe that Lucius would keep a secret; or perhaps from the beginning, did he disclose it after assuming that it¡¯d be conveyed to Orvieto through Lucius? In any case, Lucius couldn¡¯t help but feel that Isaac might be testing him. ¡¸¡­Vice-Leader-dono?¡¹ When Lucius suddenly realised, Angel had lined his horse up right next to him and was looking up at him. ¡¸No, it¡¯s nothing. More importantly, His Highness¡¯s order is to return in one week. Let¡¯s speed up a bit more. ¡ªHazard-kyou, is that all right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Quickening their horses¡¯ pace further, Lucius¡¯s party hurried on their way straight for Villanova. Volume 6 - CH 2.5 7-9 minutes 12.09.2022 Dimitar slipped out of the party venue, went down the big staircase and headed towards the entrance hall. Shortly after arriving at Romarikku, a party where the important people of the town were gathered was held in a large hall of the town hall to thank Valeria for traveling from Roma and to welcome her. ¡ªThat was the mere official stance; in reality, it was more correct to say that it was for the sake of the important people of the town rather than for the sake of Valeria. After all, for the people living in Romarikku, they couldn¡¯t meet a real Dominas unless there was such an opportunity. Dimitar, who had passed through the entrance hall in the direction opposite to the approach and come out to a wide courtyard, looked up at the balcony where boisterously noisy laughter could be heard; he then imagined the awkward smile the girl was probably showing and smiled wryly. ¡¸Though this isn¡¯t the original purpose, this is also the duty of a Dominas¡¹ Naturally, the Romarikku supporters who had been sending enormous donations year in, year out were an important existence for Valeria, but if she had to say her true feelings, the ones whom she should truly thank probably weren¡¯t the wealthy merchants who possessed all too much money but the ordinary people who scraped up donations from the course of their daily modest lives. If one had to say, then this was a charade for the sake of flattering the rich people¡¯s pride. I¡¯ve met the Dominas directly and spoken to her¡ªsuch an experience would loosen their purse strings, and this would improve the collection of donations from next year onwards. ¡°Do your best to the utmost.¡± Cheering for her in his mind, Dimitar surveyed the courtyard. In the green courtyard where watch fires were burning here and there and popping sounds of pieces of firewood resounded refreshingly, soldiers carrying spears in their hands were lining up orderly and taking up guard duty. Naturally, there were figures of soldiers at not just this courtyard but also the approach to the water fountain and the balcony. Even though the party was being held nearby, there was no sign of them slacking off at all. As one would expect, the proficiency of Romarriku¡¯s garrison seemed to be high. Spotting a man standing stiffly at attention at the side of the pond, Dimitar walked up to him while bowing lightly. ¡¸Pancev-kyou¡¹ ¡¸¡­What is it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve heard rumours about you since long ago¡­ from Garrido-kyou¡¹ Dimitar began to talk in a low voice and observed the other party¡¯s reaction. If Gavrilo Alija Dzeco was at the top position of Romarikku¡¯s civil administration, then the one at the top position of the military administration was this Yumir Pancev. According to what he had investigated beforehand, Pancev originally came from Romarikku; it was said that he spent the majority of his military career in Roma and came back here as the commanding officer of the garrison about five years ago. Perhaps it was because he mentioned the name of Garrido-kyou, it felt as if Pancev¡¯s expression, which had always been stern, softened somewhat. ¡¸Garrido-kyou, huh¡­ how nostalgic. Is His Excellency still in good health?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Even now, he often does sword training with His Majesty the King. I was told that even at the time of the Heidelauta¡¯s civil war some time ago, he had personally led an army and gone to reinforce Isaac-denka¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ that¡¯s indeed typical of His Excellency¡¹ Pancev-kyou¡¯s features, which were covered by his moustache, became softer into a small smile, and he nodded many times. Pancev-kyou was most likely on friendly terms with Garrido-kyou in his own way. That being the case, it didn¡¯t seem that there¡¯d be a big problem in his temperament. Whether he was a devout God believer or not apart, his loyalty to Romarikku should be deep. ¡¸¡ªIncidentally, are there many riots and crimes caused by barbarian believers in this Romarikku? Though I¡¯m looking forward to the abilities of the people from the garrison such as Pancev-kyou, it¡¯s also my duty to grasp things like that in advance to protect Her Eminence¡­¡¹ ¡¸People who commit a crime are neither God believers nor barbarian believers. At least, in this town, that is¡¹ Pancev sighed slightly and invited Dimitar to a small arbour. ¡¸¡­There are certainly many barbarian believers coming into Romarikku. However, the majority of them, needless to say disturbing the order of this town, probably aren¡¯t thinking of harming Her Eminence at all. They¡¯re simply coming to seek wealth¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that it was such a town since the olden days¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Romarikku is a town of God believers, and Ahmad is a country of God believers. As long as they accept that and don¡¯t behave in a way that will disturb our tranquillity, this town won¡¯t prohibit them from doing business. It¡¯s because they¡¯re also aware of it that they¡¯ll not cause any disturbance intentionally¡¹ When the two people sat down on the bench in the arbour, a thoughtful maid brought a decanter filled with wine and glasses to them. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s right, this wine was also brought from the other side of the mountain¡¹ Pancev gulped down the wine lightly and spoke. ¡¸Such things bring large wealth to both the God believers and the barbarian believers of Romarikku¡­ there are no idiots who would intentionally try to cause a disturbance in this town, knowing that that wealth would be lost¡¹ There were, of course, crimes. Thieves and bandits made frequent appearances on the outskirts of the town, and as a matter of fact, Valeria¡¯s party also did encounter them. It was also a fact that one of the underlying causes of such a deterioration of public order was due to the influx of the southern people. ¡°However¡ª,¡± Pancev declared. ¡¸That has particularly nothing to do with religion. No matter what kind of god they believe in, a bad person is a bad person, and a good person is a good person. And the people living in this town are mostly good people¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ With this, Dimitar had roughly understood what kind of person Pancev was. He was, of course, loyal to Ahmad and was also attached to Romarikku, which was his hometown. However, he was feeling uncomfortable with the difference in policy between the country and the town; Ahmad wouldn¡¯t recognise the barbarian believers at all, and Romarikku possessed the flexibility to recognise them because of utilitarianism. If he was pressed to choose either one, he¡¯d without doubt be at a loss for an answer and stood stock-still. Given that he was serious by nature, it seemed that he¡¯d continue to drag out that question for a long time. Dimitar emptied his glass and stood up. ¡¸¡ªI shall return to the personal protection of Her Eminence soon. Thank you very much for the valuable talk¡¹ ¡¸No, not at all¡¹ ¡¸Bye then¡¹ Dimitar bowed courteously and headed for the entrance hall. Pancev¡¯s way of thinking was most likely typical for the people of this town. They believed in Reduntra and prayed to Him, but at the same time, they made the national policy of not recognising the barbarian believers their official stance and obtained a great deal of profits. That was normal for the people of this town. Dimitar, who had gone up the big staircase and returned to the party venue, received the intense gaze of Valeria, who had observantly noticed him inside a crowd of people, and shrugged his shoulders secretly. Perhaps after the party had ended, she¡¯d without doubt make a complaint like ¡¸Why did you leave me alone!?¡¹. End of Chapter 2 Volume 6 - CH 3.1 A Town of Hammers and Merchants Originally, several mines that produced iron ores existed in Ahmad, and with that as its support, it had been producing weapons, armours, horse gears, and the like in large quantities. The horses that were raised comfortably in vast plains and such equipment created Ahmad¡¯s cavalry corps, which was famed for being the strongest in the continent. However, when time passed and the decline in production of iron ores became apparent, Ahmad then had its eye on the abundant mine resources of its neighbouring country, Romarikku, instead. Approximately one century after the stratagem battle that was devised in order to take possession of all of them ended in failure¡ªAhmad took advantage of the ¡°Rebellion of the Seven Kings¡± and obtained its heart¡¯s desire, Romarriku. One hundred and fifty years after that, Ahmad¡¯s military strength became more and more firm, and it also achieved rapid progress in fields other than the military aspect, such as the development of agricultural machinery and equipment and the improvement in the blacksmiths¡¯ techniques. The practice of bathing hadn¡¯t taken root in her motherland on the south side of the mountain. In the southern countries which had many arid regions where dusty winds blew, it was troublesome to procure clean water, so they didn¡¯t get inside bathtub filled with hot water; they preferred steam bath, where they¡¯d splash water on hot, heated stones, then fill the bathroom with the steam that was produced and stimulate perspiration inside that, more. However, Galarina herself liked soaking in tepid water for a long time more than a steam bath. She didn¡¯t know which was healthier, but because books would absorb moisture and be spoilt immediately, she disliked the steam bath. Moreover, carrying the bathtub out to the balcony in the summer night, then bathing while being blown by the night wind¡ªthough she felt sorry for the maids who were made to do the preparations¡ªwas a comfort that couldn¡¯t possibly be experienced in a steam bath. ¡¸¡ªIn the first place, you should at least put your book down when bathing, you know¡¹ Sprinkling the rose petals she had plucked with her hand from above Galarina¡¯s head, Jelena giggled. ¡¸I¡¯ll make good progress with my reading if I do it this way. Or rather, it¡¯s more efficient¡¹ Brushing the petals that had fallen on top of the open book off, Galarina pushed up her spectacles. ¡¸¡­By the way, do these petals have some meaning?¡¹ ¡¸They have no meaning in particular, but they¡¯re pretty and smell nice. ¡­Does Onee-sama dislike them?¡¹ ¡¸I have no reason to actively dislike them¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re using that sort of roundabout way of speaking again¡­¡¹ When Jelena, who had filled the water surface of the bathtub with petals, took off her dressing gown cheerfully and stripped herself naked, she stepped over Galarina¡¯s body and sank into the hot water. ¡¸Jelena, the book will get wet¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, leave your reading until later, Onee-sama¡¹ Jelena took the book away from Galarina, put it beside a lamp and then sat down on Galarina¡¯s knees perfectly. ¡¸Whew. Since Jelena isn¡¯t so heavy, it¡¯s fine, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Intentionally coming into a cramped space, your thought is impossible to understand¡¹ Shrugging her shoulders, Galarina placed both arms on the edges of the bathtub and gazed at the starry sky. ¡¸¡­Whether it¡¯s the south side or the north side of the mountain, there¡¯s no very big difference in the given names of the stars. I think the cultural exchange between the south and the north had probably been going on from quite long ago¡¹ ¡¸No! That sort of difficult topic is uninteresting!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s sufficiently interesting, you know. ¡­Well, it might be quite incomprehensible for you, who has never gone out of this town¡¹ Galarina wiped the lens of her spectacles, which had fogged up slightly because of the steam, with her fingers and stared at the girl¡¯s white back. ¡¸¡­Come to think of it, your back has a strange magic crestHieratika, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸Can you show it to me for a while?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, Onee-sama¡¹ When Jelena held her hair down and swept it from her shoulder to the front, she cast her eyes down and started to focus her consciousness. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ A pale scarlet brilliance was lit on Jelena¡¯s back. A pattern similar to a small flower emerged around her left shoulder blade. ¡¸¡­Whom did you say put this on you?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Jelena¡¯s maternal great-great-grandmother¡¹ ¡¸Great-great-grandmother? How old were you exactly when she put this magic crest on you?¡¹ ¡¸Jelena doesn¡¯t remember, but my great-great-grandmother arbitrarily put it on me when I was still a baby¡­ and since she passed away immediately afterwards, I don¡¯t fully understand why she did such a thing¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean that your great-great-grandmother was a Hiera Glaphicos?¡¹ ¡¸I heard that she worked in the magic academyPrasa Marefikos in Roma during her early days, so that was probably the case, wasn¡¯t it? But since there¡¯s hardly any living person in the family on my mother¡¯s side any more, I¡¯ve never heard the full story¡¹ Jelena¡¯s real mother wasn¡¯t here any more, let alone the family on her mother¡¯s side. Jelena heard that she fell ill and passed away a few years ago. Jelena adoring Galarina like a biological older sister might also be attributed to those circumstances. ¡¸But what¡¯s the matter with this, Onee-sama?¡¹ ¡¸No, I was simply a little curious. My theory is that the ¡°crest magic¡±Hiera Marefika in the north and the ¡°sorcery¡±Fata Malefica in the south are substantially the same thing. That¡¯s why I think there¡¯s no very big difference regarding magic crests as well. However, regarding this magic crest of yours¡ª¡¹ ¡¸No! Onee-sama is going to try to bring it to a difficult topic immediately like that!¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s an interesting topic though¡¹ Galarina, who was splashed in the face with hot water, rested her chin on her hand and looked up at the starry sky again. ¡¸Speaking of magic crest¡­ I want to see the magic crests of the Dominas for reference¡¹ ¡¸Onee-sama, you have bad taste. You want to see the naked body of such a child?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not the naked body. It¡¯s the magic crests, you know, magic crests. ¡ªIn the first place, you call her ¡°that sort of child¡±, but that Dominas is the present head of the House of Costacurta, you know? Speaking of the House of Costacurta, it¡¯s a distant relative of the royal family; it¡¯s an old family that had originally separated from the royal family and has an ancient and honourable origin¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know that sort of thing!¡¹ ¡¸Why do you, who is a person from Ahmad, not know something that I know?¡¹ ¡¸No! In any case, you¡¯re not allowed to praise another child!¡¹ ¡¸I understand, I understand; in any case, stop splashing like that. The hot water will run out immediately¡¹ Jelena, who was wilful and jealous, felt irritating sometimes, but looking at her as a whole, she was lovely. There probably wasn¡¯t any person¡ªGalarina included¡ªwho would feel bad from a beautiful and intelligent girl becoming attached to them. Volume 6 - CH 3.2 Posted on Oct 6, 2022 On the day following her arrival at Romarikku, Valeria Costacurta¡¯s day began from a greeting to the citizens who had exuberantly welcomed her. Setting waving her hand from the balcony aside, expressing her thanks to the people, who had gathered at the plaza in front of the town hall and exceeded ten thousand, for the enormous donations that were sent to Roma whenever there was a taking over might be a self-torment for Valeria, who could by no means be called a smooth talker. After lavishing radiant smiles, once in the morning and the afternoon each with lunch held in between, on close to a total of thirty thousand people, she then visited the soldiers stationed in Romarikku from the evening; it was after the day had completely grown dark that she came back to the guest house. Valeria, who had finished having a meal together with the prefectural governor and his child and come back to her own room, sat down on the bed furnished with a canopy with a thump. ¡¸Ah, I¡¯m so tired¡¹ ¡¸It wasn¡¯t a big deal in particular. You didn¡¯t move so much¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not an issue of moving distance!¡¹ At the few cold words of her subordinate, Valeria, who had sighed exaggeratedly, glared at Dimitar. ¡¸Appearing in front of such a great number of people and giving a speech, and the like, I¡¯m still not accustomed to that sort of thing!¡¹ ¡¸Then get accustomed to it. I¡¯ve also said this before, but slightly difficult religious sermons, research of literature, and the like, those sorts of things are the domains of Babel-geika and Karin-sama; your role, however, is to speak of God in an easy-to-understand manner to the general public¡¹ If he had to add on, then it also wasn¡¯t unusual in Ahmad for Dominas to go to other countries as special diplomatic envoys. For Ahmad¡¯s Dominas, the skill to give a speech fluently in front of the important people from other countries was also indispensable. ¡¸Even if you tell me that¡­¡¹ ¡¸Though you display inconsequential courage in inconsequential situations, you¡¯re a timid person at this sort of thing. Don¡¯t falter with your words and stumble over the pronunciation of the words like you did today during your speech on the day before returning to our country, all right? People will look at you pleasantly in the beginning only¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes yes yes¡¹ Undoing her hair which was done and shaking her head, Valeria paid no special attention to Dimitar¡¯s rebuke, seemingly irritated. ¡¸¡ªNevertheless, from my impression of having spent a day in this way, it didn¡¯t feel like the people of Romarikku have any animosity towards Ahmad¡¹ Although Valeria paid a royal visit to Romarikku in accordance with the custom, one of the objectives was to pacify the citizens of Romarikku, who¡ªshe was told¡ªwere dissatisfied with the central government of Ahmad. ¡¸Now that you mention it, that¡¯s the case. Everyone was giving a warm welcome to Valeria-sama and waving the flags of Ahmad¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because our Eminence is Her Eminence¡¹ ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹ ¡¸To the people of this place, our Eminence is simply a Dominas whom they should worship, and not a person of Ahmad¡¯s government. ¡ªIn reality, when it comes to whether the military escorts from Roma that we had brought along here are being welcomed, the atmosphere doesn¡¯t seem to be like that. There were also instructions from His Majesty to absolutely not let them go out into the town during our stay¡¹ If the soldiers from Ahmad went out into the busy streets of Romarikku, and in the unlikely event that trouble broke out between the citizens of this place and them, the anti-Ahmad movement in Romarikku could flare up with that as a start. The fact that they could only bring soldiers numbering less than fifty along to guard Valeria, who was a shrine maiden on active service, at all was a last resort in order not to stir up the feelings of Romarikku¡¯s citizens as much as possible. Thial, who had gathered in Valeria¡¯s bedroom together with Dimitar and Bettina, murmured in a mild-mannered tone while standing by the window, of which the curtains were drawn aside. ¡¸¡­Certainly, we can fully tell that the townspeople love and respect Valeria-sama, but as far as what sort of feelings they have towards the central government¡ª¡¹ ¡¸But how should we investigate that kind of thing?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll leave that to Thial¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Thial, who had replied matter-of-factly, bowed to Dimitar and the others, and then left the bedroom without any sound of footsteps. Valeria half-rose to her feet and looked at the door, which was closed with a click, and then Dimitar¡¯s face. ¡¸W¡­ eh? What do you mean by leaving it to Thial-san?¡¹ ¡¸I mean exactly as stated though? I completely can¡¯t understand what of the conversational exchange just now could you not understand¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡­ Thial-san is a maid from Lucius-sama¡¯s house, right? As my attendant this time¡ª¡¹ ¡¸An attendant and guard official. ¡­Though if we search for that sort of talented person, then there are others too. If there¡¯s no some other special reason, there¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll intentionally include a maid from the House of Richternach in our party, right?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you brought her along for this purpose?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not for this purpose only. ¡ªThere are also many merchants who cross the mountain and come from Bigelow¡¯s side here. Thial, who can speak Bigelow¡¯s language, will be of use at the critical moment; of course, she¡¯s capable as your attendant too¡¹ ¡¸But isn¡¯t that dangerous¡­?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s Thial, she¡¯ll probably be all right¡¹ Although Dimitar didn¡¯t know where in the world Thial accumulated such training, she could handle a sword and a bow in her own way. Even if the worst-case scenario occurred, if her opponents were the drunks in the downtown area, then there was no way that she couldn¡¯t run away without aggravating the matter at least. ¡¸Anyway, Thial has Thial¡¯s job, and you have your job. Go to sleep soon in preparation for tomorrow. ¡­You too, Gacha Pink¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ Dimitar went out into the corridor together with Bettina, who was polishing the relief on her stomach, and when he had stripped to his waist right after returning to his own room and slipped into the bed, he closed his eyes slowly. If it was necessary for the mission, Dimitar could stay awake for at least three days without a wink of sleep; on the contrary, he could fall asleep unexpectedly at once if he closed his eyes. After all, it was also important to rest when he could during a gruelling mission. And then, Dimitar woke up roughly three hours later and got up slowly. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Dimitar, who would almost certainly never be still half-asleep, got off the bed and changed into pitch-black clothes for both the top and bottom, then hung Jagielka from his waist. It was a time that one might say was already the dead of night. The interior of the guest house had fallen completely silent, and there also weren¡¯t any sounds worth mentioning. Since the people staying here were few despite its size, it was all the more quiet. When Dimitar, who had adjusted his outfit, went out quietly to the balcony late at night, he closed the window behind him. There wasn¡¯t anything moving in particular within Dimitar¡¯s field of vision. ¡ªWhen he was thinking so, noisy running sounds could be heard coming from Valeria¡¯s adjacent room suddenly. ¡¸!?¡¹ Dimitar put his hand on the hilt of Jagielka reflexively and jumped to the adjacent balcony lightly; however, he didn¡¯t draw his sword, and a deep crease was carved on his brow. ¡¸Hey¡ªho, hora! Just as I thought! Just as I thought, it¡¯s like that!¡¹ On the other side of the window, of which the curtains were thrown open, Valeria, who had begun changing halfway, was raising her eyebrows and glaring at Dimitar. ¡¸I, I thought it was strange!¡¹ While wearing the tabard over her bustier hastily and arranging her dishevelled hair by using her fingers as a comb, Valeria opened the window and jumped out to the balcony. ¡¸¡ªConsidering your character, it¡¯s absolutely strange that you¡¯d let Thial-san go and investigate this and that by herself while you yourself remain here and sleep in a carefree manner! Normally, you¡¯d go by yourself, or even if that wasn¡¯t the case, you¡¯d have gone together with her!¡¹ Wearing her hair up, Valeria poked Dimitar angrily in the chest while lowering her voice. ¡¸That¡¯s why I thought you intend to do something by yourself in the middle of the night, keeping it secret from me again!¡¹ ¡¸¡­So you didn¡¯t sleep but had been listening carefully?¡¹ ¡¸E, exactly!¡¹ ¡¸You dozed off many times halfway, right? There are traces of you drooling remaining, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a joke¡¹ Dimitar averted his gaze from Valeria, who wiped her mouth hurriedly, then shook his head and sighed. Even though he was thinking of slipping out of here quietly in the dead of night, it was beyond expectations that he was noticed by Valeria. He might have moved a little too carelessly, thinking he wouldn¡¯t be suspected anyway. ¡¸Though you¡¯re usually slow-witted, your intuition works at unnecessary places¡­¡¹ ¡¸Haa!? Slow©\witted? I¡¯m not particularly slow-witted!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Your voice is too loud¡¹ Dimitar chided the girl, who had begun to flare up, then stroked the nape of his neck and heaved another sigh, and spoke to Valeria despite knowing that it¡¯d be futile. ¡¸¡­This is a top-secret mission that I¡¯ve received directly from His Majesty and His Highness. At present, it has nothing to do with you. Return to your bed immediately¡¹ ¡¸Top-secret mission!? Again!? I never heard about it!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why it¡¯s called top secret¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why, you say, isn¡¯t it strange that it was kept secret from me as well! I¡¯m your superior at the very least!¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it embarrassing to say ¡°at the very least¡± yourself?¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet! In the first place, speaking of His Majesty, on the occasion of the previous mission of guarding the queen as well¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, your voice is too loud. ¡­If even Gacha Pink gets out of bed because of this, it¡¯ll become more and more noisy, and then the mission will be out of the question¡¹ Dimitar frowned and grabbed Valeria¡¯s arm, then kicked the handrail of the balcony and jumped up to the top of the roof. ¡¸U¡­¡¹ Perhaps being exposed to the sudden acceleration in addition to just waking up had caused her eyes to spin lightly, Valeria sat down hard on the roof and pressed her temples. It¡¯d have been better if only she didn¡¯t inadvertently let out a loud scream. ¡¸¡­S, so, what in the world is the top-secret mission that you received?¡¹ ¡¸If you hear it, you¡¯ll return to your bed obediently, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Never mind that and tell me quickly! Otherwise, I shall stop you by brute force, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Are you an idiot? There¡¯s no way that you can stop me¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who had raised his lips and smiled coldly, stared fixedly beyond the south and stiffened his expression. Volume 6 - CH 3.3 Staring right at the pictorial map made of an enormous tapestry, Quique Albiol picked up a small lump of metal and held it up high. ¡¸This is argental¡ªthough it means ¡°all-purpose silver¡±, it was named by me. It¡¯s an exceedingly rare metal¡¹ The ones seated at a round table and listening to Quique¡¯s words were King Jeffren XI, his son Isaac, and also the important people called the four elder statesmen of Ahmad only. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Dimitar was feeling extremely uncomfortable that he had to be present at such an occasion. After all, even Orvieto, who was the head director of the magic academy, and Lucius, who could be called Isaac¡¯s confidant, didn¡¯t make an appearance at this meeting. Taking little notice of Dimitar who was thinking about this and that unnecessary matters, Quique put on his monocle over again and continued his explanation to the king and the others. ¡¸¡ªAs a matter of fact, this argental is an indispensable key to producing magic motion swordsEspada Marefika¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hmm¡¹ The king held the plain sword up to the flickering light and tilted his head in contemplation. The king, who had run around the battlefields since his early days, was, of course, proficient at the handling of weapons. Even if he picked up a sword now, his son Isaac would probably be no match for his considerable skill. The king went out of his way to stand up from his chair, moved to the window and swung the sword lightly, then looked back at Quique and opened his mouth. ¡¸The balance is good. ¡­However, it doesn¡¯t seem like a specially made sword. It¡¯s not different from the steel swords that are being used by the army, you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s as you say, normal steel is used as far as the sword base is concerned. It¡¯s the blade part of the sword that this argental is being used on¡¹ ¡¸Blade?¡¹ ¡¸Though I¡¯ve explained to His Highness and Minister for Military Affairs-kakka already¡ªRichternach-kyou, please give a demonstration¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ When Dimitar, who was called out by Quique, stepped forward to the front of all present, he pulled out Jagielka, which he was carrying on his waist. ¡¸Please excuse my rudeness¡¹ He announced a few words like that and pointed the tip of Jagielka towards the ceiling. When he grasped the hilt tightly with both hands, lightly focused his consciousness and poured in his magic power, complex magic crests emerged faintly on the broad sword blade. ¡¸Mu¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Argental has several big characteristics. Firstly, it can be vapour-deposited on the surfaces of other metals with a method similar to plating. And another special characteristic that can¡¯t be found in other metals is that it can circulate magic powers efficiently¡¹ ¡¸In other words¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸In other words, it becomes possible to invoke magic by means of this¡¹ ¡¸For anyone?¡¹ ¡¸Well, unless they¡¯re a baby, anyone can use it¡¹ ¡¸I can guarantee that¡¹ Isaac stroked the hilt of the sword hanging from his waist and spoke to the king, who was his father. ¡¸¡ªAfter all, even I can use magic, so most people should be able to handle it¡¹ ¡¸I see. That¡¯s amazing¡¹ The king nodded with a ¡°Hmm¡± and surveyed the four elder statesmen. ¡¸¡ªSo, you want to proceed with the mass production of this weapon, huh¡¹ ¡¸Rather, the situation is one where we have no choice but to proceed with it¡¹ Garrido-kyou expressed with a grim expression. ¡¸It looks like a part of the powers has already obtained this technology¡­ if Heidelauta obtains this technology by some chance and prepares this weapon in large quantities, things could become troublesome¡¹ ¡¸And one more thing, I believe that this will also be very helpful as a working force for supporting our country¡¯s industries. It should become possible to carry out works that have been depending on human strength or horses and cattle until now more efficiently than ever. It¡¯s crucial that we think of it as a long-range plan for one hundred years, two hundred years, and not look at it ten years, twenty years from now¡ª¡¹ Minister of Finance Caparros-kyou cited an advantage in terms of the economic effect. With a liberality that was very typical of him, the king, who had been listening to that, looked back with the sword in one hand. ¡¸All right. You¡¯ll take responsibility for this matter, Isaac. Each minister as well, make sure that you thoroughly cooperate in this plan¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡¸And then¡ª¡¹ The king looked at Quique and Dimitar slowly this time and asked. ¡¸You have some appeal in addition to this slightly difficult explanation, but let me hear what you have to say, Chief EngineerMaestro¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It concerns the argental that I¡¯ve explained just now¡¹ Putting the lump of metal on the round table, Quique cleared his throat slightly. ¡¸¡ªNo matter what kind of plan we make, mass production is impossible unless we secure argental. But in reality, I only have this small lump on hand¡­ of course, I can prepare a moderate amount of swords even with this much, but that¡¯s it¡¹ ¡¸¡­In short, for the sake of the plan, we have to be able to provide argental stably?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Therefore, I have a suggestion¡­ this small lump was brought to me by an acquaintance of mine, and according to what the person who picked it up had said, he found it beside a mountain stream that flows between the mountains in Romarikku¡¹ ¡¸Romarikku?¡¹ ¡¸As you know, all sorts of mineral resources are lying untapped in that vicinity. If there¡¯s a large-scale argental deposit there¡ªI think we should secure this and work out a system for the mass production of magic motion swords as soon as possible¡¹ ¡¸Does a deposit of that what-do-you-call-it metal really exists in that vicinity?¡¹ ¡¸As it¡¯s still at the stage of possibility, I can¡¯t say that it surely exists. Therefore, first of all, I want to send personnel to Romarikku and have them search for the argental deposit, but¡­ well, the location being the location¡¹ ¡¸¡­Certainly, it¡¯s a bit dangerous for the army to march into that vicinity and investigate extensively¡¹ Wiping the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief, the nervous Minister for Home Affairs Camunas-kyou took over Quique¡¯s words. ¡¸If we¡¯re not careful, we¡¯ll stir up the sentiments of the Romarikku¡¯s citizens, you know?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I was thinking of requesting um¡ªRichternach-kyou personally at the beginning¡­¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t this just right?¡¹ Isaac reached for the wine, which no one had tasted, and smiled. ¡¸It¡¯s a complete coincidence, but it¡¯ll soon be Valeria Costacurta-jou¡¯s royal visit to Romarikku. Of course, Richternach-kyou will be accompanying her as well. ¡ªWhile he¡¯s at it, we can get him to make a preliminary investigation. We can carry out a large-scale investigation after we¡¯re able to obtain conclusive evidence to a certain extent¡¹ ¡¸¡­Can you do that, Richternach-kyou?¡¹ The king looked at Dimitar fleetingly. ¡¸Yes. I originally intended to go alone, after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­Very well¡¹ The king put the sword on the round table with a clang and sat down on his chair. ¡¸Since you¡¯re going to do it, then do it well, Richternach-kyou. Of course, at protecting the young girl as well as the other mission, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged¡¹ Dimitar bowed courteously together with Quique and quietly followed the important people leaving the office with his eyes until they were out of sight. Volume 6 - CH 3.4 ¡¸¡­In other words, you¡¯re about to go to the mountains secretly to search for the vein of that what-do-you-call-it metal?¡¹ ¡¸Something like that¡¹ ¡¸In the first place, I¡¯ve never heard of such a metal itself¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s something that you don¡¯t have to know. ¡­To begin with, this is a military secret, you know?¡¹ ¡¸That might be so, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸If¡¹ Dimitar, who had stood safely on the steeply inclined roof, placed his hand on the hilt of Jagielka and continued. ¡¸¡ªDante Valiente was given a large quantity of argental, he probably would have obtained an even larger quantity of magic motion swords. If there really is an argental deposit in this region, it must absolutely be secured by our country¡¹ ¡¸Well, I understand that this is an important mission¡¹ Dusting the area around her bottom, Valeria stood up. ¡¸¡ªThen, we have to commence quickly¡¹ ¡¸¡­What are you saying?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, we have to commence that important mission¡¹ ¡¸¡­I should have said that if you listen to my story, you¡¯ll return to your bed obediently, you know?¡¹ ¡¸You certainly might have said so, but I didn¡¯t particularly reply cutely like ¡°Un, I understand!¡±¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t argue for the sake of argument¡¹ ¡¸Or rather, it¡¯s strange that you¡¯re ordering me in the first place, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m your superior!¡¹ When Valeria said so, she stamped her right foot lightly and created a night wind, then rode on that and soared into the starry sky. Compared with the sacred dance that she offered to Reduntra, these movements somewhat lacked modesty, but the effectiveness was excellent. ¡¸¡ªTsk¡¹ Dimitar, who had been thinking of hitting her hard in the back of her head and making her fall unconscious, and then forcibly having her double back to her bed, immediately chased Valeria, who had suddenly started moving towards the south. ¡¸Oi, come back!¡¹ ¡¸Rather than arguing whether to go back or not now, isn¡¯t it more beneficial to start work quickly? It¡¯ll be finished earlier with the both of us searching for it!¡¹ ¡¸Those aren¡¯t the words you should be saying. In the first place, it¡¯s easier for me alone to do it; you go back obediently¡¹ ¡¸I say, even I¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Have you forgotten that incident in Seriba?¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡¹ Valeria, who had gone ahead and was flying through the air, stiffened her expression at those few words and came to a stop on top of the roof of a tall private house. Dimitar, who had caught up with Valeria and grasped her slender wrist, frowned and peered at the face of the girl, who was casting her eyes downwards. ¡¸¡­Similar to Seriba, this place is close to Bigelow too. I can¡¯t say that a rebellion like the one at that time will occur, but better safe than sorry. Even you don¡¯t want to go through that kind of experience again, right?¡¹ ¡¸However¡­ but¡¹ Biting her lip, Valeria looked up at Dimitar. ¡¸Then, when can I overcome that sort of thing? Or rather, that sort of old wound¡ª¡¹ The fear and humiliation Valeria experienced in Seriba most likely became an unpleasant feeling and remained inside her even now. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t learn her lesson even though she went through a bitter experience; rather, it was precisely because she went through a bitter experience that she was trying to behave recklessly to overcome that¡ªDimitar thought in that manner. ¡¸If I say that you don¡¯t need to overcome it, are you able to accept that? I also said this before, but you don¡¯t need to take risks intentionally. There are people who specialise in that sort of work, after all¡¹ ¡¸But I know it already!¡¹ Valeria pressed her lightly clenched fist against her own forehead, her voice breaking into falsetto. ¡¸¡­Know what?¡¹ ¡¸The fact that people who are taking risks are nearby while I¡¯m sleeping in a carefree manner! And in addition to that, it¡¯s not just you this time, even Thial-san¡ª¡¹ Somehow, it seemed that he must absolutely keep the matter of him doing something behind her back itself secret so as not to be found out to make this girl stop fussing. Should he say that she was conscientious about strange things, or that she had a sense of responsibility¡ª. ¡¸Or perhaps she¡¯s a stubborn person who doesn¡¯t want to be beholden to people¡ªhuh¡¹ In Dimitar¡¯s opinion, this girl probably couldn¡¯t tolerate the fact that her own honour was built upon other people¡¯s sacrifices. Such a thing was no different from self-satisfaction and was a naive way of thinking; it was hard to say that she understood her position as a Dominas even now. However, one could also say that she was likable as an individual. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar sighed exaggeratedly and removed his hand that was grasping Valeria¡¯s wrist. ¡¸¡­It seems that in case there¡¯s such a mission again from now on, I¡¯ll need to get an imperial order from His Majesty to absolutely not let you interfere in it¡¹ ¡¸Eh? That means¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Only this time is an exception. After all, we¡¯ll simply be wandering around in the mountains only. ¡­However, in case an unforeseen situation occurs, you shall follow my instructions without making judgements of your own accord, all right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh!? I, is it fine? Even if I go with you?¡¹ ¡¸Does it not sound like that?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­! W, well, whatever. If it¡¯s to that extent, then it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t compromise either¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face turned a a bit red, and she threw out her chest deliberately. Though she was making a face that looked like she was going to cry until a short while ago, she was considerably self-interested. ¡¸Don¡¯t get carried away¡¹ Clicking his tongue lightly, Dimitar started running. Before setting foot in the mountains and investigating this and that, they must first cross over the rampart and slip out of this town so as not to be discovered by the soldiers on guard. Volume 6 - CH 3.5 ¡¸Uuuuu¡­ I can¡¯t stand it any more¡­¡¹ Blank papers and an inkwell were placed in front of Nacho Puyol-kyou, who had been groaning continuously with a grave expression since some time ago. He was ordered by the prefectural governor to write a prose on his behalf to apologise to the king for his carelessness regarding the attack on Valeria Costacurta that had happened yesterday, but because a flowery prose like that didn¡¯t come to mind at all, he was groaning even at such a time. Since Valeria¡¯s party was attacked inside the administrative district of Romarikku, the prefectural governor must bear responsibility for that. It was a consolation that there wasn¡¯t any casualty in the party, but nevertheless, there was no way that there wouldn¡¯t be any blame. ¡¸¡­In the first place, if His Excellency had the intention to apologise to His Majesty the King, shouldn¡¯t he write it by himself? Why do I have to write it¡­¡¹ Nacho Puyol, who was still eighteen years old this year, succeeded his father, who had died suddenly a few years ago, and started to serve the prefectural governor. Although he studied in the magic academyMonasteria Marefikos of this town since his early childhood, got fairly outstanding results and also obtained the qualifications as a Hiera Glaphicos, he was working as one of the houseboys of the House of Dzeco now. It sounded nice if one were to say that he was being favoured by the prefectural governor, but in reality, all sorts of troublesome miscellaneous matters were constantly foisted on him, and every day was full of worries. ¡¸¡ªPuyol-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Yes!?¡¹ Nacho was suddenly called by the name in the deserted library, where even the illumination from the lamp was scattered, and he jumped up from his chair in surprise. ¡¸You¡¯ve been studying until this late at night? I¡¯m deeply impressed¡¹ ¡¸G, Galarina-sama¡­ no, I¡¯m not studying¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not studying? Then, are you cleaning up Prefectural Governor-kakka¡¯s mess?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you really know well¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, I¡¯d know at least that much. It¡¯s very easy to understand, you see¡¹ ¡¸Though Galarina-sama says so, why are you here¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve also come to study a little¡¹ This library took over the library of the old royal family, which had avoided being burnt down during the civil war one hundred and fifty years ago, roughly as it was. Although the quantity wasn¡¯t that much, it stored many old and valuable documents, and Nacho also depended on them often. Galarina stood in front of the innermost bookshelf without hesitating, opened the book she had selected and started reading while standing; she then asked Nacho over her back. ¡¸Come to think of it¡¹ ¡¸Y, yes?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªPuyol-kyou possesses the qualifications of a Hiera Glaphicos, so that means that you¡¯re a devout God believer, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, of course, I believe that I revere God as much as anyone else¡­¡¹ ¡¸But I wonder, to what extent is your doctrine true? This is a very interesting question¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ Nacho¡¯s cheek twitched; he didn¡¯t know how, and with what kind of expression, he should reply. As he had continued to dip the pen nib into the inkwell meaninglessly, there were plenty of black blots scattered on the brand new paper. It seemed that this visitor had been coming to Romarikku frequently since before Nacho started working here. According to what he heard from a senior maid, she¡¯d come from a place on the other side of the mountains several times a year, leading a caravan fully loaded with various rare articles. Considering the colour of her skin, she was, in all probability, a person from Bigelow. The fact that she used an ambiguous expression like ¡°a place on the other side of the mountains¡± was because there wasn¡¯t any diplomatic relation between Ahmad and Bigelow; on the contrary, they were long-time enemies that had been at war over and over again. Although Galarina¡¯s party were people from his mortal enemy country, so to speak, Nacho didn¡¯t fully understand the reason why they¡¯d received a warm welcome from Dzeco. Although he didn¡¯t fully understand, the atmosphere here was one where he couldn¡¯t bring that up. Therefore, Nacho received Galarina¡¯s party while hiding his doubts deep in his heart. ¡¸¡ªTo put it in terms of your doctrine, the ones who can obtain God¡¯s grace, which is called magic, should only be the God believers who believe in Reduntra, but in reality, there are people who can use magic even if they¡¯re barbarian believers. Like me, for example. It¡¯s very contradicting¡¹ ¡¸Even if you say that it¡¯s contradicting¡­¡¹ Nacho wanted to cry, wondering why this eccentric woman challenged him to such a debate. ¡¸For example, um¡­ Galarina-sama isn¡¯t really a barbarian believer¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s an interesting opinion. However, that¡¯s impossible¡¹ ¡¸Then, what Galarina-dono uses isn¡¯t magic but sorceryFata Malefica?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s interesting too. However, it¡¯s a far-fetched argument. It¡¯s illogical. Even though the ways of calling them are different, they¡¯re most likely fundamentally the same thing. In that case, a contradiction will arise in the doctrine of God¡¯s teachings, so they call the magic we use ¡°sorcery¡± and simply assert that it was different from magic¡¹ ¡¸Um¡­ I don¡¯t understand what Galarina-sama wants to tell me at all¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Sorry about that. There isn¡¯t any profound meaning to it in particular. It¡¯s just that I always want to grasp things from multiple points of view. I who is a barbarian believer and you who is a God believer; in order to conduct a research on the thing called god, the points of view of those two are necessary at the minimum¡¹ ¡¸C, conduct a research on God¡­? You, who isn¡¯t a God believer, is conducting a research on Reduntra?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just you guys who are using ¡°Reduntra¡± as a synonym for ¡°god¡±. As for us, multiple gods exist. ¡ªHowever, the one that I¡¯m talking about is neither Reduntra nor Marido. It¡¯s just god. The thing that can only be called god for everyone¡¹ ¡¸¡­As expected, I don¡¯t understand. For us, our God is Reduntra, and the others are nothing but false gods¡¹ ¡¸False¡­huh. On the contrary, does a real god exists?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ Nacho trembled at Galarina¡¯s words. For him who was devout, doubting God¡¯s existence was equivalent to doubting the existence of the land, the sea, the sky and this world itself; in other words, it was nothing but a complete denial of everything. Feeling that the woman before his eyes was somewhat frightening, Nacho changed the subject, his voice sounding shrill. ¡¸¡ªC, come to think of it, where¡¯s Fatih-sama? Is he sleeping already?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, if it¡¯s my younger brother, he¡¯s probably hunting for men¡¹ ¡¸I, I see. Hunting for men¡ªmen!?¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t tell by looking? No matter how you look at him, he¡¯s not the type to hunt for women. I thought it was obvious though?¡¹ Galarina looked this way over her shoulder and grinned, and Nacho felt his spine shivering again. ¡¸¡­Puyol-kyou¡¹ ¡¸Yes?¡¹ Nacho, who had begun to half-rise to his feet, drew back his head at a voice that came flying abruptly again. ¡¸Thank you for working hard until late at night¡¹ Dzeco, who had joined his hands together behind his back and entered the library with composed steps, looked at Galarina fleetingly and spoke to Nacho. ¡¸¡­Sorry, but I need to talk to Galarina-dono for a little while. Rest now for tonight¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­ b, but the draft of the aforementioned letter of apology still isn¡¯t¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I said that it¡¯s fine. ¡­Leave¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m sorry. Then, e, excuse me!¡¹ Nacho tidied up the documents on the desk hastily, then carried them under his arm and rushed out of the library. Although it wasn¡¯t the case that Nacho wasn¡¯t interested in what those two were going to discuss in the dead of night like this, his instinct was giving a warning that it wasn¡¯t something he should know. Volume 6 - CH 3.6 ¡¸¡ªBy the way, what¡¯s the other mission?¡¹ ¡¸What are you talking about?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, there¡¯s another mission, right? The one you were ordered by His Majesty in absolute secrecy¡¹ ¡¸Me?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t feign ignorance hyapu!?¡¹ Valeria almost slipped off a wet rock at the moment she raised her voice, and she let out a short scream. ¡¸¡­I told you to watch your step many times, right?¡¹ Valeria, who was instantly grabbed by the arm by Dimitar and narrowly avoided falling down into the mountain stream, took a big deep breath and pressed her chest. ¡¸Don¡¯t change the subject. You were given another mission by His Majesty, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not me. It¡¯s you¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ Valeria and Dimitar had been pushing their way deep into the mountains since about one hour ago. No particular light could be seen except for the small flames that they each had lit on their fingertips. As though the dark-coloured luxuriant greenery had absorbed all the sounds, the two people¡¯s talking voices didn¡¯t become echoes and come back. Squatting down at the side of the trickling mountain stream, Dimitar thrust his hand into the water. ¡¸¡ªYou simply thought this was a royal visit that also served to pacify the citizens, but the government is thinking of a little more dangerous matter¡¹ ¡¸Dangerous matter?¡¹ ¡¸Misappropriation of the military budget and selling weapons through illegal channels; there were questionable rumours of the Romarikku¡¯s prefectural governor like those before¡¹ ¡¸Really?¡¹ Valeria was reminded of the prefectural governor¡¯s face and tilted her head to the side ¡¸It seems that His Majesty wants to investigate the true state of affairs in detail, but because he rashly granted him significant authority since long ago, it¡¯s slightly hard to use force. ¡ªHowever, if it¡¯s the Dominas who had come for the royal visit, she can probably infiltrate the heart of it. Though there¡¯s no guarantee that he¡¯ll show his true colours during our stay, just the fact that people from the capital are staying in the town hall will keep him in check. In short, your other mission is to pay close attention to the prefectural governor¡¹ ¡¸But you know, the prefectural governor surely doesn¡¯t¡ª¡¹ ¡¸He doesn¡¯t seem to be a person who would do those kinds of things at all, is it?¡¹ Valeria nodded at Dimitar¡¯s words. Even though the man named Gavrilo Alija Dzeco came across as a dandy if he straightened up his back and kept silent, each and every action of his really looked like that of a minor character, or rather, a timid small-timer. Even if the prefectural governor wasn¡¯t a good person, he¡¯d be a petty villain at the most; he didn¡¯t seem to be a person who would be involved in such a large-scale crime at all. ¡¸You can also look at it as the prefectural governor¡¯s worldly wisdom¡¹ Lifting his right hand up from underwater, Dimitar smiled. ¡¸At present, the ¡°Margrave¡± of Romarikku is an existence that governs the second largest land in Ahmad. He possesses much more power than the king of a small country of that extent. Tentatively, the right to command the army is held by the commanding officer dispatched from the capital, but even so, his influence is still big. Naturally, the capital is always on its guard against him. ¡ªTherefore, he might be behaving like a small person on purpose so that people won¡¯t have excessive doubts about him¡¹ ¡¸Are you saying that all of that is acting?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. It might be natural, or it might be calculated. If it¡¯s natural, then the matter of the rumoured embezzlement of the military budget is really a mere rumour, or there might be another mastermind¡¹ ¡¸¡­Well, if he¡¯s really so timid, even if there¡¯s any wrongdoing internally, it¡¯s impossible that he¡¯d pursue the issue¡ª¡¹ ¡¸That kind of thing is inconsequential. It¡¯s not our job to ascertain that. You should just make yourself pleasant to the Romarikku¡¯s citizens properly and pay close attention to the prefectural governor with a radiant smile¡¹ Dimitar put his hand on his knee and stood up, then looked up at the upper stream of the thin meandering river. ¡¸¡­We¡¯re going upstream a bit¡¹ ¡¸Here?¡¹ ¡¸It seems that Courtois-jiisan¡¯s acquaintance also picked up the lump of argental on the side of a shallow mountain stream like this. ¡­If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s some possibility that the vein is exposed somewhere in this mountain¡¹ Murmuring in a low voice, Dimitar held Valeria up in his arms. ¡¸Hey¡ª!? I, I can jump by myself!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine to jump lightly and repeatedly, but you¡¯ll be too conspicuous¡¹ Dimitar lifted Valeria up onto his shoulder and slapped her bare thigh. Valeria¡¯s cheek twitched. ¡¸W¡­ what, you¡¯re so rude!¡¹ ¡¸Being too conspicuous is the truth, right? Your magic crests shine quite brightly, after all. ¡ªI¡¯ll say this in advance just in case, but I¡¯m not disparaging you¡¹ ¡¸U¡ª¡¹ Being told that in an unnatural manner, Valeria couldn¡¯t retort instantly at all. Simply put, the brightness of the magic crest was considered to be proportional to the strength of one¡¯s magic power. In other words, the intensity of the brightness of the magic crest signified the level of one¡¯s ability as a magic warriorMarefikos, so Dimitar¡¯s words certainly weren¡¯t disparaging Valeria. Feeling that she was being praised for her high magic power on the contrary, Valeria¡¯s spirit was dampened, and she couldn¡¯t complain. ¡¸¡­In the first place, with these thick, luxuriant trees and poor footing, there¡¯s no guarantee that you can land safely. It¡¯ll be troublesome if you carelessly slip and break your bones¡¹ ¡¸If that happens, I¡¯ll heal them by myself¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯d be good if there¡¯s time to perform treatment at leisure though. ¡­Bigelow¡¯s people are said to be wandering around this area¡¹ ¡¸Bigelow¡¯s? Why?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no diplomatic relations between Ahmad and Bigelow. Of course, since a proper highway isn¡¯t laid out, they can only pass through such mountains secretly in order to come and go between both countries¡¹ ¡¸Through this kind of mountain?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ While carrying Valeria on his left shoulder as though she were a log, Dimitar started walking heavily on the rocky area along the mountain stream. Holding the sword in his right hand in a reverse grip and thrusting its tip into the foothold, he climbed towards the summit safely. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, this means that there¡¯s some possibility that ¡°merchants¡± who do that sort of guilty business will be wandering around this area. I don¡¯t want to run into that sort of guys during the mission. It¡¯s His Highness¡¯s instructions to still keep the matter of argental secret from the people of Ahmad¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of which, what kind of metal is it? And what does it look like¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It reflects light and shines with the seven colours of the rainbow. Well, it also depends on the purity though¡­ and since you¡¯ve specially come along with me, you look at your surroundings attentively too¡¹ ¡¸Rainbow-coloured¡­ rainbow-coloured, huh¡¹ Valeria held the small flame up over her head and surveyed her surroundings. In the hushed mountain in the dead of night, where there was only the sound of water trickling and not even the chirping of birds, perhaps due to the branches and leaves of the trees covering the top of their heads, the starry sky could hardly be seen. If she was thrown out into this mountain alone, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to know her own location immediately. ¡¸¡ªAre you cold?¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re shivering¡¹ ¡¸I, I¡¯m not cold in particular¡ª¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, is it the urge to urinate?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re wrong!¡¹ ¡¸I see¡¹ Dimitar was looking downwards at his steps fixedly. Although walking up the wet rocky area, where moss had grown here and there, was probably much more troublesome than he had imagined, Dimitar neither complained nor whined. Although it was too late now, Valeria was thinking whether she was simply just increasing Dimitar¡¯s burden. However, she also couldn¡¯t return by herself from now. It¡¯d be reckless for Valeria to move alone in this mountain, at least until dawn broke. ¡¸¡ªAh¡¹ At the moment, Valeria, who had drawn back her head remorsefully, noticed that something was shining sparklingly on the rock surface on the right. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸Over there! Something shone just now!¡¹ Dimitar lowered Valeria on the spot and squatted down in front of the rock surface that the girl had pointed at. ¡¸¡­How is it?¡¹ When Dimitar had scraped and removed the mud and moss, he gazed fixedly at the bare surface of the rock. Valeria held the light up high and stared at Dimitar¡¯s hand over the boy¡¯s shoulder. Just as she thought, it wasn¡¯t a mistake in vision. A metal, which flashed the weakly flickering flame back and showed a glittering radiance, was sticking to the surface of the rock. Dimitar scraped it off with his sword and held the chip he was holding up to the light. ¡¸I don¡¯t fully understand the details since I¡¯m not an expert, ¡­but this looks like it. This might be a rock containing a large quantity of argental¡¹ ¡¸So, what should we do after this?¡¹ ¡¸For the time being, we¡¯ll bring this fragment back and get the chief engineer to examine it. In addition, if it really contains good-quality argental, then next is carrying out a trial digging in this area¡¹ ¡¸Eh? We¡¯re returning?¡¹ Valeria surveyed her surroundings hurriedly. There wasn¡¯t any special landmark on the side of the mountain stream situated deep in the mountains that could serve as a mark. Once they returned, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find their way here ever again. Thereupon, Dimitar changed the way he held his sword and suddenly struck the rock surface before his eyes. ¡¸W, what are you doing?¡¹ ¡¸Leaving a mark¡¹ Following that, Dimitar cut down a few trees growing in the vicinity. ¡¸¡ªIf we come up along the mountain stream to this place, we¡¯ll probably notice it even if we don¡¯t want to. In any case, it¡¯ll probably be my role to lead the way in the event of the trial digging¡¹ Dimitar, who had finished marking the spot, kept the sword in its scabbard and looked back at Valeria. ¡¸Now then, we should return soon¡¹ ¡¸This feels¡­ anticlimactic somehow¡¹ ¡¸Is it too easy?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡¹ As violent fights always followed her around whenever she was on a mission, when the job was finished so peacefully in a short time, though she wouldn¡¯t say that it was boring, she somehow felt as if she hadn¡¯t worked. ¡¸It¡¯s best that nothing happens at all. ¡ªWe¡¯re going¡¹ ¡¸Hiah!?¡¹ Dimitar lifted Valeria up on his shoulder again, then jumped on the rocky area along the mountain stream and started to descend. Volume 6 - CH 3.7 Galarina piled a mountain of books in a heap on the table, then sat on a sofa in a relaxed manner and read her book. Other than the minimum time for sleeping, it was all right to spend all of her time on reading here during her stay in Romarikku; that was Galarina¡¯s unfeigned mental state. ¡¸Galarina-dono is really an avid reader¡¹ Pouring the water of the pitcher into a glass, Dzeco sighed. ¡¸¡ªIn all sincerity, your passion for knowledge is magnificent, but what is Galarina-dono always studying?¡¹ ¡¸Did you hear what I talk about with that young man from just now?¡¹ Galarina gave a little chuckle without raising her gaze from the book. ¡¸Yes. It sounded like it was about God or something¡­¡¹ ¡¸Are you interested?¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not. ¡­You might have forgotten, but I¡¯m also a petty magic warrior¡¹ ¡¸Far from petty, you¡¯re the branch director of the magic academy, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s in name only though¡¹ While smiling wryly, Dzeco sat down in front of Galarina. ¡¸¡ªSo, what in the world are you investigating?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, right¡­ since the opportunity is just right, I want to listen attentively to Your Excellency¡¯s opinion too¡¹ Galarina closed her book and took off her spectacles. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯m studying comparative religion¡¹ ¡¸Comparative¡­ religion?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a branch of learning where I compare the myths of various countries and investigate their original forms. ¡­To put it more specifically, it¡¯s a research where I compare the myth of Reduntra with the myths circulated in my own country and then think about what kinds of forms they were originally¡¹ In the first place, the various countries of the Holy AllianceLiga Santourear, including Ahmad, didn¡¯t acknowledge gods other than Reduntra. Unless one was a possessor of a highly liberal way of thinking, they probably wouldn¡¯t think of comparing Reduntra with other gods. Therefore, Galarina had the self-confidence that the one who was furthering this field of research in the world was she herself only. ¡¸¡­Now that you mention it, we don¡¯t know much about the myths of your country¡¹ ¡¸The ones whom you called barbarian believers worship the god of war, Marido¡¹ ¡¸I know that much¡¹ ¡¸Though the names of other gods are being circulated, the fact that they particularly believe in Marido is probably related to people continuing to pray for victory in battles during the period of time when the southern land was passing a long era of wars¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ ¡¸Incidentally, I believe that the ¡°Demon¡±Maroudo that was opposed to Reduntra was transformed from this Marido. Even if the ancient God believers had tried to make the god of the barbarian believers, who were politically opposed to them, into a villain in their own myth, I can understand it on an emotional level; it¡¯s a possible story, after all¡¹ ¡¸Then, is Galarina-dono saying that your myth existed first, and that our myth was formed by plagiarizing from it?¡¹ Dzeco knitted his brows and bent himself forward. He, who was a God believer, probably couldn¡¯t act as if he didn¡¯t hear that. Galarina shrugged her shoulders and smiled wryly. ¡¸Your Excellency¡­ I¡¯m not saying that our myth is older than yours in particular. Of course, I also want to ascertain such a matter someday. However, we can¡¯t assert both now. The only one thing I can say is that the two myths had probably been mutually influencing each other¡¹ ¡¸Mutually¡­?¡¹ ¡¸In reality, the two myths are very simple, and they resemble each other very closely. Regarding the myth of Redunta¡ªI don¡¯t need to explain it to you, do I?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡¹ In the ancient olden days, Reduntra sealed the ¡°Demon¡±, which resented humans, with the assistance of twelve magic warriors¡ªsimply put, this was all. The twelve countries that those magic warriors established to protect the seal of the ¡°Demon¡± were considered to be the beginning of the Holy Alliance, but it was also possible to regard that as a fiction created to enhance the values of the alliance and the Dominas. ¡¸¡­On the other hand, in the barbarian believers¡¯ myth, it¡¯s a nameless monster that had tried to destroy the world. And then, the ones who defeated it were the god of war, Marido, and the twelve demigod heroes who were descended from him. Though there are some differences because of the regions, the name ¡°Marido¡± and the number ¡°twelve¡± are common¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ they¡¯re certainly similar¡¹ ¡¸Yes, two quite similar myths exist in the north and the south, with the mountain range between each other. ¡­If that¡¯s the case, what I¡¯m interested in is, on the contrary, the part of the small differences¡¹ Perhaps an even older myth, which was the original form of the two myths, might have existed. There was some possibility that it dispersed from there to the north and south of the mountain range and ended with their own variations. Galarina was investigating through what process did the differences between the two myths come about, based on the assumption that the original myth did exist. Of course, even if she investigated that, it didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d obtain anything. Her father also ridiculed her, saying that it was a meaningless hobby. However, it was Galarina¡¯s innate character that she couldn¡¯t help but investigate the things she was interested in anyway. Dzeco, who had briefly heard Galarina¡¯s explanation, nodded many times with a sigh. ¡¸¡­Galarina-dono is just like a scholar. However, exactly what kind of person is the real you?¡¹ ¡¸Me?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. You¡¯re not an ordinary leader of a caravan, right? And yet, you¡¯re not a scholar either¡¹ ¡¸Who knows. ¡­Though you¡¯re asking like that, you have a conjecture, haven¡¯t you?¡¹ Galarina picked up her book once more and put on her spectacles again. ¡¸You¡¯re always concealing your intentions like that¡­ I think it¡¯s all right to talk candidly once in a while though¡¹ Dzeco put his hands on his knees and stood up, then shook his head exaggeratedly and left the library while patting his waist. Galarina, who had followed him with a sidelong glance until he was out of sight, raised her lips. ¡¸¡­To not show one¡¯s real intention, I think the feeling is mutual though¡¹ Volume 6 - CH 4.1 That¡¯s Disgusting Romarikku, which was located southeast of Ahmad, bordered Bigelow on the south and Garumani on the east. However, because the precipitous Cardoso mountain range was in between them, it was almost impossible for Bigelow to send its army to the Romarikku region directly. Nevertheless, the stronger implication of a large-scale garrison being permanently stationed in Romarikku was that it was a preparation towards Garumani which, similar to Ahmad, was a legitimate member country of the Holy AllianceLiga Santourear rather than towards Bigelow. Similar to Bigelow, Garumani¡¯s eastern neighbouring country Beluran was a country where many barbarian believers lived, and with the assistance from Bigelow, it had been continuing its conflict with Garumani throughout several hundred years. Romarikku¡¯s garrison, which numbered ten thousand, was an advance party that was supposed to rush to the rescue of Garumani when necessary. That was precisely why the equipment and proficiency of the Romarikku¡¯s army was maintained extremely high. A large silhouette got down onto the handrail of the balcony of the guest house soundlessly, with a nimbleness that was astonishing judging from its size. ¡¸Hahan?¡¹ It pulled the big window fitted with a thin glass open and crept into the room. ¡¸This manly body odour, it¡¯s faintly fragrant¡­ it¡¯s so nice; a boyishness that has yet to become an adult, how precious¡ª¡¹ Fatih, who had grabbed a big pillow up from the empty bed and hugged it close, then thrust his face into it and sniffed the smell of it, smiled a smile of satisfaction before long and looked around the interior of the spacious room. ¡¸¡­So, where did the important pretty boy go? To have gone out in the dead of night like this, he¡¯s truly an outrageous child¡¹ ¡¸Fatih-sama¡¹ A man, who had come jumping from the adjacent room to the balcony, informed Fatih in a low voice. ¡¸¡ªThe Dominas also isn¡¯t here. And I don¡¯t see one of the maids either¡¹ ¡¸Araran? Did everyone take a night walk all together?¡¹ ¡¸No, the aforementioned attendant wearing the strange armour and the remaining maids seem to be sleeping in their own rooms¡¹ ¡¸Hey hey~¡¹ Throwing the pillow at the bed, Fatih showed a savage smile. ¡¸I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, but isn¡¯t that bad~? The Dominas and her guard disappearing together in the middle of the night, isn¡¯t that a scandal already? Guhe!¡¹ Letting out an eerie laughter like that of a dying toad, Fatih added on immediately. ¡¸¡ªWell, it¡¯s at least better than a Dominas on active service being assassinated though¡¹ ¡¸Fatih-sama¡¹ Another man came to Fatih, who had come out to the balcony. An owl, of which its golden eyes were shining glaringly, was perched on his shoulder. ¡¸¡ªA notice from the people who had been keeping watch on the Dominas has arrived. The Dominas and her guard had slipped out of the town secretly by the two of them and gone inside the southern mountains¡¹ ¡¸Hahan?¡¹ Caressing his lips which showed a gaudy gloss, Fatih titled his head to the side. He let the owl on the man¡¯s shoulder stand on his own arm, then tickled the area around its throat while giving it small shredded rabbit jerky. ¡¸¡­What do those two intend to do by going inside the mountains? This is becoming more and more suspicious¡¹ ¡¸What should we do?¡¹ ¡¸This is perfect¡¹ Fatih kicked the handrail of the balcony and jumped up onto the roof, then stared fixedly towards the south and chuckled to himself. ¡¸¡­I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re thinking, but isn¡¯t this a good chance? It wouldn¡¯t be strange for any accident to occur in the mountains in the dead of night, after all¡¹ ¡¸But Fatih-sama, Galarina-sama¡ª¡¹ Another man interrupted him nervously. ¡¸What about Nee-san?¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t Galarina-sama severely instruct you not to make a move on the Dominas and to just keep watch on her movements?¡¹ ¡¸So?¡¹ ¡¸Therefore, I¡¯m saying that you¡¯ll get a scolding from Galarina-sama if you do as you please any further! Even if it¡¯s Fatih-sama¡¯s father¡ª¡¹ The voice of the man who was remonstrating with Fatih changed into a strange sound of the wind suddenly. The owl flew away while making ¡°meow meow¡± sounds, then circled noisily above Fatih¡¯s head. ¡¸Good grief¡­ don¡¯t act as if you¡¯re loyal¡¹ The man, whose throat was cut open, collapsed at the feet of Fatih, who had spat out so. Small bubbles of blood poured out from the gaping wound which was like a crescent moon, but it stopped shortly thereafter. ¡¸¡­To think that he¡¯d order me, what¡¯s his intention, I wonder? Throw this away on the way so that it won¡¯t be found out¡¹ Without even changing his expression, Fatih ordered the other man to clean up the corpse. ¡¸For us who believe in Marido, the Dominas of Ahmad is nothing but our mortal enemy. What¡¯s Nee-san thinking, to want me to just keep watch on her¡­¡¹ ¡¸I, is that all right¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I said that it¡¯s fine though? Or perhaps you didn¡¯t see the conversational exchange just now?¡¹ ¡¸N, no¡­¡¹ The other men didn¡¯t raise an objection towards Fatih any more. ¡¸Well~then¡­ I¡¯ll be relying on you to guide me, all right, little-bird-chan?¡¹ When Fatih threw the jerky, the owl caught it in mid-air, and then it made sounds like those of a cat again and flew towards the mountains. ¡¸¡ªYou guys, follow closely!¡¹ Licking his lips, Fatih started running on the roof. The corpse, which was being carried left and right by the men running after him under their arms, looked as though it was a pitiful hare or mouse that was carried off to a nest as the prey of predatory birds. Volume 6 - CH 4.2 Posted on Dec 28, 2022 Romarikku, which was located in the southeast of Ahmad, bordered Bigelow with the Cardoso Mountain Range in between them; properly speaking, Romarikku should strictly crack down on the barbarian believers who entered it illegally. But in reality, the barbarian believers who transported various southern rare articles were an existence that was instead welcomed in this town, and the supervision of them seemed to be lacking. The deterioration of public order, which the central government was worrying about, was also caused by that. However, the people of this town chose the economic effect that was accompanied by the demerit that was the deterioration of public order. Thial, who was a citizen of Roma, had neither the intention nor qualifications to say things about that. Ironically, thanks to quite a lot of barbarian believers coming in, Thial could walk about without minding public gaze. In Roma where there were hardly any southern people, Thial¡¯s light-brown skin was conspicuous, but in this Romarikku, she wasn¡¯t particularly seen with queer looks. Thial chose the vicinity of a busy place and roamed the street, and after she had wandered around greatly in the dead of night and the lights of the bars were gradually going out, she finally came back to the guest house. Despite the deterioration of public order becoming a problem, the fact that the security around the important town hall was lax was a big problem, but from Thial¡¯s impression of her making a round of the busy place, the citizens¡¯ feelings towards Ahmad weren¡¯t so bad. It was said that a person¡¯s real feelings would emerge when they were drunk, but even though Thial nonchalantly listened to the conversations of the barbarian believers who had settled in the town, there wasn¡¯t anyone who was thinking of outrageous things in particular. Of course, she heard plenty of trifling idle complaints and dissatisfaction, but a large majority of the barbarian believers were merely people who had crossed the mountains purely to make money. She didn¡¯t find any problems that they ought to be apprehensive about for the time being¡ªThial, who was about to enter her own room from the balcony with the intention of reporting so, noticed that the window of Dimitar¡¯s room was left open, and a wrinkle was carved on her brow. When she peered inside, the disordered bed, which was unnatural to say that it was disordered as a result of sleeping, was empty, and Dimitar¡¯s figure wasn¡¯t anywhere. It was perfectly possible that Dimitar was entrusted with a mission that Thial wasn¡¯t aware of, and that he had waited for the dead of night to make a move secretly. That was why it wasn¡¯t surprising even if his bed was empty. However, even if that was the case, it was strange that the window as well as the curtains were left open. If it was the astute Dimitar, he should have locked up the door and window properly so that no one would even realise that he had slipped out of his room. Thial went on to check Valeria¡¯s room, but the window here wasn¡¯t locked either, and the person herself was also absent. Considering the fact that there weren¡¯t any traces of fighting in particular, the person herself had probably left of her own accord. It was fine if Dimitar and Valeria were acting together, but if Valeria was acting independently by some chance, things would become somewhat troublesome. When Thial had returned to her own room and taken off the black mantle for slipping into the darkness, she then went out to the dark corridor and knocked on the door of Bettina¡¯s room. ¡¸Bettina-san¡ªBettina-san!¡¹ ¡¸Fuai¡­?¡¹ One minute after hearing a metallic sound of something rubbing against each other creakily and a drowsy voice, the door opened with a clank. ¡¸Have you come back, Thial-san? ¡­But there¡¯s still time until morning, you know¡­? What¡¯s the matter exactly?¡¹ Bettina, who had appeared wearing her usual armour, turned her face away from Thial and raised the visor, then seemed to be rubbing her eyes. Thial peered into Bettina¡¯s room over her pink helmet and knitted her brows once again. ¡¸¡­Are Valeria-sama and Dimitar-sama here?¡¹ ¡¸Fua? No, they¡¯re not here, ¡­but is something wrong?¡¹ ¡¸Both of them aren¡¯t in their rooms¡¹ ¡¸¡ªEh!?¡¹ After stiffening for several seconds, Bettina started flailing her short limbs meaninglessly in a panicked manner, her voice sounding shrill. ¡¸Eh? I, I, didn¡¯t hear anything about that!?¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t either. ¡ªYou didn¡¯t notice anything?¡¹ ¡¸T, that¡¯s¡­! Sorry¡­¡¹ Bettina spoke apologetically and ambiguously. However, it was probably harsh to blame her for that. Thial didn¡¯t know about Valeria, but if Dimitar felt like it, it was easy for him to slip out of his room without letting Bettina realise anything. And then, Dimitar had probably done so. Circling the interior of the room, Bettina asked Thial. ¡¸W, what should we do, Thial-san!? If something happens to Valeria-sama¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Please calm down, Bettina-san¡¹ If she was careless, even the other maids might wake up from just the sound of footsteps of this girl in armour. Thial put a finger in front of her lips and reined in Bettina. ¡¸¡ªValeria-sama most likely must be acting together with Dimitar-sama. I don¡¯t know their objective though¡­¡¹ ¡¸I, if that¡¯s the case, well¡­ that means that she¡¯ll be all right for the time being if Dimi-san is together with her, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. ¡ªBut if the other maids learn of this, they¡¯ll become restless like how Bettina-san is now, and it might turn into a big commotion. Therefore, calm yourself now, and let¡¯s await the safe return of the both of them. For now, this will be our secret only¡¹ ¡¸Is it fine¡­ with just that? Should we do anything else¡ª¡¹ It seemed that Bettina wanted to go search for Dimitar¡¯s party, but there wasn¡¯t a single clue about where to go to search for the two people. In the first place, it didn¡¯t seem that Bettina could search for the two people surreptitiously and secretly. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s not yet certain that something happened to the two of them, and even if some trouble happens, Dimitar-sama will protect Valeria-sama, and they¡¯ll be sure to come back without fail. ¡­Bettina-san knows that better than I do, right?¡¹ ¡¸W, well¡­ yes¡¹ Bettina nodded deeply with her whole body and clasped her hands together. ¡¸¡­I understand. Then, please rest a little, Thial-san. I¡¯ll stay awake like this for a while and wait for them¡¹ ¡¸Is that all right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all right! Please leave it to this me! I¡¯ll inform you immediately if something happens!¡¹ Thial heard that Bettina was still thirteen years old, but contrary to expectations, she seemed to be a dependable girl. Thial, who was feeling considerably tired from walking continuously throughout the night, decided to rely on Bettina¡¯s kindness for the time being and returned to her own room quietly. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ She took off her clothes forcibly and crawled into bed dressed in her underwear. Although she believed that the worst-case scenario was impossible, if Dimitar was really involved in some kind of trouble and then lost his life, what sort of expression would Lucius and Orvieto make¡ª? Shaking off her masters¡¯ faces that had flicked behind her eyelids, Thial concentrated on resting her body. Volume 6 - CH 4.3 ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Dimitar, who was walking in the shallow stream with a splish-splash towards the foot of the mountain, stopped walking suddenly and surveyed his surroundings. Although he wasn¡¯t able to confirm it, the moon must have moved to the west considerably. It was probably about three hours to dawn. The impatient morning mist was enshrouding the inside of the mountain where the visibility was already poor, and it was starting to curl around the two people¡¯s feet. ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ Valeria, who was being carried on Dimitar¡¯s back, raised a puzzled voice because his feet had stopped. ¡¸¡­It was a bad decision, huh¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸The matter of bringing you along¡¹ Letting out a murmur, Dimitar lowered Valeria on the spot. ¡¸W, what do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s something out there¡¹ ¡¸Something, you say¡­ is it a wolf or something?¡¹ ¡¸Though I don¡¯t know what kinds of fierce animals live in this mountain, there probably aren¡¯t any wolves or bears that use perfume¡¹ ¡¸T, then, don¡¯t tell me¡ª?¡¹ Looking at the profile of Dimitar whose nose had twitched, a look of nervousness flitted across Valeria¡¯s face now, although it was too late. ¡¸¡­We¡¯ve been surrounded already¡¹ Dimitar frowned and regretted bitterly. He was angry with himself for not realising that they had been surrounded until he sniffed out the faint scent of perfume. Of course, the other party was probably all experts who possessed abilities corresponding to that, but even if that was taken away, Dimitar¡¯s pride was hurt considerably. ¡¸People who are deep in the mountains like this, a, are they bandits? Or are they a caravan crossing the mountains, which you said just now¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯d still have been better if they were bandits¡¹ ¡¸Better, you say¡­ eh? You said not ¡°it¡¯d still have been better if they were a caravan¡± but ¡°it¡¯d still have been better if they were bandits¡±!?¡¹ Although he had no definite basis, Dimitar had an intuition that the other party wasn¡¯t ordinary bandits. The main prey of the bandits who made frequent appearances in this area were caravans that were transporting prohibited goods from Bigelow and couldn¡¯t enter Romarikku via honest routes. Given that they were prohibited goods, the earnings would be big if they were sold off. Therefore, they shouldn¡¯t have the time to go to the trouble of surrounding travellers who weren¡¯t carrying any particular baggage¡ªfor example, the current Dimitar¡¯s party who must have also appeared so¡ªand making a surprise attack on them. That being the case, it wasn¡¯t the case that they mistook Dimitar¡¯s party for a caravan or something. From the beginning, they were trying to attack the two people with clear intention once they had grasped their identities. As a matter of fact, Dimitar was sensing a bloodlust directed from the other side of the darkness to the extent of it being painful. ¡¸¡­Damn¡¹ Dimitar clicked his tongue, seemingly annoyed, and pulled Jagielka out. Perhaps they might have been followed after slipping out of the guest house. Despite lecturing Valeria, who had spoken selfishly, about this and that, he didn¡¯t realise that they were being followed at all. He was furiously angry at his own lack of foresight. Suddenly, several streaks of light flashed, rending the darkness. ¡¸!¡¹ Valeria, whose shoulders had trembled with a start, thrust her right hand out with a reflex speed that was astonishing for her. Brilliant red phosphorescence passed through the back of her hand from her fingertips and drew a magic crestHieratika, and then it created a strong invisible shield in front of the two people. ¡¸Ya!¡¹ A jarring ¡°Gain!¡± noise resounded, and the countless flame arrows were smashed up in front of the ¡°Iron Wall¡±Rampart. At almost the same time, when Dimitar brandished Jagielka and cast ¡°Double Power¡±Force, he intercepted the figure of a person, who had torn off the branches and leaves of the tree and come down from above his head. ¡¸Guha¡ª¡¹ The man, who was practically cut in two with a single stroke of his sword, was blown off, scattering fresh blood. Although it was a gruesome death, it probably wasn¡¯t seen by Valeria. When Dimitar grasped Valeria¡¯s hand, he jumped from the boulder along the mountain stream to the trunk of a tree, then accelerated further and went down the mountain. Two men leapt out before their eyes. With black curved swords, which had great curvature and were rarely seen in Ahmad, in their hands, they came attacking in order to block the path of Dimitar¡¯s party. ¡¸¡­They¡¯re southern people, huh¡¹ Dimitar, who had guessed that the men were people from Bigelow by their crescent-moon-like swords and their skin colour, carried Valeria in his arms and jumped nimbly. ¡¸Hi!?¡¹ Dimitar protected Valeria, who had swallowed her scream, at his back and parried the blow the man on the right had unleashed with his metal greave, and at the same time, he mercilessly kicked the face of the man on the left. It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant sensation, but he couldn¡¯t ask too much in these circumstances. ¡¸Good grief, if I knew that it¡¯ll become like this, I¡¯d have prepared Gacha Pink¡¯s umbrella in advance¡­!¡¹ Although he had defeated the enemies in front for the time being, he knew from the signs of presence that there were several enemies running side by side on the other side of the forest of trees. To make matters worse, according to what he had understood from the first blow, there were people who could use magic¡ªperhaps he should call it sorceryFata Malefica if the other party was barbarian believers¡ªmixed in within this enemy group. They were extremely troublesome enemies. ¡¸Ha!¡¹ While being carried on Dimitar¡¯s shoulder, Valeria shot ¡°Fire Bullet¡±Blast in all directions. The arrows of red light flew in succession and pushed the curtain of darkness in their surroundings aside, illuminating the figures of the countless men within it for just an instant. ¡¸¡­There are a lot of them¡¹ Just by making a visual confirmation quickly, there were more than ten people. Dimitar¡¯s eyes ran left and right, and then he spoke to Valeria. ¡¸For the time being, fire more¡¹ ¡¸He?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s impossible to aim and hit them anyway. You might as well deal a flashy shot to the rear. It¡¯s better to reduce their numbers even a little¡¹ ¡¸U, un!¡¹ When Valeria swung her slender arm, a flame brighter than the one from just now poured out like a torrent and enveloped the men who were hot on her heels. Just before the redness could fade, Dimitar saw a figure of a tall and thin person jumping out from within the darkness on the right. Volume 6 - CH 4.4 Casting a sidelong glance at his subordinates, who were running right beside him, failing to avoid the flame arrows and then falling down, Fatih curled his blue lip. ¡¸Wait a minute! Would you normally be hit by that kind of stray arrows? ¡ªIdiots! Die! Losers! Damn incompetents!¡¹ He pulled out a crescent-moon sword from his back while spitting out so. His favourite sword, which was forged to match the size of the tall Fatih, was much longer than the swords commonly used in Ahmad. Carrying it on his shoulder as if it was a fishing rod or something, Fatih narrowed his eyes. ¡¸Honestly, I don¡¯t care about the young girl, ¡­but I won¡¯t let brat-chan get away. It seems that this is going to be fun¡ªin various ways!¡¹ Bright red flames spouted up again and engulfed Fatih¡¯s subordinates, who were pursuing the Dominas from straight behind. However, Fatih¡¯s awareness was no longer turned to them. The moment the partition of trees came to an end, Fatih stifled a voice of delight in the back of his throat and leapt sideways. ¡¸¡ªGuhehe!¡¹ ¡¸!?¡¹ The boy, who had been running away towards the foot of the mountain in a straight line, noticed Fatih and opened his eyes wide ¡¸Ku¡­!¡¹ The boy parried the single stroke, which Fatih had unleashed by slashing diagonally from the shoulder, with the sword he had at the ready using only his right arm. His arm strength as well as his leg strength had most likely been enhanced by magic, but it was only because of the boy¡¯s reflexes that he could make the best use of it and evaded the surprise attack. ¡¸As one would expect, you have good intuition¡ª¡¹ Fatih heard that the boy¡ªby the name of Dimitar Richternach, was the exclusive Hiera Glaphicos of the Dominas. That being the case, the fact that he was skilled might also be reasonable. He probably didn¡¯t even reveal half of his original ability in the battle he had shown yesterday, where he dealt with the thieves during the journey from Roma. ¡¸To change a very young boy into a fearsome superman¡ªhow fascinating! Is that your ¡°Crest Magic¡±Hiera Marefika?¡¹ ¡¸This guy¡­!¡¹ Dimitar furrowed his brow slightly and glared at Fatih, then jumped sideways immediately in order to maintain a distance from Fatih. He must have instantly comprehended the danger of crossing swords with Fatih in the state of carrying the Dominas on his left shoulder. ¡¸I don¡¯t dislike a child who is attentive to others¡­ or rather, I love them!¡¹ Fatih grinned and focused his consciousness on his left hand. Lines of dark light that seemed to be black and dark grey mixed together ran from his elbow, and after going round his wrist a few times, they drew a unique pattern on the back of his hand. ¡¸! You!?¡¹ Dimitar¡¯s eyes went back and forth between Fatih¡¯s left hand and face quickly, and then he opened his eyes wide in surprise again. ¡¸Did you immediately understand what this¡ªthis ¡°magic crest¡± means? I¡¯m liking you more and more! Such sharp-sightedness is necessary in order to keep on living in my country, you see! ¡­And of course, strength too!¡¹ Fatih winked and clenched his left fist tightly. At the same time, his whole body was filled with new power. The next moment, Fatih closed in on Dimitar again and unleashed his crescent-moon sword in the same way as just now. ¡¸Gu¡­u!¡¹ Dimitar similarly went on the defensive with efficient movements to block it. However, the one thing that was different from just now was that Dimitar¡¯s body was sent flying greatly. ¡¸Dimitar!?¡¹ The girl¡¯s jarring scream rent the night air. Obstructing Fatih, who was about to quickly start in pursuit of Dimitar, was the rampart that the girl had stretched around. ¡¸¡­Tsk¡¹ Fatih, who had lost a perfect chance completely, focused his consciousness on his left hand again and poured his magic power into the magic crest. ¡¸Repeatedly obstructing me¡­ she¡¯s so troublesome! In the first place, I hate young teenage girls!¡¹ Fatih, who had completed a complex magic circle in the twinkling of an eye, opened his left hand and thrust it out towards Dimitar. ¡¸Ba¡­!¡¹ Dimitar noticed that and tried to maintain a big distance, but he was distracted by Fatih¡¯s subordinates who had come challenging him from the other side, and his reaction was slightly slower. ¡¸Guhihi!¡¹ Fatih laughed, sending bubbles of his saliva flying. An explosive flame of the extent that the magic of the Dominas just now looked like mere child¡¯s play overflowed from the palm of his hand. ¡¸Even though it¡¯s the same ¡°Hellfire¡±Phlegethon, it¡¯s so much different! I¡¯ve seen through that young girl¡¯s weakness!¡¹ Narrowing his eyes at the brilliant flame, Fatih reached for the belt on his waist. ¡¸¡ªDespite drawing the same ¡°magic crest¡± with the same ¡°crest magic¡±, the power is different to this extent! If I leave the possibility that the young girl is exceptionally incompetent aside¡ªthen there¡¯s only one answer! In short, she¡¯s a weak person who can¡¯t completely discard her hesitation to kill people!¡¹ While the heat of the explosive flame hadn¡¯t ceased, Fatih threw the black needles he had pulled out from the back side of his belt. ¡¸Guhi! Guhehehehehe!¡¹ Volume 6 - CH 4.5 ¡¸Gyaah!¡¹ ¡¸O, bo¡­¡¹ The whole bodies of the men who got caught in Phlegethon were covered with flames, and they fell down. ¡¸Even though they¡¯re allies¡ª¡¹ Valeria, who had defended herself against a direct hit of the explosive flame by stretching the rampart around, murmured in a daze with a hoarse voice. Enemies who were unafraid of allies¡¯ friendly fire¡ªor rather, enemies who would kill their opponents even at the sacrifices of their allies were the most terrifying; although Dimitar understood that well, he hesitated to say that here now. If Valeria heard that, she¡¯d probably become unable to say anything completely. At that moment, something that was shining black came flying, piercing the red brilliance and hot air. ¡¸! Needles!?¡¹ Although he said needles, they weren¡¯t the cute ones used for sewing. Having a thickness and sharpness like those of a drill, they were steel concealed weapons that were used for throwing. ¡¸His wickedness is revealing itself, huh¡ª!¡¹ Dimitar instantly held his sword aloft and knocked down several needles. ¡¸Tsu¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t tell me you were hit!?¡¹ Hearing Valeria letting out a moan of pain on his shoulder, Dimitar¡¯s complexion changed. ¡¸Where were you hit!?¡¹ ¡¸My, my leg! A, around my thigh¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s because you trash your legs about uselessly!¡¹ The anger towards himself unintentionally turned into him venting his anger on her and rushed out from his mouth. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped!¡¹ Valeria hit Dimitar¡¯s back with her fists and shouted. ¡¸¡ªIt¡¯s difficult to take aim when I¡¯m being carried on your shoulder like this, so I have to move slightly, right!?¡¹ ¡¸Damn it¡­!¡¹ When he checked fleetingly, Valeria¡¯s white thigh had certainly been pierced by a black needle. Although there was hardly any bleeding, it was better to treat it as soon as possible. ¡¸Don¡¯t move as much as possible from now on. Stay still¡¹ ¡¸Even if you tell me to stay still¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Oi, what do you intend to do!?¡¹ ¡¸B, but¡­ I can¡¯t close the wound if I don¡¯t pull it out¡¹ ¡¸Do it later!¡¹ Dimitar shouted at Valeria, who was squirming on a person¡¯s shoulder, and frowned. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t seem that you¡¯ll have the time to flirt in front of people¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s none of your business¡­!¡¹ Dodging the blow of the man with make-up who had dashed through the empty sky, Dimitar spat out so. ¡¸This man, he used Force just now!¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Why can this man use it!?¡¹ Force and ¡°Double Speed¡±Flash were originally magic designed by the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis of several generations ago. Although they were imparted to every country of the alliance as a tool for diplomatic negotiations and were also currently being used by countries besides Ahmad, Dimitar hadn¡¯t heard of them being spread to the other side of the mountain range. Even if this peculiar-looking man was a citizen of Ahmad, the magic crests of Force and Flash should have been concealed from the civilians. ¡¸No way¡­ then, this man is also the same as Hokon, and he can use ¡°magic¡± even though he¡¯s a barbarian believer!?¡¹ Valeria¡¯s dignity as a devout God believer and a Dominas was whipped up, and she gnashed her teeth. ¡¸¡ªIn the first place, calling me a young girl is extremely rude!¡¹ ¡¸Hahan? A young girl is a young girl, isn¡¯t it? ¡ª¡¹ The man with make-up snorted and seemed to have murmured something rapidly, but perhaps it was the language from the other side of the mountain range, Dimitar couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡¸¡ª!¡¹ Repeatedly repelling the man¡¯s crescent-moon sword which was unleashed in rapid succession, Dimitar felt unpleasant sweat running down his back. Setting him smelling of make-up aside, this man¡¯s ability was the real thing. In addition to being able to use that many magics, there was also this swordsmanship. In the current state where Dimitar¡¯s left arm was completely occupied, he¡¯d reach his limit before long. Valeria pointed at the man with make-up while grinding her teeth out of anger. ¡¸If I go all out, then someone like you¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸Ignore him¡¹ ¡¸Fue!?¡¹ ¡¸We have no time to deal with him!¡¹ The man¡¯s sword grazed Dimitar¡¯s side, and a stinging pain shot through it. He forcibly suppressed it and shouted. ¡¸¡ªOi, Your Eminence-sama!¡¹ ¡¸Eh!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going to throw you! Think of protecting yourself only!¡¹ ¡¸Ah? ¡ªU, un!¡¹ Dimitar grasped Valeria¡¯s arm and swung her around, then threw her up towards the night sky. ¡¸!?¡¹ The man with make-up opened his mouth wide as if he was dumbfounded. As one would expect, he probably didn¡¯t think Dimitar would casually throw the Dominas. Seizing that opportunity, Dimitar ran past the man, grazing his side. ¡¸¡­You really did it¡­!¡¹ The blow of Dimitar, who had intended to cut the man in two with a single stroke of his sword, was stopped by the man¡¯s crescent-moon sword, and it did no more than simply slicing off his skin at the most. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to be feeling bitter about that. Dimitar didn¡¯t even look back and headed for the falling spot to try to catch Valeria, who had drawn a large parabola and come falling down. ¡¸Do you think I¡¯ll let you, Dimitar-chan?¡¹ The hair on the nape of Dimitar¡¯s neck stood on end at the voice of the man who was pursuing from the rear. ¡¸¡­He also knows about me, huh¡¹ ¡¸¡ªDii!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s voice came down from above his head. Taking that girl¡¯s character into consideration, he somehow knew what she was trying to do. ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t get me involved¡¹ Dimitar, who had murmured so, took out a small ceramic bottle from his inside pocket while pulling in his head like a tortoise. ¡¸I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡¹ Together with Valeria¡¯s voice, from which one could feel her anger, a violent gale became countless blades and pierced the earth. ¡¸¡°Tornado¡±Razor¡­ was it? If I remember correctly, it¡¯s like this right?¡¹ The man with make-up, who had dodged Valeria¡¯s magic entirely, also began drawing the magic crest for Razor immediately himself, as if showing off to Valeria. ¡¸I¡¯ve fully understood that you¡¯re good at imitation¡¹ Dimitar smiled coldly at his predictable action and kicked the ground. Returning Jagielka to its scabbard, Dimitar caught Valeria, who had come falling down, in his arms in mid-air. ¡¸¡ªHowever, I have no intention of going along with your parlour trick¡¹ Dimitar suddenly threw the bottle, which he was holding, down, then kicked the thick tree branch and jumped again. ¡¸What are you¡ª¡¹ The wind blades that the man had shot caught the small bottle thrown by Dimitar accurately. ¡¸This¡­ oh no!?¡¹ The man with make-up quickly covered his mouth with his hand and jumped back greatly. The men who had arrived slightly later ran past him on both sides, and when they were just about to follow Dimitar closely as they were, they went down on their knees and fell face down one after another. ¡¸¡­H, huh, what happened?¡¹ Looking down at the strange occurrence of the enemies over the boy¡¯s shoulder, Valeria asked in a puzzled manner. ¡¸The contents of the small bottle just now are sleeping powder. The period of its effectiveness is short, but to make up for that, it takes effect immediately if it¡¯s inhaled once¡¹ ¡¸Are you always carrying that sort of thing around!?¡¹ ¡¸You never know when you might need it, after all. It¡¯s quite expensive despite its appearance, so I can¡¯t prepare very much of it¡¹ ¡¸Then why didn¡¯t you use it earlier!?¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. In retrospect, I should have used it when you started saying that you wanted to come along with me. If I had make you smell it a little and then shoved you into your bed, this would have ended without such trouble¡¹ ¡¸You¡ª¡¹ When Valeria stared fixedly at Dimitar from right in front, all her movements stopped suddenly. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter?¡¹ ¡¸C¡­ close! Close, close! Too close!¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying? I¡¯m outdistancing them perfectly, you know?¡¹ Dimitar looked back and checked the figures of the enemies. Setting the man with make-up, who had noticed the sleeping powder and jumped back instantly, aside, the other people had mostly fallen down. For the time being, there was no sign of anyone being hot on their heels. ¡¸Not that!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face turned bright red, and she screamed. ¡¸Your face is too close! You know that, right!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­It¡¯s not my fault¡¹ It was natural that the two people¡¯s faces were so close that the tips of their noses were going to touch each other. After all, the current Valeria was clinging tightly to Dimitar. ¡¸How did it become like this!?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, it¡¯s not my fault¡¹ Dimitar also didn¡¯t want to do it this way in particular. They just happened to be facing each other when he tried to catch Valeria, who had come falling down, in his arms. Afterwards, it was Valeria¡¯s own volition to cling tight to him, and not because Dimitar instructed her to do so. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped, right?!¡¹ Valeria¡¯s face flushed increasingly bright red from Dimitar pointing that out, and she screamed. ¡¸I, I might fall down if I don¡¯t cling to you!¡¹ ¡¸No matter how fast I run, it¡¯s impossible for me to drop you. ¡­I can also carry you on my back though¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no such need! After I close the wound, I¡¯ll use magic to¡ª¡¹ The limbs of Valeria, who had retorted firmly, suddenly lost their strength. ¡¸Oi, though I certainly said that I won¡¯t drop you, don¡¯t relax your whole body all of a sudden¡¹ ¡¸I didn¡¯t particularly¡ªh, huh¡­? I didn¡¯t, relax my whole body, though¡ª¡¹ ¡¸¡­Oi?¡¹ Dimitar stared at Valeria¡¯s face, which was right in front of him, and knitted his brows. ¡¸You¡­ are not having a fever by any chance, are you? No matter how I look at it, I think your face is too red¡ª¡¹ ¡¸F, fever¡­?¡¹ Valeria murmured, her lips quivering, and then leaned her head on Dimitar¡¯s shoulder and took a big deep breath. ¡¸Damn it¡­! I thought it was unlikely, but it¡¯s just as I thought¡ª!¡¹ ¡¸W, what do you mean¡­?¡¹ Dimitar reduced his speed and surveyed his surroundings. He had left those men behind and was able to gain quite a distance. The width of the river flowing nearby had become considerably wider, and its current had also become much slower. He should be reaching the foot of the mountain soon. Dimitar spread the mantle on the side of the river and laid Valeria down, then removed the gauntlet on his left arm and took a breath. ¡¸Oi¡¹ Dimitar boldly cut off both sleeves of his own shirt with a knife and washed them lightly in the cold river water, then brought his face close to Valeria and whispered in a low voice. ¡¸Spread your legs¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ha?¡¹ Valeria glared at Dimitar while breathing hard. ¡¸Y, you¡­ what are you saying, t, taking advantage of a girl, when, she¡¯s weakened? Y, you¡¯re, incomprehensible¡ª¡¹ Seeing that such a response came back immediately, it seemed that her reason was still functioning sufficiently. Although it was troublesome in the sense that he had to explain various things, it was something he should be glad of. Dimitar stared at Valeria¡¯s right leg, where the black iron needle was stuck as it was. The girl¡¯s white skin was changing colour, centring around the area where the needle was stuck. Many bluish-black specks, which were about the size of a small coin, were appearing here and there. ¡¸Your fever is probably because of this needle¡¹ ¡¸Then, pull it out¡­ and then, I¡¯ll, quickly, close it up, with, magic¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s impossible. The needle is most likely smeared with poison¡¹ ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s poison. The poison is spreading¡¹ Dimitar repeated so, then twisted the sleeves to turn them into a thin cord. Although it was possible to heal a simple wound by means of magic, it was impossible to restore the damage caused by the diseases and poisons that lay dormant deep inside the body. At the very least, a healing magic that could even heal such things wasn¡¯t developed yet. In other words¡ªValeria couldn¡¯t heal herself, who was afflicted with poison. ¡¸W¡­ what do we do? What, should we do¡ª¡¹ Perhaps it was because of the fever, Valeria¡¯s lips trembled, and she looked up at Dimitar with watery eyes. ¡¸That¡¯s why I told you to spread your legs first. ¡ªThat¡¯s enough, I¡¯ll do it by myself¡¹ When Dimitar raised Valeria¡¯s right leg, he passed the improvised cord below it and tied it tightly on the base of her thigh. ¡¸¡­Does it hurt?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m, all, right¡­ it¡¯s not so, painful¡¹ Valeria showed a tight smile and shook her head weakly. ¡¸¡­I see¡¹ Dimitar had tied it exceptionally tight with the intention of stopping the blood flow to slow down the spread of the poison even a little. Nevertheless, the fact that it didn¡¯t feel very painful meant that Valeria¡¯s sense of touch might possibly be growing numb little by little. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ If Valeria was left as she was, she¡¯d undoubtedly lose her life. Besides, if they were attacked by those men again while he was carrying Valeria, who was in this state, in his arms, they surely wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this time. However, even though Dimitar understood these, he couldn¡¯t decide what he should do. He also thought of putting the treatment off and returning to the town anyway, but it was evident that Valeria¡¯s condition had deteriorated even more. ¡¸¡­Dimitar¡¹ Valeria spoke to Dimitar, who was pondering with his arms folded. ¡¸Hide me, around there¡ªand return, by yourself first¡¹ ¡¸Just when I was wondering what you¡¯d say¡­ that¡¯s your constructive idea?¡¹ Forcibly restraining his irritation towards himself, Dimitar asked back indifferently. ¡¸If you return to the town¡­ you can negotiate with, that prefectural governor¡­ and then use his assistance, right? Also, a doctor or something¡ªif you do that¡¹ ¡¸Rejected¡¹ Dimitar crushed the girl¡¯s idea, which she had brought up with considerable resolution, with no room for thought. ¡¸W, why¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I said so in Seriba, that even if you abandon me, I¡¯ll never abandon you. Have you forgotten?¡¹ ¡¸Y, you¡¯re not abandoning me, but coming for me afterwards¡ªbesides, look¡­ it was me who forcibly came along with you from the start¡¹ ¡¸In the first place, I¡¯m at fault for not forcibly putting you to sleep. After all, I understood from the case in Seriba in particular that I can¡¯t stop you if I don¡¯t do that much. ¡­This was my responsibility the moment I overlooked that¡¹ He could hear a voice in his mind saying that this wasn¡¯t the time to be quarrelling over such a matter. At present, even the time when he was hesitating was precious. While looking up at the sky, Dimitar pulled the small, thin knife out from his boot again. ¡¸¡­This will be a drastic treatment, but it can¡¯t be helped¡¹ ¡¸W, what is it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know whether you can understand in your current state, but I¡¯ll explain just in case¡¹ Dimitar briefly looked back at the very dim light behind him and then continued after confirming that there were no signs of pursuers. ¡¸¡ªI¡¯ll put this needle out after this and cut the wound open. If we let the poison out together with your blood, you¡¯ll probably feel a little more comfortable¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s, fine, ¡­but after that, how will you stop the bleeding¡­? Also, the wound, how will you close, it¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I can at least close the wound somehow¡¹ Setting the matter of pulling the needle out aside, cutting the wound open afterwards was bound to be accompanied by a lot of pain under ordinary circumstances, but the current Valeria might hardly feel it. Reaching for the black needle, Dimitar controlled his breathing quietly. ¡¸¡ªHere I go¡¹ Dimitar pulled the needle out in one breath. Blackish blood overflowed slightly from the open wound on the pale skin. It was the blood that had become turbid because of the poison. Confirming that Valeria didn¡¯t even give a moan of pain, Dimitar slid the knife into the girl¡¯s skin. ¡¸N¡­¡¹ Valeria furrowed her brow and bent slightly backwards. As one would expect, she might have felt the pain from her skin being cut. However, she didn¡¯t seem to have the strength to scream ¡°It hurts¡± or struggle. ¡¸Don¡¯t lose consciousness, all right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Un¡¹ Valeria closed her eyes quietly as she said so. ¡¸I, I feel cold somehow¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s because of the bleeding and the fever¡¹ Dimitar pressed the surroundings of the wound firmly and squeezed even more turbid blood out. Without a doubt, the person in question, Valeria, was only feeling some pain faintly and most likely didn¡¯t understand what was being done to her now. While wiping the flowing blood and keeping a very close watch on the blood that oozed out next again, Dimitar put his right hand on her knee to fix it in place and pressed his left index finger against the skin. ¡¸Di, ta¡­¡¹ ¡¸What? If you have something you want to say, then say it clearly¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s, nothing¡ª¡¹ Valeria shook her head and extended her left hand out in slow motion. ¡¸¡­What?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡­¡¹ The girl repeated so in a feeble voice, and then her hand, as if wanting to cling to something, grasped the right hand of Dimitar, who was sitting cross-legged. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The girl¡¯s nails dug into his wrist, and blood started to ooze out. However, compared to the pain and agony that Valeria was feeling now, the pain of his skin tearing was without doubt much more insignificant. Intentionally pretending not to notice Valeria revealing her helplessness, Dimitar pressed his left index finger against his right arm, which was grasped by the girl, and concentrated his consciousness there. Volume 6 - CH 4.6 In a corner of the back yard of the town hall, there was an old water well that was hardly ever used nowadays. Due to the forest of dense Asian hazel, not much sunlight shone on this area during the day; even more so when once it was night. Fatih was whetting his sword while whistling beside that. He had carefully whetted it when he left his country, but no matter how sharp a double-edged or single-edged sword was, its blade would become blunt if one killed several people. The fact that Fatih was whetting the blade like this again now meant that he had killed many people over the span of these few days. ¡¸¡ª¡¹ When Galarina sighed so as to be deliberately overheard, Fatih finally raised his eyes. ¡¸Araran, you were here, Nee-san? I didn¡¯t notice you at all¡¹ ¡¸What a barefaced lie¡­¡¹ ¡¸By the way, what¡¯s the matter, coming here at a time like this? I thought you were asleep already¡¹ ¡¸How many people did you kill?¡¹ Galarina asked straightforwardly without any introductory remarks. ¡¸Hahan? What in the world are you talking about?¡¹ ¡¸I thought the question was very easy to understand though. ¡­Stop feigning ignorance. I¡¯m asking you how many people did you kill¡¹ Galarina pressed her spectacles down and asked in a voice lower than usual. She anticipated that Fatih would feign ignorance first. When facing this pleasure-seeking younger brother of hers, she understood that it was extremely important to absolutely not get dragged into the other party¡¯s pace. ¡¸I know that you arbitrarily took ten subordinates along. However, only four people came back. Six men didn¡¯t come back. ¡ªCan you give a clear explanation that anyone can understand?¡¹ ¡¸I killed one person only. He was persistently lecturing me, you see. ¡­After all, look, wasn¡¯t he impudent being like that?¡¹ ¡¸Setting whether that man really said something to be deservedly killed or not aside, didn¡¯t you kill the remaining five people too?¡¹ ¡¸I wonder if that¡¯s called killing them¡­ shouldn¡¯t that be called reluctantly delivering the coup de grace?¡¹ ¡¸Coup de grace?¡¹ ¡¸I instantly put an end to those guys¡¯ lives without prolonging their pain, so I¡¯d like them to be thankful to me instead. ¡­In the first place, speaking in terms of my standard, there¡¯s no need to keep subordinates who were injured by the enemy and became unable to move by themselves alive¡¹ ¡¸In other words¡ªyou disregarded my instructions and arbitrarily used the subordinates to arbitrarily attack the Dominas; moreover, you messed that up and even lost six subordinates¡­ is that what you meant?¡¹ ¡¸If you disregard the minor details, well, that might be the case¡¹ Fatih kept the blade, which had regained a sharpness like that of a new one, in its scabbard and stood up. Without even the slightest sign of looking ashamed, he conversely looked down at Galarina, whom he had been looking up at until then, and took out a hand mirror from his breast pocket. Galarina put her hands on her waist and glared at Fatih. ¡¸¡­I only ordered you to keep watch on the Dominas. It¡¯s really incomprehensible to me why you couldn¡¯t even understand such a simple order¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, when I went to the guest house with the intention of keeping watch on her, she wasn¡¯t there already. Only both the Dominas and her Hiera Glaphicos weren¡¯t there! So, I ran after them because I thought they were surely working on some top-secret mission. I¡¯m hard-working, right?¡¹ The word ¡°hard-working¡± was without doubt one of things furthest from Fatih¡¯s true nature. Not doing what he was ordered to, and doing what he wasn¡¯t ordered to¡ªsuch a person probably couldn¡¯t be called hard-working. ¡¸Well, they found out that I was following them halfway, and it inevitably, really inevitably, turned into us crossing swords. I certainly think this is because of my immaturity, so I¡¯m reflecting on that alone¡¹ ¡¸You picked a fight with them of your own accord and yet you say it so shamelessly¡­¡¹ ¡¸Araran? You don¡¯t believe the words of your biological younger brother?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s very different from the report I¡¯ve received¡¹ ¡¸Who is it, who is the one putting such nonsense into Nee-san¡¯s head? I¡¯ll cut him down, so tell me a bit¡¹ ¡¸Fatih¡ª¡¹ Seeing her younger brother reaching for the hilt of the crescent-moon sword that he had just carried on his back, Galarina sighed with a sour look. ¡¸¡­If you do something stupid during this period and Ahmad¡¯s central government intervenes in earnest, the connections that we¡¯ve spent time and money to build with Romarikku so far could come to an end. ¡ªDo you intend to make my efforts come to naught?¡¹ ¡¸Let me take this opportunity to offer my opinion¡¹ Fatih came out of the thicket of Asian hazel with a hand mirror in one hand and looked at his own face, which was reflected in it by relying on the little starlight, from various angles. Galarina couldn¡¯t understand her younger brother, who would act like this even though he was a man. ¡¸¡­Why don¡¯t we sever it?¡¹ ¡¸Sever what?¡¹ ¡¸Our connection with that Excellency. I think it¡¯s better to abandon that man and replace him with a man who will act in accordance with Nee-san¡¯s expectations more¡¹ ¡¸Do you think the ¡°Margrave¡± of Romarikku, whom even Ahmad¡¯s central government is careful about dealing with, can be replaced so easily?¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? I think I can write a highly convincing scenario though¡¹ Perhaps he was concerned that the rouge had been blurred by his sweat, Fatih continued with his back towards Galarina while looking at the mirror and wiping his cheeks. ¡¸¡ªAs the descendant of the royal family of the old Romarikku that originally had a Dominas, Gavrilo Alija Dzeco is unable to accept the present state of affairs, and then he assassinated Valeria Costacurta who have come for a royal visit and tries to push his own daughter Jelena into the vacant post¡ªhow about something like that? If Ahmad¡¯s government believes that the Dzeco clan has the spirit of rebellion, they naturally can¡¯t help but do something themselves, right? Right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s not for you to decide¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯m offering Nee-san my opinion like this¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not for me to decide either¡¹ Galarina interrupted Fatih¡¯s words and spoke. ¡¸¡­If you act as you like too much, Chichi-ue will get angry, you know?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯ll be all right if Nee-san intercedes for me at that time~¡¹ Unlike Fatih, Galarina was in her father¡¯s favour, if she did say so herself. Galarina¡¯s father had many wives, and his children were plenty to the extent of being a dime a dozen, but Galarina, who had been intelligent since childhood, was conceited to believe that her father loved her relatively more among her siblings. However, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that Galarina¡¯s father was soft on her. It seemed that Fatih didn¡¯t know that well. ¡¸¡ªAnyway, I didn¡¯t kill the Dominas, so don¡¯t be so upset. I could have ambushed them when they came back to the guest house and then took their lives, but I let them go, you know? My identity wasn¡¯t exposed too, so I assure Nee-san that it won¡¯t become the situation that you fear¡¹ ¡¸Your assurance is untrustworthy¡¹ ¡¸Araran, isn¡¯t your way of speaking too~much?¡¹ Fatih shrugged his shoulders and started to walk. ¡¸¡­Staying up late isn¡¯t good for the skin, so I¡¯m going to sleep soon. It¡¯s better for Onee-san to go to bed quickly too, you know?¡¹ Fatih waved his hand towards his rear and entered the town hall through the back door of the kitchen. ¡¸¡ªOnee-sama¡¹ Immediately after Fatih¡¯s sign of presence became more distant, Jelena came jumping down from the window on the third floor. ¡¸Jelena, huh¡¹ Jelena flew down together with a sudden wind and glanced at the back door through which Fatih had disappeared, then walked up to Galarina, a small wrinkle forming on the tip of her nose. ¡¸¡ªSorry, Onee-sama, but I hate that person¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so¡¹ Fatih and Jelena practically didn¡¯t get along at all. Although Fatih had been treating Jelena as aptly as an adult would, Jelena would curse and glare at Fatih at every opportunity; anyway, it seemed that he was so insufferable that he got on her nerves. ¡¸If he gets in the way of Onee-sama any further¡ª¡¹ A dim scarlet brilliance dwelt on the back of the right hand of Jelena, who had muttered so in a low voice that was uncharacteristic of a girl. However, Galarina covered her hand and shook her head with a sigh. ¡¸Stop it¡¹ ¡¸But¡ª¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine already¡¹ Galarina pacified Jelena, who didn¡¯t hide her anger, then held her round the slender shoulders and looked up at the southern night sky. ¡¸Nevertheless¡­ he said that the Dominas was wandering around in the mountain¡ª?¡¹ ¡¸Onee-sama, did you say something?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­ anyway, let¡¯s go to sleep already for today. I probably have to start with an explanation to the prefectural governor first tomorrow¡¹ Galarina was curious about the Dominas¡¯s strange movements, but rather than investigating it, there were other matters that she had to think about now. Unlike her younger brother who was an adherent of ephemeral pleasure, Galarina had a clear vision of her future, and in order to realise it, there existed many obstacles that she must overcome.