“Captain. Neia Baraja has returned.”
She puffed up her chest, adjusted her posture, and stated her name.
“—How did it go?”
“My deepest apologies. They declined because of a lack of time. They said they would like at least two weeks.”
“Tch,” Remedios clicked her tongue.
Neia’s gut cramped. Was she expressing her displeasure at Neia, or rather, at the nobles who had rejected them? While both the former or latter seemed likely, she dared not clarify such a frightening matter.
“Really now. Thank you for heading out amidst the cold. Go back to your room and rest, then.”
“Yes!”
Neia suppressed her sigh of relief at Gustavo’s words. While she wanted to leave right away, Remedios called out and stopped her in her tracks.
“...I wanted to ask you before, but did you really tell them that we wanted to open negotiations as soon as possible?”
“—Huh? Ah! Yes! Of course I tried to ask them, but unfortunately they said no…”
“So it wasn’t because of your poor negotiation skills, then?”
“Ah, that, that’s—”
That’s not true, she wanted to say, but who would dare say it? In addition, she already knew that she would not be able to escape this reprimand no matter how she answered.
“...Captain. It is not just the nobles she asked who refused. Other nobles have rejected the request for a meeting in the same way. Among them were some nobles who indicated they could not lend aid to the Holy Kingdom, but who wished to speak nonetheless.”
Remedios glared at Gustavo, who seemed to have spoken up in order to interrupt their conversation. No words passed between them, but the tension built in the air.
“—Neia Baraja.”
“Yes!”
So she was still gunning for her, after all. While Neia had mentally rounded her shoulders in defeat, she did not express it externally, instead responding in a timid tone.
Gustavo had now moved to stand between the two of them, but Remedios paid him no heed and continued glaring at Neia.
“While we are wasting time here, many of our people are being slaughtered by the demihumans led by Jaldabaoth. In addition, four major cities have already fallen, in addition to many more smaller and villages.”
The four cities in question were, respectively: the capital Hoburns, which housed the Great Cathedral that was regarded as the high temple of the Holy Kingdom’s faith.
The port city of Rimun, which lay to the west of the capital.
The fortress city of Kalinsha, which was the closest to the wall, and the first to be attacked by the demihumans.
And then there was Prart, the city between Kalinsha and Hoburns.
In other words, most of the major cities of the north were now under the control of Jaldabaoth’s demihuman hordes.
“In addition, they’ve captured many of the survivors, who they have imprisoned in camps made from captured villages and cities. Just the mention of being sent there is enough to chill one’s blood.”
“Yes!”
Those camps were surrounded by walls, and nobody had personally witnessed what was happening inside because nobody had managed to infiltrate the interior. However, the rumors said they were guarded by demihumans. Those people who had probed as closely as they dared said they could hear groans and screams of agony from within.
In addition, what was more convincing was the fact that nobody felt Jaldabaoth, as a demonic ruler, would grant any form of humane treatment to his human prisoners.
“So knowing all that, you still came back with results like this? Did you really try your best? Normally you’d have something to show for it if you did, no?”
“Yes! My sincerest apologies!”
Indeed, she was right. Remedios was correct. However—
The thought that welled up in Neia’s heart refused to fade away.
In that case, what good is the Captain of the Holy Kingdom’s paladin order if she failed to rescue those prisoners?
She dearly wanted to retort with those words. However, as a squire of the Holy Kingdom, she could not possibly say such a thing.
“Since you feel sorry, what do you plan to do? What can you do to show concrete results?”
Neia was at a loss for words.
At the heart of it, Neia was just an ordinary citizen of the Holy Kingdom. She had neither a noble peerage, power, or wealth. She was not even a paladin, just a squire. There was nothing which Neia, as she was, could offer a noble of the Kingdom which could appeal to them. In that case, all she could do was—
“I’ll work harder.”
—Psychology. However, it would seem that answer did not meet with Remedios’s approval.
“I’m asking you how you intend to work harder. Futile effort is—”
“—Captain.”
Gustavo interrupted Remedios as she was about to say something.
“Why not leave things as they are for now? After all, it’s about time we began our preparations, no? The esteemed members of Blue Rose will be arriving soon. If we take too long welcoming them, we will upset them, won’t we?”
“Indeed. Squire Baraja, work harder and do better next time.”
“Understood!”
Remedios made a shooing motion with her hand. In other words, she was saying Hurry up and get lost.
“My apologies, Captain Remedios!”
Even though she was tired, Neia was shouting All right! in her heart and trembling with joy as she made to leave the room. However, her ally from just now transformed into her most dire adversary in an instant.
“Captain, may she be present when Blue Rose arrives?”
Gustavo’s words made Neia’s vision black out for a moment. However, this was a topic that involved her, since she was a squire.
Remedios looked at her adjutant. It was completely unlike the way she had looked at Neia. Her eyes were so caring that it seemed like she had changed personalities at some point, and it confused Neia.
“Really? Well, if you say so… but why?”
“The main reason for bringing her along as a squire was because she has exceptional senses. Perhaps there might be things which only she can notice.”
Many paladins and squires had died during the battles with Jaldabaoth. However, quite a few of them had survived. Even so, the reason she had been chosen to accompany their group was precisely because of her senses.
While paladins were excellent fighters, they were little different from the average commoner in other respects. On this mission, there might be a need for someone to pass unseen, spot the enemy at a great distance, pass through encirclements, and perform other such tasks, which meant that they would need someone who possessed such reconnaissance skills.
Under normal circumstances, one would call on an adventurer or hunter, but most of them were already dead, and the remainder had already fled to the south or to other countries. Therefore, with no more experienced candidates to choose from, Neia had been selected.
While she was far inferior compared to her father, she harbored some pride in the fact that her senses were sharper than those who had only been trained as paladins. She was very happy that her talents could serve her nation, but that feeling was steadily being worn away. Now, she was starting to resent the fact that she had been chosen.
“Really? ...Well, if you think so, then that’s fine. I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you very much, Captain.”
“...Squire Baraja. Like we just said, you will remain in the corner of the room and listen to our conversation. If anything happens, inform us. ...Now go back to your room and freshen up before coming back.”