“Understood!”
Finally, I’m free, Neia thought, but then Gustavo followed behind her just as she made to leave. After they left the room, he spoke quietly to her.
“Sorry about the Captain.”
Neia halted in her tracks, turned around, and then she voiced the doubts she had been harboring in her heart all this while.
“...Did I do something to upset the Captain? I mean, I’ve heard that the battle where we lost that city changed her completely, so what happened?”
“...Many paladins died in the battle with Jaldabaoth, including the Holy Queen-sama and the Captain’s sister.”
I know that. But so what?
The same thing had happened to Neia.
Both her father and mother were dead. People like this were hardly uncommon throughout the Holy Kingdom. Of course, she could not actually say that.
“Without a place to vent the grief and anger she felt from that, the Captain chose to take it out on you. I think the reason why she did not do so with us paladins was because we fought and suffered with her.”
What the hell, Neia grumbled in her heart.
In other words, all this was because Neia had not taken part in that battle.
This was just unfair.
Half of Neia’s fellow squires had travelled to the same city and many of them had ended up dying. The reason why Neia had not been in that half was due to her luck, and not because of any choice Neia had made.
“Let me also say this: please bear with it. Right now, the Captain is irreplaceable to the Holy Kingdom.”
“...Even if she takes her anger out on others and gives them a hard time, then?”
“Indeed.“
Gustavo looked at her with a pained look in his eyes.
Anger raced through her body. She wanted to shout at him. Neia knew that woman was strong, but still, Neia had also done her part in getting them safely to the Kingdom. She had spotted the demihumans’ lookouts and she had been more careful than anyone else when they pitched camp at night. Neia had a role in getting the ambassadorial party to their destination. That being the case, Neia did not feel she was any less valuable than that woman.
However, Neia quashed her feelings as they boiled up.
She had to bear with this for the sake of the people suffering in the Holy Kingdom. Allowing any of them to be lost, and thus prolonging the plight of countless people, was the most foolish course of action imaginable.
In addition, she would be free of this duty once she returned to the country. Thus, all she would have to do was bear with it for a while longer.
Neia smiled and nodded.
“Understood. If it is for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, I will endure it with a smile.”
Blue Rose arrived at the inn not long after Neia returned to the room.
Neia waited, among the paladins who stood motionless by the walls.
Soon, the door opened, and a group of people entered.
She was not a fangirl of theirs, but their reputation still shone brightly in the Holy Kingdom, and it made Neia’s heart flutter. These were great people of her gender who had ascended to heights which she herself could not reach. Personally, she would have liked to ask them all kinds of questions. That said, she could not do such a thing.
They’re… one of the three adamantite ranked adventurer teams in the Kingdom. Blue Rose… they’re awesome...
While she had heard their descriptions and names from rumors, this was the first time she had seen them in the flesh. There was quite a big discrepancy between how she had imagined them from their stories and how they actually were.
Standing at their head was Blue Rose’s leader. She was a priestess who bore the holy symbol of the Water God, the wielder of the demonic blade, Kilineyram — Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
Her beautiful features were such that even her fellow females might fall in love with her, and it was hard to believe she was a top-class adventurer of the like which only fighting geniuses could be. If she wore a dress, she would be the very picture of a princess from the dreams of a commoner like Neia
That beautiful woman spoke with a gentle voice that matched Neia’s image of her.
“Thank you for your invitation. We are Blue Rose.”
Remedios, who had stood up to welcome them, nodded slightly to express her gratitude.
“I cannot thank you enough for accepting our invitation, honored members of Blue Rose.”
“We are the ones who are grateful to receive an invitation from the paladin who bears a holy sword and who has skills to match, Remedios Custodio-sama.”
Their exchange contrasted Remedios’s formulaic greeting and somewhat stiff tone against Lakyus’s natural way of speaking. It would seem she really was a noble heiress.
“Ah, I’m the one who should be happy to meet the wielder of a demonic blade like yourself. Ahem. Please take a seat. The people around us are all paladins of the Holy Kingdom. It would be good if we could all listen in. Erm, if there’s time after that, I would like very much to see the demonic blade.”
“Gladly, and the chance to behold your holy sword would delight me as well. Then, let us do as our host bids and take a seat, everyone.”
The members of Blue Rose each sat down in their own way. Some of them had already folded their arms and grasped their elbows. It made one wonder if their bold attitude came from knowing their strength or if they were simply acting in a manner that best fitted it.
“Shall we start by introducing ourselves?”
The Vice-Captain answered, probably to help Remedios out.
“No, there’s no need for that. News of your exploits has made its way around the Holy Kingdom. Ah, and while it’s a little late for this, I’m the Vice-Captain of the Paladin Order, Gustavo Montanjes.”
Lakyus smiled gently at Gustavo’s answer.
“Really now. It would be good if that news was flattering.”
“Ah—”
“—Yes. We’ve heard nothing but good things about you. In truth, your heroic exploits make my heart beat faster in excitement.”
It would seem Remedios wanted to say something, but Gustavo had interrupted her. After that, he smiled to Lakyus like nothing was the matter.
“That is quite pleasing. While I wish to ask about the details of those thing you heard, we are here today to fulfill a request. It is not our intention to waste our client’s valuable time. That being the case, let us discuss the particulars of this request.”
“Hmm~ Before that, I’d like to ask the name of that girl—”
Neia jumped in fright as she realized one of the twin thieves was pointing at her. The other one was also looking at her in interest.
The two of them ought to be the twin thieves known as Tia and Tina. Despite being members of Blue Rose, which was famed even in the Holy Kingdom, there were no rumors or tales of their deeds. They were a pair of mysterious individuals.
And now those individuals were pointing at her.
She felt like she had suddenly been shoved into the limelight from the shadows of an audience seat. Thoughts like why, what is this, what’s happening and other such phrases bounced around inside her mind.
“That girl doesn’t have a warrior’s body. Different from our musclehead’s.”
“Oi! What was that supposed to mean!?”
The person who had spoken up was Gagaran, the lady warrior who was built like a brick shithouse.
“Exactly what I said. ...She’s not a warrior, no matter how you look at it. Now this is a warrior.”
“Oi oi, you can train your body with experience, you know.”