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—although it was called the best capital of the continent—the 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」

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…」, 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…」

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.

「—Oi」

「Hiwa!?」

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」

Dimitar, who had similarly put on a black mantle, grabbed Valeria’s fingertip that was pointing at him.

「Y, you—w, why are you here?」

「You were also summoned by the royal palace, right? A mission being given to you means that I’ll also be called」

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!」

「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」

「Ah! H, hey—」

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」

「T, that’s… because I couldn’t use a carriage—」

「I didn’t use one either」

「Y-y… you’re so annoying. I was only late in leaving the mansion because Chichi-ue made a fuss about this and that!」

「I see. With that father of yours, it can’t be helped then」

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.

「—By, by the way, having us come to the royal palace in absolute secrecy at such a time, what on earth does it mean?」

「Who knows. —At 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」

「But the one who summoned us was His Majesty the King, right?」

「It was written so in the letter」

「A mission, which can’t be spoken openly, given by the king—」

「Even if you think about it here, it’s meaningless. We’ll know it shortly」

Valeria and Dimitar entered the royal palace through the side entrance, which was strictly guarded by sentinels, and were immediately guided to an office.

「—Ou, sorry about this」

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」

With a friendliness as if he was asking them to run an errand, the king began to talk immediately.

「—To tell you the truth, that person of mine will be coming back soon」

「That person of mine…?」

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」

Thereupon, Dimitar poked Valeria lightly and whispered so into her ear.

「You don’t understand my roundabout way of speaking, huh」

“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?」

「Yes」

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—this probably wasn’t something that should be said here.

「—That Almudena has recovered completely and will be coming back to Roma」

「Congratulations on that」

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」

「Go to Gloom… to meet Her Highness the Queen?」

「That’s right. And then escort her back to Roma. …However, you must conceal your identities」

「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—?」

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?」

「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」

「Travelling incognito… huh」

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!」, and this caused Valeria to feel really irritated again.

Repressing that slight indignation, Valeria asked.

「Why do we have to do such a thing?」

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.

「—For 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」

「Eh!? H, hurry, you say… right now?」

「That’s right」

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?」

「Eh…?」

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」

「…Acknowledged. Please leave everything to us」

Dimitar frowned slightly and nodded.

「Hey—?」

「Well then, we’ll depart immediately」

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!?」

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」

「It’s not a pointless question!」

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—」

Rubbing her back that was tingling painfully, Valeria grumbled.

「You’re really noisy」

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」

「What…」

「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」

「U—」

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?」

「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」

「Yes, that. In fact, why won’t he send the Seal Chivalric Order, I wonder?」

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?」

「Why do you think so?」

「That’s because—hora, if it’s Ahmad’s regular army, there’s nobody more excellent than them for the roles of guards」

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—unless 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—」

「Deterrence」

「Yes, that! We can prevent attacks from miscreants with that thing called “deterrence”」

「Don’t talk repetitively」

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?」

「I, I know that sort of thing…」

「Well, I ought to be glad that you unusually have a decent thought like that」

「It’s none of your business!」

「In short, His Majesty is probably thinking about something improper」

「…Fue?」

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? —It’s impossible that it’s decent」

Dimitar pressed down on the pocket where he had kept the letters and curled his lip sarcastically.

「—In any case, His Majesty’s order is absolute. Since we undertook it, we can’t not do it. We’re departing immediately」

「Eh!? Now!? Are you serious?」

「His Majesty said so」

「B, but what about Bettina?」

「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」

「But we haven’t even made any preparations—」

「We don’t need any preparations. As long as we can procure a strong horse, that alone is enough」

「But there’s no change of clothes or anything—」

「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?」

「U…」

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. —Until then, we’ll manage with this」

Its contents were probably gold coins; Dimitar spoke casually while playing with the pouch, which was making jingling sounds, nimbly.