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」

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」, 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. —And 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」

「Eh?」

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」

「C, Costacurta-geika?」

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」

Almudena told them in a quiet voice.

「—Those 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」

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」

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?」

「It’s nothing, I’ll return immediately. —You go and prepare a new mantle for Her Highness the Queen」

「Ah… t, that’s right」

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」

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.

「—I noticed this just now, but」

While warming herself with Valeria’s flame, Almudena murmured.

「As expected, the relationship between Your Eminence and Richternach-kyou isn’t normal」

「Eh!? I, isn’t normal, you say—」

「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」

Almudena, who had added so, stared at Valeria with upturned eyes.

「…As expected, the two of you have a special—」

「Y, you’re mistaken!」

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!」

「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」

「T, that’s—」

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—」

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」, 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—that 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—」

「…Your Eminence wants Richternach-kyou to acknowledge you, right?」

「Yes. And then I can dismiss him after that」

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?」

「He’s no longer of any use」

「Eh!?」

「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?」

「T, that means that you, torture him…?」

「I only spared his life in consideration of Her Highness the Queen. He probably can’t move for a while. —Oi, there’s another thief deep inside the forest, so give him a perfunctory treatment afterwards and then tie him up similarly」

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?」

「It’s the decree I was entrusted with by His Majesty the King before you came. —I was told to open it after I’ve caught the thieves and made them confess the name of the mastermind」

「Eh? I can read it? That means that you know who the mastermind is?」

「Yes. …I have to explain to Her Highness the Queen too. That seems to be the most troublesome matter」

Dimitar placed his hand on the nape of his neck and sighed.