Chapter 41.1

41 . 1 Again, Sorry for the Trouble

“Uwahhh,”

I’m surprised by the sudden appearance of the patrolmen . Ruiseine and the demon also look surprised .

“Fufu, so Ernea wasn’t aware of them . ”

Gununu, Mistral pointing that out is a bit frustrating . I’ve trained and become quite a bit stronger, so I thought I was able to notice the presence of others . There’s no helping it if I miss one or two with my abilities, but I completely failed to detect such a large number of lurking patrolmen .

“Fufuun, did Mistral-ojou-san noticed them?”

Ludriad-san seems to be a little surprised . These hiding patrolmen might not just be ordinary soldiers .

Mistral only smiles at Ludriad-san, not answering .

“These guys are my assistants[1] . All of them are remarkable on their own . Then again, this ojou-san might even be stronger than all of them . ”

Ludriad-san lets out a strained smile as he surveys the patrolmen . They approach without any needless movements .

“Hmm, how about this, you guys . I will introduce all of you, so how about joining the national armed force? It comes with three meals and an afternoon nap . I will welcome you with luxurious treatment . ”

If Ludriad-san is joking or being serious with his proposal, it’s hard to tell . Regardless,

Mistral politely refuses him .

“No, I’m not interested in the military . Plus, you are the platoon leader of patrolling soldiers, not a member of the national army . ”

As Mistral points out, patrolling soldiers are not part of the national army . Although they are soldiers affiliated with the kingdom, a patrol soldier’s main duties are policing and patrolling the roads . The national armed forces, however, serve as the army and deal with national threats . The system of command system is completely different .

Even if Ludriad-san introduces us, he is the platoon leader of the patrolling soldiers . I don’t think a platoon leader’s recommendation is enough for us to enter the army .

“My, what a shame . ”

Ludriad-san doesn’t look the slightest bit regretful though . Instead, he’s indifferent . The demon at his feet is tied up and placed on a stretch, yet all he does is yawn . Where did the vigor he had when he questioned the demon go? Before anyone realized, Ludriad-san adopted a lazy attitude .

“Now then, how about leaving this to my subordinates and heading back?”

Saying so, Ludriad-san heads for the path we took here .

“Please wait, I have something to do before that . ”

Yet, Mistral stops the stretcher transporting the demon . With a grave expression, she questions him . “From where are you demons entering this country? There’s no way you’re passing through the Dragon’s Peak . ”

That’s right . I completely forget about that . The demons and the dragon tribesmen have an awful relationship with each other . There is no way demons could enter the Armard kingdom through Dragon’s Peak . Did they come through somewhere else?

However, the demon’s reply is really unexpected .

“I see, you… I came here with the guidance of the dragon tribesmen . Not even the dragon tribesmen are a monolith . ”

The demon seems to have realized Mistral’s identity, but he doesn’t voice it . Instead, he tells us something even more shocking .

Mistral’s eyes widen in surprise . The demon, while staring at Mistral, gets carried away .

“Mistral . ”

I gently place my hand upon her back . She is trembling a bit .

“Now, now, you can ask for a detailed account once we return . Let’s just hurry back and get a drink . ”

“No, no, we’re still minors . ”

Even though I’m worried about Mistral, she only smiles to me and strokes my head .

“I’m alright, just a bit surprised . I’ll return to Dragon’s Peak and consult with the villagers about this . ”

Mistral whispers in a voice low enough only I can hear her .

“Now, Priscilla, until when will you stay like that? We are returning . ”

Mistral nudges Priscilla-chan .

That’s right, I forgot about Priscilla-chan! She is still ridged in the same position from when this all started . Both of her hands grip the top of her hat to cover her ears . Even her eyes are squeezed shut .

“Nnmtto, it’s fine already?”

“Yes, it’s all good . ”

Before Ludriad-san started his torture, Mistral had the foresight to prevent Priscilla-chan from witnessing it .

Fuu, Priscila-chan releases a cute sigh . She then takes Mistral’s hand for the trip back .

Is this incident really over now?

I’m still a bit worried, but follow along behind them . Ruiseine too isn’t fully unsatisfied with the turn of events either . She walks back together with me in silence .

Somehow, I feel like we’re overlooking something big . That sliver of anxiety remains lodged in a corner of my mind .

***

On our return

“My bad, I interrupted your journey to the temple . Let me make it up to you by preparing a carriage for you . ”

Ludriad-san offers such to us, but since he’s returning together with us, there’s no way he has enough time to prepare anything for us .

“Well, my most trusted subordinates are who will diligently make the arrangements for you . ”

“But then, Ludriad-san isn’t the one preparing it like what you said you would . We won’t give out gratitude to Ludriad-san . ”

“Hey, hey, is that a retort? Ernea-bo sure is sharp . ”

“No, no, no matter how I think about it, you’re just full of retort-able points . ”

“Nnmtto, uncle is a useless person!”

“Haaa, even a little girl is retorting me . I have no choice but to go home and drink . ”

“My, my, well, well, even if you weren’t retorted, I get the feeling you’d still go drinking anyway . ”

“Miko-sama, that’s isn’t something you should say out loud . ” 

“Really, such a man is a platoon leader of the patrolling soldier . That’s why an incident such as this was able to happen . ”

“Hahaha, I’m so ashamed . ”

We head for the road with a bright and cheerful conversation that wipes away the gloomy atmosphere of that morning . I am still a bit uneasy, but I’m relieved that Ristia has been proven as innocent .

Upon returning to the highway, we discover that a carriage really has been prepared for us . Even though it’s only a small carriage drawn by two horses, it’s furbished with a canopy that can obscure prying eyes .

That detail is the most important . At any rate, since it seems like we’re being escorted by patrolling soldiers, having something that will protect us from prying eyes allows us to relax and calm down .

“My, my, well, well . ”

“Nnmtto, Mr . Horse!”

Ruiseine is surprised, and Priscilla-chan happily plays with the horse . Priscilla-chan sure likes animals .

“There, a carriage has properly been prepared, see?”

Even though Ludriad-san brims with confidence, his excellent subordinates are who made the preparations . We ignore Ludriad-san’s boasting and thank the patrolmen who are on standby . After that, we get onto the carriage .

“Right, be careful on the rest of your journey . ”

“There won’t be any danger since you’re dispatching patrolmen to accompany us . ”

“Thank you very much for this consideration . ”

“Not at all, I’m glad to be of service for Miko-sama . ”

“Well then, shall we depart?”

The patrolman coaching the carriage starts rousing the horses just as we finish speaking our farewells to Ludriad-san .

“Ah, that’s right . ”

[1] Can also be read as talisman