En Route

==

TL: Luminisca

==

“Oi, wait, where are you going, Hero Nacht!?”

“Haah…”

“The king has ordered you to present yourself at the castle. Follow us obediently.”

A group of knights had surrounded Nacht.

Some of them wore red armor and helmet, and a mantle with kingdom embroidery flapping in the wind. That was proof of the strong among the knights.

Only the knights under the direct control of the royalty, the imperial guard would be allowed to wear them.

“But for a hero, your arm was too thin. Though it also makes it look delicious, gyahahahaha, guah!”

For a starter, Nacht kicked the brigand-like knight in front of her.

She could hear the sound of broken armor and felt she had broken a few bones, but she had done her best to hold back.

“Damn you, who do you think—”

The knight was not able to finish his sentence.

“Stop!”

A sharp voice cut into the air.

It was calm but with the pressure of the strong.

“Please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness. And please rest assured, we are the ones who made the request so we would surely accommodate accordingly. Could you please follow us?”

The imperial guard, Yuuri Lainbert said that politely. He was a handsome man with golden hair, and although he looked thin, it was easy to see that he had a properly built body. Not a single unnecessary fat could be seen, that alone enough to testify his prowess.

Under his presence, the knights quickly straighten themselves.

The weak must obey the strong, he excludes that kind of pressure.

The pressure of a veteran knight quickly made the knights return to their senses. Hearing him talk was enough to shut the mouth of the other knights.

“I refuse.”

But that was only among humanity.

The pressure Nacht released was not something humans could endure, it was not comparable at all, it was the pressure of the absolute existence.

Clank clank, a small rattling sound of metal met metal could be hard. The pressure Yuuri released disappeared just like that.

“Nacht-sama, please calm down, calm down—”

It seemed Aisha has become accustomed to it and was able to see who she should worry even when surrounded by the robust knights. She grabbed Nacht and tried to calm her down.

“We-we did not have any desire for conflict—but this is the order from the King. Please, could I ask you to accompany us…”

Although he was trembling, Yuuri did his best to talk politely.

But to him, the only knight who still standing while the others have down to their knee, Nacht only said one thing.

“Don’t block my path.”

***

“Wow, what a nice dress you wore, are you going somewhere?”

When Nacht checked out from Twilight Little Bird Inn, someone called to her.

Nacht who wore an elegant dress turned around to find Randolf enjoying after-meal coffee while patting his fat belly.

Aisha has changed her usual attire to the formal attire of women and children, a black and white maid uniform. Other than that she also wore the complete set of equipment Nacht gave her. The dress they wore made them look like about to attend a ball held by nobility.

“Nothing special, just a little trip—”

“Haah, what a pity. I haven’t tasted your cooking at all…”

His expression showed that he was truly disappointed.

“Ah, since you are about to go on a trip, how about I lend you a carriage? Or rather, let me give you one, just spare me another one of that fruit—”

Nacht laughed at the glutton of a man.

“Haha, I will have to refuse—Walking is fine with me. And I will lose the chance to carry Aisha in my shoulder if she was tired if I rode carriage—”

“Eh? Nacht-sama would carry me on her shoulder…no, that would be embarrassing!”

Looking at Nacht who was seriously disappointed at Aisha’s reaction, Randolf told her with a slightly serious expression.

“But, it was a bit hard to move around now, right?”

“It has nothing to do with me—ah, no. It was not a problem for me—Please rest assured. And I quite like this town, so we might return in the future—”

Randolf smiled faintly.

At the same time, he looked relieved.

“I see, then please treat me to something more delicious, please—”

“Haha, if I remember.”

One month has passed since the Dragon-Demon conflict, Nacht looked back at the inn that has been taking care of them for their stay in this town and could see that all the staff bowed their head toward her.

“It would be great if we could visit again—”

“—Yup, sometime in the future.”

It was when Nacht and Aisha has left the trade city and reached the Kepalnia grassland.

The sun has started to slant to the west and the light has started to turn red. The wind blew in the dark green meadow and shake the grass, while they could also hear the sound of metallic clink that has nothing to do with the wind.

Since Nacht was in good mood, she planned to ignore them, but it seemed the other side was impatient.

“Halt!”

A group of knights, although they looked more like brigands than knights, surrounded them.

They looked at Nacht condescendingly with weapons in their hand, they seemed to desire conflict.

Although, because the leader was calm and rational, Nacht decided to reconsider.

“Where are you going, hero Nacht–?”

Regardless of whether it was a good tone to talk with a hero, it was not a respectful tone.

And their gaze showed no effort to hide their desire.

Nacht was a beauty, so the knight couldn’t help to stare.

Nacht did not hate to be stared.

She did not even angry if it was a gaze full of passion.

But she hated the gaze of low life.

There was a big difference between the two.

They were misunderstood. Misunderstood that they were in the position of the superior teasing the inferior, and ill intent which made her feel nauseous was included among them.

There was no way Nacht would like people who hide behind something worthless like political power, number, or violence and do as they please.

Nacht liked it captivated by her, but she did not appreciate being looked down.

“Nacht, please calm down, calm down—”

Although Aisha did her best, Nacht was in a foul mood since the new journey need to be stained like this.

“As expected, I could not see the castle from here—”

Nacht was almost flying upward to look around but she stopped herself because rationally told her it would still be impossible.

The only one who could correctly understand what Nacht was about to do was only Aisha. Aisha knew, that anything on Nacht sight, could be attacked.

“Please don’t, Nacht-sama!”

Aisha tried to stop her in hurry.

“But, Aisha—I am in a foul mood right now—and so isn’t it better to root the cause?”

Hearing Nacht’s words, Yuuri who was calm drew his sword.

“Do you plan on disobeying the king?”

His voice was still calm.

To be able to move after receiving Nahct’s pressure, among the human she met so far, other than Duran, Yuuri might be the only one.

Nacht was impressed by his mental fortitude to even stood against her passive skill.

Due to that, she regained the leeway to think.

“What is your name?”

“Yuuri Lainbert, from Imperial Guard seventh division.”

Nacht completely changed from before and looked cheerful.

“Hmm, then Yuuri. It seemed you did not understand the law of the world, so I would spell it to you. To return courtesy with courtesy is what humans do. You, no, your King desired my help, so it should be the norm for he himself, not you, his retainers, to come and bow his head to me.”

Nacht said that as if it was normal.

“Kh! How dare you say that! He is our ruler—”

Nacht cut Yuuri’s who’s getting excited short.

“Right, that ‘our’ did not include me and Aisha. Status, and position, were made by humans, and it was really vague and brittle. It would disappear easily. That’s why I could understand the desire to maintain the equilibrium and your hard work to realize it. But—”

Nacht’s dragon eyes glinted with suspicious light.

It was more dazzling, no, beautiful than the sunlight. And her sharp gaze told more than words.

“Don’t make mistake in selecting your personnel. That was my last warning. Tell your King—if he has request, come directly to me and bow your head.”

Nacht took Aisha’s hand and walked beside the knights.

Nacht thought none would stop her anymore—

“Please wait, we could not let you move beyond that point…!”

“I warned you, didn’t I?”

Nacht turned around and looked at Yuuri.

Stopping Nacht meant throwing away their life. But Yuuri stood his ground desperately and did not relent.

“I am a knight… and this armor of Imperial Guard was given to me by His Majesty as a sign of undistorted loyalty – my sword is a sword to protect those who do not have it. If we could receive your help, with your magic, the number of people shedding blood would be greatly reduced. –This is the king’s decree, Nacht-sama–I cannot back down. Even if it costs me my life!”

Nacht thought.

To be honest she did not care about Yuuri at all.

Although he was not weak, he was not someone that piqued Nacht’s desire to battle at all. He did have a strong mind, but that’s all, the rest of him was not worth anything.

But Yuuri was serious.

For his ruler, he would throw away his life. She could feel the unshakeable will of someone who stood on the battlefield.

And so, no matter how much difference in their power Nacht could not handle him halfheartedly. Because it would contradict her own words, to return courtesy with courtesy.

When she was troubled about what she should do, an idea appeared in her mind.

Nacht clap her hand and said,

“Alright, then Yuuri, in deference to your bravery I will give you a chance. Do mock battle with my servant, if you win, I will accept your request to visit the castle.”

Aisha was shocked.

She looked at Nacht with an upturned gaze that wished for Nacht to say “I am just joking”.

“Is it alright for you to not fight?”

“Unfortunately, I have no hobby of bullying the weak, unlike some of the great knights—”

“Fue, erm, eh…?”

Aisha that has been designated could not hide her confusion.

Her timid state was lovely.

“That hit where it hurt. –I will surely retrain them after we back.”

“Erm, why me, Nacht-sama! There is no way I could handle a mock battle with an imperial knight!”

Aisha returned to her usual flustered tone, but Nacht only smiled.

“It would be a good experience to fight another human. Fret not, you will be fine, Aisha. You will win—”

Nacht told Aisha her unshakeable trust.

“I am reluctant to point my blade at a woman, but I have no other choice. Please rest assured, I will not hurt you.”

Yuuri corrects his stance and points his sword that was pointing at Nacht toward Aisha.

Due to the atmosphere, Nacht left it be the fact that Yuuri has been practically saying Nacht was not a woman.

After the silence lasted for a bit—

“Fueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Aisha’s scream reverberated in the wide grassland.