One day in the 9th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar
Sigh... It sure is nothing but mountains, huh? I said as I looked at the scenery while riding on Nadens back.
We were in the skies over rcenary State Zem, heading to watch the finals of the Great Martial Arts Tournant. There was a wyvern flying alongside us, carrying a gondola which held Aisha and the other mbers of our entourage. Naden and I had been riding in the gondola at first, but the scenery outside was so beautiful that Naden said she wanted to go for a swim through the sky. I ended up tagging along for her little midair stroll.
Our view was truly breathtaking. The Amidonia Region had been pretty mountainous itself, but the mountains of Zem were big, tall, and they shone blue when viewed at a distance. There were settlents dotted around at clearings in the mountains, and I could see the people were raising so white woolly animals that looked like sheep or llamas. You know, I wouldnt be surprised to see a certain Girl of the Alps out here.
I petted Nadens back as I asked, What do you think, Naden? Does this sort of mountainous scenery put you more at ease?
Because the Star Dragon Mountain Range is all mountains?
Yeah. The only ones near Parnam are dium-sized, and are the source of our water.
I never thought about it, you know... Dracul itself is flat, and I only really went into the mountains to hunt, after all.
Oh, yeah, I recalled. The deer at I had in your cave was delicious.
It didnt taste too gay, and the at was soft. Id enjoy eating it again.
Heheh, would you like to hunt for you again soti?
Thatd be nice. Id like to eat it again, using soy sauce and ginger to completely get rid of that gainess. Oh! But dont co back covered in blood, okay? If you cause an uproar in the castle, Ill be in for a long lecture from Liscia.
Roger that... I know it all too well.
While we were chatting idly, our destination ca into sight in the distance. There was an aged castle rising up in the mountains, that was Blanc Zem Castle. Incidentally, the place the castle looked over was also called Zem City. The Colosseum where the finals would take place was located here, as well.
Being their countrys greatest hero, the na Zem was used on everything, from the city itself to the dishes cooked there. Looking at it from the perspective of a foreigner, it felt excessive, but it just showed how great the people of this country thought the first rcenary King Zem was.
Can I assu that castles where were going? Naden asked.
The Zemish side said to land right in the courtyard.
Were not going to suddenly get attacked, are we?
They probably wouldnt do anything that stupid, but... if it happens, lets fly away, I assured her.
A single wyvern rider flew towards us from the direction of the castle. They ca up alongside Naden, then put his hand forward to salute .
I assu you must be King Souma of Friedonia and his entourage! the rider said. I have co at the orders of the King of Zem to welco you! I will guide you in, so please follow !
Gotcha. Lead the way.
We followed the wyvern rider and flew over the walls of the castle to land in the courtyard. Naturally, the anti-air repeating bolt throwers did not take aim at us. There were no flowers in the courtyard, just plaster figures of macho n, and columns of soldiers who were masses of muscle, trying to look no less tough.
I jumped down as Naden turned back into her human form, and Aisha ca out of the wyvern gondola that had landed with us and rushed over to . Your Majesty, take every care not to be separated from Madam Naden and .
I know... Im counting on you to protect , Aisha, Naden.
Roger that.
We had fought against Zemish rcenaries during the battle against the corrupt nobles. There was no guarantee that none of the soldiers lined up here had been among those who had been forced to pay ransom money for their release. Also, I had entrusted old man Owen with the task of guarding Colbert. We had brought other guards as well, and snuck in a number of mbers of the Black Cats, too.
Make way! a voice rang out.
The line of soldiers in the hall split in two. Once they had, a single man walked through the middle of the crowd. He was a large, muscular fellow with an eyepatch over one eye. His physique was quite similar to Owens.
The man stood in front of , and spread his big arms wide. It is good of you to co to Zem, Sir Souma, King of Friedonia.
You are... Sir Gimbal?
Indeed. I am Gimbal Zem.
Thank you for the invitation, Sir Gimbal, King of Zem.
I shook his hand as the representative of the group. If Gimbal felt like it, he could easily have crushed mine, but he held back and left it at a sowhat firm handshake.
I introduced Aisha and Naden to Gimbal, Sir Gimbal, these are my wives, Aisha and Naden.
Its an honor to et you, Sir Gimbal. Aisha put her hand to her chest and bowed.
Naden did the sa. I-Its an honor to et you.
Gimbal seed impressed with the two of them, stroking his short goatee. It seems your wives are strong and beautiful warriors. Especially Madam Aisha. If you were to participate in the martial arts tournant, you might have so chance of winning. If you could win and they defeat , you could even beco the king of this country.
He must have found the aura Aisha gave off as a warrior quite stimulating, because there was a sowhat defiant look in Gimbals eyes. Aisha looked straight back at him, accepting it.
It is an honor to et you, but I am happiest in the Kingdom... at His Majestys side, she replied. I have no wish I would want granted in Zem.
The way Aisha could say that so boldly was really inspiring. Aisha could be a bit of a disappointnt once food got involved, but as a warrior, she was always so gallant and beautiful I couldnt help but fall head over heels for her.
Hearing her response, Gimbal laughed heartily. Is that a fact? Well, well, I can see she loves you dearly.
Shes too good for .
Now then, you must be tired from coming here. Please, rest in your room first.
Thank you.
Gimbal clapped his hands twice. When he did, a person clad in armor walked over from among the soldiers and dropped to one knee before us. I couldnt see her face, but the shape of the armor indicated it was a woman. She took off her helt, and held it under her arm. She was a little older than , with well-balanced features, and cat ears perched on top of her dirty blonde hair.
Ah! I knew it...! Owen, who was a little ways back from the rest of us, exclaid.
Then is this cat-type beastman Mio? Was she Georgs daughter, Mio Carmine? Sexual dimorphism was a trait of many of the beastn races, but this woman was far prettier than anything I would have imagined from the stern lion face her father had.
Gimbal put a hand on her shoulder and said, You can spend your ti as you like until the finals tomorrow. If you wish to look around the castle town, she will be your guide, so please ask. She is a participant in the tournant, but I hear she is from the Kingdom, so I asked her to help out.
Yes, she certainly is from the Kingdom...
It is an honor to et you. I am Mio.
The girl raised her head and stared straight into my eyes.
Theres no doubt about it. That was Duke Carmines daughter, Madam Mio, Owen said with a pained look.
After we had each been shown to our rooms, I had gathered my key companions in the room allotted to and my queens.
Yes, it most definitely was Sir Carmines daughter. I have t her on multiple occasions, Colbert agreed, so that more or less confird it.
Mio, the daughter of Georg the traitor. If he assigned her to be our guide, it was a near certainty that Gimbal knew who she was. It was clear Mio was plotting sothing by taking part in this tournant. But what was Gimbals angle, putting us in contact with her like this? Were their plans the sa?
What do you think? Colbert? I asked Colbert, the intellectual of the group.
Colbert brought a finger to his mouth as he pondered. Though Ive t her in the past, we werent friends, so I couldnt tell you what Madam Mio is thinking. But... if Sir Gimbal were plotting sothing, you would have expected him to show so reaction when you and Madam Mio t.
Reaction? Like a scheming look, or sothing?
Or a forced smile, maybe. But I didnt see either. Its entirely possible that Madam Mios intentions are just as inscrutable to Sir Gimbal. Colbert crossed his arms and groaned. Even if she is the daughter of Duke Carmine, Madam Mio is still originally from the Kingdom. To Sir Gimbals eyes, she must appear as a suspicious individual who still has ties to us. It seems Madam Mio has been winning her way through the tournant, so perhaps he arranged for the two of you to et so that he could gauge your reaction?
He was checking if were secretly connected to Mio? I said with a sigh. If thats what it was... his fears are unfounded.
Had he been scrutinizing our motives, the sa way we were scrutinizing his?
Yes, completely. Colbert nodded. But it does prove that Sir Gimbal doesnt have a full grasp of what Mios intentions are, either.
...So it all cos down to what Mios thinking, huh?
If she won the tournant, she would be granted a wish. But what was she participating for? What exactly was the wish shed want granted?
Hrm... If shes got a grudge against Souma, maybe she wants Soumas head? Naden said that so casually that I felt a chill on my neck.
I-Is that a wish Zem can grant?
I doubt she could ask for it directly. However, if she asked for the throne of Zem, and defeated Sir Gimbal to beco the Queen of Zem, she could start a war with us any ti she wanted to. Naturally, based on the relative size of Zem, they would have a hard ti winning a war against us alone. That was Colberts sober analysis.
Well, our country was coordinating with the Empire and the Republic, so even if she roped the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State into attacking us with her, we could still beat them back. But if she didnt attack directly, and instead fonted unrest inside the country, lending rcenaries to the dissidents and encouraging terrorist attacks, that would be a pain.
So if soone with a grudge against the Kingdom got a hold of the Zemish throne, theyd have all sorts of ways to harass us, huh? I thought aloud.
Does Madam Mio even resent you to begin with, sire? Aisha asked. She had a bit of determination in her eyes when she looked at you earlier, but nothing like the dark emotions you would expect from soone looking at her fathers killer.
Now that you ntion it... youve got a point.
If there was any hostility or murderous intent, a warrior like Aisha wouldnt have missed it. Mios expression thenher eyes, specificallywere full of resolve. I felt no anger or hatred. When I t Julius in Van after the war with the Principality of Amidonia, his disgust for was palpable. Even if he kept a level head, those sorts of emotions werent sothing you could fully suppress.
That makes it even harder to figure out, then. What exactly does Mio want?
Madam Mio, like Duke Carmine, has a one-track mind... Owen said with a pained expression. You could take that to an shes stubborn and obstinate like him. Once she sets her mind on sothing, she will do whatever it takes to stay the course. Even if its a path of carnage, and she may fall along the way...
...This father and daughter are a couple of pains in the neck, I said, scratching the back of my head and trying to find so resolve. I guess all thats left is to talk to her directly, huh? Shes our guide, after all.
Youre going to have her join us, Naden asked, and I nodded.
The one-track mind that Owen ntioned and the lack of dark emotions that Aisha detected led to believe that she wasnt going to kill the mont she saw an opening.
Whatever Mios wish is, shell win the tournant first, and then openly try to have it granted. Thats why I want to try to talk with her as much as I can before then.
Is that not... dangerous?
Dont worry, Aisha. Ill keep you and Naden with at all tis as a ans of protection and escape, of course. If Mio tries to harm , will you stop her for ?
Leave it to . Aisha thumped her chest with one hand. I can see that Madam Mio is quite a capable warrior, but I won a tournant of my own back in the Kingdom. I wont let her lay a finger on you!
Well, if it gets dicey, Ill grab you in my mouth and run away into the sky. Naden put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest. My wives were so reliable.
Colbert opened his mouth, a pensive look on his face. Should I... look into it a little?
You, Colbert?
Because Im from the forr Principality of Amidonia, she may be less wary of than she would soone from the Kingdom. It would be easier for her to air her complaints to soone who was also part of a hostile faction.
I saw what he was saying. Maybe she would let a complaint slip.
Im grateful, but dont push yourself too hard, I said. If anything were to happen to you, thered be no one left to keep Roroa under control, you know?
...I could say the sa thing to you, sire.
Seeing the wry smile on Colberts face, everyone nodded in agreent. Huh? Is that how they all see ? It felt kind of awkward, so I cleared my throat loudly and moved along.
Anyway, dont any of you get careless.
Yes, sir!
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