When we returned to the inn with Erin,
““What is going on!? Who is that woman!?””
Sofia and Lena pressed me for answers.
It seemed they thought I had picked up a woman early in the morning...
No, no, I would never do something like that, okay?
“Both of you, calm down. And don’t get the wrong idea.”
“I am not a suspicious person. I am...”
Erin introduced herself, and...
““......””
Sofia and Lena realized they had jumped to conclusions, calmed down, and blushed in embarrassment.
Once things had settled down, we had a more serious discussion about Erin.
That she belonged to the Special Operations Knights.
That they were standing against the Dawn Alliance.
And that she had asked for our cooperation for that purpose.
After I explained everything, Lena nodded in understanding.
“I see, so big sis here was from those Special Operations Knights.”
“You know about them, Lena?”
“They’re a veeeery troublesome opponent. My former subordinates got burned by them plenty of times. For the Dawn Alliance, they were quite a nuisance.”
Apparently, small conflicts had already broken out before.
Lena wore a bitter expression, as though recalling those times.
“Even I fought them a few times back when I was still inexperienced. Seriously, I thought I was going to die back then. That’s how dangerous they are.”
For Lena to say that, they must really be something.
Erin and the Special Operations Knights.
Would they become reliable allies for us?
“You fought them several times? Fate-dono, just who is this woman...?”
“Umm...”
She’s a former executive of the Dawn Alliance.
Right now, she has promised to cooperate with us.
Would they believe that if I said it...?
At worst, it felt like a battle might break out right here...
“She is Lena Summerfield, a former executive of the Dawn Alliance.”
“Sofia!?”
She revealed it so casually that I ended up shouting without thinking.
“If you hide something this important, it will only become a bigger problem later. In the worst case, they may misunderstand and think we were conspiring together or deceiving them.”
“That’s...”
“In that case, it is best to reveal everything from the beginning, no matter what the truth may be. If negotiations collapse because of that, then it cannot be helped. And if you choose to become our enemy...”
Sofia released her battle aura.
“Even if you are the Special Operations Knights, I will show no mercy.”
“...Hehe.”
Even while facing Sofia’s battle aura head-on, Erin did not flinch in the slightest.
If anything, she seemed somewhat amused as she spoke.
“As expected of the Sword Saint. Lady Ascart seems to be a very straightforward person.”
“Fate is even more straightforward.”
Why did the conversation suddenly turn to me?
“Yes, I understand that.”
“Lena may be an insolent, irritating little thief cat, but...”
“Hey, I feel like I’m being insulted here!?”
“She is someone Fate chose to trust. Therefore, I will trust her as well. What will you do, Erin Ragsleet?”
“......”
For a brief moment, the two stared directly into each other’s eyes.
There was no explosive intensity, no sparks flying.
If anything, it was quiet and composed.
And that was exactly what made it scary.
Like the calm before a storm, it felt as though things could explode at any moment.
““Hehe.””
After a short while, the two of them smiled softly at the same time.
“In that case, I suppose I must trust her as well.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Had they somehow reached an understanding?
The atmosphere between them softened all at once, and they even shook hands.
“What is this...?”
“I guess terrifying monsters can understand each other, huh? Yep, yep.”
““You’re the last person we want to hear that from.””
Comments
Post a Comment