Chapter 25
In the northern reaches of the region that had once been Lifrea territory and was now called Northern Rudek, a group was proceeding solemnly—or rather, with a fair amount of noise.
"Sazaby! I'm thirsty!"
"I want some booze!"
"Of course not!"
"What do you mean, no? We're guests!"
"We're important guests invited by the queen!"
"I'll tell on you to Nizuhock-sama!"
"..."
"..."
The twins and Sazaby were currently traveling to Tsanadefor as part of an envoy. Their mission was goodwill.
The sole reason the twins, who were utterly unsuited to being goodwill ambassadors, had joined them was that Queen Sapia Voliviano of Tsanadefor had specifically requested it.
The original plan had been for Nizuhock and the Second Knight Order to make the trip. However, Sapia had said, "I'd like to talk to the two beastlike female knights I saw in the Empire before," and made the request herself.
This threw the Rudek side into a panic—especially the civil officials in charge of diplomacy. The twins were free spirits, by their own admission and by everyone else's. Tsanadefor, meanwhile, was a country that valued a simple, sturdy way of life. To put it bluntly, it had plenty of stiff-necked people.
Although the twins had also visited the Empire and Golbel, their attitude never changed, no matter where they went. Some people wondered whether that might cause problems, considering Tsanadefor's temperament.
There were also concerns that Roa would be unable to accompany them because of official business. Roa was one of the few people who knew how to handle the twins. However, some argued that there was no need to worry on that front since Nizuhock would be there. Nizuhock was not quite as skilled as Roa, but she was good at handling the twins.
A heated debate took place without the twins' knowledge, but in the end, the opinion that it would be unwise to flatly reject the queen's request won out by a narrow margin, and the twins' dispatch was approved.
And the person chosen to keep the twins in line, alongside Nizuhock, was Sazaby.
The feat in which the three of them captured a fort during the Battle of Femas and threw the Lifrea army into disarray had become legendary. As a result, Sazaby had naturally given Rudek's upper echelons the impression that he was the twins' minder.
Before departing, Sazaby went to Nelfia and said, "If I don't come back, please at least mourn me," before setting out.
Incidentally, Nelfia's reply had been a single, utterly matter-of-fact word: "Yes."
"Forget the alcohol—I'm thirsty!"
"Let's take a break!"
"Please stop blurting out every thought that comes into your head."
As they continued this exchange, they spotted Nizuhock and the others approaching from ahead. Nizuhock was supposed to have gone on ahead and waited at the Tsanadefor border. Sazaby immediately grew more alert, wondering whether something had happened.
"Oh, you were closer than I expected."
"..."
"..."
The twins promptly fell quiet.
"Did something happen?"
When Sazaby asked on the twins' behalf, Nizuhock gave a slight shake of her head.
"Nothing too serious, but apparently a pack of snow wolves was spotted along the route we planned to take."
"Snow wolves?"
"What's that?"
"Snow wolves are beasts rarely seen outside Tsanadefor. They're large, relatively ill-tempered wolves. They're intelligent, so one alone is manageable, but a pack is troublesome. In Tsanadefor, we're told that when a pack attacks, the first thing to consider is running."
"Do they attack people, too?"
"Not often, but I suppose it does happen. In any case, Tsanadefor doesn't want to put Rudek's envoys in danger. So the route was changed at the last minute, and I came back to let you know."
"I see. That's a big help."
"That's right. From here on, I'll lead the way. Follow me."
"Understood!"
"Don't be selfish, Sazaby!"
Hearing the twins say that, Nizuhock smiled at them.
"I could hear you from quite a distance, you know. Are you in the mood for a drink?"
"..."
"..."
They hadn't even reached Tsanadefor yet, and things were already like this. Sazaby dreaded what lay ahead.
As Sazaby pictured Nelfia's face against the sky, he gazed vacantly into the distance.