Chapter 30
"Sapia-sama..."
Langet and Kiries remained seated, still looking stunned as they searched for words while watching the queen.
"Good. Your thrusts were impressive as well. Those two are simply beyond the norm."
Ahead of them, the twins played as they tried out different ways of thrusting with their rapiers.
"They may be fooling around, but they are Roa's close aides—important enough that she took them to the Empire, in fact. In the last decisive battle, the three of them took a fortress and threw the enemy into utter confusion. If you underestimate them even slightly, you will have no chance of winning. ...Come to think of it, the remaining one was that Sazaby over there, was he not?"
Queen Sapia looked at Sazaby with a sly grin. Langet and Kiries turned their combative gazes toward Sazaby. Please, have mercy.
Sazaby quietly moved behind Nizuhock. Seeing this, the queen chuckled lightly and turned her attention to the twins.
"Now then, it is our turn. Do you need a rest?"
"No need!"
"I've just gotten the hang of it!"
Hearing the twins' reply, the queen promptly pointed her rapier at them. Juveruno took up his stance one step behind her.
―― Strong. ――
Even Sazaby could tell with certainty that the queen and Juveruno possessed the air of truly formidable fighters. If Sazaby encountered the two of them on a mission, the only choice would be to flee.
But even against opponents like that, the twins remained their usual selves.
"This looks even more fun, Yui!"
"If we get beaten, you're buying the drinks tonight, Mei!"
The twins readied their rapiers as well, and the tension in the air rapidly mounted again.
But the battle between the two pairs never reached a conclusion.
Immediately afterward, a messenger came rushing to the queen.
"Sapia-sama!"
"What is it? We're at the interesting part. If it isn't urgent, come back later."
"I cannot do that! We've received word that a pack of snow wolves has attacked Retter Village!"
"What?! Could that be a mistake?!"
"Yes! There is no mistake!"
The queen thought for a moment with a stern expression, then smoothly lowered her rapier.
"I am sorry, but this is where we must stop today. As you heard, an urgent matter has arisen. I must set out at once."
Hearing the queen's words, Sazaby noticed that the twins' faces had lit up.
"Queen Sapia."
"We'll help too."
"Hmm? No, I cannot ask guests to help with a problem in my country."
The twins pressed their case even further.
"This is a crisis in a friendly nation. We can't ignore it."
"Ah, it breaks my heart."
"Snow wolves are dangerous, aren't they?"
"You wouldn't complain about having more skilled fighters, would you?"
"Roa told us to help Tsanadefor if it ever found itself in trouble."
"If we don't lend our strength here, what else is a delegation for?"
...The last one is definitely a lie. Sazaby was certain of it. But if he said so out loud here, all that would do was make the twins throw a huge fit.
"If you insist that strongly, then very well. I shall accept your help. But don't blame me if you get hurt. In practical terms, having capable hands would indeed be useful. Snow wolves are formidable. However... they are not normally beasts that attack human settlements..."
"We'll hear the details on the way."
"You're in a hurry, aren't you? Come on, let's go!"
"...Indeed. Yes, let us."
After seeing off the twins, who had more or less forced their way into accompanying her and promptly dashed off, Sazaby gazed into the distance and resigned himself to being forced along too.
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"Originally, snow wolves were creatures that rarely came down into human settlements."
As they hurried their horses along the road, the queen explained this to the twins.
"Then why did they attack?"
"...Could it be food?"
"...That is the only explanation I can think of. This poor harvest has affected more than just humans. It has had a significant impact on the beasts as well. I suspect the snow wolves came down because they could no longer find food in the mountains."
"I see."
"So what will we do?"
"Snow wolves are traditionally considered the guardians of the mountains. Our country has always treated them with the respect due to them, but... now that they have attacked people, we have no choice but to hunt them down."
Listening from behind the twins, Sazaby also saw the queen's pained profile. Snow wolves must be held in a kind of reverence.
"A hunt?"
"Then bows."
"Come to think of it, what about you two? Do you use bows?"
"So-so."
"Pretty decent."
The twins' skill with a bow was decent even by Sazaby's standards—good enough that Wickhart had said they had a knack for it. As with the rapier earlier, the twins were skilled at handling weapons.
"I see it—the village!"
Shortly before sunset, after they had left the capital, a rustic village lay peacefully—at least in appearance—in the direction Queen Sapia pointed.