Chapter 56
"It's been a while since we've worked together, Nelfia-sis."
The one cheerfully carrying on in such a carefree manner was Sivi, one of Nelfia's subordinates. She looked young, but she had been with the Eighth Knight Order longer than Sazaby.
Nelfia herself had noticed Sivi shortly after she was assigned to the Seventh Knight Order's rear support unit and recruited her into the Eighth Knight Order.
Sivi's greatest weapon was her easygoing sociability. Since she quickly befriended anyone, she excelled at things like infiltrating a noble's household as a servant and gathering rumors from her colleagues.
She was also first-rate at disguises, with skills that even surpassed those of Nelfia, who had taught her.
In fact, the girl smiling in front of Nelfia now had Sivi's voice, but the face belonged to someone Nelfia did not recognize.
Perhaps even Sazaby had never seen Sivi's real face. The thought gave Nelfia a small sense of amusement.
"What happened to your usual partner?"
Sivi peered at Nelfia with a suggestive smile.
"...Sazaby is accompanying Roa-sama right now."
Kinsley=Imbubey had died of an illness as planned a few days earlier. The one who had arranged it was Sivi, who was standing beside Nelfia now.
With Kinsley dead, even if some of his associates were in the royal capital, they probably would not make any major moves for a while. The danger of someone making a move against Roa had diminished for the time being, though it had not disappeared entirely.
That was why Nelfia wanted to keep Sazaby stationed by Roa for the foreseeable future.
"However, Sazaby isn't actually my partner."
"Oh, come on. Well, let's just say that's what it is."
It was true that Nelfia had often acted alongside Sazaby since they began monitoring Roa, but she generally preferred working alone.
Well, setting Sazaby aside, now that Sivi mentioned it, it had been a little while since Nelfia had worked with her. Sivi's abilities were beyond question, but...
"Nelfia-sis, tell me about Roa-sama and the people around him."
Nelfia gave the delighted Sivi a wry smile. Sivi loved to talk. Even while traveling, she chattered on and on like this. It was extremely useful when infiltrating somewhere, and of course she knew what she could and could not discuss as a member of the Eighth Knight Order, but she was simply noisy.
When Nelfia was with Sazaby, they spent comparatively more time in silence, so the difference was remarkable. If she had to choose, Nelfia found it easier to be with Sazaby.
While listening to Sivi do almost all the talking, the two of them were heading for Varmington territory.
They had left their horses behind along the way, so they were now walking without a word. They had planned to reach the next village and share a ride if there was a carriage available, but there was none, so they simply kept walking.
Sivi was going to infiltrate the Varmington household as a servant. This was to avoid having a commoner's daughter arrive in the city on horseback in grand fashion.
Everything was ready for Sivi to infiltrate the Varmington household. She was supposedly a girl who had drifted there while looking for work through the recommendation of an influential noble from the royal capital, and a letter of introduction had already been prepared.
If she was rejected, Nelfia and Sivi could simply sneak into the manor together and gather information. However, even though the Varmingtons were powerful regional nobles, they were unlikely to turn away someone carrying a letter of introduction from a noble of the central aristocracy.
To show respect to the other party, they would surely keep her on for at least several days to determine whether she was useful. If she proved unsuitable, it was a noble's custom to give her a pittance and send her away.
"This road is awfully hard to walk on, isn't it?"
Sivi complained while looking at the ground. It was certainly difficult to walk on. That said, roads like this had once been the norm.
Once she had experienced the wide, walkable roads brought about by Roa's proposal, Nelfia could well understand Sivi's feelings.
Thereafter, Nelfia listened as Sivi passionately extolled the importance of walkable roads as if she had been the one to propose them. At last, they reached the city of Lumon, the Varmingtons' home turf.
As the territory of one of the North's most powerful noble families, the city was notably large for the region. It was surrounded by ramparts like a fortress, allowing it to respond to emergencies.
"...Then this is where I leave you. I'll meet up with Uno."
"Yes. See you, then."
Leaving Sivi behind as she slowed her pace, Nelfia continued ahead.
Without passing through Lumon's gate, Nelfia veered off to the side and surveyed the surrounding area. The walls were made of brick, but were not particularly well built.
After confirming that no one was watching, she scaled the wall with ease, vaulted over it in an instant, and slipped into the city.
Once inside, Nelfia quickly secured a room at an inn and, as usual, erased her presence as she made her way toward her destination.
Nelfia stopped at a bakery in the city. She waited until there were no customers inside, then entered without making a sound.
There was a single shop assistant minding the store. They, too, had their back turned, apparently working on something.
"Uno."
The craftsman-like shop assistant's shoulders jerked when Nelfia called out, but they did not raise their head.
"Please remain as you are. I've come to work with 'Little Bird.' Tonight, at the designated location."
After giving the shop assistant the number of the room she'd booked at the inn, Nelfia left the shop. The shop assistant never turned around to look at her.