Chapter 74
The laboratory at Rays-sama's residence that I visited the other day was filled with all sorts of interesting-looking things.
For example, there was an iron anti-cavalry barricade. It even had wheels, making it possible to transport. However, despite the wheels, it was simply too heavy and took too long to transport, and the cost would not be worth it if it ever had to be abandoned in an emergency, so it had been left to gather dust in the warehouse.
There were also various things lying around that had no use yet but seemed as though they might be useful for something. Had Drew made all of those too?
"......Ah! Roa, honestly!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. What?"
I was on my way to the port of Gadeland. Lufa, riding on the back of Rapiria-sama's horse as it walked beside me, was looking at me with exasperation.
"Come on. If you keep spacing out, you'll fall off Arrow!" Lufa scolded me.
"Lufa, he was thinking about something pointless again, so just leave him alone. He was probably thinking about the laboratory at Rays-sama's mansion again, wasn't he?" Rapiria-sama said sharply. Well, she was right.
The group heading for Gadeland was a somewhat unusual combination: Lufa, Rapiria-sama, Wickhart, and me.
This whole trip had started with Lufa.
Lufa had often been left behind to keep watch alone. When I asked the somewhat dissatisfied Lufa if there was somewhere she'd like to go on our next day off, she said, "I want to go to Gadeland."
When I asked why, she said she wanted to meet Zackhart-sama, commander of the Third Knight Order.
Why Zackhart-sama? When I asked her more closely, I found that it had to do with Luluria.
When we took Luluria to the Empire, we of the Tenth Knight Order had to accompany her. So, since Lufa had to return to Ludectrad alone, we asked the Third Knight Order to take her along whenever they had business in the royal capital.
I knew everything up to that point. But what happened afterward was unexpected.
Lufa left the port of Gadeland three days after we departed.
And the person who took Lufa with him was none other than Zackhart-sama himself.
Somehow, during the three days the Third Knight Order looked after her, Zackhart-sama had taken quite a liking to Lufa.
Zackhart-sama apparently insisted that it was merely because he was going to report to the king anyway, but I couldn't imagine that was all there was to it.
Lufa also seemed to have grown quite fond of Zackhart-sama. She had received a letter from him and said she wanted to go see him.
When I went to ask Rays-sama for permission, Rapiria-sama, who happened to be there, said, "Oh, then perhaps I should go too?"
Rapiria-sama and Lufa were quite close, partly because they were two of the few women in the Tenth Knight Order. Rays-sama had been telling Rapiria-sama to take some time off, so she offered to come along.
Wickhart was coming with me as usual. Dick, on the other hand, asked to stay behind. Dick had originally been an ordinary soldier and was, if anything, one of the less capable members of the Tenth Knight Order, so apparently he felt he had to steel himself before meeting a knight commander.
He apparently didn't mind meeting a knight commander on the battlefield, but in other settings, he wanted Wickhart to serve as my aide instead. That was fine by us too, since it meant we could entrust our food supplies during our absence to Dick.
As before, we spent one night in Ruelue and headed for Gadeland.
Along the way, I leisurely urged Arrow onward while watching the Sixth Knight Order's impressive efforts as they vigorously excavated the ground. The weather was fine and pleasant, although the season was a little chilly.
"By the way, Rapiria-sama, since this is your day off, was it really all right not to go home?" I asked casually. Rays-sama should be relaxing at the mansion by now, and Glantz-sama should be enjoying time with his family.
Rapiria-sama came from a distinguished family, too. I would have thought she'd spend an occasion like this elegantly at her family home.
Rapiria-sama pulled a sour face at my words—not an expression befitting the War Princess.
"It's fine. If I go home, my whole family will descend on me with marriage proposals. It's such a pain."
Ah, I see. I could certainly imagine that. If someone married a War Princess in the good graces of the king and Rays-sama, that family's future would be as good as guaranteed.
"Besides, I hardly ever go to Gadeland for anything other than a mission. I've always wanted to visit it on vacation at least once."
"Lapy-chan. You've never been to Gadeland? That's surprising." Lufa, who was younger than her, sounded surprised. Rapiria-sama replied with a smile.
"That's right. The Third Knight Order has guarded that city for a long time, so if they realized who I was, I'd only make them fuss over me. And there's only so far I can go while incognito."
"Hmm? Is it all right this time?"
"Yes. From what I've heard, Lufa is the main character this time, so I can relax and enjoy myself too."
"Got it! Then you enjoy yourself too, Lapy-chan!"
......Though Ludeck is a vast place, I doubt Rapiria-sama can be called Lapy-chan by anyone but Lufa.
Thus, we spent one night in Ruelue and arrived in Gadeland without incident.
Little did we know that unexpected trouble awaited us in Gadeland.
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Gadeland's harbor is the gateway not only to Ludeck but to the northern continent as well.
The city was crowded with merchants and tourists, but behind its bright, beautiful exterior lay a dark underbelly.
It was pure coincidence that a man caught sight of "it."
After blinking two or three times to make sure he wasn't mistaken, the man stroked his chin, covered in unkempt stubble.
After following "it" for a while, the man grinned and licked his lips before disappearing into the back streets where people did not venture.