To The Battlefield (2)

Once the maids left, the vast mistress’s chamber instantly fell silent. I sat on a sunlit sofa and opened Volume 2 of <The Adventures of Doldopin, the Wandering Knight>. Lately, I had been reading much more often to drive thoughts of Victor from my mind.

The protagonist of the book, the foolish wandering knight Doldopin, was heading toward a dragon’s lair in search of the sword that could cut through anything, as Grand Princess Flamberge had demanded.

[……The enormous direwolf scratched its head.
“Why in the world would a human go all the way to a dragon’s lair?”
Doldopin, who wore an overturned tin can on his head, answered proudly.
“The treasure my lady desires is there.”
The wolf snorted loudly.
“You poor fool, that lady wants you roasted alive!”]

I silently turned the page. Every time I read the book, thoughts of Victor kept coming to mind, leaving me unsettled. It was partly because of the story, but more than anything, because I remembered Victor saying that he had loved this book. Imagining the young Victor turning its pages until the cover wore thin made me feel strange again.

Victor’s smile when he said he loved books had been genuine. It was difficult to believe that the kindness ingrained in him, the affection he whispered while kissing me, had all been lies.

But in truth, did I know anything at all about the ‘real’ Victor? I had merely spent my days losing myself in his arms.

I struggled to steady my sinking mood again and fidgeted with the pages. As I tried to read the words that refused to sink in, someone suddenly flung the door open and hurried inside.

“My lady!”

It was Mary.

Startled as well, I asked,

“What is it?”

Mary answered with an exceedingly strange expression.

“There are some ruffians at the castle gates asking for ‘Skinny.’”

I was genuinely shocked and sprang to my feet.

The promise that they would seek out ‘Skinny’ if they learned anything about the monsters’ unusual behavior. Even I had half forgotten the promise I had made with the mercenaries I encountered on the way to Mort.

Still, Mary seemed to have remembered my earlier request to tell me if anyone came looking for ‘Skinny.’ She had rushed over the moment she heard the news from the gatekeeper.

I ordered that they be shown into the mistress’s drawing room, then hurried out of the chamber. Sir Raul, who had been waiting outside the door, followed me in surprise.

“Where are you going in such a hurry, my lady?”

“I have visitors. They are probably members of the Troll’s Right Calf Mercenary Company.”

“……Why would those people be looking for you, my lady?”

Sir Raul frowned. Perhaps because of his mercenary background, he already seemed to know who they were. They were an intelligence unit directly under the Mercenary King that wandered the entire continent. It certainly must have seemed strange for people like them to seek out the Grand Duchess.

As I descended the stairs, I briefly explained what had happened between us.

I told him that I had found it suspicious to encounter an urg on the way to Mort, so I had gone to a tavern in search of mercenaries, and that I had bought information by offering the urg’s poison gland as payment. They had promised to come and inform me once they learned more.

After hearing the entire story, Raul reacted much like Victor had at the time.

“You should have ordered us to do such a thing! Why did you go into a den of scoundrels like that yourself, my lady?”

“How could I send all of you somewhere so dangerous?”

“……My lady…….”

For a moment, Sir Raul looked as though he had a great deal to say. But as always, he quickly accepted it.

“Well, I suppose that was indeed the safest method. Who would have dared pick a fight with you, my lady?”

Raul muttered something to himself, then straightened his back.

Before long, the drawing room came into view. Sir Raul opened the door courteously.

“Please enter, Your Highness.”

I slowly stepped inside.

Though rarely used, the mistress’s drawing room was nevertheless beautiful. The chamber, elegantly decorated with white stone, opal, and golden pigment, contained sofas covered in snow-white wolf pelts throughout. Marble vases were filled with lilies carved from crystal, their cost impossible to estimate.

I admired the sight anew as I approached the tea table. Sitting on the sofa before it were the tall woman and the heavily bearded man I had met at the tavern before.

Had they called themselves ‘Lanky’ and ‘Shorty’? When my footsteps stopped, the mercenaries stood and bowed magnificently.

“We greet Her Highness the Grand Duchess of Mort, mistress of the land of knights.”

“Raise your heads.”

They slowly lifted their heads. Then their mouths fell open.

“You’re…… so you’re the one?”

“That is right. I am the Grand Duchess of Mort. I am also ‘Skinny.’”

The two mercenaries’ eyes widened like saucers. They seemed too shocked to speak properly. Feeling awkward for no reason, I fiddled with the hem of my dress.

To think they would be this surprised. Should I have told them I was the Grand Duchess back then after all?

As I was thinking, the maids entered carrying a tea set. The two mercenaries and I sat awkwardly, merely watching as dainty, flower-like desserts were arranged before us.

The moment the maids left, Lanky blurted out,

“When I heard the esteemed Grand Duchess was looking for us, I thought she wanted us to kill her husband’s mistress or something, but to think you were Her Highness!”

“I was honestly shocked as well. Did you not say back then that you had worked as a mercenary before your marriage? How could someone who is a Grand Duchess…….”

I laughed like a sigh.

“I was not exactly a mercenary. I merely worked with mercenaries often.”

“That sounds even more suspicious. What noble lady goes around with mercenaries?”

“……Wait. If you are the Grand Duchess, then the man who came to fetch you back then was…….”

Shorty suddenly trailed off.

Understanding what he meant, I obediently nodded.

“That is right. He was my husband, Grand Duke Mort.”

“Good heavens!”

The moment Shorty’s mouth dropped open, Lanky burst into loud laughter.

I tilted my head to the side.

What was so funny?

But Lanky roared with laughter, even slapping Shorty on the back.

“To think that fellow fretting over whether his wife would run away was the ‘Walking Death’! That’s enough to make a dragon keel over in shock!”

“I find it rather chilling……. Imagine if he had lost his temper and cut off our heads.”

“Then we would have remained legends of the mercenary company for generations!”

Lanky cackled again. I watched them with an awkward smile.

Honestly, after spending all day in the castle surrounded only by polite maids, seeing these people again was strangely difficult to adjust to. Mercenaries were originally people who knew nothing of etiquette and were proud of it, but every word they said was something that would make Mary faint if she heard it.

Seeing my expression, Shorty briefly apologized.

“Forgive us. We had heard rumors that the ‘Walking Death’ had taken a wife, but we truly never imagined she would be someone like you.”

“I understand. Who would imagine a Grand Duchess who mingled with mercenaries?”

“Yes, your acting was utterly flawless…….”

After thinking for a moment, he continued,

“Who exactly are you? What did you do before to be so good at pretending to be a mercenary?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

The truth was, I had no name of note to offer. I was not a renowned knight like Victor, nor a famous mercenary, nor a high-ranking noblewoman from some distinguished house. I was merely a country noblewoman from the frontier who knew nothing but how to wield a sword.

At that moment, Raul, who had remained silent all this time, stepped forward.

“This is Her Highness Amarion Mort. Before her marriage, she was Amarion of Amari.”

I looked up at Sir Raul in confusion. I could not understand why he had introduced my name.

But the mercenaries’ atmosphere changed in an instant. Lanky’s expression turned serious as she asked,

“Is that the same Amari I am thinking of?”

“Yes. The heir of Amari at the northernmost edge.”

Lanky’s eyes grew deep and solemn. The same was true of Shorty, whose eyes were nearly hidden beneath his long eyebrows.

After studying my face for a long while, she said bluntly,

“So you were an outrageous big shot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Many mercenaries still talk about you.”

I frowned. I truly did not understand.

It was true that I had worked with quite a few mercenaries. Amari was always short on people, so during winter, when monster waves surged in, we had to spend every coin we had saved to hire mercenaries.

That was also why I knew which mercenary companies were skilled. To be honest, even they were only about as capable as the Amari Knights, but because they were mercenaries, they knew very well how to hunt monsters. They were cheerful too, so they often spoke to me despite how shy and reserved I was.

But other than that, I had never done anything with them. I only remembered placing them behind me and cutting down monsters without end. So why would mercenaries talk about me?

Yet the three people other than me were utterly serious. As though that alone explained everything.

Shorty stroked his bushy beard.

“If this lady is Amarion, then it makes sense that she would take an interest in the monsters’ situation. We only brought simple information, and now I feel embarrassed.”

“Exactly. Had you given us your name, we would have scraped together every scrap of news from your homeland as well.”

“Please do not!”

I hurriedly shook my head.

Mercenary information was expensive, and I had no gold coins I could pay immediately. Dideric was still managing the castle’s accounts.

The mercenaries looked at me thoughtfully before finally speaking.

“……In that case, we will first tell you the information we brought. Simply put, the northern Empire is currently a complete mess.”

Lanky took out a map. It was a rough drawing of Mort and the northern regions. Small letters and numbers had been written all over it.

“Here…… these marked locations are places where the number of monsters has increased beyond normal. Monsters that had never been seen before are appearing, and some are living outside their natural habitats.”

“Has anything like this happened before?”

“Well, their numbers have risen and fallen every year, but I doubt they have ever increased this much.”

I scanned the map anxiously. I was not yet familiar with Mort’s geography, but I could tell that the situation in the east was especially severe.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked,

“What do you believe is causing it?”