The Female Knight Who Still Got Furious At Being Called An Old Lady Was Way Too Cute

“…Nevan――there’s just something about her I can’t trust.”

As we headed toward the harbor to see Karen-san off, Ena, who was walking with us, suddenly let that slip.

“She came to this country about a year ago――right around when Lilia-sama became the head of the country. She said, ‘If you want slaves, I’ll bring you as many as you like.’”

Up to that point, there wasn’t anything especially strange about it――aside from her makeup, of course――because she was still a merchant, and if there was money to be made, she’d probably search anywhere in the world for an opportunity and rush straight there.

In the Republic, because every child born was inevitably a girl, demand for men would never disappear. If she could expect consistently stable sales, there was no reason not to come here.

“So even taking that into account, there were things that seemed far too suspicious――is that what you mean?”

“Mm…”

Instead of Ena, Zena nodded in response to my question and spoke.

“We buy men who can become our ‘seed’… but that doesn’t mean just any man will do.”

That was only natural. If they intended to bear children, what they wanted were “healthy, relatively young men.” Too young wouldn’t work, and neither would too old. Men with illnesses were also out of the question.

And the more conditions they imposed, the easier it became for sellers to take advantage of them.

The amount they had to pay must have been considerable.

“Before that, we could barely scrape together enough money to buy slaves… but when Nevan came to Lilia-sama, she said――‘I don’t need any money.’”

“Then the people brought here the other day were――”

“Free, of course. And she even brings offerings for Lilia-sama.”

Those were probably the jewels scattered around the entrance to the shrine and throughout her room. Whether Lilia herself truly understood their value was another matter.

“Didn’t Lilia find that strange? A merchant, whose livelihood is earning money, doing the exact opposite?”

“Even someone as stupid as me could tell it was weird, so I tried telling the Princess that something was off. That there had to be some ulterior motive. But she wouldn’t listen and just said, ‘Nevan is one of my devoted followers, so there is nothing strange about it.’”

“It seems that the heavily made-up woman called Nevan had that part thoroughly covered as well. She gained that little brat’s complete trust with gifts and smooth talk, then pushed away the words of the people she should actually have trusted――rather than a merchant, she sounds more like a swindler.”

The three of us could only agree with Karen-san’s assessment.

Unlike Erluka-sama on the Royal Capital’s side, Lilia on the Republic’s side had no one who could point out such “obvious landmines” to her or act as a restraint. If the head gave an order, the body had no choice but to obey.

Even if it led to something irreversible.

“Ah, there’s one more thing… No, this might just be something I’m imagining.”

“Tell me anyway, Ena. You have good instincts, and besides, I want any information I can get.”

Hesitantly, Ena told me about another suspicion she’d been harboring.

“It’s just… the slaves she brings are creepy. Ever since the Princess became the head, we’ve treated slaves pretty harshly, so normally they’d hate it, or cry out in pain, or eventually be unable to stand it and run away. But――”

“They’re obedient and don’t resist, never try to escape, though every now and then they at least react like they’re in pain――is that what you’re trying to say?”

“Huh… Yeah, pretty much. Wow, you’re amazing, old lady. How did you know? Are you some kind of fortune-teller?”

“Not ‘old lady’! ‘Big sister’! How many times do I have to tell you!? Enough already!”

“Huh? You’re an old lady, though.”

“Grrr!!”

“How many times are you two going to have this exact argument…?”

I pulled Karen-san away before she could grapple with Ena, while Zena restrained Ena, who was fully prepared to accept the challenge. Did these two really have to do this every single time they saw each other?

“By the way, Karen-san, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask me? The harbor is just ahead, and there’s no one around us.”

“Mm――right, I did. Actually, that’s the most important thing of all. You got lucky, little girl. Thanks to my Haru, you’ve extended your lifespan considerably. Be grateful.”

“You’re the one who got lucky, aren’t you? Last time, things ended like that because the Captain got in the way, but I didn’t lose in a contest of strength. Actually, I’d win.”

“What was that?!”

“What?!”

“――If you two don’t stop, I’m seriously going to get angry.”

The moment they saw me activate my Mystic Eyes while sounding slightly irritated, Karen-san and Ena fell silent instantly. At this rate, I felt like I might even be able to use the version Henri-san had.

“…Anyway, Haru. You said Nevan had an insignia around her neck. Can you describe what it looked like?”

“Of course. I can’t remember all the fine details, but it looked like a black ‘+’ overlaid with a white ‘×’. The border was――gold, I think?”

“! I see. Then Her Highness’s assessment was correct after all――so that’s what this means.”

Karen-san showed a little surprise at my answer, but her reaction wasn’t what I had expected.

It was almost as though she’d anticipated this possibility from the start――.

“Hey, old la――ow!? Zena, stop pinching my butt!”

“…Karen-san, Ena.”

“Fine, fine, I get it, you’re so annoying… Karen-san! Happy now!?”

“That sounded remarkably forced… Well, whatever. I’ll tell you two as well.”

After clearing her throat once, Karen-san slowly began to speak.

“The insignia Haru described――it’s the ‘crest’ used by the Royal Guard of a certain nation.”

Lowering her voice even further, Karen-san continued.

“That nation is the 【Empire】――a military state located on the northern continent, comparable in power to our 【Royal Capital】, and controlling a vast region in the eastern part of the continent.”