“…”
“…”
“…”
At this moment, the three people present fell into silence simultaneously.
Knight Captain Beatrix maintained her posture, hand outstretched to block the way, quietly waiting for the Hero’s response.
Histori, meanwhile, shrank under her cloak, wondering if the excuse she used to deceive Amir would work on this female knight who looked quite difficult to deal with.
As for the Hero on horseback, Amir…
She naturally raised her hand, covering her lips with the back of her hand, and let out a wide yawn toward the sky.
“My apologies, young lady. Please excuse me.”
After ten or so seconds of silence, not wanting the standoff to continue, Beatrix took a step forward, preparing to lift Histori’s hood.
“… Lady, Lady Hero.”
At the same time, Histori took a timely step back, intending to hide on the other side of the warhorse and use Amir as her shield.
In that instant, the world suddenly spun before her eyes.
Amir’s figure flashed by like a ghost, scooping Histori up by the waist and onto the horse.
Then, she shook her head slightly at the stunned Beatrix.
“No.”
“… Lady Hero, according to regulations, anyone entering the United Kingdom from the Eternal Night Territory must undergo an inspection by the Knights. Furthermore, she — “
“She is my war prize.”
“… Huh?”
Beatrix rubbed her temples in confusion, doubting if something was wrong with her ears.
“What did you just say?”
“Histori is my war prize.”
Amir didn’t seem to think there was any ambiguity in her words.
She adjusted her sitting position slightly so that Histori, behind her, could sit more comfortably on the horse’s back.
“She is the reward I brought out from the Demon King’s Castle after defeating the Demon King. She will only have contact with me, and only I am allowed to touch her.”
After delivering those suggestive lines, Amir gripped the reins in her palm.
She gave the bewildered Beatrix a faint, rare smile.
“So, don’t touch her, and don’t mind me.”
“… Hyah!”
—
“…”
Watching the two of them gallop away into the dust, the Knight Captain’s adjutant stepped forward and asked Beatrix hesitantly, “Um, Captain, are we just going to let her leave like that? That sinister assassin might not even be…”
“What else? Do you want to try and stop her?”
Beatrix turned around and gave the adjutant a cold glare.
“Let me remind you, Amir doesn’t just hold the title of Hero in name only. She defeated me fair and square in the Knights’ arena to earn permission to charge the enemy lines alone. If you think you’re stronger than me, you’re welcome to try and stop her.”
“… N-No, I wouldn’t dare…”
“Then shut your mouth!”
Beatrix mounted her horse, raised her spear above her head, and shouted to the entire unit.
“Fall in! Advance toward the Demon King’s Castle and clear the battlefield for the Lady Hero!”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Before setting off, Beatrix silently clenched her fist as she watched the two people and the horse diminish into a small black dot.
‘A war prize brought back from the Demon King’s Castle…?’
Skin so pale it looked sickly and inhuman, a glimpse of red pupils, and that incredibly seductive, lewd voice.
‘… And although I wasn’t using my full strength, she did easily dodge my attempt to grab her just now.’
This girl hidden under the cloak, whom the Hero called Histori, was definitely not someone simple.
Most importantly, she actually dared to ride the same horse as the Lady Hero…
“Captain Beatrix, when are we leaving?”
“Shut up!”
Beatrix maneuvered her horse to turn around and then glared at her adjutant in annoyance.
“How dare you speak to the Hero like that just now? Just you wait. Once we’re back in the Royal Capital, I’ll show you what for!”
“… Eh?”