After leaving Viscount Travis’s manor, we boarded our airboards and headed for the Merinard Western Military Headquarters where Madame Zamil was stationed.
“Long time no see,” I said when we landed. “I’m here to deal with some annoying work.”
“I have heard as much, and it is a pleasure to see you again. I have been waiting for you,” Madame Zamil replied, flashing her trademark sharp-toothed grin.
Yup, her slightly scary smile was the same as ever. That came as a relief.
“It’s been a while, Zamil,” Ifriita said.
“Hi, Zamil. I am glad to see you in good health,” added Aqual.
“Thank you for your kind words! It has indeed been some time. I appreciate you all coming all this way.” Madame Zamil said, greeting them with a deep bow before turning back to me.
Grande was still sound asleep on the airboard, so I let her be.
“So, you’ve already met Viscount Travis, then?” Madame Zamil asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “It was a little crude of me, but I started things off by giving him a pile of gold, silver, and gems. That made him nice and obedient.”
“I see you have not changed,” she said dryly. “If you aren’t careful, Her Majesty and the Lady Prime Minister will get upset, you know?”
“No worries! I didn’t give him that much!”
Madame Zamil narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced, then shifted her gaze toward Ifriita and Aqual.
“It sounded like the viscount used a considerable amount of his own money to fund the refugee project, so I think Kousuke probably handled it well,” Ifriita replied with a tilt of her head.
“I am…not very knowledgeable in such matters,” Aqual admitted, shaking her head slightly.
Ifriita had picked up a decent understanding of finance and trade thanks to her past dealings with the Merchant Union, but that kind of thing wasn’t really Aqual’s specialty. On the flip side, Aqual carried herself with the grace and composure of a true noblewoman—something Ifriita struggled with at times.
“In that case, I shall say no more,” Zamil said with a shrug. “Viscount Travis is the sort of man who values stability. As long as his territory and family stand to benefit, he will remain loyal. He is not someone you need to watch too closely.”
“I hope that’s the case. Anything else I should be on the lookout for?”
“Including Viscount Travis, all remaining vassals in this region have pledged obedience to Her Majesty,” she said. “Of course, blind trust is never wise, but you should be fine.”
“Gotcha.”
“However, a number of the Holy Kingdom’s army corps that had been stationed here are still unaccounted for,” she added. “They might still be lurking in the region as bandits. We’re patrolling the area, but we haven’t found them yet.”
“Roger that. I’ll keep an eye out for deserters, then. If I find them, I’ll take them out.”
She called them army corps, but they couldn’t have been any bigger than a few dozen to a hundred people. Trying to maintain a large organization while staying incognito wasn’t easy. If those were the numbers we were dealing with, and our scouts located them ahead of time, they were nothing to fear.
“I just must request that you inform us if you stumble upon them. Please don’t cross such dangerous bridges willingly. Her Majesty will be angry.”
“I’ll try my best.”
It’d be faster for me to handle things myself, but I didn’t want to show Madame Zamil up.
I’ll try my best. That’s all I can offer!
“Will you be heading out to survey the area right after this?” Madame Zamil asked.
“That’s the plan. Viscount Travis should have a guide ready for us, and the pioneers will be gathered near the city gates. Oh, if you need anything at all, make a list for me. I’ll get you what I can.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Right. Please take care. If Viscount Travis acts suspiciously, I’ll contact you via the usual channels.”
I parted ways with Madame Zamil—and her ever-so-slightly creepy smile—and made my way to the city gates to meet our guide and the first wave of pioneers who’d be relocating to a village.
As we walked back to the airboard, Shemel called out to me from beside it.
“So, what’re you thinking? Gonna be any trouble on this trip?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. After talking to him, the viscount didn’t strike me as someone who was plotting anything. I think we can relax for now.”
“S’that so? Well, I suppose that’s fortunate.”
“It’s better if we have nothing to do.”
“Pretty boring, though.”
“Oh? If you are that bored, I wouldn’t mind a little playing! I haven’t had much chance to exercise lately,” Grande chimed in, slowly sitting up in the back seat.
“Eeek…”
Her terrifying suggestion made Bela go pale, a darker shade on her usually bright red skin that looked downright unhealthy. Still, as long as she didn’t get herself killed, my life potions could fix her right up, so maybe a bit of sparring with Grande wouldn’t be the worst idea.
✦ ✦ ✦
After returning to the city gates with the ogre girls and royal guards in tow, we were greeted by Captain Kirill and a handful of city guards, along with a single cavalryman in light armor standing next to his horse. He was pretty young, too. It was hard to judge ages in this world, but I doubted he was even twenty.
“Hey again, Captain. Is that young warrior our guide?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Kirill replied.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” said the young man, straightening up. “I am Steven, a knight apprentice serving under Lord Travis.”
“I see. Nice to meet you, Steven. I’m Her Majesty Queen Sylphyel’s partner, Kousuke. These are her elder sisters, Princess Ifriita and Princess Aqual.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Good day.”
Steven bowed deeply and then promptly froze, completely captivated by the red and blue princesses. Yeah, couldn’t blame the kid—they were both total beauties.
Still, not the time, lad. Keep it together.
“I don’t see the pioneers we’re supposed to take with us?” I asked, glancing around.
“Huh?! A-ah, um, a number of them were working on the road leading to the new village, so they should already be heading to the village site with the others who left this morning,” Steven answered quickly.
Ah, road work, huh? Good call. Building a pioneer village wouldn’t mean much if you couldn’t transport resources, materials, and crops to and from it. Getting the freed demi-humans to improve those roads was a logical call, and poetic too. Especially since they’d be using those very same roads in the future.
“Makes sense. So we’ll be following after them, then. Hop onto our airboard—er, actually, that won’t really work, huh? You’ll need to return to Museburg to report in afterward, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Got it. In that case, let’s make haste. Once we arrive, I’ll get your horse fed and watered, so ride as quickly as you’re comfortable with. Our airboards are faster, anyway.”
“Are these vehicles really that fast…? All right!”
Once everyone was aboard—the royal guards, ogre girls, and all—Steven spurred his horse forward, galloping ahead while we followed behind on the airboard.
“…Hey.”
Silence.
“My bad.”
“Sorry about this. We’re big, y’know?”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
I was the one who muttered “my bad,” while Tozume offered a more formal apology. The only one who didn’t seem remotely concerned was Shemel.
As for what situation we were in, well…I was wedged tightly between Ifriita and Aqual. And I do mean tightly. Even without them, the airboard was already cramped with just me, Shemel, and Tozume aboard. Add the two princesses and Grande sleeping in the back, and there was hardly room to breathe.
“Now, now. No need to get all worked up,” Shemel teased with a grin. “This is the perfect chance to get up close and personal with the guy you like!”
“Wha…?! What are you saying…?!” Ifriita replied, her pointy ears bright red.
“…Haaah…”
Aqual, on the other hand, just let out a long sigh. On the plus side, she didn’t deny Shemel’s words. She was even letting herself lean up against me.
Maybe this little “gathering trip” was turning out to be fruitful after all.