“What?! The Angel has already left?”
In a manor in a certain rural territory, a girl who appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old was meeting with the local lord. Although she appeared to be a mere traveling swordswoman, she carried herself with a calm, confident demeanor, without showing a hint of fear while speaking with the lord. It was almost as if she were on equal footing with the lord himself—and older than her appearance suggested.
The muscle-brained Falsetto had seemingly traveled the vast distance that Kaoru and Reiko had taken many days to cover in an astonishingly short amount of time. There was a significant difference in their methods of transportation—Kaoru’s group had traveled by carriage, taking their time sightseeing and staying at various stops for days, while Falsetto was a lone rider, charging toward her destination with single-minded determination. She had only paused a few times to rest her horse, taking just a day or two for recovery.
This pace had only been possible because of Flat, her renowned Silver-breed horse. An ordinary horse would have collapsed within the first few days of the relentless dash.
“Indeed. They say she headed for the royal capital,” the lord said. “But your coming here is by no means a wasted effort. Count Tartus will likely face punishment, as His Majesty has been informed of his actions, but there are surely others who have set their sights on the Angel. And I’m afraid there will only be more of them moving forward... It would be no matter if they were to approach her with awe and reverence, hoping for even a drop of the Goddess’s mercy. However, if they believe the Angel to be a fraud or some deluded fool—like Count Tartus did—and treat her with disrespect, plotting to exploit her...”
“The kingdom—no, this entire continent—will fall,” Falsetto finished his sentence for him.
She had heard it directly from the True Ancestor herself. Over and over again...
Thus, the Einherjar were far more sensitive to the dangers of matters regarding the Goddess and her Angel than anyone.
“I beg you! Go to the royal capital and protect the Angel—protect this continent!”
“That was my intention all along. That is our mission and purpose of existence as the Einherjar. Moreover, I’ve been directly ordered to do so by the True Ancestor...”
“Ah! I’m counting on you, Einherjar Falsetto! The fate of this continent rests on your shoulders. I entrust this kingdom and continent to you!”
“Leave it to me!”
With that, the girl who appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old mounted her beloved horse and rode off toward the royal capital.
“We’ve secured permission to relocate. It seems the warning from us, the Eyes of the Goddess, asking whether they were fine with this continent sinking into the sea, was quite effective.”
“You call that a warning? It was practically a threat...but that’s fine. If it speeds things up, that’s all that matters. As per the Lady Kaoru Chronicles, Chapter Two, Section Three, Item Six...”
“‘Money, connections, power, and leverage for threats are only worth what you use them for!’”
“All right, dispatch the advance team to secure the shops and establish regular transportation routes immediately! At the same time, prepare the main team for deployment! Hurry! Don’t let that muscle-brain or the descendants of that old witch snatch this opportunity from us!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Preparations for deployment are complete!”
“Good. Be sure to repay the debt of gratitude to Lady Kaoru in my stead. I’ve taught you how to give basic commands to the Dog Corps and Bird Corps, but I’ve written instructions down just in case. Take the notes with you. Once you arrive, if you manage to make contact, Lady Kaoru should translate for you. Elite Special Forces of Countess Raphael’s Territory, Dog Corps Elite Unit and Bird Corps Elite Unit—move out!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Woof!”
“Caw!”