Astoria’s reptilian mount was called a horse-lizard, a creature pervasive in this world. As they were wild animals by nature, they possessed hotheaded temperaments, but their willingness to charge at enemies without fear meant many larger nations kept a force of horse-lizard riders. (Judging by Mizuho’s explanation, nothing like Earth horses existed in Million Dungeon.)
Astoria’s was called Snorts. As the name implied (?), it breathed hard through its nose. The plate that protected its front was riddled with dents and cuts, which one might have assumed indicated a violent disposition. Yet even surrounded by people who weren’t its owner, the creature remained calm and didn’t make a fuss.
After Astoria had hitched Snorts outside and entered the palace, she was met with wide-eyed stares. Her way of walking with her helmet under one arm exuded confidence, and she never came off as thinking she was better than anyone else. As she cast her glowing gaze all about, she would smile as soon as her eyes met another’s. I could easily see that she was quickly captivating both men and women.
“This nation was founded recently, was it not, Sir Taiga?”
“That’s right. I’m sorry to say this after inviting you, but I doubt we can provide much in the way of hospitality—”
“Please think nothing of it! I was the one who barged in uninvited after the starlight had dimmed. I am grateful just for being given temporary lodging.”
The vivaciousness radiating from Astoria seemed to be swiftly cheering up the citizens. One after another, those whose faces had been dark joined us as we crossed the palace.
With more light on her armor, I noticed that it was not only covered in nicks and dings, but also in sticker-like decorations with letters and symbols written on them. Many were torn or worn away, with new ones placed on top. I made out a few: Cogwheel Seal of Trust and Interest, Looking for New Students for Darkness Mystery Academy, Castor Oil Proven to Heal Dungeonblight, Friend to Landmakers: The Weekly Hourglass!…
“What are those on your armor?”
“Oh, these? They’re advertisements. I’ve made a name for myself all over, so folk provide me with activity funds—everyone wins.”
I see, I thought. It must be like motorsport athletes having corporate logos on their uniforms. Without any television or Internet in this world, though, I’d have thought most information would travel by word of mouth…
We returned to the wall where Troach, Mizuho, and I had been conducting our war meeting, then explained the situation again for Astoria’s sake. Not only did she listen fervently, but she would also occasionally ask an incisive question. She pressed me for details on the enemy’s armaments, the surroundings’ layout, and how many troops our nation could currently muster. The amount of information written on the wall quickly multiplied.
I was impressed in no small measure. Truthfully, I’d predicted a knight would be formal, prideful, and generally difficult to handle, but it seemed I was wrong. She was a proper warrior, one with a good head on her shoulders.
Once the briefing was over, Astoria folded her arms, finally seeming convinced. “I think I understand the situation. Yes indeed. Things look grim for your country. With such a dearth of weapons and troop power, any stratagems we might devise would only delay its destruction.”
“Exactly. The only chance is for me to infiltrate them alone and both assassinate their leader and sabotage them, but—”
“—But though you have an abundance of mission experience when it comes to other humans, you have little to none in fighting those accursed monsters, and thus that option would have a significant chance of failure.”
I nodded. Astoria was right. I wouldn’t have been this cautious had our enemies been human. However, I had neither the knowledge nor the experience to know how capable these ogres were. Any solo infiltration I attempted was sure to fail. What if they had a creature with night vision, or one that could fly and used throwing weapons? As I was now, if they saw me, the only thing I’d be able to do was flee. I couldn’t think about this world’s monsters with the same rules I used for people. I deeply understood that after the encounters with the treant and slime.
Next to me, Mizuho, voice anxious, asked, “Ms. Astoria, I can tell you are a valiant knight with considerable skill. Would you lend us your aid? With your sword, there is hope even for our nation. Please fight alongside us against the ogrekin!”
“Gladly! Why, I’d planned on that from the start,” Astoria replied without a shred of hesitation. Citizens watching with bated breath all gave a cheer at once.
Mizuho’s own expression softened with relief, but I still had concerns.
“Astoria, it pains me to say this, but even though you’ve given your consent to a proposition we brought to you, we have almost nothing we can offer in payment. All we have are a few pieces of jewelry. When the trader comes back, we should be able to put together a somewhat better sum of money, but…”
“What? There’s no need to worry about that. I was never looking for—” Astoria paused in the middle of her sentence. “Wait, that’s no good. Oh, they do get cross with me sometimes. Not receiving proper recompense is a burden on those I help. Still… Well…”
After thinking about it for a few moments, she suddenly looked up, her face practically sparkling.
“I know. Lady Mizuho, I have a proposition…”
“What would that be?”
Lofting a smile that did indeed betray how good she thought the idea was, she said, “Would you make me one of the Landmakers of this kingdom?”
“What?!” Mizuho and Troach both exclaimed. I was surprised, too.
Astoria continued gleefully, “It doesn’t seem so strange to me. How many stories have you heard where a traveling adventurer grows attached to a kingdom they were passing through and was then welcomed into its Court?”
“But didn’t you just get here? Are you sure you want to be a Landmaker for a nation you know nothing about? Wouldn’t that be worse for your reputation than not accepting a reward?” Troach asked worriedly.
Astoria smiled. “You may not believe it, but I consider myself blessed with a good eye for people. I knew at once you were all trustworthy. Lady Mizuho, Lady Troach, Sir Taiga, clearly none of you are accustomed to this, but you still endeavor to save your charges. And that is why they follow you. Am I wrong?”
The last question was directed at the citizens all around us. Many were quick to voice their agreement.
“See? There would be no higher honor than to be accepted into such a nation’s Court as a friend. And no Knight would ever extort a reward from fellow Court members. What do you think? A splendid idea, if I do say so myself.”
For some reason, Mizuho, Troach, and everyone else was looking at me. I had the feeling they were waiting for some kind of grand speech. I was no better at giving addresses than they were.
Without a choice, I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to speak.
“Astoria… We thank you… We couldn’t ask for a better offer. Welcome to the Great Camp Bravo Kingdom. From the bottom of our hearts, we would be happy to count you among our ranks.”
The biggest cheer since we’d founded the country rang out. Astoria nodded in satisfaction.
“Thank you. There are two large bottles of wine in my things. One a wheat liquor, the other a strong mushroom wine. Both are excellent items. Why don’t we pop them open to celebrate our chance meeting?!”
After that, “naturally,” we had a feast. This was the first booze anyone had tasted since the dungeonstorm. Many were understandably excited. The commotion seemed a far cry from a kingdom on the precipice of destruction by ogrekin attack. We had two bottles for thirty people. Fortunately, that was not enough for anyone to get too deeply inebriated. At first, I was worried about a surprise attack, but I disregarded the concern and gulped down some wine. Astoria hadn’t been lying about its quality, so I took my time savoring the second cup. With how loud we got, it wouldn’t have surprised me to learn the enemy drew near but retreated out of caution upon hearing the ruckus.
I made sure to ask Astoria before we went to sleep—there was no tea in any of her bags.