A short while before this all occurred, Mina and Elysia were heading back to the inn.
It was already completely dark, and the carriage moved agonizingly slow as the coachman relied solely on a lantern to guide him. Elysia was sitting across from Mina, her face so pale that Mina could tell even with just the moonlight. She didn’t know how her own face looked right now since she had no mirror.
“Is father going to be all right...?”
They finally arrived at the inn and got out of their carriage to return to their room, but Elysia kept worrying about Zen the whole time. While Mina tried to comfort her, the truth was, she was worried about him too.
Was there really nothing I could’ve done to help him...? she asked herself over and over. However, it seemed worth mulling over that question, because by the time they arrived at their room, she’d found her resolve.
“Please wake up, Sir Keel.” She shook Keel awake, who’d been sleeping in front of the living room fireplace.
Seeing Mina’s tense expression, he immediately moved as if to say, What’s wrong?
Mina believed that this wise wolf could understand human speech, so she gave a summary of the situation.
“I want you to protect Miss Elysia, Sir Keel,” Mina said, entrusting that duty to him. Then, with conviction, she turned to Elysia and assured her, “Please feel at ease, Miss Elysia. I’ll bring Sir Zen home.” Mina balled her hand into a fist against her chest, making this vow as a knight.
By clearly putting her resolve to words, she steeled herself.
“What are you going to do?!”
“Even if they find out that Sir Zen has infiltrated Stoga’s residence, he isn’t someone who’d stand down and let them take him. I’m sure he’ll do all he can to escape with his life.”
As a fellow soldier, Mina knew how skilled and brave he was. She’d seen that for herself when they’d exterminated the twintail fox together.
“It’s true that I wouldn’t be useful in an undercover investigation, but when it comes to bulldozing through enemy territory, that’s something even I can help with. If there’s a disturbance in the mansion, it’ll probably be because of Sir Zen. In that case, I can run to him immediately.”
“B-But wait! That means you’ll be heading into danger too—”
Elysia desperately tried to get Mina to stop. Elysia was truly a kind girl. But Mina couldn’t let herself be swayed.
Mina had already learned the truth about Zen, who proclaimed himself a demoted petty official. He’d fight on the front lines if a monster appeared. He’d infiltrate enemy territory to obtain evidence that a powerful figure was selling out the country. Considering his position, no one would talk about him behind his back for feigning ignorance, but he was a model bureaucrat who absolutely couldn’t let this slide.
Now that she knew who Zen really was, she couldn’t turn a blind eye either.
She had to do something.
That was why she decided to go. And an unexpected individual sympathized with her determination—Keel.
He suddenly stood and wrapped his large body around Elysia like a prison, muffling her mouth with his fluffy coat. Then his sharp eyes told Mina, Go.
“I’m in your debt, Sir Keel!” she shouted and first retrieved her beloved sword from her room.
Taking off the dress would waste too much time, so she flew out of the room still wearing it. She tore the skirt, which was difficult to run in, making a rough slit.
“I need to borrow a horse!” When she made her request at the inn’s front desk, an employee immediately went to supply her with one from the stables. It was good service despite it being so late at night. She was ever thankful to her uncle for arranging this top-tier inn for them.
There was no time to spare, so Mina followed the employee to the stable, and as soon as the person in charge there equipped a horse with saddle and reins, she wasted no time hopping on.
Relying on the moonlight, Mina rode through the town at night. She was heading straight back to Stoga’s private residence.
Horses could see well in the dark. Naturally, you still needed the right riding techniques, but if you trusted the horse to navigate the path, you could get by without a light.
Before long, she could see the mansion’s silhouette, and she rode into the front yard.
There were many carriages parked there that the guests had arrived in. The party appeared to still be in full swing, judging by all the coachmen hanging around with nothing to do as they waited for their masters to return.
At the same time, if there seemed to be no trouble afoot, then that meant Zen probably hadn’t been caught yet.
After Mina got down from the horse, she bundled the reins and tied them to a nearby tree.
To avoid the main area where all the carriages were, she took a big detour as she headed for the mansion, using the edge of the grounds as a guide.
There were torches intermittently placed around the front yard, but Mina knew that even in the dark, she stood out like a sore thumb with her dress and sword at her side. It’d cause a disturbance if the coachmen saw her.
However, trouble was awaiting her at this more unpopular end of the yard.
There were two sentries. Mina immediately furrowed her brow. Although she couldn’t see well in the dark, she could still tell clear as day just how unruly these officers were, sloppily clad in military uniforms. As a fellow military officer of the empire, Mina found them incredibly unsightly.
However, she hadn’t come here to scold them. She lowered herself, using the shadow of a hedge that had been trimmed into a geometric pattern, and went to sneak past them.