“Are they...human?” Sir Anthony nervously asked with a taut face.
I was currently surrounded by the golems that Sir Gino had left for me. There were some that had the upper half of a man but lower half of a horse, while others had the lower half of a spider, or looked close to human but had six arms and were two and a half metres tall. None of them seemed actually human.
“I never knew that House Sevensworth had these... The outer magic seal is so high-level, I can’t even tell what it does.”
Though she was trying to be roundabout with the way she was saying it, I could tell that Lady Ekatarina believed that these were Artifacts. Perhaps it should be unsurprising considering she’s from a prestigious family that deals with magic tools. Though it’s impressive that while everyone thought that the golems were demons, she could tell they were magic tools.
Specifically speaking, they were magic tools that Sir Gino had made, not Artifacts that we’d recovered; however, they were made of the same technology that Artifacts were, so her assumption wasn’t wrong.
Artifacts were extremely precious, to the point where they could be a treasure of a country or greater noble family. They were also greatly coveted, which meant it was best not to advertise if you owned one, lest you become a target for attack. It was generally proper etiquette to never mention them at all. Nobles would usually go to great lengths to hide their Artifacts, so it must have put Lady Ekatarina on the spot that we were so openly flaunting ours.
“These are puppets. They’re friendly to us, so you needn’t worry about them at all,” Mary answered in my stead.
Sir Anthony breathed a sigh of relief, but it was clear that everyone was still very frightened of the golems. At this rate, their fear might get in the way of their jobs. Currently, I was using large spare tarps for the supply carts to cover them.
“Lady Ekatarina, you sure you’re okay being on the front lines? Don’t you specialize in magic?” Sir Anthony asked.
The leaders of our armies were currently meeting on the top floor of the fort. Though Sir Justin wasn’t here since he’d volunteered as an individual, Lady Ekatarina and Sir Anthony were both leading their respective houses’ armies. Since the enemy forces had yet to arrive, there was still time to talk.
“Of course I am. I will fight by the side of my friends when they take up arms.”
I was already so happy that she’d decided to join this fight as our ally, but she’d even asked to fight on the front lines with me. She was truly a wonderful and very dear friend of mine.
“You really got guts. I know you’re strong, but still, it’s impressive for a lady who isn’t even part of a military family to take up arms of her own free will.”
It was no surprise that Sir Anthony was complimenting Lady Ekatarina. Those from military households highly respected bravery.
“Only one who can bravely stand in the face of a dragon and elegantly cut off its head can truly call herself a noble lady. There’s nothing to fear from a mere war.”
Lady Ekatarina was as dignified with her words as always. The training for noble ladies in House Byron was infamous for how incredibly strict it was. Even when she’d been a student, she’d accompanied a group of knights to take down a dragon nine metres tall. What was more, she’d used her own sword to cut off its head and then elegantly played an instrument in triumph. Hearing war described so lightly sounded different when it came from a real-life dragon slayer like herself.
“Hello, everyone. I’ve brought a light meal,” Lady Janail announced, bringing over a basket of sandwiches.
It was such a loud voice, and not one I’d ever thought her capable of, based on our days in school. Ladies from old-guard houses like hers never worked a day in their lives. They merely obeyed the orders of the men in their families, and in exchange, they were allowed to relax in leisure without ever needing to lift a finger. But Lady Janail had taken up the job of helping to distribute food at the fort and was carrying such a heavy basket all by herself. She’d changed so much, not only in regard to working but also in how loudly she could project her voice.
There were fresh vegetables and a smoked red meat in the sandwiches, which were made to be easy for the knights and the soldiers to eat during the mission.
It felt embarrassing to eat while standing, so I sat at a simple table with Lady Ekatarina. I glanced over at Sir Anthony and was surprised that even though it was mealtime, he continued to be on the lookout while eating. His focus wasn’t broken at all. Lady Janail was eating right next to him too, also while standing. I was so surprised!
“You’ve changed a lot, Lady Janail. Eating on your feet? That’s like something women from military families do,” Sir Anthony remarked.
“After watching Lady Ekatarina and Lady Anastasia, I grew a little jealous of how they were able to forge their own paths. That’s why I’m trying to change to be like them.”
“Oh, really? But I think you’re plenty wonderful the way you are now. I was already really surprised by how you asked to be placed on the front lines. It must take a lot of courage for someone like you who’s never held a sword before to be here. It’s really impressive, and I respect you a lot.”
I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation, but it sounded like things were going well. After she worked so hard, I really hoped things would work out for her.
“Katusha! Are you all right?!”
“Huh?! Sir Vin?! What are you doing here?!” Lady Ekatarina was so surprised, she shot to her feet.
I was surprised as well. Sir Kevin had arrived, drenched in sweat from running here. He was her betrothed and thus they called each other by nickname. His was “Vin” and hers was “Katusha.”
We sat him down at the table and waited for him to tell us why he’d come. It seemed that after learning that Lady Ekatarina had left for battle, Sir Kevin had asked his father to allow him to join as well. Sir Kevin’s family, House Withers, was close in status to House Byron as a marquess household, but also just like House Byron, they didn’t have strong relations with the Sevensworth family. Because of that, Marquess Withers wouldn’t allow Kevin to join our forces. When he’d tried to leave and volunteer by himself, he’d been locked in his room.
However, he wanted nothing more than to join Lady Ekatarina on the battlefield, so he broke out and hopped in various stagecoaches until he reached a town close to the fort. After hearing from the guards there that House Byron’s troops were at the front line and that today was probably the first day of battle, he’d frantically rushed all the way over here.
“Why did you come?! Why would you put yourself in danger?!” Lady Ekatarina asked angrily.
I understood why she reacted this way. He’d come all this way without any servants or guards, and since he’d slipped out of his house, he also didn’t have any armor, changes of clothes, or even any money. He’d sold whatever trinkets he had on him in order to get here. He’d been incredibly reckless.
“I would put myself in any kind of danger to protect you, Katusha!”
Lady Ekatarina’s eyes widened hugely and she froze for a moment before dropping her face, now wearing the soft, bashful expression of a maiden in love. Usually Lady Ekatarina was very dignified, but in front of Sir Kevin, she always acted like this. In actuality, I was confident that Lady Ekatarina was much stronger than Sir Kevin. Not only did he come from a household of writers, but he was also on the smaller side. In the past, he’d been driven to tears by the intimidation that the large-bodied Sir Justin had given off. However, it seemed that Lady Ekatarina was very pleased with his response.
“H-However, you needn’t push yourself too hard...” she said.
“If I don’t push myself now to protect you, when will I?”
In Sir Kevin’s eyes, Lady Ekatarina was an older girl, perfect at everything she did, and very beautiful. He was doing his best not to be perceived like a kid brother who needed to be doted on. It was probably why he frequently tried to stand taller and speak more like a military noble despite not being one himself. I had no doubt that he was trying his best to be a reliable man who would meet Lady Ekatarina’s expectations.
Lady Ekatarina’s expression had turned completely lovestruck. Not having seen this side of her very often at school, Lady Janail and Sir Anthony watched with great amusement.
“There they come. It’s the enemy forces.”
Near the horizon, the Thorsdale army appeared from the shadow of the mountain. With each passing moment, more and more figures took shape, and it seemed almost endless. We’d completed our preparations to intercept them and were now observing them from the highest point of our fort.
Though both Sir Anthony and Lady Ekatarina seemed completely unbothered, Sir Kevin’s legs were shaking. It didn’t seem he was in any state to converse.