1094: Transport

Finally time for Alessa… or so I thought. But then we took a new request in Rokkars.

A request to transport Derrick and Satia, so we couldn’t refuse.

Knights and soldiers had arrived in Rokkars as reinforcements, but none were capable of handling the request. That’s why Fran, the Rank B adventurer with an alias, was chosen for the job.

It would normally be unthinkable to rely on adventurers for protecting a princess. However, the acting lord was also the guildmaster, and Kranzel is a country where adventurers are held in high esteem. Adventurers with an alias are probably considered more trustworthy than any knight.

Considering Urushi’s transportation speed and Fran’s relationship with Satia, there was no one better qualified than her.

Another reason we accepted the request was because we learned the situation in Alessa turned even more favorable than before.

The Raydoss forces deployed at Kranzel’s northern border seemed reluctant to go on the offensive after learning that their operation failed. The original plan was to pincer Kranzel from the north and south, but both their fleet and army were completely wiped out.

They had managed to inflict major damage to Bulbora and Dars, but that did little to change the situation in the north. Maybe they were struggling to decide whether to continue on their own or simply retreat.

Kranzel’s forces gathered in Alessa had pushed past the borders and sent men into Raydoss territory. Despite the intrusion, Raydoss seemed to be taking a wait and see approach. They avoided engaging in anything but small-scale clashes near the border.

Which means Fran doesn’t need to rush to Alessa.

Rather, transporting Derrick and Satia to the capital may even help us corner Raydoss, which should help Alessa more in the long run. Well, at least that’s what I told Fran.

「Fran-san, I look forward to working with you again.」

「Nn.」

Satia had a lesser demon standing behind her holding Derrick captive. His entire body was entangled with chains, a magical item to drain his energy and prevent his escape.

He was also blindfolded and gagged. Moreover, the limbs we cut off were still missing. They apparently planned to heal his limbs in exchange for information during the negotiation.

Despite having Derrick in this awful state behind them, the two girls chatted without a care in the world. How can you just ignore him? These two might actually be pretty amazing. Even the adventurers and soldiers seeing them off looked pretty taken aback.

「You too, Urushi.」

「Woof!」

We departed with many people sending us off, and our journey to the capital was incredibly comfortable. Though we stayed on lookout for ambushes, it’s almost impossible to get Urushi when he’s flying through the sky.

Rather, the more annoying part came when we reached the capital.

We had to stop at a place a bit outside the capital, and make the appropriate preparations to enter. After all, the huge Urushi showing up at the capital would only plunge the city into chaos.

Well, that wasn’t a big a problem since Urushi can just shrink himself. Fran had aerial hop, Satia had Ronowe to transport her, and the demon was still carrying Derrick.

We continued moving forward, and found a few knights waiting for us at the city gates. But how did they know when we would arrive…? Have they been waiting here ever since we reported about Derrick or something? Guess it’s a good thing we didn’t take any detours.

「Satia-sama, yes?」

「Yes. Thank you for having me.」

「Of course! And you must be her escort, Fran-dono. This man is…」

「Nn. A spy from Raydoss.」

The knights all gave Derrick a stern glare. No doubt the current war lowered everyone’s opinions of people from Raydoss.

「Bring him this way.」

「Understood.」

Derrick was placed in a huge metal box brought by the knights, a cube of about 2 meters on each side.

I immediately understood this box was made of a magical metal, and also had an enchantment for improved durability. Since two knights lifted it so easily, maybe there was also one for reduced weight.

It seems this box is used in place of iron cages on people they really don’t want to escape. Since this world has all sorts of magic and skills, you can never be too vigilant.

After that, ten knights carried Derrick away as Fran and Satia were led into a wagon. They wouldn’t make foreign royalty walk on their own feet.

Our destination was, of course, the royal castle.

I expected that Fran only needed to act as Satia’s escort, but I guess she’s also a valuable witness.

The two were allowed into the castle’s reception room, where they were greeted with a grand welcome. Fran promptly filled her stomach with various snacks until an important-looking guy finally arrived.

Or rather, an important looking guy that we have met before. He was Count Bailleys, Velmeria’s father and the former captain of the knights protecting the capital. That’s a bit strange though, since I heard he took responsibility for his daughter’s rampage through the capital…

It appears he still holds a decent amount of authority within the knights. Or did he rise back to his former position in the short period of time since then?

「It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Sidre Bailleys of the royal guard. I will be the one in charge of entertaining Your Highness, as well as the interview of important witnesses.」

Royal guard! So he still held an important position even if he was stripped of the captain title.

Fran was familiar with him, so he should be easy to work with. The government was probably aware of their relationship, and that’s why they appointed Count Bailleys to the role.

Indeed, our conversation proceeded very smoothly.

Satia explained what Phyllius was trying to do, and Fran corroborated her statements with intel gotten from Derrick afterwards.

「Your Highness, Kranzel does not intend to ask for any compensation or apology from Phyllius regarding this matter.」

「But we…!」

「We have no hard evidence regarding your attempted actions, nor do we wish to have a falling out with Phyllius at this critical moment. Instead, we would prefer to strengthen our friendship.」

In other words, they want to make peace with Phyllius by putting the whole matter aside. This is definitely the most favorable outcome for Kranzel.

Receiving some money or supplies as compensation doesn’t help if it means losing an ally, especially when they are desperate to gain an advantage over Raydoss.

Satia seems to want a punishment, but such an outcome benefits no one. Even if she is royalty, she is also a child. She wasn’t fully satisfied with this result.

We had heard from Satia on the way here that both she and Flut were mentally connected to their demons due to making a contract at a deep level. Because of that, it seems Phyllius’s royal family tend to be more mentally mature than others their age. Well, it’s pretty obvious if you compare them to Fran.

Even so, that doesn’t mean they are as mature as adults, nor does it make them super smart or anything like that. That’s why they sometimes seemed inconsistent, as if they were both mature and childish at the same time.

「Up until now, we have avoided forming a concrete military alliance with Phyllius. However, this incident has changed our minds. We wish to strengthen our ties as much as possible.」

「…I understand. I will do my best to assist.」

It seems they kept their previous cooperation a bit loose to avoid provoking Raydoss. And now, they want Satia as a go between to form a real alliance.

Well, sounds to me like a plan benefiting both parties.

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