The Holy Kingdom’s second city, the city of Feorano.
The omnibus carriage arrived under a dark, cloudy, and rainy sky.
Protected by Seraphina’s rain magic, we headed towards the Holy Knight Order’s encampment.
Eventually, we reached the encampment and proceeded to the branch manager’s office.
There, a beautiful woman in a Holy Knight uniform was waiting.
She was a woman in her mid-twenties with short, silver hair.
She gave off a dignified impression at first glance.
A red muffler was wrapped around her neck.
It was unusual indoors, warmed by a fireplace, but perhaps it was her unique fashion sense.
The woman spoke to us in a calm, unsmiling manner.
“Welcome, Holy Knight Aurora, the Holy Sword wielder. I am Holy Knight Luna, the branch manager of this encampment.”
“I-I am Holy Knight Aurora! It is an honor to meet you, Lady Luna!”
Aurora bowed deeply.
The Holy Knight, the Holy Sword wielder, was extremely nervous.
Holy Knight Luna seemed to be a role model for women knights, a figure Aurora admired.
Seeing this, Holy Knight Luna’s stern expression softened slightly, and she gave a small smile.
“I am the one who requested your help, so you don’t need to be so intimidated. —By the way, who are you all?”
Holy Knight Luna looked towards us.
A hint of wariness could be seen in her eyes.
I walked up to her and offered my hand.
“I am Douglas, a traveling adventurer. The three behind me are my companions. We are currently assisting Aurora for certain reasons. Please take care of us.”
“…Is that so? I am Luna, a Holy Knight.”
Luna replied, showing a slight gesture of thought.
However, she did not shake my hand and immediately added:
“Forgive me, but this mission is not one that ordinary adventurers can handle. I requested assistance from Holy Knight Aurora, the Holy Sword wielder. Please return.”
It seemed we were not welcome.
Having just lost fifty soldiers, they must have been desperate for any help, even a cat’s.
I felt a slight sense of unease as I responded to Luna.
“No, as you can see, we are not ordinary adventurers, so please rest assured.”
I showed her the gold adventurer’s license hanging from my neck.
Luna’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Rank A adventurer…!? …This is bad, then…”
“Bad…? What is?”
“N-nothing, it’s nothing. Certainly, an Rank A adventurer is not an ordinary adventurer…”
With that, Luna once again fell into a thoughtful pose.
Something about her demeanor was strange.
There was a sense that she was hiding something.
(What is she hiding…?)
I tried to organize the information I had gathered so far in my mind.
Holy Knight Luna, standing before me, had engaged with a “Whip User” and her unit was wiped out, with her being the sole survivor.
The fact that Holy Knight Luna, the commander, escaped while her unit was annihilated, felt slightly off.
On the other hand, according to information from Netsah, the Club Wielder of the “Ten Dragons Divine Artifact Generals,” the “Whip User” used an ability similar to Lombardia’s [Enslavement].
That means…
(—So that’s how it is.)
Everything clicked into place.
But… what was the objective?
What was Holy Knight Luna’s purpose in requesting assistance from “Holy Sword wielder” Aurora—
If so… what would happen?
Should we go and crush them right here, right now?
“Um… Lady Luna, what’s wrong? Both of you have gone silent.”
Aurora tilted her head from behind.
Holy Knight Luna hastily tried to cover up.
“N-no, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought.”
“Me too. My apologies, Holy Knight Luna. Please continue.”
“Understood. Then, allow me to explain the situation again.”
For now, let’s let them play their game.
I had decided that.
We likely have one more piece of information than they do.
If we’re playing a game of deception, we should have the advantage.
The only displeasure is that the “Ten Dragons Divine Artifact Generals” continue their “scheming.”
If the enemy is a simpleton like Netsah, the Club Wielder, acting in a straightforward manner, that would be fine, but if not—
We need to find a way to get a handle on them.
Therefore, we should first observe their next move.
I decided to listen to Holy Knight Luna’s explanation.
Luna, seemingly unaware of my intentions, continued her explanation.
“As I conveyed in my letter, my unit of approximately fifty men was annihilated in an engagement with a fearsome ‘Whip User.’ However, through their sacrifice, I succeeded in locating the enemy’s stronghold. They should not be aware of this. Now is the time to vanquish the evil slayers—Holy Knight Aurora, the ‘Holy Sword wielder,’ your strength is needed.”
Luna said this, turning her gaze to Aurora.
Tentatively, Luna’s story seemed to hold together.
If we picked at the details, there might be a flaw, but it was probably best not to.
Meanwhile, Aurora, holding her Holy Sword, pledged.
“Understood, Lady Luna. —I, Holy Knight Aurora, will achieve the vanquishing of the evil slayers with the power of my Holy Sword!”
The pure and straightforward Holy Knight girl.
If we made this pure and straightforward girl engage in subtle maneuvering, the chances of her revealing something were high, so it would be better to let her play along for now.
Luna nodded at Aurora, then turned to me and said:
“A-Adventurer Douglas. You will be assigned… a different mission. Many soldiers have been lost, and this Feorano encampment is short on defensive personnel.”
Holy Knight Luna was not a very good liar.
Her voice trembled slightly and cracked.
Would it be unnatural not to refuse at first?
No, it would probably be fine.
I asked Luna a question.
“Will Aurora alone be enough to defeat that ‘Whip User’?”
“Um… y-yes. I engaged them once, so I understand their military strength. Holy Knight Aurora and I should be able to defeat them without issue.”
“Understood. Then please tell me about this ‘different mission.'”
““…””
A gasp of surprise came from my wives.
Well, considering my previous actions, it was understandable that they would find my acceptance here questionable.
Meanwhile, Holy Knight Luna, looking visibly relieved, explained the details of the “different mission.”
“Understood. Well, then… about half a day’s travel west from here, there is a village called Terni—”
I loosely listened to the details of the “fake mission” that Holy Knight Luna was likely pulling out of thin air.
The enemy’s objective was undoubtedly “Holy Sword wielder” Aurora herself.
Perhaps they intended to eliminate the biggest obstacle to their goal, or perhaps—
Regardless, this was surely a trap set by the enemy.
Aurora would likely fall into some kind of trap under the guise of a mission to defeat the “Whip User.”
However, if an Rank A adventurer like myself were by her side, it was highly likely that the enemy would not spring their trap.
If that happened, the enemy’s location would remain unknown.
That would be problematic.
Therefore, even though it might be unfair to Aurora, it would be best to use her as bait.
To lure out and strike down the “Whip User” lurking in the shadows with a single cast.
(—Now, let the game of deception begin.)
I grinned inwardly, a smile playing on my lips.
