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Chapter 175

「Wha–, wait, whaaat!?」

Yachiyo and Fuuko both raised their voices in surprise at the black smoke rising from behind the wall of trees being sucked up into the blue sky.

The volume of their voices easily matched the loudness of the explosions that had shaken the mountain just a moment ago, which showed just how surprised they were.

But Yachiyo and Fuuko stood with their mouths agape and their eyes glazed over for only a moment.

The two of them both immediately imagined the danger that might be looming over Amria.

They didn’t just bare their fangs, but they also let out low growls from the back of their throats, causing the fur on their tails to stand on end suddenly.

For the two of them, who were forced into a path of hardship far away from their home country, they realized just how important the woman named Amria was to them, and they started running, as if forgetting about the rest of us.

「Yachiyo, Fuuko, 『Wait』」

I could only imagine things ending badly if I let the two of them go on ahead of us, not to mention I would be endlessly worried for them, so I put some force in my voice as I commanded the two of them.

They both stopped moving as if their feet had been stitched to the ground with stakes, and they looked back at me, unable to understand what had happened to their bodies.

I’m sure they’ve never felt their minds be so detached from their bodies, in this moment.

「Eh, b-but, Dran! Amria is, Amria is…」

Yachiyo, who was trying hard to move her stuck legs, desperately tried to appeal to me while half crying.

Seeing her try to jump into a place that she knew was clearly dangerous, without thinking about her own safety, and even now struggling to escape, struck me somewhere deep in my heart.

Since Yachiyo and Fuuko were both like this, I couldn’t just leave them be. In a way, these two are really amazing.

「We can get there faster by carriage, rather than you two running there at full speed. Besides, we will help you. Leon, you don’t mind, right?」

I didn’t need to confirm that Leon, Selina, and the others inside the carriage had overheard our conversation, as well as the sound of the explosion that had occurred along the way.

The side window of the carriage opened up, and His Highness peeked his face outside, and he nodded back with a mysterious look on his face. He was the one who had needlessly meddled so much in Elkeney. There was no way he would overlook this either.

「Yeah. I have no objections. Besides, this is something that will most likely involve the upper class of the empire in a big way. Just like we did in Elkeney, let’s try to poke our noses into this and see what comes of it」

「Fumu, you answered just as I thought you would. I should admonish you for sticking your nose into dangerous places a little too much, you know」

「It’s just that the people around me are too reliable. My sense of danger has slackened too much. Sorry for causing you trouble」

「Too reliable, you say? I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or not. Well then, Yachiyo, Fuuko, that’s how it is, so we’ll help you save your friend. Anyway, time is short. Hurry up and return to the carriage」

「I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we are indebted to you!」

「Dran, Leon, everyone, you have my and Hachi’s sincerest thanks」

「Save your thanks until after we save that Amria woman. Did the explosions stop? Now, is it because they used it all up to smash down the castle gate, or do they no longer need to use it? I hope it’s the former, but…」

With my dragon eyes, I looked toward the area around the hidden passage that Yachiyo and Fuuko had tried to go to, and I couldn’t see any signs of anyone there, but at the place where the explosion seemed to have originated, there was a fortified castle rising above the trees, just as Yachiyo said there would be.

The castle was surrounded by fully armed soldiers and mages, while on the other hand, the number of soldiers on the castle’s side fighting against them was small. They could have already infiltrated inside of the castle by now, it was an urgent situation.

This sight proved, more than anything else, that Amria is a woman of great value and importance, but I wonder why the places I go to always end up this way.

Putting my inner thoughts aside, the Sleipnir, who understood the situation, followed Yachiyo and Fuuko’s lead, and rode fast down the mountainous, tree-filled path without any hint of fear. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear Yachiyo and the others let out frightened cries at how fast we were going.

「Eeek, whoa, whoa, eeeeeek!!」

Yachiyo and Fuuko were sitting on the seats to either side of me, but Yachiyo has been screaming the whole time about the Sleipnirs’ true speed, and Fuuko was clinging desperately to my arm, her face pale.

「I-Isn’t this really fast, Dran!?」

「This is how fast they can be when they get serious. Of course this is fast. When we run away from here with Amria, this speed will be good for losing any pursuers」

「No, that’s true, but if Amria rides in this, she’ll just end up getting sick– ouch! I bit my tongue!」

Fuuko’s fox ears flattened, and tears welled up in her eyes as she showed me her bitten tongue.

Ah, jeez, even though the carriage itself is not shaking and it is protected from inertia due to magic, this fox girl sure is being too careless while riding in a carriage running at full speed.

I have to tell her to hurry up and put her tongue back inside her mouth before she ends up biting it again.

「It’s because you’re so carelessly talking while the carriage is running. You’ll bite your tongue again, so put it back inside already.」

「Gya– Waaaah!!」

And there was Yachiyo, who hasn’t stopped screaming at all. It was proof that she was still energetic enough if she could keep screaming like that, but it seems the Sleipnirs’ speed was faster than she expected. Even so, there was nothing louder to my ears than those screams.

Since the two of them were seated, Lynette, who had to move to the back to make room for them, looked toward them with a mercilessly exasperated look.

The closer we got to the castle, the more we started to hear other sounds besides the sound of the explosions, which proved that the mountain that should have been inaccessible to humans was in the middle of a ravaging war.

The Sleipnir went as far as they could, which was a place just before a cliff in the mountain.

There were fewer shadows of the trees on the cliff, which was high enough that we were guaranteed to lose our lives if we slipped and fell off. From there, we would have to reach the castle on foot via the hidden passageway.

As soon as we all got off of the carriage, we split into two groups, one that would go into the castle and rescue Amria, and one that would stay here to secure a path of retreat.

If we consider that we are sneaking into a castle that is under attack in order to rescue a single woman, it would be better if the number of people on the rescue team were smaller.

「First of all, it is decided that Leon and Shald will stay here.」

Considering their status and identities, there was no need to mention that it would be problematic if they chose to go in to save Amria.

We haven’t told Yachiyo and Fuuko about His Highness’s true identity yet, but they can clearly sense that there is a reason for that, as well as for them not being able to go inside to rescue Amria, so the two of them have not pursued the matter.

His Highness himself must have had some reservations about not going, but even he knew he should restrain himself in this situation.

「I understand. I will take up my sword here only if something happens on our side」

So you’re planning to fight after all, I thought, as I looked toward Shald, and the young man, a full-time knight with handsome features, shrugged his shoulders lightly, and sighed.

He’s known His Highness longer than any of us, but maybe it had never occurred to him that His Highness had the type of personality to go running into fire all on his own.

Well, His Highness himself is a first-class swordsman, and the sword he brought with him is a famous magic sword, plus the magic tools he has hidden under his clothes are also first-class, and are designed to protect himself.

Although His Highness doesn’t get hurt that often, it’s still not a situation that’s good for Shald emotionally, but His Highness is a worthy lord to serve that is sure to never get boring.

「Fumu, if we didn’t have to bring Amria with us, then we probably wouldn’t be noticed, so the opportunity for Leon to wield his sword won’t come around this often. Now then, if we’re going to rescue her, it would be best to bring some familiar faces to her, like Yachiyo and Fuuko」

「Yes, yes! We’ll do our best, Dran. Amria is the type of person who doesn’t know how to doubt people, but it would definitely be go faster if we accompany you」

「Leave sneaking in quietly to us. I will show you the art of invisibility. Nin, nin!」

Let’s not point out right now that Fuuko doesn’t really look like a ninja at all. I believe people like Fuuko are called kunoichi, shinobi, or people of the grass. Can a shinobi who has no intention of being stealthy really be called a shinobi?

「Yachiyo, Fuuko and I will be going, but what will Lynette, Selina, Diadora, and Dramina do?」

「I wish to follow you, Master Dran. After all, I am your golem and your servant」

「With Lynette’s logic, Dramina and I should naturally go with you too, but I think four people is already more than enough」

Saying that, it seems Selina didn’t have any intention of arguing with this, and she obediently accepted to stay here. We were only going a short distance away, so I guess there was no reason for her to get particularly stubborn about it, right?

While patting Lynette’s head, Diadora looked at the trees and flowers at our feet around us, gleaning information from them one after another. That is how she gathers information.

「In that case, I will stay here too. It seems there will be other unnecessary guests arriving at this mountain, so it’s going to become more difficult to secure an escape route」

At this time, Selina, Diadora, Lynette, and Dramina, as well as myself, had sensed a new army, different from the one already attacking the castle, has set foot in the mountains.

The two military forces are both invading Ammel Mountain in search of Amria, but their goal might be to take her alive, or it could be to kill her.

Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that we have to get to her before either of the two forces can reach her. Dramina showed that she agreed with the other two, and the rescue team was decided to be just four people.

「Dran, Lynette, Yachiyo, Fuuko, there probably won’t be any problems with the four of you, but although there are few, there are sure to be a handful of people more skilled than you. Please be on your guard」

「You too, Dramina. Selina, Diadora, you two as well」

「Please leave Master Dran to me」

With that, we split into two groups and immediately moved into action, heading for the hidden passage that Yachiyo and Fuuko had found earlier.