Chapter 255

「Here you go. Thank you for the purchase.」

The middle-aged woman running the stall handed Amria a sandwich with slices of cheese and a thick piece of ham in between two pieces of toast.

Amria was in the safe region of Sebrand to gaze upon the inner workings of the city before heading to the southern part of the Romal Empire. The post town at the northern end of a busy street was flooded with travelers and artisans in search of lodging. A tantalizing mix of smells wafted over from several food stalls that lined the path.

Fortunately, Amria’s appearance as the daughter of a dwindling wealthy merchant family or a second-class citizen had not aroused suspicion thus far. Even the owner of the stall seemed to harbor no doubts about her.

Amria paid for the toasts after handing Yachiyo and Fuuko their shares. The two were guarding her and standing close by.

Workers taking a break and merchants who had set up stores a short distance away streamed into stalls nearby in hopes of filling their stomachs. Among them, however, were several people who appeared to have fled from the war like Amria. Amria glanced at them and then spoke to the stall owner.

「Excuse me,  I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but there seems to be quite a lot of people coming to Sebrand, isn’t there?」

「Huh? Oh, that’s right. Well, it’s inevitable since there’s a rebellion down south. But this is Grand Duke Linosart’s turf, so the rebels won’t come this far. Don’t worry.」

The lady replied gently. Her gaze softened probably out of concern for Amria who exuded the air of a sheltered young lady, especially with how she seemed so beautiful yet fragile. In the woman’s eyes, Amria was nothing more than a poor lady who had been driven from her homeland by the rebels.

Amria was also used to being pitied by others who had reached their own conclusions about her, just like the woman was doing right now. In the time she had been in Sebrand, she had experienced similar instances many times.

These people were not exactly wrong, but the rebels had not been the ones who had driven Amria out of the empire. Rather, both Grand Duke Linosart and Princess Asteria had done so.

「Yes, this town is well protected by many soldiers and knights, and I feel very safe here. Even though I’ve left my hometown, I’ve managed to survive thanks to the mercy of everyone.」

「The Grand Duke has set up an emergency fund for refugees, and he has allowed access to food supplies. Existing hospitals and rationing stations for the poor will be expanded as well. More than anything, General Hausen has acknowledged Grand Duke Linosart, and the rebels will be crushed soon. As long as you remain in Sebrand, you’ll be able to return home in no time.」

「Yes, the Grand Duke is truly a magnificent man, he really is.」

Amria offered a superficial answer of approval for the old imperial system. Among the imperial citizens who were seeking refuge in Sebrand, only second-class subjects or third-class subjects with special permission such as laborers were allowed to enter the city.

A large majority of refugees were still lacking food and medical treatment for their injuries and illnesses as they remained outside the city. They received food rations, but that was inadequate to feed everyone there. If they attempted to purchase food, they would have to pay exorbitant prices to opportunistic merchants illegally selling food supplies.

Even so, Sebrand’s treatment of third-class subjects was still considered decent.

Amria only knew about Sebrand, but she was slowly realizing the meaning of Sperion’s words to her. He had told her that there would be many things that she would be better off not knowing out there, and that included the fact that there were people treated worse than those in this city.

The stall owner noticed the pained expression on Amria’s face regarding the suffering of third-class subjects. The expression of concern remained on the woman’s face as she was spurred to utter some words of consolation.

「Oh, the third-class subjects? Ever since the rebellion in the south broke out, the folks here are on edge with worry that something similar might happen here. Things have been going well thus far, so I don’t get why they decided to start a mutiny. Once the Grand Duke quells the rebellion, they’ll be penalized so severely that they won’t ever think of starting another rebellion. I hope something like this never happens again, gosh.」

Amria should have expressed some kind of shared opinion with the lady’s criticism of third-class subjects, described as though they were a different race and a different species. Yet, Amria’s sentiments were clearly worlds apart from whatever the stall owner had assumed with her own speculations.

The girls finished their toasts as they observed the food stalls around them, and then they proceeded to join Dran and his companions who were standing guard a short distance away. It was time for them to leave Sebrand.

The plan after leaving Sebrand was to head south for Elkeney, the very place where Amria had first met Yachiyo and Fuuko. They would start with viewing the lands near the front lines and the southern regions occupied by rebels. Finally, they would make their way to the western part of the empire ruled by Princess Asteria.

The party left Sebrand in a covered horse-drawn wagon under the guise of having been chased out of their homeland, and this very wagon being the only thing they managed to bring with them. Amria was seated in the back of the wagon as they departed from Sebrand. She lifted the canopy and gazed upon the refugees resting outside the city.

Amria had no recognized status as a member of the imperial family and no one backing her in the empire. The things she was capable of were inevitably limited. Arkrest Kingdom was also unlikely to offer her any help during her visit to the Romal Empire, at least before the kingdom decided to intervene in the civil war.

「Lady Amria, there’s no use tormenting yourself over such things.」

Yachiyo had kept her mouth shut as much as possible in Sebrand as she could not rein in her characteristic Akitsukuni accent. She could finally speak freely, and she proceeded to console Amria, who had been heartbroken ever since they arrived in the empire.

Fuuko joined Yachiyo in speaking to Amria, who had been downcast lately. Both of them were already starting to feel regret eating at them for bringing Amria to this place.

「Exactly. This may sound harsh, but your anguish can’t fill their stomachs or relieve their fatigue. Besides, it’s not like you didn’t do a thing.」

「Fuu is right. We bought rations and medicine illegally from the city’s merchants who were selling them at exorbitant prices and then secretly resold them for barely any money. We even did our best to stop anyone who tried to cause trouble for those guys.」

「But that money was from Prince Sperion. We could’ve given them everything for free, but we still charged them…」

「But it’s the same as when I stopped you from doing so. Giving things away for free would make us a charity. These guys may be starving refugees beaten down by exhaustion, but they still have a sense of self. They have yet to ditch their pride and dignity. Even if we acted out of the goodness of our hearts and offered them charity, we would be implying that they are to be pitied. So, if we are to give them what they seek, receiving a small amount in return as you’ve done is the only way to leave them with their dignity intact….」

Yachiyo did not speak to please or console Amria. Rather, she was commenting on Amria’s decision to be a good one.

「I hope you’re right… I don’t regret my decision to appeal for Prince Sperion’s approval to come to the Romal Empire, but I’m acutely aware of how shallow my thoughts are. I feel like I’m lost in a thick fog with nothing to show me the way.」

「Gosh, even if you can’t see anything in a fog, you can move forward if each of your steps meet with concrete ground. Besides, you have Fuu and me with you. You won’t be alone even if you’re lost.」

「Hachi’s right. Even if we’ve lost our way, there’s nothing to fear for now as long as the three of us are together!」

It was characteristic of Fuuko to add “for now” in her statement. Amria smiled back at Yachiyo and Fuuko, her anxiety and unease having dissipated. It was a smile that they had not seen for quite some time, one that was as comforting as the sun’s rays. It made smiles spread on the faces of Yachiyo and Fuuko as well.

Lynette noticed the dark clouds part from the hearts of Amria and the other two girls. Only then did she speak to Dran, who was on the driver’s bench with Gundeus. Kyrlinne and Lynette were in the back of the wagon.

A carpet had been laid on the floor in anticipation of the long journey, and Lynette raised her question to her master from the back of the wagon.

「Master Gwandan, did you detect any signs of the lady during our stay in Sebrand?」

Lynette and her two sisters possessed exceptional detection abilities, but their master was superior in almost every aspect. As servants, this fact made them feel rather ashamed of themselves.

Gwandan had his gaze fixed on the road filled with pedestrians silently trudging toward Sebrand. The reply that he offered came in a voice similar to Dran’s, though his voice was deeper perhaps due to his generic appearance as someone older than Dran.

「No, they weren’t any traces of her. There was no evidence that she had been captured by General Aiza’s Omniscient Sight, and the guards stationed in the city did not seem wary of us. I don’t even detect anyone on our tail right now. Seems like it was a good idea to disguise Amria as a young lady driven from her home due to the war. Yachiyo, Fuuko, and I had no issues appearing as humans either. More than anything, our current departure from Sebrand to head to the war-torn south would raise the most suspicion.」

As Gwandan had mentioned, there were others leaving Sebrand, but a majority of them were headed for the west or the north, regions farther away from wars. Only very few people would make their way to the perilous south.

Despite the wars ravaging the south, there were still a sparse number of opportunistic merchants and mercenaries heading there in search of profits. In fact, Gwandan and his companions were the truly inexplicable ones in this situation, considering that they were neither merchants nor mercenaries.

Since Gwandan had declared that they were not being watched, Lynette did not bear any doubts about his judgment. However, there was still a possibility that they would be interrogated by soldiers along the way.

From the seat next to Gwandan, Gundeus shared a tense expression with Kyrlinne as she spoke about their countermeasures. Although her heart was racing at the thought of sitting next to Gwandan, she was doing her utmost best in maintaining a composed demeanor before her master.

「If anyone gets suspicious, our cover is that we’re bringing food and other relief supplies to our families and acquaintances left back there. The supplies we brought from Bern and items we bought in Sebrand will come in handy, and we can distribute whatever’s left to those who are truly in need over there.」

「Fumu, you make a good point. As usual, Yachiyo, Fuuko, and I will act as hired guards. Lynette, Gundeus, and Kyrlinne will be Amria’s caretakers. There must be many citizens who have surrendered to soldiers or bandits, but let’s do our best to avoid taking any lives.」

「Lynette does not think it’s necessary to spare any thought for the lives of those who intend to harm Master Gundeus, but I’ll do my best to abide by your wishes.」

「Gundeus will also do everything within my power and knowledge to abide by your will!」

「Yes, yes! Kyrlinne will do my best too!」

Kyrlinne popped out from the back of the wagon, apparently listening to the conversation. Her voice resounded with glee as she wrapped Gwandan in a hug from behind him.

The sight of Kyrlinne’s ample breasts pressing against Gwandan’s back caused the eyes of Lynette and Gundeus to flare with burning jealousy; they did not have such breasts to boast of.

Gwandan did not express any concern about the tenderness on his back, instead offering a fatherly smile to Kyrlinne. Kyrlinne was not the only one he treated in this manner, but he had taken a parental stance when interacting with Lynette and Gundeus as well.

「Come on, enough, Kyrlinne, it’s dangerous to spring on someone holding the horse reins.」

「Heh heh, I thought this would convey my feelings much better.」

「Fufu, very adorable. Oh, Kyrlinne, Gundeus, it’s fine for now, but be careful not to address me as Master or Master Dran when others are around. Amria’s supposed to be your master.」

Just as Dran’s clone had been given the alias of Gwandan, Amria, Yachiyo, Fuuko, Lynette, and everyone else in the party had been given aliases. Before they had entered the Romal Empire, they had practiced calling each other by these names.

The entire scene had been rather heartwarming, as though watching actresses rehearsing a play, but such practice had been necessary for their travels in the Romal Empire.

「I’m well aware of that, Master Gwandan. I, Lynette, am Torne, Lady Amria is Lady Ana, Yachoyi is Hacchi, and Fuuko is Fuu. Though, there isn’t much difference for Fuuko…」

「I get your point, Lyne—Oh, Torne, but we have to be careful that those two don’t end up ignoring unfamiliar names of their own when they’re addressed. If we don’t give them aliases similar to how they’re usually called, I can’t help but worry.」

「Torne has no objections to that. The empire shouldn’t know much about those two, and it can be concluded that as long as they appear different, those two won’t be identified even if their names are similar.」

Torne had made a salient point. Adventurers might have heard about these two, but there was no need to be overly cautious. The wagon, with Gwandan at the reins, moved slowly through the suburbs of Sebrand, which was still a long distance away from the flames of war.

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