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Chapter 277 part 3

Although they had only met less than a year ago, Lynette could tell that Amria was thinking about things like that since they had been seeing each other every day since they had entered the Romal Empire.

「Yes, of course. I am willing to do anything I can to help.」

「Fuuko and I don’t want Lady Amria to do anything dangerous. And also, don’t treat yourself so badly. That’s very bad.」

「That’s right. Regardless of your origins, you are still a maiden who has yet to be married. For such a woman to accept the option of sacrificing herself is a cruel fate.」

「Ufufu, if you say that, then everyone here is a “maiden who has yet to be married”, right?」

「That’s right! Fuuko and I find it a bit difficult to picture ourselves starting a family, so we kind of…」

「Hahaha, Hachi even crossed the sea to escape an unwanted marriage, and I, who accompanied her, am also sick of marriage. And a ninja is not allowed to have free love.」

It looked like Yachiyo and Fuuko, who were laughing together, seemed to be far removed from the idea of marriage, as even Gundeus and Kyrlinne could tell.

Amria, too, could not hope for free love because of her background, but Fuuko and Yachiyo were far from the idea of marriage in a different meaning.

Following the tense meeting with Regul, the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere laced with ominous terms was meant to continue until Gwandan’s arrival. However, it abruptly ceased as Lynette’s expression shifted from a mild smile to blankness.

「Hmm, is this a welcome surprise, or a troublesome surprise?」

Lynette looked around as she pulled her beloved giant mace out of the shadows while Gundeus took out his rapid-fire magic crossbow, and Kyrlinne took out her beloved greatsword and slung it over her shoulder.

Yachiyo, who was reaching for her beloved sword, asked Lynette in an alarmed tone.

「Are they some fellows who happened to find us?」

「No, these do not seem to be the forces of The Roaring Sun’s Majesty. I recognize someone among them.」

At Lynette’s gaze, a slender woman with multiple braids in her black hair emerged from the shadow of a tree, clad in shadow-melding black leather, seemingly unarmed.

Yet, Lynette did not lower her guard because she was facing the greatest assassin among humans.

「Was our first encounter when you were escorting Amria from the mountain castle? That fighter isn’t with you today, is he?」

The battle in the mountains was when Lynette first met Amria, rescued her from the crisis of assassination or kidnapping, and brought her to the Arkrest Kingdom. At that time, Lynette made her debut and first win with the Armored Gandoga, and one of the two people she fought was the assassin Zanad, who was standing before her now.
Though not a member of the Romal Empire’s Twelve Winged Generals, Zanad but she was an assassin with the strength equivalent of them. She must have come here for a reason other than simply assassinating Amria.

Considering the possibility of an ambush by someone other than Zanad, Lynette and the others remained vigilant in all directions. Zanad took a few steps towards Amria, then knelt on one knee, bowed her head, and lowered her gaze to show her utmost respect.

「Please forgive my sudden intrusion. I am Zanad, and I serve Her Highness Asteria. I believe you are Lady Amria and her escorts.」

While Lynette exchanged glances with Gundeus and Kyrlinne, Amria, who had made up her mind, replied to Zanad with a stern expression.

「I am Amria. What business do you, who serve Princess Asteria… my sister, have with me?」

「Princess Asteria wishes to meet with you. Since the time I came to greet you, the tides of the times and the situation have changed, and Princess Asteria has told me that she should talk to you directly, get to know you, and let you get to know her.」

「I see. …May I ask you something? How did you know I was here?」

「It is all by Princess Asteria’s orders. From your actions, since you left the Empire and returned, she knew that you would head for Elkeney, visiting Uminal, and trying to contact Regul, who rules The Roaring Sun’s Majesty.

And how would you leave Uminal after that? And where you would go next. She has foreseen all of that.」

「Is that so?If what you say holds true, then it’s no wonder that Regul thinks so highly of Princess Asteria. And surely, she must have foreseen my acceptance of her proposal too.」

「Lady Amria, do you really believe what this person is saying?」

Yachiyo shielded Amria behind her and tried to intimidate the superior being in front of her, even though she couldn’t truly act as a shield. However, the fact that Amria, whom she was protecting, was so receptive to what the other person was saying… no, considering her past actions, this was a golden opportunity for Amria to kill two birds with one stone.

It’s unimaginable compared to the time when she was imprisoned, but at some point, she has developed quite a bold courage.

「Yes. To meet my sister, to learn about her character and her true intentions. That is the last thing I need to know in this country but there are something that I myself want to know. So even if it’s suspicious, if there’s a chance that it will happen, I’ll take it.」

「Hmm, you’re not just thoughtlessly following her invitation, so it’s hard to disagree with you… Lady Amria is becoming more and more of a schemer.」

「A schemer, huh? Then I’ll be careful not to be called a fraud.」

Yachiyo’s murmured words, “It’s not that kind of matter,” slipped away and disappeared into thin air without being heard by Amria.

「Then, will you accompany me?”」

It was hard to imagine what kind of battle he had fought against Regul, who had challenged him with all his might. Not only was his body unscathed, but his clothes were also spotless, and it was hard to imagine anything other than that he had easily dealt with him.

「Of course, I can’t let you take Amria by herself. The condition is that all of us go with you. Can you accept that?」

「Master Gwandan!」

Amria, Lynette, and the others all called out Gwandan’s name at once, and Gwandan nodded calmly in response to show that he was unharmed.

Zanad was horrified that she had not been able to sense Gwandan’s approach at all, but she managed to maintain her composure and answer Gwandan’s question.

「Yes, Her Highness told me to accept your requests as much as possible so that Lady Amria would feel more at ease. She also told me in advance that if you wanted to bring all of your escorts, I should accept that as well」

「She seems to be even more intelligent than rumored. Amria, it may be very difficult to get her true intentions out of her.」

「She doesn’t seem to be swayed by family ties either, so she’s certainly a formidable opponent. But I’m one-half of the twins, so I’m sure I’ll be a formidable opponent for her too.」

Amria said this with a mischievous smile, and Gwandan could only shrug his shoulders. It seemed that Amria was a very effective countermeasure against Gwandan – or Dran.

「Hmm, well, that’s how it is. Zanad, please lead us to Princess Asteria.」

Thus, Amria and her companions set forth for a pivotal meeting with Asteria, a significant figure in the remaining Romal Empire. The reunion of twin sisters, separated at birth, harbored unknown implications for the empire’s future – changes, if any, to be revealed in due time.

And so, Amria and the others went to meet with the remaining important figure in the Romal Empire, Asteria.

What would the reunion of the twin sisters, who had been separated at birth, bring to the Romal Empire? What would it change, or would it change nothing at all? Only time would tell.