White Dragonâs Nest\nâAh, just as I thought, you did not see my performance, huh?â
Donât look at me with that painfully bitter smile . You wonât get any sympathy from me .
ââŚCould it be that one whose legs were cut off to make it fall?â
âYes, yes! Thatâs the one!â
Farkiusâ smile bloomed like a flower in spring . I could almost see the roses bloom and glitter in behind him .
âI got its right leg, then Eis got its left leg . But âYomiâ beat us to the finishing blow . â
It seems there was quite a fierce competition between the adventurers in the southern-left area, which was opposite from where we were fighting . And this Eis he mentioned was none other than Prince Eisenhart, who is the commanding officer of the âGladiatorsâ . Why were those two fighting side by side at the front lines? Is that how the Spada Royal Family raise their children?
âThose legs are considerably huge . Being able to slice them in two is quite a feat in itself . â
âI thought so too, but after seeing His Majestyâs secret technique, Iâm not so proud of that anymore . â
I believe itâs best if neither of us tries to compare to the king .
âLeaving that aside⌠havenât we been summoned by the King? Shouldnât we get going?â
âIâd like to keep talking with you for a little longer⌠but if youâre in such a hurry, I guess it canât be helped . â
Farkius stands up with ease, and I soon follow suit . I was still feeling a bit stiff since I had been sitting in that cold place for so long .
âSo whatâs this important matter that requires our presence before the King?â\nâI have been ordered by King Leonhart to call both the battalion of âGladiatorâ and all members from âOrder Raidâ to convene in the command room . â
Was it really necessary for Farkius to try and imitate a messenger? Before this Spada knight came to deliver this message, he had been talking to me in such a carefree mannerâŚ\nWell, I guess I should better think that he came here looking for something instead of thinking he was just being friendly . Either way, Iâve got nothing to hide .
âI donât know the details yet, but I guess you can imagine what itâs going to be about . â
âA countermeasure against the Taurus, huh?â
According to Lily, the next time that the Fulltune Taurus make their appearance, there will be no less than ten of them, so they will definitely come back to attack us . And they wonât need more than one of those to finish breaking through the castle walls .
They had already made two holes on these walls .
âWell then, shall we go?â
ââŚWhatâs that hand for?â
Did I look like some sort of damsel in distress to you? With a tender smile, Farkius extended his right hand, which was covered in a white glove .
âDonât you need me to escort you?â
âI need directions, not your hand . â
My eyes might not be as pretty as those he is surely used to look at, but still I gave him a somewhat scornful glance . Though it might go unnoticed to the average person, it seems that Farkius didnât fail to notice it .
âHmm, I know, I know . I was joking . Iâll show you the way . Letâs go, then . â
Thinking it was a bit suspicious of him, I had no choice but to rely on this handsome gladiatorâs guidance . \n*************
âWhoa, things seem to have gotten quite rough . â
That was the first thing Simon muttered as soon as he entered Galahad Fortress . Adventurers here and there were talking about something with the Spada soldiers, who were coming and going as busy as bees . Against the background of a towering fortified wall and a fortress that is twice as large as the old Iskia Castle, the plaza lined with shops, stables and tents was noisier than the blizzard .
âHmm, it seems they were somehow able to break some holes in the castle walls . Did King Leonhart underestimate our enemies, or were the Crusaders stronger than we had anticipated?â
A voice as sharp and cold as a snowstorm came from behind Simonâs back . It was the mysterious adventurer Sophie, who covered her face with a magic veil .
Her cold blue eyes had caught a glimpse of the two large holes in the castle walls, even with that blizzard which would greatly obstruct anyoneâs vision . At the same time, one could guess that the Spada soldiers would be rushing to work on the wallâs repairs . Anyone who had actually paid attention would have noticed that stones were being carried towards the holes one after the other .
Those stones were so large that it would take a carriage pulled by two, no, even four horses to move them . It wasnât just about their size, since they werenât just regular stones . They were building stones with a level of hardness fitting the Galahad castle walls . They had been stockpiled just in case repairs were ever necessary, though nobody could have ever thought that the time for using them would actually come .
âThe walls have been breached⌠what in the world did that?â\nâDonât worry, Iâll protect you no matter what . â
Two brown arms embrace Simonâs slender body from behind . At the same time, his body unintentionally went stiff as he felt two big, no, huge soft things pressing against his back .
Simon was wearing a thick fur coat, worthy of the challenge of climbing the Galahad Mountains with it, but he still was able to feel them .
Sophieâs body, which was clad in her usual exotic dancerâs clothes, lied unexpectedly behind a thin robe . Simon had reacted like any man would have, even though he did not want to .
âAh, um⌠please let go of the reins . â
Thatâs the only thing he managed to say .
Simon and Sophie were on horseback . It wasnât the average horse which two people can just ride and get along, but a beautiful pure-white unicorn .
However, it was hard to believe that Sophieâs beloved steed, which was twice as big as a regular horse and with as brawny as a bull, was really a unicorn . The characteristic horn of a unicorn, which many consider to be a work of art, sparkles with a faintly blue light like a crystal, but itâs so big, thick, and itâs so fiercely twisted that it looks rather ominous .
âHoho, heâll be alright . Heâs such a good boy after all . â
Though it looked more like a monster than like a unicorn, it was a good steed that was able to understand its masterâs intentions . Its pace was surprisingly quiet, and didnât rock as much when walking, despite Simon thinking that âletting go of its reins would be dangerousâ .
For starters, it was clear how well it had been trained, just due to the fact that it had allowed a man to get on its back . Or perhaps itâs just that it doesnât even recognize Simon as a man?\nâStop it or Iâll get off the horse!â
âAh, waitââ
Simon escaped from Sophieâs hug and rolled his way off the unicornâs back, almost as if running away . It seemed to be higher off the ground that he had expected, and before he realized, he was letting off a shriek as he landed on the snow that had been piling up due to the blizzard .
âYou donât have to be so impatient . The Galahad Mountains are right in the middle of a âWhite Dragonâs Nestâ, so neither us nor the enemy can make a move for at least three days . â
After saying those swift words, Sophie tapped on her steedâs belly with her feet . The unicorn immediately lowered its head and extended its snout to Simon, who had been completely submerged into the snow .
âWhich means that for the next three days, we get to get a nice, long rest at an inn . â
It was faster for the unicorn to pull Simon out of the snow using its teeth than for Simon himself to get himself out of it . Another tiny shriek escaped from Simonâs mouth as the unicorn pulled him up .
âIn this state of confusion, there might not be too many available rooms . Maybe weâll have to share a tiny room with a single, cramped bed . It might be a little tight, but I guess weâll have to endure it . â
âWe donât have time to relax! I have to meet with my brother! Actually, only I need to keep going from this point onwards, so please drop me here, thank you very much for bringing me this far!â
âAw, donât be so shy! Weâre already a party, right? Come on, letâs spend the night together under a single roof and get to know each other better as fellow party members . â\nSophie laughs mischievously under her veil . It was almost as if the brown beast had found the white rabbitâs nest .
ââIâm sorry, Sophie, but Iâll be borrowing Simon for a while . â
A small feathered figure appeared from behind the snowstorm, enveloped in a faint green light .
âLily?!â
âYouâve arrived earlier than expected . Welcome to Galahad Fortress . â
Lily puts on her cheery smile, worthy of a girl as beautiful as her .
Simonâs eyes welled up into tears, probably because he was either deeply moved by the fact that he was being rescued, or because he had been nominated by a scary fairy .
âIt would take more than this snowstorm to prevent us from going any further . But more importantly, what do you want with my Simon?â
âWhat are you saying about me, Sophie? Please stop, itâs making me uncomfortable . â
âI didnât mean to intrude or anything, but the situation isnât so good at the moment . But I need Simon to come with me for now, if thatâs okay with you . â
âWait a minute, Lily! Why are you treating me like a bargaining chip here?â
â⌠The situation at Galahad Fortress has gotten worse than ever with those holes on its walls . We have no choice but to come up with a plan within the next three days . â
âThanks for letting us know . Iâll be making reservations for the night in a nice inn then . â
âHelp me, brother! Lily is trying to sell me!â
âKurono wonât be coming here for a while, since heâs in the middle of an important strategy meeting . But we are here and we need to start our preparations too . â
Leaving Simonâs free will aside, the conversation was rather short . \nâWait a minute, Lily⌠I canât process all of this at allâŚâ
âDonât worry, Iâm not planning to do anything risky . I just need to get out of the walls for a while . â
âUh-huh?â
Lilyâs words sounded so contradictory that Simon could not help but utter that question, as if expecting her to repeat herself .
However, all Simon could do after that was to answer Lilyâs request with a âYesâ .
Then, full of confidence and with her usual smile that shows that sheâs plotting something evil, Lily said:
âBut donât worry . Iâm sure youâll love that huge toy . â\n