CH 35

Chapter 5: Solretta

Section 8: Established Fact

“All right. This will work. Rosa, I’m naming you deputy commander of my chivalric order.”

“Huh?”

Hadion’s words brought me back to reality. I sighed inside my head when I realized she was still going on with that while Rose-san turned her head towards Hadion, giving her sister a wide smile.

“Certainly Sally-oneesama. It is my reverent duty, and I will happily serve. And most importantly, if the mission is protecting Iris-san, I would commit myself even if you never asked.”

“Marvelously caring. Rosa, my sister. Reviving in this era, I am as lucky to have met you as I am to have met Iris.”

“Ah……your words are more than I deserve Sally-oneesama.”

Hadion pulled Rose-san’s hand right in front of us and brought her into a hug. Until now I was always her target, and Rose-san would put a stop to it. But since Hadion is targeting Rose-san this time, the job of stopping her falls to……

“Hey, how soon before something happens do you think ?”

“Let’s see. I don’t think it’ll be too far off in the future. Well even if something does happen between women, I doubt anybody will end up hurt, so it’s probably fine.”

……..nobody apparently. Toslin and Carol both look like they’ve decided to remain on the sidelines. In other words, if we’re going to escape this sweet, heartburning situation, I’m going to have to do something about it myself.

“Oh, can I get a minute Hadion?”

It was right when I was working myself up to breaking in on the two’s little word. That was when Toslin waved her hand and spoke up.

“This is a good opportunity. How about everyone call me Saluena from now on? My last name sounds rigid, and I don’t really like it.”

“Oh? Then Saluena. I was actually hoping to ask a favor……..”

“You want me to instruct you on swordplay?”

“I’m that obvious huh? But well, yeah. I want to get stronger. My friends were put in danger because I failed to kill the dragon at that vital moment.”

“Me too. If I was just a little stronger back then, I could’ve cut up that dragon’s other eye. Then we could’ve killed it easily.”

“Hmm…….”

“Sally-oneesama…….I would like to request this of you as well. Toslin-san and Carol-san are irreplaceable friends to Iris-san and me. So please……”

Hadion brought her hand to her chin for a moment and thought. Meanwhile Rose-san was snuggling up to her with a wishful look in her eye.

“Since it’s my cute sister’s request, I’d like to help if I could. However, my fighting style exists solely for the Goddess’s benefit. I can’t just suddenly start handing them out to other people, even if they are friends……is how I’d originally refuse you. But if you accept my condition, I can make an exception.”

“Condition?”

“You’re not going to tell me to become your sister too right?”

“There are exceptions, but fundamentally a person is only able to have one sister at a time. So no, I’m not. I am going to ask you to join my chivalric order however. Then I can put you both through a special training regiment while considering you both subordinates.”

“Ah, is that all? I don’t mind. We were planning on traveling together for a while anyway.”

“If nothing’s going to change anyway, I’ll choose the option that gives me the most benefits. Okay, a chivalric order. I’ll join, let’s go.”

“Uh, um……..Hadion. About that chivalric order you said you were going to make, I’d rather…….”

“My apologies, but I won’t be hearing Iris’s opinions on the matter. No matter what you say, I will be establishing this chivalric order. And then we will be sure to protect you.”

“Haa……..”

It’s hard turning someone down when you know everything they’re doing is being done from the best of intentions. And it’s already been proven that Hadion won’t listen to any type of rebuttal…….in other words, I’ve been checkmated.

“Also, Saluena. I would like you to call me that.”

Changing the way you refer to someone feels weird after you’ve already gotten used to it. But everyone else has already started calling her Saluena, so it’d be even weirder if I was the only one who still called her Hadion. Plus, the person in question is making the request herself.

“Eh, ah, right…….. I understand, Saluena…….”

“Yes, just like that. I’d like you to start calling me Sally someday, but unfortunately I already have a sister.”

“For now…..I’d like you to endure with Saluena.”

“It’s not really just about the name. I’d also like to be able to naturally brush my hand against your cheek.”

You already do that whenever you get the chance. Hadion really likes……..I mean Saluena, enjoys getting up close and personal. Moreover, even as another woman I am fascinated by how beautiful she is, so I end up troubled by how I’m supposed to react when she comes on so excessively strong.

“But if that’s what Iris says, I’ll stop here for now.”

Not for now; from now on. I wanted to raise an appeal, but I knew she wouldn’t listen.

“But four people then. We’re off to a great start. If we can keep this up, we should be able to reach my goal of a thousand strong unit in no time.”

“What’s going to happen that we need that many people……. Haa, why Goddess, why me…….”

Until recently I was just the daughter of a bookstore owner. I fought a dragon and summoned the legendary knight Hadion. And now every time I talk face to face with that very knight, I’m thrown into a situation where I don’t understand what’s going on.

“Perhaps the Goddess knows my taste.”

“Kya, wai-……quit making fun of me……Saluena”

Saluena suddenly started brushing her hand through my hair while her other hand ran through Rose-san’s as well. For some reason I started feeling guilty and looked over at Rose-san, but her smiling face was the same as always.

With that being said, don’t suddenly go stroking someone’s head like this. What an unfaithful hand this is. Am I going to be exposed to Saluena’s eccentric behavior like this from now on?

“I’m not making fun of you though. You should think about what you say more.”

“Fufu, Iris-san truly is adorable. Surely the Goddess Illya is pleased as well.”

“G-Geeze, even Rose-san!”

Just as I was wondering about the relationship between the two of them, they suddenly team up and start teasing me together. I’m glad they’re getting along well…….but this is troubling in its own right. Just how are you supposed to react when two beautiful women keep calling you cute?

“Well, we can talk about the details later on.”

That’s how Toslin put it, making it an established fact that they were joining a chivalric order that’s purpose was to protect me from a nonestablished enemy.

Thus I don’t have any other choice but to accept it. My only hope is that Saluena will stop trying to spread word around when it’s proven that this order has no reason for existing.

Our night in Dragon Litta continued on just like that.