Reluctant Accompaniment

At the entrance of the town, there was a commotion when we brought the 50+ captured bandits, but because of the Lady Rosary and her escorting knights, we finished turning over the bandits and the Commerce Guild happily processed the horses that came along.

The morning after our inevitable stay, as predictable as it was, the carriage carrying Lady Rosary’s entourage followed behind us.

「Can’t we just speed up and go ahead?」
「Absolutely not. Did they not request it specifically?」
「That’s right. We can’t refuse because she’s the daughter of a noble of an ally country.」
「We have no reason to refuse either.」

When I spoke absentmindedly, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie all disagreed. Well, I also knew that. I was just complaining.

Yes, Lady Rosary and her escorting knights asked to join us to Gnomstoll Kingdom.
They would periodically visit Gnomstoll Kingdom where the Arenberg Margravery[1] imports armor from to network while also making purchases. This time, Lady Rosary seemed to be going in place of her father who was busy.
Her two brothers were there, but they were ill suited for negotiations with a different country like this, so it was up to Rosary, who was a woman and the second daughter.

「Golan-san, do you know Margrave Arenberg?」

I tried asking Golan-san, who was once called the God Craft as a blacksmith in Gnomstoll Kingdom before, because he must have know of the frequent customer who purchases large quantities of arms.

「Hm? Margrave Arenberg, huh…… I knew the previous head well. I do remember meeting the current youngster head once or twice.」
「Heh~」

According to Golan-san, the Arenberg Margravery is a strong militaristic family because it shares a lengthy border with the enemy nation Triaria Kingdom and the potential enemy nation Divine Empire of Sydnia.

「Naturally, it requires a mass of good quality arms.」
「So, Gnomstoll Kingdom?」
「Umu, there’s barely any racial discrimination in Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom, so they have a few dwarven blacksmiths like Doganbo, but they can’t meet the demand of the knights and soldiers of the margravery.」

Gnomstoll Kingdom is a country that trades arms and tools with the countries in the continent. Margrave Arenberg was a frequent customer.

「Golan-aniki, wasn’t the previous Margrave Arenberg a regular for swords?」

「Umu, if I had to say, then the Arenberg Margravery is famous for their swordsmanship.」
「Heh, not spears huh.」

If a war were to occur, I thought long reaching spears would be better than swords, but the Arenberg Margravery was famous for their sword for generations.

「Many of them are old fashioned thinking that spears are the weapon of small fries.」

When I heard Golan-san talk about it, I thought it was the same in any world.
Spears were weapons that had been used on Earth since the ancient times. It was likely that, to nobles who wanted power, swords were better than the spears which were easy enough for even commoners to use.

「But we can’t make light of Rosary-sama.」
「……I guess so.」

What Sophia meant by how we couldn’t make light of Rosary-sama was because it was obvious that she was aiming for restoring public order by joining us. 20 knights couldn’t cope with attacks the scale of the 50 bandits. Rather than deploy additional knights from their territory now, it seems they’re trying to exterminate the bandits.
And as much as I hate it, I’d say they were successful.

「That carriage over there, stop!」

See, again.

「Haa, I wonder if I should help this time.」
「No, perhaps because Akane was bored, she jumped out with Lulu-chan, so it is not necessary.」

Yes, in order to match Rosary-sama’s carriage speed, the speed Tsubaki pulled the carriage slowed. And to my surprise, bandits were able to catch up.

I could tell when the carriage dropped.

「Ah, it seems it’s over.」

Maria, who had been watching from the window, opened the door then Akane and Lulu-chan entered.

「The knights from the margravery will do the clean up.」
「……i-is that so.」

Most of the bandits were quickly annihilated by Kaede, but the members who were bored by the slow pace of the carriage alternated fighting the bandits.

「I took their ID cards and valuables then buried them nya.」
「Ha haha, is that so?」

For them to attack after seeing Tsubaki…… are they stupid? Moreover, many of the bandit groups had more than 20 members. Just how many bandits are there?
We’re being thoroughly used by Rosary-sama.

I should have refused to accompany them.
Well, not that I could have refused.

Footnotes:
1. In case some people are confused, I use Arenberg Margravery when it refer to the entire family / their territory, but when I put in Margrave Arenberg, it refers to the Margrave himself.[↩]