“Ah, I’m also, uh, happy to meet the bearer of the Demonic Sword. Ahem. Please have a seat. Oh, and these people around us are paladins. I’d appreciate if we could allow them to listen to our conversation. And, ummm, if there’s time afterward, I’d love it if you could show me your sword…”
“With pleasure. And I do hope you’ll show me yours, too. All right, we’ll be accepting your hospitality. Everyone, please.”
The Blue Roses all sat in whatever position they pleased. Some were already propped up on their elbows, while others crossed their arms. The casual brazenness was strangely becoming due to their famous power and capability.
“Should we introduce ourselves first?”
Gustav piped up, perhaps to give Remedios a breather. “No, that won’t be necessary. Stories of you all have traveled far and wide in the Sacred Kingdom. Apologies, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m the deputy commander of the paladins, Gustav Montagnés.” Remedios smiled calmly at his reply.
“Is that so? I hope the rumors are good.”
“O—”
“Yes, we’ve heard nothing but good things. The stories of your exploits thrilled me.”
Remedios was about to say something when Gustav intercepted. Glossing over the momentary confusion, he exchanged smiles with Lakyus.
“I’m happy to hear that. I’d love to know what rumors you’ve heard, but we’re here because our presence was requested. We wouldn’t want to waste your time. Could we begin by going over the matter in question?”
“Hmm. Before we do that, I’d at least like to get that girl’s name.”
Surprised at the remark, Neia discovered one of the thief twins pointing at her. The other twin was also eyeing her with interest.
They must have been Tia and Tina. In all the tales of the Blue Roses that had made their way to the Sacred Kingdom, none featured these mysterious twins.
And they were pointing at her.
She felt like she’d be thrust out from a dark wing onto a brightly lit stage. The words Why? How? What? raced circles around her mind.
“She doesn’t have the build of a warrior. Her muscles are totally different from ours.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was Gagaran the warrior who jumped in to respond.
“Just what I said… She’s not a warrior no matter how you look at her. This is a warrior.”
“Whoa there. A body like this gets built through experience.”
“You mean she’ll transform into something like you?” The thief’s expression sharpened. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s horrible to say to the poor thing.”
“Hey, aren’t you being a bit harsh? You’ve trained with me! C’mon!”
“Nothing changed, though. I only got sore ribs because you gave me a crazy bear hug while I was sleeping and—”
“That’s enough, you two… Apologies for my half-wits.”
“Nothing to worry about. This here is Neia Baraja, one of our squires. Her keen senses helped us a great deal on our journey to get here.”
“Got it.” She said it with zero emotion, so it wasn’t cute at all.
“…Hmph. It’s our fault, but this conversation isn’t getting anywhere. If neither of you have any objections, why don’t we get down to business? And there’s not really any point to you two acting like nobles. Does anyone have an issue with just speaking frankly?”
Lakyus said, “Evileye,” disapprovingly.
The arcane caster, Evileye. She was immensely powerful and never removed her mask. Her body was particularly petite—some rumors said she was from a different, smaller race.
“No, that’s fine. I’m not so clever when it comes to nuanced communication.”
“Commander…”
“…Hoh-hoh. Your boss is quick on the uptake. Now how about ours? If they’re going to pay us a proper intelligence fee, then they’re our employers. Rather than taking forever to feel one another out, why not just jump straight into money matters and get the contract over with?”
Lakyus sighed, and Evileye grinned as she continued.
“There’s our boss’s tacit approval. Now, before we decide the fee, let’s confirm the nature of the request. I’d like to hear it from you, but I presume it’s about the demon Jaldabaoth rampaging through your country, right?”
“You know already?”
“Whoa, whoa. You think nobles would have info we don’t? Some merchants travel by water to the Kingdom. And the various branches of the Adventurers Guild exchange intelligence to some extent. Putting that aside for now, how about it? Want to trade what we know? We’d rather have the info than the money.”
“Mmph… C-can I consult with Gustav for a moment?”
Evileye gave them a go-ahead gesture, and Remedios and Gustav stood and went to the room next door—the bedroom.
“Um, is it okay if I get some water?” Gagaran asked Neia, pointing at the pitcher and cups on the table.
Why are you asking me?! Though a nervous wreck, she managed to reply, “Yes, of course. Go right ahead.” Her voice didn’t shake, and her manner was so perfect, she wanted to pat herself on the back.
By the time Gagaran finished pouring the water, Remedios and Gustav were coming back.
“We’ll pay an intelligence fee, so could we just hear what you have to say?”
Huh, thought Neia. She wondered why Remedios didn’t agree, when she found even paying for their accommodation a waste. Probably because Gustav told her not to, but what was his reason for convince her?
“Well, that’s fine. I just thought that if we knew the current state of the Sacred Kingdom we would be able to offer more targeted information.”
“We’ll pay the agreed fee.”
Gustav put a small leather pouch on the table.
“Hmph. Hey.” Evileye jerked her chin at one of the thieves. The thief’s hand zipped out to grab the bag, and she tossed it once. Catching it, she nodded at Evileye.
She must have confirmed from the weight in her hand that it was the correct amount of money.
“All right. I, Evileye, will speak as our representative… That said, as I mentioned before, saying you want ‘all’ the information there is about Jaldabaoth is a bit like trying to lasso a cloud. I’ll tell you what happened in this country in
