第３７３堀：思わぬ出会い (Part2)
"Indeed... There is no mistake. I have confirmed it!! My name is Arne, and I will be guiding Principal Popuri and her party from here on out!!"
The female soldier answers briskly.
...Hm?
That name sounds familiar...
"Excuse me. Would you mind telling me your name one more time?"
"Yes. My name is Arne!! Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just the same as an acquaintance of mine. I thought I might have misheard you."
"I see. It is common to mishear things when you hear a name you recognize, I suppose."
"My apologies."
"Not at all. I understand the urge to verify, so please, do not worry about it."
Could it really be...?
No, but...
Calm down. No matter how you look at it, it’s probably just someone else with a similar name.
Admittedly, she does look a bit young, but if I’m going to point that out, I’m not much different from a little girl myself, am I?
Even if it were her, this isn't the place to interrogate her, and it would only make me look suspicious.
Besides, the information I got from Princess Dressa was just the name "Arne," and there’s no guarantee she’d be as young as the princess.
She might look the same age, but in reality, she could be much older.
"Now then, I shall lead the way. If you could please follow behind me?"
"Right. I'm counting on you. As you can see, that dragon is docile, and since we have it enclosed in a cage, you'll be able to hear me if I call out. Please don't hesitate to let me know if anything comes up."
"Yes. Thank you for your consideration. Alright, everyone, take your positions!! Make sure not to let any monsters or bandits lay a hand on our guests, even by mistake!!"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
As the soldier named Arne gives her orders, the soldiers move with sharp precision, forming a formation that surrounds us.
Watching them, I return to the others, relaying my conversation with Arne to Amanda and asking her to maintain a low-altitude, low-speed flight to match the pace of those around us.
Ordering a wyvern to run at the same speed as a horse isn't a request one would normally make, but thanks to Aslin's training, Wai-chan doesn't complain.
Well, her current master is Amanda, though. She isn't used to low-altitude, low-speed flight, so she’s quite tense.
With that in mind, I decide to have Eoid, who is currently a bit of a distraction for our consultation, go over to Amanda.
"Eoid. Amanda is a bit tired from this unfamiliar flight. Why don't you go over and keep her company?"
"Eh? Is that alright? I feel like I might break her concentration instead..."
"It's the opposite. If she loses her balance, it could cause harm to you and the surrounding soldiers. Right now, Amanda is alone, and she might be so tense that she's losing focus. If you're by her side, it should help her remember to stay calm and actually improve her concentration."
"Is that how it works?"
"That's how it works. It's not just men who want to look good for others. Besides, married couples are meant to support one another."
"Understood. Everyone, since that is the case, I will head over to Amanda's side."
Eoid bows politely to everyone, leaps onto Wai-chan's neck, and takes his place behind Amanda.
After seeing him off, I look at the faces of the others and manage to open my mouth.
"...What do you think?"
Naturally, I'm talking about Arne.
"At this point, it's hard to say. Having the same name is common enough, after all."
"Indeed. As Deryu says, we cannot judge anything as things stand."
Deryu and Eris seem to feel the same as I do—that it's too early to tell.
Well, that's only natural.
"Well, I think it would be best to report this to Yuki-san, at least. He might be able to do some digging on his end. Personally, I'm nine-tenths sure it's the Arne that Princess Dressa mentioned."
"Taiki, is there a reason for that?"
"No, it's just a personal hunch. Like you both said, it's entirely possible it's just a coincidence. In fact, that's the most likely scenario. But I think we should keep the possibility that it's her in the back of our minds."
"Indeed, it's dangerous to dismiss something just because the probability is low. As Taiki suggests, would you mind contacting Yuki?"
"Hmm. Eris, I'll leave it to you."
"Deryu... *Sigh*, understood."
Good grief, I don't know if this is fortunate or unfortunate.
To think that an unexpected figure would make contact with us.
Could it be that our movements have been leaked?
No, if that were the case, they would have used a more obvious form of intimidation, and they would have reached out to Mauve and Kirika's groups as well.
Hmm, I don't know.
For now, the priority is entering the royal capital and speaking with King Noble.
So, is Arne just a coincidence, or is it really her?
And what kind of person is Noble, exactly?
The story, dragging various things along with it, heads toward an internal infiltration!!
Well, that aside, how are you feeling now that Golden Week has come to a complete end?